After saying that, he shyly buried his head in Shang Xuci’s broad chest.
Shang Xuci patted Jian Xun’s back twice, as if soothing a sleeping child, and said with a smile, “Me too.”
The furry head in his arms jerked up. “Really?”
Shang Xuci smiled faintly. “When have I ever lied to you?”
“Can I kiss you now?” Jian Xun asked, gazing longingly at the man. He truly enjoyed intimate gestures. Now that they were constantly pressed together, he pushed closer, wanting more.
Shang Xuci didn’t waste any time. He lifted Jian Xun’s chin and, before kissing him, said, “Remember to breathe.”
…
M Country.
St. Ann’s Hospital.
A clanging sound echoed from Ward 704, and glass shattered onto the floor.
The doctors and nurses in the corridor glanced over, then looked away, shaking their heads.
These days there were more and more patients prone to temper tantrums. Xu Rong was sweating profusely in disbelief — her son had just thrown a glass at her.
Shang Yi had been irritable before, but never to the point of throwing things. Now he was telling her to get out.
She had risked her life to see Shang Yi, and being treated like this chilled her to the bone. She pulled out her phone and said, “Calm down for a moment,” then stepped out and started making calls.
“Hello, Dad? Are you okay?”
After the call ended, Xu Rong’s expression turned serious. She sighed, collected herself, knocked on the door again, and entered.
“Have you calmed down?” Xu Rong asked the person under the covers.
Shang Yi, completely hunched under the blankets, didn’t answer.
“I’ll get you discharged tomorrow, and you’ll be gone.”
Shang Yi immediately threw back the covers. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, and he had dark circles beneath them. His hair was dishevelled, and his face was haggard. It was clear he’d suffered a great loss.
He stared at Xu Rong. “Do you want to kill me?”
“My legs are crippled. The doctor said that with proper initial treatment, surgery might have been enough to heal them.” Shang Yi raised his eyelids, his tone filled with hatred. “And now you want to take me away? You’re trying to kill me! I won’t go with you!”
Xu Rong stepped forward to comfort him. “Baby, listen to me. Don’t worry. We can still find a good doctor to treat your legs, even if we’re not here. Shang Xuci is the one to blame for your condition. Do you really expect him to save you?”
Shang Yi gave a wan smile. “Mom, do you still think I’m the same child who never grew up?”
“Isn’t it all your fault that I’ve become like this?” Shang Yi trembled with anger.
Since childhood, he had always listened to Xu Rong. Although pampered at home and given everything he wanted, his life was arranged entirely by her. There were no true likes or dislikes — only strengths and weaknesses to be exploited. Xu Rong always used him as a topic of conversation to show off in front of wealthy wives.
Even his love for music had been his own pursuit. He had genuinely loved it at first, but Xu Rong tied it to awards, forcing him to create music he didn’t enjoy.
He had later confirmed with Tang Mu that Xu Rong had done similar things many times. When his eldest brother revealed his mother’s true nature, he still refused to believe it.
In his mind, no matter how cruel his mother was, no matter how much she hated Shang Xuci, she would never harm Shang.
Shang Ye had told him that Xu Rong was colluding with outsiders, but he hadn’t believed it. He secretly replaced the company representative and got into his second brother’s car, never expecting such a tragedy to happen.
Now, he couldn’t believe his mother truly meant to kill him. Perhaps this was retribution. Instead of killing Shang Xuci, her son had suffered the consequences.
When Shang Yi learned his leg was crippled, he cried and raged. The thought that he might never stand again left him wishing for death.
Xu Rong was silent for a long moment before speaking. “What do you mean?”
“Just tell me — did you send someone to kill Shang Xuci? Did you arrange that attack?” Shang Yi asked, staring at her intently.
Xu Rong pressed her lips together. “I didn’t know you were in the car.”
At that, something seemed to dawn on her. She muttered, almost to herself, “I know… it must have been Shang Xuci. He sent you there on purpose!”
Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been extra bodyguards in the car that day, and Shang Xuci wouldn’t have escaped death.
Xu Rong gasped. “So he knew all along.”
By some cruel twist of fate, not only had he survived, but he had also driven a wedge between mother and son. How else could Shang Yi have spoken to her like this?
A chill ran through Xu Rong as she realized something terrible. Since Shang Xuci had told Shang Yi everything, her presence here could only mean she had been exposed.
Her expression changed abruptly, and she began hurriedly packing her things.
Shang Yi refused to leave, so she had no choice but to go first and make plans later.
As the door opened, two tall, burly plainclothes police officers blocked her path.
“Mrs. Shang, you are implicated in two murders and have fled abroad. Please come with us for questioning. This is your arrest warrant.”
Xu Rong’s face paled.
She suddenly regretted visiting Shang Yi. If she hadn’t, she might still have had the chance to escape abroad. But coming here had exposed her whereabouts. Shang Yi still refused to leave with her, yet at least his life wasn’t in danger while he stayed in the hospital. At most, Shang Xuci might threaten him through his son. But she was different. Shang Xuci was constantly investigating her.
Why was he abroad instead of in China?!
…
Ludao Garden
Jian Xun changed his shoes and waited for Shang Xuci. They got into the car together.
Shang Xuci glanced at him and said, “I’ll be staying in Xinyu today. You can come see me if you’re bored.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you for lunch at noon,” Jian Xun replied with a smile.
Shang Xuci nodded and walked him downstairs. After the car parked, Jian Xun eagerly unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door.
Shang Xuci grabbed his hand and asked coldly, “Did you forget something?”
Jian Xun quickly searched his bag. His phone and keys were all there. Bewildered, he looked at Shang Xuci. “No, I brought everything.”
Shang Xuci pointed to his face.
Jian Xun immediately understood and leaned over to give him a hearty kiss.
“Okay.”
“I’ll pick you up at five.”
“Okay.”
After watching Jian Xun walk through the gate, Shang Xuci restarted the car and drove away.
When he arrived at the company, Fu Qian approached with a solemn expression. He lowered his voice. “Xu Rong has been arrested. She’s on her way back to China.”
“Just as you predicted, Mr. Shang, she contacted Du Guan quickly after going abroad. We’ve also located Du Guan and are ready to arrest him.”
Shang Xuci said, “Good. Bring them back. Xu Rong’s personal freedom can be released for now. Interrogate Du Guan as soon as he returns.”
“Understood.” Fu Qian followed him out of the private elevator and continued, “Doctor Fang suffered severe trauma in prison. He’s had a nervous breakdown and seems to be acting insane.”
“Have someone examine him thoroughly to see whether he’s truly lost his mind or just pretending. Tell him he’ll be reunited with Xu Rong soon.”
“Yes, sir. At last, this matter can finally be brought to a close,” Fu Qian sighed.
“By the way, Mr. Shang, I haven’t seen Jian Xun these past few days.”
“I asked him to join the esports department.” Shang Xuci’s expression softened considerably at the mention of Jian Xun. “It’s a better place for him.”
Fu Qian smiled. “I didn’t expect he’d be into esports.”
Shang Xuci returned to the office, and shortly after, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Xu Huai entered, holding a document. “The cooperation on the new project has been agreed upon.”
Shang Xuci took the document and reviewed it. “I trust you. Go ahead and handle it.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Xu Huai said, pulling out another document. “I understand you don’t want to manage Shang Group. But Xinyu is different. You built it entirely on your own. Are you really willing to let it go?”
Shang Xuci poured him a cup of tea. “You might have misunderstood me.”
“I just want to temporarily hand over the management of Xinyu to you,” Shang Xuci continued after a pause. “I want to spend more time with my family. You know how my grandmother is doing. And Jian Xun—I want to send him to study abroad and explore new markets…”
Xu Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Shang Xuci’s explanation. He had been certain the other party wouldn’t suddenly promote him and expect him to take over permanently.
“Let’s not talk about that anymore. How are things going between you and Xu Tutu?”
