126. More and More Childish
JingYuan gently bit down on YiHan’s shoulder. His hips sank lower in a light thrust and a moan escaped YiHan’s lips.
“What are you doing? Get out,” YiHan demanded, tears shimmering in the corners of his bloodshot eyes.
The older man remained silent. He merely twitched his hips. YiHan could feel the change going on within him and scrambled to crawl away, but JingYuan locked his waist in with an arm around it.
“You big pervert!” YiHan mewled in dread. “Again? I don’t want to! I want to sleep!”
JingYuan slowly thrust further in as he coaxed, “There, there, HanHan. I just want to change the focus of your attention. I don’t want you to keep thinking about unhappy thoughts.”
YiHan moaned. He shook his head and stammered out between moans, “I don’t need…don’t need you to. I’m…I’m happy. I-I want to sleep!”
JingYuan’s hips moved faster. “Just a while,” he panted. “You’ll sleep much better…”
YiHan’s forehead fell to the pillow, his breath coming out in harsh pants as he moaned and begged, “No…slow down…”
“I can’t, HanHan…”
***
The next morning, YiHan laid in bed as he savoured his back massage. JingYuan obediently kneaded YiHan’s slim waist. Once in a while, his hands would dip lower down that slender body.
“Enough, you,” YiHan pouted, at his wit’s end with the distracted man. “Wasn’t last night enough? Massage my waist properly!”
“It wasn’t,” JingYuan replied with a serious face.
“You darned pervert!” YiHan glowered.
“Do you want me to have enough?” JingYuan leaned down.
YiHan choked. A blush overtook his face and he roared, “Focus on the massage!”
JingYuan chuckled and changed the topic, “In less than a month, it’ll be your grandfather’s birthday. You gave the go game set to old Mr Yan, so what do you plan on giving Grandfather?”
YiHan went quiet for a moment then said, “I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll go look around the shops tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t you need to go to work? I’m just going to buy a present. You don’t need to follow me. I can go by myself.”
“No way.” JingYuan frowned. “It’s dangerous for you to be out alone.”
“So much time has passed already. That person can’t eye me up all the time. I can’t spend my entire life glued to your side whenever I leave the house, right?”
“It’s my fault,” JingYuan rumbled, his hands steadily kneaded YiHan’s waist, “for having yet to pull the mastermind out of the shadows. I’m why you’re restricted in all your outings.”
“What does it have to do with you?” YiHan giggled.
JingYuan pursed his lips and remained silent.
“Look,” said YiHan after a moment of contemplation. “Even if you go to work now, it’d be late. You can’t always push aside your work for me. How about this? I’ll call Fang Yi and ask if he has time to go shopping with me. You can stop worrying then, right? Fang Yi’s a good fighter.”
JingYuan didn’t seem particularly happy about it.
YiHan turned around and patted the older man on the hand. “You can’t always be by my side. The Mu Group needs you to oversee it. I promise I’ll do all I can to protect myself and not make you worry. Well?”
JingYuan didn’t say a word.
YiHan took his phone and called Fang Yi. The call was soon answered.
“Hey,” Fang Yi said. “YiHan?”
The young man held one of JingYuan’s hands close as he replied, “Hey, how’s my case going?”
“We’ve found some clues but we can’t confirm them yet,” the officer solemnly said. “Captain Chen said we can’t let anyone know for now.”
“Okay, I understand,” YiHan understandingly said. “I’m calling to ask if you’re free in the next few days.”
“I am. I’m off shift the day after tomorrow. Is there something you need?”
“Oh, my grandfather’s birthday is coming up soon. I want to find him a present but JingYuan’s too worried to let me go alone. I was wondering if you’re free to go with me so he can relax.”
“Sure. Day after tomorrow?”
“Okay. Let’s get in contact on that morning.”
“Alright. I’ll come to your home then.”
“It’s fine. I’ll have a driver pick you up. We’ll go together.”
YiHan then ended the call. He wiggled the phone in his hand at JingYuan as he gave the man a wink and said, “This’ll be fine, right? I’ll be going with Fang Yi the day after tomorrow.”
“Fine,” said JingYuan after a moment of hesitation. “Be careful.”
YiHan meekly nodded.
JingYuan blinked back at YiHan. He patted the young man on the butt as he said, “Aren’t you going to get up then?”
“The plan’s on the day after tomorrow. Why do I have to get up now?”
“Weren’t you telling me to go to work? Hurry up and get up then.”
YiHan slumped back onto the bed and closed his eyes. “You still want me to go with you? No. I don’t want to. I want to sleep.”
JingYuan gently swung the hand he was holding and soothed, “Then sleep. I’ll help you get changed and carry you out. You can keep sleeping then, okay?” As he said so, he began unbuttoning YiHan’s shirt.
YiHan opened his eyes and swiftly stopped the hands on his chest. “Please. If you do that, I wouldn’t be able to look at anyone else in the eye tomorrow.”
“How will you get to the office then?” JingYuan insistently continued.
“Please,” YiHan said in exasperation. “You’re going to the office to work. All I do over there is eat and play. I’d get self-conscious, alright?”
“Did someone say something?” JingYuan scowled. “Or did Chen Hong treat you badly?”
“Dear, are our brains on the same wavelength?” Yihan lightly smacked the man on the head. “I was talking about how I don’t fit in with your office’s serious work environment. What does it have to do with Chen Hong? Every time I’m there, he’d give me a lot of delicious snacks and things to occupy myself with. I get embarrassed. Go to work by yourself?”
JingYuan stared back in silence before finally rising to get changed. The miserable sight of his back looked so forlorn.
YiHan stared after the man’s shadow before getting up to walk to the man. He walked around to look at the man in the face but JingYuan turned his head away, insistent on not letting YiHan see the emotions on his face. YiHan went to help JingYuan put on his tie. The older man wanted to dodge away but he couldn’t bear to do so. He stiffly stood there and watched with lowered eyes at YiHan’s slipper-clad feet.
The young man grabbed JingYuan’s hands. The older man used the tiniest fraction of the strength to struggle out of it and failed. He then just let his hands lay limp in the other’s grip, but he adamantly refused to hold those hands.
YiHan leaned up and pecked the man on the lips. JingYuan’s lashes fluttered as he pursed his lips and glanced up at the man. Upon seeing no intention in the younger man to get changed, he turned away, sighed and walked towards the door.
JingYuan’s steps were heavy and shuffled across the floor. The short journey to the door was dragged out to a few long minutes. When he finally reached the door, he placed a hand on the doorknob and stood there for a long silent moment. When he still didn’t hear any attempts to make him stay, he harshly turned the doorknob a few times before eventually open the door, disappointment weighing down his shoulders.
YiHan watched JingYuan’s entire act, torn between laughing and crying. Just as JingYuan opened the door and was about to despondently charge out, YiHan couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Wait,” YiHan called.
