121. The Conclusion of Wei Quan’s Case

“This is your destiny!” Tao Qi shrieked. “You’re all just characters in a book! Your fate is what it is! None of what you said is my doing anyway!”

“Yes,” YiHan agreed. “Except for this car crash, you didn’t cause the rest of it. You merely craved for them to happen once more. When those events didn’t occur as you wished, you’d personally act and pushed us all back towards the path you said fate has paved for us. Isn’t it so? You think we’re just names in a book you’ve read. We’re not made of flesh and blood. We don’t have emotions. Yes?”

“Don’t act all accusatory,” Tao Qi rebuked in dissatisfaction. “I’ve not done anything wrong. I’ve told you. This is your fate!”

YiHan didn’t burst into rage at that, instead he laughed, “Fate? I’ve also told you; character is destiny. There’s nothing in this world that can’t be changed. Difference choices lead to different results. A tiny butterfly flapping its wings could start a hurricane. Tao Qi, aren’t you curious? How did I know of Wei Quan’s actions the moment he acted? How did I appear in time to stop him?”

His lips twisted into a smile and he softly said, “Don’t think of yourself as the master of the world. You’re not the only one who can predict the future. I’ve had my men keep an eye on that Wei Quan for a while now. The second he stepped out of that door, I was notified. How could he have succeeded? You want to be the female lead? Not while being so naive.”

Tao Qi’s eyes were bulging out of their sockets by now. “You’re also a transmigrator?” she asked, voice trembling. “No wonder everything’s wrong. It’s all because of you, isn’t it? You changed the story! You’re the one who’d been targeting me this whole time!”

YiHan’s white teeth flashed in a bizarre grin. “I’m not some transmigrator,” he mysteriously said. “I’m just a mean ghost that’s crawled out of the depths of hell.” He paused. “Tell me, why would I repeat the same dance? As for you, I didn’t even know of your existence before I saw you. Who’d have the time to plot and scheme against you? I’d let it go if you were willing to behave and use your own advantages to make yourself a millionaire. However, you’re so obsessed with killing me off. Do you think I’d obediently tie myself up and wait for death?”

Tao Qi looked at YiHan in shock. “You’re…the original Bai YiHan?” she spat out through quivering teeth. Her chest heaved as her breaths came out in harsh pants. “You died and were reborn?”

“That’s right,” YiHan’s eyes coldly bore into her eyes. They were filled to the brim with terror. “You react fast. Is it because you too had gone through the same inexplicable events? Did it make you extremely sensitive to such matters? What unfortunate coincidence. The tragedy you hoped would happen involves those I hold dear. Hence, we’re destined to be enemies to the bitter end. Tao Qi, in this world, we cannot co-exist. If you want them to suffer, then I want you dead!”

The basement was freezing cold. The dim light shone down on Bai YiHan’s ghastly face. Tao Qi couldn’t help but think of the man’s death in the novel, those sentences describing his corpse, and then link those descriptions to the man standing before her. She felt as if she was really looking at a gruesome corpse, one standing right before her. Her face was already pale from the torment she’d been through in the past few days. The horror she felt now had turned it to an ashy grey. She let out a piercing shriek.

“Why do you want to hurt me?” she yelled, her voice hoarse. “I’m not the one who killed you! Don’t hurt me! I didn’t kill you! This is a book’s world! I just want you all to follow the plot! I just want to be the female lead! Was I wrong? You changed the story on your whim! You’ll definitely be punished!”

She screamed. She cried. Her body twisted in a futile attempt to curl up but because she’d been tied to the chair, she couldn’t move anything but her head. She rabidly struggled. She used up all the strength she could muster to stay away from Bai YiHan. When one was desperate with fear, that’s when they unleash their greatest potential. Her furious struggles toppled the heavy wooden chair she was on, bringing her along with it to the ground. There, on the ground, she continued her fervent wriggling, trying her best to inch back just a little more.

YiHan sat back down on his chair and silently watched her. He sat there still as a statue until she finally ran out of strength, until she could no longer cry.

Only then, did he speak, “Tao Qi, to you, we are all just names in your so-called book. We’re not humans made of flesh and blood. But to me, my family and lover are all precious existences, and I was reborn to protect them.

“My death and rebirth had made me understand there perhaps might really exist an energy we can’t comprehend or explain. If it really does exist, then I believe it didn’t bring me back to have tragedy repeat itself. It would want me to turn it around. Your transmigration might really be your chance to change your life. Unfortunately, you’re too greedy. It’s why you’re here now with all your plans coming to nothing.

“Do no wrong by me and I won’t do wrong by others. Tao Qi, I never once thought of killing anyone but you have crossed the line. I can’t let you go on any longer. In this world, either you die or I do!”

Tao Qi stared blankly up at him. Her snot-and-tear-stained face was once more covered in tears.

YiHan packed up the toolbox he’d brought with him, turned, and walked away towards the exit of the basement. He didn’t spare a single glance for the woman on the floor. When he reached the door, he paused.

He slowly turned his head around, eyes barely looking at the stunned woman, and said, “Thank you for telling me what happened afterwards.”

He then straightened himself and pressed the bell by the door. Light slowly spilled into the room as the door opened. Face welcoming the light, step by step, YiHan walked out.

The basement was quiet once more. If not for the lightbulb still shining, one might’ve thought it was all just a hallucination. Tao Qi laid there on the floor. Images flashed through her mind as her emotions flickered between glazed astonishment and hysteria. She’d recall the joy she felt upon realising she’d transmigrated. She’d recall the ecstasy she’d felt at living in a mansion, owning luxury brand goods she’d never dared dream of owning. She’d recall the humiliation she’d suffered under Li Sun and Wei Quan. She’d recall the insidious and terrifying Bai YiHan. Finally, her mind settled on the kindly faces of her parents prior to her transmigration.

Tears rolled down her face once more. In this very moment, she missed her parents in another world more than ever. She finally understood it now. This world might mean she could be a female lead with all of the role’s glory and power, but it also meant she could never have someone who loved her as unconditionally as her parents. Deep in her heart, she knew even if she got married to the male lead after Bai YiHan’s death, all she’d obtain would be the name of being Madam Mu.

Back when she read the novel, she thought the cold, aloof and unromantic male lead was just even-tempered and socially awkward. Laughably, she even thought such a man would be very cool. It was only when she encountered the true Mu JingYuan, the one with Bai YiHan by his side, did she realise this man could also be kind and gentle. The man’s heart already had an owner. It was impossible for anyone else to step a foot in his heart, not even a sliver of an inch. However, humans only ever believed in what they wish were true. She wasn’t willing to face the truth. She was just deluding herself.

So, it didn’t matter if Chen TianYang and Bai YiHan died, did it? Was her existence doomed to be a joke forever? She regretted it so much now. Could she still go back home?

Her mouth opened wide in a soundless scream: Dad, Mom, save me! Didn’t you always say you loved me the most? Why won’t you come save me? I hate you! I hate this world! Why? Why can’t you be more kind to me? I’m just a girl. I just want to live a better life! Is that wrong?

***

With the admiring (?) gaze boring into him, YiHan left the basement and returned to his room. He took another shower to wash away the stench of the basement. As he walked out of the bathroom, a smile crept up his face at the sight of that familiar hair dryer. After drying his hair, he carefully pulled back the blankets and snuggled into the warm bed.

JingYuan was still in the same position YiHan had left him in. The older man was sound asleep. A kind of quiet innocence had settled upon those sharp brows. His long lashes fanned out against his lower eyelids, casting a faint shadow on his cheeks.

YiHan gazed warmly up at the man. A slim finger reached out and lightly tapped that straight nose. A giggle escaped his throat. He leaned up and pecked the other man on the lips.

“Look at you,” YiHan whispered. “All tall and strong. Only I know your lips are soft and tender. JingYuan, I really love you. This time, let me protect you. I won’t let you go through that agony anymore. Okay?”

There was no reaction from the other man. His breath remained calm and even.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes,” YiHan chuckled. “From today on, you are mine. You’re not allowed to flirt around anymore.”

YiHan gently rubbed his nose against JingYuan’s cheek. He huddled closer. His head wriggled close into the other’s chest. He let out a soft exhale. His arms tightly wrapped around the other’s waist.

***

When JingYuan opened his eyes the next morning, he gazed down at the sleeping face of YiHan in silence. It took him a long moment before he eventually rose and arranged for expert interrogators to head into the basement. YiHan had been up and about until late in the night. Thus, he slept well into the morning. It was nearly noon when he woke up. By the time he got dressed and headed downstairs, the interrogators were already done with their report.

At the sight of YiHan, JingYuan smiled and said, “You’re up. Let’s head back to the hospital for your follow-up.”

Guilt began to build in YiHan. Due to the trust the older man had for him and the effects of the sleeping pills, perhaps JingYuan wouldn’t realise there was something wrong with the glass of honey water last night. With how smart the man was, JingYuan could instantly see through YiHan’s tricks, as long as he spent a moment to think about it. YiHan thought the older man would be angry. He never imagined the man wouldn’t mention a single word about what had happened at all. Was the man planning on getting his just compensation later?

Today because of the guild he felt, YiHan was even more well-behaved. If JingYuan asked him to head east, he would never think about going west. If JingYuan told him to hit a dog, YiHan wouldn’t try and push a chicken. YiHan went through the tests and the results came back fine. He could be discharged from the hospital to rest in his own home. Upon noticing JingYuan’s good mood at YiHan’s test results, the younger man let out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding.

When the two men returned from the hospital, the Bai family had notified the police to take Tao Qi into custody. Captain Chen Jing personally led the men in charge of arresting the blanked-out woman. Officer Fang Yi was there too, but he didn’t leave with the squad. After sending off the captain’s car, he turned to YiHan.

“YiHan, there’s been a conclusion to Wei Quan’s case,” said Fang Yi.

“Forcefully sent into a mental hospital?” YiHan asked as he led the man into the house.

The officer sternly nodded. “Yes. His mother brought proof of his history of mental illness. Even so, she still caused a big ruckus crying and screaming at the station for nearly half the day.”

JingYuan followed behind the duo. He didn’t say a word but something flashed across his eyes.

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120. Demon in a Human’s Skin

Tao Qi’s mouth opened and closed but she couldn’t say a word.

An eerie smile spread across YiHan’s mouth as he asked, “What’s your name?”

“I’m Tao Qi,” she replied, mind still in a haze.

The man let out a chuckle. “The same name? Tao Qi, you must’ve heard of a saying, ‘character is destiny’. Nothing can’t be changed. Over a single lifetime, we would face endless choices. Every decision could have a lasting impact on our lives. It could even change our fates forever. The phrase I’ve heard you use the most often is ‘it shouldn’t be like this’. You don’t understand. There’s nothing in this world that ‘should’ go a certain way. If you want something, then you must work equally hard for it.”

He then took a step closer and bent down to look at Tao Qi straight in the eye. “You want to be with JingYuan,” he said, “is it because you love him? I think not. Let me guess. Is it because of his status? His family background? His looks? Or is it so you can live a luxurious life as Mrs Mu?

“Have you ever thought about why you’d end up here? Why the previous Tao Qi could be Madam Mu while you can’t? You could even predict the future. What a grand advantage it is, yet you’re now being held captive. Perhaps you’d be imprisoned soon. Yes?” Time to bait her out.

Naturally, Tao Qi fell for it. “How did you know I’m a transmigrator?” she gasped in horror.

A transmigrator? YiHan frowned and steadily continued, “I’ve told you. You are way too different from Tao Qi. There’s nothing in common between you two, other than your faces. You also know so much more, things that she shouldn’t have known. How could anyone not be suspicious?”

“I’m just a normal girl,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’ve transmigrated into a novel. I thought it’d be my chance to turn over a new leaf. But why? Why has everything gone wrong? I only want a better life. I’m just not willing to accept being a nobody for my whole life. I’ve worked so hard to survive. Why must you all do this to me?”

“I’ve already said that different choices lead to different endings,” he said. “You know plenty about the future. If you just wanted a better life, you could’ve come to me and I could’ve given you a carefree life. Even if you’d just appeared before me to give me a mere reminder that could’ve helped my sister and brother-in-law avoid being placed in danger. This is just an example. If you use the information in your brain well, you might already be at the top of the world. You wouldn’t need to be a mistress. You wouldn’t need to be anyone’s wife. You could ensure a life of riches for yourself just through your own work. Unfortunately, you chose the wrong path.”

Tao Qi’s eyes widened. The tears rolled faster downwards. She screeched in pain, “It’s not like that! I clearly could’ve been a CEO’s wife just by going along with the plot! It wouldn’t just be a life of riches!”

“See,” YiHan said with a languid wave. “This is what I mean by character is destiny. Greed is forever endless. You’re not innocent in this ending. Your avarice led you to this. In that case, why don’t you tell me about my death. You said I’d die roughly three years from now. Then, according to what you know, what happened after I died?”

“You’re afraid of death too?” Tao Qi smirked. “Haha! Why should I tell you?”

YiHan’s poker face remained unmoving. His voice was as calm as a still ocean, “Maybe you’ve forgotten your place. I’m not begging you. You think you have the right to refuse to speak?”

Tao Qi’s eyes coldly bore into him. Her lips remained shut.

