Qin Mingyuan quietly opened the apartment door. The living room was completely dark, suggesting Yun Pei was already asleep. He stepped in, gently closed the door behind him, and turned on the light.

As he bent down to change his shoes, the study door opened, and Yun Pei, whom he thought was already asleep, came out and smiled when he saw him.

“You’re back.”

Qin Mingyuan walked toward him, knelt down in front of the wheelchair, and took Yun Pei’s hand. “It’s almost eleven. Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“I’m not really that sleepy. I was reading for a bit,” Yun Pei shook his head, “and waiting for you.”

Qin Mingyuan knew that the second part was the real truth. The feeling of having someone waiting for you when you return late was truly wonderful.

Seeing the fatigue on Qin Mingyuan’s face, Yun Pei reached out and gently touched his face. “Auntie made chicken soup for dinner today. It was really good, and I saved some for you. Why don’t you take a shower first, and I’ll heat it up for you?”

Qin Mingyuan rubbed his cheek against Yun Pei’s palm, then looked up at him. “Are you sure you can manage?”

“It’s just heating up some soup. Of course I can.” Yun Pei gave him a light pat, gesturing for him to go shower.

Obediently, Qin Mingyuan stood up and watched as Yun Pei wheeled himself to the kitchen before heading to the bedroom to take a shower.

When he came out, the aroma of chicken soup filled the air, and he realized he was actually a bit hungry.

As he walked to the kitchen, Yun Pei was just taking a bowl from the cabinet. Hearing Qin Mingyuan’s footsteps, he looked up and said, “I figured you’d be out soon. Go sit at the table.”

Watching Yun Pei serve the soup for him, Qin Mingyuan turned and sat down at the dining table, waiting for the steaming bowl of soup to be placed in front of him. The rich aroma of the chicken soup became even stronger.

Seeing that Yun Pei had only served one bowl, Qin Mingyuan looked up and asked, “Aren’t you having some?”

“I already had a lot during dinner. You should go ahead and drink it.”

The housekeeper was always kind, concerned about Yun Pei’s health and frailty, constantly reminding him to eat more. Recently, she had been making plenty of nutritious soups to help him regain his strength, treating him like one of her own children.

Before Yun Pei moved in, Qin Mingyuan often didn’t eat at home due to work. The housekeeper would just clean and restock the fridge and other essentials. But after Yun Pei moved in, Qin Mingyuan gave her a raise and had her start preparing meals every day, so he could be at ease even while at work.

Qin Mingyuan blew on a spoonful of soup to cool it down and, instead of drinking it himself, brought it to Yun Pei’s mouth first. Seeing him cooperate and take a sip, Qin Mingyuan smiled and took a sip himself. The warm chicken soup flowed down into his stomach, making him feel cozy.

“Did you see the news online today?”

He was referring to the trending gossip about Yun Yuexian. Yun Pei nodded in response.

He hadn’t been much of an internet person before, but with Yun Yuexian’s recent string of bad luck, he had been checking occasionally as a form of light entertainment.

“Even Mrs. Zeng saw it overseas and called to ask me about it.”

Originally, she didn’t care much about Yun Yuexian’s situation. But with the whole mistress and illegitimate child scandal, Yun Pei was indirectly involved, so she became concerned. Unable to contact Yun Pei directly, she called her son to inquire about the situation.

When she learned about the sordid details of the Yun family, she was furious and cursed out loud, then specifically asked Qin Mingyuan to take extra care of Yun Pei, warning him not to let these issues affect Yun Pei’s mood or health.

Qin Mingyuan agreed to everything she said but hesitated before revealing his current relationship with Yun Pei. He figured if he mentioned it now, the phone call might never end, so it would be better to wait until she returned to China.

“Did you reassure Auntie that I’m not affected by any of this?” Yun Pei asked, smiling as he thought of the bright and caring older woman.

“Yes, I told her everything was fine.” Qin Mingyuan took another sip of the soup and then added, “Wang Zhigang also called me.”

Yun Pei’s smile faded as he asked, “What did he say?”

Putting down his spoon, Qin Mingyuan gently pinched Yun Pei’s face. “Don’t worry. He agreed to our proposal. I’ve already arranged for someone to start looking for a suitable bone marrow match, though it might take some time.”

