WHI – Chapter 41

Chapter 41

As soon as these words were spoken, coupled with the tight grip of their hands, anyone with eyes could tell what was going on.

If this were an ordinary coming out, two slaps would likely have landed on their faces by now. But with the existence of Lin Fang, the air became even more stifling.

Wen Tan lightly put down his newspaper, propped one leg over the other, and looked at Lin Ting. “Do I have any enmity with you?”

Lin Ting didn’t know what to say. Even before sitting down on the sofa, he had tried to pull his hand away, but Wen Lan was unwilling to let go. Although he could have pulled away with force, given Wen Lan’s temperament, it would have likely caused a bigger embarrassment.

“Uncle Wen, I really didn’t know at first. Regarding Auntie’s matter, I apologize to you on behalf of Lin Fang, but I promise I never intended to hurt Wen Lan,” Lin Ting said.

“I won’t hold Lin Fang’s matter against you, as it has no direct relation to you. However, do I need to tell you what kind of life Wen Lan should live, or what path he should take?” Wen Tan’s eyes were dark, and the pressure around him dropped.

This was also the reason why Lin Ting had been hesitant to truly ‘date’ Wen Lan. For him, if Wen Lan wanted to play, he would play; if he wanted sincerity, he would give him sincerity; but if Wen Lan no longer needed him one day and wanted to leave, Lin Ting would absolutely not drag things out.

Before Lin Ting could figure out how to speak, Wen Lan said, “Dad, I only love Lin Ting in this life. There’s nothing I can do. After all, I’m not as good as my brother. Don’t blame Lin Ting, it was me who insisted on being with him.”

As he spoke, Wen Lan raised their still tightly clasped hands—or more accurately, Lin Ting struggled to break free, and Wen Lan desperately held on.

Wen Tan’s temper seemed to have been diluted by the sea air; everything became inscrutable. He quietly stood up and went upstairs. “You’re crazy, I think you’re crazy.”

Wen Lan subconsciously squeezed Lin Ting’s hand and gestured for him to sit. He went upstairs to get something. Lin Ting waited below, suddenly remembering that he had waited like this before, only this time his mindset was more complicated.

Following that, the sound of glass cups mixed with heavy objects smashing onto the floor came from the second floor.

—Bang!

Lin Ting rushed upstairs almost instinctively.

Before he could finish climbing the stairs, he heard a loud slap, accompanied by Wen Tan’s almost hysterical roar, “If you dare to mention this person to me again, believe it or not, I’ll disown you as my son?”

It seemed all his restraint was only because Lin Ting was present. He always disdained to show his emotions directly to the son of his enemy.

Lin Ting quickened his pace to catch up, only to see glass fragments scattered all over the floor. A heavy-looking wooden sculpture was rolling on the ground. Wen Lan leaned against the wall, tilting his head slightly, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

A long, dark red bloodstain still lingered on his lips.

The two soon discovered Lin Ting had come upstairs. Wen Tan, unwilling to deal with Lin Ting, turned to go back to the study, his hand on the doorknob, about to close it.

“Wait.” Lin Ting glanced at Wen Lan, nodded at him, then turned back to Wen Tan. “Uncle, if you don’t mind, can we talk?”

“What is there to talk about between us?”

“I know.” Although Lin Ting said this, he still stood in the doorway of the study, not showing any intention of retreating.

Wen Lan had gone this far; if he continued to hide, he wouldn’t be a man.

Wen Tan seemed to realize Lin Ting’s stubbornness and could only turn back into the study, leaving the door ajar for Lin Ting.

Lin Ting turned back and stopped Wen Lan, who was about to follow, then closed the door behind him. He walked a few more steps to the desk.

He had been here many times, but always with Wen Lan. This was the first time he was alone with Wen Tan.

Wen Tan was not sitting but standing sideways behind the desk, quietly waiting for Lin Ting to speak.

“Do you know what Wen Lan did last night?” Lin Ting said, taking out his phone and opening a video.

The rental apartment’s built-in ‘security system’ sounded impressive, but it was actually just a small surveillance camera linked to a mobile account for remote viewing.

In the video, Wen Lan, in the dark, walked to the bedside, then bent down to unbutton the clothes of the sleeping person.

Wen Tan watched the video, his pupils dilating drastically. “He… he is…”

After a short pause, Lin Ting quickly put away his phone. “The rest is a bit too much for you to see, but you can probably imagine it, right?”

Lin Ting looked at the middle-aged man, Wen Tan, who hadn’t reacted for a while. He seized the opportunity. “What would happen if this clip were posted online? The sole heir of the Wen Corporation, trespassing in the middle of the night, intending to…?”

“Shut up!”

Lin Ting had no intention of stopping. “But, if I were his legitimate boyfriend, none of this would have happened.”

“You wish!”

“It’s not that I wish. I didn’t plan to date Wen Lan at first. After all, everyone has a sense of shame. Who would want to ruin a young master’s bright future? And who would shamelessly pursue a relationship, knowing that their own biological father is the enemy of the other family?” Lin Ting gradually relaxed and pulled over a chair to sit down.

