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Before the ceremony began, in the final few minutes, the emcee ushered everyone to their seats.
The uncle from the Ye family, still seemingly unwilling, stopped the wedding's main character, Ye Wanqing, who had been overlooked all along, and asked, "It's your wedding day today. How come your wife isn't here?"
"Mom's not feeling well. She's still in a nursing home to avoid overexertion. That's why we didn't have her come over today," Yan Wanqing awkwardly explained.
"Mom's not feeling well? She seemed perfectly fine when I saw her six months ago. Why suddenly admit her to a nursing home? Which nursing home did you send her to? Why didn't you inform us, the elders, so we could visit her?"
The uncle deliberately raised his voice, as if hinting at something. Ye Wanqing's expression turned sour, and he replied stiffly, "My mother needs rest. I don't want her to be disturbed, so it's unnecessary for you, uncle, to visit her."
Some of the onlookers who knew a bit about the Ye family's situation quickly avoided the scene and went to sit in the guest area, realizing that this wasn't something outsiders should be hearing.
As Ye Xingzhou passed by his uncle, he paused for a moment, glanced at him then proceeded to the guest area.
The uncle from the Ye family was left stunned for a moment but then realized something and involuntarily shivered, sensing the coldness hidden in Ye Xingzhou's gaze from just a moment ago.
As the commotion died down, Qi Xing was still immersed in his recent unpleasantness when his father came over and gave him a smack on the back of his head.
Qi Ronghua lowered his voice to admonish his son, "I told you not to wander around and not to speak nonsense. Did you not listen to a word I said?"
Yang Kaiming chimed in, nodding in agreement, "Qi, it's better for you not to keep provoking that Young Master Ye. You won't gain anything from it."
You might even end up being taken advantage - Yang Kaiming refrained from saying this out loud.
Qi Xing gave Yang Kaiming a disdainful look, then chuckled as he casually conversed with his father. Taking advantage of the distraction as Qi Ronghua was engaged in conversation, Qi Xing headed with Yang Kaiming to sit in the back row of the viewing stand.
As he settled into his seat, Qi Xing leaned back without a care, his gaze still fixed on the back of Ye Xingzhou's head and Lin Zhinian, who had just taken their seats in the front row. Holding back his irritation, he raised his hand and made a gesture as if aiming a gun at Ye Xingzhou's head.
Still not forgiving him.
Yang Kaiming noticed his actions and asked with a smile, "Qi, who exactly are you interested in? You seem to be focused solely on Ye Xingzhou. What did Young Master Ye mean by saying he's interested in you and your affairs? Are you really interested in him?"
Qi Xing shrugged indifferently. "How would I know? He's got issues. Do you think I'm abnormal as him? Or am I blind? Am I supposed to be interested in him?"
Yang Kaiming pondered, not mentioning the earlier chaotic situation and thought to himself that this artist Lin didn't seem impressive at all. It was unclear whether he was just following Ye Xingzhou out of compromise or if he had some ulterior motive.
As the wedding ceremony began, the guests' attention turned to the newlyweds walking down the aisle, but Lin Zhinian's gaze lingered on Ye Xingzhou's cold profile, feeling somewhat absent-minded.
He hadn't expected Ye Xingzhou to make such ambiguous remarks in public and he couldn't fathom what exactly Ye Xingzhou meant by that sentence. He thought he understood Ye Xingzhou but the decades-long gap between them obscured many things.
Whether it was reminiscing about the past or confessing his longing over the years, Ye Xingzhou remained indifferent, devoid of any emotional fluctuations.
Ye Xingzhou's indifference meant that he truly didn't care anymore but Lin Zhinian didn't want to admit it; perhaps he was deceiving himself.
"Hey, Young Master Qi, what are you doing here?" A figure flipped over from behind the seats and sat down beside Qi Xing, looking at him with a smirk. Qi Xing glanced at him lazily and replied, "Your family sent me an invitation."
"Long time no see, Fourth Young Master Ye," Yang Kaiming greeted with a smile, only to receive a disdainful snort in response.
This person was Ye Wanqi, the fourth son of the Ye family, also known for his debauchery and indulgence in vices. Qi Xing never got along with him and they even had some past conflicts.
"It's been a while since Young Master Qi has shown up at the racetrack, huh? You're Scared now?" Ye Wanqi taunted with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. "How about coming out the day after tomorrow to see me race with my new baby?"
The smell of smoke made Qi Xing frown, reminding him of the unpleasant experience of being smoked in the face by Ye Xingzhou last time.
Turning his face away, Qi Xing replied coldly, "Not interested."
"Are you scared, Young Master Qi?" Ye Wanqi sneered. "Scared of losing to me?"
"You don't need to provoke me," Qi Xing remained unmoved. "I have no interest in winning against someone like you, who's shameless and persistent."
"I managed to get the car you've been longing for, the latest limited edition commemorative model," he dangled the bait. "Won't you come to take a look? Have a race with me and if you win, I'll give you the car. How about that?"
Qi Xing finally turned his gaze back to him, looking at him as if he were foolish. "You're going to give me the car? Fourth Young Master Ye, have you lost your mind?"
