faint

On the day of the family banquet, from the moment Wen Xubai entered the Wen family home, he felt a gaze that followed him relentlessly, intense and persistent.

Wen Xubai lowered his head, silently cut off a piece of steak and put it in his mouth, deliberately ignoring Qi Zui's gaze.

A soft laugh reached his ears. Ruan Xing stood up, blocking the view, raised his glass to Wen Xuchi at the other end of the table, and said with a smile, "Xiao Chi, it's been so long. Your uncle will toast you."

Qi Zui then withdrew his gaze from Wen Xubai's face and looked at Ruan Xing. His eyes were deep and thoughtful. After a long while, he smiled and reached for the wine glass on the table.

The two glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound.

Qi Zui did not drink it, but instead put the wine back on the table and said in return, "Uncle is getting old, it's better to drink less wine."

The man was wearing a black leather-collared suit today, and his hair was combed back, making him look more mature than usual.

The voice was calm yet deep, and when it reached Wen Xubai's ears, it made his heart skip a beat.

Instead of getting angry, Ruan Xing smiled and put down his wine cup, gesturing for him to sit down. He said with a smile, "Xiao Chi is right. Whether it's fine wine or beautiful women, moderation is key. Too much... can harm your health."

Having said that, she ignored Wen Xuchi's sullen gaze and sat back down in her original seat.

Qi Zui was still standing. From his angle, he could see Wen Xubai intently, his gaze fixed on something unknown.

Wen Xubai turned his head away, deliberately avoiding his gaze.

But in that dodge, he ran into another anxious gaze.

It is Ruan Yun.

I don't know who deliberately arranged this seating arrangement today. The four corners of the long table are where Wen Xubai, Ruan Yun, Qi Zui, and Wen Xuyuan are positioned, facing each other from opposite sides.

Ruan Yun's gaze never left Wen Xuyuan, who was opposite Qi Zui. Several times she tried to get up, but Ruan Xing glared at her and stopped her.

After going back and forth like this several times, Ruan Yun lowered her head in frustration, but she couldn't help but keep glancing at the other side out of the corner of her eye.

Wen Xuyuan remained as calm as ever, never glancing in their direction.

Qi Zui was still standing, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but Wen Tingyi stopped him with a single word.

"Xiao Chi."

Qi Zui was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and respectfully said to Wen Tingyi, "Father."

"The Ruan family has put in a lot of effort to help you come back. Since we are all family, we should visit each other more often in the future and never let our relatives feel cold."

These words were quite meaningful, carrying the air of an old person's advice, and deliberately placed himself in a humble position.

Wen Xubai didn't understand what Wen Tingyi wanted to do either, and frowned slightly.

Qi Zui was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly regained his composure and nodded slightly, saying, "Understood, Father."

The meal was eaten in complete peace. Although Wen Xubai often felt the unfriendly gazes from Qin Yalin and Wen Xuyi, he did not actually cause any trouble because of the situation.

It was just too peaceful... eerily peaceful...

Just then, a bright green broccoli suddenly appeared on the white porcelain plate.

Wen Xubai was taken aback. Following the silver fork on the broccoli, he saw Wen Xushi's gentle face.

But he didn't say a word. After Wen Xushi put the fork away, he silently looked away.

Wen Xubai: "?"

He felt a bit conflicted. After all, he thought he had broken ties with Wen Xushi after the incident at the last banquet, but today the man seemed to be acting as if nothing had happened.

Before he could react, another fork reached out from the side and snatched the broccoli from his plate.

Wen Xubai: "?"

Ruan Xing raised an eyebrow at the broccoli and said casually, "This broccoli isn't ripe, so it's best not to eat it."

As he spoke, he tossed it into the dish containing the leftovers.

The other person's eyes immediately turned cold.

Wen Xubai was also stunned.

Why talk about whether a broccoli is ripe or not?

Ruan Xing looked at his eyes, raised an eyebrow and said, "It's just a side dish, it's not a waste to throw it away."

The veiled criticism was far too obvious, leaving Wen Xubai somewhat helpless.

As expected, a strange look flashed in Wen Xushi's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant. He just smiled and didn't say anything.

Ruan Xing elegantly picked up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, then covered it, and said to Wen Xubai without making a sound, "See? The little fox raised by the old fox is good at hiding and pretending. Don't be fooled by him again."

“No.” Wen Xubai spoke almost imperceptibly. “Didn’t you say that I am the person in the entire Wen family who understands Wen Xushi the most?”

He glanced at Ruan Xing, his gaze resolute.

Ruan Xing was finally satisfied.

Turning her head, she found that the person sitting opposite Wen Xubai was gone, and the smile on her face instantly froze.

"Where is Ruan Yun?" Ruan Xing asked with a forced smile.

Wen Xubai hadn't expected that Ruan Yun would be able to slip away in the blink of an eye.

Without even thinking, the two of them looked at Wen Xuyuan at the same time.

Sure enough, they saw Ruan Yun standing next to Wen Xuyuan's seat, holding a wine glass with a delighted expression.