JingYuan instantly let go of the door and turned back to the closet. “If you sincerely don’t want to go, then you can rest at home.”
YiHan was about to speak when JingYuan, who already had a shirt in his hands, interjected, “How about this white collar shirt?”
“…Fine.”
Why has the ever-strict and mature JingYuan become more and more childish?
I might not truly understand my husband!
Why is the Mu JingYuan I see different to the man everyone else sees?
Like a doll, YiHan was dressed by a serene JingYuan and was led out the door by the hand. When they reached the top of the staircase, YiHan tugged his hand out of JingYuan’s.
When the older man felt his hand become empty, he turned to look back at YiHan. The younger man’s heart ached at that gaze.
“You can hold my hand once we’re out of the house,” YiHan carefully coaxed. “We can’t let my parents see us like that.”
JingYuan fully turned around and whispered back, “When do you plan on telling them about us?”
“I don’t know yet,” YiHan said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, JingYuan. I’m just so scared it’ll hurt them.”
JingYuan nodded. The couple then walked down the stairs, side by side.
Once the two were in JingYuan’s car, YiHan turned to look at JingYuan.
“Are you angry?” YiHan cautiously asked.
The older man lifted a hand to smooth back the other’s hair and said with a smile, “I’m not that easily angered. You’re afraid your parents would be upset. I can understand that but we’re going to be spending the rest of our lives together, HanHan. We would even get married sometime soon in the future. We can’t keep it from your family forever. We have to find a suitable chance to tell them the truth. We’d be respecting them then.”
YiHan solemnly nodded.
JingYuan started the car. As he turned out of the garage, he continued, “Furthermore, I sneak into your room every night while everyone’s asleep. I feel like a lusty horndog every time I do that.”
“It’s fine,” YiHan said, smiling back. “I like lusty.”
The car swerved around the corner. The driver’s eyes stayed focused on the road but a red blush could be seen tinting the tips of his ears.
YiHan cleared his throat, closed his eyes and said, “I’ll take a nap. Call me once we’re there.”
JingYuan let out a soft “mn” in response.
The couple walked together through the Mu Group office building and into JingYuan’s officer under the gaze of every employee they passed by. As YiHan sat down on his personal couch, Chen Hong piled a mountain of snacks, magazines, a laptop and several gaming devices on the table before him. The secretary took the task so seriously it was as if he was handling a vital task.
When Chen Hong was done, YiHan thanked him. Looking at the vast array of items before him, YiHan internally sighed. As expected of a top-tier personal assistant. The man was very thoughtful. He’d merely observed YiHan for a few short days yet he already knew what YiHan liked. Everything displayed on the table was something YiHan had displayed a preference for. YiHan quietly grabbed a bag of beef jerky and began munching.
Ah, he had fallen from grace.
Two days later, YiHan was standing at his home’s doors, waiting for the car sent for Fang Yi to arrive. To his surprise, Fang Yi wasn’t the only passenger in Uncle Xu’s car.
YiHan’s lips twitched as he watched Qin Feng languidly step out of the car.
The man walked up to YiHan and, a smile on his face, said, “We meet again, Little Master Bai. If you don’t mind, how about you take me with you today?”
YiHan glanced at the embarrassed Fang Yi and let out a light-hearted laugh. “We’ve shared a meal before. Why are you acting so polite? Anyway, there’s nothing safer than having you with us. Right, Qin An?”
Qin Feng lowly chuckled and gave YiHan’s shoulder a few hard claps. “I knew it. I like you, Little Master Bai. We’re friends now. If you ever need me in the future, just ask Lil Fang to get me.”
127. A Lively Day
YiHan nearly had his breath knocked out of him by Qin Feng’s claps to YiHan’s shoulder. Fang Yi walked over and smacked Qin Feng’s back as hard as he could.
“Not so hard!” Fang Yi scolded. “Do you think he’s as rough as you? You’re a thug. Why would YiHan ever need you? To help out in a brawl?”
“Lil Fang,” Qin Feng whined, “can’t you leave me some dignity intact?”
Fang Yi side-eyed the man and kept silent.
YiHan eventually caught his breath. “Let’s get in the car,” he said, holding back a laugh.
Not long after the car departed from the gates of the Bai family home, YiHan received a call from Yan Pei. She chattered and begged over the phone for him to go play with her. She said that she even had a bodyguard with her, just for his safety.
All YiHan could answer in reply was to tell her about his plans for the day.
“Then let’s go together!” Pei eagerly cried. “Let’s go! I can help give you ideas too. I’ve got great tastes!
YiHan glanced at Fang Yi. Upon seeing the older man shrug to show he didn’t mind the additional company, YiHan replied, “How about we meet up at the strip mall in Wen Fang?”
“Okay,” Pei excitedly replied. “We’ll head there right now! Quick, Zhang-ge! Get in the car!” It was obvious the last two lines were directed at someone else behind her. YiHan thought for a moment. She called the other person “Zhang-ge”. That should be Yan Hui’s significant other. What a surprise. What a lively day it’ll be.
When the trio arrived at the strip mall, Yan Pei could be spotted from afar, enthusiastically jumping up and down and waving her hands. Beside her stood a tall man.
YiHan and the other two men walked towards them and the two parties introduced each other. As expected, that man was Yan Hui’s legally married husband. His name was Zhang Su. The man was very tall and quite lanky. His skin was a pale white, as if it rarely ever sees the sun. He looked like a proper gentleman dressed in a white collar shirt and beige slacks. A pair of rimless spectacles perched on top of his straight nose, making him seem like a studious scholar. YiHan could sense an air of books around him. The man didn’t say much but his manner of speaking was very elegant and refined.
The group of five made their way through the crowds and into the mall. They wandered from shop to shop. Pei was animatedly chattering non-stop. YiHan had picked out two vests made of goat wool, some winter scarves, gloves and hats, but none of those could be used as birthday presents. The group then turned their focus to the antique stores.
Everyone in the group were of the same age group. Soon, they were familiar with each other. Pei pulled YiHan back as the group headed to the next shop.
“YiHan, your two friends are a couple, right?” she whispered.
“No,” he said. “They’re friends. Don’t talk nonsense or they’ll feel awkward.”
“Ooh,” Pei drawled with an evil smirk. “Little YiHan, you’re too pure. You must trust in my eyes. There’s definitely something going on between them!”
YiHan looked up ahead at Fang Yi and Qin Feng only to watch Qin Feng attempt to put his arm around Fang Yi’s shoulders while the other man would constantly push it off.
“You see that?” cackled Pei. “There’s no way their relationship could be that simple. Even if they’re not a couple now, they’d absolutely be one in the future.”
“How do you know?” YiHan couldn’t help but lower his voice and whisper back.
