Qiu Xing’s eldest uncle, Liu Jiang took the position next to Mother Qiu and enquired solicitously about her well-being. Qiu Xing’s younger uncle Liu Zhu stood quietly to one side, only occasionally saying a few sentences when mentioned.
The children and grandchildren brought by the two people were scattered around. The adults talked while the children laughed and ran around. At first glance, it was a warm and happy family reunion during the Spring Festival.
Mother Qiu hadn’t seen her family for too long. Her older brother and younger brother’s family had come and her eyes were filled with joy. She talked a bit more.
By the time Xie Yang brought tea in with Qiu Xing, Liu Jiang was sighing.
“Now businesses have suffered. In fact, at home… oh, forget it. Telling you will just make you upset. You should relax and take care of yourself. I’m waiting for you to drink Shixuan’s wedding wine.”
Mother Qiu looked surprised and glanced at Liu Shixuan who was sitting there and playing with his mobile phone. She asked Li, “Shixuan is getting married? To what child?”
Liu Jiang tried to help Mother Qiu find the main point. “There is no child that he is getting married to. I’m saying that he is old and should look for one. I also blame him for being unsatisfied. He hasn’t improved after many years of starting a business. I tried to show him a few photos but the other person fell through because of his career. The recent situation at home also hasn’t helped him, alas.”
Mother Qiu comforted him. “Big brother, our children and grandchildren have their own good fortune. We are all people who will eventually go into the soil. Taking care of ourselves and not adding trouble to our children and grandchildren is the greatest help to them. You can feel relieved. Shixuan is a talented person and his career and marriage will be predestined by fate.
Liu Zhu nodded in agreement. “Second sister is right. Brother, you are too heavy-hearted. I think the family has been doing pretty well in the past few years.”
Xie Yang, who was putting tea on the coffee table, almost laughed.
The three siblings of the Liu family were really interesting. The eldest son Liu Jiang was greedy and conceited, the second child Liu Jing (who was also Mother Qiu) was shrewd and tough and the youngest brother Liu Zhu was honest and obedient. It was a good show when the three people talked casually.
A hand suddenly reached out to grasp the cup that Xie Yang was about to put down. He didn’t know if it was coincidence or carelessness but the hand moved too far and just happened to cover Xie Yang’s fingertips, touching it lightly.
Xie Yang paused and looked at the owner of the hand.
Liu Shixuan smiled at Xie Yang, holding the bottom of the cup with fingers as if the stroke just now was an accident. “Thank you for the water.”
Xie Yang slowly straightened up.
He almost forgot. In the original plot, the original owner had one or two messy love affairs. Liu Shixuan happened to be one of them. In the original novel, Liu Shixuan started to think carefully after he saw the original owner. He threatened and coaxed the original owner openly and secretly, using various means to try and get the original owner into his bed.
If the Liu family hadn’t been ruined secretly by the male protagonist then perhaps this rubbish really would’ve succeeded.
Xie Yang also smiled, drew back the water and put it on the coffee table. Then he took out a paper towel and rubbed his fingers and the cup of water carefully. He told Liu Shixuan, “You’re welcome. This water won’t be poured. You drink it if you want.” Then he threw the paper towel and cup into the trash can.
Lii Shixuan’s expression changed. The juniors of the Liu family who were sitting around Liu Shixuan and secretly looking at Xie Yang were also a bit surprised.
Throwing away the cup? The noisy living room suddenly fell silent.
Qiu Xing’s back was to Xie Yang as he gave Liu Zhu tea. He turned around and looked at Xie Yang and the juniors of the Liu family on the sofa. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Someone came to pay the New Year’s greeting with underhanded flirting. “ Xie Yang took out another paper towel and wiped his fingers. Then he glanced sideways at Mother Qiu. “Auntie, I won’t disturb your chat with the family. I am likely to affect the atmosphere. Please excuse me.”
“Why are you going?” Mother Qiu had already understood what was going on. She glanced at Liu Shixuan and his eyes were cold. “You are the master and he is the guest. Come and sit with me. Ah Xing, take them out. They are too noisy!”
