After Marrying My Silly Childhood Friend - Chapter 5

With Duan Baisui’s support, Ju Xiao was ready to go head-to-head with Rong Jin.

Previously, he had thought about going to the police or making these matters public.

But his manager had warned him to be more realistic.

As long as Rong Jin wanted, public opinion could be swayed instantly. Reporting it to the police wouldn’t help—Rong’s family had plenty of ways to silence him.

Besides, he had a young niece.

Ju Xiao was terrified.

Unable to fight against such power, he considered ending his life.

He couldn’t bear to become that kind of person.

He wrote a suicide note and a will, leaving all his possessions to his niece—he simply couldn’t hold on any longer.

He entrusted these to Xiao Yuan, the only person he could trust.

Fortunately, the perceptive young woman noticed something was wrong and rushed to his apartment that night, discovering him in the act of attempting suicide.

Initially, he didn’t want to say anything. He knew that with Rong Jin’s background and commercial value, the company would choose to sacrifice him to protect the bigger asset—and he would be the one abandoned.

The more he spoke out, the worse his fate would be.

He didn’t have the means to terminate his contract, was terrified of returning to the group, and even more afraid of falling into Rong Jin’s hands.

But he hadn’t expected that Young Mr. Duan would personally intervene in his case.

He arranged for his transfer to another hospital, assigned people to protect him, and, when public opinion was overwhelmingly against him, stepped in with timely PR efforts.

He believed it. He believed that Young Mr. Duan genuinely wanted to help him, not just to persuade him to let it go.

“So, you actually have evidence?” Luo Yin asked seriously, sitting by his hospital bed.

“Yes,” Ju Xiao replied, leaning against the bed, his face pale.

“I have chat logs and recordings…” Ju Xiao said. “I also kept the reagent packaging and syringes.”

He wasn’t a fool—he simply knew that, even with sufficient evidence, he alone might not be able to bring down Rong Jin.

If he acted alone, his niece might even get hurt halfway through.

He couldn’t take that risk.

All he wanted was to use his death to draw more attention and force the police to investigate.

Luo Yin nodded. “Later, the company will issue a statement from your account. We’ll present all the evidence one by one. Just focus on recovering, don’t worry about anything else.”

“What about Xiao Ying…” Ju Xiao hesitated.

“I’ve already spoken with her school. Xiao Yuan will pick her up for now, and the teachers will take extra care of her. There will also be someone accompanying her for protection. Don’t worry.” Luo Yin reassured.

Ju Xiao got out of bed and bowed to Luo Yin. “Thank you, Assistant Luo.”

Luo Yin, who was around the same age as him, had clenched his fists upon learning of his plight. Though Luo Yin, as a mere assistant, couldn’t provide much help, it was fortunate that Young Mr. Duan had a tough temperament and was willing to clash with the higher-ups to ensure the issue wasn’t buried.

Luo Yin quickly helped Ju Xiao up and said, “No need to thank me. It was all Young Mr. Duan’s instructions.”

Ju Xiao’s eyes reddened instantly, and he said, “Please thank Young Mr. Duan on my behalf.”

At 2 p.m., a long post was published from Ju Xiao’s account.

He detailed the inhumane treatment he had endured over the years and included some recordings and chat logs that were truly appalling.

The internet was in an uproar.

Rong Jin’s fans were highly combative and numerous.

They accused the chat logs of being doctored and claimed that recording phone calls between friends was obviously malicious.

They unconditionally believed in their idol.

Shortly after, behind-the-scenes footage from the drama Sleepless was released.

It was an idol drama produced by the company for their group.

One scene showed Ju Xiao and his teammate Meng Cheng in a conflict that led to Ju Xiao falling into the water. The footage clearly showed Meng Cheng repeatedly kicking Ju Xiao into the water, claiming either the pose was wrong or the emotion wasn’t right.

In the depths of winter, Ju Xiao was drenched but still had to smile and cooperate.

Soon, a minor supporting actor from the drama also posted online, confirming the story.

He wrote, “I honestly don’t understand how those three became popular. On set, they never spoke to Ju Xiao, claiming he had a contagious disease. When the three of them went out for meals, they never took Ju Xiao along. When they returned, they even spit into his boxed meal.”

