The day Ji Ling was discharged from the hospital, Yan Yixuan actually showed up.
It seemed like Yan Yixuan had mentally labeled him as someone he was taking care of, but Ji Ling couldn’t see him as a ‘sugar daddy.’
What’s more, Yan Yixuan was the only link between the current Ji Ling and the former Zong Bolin.
It was strange, though—Zong Bolin and Yan Yixuan weren’t even that close. They didn’t have much business to do with each other, and whenever they bumped into one another, it was just a casual social interaction.
Yet, bizarrely, Ji Ling could now remember every moment he had crossed paths with Yan Yixuan.
Where they had had drinks, at which trade conference they had seen each other—it was all so vivid in his mind.
Because of this, Ji Ling’s feelings were a bit mixed as he faced the man now.
Yan Yixuan took control, pushing Ji Ling out of the hospital, and the car was already waiting outside. Ji Ling found himself unexpectedly shoved into the car.
He shot Yan Yixuan an annoyed glance and muttered, “No need to make it feel like a kidnapping, right?”
Yan Yixuan sat next to him, laughing. “You’ve got quite a temper.”
Ji Ling couldn’t help but snap back, “You’re the young master, you’re the one with the bigger temper.”
Yan Yixuan casually threw an arm around Ji Ling’s shoulders, laughing even louder. “Oh, you wanna see how big? Why don’t you try?”
Ji Ling immediately regretted saying anything.
Why had he even bothered?
Ji Ling understood perfectly well what Yan Yixuan’s mindset was like now—finding a lover was like picking a meal. After eating sweet food until you’re tired of it, you go for something spicy, and if salty becomes unbearable, you switch to something bland.
Right now, Ji Ling probably still intrigued Yan Yixuan a little, so he was patiently toying with him. But once he got bored, Ji Ling knew he’d be tossed aside just like any fleeting interest.
It was precisely because Ji Ling knew exactly how people like them thought that he felt so utterly defeated.
When he was living the wild life back then, who could have imagined he’d end up in this situation?
Ji Ling was quite something—barely escaping the jaws of the tiger, only to walk right into the wolf’s den. What was a little lamb like him thinking, getting involved with the complicated world of desire?
He couldn’t be bothered to dwell on it anymore. Ji Ling rubbed his temples and decided to stay calm. Yan Yixuan, noticing his mature gesture, found it amusing and started chatting with him casually, saying little here and there.
As someone who frequently traveled for work, Ji Ling was no stranger to the city, but if he had to recognize a specific route, he might not have been able to. He could tell Yan Yixuan wasn’t taking him home, but he had no idea where they were headed.
It wasn’t until they were out of the city center that Ji Ling began to catch on to their destination.
The city where the Yan family lived had a racetrack, which was quite famous nationwide. However, horse racing wasn’t as widely practiced in China, so the racetrack wasn’t a big focus in the city’s promotions. Unless you were in the horse racing circle, not many people knew there was such a large one in the area.
If Ji Ling remembered correctly, the Yan family had even invested in this racetrack.
For businesspeople like them, investments were mostly about making more money, but many also liked to invest in things they were interested in during their downtime. That’s why a lot of entrepreneurs supported sports and cultural projects. From this, it seemed clear that someone in the Yan family must have had a passion for horses.
The Yan family had made their fortune in shipping, and they weren’t from the north. The horse racing culture in Hong Kong and Macau had mostly been passed down from British traditions, so Ji Ling wondered which of the Yan family members had a particular fondness for horses.
He glanced over at Yan Yixuan, who seemed to be in a good mood. Ji Ling had never heard of Yan Yixuan being into horse racing, and whenever people in their circles talked about what the young master liked, it was always common knowledge.
Ji Ling was lost in thought when the car pulled into the racetrack’s parking lot. Yan Yixuan led him out, and Ji Ling saw riders and horses scattered across the grass racetrack. The riders wore neat, crisp jockey outfits, and the horses were elegant and graceful—it was a sight to behold.
“This place isn’t bad, huh?” Yan Yixuan said, acting as though he was showing Ji Ling something impressive.
Ji Ling glanced at him but didn’t have the heart to say, ‘Sorry, I’ve been here before.’
Zong Bolin really had been here once, and it was actually because of his younger brother, Zong Jiqi.
Years ago, his brother had gone to England and gotten into horse racing. Zong Jiqi never asked for anything from the family, when he became interested in raising horses, he never mentioned it. Zong Bolin, seeing this, had planned to buy him a horse and even did quite a bit of research on it. He’d asked someone to look for a horse, but Zong Jiqi suddenly lost interest, and with their father also opposing it, the whole thing was dropped.
Thanks to this, Zong Bolin had ended up with a bit of knowledge about horses.
Now, as Ji Ling walked through the familiar place, his mood wasn’t exactly good. He followed Yan Yixuan toward the stables and asked, “Are we going to ride?”
Yan Yixuan winked at him and said, “Buy a horse.” He looked so pleased with himself. “A fine horse and a beautiful man—don’t you think they’re a perfect match?”
Ji Ling was a beat slow in realizing that the ‘beautiful man’ was referring to him.
How tacky.
Ji Ling thought for a moment. Looking at it from another angle, he wasn’t really any better than Yan Yixuan, was he?
Although they were heading toward the stables, they first stopped by the manager’s guest office.
The horse manager brought over detailed information about the horses, and he began explaining everything to Yan Yixuan.
Ji Ling, having had some experience in this area, listened attentively. He glanced at Yan Yixuan, who was smiling on the surface, but his attitude didn’t seem all that enthusiastic.
