Yan Sui’s eyes reflected Meng Ting’s beautiful face. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and then he nodded.
But that brief pause, that moment of being momentarily dazzled by Meng Ting’s beauty, felt like hesitation to Meng Ting. His hand slid to Yan Sui’s cheek, poking it gently. “Yan Sui, you can’t not miss me. You’re mine.”
He had been so envious of Zhen Han and the others these past few days. Hearing Yan Sui’s voice only intensified his longing.
No, perhaps it was more accurate to call it jealousy. He was jealous that Zhen Han and the others could be by Yan Sui’s side, talking to him, eating with him—stealing all the moments that should have been his.
“I missed you,” Yan Sui murmured, gently embracing Meng Ting and kissing his lips. He then pressed Meng Ting’s head against his shoulder, naturally patting Meng Ting’s back. “I know. I’m yours, only yours.”
Meng Ting might not understand the source of his intense attachment, but Yan Sui did.
Meng Ting still hadn’t shaken off the shadow of that day’s events. When he couldn’t see, touch, or feel Yan Sui, he couldn’t suppress his anxiety. The fact that he had endured these past few days in the Yan Corporation building for their plan was already remarkable.
Yan Sui’s serious expression and absolute words finally satisfied Meng Ting. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he leaned in to kiss Yan Sui’s neck. His hands continued to embrace Yan Sui, and he whispered again, “You’re mine, only mine.”
To allow Meng Ting to hold him comfortably, Yan Sui didn’t move to his desk to handle matters. Instead, he opened his laptop and reviewed electronic reports from the study sofa, while Meng Ting diligently monopolized his attention.
With Yan Sui back at the helm of the Yan family, replacing Meng Ting, the pace of the Yan Corporation’s acquisition of the Yán’s would only accelerate, not slow down.
Yán Yunsheng called Xu Shumin again, but this time, it wasn’t Xu Shumin who answered, but his secretary. Yán Yunsheng hung up the phone. He knew that Xu Shumin and the Xu family were no longer willing to help him, not even to buy him a little breathing room.
***
On this same day, the Meng family, which had been barely surviving in Haicheng for so long, also declared bankruptcy. Old Master Meng and the members of the Meng family’s second house completely withdrew from Haicheng’s elite circle. With Old Master Meng now imprisoned, it could be considered a reunion with Li Yifei behind bars.
Meng Qi had bought a house in the North Suburb, near the Yan Residence, where he lived with Feng Zejiao and his parents. After dinner, Meng Ting and Yan Sui were strolling near the gate when they spotted Meng Qi walking with Feng Zejiao. Meng Qi enthusiastically waved to Meng Ting and Yan Sui from afar.
However, Meng Ting stared at him for a good while before finally recognizing him. He even looked around to see if anyone else was passing by, perhaps Meng Qi was waving to someone else? Meng Ting still felt that he and Meng Qi weren’t particularly close.
Meng Qi immediately understood Meng Ting’s unspoken meaning and didn’t try to speak with him. Instead, he looked at Yan Sui. “Yan Lao Da, out for a walk?”
“Mm,” Yan Sui nodded. He didn’t have much to say to Meng Qi either. He exchanged a few pleasantries with Feng Zejiao and then led Meng Ting back home.
Meng Qi clearly wanted to linger, but since he lived nearby, he knew there would be plenty of opportunities to talk to Meng Ting in the future.
And by ‘talk’, he truly meant just talk. Any romantic notions he might have harbored toward Meng Ting had been thoroughly beaten out of him by Meng Ting’s two fists long ago.
“Why does he call you ‘Yan Lao Da‘ too?” Meng Ting suddenly asked after they had walked in silence for a while. He couldn’t remember Yan Sui ever taking Meng Qi under his wing. Could Meng Qi have ulterior motives toward his Yan Sui?
As this thought crossed his mind, Meng Ting tightened his grip on Yan Sui’s hand.
Yan Sui had nothing to hide from Meng Ting, so he carefully explained his collaboration with Meng Qi.
“Oh, so that’s it… Then he should call you ‘Yan Lao Da‘,” Meng Ting said. He had initially assumed the Meng family was finally reaping what they sowed, but now he realized Yan Sui had orchestrated it all. Hearing the full story, he also realized that a significant reason for it was because of him.
