Chapter 10#

The walls of the Ren family’s main residence were very high, enclosing the entire estate from afar, like a prison.

When I became the head of the Ren family, the entire house was left with only me and Old He’s family. It was terribly quiet. It wasn’t until I married Shu Yuan and had my boy that the home finally had some life.

When my boy was born, probably because he was premature, he felt no bigger than a palm. I watched through a pane of glass as those tubes were inserted into the tiny baby. My heart felt like it had been pierced by dozens of needles, terribly painful. Later, I couldn’t help but cry until my nose turned red. It was Li Ling who rushed to the hospital carrying a stack of documents, muttering in my ear: “President, aren’t七星儿 supposed to be geniuses! President, don’t cry. Big sister will comfort you. We don’t have to approve these documents, no, no, we’ll approve them later, later…”

When Shu Yuan was discharged from the hospital, my boy was still there.

It was quite a while later that I finally got to hold my son. I remember, Wang Zheng was there too.

Wang Zheng’s expression was rather grim. I held my son in both arms, grinning like an idiot. I don’t know if I owed Wang Zheng several lifetimes, but he curled his lips and laughed heartlessly, saying: “Why does he look like a monkey? Looks like he takes after you.”

Wang Zheng’s words “takes after you” sent me over the moon with joy.

Monkey or gorilla, he was still my son, Ren Qiri’s son.

A girl changes eighteen times before reaching womanhood. My son didn’t need to wait until eighteen; he was already outrageously handsome. His little girlfriends stood in a row, enough to circle a 400-meter track twice.

Thinking carefully, he was indeed just like his dear father—flashy and attention-seeking. I didn’t know back then, thinking it was atavism. How could my son be a little lamb in front of me, but turn into a big bad wolf around the corner… Later, my boy wrapped his arms around my neck, smiling sweetly like honey, saying: “Dad, don’t be afraid. In the future, whoever you like, I’ll marry. Whoever doesn’t treat you well, I’ll divorce.”

My son had been clinging to me since he was little, like stubborn medicinal plaster.

I remember…

I should be lying in a hospital bed. My consciousness was somewhat scattered, feeling like I was in a dream. The images were blurry.

A white coffin, dazzlingly bright.

I didn’t know who was lying inside.

I remember, I had only attended four funerals.

The first was my father, who died young, then my mother, then Old Madam Ren, and the last was Li Ling.

As I tried to approach, the coffin slowly closed.

With a thud, it let out a mournful sound.

When the coffin was lifted, the surrounding people made way. I stood back, somewhat dazed.

Suddenly, a figure rushed out from the crowd, slamming into the coffin. People quickly gathered around. I couldn’t see clearly, so I moved closer.

After my boy grew sensible, he only shed a few tears in front of me, and he’d make me cover his eyes with both hands, filling my palms with tears. He cared more about face than Wang Zheng. My boy hugged the coffin, arms wrapped tightly around it. His eyes were swollen, his gaze somewhat vacant. Several people tried to pull him away, but my son was like possessed, holding on tighter and tighter.

Shu Yuan, dressed in mourning clothes, pulled at my boy with an embarrassed expression, her nails scratching his face. I’d told her many times—if a child misbehaves, there’s always a reason. You can’t use force or scolding; you have to talk things through gently…

Especially since my boy had a stubborn temper. Sometimes reasoning didn’t work either. But I had never brought myself to hit him, not even utter a harsh word, because it hurt me too.

Dad, you said you’d buy me a dog for my birthday this year. You, you also said you’d take me to Ocean Park. I already told my classmates I’d take lots of photos to show them, so they’d know I have the best dad in the world…

Dad, I’ve forgotten all the math you taught me. What if I don’t do well on this exam? Dad, get up… teach me again, okay?

Dad, for this year’s parent-child event, you said we’d get first place again like last year. How can you not practice?

Tears rolled down one by one, as if his soul had left his body.

Dad, I don’t want birthday presents anymore. I don’t want to go to Ocean Park either. I don’t need to be first in exams, and we don’t need to practice for the parent-child event.

Dad, that way, you won’t have to slack off or pretend to sleep.

Dad… can you wake up?

My boy pressed his lips together, slowly forcing a smile, but his tears fell even harder.

His face pressed tightly against the coffin, he smiled and whispered softly: “Dad, are you cold?… Let me hold you, and you won’t be cold anymore, won’t be cold…”

Shu Yuan suddenly slapped my boy across the face. Several people pulled hard, and my son, though small, was forcibly dragged away.

