The battle for control over the Yan family company between the two heirs had officially begun.
Yan Corporation issued a statement, announcing that major shareholder Yan Yili had proposed an emergency shareholders’ meeting to vote on the position of chairman of the board, challenging Yan Yixuan’s role.
As soon as the news broke, Yan Corporation’s stock plummeted.
From this moment, the internal strife within the company became transparent, with many details exposed. Everyone was now watching whether Yan Yixuan could hold onto the family’s legacy, or if Yan Yili could snatch it away from under his nose.
The first move in this battle was a media war.
Yan Yixuan accused Yan Yili of having ulterior motives, claiming he was disrupting the company’s normal operations and undermining its growth. He painted Yan Yili as a wolf, greedy for power. Yan Yili responded by pointing out that Yan Yixuan’s long-term conservative approach had caused him to miss several business opportunities, and that he should step down.
Since it was a brotherly conflict, most outsiders took a neutral stance, watching the drama unfold. However, the company’s employees were the ones to be won over.
Yan Yixuan repeatedly reassured the employees, stressing that the Yan family was an old, prestigious family, and that he was the rightful heir to the business. He had deep ties with everyone there—they’d always shared the same struggles, risen and fallen together. As for Yan Yili’s accusations? All talk. He kept saying it was for the good of the company, but at the end of the day, it was just selfish ambition. The company had always run smoothly under Yan Yixuan, and as long as he remained, that wouldn’t change.
Meanwhile, Yan Yili, with his overseas connections, was able to communicate more easily with institutional investors, gaining stronger support from foreign capital. He reached out to several investment firms to secure their votes.
As the head of the family business, Yan Yixuan had deep ties with many extended members of the Yan family, and he always worked to keep the family united. He had never made any moves that would harm the family’s interests. At this point, many in the Yan family were willing to invest and buy shares to support Yan Yixuan in the stock market.
The employees, institutional investors, and retail investors—all those with voting power—became the battleground. After the death of the previous head, Yan Jisheng, the two Yan brothers tore each other apart.
This was, without a doubt, the bitter fruit of Yan Jisheng’s favoritism.
His poor handling of family disputes was one of the key reasons for the decline and fragmentation of the family.
Ji Ling switched off the financial news, feeling a strong disapproval in his heart.
But with Yan Jisheng gone, it was too late to say anything. All they could do now was wait for the result of the emergency shareholders’ meeting, after which things would finally settle.
That day, Ji Ling went to Jin Garden and found himself in the midst of a conversation between the three Yan siblings. Yan Yueshi had made a bold ‘declaration of independence’—immature and naive, sure, but it had hit Yan Yixuan like a bomb. Then Yan Yili had tossed out his own challenge and left, cool as ever, striding away without a second glance. Only Ji Ling and Yan Yixuan were left in the dining room.
Ji Ling felt his mind spinning. He had come to vent to Yan Yixuan, but instead, he had stumbled into a situation where Yan Yixuan was surrounded on all sides.
For a moment, Ji Ling didn’t know whether to pity or blame him. He glanced at Yan Yixuan, who remained silent, his eyes downcast and motionless. Ji Ling felt an overwhelming urge to grab him, shake him hard, and demand answers.
Ji Ling couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Yan Yixuan was thinking.
Even Ji Ling, in that moment, wasn’t sure what to do. So, he stood up without saying a word and hurriedly left Jin Garden.
When he returned, the battle for control over Yan Corporation was already in full swing.
As the conflict between the two brothers escalated, Ji Ling couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw Yan Yixuan’s public remarks about Yan Yili on the news.
Yan Yixuan’s usual attitude toward Yan Yili was one of occasional sarcasm, as if he couldn’t be bothered to argue. But inside, his grievances were piling up, and when pushed, he could snap back with sharp words.
The emergency shareholders’ meeting day was the day Yan Yixuan and Yan Yili would settle things once and for all. But the previous seven days were the stock registration deadline—the day Ji Ling had set as his own win or lose moment.
