Chapter 23

Chapter 23

In Lu Tingchao's memory, Zhuang Ji had always been commanding, composed, tall, and stately.

He had encountered Zhuang Ji during many difficult moments in his life, yet he had almost never seen Zhuang Ji disheveled.

Perhaps, as many say, the tides have turned.

Zhuang Ji's lawyer and assistant, Lin Cheng, who had been waiting outside, rushed in, panicked, at the staff's cries for help, frantically trying to support the pale-faced Zhuang Ji.

Looking on from a distance, Lu Tingchao suddenly recalled the last words his grandfather told him on his deathbed:

"Chao Chao, you have a restless spirit, your passions are fleeting. Though you're married, Zhuang Ji is not good for you."

The empire was crumbling; the old man, who had built his empire from scratch in his youth, could no longer save the Lu family from its chaotic decline.

The hospital room, which had been bustling with visitors just days before, became empty and insignificant after the equity finally settled.

The emaciated old man on the sickbed tried to raise his hand to touch Lu Tingchao's hair one last time but ultimately didn't have the strength.

Only his expression remained serene and kind in the face of death.

"Don't be afraid, Chao Chao. Grandpa will protect you forever."

Unfortunately, the eighteen-year-old Lu Tingchao, just like now, had no resilience. He couldn't understand the complex details of corporate financing and mergers, only knowing that the Lu family was going broke, and then the doctor told him his grandfather was leaving too.

So the eighteen-year-old Lu Tingchao sobbed uncontrollably by the bedside.

He cried until the equally young Zhuang Ji barged through the crowd of Lu family members gathered at the hospital door and the creditors waiting for Grandpa Lu to die for the final property settlement, rushing into the room and seeing Lu Tingchao standing dumbly before his grandfather, who had just closed his eyes, with only confusion and fear on his face.

The twenty-four-year-old Zhuang Ji held the eighteen-year-old Lu Tingchao.

As if finally holding the world he had longed for.

The person in his arms trembled uncontrollably, even breathing hesitantly. The wailing stopped, as if afraid of disturbing the terrifying monsters outside the door.

Burning tears quietly soaked Zhuang Ji's collar and effortlessly shattered Zhuang Ji's heart.

The slender shoulders in his arms sank deeply, as if trying to curl into a ball.

But Zhuang Ji steadily reached out, his strong arms pulling Lu Tingchao close.

He gently and patiently wiped away the tears drop by drop, then cleaned the tear-streaked face.

He held the young man's hand.

"Lu Tingchao, I will be with you."

Zhuang Ji said, "Don't be afraid of those Lu family members, and don't be afraid of those creditors. I will always be with you."

Lu Tingchao's eyes were vacant and lost, gasping between sobs: "I... I..."

"I know!"

Zhuang Ji gently smoothed Lu Tingchao's heaving chest, then lowered his head and pressed a gentle, reverent kiss on Lu Tingchao's forehead. "I know, Chao Chao."

He understood Lu Tingchao's timidity, he knew Lu Tingchao was only good for having fun since childhood, he was aware of all the fears in Lu Tingchao's heart.

"Chao Chao."

Zhuang Ji offered his other hand to Lu Tingchao, "Hold onto me tightly."

Lu Tingchao hesitantly looked up at him and placed his left hand in Zhuang Ji's palm.

"As long as Zhuang Ji is alive and the Zhuang Group exists, you will always be the most untroubled Lu Tingchao in Beicheng."

Zhuang Ji held Lu Tingchao's slender, pale fingers and placed them over his own heart. "I love you, Lu Tingchao. I give you all the capital to be as wilful as you want, and a life more luxurious and expensive than before."

"Lu Tingchao, will you love me forever?"

Time fades.

So do vows.

Lu Tingchao gazed vacantly for a while, but his hand was clutched tightly by another person beside him.

Mo Lingnan's voice was different from Zhuang Ji's.

Zhuang Ji's training in film and theater allowed his voice to always be graceful, mellifluous, and warm.

Mo Lingnan's voice, however, was deep: "What's wrong?"

Lu Tingchao: "...Nothing."

Lu Tingchao withdrew his gaze, hesitated, and glanced back again before suddenly asking: "Mo Lingnan, do you think breaking a vow really gets you struck by lightning?"

Mo Lingnan: "Hmm?"

Lu Tingchao puffed out his cheeks, resolute: "Forget it. I’ll never go out on thunderstorm days from now on."

Mo Lingnan: "?"

Mo Lingnan didn't understand Lu Tingchao's meaning but indulgently pinched his puffed left cheek: "I can accompany you."

"No, no."

