When President Chu quickly ran home to sleep with his little husband, the whole company was already in an uproar.
Originally, the focus of this shareholders’ meeting was to dismiss President Chu Tingyun, but no one expected that the meeting would turn into a gossip fest.
There’s no wall that doesn’t leak news; it’s unknown who was the first to leak what happened at the meeting and the contents of the emails, but within a few hours, everyone in the company knew—
Jiang Dong was wearing a green hat from his wife and had been raising someone else’s son for over twenty years!
Holy cow!!!
It was initially thought that Jiang Dong was gravely ill, and the two sons would stage a dramatic battle for the inheritance.
The older son, although lacking maternal support, was already the group president, possessing both ability and means. The younger son, while slightly lacking in this regard, had a powerful maternal family as an advantage.
Everyone was still guessing whether President Chu was more skilled or if Young Master Jiang had some tricks up his sleeve, only to find out that the latter had been kicked out of the game from the start.
The gossipers were bouncing around in the gossip field, fervently discussing—
“But this paternity test, conducted without the consent of the parties involved, should be legally invalid, right? And could it be forged?”
The dignified wife of the group’s president, cheating with a bartender who only has a high school education, is hard to believe.
“Who cares about legal validity? As long as the shareholders of the group believe it, that’s all that matters.”
“You should have seen Young Master Jiang’s face at the time; it was a kaleidoscope of colors.”
“…”
At this point, Jiang Yuheng was too enraged to care about those people in the company. He angrily rushed home to confront Chen Wanqing.
It had to be fake!
It had to be something that Chu Tingyun meticulously forged!
That guy was obviously well-prepared, deliberately finding such a person to claim he was his biological father, making him lose face in the company.
Jiang Yuheng trembled, constantly trying to numb himself.
But when he got home to confront his biological mother, her suddenly pale face already said everything.
“Xiao Heng, how did you find out?”
At this moment, Chen Wanqing didn’t even know that Wei Zhen had returned to the country and that Yan Xun had taken hair to do the paternity test with Jiang Yuheng.
Now, this paternity report was already common knowledge.
“How did I find out? Ha… everyone knows!!!”
Jiang Yuheng’s eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Chen Wanqing, his expression practically wanting to devour her. He had been blinded by anger, saying whatever came to mind:
“Are you that desperate? Are you that short of a man? A bartender… a bartender could get you into bed?!”
“Xiao Heng, how can you… how can you say that about your mother?”
Chen Wanqing covered her face and immediately started to cry.
She sobbed while explaining to her younger son what happened back then.
After giving birth to Jiang Jingshu, the Chen family was actually very disappointed because it was a girl. They urged Chen Wanqing to quickly have a son to inherit the Jiang family’s wealth.
Chen Wanqing worked hard to comply, but Jiang Shenghai didn’t want children and was resolute and cold. Caught in the middle, she was extremely frustrated and went to bars to drink away her sorrows.
It was during this time that Wei Zhen appeared; he was only twenty years old, completely different from the domineering Jiang Shenghai. Wei Zhen was young and charming, able to coax people, and in her intoxication, Chen Wanqing ended up in bed with him.
Later, she became pregnant.
At that time, Chen Wanqing was very scared and wanted to terminate the pregnancy. However, after her family learned of it, they secretly took her to check the child’s gender and, upon finding out it was a boy, strongly insisted that she keep the baby.
Thus, Jiang Yuheng was born.
But this explanation brought no comfort to Jiang Yuheng. Initially, he despised his mother for cheating, but now he realized that if it weren’t for Chen Wanqing’s infidelity, he wouldn’t exist at all.
How ridiculous, how ironic!
Chen Wanqing was at a loss, clutching her son’s sleeve:
“Xiao Heng, Xiao Heng… what should we do now?”
“How would I know?!”
Jiang Yuheng, filled with resentment and fear, forcefully shook off her hand.
The Chen family had expended great effort and money to support Jiang Yuheng, helping him win over connections and gain shareholder support. But now, all their efforts had gone to waste.
“But Xiao Heng, I… I asked a lawyer, and he said that paternity test is invalid without your permission.”
