101. I’m Going up in Smoke!

One by one, days flew past YiHan. The longer he went without a plan, the more panicked he was over the upcoming tragedy. In the end, he just gave up on planning and went with the most ham-fisted method possible: investigate every single one of XueQing’s suitors. Anyone who had ever felt anything for her must go through a thorough background check. With such a big net cast, there’s no way that rotten fish would be missed!

It’s such a pity, aggravatingly so, that TianYang died not long after JingYuan left. Back then, YiHan drifted around all day long in a dazed state. Once he confirmed his sister was safe and the culprit was arrested, he paid no heed to everything that happened after, like the culprit’s identity. He didn’t even bother remembering what that crazy man’s name was. All he remembered was his family procuring evidence of the culprit’s insanity and the man being sent to a mental asylum. Not long after, the man committed suicide.

He didn’t think too much about it but now that he thought back to it, it was strange. How could the culprit have escaped punishment with just a piece of paper stating he was mentally ill after having killed off the Chen family’s heir? With how powerful the Chen family was, it’s improbable. Did the man really commit suicide? He can’t say for sure. However, murderers must pay one way or another. The Chen family had the right and strength to avenge their family member. He can’t judge them for that. Perhaps the man did not fully comprehend what he was doing but there was no way he’d lost all control over himself. He drove off with the aim to kill someone. His death wasn’t wrongful no matter what.

If only he remembered that crazy man’s name. He’d only need to track the guy down, keep an eye on the man and nip the danger in the bud. Now, he had to search for any signs of the man amidst a sea of humans. Thankfully while XueQing had a lot of suitors, they always fit a certain criteria. Soon, he will find that unstable man!

Having settled on a plan, YiHan picked up his phone and dialled in a number. After three rings, a man’s voice warmly answered, “YiHan? You’ve not called me for a long time. Do you need something?”

Nostalgia rose in YiHan. It’s been so long since he’d heard this man’s voice.

“How’ve you been doing, Jiang-ge?” YiHan replied with a smile.

“It’s the same old thing with me. Go to work and earn money for my eventual retirement.” Jiang Hua’s voice was as soothing as the spring showers.

“Stop pulling my leg, Jiang-ge. You’re thinking of retirement now?” YiHan chuckled.

Jiang Hua chuckled too. “You know my secret,” he sighed. “Someone like me is destined to never have a family. I’ll die alone. Of course I must prepare earlier. I wouldn’t want to be a penniless and homeless old man.”

YiHan was reminded of what happened in his last life and heaved a heavy sigh internally.

Jiang Hua was an orphan. He was only able to afford university with financial assistance from the Bai Group. He’s smart. He’d always been the best of his peers. After graduation, he joined the Bai Group. With his capabilities, he could be the executive manager of a department. However, he chose to be Bai Yan’s secretary. He’d been working with Yan for years and was now Yan’s right-hand man in everything. When the Bai family fell into troubled times, he didn’t abandon them. He did everything and pulled all the strings he could to help the company, yet he wasn’t able to save the Bai Group. After the family went bankrupt, he would always think up of ways to help Yan rise again. To raise the money needed, he accepted the invitation of the company that’d been eyeing him up forever. He fervently worked and worked and was known as the most handsome bachelor in the industry who’s the least marriageable due to his frugal nature. He wouldn’t attend parties. He didn’t smoke. He didn’t drink. He wouldn’t go out and play with the other men. He was even stingy when it came to how much he spent on food and drink. Every cent possibly saved would be saved. He was infamous for someone who only cared for money. Human relations were nothing to him. As long as there was money to be earned and it wasn’t illegal, he would do it no matter how tiring it’d be. He even secretly sold off the apartment and car he’d bought after years of savings. When he went to Yan with the money, Yan rejected the money. They got into such a big argument that they nearly fought. YiHan was hiding around the corner then. It was the first time he’d seen the eyes of this gentle and kind man go red in rage. That was the last time YiHan ever saw him.

Jiang Hua said he was destined to die alone because he’s gay. He knew he was gay from the start. He’d had a tough childhood. He loved to have a family and he’d always been serious about relationships. He thought that if he were to date someone, then they must be loyal to each other for life. But then the messy and superficial nature of high society let him down while he fell in love with Bai Yan, a straight man. Jiang Hua’s like a swan. Once he’s decided on someone, it’d be for life. His feelings can’t be changed. All he could do was stay by the other’s side, forever alone.

YiHan didn’t know what happened to the man after YiHan died, but he really hoped the man could live a good life. Jiang Hua had always treated him well and it wasn’t just because he was Yan’s younger brother. It was why after having discovered Jiang Hua’s secret, YiHan said nothing and didn’t treat the man any differently. Same-sex marriage might be legal but it still wasn’t widely accepted. There were way too many people who can’t bear the thought of it.

Jiang Hua’s a gentle and kind man. Calling a man “gentle and kind” always made one think the man was a “sissy”, but Jiang Hua somehow embodied a mysteriously perfect combination of masculinity and gentleness that made him so uniquely mesmerising. If Jiang Hua hadn’t been so insistent, who knew how many would be trailing behind his every move.

Unfortunately, YiHan had been too self-centred in his last life. He was too busy drowning himself in his sorrows that he didn’t listen to a single word of Jiang Hua’s advice. Slowly, the two drifted apart. That really felt like an entire lifetime ago.

Someone who’d sell off the apartment and car he’d work so hard for, take out the savings he’d been preparing for his retirement and give everything he had to Yan just so he could regain his glory…Jiang Hua must’ve been absolutely in love with Yan, right?

It’s a pity Yan was an old-schooled and solemn straight man. All of Jiang Hua’s passion was wasted.

“Don’t be scared,” YiHan said into the phone, laughing. “You can depend on me in the future.”

Jiang Hua paused. “Okay,” he replied with a smile. “My future will depend on you now. Alright. Tell me. What did you call me for?”

“Can’t I call you if I don’t need anything?” YiHan asked, a hand scratching at his cheek in embarrassment.

Hua remained silent. He merely let out a low chuckle. YiHan cleared his throat.

“Well, there is a little something,” YiHan said.

“Tell me,” Hua slowly replied.

“I was hoping you could help me look into my sister’s suitors,” YiHan said. “All of them. Secretly or publicly. I want their names, their history, their details. Everything.”

“What did you want that for?” Hua curiously asked.

“I can’t tell you yet,” YiHan stammered. “Once I find him, I’ll definitely tell you.”

Hua decided not to pursue it any further. “Fine,” he said. “Give me two weeks. I’ll have the information for you by then. Don’t go fooling around with the information. I don’t want to be the accomplice to a crime.”

“Would I ever fool around?” YiHan said with a dry laugh. “I’m the most obedient kid…”

“Okay, okay,” Hua guffawed. How rare it was for him to laugh in such a carefree style. “You’re the nicest kid around. I know. Be patient.”

Even YiHan found what he said to be rather embarrassing. “Okay,” he replied, his finger scraped at his desk. “See you later, Jiang-ge.”

Jiang Hua hung up and walked back to his desk in a great mood. While he can’t have a family, it wasn’t that bad to have such a little brother.

Then, Bai Yan appeared and walked by him.

“Send me the meeting notes,” Yan rumbled.

Smile still on his lips, Jiang Hua replied in affirmative. His slender fingers danced across his keyboard, as lithe as a pianist playing a quick and light melody on the piano.

By now, Yan had walked past Hua. He turned around to look at Hua, mystified.

“You’re happy? What happened?” Yan asked.

This secretary of his was a very smart and capable man. He also had a great temper. He was the best secretary Yan could’ve ever found. While the man always had a warm smile on, Yan knew it was just a facial expression. When necessary, it could turn into the man’s weapon. He knew the other was rarely ever genuinely happy. What could’ve gotten the man in such a good mood? Still, this smile made him glow.

Hua looked up. His almond-shaped eyes gleamed and glistened with laughter as he looked at Yan. His fair and smooth skin shone under the bright white light. Those elegant lips parted, “Nothing much, Mr Bai.”

Yan blanked out for a second. For a moment, he felt as if he was just shocked by electricity. The urge to shiver hard was strong. He cleared his throat and regained his composure.

“That’s good then,” he solemnly said. Then, he turned and strode off.

Hua looked back down to his monitor and clicked “send”. He lifted a hand to his cheeks. Was he happy? He was. After all, someone said they’d financially support him when he grew old and wrinkly. Even if it’s just talk, he was ecstatic at it.

On the other side of the room, the beautiful assistants all clutched at their hearts. My idol, Jiang Hua, please smile once more!

***

When JingYuan pushed through the door, YiHan was still stuck in his memories of the past. Everyone all said that disasters would show one’s true face. They weren’t wrong. When the Bai family was at its strongest, there was no lack of people yearning to offer up their help. When the Bai family fell from grace, how many came to help them in their time of need?

The Chen and Qi families split the Bai family’s assets for themselves. It was good enough that the Yan family just stood back, watched, and didn’t involve themselves. The “best bros” that followed him around and kept going on about how they’d take a knife for him, they all scattered like the wind. The companies that competed with each other to gain Yan’s favour were all too afraid to accept his application. It was only once he’d personally experienced it all did he understand just how rare and precious were those who would never abandon them, like Jiang Hua. YiHan truly planned on supporting him until his death. He didn’t say all that as a joke.

Just as YiHan was sighing over his thoughts, JingYuan hugged him across the shoulders from behind. The older man lightly kissed him on the cheek and the deep voice that was uniquely JingYuan’s rang from beside his ear, “What are you thinking about? What’s made you blank out?”

As the man spoke, JingYuan’s breath gently blew across YiHan’s ear. Combined with the voice so smooth and sensual that it could make anyone pregnant just by listening to it, YiHan’s whole body turned numb. The cheek JingYuan’s breath blew on was swiftly covered in a heavy blush. Logically, YiHan should’ve gotten used to being so intimate with JingYuan. They’d been dating for some time already. But for some reason, every time JingYuan leaned in close and did something so very affectionate, YiHan’s skin couldn’t help heating up. His heart would race. His breathing would turn into heavy pants.

“It’s nothing,” YiHan said, awkwardly pulling away and clearing his throat.

JingYuan walked around to look at YiHan head-on. He reached out and trapped the younger man between his arms and the chair, then slowly leaned in until their noses gently touched. JingYuan gave an inquisitive low nasally hum. That short hum felt like it rang for miles and echoed in YiHan’s ears.

All YiHan could see was JingYuan’s handsome face, enlarged. Every breath he took was filled with JingYuan’s scent. His ears were filled with the hum that made his insides quiver. His heart thumped hard and loud. His body was unable to sustain itself merely on the oxygen provided through his nose. Unknown to him, his lips had parted.

JingYuan let out a soft chuckle. His tip of his tongue reached out and licked at YiHan’s gaping lips. His nose rubbed against YiHan’s.

YiHan: …crap. I’m going up in smoke!

Translator’s Note:

Ge: suffix used for older males, usually as a sign of affection or respect. It’s used for brothers, cousins, friends and even lovers. Because it’s a little weird for YiHan to refer to Jiang Hua by his first name, as the use of the suffix by YiHan is mean to show just how much he likes Jiang Hua as a brother figure instead of as just his brother’s

◄Previous • Index• Next►

100. The Novel’s Ending

Mild trigger: She might not be the good guy here but it’s still rape.

The kind female lead didn’t argue back. She silently accepted everything. She knew Mu JingYuan didn’t like her at all because when he wasn’t in his right mind, he would be calling out “YiHan” and “HanHan”. People all said he always paid attention to her but she knew she’d never be able to get into his heart. No one else can.

The silence lasted until she found herself pregnant. A tiny life was now involved. She had to go to the man to discuss about the child. However, the only reaction he had was to coldly order her to abort it. She was incredibly sad over it. In the time she’d been working in the Mu Group, she’d fallen deeply in love with this aloof and powerful man. It was why she didn’t try struggling hard that night. It was why she didn’t argue back about how he treated her afterwards. She thought that she’d never be able to get him because of their boss-employee relationship and the difference in family background. It was enough for her to just have a perfect night to recall. The baby’s arrival might’ve been outside of her expectations, but it’s her family. It’s her flesh and blood. She’ll do her best to protect it.

