Chapter 59: The Injury

Chapter 59: The Injury

Their eyes met. Zhou Jiayun clutched her handbag, forcing a smile at Shen Junlan.

She had seen Shen Junlan before, but he had never registered in her mind.

She never imagined Huo Yanchi would favor someone like him. Beyond his looks, Shen Junlan seemed to have nothing to offer. A look of disdain flickered in her eyes as she tilted her head, striking a haughty pose.

Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Zhou Jiayun clicked across the floor in her high heels, surveying the flower shop before settling onto a comfortable-looking sofa.

Shen Junlan wiped his sweaty palms, then rounded the counter to perch on a high stool, meeting Zhou Jiayun’s gaze in silent challenge.

He couldn't fathom her purpose in coming. Based on his phone-scrolling habits, she was likely here to offer him a few million to leave Huo Yanchi.

Yet, judging by Zhou Jiayun’s demeanor, she didn't seem the type to open her purse.

“I hear your name is Shen Junlan, from a rural family, with no background to speak of.”

Zhou Jiayun’s disdain was palpable. What good could such a person bring Huo Yanchi? He would only be a burden.

“And I know you’re Zhou Jiayun, from a prominent family, a mother, but utterly devoid of maternal instinct.”

The words “maternal instinct” struck a raw nerve. Zhou Jiayun slammed the table, her voice turning shrill.

“What nonsense are you spouting? I am a mother. If I don’t love my own child, who will?”

“Oh.” Shen Junlan was utterly repulsed by her hysterics. He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, then sneered, “Then do you know what Huo Yanchi likes to eat, what he enjoys, what allergies he has, what he hates the most?”

“Do you know his birthday? Do you know he’s been sick for a long time?”

Shen Junlan took a breath, his words accelerating. “You don’t love Huo Yanchi, not one bit. Don’t use your nonexistent maternal love to emotionally blackmail him. You don’t deserve to.”

None of the Huo family deserved it. They treated Huo Yanchi as a mere tool. What right did they have to demand anything from him now?

“Don’t even mention Huo Yaoyang. If your love for him is built on trampling over Huo Yanchi, what right do you have to speak of love?”

Just listening to one side of the story—what exactly was wrong with Huo Yanchi? What was so great about Huo Yaoyang? Shen Junlan couldn’t understand. Why? Why not love him?

“What do you know? You’re not me. You’re an outsider. What right do you have to judge me?”

Zhou Jiayun trembled with rage. Her wrist, resting on the table, shook violently. Beneath her lipstick, her lips turned purple. She had come to cause trouble for Shen Junlan, yet here she was, being lectured by him.

Zhou Jiayun: “Someone like you—what help can you be to Xiao Chi? What can you bring him? You can’t offer even the slightest support to his career. What he needs is a young lady from a prominent family, not some village boy like you.”

“Hah, so what if you’re rich? The Huo family is wealthy, but have you given even a penny to Huo Yanchi? Will he get any part of your inheritance when you die? Since the answer is no, just go die already. No need to come here and pretend to seek validation.”

Shen Junlan rolled his eyes. What utter nonsense. And now she was here to pressure him into breaking up with Huo Yanchi.

He dared say that in the past eight years, the time he had spent with Huo Yanchi far exceeded what the Huo family had. He knew everything about Huo Yanchi. What about them?

“Let me tell you this—Huo Yanchi and I are going to be together for lifetimes. Huo Yanchi cut ties with the Huo family eight years ago. You really don’t deserve to break us apart.”

“You keep saying you love Huo Yanchi, but you’ve given him nothing. You’ve given him a lifetime of wounds, the kind of suppressed emotions that resurface every time he thinks of you. I’m Huo Yanchi’s boyfriend, so I won’t hit you. But if I weren’t, I would’ve beaten you all long ago.”

Just thinking about the times Huo Yanchi had slit his wrists, Shen Junlan wished he could kill them.

They were all living just fine. Why did Huo Yanchi have to suffer like that?

“And also, do you really think Huo Yaoyang is some kind of good person? He’s the most disgusting, hypocritical one of all. A master at faking illness. Instead of lecturing me, you should investigate your precious son properly.”

“Don’t you dare talk about Xiao Yang.” Zhou Jiayun was so enraged that she raised her hand to slap Shen Junlan.

Shen Junlan grabbed her wrist and pushed her back with a slight force.

As she fell, she knocked over several vases of flowers, sending them crashing. For a moment, the sound of crying mixed with Zhou Jiayun’s screams, irritating to no end.

Shen Junlan clicked his tongue, walked over to Zhou Jiayun, pushed her aside, and tried to salvage the damaged flowers.

“Waaah, it hurts so much. My stem broke.”

“My head and body are separated.”

Shen Junlan moved the flowers to the table, carefully glued them back together, and used a trace of spiritual power to bring them back to life.

“Shen Junlan, are you crazy? Are the flowers more important than me? You’re really crazy.”

