Cried Until His Heart Became Conflicted

Talking until here, Li Lingyi started crying again. "We were told that even family members cannot visit infected patients. Now, we don't even know if your Dad is alive or dead…"

Aside from Lu Lingyi's crying sound over the phone, Xia Xingchen could also hear Old Madam's desperate crying in the background.

She felt really bad. Although she had moved out of that house long ago, she was still part of that family and they were still related by blood. It was just that…

"I was just transferred to the Ministry of Finance recently. Although I interact with the higher-ups every day… I am afraid I don't have that kind of relationship with them to ask such a request…"

"You have to try! You would only know the outcome if you at least try."

Li Lingyi talked as if Xia Xingchen was her last saving grace and the only one who could lighten the situation. Xia Xingchen fell into silence for a while, and then she asked, "What about Xu Yan… is there no other way?"

"…No." It was fine when she hadn't mentioned it, but sadness poured over Li Lingyi's voice the moment she did. "He said that the preventive measures now are tightly secured that nobody could enter regardless of who requested it. There were no exceptions."

If the rules were already set this way and even Xu Yan had no idea, how could she possibly be of any help?

Xia Xingchen felt very conflicted and yet, with Li Lingyi begging her, she felt more conflicted. She consoled her for a long time and it was not until she promised that she would give it a try that Li Lingyi slowly put down the phone.

She held her phone tightly while standing at the balcony with the chilly air blowing against her.

As her mind drifted to the thought of not knowing if her father was still alive or already dead, her heart clenched tightly and felt terrible. But to be more accurate, her father was already standing at Hades' Gate.

If Xu Yan did not even have a way to help, the only people she could find were Yu Zenan and…

Bai Yeqing…

However, how could she request help from Bai Yeqing?

He had tons of irons in the fire… He was so busy…

Xia Xingchen played with her cell phone while flipping through her contacts. She tapped on the contact named 'Yu Zenan.' However, before she could even make the call, someone called her instead.

She froze.

She saw the screen flickering with the contact 'Future Husband', and froze for a while.

When she answered the call, her phone had already rung for four to five times.

"Hi, may I know who is this?" Bai Yeqing's deep and alluring voice could be heard over the phone. Xia Xingchen did not know what had gotten into her, but once she heard his voice, her nose started to turn sour.

It was as if his voice had hit the most vulnerable and soft spot in her heart.

The calmness she tried her best to build immediately crumbled when she heard his voice.

She choked on her tears and wanted to say something, however, it was as if something was stuck on her throat that it prevented her from speaking.

"Xia Xingchen?" Bai Yeqing accurately said her name. Although she had not even started speaking, he could already recognize her just by her heavy breathing sounds.

"It's me…"

"Are you crying?" Bai Yeqing's voice became deeper. "What happened?"

"…Nothing." Xia Xingchen shook her head and sniffed. She raised her head to look at the view before her as if by doing so could prevent the tears in her eyes from falling down.

"Tell me!" His tone sounded as if he would not accept any excuses. He remained silent for a while before asking again, "Someone bullied you at work?"

She immediately denied, "No."

"Why are you crying then?" Her crying made him feel very conflicted.

"It concerns my family…"

"Say it."

Xia Xingchen was silent for a while, and then she continued, "Just now, my stepmother called me… and said that my Dad's infected with the Wis coronavirus. I wanted to visit him in the hospital, but… he is being quarantined now. We don't even know about his condition now…"

As she said thatthat, she became more sad and solemn, and she started to choke as she neared the end of her sentence—it made her seem very pitiful.

Bai Yeqing asked, "You want to visit him?"

"I also thought that way, but I know it will be difficult… even Xu Yan could not think of a way to help us."

His facial expression darkened.

"You called me two times just to tell me this?"

"No." She initially wanted to ask about her work. "Regarding this matter… I initially did not want to disturb you." She was afraid that he would find her annoying.

"So, you would rather find your ex-boyfriend?" Bai Yeqing's tone became a little harsh.

Xia Xingchen shook her head. "I wasn't the one who asked Xu Yan. I initially wanted…"

Talking until here, she froze for a while. She then continued, "I… initially wanted to call Yu Zenan. He definitely has a way…"

Bai Yeqing's eyebrows twitched before speaking again. His tone sounded as if his voice was frozen in ice. "It seems that you are planning to turn a deaf ear to my words!"

Damn it!

Did this woman purposely want to anger him?

She actually did not want to ask him a favor and would rather seek what was far instead of what was in front of her? She might as well trudge on a difficult path to find Zu Yenan for help?

Or did that mean that, in her eyes, Yu Zenan and Xu Yan were closer to her and that he was just an outsider?!

The more Bai Yeqing thought about it, the angrier he grew. Even his breathing suddenly became heavy.

"I did not turn a deaf ear to your words… It's just that there's no other way other than that. I… don't want to trouble you."

Bai Yeqing blew a fuse.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Who told you that you are troubling me? You don't want to trouble me, but you are willing to trouble Yu Zenan and Xu Yan. Xia Xingchen, how are you going to repay the favor in the future if you were to owe them a favor now?"

"…" Xia Xingchen was speechless. She originally felt very anxious and upon being questioned like that, she did not even know how to reply anymore.

"Go and work first. I will call you again later." Bai Yeqing spoke again, but his tone was still as harsh as ever. "If I caught you finding Yu Zenan again, you will bear the consequences yourself!"

"…I get it. I am not going to find him."

Xia Xingchen bit her lips and obediently agreed to him. If she were to offend Bai Yeqing, even if she went to find Yu Zenan, she might not even be able to see her father.

It was just that…

Just because they were political enemies, he did not allow her to interact with Yu Zenan. Wasn't this man too overbearing?

Bai Yeqing did not say anything further and hung up the call. Xia Xingchen thought for a while and dialed Li Lingyi to make her feel better.

On this side.

Li Lingyi answered the call and immediately reported the situation to her mother-in-law. "Mom, Xingchen said over the phone that we should wait for a while and perhaps there would be good news."

"Is she confident about that?" asked the Old Madam.

"She did not say anything about that."

Xia Xingkong said, "With how I see it, Xingchen is all talk. Xu Yan works at the President's Office and those who interact with him are all big figures. Even Xu Yan could not do anything about it, so how could Big sister possibly help us?"

On the other hand, Xu Yan recalled that day on the golf court where he met her and Yu Zenan. He did not feel very happy about it. After a while, he said, "Don't worry. If Xingchen says that she has away, she will definitely have away."

His words somehow protected Xia Xingchen and it was filled with genuine trust in her abilities. Xia Xingkong was displeased but the smile on her face remained as she pretended to casually ask, "Big brother Xu Yan, it can't be that both of you still contact each other secretly?"