Last night, Lu Zeqing went home in Jiang Siyu’s car, and when he left, he also took Jiang Siyu’s car. No matter what, he couldn’t treat his friend coldly. On the way back, he could also discuss things with Qi Zeyu.

Before departing, Lu Zeqing still asked him a question.

“Mr. Jiang, since you don’t have any scheduled work recently, are you really not going to stay at my home for a few days?”

Noticing that Qiqi said “my home,” Qi Zeyu’s lips curled up slightly. Qiqi had finally started to consider this place his home.

Qi Zeyu knew that Jiang Siyu wouldn’t stay, but to maintain a hospitable image in front of Qiqi, he also extended an invitation.

“Young Master Jiang is giving Qingqing acting lessons, right? Our guest room has space. Why not stay?”

“No need.”

Staying for one night was fine, but more than that was not Jiang Siyu’s style. He didn’t like having people stay over, and he also wasn’t fond of spending the night elsewhere.

If it were a gathering with friends, no matter how late, Jiang Siyu would always go home. Staying over this time was already an exception.

“Thank you, President Qi. I’ll visit another time when I have the chance.”

Jiang Siyu drove out of the garage, leading the way for Qi Zeyu. The drive took half an hour, and since they avoided peak hours, the journey was smooth.

“Mr. Jiang, about the acting lessons…”

“It’s fine. Have you read the novel?”

“I’ve read a little.”

“Finish reading it first, then we’ll continue the lessons.”

“Alright.”

Lu Zeqing smiled. “My brother said he’d give me a car for commuting. Coming over during the day for half an hour isn’t too far.”

“Mm.”

“You don’t need my help moving? You’re not taking everything, just a few clothes and daily essentials.”

“No need, thank you, Mr. Jiang.”

Exiting the elevator, Jiang Siyu walked to his apartment door. Lu Zeqing turned back to glance at him and hesitated for a second before asking.

“Mr. Jiang, do you want to come in for some ice cream?”

“…Alright.”

Lu Zeqing didn’t know why, but hearing Jiang Siyu agree made him feel slightly relieved. Even though he was happy to go home, there was a faint sense of reluctance in his heart.

He hadn’t lived here for long, but the room already felt more lively. Maybe it was because Jiang Siyu often came over.

In his previous place, there wasn’t much that belonged to Lu Zeqing. He packed his bags to leave, and here, he moved in the same way—just with his bags.

But the feeling was different.

When he left his previous rental, he didn’t feel any attachment.

He went inside, took out a few boxes of ice cream, and asked, “Ge, which flavor do you want?”

Qi Zeyu glanced at them and chose a strawberry milk chocolate-filled ice cream. Their home had ice cream too, but not these packaged popsicles.

Lu Nianchu liked eating ice cakes—not the kind sold in stores, but the ones specially made in dessert shops.

Qi Zeyu tore open the packaging and took a bite.

“The artificial flavoring is too strong.”

Lu Zeqing agreed. “And it’s expensive.”

“I bought ten popsicles, and it cost over five hundred yuan.”

He muttered a small complaint.

There was a membership-based supermarket near the residential area where the fruits and vegetables were fresh but expensive. Lu Zeqing usually bought daily necessities from regular supermarkets. This year, he hadn’t eaten much ice cream, and when he saw a child grabbing some, he picked up a few as well.

At checkout…

Daily necessities: 86.7 yuan.

Ice cream: 571 yuan.

There was a long line behind him, so Lu Zeqing just paid. Those ten popsicles cost more than half a month’s worth of his usual expenses.

When he got home, he put them in the freezer and hadn’t touched them until now.

Jiang Siyu played along, holding back his laughter. “Mm, I’ll add these brands to my blacklist.”

Lu Zeqing looked serious. “They’re not even that good.”

“Indeed.”

Qi Zeyu found it amusing but also felt a bit sorry. Suddenly, he remembered something important.

They had forgotten to give Qiqi his pocket money!!!

Five hundred yuan wasn’t much for Qi Zeyu, but hearing Lu Zeqing say that, he also felt it was quite expensive.

