TL: Hua
Extra 1: Main Storyline Daily Life 1
The day after returning to China, Qin Chaoyan went to the Third Municipal Hospital to visit Grandma Qin, who was staying there.
The old lady’s health had never been good, and these past three years of worry and effort supporting the Qin Group had left her nearly exhausted, perhaps with little time left.
Previously, when she suddenly fell ill and Qin Qijiang seized power from her, it was Ye Boxuan who, out of consideration for the friendship between the older generations of their families, had her transferred to the Third Municipal Hospital for treatment, preventing Qin Jingxu from secretly hurting her.
Later, Ye Boxuan suddenly went to Africa and had no time to care for her, so it was thanks to Qin Chaoyan’s return to China that arrangements were made in time for people to protect her in the hospital.
This time, it was the attending doctor who suddenly contacted him, saying that the old lady had recently woken up, knew what had happened at home, and wanted to see Qin Chaoyan. That’s why Qin Chaoyan returned to China early, specifically to see her.
After all, among his blood relatives, the old lady was one of the only two who had treated him relatively well.
Ye Rongxu also went to the hospital with Qin Chaoyan. Although he disliked Qin Qijiang and the other Qin family members, he had deep feelings for Grandma Qin.
In addition, Grandpa Ye and Grandma Ye had always been concerned about Grandma Qin. Since they couldn’t return to China together this time, they also asked Ye Rongxu to visit her on their behalf.
Inside the ward, Grandma Qin, lying on the hospital bed, looked visibly relieved when she saw them. A smile appeared on her wrinkled face, a rare sight.
She needed a ventilator most of the time, but at this moment, she used all her strength to tightly grasp Qin Chaoyan’s wrist with her thin hand.
“Chaoyan, Qin… Qin…” she said with difficulty.
Qin Chaoyan gently pressed her hand, remained silent for two seconds, and then slowly said, “Grandma, take your time.”
He thought the old lady would plead for Qin Qijiang; after all, he was her biological son. Even if she had been disappointed before, as she approached the end of her life, recalling the past, she might soften.
People are often emotional creatures, after all.
However, Qin Chaoyan felt that his answer would probably disappoint his grandmother.
Unexpectedly, after holding his hand, Grandma Qin laboriously reached for Ye Rongxu’s hand, placing their hands together and gently patting them.
Her weak voice came from behind the oxygen mask, intermittent and strained:
“Chaoyan, the Qin family has wronged you and… your mother. I’m sorry I didn’t raise my son well. Today, being able… to see you and Rongxu come together, seeing that you are still… together, makes me truly happy from the bottom of my heart. You… you must be good to each other in the future…”
Qin Chaoyan was stunned for a moment, then quickly agreed, “I will.”
Ye Rongxu also held her cool, thin hand and nodded gently.
Knowing that her time might be limited, both of them felt a mix of complicated and bitter emotions.
Hearing this, the old lady showed a relieved smile, as if content.
From beginning to end, she did not plead for Qin Qijiang.
Leaving the Third Municipal Hospital, Qin Chaoyan’s tone was complex and difficult to discern: “I thought she would plead for Qin Qijiang.”
Ye Rongxu sat in the wheelchair, looked up at him, and shook his head. “No, Grandma has been completely disappointed in Qin… in him for the past three years.”
Moreover, Qin Qijiang had even plotted to harm Qin Chaoyan’s mother. With Grandma Qin’s character, she definitely couldn’t bring herself to plead with Qin Chaoyan for him, even though he was her own son.
In fact, it was precisely because her own son had done such a thing that she felt even more guilty.
And because of this guilt and self-blame, at the end of her life, the person she worried about the most was Qin Chaoyan.
She knew that he had suffered in his childhood and had not had an easy life growing up. He had finally learned the truth about his background, only to be forced to break up with Ye Rongxu and go abroad. The past three years had not been easy for him at all.
Now she felt much comforted seeing him reunite with Ye Rongxu and shed his whole demeanor of its former gloom and coldness. He no longer lived like a lifeless machine as he had before.
She hoped that this child, who had been hurt and wronged by the Qin family, could be happy.
At least that way, her regrets would be fewer. Bringing him and Ye Rongxu together was the only thing she could do. She could tell that the two children truly liked each other and felt that perhaps this could make Qin Chaoyan happy.
And she no longer had much time to make up for everything.