So, it was just another short-lived interest. A mere fifteen minutes and it was already cooling off.
Unfortunately, the horse manager was too enthusiastic and kept talking nonstop, until Yan Yixuan finally couldn’t hold back and interrupted him, saying, “Let me see the horse.”
Only then did they move toward the stables.
It didn’t take long for the two of them to see the horse Yan Yixuan wanted to buy. It was a beautiful adult horse, calm and tall, with bright eyes. Ji Ling immediately felt a liking for it, and Yan Yixuan nodded, saying, “It’s very beautiful.”
The horse manager puffed up with pride and began listing all the horse’s qualities—how it was well-trained and ready to ride, how gentle it was, how fast it could run, and so on.
The smell of the stables wasn’t great, and Yan Yixuan didn’t seem very interested. He likely wanted to wrap it up quickly, but he remained still, listening to the manager’s long-winded explanations.
In the middle of the conversation, someone suddenly interrupted them.
“What are you doing here?”
Ji Ling turned around to see a tall man standing nearby, looking displeased.
The man had short, neat hair, giving him a sharp and efficient look. He wore riding boots and carried himself with authority. His face was well-structured—while not as stunningly handsome as Yan Yixuan, he still had a commanding presence.
Ji Ling thought he looked familiar, but he didn’t quite recognize him. He turned back to Yan Yixuan, who was smiling, though his attention was still on the horse. Yan Yixuan didn’t even glance at the newcomer.
Yan Yixuan said with a smirk, “We both share the surname Yan. Why should it be okay for you to come, but not for me?”
Ji Ling immediately realized who the man was.
He was Yan Yixuan’s half-brother, Yan Yili, another beloved grandson of the Yan family.
Yan Yili walked over without sparing Ji Ling a glance. He gave a quick look at the horse manager and then at the horses in the stable. Frowning, he turned to Yan Yixuan and asked, “You’re planning to raise horses?”
Yan Yixuan shot back, “Why can’t I raise horses?”
Yan Yili responded coldly, “A waste of a treasure.”
It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that the two men didn’t get along, but there was a clueless fool trying to sell them horses.
The manager quickly added, “Mr. Yan Yili is also a lover of fine horses. He’s kept several horses here in the stables and even comes by to personally train them when he has the time.”
Yan Yili gave the manager a look, thankfully not so oblivious that he couldn’t tell when to keep quiet. The manager promptly shut his mouth.
Yan Yixuan squinted his eyes, maintaining his relaxed and natural demeanor, and said, “What do you mean by ‘treasure’? If I want something, even if it’s a treasure, I’ll make sure to get it.” He reached over and casually draped his arm around Ji Ling, his tone affectionate. “I’ll take both fine horses and beautiful people.”
It was then that Ji Ling understood the role he was playing today.
Why had the Yan family invested in a racetrack? Why was Yan Yixuan, who didn’t care for horses, suddenly so interested in buying one? Why had he stayed so long at the racetrack, not wanting to leave?
It was all for Yan Yili.
Yan Yili shot Ji Ling a look that clearly said ‘trash,’ which made Ji Ling feel quite displeased. He returned the look with contempt, which caused Yan Yili to let out a huff.
Yan Yixuan, who had been watching the scene, couldn’t hold back his laughter, completely shameless.
Yan Yili didn’t bother with insignificant people. He quickly turned his attention back to the horse, walked over to take a closer look, and his expression softened slightly as he said, “It’s a good horse.”
He then turned back to Yan Yixuan and said, “I hope you’ll be its true patron, treat it well from start to finish, and not like your lovers, switching one after another.”
His tone was even somewhat harsh. Ji Ling couldn’t help but think that sometimes he spoke to Zong Jiqi in a similar way.
It was the tone of an older brother scolding a younger one.
Yan Yixuan’s smile faded little by little.
Yan Yili didn’t linger any longer, giving a few quick instructions to the manager before leaving. Yan Yixuan, seeing that it was finally over, wasted no more time and signed the contract, officially becoming a horse owner.
As Yan Yixuan led Ji Ling out, Ji Ling couldn’t tell what his mood was like, but the dynamic between the Yan brothers was certainly interesting.
Logically, Yan Yixuan should have been the rightful eldest grandson, while Yan Yili was the illegitimate child. Although it wasn’t the feudal era anymore, where the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate heirs mattered, the relationship between the two brothers still felt strangely out of place, as though their positions had been reversed.
Yan Yixuan constantly provoked, while Yan Yili didn’t seem to care much.
Ji Ling could sense something subtle between them.
But what did the Yan family’s affairs have to do with him? He was already in a mess of his own.
Lost in thought, he followed Yan Yixuan to the car. Just as he opened the door, he was suddenly shoved inside, then pinned down in the back seat.
Yan Yixuan told the driver to start the car and immediately leaned in to kiss Ji Ling.
What on earth was going on with this guy?
No matter how luxurious the car was, the backseat space was still cramped for two men. Yan Yixuan pressed Ji Ling beneath him, one hand gripping his chin to force his mouth open, while the other slid under his shirt, tracing his waist.
Ji Ling tried to raise his knee to push Yan Yixuan away, but Yan Yixuan easily hooked his leg, trapping it between his own. The contact between them was too close, and no matter how Ji Ling tried to avoid it, it seemed futile. In the struggle, their clothes got disheveled, and Ji Ling’s internal alarm bells went off.
Yan Yixuan’s hands began to wander more freely, and Ji Ling found himself retreating step by step, feeling increasingly frustrated.
Was he really going to be taken advantage of right here?
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
Hmm, beat him up MC!!!