Li Lan was still grinning ear to ear long after getting into the car with Meng Ting. Meng Qi glanced at Li Lan, finding his amusement rather odd, but Li Lan’s expression turned serious for only a moment before he immediately burst into laughter again.
“What’s so funny?” Meng Ting muttered, glancing at Li Lan, though he didn’t truly care to know. After studying Li Lan for a moment, he said, “From now on, you can call me ‘Master’ like Shishi and the others.”
“Ah… ah?” Li Lan’s mouth dropped open again, looking utterly astonished at Meng Ting, his face a mixture of shock and delight.
Meng Ting ignored Li Lan after speaking, turning to look out the car window; they were almost at the Yan Corporation building. A faint smile finally appeared on his face. He held his phone, taking a deep breath to suppress his excitement and resisted calling Yan Sui.
He glanced back at Li Lan, who was still grinning ear to ear. “Do you want to come with me to see Yan Sui, or should I have the driver take you home first?”
“Master!” Li Lan shouted, his voice so loud that Meng Ting instinctively leaned away. But then Li Lan’s voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. “Um… would it be inconvenient if I came with you? If it is, I’ll head back first.”
Meng Ting studied Li Lan for a moment before finally pulling out his phone to call Yan Sui with a clear conscience. He had legitimate business, after all—it wasn’t just because he missed Yan Sui.
“…Okay, we’ll be there soon,” Meng Ting said, hanging up the phone just as their car pulled to a stop. He put his phone away and told Li Lan, “Yan Sui said it’s fine. Let’s go together.”
“Mm,” Li Lan hummed, his eyes nearly disappearing behind his wide grin. From the moment he first met Meng Ting and Yan Sui at the resort, he sensed they were different from any other wealthy people he’d encountered. Meng Ting, in particular, had earned Li Lan’s trust and admiration beyond measure.
“It’s truly wonderful that you’re willing to be my Master,” Li Lan said, lowering his head and blinking rapidly before flashing another bright smile.
Meng Ting glanced at Li Lan and gave a soft ‘Mm’ in acknowledgment. He stepped out of the car first, waiting for Li Lan to follow before they walked together toward the Yan Corporation building.
After all these days of Meng Ting managing the Yan Corporation, there wasn’t an employee who didn’t recognize him. Their gazes held a respect almost equal to that reserved for Yan Sui himself. However, Meng Ting’s mind was already focused on seeing Yan Sui soon, and he didn’t notice the subtle differences in their expressions.
Li Lan, however, was keenly observant. As he scanned the surroundings, his admiration for Meng Ting deepened.
When they stepped out of the elevator, Yan Sui arrived. Meng Ting hurried forward, taking Yan Sui’s outstretched hand. His eyes crinkled with a particularly radiant smile. “I’ve come to take you home.”
“Alright, but you’ll have to wait a little longer,” Yan Sui said, pulling Meng Ting inside. He waved to Wang Feng, instructing him to receive Li Lan, show him around, and then bring him to his office.
Meng Ting told Yan Sui the date and location of the International Fragrance Exchange Conference, then repeated what Yan Mingya had told him: “Family members are allowed. Do you have time to go?”
Meng Ting’s meaning was crystal clear: he would only attend if Yan Sui did.
Yan Sui fell into an uncharacteristic silence. He led Meng Ting to the sofa in his office, pulled him into his arms, and pondered for a moment before replying, “I need to go to Licheng during those days. I won’t be able to accompany you.”
Meng Ting’s silence stretched even longer than Yan Sui’s. Finally, he deciphered the several meanings behind Yan Sui’s words: not only could Yan Sui not accompany him to A Country, but he also wasn’t willing to take Meng Ting with him to Licheng.
“Can’t I come with you?” Even though he understood, Meng Ting still needed confirmation. The smile on his face faded slightly. Meng Ting wasn’t entirely ignorant of what kind of place Licheng was.
Yan Sui fell silent again. In truth, his heart was also very conflicted. He knew Meng Ting’s attachment to him and his worry about Yan Sui’s trip, but he would also worry if Meng Ting accompanied him to Licheng.
“I promise it’ll only be two days—a quick trip. If you don’t want to go to A Country, just stay…”
“I’ll go,” Meng Ting interrupted, pushing Yan Sui’s arm off his shoulder and then sat up straight. He took a deep breath and continued, “I know I can’t cling to you too much. It’ll get annoying.”