“Nothing can escape my eagle eyes!” said, giving a proud little laugh. “Look. I won’t talk about Qin An. It’s all too obvious what he thinks of Fang Yi. As for Yi, the man looks like he’s rejecting on the surface but if he really didn’t feel anything for the younger man, he can just pull away. Why is he still walking beside him? It’s clearly a ‘yes’ wrapped in a ‘no’!”
“You have great observation skills,” YiHan commended.
“Of course!” Her chin was held high in pride.
YiHan glanced at Zhang Su who’d been walking by them and whispered to her, “Didn’t you say your brother keeps Zhang Su well-hidden? How did you invite him out?”
“Naturally, it’s because I’m amazing!” She was so happy she could fly. “My brother can be as thorough as he wants but he’s still human. It’s how I got to Zhang-ge. Zhang-ge actually likes me a lot. I just need to plead prettily and he’ll cave in. As long as I send him home before the evening, my brother wouldn’t find out.”
YiHan was curious. “Why doesn’t your brother let you talk to Zhang Su?”
“Hmph!” Pei pouted. “He said he’s afraid I’d teach Zhang-ge bad habits! As if he’s perfect. He’s like the Big Bad Wolf! He’s just afraid I’ll expose his true self to Zhang-ge!”
“And you still have him come with you all this way?” YiHan sighed. “Won’t your brother be furious if he finds out?”
“I’ve wanted to introduce you two for a long time,” she exclaimed, eyes glimmering brightly. “Do you know what’s the happiest thing that can happen to a fujoshi? It’s being a friend to two ultimate bottoms! Bwahahaha! I’m living the best life possible, alright?”
“Who said I’m a bottom?” YiHan said, embarrassment turning into anger. “I’m a top, okay?”
“Okay, I believe you,” she said after pausing to give him a pitying look.
“What’s with that glance?” YiHan could feel the comical black lines descending down his forehead. “It’s true!”
“Yes, yes. I know. I believe you’re a top too. You’re a strong top! Okay? There, there,” she coaxed.
YiHan: …
***
It was nearly noon by the time YiHan finally found something he liked, a tea set made of purple clay. The teacups and pot were quite plain without any decorative touches or any sharp corners. The smooth rounded clay surface gleamed. They were exactly the kind of tea set YiHan’s grandfather liked. YiHan was very satisfied with his find, so he had Chen Feng go pay while he watched the store staff pack the tea set into a box.
“That tea set looks nice. Find me another of the kind. I want to take a closer look at it,” a man’s voice rang out from beside YiHan.
The manager walked over and said, “Our sincerest apologies, Mr Qi. We only have one of the ‘Water, Clouds and Sky’ set. Mr Bai here has already paid for it. We do have plenty of other great tea sets in stock. Perhaps you’d like to take a look?”
YiHan turned to look at the voice to find that man looking back at him.
“Ah, it’s Little Master Bai,” the man said, walking over with a smile and a hand stretched out for a handshake. “What a coincidence. Miss Yan, you’re here too.”
Pei smiled back at the man and nodded in greeting.
YiHan politely smiled at the man and shook his hand. “Yes. Unfortunately, I bought this ‘Water, Clouds and Sky’ tea set for my grandfather. Otherwise, I’d let you have it.”
“It’s fine, Little Master Bai,” Qi MingYang said, smile still present. “It’s a purchase. It’s first come, first served, let alone it being a gift for the old Mr Bai. Even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t make you give up on it. Are you getting it as a birthday gift for your grandfather?”
“Yes,” YiHan answered. “How do you know, Mr Qi?”
“There’s really no such thing as a pure coincidence. I was thinking of getting that tea set as a gift for the old Mr Bai too. In that case, it doesn’t matter who buys the tea set. I’ll find something else.”
“Alright, Mr Qi. Take care,” YiHan said, nodding in farewell.
“See you,” Qi MingYang said.
The man left the store first. Once the tea set was all packed away, Yan Pei and YiHan walked out of the shop.
“I don’t like him,” she whispered to YiHan, hand in his arm.
“What is it?” he asked. “What don’t you like about him? Oh, is it because he’s straight?”
“This isn’t a question of sexuality,” she solemnly replied. “Am I that shallow?”
At YiHan’s side-eye, she sighed, “Alright, I’m quite shallow. But this time, it’s really not because of that. He’s always smiling at everyone but he’s actually quite petty. If anyone ever offended him once, he’d bear a grudge against them for his whole life. Even if we were in the right back there, he’d think we snatched something from him. He might bear a grudge against us for that. Anyway, I just don’t like him.”
“Oh,” YiHan slowly let out. “It’s not that serious, right?”
Zhang Su, who was beside them during the whole incident, chuckled and patted Pei on the head. “We all belong to the same social circle. There’s no need to cause a fuss. Nod in greeting when you do meet him and it’ll be fine. If you don’t like him, you can just avoid interacting with him in your daily life.”
“Mn,” Pei nodded hard in agreement. “Zhang-ge is right. But, YiHan, you need to be careful of him. Just in case he ends up getting revenge against you.”
“That won’t happen,” YiHan replied.
“I’m serious,” she said. “Anyway, just be a little more cautious. Caution is the parent of safety.”
“Yes, I know,” YiHan said, nodding. “It’s noon now. Come, let’s go get lunch. What do you want?”
“Let’s see what everyone else says. Guys, what do you want to eat?” Pei replied.
“You’re the only girl among us. Of course we have to go with your choice,” YiHan said.
“In that case,” she mused, hand on her chin, “let’s head to the top floor. There’s a really good restaurant up there. I’ve been there a few times.”
YiHan asked around. No one objected to the suggestion so everyone went straight for the restaurant.
As the only regular of the shop, Pei took up the burden of ordering. With an ease born from habit, she swiftly ordered a few signature dishes. Everyone else then added a few more to the list and their table was settled. Indeed, the food was delicious. The group had also been walking around for the whole morning. They were starving by the time the food came. They were enthusiastically downed their meal. Coincidentally, they bumped into Qi MingYang once more on their way out.
The man was heading into the restaurant. When he spotted them, he smiled and greeted, “It seems we’re destined to meet today, Little Master Bai. We meet once more.”
“Yes,” YiHan replied, politely smiling back. “Here for lunch as well, Mr Qi?”
The man nodded and said, “This place has very good food.”
YiHan nodded along in agreement. They exchanged a few more words and said their goodbyes. YiHan and his group walked out of the shop. MingYang walked into the shop with two men by his side. As the two men passed by each other, a server walked by with a pot of soup. One of the men behind Qi MingYang drifted slightly closer to the server and, in a seemingly accidental move, tapped a spot on the server’s back. He was right behind the server as he did so. With the server’s form blocking his actions from sight, no one saw what he did. The server was caught off-guard. He stumbled and tripped forward along with the soup in his hands. Bai YiHan just so happened to be right in front of the server.
