Chapter 134

Chapter 134

September 18th was a rare sunny day.

At the Northern Myanmar International Airport, Yu He and Fu Yunzheng were sitting in the VIP lounge, gazing at the azure sky through the vast glass windows.

The journey from the Wenhua Hotel to the airport went smoother than anyone could have imagined.

The trip to Northern Myanmar was coming to an end. With Huang Shaohang's help, not only had they safely reached the airport, but they had also uprooted the trade chain behind the Pangolin Protection Association.

The top-tier Pangolin Association manipulated all its subordinate institutions' rescue results to defraud philanthropists’ donations, turning the genuine pangolin rescue centers engaged in conservation work into tools for illicit gains.

Since the release of pangolins required reporting through various levels, the Association had exact information on the time and location of each release. Often, just after a subordinate rescue center released a pangolin, someone would capture it, maliciously flood the market with pangolin products, and create a false sense of urgency for pangolin protection to swindle more donations.

All the evidence of these crimes was in the document bag, waiting for Yu He and Fu Yunzheng to board the plane before being handed over to the police by Fu Yunzheng's contacts.

Yu He scratched his shoulder through his clothes, “The rain in Northern Myanmar is pretty heavy. My arm has been strangely itchy; I hope it’s not eczema coming back.”

Fu Yunzheng extended two fingers, lifting the collar of Yu He's shirt to take a look, "It’s a bit red."

Yu He tilted his neck, “Help me scratch it?”

Fu Yunzheng withdrew his hand, composed and calm, “You can't scratch eczema.”

Yu He added, “Then help me blow on it to ease the itch?”

Fu Yunzheng flicked the newspaper on his knee, snorting coldly, “Why don't you ask me to lick it for you?”

Yu Hejun's face warmed slightly, taking it seriously: "This is in public; it's quite embarrassing."

Fu Yunzheng glanced at Yu Hejun sidelong: "You seem quite at ease to me."

Yu Hejun rubbed his warming earlobes: "Not that at ease, but if you insist on doing it..."

Fu Yunzheng gave Yu Hejun a chilly look, and Yu Hejun immediately fell silent.

"So fierce." Only after Fu Yunzheng shifted his 'death glare' away did Yu Hejun mutter, "Old and fierce."

Fu Yunzheng’s ears twitched slightly: "If there’s someone obedient and young, why don’t you go find him?"

Yu Hejun, propping himself up with his hand, asked without thinking: "Who?"

Fu Yunzheng couldn’t tell if Yu Hejun was genuinely naive or just pretending.

Even the rescued pangolin could see that Huang Shaohang liked Yu Hejun. Yet Yu Hejun remained completely oblivious, his ability to receive emotional signals as if clogged by cement, not noticing anything amiss.

Fu Yunzheng, somewhat irritated, pushed away Yu Hejun’s head: "Think for yourself."

Yu Hejun said, "Huang Shaohang?"

Fu Yunzheng's hand, holding the newspaper, trembled slightly. All the blood in his body seemed to freeze at that moment. It was then that Fu Yunzheng realized he wasn’t as in control as he thought.

His calmness was just based on Yu Hejun's obliviousness.

If Yu Hejun ever found out...

Fu Yunzheng slightly turned his head, catching a glimpse of Yu Hejun’s lit-up phone screen.

Huang Shaohang’s name was displayed on it.

Fu Yunzheng: "..."

Yu Hejun finished the sentence he hadn’t completed before: "Why is Huang Shaohang video calling me?"

It turned out that Huang Shaohang was calling Yu Hejun at that very moment.

Fu Yunzheng breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he’d give Yu Hejun a heart attack sooner or later.

The airport's announcement system broadcasted boarding information, and Fu Yunzheng folded his newspaper, standing up with Yu Hejun to head towards the boarding gate.

Yu He swiped his thumb across the screen to answer the video call.

The video connected in half a second, revealing a man covered in blood.

It was Huang Shaohang!

Yu He felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him, leaving him stunned in place.

The camera flipped, revealing the face of Guazi San. Speaking in English, he said to Yu He, “You have 30 minutes to bring your lover to Wanghai Tower. If you don’t, I'll personally slaughter this double-crossing bastard.”

The camera flipped again, showing Huang Shaohang's handsome face, now smeared with blood. Sticky blood flowed from his forehead into his eyes.

Someone behind him was yanking on his hair, forcing him to lift his head.

