“The young master has been discharged,” the nurse said after checking.

Lu Nian and Qiao Li exchanged puzzled looks.

They decided to head to Zhao’s house instead.

Lu Nian was familiar with the old Zhao residence.

During her teenage years, to escape Lu Zhihong’s surveillance, she often hid there.

However, after a certain awkward incident, she hadn’t visited the place for a long time.

The gate was tightly shut.

Lu Nian pressed the intercom button.

Soon, someone answered, a voice that sounded old and weary, possibly an elderly person. “Hello? Who is this?”

Lu Nian replied, “Hello, my name is Lu Nian. We are friends of Zhao Yayuan and heard he was sick. We’d like to visit him.”

It seemed to be the Zhao family’s butler.

The butler was silent for a moment. “The young master is unwell and cannot see visitors.”

Qiao Li couldn’t help but speak up, “I spoke to Yayuan not long ago and arranged a visit. How come now we’re not allowed to see him?”

“And you are?”

“My name is Qiao Li. I’m an old friend of Yayuan from Nanzhao. We had an appointment to visit today,” Qiu Li explained. “He has recovered and been discharged, hasn’t he?”

The butler had been instructed not to relent.

As they were at an impasse, a gentle female voice suddenly spoke, “Mr. Qiao?”

The butler, seeing it was Su Qingyou, nodded quickly, covering the intercom phone, and lowered his voice. “He says his name is Qiao Li and claims to be a friend of Young Master Yayuan.”

“Yes, let them in,” Su Qingyou said warmly.

The gate finally opened slowly, and Lu Nian and Qiao Li were now more confused than ever.

Qiao Li’s expression was tense, and Lu Nian’s sense of vigilance was at its peak.

She began to suspect that the plot had advanced and that Zhao Yayuan might be imprisoned in a mountain villa and no longer at home, which could explain their resistance.

They were greeted by Su Qingyou and Zhao Tingyuan.

Su Qingyou had mostly regained her figure after giving birth, now looking more serene and graceful as a wife and mother. “Thank you for caring about Yayuan.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Lu Nian couldn’t help but ask.

Meeting Su Qingyou and Zhao Tingyuan felt awkward.

She had always been wary of them and had once rejected Zhao Tingyuan’s marriage proposal.

While they hadn’t had a direct falling out, the atmosphere was still strange.

“Oh, so you still care about your former fiancé?” Zhao Tingyuan’s expression was somewhat dark.

Lu Nian fell silent.

She felt guilty about the situation with Zhao Yayuan, so she couldn’t refute anything whenever it was brought up.

Qiao Li spoke politely, “I’m sorry, Nian Nian is here as a friend. We had arranged to visit Yayuan. Where is he now?”

“Ya Yuan doesn’t want to see you,” Zhao Tingyuan said, then turned to Qiao Li. “But you can see him.”

Since entering the residence, Lu Nian hadn’t seen any familiar servants.

During her teenage visits, she had known many of the household staff, but now they all seemed to be new faces.

Qiao Li was conflicted.

They couldn’t contact Zhao Yayuan, and without the Zhao family’s cooperation, they couldn’t force their way in to see him.

Yet, they were unwilling to let Lu Nian see him.

He looked at Lu Nian.

After a moment of hesitation, she decided, “You go ahead.”

She trusted Qin Si to keep tabs on her visit to the Zhao residence.

If anything happened to her and Qiao Li, Qin Si wouldn’t let it slide.

He wasn’t someone easily fooled.

They needed to see Zhao Yayuan.

So, a servant led Qiao Li into the deeper parts of the residence, and Su Qingyou also left.

Only Zhao Tingyuan remained, sitting with her in the living room.

The atmosphere was particularly heavy. There was red tea on the coffee table, its aroma wafting, but no one touched it.

Zhao Tingyuan suddenly asked, “Are you planning to marry Qin Si?”

Lu Nian bit her lip but did not deny it.

Zhao Tingyuan sneered, “Marrying a man who’s deliberately trying to take over your company? What is this, losing both your husband and your troops?”

Lu Nian responded calmly, “My company had problems of its own. The instigator has already been convicted. He just helped, and the company hasn’t been taken over.”

