My Paranoid Girlfriend Asks Me to Be Her Kept Woman (Rebirth) - Chapter 23

Nine years ago, summer.

Zhao Qi was sitting at home reviewing her textbooks.

She had not been in her third year of high school for long before the first quiz arrived.

After studying for the entire morning, with the cicadas outside the window shrilling noisily, the housekeeper brought up a plate of fruit and asked what the young miss wanted for lunch.

Zhao Qi closed her textbook and pushed the books on her desk to the side. Only then did she take the fruit plate from the housekeeper’s hands, prop her chin on her left hand, spear a piece of fruit with a fruit pick, and put it into her mouth.

At noon, the house was always empty. Her parents were on a business trip, her eldest brother was busy with company matters, her second brother usually ate at his workplace, and as for her third brother, there was no need to mention him. Who knew where he had gone off to fool around again, getting tangled up with those young celebrities.

Zhao Qi bit the fruit off the pick. Her appetite was not big.

After eating the small plate of fruit in a few bites, she said, “Just make something simple for lunch.”

The housekeeper took away the fruit plate and agreed with a smiling face.

Zhao Qi tilted her head back and emptied her mind, staring at the ceiling in a daze for a while. Realizing she could no longer study, she simply took out her phone to slack off.

Shocking! Tang Tang and Zhao Family’s Third Young Master Zhao Chengzhi Are Actually in This Kind of Relationship!

A clickbait-style headline entered her eyes.

Hm?!

Zhao Qi helplessly held her forehead. Wasn’t this Tang Tang the female celebrity her third brother had made a fuss about proposing to that time? How had the two of them ended up on the trending list again?!

She did not pay much attention to entertainment news, but even she knew how popular this female celebrity had been lately. The headlines were all about her, and her classmates discussed her quite a bit too.

She casually opened the news.

Then she could no longer sit still.

…

Zhao Qi woke up. For some reason, she had dreamed of the past again.

Although she was awake, the nightmare still seemed to cling to her and refuse to let go.

“Xiao Qi!” Zhao Chengye stood by the bed. This man, who had always shed blood but never tears, nearly cried.

He truly could not bear the pain of losing another family member.

Zhao Qi moved her head slightly, extremely weak. “Eldest Brother.”

Zhao Chengye gripped his younger sister’s hand tightly. “It’s all right now. Big Brother is here.”

“Focus on recovering. Big Brother will handle everything.”

She slowly nodded and weakly closed her eyes again to rest, but a flash of white crossed before her eyes.

Zhao Qi wondered if she had seen wrong back then. How could she have seen Lin Yi come?

When she had been unconscious on the operating table, through the brilliant red and green lights, she had clearly seen Lin Yi’s figure.

She had been dressed in pale white, so striking.

Zhao Qi closed her eyes. Her fingers moved slightly and were gently held by someone.

That person’s fingertips were soft, yet there was a thin layer of calluses on the pads.

Zhao Qi truly had no strength left. Her eyelids rested heavily over her eyes. After waking for a while, she sank into deep sleep again.

“The doctor said she needs to sleep and rest properly.”

Zhao Chengye spoke softly, afraid of waking his younger sister.

Lin Yi stared at the woman without blinking. Only one night had passed, yet the woman’s cheeks seemed to have thinned quite a bit.

Her sharply defined jawline was covered by only a thin layer of flesh, and her lips were dry and cracked, the skin peeling up.

Lin Yi took a cotton swab from the side, dipped it in a little water, and moistened the woman’s lips.

The doctor had instructed that Zhao Qi still could not drink water for the next day.

Her movements were gentle. Zhao Qi continued sleeping deeply.

After watching for a while longer, Zhao Chengye said, “Let’s go outside.”

“Let her rest properly.”

Lin Yi reluctantly stood up, her gaze still fixed on the woman’s face.

She had never seen the woman look this weak before.

In her previous life, Zhao Qi had always been bright, sharp, and vivid. Like the cold wind of early spring, gently blowing and chilly against the face. Yet toward Lin Yi, she had exhausted all her patience and tenderness.

