Chapter 47#

Two years later, I returned to Singapore with Third Master Ren. When the Ren family’s main door swung open, I saw Old He standing to the side, dressed in a crisp suit, bent over as he called out loudly, “Young Master, welcome home.”

I leaned on my cane, hobbling forward. Old He lifted his head, reached out to clasp my shoulder, looked me up and down, and nodded repeatedly. I hugged him tightly, choked up and unable to speak for a moment.

“Young Master—” Sister Fang’s voice came from behind. I looked up and saw her holding a baby in her arms, leading another by the hand, and pregnant with a third child, walking over joyfully.

“Look, these are the oldest and the second—they’re twins. You said last time you wanted to see them when you came back, so today I hurried to dress them up beautifully.”

I smiled, reached out, and gently pinched the second child in Sister Fang’s arms, watching the child shyly burrow into their mother’s shoulder. I slung an arm around Old He’s shoulders and asked, “Old He, what did you say the oldest and second’s names were last time?”

Old He was still wiping away tears. Sister Fang pushed him and scolded, “How old are you, still with a red nose from crying?” Then she held the child closer to me and laughed, “The names are wonderful—Third Master personally chose them.”

I paused at that, then turned to look at Third Master Ren, who was just getting out of the car. He was still surrounded by a crowd as he walked slowly over. The over ten-hour flight had left his face pale, and even his steps were a little unsteady. But when his eyes met mine, a faint smile seemed to rise on his pale face.

I spent the whole day playing with Old He’s twin children. In the evening, I went to the courtyard to enjoy the breeze. The surgery had only just been done, with many restrictions, and my leg made moving difficult. Third Master Ren kept a tight watch on me, making me feel like I’d been imprisoned for months.

The wind brushed against my face. I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes to rest for a moment. When I felt a cool touch on my cheek, I couldn’t help but open my eyes. Third Master Ren gently caressed my face, his eyes lowered, his expression tender.

“…I’m fine.” I smiled and blinked at him. “I can see perfectly clearly. Nothing’s wrong at all.”

Third Master Ren sighed softly, brushed the hair from my forehead, and kissed my eyelids. I frowned and turned my face slightly away. He walked around the chair to sit beside me, cupped my face, and brushed his lips against my chin. “Qiqi…”

“Third Master, Young Master, it’s time for dinner.” A servant called out from behind.

I jolted, pushed him away, and sat up straight. I grabbed my cane haphazardly and stood up, my face burning bright red.

Old He and his wife sat at the table with us, enthusiastically piling food into my bowl. Third Master Ren sat at the head of the table, quietly sipping his soup, occasionally watching me with a faint smile. Although Old He and his wife were still somewhat restrained around Third Master Ren, the meal was peaceful and harmonious.

At night, I slept in Third Master Ren’s room. Old He said that more than half of the house was being renovated, and my original room had been knocked through. After consulting Third Master, they had moved all my things up to the third floor. I originally wanted to sneak into a guest room, but Old He blocked the stairway, insisting, “Ah, Young Master, you don’t know, Third Master’s hair turned grey because of you in those years. Now that you uncle and nephew have finally reconciled, what are you being shy about?”

Uh…

“What are you still looking back for? Stop hesitating, go on, hurry up.”

When I braced myself and walked into his room, I saw Third Master Ren still sitting at his desk, seemingly reviewing some documents. He looked up slightly when I walked in. I waved my hand and quickly said, “You go ahead and work.”

During my recovery from surgery, Third Master Ren had set aside all his important affairs. Now that we were back, he naturally had company matters to attend to. But it seemed Third Master Ren’s focus wasn’t on the Ren Corporation. The company’s scale remained the same, its business stable, but there seemed to be no intention to expand or develop further.

Seeing that he wouldn’t be done anytime soon, I walked over to the suitcase placed by the cabinet, unlocked it, and took out the photo album from among the clothes. Inside was a small stack of wedding photos of Li Ling and Cheng Chen. Old General Cheng stood above the newlyweds, still with a stern face, but the faint smile in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

I lay on the bed flipping through them—Li Ling had cut her hair short, wearing that wedding dress, tightly leaning against Cheng Chen. They looked very compatible.

Just as I was feeling moved, the bed tilted slightly. When his arm wrapped around my shoulder, I couldn’t help but look up at him.

