Chapter 056 Return to Yaoxing 14

Chapter 056 Back to Yaoxing 14

At 11 a.m., Zhou Mo met his mother, Ruth Hepburn, who had just disembarked from the spacecraft at the tarmac.

Ruth, dressed in a blue jumpsuit, looked to be in good spirits.

Once in the car, Ruth’s first words were: “I heard Noah Hall is engaged.”

“Yes,” Zhou Mo replied, a hint of helplessness in his voice as his mother brought it up. “Noah and I were getting along well, but then Ai Ze accidentally discovered Bailey Hall was seeing another man. In a fit of anger, he decided to get engaged to Noah, and Noah agreed.”

“Then… are you two still in contact?”

“After Noah sent me the news of his engagement with Ai Ze that day, we haven’t been in contact since.”

Ruth sighed softly. “If there’s no contact, just let it go.”

“It’s fine, Mother. Noah will come looking for me on his own soon enough.”

Zhou Mo gave a reassuring squeeze to Ruth’s hand resting on her knee.

“I like him, and you like him too—that means he’s the one I’ve set my sights on. I will definitely marry him.”

“You’re so sure he’ll come to you?”

Zhou Mo blinked. “I know Ai Ze. He’s not the type to make a clean break. He’ll definitely keep stringing along Bailey.”

Ruth looked at him with a touch of pity. “So, you were just Noah’s second choice?”

“Yes.” Zhou Mo shrugged with a smile. “But it’s fine, Mother. Eventually, I’ll become his first choice.”

*

A royal aircraft announcement played over the PA system.

Ruth’s eyes, which had been fixed on the sky, turned back to Zhou Mo.

Lowering his gaze slightly, Zhou Mo said to his mother, “I’ve already made plans regarding Nan Nan.”

*

The Zhou family building came into view outside the car window. By now, Ruth Hepburn had changed into an opulent black gown.

Her face was etched with unease. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. Will things really go as you predicted? What if something unexpected happens?”

Zhou Mo gently smoothed Ruth’s hair, his expression calm. “They will, Mother. You look absolutely radiant right now.”

“As long as you wear this dress and appear before him, he’ll definitely go ballistic.”

“He’s always been someone who holds others to higher standards than himself.”

Ruth gazed at the approaching Zhou family and murmured, “Yes, he’s always been like that.”

They fell silent for a moment.

“I really… want to kill him with my own hands.”

“It would stain your hands, Mother.”

*

After Zhou Quan’s death, only Zhou Mo and Ruth Hepburn remained in the study.

Zhou Mo tended to Ruth’s swollen face.

With visible reluctance, Ruth placed the gun on the table. “Do we really have to give the gun to Zhou Younan? I’m worried.”

Putting away the medicine, Zhou Mo took out a golden bracelet from his pocket and slipped it onto his wrist. “Trust me, Mother. He won’t kill me.”

“But what if he does?”

Zhou Mo pulled his petite mother into an embrace. “Then consider me free, Mother.”

*

On the surveillance feed, Zhou Younan and Wei Qing shared a farewell embrace outside the hovercar before driving off.

Turning off the surveillance, Zhou Mo smiled at Ruth Hepburn, whose face was still tear-streaked. “See, Mother? Just as I said, it’d be fine.”

Ruth pressed a hand to her chest. “That was too risky.”

“If we hadn’t done this, Zhou Younan would’ve had doubts about us. Now, he won’t.”

Ruth leaned against the wall, repeating, “Too risky.”

Zhou Mo walked over and gently patted her back. “As long as Zhou Younan doesn’t suspect me and trusts me, my plan can continue.”

“Zhou Quan is already dead. If everything goes as I’ve planned, we’ll have a good life from now on.”

Some light returned to Ruth’s eyes. She nodded. “Yes… a good life. A life without Zhou Quan.”

“There’s nothing to fear now, Mother.”

“Mm.” Ruth stood up and said to Zhou Mo, “It’s been a long day. I’ve left your medicine on the nightstand. Take these and get some rest.”

“Thank you, Mother. You should rest early too.”

After Ruth left, Zhou Mo took the sleeping pills from his nightstand.