Even with his extensive connections, finding a compatible bone marrow match wasn’t something that could be done instantly. This was something that would require patience.

Yun Pei understood this well. “It’s fine. I’m not in a hurry.”

Qin Mingyuan gazed at him quietly before suddenly wrapping his arms around Yun Pei’s waist, pulling him onto his lap. He gently pressed Yun Pei’s head to his neck and said softly, “The truth will come out eventually.”

Yun Pei paused for a moment, then relaxed into his embrace. “I know. As long as you’re with me, I’m not afraid.”

Qin Mingyuan lightly rubbed his chin against Yun Pei’s hair. “But in the meantime, the Yun family won’t have it easy.”

Gao Qing wouldn’t let Yun Yuexian off easily, and Yun Corporation would suffer the consequences. Qin Mingyuan wondered if Yun Haowei would still favor his younger son as much after everything unraveled.

What worried Qin Mingyuan was that Yun Haowei might come looking for Yun Pei, trying to cause trouble for him.

Qin Mingyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. If Yun Haowei dared to stoop that low, he wouldn’t hesitate to make Yun Corporation’s downfall happen even faster.

With that thought in mind, he asked, “Do you have any interest in Yun Corporation’s assets?”

Yun Pei didn’t quite understand why he was asking this, but he still answered truthfully, “I’m not interested. Even if they gave it to me, I’d donate the whole thing.”

Qin Mingyuan had expected this answer. Smiling, he gave Yun Pei’s face another light pinch and didn’t press the matter further.

“You should finish your soup before it gets cold.” Yun Pei handed him the bowl again, which still had the chicken leg he had specially saved for him. However, instead of taking the bowl, Qin Mingyuan, still holding Yun Pei, said, “I don’t want to move. You feed me.”

Yun Pei felt a little shy but, thinking about how hard Qin Mingyuan had worked all day, couldn’t bear to refuse. Sitting in his lap, Yun Pei fed him spoonfuls of soup and carefully shredded the chicken leg, feeding it to him bite by bite.

“Do you want another bowl?”

After swallowing the last bit of chicken, Qin Mingyuan shook his head. “One bowl is enough. Eating too much before bed isn’t good for digestion.”

Feeling that this made sense, Yun Pei didn’t insist. He pulled a napkin from the table and wiped Qin Mingyuan’s mouth.

Qin Mingyuan accepted his service with satisfaction. After Yun Pei finished wiping his mouth, Qin Mingyuan stood up, still holding Yun Pei, and headed toward the bedroom.

“Lie down for now, I’ll go wash the dishes.”

After a kiss on the forehead, Yun Pei watched him walk away, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting a warm light around the room. Yun Pei lay on his side, his eyes half-closed, already feeling drowsy. He always kept a regular sleep schedule and usually went to bed around ten.

When Qin Mingyuan returned, he saw Yun Pei clutching the corner of the blanket, looking half asleep. He closed the door behind him, walked over to the bed, and gently touched Yun Pei’s face. “If you’re tired, why didn’t you just go to sleep?”

Yun Pei snuggled into his touch, not minding the slight chill from Qin Mingyuan’s hands. “I wanted to wait for you.”

Qin Mingyuan’s heart softened instantly. He pulled Yun Pei into his arms, kissed his nearly closed eyes, and lightly patted his back. “Then sleep now.”

Yun Pei only managed to give a soft “mm” before falling asleep in his arms, clearly exhausted.

Qin Mingyuan watched him for a while, then turned off the light and pulled Yun Pei closer, closing his own eyes for the night.

While they were wrapped in each other’s warmth, back at the Yun family villa, it was almost midnight, and yet the lights in the living room were still on, with no one showing any signs of sleep.

Yun Haowei hadn’t even changed out of his suit. He rubbed his temples, his face full of exhaustion.

Huo Lijuan sat on the other side, her expression equally troubled. Every now and then, she would steal a glance at Yun Haowei, opening her mouth as if to speak but not knowing what to say.

Yun Yuexian sat far away from them, his face dark, staring down at his phone with such force that it seemed like he might break the screen.

