161. You Have to Understand
YiHan and JingYuan scoured over the chat logs with Xu YouRan. After a thorough analysis, they’ve concluded that the man was interested in nothing but writing stories. He wasn’t materialistic nor did he want a grand quality of life. He also had quite a low emotional quotient. His personality was very reactive. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d throw caution to the wind, do anything and everything for love. The more YiHan got to know him, the more certain YiHan was that something fishy was going on with those crimes Xu YouRan was accused of.
Chen Hong was very efficient. By the third night, he arrived at their doorstep with Nan Shan’s file.
Nan Shan was the bastard son of Chu FangMing of the Chu family. While the Chu family can’t compete with the five great families in the city, they were considered one of the bigger clans. Chu FangMing was the second son of the family. As he married the daughter of the Qi family’s branch family, the Qi family helped him overthrow his older brother. In one swift move, Chu FangMing became the master of the house. Nan Shan’s mother was an orphan. Her name was Xu JinXuan. Her parents both passed away in a plane crash during a business trip. They left her with a house and a huge sum of insurance money. She was a talented student and majored in the arts. There was a sweet, elegant sort of beauty to her. She was a bright and intelligent woman, the kind that shone bright with every move. When Chu FangMing was a young man, he fell in love with her at first sight. He courted her with a passionate fervour. In the end, he won her over. He had his happy ending. Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long. She, who craved for warmth, thought she was in a relationship aiming for marriage. However, Chu FangMing merely wanted a period of romance. This relationship would end with Chu FangMing marrying the Qi family’s daughter.
When the two broke up, Xu JinXuan drowned in despair. Then, she found out she was pregnant. She had planned on aborting this unwanted child but she desperately needed family then. She finally chose to give birth to the baby and that son was Nan Shan.
After the baby was born, Xu JinXuan named him Xu YouRan after a phrase from a classic poem, “leisurely meeting the Southern Mountain”. Because she was afraid Chu FangMing would find out about the boy, she decided not to publicise her newborn baby. The confinement lady she hired had a dubious character. JinXuan caught her secretly pinching YouRan hard, so she fired her. She didn’t bother hiring another confinement lady afterwards. In her confinement month, JinXuan had to take care of a baby all by herself. Combined with her depression, she fell ill. She didn’t care. Hence, when YouRan was still a little child, she was already in a terrible state of health. When he was fifteen years old, Xu JinXuan passed away.
Frankly, the woman was too naive. She thought she hid her child well but Chu FangMing knew of Xu YouRan’s existence early into the pregnancy. He just pretended not to as he was afraid of starting unwanted trouble. He was even prepared to turn the tables around and put the blame on her should she attempt to approach him with the child in tow. To his surprise, Xu JinXuan never once tried to seek him out, not even on her death bed. This made him frequently think of the beautiful and sensible young woman.
Xu YouRan inherited most of his looks from his mother. He was attractive but melancholy always hung around him. He didn’t like to talk much and he didn’t have any friends. He lived alone in the apartment his mother left to him. He began writing novels under the penname “Nan Shan” when he was still in university. After graduation, he began to work full-time on his novels. He rarely left his home. Xu YouRan’s life story was simple. One glance and everything could be understood. The only complicated issue in his life was his mysterious boyfriend. That man would frequently seek out YouRan but no one knew who that man was. All the investigators could find was they’ve been dating for a very long time. Their relationship started in YouRan’s university days.
“This mysterious man,” YiHan said, putting down the file, “is likely that married man.”
JingYuan leaned back against the back of the sofa as he peeled an orange. “The only thing we don’t know is if Nan Shan knows the other man is married.”
“How can he not?” YiHan asked. “Do you suspect he’s being lied to?”
JingYuan separated the oranges into little slices and carefully picked away the white pith. “It’s very likely,” he said as he handed YiHan a slice. “Look at how he lives his life. He’s an aloof man of little words. He’s always been alone. People like him are more likely to crave the warmth and love of another. Just like his mother. Someone just needs to appear and be slightly better to him than other people, spout a few lines of love, and he’ll easily fall into the trap. His personality is less proactive and more reactive. He never leaves his place unless it’s to buy what’s needed for him to survive. When the two meet, it’s always the other man who approaches him. If that man said he was single, do you think Nan Shan would believe him or not?”
YiHan finished his slice of orange and accepted another. He nodded and said, “You’re absolutely right. With how Nan Shan grew up, he would never have dated the other man if he knew that man was married. Now that I think of it, in the future, he’ll find out the boyfriend he thought he was mutually in love with was actually married for years. He would be referred to as the homewrecker. He’d be doxed and his reputation would be torn into shreds. Then, that man’s wife would appear in his home and humiliate him…
“How could he be able to handle such a series of attacks? No wonder he chose death.”
YiHan stuffed the rest of the orange into his mouth and gulped after a few haphazard chews. He then grabbed JingYuan’s hand and continued, “I can’t do this, Mu-Mu. My heart is so angry that it’s thumping hard. We cannot let Nan Shan suffer through that! I must protect my idol! Hand in hand, us husbands will be joined in stomping that scumbag to death!”
JingYuan ruffled YiHan’s hair in exasperation. He turned his hand to hold YiHan’s hand back and said, “Okay, we’ll stomp that scumbag but you have to chew properly before you swallow. You won’t risk choking then.”
“I have you, right?” YiHan said, sticking his tongue out at JingYuan. “I’m not scared.”
“What use would I be?” JingYuan asked. “I can’t choke on your behalf. You’d be the one suffering.”
“You’ll find a way to save me anyway!” YiHan insisted.
All JingYuan could reply to that was, “Okay, okay. I’ll have a way. I’d think of a plan.”
YiHan’s face went serious as he pumped his fist and said, “First, we must find out just who that man is, his identity and his family background. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles!”
JingYuan chuckled. “Oh? You’ve learned how to use that proverb now. Don’t worry. I’ve already ordered Chen Hong to arrange some men to keep an eye on Nan Shan’s home every minute of the day. That man just needs to appear and we can get a photograph of him. Once we know who that person is, we can find out whether our hypothesis is correct. Only then can we plan the next step.”
Stuffing a slice of orange into YiHan’s mouth, JingYuan smiled and continued, “Leave this investigation to me. You have a mission too.”
YiHan sat up straight as his mouth furiously chewed.
“You are to get as close to Nan Shan as you can,” JingYuan said. “You are to support him in his times of need. He is lacking a friend. Once we find out who that man is and if our guess is correct, we’d need you to slowly guide him to realising the deception. Implicitly tell him to leave the other as soon as possible. He would certainly be hurt but we’ll do our best to reduce it to the minimum. We can only take care of that scumbag as we wish once Nan Shan has fully withdrawn from the situation. Of course, if we were wrong, you must advise him to let go of the relationship. That man has a wife yet wishes to date another man. There’s no way that man would be a good guy.”
