I absolutely love love LOVE this song so much! I highly recommend it to those who also like listening to sad, tearful, heart wrenching Chinese songs! 😭😭😭
Song: Huang Cheng Du
By: Zhou Shen
(this is a male singer, just FYI 😏)
"Searching in the darkness of night,
Past memories trapping me behind.
Hoping for a flicker of light,
To shine through my hopeless plight.
The legend of Gu Cheng,
Those who came before,
Gifted me my deserved karma.
Waiting upon this karma to liberate my spirit, my soul, and me,
Even though I still can't let go.
If I kill my inner demons,
Would you forgive me?
So that I can escape my destiny,
To rewrite this tragic story."
Huang Cheng Du - CHORUS
Translated by anhnguyen12332
***********
167. This matter will be fixed!
Translator: JoySummer77
Editor: yumi03ling
In just a few short hours, countless reports related to Xia Yao bombarded the internet news channels.
"According to relevant sources, the cases involving Panther Special Guard were all tried by the same criminal investigator, who is thought to be the second generation of officers who have close contacts with Yuan Zong, the CEO of Zong Heng Special Security Consulting Co. Ltd."
"There are many doubts in this case, including the investigation on the attack of the Panther Special Guard staff during April.
"Suspicion No. 1: The suspect claimed that he was supposedly going to do some business, but the business's company is in Haidian District, while the location of the person who is involved in the case was at Dongcheng District, and for no reason fell into the jurisdiction of the public security officer where the criminal investigator was located."
"Suspicion No. 2：At that time, the Black Panther Special Guard was at the forefront of public scrutiny, but their two senior figures still committed a dangerous crime, maliciously provoking law enforcement officers."
"Suspicion No. 3：According to the law enforcement officers of XX Public Security Bureau, they have taken over several cases involving Panther Guard Company, and encountered many troubles in the process of trial. But when the trial was taken over by this second generation officer, the suspect easily confessed."
"Suspicion No. 4: According to the reporter's investigation, many subsequent cases involving Panther Guard are similar to this case. For example, the location of the case was intentionally selected in the area under the watch of the secret police officer's station."
Xia Yao's sight was covered by a layer of blood... what idol... what number one fan... this has all just been a meticulously planned trap! Xia Yao never thought that the Bao Zi's road of revenge had been paved so carefully that he would sacrifice his own Black Panther Guard company to bring down Yuan Zong.
The news after that made Xia Yao's heart tremble even more.
"This secret second generation official, brought together dozens of members of the Heidu Society to burn down Panther Guard Company. Six innocent employees were tied up and hung in high-rise places for passers-by to see."
No more cover-ups, all different kinds of conclusive evidence were displayed for the world to witness.
At the same time, the incident at the sauna that happened at the beginning of the year during their vacation period was dug up again. The picture shown has been fully restored, with no mosaic covering Xia Yao's face, showing the real scene that was happening at that time. Xia Yao was astonished by the picture he wasn't able to destroy. This picture, including the other photos, clearly exposed him to be the secret police officer.
The reporters outside were becoming more aggressive, while the news feed on Xia Yao's computer was constantly being scrolled and refreshed.
Looking at the news after that one, Xia Yao's blood flowed backwards to his lungs, his head nearly exploding. Extraordinary!
"Some netizens have exposed several photos, which show that the second generation official is very close to the director of Zong Heng Co.. They were spotted living together on various occasions. Some people in Chaoyang District have also come forward to state that they saw a black vehicle parked by the road shaking rigorously from the force inside. Although the released photos are not clear, the silhouettes still indicate that both of them are male, suspected to be Yuan Zong and the mysterious official."
Xia Yao's stomach churned as he remembered Bao Zi stalking him. As it turns out that those ambiguous eyes, those ridiculous words, were just diversionary tactic used just for this moment.
After disclosing the relationship between Yuan Zong and Xia Yao, all the spearheads were then directed at the charity foundation set up by Yuan Zong's Company.
