191. Nan Shan’s Engagement Party

YiHan was the type of person who’s deathly terrified of the cold. The moment winter arrived, he would never leave the house if it was possible. JingYuan understood his habits. When the days grew colder, JingYuan stopped asking YiHan to accompany him to the office. However, humans were all the same. It was easy to move from poverty to luxury but hard to move from luxury to poverty. It was unavoidable for the loneliness to multiply for JingYuan after getting used to having his lover beside him at work. When YiHan asked how he felt about it, JingYuan stated it was fine. But the moment JingYuan turned around and knew his man wouldn’t be following behind, JingYuan’s heart felt empty.

JingYuan’s heart ached at the thought of making YiHan face the dreaded cold, so how could YiHan’s heart not do the same when YiHan saw the man’s loneliness?

From the very first day of winter, the exact same scene could be seen every morning at their home’s entrance.

“Don’t go. It’s cold outside,” said JingYuan.

“No. There’s no meaning in staying home. I’d rather go out and play with you,” said YiHan.

“It’s freezing. There’s nothing to play with there,” said YiHan.

“It’s not going to be cold in the office and I’ll be in the car for the entire trip. I’ll only be exposed to the chill when I get on and off the car. What does it matter?” said YiHan.

“Even so, you’ll be cold. Go back to sleep. Didn’t you say a nap right after waking up is the best?” said JingYuan.

“I won’t sleep. I’m wide awake. I don’t want to stay at home,” said YiHan.

“If you’re bored, I can have a room renovated into an entertainment room for you,” said JingYuan.

“Entertainment room? I’m an adult now. Why would I be playing? I just want to be with you. Do you find me annoying now?” said YiHan.

“Of course not. Why did you think that?” said JingYuan.

“Then, why are you upset that I want to be with you?” asked YiHan.

“How can I be upset? I’m just worried you’d catch a cold!” said JingYuan.

“I’m not afraid of the cold! Let’s go or you’ll be late,” said YiHan.

“It’s cold outside­–” said JingYuan.

“Aah, stop nattering and let’s hurry! Go!” said YiHan.

“Wait! If you’re coming with me, at least put on your coat!” called JingYuan.

Pan Wen and Wei Wu who were hanging in the background: “…” Eyes to the nose, nose to the heart. Don’t speak. Don’t move. In the end, they’d leave the house together. If you take their words seriously, you’ve lost.

As for Chu FangMing, he’d been kept busy by the blows dealt that he didn’t have time to keep up with the matter. He Yuan pushed Yan Miao to call a few more times. When the man realised the calls did nothing, he stopped. He was feeling guilty after all. He didn’t dare go overboard.

Days slowly passed by in a rare tranquillity. Every day, YiHan and JingYuan left the house together. In the evenings, they returned home together. If YiHan was bored during the day, he’d open up the group chat to ask about updates. According to Pei, Yan Miao had called them a few more times. When she realised her family was being “stubborn”, she merely spat out that she was “just too disappointed” in them and never called again. It seemed like she decided not to bother with Yan and YouRan anymore.

As Pei said, “no one wanted her to bother with them”. The moment Yan Miao kept her mouth shut, the whole world was at peace.

***

Time will never stop. The calm and gentle days slowly slipped by. Then, it was time for Yan Yan’s engagement party. Dressed in suits made of the same cut but of different colours, YiHan and JingYuan left their home and arrived at the Yan family home early in the evening.

The couple first greeted the old Mr Yan before ascending the stairs to meet Yan and the others. As YiHan expected, YouRan was nervous and visibly so. YouRan was dressed in a pure white suit. He looked more handsome and elegant than usual. It was as if he belonged in a painting.

When the couple found YouRan, the man was sitting down on a sofa with his hands clenched tightly together. He was frowning and biting down on his lip. He looked uneasy. Yan was sitting by his side, whispering something to him. YiHan sighed. YouRan didn’t interact with people much. It would be hard for him to be comfortable with being the star of such a situation.

YiHan walked over to the sofa opposite YouRan and sat down. “What’s going on, Mr Groom? Embarrassed?”

YouRan pleadingly looked at YiHan. “I’m afraid my performance later will appear too petty. YiHan, I’m afraid of shaming Yan.”

“What are you talking about?” Yan softly scolded.

YiHan smiled. “YouRan, you’re only panicking because you care. Heed my advice. You don’t need to do anything later. You just need to walk beside Yan. He’ll introduce people to you. If they’re an elder, call them what Yan calls them. If they’re of a younger generation, speak if you want to. If you don’t want to, just nod and keep smiling. Leave everything to Yan. There’s nothing that can shame him.”

Yan nodded. “Yes. Just leave everything to me.”

“I know you’re not used to noisy situations but you must go through your engagement party and your wedding at the very least,” YiHan continued. “You’ll be going to show your face. Just take a stroll around the room. You can keep quiet most of the time. You only need to maintain a smile and no one will be able to say anything. I’ll let you in on a secret. I, too, despise mingling and schmoozing. When it comes to parties, I’ll slack off whenever possible. I’ll follow along and take a walk around the room. Give a little smile and everything’s great! Relax. Honestly, just face it how you normally will face anyone. Don’t stress yourself out.”

YouRan nodded. “At your engagement party, you looked so elegant and tranquil. I definitely can’t do that.”

“Don’t think like that,” said YiHan. “You can’t see yourself but you’re amazing. You don’t need to say anything. You just need to stand there and you’ll be the star of the show. You know the people of this world are always more forgiving when it comes to good news. Beautiful people are no different. Alright, relax. Think about it this way. After tonight, you and Yan will be properly engaged.”

YiHan leaned in close to YouRan’s ear and said, “Your boyfriend power, YouRan. You can’t falter.”

YouRan instantly perked up. His gaze became more determined. That’s right. If he felt uneasy, he’d pass along his bad mood to Yan. How could he do that? He had to be the strength behind Yan’s shoulders. He can’t be soft and weak.

YouRan apologetically looked at Yan and grabbed his lover’s hand. “Don’t worry.”

Yan: “…” Bai YiHan, just what did you say to him? Why does something feel weird?

No matter what YiHan said, it had a positive effect on YouRan. The man was calm after that. Throughout the night, he acted so natural that, combined with his ethereal aura and attractive looks, he looked like a deity one could look at but not touch.

When YouRan smiled, it was as warm as when snow first melts. But when he wasn’t smiling, he was as high and mighty as the flowers blooming on icy mountains. Everyone exclaimed in praise. As expected of someone who could be an equal to the Second Young Master Yan. The man was perfect in every way.

A glass of red wine in hand, YiHan looked at YouRan who stood in the middle of the crowd. “Humans really have limitless potential. YouRan’s pushing himself hard for Yan’s sake. Luckily, Yan understands YouRan well. Unless required in the future, Yan wouldn’t let him come to a crowded room like this without a fight.”

JingYuan tugged the wineglass out of YiHan’s hand and replaced it with a glass of grape juice. “He’s with Yan. It’d be hard for him to avoid such parties. But don’t you worry. Man’s social skills are all trained. He’s used to being alone. It’s normal for him to be uneasy. He’ll slowly get better. As you see from tonight, he’s done quite well and didn’t make any mistakes.”

YiHan gave in and drank his grape juice before proudly responding, “Of course. My Nan Shan’s the best.”

JingYuan looked at YiHan with a smile. He wiped a bead of grape juice away from YiHan’s mouth with a thumb as he warmly replied, “The people you approve of are naturally great people.”

YiHan grinned. He then looked around the room. “Chu FangMing didn’t come?”

“He had been badmouthing Nan Shan as much as he could,” JingYuan said. “The old Mr Yan was so angry that he personally spoke up. There’s a grudge between the two families now. There’s no way the Yan family would invite him to their party.”

“I know,” said YiHan, “but I thought he would seize this chance to come, even without an invitation, to see YouRan.”

“He wouldn’t,” said JingYuan. “He doesn’t dare meet Nan Shan now.”

“Why?” YiHan asked, confused.

“I didn’t have time to tell you yet but Chu FangMing went to the Qi family home once more yesterday morning,” JingYuan replied. “He knelt down before the gates and slapped himself over a dozen times. He cried and wailed about his mistakes and wrongdoings. Finally, his actions made Qi Jie cave in. She agreed to forgive him one more time. That very afternoon, Chu FangMing drove Qi Jie and their two daughters back to the Chu family home. He swore before the entire Qi family that he would never recognise Nan Shan as his son. He would never let Nan Shan take a single step into the Chu family home’s gates.”

“As if anyone wants to enter their home,” YiHan chuckled. “He could invite YouRan with a palanquin and all the bells and whistles that come with it, but YouRan would never go.”

“Of course,” said JingYuan. “He only said that so it didn’t reflect as badly on him. Everyone knows what the truth is. He has Qi Jie supervising him now. He’ll stop harassing Nan Shan.”

“I bet he’s finally learned his lesson this time,” said YiHan.

“That’s right,” said JingYuan. “The Chu family’s assets have shrunk by over half. They can barely be considered part of high society. Chu FangMing was nearly overthrown as the head of the family. He’s scared stiff.”

“Hmph,” YiHan pouted. “He’s just a scaredy-cat and he wants to fight with us?”

“He wouldn’t dare fight with us,” said JingYuan. “At most, he’ll try some tactics on Nan Shan. Unfortunately for him, Nan Shan isn’t someone he can touch.” He gestured at Yan with his chin. “Yan is very protective.”

YiHan laughed. “Are He Yuan and Yan Miao not here yet?”

“They must not be,” responded JingYuan after scanning the room once more.

“She really thinks she’s a princess,” said YiHan. “Fashionably late? She didn’t put on such airs when we were getting engaged. Why is she so spiteful when it comes to her family instead?”

“It’s not just spite,” said JingYuan. “She finds it humiliating. If it was possible, she wouldn’t want to attend this party. But she’s afraid of completely alienating the old Mr Yan. She can only come late to express her dissatisfaction.”

“She’s so much trouble,” said YiHan. “It’s better if she doesn’t come. That way, He Yuan wouldn’t try and kick up any fuss when he sees YouRan.”

“She wouldn’t not come,” said JingYuan. “As long as she’s not an utter idiot, she’ll understand she depends on the Yan family.”

“She knows she relies on the family, but she doesn’t think much of her family,” said YiHan as he took a big gulp of his juice. “What kind of logic is that?”

◄Previous • Index • Next►

190. Yan Miao’s Call

The act of the Chu family’s business partners turning their backs on the family, battered and defeated from the Qi family’s attacks, was like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Everyone in the Chu family now despises Chu FangMing. They revolted and called for him to be stripped of his role as the chairman of the board of directors.

The explosive state of the outside world did not reach the ears of Xu YouRan, the person involved in this debacle. Lately, his mind has been preoccupied with his latest book. Naturally, Yan wouldn’t bother him with such nonsense. Yan merely told YouRan the old Mr Yan made the announcement himself. YouRan was so moved that he went out and bought some gifts for the old Mr Yan to convey his gratitude. The presents he bought weren’t expensive or precious in the eyes of a family like the Yan family. One might even call them cheap. However, the old Mr Yan was ecstatic. He dragged YouRan over to the Go board for a few rounds. Throughout the games, he kept praising YouRan and calling him a good kid. The old Mr Yan had now taken YouRan in to be part of his family. In private, the old man even told Hui that Yan’s marriage to YouRan was a lucky and prosperous event.

***

YiHan’s group chat with the rest had been buzzing non-stop for the past few days. Everyone had remained in contact and had been sharing any and all information they’d heard.

[Pei the Third: Breaking news. My aunt called us last night and asked about Nan Shan.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: This matter has exploded and been going on for a while. Your aunt just found out about it?]

[Pei the Third: Tch. It’s good enough that she even finds out about it. When Hui married Zhang-ge, she only came back to comment “Disgusting. So shameful!”]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Well, she’s paying attention earlier this time. What did she say?]

[Pei the Third: What else but to oppose it? She said the marriage between Hui and Zhang-ge had already shamed the entire family. Now, Yan’s acting the same. She couldn’t bear being humiliated because of him. It’s disgusting. Something about how she can’t show her face outside now. Grandfather was so angry. He was brooding throughout the night. He ate less at dinner. My uncle tried to talk to him but it was useless. They both looked so unhappy.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: How can she be like that? What’s so embarrassing about Hui and Yan’s weddings? She’s so strange.]

[Pei the Third: Right? I was so pissed and scared that Grandfather would be swayed by her words. Luckily, he didn’t. He even said he was extremely disappointed in her. He said she didn’t care what kind of person Nan Shan was or whether Hui would be happy. The first thing she said was that it humiliated it.]

[Pei the Third: He said he regrets spoiling my aunt when she was young. It caused her to be so selfish and cold-hearted.]

[HanHan’s Mu-Mu: Some people are born like that. It doesn’t matter if they were spoiled or not.]

[Pei the Third: Mr Mu’s right. Honestly, I think so too. My parents give me everything I want but I’m not like her. I don’t just think about myself all the time.]

[Yan Yan: He Yuan came home.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: He’s all healed up?]

[Yan Yan: Mn. He was very smooth. Returning home all clean made him appear to have returned from an overseas business trip, just as he told Yan Miao.]

