By the time Feng Hui rushed from his company to the hospital, he found Fang Li curled up alone on the hospital bed, sobbing.
Fang Li had lost a lot of weight these past few days. The Shengyi Hospital gown hung loosely on his thin frame, making his already sharp chin appear almost skeletal. It was hard to believe someone so frail would be undergoing six-hour open-heart surgery in just a few days.
Feng Hui, panting heavily from running all the way, exclaimed, “Fang Li, what happened?!”
“Why did everything turn out like this…?” Fang Li buried his face in his hands, weeping. He truly couldn’t grasp how drastically everything had changed since that afternoon.
His world had once again been turned upside down, catching him completely off guard. Weren’t things between him and Qin Weidong supposed to be getting better? Qin Weidong had landed a job at a major firm, they had moved into a beautiful new home—everything had seemed to be progressing. But why had it all suddenly twisted into such a nightmare?
Feng Hui had heard what happened from Qi Jian, and suddenly everything made sense. But he didn’t know how to explain it. “Fang Li… this whole thing—it’s clear someone’s been targeting Brother Qin, and chose the perfect moment to strike. But don’t worry… Brother Qin’s family has power. They won’t just stand by and let this happen.”
Feng Hui was mostly trying to comfort Fang Li. Rumors were already spreading that the anonymous report was backed by solid evidence. It accused Qin Weidong of misconduct, of having an inappropriate relationship with another man, of having a chaotic personal life.
There were even whispers that a photo had been leaked—one of Qin Weidong kissing a young man. A disgusting image, they said.
In their society, in this era, falling in love with someone of the same sex wasn’t just taboo. Homosexuality was seen as a corrupt Western illness, a perversion, something tied to AIDS and drug addiction.
Someone like that? Forget about a future. Even colleagues would start to avoid him with disdain.
Feng Hui understood that. And because he understood, he had no idea what could be done. Before leaving, Qin Weidong had personally recommended that Feng Hui be kept on in Chaojiang. Feng Hui had been truly grateful to Brother Qin for that.
But now, this… a scandal that exposed someone’s private life so brutally—how could anyone recover? Even being accused of bribery or corruption was less damning than this.
At least corruption had loopholes, avenues for appeal. But this kind of stain? It was like having a bucket of filth dumped over your head—sticky, stinking, and impossible to wash clean.
Fang Li wiped away his tears and dashed toward the door. Feng Hui caught him by the arm.
“Fang Li! What are you doing?!”
Fang Li sobbed as he spoke. “Let me go. I really need to see Qin Weidong. Please, just let me go find him. I haven’t seen him in days. We can explain everything—to his parents, to everyone…”
It was the only solution Fang Li could think of. He’d never been as shrewd or far-sighted as Qin Weidong. Qin had always sheltered him so well.
Even when he acted a little willful, Qin never let him face the ugliness of the world.
Hearing this, Feng Hui finally understood why, the moment trouble struck, Qin Weidong had sent him that single text: [Don’t tell Fang Li.]
Today, he finally realized why. Fang Li had been too well protected by Qin Weidong. In the world Qin Weidong created for him, he had no idea what reality looked like outside of it.
Qin Zhengrong would never let his son’s political career be destroyed like this. He’d transferred Qin Weidong to a lower-level post, and those unaware of his background might not understand the reasoning behind the reassignment—but wasn’t it obvious?
Feng Hui dared not think further. If this matter had to be settled at the cost of one person… who would that sacrifice be?
“Fang Li! Where do you think you’re going to ‘explain’ anything? Do you even know who Qin Weidong’s real parents are?!”
Unable to hold it back anymore, Feng Hui burst out, “His father is Qin Zhengrong! Qin Zhengrong! The top official of Jin Province! Do you have any idea what that means? Someone we can only ever see on the news—he’s Qin Weidong’s biological father! Do you really think a man like that would allow his own son to be a homosexual? A homosexual who’s been reported to the top?!”
Fang Li froze. His mind went blank. He didn’t understand much about political titles, but he knew that was an extraordinarily high-ranking position. Tears streamed down his face, down his chin, soaking into his neck.
Feng Hui remembered how, back in high school, when his family found out about him and Qi Jian, his parents had pinned every disgraceful accusation imaginable on Qi Jian in front of teachers and classmates—until they forced him to drop out.
Back then, he hadn’t been able to do a thing. And that had been just a moderately wealthy family trying to protect their own son. What about the Qin family? How could they possibly let one man ruin their son’s future? Even if that man was someone who had lived with Qin Weidong for more than a decade.
