91. No More Hesitations

Warning: Potential sexual assault/rape trigger in the last few paragraphs. Proceed with caution after * symbol.

“So many people would pounce at a single wave of the Little Master Bai’s hand! Did you need to force me to? Do you know just how much I had to do, what I’ve paid, just to be able to get near you? I bore with the humiliation all for the Feng family! Look what you guys do to me in the end!” Feng Qun shouted in rage.

“For the Feng family?” YiHan sighed. “It’s for yourself, right? Your father has 5 illegitimate children, known to the public at least. You befriended me to fight for Feng family’s benefit. Was it really not so you can solidify your position as the heir?

“Even if you bore through all that “humiliation”, it was for the Feng family. Now you’re venting your anger on me. Do you think that’s fair?”

Feng Qun stomped back to YiHan to jerk the other’s chin up. “Little Master, oh, Little Master Bai, why are you so naive?” he asked with a smirk. “The world is never fair. Take for example yourself. You were lucky with your birth. Born in the Bai family, everyone loved you. From birth, you were placed on a pedestal high up in the clouds for everyone to worship. Me? I’m not your lesser in any way at all. I did so much, put in so much effort, only to have nothing today!”

YiHan looked away and twisted his chin out of Feng Qun’s grasp. He knew just how easily agitated Feng Qun was, how impulsive the other could be. There was no meaning in debating with him on what’s wrong and what’s right.

“No one can choose their birth,” YiHan said. “Since I’ve been born into the Bai family, then you’ll be faced with a bad end if you do anything to me.”

The other man gave a low and menacing chuckle. “Of course I know that,” he spat out. “But even if I do nothing to you now, would there be a good ending for me? You guys backed me into a corner with no path to survive. If anyone’s to blame, blame yourself!”

“So you’ve abducted me. I’m in your grasp. What can you even do? Ransom? You might live to obtain that money, but you’d never survive to spend it,” YiHan replied.

Feng Qun raised a hand and slapped YiHan across the face. He grabbed the tied-up man by his hair and pulled his head back, bending it so he could glare down at YiHan.

“Of course I know what the Bai family and Mu JingYuan, that man who’ll turn into a mad dog if anyone so much as snap one of your hair, will do to me,” Feng Qun said. “Now that I have you here, I don’t mind telling you. I never planned on letting you leave here alive. All I did today was for your death.

“I didn’t plan on doing this at the start. I was planning on sneaking out of this city and find a new place to rebuild myself. But then someone contacted me. He told me if I did this, if I killed you, he will send me overseas and give me a lump of money. While I might not be as successful then, at least I can live a life without worries. It would be much easier, much faster than a future where I don’t even know if I can build myself back up again. No? I’ve waited days. Finally, a chance appeared today. He’s behind everything today. The men, the money. Otherwise, even if I wanted to, I could do nothing about you. See? Not everyone likes you. Not everyone will protect you. There’ll be someone who’ll hate you, who wants you dead.”

YiHan pursed his lips and kept silent.

*

YiHan’s arms and legs were tied up. His hair was caught in a tight grip. The numerous times his face had been forcefully jerked up had left distinct bruises on his chin in the shape of fingers. This pose elongated his neck and made his fair and slender neck look even slimmer. From Feng Qun’s point of view, he could see YiHan’s beautiful and erotic collarbone peeking out from a slightly agape collar. YiHan’s pale lips were tightly pressed together. Those wide almond-shaped eyes were filled with hatred and disgust, yet the man was unable to struggle or resist in any way. If one were so inclined, YiHan’s entire being was so very seductive. The helpless beauty.

The man who’d been high up above where Feng Qun could never touch was now lying on the ground before him, helpless to his every whim. It made his blood throb with heat.

Feng Qun leaned in closed and slowly whispered into YiHan’s ear, “Bai YiHan. Little Master Bai. Do you know what I longed most for since the moment I first saw you? I wanted to push you down beneath me and fuck you. I want to fuck you so hard that you cry. Your looks, your body, they’re all what I like the most. Even the way you glance at other people in contempt was so very seductive. Just the thought of you begging me with tears in your eyes under me would make me as hard as can be.

“But who are you? You are the third son of the Bai family. So many people doted on you, protected you. I wouldn’t even dare to look at you any longer than I needed to. But now? What could make me hesitate anymore? You win some, you lose some. Right?”

Then, his tongue reached out and licked along YiHan’s ear.

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90. An Agitated Man, a Twisted Heart

After Feng Qun was done speaking, he stood up and threw a hard kick at YiHan’s abdomen.