"According to the hotel, Zong Heng Security Consultant Co. Ltd. organised a high-end banquet for the opening ceremony. The drinks ordered were all Maotai. This is a group of photos of the participants. Netizens now question their purpose of the fund of its charity foundation."
"The Director of Zong Heng Consulting Co. Ltd. bought a private house shortly after the founding of the charity foundation. It further increases the suspicion of misappropriating the fund for private use."
"The property belongs to the second generation of the official. It is a luxury house of nearly 1000 square meters. It has a swimming pool, a private cinema and a gym. The estimated price is hundreds of millions of Chinese yuan."
"......"
An angry scream burst out from Xia Yao's lips.
The rowdy reporters outside immediately flared up.
"Excuse me, Mr. Yuan Zong, the voice coming from your room..."
"Can you disclose the information about the people who is living with you?"
"Is it that the referred secret second generation official on the internet?"
"......"
Three seconds later, all the interviewers were chased out.
Xia Yao buried himself in the blankets and covered the tablet computer firmly with his hands.
At this moment, more than three hours have passed since Yuan Zong and Xia Yao's intimate moment. All enthusiasm have been extinguished as a bitter chill seeps out from the crevices of Xia Yao's bones and rushed all over his body.
Yuan Zong reached out to Xia Yao and said, "Show me the computer."
Xia Yao shook his head.
Even though Yuan Zong was very irritated, he refrained from getting angry at Xia Yao.
"Be obedient, let me have a look."
Xia Yao tried hugging the laptop tighter, but it was eventually forcibly taken away by Yuan Zong.
After reading them one by one, Yuan Zong neglected the discrediting news about his company and asked Xia Yao directly, "Did you take dozens of people to the Panther Guard to vandalize them?"
At this point, Xia Yao knew he can't hide it anymore, and can only nod his head...
"Why?" Yuan Zong asked.
Xia Yao knew he couldn't say it was to take revenge for Yuan Ru's unsuccessful kidnap, because Yuan Zong would lose his sanity.
"Because Bao Zi is not pleasing to my eyes," Xia Yao finally replied.
Yuan Zong pressed, "Why is he not pleasant?"
Xia Yao replied in an annoyed tone, "Can you like stop asking me? I just don't like him, what other reason is needed?"
Suddenly, Yuan Zong dragged Xia Yao up in front of him and hugged him fiercely
Xia Yao felt Yuan Zong's intense heartbeat and suddenly felt a strange sense of distress.
"It's all right." Xia Yao reassured Yuan Zong. "We are grasshoppers tied together to a rope. Whatever happens, we share the burden. Plus I'm no useless punk, I'll be by your side even when the sky falls."
Yuan Zong's real concern, however, was not towards this.
Xia Yao felt Yuan Zong's unusual mood and pushed him aside and asked, "Don't tell me you are gonna push me aside at this moment of time and face everything alone?"
Yuan Zong asked in a deep voice, "How would you explain this to your parents?"
As Xia Yao became aware of this problem, his face became somewhat ashen.
"That's all right. I'll find an excuse to divert attention first. If I can't hide it anymore longer then I will lay all my cards on the table [1]."
[1] 摊牌- to lay one's card on the table; meaning be completely open and honest; confess
Xia Yao's resolute eyes pierce into Yuan Zong's heart like a knife
"Well, go to bed first. We can talk about this tomorrow," Yuan Zong said.
Xia Yao, without any difficulty, took Yuan Zong's arm and emphasized vigorously, "This is the time when we need to act as one. If you decide to kick me out, you are not a real man."
Yuan Zong nodded, "Okay, now sleep."
Xia Yao still couldn't sleep, so Yuan Zong massaged his back and he soon fell into a fitful sleep.
The next day, as soon as Xia Yao returned to his unit he was summoned by his leader.
