Chapter 36 – Stop Looking at Me Like That

Upon regaining consciousness, Jiang Ruo was first struck by the cold.

Sitting on the hard concrete floor with his hands bound behind him and his legs tied up, his mouth was sealed shut with wide strips of tape, causing his breath to come out in visible puffs of mist.

Jiang Ruo quickly assessed the situation, widening his eyes as he scanned his surroundings. He found himself in a spacious room resembling a warehouse, with piles of scrap wood stacked in the corner. When he looked towards the door, his gaze met that of the man sitting there.

It was someone Jiang Ruo had seen before — Xi Yufeng’s half-brother, Xi Wangchen.

But Jiang Ruo didn’t know why Xi Wangchen had kidnapped him, or whether exposing his true identity was an act of foolishness or intentional provocation.

If it was intentional, either Xi Wangchen didn’t care about the consequences, or he didn’t intend to let Jiang Ruo return alive.

It was impossible not to feel fear. This was the first time Jiang Ruo had ever been kidnapped, and he swallowed hard, trying to maintain his composure.

Xi Wangchen noticed that Jiang Ruo was awake. He got up from his folding chair and approached, swaying slightly. As he drew near, Jiang Ruo saw that he was carrying a bottle of partially consumed alcohol in one hand.

Jiang Ruo expected Xi Wangchen to issue some sort of warning, such as “Don’t make a sound” or “Crying for help won’t do you any good.” Instead, Xi Wangchen reached out to rip off the tape covering Jiang Ruo’s mouth.

The tape was stuck on tightly, and with a sharp tearing sound, Jiang Ruo felt as though his lips and cheeks were being pulled off along with it.

Xi Wangchen turned around and dragged the chair closer to Jiang Ruo. “I’ve got nothing better to do, so I might as well have a chat.”

Jiang Ruo had little interest in conversing with him. He asked, “Where are we? Why did you kidnap me?”

Ignoring Jiang Ruo’s questions, Xi Wangchen raised the bottle to his mouth and took a long gulp, swallowing audibly. Afterward, he tossed the empty bottle onto the ground where it shattered into several pieces.

Jiang Ruo stared at the sharp edges of the glass shards, wishing the bottle had been smashed against him instead.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, Xi Wangchen’s eyes were hazy when he lifted his head again, and his speech began to slur. “Hey, you…aren’t you my brother’s little lover?”

Jiang Ruo gave him a withering look, as if to say, “You know damn well who I am.”

Xi Wangchen chuckled. “You’re quite feisty, I see. So that’s what my brother likes.”

As he repeated the phrase “my brother” several times, Xi Wangchen suddenly stopped laughing.

“My brother, my brother…” Xi Wangchen’s lips drooped, his expression bordering on tears. “I treated you like a real brother. Why did you treat me this way?!”

Jiang Ruo understood now. It seemed that Xi Yufeng had dealt with this troublesome mother-son duo, which explained why Aunt Fang mentioned the recent unrest within the Xi family and advised Xi Yufeng to be cautious.

Thinking about it, Jiang Ruo felt a sense of relief. At least for now, Xi Yufeng was safe.

“You tell me!” Xi Wangchen continued to mutter to himself, seeking agreement. “Tell me, isn’t Xi Yufeng too ruthless? He handed over the project to me, but once I took charge, all the investors withdrew their funds. When I begged him for help, he gave me a piece of land, letting me taste success. Then he made me buy another piece of land at a high price, promising even higher returns.”

“But then…it turned out to be worthless land that no one wanted. Now, I’m penniless and drowning in debt…I trusted him so much, yet he pushed me to the brink of despair, wanting me dead!”

Jiang Ruo knew nothing about business matters. Listening to this tearful tirade, he could only conclude that Xi Wangchen deserved his fate.

“Why can’t he do the same to you?” Jiang Ruo said coldly. “When you drugged him and set traps for him, you should have known that if you couldn’t match him, you’d face retribution.”