While Yan Yixuan and Yan Yili fought their control war, Ji Ling was fighting his own battle inside.
The cinema chain’s development had been unaffected by the clean financial transactions Yan Yixuan had made earlier, and Ji Ling’s career was sailing smoothly.
The name ‘Boss Ji’ was now well-known in certain circles.
Ji Ling felt that was only natural.
Even if he switched industries, he could confidently say that if given the chance again, he would be able to rise to the top once more.
That’s why he often found himself pondering the meaning of the second chance life had given him.
That rainy night had taken away his wealth, his family, his name.
Standing here as Ji Ling—what was the purpose behind that?
He compared the differences and similarities between the identities of Zong Bolin and Ji Ling. He believed that in time, Ji Ling could be as wealthy as Zong Bolin.
What they lacked, perhaps, was just one thing—Yan Yixuan.
Back then, Zong Bolin had a carefree attitude toward relationships, dismissing the affections of Zhong Mingwei and his secretary. He was always smug, indifferent to everything around him.
Even now, Ji Ling could clearly remember the secretary’s sharp words:
“People like you—who only care about your company and your money, and have no real heart—will never understand… But I’ll tell you this: you can’t control everything. Not people’s hearts. Not life or death.”
And then Ji Ling met Yan Yixuan.
Thinking back now, from the very start, Yan Yixuan had shown him kindness—even if it was buried under the dominance of a sponsor.
Step by step, as Ji Ling got closer to Yan Yixuan, he finally understood what it all meant. He had gotten involved in the Yan family’s affairs and discovered more sides of Yan Yixuan.
That old ‘cold boss’ image had slowly filled out—layer by layer. Yan Yixuan’s softness, his hesitation, his tenderness, his fierce protectiveness—Ji Ling saw it all.
And while that image filled out…
So did Ji Ling’s own heart.
It was as if he had been cursed by his secretary—he couldn’t control people’s hearts, and he couldn’t even control his own.
Ji Ling was terrible at analyzing his own feelings. It made him feel strange, awkward, and a little embarrassed.
But once he made up his mind, Ji Ling would treat his feelings the same way he treated his career—charging forward, fully focused.
As Ji Ling looked at the financial news, tapping his fingers on the desk, he finally cleared his thoughts.
He couldn’t just keep dragging things out. The problem needed to be solved, right?
He grabbed his phone and dialed Yan Yixuan’s number.
“Where are you?” Ji Ling asked as soon as the call connected.
Yan Yixuan’s response was calm, his words slow: “At home.”
Ji Ling was incredulous. “We’re in the middle of a battle, and you’re at home farming?”
Yan Yixuan answered, “I just came back from another place where I was discussing shares. I didn’t feel like going to the office afterward. If I did, I’d just be surrounded by people asking questions.”
Ji Ling thought to himself, even after becoming the big boss, his capriciousness was still the same. He said, “Wait for me. I’ll come find you.”
Ji Ling grabbed his coat and returned to Jin Yuan.
This time, he was determined to clear everything up.
It was the season of thawing. Jin Garden’s scenery had changed again; the grayness of winter was slowly fading, and both the trees and soil had come to life, showing the first signs of green. Even the early spring flowers were beginning to bloom, giving the place a vibrant, lively atmosphere.
When Ji Ling found Yan Yixuan in Jin Garden, he really was farming.
Ji Ling’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched Yan Yixuan holding a hoe, aimlessly digging at the ground.
He was still wearing a suit, and his custom Oxford shoes were stuck in the mud, a complete mess. His pants were covered in dirt.
In truth, Yan Yixuan didn’t know how to hoe the ground. He was just randomly turning the soil. If anything, it looked less like work and more like a way to vent his frustration.
It took Ji Ling a moment to realize that this was the rose garden that Yan Jisheng had cultivated for Yan Yili.
