Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Yao Xianqing brought You Nan home. You Nan, clutching 007, wrestled with his thoughts the entire journey. Yet, seeing Yao Xianqing’s eyes red with self-reproach, he finally recounted his recent ordeal.

He also presented evidence proving Zhao Jin's involvement. In his narrative, he omitted 007's existence, claiming he had hired a skilled hacker online who uncovered Zhao Jin's tracks.

The more Yao Xianqing listened, the colder his expression became. His face was impassive, his chest heaved, and his clenched fists audibly creaked.

He appeared calm, but he was on the verge of exploding.

You Nan, closely monitoring Yao Xianqing’s emotions, immediately rose from his chair with anxious urgency as soon as he finished speaking. He rushed to the man’s side, wrapped his arms around his shoulders, leaning his entire body against Yao Xianqing, while his other hand gently soothed Yao Xianqing’s chest.

“Don’t be angry. Now that we know all the bad things he’s done, we can simply cut him off. Don’t let this harm your health.”

If anything, You Nan’s words only fueled Yao Xianqing’s rage. But feeling You Nan’s trembling body and sensing his concern, Yao Xianqing forced himself to suppress his anger.

He hadn't hit Zhao Jin hard enough!

Yao Xianqing clenched his jaw, then reached out and pulled You Nan into an embrace so tight it felt as if he wanted to meld him into his own body.

“It’s my fault. I misjudged his character, and I made you suffer so much.”

The mere thought of Zhao Jin harboring feelings for him made Yao Xianqing nauseous.

Zhao Jin was even more adept at deception than Qi Yuwen; his mind was malicious, and his methods were despicable.

Like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, he presented a glamorous facade but was utterly poisonous beneath.

A wave of dread washed over Yao Xianqing. If not for his wife’s keen intuition in noticing Zhao Jin's unusual behavior, she might have been driven to madness by Zhao Jin’s machinations.

Zhao Jin was cunning. Anyone who interacted with him or was in his vicinity could easily become a pawn in his hands, unwittingly manipulated to advance his agenda.

Such a person was truly terrifying.

Yao Xianqing gritted his teeth and promised You Nan in a slow, deliberate tone, “I will ensure he pays the price he deserves.”

You Nan nestled obediently in his arms and softly replied, “Okay. With you here, I’m not afraid of him.”

You Nan hesitated for a few seconds, then lowered his head, took Yao Xianqing’s hand, and placed it on his own stomach. “I want Zhao Jin to never appear before us again. I’m afraid our child might also fall victim to his malice in the future.”

Yao Xianqing’s eyes darkened. “He will.”

He would not spare anyone who had bullied You Nan, gossiped about him, or been used as a tool by Zhao Jin!

There were two ways to ensure Zhao Jin would never appear before them again:

Either send him to prison, or ensure he never opened his eyes again.

After Yao Xianqing had coaxed his wife to sleep late that night, he rose, picked up his phone, and called his legal team.

The call was answered quickly—they were still awake even at this hour.

“President Yao,” the lead lawyer of the top-tier legal team asked, “is there another matter?”

Yao Xianqing gave a quiet “mm” of affirmation. Standing by the window, he gazed out at the faint outlines of the mountains in the night and the brightly lit buildings at the foot of the hills. “I’ll send a list to your email shortly. Send out legal notices to everyone on it in bulk.”

The lawyer, curious, asked his employer, “May I ask what the charges are?”

Yao Xianqing summarized it briefly, and the lawyer immediately understood.

Ah, understood. These people had targeted their boss’s wife.

The lawyer assured his employer, “Rest assured, I’ve got this. I’ll make sure they pay the compensation they deserve.”

Yao Xianqing nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”

The next day, when You Nan arrived at work, he noticed a suddenly tense atmosphere in the company.

As he entered the building, the receptionist was on the phone, quietly listening to the person on the other end complain. Her brows were furrowed with worry, her face etched with concern.

She wiped dust off the counter with a cloth, then looked up and made eye contact with You Nan as he entered.

Her eyes widened, and she quickly averted her gaze, afraid You Nan might notice.