“Then what are you here for?” Wen Tan’s lips curled up, his eyes filled with disdainful confusion.

“But I found that even without me, Wen Lan isn’t necessarily happy, is he? He doesn’t want an arranged marriage, and he insisted on finding me. So what can I do? As a father, you need to think carefully whether you want the company or your only family member.” Lin Ting’s tone had a hint of playfulness. “Honestly, when he fell into the water that day, I felt he was safer by my side than with you.”

“Fell into the water? You were there that day too?” Wen Lan’s shoulders, which had been relaxed, suddenly tensed.

“Wen Lan, he loved swimming when he was little, right? But now he has PTSD whenever he gets in the water. If I hadn’t been there that day, what would have happened to Wen Lan, have you thought about it?” Lin Ting thought of the moment he saw Wen Lan in the water that night and felt that heaven was playing a huge joke on him.

Wen Tan’s eyes began to tremble, as if he were trying hard to recall everything that had happened that day.

Lin Ting continued, “So, will you think about it again?”

After speaking, Lin Ting turned and left, gently closing the door.

Wen Lan was packing in his room. Lin Ting walked over and knocked on the wooden door frame. “I’m leaving.”

“Wait, why are you running so fast?” Wen Lan stepped forward and grabbed Lin Ting’s arm. “Wait for me a bit longer, I’ll be right there.”

Lin Ting watched in disbelief as Wen Lan dragged a suitcase out of the house.

“What are you doing?” Lin Ting’s face was a little stiff. “You’re not going to run away from home, are you?”

“Not to that extent, I just want to move in with you.” Wen Lan didn’t feel ashamed at all about what he was saying. As he walked downstairs with Lin Ting, he glanced back at the closed study door and whispered, “What did you just say to my dad?”

“My place has a surveillance camera. I have a video of your stupid actions last night and showed it to your dad.” Lin Ting tried to suppress the smile that was creeping onto his lips.

“Holy crap, no way, Lin Ting. Don’t you think that’s a bit too shameless?” Wen Lan’s mouth was wide open, finding it hard to accept the reality.

“Just kidding. There is a surveillance camera, but I only cut a small part from the beginning. The rest was deleted. Don’t worry, your evidence of wrongdoing has been destroyed.” As Lin Ting spoke, he hailed a passing taxi and helped Wen Lan put the suitcase inside.

“You scared me to death, really.” Wen Lan got into the car from the other side, closed the door, and leaned his whole body against the back of the seat.

Only then did Lin Ting relax and begin to examine the wound on Wen Lan’s mouth. “He hit you? Does it hurt a lot?”

“You care now? It’s too late. You were in the study for so long, it’s already healed.” Wen Lan casually touched his mouth.

Lin Ting didn’t care if the driver was looking at them. He gently pulled Wen Lan’s chin over and, seeing that it was just a scratch on the corner of his mouth from his teeth and no other injuries, felt slightly relieved.

“Your room really has a surveillance camera? That’s too inhumane,” Wen Lan whispered.

“It’s a small plug-in one. Whoever wants to use it can take it out, and whoever doesn’t want to use it can put it in a drawer.”

“You want to use it?” Wen Lan’s tone was a bit mischievous.

Lin Ting knew what he was thinking from his expression and went along with him. “Yes, I didn’t want to at first. But if you want to…”

“I think it’s possible…” Wen Lan smacked his lips, his eyes darting around Lin Ting.

Lin Ting smiled and didn’t respond.

Seeing the driver glancing at the rearview mirror more and more frequently, even though their volume wasn’t enough for the driver to hear clearly, the two men leaning together whispering was quite obvious. Lin Ting straightened up and moved further away.

When they got out of the car and reached the rental apartment, Wen Lan impatiently reached out to grope Lin Ting. Lin Ting pushed his hand away. “First, unpack your suitcase, then let’s go to the supermarket.”

Wen Lan let out a sigh, looking very unwilling. Just as he was about to bend down to open the suitcase, Lin Ting pulled him back. “Let’s date, for real.”

After saying that, Lin Ting kissed him.

This seemed to be the first time Lin Ting kissed his ‘boyfriend.’ Despite all the intimacy they had shared before, it couldn’t compare to this solid sense of belonging.

Wen Lan’s hands, which had been restlessly reaching inside Lin Ting’s T-shirt, were now infected by this steady presence. His hands honestly clasped around Lin Ting’s waist, gently smoothing out the wrinkles at the hem of his shirt.

Unbeknownst to whom, when they opened their eyes, there were traces of sticky tears on their cheeks.

They exchanged a look and smiled again.

“Hurry up,” Lin Ting ruffled Wen Lan’s hair. “Buy some things, and we’ll eat here tonight?”

“Can you cook?” Wen Lan frowned.

“A little. We can make do. I don’t want to eat takeout every day,” Lin Ting said, then walked towards the bathroom to wash his face.

In fact, it wasn’t that he particularly wanted to cook, nor was it to save money, as they still needed to buy pots and pans. The total cost wouldn’t be that cheap.

He just hadn’t experienced the happiness of three meals a day, firewood, rice, oil, and salt for a long time.