The Bai Family has been in a lot of turmoil lately.
First, Bai Ruanruan disappeared and was kidnapped twice. Then, rumors of her affair with Xi Juan surfaced, and those ambiguous photos spread like wildfire. You could hear people whispering about the young master Bai Ruanruan even in the company's break room.
As expected Bai Yanxiu, that fool, was tricked. He bought a fake that had been switched at a price of nearly eight figures, which naturally made him a laughing stock in their highbrow art circle Bai Yanxiu's art gallery was almost forced to close down, and the situation was not optimistic.
In addition, the upstream company that the Qin Family had been cooperating with for many years went bankrupt. The two companies were deeply intertwined, and Qin Mubai was so busy every day that he didn't even have time to go home.
The last time I went home was three days ago.
They even pulled a thorn in the side of the recently chaotic Bai Family.
The gardener, who had worked for the Bai Family for nearly eight years, had been communicating with the outside world.
Unfortunately, the other person was tight-lipped, and nothing could be pried open.
Qin Mubai had a vague sense of unease. Business matters shouldn't have allowed others to keep their eyes on the Bai Family for eight years. He was a little worried that beneath the calm surface of the Bai Family, there were things that even he didn't know about.
My phone lit up; it was a new message from a friend.
A sensationalized news story, accompanied by a picture of Nan Qing getting out of a car, her gray trench coat billowing in the autumn wind, holding a black umbrella without a logo.
"I must say, our Qingqing is really starting to look like a big star!"
"You went too? How was it? Did we get a chance to chat?"
In the dimly lit carriage, Qin Mubai lowered his eyes and zoomed in on the photograph.
His familiar, delicate face was slightly lowered, the umbrella tilted, and the falling autumn rain sprinkled on him. As night fell, the hazy light and shadow cast a warm glow on the large open space in front of him.
The composition and atmosphere are superb.
Only the little child who used to always cling to him and act spoiled has grown into a capable adult in the shortest possible time.
In retrospect, leaving the Bai Family wasn't entirely a bad idea.
The Bai Family is now rife with undercurrents and unpredictable events, but his Qingqing has embarked on a broad and open path, heading towards a bright and radiant future.
Qin Mubai stared at the photo for a long time before finally saving it.
He then replied to his friend on the other end of the phone.
"Um."
"So, have you two gotten to know each other yet?"
Qin Mubai remained silent in the dim night until another new message popped up.
"You didn't say nothing, did you?"
"It's pretty clear now. Your second son is a coward. He wouldn't dare touch your things. It was definitely Bai Ruanruan who did it. Our main problem is that we don't have any evidence."
"But you and Qingqing are so close, and that child has trusted you since he was little. As long as you explain, he will definitely listen. Hasn't Auntie Chen already been found? Let her come and tell Qingqing the whole story!"
"Once you resolve this little conflict, I'll organize a get-together, and we'll do what we always do: rent out the beach and party all night."
The person on the other side of the screen sent an emoji, and Qin Mubai's cold eyes were softened by the light and shadow, his thoughts stretching out for a moment.
He replied "okay" to the other person and put down his phone.
Auntie Chen has indeed been found. Her flight arrived at 11 p. m., less than two hours ago.
He also wanted to find out exactly what happened back then, and he wanted to know why that perpetually arrogant and domineering child had suffered so much injustice during the time he was away.
Of course, if his Qingqing is still willing to listen to his explanation.
He also longed to tell him, little by little, the things that could be known to him on a sunny afternoon.
He didn't expect his forgiveness.
She just wanted him to know that Qin Mubai had never given up on Nan Qing.
But I'm sorry to have made him suffer so much.
The alarm clock sounded, Qin Mubai took out a medicine box from the armrest box, put a handful of capsules with English lettering into his mouth, drank some water, tilted his head back, and swallowed.
The night rain poured down from the sky, and even with the windshield wipers on full blast, I could barely see the road ahead in the hazy, rainy night.
The driver slowed down, and Qin Mubai, who had taken his medication, answered a phone call.
"The flight is going to be delayed by half an hour?"
"Don't go back to the old house, take her to the Sinan Mansion."
Be careful on the road.
After hanging up the phone, Qin Mubai rubbed his tired forehead. He had been under a lot of stress these past few days, and the side effects of the medication had made him feel fatigued quite easily.
The phone vibrated again. Qin Mubai glanced at it; it was his mother calling.
Before he could even answer the call, another call came in. It was from the group's CFO, a kind and frugal man who would never contact him directly at such a late hour unless absolutely necessary.
Qin Mubai frowned slightly and answered the call.
"Hello--"
The voice on the other end of the phone rang out with the screeching of tires screeching as the steering wheel spun rapidly, causing the people inside the car to move with inertia, while the tightening seatbelts pulled them back in.
The man clutching his phone frowned and looked up. Ahead, in the pouring rain, the windshield wipers were rapidly moving, the deepening darkness obscuring his vision...
An old, white van with its headlights off was speeding straight towards him, about to run him over.
As the housekeeper said, the S City, which had been experiencing continuous rain, did indeed receive its heaviest rainfall in nearly 10 years.
After dinner, Nan Qing played some games. Perhaps because of the gloomy, rainy weather, Nan Qing felt a tightness in her chest and couldn't enjoy the game.
The wind was strong and the rain was heavy at night. Nan Qing finally managed to fall asleep while holding Huo Yuzhou's waist, but she quickly fell into a long and terrifying dream.
In his dream, Qin Mubai was covered in blood from head to toe, standing far away from him apologizing and saying sorry.
Lightning flashed and thunder roared across the night sky. Nan Qing woke up from her dream in the same instant, her forehead soaked with sweat, large beads of cold sweat sliding down her cheeks, her face as white as paper.
Huo Yuzhou's voice came from behind him, but Nan Qing still couldn't calm his heart, which was pounding with fear. He turned to look at Huo Yuzhou, his eyes, which had been wide open from the nightmare, were glistening with tears.
" Huo Yuzhou, I had a nightmare!"
"I dreamt that Qin Mubai had an accident! He was covered in blood, every part of him was covered in blood -- Huo Yuzhou --"
The man's long arms pulled him into his embrace, gently patting his back.
" Qingqing, it's just a nightmare because you saw him a few hours ago."
Nan Qing nodded haphazardly, then quickly began to contradict himself.
"No, Huo Yuzhou, Bai Ruanruan said Qin Mubai is in trouble lately, and she even said she'll cause trouble for Qin Mubai, making him Xi Juan!"
The boy in white pajamas sat up and groped around near his pillow until he found his phone.
" Bai Ruanruan is terrifying; Qin Mubai knows nothing about her."
"I'm going to tell him that Bai Ruanruan is a devil!"
A broad chest embraced him again. Nan Qing gripped his phone tightly and dialed a familiar number, his voice trembling slightly:
"I haven't forgiven him, I still hate him. I just felt sorry for him, and I only wanted to give him a hint..."