Ch 45: Arriving at Hongcheng
In the evening, Yin Chang finished washing up and climbed into bed. He saw that the light in the study was still on. He urged Shao Junling, "You're not going to sleep yet?"
The little guy was sitting in front of his desk, tinkering with something. He could see the master bedroom's bed with just a slight tilt of his head. Upon hearing Yin Chang's voice, he tilted his head and looked at Yin Chang for two seconds. "Brother, where are you going tomorrow?"
Yin Chang hesitated for a moment, feeling guilty under his questioning. But he didn't feel the need to explain anything to Shao Junling. He casually replied, "Didn't I say I'm going to work?" He turned off the bedside lamp, lay down and covered himself with the blanket, and said in a muffled voice, "You should go to bed too."
He heard a rustling sound from the study. Thinking that Shao Junling had obediently gone to rest, Yin Chang breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes.
But a few seconds later, Shao Junling's voice appeared in his ear, "Brother..."
Yin Chang was startled and opened his eyes. The little rascal had somehow sneaked over and was now staring at him from the side of his bed.
"You!" Yin Chang was at a loss, "Why did you come over when you should be sleeping?"
The light from the study spilled over, shining brightly in Shao Junling's eyes.
"Brother." He called out again.
Since the trip to Switzerland, this little guy had noticeably increased the frequency and number of times he called Yin Chang "brother". Yin Chang didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed about this, but at the moment, he didn't want Shao Junling to bother him anymore.
"Say what you need to say..." Yin Chang said impatiently.
Shao Junling looked at him and asked softly, "Will you... come back?"
There seemed to be a hint of timidity and an imperceptible nervousness in his voice.
Yin Chang sensed it keenly and was a little surprised. He looked back at Shao Junling's expression and felt that the pitch-black eyes that rarely showed emotion were filled with worry.
Was this little guy worried about him... leaving?
"Of course, I'll come back," Yin Chang's tone softened. He remembered Yao Manhuai's words that this kid liked to stick to him, so he pretended to joke, "You don't you want me to go?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Chang regretted being too presumptuous.
In this little guy's heart, his importance was probably not even as much as a steaming bowl of instant noodles...
Unexpectedly, after hearing what he said, Shao Junling actually responded clearly, "Hmm."
Yin Chang was surprised again. In the dim light, he couldn't see the redness in Shao Junling's earlobes, but he could see his flickering eyes.
This kid was indeed nervous and very worried.
This feeling of being cared for and remembered was like a warm tide, enveloping Yin Chang's fluctuating heart.
"Heh..." he laughed softly, and couldn't help but think of the words that this little guy said in front of Yin Dong's tombstone. A hint of tenderness appeared in his eyes and brows without him realizing it.
But he didn't know how to comfort Shao Junling. He couldn't bring him with him to Hongcheng.
Thinking back to the good sleep in Zurich that night, Yin Chang couldn't help but lift the corner of the blanket and lightly pat his side, tentatively asking, "Do you... want to sleep with me?"
Shao Junling: "..."
Shao Junling was stunned for a few seconds, then jumped up in shock. Just like the day when he jumped out of his bed, he blinked and ran back to his study.
Yin Chang: ???
"Don't want to?
But won't you miss me?" Yin Chang thought that the main way children depend on adults is by wanting to sleep with them.
He remembered when he was a child, he liked to sleep with Yin Dong, to be in the same bed and share the same pillow with the person he was closest to. The other person's embrace, breath and body temperature could give a child a sense of security and warmth...
Unfortunately, he never had the chance after the age of five.
He remembered when he was a child, Yin Dong went out to work for two months. He missed his father so much that he went crazy. When he saw Yin Dong, he got excited and jumped on him, like a little koala, clinging to him and asking him to sleep with him.
But Yin Dong just hooked his nose and said, "Xiao Chang, boys can't be so spoiled. You're already five years old, you have to learn to be independent."
That night, no matter how he tossed and turned, and tried every way to please Yin Dong, he was unmoved.
His father was so resolute in his decisions.
