TAMW CH21

Yuqing remained seated and did not move, merely pulling his heavy cloak tighter around himself to conceal his swollen abdomen.

The people walking in behind him entered a step later, and in the dim light, they did not clearly catch sight of his belly. But they had already shared skin-to-skin intimacy; how could Zhou Xiao not know exactly how slender and soft Ruan Yuqing’s waist was? It was small enough to wrap one’s hands around, looking as though a strong gust of wind could snap it at any moment.

Yuqing’s gaze drifted down through the wooden window of the private room. The play currently being performed on stage, Farewell My Concubine, was not to his liking. He wanted to watch The Butterfly Lovers. Frowning slightly, he clapped his hands. The owner of Xianxiang Restaurant, who had been waiting respectfully outside, immediately bowed his way in. “Boss, would you like to request a tune today?”

“Mhm.” Yuqing raised an eyebrow. Kneeling to the side massaging his legs, Zhao Fu pulled several silver dollars from his pocket as a tip.

The owner blew on a silver dollar, listening to its crisp ring, and his face instantly bloomed with joy. “The Butterfly Lovers again?”

Yuqing nodded, and the owner scurried off to make the arrangements. This Xianxiang Restaurant was a time-honored establishment in Baizhou City, dating back to the previous dynasty. As the owner of a famous restaurant known far and wide, what storms hadn’t he weathered? What kind of people hadn’t he seen? To put it bluntly, even if Boss Ruan himself came, the owner might not have fawned over him so eagerly. He wasn’t just after the silver dollars; he was clearly excited by the silver dollars Yuqing had touched, as if merely glancing at him could prolong one’s life.

“Please, sit. It is Yuqing who has failed to be a proper host.” He set down his hand warmer and slowly stood up with Zhao Fu’s support. His movements were visibly a bit clumsy.

They had been parted for half a year, and this belly…

“Are you the President of Qingming Bank?” Guo Zhengming stood frozen for a moment.

But Zhao Fu was quick with the cloak. The fleeting curve of Yuqing’s swollen abdomen was instantly covered as the loose, heavy garment wrapped the snow-pale man within.

“I am.” Yuqing’s wrist slipped out from the fabric. His long, straight eyelashes cast delicate shadows over his eyelids. When his gaze shifted, it seemed to carry an innate, arresting tenderness that made it impossible to look away.

Guo Zhengming was completely captivated, his eyes wide.

Yuqing, however, appeared utterly unfazed. His steps were slow and leisurely, carrying with him a waft of jasmine scent as he extended his hand. “I haven’t been feeling very well lately. Please excuse my lack of manners.” His eyes curved into a smile.

Even though Guo Zhengming was merely the middleman, he couldn’t resist the urge to cup Yuqing’s hand with both of his own. “You’re too polite, too polite…”

“What’s there to be polite about?” Zhou Xiao slapped his hand away in mid-air. “Are you here to shake hands or to talk business?!”

“What would the two of you like to drink?” Yuqing’s eyes swept briefly over his face without lingering. “I am free until eight o’clock.”

“Anything is fine.” Seeing how Yuqing seemed to struggle slightly with his steps, Guo Zhengming actually wanted to reach out and help him.

Zhou Xiao unceremoniously grabbed Guo by the collar and dragged him to the side to sit down. His expression was pitch black. Even with the large cloak blocking the view, he had seen it clearly. That was undeniably a swollen belly.

Illness? Pregnancy?

When the word pregnancy popped into his mind, Zhou Xiao almost thought he had gone mad.

‘A formal marriage to carry on the family line… that is the true wife of the Zhou family.’

The words Yuqing had once spoken suddenly looped in his mind, echoing so loudly it made his brain buzz. Carry on the family line… How could a man carry on the family line? But then again, throughout history, how many people actually took a man as a wife? Yuqing crossing the threshold was merely a formality performed within the Zhou family; outsiders had absolutely no way of knowing. He had originally thought that having a male wife was something unpresentable, but looking at it now, it was hard to say who exactly was trying to hide what.

