The sparkle in Meng Ting’s eyes made him look incredibly captivating.
Yan Sui felt Meng Ting’s affection but didn’t know how to express it. He hugged him tighter, feeling it wasn’t enough, then gently kissed Meng Ting’s cheek, still not enough… But in the car, this was the extent of what he could do.
Meng Ting nestled in Yan Sui’s embrace, his eyes narrowed with a smile. Having found his direction, he felt his energy surge back, the earlier fatigue vanishing completely. Yet he had no desire to return to the lab just yet. With both he and Yan Sui unexpectedly free, he simply wanted to stay by Yan Sui’s side, accompanying him, clinging to him, content with whatever they did.
Zhao Bing glanced at the rearview mirror and then looked away. In Meng Ting and Yan Sui’s eyes, he was probably blind—no, deaf too, unable to hear the loud kisses Meng Ting was planting on Yan Sui.
In truth, Zhao Bing was mistaken. In Meng Ting’s eyes, Zhao Bing was practically invisible. Meng Ting’s mind and heart were entirely filled with Yan Sui and his perfume; he simply couldn’t spare a thought for anyone or anything else.
It wasn’t until the car stopped in front of the Yan Residence and Zhao Bing continued driving it to the underground parking garage that Meng Ting glanced back at the car and belatedly remembered there was someone else besides him and Yan Sui in the car.
“Zhao Bing drives so attentively, he definitely didn’t see or hear anything,” Meng Ting assured Yan Sui, and himself. Yet his cheeks still flushed slightly. He glanced at Yan Sui, finding the perfect excuse: “It’s just that you’re too handsome, and your suggestion was too tempting. I just couldn’t resist.”
“Couldn’t resist what?” Yan Sui asked casually, leading Meng Ting inside.
“Couldn’t resist kissing you,” Meng Ting replied, then swept his gaze over Yan Sui’s lips. He leaned closer, his voice dropping but his tone turning serious. “It’s been so long since we’ve been intimate…”
“Why can’t we be busy with work and still be intimate?”
For Meng Ting, this was likely the classic dilemma of wanting both the fish and the bear’s paw[mfn]魚和熊掌不可兼得 (yú yǔ xióng zhǎng bù kě jiān dé): lit. one cannot get fish and bear’s paw at the same time; the fish and the bear’s paw, you can’t have both at the same time (idiom, from Mencius); fig. you must choose one or the other ; one can’t have one’s cake and eat it, too; you can’t always get everything you want; to get advantages from two opposing things. From Mencius: 孟子曰：「魚，我所欲也；熊掌，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍魚而取熊掌者也。生，亦我所欲也；義，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍生而取義者也。」, Mencius said, ‘I like fish, and I also like bear’s paws. If I cannot have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear’s paws. So, I like life, and I also like righteousness. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose righteousness.'[/mfn]. However, even if others felt the same frustration, few would express it so frankly.
Before Yan Sui could answer, Meng Ting continued to ask, “I can’t manage it, but can’t you?”
He found it difficult to balance two important things, but surely his Yan Sui could.
“It’s not that I can’t, it’s that I don’t want to,” Yan Sui corrected Meng Ting sternly, pulling him to a stop. He lowered his head and kissed Meng Ting, silencing his growing doubts and gently calming his restless heart.
After the kiss, Yan Sui released him but didn’t immediately lead Meng Ting upstairs. Instead, they walked together in the backyard. The winter sun was very comfortable; Meng Ting, who had been cooped up in the lab, needed some sunlight.
Meng Ting was still dazed from the kiss. They had walked quite a distance before he fully regained his senses, and Yan Sui patiently waited. Only when Meng Ting’s mind had completely returned did he speak, “Tonight, we’re attending a banquet.”
“Mm?” Meng Ting asked, confused, nestling closer into Yan Sui’s embrace. Although he was warmly dressed, he felt even warmer and safer in Yan Sui’s arms.
“It’s a banquet hosted by the He Family. He… Dad He plans to return to the He Family, and we’ll accompany them.”
Now that He Yue had resurfaced, Yan Yu would naturally make an appearance as well. They had lived at the Yan Residence for so long, Meng Ting and Yan Sui should attend as well.