“Li Lan and his grandfather both call me ‘Big Boss[mfn]大當家 (dà dāng jiā): Big Boss; Master; Master of the House.[/mfn]’!”
Speaking of Li Lan, Meng Ting suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right! Li Lan will be here in a couple of days after his exams. I’ll give him a tour of the lab. He’s very good too.” Meng Ting’s ‘very good’ referred to Li Lan’s talent in perfumery.
“Understood, Big Boss,” Yan Sui replied, gently rubbing Meng Ting’s slightly flushed cheeks, chilled from the cold. He couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss his lips.
Meng Ting blinked and immediately returned the kiss. They shared a breathless, deep kiss, and the lingering unease Meng Qi had stirred within Meng Ting was completely erased by the kiss, his cheeks even redder than before. He softly corrected Yan Sui’s words:
“I’m Li Lan’s Big Boss, but you’re the Big Boss of our family.”
Meng Ting firmly believed this. But as soon as he finished speaking, he snuggled back into Yan Sui’s arms, adding, “But you’re still mine.” Even if Yan Sui was the patriarch of the entire Yan family, he would always belong to Meng Ting.
Yan Sui couldn’t help but smile, letting Meng Ting hold him for a moment longer before taking his hand and leading him inside.
After all, tomorrow was the final exam. Meng Ting and Yan Sui returned upstairs, took out two more practice papers, and then went to sleep with a slightly anxious heart.
***
The next day, Yan Sui personally drove Meng Ting to school, dropping him off at the classroom door before returning to his car and heading to Yan Corporation building. Meng Ting didn’t emerge from the school gates until after five o’clock, where Yan Sui’s car was already waiting.
Throughout the two days of exams, Yan Sui handled all of Meng Ting’s pick-ups and drop-offs. Even while he was at the Yan Corporation building, there were still people secretly watching both inside and outside Meng Ting’s school. With the Yán family being pressured so heavily, how could he not guard against their desperate retaliation?
“I’m done with the exams. I think I did okay,” Meng Ting said, collapsing into Yan Sui’s arms. He took Yan Sui’s hand and tucked it into his own, looking utterly relieved.
Yan Sui gently stroked Meng Ting’s hair with his free hand. After a moment’s thought, he said, “I’ll make you noodles tonight as a reward.”
“Okay,” Meng Ting nodded eagerly, his gaze fixed on Yan Sui. He made a half-hearted attempt to sit up but was too exhausted. Instead, he whispered, “Lean closer. I want to kiss you.”
Without hesitation, Yan Sui immediately leaned down, and Meng Ting, getting his wish, pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
After kissing him, Meng Ting smiled, his eyes crinkling, and nuzzled against Yan Sui before finally letting go.
“Oh, right, Teacher Wang asked if I wanted extra tutoring, but I refused,” Meng Ting said, holding Yan Sui’s hand and kneading it. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay with you.”
To be precise, Meng Ting wanted to stay by Yan Sui’s side until everything settled down before focusing on his own things. Yan Sui would worry about his safety, but Meng Ting worried about Yan Sui too. That incident could absolutely never happen again.
Yan Sui nodded at this. “That’s fine. You can study just as well at home.”
If absolutely necessary, they could always hire tutors to come to the house, just like before.
“Mm,” Meng Ting nodded. He didn’t ask Yan Sui to lower his head again, but he reached out and touched Yan Sui’s lips. The meaning was essentially the same—that irresistible desire to be intimate with Yan Sui.
He continued to cling to Yan Sui in the car. Only when they arrived home did he get out. But before he had walked two steps, Yan Sui picked him up and carried him on his back again. In the past six months, Meng Ting had grown quite a bit taller, yet he still fit perfectly on Yan Sui’s back.
Pressing his cheek against Yan Sui’s, Meng Ting glanced around before opening his lips and gently nibbling Yan Sui’s cheek. He couldn’t bring himself to bite hard, just holding it in his mouth and licking it before letting go.
“Didn’t bite hard,” Meng Ting whispered to Yan Sui after his nibble. He rubbed his cheek against the spot he had just bite on Yan Sui. “I just wanted to kiss you.” He missed him so much that the kiss turned into a gentle bite.
