RIACMET chapter 85

 

Since he had already clashed with Xia Weiwei, Jiang Nian invited his teammates to dinner that evening to explain everything.

He solemnly and sincerely admitted the truth: he’d never had a good relationship with his stepmother’s family or his own father. He told them about the quarrels and the real story behind his parents’ divorce, which was a scandal back then.

Afterward, he reminded everyone to be extra careful if they ever crossed paths with that family again.

“I can’t deny that I share blood with Chen Shanmin. But aside from that, I owe him nothing. You don’t need to give me any face because of him. Even if you killed him in front of me, I wouldn’t care.”

Family affection is the greatest form of moral blackmail in the world.

If he hadn’t experienced his previous life, he might not have been able to be this “ruthless.”

His mother had always maintained a kind of “rationality” that outsiders could never understand. She never blamed anyone or held grudges.

He once asked her if she regretted it. The thin, frail woman lying in the hospital bed back then had said,

“We agreed that we’d only have another child after our careers stabilized. You came unexpectedly. Your place never changed, but mine did. I filed for divorce, and he chose to walk away and leave us behind. Adults have to pay for their own decisions. I don’t regret it, but I’m sorry you got hurt…”

In her eyes, there was no absolute right or wrong, only adult choices.

When he was older, she told him the truth and said he could recognize the man if he wanted to.

He hadn’t dared to agree, nor did he know what to say. As someone on the internet once put it:

They truly loved each other, but true love decays so quickly.

This was why, even as a child, he worried about Chen Shanmin—not out of malice. If the apocalypse had never come, they would have probably just kept living peacefully and indifferently until the end.

After all, during peaceful times, no matter how selfish the other side was, they wouldn’t have been able to threaten his life. He would have grown up and found another way to break free, starting a new life somewhere far away and never looking back.

“…”

“Don’t worry, godfather,” Huang Qian said seriously. “Now you’re family. If you ever have a grievance, just tell us. We’ll make sure they regret it.”

“Yeah, Brother Nian, you don’t even need to show up yourself. Leave it to us.”

“That’s right—if you don’t see them, you won’t remember them. We’ll handle it…”

The teammates, who had only heard vague hints from Cheng Jing before, were furious now that they knew the whole story.

“…”

Jiang Nian pulled himself back from his memories, raised his glass with a smile, and said,

“With your support, there are some things I want to do myself.”

Hearing this, everyone spoke up at once.

“All right, Brother Nian, go ahead.”

“Yeah, do whatever you want. Brother Cheng and I will clean up any mess afterward, so don’t worry!”

“Exactly…”

“…”

“Good.”

Jiang Nian drained his glass in one gulp, his eyes bright with a hint of drunkenness.

For some reason, Cheng Jing felt an inexplicable sense of relief. This was how Jiang Nian should be—setting aside all his burdens and worries to do what he needed to do. No matter how things turned out, they could always rely on him to clean up.

After venting and receiving the team’s support, Jiang Nian drank happily.

He didn’t get completely wasted, just a little tipsy.

When everyone finally left, he clung to Cheng Jing and started acting wild.

While Cheng Jing washed the dishes, Jiang Nian hugged him from behind.

“Brother Jing, you’re so virtuous. I’m so happy I have you.”

Cheng Jing pulled his hands away from his stomach.

“Go take a bath. I’ll get the water ready.”

Jiang Nian stared up at him, his fingertips brushing along the edge of Cheng Jing’s waistband. His voice was hoarse and sultry.

“Let’s just do it together. You can finish whatever you’re doing once I’m satisfied.”

Being half-drunk felt so good. This, he thought, was the real benefit of drinking.

“…”

Cheng Jing ground his molars silently, wiped his hands, and dragged Jiang Nian directly into the bathroom.

He ran a hot bath, poured in some bubbles, stripped Jiang Nian, and tossed him into the tub.

“Soak in here for a while. I’ll come back when I’m done cleaning up.”

