Yan Xun took a vacation specifically to pick up his good friend at the airport. After searching for a while and not finding him, a red-haired man in sunglasses suddenly rushed toward him.
Yan Xun instinctively threw him over his shoulder.
“Ah—”
Zhou Ze screamed.
Recognizing his friend by voice, Yan Xun said, “…”
Although he had already seen pictures of Zhou Ze, seeing him in person still shocked him. The former chubby kid had really turned into a handsome guy.
Zhou Ze gritted his teeth in pain but still tried to show off, “How do I look? Handsome, right?”
Yan Xun nodded and said he looked handsome, patting his shoulder.
“Must’ve been tough.”
“Aww, after all these years, Yan Xun, you’ve become so sentimental.”
“…”
Yan Xun was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly grabbed Zhou Ze’s wrist, about to give him another shoulder throw.
Zhou Ze instantly caved, “Okay, okay! I was wrong! Brother… Yan, mighty hero! I was wrong!”
The two of them messed around, shoulders leaning against each other, walking out of the airport together.
Zhou Ze laughed and asked Yan Xun:
“Aren’t you married? Where’s your partner? Let’s meet up and have a meal together.”
Zhou Ze had always imagined that when Yan Xun got married, he would be the best man. But fate played a trick on him—Yan Xun got married without a wedding, and he didn’t have the time to come back.
“He’s… usually busy.”
“So how did you two get together? Tell me everything from the beginning!”
Zhou Ze couldn’t imagine what Yan Xun would look like in a relationship and was dying of curiosity.
“Well…”
Yan Xun didn’t know what to say, so in the end, he half-jokingly told the truth:
“The process was basically love at first sight, relentless pursuit, coercion, forced marriage, and finally, we got married.”
Zhou Ze’s expression at that moment was one of utter shock: “Wow! Really? Yan, you’re that bold?!”
After all, he had seen Yan Xun’s wedding photo on social media, and his friend’s partner was an extremely handsome man—so handsome that it was easy to imagine someone forcing him into a relationship.
Yan Xun: “…Fake.”
But at that point, Zhou Ze clearly didn’t believe him anymore.
He wanted to ask for details, but Yan Xun refused to talk. Seeing that Yan Xun was avoiding the topic, Zhou Ze, though feeling a bit strange, didn’t press further.
Next, the two went to eat and drink and then found a mahjong parlor, where they played mahjong all afternoon.
Zhou Ze was a mahjong fanatic, while Yan Xun wasn’t obsessed but knew how to play. Being good with numbers, Yan Xun won quite a bit, occasionally letting his friend win a few rounds.
By evening, they were sitting by the river, chatting in the breeze. They talked about their long-gone student days, about what they had been through in recent years, and about the future.
But on those last two topics, Yan Xun didn’t say much, just listened to Zhou Ze. That was probably the most relaxed and enjoyable time Yan Xun had had in a long while.
Sometimes people on the street would recognize Zhou Ze and ask for a photo. Even though he was a minor celebrity, Zhou Ze had released a few songs, making him a somewhat public figure.
Zhou Ze felt proud, but he was surprised when fans didn’t recognize him for his work, instead complimenting him on how funny his crying video outside the embassy had been. Although they added that his songs were good too, Zhou Ze didn’t feel comforted.
“It’s okay. You’re already amazing,” Yan Xun sincerely praised him.
Zhou Ze had always been unwavering in pursuing his dreams. He was free, determined, and even when faced with setbacks, he always managed to get back on his feet.
Yan Xun admired him and respected him. Ironically, Zhou Ze, the one being praised, felt embarrassed because he knew his success was small.
“Oh right, I got you a gift.”
Zhou Ze gave Yan Xun a guitar. It wasn’t expensive, but it had a good tone, clearly carefully chosen.
Yan Xun, in his haste, hadn’t prepared a return gift for his friend.
Zhou Ze waved it off, “No
“Then I’ll give Chu Tingyun a call.”
“No need.”
Yan Xun rejected this decisively. Gu Shanqing didn’t press further and just said:
“…Oh, then I’ll leave two people with you for the handover.”
“Alright.”
After a week of handover, the company’s management was back in Yan Xun’s hands. He called his mother to let her know he was safe, but instead, he got scolded.
