Chapter 103: Meeting with Song Jing
When He Yushen arrived at the old mansion after work, he was persuaded by Ling Ran to stay for dinner.
By the time they left the mansion, it was already 8:30 in the evening.
After reaching home and freshening up, it was 10:30 pm. As Nan Yi, fighting off sleep, was fiddling with his phone in He Yushen's arms, He Yushen received a call.
It was Yan An, whom he hadn't heard from in a long time.
"He Yushen, Song Jing wants to see you."
Nan Yi: .............
"You better not go." As soon as Yan An finished speaking, Nan Yi murmured with a frown.
After all this time, why was Song Jing still lingering around? He and He Yushen were legally married now.
He wasn't about to let He Yushen meet someone who harbored unrequited feelings for him.
Why did He Yushen attract so much romantic attention?
"So annoying." Nan Yi grumbled again in displeasure.
"Yan An, I won't go." He Yushen soothingly ruffled Nan Yi's hair.
"Song Jing grew up with you. I know you've always seen him as a younger brother. Please meet him just once."
Yan An's tone was pleading, palpable even through the phone.
Nan Yi stiffened, gazing upward in surprise at He Yushen, who sat at the head of the bed answering the call, with his own head resting on the alpha's stomach.
With a furrowed brow, He Yushen asked, "Where is he now?"
"At my place."
Even though Yan An hadn't elaborated, both sensed that something was amiss.
"Tonight is not possible."
"How about tomorrow? Come over early in the morning, please." There was an urgency in Yan An's voice.
"Alright."
With He Yushen's agreement, Yan An quickly hung up.
"Come with me tomorrow." Before Nan Yi could recover from his daze, He Yushen shifted closer to the center of the bed, cradling the head that had just been resting on his abdomen in his arm.
"Is it appropriate?" Although Nan Yi wasn't keen on He Yushen meeting Song Jing, given Yan An's tone, he felt the matter was pressing.
"Why wouldn't it be? Sleep now, and we'll go together in the morning."
He Yushen placed his hand over Nan Yi's eyes, coaxing him to sleep, and Nan Yi obediently closed his eyes.
"He Yushen, why are you so kind to Song Jing?"
How was it that a butler's son lived with the main family in the upper floors of the mansion, dined with He Yushen, and even had custom-tailored clothes?
Plus, He Yushen gave him money to spend.
"When we were kids, he saved me."
"What?" Nan Yi's previously closed eyes fluttered open, his eyelashes brushing against He Yushen's palm, causing a tickling sensation.
Suddenly pushing away the hand covering his eyes, he stared wide-eyed in the pitch-black room, filled with astonishment.
He Yushen chuckled softly, holding him close as he whispered, "When I was about seven or eight, I ran away from home in anger. I didn't realize that Song Jing had been following me. Being just two years into walking, he lagged far behind."
"I remember being in a dim, secluded alley. Out of nowhere, several people appeared. A black bag was thrown over my head, plunging me into darkness. I had no idea where they took me."
Nan Yi tightened his embrace around He Yushen's waist, asking, "Why would they kidnap you?"
He Yu Shen: "Who would have known? Seventeen or eighteen years ago, the society was tumultuous. Those people saw me with He Zhang in the newspapers and wanted to kidnap me to extort money from him."
Nan Yi: "How did Song Jing rescue you? He was so young."
He Yu Shen covered his eyes with his hand again and explained slowly, word by word: "He moved slowly. Those men were actually hiding in an alley. It was a damp and dark basement, but at the time, I was blindfolded and unaware."
"I don't know how such a small child followed me for such a distance. After seeing me being taken into a building, he retraced his steps and walked back to the villa on his own. It took him half a day. He Zhang found me, who was kidnapped, by following his directions."
Nan Yi: "So you were rescued in time?"
He Yu Shen: "Yes."
Nan Yi nuzzled his neck, her voice as soft as a mosquito's whisper: "Did those people mistreat you?"
He Yu Shen steadied her head against his chest, gently stroking Nan Yi's back: "No, I just never saw any light, had no water to drink, and every slight sound seemed unusually clear."
"I was young and a bit scared."
In truth, He Yu Shen was lying. When he was kidnapped in that alley, his fierce resistance led to him being knocked to the ground. The blows and kicks of adults were overwhelming for a seven or eight-year-old child.
After being brought back to the villa, He Yu Shen lay in bed for a week.
His body was covered in bruises, with not a patch of undamaged skin except for his face.
But he didn't feel the need to share this with his omega; he didn't want to see the pain in Nan Yi's eyes.
Nan Yi was somewhat skeptical, but in the darkness, she couldn't clearly see the depths of the alpha's eyes.
"But the kidnappers on TV are always so vicious. Are you sure they didn't hurt you?"
He Yu Shen felt a bit helpless. How was this little one's intuition so sharp?
He hugged Nan Yi closer. The room's air conditioning was turned down, and the two didn't feel warm wrapped around each other.
"They were hoping to hand me over to He Zhang in exchange for money. They wouldn't dare harm me."
Nan Yi pondered a moment, thinking that what He Yushen said made sense. With He Zhang's wealth, very few would dare to harm He Yushen.
"How long were you locked up?" Nan Yi inquired further.
"An afternoon and half the night."
"Are you afraid of the dark?" Nan Yi reached out to touch He Yushen's eyes.
"Not afraid. The only fear is not having you by my side."
"No wonder you treat him differently," Nan Yi murmured softly.
"I've always seen him as a younger brother," He Yushen clarified.
Nan Yi snuggled further into the bed, burying his head in the blanket. "Got it, sleepy."
As long as it wasn't a first love or any unique emotion, Nan Yi wouldn't fret.
Moreover, upon learning that Song Jing had indirectly saved He Yushen, he grew less disdainful of him.
"Goodnight."
Nan Yi nestled into He Yushen's embrace and drifted off to sleep.
The next day, the two lazed around in bed until eight. After a simple breakfast, they headed to Yan An's residence.
It was Nan Yi's first time seeing Yan An's home, even grander than He Yushen's mansion, resplendent like a castle.
Nan Yi was so astonished that he could've fit an egg in his open mouth.
"Do you like it?"
Nan Yi hastily shook his head, "No, I was just thinking..." he trailed off.
"Thinking what?" He Yushen asked, curiosity piqued.
"Do all rich people lack a single poor friend? No wonder they say you befriend those at your own level," Nan Yi remarked, realizing the wealthy stick to their own kind.
With a soft smile, He Yushen took Nan Yi's hand without responding to his comment and led him towards the already opened house doors.
From a distance, the two of them spotted Yan An's figure, with an omega standing beside him that could only be described as skin and bones.
He seemed to be cradling a baby in his arms. Despite the sweltering heat, he wore a deep gray, long-sleeved zip-up hoodie.
His visible fingers were alarmingly slender. His gaunt face, pallid complexion, and hollowed cheeks made it evident that there was no flesh left even on his collarbone beneath the clothing.
The wind was strong that day, and Nan Yi felt that, were it not for Yan An's embrace, the omega might have been swept away.
The deep gray hoodie and white pajama pants fluttered in the wind, revealing just how unnaturally thin his legs had become beneath the loose pants.
In that moment, Nan Yi's animosity towards Song Jing diminished considerably, to the point where he couldn't even remember just how much he disliked this omega.
"Shen ge," Song Jing called out softly, his voice slightly hoarse.