“Done so soon…?”

“Mm.” He lowered his eyes, seeming somewhat reluctant. “…I have to go to the company tomorrow.”

I let out an “oh,” nodded, and laughed. “You really should go. If you don’t go back, the company might get stolen right out from underneath—” I suddenly realized what stupid thing I was saying and stopped short.

Silence stretched for a moment. I turned to him and said softly, “I didn’t mean anything else.” I emphasized, “Really… I’ve forgotten all about it.”

Third Master Ren didn’t answer me either. His arms slowly tightened around me.

I looked back at the stack of photos in my hand and murmured, “So many things… are different from the past now.”

“Will there be a day when we suddenly open our eyes, and this world… is different again?”

“At that time, you and I won’t remember anything. We’ll…”

He took a deep breath into the crook of my neck.

Then, he turned over, his lips covering mine. He gently nibbled my lip, pulled away for a moment, then came back again. This time, his tongue slipped inside. I opened my lips a bit clumsily, my hands tightly gripping his sleeves, and when I involuntarily leaned back, he pressed close against me.

Every time we kissed, my head felt dizzy. But I was very clear about what we were doing.

I was also very clear about the relationship between us—it involved blood, flesh, and soul.

We were simply losing control calmly, as if this had always been meant to happen. From the last life, the moment I cherished his gaze yet feared facing him, the outcome of our downfall was sealed. I just understood too late, accepted it too late.

I had always thought that my admiration and reverence for him came from the blood we shared. Perhaps it really was that way—our bloodlines were the closest, so we were unconsciously drawn to each other—both of us.

“Qiqi, it won’t happen.”

I nodded.

“Even if it does, Uncle will still… be the same.”

I nodded.

“No matter… how long, it will be.”

I nodded.

“Uncle loves you.” He murmured.

…

I propped myself up halfway, mustering all my courage, grabbed his hair, and pressed my lips to his mouth. My entire body was burning hot. Even leaning against his cool frame, that scorching feeling wouldn’t go away.

When we parted, I leaned against him, breathing lightly. Finally, I cautiously lifted my head and whispered to him, “Turn off… the lights.”

“Alright.” He kissed me. Got off the bed, picked up the remote, and in the blink of an eye, the room was left with only the dim, ambiguous moonlight.

I lay there somewhat stiffly. When he leaned over me, I held my breath uncomfortably—this was still something I wasn’t quite used to. I broke out in a nervous sweat for no reason. He called out “Qiqi” again, lifted my hand, and kissed my palm. I felt a slight ticklishness and closed my hand a little. Suddenly, he took my finger into his mouth, and my whole body gave a violent start.

“Thi—” I bent my legs, my face flushed, and turned my head away. I didn’t dare to utter that word “Uncle.”

In the darkness, he slipped off his silk robe, then his fingers deftly unbuttoned my shirt. Every movement seemed to follow a silent melody, so smooth it was almost suffocating. When he pulled down my pants, he kissed me again. This time, he seemed to use more force. The sound of sucking filled my ears, lingering and lingering.

I sat half-upright on the bed. When my underwear was peeled off, I lifted my foot to let it slide smoothly down my ankle. He pressed close against me, his cool skin gradually heating up. He loved to keep kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaned against the headboard, and turned my head to intertwine tongues with him. After a sharp, trembling sensation in my abdomen, I slowly hardened.

I rubbed against him miserably. He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me slightly, making me kneel. As the position changed, he suddenly took one of my extremely sensitive spots into his mouth, licking and nibbling with varying pressure. I endured it for a while, but my leg, still recovering from the gunshot wound, couldn’t support me. I gasped harshly and collapsed limply against him.

At times like this, I felt numb all over, my head spinning as if with a high fever. However, when his fingers lingered at my rear, I suddenly snapped awake. I looked up at him and blurted out, flustered, “Wait… lubrication…”

He kissed my mouth, softly said “Mm,” and I felt my brain flood with blood, nearly fainting from dizziness. But his reaction was too calm. He got up and moved away from me. I lay there flat like prey waiting to be slaughtered, my eyes half-open and dazed. After a moment, he came back, his hand thickly coated with something. He lifted me up, kissed my earlobe, and slowly used his fingers to coat that unmentionable place. His fingers pushed in gradually with each deep breath I took.

