The weather was gradually turning cooler, almost to the point of being cold. The police and gangster film was still in production, and the director’s dedication—his ten years of hard work—left Ji Ling deeply impressed. This film was probably going to be the longest project he had ever worked on.
In this autumn, Ji Ling didn’t get to see the film finished, but he did receive the news that Yan Jisheng’s health had worsened and he passed away.
When Ji Ling saw the news on a financial media outlet, the feeling it gave him was hard to put into words.
It was somewhat expected, yet there was a sense of regret. But mostly, he felt concerned for Yan Yixuan.
However, the Yan family had weathered the storm. The day after Yan Jisheng’s death was announced, the stock price did fluctuate slightly, but it stayed within an acceptable range.
The predicted plummet didn’t happen. Many analysts praised the Yan family for stabilizing the market in the early stages. Investors, though still cautious, expressed confidence in Yan Yixuan’s leadership of the company.
Ji Ling knew that the smooth handling of the situation was the result of Yan Yixuan’s previous efforts.
But his bigger concern was another matter.
Yan Yixuan was definitely busy with arrangements for Yan Jisheng’s funeral, and Ji Ling knew he had no place in those matters. After hesitating for a moment, he sent a message to Yan Yixuan: “My condolences.”
After a short while, he received a reply: “Thank you, it’s fine.”
Ji Ling felt oddly comforted by his response, and his worries eased slightly.
He trusted Yan Yixuan.
The funeral and memorial for Yan Jisheng was held in S City. Naturally, Ji Ling wasn’t in a position to attend. Those who could were mostly close family and major figures in the business world.
Luo Teng hurried over. In truth, he didn’t have much connection with Old Master Yan, but the Luo and Yan families often crossed paths in the business world. According to Luo Teng, the true eldest son of the Yan family should be returning to attend, and he wanted to meet him.
This eldest son, though he had left home with his mother many years ago, would still show up for his grandfather’s funeral.
The mention of Yan Jisheng’s son made Ji Ling’s scalp tingle. Luo Teng seemed to read his thoughts and told him that the man had no interest in fame or profit.
Ji Ling never learned the details of the funeral, but when Luo Teng came back, he simply said everything went as expected and that the Yan family had been very restrained.
The simplicity of the term felt too abstract for Ji Ling to fully grasp the scene, but at this point, it didn’t really matter.
The Yan family had calmly weathered the loss of Old Master Yan.
After the funeral, Luo Teng returned. Visitors gradually left, and Yan Jisheng’s lawyer announced the will to those with inheritance rights in the Yan family.
The content of the will wasn’t made public, but the way Yan Jisheng’s estate was distributed would change the balance of power in the Yan family. Everyone in the business world was waiting for news of a leadership shift at the Yan family.
After a series of audits and votes, a board meeting was held, and the new board members were confirmed.
Yan Yixuan was appointed chairman, while Yan Yili was moved from a board member to vice-chairman.
The news of Yan Jisheng’s death didn’t cause the Yan family’s stock to drop, but when the new board was announced, the stock price still saw a brief dip.
Because Yan Yixuan had failed to remove Yan Yili from the board, the latter ended up as vice-chairman. This showed that Yan Jisheng had left a substantial inheritance to Yan Yili, enough to support him as a major shareholder, and Yan Yixuan couldn’t go against the will of the shareholders to keep him from holding an important position.
Rumors of discord between Yan Yixuan and Yan Yili had long been circulating privately. Investors began to worry that the tension between the two would affect the company’s future, which led to the decline in the Yan family’s stock.
Ji Ling read the financial analysis and felt a storm brewing inside him. Unable to sit still any longer, he called Yan Yixuan and said right away:
“I want to see you.”
To his surprise, Yan Yixuan laughed and replied, “Boss Ji is getting more and more impressive. I’ve been promoted, but your tone has become less polite.”
Yan Yixuan was still as casual as ever, but Ji Ling felt that he had become much steadier over the past few days. If this had been before, in the current situation, Yan Yixuan wouldn’t have been able to speak so lightly.
This time, Ji Ling didn’t play along with the joke and asked, “You don’t want to see me?”
Yan Yixuan seemed caught off guard by his reply, and after a brief pause, he quietly said, “You can come pick me up today, but later, I’m quite busy.”
Ji Ling agreed.
After 10 p.m., Ji Ling drove to the Yan family building. He waited a while in the parking lot, and it wasn’t until 11 that Yan Yixuan came down.
Ji Ling studied him carefully. There didn’t seem to be anything different about him. He was wearing an alpaca wool coat over a neat, tailored suit. His features were still as striking as ever, though there was a faint trace of tiredness in his eyes, his gaze calm and steady.
Though there was no change, he looked even more appealing the longer Ji Ling looked.
Yan Yixuan asked, “What are you looking at?”
Ji Ling suppressed the urge to touch him and replied, “I’m seeing if our chairman has gotten thinner.”
Yan Yixuan glanced at him and said, “Though I’ve been busy, I’ve been eating more.”
The two got into the car. Ji Ling asked, “Where to?”
“Home.”
Ji Ling understood Yan Yixuan’s meaning and drove towards Jinyuan.
It was already dark. On this early winter night, even Zhongchuan Road felt a bit lifeless. The old national-style buildings lining both sides of the street looked even more worn out, and not even the neon lights could lift the gloom — they just flickered weakly, as if tired too.
“You pulled out the person I planted,” Yan Yixuan suddenly spoke up just as the car was about to arrive. They hadn’t said a word until now.
