TAMW CH64

Deng Yongquan frantically packed the Young Master’s luggage, asking in a hushed whisper, “What has come over you? Why the sudden rush home? This year’s studies aren’t even finished…”

“Stop bothering me, hurry up. If we miss this ship, you can take the next one yourself.”

With that, Zhou Xiao burst out the door in a desperate rush.

“Young Master, wait for me—!” Laden with bags and bundles, Deng Yongquan stumbled after him and scrambled into the car.

Zhou Xiao had already been laid to rest alongside Yuqing in their shared coffin. Perhaps the heavens had taken pity on a lifetime of good deeds and granted him a second chance at life; right now, he was eighteen again.

He had to return home immediately. He had to see Yuqing.

He had spent too many years by Yuqing’s side; trapped in this eighteen-year-old body, the separation was agonizing. He had to find Yuqing.

During the month-long voyage from France back to China, he had nearly gone mad with longing. He didn’t even have a single date pit in his pocket to remember his wife by—no jasmine flowers, nothing at all…

In his past life, he and Yuqing had loved each other deeply until their dying days; when had they ever truly been apart?

Deng Yongquan trembled with fear throughout the journey. The Young Master’s temper had always been volatile, but during this voyage, he locked himself in his cabin day and night, refusing to see anyone. Aside from meal times, a ghostly, mournful wailing could constantly be heard from his room.

The ship was haunted.

Deng Yongquan ventured, “Young Master, you’ve grown thin these past weeks. Whatever is the matter?”

Hearing that he had grown thin, Zhou Xiao hurriedly touched his face. “Has my appearance changed? Have I grown ugly? Do I look old?”

“Ah?” Deng Yongquan was taken aback. Why was the Young Master suddenly so concerned with his looks?

The Young Master was a man of modern progressive ideals. As a man, he had never cared for appearances, often declaring that establishing a career was paramount for a man.

Yet now, abandoning the newly built factory in France, he insisted on rushing back to Baizhou for reasons unknown.

After nearly a month at sea, Zhou Xiao finally arrived in Baizhou.

Disembarking, they hadn’t notified the Zhou estate in advance, so no one came to meet them. By the time they reached the compound, white mourning silk was draped everywhere, casting a desolate pall over the grounds. The servant sweeping the entrance froze upon seeing them, squinting to recognize the man before him, then immediately dropped to his knees, wailing, “Young Master!”

“Who died?”

“It’s the First Madam, the Madam—she’s gone!” The servant was born into the estate; with a master dead, it was his duty to cry. Assuming the Young Master had rushed back for the funeral, he knelt in a show of loyalty.

Zhou Xiao’s face darkened. Dead? Good riddance, he thought. Brushing past the man, he hurried inside, where the air was thick with the sounds of weeping.

In truth, Zhou Xiao had no idea how the First Madam had died. In his past life, by the time he received the letter, she had already been buried. He hadn’t cared then, and he certainly didn’t care now.

The First Madam had drowned in the backyard of the Zhou estate.

According to the servants, ever since the Young Master left home, the Master had taken in an adopted son, which had driven the Madam half-mad. Over a few short years, her madness worsened. The official story was that she had suffered a manic episode and fallen into a well.

“The Young Master has returned—!”

“Quick, inform the Master!”

“Young Master!” Seeing him return, Butler Deng’s eyes also grew red. “You’re back…”

Zhou Xiao paid them no mind, striding straight into the main hall, which was bustling with noise. The First Madam’s relatives refused to accept the story, arguing that a perfectly healthy person couldn’t just die like that; they demanded answers.

Some wept, others shouted.

Amidst the clamoring crowd, the daughter born of the First Madam saw him enter. Weeping, she cried, “Remembering the grace with which Mother raised you, now that you are back, you must seek justice for her… Ever since Father took him in, this house has been thrown into chaos…”

Zhou Xiao set down his luggage, standing at the threshold. A coffin rested in the center of the ancestral hall. A slender figure stood with his back to him, his long hair cascading down, a strip of white mourning cloth tied around his forehead. He held ghost money in his hand, tossing it into the brazier.

“My mother’s affairs need no hypocritical mourning from you!” the elder sister spat.

Zhou Xiao held no affection for this sister. She was soon to be married off, and with half the family’s finances now managed by this man named Ruan Yuqing, she wanted to make a scene but feared her dowry would suffer. All she could do was weep and beg Zhou Xiao to take charge.

Their father clearly favored the adopted son, so she pinned her hopes on her younger brother. In her memory, Zhou Xiao was a timid, cowardly puppet raised by her mother.

Frowning slightly, Zhou Xiao bypassed his sister and ordered servants to escort her out.

The noisy ancestral hall fell instantly silent.

Zhou Xiao’s leather shoes echoed slowly as he stepped inside. The figure with his back to him did not move. He stood with serene composure before the ancestral tablets, as if declaring his sovereignty to the newly arrived Zhou Xiao—this was his, Ruan Yuqing’s, territory.

This year, Yuqing was only twenty-one.

Perhaps sensing someone behind him, he took his time burning the last of the ghost money before rising slowly.