My son didn’t cry or make a fuss. His tears never stopped.

His eyes were wide open, as if he was trying very, very hard—to remember that moment.

“Young Master Ren, can you… perceive light?”

I tried to open my eyes, but could only see blurry images. Then a faint light seemed to shine, making me feel dizzy.

Before I could come to my senses, I heard Wang Zheng’s fiery voice: “Are you even a real doctor? You’ve been examining for ages and it’s still the same thing—”

Although this hospital belonged to Wang Zheng’s family, it turned out that even at a young age, he had the bad habit of bullying his subordinates. No wonder Li Ling used to rush into the president’s office every day, wailing for me to give her a raise.

I sighed and called out: “Wang Zheng…” I could faintly make out his silhouette, not very clearly. I moved my hand and happened to touch his. This time, Wang Zheng didn’t snatch his hand away like it was contaminated. Instead, he gripped tightly. His face must have been severely twisted, because he was squeezing my hand until it hurt.

A hand quietly waved in front of my eyes. I pouted and reached out to swat it away, hearing Old He yelp.

“Xiao He, if you keep messing with me…”

I felt a sudden pain in my chest, as if someone had forcefully collided with me. The familiar scent of hair fragrance filled my nose. His grip on my back hurt quite a bit, probably leaving scratch marks.

Indeed, I’m getting old.

When a beauty throws herself into your arms, it always makes your heart… pound with fear.

It felt somewhat unreal, like a dream. Wang Zheng’s head rested on my shoulder. He was breathing heavily, making me feel ticklish. I had no choice but to coax him like I would his son, gently stroking his hair to smooth it down.

A melancholy feeling washed over me.

In my previous life, I was kidnapped. I survived by a stroke of luck and took over the Ren Corporation. As Wang Zheng grew older, he became more and more bewitching. When he scowled, he was scarier than a vengeful spirit. Back then, I only got to see Wang Zheng once when I woke up. I also remembered that when Third Uncle Ren was in trouble, Wang Zheng was more anxious than anyone else, staying in the hospital by his side for days.

To be honest, I felt a little jealous back then.

I’d known it all along. The way Wang Zheng looked at Third Uncle was different. It had been that way since childhood.

In this life, I see it clearly.

Third Uncle was also different with Wang Zheng.

When we were kids, Wang Zheng sometimes got into trouble, dragging me down with him. Old Madam Ren had high expectations for him, so punishments were often severe. But at critical moments, Third Uncle Ren would emerge from his room and say softly—Xiao Zheng and the others know they’ve done wrong. Don’t punish them too harshly.

Old Madam Ren rarely listened to anyone, but whenever Third Uncle Ren spoke, she never refused.

Third Uncle never let anyone touch his easel. I only found that out when I was a little older.

That incident was quite a long time ago.

I really am petty.

Old Madam Ren sent me to call Third Uncle downstairs for dinner. I had lived in the Ren household for over a decade, but I rarely entered that room. Maybe it was childhood trauma, maybe I just didn’t like the atmosphere there… I knocked for a long time, but no one answered. I was afraid Third Uncle Ren had fallen asleep again. Uncle Jing was on leave, so I couldn’t think of any way to wake him.

Fortunately, the room was empty.

Only scattered drawing papers littered the floor.

One piece happened to be by the door. It was just a rough sketch, somewhat messy. I could only make out a general outline—it looked like a young man.

Later, when I turned around, I found him standing on the corridor. The hallway lights were dim and yellowish, but his skin was too pale. His face had a sickly pallor, his eyes were narrow and upturned, and his hair reached his shoulders. He looked like an exquisite doll. He stared at me, gripping the railing, and slowly uttered through thin lips—Get. Out.

Get. Out.

In my previous life, I couldn’t figure it out. In this life, I think, maybe the person in Third Uncle’s painting…

In any case, he didn’t have to hate me later, do those things to me, and use every means to force me to my death.

Wang Zheng had never actually liked me.

“Young Master, the discharge procedures are complete.”

My eyes could see again, but sometimes my mind would wander, and images would blur together. During this period, Wang Zheng watched me more closely than the doctors. Besides restricting my diet, he forced me to look at color cards every day. After recuperating for a while, my eyesight was probably comparable to 2.0.

