Golden Temptation – A Yuri Story - Chapter 34
Yan Junye had just escorted Jing Cheng out as instructed and returned to her seat in the dining room. The dinner, already strained by an awkward atmosphere, became even more tasteless with the unexpected guests’ intrusion.
Master Yan surveyed the faces of the four young ones seated at the table. Suddenly, he spoke in a tone that carried both authority and irritation:
“You little brats think my old eyes are failing, don’t you? Think you can fool me that easily? Each of you is pulling a long face—don’t want to eat with this old man, is that it? All of you are busy with your own petty schemes! Huh?!”
The four young ones immediately looked at Grandpa Yan with pleading eyes, their voices in perfect unison:
“Grandpa~ that’s not true~”
“Enough, enough. Just eat. Hmph! After all the fuss that fellow made, I’ve lost my appetite. I’m heading upstairs!”
“Grandpa~!” they called out again in unison.
As he stood up, the old man turned back and gave a loving smile.
“Junye, you’re the oldest. Take good care of your sisters, alright? Hahaha~”
Then, with his hands clasped behind his back and humming a tuneless melody, the old master slowly made his way upstairs, leaving the four at the table staring at each other in silence.
“Hah, let’s keep eating! Come on, come on, haha…” Yan Junye was the first to break the awkward silence, trying to lighten the mood with a laugh.
“You guys go ahead, I’m going upstairs to keep Grandpa company…” Lan Qing couldn’t stand the tense atmosphere with Jing Xuan any longer. Fumbling for an excuse, she tried to escape. But just as she turned to leave, her hand was caught.
Jing Xuan, unsettled and unsure how to face her, felt a surge of panic at her attempt to leave. The image of her devastated face from that day flashed in her mind. She quickly stood up and darted over, grabbing her hand from behind.
Lan Qing turned around, startled and at a loss.
“You… you… what is it?”
“I…”
“Ajing! I need to talk to you. Come with me for a moment!” Yan Junye called out.
Still holding Lan Qing’s gaze, Jing Xuan replied,
“I’ll be right there…”
Reluctantly, she let go of her hand. As the warmth faded from her skin, Lan Qing felt another wave of sorrow. Only heaven knew how nervous she had been when Jing Xuan grabbed her hand, or how turbulent her heart became when he looked at her like that.
She sighed softly, turned around, and walked up the stairs.
Gao Zhe, who had been watching the entire exchange—hands held, hands released—quietly set down her wine glass, her usually playful face now serious, lost deep in thought.
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In the garden, Jing Xuan walked up behind Yan Junye and gently patted her shoulder.
“Junye.”
“Hmm.”
Yan Junye patted her hand in response and sat with her on the grass. Leaning back on her arms, she gazed at the stars above—just like they used to do as kids. This was her usual pose when something serious was on her mind. Jing Xuan mirrored her posture and joined her in looking up.
“Ajing, who would’ve thought you could still see such bright stars in today’s City C?”
“Yeah… Haha, it’s been so long since I stargazed like this.”
“Remember how mischievous we were as kids? We’d sneak out at night to play on the mountain, and when I caught you, you said you were stargazing!”
“And weren’t you doing the same? If you hadn’t sneaked out too, you wouldn’t have bumped into me!”
“That was…! Haha! You brat!”
“What? Can’t admit it? Afraid to say it out loud?”
“Says you. Whatever!”
“Hahaha… Junye, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“Ah, haha…”
“It’s about Qing, isn’t it?”
“Uh… yes. But also… no.”
“What do you mean yes and no?”
“Ajing, do you know who that Jing Cheng person really is?”
“Jing Cheng…?” Jing Xuan fell into deep thought.
The name felt familiar, buried in her childhood memories… A mountain… Young Jing Xuan… Movis… The hatred in Uncle Mervis’ eyes…
“I remember someone once told me that Jing Cheng was a name I must never forget—my enemy! Junye, is it him?”
Though Jing Xuan’s words were posed as a question, her tone made it sound more like a statement.
“Ajing, how much do you actually know about your background?”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“All I know is that I’ve lived my whole life in pain. As for my background? Ha… I never cared.”
“How can you not care? Your fate affects the lives of many—including Grandpa. Including me!”
“Junye, what are you trying to say?”
Yan Junye sighed.
“Ajing, I need to tell you something you must know.”
“About my background?”
“Yes. Ajing, have you ever heard of an organization called the Jingdong Society?”
“Haha, you mean the biggest assassination syndicate in Asia twenty years ago?”
“Exactly. But the Jingdong Society isn’t so easily defined. Its influence was vast—it controlled the underworld of Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, as well as Central Asia’s energy and arms trade. It was an unstoppable black empire. Its rulers were the Jing family of Taiwan.”
“The Jing family… a clan?”
“You didn’t know, did you? Twenty years ago, the Jing family unified the entire underworld. No one dared disobey them. But that powerful empire crumbled overnight—and the key figure behind that fall was Jing
Cheng. He colluded with Italy’s Giudival family, assassinated several Jingdong elders, framed the patriarch’s most trusted aide, and gradually stripped the clan leader of his power. In the end, he even destroyed the family.”
“The leader of the Jing family was Jing Long, the head of Jingdong, Jing Cheng’s older brother—your father. And you… you are the heir of the Jing clan, the future master of Jingdong! Do you remember how you ended up at St. Ann’s Monastery?”
As Yan Junye continued, images began to form in Jing Xuan’s mind—darkness, the eeriness of night, a younger Jing Xuan being suddenly lifted from bed, jolted awake by the rocking motion of being carried—her father, running with her in his arms…
A long silence followed.
“How do you know all this?”
“Morvis.”
“Uncle Morvis? You know him?”
“The ‘Morvis’ you know was Uncle Jing Long’s right-hand man. His real name is Yan Siwei. He’s my father.”
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Lan Qing sat alone in her room upstairs. Jing Xuan’s reaction had stirred something long buried in her heart. Her quiet love, once dormant, was beginning to burn again. She had made up her mind: she would win back Jing Xuan’s heart. She would take responsibility for her own happiness.
But the ominous feeling brought by Jing Cheng’s arrival still lingered. She had heard whispers about him from her father—if he had come for Jing Xuan, then she would have to take action to protect him.