My scalp tingled as I received him. I shuddered violently. The heat in front of me rose against his abdomen, pressing against his own arousal. The stimulation made me curl up. I rested my head on his shoulder. As he moved his fingers, he also stroked my erect member, his mouth kissing my chest.

I shivered uncontrollably. By the time he had finished the lubrication, I felt completely drained. I lay dazedly on my back on the bed, a strange coolness lingering behind me. My legs were spread wide apart, my heart racing frantically, as if about to leap out of my chest.

A dozen thoughts flashed through my mind. But when I felt that heat pressing at my entrance, I jolted in shock, grabbed his arm, and asked a muddled question.

“You… did you take your medicine?”

Third Master Ren seemed frozen in place. My mind churned, my ears burning bright red. I stammered, “N-no, not that kind of medicine! You, you don’t…”

I stopped short. The place was suddenly stretched open and entered. I couldn’t help but try to pull back, but he firmly held my waist—the process of entering was something I had to endure with all my strength. I gritted my teeth, my hands unable to resist grabbing his hair, my head thrown back as I gasped for air.

Aside from the initial pain, all I felt now was an unbearable fullness. My hands braced on the bed. When he was fully inside, I finally let out a low moan, unable to control it.

“…Qiqi.”

He took a light breath, leaned down to embrace me, and began to move slowly.

“Qiqi, Qiqi…” Third Master Ren’s voice had always been somewhat hoarse and rough. I lifted my head and let out an “Mm” in response. My accelerating heartbeat never slowed, like an unending current. I grabbed his back and buried my face in his chest.

Throughout the entire thrusting process, he called my name unconsciously. From the initial subtle movements to the later heavy pushes, the stimulation was almost dizzying. His body radiated a slight heat. Beneath that slender exterior was a uniformly beautiful physique. In the pitch darkness, I couldn’t help but reach out and touch him. My abdomen kept contracting. The endless waves of pleasure made me push him away, unable to bear it.

“Wait… s-stop for a moment…” I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore.

He actually stopped. I took the chance to breathe deeply. My lower body was hot and wet from the continuous friction. After a brief pause, he kissed the corner of my eye, rubbing his face against mine. I opened my eyes slightly, looking at him through the dim, ambiguous moonlight.

“Qiqi.” I shuddered in waves, as if electrocuted. When he slowly withdrew from my body, my mind was a mess of thoughts—he was so handsome. No, not handsome… sexy. Thinking this, I was almost on the verge of release myself. His breathing was erratic. He cupped my face and kissed me for a moment, then held my waist and gently turned me over.

I curled up. He took a pillow and propped up my lower body. I knelt, burying my face deep in the bedding, my eyes tightly shut. This time, the entry was smoother than before, but as he pushed in, I still lifted my head uncomfortably, unable to hold back any sound.

“Qiqi…”

He kissed my back.

“Thi… Xiaoyun…”

He pressed down on me, clinging tightly to my back. Apart from calling each other’s names, there were no extra words of love. Suddenly, he began to thrust straight and hard. I called out to him indistinctly, accompanied by low moans. Tears seemed to spill over.

“Xiaoyun…”

“Yun, Yun…”

I lay on my side, and he held me from behind.

The room was filled with the warmth of morning.

I rested on his arm, my mind seemingly at a standstill. “You said… you liked me from a long time ago…?”

“Mm.” I didn’t know if it was because of his voice, but he didn’t like to talk much, always used to express himself directly with actions.

He nibbled my earlobe. I felt a numbing sensation, my heart filled with strange emotions, but my mouth said, “Your… your taste is too, too strange…”

“At that time, I thought you…”

I suddenly remembered something, turned around to look at him, and hesitantly asked, “Then, then… the scene I saw that time was…?”

A trace of confusion appeared in his eyes.

“I mean…” My mind was in chaos. Face red, I buried my head in the pillow and said gloomily, “How could you be with Wang Zheng… Ah, forget it.”

He lowered his eyes, let out a soft laugh, and wrapped his arms tightly around me.

When he kissed my cheek, I slowly closed my eyes, my face hot.

Just then, a knock suddenly came from the door.

“Third Master, Young Master, are you up?”