YiHan gave a hard nod and solemnly swore, “Don’t worry. I promise I’ll complete the mission.”
“And one more important thing,” JingYuan solemnly said.
YiHan’s eyes gleamed up at JingYuan.
“Most importantly,” JingYuan said with a serious face, “support is only support. Comforting him must only be that. You can never ever let him fall in love with you! This is extremely crucial!”
YiHan was speechless. “Don’t worry. Your fiancée isn’t that alluring…”
“You are exceedingly wrong on that,” JingYuan said. “This is absolutely possible. Either way, you must be careful. If he ever leans towards that, I’ll personally strangle him to death.”
YiHan dropped his head into his free palm. “Do you think everyone is as blind as you are when it comes to finding their other half? You’re clearly the blossoming flower here yet you insist on planting yourself on crap…”
JingYuan let go of YiHan’s hand and looked deep into YiHan’s eyes. “I’ve read something before that is very appropriate as a response to your words. Even if I’m a blossoming flower, I am an old, wilting blossom; even if you’re crap, you’re the freshest, youngest crap there is. Anyway, flowers can only bloom better if they’re planted on dung. Nothing is a better combination than a flowering blossom and cow poop…”
YiHan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but he was touched. “What are you saying? What’s with all that weird logic?”
JingYuan kissed YiHan on the lips and mumbled, “They’re not weird. They’re proper logic.”
YiHan’s mirthful eyes slowly slid shut and he opened his mouth without prompting.
A kiss later, JingYuan let out a quiet chuckle.
“What is it?” YiHan softly asked.
JingYuan licked his lips and laughed, “Tastes like oranges.”
YiHan blushed as his embarrassment turned into anger. “Well, I love oranges! My whole body stinks of oranges. I’ll suffocate you!”
JingYuan scooped YiHan up into his arms. As he walked to the bed, he nibbled on YiHan’s lips. “What a coincidence. I love oranges too. There’s a large orange here for me to eat. How nice.”
***
A night of passionate warring later, YiHan’s arms and legs were sore and his eyes were heavy. Those eyes remained closed throughout their morning routine as JingYuan dressed himself, cleaned them both up, and pack YiHan up to bring him along to the office. YiHan was even carried into the car by JingYuan. He had lost all dignity before the other people in the mansion. There was no fear of losing face at all. Getting out of the car was a different story. He still wanted to maintain a dignified image before the employees of Mu Group. He did his best to straighten his back and sulkily walked forward. The moment the elevator doors closed behind the couple, YiHan slumped over and tilted to the side. JingYuan caught him and held him up in his arms.
“If it hurts, why must you come?” JingYuan asked, heart aching. “You can rest for half a day at home. Once you’ve had enough sleep, I can go back and fetch you. Isn’t that nice?”
“You cruel thing,” YiHan griped. “I came all because you looked too pitiful when walking out the door all alone! How can you be so ungrateful?”
“How am I ungrateful?” JingYuan protested. “I’m so moved by it. I just feel bad for you.”
“I begged you for so long last night but you wouldn’t stop,” YiHan pouted. “You wouldn’t even slow down. Now you say you feel bad for me?”
A little laugh burst out of JingYuan. He then cleared his throat and said, “HanHan, that really can’t be slowed down or stopped. You have to understand.”
“What’s there to understand?” YiHan rolled his eyes and replied.
“I love you,” JingYuan wholeheartedly confessed. “I can’t stop myself at the sight of you, let alone in that kind of situation. Yo–”
The elevator doors were about to slide open so YiHan, face flushed red, slapped his hands across JingYuan’s mouth and exclaimed, “No more!”
Chen Hong lowered his head and stared at the floor. “Little Master Bai. Mr Mu,” he greeted.
162. Particularly Clingy
JingYuan pulled YiHan’s hand into his palm. With a doting hum in response to YiHan’s exclamation, JingYuan pulled YiHan out of the elevator. The two then entered JingYuan’s office.
Before YiHan’s special couch was a table filled with snacks, digital devices to entertain himself with like a tablet and a laptop, and books. JingYuan only sat down at his desk when YiHan awkwardly settled himself into his spot.
Chen Hong, who’d followed them in, immediately began reporting on the work of the day. “One more thing,” he said at the end of his list, “about your order, nothing unusual happened last night. That man didn’t appear at all.”
“Hm,” said JingYuan, “this isn’t something we can’t rush through. We can only wait. You may leave.”
After a swift response of confirmation, Chen Hong turned and left.
YiHan leisurely stretched out across the couch on his side. Flipping through a book from the pile before him, YiHan said, “Say, when do you think that scumbag will appear?”
“No need to worry,” JingYuan replied. “As long as he doesn’t realise anything unusual happening, he’ll soon appear. From the results of our previous investigations, he’ll visit Nan Shan at least twice a week. While he rarely ever stayed over, he visits the other quite frequently.”
YiHan placed the book back on the table. “From the looks of it,” YiHan pondered with a tilt of his head, “he’s quite enthralled by Nan Shan.”
JingYuan let out a little chuckle. “That’s why this person should be homosexual. Even if he’s bisexual, he much prefers men. He should also have quite a lot of power. That’s why he could keep him and his wife so well-protected. As for Nan Shan…” He paused. “In times of need, naturally, he can only be sacrificed.”
“Perhaps it’s his wife who has a higher social rank?” YiHan said, a cold smirk on his lips. “In terms of who’s more useful, Nan Shan could never compare to her. To men like him, there’s always a limit to how much they love another person. They only love themselves, just like Chu FangMing.”
“You’re right,” JingYuan replied. “If Nan Shan is truly, deeply, irrevocably in love with him, things will be troublesome. Once Nan Shan knows the truth, he’ll be severely hurt.”
YiHan angrily dug out his phone and said, “Men like that are too despicable. Not only did they use lies to lure another into marriage, they even hurt other people and cheat others out of therr love. This scumbag really is the embarrassment of all men.”
“There are actually quite a lot of these men,” said JingYuan. “Perhaps they couldn’t bear being looked at weirdly, perhaps for other reasons, many homosexuals would choose to get married to a woman instead.”
“Yes, I know,” said YiHan. “Some do it for their families, for their relatives. Some do it for reasons out of their control. They have no choice but to marry a woman. However, no matter what the reason is, once you’re married, you have a responsibility to the other person! Look at this man! He’s married but he still lies to Nan Shan to lure him into a relationship. Not only is he two-timing and cheating both the wife and Nan Shan of their affections, he even abandons Nan Shan when an issue pops up. He would even let his wife humiliate and push Nan Shan around while he hides behind her as if this whole matter had nothing to do with him. There’s no man viler than he.”
