In fact, Duan Yelin, who was sitting in Xiaotong Guan, was also annoyed.
Every time he lost his temper with Xu Hang, he was always the first to regret it—but he never knew how to swallow his pride and coax Xu Hang into backing down and giving in.
Because this is a difficult problem, he always stays alone for a few days to calm down.
Since giving gifts doesn’t work, why not just have Qiao Song buy a washboard instead? He figured Xu Hang probably wouldn’t really make him kneel on it… right?
As he was absentmindedly wrapping up the day’s official documents, Qiao Song suddenly burst in without even knocking, eyes bright with excitement: “Commander, Commander! He’s coming, he’s coming!”
Duan Yelin was so frightened by him that he almost choked on his water. He wiped his mouth and said, “What coming? I didn’t let you in yet!”
“It’s not me, it’s Young Master Xu!” Qiao Song knew that Xu Hang had never taken the initiative to look for Duan Yelin after a quarrel, so his surprise was no less than seeing the sun rise from the west.
Duan Yelin was stunned and drank some water to calm down.
“If you’re messing with me, I’ll have you out of the city building a bunker this instant.”
Qiao Song scratched his head: “How dare I… oh, by the way, please pack up quickly, Young Master Xu is coming upstairs.”
As he spoke, he seemed to hear footsteps. Duan Yelin waved his hand to signal Qiao Song to go out. He buttoned up his shirt and wanted to go out to greet him, but then he thought it was not right and sat back down again.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance—he’s finally the one in control. How could he possibly pass up the opportunity to show off a little?
There were two knocks on the door.
Duan Yelin said, “Come in.” In a businesslike tone.
As soon as the door opened, Xu Hang walked in carrying a lunch box. Duan Yelin merely glanced up before turning his attention back to the document he’d already reviewed, silently waiting for Xu Hang to say something.
“What’s the matter?” Duan Yelin’s face showed no enthusiasm at all, and he was as polite as if he was meeting an ordinary person.
This coldness made Xu Hang feel like he was rejected.
Xu Hang put the lunch box on the table and glanced to the side with an unnatural look in his eyes: “Chan Yi… Chan Yi specially made the lotus cake for you. She said it would go bad if left for too long, so she insisted that I bring it to you.”
Duan Yelin raised his head from the documents on his desk and was actually feeling a little happy secretly.
Even if Chan Yi genuinely wanted to make cakes for him, she had no right to boss Xu Hang around either. In the past, Xu Hang would rather let the cakes spoil than personally deliver them to him.
Today, has his temperament really changed?
Duan Yelin wanted to pretend for a while longer. “Well, leave it alone.”
Seeing his indifference, Xu Hang found it hard to keep acting distant. For a while, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. After a long pause, he finally asked, “Are you very busy?”
“You’ve seen it all, haven’t you?” Duan Yelin finally looked up at him and tapped the pile of documents with the tip of his pen. “I’ve been too busy to even eat.”
Those words had crossed a line—they were the harshest Duan Yelin had ever spoken to Xu Hang in all their years together. It was as if he was deliberately trying to push him away.
In fact, Duan Yelin wanted to open a dyeing factory just because he got some color so as to enjoy the pleasure of bullying Xu Hang today.
Xu Hang’s face turned slightly cold, the corners of his mouth tensed, and he turned around: “Then Commander can continue, I won’t disturb you anymore.”
“You just came here to deliver something? Nothing else to say?”
“……” Xu Hang stood by the door, pursing his lips and not saying anything.
“Alright, alright…” Duan Yelin knew he couldn’t pretend any longer. If he continued to act so high and mighty, he would really drive the person away. He would end up losing more than he gained, and he would have no place to cry about his own mistakes.
Although this makes this guy feel good for a while, but it will be a funeral procession later.
Duan Yelin’s tone softened, and he said helplessly, “Now that you are here, how can I continue to be busy?”
Xu Hang turned around slightly after hearing this and saw Duan Yelin still sitting there, but he stretched out a hand: “Shaotang, come here.”
Xu Hang stood still for a moment, torn between pride and reason. He wanted to turn on his heel and leave, to let the door slam behind him and echo his anger—but he didn’t. Now wasn’t the time to be stubborn. With quiet resolve, he walked up to Duan Yelin instead.
Duan Yelin grabbed his hand and pulled him hard, and he sat on Duan Yelin’s lap.
Duan Yelin asked, “How can I eat if you don’t feed me?”
“Your arm is intact.”
“How about I feed you then? But I won’t use my hands, I will use…”
Xu Hang hurriedly grabbed a lotus cake and stuffed it into Duan Yelin’s mouth, blocking his mouth, which was about to utter any words when he was proud. However, he stuffed it too hard, and Duan Yelin choked.
The good lotus cake was ruined.
“Cough, cough… Cough, cough! Xu Shaotang… you! Cough, cough… are you trying to murder your husband ah?!”
