Chapter 51: Yu Wangxiao, You’re Too Bad

Wang Chen never appeared again.

Not until they had drunk all of his treasured tea and eaten all the mung bean cakes and peach crisps prepared on the table did the old man still remain nowhere to be seen.

His so-called trip to the bathroom seemed to have been nothing more than an excuse to deliberately run away, leaving the two of them space to be lovey-dovey, while also avoiding… being held accountable by Yu Wangxiao for recklessly spreading gossip.

There was no one left in the clinic. Yu Wangxiao was not surprised by this at all; he had clearly expected Wang Chen’s usual behavior.

He even personally tidied the miscellaneous items on the counter, skillfully turned off the lights, closed the windows, pulled down the shutters, and then calmly took away the Pu’er tea cake Wang Chen had hidden in the cabinet.

Clearly, this was not Yu Wangxiao’s first time helping him close up shop. He knew exactly what needed to be done, and did not forget to eat and take things on the way out.

Lin Jiangye followed behind him in a daze, like a silent, sticky tail. He followed him all the way back to the underground parking lot, quickly got into the passenger seat, then continued staring blankly.

Chen Ming was not here today. Yu Wangxiao had personally driven him over.

The parking lot was empty and quiet enough to hear a pin drop, with only a few low-profile cars scattered around. If a passerby accidentally wandered in and looked carefully, they might truly be unable to tell that the regular clients of this clinic were not simple people.

Seeing that Lin Jiangye had not moved at all, Yu Wangxiao leaned over and reached out to pull the seatbelt for him.

Their gazes crossed during the close movement. After a pause, the crisp sound of the buckle clicking into place rang out, and Yu Wangxiao’s gentle kiss landed on the tip of Lin Jiangye’s nose.

“Tuantuan, come back to yourself.”

“…”

Lin Jiangye said nothing. Suddenly, he grabbed Yu Wangxiao by the collar and refused to let him return to his seat immediately.

Perhaps because the occasion was casual, Yu Wangxiao had not worn a tie this afternoon. The top two buttons of his shirt were open, revealing a little of his cool-toned, pale skin.

The fabric Lin Jiangye held in his hand easily and generously turned into soft folds that could be toyed with at will, obediently wrapping around his fingertips layer by layer, still carrying faint warmth from Yu Wangxiao’s body.

“…Tuantuan?” Yu Wangxiao lost his balance for a moment and instinctively braced one hand beside Lin Jiangye’s thigh to barely steady himself. He had almost truly been pulled down onto him.

It was an obvious, clear difference in strength.

“Yu Wangxiao, will I make you hurt a lot?”

Yu Wangxiao froze. “Do you mean the birthday gift?”

Lin Jiangye still did not loosen his grip. Instead, he leaned closer and bit Yu Wangxiao’s collarbone. His eyes, flowing with silver light, narrowed as he deeply immersed himself in licking and kissing the vivid, hot flush of blood there. He even sucked without restraint, swallowing all the deliciousness he wanted to obtain.

No matter how hard Yu Wangxiao tried to hold himself up, perhaps he could no longer continue. His breathing grew hurried and heavy. Sharp pain spread around his collarbone, stimulated by the wet kisses until it became even more sensitive.

He lowered his head and lightly rested it against Lin Jiangye’s shoulder, quietly hiding his unreadable expression. Slowly, he touched Lin Jiangye’s hand, the one gripping his collar. It was like begging for mercy, yet also like adding fuel to the fire.

“Tuantuan, I still have to drive. Let me go for now, alright?”

“You only mentioned it once, and I already feel like I’m going crazy. My heart feels like it’s about to explode… Yu Wangxiao, I can’t control myself at all right now. How am I supposed to let you go?”

Lin Jiangye could not help complaining in a low voice. He had already started trying to breathe deeply, wanting to gradually calm himself down, but the car was filled with Yu Wangxiao’s scent. Breathing only made it easier for things to become an uncontrollable catalyst.

“…No, wait. You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

Before Yu Wangxiao could respond, Lin Jiangye held his face and bit his trembling lips. Pressing against the soft corner of his mouth where a little blood had seeped out, he murmured, “Yu Wangxiao, you like seeing me react like this, don’t you? Losing control because of one sentence from you. You like that I’m almost going mad because I crave you, because I’m too hungry for you.”

Yu Wangxiao did not avoid him. He allowed him to do as he wished and only gave a soft “mm,” with a faint, almost imperceptible laugh. From such a close distance, it revealed an open and undisguised satisfaction.

Too bad.

“But I’m clearly about to be unable to bear it, yet I still have to endure it, because this is the birthday gift you want… Yu Wangxiao, you’re too bad!”

“Mm. Since I’m this bad, I deserve to be properly taught a lesson, don’t I?”