From the start, Bai XueQing, the evil female side character, would often bully the female lead because she was secretly in love with Mu JingYuan yet she’d never be able to have him. Upon finding out the female lead was pregnant with JingYuan’s child, her bullying worsened. She’d constantly create trouble for the female lead, mock her, humiliate her, she would even attempt to murder the child in Tao Qi’s womb. While JingYuan wasn’t willing to accept the female lead and their child, but he still helped her out by publicly humiliating XueQing. However, that only made XueQing worse.

After a series of tormenting experiences, the male lead remained firm as ever while the female lead fell into a spiral of dejection. To save her child, she snuck out of the city and, through a lot of pain and suffering, finally gave birth to a baby boy. She then raised the child that looked so very much like JingYuan herself. During this time, she got to know the male side character, Zhang QingYang. The man fell in love with her kind and stubborn nature. He didn’t mind that she already had a child and fervently courted her.

Zhang QingYang came from a good family. Naturally, his parents didn’t want their son to get married with a woman who already had a child out of wedlock. After trying to talk their son out of the idea, to no avail, they would secretly arrange meetings with the female lead to mock her, talk down on her, throw money at her to get her to leave, etc. Of course, the female lead wasn’t a greedy woman. Naturally, her stubbornness resulted in humiliation for Zhang QingYang’s materialistic parents for their disdain of the poor. She then told Zhang QingYang she was already in love with someone else. In spite of being deeply hurt by the man, she would never fall in love with anyone else. QingYang wasn’t willing to give up however. He persisted in his pursuit and the female lead would refuse him over and over again. But her rejections only made him fall deeper in love with her.

Three years later, Mu JingYuan would find her and force her back to the capital with him. He’d lock her up with him. While she loved him, she had her own pride too. And so started the series of conflicts and imprisonment. Zhang QingYang would rush over and risk himself to save her but his family would never be strong enough to compete against the male lead. After countless attempts and fights, he still failed at saving her. Out of any ideas, he decided to sidestep Mu JingYuan and approach the Bai family. Then, the evil female supporting character, Bai XueQing, would do her best to stop him from meeting the Bai family parents. Nevertheless, those who work hard will get what they’re aiming for in the end. He finally got a meeting with Ma and Pa.

When the Bai family was told about the full story, the rational Bai family parents decided to take XueQing to task and mediated between the two lead characters. Mu JingYuan had always treated the Bai family as his own. After a brief stalemate, he finally decided to let Tao Qi go. Yet after coming in close contact with JingYuan, the kind female lead realised the man’s life wasn’t as grand as everyone thought. He’d never be able to fall asleep at night. Deep in the night, he would be roaming through the empty house like a ghost. At dawn, he’d be smoking out at the balcony. Even if he did fall asleep, he’d be bombarded by nightmares. Pained roars would rip through his throat and he’d wake up drenched in sweat. Then, he’d sit in the living room and blank out until the sun rose. He had a big bone structure and it wasn’t as obvious when he was clothed in work clothes, but he was very thin and lanky. When he changed out of his suits, his shirts would hang loosely off his wide shoulders. He would frequently mutter and mumble to himself as he looked at a pile of items all alone while sadness took over his entire being.

Some people look strong and powerful in public. It’s only once one got close to them would their fragility be seen. At the sight of her beloved living such a tough life, the female lead’s heart softened and she decided to forgive him. She promised to stay by his side.

As for Zhang QingYang, after having gone through so much, he felt that as long as Tao Qi was doing fine, he would respect her wishes. Afraid that he’d bring trouble to the female lead, he then left the nation.

Actually, the story’s ending is an open ending so its readers could imagine whatever they like to happen. However, Tao Qi the reader self-righteously thought that the male lead must’ve fallen in love with the female lead early on. Why else would he search for her after she left? As for the pain and fragility afterwards, it was all just a scheme. A plan to use weakness as bait. As expected, the soft-hearted woman fell for it and promised to stay with him. But who knew what she was thinking then? Only a fool would insist on walking away from a future as Mrs CEO!

As for the current Tao Qi, she’d transmigrated into the start of the worst part of the female lead’s life. She opened her eyes to the night her virginity was taken away by Li Sun. Her whole body was aching and exhausted. She didn’t even have the strength to struggle. She could only lay there and let him thrust into her. When she later received the original Tao Qi’s memories and understood what her exact situation was, she was both ecstatic and furious!

She was ecstatic that her dream of transmigrating into one of her favourite novels was realised. She didn’t even have to fight with the novel’s female lead for opportunities to better her situation because she was the female lead.

She was furious because if the Gods favoured her so much as to let her travel into a CEO-romance novel, why didn’t they put her in at the start of the main plot but at the start of a dark time before the plot?

Deep within Tao Qi, she’s actually rather disdainful of the female lead. She thought the character was stupid and weak. If it were her, she’d have the male lead dancing within her palms quickly. She wouldn’t need to suffer three whole years. But if she didn’t go through the arc, she would never be able to meet the foolish lovestruck male supporting character. What a pity that’d be.

In the novel, Li Sun’s participation was merely stuck to the phrase “two years later”. It was a breezy process. In reality, she’d have to go through it day after day after day. In less than two months, Tao Qi was out of her patience and very much frustrated with the situation. While she was able to use her skills on the bed from before the transmigration to capture Li Sun’s attention, he only thought of her as a tool for his release. She never felt any pleasure from such an unskilled man. Every time Li Sun had his way with her, it felt like torture. Not only that, he would often humiliate her through his words and actions during the deed. Sometimes, it even turned into abuse. It disgusted her so very much. At the thought of the main plotline being far off in the future, her temper became even more annoyed than usual. Must she really bear through it all and wait for the plot to start? As she is now, she wouldn’t even know where YiHan and JingYuan are in their relationship!

She sighed and turned off the shower. As she was stuck in her thoughts, the door behind her suddenly opened. The chilly air-conditioning air blew straight in and hurled itself against her dripping body. Shocked by the shift in temperature, she sneezed.

“You little slut,” Li Sun said with a smarmy smirk. He was the one who just opened the door. “You got up in the middle of the night and made all that noise just to seduce me. Was it not enough? I’m in a good mood today so I’ll satisfy you, you vixen. At least then you wouldn’t go cheating on me just because you couldn’t bear the loneliness!”  

As he mocked and teased her in the most unsavoury way possible, he swiftly tore off the only cloth on his body, threw it on the floor, pulled Tao Qi’s naked body closer and pushed her legs wide open.

Tao Qi was shoved back against the wall. Behind her were cold ceramic tiles. Before her was a crude beast. Anger rose in her. She wanted to scream and shout but she didn’t dare to fight back. Instead she put on a submissive smile and proactively curled a hickey-covered leg around Li Sun’s waist to let him do as he wished.

Li Sun had been having a bad time recently. His family’s company wasn’t doing well at every aspect. Every path was closing off. His old man went around asking for favours. Then, one day, he came back and beat Li sun black and blue. His father said it was all because he was ignorant enough to make an enemy of Mu JingYuan. That was the only reason why the company was being struck off of deals. Their family wasn’t the only one. Everyone else who was at Hong Ming were also affected. Some were beaten up by their parents. Some were under house arrest. No one was spared. In the next few weeks, Li Sun was stuck between his house and the university. His pocket money was significantly reduced. How could Li Sun bear that? The only thing he could do to wile time away was torment his lover.

Having sex upright against the wall wasn’t the most comfortable position. In fact, it was one of the most uncomfortable positions. After one round, Tao Qi was so exhausted that she didn’t have the courage nor the strength to wash herself up again. She dragged herself back to the bed. Just before she fell asleep, she fumed. One day, soon, she’ll be a powerful woman. She will definitely snip off Li Sun’s penis. Only then would the disgust and anger in her be quelled!

***

After YiHan was discharged from the hospital, the entire Bai family, JingYuan and TianYang all had a grand family meeting in the Bai family home. The topic of the meeting was XueQing’s public announcement of her relationship with Chen TianYang.

Ma and Pa were “shocked beyond belief”. They scolded her for how flippant she was about love. JingYuan then confessed that XueQing and TianYang were in love with each other long before he got engaged with XueQing. However, TianYang didn’t dare to confess this whole time. JingYuan merely acted out a charade with XueQing to give TianYang a push. Now that “the loved finally became lovers”, he could back out of the whole act.

XueQing drily chuckled. TianYang “blushed with embarrassment”. Ma, Pa and Yan were rendered “speechless and bemused whether they should laugh or cry”. And so the curtains fell on the show.

Having watched his sister finally “gotten what she desired”, a huge burden was lifted from YiHan’s shoulders. The shadow lurking over his mind since his reincarnation lessened. TianYang and XueQing have started dating. Next year, TianYang would be facing a life-or-death tragedy. Pressure began building up over YiHan once more. He knew he wasn’t smart. But things kept happening one after another and he couldn’t think of any good plan to help TianYang and his sister avoid that tragic ending.

◄Previous • Index• Next►

99. Two Tao Qis

In an empty sick ward just a wall away from YiHan, JingYuan stood facing the window as he flipped through the document in his hands.

Chen Hong, JingYuan’s secretary, stood a few steps behind the man by the window. “This woman, Tao Qi,” he said, clear voice echoing. “There’s nothing special about her. She’s currently in her second year at university. Her father, Tao JianFei, is a truck driver. His income depends on taking on long routes. Her mother, Tang Jing, is a housewife. She has never held a job. Tao Qi is their eldest daughter. She also has a younger brother. When he was younger and unbeknownst to his family, he skipped school for a little business venture. He earned some money through it so he thought he was a genius businessman. He was no ordinary man. Unfortunately, he’s ambitious but careless and unskilled. The bit of money he earned through luck was quickly used up and under his family’s advice, “brought himself down” to find a job. However, he was rejected at every turn. He refused to admit it’s because he was incapable. He insists it’s because society is too corrupted. It’s why no one was accepting a talented man like him. All day long, he’d sigh about how unfair life was. He wouldn’t study or work. All he does is stay at home, leeching off his parents, waiting for the lucky chance in his life to bring him up to his peak. He’s the kind that can never be made into anything just like slippery mud.

“Tao Qi’s parents are the kind who think only sons are important while girls are useless. They dote on their son and ignore Tao Qi the whole time. It was rather hard for her to even get into university. She had incredibly good grades. Her high school arranged a guaranteed spot for her in university but her parents didn’t want her to go as a way to lessen the financial burden on themselves. They only let her go after she cried and cried and told them she’d work hard to earn all the money needed for university.

“Two months ago, Tao JianFei caused a crash from exhaustion. Someone nearly died then. Thus, the family’s finances had been on a downhill. They can’t afford the expensive surgery fees. In order to pay for the father’s medical fees, Tao Qi decided to be the son of Li ZiFa, Li Sun’s lover. Tao JianFei has now been discharged from the hospital but he can’t drive a truck ever again and he can’t do hard labour. With the family’s breadwinner down, she had to continue staying by Li Sun’s side so the family won’t go bankrupt. But recently, she’s been sending less and less money home. Her brother even came to ask about it a few times but she’d always wave him off. Her classmates and friends all say she’d changed dramatically recently. She’d gotten a lot tougher with her family. Before, she would never lay a single finger on her younger brother. The general consensus is she’d changed due to the immense pressure of having so many things happen to her family at once. They’re all very sympathetic to her. Mn. Everyone seems to like her. She’s got good social skills. While she’d gotten much more temperamental and impulsive lately no one has yet to express dissatisfaction with her.”

He paused, then continued, “Li Sun had once bragged that Tao Qi was a virgin when they first got together. She’s very pure and naive out of the bed but in it, she’s an exceptional beast.”

“You don’t need to say that,” JingYuan said with a frown.

Chen Hong smiled. He said nothing but, in his heart, he was pumping his fist and holding up a victory sign. Boss, that flash of satisfaction in your eyes betrayed you. Don’t think I don’t know just how much you’re bothered by the question of whether or not the Little Master had sex with her before. The role of President Mu’s secretary was one everyone yearned for, but I could stay as calm as the eye of the storm. It’s not only because I’m extremely talented but because I’m very good at observing micro-expressions.