“You are absolutely right,” JingYuan said in a pacifying tone. “That’s why we must now drag him out so he can’t hide any longer. We’ll save Nan Shan from his suffering. Even if he ends up alone forever, it’d be much better than sacrificing himself for trash.”
“You’re right, Mu-Mu,” said YiHan. “As his fan, I must do my best to protect my idol! As the family member of a fan, it’s natural that you cannot stand by! If need be, I can contact Pei-Pei. She’s also a fan of Nan Shan. Wait. Say, why do you think Pei-Pei didn’t do anything for Nan Shan in the dream? She’s a fan. I was powerless then but she’s the young miss of the Yan family! If she steps in, Nan Shan would never have died in such a horrible manner! Did she not know because she wasn’t in the city then? Oh, poor Nan Shan.”
JingYuan thought about the question posed before saying, “We know nothing on that point but you’d best avoid telling Yan Pei anything about this for now.”
YiHan looked down in thought. Suddenly, he mumbled, “You suspect Yan Pei is connected to that trash somehow?”
“I’m not sure,” said JingYuan. “Don’t think too much about it. We’re not telling her because we want to be on our guards against what-ifs. We can settle this matter by ourselves. We don’t need to pull other people in, right?”
“Yes, you’re not wrong,” YiHan replied, nodding. “But Pei-Pei must not have known. She has a heroic and just heart in her. If she knew, she’d definitely make a move to save Nan Shan.” Having said so, he tapped into his chat with Nan Shan on QQ and his fingers flew across the screen as he typed.
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: What are you doing? I’m bored. Chat with me.”]
Soon, the other replied.
[YouRan: Nothing much. Chat about what?]
“Nan Shan is so interesting,” YiHan burst out into a muffled chuckled. “He doesn’t know how to chat at all. He only knows how to kill a conversation.”
“Do not praise other men before me!” JingYuan boomed with a dark look on his face.
“I’m not praising him,” YiHan said, surprised.
“You said he was interesting,” JingYuan replied.
“Can you be any more irrational?” YiHan sighed in exasperation. “That’s praise? Anyway, there are plenty of interesting men in this world but I am only interested in you.”
JingYuan gave a loud “humph” and went silent, flipping swiftly through the document before him.
Using his ultra-strong eyesight, YiHan saw the other man’s ears turning red. Deep in his heart, YiHan guffawed. Hah! He could get jealous over nothing and anything yet his skin was thin. JingYuan was way too naive to be beating him in this! Aah, why did JingYuan look so cute when he’s both proud and shy?
Hiding a smile behind pursed lips, YiHan looked back down on his phone.
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Say, why do you think Nan Shan hasn’t published a new novel yet? He’s not posting any works online either. I want to catch up on his new writing but there’s nothing for me to read. I can only wait in agony. I’ve re-read “The Blue Mountain” multiple times now.]
[YouRan: Writing a new book isn’t a fast process. Perhaps he’s busy with something else. He can’t use every moment of his day to write then.]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: True. Perhaps he’s married or he’s in love, and he needs to give more time to his lover?]
[YouRan: That’s…possible. I don’t know either.]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Hm, I can understand if that’s the case. Just like me and my future husband, we’re almost always by each other’s side. If he’s at work, I have to go with him too. He’s particularly clingy.]
[YouRan: Your…future husband? Aren’t you a man?]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Yup. Can’t men have husbands? We’re going to be married soon. Do you hate gay people?]
[YouRan: No, no. That’s not what I meant. Congratulations.]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Thanks. I was so afraid you couldn’t accept it. We get along so well. I truly cherish you as a friend. I was afraid of scaring you off.]
[YouRan: How could you? I’m the same.]
[YouRan: I meant, I too cherish you as a friend. I have very few friends.]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: That’s great! Money is easy to come by but true friends are not! (shake hands)]
[YouRan: (shake hands)]
[YouRan: Can I ask you something?]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Shoot.]
[YouRan: You and your lover… How do you usually interact with each other? Are you always together? Doesn’t he go home or go off to do something else?]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: We live together. We’re lovers, of course, we have to be together. He said that wherever I am, that is his home. His family aren’t around anymore. I’ve moved out of my home to live with him. When I head back to my home, he’ll stay with my family too. Anyway, he doesn’t want to spend a single day apart from me. I also can’t bear to let him stay in a lonely home. As for other matters…he has to work too. But he’ll bring me with him. When he can’t bring me with him, we have our phones. A call, a short message; we’d do anything and everything to feel like we’re still together.]
[YouRan: I see. Is that…what it’s like to be dating another person?]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: How do I put this? It depends on the situation. Many couples don’t spend the whole day together. My man is just too clingy. However, the usual couples would meet every day too. Perhaps they’d split off to work during the day but they’ll be together in the evenings, unless it’s a long-distance relationship or due to unforeseen, special circumstances. Still, such relationships usually don’t last long so most people try to stay together as much as possible.]
[YouRan: Wouldn’t he… Could he usually be found in his own home or off attending to other matters, only visiting you once every few days?]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: How can it be? Either way, we definitely couldn’t do that. If not for situations beyond our control, he would never be apart from me for a single day. Frankly, even if he was okay with it, I wouldn’t be.]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: By the way, just a little secret advice. If you have friends whose lovers do what you say, you’d best warn them to be careful. Who knows? That person might be married already.]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: YouRan? You there?]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: Did something come up?]
YiHan’s head snapped up as he cried out, “Mu-Mu, I might’ve caused a disaster.”
“What is it?” JingYuan gently asked, raising his head from his work.
“I was chatting with Nan Shan just now,” YiHan sighed. “We somehow started talking about how people are like when they’re in love or dating. I was too anxious and might’ve said something wrong. He won’t reply.”
“What did you say?” JingYuan asked.
YiHan pushed aside the snacks around him to stand up and show JingYuan his chatlog.
After a few moments of reading, JingYuan didn’t know whether to cry or to laugh. “Just what kind of man have you made me out to be? Do you think I’m especially clingy?”
“It was only so I can make him see what true love looks right,” YiHan hurriedly replied. “I didn’t want him to internalise that scumbag’s words and think their type of love is the norm.”
JingYuan looked back down at the phone and said, “From what he’d written, it certainly seems like it. He doesn’t have much experience in love. Naturally, whatever that man says will be correct to him. He actually doesn’t know what love should look like. That man misguided him on how love should be and fooled Nan Shan into being his lover.”
“This man is just disgusting!” YiHan angrily said. “But what’s important now is Nan Shan is ignoring me. What do I do?”
