Chapter 54 Wah Wah Wah

Chapter 54 Wah Wah Wah

Jiang Hao was stealing glances at the young man beside him.

"You're different from before."

The silence in the car made him feel awkward, so he brought up a topic. After saying it, he realized it wasn’t such a stretch.

Xiao Wu chimed in, "How is he different?"

Jiang Hao: "He used to talk a lot."

Back when Ye Man lived with him, he didn’t need to find topics to talk about. As long as Ye Man was there, there was never a dull moment.

Xiao Wu didn’t share the same sentiment and just smiled, saying, "Is that so?"

In his view, his boss was quite lively. If he wasn’t talking now, it was just because he wasn’t in the mood to talk and didn’t want to engage with others, that’s all.

There were other differences that Jiang Hao didn’t mention.

He peeked again at Ye Man.

He had always known that Ye Man was good-looking. Back then, his mother had kindly taken him in, letting him help with taking orders and handling money when he was busy. When he and his friends came back from playing basketball, Ye Man would be sitting behind the cash register, pale and neat. He couldn’t find the exact words to describe it, but he knew that whenever Ye Man looked up at him, he would stand there frozen for a while.

One of his friends once joked, "Where did your family steal this rich young master from?"

Of course, it was just a joke.

Ye Man was two years older than Jiang Hao but was slender and delicate, appearing younger than his age. Whenever his friends came over for a meal, they would bring over chocolates, cookies, and other snacks, and Ye Man would always smile sweetly at them.

His friends really liked Ye Man, and Ye Man was genuinely nice, so Jiang Hao couldn’t figure out why he had disliked him so much back then.

Half an hour later, the car drove into Jiang Hao’s neighborhood.

The small shop, only about ten square meters, came into view. A middle-aged woman stood at the door, wearing a light-colored sweater dress, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, high cheekbones, and a tall, sturdy build. At first glance, she looked formidable.

Seeing the gleaming car drive into this old street, her eyes lit up, and she greeted them with a loud voice, "My Jiang Hao said Xiao Man has made it big. I thought he was just making it up, but it’s true!"

"Xiao Man, come here—"

The car door opened, and out came the white cane.

Then came the blind young man with a composed and dignified air.

"Auntie Wang, long time no see," he said with a quiet smile.

...

"Good heavens, it’s so tragic—" The trash bin was half-filled with tissues. Wang Ling grasped a newly opened pack of tissues, poured half a pot of water, and then continued to cry bitterly with Ye Man: "It’s so heartbreaking, Xiao Man, your father is really a terrible person!"

Ye Man, with tears in his eyes, grabbed tissues from Wang Ling’s pack. He had just mentioned his blindness and hadn’t gone into the details yet, though there wasn’t much more to say.

In this familiar environment and seeing the familiar scene, Jiang Hao relaxed a lot and skillfully refilled their water.

Xiao Wu watched in stunned silence.

The system was also too shocked to speak, not expecting this scene at the Jiang household.

Mr. Jiang, the family’s head chef, had started busy in the kitchen after receiving his son’s call about Ye Man’s visit. Hearing the thunderous cries, he peeked out and angrily tapped his ladle on the iron pot: "Ah! How could it be so tragic!"

Jiang Hao rolled his eyes, thinking the three of them looked like a family. Perhaps this was why he used to dislike Ye Man. He always felt that since Ye Man arrived, he was being pushed out of the family.

"Mom, that's enough. I'll take Ye Man to his room to have a look," Jiang Hao said.

Wang Ling blew her nose hard: "Right, right, I almost forgot. Xiao Man, you left without saying a word last time, didn't take anything with you. Jiang Hao said your family came to pick you up, and you didn't want these things anymore. But I thought there might be something important in them, so I didn't throw them away, I packed them all up for you. Now that we're moving, I wanted you to come and see if there's anything you want to keep, so nothing important gets lost."

Jiang Hao turned his head slightly away, awkwardly glancing at Ye Man. Ye Man didn't show any unusual reaction, which made Jiang Hao feel relieved but also a bit lonely.

"Thank you, Aunt Wang. I'll go with Jiang Hao to take a look," Ye Man said, standing up with his cane.

Jiang Hao nervously reached out to take his hand: "Let me help you."

Ye Man dodged: "No need, you go ahead."

The small shop had a store in the front and living quarters in the back. The living space at the back was small, only divided into three rooms: two bedrooms and one that was originally a storage room, later cleaned out for Ye Man to live in.

