Unmatched Chapter 21
byChapter 21: “Sign Here”
Family affection is a complicated thing. There was not no feeling between Zhao Shuyi and Qin Zhi, but upon closer inspection, hatred far outweighed love.
Setting aside the terrible impression caused by their conflicts, Qin Zhi was actually a gentle woman most of the time.
When Zhao Shuyi was young, he craved her embrace. Like any child who cried when separated from his mother, he needed her to hold him to fall asleep.
His mother smelled fragrant, and her soft, long hair would brush against his face. Zhao Shuyi would reach out his small hand and grab a handful. Sometimes he pulled too hard and hurt her, but Qin Zhi never got angry. She would say, “Our Little Yi is so strong, you will definitely grow up tall.”
When coaxing him to sleep, Qin Zhi would hum folk songs from her hometown. She had married into Fengjing from the south, and while she spoke with a slight accent when she was younger, it was less noticeable now.
She was also very beautiful. When Zhao Shuyi was little, he loved to kiss her, babbling, “Mama pretty,” “Mama beautiful.” He was delighted when others complimented him on looking like his mother.
When he first discovered Qin Zhi and Zhao Huaicheng together, Zhao Shuyi was still young and didn’t understand adult relationships, but he instinctively sensed betrayal.
He suddenly discovered another side to his mother beyond her gentleness: she was like the wicked witch in a cartoon, capable of deceiving children.
For example, she would say she met a certain auntie today, but she had actually met Zhao Huaicheng.
She would say a certain gift was from a good friend, but that “friend” was also Zhao Huaicheng.
Another time, she said she was taking Little Shuyi on an outing, “and coincidentally, your Second Uncle is free, he’ll drive us.” Zhao Shuyi had just heard a news report about a child being taken to the suburbs, killed, and buried. He thought he was finally going to be killed too—that his mother wanted to have a new baby with Second Uncle. Before leaving, he was so scared he hid in the bottom of the wardrobe so Qin Zhi couldn’t find him, believing he had “escaped a disaster.”
Zhao Shuyi grew increasingly distrustful of Qin Zhi, and as his suspicion and panic deepened, he finally couldn’t hold it in and exploded.
Qin Zhi was exposed by him face-to-face and was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear. Her first reaction was denial, which Zhao Shuyi interpreted as another lie.
Then she kept explaining, weeping in front of her young son—even though she knew he was too young to understand many things. The betrayal was a fact, and Zhao Shuyi no longer liked her.
Later, Zhao Shuyi asked her, “Did you kill my dad?”
Qin Zhi was startled and asked where he had heard such nonsense. How could a child say something so terrifying?
Zhao Shuyi insisted, “I already know. It was you. If not you, then him.”
“Him” referred to Zhao Huaicheng.
From then on, his mother’s image completely collapsed.
Her gentleness became a concession born of guilt, a sign of a guilty conscience and being in the wrong, which disgusted Zhao Shuyi.
He wanted her to cut ties with Zhao Huaicheng, secretly thinking that if she turned back, he would forgive her.
But they continued to communicate. Zhao Huaicheng brazenly came to the house. Sometimes they argued, but they always reconciled afterward. Their relationship was deep, making Zhao Shuyi feel more like an outsider by comparison.
Later, Zhao Shuyi stopped considering how to forgive her.
When a person places themselves in a position where they are qualified to forgive the other party, it means they subconsciously believe they are needed, threatening Qin Zhi: If you don’t turn back, I will never be nice to you again.
But after growing up, Zhao Shuyi lost that confidence.
Qin Zhi didn’t need him. He was foolishly fantasizing about forgiveness; she didn’t care at all.
From an adult perspective, he reinterpreted the relationship between Qin Zhi and Zhao Huaicheng:
They were like a pair of star-crossed lovers who couldn’t be openly together due to their identities, still unable to freely pursue love even in this modern, open era. Qin Zhi endured her son’s accusations year after year, and Zhao Huaicheng promised never to marry anyone else in this life, remaining without even a mistress for years—how devoted, how pitiful they were.
Zhao Shuyi was the villain, the obstacle, who should just die early like his father to fulfill their true love.
But even though he tried to objectively excuse them and tried hard to accept it, Zhao Shuyi couldn’t help but feel hatred.
He didn’t know when they got together. Was it an affair during the marriage? Or did it start only after his father passed away? It didn’t look like the latter.
His father’s cause of death was indeed full of doubts—a bizarre car accident, a completely illogical mishap. A man who left home fine in the morning became a corpse an hour later.
Zhao Shuyi grew up suspicious of everything. Those gods and ghosts reminded him day after day in his dreams: Your mother loves him, not you. She will help him, not you…
Unexpectedly, the nightmare now had a chance to come true.
Qin Zhi’s 0.5% stake was enough to deliver a fatal blow to Zhao Shuyi. She might not do it immediately, but as long as she had the opportunity to act, Zhao Shuyi would always be on the defensive, living in fear.
