SABA Chapter 70

Jiang Tiao woke up again in the hospital room with a faint smell of disinfectant. He looked at the clean white ceiling, surprisingly without a hint of surprise or shock.

Humans are indeed very adaptable creatures. The first time he woke up here, he was a little flustered. The second time was more calm. By the third time, he was completely unfazed.

However, what surprised him was that the people guarding his hospital bed this time were not Huo Shen or his brother, but Chu Yanhao, Jiao Yiming, and Cheng Jun. Jiang Tiao immediately became a little nervous. Despite the IV drip, he struggled to sit up, “Where’s Huo Shen?”

The few people quickly and clumsily pressed him down, preventing him from struggling and dislodging the IV drip.

“Brother Huo Shen is with the attending physician.”

“Calm down.”

“Oh,” Jiang Tiao’s heart settled back into his chest. It was good he hadn’t run away. He lay back down, staring at the pure white ceiling, his mind uncontrollably recalling the kiss before he fainted.

Chu Yanhao looked at Jiang Tiao’s beaming smile and couldn’t stand it anymore! You don’t have to eat dog food like this! He grabbed a pillow and threw it at Jiang Tiao’s face, which was smiling like a flower, “Hey, hey, hey, that’s enough! Do you want me to get you a mirror so you can see your own expression!”

Jiang Tiao pushed the pillow away, using it to prop up his back. Seeing this, Cheng Jun helped him adjust the hospital bed so he could lean more comfortably.

“Look, look,” Jiang Tiao thanked Cheng Jun while not forgetting to chide the two oblivious people, “When will you two be half as considerate and attentive as Cheng Jun?!”

Jiao Yiming felt wronged. Was he being shot at without saying anything?

Chu Yanhao rolled his eyes and gave a “hehe,” “Do you need us to be considerate? You only need Brother Huo Shen’s consideration, right?”

Jiang Tiao’s lips curved upward again.

“When we first arrived, we saw Brother Huo Shen,” Jiao Yiming asked with ill intent, feigning ignorance, “What happened? Who did you fight with? Why is Brother Huo Shen’s mouth injured?”

Chu Yanhao: “Hehe, how can a fight result in bite marks? Did you let the dog loose?”

Jiang Tiao pulled out the pillow and threw it back at the faces of the two people who were singing in unison, laughing and scolding, “Get lost! Scram!”

“Oh, not bad,” Jiao Yiming saw Jiang Tiao’s smile almost reaching his temples and teased him lewdly, “You got him?”

Alas, mentioning this made Jiang Tiao a bit annoyed. So close! If only he hadn’t fainted a few hours later!!

“When you guys first came, was Huo Shen in the ward?”

Jiao Yiming: “Yes, he was watching over you the whole time. When he saw us arrive, he went to see the doctor.”

Jiang Tiao felt relieved. Although he fainted at an inconvenient time, it wasn’t a terrible outcome. As long as Huo Shen hadn’t disappeared, it was progress, and it was developing in a good direction.

“How long was I unconscious, and why are you all here?”

“Less than three days. Cheng Jun came back to China for some business, and we went to pick him up. We originally wanted to call you to see if you wanted to hang out, but Huo Shen answered the phone. So, we came over to check on you.”

Chu Yanhao: “What’s going on with you? You’re both excited and agitated?”

Jiang Tiao glanced at the three people in front of him and finally told them his situation.

“What?!”

“This you…”

“That’s too fantastical!”

Jiang Tiao: “Can you keep it down?!”

“Oh,” the few people gathered closer.

“This is very difficult for you. If Brother Huo Shen finds out about these things and that they’re related to him, he’ll definitely keep his distance from you until a solution is found.”

Jiang Tiao: “That’s what I’m worried about! That’s why I made you all swear never, never, never to tell anyone!”

“But you can’t keep hiding it forever.”

Jiang Tiao: That’s why I’m telling you! Aren’t I hoping you’ll help me think of a solution?”