He pulled out an antique iron box from the nightstand drawer, opened its hidden mechanism, and Xu Qi’s projection appeared.

His dark eyes never wavered, intently watching the projection.

Once it disappeared, Zhou Mo closed the box and returned it to the drawer.

This item was important—it would prove useful later.

With that thought, Zhou Mo sank into sleep.

***

Zhou Younan and Wei Qing drove away from the Zhou family building together.

“What did Zhou Mo tell you?” Wei Qing asked Zhou Younan.

Zhou Younan recounted everything Zhou Mo had said truthfully.

“Do you believe him?”

After a pause, Zhou Younan replied, “Some parts.”

“Which part?” Wei Qing asked curiously.

Zhou Younan gazed out the window at the vast water chestnut fields before finally answering, “I’ve seen genuine suffering before. If it’s faked, I can tell immediately. Zhou Mo’s pain wasn’t an act.”

Wei Qing raised an eyebrow. “So, your father’s killer—it’s confirmed as Zhou Quan?”

Resting his elbow on the window ledge, Zhou Younan propped his chin on his hand and fell silent again. “I… I’m not sure.”

“Do you want me to look into it?”

After five seconds of silence, Zhou Younan said, "Okay."

Wei Qing chuckled and didn't press the topic further: "I just sent you Fan Ke's file."

"You got it already?"

"Yeah."

"Let me see. Have you read it already?"

"Yes. Fan Ke’s birth and background are totally normal—nothing stands out."

Zhou Younan paused while opening the file: "Did you get a paternity test result?"

Wei Qing simply said, "Yes," but didn’t elaborate.

Knowing he was being considerate of his feelings, Zhou Younan smiled lightly: "What's the result? No matter what it is, I can handle it now."

"Fan Ke and Luo Luo are related by blood."

"Really?" Zhou Younan smiled. "Then Luo Luo will have two older brothers from now on. He’ll be so happy when he hears."

To Zhou Younan’s surprise, Luo Luo wasn’t happy at all.

Right after school, when he saw Zhou Younan and Wei Qing at the school gate, Luo Luo was over the moon.

But after carefully listening to Zhou Younan explain that Teacher Fan Ke was his biological brother, Luo Luo became clearly upset.

"You’re not happy?" Zhou Younan asked Luo Luo.

"Nope."

"Why not?" Zhou Younan asked.

Luo Luo glanced at Wei Qing standing beside them, pressed his lips together, but couldn’t voice his reason.

Realizing Luo Luo wanted to talk alone, Zhou Younan asked Wei Qing to go to a nearby candy shop to buy some sweets to go with the café’s coffee.

"Marshal Wei Qing left. Can you tell me why you’re unhappy?"

Luo Luo raised his head, his dark eyes fixed intently on Zhou Younan: "Brother, are you getting rid of me?"

"I’d never leave you." Zhou Younan was surprised Luo Luo would say such a thing. "I’ve never said I would."

"Teacher Fan Ke is my real brother, right? Does that mean... you have a reason to leave me behind?" The more Luo Luo spoke, the more aggrieved he felt, and big tears started rolling down.

Seeing Luo Luo cry, Zhou Younan’s nose tingled too. He pulled Luo Luo into his arms and wiped his tears: "Luo Luo, why would you think that?! Brother would absolutely never abandon you."

"Now you have Marshal Wei Qing. He’s taller than me, stronger than me, can shoot guns, and can protect you. Brother, you don’t need Luo Luo anymore." The more Luo Luo spoke, the louder he cried, as if Zhou Younan was really abandoning him.

Zhou Younan hadn’t expected Luo Luo to feel threatened by Wei Qing. Seeing him cry like that, his heart ached—he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Marshal Wei Qing is indeed taller and stronger than Luo Luo," Zhou Younan playfully teased.

Hearing his brother admit it, Luo Luo stopped wailing loudly. Instead, he lowered his head, gripping the hem of his clothes tightly, quietly crying—looking miserable.

"You silly, but where is Marshal Wei Qing as adorable as you?"

Zhou Younan pinched Luo Luo’s cheeks. "His cheeks aren’t half as cute as yours."

He then lifted Luo Luo up. "No way I could lift Marshal Wei Qing like this."

