MHWFYYTMDF Chapter39

Lian Jiu first called Gao Ming, there’s no answer.

He then called Song Li, his phone was switched off.

Left with no other option, he had to head in the direction the kid had pointed out earlier to search. He searched for a long time and even called over the banquet hall’s general manager to inquire about the situation, almost turning the entire hotel upside down in the end, only to confirm that Gao Ming had indeed not stayed in the hotel with him.

His heart went completely cold, his teeth trembling in sheer terror.

Damn it, that damn lunatic Gao Ming! Of all the people he could take a fancy to, he just had to target Song Li.

Did he get so carried away just because He Muyan usually addressed him as “Brother Ming”? Although He Muyan had set up his own enterprise nowadays, he still had the He family standing behind him. The He family was a leading giant in the industry; even in twenty years, if the He family’s old master stomped his foot, he could still crush a swarm of little ants like them who lacked background into dust.

From what Gao Ming had said at the banquet today, it seemed that He Muyan was planning to make a move against him soon. Lian Jiu wasn’t clear on the exact reason, but he understood He Muyan: if he wanted to do so, he definitely had his reasons.

While Gao Ming was a skilled businessman, his methods were famously dishonorable. An unseemly private life was only a minor part of it; he had undoubtedly done plenty of dirty deeds behind the scenes.

When He Muyan was starting out years ago during his most difficult times, Gao Ming had lent him a helping hand. It was precisely out of gratitude for that gesture that over all these years, even though Gao Ming did many dishonorable things, as long as it wasn’t utterly devoid of conscience or humanity, He Muyan always turned a blind eye and never truly came after him.

This time, who knew what Gao Ming had done to make He Muyan decide to target him. Not only that, but he was stupid enough to retaliate by going after Song Li while He Muyan was taking him down as well. This was f*cking insane! If He Muyan didn’t strip away half his life, it would count as giving him face.

However, Lian Jiu really had no spare energy left to care about that idiot Gao Ming right now. He could barely save his own skin. He was the one who took Song Li out and delivered him straight into Gao Ming’s hands. Damn it, why was he so brainless? How could he be so comfortable leaving Song Li alone there? If Song Li remained unharmed today, all would be well; but if something truly happened to him, Lian Jiu could go ahead and notify his family to prepare his funeral.

Lian Jiu searched for a long time without a single clue. Knowing that dragging this on would only make Song Li’s situation more dangerous, he didn’t dare hesitate any longer and bit the bullet to call He Muyan.

At this hour, He Muyan still seemed to be working overtime at the company, his tone noticeably impatient when he picked up the call, “What is it?”

Crouching under a pillar at the hotel entrance, Lian Jiu was drenched in cold sweat. He swallowed hard, trying his best to keep his voice from trembling, “B-Brother Yan, I need to tell you something.”

“En.”

“Th-then… did Sister-in-law go home?”

On He Muyan’s end, the rustling sound of flipping through documents seemed to cease upon hearing his question. “I haven’t called him yet today. Didn’t I ask you to take him for his checkup this morning? Did you not drop him off back home?”

“No, no, I did; wait, no, I didn’t either, I…”

He Muyan’s voice sank. “Lian Jiu, calm down and speak clearly.”

Lian Jiu took a deep breath, gritting his teeth hard as he spoke, “Brother Yan, listen to me, but you must hold back first; saving him is what matters most! Sister-in-law… was taken away by Gao Ming! I’ve been searching for a long time, but there’s no trace. I don’t know where he took Sister-in-law, I…”

“Lian Jiu,” He Muyan interrupted him. The sound coming through the microphone could no longer be described as merely dark and chilly. “How long ago did they leave?”

Lian Jiu’s teeth chattered, “A-about an hour. I couldn’t find them anywhere, and I was afraid something bad would happen if I dragged this out any longer…”

Before he could finish, the line went dead. As he listened to the busy signal on the other end, cold sweat continuously trickled down Lian Jiu’s forehead.

Would it still be in time if he went home right now to write a last will?

On the other side, inside the president’s office of Tengyan Tower, Li Xiu had just pushed the door open holding a stack of documents awaiting signatures, only to feel a blast of cold wind sweep past his ear as He Muyan stormed out right past him.

