Chapter 13: In the Hospital Room

If the man before him weren’t Xie Bo, Chi Xicheng would have acted long ago.

Xie Bo was someone he feared, just a little.

The Chi and Xie families had numerous business collaborations, with complex interests intertwined. If he tore things apart with Xie Bo, both families would be in an awkward position.

Chi Xicheng looked at the girl hiding behind him and curled his lips into a malicious sneer. “Young Master Bo, this isn’t very fair. She was the girl I set my sights on first. There should be some respect for who came first, right?”

“Respect for who came first, huh?” Xie Bo’s eyes flicked toward Lin Yiwei. “What do you say?”

Lin Yiwei glanced nervously at the insistent Chi Xicheng and said timidly, “I met Young Master Bo first, around August sixth or seventh, I remember. At the Carmen Tavern—we had a great time.”

Xie Bo chuckled softly, repeating with a meaningful tone, “That night, indeed, we had a great time.”

Chi Xicheng’s face instantly darkened, his eyes clouded with gloom.

Suddenly, his expression twitched as he laughed wildly. “Interesting, very interesting. Since she’s Young Master Bo’s woman, why is she joining my game now? Isn’t one Xie Bo not enough for you?”

Lin Yiwei pressed her lips tightly, unsure how to respond. Xie Bo was not angry; he simply said, “Yeah, she’s wild, not very obedient.”

His cold eyes, sharp as blades, swept over Lin Yiwei. “She even sells the gifts I gave her online. She’s quite something…”

Chi Xicheng had heard about this yesterday. Everything seemed to confirm that she really was Xie Bo’s woman.

“What should I do, Young Master Bo? I genuinely fancy her.” Chi Xicheng laughed shamelessly, adopting a shameless tone. “Willing to give her up? Let her be mine, and I’ll trade you my Moshi V8 modified car.”

Xie Bo smiled lightly. “Your junk car? My club can easily pull out a better one. In terms of performance and looks, it beats yours hands down.”

“Then tell me what you want, anything.”

“Anything?”

Lin Yiwei’s heart tightened as she looked at Xie Bo.

His eyes were deep and dark as night, fixed intently on Chi Xicheng. “I want all the shares of West Club.”

Chi Xicheng seemed to hear some absurdity. “Damn! Xie Bo, you really have the nerve to ask for all my shares after all the money I’ve poured into West.”

Xie Bo said lightly, “See, you can’t bear to lose your club, so how could I bear to lose my woman?”

Chi Xicheng looked at the girl’s pure and tempting face behind him, hesitated briefly. “I’ll give you a three percent stake, that’s the most.”

Lin Yiwei’s palm broke out in a thin layer of sweat as she anxiously looked at Xie Bo.

“I want it all.” Xie Bo wasn’t interested in bargaining.

“Xie Bo, don’t go too far! Are you really going to tear things apart with me over a woman?”

Xie Bo stepped forward firmly. “Chi Xicheng, you’re the one blatantly trying to take what’s mine. Who’s really tearing whose face apart?”

“Damn you…” Chi Xicheng lost his temper. The temper of a young master exploded in an instant. “You’re just a bastard! Your mother’s a prostitute from the red-light district, a whore just like her! You only like to mess with scum like that…”

Before he could finish, Xie Bo threw a punch, sending Chi Xicheng crashing beside the shelves.

But that wasn’t the end. Xie Bo walked over and ruthlessly landed several punches on Chi Xicheng’s face, each blow explosive, his gaze cold and unyielding.

Such cruelty was never seen before.

“Did you say who’s a whore?” Xie Bo grabbed his neck with one hand, nearly choking him. “Say it again, hmm?”

Chi Xicheng was suffocating, close to losing consciousness. In the end, Yun Hui, who had been waiting in the car, rushed over, dragged Chi Xicheng away from Xie Bo’s grasp, and pulled him out of the convenience store.

“Xie Bo, just you wait…” Chi Xicheng gasped for breath, glaring viciously back at him.

Xie Bo ignored him and turned to look at Lin Yiwei.

The girl trembled slightly, tears welling in the corners of her eyes, seemingly frightened.

For a moment, it was unclear whether her tears were genuine or just an act.

His heart ached sourly at her tears, and he wiped them away with the back of his hand.

“He’ll tell Chi Xiyu, I’m finished…” Lin Yiwei collapsed onto the ground, hugging her knees. “It’s all over.”

Xie Bo frowned. “Competing with me for a woman and losing—that’s not something to be proud of. Don’t worry, he won’t tell anyone about this.”

“Are you… sure?”

“In Chi Xicheng’s eyes, face is everything. He’s not close with his sister either; he won’t give Chi Xiyu any chance to mock him.” Xie Bo knew the siblings’ relationship well.

Lin Yiwei’s tense expression eased slightly as she breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Bo realized he was actually comforting her.

When had he ever comforted a woman?

