Less than a hundred meters stood between them, barely a few dozen steps for Bian Yiqiu to cross. In his younger days, he could’ve sprinted the distance in under twenty seconds.

Now, though, he could only sit in the car, staring through the tinted, dark-gray window at the direction of the villa.

The modest two-story building was shrouded by lush greenery, with carefully maintained landscaping. At key vantage points, professional bodyguards stood guard, forming an invisible but impenetrable barrier. Bian Yiqiu had already mentally run through several plans, but none seemed quick or feasible enough to break through.

He fixated on the villa, refusing to blink, even slowing his breath. There was a quiet reverence in his stillness, a desperate kind of devotion as he waited for any glimpse of Ke Mingxuan.

Maybe he’d see him. Maybe he wouldn’t.

Ten minutes later, the villa’s door finally swung open. The moment that familiar face came into view, Bian Yiqiu’s eyes stung, strained from staring too intensely.

Without thinking, his hand shot to the car door handle, body ready to spring out. Zuo Cheng reacted instantly, grabbing his arm and hauling him back into the seat.

For added security, Liang Ziyue had locked the car doors before leaving. But Zuo Cheng knew better than to trust mere locks—he figured if he didn’t physically restrain his boss, the car’s windows wouldn’t survive.

Ke Mingxuan, unaware of the car parked outside, stepped into the courtyard as usual, flanked by bodyguards. The doctor had instructed daily sun exposure, and he needed the fresh air to aid his recovery.

The villa wasn’t large, but the environment was exceptional. It was early May, that perfect cusp between spring and summer, with warm sunlight, a gentle breeze, and vibrant wisteria blooms cascading everywhere in bursts of vivid purple.

Ke Mingxuan seemed oblivious to the breathtaking scene around him. Hands in his pockets, he strolled slowly into the courtyard, stopping beneath a wisteria trellis. Tilting his head slightly upward, he squinted at the sea of purple blossoms, his expression one of utter boredom.

The dappled sunlight filtered through the thick curtain of flowers, casting crisscrossing shadows over his face. It traced a sharp line from his forehead to his nose, then down his jawline, accentuating every angle. The interplay of light and shadow gave him a strikingly three-dimensional allure, like a masterpiece straight out of an oil painting.

Though Bian Yiqiu’s mind wasn’t exactly in the mood to admire aesthetics, he couldn’t help but be completely floored by the sight.

His arm was still firmly gripped by Zuo Cheng, but his eyes were locked onto Ke Mingxuan, unmoving.

He’s up and walking? His body’s fine now? How much has the steel bar wound healed? Has it affected his muscles or bones? What about his internal organs—any damage? Any lingering side effects? He looks a little thinner, though—the muscle definition doesn’t seem as sharp…

A nurse came out of the villa, carrying a tray with pills and a glass of water.

Ke Mingxuan instinctively reached out with his right hand, lifting it a few inches before pausing. He switched to his left hand, awkwardly popping the pills into his mouth, then took a sip of water and swallowed it all in one go.

Bian Yiqiu’s heart felt as though someone had grabbed it and squeezed with all their might, choking off his breath.

They had lived together for so long, Bian Yiqiu knew Ke Mingxuan always used his right hand to drink. But the movement just now—he had clearly struggled with his right hand. What’s going on? Is his arm injured?!

Bian Yiqiu’s pupils constricted as he slammed his hand against the door handle, making a loud clatter.

“Boss, calm down, calm down!” Zuo Cheng was internally freaking out—this wasn’t even their car!

Bian Yiqiu’s eyes were bloodshot, his frustration simmering like a trapped animal. “Did you see that? Did I imagine it? What happened to his arm?”

Zuo Cheng had obviously noticed too, but he couldn’t say a word.

“It’s fine, looks normal to me…”

“I want to get out of the car,” Bian Yiqiu said, not even bothering to listen to his response. His eyes were locked on Ke Mingxuan, unwilling to look away for even a second.

“Mr. Liang said you’re not allowed to get out.”

“Who do you work for?!”

“For you, Boss,” Zuo Cheng answered honestly. “But the car keys are with Mr. Liang.”

“…Do you have a gun?”

“No.” Zuo Cheng rolled his eyes inwardly. Even if he had one, he’d say no. He was definitely not about to open fire under the watchful eyes of all those armed soldiers!

It was as if Ke Mingxuan had sensed something, and he looked in their direction.

With just that one glance, Bian Yiqiu fell silent.

—He knew full well that he couldn’t see anything from the outside, but somehow, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Ke Mingxuan’s gaze had pierced through the dark tinted glass, landing squarely on him.

Their eyes collided in the invisible space between them. In that instant, all the barriers and distance seemed to vanish, leaving only the two of them in the vast world, separated by an impossible yet intimate distance. So close, yet so far.

Ke Mingxuan took a step forward, and Bian Yiqiu’s heart seemed to tremble in response.