Yin Chang could understand Yin Dong's approach, but he didn't agree.
Because he still remembered the sense of loss and loneliness he felt when Yin Dong left him alone in the small room to sleep... This made him long for love and to be loved.
He started dating early, at the age of fifteen. When he appeared on the show, he claimed to have had three girlfriends. In fact, he didn't have particularly strong feelings for any of the three girls, but they all shared one thing in common - when they first met, they gave him warm hugs and gently touched the back of his neck like an adult comforting a child.
Yin Chang had never said that he only liked indulged in the feeling of being caressed, which is why he agreed to their pursuit.
Of course, in the end, each girl left him because he couldn't give them the kind of affection they wanted...
As he was thinking, suddenly something warm and soft wriggled into his side from under the covers.
... It was Shao Junling.
This little guy somehow came back again, and now he was snuggling into Yin Chang's arms like a puppy.
Yin Chang's lips twitched, and curved into a slight smile.
He didn't know why Shao Junling kept going back and forth like this, but… this was also a sign of dependence right?
He lifted his arm and brought the other closer to himself, patting his back gently. "Alright, go to sleep."
On the ninth day of the lunar new year, Lu Lingjuan came with two bodyguards to pick him up. The four of them went to Wang Yan's law firm first, and then to the airport. In the evening, Yin Chang arrived in Hongcheng.
Yin Dong had started out in Hongcheng then he won the Best Newcomer Award and then returned to the mainland for further development. Afterward, he became famous and renowned throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
When Yin Dong's plane crashed, the Hongcheng media made a big fuss, digging up a lot of his old stories and adding fuel to the fire, creating all kinds of gossip. Yin Chang's appearance also excited them, but unfortunately, he had already been active in the mainland for almost a year, and they had no edge to create gossip.
After Yin Chang became the spokesperson for BG, his handsome promotional photos appeared overnight at all BG counters in luxury malls worldwide. Therefore, this city of extravagance and desire was naturally not short of his photos.
So when Yin Chang appeared at Hongcheng airport, sharp-eyed passersby spotted him and uploaded photos to social networks: "Is this the recently popular Yin Chang from the mainland?"
Hongcheng media prided themselves in being the most "dedicated" and "competent" paparazzi in the world. As soon as they saw the photos, they sprang into action and tracked down Yin Chang's whereabouts.
By the time Yin Chang arrived, it was already too late to go to the housing bureau, so he and a few others stayed in a hotel for a night and went to handle the paperwork the next morning in the car that Lu Lingjuan had rented in advance.
As soon as they completed the property procedures, paparazzi swarmed Yin Chang.
"Yin Chang! Are you inheriting Yin Dong's property in Hongcheng?"
"How many properties does Yin Dong have in Hongcheng? Are they all under your name now?"
"Have you considered developing your own career here in the future?"
"Has anyone ever told you that you look a bit like the Hongcheng real estate tycoon Yuan Shijin's third aunt, He Yufu?"
In the midst of the rapid fire of multilingual questions – Cantonese, Mandarin, and English – Yin Chang heard that sentence and was taken aback. He glanced at the young female journalist and then ducked into the car under the protection of his bodyguard.
"Oh my god," Lu Lingjuan was so frightened that she thought she might have a heart attack, "Hongcheng's entertainment reporters are really something!!"
Lu Lingjuan had long heard of the "prestige" of Hongcheng media, so per Yao Manhuai's suggestion, she’d brought two bodyguards with her. Moreover, they’d bought the plane tickets for this trip on the spot, so there was no time for fans to react, but they didn't expect problems to occur so quickly.
"What should we do? Now you're going to be exposed!" Lu Lingjuan nervously scrolled through Weibo. The speed at which Hongcheng media published news was also very fast. It was estimated that there would be news about Yin Chang coming here to inherit the property in no time.
Looking at the reporters outside the car window, Yin Chang’s face also turned pale.
"To be honest, I don't quite understand," Lu Lingjuan looked at Yin Chang and asked, "Why did you want to keep this trip a secret?"
