Satisfied, Yu Chaoxian smiled and grabbed Yu Tang's hand, pressing it down...
Yu Tang was sleeping, and no one spoke; a silent sense of oppression filled the air.
Ah Jin's back stiffened, and she immediately took two steps back, lowering her head to avoid the man's gaze. Her Adam's apple bobbed, but she offered no explanation.
Yu Chaoxian didn't look at him. He walked slowly closer, took off his suit jacket, and gently covered Yu Tang with it. His movements were natural and practiced.
Ah Jin gripped the small crab in her hand tightly, and finally turned and left in silence.
It was already late at night. Yu Chaoxian didn't wake Yu Tang up, but carried her and her clothes into the car.
Yu Tang was half asleep when she rubbed her eyes as she was carried up the stairs. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was blood on Yu Chaoxian's shirt.
"Are you injured?" Yu Tang suddenly sat up in his arms and went to lift his clothes to see his wound.
Yu Chaoxian seemed to only then realize that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, weakly putting Yu Tang down. He looked down and saw that his shirt was soaked in dark red, and his left hand was weakly pressing his abdomen.
She had never seen him so weak; he was indeed injured. Yu Tang rushed to check on him in a panic, but the man's drooping eyelashes concealed the smile in his eyes. The moment her blood-stained clothes were lifted, her fingertips touched undamaged skin. The panic in her eyes had not yet subsided, but her taut shoulders suddenly relaxed.
Yu Chaoxian smiled and grabbed Yu Tang's hand, pressing it down to prevent her from leaving. "Dr. Yu, could you please take another good look at me?"
Yu Tang realized that she had been deceived by Yu Chaoxian. He had seen through her tension and panic just now, and she felt ashamed and uneasy that her hidden true feelings had been exposed.
Yu Chaoxian casually threw off his shirt, carried her to the bathroom, and whispered dirty words in Yu Tang's ear.
Since returning to Taicheng, Yu Chaoxian has been demanding sex every night, a frequency that Yu Tang simply cannot bear.
Yu Tang cried beautifully, and Yu Chaoxian kissed the corner of her eye, saying, "Don't cry, I'll go slower."
Yu Tang wondered if it was just her imagination, but every morning during this time, Yu Chaoxian seemed to be particularly tender, unlike his impolite manner at night.
Eight o'clock in the morning.
Yu Chaoxian was woken up by his vibrating phone. He glanced at the caller ID, then turned to the balcony to answer it. He casually helped Yu Tang lie down so she could continue sleeping, knowing that if he woke her up, she would probably kick him again.
“Boss, Somsak, who is running for prime minister, has been wanting to have a meal with you. Somsak is obviously in a hurry. He contacted me early this morning and made several phone calls. He also promised that he would not advocate for a gun ban after taking office. Recently, the police have been pressing you about the shooting incident at the mall. Somsak said that if you agree to meet, he can help resolve the matter by defining it as a terrorist attack by foreign criminal forces against the people of his own country. This would save us the trouble. I think Somsak’s intention is very clear. He wants you to help him win the election.”
Upon hearing Chen Diao's report, Yu Chaoxian scoffed, thinking that this candidate was quite cunning.
However, since Songsa came from a commoner background and had a clean record, Yu Chaoxian was also somewhat interested: "Then let's meet at noon and chat."
It's all about money.
After hanging up the phone, Yu Chaoxian leaned down and kissed the sleeping Yu Tang. Yu Tang's neck and shoulders were covered in marks he had left the previous night; she probably wouldn't want to go out for the next few days.
The curtains weren't drawn last night, and the morning sunlight spilled onto the bed, making everything feel soft and warm. Yu Tang lay on her side on the pillow, the strap of her nightgown slipping down to her arm. Yu Chao first pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and watched her for a while.
A ray of sunlight fell on her brows and eyes, her eyelashes trembling gently with her breath. Yu Tang buried her face in the pillow, a muffled sound coming from behind her. Yu Chaoxian chuckled softly, kissed the crown of her head, then got up to draw the curtains and went to the bathroom.
Before leaving, Yu Chaoxian said to Yu Tang, who was huddled under the covers, "If you don't want to stay home, come to the company."
Yu Tang, still under the covers, lifted a corner of the blanket and said, "Okay."
To her surprise, when she opened her eyes, she was met with his face magnified in front of her. Yu Chaoxian gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Chen Diao was already waiting downstairs. He glanced at the time and saw that it was an hour and ten minutes later than the scheduled time.
What the boss did in those one hour and ten minutes is self-evident.
