DLRAS Chapter 84

Chapter 84: Wherever we want to go, just the two of us.

Chen Wengang hadn’t completely lost his reason; he avoided the vital spots. But a ball of pent-up anger had accumulated in his heart for too many years. He Jiajun’s meaty face overlapped with countless contemptuous, insulting, and lecherous expressions—faces layered upon each other like ghosts, floating in the night sky and his nightmares, lingering endlessly.

A person has 206 bones; sometimes, they ought to be a little harder.

He didn’t want to be a coward hiding in a corner forever, either.

But regardless, beating up He Jiajun meant stirring up trouble.

Buried in Huo Niansheng’s embrace, Chen Wengang let the strength drain from his arms, hanging them loosely around his neck. Like a child who had intentionally smashed a vase, he shrank his shoulders and waited for judgment. Huo Niansheng gently pushed him away and crouched down, immediately assaulted by the sour stench of vomit.

Feeling a bit disgusted himself, he looked down at He Jiajun’s bruised and battered face, momentarily at a loss for where to even put his hand.

Finally, like a hero cutting off his own wrist, he reached out, pressed four fingers together, and patted the other man’s cheek. “Still awake?”

He Jiajun’s back was covered in his own vomit. Even if he could get up, he refused to, slurring curses and telling them just to wait.

“Whatever, anything works,” Huo Niansheng said indifferently. “Speaking of which, how much debt have you racked up at the casino? Last year it was almost reaching a hundred million, right? You secretly mortgaged your shares, thinking no one knew, but don’t I know now? But if you also borrowed from loan sharks, with compound interest, it should be way more than that by now. So, did you ever resolve that? Can you even keep mortgaging them?”

The glare directed at him shifted into wariness.

He Jiajun’s thick lips trembled, but no sound came out. His pupils unconsciously dilated, and his neck and armpits broke out in hot sweat.

He could squander wealth, but he also knew what was untouchable. After all, no matter how powerful the He family was, they hadn’t produced a god who could patch up a hole that pierced the sky. He Jiajun didn’t dare speak of his scheme regarding the shares, and he absolutely could not let He Hongchang find out.

Huo Niansheng asked pitifully, “Are you scared? Scared of what?”

He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands. “Are you scared your daddy will skin you alive when he finds out you actually dared to entertain the thought of selling your shares for cash? Or are you scared the stockholders will lose confidence, and the stock exchange will skin your family alive tomorrow?”

He Jiajun’s voice was hoarse. Chen Wengang, having been pushed a short distance away by Huo Niansheng, stood far off and couldn’t hear what he was saying.

Huo Niansheng dropped to one knee, leaning in very close. He chuckled softly by He Jiajun’s ear. “You can’t even save yourself right now. Just put this debt on my tab for the time being. My person hitting you and me hitting you—there’s no difference anyway, right?”

With that, he supported himself on his knee and stood up.

Walking back, Huo Niansheng hesitated for a second before deciding to just throw the handkerchief away.

Chen Wengang stood before him with lowered eyes, casting a lonely, blurred shadow.

Huo Niansheng pulled him back into his arms, rubbing his spine. Chen Wengang rested his head on his shoulder. The one who threw the first punch acted as if he had suffered a massive grievance. With the adrenaline fading, his muscles were still trembling slightly, uncontrollably.

Huo Niansheng didn’t try to reason with him; he just patted him comfortingly twice and led him downstairs.

While waiting for the elevator, Chen Wengang finally asked in a low voice, “Why did you come?”

“Your old flame and new lover are meeting the parents. I thought about it and still felt uneasy,” Huo Niansheng said. “What did they call you here for? I paid to get in too; who’s going to stop me from coming to keep an eye on things?”

Chen Wengang finally let out a snort of laughter.

As they were about to walk out the main doors, he suddenly remembered something. “Wait.”

Returning to the hotel front desk, Huo Niansheng watched him exchange a few words with the staff, who then brought over his stored Patek Philippe.

Taking the watch, Chen Wengang habitually tried to put it on his wrist. But as the watch face touched his skin, he realized he wasn’t clean either. Covered in filth, He Jiajun had inevitably brushed against him. He had rolled around in the dirt, and his hair was a mess—no wonder the hotel staff were sneaking glances at him.

