CH 134

He came here as soon as he finished socializing, and just so happened to find Ye Ming and Zheng Sen talking in a corner. While they were talking, Zheng Sen had actually tugged Ye Ming back. And instead of resisting, Ye Ming was looking at Zheng Sen… with a tender and sentimental look in his eyes.

Like lovers who were having a touching reunion after a long period of separation…

Shen Ye found this scene piercing, feeling as though a poisonous snake was biting at his heart, the pain suffusing his entire body.

You’re always so insincere with me, but you’re so good to your old classmate and friend. It turns out you can actually be rather genuine, and you’re not all that heartless, are you. 

Before Zheng Sen could even react, he’d been snatched away by Shen Ye. He clenched his hands, a sudden impulse to snatch him right back arising within him! But, in the end, he didn’t move… this person wasn’t Han Xu. There was no reason for him and Shen Ye to come to blows in public for the sake of a person that just looked like Han Xu. They would just look foolish.

But seeing that Shen Ye was this protective of Ye Ming, he might’ve actually become interested… could Shen Ye actually like this substitute? If so, then this was all his love for Han Xu had amounted to in the end.

Zheng Sen thought back to the gentle look that’d been in Han Xu’s eyes when he was talking about Shen Ye. Despite knowing full well that Han Xu had wronged Shen Ye first, he still felt like it hadn’t been worth it for Han Xu. He’d always thought that… there had to be some kind of misunderstanding. Han Xu’s feelings weren’t fake. They’d known each other for many years, so it wasn’t like he couldn’t even discern something as simple as that.

Zheng Sen’s expression slightly chilled, and he said coldly, “President Shen must be joking. I only said a few things to him. Besides, is he actually willing to be together with you?”

Shen Ye tightly held onto Ye Ming’s waist, and forced him to turn his head. There was a dangerous, cold look in his eyes. “Why, is that what you told President Zheng?”

Pain flashed in Ye Ming’s eyes, and he said, “I never said that. He misunderstood.”

If he admitted that he’d been threatened by Shen Ye, it was very likely that Zheng Sen would quarrel with Shen Ye today. That wouldn’t be good for either of them. One was an innocent friend who cared about him, while the other was the person he loved but shouldn’t…

Shen Ye’s gaze was filled with ridicule. It seemed as though he hadn’t found this answer very surprising. Since you’ve worked so hard to attract my attention and come back to my side, why would you just up and leave so easily? You like acting very much, don’t you? 

He looked up at Zheng Sen, and said indifferently, “President Zheng should have heard that. In the future, if you’re not certain about something, it’d be best if you mind your own business.”

But, Zheng Sen was looking at the look of pain on Ye Ming’s slightly pale face. Instead, he felt even more convinced now that he’d been coerced, just that it was difficult for him to admit to what was troubling him. Seeing Shen Ye harm a person so similar to Han Xu, he could no longer restrain his fury. He met Shen Ye’s gaze head-on without any intention of backing down, and sneered, “President Shen is truly becoming more and more powerful, but… don’t you think your methods are a bit too despicable. Finding a substitute really makes others look down on you.”

Vtfc Tf rageuuifv ab mtbxf yjmx tlr jcufg, uijglcu ja Itfcu Vfc klat j ofgbmlber ibbx obg j wbwfca.

As expected… you knew about the relationship between Han Xu and me ba. Back then, when Han Xu and I were together, I wanted to tell the entire world that I loved him, but he didn’t agree with letting anyone else find out about our relationship. He made all kinds of excuses out of fear he’d be discovered… and yet, he was willing to tell you. He trusted you so much and never hid anything from you. 

I used to think that I was the most important person in Han Xu’s heart, but it all turned out to be nothing more than my misconception. He didn’t even want to publicize our relationship. It was just me foolishly loving him, believing he was really thinking about our future. On the contrary, you… were the friend he could actually share anything with. Do you really think I didn’t know about your filthy intentions towards him?!

Vtfc Tf’r tjcv agfwyifv rilutais, jcv tf revvfcis mifcmtfv tlr tjcv lcab j olra, pera jybea ab rwjrt la lcab Itfcu Vfc’r ojmf! Ktf eckliilcucfrr jcv pfjibers lc tlr tfjga wjvf tlw kjca ab vfragbs fnfgsatlcu lc ogbca bo tlw! Dea Tf Zlcu gfjmafv olgra, ugjyylcu bcab Vtfc Tf’r jgw klat ybat tjcvr jr tf rjlv jczlberis, “Qtja’gf sbe vblcu?”