Yu Chaoxian leaned back comfortably in the back seat. Yu Tang hadn't been crying much in bed lately, and he was in a pretty good mood.
Chen Diao noticed the eldest brother's satisfied expression and the scratch on his chin. He thought for a moment and realized that if he compared it to his aunt's hand, it would definitely match.
“Boss, the other prime ministerial candidate, Bavi, also has a high approval rating. He has royal connections.” Chen Diao looked away and asked, “Should we really support Somsak? He’s just a leader of the common people.”
Yu Chaoxian closed his eyes and said, "What I want is a prime minister without any background. Bavi is backed by the royal family. If I make a request, do you think he will listen to the royal family or to me?"
Chen Diao immediately understood that Songsa, who came from a common background, was easier to manipulate than Bawi. Songsa had no powerful backers, but a wealthy boss could be his protector.
After all, elections cost a fortune. The biggest expense is advertising, which is necessary to let voters know that someone is running for office; the campaign team needs to be professional: strategists, data analysts, lawyers, etc., which alone costs a lot; there's also ground mobilization, organizing rallies, and distributing campaign materials, all of which require a lot of manpower and resources; in addition, attention must be paid to network security to prevent hacking; and security personnel must be hired to ensure the safety of the candidates.
In short, every step of the election was paved with money. Without money, Somsak would never have been able to compete with Bavi.
“Boss,” Chen Diao analyzed the current situation, “the problem now is that Bavi’s approval rating is almost the same as Somsak’s. We need to think of a way to prevent Bavi from making a comeback.”
Chen Diao muttered a lot to himself, but not a single word of it made any sense.
Yu Chaoxian opened his eyes slightly, lowered his eyelashes and said, "When you stab someone, you have to go around to their back; everyone knows to dodge a spear thrust."
"Then how do we get around to his back?" Chen Diao seemed to understand a little of what Yu Chaoxian meant, but he wasn't quite sure about the specific steps.
Yu Chaoxian casually gave an example: "If he is not married, it implies that he is gay."
This country has a low acceptance of homosexuality, so it is difficult for the people to accept a homosexual leader.
"Bavi is married."
“Then let’s imply that he’s having an extramarital affair,” Yu Chaoxian said nonchalantly, “with a woman he needs to avoid, like a member of the royal family.”
Chen Diao gasped. This was a brilliant move. If the candidate had an affair with a royal woman, the consequences would be dire.
"But what if he's actually very happy in his marriage?"
“Then say he’s an extremist, since he frequents churches, or that he’s an alcoholic undergoing psychological treatment.” Yu Chaoxian glanced at Chen Diao. “There are many possibilities; it just depends on how you want to manipulate public opinion.”
Chen Diao benefited greatly from this. The boss really knows the intricacies behind elections. In any case, as long as enough funds are mobilized, Bavi's approval rating can be brought down.
Yu Tang slept soundly in her bedroom for a whole day.
In the afternoon, Yu Tang was watching TV on the sofa when Yu Chaoxian called, asking the driver to take her to the company so they could have dinner together.
Hearing that it was barbecue, Yu Tang's resistance lessened considerably. She changed her clothes in time and had the driver take her to the company building.
She could feed the fish by the fountain and then wait for Yu Chaoxian to pick her up after get off work.
Yu Tang looked out the bus window and saw that the buses were all decorated with photos of the prime ministerial candidates. In the square, voters were passionately campaigning for their chosen candidates. Perhaps because everyone was gathered in the square, there weren't many cars on the road, and the journey was smooth.
The driver dropped Yu Tang off at her company building half an hour earlier than she had expected, so she simply bought a cup of juice from the milk tea shop next door first.
She had just sat down on the bench when a hunched yet familiar figure appeared in her eyes. It was the old lady who had crossed the street earlier.
"Tangtang?" The old lady approached and looked at Yu Tang. She had walked a little too fast and was still a bit out of breath. "It really is you. I've been waiting for you for two days."
"Waiting for me?" Yu Tang was momentarily surprised. Was she waiting for her to help the old lady cross the street? Yu Tang first helped the old lady sit down. "Grandma, is there anything I can help you with?"
The old woman rummaged through her cloth bag, her withered hands trembling uncontrollably. She unwrapped layer after layer of cloth and finally took out a camera. "There was a young man, a good boy, who asked me to do him a small favor. He said if he saw you, he wanted me to give this to you."
"Show it to me?" Yu Tang became even more curious, as she didn't know any young people.
The old lady nodded. She had been waiting downstairs for Yu Tang these past few days, just waiting to show her the video camera. Not long ago, a young man who had recently moved in had helped her a lot, even carrying her to the doctor on a rainy day.
