“I choose the second.”
It was not a hard choice.
Survival is a human instinct, and he was only twenty-eight years old, far from the age to see through life and death.
As long as he could keep his life, what did it matter if he lost everything? At worst, they could kick him out of the Chu family, erase his identity, and leave him penniless on the streets. Such a life might be tough, but it was still better than death. At least staying alive meant there was still a future.
Chu Yunhan, who had returned from the hell gate, finally breathed a sigh of relief. When he stood up, he found that his legs were a little weak. He followed Chu Yichen out of the private room and saw Tang Shaocheng leaning on the corridor. The two people’s eyes met, and each saw surprise in the other’s eyes.
Tang Shaocheng’s eyes darkened. He adjusted his expression and greeted Chu Yichen with a smile, “Young Master Chen, here for some fun as well?”
“Had some free time today, thought I’d drop by.” Chu Yichen replied. The Tang family had developed quite well in logistics in recent years, and since the two sides had cooperated before, they knew each other.
“After all, you are the most charming. No matter how much I try to win him over, this Ah Zhou guy doesn’t give me the slightest chance, let alone make an appearance.”
These words made Chu Yunhan’s eyebrows jump. This guy was actually acting jealous at this time. He glanced at Chu Yichen secretly, and seeing that the other party was calm, he did not dare to speak rashly, so he could only remain silent.
“He doesn’t often appear in public, so General Tang may not have recognised him. This is my brother Chu Yunhan.” The man said slowly, “A while ago, he made some mistakes and was punished by being made to work as a waiter in his own place to experience life. Speaking of which, I must thank General Tang for looking after him these past few months.”
Brother?
Tang Shaocheng was stunned, and it took him a long time to return to his senses. The person he had been chasing for so long was actually the eldest young master of the Chu family, and countless ‘no wonders’ suddenly filled his heart. No wonder his manners were impeccable, his taste refined, and he wouldn’t accept any gifts or give him the time of day. A cold sweat broke out immediately. He had actually tried to get this young master into bed… He quickly recalled if there had been any actions or words that might have offended the young master and hurriedly said, “I truly had no idea. If I have offended Young Master Yun in any way, it was completely unintentional. I sincerely hope Young Master Yun won’t take it to heart.” After all, the Chu family was not like any other business partner; offending them could lead to serious trouble.
Chu Yunhan did not expect that Chu Yichen would reveal his identity so straightforwardly, but since he was given the script, he could only act according to it and said perfunctorily, “Not at all. It’s rare to meet a friend like General Tang—consider it one of the gains from this life experience.”
Only now did Tang Shaocheng get a good look at him. His skin was fair, with brown hair, double eyelids, and long eyelashes. Beneath his slanting eyebrows, his deep-set eyes seemed to hold a hidden allure. His face, flushed with a peachy hue from the alcohol, was undeniably handsome. Such a face, unfortunately, belonged to someone untouchable—it truly was a pity, he sighed inwardly. But he was a man who knew when to hold back; once he identified a danger zone, he would never cross the line. As for the stains of spilt wine on Chu Yunhan, he naturally wouldn’t ask any more questions about their origin.
Three identical black Mercedes-Benzes were already waiting at the door of Lihao. Fortunately, he didn’t have to sit in the same car as Chu Yichen. Chu Yunhan leaned on the back seat and breathed a sigh of relief. When he saw the person clearly in the passenger seat, he was stunned.
“…Uncle Yang?”
“Young Master.” Yang Lin turned around and spoke rather awkwardly.
“Are you okay? He didn’t do anything to you, right?” He asked anxiously. Lihao’s supervisor was Yang Lin. Finding himself here was tantamount to intentionally hiding him. This was a serious crime in the meeting, and he was very worried about Yang Lin’s safety.
“Young Master Yun, I’m truly sorry…” Yang Lin spoke with his head lowered, his voice choked and faltering. “I wanted to help you; I was always trying to find a way, but then I slipped up, and Hei Yu discovered some clues… If I continued to hide it, I wouldn’t have lasted much longer. So… I’m not afraid to die, but my family—they all depend on me… I had no choice, that’s why I…”
Told them the truth.
Even Yang Lin, whom he regarded as his last resort, had turned to the other side. At the end of this pursuit and escape game, what trump card did he have left?
Chu Yunhan sat stiffly and was silent for a long time before speaking, “When did he know about it?”
“About a month ago.”
So it turned out he had been exposed long ago, even earlier than he had anticipated. Chu Yichen had already made it clear that there was a connection between himself and Tang Shaocheng, which meant he had been under surveillance for some time. The fact that they waited until today to make a move against him was likely because they wanted to see if he could stir up any more trouble. Thinking of this, he felt a tightness in his chest, a suffocating discomfort.
“Eldest Young Master, the Second Master has kept your matter under wraps, and only a few senior executives in the company know about it. After all, you are brothers; he will surely forgive you…”
“Stop talking.” He leaned back on his seat tiredly and closed his eyes. He knew in his heart that Chu Yichen asked Yang Lin to appear here just to let him understand that he had betrayed his relatives and had no one to rely on. If he wanted to live a good life, he had to obey.
Was there really nothing left?
He clenched the fist hanging at his side.
No one spoke in the car, and the atmosphere was heavy and tense. Chu Yunhan looked out at the fleeting lights and shadows outside the window and suddenly recalled a fairy tale his mother told him many years ago. In the story, a circus trapped all the homeless animals in a huge cage, dragging them along as they wandered and performed. Eventually, a bard came to their rescue. At that moment, he felt like one of those lost animals, confined in a small cage, hastening towards an unknown destination in the night.