YiHan glanced at her before looking down to the toolbox in his hand. He placed it on a table nearby. With a press of his slender fingers, the box opened with a clack. He slowly lifted the lid, revealing a row of brand-new sparkling tools. It had everything from pliers to wrenches.

“Do you know what these tools can be used for outside of repairing and building?” YiHan turned and glanced back at the woman in the chair. “You might not know. Let me explain. You see this pair of pliers? It can be used to pull out teeth. Once I’ve pulled out all of your teeth, I can also use it to pull out your fingernails, your toenails. Anyway, there are a lot of uses for pliers. Oh, right. There’s also this utility knife. I’ve got some experience in drawing. I can carve out a beautiful flower on your cheek. These tools are all so useful and they’re all very new. Care to try them out?”

“How dare you!” Tao Qi shouted, her pupils dilating in fear. “How could you do this to me?”

YiHan was unfazed by the shouting. He even smiled as he said, “You’ve forgotten the difference between our identities. Do you know what it means to be Little Master Bai? It means I can pluck out your teeth, your nails, draw a few flowers on your face, and even grind you into mince, no one would investigate me. Do you think your parents would risk their lives to seek justice for you? And even if they would, they would powerless.”

Tao Qi’s glistening eyes stared wide at him as he steadily got closer to her. It was as if she was looking at a demon cloaked in a human’s skin. Worst of all, she knew everything he said was true. She’d grown up sheltered by her parents. She’d never suffered a single ounce of pain at all. She’d only ever watched others suffer. She never thought about their suffering at all. But if it’s her…no! She didn’t even dare imagine what she’d look like going through all that torture.

“Don’t touch me,” she shrilled. “Don’t come closer!” She let out a shriek. “You devil! Stay away…” she drifted off sobbing, repeating “stay away” over and over again.

YiHan halted. “Maybe you should reconsider if you wish to tell me of what you know then.”

“I’ll tell you,” Tao Qi hurriedly shouted out. “I’ll tell you everything.”

By now, her face was caked with snot and tears. She continued sobbing as she recited all she knew of the novel’s story. She didn’t dare to pause for a single moment, not even for breath.

Her rambling went on for a long while. When her voice finally drifted off, a dead silence had overtaken the basement.

YiHan had sat down before her during the entire rant. His hands were clenched in tight fists. If one simply looked at the ending, they’d see a tale with a happy ending where Mu JingYuan got married to Tao Qi. They even had a kid. What he heard, however, was a tale of Mu JingYuan’s loneliness and agony. Other people may not know but YiHan knew full well what the pile of items in Tao Qi’s story were, the items JingYuan would stare at all night long. She only had to mention one item and YiHan knew those were the items he liked in his past life, the items he’d used. They’d range from something as major as a chair to something as trivial as a button. There was even a sock. There were all junk and scraps in someone else’s eyes. Frankly, it must’ve been hard collecting all of them. When the Bai family fell, everyone panicked. Who would pay attention to where those things went? Furthermore, years would’ve passed by the time JingYuan returned to China. Yet, the man could collect a full house of items YiHan had once used before. JingYuan’s marriage to Tao Qi, it must’ve been related to collecting his “things” too. Before, YiHan might not be so confident in his hypothesis. Now? After witnessing JingYuan’s passion for him, YiHan was certain. Based on Tao Qi’s recollection, JingYuan would never have thought of marrying anyone. His motive must’ve been “collecting” YiHan’s belongings. After all, the only lover YiHan ever had in his last life was Tao Qi. XueQing’s constant targeting of Tao Qi must not have been because “she loved JingYuan but couldn’t have him”, but because she felt it was unfair to YiHan.

In this Tao Qi’s eyes, all she saw was the original Tao Qi becoming the wife of a CEO. She saw the limitless glory that came with Mu JingYuan, the “male lead”. She saw the Bai family rising from the ashes and everything came to a happy ending. But YiHan was involved in the whole story. All he saw was JingYuan drifting around like a wandering ghost, spending his nights in pain and isolation. Tao Qi was treated like an obedient “object”, a love that could never be obtained in his entire life. XueQing’s love and youth were painfully lost. The relationship between Yan and Jiang-ge would fall into an awkward situation that led to them slowly drifting further and further apart. YiHan’s parents would’ve lost their elderly father and their most beloved son, then they could only watch as their surviving children become destined to be forever alone with happiness forever out of their reach. The Chen family would’ve lost their only heir. They’d then have to suffer through JingYuan’s rabid revenge and eventually be lost in a hurricane of troubles.

Everything that happened in YiHan’s last life was a tragedy. Everyone lost. No one was able to savour happiness or joy.

The thought of all of that having happened to YiHan’s friends and family only brought anguish and regret to him. He was dead but those still alive would forever bear the pain of being parted. His heart ached for his parents, his brother, his sister, his…his JingYuan. His heart hurt so much that it felt like it was about to split into half, yet he couldn’t do what this Tao Qi before his eyes did. He couldn’t travel across time and space to go back to then and comfort his beloved ones.

His gaze stared darkly down at the hands clenched together before him. All he could do was to make sure that tragedy never happened again. As long as his family had a life free of worries, YiHan was willing to descend into the deepest hells, never to be saved.

At the end of her tale, Tao Qi’s eyes had glazed over as she blanked out. Suddenly, a burst of laughter escaped her as she mumbled, “Everything would end up well. So why is everything so different now? Why would Feng Qun die so early? Why isn’t Chen TianYang dead? Why aren’t you dead? What’s so bad about going along with the original plot? Can’t you guys just obediently walk down the path destiny paved for you? Why? You’re all bullying me, a tiny girl. I’ve transmigrated into your world but I could never have what the female lead had. Why?”

YiHan’s head shot up. His face was blank. His voice was calm. The only signs of the emotions whirling in him were two streaks of tears down his expressionless face. It was enough to make anyone’s heart shatter from sadness.

“You think everything you’d said was swell?” he said. “You think that just because you’re one girl, you should be forgiven no matter what you do. Even if it’s murder?

“Chen TianYang is a great man, capable and lucky. There was nothing between you and him. No grudges, no injustice. But you planned for someone to kill him. Then, because he dodged a disaster, you’d curse him out from the bottom of your heart. Do you think this is something a normal girl could’ve done?

“You think that it’s a blessing for me to go through all that torture and die a horrible death? You think it’s great that the Bai family would burn to ashes? Do you even know the Bai Group’s existence doesn’t only involve my family? Tens of thousands of households depend on its might for their mere survival!

“You think it’s good for a man to lose everything he loves and never have a night of sleep ever again? You think it’s wonderful for the Chen family to lose their beloved son and for Madam Chen to constantly faint from crying in their family shrine? Heh. You find everything amazing but only because none of these people’s happiness matter to you. All you care about is the position as Mrs CEO. You want all of us to re-enact a tragedy, to use our torment and deaths in exchange for your own glory. Is that it?”

Translator’s Note:

Character is destiny: This is a quote by Heraclitus (Greek philosopher). In the original text, this phrase actually translates to “character changes one’s destiny” which might be a typo of a quote that can be translated as “character decides one’s fate”. However, this quote only exists in Chinese for it had been translated from English with no clear origin. The quote is sometimes attributed to Jack D. Hodge (author of The Power of Habit) and sometimes to J.P. Morgan for the interview where he stated commercial credit is based primarily upon character before money or property.

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119. (Untitled)

YiHan swirled the water as he said, “You’ll know once you try it.” Then, he shoved the glass into JingYuan’s hands and turned back to the room. As he walked away, he continued, “If you wanted to drink it, just say it. I really can’t stand you.”

“No, HanHan.” JingYuan hurriedly raised his hand up in an attempt to stop the other man. “I…” didn’t want to drink it.

All of a sudden, YiHan turned around. His teeth flashed as he said, “Since you want it, then finish it all. If you dare waste the honey water I worked so hard on mixing up…hmph.” He then swivelled and went for the hair dryer.

JingYuan stood there, glass in hand and a bitte smile over his face: It seemed like he’d really raised his little one’s hackles tonight. The other man was now furious from embarrassment. Fine. It’s just a glass of honey water. He’ll drink it up. He might not like sweet drinks but what else was he meant to do? He’s the one with a lover who loved to act all coy and cute. (Are you sure that’s what he’s doing?)

With a few big gulps, the glass was empty. It tasted a little odd and it was too sweet. It was so sweet that his tongue went numb. However, JingYuan rarely drank anything like it so he didn’t think much of it. He thought his little one intentionally made it exceedingly sweet just to prank him. He walked over to the desk and poured out some water to wash out the sickly-sweet taste, a smile on his lips the entire time. He then walked over and took over the task of drying out YiHan’s hair. His fingers combed through the soft hair as heat blew against them. He could feel his heart melting into a puddle. Once the hair was dry, he couldn’t resist laying a kiss on YiHan’s head. He placed the hair dryer down and curled his arms around YiHan.

“Are you angry at me, HanHan?” he gently asked.

YiHan turned to shoot JingYuan a look and remained silent.

Seeing a chance, JingYuan kissed YiHan on the cheek and said, “HanHan, I actually want you even more than you do but you keep getting hospitalised. I’m just so scared. I don’t want to injure your body even further because of this. We have plenty of time.

HanHan, once you’re fully recovered, don’t punish me please? Don’t force me to hold it in? I really do want you.”

YiHan couldn’t resist letting a laugh slip at that. “Am I that easily angered?” he said. “Also, don’t make it sound like I’m really that thirsty for it.”

At the sight of a smile cracking through, JingYuan smiled back too and replied, “You’re not thirsty at all. I’m the one who’s burning with lust here.”

“Come, sit,” YiHan said, laughing once more and turning fully around to look at JingYuan. “I’ll help you dry your hair. You can’t go to sleep with wet hair.”

JingYuan let out a low chuckle and loosened his grip around YiHan’s shoulders. The two men switched places. Strand by strand, YiHan blew JingYuan’s hair dry with warm bursts of air. Through the mirror, JingYuan watched their reflections. Then, suddenly, he let out a huff of laughter.

“What are you laughing about?” YiHan asked.

“HanHan, this really is my dream life,” JingYuan replied with a grin. “I hope our lives can stay the same even as we grow old. Just like today. We’ll shower together in the evenings and dry each other’s hair.”

YiHan tilted his head to a side and thought about it. “You wish,” he rebuked with a smile. “Who’d want to blow your hair dry? You don’t even know to sit lower. Don’t you know it’s exhausting having my arm raised this high up?”

“I like to dry your hair. I like to wash your face, wash your back. I like doing anything and everything for you,” JingYuan confessed. “When I was taking care of you at the hospital, your parents would often say I’m running myself ragged. However, I felt so happy. You’d obediently sit on the bed and wait for me to wash your face with a wet towel. You were just so adorable. I like it even when helping you in the toilet.”

“Finally, you’ve shown your true self as a great big pervert,” YiHan laughingly scolded. “I was wondering why you insisted on helping me in the bathroom even though I said I didn’t feel dizzy anymore. So that’s why! Are you a creep? Do you have some weird fetish? I should call the police on you.”

YiHan let out another laugh, turned off the hairdryer, tousled JingYuan’s hair and said, “All done.”

JingYuan leaned back and laid his head against YiHan’s chest. His eyes were still stuck on the figures in the mirror as he said, “HanHan, you’re right. Before, I could still control myself. But ever since I’ve gotten together with you, I’ve realised I’m becoming more and more of a pervert. I want to hold you every single moment of the day. My hands never want to part with your skin. I’m always thinking about kissing you. It doesn’t matter if it’s your hair or your feet. I also want to be in the bed with you forever. When you change clothes, I want to lean in and take in your scent. HanHan, I might be touched starved or something worse. I want to turn you into a tiny version of yourself so I can bring you with me everywhere I go. I don’t want to be parted from you, not even for a minute.”

JingYuan could feel his eyelids getting heavier. His voice slowly softened into a whisper. YiHan could tell JingYuan was about to fall asleep. He leaned in and kissed the man’s cheek.

“Let’s go to bed. Hm?” YiHan gently said. “Together.”

“Okay,” JingYuan replied, forcing his eyelids to open. “Let’s sleep. Together.”

With YiHan’s help, JingYuan made it to the bed. Then,  JingYuan curled YiHan into his arms and let out a satisfied sigh. As the two laid there, YiHan looked up at JingYuan and began to lightly draw on the older man’s cheek with a finger. It was eventually enough to make JingYuan chuckle from how ticklish it felt.

“Little one,” he rasped, “stop fooling around.”

“JingYuan, you’re not touch starved or anything bad,” YiHan’s gaze was filled with warmth as  whispered back in a voice so low it’s as if he’s afraid of waking the older man up. “You’re perfectly fine. You love me just like I love you. I totally understand your feelings because I think the same too.”

JingYuan eyes remained shut as his smile lingered on his lips. He hummed in reply but said or did no more. The arms around YiHan’s waist gradually relaxed.

With a hand on JingYuan’s cheek, YiHan rose to kiss JingYuan’s forehead and whispered, “Sleep. I don’t believe you’d date anyone else. Even if you do, it shouldn’t be Tao Qi. I must get a clear answer. I secretly bought these pills back when I was just reborn and had trouble sleeping. It doesn’t hurt the body at all. Babe, I wouldn’t hurt you. Don’t be angry at me.”

JingYuan stayed still. His breath evened out.

YiHan gently lifted JingYuan’s arm and got out of bed.