Mrs. Lin thought Yan Xun had disappeared during this time because he had money now and didn’t want to take care of them, a widow and orphan. She cried and made a fuss, finally calming down only after getting some money.
However, the good times didn’t last long. Less than a month after Yan Xun took over, a company suddenly sued Qiming, accusing them of plagiarizing source code. This was the very example that had made Yan Xun’s studio famous when he was still running it. And the other party had solid evidence.
Investors who were already unhappy about Yan Xun’s three-month disappearance immediately withdrew their investments, citing contract breaches. Existing clients, upon hearing the news, also suspended their collaborations.
Suddenly, Yan Xun found himself in a dire situation, surrounded on all sides.
At this moment, Chu Tingyun appeared. He didn’t follow through with Yan Xun’s earlier words about never recognizing him again and dying without contact. Instead, he proposed marriage to Yan Xun.
As long as they got married, he could solve all of Yan Xun’s problems.
At that time, Chu Tingyun probably meant it as compensation. He might have wanted to express, “See, Yan Xun, I did date you with marriage in mind.”
But by then, it was already too late.
Yan Xun had already labeled Chu Tingyun in his mind as extreme, twisted, good at threats, and fond of coercion.
So, he believed that the so-called marriage was merely Chu Tingyun’s way of trapping him at his side, using marriage as a substitute for physically locking him up.
However, at that point, Yan Xun had no way out. The only thing he could do was insist on signing a prenuptial agreement and a marriage contract with Chu Tingyun.
Yan Xun specifically confirmed again about the video with Chu Tingyun.
The other party nodded and said, “Deleted; all the recordings about you have been deleted.”
So, they went to the civil affairs bureau the next day to get their marriage certificate.
For Yan Xun, this was an incredibly difficult thing, but for Chu Tingyun, it wasn’t. Even though he was being questioned by the entire board at the time, and his position as president was precarious, it didn’t affect his ability to resolve this issue.
Because, besides Jiang Group, Chu Tingyun also had his own company and business. He directly spent money to acquire the company that sued Yan Xun, and the lawsuit was quickly suppressed. Upon further investigation, it turned out that it had been a setup.
It was Liu, the same man whom Yan Xun had punched after being humiliated when he played guitar to raise investment in a bar. The bar’s surveillance had been wiped by Chu Tingyun, and since Liu couldn’t retaliate, he held a grudge.
But even though the truth was revealed later, no one cared by then, and the damage couldn’t be undone.
Chu Tingyun initially wanted to invest in Qiming to help Yan Xun continue, but Yan Xun refused and went to find another job.
Chu Tingyun didn’t force him and ended up buying Qiming, merging it into Xinghen as a special department. After all, they were married now, and in his view, it was all part of their family business.
Of course, Chu Tingyun hated Liu, who had set Yan Xun up, but every night when he held his little husband and happily fell asleep, he felt a bit darkly grateful to the man.
Because otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to marry Yan Xun.
The married life was a replica of the time in the snow villa, except Chu Tingyun no longer locked him up.
But half a year later, Yan Xun’s suffocating life finally saw some good news.
Zhou Ze had returned to the country.
After graduating from studying in Australia, he went to South Korea to become a trainee, enduring two years of discrimination and bullying. He almost lost all his savings, and it was only after much struggle that he managed to terminate his contract.
Back then, he followed Yan Xun’s advice and, after being punched by a kangaroo until he was bruised, ran to the embassy’s gates and cried his heart out. Someone recorded the video and posted it online, and it suddenly went viral.
On top of that, Zhou Ze was talented in many ways, and with this surge of attention, he signed with a domestic talent agency and began his career back home.
Yan Xun took some vacation to pick up his good friend at the airport. After searching for a while and not finding him, a man with red hair and sunglasses suddenly rushed at him.
Out of reflex, Yan Xun gave him a shoulder throw.
“Ahhhh—”
Zhou Ze screamed.
Recognizing his friend by his voice, Yan Xun said, “…”
Although he had seen Zhou Ze’s photos, he was still shocked when he saw him in person. Zhou Ze had changed a lot; the chubby boy had truly turned into a handsome man.
Zhou Ze, despite wincing in pain, boasted, “How do I look? Handsome, right?”
Yan Xun nodded, said he was handsome, and patted his shoulder.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“Wow, a few years away, and you’ve become so sentimental, Yan Xun.”