He quietly slipped out of Huo Niansheng’s grasp, refusing to let him touch him.

Huo Niansheng wrapped an arm back around his waist, not caring in the least. “We have to wash up when we get back anyway.”

Chen Wengang followed him. Only when they got into the car did he hear Huo Niansheng chuckle. “You still remembered to hide your valuables before beating someone up?”

The teasing almost sounded like a compliment.

Chen Wengang lowered his head, lost in thought. As for whether to explain or not, it didn’t really make a difference. Before going to meet He Wanxin, he had been worried she might be emotionally unstable or even lash out suddenly—she had pulled stunts like blocking cars before—and he hadn’t wanted her to smash it and cause him regret.

In the end, she hadn’t, but through a bizarre twist of fate, he had ended up in a brawl with He Jiajun instead.

It was pretty much the same thing.

The driver floored the gas pedal and took off.

The Crown Grand Hotel and everyone inside were left behind.

Chen Wengang looked back through the glass. The light from the hotel entrance grew further and further away until they turned a corner, and it vanished completely.

He nestled quietly in Huo Niansheng’s embrace, not even asking where they were going. He would follow him even to the ends of the earth.

They drove for a long time—not back to Yunding Mansion.

Halfway there, Chen Wengang guessed their destination.

Opening the car door, they stood on the grounds of the yacht club, the humid, salty sea breeze from the ocean currents rushing against their faces.

Jincheng was a coastal city, and many of its buildings, parks, and boardwalks offered ocean views. But ultimately, the hustle and bustle of human life overpowered the natural scenery, unlike this bay-enclosed area, where the fierce evening sea breeze slammed into you directly and intensely.

Upon arriving at the suite, Chen Wengang was ushered into the bathroom by Huo Niansheng.

As always with their excellent service, a tub of hot water awaited. Right now, he truly needed a hot bath, so Chen Wengang stripped off his clothes and soaked in. The sweat on his body had been dried by the AC, but the grime hadn’t evaporated. His sticky skin felt salty and foul, but in the water, it received a gentle, comforting embrace.

Huo Niansheng also entered the bathroom, but remained fully clothed. “Soak by yourself.”

Chen Wengang pursed his lips and reached out to grab his hand. “Don’t go.”

Huo Niansheng wore a teasing smile, asking deliberately, “Need someone to scrub your back?”

He casually sat down on the chair next to the bathtub, rolled up his sleeves, and submerged his arms up to the forearms into the water. Chen Wengang grabbed his hand, lowered his head, and kissed his palm, the tip of his tongue tasting the faint, flavorless water. Huo Niansheng felt a slight tickle in his palm and looked down at him.

Chen Wengang held his gaze, pressing his face against his hand.

He was so careful, wishing he could remind himself every ten minutes just how unattainable these utterly ordinary moments had been in the memories of his past life. In fact, even today, he still wasn’t used to it. Sometimes he felt he had stolen this while God was dozing. He was terrified God would suddenly wake up and realize there was a bug here that needed fixing.

After a moment, Chen Wengang asked, “Did Lawyer Zhu tell you he’s investigating He Wanxin?”

Huo Niansheng said, “Mm.”

Chen Wengang looked up at him, frowning, momentarily unsure of how to continue.

It was true, just as Lawyer Zhu had said, finding evidence for behavior during her minor years wouldn’t be easy, and even if they did, they might not be able to hold her heavily accountable. But for Chen Wengang, the significance lay in proving what kind of person she was in this life.

Lawyer Zhu was capable, and He Wanxin was clearly still the same He Wanxin; she hadn’t changed.

The great lawyer’s other statement was also true: a person’s true nature is ultimately hard to change. A ruthless, vicious person who commits a crime once is highly likely to commit a second one.

An obscure, unreadable expression appeared on Chen Wengang’s face.

Huo Niansheng simply looked at the person in the water.

