Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhang Yichen was very drunk indeed. He had his eyes closed. The alcohol had put him in a very uncomfortable state. He hadn’t drunk freely like that for a very long time.
Earlier, Huo Yangxiu came up to check on him. She was touched to find Huo Jinyao in the room looking after her son.
She was not young and energetic anymore. She flew to Rong City early that the morning and at this moment, she was already feeling tired. Huo Jinyao told her to go back to her room and take some rest, that he would be looking after Zhang Yichen so he did not have to worry.
Xia brought the soup into the room. Without thinking too much, Huo Jinyao called Zhang Yichen’s name and prepared to give him the soup. As the latter did not respond, he had to help him up and get him to drink the soup.
All Su Peizhen wanted to know was that Zhang Yichen had the soup.
She watched Zhang Yichen drink the soup for a moment.
She heard about that kind of drug before but had never tried it. She wouldn’t try it on herself in any case, so she had no idea exactly how effective it would be.
By the time Xia left the room, Su Peizhen had already left.
The room was quiet. Huo Jinyao stood by Zhang Yichen’s bedside, looking at him with both concern and curiosity in his eyes.
Did he misunderstand him or…?
The man on the bed didn’t seem to notice him at all. Huo Jinyao spent a moment observing him and then prepared to leave. But at that very moment, Zhang Yichen opened his eyes.
“Uncle, how do you feel?”
Zhang Yichen was still drunk and not yet sober. He thought he was looking at Su Qingsang.
Huo Jinyao had called him “Uncle” in a very soft voice. His voice sounded familiar to him. He felt like he had heard it somewhere before.
He tried to open his eyes wider to see the person more clearly. But under the effects of the drug and the alcohol, the desire that was buried deep inside him became aroused.
“Qingsang?”
On hearing her name, Huo Jinyao gave a slight start. He examined Zhang Yichen’s face and asked him again, with a very gentle voice, “Uncle, you called me what?”
Zhang Yichen couldn’t hear him clearly. He felt that the voice was coming from a long distance away, but at the same time, he felt as though “she” was whispering right beside his ear.
He was drugged. What he had taken wasn’t an aphrodisiac drug. Instead, it was something that stimulated the desire he had hidden deep down inside him.
He blinked, trying to see the person in front of him more clearly. He couldn’t though, not really.
Huo Jinyao took a step forward. Standing by the bedside, he took a closer look at Zhang Yichen’s face. In Zhang Yichen’s eyes, his face became more and more blurry.
“Uncle, who are you calling?”
“Qingsang.”
Normally, alcohol wouldn’t possibly cause Zhang Yichen to lose control of himself, no matter how much he drank. But at that very moment, the longing in his heart was indeed spiraling out of control.
All of a sudden, he reached out and grasped Huo Jinyao’s wrist.
His movement was so sudden that Huo Jinyao didn’t manage to react in time. He fell forward into Zhang Yichen.
Zhang Yichen held him tight. Under the effect of the drug, he didn’t even realize that the person he held in his arms was not Su Qingsang.
“Qingsang. Qingsang.”
With the assistance of the drug and alcohol, the feelings that he had been trying to hide away erupted intensely.
But even then, Zhang Yichen didn’t allow himself to say anything else but her name. He still remembered who they both were.
Huo Jinyao couldn’t move. It turned out that he had guessed right. He struggled to prop up his upper body, gazing at Zhang Yichen whose behavior had gone out of control and whose eyes were unfocused.
“Do you like Qingsang?”
He should not like her that way. He was not allowed to like her that way. But still, he nodded.
“Yes, Qingsang. I like you.”
She was so smart and special. He didn’t feel that way the first time he saw her, but that feeling started to grow inside him like a seed as he saw her again and again.
He rarely had the chance to spend time with her. That was exactly why he thought about her all the time.
“Qingsang. Qingsang, I like you.”
He held Huo Jinyao, whispering her name to express his feelings, but he didn’t do anything more than that.