Jiao Yiming and Chu Yanhao said in unison: “You think too highly of us.”

Jiang Tiao: “…”

The three people turned their heads simultaneously, looking at Cheng Jun in unison.

Cheng Jun smiled: “I studied surgery, and my research is in cardiology.”

It’s true that you only regret not having friends when you need them!

“But I think his situation is beyond what medicine can solve, right?”

“Why don’t you find a Taoist priest to exorcise the evil spirits?”

“Maybe Chu Xu, that scoundrel, cursed you.”

“Yes, otherwise it’s hard to explain why you were like that for the past few years.”

The few people chatted back and forth.

Frankly, Jiang Tiao had considered these speculations. He even thought Huo Shen might have considered them. Didn’t Jiang Mingyan say that Huo Shen had sponsored the construction of a Taoist temple somewhere?

Speculation without solutions was meaningless, and the discussion reached a bottleneck, filling the ward with silence.

As it turned out, even four cobblers couldn’t make a Zhuge Liang.

“You can’t say that,” Jiao Yiming absolutely refused to admit he was a cobbler. “Every trade has its specialty. The problem you’re asking us is clearly beyond our scope; it’s not what we’re good at.”

Jiang Tiao: “Oh, so what problems can you help me with?”

Jiao Yiming thought for a moment: “I can teach you how to inherit the family business and not let your family fortune be squandered by yourself?”

Chu Yanhao: “I can teach you how to manage a bar and create a chain brand?”

Cheng Jun: “Well… I can teach you how to apply to Oxford without taking detours?”

Jiang Tiao: “Get lost!”

Having such friends was his “fortune”!

Seeing Jiang Tiao about to flip the table in frustration, the three of them couldn’t help but laugh.

Cheng Jun still had a little conscience and comforted him, “At least you’ve discovered a pattern. With a pattern, you can avoid it. It’s better than fumbling in the dark.”

Alas, Jiang Tiao could only sigh. It would have been better if he hadn’t discovered this pattern at all.

As someone with relationship experience, Chu Yanhao could understand the reason for Jiang Tiao’s melancholy, “What stage are you two at now?”

“What stage can we be at?” Jiang Tiao said resentfully, “We were just kissing…”

Chu Yanhao: “And then you fainted?”

Jiang Tiao glared angrily at Chu Yanhao.

Chu Yanhao almost fell off the bed laughing.

Jiao Yiming also doubled over with laughter.

Cheng Jun also wanted to laugh, but he held back and comforted him, “Follow the doctor’s orders first and get thoroughly checked. You don’t need to be too anxious. Fortunately, most of your daily life won’t be affected.”

Jiang Tiao: “How is it not affected? I feel like most of it is affected! This problem is very important to me! If it can’t be solved, will I only be able to have Platonic spiritual love?! Do you know what it feels like when the person you like is in front of you but you can’t touch them? This can be ranked among the top ten tortures!”

Everyone almost collapsed with laughter, even Cheng Jun couldn’t help but laugh. While he sympathized, the situation, as described by Jiang Tiao, was quite hilarious, despite being a truly miserable situation.

Cheng Jun: “Your focus is really…”

Jiao Yiming, suppressing a laugh, patted Jiang Tiao’s shoulder, “As fellow men, I understand…”

Understand my ass! There is no true empathy between people! Jiang Tiao was so worried, he didn’t want to deal with these opportunistic friends who were enjoying his misfortune.

Given Huo Shen’s perceptiveness, if he fainted in front of him one more time, Huo Shen would definitely notice something was wrong.

Moreover, he didn’t want to scare Huo Shen like this again. Their romantic relationship hadn’t been fully clarified yet. What if he gave Huo Shen psychological trauma first?

Alas, it was like a river of sorrow flowing east.

“Forget it, you can’t help with anything else. Help me keep an eye on Chu Xu’s movements.”

