Chapter 148

Chapter 148

In an over-the-top danmei novel, how could there be no antagonist?

Xu Bingyang is a thoroughbred villain. He doesn’t target either of the main couple but pulls every wicked trick in the book—the kind everyone knows about.

At just twenty years old, he moved with calculated strangeness, usurping his father's power overnight to become the new head of the Xu family. The official statement claimed his father was gravely ill and incapacitated, with his elder brother Xu Jiankang taking over family affairs.

Xu Bingyang remained hidden behind the scenes—the true power behind the Xu family, a shadowy stock market manipulator, a viper with connections in both legal and illegal circles, and yet also a sickly, harmless ghost of a man.

The first time Xu Bingyang appeared, he wiped out one of the male lead’s companies, all while playing the delicate weakling, showing up as Yu Jingmo’s classmate.

Back then, just like now, he was in a wheelchair, though at the time, he claimed it was due to a hereditary illness that left him unable to walk and with only a few years to live.

The image of the tragically beautiful invalid quickly won over some readers. But as the plot unfolded, the main couple discovered Xu Bingyang was duplicitous—honeyed words hiding venom. The Xu family’s attitude toward him was strange.

It wasn’t until another company collapsed, with the trail leading back to the Xu family, that Xu Bingyang’s true venom slowly came to light. Right in front of the main couple, he stood up from his wheelchair.

Turns out, he had never been sick at all. If anything, his illness was all in his twisted mind.

On the surface, Xu Bingyang approached Yu Jingmo, playing the lovesick fool, always maintaining a frail masquerade. In truth, he saw Yu Jingmo as a rival, his ultimate goal being to topple this "opponent."

As far back as their study abroad days, Xu Bingyang had noticed Yu Jingmo. He was certain Yu Jingmo would become the immovable boulder blocking his road. He hired overseas hitmen three times to kill Yu Jingmo, and without exception, all attempts failed.

Yu Jingmo wasn’t just surrounded by iron-clad defenses—he himself was an unbreachable citadel.

Xu Bingyang admired such a person, feared him, and felt a perverse exhilaration—the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent.

But to forcibly categorize it as love? Xu Bingyang scoffed at the idea. He was incapable of love. In his precarious upbringing, the only person he could ever truly love in this world was himself.

No matter how outstanding others might be, they would always remain outsiders to him.

Even by the end, when Xu Bingyang was routed into overseas exile, he remained the novel’s greatest villain, his warped psyche matched only by He Lansi.

“…Ah—ah-choo!” At this very moment, He Lansi, who had been secretly playing on his phone in bed, suddenly sneezed.

The noise was loud enough to wake Du Henbie, who had been “sprinting” all night.

Before He Lansi could close the shirtless hunk video on his phone, Du Henbie caught him in the act.

The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

He Lansi silently exited the short video app, the faint shadows under his beautiful fox-like eyes hinting at sleepless nights.

Du Henbie sighed. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Can’t sleep.”

“Do these gym rats have better bodies than me?”

“No.”

Du Henbie took his phone and placed it on his own nightstand, drawing He Lansi against him. “Sleep.”

“Oh.” He Lansi rubbed his nose. “Feels like someone’s bad-mouthing me.”

Du Henbie held him, his voice soft and lazy. “What bad things have you done?”

“…” The worst thing He Lansi had ever done in his life was conning Du Henbie for two billion. As for the rest—well, he’d thought about plenty of misdeeds but never quite got the chance.

He suddenly didn't feel like doing those dangerous and meaningless things anymore—they were boring. It was much more enjoyable to sleep with Du Henbie.

He Lansi closed his eyes and thought, *Well, I might as well just give in for now.*

Back at the hospital, Tian Ruan quickly reviewed the situation involving Xu Bingyang in his mind, silently cursing He Lansi the whole time but maintaining a composed expression.

"My university classmate," Yu Jingmo explained Xu Bingyang's identity—no romantic rival here, simply an old classmate he hadn't seen in years. "Xu Bingyang."

Tian Ruan nodded and said to Xu Bingyang, "Hello, I'm Mr. Yu's husband."

