In truth, it wasn’t a long drive, but it felt extraordinarily lengthy to Li Xu’an. His phone was placed on the front passenger seat, and noises emitted from it intermittently. Gradually, the stifled noises grew louder. They seemed to have reached a certain climax…
The veins on Li Xu’an’s forehead pulsed. He tightly clutched the steering wheel. He couldn’t even bother with the speed limit!
………………
At first, Ye Ming bore it resolutely, but Jiang Ci deliberately wanted him to make noise.
His mouth fell open, like he was a fish out of water. His gaze, however, was fixed dazedly on the phone on the floor. Everything in front of him gradually blurred and twisted…In truth, it wasn’t far away, but no matter what, he couldn’t reach it, couldn’t grab it. He couldn’t break free from his current restraints.
At this moment, it felt like he’d returned to the past.
He hated that person so much. Even if he was staking his life and risking it all, he still wanted to take that person down with him. But it was all useless…In the face of the absolute disparity in their power, any effort seemed so laughable.
Where was the justice he wanted? And where was the justice in this word? And who could save him?
Ye Ming bit down on the back of his hand. The pervading taste of blood made his world seem to turn into a vast sea of blood, and he was going to sink in it.
Just then, the sound of heavy knocking suddenly came from the door!
Again and again came the loud knocks, clearly announcing the anger of the person who’d just arrived.
Li Xu’an said forbiddingly, “Chen Zhao, are you home? Open the door!”
Ye Ming slowly turned his head and looked over at the door. Li Xu’an’s voice pulled him out of that hopeless phantasm, once again dragging him back to reality.
But reality was no better than that phantasm. Instead, it, too, was a stretch of darkness.
Once again, he faced another difficult and painful choice.
Jiang Ci pulled out of his body. He held him in his arms and laughed softly. “Li Xu’an came to find you. He came over so quickly; it looks like he really likes you a lot. Do you want to see him?”
Ye Ming slowly looked over. He sounded dazed and hoarse. “Do I have the right to choose?”
Jiang Ci stared at Ye Ming. He saw the hopelessness and sorrow in Ye Ming’s eyes. For a moment, his heart softened, but then he felt that his own state of mind was just ridiculous. He said indifferently, “Looks like you already know your place. That’s a good thing.”
He grabbed a jacket and wrapped it around Ye Ming. He placed him on the couch, and then he stood up and walked toward the door.
Li Xu’an knocked fervently on the door. He could hear movements inside—someone must be home! If the person inside still didn’t open the door, he’d put a stop to all of it, even if he had to call the police! He trusted that Ye Ming wasn’t this kind of person. And on top of that, he thought about Ye Ming’s abnormal behavior recently. He was definitely being forced!
He thought of how Ye Ming might have been violated like this before while he wasn’t aware of it, and Li Xu’an couldn’t suppress the jealousy and bitterness in his heart!
Li Xu’an became more and more impatient and worried with each passing second. Just when he reached the end of his patience, the door finally opened from inside with a kacha sound.
But the person who appeared before him wasn’t Ye Ming. Instead, it was someone he hadn’t expected at all.
Jiang Ci.
Li Xu’an’s eyes turned red immediately. He looked at him, unable to believe it. He gnashed his teeth and said, “It’s. You.”
Jiang Ci shrugged. He laughed lightly and looked at him mockingly, “Director Li came very fast.”
Li Xu’an’s eyes widened in anger. “You did it on purpose!”
Jiang Ci tilted his head. In his eyes was an insincere smile. “Did it sound nice? Aren’t you envious? Don’t you wish the one who can do those things to him were you?”
Li Xu’an didn’t even think. He clenched his fist and punched at him. Angrily, he yelled, “Do you think I’m you? I would never force him!”
Jiang Ci had long been prepared. His expression became focused, and he moved sideways, evading Li Xu’an’s attack. He grabbed his wrist and said coldly, “Director Li, this isn’t how a guest should behave. It’s not too good to come to someone else’s home and punch them, is it? And how do you know I’m forcing him? Maybe he’s willing.”