“You’re the one who made me switch Jiang Shenghai’s medication, right? Isn’t he incapacitated now? As long as… as long as…”
As long as he dies, then she and Xiao Heng might get some of the inheritance.
Jiang Yuheng understood what she was trying to say, but things weren’t that simple because Chu Tingyun wouldn’t let that happen.
Before he could speak, the sound of a door opening came from outside.
—Jiang Jingshu was back.
Today, she wasn’t wearing those socialite-style dresses but a simple down jacket, jeans, and a pair of white, student-like sneakers.
Normally, Chen Wanqing would definitely reprimand her for her clothing choices.
But today she was simply too preoccupied and cautiously asked:
“What are you back for? Did you ask the He family for help? What happened?”
“…”
Jiang Jingshu looked at her mother and younger brother, who were obviously in a dispute, and didn’t answer, instead asking,
“I heard about what happened at the shareholders’ meeting this morning; is it true?”
This question struck Jiang Yuheng’s sore spot; he immediately bristled and said sarcastically:
“Oh, are you so eager to deny me as your brother?”
“…”
Jiang Jingshu glanced at him and then turned away, as if treating him like air.
After the wedding—more precisely, after discovering that Jiang Yuheng had tricked her into eloping—Jingshu had considered him no longer her brother.
“So the contents of that email were all true, then.”
This statement made Chen Wanqing raise her voice sharply—
“Jiang Jingshu, listen well; whether it’s true or not, he is still your brother!”
Chen Wanqing had always played the role of a strong authoritarian in front of her daughter. Suddenly being challenged made her uncomfortable, so she quickly changed the subject,
“What are you back for? Hurry back to the He family, I told you before…”
“Mom—”
Jiang Jingshu interrupted her commanding words, speaking seriously,
“I want to divorce He Cheng.”
“…”
This statement left Chen Wanqing stunned. She pointed at Jiang Jingshu, her voice trembling,
“What did you say… say it again?!”
“…”
If there were a food chain in this household, then Jiang Father and the grown Chu Tingyun would clearly be at the top, followed by Jiang Yuheng, and then Chen Wanqing.
Jiang Jingshu was always at the bottom.
To outsiders, she was the glamorous daughter of the Jiang family, but no one knew that since she could remember, Jiang Jingshu had carefully navigated her existence in the cracks of this family.
Her first escape was when she transferred to her maternal grandparents’ home in Nancheng during high school. The second was when she asked Yan Xun to pretend to be her boyfriend. The third was being tricked by her brother into eloping.
None of them succeeded.
After returning from her failed elopement, Jiang Jingshu suffered from severe depression and spent over half a year in the hospital before she could barely live normally.
Even so, her mother still insisted she pursue a marriage alliance.
As for her father, he said marriage was optional, but what woman wouldn’t marry? Therefore, Jiang Jingshu had to get married before turning thirty.
Her biological brother, Jiang Yuheng, also chimed in.
That night, Jiang Jingshu thought about dying.
If she died, would her parents and brother regret it?
Would they feel the same agonizing pain she felt?
Jiang Jingshu had always admired her brother Chu Tingyun, but she didn’t possess his courage and strength, nor did she have his capabilities.
After much thought, she realized that this seemed to be the only way she could exact revenge.
But before she could act, Jiang Jingshu called Lin Ran.
She asked him, “Can I see you?”
Lin Ran said nothing.
So she continued, “I’m getting married to someone else. Will you come to my wedding?”
Lin Ran remained silent for a long time, finally saying—
“Jingshu, I wish you happiness.”
“…”
So that meant he wouldn’t come.
Jiang Jingshu hung up, closed her eyes, but still couldn’t stop the tears from soaking her pillow.
That night, she meticulously planned a suicide, with the date set for her wedding day.
Didn’t her mother insist she pursue a marriage alliance?
Didn’t her father insist she marry?
Then fine!
She wanted everyone to see, to watch this grand wedding turn into a funeral.
Perhaps on that day, her parents would realize they were wrong.
Would they regret it? Would they cry for her death, heartbroken?
