Chapter 85: Little Sister’s Illness Relapses

To be honest, in the beginning, Xu Qian still clung to a sliver of hope.

She kept telling herself, ’Maybe the photos were a mistake. Maybe it’s just the angle that makes them look alike. Maybe that detective is a complete moron who can’t even tell people apart.’

’The face under the mask can’t be Yang Xun’s.’

’Absolutely not.’

But the moment that silver-white mask was slowly removed, the instant his chiseled face was fully exposed to the morning light, Xu Qian’s last sliver of hope shattered like glass struck by a sledgehammer.

’It’s him. It’s really him... Yang Xun!!’

The loser she’d been calling useless for two years.

Her sister’s husband.

Her... brother-in-law.

"AHHHHH!!!!"

The next moment, Xu Qian let out a nearly hysterical shriek and threw herself at Yang Xun like a madwoman, her fingers like talons clawing wildly at his face.

"You animal... you bastard... Give it back... Give it back to me!!!"

Her voice was strained to the point of breaking as she cried and clawed at him, completely out of control.

However!

Yang Xun didn’t just stand there and take the abuse.

His eyes narrowed slightly. With a sudden burst of strength, he flung Xu Qian off him.

"SMACK!!"

Xu Qian was thrown onto the bed. Her back slammed into the soft mattress, her body bouncing once as her messy hair fell across her face.

She struggled to sit up, her eyes blood-red. She stared daggers at Yang Xun, who stood before the bed, her gaze burning with a towering rage that could incinerate everything in its path.

"You... You just wait!!"

Trembling, Xu Qian snatched her phone from the side of the bed. Her fingers stabbed frantically at the screen as she shrieked, "I’m calling the police! I’m going to have you arrested, you rapist! You’ll rot in prison for the rest of your life!!"

However, Yang Xun showed no trace of fear.

He just stood there quietly, hands in his pockets, his expression as placid as still water. A faint smirk even touched the corner of his lips.

"Go ahead."

Yang Xun’s voice was soft, as gentle as a breeze, but it made Xu Qian’s finger freeze over the screen.

"But before you call the police..."

Yang Xun lifted his gaze and looked at her coolly. "You should think through the consequences first."

’Consequences?’

Xu Qian’s hand, clutching her phone, trembled. In that instant, it was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her towering rage, extinguishing some of its heat.

’Right... the consequences.’

She could call the police and accuse Yang Xun of rape. There was no doubt about that.

’But what would be the cost?’

Once a police report was filed, everything that had happened between her and Yang Xun would come to light. True, she was the victim, but who was Yang Xun?

He was her own sister, Xu Yue’s, husband!

’A woman raped by her own brother-in-law?’

If a scandal like that got out, not only would Xu Qian be utterly humiliated, but Xu Yue would become the laughingstock of all of Zhonghai City!

The Xu Group was already on the brink, its cash flow ready to snap at any moment. Her sister was shouldering immense pressure, struggling to hold it all together on her own.

If a shocking family scandal like this were to be exposed at a time like this, which of their partners, investors, or banks wouldn’t seize the opportunity to kick them while they’re down?

The Xu Family would be completely ruined.

And another thing!

The fact that she ran a risqué livestream would also be exposed!

Once the police got involved, her livestream channel, her wealthy female clients, the at-home "private grooming" services... all of it would be unearthed.

Then, not only would she face legal risks herself, but her sister would be devastated if she found out.

The most ridiculous part was... she had designed last night’s "rape" scenario herself!

She had written the script, arranged the scene, dressed herself up as a sexy cop, and tied Yang Xun to the interrogation chair—all with her own two hands.

And in the end, she’d actually been raped by her brother-in-law.

If that got out, it would be a humiliation she could never live down.

As she thought of all this, Xu Qian’s grip loosened bit by bit. The phone slipped from her fingers and fell onto the duvet.

Her lips trembled. All the strength seemed to drain from her body, and she slumped onto the bed, her eyes filled with utter despair.

’I can’t call the police!’

’For my own sake, for my sister’s, for the Xu Family... I absolutely cannot call the police!’

"Get out!!"

Finally, mustering the last ounce of her strength, Xu Qian let out a hoarse, broken shriek.

"Get the hell out of here, now! I never want to see you again!!"

Yang Xun was silent for two seconds.

He offered no explanation, no apology. He simply placed the silver-white mask on the nightstand, turned, and strode toward the door.

His steps were steady, without a hint of hesitation.

"BANG!!"

The door slammed shut.

The apartment fell silent.

The next second, Xu Qian collapsed onto the bed like a puppet with its strings cut. Burying her face in the covers, she let out a heart-wrenching sob.

Her shoulders shook violently as her tears soaked the pillow beneath her.

She cried so hard her entire body trembled. Her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood.

"Yang Xun, you deserve to die! You really, really deserve to die!!"

...

「Meanwhile.」

Yang Xun walked out of the apartment building. The morning sun felt warm on his face, but his mood was exceptionally complicated.

He stood downstairs and looked up at Xu Qian’s closed window. After a long silence, he let out a soft sigh.

He’d originally thought it would take his sister-in-law at least a few months to discover the truth behind the mask. He had been so careful, after all.

He never expected that she would secretly hire a private investigator to look into him.

’These methods... That’s Xu Qian for you.’

’A job that paid 100,000 a month... gone just like that...’

Yang Xun shook his head, a bitter smile touching his lips.

It would be a lie to say he didn’t regret it.

The income from the livestream, plus his cut from the "private grooming," had been his largest and most stable source of revenue.

Now that he and Xu Qian had completely fallen out, that path was well and truly closed.

But what was done, was done. There was no use in regret.

Yang Xun got on his electric scooter and rode aimlessly through the streets, his mind racing as he tried to figure out his next move.

He had to find another source of high income, and fast.

Otherwise, when Murong Wei finally sent word that she’d found the rare herbs needed to concoct the Celestial Spirit Pill, he wouldn’t even have the money to buy them. He’d have no choice but to watch the opportunity slip through his fingers.

His sister’s illness couldn’t be delayed for even a single day. She needed treatment immediately.

"RING, RING, RING!!"

Just as he was passing an intersection, the phone in his pocket suddenly began to vibrate.

The caller ID read... Mi Ting.

Yang Xun answered the call. "Sister Ting," he said casually, "what’s up?"

"Xiaoxun! You have to come back! Quick! Cai Cai... she coughed up blood and passed out!!"

On the other end of the line was Mi Ting’s tearful, frantic voice.