The elderly woman, who lived alone, wanted to give him money as a token of her gratitude, but the young man refused.
Just a few days ago, the young man suddenly approached her and said, "Grandma, if I hadn't come to see you tonight, could you please find a chance to take the camera to this girl to see?"
The old lady glanced at the photo the young man had taken and immediately recognized the person in the photo as Yu Tang, who had helped her cross the street. The young man had helped her a lot, so of course she wanted to help him as much as she could.
Besides, it's just helping to bring a camera.
There was only one video on the camera. Yu Tang's finger hovered above the screen, trembling slightly. For some reason, her chest felt tight, and her throat felt constricted, as if something invisible was warning her not to continue.
Her eyelashes fluttered rapidly a few times, but she still gently pressed play—a piercing gunshot rang out from the speaker, and a bloody scene instantly filled the entire screen.
Yu Tang's pupils suddenly contracted, and her fingers unconsciously gripped her clothes tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms through the fabric.
The video footage was shaking violently, clearly filmed from a very hidden angle. Yu Tang stared intently at the screen as armed soldiers wildly fired at the unarmed people, bullets piercing their bodies.
"These guns are good, they've been a great help!" A deep voice rang out amidst the gunfire.
"I'm glad the President is satisfied." A man's smiling voice came from the other end, also speaking in English.
The man fiddled with the lighter, revealing a faint scar on his palm.
Yu Tang only realized now how familiar she was with Yu Chaoxian. Although the man's face wasn't visible in the video, and no one called his name, she could still recognize him by a soft laugh and a hand.
Yu Chaoxian seemed like an outsider, with blood-red diamonds on the table. Yu Tang didn't believe that Yu Chaoxian didn't know what would happen after these guns were sold to them.
He knew, and watched helplessly as those soldiers used the guns he sold to kill those people.
Yu Tang felt dizzy as she looked at the video's recording date. It was from when she was a freshman in college, a time when Yu Chaoxian rarely came back. At the time, she thought they had a fight and Yu Chaoxian was too lazy to come back to see her, but now it seemed he was busy with these things.
Only now did she realize that she had never truly known Yu Chaoxian. Yu Tang had never seen such a cruel scene before. A sudden sharp pain shot through her stomach, and the bloody sight made her bend over and gag, but nothing came out.
She staggered backward, the strawberry juice she knocked over leaving dark red stains on the ground, much like the pool of blood spreading in the video. She couldn't watch any longer. Yu Tang slammed the camera shut, as if that would make the image disappear, prove that none of this had ever happened, that it was all fake.
She had always assumed that Yu Chaoxian was simply in the arms business, just as he said: the country buys weapons for national defense and to protect its people. Yu Tang never imagined that his weapons would be sold to these places to harm lives.
The old lady didn't know the content of the video. When she saw that Yu Tang looked pale after watching the video, she asked Yu Tang with concern if she was feeling unwell.
Seeing Yu Tang shake her head, the old man seemed to remember something and took out a slip of paper from the innermost part of his bag.
"The young man also said that if I need help or want to leave, I can contact this number."
Yu Tang slowly regained her senses and began to ask the old lady the name and appearance of the person who had given her the camera.
The old lady could only describe the boy as very tall and strong, and she didn't even know his name. "Oh, right, he asked me to leave you a message, saying, 'I am the commander, not a villain. If you encounter any danger or difficulties, you can ask him for help without worry.'"
In an instant, Yu Tang recalled the pair of misty blue eyes on the deck—Victor, who was boarding the ship for inspection.
Was this video left by Victor?
Even at this moment, Yu Tang still chooses to protect the Yu family and trust her family. Perhaps... this is a fabricated video?
Did Victor deliberately create discord between her and Yu Chaoxian in order to obtain information detrimental to the Yu family?
After all, my brother said that there are many people who want to separate the Yu family, and even those people may seem like good people, but their real purpose is to cause the Yu family to fall apart.
Yu Chaoxian has saved many people, otherwise what was the point of all his charity work? Was it all an act?
Yu Tang needed to observe further to see if anyone else would contact her. She couldn't take the initiative to do so, nor could she tell Yu Chaoxian about it.
She couldn't have the camera yet; otherwise, with Yu Chaoxian's keen observation skills, she wouldn't be able to hide it. Most importantly, given Liang Jiaqi's experience, if Yu Chaoxian saw the camera and knew she suspected him, how would he torment the old lady?