The hand holding onto the document shifted to behind JingYuan’s back. His gaze staring out through the window into the distance. “Changed dramatically?” he whispered. “Interesting. Chen Hong, have the men keep a close eye on her. If she does anything out of the ordinary, notify me at once.”

Chen Hong, top-class secretary, smiled and replied, “Yes, Mr Mu.”

****

After a round of one-sided orgasmic fun, Li Sun sprawled out on the bed and snored away. Tao Qi sat up stared down at her aching body to see blood-stained bite marks all over her fair, plump breasts. She felt like puking on the inside. She just couldn’t bear sleeping without washing so she slowly walked over to the bathroom.

Warm water flowed down and over the body tainted with marks of sex. It didn’t make her feel any better though. She scrubbed hard at the places Li Sun had touched, hate strong in her eyes.

Why? Why did she had to transmigrate in at this time? Why didn’t she transmigrate to the time just as the main plot was about to start?

She herself was named Tao Qi before. She was also a university student but unlike the Tao Qi here, she was at the end of her fourth year and was working hard for her future career. She was born into an ordinary salaryman family. Her parents loved her and gave her the best they could. Only she wasn’t happy. Because no matter how much they made sure she’d want for nothing, they can’t give her the luxurious life she wanted. Every time she saw her rich classmates wearing a skirt that cost as much as her yearly allowance, watches she might never be able to afford her whole life, she would despise how unfair life was. She was no worse than any of them. Why were their lives as different as heaven and earth? Was it all just because she was born into an ordinary household?

She can’t accept that. She wanted to fight with fate about it but reality is cruel. She’s not exceptional at all. In the crowd, she’d be as average as the most average grain of sand in the desert. Reeling in sugar daddies was a skill too. She would throw away her dignity to serve a fat rich guy, but they’d always look down on her. They’d just use her and throw her away.

Beaten down by life, she drowned herself in novels. It wasn’t just for leisure. It was so she could imagine herself as the protagonist. She’d fantasise about being unconditionally doted on by presidents, tyrannical masters, emperors, talented men, geniuses and so on. Only images of her being loved by cool and rich men would make her happy.

She dreamed of being able to transmigrate into the worlds of those novels, overthrow the female lead and have the male lead to herself. From then on, she’d have all the love she’d want and live out a life where gold was as common as dirt. She’d frequently look down at contempt as the female leads’ stupidity. She always thought that if it were her, the process wouldn’t be so long and painful. She’d quickly have the male lead be hers.

The last book she’d read was this world’s novel, “Sweet, Pregnant Body Double Wife Runs Away”.

The male lead of the novel, Mu JingYuan, had been secretly in love with his childhood friend Bai YiHan since he was a kid. However, Bai YiHan was a troublemaker. He’d just eat and play. He was skilled at nothing. There was one time where he nearly took drugs. Slowly, JingYuan grew disappointed at him. When he realised YiHan even toyed with his emotions as if it were all a game, he left the nation in dejection. His company gradually shifted their focus overseas. He thought that YiHan would be a carefree rich kid his whole life under the Bai family’s protection. The two could then live their own lives and forget about each other. Who knew that two years later, he’d receive a call from the Bai family parents and be told YiHan was dead.

In less than a year from JingYuan’s departure, the Bai family went bankrupt. YiHan was killed. His last wish was to be able to see him once more. He rushed back only to be met with the tortured corpse of his most beloved. He went all in with the investigation. He soon found the mastermind behind it all and began his rabid revenge spree.

These were all the set-up for the main plot. The prologue. Scenes merely written and done in a few sentences. With the lead’s help, the Bai family soon rose again but JingYuan fell into a spiral of numbness after the revenge was over. He turned into a mindless and tormented man. Just then, the female lead appeared and the main plot would formally start.

The female lead was one of those “white lotus flowers”, a saint through and through. Her parents were very misogynistic. They spoiled their useless son rotten while thoroughly ignoring their excellent daughter. She was only able to get into university because she worked hard and earned the money for it herself. The moment she started university, she fell in love with Bai YiHan, the third son of the Bai family. Back then, he wasn’t as much of a troublemaker as he was later. He was merely a little arrogant. During university, he hid his own identity so she didn’t even know he was the third son of the great Bai family. After some hesitation, she decided to be brave and confess her love to him. She even became his girlfriend. At first, it was just an innocent schoolyard romance. The furthest they’d gone was holding hands. However, that man was just a playboy. In less than three months, he broke up with her. She was sad but didn’t say anything. Most first loves end up in tragedy after all.

Life was fickle and unpredictable. In her second year, her father got involved in a car accident. To save her father, she had to sell herself and be the lover of the rich kid who kept lusting after her, Li Sun. From then she started over two years of humiliation.

After graduating from university, she was able to join the Mu Group due her exceptional results. Li Sun slowly grew tired of her and she was finally able to free herself from the beast. With her own talents, she slowly carved out a place for herself in the office and became one of their many full-time employees. However, her family was always bothering her, always demanding money from her. Most of her income went to her family and that rubbish younger brother of hers. Yet she was very happy as every cent she earned was gotten through her own hard work, not through selling her own body. She was satisfied.

Over two years would pass and that would be when Mu JingYuan finished his revenge. President Mu, aching and numb from his loss, would see her by coincidence. Naturally, he’d be reminded of her past relationship with YiHan. Speaking of which, Bai YiHan might be a playboy and reckless kid but in his short life, the only proper relationship he’d ever had was with Tao Qi. JingYuan had always envied her for it. She was the only one in this world who knew YiHan well outside of his family and JingYuan. The sight of her would make him recall that sweet smile of YiHan. Because of that, he’d unwittingly be drawn to her and pay attention to her. After some time, rumours began to spread in the office. For some unknown reason, he never stepped up and clarified anything so everyone began to believe in those rumours. While the two looked like they’d never interacted, Mr Mu thought differently about Tao Qi.

Mu JingYuan was a handsome man with an unordinary net worth. There were many women in the office who lusted over him. Of course, that made them very jealous of the female lead who could make Mu JingYuan look at her “differently”. She began to be the social outcast and target for bullying. They were all hoping to push her out of the company. Contrary to their expectations, the bull-headed woman took it as a chance to show off just how great she was. With the help of the friends she’d attracted through her own innate qualities, she was still able to solidify her place in the office.

The first climax of the story would be the annual company party. The old but well-loved trope would appear. A nameless “slutty vixen” hoping to get in with the top would drug Mu JingYuan with a strong aphrodisiac in an attempt to get in bed with him. The man would then be mesmerised by the female lead. A series of miscommunication and mistakes would ensue, leading to the “slutty vixen” ending up with nothing for all her efforts while the female lead was forced to receive the fruits of her labour. By accident, the two main characters would go a round under the sheets. JingYuan’s reputation as a cold, emotionless and harsh man was not just mere hearsay. Even though investigation showed the person who drugged him wasn’t Tao Qi, all he left her with was still a cheque and the dejecting sight of his back.

Translator’s Note:

Slippery mud: A little nod to the actual phrase used here, “the rotten (slippery) mud will never stick to the wall”.

◄Previous • Index• Next►

98. Save Him. Calm Him Down.

XueQing’s chest rose and fell in quick bursts at YiHan’s words. Her eyes went red.

On the other hand, JingYuan didn’t react visibly. He merely began playing with each of YiHan’s fingers. If one looked close enough however, they’d find his hands trembling through it all. He wasn’t just furious. He was also very much terrified for what might’ve happened. What would’ve happened if he was just a second too late? That was not a scenario he’d dare to think about.

“That means Xiang is an experienced killer,” Chen Jing mused. “Looks like we’ll have to dig deeper into their past.”

“And they’re lying,” YiHan said. “The one who hired them is someone else. The four men are one party while Feng Qun is another. They don’t really get along well and they dislike each other. The leader of the four even stated Feng Qun didn’t pay them. He even mocked the man for not having any money to pay for a meal.”

“They really didn’t plan on leaving you alive,” Fang Yi said, sympathy apparent in his voice. “That’s why they were so careless when talking to each other. They didn’t contact the family even though they’ve kidnapped someone like Little Master Bai. There was not a single inclination of demanding for money or anything. They came straight for the kill. Just who would hate him this much?” He paused and turned to YiHan. “Have you any idea?”

“While I was rather reckless before,” YiHan said, shaking his head. “I knew to stay within the line. I wouldn’t do anything that’d leave a lasting grudge.”

“Could it from a business competitor?” TianYang asked.

“Must you kill just for business?” Fang Yi asked in shock.

Chen Jing stood up and patted this silly little boy on the shoulder. “Looks like we’ve got some clearing up to do with this case. Let’s head back and reinterrogate those thugs, and Feng Qun. He’s a key figure. Perhaps it’d be easier to get an answer out of him than these four killers.”

Fang Yi nodded and stood up. “Thank you for your cooperation,” he said to YiHan. “You’ve provided a lot of important information.”

“It’s what I should do,” YiHan said, smiling. “You two came all the way to me just for my case. I should be the one thanking you.”

Even Chen Jing’s stiff face softened at that. “You’re too kind,” he said. “Please rest well. Perhaps we’ll be bothering you again if the case requires it.”

“I understand.” YiHan nodded. “Take care.”

Chen Jing nodded and headed for the door with Fang Yi behind him. However, his feet paused for a moment at the doorway. He gently cleared his throat.

JingYuan’s gaze shot to the policemen. “You rest up,” he told YiHan. “I’ll see Captain Chen out.”

At YiHan’s nod, he stood up and followed the team out.

The men marched on. It was only when they’d turned around the corner did Chen Jing speak up.

“Mr Mu, something’s off about Little Master Bai,” he said.

JingYuan’s eyes narrowed down on the man. “What’s off about him?” he asked.

“He’s too calm,” Chen Jing solemnly replied. “A normal person, especially a kid like him who’d never been through tough times before, would be panicked and terrified when encountering something so horrifying and disgusting. They might even go speechless while recalling what happened. But from my observations today, his mind was clear and rational. His description of the whole event was very objective and rarely included his own emotions. No young man raised in the lap of luxury could have such a strong mindset.

“Just what do you really mean?” JingYuan coldly asked.

 “Don’t misunderstand me, Mr Mu,” Chen Jing replied. “I’m not suspecting Little Master Bai. I’ve merely seen too many victims throughout my career. His reaction is rather abnormal. It’s best to get him a psychologist or a psychiatrist to prevent any long-lasting mental traumas from forming.”

“We’ve already found one. They’ll be here later,” JingYuan said, his face calming down.

Chen Jing nodded and, with Fang Yi in tow, left.

The psychiatrist, Dr Zhou, was very well-known among the psychiatrists. After an afternoon of talking to YiHan, the conclusion was Bai YiHan was clinically depressed. He’s currently stable and wasn’t very suicidal. But they needed to be on their guard as YiHan’s mind was extremely sensitive and would easily start splitting hairs if left to himself. It’s rather dangerous. His moods might change in a snap. One moment, he might be in a good mood but the next, he could have a mental breakdown. Thus, they can’t let their guard down just because YiHan looked like he was in a good mood. They must place comforting him as a priority and make him experience the loveliness of being alive. He can’t be agitated and they mustn’t let him get dejected at all.

The long list of “don’ts had frightened the Bai family and JingYuan down to the core. After seeing Dr Zhou out, Ma shot a questioning look at her daughter. XueQing returned it with an imperceptible nod. FuRen and Ma silently let out a sigh of relief. Guilt was now laced through the loving look they had for JingYuan.

Suddenly, JingYuan looked back and smiled at them. The couple was stunned then they returned the smile with relieved ones of their one. JingYuan’s attitude clearly meant he thought of them as his own family. If they tried to set clear boundaries, it’d end up hurting him.

That night, JingYuan coaxed YiHan to sleep. Then, he arranged for a few reliable men to guard the door while he entered the room next door. Originally, it’s an empty ward. For now, the Bai family was waiting for him there.

