Find the eighteen-year-old him?
Chu Tingyun stood there, stunned for a couple of seconds, before realizing that Yan Xun was actually jealous of his younger self.
Help! This is… too cute!
“Hey! Xun Xun——”
Mr. Chu couldn’t help but laugh and quickly chased after his little husband down the stairs. But Yan Xun was walking too fast, and Chu Tingyun realized he couldn’t keep up. So he just jumped down, aiming to land on Yan Xun’s back.
The staircase had more than a dozen steps and was quite high.
Yan Xun never expected Chu Tingyun to do something so childish and reckless—it was really dangerous.
He had no choice but to catch him.
Luckily, one jumped accurately, and the other caught steadily. In the end, Chu Tingyun ended up clinging to his little husband’s neck, hanging on tightly to his back.
Yan Xun was truly annoyed: “Chu Tingyun, do you know how dangerous that was!”
Chu Tingyun immediately turned the tables: “Who told you to walk so fast?”
Yan Xun: “……”
See? Give him an inch, and he’ll take a mile.
Yan Xun felt that if he lost his memory again, Chu Tingyun wouldn’t just jump onto his back—he’d probably end up sitting on his head.
“Get down!”
“No.”
“Chu Tingyun, are you getting down or not?”
“Nope!”
Just as Yan Xun was about to pull him down, Chu Tingyun started kissing him.
Since he couldn’t reach his lips in this position, he kissed Yan Xun’s ear, then his neck. His hands, which were wrapped around Yan Xun’s neck, slipped into his open jacket.
“Chu Tingyun, you… This is a hospital!”
Yan Xun’s voice suddenly softened.
His hands were still holding onto Chu Tingyun’s legs to prevent him from falling, so now he was in a situation where he couldn’t avoid him, nor could he stop him.
Of course, Chu Tingyun knew they were in a hospital, but this was the top floor stairwell—there was no one around. However, he knew when to stop, only giving Yan Xun a few kisses and touches without taking things further.
“Xun Xun, I’ve seen plenty of people get jealous, but you’re the first one I’ve met to get jealous of yourself.”
When he said this, there was an obvious laugh in Chu Tingyun’s voice.
Yan Xun: “……”
He had been too angry earlier and spoke without thinking.
But Chu Tingyun’s words were infuriating. Yan Xun had practically lost control just now, almost confessing that “I love you so much I’ve lost all principles and boundaries” to this man.
And yet Chu Tingyun had the nerve to say, “The eighteen-year-old you was cuter.”
Yan Xun was so angry, and he felt wronged.
Because he couldn’t go back in time—he could compete with others, but how could he possibly win against the past?
This man was just deliberately teasing him, making things difficult for him!
“Alright, alright.”
Mr. Chu started to comfort his little husband.
“The old you and the current you, you’re still Yan Xun. Sure, the old you was a bit cuter, but when I met you, this was who you were.”
“Didn’t I still fall for you at first sight? Relentlessly pursued you, clung to you without letting go.”
Chu Tingyun tactfully omitted the two key phrases.
In fact, what was called “love at first sight” was more accurately “lust at first sight.” Yan Xun hadn’t been able to bring himself to explain this to Zhou Ze back then. Somehow, Chu Tingyun found out later and used it to deceive the amnesiac Yan Xun.
But thinking it over, it was true.
Because of that wrong first impression, that wrong process, and the wrong reason for their marriage, from the time they met until they got married, Yan Xun’s attitude toward Chu Tingyun had always been the same as it was now.
Cold, awkward. Definitely not as warm, sincere, and unreserved as when he had amnesia.
Even so, Chu Tingyun still couldn’t bear to let go.
In a way, the two of them could be considered to share a mutual affliction.
“……”
And just like that, Yan Xun was comforted.
He also began to feel that he had been childish. Getting jealous of himself? Yan Xun had never even thought such a thing was possible.
“Alright, come down now.”
