Chapter 211

Chapter 211

The bulletproof car sped toward the provincial highway at the urban-rural border, leaving the gunfire and fireworks far behind. A violent jolt caused their teeth to clash against lips, the iron taste of blood filling his mouth.

Yu Jingmo gently sucked the blood, licking over the youth’s soft, rose-petal lips until the youth gasped for air, before slowly pulling away.

The colorful bursts of fireworks streamed through the car window, reflecting in those clear, bright eyes.

Tian Ruan gazed without blinking at Yu Jingmo, a faint blush coloring his pale cheeks. Glancing at Mao Qi, who was focused on driving, he was too embarrassed to say anything.

Yu Jingmo held him close, his large hand gently massaging and stroking the smooth nape of his neck, as if soothing a frightened kitten. "You're safe now."

"Did Big Brother come?" Tian Ruan had figured as much the moment he noticed the sniper's laser sight.

"Yeah." Yu Jingmo hadn’t come with full preparations. The armed forces were insufficient—Du Henbie had only brought a dozen men, while Qi Feng’s side had forty or fifty, all carrying weapons. Their only edge was surprise.

Qi Feng had been too confident—or perhaps arrogant—allowing them to fire the first shot unnoticed.

Before falling from the window, Tian Ruan had barely noticed the red dot and caught Yu Jingmo’s scent, so he went all in.

His gamble paid off. Otherwise, he’d be a corpse by now.

The distant gunfire gradually dwindled as the bulletproof car came to a stop, meeting up with another off-road vehicle.

Du Henbie stood beside the SUV, speaking into a police communication earpiece. He Lans leaned lazily against the window, but the moment he spotted the bulletproof car, he rushed over and pulled the door open. "Well now, welcome back, white knights!"

Another car waited ahead in case they were being followed. Tian Ruan and Yu Jingmo switched vehicles while the bulletproof car returned to continue the mission.

Tian Ruan’s heart still raced. Ignoring He Lans’ teasing, he said to Du Henbie, "Thank you for coming, Big Brother."

Du Henbie, dressed in a formal suit, remained impeccably composed, not a single hair out of place despite the night wind. Calmly, he replied, "If anything had happened to you, Mom and Dad would’ve wiped Qi Feng’s entire drug den off the map. Do you know what that means?"

"What?"

"The Du family might go bankrupt and be hunted down by outlaws worldwide."

"..."

Du Henbie continued, "No matter how you look at it, that’d be a losing deal. So, the best course was ensuring your safety. As an elder brother, I’ve fulfilled my duty. As the head of the Du family, I’ve done right by those who work for me."

Tian Ruan smiled faintly but didn’t comment.

Of course, he knew—he had never been the most important person in this so-called brother’s heart.

"You two head back first," Du Henbie said. "Leave the rest to me."

Scenes like this were nothing new to Du Henbie. He knew how to protect himself.

Yu Jingmo gave a slight nod. "We appreciate it, Big Brother."

Du Henbie smirked. "Rare to hear the great Yu Jingmo call me ‘Big Brother.’ Worth it."

He Lans muttered, "So freaking gay."

Tian Ruan: "..."

The four gay men shared a look before splitting into two groups.

Tian Ruan slid into the familiar Maybach and drove off, leaving the gunfire and fireworks behind—praying this was the first and last time he ever faced such danger.

Tian Ruan, a supporting character from a campus novel, never wanted to accidentally stumble into a crime/gangster novel again.

The car drove for over four hours, crossing into another province.

Tian Ruan opened the map and was startled—if they had been any later, he might have been smuggled into northern Myanmar by tomorrow.

At the thought, he shuddered with post-fear.

By the time they arrived in Su City, it was already past midnight. After sending Lu Qiuyan a message to confirm his safety, Tian Ruan was so exhausted that he drifted off in Yu Jingmo's arms.

Yu Jingmo cradled the deeply asleep young man in his arms and carried him out of the car.

The courtyard lights were bright, casting a reddish glow behind his eyelids. Tian Ruan jolted awake, thrashing, "Who is it? Put me down!"

Yu Jingmo lowered his phoenix eyes, tightening his grip slightly. "Don't be afraid, it's me."

Tian Ruan's dazed eyes grew misty as he silently nestled back into Yu Jingmo's embrace. "Mr. Yu, are we home?"

"We are."

The butler and Liu Ma vaguely knew about Tian Ruan's kidnapping and had been terrified. Seeing him return, their eyes reddened. The butler wailed like a goat, "Madam, ah..."

