Xu Linchuan had always been gentle and accommodating towards Xu Linyun since childhood, but the one thing he detested most was Xu Linyun's lies.
That innocent and adorable little girl was no longer there!
"I didn't want to, but I don't know who sucked the snake venom out for Tingyun. Once I find that person, I'll definitely tell Tingyun..."
Xu Linyun stammered.
Her secret was exposed.
Xu Linyun's cheeks flushed red.
She had never lied before, and this was the first time she had been caught in a lie.
And it was by her own brother.
"Go tell Tingyun it wasn't you, but Su Qi!"
"Why! I won't!"
Xu Linyun couldn't believe it, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and tears fell uncontrollably.
"Brother! You say I've changed, but you're the one who's changed! Ever since you fell in love with Su Qi, you've become like a different person. I barely recognize you! For Su Qi, you've even abandoned your beloved sister!"
Xu Linchuan took a step forward and grabbed Xu Linyun's shoulders.
Even though he was angry, he suppressed his rage.
"It's not for Su Qi, it's for you. Do you think Huo Tingyun is a fool?
He still has some feelings for you now. You'd better be honest with him. Huo Tingyun is the helmsman of a business empire.
Do you think you can deceive him so easily? He's not an idiot. If you deceive him now, it will be very difficult to gain Huo Tingyun's trust in the future!"
Having been friends with Huo Tingyun for so many years, Xu Linchuan knew Huo Tingyun's character like the back of his hand.
He understood Huo Tingyun better than anyone else!
This man's intelligence was simply terrifying.
Did Xu Linyun really think her lies could deceive Huo Tingyun?
"Brother, you keep saying it's for me, but have you ever considered how I feel? In my eyes, you're doing it all for Su Qi!"
Xu Linyun didn't want to listen to Xu Linchuan anymore. She pushed him away and rushed out.
She happened to bump into Mo Yu.
Mo Yu cried out in pain and helped Xu Linyun up from the ground.
He noticed that Xu Linyun's makeup was smudged from crying.
"Little ancestor, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Xu Linyun threw herself into Mo Yu's arms, speechless, only crying.
Mo Yu had no choice but to help Xu Linyun into the room. If anyone saw her like this, rumors would spread.
Presidential Suite.
Assistant Lin Te knocked on the room door.
Huo Tingyun stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, a cigarette between his fingers.
Amidst the swirling smoke, the man looked like a deity.
His chiseled, handsome face was also slightly blurred.
"The surveillance footage is ready. Please review it, Master Huo."
Lin Te presented the tablet computer in his hand.
He clicked on the video and saw the scene in the surveillance footage.
Su Qi entered, and ten minutes later, Xu Linchuan arrived fashionably late.
When they came out, Su Qi was carried out by Xu Linchuan, clearly in a昏迷 (hūnmí - comatose/unconscious) state.
"The venomous snake that bit you was extremely potent. It has been disposed of and burned."
Extremely potent.
Just a few minutes more, and amputation would have been necessary.
His arm still ached faintly.
Huo Tingyun took a deep drag of his cigarette and crushed the butt. "Where is Su Qi?"
Due to the snake venom, Su Qi had been lying down for a long time and still hadn't recovered.
When Xu Linchuan returned, he brought a thermos.
"I cooked some porridge for you in the hotel kitchen. Eat a little. You can't take medicine while pregnant, so some porridge will make you feel better. I've added Chinese herbs, so you can eat a moderate amount."
Xu Linchuan placed the thermos by the bed and opened it.
Although it was porridge, the moment the lid was opened, a fragrant aroma filled the air, with the pleasant scent of various medicinal herbs.
Su Qi had been lying down for a long time and was very hungry. She took it, blew on it, and then ate the porridge heartily.
After finishing more than half a bowl of porridge in one go, almost to the bottom, Su Qi belatedly remembered something.
She looked up at Xu Linchuan.
Xu Linchuan smiled faintly, "What, aren't you afraid I'll poison you?"
Su Qi's face flushed, "I was wrong before. I misunderstood you."
Xu Linchuan didn't seem like a bad person, and it turned out he wasn't a bad person either.
It seemed that not everyone in this world was two-faced like Huo Tingyun; there were still people who were genuine.
"Eat more if you like it. You need to be full to have energy."
Su Qi finished all the porridge in the thermos, her stomach feeling full.
"This is how you should look as a pregnant woman."
Xu Linchuan glanced at Su Qi's belly.
It had started to bulge slightly.
Counting it, it was about three to four months.
Su Qi's stomach was still flat, with almost no visible signs of pregnancy.
"By May, you probably won't be able to hide it. You won't be able to stay in the film crew then, and people will definitely notice."
Xu Linchuan frowned, thinking of something, and looked at Su Qi with concern.
"I know. I'll make arrangements then."
"Why did you decide to enter this industry?"
Xu Linchuan said while tidying up the thermos on the table.
In his opinion, Su Qi's appearance was simply made for this industry.
However, Su Qi should not be tainted by this industry.
Xu Linyun could navigate this industry smoothly and remain unstained by the mud because Huo Tingyun protected her.
Su Qi only had herself.
"I have a brother... his lifelong dream was to open a film and television company."
"Your brother? Why doesn't he fulfill his dream himself, and why are you bearing this burden?"
Xu Linchuan frowned, not understanding.
"Six months ago, he was in a car accident and was paralyzed from the legs down. He never stood up again, and most of the day he could only lie in bed, requiring constant care from a caregiver."
Su Qi's chest suddenly heaved. She clenched her fists tightly.
Every time she thought of her brother Su Yan's disability.
It made her heart ache to the point of suffocation.
If it weren't for her youthful recklessness, if it weren't for her passionate love for Huo Tingyun.
Su Yan wouldn't have gone to find the drunken Huo Tingyun to stand up for her, and wouldn't have been driven into a crippled state by Huo Tingyun's rage.
She regretted it so much.
She truly regretted it.
Every time she recalled that incident, her heart ached so much that she couldn't breathe, and she couldn't calm down for a long time. Brother Su Yan was only twenty-five years old, in the prime of his youth, and now he could only spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
The surgery saved his life.
After the surgery, Su Qi had only seen Su Yan once.
He sat in a wheelchair, both legs completely amputated.
His eyes were vacant, his expression blank. He just stared blankly into the distance, his gaze unfocused, without any point of reference, empty and numb, like a marionette.
Su Qi collapsed onto him, crying for a long, long time. Her eyes became red and swollen, hurting, until the sky turned dark, and her tears dried up.
She couldn't describe it, couldn't breathe. That feeling, more despairing than death, washed over her in waves, engulfing her completely.
She couldn't imagine how much pain Brother Su Yan must have been in.
It was all because of her.
It was all her blind emotions and misplaced love.