His scandal was still stuck at the number one spot on the trending list, with no signs of slowing down. More and more people were insulting him, and even some of his fans had begun turning their backs on him, unfollowing him in droves.

Those who still supported him were no match for the growing tide of negativity. Any rebuttals were quickly buried, with the few that remained on top only filled with mockery and disdain.

Yun Yuexian’s face grew darker and darker. In a fit of anger, he threw his phone across the room with a loud crash. Yun Haowei glanced at him and snorted coldly, “Go on, keep smashing things. Let’s see how much you can break in one day!”

Already in a foul mood, Yun Yuexian didn’t appreciate being scolded. “Dad, are you just going to sit there and watch this trending topic hang over our heads? Can’t you spend a bit of money to make it go away? This isn’t just about my reputation!”

“How dare you bring that up!” Yun Haowei snapped, glaring at him. “If you hadn’t offended President Gao, none of this would’ve happened! Do you even know how many deals the company lost today because of you?!”

“And now you’re blaming me? Weren’t you happy when I was getting close to Liang Zichen before?” Yun Yuexian fired back, showing no signs of backing down.

“You—”

“Xian! How are you talking to your father like that?” Seeing that her husband was about to lose his temper, Huo Lijuan quickly leaned over to calm him down, gently patting his chest before turning to scold her son.

Yun Yuexian caught the warning look she shot him and grudgingly held his tongue.

With Huo Lijuan’s comforting, Yun Haowei managed to calm down a bit. “Tomorrow, you’re coming with me to apologize to President Gao. And from now on, stay away from Liang Zichen.”

“Why should I?!” Yun Yuexian protested immediately.

“Because she could crush Yun Corporation with a flick of her finger!” Yun Haowei was so enraged that he almost slapped him. “Do you think you can keep playing young master once the company is gone?!”

For years, Yun Haowei had thought his younger son was obedient and knew how to please people. He even managed to catch the attention of both Liang Zichen and Qin Mingyuan. But now it seemed that those two men were just momentarily intrigued, and Yun Yuexian’s increasingly unpleasant temperament was becoming a liability. All he did these days was throw tantrums and break things.

Yun Yuexian’s face paled. Right now, only his reputation was in tatters, which might end his entertainment career. But if Yun Corporation fell, he would lose his last bit of security.

Seeing him fall silent, Yun Haowei took it as acquiescence. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, “Where’s Yun Pei? He’s been gone a lot lately, and I haven’t seen him around.”

“I don’t know. He’s been going out frequently, and two days ago, he packed his things and said he was moving out. He didn’t even give me a chance to ask any questions before he left,” Huo Lijuan replied indifferently, not caring where he went, as she’d prefer he never come back.

However, she did worry that Yun Pei might have gone to find Qin Mingyuan, fearing that their relationship had developed into something more serious.

If she had such concerns, then Yun Haowei certainly had the same thoughts. If his eldest son really had the ability to secure such a powerful connection, then there would be no need to fear the Liang family. Perhaps it would be worth sounding him out.

“Let him be. The house has been a mess lately. It’s good for him to get away for a while.”

Hearing his father speak so kindly about that “cripple,” Yun Yuexian’s face darkened even further. He clenched his fists, resisting the urge to argue.

Lowering his head, he let his thoughts stew for a while before looking up with red-rimmed eyes. “Dad, I’m sorry. I was just too anxious earlier. I didn’t mean to talk back. But with my brother not coming home recently, do you think he might not come back at all? He hates us so much…”

Yun Haowei’s expression shifted slightly at his words. It was true that Yun Pei had never been close to him, due to the circumstances with his mother. They barely exchanged more than a few words in all these years.

But despite these thoughts, he still said, “What are you talking about? He’s my son, your brother. This is his home. Of course, he’ll come back.”

Yun Yuexian didn’t say anything more, only wiping away a few tears.

Right now, he was suffering, and Yun Pei must be gloating. How could that cripple have the audacity to seduce the president of Qin Corporation? With his current state, there was no way things would end well for him either.

Qin Mingyuan’s parents would never allow their son to marry a cripple. Even though they currently ran Qin Corporation, they would still have plenty of ways to deal with Yun Pei.

And if he couldn’t even return to the Yun family, ha, then he would truly be doomed.