Li Xu’an twisted his wrist and fisted Jiang Ci’s collar, pressing him against the door. He said icily, “Where’s Chen Zhao?”
He wasn’t going to believe that he was willing!
Jiang Ci’s lips quirked upward. He glanced at Li Xu’an meaningfully and gripped his hand without resisting. He said indifferently, “He’s right inside. Do you want to go in?”
Li Xu’an’s fists clenched audibly, but in the end, he didn’t allow his anger to completely consume his thoughts. Jiang Ci wasn’t someone he could touch as he pleased. Plus, it wasn’t appropriate to act blindly before he clearly understood the situation. But there was one thing that he could be certain of: he definitely wouldn’t let Ye Ming suffer Jiang Ci’s coercion anymore!
Li Xu’an loosened his grip. He shook off Jiang Ci and strode inside.
As soon as he entered, he caught sight of Ye Ming on the couch. Ye Ming was covered in only a long jacket. It looked like he’d just experienced an intense coupling. His neck and exposed calves were covered in marks, and his eyes were half-closed. When he saw Li Xu’an come in, a terribly pained and complicated expression spread across his face. Immediately after, he averted his eyes from Li Xu’an’s in shame. His lips were pursed, and he didn’t say a word.
When he saw this, Li Xu’an’s heart nearly broke. This was the person he’d gently, carefully liked for a long time, and yet, right now, he looked like he was enduring abuse. Ye Ming had been suffering from other people’s violation this whole time, and Li Xu’an hadn’t noticed a single peculiarity.
He should have noticed sooner…If he’d noticed Jiang Ci and Ye Ming’s unusual relationship sooner, this situation wouldn’t have occurred.
Li Xu’an rushed over, wanting to help Ye Ming up, but someone blocked him.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Tbeg qfgrbc?” Ol We’jc kjr fzagfwfis jcugs, yea tf rwlifv.
Aljcu Jl gjlrfv j ygbk. Lf rwlifv jcv rjlv, “Tfr, kf’nf xcbkc fjmt batfg obg j ibcu alwf. P xcbk tlw yfaafg atjc sbe mbeiv lwjulcf. Gb sbe xcbk tlr qjra ogbw atgff sfjgr jub? Tbe qgbyjyis vbc’a, yea P xcbk la jii…”
Ye Ming shuddered minutely. He bit down hard on his lip.
After hearing this, Li Xu’an’s expression became extremely unsightly. It was true that he didn’t know Ye Ming’s past. This was because Ye Ming wasn’t willing to talk about it, and Li Xu’an also didn’t deliberately probe. If he had known earlier that it had something to do with Jiang Ci, and that something like this would happen, he definitely wouldn’t have been so careless!
Jiang Ci looked at Li Xu’an’s terrible expression. A smile spread across his face, as if he were a wild animal that had won his territory.
He raised his eyebrows. “We’ve always been very close. He’s also willingly in a relationship with me. It’s just because you aren’t close that he didn’t tell you, and he’s also shy, so he asked me to keep it a secret. I really like him, so of course I could only agree…but it was under the condition that no one would get any ideas about him while he wasn’t paying attention. Otherwise, I can only make it clear to everyone who exactly he belongs to. Director Li…don’t touch the people you shouldn’t touch. You’re quite a few years older than me, so I shouldn’t have to teach this to you, right?”
Li Xu’an looked at Ye Ming’s miserable expression. He coldly said, “Do you think I’ll believe what you say? I may not know how you met, or what happened, but he couldn’t have been willing! I’m taking him away.”
Jiang Ci’s expression turned sly. Suddenly, he let go of his hand and took a step back. He shrugged, saying, “Whether or not it’s as I’ve said, can’t you just personally ask him?”
He stood there, appearing as if he wouldn’t get in Ye Ming’s way regardless of what he chose to say. He turned and gave Ye Ming a little smile. His tone was meaningful. “Tell him, have we known each other for a long time, and are you willing?”
