Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Su Tinghe slept deeply. When he opened his eyes, the bed beside him was empty.

Struggling to sit up, Su Tinghe felt sore all over. The blanket slipped from his shoulders, pooling around his waist. His pale, tender skin now bore bruises of various shades.

Su Tinghe pulled the blanket up and called, "Shang Huoyong."

His voice came out rough and hoarse.

The empty room offered no response. Su Tinghe felt a wave of panic. He called out again, his voice still hoarse, but still, no one answered. His panic intensified, and he tried to get out of bed, clutching the blanket. But his legs were weak, and as soon as he stepped down, he collapsed to the floor.

Hearing the sound of something heavy falling, Shang Huoyong rushed over. Su Tinghe looked up, their eyes meeting. Shang Huoyong awkwardly averted his gaze, but when he saw the bruises covering Su Tinghe's body, his eyes darkened.

Shang Huoyong walked over, picked Su Tinghe up through the blanket, and placed him back on the bed. Just as he was about to let go, Su Tinghe tightly embraced him.

"I thought you were gone," Su Tinghe whispered softly into Shang Huoyong's ear.

Shang Huoyong's Adam's apple bobbed, feeling a bit guilty. In the morning, his first instinct had been to pull up his pants and run, but Su Tinghe's unconscious whimpers in his sleep had stirred something in him.

Shang Huoyong had never imagined that one day he would actually have a relationship with Su Tinghe. If the first few times last night had been due to the effects of the drug, making him lose control, the subsequent times had been driven by an insatiable desire.

Shouldn't the one who made the mistake face the consequences? After all, this was something Su Tinghe had asked for himself.

But as dawn broke, everything became clear. Running away would make him irresponsible.

So, Shang Huoyong called Assistant Song to say he wouldn't be coming into the office today and had two sets of clothes delivered, one of which was specifically noted to have a high collar.

When Su Tinghe woke up, he immediately looked for him. Shang Huoyong gently patted Su Tinghe's back to comfort him. Shang Huoyong pulled the blanket up and asked, "Do you want some water?"

Su Tinghe nodded, his voice still hoarse. "Yes."

Shang Huoyong brought over a glass of warm water. Su Tinghe sipped slowly but finished the glass quickly.

"I want more."

After finishing two glasses of water, Su Tinghe finally felt better. Shang Huoyong thought to himself that Su Tinghe must have been severely dehydrated from the previous night.

Shang Huoyong handed Su Tinghe the new set of clothes, telling him to change and then come out to eat. But Su Tinghe came out wearing a bathrobe. When Shang Huoyong asked why, Su Tinghe mumbled something about feeling uncomfortable.

Shang Huoyong didn't press further. The table was set with light, simple food, and he gestured for Su Tinghe to eat first.

Su Tinghe sat on the soft chair, sipping porridge with a spoon. Shang Huoyong sat across from him, arms crossed, quietly watching. After Su Tinghe had finished half the bowl, Shang Huoyong finally spoke, "So, were you satisfied with my performance last night?"

Su Tinghe, who had been focused on his porridge, suddenly choked. He grabbed a tissue, wiped his mouth, and his face turned a deep red. His voice was barely audible, "Satisfied." After a pause, he added, "You were just too rough."

Shang Huoyong's ears burned, though his expression remained calm. "It was because of that drink."

What drink? Su Tinghe felt a strange unease. He remembered that when he had first arrived yesterday, Shang Huoyong had also said something strange. When they left, Su Tinghe noticed that the room they were staying in was 1413, not 1407.

As they walked, Shang Huoyong noticed Su Tinghe's awkward posture and had a rough idea of what was going on. When they passed by a pharmacy, Shang Huoyong went in and came back with a paper bag. Su Tinghe thought Shang Huoyong might be feeling unwell, but when he saw the contents of the bag, he blushed and didn't dare to say anything.

Both of them tacitly avoided discussing the details of the previous night, treating it as a normal part of their married life. They went home as usual, and Shang Huoyong went to work the next day as usual. However, he didn't return home on time that evening. Su Tinghe only saw a message from Shang Huoyong on his phone: "Going abroad for a business trip. Won't be back for two weeks."

Su Tinghe had a lingering question in his mind: why had Shang Huoyong been in room 1413 when the waiter had given him the key to room 1407? But before he could ask, Shang Huoyong left him at home.

As it turned out, no one was staying in room 1407. Shang Yizhi had realized something was wrong and was led to room 1407 by the waiter. Sensing trouble, he quickly had another room opened and stationed someone outside room 1407.

*

Shang Yizhi was still taking a cold shower when the culprit was brought in.

Su Qingyue was filled with panic. He didn't understand what had gone wrong that night. He had clearly seen Su Tinghe and Shang Yizhi drink the drugged wine, and he had bribed the waiter to take them to room 1407. But when he turned around to find Shang Huoyong to show him the ugly faces of these two, he couldn't find Shang Huoyong anywhere.

The show was on, but the main audience was missing. Su Qingyue was as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof.

Su Tinghe had clearly been fond of Shang Yizhi before marriage, so why was he so affectionate with Shang Huoyong after marriage? Su Tinghe didn't deserve Shang Huoyong, yet he enjoyed Shang Huoyong's love. Su Qingyue couldn't bear all of this. He wanted to reveal the villain's true colors, to make Shang Huoyong no longer be deceived by Su Tinghe. At the same time, he wanted to perform a good deed and let the real couple finally be together. If Su Tinghe knew all this, he might even be grateful to him.