***

At the basement door, Chen Feng was found standing right before it. He was surprised to see YiHan walking towards him.

“Little Master, why are you still up?” Chen Feng asked.

“I suddenly remembered I have some questions for Tao Qi,” YiHan replied. “Open the door, please.”

Chen Feng stayed where he was. “Little Master, it’s cold in the basement,” he coaxed. “Your head injury is still healing. It’s too late. I think it’s best not to go down. Anyway, this Tao Qi looks insane. You’d better not meet with her alone. How about you tell me what to do? Or maybe wait until Mr Mu’s men arrive?”

“Chen Feng,” YiHan said with a smile, “I know you’re worried about me, but don’t forget. I’m a man. No matter how crazy Tao Qi really is, she’s just a tied-up woman. How much of a threat could she be? Could I really be that weak in your eyes? That I need to be afraid of a bound woman?”

“It’s not like that, Little Master,” Chen Feng muttered. He may be a great fighter but he’s not all that smart with his mouth. “I’m afraid the nonsense she’ll spout might anger you.”

“I’m not a kid anymore,” YiHan said, patting the other man on the shoulder. “Would I really be brought to tears because of mere words? Alright. Stop dawdling around like an old hen and open the door.”

“I’ll go with you,” Chen Feng said after a moment of contemplation.

“What for?” YiHan turned and asked.

“To protect Little Master,” Chen Feng answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

“It’s fine,” YiHan sighed. “I want to see her alone. Hurry up and open the door.”

Still, Chen Feng hesitated.

YiHan’s face darkened as he growled, “Chen Feng, do you even respect me? Am I unable to order you around now?”

“I do, Little Master,” Chen Feng gasped in shock. He then took out the key to the basement as he continued on, “How could you think that? If you ever notice anything off with her later, remember to…”

“I’ll remember to shout for you. Okay?” YiHan sighed again.

Chen Feng smiled and said, “Yes. I’ll be at the door. If there’s anything you need, just shout and I’ll hear you. There’s also an alarm bell near the door. You could use that.”

“I know,” YiHan said, another sigh hiding within his voice. “Open the door.”

In the basement, Tao Qi was tied to a chair. No lights were on. It was pitch black. Due to having sat down for way too long, Tao Qi’s body ached. But she was also terrified. Fear kept her from sleeping. All she could do was curse out YiHan in her mind to alleviate the fear. She didn’t know what would be awaiting her tomorrow and she didn’t understand why the gods would be so unfair to her. She had read many transmigration novels. All of them ended up as champions in life. They had harems of handsome men. Why was she locked up in this dank, dark basement instead, shivering and waiting for tomorrow’s judgement?

Just as Tao Qi was fuming and cursing up a storm internally, she heard the door click. She was the only person in the basement. It’s so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Any slight movement rang loud. She was both anxious and scared stiff. Her eyes darted over and were glued to the direction of the door.

The door slowly creaked open and the light from above splayed across the floor. Tao Qi squinted against the sudden burst of light. After a long moment of letting her eyes get used to the light, she finally saw who was standing by the door. A tall man walked through the door. His figure was thinner than most men and he had something akin to a suitcase in his hand. His back was against the light. Those slender legs and slim waist were clearly outlined. A hand rose and flicked a switch. A light turned on. It wasn’t bright but it was enough for her to see who the newcomer was. Bai YiHan!

For some reason, the Bai YiHan before her now felt different to the man who was with Mu JingYuan. There were no emotions visible on his face but, strangely enough, she could feel a chill run down her spine.

YiHan turned and nodded to the man standing beyond the door. The door then slowly closed. The man still in the door just stood there in silence and looked at Tao Qi. Those long legs stretched out and crossed each other as he gradually descended down the steps.

Tao Qi could feel her hair stand on end from the gaze. She was petrified. Any courage to make a fuss drained out of her. All she could do was stare in a daze at this very much different Bai YiHan walk towards her, step by step. It was only when he’d gotten closer did the light show the item in his hand. It was a tiny toolbox.

Bai YiHan stopped before her and looked down at her for a long moment. “I know you’re not Tao Qi,” he calmly said. “You don’t need to argue about it. There are too many things that can’t be explained in this world. You two are poles apart.”

Translator’s Note:

Are you a creep?: In Chinese, the “creep” (猥亵病人) refers to someone with a mental illness that results in sexual assault (usually paedophilia). It’s referred to as a medical condition sometimes but it’s not a medical term. MTL readers beware, there’s a typo here. MTL may give you something nonsensical.

◄Previous • Index• Next►

118. You’ll Know Once You Try It

JingYuan grabbed Tao Qi in a stranglehold and coldly said, “In all the years I’ve been alive, I, Mu JingYuan, had never hit a woman before. You’re quite something, Tao Qi.”

All Tao Qi could feel was the air in her chest slowly draining out of her. The handsome man before her eyes twisted into a face as terrifying as an evil ghost’s. Never had she ever felt death looming this close to her. She’d never realised the male lead could be this scary. There wasn’t a single doubt in her mind that this man wanted to kill her. Perhaps he’d snap her neck in half with his bare hands! No! She’s the female lead, the protagonist! How can she die?

Just as she could sense the death reaper waving her over, Mu JingYuan gradually loosened his grip. He stared down at Tao Qi as she hacked and coughed and did her best to catch her breath.

“You think you can die this easily?” he said, voice steeped in ruthlessness. “It’d be the easiest thing ever to have you dead, but you must always pay the price for what your actions and words. Isn’t it so? Getting strangled would be too easy a death for you.”

At the end of JingYuan’s speech, YiHan finally snapped out of his daze. “JingYuan,” he said after a long blink. “Can you step out for a moment? I need to have a word with Tao Qi alone.”

“Impossible,” JingYuan replied without hesitation. “HanHan, I can promise to do anything you want me to do, but I would never allow anything that would put you in danger’s way. It’s clear to everyone that this woman holds a big deal of ill will towards you. Even if it’s not me, even if it’s Chen Feng, we couldn’t let you two be alone in the same room.”

Chen Feng promptly nodded in agreement.

JingYuan walked over and knelt before YiHan. “HanHan,” he said to the man in the chair, “all she speaks are lies and fantasies. There’s nothing worth listening to. Why don’t you go rest up first? I’ll help you ask any and all questions you wish to ask. How about it?”

YiHan looked back at the man in front of him. Love and concern were etched into the older man’s face. He could see his reflection in those dark eyes. This man was never one to wear his heart on his sleeves, but a simple sentence cursing YiHan out was enough to fan the flames of his anger into a blazing inferno. And even when the man’s seething, JingYuan would still speak to YiHan in a soft and gentle tone.

Everything’s different now. The heart of the man YiHan had never been able to acquire was now in his hands. A car accident happened to TianYang and he saved XueQing, but he didn’t die. Conversely, Feng Qun who was supposed to have killed YiHan was now dead and he’d died in a snap. There’s nothing in this world that is destined to happen. Everything can change. YiHan shouldn’t continue dwelling in the shadows of his past life, even if it’s just so this man before his eyes wouldn’t worry. Since he’d started over again, he should cherish what he had before him and do his best to not let this man show this much worry ever again. He should use all his strength and power to protect the man kneeling before him, to protect his family. That is what a man should do.

YiHan let out a soft exhale and gave JingYuan a smile. He reached out and cupped JingYuan’s face. Then, he kissed the man on the lips.

“Fool,” YiHan whispered. “I’m not made of paper. Do you think I can’t even handle a few words? We’re all here. Let’s see what she has to say. You know, sometimes, gibberish could provide us with an unexpected lead.”

JingYuan’s one hand that hadn’t touched Tao Qi rose and held onto YiHan’s wrists. All he knew was his HanHan’s smile was so kind and warm that it brought tears to his eyes. His eyes were glued to YiHan’s face, mesmerised to the point where a “yes” just slipped out of his mouth.

“How could this be? Why?” Tao Qi gasped, face full of disbelief. “By now, you should’ve been broken apart by constant arguments. Why did this happen? Why don’t all of you follow the plot? I am the protagonist here! I’m the one who should be with Mu JingYuan! I’m the one who should stand at the top of the world! Just what went wrong…?”

YiHan’s brows were locked in a deep frown. It seemed like this Tao Qi, the protagonist as she called herself, knew quite a lot. Other people might think she’s uttering nonsense but he knew what she was talking about was what happened in his last life. Could Tao Qi have been reborn too? But then why would she think she’s the female lead? Why did she think she should be dating JingYuan? Did JingYuan get together with her after YiHan’s death? Then, what was going on with the plot she spoke of?

YiHan turned and glared at JingYuan. This filthy playboy! He actually dared to get together with Tao Qi! It’s unforgiveable! So this woman really is a huge rival for JingYuan’s love. YiHan must nip this dead in the bud!

JingYuan: …why is the cannon being aimed at me all of a sudden? We were exchanging loving glances just now!

The two men simultaneously turned and glared at Tao Qi: This darn woman!

YiHan then looked at JingYuan as the other man continued glaring at Tao Qi. If this had happened in his last life, YiHan would assume this meant JingYuan didn’t like him. Now, however, there was no way YiHan could even doubt JingYuan’s feelings for him. Thus, it’s impossible for the older man to like this woman. So how and why were JingYuan and Tao Qi an “official couple”?

YiHan didn’t want JingYuan to know a single thing about his past life, especially not the way he died. He’d rather die than let his lover know about that. Today wasn’t the best time to question Tao Qi further but he was eager to know just what happened after his death.

YiHan turned his hand to hold back at JingYuan’s, stood up and said, “Tao Qi, you don’t need to keep acting crazy here. You should know why we’ve captured you. Why don’t you tell me just why you pushed Wei Quan to kill my sister?”

The shock of surprise after surprise had nearly broken Tao Qi down. “I didn’t tell Wei Quan to kill Bai XueQing,” she said, deciding to just give in. “I told him to kill Chen TianYang. I didn’t think that maniac would change the plan all by himself.”

“And just what has my brother-in-law done to have made an enemy of you?” YiHan huffed with a cold smirk.

Tao Qi looked up at him and said with an eerie smile, “He is the Chen family heir. How could he have offended me? This is just the story he should go through. Being killed by Wei Quan in a car crash is his fate.”

In a few swift steps, YiHan walked over to her and slapped her across the cheek. His chest heaved up and down.

“Keep your ‘fate’ and ‘should have’s,” YiHan barked. “My brother-in-law’s fate is to live a long and happy life with my sister while you should go to jail!”

Upon seeing YiHan being overwhelmed with rage, JingYuan stepped forward and laid an arm around the other’s shoulders to support the younger man.

“It was a mistake to bring you back today,” JingYuan said in a low voice. “There’s no need for you to question her yourself, was there? Look at how agitated you are now.”

“You’re right,” YiHan said to JingYuan, letting out a heavy sigh as he did so. “She doesn’t look like a normal person. She lies in all her answers. However, she seems to have a lot of secrets. Why not keep her for another day? Perhaps we can wrestle something out of her.”

JingYuan would never say no to YiHan. He hurriedly nodded in agreement and turned to Chen Feng.

“Take her back to the basement,” said JingYuan. “Keep a close eye on her. It’s getting late. I’ll have an interrogation expert come in tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Chen Feng replied with a nod. He then threw a disdainful look at Tao Qi before roughly dragging her out of the room with a hand clasped over her mouth.

“Shall we head back to the hospital then?” JingYuan asked.

“I’ve been sleeping so early for the last few days,” YiHan yawned, “that I’m exhausted now. Why don’t we just stay? It’s tiring going back and forth. We can go in for a check-up tomorrow. If everything’s fine, I can be discharged.” He sighed. “Just what is going on lately? I keep ending up in the hospital. Now, I’m frustrated and irritated at the mere sight of those white walls.”

“Okay,” JingYuan replied, his heart aching at YiHan’s admission. “We won’t return to the hospital. Let’s head to our rooms and sleep.” As JingYuan said so, he swooped YiHan up in a carry and strode out of the room.

YiHan: …

Later on as they showered, YiHan would brush up against JingYuan over and over again until JingYuan’s blood boiled. The man hands reached out and steadied the younger man’s body away from his.

“Dearest, please stop,” said JingYuan. “Let’s wash up and go to sleep.”

“JingYuan, do you not like me anymore?” YiHan whined. “It’s been so many days since we last – ahem – did that.”

JingYuan’s legs weakened and his feet nearly slipped out from beneath him. His heart was racing and thumping hard. This was the first time his little one had been so proactive. Unfortunately…

While JingYuan was bashing up against the walls internally in frustration, his voice remained soft as he replied, “How could I not like you? But you’re still hurt. We can’t do it now. Once you’re better…”

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m fine. Anyway, my injury was on my head, not my bottom,” YiHan griped as he slid a leg slowly up JingYuan’s thigh.

JingYuan quickly covered his nose with a hand. A peek revealed he’d yet started bleeding from the nose. Only then did he exhale in relief. His other hand reached down and halted the slender leg in its tracks.

“No, HanHan,” JingYuan said. “Behave. It’s only a few days. At least wait until tomorrow’s test results are out. Once you’re all healed up, you can do whatever you want, however you want. Okay?” Aaargh! What a waste of a perfect opportunity! Why did the gods have to make things hard for him?

When YiHan realised JingYuan was firm in his resolved, he tugged his foot back and stomped the other’s leg in frustration.

