“Come in.”
Xia Xixi pushed the door open and entered, with Old Man Liao following closely behind.
As soon as he stepped inside, Xia Xixi saw an elderly man who looked rather haggard. His hospital gown had a name written on it—You Hai.
You Hai, dressed in his patient uniform, was momentarily surprised to see them. A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes. “What are you two doing here?”
It was a private room, but the space wasn’t very large. A table to the side was piled with fruit, likely brought by his family members who had already visited.
“We came to check on you.” Xia Xixi set down the flower basket he had brought.
“You didn’t have to.” You Hai seemed a little uneasy. In terms of status and reputation in the industry, he was nowhere near the level of Xia Xixi or Old Man Liao.
Even though Xia Xixi was young, no one in the field doubted his talent and capability.
In their circle, skill and expertise were what truly mattered. Age alone meant nothing—without real ability, it was just an empty title, nothing more than an old man throwing his weight around.
“Are you alright?” Xia Xixi asked.
Old Man Liao glanced around and found himself a seat. “I heard someone pushed you down the stairs. What did the police say? Have they caught the culprit?”
Xia Xixi wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but at the mention of this, there was a brief flicker in You Hai’s eyes—like he wasn’t too willing to talk about it.
“They haven’t found anyone yet. There were no surveillance cameras nearby, so it’ll probably be difficult to catch them,” You Hai said.
Xia Xixi frowned slightly in confusion. It almost seemed like You Hai didn’t want the person to be caught.
Old Man Liao, busy massaging his legs, didn’t notice. Upon hearing this, he immediately spoke up in frustration, “Don’t worry, even if the police can’t get to the bottom of it, our guild will. We’ll make sure you get an explanation.”
“No need, no need…” You Hai quickly refused.
Xia Xixi’s lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he hesitated.
You Hai really didn’t seem to want them to investigate this matter, which was very strange.
“Did that Shen guy threaten you? If that’s the case, just say the word, and we…” Old Man Liao frowned.
When people get older, their bodies become more fragile. Being pushed down the stairs—if it had happened to a younger person, it might’ve just resulted in some bruises.
But at their age, something like this could be fatal!
Just as he was speaking, Xia Xixi’s phone suddenly vibrated.
He glanced at it—it was a call from Wu Ge, who was waiting in the parking lot.
“I’m going out to take a call,” Xia Xixi said as he stepped out and headed toward the emergency exit.
There was no one there, so he wouldn’t disturb other patients.
The door closed behind him, but soon after, it opened again.
Old Man Liao thought Xia Xixi had returned and immediately said, “There’s no way we’re letting this go just like that, don’t you agree?”
As he spoke, he turned his head toward Xia Xixi—only to realize that the person who had just walked in wasn’t Xia Xixi, but a young man wearing a hat and sunglasses.
Old Man Liao paused, then looked toward You Hai, trying to see if he recognized him.
“Who are you?” The elderly man on the bed eyed Li Quyin warily.
“Hello, I’m Shen Bailou.” Li Quyin took off his sunglasses.
He had originally intended to knock before entering, but he was worried that if someone outside recognized him, it would cause a commotion, bringing trouble to both the patient and the hospital.
“It’s you?” Old Man Liao stood up. “Well, isn’t this perfect? The mastermind has come knocking on our door.”
Old Man Liao didn’t follow entertainment news much, but he still knew who Shen Bailou was.
“What are you doing here?” he asked sharply.
“And you are?” Li Quyin looked at Old Man Liao.
“Liao. His friend.”
“I came here today to confirm the situation about someone being pushed down the stairs…” Li Quyin said.
He had personally come because he wanted to find out exactly what had happened.
He absolutely would not allow anyone to act recklessly in his name, let alone commit intentional harm.
“Is there even anything to confirm?” Old Man Liao frowned.
“You’re certain it was Miao Mingyi who did it?” Li Quyin asked.
“Who?” You Hai, who had been sitting on the hospital bed, suddenly seemed to realize something. His expression turned a bit grim. “I don’t know who you’re talking about, but this has nothing to do with you.”
“You’re sure?” Li Quyin was surprised.
Old Man Liao was just as shocked.
"I actually have a good idea of who pushed me. It's a personal matter," You Hai said. "I’d appreciate it if you could keep this to yourselves and not tell anyone else. I don’t want my family to worry."
"You know who it was?" Old Man Liao was skeptical. He still felt that this couldn't be unrelated to Shen Bailou—it was too much of a coincidence.
"You all should just leave it alone. The guild doesn’t need to get involved either," You Hai refused. He didn’t want this matter to escalate.
"But—" Old Man Liao had barely started speaking when his phone rang, cutting him off. It was a call from Xia Xixi.
Old Man Liao was confused. Wasn’t Xia Xixi the one who had gone to take a call? Why was he calling him now?
Puzzled, he answered.
"My car was smashed. I’m heading downstairs to check on Wu Ge," Xia Xixi said as he hurriedly ran toward the lower floors.
Just moments ago, he had suddenly received a call from Wu Ge.
The other end of the line had been filled with chaotic noise, as if someone was smashing things. It took Xia Xixi a while to figure out what was happening—his car had just been vandalized, and Wu Ge had also been attacked.
The perpetrators were clearly after him. Worried about leaving Wu Ge alone, Xia Xixi immediately went downstairs.
Inside the hospital room, Old Man Liao’s expression changed the moment he heard this. Without hesitation, he turned and rushed toward the door. Before leaving, he pressed the call button beside the bed to summon a nurse.
He didn’t feel at ease leaving You Hai alone.
