Volume 2 - CH 18
In which the genre suddenly changes from a romance to a gangster film!
Content warning (minor):
There’s a fist-fight which ends with some (non-lethal) injuries and bleeding.
Volume 2, Chapter 18
Anyone who saw Qin Zhiyuan’s expression when he said those words would understand how resolute he was at this moment.
Qin Jing also wasn’t blind and could obviously see it as well. He startled for a moment and then slowly sat back down in the seat, very quickly regaining control of his own expression.
He cared about his image even more than Qin Zhiyuan. He would definitely not lose himself in front of anyone, and nothing was more important to him than his reputation on this earth and in the heavens. But even the elegant and refined him actually revealed a trace of weariness as he rubbed his brows and said, “I might not count as a particularly qualified father, but everything I’ve done is for your sake.”
“I understand.” Qin Zhiyuan very considerately poured a cup of water and handed it over, saying, “But I’m already an adult. I’m very clear on what path I’m walking.”
Qin Jing fell silent.
Qin Zhiyuan said again, “Dad, as long as we both take a step back, we can live together in harmony.”
Qin Jing declined to comment. He slowly drank that glass of water before using a hand to knock on the table, saying, “Take some more time to consider it.”
Qin Zhiyuan very readily accepted the advice. “Yes, as long as nothing else happens to Gu Yan, I can consider it as long as you want.”
It was easy to guess what his ultimate conclusion was just by hearing these words.
Qin Jing at least didn’t expose him on the spot, merely waving a hand before standing up and leaving the office.
Qin Zhiyuan walked over to open the door for him and, after seeing the person off at the elevator, let out a sigh of relief, once again walking back to sit down at his own desk. A moment ago, he had been focused entirely on dealing with Qin Jing and had said many things without thinking about it, so only now did he realize that his heart was beating incredibly fast.
That’s right, he had admitted in his own words that he loved Gu Yan.
And he had said it smoothly and naturally, without the least bit of hesitation.
Because he’d been influenced by Qin Jing’s affairs since he was young, Qin Zhiyuan had always thought that love was the most unreliable. Even if he loved someone, he still didn’t have the courage to take that step forward.
…Even if it was only one step.
And now that he had taken this risk for Gu Yan, he simply felt an indescribable happiness in his heart, even feeling as if he’d gladly sacrifice his own life.
Qin Zhiyuan thought for a while, and then he smiled for a while, before suddenly raising a hand to cover half his face. He felt as if his appearance right now was quite embarrassing, and he was extremely glad that Gu Yan wasn’t able to see the current expression on his face.
The afternoon flew by very quickly.
It took Qin Zhiyuan quite a bit of effort to focus his attention on his work. Fortunately, it was just two days until Chinese New Year’s Eve, and the majority of the work had already been finished; only a few minor things were left to handle.
When it was almost the end of the workday, someone delivered an envelope to his desk.
Qin Zhiyuan naturally knew what was inside it.
But he didn’t open it to look. Instead, he simply took out an ashtray and lighter from his desk drawer and then, with a “ka-chak”, set it on fire, watching as the whole thing burned up.
Those photographs, that past, all of it had been turned into ashes under this light.
With chin in hand, Qin Zhiyuan watched in appreciation. Only when the blaze gradually dimmed and the faint smoke dissipated did he reveal a smile. Taking out his cellphone, he sent Gu Yan a text — when are you free? you should come eat a meal at my house.
Gu Yan was probably filming and so didn’t reply until nightfall, saying that he was already completely booked before year’s end.
Qin Zhiyuan originally wanted to see the other at least once before the year ended, but he also knew that Gu Yan was in a hurry to shoot that film, and as someone who also tended to prioritize work over all else, he didn’t pressure Gu Yan, simply scheduling time after the new year to meet.
As was customary, he went back to his family home for Chinese New Year’s Eve.
On one hand, it was for the sake of seeing family. On the other hand, Qin Zhiyuan also wanted to speak plainly with his mom about his intentions, in case the old lady wasn’t able to accept it. As for his old man, he had nothing to say. Besides, Qin Jing was an extremely busy person and even had to rush around during the new year, seeing as he several different families to visit, so really the other truly didn’t have any time for actual conversation.
After smoothly getting through the New Year’s Eve family dinner, Qin Zhiyuan gave Gu Yan a call amidst the sound of fireworks.
On Gu Yan’s side, it sounded similarly lively, with a very boisterous new year atmosphere. Qin Zhiyuan knew that the other was definitely at the restaurant; he had heard that they had advertised a great new year’s meal selection[1], and business during this kind of day was definitely explosive. But when he remembered that the two of them had welcomed in the new year in January together, he still felt somewhat lonely thinking about how they had to spend the Spring Festival apart.
For the sake of comforting him, Gu Yan took the initiative to bring up their scheduled meeting after the new year, saying, “Since you’re inviting me to eat at your house, you need to prepare at least a table full of dishes.”
“I’ve already thought of that.” As Qin Zhiyuan spoke, he announced the menu that he had long planned out.
As Gu Yan listened, he laughed and then said, “Looks like I’ll have to take some stomach medicine ahead of time.”
Qin Zhiyuan also knew exactly how bad his cooking skills were, so he didn’t feel attacked. On the contrary, he took the opportunity to say, “It can’t be helped. While I’m very hard-working, I’m still missing a good teacher.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t know whether Chef Gu will be willing to give me a few pointers?”
Gu Yan seemed to like this form of address very much and said, laughing, “And the compensation…?”
“It’ll definitely be generous.”
“OK, it’s a deal.”
When Qin Zhiyuan heard this, only then did he feel at ease, peacefully passing the new year. He stayed at home with his mother for three days and returned home to his downtown apartment only on the night of the third day. The very next day, he invited Gu Yan out.
Business had been booming for Gu Yan’s restaurant these last several days, and they were unceasingly busy from morning to night, so Qin Zhiyuan ended up parking his car across the street to wait. It wasn’t until four or five in the evening that Gu Yan finally found the time, coming out from the back door to get into his car.
Actually, although only a few days had passed since they last saw one another, their time apart felt especially long because the Spring Festival had occurred in between. When Qin Zhiyuan saw Gu Yan, he couldn’t help but look — and look.
Gu Yan blinked and asked him, “Did I get fatter or skinnier?”
“Oh, I think you got quite a bit skinnier.” Qin Zhiyuan examined him closely for a while and said seriously, “It looks like we have to eat a good meal today to make up for it.”
Gu Yan laughed as he put on his seat belt, saying, “Let’s go buy groceries first.”
“Farmer’s market? Or the supermarket?”
Gu Yan looked at Qin Zhiyuan’s suit and leather shoes. He really didn’t think this appearance was suited for a farmer’s market and so said, “Let’s go to a supermarket near your house.”
