RTCBM 12

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never lose a battle.
While Wen Shang was having someone investigate Mu Yuan, Mu Yuan had also conducted a detailed background check on Wen Shang.

Wen Shang’s family had risen to prominence during the fifth year of the Jiaqing Emperor’s reign in the Qing dynasty.
After eight generations of expansion and capital accumulation, their family fortune had grown to a considerable scale, laying down a smooth and prosperous path for future descendants.

Wen Shang’s mother, Tan Ya, and his father, Wen Yuan, had a typical arranged marriage between powerful families. Tan Ya and Luo Yi, however, were half-siblings from the same mother but different fathers.
As for the emotional entanglements of their parents’ generation, there was no need to get into that messy story for now.

Wen Shang was the only son of the Wen family. Since childhood, he had been deeply loved and spoiled by the elders of his family.
There was nothing he wanted that he could not have. Growing up in that environment had shaped his current personality. Anyone who dared to offend him would never be easily forgiven.

After finishing high school in China, Wen Shang went to Europe to study.
He majored in business and finance at university. He swung both ways, but currently had no steady relationship.
Based on the type he chose for casual male partners, he clearly preferred good-looking, clean, well-mannered boys. And “Mu Xing” just happened to perfectly match his taste.

Ever since the day they watched the movie together, Wen Shang’s attitude toward Mu Yuan had subtly shifted.

After confirming Mu Xing’s identity, Wen Shang gradually let go of his suspicions.
When he texted Mu Xing, his tone had become casual and friendly, like he was chatting with a buddy. At first, the two of them only exchanged a few random words on WeChat now and then. But as time went on, the topics of their conversations increased little by little.

As a born actor, Mu Yuan was always extremely cautious when chatting with Wen Shang, afraid that if he let his guard down even for a moment, he would slip up and expose himself. Even back when he was pretending to be a naive little bunny in front of his second uncle, it had never been this exhausting.

Wen Shang went to work at his company during the day. Usually, he would only message Xiao Xing or send him voice notes after returning home at night. Occasionally, he would make a call, but the conversations never lasted long, maybe just ten minutes or so before hanging up.

Mu Yuan had approached Wen Shang from the very beginning with a purpose.
His mind was always on that secretly recorded video. In order to get it back from Wen Shang, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and continue pretending to be the sweet boy next door, using the identity of “Mu Xing” to build a relationship with him.

But once he succeeded in getting close to him, what then? What was the next step?

He Dongying had reminded Mu Yuan that when the time came, he might have to mentally prepare himself to offer up his body if necessary.

Of course, Mu Yuan was unwilling.
But as long as the video was still in Wen Shang’s hands, he could not free himself from this mess. For now, he could only take it one step at a time.

On Wednesday, it was Luo Yi’s sixty-third birthday. In the early morning, around three or four o’clock, Mu Yuan went out to sea with the local fishermen to catch crabs.
After returning to shore, he picked out seven or eight of the largest golden butter crabs from the catch and brought them to Luo Yi as a gift. He even personally steamed the crabs for him.

The golden crabs, fully cooked, were brought to the table, steaming hot.
Each crab was plump and bursting with meat, the crab roe inside so full that it was practically oozing out of the shells.
Just looking at them was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

“Godfather, these are the freshest golden butter crabs, caught early this morning. They are all wild and extra large, a real rare find. While they are still hot, the flavor will be the best. Let me shell them for you,” Mu Yuan said, picking up the special scissors to help Luo Yi crack open the shells.

“I can do it myself. You should eat too. There are so many crabs here, there is no way I can finish them all by myself,” Luo Yi said, grinning from ear to ear. He picked up a golden butter crab and placed it onto Mu Yuan’s plate. “You are young and strong, eat more.”

“Alright, later then.”
Mu Yuan grinned and pulled out a small red box from his pocket, handing it over to Luo Yi.

When Luo Yi opened it, he found a bracelet of agarwood prayer beads inside.
Each bead had been hand-polished, the surface smooth, the grain flowing clearly and beautifully. The color was rich and heavy, and even from a distance, there was a soft, mellow woody fragrance.

“Godfather, I specially had this bracelet made for you by a craftsman. It is made from premium agarwood. Its scent has a calming effect. I even took it to Guanyin Temple to have it blessed by the abbot.
You always do good deeds and help others, so this bracelet will definitely protect your health and bring you even more good fortune.”

Mu Yuan’s gift of gab was truly top-notch.
The old man Luo could not stop smiling, completely delighted, and kept praising him, “I really did not make a mistake in accepting you as my godson. You understand me perfectly.”

After lunch, Mu Yuan had even prepared a special performance. He knew that Luo Yi loved Cantonese opera, so he had hired a troupe to perform for him.

“Godfather, do you like it?”

Food, a prayer bracelet, and now a live opera performance, how could Luo Yi not love it? At this point, all he could see and think about was how wonderful this godson was.

“Thank you so much, Xiao Yuan,” Luo Yi said, genuinely touched.