Zheng Sen gaped. He didn’t expect that Shen Ye would actually make a move, but he didn’t appear to be afraid at all. Instead, he was even more fired up, revealing a provocative smile as he let out a cold laugh, “You can’t even do anything else besides fly into a rage out of humiliation, isn’t that right? President Shen?”

Shen Ye’s fists were clenched very tightly. He could actually shake Ye Ming off and clock that nasty Zheng Sen right in the face here, but he took a deep breath, and slowly calmed himself down. 

Zheng Sen had no idea what Ye Ming’s real identity was at all. He could only shoot his mouth off. If he bothered with him, he might accidentally let something slip instead.

Shen Ye slowly put down his hand, raised an eyebrow, and scoffed, “I wasn’t aware that President Zheng was so interested in other people’s love lives. I think you’d better take care of your own affairs first ba.”

He then gripped Ye Ming’s hand tightly, and directly dragged him away!

Zheng Sen took a step forward, but didn’t follow them in the end, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He was a bit concerned about Ye Ming’s situation, but it’d be neither wise nor worth it for him to fight with Shen Ye right now. After all, Ye Ming wasn’t Han Xu… it’d be better if he waited to see how things developed ba. 

………………

Ye Ming felt as though his wrists were about to be snapped in half. Shen Ye straight up left in the middle of the banquet and pushed him into his car.

On the way, Shen Ye had a cold expression on his face and didn’t say a word. Then, he directly tugged on Ye Ming’s arm and brought him home.

Ye Ming stumbled a bit before he caught his footing. He looked at Shen Ye’s dark eyes that were filled with rage. He didn’t need him to do anything to know that he was practically on the verge of losing it at the moment. He’d only talked a bit with Zheng Sen. Was it necessary for Shen Ye to get so angry? 

Besides the fact Zheng Sen didn’t even know who he was right now, even in the past, he’d only regarded Zheng Sen as a friend. He’d never done anything with him that went beyond the bounds of normal friendship, but Shen Ye was acting as though he’d betrayed him again.

Ye Ming was silent for a moment. After thinking about it, he figured he should still try explaining. He didn’t want to further irritate Shen Ye. He whispered, “I didn’t say anything to President Zheng.”

Shen Ye walked forward, his frosty gaze shifting to him. “Why not? Wouldn’t it be better for him to help you? I think he’d be happy to help you.”

Ye Ming froze and wasn’t able to respond to him for a moment. If he was really was Tao Xu, then he might be clutching at straws at this point and ask Zheng Sen for help… so, he really couldn’t explain himself. 

He hesitated for a while, then said, “I don’t have a good understanding of him. It’s my first time meeting him, so I won’t say anything to him…”

Shen Ye’s lips curled up when he heard this. He stared into Ye Ming’s eyes. He could really spit out lies on the spot.

Only, I won’t expose you right now. How boring would that be? I want to see what exactly it is you’re up to. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. You can’t escape the palm of my hands this time.

“So, it’s not that you don’t want to ask for help, but that you don’t want to ask for help from just anyone… right? Because you don’t know what kind of person he is.” Shen Ye suddenly pinched Ye Ming’s chin and looked into his eyes with a dark gaze, a spurious smile on his cold face. 

Ye Ming’s chin ached because of his strong grip. He tried to escape Shen Ye’s hold, but couldn’t get away at all. His voice was a little hoarse, “Then, can you let me go?”

Shen Ye suddenly chuckled, his deep laughter echoing inside the room. It was as though he’d heard a ridiculous joke. He abruptly pressed Ye Ming against the wall and gazed at his face with a dark look of desire. His deep voice sounded next to his ear, “You know very well that that’s impossible. How about you never ask that again, what do you think?”

“And… I’m very unhappy today.” Shen Ye gently stroked Ye Ming’s face, his chiseled, defined features appearing intimidating and dangerous in the night. “It would appear that you still have yet to realize that you shouldn’t irritate me like this. Perhaps I’ve been too lenient with you…” so you think I won’t do anything to you.

Ye Ming looked at the dangerous, cold look in Shen Ye’s eyes, and instinctively wanted to take a step back, but Shen Ye lowered his head and fiercely kissed his lips! 

Ye Ming let out a whimper and wanted to escape. Shen Ye noticed his actions and directly tied his hands to the door handle with his tie. Then, he pressed against him from behind, his lips touching his ear as he said slowly, “Since you’re mine, you’d best not have any thoughts in your head that you shouldn’t.”

………………

Ye Ming couldn’t stand up at all. His hands were still strung up on the door, the weight of his entire body concentrated on his wrists that burned with pain. His vision was blurring.