Fang Yi and Qin Feng were walking a few steps behind YiHan. The police officer had fast reflexes. His hands were up and about to block YiHan from being splashed when the man beside him, Qin Feng, had acted. With his left hand. Qin Feng pushed YiHan away. His right leg swept up and kicked the pot of soup away. In the chaos that ensued, the man still had the time to reach out with his other hand and grab the shirt collar of the server, saving the young employee from falling flat on his face. A loud crash rang in their ears. The pot of soup had fallen to the floor. The ceramic pot shattered. Steam rose from the puddle of boiling-hot soup.
YiHan stumbled forwards from the force of the push and was steadied by Zhang Su. Upon hearing the commotion, Qi MingYang looked back.
“What happened, Little Master Bai?” MingYang hurriedly asked. “Were you hurt?”
YiHan stood straight and replied with a smile, “I’m fine. Thankfully, no one was hurt.”
128. A Lively Day
Qin Feng had acted so swiftly and fluidly that it seemed easy. He then loosened his grip on the server’s shirt and dusted off his hands. Those forever sleepy eyes of his opened wider.
“Mr Qi should teach your subordinates to pay more heed to what their hands are doing when walking. We wouldn’t want a disaster to happen. If Little Master Bai was hurt, we’d all be having a bad day.”
Qin Feng had been silently walking by YiHan’s side during both encounters so Qi MingYang didn’t notice the man’s presence. MingYang was surprised to hear those words. He took a closer look at the man and it shocked him to the core. Suppressing the urge to show any of his emotions visibly, MingYang took another look to confirm if Qin Feng was really who MingYang thought he was.
MingYang forced a smile out and muttered, “Qin…”
“Qin An,” YiHan interrupted, “were you hurt?”
Qin Feng glanced at YiHan. His smile softened. “Who do you think I am?” he replied. “It’s just a pot of soup. How could it hurt me?”
From the words Qin Feng uttered before, Yan Pei knew the server’s stumble wasn’t accidental. She was about to speak up when Zhang Su placed a firm hand on her shoulder. With a pout, she closed her mouth.
MingYang was stunned by the interruption. He paused to gather his thoughts and said, “Mr Qin, you seem to be quite close to Little Master Bai? How peculiar.”
“We’re just friends,” Qin Feng said. His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Anyone should have friends. I’m no exception. However, I’m sure you know my greatest flaw is I’m overprotective of my friends.”
MingYang froze. He glanced at his two subordinates. The man to his left was looking visibly guilty. The man’s eyes darted wildly around the room. MingYang shot the man a dark look and turned back to Qin Feng.
“I understand,” he said, a smile back on his face. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Little Master Bai will be happy with how things end.”
Qin Feng lazily waved a hand at Qi MingYang. The hand then landed on Fang Yi’s shoulder. The policeman shot a glance at the younger man but did nothing to the hand. Instead, he went along with the force behind the hand back to YiHan.
MingYang gave YiHan an apologetic nod and led his two men into the restaurant.
YiHan and his group then headed for the elevators. Inside the lift, Yan Pei was sulking in a corner with puffed cheeks.
“Are you upset because I didn’t let you talk?” Zhang Su said with a smile and a pat to her head.
The girl shot a glare at the man and remained silent.
“You’re such a pure-hearted and just girl,” the man continued. “That’s good. However, in this social circle, a lot can be done behind other people’s back yet a calm and peaceful appearance must be maintained. I know your temper. If you speak, the words you’ll say would never be kind. You were standing by Bai YiHan’s side. That’s a show of the Yan family’s attitude to him. There’s no need to make things awkward. It’s fine as long as everyone knows deep down what happened. Didn’t you see how he kept quiet too? Moreover, Qi MingYang might not have arranged for the incident to occur.”
“As a daughter of the Yan family, I understand all of that,” the girl muttered. “But I still feel anger blazing within me. If not for Qin An, that pot of soup would’ve landed on YiHan. Who knows how badly burnt he’d be then?”
Her eyes then sparkled. “However, Qin An, you’re such a great fighter. That kick, that push, that pull – you were so cool! We didn’t even realise it was a trick but you did!”
“I have someone I wish to protect,” Qin Feng smiled back. “How could I not be strong?” He then glanced at Fang Yi. The other man looked away, hiding from the emotions swirling deep in that gaze.
A secretive smirk crossed Pei’s lips before anger overtook her once more. “I told you that Qi MingYang is a small-minded man. No one would believe me. See? He ordered his man to splash boiling hot soup at YiHan!”
“You might be wrongfully accusing him,” YiHan said. “I know a little of him. While he can be quite narrow-minded, he’s also a thorough man. If he wished to do something, it wouldn’t be so obvious. What happened today wasn’t that major, not to the point where he’d hate me and wish to act on it immediately.”
“What? Did his subordinate do that out of boredom?” she shot back.
“That man is likely an ass-kisser,” Fang Yi chimed in. “Unfortunately, he kissed somewhere else instead. That guess is still quite a stretch though. As YiHan said, what happened today was nothing big. If Qi MingYang would get angry over something so trivial, he’d have died long ago from anger. Unless, something else happened between YiHan and Qi MingYang. It could be why that man thought he could suck up to his master by ‘teaching YiHan a lesson’.”
“Lil Fang, you’re right. Somewhat,” Qin Feng chuckled. “That man is a bootlicker, but Qi MingYang is even pettier than you thought. Think about it. Men like that are best at gauging their master’s thoughts. If the man wasn’t this narrowminded, how could that subordinate have acted/ The only reason why Qi MingYang is still alive is because of his social status. Most of his grudges can be resolved on the spot, rarely would he be forced to swallow his fury. However, today’s incident didn’t happen on his orders. For sure. As YiHan said, he would never be so obvious. While YiHan holds no power in the Bai Group, he holds a social rank equal to Qi MingYang. Not only do the Bai and Mu families dote on him, everyone knows of how madly in love the Chen family heir is with Miss Bai. And everyone knows Miss Bai loves her younger brother the most. Additionally, YiHan has been getting quite close to the Yan family. The old Mr Yan’s liking for him is clear to see. No matter how small-minded Qi MingYang is, he wouldn’t do anything to YiHan over such a minor issue. YiHan is likely one of the few who can make his suppress his rage.”
“Would he play some underhanded trick behind our backs then?” Fang Yi hurriedly asked. “My god. It’s my first time ever meeting someone so petty. Surely it’s a mental illness of some sort now?”
“Don’t worry,” Qin Feng replied, a hand stroking against his jaw. “He shouldn’t. YiHan’s worth is enough to keep him at bay. The man might be spiteful but he’s smart. He knows there’s a time and place for everything. I trust he wouldn’t be that stupid.”