The moment he stepped through the door, every head swerved to look at him.

“He’s asleep now,” JingYuan whispered. “Last night, he didn’t have any nightmares either. He looks to be recovering fine. He’s really much stronger than we thought.”

“You must’ve been exhausted over the past two days,” Ma said with a kind smile. “Ever since HanHan was kidnapped, you’ve been running all over the place. Not only that, after he was rescued, you stayed by his side the entire time. You haven’t even had a full night’s sleep. But this kid relies way too much on you. We also don’t dare to agitate him at such a crucial time.”

“It’s fine, Aunty,” JingYuan said. “YiHan was very obedient this whole time. It’s not tiring taking care of him. If I can’t stay by his side during this time, I’d be even more worried. I’d also not have a good night’s sleep.”

“You…” FuRen started and stopped. “Aah!” he sighed.

“Are you sighing over what XueQing mentioned this morning?” JingYuan asked.

FuRen patted him on the shoulder and said nothing.

“JingYuan, we’re sorry to put this burden on you. Just think of it as part of the effort to save him and calm him down,” Yan said. “Once he’s better…”

JingYuan shook his head. “Before when I realised HanHan might’ve been attacked, I felt like a trapped beast,” he said. “I paced and worried yet I could do nothing. I felt so very useless, so powerless. Truthfully, when XueQing came to me today, I…I was so happy. Finally, we had made some progress on HanHan’s matter. This would undoubtedly be great for his recovery. Dr Zhou said it just now. We must make sure he remains calm and at ease. When he gets what he wants, he’ll naturally be happy. If he’s happy, I’m happy. HanHan’s also a genuinely nice young man. It’s no burden at all.”

Internally, XueQing’s thumbs were raised up high. Nice speech! Extra, extra marks!

As expected, Ma and Pa were immensely grateful and touched by the speech. FuRen heftily patted JingYuan on the shoulder once more.

“I won’t keep going on about thanks,” FuRen sighed. “Anyway, we’re sorry for putting this on you.”

JingYuan shook his head again. “What’s important now is HanHan knows XueQing and I were engaged,” he solemnly said. “How can we make sure he doesn’t feel guilty? He loves his sister a lot. Even if I offer my self up on a silver plate, he wouldn’t accept it. He might even beat me up for his sister.”

“Then we must make him believe XueQing actually doesn’t like you,” Yan said with a frown.

“How could we make him believe that?” Ma asked, wrecking her brain hard.

“What if I ‘fell out of love and shifted my affections to another’?” XueQing suggested without a single hitch in her voice.

“Huh?” Ma’s jaw dropped.

XueQing blinked back at her, smiled, and said, “If I fall in love with someone else, then I wouldn’t like JingYuan, right?”

FuRen turned his head away. To make a pair of lovers split like that…it really makes one weep.

XueQing let out a dry laugh and stammered, “Don’t act like this, please? I’ve told you. JingYuan and I aren’t as deeply in love with each other as you think. Everyone’s an adult. We just thought we were a good match so we decided to get married. It’s just marriage so who cares who it’s with? Why not just find someone I know well who understands my personality?”

“What nonsense!” Ma retorted. “Who’d think like you? Marriage is no game. How can you be happy if there’s no love in the first place?”

XueQing gulped. “You’re right, Ma,” she said, an apologetic smile plastered on and her voice shifted into a grovelling tone. “However, I’m someone who dislikes being tied down. I didn’t plan on marrying in the first place. But then you guys kept pushing and pushing. Day in and day out, you’d comment on my age and how I’m getting older. I thought that since I had to get married, I’ll just find someone I know the best. After we get married, everyone can just do what they want just like before. We’d live our own separate lives.”

FuRen’s nose by now was pinched so badly that it’s lopsided. He and his wife had been agonising over this for an entire day and night. Their poor daughter and JingYuan had to bear the burden. Then, XueQing just told them this whole engagement was just an excuse to block her from actual marriage!

If this is what their daughter thought of marriage, then JingYuan…

He hurriedly looked up at JingYuan, deathly afraid this poor child would be thrown into a fury from frustration brought on by XueQing’s confession. To his surprise, the young man was calm as can be. He even nodded in agreement! Nodded! Agreed!

Fine. He’s really grown out of touch with what the young people think and do these days. Whatever. He’ll leave them to muck around as they wish.

***

With Ma, Pa and Yan dealt with, XueQing and JingYuan asked TianYang out for another round of secret discussions. And so, it’s time for Mr Chen TianYang to arrive on scene!

When YiHan was hospitalised, TianYang would report in on the dot every single day and would “coincidentally”, so coincidental that it might be “fated”, bump into XueQing multiple times. From an outsider’s  perspective, XueQing was grateful to TianYang for saving her younger brother. Then, the two kept meeting each other so feelings were soon “born”.

In reality, XueQing really didn’t have a bad impression of TianYang. In her heart, at least, TianYang has risen to a good friend who knew her as well as she herself did. TianYang was a great man already. Now that they’re close friends, it was very easy for her to see the unique charm he held. He’s handsome and elegant. Every word he said and every move he made exude an air of noble grace. He looked as beautiful as a painting, even if he’s just raising his hand or walking. He looked just like a prince or nobility from the dynasty period – forever dignified and refined. XueQing might think of him as a very foolish man, but there were as many women who’d fallen for him as there were men who fell for XueQing.

Looking at them, YiHan would sometimes be reminded of a saying. In love, social rank doesn’t matter. The one who falls in love first loses. No matter if one’s rich or poor, they’d be the weaker party. Luckily for TianYang, XueQing liked him too. It’d be great if they could get together. But Chen TianYang would die next year. He must think of a way to help the man successfully survive that event. TianYang was once just a stranger he knew by name. When he heard of the man’s death, he only felt pity and a tiny hint of sadness. Now, they’d gotten to know each other. The more they talked, the more TianYang felt like true family to him, the more he realised he can’t accept any harm coming to the older man.

◄Previous • Index• Next►

97. Sound the Alarm!

YiHan chuckled. “Really,” he sighed. “I can’t believe my sister actually forgot to eat before she left the house.”

TianYang’s eyes softened. In a voice so warm that it felt like a pool of water in Spring when the land warmed up, he said, “She’s worried about you. You know what worry does to someone. I’m just afraid she’ll starve herself.”

YiHan was very satisfied with that response. “Sometimes she can be very detail-oriented, but she would also appear so very careless and heedless of her own health. I must find someone who genuinely loves her to take care of her in the future.”

A red flush swiftly rose and left TianYang’s fair face. “You’ll find him,” he stuttered. “She’ll definitely be taken care of very well.” As long as she gives me a chance.

YiHan’s heart raced with joy. “But she’s a very reserved (Huh? What?) woman,” he said, continuing to push the idea. “The man must be proactive enough. TianYang, I think if one liked someone, they must be brave and ask them out. Only then would regrets be avoided. Right?”

TianYang’s heart leapt and hopped and danced. Gods, was his brother-in-law encouraging him? Was YiHan telling him to confess? Did this mean YiHan approved of him? Oh, yeah! He’d already won over Bai – the cute little brother-in-law and his goddess’s most beloved younger brother – YiHan. That meant he was closer to a successful confession. The days of marrying his beloved woman and reaching the height of his life must be close now! \(^▽^)/

There might be a fireworks show going on within TianYang’s mind but the only expression on his face was a slightly abashed smile. “You’re so very right, YiHan,” he said. “I think so too.”

YiHan gave him an encouraging smile. Internally, he was complaining. You think so too? Really? In the last round, TianYang didn’t have the courage to confess, even as he was dying! He was more of a coward than he was. While the way YiHan confessed wasn’t the best and it led to a failed confession, at least he voiced his feelings!

That made YiHan suddenly seemed so much more superior. For a moment.

Footsteps rang out behind the door. YiHan, thinking it was JingYuan and XueQing back from their meal, happily looked up only to see a tall policeman walking in.

TianYang stepped forward and they exchanged a brief handshake. He then turned to YiHan. “This is Captain Chen Jing of the Special Ops Team,” he introduced. “He’s solved countless of major cases. Captain Chen is in charge of your case. With him involved, your suffering won’t be for nothing.”

“Thank you, Captain Chen,” YiHan greeted.

Chen Jing’s face remained cold and stiff. He looked very stern and not someone easy to get along with. Perhaps he was afraid he’d scare the victim. He gave a somewhat awkward smile. “Little Master Bai, no need to be so polite. It is my duty,” he said. His voice even made one feel a chill. “Could you please explain in detail what happened?”

He shifted, revealing the men behind him. He had brought two policemen with him but he was so big that he blocked the two slender men from sight.

YiHan was about to speak when he suddenly focused in on one of the policemen behind Captain Chen. His entire being froze. His eyes went wide. His gaze bore straight into the man.

“This is Fang Yi,” TianYang hurriedly said. “Officer Fang is Captain Chen’s assistant. Speaking of which, he’s your saviour. It was all thanks to him that we found the clue hidden in the tyres. That’s how we could find you so quickly. If we were even a moment late…”

“If you were a step late, my neck would’ve been snapped,” YiHan blankly said, his eyes still staring at Fang Yi. “So your name is Fang Yi,” he mumbled.

TianYang and Captain Chen exchanged glances. Something was off about YiHan.

 “Captain Chen, you’re here already? Our apologies.” JingYuan’s voice came from the doorway. He and XueQing returned right after the policemen.

JingYuan walked further into the room, nodded in greeting to the policemen and went straight for YiHan’s bed. He then laid a hand softly on the younger man’s shoulder.

“What is it?” he asked.

YiHan snapped out of his daze and looked at JingYuan. He shook his head and silently grabbed onto the hand on his shoulder. Never would he have thought he’d meet the policeman who’d heard his dying wish back then. What a small world.

He could remember it clearly. After he’d killed Feng Qun and the two other men, he called the police and surrendered himself. They moved fast. The first to enter the warehouse was Fang Yi, only back then YiHan didn’t know his name.

Fang Yi wasn’t a mere policeman back then. He heard the other officers call him Captain Fang. When the man saw the state he was in, he stopped the others from entering. He went right towards him alone with pity in his eyes. There was not a hint of disdain in those bright eyes. The man patiently heard him out. He told him he’d help him fight for a lenient judgement, that he was only acting in self-defence so he can’t be executed. Unfortunately, YiHan himself ultimately let that kind policeman down. When YiHan spotted an officer peaking in from worried, he feigned an attack at the man. That lead to the officer shooting him dead. He can still recall the emotions playing out on Fang Yi’s face as he died – shock, anger, pity. This was a good man. YiHan believed this man would convey his apologies to his family. He’d stand by his word and won’t publicise his identity, bringing shame to his family. The last person he felt gratitude for in his last life was Fang Yi.

“Thank you, Officer Fang,” YiHan sincerely and softly said to the man.

Shocked from the gratitude, Fang Yi hastily waved a hand before him as he said, “You don’t need to be so formal, Little Master Bai. I only helped out a little and it was my duty. I can’t really bear the title of ‘saviour’.” This was the legendary arrogant rich kid Little Master Bai? Rumours really can’t be trusted. This young man was obviously a good kid who’s so unbelievably cute! As Little Master Bai, thousands adored him yet the man didn’t put on any airs at all. Even when talking to a mere policeman like him, the kid was still so polite. Were those gabbing about him being an egotistical narcissist all blind? No, it must be from jealousy! That’s it! Aargh, people these days are so revolting!

JingYuan will never admit that at this very moment, he got very jealous. His lover was actually being so nice to that police officer! Look at those eyes! They’re so gentle and warm! Listen to his voice! His words were so very sincere! Indeed, the policeman was very handsome! Sound the alarm! He can’t let their relationship develop any further from acquaintances!

Envy and fury warred within JingYuan. On the outside, he was still calm and solemn. “You’re being too kind, Officer Fang. HanHan’s right. If you hadn’t found the lead, we’d be a step later. I don’t think any of us need to really imagine what might happen. Regardless of whether you did it because it was your job, we can’t forget how you’re the reason we’re saved from that fate. You saved HanHan. I, Mu JingYuan, owe you a huge favour for that. In the future, if you need anything, you can come to me for help.”