Qin Zhiyuan nodded and said, as he started the car, “I remodeled my apartment’s kitchen again.”
Gu Yan’s heart thumped, and he couldn’t help but fold his left hand over his right hand, as he asked, “When? What kind of style did you make it now?”
Qin Zhiyuan’s eyes were sharp, and with one glance, he saw that movement, but he didn’t say anything about it, simply freeing a hand to place softly on top of Gu Yan’s own. “You’ll know when you see it.”
He had imagined countless times the image of Gu Yan standing in that kitchen, and right now it was close to becoming a reality.
Because of that reason, Qin Zhiyuan’s mood was incredibly good, and so while at the supermarket, he grabbed a whole bunch of useless things and stuffed it in the shopping cart. Gu Yan felt his head ache just from looking. He had no choice but to have the other repeat their plans tonight and then once again placed each and every one of those things back in their original places.
Qin Zhiyuan did his utmost to plead his case, but in the end, he bought only two more cabbages than intended, and he felt very regretful that he would not be able to fill up that refrigerator of his.
Because they had to go through this complicated process, they stayed at the supermarket for longer than usual, and when they paid and left, the sky had already turned completely dark.
Although it was now Spring, the weather hadn’t yet warmed up, and the wind still felt quite cold. Very few people were also out and about on the streets.
Qin Zhiyuan held the shopping bag with one hand, while quietly holding tightly onto Gu Yan’s hand with the other. In this darkness, holding hands wasn’t at all conspicuous, and the only disappointment was that the parking lot was close enough that they reached it after a short walk.
The underground parking lot was similarly cold and desolate, with the incandescent lights on the ceiling shining soft and brilliant.
Qin Zhiyuan first opened the trunk of the car to stow away the groceries they just bought, and then he walked back to open the door for Gu Yan. However, after the two sat down, the car refused to start. Qin Zhiyuan thought the cold weather was causing it at first and so kept trying; it was only after several failures that he realized the car had probably broken down.
“Strange, it was fine on the way here.”
“Just call for a repair.” Gu Yan felt somewhat hungry and said, “Anyway, this place is pretty close to your house, so we can just walk back.”
It wasn’t a bad idea, especially when Qin Zhiyuan realized that, if they walked, he could hold Gu Yan’s hand on the way back. As such, he grabbed his cell phone and made the call, getting off the car to grab the groceries in the trunk as he spoke to the repair shop about their situation.
Gu Yan also got off to help. However, just as he grabbed the shopping bag, the expression on his face changed slightly, and he brushed against Qin Zhiyuan’s arm, asking in a small voice, “Did you offend someone recently?”
Qin Zhiyuan had just hung up the phone and, when he heard this, turned blank for a moment. It wasn’t until he raised his head that he saw a group of young people gathering in this parking lot since who-knew-when. On this winter day, they were actually wearing very fashionable clothes, their hair dyed in a variety of gaudy colors, looking just like a bunch of hoodlums on the streets. All that wouldn’t have mattered if their gazes weren’t centered entirely on Qin Zhiyuan, appearing menacing no matter how anyone looked at it.
Under this kind of strange atmosphere, anyone with eyes could see that something wasn’t right, so no wonder Gu Yan had asked him whether he had offended someone.
Qin Zhiyuan thought back a bit and then said with a bitter smile, “It seems like I really did.”
As for who exactly he offended, of course there was only that uncle of Young Master Lin’s. Regarding the matter of those photos, he had originally planned to settle things peacefully. However, the other party completely ignored him, appearing as if they were set on opposing Gu Yan, so for the sake of finishing things quickly, Qin Zhiyuan had used some heavy-handed methods to get those photos back — he had long already heard of this Lin-whatever’s gangster disposition and so had been prepared for retaliation, yes, but he had done his preparations assuming it’d be in the business world; he had never thought that the other party’s method of fighting back would be… this simple and crude.
Was this a kidnapping?
Or was it a simple matter of giving him a beating?
If they ended up involving Gu Yan…
As he watched those young people walk closer and closer, Qin Zhiyuan’s mind turned this way and that. But then he heard the Gu Yan next to him ask, “How are your skills in a fight?”
“Uh, I go to the gym sometimes.”
“Then it’s too bad.” Gu Yan frowned and said, extremely regretfully, “I thought we were filming a romantic drama; I didn’t expect it to suddenly turn into a gangster film. I don’t even have the time to memorize my lines.”
“It’s fine even if you don’t know your lines; you just have to know how to run away.” Qin Zhiyuan walked forward, placing himself in front of Gu Yan, before then turning his head back to say, “Leave from the left exit.”
“And let you stay behind on your own? No way! It’s fine if they just want to beat you up, but what if they’re planning on sexually assaulting you?”
Qin Zhiyuan’s eyes twitched; he didn’t think that was very possible at all, but Gu Yan was clearly worried enough about the safety of his virtue that the other suddenly raised a leg to give the car a heavy kick.
“Bang!”
The sound echoed in the air.
This unexpected action brought everyone to a stop.
Gu Yan then took the opportunity to grab Qin Zhiyuan by the hand and run to the left.
The moment they moved, the group behind them also immediately gave chase, unwilling to let them escape.
Gu Yan also didn’t turn away, simply taking out his cellphone to call the police, while also asking, “If you knew that someone was after you, why didn’t you bring some bodyguards with you?”
Qin Zhiyuan didn’t know how to respond, feeling wrongly accused. If he brought bodyguards with him everywhere he went, how could he enjoy his two-person world with Gu Yan?
Gu Yan then asked, “How did you offend this person? Did you steal someone’s girlfriend?”
This was clearly just a joke, but Qin Zhiyuan was afraid that Gu Yan would misunderstand and so immediately clarified with, “Definitely not! As for the details of what happened… I’ll explain it to you later.”
On one hand, he didn’t want to let Gu Yan know what had happened, and on the other hand, he really didn’t have the energy to talk. Gu Yan’s stamina was quite good, and Qin Zhiyuan’s also wasn’t bad, but they couldn’t compete with twenty-year-old youths after all, and it was clear with one look that the group was catching up.
Gu Yan thought for a moment. Deciding that he had no other choice, he threw out his cellphone, managing to buy them just a bit more time.
The parking lot hadn’t been very big from the start, and they could’ve escaped just by climbing up the stairs. However, when the two of them got to the stairwell, they found that two hoodlums were already sitting on the steps waiting for them. One of them had a cigarette in his mouth, while the other had a scar on his face, both wearing a sinister smile, their expressions full of malice.
The one with the scar remained sitting and said with a peculiar tone, “These two gentlemen must be tired from running, so why don’t you stop here and rest?”
