Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Rong Yuan's psychiatric evaluation lasted a total of two and a half hours, and the results clearly showed that his thinking was stable, his logic was coherent, his emotions were coordinated, and he did not exhibit any characteristics of a mental illness.

His cognition was simply different from the norm, but that was something that could be changed through education, not enough to label him mentally ill.

Once the results came out, everyone led by Gu Shenhan breathed a collective sigh of relief, especially Rong Yuan. Gu Shenhan took Rong Yuan and decided to grab a calming lunch.

Last time they went to Tianque at noon, Yan Que had treated them to hotpot. Today, Liang Zheng insisted on paying for the calming meal, so they decided to have Japanese food.

Yan Yu suggested, "How about we go to that place in Blue Whale? The flavor is good there, and there's a mall next to it. After eating, maybe Xiao'an Gege and I can do some shopping."

Rong Yuan said, "I'm fine with anything."

Probably due to prolonged tension, he was a bit tired, and his tone was very light, sounding not very energetic.

Gu Shenhan had been holding his hand, but now he simply wrapped an arm around his waist to support some of his weight: "Let's talk in the car."

Rong Yuan nodded, but just then, someone suddenly rushed over from the other side of the parking spot, blocking their way, and said urgently, "President Gu, President Gu, wait! Just let me say a few words, just two, it'll only take a moment!"

The man was visibly nervous but didn't dare to actually touch them, maintaining a certain distance while bowing, his hands clasped tightly together as if clutching at a lifeline, humble yet stubbornly standing in front of the car.

"You still have the nerve to show up?!" Liang Zheng said. "Look at what you and your brother have done. Thank goodness nothing serious happened today. How would you make up for it if it had?"

"I'm sorry, I really didn't know Xiao Xi would do such a thing." The man was thin and small, looking to be around forty, but his hair was almost completely white. His eyes were dark-circled, his lips dry, and his sallow skin lacked any luster. As soon as he started speaking, tears fell first. "President Gu, President Gu, I know no matter what, this is all our Fei family's fault. But can you, can you spare him this once? I beg you."

"Get out of the way. I don't want to waste words with you." Gu Shenhan shielded Rong Yuan. "Lao Xiao."

"Leave now, Fei Wendong. It won't look good for anyone if we have to resort to force." Xiao Ke said. "It's already merciful that my boss hasn't come after you again. Don't push your luck."

"I'm not leaving, President Gu! President Gu! I know nothing I say now can undo the mistakes my brother and I made, but he has two kids at home! Please just let him off this once, I beg you!"

"It's not a matter of me letting him off now. This is a public prosecution case. Begging me won't help."

"How could it be useless? Surely you have a way!" Fei Wendong dropped to his knees, tears and snot streaming. "Madam Gu, Madam Gu, please put in a good word! My brother, he... he just had a moment of foolishness! I'll apologize to you, I'll kowtow to you! If he goes in, what will happen to his children?"

"Tch, this guy." Liang Zheng said. "They still have a mother, don't they? It's not like no one will look after them. Who told him to commit a crime?"

"My sister-in-law can't handle it! She..."

"What's wrong with her?" Rong Yuan asked.

"She's paralyzed, she can't move." Fei Wendong said. "She used to be a long-haul truck driver. Before the Dragon Boat Festival, she got into a car accident on the highway and hasn't been able to get up since. My eldest two have been studying abroad. President Gu, you might have heard—at the end of last year, I also sent my nephew and niece over there. We old folks used up all our savings. We were really tight on money at the time, and my sister-in-law, thinking she couldn't help much at the company, went back to long-distance freight driving. I never expected..."

As he spoke, Fei Wendong slapped himself hard, a grown man crying without any dignity.

Liang Zheng said, "But how come there's no news of this outside?"

Fei Wendong wiped his face messily. "My niece is strong-willed but physically weak. She managed to study abroad on her own merits, studying herself half to death. Many times she almost couldn't handle it. She always said she wanted to give her parents a better life. If she knew about my sister-in-law's condition, we were afraid she wouldn't be able to take it, so we kept it quiet. But recently, things at home are about to collapse. President Gu... President Gu, please help me this once, I beg you...