Fang Yi’s hand started rapidly fanning before him as a sign of his panicked rejection.

Chen Jing turned to glance at Fang Yi. With the title of Little Master Bai’s saviour, this brat had just risen to the top with a single move. How rare to see someone in this position to remain as calm and humble as ever. This young man’s ego didn’t inflate. He didn’t grow rash or proud. This man had great potential.

The gods would never listen to a human’s (JingYuan’s) wishes. Compared to Chen Jing who was born with a freezing attitude built into him, YiHan clearly felt closer to Fang Yi. There was nothing he could do. JingYuan had to move and let Fang Yi sit beside YiHan’s side to commence the questioning. As he thought, YiHan relaxed much more with the younger police officer asking the questions. He didn’t even panic or suffer a mental breakdown when recalling the events of the kidnapping.

This was good news, but JingYuan’s jealousy boomed. It’d be an understatement to describe the look on his face as “unpleasant”.

During the entire time, Chen Jing was sitting to a side. Everyone said the Bai and Mu families were as close as a blood-related family, he thought. They’re right. The moment something happened to Bai YiHan, Mu JingYuan rushed over faster than YiHan’s own brother could. The man was also braver than everyone else. He was the first to rush in to rescue Bai YiHan with no care for his own safety. Now, just by hearing the younger man recount what happened, the ever-stoic Mr Mu had lost all control of his emotions. Look at that unpleasant expression. It’s clear as day just how true he was to the Bai family. It’s exceedingly rare to see in a common household, let alone among the dog-eat-dog world of the rich.

At the end of YiHan’s statement, Fang Yi asked, confused, “Why would Feng Qun reveal so much information to you?”

“Because they never planned on letting me live,” YiHan replied with a bitter smile. “Their goal had always been to kill me. No matter how much a dead man knows, he can’t tell anyone.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Chen Jing rumbled. “If their aim were to kill you, then why didn’t they kill you earlier? Why did they go through all the effort to get you to the eastern outskirts? Why give us time to rescue you? It’s illogical.”

YiHan bit down at his lip. His hand clutched tighter at JingYuan’s. “They planned on killing me in the car,” he started slowly. “Feng Qun stopped them. He…There are some issues between us. He didn’t want me to die so painlessly. So they took me there because he wanted to torture me a little more.”

Fang Yi thought back to the wounds on YiHan when they found him and the state of the room. Sympathy grew in him. But…suddenly, his whole body was wrecked with shivers. He looked up to search for the source of the chill only to meet JingYuan’s eyes. That brief glance terrified him. The other man looked like he was going blow up right then and there. The man’s body could no longer hold back the black cloud of anger. Hi jaw was clenched tight. His eyes were as cold and sharp as hail. His face was as frosty as can be. It seemed like he was covered in a layer of ice, just like a vengeful demon.

Fang Yi let out a dry chuckled and awkwardly commented, “This Feng Qun’s mind sure is a twisted one. This means there’s another mastermind behind this. Feng Qun was just a henchman.”

“He’s also an abandoned son,” Chen Jing said. “I think ‘that person’ never intended to stick to their word. The moment something happened to Little Master Bai, all evidence would point to Feng Qun. He’s just a scapegoat.”

 “But it’s his perverseness,” Fang Yi continued. “That allowed Little Master Bai escape. Only then was the mastermind’s existence revealed to us.”

“How’s the investigation going into those kidnappers?” JingYuan asked, voice still frosty.

“It’s not going well. Feng Qun is in a coma from his injuries. The other four insist Feng Qun is the person behind it all. They were only paid men. This entire kidnapping is due to the grudge between Feng Qun and Little Master Bai.”

“They also seem to have criminal records,” YiHan interrupted.

“Indeed,” Captain Chen replied. “How did you know?”

“When Feng Qun was downed by my kick and he went furious from the humiliation, he ordered the man named Xiang to kill me. Something seemed to have changed within him. ‘Hey, bro, don’t think us cruel. We hold no grudge against you but we’re all fugitives of the law and we have no money. We had no choice but to do this. Once you’re on the other side, don’t blame us. Blame those who truly want you dead and Feng Qun, this perverted man,’ he said to me.” YiHan chuckled. “He even told me not to be scared. He said it’ll be over soon and it won’t hurt a lot.”

TianYang’s ever-gentlemanly exterior cracked. He immediately turned around and banged the wall twice in anger.

Translator’s Notes:

1. a pool of water in Spring when the land warmed up: The actual phrase/idiom is “a pool of Spring water”. In reality, water in Spring is usually cold/cool.  The “Spring=warm” concept refers to how the snow melting into water means the water is warm(er). It’s a bit of Chinese poetry “common meanings” concept, just like how Autumn/Winter are always used as seasons for thinking of/missing one’s lover/family.

2. \(^▽^)/: The actual kaomoji is missing from the text.

3. Fang Yi: To avoid future disappointment, this character is important. Let’s welcome one half of our plot-important (they’re all kind of important lol) subsidiary couple! \(≧ ∀ ≦)/

4. Hand waving/fanning: For those who don’t read enough about Japanese culture, this might be foreign to you. There’s that gesture where you wave/fan your hand before your face or chest (palm facing sideways so your body is pointed to the side of your hand) in a polite way of humbly refusing/rejecting the compliment/offer the other gave. Depending on the person, it might evolve into a hand waving “no” before the chest which makes it less humble and more about actually saying no. Some might call the two versions different gestures but the rules can be quite flexible depending on which particular social circle/region you’re in.

◄Previous • Index• Next►

96. Stubborn Oujidere

Ma nodded along to XueQing’s speech. After brief reconsideration, she stated in a rather sad manner, “In that case, when HanHan gets better, he’d realise the perfect love he’d found was all just a lie. Everything was for nothing. He’d be so hurt then. My little baby, why can’t I suffer in your place?”

XueQing: “…” Just what do you want to do then?

In the hallway around the corner, Aunt Yang patted the tears away from her eyes. “My poor little master, once you can eat solids, I’ll cook you a grand feast to help you recover faster. Mr Mu would definitely say yes. Who in this world could bear to let such a cute young man remain upset and hurt? Mr Mu loves Little Master so much. He will save him, right?”

***

When YiHan woke up, JingYuan was spacing out while staring down at him. When JingYuan realised YiHan had opened his eyes, a warm smile immediately took over the previously blank face and leaned down to peck his lips.

“You’re up. How do you feel?” JingYuan softly asked. “Did you sleep well?”

“Extremely well. I’ve never felt so calm before,” YiHan replied, his lips pressed together into a smile that revealed two dimples. He raised a hand to caress JingYuan’s cheek. Every breath of air filling his lungs was as sweet as can be.

JingYuan felt like ever since YiHan was rescued a strange switch was flipped in the other man. Not only would slight agitating incidences not trigger a mental breakdown in him anymore, the man’s mental state had taken a turn for the better. YiHan now acted more affectionate, in a natural way, when with him. It made JingYuan’s heart race with delight. As expected, the hero saving the dam-…dude-in-distress act was the best way to win someone’s heart! Thank goodness he was the fastest among the rescuers due to his hastiness. He was the first to arrive on scene. If he was one step slower and Yan was first, he might not be met with this treatment now.

At that, Jingyuan couldn’t help letting loose a chuckle. His eyes were filled to the brim with warmth which made YiHan go into a daze while staring into them.

As the two men stared into the other’s eyes with great love, XueQing stayed frozen at the door.

She silently retracted the foot about to step into the room. In exasperation, she exchanged a glance with the beautiful, but confused if she should enter or not, nurse standing at the door beside her. They had a feeling if they went in now, lightning would strike them down.

***

Moments later in the hospital corridor outside YiHan’s room, XueQing told JingYuan about the conversation the family had last night. The man fell silent for a long time before speaking up, “You were too bold. This is not what we planned. It’s too risky.”

 “I didn’t plan on it at first,” XueQing replied. “But everything changed so quickly. Yan had detected something weird in how HanHan treats you. Thank goodness for your habit of keeping a poker fac. No one had realised your feelings for HanHan yet. Instead, they all think this will be a burden on you.”

JingYuan’s lips curled into a smirk as a hand massaged his furrowed brows. “The current development has been so unexpected,” he said. “While it’s risky, at least your parents love HanHan enough. Otherwise, this would’ve happened so smoothly. It’s my fault for making them feel guilty and upset at this assumption.”

“It’s not your fault,” XueQing glumly said. “I was too hasty. One after another, things kept happening to HanHan. “That person” kept going after HanHan. I was just too worried about his mental health. I thought the only way to make him feel safe enough is to make it so you can be by his side without any hiding. That’s how I’ll protect my little brother.”

She looked up to look at something off in the distance, her eyes slightly unfocused. Then, she muttered, as if talking to herself, “I still remember when HanHan was a kid. He’s so small, so soft, just like a bun fresh from the steamer. He stumbled after me, calling out ‘sister’ in his soft voice. I looked back to see him about to trip because he ran too fast. I hurriedly rushed over to catch him. He looked up at me and grinned. The two tiny dimples on his chubby cheeks were so cute. It was then that I thought, ‘Ah, this is my little brother. I’ll forever love and protect him. Just like today, I won’t let him get hurt at all.’

“Then, he grew up. He was no longer as close to me. He wouldn’t listen to me anymore. It upset me.

“This time, he suffered a mental trauma so serious that it turned him into a good kid. This incident allowed me to see he’s still as soft and gentle inside, just as he was when he was younger. His two wide eyes bore into me as he told me to drive safely and to take care. Hehe. He actually hadn’t changed at all.

“He’s considerate of my feelings and he didn’t dare to reveal his own feelings. Isn’t that an attempt at protecting me? I knew then my love for him had never been one-sided. He loved me too. I will stand by the oath I swore as a child and forever love him, protect him and keep him from harm.”

JingYuan’s eyes softened. “He loves you very much,” he warmly said. “There’s no doubting that. HanHan and I thank you for this. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to gain everyone’s understanding this swiftly. But what about Chen TianYang then?  According to our plan, he was never meant to appear. As you’ve said, things have changed faster than we’ve planned. His entrance was a little hasty but it’s not too bad. With what happened last night, he’s probably not useful now. Right?”

XueQing glanced at the door to YiHan’s room. “That’s true,” she guiltily admitted. “I should apologise to him. I made him do all this for nothing.”

JingYuan paused, then said, “That might not be for sure. He’s still of use to us. We’ve already told HanHan you like Chen TianYang. If he backs out of the plan now, HanHan will be suspicious and, because our engagement is now void, your parents will be worried over your future marriage. With the appearance of Chen TianYang by your side, someone with a family background as strong as yours and someone who’s proven to have loved you, it would make them feel better about this. Wouldn’t it?”

She side-eyed him. “You’re not wrong,” she said. “But why does it sound like you said all that because you’re on TianYang’s side? There’s no clandestine secret between you two, right?”

“Where did your mind go off to?” JingYuan sighed. “I’m only saying this because whenever I see him yearning for you, I’m reminded of myself before. I understand that feeling all too well. It’s inevitable I’d sympathise with him and try to help him. More importantly, I  think of you as family. Of course I’d hope you could find happiness. If we put aside his family background, he’s one of the most handsome and capable men I know. What’s even rarer is how much he loves you. He’s a great match that’s hard to come by. If you can love him and be with him, I believe you’ll definitely be happy. Naturally, it’s all up to you. If you think you’re not git for each other, you have plenty more choices. The daughter of the great Bai family would never lack suitors after all. No matter your decision, I’ll support you.”

Touched, XueQing patted him on the arm. “I appreciate all your efforts,” she said. “Fine. It’s very rare to find someone who’d love me that much. I’ll try and accept him. If I feel we’re good, I’ll definitely consider him. I would be much happier marrying someone who loves me than someone I love.”

JingYuan nodded. He took a step forward then turned to look back, “Don’t force yourself. No need to be considerate of other people. Just do what you feel best.”

XueQing’s eyes stung as she walked forward to pat the man on the back. “Alright. When did you become such a nagger? Go back or HanHan will worry.”