Xi Wangchen was taken aback for a moment before breaking into a bitter laugh. “Yes, retribution. I’m just not good enough, and too gullible…but after drugging him, I never intended to harm him.”

“How can I believe that, let alone him?” Jiang Ruo managed a weak smile, coughing a few times. “Even if you didn’t act against him, your dear mother has never left him alone, has she?”

Perhaps realizing his own guilt, Xi Wangchen shook his head and slumped back into the chair. “Forget it, why am I telling you all this?”

After a while, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned to Jiang Ruo with a hint of amusement in his smile. “He told you about this? Seems like your position in his heart is higher than I thought.”

Jiang Ruo’s heart skipped a beat. “I merely stumbled upon your mother creating a scene and pieced things together based on rumors.”

“Do you know he’s getting married?” Xi Wangchen asked.

For nearly half a minute, Jiang Ruo could only hear himself ask softly, “Is that so?”

The matter that had plagued him for days was now laid bare in front of him, under these circumstances. Amidst the confusion, Jiang Ruo couldn’t discern any other emotions.

“Yes,” Xi Wangchen replied, now amused at the spectacle. He fished out his phone from his pocket. “Don’t believe me? Ask him yourself.”

Placing the call on speaker, after three or four rings, Xi Yufeng’s calm voice came through. “Hello?”

Jiang Ruo immediately clamped his mouth shut, striving to remain silent.

“My dear big brother,” Xi Wangchen addressed him mockingly. “Are you ready for the bet?”

There was a brief silence on the other end. “What bet?”

Xi Wangchen laughed. “The bet where I put all my shares on the line — the one your loyal underling arranged for the investors to sign with me. Are you still pretending to be clueless?”

In response, Xi Yufeng simply asked, “Is that so?”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t know,” Xi Wangchen stood up and approached Jiang Ruo. “Why don’t you guess whether your little lover knows about it?”

With that, he lifted his foot and kicked Jiang Ruo hard.

Jiang Ruo had anticipated the violence and quickly shifted his body to take the blow on his abdomen. For a dancer, having healthy and agile limbs was paramount.

One kick was followed by another, and Xi Wangchen deliberately held the phone close, allowing a muffled groan to escape Jiang Ruo’s lips and reach the receiver.

Almost instantly, Xi Yufeng on the other end said, “Let him go.” His tone was unusually urgent. “Xi Wangchen, release him first. We’ll discuss the rest when we meet.”

Hearing those words, Jiang Ruo closed his eyes in resignation, his teeth releasing the lip he had been biting.

He wasn’t stupid; he knew that Xi Yufeng’s calm demeanor was a tactic. The more anxious Xi Yufeng appeared, the more advantageous the situation became for Xi Wangchen.

Moreover, the Xi Yufeng that Jiang Ruo knew was a man who carefully planned his moves, someone who knew nothing of impulsiveness. Yet just now, Xi Yufeng had acted out of character, showing urgency, and making a move that was uncharacteristically unlike him.

Amidst the overwhelming pain that threatened to consume his consciousness, Jiang Ruo let out a sudden laugh.

He cared.

That was enough.

From the end of one winter to the beginning of another, even if it only melted a corner of the iceberg, it was sufficient for Jiang Ruo to breathe a sigh of relief and savor the memory for many years to come.

After all, how many “many years” does one have in a lifetime?

Later, Xi Wangchen never kept his promise to ask Xi Yufeng about the marriage.

Jiang Ruo lay on the ground, half his cheek pressed against the icy concrete, listening to Xi Wangchen’s lamentations in a daze.

Despite achieving his goal, Xi Wangchen still wore a mournful expression. “Do you know why he went to such lengths to push me and my mother to the brink?”

Jiang Ruo lacked the strength to open his eyes, managing only a slow blink.

Taking it as a sign that Jiang Ruo wanted to hear more, Xi Wangchen answered his own question. “Because he wants to avenge his late mother.”