Honestly, he sometimes dreaded this man when he drank—he was too much to handle!

“No, Brother…”

The drunk man tugged at him relentlessly, refusing to let go.

“What if I fall asleep and slip under the water and drown? You’d lose your wife.”

“…”

At that moment, Cheng Jing really wanted to sew the smirk off the man’s face.

After a moment of silence, he sighed, rolled up his sleeves, knelt by the tub, and began to wash him himself.

His rough palms slid over Jiang Nian’s skin. Jiang Nian instinctively turned to the side, but Cheng Jing pulled him back firmly.

“Don’t move.”

“Your hands are too rough…”

Someone mumbled under his breath.

“You never seem to mind any other time,” Cheng Jing thought irritably, adjusting his grip slightly.

He didn’t bother responding. He just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

Outside, the sky hadn’t completely darkened, and no lights were on. In that dusky glow, with those drunken eyes watching him, Jiang Nian thought Cheng Jing looked even better than usual.

On impulse, he tilted his wet head and pecked Cheng Jing’s Adam’s apple.

“Brother Jing, I really love you…”

How could this man be so handsome? The more intoxicatedly he looked at Cheng Jing, the more dazzling he seemed.

“…”

Cheng Jing’s breath caught. He stared at him for a second, then bent down and kissed him hard.

“I know.”

This little bastard only got drunk and turned on the charm when he wanted something. He wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted.

After receiving his answer, Jiang Nian latched onto his shoulder and became even more unrestrained. The bathwater splashed, soaking Cheng Jing’s clothes.

“Hm…”

After the kiss, Jiang Nian felt short of breath and dizzy.

“I like you the most, Brother Jing…”

He wasn’t very clever and tended to get emotional easily. He thought about so many things all at once.

He buried his face in Cheng Jing’s chest and hummed softly to calm his breathing.

Cheng Jing patted him gently, his voice low and hoarse.

“Just relax and hold me tight. I’m here.”

Only at times like this would this man reveal the grievances he kept buried so deeply in his heart.

The tub overflowed and washed away the foam, but Cheng Jing didn’t care.

He waited until the person in his arms had finally quieted down. Then he finished bathing him, wrapped him in a towel, and carried him back to the bedroom.

The room was dimly lit, but even with bleary eyes and a flushed face, Jiang Nian could barely see Cheng Jing.

While Cheng Jing dried his hair, Jiang Nian sat on the edge of the bed, bit his lip, bowed his head, and clutched the towel in both hands, too embarrassed to look up.

When the hair dryer finally stopped, Cheng Jing touched his face.

“What is it? You still haven’t sobered up?”

“…”

Jiang Nian lifted his head slightly and looked aggrieved.

“Brother Jing, was I a little shameless just now?”

He felt like he hadn’t behaved very well today.

“Huh? Hahaha…”

Cheng Jing was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing when he realized what Jiang Nian meant.

“No, it was the alcohol. Don’t overthink it.”

Drunks really do say anything, and if you tease them, they’ll sulk.

“…You’re right…”

Jiang Nian nodded.

“This is all your fault. Your hands were too rough.”

With that, he wrapped himself in a towel and rolled onto the bed.

“…”

“Niannian!”

Seeing him roll over twice, Cheng Jing grabbed him by the waist. He was so angry that he wanted to bite him.

Seriously, if you can’t handle it, are you going to blame me for having bad technique?

The worst part was, what was he supposed to do about wanting to crawl in there right then?

He still had dishes to wash and chores to finish.

“…”

After cleaning the kitchen and wiping down the table, Cheng Jing’s frustration settled down.

But when he came back from his shower, Jiang Nian was already fast asleep. No matter how much he called him, he didn’t stir, which made it impossible to do anything.

Since it was still early, Cheng Jing pulled out his phone and answered a few messages. Then he got dressed, grabbed the rescue team’s exclusive access card, and stepped out.