“While I, Feng Qun, am not anyone grand in this city,” he barked out. “I grew up as a young master too. But I followed you for so long. You ordered me around. I had to come at a summon and leave with a wave, just like a dog! Have you ever thought of me as a human? One would become fond of even a dog after being together for so long. But you turn your back to me in an instant. Without a single word, you broke off all contact with me. You made it so I had to be mocked and laughed at by those lowly illegitimate brothers of mine about how I “lost your favour”. In that old fart’s birthday banquet, you ruined everything I had with a single scream! My father gave me up without hesitation. Those bitches ran away with all of my assets and money. All of my shops encountered difficulties. Not only that, I had to be beaten up in some dark alley and have all of my documents and cash stolen. Three of my bones were broken! They have yet to fully recover! If not for my only remaining watch, I don’t even have a place to live in! Bai YiHan, you ruined everything for me. Now, I have to scurry and hide like a street rat. Always afraid of being discovered by you “great people” and be utterly beaten down! You did this to me! Now, you dare ask me why?”

The more Feng Qun spoke, the angrier he got. By the end of his rant, he had kicked XiaoYu a few more times on the abdomen and legs.

YiHan did his best to curl into a ball to protect his organs. Once Feng Qun finished kicking, YiHan coughed. He suppressed the blood he could smell coming up his throat.

“You should know that I’m not the one behind everything afterwards,” YiHan said.

Feng Qun smirked. “I know,” he said. “It’s Chen TianYang. But is there a difference? He only did it for your dear sister? Because that slut used too much force when strangling me so one of her nails snapped, he shut off all of my paths to survival. He even hired men to break three of my bones! What a lovestruck fool. Oh, the Bai family are all deities! They’re humans! Am I not a human then?”

When YiHan heard that, he was internally ecstatic for his sister. Chen TianYang really did adore XueQing to his core. They will be very happy together.

YiHan twitched and gradually shifted his body to ease up the pain in his stomach.

Like a cornered beast, Feng Qun paced around in a circle.

“I followed behind you like a loyal Labrador,” Feng Qun angrily scoffed. “How much humiliation did I suffer for that? I’ve been the Feng family’s tool and slave for years. I became your dog for them, so the Feng family could have an ally in the Bai family. But you guys? How did you guys treat me? A single yelp and my father, that old coot, just gave up on me! He watched as I was cornered into an unwinnable situation by Chen TianYang’s men, as they pummelled me into a hospital. Yet he didn’t dare to say anything! Don’t you guys feel any guilt when you look at me?”

“About the Feng family, your father, I know nothing,” YiHan slowly said. “But you’re the young master of the Feng family. You grew up well-dressed and well-fed. Servants heeded your every order. You lived in luxury. These were all given to you by the Feng family. Then, when you grow up, it is your duty to give back to your family in return. There’s no such thing as being their “tool and slave”. Your father gave you up because your relationship with him isn’t strong enough. What do I have to do with it? As for me, I thought of you as my friend. You did so many vile and evil deeds in my name, ruined my reputation. Have I ever interrogated you over that? Have I ever said anything when you used my name to reap benefits for the Feng family? You think it’s a humiliation to follow me but think about it. Have I ever forced you to stay by my side?”

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89. Nightmare

A passer-by saw a few men helping a young man, seemingly drunk, into a silver van in an alleyway nearby. Unfortunately, the witness didn’t take any photos and the surveillance cameras at that area weren’t working. The Bai and Mu families, and the police force chased the trail down and eventually found their target van abandoned in the outskirts of the city.

It was left in a very remote place where there were no cameras around. Naturally, no one was around to see who abandoned the van or when it was abandoned. The car’s engine was still warm, which meant it wasn’t left behind that long ago. But where did they take YiHan? There were no more clues.

With their clues leading to a dead end, the Bai and Mu family members, the police force and Chen TianYang, who had swiftly rushed over when he heard the news, were all frustrated. To their surprise, it was a thorough young policeman, who had only followed along as an assistant, who found some fresh and reddish mud stuck in the tyres’ grooves. He said that this type of dirt can only ever be found in a specific area east of the city. He had been a playful boy and went there once when he’d discovered this specific dirt. The red colour wasn’t obvious and if one didn’t carefully inspect it, it was hard to differentiate it from any other dirt. He was so very proud that he had noticed this colour difference while no one else did. He felt as if he was as sharp as lightning and had the potential to be a godlike detective. Combined with his boyish wish to be a hero, he had aspired to be a reputable policeman. Thus, that area and its special dirt colour were always in his mind.

With a new lead, everyone gathered their spirits and restarted their search.

As for YiHan, he really was being held in that specific area. On that piece of land with mud tinted red was an abandoned logistics warehouse. YiHan was thrown onto the dusty floor with his limbs all tied up.