Yan Xun patted Chu Tingyun’s butt, signaling for him to release his legs.
President Chu huffed, reluctant but obedient, and stood up properly.
Yan Xun turned around, stared at him for a moment, then suddenly asked:
“Chu Tingyun, when did you start liking me?”
This was probably the third time Yan Xun had asked such a question, and this time, Chu Tingyun finally gave a different answer—
“Liking you? Xun Xun, why don’t you let me get on top for once?”
Yan Xun: “…… Speak properly!”
Chu Tingyun: “Oh.”
They had never really talked seriously about this subject in nearly three years of marriage.
In Chu Tingyun’s view, actions always spoke louder and more convincingly than words. He had already treated Yan Xun so well, done so much for him, that it should have been more than enough to make his feelings clear.
But Yan Xun had never liked him much, so to Chu, saying these sentimental words felt like something a desperate sycophant would say—he couldn’t bring himself to stoop that low.
In his mind, as long as he kept Yan Xun by his side, they could argue, make up by having sex, and continue living awkwardly together like that. At least they had a marriage contract, and Yan Xun had always fulfilled his marital duties perfectly.
But things were different now, so this time, Chu Tingyun gave it some serious thought and said:
“Well, I guess it was that New Year’s Eve, when you drove me home and then went out to buy ingredients to cook. At the time, I thought you’d left for good, and I figured maybe that was it. Since you disliked me so much, I wasn’t the kind of person to cling like some pathetic dog.”
“After all, I, Chu Tingyun, am handsome, fit, capable, and wealthy. I could just snap my fingers and—uh, anyway, you did come back in the end. You gave me medicine, water, cooked for me, made dumplings. That’s when I thought you might actually be someone I could marry.”
Thinking back on it now, Chu Tingyun still found it a bit unbelievable.
“Yes, I was a firm believer in staying single. So, Yan Xun, do you know how terrifying it was when that thought popped into my head? It gave me chills. My hair literally stood on end.”
As he said this, Chu Tingyun exaggerated his movements, even rubbing his arms.
Yan Xun: “……”
Terrifying.
He had to admit, Chu Tingyun sure knew how to choose his words.
But strangely enough, Yan Xun was sold on this explanation.
Although Chu Tingyun hadn’t uttered a single word about love, it felt like every word was about love.
“Alright then.”
Yan Xun nodded, as if reluctantly accepting the explanation.
“Lin Ran is still in surgery, and Senior Sister is keeping watch. We should head back.”
Originally, the police were supposed to take Jiang Jingshu to get a medical examination, but she refused, insisting that Yan Xun come first to sign for Lin Ran’s operation.
“Tsk.”
Chu Tingyun, as usual, wasn’t fond of hearing Yan Xun call her “Senior Sister.”
“You two graduated years ago. Why are you still calling her that?”
“So what should I call her? Jingshu?”
Chu Tingyun: “…… Senior Sister is fine.”
Yan Xun thought for a moment and said, “If you don’t mind, I could call her ‘Little Sister’ instead.”
Chu Tingyun: “……”
He huffed, helped Yan Xun zip up his jacket, and said nothing.
Yan Xun carefully observed Chu Tingyun’s expression and asked:
“Are you still holding a grudge over what happened back then? I told you long ago that it wasn’t an elopement. Jiang Yuheng came to me, worried that Senior Sister might be suicidal, so I went to check on her.”
“Besides, I don’t think Senior Sister knew about the connection between Sochi and your mother. If she had known, she definitely wouldn’t have gone. When you showed up, she looked genuinely shocked.”
“……”
Chu Tingyun was silent for a moment before saying:
“I’m not that stupid.”
He had figured things out shortly after returning to China.
But back in Russia, Chu Tingyun had slapped Jiang Jingshu hard and said many hurtful things to her. Later, he heard that after returning to China, Jiang Jingshu had fallen into a severe depression.