"Your mother came to me today and your father also called me. Your uncle suggested that you take a few days off first because it's not just a small matter. Now in this society, second generation officials is a sensitive vocabulary. But we all believe you have your reasons, and uncle believes that you will soon be able to make everything right."
When Xia Yao returned to his office, he had expected Xiao Hui and Zhang Tian to look at him with different eyes, but not only did they have no such intentions, they also joked around with him.
"We never really understood why Yuan Zong always sent food to our office. There's a saying that goes: there's no such thing as a free lunch So if you ever need something to be clarified or to be thoroughly checked, we buddies will be duty-bound to you."
Tian Yan Qi has been busy contacting lawyers to deal with rowdy reporters since dawn. By afternoon, he was physically drained and has almost turned into a muddy paste, with his voice hoarse from speaking too much.
Later on, when he finally couldn't deal with the pressure anymore, he went to find Yuan Zong and told him, "At this time, deleting and shielding negative extremities is not the best way at all. If we get rid of something here, another one will show up somewhere else. A new problem arises before the old is solved. Even if we clean all the mainstream media, there are still posts, forums and micro-blogs, these autonomous communication platforms are something we are forbidden to mess with.
Yuan Zong already had his mind made up, "I don't care about our company. Any reports involving Xia Yao, I want you to figure out how to get rid of them for me."
"But he's involved with us. If you throw him out of it, our problem will never be solved. I think the best way is to clarify everything properly to the public. We have the heart of the media already. As long as a good spokesperson responds to it, the problem will not be as serious as it is now."
"I agree!"
Xia Yao suddenly appeared out of thin air and went to stand between them.
"You don't have to consider the impact on me personally, no one would dare to expose my name on my territory!"
Tian Yan Qi also agreed on the side-line, "Exactly, their main purpose is not to target officer Xia, otherwise they will have already released officer Xia's true identity. If we blindly evade everything, it is likely that we will give up the best solution to opportunities which could result in irreparable losses."
Yuan Zong still only have one word in mind, "Destroy!"
Xia Yao became anxious. "What's wrong with letting me clarify everything? The impact on me is next to nothing! But if I was to leave, do you know how bad the impact on your company could be? Do you know how to weigh the possible gains and losses?"
Yuan Zong's face showed no change, his attitude was still determined.
Out of nowhere, a wave of ferocious strength surged through Xia Yao as he dragged Yuan Zong up and out the door right in front of Tian Yan Qi's face.
"I am fucking getting involved with this matter whether you like it or not!"
***********
168. Returning home
Translator: VnVn19
Editor: anhnguyen12332
Xia Yao was desperately claiming for justice, only to be slapped on his butt.
"What's that fuss?" Yuan Zong threw him a harsh glare.
Xia Yao kept chattering with his flushed face, "I am being serious, don't talk to me with that tone of yours. In terms of identity, I am your husband anyway, remember?"
The entire floor was awfully quiet in the next blink of an eye. Xia Yao and Yuan Zong were standing at the doorway of the office. Many employees were bustling inside but froze once the mere sentence was said aloud.
At that moment, people were still busy with their work until they froze and looked around indistinctly with a universal shock.
"Does this happen to be true?"
"How about xiao Tian?"
"Right, how about xiao Tian?"
Tian Yan Qi seemed slightly flustered, "Get back to work already. This isn't the time to gossip around!"
Yuan Zong dragged Xia Yao into the car to continue their serious conversation.
Xia Yao said, "Do you really consider me a woman within your care? That feeding me each day and sleeping with me each night is enough?"
"You're harder to please than any woman." Yuan Zong lit a cigarette, "With other women, I can just take out my guns and wrap everything up after two rounds, but I have to serve you a few more times."
Xia yao was so frustrated that his face turned red, "Why are you still talking shit, especially at this moment?"
Yuan Zong smoked without being bothered.
"You are underestimating me, to you, I'm just a buddy for you to talk crap with." Xia Yao said, his voice gradually lowered. "In your heart, xiao Tian is the only one who is competent enough. Only him can accompany you."
