VBNWDW - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Bright sunlight pierced through the dense, overlapping layers of lush branches and leaves, yet it couldn’t dispel the hospital’s chill. Even when someone walked by, the air felt cold.

“Host, you should go back.”

The System’s voice suddenly rang out, and Luo Yueqing, who was walking along the garden corridor, stopped in her tracks.

“What’s wrong with Xi Zhoulu?” she immediately asked in return.

The System’s voice remained cold as it answered mechanically, “She is fine for the time being, but Xi Zhoukang is about to arrive.”

The moment it finished speaking, Luo Yueqing’s face darkened as memories of Xi Zhoukang surfaced.

Xi Zhoulu’s family situation was complicated. Her mother had died from hemorrhaging during a premature birth, and her father had resented his infant daughter for it. From the moment she was born, Xi Zhoulu was thrown to her grandfather to be raised. She saw her father only a handful of times during her childhood, and on those rare occasions, he treated her like an enemy.

It wasn't until her father remarried that this resentment lessened somewhat, at least to the point where he could share a room with her in cold silence.

And this Xi Zhoukang was the child he had with his current wife. For some psychological reason, compared to the unwelcome Xi Zhoulu, her father doted on this child to an extreme degree.

If the shares of the group weren’t in the Old Master’s hands, the position of heir would likely never have fallen to Xi Zhoulu. But aside from that, Xi Zhoukang was given whatever he wanted and had never known hardship.

Given this contrast, the relationship between the two siblings was naturally terrible. However, to avoid trouble after becoming an adult, Xi Zhoulu had often agreed to Xi Zhoukang’s requests. His visit to the hospital room this time was surely to ask for money again.

Last night’s treatment was probably going to be for nothing. With his arrival, Xi Zhoulu would likely be gloomy for two or three days, and her mental power would be affected.

Luo Yueqing raised a hand to rub her temples and asked, “When is he coming?”

The System answered quickly, “He’s already in the hospital room.”

“What?!” Luo Yueqing’s hand froze.

The System’s tone didn’t change as it continued, “Just as I was reminding you, he had already reached the door to the room.”

Luo Yueqing spun around abruptly and hurried back the way she came.

The situation in the hospital room was better than she had imagined. At least, it wasn’t tense and hostile. In fact, it was the opposite—it was very calm.

A male Omega with short black hair sat by the bed. Perhaps because he had been well-protected by his family, his features, though he was in his twenties, still held a trace of naive innocence. His eyes drifted to the person beside him from time to time, as if he wanted to speak but held back.

Still in her hospital gown, Xi Zhoulu was half-reclined against the headboard, her long hair cascading over her slender shoulders. Though she said nothing, she seemed even colder and more somber than the night before.

Xi Zhoukang looked at her again, and finally, unable to hold back any longer, he pursed his lips and forced out a very awkward and stiff word: “Sister…”

“How are you feeling?” After getting the address out, he seemed much more at ease and continued with his prepared pleasantries. “No matter how busy things are at the group, you have to remember to rest.”

“Mom and Dad…” He paused, trying hard to continue his fabrication. “Mom and Dad heard you were hospitalized and asked me to come see you.”

Xi Zhoulu couldn’t be bothered to respond, but his words made her laugh, a sarcastic curve forming on her lips.

Did she not know those two?

It must have been difficult for this “little brother” of hers to come up with such an excuse.

She suddenly felt a flicker of interest and played along. “Then why didn’t they come?”

How would I know how they could come? Even if they knew, they wouldn’t come!

Xi Zhoukang was at a loss for words. After a long pause, he finally managed to stammer out an explanation, “W-Weren’t they on vacation…?”

“Isn’t their wedding anniversary coming up? Did you forget, Sister?”

As if he had suddenly found fault with her, he became self-righteous. “You really are something else. You practically sleep at the company day in and day out. You don’t care about your health, you ignore our parents, and all you think about is money, money, money. How can money be more important than family?”

Hearing this, Xi Zhoulu’s face instantly turned cold.

She could never understand how this family could be so brazen.

If she ignored them, where did the money for this man’s repeatedly failed business ventures come from?

Where did the money for his parents’ three-vacations-a-month lifestyle come from?

How did large sums of money magically appear in their bank accounts for them to buy their precious son cars and houses?

Perhaps in her childhood, she had held a sliver of hope, a desire to try and fit into this family. Now, she only saw them as a nuisance to be placated with money.

But maybe it was because she had slept so well last night, or maybe it was because Xi Zhoukang’s nonsense was so excessive, that she suddenly found herself in the mood to talk.

Xi Zhoulu leaned back slightly. Before she spoke, she even had the leisure to wonder when that woman who had forcibly dragged her into a sitting position would return.

She spoke languidly, “Where did they go?”

Xi Zhoukang was much more fluent when talking about these things. He answered directly, “H City. Mom said she wanted to go diving, so Dad chartered a yacht and went out.”

“Doesn’t the family have one? Why rent another?”

“Oh… that one? Wasn’t it because Dad insisted on driving it last time and ended up crashing into someone else’s boat? It’s still not repaired yet,” Xi Zhoukang said naturally, not realizing anything was amiss.

Ignoring the distant space between the two, one might even think this conversation held a certain warmth of familial affection.