If this matter can be resolved, and my niece can graduate smoothly, I, Fei Wendong, will be your servant for life, willing to work like a horse or an ox."

Rong Yuan really couldn't bear to see someone old enough to be his elder crying like this. Looking at Gu Shenhan, he said, "Honey, maybe, maybe just let it go."

Gu Shenhan said, "It's not as simple as me saying let it go. Fei Wendong, you should go ask your brother about the boat he's on—can he still get off? If I help him, I might end up doing your whole family more harm than good. Besides, no one's umbrella can last forever. If the wind gets too strong, it's better to tear it down early, so you can save more strength to move forward."

With that, he opened the car door and gestured for Rong Yuan to get in.

Rong Yuan wanted to say a few more words to help, but he felt that Gu Shenhan's implication was that helping wouldn't lead to a good outcome, so he had to get into the car first.

Then Liang Zheng and Yan Yu also got in. Xiao Ke bent down and patted Fei Wendong on the shoulder. "Step aside, Manager Fei."

Fei Wendong deflated like a punctured balloon, the last glimmer of light in his eyes fading.

The car was so quiet you could only hear breathing, until Xiao Ke started the engine and honked the horn. Fei Wendong seemed to wake with a start, his body jerking slightly upward before he stumbled to his feet.

Liang Zheng drove out first, and Xiao Ke followed suit.

Rong Yuan watched the shrinking figure in the rearview mirror, a flash of a scene from years ago crossing his mind. Someone had sold a close friend he'd made outside the street. That day, he had also gone to beg, begging the family that sold the child to buy him back, offering his own treasure in exchange.

Unfortunately, his friend had already been sold away. He was too young back then, powerless, and never saw that person again.

"Lao Xiao, can you stop the car?"

"Did we forget something?" Gu Shenhan asked.

"No." Rong Yuan said, then opened the door and jumped out, sprinting straight toward the man behind them, fast as the wind.

Gu Shenhan quickly followed. "Rong Yuan! What are you doing?"

Rong Yuan ran up to Fei Wendong, then a moment later ran back, slightly out of breath. "Nothing, honey. I just said a couple of words to him."

Gu Shenhan said, "You're getting bold. What if he attacked you?"

Rong Yuan said, "He wouldn't. He genuinely came to ask for help. You taught me how to tell, remember? Besides, if there was any real danger, you would have rushed over to grab me instead of waiting where you were."

Gu Shenhan poked his forehead lightly twice. "Getting clever now, huh? Don't do that again. Forgot what the doctor said? Didn't he tell you no strenuous activity for this week? And you dared to run that fast."

Rong Yuan touched the spot where he'd been poked. "I know, I'll be careful next time."

The car started moving again, following the white Panamera ahead. Gu Shenhan asked, "What did you say to Fei Wendong just now?"

Rong Yuan said, "Nothing much. I told him that if what he said was the truth, I'd help him by whispering in your ear, and told him not to lose heart."

Xiao Ke let out a snort. Rong Yuan suddenly realized there were more people in the car today than just him and Gu Shenhan, and quickly covered his mouth.

Gu Shenhan's mood immediately shifted. "Whispering in the ear requires the pillows to be touching. Can you do that now?"

Rong Yuan only realized after saying it that the remark was a bit too suggestive, but he'd already said it!

He pretended to look out the window at the scenery, but his hand on the seat slowly crept toward Gu Shenhan's, then hooked his finger.

If this didn't soften him, he'd have a heart of stone. Gu Shenhan grabbed the restless hand. "I'll punish you later."

Rong Yuan asked, "What punishment?"

Gu Shenhan said, "I'll make you pick out the pillows."

Rong Yuan turned his head, then couldn't help glancing outside again. "Honey, the sky is so blue. And it's warm out there."

Without a second thought, Gu Shenhan said, "Mm, it's early autumn. The temperature is just right. No need for air conditioning anymore."