After that, no matter what Zhao Tingyuan said, she did not respond.

Meanwhile, Qiao Li followed the servant through the corridors.

He had rarely visited the Zhao residence and was unfamiliar with it.

The house was excessively large and eerily quiet, with very few people around.

As he walked down the hallway, he suddenly collided with someone.

It was a young maid, likely new to the Zhao family.

She was carrying a tray with glass cups on it. Moving too quickly, she tripped and fell, crashing into Qiao Li, who, not being very robust himself, was knocked to the ground.

The sound of breaking glass followed.

He felt a sharp pain in his palm.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the young maid, probably just eighteen, looked at the blood on the ground, almost in tears.

She hurried to clean up the broken glass, but Qiao Li smiled bitterly, “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

She pulled out a napkin from her pocket, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was in vain.

His fingers were quite badly cut, with long, deep wounds that bled profusely.

Hearing the commotion, Su Qingyou hurried over and scolded the young maid harshly.

She apologized to Qiao Li, “She’s new and a bit clumsy. Let’s get that bandaged up; we have a doctor here.”

Thinking of Lu Nian waiting outside and their need to see Zhao Yayuan, Qiu Li was wary of the Zhao family but said, “No need for a doctor; I’ll just bandage it myself.”

Su Qingyou called for a medical kit to be brought.

Qiao Li disinfected the wound and wrapped it in gauze.

Soon, the bleeding stopped.

Su Qingyou then had someone escort him to see Zhao Yayuan.

Zhao Tingyuan, feeling too agitated to sit with Lu Nian any longer, left the living room and headed toward his bedroom, where he met Su Qingyou.

“We’ve got the blood sample,” Su Qingyou said.

Zhao Tingyuan’s expression relaxed. “Then get the test done as soon as possible.”

“With this test,” he suddenly said, “it won’t be easy for Qin Si to take over the company completely, right? If Lu Zhuo comes back, he can inherit Lu Zhihong’s assets?”

“Because it’s an unauthorized test, it won’t have legal standing,” Su Qingyou explained. “So, it can only be used to convince Lu Zhihong and let him handle it.”

“Why won’t it have any effect?” Zhao Tingyuan was irritated.

Su Qingyou calmly explained, “A legally binding paternity test requires both parties to voluntarily apply at an authorized center with their IDs. Qiao Li won’t cooperate.”

Zhao Tingyuan paced back and forth, frustrated. “Why does it have to be so complicated?”

Su Qingyou patted his hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, everything is going smoothly.”

“When Lu Zhihong finds out, things will get interesting,” she smiled slightly.

Finally, Qiao Li met Zhao Ya Yuan.

He looked particularly weak, lying in bed, having lost a lot of weight.

His face was pale, and his breathing was shallow.

He didn’t even notice when Qiao Li entered the room.

Qiao Li felt a pang of sorrow, recalling the first time he had seen Zhao Yayuan in Nanzhao, looking just as frail and sickly.

” Yayuan,” he called softly.

The person in bed opened his eyes slightly and, seeing Qiu Li, croaked, “Qiao Li?”

“It’s me,” Qiao Li said, deeply troubled. “You told me it was just a minor appendectomy, and that you were discharged long ago. How did it get to this?”

If he had known how serious it was, he would have come to visit much sooner.

Zhao Ya Yuan’s amber eyes remained calm. “It’s nothing serious, probably just exhaustion from everything piling up and exploding at once.”

“They can’t find anything,” he said evenly. “Maybe, like when I was a kid, it’s just time to go. I’ve been living on borrowed time for twenty years.”

Qiao Li couldn’t bear to hear this and felt extremely distressed.

He asked, “Where are your parents?”

“They’re abroad.”

“They went abroad at a time like this?”

“We’re in Southeast Asia. Our largest raw material supplier suddenly wants to break the contract. They have to go and handle it,” Zhao Ya Yuan’s voice was hoarse. “Otherwise, everything will fall apart.”

The Zhao family primarily dealt in physical industries, making the supply of raw materials crucial.

Qiao Li fell silent for a moment. After chatting briefly, he said, “Nian Nian came with me.”

