A Broken Mirror Never Mends - Chapter 32

A few minutes later.

Holding the business card the man handed him up into the air, Shi Tian stared at the small line of gold-stamped words under the afternoon sunlight. He read slowly: “Will Qi. Executive Director of Qilian Electronics Holdings, General Manager of the Qi Family Trust.”

The man in the driver’s seat avoided his gaze, clearly feeling guilty. “Is there a problem?”

“Then who is the ‘Dexter’ on the card you gave me before?”

“He’s a new assistant in my office,” Will Qi said. “The guy is super handsome and totally my type. Want to see a photo?”

The veins on Shi Tian’s forehead throbbed. “…No thanks.”

Until just now, under his persistent questioning, this man finally couldn’t keep up the lie and confessed his true identity.

This guy named Qi wasn’t some assistant secretary of a trust fund at all; he was the big boss of the Qi Family Trust, the real person in power.

Using this as a starting point, Shi Tian followed the clues and quickly guessed Will Qi’s other identity.

Shi Tian pursed his lips and asked with a frown, “Since you are a member of the Qi family, then Zhou Sifu is your—”

“I am his half-brother.”

Tucking his long, straight black hair behind his ear, Will Qi looked back stylishly. “I’m the second oldest in the family. I have an older brother and an older sister above me, and two younger brothers below me. One of them is Sifu.”

Shi Tian studied the contours of Will Qi’s face.

So, they only shared half their blood; no wonder he looked nothing like Zhou Sifu.

It seemed his previous thought was correct—Will Qi must have learned his childhood nickname from Zhou Sifu.

He didn’t ask further about the Qi family. Besides the secrets Will Qi was hiding, he still had too many questions about everything that happened today, but he hadn’t found the right time to ask.

For example, why did the Qi family suddenly intervene in Fengyu’s internal affairs? What was their goal? Or, did this have anything to do with Zhou Sifu, and what role was he playing in it?

And the most important point, who were the people who helped Ji Yuanlin steal the company seal, and which side did they belong to?

Lost in thought, he didn’t even notice when Will Qi started the car. “Where is President Shi going now? Should I give you a ride?”

After thinking for a moment in the passenger seat, Shi Tian called Assistant Chen. The call was answered quickly, and a chaotic noise immediately came through the receiver. Assistant Chen whispered loudly to him, saying the company was a mess because unknown people were causing trouble. Several groups of people were looking for him everywhere, and he shouldn’t come back for now.

Hanging up the phone, Shi Tian pinched the bridge of his nose. “If President Qi has time, please take me home first. I also happen to have some things to ask you.”

Will Qi smiled warmly. “Sure, just give me an address.”

Shi Tian gave him the address of his rented apartment.

Since finishing the first lawsuit, he had moved out of the Marriott and into a three-bedroom apartment in the city center. The landlords were a family of three who lived out of town for work. They were very easy to talk to, and they signed the contract quickly.

The apartment wasn’t far from the Economic Development Zone; it was only a fifteen-minute drive.

Because the brownish-red supercar was too eye-catching in a residential area, Shi Tian had Will Qi park in the most remote spot of the parking lot, and the two walked into the complex.

The complex consisted of elevator buildings, and his apartment was on a higher floor—the seventeenth. As they rode the elevator up, watching the numbers change, Shi Tian said to Will Qi, “I just moved in a few days ago and haven’t finished tidying up yet. Please bear with me.”

He could tell that Will Qi was a rich second-generation heir who grew up with a silver spoon. Unlike the high-status aura Zhou Sifu had developed over time, this man had a natural, carefree freedom in his bones; he wasn’t the type to be easily controlled by others.

If his guess was true, it was quite unexpected that such a person would act on Zhou Sifu’s orders.

Hearing his words, Will Qi didn’t seem to mind. “My family’s housekeeper is quite good. How about I have her come over and clean up for you sometime?”

Shi Tian: “…”

No, thanks. Every member of your family is more calculating than the last.

With his mind full of thoughts, Shi Tian almost bumped into several people standing outside the elevator when he stepped out.

Six or seven people were gathered on both sides of the hallway. They were wearing sunglasses and pure white gloves, looking like people you shouldn’t mess with.

The leader was holding a walkie-talkie, looking down and saying something. Noticing the elevator doors opening behind him, he pressed the mute button and instinctively looked toward the elevator.

Shi Tian shifted his gaze to the left and saw two people squatting at his front door as well. One of them held something like a receiving antenna and was trying hard to shove it into the narrow crack of the door, his arm covered in thick dust.

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. Before the people outside could move, Shi Tian reached out and quickly pressed the close button.

