Chapter 3226: Saving Zero Egg Bai Ze

Jin Chen waved his hand one morning after breakfast and announced that he would put Qiqi under confinement.

Yes, confinement.

No discussion, no explanation, not even giving Qiqi a full chance to protest.

Jin Chen ordered: during this period Qiqi is not allowed to leave the house, not allowed to contact the outside world, and his phone and computer are to be confiscated. To prevent him from being idle, two people were specially assigned to guard his room door.

Qiqi felt terrible, and blurted out at his cheap older brother, "Why! Are you sick?"

Jin Chen remained unmoved, sipping his coffee leisurely: "Yes, so just stay put."

On the spot, he lifted Qiqi up and handed him to the butler to take upstairs.

Jin Chen also let this matter slip out.

Not long after, half the circle knew that the Jin family's young master had made a mistake and was being confined by the elder young master to reflect at home. Those spoiled rich kids, who were already afraid of the Yunlin Mountain race that day, heard that the neighboring Jin elder brother had really taken action, and immediately they were on edge, each restraining their usual wild behavior, becoming as obedient as quail, fearing their own parents would follow the Jin family's example and lock them up for reflection. For a while, the gathering frequency of the spoiled rich kids in the capital plummeted in a straight line; even wine gatherings couldn't be arranged, and nobody dared to touch bad luck at this critical juncture.

As the story spread, it became more and more exaggerated; by the time it reached Bai Ze's ears, the version had turned into: Jin Chen couldn't stand seeing his non‑blood‑related, not‑very‑studious younger brother, so he locked him at home for strict discipline, even hitting him until he couldn't get out of bed.

Bai Ze couldn't imagine the scene of Qiqi being locked up and punished. Xiao Qi's temper is so stubborn—how could he endure this?

Bai Ze immediately rushed to the Jin Manor.

The bodyguard recognized him, but his expression was somewhat awkward: "Young Master Bai Ze, please stop… the elder young master ordered that during this period no one may see Young Master Qiqi."

"The elder young master said, let the young master reflect properly at home, or… he'll be sent back to District Ten."

Bai Ze: "……"

No problem—the walls of the Jin Manor are meaningless to someone like him.

He found a blind spot in the surveillance nearby and waited for the sky to turn completely dark.

——

After dusk, the sky grew dark.

The window on the third floor of the Jin Manor was silently pushed open from outside, and a figure slipped in lightly.

Bai Ze stepped onto the room's carpet and turned around……

Jin Chen sat comfortably on the sofa, turned toward him, raised his cup in a greeting, and said, "Good evening."

Bai Ze: "!!!"

He stood by the window; the night wind poured in from behind, making the curtains slightly billow, giving him the strange, stiff feeling of being caught in an affair by parents on the spot.

Jin Chen looked at his expression, curled the corner of his mouth slightly, and drawled, "What fun. Climbing through the window in the middle of the night—are you here to practice your skills with me, or to run away with Zero Egg behind my back?"

Bai Ze: "……"

Bai Ze steadied his breath: "Elder Brother Jin, why did you lock Qiqi up?"

At the same time, in a certain room of the Jin Manor annex.

Qiqi sat on the bed, and before him the TV screen showed the live surveillance feed of his original room.

He had been confined here for three days.

During these three days he tried pretending to sleep, ramming the door, climbing out the window, negotiating with the guards at the door, and wrecking everything he could find in the room—all to no avail.

No one knows what material that door is made of; it's impregnable, and the guards at the door are impervious to bribes—probably because they received Jin Chen's death order.

Qiqi even tried to crawl through the ventilation shaft, but before he could get in, the betraying thick‑eyed butler smiled and ushered him back to the room.

"Young Master, the elder young master says you just need to stay put and let us know if you need anything."

Qiqi was furious, but he had no way to deal with his cheap older brother; after struggling half a day he still couldn't leave the room, so he finally just clung to the milk cup that someone had sent from Jin Chen and slumped back onto the bed, deflated.