Yan Sui’s expression darkened instantly. He forcefully pulled Meng Ting back into his embrace. “What kind of nonsense is that… angry talk? How could I ever be annoyed by you? Not taking you isn’t because I’m annoyed…”
“Yán Yunsheng is an old fox. If I don’t go personally to keep an eye on him, I’m afraid he’ll slip away.”
“Oh,” Meng Ting replied, his eyes darting around as he continued to gaze at Yan Sui. “Is that Deng Yu going with you?”
Yan Sui’s trust in Deng Yu was extraordinary; he was even willing to let Deng Yu fire a real gun at his chest. This was something he’d never allow Gu Lang or the others to do. Zhen Han was probably the only one who could earn such trust.
Meng Ting didn’t know why he suddenly thought of Deng Yu, but the thought of Yan Sui not being with him, yet being with his childhood friend and junior disciple, made him uncomfortable.
Meng Ting’s jealousy was extremely obvious, his eyes fixed intently on Yan Sui. Even if Yan Sui had wanted to deny it, he found it difficult. He nodded honestly. “Yes.”
“Hmph…” Meng Ting huffed softly, but made no further attempt to escape Yan Sui’s embrace. Instead, he snuggled further into Yan Sui’s arms. “He’s not as good-looking as me, his skills aren’t as good as mine, and he’s definitely not as easy to take care of as I am…”
Meng Ting’s gaze flickered before meeting Yan Sui’s again. He puffed out his cheeks slightly. “I know you like me, not him.”
This time, Yan Sui truly didn’t know how to respond to Meng Ting to dispel his sudden jealousy. He lowered his head and gently kissed Meng Ting’s lips. When he saw the tension in Meng Ting’s expression ease, he slowly deepened the kiss.
When the kiss ended, the knots of worry in Meng Ting’s brow finally dissipated a bit. Yan Sui then spoke again, “We’ll do as before. Keep the phone line open through our earpieces so we can stay in touch at all times.”
“But I’ll be on a plane, and you’ll also be on a…” Meng Ting suddenly became so astute it made Yan Sui a little helpless, but Meng Ting couldn’t bear to make things difficult for Yan Sui. He softly hummed twice, then nodded. “Mm, you go.”
Yan Sui’s lips parted slightly; he probably wanted to say something like ‘thank you’, but then thought better of it and remained silent. Such polite, distant words weren’t needed between him and Meng Ting.
***
Yan Sui’s departure for Licheng was scheduled for two days later. Yan Mingya’s International Fragrance Exchange Conference in A Country was four days away, but considering it was in a foreign country, involving a day-long flight, they would need to depart at least two days in advance to adjust to the time difference there. Therefore, they would both leave Haicheng on the same day.
Meng Ting didn’t send Li Lan back to Lijia Village. Instead, he had Yan Mingya arrange a temporary passport for Li Lan, planning to take him to A Country as well.
Li Lan had been overjoyed just to visit Haicheng for a few days. He had toured the laboratories, visited the Yan Corporation building, and now he was going to A Country with Meng Ting. His life had taken an unimaginable turn.
Yan Sui also made arrangements for Meng Ting’s trip to A Country. He wasn’t at ease with just Yan Mingya accompanying him, so he asked Zhen Han and Yan Manjia to go with Meng Ting. These two had frequently traveled abroad since they were teenagers, and Yan Sui would feel more assured with them present.
Over the past two days, Meng Ting had been repeatedly reminded of various things. Not only Yan Sui, but Yan Yu and He Yue had also chimed in with their own warnings. Meng Ting behaved impeccably, nodding attentively throughout, acting incredibly obedient. The only slightly unusual thing was that he had very few reminders for Yan Sui himself.
Yan Sui sighed inwardly, feeling that Meng Ting was still somewhat upset—no, perhaps more accurately, frustrated. This frustration had even caused Meng Ting to be slightly distant towards him these past two days. But Yan Sui truly had no relationship with Deng Yu, and he couldn’t understand where Meng Ting’s unfounded jealousy[mfn]飛醋 (fēi cù): lit. flying vinegar; to be jealous out of nothing. A metaphor for groundless jealousy.[/mfn] was coming from.