His strong willpower was still fighting against his feelings at that moment. Even though what he saw in front of him was an illusion, he did not allow himself to do anything else to “Su Qingsang”. He did not want to do anything to hurt her.
If the others saw, they might not have thought that, but Huo Jinyao did.
Zhang Yichen was still trying to restrain himself. He was holding Huo Jinyao but he was controlling his strength.
Huo Jinyao pried himself from Zhang Yichen’s arms. He was strong and the latter was drunk, so he achieved that quite easily.
He sat down on the side of the bed and looked at Zhang Yichen, who was still reaching out his arms.
Abruptly, he leaned toward him.
“Uncle, I’m married. Don’t you remember?”
His voice didn’t contain anger or hatred. He understood better than anyone how charming Su Qingsang was. Any man who paid serious attention to Su Qingsang would discover her charm.
Zhang Yichen had discovered it. That was reasonable.
“Married?”
Zhang Yichen was confused. The face of the person before his eyes blurred even more than before. For a moment, he thought he was looking at Huo Jinyao.
But how it be Huo Jinyao?
He looked for the hands of “Su Qingsang”. His face wore a look of pain.
“I know you’re married. I know.”
He stuttered with a deep and dry voice that was filled with bitterness.
He knew that she was married and that her husband was his nephew. That was why he had been so painfully hiding the feelings that he had for her.
Why was he so unfortunate? He was finally attracted to a woman, but she turned out to be his nephew’s wife.
“Why? Why are you married? Why am I not the man you met first? Why?”
Zhang Yichen’s voice sounded so bitter. He wanted her but he could never have her. That was the worst pain he had ever had to suffer.
“Qingsang. Qingsang.”
Huo Jinyao looked at Zhang Yichen’s face. Zhang Yichen was looking back at him. The drug had started to take effect. The delusion that Zhang Yichen was having became more and more realistic.
He saw Su Qingsang returning his gaze gently.
“Qingsang. Qingsang. Qingsang, would you be fond of me if I was the one you met first?”
Once again, he reached out and held “her”.
“Tell me. Would you like me? Would you like me?”
He could not forget his first meeting with her. She had been standing in the hallway of the hospital, looking at him with her eyebrows raised, wearing a faint smile.
She had been so smart. She figured out right away that the woman had faked the accident.
He couldn’t forget that day because he had been conducting a secret meeting with his comrade. They thought they were hiding well enough but somehow, Su Qingsang bumped into them in the alley and found them.
She had been so scared, but she pretended to be calm. She refused to beg for mercy.
He didn’t get to see her after that. He was surprised by her at their first meeting, attracted to her at the second. By the time he saw her for the third time, he had fallen in love with her.
He remembered how happy and relaxed she was whenever Huo Jinyao was by her side. He remembered her expressions clearly, so he tried very hard to control himself.
He knew that what he wanted could never come to pass. Therefore, he spared no effort in suppressing that desire.
But those thoughts would always surge into his mind at night, in his dreams.
He tried so hard to hold back his feelings in the daytime, but at night he couldn’t help but think about her.
What he was experiencing at the moment wasn’t exactly the same as the dreams he had been having about her. He was aware that he might be suffering from a delusion, but the desire deep inside him had been stirred and aroused. He thought he must be looking at the woman from his dreams.
He couldn’t help but ask the question that he had always wanted to ask.
“Qingsang. Qingsang. Would you like me if I was the one you met first?”
He looked at “Su Qingsang” and kept pleading for an answer.
Huo Jinyao was aware that Zhang Yichen was drunk and barely conscious. He also knew that the man was letting out his true feelings.
He only said what he said because those feelings really existed.
“Uncle.”
Huo Jinyao had to hear the name of his wife come out of another man’s mouth over and over again. And that man was his uncle.
It did not make him feel good. His face had turned slightly sullen.
“Qingsang is married.”
He reminded Zhang Yichen of that fact again. Whatever the man was thinking, he wanted those thoughts to go away and die in a ditch.
Zhang Yichen who had begun to lean into his delusion did not realize that the words he heard weren’t from the real Su Qingsang.