Yu Wangxiao lightly licked the corner of his lips. The damp sting from the wound made his eyes darken, and every word was stained with a feverish heat close to losing reason. “Tuantuan, you’ll teach me that lesson… You’ll make sure I never dare to do this again, won’t you?”

Lin Jiangye was silent for a moment. Finally, he loosened his grip on Yu Wangxiao’s collar, but he had no intention of refusing. He could not refuse at all.

“There’s no one in the parking lot. Go to the back seat.”

“Alright.”

“You agreed so quickly… Yu Wangxiao, exactly how impatient are you today? You really are a little perverted.”

The car door opened and closed again. Yu Wangxiao left the restrictive suit jacket on the driver’s seat and slowly unbuttoned every button of his shirt.

His expression was hidden in the dim light of the back seat, and his hoarse tone carried a deliberate stickiness. “Today, you said some things that made me very happy. Tuantuan, it’s only natural that I’m perverted.”

“So now this is my fault?”

Lin Jiangye narrowed his eyes, grabbed his hair, and lightly tugged it backward, forcing him to raise his head and look at him.

“Mm… yes.”

“Yes? Does that make sense?”

“Yu Wangxiao, speak. Is it true? Is it my fault?”

“…”

Unfortunately, Yu Wangxiao could not speak right now.

***

By the time they returned home, they had already missed the sunset.

Looking at the river from the high floor of Longjing Bay, only a thin orange-red golden edge could be seen, perfectly embedded along the border of the darkening sky.

Dinner was perfectly cooked tuna—simple, convenient, full and rich in texture. Most importantly, it did not require much time to cook, because neither of them had any strength left.

The two of them tossed all their messy, unpresentable clothes into the washing machine, took a quick combat shower, changed into soft, loose home clothes, and collapsed onto the sofa. They spread dinner and snacks all over the coffee table, using forks to casually eat at a slow pace, with absolutely no image to speak of.

Only this time, Lin Jiangye was half-sitting, half-lying against a lumbar pillow, his posture limp and twisted, while Yu Wangxiao simply lay on top of him, his heavy head resting on Lin Jiangye’s thigh as he closed his eyes to rest.

“Tired?” Lin Jiangye fed him a shrimp chip. “Who told you to provoke me?”

Yu Wangxiao lifted his eyelids, obediently ate the shrimp chip, and after slowly and laboriously swallowing for a long time, he answered with a smile that was not quite a smile, “Not tired.”

Lin Jiangye’s face heated up when he heard this. He pinched Yu Wangxiao’s ear. “Your voice is already hoarse like that, and you’re still saying you’re not tired… If He Chen asks you what happened tomorrow, will you dare tell him?”

“I dare. Tuantuan, will you dare let me say it?” Yu Wangxiao slowly curled his lips, completely calm.

“Pervert.”

Lin Jiangye fiercely bit into a large mouthful of fish, letting the cool, smooth tuna belly bloom in his mouth. At least it could suppress the heat that had begun surging chaotically inside him again.

“Mm. You were the one who told me to be honest, to express my desires, to show you my flaws…” Yu Wangxiao’s voice was indeed hoarse, so he spoke very slowly, unhurried and gentle. “I will do everything you ask me to do.”

“Don’t act so obedient. Disgusting. I really can’t leave you anymore.”

Yu Wangxiao smiled, suddenly somewhat meaningful. “When it’s my birthday, perhaps that feeling will become even stronger.”

“No more. That’s enough on this topic!” Lin Jiangye immediately covered his mouth, urgently stopping him.

Today’s psychological counseling had indeed helped Lin Jiangye, but not to the extent that it would take effect so quickly. Up to now… his self-control still was not that good.

If they kept talking about this topic, Yu Wangxiao really would not have a birthday gift anymore.

They barely maintained a harmonious and peaceful atmosphere. After slowly finishing dinner, Lin Jiangye was about to clean up the remaining plates when the phone thrown on the sofa suddenly vibrated.

It was strange. Under normal circumstances, no one would call him.

Lin Jiangye shoved the plate in his hand to Yu Wangxiao, walked back to the living room curiously, and picked up his phone to take a look. Unexpectedly, it was Qiu Zhen.

His nominal mother had actually called him.

Recently, Qiu Zhen had often contacted him on her own initiative, regardless of whether Lin Jiangye replied in time. In any case, she could send several messages every day.

The content was also very ordinary—things about the family, or her daily life. For example, after the first snow, the plum blossoms in the Lin family’s backyard looked very beautiful, or a luxury store in a certain mall was holding an event, and the bundled goods she bought were belts and watches, asking whether he needed them… Then she would cautiously ask when he would come home for dinner again.