Ye Ming slowly lifted his eyes and met Jiang Ci’s. He seemed to be able to see the coldness in the depths of those eyes.
If he said today that he was forced, Li Xu’an would definitely try and take him away at all costs, but there was no way Jiang Ci would let him leave. Both sides would suffer.
And he wouldn’t be able to conceal his past anymore. Li Xu’an would know what he’d done. Maybe if he knew, he wouldn’t want to help him anymore.
But that wasn’t important. At this point, it wasn’t important anymore what Li Xu’an thought of him.
What was important was that Li Xu’an had nothing to do with this matter.
This matter had gone on for over twenty years. From start to finish, none of the grudges and grievances between himself and the Jiang father and son had anything to do with Li Xu’an.
Ye Ming looked at Li Xu’an. He knew that what he was about to say to Li Xu’an would make him so disappointed that he’d be disgusted by him. But if they could part this way, then even if their parting was miserable, it would still be better than being in an even worse situation.
Ye Ming parted his lips slightly. He hoarsely said, “I’m willing. I’m sorry…I lied to you. You don’t have to bother with my issues anymore.”
His voice was quiet. In the wake of his words, he emotionlessly pushed aside this person who sincerely cared about him, but he had no other choice.
When Li Xu’an heard this response, his legs stiffened and became stuck in place. He seemed afraid to believe that he’d heard this kind of answer. Ye Ming obviously looked like he was being forced. Why would he say this?
Li Xu’an said somewhat anxiously, “Don’t be afraid of him. If you’re being coerced, I can help you! Even if Jiang Sheng himself came, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to you. I’ll protect you!”
Word by word, Li Xu’an said, “You don’t need to worry about causing me any troubles, either. In this world, there’s still the law. Chen Zhao, tell me the truth, okay?”
When he said this, he was utterly earnest.
Ye Ming stared blankly for a moment. He suddenly felt a bit weak, and he wanted to seek Li Xu’an’s help. Even if Li Xu’an had been turned away, he still believed in him all the same…Maybe he really could help him…
But in the next moment, a voice piped up in the back of his mind. How could you be so selfish? The enmity between you and the Jiang family won’t cease until death. Do you want to make Li Xu’an accompany you and Jiang Sheng in mutual destruction? Back then, it was because of selfishness that you hurt an innocent person, and now, in a moment of cowardice, you want to do it all over again?
Li Xu’an can’t help you with this, and his friendship for you isn’t enough to carry the weight of this hatred. In the end, you’re just ordinary friends.
Ye Ming’s eyes shone faintly with tears. He closed his eyes and said, “This is the truth.”
Sorry, I’ve let you down.
When Li Xu’an heard this, his eyes finally turned sad, and they flashed with pain and disappointment. Ye Ming’s words turned all of his anger and his impulsivity into a joke, and it made him lose any justification for confronting Jiang Ci.
He didn’t believe Ye Ming was such a person. But why wouldn’t he tell the truth? He could protect him…
Jiang Ci lips curved into a pleased smile. He said to Li Xu’an, “Since you’ve gotten your answer, then leave. You’re not welcome here.”
Li Xu’an slowly turned his head and stared at Jiang Ci. “Do you think doing this is very amusing?”
Jiang Ci’s gaze was provocative. “That depends on whether or not Director Li understands discretion.”
Li Xu’an stared at him for a long time. Suddenly, he let out a cold scoff, turned around, and stalked away.
Ye Ming watched Li Xu’an’s departing back. Tears rolled down his face silently. It was as if he were watching helplessly as all the light in his world flashed, and then faded away. In the end, he couldn’t have such a good thing.
He’d once thought he could escape from that dark world, but that was just his wishful thinking.
Jiang Ci slowly walked over. He hesitated a moment, then extended a hand and wiped away Ye Ming’s tears. His heart felt both envious and hateful, and mixed in alongside it was a heartache that he shouldn’t have felt. He said, “Why are you crying? You care about him that much?”
Then have you ever cared about me? When you left me back then, did you cry?
Ye Ming didn’t speak. He just closed his eyes.