The twenty-one-year-old Yuqing appeared even more slender. Having been nourished by Master Zhou for only a few years, his complexion was just beginning to improve; his palm-sized face was flushed warm from the brazier’s heat.

Dressed in a stark white gown, he turned around. His raven-black lashes lowered slightly, his gaze fixed on Zhou Xiao’s leather shoes. With polite deference, he bowed his head slightly: “Yuqing greets the Young Master.”

Yuqing…

Zhou Xiao’s heart hammered against his ribs. He had never seen this Yuqing before.

This Yuqing, having been sheltered for only two years, still held a trace of youthful greenness, yet his soul seemed already mature. His tone carried a gentle grace, resembling… a butterfly just emerging from its chrysalis, its bones and flesh newly formed—soft, vulnerable, and currently facing a thousand pointing fingers within the Zhou estate.

And that old bastard Zhou was playing dead again.

The old man treated Yuqing terribly, and no one knew the First Madam’s vicious nature better than Zhou Xiao.

Surviving under her thumb these past few years could not have been easy for Yuqing.

“Why isn’t Zhou Yuzhang here to protect you?” he asked.

Yuqing’s brow furrowed slightly, clearly displeased by Zhou Xiao addressing their father by his full name.

Starved of affection since childhood and never sheltered by his own father, having the Master provide him with food, clothing, and an education were, to Yuqing’s eyes, monumental acts of grace.

Desperate for love, he repaid it like a surging spring, though Zhou Yuzhang was entirely unworthy of it.

“The Master is consumed with grief over the First Madam’s passing and could not bear to attend the rites. Yuqing is acting in his stead. This should rightfully be the Young Master’s duty, but knowing you were abroad, Yuqing was temporarily entrusted with the task. Now that the Young Master has returned, my duty is fulfilled.” Yuqing had no intention of relinquishing the authority he held over the young master’s duties.

He had no idea why Zhou Xiao had come home.

Had he known, he would have dispatched men to the docks to assassinate him long ago. How could he have let him reach the estate alive…?

Had he known the First Madam’s death would bring him back, he wouldn’t have let her die so soon!

Resentment flared in Yuqing’s chest, a fleeting glint of dissatisfaction and deep-seated grievance flashing in his eyes.

Zhou Xiao caught it all. He knew Yuqing must have been brainwashed by that old bastard; Yuqing was probably calculating how to kill him right now.

But if he wanted to kill him, didn’t that prove that even before he returned, Yuqing often fantasized about his face? Desperately wishing to take his place?

At that thought, Zhou Xiao suddenly worried whether his month at sea had compromised his handsome features, fearing he might not dazzle Yuqing at first sight.

Back then, Yuqing had only slept with him for the sake of an heir…

Right. Aside from his youth, there was one other asset he possessed that was truly spectacular.

Zhou Xiao said, “With you acting in my stead, I am at ease.”

“What?” Yuqing froze, looking up in sheer bewilderment. “You are at ease? We have only just met…”

He had assumed he would have to maneuver carefully. This was the Master’s biological son; now that he had returned home, Yuqing couldn’t act rashly and would need a long-term plan… But why was this man entirely unconcerned with Yuqing usurping his place right off the bat?

What Yuqing desired most now was the status of a Zhou family member; he wanted to belong to the Zhou clan.

As Yuqing looked up in confusion, he suddenly caught the look in Zhou Xiao’s eyes—a gaze brimming with admiration and tender affection. Yuqing couldn’t help a cold, inward scoff. I see.

He was just a lecherous rogue captivated by his looks.

“Father brought you into our home; naturally, he trusts you.”

Yuqing narrowed his eyes slightly, then docilely lowered his gaze. “Yes. I thank the Young Master for his high regard.”

He had expected Zhou Xiao to be a formidable adversary, never imagining him to be such a spineless fool who couldn’t even tear his eyes away from his face upon their first meeting.

Yuqing mused, letting out a soft, inward huff: If I can bring him to heel as a pawn beneath my skirts, Father will surely hand the Zhou estate to him in the future. Securing him means securing the Zhou estate.

Yuqing plotted carefully in his mind.

Zhou Xiao cast a perfunctory glance around. Servants bustled about, managing the First Madam’s funeral rites. Since Yuqing wanted the status of a young master, he was more than welcome to it.

That evening, after washing up, Yuqing returned to his room, only to find that Zhou Xiao had already unpacked his luggage and hung his clothes inside the wardrobe alongside his own.

Yuqing’s hair was not yet fully dry, hanging loose over his shoulders.

Zhou Xiao was busy sorting his clothes. Twenty-one-year-old Yuqing was still so young, younger even than when they had married.

He had seen little of the world, his thoughts still easily read on his face. When he encountered something he didn’t understand, he would tilt his head slightly, remaining silent until he had worked it out before speaking.

Just like now. Yuqing asked in confusion, “Young Master, there is only one bed here. I fear it will inconvenience you. Perhaps it would be better to…”

“This was originally my room, Ruan Yuqing. Now that I have returned, you refuse to make space?” Zhou Xiao deliberately sat on the bed, adopting an arrogant tone.