This was unbelievable—he had come to settle accounts with her.

Lin Yiwei softened a bit and went to lift the fallen shelves.

The shelves were heavy, and after several attempts, she couldn’t hold them up. She looked back at Xie Bo. “What are you just standing there for? Come help.”

Xie Bo was still pondering how to confront her but furrowed his brows when he heard this. “You want me to do all this?”

“Aren’t you a man?”

“…”

He walked over reluctantly and helped her lift a few fallen shelves.

Lin Yiwei organized all the merchandise. Fortunately, only a few cups were broken—she could afford to compensate for those. But the damaged surveillance camera…

She was definitely going to be fired.

Well, if fired, then so be it. Chi Xicheng already knew where she worked; changing convenience stores might be better.

She noticed the skin on the back of Xie Bo’s right hand was scraped and went to the shelves to get a box of band-aids. She tore off two and took his hand.

She opened a bottle of alcohol, dipped a cotton swab, and applied it to the scraped knuckles on his hand.

When the alcohol touched the wound, a sharp sting made Xie Bo instinctively pull his hand back, but Lin Yiwei held on firmly, not letting him pull away.

“So you’re afraid of pain,” Lin Yiwei smiled as if discovering a secret. “Afraid, Xie Bo?”

Xie Bo awkwardly looked away. “Not afraid…”

Before he could finish, she poured the alcohol directly onto his hand. Xie Bo cried out in pain, gripping the little girl’s hand tightly and pinching her. “What are you doing?!”

“You’re just afraid of pain.” Lin Yiwei held back a laugh, her eyes curving upward. “So you do have things you’re afraid of.”

“Who the hell isn’t afraid of pain?”

“I’m not.”

Lin Yiwei often did rough work and had a high pain tolerance. “Try me.”

Xie Bo gripped her wrist tightly. The little girl stared him down without flinching.

Suddenly, he bent her index finger backward.

“Ah! It hurts! Xie Bo! You’re trying to get back at me, aren’t you?” The girl grimaced in pain.

“Still talking back.” He smiled faintly and released her.

Lin Yiwei rubbed her finger, shooting him a hateful glance.

Xie Bo offered his hand again. “Continue.”

Lin Yiwei pouted but resumed disinfecting his hand with the cotton swab, no longer intentionally hurting him. She puffed her cheeks and gently blew on the wound, easing the sting of the alcohol.

The soft breeze made his heart tingle with a strange warmth.

He looked at her slender, delicate neck and recalled what Chi Xicheng had said—

“She’s just like your mother, a lowlife whore.”

His fists clenched uncontrollably.

“Hey.”

The band-aid Lin Yiwei just applied was torn off by his fist.

She quickly said, “Don’t clench your fist, relax.”

Xie Bo loosened his grip, and she reapplied the band-aid. “There, be careful when you shower. Don’t let it get wet.”

“Have you thought it over?” he asked.

“Thought about what?”

“Whether to come be with me.”

“No.” Lin Yiwei refused without hesitation.

Xie Bo looked at her helplessly. “You’d rather be messed with by Chi Xicheng than be with me, huh?”

Lin Yiwei was silent.

Today was already a fortunate accident. Luckily, Chi Xicheng and his sister didn’t get along well; otherwise, everything would have fallen apart.

Finding Lin Xie… was the most important thing.

“Xie Bo, don’t worry about me. I can handle Chi Xicheng.”

“How will you handle him?”

“I told you, I’m not afraid of pain.” Her dark, shining eyes met his. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

“He’s just a whore, just like your mother…”

Chi Xicheng’s words echoed in Xie Bo’s mind like a devil’s whisper.

Veins bulged at his temples.

“Lin Yiwei, if I help you again, I’m just humiliating myself!”

With that, Xie Bo stormed out of the convenience store in anger.

…

In the boxing gym, Chi Xicheng vented his fury on a rubber punching dummy dressed in a racing suit, beating it until it swayed.

Yun Hui watched coldly. “Master Chi, enough. She’s just a woman. It’s not worth damaging your relationship with Xie Bo over her. There are so many women in this world. Why fight him for one?”

Chi Xicheng clenched his fist and slammed it hard into the dummy.

Why was it that he always had to yield? Always had to be suppressed?

True, the Chi family was slightly inferior to the Xie family. But Chi Xicheng was their only son. And Xie Bo? He was nothing.

He only had his smarts, better grades, and the profitable companies he invested in to rely on. Gradually, his commercial talents were being recognized by Xie Sizhuo in recent years.

But at the end of the day, Xie Bo was just a bastard, forever stained by that dirty mark.

Chi Xicheng thought of Lin Yiwei’s pitiful face.

He really wanted to hear her cry aloud.

He looked back at Yun Hui. “Is there a race between West and DS next week?”

“Yes, there is. Xie Bo will be there too.”

Chi Xicheng smirked. “Isn’t that convenient?”