[Pei the Third: He’s quite a good liar.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Hey, do you guys think your aunt’s sudden call to oppose Yan’s marriage could’ve been linked to He Yuan? He did just come home.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Why else would the timing be so coincidental? The moment he returns, your aunt comes calling.]

[Yan Yan: I think so. He wants revenge for being beaten up but he doesn’t have the guts to do it, yet he can’t bear to see YouRan live a good life.]

[Pei the Third: My brother’s right. It’s clear that we were too merciful in our beating. We didn’t make him submit.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: He caved in back then but some people are like that. They don’t remember punishments. Once the scar heals, they forget all about the pain.]

[Yan Yan: Then, we can only keep beating him up until he whole

heartedly gives in.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: That’s right. Oh, yes. The people still don’t know that YouRan is Nan Shan, right? It’s best no one lets word of it leak.]

[Yan Yan: Relax. Right now, no one but us, our parents and Grandfather know of this. Everyone else only knows he has some blood ties to Chu FangMing. Not even our aunt knows he’s Nan Shan.]

[Pei the Third: Mn. When our aunt called, Grandfather didn’t mention it either. I don’t know if he forgot about it or what.]

[HanHan’s Mu-Mu: He mustn’t have forgotten. Your grandfather is protecting Nan Shan.]

[Pei the Third: Yeah, that must be it. Grandfather has such a great impression of Nan Shan. Whenever he mentions Nan Shan, he’s always smiling.]

[Yan Yan: YouRan and YiHan’s personalities have something in common. It’s not hard to understand why Grandfather thinks so well of YouRan. After all, he’s greatly fond of YiHan. It certainly is a pleasant surprise.]

[Pei the Third: The weirdest thing of all is that Grandfather never gets angry when Nan Shan wins in their games! He’d be laughing instead! Isn’t that just strange? My uncle was so jealous that his eyes turned green! Hahaha! When my uncle plays against Grandfather, a single win is enough to make Grandfather’s face turn sour!]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Haha! That’s amazing. Try and let your grandfather get to know YouRan a little better. That way, he won’t be fooled by He Yuan in the future.]

[Yan Yan: Mn. Our current situation is better than I expected.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: What about your aunt then?]

[Pei the Third: It’s fine. Grandfather said to ignore her.]

[Yan Yan: My aunt has almost turned into He Yuan’s puppet. Whatever the man says is true.]

[Pei the Third: The man knows how to appease people. He has her wrapped around his finger. That mouth just needs to open and flowers could bloom.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Then, do we tell her about He Yuan being bisexual?]

[Pei the Third: Let’s talk about it after Yan and Nan Shan are married.  We wouldn’t want any accidents happening.]

[Yan Yan: Frankly, even if we tell her, our aunt might not believe us. She would hate us instead.]

[Pei the Third: Mn, I think so too. But she is our aunt. Grandfather still cares for her. It wouldn’t be nice for us to keep her in the dark and let her live with a scumbag for the rest of her life.]

[Yan Yan: Yes. She finds Hui and Zhang-ge disgusting. YouRan and I are also disgusting. But He Yuan’s love is full of lies. Isn’t that more revolting?]

[Pei the Third: Yes. The revolting aspect has never been in a person’s sexuality or gender. It’s due to treachery! Unfortunately, she doesn’t understand that.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: If you tell her, she’d only hate you for ruining her perfect life. She wouldn’t thank you.]

[Pei the Third: Hmph! Who would want her gratitude? But there are some things that an upright citizen cannot do. She is from the Yan family. Telling her and letting her make her own choice is the best I can do.]

[Pei the Third: She even said my brothers’ marriages have humiliated the entire family. What’s truly humiliating is how she’s wrapped around He Yuan’s finger all because of his lies. Hui and Zhang-ge, Yan and Nan Shan; they’re all honest and loyal to each other. What’s so humiliating about them?]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Alright, Pei-Pei. Everyone has their own opinions. Why be so angry?]

[Pei the Third: I’m just angry. Outsiders don’t get it. That’s fine. She is family but her words were so harsh and mean. She didn’t care if they were happy at all. All she cared about was if it affected her reputation. She never thought of us as family.]

[Pei the Third: She’s like that even before she was married. We were all younger than her but everything good or nice must be hers. I still remember a crystal sculpture my aunt gave Hui as a birthday present. She took a liking to it. Hui wouldn’t give it to her so she tried to snatch it from him. Because it was a present from my aunt, Hui wouldn’t let her have it no matter what. He kept it protected. I just so happened to be passing by. I went to help my brother but then she got angry. So, she broke the sculpture!]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: How…mean.]

[Pei the Third: Until now, I still remember the rage and sorrow I felt. Hui’s Chinese zodiac is the horse. The present was a beautiful little sculpture of a horse galloping. Hui loved it dearly. He was always so careful with it. In the end, our aunt shattered it. The shards scattered all around the floor. She even dared to be upset about it and stomped off. Through our tears, we got on our knees and began picking up the shards. Oh, the emotions from back then… I don’t even want to recall them. Even now, my heart aches at the thought of that sculpture. While my aunt bought Hui another when she heard of it, the feeling isn’t there anymore. What’s worse is that our aunt ran to complain to Grandfather. She said Hui and I were ganging up on her!]

[Yan Yan: There’s no need to talk about the past.]

[Pei the Third: Why can’t I talk about it? I’m fuming just thinking about it!]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: She’s worse than me.]

[HanHan’s Mu-Mu: What are you babbling about? You’re not like her. There’s nothing at all that’s similar between you two.]

[Pei the Third: Later, she got married. She rarely came back since then. Honestly speaking, we all let out a sigh of relief then. Without her, home was much warmer!]

[Yan Yan: Enough, Pei-Pei. Let’s not talk about unhappy stuff. Let’s talk about my engagement with YouRan.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: !!!]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: So fast! When do you plan on getting engaged?]

[Yan Yan: The engagement party will be held in early December. YouRan and I talked about it. We’ll use your method. After getting engaged, we’ll register for a marriage certificate first. I plan on registering on Christmas Eve.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Ooh, congratulations! That day is good. It’s a blessed day.]

[Yan Yan: Mn. Thank you, YiHan. YouRan has been busy with his new book so I took over on these matters.]

[HanHan’s Mu-Mu: Congratulations!]

[Yan Yan: Thanks.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: When’s the wedding? Is it still spring next year?]

[Yan Yan: It’s in summer. My parents and grandfather also said spring is too soon. We wouldn’t be well-prepared. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. I don’t want to have any regrets either because we rushed.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Right. That’s the logic.]

[Pei the Third: What? YiHan, you really believe him? He could only accept such a late wedding because it meant they could get registered this year.]

[Pei the Third: After all, the wedding is just ceremonial. The certificate is king!]

[Yan Yan: What nonsense are you talking about?]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Hahaha! Pei-Pei, you can’t just speak the truth. Your brother will be fuming with embarrassment.]

[Pei the Third: I’m not scared! Come hit! You can’t get me. I’ll piss you off!]

[Pei the Third: If you dare touch me, I’ll tell Nan Shan! I’ll say you might look like a proper man but you just love bullying others!]

[Yan Yan: You think I can’t do anything about you?]

[Pei the Third: Haha! I’m off!]

◄Previous • Index • Next►

189. I Leave My Brother in Your Hands

When YiHan and JingYuan arrived, the girl manning the cashier smiled and pointed them upstairs. The second floor of the book shop consisted of Zhang Su’s office, the workers’ breakroom and so on. The couple had just reached the top of the stairs when they heard laughter coming from within Zhang Su’s office.

YiHan chuckled. “Looks like everything went well.”

“Mn,” JingYuan responded.

When YiHan knocked on the office door, Pei’s gleeful voice called out, “YiHan, Mr Mu, you’re here! Come in.”

Hui, Zhang Su, Yan and YouRan were in the office as well. Hui languidly sat in one of the couches with his hand stretched out behind his husband, who was sitting next to him. A warm smile occupied Zhang Su’s face. There was also a faint smile hanging off YouRan’s lips. Yan’s eyes gleamed as he relaxed next to YouRan.

“Looks like everything went well last night,” YiHan said as he walked into the room.

Pei moved to sit near YiHan. “It was a huge success. Did you know? My aunt and uncle were so good to YouRan. During dinner, Grandfather even commented that now I’m the only one in the family who’s single.”

“That’s much better than we thought,” YiHan said.

“It’s actually quite normal,” said Hui. “With Su and me as examples, and with how they keep hearing about you and JingYuan, their ability to accept YouRan is much, much higher. Ah, there’s also one other reason.”

Hui snickered. “Yan is too stern and reserved. He had never cared for the other sex since he was a kid. He’d run far away the moment he sees a girl. Our parents were mentally prepared for this. Most importantly, YouRan’s not a bad man. He has a good aura around him. He looks so dependable that they feel safe marrying off Yan.”

Pei burst out laughing at Hui’s words. Zhang Su couldn’t resist laughing as well. Yan’s eyes widened but then YouRan’s hand snuck over to hold his. Yan’s lips closed without a word at his lover’s steady gaze.

YiHan was laughing as well. His shoulders shook and trembled. Beside him, JingYuan smiled as he looked at his lover.

Pei massaged her aching stomach and said to YouRan, “Nan San, I leave my brother in your hands. Take good care of him.”

“I will,” YouRan solemnly replied.

Yan shot a glare at his sister as he covered his face with his free hand.

Hui didn’t plan on letting his brother go that easily. “Brother, from now on, you’ll be forming a new family with YouRan. You must be more aware of your spending and have a better understanding of your finances. Don’t be a spendthrift or YouRan will be under immense stress.”

“It’s fine,” YouRan hurriedly interjected.

“Huh?” said Hui.

“He doesn’t need to control himself,” said YouRan. “I’ll work hard and take care of him.”

Hui reached out and patted YouRan on the shoulder as he mirthfully, and emphatically, said, “With you by his side, I can stop worrying. I leave my brother to you from now on.”

YouRan earnestly nodded.

Yan brazenly smacked Hui’s hand away as he said, “We plan on getting married.”

“We know that,” said YiHan.

“I mean to say,” Yan emphasised, “we plan on getting married soon. It’s cold in the winter so we’ll have it during spring next year. Spring is when everything comes back to life. It has good implications.”

Pei’s eyes went wide. “Whoa! Brother, do you need to be so rushed? Has Nan Shan agreed to it?”

YouRan nodded.

“We talked about it when we went home last night,” said Yan.

“Why the hurry? Won’t it be too soon to get married in spring next year?” asked Hui.

“It’s him for the rest of my life. It doesn’t matter when we get married. The earlier we’re married, the more secure we feel,” replied Yan.

YiHan looked up at JingYuan and smiled. “They think exactly like us.”

“There’s nothing bad about it,” said JingYuan. “Look at how safe we feel in our relationship.”

“True,” YiHan said with a nod.

“How about this? Spring is too soon. It’s better to have more time to prepare when it comes to a wedding. Why don’t you two set the date in summer, just like YiHan and JingYuan? Well?” suggested Hui.

Yan gave the idea a thought but insistently replied, “It’ll be spring.”

Hui sighed, “Why are you so stubborn? Think about it. Marriage is no trivial matter. Do you want to buy a new place? Do you need to renovate it? Does it need redecorating? And then there’s the team involved in making the wedding happen, the wedding’s location, invitation cards, and so on. There’s a whole bunch of stuff and they all require time to plan. Marriage is one of the greatest events in a person’s life. You wouldn’t want it to be flawed, right?

YouRan was shocked. “We’d need to buy a new place? I don’t have enough savings!” He looked at Yan, pleading for help as panic crawled across his face.

Yan gave YouRan’s hands a squeeze. “We don’t need to buy a new place. YouRan’s apartment is just nice.”

Hui sighed again. “The place you’re living in is good but your area isn’t that safe and your apartments aren’t that big. No matter if you plan on adopting a child or finding a surrogate, your duo will become a trio. Your family might even grow bigger than that. Your apartments are too small for that.”

“We’ll connect my apartment to the one next to mine then,” said Yan.

YouRan shook his head. “Your brother’s right. Our area isn’t safe. If we live there for long, it’ll be easy for someone mean-spirited to target us.”

“No worries,” Hui said with a wave of his hand. “I, your brother, will give you a home. Think of it as Yan’s dowry!”

“There’s no need,” Yan disdainfully said. “I’ll buy one myself.”

YouRan let out a defeated sigh.

Yan was surprised, confused.

“YouRan,” said Zhang Su, “did you forget everything YiHan and I told you? A family is made up of two people. You don’t have to do everything yourself. Yan is part of the family. He should be putting in his share of the work when it comes to your futures.”

“I know,” said YouRan. “I just feel so useless.”

“How could you be useless?” Yan hurriedly said. “My life is only filled with colours because I have you. It’s because of you that I have this urgent impulse to start a family. To me, you are the most important.”

JingYuan and Hui simultaneously nodded in understanding. The three men glanced at each other in the eyes.

