Chapter 188: Extra — The Jiang Family Story

After dinner, Jiang Hao returned to his room to pack up his roomful of “wives.”

With the Meng family brought to justice, the trial proceedings underway for the involved Gao and Zheng families, and the massive case involving the Golden Finches and modified humans finally settled, Li Xiao had taken Song Jin on a study tour. Jiang Hao, however, had once fallen into a state of aimlessness, unsure of what he ought to do next.

Back when his brother asked him if he wanted to leave the Snow Leopards to live the life of a normal person, he had actually been unwilling to go.

He had grown up at the border; his brother and his brothers-in-arms from the gang were all here. To suddenly abandon everything familiar and go to a completely alien environment just to be a “normal person” was something he could not comprehend at all.

Yet he knew his brother was unwilling to stay here. Ever since he was little, his brother would often mention in his ear that sooner or later, he would send him out of the border to a better, safer planet.

He knew this was his brother’s obsession. By the time he snapped out of it, “taking his brother and leaving together” had become his own obsession.

When he heard that the person taking him away was named Li Xiao, an aristocrat, he had agreed almost without a second thought.

Since Li Xiao could grant him citizenship, he could definitely grant his brother citizenship as well. As long as he gave enough and proved valuable enough, sooner or later he could redeem this reward from Li Xiao and bring his brother to “this side” too.

When leaving the Snow Leopards, he had already mentally prepared himself to work like a horse. He hadn’t expected that Li Xiao’s identity would far exceed his expectations, nor that Li Xiao would treat him like a friend—willing to spend time tutoring him in his schoolwork and rushing to save him in moments of peril.

Gradually, he began to genuinely want to follow Li Xiao and work under him, hoping to learn more things and be of greater help.

But now, everything was over. Li Xiao no longer needed him to follow along, his brother had recovered his past memories, had his position restored, and even recognized a godfather. Citizenship was no longer a mountain pressing down on their heads.

Everything had progressed so smoothly that he fell into the aimless confusion that follows achieving all of one’s goals, unsure of what step to take next.

When Li Xiao left, he had pondered all night without coming to a conclusion, so he simply asked the man to issue him a direct order.

Sitting by the table, Jiang Hao meticulously wiped down the gun in his hands, recalling those few text messages with Li Xiao.

Li Xiao: 【Do what you want to do. If you can’t think of anything for now, you can continue studying at the military academy until you figure it out.】

Jiang Hao: 【Can I really stay at the military academy?】

Li Xiao: 【Of course you can. Unless you want to go back to the Snow Leopards?】

If it had been in the past, Jiang Hao would have nodded without hesitation. But now, he had good friends on “this side,” had adapted to life “here,” and his brother had come as well. He suddenly realized he could no longer return to the past—at that moment, the fog before his eyes finally cleared.

There was only one road laid out before him.

He wanted to become a military officer, to stand side-by-side in battle with his brother once more, and to become a force capable of upholding his big brother again.

A knock on the door interrupted Jiang Hao’s train of thought. Snapping back to reality, he said, “Come in, it’s unlocked.”

The door was pushed open, and Wu Ya walked in.

Jiang Hao: “Ya-ge, the party’s over?”

When he had come back earlier, the others were still having a drinking contest. Someone had tried to drag him in, but after his brother grabbed the person by the back collar for a duel, no one dared bring it up again.

“Your brother is still drinking with them. I’m not interested in drinking contests, so I made an excuse to slip away.”

Wu Ya spoke casually, his gaze sweeping over the knives hanging across the wall as he let out a laugh. “You two brothers really have identical hobbies. Though you’re cuter than he is—as expected of the one I raised.”

Jiang Hao felt that his tone sounded a bit unhappy, and thinking back to the mention of the events from fourteen years ago at the dinner table—which might have stirred up some painful memories—he couldn’t help but offer comfort: “The Dragon Syndicate has already dissolved. Don’t think about those unhappy things anymore.”

Wu Ya tilted his head to look at him: “I settled my score with the Dragon Syndicate long ago. The one who leaves me unable to let go is your brother.”

Jiang Hao: “…?”

Jiang Hao: “What foolish thing did my brother do this time?”

Wu Ya casually picked up a knife, flipping it over before his eyes to inspect it: “The first time I entrusted my heart, it was to that kind of idiot—and I even got dumped.”

Jiang Hao: “…”

Jiang Chi was just like his appearance: extremely unrefined. He didn’t take many things to heart, couldn’t perceive the subtle emotional changes of those around him at all, and never even knew when he had offended someone.