If that were the case, it would be great!
Jiang Jingshu could only think in such a naive, helpless, and delightfully vengeful manner.
But she didn’t expect that on the wedding day, Lin Ran would actually show up.
He gave her a painting. It depicted an eighteen-year-old Jiang Jingshu wearing a beautiful white dress.
It turned out he was willing to come see her.
Yan Xun also came, giving her a book that had once been her favorite.
It turned out that the novel that had been left unfinished had finally concluded well and had been successfully published.
Besides these, Jingshu noticed that Xiao Xun seemed to have reconciled with Chu Tingyun, appearing relaxed and happy, even running over to grab her bouquet.
Jiang Jingshu deliberately tossed it to him.
She watched as Yan Xun pushed through the crowd, unhesitatingly holding the bouquet and running straight towards Chu Tingyun.
In the midst of everyone’s astonished, disdainful, or complicated gazes, the two smiled at each other, fully immersed in their world of happiness.
“…”
At that moment, Jingshu suddenly decided to abandon her original suicide plan.
At least… she shouldn’t die today.
Thus, the suicide plan was shelved.
Life after the wedding didn’t seem that bad, but it wasn’t exactly good either.
In short, Jiang Jingshu took a lot of medication; when she couldn’t sleep, she would read that novel she hadn’t finished during her youth.
The novel was a cliché martial arts story, featuring a male lead named Yan Rufen, a wandering orphan who was captured by a devil cult and endured great suffering.
The story depicted how he gradually seized various opportunities through his own efforts, escaping the confines of his prison, defeating various enemies, and eventually finding his biological parents who loved him, thus progressing towards strength, freedom, and happiness.
When Jingshu became immersed in it, it felt as if she too had successfully escaped and attained freedom and happiness.
Too bad she hadn’t.
At least Xiao Yan did, just as the author hoped; he was living well now.
After finishing the ending, Jingshu felt a little better and began to try a new life.
But not long after, both the Chen and He families ran into trouble. Her husband, who had been gentle and gentlemanly before marriage, began to express dissatisfaction, and her in-laws often made things difficult for her. Her mother called repeatedly, asking her to seek help from the He family.
Once again, Jiang Jingshu felt like she couldn’t breathe.
Then, she received two explosive pieces of news—
Father was critically ill and hospitalized, and her younger brother was the illegitimate child of her mother’s affair.
This already fractured family had now completely shattered.
Jiang Jingshu didn’t actually feel much pain. It was as if her heart had already gone numb. But still, she came back—back to this broken family.
Jingshu didn’t care whether or not she was her father’s child, nor did she care about the so-called inheritance shares. She planned to make her fourth escape.
But this time, Jingshu didn’t want to sneak away anymore. She decided to openly and directly inform them:
“I said, I want a divorce!”
Smack!
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Wanqing slapped her across the face.
“Don’t even think about it!”
Jingshu’s head was sharply turned to the side from the force of the slap, and a terrible handprint quickly appeared on her fair cheek.
“…”
She was quiet for a long time, trembling as she finally spoke:
“Mom… I don’t understand.”
“You’re a woman, you’re a daughter. You were never valued by your father or brothers, and even as you grew up, you were used as a tool for a political marriage. For so many years, you’ve lived like a puppet, enduring endless grievances.”
“But why do you still choose to do the same thing as them? Why do you inflict the same pain on me that you suffered yourself?”
Jingshu had thought long and hard but still couldn’t figure it out.
From the time she could remember, her father didn’t like her—Jiang Jingshu could clearly feel it. So she clung to her mother’s side.
But her mother favored sons over daughters, cherishing her son as her future hope and treating her daughter as a commodity for transactional gain. On the surface, Chen Wanqing seemed to care about her in everything, but when it came to core interests, she would abandon her daughter without hesitation.
Realizing that her parents didn’t love her was incredibly painful.
Jiang Jingshu could no longer bear it and wanted an answer.
“Why, Mom?”
“There’s no why! I said no divorce, and that’s final!”
Chen Wanqing hadn’t even listened to what she said.