Xiao Ke silently glanced at the suit jacket his boss had set aside, and the rolled-up shirt sleeves.

He had to admit, his boss's mouth was really hard.

Good thing the salmon at the Japanese restaurant they were heading to was soft.

The morning rush hour had passed, so the drive was smooth, and they arrived at Blue Whale just before lunchtime.

The group found a private room, ordered food, and sat together, but they were all somewhat quiet.

The earlier events had affected everyone to varying degrees. Yan Yu, sitting across from Rong Yuan, fiddled with the paper wrapper of his chopsticks and asked, "Brother Xiao'an, what did you say to Fei Wendong when you got out of the car earlier?"

Rong Yuan, thinking about the "pillow talk," lowered his eyes and said, "Nothing much, just told him not to lose heart. But honey, what did you mean earlier? Why would helping them actually harm them?"

Gu Shenhan called the waiter over to adjust the room temperature a bit higher and replied, "If I helped them, Gu Chengzhi would panic. He'd definitely think the Fei brothers had switched sides. Do you think, with his personality, he'd let those kids of the Fei family off easy?"

In China, Gu Chengzhi probably wouldn't dare to do anything. But those kids are all abroad—Gu Chengzhi has plenty of ways to manipulate them.

In fact, if Fei Wenxi were willing to genuinely cooperate and not take all the blame himself, the case could be investigated further. But Gu Chengzhi wouldn't let things go that way. Fei Wenxi must have realized this, which is why he insisted it was all his own doing for revenge.

In the end, getting on a sinking ship is easy, but getting off is hard.

And now, he didn't want to deal with this mess. If he wanted to help the Fei family, he'd have to take over all their troubles. But at the end of the day, he was just a businessman. He still wanted to hold the position of power in the Gu family, so naturally, he couldn't tarnish the Gu name this way. The elders wouldn't approve either.

Most importantly, even if the case were thoroughly investigated, it wouldn't deal a fatal blow to Gu Chengzhi.

Rong Yuan said, "But if that little girl finds out the truth, won't she be very sad and scared?"

Gu Shenhan knew Rong Yuan was talking about Fei Wenxi's daughter and said without hesitation, "That's Fei Wenxi's own doing. He threatened you and hurt you—that's a fact. What goes around comes around."

Rong Yuan fiddled with his cup. "I'm not saying we should get Fei Wenxi out. I mean, can we help the Fei family a little? Like Fei Wenxi's wife and his kids—they're really pitiful. If Fei Wendong, as the eldest uncle, can't take care of them either, that would be too hard."

Liang Zheng interrupted, "Hey, hey, we're here to celebrate. Let's not talk about this. I want to have a few more drinks later."

Yan Yu said, "If you drink too much, who's driving?!"

Liang Zheng replied, "Just call a designated driver, right? Look, your brother is here—he'll drive."

Yan Que had taken a break at noon to join them for a meal. As soon as he entered, he asked Rong Yuan, "Xiao An, how are you?"

Rong Yuan said, "I'm fine. Thanks, Yan Ge."

There weren't many customers in the restaurant yet, so the food came quickly, and everyone soon focused on eating.

The meal included sushi platters, sashimi, sake, and desserts. Rong Yuan looked at the items on the sushi platter and had many questions.

He asked Gu Shenhan, "Honey, what's that?"

Tiny, glistening pearls that looked like roe. But how could roe be this plump and intact?

Gu Shenhan pointed them out one by one. "Salmon roe, golden eye snapper, sea urchin, bluefin tuna belly, sweet shrimp, Arctic surf clam..."

Rong Yuan said, "So that's just fish roe, right?"

Gu Shenhan nodded. "Yes."

Rong Yuan suddenly felt uncomfortable. So many babies that would never grow into fish.

But everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves, so he silently ignored it. Pointing to the sea urchin, he asked, "Is this roe too?"

Even though it looked different from the other roe, it still seemed like some kind of eggs.

