Chapter 68

"I just got the news."

Qi Yan, knowing his friend would be concerned, got straight to the point. "It's an announcement from the Qin Group this morning—Qin You was stripped of his position as general manager, citing health issues requiring leave. His duties will be temporarily handled by the newly appointed deputy general manager. I heard Qin You took sick leave yesterday and hasn’t been seen at the company since."

Yan Tingshen’s brow furrowed deeper. "Health issues?"

Qi Yan said, "I suspect it's just a pretext. When we met last night, Qin You only coughed a few times. Even if he were ill, it wouldn't be that serious."

Yan Tingshen’s brow furrowed even deeper.

"And this deputy general manager—you know him too—it's Kang Ming."

Qi Yan continued, "There was another rumor about him last time, saying he wasn’t Qin Hengzhong’s illegitimate child but Qin You’s father’s."

This bit of news was insignificant, so he hadn’t mentioned it to Yan Tingshen before.

But now, regardless of whose child Kang Ming really was, Qin Hengzhong keeping him around clearly meant something.

To let an illegitimate child, who shouldn't even be publicly acknowledged, replace the legitimate Qin You?

Qi Yan couldn’t understand what possible reason Qin Hengzhong had for doing such a thing.

"As for the other specifics, I don't have all the details either."

He said, "I can dig into the reasons, but when it comes to Qin You himself, I'm at a loss."

If Qin You's location could be easily tracked down, it would mean the Qins had cut him loose.

Qi Yan thought about it and only then realized there’d been no response from Yan Tingshen on the other end of the line. He glanced at the screen.

Confirming the call was still connected, he asked again, "Tingshen, should I investigate?"

This time, Yan Tingshen’s voice came through quickly. "Investigate."

Qi Yan understood then.

They might be fighting, but they were still friends.

"I'll get back to you when I know more."

The call ended.

Yan Tingshen set down his phone.

He had intended to continue with his work, but his fingers acted of their own accord, opening the messaging app and bringing up his chat history with Qin You.

*Medical leave.*

Yet when they met last night, he hadn’t picked up on anything.

Was Qin You actually sick?

Yan Tingshen brought up the keyboard but hesitated.

The last four words in their chat log were right there, bringing back that night in vivid detail.

Yan Tingshen's breath hitched slightly.

At that moment, a knock came from the door.

"Mr. Yan," Pei Sheng frowned as he entered, "Qin You—"

He stopped mid-sentence when he approached and saw Yan Tingshen's expression. "You're aware?"

Yan Tingshen held his phone and looked up at him.

Pei Sheng instinctively halted, suppressing the urge to step back. "...Mr. Yan?"

Yan Tingshen averted his gaze and said calmly, "He hasn't contacted you?"

"Why would he contact me?"

Given the urgency, Pei Sheng continued, "Mr. Yan, his illness hadn’t improved by last night, and Qin Corp’s statement might not be entirely truthful. Maybe you should check on him?"

Yan Tingshen set his phone down. "You have his contact information."

Pei Sheng froze.

Watching Yan Tingshen work on emails, he complied and dialed Qin You’s number.

Hearing the ringtone, Yan Tingshen’s fingers paused over the keyboard.

But after the ringing ended, there was no answer.

Pei Sheng frowned and called again.

The second attempt also went unanswered. On the third try, someone finally picked up.

Pei Sheng put it on speakerphone, but the voice on the other end wasn’t Qin You’s.

"Hello, Mr. Qin is resting due to illness and can't come to the phone right now. Is there an urgent matter? I’ll relay the message as soon as he wakes up."

Yan Tingshen’s brows furrowed deeply, his voice low and stern. "What happened?"

Recognizing his voice, the butler on the other end hesitated before replying, "Oh, it's you? Mr. Qin has had a low fever for two days without taking medication, and this morning, his wound became infected, making it worse!"

Yan Tingshen pushed back from his desk, his tone turning icy. "How long has he been asleep?"

The butler answered, "About forty minutes."

Yan Tingshen asked, "Is he in the hospital?"

The butler hesitated. "We have a doctor here. Mr. Qin insisted he doesn’t need to go to the hospital."

