Chapter 2 Old Friends Meet

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Thump, thump, thump.

A series of knocking sounds came through, and Xia Qiu's voice emerged, slightly icy, "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Ye Xuan entered. When he saw Xia Qiu's familiar face, a faint smile drew itself upon the corner of his lips.

"Hello, Aunt Xia, you're still so beautiful after all these years."

"Hmm?"

Xia Qiu, who had been burning with anger, was taken aback by Ye Xuan's address and then sneered coldly, "I don't care who you are, but your joke isn't funny at all."

"And please, don't call me 'Aunt.' You're not qualified." Xia Qiu's attitude was unfriendly, which let Ye Xuan know there was likely some misunderstanding.

"Do you truly not recognize me?" Ye Xuan asked, with a slight frown.

"How would I recognize someone like you... hmm... who are you?"

Xia Qiu was about to scold him, but as she carefully examined Ye Xuan's features, an extremely familiar feeling surged in her heart, and she couldn't continue her sentence.

"Four years ago, you were my chief physician."

Like Nine Heavens Thunder exploding, or the vast waves of the Blood Sea churning, when Ye Xuan spoke those words, Xia Qiu became completely stunned in her seat.

Her body shook, her lips drained of color, solely because the young man's appearance was continuously merging with that of the boy from the past, and it took a full minute for Xia Qiu's breathing to start quickening.

Bang!

Xia Qiu's complexion was ashen; she suddenly slammed her hands down on the desk and stood up.

"Impossible... Absolutely impossible... That child is dead... dead..." Xia Qiu trembled, but the look in her eyes toward Ye Xuan was one of sheer terror.

"Speak... Who... Exactly who are you?"

At this moment, Xia Qiu became hysterical because, as a doctor, she knew that someone with such a terminal illness could not possibly have survived.

Gazing at Xia Qiu's pale face, Ye Xuan showed a hint of helplessness in his eyes. He knew that to anyone with common sense, his reappearance would certainly cause a stir.

Indeed, how could someone who was certain to die four years ago still be alive?

Ye Xuan gave a self-deprecating smile, then continued, "I didn't die. I'm standing here alive before you, and I ask that you believe me."

Faced with the undeniable reality, Xia Qiu had no choice but to believe him, but this sudden event had completely overturned her understanding. It was only after several minutes that she was able to regain her senses slightly.

During this time, Ye Xuan did not disturb her, clearly giving Xia Qiu time to accept the situation.

"Are you... really Little Ye... not a ghost?"

"Ghost?"

Lu Xin murmured to himself, and horrifying blood-soaked figures sprang to mind. A trace of disdain flicked across his eyes but was quickly concealed.

"Aunt Xia, I'm certainly not a ghost. I've come to ask if you might know the current address of my mother?"

Ye Xuan had returned to the city and naturally had been to his old residence, but that place had already been demolished, and even his mother's phone number was disconnected. It was then that he thought of Xia Qiu, leading to the current situation.

Now, Xia Qiu had completely calmed down and gradually accepted the fact of Ye Xuan's survival.

"Your disappearance years ago left your mother in deep sorrow. I used to keep in touch with your mother, but with four years gone by, I have no idea where she might be," Xia Qiu said, frowning slightly.

Hearing this news, a hint of disappointment flashed in Ye Xuan's eyes. If even Xia Qiu didn't know the whereabouts of his mother and younger siblings, how was he to find them?

Could it be... that he had to go to the Ye Family in the Capital City?

The Ye Family?

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Hah!

Thinking about the so-called Ye Family, Ye Xuan couldn't help but sneer inwardly, and when his eyes flickered open and closed, a trace of bloodshot passed by.

"Right, I remember now."

Suddenly, Xia Qiu cried out in surprise, her face showing a touch of excitement, "After you left that year, your mother erected a cenotaph for you in Beishan Cemetery. Every year on your birthday, she would surely go to sweep the grave."