“Should I call her in?”

“No need for her to come in,” Zhao Ya Yuan said with a bitter smile, pulling at the corners of his mouth. “I look like this; I don’t want to scare her.”

“I still want to go back to Nanzhao,” he said, closing his eyes. “Life outside has been anything but comfortable.”

“What do you do at home now?” Qiao Li forced a smile. “Do you have enough games? Should I get you new ones?”

Zhao Yayuan smiled as well. “No need. Xiu Yi is pretty cute,” he said. “When I feel a bit better, I often play with him. He should be able to talk soon.”

Qiao Li couldn’t bring himself to feel any fondness for Zhao Xiu Yi’s parents.

His phone vibrated, and Qiao Li saw a message from Lu Nian.

“Zhao Tingyuan has left. Did you see Ya Yuan?”

He glanced at Zhao Ya Yuan and replied, “He’s in bad shape. He won’t say what’s wrong.”

Everything felt suspicious.

Lu Nian replied quickly, “How bad?”

Qiao Li looked at Zhao Ya Yuan, making sure he didn’t see, and wrote, “Barely able to walk, like when we first met him as a child.”

“The Zhao family’s parents are abroad.”

Given what Qiao Li had said, Lu Nian couldn’t help but think about Zhao Yayuan’s grim fate.

Her palms began to sweat.

She finally made up her mind and typed quickly, “This won’t do. We need to get Yayuan out of there.”

“Does he want to go back to Nanzhao? Or somewhere else?”

Judging by the current situation, if Zhao Yayuan stayed any longer, his fate might be unavoidable.

Lu Nian said, “He can come back once he recovers.”

Qiao Li had vaguely considered this before, but Lu Nian’s straightforward suggestion clarified the idea in his mind.

Qiao Li relayed her thoughts verbatim, “Ya Yuan, do you want to leave? We can go back to Nanzhao or somewhere else to get treatment.”

Zhao Ya Yuan’s lips twitched slightly. “Can we really leave?”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll handle it,” Qiao Li said softly. “Do you want to go?”

Zhao Yayuan’s lips twitched again. “Leave? And what then?”

Given his condition, would it make any difference where he went?

“Don’t think about that now,” Qiao Li said gently. “Xiao Ya, do you want to go?”

“Not in the next couple of days,” Zhao Ya Yuan said, his voice raspy. “If we have to leave, it can only be…”

Qiao Li listened intently.

He repeatedly urged, “Yayuan, you must be careful these next few days. Avoid contact with your brother and the others.”

Zhao Yayuan thought Qiao Li was overreacting and smiled faintly. “I’m just sick. They wouldn’t dare do anything to me openly; Grandpa is still watching.”

Qiao Li remained uneasy, handing Zhao Yayuan a phone. “There’s a tracking app on this. Keep it with you at all times.”

Lu Nian had switched phones a while ago but had insisted on bringing this old one. Qiao Li hadn’t understood why at the time, but now it made sense.

With everything settled, someone knocked on the door, reminding them that their time was up.

Qiao Li and Lu Nian left the Zhao residence together.

Under the setting sun, the shadows of the old mansion stretched long.

In the meeting room…

“Lu’s old subordinate?” The man’s handsome face was shrouded in shadow as he asked with a smile that was hard to decipher. “These past few days, you seem to have spent quite a bit of time reminiscing.”

Xiao Honghe’s face turned pale.

He had initially made up his mind not to say anything, but it was his first time meeting the boss behind Ning Sheng.

He didn’t expect him to be as young and handsome as rumored, yet his presence was strangely intimidating.

Qin Si didn’t say much to him.

Qiu Fan and Ming Hong stood silently behind him, one on each side, hiding themselves in the shadows without saying a word.

“How much did Lu offer you?” His voice was cold, his tone indifferent.

Xiao Honghe, who had prepared for a desperate fight, was momentarily stunned.

“We offered you five times that.”

“What I say should still count.” The man’s thin lips curled into a faint smile as he changed the subject. “And about you and Su Xiaoqin, does your wife know?”

