Chapter 332 Ending
The night was like rice paper splashed with ink, hanging heavily over the entire city.
When Xie Kaiwen opened the door, sweat dripped down his temples, and his breathing was rapid, as if he had just escaped a chase. The lights in the living room were still on, a warm yellow glow falling on the woman on the sofa—Liu Zhiyi was holding five-year-old Xie Jinheng, reading him a picture book.
"Zhiyi, pack your things and leave now."
Xie Kaiwen almost shouted at her, his voice filled with unquestionable urgency.
Liu Zhiyi was startled by his tone and snapped the book shut. She looked up, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean? Leave? Where to?"
"Don't ask yet," Xie Kaiwen walked quickly to the bedroom, opened the wardrobe, and haphazardly stuffed his clothes into the suitcase. "Someone is watching us. If we don't leave now, it will be too late."
Liu Zhiyi stood at the door holding her son, her eyes first confused, then cold, "Is this your fault again? Xie Kaiwen, what on earth did you do out there?"
"Now is not the time to talk about this!" Xie Kaiwen slammed the suitcase shut, turned around and went to the drawer to look for his passport and bank card. "Zhiyi, take Jinheng and go first. I'll go find you."
"I'm not leaving." Liu Zhiyi's voice suddenly lowered, as if she had suppressed a long period of grievance and anger. "Over the years, how much I've done for you, don't you know? You made me hide here, unable to see the light, unable to go to kindergarten parent-teacher conferences with Jinheng, and even afraid to make friends. You said you would give me a legitimate status, that you would let me and my child live an upright life, but have you done it?"
Xie Kaiwen paused for a moment, a hint of guilt flashing across his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by anxiety. "I know you're wronged, but this time is really different. They won't let us go."
"They?" Liu Zhiyi sneered, "Are they your so-called business partners, or your legal wife's people?"
"It's all the same!" Xie Kaiwen raised his head abruptly, his voice rising, "Do you think I want this? I'm doing this for your own good!"
Liu Zhiyi took a step back holding Xie Jinheng. The child was frightened by the quarrel between the two and shrank into her arms, whispering "Mom".
Her eyes softened for a moment, then hardened again. "For our own good? You refused to tell me even a single word of truth, leaving me hiding in this room like a fool, watching the outside world slowly slip away from me. Xie Kaiwen, I won't go with you anymore. If you want to leave, go by yourself."
Xie Kaiwen clenched his fists, his chest heaving violently. He wanted to lose his temper, but looking at Jinheng's terrified eyes, he suppressed his anger. At this moment, there was a sudden sound of the door lock turning with a "click".
They were both stunned at the same time.
The next second, the door opened and Xie Yanchuan walked in, followed by a slender woman named Jiang Wanning. She was wearing a beige windbreaker, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders, and her eyes were cold and calm.
"Have you performed enough of your drama?" Xie Yanchuan's voice was low, with a natural sense of oppression.
Xie Kaiwen's expression suddenly changed. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to see you off." Xie Yanchuan said calmly, his eyes passing over Liu Zhiyi and the child, "A family of three, no one can be left behind."
Liu Zhiyi hugged Xie Jinheng tightly and subconsciously hid behind Xie Kaiwen, "Who are you?"
"He is my elder brother." Xie Kaiwen gritted his teeth, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible.
"Brother?" Liu Zhiyi was stunned, then seemed to understand something, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.
Xie Yanchuan walked to the center of the living room, his eyes sweeping over them one by one, "Xie Kaiwen, do you think you can escape with them? From the moment you decided to betray me, you should have thought of this day."
"I didn't betray you!" Xie Kaiwen raised his head suddenly, "I just—"
"Just?" Xie Yanchuan raised his eyebrows, a sneer on his face, "Just trampling on our years of brotherhood, leaking company secrets, and letting a woman and a child become your weak spot?"
Liu Zhiyi's face turned pale. She had never expected that she and Jin Heng would be called "weak points." She looked at Xie Kaiwen, but saw him with his head lowered, not saying a word.
Jiang Wanning remained silent. She just stood quietly beside Xie Yanchuan, her eyes piercing through Liu Zhiyi like a knife. "Take it away, Yanchuan."
Xie Yanchuan nodded and gestured towards the door. Two men in black immediately walked in and stood in front of Xie Kaiwen and Liu Zhiyi.
"What are you going to do?" Liu Zhiyi took a step back, his voice trembling, "Let us go!"
"Don't worry," Xie Yanchuan said calmly, "I'm just sending you to a safe place. At least it's safer than staying with him."
"I won't leave!" Liu Zhiyi shook her head violently, tears welling up in her eyes. "Jinheng is my child, I won't let you take him away!"
Xie Kaiwen raised his head, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, "Yanchuan, if you have anything to say, come to me and let them go."
"It's too late." Xie Yanchuan's voice was as cold as ice. "Do you think you still have the qualifications to negotiate?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the man in black stepped forward and grabbed Xie Kaiwen's arm. Another man reached out to take the child from Liu Zhiyi's arms.
"Don't touch him!" Liu Zhiyi screamed, clinging to Jinheng tightly, but the difference in strength quickly restrained her. The child's cries filled the room, sharp and desperate.
Xie Kaiwen struggled and roared, but was pinned to the ground. He watched helplessly as Liu Zhiyi and Jinheng were dragged toward the door, tears blurring his vision.
"Xie Yanchuan, you will regret this!" he roared.
Xie Yanchuan simply glanced at him indifferently, then turned and followed Jiang Wanning out. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving the room in a mess and Xie Kaiwen gasping for air.
Outside the house, the night was dark and the wind blew like a knife, as if foreshadowing that this feud had just begun.
The only sound in the room was Xie Kaiwen's breathing, heavy and rapid, as if tearing his chest apart. He struggled to his feet, his knuckles white from the grip he'd just made, and his palms still stained with blood from rubbing against the floor.
He rushed to the door, only to find it locked. The cold metal doorknob, like a merciless hand, blocked his path. Xie Kaiwen frantically banged and kicked at the door, but the heavy security door remained motionless.
Just then, he heard a chaotic sound of footsteps outside, as well as a woman's scream. The voice was familiar—it was Liu Zhiyi.
Xie Kaiwen's blood froze instantly. He took a few steps back, then rushed to the window and flung it open. A cold wind blew in like a knife, carrying the chill of the night. Without a second thought, he simply climbed over the windowsill and slid down the drainpipe outside the building.
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