Yuqing knew he was a spoiled dandy; without using a few tricks, the man would never be brought to heel.

Now that the true Young Master had returned, what did his status as an adopted son amount to?

If he didn’t capture him, would everything he had fought so hard to gain have to be handed back?

Yuqing refused to accept that. Narrowing his eyes, he walked slowly toward Zhou Xiao.

Having just bathed, he hadn’t yet put on his inner trousers.

“Then, I must trouble you.” Yuqing handed him a jar of body balm.

The balm contained warming herbs. Yuqing had suffered from a frail constitution and cold extremities since childhood; applying this balm after a bath helped his body warm up faster, carrying the scent of jasmine. “The Young Master occupies half the bed; Yuqing cannot stretch his legs out to apply it.”

Yuqing stepped onto the edge of the bed, planting his foot precisely between Zhou Xiao’s legs. His bare calf was exposed, the pale skin gleaming under the dim candlelight, as smooth and flawless as melted white wax.

Zhou Xiao had always believed that what drew him to Yuqing was the mature allure of being three years his senior.

But with this single sentence, he realized his infatuation was not merely with Yuqing’s maturity, but with the innate, intoxicating gravity the man possessed.

He wanted nothing more than to embrace that calf and cry out, ‘Qingqing!’

But just as he reached out to touch his leg, Yuqing’s expression turned frosty. He pulled his leg back, seemingly repulsed by the contact. “Young Master, do you touch just anyone?”

Zhou Xiao shook his head: “I have never courted anyone. As the sole heir of the Zhou family, it is my duty to carry on the lineage. In the future, I will marry a virtuous wife; my virginity is being saved for her.”

Yuqing glanced sideways at his trousers. The fabric of his tailored suit was tented so fiercely there wasn’t a single crease—it was more glaring than when Xiao’er, the dog in the backyard, went into heat. And he dared claim it was his first time?

Yet looking at Zhou Xiao’s face, his expression was completely earnest, devoid of any trace of deceit.

The corner of Yuqing’s mouth twitched…

He was… utterly shameless!

“Then you had best save your status for your wife as well.” Yuqing turned, preparing to leave.

“The old man said the Zhou estate will be mine. Whoever marries me will receive the Zhou estate. Yuqing, who do you think my wife will be?”

Yuqing thought: Who cares? What does it have to do with me?

Tomorrow, I’ll shove you into the pond to drown just like the First Madam, and we’ll see if you’re still barking then! Clutching the title of Young Master—what is there to be so smug about?

Resentment flared in Yuqing’s heart. He already despised this arrogant, unknown Young Master, and now the man dared to flaunt his status before him.

Useless to the family business, yet he dared use the Zhou estate to threaten him? Dared return to snatch the inheritance?

Empty-handed, yet expecting to catch a wolf. Yuqing gritted his teeth, resolving never to let him have his way.

“Do you want to be my wife?” Zhou Xiao asked as Yuqing reached the door. Yuqing’s steps faltered, and he heard him continue, “As long as you become my wife, I promise you, everything the Zhou family owns will be yours—the estate, the port, the railway…”

Yuqing’s brow twitched. He turned back suddenly to look at him. “You know Jiang Sui?”

Jiang Sui already knows him at this point? Zhou Xiao seethed inwardly, cursing himself for arriving too late.

“As long as you are willing, just nod. What do you say?”

Yuqing didn’t believe this man could be so generous. Wasn’t he just lusting after his looks? He had seen lecherous rogues like this before; they were utterly repulsive.

Yuqing smiled, turning back and walking toward him. Moving to unfasten his collar, he asked, “Does the Young Master want a wife, or does he want my body?”

If Zhou Xiao dared try anything, he would drown him today, telling his father that the Young Master, in his profound filial piety, had followed the First Madam to the grave.

Seeing Yuqing revert to lowering his own dignity again, Zhou Xiao’s heart ached. He decided to stop teasing him; Yuqing was still young, and enraging him further might harm his health.

He reached out and stopped Yuqing’s hand. “To take a wife is not merely to take a body. I am not a man governed by lust. I only see that Yuqing’s frame is frail. Father brought you into this house, naturally recognizing your worth. I care not what others say. Father is advancing in years; he cherishes you, but when he is gone, you will need someone to continue cherishing you, won’t you?”

“Button it back up. I do not want this,” Zhou Xiao said.

Yuqing asked, “Then what do you want?”

Zhou Xiao looked rather mysterious: “There is actually something I desire.”

With a beaming smile that met Yuqing’s bewildered gaze, he produced a candied date. “The servants told me you dislike bitter medicine. Have a sweet date to wash the taste away—how about it?”

“Just…”

He had tangled with him all this time… just to coax him into eating a date?

Yuqing froze. Looking into his earnest, puppy-like, sparkling eyes, he found himself inexplicably licking his lips. “Just this?”

“Did you take your medicine just now?”

Yuqing shook his head.

“Perfect timing. Eat it quickly.” Zhou Xiao held it out to his lips, then cupped his palm beneath his chin. “I’ll catch the pit for you.”