After Ye Man left, it became a storage room again, and his things were packed into a bag and stored in the corner.

Ye Man didn't have much, just a few clothes and some everyday items. He didn't have anything important, but not to disappoint Wang Ling's kindness, he came to take a look.

Squatting on the ground, he sorted through the pile of things and took out a box filled with chocolate wrappers.

Jiang Hao stood awkwardly by the door, wanting to help but being refused by Ye Man.

Xiao Wu stayed outside, and Ye Man didn't let him come along.

"Ye Man, about what happened before... I'm sorry," Jiang Hao said.

The reason Jiang Hao didn't dare to look for Ye Man was because he had done something very bad to him before.

Plus, now that Ye Man's status and position were different, if Ye Man was doing poorly, Jiang Hao could have sent some money to help, making up for it a bit. But now, Ye Man lacked nothing.

"I didn't really want to drive you away that day, I just thought..."

"You thought that since I had nowhere to go, where could I go? That I'd have to come back the next day with my tail between my legs, right?" Ye Man calmly continued.

His eyes were clearly blind, but Jiang Hao didn't dare to look directly into them.

Ye Man stood up, walking slowly, carefully, but steadily.

He came up to Jiang Hao, tilted his head, and suddenly smiled.

He always smiled sweetly and harmlessly, but this time it was a smile filled with malice.

"You hate me, I know," he whispered.

Jiang Hao's eyes widened, and he shouted in panic: "I don't!"

"Do you know how I know?" Ye Man ignored him and continued: "Because I did it on purpose. Didn't you notice that since I came to your house, the number of times you got scolded increased?"

Jiang Hao always wanted to expose Ye Man's act of being well-behaved, to tell his parents that this person was a little liar, that his words couldn't be trusted. But his parents would only pat the back of his head twice, telling him to go read a book if he had nothing to do, refusing to believe him, and not driving this person away.

Ye Man: "I saw it all, every time Aunt Wang hugged me and cried, praising me, you were glaring at me angrily on the side. But you couldn't do anything, I was just more obedient and sensible than you, I didn't make mistakes, your parents just liked me more."

Jiang Hao opened his mouth in shock.

Every time Ye Man and Jiang Hao had a conflict, the Jiang couple always protected Ye Man and scolded Jiang Hao, making Jiang Hao dislike Ye Man even more.

The last conflict was when Jiang Hao’s parents discussed using the money intended for his basketball lessons to send Ye Man to school.

Wang Ling gave Ye Man a new stationery box, encouraging him to study hard from then on.

When Jiang Hao found out about this, he rushed to Ye Man, snatched the stationery box, threw it into the trash, and said some mean things.

He was just too angry at the time, thinking that Ye Man was stuck there anyway...

That was the day Ye Man took off.

He actually wasn’t going to school; he didn’t have the time, because he had debts to settle. But Jiang Hao didn’t know that.

Ye Man thought that revealing these truths would make Jiang Hao very angry, but for some reason, Jiang Hao just said sorry to him again.

The system, after hearing the whole story, was fuming in his head, though Ye Man didn’t quite understand why it was so angry.

"Jiang Hao is a fool, always falling for my tricks to make mistakes. He’s the one who often gets a beating at home."

The system: "If that’s the case, then why did you take off like that?"

Since he was the winner, he could have just run back and whined about Jiang Hao bullying him and throwing away his stationery box. The Jiang family would surely have scolded Jiang Hao again, possibly cutting his pocket money for a week or banning him from watching cartoons for a month.

When the system asked this, Ye Man, who had been so combative, just crumbled.

"Because I realized something right then."

"What was it?" the system asked.

"Jiang Hao has made so many mistakes, and every time Uncle Jiang and Aunt Wang were so angry they would whoop him with a broom..."

Ye Man counted on his fingers.

"But they never once considered kicking him out."

"And they likely never will."

Even though Ye Man acted like a flawless, perfect child, it didn’t mean squat.

No one really gave a hoot whether he was doing well or not.

When the cold wind blew, it hit him.

At the moment he understood this, his mood suddenly calmed, feeling kind of empty and beat.

So Ye Man took off.

It wasn’t all because of Jiang Hao.

He didn’t waste time on idiots; it was just some childish tricks. Jiang Hao’s tactics were something he had outgrown since he was five.

...

When he returned, Wang Ling was still sobbing and carrying on to Xiao Wu, saying how difficult Ye Man’s life had been.

The version she told left Xiao Wu completely floored.

He thought to himself, the story he’d heard about the young master wasn’t like this at all.

