Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"You—you want to elope with me?"

Song Nian abruptly stopped in his tracks, pulling the forward-moving Li Wenguang to a halt. The corner of his mouth twitched as he forced the words out.

Oblivious to the doubt in Song Nian's voice, Li Wenguang nodded earnestly.

"I know, you must have been controlled by Li Yanchuan and that's why you cut ties with me."

"Besides, the intel you sneaked out was problematic. That guy definitely knows about our plan now. He'll come after you sooner or later."

He was certain Song Nian wouldn't betray him, thus blaming everything on Li Yanchuan.

Even though Song Nian had personally sent him a message declaring "never contact me again," he still insisted that Song Nian was acting under duress.

After being separated for so long, as he realized they might drift apart, Li Wenguang's possessiveness suddenly erupted.

He couldn't tolerate it, couldn't accept that something that was once his was slipping through his fingers.

So, since the incident, he had been trying to get in touch with Song Nian.

When he received that final farewell message, he completely lost his composure.

Thinking of Song Nian falling into the hands of his most hated brother, Li Yanchuan, and potentially being in danger, he grew as anxious as a cat on a hot tin roof.

Finally, gritting his teeth and ignoring the consequences, he decided to go all out and take Song Nian away.

Although this meant he could no longer execute the original plan, at least Song Nian would be back by his side.

If the original master had known that simply being aloof and not clingy could spark Li Wenguang's interest, they would surely regret being a doormat, always on call but easily replaced.

"Let's go quickly before we're discovered."

Li Wenguang glanced nervously at the lit master bedroom on the second floor.

The curtains were drawn, blocking the view inside.

To succeed in taking Song Nian away, he had even scoped out the villa for several days, learning the schedule before deciding to act tonight.

"Wait, hold on, I'm not ready yet!"

Being dragged along again without a word, Song Nian stumbled but caught himself.

"Now's not the time to talk. Let's leave first."

During the scuffle, a kettle crashed heavily to the floor, spilling water that formed a crystalline mirror.

Logically, Song Nian could just shake off his hand and break free.

But just doing that seemed insufficient.

Why not use this chance to make Li Wenguang give up for good?

His eyes darted as a sudden plan came to mind.

"Stop. I have something very important to tell you."

Abruptly halting, Song Nian signaled for the man to stop.

"Can't it wait?"

"No, it has to be now."

Seeing the firmness, Li Wenguang didn't dare force the issue, afraid the noise would alert his elder brother upstairs. After a moment's hesitation, he turned around, urging the man to hurry.

Song Nian then withdrew his hand and took a step back, his expression turning unusually serious.

He cast a glance back at the upper floor before shifting his gaze, clearing his throat, and looking at the man before him.

The solemnity was so pronounced that even Li Wenguang couldn't help but feel tense.

What was he going to say? Was he going to question why he did this, or ask about the past?

Either way, he needed to deflect it. His priority was to get Song Nian away and keep him under tight control.

Song Nian took a deep breath, as if preparing for what he was about to say.

Then, slowly, he opened his mouth. Li Wenguang pricked up his ears, listening closely.

But in the next second, taking a deep breath, Song Nian bellowed:

"Darling——!"

"There's a thief in the house!! Help!!"

His voice was piercing, earth-shattering, like a loudspeaker at maximum volume screaming.

The commotion startled the trees in the garden, making them sway, and sent the roosting birds flapping into a panicked flight, their fluttering rustled the night into choppy waves.

Even after the shout ended, the echo still rang in the air, lingering and refusing to die.

Darling? Thief?

The two unexpected words drilled into Li Wenguang's ears, making his mind go blank and his body freeze like stone.

For a moment, he didn't know if he was more shocked by the words or the volume.

"You—"

He swallowed hard, struggling to speak.

Before he could finish, as if in response to the shout, the sound of a wheelchair rolling came from inside the house.

Someone was coming.

The faint sound was especially noticeable in the quiet night, growing louder, the distance closing in, like a countdown looming over their heads.

As if sensing the shift, the two in the garden both turned to look.

The puddle on the ground gradually reflected the sharp, handsome face of the man in the wheelchair, half-hidden in shadow.

Backlit by the warm yellow light from the living room, Li Yanchuan appeared on the first-floor terrace.

Half-hidden in shadow, half-lit by the light. As he tilted his chin up to look at them, he exuded a disdainful, commanding presence that was immensely oppressive.

A cold glance swept over, his pupils an unfathomable dark, scaring the guilt-ridden Li Wenguang, who took a step back involuntarily, his body trembling.

When he saw the man he'd called show up, Song Nian immediately rushed over and crouched down beside Li Yanchuan.

To make his stance clear, he even reached out to pull him, wheelchair and everything, into his arms, snuggling up to him like a little bird and pressing cheek to cheek with him.

The scene was incredibly intimate.

Even Li Wenguang, dense as he was, finally caught on when he saw what was happening.

He pointed a trembling finger, incredulous:

"You... you two were actually... together?"