Luo Luo loved being held by Zhou Younan. He stopped crying and laughed instead as he happily clung to Zhou Younan’s shoulders: "Brother, you still like me, right?"

"Of course I do."

Luo Luo perked up: "Do you not like Marshal Wei Qing?"

"No, I like Marshal Wei Qing too."

Luo Luo’s smile vanished.

Zhou Younan pinched his cheek again: "The way I feel about you is different, but you’re both equally important in my heart."

"I heard that." Wei Qing reappeared, placing the purchased candies on the table. He leaned close to Zhou Younan and kissed his cheek. "Say it to my face next time—I’d love that."

Caught off guard, Zhou Younan turned red.

Luo Luo wrapped his arms around Zhou Younan and kissed his other cheek: "I want to kiss Brother too."

"You little troublemaker, I heard you trying to make your brother stop liking me," Wei Qing said with a playful smirk at Zhou Luo.

Luo Luo hid his face in Zhou Younan’s neck, refusing to look at Wei Qing or respond.

"And I even got you candy." Wei Qing picked up a candy from the table. "If you kiss me too, I’ll pretend I heard nothing earlier, and we can still be good friends."

Luo Luo peeked out with one eye, watching Wei Qing.

"Well? What do you say?" Wei Qing asked.

Luo Luo straightened up, thought for a moment, then released Zhou Younan’s neck and reached out to Wei Qing for a hug.

Wei Qing lifted him into his arms and waved a candy in front of him: "If you want this, you have to kiss me first."

This time, Luo Luo obediently gave Wei Qing a quick peck.

Wei Qing tapped his forehead lightly: "That little head of yours is always overthinking."

Luo Luo rubbed his head and laughed at Wei Qing.

The three of them went out for dinner together.

Luo Luo only ate meat and refused vegetables, which got him scolded from Zhou Younan.

Wei Qing only ate rice and didn’t drink water, so Zhou Younan called him out too.

The two—one big, one small—exchanged glances and started laughing.

Back at the hotel, Zhou Younan showed Luo Luo the photos Fan Ke had sent him.

Luo Luo also saw the man who, like him, had purple hair and six fingers.

He told Zhou Younan that tomorrow was Friday, and he wanted to keep an eye on Teacher Fan Ke a little longer.

They agreed to formally meet and acknowledge Fan Ke as family on Saturday, which Zhou Younan thought was a good idea.

That night, after Luo Luo fell asleep, Wei Qing stayed behind.

He sat on the sofa, holding Zhou Younan tightly in his arms, not letting go.

"You said my face is more fun to pinch than Luo Luo's, and you have to say I'm cuter than him too."

Zhou Younan was amused by Wei Qing: "How old are you? Why are you still hung up on this stuff?"

"Damn right I do." Wei Qing buried his face in Zhou Younan's neck, nuzzling against him and planting kisses.

His long hair made Zhou Younan squirm from the tickling, until Zhou Younan gave in: "Your face is more fun to pinch than Luo Luo's, and you're cuter than him too."

"Good, then we can move on to the next step." Wei Qing said, satisfied.

"What next step?" Before Zhou Younan could react, Wei Qing scooped him up.

Wei Qing carried Zhou Younan toward the balcony: "You can't lift me, but I can lift you."

They'd gotten separate rooms again today, with balconies right next to each other.

Zhou Younan's cheeks flushed slightly as he gripped Wei Qing's clothes: "Didn't we already… yesterday?"

He couldn't bring himself to say "have sex."

"It wasn't enough for me." Wei Qing's eyes darkened.

"Still… not enough?" Zhou Younan was surprised. He distinctly remembered blacking out with Wei Qing still thrusting inside him.

"Not enough." Wei Qing, still holding Zhou Younan, vaulted onto the neighboring balcony.

The thought of the bed inside the room sent a jolt of panic through Zhou Younan.

He stiffened, digging his fingers into the balcony door frame with both hands and hooking his feet on the other side: "Wait, Wei Qing, wait."

"We'll discuss this in bed."

Wei Qing tried to carry the rigid Zhou Younan inside, but Zhou Younan held on tightly, not giving an inch.