MWED Ch34: The Old Home is Gone

Actually, when Chu Tingyun caught up with Lin Ran to return the money, he selfishly thought it would be perfect if Yan Xun’s future life only included himself.

That would be like a dream come true, the most satisfying thing he could imagine.

But at this moment, when Yan Xun actually said those words, Chu Tingyun wished the earlier events had never happened.

If only Yan Xun hadn’t been cut off by the family that cared for him, hadn’t been confronted and resented by the mother he longed for in front of everyone, hadn’t been slapped.

There was even a moment when Chu Tingyun was willing to help Yan Xun’s unkind relatives, just so he wouldn’t be so sad, just so he wouldn’t cry like this.

Chu Tingyun was being hugged from behind by Yan Xun, so he couldn’t clearly see the expression on the young man’s face at that moment, but he could feel the scorching wetness on the back of his neck.

It wasn’t the water from an ice pack touching his face, because it was warm.

It was Yan Xun’s tears.

At this moment, Chu Tingyun suddenly remembered—

Right, Yan Xun was still in a state of amnesia.

From his perspective, his family, who had recently been living with him and relying on him, suddenly turned on him, releasing hatred and anger at him hysterically, and ruthlessly hurt and abandoned him for money.

Yan Xun, going through all this, was only 18 in his psychological age. His heart was pure and soft, immature and fragile, so the sharp, terrifying pain hit him even harder.

The deeper Chu Tingyun thought, the more afraid he became. He even felt his own throat tightening and drying up.

An unprecedented desire to protect and extreme heartache seemed to merge into his blood, making Chu Tingyun want to immediately pull the person behind him into his arms and use his body to shield him from all harm.

But in the end, Chu Tingyun didn’t turn around to look at Yan Xun’s current appearance. He just replied in a low voice:

“Mm… you still have me, always.”

Chu Tingyun had never imagined that one day such emotional and cheesy words would come out of his mouth. Yet at this moment, without any thought, the words just naturally slipped out.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Tingyun was pulled around by the person behind him.

“Mm!”

For the first time, Yan Xun kissed him with such urgency.

In the past, he was always the passive one between the two of them, passively being kissed by Chu Tingyun or ordered to come over and kiss him.

Even after losing his memory, the only two times Yan Xun initiated were gentle and slow. This time, however, he was so urgent, so intense. He even found the position unsatisfactory, grabbed Chu Tingyun by the waist with both hands, and lifted him onto the table to continue kissing.

Chu Tingyun was initially stunned for a few seconds but quickly responded and tried his best to reciprocate. Even though they had been married for three years, he had never seen Yan Xun express such a clear and forceful desire to claim and possess.

In Chu Tingyun’s understanding, the other had always been silent, cold, and passive.

An intense moment might slightly thaw the ice around him, but after the passion passed, Chu Tingyun would always see Yan Xun’s extremely clear, indifferent, and disdainful eyes. So, he often made Yan Xun wear a blindfold, covering those eyes, then tried to provoke his desire to bring this person closer to him.

It seemed like Chu Tingyun controlled everything, but in reality he had always been humbly seeking affection from Yan Xun.

Seeking love from his body, even more, begging for emotional love.

Asking him to give a little more, and then a little more.

Bound by their contract, Yan Xun could only give the former, and even that was stingy.

But now, the one seeking had become Yan Xun.

Yet Chu Tingyun was not stingy; he wished he could give him everything he had.

The intense, deep kiss lasted for quite a while, until Chu Tingyun felt a numbness in the root of his tongue and was about to reach for Yan Xun’s zipper. At that moment, Yan Xun suddenly ended the kiss and then tightly embraced him.

Clearly, Chu Tingyun was the one being held, but it was Yan Xun who was deeply dependent on him. Like a small animal, he gently sniffed the scent on the man’s body, gradually feeling comforted.

Chu Tingyun heard him say:

“It’s okay now; I feel a little better…”

Chu Tingyun: “Mm.”

“???”

The man’s eyes gradually widened.

What?!

