Chapter 83 – The Fleeting Crybaby

Chu Yin was like a phantom, free-spirited stray cat—coming and going without a word, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

When Wei Lai returned to Yao Chaowu’s house, he still felt that this entire situation had far exceeded the scope of his understanding. It was as unbelievable as the first time he read about the world’s unsolved mysteries as a child.

“You’re saying… Chu Yin threw away his crutches in excitement and just jumped straight from the second floor???”

Yao Chaowu nodded firmly and added, “To be precise, he grabbed onto a tree branch first, swung a bit, then landed.”

Wei Lai: “……”

According to Yao Chaowu, he had been watching TV in the living room on the first floor when he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing past the window. Before he could even make a sound, a crutch plummeted straight down, and in the next instant, another dark figure followed—dropping from the sky.

Wearing a bright orange sweater, Chu Yin stood out like a sore thumb. He landed as gracefully as a cat, didn’t even bother shouting classic chase lines like “Stop right there!” or “Don’t run!”, and instead vanished at a speed that could rival an Olympic sprinter.

Wei Lai raised another question, “But wasn’t Chu Yin’s foot sprained?”

Yao Chaowu sighed helplessly, “Exactly. That’s what I was wondering too. I’ve never seen someone with a sprained foot run that fast in my life.”

Later, when Wei Lai asked Chu Yin about it, Chu Yin sheepishly admitted that his foot had actually healed quite a while ago. But he thought walking with crutches was fun—plus, it gave him an excuse to cling to Wei Lai’s back and have him carry him around in front of Yao Chaowu. So he’d been faking it the whole time.

Chu Yin, a grown man known for his aloof, cool-guy persona, had meticulously pretended to be injured just to act spoiled with Wei Lai. This kind of logic was something Yao Chaowu could never have predicted, and it completely derailed his plans.

At first, Yao Chaowu had simply wanted Wei Lai to come back—to return as his manager.

If he had to make a comparison, Wei Lai was like the devoted, self-sacrificing second male lead in a romantic drama, at least in Yao Chaowu’s mind. Wei Lai had always been by his side. Even though he’d left heartbroken after Yao Chaowu got engaged, Yao Chaowu believed that if he ever needed him, Wei Lai would surely return—especially now that he was single again.

So Yao Chaowu needed a reason to bring Wei Lai back. Coincidentally, around that time, he heard that the deranged sasaeng fan Li Huaxian had been released from prison and had gone to work in Vietnam, leaving no trace behind. Yao Chaowu suddenly realized—this was the opportunity he’d been waiting for. He staged his own drama, fabricating a sasaeng fan threat and pinning it on Li Huaxian, then reached out to Wei Lai for help. Just as expected, Wei Lai rushed to his side without telling Chu Yin.

Even though Yao Chaowu wasn’t into men, seeing Wei Lai so devoted to him gave him an immense sense of satisfaction. After Chu Yin and Wei Lai had their big fight, Yao Chaowu was convinced that with just a little more meddling, there was a high chance Wei Lai would come back to him.

But Yao Chaowu hadn’t accounted for one thing—Wei Lai had no heart.

Lord Madam Wei was a natural flirt, charming left and right, tossing around “brother” and “little brother” like candy. Yet with Yao Chaowu, he had always kept his distance, silently giving without expectation. Yao Chaowu had always thought he was special—that this was true love. But who would’ve guessed Wei Lai could just… stop loving him, just like that? And now, the object of his affection had shifted to Yao Chaowu’s sworn rival.

Yao Chaowu had known Wei Lai for many years, so he could sense it keenly—this time, Wei Lai was serious.

Wei Lai was earnestly trying to build something with Chu Yin. That look in his eyes couldn’t be faked.

Every time Yao Chaowu saw the way Wei Lai looked at Chu Yin, he felt an inexplicable jealousy. He didn’t even understand where it came from—after all, he had no romantic interest in Wei Lai, let alone any attraction to men in general.

So when Chen Meixian proposed working together, Yao Chaowu found himself agreeing almost as if possessed.

Yao Chaowu adjusted his plans. “Li Huaxian” was no longer just a tool to lure Wei Lai back—now, he was bait to draw Chu Yin’s attention.

That was just one piece of the trap, meant to slowly lead Chu Yin overseas where he could “disappear” legally. But plans never survive contact with reality, and Chu Yin wasn’t supposed to chase after him at that exact moment.

From the second Chu Yin gave chase, Chen Meixian became unreachable. Yao Chaowu slowly began to realize—things were spiraling out of his control.