The desire to break away from everything once again arose in his heart.
Maybe I can’t make up for my past mistakes, no matter what I do. Maybe it was me that made you this way…but…you also took everything from me. You took back the warmth and hope you once gave to me.
A mistaken beginning was bound to bring about a mistaken ending. I shouldn’t have left things to luck in the first place, so let’s just end it like this.
My child.
When Li Xu’an got downstairs, he finally punched a wall, hard! There was a cold, angry gleam in his eyes. He didn’t believe what Jiang Ci said at all—Ye Ming must be secretly suffering.
And he would definitely figure it all out!
………………
After that day, Jiang Ci was much gentler to Ye Ming. As long as Ye Ming no longer saw Li Xu’an and didn’t try to escape, he was willing to be more patient with him.
[Ye Ming: Ah, so boring.]
[888: You skipped work without feeling a shred of guilt. Are you bored because you don’t have work, and you’re too content from playing, and also because you have a lively nightlife every night?]
[Ye Ming: …]
[Ye Ming: How do I not have work? I’ve been devoted to work this whole time! I’m preparing to run away!]
[888: Hehe.]
Ye Ming ignored 888’s provocation and contemplated the most fitting way to escape. After contemplating for a while, he decided to just do whatever. He wouldn’t be able to escape anyway…just putting on an act was enough.
If he tried to run again, it would definitely spike Jiang Ci’s blackening value, but this was a step that needed to be taken.
Jiang Sheng had been very thorough when dealing with those matters back then. He didn’t leave behind the slightest evidence. If it weren’t for someone anonymously telling Chen Zhao what had happened, and Jiang Sheng dismissively admitting to it to Chen Zhao’s face, this matter would’ve been left to collect dust forever.
But now, Jiang Sheng definitely wasn’t going to admit to it again. And it had already been twenty-four years since the incident. It was impossible to uncover any more evidence. Nothing could be done about this, regardless if it was Jiang Ci or Li Xu’an. All that was left was human testimony.
But it was impossible for Jiang Sheng not to have thought of this. It had been such a long time; it would also be very difficult to find witnesses who were willing to talk.
But this wasn’t even the hardest part…
The hardest part was that no one would even think of this in the first place. Who would even ludicrously suspect that Jiang Sheng was the actual culprit from back then? He had always kept himself spotless. No one could find his faults…This was also the reason why even though Jiang Ci was originally unwilling to believe it, he was still bewitched by Jiang Sheng in the end. Jiang Sheng’s poker hand was truly too strong; people had no choice but to believe him. Meanwhile, the only thing Ye Ming could rely on was Jiang Ci’s regard for him.
Therefore, he would give Jiang Ci a little push in the right direction. He had to make Jiang Ci once again harbor suspicions towards this matter.
………………
Because of Ye Ming, Jiang Ci had already been held up here for a long time. One day, he picked up his mother’s call, unsurprised.
Mrs. Jiang was a sweet-tempered and kindhearted woman. Back then, she’d suffered the painful loss of her son, and it made her inconsolably heartbroken. She almost couldn’t take it. And because of Jiang Ci’s matter, the feelings between her and Jiang Sheng had at one point reached the verge of collapse. Fortunately, Jiang Ci finally came back.
Toward this son that she’d lost and then regained, Mrs. Jiang poured out all of her love. She dearly wished that she could be with him every day, twenty-four hours a day, accompanying him. But she knew she shouldn’t put such a burden on her son, so she reluctantly let him go off and do his own thing.
But this time, Jiang Ci had gone away for business for too long, and Mrs. Jiang had still missed him in the end, and she called to ask when he would return. She didn’t have the slightest intention of pressuring Jiang Ci, and she was very prudent and careful when asking.
But the more she was like this, the more Jiang Ci felt guilty.
Jiang Ci could remember that when he’d first returned, he’d childishly done many things that had hurt his mother. At the time, he hadn’t understood his parents’ suffering. He only thought of the person who’d abandoned him…But in these eight years, Mrs. Jiang’s maternal love had moved him. So this was how it felt to have a mother. No one could replace it.