“You did move on too quickly,” JingYuan sighed. “What we’ve planned is still just based on a hypothesis of ours. It’s still too early for us to voice our opinion.”
“But it’s no guess that the man is married,” YiHan said. “Also, from Nan Shan’s words, our hypothesis is at least 80 or 90 per cent correct!”
“It certainly seems so,” JingYuan said with a nod. “Don’t panic. Give him some time. Slowly guide him to realising it himself. Don’t be too direct.”
YiHan’s face fell. “But I’ve already said it right to his face.”
163. That Man
JingYuan glanced down at YiHan’s phone once more. “Well, you’ve said it already. Let it be,” JingYuan said, holding back a laugh as he did. “It’s not a bad idea to cut things off as soon as possible. Tell him means we can’t leave him any further delusions. It’s better to just rip off the band-aid. However, you two aren’t close enough yet. You can’t give him the emotional support he’ll need.”
YiHan’s eyes lit up. “If he can get into a true relationship right after, that’d be amazing. That is proper emotional support.”
“Of course, that’d be the best-case scenario,” JingYuan said with a shrug. “Unfortunately, that depends on luck. We can’t forcefully push him into a match.”
The lightbulb in YiHan’s eyes dimmed. “What do we do then?” he mumbled.
“Don’t worry,” said JingYuan. “What you just said must’ve felt like a tornado hitting him. Give him some time to think about it.”
Just then, YiHan’s phone chimed. It was a QQ notification sound. YiHan hurriedly clicked into it. As expected, it was Nan Shan.
[YouRan: Why do you say that?]
YiHan’s eyes pleaded JingYuan for help. “What do I do? What do I say?”
“Just go with what you think,” JingYuan said. Then, after a brief pause, he added, “Once you’ve spoken, do not leave a single shred of doubt.”
YiHan bit down at his lip. His fingers began clacking away as he composed his message.
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: If there’s nothing special going on in his life and he’ll usually be in his home, attending to his own business, and only ever visit every few days, plus if he rarely ever stays overnight, that means he should have his own family.]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan:
think about it. If he’s married, he’ll have a wife and perhaps even kids. Of course, he’ll have to head home every day to be with his wife and kids. He can only visit his mistress when he’s free. He can’t even stay the night because frequently spending nights out of his home will arouse his wife’s suspicions.]
[YouRan: I’m not a mistress!]
That message was instantly deleted two seconds after it was sent.
YiHan: …
JingYuan saw the message too. “Looks like it’s even more unthinkable for him to want to be a mistress than we thought.”
After a while, Nan Shan sent another message.
[YouRan: You saw that?]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: I trust you’re not.]
[YouRan: What?]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: While we’ve only met once and we haven’t really talked much, I believe that you will never be a homewrecker.]
[YouRan: Thank you.]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: He lied to you, didn’t he? He told you he was single? What do you know of his family or personal history?]
It was a very long time before YiHan received a reply.
[YouRan: I don’t know. I only know his name and phone number. He said his family’s not important. He wasn’t willing to talk about it so I didn’t ask any more questions. But I believe he didn’t lie to me.]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: There aren’t a lot of things that is hard to talk about. If he loves you, his family is something you must both face one day. You’ll know sooner or later. Why can’t you ask? Has he ever mentioned marriage to you? How long have you two been together?]
The pause this time was longer than the last.
[YouRan: Nearly five years.]
[Mu-Mu’s HanHan: It’s been nearly five years and you’ve never talked about marriage?]
YiHan waited and waited. His phone remained silent.
Staring down at the phone screen, which had gone dark long ago, YiHan frowned and said, “He’s not replying. Is he angry?”
“Don’t panic. Give him some time to consider it. If that person has been lying to him the whole time and he had been fooled, a single poke by you would certainly lead him to think of more holes in that man’s behaviour. His pause means he’s starting to feel uneasy. He only has a low EQ and rarely interacts with the outside world. He’s not dumb.”
“They say when lovers quarrel, you should always tell them to make up and not tell them to split,” YiHan sighed, throwing himself on the couch. “Yeh, I’ve only ever been doing all I can to get them to split up.”
“Because they’re not lovers,” said JingYuan, “and they’ll never be lovers.”
“Yes,” said YiHan. “Nan Shan is so unlucky to have met such a scumbag. His mother had it worse too. She also met a scumbag. Wait, no. At least when she was with Chu FangMing, the man was still single. She was only cheated on. Nan Shan, on the other hand, was cheated on by that scumbag and forced to be a ‘mistress’. Ugh. I don’t know which of the two is considered unluckier, but they’ve had all the bad luck in the world.”
“There are plenty of such situations happening all over the world,” said JingYuan. “We just don’t know of them.”
“True,” said YiHan. “There are too many men in the world who wish to enjoy being surrounded by multiple lovers. It’s not just the men either. There are women who are like that.”
“I think that Nan Shan and his mother aren’t particularly unlucky. There are plenty of people in the world who’d encountered similar scumbags. However, they have families and friends by their sides. They have plenty of people who love them. Perhaps they lack romance but they aren’t lacking in love. Thus, most people can easily differentiate between what’s true and what’s fake. Even if they were careless, they’ll merely experience an unpleasant relationship. But Nan Shan and his mother are different. Nan Shan’s mother lost both of her parents at a young age. Because of her inheritance, she was exposed to the ugly truths behind her relatives’ smiles. She had been all by herself for years. She was only a young girl. It’s already a hard task for her to persevere that long. She craved love and a family more than the average person. She might even yearn more for them than Jiang Hua. He was abandoned as a baby. He had never once felt the warmth of a family. She’s different.
“She had once enjoyed the comfort of a family before losing it all. It’s like throwing someone who’d grown used to living in the south straight into the northern pole. She would recklessly flutter straight to a fire that could warm her up. This fire was Chu FangMing who was attracted by her beauty. Unfortunately, Chu FangMing wasn’t a good man. For his family inheritance, his marriage must be useful to his future. Xu JinXuan was clearly unable to do that. Hence, their relationship was destined to be doomed. When Chu FangMing broke up with her and swiftly got married, if she could be slightly more open-minded, her looks and good qualities would definitely allow her to find someone who loved her even more. She might possess the happiness she longed for then. But the second major loss in her life had shattered her world. She no longer believed in love yet she desperately needed a family. That was why she insisted on giving birth to Nan Shan. She ignored the possible consequences and her own health. She let herself die an early death. Because of how he grew up, Nan Shan repeated his mother’s tragic story. It gave that man a chance to take advantage of.
