Bai Qi parked the obsidian sedan in front of the house. He did not turn off the headlights immediately. The beams cut through the dark, cold street.
He sat behind the steering wheel. His hands were locked at the ten and two positions. His knuckles were white. He looked at the front door. This was the place where Shu Yao had lived.
He felt a heavy pressure in his chest. His legs felt like lead. He could not find the strength to open the car door. The engine finally clicked off. The silence was absolute. Then, the front door of the house opened.
Han Ruyan stepped out. She wore a long, dark wool coat. The winter air was sharp. She saw the car. She saw Bai Qi standing near the gate. He was motionless. He looked like a statue. He did not notice her until she was a few feet away.
Han Ruyan stopped. She looked into the back seat of the car. It was empty. She looked at the passenger seat. It was also empty. She turned her gaze to Bai Qi.
"Bai Qi?" she asked. Her voice was steady but curious. "Why are you here? Where is Shu Yao? He has not answered my calls for two hours."
Bai Qi did not move. He did not blink.
"He told me he had to work at the Christmas gala," she continued. She walked closer. "I wanted him to stay home. I wanted to spend the night with him. But he insisted on helping you."
Bai Qi's head snapped up. He looked at her. Han Ruyan saw his face clearly under the streetlamp. His eyes were bloodshot. His skin was gray. His expensive suit was covered in creases and stains.
She stepped forward. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "What happened? You look ill. Where is my son? Did he do something wrong? Did he upset you?"
Bai Qi's lower lip quivered. He looked down at the pavement.
"I am sorry, Auntie," he said. His voice was a low rasp.
Han Ruyan's hand tightened on his shoulder. "Why are you sorry, Bai Qi? Tell me what happened."
Bai Qi did not speak. He breathed in short, shallow cycles.
"What happened?" Han Ruyan repeated. Her voice rose in pitch. "Tell me. My heart is starting to hurt. Do not make me wait."
Bai Qi forced the words out of his constricted throat. "Shu Yao is at the hospital."
Han Ruyan's heart rate increased. She grabbed both of Bai Qi's forearms. She shook him. Her eyes were wide. "Why is he at the hospital? Did he have an accident?"
Bai Qi let out a jagged sob. He could not look at her. "He was poisoned."
Han Ruyan froze. Her grip on his arms went slack. She stared at him. The air in her lungs felt trapped. "Poisoned? How? How did that happen?"
Her eyes became teary, as she began to cry. The sound was high and thin. "How did it happen, Bai Qi? I am asking you as a mother. How did my boy get poisoned?"
"It was my fault," Bai Qi said.
Han Ruyan stepped back. She shook her head. "What do you mean it is your fault? Explain this. Explain it now or I will collapse."
She covered her face with both hands. Bai Qi watched her. He was crying openly now.
"I forced him to drink it," Bai Qi said.
Han Ruyan dropped her hands. She stared at him. She did not want to believe his words. "Why? Why would you do that to him, Bai Qi?"
"I was selfish," he replied. "I was stupid. I didn't believe him."
Han Ruyan did not scream. She did not hit him. She leaned against the gate for support. Her breathing was loud and frantic.
"I want to see my child," she said. "I have already lost my husband. I lost Qing Yue. I cannot lose Shu Yao. He is the only person I have left."
She looked at the house behind her. "I have not been a good mother to him. Since Qing Yue died, I stayed in my own grief. I left him alone in this house. I was full of myself. I never realized that my son needed me the most that time."
Bai Qi felt a new wave of guilt. He had always thought Shu Yao's mother was never home after Qing yue death, she was absent. He did not know that shu Yao was living all by himself.
"He never said a word," Han Ruyan sobbed. "He stayed silent. He never complained about the loneliness. He is exactly like his father. He hides everything inside."
"I want to see him, Bai Qi," Han Ruyan said. She grabbed his hand. Her palm was cold. "Take me to my son. I need to see him now."
Bai Qi wiped his face with the back of his hand. He nodded. "I will take you.
Bai Qi opened the passenger door for her. Han Ruyan sat down. She did not put on her seatbelt. She stared straight ahead. Bai Qi walked around to the driver's side. He started the engine.
Bai Qi stopped the car at the hospital entrance. He did not look at Han Ruyan. He stared at the dashboard.
"The nurse at the desk will tell you the room number," he said. His voice was low and lacked any energy.
Han Ruyan did not wait for a response. She opened the door and stepped out into the cold night. She walked toward the sliding glass doors without looking back.
Bai Qi stayed in the driver's seat. He reached out and turned off the ignition. The lights on the dashboard died. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the leather of the steering wheel. He shut his eyes. The silence in the car was heavy. He did not move. He stayed in that position as the minutes passed.
Back at the villa, the gala was over, but the tension remained. Bai Mingzhu walked through the main hall. Her jewelry caught the light of the chandeliers, but her face was tight with worry. She looked for her younger son.
"Where is Bai Qi?" she asked.
Charles sat on a chair in the foyer. He looked exhausted. His shoulders were slumped. "I do not know, ma'am. He took the car and left by himself."
Bai Mingzhu stopped walking. She turned to face the driver. "He took the car by himself? He drove?"
"Yes, ma'am," Charles replied. "He was in a great hurry. He did not wait."
