APCF – Chapter 104 The Evidence

It had been a little over six days but not quite seven since the task was assigned. For such a professional private investigator to take nearly a week to complete it, it was clear how difficult the evidence was to find.

This wasn’t something that could be explained clearly over the phone, so Qi Xingchen decided to return in person. However, he was reluctant to take too much leave. After finishing his scenes for the day, he requested a day off from Director Zhou and rushed overnight to H City.

By the time his plane landed, it was already late at night. The Qi family’s driver was dozing off in the driver’s seat. Seeing Qi Xingchen approach, the driver quickly got out and opened the door. “Second Young Master.”

“Sorry for troubling you so late,” Qi Xingchen said apologetically. “Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s no trouble at all. This is my duty. Where are we headed?”

“The same hospital as last time.”

“Understood.” The driver responded and immediately started the car toward the hospital.

Time was tight. Qi Xingchen wanted to see Tao Xuan and also wanted to find Liang Jing as soon as he had the results, so he arranged to meet the detective at Jing’an Hospital.

When he arrived at the hospital room, Tao Xuan was already fast asleep. He stood outside the glass window, watching for a moment. He looked much better than the last time he had seen him. Satisfied, he led the detective to the nearby lounge.

The lounge was attached to the VIP ward, with no surveillance cameras and no outsiders, making it quite private. Qi Xingchen borrowed the key from the night-shift nurse and locked the door after entering.

The detective immediately handed him two document bags.

“Mr. Qi, the bag on the left contains the pregnancy test strip you requested. The one on the right has Miss Tao’s medical examination report and her complete medical history from the provincial healthcare system. The records show that Miss Tao’s ID was only registered at one hospital in the past three months. Please take a look.”

Qi Xingchen was most concerned about the pregnancy test, so he opened the left bag first—only for a foul stench to hit him immediately.

“Why does it smell so bad?” Qi Xingchen frowned.

“I hired over a hundred people to search for it at a garbage disposal site. You were quite lucky, actually. That bag of trash was still in the sorting area and hadn’t been buried yet. If it had been, there would’ve been only a 1% chance of digging it back up,” the detective explained before holding up a plastic bag. “This is the trash bag that contained the test strip. Do you want it? I also have surveillance footage of Miss Tao’s assistant throwing it away in the residential area.”

“I don’t need the trash bag,” Qi Xingchen said. “Just send me the footage.”

The video could serve as proof of the pregnancy test’s origin. The detective complied, sending him the footage. While waiting for it to download, Qi Xingchen took out the contents of the left document bag and was momentarily stunned.

The packaging of the test strip had an anti-counterfeiting label from the manufacturer.

Peeling off the label, he opened the box—only to find that the pregnancy test stick inside showed no results at all. In fact, it was completely unused.

What did this mean?

It meant Tao Tao had never even used the pregnancy test.

A surge of anger shot through Qi Xingchen. His hands trembled as he opened the second document bag.

As expected, Tao Tao had indeed gone to the hospital after claiming she had a miscarriage. However, all she had done was a routine physical examination—there were no obstetric records or appointment slips.

She had completely deceived Liang Jing!

If she had put effort into forging evidence, Qi Xingchen might not have been this furious. But clearly, she had taken advantage of Liang Jing’s trusting and kind nature. She had probably just found some pictures online or crudely edited a few images and easily fooled him.

Qi Xingchen’s vision darkened with rage, and he had an overwhelming urge to confront Tao Tao immediately!

However, one thing was now certain: Tao Tao had full self-awareness. And for some reason, she had an exceptionally clear grasp of the character traits of every role in Night of the Peach Blossom.

The only visible pattern was that everything she was doing—including deceiving Liang Jing into donating his kidney—was aimed at correcting the plot and ensuring the storyline played out as intended.

If Liang Jing donated his kidney, then the next event in the story would be…

The Qi family’s financial empire collapsing overnight. The Qi family falling into ruin. And all of them, eventually, ending up in a cemetery.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Qi Xingchen’s face darkened further.

He had initially read Night of the Peach Blossom because there was a minor character in it with the exact same name as his. Being a guy, he didn’t really enjoy romance novels, and the kidney donation plotline was too outdated and melodramatic for him. He hadn’t even made it past that part before deleting the novel.

Now, he had no idea how the Qi family had been destroyed or what methods had been used.

Frustrated, he smacked his forehead, regretting not finishing the book when he had the chance.

After sending the detective off, it was already past 2 a.m. Qi Xingchen leaned against the lounge bed for a short rest. His sleep was restless, plagued by countless dreams.

Most were related to the Qi family—and they were all nightmares.

In his dreams, the Qi family’s lakeside villa was sealed off and put up for public auction. His father’s hair turned white overnight, and he suffered a heart attack. His eldest brother was shackled in chains, looking gaunt and exhausted—no longer the confident business elite he once was.

As for his sister, she sold off all her valuable clothes and jewelry, desperately trying to pull some strings. She even went so far as to sell her body, just to make life a little easier for their father and brother.

Qi Xingchen’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand. He gasped for breath, struggling to inhale.