“They were unlucky. They couldn’t meet the right person at the right time. When they were stuck deep in the mud, no one gave them a hand and pulled them out. They sank deeper and deeper into the mud until Xu JinXuan died at a young age while Nan Shan committed suicide by jumping off a building.”
YiHan let out a deep sigh. “Yes. These two just had to exceptionally gorgeous. They were more likely to attract trash. If only they could appear a little more average, they might even achieve a peaceful life. What a pity. When a beautiful person who craves love meets trash, that’s a terrifying tragedy. However, there’s simply more trash than ever these days!”
“Alright, don’t be upset,” JingYuan said, walking over to sit down by YiHan’s side. “There are plenty of people like that. We can’t take care of all of them.”
“Indeed, I can’t get rid of most of the trash in the world,” YiHan furiously said, “but this one has barged right into my palms. I will never forgive him! Furthermore, the one he’s lying to is my idol! How utterly disgusting for him to cheat on a poor young man like Nan Shan!”
“Don’t worry,” JingYuan softly said, stroking YiHan’s hair back. “As the spouse of a fan, I will help your idol out. Having someone like you working hard to save him must be the luckiest thing to have ever happened to him in his entire cursed life.”
“No,” YiHan said, body leaning over to sprawl over JingYuan’s. “I’m not saving him. It’s his talent that saved him. Without his talent, he couldn’t have written such amazing books. I wouldn’t have known his existence then.”
JingYuan’s hands continued running through YiHan’s hair and replied, “Mn. Whatever you say is right.”
***
As per JingYuan’s expectations, that man was very enthralled with Nan Shan. By the third day, the men keeping thorough surveillance of Nan Shan’s home had found signs of the man. They immediately snapped a few photos of him and passed them onto their bosses.
There were many photographs of the man. There were some of his side profile, some of his back and even a picture of him turning back and looking straight at the camera. There were photos of him from all angles. That man had a cap and a mask on. His clothes were so average that one would never be able to pick him out from a crowd. If his destination wasn’t obviously Nan Shan’s home, it would be hard for anyone to have paid attention to him.
YiHan looked through the photos over and over again for a long time before angrily throwing them away. “What is this? Does he think he’s acting in one of the Infernal Affairs movies? He’s covered so much of himself up that I can’t even see his face. Looks like we’ll have to hire some professionals to find him.”
“There’s no need,” JingYuan darkly said after a long moment of silence. “I know him.”
“You do?” YiHan was surprised. “Who is it? Why don’t I know him?”
“If he changes his outfit and takes off his cap and mask, you’d recognise him too,” said JingYuan. “But you’re not familiar with him.”
“Oh, stop stalling and just tell me,” YiHan anxiously said. “Just who is it? You’re driving me to panic.”
JingYuan held up the only photo they had of the man’s face from the front. In the image, the man was wrapped up in layers of clothing. Only his eyes could be seen out of his entire face. Still, it was enough to give them some information. The man wasn’t particularly young nor was he old. He looked like he was in his mid or late thirties. He took great care of his skin. His figure was rather tall and muscular. While he had a mask on, it was clear that he had a sharp jawline. The tiny patch of skin around his eyes was as fair as can be.
“Speak,” YiHan urged. “Just who is this man? Are you close to him?”
JingYuan held YiHan by the hand and slowly said, “We’re not close but I’ve seen him plenty of times. You know how good my memory is. There aren’t many in our social circle whom I can’t recognise. No matter how tightly wrapped up he is, just a pair of eyes is enough if it’s someone I know.”
“Well, who is he then?” YiHan asked. “Is it really bad for you to name him?”
“Not that,” JingYuan solemnly said. “I had just never thought it could be him. He is actually connected to Yan Pei. No wonder Yan Pei didn’t save Nan Shan in your dream.”
YiHan’s heart froze. “This man is that powerful? He even outranks Pei-Pei by that much?”
“It’s not because he’s powerful or strong,” JingYuan said. “It’s his wife. She is one of Yan Pei’s older family members. You were right. This man’s wife is more powerful than he is. Everything makes sense now.”
164. So It’s Him!
YiHan thought about the hints JingYuan had given him. Frown present on his brows, he asked, “It’s He Yuan?”
“That’s right. You’re so clever,” JingYuan praised.
“You’ve already led me straight to the answer,” YiHan huffed. “Can I not guess it? His wife is Yan Pei’s elder. The only relatives who can suppress Yan Pei would be someone within the immediate family. Combined with that age, it could only be her aunt, Yan Miao!”
“It’s actually him?” YiHan was so angry that he stomped his feet. “If not for these photos, I would never have believed it! He’d always been the model husband. He’s extraordinarily nice to Yan Pei’s aunt. He’s the kind that would never settle for the moon if his wife asked for the stars. They even have two kids now and the eldest is ten. So he’s gay! He even fooled Nan Shan into being his secret lover! No wonder the man is wrapped up in so many layers. If Yan Miao knew of this, she could chop his head off! How can be he so shameless? He might as well aim to be a god!
“It’s no wonder those two could protect themselves so well in the scandal! A whirlwind wrecked through the city but they were utterly unharmed! They still went on in being the ideal couple. Even when Yan Miao barged into Nan Shan’s home with a group of men, not a single hint of her identity could be found. The Yan family must’ve covered up everything! Yan Miao is the old Mr Yan’s youngest daughter, born during his older years. She’s the apple of the Yan family’s eye! No wonder Pei-Pei didn’t make a move. That is her aunt. How could she do anything? She must have been so pissed off when she heard Nan Shan committed suicide!”
“I just knew you’d be furious,” JingYuan said, gently patting the other man on the back. “Calm down a little, HanHan. This matter involves the Yan family. We must think up a proper plan on how to proceed. He Yuan should be bisexual. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sired a daughter and a son. He must prefer men a little more. His marriage to Yan Miao, and courting her until she’s fawning over him, was all for a very obvious purpose. He wanted to borrow the Yan family’s might. As we can see, he has succeeded. Not only did he successfully become the head of the He family, but he has also raised his family status to the point where the He family could be the most powerful family in the city, if the five great families didn’t exist.”
“Why must he still go on lying to Nan Shan?” YiHan angrily asked. “Isn’t he afraid of everything crashing down on him?”
“HanHan,” JingYuan said, a hand running through the other’s hair, “you must understand. When a person has power and status, they will want to chase after the emotional comforts in life. He Yuan and Yan Miao have different financial and social statuses. Between both of them, He Yuan has always been the weaker party. He had to curry her favour. If the marriage was not born out of love, then as time goes by, it’ll feel very oppressive. Additionally, he’s a bisexual whose preferences leaned more towards men. When he saw the ethereal Nan Shan, well, it’s easy to tell what happened.”