Qin Chaoyan pondered after hearing the analysis.
His Xuxu seemed to be protected in an ivory tower, innocent and ignorant of the ways of the world, but in reality, he was very intelligent in many instances and had a delicate and thorough understanding of some people and things.
He couldn’t help but hug Ye Rongxu tightly, resting his chin on the other’s thin shoulder, and said, “Rongxu, I think I like you more and more.”
He liked him so much that he wanted to hold him like this forever, to be inseparable from each other.
Qin Chaoyan had never thought of himself as an irrational person before, but now he was like a young man madly in love, never tired of holding his beloved.
Moreover, the person he loved was beautiful and intelligent, as if even his soul radiated a light that attracted him. And he was like a moth, regardless of everything, plunging headfirst into this fatally warm light.
Ye Rongxu was suddenly “confessed to,” and his face couldn’t help but turn slightly red, especially since they were still at the hospital entrance, where people were coming and going.
He quickly reached out to push the other away, whispering, “Let go quickly; there are many people.” But Qin Chaoyan suddenly picked him up and strode towards the car.
As the car door closed, the partition between the front and back seats also went up. Ye Rongxu’s body was pressed against the seat; his breathing and whimpers were quickly stolen.
Qin Chaoyan completely enveloped him, pinching his chin and forcefully kissing his beautiful, soft lips. His lips and teeth gradually went numb, his tongue was gently bitten and licked, and the temperature and ambiguous atmosphere continued to rise.
In the end, tears welled up in Ye Rongxu’s eyes, and he almost felt like he was being kissed to death.
Perhaps seeing that he was truly too pitiful, Qin Chaoyan finally let go but still held him in his arms. His handsome eyebrows were tinged with a deep color, and he gently stroked Ye Rongxu’s back with one hand, helping him to catch his breath.
Ye Rongxu finally recovered, glared at him with watery eyes, and whispered with annoyance, “Why have you suddenly gone crazy?”
There were people in the front seat, and he had almost thought Qin Chaoyan was going to…
Saying this, he noticed that Qin Chaoyan’s eyes had deepened even more, and he quickly shut his mouth.
Qin Chaoyan also knew that this was not the right time, and besides, he didn’t want their first time to be so hasty.
But his body was so tense and uncomfortable that he could only hold the person in his arms tightly, slowly calming down, and then he took the other’s slender, pale, and beautiful hand, gently playing with those long fingers.
Ye Rongxu was afraid he would do it again, so he quickly changed the subject, saying, “By the way, what do you plan to do with Qin Qijiang?”
Because the case was complex and involved multiple incidents, the cases of Qin Qijiang, Zhang Yun, and the others had not yet gone to trial.
However, the prosecution had sufficient evidence, and once the trial began, it was basically certain that the individuals would receive their due judgment.
However, Qin Qijiang was now bedridden due to a stroke, unable to speak or move, with saliva occasionally drooling from his mouth. He had basically lost the ability to care for himself. Even if a verdict was reached, it was estimated that it couldn’t be enforced.
“Let’s wait for the court hearing.” Qin Chaoyan said. “The lawyer said it would most likely be a suspended death sentence with parole for medical reasons.”
Ye Rongxu nodded and said nothing more.
***
Qin Chaoyan was not idle after returning to China. He was busy with company affairs and case matters for several consecutive days.
Once he finally got two days off, he immediately called Ye Rongxu, wanting to go on a date.
Unexpectedly, Ye Rongxu asked him to bring a scoop net and come to his house to catch koi fish.
Qin Chaoyan was stunned for a full two seconds, unable to react.
“There are too many. There was already a batch of koi in the landscape pond, and now the offspring of Xiaoxu and Xiaoyan have been added, so the density is a bit high. Scoop some out and raise them on your side,” Ye Rongxu explained.
Qin Chaoyan: “…”
He really hadn’t expected the two koi he gave as a gift back then to be so prolific.
So, after more than three years, he formally visited the Ye family again. However, the precious free time he had finally squeezed out, hoping for some warm alone time with Ye Rongxu, had now turned into a fish-catching expedition.
Ji Qingyu, upon learning this, came out to watch the fun, shaking his head and clicking his tongue, “What a pity, can’t eat them.”
Ye Rongxu was holding a small scoop net, waving it around and directing Qin Chaoyan to work. Hearing this, he turned his head to look at him and said, “Brother Qingyu, come and help too. Qin Chaoyan will get tired working alone.”