His fingers twitched as he slowly regained consciousness. He remembered being separated from his mother as rabid fans rushed by. He was worried his mother would be squished and trampled on. As he focused on the need to get to her, someone covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief soaked in something strong and he fainted.

From the cold, hard floor beneath him and the numbing sensation seeping into his limbs from ropes bound too tightly, he wasn’t in a good situation. But this never happened in his past life. He hesitantly opened his eyes.

Above him came a mean and evil voice that he could and would never ever forget. “Hey, Little Master Bai. Awake at last?”

YiHan’s eyes shot wide open in horror He twisted his head to look up as best as he could. There, sitting in a chair before him, was his everlasting nightmare, Feng Qun!

His pupils shrank from fear. The blood in his face swiftly drained away. Even his lips had turned pale and colourless.

Feng Qun was very satisfied with his reaction. He walked over and knelt down before YiHan. He reached out and tilted YiHan’s chin up even further.

“Afraid?” he asked with a wicked smirk. “I’m so very sorry. Your body is so precious yet we crudely threw you on the floor. That was disrespectful of me, but I had no choice. Because of you, I, Feng Qun, have nothing now. You’ll have to be more forgiving due to my circumstances.”

By this lifetime, YiHan wasn’t the sheltered and naive little master of the Bai family he used to be anymore. He suppressed the terror he felt for Feng Qun. Repeatedly, he told himself this wasn’t his past life, that he had to calm down.

“You should know that no matter what happens to me, by abducting me, you will never have a place in this city. Can you tell me just what made you decide to exile yourself?”

Feng Qun’s head tilted sideways as he stared at YiHan. After a moment, he walked back to his chair and sat on it.

“You overcame your fear that quickly?” Feng Qun commented. “I have underestimated you. Why, you ask? Hah. Do you really not know?”

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88. Search and Rescue

“Shortly after you left, Mr Mu,” the man over the phone said. “The Little Master went out with Madam Bai. They went to the shopping district in a car. It was very crowded so we could only follow from afar. Then, we passed by a group of performers surrounded by a lot of people. By the time we squeezed our way past the crowd, he was gone. Madam Bai is now in our protection but it was such a messy situation. The crowd forced them apart and the Madam didn’t know when the Little Master disappeared. She’s currently in great distress.”

“You couldn’t find him anywhere nearby? No other clues?” JingYuan asked.

“We’ve searched everywhere but there was not a single trace of him. However, someone did spot a few men carrying a young man who seemed to be asleep into a man.”

Blood drained from JingYuan’s face. “Then? What did you find?” he shot through gritted teeth.

“All our men are on the case. Our investigation will soon bear fruit. I think it should be that van. This was a premeditated abduction,” the bodyguard said.

“Use everyone we can. It must be swift. I’ll be there soon,” JingYuan sternly barked. His voice was so cold that it could freeze water.

JingYuan hung up and turned to the Bai family. “HanHan was kidnapped,” he said.

The three Bai family could guess what had happened from what they could hear of the call, but their fears were now confirmed. There was no hope it wasn’t true.

“Didn’t you say HanHan was at home?” XueQing angrily asked.

JingYuan’s face turned gloomy and his eyes were red. “My men said that soon after I drove off, he left the house with Aunt Bai,” he replied. He repeated what he knew of the current situation, then turned to Bai FuRen. “She’s very upset right now. You had best head back to comfort her. Yan, XueQing, we must combine the might of our two families and find HanHan as fast as possible. In his state, he can’t be agitated anymore!”

“I’ll go call the old Mr Yan,” FuRen said. “YiHan made a good impression on him. During the birthday party, the old Mr Yan protected him so much. The Yan family has ties in the government. The police would definitely be much more effective if the old Mr Yan speaks up!”

“Will he help us?” Yan asked.

“We’ll only know once we try,” FuRen replied.

The Bai and Mu families threw themselves into a tense search and rescue operation. Everyone had a dark and brooding face on. Their pace so swift that winds were born. The most unexpected thing to arise from it all was that the old Mr Yan actually helped them.

The Bai and Mu families were powerful enough that the police were already under high pressure. While YiHan had yet to go missing for over twenty-four hours, they’d already arranged for a team to solely tackle this case. When the old Mr Yan spoke to the police, the mountain putting pressure on the police force only grew. They assigned all the elite members they could to this case. Through rigorous investigation, they soon found a lead.

YiHan went missing at the outskirts of the performing group. The store had hired several great celebrities to help out with the event and they had a lot of fans. Every single inch of the area was packed with people passionately cheering for their stars. Many of them had already lost their sense to the cheering. If one wanted to get across this area, they’d had to loop around them.