I looked at him. The originally pale face was tinged with a slight blush, a faint smile on his lips, completely unaware of the danger.

“Let him know…” Third Master Ren smoothed my hair and whispered, then was about to press down on me.

I felt like doomsday had come. I pushed him away, grabbed my cane, stood up on weak legs, and rushed into the bathroom.

—————————

The Ren Corporation building was two interconnected towers. Looking up from the president’s office, you could see the rooftop of the opposite tower.

The blood-red glow of the setting sun fell upon them.

Wang Zheng, with a drunken expression, walked up to him, grabbed his collar, and glared at him. “Ren Xiaoyun, you’re so pitiful. He’s going to hate you for the rest of his life… Hic, he divorced his wife today—divorced! Finally divorced, dammit!”

“—Haha! Do you know what he said when he divorced? He said—the house and all the remaining property, everything! Give it all to that woman and my son! What kind of… reasoning is that? Huh? Don’t tell me he loves that goddamn seductive woman! Bastard! That woman set him up and sent the disc to all the shareholders—that fucking cheap slut who needs a good fuck!”

Wang Zheng shook him.

In front of him were several empty bottles of brandy. He had asked the doctor to add some painkillers to the brandy—morphine, for instance.

That could reduce his ever-increasing pain a little.

When he heard what Wang Zheng said, he pushed Wang Zheng away with both hands, panting as he took out his spray. Aside from alcohol and medication, he felt he was about to seek the comfort of drugs.

“Hahahaha—No, you’re worse than me! Look at yourself! You’re capable, but… your body is useless! Heh, that’s right, the worst off is you, you! You don’t even have the right to ask for his forgiveness—”

Wang Zheng laughed wildly and stepped back two paces.

After using the spray, he lay on the sofa, panting for a moment.

However, the moment he thought of Ren Qiri’s expression when he looked at him—full of hatred and fear—he grabbed the bottle on the table again, tilted his head back, and downed it all. He choked and coughed a few times, but the pain in his heart finally lessened. The alcohol numbed his nerves, and the medication gradually excited him.

When he looked up, he seemed to see the figure he yearned for day and night—but Qiqi seemed to be getting further and further away from him.

He woke with a start, stumbled from the sofa, and then tightly embraced that figure. They rolled onto another sofa together. He held the figure close, lowered his head, and kissed randomly—he confessed his regrets, as if tears were about to flow.

But then, he suddenly heard a piercing scream—

He squinted and looked up at the floor-to-ceiling window.

He saw, on the opposite connected building, a human figure rapidly falling from above.

That image played in his mind in slow motion—when he came to his senses, he quickly walked to the window, pressed his face against the glass, and looked down. All he could see was a dark crowd of people; nothing else was clear.

He opened his eyes slightly, his heart palpitating. Suicide wasn’t strange, but seeing it with his own eyes was always unpleasant, especially for someone like him, who wasn’t far from death himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose—this time, he was truly awake.

At that moment, he glanced at the person on the sofa, thought about what he had just done, pursed his lips with slight disgust, and rushed out of the door with a somewhat twisted expression.

Shortly after he left, the phone in the office rang—incessantly, one after another.

Wang Zheng, drunk and lying on the sofa, stood up, staggered to answer the phone.

“Wh—”

The drunkenness on his face gradually faded.

“—at…”

It was replaced by a pale complexion. The receiver slowly slipped from Wang Zheng’s hand.

And he, already in the car, had instructed his subordinates to turn off his phone, refusing all contact, on the pretense of not seeing visitors. He sat back wearily, then pulled a bottle from the car’s storage compartment—his body seemed to matter less and less compared to the alcohol. As soon as he got home, he took a large dose of tranquilizers and went straight to sleep.

He slept for a long time, having many beautiful dreams one after another.

In the dreams, that person was always there.

When he opened his eyes, he felt an emptiness that was almost heart-stopping. He thought, he couldn’t bear it any longer. He decided to visit the Ren family mansion in the afternoon.

Now, Ren Qiri had nowhere to stay. He couldn’t let his Qiqi wander homeless. He had even thought through his plan—forceful, gentle.

Then, he ate, ordered the servants to prepare the car—he wanted to bring Ren Qiri over. No, it was imperative. This positive thought kindled hope in his heart. He didn’t even want to look at the morning paper, intending to leave immediately.