Liu Ma sang theatrically, "It's good that you're safe, hallelujah!"

Embarrassed, Tian Ruan slid down from Yu Jingmo's arms and rubbed his empty stomach—he had only eaten two small dinner rolls and drunk some mineral water on the way. He asked eagerly, "Mr. Yu, can I have a midnight snack?"

"Of course." Yu Jingmo took his hand. "I'm hungry too, actually."

Liu Ma promptly cooked a pot of warm wontons she had prepared earlier in the day.

Sitting at the dining table, Tian Ruan asked, "Do we have spring cakes?"

Su City's spring cakes were unique—chopped foraged greens mixed into glutinous rice and barley flour dough, with a touch of sugar, steamed first and then pan-fried in peanut oil to form small, round, flat cakes.

They carried a naturally sweet, soft, and chewy springtime flavor with a pleasant chew.

Liu Ma fried the spring cakes for him, pairing them perfectly with the wontons to cut the richness.

Only when eating did Tian Ruan realize how ravenous he was—he even drank every last drop of the soup.

Seeing this, Liu Ma wiped her tears again. "You've been through so much."

Full and slightly food-drunk, Tian Ruan yawned. "It's fine. After surviving a great disaster, good fortune follows. My blessings are yet to come."

Yu Jingmo only ate half a bowl before setting down his spoon and leading Tian Ruan upstairs to wash up.

In a daze, Tian Ruan was undressed and placed under the shower, examined from all angles. After a while, he finally understood and faced Yu Jingmo. "Mr. Yu, I'm untouched."

Yu Jingmo paused. "I was checking if you were hurt."

"I'm untouched," Tian Ruan repeated earnestly.

Yu Jingmo sighed. "I never thought you weren't. Even if... you would still be clean."

"Really?"

"Don't value chastity more than your life." Yu Jingmo's palm pressed against the young man's slender waist, so smooth it felt magnetic. "A pure soul means more than an untouched body."

Tian Ruan nodded, dripping wet hair. "Even so, I still wish only you could have all of me."

Yu Jingmo lowered his head and kissed the youth's smooth, plump forehead. "Same here."

Tian Ruan shyly hugged him. "Mr. Yu, I want you."

Yu Jingmo chuckled softly. "Same here."

The two, so in sync, didn’t part until well past two in the morning.

Tian Ruan’s body and soul were completely consumed by Yu Jingmo. If he were a tree, he’d be in full bloom just for him.

Monday, flag-raising, singing the anthem.

Tian Ruan sang it in his dream, only to open his eyes and realize he wasn’t at school.

Yu Jingmo was selecting underwear and socks from the wardrobe for him when he noticed a small safe in the corner. He took it out and set it on the nightstand. Hearing the youth’s humming, he laughed.

"..." Tian Ruan stared at the safe. "What’s this?"

"Some property deeds, bankbooks, and our marriage certificate." Yu Jingmo selected the underwear and socks, then sat by the bed, skillfully dressing him.

Tian Ruan was molded like dough, but soon, his dignity was restored. He peered into the safe at the documents, going quiet with each one he saw.

His Mr. Yu was way richer than he’d thought.

Hundreds of millions in luxury properties—as if it were nothing. Ten mansions? Peanuts. Ten yachts were the mark of a true top-tier tycoon.

Yu Jingmo said, "If you weren’t studying, you could spend your mornings getting spa treatments, playing golf with the wealthy, attending high-end galas. Lunch could be a French meal costing tens of thousands. In the afternoon, you could visit art exhibitions, attend operas, or relax on a private beach. At night, you’d just wait for me to come home."

Tian Ruan: "..."

Yu Jingmo pointed at the property deeds. "You could even kill time counting these—or auction one off at random."

Tian Ruan rolled around on the bed. "Ugh, rich people! I won’t let money ruin me—I want to study!"

Yu Jingmo laughed. "That’s why you’re different from them. I like that."

Tian Ruan stopped rolling and glared at him in embarrassment. "You must think I’m stupid."

Who wouldn’t want to be rich? Tian Ruan did too, and the life Yu Jingmo described sounded wonderful. But it wasn’t what he truly wanted. He’d rather endure the hardships of studying than live an unremarkable life.

Defying human nature—wasn’t that dumb?