Her reaction was so conspicuous that You Nan immediately observed it.

He was surprised.

He still remembered the receptionist’s previous look—the kind one wouldn't want to see twice. How had it changed in just two days?

It seemed she was beginning to fear him.

You Nan clocked in and went upstairs. Only then did the receptionist pick up her phone again to continue talking to her friend.

“Hello? Hello? What are you doing? Why aren’t you responding?”

Her friend was still calling out to her on the other end, wanting to continue complaining.

The receptionist gulped and whispered, “You Nan came to work. I didn’t dare speak. He’s gone upstairs now.”

“Ah!”

Her friend immediately hung up and rushed to spread the word to others.

It was impossible not to be afraid. Legal notices had been sent to their email inboxes late last night, and more than one person had received them.

Some were timid and scared, others were bold and dismissive—until someone explained the reputation of the Yao Group’s top-tier legal team. Cold sweat instantly broke out.

The Yao Group’s top-tier legal team was unbeaten, winning every case they took on, and was regarded as the best in the country.

Facing off against such a powerful legal team—what were they supposed to do?

Many of them had probably never received a legal notice in their lives. This was their first time, and they were all panicked.

Especially since everyone around them was equally tense and uneasy.

You Nan was given a wide berth by many people along the way. He immediately realized that Yao Xianqing must have done something for him without telling him.

You Nan’s heart couldn’t help but soften.

He entered the office, sat at his desk, and turned on his computer. He unscrewed the water bottle Yao Xianqing had filled for him that morning and took a sip. Whenever his eyes landed on anyone in the office, they immediately looked away, ducking their heads.

The fact that Yao Xianqing had his legal team send notices to most people in the office for You Nan's sake was reported to Zhao Jin, who was still laid up in the hospital.

In fact, it wasn’t just the employees at Zhao Jin’s company. Everyone at the hotel where You Nan had previously worked who had gossiped about him had also received legal notices.

Zhao Jin didn’t have to wonder where the hotel staff list came from—he knew it must’ve come from Qi Yuwen.

It was almost laughable.

Who would have thought that Qi Yuwen would get over his crush on Yao Xianqing and fall for the "ornament" he originally only wanted to marry and bring home?

The whining continued to ring in Zhao Jin's ears, making his head throb.

"Quiet."

Zhao Jin's tone remained calm. "What's with the panic? Did you offend You Nan too?"

The person on the other end immediately replied that he hadn't.

His tone grew sterner as he asked Zhao Jin, "Boss Zhao, how should we deal with this You Nan situation?"

What else could be done?

Yao Xianqing had already taken action, so Zhao Jin could only stay out of his way.

Lying in bed under the covers, Zhao Jin wasn't feeling great mentally.

"If you weren't involved, then you don’t need to worry about this."

"But the other employees were working for the company after all. Shouldn’t we do something? Could you talk to President Yao?" Zhao Jin’s subordinate still wanted to push his luck, and for good reason—his own inbox also contained a legal notice.

But he didn’t dare tell Zhao Jin.

Within the company, he was considered Zhao Jin’s right-hand man. Others saw Zhao Jin as smooth-talking and polished, but only those who worked closely with him and handled his dirty tasks knew that this was merely the facade Zhao Jin wanted others to see.

The real Zhao Jin was like a total psycho—selfish, would stop at nothing, and willing to do anything to achieve his goals.

He couldn't care less about a subordinate who had lost their value.

As expected, Zhao Jin’s response was exactly as he had anticipated.

"Forget it. You Nan is under Yao Xianqing's protection. They bullied You Nan, and Yao Xianqing found out. He won’t let this go easily. Getting entangled with him is troublesome. It’s not worth it for the company to confront Yao Xianqing over them."

Yao Xianqing always aimed for the best, and to put it bluntly, he digs his heels in and is inflexible once he sets his mind to something.

Zhao Jin generally preferred not to clash with Yao Xianqing.

Moreover, their two companies had some overlapping business. Having developed overseas, Zhao Jin’s company couldn't hold a candle to Yao Xianqing’s domestic influence. If Yao Xianqing really decided to act, their company truly lacked the ability to compete.

