Four years ago, when Qi Shifeng woke up from his coma, his first thought was to find Xu Tingyu.
His memory was still stuck at the moment when danger struck. He still remembered the look of heartache and shock in her eyes.
But they told him that he had actually been in a coma for over twenty days, and during this time, Xu Tingyu had taken the money and left.
He naturally didn't believe it.
If she really wanted money, she wouldn't have endured humiliation by staying by his side for the sake of their child.
She could have easily used the child as leverage to demand a large sum of money and then disappeared.
So he had someone investigate.
But before the results came out, the police came knocking on his door.
Only then did he learn that before leaving, Xu Tingyu had filed a real - name report accusing the Qi Group of fabricating facts to defraud bank loans.
A man who had just come back from the brink of death was then investigated, and somehow the news was leaked, causing the Qi Group's stock price to plummet during that period.
Not only did the stock price fall, but two projects that were almost finalized also fell through.
Internal strife within the Qi Group reached its peak at that time, with various problems emerging one after another.
It was truly a headache.
Before his wounds had fully healed, he was discharged from the hospital and began to deal with the company's affairs.
He had seen the report letter with his own eyes. It was indeed in Xu Tingyu's handwriting.
Some of the evidence could only be seen by those who had access to his study.
The old man sneered at him. "You've always been soft - hearted towards her, trying to protect her, but she's long wanted you dead."
Indeed, once the charges were proven, as the legal representative, he would face a heavy sentence.
Seeing that he remained silent, the old man softened his tone and continued. "Women are all like this. You've learned your lesson this time. Just recognize her for who she is."
"From now on, focus all your energy on your work. Only power and influence can ensure your lifelong peace."
The old man was a classic advocate of self - interest.
He was also dedicated to cultivating Qi Shifeng into such a person.
Only in this way could a company be developed and expanded.
Qi Shifeng never responded to the old man's words. He was just thinking about one question—when had Xu Tingyu started preparing all this?
In other words, when had she come to hate him so much?
Now, with the person standing right in front of him, he finally asked the question that had been tormenting him for four years.
"When did you prepare the report letter? Since you left, why did you still deliver that final blow?"
He looked down at Xu Tingyu. His voice was right beside her ear, grinding on her nerves.
Xu Tingyu's heart was pounding like a drum, but she still looked up at him. "Because it did have an effect, didn't it?"
The report letter had been written by her long ago.
During her pregnancy, Chen Yan had helped her collect the materials, and she had personally sorted them out.
But later, she never found a suitable opportunity to submit it.
After Qi Shifeng's accident, the old man found out about this.
He had investigated her thoroughly.
He even knew how she had obtained these materials.
That was when Xu Tingyu realized how terrifying this old man was.
Although he had retired to the second line, he still controlled everyone.
At that time, Xu Tingyu took all the blame on herself.
"It's all my fault. It has nothing to do with others. I did this because you all have gone too far."
Xu Tingyu had nothing left. She couldn't let others get involved.
The old man didn't expose her. Instead, he gave her two choices.
"Option one: I'll figure out how much the Chen family was involved in this and then return it to them tenfold. You can continue to pester Shifeng in the capital."
"Option two: I'll give you money. You submit this report letter, leave the child behind, and leave the capital. Never have any contact with the Qi family again."
"As for what will happen to your mother, it depends on your performance."
Did Xu Tingyu have a choice?
Of course not.
Qi Shifeng was in a coma, and no one knew when he would wake up.
If she didn't make a decision quickly, not only her but also Youyou's safety couldn't be guaranteed.
So she had no choice but to follow the old man's instructions. She submitted the report letter, left Youyou behind, and took the money and left.
At first, she had wondered why the old man would let her submit the letter. Wasn't he just causing trouble for himself?
But later she understood. This was to sever the last bit of affection Qi Shifeng had for her—although she also didn't know why the old man thought he had feelings for her.
Now, Qi Shifeng's attitude said it all.
He truly hated this incident to the core.
Xu Tingyu also readily admitted it.
Back then, she had collected the materials with the intention of entangling Qi Shifeng with negative publicity so that she could escape.
She just didn't expect it to be used in this way in the end.
"Do you really hate me that much?"
Hearing her answer, it seemed that the last bit of his fantasy had been shattered. Qi Shifeng's face looked extremely ugly.
Xu Tingyu's fingers curled slightly as she met his extremely aggressive gaze.
"What about you? How much do you hate me to hurt my family like this?"
"You pushed me to a dead end and didn't give me any room to breathe."
"Qi Shifeng, be fair. If our roles were reversed, you probably would have wanted to kill me long ago."
She reached out her hand, trying to push him away.
Being so close to him made her feel extremely uneasy.
But as soon as she reached out her hand and before she could even touch him, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Her wrist was slender and fragile, and it felt as smooth as mutton - fat jade under his touch.
Qi Shifeng even stroked it a couple of times.
"I've said before that I never hurt your family, but you've never believed me."
Instead of getting angry, he held her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
Before Xu Tingyu could even react, she was already in his embrace.
She suddenly looked up at him and only saw a panicked reflection of herself in his eyes.
"Xu Tingyu, you ask for fairness, but have you ever thought about whether you've been fair to me?"
"You've never been sincere towards me, which is why you can so openly suspect me and scheme against me."
He hugged her tightly, his breath heavy.
In fact, all of this was beyond his plan.
He should have hated this woman to the core, but for some reason, he just wanted to hold her more.
"Does it still make sense to talk about this now? Qi Shifeng, I'll figure out all the truths, but our relationship is long over."
Xu Tingyu couldn't break free, but her tone was cold.
Over the years, she had never given up on investigating the truth.
She didn't fully trust the information she had gleaned through subtle inquiries.
But the truth was hidden so deeply that no matter how much she investigated, she always ended up circling back to the Qi Group.
So how could she believe that Qi Shifeng had nothing to do with those things?
Moreover, regardless of what the truth was, there was no possibility between them anymore.
"Qi Shifeng, you don't need to deliberately test me. I have no feelings for you anymore. You don't need to worry that my love for Youyou is just an excuse to get close to you."
Her cheeks were burning hot, and her body was stiff. She could even feel the strong and slender arms holding her.
But she would never be moved by it again.