At the mention of the cat-man, Xu Huai’s spirits dimmed. He gave a wry smile. “Although he’s willing to talk to me, he doesn’t seem to want to go home with me.”
“Take your time.”
Sui Sui and Tu Tu were cats with very different personalities. Shang Xuci had little experience raising cats and couldn’t offer any useful advice.
He cherished Sui Sui’s kindness toward him all the more. As long as he showed weakness and coaxed the kitten, it would forgive him.
Of course, he wouldn’t do anything out of line. Now that Sui Sui could transform into a human, they both had mouths to speak with—so they could simply talk things out and get along better.
“Yeah,” Xu Huai said softly. “At least he’s willing to pay attention to me now.”
“By the way, have they caught the culprit from that incident?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good,” Xu Huai said. “After this is resolved, you should rest for a while. I’ll help you manage Xinyu.”
…
A week later.
Du Guan was arrested, and Xu Rong, still at home, was on edge after hearing the news.
Now she was truly alone.
She recalled how, when she had just returned to China, Shang Wei hadn’t cared about Shang Yi at all. Instead, he had come straight to her, cursing and nearly hitting her.
Looking at his hypocritical demeanor, Xu Rong snapped, “You said I’m not clean?”
She almost laughed. Eyeing him up and down, she sneered, “Your hands and feet are filthy, but that’s the debt the Shang family owes my father! How clean are you, really? You’ve been obsessed with women all day long—your body must be rotten by now, right?!”
Shang Wei was furious. Xu Rong had always maintained a gentle image in front of him. Even when they had disagreed before, she had still pretended to be docile. But now? How dare she talk to him like this?!
The two kept arguing. Xu Rong exposed his serious illness, and Shang Wei called her shameless. They began pushing and shoving until the fight spilled into the stairwell.
Perhaps because she remembered the last time she had fallen down the stairs, Xu Rong used all her strength to retaliate. With a sharp kick, she sent Shang Wei tumbling down.
After receiving the call, Shang Xuci rushed to Shangjia. Shang Wei lay on the ground, his face twisted in pain and unable to move. Beside him, Xu Rong’s voice trembled. “He fell down!”
The ambulance arrived shortly, and Shang Wei was taken to the hospital.
Soon, searches about the Shang family began trending online. Xu Rong, once a celebrated film queen, was exposed for her unhappy marriage and the collapse of her life as a wealthy wife. On top of that, she was embroiled in a legal battle, implicated in a murder case.
Paparazzi even captured her at the hospital, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief pulled from her designer bag.
On the day Du Guan was recaptured and brought back to China, Shang Xuci was present for the questioning.
Both were sentenced for murder and economic crimes, and the case involving Shen Tianlei was also reopened for a new trial.
When Xu Rong heard the news of her twenty-year sentence, her head spun. On the day she entered prison, she saw Shang Xuci trying hard to stay calm, and she laughed in fury.
Shang Ye never recovered from this, spending his days at home, flat on his back, living an even more dejected life.
At first, Jiang Yuanqing was understanding and tried to comfort him, but after a while, she began to resent him. They argued constantly, and no one else was willing to give her what she wanted…
Gradually, their relationship broke down. Jiang Yuanqing moved out of the villa and drifted from one financial sponsor to another in pursuit of her career. Occasionally, when she saw financial news, she would think of someone she disliked. Now that their statuses were worlds apart, she would raise her glass and chuckle to herself…
Of course, that was all for the future.
For now, the dust had settled.
After the meeting, Shang Xuci checked the time, stood up, and headed downstairs. He felt more relaxed than ever, his steps light.
A gust of wind blew by, and he saw Jian Xun at the door, waving at him with a smile. All the love, hate, and grudges felt like nothing more than passing clouds.
Shang Xuci’s lips curled slightly, and he strode quickly toward the young man.
Seeing his smile, Jian Xun immediately embraced him.
“Shang Shang, give me a hug.”
“Okay.”
-The End-