The last night of September ended in heavy rain.
In early October, Chaoyang Group publicly held Zhao Fengli’s memorial service, followed by cremation and burial. Even if simplified, the necessary procedures could not be omitted.
Many distinguished guests and celebrities attended the memorial service. The Fengjing City government even sent a special funeral couplet. The official in charge of the economy secretly inquired about Chaoyang’s situation. With various public and private matters mixed together, Zhao Shuyi was busy for several days and didn’t sleep well for a single night.
Xie Qi sometimes accompanied him, sometimes unable to help, and Ringzhou was also busy. Zhao Shuyi told him not to stick around constantly: “It’s okay, I’m fine.”
He said it as if it were true.
He was too skilled at managing his expressions—displaying just the right amount of sorrow in front of outsiders, and showing fatigue that wasn’t heartbreaking in front of his own people. He was completely in control, his demeanor undiminished.
It made the flash of helplessness on his face that night seem like Xie Qi’s illusion.
Because he couldn’t sleep well, Zhao Shuyi had to continue taking medication. After the funeral affairs were settled, the Board of Directors meeting was put on the agenda. Those shrewd old directors belatedly remembered the 0.5% stake held by Qin Zhi.
Qin Zhi was Zhao Shuyi’s mother, but her relationship with Zhao Huaicheng was well-known among the senior management; it was no secret.
A secretive and strange atmosphere permeated the Board of Directors, as if everyone was excitedly waiting for gossip, yet this gossip concerned the group’s future, making it simultaneously thrilling and unsettling.
Although no one would ever bring it up directly—everyone was too proper—Zhao Shuyi still felt embarrassed. His mother and Second Uncle brought him shame.
He heard that Zhao Fengli had met with Qin Zhi privately before his death, likely considering the 0.5% stake, which could not be taken lightly.
But the Old Master didn’t understand Ms. Qin well, Zhao Shuyi thought. She would either not take sides, or she would definitely side with Zhao Huaicheng, because she felt guilty toward him—this man remained unmarried for her, yet she could do nothing for him.
These were thoughts Qin Zhi had personally expressed during one of their arguments.
At the time, Zhao Shuyi called her hopeless, but she said he didn’t understand love.
Zhao Shuyi went back to his room and grieved for half the night, thinking, so even the affection between mother and son didn’t count as “love.”
That was the last time Zhao Shuyi grieved for Qin Zhi. Later, he moved out to live alone, and the world finally became peaceful. He and Qin Zhi began a superficial peace that lasted until now.
It wasn’t impossible for him to go talk to Qin Zhi now.
But he had just finished competing for the Old Master’s favor with Zhao Huaicheng, and now he had to turn around and compete for Qin Zhi’s favor? It was disgusting.
Zhao Shuyi was extremely repressed; nothing was going his way. Sex with Xie Qi became the only outlet for his frustration.
Because he had needs, he was unusually proactive. Last night, Xie Qi was busy working overtime and didn’t get home until after ten. The moment he walked in, before he could even take off his shoes, Zhao Shuyi grabbed his tie, dragged him onto the bed, and pinned him down.
Zhao Shuyi preferred to be on top, straddling Xie Qi’s legs. Even though his body needed the other person, his expression remained cold, as if what they were about to do was merely a necessary task, devoid of tenderness or affection.
And Xie Qi was his tool for release, requiring no kissing or coaxing.
Xie Qi looked annoyed and snorted, “You dead scumbag.”
Zhao Shuyi wasn’t in the mood for flirting. He unbuckled Xie Qi’s belt, lubricated casually, and took him in.
He was wearing a silk robe, but Xie Qi was still fully dressed, not having had time to undo a single button. The cold belt buckle hit his skin. Zhao Shuyi frowned, but the pain caused by the lack of foreplay actually brought him relief. Xie Qi’s hands were tied to the bedpost with his tie, and the sight of him completely dominated was quite pleasurable.
Xie Qi knew he was unhappy and was feigning submission to appease him. Zhao Shuyi knew this.
He appreciated it mentally, but physically, it generated a double dose of sadism.
He couldn’t help but lean down, staring at Xie Qi’s face, which was utterly cold when not smiling. While kissing him, he gripped Xie Qi’s neck, pressing harder the deeper the kiss went—
Xie Qi tensed up, suffocating. Just as he reached his limit, he suddenly broke free from the tie’s restraint, flipped them over, and pinned Zhao Shuyi beneath him.
The belt was yanked off and thrown onto the floor.
His suit pants were also thrown onto the floor, followed by his jacket, and underwear…
Zhao Shuyi groaned in pain, clutching the bedsheet.
Xie Qi worked him hard for a while, then suddenly asked, “Are you having a Board meeting tomorrow?”
“Mm.”
“What time?”
“Ten o’clock. Why?”