It’s been two months. He couldn’t have really disappeared, right?

…

Chu Xu didn’t know what was happening to him. Jiang Tiao’s gaze before he left the Chu family’s banquet that night kept lingering in his mind. He felt as if he were ill, constantly unable to suppress the memories of past events. He had known Jiang Tiao, the young master of the Jiang family, since a very long time ago – free-spirited and radiant, like the sun. Anyone who met him would remember him.

However, this sun was too distant for him. He had never felt the warmth of its rays, so it only seemed dazzling.

His first meeting with Jiang Tiao was actually earlier than Jiang Tiao thought. It was at a banquet when he was just over ten years old. His mother had put in a lot of effort to get an invitation from Chu Hongzhen. Before they went, his mother, as usual, reminded him to behave properly and how to interact with the children of the powerful – because only by integrating with them could he truly integrate into that class.

But for a child whose father’s name was vague, everyone knew what that meant. Adults hid their malice, but children’s malice was blatant. Even though he behaved like children from privileged backgrounds, some people still came to mock him and cause trouble.

Just as he was being held down by a few older children and forced to drink muddy pond water, Jiang Tiao appeared. He had just returned from playing ball, wearing a small jersey, and scattered the group with a ball. Without any concern for dirt, he pulled him up from the muddy ground by the pond. His palm was warm with sweat from playing sports.

That was the first time he felt the warmth of the sun shining on him. No wonder everyone liked the sun.

However, the sun didn’t focus on him for long. As soon as Huo Shen appeared, Jiang Tiao rushed towards him. His response, “My name is Chu Xu,” was blocked by Jiang Tiao’s “Oh, I have to go, let’s talk next time.”

He watched Jiang Tiao run towards Huo Shen, whose eyes could no longer hold anyone else.

The reason some people are called prodigies is because they are born able to easily obtain everything others desire. But why would even the sun be unable to resist revolving only around him? Shouldn’t the sun be fair, just, and equally warm to everyone?

Indeed, he hated the sun the most.

He admitted he was delighted when he met the amnesiac and somewhat strange Jiang Tiao. He spent half a year, expending countless patience and energy, making Jiang Tiao dependent on and infatuated with him. He deliberately instilled in him many misconceptions, causing him to fall out with his family, and watched as Jiang Tiao, like a tamed dog, could no longer leave him.

He felt his life had never reached such a height. He not only possessed the sun but could also arbitrarily modify it into the shape he desired. Of course, he wouldn’t admit that he cared about Jiang Tiao. If Jiang Tiao was important to him, then his distant gazes and attention from his youth would have been unrequited love? But since Jiang Tiao was dispensable to him, why did losing him cause him so much pain? Did he like Jiang Tiao? Why did his head start to hurt whenever he began to ponder this question?

“Knock, knock, knock—”

A servant’s cautious knock sounded outside the door.

“Young Master Chu Xu, lunch is ready. Madam wants you to come down to eat.”

Chu Xu showed a hint of annoyance. He knew that if he refused, the next person to knock would be his mother, “I know, I’ll be down in a moment.”

The hall on the first floor was originally magnificent, but now all the movable luxury furnishings and European antiques had been auctioned off by the bank. Therefore, the entire living room and dining room looked bare and desolate.

The bankruptcy of Star Chart Technology and the claims for over a dozen endorsement fees had emptied all his savings, and the house he was currently living in was still mortgaged to the bank. He knew that Huo Shen was the mastermind behind it, but he was powerless. He realized how fragile his schemes and business strategies were compared to Huo Shen. He had also desperately tried to save himself, but found himself completely defenseless against the blow Huo Shen had prepared for four years.

Half a lifetime of hard work turned into smoke. Chu Xu didn’t know if the bankruptcy or Jiang Tiao’s situation had hit him harder, but he always felt listless about everything.