Jiang Hao felt it necessary to defend his brother a little: “With my brother… if you don’t lay it out completely straight for him, he won’t understand it.”

Wu Ya nodded: “I realized that later.”

Jiang Hao: “After you left, he always kept your room untouched and personally cleaned it regularly, constantly saying you could stay there whenever you returned. Actually, he has you in his heart—he just doesn’t say it out loud. The crew and I all saw it very clearly.”

“You all saw it, yet he still acted like he was completely out of the loop. He hasn’t made a bit of progress in all these years.”

Wu Ya tugged the corner of his mouth into a self-deprecating smile, “I’m tired.”

Seeing this, Jiang Hao couldn’t help but ask: “That day after coming back from the Martyrs’ Cemetery, didn’t you two clear things up? There was a reason my brother refused to leave back then—he didn’t mean to cut ties with you.”

“I heard him explain it.”

Wu Ya recalled that conversation, the image of their fierce quarrel back then unbiddenly flashing before his eyes.

Even before Jiang Chi joined the gang, Wu Ya had already harbored the desire to leave the border. However, because he was too young at the time and couldn’t find a way out, it had ultimately remained nothing more than a thought.

It was Jiang Chi’s appearance that finally made him resolve to put his idea into action.

Jiang Chi was very different from everyone else—from his posture and demeanor on the outside to his thoughts on the inside, he was distinct from the gang members. He had principles and an attitude, never touching bad vices, focusing entirely on making more money to give his younger brother a better life, and frequently inquiring about channels to leave the border, displaying a clear longing for the “other side.”

This coincided perfectly with his own thoughts.

Thus, they shared many common topics. He had always firmly believed that as long as he found a channel to obtain citizenship, Jiang Chi would definitely leave with him to live a brand-new life.

Yet when he actually found a channel and told Jiang Chi, he was slapped hard in the face by the other’s attitude.

Jiang Chi was unwilling to leave no matter what. Even when Wu Ya said, “If I leave, I will never come back—are you sure you won’t come with me?”, the man still refused to relent, even flying into a rage.

As a tall Alpha who fought viciously, Jiang Chi looked intimidating, but he rarely lost his temper. As long as his bottom line wasn’t breached, his emotions were usually so stable that he didn’t seem like a hooligan at all. Even after Wu Ya forcefully rolled into bed with him, he hadn’t seen the man do anything drastic—leading Wu Ya to once think this man was just very casual and would do it with anyone.

That was the first time he had seen Jiang Chi explode with such fury.

He couldn’t understand it no matter what—it was clearly something Jiang Chi had wanted to do as well, yet when Wu Ya accomplished it, the man backed out instead.

Years of dedication yielded no return, and even their shared goal had shattered. That quarrel became the final straw that broke him. He suddenly felt that perhaps he had never truly understood Jiang Chi, nor could he ever enter this man’s heart—it was better to let go here and now and focus solely on his career from then on.

After parting ways, he immersed himself in the sense of accomplishment brought by his work, temporarily forgetting Jiang Chi. But that day, when he heard Jiang Chi’s voice during a communication with Song Jin, everything from back then came flooding back in an instant.

With his current status, finding a partner better than Jiang Chi was as easy as flipping his hand. He didn’t even need to look—countless people proactively approached him, including many scions from prominent families.

Yet none of them were him.

Meeting Jiang Chi at the Martyrs’ Cemetery, he had originally intended to address the man again with a calm and proud posture, letting that scoundrel know that even without him, Wu Ya could thrive just fine—making the man regret and brood over his choice back then.

Yet the moment Jiang Chi saw him, he bolted like he had seen a ghost. At that moment, Wu Ya’s rationality burned away, leaving only one thought in his mind: Catch Jiang Chi and beat him senseless to vent this anger.

After bringing the man back to his residence, Jiang Chi’s explanation left him in disbelief. More than a dozen memory wipes coupled with mental suggestions—even for someone who had seen all kinds of grand scenes, those words still shocked him. Yet former incongruous details suddenly made sense.

That quarrel back then had been precisely because it touched upon the mental suggestion, triggering Jiang Chi’s extreme irritability.

He could finally let it go, yet learning the truth so many years later wouldn’t erase the harm it had caused him.

Thinking up to this point, Wu Ya placed the knife in his hand back onto the rack: “Forget it, let’s not mention him. Are you taking all of these with you?”

It wasn’t convenient for Jiang Hao to say too much about the emotional troubles between his brother and his brother-in-law. Seeing that Wu Ya was unwilling to bring it up further, Jiang Hao followed his lead and replied, “Taking them all. Leaving them here means no one will take care of them.”