YiHan only came out this time because he wasn’t strong enough to keep his objections up against his mother’s requests to go shopping with her. JingYuan told him to stay at home and wait for him. He wanted to be home before JingYuan did. Thus, he didn’t want to waste any more time by circling around the crowd or by driving off to somewhere else. The mother-son duo had a discussion, before deciding to wade through the crowd at the outer rings of the group. But then a group of rabid fans charged over all of a sudden and forced them away from their bodyguards and from each other. By the time JingYuan’s men and the Bai family bodyguards could grab Ma and pull her out of the crowd, YiHan was nowhere to be seen.

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87. Little Master’s Missing

FuRen paused and considered. “What JingYuan said makes sense,” he said after a while. “We’ve all been trapped by the stubborn assumption it’s ‘useless’ land. Now that I’ve reconsidered it, it’s very likely the heart of the city would shift in the future.”

“In that case, we…” started Yan.

“Unfortunately, the Bai family isn’t into property investment,” FuRen interrupted.

“Truthfully, the southern suburbs are too big. The Mu Group can’t handle it all alone. If you have any intention on trying your hand, why don’t we work together and nab the land first? Even if it never comes to anything, we wouldn’t lose too much if we wash our hands of the land then. It’ll be a gamble that can also make HanHan smile,” JingYuan said.

XueQing: “…” Making HanHan smile would be the main point, wouldn’t it?

“Okay. You go get your team to prepare the documents,” FuRen eventually agreed with a nod.

JingYuan nodded. “Any development regarding HanHan’s matter?” he then asked.

“No,” FuRen replied with a frown. “We’ve only found out the Qi family had contacted Feng Qun once. In the end, that was all. Afterwards, they did nothing. We need to re-evaluate the Qi family son. He did something to HanHan without any of us noticing. We can’t find out what happened even now. He’s definitely a complicated guy.”

“Could it be we were wrong? Qi MingYang wasn’t the one behind this after all?” XueQing proposed.

“He’d been in contact with Feng Qun. Usually, someone like Feng Qun wouldn’t bother about some proud, egotistical man like Qi MingYang. The man specifically contacted Feng Qun. He must’ve been aiming for HanHan. Only, this pawn was rendered useless,” JingYuan said.

Then, JingYuan expanded into his guess of how not every single part of the mental manipulation could be controlled.

XueQing perked up. “That means as long as we protect Lil Bro well and make him comprehend the vast difference between reality and the ‘dream’, he can recover without us needing to capture the enemy?”

FuRen let out a sigh of relief. “I’ve been searching for an expert in hypnotism, but those are for too rare. I couldn’t find anyone. I was thinking if the only chance we have of healing HanHan would be to make the opponent act first. If it’s really as you guess, we can relax a little.”

“Father’s right,” Yan said. The cold hard lines on his  face softened. “As long as HanHan is okay, we won’t have to hold back.”

“So when HanHan wants me to buy the land and I’d buy it, he was so very happy,” JingYuan proudly stated.

The Bai trio: “…” So it was because of HanHan! That entire speech and debate was just so he could convince himself? But they had to admit. JingYuan doted on HanHan to the extreme. Not even his family could do any better than JingYuan.

FuRen patted JingYuan on the shoulder and said nothing. Thanks wasn’t enough for this. He can only hope that once his younger son recovered, the boy could understand just how much effort his brother-in-law put in for his sake, that the boy would be grateful to JingYuan.

Just then, JingYuan’s phone rang. The man glanced at it. It was the man he’d arranged to secretly follow YiHan as the younger man went about his day. JingYuan’s heart sank. He swiftly answered the call.

“What is it?” JingYuan barked.

“Mr Mu, Little Master’s missing.”

JingYuan instantly shot to his feet. “What did you say?” he roared.

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86. Love Makes One Blind

YiHan’s hands shot up to cover his mouth. Love really made one blind. Even the ever logical and calm JingYuan couldn’t resist it. He would actually make that kind of decision just because YiHan said so. He was exactly like the foolish and lustful emperors of old!

And he, Bai YiHan, was the demonic concubine, no, man who seduced the emperor to misdeed.

Over the phone, Chen Hong placed down the phone blaring out the bland tone of an unavailable number.

“Love. It really makes one blind. Thank goodness the boss had already made the company a vessel of his will. Otherwise, this proposal would never pass. Really, it’s just like how King You of Zhou made fools of his ministers just for Baosi’s smile,” Chen Hong bitterly chuckled.

Hopefully this Little Master Bai wouldn’t disappoint his boss. He wouldn’t know just what JingYuan would resort to if that really happened.

Chen Hong looked up only to find the secretary, young Gao Zheng, staring at him in confusion. Hong patted the other on the should.