It might have been better if the money for the yacht repairs and compensation hadn’t come from Xi Zhoulu.

Xi Zhoulu tugged at the corner of her mouth, her pale gray-blue eyes filled with ridicule. She asked again, “Why didn’t you go with them?”

The young man across from her didn’t think much of it. He had been protected by his parents his whole life—to put it nicely, he was simple; to put it bluntly, he was brainless. Coupled with the fact that he needed something from Xi Zhoulu, he answered subconsciously, “I wouldn’t go!”

“They’re heading to some godforsaken patch of the high seas where there’s no signal. It takes half an hour for a single message to send,” the young master complained with a frown, completely oblivious to the fact that he had let something slip.

“I don’t know what they’re fussing about…” Though he was complaining, there wasn’t a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. He sounded like a son watching his parents travel about—helpless and worried, yet happy that they had such a good relationship.

This was probably what a normal family looked like.

Xi Zhoulu said nothing, either because she found it too easy to get information out of Xi Zhoukang, or because she had suddenly lost the mood.

The person opposite her was still going. Normally, no one would listen to him ramble on about such things. Even if others were willing to listen, it wasn’t convenient for him to talk, as it was a family matter. But Xi Zhoulu’s identity was just right, so once he started, he couldn’t stop.

He went from his mother’s coquettish pestering of his father to his father’s indulgence, and then to their selection of a chartered boat. Their biggest worry, it seemed, was that it would be inconvenient to receive messages from their son later on.

If anyone else had heard this, they would surely have sighed over what a happy family this was.

But none of it had anything to do with Xi Zhoulu.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose and began to consider how much money she should give him this time to make him leave quickly, preferably so she wouldn’t have to see him for half a year.

Fortunately, the sound of the door opening interrupted his nonsense.

Xi Zhoulu’s brow relaxed slightly. She looked up, but after hearing what the person said, her brow furrowed even tighter.

The woman in the dark green silk shirt strode in on her clacking high heels. Her very first sentence was extremely stern and filled with anger. “Miss Xi, if I recall correctly, I have reminded you many times.”

“What you need most right now is quiet rest, not dealing with your tedious business pleasantries.”

“If you still refuse to rest, I don’t think any amount of treatment will be effective. You might as well find someone more capable.”

These words were delivered without a shred of mercy. Even Xi Zhoukang, who was standing to the side, found them a bit harsh, let alone Xi Zhoulu.

He turned his head in astonishment and shock, wanting to see who would dare speak to his cold-blooded and ruthless sister—a woman raised to be an heir since childhood—in such a way. He never expected it to be…

“Sister Yueqing!” he exclaimed in pleasant surprise, jumping up from his seat.

On the other side, Luo Yueqing, who was deliberately putting on a stern face, clenched her fists, her back unconsciously straightening.

Here it comes.

The key to whether she could gain Xi Zhoulu’s trust and continue the mission—Xi Zhoukang.

The original host’s childhood friend.

When Xi Zhoukang was young, his mother had sent him to a public elementary school. The beautiful excuse was that the Xi family already had an excellent heir, and Xi Zhoukang needed a normal, happy childhood. This was her way of showing her attitude to Old Master Xi and winning more of her husband’s affection and indulgence.

But she never imagined that the pampered, weak Xi Zhoukang, chauffeured in luxury cars and dressed in designer clothes, would only become a target for bullies.

And it was during that time that Luo Yueqing had stepped in to help him multiple times. To avoid being bullied, Xi Zhoukang naturally did everything he could to stick to Luo Yueqing, and so the two became good friends.

If Luo Yueqing’s father hadn’t fled overnight due to debt, causing the two to lose contact, they could probably have been considered childhood friends.

That was why, after the two reunited in the original world, Luo Yueqing had repeatedly ignored Xi Zhoulu’s objections to meet with Xi Zhoukang in secret.

This was also the catalyst for many of the arguments between Xi Zhoulu and Luo Yueqing.

Anyone with a slight understanding of the Xi family knew how much Xi Zhoulu loathed this half-brother of hers.

Xi Zhoukang only knew that his investments failed time and time again, that even a stock he bought casually would plummet, but he never imagined it was all because of Xi Zhoulu.

She never acted directly. She just made sure those who helped Xi Zhoukang suffered a little, and gave a small reward to those who tripped him up. As a result, everyone came to know what a fat sheep Xi Zhoukang was…

He had lots of money and was easy to cheat. Not only would there be no retaliation, but one could also gain extra benefits and even earn the favor of the Xi Group’s CEO. Why wouldn’t they do it?

And so, the not-so-stupid Xi Zhoukang fell into a vicious cycle of asking for money only to have his investments fail.

And now, the choice of how to react fell into Luo Yueqing’s hands.

Xi Zhoulu’s current favorability toward her wasn’t even a tenth of what the original host had before facing this choice. She wouldn’t get sad or go crazy just because Luo Yueqing got close to Xi Zhoukang. The slightest misstep, and Luo Yueqing would be completely blacklisted, never able to get near Xi Zhoulu again in this lifetime.

Luo Yueqing took a deep breath. She could even feel Xi Zhoulu’s gaze on her, cold and judgmental.

The midday sun streamed in. By the window, a flower drooped its head listlessly, its petals falling in tandem.

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