Chapter 41#
What does this mean? Has he come to provoke me?#
The next morning, when Jian Yunchen woke up, Qin Mu was already gone.
Last night’s memories were chaotic and complex; he had said too many words and shed too many tears, he couldn’t even remember when Qin Mu left.
His face was reflected in the mirror, and no matter how you looked at it, it was an extremely handsome face.
It was just that the corners of his eyes were red, and his double eyelids were swollen into monolids, making him look a little pitiful.
Jian Yunchen watched for a while, and the clearer his memories of last night became, the deeper the gloomy expression in his eyes grew.
He cursed a few times under his breath; the effects of the medicine were still too strong, making him so easily led by Qin Mu. He scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face.
Water droplets slowly slid down his contours, and a knock sounded from outside the door.
He opened the door with a cold face.
“Xiao Chen.” Jiang Yunhan stood outside the door; even the sunlight seemed to favor him a little, his translucent skin revealed faint blue veins. He flashed a friendly smile at Jian Yunchen, then said, “Breakfast is ready, come down and eat.”
Through the crack in the door, Jiang Yunhan caught a glimpse of the room’s interior: coats and some clothes were scattered on the floor, and a conspicuous red tie lay crumpled on the ground, looking somewhat familiar.
Jian Yunchen closed the door, cast a cold glance at him, and went downstairs without a word.
During the meal, Jiang Yunhan looked at him several times as if he wanted to speak but hesitated, and without exception, Jian Yunchen ignored him.
He probably knew what Jiang Yunhan wanted to say.
Those were things he deliberately showed him.
After the meal, before Jiang Yunhan could say anything, Jiang Sheng spoke first:
“Yunchen, come to my study.”
Now, Jiang Yunhan’s already furrowed brows furrowed even deeper.
The door closed, and Jiang Sheng looked up at him.
This time, the atmosphere between them was much better than last time.
There was even a hint of pleasure in Jiang Sheng’s eyes and brows.
Photos were thrown onto the table, screenshots from surveillance footage, with Qin Mu’s entry and exit times from Jian Yunchen’s room clearly marked in the bottom right corner.
He went in at ten o’clock and didn’t leave the room until three in the morning.
“Not bad tactics, you even have Qin Mu wrapped around your finger.”
Jian Yunchen’s face was grim. He clutched the photos in his hand and stared at him for a long time before slowly speaking: “Since I promised you, I will do it. From now on, you are not allowed to monitor me anymore.”
Jiang Sheng tilted his head slightly, refusing bluntly: “You have no choice in this matter.”
“I can give you the report, haven’t you been looking for it for a long time?”
This successfully made Jiang Sheng fall silent for a moment.
“I want the original.”
Jian Yunchen tore the photos, and the pieces fell onto the tabletop. “Alright,” he agreed.
“I also want to see Jian Xin.”
Jiang Sheng sneered, thinking Jian Yunchen was truly pushing his luck.
But remembering the current relationship between Jian Yunchen and Qin Mu, the curve of his lips was suppressed again.
He nodded, “You can only see her for half an hour a week.”
The fragments on the table pieced together were Jiang Sheng’s conditions for him to return to the Jiang family.
“Prove your worth.”
This statement was a false proposition; no matter what Jian Yunchen did, only Jiang Sheng had the option to say yes or no.
And his current “worth” was firmly tied to Qin Mu.
As Jian Yunchen was leaving, Jiang Sheng called out to him: “Where’s the report?”
He turned around, recalling the contents of the report, and couldn’t help but sneer repeatedly. Leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, he said mockingly, “I’ll give it to you once I see Jian Xin, of course. Does your good son know the full truth of what happened back then?”
Jiang Sheng’s face grew cold, and he looked at him warningly: “Don’t say things you shouldn’t.”
Jian Yunchen’s gaze swept over the folder on his desk; he knew very well that inside that volume were the daily lives of Jiang Yunhan and Qin Zheng.