YiHan nodded in agreement. He then looked deep into Qin Feng’s eyes. There was a glint of a smile in those eyes that made Qin Feng’s mouth subtly smirk. With eyes narrowed into slits, the thug then walked out of the lift, still sprawled on Fang Yi’s shoulders.
Meanwhile, there was a suffocating presence looming in a private room of the restaurant the group had departed from.
“Zhao Hao,” hissed Qi MingYang, glowering at his subordinate, “you’ve gotten great at causing trouble for me. Why didn’t you think of your place before you acted? Do you think the third son of the Bai family is someone you can pull tricks on? Even if you were to harm him, you can’t do it directly! You are my man. Every move you make is connected to my intents. Today, you publicly attempted to splash hot soup at Little Master Bai. Everyone would now think I ordered you to do so!”
“This one thought to teach him a little lesson because I saw him snatch the tea set from you, wasting all the time you’d spent looking for the gift,” Zhao Hao stammered. “I-I-I didn’t think of anything more than than.”
“If you want to do that, then be smart and precise with it!” Qi MingYang bellowed. “Don’t let anyone realise it’s you and connect it to me! But you were so foolish that you were caught red-handed. Can you be any more of an idiot?”
“Mr Qi,” the other man murmured, “I was being very careful. I thought no one would’ve realised. I didn’t think that Qin guy had such sharp eyes.”
MingYang’s palm came up and supported his forehead as the man sighed, “You think you’re skilled enough to fool Qin Feng? That man is the head of the Hidden Dragon! With one hand, he could defeat you over and over and over again. You’re quite unlucky to have done such a thing under his nose. It’s considered generous of him to not cripple you right before my eyes!”
“Shouldn’t the head of the Hidden Dragon be with his men?” Zhao Hao gasped in fright. “Why is he by Little Master Bai’s side?”
“I don’t know either,” MingYang fumed. “The Hidden Dragon never bothered itself with the five great families. No enemies, no friendships. Why is he so friendly with Bai YiHan all of a sudden? Does he wish to cross the divide?”
Li Guang, who’d been standing by Zhao Hao’s side, then spoke up, “Didn’t Qin Feng say he was merely making a friend?”
“Your thinking is way too simple,” Zhao Hao replied. “Every move the people in this circle makes has a deeper meaning behind it. If he only wanted a friend, there are plenty of people in this city. Why must it be someone from the five great families? Why must it be someone from the main Bai family? It’s clear he wished to befriend the Bai family instead.”
“You’re smart,” MingYang said to Zhao Hao, “so smart that you dragged me down the waters with you. Even if I announce to the whole wide world I didn’t mean for today’s incident to occur, would anyone believe me? It’s not like you don’t know of the complex social network Bai YiHan has. How could you be so obvious? You’re not hurting him, you’re hurting me! Now, there’s a Qin Feng added into the mix. That man is the worst! Everyone who knows him knows just how cruel he is. He’s a man who strangled his own father to death!”
Zhao Hao and Li Guang didn’t dare speak anymore. They silently stood there.
Qi MingYang slowly thought back to every word Qin Feng said to him earlier. “But,” he mused, “from what he’s said, he should have no ties to the Bai family. He’s only protective over Bai YiHan. As long as we don’t hurt Bai YiHan, he won’t act. He had said nothing for the whole day. He only acted when Bai YiHan was in danger. It seems like he didn’t even want to announce his presence had it not been for your moronic actions. If he secretly made a deal with the Bai family, he wouldn’t expose himself today. That means he must really just wish to make a friend. True, this man is cruel. But it’s also true that he’s overprotective of his own.”
“If we can’t do anything to Bai YiHan, then wouldn’t it mean the anger you’ve felt today would need to be kept inside forever, sir?” Zhao Hao softly asked.
“Is there something wrong with your brain?” Qi MingYang coldly smirked. “Out of the five great families in this city, he has four of them protecting him. Now, even the Hidden Dragon of the underworld is standing by his side. Who could hurt him? Anyway, nothing major happened. Is there a need to risk our lives for a tea set?”
“Four?” said Zhao Hao.
“I said you were stupid,” said Qi MingYang, “but I didn’t think you were brain-dead. Of course, there are the Mu and Bai families. In the Chen family, Chen TianYang’s standing is of no question. As long as he lives, he will, sooner or later, hold the reins. That man’s entire heart belongs to Bai XueQing. The two are now confirmed to be dating and everyone knows who Bai XueQing dotes on the most! The old Mr Yan has publicly proclaimed his liking for the boy. Yan Cheng is a filial son. Whatever the old Mr Yan says, goes. Moreover, didn’t you see Yan Pei standing by Bai YiHan’s side? And that man who steadied the boy. That is Yan Hui’s legally married husband!”
Zhao Hao’s face went stark pale. His voice trembled as he said, “Mr Qi, then I…”
“Do you only just realise what a bad situation you’ve put yourself in? After all I’ve said? ” Qi MingYang asked, “Zhao Hao, I can’t protect you this time.”
129. Special Identity
“Mr Qi, I did it for you,” Zhao Hao said, voice quavering even harder. “Please save me.”
“You still dare say you did it for me?” Qi MingYang impatiently rebuked. “After your actions today, not only can I not ensure your safety, I’ve also been dragged into troubled waters! Even if no one says anything, do you not know what kind of person Mu JingYuan is? If he knows you’ve touched a single hair on Bai YiHan, let alone splash boiling hot soup at him, he could torture you to death!”
“It’s not that bad, right?” Zhao Hao warbled. “Little Master Bai wasn’t injured anyway…”
“All dragons have a reverse scale,” Qi MingYang said. “Touch it and you enrage it. Bai YiHan is Mu JingYuan’s ‘reverse scale’. Mu JingYuan himself isn’t a small-minded man. If that pot of soup was aimed at him, he might not bother with you. However, your target was Bai YiHan! It doesn’t matter whether you hurt him or not. Mu JingYuan would never rationalise it out with you. Furthermore, Qin Feng now has his eyes on you.”
“What do I do?” Zhao Hao was on the brink of tears.
“What plan could I have?” the other man shot back, frustrated. “I can only hand you over to Little Master Bai for him to vent his anger out. If you wish to lessen your suffering, think of ways to make him plead for mercy on your behalf. A word from Bai YiHan is more useful than you bashing your head against the ground hundreds of times.”
Zhao Hao dropped to the floor with an audible thump. “Mr Qi, you can’t do this to me. If you send me over, Mu JingYuan would take away half of my entire lifespan!”
“Half?” MingYang coldly said. “I’ve told you, Qin Feng has his eyes on you. If you can’t bear to part with half of your life, then you’d be waiting for Qin Feng’s patience to run out and punish you himself. You’d lose all of your life then. You might not even know how or why you died!”
