Unmatched Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Indifference

Zhao Shuyi didn’t laugh, there was no hint of mockery, he was just following his first reaction, showing a slight surprise, and Xie Qi instantly exploded.

With a loud bang, the closet door was slammed shut, and Xie Qi practically fled in panic.

But before Zhao Shuyi could react, he came back.

“I’m not a virgin.”

Young Master Xie’s superb acting skills came into play at this moment. He seemed to find Zhao Shuyi’s surprised expression naive and amusing: “You didn’t take that seriously, did you? I was just messing with you.”

“Oh, just messing with me.” Zhao Shuyi nodded, the slight curve of his lips revealing a kind of understanding, like an older brother indulging his younger sibling.

This was undoubtedly a second humiliation for Xie Qi. Xie Qi forced a smile, gritted his teeth, veins throbbing, slammed the door again, and left.

And for the entire morning, Xie Qi didn’t show up.

He locked himself in the bedroom, doing who knows what. Zhao Shuyi was working in the study and didn’t pay attention to his movements. When Zhao Shuyi came out for lunch, the bedroom door was wide open, and Xie Qi was gone.

From then until the weekend, Xie Qi remained missing.

Zhao Shuyi understood that he had lost a major battle and was completely broken. He wouldn’t have the face to see anyone until he had repaired his shattered dignity.

Perhaps he should give him an out? The winner, Zhao Shuyi, thought kindly.

So, on Friday evening, he took the initiative to message Xie Qi.

They had added each other on WeChat years ago, but the number of times they chatted was negligible.

Zhao Shuyi sent a subtle opening line: “Are you alright?”

Xie Qi replied late: “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m perfectly fine.”

Zhao Shuyi: “Good, then I’m relieved.”

Xie Qi: “?”

Xie Qi: “Just say what you want.”

Zhao Shuyi: “Nothing, just chatting. I was worried you might be too sensitive and overthink things. Actually, being a virgin is no big deal, it doesn’t affect work.”

Xie Qi: “…”

Xie Qi: “Zhao Shuyi, you’re addicted to humiliating me, aren’t you?”

Zhao Shuyi smiled.

But his reply to Xie Qi was serious, the straight lines of the text betraying no emotion, and he didn’t use emojis.

Zhao Shuyi: “Don’t be so sensitive, I’m trying to comfort you.”

Zhao Shuyi: “Sexual experience is not a standard for evaluating a person’s worth. Only old fogeys full of feudal dross attach so much boring worldly significance to sex.”

This was sincere, but unfortunately, Xie Qi disagreed, responding with a sharp sarcasm: “So anyone can get into your bed?”

Zhao Shuyi: “?”

Zhao Shuyi: “I’m not just anyone, I’m very picky.”

Xie Qi stopped replying.

Zhao Shuyi thought, he had said what needed to be said. If Xie Qi still couldn’t get over it, there was nothing more he could do.

He truly didn’t discriminate against virgins; he just found the situation slightly comical when applied to Xie Qi. Who would have thought that Young Master Xie, who was always known for being promiscuous and surrounded by scandals, had never had sex?

Who was he saving himself for? It was too innocent.

Or… did he have a hidden illness? Surely not?

Zhao Shuyi couldn’t guess the answer and gave up thinking about it.

He hadn’t been idle these past few days. The Old Master didn’t have much time left, and the arrangements for his affairs were extremely complicated. Lawyers and the family doctor were constantly coming and going, making it increasingly difficult to keep the news secret. Rumors reached the ears of every senior executive at the headquarters, and even the probing calls directed at Zhao Shuyi increased.

Some people had already guessed: Was Zhao Fengli seriously ill?

How serious? Could he recover?

If Zhao Fengli passed away, who would inherit the shares? Zhao Huaicheng or Zhao Shuyi?

This was the biggest concern for everyone in the group. All sorts of rumors spread, causing widespread anxiety, and even Zhao Shuyi himself felt uncertain.

Judging from the Marriage Alliance, Zhao Shuyi felt Grandfather favored him.

But the Old Master was deeply calculating and his thoughts were hard to gauge. He had never directly expressed the intention for Zhao Shuyi to be the Successor. At the very least, Zhao Shuyi wouldn’t inherit everything—his Second Uncle was the Old Man’s biological son, and even if the father and son were estranged, it wasn’t to the point of complete abandonment.

So, how the shares were divided, and how much each uncle and nephew received, would directly impact the ownership structure of Chaoyang Group.

Currently, the Board of Directors was clearly divided: the majority supported Zhao Huaicheng, a minority supported Zhao Shuyi, and a portion remained ambiguous, forming the middle ground.

Those with a stance would certainly lobby Zhao Fengli privately, trying to push the outcome in their desired direction to avoid being too passive in the future.

Zhao Shuyi started suffering from insomnia again, and medication wasn’t helping much.

On Saturday evening, he made a rare trip back home—to his mother Qin Zhi’s house.

It was dusk when he set off, the sky ablaze with sunset clouds. Zhao Shuyi was distracted, driving slowly, unconsciously clutching his lighter and clicking it occasionally.

He hadn’t notified Qin Zhi in advance. As soon as he entered the residential area, he saw a familiar car parked in front of the villa—his Second Uncle Zhao Huaicheng’s vehicle.

Zhao Shuyi’s face immediately darkened. He pulled out the car key and lit a cigarette.