Just as Jingshu had said, Chen Wanqing was never valued by her family from a young age, and after marriage, she lived cautiously, always mindful of her husband’s mood. Only with her daughter could she experience the feeling of power and control.
This feeling was too addictive to give up.
So she became even more determined to tightly control her daughter.
Chen Wanqing continued issuing orders with the same domineering tone she had used for years.
“Did you hear me? Go back to the He family right now!”
“…”
But this time, Jingshu was really going to escape, at any cost.
She gave a bitter laugh:
“Mom, those words you said… I’ll never listen to them again.”
With that, she turned decisively and walked away.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
Chen Wanqing screamed, rushing forward to grab her, but she hadn’t expected Jingshu to push her away.
For the first time, Chen Wanqing realized that her usually gentle, frail daughter had such strength.
Bang!
She was pushed to the ground, falling in a humiliating heap.
“Jiang Jingshu! Come back here!”
Chen Wanqing first shouted in anger, but her second cry came with a sobbing tone:
“Jingshu! Jingshu…”
In this family, her tears seemed to only work on her daughter.
But this time, it seemed ineffective, as Jingshu never once looked back.
Jeans and sneakers were indeed more comfortable than skirts and high heels, and far more convenient for running away.
She ran out the door of the Jiang family’s house without stopping, facing the harsh winter wind, running all the way out of the neighborhood.
Jingshu didn’t feel cold at all. In fact, she felt warm from running so fast.
But she didn’t expect Jiang Yuheng to catch up. He grabbed her, forcing her to stop.
Jiang Yuheng was furious, gripping her tightly and yelling:
“Have you had enough, Jiang Jingshu?!”
If Jingshu divorced He Cheng now, it would only make things worse. Jiang Yuheng couldn’t possibly allow her to do that.
“Let go! Let me go!”
Jingshu didn’t want to talk to him at all, but she couldn’t break free from the grip of a grown man and was dragged back against her will.
Just then, someone suddenly grabbed Jiang Yuheng’s wrist.
“Ah!”
No one knew how he did it, but Jiang Yuheng cried out in pain and instinctively let go of Jingshu.
What happened next was like a replay of the scene from the hospital a few days ago when Jiang Yuheng was punched by Yan Xun.
He was yanked over and punched hard, falling to the ground. Jiang Yuheng was left dizzy and in so much pain that he couldn’t get up for a long time.
Now, the injuries on both sides of his face were perfectly symmetrical.
“…”
But Jingshu didn’t have time to worry about her beaten brother. She stared at the man who suddenly appeared, frozen in place.
Even with a mask on, she recognized him at once.
“…Lin Ran?”
The man’s eyes paused on the slap mark on her cheek for two seconds before he looked down and shifted his gaze.
“Got a moment, Miss Jiang? I’d like to ask you something.”
“…Yes.”
She almost answered immediately.
Fifteen minutes later, the two were sitting in a warm café. They didn’t choose a private room secluded from prying eyes but instead a slightly quieter corner.
After all, Jiang Jingshu was married now, and they needed to avoid suspicion to protect her reputation.
“Lin Ran, what do you want to ask?”
She had let her hair down to cover the slapped side of her face.
The man was silent for a moment before slowly asking:
“The year my father came to your family’s new house to build cabinets, on the afternoon of the day he had the accident, did your cousin bring some people to the newly renovated house?”
“…”
Jiang Jingshu hadn’t expected him to suddenly bring up something from so long ago.
At that time, she had heard that Lin Ran’s family was short on money, and since his father was a skilled carpenter, she asked her grandfather if they could hire her classmate’s father to make cabinets, offering a high price.
But before the cabinets were finished, Father Lin had an accident. Jingshu felt guilty and apologized to Lin Ran, though he didn’t blame her.
Jingshu thought back carefully.
“It seems… yes, that did happen. Later, my cousin kept saying the house was unlucky, so the family quickly sold it at a low price.”
Then they bought a new place for Jingshu to live in while attending school.
Lin Ran clenched his hand silently under the table.