By the time Li Xiu looked up, He Muyan was already five steps away, his back radiating a rare sense of urgency and panic.

Li Xiu instinctively called out, “Boss, where are you going?”

He Muyan’s figure had already vanished beyond the glass doors. Left with no choice, Li Xiu went back inside to grab He Muyan’s coat before sprinting after him as fast as his legs could carry him.

He knew He Muyan was in great physical shape, but he never expected him to be this good. By the time they reached the elevator and ran down to the garage, Li Xiu felt like his lungs were about to burst from running, yet He Muyan hadn’t even lost his breath. His expression, however, was terrifyingly dark. If it wasn’t just his imagination, Li Xiu could have sworn he saw an intense, overwhelming sense of inner turmoil and helplessness in his boss’s eyes. The hand reaching out to open the car door was even trembling slightly, so much so that he failed to pull it open on the first try.

Li Xiu quickly stepped up to open the door for him. He Muyan bent down to get inside, his voice pressed exceedingly low, “Drive. Fast.”

Li Xiu hurriedly scrambled into the driver’s seat. He Muyan was so unnervingly tense that it made him equally nervous beside him.

Good lord, what on earth could have happened to shatter He Muyan’s composure to this extent?

Li Xiu started the car and asked, his throat dry, “Boss, where are we heading?”

He Muyan retrieved his phone and handed it to him. “Follow this GPS location.”

As Li Xiu reached for the phone, his hand accidentally brushed against He Muyan’s fingers; the icy temperature sent a jolt of anxiety through him, and he noticed a subtle, faint tremor in his boss’s hand.

The location indicated that the distance wasn’t too far, and given the late hour, traffic should be clear. Li Xiu pressed the accelerator to maximum speed, yet He Muyan kept urging him from the back, “Faster.”

Cold sweat began to bead on Li Xiu’s forehead. Any faster and we could go drifting on Mount Akina, Boss.

What should have been a thirty-minute drive was compressed by a full two-thirds. When Li Xiu finally parked, his internal organs felt completely twisted into a knot, leaving him thoroughly nauseated.

He Muyan stepped out of the car, looking up at the sign above.

Li Xiu caught up beside him. “Isn’t this the hotel President Gao recently invested in? Boss, what are we doing here?”

With sinister, somber eyes, He Muyan walked inside without saying a word.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Li Xiu had no choice but to hurry after him.

Nausea, dizziness, suffocating stench—when Song Li groggily regained consciousness, these were the only sensations invading his mind.

Lacking all strength, even trying to split his eyelids open took immense effort.

Someone was incessantly rambling by his ear. Song Li tried hard to focus and catch the words, vaguely hearing phrases like “it’s all your fault,” “you lured me,” “seeing you like this drives me crazy,” and “don’t worry, if that kid He Muyan doesn’t cherish you, I’ll cherish you in his place.”

Song Li realized that the person whispering near his ear was Gao Ming, and his memories before passing out instantly flooded back. Gao Ming had drugged his drink.

What a piece of scum!

Song Li twitched his fingers, straining with all his might to get his body to move.

His tiny struggles went unnoticed by Gao Ming, who grew even more brazen, leaning in toward his neck to inhale his scent.

Gao Ming narrowed his eyes with a lecherous look before closing them, reveling in his own twisted satisfaction. “So fragrant…”

If he hadn’t been paralyzed, Song Li felt certain he would have thrown up from sheer revulsion.

He even felt fingers start to unbutton his clothes. To his despair, Song Li discovered that aside from his fingers, he had zero control over the rest of his body. Just as he felt completely helpless, even contemplating biting his tongue, a loud, deafening crash suddenly exploded near his ears.

It sounded like the thundering sound of someone kicking the door from outside, startling both him and Gao Ming. Gao Ming stood up instantly, cursing loudly, “F*ck, who the hell is it?! Who dares to ruin my fun?!”

“Sir! Sir, you can’t do this! If you keep this up, we’re calling security! Sir!”

Outside, voices repeatedly tried to restrain and reason with him, but the relentless sound of kicking never stopped, each thunderous blow seeming more forceful and earth-shaking than the one before. The heavy wooden door was ultimately unable to withstand the assault; under the final, fatal kick, it let out a sorrowful creak before crashing down.