“Little Gao,” he sighed heavily. “You must be prudent with love. Loving someone meant you’ve placed the knife capable to killing you in their hands. It won’t be up to you whether you live or die anymore.”

Gorgeous lady Little Gao who changed boyfriends as fast as one changed clothes: “…” Was he sick?

***

After that day out riding with Chen TianYang, YiHan had hung out with the other a few more times. The more they spent time together, the more YiHan liked the man. With his buff of being loved just because of the other’s beloved, YiHan already thought of the other man as his brother-in-law. After repeated testings, he was sure of it. Chen TianYang had fallen head over heels for XueQing.

Just as someone once said, the two things hardest to hide in the world were coughs and love. Every time the man talked about XueQing, his voice left no one questioning just what TianYang thought of her. YiHan’s doubts were soothed. From the looks of it, there was only one last step to the plan. He just had to encourage TianYang to push past the thin boundary separating the two and XueQing’s love would be realised.

Bai Group Tower.

FuRen, Yan, XueQing and JingYuan were all sitting in a meeting room.

XueQing spoke up first. “JingYuan, is our brother okay with you out here?”

“He’s home,” JingYuan replied. “I said I had some work to deal with at the office. Before I left, I told him not to leave the house until I return. Aunt Bai is also home.” He paused. “She still doesn’t know about HanHan, right?”

“My wife has a weak body and loved her son as if he was her life,” FuRen said with a nod. “I didn’t tell her so she wouldn’t worry too much. Right. I heard the real estate company under you has been low-key purchasing land in the southern suburbs. Is that true?”

“Yes,” JingYuan replied.

“What made you think of doing that?” Yan asked. “Did you hear of something?”

“No. HanHan told me it would become a land worth its weight in gold,” JingYuan said.

The three Bai family members: “…”

JingYuan glanced at the same blank face dominating the Bai family’s faces.

“HanHan was so very serious when he talked about it, and he was so frustrated about it,” JingYuan said with smile. “That wasn’t good. Once I made the decision to purchase the land, he visibly brightened up. It was clear he was very confident of the worth of the place.”

XueQing couldn’t hold back anymore. “JingYuan, you should know this might also be part of the “future” he dreamed of. He might feel it’s real, but that might not happen in reality.”

“It’s fine,” JingYuan said. “Actually, I’ve got some plans for the area. I was just being conservative and didn’t make a move first. Every inch of this city is worth its weight in gold. How could there be a ‘useless’ part of town? Especially such large suburbs. It’d be an insult to even say it’s an ownerless land up for grabs. It must be the opposite. Such a huge land must have its uses. I’m purchasing it at a low price now. Perhaps a surprise will really be waiting for me in the future.”

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85. You Believe Me Just Like That?

YiHan tugged at a corner of a blanket and hummed an affirmative sound. He didn’t know what to say. In his last life, the old Mr Yan acted first. He had the advantage of being early and bought half of all the available areas. He earned so much from it that the entire Yan Group was significantly stronger for it. The remaining crumbs left by the Yan family was enough to produce batches after batches of real estate kings.

The five great families of the city were the Yan family, the Bai family, the Mu family, the Chen family and the Qi family. While there weren’t many differences on the surface, in reality, some of them were stronger than the others. The Yan family was like a great, old oak. It had many branches and dominated both in business and in politics. It was already stronger than the other four families. After eating such a big slice of cake, it jumped straight up to be the top dog of the city. The Mu family slowly shifted its focus overseas because JingYuan went overseas. As Qi Kun was ill and Qi MingYang was a young man who wasn’t crafty enough yet, they were rather weak. The Chen family had lost its heir, so they weren’t stable. But then, the Bai family got into trouble. The Qi and Chen family each took a slice of the Bai family’s pie, rapidly building themselves up. In the end, only three major forces were left in the city.

Now that he was reborn, he had only thought that his family would be fine as long as he didn’t try and commit suicide. He never thought about helping his family get stronger, to be so strong that no one else would dare touch them. Among the five great families, the Bai family was the simplest of them all. There weren’t a lot of them and they didn’t have any political ties of their own. This was a fatal wound. That was why even though the Bai family was strong in YiHan’s last life, it was still toppled over by other forces working together. As they say, a strong man trumps over ten martial artists. One had nothing to fear as long as they were stronger than the others. As for YiHan, he would never be the “soft spot” of the Bai family ever again.

The Bai family was gobbled up by the Qi and Chen family but they could only rise to the Yan family’s equal in the end. It was obvious just how beneficial the southern suburbs were.  In that case, if the Mu and Bai families could seize this chance, they’d definitely grow to be much stronger. Then, they wouldn’t be so easily toppled. As for the Chen family, as long as TianYang was kept alive and he truly loved XueQing, then the two families would unite to be a single family with no grudges between them at all. From then on, only the Qi family would be left among their enemies. They wouldn’t be able to do much. At the thought of that, an urge began rising in YiHan’s mind.