The other one stood up, dropping his cigarette and stepping on it, while staring fiercely at Qin Zhiyuan. “Our Boss said that we need to teach you a lesson, Mr. Qin, so that you’ll know not to meddle in other people’s business in the future.”
The moment he finished, a fist came flying at Qin Zhiyuan’s stomach.
His move was fast and accurate, and Gu Yan didn’t even have time to react.
Qin Zhiyuan was someone who had been raised like a prince, so when would he have ever had the opportunity to fight anyone? Not to mention this was an actual beating, so of course he stumbled immediately, sucking in painful breaths. He had originally wanted to protect Gu Yan, but who knew that Gu Yan would immediately jump forward, slamming head-first into the person who hit him, shouting, “How dare you touch my man?!”
This shout was extremely loud, resounding throughout the parking lot, even leaving behind an echo.
Qin Zhiyuan was surprised into a stupor. In his memories, Gu Yan had always been calm and steady; he had never seen the other this worked up before.
And Gu Yan had already begun grappling with that other person.
Qin Zhiyuan regained his senses and hurried to jump in to help.
The one with the scar also stood up and, with one hand, twisted Qin Zhiyuan’s arm. When the nearby Gu Yan saw, he stopped caring about his own fight and directly threw a kick at that person.
At this time, the other youths also caught up and encircled them, and the entire scene quickly became chaotic.
Qin Zhiyuan was their main target, suffering the most blows, and even if he had the strength, he wasn’t able to use it. Gu Yan was similarly unskilled at fighting, but he maintained one principle — that he’d go against whoever hit Qin Zhiyuan, completely uncaring about his own well-being, unable to be shaken off no matter what.
These people said they were simply there to teach Qin Zhiyuan a lesson, so they were lenient with their blows and didn’t use any weapons.
But simply getting hit and kicked was also difficult to bear, and while it was painful in the beginning, as time went on, those injuries gradually turned achingly numb. After Qin Zhiyuan had been hit in the stomach a few times, he felt somewhat unable to support himself, slowly bending at the waist.
When the one with the scar saw this, he purposely threw out a kick.
Gu Yan felt his anger bubbling forth, his eyes literally seeing red, as he threw out a punch, shouting in a loud voice, “Don’t touch him!”
He was very fierce in the moment and used a lot of strength, but when he pushed forward, his foot stepped on air, and it was clear from a look that he was about to fall down the stairs.
“Gu Yan!”
Qin Zhiyuan shouted. While he himself was clearly no longer able to stand steadily, he still reached out a hand to pull Gu Yan’s arm. Of course, he wasn’t able to hold the other back properly, and the two of them ended up entangled, rolling down the stairs together.
“Bang!”
Another loud sound echoed.
Actually, this stairwell wasn’t very high, but they had rolled down one step at a time, so the resulting noise ended up sounding very frightening.
Perhaps they had fallen down the stairs too miserably because no one gave chase to continue the beating. They simply heard the voice of the one with the scar, disjointedly saying, “The Boss said that… it should be just a beating to let out our anger… be careful not to do anything lethal…”
Qin Zhiyuan was knocked dizzy by the fall, all the bones in the body aching with soreness. Other than the sounds of those people’s departing footsteps by his ear, he also felt a warm liquid dripping onto his face. Qin Zhiyuan hurried to open his eyes, and only then did he see that Gu Yan was leaning against his body. The person had suffered an injury on the left side of his forehead, and dark-red blood was currently trickling down that beautiful face.
However, Gu Yan seemed totally unaware of it himself, simply incessantly wiping away the blood on Qin Zhiyuan’s face, his black eyes entirely filled with the other’s figure, as he anxiously asked, “How are you? Are you injured anywhere from the fall?”
The hands touching his face were trembling slightly.
Qin Zhiyuan’s heart practically seemed to stop and then, immediately afterwards, started pounding with even greater force.
He had never known that Gu Yan also had times when afraid. He couldn’t help but remember that car accident from the year before last; he had heard that, when he was rescued, he had looked extremely frightening, with blood all over his face.
How much of that had been Gu Yan’s own blood?
At the time, was Gu Yan also like now, anxious yet scared to look at him, trembling all over because of worry for his injuries?
This person had always hidden away his heart.
Only at such a critical moment as this one did he reveal even the slightest bit of it.
But it was already enough to allow people to sink into its depths.
“Gu Yan…” Qin Zhiyuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but because he had no strength, his voice came out so soft that it was practically inaudible.
Gu Yan lowered his head, and then lowered it again, putting his ear next to the other’s lips, and only then did he hear those words.
—-I love you.
Gu Yan had originally wanted to examine Qin Zhiyuan’s injuries, but when he heard those words, his mind turned blank at once, and all his strength suddenly seemed to leave his body as he softly collapsed on the ground in an instant.
Qin Zhiyuan was stunned and hurriedly shouted, “Gu Yan?”
Gu Yan’s heart was practically about to split open. Unwilling to lift his head, he felt as if he’d rather leave his face stuck on the cold cement floor.
Qin Zhiyuan gasped and used some strenuous effort to reach out a hand, wanting to turn his face around. But Gu Yan stiffened, unmoving, and simply waved a hand in the other’s direction.
Qin Zhiyuan inwardly thought that this was hilarious and took the opportunity to grab that hand, intertwining his fingers together with Gu Yan’s trembling ones.
The two of them were both full of injuries, and their battered appearances were extremely laughable.
Actually, Qin Zhiyuan regretted it immediately after he said those words. In the past, he had envisioned this scenario in his head many times. When he confessed his feelings to his beloved, he needed to have a good mood and atmosphere going, and even if he didn’t have wine and candles, starlight or candlelight, he at least shouldn’t have said it in a situation where his face looked swollen enough to be a pig’s.
But the moment he saw Gu Yan’s reaction, he felt as if all of that didn’t matter. As long as two people’s hearts were linked, then no matter how battered, it would still be sweet.
Right as Qin Zhiyuan was thinking about how he’d get Gu Yan to turn around, he suddenly heard a strange burst of sound ringing by his ear. When he turned toward that sound, he saw a car barging violently into the parking lot, its fast-as-lightning speeds making it look as if it would hit a wall and crumble to pieces at any moment. It wasn’t until the car almost did hit the opposing wall that the driver suddenly stepped on the brakes. And then a screech resounded, and the car managed to stop just a few centimeters from the wall before the sharp sound of the engine turning off pierced their ears.
Gu Yan naturally also heard that sound. His taut nerves hadn’t loosened yet, so his first thought was to crawl up to protect Qin Zhiyuan.
But no one expected that, when the car door opened, the one who stepped out of the car would actually be Lin Jiarui.
With one glance, Young Master Lin was able to see the injured appearances of the two of them and couldn’t help frowning as he said, “It seems I still came too late.”