…

Those days, Lin Yiwei carefully observed. Chi Xiyu was as usual, no abnormalities. As Xie Bo said, Chi Xicheng hadn’t told her.

Only then did she feel relieved.

…

In the following days, Xie Bo didn’t come to school or contact her. Lin Yiwei thought he was upset from that day and had decided to give up on her. She relaxed slightly.

Once, while meeting Ye Anning for milk tea, she learned that Xie Bo had had an accident during a race—a mild concussion. He was hospitalized.

Her heart jolted. “How did that happen?”

“The West Club racer violated the rules and crashed into Xie Bo’s car. Luckily, Xie Bo’s skills were excellent; he made an emergency turn to avoid a fatal crash. The airbags deployed just in time, so he only suffered minor injuries. Otherwise, it would’ve been terrible.” Ye Anning sighed. “Racing is really dangerous. I’ve told him many times to quit, but he never listens. He just loves this line.”

“Is it… Chi Xicheng’s team?”

“Yes, Westfall. It’s Chi Xicheng’s team.”

Lin Yiwei felt a vague suspicion. After that night, Chi Xicheng clearly bore a grudge against Xie Bo.

If that was true… hadn’t she indirectly caused his injury?

“Is he okay now?” she asked Ye Anning.

Ye Anning sucked on her straw and sighed. “I don’t know. He’s in the private ward at Deco Hospital. I wanted to visit, but Chi Xiyu has been by his side all the time. I can’t get in without confronting her.”

Though Chi Xiyu wasn’t officially Xie Bo’s girlfriend yet, and the marriage alliance wasn’t finalized, many girls at school deliberately avoided her.

Because they knew if they clashed with Chi Xiyu, Xie Bo would only protect Chi Xiyu.

Lin Yiwei felt uneasy, thinking Xie Bo’s injury might somehow be connected to her…

Forget it. She wouldn’t dwell on it.

He chose it willingly. She never asked him for anything. Being heartless was the only way to survive.

She said goodbye to Ye Anning and left the milk tea shop. In the distance, a black sedan waited silently in the night as if it had been there for a long time.

…

In Deco Hospital’s private ward, Xie Bo’s eyes fluttered open. His head felt heavy and aching.

Chi Xiyu, worried, held his hand. “Brother Xie Bo, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Xie Bo withdrew his hand coolly and touched the bandage on his forehead.

“When I watched the replay, I was terrified. That accident was so scary!” Chi Xiyu said, still shaken. “Brother Xie Bo, please don’t race anymore. It’s too dangerous.”

Xie Bo smiled at her. “If I don’t race, what else am I going to do? Play house with you?”

“That’s fine too.” Chi Xiyu brought homemade chicken soup from their house to him. “Eat something.”

Xie Bo sniffed the soup and frowned. “Xiyu, I want cabbage porridge.”

“Ah, I’ll go get it for you!” Rarely asking for anything, Xie Bo’s request made Chi Xiyu hurry out of the ward.

Once she left, Xie Bo immediately jumped out of bed.

Dizziness almost made him fall. He steadied himself against the wall, tore off the bandage on his head, and staggered out.

“Young Master Bo, what are you doing?!” Li Du, who had just entered, quickly caught him. “Lie down! You’re not recovered yet!”

“How long was I unconscious?”

“About two days.”

Xie Bo pressed his temple, still feeling the dull ache.

“My phone?”

“It’s here.” Li Du quickly fetched the phone from the cabinet.

Xie Bo turned it on. Hundreds of WeChat, QQ messages, and texts flooded in.

He anxiously scrolled through them all but found no messages from the person he wanted to hear from.

Li Du studied the man’s pale, low spirit and asked, “Young Master Bo, who are you looking for?”

Xie Bo said nothing and called Lin Yiwei.

After a long wait, the call was answered.

“Xie Bo.” The girl’s voice was hoarse.

“Are you okay?”

Xie Bo walked to the ward’s floor-to-ceiling window, watching the setting sun dye the sky in fiery gold, like a brushstroke of molten ink.

He asked urgently, “During these two days I was unconscious, did Chi Xicheng come to you? Did he harm you? Are you hurt?”

On the other end, only the girl’s heavy breathing answered, tugging painfully at his heart.

“Speak, Lin Yiwei!” He grew anxious. “Answer me.”

“I… I’m fine, Xie Bo.” Lin Yiwei felt as if she had swallowed an olive. “You’re hurt like this, you take care of yourself. Don’t worry about me.”

“How can I not worry?”

Xie Bo rubbed his forehead, thinking of the woman who had been called a lowlife whore her entire life, the woman who had died clutching his hand tightly, tears streaming down her face, begging him to succeed.

“Remember, don’t go to isolated places. Don’t leave campus. Wait until I get better…”

Before he finished, the call was interrupted by Chi Xicheng’s demonic voice—

“Xie Bo, you’re awake?”