Liu Jiang still hadn’t understood what happened. He only knew that Mother Qiu was driving out the juniors of the Liu family because of Xie Yang, an outsider, and he felt he couldn’t back down. “Little sister, this is the new year. You—”
Mother Qiu directly interrupted. “Brother, we rarely meet. Don’t you want to talk quietly with me?”
Liu Jiang came with a purpose and didn’t want to offend Mother Qiu. He had to shut up and glared at Liu Shixuan. Then he glanced at Xie Yang and said, “Shihui, take your brother and your wife and children to sit outside.”
Qiu Xing blocked Liu Shihui who was about to act. He stepped forward and took the hand that Xie Yang had wiped, examining it carefully. “What happened?”
“He touched it while he was picking up the cup.”
Qiu Xing’s expression became very terrifying. He gripped Xie Yang’s hand tightly and stared at Liu Shixuan. “Did you touch him?”
Liu Shixuan knew it wasn’t good and explained, “Cousin, it is all a misunderstanding. I accidentally touched him while picking up the cup.”
Xie Yang raised his eyebrows. “So you mean that I’m lying?”
Seeing that the atmosphere was about to collapse, Liu Jiang hurriedly spoke again. “Shixuan, stop talking and go out with Shihui and the others! Ah Xing, let’s talk about it later. It is rare for your mother and I to celebrate the new year together.” Then he winked at Liu Shihui.
Liu Shihui received the hint from Liu Jiang and hurriedly bypassed Qiu Xing, dragging Liu Shixuan out with him. The other juniors of the Liu family were frightened by Qiu Xing’s aura and expression and didn’t dare to stay any longer. They took the children and walked out.
The small living room quickly became empty.
Qiu Xing’s gaze followed after Liu Shixuan’s back, his eyes gloomy and terrible.
Mother Qiu said, “Ah Xing, go out and entertain Shihui and the others. Yang Yang, come and sit with us for a while.”
Qiu Xing didn’t move.
Xie Yang drew back his hand and patted Qiu Xing’s hand instead. “Go out.”
Qiu Xing reluctantly controlled his temper and said, “I’ll be back soon.” He sent Liu Jiang a cold look before turning away.
Liu Jiang’s face was dark because of Qiu Xing and he became even angrier. “Look at this big noise happening during the Spring Festival. It isn’t sensible at all.”
Xie Yang sat beside Mother Qiu and said, “It really isn’t sensible. People who visit other people’s homes with irregular hands and feet should be locked up at home and not brought out.”
Liu Jiang’s face twitched.
“Yang Yang said so.” Mother Qiu opened her mouth and blocked Liu Jiang’s unspoken reprimand. Then she turned to Liu Zhu. “Brother, this is the companion I picked for Ah Xing. He is called Xie Yang. You have to come once he and Ah Xing holds the wedding.”
Liu Zhu nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Liu Jiang was ignored and his heart wasn’t happy. His tone became worse. “Sister, you are really confused! What companion? You actually found a man for you! Aren’t you afraid of the Qiu family ending?”
All the joy of seeing her relatives had disappeared from Mother Qiu’s face. “Big brother, it is the Qiu family. Why do you care so much as a Liu family member? Besides, there are dozens of people in the side branches. How will it die out?”
Liu Jiang was choked up. “I also care about Ah Xing! Look at Shihui’s family last year. The second child just added is so cute. If Ah Xing wants children—”
“Then let Yang Yang go to a surrogate. Ah Xing isn’t in good health and will likely pass on before Yang Yang. Yang Yang will have a child to rely on and this will help him avoid loneliness in the future. Moreover, Yang Yang has a good temperament and the children he teaches must be very good. I can rest assured to give Rongding to him and his children in the future.” Mother Qiu smiled at Liu Jiang. “I have to thank you for your concern. You have considered so much for my family.”
This was a clear beating and warning to Liu Jiang.
Liu Jiang’s expression was red. “You are really confused! You actually want Xie Yang to find a surrogate and give Rongding to him. He is an outsider. Why are you so confused?!”
“Yang Yang is in my Qiu family’s household registration book. How is he an outsider?” Mother Qiu was completely cold. “Big brother, I think you are the confused one. If you really want to talk about distance, you and I have already been in two separate families for decades. I have a clear conscience about the Liu family. It is with my support that the Liu family can become as big as it is now. Now I am the widowed mother of Ah Xing. Older brother, I’m not asking you to take care of me. I also hope that you can stop doing foolish things at the age where you should be taking care of your life and leaving the way to the juniors of the Liu family.”