Yan Pei, the only single “dog” in the room: “…” Look at how freely you scatter your acts of love. Don’t you think it’s unfair to me? /(ToT)/~~

***

Qi MingYang wasn’t a man who was called narrow-hearted for nothing. The Qi family kept targeting the Chu family but it never once dealt a decisive blow. It was as if the Qi family was a cat toying with a mouse. It stressed out Chu FangMing so much that he broke down and sought to plead with Qi Jie. However, the woman wouldn’t even let him see her. She didn’t even answer his calls. Their two daughters were under strict protection by their mother so he didn’t even have a chance to come in contact with them. It was obvious the two girls were much closer to their mother. They were also only a few years younger than YouRan. When they were told of the entire story, they were furious. They wholeheartedly supported their mother. Their father’s betrayal could not be forgiven. They weren’t willing to look at Chu FangMing. The man had no choice. He repeatedly tried to visit YouRan but Yan foiled all of his plans. There was no way Chu FangMing could speak to YouRan in person. At his wits’ end, he began to tell everyone about how YouRan cruelly refused to acknowledge his biological father.

This matter between the Qi and Chu families was no longer a secret among their social circles. Everyone knew the cause of the issue was Chu FangMing’s bastard son. That boy popped out of nowhere and was very close to the Little Master Bai and the Yan family siblings. Chu FangMing planed on publicly welcoming the bastard back into the Chu family. Unexpectedly, the son refused and the man’s wife was so enraged that she moved back in with her birth family. Chu FangMing was disliked by both parties. Not only was he hated by everyone, but he had also been beaten into a pile of mess by the Qi family. He had turned into a joke among the high society.

Frankly speaking, children born out of wedlock were nothing new to those who frequent these social circles. Giving up on love for the sake of a political marriage was nothing new either. Nevertheless, when someone has caused harm to another, that person would usually compensate the other. It didn’t matter if the other party accepted it or not. It was at least a show of respect. Putting aside the matter of compensation, the person who abandoned the other party had no right to ask them to do anything. Furthermore, Chu FangMing was only involved in the bastard son’s birth and not in raising the kid. What made him think he could ask the kid to fulfil his filial obligations? The kid didn’t even want to use his father’s surname. It was clear what the kid thought. Furthermore, he had the support of the Bai and Yan families. Who would dare say anything? Putting aside the Yan family, if anyone upset Bai YiHan, they wouldn’t even have time to wait for the Bai family to kick up a fuss. Mu JingYuan would be the first to move. The Little Master Bai didn’t exactly have the best tempers. While the young man had grown much more mature over the past six months, who would dare test the waters just because of a single sentence spoken out of boredom?

Under the current circumstances, Chu FangMing’s attempts to slander Xu YouRan turned into laughable scenes where the speaker had the guts to speak but no one dared to listen to him. The moment Chu FangMing got started, everyone began to conjure up all sorts of excuses to leave. How they wished they had doors over their ears so they could shut out every word.

What surprised the public was that the first to speak up on behalf of Xu YouRan wasn’t Bai YiHan. It was the Yan family, specifically the old Mr Yan himself. He announced Xu YouRan’s relationship with the Yan family’s second son, Yan Yan, and that there was going to be an engagement party.

A single stone can cause thousands of ripples. The announcement sent a shockwave roaring through the high society that had just been through the engagement of the Bai and Mu families. People everywhere nervously wiped away the sweat off their brows. Thank goodness none of them were mean enough to gossip about Xu YouRan. Otherwise, they would’ve died due to unknown causes. Being close to someone was very different to being engaged to them! Got it?

Not only that, but it was also the old Mr Yan who spoke up. That gave the announcement so much more weight. The old Mr Yan was clearly showing his support for Xu YouRan, raising the young man’s worth. In an instant, the outside world was flooded with praises of Xu YouRan. While no one knew just what the man marrying Yan Yan looked like nor did they know what kind of person he was, it didn’t affect his surge in status. The bastard son of the Chu family? What is a bastard son? Can you eat it?

Everyone sane could see that Chu FangMing was stubbornly clinging onto the son he’d been ignoring for years because that son was going to be married to Yan Yan. As if the man would bother acknowledging the son if the young man was penniless. Too many people knew the whole story. Now, there was nothing left to hide Chu FangMing’s humiliation. The man has now turned into an absolute joke. Companies with ties to his did all they could to cut those ties, even if it’d hurt them. No one thought it a joke. That man had offended three of the Great Five in one fell swoop. Among them was Qi MingYang. If you plucked a strand of his hair, he would chase you down three blocks just to cut you up. He wouldn’t stop until you were dead. Who would want to continue their partnership with Chu FangMing? Did they want to die?

◄Previous • Index • Next►

188. You’re Amazing

“Yeah,” YiHan said, nodding. “If we must name the one thing he craves the most, it definitely wouldn’t be bejewelled cufflinks or tailored suits. It would be your writing. If you write him a book, he’d be so happy he could die.”

“Okay,” YouRan said with a nod. “I’ll discuss it with him before I go further with this idea.”

“That’s it,” Zhang Su said with a smile and nod. “When two people are dating, they must get used to discussing everything with each other. I fully understand your concerns. It’s like my marriage to Hui. To an outsider, I’m a sparrow who’d risen to be a phoenix. This shop has just become a hobby. In reality, it’s the opposite. I am serious when it comes to running this bookshop, even more so than before I met him. Our minds aren’t that different at all but there must be a limit to everything. How you are now is good enough. There’s no need to put too much pressure on yourself. Yan wouldn’t be happy about it either.”

YouRan solemnly nodded. He took a sip of his cup of green tea. “I only knew what love is like after getting together with Yan. Every day, we’d meet. We’d have our meals together. We’d sleep together. When I wake up in the morning, he’d be there by my side.” He chuckled. “I’m always thinking about him and he’s always thinking about me. I can’t help but want to give him the best but I can never find a way to. If I do nothing, I’m afraid of making him suffer. If I do something, I’m afraid of mucking it up. He’s so nice to me, so considerate of my feelings. I want to make him feel happy when he’s with me too. I think love, even marriage, is something that requires a lot of in-depth studying. I might be studying for a long time.”

“It’s not a long time,” YiHan commented. “This is a question we might all be pondering for the rest of our lives. What should we do so our partners can feel happy at every moment of the day? YouRan, it is a blessing and an honour that Yan fell in love with you but it’s even more of a blessing for him. You don’t need to be so nervous. You’re doing just fine as you are now.”

Zhang Su nodded.

YouRan nodded in response and smiled as he said, “Frankly, it feels like I’ve been reborn. Everything feels so new; new emotions, a new me. When I recall my life before, it feels like a dream to me. The life I have now is so bright and colourful. I’m so engrossed that I can’t pull myself away from it. The sun feels warmer than usual. Even the breeze feels warm. I sometimes can’t believe it. This is mine. All of this started from the morning I opened my apartment door to find Yan standing before me.”

YiHan smiled. “If Yan heard that, he’d be so happy he could fly.”

“Yes,” laughed Zhang Su. “You two really are born to be together. A few days ago, Yan called me. I found it strange. He rarely calls me. Something must’ve happened, I thought. But it turns out he called me to ask how he should speak so you wouldn’t be repulsed by the way he talks. He said because your personality is somewhat similar to mine, he wanted to ask me what words and phrases I disliked the most. He wanted to avoid using them. When he spoke to me, he sounded so serious that it sounded like he was asking about something very important. I was stunned.”

YouRan was surprised. It took him a while before he could speak. “Something like that happened?”

“Would I lie to you?” asked Zhang Su.

YiHan was laughing so hard that his shoulders were shaking.

YouRan’s face flushed red. Still, he asked, “How… What did you tell him?”

Zhang Su shrugged. “I also told him not to be so nervous. He said he’s always nervous when he’s talking to you. He’s afraid of saying the wrong thing. He doesn’t dare to touch you as he wishes. He’s afraid you’d be disgusted.” As Zhang Su spoke, his smile grew and he started softly chuckling.

YouRan’s face was bright red as he stammered, “Just what was he babbling about…”

“See,” YiHan said, smiling. “You’re both new to love and the other person is so important that you’re both always so cautious. You now know what he thinks. Don’t you feel a weight lifting off your shoulders? I’ve once heard someone said that when you know the other person is more nervous than you are, you stop being nervous.

YouRan was speechless. There was a long pause before a loud laugh burst through his lips.

That evening, when YiHan was enjoying JingYuan’s after-shower hair drying service, YiHan looked at the man in the mirror who was earnestly blowing his hair dry. A low chuckle rose in YiHan’s chest.

When JingYuan saw YiHan laughing, he couldn’t help but smile as well. “What are you laughing about? Did you have fun today?”

“I went to Zhang-ge’s bookshop today,” replied YiHan after pausing to gather his thoughts. “I talked to YouRan and Zhang-ge. YouRan’s all nervous because he’s meeting the Yan family this weekend. Zhang-ge and I took turns to counsel him. Finally, he relaxed a little. He’s so emotive today. Perhaps it’s because he’s happy with his current life. He said a lot of things today. He opened up his heart to us. It’s meant to be an emotional moment, but I was so evil. I laughed.”

“Oh?” hummed JingYuan. “What did he say to make you laugh so hard?”

YiHan’s shoulders trembled as he chuckled. “He didn’t say anything. It’s Zhang-ge. Yan called Zhang-ge and asked him how should Yan speak so as to avoid making YouRan upset with him. Haha. The thought of that man asking that so seriously. It’s so funny. It’s not just me. Zhang-ge laughed too.”

JingYuan ran his hand through YiHan’s hair. He placed the hairdryer down on the table and hugged YiHan from behind. “It looks like Yan has really fallen this time. A person is only so cautious when they are deeply in love.”

“Yes,” YiHan said, nodding. “Right. This afternoon, Fang Yi called me. He said he regrets making peace with Qin Feng now. Qin Feng has turned into a big, clingy follower. The man’s following him everywhere. Fang Yi has developed a headache from the man’s chatter and Qin Feng insists on feeding Fang Yi dark, inedible goops. It’s literal hell right now. Haha, I nearly died laughing.”

JingYuan chuckled as well. He kissed YiHan on the cheek and said, “I never thought the legendary cruel Qin Feng would be so talented at being clingy.”

YiHan stood up and pressed JingYuan down on the chair he’d vacated. Lifting the hairdryer, YiHan began drying JingYuan’s hair. His smile shone brightly.

JingYuan’s face softened. His body and heart relaxed as he savoured the feeling of YiHan’s fingers running through his hair.

Once their hair was dry, the two men curled up under the covers. Out of habit, JingYuan began patting YiHan on the back to lull him to sleep.

YiHan closed his eyes. Then, something popped into his head and his eyes opened once more.

“Right,” said YiHan, “I met Qi MingYang today.”

JingYuan’s hand stopped. In the dark, his eyes gleamed as he murmured, “He went looking for you? What did he say?”

“He said he was passing by. He decided to say hi when he saw me,” said YiHan.

“Just to say hi?” asked JingYuan.

“Of course not,” said YiHan. “Just as you predicted, he talked to me about Nan Shan. He said something about how Nan Shan’s existence is a slap to the Qi family’s face.”

“How did you reply to him?” asked JingYuan.

“How else?” said YiHan. “I told him I’m definitely involving myself in Nan Shan’s business. If he must act against Nan Shan, what happens will be up to who’s smarter and stronger.”

JingYuan began patting YiHan on the back once more. “Then?”

YiHan snuggled in closer to JingYuan’s neck. His eyes lowered into slits as he said, “We talked. He then said that he can pretend Nan Shan doesn’t exist if Nan Shan refuses to acknowledge Chu FangMing. He even said it was because of me. I’m not that powerful. He just doesn’t want to be our enemy because of Qi Jie. And he wants to frame it as a favour for me. Hmph.”

“You were right and your responses were great,” JingYuan softly said. “HanHan, you’re amazing.”

YiHan smiled. “Alright, you. Are you trying to pacify a kid? Are you going to give me a little flower or sticker? It’s late. Let’s sleep. We have to head into the office tomorrow.”

Hand rhythmically patting YiHan on the back, JingYuan kissed YiHan on the forehead. “Okay. Sleep then.”

***

The family meeting that weekend went smoothly. In order to make YouRan feel more relaxed, Pei, Hui and Zhang Su all went back to the family home. With so many familiar faces around him, YouRan felt much safer. Pei was talented at brightening up any room she entered. With her enticing laughs from everyone, the evening went by without a hitch.

Yan was usually a reserved man of little words. His appearance was as average as can be but everyone knew just how terrifying he could be when he turned stubborn. His attitude was obvious. He has settled upon this man. This relationship’s goal was marriage. After the experience with Hui, the old Mr Yan and Yan Yan’s parents were much more tolerant when it came to having a son-in-law instead of a daughter-in-law. Furthermore, they didn’t think much of the situation now that high society had Bai YiHan and Mu JingYuan as pioneers.