“Mr. Qi? Mr. Qi?”

A female voice rang in his ears, and he jolted awake. He sat up and took a long time to recover, his chest tight and his breathing uneven. He turned to the person who called him. “What time is it?”

The caregiver on duty replied, “It’s 7:30.”

“Thanks.” Qi Xingchen rubbed his temples. “Has Tao Xuan woken up?”

“Not yet. He usually gets up after 8 for his routine checkup.”

“Alright, I’ll let you get back to work. I’m going to check on Professor Liang.”

He got up and left.

“Mr. Qi, you don’t look well,” the caregiver called after him. “Your clothes are soaked with sweat. Do you want to get checked out?”

Qi Xingchen touched his back and realized his hoodie was drenched. He shook his head, indicating it wasn’t necessary, and went to the restroom.

He didn’t want Liang Jing to notice anything unusual. Turning on the faucet, he splashed cold water on his face. As he wiped it dry, he saw his pale, bloodless complexion in the mirror.

It was partly due to a sleepless night—but mostly because of the nightmare.

The dreams had felt too real. As if they had already happened.

As if they were inevitable.

Even if he had to risk his life, he would never allow that future to come true.

He drank some cold water, letting the icy sensation calm him down.

Remembering Liang Jing’s advice from last time, he pulled out his phone. After sending Bo Ye a good morning text, he called Liang Jing.

Liang Jing must have set a custom ringtone for him because he picked up almost instantly. “Hello?”

“It’s me,” Qi Xingchen said directly. “I’m at the hospital. I need to see you. Are you here?”

“I just arrived. Have you eaten breakfast?”

“No, but I’m not hungry.”

“Wait in my lab for a bit. The door code is 1228,” Liang Jing said. “It’s just me this morning, so don’t worry. I’ll be there soon.”

Qi Xingchen hung up and went upstairs.

As he punched in the code, he suddenly realized—1228 was his and the original host’s shared birthday. A faint guilt crept into his heart.

If he hadn’t taken over this body, Liang Jing and the original host might have already ended up together.

But things were irreversible now. He had Bo Ye. He couldn’t love Liang Jing like the original host did.

What he could do was ensure Liang Jing stayed alive—and keep him and the Qi family from ending up on a gravestone.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, Liang Jing came upstairs carrying several food containers. It looked like he had gotten the food from the hospital cafeteria, and the porridge was still steaming hot.

“Eat something first,” Liang Jing said, opening the container lid and sitting across from him. “Why did you suddenly come back?”

Qi Xingchen had no appetite at all, but to avoid wasting Liang Jing’s effort, he took a bite of a bun and said, “I have something I want to show you.”

As he spoke, he pushed a file folder toward Liang Jing, who took it with a puzzled expression.

The moment he saw the contents, he was even more shocked than Qi Xingchen!

“After you told me that Tao Tao was pregnant last time, I hired a private investigator to check her trash and medical records. These are the pieces of evidence we found. As a medical student, you should understand what they mean.”

“It means… Tao Tao was never pregnant.” Liang Jing hesitated for a moment. “But why would she lie to me?”

Previously, in order to stop Liang Jing from donating a kidney, Qi Xingchen had accidentally revealed that he knew the plot. This time, he decided not to hide the truth anymore.

First, Liang Jing had already realized he wasn’t the original person. Second, Qi Xingchen alone couldn’t bear the burden of saving the Qi family.

He needed an ally.

However, Qi Xingchen didn’t want to tell him that he was actually a character from a novel—that would be too cruel for someone who had grown up normally. He decided to reveal things gradually.

Choosing his words carefully, he said, “It might sound strange, but I come from another space. Before entering this world, I learned about many events that were going to happen. This includes you treating Tao Tao’s younger brother, Tao Xuan, and you eventually donating a kidney to him. However, because of my interference, some events have changed.”

Liang Jing, being highly intelligent, immediately caught on. “For example, I was originally supposed to fall in love with Tao Tao and donate my kidney to please her, rather than as compensation for a miscarriage?”

“Exactly,” Qi Xingchen confirmed with a nod. “And not only did she not have a miscarriage, but she also never had any kind of relationship with you. If you don’t believe me, take a look at this medical report.”

In the gynecology section, the report clearly stated: Patient has no sexual history. Gynecological examination unnecessary.

“So…”

Liang Jing leaned back heavily, his expression indescribable. It was hard to tell if he felt more relieved or angry. “So, the so-called ‘drunken mistake’ was nothing but an act she staged herself. I’ve been played by her all this time.”

Qi Xingchen silently acknowledged it, then comforted him, “It’s not your fault. She is the most important character in this world, and aside from me, all of you are influenced by her to some extent.”

Liang Jing furrowed his brows, not fully understanding.

“I can’t explain everything right now,” Qi Xingchen said. “Once we get through the upcoming crisis, I’ll tell you everything. I just hope you believe me.”

Without hesitation, Liang Jing replied, “Of course, I believe you!”

His voice was firm and resolute. Qi Xingchen hadn’t expected him to agree so quickly.