Only then did JingYuan fully turn around and walk to the door of YiHan’s room. “We’ll need to revise our plan for what happens afterwards,” he said along the way. “We can’t let HanHan sense any of this or he’ll think I’m not truly in love with him, that I’m only pitying him and I only wanted to save him. If he descends into a spiral over it, we’d be screwed.”

XueQing hummed in agreement. “Why don’t we just tell HanHan about everything last night then” she blurted. “I think that’s safer. He’ll be prepared for this assumption in the family. He wouldn’t split hairs over it then.”

JingYuan paused. He frowned. The more XueQing thought about it, the more she felt she was right.

“Of course, we can’t change the reason why we brought TianYang into the plan,” she continued. “Half-truths are the easiest to deceive people with. Let’s find a chance to talk to TianYang about this later. We need to continue on with the charade.”

After a long moment of weighing the pros and cons, JingYuan finally nodded. “You’re right, but remember, in HanHan’s mind, TianYang still doesn’t know we were engaged. Don’t let it slip.”

“Then we won’t talk about it before TianYang. We’ll get him out of hearing first. Make sure we play out the full act. While HanHan is gullible, we’d best be cautious,” XueQing replied.

JingYuan shot her an upset glance. “He’s your brother,” he whispered. “How could you call him gullible?”

“It’s the truth? Don’t you find his ditsy attitude to be ridiculously cute?” She smiled.

Unwittingly, a smile began to grow on JingYuan’s face. When he realised his lips were perking upwards, he did his best to push it down and glared at her. He swiftly turned around and strode back to his target.

XueQing twitched her lips to the side. “Stubborn little oujidere.”

***

In the hospital room:

“Mr Chen, you’re so busy with work. Why still take the time and visit me? I’m fine now,” YiHan warmly greeted.

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” TianYang replied with a smile. “When friends are in trouble, I’ll help them out. You don’t need my help now but I should still see how you’re doing.”

YiHan laughed, deep dimples showing up. He looked like he was in an exceptionally good mood.

“How do you feel now?” TianYang asked. “Do you still nausea or any dizziness?”

“I was a little nauseous yesterday,” YiHan replied. “But after a good night’s sleep, I feel much better now.”

“Remember to bring more bodyguards with you the next time you leave the house,” TianYang suggested. “Specially to crowded places. You must be careful. With your status, there are a lot of people aiming for you. Whenever I think about yesterday’s incident, I feel so terrified.”

“I know,” YiHan said, nodding. “Right. You rushed over to save me yesterday but my head was in such a mess that I didn’t talk to you at all. Please don’t be angry.”

The other man smiled. “You acting so formal and polite is what would make me angry. When I knew you went missing, I nearly died from fear. Those people are so very daring. Don’t worry though. I’ll definitely make sure they get their comeuppance.”

YiHan smiled and nodded. He looked out the window. “Why is my sister and JingYuan taking so long?”

TianYang frowned. “Don’t worry,” he comforted. “They should be back soon. It’s my fault. I only remembered how you couldn’t eat solids now and so didn’t bring any food with me. I forgot those looking after you needed to eat too.”

Translator’s Notes:

Oujidere: Trying out a new way to translate “arrogant/proud and cute”. How does it sound?

◄Previous • Index• Next►

95. Temporary Plan

At the end of XueQing’s speech, a suffocating silence fell upon the living room. A long pause later, Yan said, “What XueQing said…might be the truth. She is a girl. Her intuition’s always been very sharp. She’s also thorough and observant. On the old Mr Yan’s party, HanHan was so terrified of Feng Qun that his mind was not in the right place. Even then, he clung on tight to JingYuan’s short. He wouldn’t let go no matter what we did. When HanHan sobered up later, according to JingYuan, he immediately distanced himself and acted very cold to JingYuan. It was the complete opposite to what he did when he wasn’t completely aware of himself. We didn’t notice it back then, but now that I think back to it, that’s proof of HanHan having fallen in love with JingYuan. He was afraid he’d let it show so he forced himself to stay away from JingYuan.”

Reminded by Yan’s words, everyone in the room thought back to how the two men usually interact with each other. YiHan’s dependence on JingYuan was definitely abnormal. However, as Yan had said previously, that was how the two acted around each other all these years. They’d all gotten used to it so no one thought anything of it.

Ma swayed. Tears dripped down her cheeks and onto her lap.

“How could it be?” Ma asked, voice trembling. “HanHan…how could this happen?”

FuRen glanced at his daughter. “Should we distract JingYuan? Pull him away.” he mused. “Separate them for a while. HanHan’s still a child. Perhaps, after some time, that love will simmer down.”

“No way!” XueQing shouted in fear.

The other three around her jumped.

“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Ma dazedly said. “No matter how much we love HanHan, we can’t ignore the ethics of the situation. JingYuan is engaged to you. That means he’s HanHan’s brother-in-law. If they get together, that’ll be incest. If someone outside the family knew of their relationship, they’ll forever live in shame!”

XueQing stood up with a whoosh, her eyes going red at the edges.

“If we do that, we’ll kill HanHan!” she screeched. “I don’t care about some vague moral in this situation. All I care about is my younger brother has been wronged! Did you see those wounds on his body when he was rescued? His chest was covered in bite marks…” She took a harsh gulp. A bead of tear slid down her cheeks away from her wide eyes. “But when he woke up, he didn’t react in any way one might call emotional. He even comforted Ma. Did none of you think that was strange? I’m absolutely sure he’s only so calm because there’s a terrifying idea growing deep inside him. From what JingYuan described, when he arrived on scene, that thug was planning on…on snapping HanHan’s neck. Think. That bastard actually lusted over HanHan. Why would he let HanHan go without having done anything? Why would he kill him straightaway?

“When Yan went into the room, that beast was rolling on the floor. It’s obvious HanHan thought he was at a dead end and did all he could to hurt the other. That bastard only wanted to kill HanHan because of the anger born from humiliation! This might be HanHan’s true goal. He has…given up on himself. That’s why he did all he could to push Feng Qun to kill him!

“When he woke up, he acted so natural and could differentiate what would benefit him more. It’s as if the one hurt wasn’t him. Which of us could know what he honestly thinks?

“HanHan…HanHan had never thought of fighting with me over JingYuan. He thought of just going with the flow. If the vase shatters, then let it remain shattered. He had given up on his own emotions and any hope for himself. He didn’t care if he lived or died. As his family, as those who love him so very much, are we going to give up on him to?” XueQing ended with a roar.

She closed her eyes and let herself drop back onto the arm of the couch. “We all know better than anyone else what HanHan was like before. He’s now a god child. So are we going to use his ‘maturity’ to hurt him as if that’s the right thing to do? He wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t shout. He won’t try and fight it. He’s extremely calm. It’s highly likely due to some mental issues. Are all those trivial rules more important than his life? Do you want to see him leave us and quietly live a painful life because of some ridiculous moral value? He’s in an extremely dangerous state of mind. If we wait until the day when he loses all hope in life and seek release…” Tears swelled in her glimmering eyes once more but she did her best. They can’t fall. “The doctor said,” she continued, sadness laced through her words. “He’s very suicidal. If a person were insistent on dying, who could stop them? If he really succeeds, none of our regrets and what-ifs would matter.”

Ma and Pa inhaled, shocked. Yan patted his sister on the shoulder.

“So,” Yan sighed. “What do you plan to do?”

XueQing drew herself up. “I am Bai XueQing,” she proudly stated. “I am the daughter of the great Bai family. Would I really be worried over not finding a man to marry? It’s only an engagement. Can it really be compared to HanHan’s life? Anyway, JingYuan and I aren’t that deeply in love. We just thought the other was a more suitable match. We’re compatible in terms of family history and capabilities. I believe with how much love JingYuan holds for HanHan, he would agree with me if he were here. As long as HanHan recovers, there’s no worthier sacrifice!”

Ma’s body shook as she reached out for her daughter’s hand. “XueQing,” she warbled through the torrent of tears. “Why must you suffer so…?”

“Don’t be like this,” XueQing softly said, an arm hugging her mother around the shoulders. “I won’t suffer. In fact, I feel happy. We finally found a solution to HanHan’s problem. Think. If he could have what he wished for, he would relax. Wouldn’t he heal faster then? He won’t fight for it, so I’ll let him have JingYuan. He is the heart of our family. I love him. I can’t let him go through this pain any longer. It’s only a friendly engagement. If it had required my life, I would gladly offer it up too!”

“Even if you’re willing to, what about…JingYuan?” FuRen sighed, giving his daughter a light pat on the hand. “Even if he’s willing too, we’ve owed him too much when it comes to HanHan. How could we make him suffer for it?”

Internally, XueQing twisted her lips. He would be deliriously happy if you’d let him get together with HanHan. Suffer? As if!

On the outside, she still had a serious face on. “I can talk to him about this. I’m confident he’ll understand our dilemma. My younger brother is such a great person. JingYuan wouldn’t suffer at all being with him,” she said.

FuRen didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. “Silly girl,” he said. “Your brother being a great person or not has nothing to do with whether JingYuan will like him that way.” He sighed. “If JingYuan really agrees to this, we’ll be in his debt indefinitely.”

Ma wiped her tears away with the back of a hand while the other clutched at the blouse over her heart. “My poor son,” she muttered. “You’ve suffered so much yet I, your mother, knew nothing about it. What a fool. Why didn’t he tell me? Why did he just lock it up inside and let it fester and hurt him until he wanted to kill himself? The thought of it makes my heart ache…”

Yan’s hands clamped down tight at the arm of the couch on his side. “I didn’t think that beast would actually hold such insidious thoughts towards HanHan!” he spat out. “He must’ve been lusting over HanHan long ago, but he was too scared of acting due to HanHan’s status. That’s why he induced HanHan to know more about homosexuality! It’s all our fault. We didn’t spot his plot in time. That’s why HanHan was hurt. Really! Why did HanHan not talk to us about what’s bothering him? If he told us, no matter what, I wouldn’t have let him suffer in pain until now!”

“If I knew HanHan thought that way,” XueQing nodded. “I would never have gotten engaged to JingYuan. It wouldn’t even be an idea. This foolish boy!”

Exhausted, FuRen leaned back in his seat. “Your mother and I can now relax having seen how much you two love your little brother,” he sighed. “The greatest wealth in the Bai family is our undefeatable love for our own family. We’ll have to ask JingYuan to take the hit for this. XueQing, talk to him calmly. If he says no, don’t force him. We’ve owed him enough. If he’s not willing to go along with the plan, we’ll think of something else.”

“Don’t worry,” XueQing drawled. “He’ll definitely say yes.” That bastard could ask for nothing else in his life!

Ma sighed once more. “We keep saying we think of JingYuan as our son, but it’s human to play favourites,” she said, giving her husband a comforting pat. “To ask JingYuan make that kind of sacrifice for HanHan, it’s seriously…he’d done more than enough for HanHan! We’ve not done right by JingYuan in this. We’ve also not done right by his parents. We once swore before ChuanYu’s and Ying’s graves that we’d take good care of JingYuan. Now, I think we’d be too ashamed to look at them properly in the face.”

FuRen nodded in agreement, held tight to his wife’s hand and sighed again.

XueQing felt very guilty at seeing how down her parents were. While what she said might’ve been a little exaggerated but it was what she truly guessed, roughly. She only changed their mutual love into a one-sided love by HanHan. However, everything about the threat to HanHan’s life was true. Currently, if he’s in pain, he wouldn’t vent it out. He’d just lock it up inside. Also, he was mentally unstable right now. Even if he’s well, how could she bear to let her beloved little brother suffer? If YiHan attempted suicide once, he’ll do it again. When his emotions reach the brink of what he could bear, he will use a method just as extreme to get relief. She cannot let it happen another time!

She paused and gathered her thoughts. “Don’t be upset,” she comforted. “When Uncle Mu and Aunt Ying were alive, they loved HanHan the most. They’d always be carrying him around. If he so much as scraped something, they’d be upset over for a long time. If they were still alive and knew how much HanHan has suffered, they would be upset too.

