51 younger brother

◎Song Qinggui is unsafe◎

After Yan Xu's wedding banquet ended, Xue Lu and Song Qinggui walked out of the hotel and found that it was snowing lightly in Lancheng. This was Lancheng's first snowfall of the year, which came without warning and was not heavy.

"Are you cold?" Xue Lu asked.

Song Qinggui shook his head: "I'm wearing thermal underwear."

Lawyer Xue: "What is this 'warmth-keeping wonder'?"

“Heated thermal underwear,” Song Qinggui replied, then smiled and said, “You people of your social class probably don’t understand what thermal underwear is.”

Xue Lu rolled his eyes with a smile: "Wife, we're just rich, not crazy. We'll wear long johns when it gets cold. When I was little, Ms. Wen even made me wear cotton-padded trousers."

"It's clear that Ms. Wen truly cares for you," Song Qinggui said sincerely.

Watching the two of them being so intimate, Xiao Tian couldn't help but click his tongue repeatedly: "I'm getting to eat some top-notch dog food."

Song Qinggui smiled, recalling how Xue Lu had been drinking and socializing with Xiao Tian and the others earlier: "I saw you added a bunch of people on WeChat earlier, who did you add?"

Xiao Tian sighed, "My brother-in-law has really put me in this position. Before today, I was just an ordinary art student who wanted to become a director. After today, I've become the brother-in-law of Mr. Xue, the guy you big shots are talking about, who is said to have great artistic talent and will definitely become a great director in the future. Sister, what will I do if I don't pass the exam...?"

"So you have to work hard." Song Qinggui said seriously, "I looked at your test paper yesterday. I remember when I was in school, ellipses and hyperbolas weren't difficult. Why did you always leave them blank? Even if you got them wrong, I wouldn't say anything. But you just don't write anything, you don't even try. That's not acceptable. Also, if you're giving up on the last big question, then you need to ensure the accuracy of the questions before that. But you've already made quite a few mistakes before that. That's even more unacceptable."

"Are you even speaking human language, sis?! Ellipses and hyperbolas aren't difficult enough?!" Xiao Tian suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, you were the top scholar in Cangcheng back then. You can't understand the intelligence of us mere mortals. Brother-in-law..."

Xiao Tian looked at Xue Lu pitifully, as if hoping he would say a few good words for him.

Xue Lu shrugged: "My grades in high school were pretty good too, I can't help you."

Xiao Tian slumped his shoulders: "Sigh... Being a brother-in-law is hard, being a famous brother-in-law is even harder..."

Song Qinggui and Xue Lu exchanged a smile, just then a cold voice came from behind them.

"If you don't want to be this brother-in-law, there are plenty of others who will."

The three turned around and found it was Song Qinghe.

Song Qinghe's eyes were slightly red, and he watched them from behind for a long time. Not to mention Song Qinggui, even Xue Lu treated Xiao Tian very differently from how he treated him.

Song Qinghe knew that Xue Lu had been very kind to him. Since joining Jingtian, Xue Lu had taught him a lot. If he and Song Qinggui were not related by blood, Xue Lu might not have had such patience.

But Xue Lu treats Xiao Tian like family... the intimacy and even doting affection are simply overflowing.

Song Qinghe's interruption brought the room into silence.

Song Qinghe sighed and walked to Song Qinggui's side: "Sister, let's talk."

Song Qinggui glanced at Xue Lu, who nodded: "Xiao Tian and I will wait for you in the car."

Song Qinggui responded and then walked into the chain coffee shop next to the hotel with Song Qinghe.

"What would you like to drink?" Song Qinghe asked.

"American style".

Song Qinghe: "Drinking Americano so late, how can you sleep?"

Song Qinggui: "I work in a hospital, so I've long been caffeine tolerant."

Song Qinghe didn't say anything, went to the front desk to order, and brought back two cups of coffee. Song Qinggui held the coffee in his hand, and his slightly cool palm slowly warmed up.

“Grandpa and Grandma…” Song Qinghe took out a bank card from his suit pocket and pushed it in front of Song Qinggui: “They regretted it later and went to Changli Island to look for you many times. They missed you a lot when they passed away, especially Grandma, who closed her eyes calling your name. This is what they asked me to leave for you. There is 50,000 yuan in it. It’s not much, but it’s their life savings.”

Song Qinggui didn't look at the bank card, but stared into Song Qinghe's eyes: "What do you want me to say?"

Song Qinghe felt helpless under such scrutiny and couldn't speak.

"You want me to shed tears and exclaim, 'Wow, so family has always been by my side, my family has never forgotten me, I'm such a lucky person to be loved!'" Song Qinggui chuckled, "Is that so?"