Then, he saw Ke Mingxuan stop. Standing still, he slowly lifted the corner of his mouth, offering a familiar smile—one that brought an inexplicable sense of calm to Bian Yiqiu’s restless heart, as though the tension in him was being slowly soothed.

Ke Mingxuan, are you okay?

You saw it, I’m fine.

Ke Mingxuan, I miss you so much.

I miss you too.

Ke Mingxuan, do the things you said still count?

Idiot, which one are you talking about?

All of them.

Yes, they count.

The gentle breeze stirred the wisteria flowers silently. Under the mild sunlight, Ke Mingxuan stood tall, a smile on his face as he looked in Bian Yiqiu’s direction.

He stood so straight, it was hard to tell he had been wounded by a “heart-piercing arrow” just a month ago.

Bian Yiqiu quietly watched for a long time, slowly raising a hand without realizing it, pressing it against the car window, as if gently stroking Ke Mingxuan’s face.

The half-grown Japanese quince formed a dense hedge around the courtyard, enclosing Ke Mingxuan in this confined space. Behind him, guards stood every few steps, but his gaze was free, his expression was free, his heart was free.

He nodded slightly toward the faint, blurry shadow on the car window.

Bian Yiqiu gritted his teeth, his fingertips turning white as he tightly, slowly, and forcefully clenched his fist.

Meanwhile, Liang Ziyue strode out of the villa, his coat billowing in the wind, seemingly unaware of Ke Mingxuan standing over there. He got into the car, started the engine, and swiftly drove off.

Bian Yiqiu struggled to twist his neck, watching the figure of Ke Mingxuan grow smaller in his line of sight. The car turned a corner and disappeared from view.

“Liang Ziyue, you came out too quickly.”

“If you keep watching, the bodyguards will start to get suspicious.”

“What about his injury…”

“It’s not as serious as you think. The biggest issue right now isn’t his injury, but the fact that the Ke family will never accept your relationship.”

“I know.”

Liang Ziyue sighed. “Commander Ke will likely make his move soon. You need to be careful.”

“Let the soldiers handle the soldiers, and the water handle the water.” Bian Yiqiu gave a reassuring smile at the rearview mirror. “Don’t worry.”

Though he said this, Bian Yiqiu had no confidence in his own words. He didn’t understand Commander Ke, didn’t know what kind of person he was or what his attitude towards Ke Mingxuan was. He had no idea if there was any room for negotiation. What he did know was that if Commander Ke really decided to take action against him, it would be far worse than when Ke Mingxuan had simply been teasing him.

And indeed, just three days after Bian Yiqiu visited Ke Mingxuan at the rehabilitation center, a storm brewed. Ruiyi Financial, a subsidiary of Jiu’an Group, was investigated by economic crime authorities, with the company’s head, Yu Ben, arrested for “financial fraud.” Along with him, all senior executives of Ruiyi were taken into custody, and the company was temporarily shut down. Two days later, Hongyuan Imports and Exports was raided by a joint operation involving the police, customs, and the industrial and commercial authorities for suspected smuggling. The general manager, Meng Jianyu, along with two vice presidents and the financial director, were detained.

He Xu ran to the police station countless times, wearing down his lawyer’s gold-plated credentials, but couldn’t get anyone out. Even when Chu Yi, Fang Rui, Liang Ziyue, and others tried to intervene, they were politely told, “We’ve already gotten orders from above, and there’s nothing we can do.”

Bian Yiqiu, of course, knew who had pulled the strings. Commander Ke’s intervention was nothing like the petty tactics Ke Mingxuan had used on him before—calling a few people to smash up a store or getting customs to hold up a few shipments. No, this was on a whole different level. The attack came in full force, like a thunderclap, sweeping everything before it. They immediately filed cases and arrested people, hitting the two most lucrative industries under Jiu’an Group. Public opinion turned sharply against them, and within a week, stock prices plummeted by 38.75%, causing the market value to evaporate by billions.

All the shareholders pointed their fingers squarely at Bian Yiqiu, furious and vocal. When their personal wealth was at stake, no amount of intimidation from Zuo Cheng or the gun in their face could make them back down.

Bian Yiqiu sat in the chair at the head of the table, watching the shareholders argue and shout in the meeting room. He didn’t say a word.

Ye Zhen and He Xu sat in the first two seats on either side, while Zuo Cheng, not being a company executive, stood guard outside the door, not attending the meeting. Old Meng was still detained at the detention center. The four corners were missing one.

Earlier this morning, Ye Zhen had received an official letter from the tax bureau, informing them that they would be auditing Jiu’an Group’s tax declarations from the past ten years.

Ten years… Even if Jiu’an had managed to cover up everything perfectly, it hadn’t even been ten years. No company in China, especially one as complex as Jiu’an, could withstand a true, thorough financial investigation.

Bian Yiqiu honestly felt something was wrong with his luck. In just few years after taking over Jiu’an, his trusted brother got lured and nearly emptied half of Hongyuan; then, after offending Young Master Ke, he was repeatedly targeted by various government agencies; next, he got messed with by that creep Ruan Chengjie. Just when he thought things were settling down, the Ke family started throwing big moves… no, deadly moves. Each one was lethal, fast, and ruthless. It seemed like they wouldn’t stop until Jiu’an was bankrupt and liquidated.