“Nan Shan also detests leaving his home,” YiHan spat through gritted teeth. “He’s not emotionally savvy and very gullible. There was no target better than he.”
JingYuan nodded and said, “I can tell. He’s very cautious when he went to Nan Shan. He even deliberately put on an extremely average outfit. Nan Shan shouldn’t know who he is. The name he gave to Nan Shan must also be fake.”
“But he is famous, one way or another,” YiHan said. “The finance magazines would often publish his photo. Would Nan Shan still not recognise the man?”
“HanHan, let’s put aside the question of whether a person like Nan Shan would look at those types of magazines first. Even if he does look through them, He Yuan is not a dead object. He has a silver tongue. If he could wrap Yan Miao, a proud little miss, around his little finger, how could he not do the same with a man who’s innocent to the ways of the world like Nan Shan? Anyway, a person will look different in photos. With just a simple change to his outfit and hairstyle, he’s now unrecognisable to you, someone who has seen him in person multiple times. How could Nan Shan recognise the man with just a few photos in a magazine? Even if he did notice the similarity, he’ll just think the two men share the same name and look alike.”
YiHan glanced down at the photo again. “Indeed. Now that he’s changed his hairstyle, he gives a very different impression compared to how he usually is. With just these photos, I really still can’t see He Yuan in them.”
“Someone who mingles with businessmen will almost always be wearing a facade,” said JingYuan. “Perhaps it’s only before Nan Shan that the man can truly be himself.”
“Perhaps it’s why Nan Shan didn’t realise the other man’s emotions were faked,” replied YiHan. “How else could a veteran writer of detective stories be unable to tell the other was hiding something, even after being together for so long? It must be due to He Yuan being true to his own personality when he’s with Nan Shan.”
“You also cannot ignore the power of love,” said JingYuan. “When a person is in love with another, he’d subconsciously deny the truth that he’s unwilling to accept. Even if there were holes in He Yuan’s story, Nan Shan would make excuses up for the man. An act upheld for years will absolutely have a lot of weaknesses. Nan Shan writes extraordinary detective novels. That means he has an observant and detailed mind. However, his emotions have clouded his eyes. Because of how much he craves to be loved, he’d always been repressing his insecurity. Still, deep in his heart, he must’ve noticed it. Perhaps it didn’t occur to him that his lover is married with a family, but he would realise their relationship was off. There must be a lot of matters his lover is secretive about. Why else would someone deeply in love be so obviously melancholic? Furthermore, when you spoke of your hypothesis, his first reaction wasn’t anger. It was silence. His last message seemed more like he was comforting himself than rebuking the notion. After all, why would someone lost in the ocean be willing to let go of the only piece of plank floating in his vicinity?”
“That’s no plank,” YiHan spat out in anger. That’s a snake. Sooner or later, he’ll drag Nan Shan down to the bottom of the ocean! You’re right. It’s no wonder Nan Shan asked me how lovers usually interact with each other. He must’ve noticed something was wrong.”
JingYuan patted YiHan on the back to help him calm down. “But from your conversation, Nan Shan shouldn’t be an illogical man,” JingYuan said with a smile. “He’s also very much against being a homewrecker. That’s why I said to give him some time. Once he thinks things through, when he can’t lie to himself anymore, he will make the correct choice.”
“Will he leave He Yuan? Won’t He Yuan take revenge on him?” asked YiHan.
“We’ll know of the results once he acts,” answered JingYuan.
YiHan solemnly looked back at him, waiting for a continuation.
Unable to help himself, JingYuan kissed YiHan on the lips before continuing, “You spoke of your suspicions the day before yesterday. Nan Shan has been silent since then. That means he’s still thinking about it. Now that He Yuan has appeared, maybe Nan Shan will try confirming a few details with the man. Perhaps He Yuan will get into a fight with Nan Shan because he felt guilty. If He Yuan leaves Nan Shan’s home in a bad mood, that shows us Nan Shan is suspicious of him now.”
“Won’t Nan Shan be hurt or be taken advantage of?” YiHan worriedly asked. “Will He Yuan do something to him?”
“Not yet,” said JingYuan. “Based on how often He Yuan visits Nan Shan, that man must be mesmerised. He wouldn’t let go so easily. If he can make Nan Shan stay, he won’t do anything. Also, he has us, right? My men will keep watch. If anything happens, they can react in time. There’ll be a team dedicated to keeping track of He Yuan’s movements. Nan Shan won’t be hurt.”
YiHan leaned back against the couch and closed his eyes. Concentrating hard, he thought back to anything and everything that he knew in his past life about Nan Shan’s incident. Back then, all information he had came from the newspapers and news channels. The most prominent of those memories were two photos. One was the censored photo of the man’s bloody corpse. The other was of the trashed memorial ceremony Nan Shan’s diehard fans had organised.
The photo of Nan Shan was thrown on the ground, dirtied by black, dirty footprints and partially covered by a random assortment of items. The glass frame was cracked. White chrysanthemum flowers were scattered all over the floor, squashed and stomped on by countless feet. And then there were the faces of the fans. Some were crying. Some were terrified. Some were visibly brooding and fuming. Some were wracked with agony.
Wait!
YiHan’s eyes snapped open as he suddenly sat straight up.
JingYuan was frightened. He hurriedly stroked YiHan on the hair and asked, “What is it? Did you fall asleep?”
YiHan turned to JingYuan. His eyes looked straight into the other’s eyes as he said in a deep voice, “I just remembered something.”
“What is it?” asked JingYuan.
“In my dream,” YiHan said, a serious look on his face, “after Nan Shan’s suicide, his diehard fans once organised a small memorial service for him. I don’t know how but Yan Miao found out about it. She arranged for some men to charge in and trash everything up. This incident was on the news. In the photo the news report showed, there was a familiar face. I didn’t pay attention to it back then but now that I think of that photo, I suddenly remember who he is.”
“Who is it?”
“Yan Yan.”
JingYuan was surprised. “Him? How is he involved in this situation?”
“He was standing right in the middle of Nan Shan’s fans,” said YiHan. “His eyes were looking at the photo on the ground. He had a gloomy face on. From where he was standing, he should be a fan of Nan Shan’s books.”
“Then, can we take it as he’s also a fan of Nan Shan,” asked JingYuan, “but just like Yan Pei, he was unable to help Nan Shan due to Yan Miao’s involvement? After Nan Shan’s death, he felt guilty so he attended Nan Shan’s memorial service. He didn’t think his aunt would send some men over to ruin the ceremony. It made him feel so guilty and helpless. That’s why he had a gloomy face on.”
“I think so too,” YiHan said with a clap of his hands. “I’m thinking I should implicitly ask Pei-Pei if Yan Yan is a fan of Nan Shan’s books.”
