DPT chapter 61

Shu Qingyu felt dizzy and grabbed the door frame. “What’s wrong with you? What health issue?”

Zuo Chi: “My glands are damaged. You should know that very well.”

“I didn’t know…”

Shu Qingyu learned about Zuo Lie when Zuo Chi was thirteen. She and Zuo Yi didn’t have a deep relationship, and she turned a blind eye to his affairs outside marriage. But having a child was a different matter.

She and Zuo Yi had a huge argument over Zuo Lie. Zuo Yi promised that Zuo Lie would never threaten Zuo Chi’s position: “Zuo Chi is the Alpha I’ve trained to be my successor. Zuo Lie is no match for him.”

Alpha. Everything depended on Zuo Chi being an Alpha.

But Zuo Chi wasn’t.

Shu Qingyu knew the truth about Zuo Chi being an Omega would come out eventually, but she hadn’t secured her position in the Zuo family yet. The storm couldn’t come too early.

If Zuo Chi differentiated later, Zuo Lie would be left unattended for a year longer, and Zuo Yi and Zuo Lie would have less time to bond. If Zuo Chi differentiated much later, Zuo Lie might be a wastrel by then, with little bond with Zuo Yi, making things easier to control.

So she called a doctor to ask if there was a medication to delay differentiation. The doctor said there was, but it might have side effects. She didn’t take it seriously, thinking all drugs had side effects, likely just dizziness, nothing major.

The doctor explained the specific side effects over the phone, but Aunt Chen knocked on the door to announce a guest, so she didn’t listen carefully.

She didn’t know. If she had known, she wouldn’t have given Zuo Chi the medication!

Shu Qingyu choked up, “I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m your mother. How could I harm you? Can gland damage be treated? We’ll spend whatever it takes to fix it!”

Seeing Shu Qingyu in this state, Zuo Chi felt conflicted. But he couldn’t just let go of his resentment: “Not everything can be solved with money.”

Shu Qingyu wiped her eyes. As an Omega herself, she knew how important glands were to an Omega. She was distraught, “There must be a way…”

Sheng Li, recognizing Shu Qingyu, stopped approaching. Realizing Zuo Chi was talking to his mother, he thought it best not to intrude. He took the suitcase and walked around downstairs, waiting until he thought enough time had passed before returning to the hospital room.

Shu Qingyu was still there. Sheng Li decided to walk around again but accidentally overheard the words “gland damage.”

He stopped in his tracks.

His suspicion was confirmed. Zuo Chi’s glands were indeed damaged, and Shu Qingyu was responsible.

Sheng Li felt a pang of sorrow for Zuo Chi. Intentional or not, it was clear that Zuo Yi and Shu Qingyu did not care enough about their son.

Sheng Li felt a sharp, dense pain in his heart. He had known Zuo Chi for so many years and should have understood these things better than anyone, but he didn’t reach out to help Zuo Chi when he needed it the most.

From Zuo Chi’s perspective, even as a friend, Sheng Li had failed him.

Sheng Li stood at the stairway for another twenty minutes. By the time he returned to the hospital room, Shu Qingyu had already left.

Zuo Chi easily saw through him: “You should have arrived earlier, right?”

“Yes.” Sheng Li answered truthfully, “I was afraid you’d get angry if you caught me eavesdropping.”

Zuo Chi asked, “Then why didn’t you just come in directly?”

He didn’t want to talk about guilt and compensation with Shu Qingyu, hoping Sheng Li would come in and break the oppressive atmosphere. But Sheng Li didn’t show up.

“That would have been rude.” Sheng Li didn’t understand what Zuo Chi meant this time. He thought he had changed, learned to respect Zuo Chi’s privacy, and give him personal space.

If it had been in the past, he wouldn’t have wandered outside for so long.

He unpacked his suitcase, took out his laptop, and handed it to Zuo Chi, only to retract it halfway.

Zuo Chi was puzzled, “What are you doing?”

Sheng Li said, “Yesterday, everything happened too suddenly, and I didn’t get a chance to ask you about the car accident.”

Zuo Chi replied, “This morning after you left, the police came. They determined the accident was entirely the other party’s fault. The driver was a novice who had just gotten their license.”

Sheng Li asked, “What exactly happened?”

Zuo Chi explained, “It was at an intersection. That small car suddenly appeared from the left, and I couldn’t avoid it. The driver braked abruptly at the last moment; otherwise… The investigation showed that there weren’t many people on the left lane, so the car was speeding. Additionally, the driver got distracted because their eyes suddenly felt uncomfortable, which caused the accident.”

Sheng Li was a bit scared: “What… are you thinking?”

Zuo Chi asked, “Hmm?”

“I mean…” Sheng Li licked his dry lips and spoke with difficulty, “Was it an accident or intentional?”

Zuo Chi had thought about this question.

The small car seemed to be aiming for him, but he only had a gut feeling and no evidence. He didn’t know the driver and couldn’t think of anyone he had recently offended.

Who would benefit from his accident?

If he were still working for the Zuo family, he might have had some suspects in mind. But now, having started his own business, he wasn’t blocking anyone’s way. Who would go to such lengths to harm him?

He shook his head, “I can’t be sure.”

Sheng Li asked, “Which car were you driving?”