Uncle Jing handled the procedures personally. Old He was as nervous as if he were meeting a high-ranking official.

My ears were too quiet, so I couldn’t help but ask: “Wang Zheng didn’t come today?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. I wished I could slap myself.

Curiosity kills the cat.

Uncle Jing glanced at me. I felt a chill run down my spine. I heard his mechanical voice by my ear: “Tonight is the Ren Corporation annual shareholder banquet. The old lady is in New Zealand and has entrusted matters to Third Master.”

Meaning, Wang Zheng the peacock went to help.

I nodded. Prioritizing romance over friendship is a common male ailment. I’ve always been open-minded.

Uncle Jing continued: “Third Master couldn’t get away. He instructed me to personally look after you, Young Master. He also said not to mind.”

…What? You think I’m jealous?

Ha ha, that joke is too trendy for me. Not my style.

I stayed in the hospital for nearly two months. I received quite a few gifts, all piled together, enough to fill a truck.

Old He checked them all one by one. The Ren family always maintained appearances, so someone would have to call and thank the senders later. Besides, not many people knew I was hospitalized—mostly collateral branches of the Wang and Ren families. As family, their goodwill couldn’t be brushed aside.

Suddenly, Old He remembered something and said with a smile: “Young Master, I almost forgot about this.” His hands were busy, but his mouth kept going: “The day before your eyes were unbandaged, someone left a fruit basket at the door. No name on it. Really strange.”

I thought for a moment, then remembered that day. I suddenly heard the door open, but no one spoke. At the time, I told Wang Zheng about it like a ghost story. His reaction was about the same as hearing a bad joke.

Old He chuckled: “I didn’t dare accept that fruit basket recklessly, so I gave it to the nurses. Strange thing, one of the nurses said a handsome young man with dyed blond hair brought it. Said he was your friend.”

I paused.

“I thought it was odd. When did you ever have a friend like that? I was afraid you’d gotten mixed up with some shady character, so I just forgot about it.”

The book in my hand slowly slipped.

I almost jumped out of my chair, grabbed Old He’s hand, and asked urgently: “Xiao He, who did you say sent it? Who?”

——————

In my previous life, I had a recurring problem.

In Wang Zheng’s eyes, I had more than just that one problem. But this one was the most serious. Ever since I slapped Wang Zheng, he basically never spoke to me again, except for business matters. Most of the time, he just needed to report, not seek my approval.

At the shareholder meeting, when he forced me to sign the papers, his right hand pressed firmly over mine. He whispered in my ear—You’re not cut out for this. Actually, Wang Zheng was left-handed. My fingertips trembled. Wang Zheng’s left hand was around my waist, slowly and firmly gripping my hand, guiding me to write my name stroke by stroke on that transfer document.

When he let go, I collapsed back into my chair like I had lost all strength.

The later events were blurry. I only vaguely remembered Wang Zheng’s overly delicate face slowly approaching mine. My scalp was painfully pulled, my collar tugged, even my breathing became difficult.

Wang Zheng pressed both hands against my neck, his gaze like he was looking at his mortal enemy. The pain in my chest was worse than in my throat.

‘Ren Qiri! What right do you have to stay out of it?! Who do you think made me like this?!’

‘This is exactly your pathetic attitude! Ren Qiri, you think by not fighting for anything, you’re noble? I want you to see—it’s because of a self-righteous waste like you that the Ren family is in this mess!’

‘Ren Qiri! He did this to you, and you don’t even react—do you think you’re the only pure one in this world? Seeing your hypocritical face makes me sick!’

When I thought about it carefully, Wang Zheng wasn’t wrong. I had too many flaws, and the most fatal one was being pathetic. When the Ren Corporation ran into trouble, all I did was watch my shares slip away and go home to play with my son.

When Li Ling was still around, she often pinched my shoulders after Wang Zheng slammed the door and said: ‘President, I’d say that’s not being pathetic. One word explains it—lazy. I’ve never seen a lazier person than you. You’re too lazy to even fight for things. There’s no one in this world more resigned to fate than you. Let things pass. How many more menopause episodes will the general manager have to go through…’

I always thought being resigned to fate wasn’t so bad.

By resigning myself to being the CEO, I could allocate more funds for the “Hunger Thirty” campaign, turn the back of the estate into a large cosmos garden, and collect a complete set of Balzac piano albums—even if it came out of my own pocket, even if I never had time to water the garden, even if the albums gathered dust and mold.