Guazi San spoke a sentence in Burmese.

Huang Shaohang responded with a scornful smile, prompting Guazi San to slap him hard across the face. The sound of the slap was loud, and the people queuing in front all turned to look at Yu He.

But Yu He could no longer pay attention to anything else.

He watched as Huang Shaohang was slapped to the ground. Guazi San lifted his crutch and brought it down hard on Huang Shaohang’s back, uttering a word in Burmese.

This was a word Yu He understood.

Guazi San: "Speak quickly."

Huang Shaohang spat out a mouthful of blood and looked up at the camera.

Even in his severely injured state, his voice was hoarse yet firm: “Brother Yu, go quickly. Don’t worry about me.”

Huang Shaohang responded, "I should've died here a long time ago."

The day was clear, with gentle breezes and scattered clouds—a rare sunny respite in the rainy season of Northern Myanmar.

In the bright early autumn days, Yu He felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar.

His lips pressed tightly together, his body shook violently, standing there utterly bewildered.

What had happened? Had Huang Shaohang's assistance been discovered?

How did Guai Zi San manage to beat Huang Shaohang to such a state?

What should he do now?

Just at this moment, a hand took the cellphone from Yu Hejun's grasp.

Fu Yunzheong's expression was cold as he spoke in a deep voice, "If there's one more wound on his body, the thing you want will be discounted accordingly. Think carefully about your next move."

After speaking, Fu Yunzheong took the initiative to hang up the video call.

As the disconnect tone rang out, it seemed to hammer heavily onto Yu Hejun’s heart.

Yu Hejun lifted his eyes to look at Fu Yunzheong.

He didn’t know what to do; his heart felt as if it was being tightly squeezed, making even breathing a sharply painful task.

Fu Yunzheong... Huang Shaohang... Guai Zi San had thrown a complex problem in front of Yu Hejun, waiting for him to make a choice.

Going back to China with Fu Yunzheong meant that Huang Shaohang’s fate looked grim. Bringing Fu Yunzheong back to Wang Hai Lou would mean once again placing Fu Yunzheong in danger.

Yu Hejun shook his head, forcing himself to calm down.

But the image of Huang Shaohang covered in blood flashed before his eyes, leaving him unable to settle down and think.

Fu Yunzheong embraced Yu Hejun, whispering in his ear, "Xiao He, don't be afraid."

Yu Hejun’s eyes reddened in an instant.

In this moment, Yu Hejun made up his mind, “Boss Fu, I can’t go back to China with you.”

Huang Shaohang was suffering because of him. Yu Hejun couldn’t stand idly by, but he also couldn’t neglect Fu Yunzheong’s safety.

Fu Yunzheong was the most important.

This was an iron rule in Yu Hejun’s heart, and there was no need for a choice.

Fu Yunzheong took a half step back, cupping Yu Hejun’s face and gazing at him tenderly, “What do you want to do?”

Yu Hejun said, “You go back to the country first; I’ll go find him.”

Fu Yunzheong was not surprised.

Fu Yunzheong planted a kiss on Yu Hejun’s forehead, whispering, “Xiao He, any problem that can be solved with money is a small problem. I’m just afraid...”

I fear that this elaborate scheme isn’t after money at all, but is designed to take you away from me.

But given the current urgency, now isn’t the time to discuss these matters.

Fu Yunzheong didn’t continue, instead he placed a black card into Yu Hejun's hand.

Yu Hejun’s fingertips trembled lightly, “Boss Fu...”

“Go,” Fu Yunzheong said, lowering his long lashes, “If I forcefully take you away today, you will never forgive me for the rest of your life. So, go.”

Yu Hejun’s beautiful eyes quivered slightly, “I... I can't just ignore him. When he was in his second year of high school, he would cry after being shoved around in the restroom by some upperclassmen. I don’t know what he has been through in Northern Myanmar to end up like this today, but I can’t just ignore him.”

Fu Yunzheong nodded, “I know.”

In the blink of an eye, tears streamed down Yu Hejun’s face.

He took a deep look at Fu Yunzheong, as if trying to etch his image firmly into his memory.

After that glance, Yu Hejun turned around and left.

Everyone has things they must do. Yu Hejun has to go back, or he will never find peace in his conscience for the rest of his life!

But what about Fu Yunzheong...

Yu Hejun had never imagined that one day, he would leave Fu Yunzheong behind and walk away on his own.

