Although Jiang Yu said he didn’t need help, out of basic decency, Yu Shiqing still kindly offered to help him fill the bathtub. Jiang Yu’s smile stiffened. “Then I should thank you. That’s too much trouble for you.”
Yu Shiqing calmly accepted, “You’re welcome. It’s what I should do.”
Jiang Yu closed his eyes. He believed that one day, this jerk would make him so angry he’d have a heart attack.
Just then, Yu Shiqing remembered something. “I’ll go find you a set of pajamas.”
But before he could turn around, the doorbell rang.
Yu Shiqing raised his finger to signal Jiang Yu to wait, then went to open the door first.
Jiang Yu sat on the living room sofa. From the mirrored wall beside the TV, he could see Yu Shiqing’s back. Only then did he notice not only were there full-length mirrors on both sides of the TV wall, but also at the entryway, and in the corners of the rooms mirrors were everywhere.
Narcissist? Jiang Yu immediately ruled that out. Over the past four days, he had never once seen Yu Shiqing tidy himself up.
Just as he was thinking that, Yu Shiqing opened the door.
In the mirror, Jiang Yu clearly saw that the person standing outside wasn’t Ren Bai like he expected it was a female Omega?
Jiang Yu furrowed his brow slightly and sat up straight.
When he saw the visitor, Yu Shiqing also froze for a moment.
“Shiqing.” The woman held a food bag with both hands, her expression nervous and uneasy. “It’s been a long time. I came to check on you.”
“It’s been a long time,” Yu Shiqing returned to himself and glanced over her before stepping aside to let her in.
The woman squeezed the food bag tightly. When it made a rustling sound, she came back to her senses and forced a smile. “I made some dumplings myself and wanted to bring them for you to try.”
“You made them yourself?” Yu Shiqing reached out to take it, his thumb rubbing the packaging box. His eyes dropped, and his expression looked dim.
The woman nodded again and again. “Yes! I made your favorite pork and shrimp.”
Seeing Yu Shiqing remain silent, she raised her hand, wanting to touch his face, but then pulled back timidly. “I didn’t want to bother you. I know things haven’t been easy for you either. Shiqing, I’m sorry, I just… have no other choice…”
“It’s okay. I understand.” Yu Shiqing set the dumplings on the side table. “Have a seat.”
Only when the woman walked into the living room did she suddenly notice Jiang Yu sitting on the sofa. She quickly said, “You have a guest? Then… maybe I should let you get back to it?”
Jiang Yu had been watching Yu Shiqing’s expression through the mirror.
Hearing this, he spoke up, “Don’t mind me. I’m just staying for the night. You two talk.”
Now closer, he saw the woman had long, smooth hair falling over her shoulders. Her slightly poofy side bangs were half tucked behind her ear and half falling over her face. Even without makeup, the visible part of her face looked very delicate. There were faint lines at the corners of her eyes, giving her a tired yet gentle look a kind of beauty shaped by time.
Noticing him looking, she awkwardly brushed her bangs to cover her side profile.
Yu Shiqing smiled and explained, “He’s my coworker.”
Coworker? Jiang Yu looked at him.
The woman took a step back. “Forget it. I shouldn’t disturb you.”
Yu Shiqing stood still, the smile on his lips slowly fading. “You’re leaving?”
“I’m sorry,” the woman shook her head, full of guilt. “Shiqing, I can’t be away from Yuan Yuan too long.”
Yu Shiqing didn’t stop her, but as she shook her head, his gaze sharpened slightly. “What happened to your face?”
The woman hurriedly covered her face with her hair. “It’s nothing!”
She had very fair skin — any bruise would show clearly. Yu Shiqing stepped forward and immediately saw the large, purplish bruise on her cheekbone.
His voice turned cold. “Did he hit you again?”
Jiang Yu looked at Yu Shiqing. From his angle, he saw Yu Shiqing’s side profile, filled with restrained anger.
Between him and this Omega, there was an obvious emotional connection.
Since they met, Yu Shiqing had never shown his emotions so openly toward anyone. It was easy to tell how special this woman was to him.
In a panic, the woman turned around. “No, I just accidentally hit myself. Shiqing, I have to go!”