Xie Qi didn’t answer. Zhao Shuyi didn’t want to talk about business during the only relaxing moment of his day, so he hooked his arms around Xie Qi’s neck and sealed his mouth with a kiss.
Zhao Shuyi had taken his medication before they started. Afterward, the effects kicked in, and he fell into a deep, drowsy sleep in Xie Qi’s arms.
He had no idea how Xie Qi cleaned him up. When he woke up the next day, Xie Qi was gone. He wondered what he was busy with, leaving so early.
Zhao Shuyi found it a bit strange, but he had no energy to focus on Xie Qi. Today was the first Board of Directors meeting since Zhao Fengli’s death.
In just a few days, a new era had begun.
Before the Board meeting started, he had heard various internal rumors, mostly concerning his mother and Second Uncle. It was said that Zhao Huaicheng had been negotiating with Qin Zhi these past few days, and they had basically reached an agreement. Today, the Board would vote and proceed with signing the equity transfer agreement.
Zhao Shuyi was mentally prepared and had braced himself for the worst—at most, he would endure a few more years. He might still have a chance to turn things around later.
At ten o’clock in the morning, Zhao Shuyi, accompanied by his secretary Ye Zhao, walked through the conference room doors.
He was the last to arrive. The twenty-one people seated were dressed in suits, their expressions solemn. They all looked up at the doorway, as if they had reached some tacit agreement and were only waiting for him to arrive before making the announcement.
Zhao Shuyi paused his steps.
At the massive rectangular conference table, Zhao Huaicheng sat at the head. The empty seat reserved for Zhao Shuyi was on the left side, while Qin Zhi sat on the right.
Zhao Shuyi glanced briefly, walked over expressionlessly, and sat down.
The meeting host announced that everyone was present and began reading the agenda for the day.
Zhao Shuyi knew this meeting would be difficult, but he didn’t expect his Second Uncle to offer no preamble whatsoever, immediately announcing Qin Zhi’s equity transfer as the first item.
According to company regulations, the internal transfer of actual shares required a Board Vote, with at least half of the members agreeing.
Zhao Huaicheng had already been campaigning in secret. He confidently said, “We will now begin voting. Please raise your hand if you agree.”
Zhao Shuyi coldly swept his gaze across the room, counting one by one. Out of twenty directors, twelve hands were raised.
He wasn’t surprised by any of the people who raised their hands, but this scene still felt like a show of force—
On his first day on the Board, Zhao Huaicheng silently announced: This is my territory. You have no say here.
A surge of anger shot up from Zhao Shuyi’s chest to his head, but he remained silent.
Across the table, Qin Zhi kept her head down, afraid to meet his eyes.
She was always so timid and submissive, as if she felt indebted to everyone. But ultimately, she believed she owed Zhao Huaicheng the most.
For this, she was willing to abandon her own son.
Zhao Shuyi laughed internally. The hatred even surpassed the frustration of being isolated and helpless. He felt utterly disgusted.
“Shuyi, you have no objection, right?” Zhao Huaicheng asked, and predictably received no answer.
He smiled, accepted the equity transfer document presented by his secretary, and efficiently signed it along with Qin Zhi.
Then Zhao Huaicheng stood up, smoothly adjusting the lapel and cuffs of his suit, like a new emperor who had been the crown prince for twenty years and finally inherited the throne, ready to deliver his ascension speech.
Everyone looked at him, including Zhao Shuyi.
But before he could speak, the tightly closed conference room door was suddenly shoved open.
“Sir, you can’t go in…”
“Get out of the way.”
Zhao Shuyi looked up at the sound—it was Xie Qi.
More than twenty pairs of eyes looked toward the doorway in surprise. Xie Qi, dressed in a suit, strode in aggressively, followed by three lawyers and a secretary, carrying a stack of documents easily ten centimeters thick. He walked straight behind Zhao Shuyi and slammed the documents onto the conference table.
“Good morning, everyone,” Xie Qi said coldly. “I apologize for interrupting your meeting, but I believe my matter is more urgent.”
Zhao Huaicheng frowned, enduring the interruption out of respect for Ringzhou. “What is your business? Can’t it wait?”
Xie Qi placed a hand on Zhao Shuyi’s shoulder and tapped lightly. “It could, but if I wait, you’ll have to reopen your meeting, which is too much trouble.”
“…”
Xie Qi looked arrogant, completely disregarding the group of veterans. He signaled his secretary to open the first page of the documents.
“Regarding the 1% stake in Chaoyang Group sold during financing twenty-one years ago,” Xie Qi’s voice was low but struck like a bolt of thunder, “I have acquired all of it for 12.8 billion yuan and collateralized assets. The ten transfer agreements are all here, missing only one signature.”
The room erupted in an uproar.
Zhao Shuyi wondered if his ears were malfunctioning.
But Xie Qi, under the gaze of everyone present, lowered his head and kissed his hair. “Sign here, Zhao Shuyi.”