Chapter 47: Love and Vengeance

As dusk fell on this late autumn day, the orange-yellow glow of the setting sun was gradually overtaken by the evening frost.

Qin Shili stood near the window, half of the glass pane behind him open. With no sunlight today, the dense green forest outside cast a shadow over his figure, deepening the intensity in his eyes.

This room had once belonged to his mother, and the spot where Qin Shili now stood was where Zhou Jinye’s mother often leaned against the window, gazing at the distant woods.

Zhou Jinye didn’t know how Qin Shili had evaded the police surveillance to stand here. As he approached, he noticed a bandage stuck to Qin Shili’s face. “Uncle Xu—it was you who captured him?”

“Yes,” Qin Shili replied, stepping away from the windowsill and brushing off some dust that had clung to him. “Bring him in.”

With those words, Uncle Xu was dragged out from one of the rooms Zhou Jinye hadn’t yet checked. His hands were tightly bound with rope, his face bruised like Qin Shili’s, and his mouth gagged with duct tape.

Behind Uncle Xu stood a young boy, tear stains dried on his cheeks.

Behind them both loomed Qin Shili’s burly bodyguards, brought over from abroad.

“I never expected him to be staying in my dear wife’s house,” Qin Shili said casually. “I invited him to stay here, but he refused—and fought back. He said things I didn’t want to hear, so I silenced him.”

His tone was casual, but laced with cruelty.

The veins on the back of Zhou Jinye’s hand bulged, ready to strike at any moment.

“You have no right to mention my mother,” Zhou Jinye growled through gritted teeth.

Qin Shili sneered. “I also didn’t expect that your connections would surpass mine—you’ve managed to protect everyone you care about, except for him. It seems you forgot.”

“Luckily, I traced your mother’s old property records and found him.”

As he spoke, Qin Shili glanced around the silent surroundings, arms crossed, fingers tapping idly.

“You called in quite a lot of police—they gave me quite the trouble. I had to find someone roughly my size to mislead them. But honestly, the ones stationed outside my house were even more troublesome than the decoy.”

“Do you have your phone on you?” He signaled to the bodyguard beside Zhou Jinye. A muffled thud echoed as something solid hit the ground, causing Uncle Xu to wince in pain.

Despite his sturdy build, Uncle Xu couldn’t resist the strong bodyguard holding him firmly. The man standing nearby remained motionless. “Call them now and tell them to retreat down the mountain.”

Zhou Jinye followed his instructions. After repeated assurances from Wei Ming, who reluctantly withdrew from the villa, the armed police began retreating one by one.

Watching through the window as the crowd dispersed, Qin Shili smiled satisfactorily. “Now this is my good son.”

It was the third time Zhou Jinye had heard him call him that today, and each time it filled him with revulsion. “Our relationship ended long ago when we were abroad. You don’t need to pretend affection by calling me that.”

“Hahahaha!” Qin Shili laughed, a flicker of resentment flashing in his eyes. “Why aren’t we alike? I sent you abroad deliberately, creating an environment meant to corrupt you. Yet why haven’t you turned out like me? Why are there still so many people who love you?”

Forced abroad by Qin Shili, Zhou Jinye had been abandoned in the most rundown alleyways, surrounded by all sorts of unsavory characters. Qin Shili hadn’t arranged for him to attend a decent school; instead, Zhou Jinye faced discrimination and provocation from others.

But Zhou Jinye hadn’t become what Qin Shili envisioned—someone as rotten as himself.

Looking at Qin Shili’s near-maniacal demeanor, Zhou Jinye spat, “You are you, and I am me.”

He owed no respect to Qin Shili, whose actions had left scars deeper than physical wounds. Qin Shili was responsible for pushing Zhou Jinye’s pregnant mother down the stairs, causing her miscarriage and eventual death. Though they shared blood, Qin Shili’s endless torment had shaped Zhou Jinye into someone who, after being rescued, developed nyctophobia—curling up in fear during countless nights, living aimlessly during the days, and seeking thrills without fear. That was until he met Xu Wu, whose eyes mirrored his own pain, reminding him of who he once was.

Everything about Zhou Jinye had been crafted by Qin Shili, yet Qin demanded he become just like him.

“Indeed, you’re nothing like me,” Qin Shili remarked, a twisted smile playing on his lips as if amused by some private joke. Slowly, he gestured to the bodyguards. “Would you like to relive the scene of your mother falling from the stairs?”

The blond foreign bodyguard violently yanked Uncle Xu up and began dragging him out. Zhou Jinye sensed danger and tried to intervene, but Qin Shili’s men blocked him.

Despite landing several punches, Zhou Jinye was no match for the professional bodyguards. Exhausted, he was quickly subdued.

Qin Shili bent down and ripped the duct tape from Uncle Xu’s mouth. Spitting out foam, Uncle Xu hurled insults at Qin Shili’s face. Instead of anger, Qin Shili’s smile only widened.

“You’re not fit to live in this world, you beast.”

Qin Shili wiped his face with a tissue. “How many times have you said that? Go ahead, say it again. Though I doubt you’ll have the strength later.”