Zhou Xiao clenched his fists, sitting to the side with a gloomy face as the waiter brought up two pots of jasmine tea.

The fragrance filled the air. Yuqing slowly took his seat across from the two men. Over these past months, he seemed to have lost weight; his already pointed chin had become even more defined, and his footsteps were completely silent.

Guo Zhengming hastily held his teacup. After all, they were here to do business and needed to discuss serious matters. No matter how beautiful the boss was, staring at his face was inappropriate and impolite.

“Hey! Brother Zhou, don’t stare so blankly! We’re here to talk business,” Guo Zhengming reminded him.

Zhou Xiao remained silent, his body slowly pulling taut, his fists clenched tight.

Seeing his poor attitude, Guo Zhengming didn’t expect any help from him in the negotiations and started talking on his own. Yuqing was highly gifted at business. He clearly separated public and private matters, answering every question patiently. Sometimes, when Guo Zhengming said something amusing, he would smile along.

This was an incredibly gentle man. The impression he gave was like that of a docile sheep—where did he look like a ruthless big boss? He put on zero airs, explaining matters clearly in just a few sentences, and possessed a razor-sharp mind. After all, to grow a private bank so massively in just half a year, the boss naturally had to possess both cunning and boldness. It was just that the imagined cutthroat figure completely mismatched the warm, jade-like Yuqing sitting before them.

“The port taxes can be waived, and the loan amount is negotiable. However, regarding the coal mine, I want at least sixty percent of the profits.” Yuqing took a sip of plain water from the glass in front of him. “Not a penny less, or there’s no deal.”

“S-sixty percent?” Guo Zhengming’s eyes widened. He thought to himself, this bank president sure had the nerve to ask.

“Transporting coal by railway from the north to the south is indeed a lucrative business. But without sufficient capital investment in the early stages, where will the materials come from? Where will the labor wages come from? I assume Vice President Zhou cannot produce that much money either. If you could, why would you seek me out?”

Zhou Xiao sneered coldly, the corner of his mouth ticking upward. Ruan Yuqing knew he absolutely wouldn’t take out loans from just anywhere, meaning his initial funds would have to be cobbled together by bouncing between various banks. Most of the banks in Shencheng had entangled interests, and the local landlords in Liu County had long colluded together, just waiting for him to seek a loan. That was why he had instructed Li Yuanjing to find an outside bank. Aside from Shencheng, the only major city in the province was Baizhou, which also had a port. If they truly gained that convenience, the saved port fees alone would be a massive sum.

Ruan Yuqing had completely seen right through him.

His last trip to Shencheng had actually tipped Ruan Yuqing off that he wasn’t someone who would risk taking high-interest loans. Rather than going around begging a bunch of trivial little banks one by one, it was indeed much more convenient to deal with a single large bank.

“Vice President Zhou has grand ambitions. This is just a single railway partnership; you will surely achieve much greater things in the future. You wouldn’t haggle with Yuqing over such a small matter, would you? Furthermore, I can guarantee that aside from Qingming Bank, you won’t find a second entity in Baizhou capable of producing this much capital in one breath.”

This was the truth.

Guo Zhengming whispered into Zhou Xiao’s ear, “A few months ago, all the Zhou family pawnshops vanished overnight. Later, the Ruan family’s warehouses caught fire. Right now, only the Li family is doing well, but they lean more towards politics and can’t offer much financial help!”

Instead, it was this fledgling bank boss who held the upper hand.

All the Zhou family pawnshops vanished overnight. Yet Ruan Yuqing had told him in his letters that ‘everything is fine.’ So, his definition of ‘fine’ was turning the entire Zhou family into a plaything in his own hands?!