“And do you know that my father had a conflict with your cousin and his group? I’ve been investigating for a long time and found out that the motorcycle my father was riding when he had the accident was ordered to be purchased and destroyed by your cousin.”
“…”
Jiang Jingshu was stunned, and after a long while, she began to grasp the hidden meaning behind Lin Ran’s words.
“Lin Ran, are you saying… you mean…”
“…Yes.”
Lin Ran didn’t beat around the bush. He said,
“I mean that your cousin, Chen Tengxiao, is the one responsible for my father’s death.”
“…”
Jiang Jingshu clenched her fingers tightly. She didn’t dare look at Lin Ran and could only tremble as she asked,
“Then… do you need me to do anything?”
“No, I’ll contact the police for the rest.”
Lin Ran shook his head. He wasn’t here to ask her for help.
“Miss Jiang, you don’t need to feel guilty. I don’t hate you, nor do I blame you. I came here just to tell you, in the future, try to stay away from the Chen family.”
“Those people… have no bottom line.”
Some relatives in this world are far more terrifying than demons.
Lin Ran paused for a moment before continuing:
“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask: please don’t tell Yan Xun about this for now. I’ll find time to tell him myself later.”
Jingshu was stunned and nodded in agreement.
“…Alright.”
What Lin Ran didn’t know was that ever since Yan Xun got married, Jingshu had lost contact with him. There was no chance for her to tell him anyway.
At this point, there was nothing left for the two of them to talk about.
Lin Ran got up and left without a trace of reluctance.
Jiang Jingshu didn’t leave, nor did she try to stop him. She just sat alone in the corner until nightfall.
Her phone had over a hundred missed calls and countless messages, but Jiang Jingshu didn’t look at any of them. She turned off her phone and continued sitting there by herself.
She watched the people coming and going outside, and slowly, she thought about all the things and people over all these years. She thought so hard her head ached, but something inside her heart gradually became clearer.
At 10 PM, the café was closing, and Jiang Jingshu had no choice but to leave.
As she was leaving, the staff gave her an umbrella, saying it was snowing outside.
Jiang Jingshu offered to pay, but the staff politely declined, saying it was just leftover from a store promotion and wasn’t worth much. Jiang Jingshu had no choice but to remember the store’s name and promised to patronize their business next time.
“Alright.”
The staff watched her walk away into the distance and then turned back to the private booth in the corner, saying to the customer who had just given them a generous tip to buy the umbrella,
“Mr. Lin, the young lady has already left with the umbrella.”
“Hmm, thank you.”
“Don’t you want an umbrella? We still have one left. The first snow of the year in the capital is quite heavy, and the weather forecast says it might snow all night.”
Lin Ran shook his head. “I don’t need one.”
He thanked the kind staff, walked out the door, and slowly disappeared into the snowy night, heading in the opposite direction from Jiang Jingshu.
Some snowflakes fell on the woman’s umbrella, some on the man’s head, and even more swirled past the windows of countless homes.
In one of those windows was the reflection of a man’s lazy, relaxed figure.
Chu Tingyun was curled up lazily on the double sofa by the bedroom window, wrapped in a blanket. The house was heated, and Baby, his cat, was curled up on his stomach, purring softly.
The eruption of fatherly love had made the bedroom no longer a forbidden zone for his “cat son.” Now Baby was so bold that he could even sleep on the bed.
But before letting Baby on the bed, Chu Tingyun would always wipe its paws and rear end, which was probably the last line of defense for someone with OCD.
Chu Tingyun held the cat in his arms, sipping the eight-treasure tea from a porcelain cup while slowly enjoying the snowfall.
Coffee had fallen out of favor in the house, and recently, President Chu had switched to drinking health-preserving herbal teas.
After repeated setbacks, he had gradually come to terms with losing his “male dignity.” The mutual rewards of the afternoon had left Chu Tingyun feeling utterly drained, and he’d slept from five o’clock until ten in the evening, just waking up now.
So now, he thought the most important thing was to nourish his kidneys and take care of his health, aiming for sustainable development.
Having such a young, energetic little husband was truly a sweet burden.