“Taking them to the military academy dorms?”

Wu Ya asked, “Will there be enough room? Does the military academy allow students to bring bladed weapons privately?”

The knives hanging on this wall weren’t models or toys—they were all sharpened, genuine lethal weapons.

From what he knew, the military academy was extremely strict regarding weaponry. Sneaking in a single knife might work, but marching in with this many openly would likely result in confiscation.

Thinking of this, Wu Ya continued, “My home has plenty of vacant rooms. Move over to my place; you can stay there during holidays too.”

Jiang Hao shook his head: “I plan to take them home. I’ve already communicated with Father, and he said he prepared a room specifically for storing my knives.”

Wu Ya froze for a moment: “Father? You found your family?”

Jiang Hao shook his head: “Not biological, but he’s very good to me—he’s a godfather my brother recognized.”

Wu Ya: “…What?!”

On the other side, Jiang Chi was dragged by a group of brothers to drink and gossip until midnight. Once the gathering dissolved, he crashed in his room and fell fast asleep.

In the final moment before passing out, he thought about updating the gang’s rules and regulations—going forward, forcing the boss to drink would no longer be permitted.

On the first day aboard the return ship, Jiang Chi’s head was still feeling sluggish.

As the ship passed the Corona Borealis constellation and flew toward the Cetus constellation, seeing Wu Ya still sitting there calmly drinking tea and working, Jiang Chi suddenly reacted. He lowered his voice and secretly asked Jiang Hao: “Did he say where he’s getting off the ship?”

Jiang Hao was doing his homework and said casually, “Ya-ge is coming home with us.”

Jiang Chi: “…!!”

Jiang Chi: “Why? Why so suddenly?!”

Jiang Hao raised his head in confusion: “Why are you so worked up? Can’t Ya-ge come?”

“It’s not that he can’t come, it’s just…!”

Jiang Chi scratched his hair, feeling an immense headache. “At least give me some mental preparation!”

Jiang Hao patted his shoulder: “Don’t be afraid. With me around, I won’t let you be beaten to death.”

Jiang Chi: “…”

Wu Ya looked at the financial statements on the display screen, keeping an eye on Jiang Chi in his peripheral vision, his mood thoroughly foul.

Originally, he had thought that since he couldn’t let go, he might as well start over. Since the past had been explained anyway, he would swallow a bit of a loss and consider it a clean slate.

Jiang Chi was slow to react when it came to feelings, so he had planned to take things slow. He hadn’t expected the man to give him such a massive “surprise.”

After his business grew large, he came into contact with people of increasingly high tiers. He had heard plenty about the dirty dealings in officialdom; upon hearing that Jiang Chi had recognized the Director of the Intelligence Bureau as a godfather, his first reaction was that Jiang Chi had been kept as a sugar baby.

Given Jiang Chi’s personality, even if he didn’t like it, as long as he was forced, he would passively comply—after all, he didn’t pay much mind to such matters anyway.

But that Yi Anhe is already sixty! How could he even bring himself to put his mouth on him?!

Wu Ya gritted his molars, growing angrier the more he thought about it.

Over there, Jiang Chi was wracking his brains trying to think of how to persuade Wu Ya to abandon the idea of returning home with them. Suddenly, he saw Wu Ya slam a fist onto the table, his knuckles cracking loudly, which scared Jiang Chi into dropping the idea of persuading him altogether.

I’ve weathered great winds and waves—could I really capsize in a shallow ditch? Forget it, let it be.

Five hours later, the transport ship landed successfully.

The moment they stepped off the ship, Wu Ya saw a squad of soldiers coming to receive them, suddenly gaining a tangible sense of Jiang Chi’s identity as a military officer.

They were picked up in a military vehicle, speeding all the way toward the military district.

When the vehicle landed in the courtyard of the Jiang residence, Wu Ya’s heart sank directly to the bottom.

“Hao-hao, Xiao-chi, you’re back?”

Yi Anhe cut across the garden and walked quickly over to them, “Apologies, there were too many matters at the bureau and I truly couldn’t break away, so I couldn’t accompany you.”

Jiang Chi waved his hand: “No need for you to accompany us. It’s not like we’d get lost.”

“That’s not how it works, what if—”

Halfway through his sentence, Yi Anhe suddenly felt something. Turning his head, he met the gaze Wu Ya cast over—sharp, icy, and far from friendly.