"No." Yu Jingmo gazed at the youth. "Education will always be humanity’s most fundamental path to acquiring social resources. I love seeing you learn, grow, and strengthen yourself. You have your own stage in life. When it’s your time to shine, I’ll be in the audience, rooting for you."

Tian Ruan’s face flushed at his words. He sat up, hugged Yu Jingmo, and kissed the corner of his lips. "Even if I’m just a side character, I’ll work hard not to disappoint your expectations."

"In my eyes, you’re the only protagonist." Yu Jingmo said.

Tian Ruan smiled, then suddenly froze. "Usually, by this point in the story, a side character’s role would be over—crap, I’ve got school!"

If things were truly as Yu Jingmo described, being an ordinary "rich wife" wouldn’t be so bad. The only downside? His life would be in danger.

For example, someone might say: "Yu Jingmo caused my husband so much trouble—I’ll poison his wife!"

Or another: "If Yu Jingmo’s wife falls off a cliff and dies, I’ll have a chance to take over her spot."

And yet another: "Yu Jingmo, you bankrupted me—so I’ll stab your wife to death!"

A hundred ways a rich family’s young partner could die.

Tian Ruan shivered—going to school was still the safest option. He had no desire to get involved in rich-family drama.

After lunch, Tian Ruan made sure to pack a large bag of snacks to reward Lu Qiuyan, who had cleaned up for him.

Yu Jingmo walked him to the school gate and said, "For the next few days, the bodyguards will stay within arm's reach—never more than five meters away."

Last time, it was because the bodyguards had been careless that Tian Ruan ended up being kidnapped.

Tian Ruan didn’t blame them. Who would’ve thought that Qi Feng would dare to pull a daylight kidnapping?

Carrying his backpack and hugging the snacks, Tian Ruan waved like a *maneki-neko*. "Goodbye, Mr. Yu."

Yu Jingmo gave him a soft look. "I’ll pick you up after school."

Tian Ruan nodded and happily dashed toward the school building, all traces of yesterday's scare gone—that's the upside of not overthinking things.

When Tian Ruan reached the classroom, the bodyguard leaned against the outer wall, exactly five meters away.

Tian Ruan: "..."

Lu Qiuyan walked past the bodyguard, giving him a sidelong glance before sauntering into the classroom. He sized up Tian Ruan. "Back?"

Tian Ruan dumped the snacks onto his desk. "Where’s Yu Shang?"

"In a meeting."

"What kind of meeting?"

"On Strengthening *Deyin*'s Safety Management Strategy and Policy."

"...That’s a mouthful."

"A *Deyin* student got kidnapped—even if it wasn’t on campus, education on prevention is necessary."

"You’re turning into Yu Shang 2.0 these days."

Lu Qiuyan just shrugged, pulling out a pack of gum from the snack bag and popping two pieces into his mouth. The minty flavor spread as he chewed. "Good to see you in one piece."

Normally, Tian Ruan would’ve gotten a sarcastic remark for saying something like that. But today, Lu Qiuyan was being weirdly nice. Touched, Tian Ruan exclaimed, "Lu Qiuyan, you’re such a good daughter-in-law!"

"...Get lost," Lu Qiuyan said.

"Now that's the Lu Qiuyan I know." Tian Ruan felt reassured.

Soon, Yu Shang returned and looked Tian Ruan up and down. "You alright?"

Tian Ruan looked at his favorite kid expectantly. "Mr. Yu gave me two property deeds to patch up my poor bruised heart."

Yu Shang: "...No property deeds here. Want two bonus credits instead?"

"Sure! Just add them to Lu Qiuyan’s record."

Lu Qiuyan: "...Why me? I don’t want them."

Tian Ruan: "You lost two credits last time for laying into that you-tiao guy for me. Consider us even."

Lu Qiuyan blinked in confusion. "Huh? Yu Shang, you’ve been deducting my credits?"

Yu Shang: "Wouldn't dream of it."

Tian Ruan giggled, "Yu Shang really couldn't bring himself to deduct Lu Qiuyan's credits."

The two fell silent: "..."

Bodyguard outside the classroom: The madam really knows how to savor the sweet moments.

After their usual back-and-forth, Tian Ruan was called over by Principal Li, who gently asked him a few questions. Learning that he was fine, Principal Li sighed in relief. Deyin was still hosting this exchange event. If something had happened to Tian Ruan, Deyin would likely have been affected too.

What good’s a fancy school if it can’t even protect its own madam? Such a scenario wasn’t entirely impossible, Principal Li thought.