Everyone looked at Gu Shenhan with interest, waiting for his answer.

Gu Shenhan said, "You could think of it that way."

Could... think of it that way?

Yan Yu chimed in, "Oh, it's just that roe includes reproductive glands. What's there to be shy about?"

Rong Yuan asked, "Reproductive... glands? What's that?"

Yan Yu: "..." Damn my mouth—why did I learn to talk!

Gu Shenhan looked at the curious, innocent eyes staring at him, brushed the back of his hand lightly over Rong Yuan's brows and said, "I'll explain it to you when we get home. Eat first."

Rong Yuan didn't feel like eating. He just had a small bowl of udon, a bit of fried crab cake, and two red bean daifuku. He barely touched anything else. He only ate two sweet shrimp nigiri.

Gu Shenhan asked him, "Does it taste fishy?"

Rong Yuan said, "No. It's just that the noodles taste better."

Liang Zheng said, "Sister-in-law, you eat like a bird! That's way too little. Want me to order something else for you?"

Rong Yuan waved his hand. "No, no, I'm full."

Yan Yu asked, "Do you want to go shopping later?"

Rong Yuan said, "Not today. I'm a bit tired and want to go home and rest."

Even though the test results were good, he had been very uneasy during those two hours and wanted some quiet time.

Gu Shenhan noticed Rong Yuan wasn't in high spirits, so he dropped the idea of taking him to the hospital for an antibody test. After the meal, he took him straight back to Cuixi Garden.

The butler was directing the workers to load the pruned branches from the yard onto a truck. In no time, the large garden had filled a medium-sized truck.

Rong Yuan got out of the car before reaching the villa. "Butler Zhang, where are these all going?"

The butler replied, "To the dump. We're throwing them away."

Rong Yuan touched a branch, then picked one up and headed toward the villa.

"What's wrong? You seem listless."

"Nothing. Now we have so much coal, electricity, gas, and solar energy, so firewood isn't important anymore. That's a great thing."

All those pruned branches—if this were the other world, they would have meant real money or food.

So many people froze or died from illness because they couldn't afford firewood in winter. This world is so much better than that one.

But even in this wonderful world, people still have worries.

Gu Shenhan asked, "Still thinking about this morning?"

Rong Yuan touched the cut on the branch. "A little. Honey, if I said I wanted to help the Fei family in my own way, would you be angry?"

Gu Shenhan frowned slightly. "How? By giving money? Or by speaking up for Fei Wenxi? An An, don't cause trouble for yourself. You had eleven stitches. I've already been lenient by not making the Fei family pay with blood."

Rong Yuan plucked at a leaf. "So the pillow talk wouldn't work either."

Gu Shenhan: "..."

Rong Yuan said, "I'm not giving money or speaking up for Fei Wenxi. He broke the law, so he should face justice. I just feel sorry for the Fei kids. They didn't do anything wrong."

Gu Shenhan could tell his little wife was soft-hearted and slowed his pace. "Then how does my lady intend to blow this pillow talk? Come on, give me a sample first so I can get a feel for it."

Just then, they entered the living room. The servants were all busy outside or resting, so the living room was empty.

Rong Yuan thought for a moment, then stood on tiptoe and quickly gave Gu Shenhan a kiss.

Gu Shenhan narrowed his eyes slightly and tugged at his collar: "You took the initiative to kiss me just to help a few outsiders. The more I think about it, the more it bugs me."

Rong Yuan was stunned: "Th-then what should I do?!"

Gu Shenhan immediately cupped the back of his head and kissed him back, his tongue exploring Rong Yuan's mouth. After a while, Rong Yuan's legs went weak, and Gu Shenhan was also getting unbearably hot. Panting heavily, he whispered in Rong Yuan's ear: "From now on, don't ever kiss me just to please someone else. They don't deserve it."

Rong Yuan said softly: "It wasn't entirely about pleasing you. I—I also wanted to kiss you myself."

Gu Shenhan felt the flame that had just begun to subside suddenly burst back to life with a whoosh, blazing even hotter.