Ji Ling remembered Yan Yixuan had mentioned the garden was still there, but now, looking at it, all the flowers and plants had been removed. Only barren land remained, with gardening tools scattered haphazardly at the edge. One hoe had been picked up by Yan Yixuan, which he was flailing around with like a madman.
Ji Ling almost laughed out loud. How childish could this person be? He used to vent his frustrations with horses, and now he did it with flowers. It was like the ancient tale of Daiyu burying blossoms, only now it was Young Master turning the soil. It was truly a strange sight.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. “You didn’t dig all this up, did you?”
Yan Yixuan stopped and glanced at him. “How could I? The gardeners did it. I just came over to take another look.”
As he spoke, Yan Yixuan swung the hoe a couple of times and asked Ji Ling, “What do you think we should plant here next? Begonias or chrysanthemums? I think fruit trees wouldn’t be bad either.”
Ji Ling laughed. “Why not just plant some vegetables? Stop with the real estate nonsense. Agriculture is the foundation of people’s livelihood.”
Yan Yixuan tossed the hoe aside, standing in the field with his arms crossed, looking at Ji Ling.
“What are you doing here? Last time, you rushed in and left without saying a word. Now, you’re coming back just to mock me a little?”
Ji Ling smiled and said, “What else can I do? Up until now, everything about our young master’s affairs has been a guess. When I couldn’t figure it out, I decided to come ask. Last time I didn’t ask, but I figured it out, so I left.”
Yan Yixuan, looking confused, switched from crossing his arms to placing his hands on his hips. “What have I made you guess?”
Ji Ling thought, good grief, this guy is pretending to be clueless again. He said, “I’ve asked you several times whether there were any issues with the funds, and you kept saying everything was fine. But now, look at this—you’re having institutions come to finance you, and then you talk about issuing new shares. Is that really your way of saying everything is fine?”
Yan Yixuan stared at him and said, “But in the end, isn’t everything fine? I’m still the largest shareholder. Once the project funds come back, the finances will ease up. If I want to buy back shares, I’ll buy them. What exactly is the problem?”
Ji Ling was honestly impressed by how he managed to completely miss the point. “You still don’t get it, do you? The issue is your attitude—this whole ‘you don’t need to know’ thing! You think you’ve got everything under control, but—”
Ji Ling almost shouted, “But I’m fucking worried about you!”
Yan Yixuan was stunned by the shout and stared at him, still a bit dazed. “But there’s nothing to worry about.” He irritably grabbed his hair, messing up his hairstyle. His pants were covered in mud, and at that moment, he looked just like a farmer-turned-businessman. “There’s nothing to worry about. I never thought I could lose. That idiot Yan Yili, raised on white bread—what the hell does he know?”
His words grew more crude. “He really thinks he can apply Western ideas to a Chinese family business? He thinks that if he takes me down, he can do whatever he wants? He doesn’t understand how much effort I put into appeasing all the relatives of the Yan family! Do they really think the Yan family’s shareholders will support a successor who’s full of Western ideas? What a fucking daydream.”
Then he looked at Ji Ling again and added, “And I’ve got you, haven’t I?”
Ji Ling was on the verge of losing it. They weren’t even having the same conversation. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. “Yan Yixuan, when I say I’m worried, I don’t mean about the result. I’m worried because you don’t share anything with me. You tell me to do something, I do it. Even things you think are ‘for my own good’—you just go ahead and do them without even telling me. Did you ever stop to think how that makes me feel?”
Yan Yixuan looked at him in disbelief. “This doesn’t sound like something you would say.”
Ji Ling had always been the rational and restrained boss, never expressing such emotional words.
Ji Ling’s eyes turned dark, unreadable. He said, “I came here today to lay everything out. You’re always giving, but you never ask. You keep thinking you’re the one with the money, trying to buy affection with material things. Why don’t you just be honest and ask for what you really want? You want it so badly, but you never say it out loud.”