Not only that, but the Yan family could also see that Yan Hui and Zhang Su were happy together. Ever since his wedding, Hui’s smile shone brighter than before. “Happiness” was clearly written on Hui’s face. What parent doesn’t want their children to be happy? Zhang Su was a reliable man. He had a positive impact on Hui. The younger man had always been serious when it came to managing his bookshop. He had a clean and crisp aura around him, reminiscent of the smell of books. Every frown and smile made anyone looking at him feel relaxed. Yan Hui usually appeared like a classy elite executive but when he stood next to Zhang Su, the younger man looked like a thug. As time went by, the Yan family began to think Yan Hui was better off with Zhang Su than if he was with a girl. The feeling was so strong that they were sometimes thankful that they didn’t force the couple apart. Who knew what would’ve happened to their family then? Yan Hui was right back then. The couple could look for a surrogate. Many heterosexual couples who’re unable to reproduce had done the same. With that problem solved, what difference did it make if the lover was male or female? While something still felt off, the passing of time led the Yan family to witness Yan Hui and Zhang Su’s lives grow better. The more the family saw of the couple’s happiness, the more logical Yan Hui’s words felt.

Hence, when Yan Yan announced to his family that he had fallen in love and that it was a man, his family’s reactions weren’t as explosive as when Yan Hui came out to them. In fact, the Yan family even thought it expected of Yan. The man had never cared for women. After having gone through Hui’s coming out, their parents had begun guessing about Yan. And so, when Yan told them, they had a sense of relief, a sense of “ah, just as I thought.”

What surprised them wasn’t the fact that both of their sons chose men for their brides but that both sons-in-law had careers related to books. One of them owned a bookshop while the other man was a writer. Was it fate?

The family meeting happened on Saturday evening. On Sunday, without a word to each other, the group gathered in Zhang Su’s bookshop. Okay, that place had already turned into their meetup spot.

◄Previous • Index • Next►

187. I Will Be Involved in This

“You’re doing it for the Qi family’s reputation,” YiHan said, “while I’m doing this for my friend. We both have our own separate outlooks on the situation. This is unavoidable. Either way, I will be involved in this matter. I don’t care what happens to Chu FangMing but I must protect Nan Shan. If we can coexist in peace, the only thing I can say is ‘sorry’. Whether Nan Shan is safe or pushed into danger, it’ll depend on who wins.”

Qi MingYang blinked. Suddenly, he smiled. “Little Master Bai, there’s no need to be angry. In this city, it’s as easy as pie for you to protect anyone you want. I have absolutely no intention of being your enemy. However, my cousin was humiliated. It is hard for me to accept that.”

“Mr Qi,” YiHan calmly said, “it is natural for you to wish to protect your own family but every injustice has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. Chu FangMing is a cold-hearted man. He cheated on his spouse and in his love with Aunt Xu. This is none of Nan Shan’s business. Actually, it’s not just Madam Chu who’s the victim. Nan Shan is a victim too. Until now, he has to deal with Chu FangMing’s constant harassment. Even I would like to teach the man a lesson. Speaking of which, you are helping Madam Chu vent her anger while I am indignant on Nan Shan’s behalf. Our wants do not clash. Nan Shan’s surname is Xu, not Chu. He is Xu JinXuan’s son. Other than his unbreakable blood tie to Chu FangMing, he has nothing to do with the man. Nan Shan refuses to have anything to do with him. As long as you think of Nan Shan as non-existent, everyone can exist in harmony. I won’t keep it a secret, Mr Qi, but when I was talking to Yan Yan and Yan Pei yesterday, we were all praising you for how swift and decisive your actions were. Pei-Pei was saying it made her happy to witness what you’ve done. All in all, if you don’t lay a finger on Nan Shan, we don’t care about what happens to anyone else. Furthermore, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. To a certain extent, we are united in our goals.”

Qi MingYang thought about YiHan’s words before giving a little shrug. “Your words are logical. Since you’ve spoken, I will pretend he doesn’t exist as long as he does not return to the Chu family. One can’t choose who they’re born to, but they can choose what their lives would be like. I only hope his heart doesn’t soften and make him stand beside his father. After all, Chu FangMing is his only living family member.”

“Chu FangMing can’t be considered as Nan Shan’s family,” YiHan solemnly said. “Nan Shan feels nothing for him anyway. Nan Shan’s mother passed away at a young age. It’s hard to declare Chu FangMing completely innocent in her death. If we were to really go through their past, Chu FangMing would more likely be Nan Shan’s enemy. If someone must be named as Nan Shan’s family, the Yan siblings and I should be named. Oh, right. Nan Shan and Yan Yan are in a relationship and Yan’s parents are informed of it. Soon, Nan Shan would be meeting with his elders in the Yan family and he’ll have many more family members.”

“Oh?” commented Qi MingYang. “That’s good news. The Second Young Master of the Yan family has settled down. The old Mr Yan has less to worry about now.”

“Yes,” said YiHan. “The old Mr Yan is so very eager to meet Yan Yan’s lover. Alright. We’ve come to an agreement now and I can’t stay here for long. JingYuan’s waiting for me. I’m sorry but please excuse me.”

YiHan nodded his head and stood up to walk out of the café. “Oh, right,” said YiHan, turning back to look at Qi MingYang after having taken a few steps away from the table. “Thank you so much for the coffee, Mr Qi.” YiHan then turned and strode out of the doors.

Qi MingYang’s eyes squinted as he watched YiHan walk away. When the other man vanished from his sight, he turned to look down at the cup of untouched coffee. A smile, brimming with eager interest, grew across his mouth and he stroked his chin.

“The Little Master Bai,” he mumbled. “Bai YiHan. How have I never realised just how interesting you are? Thankfully… It would’ve been a pity otherwise.”

YiHan drove away from the parking lot and headed to Zhang Su’s bookshop as planned. The store was very peaceful in the mornings. As expected, YouRan was there.

YouRan was sitting in his designated seat. The man was engrossed in the book held up by slender arms. The warm rays of the winter sun splayed around him. It made him appear so extraordinarily beautiful and gentle that it was as if he belonged in a painting. It made all around him reluctant to break this one moment of pleasant peace.

When Zhang Su walked down the stairs, he spotted YiHan standing between the bookshelves. “YiHan, you’re here,” he greeted with a smile. “Why did JingYuan let you out today?”

YiHan turned and smiled back. “Zhang-ge,” he greeted. “Pei-Pei invited me out today. She needed to prepare for some school event. I was asked to help her pick up some stuff. But then something came up at the last minute and she couldn’t go with me anymore. I was already out of the house by then, so I decided to come here and hang out.”

Hearing voices, YouRan looked up. When he saw YiHan, his eyes lit up. “YiHan, why are you here?”

It was only then did YiHan walk over to sit at YouRan’s table. “Pei-Pei stood me up. I can only seek shelter with you.”

Zhang Su sat down too. “Don’t let JingYuan hear such pitiful words or Pei-Pei would be in trouble.”

“It’s not that bad,” YiHan awkwardly said. He then looked at the smiling YouRan and asked, “YouRan, so when does Yan plan on having you meet his family?”

YouRan closed the book in his hands. His fingers nervously stroked it as he replied, “Yan said this weekend.”

“It’s Wednesday already,” said YiHan. “That’s not far away.”

YouRan nodded. Anxiety filled his face as his mind grew heavy.

YiHan exchanged a look with Zhang Su before softly asking, “YouRan, are you nervous?”

YouRan bit down on his lips and nodded. His fingers continuously stroked the book as he replied, “I have never met anyone else’s elders. I’m afraid of saying something wrong. Also, I’m a man. Would Yan’s parents accept me?”

Zhang Su let out a chuckle. “Listen to what you’re saying. Am I not a man? Relax. The Yan family is extremely easy to get along with. Let me tell you a secret. If you can make the old Mr Yan happy, you’ve eighty per cent succeeded in winning them over.”

YouRan nodded gratefully. The man was still nervous though.

YiHan smiled and said, “YouRan, relax a little. You’re only meeting his parents. Yan has already told them about you. You’re only going to be meeting them and share a meal with them. As long as you can handle that, you’ll have no problems.”

YiHan paused in thought before continuing, “The old Mr Yan is a very nice man. Yes. He loves to play chess and Go. Play a few rounds with him and he’ll be happy. Oh, right. Remember not to win all the time but you can’t lose too obviously.”

YouRan nodded again.

“The old Mr Yan loves YiHan the most,” Zhang Su added. “He’s closer to YiHan than he is to Hui or Yan. YiHan has spoken so well of you before the old Mr Yan that this weekend will be a success.”

“Thank you, YiHan,” said YouRan. “You’ve done so much for me that I find it hard to just accept.”

“It’s nothing,” YiHan said. “No need to be so formal with me. I’ve only been slightly more diligent in visiting the Yan family. First, I recommended your books to him. Of course, Pei-Pei has done that already. I merely needed to strengthen that recommendation, and also try to improve the old Mr Yan’s impression of you. Naturally, none of the things I’ve said to him was an exaggeration. They were all facts. Yan is so worried about this. You two had only just started dating and he’s already rushing to bring you home. Anyone could see he’s into you. The Yan family has always believed in individual freedom. For Yan’s sake, they won’t trouble you. Don’t worry.”

YouRan hummed in response as his body slackened.

“Look,” said Zhang Su. “So many people have prepared for you. It’s impossible for the meeting to go wrong. Yan even told his family that he’ll be moving in with you from now on. His older brother laughed so hard at him for that.”

YouRan nodded. “He told me about that. I’ll work hard as the breadwinner. I’ve been thinking about starting up a side business.” He’ll be a man with a family from now on. He must bear the burden of feeding his family. He can’t go on in that state where the family only has just enough food.

YiHan was shocked. He nearly wailed as he said, “Please don’t, YouRan. I’m still waiting for your new book! Ever since Yan told us you were working on the outline, all three of us have been eagerly waiting for it. Please, don’t, don’t, don’t turn to anything else.”

A chuckle burst out of YouRan. “I’m only thinking about it. There will be a new book anyway.” He waved the book he was holding. “Look at me. I’m reading for my story. However, I’ve only started on the outline. If you start waiting from now, you’d be waiting for a very long time.”

YiHan blinked. “Don’t be like that. As your friends, do we have to wait until the book is published before we can read it? How about we read as you write? I promise we won’t let anything leak!”

“I’m really not in the habit of showing my unfinished drafts to other people,” YouRan hesitantly said.

“We can wait until you’re done,” YiHan hurriedly said. “Once you’re done with the book, we’d like to read it immediately. You can slowly work on publication then, okay?”

“Alright,” YouRan nodded, abashed.

“Yay!” YiHan cheered.

Zhang Su let out a sigh and changed the topic. “YouRan, you don’t actually need to start a side business or anything. Isn’t what you have now good enough?”

YiHan nodded in agreement.

“No way,” said YouRan. “I won’t be alone now. It’s best to have more income.”

“Yan is the Second Young Master of the Yan family,” Zhang Su said, exasperated. “He owns some of the Yan Group’s shares. He also holds a rather important position in the company. Are you afraid he won’t have enough money to spend?”

“I know he doesn’t need money but that’s his business,” YouRan stubbornly said. “Feeding the family is my business. I don’t want to be short on money when I buy him presents.”

He sighed before mournfully continuing, “I initially thought my income was enough for us to live on but then I looked up the brands of his clothes. I realised I can’t even afford to buy him a shirt.”

“Yes,” YiHan said, holding back a laugh. “In that sense, Yan certainly spends a lot. However, a home is made up of two people. It can’t be just you who pays for everything. He’s a man too. He has to pull his own weight. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.”

“He was raised in luxury,” YouRan anxiously said. “I can’t make him live a lesser life than what he had, right? But I really can’t afford to buy any of what he usually uses or wears.”

“YiHan’s right,” said Zhang Su, holding back a laugh of his own too. “A family is made up of two people. Of course, you have to both feed the family. The money you two earn would be used to pay for the bills first before being split up. The more you earn, the more you spend. If you earn less, you spend less. It’s not like there’s not enough to live on. He’s also not the kind of person who’d die if he’s separated from luxury goods. You don’t need to worry over such things.”

Translator’s Note:

Individual freedom: The noun used here is “democratic” or, more literally, “by the people”. It’s a rather weird term to translate here as there are multiple ways it can be interpreted and there’s no one succinct answer.

◄Previous • Index • Next►

186. Qi MingYang’s Stance

“Do we have to fight him then?” asked YiHan.

“Qi MingYang wouldn’t clash with us on the surface,” replied JingYuan. “These articles are just him telling us his stance on this. He’s waiting for us to speak up.”

YiHan didn’t get it.

JingYuan held YiHan’s hand. “Qi MingYang might be an intolerant man but he’s very prudent. He won’t just take this lying down but he’ll also do his homework beforehand. It’s no secret Nan Shan has us by his side. He attacked Chu FangMing as fast as lightning and as fierce as thunder. However, when it came to Nan Shan, he only ordered a few articles to be published every week. He knew those articles would be struck out and suppressed. It’s just a show of his convictions. It’s not his style to withdraw without a battle but he’ll leave himself room to turn around.”

YiHan let out an exasperated chuckle. “His organs and intestines must be all twisted up in a knot. It’s just revenge yet there are so many issues linked to it. Wouldn’t he get tired of living life like that? Anyway, how does he know those drafts would be struck out? The moment one article passes, he’ll have publicly turned into our enemy.”

JingYuan shrugged and smiled. “It’s like how I can guess his intentions. He must’ve expected me to prepare for this earlier.”

YiHan leaned against JingYuan’s desk. “Qi MingYang is quite a detail-oriented man. He’s as strong as you and my brother. But he’s too narrow-hearted, too easily angered. Such a personality has restricted his abilities. It’s as if he’s from a poor household, causing the entire Qi family to appear weaker among the Great Five.”