The calculations that Liu Jiang wanted to use had been seen through by Mother Qiu and he didn’t have a chance at all. He got up angrily, repeating the words, ‘kind intentions are taken as a donkey’s liver’ as he strode out of the living room.
Liu Zhu reached out to Mother Qiu. “Second sister, it will hurt your body if you become angry.”
The coldness in Mother Qiu’s eyes became lighter as she looked at Liu Zhu. “Little brother, don’t be like your older brother.”
Liu Zhu shook his head. “A person’s own virtue can’t match his social status and treatment. I understand this truth. Children and grandchildren have their own good fortune.”
The Liu family left in a hurry without having lunch. Mother Qiu was hurt by her older brother so after the Liu family left, the nursing staff pushed her back to her room without letting Qiu Xing and Xie Yang disturb her. Even lunch was eaten in her room.
The air pressure around Qiu Xing was very low. After lunch, he took his mobile phone and went to the small study on the second floor by himself. He seemed to be contacting He Jun.
There was no one to bother him so Xie Yang went back to his room to finish the piano music on his laptop.
He finished at 4 in the afternoon after encountering a bottleneck. Music was something that had to be played with his own hands to feel it. He turned off the laptop and headed downstairs.
There was a voice coming from the small living room. It was Mother Qiu.
“Liu Shixuan and your uncle dare to be so unscrupulous because they think that Yang Yang is a trivial plaything to you who can be bullied at will. What is the use of venting your anger on Liu Shixuan? You should hold the person tighter and not let people reach out to your territory.”
Xie Yang stopped and didn’t go in.
After a while, Mother Qiu’s voice was heard again.
“Blame me for not giving you a good body. I wanted to find a companion for you but I put you in a dilemma. Why are you so stubborn about not following your heart like your father?”
There was a long silence.
Xie Yang stayed in place for a few seconds before turning around and going upstairs. After entering through the door, he saw Qiu Xing’s coat on the hanger and couldn’t help hitting it with his hand.
He sat on the sofa and took out the phone to scan Weibo, wanting to change his mood.
The situation on Weibo was a bit strange.
In just one night, all the news about Mu Zhouyi on the hot search had disappeared. The only information about the unspoken rules was Huangtian’s announcement and He Rumin’s apology conference video. All the chat records sent by He Rumin’s private account were deleted. He even posted stating that these records were actually forged.
The even more amazing thing was that the little star who first broke the news unexpectedly came out and apologized. She said that her previous complaints were nonsense and that she was in a normal relationship with He Rumin.
It didn’t matter how untrustworthy and ridiculous this apology and explanation was. On the surface, Huangtian could save some reputation.
This showed a few things. Huangtian was doing public relations, He Rumin had compromised and someone was protecting Mu Zhouyi.
If no one was protecting her, Mu Zhouyi would’ve been completely obscured or blocked after this wave. However, if someone was protecting her then Mu Zhouyi might be able to struggle again.
Xie Yang suddenly remembered Feng Qinglin’s words yesterday and sent a message to Qin Cheng’s WeChat.
Xie Yang: Help me investigate Hong Zhijie and continue to watch Mu Zhouyi’s movements.
Qin Cheng didn’t reply to the message. Maybe he was still sleeping. Xie Yang exited out of WeChat and checked Weibo again. He saw that the water army was deliberately taking the rhythm that someone was deliberately wronging Huangtian while obscuring Mu Zhouyi’s existence.
Things really weren’t right.
Xie Yang sent another WeChat message to Ji Zehui to have him pay attention to the movements of Huangtian.
In the days that followed, the wind on Weibo became increasingly strange.
On the fourth day of the Lunar new year, a couple known for their love had breaking news. It was revealed that the man was cheating with his assistant and the assistant had secretly given birth to a child. The attention of the melon eating netizens were diverted instantly.
On the fifth day of the new year, a veteran movie maker made a slip of a tongue in an interview, saying a little flower with the surname of Mu had been calculated again recently. She was too honest and offended people, causing her to be miserable. This caused a heated discussion among netizens.