Chu Tingyun couldn’t help but think that if he had managed to win over Yan Xun on the first try back then, it might not have been such a good thing. After all, if he ran out of stamina halfway through, and the other was still full of energy and unsatisfied, how embarrassing would that be?
All in all, President Chu’s desire to reverse the roles was gradually fading.
There was no hope of switching roles in this lifetime, so he might as well give up.
With a silent sigh, Chu Tingyun took another sip of the eight-treasure tea brewed by his little husband.
It was nourishing for the kidneys.
Tsk, but there was a bit too much goji berries.
At that moment, Yan Xun walked in after hanging up the new clothes Chu Tingyun had bought for him.
Thankfully, this time he had some experience and stopped Chu Tingyun from buying a hundred pieces. So, in the end, President Chu only bought ten pieces, carefully selecting each one to be warm, stylish, and large enough to wrap around another person.
“All done? Do you like them?” Chu Tingyun asked about the clothes.
Yan Xun nodded, “They’re nice.”
He didn’t really notice Chu Tingyun’s little thoughts behind buying the clothes. In any case, whatever the other bought, he wore.
It was a very typical married man mindset.
Yan Xun sat down beside Chu Tingyun, noticing that the other especially liked putting a sofa by the window. There was one in the bedroom of their snowy mountain villa, and now there was one in their home’s living room and bedroom too.
As soon as Yan Xun sat down, Chu Tingyun snuggled up, leaning into his embrace.
Having just eaten, the man’s expression was content and tired. He wanted to be hugged, to be close, and his whole body radiated a warm, sweet, and lazy energy.
Baby, squished between the two of them, let out a disgruntled “meow,” jumped to the floor, stretched lazily, and grumbled a bit before running to the large two-meter bed to sleep on its back.
Yan Xun didn’t notice the kitten, instead wrapping Chu Tingyun in his arms.
Actually, this wasn’t the first time they’d settled into this kind of post-intimacy position. In the past, after they finished, Chu Tingyun would also ask Yan Xun to hold him like this.
Back then, President Chu didn’t need any kidney-nourishing eight-treasure tea. He felt just right—satisfied but not drained, and sometimes he even wanted to go for another round, though most of the time he was turned down.
Though Yan Xun was compliant, there was always a bit of resistance in his silence.
One day, after being turned down again, Chu Tingyun asked,
“So, Yan Xun, what do you think we are now? Friends with benefits who have a marriage certificate?”
Yan Xun replied, “Aren’t we?”
“…”
Chu Tingyun was silent for a long time before finally laughing.
“Forget it. Friends with benefits is fine. At least it’s one-on-one and legal, right? If something happens to me and I die, you’ll be my only heir and beneficiary of my life insurance.”
Chu Tingyun had even specifically made a will, excluding his scumbag father.
“…I don’t want it!”
Even that, Yan Xun tried to refuse, prompting President Chu to scold him for not appreciating his good intentions.
But if Chu Tingyun were to ask again now, he might give a different answer.
It was just a shame that Chu Tingyun didn’t ask.
Yan Xun took the porcelain cup from the other’s hands, setting it on the small side table. He pinched the soft flesh on Chu Tingyun’s waist, saying:
“All this health food is fine, but you still need to exercise.”
Chu Tingyun: “…”
Yan Xun meant it in terms of physical stamina, but Chu Tingyun took it as a comment about his weight.
He’d been busy recently, working late and pulling all-nighters, and with Yan Xun feeding him well every day, he’d gained four kilograms. Though those four kilograms were evenly distributed on his 1.8-meter frame, so it wasn’t much, sitting like this made his abs less defined. Otherwise, Yan Xun wouldn’t have been able to pinch out a bit of soft flesh.
President Chu instinctively sucked in his stomach.
“I just called Lawyer Li. He said the old man’s condition isn’t looking good.”
This topic shift was truly clumsy.
Yan Xun didn’t press the issue, simply responding with an “Mm,” waiting for him to continue.
“So we’ll have to adjust our plans.”
Originally, Chu Tingyun had intended to force Jiang Shenghai to make a move, but who would have thought the old man would kick the bucket and end up in the ICU? Now Chu Tingyun would have to step in himself.