But what else could he do?

In this world, it’s hard to have it all. No matter which choice he makes, it’s wrong. Leaving Huang Shaohang is wrong, and leaving Fu Yunzheong behind is also wrong.

But he really has no other choice.

Resolutely stepping out of the waiting room, Yu Hejun stood in place, sobbing uncontrollably.

Yu Hejun thought, if it were him being left behind by Fu Yunzheong for someone else, for some other reason, he would definitely turn the Fu family mansion upside down.

So would Fu Yunzheong blame him? Would Fu Yunzheong be angry with him?

"Ah."

A familiar sigh came from behind him.

Yu He was as if struck by lightning, stunned for half a second before abruptly turning around.

Fu Yunzheng stood behind him, quietly watching him.

Yu He hugged Fu Yunzheng tightly, choking up, "Are you here to see me off?"

Fu Yunzheng wrapped one arm around the back of Yu He's head, gently stroking his hair, just like comforting a lost child.

Fu Yunzheng said, "I'm not here to see you off; I’m here to accompany you."

Yu He's tears suddenly stopped, looking at Fu Yunzheng through tear-blurred eyes.

Fu Yunzheng’s thumb wiped the corner of Yu He's eye, “Is it that hard to understand?”

Yu He nodded slightly.

Of course, it was hard to understand!

The plane back home was already checking in. Just one step onto the jet bridge, and everything – the crisis and the bloodshed in Northern Myanmar – would be irrelevant from that point on.

Why would Fu Yunzheng give up the chance to go back home and instead choose to face an unpredictable risk with him?

"It's too dangerous," Yu He said. "Fu Yunzheng, it's too dangerous here. Go back, please. You are the most important to me."

Fu Yunzheng chuckled softly, calm and composed, "You are also the most important to me. You can’t just leave Huang Shaohang behind, and I can't just leave you behind."

Beside Fu Yunzheng, Yu He felt a bit more settled, yet his heart was still in turmoil. He kept talking about trivial matters to distract himself. Yu He thought he was calm enough, though his words were incoherent. He just didn't want to quiet down and recall Huang Shaohang, covered in blood.

Fu Yunzheng didn’t interrupt; he listened to whatever Yu He said.

When leaving the airport, Yu He surprisingly still had the presence of mind to worry about whether they could change their plane tickets.

Fu Yunzheng opened the car door for Yu He, replying, “Yes, we can.”

Seeing Yu He and Fu Yunzheng return, the driver couldn’t help but express his surprise, "Mr. Fu?"

Fu Yunzheng didn’t say much, just instructed, “To Wang Hai Lou.”

Sitting in the back seat, Yu He's thumb unconsciously twiddled the corner of his clothes.

Fu Yunzheng took Yu He's hand, intertwining their fingers as he softly comforted, "Xiao He, it's okay."

Yu He gripped Fu Yunzheng's hand tightly: "Fu Yunzheng, I'm such a jerk. Huang Shaohang risked his life for me, and I even doubted him. During the days we stayed at the Wenhua Hotel, I wasn't good to him."

Fu Yunzheng was silent for a moment: "It was me who doubted him. Don't blame yourself."

Yu He shook his head: "From the moment I met him in the back alley of Akun's house, I felt it was too coincidental. He was so badly injured at the time, yet I still questioned him in the wind. I am truly... He took such a huge risk for me, yet I was guarding against him."

Fu Yunzheng embraced Yu He's shoulders: "Stop thinking about it for now."

Yu He rested his head in the crook of Fu Yunzheng's neck, pondering: "Your sister is still waiting at the airport to pick us up, and the company is waiting for you to return. You shouldn’t have come back with me."

Fu Yunzheng gently brushed the broken hair by Yu He's ear: "When you reach my age, you’ll understand that in this world, many things don’t have a ‘should’ or ‘should not’. When it really comes to that moment, whether it’s right or wrong, it actually doesn’t make a difference, and nobody will debate it with you. What happened, happened. We can only accept it and find a way to deal with it."

Fu Yunzheng's voice had a magical power, like a gentle breeze slowly infusing strength into Yu He, like a pair of steady hands holding up Yu He's continuously falling heart.

As long as Fu Yunzheng was by his side, Yu He felt he had support, no matter how difficult the road ahead was; he was not alone.

This intense sense of security was something that no one else could give to Yu He.