Yu Tang glanced at the time; it was almost time for Yu Chaoxian to get off work. She asked the old lady to keep the camera for now, and as for the slip of paper with the number in her hand… she quickly saved it to her phone, randomly filling in a name like "Mango Sticky Rice" to make it seem more authentic. After all, she also had the numbers of restaurants like Curry Fish Balls, Banana Pancakes, and Takoyaki in her contacts.
The black Bentley approached from afar and finally stopped in front of Yu Tang. The car window slowly rolled down, revealing the man's perfectly handsome face.
He was like a noble young master, seemingly unrelated to bloodshed.
Yu Chaoxian squeezed Yu Tang's hand; it was a little cold, probably from helping the old lady cross the street earlier.
He said unhappily, "From now on, wait for me in the company's break room. Don't help just anyone, you hear me?"
Yu Tang touched the scar on his palm; it was uneven and abrupt. She didn't argue with him. "I heard you."
Her touch made Yu Chaoxian lower his eyes. Yu Chaoxian took her hand in his warm, dry hand and placed it on his lap.
As the car drove into a sea of neon lights, she gazed at the flowing light and shadow outside the window and suddenly wondered—which one was the real him? Was it the man warming her hands now, or the indifferent demon in the video?
She clearly remembered the heat of his embrace, the powerful heartbeat from his chest, and the gentle breath that brushed against the top of her head.
But the video on the phone contained gunshots, screams, and pools of blood...
The beef in the restaurant's private room was freshly cut and still had blood in it, which reminded Yu Tang of that bloody video. She felt cold all over, nauseous, unable to swallow, and had no appetite at all.
Yu Chaoxian couldn't help but blame the old woman, thinking that it must have been because she was chatting with the old man that she caught a cold.
"Yu Tang, if you don't want to eat, then don't. Who are you trying to fool with that long face?" Yu Chao first served her a bowl of hot soup.
Yu Tang wanted to ask when she had ever put on a face, but swallowed the words back and instead drank her soup.
"What were you busy with every day when I first started college?" Yu Tang remembered the date and location of the video call. "Was it because you were flying back and forth between Ohio and Killarley for business?"
“Little Aunt.” Yu Chaoxian suddenly raised an eyebrow, his mood instantly improving. “Can you stop thinking about all this nonsense? There’s no one else here, just you from beginning to end, and it will be the same in the future.”
He thought Yu Tang was still upset that he hadn't gone back home often during that time because he had other lovers, and that Yu Tang was just being jealous and throwing a tantrum by not wanting to eat.
Yu Tang was unaware of his thoughts. She only heard her own voice tremble slightly as she asked him, "So you were really in Killarri back then?"
“Yes, Mickey is with me.” Yu Chaoxian refused to lie.
Mickey nodded in agreement. Around that time, President Taylor ordered automatic rifles. As soon as the rifles arrived, Taylor clashed with the tribe on the spot because his brother, who was carrying a golden AK, had died in the tribe's previous battle, and Taylor naturally wanted revenge.
Yu Chao first tried to feed her soup, but Yu Tang avoided it.
Yu Tang clenched her fists, trying to keep her tone steady, "Have you ever considered that the weapons you sell might very well harm innocent people?"
Yu Tang couldn't change the situation, nor could she change this man. But the thought of those tragically killed people made it impossible for her to sit there calmly or with a clear conscience. It was as if everything she possessed was derived from the wealth stained with Yu Chaoxian's blood. If Yu Chaoxian's crimes were truly heinous, then she was an accomplice who couldn't escape responsibility.
Seeing her expression of wanting to cry but desperately holding back tears, Yu Chaoxian knew she must have seen another video of war scenes and was overwhelmed with sympathy.
He put down the soup bowl and patiently wiped away the tears on her face.
"The civil war in Killaria is ongoing, it was inevitable, and it's a war they started themselves, not something I did." Yu Chaoxian's voice was calm and steady, simply stating a fact. "That's their war, not ours. I'm a businessman; they need weapons, so I provide them. They pay, the Yu family delivers the goods—business is that simple. Otherwise, how could the Yu family's weapons be distributed all over the world?"
He leaned slightly forward, gazing into her reddened eyes, and pulled her into his arms to comfort her, his tone as if explaining the most ordinary truth: "It's like selling a car. No seller will ask the buyer whether they intend to use the car to save lives or to hit someone, because that's none of the seller's business. So stop thinking about those unnecessary things, okay?"
Yu Chaoxian knew she was soft-hearted, and he also knew that Yu Yanting had protected her very well, preventing her from ever truly experiencing the darkness of the world and allowing her to still firmly believe in purity and goodness. And he was willing to maintain that purity for her. Just as he said, he could give Yu Tang anything she wanted.