Zuo Chi looked up, “I was driving Qin Xu’s car.”

Sheng Li’s heart felt like it had been struck by a hammer. He reminded himself that the most important issue now was not his feelings but whether there was someone behind the car accident.

Zuo Chi continued, “The car has been inspected, and there’s no sign of tampering.”

Sheng Li stared at him, “Did you forget Qin Rui? Qin Rui’s accident was also ruled as an accident. Isn’t it too much of a coincidence?”

Zuo Chi lowered his voice, “What are you trying to say? When Qin Rui had the accident, Qin Xu was still abroad. He hadn’t even met Qin Yanren. How could he harm Qin Rui?”

Sheng Li sneered, feeling frustrated, “I didn’t even mention Qin Xu, and you’re already defensive?”

Zuo Chi said, “I’m just stating the facts.”

“That’s Qin Xu’s version of the story. He’s in his twenties now. Are you saying his mother never told him what his biological father was like? He knows his biological father has a huge business empire in this country, so maybe he has other ideas…”

Zuo Chi interrupted him: “Sheng Li, you can’t make baseless accusations without evidence.”

Sheng Li: “I’m just analyzing. After Qin Rui’s accident, who benefited the most? Isn’t it Qin Xu? Qin Xu is now the heir of the Qin family.”

Qin Xu was not the heir of the Qin family.

Although that was what Qin Xu had said, there was no third-party verification. But Qin Xu had been particularly sincere when he said it, and Zuo Chi chose to believe him.

Zuo Chi looked at Sheng Li, “Then tell me, if he had planned this, what would he gain from my accident?”

Sheng Li couldn’t answer.

Zuo Chi said, “You’re biased against Qin Xu.”

Sheng Li was annoyed. He admitted he was biased against Qin Xu, but his analysis wasn’t without reason. Why did Zuo Chi trust Qin Xu so much after knowing him for just six months?

Sheng Li stiffened his neck, “You had an accident in his car. Why hasn’t he come to the hospital to see you?”

Zuo Chi replied, “He’s not in the country. He flew back to Berlin yesterday.”

Zuo Chi calculated that Qin Xu should be arriving in Berlin soon.

Sheng Li felt uncomfortable. He wanted to ask yesterday, as Zuo Chi’s boyfriend, why wasn’t Qin Xu by Zuo Chi’s side when he had an accident. Now he knew that if Qin Xu were in the country, he probably wouldn’t have had the chance to stay overnight in the hospital with Zuo Chi.

“You had an accident, and he happened to be out of the country. Can’t I suspect something fishy?”

Zuo Chi frowned, “He went abroad because his mother fell at home. Can you stop with the conspiracy theories?”

Conspiracy theories?

Sheng Li was unhappy. His throat moved as if he wanted to retort, but he swallowed his words.

He took a few deep breaths and softened his tone, “I’m just worried about you. If it was an accident, we’ll heal and move on. But if it was intentional, you were lucky not to be seriously injured this time. What if someone tries again? Won’t you feel uneasy until the car accident is fully investigated?”

Zuo Chi indeed felt a weight on his mind, but until Sheng Li pointed it out, he had only been trying to think positively: “People have been questioned, surveillance has been reviewed. What else can we investigate?”

Sheng Li said solemnly, “I have my methods. Will you let me investigate?”

Zuo Chi looked at him, and after a moment of silence, said, “Don’t do anything reckless.”

He really didn’t want to bother Sheng Li. He and Sheng Li should have stayed out of contact like before. He didn’t want to be entangled with him, nor did he want to owe him anything. But now, since he was hospitalized and his movement was restricted, with a conspicuous cast on his hand making investigation even more difficult, he had no choice. Besides, when it came to private investigations, Sheng Li was undoubtedly more experienced. He had many friends, and there were always those who could help.

Since it concerned his safety, he couldn’t afford to ignore it.

At the same time, he thought, apart from Sheng Li, who else could he turn to for help?

Qin Xu was abroad, Cheng Xiangwan had no connections, and other friends weren’t close enough.

There was no one else.

He had lived for twenty-six years, and though he wasn’t exactly a loner, the number of close people around him was very few.

“Got it,” Sheng Li said.

He set up the small table on the hospital bed and placed a computer on it.

He didn’t advise Zuo Chi to avoid work, knowing that Zuo Chi couldn’t let go of company affairs: “Don’t strain your left hand.”

Zuo Chi: “Okay.”

Sheng Li said, “I found a caregiver on an online housekeeping platform, she will be here this afternoon.”

Zuo Chi’s eyes were already glued to the computer: “Okay.”

“Ah Chi…”

“Hmm?”

Sheng Li wanted to ask about the gland injury but felt it wasn’t the right time. It wouldn’t be too late to discuss it after Alessio gave him a reply.

“Nothing, I forgot to bring a USB drive, I’ll go back home to get it.”

Zuo Chi: “Okay.”

After Sheng Li left, Zuo Chi received a message from Qin Xu: “Chi, I’ve arrived in Berlin.”

Zuo Chi replied: “Good, go visit your mother, I hope everything goes well.”

He hesitated for a moment but didn’t immediately tell Qin Xu about his car accident. He didn’t want him to feel guilty or troubled, though Qin Xu would find out sooner or later.