The bad news came the moment he stepped out the door.

A company manager rushed in anxiously, his face full of fear and urgency as he said to him—Third Master, the Ren Corporation’s CEO… I mean the Ren family’s young master, yesterday, yesterday he jumped…

Committed suicide—

“Third Uncle…?” I woke him up.

The moment Third Master Ren opened his eyes, it was as if he hadn’t yet returned to himself. He sat bolt upright, staring at me with a face full of terror, his forehead covered in cold sweat. I rarely saw his facial expression change so drastically—or rather, I always felt there was nothing in this world that could make him show such a slightly fearful expression.

“Qiqi…”

He gasped for breath, grabbing me tightly with both hands, then raised his head to look around the car.

“You had a nightmare?” I asked him.

He closed his eyes, as if he hadn’t yet broken free from the dream. Seeing how awful he looked, I couldn’t help but say, “Then… you wait in the car. I can just go by myself and take a look.”

But he shook his head again, turned, and opened the car door himself.

He pulled me out of the car. His palm was icy cold and trembling slightly.

We arrived at the cemetery.

Following the guide, I first went to see my parents—they were buried together. Fresh cosmos flowers stood in front of the grave, regularly changed by the caretaker.

In the grave, there was actually only my mother. The other was just my father’s clothes. My father died in a plane crash; nothing was ever found.

I turned to look at Third Master Ren. His face was slightly pale, but his gaze was fixed on me. When our eyes met, I smiled and said, “Third Uncle, my mother wasn’t in good health back then. Thank you for taking care of her…”

He was silent, looking at the two people in the photos.

After a long moment, he finally spoke softly—

“…Third Uncle is very grateful to her.” He lowered his eyes, brushed the cosmos in front of the grave, and added, “She gave birth to Qiqi. I’m very… grateful to her.”

I twitched the corners of my mouth and also looked at the two people in the photos.

My father wore glasses and a suit, looking elegant and handsome; my mother smiled reservedly, her long hair falling straight, a touch of childishness in her smile.

Back then, they were both still young. Though, that was all in the past.

Afterward, I went to see Wang Zheng.

Wang Zheng was also in the same cemetery. The plot was chosen by Aunt Zhang. A few years ago, Aunt Zhang returned to her hometown. Her health wasn’t good when she left; I don’t know how she’s doing now.

I looked at Wang Zheng in the photo, a faint smile on his face, a hint of pride in his brows and eyes—

I couldn’t help but sigh.

Wang Zheng… was so handsome, so beautiful.

I leaned down and touched Wang Zheng’s face in the photo. That smile seemed even deeper.

We were like two parallel tracks that could never meet—when I left, he stayed; and this time he left, I stayed.

I smiled at Wang Zheng, thought for a long time, and finally said, “Wang Zheng, in another world, will you meet another me?”

“…If you do, remember to act spoiled with him, pester him, make him unable to handle you. I know, he will definitely like you.”

“If… you don’t meet him, then it means you will find a better person. Someone who is good to you, who won’t make you afraid, uneasy, or hurt.”

I patted my leg and stood up.

Wang Zheng’s smile was still there—he would always be in that place.

When I walked down the steps, I saw Third Master Ren.

He stood in one spot, staring blankly, I didn’t know at what.

I touched him. Third Master Ren suddenly started, as if waking from a daze, and turned to look at me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He lowered his eyes and didn’t speak.

Something flashed through my mind, and I asked instinctively, “Is it… back then, was I also buried in this place?”

Third Master Ren froze. I was about to laugh out loud when he suddenly grabbed my shoulders and said, with a slightly panicked expression, “Qiqi! Don’t leave Uncle, don’t leave…”

He held me tightly. I leaned on his shoulder, closed my eyes, and sighed softly.

“Alright.”

I remember.

It was from when I was little.

I was sitting in the backyard, the sky covered with dark clouds—at that time, my mother touched my head and said, Qiqi, what do we do, the blue sky has disappeared.

I was very upset back then too. What could we do?

Later, I also understood.

The blue sky was actually still there. You just had to slowly push aside the dark clouds.

Look into the distance—

The vast sky and boundless sea.

—The End—

××××××××××

It’s over.

Thank you all for your long companionship.