Pei Sheng glanced at Yan Tingshen.

Seeing the obvious concern beneath his controlled anger, he remained silent until the call ended.

He asked, "Young Mr. Qin is seriously ill, Tingshen. Shouldn’t you go see him? You could also ask him in person about Qin Corp’s management changes."

Hearing this, Yan Tingshen's frown eased. After a moment, he just said, "Yeah, you go see him."

Pei Sheng looked confused. "Me?"

Yan Tingshen returned to his desk. "Mhm."

All along, the only person Qin You wanted to see was Pei Sheng (his nickname for "A Sheng").

Over the past few days, he had remembered bits and pieces of what happened before.

He had personally witnessed Qin You’s attitude toward "A Sheng" and had also seen Qin You’s bias toward others firsthand.

Especially his bias against Pei Sheng.

Or perhaps, it was a bias against Yan Tingshen.

Yan Tingshen stared at his darkened phone screen, a sharp pang flashing through his chest, leaving behind a dull throb.

If Qin You had mistaken him for Pei Sheng, then it was obvious who he might mistake Pei Sheng—the real Pei Sheng—for.

In other words.

The person Qin You had least wanted to see was him.

So when the truth came to light, Qin You couldn’t wait to meet Pei Sheng.

After that, the only time they met last night was not because Qin You wanted to, but due to Qi Yan’s misleading words.

And everything had already been said.

At this point, why bother making things awkward and humiliating for both of them?

"But I don’t know his address."

Pei Sheng said, "His place probably won’t just let me walk in without question."

Yan Tingshen glanced at him.

Pei Sheng continued, "Besides, the call didn’t explain clearly—how sick is he? If his fever doesn’t go down and he still refuses to go to the hospital, couldn’t that be dangerous?"

At that, Yan Tingshen’s expression darkened.

Pei Sheng looked at him. "You know him better than anyone. His people wouldn’t dare disobey him. If he really doesn’t go to the hospital—"

Yan Tingshen shot him another glance.

Pei Sheng bit his lip and said no more.

He knew that no matter how much he said, he couldn’t change Yan Tingshen’s mind, much less make decisions for him.

Yan Tingshen looked away.

He shut down his computer and told his secretary to get the car ready.

Pei Sheng had assumed he wasn’t planning to go, but upon hearing his words, he automatically glanced his way.

Yan Tingshen had already stood up again.

But after taking a single step, he stopped and went back to the desk, pulling open a drawer.

Pei Sheng saw it—a case for a watch.

Yan Tingshen tucked the watch box into his coat pocket before turning to leave.

He was going to see Qin You.

To finally return the gift he’d never given back.

—

Zeshui Bay Residence.

In the master bedroom.

Qin Hengzhong looked at Qin You lying on the bed, asked the butler about his condition, and after a long pause, finally frowned and headed downstairs.

Passing Xiang Haifeng, he said, "Let him focus on recovering for now. Everything else can wait until he’s fully healed."

Xiang Haifeng nodded in acknowledgment.

Qin Hengzhong glanced upstairs again.

He never imagined Qin You would be this gravely ill.

Fortunately, given how severe his condition was, he hadn’t immediately learned about the leadership changes, saving him from further emotional strain.

But the matter was already settled. Changing decisions last-minute would look ridiculous, so they could only let Qin You recover first and then stick to the original plan.

Thinking this, Qin Hengzhong added, "Staying at home is fine. Hospitals are too public and chaotic—it’s quieter here."

Xiang Haifeng's face showed mixed emotions.

Having witnessed the scene that night, he knew exactly why the chairman had removed Qin You from his position. Yet, judging by these words, it seemed the chairman hadn’t cut him off completely—

"Take good care of him," Qin Hengzhong said. "Don't mention my visit to him."

Meaning these words, too, should be treated as if never heard.

Xiang Haifeng replied, "Understood."

Watching the chairman leave, he sighed.

The boss really had the worst luck—getting caught right in the act that night, and his position was revoked the next day.

Worse, after being sick for two days, his significant other hadn’t even come by…

Had the chairman really forced them apart?