By resigning myself to marrying Shu Yuan, I could have my boy, visit Disneyland (which I’d never had a chance to go to before), and play three-legged races with my son. I got to experience being a father—even though I later found out my son wasn’t biologically mine.

By resigning myself to signing the transfer papers, I could save the jobs of over six thousand people at the Ren Corporation and prevent a spike in the national unemployment rate—even though, the moment I turned around, the original employees celebrated the new chairman’s ascension.

Maybe even God couldn’t stand how lazy, pathetic, obedient, and resigned I was in my previous life. That’s why He let me live again and go through another round of torment. At least I could gain some wisdom.

Sister Xin had left her phone number and address before she left. I never expected to need them now.

But this time, besides Old He, there were two more bodyguards in suits in the car. Old He seemed restless, probably because of Uncle Jing’s grim expression. When we took a car from the hospital, Uncle Jing surprisingly didn’t stop me.

I will report this matter truthfully to Third Master.

Young Master, to ensure your safety, please bring two more people.

Uncle Jing spoke and acted the same way—by the book, with little room for negotiation. When he stared straight at you, there was a faint air of bloodshed about him.

“Young Master, for Third Master’s sake, please take care of yourself.”

I curled my lips. This cold joke was pretty funny.

Before Old He worked for the Ren family, he had worked at a newspaper office delivering papers, so he knew the roads well. The car drove into the old district that Cheng Chen had brought me to last time. The front part had some old commercial streets, and the back part was a residential area. Further behind was where the incident happened last time—mostly underground entertainment venues and dens of vice. It wasn’t until later, when the government proposed a redevelopment plan, that this area was demolished and rebuilt.

I remembered this clearly.

Over a decade later, Du Yijie’s real estate construction company would collaborate with the Ren Corporation. The biggest project was right in this district.

Going further in, the car couldn’t drive. I remembered there were many small winding paths here. The address I had said Building B, Room 502, but looking at these old apartments, I couldn’t tell them apart for a moment. Old He kept wiping his sweat with a handkerchief—probably Uncle Jing’s threatening instructions had some effect. Old He watched me like a hawk, and the two bodyguards followed closely. It took us nearly an hour to find Building B.

Old He and the two bodyguards originally wanted to follow me upstairs, but who visits someone’s home with three door gods? Sometimes, the title “Young Master of the Ren family” was only good for intimidating your own people.

Extremely effective. Heh heh.

But it was even harder to find the right room once I got upstairs. Most of the door numbers were missing, or the front would say No. 10, but turn a corner and there’d be an extra No. 3. Probably because it was an old building, sanitation was poor. The corridors and stairwells were piled with garbage. The whole way, there was plenty of noise. The environment was terrible.

I matched the door number, confirmed it was Room 502, and breathed a sigh of relief. My eyes had been open too long. They were starting to ache again, but I didn’t dare rub them. They were probably red by now.

I took a deep breath and knocked.

After a while, I finally heard a “Coming!” It wasn’t Sister Xin’s voice. The door swung open with a bang. A boy stood by the door. He was only wearing a tank top and shorts down to his thighs. There were marks on his neck. With my mental age, those marks were… well, not unfamiliar at all…

Hallelujah.

I… I was shocked.

The boy looked me up and down. He seemed quite young, but he grinned at me: “Little brother, you’re pretty cute. Who are you looking for?” As he spoke, his gaze drifted. His lips were quite red, and his face was androgynous. Everything swayed before my eyes. He smiled and was about to put his hand on my shoulder when suddenly another hand shot out and yanked the boy away. I heard a scream and saw a face between youth and young adulthood.

His hair had been dyed black, and his earrings were gone. He looked quite refined now.

“Du, Du Ge! That hurts!”

Du Yijie wasn’t looking at him. His face was slightly pale as he said: “Scram.”

The room was quite clean, just a bit empty. A few boxes were piled in the corner, like someone was moving out. Du Yijie came out of the kitchen with a glass of water, handed it to me, and smiled handsomely: “I’ve packed up most of it. Only plain water left.”

Du Yijie pulled over a chair, wiped it, and said to me: “Have a seat.”

I looked around. Du Yijie chuckled: “My sister got married last week. She’s living at my brother-in-law’s place now.” I paused: “Ah, oh! Con-congratulations.”