“Oh, I know,” Meng Ting nodded. In fact, Meng Ting was probably the first person in the family to learn of He Yue’s decision to return to the He Family.
He Yue had asked Meng Ting why he was willing to return to the Xiao Family. Meng Ting hadn’t shared this with anyone else, but he was willing to tell He Yue. He told He Yue that he was willing because the Xiao Family could help him better protect Yan Sui.
On the other hand, He Yue felt the same way. Despite knowing Yan Yu would face danger, he couldn’t do anything. The anxiety in his heart was greater than anyone else’s. What did it matter if he could stand again if Yan Yu wasn’t there? His healed legs would be meaningless without him.
He had told Meng Ting first, then spent two more days deliberating before informing Yan Yu and summoning Yan Sui.
If Yan Yu was destined to face this calamity, he hoped they could maintain complete control over the situation.
Yan Sui’s expression faltered slightly. He truly hadn’t known that Meng Ting was already aware of their plan. He reached out and covered Meng Ting’s ears. “Did Dad He tell you?”
“Mm,” Meng Ting nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he leaned against Yan Sui’s shoulder, completely unwilling to walk further. This time, he really felt sleepy.
Yan Sui gently rubbed Meng Ting’s face again before turning around. “I’ll carry you back.”
“Okay,” Meng Ting agreed, settling onto Yan Sui’s back and closing his eyes again. He mumbled, “You’ll be busy tonight. Let’s take a nap together now, okay?”
“Okay,” Yan Sui replied.
***
Meng Ting was carried by Yan Sui all the way back to the bedroom, and then they undressed and made love. Yan Sui more than fulfilled all of Meng Ting’s requests. The two slept from four in the afternoon until they woke up at seven in the evening.
After washing up and getting dressed, they went downstairs at half past seven, where Yan Yu and He Yue were already waiting.
Meng Ting’s cheeks still flushed a rosy red, clearly indicating what they had been doing since returning home that afternoon. However, no one in the family teased Yan Sui or Meng Ting about it. They wouldn’t dare with Yan Sui, and as for Meng Ting, he wouldn’t understand subtle jokes anyway. If they were too direct, he would probably just admit it matter-of-factly, so what would be the fun in teasing then?
“Dad He looks especially handsome today,” Meng Ting remarked, holding two pieces of pastry to stave off his hunger, then complimented He Yue.
“Ting Ting is the one who looks handsome,” He Yue replied with a gentle smile, his refined, bamboo-like[mfn]清雅如竹 (qīng yǎ rú zhú): From the saying 君子如玉，人淡如竹 (jūn zǐ rú yù, rén dàn rú zhú), lit. A gentleman is like jade, a person is as quiet as bamboo. In Chinese culture, a gentleman is an ideal personality. Bamboo has upright and slender branches, is green all year round, defies frost and rain, is not afraid of severe cold, is elegant on the outside, indifferent on the inside, elegant and refined, and does not flatter the world. Therefore, people often associate bamboo with gentlemen, believing that gentlemen are like bamboo. Confucianism believes that a gentleman should be respectful on the outside and strong on the inside; be lenient to others and strict with oneself; and be restrained and not show off one’s brilliance. The qualities of jade are most similar to those of a gentleman, so the Chinese use and wear jade for moral and spiritual reasons.[/mfn] demeanor was indeed very pleasing to the eye.
Yan Sui and Yan Yu both nodded, though their nods were directed at different people.
Yan Sui was also given two pieces of pastry by Meng Ting, then they separated to board their cars and head to the He Family estate.
***
The He family had been very low-key these past few years. Even if they held banquets, they wouldn’t invite too many people. But this time, Old Master He had sent invitations to almost all the prominent families in Haicheng, even inviting some media outlets.
When Yan Sui and Meng Ting’s group of four arrived, it was a bit late, and the venue was already teeming with guests. They were escorted by bodyguards, a common sight for arriving patriarchs of major families, but they were still remarkably conspicuous: Yan Yu pushing He Yue’s wheelchair, with Yan Sui and Meng Ting following behind.
Old Master He, seeing them from afar, instantly burst into tears. Old Madam He was the same; no matter how biased her heart was, He Yue was still her eldest son, born from her own womb. Seeing him alive and returned was probably God’s forgiveness.