Ye Wanqi flicked the ashes off his cigarette. "Whether I've lost it or not, you'll find out when you come. Young Master Qi, you wouldn't really be afraid, would you?"
The car he mentioned was indeed the one Qi Xing had been yearning for. Qi Xing had the money but obtaining the qualifications to purchase such a limited edition sports car was quite troublesome even with money.
Ye Wanqi knew this, which was why he deliberately brought it up in front of Qi Xing.
Seeing Qi Xing hesitate, Yang Kaiming whispered a reminder to him, "Be careful, it might be a trap."
Qi Xing thought for a moment before asking, "Fourth Young Master Ye, you can easily afford a multimillion-dollar sports car. Now that neither your parents nor your elder brother are in charge at home, how come you're still living such a carefree life?"
"Ha, you have no business meddling in that," Ye Wanqi said triumphantly. "Anyway, I'm living more carefree than you."
Qi Xing nodded knowingly. "Well, that's true. Your mom went into the nursing home and they didn't even bother to inform you. You just continue to enjoy yourself outside without knowing it. It's probably quite comfortable being treated like a dog by everyone."
Ye Wanqi's expression darkened instantly and he gritted his teeth in anger. "I don't want to waste my breath on useless chatter with you. Just tell me, are you coming or not?"
"Of course, I'm going," Qi Xing replied eagerly. "You said if you lose, you'll give me the car for free. Why wouldn't I want that? And if you dare to go back on your word, I'll be at your doorstep every day demanding payment."
"You better have the skills to win first," Ye Wanqi sneered, getting up to leave.
Qi Xing didn't bother responding to him further while Yang Kaiming, feeling uneasy, reminded him once again, "Qi, are you really going? That guy is willing to bet his own car against yours. There's a good chance he's planning something shady."
Qi Xing shrugged indifferently. "With his pig-headedness, what tricks could he possibly come up with? I'll figure it out when I get there."
At the end of the wedding ceremony, Qi Ronghua received a message from Qi Xing, saying that he had gone out to play with Yang Kaiming and had disappeared without a trace.
As guests started to leave, halfway through, Qi Xing saw Lin Zhinian's uncle walking alone and asked Yang Kaiming to drive the car back.
"Qi, what exactly are you planning?" Yang Kaiming hesitated to stop the car outside the villa. "Most of the guests have left. Are you still going in?"
Qi Xing undid his seatbelt. "Teacher Lin is still inside. I'll go pick him up."
Yang Kaiming exclaimed, "Huh?"
"I will seize this opportunity," Qi Xing said casually as he got out of the car while sending a message to Lin Zhinian.
"Teacher Lin, are you still here? I'm also still here. Do you want to leave together?"
There was no reply from the other side but Qi Xing unconsciously walked to the lakeside where the ceremony had just taken place. Surprised by the voices ahead, he looked up from his phone.
Not far away, Ye Xingzhou, his cousin and uncle, accompanied by a few bodyguards, were there.
A few hours ago, the uncle who had been so confident was now being held down by Ye Xingzhou's bodyguards, unable to move and was angrily shouting at Ye Xingzhou: "You beast! You killed your father, and you sent your stepmother to the psychiatric hospital. You're not human!"
A punch from one of Ye Xingzhou's bodyguards landed on the man's face, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood along with a tooth.
Ye Xingzhou stood above him, eyes lowered while calmly playing with something in his hand and letting him rant.
Qi Xing saw clearly that it was a pistol in Ye Xingzhou's hand and he was astonished.
"You monster! We shouldn't have let you into the family in the first place. You're just like your dead mother..."
The cold, hard barrel of the gun pressed against the man's forehead and his voice choked in his throat, unable to finish his sentence. His body began to tremble involuntarily and his voice changed: "You, you dare... This is illegal, it's illegal!"
Ye Xingzhou looked down at him. His eyes disdainful and devoid of any warmth, as if he were looking at a dead man.
Time seemed to stand still. As Ye Xingzhou's finger slowly tightened on the trigger, the man, drenched in cold sweat as his lips trembling, could only make incomprehensible sounds in his throat, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Qi Xing stood frozen in place, holding his breath. He had witnessed plenty of absurdities before but witnessing someone attempt murder was a first for him. He forgot to run and even forgot to find a place to hide.
"Ah—!"
In the instant that Ye Xingzhou pulled the trigger, Uncle Ye let out a sharp scream, his eyes rolling back as he collapsed to the ground. Ye Xingzhou's expression was mocking as he casually released the trigger and the object in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.
It was nothing more than a toy gun.
Meanwhile, his cousin lay on the ground, completely petrified with fear and even losing control of his bladder.
Qi Xing finally snapped out of his daze and instinctively took a step back, trying to distance himself. But suddenly, Ye Xingzhou lifted his eyes and looked in Qi Xing's direction.
Those eyes were cold, fierce and sharp as a hawk's. In that moment, Qi Xing felt a chilling sense of dread wash over him, as if his entire body's blood had frozen. He instinctively wanted to flee but Ye Xingzhou didn't give him the chance.
The man turned to his bodyguard beside him while expressionless and nodded slightly. Soon, someone came over and forcefully restrained Qi Xing.