The subordinate on the other end seethed but was stuck.

From the company’s perspective, Zhao Jin had a point, but they couldn’t accept it.

If Zhao Jin didn’t step up to protect them from Yao Xianqing, their careers would likely be ruined.

No decent company would hire an employee labeled with a "defamation" charge.

This meant their career peak would remain within the Zhao family company—they were completely chained to the place now.

After Zhao Jin hung up, the subordinate put down his phone helplessly. The others standing nearby didn’t even need to ask; one look at his face told them what Zhao Jin had said.

"Zhao Jin refused?"

Someone nearby asked him.

"Yeah," the caller replied.

Right then, someone in the office couldn’t take it and started losing it and pacing.

The legal notice was very clear: Yao Xianqing would not accept their apologies—only a court hearing.

Yao Xianqing had evidence, and in the face of that evidence, they would only end up with a "defamation" charge on their records—a small compensation amount but a huge slap in the face.

Any good, reputable company nowadays conducted background checks on applicants before hiring, and this charge would show up in their records.

With such a stain, they would never find a better job than the one they had at the Zhao family company.

Any future job-hopping dreams or hopes of negotiating higher salaries would be nothing but pipe dreams—completely impossible.

"Why!" someone cried out furiously, voice cracking with fury. "Everyone knows who had it in for You Nan."

"If he hadn’t given the order, how would those below dare to act? Now he’s fine—Yao Xianqing didn’t send him a legal notice, so he’s pretending he knows nothing and choosing to protect himself. He’s offering us up as sacrificial pawns. Why should he get away with it?"

His words were sharp, and no one in the office responded.

Then, a voice spoke up from the corner. If Zhao Jin had been there, he would have recognized the speaker as his secretary.

"In that case, since he’s done this to us, we’ll give him a taste of his own medicine."

"If he doesn’t want us to succeed, why should we remain loyal?"

These words struck the others like a thunderclap.

Yes.

They all knew his true colors. Did Zhao Jin really not know about their situation?

Besides, they had all messed with You Nan, both openly and discreetly, under Zhao Jin’s instructions.

Why should they take the fall for Zhao Jin’s actions?

"You’re right," said the man who had just spoken to Zhao Jin, biting the filter off the cigarette he was holding and spitting it out. "Since he’s leaving us out to dry, what do we have left to fear?"

If their records were already screwed, what else was there to be afraid of?

No one understood the dirty laundry of the Zhao family company better than those in high positions with all the inside info.

In the hospital, Zhao Jin hung up the phone, frowning deeply.

He had heard You Nan’s name from someone else again.

The day before, Yao Xianqing had cold-cocked him at the restaurant and left him lying on the cold floor, couldn't be bothered.

It wasn’t until late at night, when a tired server staying up late went to duck out for a smoke to stay awake, that he was found and someone called 120.

When Zhao Jin woke up, his parents were at his bedside, their expressions worked up.

At first, Zhao Jin didn’t understand what had happened, until he heard his mother say, "The doctor said you managed to stand. There’s hope for our Zhao family."

Zhao Jin didn’t catch her drift. His mother didn’t elaborate, instead repeatedly questioning him about what had happened before he lost consciousness. As he pondered his mother’s intent, his memory slowly flashed back to when You Nan had kicked him.

Only then did he realize something.

Zhao Jin’s face turned like a messed-up paint mix—first green, then pale.

He hadn’t expected that You Nan’s kick, which had caused him pain, would also elicit a physical reaction from him.

Zhao Jin was in denial about this reality.

He asked his parents to leave.

His parents, afraid of upsetting him, quickly left with feigned cheerfulness.

Left alone, Zhao Jin sat on the bed, bent over and breathing heavily, supporting his forehead with his hand, eyes closed.

Memories from the past soon flooded his mind.

As a child, young Zhao Jin did not have a close relationship with his parents.

His parents adhered to the "independent parenting" philosophy popular among the highly educated circles at the time.

They placed strict demands on young Zhao Jin, constantly constraining the young child with extremely high moral standards, expecting him to be a perfect person.