“…”
Yan Xun was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly twisted Zhou Ze’s arm, preparing to throw him again.
Zhou Ze immediately backed down. “Ahhh! Wrong! I was wrong! Master Yan… I was wrong!”
The two of them playfully teased each other, walking out of the airport with their arms around each other.
Zhou Ze smiled and asked Yan Xun:
“Aren’t you married? Where’s your partner? Call him out so we can meet and have a meal together.”
Since childhood, Zhou Ze had always imagined that when Yan Xun got married, he would have to be his best man. But as fate would have it, Yan Xun got married without holding a wedding, and Zhou Ze couldn’t return in time.
“He… is usually busy.”
“So how did you two get together? Tell me the whole story from start to finish.”
Zhou Ze couldn’t picture Yan Xun being in a romantic relationship. He was dying of curiosity.
“Well…”
Yan Xun didn’t know how to explain, so he half-jokingly told him the truth.
“The process was probably love at first sight, relentless pursuit, coercion, forceful taking, and then marriage.”
Zhou Ze’s expression was one of utter shock: “No way! Yan Xun, you’re that intense?!”
After all, he’d seen Yan Xun’s wedding photos on social media, and his friend’s partner was an extraordinarily beautiful man. That face was the kind that was very easy to imagine being forcefully taken.
Yan Xun: “…No, that’s fake.”
But Zhou Ze clearly didn’t believe him anymore.
He wanted to ask for more details, but Yan Xun didn’t say anything further.
Seeing that Yan Xun was deliberately avoiding the topic, Zhou Ze found it strange but didn’t press further in the end.
They then went to eat, drink, and spent the afternoon playing mahjong.
Zhou Ze was obsessed with mahjong, while Yan Xun, though not addicted, could play. With his sharp mind and ability to count cards, he won quite a bit but occasionally let Zhou Ze win out of friendship.
By evening, they sat by the river, chatting as the wind blew. They talked about their student days long gone, their experiences over the years, and their future plans.
But Yan Xun didn’t say much about the last two topics. He mostly listened to Zhou Ze. It was probably the most relaxed and enjoyable time Yan Xun had had in a long while.
Sometimes, Zhou Ze would even be recognized on the street, and people would ask for photos. Though he was only a minor celebrity, he had released a few songs and was barely considered a public figure.
Zhou Ze was proud of this, but he didn’t expect that people recognized him not for his work, but because they thought his crying at the embassy was hilarious. Even though they would later add that his songs were good, Zhou Ze wasn’t comforted.
“It’s fine; you’ve already done so well.”
Yan Xun sincerely praised him.
Because Zhou Ze had always been determined to pursue his dreams. He was free-spirited, ambitious, and whenever he faced setbacks, he would always stand back up on his own.
Yan Xun admired and respected him. But ironically, it was Zhou Ze who felt embarrassed by the praise, knowing that he was still relatively unknown.
“Oh, I brought you a gift.”
Zhou Ze gave Yan Xun a guitar. It wasn’t expensive, but its sound quality was good—clearly a carefully chosen present.
However, Yan Xun hadn’t had time to prepare a return gift for his friend.
Zhou Ze waved it off. “No worries! Just help me promote my song.”
“Promote your song?”
“Yeah, let’s record a short video. You can play about twenty seconds of accompaniment, and we’ll sing a few lines together.”
“Okay.”
In the video, Yan Xun didn’t show his face. He wore a baseball cap and a mask, keeping his head down as he played the guitar and sang a few lines of Zhou Ze’s song. Meanwhile, Zhou Ze performed in front of the camera.
As soon as they uploaded it, Zhou Ze’s social media blew up. Everyone was curious about the mysterious guitarist who played so well.
Some fans speculated that this might be Zhou Ze’s guitarist or his new boyfriend.
Yan Xun found these comments amusing but wasn’t too concerned about it.
Later, he saw Chu Tingyun also following Zhou Ze’s social media, and Chu didn’t seem very happy about the video, which made Yan Xun laugh even more.
These trivial, carefree moments with Zhou Ze were some of Yan Xun’s happiest times.
The truth about his adoptive father’s death gave Yan Xun another thing he had to deal with. However, if he chose revenge, it would inevitably involve Chu Tingyun.
Because even though Chu Tingyun didn’t like his stepmother, the interests of the Jiang and Chen families were still tightly bound together.