He heard Su Qingsang say that she was married and so, he held “her” again.
“I know. I know that you’re married.”
Zhang Yichen spoke painfully. He held her tight. He didn’t want to let her go.
“I just regret that I’m not the man you met first.”
“Qingsang might not fall for you even if you were the man she met first.”
“Why?” Zhang Yichen looked at the person before him.
“Why wouldn’t you fall for me? Last time I almost kissed you and you blushed.”
That wasn’t real. He hadn’t intended to kiss her. He was only leaning closer to her to threaten her.
Huo Jinyao didn’t know the truth. Zhang Yichen kissed Su Qingsang? His mind went wild.
‘Last time? When was that?’
How come Su Qingsang never mentioned that to him?
As Huo Jinyao was trying to recall everything Su Qingsang had ever said to him about Zhang Yichen, Zhang Yichen started talking again.
“You blushed. Doesn’t that mean that you might have fallen in love with me… If you gave me a chance?”
His drunken talk was garbled.
All Zhang Yichen wanted was some warmth from her to comfort himself, just like the warmth he had in his dreams. He didn’t realize that he wasn’t talking to the real Su Qingsang.
Huo Jinyao couldn’t bear listening to him anymore. He clenched his teeth. As Zhang Yichen tightened his arms, he suddenly struck him on the back of his neck.
Zhang Yichen passed out. He didn’t see the strike coming.
Huo Jinyao wrenched himself out of his arms, adjusted his clothes, and quickly took a step backward. He looked at Zhang Yichen’s face and pressed his lips together with barely concealed anger.
Zhang Yichen was in love with his wife.
He was his uncle and they were close, but even then, Huo Jinyao could not tolerate it.
He was angry.
Su Qingsang was his wife and he was clearly aware of that, but still…
Huo Jinyao’s chest was heaving. After spending another moment staring into Zhang Yichen’s face, he decided not to stay. He turned and returned to his own room.
Su Qingsang was resting in his room. A few thick medical books were piled beside her right hand.
She was focused on those books, taking notes from time to time.
Before she finished writing one of her notes, Huo Jinyao abruptly showed up and squeezed her tight.
Su Qingsang gave a big start and almost dropped her pen.
“Jinyao?”
Huo Jinyao wasn’t showing any signs of letting her go, so she put down her pen.
To do that, she had to wrench herself out of his arms for a second. Huo Jinyao quickly held her tight again right after that.
Su Qingsang paused briefly with surprise. She was trapped in his arms without being able to move.
“Jinyao?”
She called him a few times in a row, but he never responded, never spoke. “What’s wrong?” She asked him.
Huo Jinyao held her tight, thinking about what Zhang Yichen said.
‘Why am I not the one you met first?’ the man had said.
What would have happened if Su Qingsang met Zhang Yichen before she met him?
Would she have fallen for him?
“Jinyao?”
Su Qingsang felt so confused. She wondered what had happened to him. Where had he been just now?
“Weren’t you looking after your uncle?” she asked.
On hearing her mention Zhang Yichen, Huo Jinyao let her go, moved backward slightly, and looked at her face.
“Are you worried about him?”
Zhang Yichen was a relative. She believed that she should care for him more or less.
“Isn’t he your uncle?” she said.
“Yes, he’s my uncle.”
Huo Jinyao nodded. If that man hadn’t been Zhang Yichen, he would have punched him on the face.
There was a saying that he saw online, ‘I think of you as my brother while you think about sleeping with my wife.’
Wasn’t he experiencing exactly that?
Zhang Yichen meant more than a brother to him. After the kidnapping happened, he had frequent nightmares and could never sleep well.
Old Master Huo had been worried about him and even hired him a shrink.
The shrink couldn’t help him either. He still had those nightmares every night. Under Huo Yangxiu’s suggestion, he was sent to the army.
Zhang Yichen was already serving in the army at that time. Huo Jinyao went to the army and followed him.
They exercised together every morning. Zhang Yichen trained him.
He was only a teenager back then, but Zhang Yichen trained him like he trained any other adult. The effect was obvious.