At that moment, he was also watching the surveillance footage with a belly full of resentment, yet his gaze never left Bai Ze.

The surveillance footage.

Jin Chen leaned against the sofa, gesturing that Bai Ze could also sit down: "I've locked him up—isn't that a good thing?"

Bai Ze's brows furrowed: "How could that be a good thing?"

Jin Chen slowly set down his cup and said, "I've been thinking these days, and I feel you two might not be suited."

He looked up at Bai Ze and said, "I told Zero Egg to break off the engagement, but he refused. These days he's been sleeping poorly, eating without appetite, constantly glum—just looking at him annoys me."

"I think maybe we should just send him back to District Thirteen—it's free there. What do you think?"

Bai Ze's expression was complex; he hadn't expected Jin Chen to say such a thing.

Elder Brother Jin usually looks easygoing, a laid‑back playboy who doesn't want to manage things—how did he suddenly turn into a stern feudal parent today?

Bai Ze couldn't fathom what Jin Chen was really after, but he could sense that at least on the surface he was serious; his heart inexplicably tightened, especially when he heard Jin Chen say that Qiqi hadn't been able to sleep these days, his chest aching continuously.

He glanced warily toward the window, his mind quickly calculating which building Qiqi might be locked in—maybe the basement?

Jin Chen caught his small movement and added, "What, still trying to force your way in?"

Bai Ze took a deep breath: "Elder Brother Jin, the matter between us… will be settled well."

Jin Chen lounged lazily on the sofa, inwardly scoffing, I'd believe you two idiots only if there were ghosts.

"Pretending for too long requires more lies to prop up the surface calm—between you lies, misunderstandings, and those so‑called unspeakable secrets. Of course, saying this might sound a bit arrogant, but…"

"Someone like Qiqi can tolerate concealment and misunderstanding, but he can't stand deception followed by a pretence of peace; hiding so much will only backfire, leaving nothing but hatred between you two."

Bai Ze offered no rebuttal, and the light in his eyes slowly dimmed.

On the other side of the surveillance, Qiqi sat cross‑legged on the bed, staring at the synchronized playback on the TV screen.

He had previously told his cheap older brother that even if Bai Ze were broken, ruined, or dead, he would still have to belong to him.

But Qiqi still wanted Bai Ze to be well.

To live well, to stay well by his side, to…… love him properly.

Seeing Bai Ze seem to have taken it in, Jin Chen didn't add anything else and suddenly gave a light cough.

Hearing the signal, the golden butler Weisen outside the door rushed in, switching to a flustered expression—first startled by the sudden appearance of Bai Ze in the room, he stepped back half a pace, then hurried to Jin Chen's side and reported in a lowered but still clear voice.

"Elder young master, it's not good—the young master is struggling so badly it's practically… drenched in blood!"

Weisen clenched his fists in anguish, sighed, and after speaking turned and left.

Bai Ze's pupils contracted sharply, "What did you say?!"

He stared fixedly at Jin Chen, his eyes filled with disbelief and an uncontainable heartache and worry, "Jin Chen, that's your brother!"

The monitoring side's Xi Qi: "???"

He lowered his head to glance at his soft home clothes, then at the half‑drunk milk cup on the bedside table, completely unaware of what Wei Sen was acting out.

The room had no blood, not even a scratch. He craned his neck to stare at the screen, unaware what curse Wei Sen had fallen under.

He also had no idea what medicine his Dage was selling from his gourd.

But Bai Ze looked so worried he seemed about to shatter, all his composure vanished completely, revealing the softest, most fatal spot within.

Xi Qi stared blankly at the screen showing Bai Ze, watching him almost forget all his defenses for themselves.

They suddenly pressed their lips, lifted their hand, covered their chest, their heart pounding hard, barely able to breathe.

What should I do? I still like them a lot.

Xi Qi unilaterally pardoned Bai Ze's deception; they couldn't help but be moved. Even if Bai Ze deceived them again, even if those secrets should have caused a rift between them, seeing Bai Ze in this state of anxious desperation for him, they simply couldn't control themselves.