On the sixth day of the new year, a chat record of Mu Zhouyi being threatened by He Rumin came out from somewhere.
On the seventh day of the new year, just as the Spring Festival was ending, the stock market opened and Huangtian’s stocks fell the moment it opened.
***
After lunch, Xie Yang and Qiu Xing bid farewell to Mother Qiu and got in the car to return to Jinghe Garden. In the car, Xie Yang received a call from Ji Zehui.
“Why do I feel that something is wrong?” Ji Zehui murmured softly. “After the stock market opened today, Huangtian’s stocks went all the way down but the chairman didn’t panic at all. He went out and had a meal with the He Rumin father and son. I don’t know where Mu Zhouyi is these days but the chairman and the He Rumin father and son have stopped looking for her.”
Xie Yang was thoughtful and didn’t answer.
“The people in Huangtian are now in a state of distraction. Several high-level executives have left. There are also many artists who terminated their contract. It should be that other entertainment companies took advantage of the fire to steal them. Various resources have also been lost. If this continues, Huangtian will really be over. Isn’t the chairman afraid?”
Xie Yang finally said, “You should also take the opportunity to cancel your contract. You can’t stay any longer in Huangtian.”
“Why?”
“If there isn’t an accident, there should be a big move in Huangtian lately.”
Ji Zehui quickly asked, “What big move?”
Xie Yang couldn’t and didn’t say. He only gave Ji Zehui a few more orders before hanging up the phone.
Qiu Xing, who had been closing his eyes and resting since getting in the car, suddenly asked. “Is the plan to expand the company not going well?”
Xie Yang turned to look at Qiu Xing and replied, “It is generally smooth.”
Qiu Xing no longer spoke and the car was quiet again. Xie Yang slowly removed his gaze.
After the Liu family came, Qiu Xing had completely withdrawn. These ambiguous, surging and itchy things had disappeared overnight and it was unknown what corner they were suppressed in.
Rationally, Xie Yang could understand Qiu Xing’s scruples.
The success of the heart surgery allowed Qiu Xing to take a step forward. However, once the courage and impulses brought about by his success disappeared and reason regained the upper hand, that step that was taken was retracted. He even took two steps backwards. It was normal.
However, emotionally, Xie Yang felt that Qiu Xing was a coward who was spoiled and fickle. Qiu Xing was unwilling to retreat but didn’t dare to reach out.
Xie Yang opened his mouth. “My new album is about to start production. Since the recording of the album is in a hurry, I might not be able to go home very much during the next period of time and will live directly at Yang Xing.”
Qiu Xing opened his eyes.
The car had driven into Jinghe Garden and was moving in the direction of the second gate.
“There is one more thing. I was afraid of affecting your new year’s mood and hadn’t told you. Last year, I passed an audition for a movie. After the album is recording, I will enter the crew to shoot it. The estimated time is four months.”
Qiu Xing sat upright and stared at Xie Yang with disbelief. The car entered through the second gate and the villa was near.
Xie Yang turned to stare at Qiu Xing. “In other words, from today to August, I probably won’t be at home.”
Qiu Xing’s eyes widened.
The car stood and Wu Shui, who had been waiting at the door, immediately stepped forward with a suitcase.
Xie Yang opened the door, got out of the car and bent over to wave to Qiu Xing in the car. “The recording of the album will start this afternoon. I will go to the company first. See you later.” Then he turned and prepared to leave
Qiu Xing’s senses finally returned and he called out with a dark face, “Wait, Xie—”
“That’s right.” Xie Yang suddenly turned back and got into the car again. As Qiu Xing’s expression gradually lost control, he reached out and hugged Qiu Xing, touching the back of Qiu Xing’s neck with his finger. He turned his condensed ability into a solid ball and had it enter Qiu Xing’s body before saying, “Qiu Xing, see you during the review.”
He retreated before Qiu Xing could hug him back, getting out of the car and directly closing the door. Then he got into the car that Wu Shui had driven out ahead of time.
TL Comment: Interesting fact. The comments in this chapter were full of arguments over Mother Qiu’s passing mention of surrogacy and criticizing her for it. You can actually see the way that surrogacy is viewed very badly in China. So if you ever wonder why danmei has so much mpreg instead of surrogacy, this is one big reason.
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