Zhou Xiao narrowed his eyes, feeling that the Yuqing before him was somehow different from the one he knew. But what exactly was different? His face was still just as pale and pristine. Even with the swollen belly, one could still see his slender frame. His voice was soft, and his obedient, sensible demeanor hadn’t changed a bit.

Guo Zhengming, thinking Zhou Xiao’s silence meant disapproval of the partnership, merely said, “Sixty percent is truly too much…”

“But what other bank is willing to invest in such a project? The mines could explode at any moment. The authorities shutting down the mountain and halting construction takes but a single command. If the project stops, my money goes down the drain. With risks this massive, sixty percent is not too much. Besides, you two are young and talented. You’ll naturally have far more businesses to pursue in the future. Why get bogged down over such petty cash? As the old saying goes: you can’t catch the wolf if you aren’t willing to sacrifice the child.”

His ending note carried a hint of a smile, and he shifted his waist as if nothing were the matter.

Guo Zhengming couldn’t agree with the terms, but he found it hard to outright refuse. Hesitating, he glanced sideways at Zhou Xiao. This man was unbelievably composed. He had just been drinking tea this whole time, not speaking a word or communicating with him. Heaven knew what he was calculating, but he sure could hold his breath.

“Could you give us some time to consider it?” Guo Zhengming asked.

Yuqing leaned lazily against the chaise longue. “Naturally. Take your time.” His tone was mild. “I am not feeling well, so I won’t see you out. The performance of The Butterfly Lovers at Xianxiang Restaurant is quite good. If it pleases you, you can listen to a tune downstairs.”

The Butterfly Lovers—a romance that ended in coughing blood, early death, and transforming into butterflies. Today, they were singing the “Urging Marriage” segment. The performer downstairs had a robust, booming voice that seemed to rattle the entire restaurant: “Who in this world does not value profit? Do not mimic that foolish dreamer whose hopes were but in vain—”

In the previous dynasty, arranged marriages strictly required families of equal social standing. A background like Ruan Yuqing’s was completely unworthy of the Zhou family. Let alone the fact that he was a man.

But Old Master Zhou was a businessman. Even if Ruan Yuqing was his male concubine, why did he insist on stuffing him to Zhou Xiao’s side? Previously, he had only assumed it was because the Old Master doted on Ruan Yuqing too much to let him go; plus, Zhou Xiao was young, and maybe Ruan Yuqing had long coveted him. But even if Ruan Yuqing wanted to marry a younger man, why did the Old Master agree to it?

In the past, Zhou Xiao didn’t think much of it, even finding Ruan Yuqing utterly pathetic.

The Zhou family pawnshops disappearing overnight. Qingming Bank. The Baizhou Port. And… his bulging belly.

What a Ruan Yuqing. What an incredible—Young Madam Zhou!

“Let’s go, Brother Zhou.” Guo Zhengming prepared to leave first, tugging at Zhou Xiao’s clothes when he saw no reaction.

Zhou Xiao liked wearing suits. Knowing he would return to the Zhou residence after disembarking today, he had specifically worn a jacket with jasmine flowers embroidered on the cuffs. At this moment, those jasmine flowers felt as if they were laced with venom, thoroughly corroding his bones and limbs.

“You go first,” Zhou Xiao gritted his teeth, his grip tightening around the teacup. “I still have some personal matters I want to discuss with President Ruan—alone!”

Guo Zhengming paused, wondering: When did this big boss ever say his surname was Ruan? He hesitated, but upon seeing Zhou Xiao’s face turn impossibly dark, he backed down. When the door opened, Deng Yongquan, waiting outside, took one look at Zhou Xiao and his eyes widened in horror. The luggage bags in his hands dropped to the floor with a thud. But Deng Yongquan was quick-witted; he hurriedly dragged Guo Zhengming away.

The private room became eerily quiet.

Yuqing’s gaze followed the window, watching the performance of The Butterfly Lovers outside, his fingertips lightly tapping the beat. He seemed entirely swallowed up by the black cloak, the chaise longue rocking lazily.