Gao Ming practically jumped, marching over aggressively to see which suicidal fool had come to ruin his good time. But before he could even reach the doorway, a dark shadow flashed past his vision, and in the very next second, a fist slammed viciously into his face.

Gao Ming let out a choked “f*ck.” His strong, nearly 190-cm frame was forced straight to his knees by this single punch, immediately followed by a solid kick right to his lower abdomen.

This time, Gao Ming couldn’t even squeeze out a curse. Clutching his stomach, he writhed in agony on the floor. Yet the person beating him didn’t stop in the slightest, kicking him again and again, raining relentless blows down on every vulnerable spot of his body.

The manager who rushed in from behind was nearly scared into cardiac arrest by this bloody scene. Just as he was about to step forward to stop it, he was blocked by an expressionless Li Xiu. All he could do was watch helplessly as Gao Ming was beaten beyond recognition, lying on the floor gasping for air.

“H-He Muyan…”

In the room filled only with the dull thuds of punches against flesh and Gao Ming’s half-dead groans, a faint voice suddenly sounded.

Though so weak it was barely audible, He Muyan heard it clearly. He stopped his mechanical movements and slowly turned his head.

When he saw the person lying on the bed, the ruthless ferocity covering his entire body seemed to gradually quiet down.

He Muyan walked over, watching as Song Li tried hard to raise his head to look at him. With panic and fear filling his reddened eyes, Song Li softly called out, “He Muyan…”

He sounded so aggrieved, yet so careful.

Looking down at him, a sharp, twisting pain suddenly flared in the left side of He Muyan’s chest; it was painful enough to make him choke for breath, painful enough to make him want to pull this person into his arms and merge him into his very bones and blood.

Yet he didn’t dare to do it. He was terrified, terrified of hurting him.

He Muyan slowly crouched down, reaching out to touch Song Li’s cheek. It was burning hot as if he had a fever.

“Lili…”

He Muyan’s voice shook violently, coming out dry and hoarse. The moment the sound left his lips, he could barely recognize it as his own.

Song Li nodded, and his tears instantly spilled over.

He Muyan let out a sigh and gently lifted him into his arms.

As he walked past Gao Ming, who was still lying on the floor, Li Xiu beside him couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, how should we handle this guy?”

With his attention entirely fixed on the person in his arms, He Muyan glanced down at the man on the ground with undisguised disgust. “Take him away first. Don’t send him to the hospital.”

Which means letting him suffer for a bit first. Understanding the unspoken command, Li Xiu nodded softly.

He Muyan then carried Song Li out of the hotel.

Leaning against He Muyan’s chest and smelling the reassuring scent on him, Song Li slowly closed his eyes.

He slept groggily for a long time, plagued by a flurry of bizarre dreams. When he woke up again, he couldn’t tell whether it was day or night.

His right hand was being held tightly by someone. Song Li turned his head and saw He Muyan fast asleep slumped against the edge of the bed. It seemed he had been accompanying him here the whole time while holding his hand without letting go for a single second.

Glancing around, Song Li realized that they were actually in a hospital, judging by the environment, it was Lian Jiu’s family hospital.

Song Li shook his head, feeling much less dizzy now, though the memory of what happened before he passed out remained fresh in his mind, leaving him with lingering fear.

Perhaps his faint movement alerted the person beside him. He Muyan opened his eyes, a flicker of pleasant surprise crossing his face as he saw him awake. He immediately leaned in happily, “Lili, you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

Song Li blinked. “How long was I asleep?”

He Muyan stroked his face. “A whole night.”

Song Li looked at the dark circles under his eyes. “You didn’t sleep all night? Have you been accompanying me here the entire time?”

He Muyan let out an “en,” gently playing with his hair. “I didn’t dare to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt like you were going to leave me again.”

Song Li wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that after waking up from this sleep, He Muyan had suddenly become much gentler. Although he had been very gentle before, it was never quite like this; his eyes completely overflowing with tenderness, unable to avert his gaze from him for even a second, as though every glance was precious.

Amused by his own inexplicable thought, Song Li reached out to tug at his clothes. “I’m fine now, much better. Go get some sleep and rest a bit.”

He Muyan took his hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss it. “Lili, I’m sorry.”