Recalling what his youngest son had said at the Martyrs’ Cemetery that day, Yi Anhe’s expression tightened slightly, growing somewhat stern as well.

Seeing his old man’s expression change, Jiang Chi turned his head and saw Wu Ya glaring over, making his scalp go instantly numb.

He knew it would turn out like this!

“This must be Director Wu, right?”

Yi Anhe spoke with a faint smile.

Wu Ya nodded slightly: “Coming over without advance notice—pardon the intrusion.”

Yi Anhe: “Not at all. I happened to want to meet you as well.”

Wanted to meet him? Wu Ya felt bewildered inside, though he maintained a composed demeanor on the surface.

Had Jiang Chi brought him up to Yi Anhe, or had Yi Anhe investigated him on his own?

Was he bothered that Jiang Chi had a past history with him? Or had the incident at the Martyrs’ Cemetery been seen by this man, and now he wanted to deal with him?

Thinking of this, Wu Ya’s face darkened slightly as he unhurriedly took up the conversation: “What a coincidence. I happened to want to have a chat with you as well.”

Yi Anhe: “Shall we step into the living room then?”

Wu Ya nodded: “Alright.”

Jiang Chi watched the two hit it off instantly, leaving them behind as they walked away nonchalantly. He suddenly felt a sense of calm before the storm—a feeling that a great disaster was imminent.

“Brother, don’t just stand there. Come help me carry my wives.” Jiang Hao patted Jiang Chi, turning around to move the boxes.

Jiang Chi followed him: “Say… they won’t end up fighting, right?”

Jiang Hao: “Even if they do fight, you won’t be able to stop them anyway.”

Jiang Chi: “…”

Had he really become this pathetic in Hao-hao’s eyes?

In the main house’s living room, the atmosphere was somewhat suffocating.

Seeing that Wu Ya, sitting across the tea table, had no intention of speaking first, Yi Anhe placed a freshly brewed cup of tea before him: “How did you and Xiao-chi meet?”

Xiao-chi—calling him so affectionately.

Wu Ya picked up the teacup: “Xiao-chi was dumped at the border, and I saved him. Later, things naturally developed into a romantic relationship.”

He had actually stated it outright.

Yi Anhe let out a soft laugh: “Thank you for stepping in to help back then. Otherwise, I’m afraid Xiao-chi wouldn’t have been able to return to my side.”

Yi Anhe meant this expression of gratitude with complete sincerity, but to Wu Ya’s ears, it sounded like a provocation slapped right onto his face.

What did he mean by “return to my side”? As if he knew Jiang Chi even earlier than he did, and as if Jiang Chi were this old man’s personal property.

The corners of Wu Ya’s lips curved upward as he deftly put on a fake, negotiation-grade smile: “No need for thanks. I saved Xiao-chi because I was interested in him, not out of charity.”

Yi Anhe nodded, knowing those words weren’t false.

He had specially ordered an investigation into Wu Ya—this person was a commercial genius with an exceptionally sharp investment eye. To build a commercial empire in a short time without any background support meant he was indeed unlikely to be someone overflowing with sympathy.

Yi Anhe asked out of curiosity: “Then why did you separate later? Did he stop liking you?”

Targeted by another provocation, Wu Ya suppressed his temper and responded composedly: “Our plans for life were different. Coupled with the fact that Meng Tu placed a mental suggestion on him preventing him from leaving the border, we could only temporarily live apart.”

Yi Anhe nodded and asked again: “Then do you still like him now?”

Wu Ya felt increasingly displeased.

Did this mean he couldn’t let go of Jiang Chi and had come knocking on the door with thick skin?

Wu Ya set down his teacup and let out a chuckle: “Is whether I like him or not important? You seem very interested in our affairs?”

Sensing Wu Ya’s vigilance, Yi Anhe smiled as well: “My apologies. Having been absent from his life for so many years, I truly want to know what happened during that time. I’ve made a fool of myself before you.”

The words were spoken casually and politely, yet Wu Ya felt that every word and sentence exuded the warning that “Jiang Chi is my property,” which inevitably sparked his anger.

Wu Ya: “An absence is an absence. His heart is no longer with you—no matter how much you try to make up for it, it’s useless. Don’t you agree?”

These words left Yi Anhe completely bewildered, wondering if he was too old or if the young man before him was too deep, such that he actually couldn’t understand him.

Yi Anhe asked tentatively: “Are you saying he doesn’t really want to acknowledge me?”

Wu Ya: “Be a bit more confident—remove the ‘really’.”