“You wish!” he cried. “Since you’re that concerned for me, then there’ll be no sex for two months! No, three!”

YiHan turned and dashed out of the bathroom, grabbing a bathrobe along the way and slamming the door behind him.

JingYuan stared at the cold-hearted back leaving his sight, tears rolled down his eyes, internally: HanHan, you can’t do this to me. I’m suffering too.

The moment YiHan closed the bathroom door behind him, he quickly walked over to his bedside table and began searching through the lowest drawer. Finally, he found a small white bottle of pills. He squinted down at the expiration date before taking it to the desk. He poured out a glass of warm water from the jug on the desk and dropped two tablets into the water. He then hurried back to the bedside table and placed the pills back where they belonged. As he swirled the glass of water to make the pills dissolve faster, he nervously looked at the closed bathroom door.

Eventually, the pills vanished from sight. A thought then struck YiHan and he lightly smacked himself on the forehead for the near mistake. He ran over to the cabinet by the bedroom door and dug out a jar of honey. He scooped a few big dollops into the glass of water and briskly stirred it in. Just as he did so, the bathroom door opened with a clack.

“HanHan?” JingYuan cautiously called out as he rubbed his hair dry with a towel.

Spooked by the sudden call, the glass of water nearly slipped from YiHan’s fingers. He hastily steadied his hands and calmly lifted the glass as if he had just taken a sip from it.

“I’m here,” YiHan slowly replied.

JingYuan placed the towel aside and walked over to the younger man. “What are you drinking?” he asked, glancing at the cup of water.

“Honey water,” YiHan dismissively replied.

“It’s late. Why are you drinking honey water?” JingYuan asked, bemused. “Isn’t it usually taken in the morning?”

YiHan gave JingYuan the side-eye as he darkly muttered, “To cool off the heat, detox, encourage bowel movement…”

JingYuan could feel his butt cheeks scrunch up in fear. He didn’t know what to say.

“I-Is it sweet?” he awkwardly chuckled and asked.

◄Previous • Index• Next►

117. Quite Bold

YiHan lost his cool upon hearing what Tao Qi said. “Damn it!” he roared in fury. He’d nearly leapt out of the bed. “This woman, she actually dared to lust after you! Where is she? Oh, right. She’s in my home. I want to see her right now. I want to know just where she got the audacity from! How dare she try and steal Bai YiHan’s man! Does she want to die? I would beat her up so hard that her teeth litter the floor!”

In JingYuan’s eyes, YiHan reaction was extremely cute. Still, he had to push YiHan back into bed.

“Don’t be angry, HanHan,” said JingYuan. “It doesn’t matter what she thinks. You can’t go home yet. If you really want to see her, you still have to wait until tomorrow. What you need now is rest.”

“How could it have nothing to do with me?” YiHan felt like he was going to die from rage. “She’s fighting with me for you! Official couple? What about me then? What am I? I can’t wait until tomorrow. I have to go beat her up now!”

“Calm down, HanHan,” JingYuan coaxed. His voice trembled from the effort to suppress all urges to laugh or cry. “Don’t be angry. I’m a living human being. Am I something someone can snatch away just because they want to? You don’t even need to humour everything she says. I think she’s delusional.”

“She’s said that kind of thing!” YiHan was fuming still. “How could I calm down? But you’re right. If you’re so easily snatched away, I wouldn’t want you either!”

“Don’t say that, HanHan.” JingYuan bitterly smiled. “That day won’t come.”

“Then I’ll go meet her today,” said YiHan.

“If I knew you’d be so angry,” JingYuan sighed in exasperation, “I wouldn’t have told you. The doctor said you need bed rest.”

“My man is going to be stolen,” YiHan angrily said. “How can I relax and rest in peace? I’m already fine. If not so you guys won’t worry, I would’ve asked to be discharged today. My whole body aches from lying in bed.”

JingYuan felt a pleasant nostalgia at the minor temper tantrum on the verge of breaking loose. It had been a very long time since his little one’s hackles were raised. It felt like a lifetime ago since the last time YiHan had thrown a tantrum for illogical reasons. Ever since that outburst, he’d been sweet and obedient. So mature that it makes one’s heart ache. Compared to before, YiHan now acts like a docile clay doll. Who knew that the one thing that could easily anger YiHan was still JingYuan himself? The younger man knew that woman’s words can’t be trusted but he still puffed up in anger. One could imagine just how important JingYuan was to YiHan.

JingYuan’s heart had melted into a puddle by now. He gently pulled YiHan into a tighter embrace.

“If you’re impatient,” JingYuan said, “then I’ll bring you home tonight. Worse comes to worst, I’ll carry you home and carry you back here.”

“I’m an adult man,” YiHan mumbled after a pause of silence. “Who needs you to carry me? I can walk myself.”

JingYuan quietly looked down at YiHan. A smile hung on his face but he kept silent.

YiHan’s eyes darted around. He lightly scratched at his cheek and shimmied all the way into his blanket.

“In anticipation of tonight’s battle,” he said as he closed his eyes, “I need to sleep. Hurry up and shoo.”

JingYuan gently touched those red ear tips and let out a low chuckle.

The red flush on YiHan’s ear tips slowly grew downwards…

***

That evening, JingYuan personally assisted YiHan in changing his outfits. Heedless of YiHan’s objections, the man carried him out of the hospital and back to the Bai family home. YiHan’s feet never landed on the floor at all. The Bai family members and servants had fallen asleep by then. The entire mansion was eerily silent. JingYuan looked for an empty guest room and entered it. Only then, did he place YiHan down. Embarrassed to the extreme, YiHan sat down on the chair by the desk.

“You could’ve just taken me straight to her,” YiHan mumbled. He didn’t want to think at all about the whole journey he’d spent in a princess carry. “Why bring me here?”

Darned JingYuan! That one carry ruined all the dignified rage he’d accumulated! How could he properly exude his presence and suppress his rival when they meet later?

JingYuan nodded to Chen Feng, who’d followed them into the room, and the bodyguard turned and left the room. Only then, did JingYuan turn to face YiHan.

“It’s too cold in the basement,” JingYuan said with a slight smile. “You’ve been getting injured a lot lately. Your body’s weakened. It’s best you don’t go to a place like that.”

YiHan nodded in assent. While it didn’t feel nice to be treated as a fragile porcelain doll, he still loved the feeling of being worried over by his lover.

A few moments later, Tao Qi was brought into the room by Chen Feng, held tightly by the arms. YiHan looked up to find a stranger looking back at him. Her face looked the same as before but the gentle innocence had vanished. The Tao Qi he remembered disliked makeup. Her smile was always refreshing and sweet. She always wore a long white dress or skirt. Her entire being exuded with positive energy. Even if she suffered a little or was mildly taken advantage of, she didn’t mind. She would constantly have a smile on her face and tell him, “being able to be taken advantage of is a blessing in disguise”. She never once hated or begrudged her family for the unjust manner they treated her in. She told him her parents gave birth to her and raised her. Now that she’s grown up, it’s her duty to pay it back. As YiHan said to JingYuan before, YiHan can’t fall in love with such a girl but he had to admit Tao Qi was a good woman that was rare to come by.

The woman before YiHan’s eyes however had crumbs of makeup remaining. Her hair was in a mess. Combined with the wrinkly and revealing outfit she had on, she looked extremely haggard. Her face twisted and wrinkled as her eyes shot poisonous hate at him. While she had the same face as the Tao Qi he knew, she was an utterly different person.

“You’re not Tao Qi,” YiHan growled. His brows balled up. “Who are you?”

Tao Qi had been locked up for a whole day and night. She had never ever gone through this much suffering in her life. The chilly basement nearly gave her a mental breakdown. She didn’t understand why. She was the protagonist of his world. Why can’t she stand at the top of the world without any pain and savour in the wooing of all the excellent men around her? Instead, she was thrown down into the mud over and over again. Why was her plot armour not activating at all? No matter what she did, nothing went as she wanted! She told that maniac to go kill Chen TianYang. For that, she had to sacrifice a few nights of sex to that crazy and disgusting man! But why was Chen TianYang not dead yet? Why was she the one captured for the crime? Wasn’t it Chen TianYang’s destiny to die under the wheels of that lunatic? Why was everything different to the novel? This was not how it’s meant to be!

Her thoughts kept churning and churning in her mind during the hours she’d spent in that cold underground room. Where did she go wrong? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find a reason why or how. She thought that as long as she talked to Mu JingYuan, her male lead would rescue her. But Mu JingYuan wasn’t even willing to sit and listen to her talk. Before she was done with her speech, he’d turned and left! Why was her fated man this heartless to her?

She could only seek help from Bai YiHan now. She adamantly believed she must be the YiHan’s first true love, his perfect dream lover. She never could’ve imagined she’d resort to begging for help from a dead man. She’s the great female lead of this world! How could she accept that?

To her surprise, YiHan wasn’t furious or horrified by her ragged state. He actually interrogated her, questioned her. She could feel her patience being shattered.

“Bai YiHan, you cruel man!” she screeched in rage. “Of course I am Tao Qi! Are you happy to see me bow down before you and beg you for help? Are you satisfied? Hurry up and tell this brute to let me go! I want a shower! I want food!”

“I already told you I’m Tao Qi!” she then shrieked at Chen Feng. She struggled with all her might. “I’m the one your young master loves! And you dare to lock me up? Let me go now or I’ll have YiHan chase you out of the Bai family!”

She was so confident in her statements that Chen Feng glanced at YiHan with wide eyes.

Before YiHan even uttered a single word, JingYuan was already roaring, “Hold on tight to this crazy woman! Don’t let a single one of her dirty fingers touch YiHan!”

JingYuan then turned to YiHan and said, “I told you she’s not normal in the head. She’s full of lies and gibberish. And you still insist on meeting her!” As he said so, he leaned in to hug YiHan and to carry him away.

“No, JingYuan, this woman is definitely not Tao Qi,” said YiHan, hands reaching up to stop JingYuan’s arms. “While I can’t say I completely understand Tao Qi, but she was absolutely not like this!”

Never did Tao Qi think of the possibility of Bai YiHan not letting her go after seeing her, of him actually doubting her identity. A faint guilt rose in her. She wasn’t the original Tao Qi. That’s for sure. But how could he tell, especially when it came to something like a different soul?

Due to her rising guilt, she ceased to make a fuss. She didn’t dare to continue her tantrum.

“Of course I’m Tao Qi,” she feebly mumbled. “Is there a second Tao Qi in this world?”

“This woman really is Tao Qi,” JingYuan said after a pause. “I had Chen Hong look into her. According to Chen Hong’s investigations however, she’d gone through a major personality change ever since she had to be Li Sun’s lover to pay off the bills from her father getting into a car crash and suffering serious injuries. She’d been telling everyone who knew her that her personality change was due to shock from family matters. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would’ve forgotten about this detail. She said she only became Li Sun’s lover for her family, but she’d refused to send anymore money back to her family the moment her father was discharged from the hospital. She kept all the gifts Li Sun gave her, money, jewellery, bags and so on. She was the only one who’d use them. This doesn’t sound like her.”

“Wait, no,” said YiHan, “Tao Qi repeatedly said her parents had it hard raising her and her younger brother. She said she must be a filial child and be grateful to her parents. She’d take on part-time jobs and live an extremely frugal life, but every bit of spare change she had would go to her parents and younger brother. I wanted to give her some money back then but she refused to take it. She said she needed to rely on herself. It’s within reason for her to sacrifice her own dignity to be Li Sun’s paid lover so her father could get treatment, but it’s impossible for her not to transfer that money back to her family. It’s particularly impossible for her to guide and incite murder. Everyone says it’s easier to move a mountain than to change one’s character.  No matter how major of a personality change one goes through, it’s not possible to have changed this much in an instant!”

YiHan stood up and took one step towards the captive woman. “Just who are you? If you won’t speak clearly, then I’ll hand you over to police. Instigating violence and pushing a mentally ill person to murder isn’t a bad crime at all.”

It was mindboggling to Tao Qi that Bai YiHan, the boy she thought would be the easiest to manipulate, immediately knew she wasn’t the original Tao Q. He was even cruel enough to send her to jail! How could she take it lying down? She was apoplectic with rage.

“Bai YiHan, you short-lived bastard!” she spat out, eyes red with anger and disbelief. “You’d send me to prison? Even in prison, I’d be a hundred times stronger than you! You think you can live in luxury forever just because you have a glamorous life now? I’m telling you right now that in less than four years, you’ll die a cruel and terrible death! You’ll die in that warehouse you and Mu JingYuan think of as your secret hideout!”

Chen Feng was so pissed at the insidious claims coming out of Tao Qi’s mouth that his grip around her arms tightened hard. After letting out a pained yelp, Tao Qi had to stop her rant or risk more pain.

YiHan’s pupils dilated. His body swayed on the spot. Waves of shock crashed over and over against his mind. How did she know?

JingYuan reached out and held YiHan. He then helped the younger man back into the chair YiHan occupied before. JingYuan turned around to face Tao Qi and a dark, spine-chilling look settled upon his face.

“You’re quite bold,” JingYuan said, walking over to the woman as he said so. “You actually dared to curse and insult HanHan to my face. If I can’t make you wish you could die, then I’m not fit to be his man!”

Translator’s Note:

It’s Advent Calendar time! Enjoy the next few chapters as we wrap up the Female Lead’s arc.

