The Supreme Young Master

Chapter 16:

Qin Fei was momentarily stunned. He glanced at his phone, wondering if he had dialed the wrong number. When they parted that morning, things were fine between him and Yang Ruoxi. How had her attitude taken such a drastic turn in less than a day?

Scratching his head, Qin Fei felt a pang of frustration. After setting down his bag, he hailed a taxi and headed straight to the hospital.

Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the hospital room. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Yang Ruoxi stormed out of the room like a gust of cold wind. She glared at him, her voice filled with suppressed rage. “Qin Yifei, why did you do this?”

“Uh, Ruoxi, you can just call me Qin Fei,” he replied, confused. Her anger was palpable, and he awkwardly smiled, attempting to diffuse the tension. “What did I do? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Keep acting!” Yang Ruoxi bit her lip, tears brimming in her eyes. She jabbed her finger at him, her voice trembling. “You can be clueless, you can be useless—fine, I can tolerate that. But why did you have to lie to me? I could even endure that! But this… this is about my father! Why would you gamble with his life?”

Seeing her on the verge of tears made Qin Fei’s heart ache. He softened his tone and asked, “Ruoxi, when did I lie to you?”

“Shut up! I’m not your wife!” Yang Ruoxi snapped, her voice breaking. “You make me sick, Qin Yifei. You disgust me. Marrying you is the greatest humiliation of my life. I hate you!”

Her words hit him like a slap, leaving him dumbfounded. He finally blurted, “Ruoxi, what’s going on? I really don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Still pretending, huh? Fine, come with me!” Yang Ruoxi grabbed his arm and dragged him to the intensive care unit. Through the glass window, Qin Fei saw Yang Guoming lying on the hospital bed, tubes attached to his frail body, his eyes shut, looking as if he was barely holding on.

Qin Fei was stunned. That morning, Yang Guoming had been cheerful and chatty. How had his condition deteriorated so drastically in such a short time?

“Could it be…” Qin Fei’s voice trailed off as he pieced things together. He turned to Yang Ruoxi, his face tense. “Was there a problem with the medicine?”

“You finally admit it, don’t you?” Yang Ruoxi’s voice was cold, her eyes filled with pain and contempt. “If you couldn’t get the special medicine, I wouldn’t blame you. Not everyone has the ability. I would’ve understood if you’d just tried your best. But why did you have to bring fake medicine? Now my father is bleeding out, all because of you!”

Her tear-filled gaze held a mixture of sorrow, disappointment, and anger. She had started to believe that Qin Fei had changed over the past few days—not in terms of ability but at least in his character. But now, all her hopes were shattered.

It turned out that the so-called “Elder Wang” was a fraud, the medicine was fake, and everything had been part of an elaborate act orchestrated by her “dimwitted husband.”

Yang Ruoxi’s mind replayed the absurd events: how Qin Fei had supposedly sold scrap metal for 5 million yuan, how an elusive legend like Elder Wang had magically appeared after ten years, and how this “Elder Wang” had gifted a box of expensive medicine without taking a single cent. The plot holes were so glaring that even an eight-year-old wouldn’t believe it. Yet, she had fallen for it.

She felt humiliated—both for herself and for her father, whose life now hung by a thread, all thanks to this man.

Qin Fei stood silently under her piercing gaze, contemplating for a moment before furrowing his brows and saying, “I think I understand what happened.”

“Do you now? Good,” Yang Ruoxi said coldly. “I personally apprehended three so-called ‘Elder Wangs’ today—frauds, every last one of them. And you? You’ve been working with these conmen, haven’t you? That five million yuan—you probably scammed it from people, didn’t you?”

Her icy words cut through the air like a blade. Qin Fei didn’t bother to defend himself. He knew that with some people, if they trusted you, they’d believe you unconditionally. But if they didn’t, no explanation in the world would convince them.

For a moment, Qin Fei felt exhausted. Before his rebirth, he had been a solitary yet powerful figure, living freely and without constraints. Now, he was trying to protect and love someone, only to find it an uphill battle.

From the very beginning, Yang Ruoxi had never truly trusted him.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Fei gently reached out to wipe the tears from her cheek. Her disgusted glare didn’t faze him. His voice was calm. “I understand now. I won’t upset you anymore.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the elevator.

In the shadows of the corridor, Zhang Hua watched the scene with a smug smile, his thoughts laced with malice. A fool like you, trying to compete with me? I’m a top graduate from a prestigious university. I’ll crush you effortlessly.

Yang Ruoxi stared at Qin Fei’s retreating figure, a hollow emptiness swelling within her. Why didn’t he explain himself? Why didn’t he even try?

Then again, she thought bitterly, he almost cost my father his life. I should hate him. Let him go off with his con artist friends. If I catch him again, I’ll personally arrest him.

But just as she made up her mind, Qin Fei reappeared. Her heart skipped a beat. Was he coming back to explain? Or did he have another excuse prepared?

Without a word, Qin Fei pulled a bank card from his pocket and placed it on the windowsill. Then, without sparing her another glance, he turned and stepped into the elevator.

Yang Ruoxi let out a bitter laugh. There were only a few thousand yuan in that card. He probably thought it wasn’t even worth keeping.

After Qin Fei left, Zhang Hua approached her with a pretense of concern. “Ruoxi,” he greeted with a calculated smile.

“Senior,” she replied, quickly wiping her eyes and forcing a strained smile.

“Don’t worry too much,” Zhang Hua said soothingly. “I’ll personally oversee your father’s treatment. And I promise, I’ll find a way to get that special medicine.”

Yang Ruoxi nodded, grateful despite her exhaustion. “Thank you, Senior.”

Meanwhile, Qin Fei stood under a large tree across the street from the hospital, watching Zhang Hua and Yang Ruoxi enter a nearby restaurant. A faint, bitter smile tugged at his lips as he lit a cigarette and slowly walked back to the villa.

Back home, Qin Fei locked the door behind him and let himself melt into the darkness. His focus now was clear: repair the furnace, earn enough money to buy rare herbs, and refine the pills he needed to recover his strength.

As for love? That was far too lofty a dream. It wasn’t worth the effort.

With no money in his pockets, Qin Fei moved to live beneath a bridge near a scrapyard. He spent his days collecting scrap metal, enduring a lifestyle akin to a beggar’s. But to him, there was no shame in it. Hadn’t Goujian once endured years of hardship before reclaiming his throne?

Day by day, Qin Fei’s pile of metals grew. The usable ones were set aside, while the rest were sold to sustain his basic needs.

Over time, his hard work paid off. 

After days of refining and shaping the metals, Qin Fei finally repaired the furnace. Looking at his handiwork, a faint smile crept across his face. “Next step: make money.”

As Qin Fei stepped out of the bridge, disheveled and unkempt like a vagabond, a voice called out behind him.

“You liar! I’ve finally found you!”

Turning around, he saw a girl in denim shorts and sneakers, her long, fair legs gleaming in the sunlight. It was none other than Zhao Muxin, her expression equal parts anger and determination.