“If you can’t get used to the food there, have Zhen Han cook for you, okay?” Yan Sui said as he saw Meng Ting off at the airport, repeating his earlier instructions. Then he pulled Meng Ting into a tight embrace, his reluctance to let go so intense that his grip tightened uncontrollably.
Meng Ting didn’t return the embrace, but he didn’t resist it either. However, his reaction only deepened Yan Sui’s reluctance and self-reproach.
“Be good. From now on, I’ll take you everywhere I go, and you’ll take me everywhere you go. Okay?”
“Okay,” Meng Ting agreed readily. He gazed at Yan Sui for a moment before his heart softened. He rose onto his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Yan Sui’s cheek. “You take care of yourself too.”
“Mm,” Yan Sui nodded, then kissed Meng Ting’s lips and ruffled his hair. “If I have time, I’ll come to A Country to pick you up.”
“Oh,” Meng Ting replied, but there was no joyous expression on his face. Zhen Han and the others were already waiting nearby, and boarding time was approaching. Yan Sui had already given countless reminders over the past few days, so any further delay now would serve no purpose.
Meng Ting took the initiative. “Then I’ll go now.”
He took two steps back, then widened his eyes and emphasized again, “You must miss me.”
Zhen Han and the others finally chuckled at Meng Ting’s reaction. Usually, people would say ‘don’t miss me too much’, but who else would be as domineering as him, demanding that someone must miss him?
“Okay, I’ll miss you.” Yan Sui’s words were entirely sincere. The ache of parting and the rapidly growing longing struck his heart with a bitter pang. On the way to the airport, he had repeatedly fought the urge to tell Meng Ting not to go to A Country, but to change his itinerary and accompany him to Licheng instead.
But Deng Yu had made it clear that the situation in Licheng was complicated. It wasn’t Haicheng, and he couldn’t risk Meng Ting’s safety there, not even for the slightest possibility of danger.
To be honest, Yan Sui was both relieved and surprised that Meng Ting was so obedient. On certain issues, Meng Ting could be stubbornly resistant, to the point where even Yan Sui couldn’t persuade him. Yan Sui was also quite worried about the subtle coldness Meng Ting had shown him these past few days, but all of that would have to wait until he resolved the matters in Licheng before he could seek reconciliation with Meng Ting.
Meng Ting walked all the way to the security checkpoint at the boarding gate before finally turning back to glance at Yan Sui once more, then waved at him.
Yan Sui waved back, and only when Meng Ting’s retreating figure disappeared from sight did he turn and leave the international airport. However, he immediately drove to another airport to board a private jet to Licheng.
However, less than five minutes after Yan Sui left the international airport, Meng Ting and Xiao Zimo appeared together in the airport lobby.
“Nuo Nuo, is this really okay?”
Meng Ting glanced at Xiao Zimo, his expression quite calm. “There’s nothing good or bad about it. This is my choice, and didn’t Second Brother promise to help me?”
Under Meng Ting’s gaze, Xiao Zimo truly couldn’t say ‘no’, and the fact was, he had already helped.
He had fabricated a story about the Xiao family learning of Meng Ting’s trip to A Country and sending him to escort him. Then, under the guise of strengthening family ties, he had smoothly arranged for Meng Ting to switch seats with. Finally, they had slipped out of first class together.
Even if Yan Mingya and Zhen Han discovered that Meng Ting and Xiao Zimo had slipped away before boarding, their plane had already taken off. A direct flight from here to A Country would take fifteen hours. During that time, Zhen Han wouldn’t be able to contact Yan Sui. Even if he found a way to reach Yan Sui, it wouldn’t be so quick. By then, Meng Ting would have long since done whatever he intended to do.
Moreover, Meng Ting’s purpose was clear: he simply didn’t trust Yan Sui to go to Licheng alone. It wasn’t a matter of whether he trusted Yan Sui or not; he simply felt he had to go with him.
***
In the basement of a certain entertainment club in Licheng, Su Siyu had been subjected to several days of torture and interrogation. In his two lifetimes, he had never endured such physical pain, and combined with his current environment, his psychological defenses had long since collapsed.
The people who took him and Nian Wu that day were neither Yán Yunsheng’s nor Xu Shumin’s, but Deng Yu’s. Nian Wu had secretly informed Deng Yu of their location beforehand, allowing them to find and take Su Siyu and him away first.