After half a day of classes, Tian Ruan finally remembered his "cheap older brother."

As he stepped out of the classroom, the bodyguard followed closely behind.

"Little—" Yu Ti came running over in tears, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Tian Ruan put down his phone and exaggerated, "Mr. Yu is all-powerful—he descended on a cloud of auspiciousness, cloaked in radiant robes, and rescued me from peril."

"Uncle is so cool!" Yu Ti immediately brightened up, gushing excitedly, "I wrote a story about you two—"

"Stop." Tian Ruan raised a hand to cut her off. "Whatever you wrote, keep it to yourself."

Stuff like "Tyrant Uncle and Adorable Brother-in-Law"—that kind of trashy fiction was better off unread.

Yu Ti fidgeted sheepishly, "But I already published it in the school paper. Relax, I used code names—I didn’t write your or Uncle’s real names."

"..."

Just then, members of the school newspaper club were peddling papers on the roadside: "Hot off the press! 'The Domineering CEO’s Delicate Darling Wife' is now serialized! Welcome to Chapter 8—Delicate Darling Wife trapped in a divine-demonic love triangle, the CEO soars through the heavens to rescue her from the Immortal-Slaying Platform!"

Tian Ruan: "............"

Girls quickly crowded around. "Last chapter, wasn’t it the CEO throwing Delicate Darling Wife a birthday party and buying her a country, only for a rebellion to break out there? They fought side by side, accidentally entered a Stargate, and then flew across the universe in mecha suits?"

"And they even reached the Gamma Galaxy! What happened with Delicate Darling Wife and that tentacled alien?"

"I can’t handle aliens, especially octopuses. Did the CEO dice it up? Grill it?"

School newspaper member: "Yep, they turned the octopus into barbecue and ate it! This chapter’s even crazier—they accidentally enter an ancient passage, Delicate Darling Wife gets captured by the Demon Lord, and the CEO almost tears apart the three realms to save her!"

"Oh my, the CEO is so devoted!"

"Give me a copy!"

"Delicate Darling Wife is such an adorable mess—she really brings chaos wherever she goes."

The girls scattered happily with their newspapers, devouring the pages on the campus paths.

The newspaper member had one last copy left and, spotting Tian Ruan, offered it to him. "Hey, student, want one?"

Tian Ruan: ".................."

Yu Ti coughed violently. "Uh, I’ve got stuff to do. Gotta bounce!"

A single school newspaper cost a hundred yuan—just four sheets of paper. Tian Ruan straight-up grabbed it.

"Hey, you didn’t pay!" The newspaper member chased after him.

Tian Ruan dove behind Lu Qiuyan. "Help! I’m being robbed!"

"..." The school newspaper member and Lu Qiuyan exchanged glances, startled. "He’s the thief, not me!"

Lu Qiuyan pulled out two coins and said with an air of wealth, "Sold."

Everyone knew the school bully's reputation, so the newspaper member pocketed the two bucks and scurried away.

Lu Qiuyan glanced at the fuming Tian Ruan behind him. "You're the robber, yet you're the one blowing up like a pufferfish. Got a problem?"

Tian Ruan glared at the newspaper. "What the hell is this garbage? I'm reporting this—it's criminal evidence!"

"?"

Lu Qiuyan assumed Tian Ruan was too angry to think straight and dragged him toward the school gate.

Only after sitting in the Maybach did Tian Ruan snap back to reality, only to find Yu Jingmo already reading the newspaper. Tian Ruan hurriedly tried to snatch it away. "Mr. Yu, don’t look—it’ll rot your brain."

Yu Jingmo had already skimmed through it in seconds, pausing at the author's name. "'Fluffy Chicken Princess'?"

Tian Ruan: "...It's Yu Ti."

Yu Jingmo remained unfazed. "Wasting all her time on this trash instead of studying—she’s begging for a spanking."

If it had been about something else, they might have let it slide. But since the characters were clearly based on Yu Jingmo and Tian Ruan, they couldn’t ignore it. Yu Jingmo called Shen Wanyue.

After hearing about her daughter’s antics, Shen Wanyue was mortified. "Don’t worry, I’ll teach her a lesson."

Meanwhile, Tian Ruan called Du Henbie.

"Finally remembered you have an actual brother, you brat?" Du Henbie’s drawling voice echoed, as if he were in a vast, empty space.

"Big bro, everything good?" Tian Ruan asked ingratiatingly.

"Mhm."

"What about that scumbag who deserves to burn?"