Snot and tears rolled down Zhao Hao’s face as he repeatedly muttered, “Mr Qi, I did it for you. I didn’t hurt Little Master Bai…”
“And thank goodness he wasn’t hurt,” Qi MingYang interjected. “If he was hurt, Mu JingYuan would likely strangle you to death himself. Ah, right. You must thank Qin Feng for his skilful manoeuvre. Alright. You’re a man. Stop dripping tears and snot everywhere. You’re embarrassing yourself. What were you thinking back then when you acted? Come. Let’s head back.”
“Mr Qi,” Li Guang softly reminded, “aren’t you going to have lunch?”
“Nothing has gone well today!” MingYang snapped. “Who cares about lunch?”
***
After dinner with the Bai family, YiHan pulled JingYuan into their room and began showing off all the loot he’d gotten from his trip to the mall. One by one, he showed them off. After a mini-speech about the “Water, Clouds and Sky” tea set, he then pulled out the wool vest.
“JingYuan, isn’t this vest nice?” YiHan said, holding the wool vest up to his torso. “Do you think Grandfather would like it?”
“It’s very nice,” JingYuan said with a nod. “Grandfather would like anything as long as it’s a present from you.”
YiHan beamed brightly. He held up a scarf and said, “Look at this scarf. It’s so thick and so soft. I’ve tried it on already. It’s super comfortable. Grandfather’s getting old. He gets cold easily in winter. If he has all these, he’d definitely be warm.”
“You’re right,” JingYuan said, wrapping an arm around the younger man. “Grandfather’s heart would warm up just at the sight of these gifts. You have good taste. These all look very nice and suitable for him.”
YiHan fidgeted with the gifts he’d pulled out. It felt like Grandfather was standing before him already. He couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Ever since his reincarnation, he’d been too afraid to visit his grandfather. They would finally be meeting now. Longing, love and guilt twisted in his heart until they form a complicated and unspeakable emotion.
He packed everything away neatly. Once he was done, his slender fingers began fidgeting with a corner of the fabric.
“Yan Pei went with us today,” YiHan happily said. “She even brought along Yan Hui’s husband. They both have great eyes. They gave me a lot of suggestions and I’m so satisfied with everything I’ve bought on this trip. Oh, right. Qin Feng was there too.”
“What a lively day you had,” JingYuan remarked, lifting an eyebrow as he did so.
“Not only that, we bumped into Qi MingYang too.”
“Him?” JingYuan frowned.
Yihan jerked his chain at the direction of the gifts he’d put away. “Mn. He was also looking for a gift for Grandfather and he also wanted this tea set. But there was only one of it. He was a step too late. I’d already paid. He then came over and we exchanged a few brief words. Later on, when we were walking out of the restaurant we had lunch in, we bumped into him again.”
JingYuan’s brows furrowed harder as he asked, “Intentionally?”
YiHan paused to think about it before answering, “It shouldn’t be. It’s just a coincidence. Speaking of which, Qin Feng saved me today.”
“What happened?”
YiHan looked down at his fidgeting fingers and replied, “One of Qi MingYang’s subordinates seemed to have pushed the server. The young man tripped and nearly splashed me with soup. Fortunately, Qin Feng’s sharp eyes spotted the incident. He pushed me out of the way.” He then looked up at JingYuan, eyes gleaming bright. “You should’ve seen it. His movements were so sleek and beautiful! Ah, but because of that, Qi MingYang recognised him. The other man nearly exposed Qin Feng’s identity but I interrupted him before he could. However, I’m afraid Fang Yi wouldn’t be so easily fooled. If Fang Yi knows who Qin Feng truly is, Qin Feng would be having a hard time. Also, it’d be all because of me. I’d be mortified if that happens.”
A light flashed through JingYuan’s eyes. “Were you hurt?”
“No. I told you. Qin Feng was so strong. With a ‘ha’ and a kick”¬ – YiHan imitated Qin Feng’s movements ¬– “the pot of soup was sent flying away. Not a single drop landed on me.”
JingYuan stroked YiHan on the head and said, “That’s good. Okay, if Qin Feng’s cover is blown, we’ll go plead to Fang Yi on his behalf. Hm?”
“Mn,” YiHan said, nodding his head.
***
Meanwhile at Fang Yi’s place.
The police officer stared at the man who’d entered his home as if it was his instead of Fang Yi’s.
“Why are you following me into my home?” Fang Yi asked. “Aren’t you going home?”
Qin Feng lazily sprawled out across the couch and replied, “This is my home.”
“Can you be any more shameless?” Fang Yi said, eyes wide in disbelief. “This is my house, my home!”
“What’s with the extra anger today?” Qin Feng asked, glancing up at the policeman.
“I’m extra angry?” Fang Yi coldly smirked. “It’s not as big as your talents. A ‘thug’ who Qi MingYang refers to as ‘mister’ is certainly someone my humble abode isn’t suitable for. What name did he want to call you by? YiHan must’ve known too, right? Otherwise, he wouldn’t interrupt the man and cover for you. Only I’m the fool who truly thinks you’re just a street thug.”
“Lil Fang,” Qin Feng said, scratching his face, “there’s no need to be so serious. No matter what other people call me, I’ll still be the thug you met.”
“Oh?” Fang Yi huffed out, turning to look away from the young man. “How poetic. Is it because there’s a big flashing sign on my face that reads ‘I’m very gullible, come swindle me’?”
Qin Feng looked right at the man and solemnly said, “Lil Fang, I never wanted to lie to you. I’m honest and sincere with you.”
The man standing in the room responded to that with merely a cold chuckle.
“How about I come clean to you then?” Qin Feng sighed. “Will that do?”
Fang Yi crossed his arms on his chest and, cold smirk still on his face, said, “There’s no need. It doesn’t matter who you are. I’m just a lowly policeman. I can’t afford to make enemies with the great man. Take care.”
“You wish to deny our relationship just because of an identity?” Qin Feng asked.
“Were there any relationship between us? Was it one built upon lies?” Fang Yi shot back.
Qin Feng ruffled his hair in frustration, stood up and walked over to Fang Yi. “Lil Fang, must you say such hurtful words?”
“So you’re the poor, miserable one here now?” Fang Yi spat out. “Just who was the one that only lied and lied? I don’t even know who you are! What emotions could be harmed?”
Qin Feng reached out and grabbed the man’s arm. “I said I’ll come clean!”
“It’s too late! I don’t need it! Scram!”
“I won’t!”
“Alright,” Fang Yi hissed, a finger angrily pointing at the young man. “If you won’t leave, I will!”
The policeman grabbed the jacket from where he left it and stomped to the door. He was about to open the door and leave before he stomped right back.
“This is my home,” said Fang Yi. “Why should I leave? You leave!”
Qin Feng laid back down on the couch and stubbornly said, “I won’t!”