Lu Tingchao passively let Mo Lingnan hold his hand, neither breaking free nor running away. "Let's go back—"

Just as he was about to finish, Lu Tingchao suddenly frowned: "Wait!"

Mo Lingnan remained patient: "What?"

Lu Tingchao: "Did you just say you knew my marriage wasn’t valid?!"

Mo Lingnan laughed.

He reached out and pressed down a strand of Lu Tingchao's angrily sticking-up hair. "Silly Chao Chao."

Lu Tingchao: "!!!"

Lu Tingchao stamped down hard on Mo Lingnan's foot: "Then why did you scare me about bigamy before?!"

"It was amusing, wasn’t it."

Mo Lingnan let Lu Tingchao stomp around. "Chao Chao, sometimes you’re more like a child than Dou Dou. How did you manage to raise him during those two years in Hong Kong?"

Lu Tingchao pouted and fell silent.

Mo Lingnan: "Back then, I helped handle your family’s bankruptcy proceedings. I found out during the document review."

Lu Tingchao: "...Oh."

Mo Lingnan reached out to help Lu Tingchao adjust his clothes, his shirt buttoned all the way up, covering even his collarbone.

Mo Lingnan’s fingertips lingered slightly on the carotid artery in Lu Tingchao’s neck, feeling the throbbing pulse there. Suddenly, he felt an impulse akin to a sigh.

"Aside from that old apartment in my building, Lu Tingchao, this is the last gift your grandfather left you."

The lights in the Civil Affairs Bureau were bright, and sunlight streamed in brightly.

Finally, without holding back or hesitation, Mo Lingnan leaned down and kissed Lu Tingchao.

Those almond eyes, unchanged since his youth, widened abruptly, their clear depths filled only with the person before him.

"Seven years ago, I had a position, a job, responsibilities."

The man stretched out both arms and embraced Lu Tingchao completely. "But now, I’m just Mo Lingnan."

"Chao Chao, I’ve waited seven years, you’ve finally returned to me."

Mo Lingnan was so tall that Lu Tingchao tilted his head up slightly when he hugged him.

He saw the scar on Mo Lingnan’s neck and remembered the near-fatal wound over his heart.

Lu Tingchao asked cautiously, "Did you resign back then because of me?"

"No."

A low laugh rumbled in his throat. "It was because I realized…"

Mo Lingnan kissed Lu Tingchao’s forehead. "I realized that I’m truly morally corrupt."

Lu Tingchao: "…"

Oh.

The Civil Affairs Bureau always has its share of drama throughout the year.

But today’s was especially dramatic.

Bystanders had gathered from the restroom downstairs all the way to the stairwell upstairs.

If it weren’t for Zhuang Ji’s legal team emphasizing that recording or leaking privacy was strictly prohibited, the internet would be buzzing even more.

An ambulance was parked at the entrance. Paramedics carried a stretcher, inquiring about the situation. After a quick examination, their faces turned serious: "Is family here?"

Lawyer: "…"

Assistant: "…"

Assistant Lin Cheng shot a pleading look at Lu Tingchao.

Then, everyone else’s eyes turned to Lu Tingchao too.

The lawyer finally finished discussions with the Civil Affairs Bureau leadership to clear the area. Others there for divorce and the staff were asked to leave temporarily.

The divorce office door was shut temporarily.

Lu Tingchao: "…"

The emergency medical staff, seeing the "Divorce Processing" sign in front of them, quickly grasped the situation: "Hello, the patient’s condition is critical. Regardless of whether you are divorcing or not, we need to confirm the patient’s health details with you."

"We didn’t get divorced."

Lu Tingchao replied honestly.

Paramedic: "?"

Lu Tingchao: "We never married either…"

Paramedic: "???"

Mo Lingnan stroked Lu Tingchao’s soft hair gently: "It’s alright, Chao Chao, don’t be afraid. Listen to their questions."

Lu Tingchao murmured in agreement. After a moment, he added softly, "But I might not know… He’s always busy with work. He has someone close to him named Jiang Rong. She probably knows better than I do."

The medical staff asked, "Are you aware that the patient has a long-term use of benzodiazepines and SSRIs?"

Lu Tingchao: "…?"

Lu Tingchao: "Huh? Ben... what?"

The medical staff frowned: "Both types of medication are used for anxiety disorders. The patient’s heart rate is abnormally slow, and the skin condition on his left arm is very consistent with a long-term allergic reaction to medication. We don’t have the blood results yet, but based on his condition before fainting, we need to first rule out a possible overdose."

Lu Tingchao was stunned.