Zhou Xiao stepped closer. Yuqing continued to treat him like thin air, as if completely indifferent to the extra person in the room.

“Get the hell out!” Zhou Xiao stared fixedly at Zhao Fu, who was massaging Yuqing’s calves. His eyes were bloodshot. Heaven knew how many times those hands had rubbed Yuqing’s legs over these past months to become so skilled. Dog of a slave. He should have chopped him to pieces long ago. He really should have chopped him up!! The bastard should have been strangled at birth! A cheap slut, a lowly slave—how dare he touch what belonged to him… Not even knowing his own place!

Not only did Zhao Fu not know his place, he completely ignored Zhou Xiao’s words.

“Can you not hear me speaking?!” Zhou Xiao violently hoisted Zhao Fu up by his collar and slammed the servant’s face onto the table.

Zhao Fu didn’t struggle. His cheek was pressed hard against the wooden table, his entire body practically kneeling in an incredibly humiliating posture.

“There’s no need to make things difficult for him,” Yuqing said calmly. “In the Zhou family today, I call the shots. Why take it out on a servant?” He quirked his lips. “You always said everyone is equal. Is this your equality?”

“Good! Good… very good…!” Zhou Xiao spat out the word three times.

Yuqing waved his hand, signaling Zhao Fu to leave. Obediently, Zhao Fu exited the room. Before leaving, he even meticulously righted the teacup that had been knocked over on the table.

The song downstairs was nearing its end, and Yuqing watched it with a look of infatuation. His long eyelashes fluttered, carrying that innate, captivating tenderness that was apparent even without Zhou Xiao standing directly in front of him.

“How long is the Young Master planning to stand there watching?” Yuqing’s voice was laced with a slight hoarseness. Zhou Xiao had noticed this earlier. Yuqing’s Adam’s apple bobbed gently as he took a sip of water to moisten his throat, leaving his lips coated in a glistening sheen.

Zhou Xiao: “Why are you here?”

Yuqing: “To talk business with you, of course.” The corners of his lips curled up slightly, his voice turning soft after drinking the water. “Looking across all of Baizhou, I’m afraid the Young Master is the only one who can discuss such a massive deal with me.”

Coal mines and railways—once completed and converted to American dollars, the profits could reach hundreds of millions. And Ruan Yuqing had the audacity to demand a sixty percent cut right off the bat.

“I’m asking you, why are you here.” Zhou Xiao narrowed his eyes. “You sold all the pawnshops? In your letters…”

“Young Master, have you forgotten?” Yuqing tilted his head slightly, resting his chin on one hand as he slowly turned to face him. “You were the one who said you wanted nothing to do with anything belonging to the Zhou family. As your legally wedded wife, it naturally fell to me to manage it. Whether to sell or not, I make the call. The Zhou family’s assets are now entirely under my, Ruan Yuqing’s, name. Since you are here to talk business, drawing a clear line between public and private matters is the golden rule of commerce.”

After speaking, he stared at Zhou Xiao with a feline, smiling gaze.

Zhou Xiao pinched the teacup, his fingertips turning stark white. “Are you after money? I have plenty of it. I never cared for the Zhou family’s wealth anyway. I’m asking you, why are you here?!”

Yuqing looked genuinely puzzled. “Didn’t you tell me to step out of the inner courtyard more often?”

Zhou Xiao choked. He was completely gagged by Yuqing’s words, unable to utter a single syllable.

Yuqing slowly stood up. The heavy cloak slipped off his shoulders onto the chaise longue, and the pale green long gown could no longer conceal his prominent pregnant belly. The fabric traced his frail, easily breakable figure; past his flat chest, the swelling of his abdomen was so significant he needed to support it with his hand. His long hair cascaded down, a few stray strands falling across his forehead, making him look exactly like a breathtakingly beautiful, favored concubine. His pristine face bore a pair of alluring, bewitching eyes. He walked closer slowly, holding his belly as he approached.