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116. Tao Qi Captured

“You won’t throw a fit at me but you would at Jiang-ge,” YiHan mumbled at his brother. “You act like this before us. Who knows how much of a bully you are behind our backs? It’s because he seemed like an easy target for bullying, right? Hmph. You could do all this just because…” he likes you.

“Just because what?” Yan tiredly asked.

YiHan bit on his hip. “Because he’s got a good personality. Not anyone could handle serving a boss as unruly as you. It’s not like no one wants him,” he huffed.

By now, JingYuan had listened to YiHan asking Jiang Hua out to a meal right before his eyes and YiHan speaking on behalf of Jiang Hua. He’d been fuming in silence.

“Hurry up and drink up,” JingYuan said in a low voice. “It’s getting cold.”

YiHan shot a glance at JingYuan and reluctantly lifted the soup bowl up to his lips once more. His poor Jiang-ge, he sighed internally. He didn’t think his big brother would be that kind of man. Jiang Hua has had it tough.

After sending off the still upset Yan, JingYuan solemnly and quietly read through his documents. (JingYuan had ordered Chen Hong deliver all urgent documents to the hospital so JingYuan could take care of YiHan himself.) YiHan laid there for a long time, bored out of his mind. He tilted his head over to look at JingYuan’s side profile. After a brief moment, he began shifting around once more.

“What is it?” JingYuan asked without looking up at all. “You keep moving.”

“I need to go to the toilet,” YiHan said, rising from the bed.

JingYuan put down his work, helped YiHan to the toilet and back, and continued working.

YiHan laid back down in his bed. He looked at JingYuan for a while longer.

“JingYuan, are you upset?” YiHan asked.

JingYuan’s eyes glanced up at YiHan and back down at his documents. “No.”

YiHan pondered upon the answer he got and moved to rise once more.

“Why do you keep getting up?” JingYuan barked. “Lie back down.”

YiHan was stunned. He let go of the blankets he’d been ready to pull aside and silently laid back down. He bit down on his lower lip and kept quiet.

JingYuan regretted his words the moment they’d left his lips. He might’ve been too harsh in his tone. However, there was a fire burning deep within him and he lost control of the volume then. He thought YiHan would be angry at him. To his surprise, YiHan really laid back down, as obedient as can be. He regretted what he’d said so much. He hurriedly walked over and smoothed a hand over YiHan’s head.

“I’m sorry,” JingYuan said. “I didn’t mean to shout at you. If you want anything or need anything, you can just tell me. The doctor said you need to rest in bed for a few more days.”

YiHan smiled up at JingYuan. “I’m fine,” he replied. “I just feel uncomfortable from having laid down for so long. It’s my bad. Um, I won’t move anymore. I’ll take a nap.” He shot one last grin up at JingYuan before closing his eyes.

Looking down at the bright red imprint of YiHan’s teeth on his lower lip, JingYuan’s heart ached. He leaned down and embraced YiHan. He tenderly kissed the younger man on the lips and ran his hand through the other’s hair.

“HanHan, are you mad?” JingYuan softly asked. “It’s my fault. If you can’t sleep, then don’t. I’ll chat with you. Hm?”

“I’m not angry,” YiHan replied, eyes still closed. “I was just a little tired. I can fall asleep. Go do your work. I know you have a lot of documents waiting for you. You actually don’t need to be here all the time. That’d be so bad for work. I’m not that badly hurt. I can go home now and…mmngh.”

JingYuan covered that chattering mouth up with his own. After a deep kiss, his tongue retreated out of YiHan’s mouth. On the way back, it gave the bite mark on YiHan’s lower lip a gentle lick.

“And you say you’re not angry,” JingYuan commented, forehead pressed against YiHan’s. “You wouldn’t even open your eyes and look at me.”

There was nothing YiHan could do then but to open his eyes. “I’m really not angry,” he said with a smile. “I’m not a girl. How could I be so easily angered? Go back to work. I’m really going to take a nap. With you here, I can’t fall asleep.”

JingYuan caressed YiHan’s cheek with a thumb and sighed, “HanHan, it’s been a while since we’ve started dating. I can feel your emotions, at least some of it. You’re upset yet you won’t tell me. That makes me very dejected.”

“But you were upset just now,” YiHan said, finally looking the man in the eye, “yet you won’t tell me.”

That made JingYuan pause. His mind recalled what happened a few minutes ago. It was certainly so. He loved YiHan so he was sensitive to YiHan’s emotions and changes. Similarly, his HanHan loved him. Of course the younger man could sense his emotions. JingYuan was certainly the one at fault here. He was projecting.

“My bad,” JingYuan whispered. He sat higher up on the bed and pulled the upper half of YiHan’s body into his arms. “I want HanHan to have no secrets from me but I couldn’t do the same.”

YiHan leaned fully into the hug, calm and docile. “Then, can you tell me,” he asked in a voice so low that it seemed like he was afraid the slightest noise could ruin the tranquillity of the room, “why did you leave here this morning in a good mood but you came back in a horrid mood in the afternoon?”

JingYuan was actually still seething on the inside and he did think this fit of jealousy was rather ridiculous. He really didn’t want to tell YiHan about it but he had just said he’d be sincere. Hence, he had no choice but to put his ego aside.

“It’s nothing much,” said JingYuan. “I just thought that you and Jiang Hua are a little too close. It hurt my heart.”

“Jiang-ge?” YiHan asked in shock.

“Yes.” JingYuan had decided to just let it all free. “Don’t you think you treat him too well? When investigating XueQing’s suitors, you go to him for help first instead of me. When I walked into the room just now, he was still holding onto your hand. If I hadn’t walked over, he might’ve insisted on holding on a while longer. You then asked him out to a meal right before my eyes. You kept defending him to Yan. You would rather have your allowance cut instead of his monthly bonus!”

YiHan’s mouth opened and closed and opened and closed. Finally, he gasped out, “My god, JingYuan. This jealousy fit…you know as well as I do Jiang-ge has no family. I just told him I’d be his younger brother forever. He only held my hand because he was excited at having family. Are you going to get jealous over my big brother holding my hand too? As for the meal, we’ve decided on that early on. He helped me look into my sister’s past suitors. You know how busy he usually is. He handed me an extremely detailed document. One glance and I could tell he compiled the information himself. He put in so much effort so I said I’d treat him to a meal as thanks.”

“Of course I know you love me and only me,” JingYuan said as he rubbed his chin against the top of YiHan’s head. “But who knows about him? You’re such a sweet man. Perhaps he has feelings for you? Why else would he be so concerned about your matters?”

“What are you rambling on about?” YiHan tiredly said. He was beaten by this man’s logic. “He has someone he likes and Jiang-ge is a very stubborn man. He’s like a swan. Once he’s set his mind on someone, he’ll only be with them and no one else. Unfortunately, he fell in love with a straight man. He didn’t want to drag that man down with him into the murky waters of being gay, so he’s decided to be alone forever. Do you know why I’m so concerned about his bonus? That truly is his retirement fund. He has already made plans for his future. He has started accumulating his own retirement fund now. I’m not like him. I’m the Little Master of the Bai family and I have you by my side. When would I ever be strapped for cash? Furthermore, it’ll only be allowance from my brother. Even if all of my allowance gets cut, the dividends I’ll earn through company shares would be enough for me to live in luxury.

“Actually, I’m a fool too. Why was I concerned for his retirement fund? I wasn’t fooling around when I said I’d be his younger brother. How could any brother of mine be afraid of poverty?”

“Is that so?” JingYuan replied, letting out an awkward cough. “Let me guess. He’s in love with Yan, yes?”

“How do you know?” YiHan cried in surprise.

“If it were someone else, would you be as concerned?” JingYuan let out a huff of laughter. “Even if you’re close to him, you’d just be his friend. Why must you be his younger brother? But you’re quite right. This Jiang Hua is a good man. He’s a great match for Yan in terms of look and personality.”

“So what if they’d be a great match?” YiHan said in frustration. “My brother’s straight. Jiang-ge has said he didn’t want to disrupt Yan’s life. Being able to be by his side is enough for Jiang-ge.”

“Nothing’s set in stone,” JingYuan said, his chin ruffling up his lover’s hair once more. “Who could say what will happen in the future?” Now that they’d both opened up to each other, JingYuan could think back on Yan’s reaction just now. It was similar to how JingYuan himself reacted. Perhaps Jiang Hua stood a chance. However, he’d wait and watch them dance around. Love was something no one but the couple themselves could control.

“This time, through sheer luck, you were able to find out Wei Quan’s plot,” JingYuan spoke up once more after a moment of contemplation. “You saved XueQing and TianYang but did you know there was someone else behind the car crash? Did you know Wei Quan was deliberately incited to act by another person?”

“Someone else?” YiHan was shocked. “Who?”

“Tao Qi.”

“Tao Qi?” YiHan said. “Tao Qi! What does this have to do with her? We’ve broken up ages ago!”

“She’s already been captured by Chen Feng,” JingYuan replied. “Captain Chen Jing knows we’re furious so he didn’t push us for her. She’s now locked up in your home’s basement. Chen Feng is in charge of guarding her, along with his men. She was absolutely the one who’d provoked Wei Quan to drive a car at TianYang. Although, for some unknown reason, Wei Quan changed targets and aimed at XueQing. The only one who knows why Tao Qi did such a thing is she herself but she’s acting deranged right now. She’s screaming and shouting about wanting to talk to you. She was your girlfriend after all. So I thought I might as well as if you want to see her.”

“You went out in the afternoon for this?” YiHan asked.

“Yes. A lot of what she’s said was utter nonsense and sometimes lies,” said JingYuan. “I couldn’t even understand what she was trying to say. I was wondering if there’s something wrong with her mentally.”

“But she’s quite normal?” YiHan said, confused. “Speaking of which, I was the one in the wrong when it came to my relationship with her. When I discovered my feelings for you were not what they should be, I panicked and agreed to her confession. Soon after we started dating, I hastily broke up with her. While I don’t like her, I can’t deny she’s an incredibly good girl. She’s extremely kind and pure. She always thinks the best of everyone and everything. She can’t have done something like this. There’s also nothing wrong with her mind at all! Just what’s going on? What did she say?”

JingYuan drily cleared his throat. “Other than her request to talk to you,” he replied, rage simmering beneath his voice, “She demanded to talk to me too. She said we’re the official couple. We’re destined to be together. I had to save her. She said if I don’t save her, I’d regret it forever, or something. Either way, it’s all a bunch of nonsense. I was afraid I’d be unable to hold myself back from hitting her if I kept listening, and I was worried about leaving you all alone in the hospital. So I came back.”

YiHan: !!!

◄Previous • Index• Next►

115. Cut Bonus

When Chen TianYang’s mother left YiHan’s ward, she specifically took a walk around the floor before returning to TianYang’s room. She opened the door only to be greeted with her son looking as red as a cooked prawn. She could see steam just drifting above him. An eerie mesmerised smile still hung on his face. As for her future daughter-in-law, she was peeling an apple with a knife beside him. Her hands were extremely calm and steady as thin curling strips of apple skin were removed.

TianYang’s mother: …

I have very complicated feelings right now.

I think they’re meant to be the other way around.

I might’ve given birth to a fake son.

***

Inside YiHan’s ward:

“It’s just a minor wound,” YiHan told Jiang Hua, smiling at the man as he said so. “You’re so busy. There’s no need for you to come all the way here. Once I’m fully recovered, I’d go to you. Oh, yes, I still owe you a meal.”

“The last time you got injured, I was on a business trip so I couldn’t come visit,” Jiang Hua replied. “This time, I’m in the city as you get into another major accident. How could I not come and check in on you? As for work, time is like water in a sponge. I can always squeeze some out. Anyway, you sure are bold this time, way too bold even. You actually drove straight into that car. Do you know just how dangerous that is?”

“It was an emergency,” YiHan replied, spitting his tongue out at the other man. “I didn’t think that deeply into my actions. If I didn’t ram right into that car, XueQing and TianYang would be in danger.”

“Oh, you,” Jiang Hua sighed. He patted the young man on the head. “I know you’re worried about your sister and brother-in-law, but you must be mindful of your own safety in the future. Got it? Thank goodness you’re fine this time. If anything ever happened to you, your sister and brother-in-law would be spending the rest of their lives in agonising guilt.”

“I know, Jiang-ge,” YiHan said with a nod. “By the way, you’re here and not by my big brother’s side. He’s probably panicking over work now.”

Jiang Hua chuckled and calmly replied, “There’s no such thing as someone who’s completely irreplaceable. Without me around, there’d be plenty of employees working. I had never dared to think too highly of myself.”

“No way,” YiHan retorted. “My brother has said on multiple occasions that you’re both his right-hand and his left-hand men. If you weren’t around, he’d buried in work and at a loss.”

“Is that so?” Jiang Hua couldn’t help letting a chuckle slip. “If I can make him feel that way, I’d be happy forever.”

“Jiang-ge, I’m not criticising you, but is that all you aim for?” YiHan said in exasperation. “You’re satisfied with just that? Have you ever thought of being the proactive party and lure him in first? I can help you.”