Shen Ye’s fingertips brushed over his eyelashes, while there was a cold smile on his face. Then, he untied Ye Ming’s wrists and carried him back to bed. 

There were tears in Ye Ming’s eyes, and he struggled to get farther away from Shen Ye, but his efforts were easily suppressed. Shen Ye held him in his arms, and kissed away the tears at the corners of his eyes, chuckling as he said, “Remember me well, don’t forget…”

After all, we’ve already been apart for ten years…

People like you aren’t worth any pity at all. You deserve to be treated just like this!

Ye Ming slowly shut his eyes. He really was very tired. 

What was the meaning of him coming back to life? Did the heavens allow him to come back, not for the sake of his revenge, but just so Shen Ye could take revenge on him? In this world, everyone had to repay their debts. He had to pay for what he’d done to Shen Ye, but… before that, he first had to take his revenge.

During this period of time, he’d never met Shen Dayao again. He couldn’t find an opportunity to make a move at all. Meanwhile, Shen Ye was keeping a closer and closer watch on him, and wanting to kill his enemy had become an almost impossible task.

He had one other way. He might be able to find the murderer who’d killed him back then. This way, he could also expose Shen Dayao, but this method was also very difficult.

Shen Ye held onto the person in his arms. 

In his arms, the young man’s chest was slightly rising and falling, his breathing very faint. But, at least he was alive. And inside this body was the person he loved and hated most.

He looked at Ye Ming’s closed eyes, and a look of pain slowly surfaced in the depths of his eyes.

You’ve probably already died once ba…

In a corner somewhere, at some point in time, you already died. Maybe this is the reason why you never came back. 

【Ding. Shen Ye’s Blackening Value: -10. Current Blackening Value: 90】

While you were away, I hated you every single day, and there were times when I wished you were dead. But, once I actually found out that you’d died, I was glad that you could still come back alive. Isn’t it funny? It’s not that I care about you… I just think that letting you die so quietly like that is letting you off too easy. Someone like you should live to suffer and pay the price!

You want to leave me and kill me, but have no choice but to stay trapped by my side with no way to break free. This is what you deserve!

Just… while you’re not aware of it, let me be a little weak for a moment and hold you like this for just a while. 

Shen Ye hugged the person in his arms tightly, like a drowning man holding on to the only piece of driftwood. Even if he knew that he’d sink soon because the piece of driftwood had already rotted on the inside, he still couldn’t let go.

How did you die?

Shen Ye opened his mouth and made this silent inquiry. But, the person in his arms couldn’t hear him at all. Perhaps, even if he could hear it, he wouldn’t answer him anyway.

When Ye Ming woke up the next day, Shen Ye was already gone.

【Ye Ming: Ah, another glorious morning is upon us.】

【888: Good morning.】

【Ye Ming: …Ge, I’m not too used to you acting like this.】 

【888: Bad morning.】

【Ye Ming: …】How terrible. He felt like his system had probably been invaded by a virus! This absolutely wasn’t his system!

Ye Ming didn’t speak again for the rest of the morning. 888 instantly felt at peace. He was extremely pleased with the new method he’d discovered to get back at his host and went off to play video games with the other systems.

After being stimulated by 888, Ye Ming’s expression had become a little unnatural. Finally, he got out of bed to wash up.

As soon as he went outside, he saw Shen Ye sitting in the living room. When he saw Ye Ming come out, his lips curled up and he tugged Ye Ming into his arms, setting him down on his lap. There was no trace of his dark mood from yesterday as he teased him very naturally, “You can still get up?”

Ye Ming thought back to everything last night, an ugly expression on his face. He looked down, completely avoiding Shen Ye’s gaze.

Shen Ye laughed and looked down at Ye Ming’s face with a meaningful look in his eyes. He directly picked him up and personally fed him his meal.

Ye Ming could no longer remain silent. His lips turned pale with anger as he spat out, “What exactly are you trying to do?” 

Shen Ye smiled faintly, “Feed you ah.”

Ye Ming gritted his teeth. When Shen Ye had still been together with him in the past, he hadn’t been this frivolous. Even if he pretended to kick up a fuss, he’d still carefully worry over him. But, now… his eyes darkened for a moment, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.

What was he even thinking? Was he still expecting Shen Ye to treat him just like before? If he found out his real identity, he’d probably want nothing more than to kill him.

Shen Ye answered only that, completely ignoring Ye Ming’s resistance otherwise. He pinched his chin and continued to feed him. 

Ye Ming reached out to push Shen Ye away, but couldn’t make him budge at all. In the end, he could only give up indignantly and let Shen Ye carry on.