If he did anything wrong, Zhao Jin's parents would subject him to harsh criticism. As a child, Zhao Jin was still fragile and would cry when he couldn't bear their cold stares and scornful comments.

But later, his parents sternly and repeatedly impressed upon him, "You are the heir of the Zhao family! You must put the Zhao family first!"

This phrase continuously indoctrinated young Zhao Jin, making him unconsciously believe it.

Yet, because of these words, no matter how hard or exhausting his teenage years were, he never shed another tear.

The only act of defiance in the first half of Zhao Jin's life was falling in love with Yao Xianqing.

Back then, his parents had given him a locked diary, encouraging him to develop the good habit of journaling, and repeatedly emphasized that they would respect his privacy and not peek.

Young Zhao Jin took their word for it.

He held the notebook and poured out his emotions and the events around him, treating it as the only thing that could comfort him, a place where he could write his secrets.

So, in the diary, he wrote the sentence, "I think I might like Yao Xianqing a little; he is the best-looking boy in our class."

The next day, his diary appeared on the dining table at home, its lock gone.

Zhao Jin's father, in front of everyone in the family, read that diary entry aloud with a mocking tone and repeatedly criticized it.

Zhao Jin, only in his early teens and still in middle school, felt as if he had fallen into despair.

The pain of being negated by his parents, the grievance and sorrow of having his secret privacy exposed, made him break down in tears.

Zhao Jin thought he had endured many hardships and was strong enough not to cry anymore, but that day, he still cried uncontrollably, weeping bitterly.

His parents and other family members gazed at him with disapproval, their gazes as if they were looking at a monster.

Zhao Jin thought that night was the most miserable and painful day of his life.

Only later did he realize it wasn't.

His life could become even darker, more brutal, and colder.

The once gentle, hardworking, and morally upright Zhao Jin, who strived to be a person of high character, was destroyed by his parents that day.

That night, after being ridiculed by everyone, he cried for a long, long time before finally falling asleep alone, tightly clutching his quilt. In the middle of the night, his parents stormed into his room.

His usually poised and dignified mother and cultured, handsome father seemed to have suddenly turned into different people in the night.

They yanked him out of bed and handed him over to a stranger he didn't know.

In his early teens, he struggled incessantly, pleading in terror for his mom and dad, saying he had school tomorrow, begging them to save him.

But they only stood not far away, wearing sorrowful expressions.

They told him to go undergo treatment, and once he was cured, everything would be fine.

Zhao Jin cried until he nearly passed out but still didn't gain their sympathy.

Panic overwhelmed him, and the young boy fainted from fear. When he woke up, he was already on a remote island.

This place was called a "conversion therapy institution."

To make the children or adults inside "normal" as quickly as possible, the administrators employed a range of cruel methods.

Education, electric shocks, physical beatings—these were among the milder tactics.

Some administrators, under the pretext of "showing you the consequences of being gay," openly pinned down the boys or men they fancied and performed degrading acts in public.

The more the victims screamed, the more excited these beasts became.

There were even more brutal practices.

That island was not a place of the human world—it was hell.

Only the most terrifying people could thrive there.

Zhao Jin didn’t want to be bullied by them; he wanted to survive.

The young boy hardened himself mentally and physically there, discarding all the moral integrity he once valued most. The only thing he retained was his good looks.

Almost no one could escape from there. Even if they were sent out, they were either insane or broken in spirit.

And their families couldn’t demand justice for them.

The money the "conversion therapy institution" gave them was enough to raise another child in his place.

Here, only children from wealthy families, or those with connections or influence, could enjoy a little privilege.

Zhao Jin's parents were wealthy and influential. The institution’s staff feared offending them and didn’t dare do anything to Zhao Jin.

This was his protective shield, ensuring Zhao Jin wouldn’t be randomly targeted and bullied.

However, later, when Zhao Jin's health deteriorated, he was finally sent back by the institution authorities.

His parents paid these people three million in medical fees, and after three years of treatment, they got back a version of him who was left physically impaired.

Over three years of treatment left Zhao Jin’s body gaunt and weakened. His physical condition filled his parents with remorse.