His voice was light, his narrow and beautiful phoenix eyes looking down at him from above, seemingly tinged with a hint of mockery.

Xiao Honghe felt utterly shattered.

He didn’t know how they found out about Su Xiaoqin.

Years of career, family, reputation—all would be destroyed in an instant.

“What do you want me to do?” His lips trembled.

But Qin Si stood up, saying to the man on the left, “You stay.”

Ming Hong, with keen insight, stepped forward. “I’ll tell you what’s next, you just need to answer.”

Leaving the company, the sky was almost dark, nearing dusk.

He glanced at the time.

It was the time Lu Nian said he would return home.

For someone like Xiao Honghe, he usually wouldn’t personally deal with such matters, but it was because of Lu Family.

He wanted to arrange everything, hand over Lu Family Company to Qiao Li, and finally kick Lu Zhihong out of their lives completely.

His thoughts were clear, proceeding step by step according to plan.

When he returned home, the house was quiet and empty.

He sat quietly in the living room, occasionally checking the time.

At quarter past seven, the door opened.

Lu Nian came in, seeing him at a glance.

She was slightly out of breath but finally relieved. “I’m not late!”

She had promised to be back by half past seven, and she wasn’t overdue.

“Have you been waiting long?” She changed her shoes.

He stood up, walking to the door to welcome her. “Not long, just arrived.”

After dinner, Lu Nian took a shower and tidied up.

She felt as if she had washed away all the gloom of the day.

He was still in the living room, on the sofa, seeming to have really cleaned himself up, waiting for her.

Just pretending to read documents, he immediately averted his gaze when she came out.

She remembered what she had said before.

Lu Nian leaned over and sat next to him, leaning against his shoulder.

She smelled a faint scent of shower gel, perhaps sea salt, the one she had bought for him last time.

Her slender fingers entwined in his black hair, stroking gently.

His ears reddened slightly, but he didn’t dodge, quietly allowing her to stroke him.

With Qiao Li gone, now there were only the two of them at home.

Everything was back to normal, just like before.

Before he could say anything, Lu Nian suddenly said, “I might leave in a few days.”

Lu Nian had always seemed absent-minded, as if she was hiding something in her heart.

He was sensitive to people’s emotions and could sense it, but he didn’t say anything.

Until she finally spoke up on her own. “Zhao Yayuan hasn’t been feeling well lately.”

“I and Xiaoqiu want to take him back to Nanzhuang, to stay there for a while.”

“So, in a few days, we’ll go to send him off, and we might stay in Nanzhuang for a few days, which might delay our return.”

He lowered his eyes.

The faint joy and satisfaction from before, when she comforted him, seemed to have disappeared after she spoke.

He knew she cared more about Zhao Yayuan than she did about him.

“When I come back, I’ll be with you every day.” Lu Nian said softly. “Then, we’ll have a good chat and clear things up.”

What Qiao Li said today made sense to her. They should have had an open and honest conversation a long time ago.

But now wasn’t the right time.

She couldn’t just watch Zhao Yayuan meet the same fate as in the original story.

She needed to prepare to send him away.

These days, she didn’t have the mental energy to deal with another major issue.

Although things hadn’t deteriorated to that extent yet, in the original book ending,

Zhao Yayuan was always frail and was eventually secretly sent away, imprisoned in a secluded villa.

However, that was after Zhao Quan’s death and Su Qingyou taking complete control.

Looking at the situation of the Zhao family now, it wouldn’t go that far.

After all, Zhao’s parents were still there, and Zhao Quan wouldn’t just watch Zhao Yayuan be imprisoned.

She couldn’t tell anyone that she could predict the future; it was a secret only she knew.

The neglected person had been silently waiting, but this wait seemed endless.

Finally, he embraced her slender waist, lowered his head, and lightly bit her lips.

Lu Nian raised her eyes and met his narrow, deep eyes.

After that bite, he turned his face away, lips pressed tight.

It seemed to remind her that the current time belonged to him.

Seeing him like this, Lu Nian’s suppressed mood finally eased a bit.

The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and she took a slightly proactive step.

He couldn’t resist this, his long eyelashes trembling slightly, quickly responding to her.