And then, he opened the rear door and walked over to them in long strides, supporting Gu Yan up by the arm while saying, “Quickly get in the car. I’ll send you two to the hospital.”
Gu Yan made a sound in affirmation, but he still turned around to look at Qin Zhiyuan and say, “Can you walk? Do you want me to carry you?”
Qin Zhiyuan naturally refused, and with Gu Yan’s help, he managed to stand up with much difficulty.
It wasn’t until this movement that Qin Zhiyuan’s injuries were discovered to be actually a bit more serious than Gu Yan’s. While Gu Yan was at least still able to walk, Qin Zhiyuan felt a stabbing pain the moment his foot touched the floor, and it wasn’t clear whether the injury had reached bone.
Luckily, Lin Jiarui was also around, and with the three of them each putting in some effort, they finally managed to make it inside the car.
After Lin Jiarui sat down, he didn’t even put on his seatbelt, and with a single step on the gas, the car once again began rushing out like crazy.
On this turbulent car ride, Gu Yan carefully examined Qin Zhiyuan’s injuries, making certain that most of them were superficial before finally letting out a small sigh of relief. “Can you tell me now what exactly was the trouble you caused?”
After a pause, he shot a glance at the driving Lin Jiarui and added, “Does it have to do with Young Master Lin?”
Not only did Qin Zhiyuan’s wounds hurt but his head had also started to ache, and he didn’t know how he should open his mouth to explain.
It was actually Young Master Lin who snapped his fingers and said, “I better be the one to explain.”
What he said were all the parts that had to do with him. He mentioned that, because of the earlier commotion with the sex scandal, a certain someone from the Lin family misunderstood his and Gu Yan’s relationship and so had used some despicable methods, digging up Gu Yan’s nude photographs from that year. And then, for the sake of retrieving those photographs, Qin Zhiyuan had started a feud with that certain person, which resulted in today’s “lesson”.
Although Gu Yan heard only the gist, he was still able to guess how much effort Qin Zhiyuan had put in, as well as how much risk the person had taken, and he couldn’t help but tightly hold the other’s hand.
Although Qin Zhiyuan’s lips were also wounded, he still smiled at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan felt his heart ache, and he looked at Qin Zhiyuan for a while, before he then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, “Director Lin, I remember that you don’t seem to know how to drive?”
“Oh, it’s just that I’ve never tried, that’s all.” Lin Jiarui didn’t turn around and answered very carelessly, “Now that I have, I realized that it’s pretty easy.”
No wonder the driving was so wild, with no regard at all for traffic laws.
The moment he heard this, Gu Yan grew alarmed, and he was frightened no matter how he thought about it. Hugging Qin Zhiyuan with a hand, he shouted out, “Stop the car!”
Lin Jiarui furrowed his brows, but he really did step on the brakes. However, it wasn’t due to Gu Yan’s shout. Instead, several cars had caught up to them from behind and was now skillfully blocking their way forward, forcing him to stop the car no matter what.
All of the tailing cars were black without exception. Among them, one car was particularly conspicuous, and the one with the scar from before was faintly visible in the driver’s seat. Another person was also sitting in the back, but because of the windows in the way, his facial features were obscured.
Lin Jiarui pressed on the horn, rolled down the car window, and coldly said, “Out of the way!”
The cars didn’t move at all.
But the one with the scar actually got off the car, saying rather deferentially to Lin Jiarui, “Young Master[2], you’ve played around long enough outside. It’s about time you returned home.”
He rubbed his nose and said with a chuckle, “You also know the Boss’s temper. If you really make him angry, then it won’t be easy to deal with.”
Lin Jiarui silently stared ahead, holding the steering wheel in a death grip, veins clearly visible on the back of his white hands. And then, he slowly loosened his hold before opening the car door with a calm expression. Towards the other person in the car, he said, “Just go through me if you have any issues. Stop making trouble for my friends.”
The person in the car let out a low laugh and then succinctly spat out the words, “Get in the car.”
While the voice couldn’t be considered severe, the tone was tyrannical to the extreme, as if daring people to disobey.
Lin Jiarui turned back and threw the key at Gu Yan, saying, “You two go to the hospital first. I’ll come to apologize another day.”
And then he fixed his collar, still wearing that arrogant and cold expression, before walking around to open the rear door.
Upon seeing this, the one with the scar also hurried into the driver’s seat. When this car started up, the other cars also started up in unison, and they all quickly drove off not long after. Because the night was already late, and they were on a small, remote road, they didn’t cause too much of a disturbance in the end.
While holding the car key that Lin Jiarui had thrown over, Gu Yan asked, “Nothing will happen to Young Master Lin, right?”
“It’s his own uncle, after all, so the most that’ll happen is probably a beating like we got.”
Gu Yan nodded, though in his heart, he thought that that person might not necessarily be able to bear making a move against Lin Jiarui. In his current condition, he naturally didn’t dare to drive and so, in the end, still called for an ambulance.
Qin Zhiyuan’s face was full of bruises, and he definitely couldn’t be considered nice to look at right now. Although he was lying on the stretcher, he still kept thinking about what had happened earlier and pulled on Gu Yan’s hand in order to say, “The atmosphere today was too awful. Wait for me to recover, and I’ll say those words to you again.”
Gu Yan was very clear on what words he was referring to and said, “Are you sure… you’re already able to walk forward?”
Qin Zhiyuan didn’t even need to answer that. He simply smiled gently and grabbed Gu Yan’s right hand, softly kissing the scar on the palm.
Gu Yan’s heart trembled, and his eyes darkened. After he sucked in a deep breath, he was finally able to reach out his hand and touch Qin Zhiyuan’s eyes as he wished. Although his face bore some injuries, he was still as dazzling as ever as he said with a smile, “Then you best prepare your heart because I’m going to start pursuing you.”
[1] So while a lot of traditional families cook the Chinese New Year’s Eve meal themselves (and it’s usually a multi-day process), a lot of folks nowadays also book reservations for special takeout meals from restaurants, either to bolster their own dishes or as the whole meal. Usually, these meals are picked up in the morning/early afternoon of Chinese New Year’s Eve. (Most restaurants usually do not allow dine-in on Chinese New Year’s Eve, just take-out, and they also close early.)
[2] He actually says 小少爺, aka “little(st) young master”, but I thought that sounded a bit too awkward, so I just cut it.
I just realized that I’ve now translated two entire stories where the scum (ex-scum?) said his ‘I love you’s in a completely inappropriate place LOL. If I had a nickel for each time this happens… I’d have two nickels, but it sure is strange that it happened twice, huh?
Anyway, this makes me really curious what kind of dogblood drama Director Lin and his uncle are getting up to while Gu Yan and Qin Zhiyuan are immersed in their romcom shenanigans lmao.