Hearing this, Li Yanchuan let out a cold laugh. As if to confirm his suspicions, he raised his hand and ruffled the chestnut-brown, fluffy head.

A sudden warmth touched the top of his head, and Song Nian froze for a moment.

Then he squinted, enjoying the touch like a pampered little dog.

At the same time, he thought to himself, he hadn't expected Li Yanchuan to be so good at playing along—not only not avoiding his closeness, but even actively patting his head.

Hmm, great chemistry.

"So, all of this was your plan all along, right? Song Nian, I trusted you so much, and you betrayed me!"

After figuring out the truth, Li Wenguang's face turned extremely ugly, as if he had been publicly slapped.

"Get this straight. I was never on your side. You're the only one who's having a meltdown because your scheme failed."

Song Nian feigned innocence, provocatively moving closer to Li Yanchuan, squeezing his cheek into a small, soft mound.

"Besides, I've always preferred your brother's type—mature, composed, and capable. Way better than you."

The more he talked, the more excited he got, and without thinking, he rubbed against him.

Li Yanchuan instinctively frowned at such an overly intimate gesture, but quickly relaxed his brow, his expression softening.

What Li Wenguang hated most was being compared to Li Yanchuan. Being openly told he was inferior made his face burn with humiliation.

"Don't get too cocky, Li Yanchuan. What good is a cripple stuck in a wheelchair? Even if I did something right in front of you right now, you couldn't stop me!"

Having no regard for appearances anymore, he gritted his teeth and issued a threat.

"What did you say?!"

Hearing such an insult, Song Nian frowned and was about to lunge at him, but the man beside him pulled him back.

He turned to look, and Li Yanchuan remained utterly calm, unmoved by the demeaning remark.

"Is that so?"

He propped his head on his hand and said slowly, then glanced meaningfully over his right shoulder.

There, a faint red dot flickered—a camera.

The camera had already recorded everything the man had just done.

"And do you think the security here is just for show?"

As his words fell, several bright flashlight beams shone from behind, all converging on Li Wenguang—the security guards had arrived.

"Tell me, what do you think will happen when word gets out that the second young master of the Li family broke into his elder brother's mansion in the middle of the night?"

Hearing this, Li Wenguang realized the consequences. He clenched his fists, eyes blazing with fury.

If this really got out, there would be a flood of rumors, his reputation would be ruined. He'd get beaten up by his father on the spot, and it would become even harder for him to inherit the Li Group.

With the surveillance footage as evidence, he was already caught. And with a dozen trained security guards, there was no way he could win.

"Sir, please come with us for questioning."

The security guards stepped forward, surrounding him.

Seeing this, Li Wenguang frowned and let out an impatient tsk.

He wasn't about to go for questioning. If tomorrow's news came out, he wouldn't be able to explain himself to his father.

He gritted his teeth and decided to cut his losses.

With a sudden shove, he pushed aside one of the guards and ran without looking back.

But how could he outrun these well-trained men? Before he had gone a few meters, he was caught, tackled to the ground, and pinned down.

This was even more humiliating than when he was caught red-handed.

Mischievous Song Nian quietly took out his phone and snapped a picture of him like that.

"What are you doing!"

The flash lit up for a moment, and Li Wenguang was stunned before coming to his senses and shouting furiously.

"If you ever come harassing me again, I'll release your embarrassing photo!"

Brandishing his newfound leverage, Song Nian put his hands on his hips and lifted his chin, looking as proud as a little dog throwing his weight around.

After Li Wenguang was taken away, still grumbling, the garden and the night finally returned to calm.

"Honey, he came looking for me on his own."

Once he was gone, Song Nian immediately confessed honestly, afraid of being misunderstood.

Li Yanchuan didn't confirm or deny, merely letting his gaze drift lightly over him.

In truth, he had noticed the commotion in the garden from the second floor.

After quietly watching for a while, he had silently pulled the curtains shut and come down to the first floor.

That was why he had appeared so quickly after Song Nian shouted.

He had seen the entire sequence of events and Song Nian's reactions.

He had thought that after meeting Li Wenguang, Song Nian, who had been so infatuated with Li Wenguang, might change his mind and switch sides. But he hadn't.

He had chosen him, not Li Wenguang.

And judging by Li Wenguang's shocked expression, there was no way this was an act.

Perhaps Song Nian really could be trusted.

The trust accumulating in his heart was increasing little by little. If at first it was just a leaf, now it had grown into a towering tree.

"Honey, why aren't you saying anything?"

Noticing the man beside him fall silent, Song Nian grew a little nervous and tentatively poked him.

"Yeah, I trust you."

Then a familiar touch fell on his head again.

Li Yanchuan again stroked his head.

His touch was gentle, his broad, warm palm softly rubbing the top of his head.

Song Nian looked up and, under the warm, soft light, caught a glimpse of the gentleness in his eyes.

And the slight upturn of his lips.

The moonlight was just right, and even the passing breeze seemed gentler.