Taking the blame

Wen Tingyi frowned, kicked Wen Xuyi away, and stood up with the help of his cane and Wen Xushi. He looked coldly at the disheveled mother and son.

"When you did these things, did you ever think about the Wen family's reputation?"

After saying that, he picked up his cane and left.

"Dad! Dad! Please, please!!!" Seeing Wen Tingyi lift his foot, Wen Xuyi quickly crawled over on all fours. Passing Wen Xuyuan, he hurriedly grabbed at him like a lifeline, "Big brother, big brother, save me, save me, please..."

Wen Xuyuan gave him a disdainful look, snorted coldly, and kicked him as well!

Wen Xuyi's face turned ashen, and he slumped to the ground, his pupils constricting.

"Wen Tingyi!!!"

Seeing Qin Yalin suddenly lunge forward, Wen Xubai quickly reached out to stop her, only to hear the woman's shrill voice screaming in his ear, "Have you forgotten what you did?!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Tingyi paused in his steps.

"Ha." Qin Yalin's face contorted with rage as she gave a self-deprecating laugh, gazing at the man she had loved for over twenty years, a chill suddenly running through her. "I should have known you were this cold-blooded and ruthless!"

Wen Xubai frowned slightly and looked at the figure leaning on a cane.

The woman's screams continued.

"Wen Tingyi, let me tell you, if anything happens to my son, I'll expose all the good deeds you've done! I'll let everyone see what a hypocritical beast you are!!! You want to die, huh? Then we'll all die together!!!"

The more Qin Yalin spoke, the more agitated she became, and the more unrestrained her words became, startling everyone in the living room.

Wen Xushi was the first to react, quickly covering Qin Yalin's mouth and growling, "Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting?!"

"Ugh—Ugh—" Qin Yalin struggled frantically, and Wen Xubai could barely control her.

Suddenly, Xu Shi cried out in pain and abruptly released his grip. Blood instantly flowed down his palm, covering his entire arm.

"Second Brother!" Wen Xubai was startled.

Wen Xushi shook his head, indicating that he was alright.

But in that moment of distraction, Qin Yalin broke free from his grasp and instead grabbed him!

Wen Xubai: "???"

Before he could react, Qin Yalin screamed, "You! Go! Go and say you killed him! You killed him!!! It's all your fault! If you hadn't failed to protect Xiao Yi, he wouldn't have made that mistake!!! If you hadn't sent Yao Yao to negotiate for you, she wouldn't be dead!!! You should have paid for her life, you should have paid for his life!!!"

Wen Xubai's heart trembled suddenly; he never expected Qin Yalin to have gone to such extremes of delusion.

The newspaper didn't mention which "rich young master of the Wen family" it was, and the photo only showed a back view of someone holding a wine bottle, so it was indeed impossible to see who it was. But he never expected that Qin Yalin would actually want him to take the blame for Wen Xuyi!

"It's your fault! It's all your fault!!!"

The woman kept tearing at his clothes, clearly having completely lost her mind.

With a "thump," Wen Xuyi also rushed over, grabbing Wen Xubai's pants and pleading, "Third brother, third brother, please save me, please save me! Before... before I was wrong, I shouldn't have spoken rudely to you, but... but I was blinded by the news of my sister's death, I didn't mean to!!!"

"Besides! Besides, our family has raised you for so many years and spent so much money on you. Shouldn't you repay us? Third brother, I beg you, I promise, if you go in, I will definitely make arrangements for your relatives and friends, and move your parents' graves to the Wen family cemetery! Please, third brother, help me!"

Looking into those two pairs of greedy eyes, like those of ferocious beasts, Wen Xubai unconsciously took a step back.

Instantly, the shackles on his body became even tighter, making it impossible for him to move even half a step.

He suddenly felt a pang of panic.

Looking up at the other people in the living room, Wen Xuyuan watched coldly, Wen Xushi dared not speak out in anger, and Wen Tingyi remained as if he had not heard anything.

No, at such close range, there's no way he didn't hear it.

"Father..." He tried frantically to move closer to Wen Tingyi, but was pulled back again after only a slight movement...

The voices, seemingly pleading but actually threatening, continued. Qin Yalin's and Wen Xuyi's voices, one high and one low, intertwined, like the whispers of demons, constantly filling his ears…

Does this mean Wen Tingyi is admitting it?

A wave of overwhelming fear washed over Wen Xubai, gradually engulfing him; his blood seemed to freeze...

Having worked for Wen Tingyi for so many years, he knew him all too well. A beast hiding behind a shield, observing and waiting for an opportunity, was best at concealing himself and using others to do his dirty work.

This beast possesses an almost maniacal desire to control his possessions. Nothing that belongs to him can be harmed or taken away by others, unless that possession threatens his interests, at which point he will ruthlessly abandon it…

Far, suitable, remote, leisurely, white... Clearly, he was the only outsider in the entire Wen family.

