Chapter 77: In the End, You Are Still Relatives

"Your wife—my sister-in-law!" Qiao Weiwei glared at the man on the hospital bed. "What should I do?"

Qiao Yudong, however, remained unruffled. "Just because she's looking for you doesn't necessarily mean she's asking about me."

Seeing his indifferent attitude, Qiao Weiwei almost forgot he was a patient. "You—you—you... What kind of answer is that?"

"You're lying here in the hospital. Shouldn't you at least explain things to your wife—my sister-in-law?"

"Qiao Yudong, do you even remember you're a married man—"

Because of the blood loss, Qiao Yudong's face was a pallor she had never seen before. When he set his jaw, he looked even more forbidding. "Those four words—you repeat them every day. Does it amuse you?"

"Why don't you hand me your phone and I'll just talk to my sister-in-law about your divorce right now?"

"You—!" Qiao Weiwei was speechless. How had he turned the tables and started threatening her?

Completely backward! Utterly absurd!

If it weren't for the fact that he’d been stabbed and lost so much blood, she would have shot back at him without a second thought!

But right now, the urgent question was how she should answer the call. "...What if my sister-in-law asks about you? What am I supposed to say?"

Before Qiao Yudong could reply, the phone abruptly stopped ringing—Fu Sisi had hung up.

Qiao Weiwei didn't feel relieved, but rather even more guilty. Qiao Yudong's injury was not something that could remain hidden—eventually, the truth would come out!

For a moment, the siblings fell silent.

They were thinking about the same thing.

At any other time, he would have found a way to cover it up, but in just ten days, it would be their grandfather's birthday banquet.

Ten days.

No matter how miraculous the medicine, it was unlikely he'd be able to move freely by then.

Not going back to the family estate, taking half a month off from work, even leaving the capital—those were all manageable. The only real problem was the day of the banquet.

Because there was virtually no plausible excuse for missing his grandfather's birthday celebration.

As for Fu Sisi, even if she didn't ask, he would tell her the truth.

After all, some matters required her cooperation.

He just hadn't figured out how to explain it yet, that was all.

"Hey, the blood's coming back!" Qiao Weiwei suddenly exclaimed when she saw the situation in the IV tube, quickly reaching out to press the call button again and again. "...Don’t you even notice yourself?"

After the nurse came in and removed the needle, Lin Shen arrived as well.

Lin Shen was there to bring them lunch.

After tending to Qiao Yudong, making sure he’d eaten, the attending physician, accompanied by the hospital director and Assistant Lin, also came by for a special visit.

Looking at the fully equipped room, the peaceful surroundings—the very corridors outside rarely saw anyone pass through—not to mention two dedicated nurses and a male orderly, Qiao Weiwei thought, Mi’er really had left nothing to chance.

Even if she hadn't come in person.

Once Qiao Yudong put down his phone for a nap, Qiao Weiwei left the room too.

She'd intended to go to the outpatient building for a checkup, but during lunch, her discomfort suddenly vanished.

So she put it out of her mind.

Walking out of the hospital, Qiao Weiwei kept thinking about how to call Fu Sisi back, but in the end, she just sent a message, asking what she needed.

Fu Sisi immediately called her again.

Qiao Weiwei had no choice but to answer. "Hello, sister-in-law."

...

Meanwhile, Song Mi's earlier guess had been correct.

Early that morning, Lu Zhiyuan had invited Huo Qingjue to lunch.

Huo Qingjue didn't decline.

Around one o'clock, Huo Qingjue stepped through the doors of the Tangyuan Club right on time.

In the private room, the meal began with congratulations, followed by a steady stream of polite business flattery. The two men enjoyed an amicable, tacit lunch.

When the waiter cleared the dishes and replaced them with a tea set, brewing a pot of gongfu tea before leaving, Lu Zhiyuan returned to an old topic. "...What did I say before? Never give up until the very end."

"Huo, my friend, you're impressive!" He raised his teacup to him. "You've set a fine example for us all—even the mighty dragon doesn’t always have to bow to the local powers!"

Huo Qingjue picked up his cup and sipped his tea, too.

Just yesterday, Song Mi had given him a heads-up, and today, Lu Zhiyuan had come knocking, already broaching the subject so directly.

If he didn't play along, it would seem almost ungracious.

After all, without yesterday's earth-shattering scandal, the Wan family would never have enjoyed today's limelight.

But did Lu Zhiyuan really have the nerve to try and claim credit to his face?

Huo Qingjue mused privately, but betrayed nothing. "Since you mention it, Brother Lu, now you've made me curious!"

"Could it be you had an even higher-level source, or perhaps you'd already heard about the Shen family’s troubles?"