Things had escalated to that point, and Chu Tingyun assumed Jiang Jingshu must deeply resent him.
However, he had long since stopped blaming her for his mother’s death. The real issue was that Yan Xun liked her, so Chu Tingyun had always been jealous and could never get along with her. The best he could manage was to ignore her.
But now that everything was out in the open, Chu Tingyun no longer felt any jealousy. He just thought—
“But the fact that Jiang Jingshu likes Lin Ran and not you—doesn’t that mean there’s something wrong with her brain?”
Otherwise, how could a smart person like Chu Tingyun have misunderstood for so long?!
Yan Xun: “……”
She couldn’t win whether she liked him or not.
Yan Xun was speechless.
“Chu Tingyun, you really are…”
Before he could finish, President Chu’s phone rang.
It was Li Chengye, the lawyer, calling.
“Hello?”
Chu Tingyun listened for a while, his brow furrowing slightly.
“Alright, I understand. I’m on my way now.”
Yan Xun assumed something bad had happened, and his expression immediately turned serious.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“The old man wants to see me.”
Chu Tingyun’s reply was concise.
Yan Xun was surprised. “Is his condition improving?”
“Hah…”
Chu Tingyun let out a cold laugh.
“He’s been in the hospital for almost a month, refusing to see anyone. Either he’s really dying, or he’s hiding away on purpose to watch the show.”
Clearly, it was the latter.
Yan Xun: “……”
With the family in chaos and the company in crisis, Chu Tingyun had spent the past month dealing with the Chen family while also fending off his malicious uncle and the shareholders.
Meanwhile, Jiang Jingshu had been harassed by her in-laws and kidnapped by the Chen family.
And now, it turned out that Jiang Shenghai had been sitting in the hospital, watching it all unfold?
No wonder Chu Tingyun hated his father.
In contrast, Yan Xun suddenly felt his two dads were pretty decent.
His adoptive father may have had ulterior motives, but at least he had saved him, raised him, and taught him well. As for his biological father, ever since he learned that Yan Xun had nearly been killed, Ye Cunshan had thrown all his connections, resources, time, and energy into seeking revenge.
The comparison was painfully stark.
Chu Tingyun said no more and headed straight for the hospital ward.
It was a lucky coincidence that both Lin Ran and Jiang Shenghai were in the same hospital, saving them a trip.
As they approached, Chu Tingyun was already thinking up a slew of sharp remarks. Even if Jiang Shenghai had recovered, he was ready to provoke him back into the operating room.
When they reached the ward, the police were just finishing their report.
After all, Jiang Jingshu had accused her mother and brother of attempting to murder her father, so of course the police needed to question the victim, Jiang Shenghai.
The two sides exchanged nods and passed each other.
But as Chu Tingyun followed the lawyer into the private ward, he had a moment of surprise.
Jiang Shenghai did not look as vigorous as he had imagined, nor did he resemble the calculating old fox from his memories, someone who could sit back and watch others fight while orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.
His hair was much whiter, his figure noticeably thinner. Sitting on the hospital bed, he lacked any of the authority or dignity of the head of the Jiang family. He looked just like an ordinary old man suffering from illness.
“You’re here?”
Jiang Shenghai glanced at him, his expression and tone both calm.
“Take a seat.”
“……”
Chu Tingyun walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Jiang Shenghai asked:
“Have you seen Jingshu? How is she?”
“Oh, so you still remember you have a daughter?”
As expected, the moment Jiang Shenghai spoke, Chu Tingyun was infuriated.
“I thought you forgot all about her after selling her off to the He family and just spent your time counting the money.”
Even though Chu Tingyun didn’t particularly like Jiang Jingshu, seeing her beaten and covered in bruises had made him feel sorry for her.
For once, Jiang Shenghai remained silent. He sighed and said nothing.
“It was my fault; marrying into the He family was a mistake.”