“Thank you but I don’t plan to do so.” A bitter smile spread across Jiang Hua’s face. “If he’s like me, gay, I’d definitely try it out even if I have to risk my life. But he’s not. He’s a straight man. While gay marriage is legal, it’s not an easy path to take. Furthermore, it’s as hard as enlightenment to turn a straight man gay. Even if it’s possible, I don’t want to pull him down into the waters just because I was feeling thirsty. I can’t make him go with me on this path destined to be rife with difficulties and injustice. He’s the eldest son of the Bai family. He’ll get married, have kids, and have a perfect home blessed with lively and adorable children. He’ll take over the reins at the Bai Group. He’ll be a powerful force in the business world. I just want to be by his side. I wish to stand close to him no matter when and where, to watch him and to protect him. To do my best to ensure his life would be smooth sailing.”

“I understand your thinking,” YiHan sighed again and solemnly nodded. “Just like JingYuan and me. If he didn’t clearly tell me he liked me, I never planned on telling him how I feel. That’s what I thought too. As long as I can be by his side, be his family, watch him be happy, it was enough. If one day I end up losing control over the thirst in me, I was willing to just leave and be alone so I wouldn’t disrupt his happy life.”

The older man patted him on the hand, smiled and said, “It’s already amazing that you can plan so much for him. It’s because you’re so mature and cute that Mr Mu has fallen deeply in love with you.”

“Jiang-ge, can you not use ‘cute’ to describe a man?” YiHan objected. “It’s very harmful to my ego. My siblings never listen to me. They say I’m still a kid in their minds. Even if I grow up, they couldn’t help but imagine me as I was back as a child. But you? Why do you keep calling me that?”

“I’m just saying it as I see it,” was the reply. “I think if I can have a younger brother, you’d be my ideal.”

YiHan was reminded of how Jiang Hua was all alone in this world without a single family member and his heart throbbed.

“You have a younger brother now,” YiHan beamed up at Jiang Hua. “It’s me! Were you surprised?”

Jiang Hua looked back at the bright smile YiHan had on. He could feel his eyes aching and watering up. He reached out and grabbed the younger man’s hand.

“It’s such a pleasant surprise,” he softly said. “Thank you, YiHan.”

YiHan’s hand turned and held back at Jiang Hua’s hand. “If it’s possible, I really do wish my brother is gay and he would get together with you. Because I think you love him the most out of everyone in this world. I’d feel regret and pity in his place for missing you. Perhaps he’ll get married and have kids. He might have the perfect life according to everyone but his wife would definitely not love him as much as you do. I’m serious, Jiang-ge. I really want you to be my brother too. I wish we can be a family. However, even if you can’t be with my big brother, it doesn’t stop me from treating you like my brother.”

Jiang Hua lowered his head and quickly blinked his eyes. When he looked back up, his eyes were red.

“Little one, to say something so moving…” His smile wavered. His voice sounded slightly hoarse. “Okay. Even if I have no family, it’d be nice to have a cute younger brother. My life wouldn’t be for nothing now.”

“Why are you using ‘cute’ again?” YiHan cried, upset. “Can I never escape this description?”

Jiang Hua let out another chuckle. “Speaking of which, if anyone else found out I like the eldest son of the Bai family, they would think I just want to be Cinderella. Why do you trust me this much?”

“I just know,” solemnly said YiHan. “I believe if there ever comes a day when my brother has need for help, even if he’s not the great heir of the Bai family anymore, you would give everything to him all so he could rise from the ashes.” He’d witnessed Jiang Hua do all that once. No one else knew better than he did just how sincere and loyal Jiang Hua was to Bai Yan.

The other man huffed and let out a “heh”. His hand tightened around YiHan’s. YiHan could tell he was destined to never obtain the person he loved but he didn’t know how to console the other man either. All he could do was to hold back tightly.

When JingYuan and Yan walked into the room, having bumped into each other at the hospital entrance, they were greeted with the following sight:

Warm sunshine bathed the hospital ward floors as a handsome Jiang Hua and an exquisite YiHan, one sitting up in the hospital bed and one sitting on the chair beside it, linked hands and looked into each other’s eyes. A gentle warmth exuded from them.

JingYuan and Yan: …

JingYuan’s hands curled so hard around the thermal flask in his hands that he nearly broke the handle. He loudly cleared his throat and strode into the  room, making sure his footsteps were audible. He nodded to Jiang Hua in greeting and deliberately walked in front of him so he’d have to let go of YiHan’s hand. He placed the thermal flask on the bedside table and turned to YiHan.

“Aunt Yang made you some soup,” he gently said. “I went back just to get it for you. Do you want to drink it now or later?”

“I’ll have it now!” YiHan gleefully replied. He was as happy as a flitting sparrow upon seeing JingYuan.

JingYuan was satisfied with the reaction he received. With perked up lips, he carefully poured out some soup into a tiny bowl and handed it over.

“Be careful. It’s hot,” he said.

YiHan accepted the bowl with both hands, still giggling in joy.

Having witnessed such a loving sight, Jiang Hua was happy for YiHan.

“YiHan, Mr Mu’s here so I’ll be leaving,” said Jiang Hua as he got up from his chair. “There’s plenty of work left in the office.”

“Goodbye,” YiHan hurriedly said before the man could walk away. “Let’s go get a meal together once I’m discharged. Don’t forget!”

Jiang Hua glanced at JingYuan. The man was gritting his teeth. He couldn’t help but let loose a chuckle at that.

“Okay,” Jiang Hua replied. “I won’t forget. I can’t forget. Farewell, Mr Mu.”

JingYuan robotically turned to face Jiang Hua, nodded to the other man, and sternly said, “Take care.”

Jiang Hua hid his laughter behind pursed lips as he turned towards the door. Upon finding the seething Bai Yan, he was shocked.

“Mr Bai, you’re not at the office?” Jiang Hua asked.

“So you too know there’s a lot of work waiting in the office,” Yan gloomily said. “Yet, you’d skip work for no reason. Your bonus for the month will be cut.”

Jiang Hua’s eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped. “But I applied for leave before I came. How…” could it be considered skipping work for no reason?

“Are you questioning my decision?” Yan interrupted, unhappy with what he was hearing.

“No, Mr Bai,” Jiang Hua sighed. “If that’s all, I’ll head back to the office first.”

Yan harrumphed and twisted his head to look away in a quick flick. Jiang Hua kept silent and walked off, brushing past his boss as he did so. In the whole journey back to the office, he wondered and wondered about what he did to have angered his boss. Even when he eventually arrived at his desk, he’d yet to find a clue. All he could do was let out a heavy sigh once more. Whatever. As long as his boss didn’t fire him in a fit of anger, it was fine.

Back at the hospital, YiHan lowered his bowl of soup and pouted at Yan.

“Why did you get angry at Jiang-ge all of a sudden, Big Brother?” YiHan grumbled. “What did he do to have upset you?”

Yan didn’t know why he threw an angry fit out of the blue either. All he knew was there was something pushing down on his heart and made him so uneasy that he panicked slightly. Even after his outburst at Jiang Hua, that feeling never went away. Upon hearing his own little brother questioning him on his actions, the ember in his heart burned brighter. He couldn’t find it in his heart to blame his younger brother, so the blame fell to Jiang Hua.

Yan glumly looked at YiHan and said, “He’s my subordinate. Can’t I tell him off? Also, I didn’t go off for no reason…”

“How is that not unreasonable?” YiHan unhappily asked. “He squeezed some time out of his busy day to visit me out of kindness. You, however, immediately threw a fit at him upon bumping into him and you took away his monthly bonus. That is his retirement fund. Only you’d be cruel enough to do so! Hmph! Who would dare come and visit me now with that attitude of yours? Ah, wait no. Could it be you were angry at me? Then you can just take away my allowance! Why are you stealing Jiang Hua’s retirement fund from him?”

“Just what are you babbling about?” Yan asked. He didn’t know if he should cry or laugh at how the conversation developed. “Why would I get angry at you for no reason? Alright, alright. I won’t cut your Jiang-ge’s retirement fund. Is that okay?”

◄Previous • Index• Next►

114. So This is Love

“Mom, I love her.” TianYang’s smile was as heart-warming as can be. “I don’t care about winning or losing. As long as I can be with her, as long as she loves me too, I’ll be the greatest winner in life.”

“XueQing is such a lucky woman to be so loved by my son,” his mother replied. “Wait, no! You mean she hasn’t fallen in love with you yet?” Would all her son’s efforts be for nothing then?

“Of course she’s in love with me,” TianYang said after clearing his throat. His eyes shimmered. “I already said I’ve won.”

At the sight of her son’s uneasy gaze, a very rare sight to behold, and how his eyes would wander off to glance at the door, TianYang’s mother heaved a heavy sigh internally. Oh, her silly son. Mothers know their sons best. How could she not guess what he was thinking? Whatever. She’ll do her best to help him and make his dream come true. She had trust in her son and his tastes. She’ll trust the woman her son had his eyes on would be one of the best ladies around. She also knew of the Bai family daughter. That woman’s capable and strong. Bad rumours of her had yet to reach the ears of TianYang’s mother. She was just afraid the young woman might be too strong. Her son would likely be under that woman’s thumb for his whole life. But what could she do? With how her son was acting, he’d probably be willing to be submissive forever.

“I hope she would be touched by how you risked your life to save her and that she’ll love you from now on. ” TianYang’s mother sighed. “Your journey to getting a girlfriend sure is a dangerous one. You nearly lost your life.”

“She can’t be blamed for this,” TianYang replied. “XueQing is the victim here. Mom, someone wants to kill your daughter-in-law!”

“Really?” His mother let out a cold smirk as she toyed with her exquisite manicures. “It seems like the Chen family has been too lenient lately, to the point where a nobody would dare to step on us. They even dare to plot the murder of my daughter-in-law.” And they nearly killed her son!

The mother and son were stuck in their own thoughts when someone lightly knocked on the door. TianYang instantly straightened up.

“Come in,” he quickly responded.

He looked so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed that his mother heaved another sigh at him.

Upon stepping through the door, XueQing first noticed the presence of TianYang’s mother. Her lips swiftly rose into a polite smile.

“Hello, Aunty,” greeted XueQing as she strode over.

“Hello,” TianYang’s mother responded. “How is your brother doing? He got hurt saving TianYang yesterday. I should go and thank him in person.”

“YiHan’s already awake,” replied XueQing. “Madam, you’re too kind. YiHan didn’t do all that much.”

“Nonsense,” said the older woman. “TianYang saved you because he wanted to. But my son just told me YiHan’s act saved his life. These are two separate deeds. I must thank him.”

“The culprit’s target was me,” XueQing remorsefully said. “TianYang got hurt all because he saved me. I don’t know how to properly apologise for that.”

“Silly child,” TianYang’s mother said, holding XueQing’s hands in hers. “Who knew this would happen? You’re a victim in this and you did nothing wrong. What’s there to apologise for? As I’ve said, TianYang saved you because he wanted to. You’re fine, so he’d achieved his goal. No need to feel guilty.” She then pursed her lips into a smile. “Anyway, he told me to be a man is to protect the woman he loves. If you don’t let him do so, he’d be miserable.”

XueQing nodded. Her heart softened. Everything happened so fast. While she still wasn’t clear on the exact situation back then, what she did know was as clear as day in her memory. As danger closed in, TianYang didn’t hesitate at all and twisted around so he’d be exposed to the car instead of her. If her little brother hadn’t crashed into that car, this man would be in the morgue now. Hard times can reveal true colours. The subconscious actions of a person are the best gauge of one’s character. The worse the situation, the better one knew of another. TianYang’s reactions then wasn’t just an attempt to save her. He was going to throw away his life for hers. Far too many women have dreamed of having a man who would do anything for them, even give up his own life. It’s an honour for her to behold such affections. She should treasure it.

TianYang’s mother spent a moment observing the emotions flicker through XueQing’s eyes. A hand snuck around to her back and flashed a V sign at her son.

“Right, I’ll go visit YiHan now,” she said to XueQing, a kind smile on her face. “Please help me keep an eye on TianYang for a moment.”

“You’re too polite, Aunty,” XueQing replied. “TianYang is my boyfriend. It’s my duty to take care of him.”

TianYang’s goddess verbally confirmed their relationship! And she looked so serious! And she did it before his mother!

Under the blanket, TianYang’s hands clenched and unclenched. He felt as if he could fly! If he could move around unhindered as usual, he would really run up to his mother, hug her and give her a big smooch on the cheek! Oh, my sweet mother, I love you!

“Oh?” his mother hummed. “You’re together already?  When did it happen? It’s a dream come true for my brat. He’s so lucky. I could tell you’re a good kid from one look.”

“N-Not long ago” XueQing murmured, cheeks flushed. “We were going to notify our parents recently but, out of the blue, this happened. I apologise for letting such a hasty meeting in the hospital to be our first meeting.”

“What’s important is not where we meet but who we’re meeting with,” TianYang’s mother replied. “Even if I meet you beside a pile of trash, I’d be happy just getting to know a girl like you.”

XueQing blushed even harder. TianYang’s mother held her hand once more.

“Alright. I’ll go see YiHan. You two have fun chatting,” the older woman said. “What happened was so dangerous. Don’t worry. The instant I find the person who had the guts target my daughter-in-law, they’re dead!”

“Thank you,” XueQing solemnly replied.

The older woman nodded to XueQing in farewell and left.