Fang Yi could do nothing to that. He could shout and scream at the man but the other would just play dead. Fang Yi can’t win a fight against him. After numerous futile attempts at throwing the man out, Fang Yi just gave up and left him alone in the living room. He stomped off into his bedroom and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
The living room was left in the bitter cold. While Qin Feng would usually mooch off Fang Yi and sleep on his couch, he would be provided with a blanket at least. Now, there was only an army of one in this room.
Still…
Qin Feng sat up on the couch and laid his head back against the backrest. He wouldn’t leave anyway. Only here can he feel at peace. It was only by Fang Yi’s side did he feel like it was good to be alive.
He glanced at the tightly-shut door then walked over to the apartment entrance. He picked up the jacket Fang Yi had left near it and returned to the couch. Nose buried in the jacket’s collar as the clothing draped over him like a blanket, the man happily closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
***
Back in YiHan’s room, the young man was sprawled out on his bed. He pondered and mused but he just couldn’t stop worrying. So he called Fang Yi with his phone.
As soon as the other man picked up, YiHan asked, “Fang Yi, is Qin An at your place?”
There was a silent pause before the police officer replied, “YiHan, is his name Qin An?”
YiHan gulped hard. “Y-You know?” he whispered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep it from you but if his identity is known, you two couldn’t have been close friends. He’s probably too scared to tell you because he thinks the same too.”
“I know,” the other man said, shooting a glance at the door separating him from the man in the living room. “You don’t need to apologise. It’s not your fault.”
“But you must know that we all truly think of you as a friend,” YiHan emphasised. “You mustn’t doubt that.”
“Mn, I know,” said the man over the phone.
“Then,” YiHan cautiously asked, “what do you plan to do about Qin An?”
“Who’s Qin An?” Fang Yi asked in return.
“Qin Feng!” YiHan hurriedly said. “What do you plan to do about Qin Feng?”
Fang Yi let out a snort. He gritted his teeth and turned the question over in his mind. YiHan had yet to realise he’d just sold out Qin Feng. All he heard were teeth gritting over the phone. It made him nervous on Qin Feng’s behalf.
“Fang Yi?” YiHan softly called out.
The older man snapped out of his thoughts. He paused to think on the question posed to him before sighing, “I don’t know.”
“Where is he now?” asked YiHan.
“He’s in my living room. He refuses to leave,” Fang Yi replied.
“Fang Yi, it’s not easy for him either,” YiHan said. “He’s truly sincere when it comes to you. Why not just forgive him? His identity’s rather special. He can’t just let someone he just met know about it. Then, you two became friends and he kept silent because he’s afraid you’d be angry.”
“Special? What’s special about his identity?” asked Fang Yi.
130. Jiang-ge in Trouble
YiHan was about to reply to Fang Yi’s question when JingYuan patted him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw JingYuan mouth to him: it’s better to let Qin Feng explain himself.
Only then did YiHan realise he’d said too much to Fang Yi. He hurriedly said, “Anyway, it’s… Huh? Fang Yi, I’ve got a call coming in. Let’s chat another time. See you.”
Fang Yi placed down his phone and pursed his lips. “Qing Feng,” he whispered to himself. “Who is Qin Feng? What’s special about him? Does he have an additional head? Hmph. If he won’t leave then he can just sleep on the sofa. Let him freeze!”
YiHan wasn’t lying when he said he had a call coming in. He looked down at his phone. The new caller was Jiang Hua. It’s late now. Why would Jiang Hua be calling him at this hour?
“Jiang-ge?” YiHan hurriedly answered the call.
The voice that responded to him wasn’t Jiang Hua though. It was a stranger speaking swiftly, “Hello, are you the brother of the phone of this owner? I’m a bartender at The Dusky Alley. Your brother had too much to drink. Two men attempted to take him with them but he was so out of it that we can’t confirm if he knows them. We called you as you’re the person he last contacted. Could I please get you to confirm these two men’s identities or to pick him up?”
YiHan instantly shot up. “I’m his brother!” he yelped. “Thank you for calling me. Please stall them. Don’t let anyone take him away. I’ll be there soon!”
“Okay,” the bartender replied. “I’ll do my best to stall them. Please hurry u–” Before the bartender ended his sentence, a coarse voice could be heard from the other end.
“Oi!” the man shouted. “You, server! Who are you calling?” Immediately after, the call dropped to a beeping tone.
YiHan flew out of bed and quickly got dressed. JingYuan got changed too.
“What is it?” asked JingYuan. “Did something happen to Jiang Hua?”
YiHan’s panic was visible on his face. As he put on his pants, he explained, “He’s in The Dusky Alley. He’s drunk and two men are trying to take him away! Goodness knows who those two bastards are and where they want to take him to!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he grabbed his phone and wallet and strode out of the room. JingYuan followed close on his heels with car keys in hand. They bumped into Bai Yan at the top of the stairs.
“It’s late,” Yan said, a glass of water in his hand, “where are you two rushing off to?”
YiHan didn’t stop. He walked around Yan as he replied, “Something bad has happened to Jiang-ge! We’re going to save him!”
A loud crash could be heard from behind YiHan, the sound of a glass of water falling to the ground. Even so, YiHan didn’t look back or falter. He opened the door with JingYuan at his side and they jogged over into the garage.
On the way there, YiHan called Chen Feng and asked him to head to the bar with some men, the faster the better.
The Dusky Alley is a bar well-known among the gay community. It’s also a messy place. YiHan was a regular in his last life. He’d yet to step foot in it ever since his rebirth but he knew just how chaotic it was in there. A handsome man like Jiang Hua, with good looks, a good body and was obviously inexperienced, entering the place all alone would immediately attract anyone intent on picking a target. To top it all off, Jiang Hua got drunk. It was easy to imagine how those with bad intentions would be itching to make a move. If it hadn’t been for the bartender’s call… YiHan didn’t want to imagine what could’ve happened. He didn’t know why Jiang Hua, for no apparent reason, would get drunk in that kind of place. YiHan could only hope they can make it in time.
The car sped through the city and screeched to a halt outside of The Dusky Alley. The two men stepped into the bar. Their eyes scanned across every nook and cranny in the bar. Soon, they spot a group of men crowding around a corner of the room.
YiHan and JingYuan looked at each other in the eye and quickly walked over to the crowd. They pulled two men of the crowd aside to check out what they were standing around. As expected, it was Jiang Hua. His eyelids were drooped low as he stood behind the standing figures of two young men, one in a business suit and one in a bartender’s uniform. The trio was surrounded by a ring of men attempting to grab at Jiang Hua. One of the muscular men had a hold on Jiang Hua’s arm. Jiang Hua’s two protectors did their best to loosen the man’s grip but they failed. They weren’t tall or muscular in the first place. Jiang Hua was also drunk to the point of needing support to even stand up straight. The two men had to focus on supporting Jiang Hua while protecting him from the group around them. The tie on the young men in the business suit was crooked. His clothes were tugged askew. The bartender’s bowtie was also barely hanging onto his collar. The two were in such a panicked state that they looked bedraggled.