"Caught two bullets but still slithered away."

"Oh." Tian Ruan was disappointed but knew the final boss wouldn’t croak that easy.

Only the hero’s plot armor could truly destroy Qi Feng.

"Zhou Gu was left behind, though. Took a bullet to the leg—couldn’t run," Du Henbie added.

Tian Ruan’s eyelids twitched. "Really?"

"Mhm. Currently in a warehouse. What do you want to do?"

"What can I do? Hand him over to the police, of course. Taking the law into your own hands is illegal."

Du Henbie laughed, the kind of slick, sinister laugh that made Tian Ruan’s hair stand on end. "My dear little brother, what a model citizen."

Tian Ruan forced himself to say, "Obviously. And don’t you do anything reckless either. If you get caught, kiss your Chinese market goodbye."

"OK."

After hanging up, Tian Ruan was torn. Even now, he just couldn’t hate Zhou Gu.

Qi Feng was pure evil, and Zhou Gu was probably knee-deep in his shit. Yet, Tian Ruan couldn’t hate him. Baffled, he asked Yu Jingmo if it was messed up to feel this way.

Any decent person would hate someone who works for a drug dealer.

Yu Jingmo pondered for a moment and said, "You know how he ends up, so you don’t hate him."

Tian Ruan suddenly understood. He saw beyond what others could, knowing the inevitable fate of those people, so he didn’t hate them. Because he knew, that was the "plot" this world had arranged for them.

Only someone like Qi Feng, who deviated from the plot and tried to harm Tian Ruan, would make him hate out of fear.

But once the plot got back on track, his hatred would fade, because the ending wouldn’t change.

After school the next day, Tian Ruan went to the hospital.

After Zhou Gu was arrested by the police, his gunshot wound to the leg was so severe that he had to be sent to the hospital. Before any interrogation, he was given free treatment out of humanity.

Two cops guarded the door.

Yu Jingmo had already cleared the way for Tian Ruan, so he walked right in.

On the snow-white hospital bed, Zhou Gu lay with his eyes closed, an IV dripping beside him, the heart monitor’s steady beep, an oxygen tube in his nose, his face pale.

In just one day, his temples had gone gray.

Tian Ruan watched him, waiting for him to wake up.

After about twenty minutes, Zhou Gu opened his eyes and sighed, "What are you even waiting for?"

Tian Ruan removed the single earbud he was wearing. "I’m not just sitting here bored. I was listening to French songs."

Zhou Gu struggled to sit up against the headboard. One of his legs was heavily bandaged, looking swollen, while his forearms remained gaunt. Gazing at Tian Ruan’s young, pretty face, he suddenly spaced out.

Tian Ruan looked at him. "You got left behind. How does that feel?"

"Most of our guys are already dead. He couldn’t take me with him," Zhou Gu murmured. "He didn’t ditch me—he had no choice."

Tian Ruan was stunned. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'What goes around comes around'?"

Zhou Gu scoffed. "'What you do comes back to you'—I believed that too when I wrote those words. But you know what? People even lie to themselves in their diaries."

A man who once claimed to despise wealth was later found to have amassed a fortune. A writer who praised pure love was soon exposed for infidelity. Someone who penned endless devotion to his late wife in fact had a whole brood, remarrying and taking concubines without hesitation.

"A writer’s pen is the best tool for lying," Zhou Gu said.

Tian Ruan fell silent for a long while. "Those are just personal moral failings. Not all writers are like that."

"Not everyone is as worthless as me, right?" Zhou Gu closed his eyes, as if sinking into memory. "You wouldn’t understand. If you’d never tasted sugar in your life, and someone gave you your first piece, you’d remember it forever."

Tian Ruan: "I do understand. That’s why I pity you."

"Pity?" Zhou Gu laughed as if he’d heard the funniest joke in the world. "What right do you have to pity me?"

"..."

Zhou Gu opened his eyes. His gaze was almost tender, yet cold; almost affectionate, yet detached. "Tian Ruan, you’re still so young. When you grow older, when your beauty fades, will he still love you as deeply as before?"

"I, too, was once cherished deeply, held up like the moon in the sky. I thought I was the most special existence in his life, placed at the very center of his heart."

"...Ten years later, everything turned to dust. Will you shatter like me?"

Tian Ruan stood opposite Zhou Gu, as if looking into a mirror reflecting time itself, light and shadow flickering, time dissolving.

After a long silence, he said, "No."