“The audit bureau has already started investigating the illegal loans from the He family at Xingfa Bank. There should be results soon.”
Leaning back against Yan Xun’s chest, Chu Tingyun spoke lazily. As he continued, something seemed to occur to him, and he sighed, saying,
“Who would have thought that the son of the bank president actually truly liked Chen Tengxiao? He naively thought Chen would marry him, but the guy had already kept several lovers on the side. Tsk tsk… such a lovestruck fool.”
Chu Tingyun was completely unaware that he himself was also a lovestruck fool, but he was very quick to judge others.
He pulled Yan Xun’s hand over, slipping it under the blanket he was wrapped in, asking the other to massage his sore thigh muscles.
As Yan Xun’s hand slipped inside, he realized Chu Tingyun wasn’t wearing anything underneath. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he reached for the remote to close the curtains, then silently began massaging, starting from the inside of his knee and working upwards.
Chu Tingyun moaned softly in comfort, continuing,
“Though the He and Jiang families are technically married, the deeper alliance is between the Chen and He families. With both sides struggling to fend for themselves, it won’t be long before they fall out.”
“So next, there’s no need to worry about the He family. A trust company like theirs fears detailed scrutiny the most. As for the Chen family, they’ve had too many loopholes over the years. And we’re not the only ones watching them.”
“Why do I say that… well, we’re just meant to be together.”
The man was lying back in his arms, his beautiful blue eyes moist, the thin skin around them tinged with a bit of pink, and even his breath while speaking seemed a little shaky.
Yan Xun: “…”
He stared at Chu Tingyun for a while, then suddenly asked,
“Can you skip your shift tomorrow morning?”
“…”
Chu Tingyun immediately understood, but at this moment, he tightened the blanket around himself and revealed a very mischievous, fox-like smile.
“Too bad, I can’t.”
“Oh.”
Yan Xun thought for a moment and asked,
“Shall I keep massaging, then?”
Chu Tingyun, for the first time, realized he could tease his little husband into being so eager and ravenous. He was immensely proud, feeling like all his past frustrations had vanished in this moment.
So without thinking, he nodded—
“Yes, keep going.”
“Alright.”
Yan Xun suddenly stood up, scooped Chu Tingyun up in his arms, and laid him on the bed.
Poor little baby was kicked off the bed by his Yan Xun Daddy this time.
Chu Tingyun’s blanket was pulled off, but before he could get excited, thinking something was about to happen— some role-playing scenario, he quickly realized that Yan Xun actually intended to give him a real massage.
“???”
Wait, a real massage?
Not only that, Yan Xun’s technique was incredibly professional, to the point of being over-the-top.
He had a lot of strength, and every press hit some strange acupuncture points. The way he poked and kneaded felt more painful than someone punching him hard— it was practically a soul attack.
Chu Tingyun couldn’t last three seconds.
“Ouch, ouch… it hurts…”
“Yan Xun! You… ah, wait, I…”
“I don’t want a massage anymore! I don’t want… ah…”
Chu Tingyun tried to resist but was overpowered. He tried to escape but was grabbed by the ankle and dragged back. In the end, even begging for mercy didn’t work— every muscle in his body was thoroughly relaxed, even his bones were realigned with a few cracks. Finally, he gave up struggling.
When it was over, his gaze was vacant and unfocused, and he looked as if his entire thought process had come to a halt. Half his face was wet.
Yan Xun asked him something, but he didn’t respond— just occasionally letting out a whimper with a slight choke. After being carried to wash up, he soon fell asleep.
However, the next day, Chu Tingyun woke up feeling much lighter all over, unlike before when he couldn’t get out of bed.
But he would’ve rather been unable to get up and skip his shift.
For the next half month, Chu Tingyun became quite well-behaved, working diligently during the day and obediently cuddling his little husband for a chaste sleep at night.
Jiang Shenghai was still lying in the hospital, his condition unclear— Li the lawyer was keeping things confidential.
During this time, Assistant Fang informed Chu Tingyun that Jiang Jingxu and He Cheng were getting a divorce, and the He family had completely severed ties with the Chen family.
