200 pounds of pears…
If this had happened before he lost his memory, Yan Xun would’ve thought Chu Tingyun was deliberately mocking him.
From his perspective, it would’ve been like this guy first threw a tantrum, smashing the things Yan Xun liked, then went and bought an impossible 200 pounds of the same thing to shut him up.
As if saying:
“You like this so much? Fine! Eat until you drop!”
But now, Yan Xun didn’t think that was Chu Tingyun’s intent, at least not maliciously.
Still, he couldn’t help but complain:
“… Chu Tingyun, are you trying to feed a pig?”
“No.”
The man pursed his lips, as if seriously choosing his words.
“Consider it compensation for that time in the hospital when you didn’t get to eat the sweetest pear.”
Chu Tingyun wasn’t dumb. He knew very well that a normal person couldn’t eat that many pears, and he didn’t intend for Yan Xun to hurt himself eating them either.
It was just that, in his mind, since this was compensation, the amount had to far exceed the loss to qualify as proper compensation.
Out of 200 pears, there was bound to be one that was the sweetest.
At least one would be as sweet as the one he had thrown away from Yan Xun’s hands.
“Even if you don’t finish them, it’s fine. If you don’t want them later, I’ll just have someone take them away and give them out.”
“…”
Yan Xun was stunned for a moment.
He had completely forgotten about the pear incident at the hospital.
At the time, Yan Xun had only brought it up to see how Chu Tingyun would handle their differing preferences if he could remain calm.
He had thought that cleaning up the mess and then replacing the pear would be Chu Tingyun’s answer.
But now, it seemed this was the real answer.
Thinking it over, Yan Xun realized that every time Chu Tingyun made a mistake, he’d immediately try to make up for it.
It was just that most of the time, he didn’t do it well. Sometimes, he even made things worse, stabbing himself in the hand, or worse, stabbing Yan Xun in the heart.
“… Alright.”
Yan Xun didn’t know what else to say, just that Chu Tingyun’s way of apologizing and making up for things was really unusual.
He looked at the pile of pears in the kitchen, feeling both helpless and amused.
But the practical issue still remained—what to do with 200 pounds of pears.
In the end, Yan Xun used Chu Tingyun’s phone to contact customer service and changed the delivery address for the remaining 100 pounds to Chu Tingyun’s company, to be shared among the employees.
Then he placed another order, asking the delivery guy to send 20 pounds of pears to his parents, so they could share them with colleagues or neighbors if they couldn’t finish them.
But with 80 pounds still left, Yan Xun eventually sent 60 pounds to Gu Shanqing’s company.
Chu Tingyun was surprised: “I thought you didn’t like him?”
“I used to, a little.”
Yan Xun then changed his tone and said,
“But since you said you two are just friends, he’s now my good friend too.”
“Next time we have a chance, let’s invite him over for dinner.”
Chu Tingyun: “…”
He froze for a few seconds before quietly responding, “Okay.”
And that was the end of it.
That night, Yan Xun took off his watch to charge it. The next morning, he found that the tracking app had been deleted.
… So, it was that simple to delete.
Holding the watch, Yan Xun felt a bit dazed.
Meanwhile, the person who had secretly deleted the app was pulling Gu Shanqing aside for a private conversation. Gu Shanqing thought his big-shot benefactor had new instructions for him, but when he heard what was said, he was dumbfounded.
“What the heck! I swear to the heavens, I’m straight!”
“Chu Tingyun, sure, you’ve got a good face and some money, but can you stop being so narcissistic?! Do you really think every man in the world is into you?!”
“I, Gu Shanqing, like women with curves, okay?”
Chu Tingyun snorted: “I don’t have curves?”
Gu Shanqing: “…”
Is that really the point? The point is big, beautiful women!
“Get lost!”
Gu Shanqing was so frustrated that he hung up immediately.
Even Chu Tingyun’s status as a benefactor wasn’t enough right now!
How could this guy be so self-absorbed?!
After thinking it over, Gu Shanqing cautiously called Yan Xun and spent two hours explaining himself, swearing to the heavens—
“If I ever turn gay, may I spend my life being bottomed by other men!”
Yan Xun: “…”
Is it really that serious?