Back then, Jiang Shenghai insisted that Jiang Jingshu had to get married before she turned thirty. In his mind, it was only natural for a woman to marry and have children.
Later, Chen Wanqing picked the He family, and Jiang Jingshu returned from a blind date, saying she was quite satisfied. Jiang Shenghai also had some business dealings with the He family, and after meeting He Cheng twice, he thought the young man wasn’t bad.
So, Jiang Jingshu’s marriage was settled just like that.
After all, people from their kind of families mostly arranged marriages like this.
Love wasn’t a necessity; it was the interests that served as the most important connection.
But the Chen family also caught their breath because of this, which led to what happened later.
“Heh…”
At this moment, Chu Tingyun let out a cold laugh, as if mocking his insincerity.
Jiang Shenghai took a deep breath and continued, “I underestimated the bottom line of Chen Bing and his siblings.”
In fact, not long after Zhang Xingzhou was taken away by the police for filing the case, Jiang Shenghai received the news. The report claimed that someone had tried to harm Chu Tingyun intentionally, and Yan Xun was injured while protecting his lover.
Moreover, when Chu Tingyun went to the police station to give his statement, he strongly emphasized the irreconcilable conflict between him and the Chen family. So, as the father of the victim, and with familial ties to the perpetrator, Jiang Shenghai received a call from the police.
However, at that time, he didn’t know about Wei Zhen’s existence, so he hadn’t considered the possibility that the paternity test results from before were problematic. After all, his eldest son had been at odds with the Chen family for years.
Jiang Shenghai merely thought that if this were fake, Chu Tingyun’s tactics were too crude. If it were true, then the Chen family had gone too far, crossing Jiang Shenghai’s bottom line.
He thought about it for a long time and started an investigation.
What Yan Xun and Chu Tingyun could find, Jiang Shenghai could naturally uncover faster and more thoroughly.
That day, he left work early and received the documents from a professional investigator in the underground parking lot.
After the investigator left, Jiang Shenghai felt suffocated in the car. He took some medication, planning to get out and breathe some fresh air, but as soon as he stepped out of the car, he collapsed.
Chu Tingyun was stunned after hearing this. “So, you had a heart attack because you found out about the affair?”
“……”
Clearly, the phrase “affair” choked Jiang Shenghai for a moment. He held back for a long time, managing to catch his breath before continuing.
“It was because Chen Wanqing switched my medication.”
A heart attack patient must take medication continuously; stopping it can be extremely dangerous.
“Ha! Who’s to blame for that?”
Chu Tingyun mocked him unceremoniously.
“Who told you to marry a viper? You’ve got your karma now, Jiang Shenghai. You cheated, your mistress put a green hat on you, and you’ve been raising someone else’s son for over twenty years for free. How does that feel?”
“……”
In fact, Jiang Shenghai never intended to marry Chen Wanqing. Their relationship was just a fleeting, mutual affair. But she got pregnant. She didn’t tell him until five months in, when it was too late to terminate the pregnancy.
Plus, with the historical connections between the two families and their future business prospects, the marriage happened after much consideration.
Before Jiang Shenghai could speak, Chu Tingyun continued his barrage.
“Oh right, this whole affair is now known throughout the company. It even made it into some financial tabloids. Some short-video influencers also made you go viral just for attention.”
“……”
Jiang Shenghai’s pale face visibly flushed red. Luckily, he had already been aware of these things when they happened. And before meeting Chu Tingyun, he had taken his blood pressure medication in advance, so he didn’t pass out from rage.
Looking at Chu Tingyun, bristling with hostility and sharpness, Jiang Shenghai suddenly remembered his son as a child.
Back then, his name wasn’t Chu Tingyun but Jiang Tingyun. His chestnut-colored hair, sky-blue eyes, and snow-white skin made him look like a little angel.
In the morning, he insisted on kissing and hugging his dad, clinging to him for a long time before reluctantly letting him go to work.
That was Jiang Shenghai’s first time being a father, and he loved that child deeply.