XueQing turned around and looked at the man lying on the bed. His right leg was encased in a cast. He looked pale and sickly. This man had always portrayed a serious image. Every time he appeared before her eyes, he’d always been refined and elegant. This really was the most ragged she’d ever seen him. Even so, this was the most mesmerising version of him she’d ever seen. That messy hair, that sickly green hue on his face, those paper-white lips; they were all so heart wrenching.

She walked over to the bed, sat down in the chair beside it and gently smoothed the man’s hair back.

“Does your leg hurt?” she softly asked.

The fingers of TianYang’s idol, his goddess, were brushing against his cheek. TianYang could hear his heart thump and skip. In this very moment, all pain had drained out of him. He shook his head in response and craned his neck around to look at XueQing’s knees.

“I’m fine,” he said. “What about you? How are your wounds?”

“It’s just a little scrape,” XueQing chuckled. “It never mattered anyway.”

“How could it not matter?” TianYang sternly replied. “If it’s not dealt with well, it’d create scars. It’d affect your ability to wear skirts.”

“Do you think I’d be ugly with a scar?” XueQing leaned in and asked.

His goddess was so close to him that he could feel their breaths mingling and mixing together. A red blush swiftly overtook TianYang’s pale face. He felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

“W-W-Why would I?” he stammered. “Y-You’re beautiful n-no matter what.”

“Since you, my boyfriend, don’t mind, what’s the big deal with having scars?” XueQing remained hovering close.

“You’re a girl,” he muttered. He could feel his cheeks burning up. “It’s natural for you to want to be pretty. I was afraid you’d be upset if they really left scars…”

By now, XueQing had found the pose she’d adopted to be quite exhausting. Her palms reached up and pressed flat against TianYang’s pillow by his ears, supporting herself up while framing his head. She leaned further in and looked him in the eyes.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not the kind of girl who’d be depressed over a tiny scar. You, however, won’t be able to work for a very long time.”

“It’s fine,” he whispered. He could feel his cheeks burning harder with every puff of warm breath he could feel against his face. “It’d be good for me to take this chance to take it easy.” He paused and bit his lip as he thought. “XueQing, you told my mother…I…I’m your boyfriend. Were you serious? The kind of relationship that has nothing to do with the contract?”

XueQing’s red lips perked up in a slight smile as she replied, “I was wondering how long you’d hem and haw around the question. You’ve finally decided to spit it out.”

As TianYang was stuck in a faze, XueQing leaned down further and, as gentle as a dragonfly flitting over a pond, lightly pecked him on the lips.

“Well? Do you think I’m serious now?” she asked, straightening up and away.

TianYang’s mind was already blown to smithereens. Fireworks were shooting everywhere. He was so light and floaty. Nothing felt real. He could feel a faint numbing sensation spreading over his lips. He stretched them out into a slightly agape shape. Oh, they can still move.

But…

His eyes scanned past XueQing and landed on his encased leg. His eyes dimmed as they moved back to XueQing’s gorgeous face. His fingers clenched hard at his blanket.

“You don’t need to push yourself.” He forced a smile out. “I actually…mmngh!”

XueQing’s gaze had been following his. Her flushed cheeks cooled down as she looked at TianYang’s broken leg. From that glance, she knew that he likely thought she only agreed to date him because he saved her or that she pitied him.

There’s no point talking anymore at this time. The best way is to just stop his mouth. They say women overthink everything, always scheming and plotting. Men act the same way too!

The kiss ended and TianYang’s face was hot enough to cook an egg on. At the sight of the flustered man, XueQing couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. How had she never realised this man could be so cute?

She looked into those eyes, shimmering with tears, and slowly said, “If I, Bai XueQing, truly wanted to pay someone back, I have plenty of methods to do so. I have no need to pay with my body. You humiliate my feelings by thinking that.”

“That’s not what I mean, XueQing!” TianYang panicked.

“Then do you believe me?” XueQing asked with a slow blink.

“I do. I believe you,” he hurriedly said. “XueQing, I…I love you. I love you so much. Don’t…please don’t…”

“Don’t hurt you, I know,” XueQing interrupted. “By the way, I’m the woman here. Shouldn’t I be saying that instead?”

“I know it’s not manly of me,” TianYang replied with a bitter smile. “My mom told me that I’ve been utterly defeated in this battle of love, even before the battle has started. I’m not afraid of losing, XueQing. I’m just afraid I can’t earn your true love.”

In that moment, XueQing felt her heart race like never before. It thumped and twisted in distress. The emotions carved itself deep into her bones. She couldn’t help but dip her head down and kissed the man once more.

“You didn’t lose, TianYang,” she mumbled into his lips. “You’ve earned it…” JingYuan was right. So this is love.

◄Previous • Index• Next►

113. (Untitled)

With TianYang’s leg fracture found, another was to be sent in for surgery. However, even at the doors of the operating theatre, TianYang could still be heard rambling on to the doctors.

“Arrange for a doctor to take care of XueQing’s wounds,” he said. “Her knees are scrapped. They’re still bleeding…”

XueQing was rendered speechless at that. She could do nothing but obediently let a nurse clean and dress her wounds.

As the nurse finished up, FuRen and Yan arrived at the hospital.

“How’s YiHan?” the two men frantically asked as they marched over. “What happened?”

JingYuan remained silent, his head still in his hands.

“Someone drove at me with a car today,” XueQing’s glum voice said. “Lil Bro rushed over and banged into the car, pushing it away. That’s the only reason I’m alive. YiHan’s been hurt on the head and he’s still inside. The doctors say he’s safe though.”

Yan let out a sigh of relief. “What about you?” he asked. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” she replied, massaging her forehead as she said so. “But TianYang broke his leg in saving me. He’s in the operating theatre over there.”

“Have you notified his parents?” FuRen asked.

“Aah!” XueQing lightly smacked her head. “I forgot.”

Yan patted her on the shoulder in consolation. Just then, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Chen Feng rushed over with two men right behind him. They were panting hard.

“How’s the Little Master?” Chen Feng pushed out between big gulps of air.

“How did you protect HanHan? Where did you go?” Yan barked.

Chen Feng stood up straight. “Little Master asked me to look into a few men,” he said in a frustrated tone. “I saw that he had no intentions of leaving the house so I went to get it done. I only knew Little Master got into an accident when the men I’d ordered to follow the targets called me.”

“You’re the one who called this afternoon,” JingYuan suddenly broke his silence and asked. “Who did he ask you to investigate?”

Chen Feng didn’t dare to hide anything. He immediately dug out the paper and handed it over.

“The person who drove at Miss XueQing today is this man,” Chen Feng said, pointing out Wei Quan’s name.

JingYuan stared so hard down at the handwritten piece of paper that it seemed like he was trying to bore a hole in Wei Quan’s name through sheer force of will.

After a pause, he said, “What did you find?”

Chen Feng told the Bai family and JingYuan everything he’d found out about Wei Quan.

“Woman?” Yan spoke up. “What woman?”

Chen Feng took out his phone and showed them the photo of the woman and Wei Quan heading into the rental car shop that afternoon. The lady in the picture only had a sliver of her side-profile showing but that didn’t prevent JingYuan from instantly recognising her.

“Tao Qi!” JingYuan spat out through gritted teeth. His eyes glared at the phone screen.

“Tao Qi? Why does this name sound so familiar? Ah, right,” XueQing gasped in shock. “Lil Bro’s girlfriend?”

It was only when the words left her mouth did she realise she’d misspoken. She hurriedly glanced at JingYuan. His face had turned a sickly green. His lips were pursed in a tight line.

“Why would this woman want me dead?” XueQing cautiously continued. “We don’t even know each other. Right?”

“That will be a question for her,” JingYuan darkly said.

“How did Lil Bro know there’s something wrong with this man? Why did he have Chen Feng investigate these men out of the blue?” Yan mused.

JingYuan tilted his head and supported it with a hand. “Ever since XueQing and TianYang confirmed their relationship, HanHan had been worried. About two weeks ago, he asked Jiang Hua to look into all of XueQing’s suitors. He said he was afraid the more easily agitated suitors might not accept the relationship and splash acid at XueQing and TianYang.”

“Jiang Hua…” Yan muttered. His heart started racing for some unknown reason. He  looked at the paper Chen Feng handed over. He continued, “The organisation method used here is certainly Jiang Hua’s style.”

“He must’ve been traumatised by his kidnapping,” XueQing murmured. She was both touched and upset by the thought.

“I thought so too,” JingYuan said. “Who knew that HanHan’s blind guess really dug up a sinister plan and he just so happened to have found him.”

“First, it’s HanHan. He was the target for attack after attack,” FuRen mused. His brows scrunched together in a frown. “Then, it’s XueQing. The mastermind isn’t just targeting HanHan. They’re after the Bai family. HanHan, XueQing, Yan, even I, are all ‘their’ targets.”

JingYuan closed his eyes and said, “Everyone might be ‘their’ target, but this matter might not be ‘their’ doing. Uncle, what happened today and what happened to HanHan don’t seem to have been done by the same person. The mastermind behind the attacks targeting HanHan is very thorough. There was a plan for every step of the way. They also hid their identity extremely well. This person behind the incident this time, however, was clearly much more crass in their methods.”

“Just what did our family do to have made so many enemies?” XueQing exhaled in frustration. “They’ve all popped out of the woodwork and they all want the lives of us three siblings!”

“Calm down, XueQing,” FuRen said, patting her on the shoulder. “The police are still investigating HanHan’s case. They don’t have a lead yet but today’s incident…Chen Feng, you’ll handle it yourself. You must find me the woman in that photo before the police does. I’d like to ask her just what my family did to make an enemy of her!”

Chen Feng was already ill at ease with himself because a mistake on his part had put the Little Master in danger’s way. Upon hearing Bai FuRen’s order, he immediately stood to attention.

“Don’t worry, sir,” Chen Feng solemnly replied. “I’ll bring that woman to you even if I have to risk my life!” He then shot a look at the closed doors of the Emergency Room before marching off.

XueQing collapsed back on her chair. She’d instinctively shot to her feet when her emotions overwhelmed her.

“I’m so very tired of being stuck at such a disadvantage!” XueQing roared with a frustrated ruffle of her hair. “That man was definitely gunning for me yet HanHan was the one who’s hurt. TianYang also broke a leg! They’ve both gotten hurt in my place. Aaargh! I’d rather the one who was hurt is me!”

Yan leaned down and hugged his sister around the shoulders. “Don’t be like this, XueQing,” he softly said. “They love you. They don’t want you hurt. It’s why they’d do anything to protect you, even if they’re injured in the process. Being well is the best way to reciprocate.”

JingYuan nodded in agreement and patted XueQing on the shoulder.

The time they spent waiting was long and arduous. During the wait, Captain Chen Jing and Fang Yi had rushed into the hospital. After getting a detailed statement on what happened, they went to look in on Wei Quan.

YiHan’s car crashed into the silver Volkswagen on the passenger side. Wei Quan was merely knocked unconscious due to the impact. He suffered no major injuries. Not long after arriving at the hospital, he woke up. He quickly realised something was off with his surroundings and tried to run away. However, the Bai family bodyguards swiftly stopped his escape attempt and kept him confined to his ward.

Throughout the interrogation, Wei Quan acted like a delirious crazy man who kept mumbling and rambling utter nonsense. He even loudly proclaimed he had a history of mental illness. He can’t be held accountable. Also, he clearly remembered not having killed anyone anyway. When the man spoke, every sentence made sense. Combined with his occasional bursts of blather certainly matched how a mentally ill patient would act.

Captain Chen and Fang Yi decided to transfer Wei Quan back to the station for further questioning. Before they left, they asked the Bai family to contact them when YiHan and TianYang woke up so the police could get their statements too. The two police officers also assured the family they would do their best in finding and interrogating Tao Qi, the one suspected of pushing Wei Quan to commit the crime.

***

Thankfully, YiHan suffered no lasting injuries. The doctors said it was fortunate he had his safety belt on. While the front of the car was heavily dented, the driver’s seat suffered no damages. Thus, YiHan’s injuries merely came from the impact. He would suffer a slight concussion but completely fine otherwise.

YiHan woke up the next morning and was in a good enough mood to joke around.

“I didn’t have a smart mind to begin with,” YiHan said. “And after hitting my head so many times, I was probably going to be even more stupid than before.”

XueQing gently embraced him and whispered, “It doesn’t matter if you turn into a fool. I’ll protect you forever.”

Sadly, this heart-warming scene was ruthlessly shattered by JingYuan. He dragged XueQing aside and took her spot. He even shot a warning  glare at her.

XueQing: …Damn it! Can’t I even hug my own little brother now? What has the world come to? Hmph. I’ll go to my boyfriend!

In spite of his whirling migraine, YiHan’s smile shone bright and showed off two deep dimples.

***

When TianYang came to, the first person he saw was his mother, sitting by his bed and staring at him in worry.

“Mom, why are you here?” he asked with a smile.

A slender, manicured finger reached out and gently poked him on the forehead.

“You broke a leg,” she said. “How could I not be here?”

TianYang answered her with another bright smile. He looked around then his shoulders drooped slightly in disappointment.

“XueQing hasn’t come to visit?” he asked. “Ah, right. She must be taking care of YiHan. How is he?”

“Look at you,” came the unhappy reply. “You just woke up and all you think about is Bai XueQing. If not for her, you wouldn’t be hurt. Does your leg not hurt anymore?”