Content warning (minor):
There’s a fist-fight which ends with some (non-lethal) injuries and bleeding.
Volume 2, Chapter 18
Anyone who saw Qin Zhiyuan’s expression when he said those words would understand how resolute he was at this moment.
Qin Jing also wasn’t blind and could obviously see it as well. He startled for a moment and then slowly sat back down in the seat, very quickly regaining control of his own expression.
He cared about his image even more than Qin Zhiyuan. He would definitely not lose himself in front of anyone, and nothing was more important to him than his reputation on this earth and in the heavens. But even the elegant and refined him actually revealed a trace of weariness as he rubbed his brows and said, “I might not count as a particularly qualified father, but everything I’ve done is for your sake.”
“I understand.” Qin Zhiyuan very considerately poured a cup of water and handed it over, saying, “But I’m already an adult. I’m very clear on what path I’m walking.”
Qin Jing fell silent.
Qin Zhiyuan said again, “Dad, as long as we both take a step back, we can live together in harmony.”
Qin Jing declined to comment. He slowly drank that glass of water before using a hand to knock on the table, saying, “Take some more time to consider it.”
Qin Zhiyuan very readily accepted the advice. “Yes, as long as nothing else happens to Gu Yan, I can consider it as long as you want.”
It was easy to guess what his ultimate conclusion was just by hearing these words.
Qin Jing at least didn’t expose him on the spot, merely waving a hand before standing up and leaving the office.
Qin Zhiyuan walked over to open the door for him and, after seeing the person off at the elevator, let out a sigh of relief, once again walking back to sit down at his own desk. A moment ago, he had been focused entirely on dealing with Qin Jing and had said many things without thinking about it, so only now did he realize that his heart was beating incredibly fast.
That’s right, he had admitted in his own words that he loved Gu Yan.
And he had said it smoothly and naturally, without the least bit of hesitation.
Because he’d been influenced by Qin Jing’s affairs since he was young, Qin Zhiyuan had always thought that love was the most unreliable. Even if he loved someone, he still didn’t have the courage to take that step forward.
…Even if it was only one step.
And now that he had taken this risk for Gu Yan, he simply felt an indescribable happiness in his heart, even feeling as if he’d gladly sacrifice his own life.
Qin Zhiyuan thought for a while, and then he smiled for a while, before suddenly raising a hand to cover half his face. He felt as if his appearance right now was quite embarrassing, and he was extremely glad that Gu Yan wasn’t able to see the current expression on his face.
The afternoon flew by very quickly.
It took Qin Zhiyuan quite a bit of effort to focus his attention on his work. Fortunately, it was just two days until Chinese New Year’s Eve, and the majority of the work had already been finished; only a few minor things were left to handle.
When it was almost the end of the workday, someone delivered an envelope to his desk.
Qin Zhiyuan naturally knew what was inside it.
But he didn’t open it to look. Instead, he simply took out an ashtray and lighter from his desk drawer and then, with a “ka-chak”, set it on fire, watching as the whole thing burned up.
Those photographs, that past, all of it had been turned into ashes under this light.
With chin in hand, Qin Zhiyuan watched in appreciation. Only when the blaze gradually dimmed and the faint smoke dissipated did he reveal a smile. Taking out his cellphone, he sent Gu Yan a text — when are you free? you should come eat a meal at my house.
Gu Yan was probably filming and so didn’t reply until nightfall, saying that he was already completely booked before year’s end.
Qin Zhiyuan originally wanted to see the other at least once before the year ended, but he also knew that Gu Yan was in a hurry to shoot that film, and as someone who also tended to prioritize work over all else, he didn’t pressure Gu Yan, simply scheduling time after the new year to meet.
As was customary, he went back to his family home for Chinese New Year’s Eve.
On one hand, it was for the sake of seeing family. On the other hand, Qin Zhiyuan also wanted to speak plainly with his mom about his intentions, in case the old lady wasn’t able to accept it. As for his old man, he had nothing to say. Besides, Qin Jing was an extremely busy person and even had to rush around during the new year, seeing as he several different families to visit, so really the other truly didn’t have any time for actual conversation.
After smoothly getting through the New Year’s Eve family dinner, Qin Zhiyuan gave Gu Yan a call amidst the sound of fireworks.
On Gu Yan’s side, it sounded similarly lively, with a very boisterous new year atmosphere. Qin Zhiyuan knew that the other was definitely at the restaurant; he had heard that they had advertised a great new year’s meal selection[1], and business during this kind of day was definitely explosive. But when he remembered that the two of them had welcomed in the new year in January together, he still felt somewhat lonely thinking about how they had to spend the Spring Festival apart.
For the sake of comforting him, Gu Yan took the initiative to bring up their scheduled meeting after the new year, saying, “Since you’re inviting me to eat at your house, you need to prepare at least a table full of dishes.”
“I’ve already thought of that.” As Qin Zhiyuan spoke, he announced the menu that he had long planned out.
As Gu Yan listened, he laughed and then said, “Looks like I’ll have to take some stomach medicine ahead of time.”
Qin Zhiyuan also knew exactly how bad his cooking skills were, so he didn’t feel attacked. On the contrary, he took the opportunity to say, “It can’t be helped. While I’m very hard-working, I’m still missing a good teacher.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t know whether Chef Gu will be willing to give me a few pointers?”
Gu Yan seemed to like this form of address very much and said, laughing, “And the compensation…?”
“It’ll definitely be generous.”
“OK, it’s a deal.”
When Qin Zhiyuan heard this, only then did he feel at ease, peacefully passing the new year. He stayed at home with his mother for three days and returned home to his downtown apartment only on the night of the third day. The very next day, he invited Gu Yan out.
Business had been booming for Gu Yan’s restaurant these last several days, and they were unceasingly busy from morning to night, so Qin Zhiyuan ended up parking his car across the street to wait. It wasn’t until four or five in the evening that Gu Yan finally found the time, coming out from the back door to get into his car.
Actually, although only a few days had passed since they last saw one another, their time apart felt especially long because the Spring Festival had occurred in between. When Qin Zhiyuan saw Gu Yan, he couldn’t help but look — and look.
Gu Yan blinked and asked him, “Did I get fatter or skinnier?”
“Oh, I think you got quite a bit skinnier.” Qin Zhiyuan examined him closely for a while and said seriously, “It looks like we have to eat a good meal today to make up for it.”
Gu Yan laughed as he put on his seat belt, saying, “Let’s go buy groceries first.”
“Farmer’s market? Or the supermarket?”
Gu Yan looked at Qin Zhiyuan’s suit and leather shoes. He really didn’t think this appearance was suited for a farmer’s market and so said, “Let’s go to a supermarket near your house.”