“You helped Zhou Jinye before, so I thought we still had some semblance of brotherhood. I didn’t blame you for that. But hiding your return to the country and plotting against me? That’s unforgivable.” The black beads in his eyes gleamed with murderous intent in the dim light.

Uncle Xu’s lips twitched. “You’ve been lurking for years, hiding your schemes. You killed her while I remained unaware, then took my daughter abroad to threaten me. Do you think your words are amusing?”

Turning to Zhou Jinye, who was being held down nearby, Uncle Xu continued, “Jinye, make sure this time he doesn’t escape—not even with my share of vengeance.”

By now, the last traces of twilight had vanished, leaving the woods cloaked in the thin frost of night. The room was dark, unlit, and sweat trickled down Zhou Jinye’s forehead.

His body trembled uncontrollably, panic overriding his thoughts. The scene mirrored the memory of his mother confronting Qin Shili. The hallway was eerily quiet, save for the howling wind outside and the rustling of tree branches. It felt like the calm before an execution.

No one noticed the small boy lurking near the window, watching shadows darting around the villa. His sharp eyesight allowed him to identify his second uncle among them. Though initially frightened into silence, the boy soon realized the situation and began observing carefully, his expression turning serious upon seeing his uncle leading reinforcements.

Qin Shili misunderstood Zhou Jinye’s symptoms, mistaking his trembling for fear. Amused, his expression grew more sinister.

“Well, take a good look,” he mocked Zhou Jinye, who was gasping for breath. “After all, your mother isn’t here anymore.”

________________________________________

Zhou Jinye’s body acted on its own, consumed by panic. The bodyguards watched as he collapsed into a corner of the stairwell, unresponsive.

Uncle Xu noticed Zhou Jinye’s condition—he knew about his phobia. Turning to Qin Shili, he said bitterly, “You’re not fit to be human, treating your own wife and son so cruelly.”

“Have you ever seen someone lose everything they love while living comfortably?” Qin Shili retorted, glancing at the boy on the stairs.

He was the youngest heir of the Qin family’s bloodline. When visiting the elderly patriarch, Qin Shili had noticed him and decided to use him as leverage—turning his target toward the child. While the rest of the Qin family assumed retaliation would come through business dealings, Qin Shili secretly abducted the boy when no one was watching.

“Don’t be afraid—you’re next.”

Though startled, the boy instinctively backed away. Outside, figures moved stealthily through the frost.

Unnoticed, the bracelet Zhou Jinye kept in his pocket had fallen out. Half a sun and half a moon were connected, their edges shimmering faintly. Picking it up, Zhou Jinye clutched it tightly, trying to steady himself.

The cold metal seemed warmer than his injured hand. Clutching it, he could feel its temperature—a reminder of his pain.

“Stay strong, child. Don’t be afraid. Remember what I told you.”

Qin Shili checked his wristwatch, no longer wasting words. Uncle Xu watched anxiously as Zhou Jinye’s condition worsened.

At that moment, a shadow appeared at the bend of the stairs.

“Who’s there?” Qin Shili demanded, his attention diverted along with his bodyguards. No one noticed Zhou Jinye rising quietly from the floor.

Forcing himself to calm down, Zhou Jinye lunged at Qin Shili.

Footsteps echoed up the staircase, growing louder as chaos erupted in the hallway. Still disoriented, Zhou Jinye was shoved aside by Qin Shili’s elbow, feeling warmth trickle down his forehead.

A deafening sound froze everyone in place. No one had expected Qin Shili to possess such a weapon. Standing closest to the boy, Qin Shili immediately used it to seize control, aiming it at the child as he glanced outside.

Still, no movement came—the timing wasn’t right.

Uncle Xu recognized the object in Qin Shili’s hand. Somehow, he’d acquired it. “You’ll never see daylight again,” Uncle Xu muttered.

Everyone waited for the opportune moment. Qin Shuheng stood in front of the armed police, who had warned Qin Shili earlier. But Qin Shili, hair disheveled from the fight with Zhou Jinye, had descended into madness, ignoring their warnings completely.

“Qin Shuheng, technically you should call me ‘Uncle.’ You’re much like your father—we share the same father, after all. I haven’t forgotten the disdain in your father’s eyes when he looked at me in the Qin household. To this day, it haunts me. If I’d known you’d take my place, perhaps I would’ve made Grandfather regret exiling me.”

The weapon in his hand pressed closer to the boy’s temple, as if the child were a younger version of Qin Shuheng.

Only then did Zhou Jinye fully recognize the boy—about five or six years old.

Seeing the child held hostage by Qin Shili reminded him painfully of his own past.

Leaning against the window, Zhou Jinye suddenly realized he was closest to Qin Shili. Moving slowly, unnoticed, he positioned himself at Qin Shili’s side while the latter conversed with Qin Shuheng.

Gradually shifting his weight, Zhou Jinye struck the moment Qin Shili reacted. Using his elbow, he disarmed him, kicking the weapon away.

Another loud noise rang out.

“Jinye!”