“Young Master,” he closed the distance.

Yuqing wasn’t short; he was only half a head shorter than Zhou Xiao, merely very thin. His voice curled with a fatal, seductive drawl, and as he parted his lips, a mesmerizing fragrance wafted out. “Why? Are you changing your mind? Hmm?”

The fragrant, warm breath brushed against the edge of Zhou Xiao’s ear, like a fire threatening to consume him…

Zhou Xiao lowered his head, his nose almost touching Yuqing’s as they stared at each other. He smelled the fragrance on him. The scent he hadn’t touched in over half a year. The fragrance of jasmine. It lacked the crispness of mint leaves now—just pure jasmine, faint yet overpowering. The scent was faint, but the longing was overpowering.

Looking at the plump pearl of Yuqing’s lip, Zhou Xiao’s Adam’s apple couldn’t help but bob. As Yuqing leaned in even closer, Zhou Xiao didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt as though that swollen belly actually bumped against him.

“You are a man,” he said, still in utter disbelief.

For a fleeting second, he truly thought he was losing his mind. How could a man possibly have a pregnant belly?

But Yuqing was a man. He was even quite… beautiful up front. He clearly didn’t have any extra parts, so how could he possibly be pregnant? Was he sick?

He must be sick. That was why he refused to mention it in his letters, wanting to hide it so Zhou Xiao wouldn’t find out… That had to be it.

“You…”

“Can a man not give birth?” Yuqing asked softly.

Zhou Xiao’s mind went completely blank.

“Father named the child Qingming. What does the Young Master think of this name?”

Qingming Bank…

Zhou Xiao’s eyelids twitched, burning with jealousy. He opened his mouth to question him, but didn’t know where to start.

Yuqing’s hand gently stroked his face. Even though Zhou Xiao was much taller and broader, at this moment, it felt as though Zhou Xiao were the little plaything being effortlessly manipulated by Yuqing.

“This matter is originally my fault for wronging you. Once the child safely falls to the ground, I will have the Young Master give Yuqing a letter of divorce. When that time comes, you may marry a wife, take concubines, and roam the vast world as you please.”

“What did you say?” Zhou Xiao’s voice trembled. “Once the child falls to the ground?”

Supporting his lower back, Yuqing slowly walked back to the window to continue watching the Butterfly Lovers performance below.

“Wronging me? Whose child is this!” Zhou Xiao grabbed his wrist, forcefully yanking him back into his embrace and locking him in a dead grip. “Whose!”

“Is it the old man’s? Ruan Yuqing! Do you know you are a man? You’re crazy—”

Before he could finish, Yuqing’s palm struck him directly across the face with a crisp smack.

But then he pinched Zhou Xiao’s cheek. This was the first time Zhou Xiao had clearly seen Yuqing’s viper-like expression. “If Father was willing, if Father could give birth, you would have to call me ‘Little Mother’ right now. It wouldn’t be your turn to sit on equal footing with me.”

Growing up until now, Yuqing didn’t understand the taste of romantic love. He only knew that the grace of raising someone was far greater than the grace of giving birth to them, and that foolish loyalty was the only true loyalty. When the Old Master called him ‘son,’ he became a person of the Zhou family in life, and he was determined to be a ghost of the Zhou family in death.

“You became my wife just to give birth to a Zhou family bloodline?” Zhou Xiao stared in disbelief. “How can a man give birth…”

“Taking medicine,” Yuqing said lightly. “There is always a way. It’s just that a man bearing a child is more perilous than an ordinary person. But fortunately… I now have the Zhou family’s blood inside my body. So rest assured, once the child is born, ask for however much money you want.”

Yuqing didn’t really want the child to be born with two fathers. If word got out, it would be bad for the child. It was, after all, abnormal and unsavory to hear. So, as long as he raised the child himself, it would be fine.

