Chapter 24

Sang Nian was discharged from the hospital and returned to the Sang family before winter. Sang Yu didn't react much to his sudden return. He didn't have the energy to discipline his androgynous son right now. Recently, many of the Sang family's businesses had run into problems, and he simply couldn't spare the attention. After Sang Wenhua found out, he even arranged for Sang Jing to join the company to help him.

So he simply told Sang Nian not to appear in front of Tao Wanru, because her emotions were still unstable. Then he hurried off to the company.

Sang Nian nodded obediently.

However, he didn't see Tao Wanru at home either. After asking, he learned that she was abroad to relax, which he said would help her condition. The business of the art studio was completely handed over to Tao Youmin.

During dinner, he noticed that Tao Youmin had also arrived. Tao Youmin's eyes widened in surprise when she saw him, but she quickly concealed it and gave a gentle smile.

"Sang Nian, you're home."

Sang Nian nodded without saying anything, but seemed a little puzzled by her mention of "going home".

When did the Sang family become Tao Youmin's family?

For the first time, Sang Nian felt a tinge of curiosity about this cousin she wasn't very familiar with. The Tao family ran a small business and didn't have a high status in Haishi. If it weren't for Tao Wanru's stunning beauty catching Sang Yu's eye and Sang Yu giving the Tao family a lot of business after their marriage, the Tao family would have gradually grown bigger.

But that was all. When it came to the next generation, Tao Youmin learned to paint from her aunt Tao Wanru, so they handed over the family business to her cousin Tao Zeqian from her second maternal uncle's family.

Something must have happened to the Tao family's business, otherwise Tao Youmin wouldn't be currying favor with the Sang family, and Tao Zeqian wouldn't be showing Ye Shu such unsolicited kindness.

He had to remind Ye Shu that Tao Zeqian's purpose in approaching her was not pure.

Sang Wenhua paused for a moment when he saw Sang Nian, seemingly remembering his beloved grandson who had passed away, and his eyes instantly reddened. His hands trembled as he tried several times to take Sang Nian's hand, but Sang Nian dodged him each time.

Sang Nian took a step back and called out, "Grandpa."

Sang Wenhua, with his back hunched, responded repeatedly.

"You're back." With a sigh, he seemed to have wiped away all past grievances. At this moment, he was just an old man longing for his children and grandchildren to reunite with him, and he didn't want to care about anything else.

"Grandpa is sorry for you. It's good that you're back. Grandpa will give you back everything you deserve."

Sang Nian sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly extremely submissive.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

With Sang Wenhua's approval, Sang Nian gradually became more comfortable in this family. No one deliberately made things difficult for him, nor did they neglect him. He seemed to have become Sang Ning, enjoying the generous treatment in this family with a clear conscience.

On a sunny afternoon, Sang Nian arranged to meet Ye Shu at the "Huai Shan" coffee shop. Ye Shu arrived late, just like when they first met.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late again," Ye Shu apologized, taking the coffee Sang Nian had ordered for him. "How have you been doing since you returned to the Sang family?"

When Sang Nian insisted on going back, Ye Shu and Liu Wenyuan repeatedly advised him that he was better off without that kind of family and that he could live a carefree life on his own.

Sang Nian wouldn't listen to reason, so Ye Shu had no choice but to accept it. She just told him to keep in touch with her after he got back, and to move out if he was unhappy, and not to make himself suffer.

"It's good, they treat me fairly well now." Although Sang Yu still pretends not to see him and ignores him, Sang Wenhua has changed a lot. She no longer makes him go on blind dates, nor does she force him to have children for the Sang family. Instead, she often cares about his health and asks Sang Ke to bring him some tonics every few days to help him recover.

"Sigh, let me tell you, I'm so tired lately. With the end of the year approaching, there are all sorts of social engagements and parties. I don't want to go at all. If it weren't for my old man acting like he's too old and forcing me to go, I could have spared some time to spend with you."

Ye Shu is also a chatterbox, but Sang Nian loves listening to her talk.

"I told you before that the old man wanted me to go on a blind date with Xu Muze, right?" Ye Shu said, glancing at Sang Nian, who nodded hesitantly.

It seems like I mentioned it...

Bar.

Ye Shu scoffed in dissatisfaction. She knew that Sang Nian hadn't taken eight out of ten of her words to heart, but she was magnanimous and would let Sang Nian off the hook today.

"Xu Muze likes men. I don't know what the old man was thinking. He's practically pushing me into a fire pit! Later, I ran into Xu Muze at a party and we talked about blind dates. Do you know what he said?"

Ye Shu glanced around, her expression somewhat excited. Sang Nian, not understanding why, also lowered his head and moved closer to Ye Shu.

"He said he likes Tao Zeqian!" Ye Shu's voice was soft, but it couldn't hide her burning gossip. "Do you know what kind of person Tao Zeqian is?"

This really stumped Sang Nian. He hadn't had much contact with Tao Zeqian, and only knew that he appeared gentle and mild-mannered, seemingly indifferent to worldly affairs.

But Ye Shu had mentioned before that he had been deliberately getting close to her lately...

“He probably has ulterior motives towards you.” Sang Nian thought of Tao Youmin’s attitude towards the Sang family. “Have you heard anything about any problems with the Tao family’s business recently?”

Ye Shu was surprised by his question, then chuckled, "Nian Nian, you're so smart!" Sang Nian didn't understand why she was being praised so suddenly, and could only look at her with a puzzled expression.

“My sixth sense is always very accurate. I felt something was wrong at the time, so after that day I went back and checked the Tao family. Then I found out that the Tao family had run into problems with several of their businesses in recent months.”