"No," Song Qinghe explained repeatedly, "I just want to tell you that they know they were wrong, and I also know that the Song family has wronged you."

"So I have to forgive you?"

"No...that's not what I meant."

Song Qinggui wasn't angry; she was very calm: "Song Qinghe, because the Song family abandoned me, my life was very difficult before I was sixteen. Back then, the one who gave me a full meal and loved me like a daughter was Xiaotian's mother. After I went to university, my life wasn't so difficult because I sold some things for money, and this selling almost completely corrupted my character. Back then, the one who called me every day, called me 'sister,' and chatted with me, supporting me from falling into depravity, was Xiaotian. In this world, the feelings between people are hard to define. Blood ties aren't the only way to form kinship; there's also gratitude and obligation above blood ties, do you understand?"

“Sister, I…” Song Qinghe felt ashamed.

“My childhood memories are very blurry,” Song Qinggui said. “But I remember one thing. When we were very young, three or four years old, Grandpa came back from going out and bought you an ice cream. You ran into the house, woke me up from my sleep, and let me take a bite first. So Song Qinghe, I don’t hate you. I know you were a child back then too. I don’t hate Grandpa and Grandma now either, because… it’s not worth it.”

Song Qinggui believed he had made everything clear: "Lawyer Xue is bringing you into the Jingtian headquarters, which is a great opportunity. Do your best. Lawyer Xue is a top-notch boss; he doesn't cause trouble, won't make things difficult for his subordinates, and pays well. As for you and me, we'll just nod to each other when we meet, and we don't need to see each other again."

Song Qinggui got up to leave, and Song Qinghe also stood up anxiously: "But I'm your younger brother!"

Song Qinggui looked at Song Qinghe seriously: "My younger brother is Lu Haitian."

"He's your brother, so what am I?!" Song Qinghe questioned, looking at Song Qinggui's retreating figure.

Song Qinggui paused for a moment, but ultimately did not turn around.

Song Qinghe slumped into his seat.

He always remembered that long trip to the island. His grandfather took him and his sister to play on the island, but on the ferry back home, only his grandfather and he were left.

He didn't want to get on the boat and cried for his sister. It was his grandfather and other passengers who were anxious to get home who pulled him onto the boat.

In the years that followed, the question he asked his grandparents most often was, "Where is my sister?"

Grandpa initially said that my eldest brother had taken my sister away, but after he asked too many questions, Grandpa got annoyed and said that she was dead.

Later, as the grandparents grew older, the thought of abandoning their granddaughter became a heavy burden on their conscience. So they relented and began searching for their granddaughter on the island, posting missing person notices.

Later, my grandparents saw the news on the Cangcheng news that Song Qinggui had become the top science student in Cangcheng... My grandmother cried for a long time that day, and my grandfather smoked several cigarettes...

From that day on, they never contacted her again, because they seemed to think she was doing just fine.

Finally... Grandma passed away... That day, she took out the savings book she and Grandpa had saved together and handed it to him, saying that it must be given to her granddaughter Qingqing, and told her that they were too poor back then, they had no choice but to make a mistake, and hoped that she would forgive them...

Looking at the bank card with 50,000 yuan on the table, Song Qinghe recalled Song Qinggui's resolute attitude, and a sense of powerlessness enveloped his whole body.

He knew that the forgiveness his grandparents craved would never come.

And the sister he had longed for day and night, burdened by years of guilt, would never return.

...

As Xue Lu drove, Song Qinggui repeated his conversation with Song Qinghe.

Looking at Song Qinggui through the rearview mirror, Xue Lu noticed she wasn't particularly heartbroken and joked, "I'm a top-notch boss, huh? What about as a husband?"

Song Qinggui sighed helplessly, "Xiao Tian is still in the car."

"You don't need to worry about me." Xiao Tian quickly reassured everyone: "I'd love to hear more."

Song Qinggui smiled: "It's first-class, even top-class."

Xue Lu was satisfied, his eyes crinkling slightly with laughter: "I'll take you back first, then I'll go see a friend later."

"Who could it be so late?" Song Qinggui asked curiously.

"What, are you jealous and checking up on me?" Xue Lu joked.

"No." Song Qinggui drawled out the word, then stopped asking. "Don't drink too much, and come back early."

"good."

...

At the Duke of Linton's Bar, Luo and the others had been waiting for Xue Lu for a long time. When they saw Xue Lu arrive, they waved and called the bartender.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Xue Lu patted the snow off his shoulder and said apologetically, "Today is Yan Fengqian's wedding, so I took Qingqing back first."

"Qingqing?" Luo raised an eyebrow. "Looks like things are going well between you two lately?"