He had his own biological parents, and they had always loved him. Even if they had been separated for sixteen years, they never gave up on him. It was even more unlikely that they would abandon him—this was his home.
But in his heart, he still held onto that person who’d stolen him away. Stuck between them, he felt pained and conflicted.
Every time he hesitated, it felt like his soul was being condemned and tormented.
Jiang Ci knew he should go back. He should set Ye Ming free, and set himself free. Returning to his loved ones’ side was the correct thing to do.
He’d already lost the person he deeply loved, and he could never get that back again. He shouldn’t make his parents disappointed in him as well, and be an unfilial son, and make them pained and sad.
But was he really going to leave Ye Ming just like that…Let go just like that?
Whenever Jiang Ci thought of this, it hurt so much he couldn’t breathe. It was like he’d gone back to that rainy night eight years ago, and the entire world was enshrouded in darkness and despair.
In the end, he could only tell Mrs. Jiang that he wasn’t done with his work, and he wouldn’t be able to return for some time.
He truly did need time to figure out his future path.
That night, Jiang Ci held Ye Ming. He didn’t do anything, only held him.
Ye Ming let Jiang Ci hold him, utterly pliant. But Jiang Ci knew that he hated him; after all, he was hurting him. Jiang Ci suddenly felt some regret…He thought that his own actions were absolutely ridiculous, but he also couldn’t control himself.
If all of this, from start to finish, had never happened, then I wouldn’t feel so hesitant and conflicted toward you, and you wouldn’t have to suffer my vengeance and torment. We would just be strangers passing each other on the street. Even if there came a day that we came across one another, it would only be a brief brush past.
It doesn’t seem like it would be bad at all if things could really be that way.
[Ding, Jiang Ci’s blackening value -10, current blackening value 60]
Jiang Ci said against Ye Ming’s ear, “Tomorrow I have something to do, so I’m going out. I won’t come home to eat. You have to remember to eat by yourself, understand?”
Ye Ming’s eyelashes trembled. He didn’t make a sound.
But Jiang Ci knew he’d heard, so he didn’t repeat himself and just gently kissed him. The man’s lips seemed to have a cool sensation to them that made him lose himself in them. His feelings toward this person kept twisting and warping, and in the end, it became some kind of sinful thing.
Yet it was because of that strange gratification that he became unrestrained.
On the second day, Jiang Ci indeed left early.
When Ye Ming woke up, there was already no one next to him. He made a round through his home. It looked like it was time to up the ante.
Ye Ming didn’t take anything with him. He just took some cash and went out. He’d fled for so many years; he did have some prior experience in this. He definitely couldn’t use his ID card or anything like that. He rented a black car and set off.
This was a spontaneous trip!
Since the moment he left the city, Jiang Ci ought to have gotten the news.
But what took Ye Ming by surprise was that Jiang Ci actually didn’t send someone to catch him and bring him back right away. Rather, he let him continue fleeing. Hence, Ye Ming figured he might as well find someplace to stay.
[Ye Ming: How is my good son still so calm…] It made him feel a bit uneasy, ah, calm before the storm and all that…
[888: Hehe, you didn’t think of this before you left?]
[Ye Ming: Of course I thought of it, but I didn’t think he’d let me run away for this long o(∩_∩)o~]
[888: Isn’t it good to let you run away for a little longer? When you go back again, your days won’t be so free and leisurely anymore. You won’t die if you don’t seek death. Treasure the present and live your life well.]
[Ye Ming: …]
Ye Ming didn’t have much cash on him. Because he was in hiding and was starting over from scratch, it was difficult to find a suitable job for a while. With things being this way, he would only eventually exhaust his funds.
Just as he anxiously brooded over his near future, there finally came a day when he returned to his hotel, and someone suddenly rushed out from the shadows, covered his mouth with a handkerchief, and dragged him inside of a car.
His last thought before he passed out was: Perfect, I finally won’t have to worry about eating.
[888: Congratulations, you’re going home.]
