Mad Dog

*Clearing one’s name only needs to be explained to those who matter to you.
The words “illegal activities and crimes” sounded particularly jarring, so when Zhi Qi returned home, she couldn’t help but argue with her parents and brother.
The four of them hadn’t even eaten yet, and they had already fallen into a stalemate.
“He was sentenced to three years in prison before he was even of age; this shows how serious his crimes are. How can you still defend him?” Mei Ran sighed, looking at Zhi Qi with helplessness in her beautiful eyes. “Zhi Qi, you’re really disappointing your mother. At this point, you’re still thinking about that boy.”
Zhi Qi frowned, and before she could speak, Zhi Minglin took over.
“We don’t oppose your contact with him. We know Jiang Qi saved you when he was younger and has some debts of gratitude to our family,” Zhi Minglin said solemnly. “But everything has its limits, right? We never emphasized the concept of ‘social standing’ in relationships, but we certainly don’t want our daughter tangled up with someone who has served time in prison. Plus, he has been in the news for hitting someone!”
…
It wasn’t easy for Zhi Minglin, this ‘old-school’ man, to keep up with entertainment news.
It seemed Jiang Qi’s ‘scandal’ had indeed made headlines.
The three of them were taken aback by her words, and Zhi Minglin slammed his hand on the table in anger. “You’re not being ridiculous, are you?”
“Dad, you’re misunderstanding him.” Zhi Qi knew she couldn’t act too hastily at this moment, so she could only explain step by step. “Jiang Qi didn’t hit anyone on purpose; he has an illness…”
“An illness? If he wasn’t sick, could he really hit someone on purpose?” Zhi Yu looked up and said coldly, “I’ve seen that entertainment company’s termination statement; it says Jiang Qi has bipolar disorder. What if he hits you in the future?”
Hearing such unreasonable words made Zhi Qi anxious, and she stood up in a hurry. “You…”
“Your brother is right,” Mei Ran said sternly, her expression serious. “It’s one thing if his conditions aren’t great, but Jiang Qi, at such a young age, has been getting into fights and later committed a crime and went to prison. Now he has a mental illness; how can we feel at ease? No, I can’t be at ease with you being with him; absolutely not.”
Zhi Qi’s expression fell into confusion. So it turned out that when people like Mei Ran and Zhi Yu heard about Jiang Qi’s illness, their first reaction was to be concerned about her safety. Didn’t anyone care about him at all? Jiang Qi didn’t choose to be sick or to hurt anyone.
But they were her family, and no matter what, Zhi Qi wanted them to understand that Jiang Qi was not the ‘evil person’ they imagined.
“It’s not like that.” Zhi Qi swallowed hard, her voice sounding futile and desperate as she tried to explain. “He didn’t hit anyone on purpose; he didn’t go to prison because he committed a crime.”
The girl’s thoughts were muddled, and she stumbled over her words as she tried to explain the truth behind Jiang Qi’s imprisonment.
“It was… it was for that old man. He went to prison for that old man…”
By the end, her voice had choked up.
For so many years, no one knew the truth behind Jiang Qi’s imprisonment, and even Zhi Yu, who had once tried to investigate, only scratched the surface. Now that the three of them were hearing the whole story, they couldn’t help but be stunned.
However, no matter how much Zhi Qi trusted Jiang Qi, they, as outsiders, could not tell if she was speaking the truth or lying.
But looking at Zhi Qi’s red-rimmed eyes, no one dared to question her.
Although they all claimed to oppose it, they had always indulged Zhi Qi and couldn’t bring themselves to hurt the softest part of her heart.
The atmosphere remained tense for a while before Zhi Minglin finally spoke. “How about this?”
He opened his mouth but hesitated, pondering for a long time under the watchful gaze of the other three before he said to Zhi Qi, “You can bring Jiang Qi home; we’ll take a look.”
Mei Ran and Zhi Yu were both surprised by this, and Zhi Qi was even more so.
“Really?” Zhi Qi blinked in disbelief. “Dad, you want to meet Jiang Qi?”
“Mm.” Zhi Minglin turned his face away, took a sip from his tea cup, and continued, “It’s almost New Year; bring him over to celebrate the New Year with us.”
It seemed that nothing in China could compare to the significance of the New Year, which was a time for everything to be forgiving.
Zhi Qi was both surprised and delighted, eagerly nodding her head.
However, the innocent girl couldn’t grasp the deeper meaning behind her father’s words, but Mei Ran and Zhi Yu understood. It was precisely because they understood that they didn’t stop her.
Zhi Yu looked at his sister’s astonished and joyful expression, feeling a slight pang of sympathy.
He knew that their parents didn’t want to continue pressuring Zhi Qi with harsh words; they planned to let her bring Jiang Qi over with the intention of ‘persuading’ him to back off.
But how was this any different from stabbing Zhi Qi in the heart?
If Jiang Qi were to be humiliated in their home, it would only hurt the little girl more. Moreover, Jiang Qi had done a favor for their family; no matter what, Zhi Yu didn’t want the situation to turn too ugly.
So after dinner, Zhi Yu drove to the fifth hospital.
Since he knew that Zhi Qi had been in contact with Jiang Qi for the past month, he naturally knew where Jiang Qi was.
The rehabilitation center… it seemed he was living a retired life at such a young age.