He was so tired every day that at night he slept like a baby without having any dreams, let alone nightmares.
Zhang Yichen was only a few years older than him, but he told him that for a man, it was not what he lost but what he suffered that would make him grow.
He knew that even without Zhang Yichen’s encouragement, he would still have been able to get through that hard time, because of Zhang Yichen, that process was shortened.
After that, he still suffered from the nightmares occasionally, but they didn’t bother him like they used to.
Su Qingsang knew something was wrong with Huo Jinyao.
She turned to look at him and couldn’t help but ask the question that came to mind.
“What’s wrong? Did you fight with your uncle?”
Huo Jinyao glanced at her. Her eyes were so clear that he could detect no suspicious emotions from them.
He was sure that Su Qingsang didn’t share Zhang Yichen’s feelings.
Su Qingsang’s personality was not the kind that would allow her to cheat on her husband. That was definitely something that she would never do.
But what would happen if she had met Zhang Yichen before meeting Huo Jinyao? Would she still have chosen Huo Jinyao?
Would she have fallen in love with Zhang Yichen?
Not even Huo Jinyao could deny how good Zhang Yichen was.
“Darling.”
“Yeah?”
“Would you…”
‘Would you have fallen in love with another man if you didn’t marry me?’ He looked at her clear eyes without being able to finish that question.
He shook his head and held her again.
“I’m fine. I’m just tired.”
He must be out of his mind. How could he doubt Su Qingsang because of something that a drunk man said?
Zhang Yichen was drunk. What he said meant nothing. More importantly, he believed in his wife.
He didn’t want to mention Zhang Yichen to her again. He didn’t want to her impression of that man to deepen.
He didn’t finish the question that he intended to ask and Su Qingsang didn’t ask him about the question. Her attention was diverted by his odd behavior.
“Get some rest then.”
Su Qingsang looked at the time and said, “There were still a couple of hours till dinnertime.
“I’ll do some reading while you take a nap.”
Huo Jinyao shook his head. He held her tight and pulled her with him onto the bed.
“You sleep with me.”
He held her, resting his chin on the top of her head without doing anything else. He decided that he was going to trust Su Qingsang. But he couldn’t help thinking about what Zhang Yichen had said.
He said he kissed Su Qingsang…
***
Huo Yifan watched Su Peizhen come into the room with a cunning smile on her face.
“Who did you give the drug to?”
Su Peizhen told him that she would be fully responsible for what she was about to do, so he had not asked her any questions when he gave her the drug.
“You didn’t give it to Su Qingsang, did you? Be careful. Huo Jinyao might kill you.”
“No, I didn’t. I gave it to someone else.”
“Someone else? Whom?”
“Stop asking questions. I believe what’s going to happen soon will be helpful for both of us.”
“Did you give it to Huo Jinyao?”
“I told you to stop asking questions.”
Su Peizhen sat down on his lap, put her arms around his neck.
“Don’t worry. I gave it to someone who deserves it.”
Huo Yifan put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to himself. He held her chin with his other hand.
“You’re smiling like a fox. You’ve certainly done something bad. Who on earth in this house could possibly need that drug?”
Su Peizhen lowered her head and held his forefinger between her teeth. She blinked her eyes, looking at him seductively.
“I’m not going to do anything to Su Qingsang and Huo Jinyao today.”
What she planned to do today was simply to sow a seed of doubt.
Zhang Yichen was drunk and drugged. He would certainly lose control. Judging by the photos and his past behavior, he had been trying to hide his true feelings all the time.
He never had a chance, so he never took any actions. If there was an opportunity presented to him, he would hardly be able to keep himself under control. That restrained desire of his would explode.
Once Zhang Yichen lost control of himself, the seeds of doubt would be sown in Huo Jinyao’s heart.
Huo Jinyao might not doubt Su Qingsang immediately or do anything to her.
But what if the seed began to grow? What if it grew into a big tree and finally catches Huo Jinyao’s attention?
Would he still be able to stay calm?