When Yin Chang had told her "don't let my family know", she had found it strange. Everyone knew that Yin Chang was the heir, so it was natural for him to inherit the property. There was no need to be so cautious.
Before, out of respect for Yin Chang's privacy, she didn't dig. But now that the situation had taken a turn for the worse, she wanted to know Yin Chang's specific needs so that she could provide him with more targeted protection measures.
"Let's go back to the hotel first, and then talk." Yin Chang was hesitating whether to tell Lingjuan Lu about these matters. Only Yao Manhuai and Lawyer Wang knew about his "adoptive son" status. But one was his most trusted elder and the other was a lawyer deeply trusted by his father. They had professional integrity, so he didn't have to worry about either of them revealing anything that could cause him trouble.
But Lingjuan Lu...
Well, to be honest, after working together for the past half year, Yin Chang already recognized and trusted Lingjuan Lu's character and ability. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked her to accompany him this time.
When they arrived at the hotel, Yin Chang called Lingjuan Lu to his room alone. "I can tell you the reason, but I hope you can keep it a secret."
Lingjuan Lu was startled by Yin Chang's rare serious tone, and she immediately understood, "Yin Chang, ever since you chose me to be your agent, we have been in it together. You can only do well if I do well, and if you don't do well, I won't have a good reputation in this industry either."
She smiled and continued, "I used to think this way because I saw you as my artist, and it was my duty. But during our time together, I discovered that you are really a special and wonderful person. So I also am putting in more effort to support you. I don't know if I’ll have the chance to meet such a good partner like you again in the future. Even for future celebrities I work with, I doubt I will be as invested in them..."
She looked at Yin Chang and said seriously, "I also hope that you can trust me like you trust Manager Yao. I know her relationship with you is far better than a relationship between an agent and a celebrity, but trust and emotions between people can be slowly cultivated through time and effort. I have confidence that one day I can reach that position in your heart too."
Yin Chang had originally just wanted Lingjuan Lu to give him a guarantee, but was unexpectedly moved by such a serious speech.
"Thank you..." he relaxed and confessed to Lu Lingjuan, "I came this time to investigate something about my background."
Lu Lingjuan was puzzled, "Your background?"
Yin Chang said, "I may not be my father's biological son. When I first met Lawyer Wang in China, he told me that I was adopted by Yin Dong. But my father had previously told me that my mother had passed away when I was young."
Lu Lingjuan was surprised, "Does Manager Yao know about this?"
Yin Chang replied, "Yes, but she doesn't know the details. She doesn't even know who my mother is."
Lu Lingjuan was speechless, she thought Manager Yao knew everything about Yin Dong...
Yin Chang continued, "And recently, I started suspecting that our family maid knows about my background."
Lu Lingjuan asked, "Fiona? Have you asked her?"
Yin Chang shook his head, "She hasn't mentioned it at all, all these years. But recently, I found out that my father had two properties in Chengdu, and I didn't know much about one of them. When I asked her, she knew about it. I could tell because her reaction was very unnatural..."
Yin Chang slowly explained his suspicions, and she agreed with a nod, "It does seem a bit strange... So, you wanted to investigate here secretly without telling her?"
Yin Chang said, "Yes, I wanted to go and see that property."
Lu Lingjuan nodded, "I understand. But we're being followed by paparazzi now, so we can't just go there directly. If there really is something there... what I mean is, for example, if there's something in your father's past that he doesn't want anyone to know, then if the paparazzi follow us there, it could be exposed... The media's digging ability is terrifying."
Yin Chang also had this concern, so they decided to go back to the hotel first.
Lu Lingjuan came up with a plan to evade the paparazzi. She decided to use a "decoy" car, the one that had already been exposed, to go directly to the airport and pretend that Yin Chang had decided to return. Then she would call another car, and just the two of them would go to that property.
My brother invited me to sleep with him! O口O
I'm shy, covering my face and running away... (/ω＼)
I realized my reaction wasn’t right, so hurried back, and slept with my brother. (/////)