Lin Jiangye would not refuse decisively. Usually, he chose to vaguely brush it off with some other matter. After all, her attitude was quite friendly, and from time to time, she would transfer him some money.

Sometimes, when Lin Yu and Lin Bingsheng quarreled, she would also secretly come to Lin Jiangye to sigh and complain that the relationship between the father and son was getting worse.

This, Lin Jiangye did like hearing. He would even deliberately ask a few more questions, just so he could indirectly observe Lin Bingsheng’s mental state.

But he never expected that today, Qiu Zhen would call him because… Lin Bingsheng’s mental state seemed to have developed some problems.

News of Gu Yuan’s death had not yet been publicly announced. The secret investigation into the Gu family was also fully sealed off by the police. There were many people involved in this chain of cases, including institutional loopholes in the welfare home that needed thorough investigation. The nature of the matter was too serious and malicious, so perhaps only a little would be revealed before the official trial.

But Lin Bingsheng had his own sources of information. The news that Gu Yuan had been taken away by emergency helicopter definitely could not be hidden from him.

After spending several anxious days, then learning that Lin Jingyao had nearly suffocated to death at the Yu family’s old residence, plus the announcement this morning of the funeral date for Madam Gu… Lin Bingsheng suddenly became abnormal.

“Don’t cry. Drink some water and speak slowly. Mm, I’m at Yu Wangxiao’s house right now. Yes, I’m very safe. I’m fine.”

As Lin Jiangye comforted Qiu Zhen’s urgent sobbing, he quickly gave Yu Wangxiao a look, pulled him back to sit on the sofa, and turned on speakerphone.

“What should I do, Jiangye? He, he… he wants to hack Xiaoyao to death. He says our family is haunted by evil spirits and that he has to hack this, this jinx to death, otherwise everyone will get into trouble… He really is a lunatic! Mom is hiding in the basement and doesn’t dare go out. Your dad has already gone to the yard to sharpen the knife…”

“Jinx? Ah… Are you sure Lin Bingsheng isn’t coming to hack me to death?” Lin Jiangye was rather surprised.

This word sounded very unpleasant, and it had also been used frequently for a period in the original novel. Of course, it had been used by the Lin family to blame the original owner when the family’s finances were doing badly. It originally had nothing to do with Lin Jingyao.

“He said, he said Xiaoyao ruined all his plans and left him with no way out. He also said Xiaoyao deliberately destroyed family relationships and… seduced A-Yu… I can’t even say it. That damned Lin Bingsheng, what kind of filthy nonsense does he dare spout! He almost wanted to hack me too. That bastard!”

Qiu Zhen was both angry and afraid. Her voice trembled violently, her breathing heavy. “What should I do, Jiangye? Mom can’t beat him and can’t stop him. Xiaoyao and the others are coming back tonight. If your dad really uses the knife, then… but I don’t dare tell A-Yu in advance. With that damned temper of his, he definitely won’t be willing to hide outside. He will definitely start hacking each other with your dad…”

Madam Qiu understood very well what kind of person her irritable eldest son was. Yes, this really was something Lin Yu could do.

“…But why don’t you call the police?” Lin Jiangye was silent for a moment. “If you call the police now and say he’s threatening you with a knife, the police can go over and take him away directly. If there really is something wrong with his mental state, that’s perfect. You’re his wife. With your signature, you can send him to a psychiatric hospital.”

Although Yu Corporation’s bidding meeting was right around the corner, if Lin Bingsheng had indeed gone mad, then it could count as resolving a potential dangerous element.

A lunatic was much easier to deal with than a mentally sound bad person. Killing him would be simple, taking his shares would be simple, and investigating what he had done would also become simpler.

Lin Jiangye tilted his head and glanced at Yu Wangxiao. Yu Wangxiao nodded slightly, showing no objection to this suggestion.

But Qiu Zhen went strangely quiet for a long time. She sniffled, and after a while answered blankly, “Can I… can I do that? If the police come to the house over such an ugly matter, what should we do if word gets out? There are already so many rumors now. What will others say about you then…”

“Your life is almost gone, and you’re still thinking about this? Do I care what others say about me?” Lin Jiangye could not help frowning, anger suddenly surging up.

Yu Wangxiao touched his head and took the initiative to speak, gently and unhurriedly comforting her. “Madam Qiu, there is no need to worry. My bodyguards are already on the way. Please pay attention to your safety. Make sure the basement door is locked. Before they control your husband, do not open the door easily.”

“Ah, Mr. Yu is there too?! Mr. Yu is truly thoughtful. We have to trouble you even with this kind of matter…”

Yu Wangxiao smiled, very proper. “It is no trouble. Jiangye’s family is also my family.”