His mood was poor, and he couldn’t taste the cigarette. He smoked it extremely slowly until the sunset clouds faded before finally calming down, opening the car door, and stepping out.

Qin Zhi hadn’t expected him to come. Seeing his figure through the window, she came out to greet him with a hint of awkwardness.

Before Zhao Shuyi could ask, Qin Zhi offered a clumsy explanation: “Your Second Uncle came to discuss some business matters with me…”

Zhao Shuyi scrutinized his mother: a dark green dress, her long hair elegantly pinned up. She seemed to have had some cosmetic work done recently; her skin was better than the last time he saw her, as if she had shed a few years.

Qin Zhi wasn’t usually fond of dressing up, but she was somewhat adhering to the saying that a woman adorns herself for the one who pleases her.

Zhao Shuyi thought: Why bother reporting to me? Do whatever you two want.

He looked up and saw Zhao Huaicheng watching him through the floor-to-ceiling window, his expression also somewhat awkward.

Zhao Shuyi interpreted their awkwardness as having something to hide.

He had always suspected that his father had been jointly murdered by these two, but the evidence was unclear. The past was like a sharp thorn, constantly embedded in Zhao Shuyi’s heart.

Perhaps for peace of mind, after his father passed away, Qin Zhi suddenly became a Buddhist, bringing statues home for worship.

Zhao Shuyi was forced to be immersed in Buddhist teachings, the smell of incense leaving him feeling spiritually empty, yet he developed no reverence for the gods. Instead, the sight of a Buddha statue made him nauseous. When he closed his eyes at night, his dreams were filled with demons and monsters disguised as Bodhisattvas, tormenting him relentlessly, causing insomnia and forcing him to take sleeping pills.

After so many years, Zhao Shuyi didn’t want to bring up old matters. He had come today to discuss business too, but someone had beaten him to it.

“My Second Uncle is here to talk about the shares?” Zhao Shuyi stopped at the entrance, asking in a low voice.

Qin Zhi hadn’t expected him to be so direct. Before she could formulate a cover-up, she instinctively answered truthfully: “Yes, you know the situation lately…”

Zhao Shuyi didn’t respond, silently looking at her for a moment, regretting his visit: “You two talk. I have something else to do, I’m leaving.”

“Wait, Shuyi—”

Qin Zhi couldn’t stop him. Zhao Shuyi walked out the door without looking back. A man’s voice called out behind him: “Shuyi!”

Zhao Shuyi paused.

Zhao Huaicheng caught up, walking with him to the car, and placed a hand on his shoulder: “Want to chat for a bit?”

“…”

In the dim twilight, the uncle and nephew exchanged glances. Zhao Shuyi leaned against the car door, clicked the lighter, and lit another cigarette.

“About what?” His expression was indifferent.

“I already know about the Old Master’s illness. So that’s why you got married.” Zhao Huaicheng said sourly, “He really does favor you.”

Zhao Shuyi exhaled smoke and smiled sarcastically: “If you hadn’t gotten entangled with my mother, he probably would have favored you too, Second Uncle.”

“…”

Zhao Huaicheng choked slightly, but he was long accustomed to Zhao Shuyi’s sarcasm and wouldn’t easily be provoked. He said calmly: “Shuyi, I hope you’re thinking clearly. Your grandfather is old and inevitably confused, bringing in outsiders to deal with his own family. I am your biological Second Uncle. Chaoyang is our Zhao Family’s property. Regardless, you and I share the same goal; we both want it to thrive. Xie Jianhe might not think that way.”

“Mm.” Zhao Shuyi replied perfunctorily.

“As for other disagreements, we can discuss them properly.”

“We’ll see when the time comes.” Zhao Shuyi pressed the key, and the car lights flashed.

He opened the car door, glanced back at Zhao Huaicheng, and hesitated, as if about to speak.

—”Other disagreements,” easily said.

Could the conflict between them be simply summarized by the word “disagreement”?

Putting aside family matters, they argued every time the senior executives met. In fact, on internal disputes like whether the group should transition or cut R&D funding, Zhao Huaicheng had no firm stance. Because he didn’t care. His current goal was to become the Chairman—get the position first, and development was a matter for later.

So, he sided with whoever could give him more support.

They were short on cash, the financial reports looked bad, and undoubtedly the “Transition Faction” had more people.

Zhao Shuyi, however, was a minority. In this regard, he was like Zhao Fengli, unwilling to abandon technological innovation. This was the reason for Zhao Fengli’s “favoritism.”

But could this “favoritism” truly be called favoritism?

It was merely the hope that someone would inherit his legacy.

Zhao Shuyi gave a bitter smile and drove away. His heart was filled with various frustrations, unable to distinguish whether business or family matters were more painful.

When he finally returned home, Xie Qi was, as usual, nowhere to be seen.

Stomach pain triggered by stress flared up. Zhao Shuyi endured the discomfort, took a shower, and messaged his assistant, Little Zhou: “I need company tonight. Find someone suitable.”

Little Zhou was on call almost twenty-four hours a day and immediately replied: “Understood, I’ll arrange it right away.”

A few seconds later, he asked: “Where? Your current residence?”

Zhao Shuyi was in a terrible mood, the stomach pain making him dizzy. It was absolutely impossible for him to get dressed again and move to another place to sleep.

Since Xie Qi wasn’t home anyway, he hesitated briefly, then said indifferently: “Yes, make it quick.”