Zhi Yu couldn’t help but smile wryly as he lit a cigarette in the car. After finishing it, he got out and walked into the hospital to ‘visit’ Jiang Qi.
After checking in at the front desk to find Jiang Qi’s room, Zhi Yu walked in and politely knocked on the door three times.
Jiang Qi was indeed awake; a cool voice came from inside, “Come in.”
Following the instructions, Zhi Yu pushed the door open and entered. He saw the slender young man leaning against the hospital bed, his translucent skin and striking glass-like eyes flickering with a hint of vivid confusion, followed by a look of disappointment.
“What’s the matter?” Zhi Yu couldn’t help but chuckle teasingly. “Is my sister not here, and you’re disappointed?”
Jiang Qi’s lips curved slightly, and he made a rare attempt to be polite. “No.”
He didn’t ask Zhi Yu how he knew he was here because the outcome was already clear; did the process still matter?
Honestly speaking, if it weren’t for Jiang Qi’s complicated past that was difficult to understand, Zhi Yu would actually admire his character, which remained unyielding yet proud.
“Today my sister is on holiday. Heh, the little girl can’t wait to run over to see you but got dragged back home by me.” The man sat down on the chair next to the bed, crossing his long legs as he looked at Jiang Qi, speaking plainly. “She came home and told my parents about you, and she cried her eyes out, making everyone irritated.”
Jiang Qi’s gaze shifted slightly, his thin lips pressing together lightly.
Zhi Yu could tell he was evidently a bit nervous.
“Zhi Qi said… that your imprisonment has another reason and that someone else committed the crime.” Zhi Yu paused to think and asked, “Is that true?”
Jiang Qi wasn’t surprised by the question; he remained silent for a moment before nodding slightly.
Seeing this, Zhi Yu didn’t linger on the question any further.
He had known from the beginning that Jiang Qi was the type of person who didn’t like to lie. Although he had previously harbored some doubts, seeing him admit it in person now dispelled those concerns.
Like Zhi Qi, Zhi Yu was initially surprised to learn the truth, but afterward, he couldn’t help but feel some admiration and relief.
The key point was that Jiang Qi’s hands weren’t stained with blood.
As long as Jiang Qi hadn’t really committed a crime, everything could be discussed.
“My sister cried and made my parents unable to bear it; they agreed to let her bring you over to celebrate the New Year with us,” Zhi Yu said, pausing before looking at him. “What do you think?”
Jiang Qi narrowed his glass-like eyes, and after a while, he only said one word: “Go.”
If Zhi Qi wanted him to go, he would go, even though he knew there wouldn’t be any pleasant words to hear. But this was something he had to face sooner or later, even if it felt a bit premature right now.
“Zhi Qi is quite happy right now; she thinks my parents really accept you.” Zhi Yu sighed, his initially cold tone unwittingly taking on a hint of persuasion. “But if you really go, she might not be so happy anymore.”
Jiang Qi understood Zhi Yu’s implied meaning—if he went and was looked down upon by Zhi Qi’s parents, the little girl would feel hurt on both sides, which would naturally be unpleasant for her.
This was
indeed a difficult situation, but…
Jiang Qi looked up at Zhi Yu and softly asked, “Brother Yu, what do you mean?”
He suspected Zhi Yu wouldn’t come all this way just for a formal visit; there must be something he wanted to say.
So he figured he could just ‘ask without shame’ and didn’t need to maintain any pride.
“To be honest, I initially opposed you and Zhi Qi because I thought you were a criminal, but now that I know you’re not, I’m not as opposed anymore.” Zhi Yu didn’t avoid the issue, speaking frankly. “But my parents are different. They have many considerations, including your family background, your own circumstances, and your still-untreated illness.”
“So your relationship with Zhi Qi can only be postponed; it’s too early to celebrate the New Year now.”
Zhi Yu was very clear, and Jiang Qi understood what he meant.
Zhi Qi liked him and could disregard everything, but as parents, they had to think more carefully.
They could only wait until Jiang Qi was well again and had a job that could support a family, giving Zhi Qi’s parents a sense of security before it would be the right time.
That would be… the right moment that wouldn’t strain his relationship with Zhi Qi, Jiang Qi understood.
So the boy nodded and sincerely said to Zhi Yu, “Thank you.”
Jiang Qi knew that Zhi Yu was helping him for Zhi Qi’s sake; they all loved the same person and wanted the best for her. It seemed that this New Year was not the right time after all.
The next day, Jiang Qi woke up early. Before Zhi Qi could come to see him, he took the rare initiative to go to the doctor’s office and asked his attending physician for a little white lie.
Attending physician Liu Yong was surprised to see Jiang Qi come in early. “Xiao Jiang, what’s wrong?”
The boy sat across from Liu Yong at the long table, politely saying, “It’s nothing; I just want to ask Dr. Liu for a favor.”
Liu Yong blinked. “What favor?”
Jiang Qi replied, “It’s about the New Year.”
“Oh, you want to ask for leave to celebrate the New Year with your family, right?” Liu Yong smiled kindly. “No problem, but it can’t be for too long.”
“No.” Jiang Qi shook his head, going against the grain as he said—
“I’d like to ask the doctor to say that I can’t be released from the hospital during the New Year.”
Jiang Qi couldn’t face Zhi Qi’s parents when he had nothing to show for himself, but he also didn’t want to hurt the little girl’s feelings.
So he could only ask the medical staff to help him weave this kind-hearted lie.