Ji Qingyu: “…” Qin Chaoyan would get tired, but wouldn’t your Brother Qingyu get tired?
The three of them busied themselves for the entire afternoon, all covered in a fishy smell. Ye Rongxu, disgusted, immediately went back to shower.
After showering and coming downstairs, Qin Chaoyan had taken the koi to his residence and hadn’t returned yet. Only Ji Qingyu was in the living room, sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea beside him, leisurely reading a book.
Ye Rongxu found it strange and asked, “Brother Qingyu, it’s Friday today; why aren’t you at work?”
Ji Qingyu turned a page of his book and said, “Uncle gave me two days off.”
“Oh.” Ye Rongxu walked over with his walking aid. Seeing wolfberries floating in his teacup, he couldn’t help but wonder, “You drink this too?”
Ji Qingyu put down his book and sighed, “When you reach middle age, you need to focus on health.”
Ye Rongxu: “…”
He carefully looked at the other’s face and said kindly, “You’re still young.”
Ji Qingyu shook his head. “You don’t understand. Now even recent college graduates in the office are starting to focus on health. I’m already late into the trend. Besides, I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been working too much overtime recently, but my energy is indeed a bit low, and sitting for long periods makes my back hurt. By the way, didn’t Doctor Du give you a lot of health-preserving recipes? See if there are any suitable for me and send me a few.”
Then he sighed again, “Young people these days are all sub-healthy. Didn’t the news about the president of Duoyi suddenly dying make it to the top of the trending topics a while ago? I heard it was from staying up late working overtime. Even Uncle has started working less overtime recently. Knowing that I had been working non-stop overtime for a while and hadn’t gotten much rest, he ordered me to take two days off yesterday.”
“By the way, find some health-preserving recipes for Uncle too, especially for protecting his lower back. He’s been sitting in the office a lot recently, and his back isn’t good either.”
Ye Rongxu: “…” Are all you presidents so hardworking? Is this considered an occupational hazard?
Right, Qin Chaoyan is also a president, also working himself to the bone, staying up late working overtime, and he was so busy the past two days that he was nowhere to be seen.
Could it be that his health isn’t good despite his young age? Especially since he also often attends meetings and sits in the office, which counts as prolonged sitting, could it be that he also…
Ye Rongxu suddenly thought that when he was with Qin Chaoyan, no matter how fiercely or passionately the other kissed him, his eyes seeming to want to devour him, he could always restrain himself and had never crossed the line.
Could it be… that his back really wasn’t good?
His eyes couldn’t help but wander, his thoughts scattering and running wild.
“Xuxu, Xuxu?” Ji Qingyu suddenly waved his hand in front of him and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Ye Rongxu suddenly came back to his senses, quickly shook his head, and coughed dryly, “N-nothing.”
But if it’s really not good, he should still take care of it.
Ye Rongxu was worried.
Taking care of one person and taking care of three people was the same. Since he didn’t have to stew the soup himself, he quickly consulted Old Doctor Du. After preparing the health-preserving recipes, he handed them all over to Butler Yang to arrange.
Of course, Ji Qingyu’s and Ye Boxuan’s recipes were purely for health preservation, while Qin Chaoyan’s had some extra special soups and tonics.
After arranging these, he called Qin Chaoyan and asked, “Have the koi been delivered?”
Qin Chaoyan had just put the koi into the large, two-meter-long fish tank at home, with his phone wedged between his ear and shoulder. “Almost.”
Ye Rongxu “Oh, oh” nodded and said, “Then hurry over after you’ve settled them. Have dinner at my place tonight.”
Qin Chaoyan seemed to be smiling, his voice gentle as he said, “Okay.”
“I specifically asked the auntie to stew soup for you. You have to drink it while it’s hot, so hurry over.”
Ye Rongxu instructed, hesitated for a moment, and then added, “By the way, your back… never mind, just hurry over.”
Qin Chaoyan was slightly taken aback. You want (back)[mfn]Mfn: 要[yào]（腰)[yāo] want and back are homonyms.[/mfn]? What do I want?
But he didn’t think too much about it. Thinking that Ye Rongxu had personally asked someone to make soup for him, he quickly put down what he was doing at home, went downstairs with light steps, and got into the car.