“They only look weak among the Great Five,” said JingYuan. “In this city, the Qi family is part of the top ranks in society. Furthermore, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Even if the Qi family is on the decline, it is still a powerful force to the Chu family. It’s not a family Chu FangMing can push around. He’s gotten too used to a smooth life where only Qi Jie would anger him. He is eager to be rid of Qi Jie. When he saw Nan Shan getting close to us, he hurriedly rushed over. He wants our help to apply pressure on Qi Jie.”

“Unfortunately, Nan Shan didn’t buy his act,” YiHan said with a smile and a shrug.

“With us around, he can’t force Nan Shan to do anything,” JingYuan said, nodding. “His plead on emotions have failed. He couldn’t get Nan Shan on his side and Qi Jie has turned into an enemy. He really has lost both his lady and his troops.”

YiHan pursed his lips. “Serves him right. What about Qi MingYang then? What do we do? Do we contact him?”

“We don’t need to do that,” JingYuan said with a smile. “He is wary of us after all. He wouldn’t dare to try and stamp out Nan Shan. We don’t need to say anything. He’ll come looking for us.”

“Will he?” YiHan doubtfully asked.

“He will,” JingYuan answered. “He’ll test the waters, see what we think, before deciding on his next move. No matter how angry he is, he wouldn’t make an enemy out of us for the sake of Qi Jie. He knows what will benefit him and what won’t.”

***

In the mall car park, YiHan leaned against his car as he spoke into his phone, “Comrade Yan Pei, you were the one who asked me out. Now, you’re leaving me hanging?” YiHan was both amused and upset.

“I’m sorry, YiHan,” Pei begged. “I didn’t mean to. Something last-minute came up in school. I have no choice either. Forgive me.”

“Alright,” YiHan said, smiling. “I’ll forgive you this one time.”

“I just knew you’re the best,” Pei giggled. “Let’s meet up another day.”

“If you dare leave me hanging again,” said YiHan with a harrumph, “the consequences will be dire. You know I’m one of the laziest persons in the world.”

“I won’t. I won’t,” Pei quickly said. “Today’s an accident. Next time, this would absolutely not happen again!”

“Okay, then,” said YiHan. “Go do your thing. I’ll hang out in Zhang-ge’s bookshop for a while.”

“Mr Mu has finally allowed you to drive on your own?” Pei teased.

“Don’t mention it,” said YiHan. “He only said yes after a lot of begging and pleading. It’s kind of exasperating.”

Pei laughed. “He’s just concerned about you. He’s afraid it won’t be safe if you drive…pfft!”

YiHan’s eyes squinted. “Friend, you’re very naughty…”

Pei’s laughter stopped. “Aah,” she loudly exclaimed. “Someone’s calling for me. I must go. See you another day. Bye-bye!”

Pei hung up. YiHan sighed and shook his head. His family’s always thought of him as a kid. They wouldn’t let him drive. They even made it so he had to have a driver whenever he left the house. It’s so inconvenient. What’s worse was that JingYuan fully inherited this habit. Combined with the car accident last time, the man had refused to let YiHan drive at all. Pei had laughed at him so many times over this. Even Yan had a constipated look whenever the topic was brought up. For a long time, YiHan had tried every trick he could. Finally, JingYuan relented. Even so, he was so very anxious. YiHan hadn’t left their home for long but he’d already received three calls from JingYuan. The older man was so worried that it left YiHan in both tears and laughter. YiHan was nearly twenty-five. Did the man still think he was a kid? If other people knew of it, how could YiHan ever dare show his face again?

YiHan put his phone away. He was about to step into his car when a Bentley slowly rolled up to him. The car parked in a spot near his. The Bentley’s door opened and out walked Qi MingYang.

“Little Master Bai,” Qi MingYang greeted with a wave, “long time no see.”

YiHan politely smiled back. “It’s been a while, Mr Qi.”

“Are you waiting for someone?” asked the other man as he walked over. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“You’re too kind, Mr Qi,” YiHan said. “There’s no need, though. I’m about to leave. Mr Qi, you must be busy, unlike me. I’m just a free man who always has time to wander around. What brings you here?”

“No, no,” said Qi MingYang. “You’re too humble. I won’t lie. I was passing by when I saw someone who looked like you out of the corner of my eye. I turned in to test my luck. I didn’t think it’d really be you.”

“Oh?” YiHan raised an eyebrow. “Is there something you need from me?”

“It’s nothing.” The other man smiled. “I thought we can catch up since we’ve bumped into each other.”

“Thank you, Mr Qi,” said YiHan, “but I have something to attend to. I won’t keep you from your work. Pardon me.”

A hand rose to block YiHan’s way. “Please, stay,” said Qi MingYang. “I have something I’d like to confirm with you.”

“Do tell, Mr Qi,” said YiHan.

“May I have the honour of inviting you to a cup of coffee?” asked the man.

“You’re too kind.” YiHan smiled. “Thank you, Mr Qi.”

“This way,” said Qi MingYang, arm turning to indicate the way.

Near the mall was a pleasant little coffee shop. The two walked in and found a table.

“Please, Mr Qi, tell me what’s on your mind,” said YiHan.

“Why the hurry?” asked Qi MingYang. “Little Master Bai, you’ve always been glued to Mr Mu’s side. I snuck in a little break today out of my busy schedule. It’s a rare opportunity, being able to enjoy a cup of coffee with you.”

“Now, that’s not quite right,” YiHan said as he put on a shallow smile. “I admit that I’m not anymore extremely important. Our relationship has also not progressed to the point of being confidantes. You didn’t invite me here just to have a cup of coffee and catch up, did you?”

The man didn’t get angry. Instead, he softly chuckled and said, “Little Master Bai, you really are a frank man. Very well. I won’t go around in circles. It was a coincidence I bumped into you today. I have something I’d like to inform you about.”

“What is it?” asked YiHan.

Qi MingYang’s smile disappeared. “You should already know of the Qi family’s recent movements,” he lazily said. “This is just some dirty laundry, some family matters. When something like this has reached this stage, there’s no need for it to be a secret. Not within our social circle. Chu FangMing has crossed the line. If I just let him go, wouldn’t it tell other people that the Qi family has no one left to defend it?”

“I certainly know of it,” said YiHan. “But since Chu FangMing dared to challenge the Qi family, it’s entirely expected for him to be taught a little lesson. That has nothing to do with me.”

A faint hint of a smile returned to Qi MingYang’s face. “You are a logical man. I trust you already know what I meant. I’m not speaking of Chu FangMing.”

YiHan’s eyes squinted. “You are speaking of Nan Shan then?”

“Yes,” said Qi MingYang. “He is Chu FangMing’s bastard son. His existence is a slap to the Qi family’s face. I wanted to take care of him as well, but I’d unintentionally heard someone say you are acquainted with him. Since I’ve bumped into you, I thought I should let you know.”

“Then, you should also know that Nan Shan and I are not merely ‘acquainted’,” said YiHan. “I won’t keep it a secret from you. Yan Pei, Yan Yana and I are all fans of his books to start with. You know what he relies on to make a living. At first, we were attracted by his writing. Somehow, we befriended him and were slowly sucked in by his personality. As of now, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that we are the best of friends. There’s a common saying: one could take two stabs to the chest for a friend. I, Bai YiHan, am not particularly capable but I also wish to emulate the chivalry of the past. I can’t use my body as a shield but I can draw my sword and help out.”

“Must you say that?” Qi MingYang asked, frowning. “The Qi and Bai families might not be close but there is no grudge between us. Why must you ruin the peace for some random person?”

YiHan shook his finger. “No, no, no. Nan Shan isn’t some random person to me. It’s impossible for me to just sit and do nothing when it comes to him.”

“He’s just a disgraceful bastard. Why must you protect him so?”

YiHan’s lips twitched into what one can consider a smile. “Mr Qi, you are a scrupulous man. You would never fight a battle you know you can’t win. I trust you’ve already found out all there is about Nan Shan. You wouldn’t be ignorant to how he came to be a ‘bastard son’, right? I know that when it comes to the dignity of the Qi family, right and wrong doesn’t matter much. I won’t go on about how the man is innocent. I don’t even want to mention how he has no intentions of returning to the Chu family. No one can choose who they’re born to. He has no choice in being the child of Chu FangMing.  If possible, he wishes the man would never appear before his eyes again. But perhaps you don’t understand what kind of person I am yet. I, Bai YiHan, don’t make friends based on their identity. I don’t care whose son he is. As long as he is to my liking, I will help my friend regardless of logic and rationale, especially not when Nan Shan isn’t the party who is in the wrong.”

“Little Master Bai, I admire your ethics but this issue involved the honour of the Qi family,” said Qi MingYang. “Thus, there are less I have to worry about when it comes to the feelings and relationships of other people.”

Translator’s Notes:

Poor household: The phrase, 小家子气, is more accurately translated as someone with the mindset of a peasant. The literal translation would be “tiny household temper”. The actual meaning is “petty” or “small-minded”.

The updates are finally here! My apologies for the missing chapters from last week. There were some technical difficulties. Word of warning : when buying new laptops from brands that are infamous for poor build quality (Asus), bad after-sales service techs (Asus), bad software compatibilities with Windows OS and its own software (Asus), always remember to keep all paperwork in a file easily accessible because you’ll be going back to them multiple times in hopes of getting the faulty part properly fixed and not just “replaced”.

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185. The Qi Family’s Rage

“Force?” said YiHan. “He shouldn’t have the guts to clash with us. His only advantage is his status as YouRan’s birth father. He might try persistent persuasion, or he might use the public’s opinion.”

“Could he be so shameless?” Pei’s cheeks were puffed up. “If he does that, then he really does have a thick skin!”

“He’s not just thick-skinned,” said Yan, “I can tell from the way he does things that he only ever cares about profits. It doesn’t matter what the issue is. As long as he gains something from it, he doesn’t care about face or dignity. Emotions are further not something he’d need to consider.”

YiHan was about to speak when his phone rang. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and glanced at it. A smile grew on his face.

When Pei saw the look on YiHan’s face, her lips widened in a mischievous smile. “That face means it must be Mr Mu.”

YiHan calmly answered the call. “JingYuan, are you done with work?”

“Mn,” said JingYuan. “How did the meeting today go?”

“It went as expected,” said YiHan. “At first, Chu FangMing said he didn’t know of YouRan’s existence. When Yan frankly called out his lie, the man didn’t feel guilty about it at all. He even began to talk about how fathers and sons are tied and so on.”

“Just as we anticipated,” said JingYuan. “Are you at Nan Shan’s home?”

“Yes,” said YiHan. “YouRan was clear that he wouldn’t go back to the Chu family. Yan was firm and told Chu FangMing not to harass YouRan anymore. The man didn’t dare to force us to agree with him, but I feel like he wouldn’t be stopping. We were just discussing if he’d use public perception to push YouRan into going with him.”

“You’re right,” said YiHan. “Will you be coming over later?”

“I’m heading over to fetch you. I’ll be there soon,” said JingYuan.

YiHan hung up and turned to the others in the room with him. “JingYuan said word of this wouldn’t spread. This city doesn’t belong to the Chu family.”

“With those words, I can stop worrying,” said Pei with a nod.

***

For a while, Chu FangMing did nothing. Then, just as YiHan said, he began to make a move. He didn’t dare visit YouRan again. All he did was mail parcels to YouRan. There was a delivery nearly every day. Sometimes, it’s clothes. Sometimes, it’d be luxury goods. FangMing also sent YouRan a few types of food that most people can’t afford to buy or were hard to source. Inside these packages, there’d be cards with words of concern and care.

Each time YouRan received a parcel, he’d tell the courier to return it to the sender. The persistence of the other party slowly got on YouRan’s nerves.

Yan was also fuming with rage at the situation. It took a call to FangMing before the other man showed some restraint. FangMing was YouRan’s father. They couldn’t do much to the man. They couldn’t be harsh and they couldn’t be rid of him. It was seriously so frustrating.

But FangMing couldn’t be smug about it for long. A few days later, there was a blazing inferno set aflame in his own home. As a daughter of the Qi family, even if not one from the main family, Qi Jie grew up as a cherished little miss. She only married Chu FangMing because the man courted her and proposed to her of his own will. She didn’t think the man would start distancing himself from her after he was done borrowing her help in his fight to be family head. Because she refused to bear FangMing another child after giving him two daughters, FangMing was further dissatisfied with her. However, the man only tolerated her because she was from the Qi family. Years have passed and FangMing’s hold on his position was secure. As he grew used to being the revered head of the family, his patience for Qi Jie slowly vanished. Qi Jie too had been tolerating his antics for a long time now. But they’ve been married for years. They weren’t young anymore and they had two daughters. Unless it was necessary, she didn’t want their lives to change too much.

Never could she have imagined Chu FangMing to step over the line. His attitude gradually worsened. Qi Jie was wondering if she should teach the man a lesson when he set off a bomb in their lives!

Since their wedding day, Qi Jie kept a strict eye on FangMing. She knew all about the people he was surrounded by. She squashed every possibility he could use to cheat on her. She was so cautious about everything and everyone, but she never once looked into his relationships prior to their marriage!