That’s all it took to feel better???

Chu Tingyun was in disbelief, suddenly feeling like a new world had just opened up before him.

It was the first time he realized how easy it was to comfort Yan Xun.

Then why had he wasted so much effort before and still failed to comfort him properly???

On the contrary, the more they argued, the fiercer it got, to the point where Yan Xun got so mad he ran away from home.

That doesn’t make any sense!

Every time Yan Xun was angry, he would kiss him and even do it with him. Self-prepared items, actively getting into bed—everything was done just right. Chu Tingyun felt he was really putting in the effort to comfort Yan Xun.

So why wasn’t it working?!

“…”

President Chu immediately fell into self-doubt, even a temporary shutdown.

After the emotional outburst subsided, Yan Xun suddenly felt a bit awkward.

After all, from his perspective, what just happened was him getting slapped by his mother on the street and then coming home, feeling aggrieved and crying while hugging his “wife.”

This was really damaging to his image!!!

Would Chu Tingyun think he was too weak?

They already had a considerable age gap, and now that he had lost his memory, Yan Xun was worried that Chu Tingyun might think he was too childish.

“Uh, um…”

Yan Xun quickly wiped his eyes, adjusted his expression, and returned to normal.

He swiftly changed the topic and asked:

“Are you hungry? I can… I can cook?”

They were supposed to have hot pot tonight, but that didn’t happen.

“No need.”

Chu Tingyun sensed something and felt that now was a good time to make a good impression.

Forget about the truth for now; increasing his favorability would never be a mistake.

So he eagerly said to Yan Xun:

“You rest. I’ll cook.”

“…You’ll cook?”

Yan Xun’s tone was a bit hesitant.

“Sandwiches?”

After some time together, Yan Xun had discovered that Chu Tingyun only knew how to make sandwiches or maybe some oatmeal. His other cooking skills were practically nonexistent.

He didn’t even know how much rice to use when making steamed rice. He had once thought that one bowl of rice meant one bowl of cooked rice, and nearly exploded the rice cooker at home.

“Ahem…”

The word “sandwich” clearly made President Chu’s face a bit stiff.

“I’ll cook some dumplings?”

Not the frozen kind, but the ones they made together two days ago and put in the fridge.

“Okay.”

Yan Xun nodded.

Seeing Chu Tingyun head into the kitchen, he went to change his clothes and wash his face.

The cold water stung the injury on his face, causing a slight prickle of pain.

Yan Xun took a light breath.

He wasn’t completely okay yet; he just didn’t want to dump all his negative emotions on Chu Tingyun.

Because he wanted to appear somewhat dignified and decent in front of the person he liked.

Otherwise, if he always showed tears, resentment, anger, and pain to Chu Tingyun, always needing his constant comfort, protection, and companionship…

Even the deepest love and affection would be worn down over time.

So after receiving some comfort from Chu Tingyun, he quickly sorted out his emotions and planned to handle the rest himself…

As Yan Xun was lost in thought while looking in the mirror, he suddenly felt a furry touch by his feet.

“Meow~”

“Meow~”

It seemed that Chu Tingyun had let Baobao out of the cat room. The little creature was weaving an S-shape around Yan Xun’s legs, rubbing and acting cute.

Yan Xun wiped his hands, picked up the kitten, and gave it a big kiss.

After a while, he felt even better.

When Yan Xun came out holding the cat, he saw that Chu Tingyun was wearing an apron and staring seriously at a timer.

He had quickly looked up a guide and was gearing up to cook the most perfect dumplings in the world.

For that, he had to time it down to 0.01 seconds!

Watching the man standing by the pot, tense and ready, yet inexplicably cute, Yan Xun suddenly thought—

If he put aside all the conflicts he didn’t know about, his home with Chu Tingyun right now might be the way he once dreamed it would be.

“Are they ready yet?”

Yan Xun saw the dumplings had almost floated to the top.

“Shhh—”

Chu Tingyun, holding the timer, gave Yan Xun a serious look, signaling him not to speak.