What kind of scumbag father abandoning his wife and child, a seriously ill grandmother, a demented sister... What was this all about?

When Ye Man heard Wang Ling telling Xiao Wu all this, his face instantly turned red. He walked over and shyly called out "Aunt Wang," interrupting their conversation.

Finally, Wang Ling stopped crying at the top of her lungs, but then he heard a series of "Wah wah wah" sirens in his mind.

Ye Man: "..."

Brother Tong sobbed: "Don't mind me, I'll keep it down, I won't disturb you, wah wah wah—"

Alright.

At the dinner table, the Jiang family, all three of them, sat together with Ye Man for the first time in a long while, eating and chatting.

During the meal, Wang Ling mentioned the story version Ye Man had fabricated earlier. Ye Man couldn't hold back any longer and softly told Wang Ling, "Aunt Wang, actually, that was all fake, I lied to you..."

"That? Haha, I thought so... Hey, don't just eat veggies, dad, pass him some meat!"

Ye Man looked up, bewildered.

Wang Ling dished him some food and urged him to eat quickly, "A week before you showed up at my shop, I'd just binged that drama. Half of your story matched the show, and the other half, I stumbled upon a month later."

Ye Man was floored. He had always thought he acted pretty well.

Wang Ling tapped his head and rolled her eyes, "Who do you think you're fooling?"

In such freezing weather, a child appeared at their doorstep, saying he wanted to work for them. Sigh, no need for all the talk.

It's not like this kid had conned them.

"Someone my age, if I could be duped by a kid like you, that would be something!" Wang Ling proudly straightened up.

Jiang Uncle: "If it weren't for our small shop and rented place, and really don't have much extra capacity, otherwise, sigh... No need to say more, our meeting was fate!"

It wasn't Ye Man who had them wrapped around his finger; he had just met kind-hearted people.

The weight in his heart seemed to be blown away by a gust of wind.

Ye Man pursed his lips, inexplicably wanting to cry.

But he held it back.

Rarely at a loss for words to liven the mood, he silently lowered his head and scooped rice into his bowl.

In a blink, tears fell into the bowl.

"Brother Tong..." he whimpered, calling out helplessly.

"Wah wah wah—"

Ye Man held back his tears.

Why hasn't it stopped the alarm yet?

Xiao Wu: "Wah wah wah—"

Ye Man: "Xiao Wu, you...?"

Why is he making that noise too?

Ye Man didn't feel like talking, and the Jiang couple didn't make a big deal out of it, asking no questions. They just ate, chatted, and occasionally exchanged a few words with Ye Man. Ye Man wasn't enthusiastic, responding with "uh-huhs" and "ahs," but no one said anything.

"Now that you've found a place to settle, Auntie Wang can finally breathe easy. If you had left without a word, oh, I would have been so worried, wondering where you could have gone. At least in our shop, you wouldn't have gone cold or hungry there. If you went somewhere else, what if they treated you badly? If you wanted to leave, you could have said something. I don't have much, but I could have given you a few thousand bucks to help you get by!"

Jiang Hao hung his head lower and lower.

It was around five o'clock.

The Jiang family's train was at ten, and they had a ton of luggage. Plus, getting from here to the train station would take them across most of the city, and with the evening rush hour coinciding with Christmas activities at the commercial center, the roads were a mess. The Jiang family decided to leave early.

Ye Man had to leave too; he had plans.

He suddenly felt an urgent need to see the big shot, more than ever, for no particular reason.

Mr. Jiang took out his phone and exclaimed, "My ride got canceled! The driver said he can't make it!"

They had pre-booked a small van to carry their things.

Jiang Hao quickly took out his phone to call for another car, but no one was picking up.

Xiao Wu: "It's Christmas today. The cars are probably all over by the commercial center where there are more people. But it could also be that some drivers here don't want to take your fare because they don't want to get stuck in the heavy traffic for hours."

There were few cars nearby, and the ones that were available didn't want to take them.

Mr. Jiang was starting to panic: "What do we do? Are we going to miss the train?"

Xiao Wu: "We can try to get a car for you here. If you really can't make it, you can change your ticket or buy a new one... What do you think, Young Master Xiao Man?"

Ye Man nodded, comforting them not to worry.

He could easily afford to buy several tickets now, but the Jiang couple insisted he shouldn't spend his money.

Wang Ling: "You're just a kid. Even if you have money, don't go throwing it around. Keep it for yourself to buy some good food. Look at you, you're so thin!"

