Rebirth: Pampered by My Children and Husband - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Chapter 58 So He Wasn’t That Important?

Ji Zeqiu met Wen Li a bit later; from the day he met her, she was calling herself “Ji Tingyang’s little brother.”

At first, he didn’t think much of it.

Until later…

As a child, Ji Zeqiu was frail and frequently fell ill with fevers.

Back then, Ji Tingyang was busy wrestling back the Ji Family’s assets from relatives and was overwhelmed. Ji Zeqiu didn’t want to worry Ji Tingyang, so he would force himself to cope, swallowing a few pills before dozing off in bed.

Sometimes he would endure the illness by himself, but more often than not, Wen Li would be there taking care of him.

“Don’t worry, I’m right here with you,” Wen Li would say, holding his hand and soothing him gently.

Her voice was as light as a spring breeze, caressing his feverishly hot body, reminding him of the vague memory of his gentle mother.

A sense of warmth bubbled up in his heart.

However, the warmth she exuded wasn’t exclusively for him; she was just as kind to Ji Tingyang and even told him about a boy she liked at school.

A feeling of jealousy surged within him; he didn’t want to share this warmth with anyone else.

Late, the sound of Wen Li calling him “Ji Tingyang’s little brother”—he could no longer maintain the composure he initially had.

“My name is Ji Zeqiu. You can only call me by my name,” corrected Ji Zeqiu.

He didn’t want to forever be just somebody’s little brother in her heart, but an independent individual instead.

An independent man, and a potential partner.

So, when he heard Wen Li say “Of course not,” fireworks of excitement burst in his chest, only to be cruelly doused by a bucket of cold water.

“You’re still my friend, though.”

Just friends?

Ji Zeqiu drove the car, his gaze fixed forward, his dark eyes brimming with stabbing pain.

He arrived at the bottom of a residential building, and walked to an apartment door with familiar ease, entering the passcode before he proceeded inside.

Hearing the sound of the door, the woman hurried out to see what was happening, relieved to find it wasn’t a thief.

Looking at Ji Zeqiu, she asked with some confusion, “How come you’re here…”

Before she could finish, Ji Zeqiu pulled her into his embrace, burying his head in her neck, his voice muffled and despondent, “Am I just a friend to you, why can’t you like me?”

Caught off guard by his abrupt words, Shen Qingtang paused for a moment before her hands tightened around Ji Zeqiu’s waist, her lips curling into a bitter smile.

She had thought Ji Zeqiu came to see her, but why couldn’t she remember.

Ji Zeqiu only remembered her, the substitute, when he was frustrated in the presence of that other woman.

Ji Zeqiu grew more restless, his hands clasping around her waist tighter, causing her to hiss with pain.

Despite the hurt inside, Shen Qingtang still patted his back, coaxing softly, “I’ve always liked you, liked you…”

“Hmm…” Ji Zeqiu’s rigid body gradually relaxed.

The next morning.

Sunlight penetrated the curtain, casting light on the floating dust particles and painting the room with a warm golden hue.

Shen Qingtang opened her eyes groggily; she reached out to the other side of the bed to feel cold emptiness.

She was jolted awake and sat up in bed.

The bedroom was already devoid of Ji Zeqiu’s presence.

Her eyes lowered slightly as she fingered the blanket on her body, a sense of loss welling up inside her.

The times Ji Zeqiu visited her home were few and far between, and occasionally, like this time, he would embrace her and quietly fall asleep after setbacks, but he always left before she woke up, as if he had never been there at all.

She took the phone, and on the screen lay a transfer notification message.

Without looking, Qingtang knew it was from Ji Zeqiu; she really wanted to be tough for once and return the money to him. But her family urgently needed the money, so she could only silently accept it.

——

Ji Zeqiu acted quickly. He merely mentioned it to his agent and soon found a job suitable for Father Wen.

He couldn’t wait to call Wen Li to tell her the good news and to hear her voice, but the call wouldn’t go through.

With the director urging him to get ready, Ji Zeqiu had no choice but to leave her a message and hand his phone to his agent for safekeeping.

“The weather is getting colder; this lake water is a bit icy. Let’s aim for one take!” the director shouted through a megaphone.

The scene was of the heroine being pushed into the water by the villain, with Ji Zeqiu, as the male lead, diving in to perform his heroic rescue.

However, the actress playing the heroine wasn’t in the right state of mind. The scene took many takes without success, which darkened the director’s mood enough to scold her.

Ji Zeqiu had no choice but to cooperate, entering the water over and over…

The bitterly cold lake water splashed against him, sending a bone-chilling cold straight through to his heart.

It had been a while.

Ji Zeqiu fell ill.

He lay in the hotel room, pale, coughing faintly and repeatedly, looking extremely gaunt.

“Brother Zhao, go see if Wen Li has come?” His expression was feeble, but his mind was still on Wen Li.

After a day of classes, Wen Li finally had time to check her phone. Seeing his message that he’d found a new job for her father, she happily sent a text thanking him.

Ji Zeqiu stared at their conversation for a long time, and, as if possessed, he made a video call to her.

Perhaps illness had made him more sentimental, and he desperately wanted to see her.

“Ah! What’s happened to you?” exclaimed Wen Li upon seeing his pale cheeks.

“Seems like I have a fever, cough cough…”

“You look very serious. Where are you now? I’ll come and see you.”

Ji Zeqiu gave her the address of the hotel and then waited eagerly for her arrival, impatient as always, asking his agent every few minutes if she had come yet.

However, hour after hour passed, the sky darkened, and he still hadn’t seen Wen Li.

The phone calls he made got no answer.

The composure with which Ji Zeqiu had been waiting gradually slipped away. His heart felt as though it was being tightly squeezed, compressing into a tight mass, throbbing with dense pain.

Perhaps due to his intense emotions, his illness worsened. In no time, Ji Zeqiu collapsed on the bed, falling into a deep sleep, his eyelids fluttering restlessly.

Hadn’t she promised to come see him?

Why hadn’t she come?

Was he not important to her after all?

Was even that slight warmth he felt slipping from his grasp…

The feeling of sadness settled like silt in muddy bottle water, slowly settling down.

In his hazy consciousness, Ji Zeqiu heard some noise at the door.

“You’ve finally arrived. Zeqiu’s illness seems to have gotten worse. He took some medicine but refuses to go to the hospital,” sighed the agent.

“I’ll go check on him.” The voice was soft and gentle.

In less than no time, Ji Zeqiu felt a cool touch on his forehead, and the heat inside him dissipated a little.

“Your temperature is so high. How did you get this sick?” Lin Xu held his hand, her lovely face showing a trace of concern.