Chapter 55 Tit for Tat

Luo Shixun said, "Finally figured it out?"

"She said she would clear her name even if it costs her life. I'm scared!" Luo Yichen spoke the truth.

Luo Shixun burst into laughter and said, "My future daughter-in-law is remarkable! She actually managed to make you say the word 'scared'."

Luo Yichen blushed deeply at the teasing, but his expression remained desolate.

Luo Shixun patted him on the shoulder and advised, "Don't be so pessimistic! Between love and interests, there is always a balance point. People must have hope to live a better life!"

Luo Yichen harbored deep resentment toward his father. Yet this incident was gradually closing the distance between them. Pondering his father's words, he began to look forward to the future...

At the hospital, Shang Wende and Shang Qi kept a constant vigil outside the intensive care unit. He asked, "Is that video real?"

Shang Qi remained silent, which was as good as an admission.

Shang Wende rebuked, "Didn't I tell you long ago to stay away from Luo Yichen? How could you still be with him, and with him..."

Things had reached this point, and Shang Qi had no choice but to spill the whole story. Shang Wende was so furious he felt like hitting her.

Xi Jingpeng changed the subject, saying, "The materials I prepared couldn't be published."

"Those materials of yours are merely scratching the surface. I have even more important evidence in my hands!" Shang Qi said.

Hearing Shang Qi's voice, Xi Jingpeng was both startled and overjoyed. He said, "Qiqi, you can speak? That's wonderful!"

"I must tear off Luo Yichen's mask. Let's hold another press conference tomorrow!"

Thinking of Yu Xiufen in the hospital bed, Shang Wende said, "Let's put the legal case on hold for now, until your mother is out of the danger zone."

"I know, Dad! Until Mom wakes up, I will stay right by her side."

Although Shang Qi had regained her voice, the blows of recent days left her physically and mentally exhausted, and her complexion was very poor. Fearing she couldn't hold on, Shang Wende said, "Qiqi, go home and rest! I'll watch here tonight."

Shang Qi initially refused, but unable to withstand his repeated persuasion, she finally compromised. To make it easier to care for her mother, Shang Qi asked Xi Jingpeng to drive her back to her apartment. Along the way, she pondered in secret: her mother's illness was most vulnerable to shock. Therefore, the lawsuit against Luo Yichen had to be fought and resolved swiftly.

The car arrived downstairs at Shang Qi's building. Seeing her staring straight ahead in deep thought, Xi Jingpeng asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Shang Qi said worriedly, "We can't afford a war of attrition with the Luo family. I always feel like there is some force manipulating everything behind the scenes. Perhaps we should look for a compromise."

"Do you want to let Luo Yichen off? That's the only way to settle things quickly. Or do you still harbor illusions about him and want to marry him?"

Shang Qi didn't even have to think before replying, "How could I possibly let him off? Marrying him is out of the question!"

Seeing her resolute attitude, Xi Jingpeng still had doubts in his heart. He asked again, "Are you still falling for Luo Yichen?"

"No. I only feel hatred toward him!"

The deeper the love, the deeper the hatred. Shang Qi's hatred made Xi Jingpeng deeply uncomfortable. He was very reluctant to accept the scene in the video. He had waited two years for Shang Qi, never even having the chance to be intimate with her. Yet Luo Yichen had so blatantly claimed her favors? This made him extremely resentful.

Mu Lichen came to the apartment to look for Luo Yichen. He said, "I want to check the background of the reporter who blocked your car."

Luo Yichen turned on his computer and began playing the dashcam footage. Those reporters were standing right in front of his car and were captured very clearly. He noticed that none of these people were among those who had ambushed him at the hospital. Luo Yichen closed the video, copied it onto a USB drive, and handed it to Mu Lichen.

He said, "Investigate this, but don't make a fuss yet. At present, we don't have enough evidence in our hands. Suing Shang Qi isn't about defeating her in court, but rather about suppressing the opponent's momentum. You must mind the boundaries and make sure not to push things to a point where there's no room for maneuver."

"Understood! Have you thought about what will happen between you and Shang Qi in the future?"

Luo Yichen gave a bitter smile and said, "If we can't even get past the immediate crisis, what future is there to talk about? I have no time to waste on such unrealistic fantasies."

"Don't put on a face like you don't care about anything! Wearing such a mask every day will crush you."

"I'll try." Luo Yichen's reply was pale and feeble.

Early the next morning, Xi Jingpeng brought breakfast and knocked on Shang Qi's apartment door. When Shang Qi opened it, she said, "Why did you come so early?"

She saw that Xi Jingpeng's clothes were wrinkled, obviously from sitting somewhere for a long time. She asked again, "Did you not sleep last night?"

Xi Jingpeng didn't hide it at all, saying, "I was too worried about you, so I couldn't sleep. I stayed outside your building the whole night!"

Looking at this man who was so devoted to her, Shang Qi didn't know what to say. She had once rejected Xi Jingpeng very directly. Yet when she was at her lowest, this man stood unconditionally behind her, becoming her most solid backing. How could Shang Qi not feel such deep affection?

Seeing Shang Qi standing there in a daze, Xi Jingpeng pulled her down to sit and said, "Come on, eat breakfast first! I bought the sweet red bean buns you like."

* * *

"You haven't slept all night, go back and rest! I'm fine."

"I'm not tired! Hurry up and eat. Afterward, I'll accompany you to the hospital to see your mother."