He was laying it on thick, deliberately giving Lu Zhiyuan a chance to climb up the ladder. How high he chose to climb depended on his own skill.

They were both sharp men. Lu Zhiyuan only dared to claim credit today because he knew Huo Qingjue would ask.

As for how to justify it, he had already made up his mind. "To be frank, it was my fault for not telling you sooner. Of course, it wasn't because I have any reservations about you."

He gestured for permission, then lit a cigarette. "In the end, these are all things that can’t be spoken about openly."

"You were there at my sister’s art exhibition. Yes, my sister was reckless getting involved with Song Mi, but it really all traces back to her college classmate, the Shen family’s Seventh Miss..."

Lu Zhiyuan’s words were a mixture of truth and falsehood.

He never mentioned his sister being repaid in kind.

In fact, the tangled grudges between Song Mi and the Lu siblings, with the Shen family looping all around, were no secret to anyone who'd attended that exhibition.

But Lu Zhiyuan’s candor wasn’t because he trusted Huo Qingjue so deeply.

Rather, he was certain that yesterday’s internet firestorm couldn’t have happened without Huo Qingjue’s own hired hands.

He’d leaked the news, but he didn’t have the power to create such a viral storm in half a day.

In a moment like yesterday, who else but the Wan family—always chasing after Sihai Group—and the ambitious Huo Qingjue in front of him would have the motive and means to help ruin Shen Yanye and Tang Lishi, and drag Sihai down at the same time?

So, after saying his piece, he swiftly changed tack. "Really, there's no need for you to be so modest, Brother Huo. I imagine you spent quite a bit and worked hard yesterday yourself!"

At this, Huo Qingjue was genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected Lu Zhiyuan to mean this.

So, today Lu Zhiyuan wasn’t just here to claim credit—he was looking for an alliance?

Huo Qingjue’s eyes cooled slightly. "I’m not sure what you mean, Brother Lu."

"Did you know the proposal I presented today was the result of two months of work by Song Mi’s team? My own team worked overnight yesterday just to master the entire design." He adjusted his glasses with a smile. "President Song helped me tremendously—I still owe her a favor!"

"If what you just said were to get out, I'd be in serious trouble!"

In just a few words, Huo Qingjue made his position clear: He wouldn’t take the blame for anything he hadn’t done.

At the same time, he planted a seed for the future, when he’d repay Song Mi's favor and fulfill his promise to help her suppress the Lu family.

Through the haze of smoke, Lu Zhiyuan’s expression shifted, but he only gave a faint, meaningless smile in response.

For a moment, he couldn’t tell if Huo Qingjue was so eager to distance himself out of fear of offending Song Mi, or if he really hadn’t participated in the online attacks yesterday.

If it wasn’t Huo Qingjue—then who had orchestrated yesterday's miraculous assist?

The room fell into a quietly turbulent silence.

Lu Zhiyuan was agitated, as evidenced by how often he smoked.

But not because of Huo Qingjue’s attitude—rather, it was what had happened yesterday in the bar district.

Qiao Yudong had taken a knife for Song Mi.

That was something he’d never expected.

He hadn’t hired the assassin, but he had started the trouble.

Qiao Yudong—a man like that, taking a knife for a woman?!

Clearly, Song Mi meant a lot to him!

Dealing with Song Mi alone wouldn’t have been this troubling.

But if Qiao Yudong was determined to protect her, the situation could become very complicated.

All for the sake of a woman.

Especially now that Qiao Yudong himself was wounded.

Song Mi had locked down the news, the hospital was practically sealed off—it was difficult to get any information at all.

After flicking away some ash, Lu Zhiyuan quickly collected himself.

After all, there was still a buffer—he hadn’t paid for Song Mi’s life.

He couldn’t afford to antagonize the Qiao family, but the Lu family was no pushover either, and he was no coward.

He took a final, deep drag on his cigarette, stubbed it out forcefully in the ashtray, and smiled. "I've spoken too much today."

"I might as well tell you one more thing, Brother Huo." It wasn’t new, and he’d long known certain people weren’t simple. He’d just never thought it worth investigating. "If I remember correctly, your eldest sister-in-law is the eldest daughter of the Wen family."

Huo Qingjue nodded, indicating he was listening.

"I believe her name is Wen Yanyan." Lu Zhiyuan then got to his point. "If my information is correct, my former partner, Wen Yanli, who’s now my business rival, is actually her half-brother."

"So, you’re relatives."

...

Meanwhile, in the apartment—

The very relative of Young Master Huo was sitting up in bed, eating porridge.

Song Mi had cooked it herself, brought it herself, and was feeding him spoonful by spoonful.

She had already fed him most of a bowl.

There was an empty bowl on the bedside table—not because he’d finished one, but because Song Mi had eaten a bowl first, also fed by him.