…

The two of them left the ward, and Zhao Chengye asked, “What plans does Miss Lin have?”

Lin Yi’s gaze was still fixed on the door handle of the intensive care ward. She had left in a rush this time and had thrown her phone, wallet, and clothes all at Sangzhu. Moreover, the matter with Lin Xiaolu had not been resolved yet.

If she really lost contact for the next few days, setting aside Fan Texi, who was preparing her debut album, Lin Xiaolu alone might go mad.

She remembered Wuming’s words clearly. If the anomaly’s energy became chaotic, she would not gain anything good from it.

Her thoughts turned over countless times. Looking at the intensive care ward, loss surged in her heart.

But what kind of reasons were these?

No matter how many reasons there were, they were all excuses. In the end, Zhao Qi was injured.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say that she would stay and accompany Zhao Qi at all times.

The words surged to her lips, yet she could not force them out.

In the end, she only said, “I need to go back.”

She still could not let go of all her responsibilities. Her wish to stay by Zhao Qi’s side was real, but the fact that those matters were unresolved was also real.

When she boarded the flight, Lin Yi opened the plane window shade. Without clouds blocking it, the sunlight was somewhat dazzling. In the distance were towering mountain ranges. Majestic snowcapped mountains stood coiled in place, rising high into the clouds, surrounded by mist.

She looked at them quietly, filled with loss the entire way.

The trip back was not as urgent. Assistant Li had also contacted Fan Texi to explain the situation.

Zhao Chengye had arranged for someone to book Lin Yi the nearest flight. This was Lin Yi’s first time flying first class, but she felt no so-called joy. Instead, her expression was heavy.

She suddenly thought that perhaps what stood between them was not society, nor other people, but her own personality.

In her previous life, the woman had confessed again and again, and Lin Yi had guarded herself tightly, leaving Zhao Qi disappointed.

In this life, Lin Yi confessed again and again, while the woman guarded herself tightly, leaving Lin Yi disappointed.

She wondered, when she had rejected the woman, had Zhao Qi felt this terrible too?

Or had she smiled and said it was fine?

She thought quietly for a long time along the way. The plane roared over the snowcapped mountains and landed in Huaicheng.

Fan Texi had long been waiting at the airport. As soon as Lin Yi got off the plane and left the terminal, she saw him leaning flamboyantly against the front of the car.

When she left, it had been night. When she returned, it was already dusk.

Fan Texi picked up Lin Yi. Lin Yi quietly got into the car and fastened her seat belt.

“You all left in such a hurry. Work was abandoned, too. I couldn’t find you early this morning, and you didn’t answer your phone. Boss didn’t come either. I thought something had happened to all of you.”

“Mm. Something happened to Zhao Qi.” Lin Yi lowered her eyes, and guilt surged up in her heart again.

Zhao Qi had been injured, yet Lin Yi was not by her side taking care of her.

Fan Texi rambled on, “I know, Assistant Li told me. It’s good that she’s through the critical period. Once Boss’s condition stabilizes in a few days, she’ll probably be sent back home to recuperate. How could the food abroad nourish someone as well as our Huaicheng food?”

Lin Yi’s eyes instantly lit up. “You heard that from Assistant Li?!”

Fan Texi kept his hands on the steering wheel. “Yeah.”

“She’ll probably be sent back to the old residence. There are more people there, and the doctors are there too. President Zhao should feel more reassured.”

Lin Yi knew who the President Zhao Fan Texi mentioned was. Because both Zhao siblings worked in the group, Zhao Chengye had always been called President Zhao, so Zhao Qi was called Boss at Shanhai, while at Zhao Group headquarters, she was called President Zhao. This made it easier to distinguish between them.

Lin Yi lowered her head again and looked at her hands, softly giving an “Mm.”

If Zhao Qi came back and was sent to the old residence, that was indeed good. It would be good for her recovery too. There was everything there, and she would definitely be able to recover well.

Someone who had just been pulled back from the gates of hell needed exactly that kind of care.