As the doors began to shut, the people outside finally reacted. Realizing they were about to leave, the person closest to the door reached out to block it, and someone else immediately pressed the elevator button outside to stop them from going down.

Fortunately, Shi Tian’s reaction was fast enough. The group could only watch as the doors closed in their faces, leaving them completely helpless.

Leaning against the elevator railing, Shi Tian’s hand was still shaking slightly.

The moment he saw them, he recognized that these people were the same ones who had broken into the company to steal the seal earlier that day.

He never expected that Ji Yuanlin would not only let people break into Fengyu so boldly but even find his new address and send people to wait at his door.

Noticing Shi Tian’s frown deepening, Will Qi couldn’t help but speak up. “Don’t worry. This is a residential building in the city center with cameras. They won’t dare to actually break your door down.”

“I’m not worried about that.”

Shi Tian turned to look at him. “I’m wondering how Ji Yuanlin got in touch with these people.”

He wanted an answer from Will Qi. He was almost certain that before their meeting this morning, this man already knew about Ji Yuanlin’s plans.

He especially wanted to figure out how Ji Yuanlin knew these people. They clearly had dirty hands and used any means necessary; they didn’t look like people hired from a debt collection agency or any other standard channel.

Hearing this, Will Qi shook his head honestly. “President Shi, we aren’t sure about your husband’s affairs either.”

He wasn’t lying. After the first lawsuit ended, Ji Yuanlin’s whereabouts became increasingly mysterious. Even the people Zhou Sifu sent to follow him lost his trail several times. He only knew that the truth behind it was definitely not as simple as they thought.

Shi Tian remained silent.

In the current situation, the goal of these people was likely simple: they wanted to get the company seal from him. That’s why they chose the most direct way, waiting at his door. Because no matter what, he would eventually have to go home.

But because of this, the safety of the rented apartment could no longer be guaranteed. He couldn’t go back there for a while. He also needed to notify the landlord quickly so their family wouldn’t come back and run into danger.

Sitting in the back of the Bugatti again, Shi Tian saw through the rearview mirror that the group upstairs had followed them out of the elevator and split into two groups to rush toward their car.

Seeing them prepare to leave, the people behind got desperate. They grabbed their gear, hopped on motorcycles parked downstairs, and stepped on the clutches to start the engines.

This time, the urgency was even worse than at the company in the morning. Seeing his Bugatti being flanked by two motorcycles with one person on a back seat preparing to swing a weapon at the rear window—Will Qi finally lost his indifferent expression. His brow furrowed, and his face became serious.

“Fasten your seatbelt,” Will Qi shouted over the noise. “Hold on tight!”

Just as he finished speaking, the car’s chassis let out a sharp roar. Will Qi pulled a 180-degree turn, spun the car around, and drove straight toward the complex’s artificial lake.

The Bugatti circled the lake about ten times. Shi Tian watched as Will Qi drove out the back gate of the complex, weaving through alleys to lose the pursuers, and hit the highway toward the outer ring at a speed approaching the city’s limit. Shi Tian held his breath, his face turning slightly pale; he was nearly sick from the motion.

…Was this guy a Formula racer before? How could he drive so recklessly?!

They sped along the outer ring highway until the fuel gauge hit the red line and an alarm sounded in the cabin. Will Qi finally slowed down at a junction toward the East District and drove into a toll station.

Seeing Will Qi tap the navigation screen and enter an address, Shi Tian suppressed his nausea and asked, “Where are we going now?”

Will Qi stared at the rearview mirror. “Somewhere safe.”

—

The Bugatti drove along a tree-lined riverside road and finally stopped outside a high-end park-style residential area made of three high-rise buildings.

Driving into the apartment parking lot, Will Qi took a key card from his pocket and handed it to Shi Tian. “I’ll go get gas first. After you enter the elevator, swipe the card. The top floor is yours.”

“By the way,” he added as if remembering something, “They shouldn’t find this place for now. But to be safe, turn right after you enter the apartment. There’s a safe behind the stairs. The code is 660924. Put the seal in there and lock it first.”

Taking the card, Shi Tian asked, “Is this your home?”

Will Qi frowned, looking conflicted. “…I guess? I live abroad most of the time and don’t have a fixed place in the country. This is a property I bought for a young foreign star before. Later, he fell for a half-Italian F1 racer and dumped me while crying.”

“Anyway, no need to mention the past.” He patted Shi Tian’s back with a sigh. “Little Tian, I used to be just like you—attracting nothing but bad romances.”

Shi Tian, being brought into it for no reason: “…?”

Entering the apartment elevator, Shi Tian swiped for the top floor. He noticed the elevator screen was playing an ad for this high-end development called “Vessel Grand.”