Du Yijie laughed: “Why are you congratulating me? But the wedding was rushed. Not many people knew…” He paused, looking at me thoughtfully, then said: “Actually, it’s a bit unfair to her. A woman only has one wedding in her life. She insisted on having it before I left for Hong Kong.”

The glass in my hand almost slipped and fell.

Du Yijie asked: “Have you eaten yet?” Before I could answer, he added: “Consider it a farewell dinner. Keep me company.”

I bet no one in my previous life would have guessed that the underground kingpin of Southeast Asia could not only command a boardroom but also cook in a kitchen. I was still dazed as I watched him walk into the kitchen, occasionally calling out to me—

“Xiao Qi, do you eat spicy food?”

“Do you prefer salty or sweet?”

“Xiao Qi, do you eat bitter melon?”

I sat there blankly for an hour, listening to the clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen, followed by wafts of fragrance. Despite being scared out of my wits earlier, looking at the three home-style dishes on the small table, I couldn’t help feeling nostalgic.

In my previous life, after I took over the Ren Corporation, I had Old He and his family move in. Sister Fang would occasionally cook some Fuzhou home-style dishes for me. Later, when I married Shu Yuan—who grew up in America and wasn’t used to Chinese food—I hired a chef. When work got busy and I came home late, I rarely got to taste Sister Fang’s cooking anymore.

Du Yijie was sweating lightly. Seeing me eagerly take a few bites with my chopsticks, he smiled and said: “I was afraid you wouldn’t like it. You used to look pretty well-nourished. Now you look like a refugee.” I coughed, feeling a bit embarrassed. Let’s not bring up those old times. At least I’d finally shed my spherical appearance. Getting beaten up once was more effective than going to a weight loss center. Worth it.

The food wasn’t exceptionally delicious, but it suited my taste. I ate quite a bit in no time. Du Yijie tossed Sister Xin’s wedding photo album to me and told me to stay out of his way while he did the dishes. Sister Xin’s husband looked presentable, like an academic. There were three sets of photos. Sister Xin was quite pretty, especially when she smiled. The smile in the photos was a bit different from when I first met her, but it was nice.

“My brother-in-law is a lawyer. His surname is Xu. He handled that lawsuit too.” Du Yijie had already sat down beside me without me noticing. He pointed at the groom in the photo, leaning close to me. He… had a clean fragrance. I pinched my nose as he talked about that incident. A melancholy feeling washed over me, and my eyes started to ache.

“Xiao Qi.” The corner of my brow suddenly felt warm. Du Yijie’s hand reached out. I had scar removal surgery on my face. The technology wasn’t that good back then, so there were still some marks. My left eye had surgery too. It looked the same as usual, but it was more prone to infection and would get red if I used it for too long.

“Your eyes…”

I sniffed and waved my hand: “I’m fine. I can even count how many feet that sparrow across from me has.” Du Yijie laughed at this. He shifted his hand and, like in school, ruffled my hair.

I used Du Yijie’s phone to call Old He. I originally wanted them to go back first, but Uncle Jing’s influence was too strong. They insisted on waiting downstairs for me. I couldn’t keep them waiting too long.

I was putting on my shoes at the entrance when I suddenly felt warmth from behind. A pair of hands slowly reached around and wrapped around my waist.

He spoke softly by my ear, as if afraid of startling me: “I’m… gay.” Unbelievable as it was, his hands were indeed trembling.

I nodded.

In my previous life, Du Yijie walked both the righteous and unrighteous paths. I’d never heard of him having any close female friends. Earlier, I had attended a few movie premieres on behalf of the Ren Corporation. I hadn’t run into Du Yijie, but at that time, everybody tacitly understood: there was a very popular male actor at the time who was being promoted by Du Yijie.

This kind of thing was very common. As long as you weren’t exposed in the social media like I was, basically no one would make a big deal out of it. Besides, with Du Yijie’s power at that time, no media outlet would be willing to take that risk.

I said: “When are you leaving for Hong Kong?”

Suddenly I thought of my boy: “I’ll… see you off at the airport.”

Du Yijie’s grip was strong. When he tightened his arms around my waist, I basically couldn’t move at all.

He said: “Xiao Qi, what career path will you choose in the future?”

Uh, that was a serious question.

Before I could come up with an answer, Du Yijie said: “Xiao Qi, become a lawyer. If you become a lawyer, in the future… I’ll only let you defend me.”