“You want him to be an ally?” asked JingYuan.
“Everyone who attended that service was a diehard fan of Nan Shan,” YiHan replied. “The rest of the fans aren’t as fervent. They were either misled by the media or too cowardly to admit they were a fan of Nan Shan. Since Yan Yan publicly appeared in the memorial service, that meant he’s a diehard fan too. He is the Second Young Master of the Yan family. Without his approval, no media would dare to publish a clear photo of him. That photo might represent Yan Yan’s silent objection.”
JingYuan paused and thought about it. “You’re right. Since this issue involves Yan Miao, it has certainly become much more complicated. Nan Shan is a public figure. If we want to protect him, we’d best discreetly get rid of He Yuan and stop him from ever bothering Nan Shan again. We must also keep the entire incident a secret and avoid affecting Nan Shan’s reputation in any way. After all, we know Nan Shan had no choice but other people do not. They might not understand his situation. We can’t explain to everyone how hard the man’s life was. The best way to do so is to avoid letting this matter reach the public’s eyes. If a Yan family member can help protect Nan Shan, that’d be great.”
165. We’ve Got to Get
Them on Our Side
YiHan furiously grabbed an orange from the table before the couch. “That’s right. I don’t believe the Yan family can be swayed solely by Yan Miao’s words! Does she think she can bully others in such an outrageous manner just because she has power? My great Nan Shan has powerful backers too! Let’s think and make it so they have to suffer without complaints!”
JingYuan took the orange from YiHan and began peeling it. “Don’t worry. We will teach them a lesson.”
YiHan accepted the slice of orange offered and munched on it. Suddenly, he wondered, “Say, do you think we shouldn’t be so harsh against Yan Miao? After all, she has been cheated too.”
Handing over another slice, JingYuan smiled and answered, “She has been lied to but, from your description, her method of dealing with the issue is too extreme. It also feels like she’s rather tyrannical without any concern for what’s right and what’s wrong. She pushed all the blame onto Nan Shan. She made him bear the consequences of her husband’s mistake. You could see her ruin Nan Shan’s reputation, step by step, motion by motion. She was even the one to give the last push and force Nan Shan to jump to his death. Even if there was a great grudge between the two, it should all end once he’s dead. However, she insisted on ruining even a memorial service. It’s obvious just how toxic she is as a person.”
YiHan pondered on JingYuan’s words as he chomped on a new slice of orange and gulped it down. “You’re right,” he angrily said. “She’s not a good person either. I didn’t see her doing anything to He Yuan. After Nan Shan’s death, they went back to being lovey-dovey without a hitch. Nan Shan’s death couldn’t have been any more unjust than it already was!”
“Now that we are interfering in the matter,” said JingYuan. “As long as make our stances clear, they wouldn’t dare to push Nan Shan to his death, no matter how. Still, we can’t avoid his reputation being marred. A lover’s betrayal, a ruined reputation; these will all deal a serious blow to Nan Shan. What we need to do is to minimise the damage. If we can get Yan Pei and Yan Yan over to our side, they’d be a great help.”
“Yes,” said YiHan, “there’s Pei-Pei. But she didn’t do anything in the last – ahem – in the dream. Will she help us?”
“In your dream, Yan Pei and Yan Yan were merely his fans,” JingYuan chuckled. “On one hand, it’s their favourite author. On the other, it’s their aunt. They might be distant and they might not know the full truth, but they must not have thought Nan Shan would die. It’s understandable for them not to act. However, if we show them the truth of everything and explain clearly the situation along with the worst-case scenario, they might not stand to sit it out. Yan Yan has always been a neutral party. He’s also a quiet man of little words. I don’t know if he’ll act. Even if he doesn’t, he can at least be a neutral party and help no one. Yan Pei has a heroic air to her. Upon knowing of such an incident, and with us helping Nan Shan, she should be eager to help.”
“Now that you’ve analysed the situation, I feel more confident,” said YiHan with a fist pump. “I’ll pull Pei-Pei in first before I ask about Yan Yan.”
YiHan did as he said. He immediately stuffed the rest of his orange into JingYuan’s mouth and picked up his phone to call Yan Pei.
A mouth stuffed full of orange, JingYuan looked on in speechless mirth as YiHan spoke into the phone.
“YiHan?” Pei happily greeted. “Do you need something from me?”
“Pei-Pei, the last time we met,” said YiHan, “you told me you were a fan of Nan Shan’s books too. Right?”
“Yes!” said Pei. “I’m a diehard fan!”
Taking a deep inhale, YiHan asked, “I have news of Nan Shan himself. Do you want to know?”
“Really?” she excitedly cried out. “YiHan, you’re the best! Do you have a photo of him? Send it to me! Send it!”
“I do,” said YiHan, “and there are a few more issues. I can’t really explain it well over the phone. Why don’t you come and meet me? I’ll tell you then.”
“Okay,” replied Pei. “I don’t have class today anyway. I’ll be right there!”
“Ah, don’t hang up! Do you know where to meet me?” asked YiHan.
“Is there a need to ask?” Pei frankly shot back. “You and Mr Mu always act like it’s a shame you can’t glue yourselves together. You must be in Mr Mu’s office right now. I’ll call you once I arrive at the office.”
“There’s no need,” YiHan said. His face blushed red. “There’s a charming little cafe beside the office. I’ll wait for you there.”
“Alright!” Pei cheered. “It’s better that I don’t have to face that brooding man. I’ll be there soon! Nan Shan, I’m coming!”
Before YiHan hung up, he vaguely heard Pei shout “brother” but he didn’t pay attention to it. He then turned to JingYuan.
“I’ve asked Pei-Pei to meet me,” YiHan said.
“It’s certainly better to speak in person regarding this matter,” said JingYuan. “I’ll go with you.”
“It’s fine,” YiHan said with a wave of his hand. “I can just meet her by myself. Pei-Pei is a little scared of you. If you’re there, she might not speak as freely.”
“Why is she afraid of me?” JingYuan asked in exasperation.
YiHan laughed. He pinched JingYuan on the cheeks and said, “Well, you always look so stern. You always have a frown on. She’s just a little girl. Of course, she’ll be scared. I’m off.”
“She won’t be here so soon,” said JingYuan. “Why the hurry?”
“I need to think about what to say to her,” replied YiHan. “Do I tell her everything?”
“Don’t say anything about the dream,” said JingYuan. “Just tell her you accidentally found out.”
“Okay,” YiHan said, nodding. “I understand.”
***
The cafe was quiet when YiHan entered. There weren’t many customers around at this time of day. He sat down at the private room he’d booked and soon, Yan Pei arrived. It was easy to see just how eager she was.