“From now on, if you want to eat or buy anything, just tell Uncle Wang.”

Lu Zeqing was slightly surprised. So, it wasn’t just companies that had procurement—households could have them too?

“Okay.”

“It’s too sweet and greasy, not good. There’s still ice cream in the fridge at home. If you like it, I’ll ask Uncle Wang to buy more.”

“I like it.”

Lu Zeqing rarely openly stated what he liked after returning home. Hearing him say this made Qi Zeyu happy as well. Their interactions no longer felt so formal.

After sitting in the living room for a while, Jiang Siyu received a call. “I have something to take care of. I’ll leave first.”

Lu Zeqing felt a little disappointed but didn’t show it.

“Mr. Jiang, goodbye. Don’t forget you still owe me a lesson.”

“I won’t forget. Don’t worry.”

“I’m off.”

“I have something to do, so I won’t invite President Qi over this time.”

After exchanging polite words, Lu Zeqing walked him to the door. Once Jiang Siyu left, he started packing his things. There weren’t many items to pack.

“Are you free tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Qi Zeyu stood at the bedroom door. “Tomorrow morning, someone will bring next season’s new clothes. If you have time, you can pick some yourself.”

“Aren’t you choosing too?”

“I’ll be at the company at that time. Mom usually picks clothes for dad and me.”

Lu Zeqing only packed one suitcase. He had to leave some clothes in the closet so that he wouldn’t have to bring them back whenever he stayed over.

On the way back.

Before Lu Zeqing could figure out how to bring it up, Qi Zeyu spoke first.

“Uncle Wang told me today that you asked about Qi Nan.”

Lu Zeqing nodded.

“I was planning to talk to you about this today too.”

“Qi Nan might have a twin brother.” Qi Zeyu explained. “Yesterday, Grandma went for a follow-up checkup, and I convinced her to get Qi Nan to do a medical exam too.”

“Qi Nan had heart surgery when he was a child. But when I got his report yesterday, it showed that he has never had such a surgery.”

“So I can confirm that the Qi Nan we know now is not the same Qi Nan from childhood.”

Lu Zeqing was stunned.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk about too.”

“This morning, the eldest young master of the Shen family came to see me. I think he knows where Qi Nan is.” Lu Zeqing then explained everything about the artist Q.

Qi Zeyu was surprised after hearing this. “Are you sure the artist Q is really him?”

“About 80 to 90 percent sure.”

“The eldest young master Shen said he’d take me to meet the artist Q on Sunday. We’ll find out then.”

“Does Grandma know?”

“She has guessed some things but didn’t ask much. Let’s wait until we figure everything out before telling her. Otherwise, she’ll just worry.”

Lu Zeqing thought the same. The two didn’t discuss it further and started talking about other things.

“Next week is the final episode of the variety show recording, right?”

“Yes.”

“After that, are you working on a drama with Jiang Siyu?”

“I might not pass the audition.” Lu Zeqing said, still a bit worried.

Before, he was just trying it out. But now, he really wanted to get this role.

“You can accomplish whatever you set your mind to. Don’t stress too much.” Qi Zeyu reassured him. He didn’t say more, but in his heart, he had already decided to have his assistant discuss potential investment in the project.

“There’s one more thing.” Qi Zeyu thought for a moment before deciding to tell Lu Zeqing. “I’m guessing Jiang Siyu didn’t tell you.”

Lu Zeqing: “?”

“Do you remember how you got injured and were sent to the hospital?”

Lu Zeqing shook his head.

He only remembered waking up in a hospital bed. At that moment, he thought he had transmigrated into a novel because, apart from the memory that this world was actually a book, he had no recollection of the original owner’s past.

But now, as some memories gradually resurfaced, Lu Zeqing was no longer certain.

“Yesterday, Jiang Siyu sent me a surveillance video.”

“It captured footage of you falling from the top of the stairs.”

“There was no one else visible in the video.” Qi Zeyu had watched it repeatedly and confirmed Jiang Siyu’s words.