However, just how could he convince his family and JingYuan that the southern suburbs, the “useless lands” would turn into a treasure trove? That’s the main question.

In JingYuan’s eyes, YiHan had went silent all of a sudden. A great frown overtook the younger man’s face. Who knew what was going on in his mind? JingYuan started getting nervous. He had been traumatised by the incident where YiHan had mental breakdown while clutching at a shard of glass.

“What are you thinking about?” JingYuan asked in the softest voice he could muster. “Can you talk to me about it?”

YiHan snapped back from his thoughts and stared at JingYuan with wide eyes.

“If I say,” YiHan started in a what-do-I-have-to-lose tone. “The southern suburbs would turn into land so precious that every inch would be worth its weight in gold, that there’s a limitless business opportunity there, would you believe me?”

JingYuan let loose a soft sigh of relief. “Why wouldn’t I believe you?” he said. “Did you receive some sort of news?”

YiHan shook his head. JingYuan tilted his head up and pecked him on the lips.

“You felt a business opportunity there?” JingYuan gently asked.

YiHan looked back dazedly. Felt a business opportunity? He had no such skill.

“I just feel that there must be some sort of potential in it,” YiHan replied.

JingYuan lightly chuckled. He rubbed his cheek against YiHan’s before rising and picking up his phone.

“Chen Hong,” JingYuan said into the phone after dialling a number into it. “Take a look at the company’s finances. We’ll buy as many of the southern suburbs’ lands as we can afford to.”

“Don’t ask that many questions. Just do as I say,” JingYuan continued.

Then, he hung up, only to look up and see YiHan’s eyes had went as wide as saucers. A smile burst out of him at that sight. He walked over to tap the other on the tip of the nose.

“What’s with your expression? Is it that shocking?” JingYuan asked with a low chuckle.

“You believe me just like that?” YiHan was stunned.

“Of course,” JingYuan stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “As if you would hurt me.”

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84. President Mu’s Request for Help

Tao Qi was standing right there, yet HanHan didn’t recognise her at all. And when JingYuan had went over, he looked so very happy. That had made him let out a tiny sigh of relief. HanHan really did liked him!

JingYuan thought back to YiHan’s responses last night. In bed, the other man would always make him feel like he could do anything he wanted to. Subconsciously, his lips curved into a gentle smile. But then, he recalled how YiHan would always awkwardly dodge his attempts at being affectionate. His mood instantly drooped. He pondered and wondered. In the end, he pulled his phone out and started a thread on an anonymous forum.

HELP: My boyfriend constantly switches between being affectionate and cold, but when we make love, he’d spoil me and let me do what I want. Does he love me or not? Waiting online.

JingYuan waited a few minutes before he refreshed the page and a slew of comments appeared below his question.

Dearest.Doggy: OP, are you asking for help or showing off?

Doggy: OP’s showing off! Not going to help!

Green.Grass.Growing.On.Your.Head: Showing off +1

Undies.in.the.Wind: Does this need explaining? Humans might try and cover up in their daily lives, but they’d be very honest when making love. If he didn’t love you, why would he spoil you? Say, how is he spoiling you?

Prettiest.Flower.in.the.Sky: Miss, you’ve got to communicate with him. Girls need to feel safe. If that keeps going on, anyone would be exhausted!

No.One.Wants.a.Wild.Chrysanthemum: Upstairs, are you mistaken? OP is clearly a guy!

Prettiest.Flower.in.the.Sky: Upstairs, are you blind? OP said. Boy. Friend!

Glamorous.Chrisanthemum: Haha, upstairs, have you never heard of a species called gays? Hurry away from here. Be careful. You might open up to a brand new world!

Prettiest.Flower.in.the.Sky: Brand new world, my ass. Same-sex marriage has been legal for years. I just didn’t think of it!

Glamorous.Chrisanthemum: My analysis, OP is top!

Flexing.Love: OP, your boyfriend is such a great bf!

I.am.the.Greatest.Top: Don’t worry, OP. He loves you very much, that’s for sure. Mouths may lie but bodies don’t. Most people go with their instinctive reactions when making love. They’re the most honest then.

Forever.Alone.Dog: Forever alone person passing by. It’s very unethical to flex your relationship before those who are single. OP, you’re a beast!

Sunflower: OP just wanted to show off his boyfriend. Analysis complete!

JingYuan scrolled and scrolled. He read every single reply. Buried under a bunch of random information, he found the answer he was seeking: HanHan loved him very much.