Yuqing couldn’t stand for long periods. Past the four-month mark, his calves were a bit swollen and he felt exhausted. His pregnancy symptoms were severe, and right now he felt lethargic, lazily preparing to sit down.

“When the time comes, as long as you don’t return to Baizhou, you can write the letter of divorce however you please. You can also name your price. However much profit concession you want, as long as it’s within a reasonable range, just ask.”

Yuqing’s tone was cold, as if he were genuinely just discussing a business transaction with him.

Something seemed to detonate in Zhou Xiao’s mind. He couldn’t hear anything, his thoughts entirely blank, utterly unsure of how to react. He stumbled backward step by step, sitting heavily in a wooden chair, his chest heaving violently.

“You drugged me… just to get a child? Then why did you come find me? You don’t want the Zhou family’s money… you just wanted the Zhou family’s bloodline… you wanted to be that old man’s son? Ruan Yuqing, are you out of your fucking mind!”

“Then what did it mean when you came looking for me?”

“Saying I looked like Father—what was that?”

“Just for some illusory child, you surrendered yourself to me?”

Zhou Xiao was so shell-shocked by this conclusion that his words came out disjointed and incoherent. “Impossible! You even offered to play the piano for that dog-fart Section Chief Jiang just for me. How could that be just to get a child!”

“You wrote to me time and time again, and you and I… we did that, you…”

“You even praised my size, and did it with me in the car!”

He trembled as he asked, “Are you… saying you don’t love me?”

On their wedding night, Ruan Yuqing praised his looks. He had thought Yuqing was his father’s concubine. He had traveled a thousand miles from Baizhou to Shencheng to deliver himself—wasn’t that because he liked him? He was even willing to play the piano for Section Chief Jiang for his sake—wasn’t that for him? The two of them made wild love in the car, even tearing their pants—wasn’t that because he craved him?

How could this be! Ruan Yuqing was clearly lying. Fake. It absolutely had to be fake.

Yuqing was also stunned: “Didn’t you hate me?”

“I hated you, and that was because—”

Because he hated being schemed against, hated being used as a plaything. But from start to finish, Ruan Yuqing had been scheming against him, using him as a plaything!

“Since you hate me, what does love have to do with it?” Yuqing frowned. “Give me the divorce letter. Your face is saved, and outsiders will never know you married a male wife. From then on, you live your free life, and I’ll handle the Zhou family matters. Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”

“Bullshit!” Zhou Xiao suddenly flared up, violently sweeping everything off the table.

The song below finished, and everyone was applauding, their clapping mixing with the sharp shatter of the porcelain cups.

“How is it possible… how is it possible…” Zhou Xiao’s mind buzzed. He strode forward and grabbed Ruan Yuqing’s wrist.

“Mmph—” Yuqing was forced back. “What are you doing!”

His mouth was suddenly captured by Zhou Xiao. His eyes widened in shock. Both hands pushed against the man’s chest, but because he had absolutely no strength right now, he couldn’t push away this crushing embrace at all. The man sucked on his lips almost like a wild beast, as if trying to devour him whole.

“Zhou Xiao—mm! You bastard, let go—let go! Mm—”

“Impossible, Ruan Yuqing, impossible. How could it be, I don’t believe it.” Zhou Xiao bit him like a madman, his gaze hollow. “You like me, you love me, you loved me to the point where you drugged me because you couldn’t have me. You’re lying, speaking nonsense…”

His tongue drove straight in, giving Yuqing no chance to breathe.

Yuqing glared, his breathing uneven when they finally parted. “What drug?”

“When have I ever drugged you? Eldest Young Master Zhou, if you’re sick and want medicine, the hospital and the pharmacy are where you belong!”

Yuqing panted, pressing his hands against him. But the back of his head was cupped by Zhou Xiao, leaving him unable to dodge. It was incredibly humiliating. “Let go, or I’ll call for someone.”

“Call who? I am your husband. Even an honest official can’t judge family matters between a husband and wife!”