But in the end, the Ke family wasn’t really targeting Jiu’an—it was him, Bian Yiqiu. Although the shareholders were making his head throb, they did have a point: he had caused this trouble himself by messing with the wrong person. So, why should he drag Jiu’an down with him?

Jiu’an was Old  Master Jiu’s lifelong work, the hope of all the brothers. They had only just gotten through a few peaceful years, and now, because of him, the entire company was about to be ruined.

Bian Yiqiu stood up, and the shouting shareholders all turned to look at him.

Just when everyone thought he would do what he had done countless times before—suppress them with power—Bian Yiqiu enunciated two words clearly: “I resign.”

The entire conference room fell silent, so quiet that the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

He Xu was the first to react: “Are you crazy?!”

Bian Yiqiu raised his hand to signal He Xun to calm down, then said, “This situation indeed started because of me, and there is no effective solution in the short term. Only by resigning and completely distancing myself from Jiu’an can I possibly salvage the crisis.”

The room erupted in chaos again. All the shareholders focused on the phrase “completely distancing myself from Jiu’an.” This meant Bian Yiqiu wasn’t just resigning from his CEO position, but would also be transferring all of his shares. So, who would take control of his stock? As Jiu’an’s largest shareholder, he held 35% of the company’s shares. Whoever acquired those shares would replace him, holding absolute power over Jiu’an.

He Xun ignored the shareholders, who were eyeing the president greedily, and leaned closer to Bian Yiqiu, lowering his voice to yell, “Bian Yiqiu, think carefully. This isn’t a joke. Resigning is easy, but transferring your shares and trying to get them back later isn’t so simple!”

Bian Yiqiu was unfazed. “I don’t plan on getting them back. The burden’s too heavy, let me rest for a while.”

“At just thirty-two, you want to retire? Not a chance!” Ye Zhen disagreed as well. “You can’t decide this on your own. It’s not just the shareholders here who have a say. Don’t forget that Aunt Mei and Uncle Shi are also shareholders. If they don’t sign off on the resolution, it won’t take effect!”

“Although I haven’t had much education, you can’t fool me. As long as two-thirds of the shareholders agree, it’s settled. Count how many people are here and then calculate our shares.”

“You…”

“Alright, it’s decided.”

Bian Yiqiu finished speaking, turned, and walked out of the meeting room, leaving all the shareholders’ speculation and noise behind him.

Three days later, Jiu’an Group issued a public announcement: the largest shareholder, Bian Yiqiu, officially resigned from his position as the president of Jiu’an Group on the date of the announcement, and would no longer hold any role within the company. His 35% stake was transferred to the company’s existing shareholders, Mei Xiaoran and Shi Anzhi. Mei Xiaoran now holds 30% of the total shares, becoming the largest shareholder of Jiu’an and assuming the role of the president, overseeing all group affairs. Shi Anzhi’s position as a director remained unchanged. The changes in shareholders and president would not affect the company’s standard operations or regular business activities.

One week after the announcement, several branch managers who had been detained were released, and two officials from the tax bureau came to briefly review the group’s financial audit for the past two years. The investigation into the accounts was quietly dropped.

Just as Bian Yiqiu let out a sigh of relief, feeling that the move he made was the right one, He Xu’s call came through on his phone, with a rather urgent tone.

“Boss, now, right now, pack your things and leave Z City!”

Bian Yiqiu, who had nothing to do after resigning, was casually tidying up Young Master Ke’s study at home. “What’s going on?”

“I’ve received news. Someone is out to get you.”

“I’ve already resigned, what else can they do? Does Ke Mingxuan’s father plan to kidnap me or something?”

He Xu, hearing Bian Yiqiu’s indifferent tone, was so frustrated that he almost wanted to fly to Junlin and physically drag him to the airport: “This is more serious than you think!”

Bian Yiqiu fell silent.

“Listen to me. Pack your things quickly… Forget about packing, just grab your ID and money, and leave immediately. Let Zuo Cheng take you to the airport, we can’t waste any time!”

“I’m not leaving.”

“I’ll be coming from Longkou, I should arrive before you…” He Xu paused mid-sentence. “What did you say?”

Bian Yiqiu sat down in the study chair, staring at the neatly placed photo frame on the desk. His tone was firm as he repeated, “I said, I’m not leaving.”

In the photo frame was a picture of Ke Mingxuan from his university graduation, dressed in cap and gown, standing under a tree and smiling brightly in the sunlight. In the lower-right corner of the frame was a card—one he had written himself the first time he gave Ke Mingxuan flowers. The words were scrawled awkwardly, similar to a child’s handwriting: “I’m waiting for you downstairs.”

He looked at the words and smiled softly, thinking to himself, How could I leave? Ke Mingxuan is here, and I’m not going anywhere. He’s still waiting for me… to beat him.