After all, they had only known each other for half a year, with very few interactions. The fact that Liang Jing had developed feelings for him was already surprising—let alone trusting him so deeply.

Especially since what he had just said was absurd, bordering on ridiculous.

Qi Xingchen had no idea why Liang Jing trusted him so much, but having him on his side was the best outcome. With sincerity, he said, “Thank you for believing in me. I’ll prove to you that you didn’t misplace your trust.”

Liang Jing didn’t say anything, just tapped on the food container. “Hurry up and drink your porridge before it gets cold.”

Seeing his childhood friend finally moving on from his trauma, Qi Xingchen felt much better. He picked up the bowl of porridge and gulped it down in big mouthfuls.

Watching him eat, Liang Jing couldn’t help but recall the xingxing from the past. Even though the xingxing had been rebellious, he was still born into a wealthy family and never lacked grace or etiquette. He had never eaten like Qi Xingchen was now—devouring food as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

The porridge was quickly finished, and Qi Xingchen wiped his mouth in satisfaction.

Liang Jing knew that Qi Xingchen hadn’t just come to see him to clear his name—he definitely had another purpose. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Do you need my help with anything? Just say the word, and I’ll do it.”

Qi Xingchen sighed at his perceptiveness. “To be honest, I do need your help. In the future, the Qi family is going to go bankrupt. I need your help to transfer some funds overseas.”

The best way to prevent bankruptcy would be to tell his father and brothers the truth so they could prepare in advance.

However, he didn’t dare take that risk. It was obvious to anyone how much the Qi family loved the original owner of this body. He wasn’t sure if, after learning that he was an outsider occupying this body, they would come to hate him or choose to accept him.

If they developed a hatred toward him, he would lose even the slightest chance of saving the Qi family.

He couldn’t afford that outcome.

So, he had two plans in place: one was to subtly hint to his family to keep a close watch on the company and beware of schemers, and the other was to secretly transfer assets.

That way, even if Tao Tao sabotaged everything and successfully ruined the Qi family, he could still take his family far away—to a peaceful place where they could live out the rest of their lives.

Life might not be as luxurious as it was now, but as long as the family stayed together, that would be the simplest and greatest happiness.

Since the Liang family had businesses overseas, and Liang Jing himself was familiar with foreign markets, he readily agreed. “Alright. How much are we talking about?”

Qi Xingchen gave him a number. “There will be more funds coming in over time.”

Such as revenue from the South African diamond mine, earnings from the marine park, and his own income from acting and endorsements.

“That amount is too large to go through a personal account.” Liang Jing thought for a moment. “How about this—I’ll set up a few research labs in my name. Once the projects are established, your money can be transferred as investment funds. Would that work?”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

“No need to be polite. By the way—”

Liang Jing hesitated for a moment before continuing, “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask. I don’t know if it’s convenient for you to answer.”

“It’s fine. Go ahead.”

“The original Xingxing…” Liang Jing’s voice was hoarse. “Is he still alive?”

Is he still alive?

Qi Xingchen lowered his gaze. He didn’t want to answer, but he had no choice. “I’m sorry. He’s gone.”

Guessing was one thing, but confirming the truth was another. The answer hit Liang Jing hard. His body swayed, and his mind buzzed.

He forced himself to stay calm. “Then… how did he go? Did it hurt?”

“He was pushed down and hit the back of his head. I guess… maybe it didn’t hurt too much.”

Liang Jing couldn’t imagine it. His little Xingxing, the one who had always followed him around like a shadow, was gone before he even had the chance to come back.

Even if he couldn’t give Xingxing the love he wanted, the bond they shared growing up was no less than family. Liang Jing could no longer hold it in—he buried his face in his hands and sobbed.

Qi Xingchen opened his mouth but couldn’t find the right words to comfort him. For the first time in his life, he truly understood how powerless words could be. He could only hand Liang Jing a pack of tissues and quietly accompany him.

No one knew how long Liang Jing cried. Eventually, he lowered his arms, wiped his swollen red eyes, put on his glasses, and said with a thick nasal voice, “Sorry for losing control. Must’ve made a fool of myself.”

“It’s okay.” Qi Xingchen shook his head. “Someday, tell me about the original Xingxing. I’d really like to know him.”

“Sure. Next time you come back.”

Qi Xingchen hummed in agreement and took a deep breath. “I won’t stay any longer, then. Keep an eye on Tao Tao and try not to get involved with her anymore.”

Having been deceived once, Liang Jing was already wary of Tao Tao and would never fall for her tricks again. He nodded in agreement and walked Qi Xingchen to the elevator.

Just before he stepped inside, Liang Jing asked, “What should I call you from now on?”

“I’m also Qi Xingchen,” Qi Xingchen replied with a smile. “If you miss him, you can just think of me as him.”

But Liang Jing shook his head. “No. You are you. He was him. He is irreplaceable, and so are you. I’ll call you Xingchen. How’s that?”

Other than Bo Ye, no one had ever told him he was irreplaceable. Qi Xingchen felt a lump in his throat and sniffed. “Alright, Liang Jing.”