[Ye Ming: (⊙v⊙)]
………………
Ye Ming’s head felt very heavy and fuzzy. With great difficulty, he opened his eyes, and a white ceiling entered his vision.
Where was he? What happened?
Ye Ming propped himself up against the bed and sat up. He looked all around himself, momentarily dazed. This wasn’t a very big room, and it only contained a bed and a wardrobe. Gray blinds hung from the window, faint streams of sunlight seeping through. On the bedside cabinet was an old clock.
It was as if he had returned to some old scene from the past. This wasn’t the hotel he was staying at. Where was this?
Ye Ming blankly stared at the wardrobe in front of him. This wardrobe looked very familiar; he definitely must have seen it before somewhere, but he couldn’t remember where…This seemed to be some place from his memories, but it had probably been deliberately forgotten, so he momentarily couldn’t place it.
He slowly shifted his gaze downward and saw an old patterned blanket covering himself. That familiar curlicue pattern suddenly spun before his eyes. It melted and merged together everything in front of him. That deeply buried memory broke through its seal instantly, returning to his mind.
This place was—the home he and Jiang Ci once lived in!
Immediately, cold sweat dripped down his forehead. His face was deathly white. He could barely think. How did he return here?
He instinctively wanted to get off the bed and leave this place, run away from this place, but because he was too in a rush, he fell in a heap on the ground. When he turned and looked back, he finally discovered what it was that had tripped him.
It was a black chain. One end was fastened to the foot of the bed, while the other end was fastened to his ankle!
He knew that what he was about to say to Li Xu’an would make him so disappointed that he’d be disgusted by him. But if they could part this way, then even if their parting was miserable, it would still be better than being in an even worse situation.
Did anyone else notice how much this scene echoed YM’s parting gift to the ML in each world? LXA is getting the ML treatment, lucky dude! But for real, I think it’s interesting how the character that YM is playing parallels his genuine self and his genuine sentiments—genuine, at least, in the first world, when he truly thought it would be better to make ML stop loving him than to force ML to watch him die or something. Who knows how he feels about it now? ¯\(˶′◡‵˶)/¯
And also:
“You don’t need to worry about causing me any troubles, either. In this world, there’s still the law.”
I love that LXA is basically unknowingly poking at Chen Zhao’s wounds while trying to reassure him! CZ definitely isn’t going to be relying on the law/police at this point, not after they completely let him down with that investigation over his wife’s death. So this is like yet another reminder that the police couldn’t/wouldn’t do the right thing in the past, and they still can’t now, with regards to both his wife’s death and his own situation with JC. He thinks he can’t depend on anyone and has to suffer alone! Ahh okay sorry for the essay!
Ohh it is getting interesting!
Thanks for translating
This kinda cliffhanger is really… tormenting.
I cried QAQ too sad, too sad! Even with Ye Ming trolling in the background, I still cried!!!
LOL ye ming needs to work harder at being his own comic relief then!!
Thank you for the chapter! Ah I really like it when people explain their favorite parts (I’m too dense ><). It makes others know the paralles and whatnots that Author hide it inside the text (๑꒪▿꒪)*
tbh me too lmao the first time i read this thing i missed it all bc i was reading too fast. i only noticed this stuff on my 2nd or 3rd reread when editing haha
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^
Yeah the law part makes me let out a hollow laugh
😫 I cannot wait for the suffering of JC to begin!!
so excited! i feel like even though YM seems pretty scummy and acts all playful w 888, he actually does care a bit about the MLs in each world; thanks for the chapter! 😋
Ohh. I just hate this arc ML. ZeChen was the best of them
fuck the ML i’m rooting for the 2nd ML in this arc i just can’t believe this. also, Xie He of Strategy To Capture That Scum Gong and Ye Ming of this novel always uses comedy relief, surely there’s a reason behind this, i’m so excited to find out what it is at the end. this arc is too much but i love dogblood lol so noott complainin~
I noticed most of the arcs involves MC being locked up lol
Ml makes me feel disgusted yuck, who would fuck their own father by force.