“Ah Yue, Ah Yu…” Old Madam He’s cry inadvertently revealed their identities. Combined with Yan Yu and He Yue’s names not being entirely unfamiliar in Haicheng’s elite circles, many of the older generation immediately knew who they were.
“You’re back, it’s good that you’re back,” Old Master He muttered repeatedly. He stepped forward and grasped He Yue’s hand, his body still shaking uncontrollably. His gaze fell to He Yue’s leg, and tears streamed down his face.
But he still turned again, facing the many media outlets and arriving guests, announcing in a voice choked with emotion, “This is my eldest son, He Yue. He has returned.”
“Father…” He Yue quietly called out. Compared to the two elderly members of the He family, his emotions were clearly not as agitated.
He hadn’t been agitated back then either. Before being recognized by his birth parents, he had loving adoptive parents, childhood friends, classmates, and a lover. He lacked nothing. The He family, to him, simply meant a few more relatives.
But his thinking at the time was too naive; he didn’t know the depths of human malice. Among the relatives he had acknowledged, there were those who harbored bitter hatred toward him. Not only did he not gain more relatives, but he also lost what he considered his once perfect life, even including his health.
Now, he wasn’t agitated because he had already endured too many hardships. Besides Yan Yu, no one could stir his emotions deeply anymore.
They made their way from the living room doorway into the main living area, a short distance that took a long time due to the continuous stream of people congratulating Old Master He and greeting Yan Yu and Yan Sui.
After the first round of toasts, Yan Yu continued to stay with Old Master He while Yan Sui turned to Meng Ting and said, “You stay here with Dad He; I have something to discuss with Grandpa Zhong.”
Meng Ting glanced at Yan Sui, then at He Yue, before nodding. “Okay. I’ll protect Dad He.”
Compared to Yan Sui, who was healthy and skilled, He Yue certainly seemed to be the one who needed protection.
Meng Ting guided He Yue to a quiet corner and kept him company. Meanwhile, Yan Yu stayed close to Old Master He, taking He Yue’s place in offering toasts and announcing their return to the crowd.
Both He Yue and Meng Ting kept their eyes fixed on the people they longed to see, the tenderness in their gazes impossible to conceal.
He Yue withdrew his gaze from Yan Yu, glanced at his wristwatch, and turned to Meng Ting. “Ting Ting, push me back to my room.”
Old Master He had arranged rooms for both He Yue and Yan Yu at the He Residence. He even hoped that He Yue and Yan Yu would choose to live at the He family home in the future. The Yan family already had Yan Sui, but the He family only had He Yue. It seemed more suitable for them to stay here.
Meng Ting glanced at He Yue and nodded, assuming he was tired. He Yue usually went to bed around this time, and the endless toasts showed no sign of stopping.
Meng Ting glanced at Yan Sui again. Seeing Yan Sui nod back at him, he returned with a smile, then stood up and pushed He Yue to his room at the He Residence.
“Wait, lock the door from the inside. We…”
He Yue’s words were cut short by a gunshot that reverberated through the air, followed by a cacophony of screams that grew louder and louder.
Meng Ting had already planned to leave He Yue’s room to find Yan Sui. Now, he hesitated no longer. He rushed out of the room in a few steps, pulling the door shut behind him, and began searching for Yan Sui in the surging crowd.
His heart pounded wildly, his face paling uncontrollably. The suffocating sensation of being trapped in a nightmare pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe.
When he pushed through the crowd and saw Yan Sui lying in a pool of blood, he used the last of his strength to reach Yan Sui’s side.
“Yan Sui, Yan Sui…” Meng Ting knelt beside Yan Sui. He raised his hand again and again but didn’t dare to touch him even once. His breathing was labored, his expression one of utter disbelief, which caused the surrounding screams to quiet down.
Slowly, he gathered Yan Sui into his arms. He pressed his hand against the blood-soaked wound, but it was no use; the blood continued to seep through Yan Sui’s clothes. “No, don’t be like this, Yan Sui, don’t die, don’t…”
The author has something to say:
Spoiler: He doesn’t die.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 093″]
理直氣壯 (lǐ zhí qì zhuàng): in the right and self-confident (idiom); bold and confident with justice on one’s side; to have the courage of one’s convictions; just and forceful; with justice on one’s side and in an assertive tone.
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