“Chen Ming went over?” Lin Jiangye exhaled, rubbed his forehead, and leaned beside Yu Wangxiao. His irritation began quickly fading. “Then it’s fine. Mom, just listen to him next. Don’t interfere with anything else.”

“Jiangye…”

“Mm?”

Qiu Zhen suddenly broke into laughter through her tears. She completely forgot to continue exchanging polite words with Yu Wangxiao, and sobbed while crying and laughing, murmuring, “You called me Mom. You finally called me Mom again… Mom will listen to you, Jiangye. Come back and see Mom, alright? I miss you…”

Lin Jiangye stiffly listened as she started crying nonstop again. He raised his eyes rigidly and looked at Yu Wangxiao, silently asking for help with his mouth: “What should I do?”

He suddenly realized that he seemed to be the type who yielded to softness, not force. At least in situations unrelated to romance, a sincere outpouring of emotion like Qiu Zhen’s, full of genuine feeling and lowering herself so much as she pleaded through tears, was extremely unfamiliar to Lin Jiangye.

Perhaps because she was truly sorrowful to the extreme, or perhaps because this nominal mother truly did miss him, Lin Jiangye instead did not know what to do.

He had never experienced a normal mother-son relationship. He did not know.

“You can agree to her,” Yu Wangxiao said softly. “Go see her tomorrow morning. If you are important to her, then this will be a very good opportunity to make her fully awaken. Smell what she is like now. Perhaps there is a chance…”

Lin Jiangye’s eyes lit up, and he suddenly understood. “Perhaps there is a chance to set her free.”

***

Chen Ming arrived very quickly. Alone, he knocked Lin Bingsheng unconscious and hung him upside down in the middle of the living room, tied up like a rice dumpling.

Only then did the comforted Qiu Zhen finally agree to hang up the phone. Before saying goodbye, she repeatedly confirmed that Lin Jiangye really would come home tomorrow.

Lin Jiangye put down the phone, his feelings a little blank. He lowered his head and played with Yu Wangxiao’s nice-looking fingers, kneading them one by one. After a long while, he finally spoke. “…Kill him? Is killing him tomorrow suitable?”

“If you want to kill him, then kill him. Your happiness is the most important.”

“But before, you told me not to be too murderous.”

“This time, you asked me first. You’ll also consider in advance whether killing him is appropriate.” Yu Wangxiao gently held his hand, squeezed it, then gave his verdict warmly. “Tuantuan’s murderous tendency is not too heavy.”

“But if he dies too quickly, won’t you possibly lose money?” Lin Jiangye hesitated, lowering his eyes as their fingers intertwined.

“I won’t lose money. I’ll just earn a little less.”

Yu Wangxiao’s tone remained extremely gentle, wrapped in the slight hoarseness left over from the afternoon, like an intimate sweet nothing. “In the Gu family’s secret room, didn’t I tell you that Lin Bingsheng could die that very night?”

“Eh, that’s true.”

“Your happiness is the most important.” Yu Wangxiao repeated it, pulling Lin Jiangye’s hand to his lips and kissing it lightly. “At that time, there was already a problem with your emotions. Killing someone in a fit of passion would make you more likely to become unhappy and more likely to fall into a spiral toward extremes… Thinking about it now, negative emotions should not be solved that way, right?”

“Mm-hm. But why do I feel like you have a lot of experience?” Lin Jiangye narrowed his eyes at him. “You’ve killed quite a few yourself, haven’t you?”

Yu Wangxiao curled his lips and looked at him openly. “Yes. I have a lot, a lot of experience.”

“…”

“So, extreme people only need one of me. As for your negative emotions, just use me to resolve them… That way, we should both be very happy.”

“Wait, wait, what kind of strange thing are you saying so late at night! Yu Wangxiao, you really are!” Lin Jiangye’s ears heated up. After understanding what he meant, his temperature shot up quickly, and he turned his head, flustered, to look for water.

“Mm, I really am too bad. I’m perverted.”

Yu Wangxiao calmly accepted the accusation and handed the water cup to him at leisure, raising his brow. “Tuantuan, do you still feel uncomfortable now? That call just now—does it still make you feel strange and a little uneasy?”

Lin Jiangye froze, taking the cup. “…No. It’s amazing. There really is no one better than you at affecting my emotions. Every time you say these strange things, I forget everything else.”

“Praise me more.” Yu Wangxiao suddenly leaned closer. Their noses abruptly touched, and those dark, twilight-like eyes stared straight at him. “I want to hear it.”

“Then… Yu Wangxiao, you’re a genius. You’re especially, especially amazing. I really, really like you. Is praising like this okay?” Lin Jiangye felt that he was still flustered and that his vocabulary was especially poor. “Actually, I bought a book of love phrases. It hasn’t arrived yet. When it does, I’ll seriously study it.”

“That’s already very good… I still want to hear more.”