Ji Ling hadn’t expected him to bring that up.
Before the incident with Yan Jisheng, Mo Yulan had already handed in her resignation to the Yan family and officially started working for Ji Ling’s company. Yan Yixuan didn’t try to stop it at the time.
It had been a while now, and Ji Ling thought the matter was over. He didn’t expect Yan Yixuan to still hold on to it.
“So from now on, I won’t know what you’re up to,” Yan Yixuan said calmly.
Ji Ling chuckled. “You could just ask me. I’ll always give you an honest answer.”
Yan Yixuan leaned back lazily. “If another beauty comes close to you, no one’s going to tip me off anymore.”
Ji Ling thought, ‘With you by my side, where would I even have room for another beauty?’
But he didn’t say that. He just replied, “From now on, I’ll make a list of everyone I meet each week and send it to the chairman for approval. I’ll only keep meeting them if the chairman signs off.”
That finally got a laugh out of Yan Yixuan. “I’ve got a million things to do. I don’t have time to babysit you.” Then, almost casually, he added, “Don’t call me chairman.”
Ji Ling caught the hint and smiled. “Alright then, my young master.”
They reached Jinyuan, and Ji Ling drove in.
The place felt quiet and deserted in the early winter. The city air wasn’t great, and a lingering white mist in the night made everything look hazy.
Ji Ling had brought flowers. Yan Yixuan first took him to an old building.
He said this was where his grandfather had grown up, and after Yan Jisheng passed, the memorial tablet had been placed here.
Ji Ling went into Yan Jisheng’s old room to pay his respects, leaving the flowers there.
He had a pretty good idea of what kind of figure Yan Jisheng had been in the business world, even if the Yan and Ji families operated in different cities and never crossed paths in business. Ji Ling and his father had never interacted with Yan Jisheng personally.
Still, Ji Ling had always admired him. The man had built the Yan empire from the ground up, and his business feats were legendary.
Yan Yixuan stood to the side, watching him place the flowers. Then the two of them left the building together. Ji Ling glanced at his calm face and once again felt the urge to reach out to him.
But he held himself back.
He followed Yan Yixuan into the main house.
The housekeeper greeted them at the door. Yan Yixuan asked if Yan Yueshi was home. The housekeeper said she was in her room and asked if he wanted her to come down.
“No need,” Yan Yixuan replied.
Ji Ling looked around. Nothing had really changed since his last visit — still the same dark tones, old-fashioned and elegant.
Yan Yixuan turned to him. “Want to rest in the guest room, or come to the dining room and have a drink with me?”
Ji Ling looked him in the eye. “Can we drink in your room instead?”
Yan Yixuan raised an eyebrow slowly, the corners of his mouth curving into a faint smile. “Sure.”
He asked the housekeeper to bring some red wine, then grabbed the bottle and two glasses himself, leading Ji Ling upstairs.
Ji Ling followed him, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him.
It had been like this last time too — the carved railings, the wooden stairs, and Yan Yixuan’s straight back walking ahead of him.
He remembered that the last time he came, as soon as he stepped into the room, Yan Yixuan had ambushed him.
Now they both stopped at the door to Yan Yixuan’s room. Holding the wine, Yan Yixuan gestured for Ji Ling to open the door.
Ji Ling played along and pushed it open. Yan Yixuan walked in first, and Ji Ling followed, closing the door behind him.
But this time, Ji Ling was the one who ambushed him.
He grabbed Yan Yixuan, who was about to set the wine on the desk, wrapped an arm around his waist, cradled his neck, and bit down on his lips without warning.
Caught off guard, Yan Yixuan managed to hold on to the wine bottle, but the wine glass slipped from his fingers and rolled a few times across the carpet.
“Hey,” Yan Yixuan frowned, his eyes following the rolling glass, clearly annoyed — but just a second later, he had no time to care about it anymore.
Ji Ling kissed him hard, holding him tight, pressing close like he didn’t want even the tiniest gap between them.
Ji Ling had wanted to say a lot of things.
He wanted to ask if Yan Yixuan was sad, if he was tired. He wanted to comfort him for losing a loved one, talk to him about work, ask him about Yan Yili’s next move…
But the moment he saw him, all those words vanished. All he wanted was to hold him.
Yan Yixuan had already taken off his coat downstairs. Ji Ling reached out and unbuttoned his suit jacket, sliding his hands in.
Finally, Yan Yixuan couldn’t hold the wine bottle anymore. He let go, grabbed Ji Ling’s arm, and let the bottle fall to the ground. The cork had already been popped, and red wine spilled onto the carpet, spreading like a painting.
The two of them tumbled from the outer room into the inner one, landing on the bed together.
Ji Ling had already undone Yan Yixuan’s shirt, revealing his smooth chest. His kisses moved lower and lower. Yan Yixuan didn’t stop him — he just took a deep breath and said, “You’re getting more and more shameless.”
Ji Ling finally looked up, eyes gleaming, grabbed his hand and bit it gently. Breathing unsteadily, he said, “You’re the one who spoils me, aren’t you?”
He bent down again and kissed Yan Yixuan’s eyes. “I really want to, Young Master Yan. I really do.”
Ji Ling knew Yan Yixuan always gave in to him — that was the softest part of him, buried deep inside.
People always said Yan Yixuan was a romantic. Ji Ling thought they were right.
If he wasn’t, why did he keep giving in?
Ji Ling kissed him again, almost reverently, and thought—Little Young Master is the chairman now. Will he still keep giving in… for me?
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)
