CHAPTER 273: CHAPTER 204: FAMILY, PAST EVENTS, XU SIBLINGS

An accident? Xu Qingqiu’s sister had an accident?

Doesn’t that mean my own sister-in-law is in trouble?

When Chu Tian saw this message, he could no longer remain idle and rushed back immediately.

When he arrived at the production crew’s location, filming for the previous segment had already concluded. The director was adjusting the content, preparing for the next part.

This was the most crucial segment: Lu Yongxin setting up a tea table in a pavilion to converse with the guests.

This was the essence of the entire variety show and its main highlight, so it was critically important.

When Chu Tian found Xu Qingqiu, she was anxiously on the phone, with Li Chunhua and Yiyi by her side.

Chu Tian didn’t know much about Xu Qingqiu’s sister; he had only seen a photo a long time ago, one that Xu Qingqiu had shown him.

To be honest, their family relationships were quite complicated. Although they clearly cared for each other deeply, each of them seemed to harbor their own reservations.

Take Xu Qingqiu’s elder brother, Xu Xiaohan, for example. He graduated from a prestigious university with a doctoral degree—quite impressive, right?

But because Xu Qingqiu had silently dropped out of school in her childhood to become a star and earn money for her family’s medical treatments, while also insisting he focus on his studies and take care of their parents, Xu Xiaohan, as the eldest brother and first son, had always found it impossible to face her.

Back then, he had searched for his sister for a long time without success and hadn’t dared to tell their parents, all while blaming himself for his incompetence. His only recourse was to ask others to inquire about Xu Qingqiu’s whereabouts while he cared for their parents and his other younger sister.

Day after day passed with no news, only the 2,500 yuan sent home each month.

This was Xu Qingqiu’s monthly living allowance at the time.

Yes, a living allowance, not a salary!

Because back then, she was just a trainee, and these allowances, along with training fees and other costs, had to be repaid to the company after her debut.

Xu Qingqiu didn’t spend a single cent of it, sending it all back home and enduring a very difficult life every day.

She hadn’t bought a new piece of clothing in two or three years, lived and ate at the company, and didn’t dare step outside because she had no money.

If Chu Tian hadn’t taken care of her back then, it’s hard to say if Xu Qingqiu could have persevered.

Xu Xiaohan didn’t know any of these details, but he could imagine how much hardship his teenage sister must have endured, drifting alone out there, to earn that money.

He didn’t even dare to consider some of the darker possibilities, fearing news that would fill him with lifelong regret.

My sister is so beautiful and sensible. It was all because I was too useless, all because I wanted to study in peace, that she had to leave home and venture out into the world alone.

Every time he thought about this, Xu Xiaohan felt he could never forgive himself.

Even though he had performed consistently well in the college entrance exams, earning excellent scores and admission to the best university; even though he had graduated smoothly and been recommended for postgraduate studies, eventually obtaining his PhD;

and even though he later knew his sister had found success and become a famous superstar;

when it came to Xu Qingqiu, Xu Xiaohan felt he could never hold his head high. He didn’t even have the courage to contact her, forever harboring an indelible guilt in his heart.

Xu Qingqiu had sensed this too. Every year, when she returned home for the Lunar New Year, she would try to chat with her elder brother, hoping to ease his troubled heart.

Unfortunately, it was all in vain. Xu Xiaohan remained unchanged, always thinking of doing everything in his power to help his sister, as if to atone.

Because of this, during her most difficult times, Xu Qingqiu actually hesitated to contact her elder brother, knowing he would do anything for her sake.

Unfortunately, some secrets can’t be kept forever. The news of her contract termination years ago eventually became widespread gossip; how could Xu Xiaohan not have known?

The outcome was that, without a second word, he silently sought out Ye Zhonghuai. He staked out Ye Zhonghuai’s location for over a month, devising a complete plan to kill him.

Xu Xiaohan was a physics PhD who usually wore black-rimmed glasses and appeared kind and harmless.

But only those who crossed his line knew what a terrifyingly powerful demon resided in his heart, and Xu Qingqiu was the key to unleashing it.

Xu Xiaohan had devised an entire plan to eliminate Ye Zhonghuai silently, without anyone noticing—at least, it appeared flawless on the surface.

Just as everything was ready, Xu Qingqiu finally found out.

To be precise, it wasn’t Xu Qingqiu who discovered his plan, but her youngest sister, Xu Ruyan.

When Xu Qingqiu left home years ago, Xu Ruyan was only ten years old and in elementary school.

It had to be said, everyone in their family was very intelligent. Xu Xiaohan’s grades were excellent, Xu Qingqiu’s had also been very good, and Xu Ruyan was no different.

If they had to be compared, at least in terms of academics, Xu Qingqiu felt she was the weakest of the three, though that was just her own perception.

This was one reason she had resolutely decided to drop out of school and go out to earn money. Another was that it coincided with her rebellious phase, and she also harbored a yearning for the outside world—one might say it was a twist of fate.

Even at a young age, Xu Ruyan was remarkably sensible. It was she who had initially told Xu Qingqiu about Xu Xiaohan working part-time jobs to help pay for their parents’ medical treatments.

And it was Xu Ruyan who helped Xu Qingqiu plan and prepare for leaving home to work.

One could say that no one in the family was simple.

By the time Xu Ruyan came of age, her mind had become even more agile, her thinking more meticulous.

She had long discerned the strained relationship between her eldest brother and her second sister, Xu Qingqiu. Thus, Xu Ruyan often acted as a mediator between them and was the family member who kept in most frequent contact with both Xu Qingqiu and Xu Xiaohan.

When Xu Xiaohan was determined to get justice for Xu Qingqiu, Xu Ruyan sensed something was amiss after just two phone calls with him.

She immediately contacted Xu Qingqiu and shared her suspicions.

This was serious. The two sisters hurried to Xu Xiaohan’s workplace, only to be told he had taken a leave of absence.

Instantly, both of them panicked. They tried calling Xu Xiaohan while desperately searching for him.

With his plan on the verge of realization, about to free his sister from her troubles, how could Xu Xiaohan possibly give up? He could only desperately try to conceal his actions.

But ultimately, he was no match for Xu Ruyan’s profound understanding of him.

In just three short days, relying on her intelligence and her knowledge of her elder brother, Xu Ruyan managed to find him waiting at an intersection.

This intersection was just over a hundred meters from Ye Zhonghuai’s home.

Once his plan was exposed, Xu Xiaohan stopped trying to hide. Instead, he desperately urged his two sisters to leave, knowing that no matter how covertly he had acted, he couldn’t escape investigation and the law.

He didn’t want to drag his sisters into it.

But in Xu Qingqiu’s eyes, her eldest brother had lost his mind. Furious, she slapped him across the face, then embraced Xu Xiaohan and cried for a long time.

This finally brought Xu Xiaohan to his senses. He looked at his sister, his face etched with shame, and a wave of fear washed over him at what he had almost done.

I was so close to an irredeemable disaster, he thought, but even more, he hated his inability to help his sister.

After learning the details of his plan, Xu Qingqiu broke out in a cold sweat. It took a great deal of persuasion to convince her brother to abandon his intentions.

At the same time, she marveled for the first time at how much her younger sister, Xu Ruyan, had grown up. Without her, I daren’t imagine the consequences, Xu Qingqiu thought.