"A glass of whiskey," Xue Lu said to the bartender, then looked at Luo and the others, changing the subject: "Are you really planning to develop your career in Hong Kong?"

Luo and others have been in Hong Kong for the past few months. Da Dao Law Firm opened a branch office in Hong Kong, and Luo and others are doing business expansion there.

Luo took a sip of wine and smiled bitterly: "You want me to stay in Lancheng and watch you two be all lovey-dovey? That would be too miserable for me."

Xue Lu also smiled. Of his rivals in love, he admired Luo Deng the most because he was the most sincere and the most able to let go.

"Don't look at me with such pity, I'm in so much pain." Luo interrupted Xue Lu's gaze: "The thing you asked me to investigate..."

Upon hearing this, Xue Lu's smile faded, and his expression became serious.

Luo et al.: "From the 1990s to around 2015, Changli Island suffered from several changes in administrative affiliation, resulting in chaotic public security and rampant prostitution and gambling. However, the island's mineral resources attracted many foreign investors. At that time, these foreigners established a chamber of commerce called the Island Chamber of Commerce. Foreigners were adept at gambling, and their arrival only exacerbated the chaos on the island. Feng Zhe once worked as a junket operator in an underground casino called 'Good Luck,' becoming very close to some foreign businessmen and even acting as their pimp. But Feng Zhe and other foreign businessmen all wanted to curry favor with Mr. Saxon, the president of the Island Chamber of Commerce."

“Saxon?” Xue Lu said, “That’s a rather uncommon surname.”

Luo and the others nodded: "This man is very mysterious. He's said to be from a prominent British family with a long history and assets all over the world. He has connections in both the legal and illegal worlds. But you can't find any specific information about him on the market. In 2010, Changli Island was finally transferred to Cangcheng. In 2012, Changli Island began a vigorous crackdown on corruption, organized crime, prostitution, and tax evasion... Foreign companies that didn't comply with domestic laws were also punished without exception. In the end, only Saxon escaped unscathed. In the following years, his assets gradually withdrew from Changli Island, and he disappeared. Few people on Changli Island have seen him or heard anything about him. But you told me that Feng Zhe was tortured. At that time, besides Saxon, there was no one else who had the ability and courage to torture Feng Zhe like that."

"That's just your guess." Xue Lu said as if he had heard a story, and didn't find it believable.

Luo and others shook their heads: "Not entirely. Someone on Changli Island said that Feng Zhe, in order to please the Saxons, once tried to give his girlfriend to the Saxons for a one-night stand, or... you know the tastes of some rich people, I don't want to say more. That person described what Feng Zhe's girlfriend looked like back then: good-looking, but with dark skin, dyed yellow hair, and tattoos on her arms."

“Meng Yuxing,” Xue Lu said, uttering the name.

Even if Xue Lu only saw Meng Yuxing after she fell ill, it wouldn't be difficult to match her with this description.

Xue Lu gritted his teeth: "Feng Zhe is a real scumbag..."

Luo and others continued, "As for Qinggui's role among these people, I couldn't find it... Moreover, when Feng Zhe and Saxon were getting along so well, Qinggui should only be thirteen or fourteen years old, still a child."

Xue Lu looked at Luo and the others: "So you think..."

“I think you’re overthinking it,” Luo said bluntly. “I don’t believe that Saxon’s feud with Feng Zhe has anything to do with Qing Gui. There are many reasons why Saxon would target Feng Zhe. Maybe he was dissatisfied with Feng Zhe’s actions, maybe it was because of Meng Yuxing, or maybe Saxon is just a pervert. If it were related to Qing Gui, she’s young and beautiful, so it’s impossible that there wouldn’t be any rumors about her on the island.”

Xue Lu's palm caressed the wine glass.

is that so?

Then why did Feng Zhe hate the monastic rules so much...?

Moreover, Feng Zhe's hatred wasn't the kind of hatred that makes one want to die. Within that hatred, Xue Lu seemed to vaguely see a hint of grievance and resentment, which fundamentally altered the nature of this hatred. Feng Zhe's hatred might...

He wasn't speaking up for Feng Zhe, nor did he distrust Song Qinggui.

Rather, his feelings for Song Qinggui over the past decade contained elements similar to those of Feng Zhe.

This resemblance made him restless and unable to eat or sleep.

Because he knew how intense this feeling was, he feared that Feng Zhe might use it as a weapon, that he might be hiding in the shadows, and that Song Qinggui might be hurt if he wasn't careful.

Feng Zhe is dangerous, and Song Qinggui is unsafe.

Xue Lu had a gut feeling that this was the case.