Suddenly, Yu Shiqing said, “Get a divorce.”
The woman froze.
Jiang Yu was slightly surprised. This woman was married?
Did Yu Shiqing fall in love with a married Omega?
After the initial shock, Jiang Yu felt a subtle discomfort in his chest, mixed with frustration. He told himself he was just disappointed in Yu Shiqing’s poor judgment.
The woman shook her head. “Shiqing, you know I don’t have a job…”
“I’ll support you,” Yu Shiqing said.
The woman was stunned and looked back at him, but still refused. “And Yuan Yuan…”
“You can bring her with you,” Yu Shiqing said. “I can afford it.”
Even so, the woman still shook her head. “No, no, Yuan Yuan can’t be without her father.”
She looked at Yu Shiqing, her lips trembling. “Shiqing, I know your childhood was hard. I can’t let Yuan Yuan go through the same thing. You can’t be so selfish…”
Silence fell in the living room.
“I’m sorry!” The woman also realized she’d said the wrong thing. Tearfully, she turned and left without looking back.
Jiang Yu looked at Yu Shiqing’s back through the mirror.
It was the first time he had seen such pure loneliness in him.
Yu Shiqing walked to the table, stared down at the bag of dumplings for a long time, then put it in the fridge. Afterward, he fetched a set of pajamas and placed them in the bathroom.
After filling the tub, he walked over to Jiang Yu. “I’ll help you inside.”
Jiang Yu looked at him up closely.
The woman’s words earlier had been like a sharp knife. Whatever emotion had started to melt in Yu Shiqing’s eyes was now frozen again. His face was cold, even his usual fake gentleness was gone.
“Yu Shiqing.”
“Hmm?”
“That…” Jiang Yu frowned. That Omega, is she really that important to you?
But instead of asking directly, he changed the question. “That Omega, is she your friend?”
Yu Shiqing turned to look at him and said calmly, “She’s my mother.”
Jiang Yu: “…”
That unexpected answer made his mind go blank. “Your mom?”
“Yeah,” Yu Shiqing said. “Don’t worry, she probably doesn’t know you, and she won’t come again. Your whereabouts won’t be exposed.”
Jiang Yu frowned slightly. “That’s not what I meant.”
The image of Yu Shiqing’s lonely back lingered in his mind. Since they were living together, he wanted to say something comforting. But since Yu Shiqing didn’t want to talk about it, he had no right to ask more.
“Forget it. It’s nothing.”
Yu Shiqing didn’t ask further. He helped Jiang Yu into the bathroom and sat on a chair by the bathtub. “Everything’s here. Call me when you’re done.”
“Thanks,” Jiang Yu said.
Yu Shiqing closed the door and left for the study.
About thirty minutes later, the phone rang.
Yu Shiqing returned to the bathroom and saw Jiang Yu was already dressed. He helped him into the main bedroom.
Jiang Yu looked around at the room’s decor and asked, “This is your room?”
“Yes,” Yu Shiqing said.
There were only two beds in the house. One was a single bed in the study, which Ren Bai used when staying over.
Since Jiang Yu had many health issues, Yu Shiqing didn’t want to argue about such trivial things, so he let him have the master bedroom and would sleep in the study.
“That’s not really fair, is it?” Jiang Yu looked around. “If I sleep here, where do you go?”
“There’s a bed in the study.”
“I can—”
“It’s not made. Ren Bai used it once,” Yu Shiqing interrupted. “You want to trade rooms with me?”
“…” Jiang Yu was silent for a while. “This is fine. Thanks.”
Seeing this, Yu Shiqing’s lips curled slightly, then he quickly hid the smile. “Get some rest.”
“Do you have a hair dryer?” Jiang Yu asked.
Only then did Yu Shiqing notice his hair was still dripping. He crouched down to open the nightstand, then looked up. “Can you hold it?”
Jiang Yu wasn’t sure. Even washing his hair earlier had nearly worn him out.
Yu Shiqing plugged in the dryer and stood. “I’ll do it.”
Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow. Yu Shiqing, being this considerate?
Not long after, with cold wet hair flopping messily over his forehead, Jiang Yu slowly clenched his hands on his lap.
The wind blew randomly around his head no technique at all. He should’ve known. Yu Shiqing being considerate? Only in a miracle.
