BL - One Night In Pingjing 68 The Rather Unsettling Visi

"Here, please take a seat and have a cup of tea." The uncle who served as a butler at Shen Rui's apartment held out a cup of tea to Qiu Dawei.

Qiu Dawei accepted the tea and smiled at the butler politely. "Thank you," He said.

The butler nodded in response. "I've told Madam Shen you're here. She'll come down any minute now."

Qiu Dawei smiled uneasily. He neither trusted the butler nor his monotonous voice and unsmiling face. He was certain the butler would be the one to dispose of him if Shen Rui killed him here. He eyed the tea suspiciously and dropped it on the coffee table.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Shen Rui asked, her voice dry and listless.

Qiu Dawei glanced at her wearily. Her sophisticated aura was gone. She was putting on sweatpants and her hair was lazily wrapped in a messy bun. He was surprised at how innocent she looked. It was quite obvious that something was weighing her down and murder was probably the last thing on her mind. Or perhaps, it was the thought of the murder that was weighing her down. Nevertheless, he let down his guard and sat down.

Wordlessly, she stared at him with a piercing gaze that saw his uneasiness return.

He cleared his throat. "You... You wanted to see me."

She nodded.

"Why here?"

She looked around. "In my home?" Shrugging, she added. "I didn't feel like going out."

Qiu Dawei furrowed his eyebrows. "You haven't been to the company for some days now."

She shook her head. "I don't feel like going."

Qiu Dawei looked at her, bewildered, and speechless. She had abandoned her company for a simple lack of motivation. It wasn't like her at all.

"Neither has my son," she continued. "And he never misses a day of work. If he's sick, you might even need to restrain him from going to work."

Qiu Dawei knew she was accusing him of something. He just couldn't pinpoint what that exact thing was. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

"Because the last time we saw, you made very bold claims." She paused. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." Qiu Dawei replied with a sly smile intended to mask his fear.

She released an impatient breath. "I've been calling Hua Zhendan and he has left my calls unattended and unreturned. You probably don't know this, but it doesn't matter how upset he is at me, he always picks up my call."

"He takes everyone's call actually. He thinks it's very rude to leave people's calls unanswered. You raised him right."

"Don't joke around with me, Qiu Dawei." Shen Rui pointed a straight, angry finger at him. "What did you do?"

"Nothing really." He looked into Shen Rui's eyes that were starting to change color and added. "I was wearing wires the day we met and I played him the recording."

Shen Rui's complexion turned significantly darker, but she said nothing.

"You were right though. He reacted to it exactly the way you said he would."

"Then what happened? Why has he disappeared into thin air?"

Feeling bolder, Qiu Dawei said, "He didn't disappear. He decided he was tired of you and your evil ways and went in search of his birth parents."

Shen Rui raised one brow at him as if he had said something impossible. Relaxing her features, she asked, "Did he find them?"

Qiu Dawei wasn't sure if he should say. Since he had already said the first to make her feel threatened, he continued. "He did. I think he's at their house."

Shen Rui nodded her head. "That's good, then."

Qiu Dawei threw her a surprised look. Then, a worried one. "You won't try to hurt them, would you?"

She frowned. "What's wrong with you? Who do you think I am? Some female villain from a movie?"

Qiu Dawei nodded. "Yes."

She ignored him and shook her head. "It's good he went to look for them. I'm glad he found them."

Qiu Dawei was surprised at how lightly she was taking the news. He added, "He's very happy. He says they're very nice and innocent people."

"He's very forgiving, isn't he?"

"Actually, he found out the truth. That you had made a prior agreement that they would be a part of his life. But you bullied them to make them stay away and then led him to believe he was adopted."

Shen Rui still didn't seem bothered. She said, "In that case, it's good I no longer have any secrets from him."

The doorbell resounded in the living room. Before Shen Rui could call out to the butler, she saw him hurry to go get the door.

Qiu Dawei continued. "Don't you feel a bit threatened? That you'll lose him forever? They are a family. They share a bond."

She shook her head. "Do you know? Birth parents are really nothing more than a sperm donor and an incubator. The people who really matter in your life, your family, the ones you share a bond with are those who showered you with love in your childhood."

Qiu Dawei didn't quite agree with her but he also didn't disagree. He couldn't argue with her.

The butler returned and said to her. "Madam. It's someone from work. He said he's here to see you."

She nodded at him. "Let him in. Little Qiu and I are quite done here."

The butler nodded and hurried away.

Pointing to her chest, she said to Qiu Dawei. "This manipulative, evil person is the mother he really knows. He can go anywhere, but he'll come back to me. He'll miss the life he had here; the power that comes with heading a big company, the lies, the pretense and manipulation. They are a part of him and not some meager, easygoing, poor people life. He'll want his life back and it'll be here waiting for him. My son would definitely come back home to me."

Qiu Dawei looked up at her. If the circ.u.mstances were different, he might have found her confidence-inspiring.

Shen Rui smiled suddenly. Her first smile since his arrival. "My son will come back to me. But you, no matter how loving and supportive you are, he'll never look at you again."

The words. .h.i.t Qiu Dawei straight in his heart, the pain he felt was so severe it made him question his own motives. Was he hoping to win Hua Zhendan back?

The butler cleared his throat to alert them of the visitor's arrival.

Qiu Dawei turned around to look at the visitor. Stunned, he muttered. "You... What are you doing here?"

Tan Yao smiled at Qiu Dawei. "I could ask you that same question."

Qiu Dawei looked from Shen Rui to Tan Yao, then said. "I'll get going then." With those words, he walked away from the living room.

Shen Rui pointed at the couch, welcoming Tan Yao to sit. He obliged her. She stared at his face carefully. She recognized him as one of the company's models, but couldn't quite figure out what he might want with her. "What can I offer you? Some tea perhaps."

He smiled politely. "You're too kind. Please, don't bother yourself about it."

She raised a brow. "It's really no bother. I insist."

Tan Yao shook his head. "You're really too kind. Perhaps, a little later."

"Okay then." Shen Rui nodded at him.

"Well," he said. "I'm sure you don't know me personally, but Xuan Tianyi and I are best friends."

Shen Rui smiled at him. "Is that the case?"

"Yes. We started working at the company on the very same day."

Shen Rui nodded.

"He told me what you've done for him. He's very grateful and words can't possibly be enough to show the depth of his grat.i.tude."

Shen Rui smiled. "If I don't take care of him, who will? He's my sister's son, after all."

Tan Yao nodded. "He's can't be abroad and stay her to take care of you at the same time. He knows you have Hua Zhendan and other people around, but he can't be at rest unless someone he trusts can take care of you himself. So, he has insisted I help him watch over you."

Shen Rui smiled. "He doesn't have to worry so much."

"I'll call him a little later. You can tell him yourself."

Shen Rui smiled, her heart light.

"I'm sorry. But, I'll appreciate that tea now."

She nodded at him. "I'll go get it."

He smiled at her. "Thanks."

As soon as she left, he picked up his phone and texted Xuan Tianyi. "Mission accomplished. She totally fell for it and doesn't suspect a thing."

Xuan Tianyi's reply came quickly. It read only three words. "I owe you."