TRYMBPIETM 91: Revival of All Things (12)

Chi Qingzhou slowly responded with an “oh.”

“Brother Guan, are you at the hospital now? Did Yi Shangxiao call you?”

On the other end of the phone, footsteps were heard as Guan Xihua lowered his voice: “No, I accidentally ran into him last night after work. He was covered in blood and unconscious. I, along with Liu Wei’s agent, took him to the hospital and stayed here overnight.”

Chi Qingzhou asked, “Yi Shangxiao is awake now? Did he tell you to find me?”

Guan Xihua replied, “He said ‘Wanxiang’ will start filming soon and needs to talk to you about some things.”

Chi Qingzhou agreed, “Got it, I’ll go with Xiao Du.”

He hung up the phone, told Du Huan, and Du Huan turned the car around to head to the provincial hospital.

…

Chi Qingzhou pushed open the door to the hospital room and immediately saw Yi Shangxiao lying in the bed.

His complexion was pale, likely from blood loss, and the collar of his pajamas was open, revealing bandages underneath.

It was unclear if the pain from his injuries caused him to furrow his brow and look slightly weary.

Guan Xihua was sitting beside the bed, holding his phone in one hand and gesturing absently with the other.

When they heard the door open, they paused their conversation, turned to look, and smiled.

Yi Shangxiao seemed a little more alert, a trace of joy in his eyes: “Teacher Chi, you’ve come.”

Chi Qingzhou scanned his body briefly, then asked directly, “Your wound is near the ribs?”

Yi Shangxiao’s expression stiffened: “Teacher Chi, did you see something?”

Chi Qingzhou responded, “Yin energy. It’s not very noticeable, probably due to your blood circulation causing it to manifest.”

Yi Shangxiao thought for a while, uncertain, and asked, “Is there something special about my blood?”

Chi Qingzhou chuckled softly, his hazy pupils reflecting a strange shadow.

“Maybe it’s because you share blood ties with your father, elder brother, and second brother.”

Yi Shangxiao’s face changed drastically: “Did they do this? But I just found out that before I came to Hexing City, some artists had been attacked at night.”

According to what he had learned, those artists had first felt a strong sense of being watched, then were knocked unconscious.

Some of the artists were physically harmed, while others weren’t hurt but had been photographed in compromising situations and were forced into silence.

These events occurred before Yi Shangxiao arrived in Hexing City. He was puzzled about how this could be related to the Yi family.

Chi Qingzhou answered off-topic: “These past three years, things you wanted to do probably haven’t gone smoothly, right?”

He was referring to Yi Shangxiao’s actions against the Yi family.

Though he wasn’t particularly skilled at divination, Yi Shangxiao was Ah Shang’s third brother, and Chi Qingzhou would do his best to help.

The Yi family’s bankruptcy and Ah Shang’s seclusion weren’t directly related; after all, even though the Yi family collapsed, Ah Shang could still remain in the moving tomb. His plan from three years ago didn’t require leaving the Yi family intact for this long.

In other words, the Yi family’s downfall, now that it was finally on the brink, likely stemmed from the use of some forbidden methods.

They might not know that it was Yi Shangxiao who was targeting the Yi family, but if someone told them that sacrificing one son could save the Yi family, these people wouldn’t hesitate to harm Yi Shangxiao.

If it weren’t for Chi Qingzhou’s lack of skill in reading faces and divining, he might have realized this sooner.

Yi Shangxiao, upon hearing this reminder from Chi Qingzhou, grew serious.

“I was careless. I had always thought about how the Yi family operated for so many years, it was normal to encounter some difficulties along the way.”

But he had forgotten that the timing was suggested by Mr. Chi, and unless there was also a cultivator involved behind the Yi family, it was impossible for this situation to drag on for so long.

Yi Shangxiao asked gravely, “So what are they trying to get from the people who were attacked?”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “I’m not sure. I might need to meet those who were attacked to find out.”

This was not a lie. He really couldn’t deduce the specific relationship between the Yi family, the creatures attacking the artists, and Yi Shangxiao without more information.

Yi Shangxiao immediately said, “Should I arrange it?”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “As soon as possible. But not today; I might be able to meet them tonight.”

Yi Shangxiao said, “I understand, I’ll arrange it.”

Chi Qingzhou nodded.

In this matter, he trusted Yi Shangxiao’s ability.

Yi Shangxiao visibly relaxed.

However, Guan Xihua was completely confused by the conversation between the two.

He looked between them, deeply suspicious that he hadn’t woken up properly today.

“Wait, what are you two talking about? How does the Yi family get involved? Are you hiding something from me?”

Guan Xihua just couldn’t understand the logic behind their words.

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head, acting innocently: “No, Brother Guan, you didn’t ask, did you?”

Yi Shangxiao smiled lightly: “It’s not that we’re hiding anything, we just figured you wouldn’t want to hear it, so we didn’t say anything. Would you like to hear it?”

“Uh…”

Guan Xihua swallowed nervously, feeling an ominous premonition.

He paused for a moment, cautiously asking, “Is this related to the Yi family? To their company?”

Yi Shangxiao replied, “Yes, otherwise what?”

Guan Xihua finally understood: family feuds, perhaps over inheritance or something like that.

He stiffly said, “I don’t think I want to hear this anymore.”

Before Yi Shangxiao could respond, he quickly changed the subject, “By the way, Mr. Yi, is ‘Wanxiang‘ starting soon?”

Yi Shangxiao readily replied, “It should be soon. Director Fang mentioned it a couple of days ago, but the exact time hasn’t been set. It’ll probably be in the next week or two.”

Guan Xihua said, “Then I need to prepare Chi Qingzhou.”

Aside from the change of clothes and luggage, the information about the other artists in the group also needed to be prepared.