Qin Zhiyuan nodded and said, as he started the car, “I remodeled my apartment’s kitchen again.”
Gu Yan’s heart thumped, and he couldn’t help but fold his left hand over his right hand, as he asked, “When? What kind of style did you make it now?”
Qin Zhiyuan’s eyes were sharp, and with one glance, he saw that movement, but he didn’t say anything about it, simply freeing a hand to place softly on top of Gu Yan’s own. “You’ll know when you see it.”
He had imagined countless times the image of Gu Yan standing in that kitchen, and right now it was close to becoming a reality.
Because of that reason, Qin Zhiyuan’s mood was incredibly good, and so while at the supermarket, he grabbed a whole bunch of useless things and stuffed it in the shopping cart. Gu Yan felt his head ache just from looking. He had no choice but to have the other repeat their plans tonight and then once again placed each and every one of those things back in their original places.
Qin Zhiyuan did his utmost to plead his case, but in the end, he bought only two more cabbages than intended, and he felt very regretful that he would not be able to fill up that refrigerator of his.
Because they had to go through this complicated process, they stayed at the supermarket for longer than usual, and when they paid and left, the sky had already turned completely dark.
Although it was now Spring, the weather hadn’t yet warmed up, and the wind still felt quite cold. Very few people were also out and about on the streets.
Qin Zhiyuan held the shopping bag with one hand, while quietly holding tightly onto Gu Yan’s hand with the other. In this darkness, holding hands wasn’t at all conspicuous, and the only disappointment was that the parking lot was close enough that they reached it after a short walk.
The underground parking lot was similarly cold and desolate, with the incandescent lights on the ceiling shining soft and brilliant.
Qin Zhiyuan first opened the trunk of the car to stow away the groceries they just bought, and then he walked back to open the door for Gu Yan. However, after the two sat down, the car refused to start. Qin Zhiyuan thought the cold weather was causing it at first and so kept trying; it was only after several failures that he realized the car had probably broken down.
“Strange, it was fine on the way here.”
“Just call for a repair.” Gu Yan felt somewhat hungry and said, “Anyway, this place is pretty close to your house, so we can just walk back.”
It wasn’t a bad idea, especially when Qin Zhiyuan realized that, if they walked, he could hold Gu Yan’s hand on the way back. As such, he grabbed his cell phone and made the call, getting off the car to grab the groceries in the trunk as he spoke to the repair shop about their situation.
Gu Yan also got off to help. However, just as he grabbed the shopping bag, the expression on his face changed slightly, and he brushed against Qin Zhiyuan’s arm, asking in a small voice, “Did you offend someone recently?”
Qin Zhiyuan had just hung up the phone and, when he heard this, turned blank for a moment. It wasn’t until he raised his head that he saw a group of young people gathering in this parking lot since who-knew-when. On this winter day, they were actually wearing very fashionable clothes, their hair dyed in a variety of gaudy colors, looking just like a bunch of hoodlums on the streets. All that wouldn’t have mattered if their gazes weren’t centered entirely on Qin Zhiyuan, appearing menacing no matter how anyone looked at it.
Under this kind of strange atmosphere, anyone with eyes could see that something wasn’t right, so no wonder Gu Yan had asked him whether he had offended someone.
Qin Zhiyuan thought back a bit and then said with a bitter smile, “It seems like I really did.”
As for who exactly he offended, of course there was only that uncle of Young Master Lin’s. Regarding the matter of those photos, he had originally planned to settle things peacefully. However, the other party completely ignored him, appearing as if they were set on opposing Gu Yan, so for the sake of finishing things quickly, Qin Zhiyuan had used some heavy-handed methods to get those photos back — he had long already heard of this Lin-whatever’s gangster disposition and so had been prepared for retaliation, yes, but he had done his preparations assuming it’d be in the business world; he had never thought that the other party’s method of fighting back would be… this simple and crude.
Was this a kidnapping?
Or was it a simple matter of giving him a beating?
If they ended up involving Gu Yan…
As he watched those young people walk closer and closer, Qin Zhiyuan’s mind turned this way and that. But then he heard the Gu Yan next to him ask, “How are your skills in a fight?”
“Uh, I go to the gym sometimes.”
“Then it’s too bad.” Gu Yan frowned and said, extremely regretfully, “I thought we were filming a romantic drama; I didn’t expect it to suddenly turn into a gangster film. I don’t even have the time to memorize my lines.”
“It’s fine even if you don’t know your lines; you just have to know how to run away.” Qin Zhiyuan walked forward, placing himself in front of Gu Yan, before then turning his head back to say, “Leave from the left exit.”
“And let you stay behind on your own? No way! It’s fine if they just want to beat you up, but what if they’re planning on sexually assaulting you?”
Qin Zhiyuan’s eyes twitched; he didn’t think that was very possible at all, but Gu Yan was clearly worried enough about the safety of his virtue that the other suddenly raised a leg to give the car a heavy kick.
“Bang!”
The sound echoed in the air.
This unexpected action brought everyone to a stop.
Gu Yan then took the opportunity to grab Qin Zhiyuan by the hand and run to the left.
The moment they moved, the group behind them also immediately gave chase, unwilling to let them escape.
Gu Yan also didn’t turn away, simply taking out his cellphone to call the police, while also asking, “If you knew that someone was after you, why didn’t you bring some bodyguards with you?”
Qin Zhiyuan didn’t know how to respond, feeling wrongly accused. If he brought bodyguards with him everywhere he went, how could he enjoy his two-person world with Gu Yan?
Gu Yan then asked, “How did you offend this person? Did you steal someone’s girlfriend?”
This was clearly just a joke, but Qin Zhiyuan was afraid that Gu Yan would misunderstand and so immediately clarified with, “Definitely not! As for the details of what happened… I’ll explain it to you later.”
On one hand, he didn’t want to let Gu Yan know what had happened, and on the other hand, he really didn’t have the energy to talk. Gu Yan’s stamina was quite good, and Qin Zhiyuan’s also wasn’t bad, but they couldn’t compete with twenty-year-old youths after all, and it was clear with one look that the group was catching up.
Gu Yan thought for a moment. Deciding that he had no other choice, he threw out his cellphone, managing to buy them just a bit more time.
The parking lot hadn’t been very big from the start, and they could’ve escaped just by climbing up the stairs. However, when the two of them got to the stairwell, they found that two hoodlums were already sitting on the steps waiting for them. One of them had a cigarette in his mouth, while the other had a scar on his face, both wearing a sinister smile, their expressions full of malice.
The one with the scar remained sitting and said with a peculiar tone, “These two gentlemen must be tired from running, so why don’t you stop here and rest?”