Ruan Yun was still wearing her usual pink and white dress, her eyes shining brightly, almost overflowing with joy. She raised her glass and said softly, "Brother Yuan, I'd like to toast you."

Ruan Xing: "..."

He just couldn't understand why his simple-minded youngest son was so infatuated with that brat with the deadpan face. He'd been pampered by the whole family since childhood, yet now he was someone else's free lackey?

Ruan Xing was about to go crazy.

Wen Xuyuan's deep gaze fell on Ruan Yun. After a few seconds of silence, he picked up his wine glass and quickly clinked it with Ruan Yun's. Just as he was about to drink it, a loud "thud" was heard.

The sound was like something heavy falling to the ground. Not only Wen Xuyuan, but everyone else present was startled and looked in the direction of the sound.

Upon seeing this, everyone's face instantly turned pale.

Wen Tingyi suddenly closed his eyes, tilted his head back and leaned against the armrest. He lost his balance and overturned the entire chair, crashing to the ground with foam at the mouth!

Wen Xuyi was the first to rush forward, exclaiming in surprise, "Father!"

The others gasped in surprise, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

Wen Xuyuan's face also darkened instantly, and Ruan Yun was terrified, her face turning deathly pale.

"Father!" Qi Zui immediately squatted down, grasped Wen Tingyi's shoulders, and helped him lean against the corner of the table.

Wen Tingyi's body had begun to convulse violently. The family doctor rushed to the scene and immediately performed CPR on Wen Tingyi!

Everything happened so suddenly that Wen Xubai froze on the spot.

"Quick! Quick! Prepare the defibrillator and ventilator!" The family doctor frantically performed CPR while verbally instructing his assistant to turn on the equipment. He was so anxious that he wished he could transform into a defibrillator himself. However, his assistant was new and somewhat clumsy, and after a long struggle, he still couldn't turn on the equipment.

"Let me do it." Wen Xushi took the instrument directly from his assistant and began operating it skillfully.

He has always been by Wen Tingyi's side taking care of him, so it's not surprising that he knows these things.

The moment he was put on the ventilator, Wen Tingyi's bluish-purple complexion finally eased, and the spasms lessened considerably, turning into heavy breathing.

His old eyes, weathered and wrinkled, opened with difficulty, his gaze slowly sweeping across the faces of everyone present. His chest heaved violently, and no one knew who he was looking at.

Wen Tingyi's wrinkled hand trembled as he raised it and stretched it out toward Wen Xuyuan, whose face was gloomy not far away. Then it slowly pointed toward Wen Xushi in front of him, trembling and hanging in the air for a long time before suddenly dropping to the ground with his eyes closed.

"Dad!" Wen Xuchi exclaimed in alarm, "Quick! Get him to the hospital! Quick!"

The people present were all well-trained servants and bodyguards. They called an ambulance the moment they realized something was wrong. The ambulance, with its siren blaring, was already waiting outside.

Guided by the servants, the car drove into the backyard, where three uniformed medical personnel immediately jumped out and carried the unconscious Wen Tingyi onto a stretcher.

The white car, with its red and blue lights, turned the entire backyard into a red and blue hue. Wen Xubai's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously took a step forward, only to be bumped on the shoulder.

Turning my head, I saw Qi Zui.

Qi was anxiously helping the medical staff lift the stretcher onto the vehicle when he suddenly turned around, his panicked eyes meeting Qi's, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Wen Xubai clearly saw Qi Zuibo's thinnest lips open, as if he wanted to say something to him, but under the urging of the staff, he finally gave up.

Just before getting into the car, she quickly said to him, "Wait for me."

After saying that, he nimbly jumped into the car, and Wen Xushi was also in the car with him.

For some reason, Wen Xubai felt a little flustered and reached out to grab Qi Zui's hand, but ultimately failed.

The car door slowly closed behind him, and the white car drove further and further away...

With this unexpected turn of events, the banquet naturally had to be stopped. Qin Yalin covered her face with a handkerchief and sobbed to the side, while Wen Xuyi stood beside her, his face pale, clearly still in shock.

As the sole "head of the family" now, Wen Xuyuan apologized to each of the guests and then saw them out.

Ruan Yun's face was also pale. The young master, who had never seen such a scene before, nervously tugged at Wen Xuyuan's sleeve, trembling slightly.

This time, Wen Xuyuan didn't shake him off, but he didn't respond either. He just let him pull him along as he explained and apologized to the guests at the door.

Ruan Xing finally couldn't stand it anymore. He grabbed his good-for-nothing son, threw him at Wen Xubai, and said, "You two go back first."

He was immediately surrounded by familiar guests.

Ruan Yun stumbled as she was pulled, her eyes slightly reddening, as if she was still reluctant to leave. She craned her neck and looked at where Wen Xuyuan was standing several times, but she couldn't move her feet for a long time.

Wen Xubai took a deep breath and pulled Ruan Yun out of the back garden first. "Let's go, there's no point in us staying here."

As long as they don't cause trouble, things will be fine.