Xu Changjin was dumbfounded.
It took a long while before she snapped out of it and asked, “Li Zhengxi and his son… are they dead?”
“Yes, dead,” Ye Qiu replied calmly.
Xu Changjin said, “I never thought they’d die in such a way, it’s too unbelievable.”
Ye Qiu sneered, “They did too many evil deeds, they deserved it.”
Xu Changjin couldn’t bear the scene and said, “Ye Qiu oppa, shall we go back?”
“Alright.”
With that, the two prepared to leave.
Xu Changjin added, “Ye Qiu oppa, thank you for saving my grandfather.”
Ye Qiu smiled, “Why so formal? We’re friends.”
Just friends?
Xu Changjin felt a pang of disappointment. Summoning courage from nowhere, she suddenly stood on tiptoe, turned her head, and kissed Ye Qiu on the lips, her arms wrapping around his neck.
In an instant, Ye Qiu’s eyes widened, his mind reeling.
I’ve been forcibly kissed?
At that moment, Elder Xu, Xu Zhiming, and Song Huixian emerged from the villa, witnessing the scene.
“Zhiming, didn’t you say they weren’t dating? What’s this about?” Elder Xu asked.
Xu Zhiming scratched his head and asked Song Huixian, “What’s going on here?”
Song Huixian replied, “What else? Your daughter’s about to run off with someone.”
Xu Zhiming shouted, “Ye Qiu, let go of my daughter!”
The loud shout startled Xu Changjin and Ye Qiu.
Xu Changjin quickly released Ye Qiu, her face flushing red, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
She hadn’t expected her parents to witness such a moment.
Utterly mortifying.
Xu Zhiming strode up to Ye Qiu and demanded, “What’s going on here?”
Why don’t you ask your daughter what happened?
Ye Qiu grumbled inwardly but said, “Uncle Xu, let me explain…”
Xu Zhiming interrupted, “What’s there to explain? I saw you kissing my daughter with my own eyes.”
It was your daughter who kissed me, alright?
I’m the victim here!
But such things were hard to explain.
Ye Qiu could only say, “Uncle Xu, let’s discuss this later.”
Xu Zhiming pressed, “No need to wait, I want a commitment from you now.”
“What commitment?” Ye Qiu asked.
Xu Zhiming said, “I want you to promise to take responsibility for my daughter.”
What?
She kissed me once, and I have to take responsibility?
You’re trying to scam me!
Ye Qiu wasn’t naive and saw through Xu Zhiming’s intentions. He said, “Uncle Xu, this isn’t a joking matter. Changjin is your precious daughter, of noble status. I’m just a small-time doctor, how could I take responsibility for her?”
Xu Zhiming’s face darkened, “So you’re saying you kissed my daughter and won’t take responsibility?”
“Ye Qiu, you’re such a scumbag!”
“Even though you cured my father, if you refuse to take responsibility for Changjin, don’t blame me for being harsh.”
Seeing her father’s anger, Xu Changjin hurriedly said, “Dad, it’s not Ye Qiu’s fault. I kissed him first.”
Hearing this, Xu Zhiming was furious, pointing at Xu Changjin’s head and scolding, “You fool.”
His plan was to use this opportunity to push Ye Qiu into becoming his son-in-law.
But Xu Changjin’s defence of Ye Qiu made it hard for him to press further.
In fact, Xu Zhiming felt a bit embarrassed.
Your daughter kissed someone, yet_you’re_ demanding they take responsibility? Isn’t that shameless?
At this point, Elder Xu changed the subject.
“Changjin, how did Li Zhengxi and his son die?” Elder Xu asked.
Xu Changjin set aside her embarrassment and recounted the events of Li Zhengxi and his son’s deaths.
After hearing it, Elder Xu and the others were stunned.
“They died in such a bizarre way?” Song Huixian remarked.
Xu Zhiming said, “Father was right, heaven watches what people do. Li Zhengxi and his son did too many bad things, even the heavens couldn’t stand it.”
Elder Xu glanced at Ye Qiu a few times.
He felt that the deaths of Li Zhengxi and his son weren’t as simple as they seemed.
As Song Huixian said, their deaths were bizarre, and the timing—happening when Ye Qiu was present—was too convenient.
Could their deaths be related to Ye Qiu?
If Ye Qiu was involved, how did he do it?
Elder Xu pondered for a while but couldn’t figure it out. He decided to drop it and said, “Ye Qiu, during the last China-Korea medical dispute, Li Zhengxi approached me, asking me to plead with you to spare him.”
“I sent Changjin to talk to you, promising that if you let Li Zhengxi go, I’d give you the Tiansheng Bronze Man.”
“Come, I’ll show you the Tiansheng Bronze Man.”
With that, Elder Xu led Ye Qiu to the villa’s basement.
The basement had three security doors: the first with a smart lock, the second requiring iris recognition, and the third with an ancient, complex copper lock.
Surveillance cameras were everywhere.
Ye Qiu thought, with such tight security, there must be plenty of treasures inside.
Clang!
After the third security door opened, a dim corridor appeared.
Western oil paintings hung on the corridor walls.
Xu Changjin, walking beside Ye Qiu, explained, “Grandfather enjoys collecting antiques. This is his treasure vault.”
“Every item here is a masterpiece.”
“That painting is by Van Gogh, and that one is an authentic Picasso…”
Xu Changjin introduced over a dozen paintings.
Each had a significant history.
They passed through the corridor, and the space opened up.
Ye Qiu looked up, his face full of awe.
The several-hundred-square-metre basement resembled a small museum, filled with all sorts of rare antiques.
Ye Qiu’s eyes immediately locked onto the Tiansheng Bronze Man.
Finally, he saw this sacred relic!
Ye Qiu’s heart raced as he quickly approached the Tiansheng Bronze Man, examining it closely.
The Tiansheng Bronze Man was exactly as he’d seen in photos, about the height of an adult, with hundreds of acupuncture points engraved on it, each labelled with its name.
Elder Xu said, “I had it appraised, it’s genuine.”
“Ye Qiu, from now on, it’s yours.”
“When you return to China, I’ll arrange for it to to be sent to you.”
Ye Qiu turned, bowed respectfully to Elder Xu, and said solemnly, “Elder Xu, thank you.”
“This item is of immense significance to Chinese medicine. Thank you for your contribution to Chinese medicine, I’ll never forget it.”
Elder Xu smiled, “No need for thanks. By the way, you saved my life, and I haven’t repaid you yet. Take a look around, if you see anything you like, just say so.”
“Elder Xu, you’re too kind. Healing is my duty, you don’t need to thank me…”
Before Ye Qiu could finish, his gaze suddenly fell to the side, his face showing surprise, “Huh?”