“Uh…”

Yan Xun didn’t understand but respected it, so he stood beside him, holding the cat and watching the timer with him.

10, 9, 8…

3, 2, 1!

Ding—

As soon as the timer went off, President Chu perfectly turned off the stove right on time.

He immediately turned around and gave Yan Xun a confident smile—

“Done.”

“Mm, very impressive.”

If he wasn’t holding the cat, Yan Xun really wanted to give him a thumbs up. Or, like in kindergarten, give him a little red flower sticker or something.

In any case, the perfectly cooked dumplings made by President Chu soon hit the table. Yan Xun put down the cat, washed his hands, and sat down to eat with him.

The dumplings on the plate were clearly divided into two types: the plump, cute ones that looked like little ingots were the ones Yan Xun had made.

As for the ones Chu Tingyun made… they were edible. The filling was mixed by Yan Xun earlier, made with corn and pork.

Because President Chu was picky, he didn’t like celery, chives, or cabbage, and he couldn’t eat shrimp either.

So, there weren’t many choices left.

Yan Xun thought that Chu Tingyun must have been a rather difficult child to take care of when he was young.

But if he were the one raising him…

Yan Xun stopped his thoughts there. It was a bit weird; it sounded like he wanted to be Chu Tingyun’s dad.

On the other side, President Chu had no idea Yan Xun was already contemplating whether to raise his childhood self based on a plate of dumplings.

He was still thinking about what to say to Yan Xun.

He wanted to ask about Yan Xun’s family, but he was afraid of bringing up something painful.

“What do you want to ask?”

But at this point, Yan Xun had already seen through his dilemma.

“About what happened earlier?”

After calming down, Yan Xun more or less understood the reason behind what happened today: Lin Ran returned the compensation from the house demolition to him, treating it as repayment for the medical expenses Yan Xun had given earlier.

But Mother Lin felt that it was something Yan Xun should have given and that he shouldn’t have taken the money for the house.

However, Chu Tingyun didn’t directly ask about what happened earlier; instead, he asked about something more distant.

“Yan Xun… how were you adopted?”

When Chu Tingyun first met Yan Xun, Assistant Fang had already given him information about him.

So he knew from the start that Yan Xun was a child adopted by the Lin family. But back then, he didn’t care; later on, he thought about it and found it quite unlikely that a family like the Lin’s could adopt a healthy, smart, and well-behaved boy like Yan Xun.

“Oh, that…”

Yan Xun didn’t think it was an upsetting topic. He had always been quite open about his adopted status.

“The story is a bit long. Do you want to hear it?”

“I do.”

Chu Tingyun was very surprised that Yan Xun was willing to talk. You know, in the past, even spending an entire day together, they wouldn’t exchange more than ten sentences.

“Well, actually, I probably had biological parents, but I was kidnapped when I was young.”

“Kidnapped?!”

Chu Tingyun was shocked.

“Mm.”

Yan Xun organized his thoughts for a moment and began to speak:

“Logically speaking, at that time, I should have been around five or six years old, old enough to remember things. But for some reason, when I woke up, I didn’t remember anything—just like after this car accident.”

“I guess I was too young back then, with not many memories. Once they were lost, they were completely gone. Unlike now, where at least some remain.”

Yan Xun said this half-jokingly.

“…”

But Chu Tingyun didn’t find this a joke, nor did he find it funny.

Yan Xun thought for a moment and continued:

“The trafficker who took me tricked me. He said he was my father and wanted to take my jade pendant away. I wouldn’t give it to him, and we made a big fuss.”

“At that time, he might have been afraid that my disobedience would arouse the suspicion of those around us, so he didn’t forcefully snatch it away. He even bought me candy to calm me down, so I stayed quiet and behaved.”

“Later, I said I wanted to find my mom. He took me on a long-distance bus, claiming we were going to his hometown to find her. We rode for a very long time, changing different vehicles for several days. I had no idea where we were going. I just knew the houses along the roadside were getting shorter, and there were fewer and fewer cars.”