Bai Mingzhu looked toward the window. The driveway was empty. Bai Qi never drove himself. He always had a driver. This was a breach of his normal routine. It indicated a level of desperation she did not understand.
"He will need a very good explanation when he returns," she said. She watched the dark gates of the estate. She wondered what could be so urgent that it forced him to leave without his driver.
She turned away from the window and walked toward the stairs. She went to the second floor and stopped in front of Armin's room. She knocked.
Inside the room, Armin flinch. He was sitting on the edge of his bed. His face was wet with tears. He quickly reached for the gold locket resting on his palm and shoved it inside his shirt. He tucked it beneath the fabric until it was hidden against his skin.
"Who is it?" Armin asked. His voice was shaky and fast.
Bai Mingzhu stood on the other side of the door. She recognized the panic in his tone. Armin was her stepson, but she had raised him with the same attention as her own biological child.
"It is your mother, darling," she said.
Armin stood up. He wiped his face with the back of his hand. He walked to the door and opened it. He did not look up at her. He kept his gaze fixed on the floor.
Bai Mingzhu smiled. She saw the redness in his eyes. She saw the way his shoulders stayed tense.
"Are you not going to let me in?" she asked in a teasing tone.
"Yes. Sure. Sorry," Armin said. He stepped aside.
Bai Mingzhu walked into the room. She did not look at his belongings. She walked straight to Armin and took his hand. He gasped. His fingers were cold. She led him over to the bed and sat down on the edge. She patted the spot next to her.
"How long will you hold that all alone?" she asked.
Armin's eyes went wide. He felt his heart skip a beat. He looked at his lap. "I do not know what you are talking about, Mother."
Bai Mingzhu did not stop smiling. It was a calm, knowing expression. "Stop hiding it, Armin. I know everything."
Armin's skin went pale. He swallowed hard. The silence in the room felt like a physical weight. "You must be mistaken. There is no such a thing to hide."
Bai Mingzhu reached out. She did not touch the locket, but she pointed her finger at the center of his chest. The outline of the jewelry was visible through the thin silk of his shirt.
Armin froze. He looked at her finger, then at her face. "How did you...?"
Bai Mingzhu leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. It was a rare gesture of physical affection. "It would be a very good thing if you got married soon, dear."
Armin clenched his jaw. He did not want to show his emotions, but his breathing became uneven. He looked at the wall across from the bed.
"I know about your sweetheart," she said.
Armin became completely still. He did not confirm her statement, but he did not deny it. He sat there in the quiet room, trapped between his secret and his mother's gaze.
Armin sat on the edge of the bed. His heart hammered against his ribs. He felt the cold weight of the locket against his chest.
Bai Mingzhu looked at him. "Why are you afraid, dear?"
Armin did not answer. He stared at his own knees.
"Are you afraid of what your father will think?" she asked.
Armin snapped his head up. His eyes were wide. Bai Mingzhu reached out and placed her hand on his cheek. Armin felt a wave of shyness and fear. He leaned into her touch despite his anxiety.
"I want my children to be happy," she said. Her voice was steady. "I do not want anything else in this world. Whatever you desire, you should have it."
Armin stared at her in disbelief. He had spent years expecting judgment.
"I know he died," she said.
Armin's composure vanished. The secret he had buried for so long was out. He began to cry. The sound was quiet and pained.
Bai Mingzhu smiled, but her eyes held a look of sorrow. She wiped his tears away with her thumb.
"I... I look stupid," Armin whispered.
"No. Do not say that. Look at me," she commanded. Armin obeyed.
"I don't want any fame. I do not care about the Rothenberg at all, right now. I only want you to be whole."
She took his hands in hers. "Today is a day of wishes. I decided that presents were not enough for my boys. I have been planning this since I heard about your situation."
"But he is gone," Armin said. His voice broke. "He is no longer here. I have nothing left of him but this."
Bai Mingzhu pulled him into a hug. She was not his biological mother, but she held him with a protective strength. She let him sob into her shoulder for a long minute.
"Do not cry anymore," she said, pulling back. "Look into my eyes."
Armin looked at her.
"When I heard about him, I started searching. I found a member of his family.
He is here, Armin."
Armin gasped. He felt a sudden surge of guilt. "They will hate me. If he has any relatives, they will blame me for what happened to him."
"No, dear. He won't."
She turned her head toward the bedroom door. "You can come in now."
Armin did not understand. He watched the handle turn. The door opened slowly.
A boy stepped into the room. Armin's heart stopped.
The boy had olive-colored eyes. He had long, blonde hair that fell over his shoulders. He had the same slender, long frame. He was shy. He kept his gaze on the floor, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He looked exactly like Florian.
Armin stood up. His legs shook so violently he almost fell. He looked at Bai Mingzhu. She was smiling brightly.
"Have a good time, my dear," she said softly.
She stood up and walked toward the door. As she passed the boy, she gave him a small, encouraging smile. The boy looked down, his face reddening.
Bai Mingzhu stepped out and closed the door.
The click of the door sounded final. Armin was left alone with the boy. The face he thought he would only ever see in a locket was now three feet away from him.
Armin could not speak. He could only stare at the twin of the boy he had lost.