But Shang Huoyong was nowhere to be found. Su Qingyue couldn't locate Shang Huoyong, so he had to head to room 1407 himself, ready to film a video and send it to Shang Huoyong.

As soon as he opened the door, he was grabbed by someone who rushed out.

But how had Shang Yizhi found out? And Su Tinghe wasn't in this room.

Shang Yizhi got straight to the point, "The antidote."

Su Qingyue feigned ignorance, "What antidote?"

Shang Yizhi was already in a bad mood that night. The person he had been pursuing had suddenly turned out to be the youngest son of the Qin family. He had hoped to seize the chance to rekindle their relationship, but found that the other party had no interest in him. Now, he had been drugged, and his mood was particularly violent. His face contorted as he grabbed Su Qingyue by the collar and sneered, "Aren't you the perfect antidote?"

Su Qingyue's face instantly paled, and he shouted, "I really don't have the antidote. Let me go, this has nothing to do with me. My brother likes you, it's him, Su Tinghe, who told me to drug you. I know nothing."

Shang Yizhi patted Su Qingyue's face and threw him onto the bed, "Your brother sure has a great brother. Since the brother didn't come, then the brother will do."

Su Qingyue struggled and kicked, trying to break free, but Shang Yizhi's strength was far greater than he had imagined, especially since he was drugged.

After it was over, Su Qingyue wept and wanted to choke Shang Yizhi, but he didn't dare. Shang Yizhi had even taken photos of him.

Shang Yizhi lit a cigarette and asked through the smoke, "Do you want to acquire shares in the Shangshi Group?"

Su Qingyue's crying suddenly stopped, "What do you want to do?"

Shang Yizhi extinguished the cigarette with one hand, "I simply can't stand Shang Huoyong. If Shang Huoyong doesn't do well, your brother probably won't do well either."

Su Qingyue was intrigued, "Go on."

Shang Yizhi curled his lips and smiled.

*

On the first night of Shang Huoyong's business trip, Su Tinghe had a restless sleep. When the phone rang that morning, Su Tinghe assumed it was Shang Huoyong, but the voice on the other end wasn't his. Su Tinghe sighed softly in disappointment.

"What, not happy to hear from me?" Bai Hua said.

Su Tinghe listlessly replied, "No."

Bai Hua, "Then do you have time to meet?"

Su Tinghe had a lot of questions for Bai Hua, so he agreed to the meeting. The meeting place was still the coffee shop where Bai Hua had previously worked part-time.

Bai Hua knew Su Tinghe's doubts and took the initiative to tell him after they met that he had been recognized by the Qin family because he had accidentally met Mrs. Qin, his biological mother, in the hospital. Mrs. Qin thought he looked familiar and saw a triangular birthmark on his arm, so she secretly did a paternity test.

Then, everything was so dramatic, although it was very absurd and like a fairy tale, he was indeed the child of the Qin family.

And Bai Hua was willing to be recognized by the Qin family, first because his adoptive father hoped so, and second because the Qin family was willing to provide the best medical conditions for his adoptive father.

After hearing the whole story, Su Tinghe sighed, but it was also good, so he didn't have to secretly send money to Bai Hua, who always refused.

Su Tinghe thought of Bai Hua's adoptive father, who was now suffering from rectal cancer and looked very haggard, and suggested going to the hospital to see him again.

The two left the coffee shop together. Today, the driver had brought Su Tinghe, and Bai Hua got into his car. After getting in the car, Bai Hua said, "I've been wanting to say this since earlier, why are you always wearing a scarf? The weather isn't that cold, and the car is so stuffy. Why don't you take off the scarf and get some air?"

As he spoke, Bai Hua reached out to help Su Tinghe remove his scarf. Su Tinghe didn’t react in time, and the scarf was already off. The love bite on Su Tinghe’s neck was still clearly visible. Bai Hua exclaimed, “Oh!” and quickly apologized, fumbling to help Su Tinghe wrap the scarf back around his neck.

Su Tinghe’s face turned bright red. He clutched the scarf, not daring to look at the driver in front or at Bai Hua. Bai Hua stifled a laugh, leaned closer to Su Tinghe, and whispered, “I didn’t expect your husband to be so intense. Tell him to take it easy next time.”

Su Tinghe was utterly embarrassed, burying half his face in the scarf, unsure how he would face the driver and Bai Hua in the future.

When they arrived at the hospital, Su Tinghe followed Bai Hua like a puppet, only snapping out of it when they entered the hospital lobby. The hospital before him was vastly superior to the one where Bai Hua’s adoptive father had been treated before. Clearly, the Qin family had kept their promise, and Bai Hua’s adoptive father now had a better chance at survival.

As the two walked toward the elevator, a man suddenly rushed into the hospital carrying a pregnant woman. Doctors and nurses quickly surrounded them—it was clear the woman was about to give birth.

Su Tinghe stopped in his tracks, watching the scene unfold. He suddenly remembered that Shang Huoyong hadn’t used protection that night, which meant he might actually be pregnant.

Su Tinghe’s expression changed abruptly. He placed a hand on his lower abdomen, wondering if a new life might already be growing there.

Bai Hua turned back and noticed Su Tinghe standing still. He walked back and gently nudged the dazed Su Tinghe, asking why he had stopped.

Su Tinghe snapped back to reality and followed Bai Hua, but the idea that he might already be pregnant grew stronger in his mind. The situation had suddenly taken a serious turn.