"Why don't you go rest in the guest room for a while?"

Seeing how much Shang Qi cared about him, Xi Jingpeng felt a sweet warmth in his heart. He said, "All right! Then hurry up and eat, and I'll get up after a short rest."

Xi Jingpeng was quite exhausted; he lay down and fell asleep almost instantly. Shang Qi sat alone at the dining table, unable to eat a bite. After so many things had happened, she was no longer capable of accepting anyone's romantic advances. Thinking of how Xi Jingpeng had given his all for her, Shang Qi found this affection to be terribly heavy. She didn't want to fail any more men, yet she couldn't reject Xi Jingpeng's kindness.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang again.

Shang Qi wondered to herself: Who else could it be? Since Xi Jingpeng was sleeping in the room and she was afraid of waking him, Shang Qi immediately opened the door. To her shock, Luo Yichen was standing at the threshold. Not wanting to see him at all, Shang Qi tried to slam the door shut, but Luo Yichen blocked it with his foot and said, "Shang Qi, don't close the door yet! I just came to check on you."

Seeing him refuse to leave, Shang Qi said angrily, "You know very well what you've done. How dare you show your face at my home? Get out of here!"

Instead, Luo Yichen forcefully squeezed through the crack of the door. He said, "Will you just let me finish? I don't want to explain what has already happened, I just want to talk about how we should resolve this! Your mother is this sick, are you still going to keep making a scene?"

Shang Qi grew even angrier and yelled, "What do you mean by making a scene? Who is to blame for my mother getting this sick in the first place? If you hadn't done those despicable things, how could my family have ended up like this?"

The louder they argued, the more Xi Jingpeng was woken up inside the room. Dazedly, he heard a man arguing with Shang Qi. Suddenly, the name "Luo Yichen" pierced his ears. Instantly fully awake, he walked out of the room and said, "Qiqi, don't pay attention to him. I'll talk to him about whatever it is, go back to your room."

Seeing Xi Jingpeng actually walking out from the inner room, Luo Yichen's face darkened like a stormy sky. Shang Qi truly didn't want to see him and turned to leave. However, Luo Yichen grabbed her back and demanded, "Why is he in your apartment?"

His voice was piercingly cold, sweeping into Shang Qi's ears like winter wind. Xi Jingpeng tried to pry Luo Yichen's hand off Shang Qi, but failed to budge him. Then he heard Shang Qi say, "Let go of me! What are you trying to force me into this time?"

Seeing the look of utter disgust in Shang Qi's eyes, Luo Yichen suddenly lost strength in his grip. He felt Shang Qi's hand was as cold as a winter snowman, chilling him to the bone. With a sudden burst of effort, Shang Qi shook off Luo Yichen's hand. Glaring at him with furious eyes, she said, "Get out! I don't want to see you!"

Suspicious glances flashed across Luo Yichen's face as he looked between the two of them. Staring at Shang Qi with burning rage, he demanded, "Did you stay with Xi Jingpeng last night? What did you two do?"

Xi Jingpeng was just about to say: We aren't as filthy as you think! When he heard Shang Qi say, "Whether we stayed together or not is none of your business! The long night was hard to get through, and thanks to his company last night, I slept soundly the whole through."

Seeing Shang Qi speak with such righteous self-assurance, Luo Yichen was driven completely mad. He roared at Xi Jingpeng, "Don't you love her? How could you take advantage of Shang Qi right after something like this happened to her!"

Convinced that Luo Yichen had jumped to conclusions about her and Xi Jingpeng sleeping together, Shang Qi thought to herself: How could he ever understand that Xi Jingpeng would stay downstairs outside my building for an entire night? He only knows how to put interests above everything else, and has no idea what silent devotion and waiting truly mean.

Standing in front of Xi Jingpeng, Shang Qi shouted at Luo Yichen, "What gives you the right to come into my home and yell at him? Get out of here right now!"

Being repeatedly chased away by Shang Qi made Luo Yichen lose face completely. The mere thought of Xi Jingpeng being with Shang Qi last night made his lungs feel ready to explode. Yet given his current relationship with Shang Qi, he truly lacked the standing to object to what happened last night. He could only suppress the fury raging in his chest, forcibly swallowing the boiling anger.

Xi Jingpeng thought to himself: People are most prone to mistakes when they're enraged. Why don't I provoke Luo Yichen a little? Maybe I'll get an unexpected harvest. With that thought, he put his arm around Shang Qi's shoulders and said with deliberate ambiguity, "You must not have slept well after tossing and turning all night. Go inside and rest first! I'll deal with him."

Though furious, Luo Yichen had experienced so many twists and turns that he remained constantly vigilant and cautious. Therefore, Xi Jingpeng's gesture failed to make him lose his reason entirely. He said, "Shang Qi, if you have the mood to keep a man company here, do you no longer care about your mother's condition?"

The moment Shang Qi heard the word "condition," she rushed up to Luo Yichen without a second thought and asked, "What's wrong with my mom? Did the president of the hospital give you some news?"

Xi Jingpeng awkwardly held his arm in mid-air as the person in his embrace vanished, leaving behind only a lingering warmth. Catching a glimpse of his expression, Luo Yichen thought: Shang Qi shook off Xi Jingpeng without a second thought. And he looks so lost. This shows Shang Qi doesn't care much for him either! Which means last night, nothing likely happened between them at all.