So, for so many years, this son had always been the most special in Jiang Shenghai’s heart, more so than Chen Wanqing and her two children combined.
But due to various realities, he and Chu Tingyun’s mother simply couldn’t stay together.
“I wronged you and your mother back then, but Tingyun, life isn’t just about love. To me, love is just a side dish. A man who spends all his time drowning in love is the most unambitious.”
“I liked her when I was young, went against my family’s arrangements to marry her, and kept her well-fed and cared for at home, with no worries. I’ve been responsible enough, but she was never satisfied. Every day, she was paranoid, unreasonable, and constantly argued with me over trivial things…”
Naturally, Chu Tingyun wasn’t moved by his words. Instead, he saw more clearly the true nature of this man.
“So, that’s your excuse for cheating?”
“…No, I was wrong in that matter.”
Jiang Shenghai sighed.
“That’s why, when we divorced, she insisted on taking you, and I agreed.”
Of course, the main reason was that Chu Tingyun hated him.
The child would lash out hysterically whenever he saw Jiang Shenghai—scratching, biting, kicking. Later, he even developed serious psychological issues.
At the time, Jiang Shenghai was busy competing with his cousins for control of the company and had no time to care for a child. That’s why he had to give up custody.
“Tingyun, no matter how much you hate me, the blood ties between us as father and son can never be severed. You are my son. Even if your mother took you away, even if you changed your last name, you are still my son.”
“In the future, everything I have, everything the Jiang family has, will be yours.”
As for Jiang Yuheng, even though he was biologically Jiang Shenghai’s, he had never considered making him his heir.
But at this moment, Chu Tingyun was entirely unmoved by these so-called declarations of paternal love.
“If you called me here today just to say all this, I’ve heard enough garbage.”
“……”
Jiang Shenghai closed his eyes. In that moment, he finally understood that everything was beyond repair.
“I’ll handle the rest, including the Chen family, Jiang Zhenchuan, and Jingshu’s marriage to the He family.”
Originally, he wanted to use the Chen family to toughen up Chu Tingyun, but now it seemed unnecessary to continue.
“That Yan Xun, right? I must thank him personally for getting me to the hospital in time. You two… just live your lives well.”
As if we need your blessing, you old fool!
Chu Tingyun didn’t say anything more and left with large strides.
When he stepped out, he was surprised to find Yan Xun waiting for him.
President Chu’s gloomy mood instantly brightened. He immediately ran toward his little husband.
“Why are you here?”
He thought Yan Xun would be staying with Jiang Jingshu.
As if he knew what Chu Tingyun was thinking, Yan Xun took his hand as he approached and said, “I came to wait for you. As for my sister, the police and nurses are with her for the injury assessment, and the female lawyer hired by Jiang Shenghai has also arrived.”
Chu Tingyun: “…”
Well then, that was a quick switch.
But why did it still feel a bit odd?
At that moment, Chu Tingyun suddenly noticed something. He grabbed Yan Xun’s hand and saw that the once bare ring finger now had a ring on it.
It was the very one Yan Xun had thrown away.
Back then, Yan Xun wanted a divorce, and the two had a huge argument by the park pond.
In a fit of rage, Yan Xun threw his ring away. Chu Tingyun was furious, but instead of throwing his ring, he tossed Yan Xun’s jade pendant into the pond.
Then, Yan Xun stormed off, and Chu Tingyun spent the entire night fishing.
He managed to retrieve the small Guanyin pendant, but no matter what, the ring couldn’t be found. Even after hiring a professional salvage team and searching for three full days, it never turned up.
At the time, Chu Tingyun thought it was fate—perhaps their marriage really was over.
“This ring…?”
Chu Tingyun was bewildered.
“Didn’t you lose it long ago?”
“Yeah.”
Yan Xun replied.
“Later, I thought it was a pity, so I went back and retrieved it.”
Chu Tingyun: “…”
