After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! (BL) - Chapter 21

Now it all made sense. Everything made sense.

“Wow, that’s some explosive news.” Shen Ran tried to sound composed and expressive. “Hailan, I really have to praise you this time!”

Wei Hailan was surprisingly enthusiastic. They hadn’t known each other for long, yet he was willing to help him gather such information.

“Hehehe, it’s actually nothing much!” Wei Hailan seemed a little shy. “I heard it from a friend of mine named Wanyan Jinran—he’s really impressive.”

Wanyan Jinran?

Who? Never heard of him.

But for some inexplicable reason, the name felt oddly familiar…

After a few more words of small talk, Wei Hailan hung up the phone.

Considering they were going on a long trip the next day, Shen Ran washed up early and got ready for bed.

Since it would be a long drive, he couldn’t let Cheng Yi drive the whole way alone. They would definitely have to take turns.

However, perhaps because he had stared at Cheng Yi too long during the day, Shen Ran’s dreams that night were all… poultry.

And Cheng Yi, just one wall away, wasn’t faring any better.

While showering, Cheng Yi lowered his head and braced one hand against the cold tiled wall, letting the shower soak him through.

His mind was filled with the image of Shen Ran staring at him, utterly entranced.

“…Tch. I’ve really been single for too long. Just being called ‘Daddy’ twice and stared at a few times, and I end up like this.”

With his spirited little Cheng at full attention, Cheng Yi couldn’t properly finish his shower.

In order to not affect their trip the next day, Cheng Yi, with a clear conscience, reached out to… solve the issue.

And once wasn’t enough—he had to take care of it twice.

In his mind, he pictured Shen Ran at his place, likely fast asleep without a care in the world.

The way Shen Ran clung to him, the way he cried, the way he looked helplessly at him…

By the end, even Cheng Yi couldn’t help but sigh at himself for being so young and impetuous.

Tugging a towel over his head and roughly drying his hair, Cheng Yi looked at himself in the mirror, lips curling into a smile—one that held a trace of bitterness.

If Shen Ran knew that he was thinking of him while doing such things, he would surely think Cheng Yi was a terrible person and move out of his house overnight.

Cheng Yi didn’t want Shen Ran to move out.

If Shen Ran really left, then Cheng Yi’s deliberate purchase of this apartment—just to live closer to him—would have been all for nothing.

“…With someone like me, no wonder Shen Ran doesn’t like me.”

Cheng Yi’s low murmurs echoed through the room.

Only when Shen Ran couldn’t see would Cheng Yi show rare traces of exhaustion and self-doubt.

——

The Next Day

After packing, Cheng Yi and Shen Ran set off for F City.

Apparently, Cheng Yi had contacted Luo Mu in advance, because from the moment they left, a black Maybach had been tailing them.

Once they left the city and hit the highway, the several-hundred-kilometer journey quickly became monotonous.

Shen Ran wanted to take turns driving with Cheng Yi to help relieve the fatigue.

But Cheng Yi, stubborn as ever, timed his exit off the highway precisely at the edge of fatigue-driving regulations and didn’t let Shen Ran so much as touch the steering wheel.

“Letting me drive a bit wouldn’t hurt! I’m genuinely concerned about you, Cheng Yi!”

“You’re not a safe driver. I’m afraid you’d get into another accident, and by then…”

Cheng Yi’s usual teasing tone abruptly cut off mid-sentence before he awkwardly changed the subject.

“…Anyway, you’re not driving. It’s my beloved car. I’ll drive it myself.”

A year and a half ago, Cheng Yi had once saved Shen Ran.

It was a rainy night, on a winding road in the outskirts.

Cheng Yi was passing through on a business trip when he noticed a car skewed at the roadside, half of it wedged into the guardrail—it didn’t look good.

He recognized the car immediately—a black Huayra, the only one in K City. It had been a gift from the Shen family to Shen Ran.

Seeing the wrecked car, Cheng Yi’s heart nearly stopped. He immediately told the driver to pull over and rushed out to check.

Opening the driver’s side door, Cheng Yi saw Shen Ran’s pale, bl00d-streaked face—he was already unconscious.

In that instant, Cheng Yi’s mind went completely blank.

Cheng Yi couldn’t remember how he had called the ambulance, nor how he had accompanied Shen Ran to the hospital.

All he remembered was sitting in the hallway outside the emergency room, the strong scent of ammonia still lingering in his nostrils.

With one hand pressed against his forehead, he couldn’t stop trembling, terrified of receiving bad news.

Fortunately, Shen Ran was taken to the hospital in time and didn’t suffer any major injuries. He had only sustained a partial fracture in the ring finger of his left hand, which required a metal pin. It took a long time to fully heal, and to this day, a scar remained on his hand.

Back then, upon learning that Shen Ran was safe, Cheng Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t wait for Shen Ran to regain consciousness and left in a hurry.

After all, he had only been passing through on a business trip. Turning back and taking Shen Ran to the hospital had already cost him considerable time.

Deep down, he didn’t want Shen Ran to know that he had been his “savior.”

…Given the nature of their relationship, even if Shen Ran knew, he probably wouldn’t believe it.

Cheng Yi believed that Shen Ran still didn’t know about any of this.

Unbeknownst to him, Shen Ran already knew everything—because of that fractured ring finger, because of that ring…

Compared to the bustling city of K, F City was much quieter, and the location of Qingshan Welfare Home was remote—remote even among remote places.

It was the dead of winter. There were no lush, thriving trees on either side of the road, and even the nearby houses were all a dull gray.

But suddenly, Shen Ran’s eyes lit up.

After rounding a corner, the road narrowed, but ahead, a building caught his attention.

Unlike the dull, gray apartment buildings surrounding it, this building was painted in bright colors, making it stand out.

A sign hung above it: F City Qingshan Welfare Home.

“…We’re here,” Shen Ran murmured.

He had expected the welfare home to be a dreary, run-down place—after all, it had been here for at least twenty years.

In his mind, it was bound to have a leaky roof, dirty and cluttered grounds, barely edible food, and small, skinny children curled up in corners wearing tattered clothes.

But to his surprise, aside from the building looking a little old, Qingshan Welfare Home exuded an unexpected sense of harmony.

Sunlight shone warmly on the slightly faded building. As their car entered the clean courtyard, Shen Ran even saw a group of elderly people chatting happily in the open area.

He stepped out and approached the elders, politely asking,
“Grandpa, Grandma, may I ask where the director of Qingshan Welfare Home is?”

“The director? Are you looking for Xiao Ai?” One of the elderly men smiled kindly and pointed to a building with a clock on it. “Xiao Ai is on the fifth floor.”

Shen Ran exchanged a glance with Cheng Yi. “Let’s go.”

The old building had no elevator, so the two had to climb the stairs.

Luo Mu also got out of the car and followed them from a distance—keeping just the right amount of space between them.

Their footsteps echoed on the stairs, overlapping with Shen Ran’s increasingly rapid heartbeat.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, Shen Ran reached out and knocked on the door, his palm damp with sweat.

Knock, knock, knock.

A soft male voice sounded from behind the door, “Please, come in.”