Xu Hang had originally picked up the teacup to give him some, but when he heard the words ‘murder your husband’, his face turned red and white, and he threw the teacup away, saying angrily, “You deserve it.”
“Cough, cough… cough, cough!” Duan Yelin gulped down some water and finally calmed down. “Alright, alright, the one who choked to death was me, why are you the one who got angry?”
By now, the atmosphere was harmonious, and the quarrels had disappeared.
Duan Yelin looked at Xu Hang, and his heart became much brighter. He buried his head in his shoulder: “Shaotang, do you know how happy I am that you came to see me?”
Xu Hang felt his neck was tickled by his hair, but he didn’t dare to move: “Don’t be happy yet, I really don’t come to you for no reason.”
Hearing this, Duan Yelin frowned and raised his head, and Xu Hang told him everything about Shen Jingmo.
After listening to this, Duan Yelin propped up his chin with his hand and looked at Xu Hang calmly: “After all, it turns out that you didn’t come to see me.”
“…Can you listen to the key points when you’re listening?”
“I listened, but the first time you bowed to me was for another man. Isn’t this the point?” Duan Yelin overturned a jar of vinegar that had been brewing for four years, and his teeth were sour.
“He is my teacher.”
“Your teacher is also a man.”
Xu Hang placed his palm on his chest and moved closer to him: “Then will you help or not?”
Duan Yelin held his hand and said, “But your matter is not easy to handle. We don’t know who it is. You can’t ask me to search every house in the city for a private matter, right?”
There was a hint of rejection in his words. Xu Hang lowered his eyes and asked slowly, “If the missing person was me, would you still search?”
“Shaotang…”
Xu Hang said aggressively, “So, since it has nothing to do with you, you don’t take it seriously.”
“You ah…” Duan Yelin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He could only reach out to scratch his nose and said half seriously and half jokingly, “You’re usually so sharp, but today you’re acting like a fool,” Xu Hang said, his tone steady. “Let me ask you—if I treated you the same as everyone else in my heart, do you really think you’d still have the right to sit here and tell me what to do?”
Xu Hang blinked, caught off guard. It was the first time Duan Yelin had left him speechless. Not only that, the way Duan Yelin spoke made it seem like he hadn’t even realized how provocative his words had been.
His ears turned slightly red, as if he realized that his request was a bit unreasonable.
Duan Yelin looked at Xu Hang’s slightly red earlobe with amusement, touched it, and then whispered in his ear with a seductive voice, “But, you’re in luck today,” Xu Hang said, his tone shifting slightly. “I really do know who those people you mentioned are.”
“Who?”
“That can’t be in vain,” Duan Yelin kissed his cheek as if he had done something bad. “If you call my name, I will agree to help you.”
“That’s it?” Xu Hang was very confused by his strange request.
“That’s it.”
It didn’t sound difficult. Xu Hang opened his mouth, but suddenly the sound seemed to be strangled and couldn’t come out. It was stuck in his throat.
Only then did Xu Hang realize that, over the years, he had always referred to Duan Yelin by his full name. Most of the time, they simply addressed each other as “you” and “me.” When angry, he even called him “commander,” but never had he spoken to him so intimately.
Duan Yelin. Yelin. Ye, Lin.
It was just two words, but why did it feel like a jujube or fishbone stuck in his throat—so difficult to say?
Duan Yelin could see Xu Hang’s embarrassment, but he was not in a hurry. He stroked his back up and down with one hand, played with his hair with the other hand, and bewitched him: “Shaotang, it’s easy, it’s just two words. Say it, just once, hmm?”
It is difficult to get off the tiger, he has to say it today.
Xu Hang took a deep breath, speaking in a low voice, so soft that one had to lean in close to catch the words. His breath brushed against the earlobe, barely audible unless you were right there.
“…Ye …lin.”
“I didn’t hear clearly.”
“…Yelin.”
The two words fell from his lips like beads on a jade plate, striking Duan Yelin’s heart and echoing in his mind. It turned out that those simple words, spoken aloud, were so stirring and emotional.
If he can hold back at this point, he’d be a god. He horizontally holds him in his arms, supports the back of his head, and licks his neck with his hot lips and tongue, all the way down to his collarbone and chest.
When his chest was bitten lightly, a fine and dense numbing sensation rushed to his forehead, and Xu Hang reached out and grabbed Duan Yelin’s hair.
“Wait… that’s enough… don’t do it now…”
Duan Yelin raised his head from his chest, licked his lips, and smiled evilly: “… Got it, do your business first.”
This demon always makes him raise his hands in surrender.
In Xiaotong Guan, there was a sense of sweetness and affection, with the rainy day giving way to sunshine. However, in stark contrast, in the ward of Hezhou Hospital, Shen Jingmo was shaking with fear, as if confronting a formidable foe.