A wealthy middle-aged woman in her fifties sat opposite him at the dining table. Even her thick foundation couldn’t hide the wrinkles etched around her eyes from years of resentment. Even with high-interest loans, she insisted on maintaining the pretense of a decent life with servants and fine dining.

“When are you planning to go see your father?” Wang Wan elegantly and gracefully cut her steak, her movements more meticulous than a true socialite, as if by doing these superficial things, she could one day truly become part of that class.

Chu Xu was annoyed: “What’s the use of me going to see him now?”

Wang Wan: “Go apologize, or beg on your knees, you have to make him forgive you!”

Chu Xu: “Most of the Chu family is now under Chu Qingchao’s control. What good will his forgiveness do? He can’t even protect himself right now. Do you think he cares about me? If I go out now, he might use me as a shield to divert public criticism and attention from himself.”

Wang Wan threw down her spoon, splashing the orange-red borscht all over the table: “Your father was going to acknowledge you, but it’s all because you’re useless! Why can’t you control yourself? Why did you get caught? You say Huo Shen and the others set a trap for you, so why don’t you think, if you were half as capable as Huo Shen, how could you have been trapped by him? Why were you always inferior to him since you were little…”

“Enough,” Chu Xu could no longer tolerate it. He swept the bowls and plates in front of him, scattering soup and food all over the floor. “You always liked to compare me to Huo Shen since I was little. If you like him so much, why didn’t you give birth to him as your son? How can I compare to him? He was born into a wealthy family, and his parents are both highly educated. He had whatever he wanted since childhood! And me? Just a bastard who couldn’t even call ‘Dad’ in public!”

Wang Wan seemed startled. She looked at Chu Xu in disbelief and frantically smashed everything within her reach. Finally, she collapsed on the floor, crying hysterically without regard for her image.

“Do you have any conscience? Didn’t I do all this for you?! If I hadn’t been pregnant with you back then, how could I have stayed by your father’s side without a formal title for so many years? Do you think I wanted this? If it weren’t for your future to be smoother, how could I have done so many things?”

“I wasted my life for you. How can you treat me like this?”

“If you were half as excellent as Huo Shen since you were little, your father would have let you come home long ago. How would I have needed to do all those things later?”

Chu Xu looked at the woman crying hysterically on the floor. He suppressed the urge to smash things at her and slammed the door shut heavily. The thick mahogany door isolated all the sounds, and the world became quiet again, leaving only the sound of dripping rain.

He looked up at the overcast sky, clenched his fists tightly, and stood in the rain for a while, with nowhere to go.

“Beep, beep—”

A seemingly inconspicuous car stopped in front of him. The window rolled down, and Ye Qinghan, wearing sunglasses and a mask, said, “Want to come up and chat?”

Chu Xu remained silent for a moment, then opened the passenger door and got in.

The black car drove to an inconspicuous corner and stopped. Ye Qinghan took out a thermos bucket containing stewed calming soup, “Want some? I stewed it specially for you.”

Ye Qinghan always seemed to be like this. He always appeared when you needed him most, giving you the emotional feedback you craved.

Chu Xu originally thought that’s just how he was. Now he realized belatedly that perhaps this was just a survival tactic. Say what you want to hear, show the personality you most want him to show, a thousand people, a thousand faces.

He took the thermos bucket but didn’t open it. He just looked meaningfully at the mask and sunglasses on Ye Qinghan’s face, “You don’t need to be so cautious. Although I don’t want to admit it, Chu Qingchao is more refined in his dealings than I am. He won’t implicate innocent people. As long as you don’t provoke him in the future.”

Ye Qinghan’s expression froze for a moment. He pretended to be nonchalant and removed his mask and sunglasses, “I know, you misunderstood. I just didn’t want to cause you trouble.”

Chu Xu didn’t want to discern whether Ye Qinghan was sincere or not. He was too tired. If this was the only comfort he could get at this moment, what was wrong with taking it as true?

“What do you want to see me for?”