Wen Xuyi is Wen Tingyi's possession, drawn to him by mutual benefit. Even with the most resolute words, the fact that Wen Xuyi is still here unharmed means... Wen Tingyi hasn't completely given up on him...

He was the one who had to give up.

The familiar feeling of suffocation swept over him again. Qin Yalin and Wen Xuyi had cornered him against the wall, and Wen Xubai even found it difficult to breathe.

He seemed to be swallowed up...

His vision blurred and his stomach throbbed with pain again. Just when he felt he was about to collapse, Wen Tingyi finally spoke.

"Enough! Look at you all, what kind of behavior is this?!"

With a roar, everyone present finally snapped out of their daze.

Wen Xushi quickly pulled away the two people who were holding Wen Xubai back, supported his swaying body, and looked at Wen Xubai's pale face with concern, asking, "Are you alright?"

Qin Yalin and Wen Xuyi had been restrained by the servants and taken back to their room. The two were still shouting and cursing, but their voices were eventually cut off behind the door on the second floor.

His steps were unsteady, and large beads of sweat streamed down his temples. Wen Xubai suddenly felt a sense of unreality, as if it were all just a dream…

He looked up at the incredibly tall man, a figure he had always felt utterly intimidated by, both in his childhood and now…

It must be said that Wen Tingyi was truly clever. The reason he chose him was because... he had nothing. Everything he possessed until now was a gift from the Wen family. Once the Wen family wanted to withdraw, he would be left with nothing but emptiness. And what right did he have to disobey the Wen family's orders?

"You still have me..."

A voice from his memory called out in his ears. Wen Xubai struggled to lift his head and seemed to see that smiling man standing not far away, waving at him…

No, Qi Zui is still waiting for him...

The moment I took my first step, it felt like I was walking on cotton. My consciousness instantly vanished, and I only heard someone say, "Go back and rest first," before I was plunged into darkness.

When I woke up again, I was at the Wen family's house.

Wen Xubai was jolted awake from his nightmare, his forehead soaked with sweat. He sat up abruptly and shouted, "Qi Zui!"

But what came into view was another man's face.

Wen Xushi was holding a book when she looked up at him with a smile and said in a gentle voice, "You're awake."

His heart was still pounding, and the feeling of panic hadn't subsided. Wen Xubai forced himself to calm down, pressed his hand against his heaving chest, and asked, trying to hide his unease, "Where is this?"

With a "whoosh," all the curtains in the room were pulled open, and the blinding sunlight shone in through the window, forcing Wen Xubai to raise his hand to shield himself.

Wen Xushi chuckled lightly, stood in front of the curtains with a straight posture, raised his eyes, and smiled, "It's been too long since you've been back, you don't even recognize your own room anymore."

He really hasn't been back for a long time.

Wen Xubai's eyes had adjusted to the sunlight, so he silently lowered his hand, feeling a little thirsty.

"By the way, who is Qi Zui?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Xubai was startled and looked at the water glass that had suddenly appeared in front of him. His panicked expression was reflected on the surface of the water.

He snatched the glass from her; the water inside was still warm to the touch. Wen Xubai took a sip, forcing himself to remain calm, and asked, "Why are you asking this?"

"It's nothing." Wen Xushi leaned against the headboard and spread his hands innocently. "It's just that you kept calling that name in your dream, and I thought he was someone very important to you."

Was he calling out "Qi Zui" the whole time?

"Not familiar with her." Wen Xubai silently lowered his eyes.

Wait, Qi Zui?

Wen Xubai suddenly threw off the covers and reached for his phone on the bedside table!

The screen lit up, revealing that it was already the next day.

"Oh right, someone kept calling you. I saw you didn't save it in your contacts, so it must have been some kind of spam call. I didn't answer."

Sure enough, Wen Xubai swiped down and found all of them were Qi Zui's missed calls.

He had memorized that string of numbers long ago, but he had never made a note of it for fear of being discovered.

There's no need to guess; Qi Zui must have already bombarded his other WeChat account with messages as well.

The hand gripping the phone tightened gradually. After a while, Wen Xubai put the phone on the cabinet and said calmly, "Yes, they're just some nuisance calls. They're not important."

"Is that so?" Wen Xubai pushed up his glasses again, his eyes, which always held a faint smile but were unfathomable, looked at him.

Wen Xubai's heart was in his throat.

It happened so suddenly; he would usually change his SIM card beforehand.

Fortunately, Wen Xushi did not press the matter further. Instead, he patted his shoulder and comforted him, saying, "Xiaobai, don't take last night's events to heart. It was all Qin Yalin's nonsense. Father won't take it seriously."