“Mm,” Yan Sui replied, then quickened his pace into the house. Meng Ting wanted to kiss him, and he wanted to kiss Meng Ting just as much. He couldn’t say it, but he was willing to show it.
After Uncle Xiao took Meng Ting’s schoolbag, he saw Yan Sui carry Meng Ting directly back to their room. He then turned to inform Nanny Wang that dinner didn’t need to be rushed. As for the others, they could be served some small snacks first. Since Meng Ting’s final exams were over today, they probably all wanted to have dinner with him.
***
As Uncle Xiao expected, they came down from their room over an hour later. Both Meng Ting and Yan Sui had showered and changed clothes. What they had been doing didn’t require much thought to guess; Meng Ting’s flushed cheeks gave it away.
“Ting Ting baby’s skin is so good,” Yan Manjia remarked, after staring at Meng Ting for a while, reaching this rather unexpected conclusion.
When his name was mentioned, Meng Ting finally shifted his gaze from Yan Sui to Yan Manjia. He thought for a moment before responding, “It’s probably because I’m younger.”
He was the youngest in the family, so wasn’t it only natural for him to have the best skin?
Yan Manjia, whose tender spot had been stepped on, huffed and turned her head away. She muttered, “At your age, you should be covered in acne!” But Meng Ting’s daily diet was primarily light, and he couldn’t handle even a little spice. Coupled with the medicinal dishes Nanny Wang prepared for him to regulate his body, it would be strange if his skin wasn’t good.
At Yan Manjia’s words, Meng Ting recalled the classmates he had seen today; indeed, many of them had faces full of acne. He touched his own face with a slight tremor of apprehension. Not feeling any bumps, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
He glanced at Yan Sui, then shook his head. “I don’t want to get acne. I don’t want to become ugly.”
His good looks were his only advantage in attracting Yan Sui. He couldn’t afford to lose even that advantage.
Seeing Meng Ting startled, Yan Manjia finally settled down contentedly. She might have outgrown her youthful glow, but she couldn’t give up on maintaining her appearance. She’d have to consult Ning Zhou for tips another day.
Truth be told, Yan Manjia’s recent stay at the old residence had done wonders for her complexion. Going to bed and waking up early. Aside from painting, she watched TV daily and practiced yoga every evening. With a regular routine and a good mood, her complexion had naturally improved. Even without makeup, she looked far better than before.
She envied Meng Ting’s skin, and likely many people envied hers.
Meng Ting pondered for a moment, then shook Yan Sui’s hand. “Don’t add any chili to my noodles tonight.”
“Alright,” Yan Sui replied, though he hadn’t planned to anyway.
Yan Manjia and the others, who had overheard their conversation, were long accustomed to YanYan Sui cooking special meals just for Meng Ting. Except for one evening when they had been fortunate enough to taste his chicken wings, they rarely got to share in his culinary creations. Meng Ting was fiercely ‘possessive’ of anything concerning Yan Sui, rarely willing to share.
As they chatted, Yan Yu and He Yue also arrived from the adjacent building. After what had happened that day, Old Master He might have originally wanted to ask He Yue and Yan Yu to stay, but he couldn’t bring himself to. However, Yan Yu and He Yue had already planned to move out once He Yue fully recovered.
They hadn’t decided where to go yet—perhaps Haicheng, perhaps F Country. Although they had been delayed for over twenty years, He Yue’s dream was still something they wanted to fulfill.
Once everyone was seated, they began to eat.
“How did your exam go, Ting Ting?” Yan Yu asked Meng Ting after setting down his chopsticks. However, Meng Ting still had food in his mouth. He glanced up at Yan Yu, hesitated, then nodded.
He Yue tugged at Yan Yu’s sleeve, signaling him not to bring up topics that might upset Meng Ting.
But Yan Yu hadn’t meant anything by it. Not only was He Yue protective, but Yan Manjia and Zhen Han had also glanced up. Yan Sui, however, remained indifferent, either completely unconcerned by Yan Yu’s words or confident he could make Meng Ting disregard them.