Yi Shangxiao said, “I’ll give Director Fang a call in a bit to ask about the situation. I’ll make sure to leave you some time to pack your luggage.”

Guan Xihua quickly thanked him.

Chi Qingzhou, a bit curious, looked at them and asked, “Guan Ge, when did you get so familiar with Mr. Yi?”

Guan Xihua shot him a glare without much patience. “It’s one of my jobs!”

Yi Shangxiao replied, “Teacher Chi is going to film, so we should pay more attention. Some interactions are normal.”

Chi Qingzhou responded, “Is that so?”

However, the casual tone in their conversation didn’t seem like ordinary interactions. They were familiar, relaxed, as if they had already become friends.

He smiled at Yi Shangxiao but didn’t dwell too much on the matter. Instead, he asked, “I thought Mr. Yi had already returned to Hongcheng. Did you have something important to handle when you went to our company last night?”

Yi Shangxiao replied, “It was President He from Yade Media who invited me to talk business. Originally, we agreed to meet at a private restaurant, but around 3:30 PM, he changed his mind and asked me to come to Yade Media instead.”

Due to the attractive conditions President He offered, Yi Shangxiao thought it over briefly and agreed.

However, by 7 PM, before he could even enter the Yade Media office building, he was attacked in the building’s underground parking garage.

Chi Qingzhou, thinking, asked, “What happened to President He?”

He didn’t ask if Yi Shangxiao had seen the attacker or if President He’s situation was intentional. If Yi Shangxiao knew who had attacked him, would he still need Guan Xihua to contact him?

Yi Shangxiao took a deep breath. “That’s also what I want to say. I was attacked head-on, but I didn’t see anything. When I woke up today, I had someone check, and I found out that President He had a car accident around 4 PM yesterday and is being treated here at this hospital.”

“According to his assistant, his condition is quite bad. It took a lot of effort to rescue him, and he hasn’t woken up yet.”

Yi Shangxiao leaned back on the bed’s headrest and let out a slow breath. “Teacher Chi, do you want to see him?”

Chi Qingzhou stood up, a fleeting glimmer flashing across his hazy eyes.

“President He is injured? Since I’m here, of course I should go see him. After all, he’s the boss of Yade.”

…

VIP ward at the provincial hospital.

A series of hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

Chi Qingning hurriedly stepped off the elevator with his agent, rushing towards the ward.

President He’s assistant was already waiting at the door. Upon seeing Chi Qingning, she immediately approached.

“Mr. Chi, you’re here.”

Chi Qingning nodded and greeted him. “How’s Brother Fan now? Has he woken up?”

The assistant replied, “He just woke up about ten minutes ago, and the first thing he said was that he wanted to see you.”

The assistant led Chi Qingning to the door, pushed it open, and glanced sideways, her eyes somewhat peculiar.

“President He isn’t in great spirits, and he’s a little confused.”

Chi Qingning pretended not to notice her curious gaze and nodded before stepping into the room.

He Fan was lying on the bed, his forehead, right arm, and both legs wrapped in bandages.

His face was ghostly pale, and a scabbed scratch ran from the corner of his right eye to his cheekbone, making him look particularly haggard.

There were also several scratches on his left hand, which was exposed outside his gown. They were similar to the one on his face—neither deep nor likely to leave scars.

Perhaps because he was in a daze, He Fan didn’t seem to hear the door’s sound and remained half-asleep, leaning against the pillow.

Chi Qingning’s heart sank. He walked to the bedside and softly called out, “Brother Fan, Brother Fan, are you okay?”

He Fan suddenly woke up, turned his head, and seeing his beloved, his spirits lifted considerably.

“Qingning, you’re here? Secretary Li, please get a chair for Qingning, thank you.”

The secretary complied and brought a chair over from the bedside.

Chi Qingning thanked her and sat down in the chair.

“Brother Fan, how did you suddenly get into an accident on the road?” Chi Qingning asked, somewhat confused. “Weren’t you fine when you were on the North City Expressway yesterday?”

He Fan had gone out to discuss a collaboration with another company and called Chi Qingning around 3 PM on his way back. At that time, He Fan said the road wasn’t busy, and there were no large vehicles. How did the accident happen? And to be hit by a large vehicle?

According to regulations in Hexing City, freight trucks shouldn’t be passing restricted roads at around 4 PM, right?

He Fan’s face twitched painfully as he inadvertently pulled on a wound, causing him to gasp.

He gritted his teeth. “Ningning, I remember your uncle is a Taoist from Maoshan, right? Could you introduce him to me?”

Chi Qingning’s face changed. “Brother Fan, did something strange happen to you?”

He Fan mumbled, “Kind of. Anyway, I’m just afraid the outside masters aren’t reliable. Ningning, what do you think…?”

Chi Qingning hesitated slightly but still decided to be honest. “I think my uncle might not be able to handle this. If you really are worried, you can ask my second brother for help?”

He Fan was stunned. “Your second brother…? Oh, Chi Qingzhou? He’s from a small place, can he understand this?”

Chi Qingning raised an eyebrow and said lightly, “Of course he understands. No one knows it better than him. Brother Fan, I’m serious. If you feel something is wrong, it’s best to have him check it out.”

He Fan was somewhat skeptical.

Chi Qingning added, “My second brother is reliable in this regard. If you feel uncomfortable about asking, I can talk to him for you.”

He Fan still seemed unsure.

Chi Qingning patiently persuaded him for a while. When He Fan finally seemed interested, Chi Qingning stood up. “Brother Fan, don’t worry. I’ll call my second brother now. You can trust him; he really values his good reputation. Even if he doesn’t personally act, he’ll definitely manage things for you.”

He Fan hesitated without responding, when a clear male voice came from outside the room.

“Hm? Does my little brother need my help with something?”