After this meal, Ye Ming’s tears were about to fall out. However, Shen Ye casually put him down just like some kind of pet and ordered, “You can rest at home ba. You don’t have to go to work today.”

Ye Ming didn’t even bother answering Shen Ye.

Shen Ye gave him a mocking look. He didn’t mind and turned around to leave. 

Seeing that Shen Ye had left, Ye Ming sat in the living room for a while, a contemplative look in his eyes. He was about ready to make a trip outside. He’d been with Shen Ye this entire period of time. He had no free time to himself at all, so it’d been very difficult for him to get anything done or do any investigating. This break today was actually a rare opportunity for him to avoid Shen Ye and do his own thing.

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Ktf vbbg tjv jmaejiis yffc ibmxfv ogbw atf bearlvf!

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Ye Ming hit the door with his fist, a look of fury and powerlessness in his eyes.

Shen Ye sat in his car, looking at his home surveillance monitor. His lips curled up, and he revealed a cold smile on his face.

Now, you can’t escape. Let’s see what you’ll do next, my big brother.

……………… 

Ye Ming paced around the house. Because it was a high-rise building, there was no other exit besides the main entrance.

There was a sullen look on his face. But, on the inside, he was thinking about how it was right about time for him to begin the next step.

【Ye Ming: Ge, Ge… Ge? Are you there, Ge?】

【888: Just ask.】 

【Ye Ming: Why so official, business aside, can’t we just chat ma, QAQ】

【888 was silent for a while: The fee to have me accompany you for a chat is very expensive. 1000 experience points per hour. Are you certain you need it?】

【Ye Ming: No way! You used to chat with me without taking a fee!】

【888: That was before. Later on, after I gave it some thought, I realized that this could also be something good to put a price tag on, so we mustn’t let it go to waste. And… thank you for reminding me. I’ll calculate the amount of time I spent chatting with you previously. I won’t charge you any interest, just give me the direct cost. You can consider it a special discount for friends.】 

【Ye Ming: …】

【Ye Ming: No, I don’t especially need the chatting service. I just wanted to ask, who exactly killed me in the first place? QAQ】 At the time, he’d been so preoccupied with his missed dinner that he hadn’t even paid any attention to the other person before he’d died.

【888: The information has been sent to you. Take your time, I have business to attend to.】

【Ye Ming: …】 

【888: Remember, get straight to the point next time.】

【Ye Ming: …】

After being given the cold shoulder, Ye Ming could only take a look at the information he’d been given to pass some time. There were only a few pages that he finished shortly, while he also didn’t have 888 around to chat with. Because he was under surveillance, he couldn’t even act too differently, so Ye Ming almost felt suffocated to death. He was about to go crazy after less than a day! Sleep was the only thing that could grant him escape from his dilemma!

……………… 

When Shen Ye came back in the evening, Ye Ming had an ugly expression on his face.

Shen Ye completely ignored the cold fury in Ye Ming’s eyes as he casually motioned to him and said, “Come here.”

Grief and powerlessness flooded Ye Ming’s heart. Shen Ye was chiseling away at him, encroaching on his space and taking control of his life step by step. If things continued like this, how could he even worry about his revenge? He’d probably lose his own freedom first.

At this moment, he suddenly thought of Zheng Sen, a conflicted, hesitant look appearing in his eyes. 

Seeing that Ye Ming hadn’t moved, Shen Ye gave him a meaningful look as his tone slightly chilled, “I’m telling you to come over.”

Ye Ming took a step back and stubbornly gave him an indifferent look instead.

Shen Ye looked at Ye Ming’s expression, fierce hatred suddenly flaring up within him! There was a cold smile on his lips. Oh… you can’t even handle something like this. And here I thought you’d be able to endure for a while longer. How disappointing ah…

“It seems that you haven’t learned your lesson yet…” Shen Ye’s low voice came out lazily, a forbidding look in the depths of his dark eyes. 

Ye Ming became alert, instinctively sensing the danger, and turned to return to his room! But, before he could close the door, Shen Ye had already squeezed right in, pushing the door right open with a mighty shove!

………………

From that day forward, Ye Ming hadn’t been out of the house. Shen Ye either watched him at home or he locked the door to the house and left Ye Ming completely trapped inside.

More than a week passed by in the blink of an eye. 

Shen Ye seemed to find this kind of game very interesting. He just enjoyed watching Ye Ming put up a fruitless struggle as he violated him, utterly disregarding his unwillingness. Later on, he’d even bring back some toys to use on him, his actions dripping with contempt as he humiliated him, not stopping until Ye Ming cried and begged him for mercy each time.

