allonlinenovel Chapter 216 His money... isn't so easy to take.
Chapter 216 His money... isn't so easy to take.
Three hours later, Xie Qing slumped onto the large bed in the lounge, her body aching all over. She didn't even have the strength to lift a finger. Her exposed, fair skin was covered with countless red marks, which even extended to the insteps of her feet.
The instigator, dressed impeccably, stood by the bedside, a slight smile playing on his lips as he gently brushed Xie Qing's sweaty bangs against his forehead with his fingertips.
"Qingqing, would you like some water?"
"Need not."
I'm so damn tired, I want to sleep T_T.
"What about food?"
"No need."
Huo Yunting lowered his eyes, his voice gradually softening, "Qingqing... are you angry with me?"
Xie Qing looked up in surprise, "Why would I be angry with you?"
Did I miss something?
The topic is jumping around way too fast!
"Qingqing is so cold to me."
Huo Yunting looked utterly aggrieved, as if he were looking at a scumbag who would turn his back on someone after pulling up his pants.
Xie Qing chuckled, hooked her lover's tie and pulled it down, two gentle kisses landing lightly on the corners of his lips, "I'm not angry with you, I'm just a little tired."
Huo Yunting's eyes lit up instantly, like a big dog being stroked, even the ends of his hair exuded joy.
He was always one to push his luck, so he leaned in and stole a deep kiss on Xie Qing's lips before going to his meeting, not forgetting to turn up the temperature in the lounge by two degrees before leaving.
The door closed, and Xie Qing slumped onto the bed, rubbing her sore bottom. She thought to herself—I'll never stir things up again; Huo Yunting's madness is absolutely terrifying ╮(︶﹏︶)╭
*
In the blink of an eye, a few more days have passed.
On the set of "The Immortal Path", Xie Qingzheng was suspended by wires on the roof, listening attentively to the martial arts instructor explaining the key points of the movements under the eaves.
At this moment, Huo Yunting's personally selected and called assistant, who was filling in for him, hurried over, holding up his phone, which displayed an incoming call notification on the screen.
Xie Qing came down dressed in an elaborate theatrical costume and took the phone from the other party.
Chu Luo's voice came from the other end of the phone, "Young Master Xie, we found it, just as you thought!"
"Wait a minute, it's a bit noisy."
Xie Qingwan declined the towel and hot drink offered by the stagehand and went to the quiet lounge. "Assistant Chu, we can continue now."
"It wasn't an accident that you were switched at birth; the couple deliberately switched you with their son."
Chu Luo said, "I focused my investigation on Zeng Juan, the suspect you mentioned, and found that she worked as an obstetrics and gynecology nurse at the First Hospital of Baoshan County twenty years ago. She was later dismissed for stealing her colleagues' personal belongings."
"I also found a crucial photo on her treasured old cell phone..."
As Chu Luo narrated, Xie Qing's thoughts gradually entered the depths of the original owner's memories.
Zeng Juan—in the original owner's memory, was a woman whom her parents referred to as a "distant relative".
My parents treated this distant cousin very well, extremely well. Every year during holidays, even though our family wasn't wealthy, they would still gather large bags of gifts and travel to the city to deliver them.
When Zeng Juan occasionally "condescends" to visit, the dilapidated farmhouse courtyard is instantly thrown into chaos.
The parents treated her with the utmost respect, as if welcoming a holy figure, bringing out all the good things they had saved up to entertain her, and even ordering her to call her "Aunt Zeng" in the sternest tone, as if this were a great blessing.
The original owner was love-starved and sensitive, and would do anything to please her parents, let alone a simple greeting.
He was so used to his parents' cold treatment and distorted parent-child relationship that he didn't realize anything was wrong.
But from an outsider's perspective, Xie Qing would find something wrong everywhere—the stark difference in treatment between the siblings, the resentful looks from the parents, the daily routine of beatings and scoldings... it was not how they treated their own children at all.
Behind all the cruelty lies one possibility—they knew perfectly well that this was not their own flesh and blood.
That's why they can use this child as a punching bag without any psychological burden, venting all their frustrations on him, like treating a counterfeit that can be ruined at will, a living scapegoat.
As for Zeng Juan—given the original owner's adoptive parents' mean and stingy nature, for them to be so "submissive" to her, it must be either because she owed them a huge favor or because they had some serious leverage over her.
That day in the car, after sorting out her thoughts, Xie Qing told Chu Luo about her guesses and the main suspects.
An investigation has now revealed that Zeng Juan was not a "distant relative" at all, but rather a witness to the switch plot and an "accomplice."
"Young Master Xie, I have already hired someone to bring Zeng Juan back to City A. She will arrive tonight."
Chu Luo continued, "I'll send you the photos now, you can take a look."
After the call ended, Xie Qing opened the photo sent by Chu Luo—in the cramped nursing room, a middle-aged woman reached out and took a small baby out of the cradle, while a middle-aged man with a fierce face beside her impatiently put the baby in his arms.
Two cradles, with different numbers and destinies, are swapped in just a few minutes. One will be sent to a wealthy family where they live a life of luxury, while the other is destined to struggle to survive in the mire.
Xie Qing's lips curled into a cruel smile, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes—he had "invested" 50,000 yuan to keep that family in check, and now it was time to close the net.
His money... isn't so easy to take.
With a light tap of the fingertip on the screen, three familiar numbers were skillfully pressed.
Hello?
"Hello, is this 110? I need to report a crime..."
*
Xie Yan and her parents were visiting City A for the first time. Looking up at the narrow sky cut off by skyscrapers, their eyes were dazzled by the neon lights.
Holding the money Xie Qing gave him, he was like a beggar who had suddenly stumbled into a treasure trove, "rushing around" in the dazzling shopping mall.
Buying clothes, getting their hair done, buying bags... this kind of life intoxicated the family like strong liquor. They carried large and small bags and moved between luxury goods counters, their steps almost unsteady.
Amidst this intoxicating joy, the only thing that bothered Xie Yan was that no matter where she went, her younger brother's face was always there, like a shadow.
On the giant advertisements on the exterior walls of department stores, he looked down on everyone in a stylish suit; in the scrolling promotional videos on electronic screens, he held an umbrella and looked back in a rainy alley; even the light boxes at cosmetic counters were decorated with posters of perfumes he endorsed.
That overly refined face was everywhere, like a silent display of boasting and mockery.
Jealousy clung to Xie Yan's heart like a poisonous ivy. She wondered why her younger brother, who was not favored in the family, could live a glamorous life under the spotlight, while they were treated like beggars with just a few coins.
Back at the hotel, she felt increasingly resentful and even blamed her parents for making Xie Qingsheng so beautiful.
It's Xie Qing's fault. He's so popular, yet he only gave them 50,000 yuan, like giving alms to beggars. No wonder he was so quick to give them the money.
No, I have to find a time to squeeze him for money again, Xie Yan thought, but before she could find an opportunity, the police came knocking on her door first.