Chapter 40: Uncle Jiu

Xia Yuan woke up to the sound of rain. The greenery surrounding the Jinqiu Community was lush, and since her apartment was on the third floor, every window had a view of the plants.

On a gloomy rainy day, holding a cup of warm milk or coffee and standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows to enjoy the rain and the scenery can provide an indescribable sense of security, which psychologists call ‘collective unconscious.’

However, Xia Yuan didn’t like this. When she was a child, she lived in an old apartment in the old district with her grandmother. Being on the top floor, the apartment often leaked when it rained.

Sometimes, the living room would leak, but the worst was when the bedroom leaked. The bed would get wet, and the bowls and buckets used to catch the water were never enough, making the floor damp and leaving no place to step.

Xia Yuan could never forget that feeling of helplessness and embarrassment.

‘Knock, knock.’

A gentle knock sounded.

Liang Min opened the door and said softly, “Yuan, it’s time to get up and eat. Do you need mom to help you get dressed?”

Xia Yuan had never heard such warm words before. She sniffled and mumbled, “No need, Mom. I’m not a child anymore.”

After getting dressed and checking her reflection in the mirror, she saw that the bruise on her lip was very noticeable.

If her parents asked, she would say she accidentally bumped her lip.

Dinner was a special four dishes and a soup because Xia Yuan had come back. Normally, they would only have two dishes.

Liang Min placed the bowl of double-ear soup in front of Xia Yuan. “This Dan Shen and Safflower Stewed Black Chicken is specially made by Dad for you. Since you came home and went straight to bed, it must be that… writing papers was too exhausting.”

Writing papers wasn’t tiring, but taking care of Qin Mohuai was.

Xia Yuan picked up the soup spoon and poked at the black chicken in the bowl, her voice soft and pleading. “It’s too much, Dad and Mom should eat too.”

Liang Min patted her on the head. “We don’t need to replenish our bodies. You’re the one who needs it most. Look at how thin your face is.”

Xia Yuan quickly took a sip of the soup, hoping her parents wouldn’t ask about her lip.

“Dad’s soup is the best.”

Xia Yi straightened up with pride. His clean and handsome face showed a sense of satisfaction.

When their daughter was born, the family was struggling. Liang Min took her everywhere, investing a lot of time and effort.

As a result, Xia Yi also cherished their daughter very much.

In contrast, when Xia Yuze was born, the family’s conditions had improved. He was sent to nursery school as soon as he learned to walk. Outwardly, he was a little handsome guy, but at home, he wore his sister’s old dresses as pajamas, which he wore until he graduated from elementary school without feeling it was odd.

After dinner, Xia Yuan wanted to wash the dishes, but Xia Yi said not to. He had always cleaned the kitchen, and everything had its place. If she disrupted his order, he would go crazy.

Xia Yuan returned to her bedroom and browsed her tablet, not wanting to disturb her parents’ private time.

If she and her future partner could have a loving relationship like Xia Yi and Liang Min’s, she would have no regrets in life. Even death would be a smile.

While browsing her Moments, a multimedia message popped up. Xia Yuan opened it to find Ouyang Jing feeding Qin Mohuai grapes in a hospital room.

That dog of a man!

Has he never eaten grapes in his life?

Xia Yuan found Qin Mohuai’s WeChat and blocked him!

She had a slow temper and a strong sense of dullness, able to endure any blows life gave her, but wasn’t Qin Mohuai going too far?

If Xia Yuan were truly in a relationship with Qin Mohuai, she probably wouldn’t make a phone call. Instead, she would accumulate her disappointment and leave without looking back.

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Qin Mohuai finished work at 5:30 PM and bought an ice cream chocolate cake for his wife. While waiting at a traffic light, his Maybach was rear-ended by a Bentley.

Even if the people in the car weren’t known, seeing a Maybach would make anyone instinctively keep their distance, fearing the astronomical costs of a collision.

The Bentley had crashed on purpose. Qin Mohuai adjusted his tie with irritation. Who was this person who was so reckless?

The driver quickly got out to assess the situation and nervously told Qin Mohuai, “The owner of the Bentley is Qin Jingye.”

Qin Jingye, the youngest son of the Qin family’s patriarch, was the ninth in the family hierarchy. He was groomed as a potential heir from a young age.

Elegant and refined, with a temperate and disciplined demeanor, he held significant power despite his youth. Aside from his fondness for solitude, his only hobby was philanthropy.

In Xiangzhou’s high society, it was generally accepted that if Qin Jingye entered business, he would become a business legend. If he pursued a political career, he might even become a high-ranking official.

Many had tried to arrange matches for Qin Jingye, almost wearing out the Qin family’s doorstep. The patriarch carefully selected a young lady from an old prestigious family, but Qin Jingye fell for an obscure woman instead. He clashed fiercely with the patriarch over this choice.

Once, Qin Jingye defied the patriarch and was punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall. A young Qin Mohuai secretly brought food to his uncle during this time.

Qin Mohuai admired his uncle greatly.

It wasn’t just because Qin Jingye was capable, but because he dared to defy the authority of the Qin patriarch.

Qin Jingye didn’t hold back. He ate slowly while kneeling, and even had the time to chat with Qin Mohuai, “If you ever meet a woman you love, don’t compromise. Fight for what you want.”

This was the last piece of advice Qin Jingye gave Qin Mohuai.

The Deep Sea Group and the Qin Group were both leading enterprises in Xiangzhou, but they rarely interacted. Even if the government facilitated their cooperation, each side would only send a representative.

Qin Mohuai got out of the car and saw Qin Jingye in a pure white suit. They hadn’t seen each other in nearly a decade.

He walked over and grabbed Qin Jingye by the collar, his phoenix eyes blazing with anger. “Even though you’re my uncle, who fed me and changed my diapers, and taught me many things, you’ve betrayed the Qin family. If you plot against Xia Yuan again, don’t blame me for being merciless!”

The similarly intense phoenix eyes of Qin Jingye were cold and detached. “You little bastard, quite arrogant.”

Qin Mohuai threw a punch, and Qin Jingye retaliated with a hard blow to his abdomen.

The two tall and handsome men fought fiercely, their punches landing with force and no mercy, each trying to bring the other to their knees, creating a scene of impending bloodshed.

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Qin Mohuai didn’t tell Xia Yuan about his injuries to avoid worrying her, but news of his hospitalization still leaked.

Though it wasn’t a major issue—everyone gets hospitalized at some point—Qin Mohuai’s health directly affected the stock price of the Qin Group. He was afraid someone might exploit the situation.

He instructed Secretary Cao, “Find several media outlets and tell them that the chairman of the Deep Sea Group is critically injured and in the ICU.”

Secretary Cao replied, “Understood.”

This move was quite underhanded.

Qin Mohuai repeatedly pondered Qin Jingye’s advice: “If you ever meet a woman you love, don’t compromise. Fight for what you want.”

Qin Jingye had become a widower and couldn’t stand to see him happy. And that Ning Jiale, that little vixen—how dare he compete with him for his wife?

It seemed it was time to move the wedding plans forward.

Qin Mohuai texted Xia Yuan to ask which country she liked. But when he sent the message, it was marked with a red exclamation point.

Had his wife blocked him?

“Damn it!”