He smiled and closed the page. HanHan’s changes might very well be due to those vague mental manipulations twisting his mind and traumatising him. None of that mattered though. He’d stay by HanHan’s side until the other was completely free and happy.

***

The moment YiHan opened his eyes, he saw JingYuan sitting by his bedside. The man was spacing out while staring at him. YiHan’s face flushed pink.

“What time is it?” YiHan asked in a rather hoarse voice.

JingYuan helped YiHan to sit up and held him close.

“It’s noon,” he replied with a warm smile. “Are you hungry?”

YiHan laid a hand across his stomach and lightly pressed on it.

“I’m not hungry,” he said, shaking his head. “Why aren’t you at work?”

“I have so many employees in my company. Must I still do everything myself? What? You don’t like me staying behind to be with you?” JingYuan said.

YiHan cleared his throat and mumbled, “I do. Why would I not? It’d be great if you never left.”

“What did you say?” JingYuan asked, leaning in close.

“Nothing. I said nothing.” YiHan smiled. He paused, then asked in a tentative tone, “The Mu Group is into real estate, right?”

“Yes,” JingYuan replied after giving the other a peck on the lips. “Why the sudden interest? I heard from your mother you’ve been looking into the southern suburbs lately. Is that right?”

Translator’s Notes:

1. Waiting online: This phrase would usually be followed by “urgent” and commonly meant the OP needed answers now (as a way to push other users to answer). However, it’s now become so common, and redundant, that it’s more used to convey the OP’s desire to get answers.
2. My analysis/analysis complete: It’s a Chinese meme. MTL might say “identification is complete” or “certification accomplished”. Source of meme is a bunch of people on the internet certifying breasts from popular online celebrities (presumably for fake breasts/plastic surgery). People then used it for other purposes.

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83. Is It Coincidence?

YiHan fainted from overexertion. He didn’t know how long JingYuan went on for. He wasn’t able to get out of bed at all the next morning. Thankfully, he had worse bouts of lazing in bed. He also had a really bad temper when woken up, so no one came to disturb him. Otherwise, his relationship with JingYuan could’ve been easily exposed.

JingYuan had grabbed a bowl of congee from the kitchen and fed it to YiHan by his bed for breakfast. Then, he soothed YiHan to sleep again before, finally, heading back to his own guest bedroom.

He took out his phone and called a number in his contacts. “Chen Hong, look into a woman for me. Tao Qi. I want all information on her within three days. Also, how’s the investigation into Feng Qun going?”

“There’s nothing special about Feng Qun. He’s not particularly good at anything, but he really did know how to have fun and enjoy himself. He would play anything, do anything. If I really have to pinpoint something suspicious about him, it would be the incident roughly a month ago when someone secretly contacted him,” Chen Hong responded from the other end of the phone call.

JingYuan’s gaze sharpened. “Who is it?”

“The person wasn’t familiar to me, but I followed the leads and found him to be someone from the Qi family’s branch family. However, nothing really came from that secret meetup as Feng Qun never did anything afterwards. Not long after, Little Master broke off all ties with Feng Qun and the Qi family withdrew,” Chen Hong replied.

“The Qi family…” JingYuan’s voice went low. “Just as I thought. It’s them. They bribed Feng Qun. They had schemes in place against HanHan, but then when they saw HanHan ignoring Feng Qun for good, they gave up on that path.”

“That should be it,” Hong said.

“Put the matter of Feng Qun aside for now. Investigate Tao Qi. I want to know every single thing about her. From her childhood to now, from her family’s situation and all the way to who she knows.”

“Yes, Mr Mu,” Chen Hong said in a very professional tone.

“Also, teach the group of rich kids led by Li Sun a lesson. Make them know their own limits so they won’t ever upset HanHan again.”

“Yes, Mr Mu,” Chen Hong repeated.

JingYuan hung up and a dark cloud overtook his face. It was the Qi family behind the scheme against his little one. However, they’ve already bought over Feng Qun. Why did they paint him as the villain while hypnotising HanHan then? Not only would it kill off one of their pawns, it’d tip the Bai family off. It made no sense. If it’s Qi MingYang behind it, why would such a minor mistake be made? The other man was a very careful and thorough man.

Could the mistake be caused by something out of the other’s control?

Perhaps the hypnotism could be completely controlled. There were many tiny details about it that could be emphasised by HanHan’s subconscious. HanHan was already cautious about Feng Qun. After that escalated, of course the younger man thought the other was a villain. This was the only explanation that made some sort of sense as of now.

If that was the case, that meant the hypnotism wasn’t invincible. Once real life turned out to be drastically different to what happened while HanHan was hypnotised, once HanHan felt cared for and safe, then he would be able to separate dream from reality!