Ye Man had put on a lot of weight since before, but in Wang Ling's eyes, he was still pitifully thin. She knew Ye Man had money now, but she couldn't quite wrap her head around how much.

"I'm not thin anymore; I've gained a lot," Ye Man chuckled.

There were options, and at worst, changing the ticket wouldn't be the end of the world. The worst-case scenario was that they couldn't leave today and had to go tomorrow, costing a few ticket prices, which Ye Man was willing to cover.

The Jiang couple was still extremely anxious, as if missing this train would mean the sky was falling.

The system didn't get it, thinking the situation was straightforward, and their fretting was pointless. But Ye Man knew that feeling where even a small thing could make it seem like the sky was falling, and life was unbearable.

Xiao Wu made a few calls and arranged for a car, but the traffic was still a nightmare, and no car could just magically appear.

Time ticked by.

"Current time: 18:32"

Ye Man was already running half an hour late to meet the big shot.

It would take about an hour to get to Red Maple Mountain from here.

Ye Man took out his phone and sent a message to the big shot, hugged his red scarf, and said to Xiao Wu, "You take Mr. Jiang and his family to the train station. I'll wait here for the car."

Xiao Wu: "Young Master Xiao Man, will you be alright here alone?"

Ye Man: "I won't go anywhere; I'll just sit by the door. It's no big deal. Besides, before I returned to the Chi family, I was blind and went to the hospital alone, got my disability certificate, and did many things. It's really nothing."

Having said that, Xiao Wu could only listen to his young boss.

The Jiang family initially resisted Ye Man's offer, but in the end, they couldn’t argue with him. He always knew how to talk people into doing things his way.

Xiao Wu called the Chi family’s driver to fill him in on the situation. Luckily, Ye Man’s car had plenty of room for the three members of the Jiang family to squeeze in, along with their bags and belongings. Ye Man promised to send over anything they couldn’t take.

Wang Ling came over and hugged him: "Come to Xucheng when you have time. Auntie Wang will take you out to eat. Don’t be shy, you’re always welcome here, just like family."

Uncle Jiang also came over and hugged him, everything was said without a single word.

Ye Man stood by, waiting for them to load their luggage.

His phone rang, announcing a number he knew all too well.

He hesitated before finally picking up.

"What do you mean you’re not showing up?" The man’s voice was cold.

Ye Man rubbed the ground with his toe: "Something came up, I can’t make it. I asked my brother about the departure time, by the time I reach Red Maple Mountain, they’ll have already left. There’s no use going now."

It was already past seven, nearly seven-thirty. He couldn’t get to Red Maple Mountain before eight, and with the uphill road… it was already too late.

He stood there, phone in hand, while Jiang Hao finished loading the luggage and looked at Ye Man.

He walked over and took out a stationery box from his bag: "Ye Man, I… I’m really sorry. This is your stationery box, I found it again later."

"Jiang Hao! Hurry up! We’re going to miss our train!"

"Coming! Just one more thing!" Jiang Hao responded, then turned back to look at the young man in front of him, his chest heaved, making him feel lightheaded.

His restless heartbeat urged him to take a step forward, wanting to take his hand: "Ye Man, it took me a long time to realize, I don’t actually hate you, I just—"

A hand suddenly shot out and grabbed him.

The grip was so tight that Jiang Hao’s face contorted in pain, his arm almost twisted off, leaving him speechless.

He glared behind Ye Man: "Who?"

Ye Man’s hand hung by his side, just inches away, but no matter how hard Jiang Hao struggled, he couldn’t get any closer.

A familiar voice came from Ye Man’s phone and from behind him at the same time:

"It has nothing to do with anyone else."

He released Jiang Hao’s hand, deftly forcing him back several steps.

His icy gaze bore into Jiang Hao.

The newcomer held up his phone, but his voice was close to Ye Man’s ear.

"It has nothing to do with your brother or Meng Yao," he calmed his breathing, "Are you not coming on a date with me either?"

Ye Man turned his head, dazed, his heart racing.

"Big shot?"

"Ricardo."

"Ricardo…"

"Will you go on a date with me?"

The two were standing too close to each other.

Jiang Hao called out to Ye Man, raising his voice.

Ye Man turned his head to the other side.

He had so much he wanted to say.

He leaned back, his back pressing against a chest, his hanging hand clutching a piece of clothing, gripping tighter and tighter. His thoughts were all over the place, leaving no time to think things through.

But he remembered he had promised not to lie.

‘Yes,’ he whispered.