Zhou Jiayun seemed to have sprained her ankle. She struggled to stand up, leaning against the wall. Malice surged within her as she twisted her wrist, planning to smash the entire shop.

“Of course. What use are you?”

The conflict escalated in an instant. Once Zhou Jiayun steadied herself, she grabbed a flowerpot and smashed it on the ground.

“I’ll teach you to be so arrogant! I’ll teach you!”

Just as a flowerpot was hurled toward him, Shen Junlan hadn’t even had time to react. In the blink of an eye, Huo Yanchi, who had appeared out of nowhere, blocked the blow for him.

The flowerpot hit Huo Yanchi’s shoulder hard. Even though Huo Yanchi tried his best to suppress it, Shen Junlan still heard his muffled groan.

“Huo Yanchi, are you okay?”

Shen Junlan was on the verge of tears. He had been planning to use his spiritual power to block it, but he never expected Huo Yanchi to suddenly step in front of him.

Zhou Jiayun, who had been full of confidence moments ago, suddenly deflated. She put down the flowerpot in her hand, helplessly. When she looked up at Huo Yanchi, her eyes immediately reddened.

“Xiao Chi, Mom didn’t mean it, really. I was just trying to scare him, really.”

“Oh, by aiming at his head to scare him.”

If the surveillance system hadn’t alerted him to the noise, and if he hadn’t checked it, would he have had to face a bloodied Xiao Yezi?

“Why can’t you just leave me alone? Why do you always have to disrupt my life? I’ve long considered you dead. Dead people should stay in their coffins and not come out to cause trouble.”

Huo Yanchi’s hand holding Xiao Yezi trembled. He didn’t dare imagine what would have happened if he had been even a second later.

“Also, I have eyes and ears. I can check the surveillance. Don’t pretend to be the good person here.”

Zhou Jiayun wept uncontrollably, guilt washing over her. She reached out to grab Huo Yanchi’s clothes, but his fierce gaze forced her back.

“You asked what’s so good about Xiao Yezi? Everything about him is good. He loves me. What about you?”

Xiao Yezi was his reverse scale. No one could touch him, not even a single finger.

“Xiao Chi, I think you have some misunderstandings about me. I really want to sit down and talk properly with you. No matter what, you’re a piece of flesh that fell from my body. Huo Hongqing and I are getting divorced. If we just talk it out, everything will be fine.”

Hah, talk it out and everything will be fine. What a nice way to put it.

Huo Yanchi’s cold, sharp gaze fixed on Zhou Jiayun as he said, word by word, “It would be better if you were all dead.”

“There’s no misunderstanding. I hate you. I wish you were dead. Dare you say you’re not the same? Just because some Taoist priest said I was a lone star of disaster, you neglected me. Did you even remember I was a seven-year-old child?”

"The dormitory had no hot water in winter. I was only seven years old, standing on a stool to wash clothes in cold water. My hands were covered with frostbite, and when I asked you to buy medicine, what did you say?"

Zhou Jiayun looked bewildered, as if she had no memory of it at all.

"You said, 'Just tough it out, you're a boy.' And I did—I toughed it out until I was sixteen. Oh, and I almost forgot, the schools you picked for me were all carefully chosen—the worst ones, under the guise of 'to toughen me up.'"

"Huo Yaoyang went to elite schools his whole life, never having to lift a finger. He probably doesn't even know how to turn on a faucet."

"If you didn’t want me, why did you have me? Did I agree to be born? If you had nothing better to do at night, couldn’t you just sleep instead of conceiving me?"

Giving birth but not raising—that’s monstrous behavior.

"The school... it couldn't have been that bad, could it?" Zhou Jiayun’s tone weakened. She had never visited Huo Yanchi’s school and had no idea what it was like.

Back then, the house manager was in charge of Huo Yanchi. She was too busy taking care of Huo Yaoyang to spare any attention for Huo Yanchi.

"Zhou Jiayun, stop patting yourself on the back. What have you ever done right? Beasts."

Huo Yanchi didn’t want to dwell on the past. The memories were so bitter that just thinking about them made him wish he could kill the Huo family.

When he had a fever of 40 degrees, they said he was faking it. But when Huo Yaoyang had a fever of 38 degrees, he had to be hospitalized.

"If you love Huo Yaoyang so much, go seek validation from him. This shop—your presence here only taints it."

"Who I choose to be with has nothing to do with the Huo family. Before you leave, clean up this mess. Or should I call the police?"

Humiliation washed over Zhou Jiayun. She stood frozen, thinking it was just a few flowerpots—how much could they be worth?

Time ticked by, and Zhou Jiayun showed no intention of cleaning up.

"Hello, I’m at 520 Jingwei Street. Yes, it’s a flower shop. Someone is causing a disturbance here."

Zhou Jiayun hadn’t expected Huo Yanchi to actually call the police. She reluctantly started picking up the shards of glass from the floor, and when she looked up, Huo Yanchi took a photo of her.

The place was a mess, making cleanup difficult.

Dirt was stuck to the floor, and dust flew everywhere when she swept.