If he had been uncertain before, You Hai’s insistence just now had made him hesitate. But now, he was absolutely convinced that this had something to do with Shen Bailou. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?
Once was one thing, but twice?
"I’m telling you, Shen—if anything happens to my Xia, I won’t let you off!" Old Man Liao snapped. Seeing the nurse enter, he rushed out in a hurry.
Li Quyin frowned. From the moment he had entered, he could tell that this Old Man Liao had an obvious dislike for him, which in turn made him displeased.
And just like that, he thought again of that lunatic who had been emailing him.
Were all these experts this insane?
He lingered in the hospital room for a moment, exchanged a few more words with You Hai, and only left after confirming that this incident had nothing to do with him.
"By the way, who was that ‘Xia’ he mentioned earlier?" Li Quyin recalled that the nurse had also mentioned two people had gone up before him.
"Oh, that’s our guild leader."
Li Quyin didn’t think much of it. He took the elevator down and left the hospital.
When Li Quyin arrived at the parking lot and got into his car, he saw from a distance a crowd gathering to watch the commotion, and among them, there seemed to be police officers.
Inside the car, Li Quyin took off his hat and sunglasses and asked, “What happened?”
“A group of people suddenly rushed over just now and smashed up a car. The driver was also beaten up. It caused quite a scene—looks like the police were called…”
The assistant had clearly gone over to watch the commotion and was gossiping excitedly. After finishing his explanation, he even started guessing whether the person had offended someone.
“Let’s go.” Li Quyin cut him off.
The assistant awkwardly shut his mouth.
“Don’t forget what I told you earlier.” Li Quyin reminded him.
“Huh?” The assistant looked confused.
Li Quyin stared at him expressionlessly. It was precisely because he was surrounded by people like this that he couldn’t find anyone to replace Miao Mingyi.
“The investigation on Miao Mingyi,” the driver reminded with a smile.
“Oh, oh, oh! No way I’ll forget, don’t worry, boss.”
Li Quyin only felt a headache coming on—so bad he wanted to dock their pay.
Because of this incident delaying his schedule, Li Quyin decided to skip going to the company that afternoon and instead accepted an invitation from a friend.
Li Quyin had a childhood friend named Shang Que, who also lived in the same city.
Their personalities were quite different, but they got along well enough. Plus, their families had business dealings, so when Li Quyin wasn’t busy, he would drop by for a visit.
At night, at Shang Que’s home, Li Quyin sat on the balcony, holding a wine glass, staring blankly into the distance.
He was still thinking about You Hai’s situation—and about the car incident.
He didn’t trust Miao Mingyi, yet You Hai insisted that it had nothing to do with him.
“What are you thinking about?” Shang Que walked over.
Downstairs in the lobby, a group of young people were having a blast. Shang Que had always liked lively atmospheres—there was never a quiet moment around him.
Li Quyin glanced at him coldly and said, “Have you ever been in a relationship?”
“Huh?”
“The method you suggested was completely useless.” Li Quyin’s dark eyes were deep and unreadable. Thinking back to the black card idea, he still felt embarrassed. Luckily, he hadn’t actually taken it out at the time.
Shang Que was stunned for a moment before reacting. His face twisted as if he had just seen a ghost. “Wait, you— you actually got a boyfriend?!”
Last time, Li Quyin had suddenly come over, asking with a straight face what he should gift his boyfriend. At the time, Shang Que thought he was joking or maybe preparing for a movie or drama role, so he had just made something up.
He never expected that Li Quyin was actually serious?!
Shang Que’s expression was so twisted with shock that his features nearly contorted.
Who didn’t know that Li Quyin was like an icy block of stone, someone who avoided men and women alike? He was the kind of guy who could publicly scold admirers to tears. And now he was in a relationship?
Unable to hold back, Shang Que reached out to touch Li Quyin’s forehead. “Did you hit your head or something?”
Li Quyin smacked his hand away. “Your advice was useless.”
“Who is it? Do I know them?” Shang Que asked, full of gossip.
“No.”
“Are they cute?” Shang Que found it hard to imagine the kind of person Li Quyin would fall for.
A pair of eyes that always made his heart itch flashed through Li Quyin’s mind. His throat went dry. “…Yeah.”
“When are you going to introduce us?” Shang Que suggested, now very interested.
He didn’t really believe that Li Quyin had genuinely fallen for someone. He understood how the adult world worked. He was just curious about what kind of person had actually managed to crack Li Quyin’s icy demeanor.
And from the way it looked, Li Quyin seemed quite satisfied with this little lover of his.
“No.” Li Quyin refused without hesitation.
“Why not?”
Li Quyin shot Shang Que a cold look and turned away. There was no way he could tell him that Xia Xixi had no idea his "boyfriend" was actually Shen Bailou.
He had no intention of telling Shang Que, because doing so would be the same as telling the whole world.
“Hey, don’t be so stingy!” Shang Que called after him, about to chase him down when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Li Quyin’s phone sitting on the railing.
He hesitated for a moment, then grinned mischievously.
Moments later, he found the contact saved under "Little Prince," typed out a message, and hit send.
Back at home after returning from the police station, Xia Xixi had just sat down when his phone rang—it was a message from Li Quyin.
Xia Xixi immediately opened it, only to freeze in place when he saw the contents.
"I miss you." —Li Quyin.
Xia Xixi’s cheeks heated up slightly. Li Quyin had never said anything like this to him before.
"I booked a hotel room, XX Hotel, 17th floor, Room 703. Can you come over now?" —Li Quyin.