Blinded chapter 67
Xie Li carried Chang Xiaojia to the dining room and placed him by the rectangular dining table. Chang Xiaojia sat with his legs curled up, the soles of his feet on the chair.
He didn’t look at Xie Li, just stared at the empty table.
Xie Li placed his shoes on the floor, stood up, one hand supporting himself on the chair arm, and bent down to say, “I’ll go get you something to eat.”
Chang Xiaojia remained silent.
So, Xie Li walked towards the kitchen.
Chang Xiaojia lifted his hand to hug his knees, a childish movement that looked mismatched with his suit.
After a while, Xie Li returned, holding a bowl of porridge and two steamed buns with fresh milk. The maid followed him, brought a plate of side dishes, placed it on the table, and immediately left.
Xie Li reached out to pull out a chair next to Chang Xiaojia, positioning it towards him. He then sat down, moving the chair under Chang Xiaojia.
Chang Xiaojia turned his head away.
Xie Li reached for the bowl of porridge, lightly stirred it with a spoon, touched a spoonful to his lips to check the temperature, and then placed it in front of Chang Xiaojia.
Chang Xiaojia didn’t eat.
Xie Li said, “didn’t you say you were hungry?”
Chang Xiaojia still didn’t respond.
Xie Li continued to extend the spoon to his lips, almost touching them. Suddenly, Chang Xiaojia raised his hand, swiftly knocking the spoon away.
The whole spoon flew from Xie Li’s hand and fell to the ground. Luckily, it wasn’t porcelain, so the spoon didn’t break, but the porridge inside spilled all over the floor.
Chang Xiaojia didn’t even look at him.
Xie Li stared blankly at the ground for a moment, then stood up to pick up the spoon. He used tissues to clean the floor.
He went to the kitchen, exchanged the dirty spoon for a clean one, and returned to sit across from Chang Xiaojia. He asked, “Do you still want the porridge? Should I ask them to make something else for you in the kitchen?”
Finally, Chang Xiaojia looked at him. His fair face displayed a cold look as he said, “I don’t need anything from you. You can leave.”
Xie Li looked into his eyes and said softly, “Xiaojia.”
Chang Xiaojia replied, “I can’t eat anything while looking at you.”
After a moment of silence, Xie Li finally stood up and said, “Then take your time to eat. I’ll go out first.”
He left the dining room and returned to the living room. Not long after, Chang Guanshan went to his room to rest. The others also left one by one. Since Chang Guanshan didn’t assign any tasks to Xie Li, he stayed.
In the afternoon, he sat alone on a recliner in the courtyard, smoking. He had many things to do – to check the situation at Hongji Pharmaceutical, to confirm Ye Shaoyin’s situation, and to contact Ruan Qiuyuan. But he couldn’t do anything.
Chang Guanshan was resting upstairs in his room, but Xie Li knew that he wouldn’t just be peacefully sleeping today. Chang Guanshan wouldn’t need to think much to suspect that someone was behind Ye Shaoyin. The next step would be to investigate Ye Shaoyin’s situation. Whoever made a move at this time would actively present themselves to Chang Guanshan.
Xie Li finished smoking a cigarette, forcefully pinched the burning cigarette butt against his skin impulsively, as if intense pain could relieve his restlessness.
Chang Guanshan slept for the entire afternoon and by the evening, he looked physically and emotionally fine.
Xie Li asked him, “Mr. Chang, is there anything else you need me to do?”
Chang Guanshan shook his head and said, “Sit down and have dinner with us.”
Xie Li had a bad feeling in his heart. During dinner, he had no appetite at all, but to prevent Chang Guanshan from noticing, he still ate a lot. Later, he couldn’t help feeling nauseous, so he put down his chopsticks, sat on the chair, and started smoking.
Chang Guanshan also finished his meal. Gracefully wiping his mouth with a napkin, he looked at Chang Xin and asked, “Why didn’t your younger brother come for dinner?”
Chang Xin replied, “I called him, but he said he didn’t want to eat.”
Chang Guanshan just nodded. Then, he looked at Xie Li and said, “After dinner, don’t rush to leave. Stay with me for a while.”
Xie Li, feeling anxious, nodded calmly. Leaning forward with his elbows on the dining table, he asked, “Mr. Chang, about Ye Shaoyin…”
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Chang Guanshan shake his head. Sitting across from him, Ye Xinzhi suddenly reddened her eyes, pushed the bowl off the table, stood up, and left the dining room.
However, she didn’t go upstairs. Instead, she went outside.
Chang Xin said to Chang Guanshan, “I’ll go check on Mom.”
Chang Guanshan replied, “Go ahead, don’t let her do anything foolish for her brother.”
Chang Xin said, “I understand.”
After dinner, Xie Li accompanied Chang Guanshan in the living room, drinking tea until after ten o’clock. Ye Xinzhi and Chang Xin hadn’t returned from outside.
Chang Guanshan sat quietly in the living room, holding a teacup in one hand, closing his eyes to rest. After a while, his phone suddenly rang.
Xie Li saw him open his eyes suddenly but slowly put down the teacup. He reached out, picked up the phone on the coffee table, and answered without speaking.
Faint voices could be heard from the other end of the phone.
Chang Guanshan listened silently for a while, hung up, and looked at Xie Li. He said, “Let’s go.”
Xie Li’s heart skipped a beat. He nodded and stood up, waiting for Chang Guanshan to get up. He watched as the servant helped him put on his coat, and then followed him outside.
Chang Guanshan said to Xie Li, “You drive.”
Xie Li asked, “Mr. Chang, where are we going?”
Chang Guanshan said indifferently, “Yushui Wharf.”
Yushui Wharf was an abandoned dock. The last time Xie Li took Han Yue away, he drove to Yushui Wharf, claiming to throw him into the sea but secretly released him. It was desolate enough, conveniently suitable for disposing of bodies.
Chang Guanshan didn’t explain why they were going to the dock. Xie Li didn’t ask any more questions. He drove Chang Guanshan away from Chang’s residence. Before getting into the car, he subconsciously glanced at the small building where Chang Xiaojia lived on the second floor. He saw Chang Xiaojia standing on the balcony, watching him.
The car drove along the lakeside road, heading towards darkness. Xie Li’s heart became heavier and heavier. He looked at Chang Guanshan sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror.
The lenses of Chang Guanshan’s glasses reflected the light from the street lamps, and his expression couldn’t be seen clearly.
Xie Li suddenly had the impulse to kill Chang Guanshan right there. Maybe everything would be resolved. But he couldn’t. He hadn’t found the evidence he needed yet. Even if this was a dead end, he had to grit his teeth and drive the car to the end.