Ye Qinghan: “Xiong Qi has been looking for you for a long time. He said you’re not answering your phone or replying to messages. Are you planning to admit defeat and give up just like this?”

Chu Xu pulled at the corner of his mouth, “Then what do you think I should do? What leverage do I have left to fight for now?”

Ye Qinghan took out the property deed for the house Chu Xu had mortgaged to the bank and a check, “Chairman Chu has already helped you un-mortgage the house you’re currently living in from the bank. He still cares about you. He said that as long as you can find a way to deal with Chu Qingchao, he will immediately write a will and name you as the sole heir to his assets.”

Chu Xu: “When did you get in touch with Chu Hongzhen?”

Ye Qinghan paused slightly.

Chu Xu took the check, a sarcastic smile on his lips, “If he really cared, he wouldn’t have watched me lose everything. He just wants to use money to find a useful pawn for himself.”

Ye Qinghan: “You already know what kind of person Chu Hongzhen is, don’t you? If he uses you, you can also use him. The most frightening thing for a person is not to be used, but to have no value to others.”

Chu Xu: “And you? Why are you looking for me? Do I still have any value to you?”

Ye Qinghan’s expression stiffened for a moment but was well concealed. He took Chu Xu’s hand and said with a comforting gentleness, “We are not that kind of relationship. If I were just using you, I would never have developed this kind of relationship with you.”

Chu Xu: “What kind of relationship do we have? Do you really like me?”

“Of course,” Ye Qinghan’s expression was flawless. The person he liked had never looked at him, so the word “like” was not a sacred word worth preserving for him. “I like you.”

Chu Xu looked into Ye Qinghan’s eyes and slowly withdrew his hand.

Ye Qinghan’s expression remained unchanged. He took out an envelope full of photos, all of which were taken by paparazzi in the past few months of Jiang Tiao and Huo Shen’s daily interactions.

Chu Xu flipped to the end, where there was a slightly blurry photo, even with the longest zoom lens. Through the hazy gauze curtain, two overlapping figures could be vaguely seen.

Ye Qinghan: “You lost everything, and they are living happier and happier lives. Are you truly content?”

The photos were creased by Chu Xu in a way that made them difficult to restore. His previously listless eyes finally focused, and a fire of indescribable emotion seemed to ignite in his eyes. He crumpled the photo in his hand, gritted his teeth, and said word for word, “You’re right.”

Ye Qinghan: “If you take down the Chu family, you will have the ability to contend. It is indeed not easy to deal with Chu Qingchao head-on now, but you should know Chu Qingchao’s weakness better than I do.”

……

In a conference room in a hospital half a city away, a handsome mixed-race man with blond hair and blue eyes in a white coat appeared on the screen. Behind him, a whiteboard electronic screen displayed a complex curve graph with over ten curves. The data labels were obscure, all professional terms in the field of brain research, commonly appearing in specialized brain research papers.

“The model has run, and it’s very good.”

“Oh! What happened to your mouth?”

“Wow! That was intense!”

Huo Shen was not in the mood for jokes, “Let’s get down to business.”

Seeing the subtle anxiety and annoyance on Huo Shen’s face, Frank shrugged, fully understanding – after all, to watch someone important faint in front of you and still be unconscious.

Frank explained their research results and the curve graph behind him in professional and concise language.

“According to the results from the model and the data you provided, it can be seen that his headaches only occur when he is with you, and the intensity of the pain is likely related to the intimacy of your relationship.”

Frank switched to another graph. In the graph, a bright red curve represented Jiang Tiao’s pain level, almost reaching the maximum. “Wow~ Your little boyfriend is really resilient. If pain is graded, childbirth is a twelve, then his pain level could be at least ten or above. Even so, he managed to remain expressionless in front of you without letting you notice. Tsk tsk tsk.”

Huo Shen recalled the details of their interactions over the past few months and the excuses Jiang Tiao made to the doctors during his weekly check-ups, his expression extremely grim.