Hearing that, Yan Yixuan’s face flushed red despite himself. But he still tried to save face and blustered, “What would I need? I’ve got everything!”
“Sure, sure,” Ji Ling said, half laughing in frustration. “You’re the young master who has it all. I’ll just see myself out then.”
Ji Ling turned and walked away. “Your grandfather favors an outsider for a grandson. Your half-brother is fighting you for the company, and now even your sister, with wings strong enough, is about to fly away. Yan Yixuan, since you have everything, you don’t need me. I’ll leave. You can stay here and spend your life with your precious Jin Garden!”
His words were almost vicious, exposing Yan Yixuan’s scars painfully.
For a long time, family had been Yan Yixuan’s source of pain. He valued his family, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep anything.
At this moment, Ji Ling ruthlessly voiced his loneliness, making Yan Yixuan both furious and heartbroken. He watched Ji Ling’s retreating figure, and inside him, a voice screamed.
This person knows. This person understands his pain. This person knows everything about him.
Every time he felt lost and defeated, this was the one who stayed by his side. Ji Ling had witnessed all his losses, but also quietly held him up through them.
Now this person was telling him: it’s okay to want something. So surely… it was okay to ask him to stay?
Yan Yixuan’s face turned red, almost to the point where his eyes seemed misty. He shouted, “Come back!”
Ji Ling stopped in his tracks.
Yan Yixuan rubbed his forehead, then said, “I didn’t know you came here to pick a fight. Just… come back.”
He took a deep breath, finally beginning to open up. He said, “I just… I’m just not used to it, not used to someone being this close to me.”
Ji Ling sighed and turned around, walking back to stand in front of Yan Yixuan.
Yan Yixuan looked at him. His face was still red, and his eyes were filled with emotion. He said, “I’m afraid of giving myself to someone else.”
At last, he admitted it—admitted his fear.
And with it, admitted that he had always held hope for something with Ji Ling.
Ji Ling smiled. When Yan Yixuan rubbed his forehead earlier, he’d smudged dirt all over it. Ji Ling reached up and gently wiped it clean, saying, “You said it yourself—you trust me.”
Then he pulled Yan Yixuan into a tight hug.
His little young master, so starved for affection. People said he was a romantic, but in truth, he didn’t have the courage to love.
“Trust me, Yan Yixuan. I can do anything. Give yourself to me, and I swear—you’ll never regret it.”
Yan Yixuan burst out laughing, wrapping his arms around Ji Ling in return, smearing mud all over his back. “Yeah, you’re Boss Ji, the guy who thinks he’s invincible and can take on the heavens.”
Ji Ling pulled back slightly, then leaned in and kissed him. It started soft, then deepened into something raw and biting.
It was early spring, the warmth just beginning to creep into the air—still cold, yet dazzling.
Yan Yixuan kissed Ji Ling under the spring light, thinking in a daze: at last, there was someone to share Jin Garden’s beauty with him.
Ji Ling suddenly scooped him up in his arms, but after just a few steps through the flower field, he put him down with a laugh. “Ugh, can’t carry you.”
Yan Yixuan laughed uncontrollably and grabbed his hand, dragging him toward the main house.
They rushed upstairs and into Yan Yixuan’s bathroom. Ji Ling set him down in the bathtub, turned on the shower, and let the warm water envelop them both.
The warmth of the water washed away the dirt from their bodies, and enveloped in the rising steam, Ji Ling worshipped Yan Yixuan’s body with kisses, reverent and tender.
Forget the stocks and control rights—he only wanted to indulge in this moment of tenderness.
Yan Yixuan wrapped his arms around Ji Ling’s neck, frowning slightly as he endured the sweet yet teasing sensation. His face remained flushed, and his eyes narrowed as he gazed at Ji Ling, the haze in his eyes slowly dissipating, leaving only pure affection.
Ji Ling kissed the corner of his eye and whispered, “I love you, Yan Yixuan.”
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)
I feel so emotional 🥹🥹🥹
OMG FINALLY