One day, Ye Ming was lying on the bed alone, his hands still tied behind his back where they’d been all night.

No… things couldn’t go on like this. Maybe he’d die here before he could even take his revenge…

He’d just been reborn. He hadn’t accomplished anything yet. Were things going to end like this? 

No… absolutely not!

What were dignity and virtue worth anyway? He was unwilling to let things go on like this…

Ye Ming’s vision was a bit blurry. Suddenly, he faintly heard the sound of the door opening. He struggled to turn his head and saw a tall figure walking in. Finally, a shadow fell on him.

Shen Ye gently picked Ye Ming up and laughed deeply, “Hungry?” 

Ye Ming gazed at him a little absently, a look of deep sorrow buried in his eyes. After a long time, he let out a hoarse, weary voice steeped in humiliation, “I, I’ll be obedient in the future…”

Shen Ye appeared to be surprised by Ye Ming’s sudden change of attitude. He raised an eyebrow, “Oh? You’re not planning to get away from me anymore?”

Ye Ming shut his eyes in pain and said, “No, I won’t… please let me out…”

Shen Ye finally laughed, but there was no trace of humor in his eyes, “Okay.” 

I knew you’d beg me. Your integrity and your determination are nothing more than an act…

During this period of time, he hadn’t given up on investigating the matters from the past, but he couldn’t uncover any clues. It was practically impossible to discover the whereabouts of a person who’d been missing for ten years within a short period of time. Although there was no way for him to immediately find out what had happened ten years ago, he’d absolutely figure out what was going on right now.

For example, what exactly it is you want to do.

……………… 

Ye Ming went back to work again. This time, Shen Ye didn’t bother putting up a show with Ye Ming and directly transferred him over to be his assistant. Ye Ming didn’t raise any objections, appearing completely submissive and obedient. He turned a blind eye to the strange looks he got from everyone else inside the company, remaining utterly indifferent.

After getting his cellphone back, Ye Ming hesitated for several days before he finally hid in the bathroom and dialed Zheng Sen’s number.

The other person picked up fairly quickly. “Hello?”

Ye Ming squeezed his cell phone tightly and said, “This is Tao Xu. There’s something I want to tell you.” 

It seemed to take Zheng Sen a while before he could remember who Tao Xu was. His tone softened, carrying with it a hint of concern, “Oh, are you doing okay? Has Shen Ye made things difficult you?”

Ye Ming didn’t answer this question, but said directly, “I want to ask you for a favor.”

Zheng Sen paused and said, “Do you want to leave Shen Ye? I can help you. Where are you right now?”

Ye Ming was silent for a long time. He seemed to have made up his mind about something as he said slowly, “It’s not that.” 

Zheng Sen’s voice was finally colored with surprise as he asked, “What is it then?”

Ye Ming said, “It’s about Han Xu.”

As soon as these words came out, the person on the other side immediately quieted down. Even if the other person wasn’t around right now, he could still sense the sudden shift in atmosphere, the heaviness transmitting through the phone from far away.

After a full ten seconds, a sound came from the other side again. 

Zheng Sen’s voice was no longer calm as he lowered his voice and cautiously asked him solemnly, “How do you know him and what do you know about him?”

It stood to reason that based on Tao Xu’s status, it was impossible for him to have news about Han Xu. After all, even they couldn’t find Han Xu… anything unusual that cropped up couldn’t be taken lightly.

At this moment, Zheng Sen even thought of the possibility that Shen Ye and Ye Ming had come up with this plot together to conspire against him.

Ye Ming’s gaze was heavy. He took a deep breath and said, “Let’s meet and talk.” 

【888: What’re you doing? You know that Shen Ye will get angry.】

【Ye Ming: (⊙v⊙) En, I know ah. What’s about it?】

【888: …】 It was probably because he’d lost his mind there for a moment that he couldn’t help but say something to this spicy chicken!

The translator has something to say: Hello, dear readers. My apologies for the wait. I know there was a long gap between updates, and many of you were probably wondering what was going on. Updates have been pretty sporadic for a while now as you guys have noticed, so I’ve made the decision to let others take over since I’m unfortunately unable to maintain my usual release rate because of personal stuff I must attend to. I really wanted to see this translation journey to the end with you guys, but I really enjoyed it while it lasted. I’ll be back again someday in the future when time allows, and hopefully, I might see some of you there. For now, I leave this novel to my co-translator, ShiriChan, who’ll be working hard on updating for you guys! All of you guys’s patience this entire time has been greatly appreciated, so please kindly grant your new official translator some extra time for the re-adjustment. I wish you guys all the best! <3