Now, all of Hongyuan Real Estate was in chaos, but that wasn’t enough. With the walls crumbling, Chu Tingyun, while locking horns with his uncle Jiang Zhenchuan, had also secretly recruited several rival companies of the Chen family, dangling some sweet incentives, waiting to watch them fight it out.
Meanwhile, the police had combined the falling flower pot incident with Yan Xun’s car accident investigation. Thanks to Xie Fengjun’s lab, banned substances were found in the car’s air freshener.
Chen Hui and Chen Tengxiao were both brought in for questioning, though not yet formally detained.
For a moment, the entire Chen family was in turmoil, besieged from all sides.
Chu Tingyun had already placed quite a bit of pressure on the Chen family. Now it was just a matter of seeing which straw would break their back.
Neither he nor Yan Xun could’ve predicted—
That straw turned out to be Jiang Jingxu.
She went to the police at four in the morning, covered in injuries.
She said her brother, Jiang Yuheng, and her uncle, Chen Bing, had conspired to have her mother, Chen Wanqing, intentionally switch their father Jiang Shenghai’s medication with the intent to kill him.
When she discovered this, she was kidnapped and held captive by Jiang Yuheng, only just now managing to escape.
Upon hearing the news, Chu Tingyun and Yan Xun rushed to the hospital immediately.
Because Jiang Jingxu was at the hospital.
She didn’t look good, with many injuries, but thankfully they were all superficial and would heal with time.
However, before Yan Xun could show any concern for his senior and ask about the situation, she grabbed him and dragged him off to sign a surgery consent form for Lin Ran.
This foster brother of his, who had recently severed ties with him, wasn’t in Nancheng. He had been stabbed while trying to save Jiang Jingxu in the middle of the night.
But Lin Ran wasn’t easy to deal with— even without legs and after being stabbed, he still managed to send Chen Tengxiao to the surgery room, laid out flat beside him.
“…”
Yan Xun thought the whole thing had gone way beyond his expectations.
Even Chu Tingyun was uncharacteristically silent.
He now had a new understanding of the combat abilities of Yan Xun and Lin Ran.
President Chu was utterly puzzled—
Wait, with sons this tough, how did the Lin family martial arts school even go out of business back then?
At the entrance to the operating room, Jiang Jingxu was clutching Yan Xun, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Xiao Xun… Xiao Xun, do you think your brother will be alright?”
“Senior, don’t worry, Lin Ran knows how to dodge blades. He probably didn’t get hurt too badly.”
Yan Xun patted her back, comforting her gently.
The next second, the vinegar jar that was Chu Tingyun exploded. He yanked his little husband over, putting distance between them, and said,
“Yan Xun, mind yourself! She’s your ex-girlfriend and she’s already married!”
“…???”
Jiang Jingxu froze, looking at Yan Xun.
Yan Xun was also stunned and instinctively replied,
“She’s not my ex-girlfriend. Our relationship was fake from the start, and I already explained this to you a long time ago, Chu Tingyun!”
Yan Xun had indeed explained it, back at the snowy mountain villa.
But Chu Tingyun hadn’t believed him.
Later, he just stopped mentioning Jiang Jingxu, afraid that Yan Xun would keep thinking about her.
Jiang Jingxu, having heard this, hadn’t expected that even after three years, her brother still misunderstood. When she first heard about their marriage, she asked Yan Xun if he wanted to explain, and Yan Xun had said there was no need— he’d already explained it.
Since Jingxu was also recovering in the hospital and Chu Tingyun didn’t want to see her or talk to her, she hadn’t clarified.
But now, she felt it was necessary to explain. Wiping away her tears, she seriously told Chu Tingyun,
“Brother, really, we never dated. I always thought of Xiao Xun as a little brother, nothing more.”
Chu Tingyun: “…”
He stood there, stunned for a full minute.
Then, Chu Tingyun took a deep breath, turned, and looked at Yan Xun with a blank expression, and asked:
“When did you regain your memory?”
Yan Xun: “…”
Looks like I just let that slip.