Song Li roughly knew why he was apologizing, so he shook his head gently. “It’s fine, this isn’t your fault. Gao Ming went too far, and I was also too careless myself.”

Hearing him mention Gao Ming, the temperature in He Muyan’s eyes briefly cooled down. “I will handle Gao Ming’s matter. Lili, it was my oversight this time that caused you and the baby to suffer such grievance.”

Song Li was stunned for a moment, as if only then remembering the child in his belly. Placing his hand on his stomach, he asked nervously, “The baby… is it alright?”

He Muyan held his hand. “It’s fine. Both of you are fine, don’t worry.”

Song Li looked into his eyes, and after confirming that he was indeed not just comforting him, he finally let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

Brushing away the hair on his forehead, He Muyan leaned down to kiss his forehead and the tip of his nose, his gaze never leaving his face for even a fraction of a second.

Feeling thoroughly embarrassed under his intense gaze, Song Li reached out to cover his eyes. “What on earth is wrong with you today? Why do you keep looking at me like this?”

He Muyan held his hand, shook his head, and chuckled softly. “I just feel that I didn’t look at you enough in the past, so I need to look at you more from now on.”

Song Li gave a soft “en,” his face growing slightly warm.

Under the influence of the drug, Song Li ran a low-grade fever for two consecutive days. Fortunately, it didn’t affect the baby in his belly, and he was discharged after two days of IV drips at the hospital.

Furthermore, after this incident, Song Li noticed that He Muyan seemed to have changed; he had become a bit… strange.

He watched him from morning to night every day, whether he was eating or going to the bathroom. Sometimes, when Song Li woke in the middle of the night, he would even find He Muyan lying on his side, quietly staring intently at his sleeping face, as though he had not slept at all.

This kind of situation wasn’t entirely nonexistent in the past; back when he first discovered his pregnancy, He Muyan seemed terrified that he might do something reckless, so he was exceptionally gentle and attentive toward him.

Yet even during that period when he was under the strictest supervision, it couldn’t match a tenth of what it was now.

Song Li sometimes even harbored the terrifying conjecture that He Muyan might actually want to lock him up and forbid him from going anywhere.

Nearly two weeks have passed like this. One morning, as He Muyan was accompanying him downstairs for breakfast as usual, Li Xiu, who hadn’t shown up in a long time, actually came over as well.

He looked somewhat exhausted, which was understandable. During this period, He Muyan had been staying home with Song Li, requiring Li Xiu to handle all company matters in his place, so it was no wonder he was worn out like this.

Since Li Xiu was back, it meant He Muyan was likely about to end this period of seamless “confinement” life.

Song Li felt a little happy inside.

Humming a tune, he picked up a fried egg with his chopsticks and placed it in He Muyan’s bowl.

Looking at his expression, He Muyan said nothing, only raising his head to look at Li Xiu. “Is everything resolved?”

“It’s all taken care of,” Li Xiu nodded in response. “He’s committed quite a few offenses over the years, with dirty hands both out in the open and behind the scenes. As for those people around him, not a single one can escape now that they’re being investigated. The police currently have him in custody.”

He Muyan nodded. “Well done.”

Song Li looked at them curiously. “What are you two talking about? Who’s been taken into custody by the police?”

Aren’t these people in business? How did they get involved with the police?

He Muyan glanced at him before reaching out to wipe away a grain of porridge from the corner of his mouth, and spoke impassively, “Gao Ming.”

Song Li froze, raising his head to look toward Li Xiu, who nodded back at him.

Taking a deep breath, Song Li was at a bit of a loss for how to respond.

Regarding the incident at the hotel last time, both he and He Muyan had been intentionally avoiding the subject. He Muyan didn’t bring it up, and Song Li himself also felt too repulsed to dwell on it. He hadn’t expected that after so long, he would suddenly hear him mention Gao Ming again.

Song Li tightened his fingers. “Have you… been investigating Gao Ming all this time?”

He Muyan nodded, taking his hand. “He’ll likely spend the rest of his life inside.”

Recalling that man’s sickening face, a surge of vindictive satisfaction rose within Song Li’s heart, and he pursed his lips and nodded gently.