The words of a drunkard were often unreliable, but the ramblings of a foolish drunkard held some truth.

Although Xi Wangchen didn’t have a complete understanding of the past events, much like Jiang Ruo, he had pieced together information from hearsay and conjecture.

He spoke of how Xi Yufeng’s mother was a woman of noble birth, and how his father had married her to consolidate his power. Later, when Xi Yufeng’s mother learned about Xiao Yin and his existence, she fell ill from depression and eventually died from her grief.

These few sentences chilled Jiang Ruo’s already frigid body further.

To Xi Wangchen, however, it was insignificant. “What rich man doesn’t have multiple wives and mistresses? What’s there to get upset about?”

He seemed to have found a willing listener for the first time in a long while. Even with Jiang Ruo unable to resist, Xi Wangchen poured out his heart, sharing his grievances.

“Do you know,” Xi Wangchen said, “my mother named me Wangchen, hoping that I…would make Xi Yufeng feel unworthy of comparison.”(literally means “gazing at dust.” from the idiom “望塵莫及”, which means “to see the dust ahead and be unable to catch up; to be far inferior”)

Saying this, Xi Wangchen slapped his thigh and burst out laughing.

His laughter soon turned to tears, and Xi Wangchen buried his face in his hands. “But I’m not good enough. I can’t match him. I’m just a pawn, a clown he toys with!”

“This man, he spares no means to achieve his goals. If I escaped this time, would he spare my life next time?”

“Would he?”

Half an hour later, at the Xi family residence on South Mountain.

After receiving confirmation that Jiang Ruo was alive and had been rescued, Xi Yufeng pushed open the door and strode inside, gesturing to the two bodyguards-like men following him to start smashing everything in sight.

The bodyguards showed no mercy, swinging iron bars to shatter vases, clocks, and tea sets within their reach. Cracks appeared on the floor, and the solid wood tea table was left pockmarked. Not a single decorative item that Xiao Yin had added to the house remained unscathed.

Aunt Fang rushed out of the kitchen first, her heart pounding as she cried out to the heavens.

Following her, Xi Chengli and Xiao Yin descended from upstairs. Seeing her “precious treasures” destroyed, Xiao Yin screamed and charged at Xi Yufeng, intent on fighting him to the death. However, the mere sight of the bodyguards’ iron bars sent her scurrying backward in fear.

None of the three could halt the chaotic destruction. Xi Chengli repeated several times, “How indecent,” before finally roaring, “Have you lost your mind? Destroying your own home?”

Xi Yufeng’s gaze swept over Xiao Yin, hidden behind Xi Chengli, with a ferocity that sent shivers down Xi Chengli’s spine.

“Yes, my own home,” he said, his voice chillingly cold. “The house my mother left me. I’ll destroy it however I please.”

Fearing that Xi Yufeng would soon turn his wrath on the people in the house as well, Xi Chengli took a step back, producing the property deed and attempting to reason with him, urging Xi Yufeng to discuss matters in the study.

Xi Chengli had already learned about Xi Wangchen kidnapping Jiang Ruo from Xiao Yin. He scolded them for their lack of ambition, saying, “Are you going mad along with them?”

Xi Yufeng replied, “Since they dare not confront me directly and resort to underhanded tactics, I must respond accordingly.”

“Previously, your conflicts didn’t harm the fundamental interests of the Xi family, so I chose not to intervene,” Xi Chengli sighed. “So why now? Isn’t it just a small affair? Is it worth causing such a commotion over?”

“He’s mine,” Xi Yufeng said. “If I can’t protect him, how can I secure our family’s assets in the future?”

The latter part of Xi Yufeng’s statement struck a chord with Xi Chengli, who was deeply traditional and had spent many years in the business world. He valued his empire above all else, maintaining surface peace while ruthlessly prioritizing the family’s interests when necessary.