But where was the bard who could save him?
He closed his eyes tiredly and stopped trying to read the road signs. No matter what Chu Yichen wanted to do to him, it was just a matter of dealing with challenges as they came and protecting himself as best as he could.
About half an hour later, the car came to a stop, revealing a familiar scene. A brightly lit traditional Chinese courtyard with a round archway leading to an exquisitely landscaped garden. Walking through the covered walkway and around a pool of jade-green water, one would find a three-story building with white walls and blue tiles.
Chu Yunhan looked up to the room on the right side of the third floor, and the wooden wind chime hanging on the wooden pane window made a faint sound in the night wind.
That was his room.
Or rather the room that once belonged to him.
This old Chu family residence was the place where he grew up. The old master of the Chu family enjoyed lively gatherings, so his sons raised all the children here. It wasn’t until they reached high school that each of them returned to their own homes. Even so, during holidays, everyone would come back, and they would meet frequently. Afterwards, when his father, Chu Qin, suddenly passed away from a heart attack, Chu Yunhan rarely came back. Meanwhile, after Chu Yichen was confirmed as the next family head, he continued to live in the old residence with both of his fathers.
Although the old man who sent off the young man with black hair did not speak of it, his spirit suffered as a result. He then passed away six months later. At the funeral, the two of them had black gauze wrapped around their arms and stood side by side with Min Ran on the side of the mourning hall. Jiahui’s suppressed crying could be heard behind them. No one spoke. From beginning to end, it was like two trees growing alone, hiding all their emotions in the tree holes, standing upright and silent.
That was the last official meeting between them. Two years later, Chu Yu retreated to seclusion for physical reasons. Chu Yichen officially took over the Chu family’s leadership and became the family’s head. Chu Yunhan graduated from university and held the title of director of several companies. He lived freely in the mountains and seas for a long time and made many friends. Chu Yichen called him back several times during this period, but he ignored them. It had been a long time since he returned to his hometown this time.
Chu Yunhan followed the man upstairs and opened the door. The furnishings in the room had not changed. On the table were the handmade motorcycle models he had made before and some photos he had taken when he was young. On the table were a used gamepad. The room was cleaned and spotlessly clean.
“You will live here starting today.” Chu Yichen only said this and left. Chu Yunhan sat for a while, then stood up and opened the wardrobe. On one side of the inside were the clothes he had worn and even a set of junior high school uniforms that he had left behind in the old house and forgotten to take away. On the other side were several sets of cotton home clothes, all of which were loose-fitting. They seemed to have been washed and were exactly the size he was wearing. He took a shower, washed the red wine off his body, and put on his clothes and slippers. However, he had no desire to sleep, so he went downstairs to take a stroll.
The night was deep, the moonlight serene, and the indigo sky dotted with twinkling stars. A thin layer of mist floated on the pond. He walked slowly along the path paved with pebbles by the edge of the pond. The wind rustled the drooping willows, brushing past his hair, sweeping across the water’s surface, creating delicate ripples. He was heading towards a pavilion not far away when he heard a rustling sound and stopped to find its source.
Suddenly, a huge black shadow stood up from the wall, scaring him so much that he took a step back. When he looked closely, he saw a big black dog looking at him warily, and he was suddenly frightened out of his wits.
Damn, I forgot there was this guy by the pond!
“T-thor…” He was afraid of dogs. When he was a child, despite warnings, he boldly tried to provoke a pregnant shepherd’s dog, and was knocked to the ground by a swipe of its paw. If the bodyguard hadn’t arrived in time, his arm would have been bitten to pieces. Since then, he has been afraid of dogs, especially large ones.
The big dog seemed to recognise his voice, relaxed its guard, and walked towards him with its tail wagging. “No, don’t come over! Don’t come over, don’t come over…” Chu Yunhan turned pale with fright, and his legs and feet became weak, and he kept backing up. Seeing that the dog was about to pounce, he turned around and ran away in a panic. “Here, help!” Before he could even shout out, he bumped into someone. The man was knocked back a step, clasped his wrist, and said in a deep voice, “Thor, stop!”
The big dog stopped behind him, stuck out its tongue, and barked softly.
Chu Yunhan’s whole body froze, and he barely recovered from the panic. He raised his eyes and saw the person coming. His face immediately turned red, and he whispered, “I…forgot it was here…” but couldn’t continue with the next sentence.
The distance was too close, so close that they were almost touching.
He backed away from the other person’s arms in embarrassment. He felt a hot and humid puff of air behind his back. It was obvious that he was about to hit the dog. His hair stood on end immediately, and he hid forward and pressed into the other person’s arms again.
Awkwardness squared1something like awkward2.
Chu Yichen looked at him indifferently, showing no intention of retreating to make way for him, nor did he ask the dog to leave. So Chu Yunhan was caught between the man and the dog, unable to move forward or retreat, and became a patty in the hamburger.
Embarrassing to the Nth power.
“Can… you make it go away first?” He lowered his head and asked. For some reason, he didn’t dare to look into the man’s eyes.
After a long silence, Chu Yichen finally said, “Thor, go back.”
The big dog looked at the two people and reluctantly returned to the kennel next to the wall to lie down. Chu Yunhan breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took a step back. In order to ease the embarrassment, he said something else, “It really listens to you.”
Chu Yichen let go of his wrist and said expressionlessly, “To me, an obedient dog has a value of existence. The same goes for people.”
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