She never expected Chu FangMing to have a child before they were even married. Decades have passed and the man never said a word. There wasn’t even a hint of this child. If the man hadn’t decided to publicise his want to welcome the kid into the Chu family, she would still be kept in the dark!

Qi Jie was a proud woman. She was someone who never once suffered or be at a disadvantage. How could she bear to be humiliated so? She immediately started up a big fight with FangMing. Not only did the man not show an ounce of remorse, he even ordered her to be more polite when YouRan entered their home and to try and win the kid over!

Was he requesting she bow down and prostrate herself before her husband’s bastard son? Qi Jie’s lungs nearly exploded with fury. She immediately headed to the Qi family home with her daughters in tow. She ran straight for the head of the Qi family, Qi MingYang. She cried and complained, turning her exquisite makeup into a blurry mess on her face.

If Qi Jie were to really lay out her lineage, she’d be considered Qi MingYang’s cousin once removed. But in the Qi family, the main and branch families are distinctly separated. Control over the main businesses was kept strictly within the main family line. Branch family members all had much more inferior positions. When talking before Qi MingYang, Qi Jie can’t try and use her status as an elder. In fact, she must flatter and grovel with every word she said. She only dared to push this incident into Qi MingYang’s attention because she knew the dignity of the Qi family was the most important to the man. This issue was clearly a slap in the face for the Qi family. Even if she wanted to tolerate it, Qi MingYang wouldn’t be willing to play along. Qi Jie kicking up a fuss was the perfect chance Qi MingYang was seeking. She also succeeded in fuelling the younger man’s anger.

As expected, when Qi Jie left the Qi family home, Qi MingYang’s face was gloomy and insidious.

Within a week, the Chu family’s businesses were dealt a blow. Chu FangMing was gritting his teeth with rage but Qi Jie wouldn’t answer any of his calls. Xu YouRan’s attitude didn’t change for the better either. FangMing’s head was pounding from the frustrating circumstances of his company. It was obvious Qi MingYang was truly enraged. In just a few days, the Chu family’s net worth shrank by a fifth. FangMing was panicking. His hair shed in bunches. He was the textbook example of someone who wanted to steal some chickens but only succeeded in losing his fistful of rice.

YiHan brought it up in the group chat with Pei and Yan. They were all gleefully laughing at FangMing’s misfortune.

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: JingYuan told you guys, right? Don’t jump the gun. Look. We didn’t even need to do anything. He’s already turned his whole life into a mess.]

[Pei the Third: It’s such a splendid sight to see! This is karma! Trying to steal chickens but lost his bait. He lost both the Lady and his soldiers!]

[Yan Yan: Mn.]

[Pei the Third: Qi MingYang is a spiteful man. Qi Jie is part of the Qi family after all. She bears the surname Qi. It’d be strange if he could tolerate such ridiculous humiliation!]

[Pei the Third: Chu FangMing was family head for only a few years and he’d already lost his way. Does he think women of the Qi family were easy prey for marriage? If you marry her, you must worship her! He’d thoroughly made an enemy out of them now. Hahaha! This makes me feel so happy!]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Does YouRan know of this? What does he think?]

[Yan Yan: He does but he’s not reacting much. He looks like he doesn’t care.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: That’s the best reaction. It means he has no expectations of Chu FangMing. He wouldn’t be upset because of the man’s suffering. Otherwise, YouRan would be burned out from stress at having such a stinkbug around. You can’t chase him away and you can’t even hit him.]

[Yan Yan: Mn, I think so too. He’s been working on his new book’s outline for the past few days. I don’t even dare talk too loudly for fear of disturbing him.]

[Pei the Third: That’s great! I look forward to it!]

[Yan Yan: Yes, me too.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: This is major. Let’s not bother him with rotten news about Chu FangMing.]

[Yan Yan: Mn. I told him once when he was taking a break. His reaction was mild. I haven’t talked to him about it since.]

[Pei the Third: Actually, I think it’s impossible for him not to yearn for a father. He just doesn’t have the courage to expect anything from Chu FangMing because he knows fully well what the man thinks of him.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Pei-Pei’s right.]

[Pei the Third: Poor Nan Shan. Damn that Chu FangMing. Nan Shan’s life has only just improved and he comes running in. He’s not willing to give Nan Shan any love so why must he bother Nan Shan?]

[Yan Yan: Value. In Chu FangMing’s eyes, what is a son? That’s just a tool he can use.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: In a few days, the man will be forced into a corner. He’ll be visiting you guys once more. We must be on our guard. We can’t let him ruin Nan Shan’s mood and affect his writing.]

[Yan Yan: Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Honestly, Chu FangMing is indisputably responsible for Aunty Xu’s early death. YouRan must hate him for it too.]

[Pei the Third: Of course. He must be feeling very conflicted when it comes to Chu FangMing. If only that man never appeared in his life!]

[Yan Yan: I’ll find a way to make him be too scared to harass YouRan anymore. We’ll just pretend the man never existed so YouRan doesn’t get upset.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: That’d be for the best.]

YiHan put down his phone and said to JingYuan, “Nan Shan’s working on the outline of his new book. This means his mood has recovered.”

“Mn,” said JingYuan, “I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” asked YiHan.

“Come see for yourself,” said JingYuan as he waved YiHan over.

YiHan walked over. Curious, his eyes followed along JingYuan’s finger to the computer screen. His eyes went wide.

A press statement was shown on the screen. It was a well-written article on Nan Shan. The article spoke of how he was the bastard son of a rich and powerful family. It said the man could only become a renowned author because his family had been secretly helping him out, not because the man was a good writer. The family even bullied and harassed other writers. There was a lot of tampering and underhanded deals involved.

The more YiHan read, the stronger his jaw clenched. His fist banged against the table as he roared, “Which company wrote this? This is just nonsense!”

JingYuan gently massaged the hand YiHan hit the table with as he said, “Half-truths are more believable. A friend of mine saw this. Because I’ve informed him about this before, he stopped the draft from getting published and sent it to me.”

YiHan was worried. “Would other places also…”

“No,” said JingYuan. “Frankly, there are many articles of a similar nature. I’ve suppressed them all at first notice.”

“Thank goodness,” said YiHan, frowning. “If this draft was published, goodness knows just how big of an impact it’d have on Nan Shan. Just who is powerful enough to do this? Who could’ve drafted up such an article and have it nearly published despite your warnings?”

“The only one who can do this is someone from the Great Five Families.”

“Qi MingYang?” asked YiHan.

“That’s right. He’s narrow-hearted. He can’t hold his temper. To him, humiliating Qi Jie means slapping the Qi family in the face. He cannot tolerate the Chu family’s existence. Naturally, this means he won’t be lenient on Nan Shan too.”

Translator Notes:

Trying to steal chickens: Chinese proverb. This has been translating quite literally.

Lost both the Lady and his soldiers: This is a Chinese proverb born from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms retelling of how Liu Bei married his wife, the younger sister of Sun Quan. Zhou Yu had allegedly planned to lure Liu Bei into a trap by offering Lady Sun’s hand in marriage to Liu Bei. In the end, Liu Bei was able to escape with his bride and his troops managed to defeat Zhou Yu’s men, who had chased after their fleeing prey. The translation of this phrase comes from an unknown source as Wikipedia’s citation only lists the name of the original text with no ISBN or translator.

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184. (Untitled)

But what could FangMing do? He didn’t even dare to make an enemy of Yan family’s Third Miss, let alone the Bai and Mu families who back Bai YiHan. If he argued with Bai YiHan today, Mu JingYuan would be knocking on his door tomorrow!

All FangMing could do was smile. He thought that since YouRan was close to these people, acknowledging the kid as his son meant he’d gain the support of several great families. He was expecting them to gain huge support solely because of YouRan, but at least he’d be able to lean in closer. Just that tiny bit of support was enough to make FangMing’s income multiply. Look at He Yuan. That fool married the daughter of Yan family. In just a few years, his net worth rose as fast as the ocean’s tides. Regrettably, Qi Jie was only part of the Qi branch family. The Qi family might be one of the Great Five but they were one of the weakest. Qi Jie was also not from the main family. Her worth could never be compared to Yan Miao’s. She couldn’t give him much help at all but she had an explosive temper and big ego. He had had enough of her. He thought the sudden luck of the son he pretended didn’t exist was a gift from the gods. He didn’t think this brat, this traitorous son, would harbour so much animosity for him. The kid didn’t buy his plea at all. Instead, it resulted in the powerful kids he befriended turning hostile against him!

“Let’s not talk about whether they’re your children based on their gender,” Yan said. “It’s not the first day or the second that YouRan has been living ‘outside’ alone. Mr Chu, if it really hurts you to see it, you needn’t have waited until today. Furthermore,” he held YouRan’s hand as his blank voice turned soft, “YouRan and I are together now. While I haven’t had time to tell my family, this will not change. From today on, I will be with him. I’ll take care of him. In the future, we’ll be married. My family would be his family then. His loneliest days are gone. Mr Chu, if there truly is a kind, fatherly heart in you, you can stop worrying now.”

FangMing’s head went sent spinning by the news. No wonder Xu YouRan was so stubborn despite having nothing! He wasn’t even interested in the notion of being the Young Master Chu. These powerful kids were all so abnormally protective of Xu YouRan. It was all because the young man had seduced the Second Young Master of the Yan family! It was FangMing’s fault for not realising his isolated son could be so influential, thus unable to draw YouRan in earlier!

Yan didn’t bother waiting for a reply. “What happens today ends here,” continued Yan. “YouRan’s opinion is clear. He doesn’t want to return to the Chu family. Mr Chu, you should also know that you, who had not fulfilled an ounce of your duties as a father, has no right to ask him to do anything. I hope you won’t visit our home without YouRan’s approval in the future. We wouldn’t want you disturbing him as he’s writing.”

Yan stood up, pulling YouRan up with him as he did so. The two men took a few steps towards the exit before Yan turned around to face FangMing again.

“Mr Chu,” said Yan, “going our separate ways, as separate as well water is from river water. This is the greatest tolerance I’ll ever have for you, his biological father. I hope we can co-exist in peace.”

At this point in the conversation, YouRan had shown absolutely no signs of softening up while Yan Yan and the other two were as adamant as ever. FangMing knew there would be no positive outcome from this meal. When it came to these people, he didn’t dare throw his weight around because he was older. No matter how unwilling he was to let things be, he didn’t have the courage to continue his outrage. All he could do was stare as the other four occupants left the room. His face was a pale green from fury.

Of the table covered in expensive and exquisite dishes, not a single bite was taken. It was an obvious sign of how badly the meeting went. Chu FangMing sat there in the room, alone. His face was gloomy. With those powerful kids protecting Xu YouRan, it was entirely impossible for FangMing to do anything to his son. Damn it. That kid was his seed yet the kid refused to be of use to him. If YouRan returned to the Chu family, would he honestly treat him badly? Especially when he had those people backing him up. Was it not a win-win proposal? That brat dared to be so ungrateful as to turn his nose up at him! He would rather follow the Second Master Yan for nothing rather than help his own father!

Both men entered a marriage of convenience. FangMing gave up on Xu JinXuan, that beautiful and cultured woman, in order to marry a fierce and ugly daughter of the Qi branch family. While FangMing succeeded in becoming family head, that was all he achieved. But that fop, He Yuan, was lucky enough to seduce the only daughter of the Yan main family. In just a few years after marrying that woman, the He family grew big and strong. The Chu family, who was well ahead of the He family, was left in the dust! How could FangMing accept that?

If YouRan married into the Yan family as the Young Master Chu, would FangMing, the father-in-law, not benefit from it?

Also, YouRan got along well with people from the Bai and Mu families. If there was anything he needed, he only needed to speak up to them! With those ties, that ugly tiger back home wouldn’t dare act all smug before FangMing then!

FangMing recalled the girl who smiled so warmly at him all those years ago. Nostalgia tugged at his heart. Unfortunately, she’s long dead. If she could’ve waited until now, he would compensate her. Even if he couldn’t marry her, it was fine to just have her as his mistress. The witch who couldn’t bear him a son at all wouldn’t have the courage to say anything!

Frankly, he truly liked Xu JinXuan. But who asked her to be a powerless orphan girl who can’t give him any help? For the sake of the bigger picture, he had to suffer and let go of her. Later on, he was fighting against his older brother and when he was first acknowledged as the family head, his hold on the position was still shaky. He needed the Qi family’s support. At the very least, he couldn’t make an enemy of them. When it came to Qi Jie, he could only hold in his anger. He didn’t dare mention a single word about Xu JinXuan. He even had to be on his guard in case she asked for him and made Qi Jie unhappy. Thankfully, Xu JinXuan was a mature person. She kept to herself and stayed silent. She never once asked for him. She even bore him a son.

What a shame she wasn’t destined to enjoy happiness. She was dead long before he could overpower Qi Jie. She was perfect in every way except for one thing. The only unsatisfactory thing about Xu JinXuan was her lack of a good family backing her up. Now, there’s another flaw to her. She didn’t raise his son properly. How did that woman raise his son? Look at that strong rebellious streak in YouRan! The younger man didn’t speak much but when he did, his words could incite anger strong enough to kill. Even so, there just had to be strong and powerful people backing the boy up. How could FangMing not be fuming with fury?