Lin Yi worked hard to convince herself and suppress the disappointment.

It was just that, this way, she would have to go some time without seeing the woman again…

Her heart wound around itself in knots. Fan Texi sent Lin Yi back to Sangzhu.

“See you tomorrow.” He waved.

Lin Yi watched Fan Texi drive away. The property manager was still smiling as always.

“Miss Lin?” she called to Lin Yi.

“We’ve already finished installing the room. Please check whether there’s anything unsuitable, and we can adjust it.”

Lin Yi had not forgotten that when she returned yesterday, the manager had said Zhao Qi had instructed them to install a soundproof room. She asked in surprise, “So quickly?”

The manager smiled gently. “Miss Zhao said to do it as soon as possible.”

“I understand.” The indescribable feeling in Lin Yi’s heart slowly surged up again, like drinking an extremely sour cup of bayberry juice. That sourness struck fiercely and instantly spread through her heart.

She took the elevator to the top floor. The apartment seemed to have just been cleaned by the property manager, and there was still a faint fragrance. The garden outside the window looked as if it had just been watered. As the setting sun shone over it, a rainbow appeared.

The flowers that had been rejected had also been properly arranged. Lin Yi saw that the bottom of the bouquet had been cut and placed in nutrient water. The flower buds that were waiting to bloom seemed about to open.

The card the director had personally written to Zhao Qi was still hanging on the bouquet. Lin Yi’s hand moved, but in the end, she still did not open it.

In the end, they were flowers no one wanted. Why open it and add another layer of sourness?

Lin Yi’s nose tingled. The glossy marble tiles clearly reflected her lonely silhouette. She shrank her feet back and walked toward the room.

After going a whole day without contact, Lin Xiaolu had indeed gone mad with anxiety. She had said every filthy, stinking, and foul thing she could.

Lin Yi was in a bad mood and directly replied, “I spent the whole day writing songs.”

Lin Xiaolu was clinging to Liu Chang in a hotel, fooling around. She acted spoiled and wanted to go shopping. Liu Chang smiled gently and said, “I’m afraid not lately. Once my album comes out, I’ll ask the company for a day off and properly accompany you, okay?”

Lin Xiaolu’s heart trembled. Then she heard Liu Chang say apologetically, “Should I not have mentioned the songs? I know you haven’t had any inspiration recently, but Xiaolu—” The man held the woman’s hand and kissed it by his lips. “You know how important this matter is to me. I believe in you.”

Lin Xiaolu looked at the man’s handsome face. Those eyes, shimmering like mountain scenery, were focused entirely on her. She seemed bewitched and wanted to kiss him.

Liu Chang’s brows furrowed slightly, and he quickly turned his head aside. “Is my phone ringing?”

As he spoke, he stood up and picked up the phone. “The crew director is looking for me? Yes, yes, I understand. I’ll go back now.”

He said apologetically, “Xiaolu, something came up with the crew.”

Lin Xiaolu was feeling uneasy. Although she regretted once again failing to get close to the man, she waved her hand and told Liu Chang to go take care of things.

Liu Chang put on a baseball cap and mask, leaned close to Lin Xiaolu, and rubbed against her cheek. Lin Xiaolu smiled foolishly, feeling that she had been overthinking the man’s refusal just now.

After the man left, she also hurriedly took her ID card and checked out. Only after leaving the hotel did she have time to look at her phone, where she saw Lin Yi’s reply.

Without courtesy, she picked up her phone and called. Now that they had already torn all pretense apart, what was there left that could not be said?

“Lin Yi, don’t tell me you’re fooling me. You were writing songs, but you couldn’t even answer a phone call?”

Lin Yi stood beside the piano on the balcony, pulled out the piano bench, and casually played a few notes. When her phone rang, she did not need to look to know who it was.

“Xiaolu, it’s because I can’t write songs anymore.”

Lin Xiaolu: “What?!”

“You can’t write songs?” she screamed. “How did you write your old songs? Just keep writing them the same way now!”