“Why are you hiding here?” Jiahui asked in a small voice.
“What did Chu Yichen tell you?” He deleted the text messages on his phone and returned them to her.
“Chen ge said that you took over the company’s affairs and were sent to City C for a while. Then he mentioned that Auntie wanted to go to clear her mind, so she took me along.”
“My mother?!” Chu Yunhan was shocked, “…how did he find my mother?”
“‘Find’? What do you mean? Hasn’t Auntie been staying at the villa in the Beishan?”
Of course not. The day before the incident, he had Gray Wolf quietly pick up his mother from there and send her to a sanatorium in City H. The whole thing was done in extreme secrecy—how could Chu Yichen have tracked them down? Could it be that Gray Wolf’s men were being watched by him from the start? Did he know that Gray Wolf would betray him? Or perhaps he had already sensed his involvement in the matter? But if that were the case, how could he have been lured into the trap by just a phone call from him?
Seeing the confused look on Jiahui’s face, he couldn’t tell the whole story, so he could only ignore it and say, “It’s nothing. How is my mom’s mental state right now? Is her health okay? There weren’t any problems on the way, were there?”
“It’s good. Chen ge arranged this trip very thoughtfully. Auntie was very happy and was in a good mood along the way. To be honest, did you and Chen ge have a fight? Don’t cause trouble for him. He’s been overwhelmed with work, dealing with a ton of things every day, and it’s been a long time since we had a meal together. Oh, right, we went to Sweden…”
“Shh, keep your voice down.” Chu Yunhan interrupted her ramble and said, “Next, I need you to help me with a few things. I can’t explain the reasons right now, but I promise I’ll tell you everything later. For now, please don’t ask, alright?”
Jiahui saw his solemn expression and was a little at a loss, “…Okay, what’s the matter?”
“First, when you leave here later, make sure to avoid everyone. Act like you haven’t seen me and don’t know that I’m home.”
“Oh.” She suppressed her curiosity and agreed.
“Second, don’t show your cell phone to others. If a stranger calls me, tell him I’m at the Chu family’s old house.”
“Okay.”
“Third, help me take good care of my mother and find an excuse for Grandpa to send someone to pick her up and take her back to Zhou’s house.”
“But Auntie said that she was used to living in Beishan courtyard…”
“We have to leave there!” Chu Yunhan said anxiously.
Jiahui was taken aback by his attitude, but the two grew up together and trusted each other. Since it was something Chu Yunhan asked, there must be some reasons, so she nodded and said, “Alright, I understand.”
After Jiahui left, Chu Yunhan quietly slipped out of the storage room. He originally wanted to go all the way back, but he was caught by bodyguards on the way and escorted directly back to the room. As a result, in addition to being locked up and not allowed to leave the room, he was not given food for two whole days. Chu Yunhan felt that Chu Yichen was treating him like a pet, just like Thor. When Thor was obedient, it was allowed to walk around the yard; when guests arrived, it would be chained up, and only when it wagged its tail would it be fed. If it disobeyed, it would be left hungry.
He couldn’t live like this.
However, in this predicament, all he could do was wait. Like a trembling lion in a circus caravan, waiting for a minstrel willing to lend a hand.
Every morning, the sun slowly rose from the east, casting a red glow across the sky and making the black tiles on the roof glisten. At night, the daylight gradually faded, the sky darkened, and a crescent moon appeared alongside scattered stars. Time had never felt so slow before—so slow that it left a barren emptiness in his heart.
Chu Yunhan, who was bored, leaned against the window and stared at the sky all day long, anxiously waiting for the long-awaited response.
On the tenth day after Jiahui’s arrival, Chu Yichen informed him to attend an event with him.
——Shengjing Group’s charity dinner.
Upon hearing the news, Chu Yunhan’s heart beat wildly. He pretended to be disdainful and said, “It’s boring, I won’t go.”
“I thought that after being locked up for so long, you would want to go out for a walk.” The man raised his eyes and said, “If you don’t want to go, then forget it.”
It was as if a dull thunder had hit him, and he felt great regret. He hated himself for trying to die for no reason and stuttered, “Uh, it’s better to go out for a walk. It’s too boring at home.”
Chu Yichen looked at him for a while and said, “Go and change clothes.”