The more power a person held, the colder their blood ran.
Fang Li couldn’t understand that. But Feng Hui, after two years of hardship and growth, had long since outgrown his youthful naiveté.
In the end, Feng Hui’s heart softened. “Fang Li, just stay here and get through the surgery. Leave the rest to Brother Qin…”
That was all he could say. He was worried for Brother Qin, yes, but more than that, he feared for Fang Li—who had no protection, no power, nothing at all.
This incident replayed before Feng Hui’s eyes, just like the one with Qi Jian years ago—the thing he regretted most in his life.
Fang Li’s lashes trembled as tears slid down. He wiped his face; his eyes and cheeks were red. “I understand what you’re saying… just let me make one call to Qin Weidong. I just want to call him…”
……
In Qin Zhengrong’s study, Qin Dejiang on the other end of the line was still frantically apologizing. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined that the person his son, Qin Zijie, had reported—Qin Weidong—would turn out to be Qin Zhengrong’s long-lost biological son!
Cold sweat drenched his back, leaving him soaked through.
He repeatedly promised he would have Qin Zijie withdraw the report immediately. On the side, Qin Zijie stood in stunned silence until Qin Dejiang, after hanging up, kicked him hard and exploded in rage, finally snapping him out of it.
“You’ve completely lost your damn mind?! You went to Old Fu to report Qin Weidong?! Why didn’t you tell me?! Do you even know who he is?! He’s Qin Zhengrong’s son! His biological son! And you thought he had no backing and could be destroyed easily?!”
Qin Dejiang hurled the documents from his desk at his son, cursing his recklessness. He’d gotten some rumors lately but hadn’t dared to believe them.
And now… it was true. Qin Zhengrong had really found his son after fifteen years!
“Now the whole thing’s blown up! They traced it back to you. You wanted to destroy him? He could ruin you with a flick of a finger! You’re going to drag me down with you!”
Qin Dejiang’s business had prospered in recent years, thanks entirely to his distant relation to Qin Zhengrong. Even as a remote relative, he was respected and deferred to. During holidays, he couldn’t even get a chance to send a gift. And now, the first time he got a call from his distant cousin was because his son had made such a colossal blunder!
Qin Zhengrong might not retaliate immediately, but after harming his long-lost son? How could he not settle the score later?
“Dad, what are you saying?! That’s impossible!”
Qin Zijie couldn’t process it. The searing pain forced him to bend over. What was his father saying? It made no sense. He’d had Qin Weidong followed for a month, taken so many disgusting photos, all just to get back that three million yuan debt. He had targeted Qin Weidong…
How had he suddenly turned into Qin Zhengrong’s son?!
Wasn’t Qin Zhengrong’s son supposed to be dead?!
It was absurd—completely impossible!
In the study, Qin Zhengrong made two consecutive phone calls. Ye Peilin also rushed over. This situation was indeed a thorny one. Throughout history, matters of moral conduct have always been the most difficult to handle—nearly impossible to turn around. The timing was especially unfortunate: Qin Zhengrong had yet to publicly acknowledge Qin Weidong’s identity. Otherwise, who would be foolish enough to lay a hand on the son of Secretary Qin?
The moment Ye Peilin entered the room, he sensed that the atmosphere was tense.
Two men, both sharp-eyed and strikingly similar in appearance—one older, one younger—were locked in confrontation. Qin Zhengrong’s expression clearly showed signs of barely contained fury, while the young man before him showed no sign of backing down.
Qin Weidong curled his lips. “Father, I’m grateful you found the best doctors for Fang Li, but I don’t agree with your solution.”
“You don’t agree?”
It had been a long time since Qin Zhengrong had felt such fury. Even Ye Peilin gasped at the younger man’s words. In this day and age, very few people dared to speak to Qin Zhengrong so bluntly.
“Sending that child abroad is the best thing for his present and future. You disagree? Can you guarantee you won’t see him again?”
No one could accept finally finding a long-lost son, only to have him immediately stained by such a scandal.
Afraid that the newly reunited father and son might quarrel again—given both of their tempers—Ye Peilin quickly tried to smooth things over. “Weidong, you’re still young. Listen to your father. You don’t understand what a scandal like this could do to your career. Do as your father says. After the boy’s surgery, we’ll arrange for him to study abroad. We’ll cover all the expenses and paperwork. It’ll be our family’s way of making amends. Let him leave for now and ride out the storm.”
