Fu Jiheng and Gu Lin exchanged a glance. They didn't know what had been said on the phone, but Qin Siye's expression grew even more grim.
Gu Lin, gulping down red wine, wanted to stop him, but Fu Jiheng grabbed his arm.
"Let him drink," Fu Jiheng whispered. "Maybe when he's drunk, he can forget everything."
During this time, Shen Xi's phone rang several more times, but Qin Siye didn't answer any of them.
Eventually, he drank himself into a stupor, slumped back onto the sofa, and fell asleep.
"What do we do now? He doesn't have a high tolerance for alcohol, and you made him drink so much," Gu Lin said, frowning as he looked at Qin Siye's flushed face.
At that moment, Qin Siye's phone on the table rang again. The display still showed "Shen Xi."
Fu Jiheng picked it up without hesitation. "Hello, is this Dr. Shen? I'm Fu Jiheng. We met tonight. Is there something urgent you need from Siye?"
"Yes," Shen Xi replied, her brow furrowing slightly.
"He's gone to the restroom. We're in booth 16 at the Phantom Bar. If you're looking for him, you can come here," Fu Jiheng said in a low voice, winking at a surprised Gu Lin.
After hanging up, Gu Lin pulled him aside. "Jiheng, is this the right thing to do?"
"What's not right about it? The one who tied the knot must untie it," Fu Jiheng said with a slight smile.
"But are you sure Shen Xi will come?" Gu Lin was still hesitant.
Fu Jiheng grabbed his arm and walked towards the door. "She's in such a hurry, she'll definitely come. Even if she doesn't, we still have Uncle. I'll give him a call later. Let's go."
Half an hour later, Shen Xi burst into booth 16, her eyes falling upon Qin Siye slumped on the sofa, asleep.
She scanned the room quickly, noting no one else was present.
However, the wine bottles on the table and the pervasive smell of alcohol told her immediately that Qin Siye had been drinking, and quite a lot.
What did Fu Jiheng mean by this? If Qin Siye was already drunk, why did he ask her to come over?
In his current state, how could she discuss the purchase of a house with him?
As she turned to leave, she heard a man's gentle murmur behind her, "Yin Xi."
It was as clear and pleasant as the first time he had called her name.
Shen Xi's body trembled, and she slowly turned around, only to see Qin Siye's dark brows furrowed, his head shaking from side to side, his face contorted in pain.
Acting on instinct as a doctor, Shen Xi did not hesitate. She quickly stepped forward and held out a trash can for him.
She reached out and helped him sit up. Qin Siye vomited a few times, then slowly raised his head. His gaze was hazy as he looked at the woman in front of him, and then he suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Yin Xi, is that you?"
Shen Xi's heart skipped a beat. She tried to pull away forcefully, but the man held on tighter.
Her back to him, she said, "Mr. Qin, please let go. You've mistaken me for someone else."
"No. I... How could I mistake you?" Qin Siye's eyes held a melancholy gaze as he looked at her back. "Yin Xi, I'm sorry! If it hadn't been my fault back then, you wouldn't have gotten into a car accident and disappeared. Do you know how hard I've searched for you all these years?"
His fault? What was his fault? And why had he been looking for her everywhere?
Shen Xi had no idea what he meant, her body trembling, unable to utter a word.
"Your cousin said... you're no longer alive. How could I believe that? She also wanted to buy the Yin family villa. Don't worry, I'll never sell it to her. I know you'll come back." Qin Siye murmured incessantly.
Shen Xi, however, heard this and broke out in a cold sweat. So, he didn't believe what she had said at all. Even seeing the tombstone, he still firmly believed she was alive.
And he had no intention of selling the house to her.
"Mr. Qin, please let go. I am not Yin Xi, you really have mistaken me for someone else," Shen Xi tried to break free from his grip once more.
This man was too terrifying; she needed to leave quickly.
The next second, she was pulled into his embrace with a sudden force, falling into his burning arms.