Shen Junlan had no patience for this. He pulled Huo Yanchi aside and pressed his fingers against the button on Huo Yanchi’s collar.

"Sweetheart, there are still surveillance cameras. Let’s wait until we get home to undress."

Shen Junlan slapped Huo Yanchi’s hand in frustration. "Huo Yanchi, be serious. I’m not trying to do anything like that."

How could he joke at a time like this? Shen Junlan just wanted to check how badly Huo Yanchi was hurt. Huo Yanchi’s lips were even turning pale.

"Sweetheart, it’s fine. When the police arrive, do you want me to talk to them shirtless?"

Shen Junlan opened his mouth but said nothing, just squeezed Huo Yanchi’s fingertips.

By the time the police arrived, the broken pieces on the floor had just been cleaned up. Huo Yanchi showed the officers the video and briefly explained the situation.

"If it’s a family dispute, all we can do is give a warning."

Huo Yanchi wasn’t surprised by the outcome, but he was still furious.

"Don’t do this again. If someone gets hurt, you’ll end up in jail."

Zhou Jiayun forced a smile. Her ankle was badly swollen, and she nodded, limping as she sat back down on the sofa.

"Xiao Chi, I came today to resolve our issues. Can’t we just get along?"

"No."

Huo Yanchi didn’t want to waste another word on her. He turned to the police officer and said, "Can you please ask her to leave? We’re running a business here, and this is affecting our income."

The officer had no choice but to escort Zhou Jiayun out. After a brief mediation, the matter was settled.

"Brother, let’s go home first, or maybe we should go to the hospital."

Shen Junlan was deeply worried, having heard how hard the impact was.

"Old tortoise, I’ve changed your water. We’re heading home now."

Xiao Zhang opened the car door. When Huo Yanchi got in, he clearly moved with difficulty.

He didn’t dare lean back against the seat, sitting upright instead, clutching Shen Junlan’s fingers to his chest.

Shen Junlan wanted to speak several times, but with Xiao Zhang present, he held back.

Huo Yanchi was proud, and Shen Junlan didn’t want Xiao Zhang to find out.

Back home, Shen Junlan rushed straight to the bedroom and gathered all the ointments and medications for bruises and sprains.

He pressed Huo Yanchi down to sit and started undressing him.

"Xiao Yezi, don’t be so impatient."

Huo Yanchi gripped his collar tightly, reluctant to let go. He knew the injury was probably serious and didn’t want Shen Junlan to worry.

"Huo Yanchi, be serious. If you won’t let me look, something must be wrong."

They were deadlocked until Huo Yanchi slowly released his grip, afraid of upsetting Shen Junlan.

From the shoulders down, bruises spread in shades of blue and purple. At the sight, tears welled up in Shen Junlan’s eyes.

"Brother, if it hurts, just say it."

Shen Junlan didn’t use ointment. Instead, he channeled spiritual energy through his fingertips, starting from the bruised areas and moving downward.

"Huo Yanchi, does it still hurt?"

"No."

Beads of sweat formed on Huo Yanchi’s forehead, but he smiled brightly, looking as relaxed as if he were on a picnic rather than receiving treatment.

"Silly Huo Yanchi, where did you come from?"

Like a god.

A god Shen Junlan had never seen before—his Huo Yanchi, his deity.

"From my Xiao Yezi’s heart. I heard you thinking of me. Xiao Yezi, thank you for defending me."

Those words struck a chord in Huo Yanchi’s heart. He knew then that the soul he had fallen for was anything but shallow.

"Hmph, how could I let her say those things? I thought she was going to offer me millions to leave you. I even prepared my lines, but she gave nothing and went straight to emotional blackmail."

Shen Junlan’s heart ached. He leaned down and kissed Huo Yanchi’s shoulder. As the bruises faded, he gently massaged the area, watching Huo Yanchi’s expression. It seemed he was fine now.

"Brother, tell me the truth, does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt."

Huo Yanchi moved his shoulder, reaching his fingers toward Shen Junlan's fingertips. He held Shen Junlan's hand tenderly and kissed it.

"Xiao Yezi, just applying some ointment would be enough, why waste your spiritual power?"

That wasn't right—what did he mean by 'waste'? He was willing, and besides, it hurt so much; he couldn't bear to see Huo Yanchi in pain.

"Shut up. Next time something like this happens, just stay far away. I don't think she could've hurt me anyway. But you—it breaks my heart to see you hurt."

Who just rushes in like that without thinking? What if it had hit your head?

Huo Yanchi's shoulder was exposed; he tossed aside the restrictive shirt and glanced in the mirror—there wasn't a mark left.

"Baby, what if I were disfigured? Would you still..."

"I would. I'd still like you. Huo Yanchi, no matter what you look like, I will always like you."

Shen Junlan answered so fast that Huo Yanchi was caught off guard. He let out an awkward 'oh,' rubbed his fingers, then carefully pulled Shen Junlan into his arms.

"Xiao Yezi, I love you so much too."