Since the online rumors incident, Qin Zheng, for reasons unknown, had mended his relationship with Jiang Yunhan, and it was even showing signs of improving further.
He, likewise, wasn’t to be outdone and warned back: “I’m not as foolish as Jiang Yunhan; I don’t trust you much. If you dare to monitor me again, I guarantee I will let everyone know about Jian Xin’s existence.”
Jian Xin is a living person; it’s impossible to erase all traces of her life. Her existence is like a ticking time bomb, and now, the one who would light this fuse is Jian Yunchen, right before him.
Jiang Sheng’s lips were tightly pursed, and he looked at him with ill intent.
Watching Jiang Sheng’s face grow increasingly grim, the slight frustration in Jian Yunchen’s heart finally eased a little.
He turned and walked out.
That evening, his door was knocked on once again.
No one usually knocked on his door. The Jiang family servants’ attitude towards him was strange; it wasn’t respectful but still somewhat proper. However, the subtle glances and private rumors made him realize that this was all at Jiang Sheng’s behest.
He opened the door to see Jiang Yunhan in pajamas, his black short hair softly draped over his forehead, looking harmless and docile. He must have just showered, his fair skin still showing a hint of redness. Seeing the door open, he smiled at him, holding an photo album.
“Xiao Chen.”
Jiang Yunhan seemed to particularly enjoy calling him Xiao Chen, and always came closer tirelessly, appearing as if he was trying to curry favor with him.
“Are you asleep?” Jiang Yunhan tugged at the corner of his clothing, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the room.
The mess in the room from the morning had already been tidied up.
Jian Yunchen watched him at the doorway for two seconds, then stepped aside to let him in.
Jiang Yunhan was clearly happy after getting permission; he believed this was a sign of their relationship progressing further.
He carried a huge photo album and sat with him on the sofa in the room.
Jian Yunchen had only recently returned, so there weren’t many things in the room, but everything necessary had been prepared.
Jiang Yunhan’s gaze followed Jian Yunchen around a few times. Finally, when Jian Yunchen also sat down, he eagerly placed the photo album on both their laps.
He casually flipped past his own childhood, and in the photos from after he was six or seven, another person’s figure began to appear.
It was Qin Mu.
Jian Yunchen recognized him at a glance. Qin Mu as a child was easy to identify; his facial features had barely changed, just more youthful and tender, with a bit of baby fat. His skin was darker than it was now, and he had been dressed elegantly since childhood, with an arrogant expression on his face.
A bit arrogant, yet also a bit cute.
So this is what Qin Mu looked like as a child.
There were quite a few photos of the two of them squeezed into one frame; there were several such pictures. Through Jiang Yunhan’s records, he unexpectedly saw a Qin Mu he had never seen before.
He couldn’t help but turn his head and glance at Jiang Yunhan.
What did this mean? Had he come to provoke him?
Jiang Yunhan was taken aback by the stare. The photos had already been flipped to his middle school period. By then, Qin Mu had matured quite a bit; his eyes held a hint of laziness, and the smile on his lips carried a touch of mockery, yet his peripheral vision always drifted towards Jiang Yunhan.
Jiang Yunhan’s hand, flipping the album, paused slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to speak: “Xiao Chen, you might not know Qin Mu, but he and I have known each other since childhood. I’m actually very clear about what kind of person he is.”
He couldn’t help but frown slightly: “In middle school, Brother Qin Mu, relying on his family’s wealth, took on many younger followers. When these followers caused trouble outside, he was always the one who paid to sort things out.”
Jian Yunchen nodded, “Quite loyal.”
“He didn’t get into university through the Gaokao; it was Uncle Qin who paid for him to study abroad before he graduated.”
No wonder Qin Mu’s English was so standard.
Jiang Yunhan pursed his lips: “Abroad, it’s said that Qin Mu never lacked company, both male and female. Even after he returned, he was never short of people around him.”
Jian Yunchen raised an eyebrow, quietly looking at him, and asked his first question of the evening:
“Why are you telling me all this?”