Yuan Zong swung the cigarette, and remained silent.
Xia Yao was triggered, "He doesn't even belong to the company, from where does he get the guts to butt into our company's business? This is obviously something which concerns me, yet you still try to cast me aside?"
Yuan Zong never revealed a flash of emotion.
Xia Yao became all grumpy, "If you want to keep silent like this, let's break up, so that you are free to be with xiao Tian."
Yuan Zong suddenly reached forward, pull the upper body of Xia Yao closer, dropping his yet-to-burn- out cigarette. He squeezed Xia Yao's buttocks in his palms, which were as hard as a pliers, to the point Xia Yao started to squeak out of pain, his veins rose beneath his nape.
"I told you to not bring up the word 'break up' whenever you please, did I not?"
Xia Yao was frustrated, "Take your hands off me, it hurts..."
Yuan Zong threatened him using the eyes of a predator, "Will you ever repeat that word or not?"
Xia Yao couldn't stand it, so he gave in, "I won't, let go of me..."
As Yuan Zong released his hand from Xia Yao, he was insanely attacked. The two of them loudly fought until Xia Yao pouted and Yuan Zong embraced him in his arms.
Xia Yao criticized, "I wasn't, you know, trying to annoy you, I'm just afraid you are pushing yourself too hard by dealing with all of this alone. Sometimes, it is joy and a sense of glory to work with you. I feel proud being able to help Mr. Yuan."
"If I can't even handle these trivial problems, then how can I even chase after officer Xia?" Yuan Zong prodded.
"I know you can handle it, but of all the ways it can be solved, why don't you choose the easiest way? I won't talk about other cases, but this time it involves me directly. I can't just ignore it. If this spreads to the ears of strangers, where goes the name of gong zi Xia?"
Yuan Zong was unable to resist Xia Yao's charms, hence ended up nodding responsively. A bright grin appeared on Xia Yao's face like he just got a burden off his shoulder, and he cheerfully swung his feet.
Yuan Zong tilted his head to look at the younger man, "I'm taking you to the battlefield, not a prostitute house, why are you so happy?"
"It is my grand honor to accompany Mr. Yuan to the battlefield!"
Yuan Zong, on the contrary to his enthusiasm, felt dull. As if his heart was being penetrated by an electric drill, bleeding constantly.
They were both at the company when Xia Yao's phone rang
"Go home."
Those simple words managed to spoil the cheerful mood earlier.
Xia Yao told Yuan Zong, "Come home with me, would you?"
"Why?" Yuan Zong looked at Xia Yao nervously.
Xia Yao winced, "I fear that my mom would lock me up inside."
Yuan Zong nodded.
On their way back, Xia Yao, sitting at the front passenger seat, flickered his eyes shut and open as he murmured along the scripted speech he was supposed to give at the upcoming press conference. His small lips were alluring as he words floated out.
Yuan Zong had no idea how many times he had glanced at Xia Yao along the way home till he stopped the car at the doorway of his house. His breath grew dense like an unprecedented storm was waiting for him.
Unexpectedly, Xia Yao's mother was only shocked for a split second when she opened the door and saw the two of them together before letting them in.
Xia Yao struggled to inhale, carefully taking his shoes off.
Mother Xia opened her mouth first, "Yuan Zong, come to the reading room with me for a while."
Xia Yao couldn't hide his anxiety, "Mom, what are you planning to do? Can't you have an open conversation with the three of us?"
"None of your business."
After that, she entered the room. Yuan Zong closely followed her, only looking back to give Xia Yao a silent reassuring look.
Xia Yao, who was extremely nervous, waited outside. More than 20 minutes later, they both came out. Their expression remained calm and relaxed. There wasn't a single sign of conflict.
Xia Yao dragged Yuan Zong to one corner, taking advantages of his mother heading to the kitchen, "What did you say to my mom?"
"Only facts."
Xia Yao was astonished, "My mom would..."