“When we finally got off, I realized there was no one around. I suddenly felt a little scared and started crying, crying very hard. This time, he didn’t soothe me but started cursing and hitting me. He was very fierce and even broke my head.”

“At that moment, I suddenly realized that this man was definitely not my father. Although I couldn’t remember, I believed my parents should love me very much, at least they wouldn’t scold me so fiercely or hit me like this.”

“So, I ran away.”

Yan Xun’s tone was very calm as he recounted everything, as if he were telling someone else’s story.

On the other hand, Chu Tingyun found his throat tightening several times as he listened, unable to speak.

He softly asked:

“…What happened next?”

Yan Xun sensed a hint of unusual emotion in Chu Tingyun’s voice, so he reached out to hold the man’s hand, gently rubbing it in his own.

Then, with a smile, he said, “After that, things turned out fine.”

“The surroundings were all mountain roads, but I guess I was born with pretty good athletic abilities. Although I was small at the time, I ran very fast. Meanwhile, that man seemed to have a limp and was cursing while chasing me from behind.”

“Luckily, I met my adoptive parents. Nearby, there was a small temple; they had come to burn incense and pray for peace for Lin Ran.”

The temple was very small and remote, with few visitors, but back then, Lin Ran’s parents had already visited every temple in the city, big and small, to pray for their son.

Fate is indeed mysterious like that; they happened to meet on that day.

“Chu Tingyun, you have no idea how impressive my adoptive father was. He knows martial arts, like a hero in the TV shows. In just a few moves, he had the bad guy beaten to the ground, then called the police.”

“At that time, my adoptive mother held me in her arms to comfort me. She was very warm, like a mother. They took me to the temple to treat my wound, and since it was on my head, I had to shave my hair off.”

Yan Xun suddenly felt like finding his childhood photo with a shaved head to show Chu Tingyun, but he remembered that it was still in the old house in Nancheng, so he gave up.

“However, they didn’t immediately adopt me, because according to the rules, the police needed to investigate my background and find my biological parents. I stayed at the temple for two days, then at the police station for a few days, and was later transferred to a local welfare institution.”

“Unfortunately, after a year, my parents couldn’t be found. So the welfare workers told me I had entered the next phase and could now be adopted by other families.”

“Several families approached me back then, some with very good conditions. But I wanted to choose my parents myself. I wanted to choose the couple who had saved me and occasionally came to see me later on.”

“I was afraid they’d forget me, so every time my hair grew back, I’d shave it off myself, always keeping a little bald head.”

“Eventually, I waited for them to come back, but they said there was an older brother at home who had lost his leg and might need some looking after. They asked me if I was willing.”

No need to say it; Chu Tingyun already knew the answer.

As expected, he heard Yan Xun continue with a smile:

“I said, I am willing.”

So, Yan Xun became the second child of the Lin family.

He finally moved out of the orphanage, where he had been waiting every day to be chosen, and into his new home, gaining parents and an older brother.

Except the older brother didn’t like him much. He never bullied him, but he didn’t pay him much attention either.

Yan Xun understood and carefully kept his distance from him.

But a few neighborhood kids were not so nice to him. They threw stones at him, called him a little bald head, a stray picked up from the outside, and insulted him for having a disabled brother.

Back then, young Yan Xun would just cry and run home to hide, but Lin Ran couldn’t stand it. He rolled his wheelchair out and, using a stick, beat those kids until they had lumps on their heads.

Before losing his leg, he had trained daily in his father’s martial arts gym, so wielding a stick was easy.

After returning, Lin Ran threw the stick to him.

“Why run home crying? If they bully you, hit them back!”

“…Okay.”

Obedient little Yan Xun wiped his tears away and stopped crying. From that day on, he began to grow out his hair, no longer sporting a bald head.

This incident somewhat eased their relationship, but Lin Ran still wouldn’t let him call him brother, so Yan Xun just called him by his name.

And so, the two of them continued to live together peacefully.

Later on, the students at the martial arts gym trained under Yan Xun instead of Lin Ran. And the child who used to help his mother with housework every day also became Yan Xun.