A dark blue formal suit was prepared for him. Chu Yunhan usually disliked colours that were too dark and always felt immature. At this moment, he was not in the mood to care about whether he looked good or not. His mind was in such a mess that he even tied his tie wrong several times.
He hadn’t chosen the wrong person; that guy was indeed reliable. Now, he could finally leave this cage, but what was the next step? What exactly were his plans? Everything was still unclear, and he could only proceed cautiously, step by step. The opportunity was hard-earned, so he had to be extremely careful.
In the back seat of the car, the two sat side by side, silently all the way. It wasn’t until they entered the venue that Chu Yichen said, “Outside, you are still the eldest son of the Chu family, so keep your mouth shut.”
“Don’t worry, I will be a puppet and not cause you any trouble.” He glanced at Bai Xiao, who was following him and spoke in a mocking tone.
These kinds of banquets were still so boring—people clustered in twos and threes, exchanging pleasantries, each expanding and solidifying their connections. Having been absent for a long time, he was immediately noticed by a few familiar young gentlemen as soon as he showed up, who were eagerly signalling him.
Chu Yunhan knew that they were afraid of Chu Yichen and could not come over to greet him, so it was inconvenient for him to come over and say hello. Unfortunately, he was now a ‘prisoner’ and couldn’t run over to hang out with them, so he had to pretend not to see them.
“It’s really rare for Chairman Chu’s to visit. It’s a glorious sight.” A voice was heard, and then a middle-aged man with a beard was seen striding towards them. He was the second son of Sheng Weiyong, the president of Shengjing Group, and the head of the Southeast Region—Sheng Guang.
A smile appeared on Chu Yichen’s face, and he extended his hand to shake hands with him, “How could a Chu be absent from Shengjing’s invitation?”
“I’ve always heard that Chairman Chu is handsome and dashing. When I saw you today, you were indeed extraordinary.” The one speaking was a young man standing behind him, dressed in a perfectly tailored white suit with a hint of roguishness in his smile. Chu Yunhan’s gaze fell on him, then awkwardly looked away, afraid that others might notice something amiss.
This man’s name was Sheng Ming. He was Sheng Guang’s biological younger brother, fifth in line. He was known as ‘Fifth Master’ down the road, and he also had the nickname ‘Gods Impossible to Save’, meaning that once this guy targeted you, even the Gods would have a hard time saving you.
The reason why they had this title was because the Sheng family also started out in the underworld, and their home base was in the north. In the past few years, there had been people in the court, and their claws had become deeper and longer, and they had reached K City. The newly opened nightclub in the south of the city was their property, and it had affected Lihao’s business to a certain extent.
Chu Yichen smiled lightly, “Thank you. Chairman xiao Sheng is a young talent with a bright future.”
After the show of mutual compliments was over, they began to take their seats. It was the same routine of soliciting donations that followed: a few children were brought on stage to tell their tragic stories, and some rare items were auctioned off. Business tycoons spent lavishly to show their generosity.
Chu Yunhan’s gaze kept drifting toward Sheng the fifth, so he decided to lower his head and focus on the wine glass in front of him. After sitting there for a while, he found an excuse to go to the restroom. Bai Xiao followed him to the door, and after Chu Yunhan made a round in the restroom without finding anything unusual, he began to feel anxious.
Was he actually planning to help him escape or not? This was the best opportunity, and who knew when the next chance would come… He sat on the toilet for a long time, waiting until Bai Xiao came in to find him before he emerged from the restroom with a frustrated expression. After that, he sat there like a puppet, completely detached from the performances on stage and the conversations happening around him, with no interest in paying attention.
Until the end of the banquet, there was no movement.
Hei Yu leaned next to Chu Yichen and whispered a few words. The man pondered for a moment and said, “I have something to do at the moment, so you go back first.”
Chu Yunhan and Bai Xiao got into the car and leaned back in the backseat with their eyes closed without saying a word. About ten minutes later, the driver suddenly made a sharp turn and stepped on the brakes, causing the entire car to slide out of a semicircle due to the huge inertial belt. His head hit the car window and broke, causing severe pain.
“Don’t move!” Bai Xiao looked stern and pulled out his gun neatly.
His head was dizzy, and there were stars in front of his eyes. Suddenly, he heard several gunshots coming from behind, and the tyres of the car went flat. Then Bai Xiao pulled him out of the car. He stumbled a few steps and finally stopped.