After breakfast, He Muyan went into the study with Li Xiu to talk. Feeling bored on his own, Song Li grabbed a watering can and ran outside to water the flowers.

“Boss, these are copies of the materials we provided to the police after the case was filed. Do you need to take another look?”

Li Xiu stood across from the desk while holding a small USB flash drive in his hand.

He Muyan cast a glance at it and shook his head. “It’s already set in stone; why dirty my eyes again?”

Li Xiu bowed and stowed the USB drive away.

Leaning back in his chair, He Muyan looked at the man across from him and let out a light laugh. “You’ve worked hard during this period. Once everything settles down completely, I’ll give you a vacation.”

The expression on Li Xiu’s face softened slightly, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitching a few times before he couldn’t help but speak up, “Boss, whether I take a vacation or not is a small matter. Lately, the company has made so many major moves, accompanied by frequent personnel changes, and those old folks at the company are each more difficult to deal with than the last. If you still don’t come back, I really won’t be able to hold the fort much longer.”

Resting his chin in his hand, He Muyan turned toward the window beside him. From where he sat, he had a clear view of Song Li downstairs, quietly watering the flowers. He seemed to have his attention caught by a few bees, holding up his phone to snap photos of them mid-watering, looking just like a child.

He Muyan’s eyes were brimming with tenderness as he said softly, “I don’t really want to be away from him lately. Let’s talk about it in a couple of days.”

Looking at the expression on his face, Li Xiu followed his gaze and murmured with emotion, “Boss, you really treat Mr. Song so well.”

After making the comment, he felt like he was stating the obvious. The two of them were husband and husband; if He Muyan didn’t treat him well, who else would he treat well?

Yet He Muyan seemed to hold a different thought about his remark. Withdrawing his gaze, he turned back to look at him, “Do I treat him well?”

Li Xiu nodded. “Top tier well, I’d say.”

At least, he had never seen He Muyan treat anyone other than Song Li with such care.

“Though Boss and Mr. Song met by coincidence and had no foundational feelings for each other when you got married, being able to reach this point today truly hasn’t been easy.”

He Muyan’s hand resting on the desk stilled, asking in a low voice, “Do we still look like we have no foundational feelings now?”

Li Xiu thought to himself that the boss was practically questioning what love even was himself, so why talk about foundational feelings? Last time, it was also his own lack of tact that led him to rashly draw conclusions about their marriage, which almost struck a nerve. This time, he had learned to be smart and knew how to answer such questions with high emotional intelligence.

“Young people in contemporary society are relatively self-centered. Being together doesn’t necessarily stem from feelings; everyone gets what they need, and being happy together is what matters most.”

Li Xiu offered his answer with full confidence, yet failed to notice their boss’s gaze turning chilly upon hearing his words: “You think Song Li is with me because of that too?”

Li Xiu pondered for a moment. “Although Mr. Song is a bit different from other young people in society, he has such a good temperament and isn’t the type to harbor petty grudges, so it’s probably about the same.”

He Muyan’s voice sank, “So what you mean is, Song Li isn’t with me out of affection, but simply because he’s a pushover who is being considerate of my feelings?”

Li Xiu froze. Was that what I meant?

Seeming to sink into a bizarre loop of his own thoughts, He Muyan waved a hand at him, “You may go out first.”

Looking at his boss’s souring expression again, Li Xiu felt a wave of trepidation. What should he do? Had he said the wrong thing again?

When he walked out the door, he saw Song Li strolling in the yard, occasionally pausing to touch his stomach. He was already showing a bit now, slightly visible even through looser clothing.

Li Xiu couldn’t resist walking over. “Mr. Song.”

Song Li turned around to look at him, offering a smile. “Are you leaving?”

Li Xiu nodded. “There are still many matters at the company to attend to, so I can’t linger for too long.”

“Have you been working really hard lately? How about I convince He Muyan to go back soon? I’ll be fine staying home by myself.”

Just as Li Xiu was about to reply, he caught a glimpse of a figure walking past him out of the corner of his eye. Without Song Li noticing when he had come outside, He Muyan quietly approached his side with a cashmere blanket in hand and gently draped it over his shoulders.

Looking down at him, his voice sounded low and deep, “Do you want me to leave that badly? Is it no good having me stay home to keep you company?”

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