“I’ll talk to JingYuan tomorrow. Everything will be up to him. If he refuses, I won’t try and persuade him any further. But I believe JingYuan truly does love HanHan. He’d do it for HanHan’s sake. He might think the same as I do. He’d be so happy that there’s hope for HanHan’s recovery that he would do anything. He has the right to know about this and he has the right to choose. If we don’t tell him and he only knows about it once something happens to HanHan, he’d be so guilty and upset that he might blame us.

“Anyway, we’re not forcefully tying them up together for their whole lives. It’s only temporary. We’ll have JingYuan soothe HanHan and calm down his emotions. Naturally, we’ll respect his decision on what happens once HanHan recovers.”

Translator’s Notes:

1. induced to know more about homosexuality: This novel has already established this family is irrationally blinded when it comes to the youngest child and I think everyone gets the idea. Just in case though, Yan’s thought process is wrong and extremely homophobic here in spite of how he’s one of the good guys.
2. ChuanYu and Ying: ChuanYu/ChuanYü (传玉) and Ying (英) are JingYuan’s parents. Ma actually calls them Brother ChuanYu and Sister Ying. They are not related in anyway. It’s just the usual 大哥/大姐 suffix used for seniors in social circles.

◄Previous • Index• Next►

94. Little Brother Might Like JingYuan

As Yan spoke, telling his father to take his mother home, he kept motioning at his father to look at his little brother’s hands. FuRen followed Yan’s gaze. What he saw prompted him to hurriedly say, “The kids are right. XiaoRan, you must be exhausted. Let’s head home first. JingYuan dotes on HanHan so much. Would you really be worried about him not taking good care of our son?”

FuRen kept pushing his wife out of the room as he verbally ushered her out. Then, he whispered into her ear, “Let’s head home first. I’ve got something to tell you.”

Ma was still uneasy but, at the sight of her husband’s serious eyes, she kept quiet and followed him out.

XueQing and Yan exchanged a glance. “We’ll see them out,” she then said, pulling TianYang along with her out of the room with Yan following suit.

Now, only JingYuan and YiHan were left in the room. YiHan silently stared at JingYuan for a few moments, then reached out to grab the other’s hand.

“JingYuan, you came. I’m so happy,” he said with a gentle smile.

JingYuan’s heart ached so badly it felt like it was cramping up. His free hand came up and caressed YiHan’s soft cheek. “Happy? You’re so badly hurt. You scared me. Even now, just thinking about how I found you makes my legs buckle. It’s all my fault. I didn’t protect you properly. You were hurt right under my watch.”

“You’re not a fortune teller. How could you predict the future?” YiHan asked, pressing his lips together to hold his smile back. “Say, you’ve been by my side a lot lately. I wasn’t even meant to leave home today. Did you know there was danger lurking around? Unfortunately, I didn’t listen to you. I worried you.”

The other man grabbed YiHan’s hand and rubbed his cheek against it. He kissed YiHan’s palm. “You’ve said it yourself,” JingYuan said, distress in his voice. “I’m not a fortune teller. How could I have known there’d be danger? We just got together. Isn’t it our honeymoon period? Naturally, I’d want to be by your side every day, every moment. I wanted you to stay home today because I wanted to be able to see you the second I came back. What? Am I too clingy?”

YiHan couldn’t hold back his smile anymore. A chuckle burst through his lips. If the world knew the great CEO Mr Mu would talk like a distraught and wronged wife, the Mu Group’s stock prices would plummet.

Still, YiHan had to comfort his lover when he’s in such agony. “I would never say that. Why would I? These days, I’ve been doing my best not to burst out laughing in joy. Unlike me, an unemployed man, you’re always busy. Every day, my mind keeps making up plans to make you stay away from work. I wanted you by my side. Thankfully, our hearts seemed to know what the other was thinking. Before any of my nonsensical plans were started, you stayed. Look at me. When you’re by my side, no one would dare come near me. As soon as you leave me, I get hurt.”

Love swelled in JingYuan and he couldn’t hold himself back anymore. He leaned down to peck YiHan’s nose.

“Little one, you finally learned how to speak to your lover. If things really are as you say, then I must not stray even an inch away from you. Right?” said JingYuan.

YiHan blinked. “Then should I start showering you with praise and flattery, my dear guardian angel?”

“I look forward to it. Do your best. Ah, you must be tired. Was today terrifying?” JingYuan asked. He tenderly touched the bandages on YiHan’s wrist. His teeth were clamped down so tightly that blood would be drawn soon.

YiHan spread his arms out and JingYuan swiftly leaned in for a semi-hug, arms hovering around the man in the bed. YiHan tilted his head to kiss JingYuan on the cheek.

“At first, I was a little scared,” YiHan said. “Then, Feng Qun brought up that foul desire of his. I’m already in a relationship with you, I thought. If I can’t resist him, then I’ll drag him to hell with me. I thought I was dead.” He chuckled. A tear sliding down his cheek. “But you came. When you were standing before me, my fear vanished. I was afraid of nothing. When I saw you, my heart calmed down. It had never been so calm before.  I was ecstatic. JingYuan, you came to save me. Even if I really died, I would’ve died without regrets.”

JingYuan kissed the tear away from YiHan’s face and tightened his embrace. “What nonsense are you talking about?” he asked in a low tone. “Nothing is worth you dying with your enemy. Why would I not save you if you’re in danger? Even if I risk my life doing so, I will save you. Remember. No matter when or what happens, your life is the most important thing here. If anything happened to you, I’d…I’d follow you. It’s as you said. We’re now together. No matter where we go, we should always be together.”

YiHan was stunned. What else could he ask for but this? Nothing. He lacked nothing in life now.

***

XueQing dragged TianYang out of the room, then told him to head home. Then, she raced ahead with Yan to catch up with their parents. Under the bemused gaze of Ma, they got in the car.

Yan slipped into the driver’s seat. “Let’s go home first,” he said.

FuRen patted his wife on the hand as reassurance as XueQing kept quiet with her eyes lowered.

The journey was spent in silence.

“Just what are you keeping from me?” Ma asked when the whole family was gathered in the living room. “Is it about HanHan?”

FuRen glanced at his wife and hesitated.

“Father, I don’t want a repeat of today,” XueQing said. “We didn’t plan on telling Mother this because we were worried about her health, but now…it’s too dangerous. HanHan stayed strong this time, but what if this happens again? We might not even need to wait!”

FuRen froze.

“There are always limits to human strength,” Yan said. “We still don’t know who ‘that person’ is. We can never be on our guard all the time. She should be aware.”

“Just what are you guys talking about?” Ma shouted in worry. “What is it that all of you know but me? I have the right to know about my son! Bai FuRen, tell me!”

“Don’t panic, XiaoRan. Don’t worry,” FuRen hurriedly spoke up. “I’ll tell you.” He then told her everything about YiHan and their guesses about what happened to him. “We didn’t tell you because we were worried you’d panic and stress yourself out. We didn’t think…”

Ma was trembling in anger. “You didn’t think, in my ignorance, I’d take HanHan out of the house and nearly killed him? What do you think I am? A flimsy paper doll that’ll break at a touch? Have you never heard of the phrase, ‘women may be weak, but mothers are strong’? You didn’t tell. You let me lead HanHan into the beast’s maws like a fool!”

Ma’s chest rose and fell in quick bursts, her face as pale as a ghost.

FuRen was terrified at his wife’s outburst. “Calm down, XiaoRan. Don’t be mad,” he hastily assured. “I only did it out of panic. Thank goodness HanHan’s fine now. We must now come together as a family and help HanHan recover!”

XueQing and Yan had also evacuated their seats to kneel down before Ma. Through their comforting words, Ma’s breathing slowed down back to a regular rhythm.

“Why did you guys insist on letting JingYuan take care of HanHan overnight on that day?” Ma asked, brows locked in a frown. “While he’s very close to us and he’s engaged to XueQing, they’re not married yet. Even then, it’s unreasonable for a brother-in-law to take care of our son as his entire family stay home. There’s no way you wouldn’t know how strange it is. Why?”

“HanHan’s hand was clutching tight at JingYuan’s shirt,” FuRen sighed. “I thought it’d be good for HanHan. It’d be a comfort for HanHan to have JingYuan by his side. We can only ask it of him.”

Yan wiped the tears streaking down his face away, heedless of how undignified he looked then. He shot a long glance at his sister before saying, pain in his voice, “Ever since he was a child, HanHan had been exceptionally close to JingYuan. He’s a bold child. He did as he pleased with no subtlety most of the time. The only one who could sway his mind are us and JingYuan. He listens to JingYuan the most and JingYuan always knew what to do with him. After all these years, we’ve gotten used to it. Last time, he…nearly killed himself. JingYuan was the one to stop him. From what we’ve heard from JingYuan, I think that no one else could’ve calmed HanHan down quickly enough for him to give up on his suicide attempt, if we were even able to stop HanHan from doing the deed.”

Yan paused, glancing at XueQing again. “I found it strange too,” he sighed. “Why would HanHan think something happen just because he woke up to sharing the same bed with JingYuan. Anyone else would think JingYuan must’ve fallen asleep in exhaustion from taking care of him. It’s normal. Why would HanHan suspect they’ve done it, that they’ve done something wrong and betrayed XueQing? Why did he think of committing suicide because of that? I thought it was because of the vile manipulations of the person who lead him astray. Then…his hand…it clutched at JingYuan’s shirt so very hard that his knuckles were white. I thought, what if he’s…he thinks…JingYuan…”

Ma’s face went paler than before and FuRen’s breathing came out harsher. XueQing also looked rather queasy. She could feel guilt gnawing away at her.

“Yan, you mean HanHan is gay and he’s fallen in love with JingYuan?” Ma slowly said after a long pause. “Have you forgotten about his ex-girlfriend? JingYuan is also his brother-in-law.”

An idea hit XueQing then. She gripped hard at the arm of the sofa before her. It was a bet she had to take. She took a moment to gather her words before saying, “Actually, I did suspect what Yan just said too.”

FuRen’s head jerked up to look at her and so did the other two. XueQing cleared her throat before solemnly saying, “I did mention it before. HanHan seemed to be very much against my marriage with JingYuan. He didn’t say anything but if anyone mentions it, he’ll get depressed. Based on what we know, HanHan was likely manipulated by that person  during the time he was fighting with JingYuan. Not long after JingYuan left on a business trip, HanHan suddenly turned into a ‘good kid’. He ‘matured’. While he changed a lot, he was only much more appreciative of his family. He didn’t show any signs of self-harm. So why did he suddenly break down that morning?

“I’ve thought about it over and over again. My guess is HanHan realised he like men back then and developed feelings for JingYuan. In his panic, he found himself a girlfriend. He wanted to ‘make himself straight again’. From what I know, one’s sexual preferences are not something that can be forcefully changed. Naturally, HanHan failed. After he broke up with that girlfriend, he was unable to face his sexuality. That’s why his temper became so explosive. He started giving up on himself. He was unable to look at JingYuan properly. That’s why he kept picking fights for no reason. He wanted to banish those feelings through ruining his relationship with JingYuan. Then, ‘that person’ started their schemes. Perhaps they wanted to make HanHan unknowingly destroy himself. But HanHan’s much stronger than they thought. He only learned to treasure what he had. When JingYuan returned, HanHan kept hiding from him. That was an anomaly but none of us paid attention to it back then. When JingYuan and I announced our engagement, HanHan’s mood dipped extremely low. However, he’s ‘mature’ now. So he didn’t cause a fuss. Instead, he wished us happiness. He must’ve been in so much pain then but he forced himself to smile through it.

“He got drunk on that night. After he woke up, he found himself in the same bed as JingYuan. Because of his own feelings, he thought something must’ve happened between him and JingYuan. In his guilt, the pain that had been building up in him overwhelmed him. Due to that person’s manipulations, his mind was already weak. It broke through his mental barriers. He thought he ‘shouldn’t have existed’. Perhaps he merely wanted to end his pain. He told JingYuan, ‘Once I die, everything will be okay. It’ll be better for everyone.’ It’s clear he included himself in that statement. Maybe he thought the only way he could be free from the pain was death.