In fact, Song Mi didn't know why she was doing such a thing!

They were both adults, yet here they were feeding each other, indulging in this cloying intimacy for fun.

His fever had subsided, but threatened to return, and his temperature still wasn’t stable.

But because of this sudden illness, they’d spent most of the day idly tangled together.

Before she went back to the kitchen to make more porridge, he’d honestly explained why he’d been calling her "big brother," why he’d laughed when she was about to get handsy, and what exactly he’d done with her phone.

After listening, Song Mi just narrowed her eyes and said, "You can forget about ever hearing me call you 'big brother' again!"

Of course, he objected.

He caught her, and there followed kisses, coaxing, whispers, and reassurances.

In short, when Lawyer Wen fell ill, his health wasn’t much affected, but his intelligence and emotional intelligence plummeted—he was instantly reduced to a lovesick schoolboy.

But was she any different, feeding him spoonfuls of porridge and occasionally wiping his lips with her fingertip?

Perhaps she, too, was a bashful girl in love.

So be it!

They could both act as though they’d been reborn and were reliving their youth.

After all, their happiness was fleeting and time was short.

At this moment, if he asked for her life, she’d probably say without hesitation: “Here, brother, take it.”

After she’d finished feeding him, Song Mi tidied the kitchen, and he trailed after her, claiming he was tired of lying down and needed some activity.

He ended up holding her while she washed dishes, laughing and playing until they were both soaked.

After they’d changed into clean clothes, the good times came to an end.

Almost simultaneously, both their phones began to ring.

Their phones had been buzzing all day, but both had ignored them, as if the outside world didn’t exist.

It was a silent understanding.

But after half a day cut off from the world, if they didn’t answer soon, the doorbell would surely ring.

In the living room, Song Mi’s work phone kept ringing, and even Sansan reminded her, “Miss, you have an incoming call.”

Wen Yanli knew how busy she was, how much she had to deal with—especially after the scandal involving Shen Yanye and Tang Lishi yesterday.

He could guess how badly Sihai Group’s stock would fall today.

Sensing her let go, Song Mi quickly turned and kissed him on the corner of his lips. “Go lie down in bed.”

Wen Yanli’s eyes reflected her face, so clear and bright.

At this point, no matter how much he wanted to cling to her, he let her go. “Alright.”

Just as Song Mi reached for her phone, the doorbell rang.

It was Ye Zhao, bringing her a newly configured laptop.

Ye Zhao also brought a message: Ming Hao wanted to see her.

He’d threatened that if she refused, he’d stop working altogether starting tomorrow.

The call was from Assistant Lin—Tang Lishi wanted to see her.

Shen Ruwei wanted to see her.

And someone completely unexpected—Shen Yanlie—also wanted to see her.

After more than an hour in the study, catching up on the day’s missed work, Song Mi sent out her instructions.

Then she opened the new laptop, installed the necessary trojans and tools.

Over forty minutes later, her phone rang again—this time, it was Huo Qingjue.

After hanging up, she went to the dressing room to change.

Before leaving, she checked on the man in the bedroom.

He was standing at the window, on the phone, seemingly discussing his mother’s illness.

Hearing her footsteps, he hurriedly finished his call.

Wen Yanli walked over to her, a smile just beginning to form. “Are you finished?”

“Have you got time for me now?”

Song Mi smiled. “I’ve never asked—how’s your mother doing?”

He frowned almost imperceptibly. “She’s having a biopsy tomorrow.”

She nodded and didn’t press further. “I need to go out for a while, and later I’ll visit Qiao Yudong in the hospital.”

“And you?”

A flicker passed through Wen Yanli’s eyes. The words were ordinary, but he sensed something different. “I’ve asked Zihao to bring my laptop and the files I need for the next few days.”

“He should be here soon,” he said. “Later I’ll go down—”

“Liang Liang is at the door; ask her to get it for you. Don’t go out.” For some reason, Song Mi suddenly felt unable to face him and subconsciously wanted to leave quickly. “Take your temperature on time. There’s porridge in the pot.”

She smiled. “I’ll allow you to wait for me until ten.”

“Remember, you’re a patient!”

With that, she left without looking back.

Wen Yanli felt an inexplicable urge to pull her back, but managed to restrain himself.

He was being too anxious, too sensitive.

...

As soon as she left, Song Mi changed the door lock code without hesitation.

Then she told Liang Liang, “Later, help Lawyer Wen get his things from downstairs. Don’t let him go out.”

“Yes, Miss Song.”

Ye Zhao was waiting at the elevator.

The elevator dropped straight to the underground garage. Once in the car, Song Mi got a call from Qiao Weiwei. “Mi’er, what do I do? My sister-in-law just arrived in Jinzhou!”