"My cenotaph?"

Ye Xuan enunciated each word clearly. Then, he closed his eyes slightly as the image of his mother floated into his mind, and his body shivered unconsciously, making the surrounding space oppressively tense.

Ye Xuan would always remember that at the age of five, he and his mother were driven out the door of the Ye Family. That year, his younger brother and sister were only three years old. Over the years, he had seen fully how much suffering his mother had endured.

During his four-year disappearance, Ye Xuan could only imagine how hard it must have been for his mother to care for his brother and sister.

"Ye Family, you had better pray that I can find my mother, otherwise…"

A cruel smile curled the corners of Ye Xuan's mouth. His voice was calm, yet it conveyed an immensely terrifying feeling, as if a slumbering Demon King were slowly opening his eyes.

Xia Qiu didn't know if it was her own illusion, but when she caught a fleeting glimpse of blood in Ye Xuan's eyes, she involuntarily stepped back several paces, a cold sweat drenching her back.

What... what kind of look was that? What on earth had Little Ye been through in these four years?

Chills ran down her spine, as if falling into an abyss—that was Xia Qiu's feeling. She felt as though she had seen a blood-drenched scene in Ye Xuan's eyes.

A lone figure walked a road, an endless Blood Sea churning around him, with banks lined with piled-up bones, countless Blood Souls wailing, and endless creatures crying. Amidst the overturned sea of blood, a figure stood with his back to all living beings, stepping on piled-up bones and finally ascending the White Bone Throne.

Perhaps sensing Xia Qiu's panic, Ye Xuan quickly snapped out of his reverie and restrained his aura to the utmost, then offered Xia Qiu an apologetic smile.

"Aunt Xia... hmm?"

Ye Xuan was about to speak when his brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes turned towards the door.

"No… you can't come in…"

"Ah."

A commotion came from outside the office, accompanied by a nurse's cry of pain, and this also made Xia Qiu's complexion change. She quickly said to Ye Xuan, "Little Ye, wait here for a moment, Auntie has some things to deal with, I'll talk to you later."

Watching Xia Qiu's hurried departure, Ye Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly as he leisurely followed her.

Hospital lobby.

Several bodyguards dressed in black suits surrounded a young man and woman, causing the nurses and doctors around them to look scared, but they still blocked the young couple's way.

"Mr. Li, your brother had a sudden asthma attack. By the time he was brought in, he wasn't breathing; it truly has nothing to do with Doctor Xia, you…"

"Get out of the way."

Li Mingze kicked the on-duty doctor in front of him to the ground, his complexion extremely dark as he said, "My brother only had an acute asthma attack; how could he die so easily?"

"It must be this Xia Qiu who killed my brother. Make her come out to me."

"We, the Li Family, do not want to make things difficult for you. It's not related to you, so I hope you act wisely."

The young woman was very beautiful, dressed in expensive clothes, and spoke gently and politely, but at the moment, her usually pleasant face also seemed somewhat grim.

The Li Family, a prominent clan of Jiangnan City, was a leading family in both the business and political spheres. Their Kai Sheng Group spanned several industries and was definitely a giant in Jiangnan City. There were even rumors that the Li Family had underworld connections, though this was unconfirmed.

After the autopsy, the Li siblings naturally knew that their brother's death had nothing to do with Xia Qiu, but the Li Family patriarch had lost his beloved son, and to calm the old man's grief, the siblings had no choice but to make Xia Qiu the scapegoat.

How could ordinary citizens provoke the members of the Li Family? This was why the doctors and nurses feared the Li siblings.

"My brother's death has nothing to do with me; you can sue me at the Ministry of Justice. If I am guilty, the Suspended Mirror Department will naturally send someone to arrest me. Please do not cause trouble without reason," the Li Family."

Xia Qiu shouted sternly, quickly stepping into the hospital lobby and looking at the Li siblings with no trace of fear.