“I said I’m his friend,” said the man with the grip on Jiang Hua’s arm. “Just who are you? Let go. Or do you want to kidnap him?”
YiHan let out a “Jiang-ge” and charged straight into the fray. JingYuan quickly pulled YiHan aside and grabbed the wrist holding onto Jiang Hua’s arm. JingYuan pulled the hand back hard, forcing the man to let go in pain. Then, JingYuan kicked at the man’s stomach. The man cried out in agony as he took a few steps back from the impact.
The remaining men surrounding Jiang Hua and his two protectors glanced at each other before swarming forward at JingYuan. Anxious and afraid that JingYuan would be overwhelmed, YiHan dashed ahead as well. Upon seeing YiHan joining the fight, JingYuan swiftly made sure he was available to protect YiHan at all times so his lover wouldn’t be hurt. Jiang Hua’s protector in the suit handed the drunk man to the bartender beside him, then he charged into the fight as well. Don’t be mistaken by his slender figure. The man fought fiercely. He punched and lunged at everyone he could reach. As the men brawled, Chen Feng and his men finally arrived. They pushed through the crowd into the fight. JingYuan tugged YiHan out of the battlefield as Chen Feng’s men took care of the other brawlers. Chen Feng and his men were ex-military. As individual fighters, they were very strong. The tables turned and the brawl was soon over. Jiang Hua’s harassers, all eight of them, were pressed into the ground.
All the noise and chatter in the bar was gone. It was now so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
“Are you people crazy?” said one of the men pressed into the ground. He was as thin as a monkey. “Why are you attacking us for no reason?”
“Should I have stood by and watched as you whisk away my brother-in-law?” JingYuan’s deep voice rumbled.
YiHan softly cleared his throat and jabbed an elbow into JingYuan as he looked away.
The man was taken aback. A moment later, he spat through gritted teeth, “What nonsense are you spouting? I’m his friend. I also haven’t heard him mention a family member like you before. What? You were going to kidnap him, weren’t you?”
JingYuan’s eyes bored into the man. “Oh? You’re friends? What is his name then?”
“Of course I do,” the man stubbornly insisted. “But why would I tell you, an outsider?”
“I know it too,” JingYuan replied, “but I can tell you, an outsider. His surname is Jiang and he’s part of the Bai family. You don’t deserve to lay a single finger on him. If you ran off with these losers before we arrived, I might’ve just let it go. Unfortunately, you still refuse to give up. No one can save you now.”
Fear rose within the man when he heard “the Bai family” but he continued protesting, “Who’d know if you’re telling the truth or not? You’re just trying to intimidate us.”
Chen Feng stepped forward and slapped the captured man across the back of his head. “Who do you think you are?” he disdainfully said. “You’re just a nobody. Do you think you’re worth Mr Mu lying to you? You sure think highly of yourself.”
YiHan stepped forward to support Jiang Hua, pulling the drunk man’s arm around his shoulders. YiHan then gently pat the man on the face.
“Jiang-ge?” YiHan softly called out. “Jiang-ge, can you hear me? I’m YiHan. Do you recognise me?”
Jiang Hua squinted at YiHan and whispered the younger man’s name. However, he’d slurred it out so softly that it was hard to tell what the man was saying.
The bartender on Jiang Hua’s other side didn’t let go at YiHan’s approach. “Are you his family?” the young man asked, frowning.
YiHan smiled at the rather dishevelled man and replied, “You’re the bartender who called me just now? My surname is Bai. On the phone just now, I said to you, ‘Please stall them. Don’t let anyone take him away. I’ll be there soon!’ Do you believe me?” As YiHan said so, he pulled out his phone and dialled Jiang Hua’s number.
Music echoed through the bar as a phone on the floor lit up. Chen Feng went to pick up the phone and handed it to YiHan.
“Look,” YiHan said, showing the ringing phone to the bartender. “Did you use this phone to call me just now? You should see my number calling it right now.”
The bartender took the phone and looked down at it. “Brother” was displayed on the cracked screen as the caller. Tension drained out of him.
“My apologies,” the bartender apologetically said. “That group of men kept going on about how they’re his friends or acquaintances. It made me paranoid.” He then handed Jiang Hua over to YiHan.
As YiHan shifted to accept Jiang Hua’s weight, he smiled in gratitude at the bartender and said, “What you did was right. Thank you for calling me. Who knows what would’ve happened otherwise? What’s your name? I’m Bai YiHan from the Bai family. Our family is extremely grateful for what you’ve done today!”
Jiang Hua was so drunk that his legs were wobbly. He couldn’t even support himself anymore. No matter how thin the man was, he was still an adult man. JingYuan could tell YiHan was straining, so he walked over and took Jiang Hua over from YiHan.
The bartender was stunned by YiHan’s admission. He didn’t think there’d be powerful men among the guests today.
“No, no,” said the bartender, shaking his head and waving a hand before him. “I just thought those men didn’t look like good men and I merely poked my nose in where it shouldn’t. No need to thank me. Also, the man just now helped me a lot. If not for him, I wouldn’t have been able to stall them for so long.”
YiHan was in a good mood from having succeeded in saving Jiang Hua. He chuckled and replied, “Don’t say that. Because it might just be an incident of being busybody for you but you’d saved us from a great disaster. Thanks are a must.”
The young bartender still shook his head. He kept silent and wouldn’t tell YiHan his name. JingYuan glanced at the man.
“Zhu Xun?” JingYuan read from the bartender’s nametag. “That’s a good name.”
It was only then did it occur to the young man to cover up his work nametag. Upon hearing YiHan chuckling once more, a red flush bloomed across his face.
YiHan then looked up at Jiang Hua’s other protector, the man in the suit, smiled and said, “Thank you for helping out. I am forever grateful.”
The other man straightened his outfit and walked over, replying, “Excuse me, you’re…are you the Little Master of the Bai family? I’m Lu FengYu. I’m…Secretary Jiang’s friend.”
YiHan took a closer look at the man. The rowdy situation just now had distracted him. Now that the man had tidied himself up a little, YiHan could tell he was rather handsome. YiHan thought back to how hard the man fought to protect Jiang Hua and how furious the man was in the brawl. No matter what, this man didn’t seem like a normal “friend” to YiHan. Even if he was close to Jiang Hua, YiHan had never once heard of him from the other, now drunk, man.
Lu FengYu’s occasional worried glances at Jiang Hua flicked a switch in YiHan’s mind. It’s probably one-sided.
True. With Jiang Hua’s charms and status, it’s more than normal for someone to have romantic feelings for Jiang Hua.
“Thank you so much for protecting Jiang-ge just now,” YiHan said with another smile. “I owe you one. If there’s anything I can ever help you with in the future, please ask away.”