After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! (BL) - Chapter 30

Ai Ziqing simply thought Shen Ran was just being a bit childish and clingy.

The Shen Corporation was well-known in K City, and as a child of the Shen family, information about Shen Ran wasn’t hard to find.

From what Ai Ziqing had seen online, he thought Shen Ran had been living well all these years, so he never bothered him.

Perhaps the Shen family’s young master no longer wished to be associated with the orphanage.

If he truly cared about Shen Ran, the best he could do was remain a stranger—stay out of his life entirely.

But he never imagined the truth would be like this.

As for Cheng Yi, there was even less to say.

Cheng Yi had believed that being an orphan was the most tragic part of Shen Ran’s past, but he hadn’t expected there to be more—abuse and manipulation at the hands of the Shen couple.

No wonder Ai Ziqing had said Shen Ran used to be such a timid child.

The cheerful and carefree Shen Ran he knew… turned out to be the result of hypnosis.

He couldn’t even bring himself to connect the young, fearful Shen Ran to the one sitting beside him now.

Under the table, Cheng Yi’s hands were clenched tightly into fists. All he felt inside was heartache—pure and simple.

As they left Qingshan Orphanage, Shen Ran clung to Ai Ziqing’s hand, reluctant to part.

“Brother Xiao Ai, I’ll definitely come visit you often!”

“And if you don’t, I’ll come find you myself. President Cheng already told me your address. Once I get the time, I’ll drop by for sure.”

Ai Ziqing smiled and gave Cheng Yi a handshake as well. “And I believe that, with President Cheng by your side, everything will be just fine.”

“Of course,” Cheng Yi replied.

Ai Ziqing pretended not to notice the black Maybach parked behind their car.

Pretended not to know that Luo Mu hadn’t actually left, that he was still sitting in that very car.

As they drove away, Shen Ran sat in the passenger seat, clinging to the window, looking back.

Ai Ziqing stood at the end of the road, still waving goodbye.

The scenery outside blurred by in reverse; Qingshan Orphanage grew smaller and smaller.

When Ai Ziqing’s figure had shrunk into a tiny black speck—almost impossible to make out—Shen Ran let out a sigh and sank back into his seat.

“I remember it clearly,” he murmured. “Back then, when my mom and dad—when the Shen couple took me away, Brother Xiao Ai ran after the car. He cried too.”

“So now, even though I’m just leaving the orphanage again, I still feel… like I did when I was a kid.”

Anxious. Reluctant. Unsure of what lay ahead.

Shen Ran felt like he could never face those two people from the Shen family with a clear conscience again.

Just remembering it all made it impossible for him to say “Mom” or “Dad” naturally anymore.

“Hey. Things will work out, one way or another,” Cheng Yi said, trying to comfort him. He turned on a stand-up comedy podcast. “Here—listen to this, loosen up a bit.”

Shen Ran felt a little guilty. He’d originally planned for the two of them to take turns driving, but in the end, Cheng Yi had driven the entire time without complaint.

To this, Cheng Yi explained:

“Come on, how could I actually let you drive? Hypnosis probably took a toll on your energy too. You’ve been looking pretty out of it. It’s better if I drive.”

Did he really look that out of it?

Shen Ran pulled down the mirror and stared at his reflection. His face was pale, and the dark circles under his eyes were deep.

No wonder Cheng Yi didn’t let him drive. He really did look exhausted—and eerily similar to the little boy sitting in the back seat—

…Wait a second!!

A little boy in the back seat?!

Realization hit Shen Ran like a cold wave, his eyes widening in horror. A cold sweat ran down his back.

How could there be someone in the back seat?!
Forget when they got in the car—just five minutes ago, it was only him and Cheng Yi inside!

And that little boy… the more he looked at him, the more familiar he seemed!

Big eyes, small face… wasn’t that the same ghost he saw earlier, standing silently in the corner of the Qingshan Orphanage cafeteria?!

Aaaaahhh!!
He—he—he really saw a ghost!!!

The little boy sat perfectly upright in the back seat, hands folded neatly on his knees, looking entirely harmless—

—If you ignored the faint, bluish glow surrounding his semi-transparent body.

Shen Ran didn’t turn around—he saw the little boy through the mirror.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, silently comforting himself.

It’s okay, Shen Ran. Don’t be afraid!

Maybe this is just a hallucination caused by too much stress? Mirrors show illusions. There’s no way ghosts exist in reality!

Shen Ran had completely forgotten the time when he himself had been a spirit.

After mentally preparing himself, Shen Ran slowly—at a snail’s pace—turned around and cautiously opened one eye.

“Big brother.”

The little boy was looking straight at him, and even greeted him politely.

Shen Ran wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, but he was afraid that making too much noise would startle Cheng Yi, who was driving, and cause an accident.

So Shen Ran had no choice but to suppress his voice and let out a muted scream.

“…Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!” (whispered)

Big scream ×
Small scream √

The good news: Cheng Yi wasn’t startled by his “scream.”

The bad news: Cheng Yi was now giving him a very strange look.

“Why are you yelling at thin air?”

Shen Ran tried to appear calm, but his tone still carried a hint of urgency as he pointed to the little boy in the back seat.

“Cheng Yi, look! Just look, quick!”

“I am looking,” Cheng Yi said, glancing at the rearview mirror with a perfectly calm expression. “And all I see is you freaking out at an empty back seat.”

Shen Ran felt like his brain was about to explode.

Wasn’t that a living, breathing ghost?! Why couldn’t Cheng Yi see him?!

“What empty back seat? I clearly just—huh?”

When Shen Ran turned to look again, he suddenly realized—the little boy was gone.

Exactly like what had happened earlier in the orphanage cafeteria.

“Shen Ran, are you sure you’re okay?” Cheng Yi asked suspiciously. “Don’t tell me that kid Wei Hailan messed up the hypnosis and left you with some kind of side effect?”

“Am I… really okay?”

Shen Ran wanted to ask himself that too.

Was the little boy really a ghost, or just a hallucination created by his overworked brain?

It must’ve been a mistake. I must’ve seen it wrong.

There were so many children at Qingshan Orphanage. The one he saw in the cafeteria was probably just a regular kid, and what happened just now must’ve been a figment of his imagination, caused by fatigue.

He repeated that to himself several times in his mind, forcing his attention back to the stand-up comedy playing in the car.

Compared to the rush they’d been in on their way to Qingshan Orphanage, the drive back felt painfully long.

Especially with the pitch-black night outside the window that never seemed to change.

Cheng Yi drove both ways. Though he didn’t say anything, Shen Ran could see the faint weariness between his brows.

Normally, Cheng Yi would’ve already started teasing him with flirty remarks by now.

But today, Cheng Yi hadn’t said anything to make him angry.

Suddenly, Shen Ran remembered how Cheng Yi had been the first to burst into the room after the hypnosis ended.

He remembered the worried look in Cheng Yi’s eyes. The solemn promise Cheng Yi had made to him.

“I won’t leave you behind.”

…Why did he have to be so considerate?

Now Shen Ran’s impression of him… had only gotten better!