Yi Anhe: “…”

Wu Ya: “Besides, with things as they are, isn’t it somewhat inappropriate for you to bring him into your home to live?”

Yi Anhe: “I have indeed considered that. If he wants to move out and be independent, I will naturally respect his wishes.”

Wu Ya: “You didn’t understand my meaning, or are you deliberately pretending not to understand? I’m saying: set him free.”

Yi Anhe: “…Huh?”

Wu Ya looked straight into Yi Anhe’s eyes and said solemnly: “You possess a prominent family background and status; there’s really no need to ruin your reputation for his sake—it’s not worth the loss. Furthermore, he and I have a de facto marriage. Why don’t you yield him to me?”

Yi Anhe: “…”

Why was he understanding less and less?

On the other side, Jiang Chi finished helping Jiang Hao move all the boxes, looking somewhat distracted.

Jiang Hao: “Now you know to be worried? Where was this concern earlier?”

Jiang Chi felt extremely aggrieved: “Wasn’t I given last-minute notice? How could I have time to prepare?”

Jiang Hao: “When you recognized a godfather, didn’t you ever think about what would happen if Ya-ge found out?”

“How was I supposed to know he—”

Jiang Chi paused mid-sentence, suddenly snapping his gaze toward Jiang Hao, “He doesn’t think Old Man is my godfather, does he?! Who told him that?!”

Jiang Hao looked completely innocent: “Me.”

“…”

Jiang Chi cursed under his breath, springing up and running outside, “This is a huge mess!”

“Brother!”

Fearing he would act impulsively, Jiang Hao reluctantly set down his “wives” and gave chase.

In the main house’s living room.

When Jiang Chi rushed in, he happened to hear Wu Ya’s line, “Why don’t you yield him to me?”, clutching his hair as a sharp pain throbbed in his head.

Seeing that Yi Anhe remained silent, Wu Ya felt the other man was displeased, but he wasn’t afraid. Since words had been spoken to this point, he stated directly: “You’re already at this age, yet you still keep a—mmph!”

Jiang Chi dashed over and slapped a hand over Wu Ya’s mouth, saying urgently: “He’s my father! My biological father!”

Wu Ya had been furious and was about to break free, his hands already raised, but he froze abruptly, staring at Jiang Chi in utter disbelief.

Jiang Chi released him: “When the incident happened back then, Hao-hao was still young and didn’t know the inside story.”

At this point, Jiang Chi looked at Yi Anhe, his teeth itching with annoyance: “It’s been so long, haven’t you explained it to Hao-hao?”

Yi Anhe completely came to his senses—no wonder Wu Ya had been so hostile toward him; he had treated him as a romantic rival!

Yi Anhe was both amused and annoyed, thoroughly dissatisfied with Jiang Chi’s complaint: “You two were together on the battlefield every day—I thought you had explained it long ago!”

Every time the youngest saw him, he called him “Father” and “Dad”—turned out he had never treated him as a real father at all, and it was all just social pleasantries?!

Thinking of this, Yi Anhe snapped back at Jiang Chi: “You have the nerve to blame me?!”

Jiang Chi: “I’ve been working around the clock every single day, without even time to sleep—how could I attend to this matter? Besides, I thought you had explained it long ago!”

“What biological father?”

Jiang Hao stood at the doorway, listening to the two of them furiously outputting, completely dazed. “Brother, what biological father?”

Seeing him like this, Jiang Chi was heartbroken. He went over, wrapped an arm around him, brought him to sit by the tea table, and explained to him: “This Director Yi Anhe isn’t a godfather I recognized—he’s our biological father. You came out of his belly. Do you understand now?”

Jiang Hao looked at Yi Anhe, his eyes gradually widening.

For a moment, he couldn’t bring himself to believe it was real.

His biological father was actually still alive, and was even a high-ranking official in charge of the Empire’s Intelligence Bureau!

Seeing that both Jiang Hao and Wu Ya were dumbfounded and the atmosphere was exceedingly weird, Jiang Chi let out a helpless sigh, pointing at Yi Anhe as he said to Wu Ya: “Let me introduce him again: he’s my dad.”

After saying that, Jiang Chi pointed at Wu Ya and introduced him to Yi Anhe: “His name is Wu Ya. He’s my partner.”

Wu Ya was startled.

Seeing Wu Ya look over, Jiang Chi was puzzled: “Did I say something wrong?”

Wu Ya looked at him deeply: “You haven’t confessed to me yet, so it doesn’t count.”

Jiang Chi: “…”

And here he thought he could escape that step.

As expected of a businessman—so shrewd.