Yuqing’s eyes were full of bewilderment. He was the one who initially said he hated him. What was the point of tangling over this now? Wasn’t this what Zhou Xiao wanted? He didn’t want the Zhou family’s money, and he despised him. What else did he want?

“What letter of divorce? Ruan Yuqing, I swore I would only marry one person in this life! You ruined me. I was even forced by you! Are you expecting someone else to want me, a second-hand good? I haven’t even cast you aside, what right do you have to cast me aside! What right do you have to not want me?!”

“Don’t even think about it! You want to kick me aside after using me? There’s no such good thing in the world! Keep dreaming!” The veins on his forehead throbbed, his eyes bloodshot, as if they held an infinite amount of grievance waiting to spill out. “Keep dreaming, Ruan Yuqing, I’m telling you! Dream on!”

“Mmm—Zhou Xiao.” Yuqing couldn’t even reply before his lips and teeth were sealed tight again.

The more he struggled, the tighter Zhou Xiao held him. In the chaos, Yuqing didn’t even know how many times he had slapped him. But not only did Zhou Xiao refuse to let go, he instead supported Yuqing’s legs and hoisted him up, pressing Yuqing’s back against the wall, forcing him to receive the aggressive kiss.

The wooden wall creaked under the pressure. Inside the private room, the floor was a total disaster of shattered teacups and spilled jasmine tea.

Yuqing couldn’t catch his breath. He pressed both hands against Zhou Xiao’s cheeks to force his head up, but Zhou Xiao bit down unwillingly on his neck—fervent and laced with a resentful ruthlessness. Since he had already married him, since he had already accepted the reality of a male wife, how dared Ruan Yuqing say he didn’t want him? Why? There wasn’t such a good deal in the world.

Yuqing felt a stinging pain on his neck where it was being sucked, and his raised chin was bitten indiscriminately. His snow-white Adam’s apple was gnawed on as if Zhou Xiao were grinding his teeth. Yuqing felt the veins in his own neck throbbing violently. His voice was hoarse from the pain. “Are you a dog? Let go…”

“Ruan Yuqing, you’re the one who played me like a dog…!”

The man was too close; their cheeks were almost glued together, noses touching.

One was an abandoned pawn, disciplined and molded perfectly within the deep, traditional courtyard. The other was a young master who had fled that deep courtyard early on to seek freedom and soar the open skies. The red strings of fate had long parted their ways, yet coincidentally, they had collided again.

Yuqing’s eyes were filled with confusion. He looked in near disbelief at Zhou Xiao’s eyes—eyes so remarkably similar to Zhou Yuzhang’s. But the dead, stagnant aura inside them had been replaced by a certain light. They were animated, looking exactly like the excited expression of the dog at home every time it wanted to go outside to play.

Zhou Xiao clingingly bit and gnawed at his lips, sniffing softly.

Yuqing’s hand touched his face, his voice soft. “You’re crying…”

“What right do you have to not want me?” Zhou Xiao’s eyes brimmed with grievance. “Ruan Yuqing, how dare you not want me…”

“Even you don’t want me…” Zhou Xiao’s lips trembled. “Even you are only here because I’m his son…”

“In my whole life, what am I in the eyes of all of you?” He was unwilling, even choking up a bit. His tears were intercepted mid-path by Yuqing’s fingers, flowing all over his hand.

The First Wife, his adoptive mother, raised him just to force Zhou Yuzhang to return home. His biological mother risked her life to give birth to him for the sake of love, yet he never even got to see her once. Zhou Yuzhang claimed it was for his own good and sent him abroad, forcing him to endure discrimination against Asians in a foreign land at just fourteen.