“Fang Li can’t go abroad.” Qin Weidong said flatly, “He hasn’t lived independently for twenty years. If you send him away now, he won’t survive.”
Seeing Qin Zhengrong about to explode, Ye Peilin jumped in again, “What do you mean, ‘can’t go abroad’? This is a golden opportunity—people would kill for it. Weidong, try to understand your father’s intentions. Don’t let emotions cloud your judgment. Now that you’re back, and with the two of us still in office, we can help you rise. But it also means more eyes will be on you. This time it was Qin Zijie—he didn’t dare go too far. Your father and I will try to suppress this matter. But next time… if someone with real power wants to use your relationship to make a scandal—your future…”
“My future?” he suddenly repeated, his voice sharp.
Ever since this mess began, all he kept hearing from Ye Yunshan, from Qin Zhengrong, from Ye Peilin, was that phrase. His ears were numb from it. He’d had enough.
He’d never been someone especially emotional. Ye Yunshan loved him, and what happened back then was an accident. This family hadn’t really done him wrong. Even if he wasn’t naturally suited for it, he was willing to learn, to try—try to be a good son.
But all of this hinged on one thing: that Fang Li was safe and well. Without that, nothing else was worth discussing.
The one who had shared his life with him for more than a decade was Fang Li—irreplaceable.
Qin Weidong pulled out Chaojiang’s business card, his meal card, the personnel form with his own signature on it, and even the car keys Wei Jianghe had given him. He threw them all on the table.
“My future is in my own hands. I don’t need anyone to plan it for me—not before, and not now. Even coming here was my decision. If the path you’ve laid out for me means I have to sacrifice my relationship with Fang Li, then I’d rather not walk it.”
“Weidong, do you have any idea what you’re saying to your father?!”
Ye Peilin couldn’t hold back his rebuke. He wanted to ask if his nephew had any clue what he was giving up. Did he understand the weight of what Qin Zhengrong could offer him? He was still too young! He was severely underestimating his father’s power. With Qin Zhengrong’s backing, rising through the ranks of a major state-owned enterprise like Kunshan, his political future would be nothing short of meteoric—an ascent others couldn’t dream of even after generations of effort.
But Qin Weidong wasn’t fazed by the scolding. He looked at the items on the table without a hint of regret.
“This incident was my oversight. I’ll take responsibility. For me, it’s just changing cities, spending another two years rebuilding from scratch. But I don’t believe what Fang Li and I have is wrong. So the path you want me to follow—I simply can’t take it.”
Qin Weidong’s tone was both calm and defiant. It stunned Ye Peilin.
If any random twenty-year-old had said this in front of him and Qin Zhengrong, Ye Peilin would have thought they were arrogant, foolish, and utterly unaware of how the world worked.
But this was Qin Weidong. After seeing how his nephew had climbed the ladder these past two years, the weight of those words was different—he might just mean what he said, and he might just make it happen.
He didn’t care about the career prospects they kept harping on about. What he did care about—no one could take that from him.
Looking at Qin Weidong now, Ye Peilin suddenly felt like he didn’t know this nephew at all.
Maybe they’d gotten it all wrong from the start. They thought he’d be thrilled to come home, to find that the father he hadn’t seen in years was a powerful figure who could offer him more than most people could dream of after a lifetime of struggle.
But they had misjudged. During those fifteen long years of absence, while they were nowhere to be found, Qin Weidong had already grown up—tempered by hardship, shaped by stone and grit—not into a child they could control, but into a lone wolf.
Leaving Qin Zhengrong’s study, Qin Weidong looked exhausted. A few days ago, those who had investigated him had come rushing back in a panic—returning his phone, offering apologies…
Seeing her son like this, Ye Yunshan felt a deep ache in her heart. Back when she was pregnant, she had been so happy, determined to be a good mother, wanting to give her child the very best this world had to offer.
But she never imagined that before she could fulfill that role for more than a few short years, someone would steal from her the precious time to watch her son grow up.
“Son, listen to your father. He has his reasons—this is what’s best for both of you…”
Qin Weidong looked at Ye Yunshan and rasped, “Mom, give me the phone.”
Unable to bear it, she handed him her mobile.
As he took it and was about to dial, his eyes caught the first number in the call history—a familiar one. “You called him?”
His voice changed instantly, the corners of his eyes reddening, showing a terrifying rage that he hadn’t even revealed in Qin Zhengrong’s office. “You called him? What did you say to him?”
“Son…?”
Ye Yunshan had never seen her son like this. Since returning home, he had always been respectful, gentle, obedient—making her believe for a moment that he had truly missed them all these years, that he truly wanted to come home.