As JingYuan pondered, he let out a soft sigh. While an obedient little HanHan was very cute, it made his heart ache so much. He would rather have his HanHan turn back into the sensitive, easily frazzled little porcupine from before than to see his lost gaze with tears streaking down his cheeks again.

JingYuan’s mind flashed back to YiHan on that morning. Hands dripping with blood. Glass shard raised. Tears rolling down his cheeks. Two soulless eyes blankly staring back at him. JingYuan’s heart throbbed. TianYang was correct. If he loved someone, he must protect them from a role as close to the other as possible. It would be extremely dangerous to let anyone else be in that role! (TianYang: That’s not what I meant!)

That Tao Qi…

JingYuan squinted his eyes. She’s not as simple and naive as she looked. She could keep a leash on a mean dog like Li Sun. How could she be simple? She acted so pure and naive that even he was nearly taken in. Was her appearance truly a coincidence?

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82. Female Lead of the World

Li Sun let out an evil chuckle. He twisted his fingers around the girl’s chin and raised her face to look up at him.

“Of course. As long as I still have money to my name, of course you’ll like me,” he said.

The girl blinked. Her eyes as innocent and pure as always.

Sun just loved the way she’d put on an act. The maniac fire burning in him slowly died down at  the look on her face. He can’t not calm down. Any one of the three men in the club could easily squash him to death. If they never fall from grace, he’d never have a chance to pay back for the slight.

At that thought, his arm roughly pinched at the girl’s waist. She let out a pained squeal. He let out a loud laugh.

That night, because Li Sun was still fuming inside, what happened in bed was very crass, rough and painful. It took every trick in her sleeves to finally satisfy him with her service.

Li Sun slept beside her like a dead pig. There was not a single inch on her that wasn’t burning with pain, especially that spot below. The girl shot him a venomous glare. This foolish pig who only dared to bully the weak and kowtow to the strong! Once the plot started developing and she grew stronger, he would be the first to die! His corpse would be left in pieces!

She then recalled the sight she saw today. A hint of unease stirring in her heart. Things didn’t seem to be developing as the novel said it would. Why were the three of them together? They seemed to be friends too. This was not how it went in the book! Also, there’s that mini-boss, Feng Qun. While he was already dead by the time the story started, but that was after he’d completed all the plot points and had been stabbed to death by Bai YiHan just before he died too! But now, Feng Qun’s already out of the game while Bai YiHan was still doing okay. Just what went wrong? Did her transmigration affect the storyline? It’s all the transmigration’s fault. She entered into the novel too early. The proper story had yet to start. The event happening now were just pre-novel setups. The part of the story that the author merely summarised in a few sentences with no specifics at all.

However, so what if the story’s been warped? What if her transmigration affected it? She was a reader who knew everything that would happen in this story. She was also this world’s female lead. Did the universe think she couldn’t pacify a group of ignorant natives acting out?

Her mind flashed to the male lead, Mu JingYuan. His gentlemanly manners. His strong aura. Her heart raced in delight. Mu JingYuan. The male protagonist of this world. This man who was so strong that he could easily make anyone and everyone bow to him. He could only be hers!

***

Bai Family.

The male protagonist of the world, who was so strong he could make anyone and everyone bow to him, was currently sneaking into YiHan’s bedroom in the middle of the night from the guest bedroom next door. He kissed YiHan awake and the couple did some shameful things.

This time, YiHan was completely sober. It had a great impact on him mentally. He had never ever felt as close to JingYuan as he did then. While life had turned on its head after his rebirth, and his relationship with JingYuan had changed drastically, plus JingYuan had also properly confessed his love to him, YiHan’s past life still had a tight hold on him. JingYuan’s past rejection and departure had been something bothering him the whole time. It was why he was unable to fully accept what was happening. Nothing felt like it was real. Everything was so perfect that it all felt like a one-sided fantasy of his. He was always afraid he’d wake up one day and find out everything was just a dream. All of that dreamlike quality dissipated with JingYuan’s tight embrace, with how close they were to each other, the negative distance between them. Under the dim light of his wall lamp, he could clearly see every inch of the passionate gaze rushing at him and washing away his fears. The thrilling sensation of his body being taken was unmistakable. JingYuan’s heavy pants. His blazing lips. They made his entire body tremble. He watched as JingYuan lost control. Love took over YiHan. He couldn’t resist it anymore. He leaned up to kiss the other and embraced JingYuan’s neck. His legs lifted and wrapped around the other’s waist. YiHan’s spirited response pushed JingYuan over the edge and his body went berserk…

Translator’s Note:

Welp, this story had definitely slipped past the censors. Fun!

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