Chapter 262: Everyone Has a Partner Now
Qin Chi Jin was starting to wonder—was he the boss of this company, or was Cheng Lie the boss?
This kid gave orders as if he owned the place, speaking without a trace of politeness, saying whatever came to his mind, completely ignoring whether or not it might put him in a tough spot.
He’d been like this ever since the beginning.
"How do you plan to collaborate?" Qin Chi Jin asked.
"Don’t worry about it. Just help me deal with Qin Yumo, and that’ll be enough."
Qin Chi Jin: "..."
...
When Yun Shifei returned to school, she called Xu Yuejiao to let her know she was safe.
Xu Yuejiao let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you’re okay. Otherwise, I’d have really called the police."
Before leaving, Yun Shifei had told her that if she didn’t hear from her within an hour, she should call the police.
Still, even after their phone call, Xu Yuejiao couldn’t quite relax. She made a special trip to Yun Shifei’s dormitory to check on her. Only when she saw for herself that Yun Shifei was truly fine did she calm down.
"By the way, Senior Ye Yi heard about the trouble at your place and said he wants to see you. He’s downstairs at the dormitory right now. How about going down to meet him?"
Yun Shifei looked at Xu Yuejiao. "You told him?"
Xu Yuejiao nodded. "I was just thinking that, since his family’s pretty well-off, maybe he could help out."
She was worried Yun Shifei might go to Qin Yumo for help. What if he refused and things took a turn for the worse?
She figured she needed to leave Yun Shifei an alternative option.
Yun Shifei knew Xu Yuejiao meant well, so she didn’t blame her. She told her, "The issue’s truly resolved now, Cousin. You don’t have to worry about me anymore. I’ll go talk to Senior Ye Yi."
Yun Shifei went downstairs, where Ye Yi was sitting on the edge of a flower bed.
By then, it was late autumn, and the flowers in the garden were all wilted.
"Senior," Yun Shifei called out to Ye Yi.
Ye Yi looked up at the girl standing before him. She was dressed simply in a long-sleeved shirt and black trousers. Even with her legs wrapped in the fabric, they still appeared straight and long.
It hadn’t been long since he’d last seen her, but somehow, she seemed even more beautiful than before.
"Shi Fei, are you okay?" Ye Yi asked with concern on his face as he looked at Yun Shifei.
"I’m fine now. Everything’s been taken care of."
"That guy didn’t bully you, did he?"
He couldn’t stop worrying that Yun Shifei might have agreed to some condition from Qin Yumo because of her father’s situation. Rumor had it that Qin Yumo had publicly pursued her on campus before. Could his intentions this time have been to make Yun Shifei his girlfriend?
That honestly wasn’t a far-fetched possibility.
Ye Yi thought to himself, Qin Yumo was truly despicable.
They both liked her, but while he, upon realizing Yun Shifei had someone she cared for, decided to watch over her happiness from afar, Qin Yumo seemed intent on taking her by force.
Yun Shifei shook her head. "Senior, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine now."
"As long as you’re okay." Ye Yi stared deeply at Yun Shifei. "Shi Fei, if anything happens at home, or if you need anything, you can always come to me. Don’t worry—I’ll do my best to help you."
Looking into Ye Yi’s sincere gaze, Yun Shifei smiled. "Senior, thank you."
The moment between them grew quiet quickly.
Ye Yi suddenly wondered—could the person Yun Shifei liked really be of any help to her?
Out of curiosity, Ye Yi had sent someone to dig into Yun Shifei’s high school background. She’d attended Xinhua Middle School, where she was somewhat of a celebrity. Details about her time there came to light quickly.
Xu Yuejiao mentioned that the boy Yun Shifei had been close to during high school...
Turned out to be an autistic boy named Cheng Lie.
It was likely him.
He learned that she’d had a close relationship with Cheng Lie. The two were even desk mates later on, lived in the same neighborhood, walked home together every day, and would hang out on weekends.
During those pure and youthful years, their bond was so strong that it naturally carried forward to the present.
Later, the boy’s family fell apart. He even ruthlessly sent his father to prison and didn’t take the college entrance exams. Now that he’d reappeared in Beijing, he probably wasn’t here to study either.
Despite all that, Yun Shifei still had feelings for him.
When you meet someone at the right time, it doesn’t matter whether that person is the right one.
Ye Yi found it deeply regrettable that he hadn’t met her sooner.
He thought, if only he had attended Xinhua Middle School back then and met her early—things might have turned out differently, right?
But even though he looked down on Cheng Lie, he wouldn’t speak ill of him.
Because he knew that was the boy Yun Shifei liked, and saying anything bad about him in front of her would only make her angry.
...
In a VIP hospital room, Qin Yumo lay on a bed, his arm in a plaster cast.
"Dad, this pain is killing me!" Seeing Qin Guangtao enter, Qin Yumo immediately furrowed his brow and cried out in pain.
"You still know what pain feels like? I think it’s good that you’re suffering, brat! It’s one thing to fool around normally, but how could you mess with a decent girl like that?"
"Dad, what are you talking about? I was just chasing her, that’s all. Can’t I even pursue her?"
"She already has a boyfriend, and you still insist on going after her?"
Qin Yumo froze for a moment. "Boyfriend? Isn’t she single?"
From Yun Shifei’s demeanor, she didn’t seem like someone with a boyfriend. But then he recalled the boy who beat him to a pulp—his furious, protective stance felt as though he was defending the most precious thing in the world.
Could that boy be her boyfriend?
"Single? Your uncle—do you think he could be mistaken?"
Qin Chi Jin? His words couldn’t be trusted.
Qin Yumo quickly replied, "Dad, how can you believe what Uncle says? Look at me, beaten to this state. That heartless man just stood by and watched. He’s as ruthless as can be, yet you still trust what he says?"
Previously, Qin Yumo had thought his uncle was pretty decent. At least he was generous—with some coaxing, he’d even fork over his prized collection of fine wine.
But now, he’d stood idly by as his nephew got pummeled by a stranger.
Afterward, he shifted all the blame onto Yumo. Now he’d even twisted the story, leading Qin Guangtao to scold him.
Qin Yumo felt downright pitiful. He looked pitifully at the enraged Qin Guangtao and said, "Dad, are you saying you believe Uncle’s words but don’t trust your own son?"
"Of course. You’ve lied to me countless times, but your uncle has never lied to me."
Qin Yumo: "...But I’m telling the truth now! Even if Uncle’s words are true, doesn’t seeing me hurt like this make you feel bad?"
That last line made Qin Guangtao’s expression begin to falter.
Qin Yumo saw an opening and went on, "Dad, I’ve never been hurt this badly in my entire life. Look at me. If Mom finds out, she’ll definitely be heartbroken."
His mother had passed away from an illness when he was young.
Qin Guangtao’s expression softened even further.
Qin Yumo knew full well—his mother was always his trump card. According to the household staff, his parents had been deeply in love, though his mom had passed away when he was five. He hardly had any memory of her.
But she was his fallback, always.