“I just… just wanted to tell him how much this was affecting you. I asked him, for your sake, for both of your sakes, to stop contacting you…”
“He’s about to have surgery! His heart’s not well! He can’t take any more stress!”
Ye Yunshan couldn’t believe that this mild-mannered son of hers was now shouting at her. “Weidong, why are you talking to your mother like this…? Do you have any idea how we got through those years when you were gone? Your father arranged everything for you—you must see that everything we’ve done has been for your good.
This incident could ruin your future. We just wanted to give you the best. You’re our only son—how could we ever want to harm you?”
Qin Weidong couldn’t listen anymore. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he picked up the phone and dialed.
In the hospital, Fang Li could hardly believe his ears when he heard Qin Weidong’s voice on the other end: “Qin Weidong…? Is it really you?!”
Hearing the voice that had clearly been crying, Qin Weidong felt his heart twist in pain. “It’s me… baby…”
He said this right in front of his mother, not trying to hide it at all. He was exhausted. He’d never been one for strong emotions. Coming home, he’d tried to tell himself the past wasn’t his parents’ fault, and if his mother missed him and loved him, he could try to be a good son in return.
But now it seemed impossible to balance. He would not allow anyone to hurt Fang Li—not even his own parents.
Fang Li clutched the phone, crying. “Qin Weidong, where are you? Feng Hui said you were reported, because of us. Qin Weidong, your mom was crying on the phone too—why did it come to this…?”
Qin Weidong had no answer. Everything had happened all at once, and his head was splitting from the pain.
Fang Li was falling apart. “Qin Weidong, can we go back to how things were? I don’t need a big house anymore. We can move back to the little one. I can spend less money. If you don’t like me singing, I’ll stop. I’ll even give up the piano. I’ll do whatever you say. Can we please just go back to how it was…?”
Back then, there had been none of these worries. No one had ever said that their relationship might jeopardize Qin Weidong’s future.
Even though their place was tiny, he’d been living happily with Qin Weidong…!
Qin Weidong’s heart shattered. “Baby, don’t worry about any of this…” Qin Weidong’s voice was hoarse. “Just be good at the hospital. Listen to the doctors, listen to Feng Hui. Whatever anyone else says—don’t listen. Not a single word.”
Fang Li sobbed, nearly breathless. Qin Weidong softened his voice, coaxing him, “I told you before—you only need to listen to me. Just be good at the hospital, okay?”
Fang Li nodded through his tears. Once he’d caught his breath, he asked, “Did you fight with Uncle and Auntie…? Auntie was crying. She worked so hard to find you again… please talk to her properly.”
“I know.” Hearing his thoughtfulness, Qin Weidong felt as if his heart had been split open with an axe. “Lili, the surgery is what matters most. I’ll handle the rest—just like I always have. You still trust me, don’t you? Just stay in the hospital and don’t make me worry.”
Fang Li sniffled. Maybe it was that familiar line—“just like I always have”—that gave him a deep sense of comfort and security. His turbulent emotions settled slightly, and he nodded. “Don’t worry, okay… Qin Weidong, I really miss you. Once I’ve had the surgery and you’re back, if you don’t want me to sing, I won’t. I won’t argue with you anymore either…”
Qin Weidong lowered his eyes. His lashes were wet, his eyes rimmed red. “Okay. You’re the best.”
After he hung up, Ye Yunshan had heard everything—her son speaking so intimately to another man—and was overcome with pain. “Son, you don’t understand these feelings yet… He’s still like a child, clinging to you even when things go wrong. What you’re holding onto—once you’ve been through more—you’ll see, it’s not worth it… You should listen to your father…”
“Mom.” Qin Weidong looked at her. “Please don’t call him again. Okay?”
Ye Yunshan looked up.
Qin Weidong said softly, “You heard him. He didn’t mention what you said to him—not because he doesn’t understand or won’t be hurt—but because he only acts that sensible when he’s truly heartbroken. He’s not naive. He’s holding back because he doesn’t want to make things harder for me.”
“Ever since he was little, he always listened to me. If you think he doesn’t understand love, then it’s me who took advantage of that. I’m the one who led him on when he didn’t know better. That’s on me.”
“Son…”
Qin Weidong said wearily, “He’s the one who found me. He’s the one who lived with me for fifteen years. I’m begging you—please let him get through this surgery in peace. I’ll talk to Dad about the rest. Is that alright?”
Axolotl Translations 
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