As Ye Shu analyzed the situation, she swirled her coffee spoon. Sang Nian didn't understand business matters, but judging from Ye Shu's tone, it seemed that if things weren't handled properly, the Tao family might go bankrupt.

No wonder Tao Zeqian suddenly became so attentive to Ye Shu, frequently sending text messages to inquire about her condition while he was hospitalized, and visiting the flower shop much more often than before. Each time he went, he would bring Ye Shu some trinkets she had never seen before or trendy desserts that required long queues to buy.

This is an attempt to gain favor with Ye Shu in order to climb the social ladder and join the Ye family.

After Ye Shu finished speaking, she noticed that Sang Nian didn't react much, so she called out to Sang Nian, but Sang Nian didn't respond. She was just immersed in her own world, thinking.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Since Xu Muze likes Tao Zeqian, why doesn't Tao Zeqian just ask Xu Muze for help?"

Ye Shu rested her chin on her hand. "I don't know. Maybe he doesn't know how to bring it up. After all, he doesn't like Xu Muze and can't reciprocate his feelings." The ice cubes in the coffee cup made a crisp sound as they were stirred. Ye Shu's voice sounded a little muffled. "Or maybe Xu Muze doesn't like Tao Zeqian as much as he seems to."

She sighed, then straightened her back again. "But none of this matters to me. Anyway, I have no interest in Tao Zeqian. Let him do whatever he wants. I won't fall into his sweet trap."

Since Ye Shu had said that, Sang Nian didn't dwell on the topic anymore. After a while, Ye Shu said again, "Oh right, Xu Muze gave me two hot spring tickets the other day. Are you free on Christmas Day? Let's go together."

Sang Nian hesitated for a moment.

He didn't want to go because he was afraid of exposing his androgynous body.

But Ye Shu was unaware of his concerns. Seeing that he was about to refuse, she grabbed his hand and said coquettishly, "Good Niannian, come with me. I've never had any true friends growing up, and I've always spent Christmas alone..."

She spoke so pitifully that Sang Nian couldn't bear to refuse her any longer, so he had no choice but to agree.

“You’re the best every year.” Ye Shu gave him a big hug.

Sang Nian could only accept her hug with a wry smile.

He knew that Ye Shu was very good to him, so he didn't want to make Ye Shu sad.

Christmas arrived quickly, and Ye Shu drove herself. She was very excited the whole way, chattering away like a little girl on her first trip.

When the two arrived at the hot spring resort and were checking in, Sang Nian saw a familiar figure.

It must have been a long time since he had seen Wen Yan. When he woke up in the hospital that time, Ye Shu told him that Wen Yan had brought her here. He was quite excited at the time, thinking that he would see him, but then Ye Shu told him that Wen Yan had already gone back.

He couldn't control the sense of loss and self-loathing he felt in that instant. He had walked through the gates of hell, yet he still craved that trace of warmth that didn't belong to him.

At that time, he decided not to bother Wen Yan anymore, at least not to let him see his face, which resembled Sang Ning's, and feel sad.

He really made that decision; it took him a lot of effort.

But when he learned the truth about Qiu Yang's death, the only solution he could think of was to get close to Wen Yan again and use the Wen family's power to take revenge on Sang Yu and Tao Wanru.

He also felt despicable, but he couldn't think of any other way.

He could only apologize to Wen Yan.

So just as Wen Yan's figure was about to turn the corner, Sang Nian calculated the timing, picked up her suitcase, and rammed into him headfirst.

As the intense pain struck, he heard a concerned greeting coming from above.

Are you alright?

Sang Nian looked down at Wen Yan's fingers, which were supporting him on his shoulder, and his eyes welled up with tears. He slowly raised his head and watched as Wen Yan's expression changed from worry to disgust, and then he suddenly let go of his hand.

Sang Nian swayed slightly. He suppressed the bitterness in his heart, put on a smile again, and said to Wen Yan, "What a coincidence, Brother Wen Yan."

Wen Yan frowned, not looking at Sang Nian, "Don't call me that."

"Ah." Sang Nian smiled, appearing composed, but his hands were clenched tightly behind his back, his fingernails digging red into his palms. "Then what should I call you?"

Wen Yan glanced at him but didn't answer.

Just then, Xu Muze suddenly poked his head out from behind him, smiling and greeting Sang Nian, "Hello, Sang Nian, we meet again."

Sang Nian returned a smile, then her gaze fell on Wen Yan. Back at the Wen Group, Wen Yan had become President Wen in everyone's eyes, his demeanor even more outstanding, yet also more aloof, making him unapproachable.

"You came with Ye Shu?" Xu Muze spotted Ye Shu not far away and suddenly realized.

Sang Nian nodded. At this moment, Ye Shu also finished checking in. She turned around and saw Sang Nian, Wen Yan, and Xu Muze standing at the corner. The atmosphere was a bit strange.

So she quickened her pace and walked over.

"You're here too." The tone wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold either. Xu Muze responded with a soft "hmm," while Wen Yan simply nodded to Ye Shu, then said to Xu Muze, "Let's go."

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Xu Muze kept saying "Let's talk again when we have time" as he followed closely behind.

Watching Wen Yan's departing figure, Sang Nian felt a deep sense of loss. He raised his hand to rub his eyes and smiled at Ye Shu, saying, "I'm a little sleepy. I didn't sleep well in the car."

Ye Shu chuckled, looked away, and muttered something.

"Wen Yan has become a completely different person since Sang Ning passed away. He's cold and aloof, and quite annoying."

Sang Nian seemed not to hear, and walked forward carrying his and Ye Shu's suitcases, though his steps were somewhat disordered.