Chapter 65

Butler He still remembers that after he and Shen Mingyou rescued Zhao Yan and Zhao Qi, Zhao Yan fainted from smoke inhalation and lack of oxygen, but Zhao Qi was still conscious and witnessed the rescue. Zhao Qi’s injuries were more severe than Zhao Yan’s. She also fainted after being rescued.

Soon after, Zhao Qi’s mother arrived at the hospital. Shen Mingyou’s father was not there, as he was handling something overseas and was unreachable at that time.

Zhao Yan was recovering well and just needed to rest. Zhao Qi was in worse condition, with severe burns and a broken leg from a fallen cabinet.

Zhao Qi’s mother expressed her gratitude profusely to Butler He and Shen Mingyou at the hospital.

After waiting for a night, Butler He received news that Shen Yuan, who was traveling, planned to return to spend the New Year with Shen Mingyou. Butler He had brought Shen Mingyou back to China secretly and needed to take her back quickly to avoid losing his job.

Shen Mingyou decided to return with Butler He, as Zhao Yan was no longer in danger and there was no reason to stay.

Butler He and Shen Mingyou made it home before Shen Yuan, so Shen Yuan didn’t notice anything unusual, allowing them to escape.

Butler He did not know what happened to the Zhao family afterward.

After hearing Butler He’s story, Zhao Yan was deeply affected.

Nian Nian, seeing her uncle distressed, hugged his legs and asked, “Is uncle hurt? Does it hurt?”

Nian Nian learned that her mother had saved her uncle from the fire.

Zhao Yan’s eyes filled with tears. He hugged Nian Nian tightly, saying, “Nian Nian, uncle was wrong. I’m sorry for what happened to your mother.”

Nian Nian noticed her uncle crying for the first time.

She patted him on the back, trying to comfort him: “If you know your mistakes and correct them, you are a good person.”

Zhao Yan held Nian Nian even tighter, remembering when he used to hold his younger sister.

Zhao Yan had been trapped in the fire. When he woke up, he was disoriented from the smoke and his body was weak. The fire was closing in on him, and he felt he would die. Just before he lost consciousness, he vaguely saw someone opening his door and running into the flames to save him.

When he woke up, he was in the hospital.

He learned from Zhao Qi’s mother that Zhao Qi had saved him and was seriously injured in the process.

Zhao Yan had no doubts because it was New Year’s Eve. With everyone else away, only Zhao Qi could have saved him.

Zhao Yan felt very guilty. After Zhao Qi’s mother married into the Zhao family, Zhao Yan never treated them as family. He kept his distance and was only polite.

But Zhao Qi risked her life to rescue him from a fire.

Seeing Zhao Qi in the intensive care unit after surgery, Zhao Yan felt shocked and guilty. He regretted being so distant and not treating her better.

Zhao Yan understood that Zhao Qi’s mother cherished her daughter above all else. When Zhao Qi was injured while saving him, Zhao Yan felt a deep sense of guilt and sympathy for her mother. He thought she might blame him for what happened, but instead, she cared for him with great attention and kindness. This only increased Zhao Yan’s feelings of guilt, while also making him deeply grateful for her care.

From then on, Zhao Yan treated them sincerely and as family.

He never imagined it could be a scam!

He never expected that Shen Mingyou, who was abroad at the time, was actually the one who saved him!

Zhao Yan released Nian Nian and went to find Zhao Qi to understand why she lied.

As he was leaving, he encountered Shen Mingyou, who had just returned from talking with the director.

Zhao Yan looked at Shen Mingyou, feeling that even though she was close, she felt distant. He didn’t know how to face her or what to say. He closed his eyes and walked over slowly.

“Youyou, I’m sorry.” He only knew to say sorry.

He apologized and quickly left the set.

Shen Mingyou noticed Zhao Yan seemed upset and his eyes were red. After returning to her seat, she learned from Butler He what had happened.

Shen Mingyou was shocked to learn that Zhao Qi had claimed to be the one who saved Zhao Yan, when it was actually her. She couldn’t believe Zhao Yan had misunderstood for so many years.

Shen Mingyou remembered that when Shen Yuan decided to return at the last minute, she and Butler He hurried back. She felt guilty and afraid that Shen Yuan would find out she had secretly returned. She didn’t dare to call home during that time.

When Shen Yuan left again, Shen Mingyou called home. Zhao Qi’s mother answered and said Zhao Yan and Zhao Qi were fine. She mentioned that Zhao Yan had severe post-traumatic stress disorder from the fire, and advised not to mention the fire to avoid upsetting him.

Shen Mingyou believed Zhao Qi’s mother and avoided talking about the fire. Their contact diminished, and Shen Mingyou nearly forgot about the matter. Even when she returned to China, she never mentioned it to Zhao Yan.

She didn’t know Zhao Qi had pretended to be her savior.

Shen Mingyou realized that Zhao Qi and her mother had likely planned this deception. Since Shen Mingyou had little contact with her family and Zhao Yan had PTSD^[1]Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition where a person has trouble recovering after seeing or experiencing something very scary or shocking. They might have bad memories, feel very anxious, or … Continue reading, it was easy for Zhao Qi and her mother to keep the truth hidden.

Shen Mingyou sighed, holding Nian Nian, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yan went to the European Emperor Hotel angrily. He always stayed there when on business in City A.

That afternoon, Zhao Qi approached him and asked, “Brother, I’ve packed my things. Shall we leave now?”

Zhao Yan stared at her coldly, not answering.

Confused, Zhao Qi asked, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Zhao Yan replied, “Don’t call me brother. You and I have no blood relationship. I am Shen Mingyou’s brother, not yours.”

Zhao Qi’s heart skipped a beat. Although Zhao Yan was smiling, his eyes were cold.

“Elder brother…”

“I told you, don’t call me brother!” Zhao Yan kicked over a flower stand, shattering it. “Did you think I’m easy to fool? You and your mother played me for years. Have you been laughing at me?”

“Zhao Qi, you and your mother are clever. Your mother married into the Zhao family, and you pretended to save me. My father and I worked hard for you. You and your mother are really something.”

Zhao Yan’s harsh words hurt Zhao Qi deeply. She knew he must have learned the truth.

Despite imagining countless scenarios of how Zhao Yan would react, Zhao Qi was still shaken.

“Brother, please don’t be like this. I lied to you, and I’m sorry, but my mother didn’t mean to deceive you. She only did it because of me. She felt guilty and treated you better than me.”

“I wanted to save you, but I was injured and couldn’t. Believe me, I would have saved you if I could.” 

When the fire happened, Zhao Qi was injured and couldn’t save Zhao Yan. She could only crawl out the door herself.

She often wondered how different things might have been if she hadn’t been injured, if Shen Mingyou hadn’t returned. It would have been wonderful if she had been the one to save Zhao Yan.

For years, she feared her lies would be exposed. Despite her efforts, she always felt helpless.

Zhao Yan looked at her firmly and asked, “So, you could deceive all of us?”

“I’m sorry. I was envious of Sister Mingyou. I admired her having a great father and brother, so I got carried away and did something like this.”

Zhao Qi truly envied Shen Mingyou.