A gentle smile appeared on Xu Bingyang's pale, frail face. "Yu Jingmo is really fortunate to have such a beautiful spouse."

"You're right," Tian Ruan accepted the compliment. "Mr. Xu, you're handsome—you look sharp."

Xu Bingyang chuckled. "Come on, I'm not that capable. That's why I haven't achieved anything yet. It's only because my family is wealthy that I can afford this luxurious hospital room."

Tian Ruan had no idea why Xu Bingyang had arrived early, but whatever the reason, it couldn't be good.

He decided to deal with this troublemaker before matters escalated further. "I've heard the medical care in the U.S. is better. Would you like me to recommend a private hospital, Mr. Xu?"

"No thanks," Xu Bingyang looked at Yu Jingmo. "I trust my old classmate's hospital. The facilities here are excellent too."

Yu Jingmo honestly admitted, "Still, they can't quite match hospitals abroad."

"That's okay. As you said, their orthopedic department is great. They should be able to treat my legs."

Tian Ruan asked, "If treatment fails, will you need to have your legs amputated?"

"…" Xu Bingyang stared at Tian Ruan. "If it doesn't work out, I'll go somewhere else. There's always another option. My useless legs don't require your concern, Mrs. Yu."

Yu Jingmo said, "Just rest well. I'll make sure the orthopedic specialists do everything possible."

Xu Bingyang: "Thank you."

The butler bowed politely and carried the large and small bags toward the elevator.

Yu Jingmo held Tian Ruan's hand and walked away.

Xu Bingyang watched the happy couple leave, his eyes icy cold. Shortly after they took the elevator, another elevator door opened, and a middle-aged man in his fifties stepped out.

"President Xu," Yu Ba greeted him with exaggerated courtesy. "You're here? Are you feeling alright?"

Xu Bingyang replied coolly, "Visiting my father."

"President Xu is so filial."

Xu Bingyang gave a faint smirk. "It's merely what a son should do."

Yu Ba sighed, "You have such a strong sense of responsibility. Unlike my good-for-nothing son who only eats, sleeps, and messes around—a total failure."

Xu Bingyang comforted him, "Your son is a bright kid. Even if he's struggling now, with proper guidance, he'll succeed eventually."

"Yes, yes, yes, President Xu hits the nail on the head." With thirty years in business, Yu Ba naturally understood what Xu Bingyang meant. "That idiot keeps messing things up and causing you trouble."

"It's fine." Xu Bingyang stood up and wheeled the chair back to the ward—it belonged to his father. He'd only wanted to try sitting in it, but ended up meeting Yu Jingmo earlier than expected.

Yu Ba paused outside the door and simply asked, "How are you, President Xu?"

"He's brain-dead. He won't recover," Xu Bingyang stated flatly.

"..."

"Your son’s doing just fine. Yu Jingmo doesn’t care about fools, which can actually lead to surprising results."

"What kind of results?"

Xu Bingyang turned to face Yu Ba, looking at him like he was another idiot. "Yu Jingmo never lacks for smart people around him. Having a fool worm his way in makes it easier to manipulate things."

Though Yu Ba disliked Xu Bingyang calling his son stupid, he didn’t show it. "But my son still hasn’t gotten into the Yu family."

"That doesn’t matter. What matters is whether he can team up with that Tian Yuan." Xu Bingyang spelled it out plainly. "If your son and Yu Jingmo’s wife join forces, they can snatch up part of the Yu family’s business."

"...But Tian Yuan isn’t a pushover."

"You haven’t made it worth his while. Nobody in this world hates money. I’ve looked into him—Tian Yuan asks Yu Jingmo for gifts every month. He’s money-grubbing, horny, and shortsighted."

"Is that so?" Yu Ba thought for a moment. Try as he might, he couldn’t recall Tian Ruan’s personality—only that he had a mouth on him.

Xu Bingyang sneered. "If your son plays his cards right, he might even seduce him."

Yu Ba grimaced. "Forget it. My son still needs to marry and have kids to keep the family name going."

Xu Bingyang gave Yu Ba a long look but said nothing, though his eyes seemed to say, "Someone like you deserves to carry on a bloodline?"