Yan Xun never thought Chu Tingyun would help him. Once things were exposed, the other party might even feel betrayed.
In any case, they would eventually divorce.
They were never suited for each other in the first place.
Yan Xun spent more than half a year collecting various pieces of evidence of the Chen family’s illegal activities, even resorting to some rather unscrupulous methods.
After successfully making an anonymous report, he brought up divorce with Chu Tingyun and moved out, taking his cat with him. He hadn’t expected Chu Tingyun to come and take the cat away, and the next night, Yan Xun received an anonymous phone call.
The person on the other end gave him an address and asked to meet him now.
Yan Xun glanced at the heavy rain outside, frowning. “Who are you? Why should I meet you?”
“Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is that if you don’t come, your brother and your mother will be meeting your father underground tonight.”
“…”
In the end, Yan Xun grabbed his car keys and headed out.
The roads were slippery in the rain, and he got into a “car accident.”
There are some things in the world that seem like cycles of fate.
Back then, Yan Xun had been the one standing outside the emergency room, pleading with the doctors to save a life. Now, it was Chu Tingyun. And while Yan Xun hadn’t been able to sign as a family member at that time, this time, Chu Tingyun signed for him.
Back then, Yan Xun had lied to the police, claiming they were lovers. This time, when Chu Tingyun told the police they were married, it was true.
The two of them, who should have parted ways at that point, started over—though it was a false beginning—because Yan Xun had lost his memory.
Chu Tingyun made up a lie for him, one full of holes, and even though Yan Xun knew it wasn’t true, he still dove headfirst into it.
This time, Chu Tingyun didn’t lock him up. Instead, he stayed by Yan Xun’s side, helping him through the confusion of his early amnesia, helping him deal with the grief of cutting ties with his family, and helping him find his biological parents.
Countless fragments of memories flashed past like an avalanche or a tidal wave, stopping only at the sound of a vase shattering.
Bang—
All the past images disappeared, and Yan Xun could only see Chu Tingyun’s tearful and frightened eyes.
Then, his vision plunged into darkness.
When Yan Xun woke up again, he was back in the hospital, with the familiar smell of disinfectant and the familiar white ceiling.
Chu Tingyun was sitting beside his hospital bed, his eyes bloodshot and red, clutching Yan Xun’s hand, refusing to let go.
“…Yan Xun?”
After waiting for two days, he finally saw Yan Xun wake up, and Chu Tingyun was so overwhelmed that he almost lost his voice. He had almost believed that Yan Xun would fall into another long coma, and the worry had almost torn him apart.
“How… how are you? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable? I… I’ll go call the doctor…”
As he spoke, Chu Tingyun stood up, but Yan Xun didn’t let go of his hand. Chu Tingyun paused and immediately crouched back down beside the bed.
“What’s wrong?”
He thought Yan Xun might be in pain.
The young man on the bed turned his head to look at him, silently watching him for a long time. That familiar yet unfamiliar gaze suddenly made Chu Tingyun realize something, and it felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart so tightly that he could barely breathe.
But fortunately, Yan Xun finally spoke. Fortunately, he didn’t say the words Chu Tingyun feared. Instead, he asked:
“How long did I sleep?”
“Two days.”
“Have you been here the whole time?”
Chu Tingyun softly murmured a “yes” and added:
“And… Auntie Xie and Uncle Ye, they were here too. They just left, but they’ll be back soon.”
“Oh.”
Yan Xun’s response was too calm, so calm that it scared Chu Tingyun. After a brief moment, his anxiety got the better of him, and he cautiously asked:
“Yan Xun, did you… remember something?”
But the other didn’t answer directly, instead asking him:
“Do you want me to remember everything?”
“…”
Chu Tingyun didn’t know how to answer.
Although he had known this day would come, now that it was here, he found himself terrified, too scared to speak.
But luckily, Yan Xun didn’t seem to need an answer, because after a while, he shook his head and said:
“…No.”
Chu Tingyun was stunned and suddenly looked up.
At that moment, it felt like a death row prisoner on their way to execution had been suddenly granted a pardon.
Because he heard Yan Xun say:
“I haven’t remembered anything.”
“It’s just… I had a bad dream.”
Parece que el capítulo esta un poco desordenado… Hay una parte donde no se entiende la continuidad de la historia ¿Podrían revisarlo por favor?