He was only twenty-three, a bird who had suffered torment in the deep courtyard before escaping. Now, he relied on neither the Zhou family nor anyone else, becoming Vice President Zhou, far away from Baizhou. Yuqing was the first person who had come to his side without asking why. He had thought Yuqing just wanted a piece of the cake. But he never expected that even his own wife didn’t want him…

Zhou Xiao’s nose burned, his tears scalding hot. He buried his face in Ruan Yuqing’s slender shoulder, kissing his neck in a dazed, frantic manner. “Yuqing…”

“Yuqing… how can you not want me…” He whimpered through his nose, sounding almost like he was acting spoiled. He deeply inhaled every scent on his wife, refusing to spare even his skin or his hair.

Yuqing couldn’t stand his grinding anymore; this man was terrifyingly strong. “Alright, alright, let go quickly.”

Zhou Xiao’s large hands gripped his legs, hoisting his entire body up. A young man truly had boundless energy. He really couldn’t break free. Who knew what Zhou Xiao had been doing with all those muscles in France; his body was rock hard. Whenever he flexed, his chest muscles felt like iron. It wasn’t visible under a suit, but once the clothes were off, he looked much more massive.

“Why should I let go?” Zhou Xiao wanted to kill him. “You listen to the old man so much. He made you my wife, what right do you have to divorce me?”

Yuqing thought, isn’t this what you wanted?

But how could he speak? Zhou Xiao, convinced that the words coming out of Yuqing’s mouth wouldn’t be what he wanted to hear, just kissed and gnawed at him chaotically. Having been pregnant for so long, the only person serving him closely was Zhao Fu, who had always cared for him meticulously. He had never experienced such a rough, agitated moment. In the past, everyone looked down on Yuqing and only wanted his looks. Later, everyone feared his deep scheming. Who would dare treat him like this?

“From beginning to end, all you wanted was a child, is that right?” Zhou Xiao asked.

Yuqing nodded: “Yes.”

“For the money?”

Yuqing shook his head: “For Father.”

Zhou Xiao stared at him in disbelief, then let out a helpless sneer. “I will never compare to my father, is that it?”

“In your heart, an old man is more important than me?”

“Carrying on the family line is more important than being with me?”

Yuqing didn’t even have to think: “Yes.”

Zhou Xiao’s face turned deathly pale. He stared blankly at Yuqing. “You’re lying to me.”

He leaned in again, gently grinding his lips against Yuqing’s. “Good Yuqing, you’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

The man’s voice was so tender, his kiss reluctant to end. He choked and cried, his whole body buried in Yuqing’s shoulder. He gently set Yuqing down as if drained of all strength. He slowly sank to his knees, his face rubbing against Yuqing’s chest, his belly, and finally, his forehead rested between Yuqing’s legs, his back actually bending.

Holding Yuqing’s hand, he cried powerlessly, “So you were… just playing with me all along…”

Yuqing only felt dizzy. He couldn’t quite hear what this man was saying. Leaning against the wall, he helplessly stroked his hair. “What are you crying for.”

When his own mouth was about to be bitten swollen by him.

Zhou Xiao hung his head, unable to accept such an ending, his whole being seeming to drain of color. He just knelt in front of Yuqing’s gown. Only when Yuqing lifted his face did he raise that young visage. Like an abandoned puppy, his eyes were wet, his styled short hair now messy, a few strands falling over his forehead, his deep eyes like a bottomless abyss.

Facing Yuqing’s snow-white, somewhat compassionate face, Zhou Xiao gripped the hem of his gown. “Ruan Yuqing, was I not fun enough for you to play with?”

“Is that why you don’t want me…”

__

Author’s Note:

Yuqing: I don’t love you.

Date-pit bro: I don’t believe it. [Angry]

Yuqing: Believe what you want.

Date-pit bro: I don’t want to believe it. [Heart]

Yuqing: What is exactly wrong with you… Are you sick…

Date-pit bro: How dare you not want me? Then I’ll give you a few days to fall in love with me!

Other people’s puppies: Obedient, sensible, clingy Golden Retrievers.

Yuqing’s puppy: A crusading Beagle.