Suddenly, Jiang Yu’s phone rang.
Yu Shiqing turned off the dryer and handed him the phone. “It’s Tan Yanfei.”
Jiang Yu remembered something and met his eyes. “Did I tell him I’m staying with you?”
Yu Shiqing thought for a moment. “Probably not.”
“Answer it for me.”
Yu Shiqing picked up and placed the phone next to his ear.
Jiang Yu had vanished suddenly without an assistant or bodyguard. Tan Yanfei must’ve been extremely anxious. Even standing nearby, Yu Shiqing could hear the string of questions coming from the phone.
After a few words to calm him, Jiang Yu asked, “What about that thing I asked you to check?”
Tan Yanfei immediately quieted down. After pacing a few steps, he gave a prepared explanation: “I checked. That girl is just a crazy stalker fan. She wanted you to mark her, even marry her. As for the room card, she stole it from a hotel staff.”
Before Jiang Yu could speak again, Tan Yanfei quickly added, “Also, the police have let her go.”
“What?” Jiang Yu frowned.
“They said she didn’t actually commit a crime. The matter could be seen as serious or not. They want to give her a second chance. Her parents are both in their 60s or 70s. She’s their only child. They’ve been begging me to let her go, even almost kneeling several times. It’s really pitiful. I couldn’t bear it…”
After hearing this, Jiang Yu said, “Alright, I understand. I’m not free right now. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
He hung up and looked at Yu Shiqing, summarizing what Tan Yanfei said.
“She was released?” Yu Shiqing’s brow moved slightly. “What do you think?”
“If not for the recent hot searches, I wouldn’t think it’s strange,” Jiang Yu said.
“How so?” Yu Shiqing asked.
“Tan Yanfei mentioned before, maybe someone’s working behind the scenes. His suspicion makes sense. I also think it’s not that simple.”
“If you want to investigate, start with the girl,” Yu Shiqing said, then added, “Hire a professional. Your agent isn’t tough enough.”
Jiang Yu had the same thought. “Do you know someone like that?”
“I’ll ask Ren Bai for you tomorrow,” Yu Shiqing said.
“Okay.”
Just as he was about to pick up the hair dryer again, Jiang Yu noticed a photo frame on the nightstand.
In the photo, the woman who had just left looked much younger. She was being held by a man, both smiling brightly. In front of them stood a young boy, about ten years old, with a soft smile. The three of them were all very good-looking.
Yu Shiqing noticed his gaze and glanced over too.
Jiang Yu couldn’t help but ask, “You said you needed money was it because of your mom?”
“Yes,” Yu Shiqing replied. “Her daughter is sick and needs expensive surgery.”
Jiang Yu was stunned. “Your sister is sick? Which hospital is she in?”
“I don’t know,” Yu Shiqing said.
“You don’t know?” Jiang Yu was confused. “Didn’t your mom tell you?”
Yu Shiqing smiled and simply explained, “It’s a blended family. Her family doesn’t welcome me.”
Jiang Yu froze.
Blended family?
So “her daughter” didn’t mean Yu Shiqing’s sister, but the daughter of that woman and another man.
He had many questions at that moment.
If they didn’t welcome Yu Shiqing, why did she come to borrow money?
And if she came to borrow money, why did she say such cruel things?
Did she know how unfairly Yu Shiqing had been treated at Huaze?
Or did she only care about her new family?
But Jiang Yu was just an outsider. He had no right to ask about these private matters.
In the end, he only said in a low voice, “Do you have enough money now?”
“The payment from Doomsday Rescue arrived. It’s enough for the surgery,” Yu Shiqing said.
Only then did Jiang Yu understand.
Why Yu Shiqing turned down his higher offer without hesitation. Why he seemed indifferent to everything.
Because Yu Shiqing didn’t care about a comeback. He only needed that one payment.
“Then after you finish filming Doomsday Rescue…” Jiang Yu paused, “what will you do?”
“I’ll go back to rehearsing my stage play,” Yu Shiqing said. Then he smiled again, “If her daughter weren’t sick, I wouldn’t have returned to the entertainment industry at all.”
Jiang Yu looked at him, and his chest suddenly tightened.