“Vessel Grand” consisted of three apartment buildings, each over forty stories high, but with only sixty units in total. Each unit was a duplex penthouse. The price of one unit was more expensive than the villa where he and Ji Yuanlin used to live.

Such an expensive property was bought just to please a young star. He suddenly realized he had seriously underestimated the Qi family’s wealth.

Reaching the top floor, Shi Tian felt his pocket to confirm the seal was still there. He walked to the door and swiped the card to open it.

The huge duplex was open and very tidy. There was a plate of fresh, washed fruit on the coffee table, and the floor was spotless, clearly cleaned by a professional.

Bending down to open the shoe cabinet, he only found a pair of men’s slippers, likely used by the owner. After thinking about it, he just took off his leather shoes, left them outside, and walked barefoot onto the smooth marble floor.

After looking around for the safe, Shi Tian was about to walk toward the stairs when he suddenly heard a soft, tiny sound behind him: “Meow~”

Shi Tian turned around and saw a small orange-and-white kitten sitting in the leather shoes he had just taken off. It was looking at him with wide eyes and a tilted head.

The kitten was still very young, only about the size of a person’s palm. It didn’t even have to curl up to fit perfectly in his shoe as a temporary nest.

Shi Tian felt his pockets for something to feed the kitten, only to find a complete set of cat supplies on the enclosed balcony: an automatic water dispenser, cat food, pet goat milk, and snacks. This little guy clearly didn’t lack anything.

Didn’t Will Qi say he lived abroad? How did he have time to raise a cat?

When he was in school, he always thought about getting a cat once he started working. But his work was too busy in the early days of his business, and Ji Yuanlin was slightly allergic to cat hair, so it never happened.

Afraid of scaring the kitten, which was now squinting and licking its paws in his shoe, Shi Tian resisted the urge to pet it and focused on finding the safe.

He soon found a narrow hidden space behind the wooden stairs leading to the second floor. Pushing the door open, he saw a white aluminum alloy safe. It had two combination locks and looked very sturdy.

Squeezing into the small space and crouching down, Shi Tian held his breath and entered the six-digit code.

After two successful verifications, the safe made a “ding” in the dark, and the thick protective door slowly opened.

Carefully placing the seal inside, Shi Tian’s hand accidentally brushed against a ring-shaped object. The cold touch made his fingertips curl slightly.

As he instinctively pulled his hand back, the LED sensor light at the top of the safe was triggered. A bright yellow light illuminated the entire safe, focusing on the center.

The safe wasn’t empty; there was something else inside.

—A silver-white diamond ring.

He recognized it at a glance. This was the ring Zhou Sifu gave him when he knelt and proposed in the school auditorium years ago.

His gaze slowly rested on the diamond ring at the bottom of the safe. Shi Tian froze, his hand hanging in mid-air.

The only light in the dark room seemed to be sucked into his pupils. Looking down, he saw a line of small italic words engraved inside the ring: [I will love you for a thousand more]

This line of text inside the ring was said to be visible only under specific lighting. He had tried many times in the past—under his dorm lamp, in the morning sunlight, in the glow of the sunset—but he had never actually seen the content.

It turned out the answer to the puzzle was very simple.

It required the only beam of light in a room full of darkness.

As he slowly reached for the ring, Shi Tian suddenly heard the kitten’s faint, urgent cries from outside: “Meow—Meow—”

Amidst the kitten’s cries, slow footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs above his head. Someone was walking downstairs one step at a time, finally stopping at the base of the stairs.

Shi Tian’s back tensed, and he instinctively wanted to stand up.

Didn’t Will Qi break up with that young star? Why was someone still living here?

…Was it another lover he was keeping??

Unexpectedly, in the next second, his head hit the low ceiling of the hidden room with a loud “thud.”

“…”

Everything went black for a moment. Shi Tian covered the back of his head in pain and slowly crouched back down.

Ow, ow, ow, ow—

In the darkness, a small figure squeezed through the narrow gap behind the stairs into the room and gave a soft “meow” at Shi Tian’s back, sounding quite happy.

Soon, a deep male voice came from outside the stairwell: “What’s wrong?”

“Meow meow meow~”

“Don’t run around,” the man’s tone was a bit flat. “Benben, come out.”

Before Shi Tian could react, the man pushed open the door to the hidden room.

Shi Tian squinted, blinded by the light coming in from the living room.

After crouching on the ground for a moment while holding his head, he took a deep breath and slowly raised his eyes. He met the gaze of the tall man standing outside.

He must have just finished a shower; the man was bare-chested and wearing nothing but a white bath towel tied around his waist.

“…”

“…”

A heavy silence followed.

Shi Tian: “…Let me explain.”

Zhou Sifu: “…”

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