This won’t do. Even if FangMing couldn’t get a hold of YouRan now, he was the man’s father no matter what. The connection formed by their blood cannot be broken so easily. One must have filial piety for those who raised them, but what about those who are responsible for their birth? That meant YouRan can’t cut ties with FangMing!

YouRan grew up without a father. At a young age, his mother was gone. Who would think YouRan didn’t yearn for familial affection? The young man was being stubborn because of anger. As time went on, it’d be impossible for YouRan’s heart to remain as adamant. It’s such a shame the man had those powerful kids protecting him. If FangMing didn’t want to be their enemy, he’d have to avoid using force. Why else would he need to humiliate himself and gently persuade YouRan? Fine. Since the young man was the son Xu JinXuan gave to him and he was capable enough to befriend those kids, it’s not impossible for FangMing to forgive YouRan for having a small temper tantrum, if the kid knows his limits. After all, FangMing didn’t participate in raising him for the past few years. If YouRan was angry, he can just vent those emotions out. Hopefully, YouRan wouldn’t step over the line.

***

In YouRan’s home, the four people who had just met with FangMing lounged about in the living room.

“You guys must be tired from being dragged into my family matters,” YouRan said in a grateful tone.

“Nan Shan, what are you saying?” Pei said. “There’s no need to be so formal with us.”

YiHan stroked his chin with a hand as his other arm hung off the back of the sofa. “YouRan, what do you think of our meeting with Chu FangMing today? Do you want to go back to the Chu family? If you do, we can help you and we can ensure you won’t suffer at all once you’re there.”

Yan turned to look at YouRan as his hands reached out for YouRan’s. The other man held back. YouRan’s grip was tight. His knuckles turned white as he shook his head with a self-mocking smile.

“My family name is Xu. Why would I go to the Chu family? Anyway, he wants me not because I’m his son. It’s because I have value. I know that without you guys, he would never acknowledge me as his child.”

YiHan pursed his lips and kept quiet. YouRan’s mind was clear. He wasn’t thrown into a frenzy because of a family member’s arrival. While other people could tell that was the case, YouRan was in the middle of everything. Plus, he personally yearned and longed for familial love. It’d be hard for YouRan to have such a clear picture of the situation. YiHan knew YouRan wasn’t wrong. In YiHan’s past life, Chu FangMing never appeared. Not even when YouRan died. No one knew YouRan had a father at all. No one stepped up to collect YouRan’s ashes. No one knew where Yan Miao had the ashes be sent off to. They didn’t even know if YouRan had a proper burial.

YiHan patted YouRan on the arm and softly said, “It’s good that you can see things so clearly. While it sounds ugly, it is the truth. Chu FangMing is someone who wouldn’t wake up early unless there was something to gain. You didn’t grow up by his side. Anything he’d feel for you would be extremely limited.”

“YiHan, must you be so tactful?” Pei pouted. “I think he feels absolutely nothing for Nan Shan. Just recall what he said! It makes me so angry. Nan Shan, you were right to ignore him. If you’d fallen for his trap and went back to the Chu family with him, he might sell you off the very next day!”

“Don’t spout nonsense!” Yan barked as he glanced at YouRan.

“Why are you shouting at me?” Pei sulkily murmured. “It’s not nonsense. Good advice is hard to the ears.”

YouRan patted Yan on the back of his hand and said, “There’s no need to be so careful around me. Pei-Pei’s not wrong. I’m not that fragile either. For over twenty years, he’s ignored me. I don’t hold any childish fantasies about him anymore. Come to think of it, Pei-Pei’s strong and just words to him today really helped me vent out some of my anger.”

Pei’s heart jumped with joy at her idol’s praise. On the outside, she became even more demure and muttered, “Those words weren’t strong or just. I just didn’t have a filter. I said what I thought.”

“How rare for you to be so self-aware,” said Yan.

Pei shot Yan a glare. How dare he talk bad about her before Nan Shan! That was over the line.

“That’s good,” YiHan said with a smile. “Pei was the most suitable person to say those words. She’s just a girl. No matter what she says, Chu FangMing could only listen and not argue back.”

“The mere look of his lying face hurts me,” said Pei. “He went round and round but, in the end, the only thing he could say was Nan Shan was his son. He had no other points.”

“What else can he say other than that?” Yan coldly commented.

“True,” Pei nodded, “that’s the only thing he can say. I’ve mistakenly put the blame on him. Heh.”

“He won’t give up,” said YiHan. “Such a big, juicy piece of meat is dangling before his eyes but he just can’t get a bite of it. How could he accept that?”

“He has no choice but to accept it,” said Pei. “We aren’t scared of him, even if he wants to use force!”

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183. Don’t Need a Father

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Ahem. Okay, let’s get back to business. Nan Shan might tell us he doesn’t want to go but, deep in his heart, he still yearns for a father. We can’t underestimate Chu FangMing’s importance nor can we think of him as important.]

[HanHan’s Mu-Mu: Indeed. We either make Nan Shan utterly disappointed in his father or get someone else to do it.]

[Yan Yan: It’s very easy to make him disappointed in his father. After all, Chu FangMing is a heartless man. It’s not hard to make YouRan understand that. However, it’d be hard to avoid hurting YouRan then.]

[Pei the Third: My brother’s right. The best-case scenario is for the Qi family to be pushed over the edge and step in to handle Chu FangMing. The most we’ll be doing is just watch and not help.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: I’m just afraid of Nan Shan’s heart softening then. If he asks, it’d be hard for us to say no.]

[Yan Yan: Don’t worry. He won’t. He might long for familial love but he’s no fool. He wouldn’t butt in on Chu FangMing’s fight with his wife.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: That’d be the best.]

YiHan put down his phone and turned to JingYuan. “Say, why are people nowadays so thick-skinned? It’s been over twenty years of not hearing a word from him. He avoids Nan Shan as if his son was the plague. The moment he sees Nan Shan doing well, he starts scampering over. He even acts as though he’s a kind, generous father.”

“To Chu FangMing, his children are his possessions,” said JingYuan. “He can ignore Nan Shan but if Nan Shan rejects him, that’s being disrespectful.”

“A kind father has a dutiful son! If the father’s not kind, how can the son be filial?” YiHan exclaimed in rage. “He participated in Nan Shan’s birth but he never raised the man, and he still wants to act as though he’s a respected elder?”

“The world is a big place,” said JingYuan. “There are all sorts of people and minds. We can’t understand his logic and we don’t need to. Nan Shan doesn’t need him anyway. It doesn’t matter what the man thinks.”

“Mn, you’re right,” said YiHan. “What he thinks has nothing to do with Nan Shan. This leech-like father is best not to be acknowledged. If Nan Shan really did go with him, the man might actually sell him off one day.”

JingYuan nodded. “It’s good enough that Nan Shan wasn’t enthralled by the man’s sweet words. Let Yan handle the Chu family. We just need to assist by backing him up.”

“True,” YiHan said. “Now is a chance for Yan to show off.”

***

In the Regal Hotel, the door to the Yan family’s private room opened. Chu FangMing who’d arrived a while ago stood up to greet the new arrival. His two hands reached out for a handshake as he put on a smile.

“Second Young Master Yan, long time no see,” said Chu FangMing.

Yan briefly shook the other man’s hand as he calmly said, “Sorry for making you wait, Mr Chu.”

“No, no,” FangMing hurriedly said. “I’ve just arrived myself.”

Yan walked into the room with YouRan beside him, revealing Pei and YiHan to be following behind them.

FangMing froze in surprise. Then, he smiled and said, “The Little Master Bai and Miss Yan are here too. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Pei nodded but said nothing.

“We shouldn’t be involving ourselves in a Chu family matter, but this concerns my friend,” said YiHan. “I couldn’t bear to sit around at home, so I wanted to come along. Pardon me, Mr Chu, for overstepping.”

“What are you saying, Little Master Bai? You are a busy man. You’re someone I could never have invited. It is our honour that you pay so much attention to my and my son’s matters. How could you be overstepping?”

“It’s good that you don’t fault me for it,” YiHan replied with a superficial smile. “Pei-Pei and I are only here to listen in. Mr Chu, just think of us as part of the décor.”

“You’re such a joker, Little Master Bai,” FangMing hurriedly replied. How could he afford such expensive and important décor? If Mu JingYuan heard of this, there’d be hell to pay.

“Alright,” said Yan. “Everyone, sit.”

Yan pulled out a chair for YouRan before seating himself to YouRan’s right. Pei stepped forward to sit on YouRan’s other side while YiHan sat down on the free chair next to Pei. The only seat left for FangMing was the chair to Yan’s right.

Yan didn’t bother with niceties and skipped straight to the point. “Mr Chu, I didn’t invite you here today for anything grand. I mainly wished to talk to you about YouRan. A few days ago, you visited him. It has made him very anxious.”

“I, too, only just found out about YouRan,” FangMing said with a pained face. “As a father, I’ve owed him a lot over the past years. I feel very guilty about it. That’s why I risked a visit to him, hoping we can be reunited as a family. But there seems to be a few misconceptions YouRan has about me. It has hurt me deeply, so deeply that I had no appetite for the past few days.”

Yan’s face went dark. “What you’ve said is incorrect. From what I know, you already knew of him even when he was just a foetus in Madam Xu’s belly. Furthermore, from the moment you knew of his existence until he turned seven, you had someone secretly keep an eye on his and his mother’s every action. You were so afraid that when they encounter some difficulty in life, they would trouble you and your new wife. Were you not?”

FangMing didn’t expect the young man to be so frank about the situation. The other man just ripped apart his dignity and pleasantries. His face went pale and sickly.

“Let’s not talk in circles,” Yan continued. “I’ve already looked into what happened back then. You don’t need to play any cards. I asked to meet you today not for social niceties. In order to be head of the family, Mr Chu, you gave up on Madam Xu, who had no family, and chose to enter a marriage of convenience with someone from the Qi family. It indirectly resulted in her early death. This is in the past and Madam Xu has passed away for years. As juniors, we have no way to seek justice on her behalf. However, YouRan can’t just decide his fate purely from your words. From the day he was born until now, you knew of him yet you never once done your duty as a father. Now, you think you can bring him back into your family with a few words. Don’t you find it funny?”

When FangMing realised there was no point making his case from an emotional angle, all he could say was, “We are father and son. YouRan is my son so I can’t just let him go about with someone else’s surname. It’s normal for me to want to bring him back into the family. Mr Yan, that’s not impossible to understand, right?”

YouRan, who had remained silent this whole time, then spoke up. His voice was loud and clear as he said, “I’m not using someone else’s surname. I never had a father. My mother worked hard and suffered to raise me. It is entirely natural that I use my mother’s surname.”

Yan turned to YouRan and smiled. “Of course. Even if your mother didn’t raise you by herself and you had both parents, your mother bore you for ten months. It’s absolutely natural and logical for a child to want to take on the mother’s surname.”

FangMing choked. He shot a somewhat unkind glance at YouRan before swiftly acting normal. Still, YiHan caught that brief glance. YiHan’s face immediately darkened.

“Must you say that, YouRan?” FangMing asked with a smile/ “Don’t you want to go home with Dad?”

“When I was young and immature, I once asked my mother why other kids had a dad while I didn’t,” YouRan calmly said. “My mom told me my father loved me very much. Unfortunately, he’s no longer around. So I am her baby and hers alone. Even if I didn’t have a father, she could still give me all the love I’d ever want.

“I’ve always remembered those words. From then on, I never once asked her about my dad. My mother might’ve left me early but she did give me all the love in the world. Right now, I’m living a good life by myself and I’ve long since passed the age where I yearned for fatherly love. I am very satisfied with my life as is. I do not need a ‘father’ at all.”

FangMing was furious at how unappreciative YouRan was. However, he didn’t dare show it in front of the Yan family siblings and Bai YiHan. The only sign was his inability to maintain the “kind” smile on his face.

FangMing clenched his teeth. He forced a smile as he said, “You are my son after all. Aren’t you even going to admit you have a father? I am sorry for what happened before. I’m at fault. But as I’ve told you, I will compensate you. If you go home with me, you’ll be the young master of the Chu family. I’ll make up for all the fatherly love you lacked before.”

“Mr Chu, you’re funny,” Yan blandly said. “Love from a father isn’t the same as a piece of clothing. If there’s a hole in the shirt, you can patch it up. The lack of love from a father isn’t something you can make up for. It’s just like how you can’t rewind time. Mr Chu, you yourself said you had wronged YouRan. Then, of course, it is entirely up to YouRan whether he chooses to return to the Chu family or not. It is obvious that he has no interest in being the Young Master Chu. In that case, no one can force him to go against his will. We can all just act as if this connection never existed. We’ll go back to our own, separate lives, just like before. Isn’t that fine?”

“Second Young Master Yan, you’re joking,” FangMing said with a dry chuckle. “He is my son. How can I act as if there’s nothing between us?”

Pei, who hadn’t spoken a single word since stepping foot in the room, then spoke up, “Pardon me for interrupting but there’s something I don’t quite understand. Mr Chu, other than N-…Xu-ge being your son, do you have no other talking points? My brother’s words were clear. You might be his biological father, but you had never once fulfilled your duty in raising him. Xu-ge is an adult now. He doesn’t need anyone to raise him, yet you come here at this time to acknowledge him as your son. You hold your status as his father over his head, wanting him to fulfil his duty as a son? Mr Chu, you really are a genius in business. What a brilliant plan you have.”