"I only said that these articles were not true. Didn't mention anything about us."
Xia Yao let out a deep sigh. It's better to avoid dealing with everything simultaneously, anyway. Otherwise, the whole situation would be tough to handle.
Yuan Zong then stayed and made dinner, with the help of Xia Yao and his mother.
"I took leave at the unit," Xia Yao said.
Mrs. Xia nodded along, "I know. I asked your superior to accept your sick-leave request."
"Mom, you know me well. I'm also not in the mood for working."
Mrs. Xia smiled uneasily as she washes the veggies.
As usual, the three of them sat together around the dinner table and talked trivial about things. Each was conscious that the recent mess shouldn't be brought up. It turned out to be a hospitable meal.
Xia Yao told Mrs. Xia, "Mom, the lotus at his company have already bloomed. it can be dug and brought home by now."
Mrs. Xia pretended to not hear that.
"Mom!" Xia Yao called.
Only then did Mrs. Xia come to her senses. She smiled, "Oh yes, we can have lotus rice again."
In the evening, Mrs. Xia invited Yuan Zong to stay the night as usual. Xia Yao and Yuan Zong lay down in bed, next to each other.
It wasn't until Xia Yao rolled himself up in the blanket that he finally voiced his anxiety.
"That scared the life out of me! I really thought my mom would cut me in half with a fine blade!" Xia Yao breathed.
Yuan Zong stroked the corner of his eyes, replying half-heartedly: "Your mother is a woman of strong will. She nags you about insignificant things only because she worries about you. This incident, she will go silent to avoid any inconvenience towards you."
Xia Yao nodded. Something crossed his mind so he grabbed the laptop.
"What are you doing?" Yuan Zong was about to stop him.
Xia Yao pushed his hand away, "Nothing at all, I just want to look up some new headlines, so that I wouldn't make a fool of myself at the press conference."
Xia Yao began to review what he had said on the car. He made up several expressions for the same sentence, repeating it back and forth. When it reached a certain fluency, he would speak it in front of Yuan Zong and ask for his feedback.
"Give me a little more time to review, I will recite the speech in front of you once. Then we can 'light the firecracker'," Xia Yao grinned.
Yuan Zong gave him a weak smile in response, "Fine, I'll wait for you."
In the end, Xia Yao couldn't resist the sleepiness. Before he could memorize a sheer page of his speech, he was already nicely falling asleep. Yuan Zong laid the laptop aside, then dearly kissed him in the face numerous times. Xia Yao didn't realize anything.
Suddenly, a knocking sound crashed against Yuan Zong's eardrums.
Mrs. Xia was standing at the door, carrying an incomparably abrasive look on her face.
Yuan Zong took out a handcuff from the drawer and cold-heartedly cuffed Xia Yao's wrist to the bed post. Xia Yao, in his drowsy state, held Yuan Zong's hand back. Yuan Zong reacted instantly by gently scratching his back. Xia Yao soon fell asleep, yet again. Yuan Zong shivered.
"Cuffing his hand this way so that..." Yuan Zong begged her with his lowered voice, "...so that he can flip over."
She jerked up her chin, as if implying 'feel free to do so'.
Yuan Zong kept staring at Xia Yao with a determination filled gaze until he got off the bed, stepping to face Mrs. Xia.
His sheer will shown, "Auntie, even if I lose everything, I will erase each and every trail of Xia Yao's appearance in this incident."
As soon as words came out, he left.
Xia Yao didn't wake up until it passed 9 am the following day. He looked around, searching for Yuan Zong the moment he opened his eyes, but found no one. He picked up the phone to check the time. Fuck! Why did no one wake me up?
As he was about to get up, he felt something tightening at his wrist. His pupil damn near cracked upon seeing that.
"Yuan Zong, you bastard! Fuck you!"
He screamed and went to stand up, but the handcuff hitched him back to the bed.
***********
My heart (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Here are some pictures to lighten up the mood (• ε •)
Love,
Ann ❤️