If it were a misstep or slipping, it would typically happen while going down the stairs—falling forward or sliding down.

But Lu Zeqing had fallen from the top of the stairs. After hitting the ground, he even looked back up at the stairs. When he tried to get up, he fell again due to dizziness.

Each time Qi Zeyu watched the video, his heart clenched. He felt both distressed and angry. He had seen Qiqi handle troublemakers with quick and decisive moves—if it had been a direct confrontation, Qiqi wouldn’t have been caught off guard like this.

It was highly likely that someone had pushed him while he wasn’t paying attention—or it was someone he knew, which was why Qiqi had let his guard down.

Qi Zeyu didn’t dare show this video to Grandma Qi. Last night, he called Qi Huai into the study, and they decided to start investigating from Qiqi’s social circle first.

“By the way, I’ve arranged for a few bodyguards for you.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Dad thinks the same. They won’t follow you too closely or interfere with your life. It’s just to ensure your safety.”

“When you get home, make a list of the people you’ve interacted with and remember.”

Lu Zeqing was dumbfounded. “Does it really need such a detailed investigation?”

Qi Zeyu nodded.

“Oh, by the way, Mom and Dad will be going to City B in a few days.”

“For a business trip?”

“No.”

“Regarding Xu Donghui and his wife, what you said might not be a memory error. Dad found someone who used to work for Xu Donghui, a guy who was later arrested and only got released a few years ago.”

“You don’t need to worry about this. Mom didn’t want to tell you—she just wants you to be happy now that you’re back and not dwell on the past.”

“But I think you should know.”

Qi Zeyu started to understand Jiang Siyu. He had quietly investigated so much and done a lot for Qiqi—perhaps without Qiqi even realizing it.

Even though he wasn’t really happy about it, Qi Zeyu couldn’t deny that Jiang Siyu genuinely cared for Qiqi. His kindness wasn’t about seeking anything in return—it was about making sure Qiqi wouldn’t be hurt again.

Qi Zeyu chose to tell Qiqi for two reasons. First, because Qingqing was the person involved, he should be the one to express gratitude.

Of course, if the opportunity arose in the future, the Qi family would do their best to help or repay Jiang Siyu.

Second, Lu Zeqing had already developed a certain level of dependence on Jiang Siyu—something he himself hadn’t realized yet.

Qi Zeyu didn’t spell it out.

He knew that one day, Qiqi would figure it out on his own.

If one day, Qiqi and Jiang Siyu really ended up together, he hoped it would be because of love, not just because Jiang Siyu had been good to him.

Qi Zeyu himself had no experience in these matters, so he couldn’t offer Lu Zeqing any useful advice. Although he was more annoyed than anything about someone coveting his younger brother, he couldn’t deny the things Jiang Siyu had done for Qingqing.

“If you get the chance, invite him over for dinner more often. Mom, Dad, and I are all very grateful to him.”

That last sentence was Qi Zeyu’s personal bias—having Jiang Siyu over for meals at home was much better than them secretly going on dates outside where he knew nothing about it.

“He never told me any of this.” Lu Zeqing was a bit dazed. He knew Jiang Siyu treated him well, but he never imagined that Jiang Siyu had quietly investigated all these things.

Lu Zeqing was very aware that this feeling was called being moved. But he didn’t know what being moved truly meant.

“I will properly thank him.”

“But why didn’t he tell me?” Lu Zeqing was still puzzled.

Qi Zeyu didn’t respond. He couldn’t just come out and say: Jiang Siyu likes you.

“To protect your feelings.”

Lu Zeqing suddenly understood. He also remembered how Jiang Siyu had felt a bit dejected because Qi Zeyu wasn’t friendly enough to him. He thought he should speak up for Jiang Siyu more in front of QiZeyu.

“Ge, you misunderstood Mr. Jiang before, but now that’s cleared up. Be nicer to him.”

“Mr. Jiang is a really, really good person. He treats his friends especially well.”

Qi Zeyu fell silent.

For the first time, he actually felt a little sorry for Jiang Siyu.

Just for a second.

No more than that.