The bathroom was filled with steaming heat. Staying in here, he was quickly covered in a thin layer of damp sweat as well. It wasn’t that he couldn’t get in and soak together, but once the clothes came off, there was no guarantee it would just be a bath. And Huo Niansheng had things occupying his mind that he needed to think about; he wasn’t actually sure if sex was what was needed right now.

He had sensed Chen Wengang’s abnormal behavior today. It wasn’t strange that Chen Wengang would hit He Jiajun, but when he walked onto the balcony, Huo Niansheng had never seen him look like that. For a perfectly fine person to suddenly bare their fangs, there had to be a reason.

As for He Wanxin, Chen Wengang lay over the edge of the bathtub, resting his chin on his hands, and suddenly called out Huo Niansheng’s name.

Huo Niansheng asked, “What is it?”

Chen Wengang said, “I don’t want her to have a good end.”

Huo Niansheng didn’t ask why. He smiled and scooped a handful of water over him. “I don’t blame you.”

Rose petals floated in the water. Chen Wengang scooped one up and held it to the tip of his nose. The red petal was heavy, wrapped in a film of water, its fragrance only detectable up close. He sighed, ultimately unable to find the words to start. “It’s not for some stupid reason like her stealing Zheng Yucheng.”

Huo Niansheng replied nonchalantly, “I never said I suspected that. Besides, haven’t we already reached a consensus? What’s there to steal about him?”

Chen Wengang hooked the corner of his lips into a smile.

Huo Niansheng, meanwhile, directed a faint gaze at the top of his head.

He wanted to ask even more: What is the reason you care so much? Is your sense of justice too strong, do you despise atrocities, or… have you experienced it yourself?

The words were locked firmly on his lips; Huo Niansheng had no intention of asking just yet.

At least not without absolute certainty. He didn’t like acting like a headless fly, searching for clues when he didn’t even know what he was looking for. Sometimes, matters concerning Chen Wengang felt like a tangled mess that gave him a headache, but the one thing Huo Niansheng refused to do was simply and crudely cut it open.

After his bath, Chen Wengang stepped out of the tub steaming hot, changed into fresh clothes, and got into bed.

Only then did he have time to check his phone, which was already flooded with messages and missed calls.

Zheng Baoqiu was the first to message him, telling him the two families had finished eating and were heading back. Probably because he had taken so long to reply, it escalated into a bombardment of phone calls. The missed calls were from Zheng Maoxun, Zheng Yucheng, the driver, and even Mu Qing.

Chen Wengang sent a voice message back to Zheng Baoqiu, only having time to explain that he had something to do tonight.

Huo Niansheng, returning from his shower, took the phone away from him. “Don’t worry about it, I’ve already told Uncle.”

Chen Wengang smiled and rested his head against his shoulder.

He felt tired; this day had been a chaotic mess. Eating with the He family was already an incredibly awkward situation for Chen Wengang to begin with, and the conflicts with the two He siblings were like increasingly dramatic acts in a play. The Mid-Autumn Festival wasn’t until the day after tomorrow, but since it fell on a weekend, he didn’t have to go to work tomorrow. Without even setting an alarm, Chen Wengang snuggled up against Huo Niansheng, closed his eyes, and fell peacefully asleep.

This sleep was rare in its depth, and it felt incredibly long. However, when he woke up again, the sky was still dark.

Chen Wengang lifted his watch to his eyes; it was only past four. But beneath him was a rolling, pitching sensation—this wasn’t how dry land felt.

He sat up abruptly and looked out the window—the window was the glass of a ship’s cabin, and outside lay nothing but the boundless ocean.

At that moment, Huo Niansheng returned from the cockpit. “Awake?”

Chen Wengang stared blankly, still failing to process the situation. “What happened?”

Huo Niansheng sat down beside him. “If I told you that you sleepwalked, forced me down to the dock in the middle of the night, and sailed the boat out to sea… would you believe it?”

Chen Wengang shook his head. After another moment of stunned silence, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Where are you driving this thing to?”

Huo Niansheng wrapped an arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. “Wherever we want to go. Just the two of us.”

Chen Wengang murmured an “Mm.”

Huo Niansheng asked, “Not afraid of going out to sea?”

Chen Wengang replied, “I’ve never been afraid of going out to sea.”

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