“As long as you are happy, Godfather,” Mu Yuan said with a smile, massaging Luo Yi’s shoulders and lightly pounding his back.
“By the way, Godfather, I have prepared an extra little gift for you today.”

“You still have more gifts?” Luo Yi’s face lit up with joy.

“You might not know, but I actually studied a bit of Cantonese opera when I was younger. Today, I want to sing a song for you.”

Mu Yuan calmly walked up onto the temporary stage. After clearing his throat, he gave a small nod to the band beside him.
The music started, and he immediately got into character, singing one of Luo Yi’s favorite opera songs in a clear, steady voice.

That night, the family held a grand birthday banquet for Luo Yi. Mu Yuan used the excuse of having business with the gang to skip the event. Part of the real reason was that he did not want to run into Wen Shang and ruin his own mood.

Wen Shang had prepared a birthday gift for Luo Yi, a cloisonné horse statue. “Uncle, I wish you boundless blessings and a long life.”

Luo Yi nodded with a warm smile, accepted the gift from Wen Shang, praised it politely, and then had someone place it aside.

Not seeing Mu Yuan at the banquet, Wen Shang felt a little puzzled. By right, Luo Yi would not have forgotten to invite his godson to celebrate with him.

“Uncle, why did Mu Yuan not come today?”

“Oh, him?”
Luo Yi’s face immediately lit up.
“He had business with the gang tonight, so he could not make it. But he already spent the day celebrating with me.”
As soon as Luo Yi mentioned Mu Yuan, he beamed with pride. He even raised his wrist, showing off the prayer bead bracelet Mu Yuan had given him, looking pleased and proud. “Look, this is the bracelet Xiao Yuan gave me.”

Both had given gifts.
So why was it that the priceless porcelain he had prepared could not even compare to a string of cheap beads? Wen Shang said nothing out loud, but inside he was feeling extremely displeased.

Luo Yi continued happily, “Xiao Yuan even sang Cantonese opera for me.” His expression was one of sheer excitement, like he had discovered a new continent.

“Cantonese opera?”
Wen Shang frowned in confusion.
“What Cantonese opera?”

“You know, the kind performed by opera troupes, traditional singing. I even recorded it. Hold on, I will find the video and show you.”

Luo Yi pulled out his phone, found the recording, and handed the phone over to Wen Shang.

“I only found out about this today. I never knew he had learned something like that.”
Luo Yi clicked his tongue in amazement and said, “Honestly, I was really surprised. His singing skills are actually that good.”

On the video, Mu Yuan was standing at the center of the stage, singing Luo Yi’s favorite opera song, Princess Changping with a voice full of tender sorrow and deep emotion.

His singing was outstanding, powerful and resonant.His voice was loud, rich, and full of breath support. He sang both the male and female parts flawlessly in one breath.
Even his subtle expressions and body language were spot on, performing with such precision that Wen Shang was utterly stunned.

Falling flowers veil the moonlight
Borrowing a cup of wine to offer at the phoenix platform
The princess brings her tears to incense
Wishing to offer her life in gratitude to her parents

Taking the willow shade for the bridal canopy
Tomorrow the prince consort shall greet his bride
By midnight he lifts the lamp to sneak a look at her makeup
Heaven and earth may decay but the phoenix and her lover remain true
Wishing to share a toast and bow as husband and wife, forever faithful

The princess
Will forever accompany her true-hearted husband
Even in death, their forms shall remain together like twin trees…

Wen Shang did not know why, but during the banquet, the image of Mu Yuan standing on the stage singing Princess Changping kept flashing through his mind.
The Mu Yuan on stage had no trace of the thug he had always imagined.

His commanding posture, his confident steps, every movement he made carried an extraordinary charm. His singing was unique, not only conveying the sorrow and helplessness in the lyrics but also delivering a personal style that belonged to him alone.
Even Wen Shang, who knew absolutely nothing about Cantonese opera, could tell from that distinct voice and presence that Mu Yuan was truly a rare natural talent for the stage.

On the way home, Wen Shang, as usual, drove while listening to music. He opened his playlist and, without realizing it, ended up selecting Princess Changping and putting it on loop all the way home.

He did not know how many times he had listened when suddenly his phone rang.
It was a call from his good buddy Xiang Yang.

Xiang Yang had been bored tonight and originally wanted to ask Wen Shang out for drinks. As soon as the call connected, before Wen Shang could even say a word, Xiang Yang was startled by the sound of Cantonese opera blaring from the other side.

“Fuck, where the hell are you?!”

“I am driving. What is it?”

“I should be the one asking you what is going on! Bro, what the hell is happening? You are actually listening to that kind of music? Are you a retired old government official now? This is completely not your style.”

Wen Shang was a little annoyed by his teasing. “So what exactly do you want?”

“Nothing much, just wanted to see if you were free to come out for a drink.”

“Not drinking,” Wen Shang rejected him.
“I am tired today. I have to get up early for work tomorrow.”

After saying that, he hung up directly.
Then he also turned off Princess Changping and deleted it from his playlist.