 That’s why JingYuan and I decided to postpone the engagement. We found out how much HanHan disliked it. We did it for his sake. You must’ve realised. During the time since then, his mood has gotten better but he was always worried and stressed out. I kept a close eye on him. The way he looked at JingYuan was definitely not the way one would look at their brother-in-law. He had been trying to hide it from the start. For our sakes. Then, today, he was kidnapped. He nearly…died. JingYuan rushed over to save him. That one action affected HanHan so much that he couldn’t hold back his emotions anymore. That was why Yan knew.

“If we never realised, HanHan might’ve kept it a secret his whole life. Even if he recovers, he would never be happy. Perhaps, to hide the truth from us, he’ll choose to distance himself from us. He might end up alone his entire life.”

Translator’s Note:

Women may be weak, but mothers are strong: Quote found in Chapter I Found, but Lost, Book V In Dæemone Deus, Ninety-Three by Victor Hugo. The Asian internet always misquote it to “women are weak but mothers are strong” and often cite Asian authors as the source. It’s probably due to Asian authors paraphrasing the Asian translation of Victor Hugo’s text without deliberately naming him

◄Previous • Index• Next►

93. You Came

When the kidnappers saw the tables had turned against them, they dragged Xiang onto his feed and scrambled for the door. Before they could reach it, the door slammed open with a loud band as a team of policemen and bodyguards in black charged into the room. With every kidnapper having to face against a few men at once, they were swiftly arrested. In just a blink, the tiny room was filled to the brim with bodies.

Then, and only then when all threats had been nullified, JingYuan turned around and rushed over to YiHan. With gritted teeth, he carefully untied the ropes from YiHan’s wrists. By now, those ropes were crusty with blood. JingYuan’s wrists were also bloodstained from the process of releasing YiHan from his bonds. He tenderly reached out and pulled YiHan into his embrace. He tapped his forehead against YiHan’s as his arms started quivering.

“You came,” YiHan exhaled.

A tear burned its way down JingYuan’s cheek and landed on YiHan’s face. JingYuan gently wiped it away and spoke with a trembling voice, “I came. Don’t be scared, HanHan. It’s fine. I’ll protect you. This won’t ever happen again. Don’t be scared.”

Chen TianYang had charged into the room with the policemen. He had been distracted by taking down a thug attempting  to escape. It was only then did he have time to look up and see his dishevelled future brother-in-law. The sight made his vision go blank for a few seconds. He strode over and took off his jacket to wrap YiHan in it. He was so angry that his entire being was quivering. He turned to look at Feng Qun to find Bai Yan still beating the man up!

By now, Feng Qun was unable to shout or scream anymore. All he could do was weakly groan as punches rained down on him.  TianYang walked over and grabbed Yan’s wrist.

“Mr Bai,” TianYang solemnly said. “There’s another mastermind behind this. Feng Qun wouldn’t be this bold otherwise and he wouldn’t be able to afford this. We’ve got to keep him alive so we can find out just who did this to YiHan.”

Yan glared up at him with bloodshot eyes before his fists went lax and he slowly stood up. TianYang then took a few steps away from the duo when the bruises he saw on his cute brother-in-law’s abdomen and waist flashed before his eyes once more. He then went back and threw a few hard kicks at Feng Qun’s stomach.

Feng Qun’s eyes rolled. He collapsed unconscious. Yan shot TianYang a glance as he gravely marched over to his younger brother to check on the other.

JingYuan had lifted YiHan into a carry and out the room. On the way out, he gave Feng Qun a kick so harsh that the fallen man slid across the floor. His body twitched and jerked before going silent once more.

The mouths of the policemen standing by the side all flinched. They kept their mouths shut and said nothing. These rich heirs were all so harsh. They were even harder on criminals than a policeman would ever be. Were they trying to steal their job? It’s so hard being part of the police these days.

When JingYuan passed by with YiHan in his arms, everyone else looked away. Some looked up at the sky. Some looked at the floor. Some stared at the thugs. Not a single person looked at YiHan. There was no helping it. Curiosity killed the cat. The moment something happened to the Little Master Bai, a whole bunch of powerful men got involved. Out of the five great families of the city, four of them acted. The Bai and Mu families were expected to, of course. But the Chen family heir rushed over in a panic. The old Mr Yan even threw his power behind them. From the Little Master Bai’s kidnapping to his successful rescue, less than three hours had passed. The Bai and Chen family heirs and the Mu family head personally participated in the entire operation. The Mu family head was even the first to charge into the scene. Professionally trained policemen were no match for his running speed. “Love and worry lead to panic” was a very apt phrase to be used here. Right now, this precious young man was covered in the jacket of the Chen family heir, carried by the Mu family head and flanked by the two family heirs. The three men had sombre looks on their faces. One could almost see the dark aura the three men radiated. What’s more, there were the other family members of the Bai family charging up in a flurry so hurried that smoke could be seen from their feet and there was the old Mr Yan who’d already called thrice in the past hour or so to pressure the police force to work faster.

Anyone with a positive IQ knew this was definitely not the time to come in contact with these powerful men. Furthermore, the Little Master Bai was not someone they could let their eyes linger on for a second longer than they needed to. They all stared down at Feng Qun with pity. That man had been beaten up to the point of unrecognisable. Idiot. Who gave you the courage to touch him? Were you sick of living? Did he have to drag them down with him? They were scared stiff by this incident. Their poor chief. He was driven to a panic that left him pacing furiously and drenched in sweat. His balding hair had gotten even balder from this.

They watched the powerful men carry the Little Master Bai into the ambulance.

“Bring the criminals,” the captain in charge of the rescue operation said with a wave of their hand. “Search the area. Collect any and all evidence found and report to the officers. Move out!”

***

When YiHan drifted awake, he heard a stranger’s voice softly speaking, “…there were a lot of sprains and bruises on his joints. Some mild bone fractures in his chest area. There’s some bleeding in his stomach. A mild concussion. The rest are just flesh wounds. He wasn’t…ahem…raped. He just needs to focus on rest and keeping an open mind. Perhaps you could hire a psychiatrist for him to make sure he’s not overly traumatised. When the patient wakes up, he might be dizzy or nauseous. That’s just the effects of the concussion. It’s normal. Thankfully, it’s nothing too serious. He’ll be fine soon.”

Then came JingYuan’s deep voice, “Thank you, doctor.”

“No problem,” the voice replied. Then, YiHan heard footsteps coming and going and his mother quietly crying.

His heart raced. He wrestled his eyes open to find his mother quickly flouncing over to his side.

“You’re awake,” Ma said, trembling. “My dear baby, how do you feel? Does your head hurt? What about everywhere else? It’s my fault. It’s all my fault…”

YiHan’s mouth opened and close. “Mom, don’t be sad,” he gasped. “How could it be your fault? This is just an accident.”

FuRen stepped up, patted his wife on the shoulder and said, “HanHan’s right. It’s just an accident. No one would’ve thought it’d happen. Don’t cry. You’ll make HanHan sad.”

JingYuan poured out a glass of warm water from the jug on the bedside table, took a straw and slowly fed YiHan some water with it.

With all the great seats by the bedhead taken, the Bai family siblings and TianYang had no way to get closer to YiHan to display their concerned for him. XueQing’s eyes darted around the room and stretched her neck out to take a closer look of YiHan.

“How do you feel, brother?” she asked. “I’ll go get the doctor.”

TianYang laid a firm hand on XueQing’s hand and said, “You’re exhausted. You stay here. I’ll go get the doctor.” Then, he turned and left the room.

FuRen looked up and stared at XueQing and where Chen TianYang used to be. He frowned and glanced at JingYuan. The other man was currently focused on feeding YiHan water. The man didn’t seem to notice what happened. FuRen let out a long exhale but kept quiet.

The doctor and TianYang then walked back into the room. After a series of checks, the doctor stepped back. “Don’t worry,” the doctor said with a smile. “Just make sure to rest up and you’ll be all healed up soon.”

Ma stood up to send off the doctor before returning to her youngest son’s bedside. “HanHan, does your head still spin?” she softly said, caressing him on the cheek. “Any nausea?”

YiHan raised a hand up to hold his mother’s. “I’m fine,” he whispered. “Don’t worry, Ma.”

His raised hand then exposed bandage-wrapped wrists to his mother’s eyes. The sight of which reminded Ma of the horrifying injuries she knew were hiding beneath the gauze. Her fingertips cautiously wandered the edges of YiHan’s bindings. Tears began streaking down her cheeks once more.

“It’s all my fault. JingYuan said not to let you go out. I insisted on having you go shopping with me. I was just so envious when I saw Madam Chen’s son always going shopping with her. I wanted to experience that joy with you too. I didn’t think it’d bring harm to you. If JingYuan didn’t make it in time…I can’t even think what would happen. If anything happened to you, I couldn’t bear to live on anymore.”

“No, Ma. Don’t say that,” YiHan hurriedly said. “Feng Qun told me he’d been stalking me for a few days before he finally found an opening. That meant that if he didn’t succeed this time, he’d try another time. I can’t stay in the house for the rest of my life. Our opponent was so adamant about it that there’s no perfect defence against him.”

JingYuan froze. The hand lifting a corner of YiHan’s blanket to tuck YiHan in paused in the air. His fingers clenched down hard at the fabric until his fingers could be heard audibly cracking. A cloudy gloom loomed over his face.

“I’m to blame for this,” TianYang glumly said. “I didn’t chop off the snake’s head. I left loose ties untied. Since I started the fight, I shouldn’t have given him the chance to breathe.”

YiHan panicked at that. His eyes darted to look at his sister. What a silly brother-in-law he had, he internally sighed. Why was TianYang so honest? What if XueQing didn’t like what he said and really blamed him for it? What would he do then?

Thankfully, XueQing didn’t seem upset and she wasn’t visibly furious.

“No, no,” YiHan drily chuckled. “Feng Qun said you only beat him up for me. You did it with good intentions. Who could’ve thought Feng Qun would go crazy? Right. He said he didn’t plan on doing anything to me but someone contacted him. They gave him some money; told him they would send him overseas and ensure he would live a life free of worries. That was the only reason why he risked it.”

Not even as a patient could YiHan stop wrecking his mind for the sake of his future brother-in-law.

FuRen nodded at YiHan’s explanation The second they knew YiHan was kidnapped, TianYang flew over to help them. He even risked his own life in the rescue attempt. No matter what was going on, the Bai family owed TianYang a favour. His youngest son was also right. The man was not to blame for this incident. His little baby has really grown up. He knew to apply reason and logic now, to not hurt others through his emotions. FuRen felt so relieved and glad.

“HanHan’s right,” FuRen said with a gentle smile. “Mr Chen, you’ve helped us so much in rescuing HanHan. We’re so very grateful.”

“No, don’t say that,” TianYang rushed out. “YiHan and I are friends. Our families have always been close. It’s my duty to help out if anything happened to YiHan. I didn’t really help out much anyway.”

FuRen nodded once more and said nothing.

“It’s getting late and HanHan’s tired,” JingYuan said. “Let’s leave him to sleep. Everyone had a tiring day. Uncle, Aunt, Yan, XueQing, Mr Chen, you guys head back. I can take care of HanHan for the night.”

“How can we do that?” Ma said. “You’ve had a busy day, JingYuan, and you personally rescued HanHan. You must be more exhausted than we are. You guys head home. I’ll take care of HanHan.”

XueQing took a step forward and shot a wink at FuRen and Yan. “Mom, you’re not that tough and you’ve had a stressful day,” she said. “How could you stay up all night? The doctor said HanHan’s fine. Dad, take her home for some rest first. Leave us young ones to take care of HanHan.”

Yan thought that was a great idea. He took a closer look at his young brother to find the young man silently leaning against JingYuan’s arm and fiddling with a corner of the older man’s shirt. His brother’s fingers were wrapped so tightly around the shirt that his fingertips were pale white. Yan’s heart ached.

“XueQing’s right,” Yan said. “Mom doesn’t need to stay up overnight. That’s what us kids are here for. Dad, hurry up and take her home. Tell Aunt Yang to make her some soup.”

◄Previous • Index• Next►