FangMing’s face visibly twitched. He was rendered speechless by a girl’s words but he didn’t dare do or say anything that would offend her. His face turned a pale green from frustration.

Pei didn’t plan on letting the man go yet. Her bright voice continued, “Mr Chu, even if you have an excellent plan and you’re unwilling to let go of any usable resources due to how frugal you are, the Chu family is rich and powerful. You shouldn’t need the meagre amount of filial support Xu-ge can afford, right? Furthermore, you’re not at the age where you’d need your children to support you financially, no?”

“What are you saying, Miss Yan?” FangMing responded, smile as forced as before. “I just want him to go home. Of course, it’s to experience the joys of family.”

“If you wish to experience the joys of family,” said Pei, “your two daughters would be happy to cooperate with you.”

“Daughters and sons are two different matters,” FangMing said.

“I see,” Pei said. Her face darkened. “So, Mr Chu, you look down on girls, and your wife couldn’t bear you a son to continue your lineage. That’s why you turned your attention to Xu-ge?”

“Of course not,” FangMing hurriedly replied. “They’re all my children. It doesn’t matter if they’re a daughter or a son. How could I bear to let YouRan live alone outside?”

“Pei-Pei,” YiHan whispered, “we said we’d only be here as decorations. It’s not our place to butt in on YouRan’s family matters. Your brother’s right. Mr Chu is in the wrong here. The decision lies in YouRan’s hands. Why are you worrying? Mr Chu is an elder. You can’t be rude.”

FangMing: …Bai YiHan’s words made it extremely obvious Yan Pei spoke up to support YouRan. He wasn’t in the wrong. They were just telling him he wasn’t powerful enough to force YouRan to do anything.

Translator’s Notes:

Hell to pay: The literal translation here is “he’d ‘flip’ faces”. It’s the exact opposite of “turn the other cheek”.

Seating Arrangement: As usual with Chinese restaurants, the table here is round. Depending on table size, Chu FangMing sat directly opposite of YouRan or they were seated on the same half of the table, meaning Yan is always in Chu FangMing’s sight when the man wants to talk to Yan.

Filial support: As part of filial responsibility laws (as ingrained by culture), children are required to support their parents emotionally and/or financially. It is mainly financial as most parents expect an “allowance” from their kids once the kids start working or when they (the parents) retire. In several countries (and US states), refusal of filial responsibility is a crime.

◄Previous • Index • Next►

182. Unwelcome Guest

“Indeed,” said YiHan, nodding. “Such behaviour is just reprehensible. He lied and exploited. He’d do anything and everything. He should be punished.”

“You’re not surprised at all,” said the old Mr Yan. “You know about this too, don’t you?”

YiHan drily laughed and nodded. “I pitied the man who was lied to by that scum. He only wanted love. He didn’t expect himself to somehow turn into the other ‘man’. Just who was the one who started it?”

“Yes,” said the old Mr Yan. He sighed. “When the forest is big, you can find all sorts of birds in there. Just the mere thought of someone like that makes me angry. Forget it. Let’s not talk about him.”

“Shall we play another round?” YiHan asked.

“Okay,” said the old Mr Yan.

YiHan rolled up his sleeves. “This round, I must win and compensate for the shame of before!”

“Kid, that might be a little hard!” the old Mr Yan guffawed. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll give you three moves!”

“There’s no need!” YiHan said with a wave of his hand. “I must win honourably!”

The old Mr Yan laughed harder. “Good! You’re ambitious! I can only take it seriously then!”

***

Chen Hong acted fast. Within two days, there was a new front door to YouRan’s apartment. The man moved back to his own home. As a newly-pronounced boyfriend, Yan moved as well. YouRan pretended he saw nothing, silently assenting to his existence.

The feeling of living with someone else in the same home wasn’t one YouRan was familiar with anymore, not since his mother’s death. He Yuan never stayed the night. Frankly, intimate moments between the two men were few and far between. For some reason, something in YouRan objected to it. He Yuan was upset, very upset, about this but he had to act as the kind, caring lover. Naturally, He Yuan couldn’t force himself on YouRan. Furthermore, He Yuan never stayed long on the days he did visit.

Hence, when YouRan woke up in the morning to an up-close view of Yan’s face, something strange rose in him. He felt the desire to kiss the other man.

Yan was woken up by the sensation of being stared at. He kept still and resisted the urge to look but he eventually caved in.

“What are you thinking about?” Yan sleepily murmured. His voice was raspy.

YouRan was deep in his thoughts. He replied by instinct, “I want to kiss you.”

Yan’s heart skipped. “Kiss me then,” he calmly said.

YouRan snapped out of his thoughts, realising what he’d just said. He had never said anything so daring before in his whole life. His cheeks were as red as a tomato. He let out an awkward little chuckle and began inching backwards.

“You, erm,” muttered YouRan, “you must’ve been mistaken.”

Yan held onto YouRan’s arm. “I wasn’t mistaken,” he softly said. “It is your right to kiss your own boyfriend. Come, kiss me however you like. I’d like it either way.”

YouRan froze as his mind whirred. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to make a move.

Yan sighed and leaned forward to gently peck the edge of YouRan’s lips. “You owe me one. We’ll kiss once we’ve brushed our teeth.”

A chuckle burst out of YouRan. “Hurry up and get up,” he said as he nudged Yan. “Don’t you have work?”

Yan gave YouRan a tight hug before climbing out of bed to walk to the bathroom.

At work, Yan remained in a stranger, excited mood. He couldn’t resist messaging YiHan.

[Yan Yan: YiHan, are you there?]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: I am. What is it?]

[Yan Yan: I have a question… Forget about it.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: What’s wrong? Ask away. Does it concern Nan Shan?]

[Yan Yan: Yes. He’s been staring at me in the mornings while I’m still asleep. I don’t know what he’s thinking.]

[Pei the Third: What else could he be thinking? He’s thinking about how he loves you. You’re just flaunting right now.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Pei-Pei’s right. However, I think there’s another reason for it. He’s rather insecure. When I just got together with JingYuan, I was the same. I would keep looking to confirm if he’s still there.]

[Mu JingYuan: Now?]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Of course, I wouldn’t do that now. We’re married. My sense of security is through the roof!]

[Pei the Third: Crap! Mr Mu!]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: …!!]

[Pei the Third: Mr Mu, it’s not good for you to lurk all the time without saying a word!]

[Pei the Third: Mr Mu?]

[Pei the Third: Where is he?]

[Yan Yan: He’s off for some love.]

[Pei the Third: (┛⊙ω⊙)┛I choose to go die…]

[Yan Yan: You’re a girl. Be more ladylike.]

[Pei the Third: I’ll be more ladylike when I have a boyfriend.]

[Yan Yan: You wouldn’t find a man by acting like this.]

[Pei the Third: (┛⊙ω⊙)┛I choose to go die…]

***

When Yan clocked out of work, his steps were quick and light. His heart soared. However, his good mood only lasted until the moment he stepped through the apartment door.

There were two cups of water on the coffee table. YouRan was sitting alone on the sofa, spacing out with his head drooped. He didn’t even realise the door had opened.

Yan locked the door behind him and walked over to sit beside YouRan. “We had a guest? Who came?”

If it was He Yuan, YouRan wouldn’t have opened the door for the man, let alone serve him a glass of water. Anyway, He Yuan was currently hiding out in his private mansion to recover from his injuries. Someone was keeping an eye on him twenty-four seven. He couldn’t have come near this place. But He Yuan wasn’t close to anyone other than Yan, Pei and YiHan. There wouldn’t be anyone else visiting their home. From the state of YouRan, this guest’s arrival obviously didn’t make him happy.

YouRan was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of Yan’s voice. “You’re back,” he hurriedly said when he noticed Yan’s presence. “Are you hungry? I’ll go cook.”

Yan pulled the other man back down. “Who came?” he repeated once more as he glanced at the cups on the coffee table.

YouRan followed Yan’s haze to the cups of water. He bit down on his lip, hard.

Yan swiftly acted and saved YouRan’s lower lip from his teeth. “Was it an unwelcome guest?” he asked as he stroked YouRan’s abused lip. “Yan Miao?”

“No. It’s,” YouRan said with a bitter smile, “Chu FangMing.”

Yan was surprised. “Who?”

“Since you guys could find out about He Yuan, you should also know about Chu FangMing, right?” YouRan whispered. “Genetically speaking, he’s my father.”

Yan’s throat felt tight. “I thought…”

“You thought I didn’t know who my biological father was?” YouRan said. “I knew. My mother told me just before she passed away. She told me to stay away from him. If I ever see him, I must avoid him.”

Yan felt his heart ache. He wrapped his arms tight around YouRan. “Why is he here? Doesn’t he act like you don’t exist?”

YouRan sighed. “He said he was sorry. He’d only just found out about me and wanted me to return to the Chu family.”

“He can dream on!” Yan growled. But…

He looked down at YouRan, who was frowning, and asked, “What do you think? Do you want to be acknowledged as one of them?”

YouRan sighed once more. “Frankly, if you guys hadn’t appeared, I might’ve really been persuaded. But now…” YouRan paused and huffed in laughter. “I know that if you guys didn’t appear, he would never ever have talked to me.”

“No matter what you decide to do, I’ll always support you,” said Yan.

YouRan turned to look at Yan and smiled. “I think what we have now is great. I never knew what use I would have for a father. I’m an adult now. He’s even more unneeded.”

Yan pressed YouRan into his embrace as he said, “That’s right. You have me and that’s enough.”

YouRan softly hummed in response.

His eyes closed. He felt warm and safe, but…

Yan watched in confusion as YouRan reluctantly wrestled out of Yan’s embrace. The other man then wrapped his arms around Yan instead.

Yan who’d been forced into a cute and meek posture: “…” What’s the meaning of this?

YouRan: This is how a top should act. He must be careful. He can’t let Yan think his top was a soft and weak man!

***

The next day, it was as if someone threw an explosive into the chat group.

[Pei the Third: Nan Shan’s scummy father visited him?]

[Yan Yan: Mn. YouRan’s in an awfully bad mood.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Why did he visit?]

[Yan Yan: He wanted to acknowledge YouRan as his son and have YouRan return to the Chu family.]

[Pei the Third: Heh. Fat chance. Who does he think he is to visit Nan Shan?]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Why did he visit so suddenly? From what I know, that man knew Nan Shan was his son before Nan Shan was even born. But that man had never thought of getting custody of Nan Shan.]

[Mu JingYuan: It’s easy to see why. He must’ve noticed how close Nan Shan is to us. He wants to use Nan Shan’s connections to benefit the Chu family.]

[Pei the Third: Right. Chu FangMing was there at your engagement party. Nan Shan’s invisible father slipped our mind for the moment but who would’ve thought he’d dare to appear before Nan Shan?]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: What does Nan Shan think of this? He yearns for familial love, right? Even if he knows it’s all a ruse.]

[Yan Yan: Relax. He told me that he might’ve been swayed if we hadn’t appeared in his life. He wouldn’t be swayed now. He’s very rational. He knows what Chu FangMing’s motives are.]

[Pei the Third: *sob* Poor Nan Shan.]

[Yan Yan: Don’t worry. I’ll comfort him. But we can’t just let Chu FangMing be. That man is still Nan Shan’s father. If he kicks up a big fuss, it’ll be bad for YouRan.]

[Mu JingYuan: Don’t worry. It won’t be big.]

[Yan Yan: You can use forceful measures, but he is still YouRan’s father. It’d be bad if we’re too harsh on the man.]

[Mu JingYuan: Don’t let him continually harass Nan Shan. You can go straight to Chu FangMing with Nan Shan by your side. Sometimes, things are easier when everything’s out in the open.]

[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Qi Jie is only a branch family member of the Qi family. She has no authority in the Qi family. As time goes by, there are lesser avenues she can help Chu FangMing with. Decades have gone by. Chu FangMing’s position as the head of the Chu family is now secure. They’ve been slowly drifting apart. That should be why Chu FangMing dared to publicly ask to acknowledge Nan Shan as his son.]

[Yan Yan: YiHan’s right. Even if Qi Jie isn’t part of the main family, her surname is still Qi. She couldn’t have helped Chu FangMing fight for the right to be family head otherwise. She’s still not someone he can embarrass. Chu FangMing has spent too many years as the head of the family. His ego’s starting to inflate. He doesn’t know his own limits anymore.]

[HanHan’s Mu-Mu: That’s right. So we must let the Qi family know. We don’t care how they plan on punishing Chu FangMing but they must not affect Nan Shan in any way.]

[Pei the Third: Pfft!]

[Pei the Third: Mr Mu?]

[HanHan’s Mu-Mu: Mn.]

[Pei the Third: What’s with you? I mean your name… Okay, fine. I understand. You want to show off.]

[HanHan’s Mu-Mu: HanHan thinks this is better.]

[Pei the Third: No need to say any more. I get it. I shouldn’t have asked. This lonely, single lady has suffered 10,000 points of damage. /(ToT)/~~]

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