Yu Tang forced a smile; anyone sitting next to a devil who disregards human life would find it difficult to be at ease.
She had only one thought in her mind: she had to leave Yu Chaoxian.
Having learned her lesson last time, she needed to be more cautious this time. She still didn't understand how Yu Chaoxian had found out her whereabouts so quickly. If she left rashly this time and Yu Chaoxian caught her again so soon, he certainly wouldn't let her off so easily like last time.
His methods of teaching her a lesson were always chilling and instilled a deep-seated fear.
Therefore, even if you leave, you must have a foolproof plan.
But the thought of staying by Yu Chaoxian's side, perhaps indefinitely and unable to escape, filled Yu Tang with unease and anxiety. She was only a sophomore now; if she continued studying in Chongqing, she wouldn't be able to leave for at least the next three years. She wanted to leave Yu Chaoxian, but she couldn't abandon her studies altogether.
Moreover, how can she find a job and support herself without a degree?
Yu Tang suddenly remembered that number, but could anyone else be trusted?
It wasn't too late when she got home, but Yu Tang wasn't in much spirits and went to bed early to rest. She didn't know when Yu Chaoxian had returned from the study.
In the middle of the night, Yu Tang suddenly opened her eyes, her throat still choked with cold sweat, her nightgown soaked through and clinging stickily to her body. The blood splattered in her dream seemed to still leave a dark red afterimage in her eyes, making it difficult for her to distinguish between reality and illusion.
Until she felt the heavy weight around her waist, Yu Chaoxian's arms encircled her, his warm palms resting on her lower abdomen, which was heaving with heavy breathing.
Yu Tang suddenly couldn't stop trembling. The warmer the body temperature was when she was pressed closely against Yu Chaoxian's, the colder and more chilling the scene in the video in her memory became.
"Having a nightmare?" A sleepy voice came from above. The man tightened his arms around her, his lips brushing against her sweaty hair. "Don't be afraid, tell me what you dreamed about?"
"I don't remember." This action made Yu Tang stiffen all over. She turned her back to him, but she couldn't fall asleep anymore.
Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the glass on the bedside table. The water rippled slightly, reflecting her pale, bloodless face and the man's half-closed, deep eyes.
Yu Chaoxian pulled her into his arms again to comfort her, kissing her shoulder. She was so frightened by a dream. This little aunt has grown taller, but her temperament hasn't matured much.
He gently patted Yu Tang's back, coaxing her to close her eyes and fall asleep.
Yu Tang looked listless in the morning, which made the Filipino maid frown.
The Filipino maid earnestly advised Yu Tang, "Miss, are you in love? I've been nourishing you lately, but the more I nourish you, the weaker you become. Although you've just started, you should be more moderate. There will be plenty of young men waiting for you to choose from in the future. Don't keep chasing after just one. If it really doesn't work out, quickly tell that guy to stop messing around and stop seducing people."
The Filipino maid has seen it all; nowadays, young men outside are always showing off their abs to seduce people, so it's understandable that Miss Yu couldn't resist.
Yu Chaoxian, who was coming downstairs, overheard this. He was dissatisfied with what the Filipino maid said, asking what exactly these young men were teaching Yu Tang every day.
He said "I know" with displeasure.
The Filipino maid didn't understand why Yu Chaoxian suddenly spoke up, only assuming that Yu Chaoxian meant he would help persuade Yu Tang.
This made Yu Tang sullen, and she ate her meal with her head down, ignoring Yu Chaoxian. Fortunately, the Filipino maid left after cooking these past few days, apparently because her child was taking the college entrance exam, so Yu Chaoxian gave her quite a lot of free time.
Yu Chao first poured her a glass of milk, but Yu Tang didn't drink it. Instead, she picked up the plain water next to her and drank it all.
"No wonder there was so much water." Yu Chaoxian smiled wickedly. His little aunt was still angry. Wasn't it because he deliberately smeared her water on her curves last night? What was there to be ashamed of about her own things?
Yu Tang's face flushed red, but there was no reasoning with a scoundrel like Yu Chaoxian: "You still dare to talk!"
What's done is done, so saying it won't work. Yu Chaoxian decided not to provoke her anymore; if he really angered her, it would probably take days to coax her back. She used to be as stubborn as a crab, but now she's surprisingly shy.
Yu Chaoxian grabbed Yu Tang, who was about to leave in embarrassment, pulled her onto his lap, and placed the milk in her hand, saying, "Drink it all and then you won't say anything."
Yu Tang really didn't know how Yu Chaoxian could be so nonchalant after doing so many bloody things. She suppressed her nausea and drank the milk.
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