“But as soon as the cameras were on, they pretended to be a group of close brothers. It was disgusting.”

Duan Baisui scrolled through the comments, watching as more bystanders criticized the other three members of the TR boy band. The term “bullying” quickly shot to the top of trending searches.

At that moment, Duan Baisui’s phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, he was surprised—it was Duan Yan.

He quickly answered, “Dad.”

Duan Yan’s weary voice carried a trace of impatience. “What’s going on with Rong Jin? That old fool Rong Lin keeps calling me, asking me to give him some face and let Rong Jin off the hook.”

Duan Baisui summarized the key points of Ju Xiao’s situation and relayed the opinions of the other company executives.

Duan Yan sneered, “I was wondering why he was blowing up my phone. Let his son go find a prison cell. Unbelievable.”

“Do whatever you think is right. Don’t bother with those people at the company. I own the majority shares, so your word is law. Meetings are just to inform them, not for them to meddle.”

“If Rong Lin dares to trouble you, I’ll bankrupt him when I’m back!”

“What are you saying?” Xu Yi’s gentle admonishment came through before he took over the phone, his voice soft. “Alex.”

Others said that Xu Yi was more ruthless and unforgiving than Chairman Duan.

But in Duan Baisui’s eyes, Xu Yi was a kind and loving father.

From childhood to adulthood, Xu Yi had never raised his voice at him. He patiently taught him life lesson. Perhaps, Omegas were inherently gentle by nature.

“Little Dad, are you feeling better?” Duan Baisui asked with concern.

“Much better, don’t worry.” Xu Yi replied warmly. “You’ve been working hard lately.”

Duan Baisui replied, “It’s not hard. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”

“We haven’t been keeping up with the news here, so we didn’t realize such a big issue had happened in the company. Your dad may be a bit dramatic, but he’s not wrong. Do what you think is right, and don’t worry about the rest.” Xu Yi said.

“I understand, Little Dad.” Duan Baisui responded.

“By the way, how are you and Nian Nian doing lately?” Xu Yi asked.

“We’re doing fine.” Duan Baisui answered matter-of-factly.

“I saw his post on moments the other day. It looked like you were with him for his birthday.” Xu Yi said with a soft laugh. “That’s good. Spend more time with him. Work is important, but marriage requires time and effort too. Don’t let your Omega feel neglected.”

“Is that about me? Are you talking about me?” Duan Yan shouted from the side.

Xu Yi replied, “I’m talking to our son.”

Duan Yan retorted, “Isn’t that basically for me to hear too?”

When Xu Yi fell ill, Duan Yan had been away on a business trip.

That’s why he found out about it later than others.

He’d felt guilty ever since, believing that his long absences had caused Xu Yi’s illness.

In all fairness, though, he’d only been gone for a week.

Hearing his two fathers bickering again, Duan Baisui said helplessly, “Little Dad, please rest well. I’ll hang up now.”

After the call ended, Duan Baisui found himself inexplicably scrolling through Zuo Nian’s moments.

Ten minutes ago, Zuo Nian had posted a new update.

It was a photo of a small cat crouching in a cardboard box. The cat was dirty, its fur wet and curled, thin and tiny, and it looked unwell.

The caption read: “Does anyone want to adopt a kitten? It’s very obedient and affectionate. I’ll bathe it and get its vaccinations. Please contact me if interested!”

Duan Baisui had a feeling that this cat would likely not find a home.

That afternoon, Duan Baisui came home early. When he opened the door, he saw Zuo Nian’s bag and coat on the sofa.

The living room and kitchen were empty.

He searched upstairs and found that only the door to the first room on the second floor was ajar. That room had been reserved as the baby’s room.

However, since the two of them had no plans for a child anytime soon, the room had remained unused.

Through the gap, Duan Baisui saw Zuo Nian’s crouched figure.

Before he could push the door open, he heard Zuo Nian murmuring to himself, “You hide here for now, okay? Be quiet. This is Gege’s house, you can only stay if he agrees.”

“Gege is reasonable. He let Nian Nian stay, so he should let you stay too.”

The hand Duan Baisui had placed on the doorknob relaxed.