They began to blame themselves and feel guilty. But that didn’t stop them from wanting to have another child—a normal one.

They just never considered how their eldest son, whom they had wronged and who had emerged from a sea of blood and malice, would ever allow them to succeed.

He no longer had any empathy for the parents who abandoned him, let alone for the brother his parents went abroad to have and raise in hiding, without his knowledge.

He knew his brother was innocent, but hadn’t he been innocent, too?

When his brother was older, his parents returned with him.

Zhao Jin coexisted peacefully with his brother for over half a year. The daily interactions did not soften his heart in the slightest.

He orchestrated an accident for his brother.

Zhao Jin sat upstairs painting, with several housemaids sitting alongside him chatting; the household servants all enjoyed conversing with the approachable Young Master.

In their hearts, they felt the Young Master was the kindest person in the entire household.

One of them noticed the Younger Master chasing a ball out of the house and couldn't help remarking, "The Younger Master is so lively."

Then they watched as the Younger Master, having just picked up the ball outside, was targeted by a mad dog and ultimately bitten to death.

Seeing this, Zhao Jin's lip twitched, before he quickly put on an expression of shock.

He stood up from his chair and cried out, "Brother!"

His cry drew the attention of everyone nearby, including his parents and others. He then rushed anxiously downstairs.

His parents, alerted by his shout and coming out to investigate, witnessed him stumbling on the stairs, falling to the ground, and lying there, his head bleeding and unconscious.

When Zhao Jin woke again and saw his parents sitting by his hospital bed—something they hadn't done for him for ages—he knew his plan had succeeded.

No one could take what was his anymore.

His parents were older; when his brother was born, his mother had almost died during childbirth. That day, with the eldest son injured and their younger son tragically killed, his mother suffered excessive shock that damaged her constitution, leaving her unable to conceive again.

Zhao Jin thus became the Zhao family's sole heir.

Later, as he gradually grew up, his parents began to rely on him more and more.

They would soften their tone to speak with him and even constantly sought treatment for his condition, hoping Zhao Jin could continue the family line.

But Zhao Jin was entirely indifferent to their delayed concern.

He had already given up on himself.

Beneath his gentle and refined appearance lay a rotten, foul core.

The appearance of You Nan was initially unexpected, and he hadn't paid much attention to this ordinary person.

Zhao Jin had once harbored a vague fondness for Yao Xianqing. After being released, he skipped grades and became classmates with Yao Xianqing.

It seemed the "conversion therapy" institution had some effect—he regarded Yao Xianqing as that untouchable ideal, never made a move on him.

Perhaps it was out of some goodness; the thought of loving a man reminded him of those past experiences.

But his silent attention toward Yao Xianqing didn't mean he would allow others to get close.

Unexpectedly, Yao Xianqing actually fell for a married person.

This was how You Nan entered Zhao Jin's radar.

Zhao Jin began focusing his attention on You Nan.

He analyzed You Nan's social circle, studied the personality of You Nan's husband Qi Yuwen, and collected information about You Nan's colleagues.

He wanted to strike decisively from the start and eliminate You Nan's threat.

But he failed.

Yao Xianqing didn't give up on You Nan; even You Nan's former husband stood by You Nan's side.

So Zhao Jin devised a plan to keep You Nan where he could watch him.

Yet he still couldn't find a solution.

Yao Xianqing's attention toward You Nan was making him increasingly agitated.

What surprised him even more was that You Nan actually discovered his true nature—he learned that everything that had happened to him was Zhao Jin's doing.

When You Nan laid all the evidence before him, Zhao Jin was momentarily stunned, but more than that, he was surprised and intrigued by You Nan.

You Nan's behavior only increased his interest, diverging from his original plan.

Zhao Jin pressed his throbbing temples and glanced toward the door.

He wouldn't do anything to You Nan for now, but he couldn't guarantee his parents wouldn't.

After losing their younger son, his parents had become obsessively worried about the eldest son's health.

By now, they no longer cared if his partner was a man or a woman.

People always only begin to feel pain, regret, and remorse after they've lost something.