And the CEO of Junmin Group, no less—what a coward—

Just as Xiang Haifeng was lamenting his boss’s misfortune, his earpiece suddenly crackled to life.

Alarmed, he rushed outside.

Spotting the familiar car, then the imposing figure stepping out, he met that stern, unreadable face and coughed before stepping forward.

"President Yan."

Yan Tingshen glanced at him. "How is Mr. Qin?"

Xiang Haifeng quickly replied, "Mr. Qin still has a fever, but—"

As he was speaking, he noticed another car pulling in behind.

A team of medical staff poured out and fell in behind Yan Tingshen.

"..." Xiang Haifeng was momentarily speechless, silently wondering—just how much access had his boss given this man?

"How is he compared to before?"

Hearing Yan Tingshen's voice, Xiang Haifeng came back to himself: "—Ah, a little better than before. The doctor said the fever should subside by evening."

Yan Tingshen frowned.

Seeing this, Xiang Haifeng signaled to the butler, who promptly contacted the doctor.

The group arrived at the master bedroom.

The doctor also hurried over with a medical kit.

Seeing the well-equipped medical team behind Yan Tingshen, the doctor's stomach dropped.

This is bad.

They looked way more professional than he was.

Yan Tingshen gestured slightly behind him.

The leader at the front of the team approached the doctor. "What's the patient's current status?"

The doctor: "..."

It's just a fever, isn't it?

Medication had been taken, the wound treated, and a good night's sleep should do the trick—what else could the condition be...

But given the situation, he didn't dare be careless and immediately relayed every detail of the employer's condition.

After listening and conducting an examination, the team leader briefed Yan Tingshen on the situation.

He added, "The fever needs to be reduced as soon as possible."

The doctor: "..."

No kidding?

Xiang Haifeng, catching on, said to Yan Tingshen, "Mr. Yan, the fever medication has already been administered. The doctor suggested using it along with physical cooling methods, but Mr. Qin said it wasn’t necessary."

Yan Tingshen looked at Qin You on the bed.

Compared to the previous night, Qin You's face was slightly paler, with a light sweat at his temples.

Otherwise, he appeared as usual, sleeping quietly, though his expressionless face made him look more aloof than when awake.

"..." Xiang Haifeng looked from one to the other, then waved everyone out.

Everyone filed out quietly.

Hearing the door close, Yan Tingshen looked back at the closed door, paused, then stepped closer to the bed.

Soon after.

Someone knocked again.

"Come in."

Xiang entered, head bowed.

A fever patch lay on the bedside table, and a bowl of warm water with a soaked towel in it was set at the foot of the bed.

Yan Tingshen shot him a look.

Xiang Haifeng made to leave but hesitated. "Want me to get a nurse?"

Yan Tingshen looked away. "No need."

As Xiang Haifeng started to turn, he heard him speak again.

"Don’t let him know I came."

Same words, different meaning.

Xiang Haifeng gave a complicated nod and glanced at Yan Tingshen’s retreating figure. "Understood."

The door clicked shut behind him.

Yan Tingshen didn’t look back.

He studied Qin You's face for a long moment before wringing out the towel and gently wiping the faint sweat from Qin You’s forehead and neck.

When he reached the collar, his movements paused. He straightened up, returned the towel, then took the fever patch from the bedside table and came back.

Looking at Qin You’s unconscious face, he hesitated again, leaned down to smooth Qin You’s hair, and applied the patch gently.

First the forehead. Then the neck.

As Yan Tingshen secured the last patch, he was about to stand when he inadvertently lifted his gaze—and froze.

That indifferent face was suddenly right there. Those almond eyes, open at some unknown moment, were fixed on him with a dark, steady gaze, simply watching him in silence.

Yan Tingshen went still. "You’re awake?"

Qin You’s eyes dropped to Yan's hand.

Yan Tingshen pressed his lips together and made to pull away—

But Qin You had already caught his wrist, pulling his bandaged right hand closer.

Yan Tingshen wouldn’t meet his eyes. "Let go."

Qin You finally spoke.

His voice slightly hoarse, he asked quietly, "How's your injury?"