He waved his hands in panic: "I… he doesn’t take medication, does he? I’ve never seen…"

"He does."

Lin Cheng cut in, standing up.

Lin Cheng’s expression was extremely grim. "I don’t know exactly what medication Brother Ji was taking. His pills were in a small, unlabeled white bottle that he carried with him at all times. I asked him once, and he said they were vitamins."

The medical staff immediately asked, "Is it still on him now?"

Lin Cheng shook his head: "I… not sure, but usually it’s in an inside pocket of his clothing. He never lets staff touch him; I’ve only seen him take it out to swallow pills."

Several medical personnel immediately pulled open Zhuang Ji’s collar and searched the inside.

A moment later, the cap of a small white bottle was opened, and pills of various colors and sizes spilled onto the floor, bouncing and scattering.

"It’s alprazolam and a citalopram inhibitor."

"And a beta-blocker! Metoprolol!"

"Heart rate is still dropping! Start rescue procedures immediately in the ambulance! Notify the hospital to prepare the emergency room upon arrival!"

"He’s a public figure, be mindful of publicity. Use the internal passage. The hospital just called—fans or paparazzi are already blocking the entrance!"

"Move it, hurry!"

Lu Tingchao: "…"

The stretcher brushed past him in a flash.

Lu Tingchao only caught a glimpse of Zhuang Ji’s deathly pale lips and cold profile.

The medical staff were still shouting.

"Are there any jewelry or decorative items on the hands or neck? Remove them quickly! Start oxygen as soon as he's in the ambulance!"

"Nothing on the hands, but there's a necklace on the neck... with a ring hanging from it! A family member needs to take this."

A chain was handed to Lu Tingchao.

"Take it quickly!"

Lu Tingchao jerked back a step before reaching out to take it.

The chain was platinum, and due to frequent wear, the clasp showed obvious signs of wear. The ring hanging from it, however, seemed well-maintained, still bright and new-looking.

Yet it was just a perfectly ordinary ring.

It wasn't gold, not platinum, perhaps not even pure silver—couldn't even tell what it was made of.

Its only notable feature was that it appeared handcrafted, likely the work of a beginner, with an uneven and imperfectly round band.

A young voice, cutting through the rush of time, sounded in Lu Tingchao's ear.

"Brother Ji, ah, why do you always get so mad? Don’t be mad! I went with a friend to make pair rings, and I made one for you too—here, it’s for you! Don’t be upset, and hey, could you spot Chao Chao a bit more allowance? Getting these rings made cost so much!"

So the feelings were gone.

Memories could still draw blood.

Beside him stood an indoor garbage bin.

Lu Tingchao hesitated for a moment, raised his hand, about to let go—

"Don’t!!!"

It was Lin Cheng, his face panicked, who stopped him. "Don’t! Lu Tingchao! Don’t throw it away!"

Lu Tingchao said matter-of-factly, "But it’s broken, Assistant Lin."

"Broken things can be fixed! Brother Ji cherished this necklace—he wore it all the time except on necessary occasions."

Lin Cheng pleaded, "Please don’t throw it away, Mr. Xiaolu. If you don’t want it, could you return it to my boss? Do this for his sake, please."

Lin Cheng held out both hands, palms up, to take it back.

Lu Tingchao could only give it to him.

Lin Cheng carefully put the necklace away, hesitated for a long moment, and then asked, "Mr. Xiaolu, would you... like to ride along in the ambulance to accompany my boss?"

"No."

Lu Tingchao answered quickly this time, pursing his lips. "He won't get better because I'm there. I'll just upset him more. Better not go."

Lin Cheng protested, "That’s not true!"

"Assistant Lin, the medical staff are waiting."

Mo Lingnan pointed toward the door, cutting him off gracefully.

Lin Cheng: "..."

Lin Cheng glanced quickly at Mo Lingnan, then at Lu Tingchao, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say more and turned to leave.

All that was left was quiet after the drama.

Some time passed.

The door to the divorce office opened once again.

The crowd of onlookers that had gathered outside earlier had already dispersed.

The staff member who had initially assisted them came over with professional efficiency, wearing a professional smile that didn't quite reach his eyes: "Mr. Mo, Mr. Lu, there was a minor incident earlier. Would the two of you still like to go ahead with the marriage paperwork?"

Lu Tingchao: "..."

Lu Tingchao gave him a look of pure admiration.

Then, Mo Lingnan drew him into a hug, lacing their fingers together.

"Let’s call it for today. It doesn’t seem like a lucky day."

Mo Lingnan gazed down tenderly at the person in his arms. "My Chao Chao’s first marriage deserves better than this."