But since this all started because of him, Yan Xun felt a bit guilty and kindly explained to Gu Shanqing that it was just a joke. Luckily, Gu Shanqing wasn’t too upset; he was mostly just annoyed at Chu Tingyun’s narcissism.
Back to the point, Gu Shanqing had something else to ask:
“By the way, Yan Xun, is Professor Ye really your father?”
“Yeah, so when we met last time, he was mainly there for me…”
“No worries!”
Gu Shanqing suddenly understood, but he wasn’t upset. It was totally understandable, and besides, Professor Ye had been serious about their cooperation, which was still ongoing.
There was just one more thing Gu Shanqing wanted to know:
“But Yan Xun, why did you send me so many pears?”
“Chu Tingyun bought it, bought quite a lot, and it tastes pretty good, so I thought I’d bring you some.”
Yan Xun didn’t mention that it was because he couldn’t finish it himself.
“Chu Tingyun bought it?!!”
Gu Shanqing was shocked.
“Doesn’t he hate that the most?”
“?”
Yan Xun found it very odd.
“Has he always hated pears?”
“Oh, not exactly.”
Gu Shanqing thought for a moment and said,
“He used to really like snow pears, but then something happened, and he suddenly started hating them. Every time he saw them, he reacted like it was some kind of trauma.”
Once, Chu Tingyun went to Star Trace to discuss a project with Gu Shanqing. The secretary had prepared a fruit platter for the afternoon tea, and there were snow pears in it. He got so mad that he threw everything away right on the spot.
Gu Shanqing also thought Chu Tingyun was being a bit neurotic, but since he was the financial backer, a little quirk here and there was something he could tolerate. He didn’t say much and just instructed the secretary not to buy pears for the office anymore.
And so, the problem was solved for good.
Yan Xun frowned as he listened. “When did he start disliking them?”
Gu Shanqing recalled, “Probably… around the time you two came back from your trip to Russia.”
“…”
Back when they returned?
Yan Xun thought long and hard but couldn’t figure it out. Since he was still maintaining the facade of having amnesia, he couldn’t ask directly either.
So, he set the matter aside for now, because today he was taking Chu Tingyun to his parents’ house for dinner.
President Chu took this very seriously and spent an hour picking out clothes. Yan Xun was already used to Chu Tingyun’s meticulous nature and just stayed in the walk-in closet with him, helping him choose.
They left at nine and arrived at ten.
They went upstairs together, with the driver following behind, carrying large bags of gifts. But what Yan Xun didn’t expect was that the door was opened by a familiar young girl.
“We meet again, big brother~”
Ye Lekui greeted him with a cheerful grin.
“Oh, wait, I should be calling you Brother Chengyi now.”
Ye Cunshan had already told them that his cousin, Ye Lekui, would be joining the dinner today. That’s when Yan Xun finally realized why the girl had been so friendly to him at driving school.
It turned out there was no other reason—she just thought they might be relatives.
Yan Xun felt he might have been a bit too self-conscious about being a married man. At this moment, Chu Tingyun nudged him with his elbow, leaned closer, and teased in a low voice:
“Brother Chengyi?”
Yan Xun: “…”
He turned his head away and grabbed Chu Tingyun’s arm, making him stand properly. Stop leaning on him all the time.
This time, Lekui finally added Yan Xun on WeChat, and she also added Chu Tingyun.
She cautiously asked, “Brother Tingyun, do you mind if I call you ‘sister-in-law’?”
“Mmm, I don’t mind.”
President Chu had already become the ‘bottom’ for love, so why would he care about a title? Besides, he often called Yan Xun ‘my little husband’ anyway.
So not only did he not mind, but this generous and beautiful male ‘sister-in-law’ even gave his sister a massive five-figure red envelope!
Lekui was over the moon with happiness!!!
President Chu didn’t realize that his casual red envelope had skyrocketed his likability with his little sister, to the point that she kept staring at him and smiling throughout dinner.
“Brother Tingyun, you’re really good-looking.”
Her comment was purely complimentary, so Chu Tingyun responded with a smile,
“Thank you.”
But he didn’t expect her next sentence to be:
“No wonder my brother wanted to marry you. He declared in kindergarten that he was going to marry the most beautiful person.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Xun nearly dropped his chopsticks and started choking.