Su Peizhen turned to look at Huo Yifan. Her lips brushed across his finger.
“Stay patient. There’ll be a great show to watch soon.”
Huo Yifan didn’t like the way Su Peizhen kept everything secret from him.
He grasped her chin again, scanning her face with sharp eyes.
“Woman, are you keeping a secret from me?”
“Yeah,” Su Peizhen admitted. “Everyone has secrets. I just don’t feel like sharing mine with you right now. Do you have a problem with that?”
Huo Yifan narrowed his eyes, then suddenly turned around and pressed her into the bed.
“No. Since you don’t feel like sharing that secret, I have no choice but to explore other secrets of yours.”
Su Peizhen laughed. She lifted her legs and put them around his waist in anticipation of his next move.
Liu Tongjia had been busy. As the hostess, she had so much work to do.
She needed to look after all the guests, chat with the cousins who rarely came to visit, and also guide them to their rooms.
She was too busy to pay attention to Su Peizhen. The girl wanted to help and to get Old Master Huo to see her contribution somehow, so she gave her a chance.
Only until everything else was about done did Liu Tongjia think of Su Peizhen again.
The girl had offered to help earlier, but where was she now?
She called Xia and asked her about Su Peizhen. After learning about what Su Peizhen had done earlier, she snorted scornfully in her head. Su Peizhen helped to carry the soup. That small favor could barely be counted as helping.
Liu Tongjia honestly didn’t like how Su Peizhen was trying to take short cuts. She would never agree to work together with that girl.
She disliked Su QIngsang as well, but she wasn’t stupid.
She told Xia to get back to work but then something crossed her mind.
“Xia, Zhang Yichen seemed to be quite drunk. Have you sent him any soup?”
“Yes. I did that together with Ms. Su. Young Master Huo was there looking after him.”
Huo Jinyao was there looking after Zhang Yichen?
Liu Tongjia recalled the photos taken by Jiang earlier. She instantly started feeling uncomfortable.
She dismissed Xia for now. All the guests had been settled down. The house of Huo Family was huge. For the ones who didn’t feel like taking a nap, there were plenty of other things for them to do.
She glanced upstairs. At last, she turned down the hallway and headed toward Zhang Yichen’s room. She prepared to take a look for herself.
To her surprise, Zhang Yichen’s room was empty.
She called Xia and asked her where Zhang Yichen was. Xia had told her that Huo Jinyao was looking after him, but she forgot to mention which room he was in.
Xia thought Liu Tongjia was worried about Zhang Yichen. She told her that Zhang Yichen was in the room beside Huo Jinyao.
Liu Tongjia’s face grew sour when she heard that answer. That habit of Huo Jinyao’s hadn’t crossed her mind.
She believed it must have been Su Qingsang’s idea to put the man with whom she was having an affair just next door.
That was outrageous. Huo Jinyao was right there. How could Su Qingsang be so shameless?
In a fit of anger, she went upstairs without thinking, marching towards Huo Jinyao’s room.
She even had an urge to tell Huo Jinyao about what was going on between Su Qingsang and Zhang Yichen.
She walked to Zhang Yichen’s room. Before she could push the door open, she saw Su Qingsang rush out.
Her clothes were a little messy, so was her hair.
Su Qingsang was stunned to see Liu Tongjia. Her face reddened immediately.
Her flurried manner made the look on Liu Tongjia’s face change drastically. The latter took a step forward, staring at Su Qingsang’s face.
She remembered what Xia said. Huo Jinyao was looking after Zhang Yichen, so was Huo Jinyao in the room with her?
What was Zhang Yichen doing then? Wasn’t he also in that room?
“Aunt.” Su Qingsang nodded at her and then turned to enter Huo Jinyao’s room. Liu Tongjia blocked her way, glancing at the other room suspiciously.
What was happening?
“Where’s Jinyao? What’s he doing?”
“He’s in the room,” Su Qingsang answered the question very quickly. Then she walked past Liu Tongjia, attempting to leave again.
“In the room? Which room?” Liu Tongjia refused to let her go.