The Deng family’s businesses almost entirely covered the majority of mid-to-high-end entertainment clubs in major cities across the Xia Country. If he wanted to hide someone in Licheng, even Yán Yunsheng, the local snake[mfn]地頭蛇 (dì tóu shé): lit. local snake—local bully/villain; (figurative) local bully; peremptory or tyrannical local; regional mafia boss; influential gangster in an area; refers to local bullies who have power and oppress the people. It is also used to describe local people with certain abilities. It refers to someone who is powerful or influential within a specific local area or community, often someone who is difficult to deal with, even for outsiders or those with greater authority. The slang originates from the idiom 強龍不壓地頭蛇 (qiáng lóng bù yā dì tóu shé), lit. a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake (idiom); a powerful dragon cannot crush a snake in its old haunts. A strong dragon is a metaphor for a person with great strength; suppress means to overcome; local snake refers to a person who has power and is a tyrant in a local area.[/mfn], would be powerless to stop him.
Since Deng Yu had arranged for Yan Sui to come to Licheng, he naturally would be there himself.
Su Siyu’s face remained covered throughout the interrogation. Deng Yu sat in a chair, observing the proceedings. He had listened to countless interrogations, yet Su Siyu had never once noticed his presence.
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk…”
Su Siyu had been stubbornly silent, insisting that Yán Yunsheng himself had to personally questioned him for him to speak. But now, he was truly terrified by the torture and no longer dared to make such demands.
“The recording is on. Speak,” the interrogator said, his voice as cold and emotionless as ever.
Su Siyu took a deep breath before beginning.
“The Deng family… the one you know. The young master of the Deng family, Deng Yu, likes Yan Sui. Because he likes Yan Sui, there’s no way he could accept Yan Sui liking Meng… no, Xiao Zinuo. Others might not be able to kill Xiao Zinuo when Yan Sui is protecting him, but he definitely can.”
Su Siyu had learned this by pure chance. At that time, he was already divorced from Yan Sui. Desperate to improve his circumstances, he had climbed through layers of connections until he was introduced to Deng Yu.
When Su Siyu was part of the Yan family, he knew of Deng Yu and had even met him a few times. But back then, he didn’t know Deng Yu liked Yan Sui, and had liked him for so many years. However, he occasionally sensed a subtle hostility from Deng Yu. He hadn’t understood it then, but that time, Deng Yu met him and told him all this personally.
Confessing his love for Yan Sui to Yan Sui’s ex-wife was also Deng Yu’s way of venting the burning passion he had harbored for Yan Sui over the years, a passion that had gone unrequited. Su Siyu even suspected that Deng Yu was involved behind the scenes of his divorce from Yan Sui.
It was true that Yan Sui didn’t love him, but he didn’t love anyone else either.
Su Siyu’s repeated crossing of Yan Sui’s bottom line might have been part of a trap set by Deng Yu. People at their level—He, Su Yang, and Yan Sui—had countless ways to scheme against someone, especially when they held a grudge.
Su Siyu felt his suspicions were well-founded, but at that time, he had no means to investigate. Even Deng Yu’s willingness to tell him these things indicated that he was sure Su Siyu had no way to contact Yan Sui anymore.
“Perhaps he would be willing to cooperate with you to destroy the Yan Corporation. This might be his way of finally getting Yan Sui.”
Su Siyu couldn’t see, so he was unaware of Deng Yu’s increasingly dark gaze. Otherwise, he would never have spoken so freely.
“Get rid of Meng Ting, then seize the opportunity… Otherwise, with Meng Ting around, he’ll never have a chance!”
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 099″]
手足無措 (shǒu zú wú cuò): lit. to have no way to move the hands or feet; at a loss to know what to do (idiom); not know where to put one’s hands and feet—be all in a fluster; bewildered; From the Analects, Book 13 (《論語·子路》): 名不正，則言不順；言不順，則事不成；事不成，則禮樂不興；禮樂不興，則刑罰不中；刑罰不中，則民無所措手足。, If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things. If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success. When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music will not flourish. When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded. When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot.若有若無 (ruò yǒu ruò wú): indistinct; faintly discernible; vague; intangible; not much; if any; describe something unclear or a relationship not close.
[/dropdown]Check out my completed & current project at my carrd. If you like my translation, you can buy me coffee at Ko-fi~ Thank you.