“Cough, cough, cough…!!!”
Chu Tingyun froze, turned around, and looked at Yan Xun in surprise. By this time, Yan Xun had already taken a few sips of his drink to calm down.
He pretended to be composed.
“Yeah, I don’t remember much from when I was a kid.”
At that moment, Yan Xun had never been more grateful for keeping up his ‘amnesia’ act. But in the next second, his mom pulled out her phone:
“Oh, don’t worry if you forgot, I recorded it back then.”
It was recorded on a camcorder, later transferred to her phone.
Chu Tingyun immediately got interested and wanted to see it. Yan Xun panicked and quickly tried to stop her.
“Mom, don’t…”
As soon as he said that, the room suddenly fell silent.
Xie Fengjun’s eyes turned red almost instantly. Ever since she saw Yan Xun again, from the paternity test results until now, even though her son’s attitude had improved, he still wasn’t as excited or close as parents typically are.
She thought it would take a long time to rebuild the bond after being apart for over a decade.
But the emotional silence didn’t last long because Chu Tingyun also went to hold Xie Fengjun’s hand, eager to see the video.
“Mom, it’s fine. Let’s help Chengyi jog his memory.”
Yan Xun: “…”
And so, in the end, he was publicly humiliated. After watching the video, Chu Tingyun even made sure to copy a version onto his own phone.
Yan Xun’s heart finally gave up.
He successfully started calling her ‘Mom,’ and after that, it became easier to call her ‘Dad’ too.
During dinner, his parents gave Chu Tingyun a red envelope, saying it was to make up for the missed first meeting gift.
It was 10,001 yuan.
Of course, to President Chu, this was a small amount, but the meaning behind it—being one in ten thousand—was very special.
In addition, his parents also gave them a three-bedroom apartment, saying they could handle the paperwork for the title transfer within the next few days, with both their names on it.
The house was bought when Yan Xun was still a child, using all of Ye Cunshan and his wife’s savings at the time, so it would be convenient for him to attend school later. Now, more than ten years later, property prices in the capital had skyrocketed, and the house they bought for 4,000 yuan per square meter back then was now worth 80,000 per square meter.
Getting married is a big deal, and as Yan Xun’s parents, they felt they had to make a gesture.
“Xiao Chu, consider this house as either a dowry for Yan Yan or a bridal gift, whichever you prefer. It’ll be your shared home from now on.”
Xie Fengjun was very good at handling such matters. After just a few words, Yan Xun, who had initially hesitated, nodded and accepted the offer.
Chu Tingyun had never met parents like these before, and it reminded him of how Mother Lin had forced Yan Xun, who hadn’t even graduated from college, to work hard to make money for them. Later, when they were fighting over 3 million yuan in relocation compensation, she had publicly humiliated Yan Xun, even slapping him…
The memory still made him furious, but Yan Xun had deliberately kept these things hidden, so Chu Tingyun didn’t tell Xie Fengjun and the others.
After the meal, Lekui returned to school for her classes.
Once she left, Professor Ye brought up the incident with the falling flowerpot.
“I had a lab recreate the wind conditions and test a similar flowerpot with the same weight and appearance. Multiple tests showed that under the natural conditions at the time, the flowerpot wouldn’t have been blown down. The wind direction wasn’t right, and the wind strength probably wasn’t enough either.”
“So, it was deliberate?!”
Chu Tingyun quickly grasped the situation, and after saying this, his expression immediately darkened.
“Based on the experimental results, there’s a strong possibility it was deliberate.”
Ye Cunshan’s expression wasn’t much better as he continued,
“So this morning, I submitted a professional report to the police, requesting a reinvestigation. The head of the previous forensics institution has already been brought in for questioning, and the police will likely contact you soon.”
“I spoke to a lawyer. He said that since the victim only suffered a skin injury, it doesn’t count as serious harm. So now there are two possible outcomes: if the flowerpot fell because of someone’s actions but without intent, it may only be treated as a public safety violation.”
“If it was intentional and premeditated, then it could be classified as assault or attempted murder. Either way, the best course now is to investigate your social circle and look for anyone who might do such a thing, so we can provide the police with more clues.”