“Mom, I know you’re worried for me but just like how my father loves you,” TianYang warmly replied, a hand reaching out to hold his mother’s hand. “I too love XueQing. Protecting one’s loved ones is part of being human, is it not? You’ve always told me I had to treat my future wife well.”

His mother was rendered speechless at that. Yes. That was just part of humanity and she certainly would tell her son that line over and over again, but her heart rejected the notion upon seeing her own son getting hurt over it.

She blinked hard. “Even so,” she said. “You love her so you wish to do all you can to protect her. But what about her? Does she love you? Look. She hasn’t even been by to see you.”

“If she’s not here,” he said, smile as bright as ever. “That means she must be with YiHan. Speaking of YiHan, you remind me of what happened back then. If YiHan hadn’t driven into that crazy man’s car in such a suicidal manner, XueQing would probably be fine but I would very much be dead. YiHan’s act saved me. You still haven’t told me. How is he now?”

His mother hurried over to cover his mouth. “What are you rambling on about?” She could feel her heart racing. “How could you talk about your death as if it’s nothing? Aren’t you afraid of cursing yourself? Don’t worry! Bai YiHan’s fine. Just a concussion. He just needs to rest.”

“That’s good,” TianYang let out a sigh of relief as he said so. “Did you know? When we first opened up that door, all we could see was YiHan sitting there in the driver’s seat with his face covered in blood. I nearly fainted from shock. If anything happens to YiHan, I’ll never be able to live the rest of my life in peace. When he banged into the silver car like a mad man, he was so crazed that it didn’t matter to him it was a suicidal move. Mom, he truly thinks of me as his brother-in-law, as family. I can feel it.”

“My son has always been a smart boy,” Mom commented, head nodding along. “You’ve never ever made me worry. Since you think so well of him, he must be a good kid. Relationships are about give and take. When you marry XueQing in the future, remember to treat him like he’s your own brother.”

“You think XueQing and I will get married too, don’t you?” TianYang asked, his two eyes twinkling. “I just know XueQing and I are the most suited for each other.”

His mother froze at that. “My foolish little son,” she sighed, ruffling his hair in exasperation. “Just look at you. The battle of love has yet to start but you’ve already lost.”

Translator’s Notes:

1. Scene where YiHan woke up: This scene originally had no quoted dialogue. However, all text was written in such a way they might as well be actual dialogue. It’s a storytelling technique some writers use to blur the line between dialogue and narration, which would make a horror story even more horrifying, a simple statement seem more questionable. Here, it’s simply used because the author wishes to speed time along and doesn’t want to spend too much time on setting the scene. However, all information needed for the scene were already written, so quotation marks are added for readability/consistency with the chapter’s style.

2. Fool/stupid: There’s always an issue when translating the word 傻 (sha). Not only does it mean for “stupid”, “foolish” and “silly”, it also means “retard”. How can the implications be translated without sounding offensive? How can the implication remain an implication when the English equivalent is explicit? How to best preserve the light-hearted tone that always has the chance of being passive-aggressive/mocking? Here, YiHan means to say “retard(ed)” but he clearly meant it in a light-hearted tone and his family had/would’ve no issues with YiHan saying that of himself.

Fun fact – “retard” being a slur (that needed to be erased) only came into the English public conscious around the late 2000s and early 2010s. This event (for political correctness) has yet to happen to the Chinese language.

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112. Car Crash

Among the three names singled out, YiHan’s suspicions were mainly focused on Wei Quan. All because of the “mental illness”. He picked up his phone and called one of his bodyguards.

“Chen Feng (Bodyguard A),” he said. “Come here for a moment.”

Soon, the tall Chen Feng walked into the room and respectfully greeted YiHan, “Little Master.”

YiHan held out a paper with three men’s information he’d copied off the email and said, “Arrange for some men to look into them without anyone knowing. I want to know how they’re doing, where they’re going and who they’re talking to. Also, I want someone to keep an eye on them at all times. Do not let them leave your sight. Be quick about it. Remember. Don’t let anyone know about this.”

“Yes, sir,” Chen Feng gravely said, accepting over the paper. “Don’t worry, Little Master. I’ll have it done as soon as possible.”

“Among the men by my side,” YiHan said with a nod. “You’re the most level-headed. I’m at ease with you in charge of this. Go.”

Chen Feng’s manly iron-clad heart was instantly touched. His two eyes shimmered (twinkled?) bright as he loudly replied, “I will not let you down!” Then, he strode out with a confidence he’d never had before.

Chen Feng worked quick. He called YiHan to report in that very evening.

“Little Master, the men are all ready. Li Mao and Tang JianPing are fine but there’s something off about Wei Quan,” said Chen Feng.

“What is it?” YiHan froze in fear.

“After he was fired, he didn’t have a good time,” Chen Feng replied. “He went on to be a security guard in places like hotels and malls, but his mental health seemed unstable. He could never keep the job for long. He lives in the western districts. The only one living with him is his mother, a widow. He would frequently boast and gripe about how Miss XueQing is his woman but she’d ran off with another man. No one else in his neighbourhood knows of Miss XueQing so they thought it’s true. Some even think the ‘woman running off’ made his illness worse.”

“This bastard!” YiHan spat through gritted teeth. He was fuming. “How dare he ruin XueQing’s reputation!”

“He was so confident and believable in his story,” came the reply over the phone. “It seems like he too believes that’s the truth. However, that’s not the most important information. A few days ago, a pretty young lady suddenly appeared. She even stayed the night. Since then, she’d been appearing quite often. Wei Quan’s temper has also gotten more explosive. He would frequently mutter stuff like ‘kill him, kill her’. His neighbours have started avoiding him at all costs. Just now, he and that woman went to a shady car rental shop. They rented a car but the woman didn’t get on. Wei Quan drove off alone. Our men are now following him.”

A chill spread through YiHan’s body. Immediately, he was reminded of Chen TianYang’s gruesome body from the last life.

“Where is my sister now?” he shouted into the phone.

“I don’t know,” Chen Feng replied, confused. He didn’t think the Little Master would be that agitated from the news.

YiHan hurriedly hung up and called XueQing. He called and called but her number was busy the whole time.

By now, YiHan was overtaken with panic. He called Chen TianYang and, fortunately, the man quickly answered.

“YiHan?” TianYang said. “Is there something you need?”

“TianYang, are you with my sister now?” YiHan’s words rushed out of his mouth.

“No, I’m at my office. Did something happen?” TianYang was baffled.

“She might be in danger but she won’t answer her phone!” YiHan was near tears.

“What?” TianYang yelped in shock. “She should be in her office. I’ll go to her right now!”

An “ah” had just left YiHan’s lips when TianYang hung up. At a loss, he called XueQing once more but he still couldn’t get through. He shoved his phone down his pocket, ran upstairs to get his keys, and hurried out the house.

“Little Master,” Aunt Yang shouted after him. “Where are you going? I’ll go call the driver!”

“It’s fine,” YiHan shouted back, unfaltering in his stride. “I’ll drive myself.”

Aunt Yang was spinning in worry when a realisation struck her hard. She ran over to the house phone and called JingYuan. JingYuan had just gotten back to his office when his phone started ringing. A glance told him it was the Bai family home’s landline. He swiftly answered it in hopes it’d be YiHan but who he heard was Aunt Yang.

“Mr Mu, I don’t know what happened just now with Little Master but he ran out after being on the phone,” the frantic voice of Aunt Yang said. “He wouldn’t have the driver drive him. He said he’ll drive himself! That’s so dangerous!”

JingYuan was stunned too. He knew his little one always listened to him. When he left the house this morning, he’d told YiHan not to leave the house if possible. If YiHan had to leave, he should call JingYuan first. JingYuan would go back and drive YiHan himself. What could’ve made his little one rush out of the house and drive himself at such a time?

“Don’t worry,” JingYuan replied. “I’ll go look for him.”

JingYuan then hung up and called YiHan. However, YiHan’s phone was busy dialling XueQing’s number over and over again. JingYuan’s call wouldn’t go through. JingYuan thumped his desk hard. He stomped out of the office without picking up his jacket.

Aunt Yang placed the receiver back in its cradle and heaved a sigh of relief. Ah, wait. Why did she call Mr Mu first? Shouldn’t she have called the Master and the Young Master? Whatever. Calling Mr Mu makes no difference.

YiHan walked into the garage and got into a sapphire blue sports car. It was a birthday present he’d received last year from his brother. Even though his family gave him a car, none of them would let him drive himself. He’d usually be driven by a driver so this car stayed in the garage all year long. It would be taken out for routine inspection and maintenance though. YiHan didn’t know why his brother would give him a car but, on this day, he was so grateful for the gift. This was the only car key he had access to. If he wanted the car the driver used, he would have to wait. Currently, he can’t waste a single second.

His heart thumped and raced. It didn’t matter if that psycho wasn’t targeting his sister today. He couldn’t stop worrying until XueQing and TianYang were standing before him, healthy and hale.

On the drive over, he kept redialling XueQing’s number but her phone was busy the whole time. A dozen of missed calls later, her phone was actually turned off. YiHan was distressed beyond belief. His foot pressed so hard on the gas pedal that the car zoomed by buildings. Just then, he received a call from JingYuan.

“HanHan, where are you?” JingYuan said upon YiHan answering. “What happened?”

YiHan could no longer be bothered to wonder how the other man knew what he was doing. His heart did settle down upon hearing his lover’s voice. He took a few deep breaths and calmed down slightly.

“XueQing might be in danger,” YiHan said. “I’m going over to her!”

“Where is she?” JingYuan asked. “Tell me. I’ll go to!”

“I just called TianYang. He said she should be at her office. I’ve got to go check up on her. I can’t stop worrying.”

JingYuan’s worry heightened at hearing the panic in the younger man’s voice. “Don’t panic, HanHan,” he soothed. “XueQing’s at the office. Yes? I’ll be there soon. I won’t let her get into any danger. Drive carefully. Do you have your safety belt on?”

YiHan had charged straight into the car and out of the garage in a flustered state. How could he have remembered to put it on? Upon being reminded, he lifted a hand from the steering wheel and clicked the safety belt into place.

“I did,” he guiltily replied.

After speeding through who-knew-how-many traffic lights later, he was finally approaching the Bai Group’s office building. From a distance, YiHan could see XueQing walking out through the office doors while TianYang stepped out of his car parked nearby. He was about to let out a sigh of relief when the next thing he saw made his pupils dilate in fear.

An unremarkable silver Volkswagen suddenly sped up and was heading towards XueQing!

YiHan’s mind went blank. He floored the gas pedal and drove at the silver car from the side.

TianYang had let out a sigh of relief at seeing XueQing leaving her office doors perfectly fine. He was about to speak up when he saw a car charging straight at XueQing from her side!

He didn’t waste a second hesitating. He grabbed her in an embrace and lunged away with her in his arms. A sharp pain pierced through his leg while a loud boom echoed from behind him. He could hear the bystanders around them shouting in fear. He looked back to find a sapphire blue sports car had banged the silver car’s front on an angle after the Volkswagen had brushed against his leg. The huge impact forced the silver car several feet away from the duo on the ground. After the collision, both cars had large dents in their fronts.

TianYang’s brush with death caused a cold sweat to break out all over him. He knew that if not for that sports car, he would be dead for sure. Even if XueQing came out fine. He quickly looked down at the person in his arms. XueQing was in shock but she was physically fine. However, she had a skirt on today and so her kneecaps were scraped by his pounce.

TianYang let out the breath he’d been holding in  as he helped XueQing up. He was about to check in on the driver of the sports car when he heard brakes screeching loudly. He looked up to see JingYuan scrambling out of his car. The man was still in his office attire. JingYuan ran straight to the sports car and flung the driver’s side door wide open. XueQing had a peek of her rescuer as he did so and a shrill shriek escaped her. Her entire being swayed on the spot.

The driver was Bai YiHan. He was sitting there in the driver’s seat, silent and still as streams of blood flowed down his forehead. It was a grim sight to behold.

JingYuan’s breath came out in harsh pants as he supported himself against the car frame. It was the first time he’d ever felt so helpless and at a loss. He didn’t even know if he should touch YiHan. TianYang whipped out his phone and called an ambulance. None of them dared to move YiHan. They waited until the ambulance finally arrived. The paramedics reached in and released the safety belt around the man. Then, they tenderly carried him out and onto a stretcher.

JingYuan, TianYang and XueQing all got into the ambulance. The unconscious body of the silver Volkswagen’s driver was also dragged out by the Bai family bodyguards and sent to the hospital. As sirens wailed, TianYang called Captain Chen and described in detail what had just happened. Captain Chen assured TianYang he and Officer Fang Yi would head over to the hospital to arrest the driver.

The trio held their breaths as YiHan was checked into the hospital and rushed into the Emergency Room. They only relaxed after a nurse came out and informed them preliminary checks showed YiHan’s life was in no danger. TianYang then recalled XueQing’s scrapes. He headed off to find a doctor for her when, a few steps later, his knees buckled and he collapsed on the floor. Frightened, the other two hurried over to help him up but TianYang waved them off with a bitter smile. He stretched his legs out on the floor as he rolled his pants up to reveal a swollen right leg. The car hadn’t just brushed against his leg. It had hit it. It was only his worry for YiHan that helped him keep the pain at bay.

A whirlwind of panic rushed about the corridor once more. Eventually, the doctor proclaimed he had a leg fracture.

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