The other one stood up, dropping his cigarette and stepping on it, while staring fiercely at Qin Zhiyuan. “Our Boss said that we need to teach you a lesson, Mr. Qin, so that you’ll know not to meddle in other people’s business in the future.”
The moment he finished, a fist came flying at Qin Zhiyuan’s stomach.
His move was fast and accurate, and Gu Yan didn’t even have time to react.
Qin Zhiyuan was someone who had been raised like a prince, so when would he have ever had the opportunity to fight anyone? Not to mention this was an actual beating, so of course he stumbled immediately, sucking in painful breaths. He had originally wanted to protect Gu Yan, but who knew that Gu Yan would immediately jump forward, slamming head-first into the person who hit him, shouting, “How dare you touch my man?!”
This shout was extremely loud, resounding throughout the parking lot, even leaving behind an echo.
Qin Zhiyuan was surprised into a stupor. In his memories, Gu Yan had always been calm and steady; he had never seen the other this worked up before.
And Gu Yan had already begun grappling with that other person.
Qin Zhiyuan regained his senses and hurried to jump in to help.
The one with the scar also stood up and, with one hand, twisted Qin Zhiyuan’s arm. When the nearby Gu Yan saw, he stopped caring about his own fight and directly threw a kick at that person.
At this time, the other youths also caught up and encircled them, and the entire scene quickly became chaotic.
Qin Zhiyuan was their main target, suffering the most blows, and even if he had the strength, he wasn’t able to use it. Gu Yan was similarly unskilled at fighting, but he maintained one principle — that he’d go against whoever hit Qin Zhiyuan, completely uncaring about his own well-being, unable to be shaken off no matter what.
These people said they were simply there to teach Qin Zhiyuan a lesson, so they were lenient with their blows and didn’t use any weapons.
But simply getting hit and kicked was also difficult to bear, and while it was painful in the beginning, as time went on, those injuries gradually turned achingly numb. After Qin Zhiyuan had been hit in the stomach a few times, he felt somewhat unable to support himself, slowly bending at the waist.
When the one with the scar saw this, he purposely threw out a kick.
Gu Yan felt his anger bubbling forth, his eyes literally seeing red, as he threw out a punch, shouting in a loud voice, “Don’t touch him!”
He was very fierce in the moment and used a lot of strength, but when he pushed forward, his foot stepped on air, and it was clear from a look that he was about to fall down the stairs.
“Gu Yan!”
Qin Zhiyuan shouted. While he himself was clearly no longer able to stand steadily, he still reached out a hand to pull Gu Yan’s arm. Of course, he wasn’t able to hold the other back properly, and the two of them ended up entangled, rolling down the stairs together.
“Bang!”
Another loud sound echoed.
Actually, this stairwell wasn’t very high, but they had rolled down one step at a time, so the resulting noise ended up sounding very frightening.
Perhaps they had fallen down the stairs too miserably because no one gave chase to continue the beating. They simply heard the voice of the one with the scar, disjointedly saying, “The Boss said that… it should be just a beating to let out our anger… be careful not to do anything lethal…”
Qin Zhiyuan was knocked dizzy by the fall, all the bones in the body aching with soreness. Other than the sounds of those people’s departing footsteps by his ear, he also felt a warm liquid dripping onto his face. Qin Zhiyuan hurried to open his eyes, and only then did he see that Gu Yan was leaning against his body. The person had suffered an injury on the left side of his forehead, and dark-red blood was currently trickling down that beautiful face.
However, Gu Yan seemed totally unaware of it himself, simply incessantly wiping away the blood on Qin Zhiyuan’s face, his black eyes entirely filled with the other’s figure, as he anxiously asked, “How are you? Are you injured anywhere from the fall?”
The hands touching his face were trembling slightly.
Qin Zhiyuan’s heart practically seemed to stop and then, immediately afterwards, started pounding with even greater force.
He had never known that Gu Yan also had times when afraid. He couldn’t help but remember that car accident from the year before last; he had heard that, when he was rescued, he had looked extremely frightening, with blood all over his face.
How much of that had been Gu Yan’s own blood?
At the time, was Gu Yan also like now, anxious yet scared to look at him, trembling all over because of worry for his injuries?
This person had always hidden away his heart.
Only at such a critical moment as this one did he reveal even the slightest bit of it.
But it was already enough to allow people to sink into its depths.
“Gu Yan…” Qin Zhiyuan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but because he had no strength, his voice came out so soft that it was practically inaudible.
Gu Yan lowered his head, and then lowered it again, putting his ear next to the other’s lips, and only then did he hear those words.
—-I love you.
Gu Yan had originally wanted to examine Qin Zhiyuan’s injuries, but when he heard those words, his mind turned blank at once, and all his strength suddenly seemed to leave his body as he softly collapsed on the ground in an instant.
Qin Zhiyuan was stunned and hurriedly shouted, “Gu Yan?”
Gu Yan’s heart was practically about to split open. Unwilling to lift his head, he felt as if he’d rather leave his face stuck on the cold cement floor.
Qin Zhiyuan gasped and used some strenuous effort to reach out a hand, wanting to turn his face around. But Gu Yan stiffened, unmoving, and simply waved a hand in the other’s direction.
Qin Zhiyuan inwardly thought that this was hilarious and took the opportunity to grab that hand, intertwining his fingers together with Gu Yan’s trembling ones.
The two of them were both full of injuries, and their battered appearances were extremely laughable.
Actually, Qin Zhiyuan regretted it immediately after he said those words. In the past, he had envisioned this scenario in his head many times. When he confessed his feelings to his beloved, he needed to have a good mood and atmosphere going, and even if he didn’t have wine and candles, starlight or candlelight, he at least shouldn’t have said it in a situation where his face looked swollen enough to be a pig’s.
But the moment he saw Gu Yan’s reaction, he felt as if all of that didn’t matter. As long as two people’s hearts were linked, then no matter how battered, it would still be sweet.
Right as Qin Zhiyuan was thinking about how he’d get Gu Yan to turn around, he suddenly heard a strange burst of sound ringing by his ear. When he turned toward that sound, he saw a car barging violently into the parking lot, its fast-as-lightning speeds making it look as if it would hit a wall and crumble to pieces at any moment. It wasn’t until the car almost did hit the opposing wall that the driver suddenly stepped on the brakes. And then a screech resounded, and the car managed to stop just a few centimeters from the wall before the sharp sound of the engine turning off pierced their ears.
Gu Yan naturally also heard that sound. His taut nerves hadn’t loosened yet, so his first thought was to crawl up to protect Qin Zhiyuan.
But no one expected that, when the car door opened, the one who stepped out of the car would actually be Lin Jiarui.
With one glance, Young Master Lin was able to see the injured appearances of the two of them and couldn’t help frowning as he said, “It seems I still came too late.”