Originally, Ye Cunshan had wanted to handle the matter for his son, but now it seemed that Yan Xun might have to take the lead after all.
“……”
For a moment, both Yan Xun and Chu Tingyun remained silent.
The person most likely to have done this… they both thought of the same person at almost the exact same time. But saying it out loud would open a huge can of worms.
As Yan Xun hesitated, unsure of how to explain, Chu Tingyun spoke up. He briefly mentioned the grievances he had with the Chen family, explaining that both personally and professionally, there were plenty of reasons they might hold a grudge.
Yan Xun chimed in as well:
“Dad, I’ve had my share of conflicts with them too. But don’t worry, we’ll handle it ourselves. If we need help, we’ll definitely ask.”
If the car accident and the flowerpot incident were both orchestrated by Chen Tengxiao’s people, then they were ruthless. Yan Xun didn’t want to risk involving his parents and putting them in danger.
That afternoon, the police indeed called to ask some questions and requested Yan Xun come in for a statement. Chu Tingyun went with him.
After they returned from the police station, Chu Tingyun stayed in the study until 2 a.m. The next day, he didn’t work from home and went straight to the office early in the morning.
Su Yao was urgently called back from City A. The dark circles under her eyes were obvious, but her expression was serious. There were three or four other people in the office, all of whom had been Chu Tingyun’s trusted confidants over the years.
“President Chu, there’s been a set of photos circulating on foreign websites recently, and one of the main people involved has the surname Chen.”
Assistant Fang handed over the printed photos and some gathered information.
“Several rival companies of the Chen family received anonymous emails a few days ago. It seems like someone’s doing it on purpose. The situation is already starting to gain traction online, but the Chen family is trying to suppress it.”
Chu Tingyun looked through the photos, frowned, and seemed a bit disgusted.
“Who’s the other person?”
“—The son of the president of Xingfa Bank.”
Su Yao handed over another document.
“The He family’s trust company has been closely working with this bank. Last year, they established a single trust plan, and Xingfa Bank provided funds through this financial product. Based on the timeline, the money the He family invested in Hongyuan likely came from the bank, through off-balance-sheet transactions.”
Hongyuan Real Estate, owned by the Chen family, didn’t suddenly face a crisis after being reported. They had been struggling ever since the government tightened its policies a few years ago.
President Chu threw the photos aside in disgust.
“Not enough fire. Add more fuel.”
He flipped through the documents Su Yao had given him, thought for a moment, then asked:
“Immediately investigate the projects Liu Xingchang is currently handling with Hongyuan. Tighten all the processes according to company regulations.”
In other words, block everything!
“Also, I remember a few of our older board members have good relationships with them? Didn’t they buy a few villas at a discount a few years back?”
Su Yao immediately knew what he wanted to do, and she hesitated for a moment.
“President Chu, but what about Director Jiang…”
Chu Tingyun glanced up at her, and she fell silent.
… Alright then.
Who knows what the Chen family did to provoke him this time. Last time, he withdrew investments despite pressure from the board, which was like hitting someone when they were down, even if it hurt him too.
But this time was different. Chu Tingyun was directly targeting his own board members.
The Jiang and Chen families had been cooperating since Jiang Shenghai married Chen Wanqing, a partnership that had lasted over twenty years. Their relationship wasn’t inseparable, but breaking it off would be like cutting off an arm.
Chu Tingyun’s goal was clear: dig out his own dirty laundry first and offer it as a sacrifice, using that as leverage to crush the Chen family.
But if he went through with this, Jiang Group would suffer heavy losses too. Jiang Shenghai would never agree.
So, Su Yao was worried that her boss might lose his position as president after this. After all, despite the glamour of his title, Chu Tingyun didn’t hold much stock.
The entire control of Jiang Group was in Jiang Shenghai’s hands.
But Su Yao clearly couldn’t change Chu Tingyun’s mind and could only carry out his orders.
Over the next two weeks, the scandalous photos of the eldest son of Hongyuan Real Estate and the son of the president of Xingfa Bank spread all over the internet. The biggest hit from this was the He family’s trust company, whose stock plummeted and attracted an audit investigation.