Xi Chengli’s tone softened. “I’ve always known you to be a sensible child.” He continued, “Regardless of your mother’s actions, I have always felt indebted to you.”

Deciding not to delve into the reasons for his guilt, Xi Chengli omitted them.

Based on past experience, Xi Chengli believed that the conciliatory approach that had worked so well before would also be effective with Xi Yufeng.

“I can’t control what you young people do outside, but it’s time to settle your marriage with Meng Lan,” Xi Chengli said. “Given your intelligence, you should understand that with the support of the Meng family, your brother and Aunt Xiao wouldn’t dare to harbor malicious intentions, let alone act on them.”

Xi Yufeng’s expression darkened at these familiar words.

Even during their meetings at the company, after discussing business matters, Xi Chengli never failed to urge him about his marriage. Compared to his previous strong opposition, Xi Chengli’s current tolerance of Xi Yufeng’s personal life was a significant concession.

“I need a legitimate reason to transfer the house to your name, along with its enviable location. Therefore, you require the Meng family’s protection. Wangchen is simple-minded and impulsive, and it’s uncertain whether he will stir up trouble again in the future. I don’t wish to see strife between you brothers.”

If the earlier remarks were merely advice, the final sentence contained veiled threats, laced with a clear warning.

“In any case, I genuinely mean well in this matter,” Xi Chengli looked at Xi Yufeng. “We’ve weathered countless storms, but don’t let an insignificant matter ruin the Xi family and your own future.”

When Jiang Ruo woke up, it was already night.

He found himself in a private hospital room with white walls and blue curtains. An IV drip hung overhead, the regular rise of bubbles signaling the cool liquid entering his body drop by drop.

Confusion didn’t last long. Soon, the pain in his abdomen caused Jiang Ruo to gasp, and he lifted his neck, attempting to see the source of the agony. But a hand pressed on his shoulder, gently guiding him back down.

“Don’t move around,” it was Xi Yufeng’s voice. “I’ll call the doctor.”

The doctor arrived promptly, checked Jiang Ruo’s wound, and administered a pain-relieving injection to the nurse.

The medication took effect quickly, and within fifteen minutes, the cold sweat on Jiang Ruo’s back had subsided.

Still, Xi Yufeng didn’t allow Jiang Ruo to sit up. Instead, he adjusted the bed to a thirty-degree angle and, when feeding him water, supported his neck tenderly with his hand.

Jiang Ruo only took a couple of sips before turning his face away to indicate he’d had enough. Xi Yufeng gently placed him back on the pillow and leveled the bed.

There were so many things they wanted to say, so many questions they wished to ask, but the two of them seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement. For a long time, neither uttered a sound.

Eventually, it was Xi Yufeng who broke the silence, asking the wide-eyed Jiang Ruo, “Does it still hurt?”

Jiang Ruo shook his head slightly.

“Can’t sleep?”

Jiang Ruo responded with a soft “Mmm.”

Xi Yufeng then turned on the bedside lamp, bathing the room in warm yellow light. A warm, dry hand touched Jiang Ruo’s forehead, lingered for a moment, and then moved to caress his cheek.

This gesture was less about checking his temperature and more a tender touch. It was almost weightless, as if Xi Yufeng feared he might break Jiang Ruo.

Unable to resist, Jiang Ruo turned his head toward the side of the bed. He saw Xi Yufeng doing nothing but resting his palm on his skin, gazing at him quietly.

Just that look made Jiang Ruo’s heart feel like a sponge pulled from water, squeezed dry in an instant, leaving behind countless tiny holes.

Each pore greedily breathed, desperately absorbing and preserving the oxygen needed for survival, as if opening his eyes again would reveal the world on the brink of its end.

Jiang Ruo couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile, despite the stiffness caused by the recently scabbed wounds on his lips.

He said, “Stop looking at me like that.”

Xi Yufeng, stop looking at me like that.

Such a gaze makes me feel that, at this moment, whatever I desire, you would grant me.