Yu Ba: "..."

Gritting his teeth, Yu Ba declared, "Don’t worry, Mr. Xu. Yu Jingmo messed with my company—I won’t let it go!"

Xu Bingyang replied coolly, "I hope you mean it. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back."

"Ah, then thank you for your generosity, Mr. Xu."

Then, without missing a beat, Yu Ba turned and carried a million-dollar gold bar to Wintergreen Group to present it as a gift to Yu Jingmo.

After the receptionist called upstairs, a junior secretary came down to meet him.

Yu Ba winced at the cost, but in the elevator, he eyed the secretary’s petite frame and grinned. "What’s your name?"

The secretary stammered nervously, "I-I’m Xiao Miao."

"Xiao Miao, how old are you?"

"Twenty-six."

"Younger than my son. Why don’t you marry my boy?"

"..." The secretary waved her hands in panic. "No, no way!"

"What? You got something against us Yus?"

"No, no! Mr. Yu Ba, please stop joking..." The secretary looked like she was about to cry.

Just as Yu Ba was about to tease her more, the elevator dinged open. Standing there was a real bombshell. Her skin-tight dress, wavy hair, and fiery red lips looked like a fresh-picked rose in bloom, making the old man’s pulse race.

"Annie!" Yu Ba gushed, stepping forward and pulling a rose out of nowhere. "Looking gorgeous as always."

Annie looked like she’d tasted something rotten. In seven-centimeter heels, she could see straight down onto Yu Ba’s greasy bald spot.

"Ew..." "?"

"Ugh..." Annie dry heaved to the side.

Yu Ba paled in shock: "You—you're pregnant? Whose baby is it?!"

Annie, unwilling to be subjected to salacious rumors, said with a strained smile, "Sorry, Mr. Yu Ba, but your shiny bald head is making me nauseous."

"..."

The junior secretary ducked behind Annie. "Annie, are you okay?"

Annie patted her shoulder. "Let’s go back. I’ll take this old fossil to see Mr. Yu."

Yu Ba angrily tossed the rose aside and stomped on it twice. At over fifty years old, he flounced about like a teenager, huffing, "You’ve got no taste!"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's go."

Fuming, Yu Ba stormed after her, eyeing the imposing executive chairman’s office at the top floor with deep resentment and envy. This was the office of the Yu family’s leader—its door alone exuded power.

From such a height, the view outside must have been spectacular.

Entering the office behind Annie with bitterness in his heart, Yu Ba caught a whiff of a refined, elegant fragrance.

A young man in an impeccably tailored suit looked up from behind a broad black piano-lacquered desk—his almond-shaped phoenix eyes deep and cold, his voice low and pleasant: "Eighth Brother, please have a seat."

Yu Ba blinked and turned toward the spacious sofa area, where a slender, fine-featured youth sat staring holes through the gift box in his hands.

Yu Ba grinned. "I haven’t given you anything for your wedding yet. Just a small token—a measly million yuan’s worth of gold. Don’t mind it."

Tian Ruan: "...Not at all, not at all. Please sit down, Eighth Brother."

Yu Ba took a seat on the single sofa and placed the gift box on the coffee table.

Tian Ruan played at restraint. "Mr. Yu, may I open it?"

Yu Jingmo chuckled. "It’s yours. Go ahead."

Tian Ruan eagerly unwrapped the heavily packaged box. When he saw the gold bar inside, his eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas. He carefully lifted it, hefting its satisfying weight—it felt like...

"Like a brick," Tian Ruan remarked, testing its heft. "Hit someone over the head with this, and they’d really *see stars*."

Yu Ba instinctively touched his patchy baldness. "Haha, brother-in-law, you sure know how to joke."

Tian Ruan gloved the gold bar, grinning. "Thank you so much, Eighth Brother! You’re truly a kind-hearted person!"

Who would’ve thought gold could actually fall from the sky? This was a first for Tian Ruan.

Yu Ba stared at the gleaming gold bar, his gut twisting in loss. This was his treasured 24-karat pure gold bar, hoarded for ten years. He wouldn’t have parted with it if not for his plans.