And then, he opened the rear door and walked over to them in long strides, supporting Gu Yan up by the arm while saying, “Quickly get in the car. I’ll send you two to the hospital.”
Gu Yan made a sound in affirmation, but he still turned around to look at Qin Zhiyuan and say, “Can you walk? Do you want me to carry you?”
Qin Zhiyuan naturally refused, and with Gu Yan’s help, he managed to stand up with much difficulty.
It wasn’t until this movement that Qin Zhiyuan’s injuries were discovered to be actually a bit more serious than Gu Yan’s. While Gu Yan was at least still able to walk, Qin Zhiyuan felt a stabbing pain the moment his foot touched the floor, and it wasn’t clear whether the injury had reached bone.
Luckily, Lin Jiarui was also around, and with the three of them each putting in some effort, they finally managed to make it inside the car.
After Lin Jiarui sat down, he didn’t even put on his seatbelt, and with a single step on the gas, the car once again began rushing out like crazy.
On this turbulent car ride, Gu Yan carefully examined Qin Zhiyuan’s injuries, making certain that most of them were superficial before finally letting out a small sigh of relief. “Can you tell me now what exactly was the trouble you caused?”
After a pause, he shot a glance at the driving Lin Jiarui and added, “Does it have to do with Young Master Lin?”
Not only did Qin Zhiyuan’s wounds hurt but his head had also started to ache, and he didn’t know how he should open his mouth to explain.
It was actually Young Master Lin who snapped his fingers and said, “I better be the one to explain.”
What he said were all the parts that had to do with him. He mentioned that, because of the earlier commotion with the sex scandal, a certain someone from the Lin family misunderstood his and Gu Yan’s relationship and so had used some despicable methods, digging up Gu Yan’s nude photographs from that year. And then, for the sake of retrieving those photographs, Qin Zhiyuan had started a feud with that certain person, which resulted in today’s “lesson”.
Although Gu Yan heard only the gist, he was still able to guess how much effort Qin Zhiyuan had put in, as well as how much risk the person had taken, and he couldn’t help but tightly hold the other’s hand.
Although Qin Zhiyuan’s lips were also wounded, he still smiled at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan felt his heart ache, and he looked at Qin Zhiyuan for a while, before he then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, “Director Lin, I remember that you don’t seem to know how to drive?”
“Oh, it’s just that I’ve never tried, that’s all.” Lin Jiarui didn’t turn around and answered very carelessly, “Now that I have, I realized that it’s pretty easy.”
No wonder the driving was so wild, with no regard at all for traffic laws.
The moment he heard this, Gu Yan grew alarmed, and he was frightened no matter how he thought about it. Hugging Qin Zhiyuan with a hand, he shouted out, “Stop the car!”
Lin Jiarui furrowed his brows, but he really did step on the brakes. However, it wasn’t due to Gu Yan’s shout. Instead, several cars had caught up to them from behind and was now skillfully blocking their way forward, forcing him to stop the car no matter what.
All of the tailing cars were black without exception. Among them, one car was particularly conspicuous, and the one with the scar from before was faintly visible in the driver’s seat. Another person was also sitting in the back, but because of the windows in the way, his facial features were obscured.
Lin Jiarui pressed on the horn, rolled down the car window, and coldly said, “Out of the way!”
The cars didn’t move at all.
But the one with the scar actually got off the car, saying rather deferentially to Lin Jiarui, “Young Master[2], you’ve played around long enough outside. It’s about time you returned home.”
He rubbed his nose and said with a chuckle, “You also know the Boss’s temper. If you really make him angry, then it won’t be easy to deal with.”
Lin Jiarui silently stared ahead, holding the steering wheel in a death grip, veins clearly visible on the back of his white hands. And then, he slowly loosened his hold before opening the car door with a calm expression. Towards the other person in the car, he said, “Just go through me if you have any issues. Stop making trouble for my friends.”
The person in the car let out a low laugh and then succinctly spat out the words, “Get in the car.”
While the voice couldn’t be considered severe, the tone was tyrannical to the extreme, as if daring people to disobey.
Lin Jiarui turned back and threw the key at Gu Yan, saying, “You two go to the hospital first. I’ll come to apologize another day.”
And then he fixed his collar, still wearing that arrogant and cold expression, before walking around to open the rear door.
Upon seeing this, the one with the scar also hurried into the driver’s seat. When this car started up, the other cars also started up in unison, and they all quickly drove off not long after. Because the night was already late, and they were on a small, remote road, they didn’t cause too much of a disturbance in the end.
While holding the car key that Lin Jiarui had thrown over, Gu Yan asked, “Nothing will happen to Young Master Lin, right?”
“It’s his own uncle, after all, so the most that’ll happen is probably a beating like we got.”
Gu Yan nodded, though in his heart, he thought that that person might not necessarily be able to bear making a move against Lin Jiarui. In his current condition, he naturally didn’t dare to drive and so, in the end, still called for an ambulance.
Qin Zhiyuan’s face was full of bruises, and he definitely couldn’t be considered nice to look at right now. Although he was lying on the stretcher, he still kept thinking about what had happened earlier and pulled on Gu Yan’s hand in order to say, “The atmosphere today was too awful. Wait for me to recover, and I’ll say those words to you again.”
Gu Yan was very clear on what words he was referring to and said, “Are you sure… you’re already able to walk forward?”
Qin Zhiyuan didn’t even need to answer that. He simply smiled gently and grabbed Gu Yan’s right hand, softly kissing the scar on the palm.
Gu Yan’s heart trembled, and his eyes darkened. After he sucked in a deep breath, he was finally able to reach out his hand and touch Qin Zhiyuan’s eyes as he wished. Although his face bore some injuries, he was still as dazzling as ever as he said with a smile, “Then you best prepare your heart because I’m going to start pursuing you.”
[1] So while a lot of traditional families cook the Chinese New Year’s Eve meal themselves (and it’s usually a multi-day process), a lot of folks nowadays also book reservations for special takeout meals from restaurants, either to bolster their own dishes or as the whole meal. Usually, these meals are picked up in the morning/early afternoon of Chinese New Year’s Eve. (Most restaurants usually do not allow dine-in on Chinese New Year’s Eve, just take-out, and they also close early.)
[2] He actually says 小少爺, aka “little(st) young master”, but I thought that sounded a bit too awkward, so I just cut it.
I just realized that I’ve now translated two entire stories where the scum (ex-scum?) said his ‘I love you’s in a completely inappropriate place LOL. If I had a nickel for each time this happens… I’d have two nickels, but it sure is strange that it happened twice, huh?
Anyway, this makes me really curious what kind of dogblood drama Director Lin and his uncle are getting up to while Gu Yan and Qin Zhiyuan are immersed in their romcom shenanigans lmao.
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