However, every time Lin’s mother saw the healthy, lively, happy Yan Xun, she would always feel sad about the misfortune of her biological son.

Over time, this sadness led to favoritism, which gradually became apparent in every aspect of the two children’s lives, from food and clothing to housing.

Everyone in the family noticed it, but Father Lin chose to turn a blind eye, and Yan Xun chose to be understanding and accommodating. Instead, it was Lin Ran, the one favored, who suffered the most.

But as a child, he couldn’t change his mother, so the only thing he could do was, when his mother prepared food just for him, sneak Yan Xun into his room and say he didn’t like it, ordering him to eat half, or he’d throw it away.

“Alright.”

Little Yan Xun was very obedient and, in fact, wanted to eat.

Every time Mother Lin tried to give Yan Xun Lin Ran’s old clothes, Lin Ran would get angry, saying those were his things and not to give them to anyone else. So, in the end, the family had no choice but to buy new clothes for Yan Xun.

…

There were many things like this.

But no matter what, life still went on.

Business at the martial arts gym declined day by day, so Father Lin closed it and went to work as a carpenter for others. Because he was exceptionally skilled, many people specifically hired him.

Gradually, the family became more well-off, and since Yan Xun was so sensible and likable, Mother Lin didn’t completely favor Lin Ran as she used to and became much kinder to Yan Xun.

Yan Xun believed that during that time, his mother loved him too.

The scales of love gradually balanced out, and even the relationship between Lin Ran and Yan Xun became harmonious.

For those two years, their family could be considered to have lived in peace and happiness.

Then, one summer, a Chen family bought a school district house near No. 7 Middle School and wanted to renovate it. They hired Father Lin to build cabinets and offered a high price.

At that time, it was the summer break, and Yan Xun, who was in middle school, took on the task of delivering meals to his father every day.

Only that day, when he arrived, he heard his father arguing with several teenage boys about something. Yan Xun didn’t catch what they were arguing about because it was over when he arrived.

“Old man, just you wait!”

Yan Xun watched the angry boys leave in a huff, puzzled, and asked his father what happened.

“Just some spoiled brats, bullying people,” Father Lin frowned and briefly explained.

Yan Xun looked out the window and indeed saw that among the boys, there was one who was particularly thin and frail, wearing tattered clothes and seemingly injured.

Young Yan Xun immediately frowned just as tightly as his father.

But the people had already left, so Yan Xun didn’t continue looking. He stayed to watch his father finish his meal, then helped him with some work in the afternoon, learning a bit of carpentry from him in the process.

In the evening, Father Lin was riding a motorcycle with Yan Xun back home. However, that night it started raining heavily, and the motorcycle suddenly malfunctioned. It skidded violently, causing both father and son to fall directly into the nearby river.

Because Yan Xun had always been told not to go near the river and the family couldn’t afford swimming lessons, he, of course, didn’t know how to swim.

When he woke up again, he was already lying in the hospital. He heard his mother outside sobbing uncontrollably.

She was kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down her face, desperately clinging to the police and shouting that it was impossible.

“My husband… every day… every day he was very careful when riding.”

“And my husband… he knows how to swim. He’s very good at it… exceptionally good…”

But no matter how she pleaded or cried, her beloved husband had indeed drowned.

The man’s body lay covered with a white cloth, cold and lifeless.

Father Lin was dead, but Yan Xun was alive.

In one night, the originally harmonious and warm family was shattered.

From that day on, Mother Lin was convinced that Yan Xun was the one who caused her husband’s death. But she did not yell at Yan Xun; instead, she bound him tightly to herself with gratitude, affection, and guilt.

…

At this moment, Chu Tingyun suddenly understood why Yan Xun was willing to sacrifice so much for his family.

He did not continue asking but fell silent for a while before suggesting to Yan Xun:

“Do you want me to help you find your biological parents?”

“No need.”

Yan Xun shook his head, looked at Chu Tingyun with a smile, and said:

“My old home is gone, but now I have you, right?”

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