Clinging to the stone ledge with fingers slicked by cold sweat, Qixian was beginning to seriously reconsider every life choice that had led him to this moment. 'Damn it... I must look like a pathetic lizard glued to this wall right now,' he thought, his heart hammering against his ribs.
His injuries from the previous night had turned his muscles into something something without a bone, like a jelly, and every time he shifted his weight, the whip wounds across his back flared with an agony that made his vision blur. He was currently suspended between the second-floor balcony and a trellis of ivy that, in hindsight, looked significantly less sturdy than it had from the safety of his room.
'I am a surgeon,' Qixian reminded himself, his teeth gritted so hard his jaw ached. 'I understand physics. I understand the laws of gravity. And right now, gravity is being a real bitch. Fuck, I'm actually going to die like this!'
Taking a shaky breath that tasted of the Spider Lily pheromones he was desperately trying to suppress, he swung his legs toward the trellis. The wood groaned—a terrifying, splintering crack that seemed to echo like a gunshot in the quiet backyard.
"Please don't break, please don't break... I swear, I'll turn you into firewood if you snap on me," he hissed at the ivy, his eyes squeezed shut in a silent prayer. He managed to snag a shaky foothold, sliding down the last few feet before landing in a tangled heap on the flat lawn. The impact sent a fresh bolt of pain through his side, forcing a silent, breathless scream from his lungs.
He lay there for a long moment, staring up at the bright, sunny sky, waiting for his heart to stop trying to exit his ribcage. Reaching into his pocket, he felt the thick roll of cash he'd liberated. It was enough to secure a cheap motel and some black-market suppressants. But he knew he should stay in this house for long because this house was still one of the safest place for him, right now.
'I have to move,' he told himself, staggering to his feet and disappearing into the backyard.
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Inside the kitchen, Sihan was trying to focus on making a breakfast, the sound of the whisk against the bowl mixing with the distant chatter of Yichen and Haoran—they were currently debating whether to stay the night or head back, their voices punctuated by the clinking of coffee spoons.
Sihan was halfway through whisking the eggs when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, his eyebrows knitting together when he saw the name on the notification drawer. 'Qixian?'
Qixian: I found your cash stash in the guest room drawer. Hehe, I'm borrowing it. Don't look for me because I just snuck out. Also, I didn't take the stairs or the door because Haoran and Yichen are there, so I decided to take the scenic route. It was pretty hard sticking to the wall like a bug. That's all, bye!
The whisk hit the side of the ceramic bowl with a hollow clack as Sihan's mouth fell open in pure shock.
"The scenic route? Does he mean the backyard? Is he crazy?" Sihan hissed under his breath, his eyes darting toward the ceiling as if he could see through the floorboards. 'Ugh, that's a twelve-foot drop from the second floor! Is he insane? How did he manage to climb down with those injuries?! Is he a monster or something?!'
He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a massive headache forming. 'Yichen and Qixian are literally a perfect match—both are the opposite of stress reliever, both are annoying and have zero fear of death. If those two ever have a child, the sheer chaos would probably burn the city down, oh please I don't wanna see that, it's terrifying,' Sihan faked a shiver.
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"Oh dear, have you heard the latest rumor?" one girl whispered, leaning in close to her friend as they strolled through the hall.
"A rumor? You mean the one involving the Zhou family?" the other replied, her eyes widening with interest.
"Exactly that one," the first girl confirmed, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial hush.
"They're saying the eldest son is only so favored because he's actually an orphan they took in," the second girl added, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Doesn't that just sound terrible? How can a family prioritize an outsider over their own flesh and blood? I swear, I can't even begin to understand the logic of high society anymore..." the first girl lamented.
"Right? And from what I've heard, they only do it because the eldest—well, the orphan—is supposedly 'perfect,' while the youngest, the actual son, is always left standing in his shadow," the other girl remarked.
"But I heard the youngest son is actually a genius in his own right," the first girl countered, offering her opinion. "He would likely be far more brilliant than the eldest if only his parents bothered to focus on him for once, don't you think?"
"Exactly! If they had actually honed his talents and cared for him properly, he'd be one of a billion. A little fairness would go a long way. But no, they poured everything into the eldest. So I was wondering how can they expect the youngest to be as polished as the orphan when they haven't even given him a single shred of support?" the second girl said, her tone growing judgmental.
"Honestly, it's like they're crazy," the first girl said, visibly annoyed by the unfairness of it all. "It's just so incredibly cruel."
"It really is. And they say that's exactly why the youngest turned into such a troublemaker. He rebelled against the family and finally fled the Zhou estate altogether!" the other girl added passionately. "If it were me, I'd have packed my bags and left ages ago too!"
Standing just around the corner, Jin Rou listened to every biting word, his fists clenching so hard his fingernails dug into his palms. 'Zhou Qixian, just you wait,' he thought, his blood beginning to boil.
"Wait... isn't that him right there?" one of the girls whispered, finally noticing him.
"That's right, it is!" the other confirmed, though she didn't bother to lower her voice.
"How about I just rip those tongues right out of your mouths, huh?" Jin Rou threatened, stepping into their path with a look of pure malice.
"What? Everything we said was true, anyway," one girl retorted, rolling her eyes even as her friend began to pull her away, sensing the danger radiating from him.
'Damn it, Zhou Qixian! I'll make your life a living hell,' Jin Rou thought, his vision blurring with frustration. 'I'll make sure everyone close to you dies first!' In a fit of blind rage, he punched the stone wall so hard the impact echoed through the corridor, leaving his knuckles raw and bleeding.
______________________
Meanwhile, Qixian was thoroughly enjoying his newfound freedom, wandering through a boutique café with a tray holding a slice of strawberry shortcake and a cup of chilled yogurt as if he doesn't have any injury at all.
"I've finally reunited with my favorites," he murmured to himself, a mischievous chuckle escaping his lips. "Now, all I need to do is finish these and hunt down some high-end chocolates later." He felt a certain thrill of satisfaction, spending Sihan's "borrowed" cash as if he had earned every cent of it himself.
"Uncle Qixian!" a high-pitched, joyful voice rang out through the café. Before he could react, a small blur of motion collided with his legs, and a little girl squeezed him in a tight hug.
"Oh! If it isn't little Chengli!" Qixian laughed, effortlessly lifting the girl into the air.
"I have told you a thousand times, her name is Wu Jinghua, not 'Little Chengli,'" a voice sighed from behind them. Chengli approached, giving Qixian a glare that lacked any real heat.
"But you like being called 'Little Chengli' better, right?" Qixian asked, playfully nudging Jinghua's nose with his own.
"Whatever Uncle calls me is okay with me!" Jinghua chirped, her face lighting up with a beaming smile.
"See? Even your own daughter agrees with my superior naming sense," Qixian teased, tossed a triumphant look toward his friend.
"But I love my Dad too! So you can also call me Jinghua!" the little girl added quickly, wanting to make sure no one's feelings were hurt.
"See that? My daughter clearly loves me more," Chengli retorted, his chest swelling with fatherly pride as he crossed his arms.
"By the way, what brings the two of you to this part of town?" Qixian asked, carefully setting Jinghua down onto a plush velvet chair at his table.
"Dad promised he was going to buy me a giant chocolate cake!" Jinghua announced, her eyes wide with excitement as she bounced in her seat.
"Well, in that case, why don't we all grab a seat right here?" Qixian suggested, pulling out a chair for himself. "The more the merrier—especially when there's a chocolate involved."
"Yay!" Jinghua squealed, happily clapping her hands as the afternoon turned into an unexpected reunion.