Chapter 40: "From Wounds, the Flowers You Love Still Bloom"

"The day you two broke up, I stayed here with him drinking all night. He had just barely accepted the fact that you’d left when he got home and realized his dog was missing."

"His world completely collapsed."

He Yanxun took a sip of his drink, glancing at the oversized Long Island iced tea in front of Qiao Xu.

"Slow down. This stuff has a real kick. If you get drunk, your man will kill me."

Qiao Xu chuckled. "It’s fine, I drink it often."

"No, really, what were you thinking, stealing his dog?" He Yanxun raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with a bit of schadenfreude.

Qiao Xu: "..."

"I went back that day, saw the apartment door wasn't closed, and Cherry had run into the hallway. I was afraid she’d get lost."

"I put her back, but she kept clinging to me, so I had no choice but to take her."

He Yanxun laughed. "Impressive. Damn, that’s actually impressive."

"Qiao Xu, you haven't dated anyone in the last few years, have you?"

Qiao Xu took a sip of her drink, her tone indifferent. "No time for that."

He Yanxun rested his arm on the back of the chair. "After you two broke up, he went to the Xu family and caused a scene. The next time I saw him, there was a gash on the inside of his left arm—bloody and raw. It made my skin crawl just looking at it."

Qiao Xu’s expression faltered.

The inside of his left arm. She hadn't even noticed.

They had been in an ambiguous relationship for a while, and yet, she hadn’t noticed.

Seeing her reaction, He Yanxun knew she hadn't seen it.

Then again, how could that dog have let his precious baby see such an ugly scar?

Though, it wasn't even ugly anymore; it had bloomed into a flower.

It truly lived up to the lyric: [A scar can still bloom into the flower you love.]

"Then he..."

He Yanxun said, "Before Uncle Xu passed away, he had already paved the way for A-Si. All sorts of funds, stocks, real estate, bank vaults, Swiss bank accounts."

"After you left, he was no different from a man hanging on by a thread."

"When he got to Los Angeles, he worked and started a business while studying. He wanted nothing to do with the Xu family’s assets anymore."

He Yanxun signaled the bartender to pour him another drink.

"He knew it was his mother who forced you to leave. He even arranged for your father’s medical treatment, the surgery, and all the follow-up care."

"You didn't know, did you? That apartment you two lived in? It’s under your name."

Qiao Xu was stunned. She didn't know.

No wonder there was that one time Xu Si'an had taken her ID card.

She hadn't thought much of it at the time.

"A-Si didn't know that the doctor who performed the surgery and treatment for Uncle Qiao was a member of the Shen family—and a sycophant for Shen Zhiwei."

Qiao Xu suddenly felt like her brain couldn't process all this information.

"A member of the Shen family?"

"Then why is he still with Shen Zhiwei..."

He Yanxun laughed. "The adopted son of the Shen family, Shen Zhiwei’s nominal brother, Shen Zhao."

"The abortion medical report released a few days ago? The child belonged to Shen Zhao."

Qiao Xu nearly choked on this piece of gossip.

"Does Xu Si'an's brother know about this?"

He Yanxun was speechless. "Your focus is really something else. Why aren't you concerned about Xu Si'an?"

Qiao Xu smiled. "It doesn't stop me from enjoying the drama."

"Do you really think that if your man could find out, Xu Shiran wouldn't know?"

"It’s just male pride getting in the way."

He Yanxun gave a mischievous grin. "Let me give you one more scoop."

"Yeah?"

"Shen Zhiwei’s hymenoplasty was also performed by her little lover."

"That day when A-Si went back to the Xu house, he was drugged. They tried to force that trash Shen Zhiwei on him, but he refused. He’d rather cut himself than stay."

"In the end, Xu Shiran was the one who picked up the 'freshly repaired' goods."

Qiao Xu’s eyelids twitched. He Yanxun really was a gossip monger.

"So, these four years abroad, has he been doing okay?"

As soon as she asked, she regretted it.

How could he have been okay?

"Pretty good."

"He was fine once he got busy."

"You probably don't know this either, but he is one of the original shareholders of Xuxing."

Qiao Xu: "..."

She knew absolutely nothing.

Qiao Xu finished her Long Island iced tea just as the wind chime at the entrance rang.

Xu Si'an appeared with another man.

He Yanxun cursed under his breath, "Damn it."

He slapped the table and looked at the man wiping glasses at the bar. "Did you call them here?"

Yu Chuan chuckled. "I called A-Si, but not Si Shen."

Qiao Xu beamed. "Are you gay?"

"Gay my ass! I'm straight—straight as an arrow."

Yu Chuan laughed out loud. "Apologies."

"What's so funny?"

"It's just funny. Whether a little 'bottom' is straight or not doesn't matter at all."

He Yanxun hurled his empty glass at Yu Chuan.

"Qiao Xu, your old WeChat account is still pinned at the top of his chat list. Take a look at his phone when you get a chance."

"Oh, right, don't forget to check that scar he used to prove his innocence."

Qiao Xu: "..."

Xu Si'an stood behind her, leaning down, his jaw resting on her shoulder. "You're brave enough to follow anyone around, aren't you? Aren't you afraid of being sold off to some remote mountain village?"

"I know him."

Xu Si'an pecked her neck. "Still, that won't do. He's not a good person."

"Xu Si'an, screw you."

Seeing the man who had just finished his phone call at the door, He Yanxun instinctively wanted to run, but he was too slow.

Just as his butt left the chair, someone pressed him back down.

"A-Chuan, get me a glass of water, please."

Si Shen stood there, his hand resting firmly on the other man's shoulder.

Xu Si'an gently tousled Qiao Xu's hair. "Still drinking? If not, let's go home."

Qiao Xu shook her head. "No more. I’m going to the restroom, then we'll leave."

"Mhm. Want me to go with you?"

"No need."

Xu Si'an sat in Qiao Xu’s seat. Yu Chuan asked, "Drink?"

"Water. I have to drive."

An ice water was placed in front of Xu Si'an. "A-Si, from now on, don't tell A-Xun any secrets. This guy's mouth is like a sieve."

Xu Si'an chuckled. "It doesn't matter. Everything he knows isn't a secret anyway."

He Yanxun looked disgusted. "It's because he’s too stubborn to speak, so I'm helping him out."

"He could've just played the victim to get his wife back, but he had to be all high and mighty."

He mimicked Xu Si'an’s tone from when he first returned to the country: "'I wouldn't even lick her boots, let alone be a sycophant.'"

"Hahaha..."

Xu Si'an laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Senior brother, shut his mouth for me."

Si Shen curled his lips, his dark eyes filled with doting. "Sure. I'll shut it later tonight—I guarantee he won't be able to make a sound for three days."

He Yanxun was like a firecracker, ready to explode at the slightest touch.

"Shut your damn mouth! Let go, I’m going home."

"I'll take you."

"Don't need it. My butt hurts from sitting in President Si's car."

Yu Chuan’s funny bone was struck by He Yanxun. "No way, A-Shen, you’re too broke to get a hotel room?"

"I'll transfer you some."

"Damn it, you brothers are all like dogs. I'm done with you!"

Yu Chuan and Si Shen were neighbors; He Yanxun and Xu Si'an were childhood friends, and Si Shen was Xu Si'an's senior.

They had been hanging out together since college, and Yu Chuan had only come here later to open the lounge.

Xu Si'an didn't hesitate. "Don't act like we're the same. Only A-Shen would like someone like you."

Si Shen let go of his shoulder. "Let's go. We'll catch up another time."

He Yanxun was dragged away from the lounge.

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