Then, two directors within Jiang Group were suddenly exposed for embezzling large amounts of company funds and accepting bribes to sell company secrets. Meanwhile, the Chen family was in complete disarray. Because of the He family’s scandal, a large amount of newly invested funds was frozen.
Chen Wanqing rushed back to her family overnight in a panic. As for Chen Tengxiao, he got a thorough scolding and two harsh slaps from his father.
“I don’t care if you play with men, but you got yourself photographed like this!”
“….”
Chen Tengxiao hadn’t expected that after dealing with Li Rong, the other party would still have a backup plan.
“Dad! This is definitely, definitely someone deliberately targeting us!”
As soon as the scandal broke, he immediately tried to suppress it, but the more he pushed, the worse it got, clearly showing someone was fueling the flames behind the scenes.
“Shut up! Isn’t that obvious?!”
Father Chen was so angry he almost had a heart attack.
But unexpectedly, at that moment, the youngest son came rushing in, flustered.
“Brother! Something bad…”
But as soon as he saw his father there, he shut his mouth and cautiously watched Chen Tengxiao’s expression.
Father Chen slammed the table, his eyes bloodshot with fury.
“What else could go wrong? Speak!”
“Well… well…”
Chen Hui stammered, and seeing his father about to strike him, he closed his eyes tightly,
“Didn’t Brother tell me to give that guy a warning? Well… Zhang Xingzhou messed it up, and now the police have officially opened a case, and he’s been detained…”
Smack—
Chen Tengxiao slapped him hard across the face.
“Idiot!”
Father Chen clearly didn’t know about this, and his expression changed drastically.
“What warning? What case?”
But Chen Wanqing, who had been silently observing, grew even more anxious and grabbed Chen Hui, demanding:
“Zhang Xingzhou?! What did you have Zhang Xingzhou do?!”
Zhang Xingzhou was the head of the appraisal institution.
Chen Hui nervously explained the situation, and as soon as he finished, his father’s face darkened, and he ordered both of them out of the room.
“Big brother… What should we do?!”
Chen Wanqing was now in a panic, crying and shouting,
“If you were going to go after Chu Tingyun, fine, but why involve that guy?! If Chu Tingyun gets suspicious…”
“What if Jiang Shenghai… He won’t find out, right?”
She stumbled around, twisting her ankle in her high heels, and cried out in pain, tears flowing as she sobbed.
“What are we going to do, waaaah…”
Father Chen, irritated by her crying, scolded her sharply.
“Enough, stop crying!”
But he clearly understood the gravity and danger of the situation. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he forced himself to stay composed,
“You go back and calm Jiang Shenghai down. I just called him. Zhang and Li’s situation wasn’t caused by outsiders. Have him check his son, that Chu kid, and make sure he behaves!”
Jiang Shenghai was essentially a cold businessman, so when the Chen family got into trouble, he preferred to distance himself and pull in the He family for help rather than get involved himself.
But now that Chu Tingyun was targeting the Jiang family, threatening his core interests, Jiang Shenghai wouldn’t stand by idly.
However, at this moment, Chen Wanqing was more concerned about something else—
“What about my brother… What about Zhang Xingzhou?”
“Let Tengxiao handle it. Chu Tingyun wasn’t hurt, and that Yan guy only got a cut. Get a lawyer and find a way to get him out soon.”
Father Chen softened his tone, helping his sister up from the ground, trying to soothe her.
“Calm down, don’t let Jiang Shenghai suspect anything. He’s already done a paternity test with Xiao Heng, and the results showed they’re father and son. So many years have passed, nothing will happen.”
“…Alright, alright.”
Hearing her brother say this, Chen Wanqing relaxed a little, but she still couldn’t stop trembling with fear.
“But what if… What if Jiang Shenghai finds out Xiao Heng isn’t his son? What if he finds out we swapped the samples during the paternity test back then, and used Chu Tingyun’s hair…”
“—There is no ‘what if’!!”
Father Chen’s face turned dark, and he almost growled as he warned her fiercely,
“Do you understand, Chen Wanqing? There is no ‘what if!’”
“….”
Chen Wanqing was so terrified of him that her face turned pale, and she could only nod, trembling.
However, what the brother and sister didn’t know at that moment was—
Jiang Yuheng was standing right outside the door, hearing every word clearly.