“Just do your best. Your health comes first.” This was Yan Yu’s intention behind starting the conversation. Their family had no shortage of high-achieving children. If Meng Ting wanted to study, he could; if not, he had Yan Sui and his own career, so there was no need for him to struggle along the same path as others[mfn]T/N: YY exact word is 獨木橋 (dú mù qiáo), single-plank or log foot bridge; (figurative) narrow and difficult route that people have to go through to reach the destination. It refers to a development path full of challenges and risks.[/mfn].
Meng Ting nodded quickly this time. He smiled at Yan Yu, then picked up some food and placed it on Yan Sui’s plate, urging him, “It’s delicious. You should eat.”
Yan Sui’s tastes were similar to Yan Yu’s, and they had both taken more of that particular dish. Meng Ting was worried that Yan Sui might go hungry if Yan Yu ate too much.
Yan Yu paused, his expression shifting to helpless resignation. He picked up his chopsticks, and Meng Ting’s gaze immediately shifted towards him. Only when Yan Yu picked up He Yue’s favorite dish did Meng Ting finally look away.
“That’s Dad He’s favorite, I know.”
He spoke softly to Yan Sui, and when he saw Yan Sui’s plate was empty, he immediately served him more food.
Of course, all the food on his own plate had been placed there by Yan Sui, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables for optimal nutrition.
After dinner, everyone stayed to watch TV with Meng Ting for a while before dispersing. Meng Ting had exercised after returning home and was now feeling a bit sleepy, but he still remembered Yan Sui’s noodles and couldn’t bring himself to sleep, nor would he let Yan Sui pat him to sleep.
They went to the study, where Yan Sui handled work matters while Meng Ting took out his laptop to begin brainstorming the four-seasons perfume he wanted to create for Yan Sui. Naturally, part of his brainstorming involved observing Yan Sui himself, since this perfume was a custom-made fragrance tailored specifically for him. He felt perfectly justified in his gaze.
Yan Sui was naturally not oblivious. Even as he was distracted, his speed in handling tasks continued to accelerate.
Noticing that Meng Ting had been observing him for a while, he looked back at his computer. Finally, he placed his pen in the pen holder, stood up, and went behind Meng Ting’s seat, embracing him from behind. “What are you looking at me for?”
“I’m brainstorming perfume ideas,” Meng Ting said, his cheeks flushing slightly with a hint of guilt. He held Yan Sui’s hands resting on his abdomen and lifted his chin slightly. “The perfume I’m making for you, of course, has to start with studying you.”
“Does that make sense?”
If Meng Ting hadn’t said those words, his argument might have held some weight. But the guilty look on his face as he turned around instantly undermined his logic. This was probably an alternative version of ‘abusing one’s position for personal gain’.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 097″]
苟延殘喘 (gǒu yán cán chuǎn): lit. living on the last breath; to struggle on whilst at death’s door (idiom); to linger; to drag on one’s feeble existence; linger on in a steadily worsening condition; be on one’s last legs; the original meaning is to barely extend the breath before death. It is a metaphor for barely surviving for the time being.來日方長 (lái rì fāng cháng): the future is long (idiom); there will be ample time for that later; there are many days ahead of us; we’ll cross that bridge when we get there; there will be plenty of/ample time; there will be time for that; there are many days yet (to do sth); there is still a long time to come, indicating that there is still a lot of room for improvement, or advising people not to rush into doing something.
非分之想 (fēi fèn zhī xiǎng): inordinate ambitions; an improper thought; presumptuous desire; delusional desire to obtain benefits beyond one’s duty.
惡有惡報 (è yǒu è bào): evil has its retribution (idiom); to suffer the consequences of one’s bad deeds; what goes around comes around; sow the wind, reap the whirlwind; sow the wind and reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7); evil will be rewarded with evil; people who do bad things will suffer the consequences. Derived from the proverb 善有善報，惡有惡報 (shàn yǒu shàn bào , è yǒu è bào), virtue has its reward, evil its retribution. What goes around comes around; Doing good deeds will eventually lead to good rewards, and doing bad deeds will eventually lead to bad retribution. It means karma and retribution.
假公濟私 (jiǎ gōng jì sī): to exploit public office for private gain; official authority used for private interests (idiom); to attain private ends by abusing public position; abuse public office for private gain; use public resources for personal ends; exploit public office for personal benefit; using the public name to seek personal gain. An idiom that comes from a historical story.
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