In front of him was a circle of men in black suits, all with guns in their hands.
“Who are you?” Bai Xiao lost his smile and asked gloomily.
“We just met, and you forgot so quickly?” A familiar voice rang, and the man in a white suit appeared leisurely in front of everyone with an extremely evil smile.
“…Sheng Fifth Master?” Bai Xiao protected Chu Yunhan behind him, “What do you want to do?”
“According to the cliché, it should be called… a hero saving the beauty.”
“What?” Before Bai Xiao could react, he was hit on the back of his neck, his vision went dark, and he fell to the ground. Immediately, a man in black stepped forward, grabbed the gun and held him down. Before Bai Xiao fainted, he gritted his teeth and struggled, “Chu Yunhan, you despicable villain!”
Chu Yunhan breathed heavily; it was he who had just made the move. The children of the Chu family had learned self-defence techniques from a young age to handle sudden dangers. This chop was one of the simplest ways to neutralise an opponent. Seeing someone raise a gun, he shouted urgently, “Don’t shoot him!” His agitation caused a sudden dizziness, and he almost collapsed to his knees.
“If you don’t want to kill, I won’t kill him. Why so anxious?” Sheng Ming held him in his arms. Seeing the wound on his head, he clicked his tongue twice, took out a handkerchief to hold the wound for him, and said with a smile, “It won’t look good if you have a scar, beautiful.”
“You damn near killed me.” He couldn’t help but curse.
“So you have to wear your seat belt when riding in the car.” Sheng Ming smiled, helped him get into his car, bent over and fastened his seat belt for him, and said, “No one will disturb you now, we can have a good talk.”
“What to talk about?”
“The reward for the hero who saved the beauty.”
Chu Yunhan’s heart sank and he said, “You are taking advantage of the situation.”
“Yeah.” He admitted readily, “I still know the matters of the underworld. Previously, there was a rebellion within Black Eagle’s ranks involving Grey Wolf, and then you disappeared without a trace. So, I suspect you were caught up in it. With no news of your death or appearance, it’s likely you were detained. After receiving your message, I became even more certain of this. Extracting you from Chu Yichen’s grasp is difficult. It’s not so much the act of intervention but the aftermath. Even if I manage it cleanly and he finds nothing, it’s easy for him to guess that the Sheng family is behind it.”
He looked at Chu Yunhan with a smile and said, “The Sheng family is in K City. The foundation is not yet stable. Dad warned us not to make enemies, yet I risked being hunted down by Dad and Chu the Second Master for you. Shouldn’t I ask for some reward?”
“What do you want?”
“You should know what I want.”
“…” Chu Yunhan avoided his gaze for a long time and said softly, “I’m really not…not gay…”
“You’ve escaped from the Chu family, but it will be hard for you to stay in K City. With Chu Yichen coverage all over the city, there won’t be any other safe place for you. Except with me.” Sheng Ming folded the handkerchief and put it in his hand, “I won’t deny that I’m taking advantage of the situation because I’ve never been a good person. I just know that this is the only and best chance for you to agree. Ever since we met three years ago, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity. I even volunteered to transfer to K City for you. If you agree, I’ll take you away from here—whether you want to go up north or abroad, it’s entirely up to you.”
Yes. Chu Yunhan knew Sheng the fifth’s thoughts clearly, and he was well aware of his preferences. During that chaotic first encounter, he had nearly been pinned down to the bed. He had kicked him to the ground, and from that fight, they had somehow become friends. Though they were called friends, Chu Yunhan still felt somewhat afraid of him. The way he looked at him was too intense and sometimes even made him feel as if he were stripped bare, so he later intentionally distanced himself from him.
He asked for help at this time because there was no way out and only this person could help him.
And the one that Sheng the fifth wanted—was him.
Men and men…he couldn’t accept it. But there was no other way now; he didn’t want to be locked up and waiting to die again. The only option was to agree first, run away from Chu Yichen and then make plans.
“Okay, I promise you.” Chu Yunhan said without confidence.
Sheng the Fifth seemed to have guessed that he would agree and smiled. He hooked his tie with his fingers, brought his face close to him, and said softly, “Then, be sure to pay a deposit first.” After that, he put his lips to his and opened his mouth to wrap his tongue.
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