After changing in his bedroom, he ran into Zuo Nian head-on.

The latter was clearly startled, letting out a short yelp before calming down.

“Gege, when did you get back?” Zuo Nian asked, still unsettled.

“Just now.” Duan Baisui replied.

“Then, then I’ll go make dinner right away.” Zuo Nian said nervously, avoiding eye contact.

“No need.” Duan Baisui stopped him. “I ordered food. It’ll be here soon.”

“Oh.” Zuo Nian responded.

Duan Baisui glanced at the door to the baby room before turning and heading downstairs.

Zuo Nian followed closely behind, like a little tail.

The living room was quiet. Duan Baisui sat on the sofa and casually asked, “I saw your post about finding someone to adopt the cat. Did anyone take it?”

Zuo Nian stood beside him, fidgeting with his fingers. “No…”

“They said it’s just a stray and not pretty, but Nian Nian thinks it’s really cute…”

At this, Zuo Nian paused, sneaking a glance at Duan Baisui’s expression.

When their eyes met, Zuo Nian panicked and quickly lowered his head, his exposed ears turning bright red.

“Mn, no takers?” Duan Baisui asked.

“Yes…” Zuo Nian replied softly, then mustered the courage to say, “It’s very cold outside, and it might die. So, Gege, can we keep it? It’s very gentle and doesn’t eat much. Nian Nian can give up milk and switch to goat milk for it. It won’t eat a lot.”

Duan Baisui: …

Zuo Nian wasn’t trying to play the pity card to gain sympathy from Duan Baisui.

Instead, his time in the orphanage had made him believe this was the right thing to do.

Back then, the food they were given at the orphanage was scarce, and there would never be extra if it wasn’t enough.

He had encountered stray cats and dogs while at the orphanage.

If he wanted to feed them, he had to save some of his own rations.

This was the kind of upbringing Zuo Nian had received.

When he left the orphanage, the director had also told him to be someone who is grateful and knows moderation, not to be greedy or take advantage of others.

He had always kept this in mind.

Now that he wanted to keep the kitten and it would be living in Duan Baisui’s home, logically and emotionally, the kitten’s food should come from his own share.

Duan Baisui looked at him and asked, “Has it been bathed?”

“Yes, it has.” Zuo Nian nodded. “And it’s been vaccinated too.”

Duan Baisui said, “Then it can stay.”

“R-really?” Zuo Nian asked in disbelief.

He hadn’t expected Duan Baisui to agree so easily.

“Mn.”

“Gege is the best!” Zuo Nian cheered in delight, throwing himself at Duan Baisui and hugging him tightly. “Nian Nian loves Gege the most!”

Caught off guard by his enthusiasm, Duan Baisui stiffened, sitting up straight and unsure of how to respond.

After his excitement subsided, Zuo Nian realized he might have crossed a line.

Since coming of age, this was the first time the two of them had been so physically close.

He slowly loosened his grip and took a small step back.

Duan Baisui’s expression remained calm, his gaze serene as he looked into Zuo Nian’s eyes.

He didn’t seem inclined to make an issue of this breach of etiquette, nor did he seem interested in reciprocating Zuo Nian’s enthusiasm.

Zuo Nian felt as though his heart had lost its balance. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but it made him uncomfortable.

The feeling weighed on him, making it hard to breathe.

“I-I’ll go check on the kitten.” Zuo Nian said, breaking the awkward silence.

Duan Baisui lowered his lashes, as usual keeping his words brief. “Mn.”

As Zuo Nian ran to the stairs, he couldn’t help but turn back for a glance.

Duan Baisui was looking down at his phone, appearing busy.

He finally realized that his married life with Duan Baisui was different from others.

At least, Fat Dad and Pretty Dad weren’t like this, and neither were Xu Dad and Duan Dad.

They would hug naturally and kiss each other before leaving the house.

But he and Duan Baisui had none of that.

Zuo Nian’s fingers picked at the staircase railing.

He thought to himself that he still had a lot to learn.

Translator’s Note:
Hello, Purrlyluv here! New chapters will be unlocked every Friday until the entire novel is fully translated. Once the translation is complete, the unlocking schedule will then change to twice a week. Thanks for reading!