YiHan raised his hand in a wave. Her eyes lit up as she pattered over to the table.
“Where is Nan Shan’s photo? Hand it over!” she exclaimed. She hadn’t even taken her seat yet.
YiHan let out a soft chuckle and dug out his phone. After finding the selfie he’d spent half a day begging Nan Shan for, he handed the phone over. Nan Shan was someone who never took selfies. He only agreed to do so after YiHan’s persistent “bugging”.
The first selfie anyone ever takes will never be good. In the photo, Nan Shan’s expression looked stiff and awkward. His eyes didn’t stand out. Still, Pei was overwhelmed by his good looks. She snatched the phone out of YiHan’s hands.
“So Nan Shan’s a young man,” Pei said, her eyes in the shape of hearts. “He’s so handsome. I thought he’d be a scruffy, unkempt middle-aged man.”
“He’s not a middle-aged man,” YiHan harrumphed, snatching his phone back, “but he fell for the trap of one.”
Pei hadn’t had her fill yet. She lunged forward to grab the phone as it left her grip.
“YiHan, if you’re a true friend,” she said as she struggled against YiHan’s grip on the phone, “you’ll send that photo to me!”
“No way!” YiHan coldly stated as he stood up and held the phone high above his head.
Pei was very much shorter than YiHan. She hopped and she jumped but she just couldn’t reach the phone. Her cheeks puffed up in fury.
“Bai YiHan!” she barked. “To think I thought of you as my very best buddy. How could you fool around so heartlessly? You’re cold-hearted and cruel. You’re heartless!”
Upon seeing YiHan remaining unaffected, Pei decided to try a softer approach. “YiHan-ge,” she tearily whimpered, “how could you bear to be so cruel to me?”
A chuckle burst out of YiHan as he once more handed his phone to her. “Pei-Pei, I’m not trying to be mean or petty but there needs to be some caution regarding certain issues. You can look at the photo here but I really can’t send it to you. This is to protect Nan Shan.”
Pei immediately began staring at the photo of her idol the moment she had her hands on the phone again. Swooning over the man in the picture was her first priority. Upon registering YiHan’s words, she hurriedly raised her right hand.
“I swear,” she said, “I will never ever let slip any information on Nan Shan or photos of him!”
“Of course, I believe you won’t do that but…” YiHan heaved another loud sigh.
“What is it?” Pei asked with a solemn face. “Is it that serious? Is Nan Shan in trouble? Just now, you said he’d fallen into the trap of a middle-aged man. What did you mean?”
YiHan gazed back with an equally solemn face. “Pei-Pei, I want you to promise me that, no matter what decision you make after hearing Nan Shan’s story, you will not tell anyone else what you’ve heard today. Starting from the moment you set a foot out of this room.”
“I promise,” replied Pei.
YiHan let out a sigh. “I’ve seen Nan Shan himself in person. I obtained this photo through a lot of begging and pleading. This is his first-ever selfie. Frankly, it’s not a great photo. He looks so much worse in it and it doesn’t show the full extent of the way he carries himself.”
“You know Nan Shan?” Pei gasped in shock. “You got this photo by asking. Are you two close? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“We haven’t actually known each other for long. It’s just because he doesn’t have any friends and I sincerely think of him as one. That’s why he’s so unguarded with me. He also doesn’t know that I know he is Nan Shan.”
“How could the great Nan Shan not have any friends?” Pei was even more surprised.
“Don’t rush,” said YiHan. “Hear me out. On the day of Zhang-ge’s bookshop reopening, it was still quite early when I left. Since Mu¬¬-,” he cleared his throat, “JingYuan wouldn’t be back yet, I asked the driver to take me around. We drove near the gate of a gated area. It looked so peaceful that I left the car and sat on the bench for a few minutes. I was still holding onto “The Blue Night” then. Coincidentally, that was where Nan Shan lives. He spotted me, book in hand, as he was returning from a grocery run. Perhaps he had nothing urgent on that day. He sat down beside me and we talked for a while. He said he’d read Nan Shan’s books before. I suggested we exchange contact information since we were both fans of the same author. He agreed. Later that day, I added him to the QQ fan group. Then…I think JingYuan likely saw that I was having such a good time chatting with him and felt a little uneasy. He privately investigated the man and found out he was Nan Shan.”
“Really? How fantastical,” Pei said. Her mouth was gaping wide open. “This is fate. Still, if Mr Mu is jealous, just say he’s jealous. No need to cover it up for him.”
YiHan drily cleared his throat and silently apologised to JingYuan, I’m sorry, Mu-Mu. I made you take the blame for it.
“Not only did his investigation revealed Nan Shan’s identity,” YiHan said, face slightly flushed, “it also revealed something that nearly made me go crazy with anger.”
“About Nan Shan?” Pei asked, brows furrowed. “A creepy middle-aged man?”
“That’s right,” said YiHan. “According to JingYuan’s findings, Nan Shan was raised in a single-parent household. He only knew his mother, who passed away when he was fifteen. Since then, he’d been living alone. He likes quiet places and he doesn’t like leaving his home. He didn’t have any friends and had a low EQ. His personality was very reactive and less pro-active. He rarely interacted with other people. As for his looks… Well, you’ve seen it.
“His needs are quite basic. He’s not interested in anything but writing novels. Hence, he turned into the target of a married bisexual man. That man lied and said he was single. He wooed Nan Shan and keeps brainwashing Nan Shan with the wrong idea of love. That man fooled Nan Shan into being his ‘mistress’. Nan Shan grew up rather lacking in the emotional department. He was easily taken in. He thought that was how all lovers acted, that they’d go on with their usual, separate lives. Lovers would only meet once in a while and they’d rarely stay the night at the other’s place. Until now, all Nan Shan knows of the man is his name and phone number. Even the name is fake. As for the phone number, heh, it’s most likely only ever given out to Nan Shan. Either way, Nan Shan rarely ever calls the man.
“When I bumped into Nan Shan, he was a very melancholic man. JingYuan said someone who was deeply in love shouldn’t be so melancholic. Nan Shan must’ve observed something was off with his lover too. But he was just like a man floating in the middle of the ocean, unwilling to let go of the only driftwood he could find. He had been suppressing his uneasiness all this time. JingYuan’s investigations also found the other man’s identity. Not only was he married, but he also had two kids. He was money and power but his wife was even more powerful with a higher social ranking. If she ever knows of Nan Shan, he would be on the receiving end of her rabid revenge. It wouldn’t matter if he was the victim in this situation. This ending is definitely something Nan Shan cannot accept. As for that man? Ha. He will give up Nan Shan without hesitation. He would make Nan Shan pay the price for the mistake he made.”