AATP 76

On Monday, Chen Fei, accompanied by her assistant and the vice president of the Oz China branch, went to He Sheng Media to sign the strategic cooperation agreement between the two companies for the next six years, as well as the equity transfer agreement for 10% of He Sheng’s shares under Ke Mingxuan’s name. With this, Chen Fei became the third-largest shareholder of He Sheng Media, after Ke Mingxuan and Jiu’an Group.

Once everything was settled, Ke Mingxuan instructed his assistant to book a flight to the United States in three days.

After a dinner at home that evening, Ke Mingxuan’s father still had nothing to say to him. However, Feng Shuxian took the opportunity to give him numerous reminders, including telling him to notify her once Bian Yiqiu’s surgery was complete.

The next day, he visited his grandfather. The old man knew he was heading to the United States but didn’t say much about it. As for his relationship with Bian Yiqiu, his grandfather had never openly opposed it, but he hadn’t shown any support either.

Two months ago, in the hospital, his grandfather called him into the break room and said only a few words. He said, “You young people, I don’t understand what you’re doing. I’m old. But when I die, I want to be buried with your grandmother. If in a lifetime, a person can find someone they want to stay with, no matter life or death, that’s a great blessing. Whether or not you have that blessing, you’ll have to go and find out for yourself.”

Although his grandfather didn’t explicitly express support, those words deeply moved Ke Mingxuan. He understood what his grandfather meant. By the time someone reached that age, many things were already clear and transparent. For two men to be together for a lifetime was much harder than for a typical couple. What their future held, whether he and Bian Yiqiu could walk to the end together, only they could fight for and strive toward. Whether parents or children, the time they could spend with you was limited. Only the lover who truly holds you in their heart would lie beside you in the same coffin after a hundred years, accompanying you through life and death.

It was because of his grandfather’s words that Commander Ke no longer caused trouble for them. Though he still couldn’t accept Bian Yiqiu, his attitude was at least not as harsh as it had been at the beginning, which greatly relieved Ke Mingxuan.

After leaving his grandfather’s house, he headed to the Second Detention Center.

Due to the incident with Bian Yiqiu, everyone from the warden and officers to the guards on duty was still under suspension and investigation.

Why did the inmates have sharp objects? Who tampered with the surveillance? How could the drug dealer open the cell door and lock it from the inside? Was someone deliberately provoking the brawl on the field the previous day? Did the drug dealer have accomplices, and what role did the on-duty guards play in all this? Each event seemed like a coincidence, but in reality, there were many suspicious points. The case had been classified as one of the most severe security incidents in the judicial system this year. Orders had been given from above for a thorough investigation and severe punishment, so Ke Mingxuan did not meet with Director Yu.

The person who came out to greet him was Deputy Director Liu. Ke Mingxuan directly stated his purpose, and Director Liu was surprised. He said, “You want to see Qian Ying? But he was transferred to Tongshan Prison last week.”

“Is that so? How long is his sentence?” Ke Mingxuan asked.

Director Liu replied, “Eight years.”

Ke Mingxuan nodded, thanked Director Liu, and turned to leave.

If it weren’t for Bian Yiqiu telling him that Qian Ying has somewhat “saved” him, Ke Mingxuan he would have never thought of coming to see Qian Ying. Everything that had happened in the past six months started with his kidnapping of Bian Yiqiu. In his opinion, Qian Ying’s eight-year sentence was still too light. But when he thought about Lin Jiayan, who had been acting so nonchalant and forcing a smile in front of him, Ke Mingxuan felt that those eight years might actually be a bit too long.

——–

The plane landed at New York’s Kennedy Airport at exactly 3:00 PM local time. Ke Mingxuan didn’t tell anyone he was arriving today. After leaving the airport, he took a taxi straight to the hospital.

Bian Yiqiu had to stay in the hospital before his surgery date to stabilize the serious injury on his chest and to prepare for the operation. Every morning, the nurse would come to give him an injection, watch him take his medication, and then there might not be any other visits for the rest of the day. Since he had never studied and couldn’t understand English, he was completely unable to participate in the discussions about the head surgery plan. Communication with the doctors relied entirely on He Xu translating. Even when he tried to tease the nurse who came for rounds, he didn’t know where to start, which frustrated him.

In the first few days, he could still pass the time by watching movies or playing games on his tablet, but after a few days, he couldn’t stand it anymore and insisted on having He Xu take him out to see the outside world. Unable to talk him out of it, He Xu arranged for an afternoon and took him and Zuo Cheng for a walk around Central Park.

When Bian Yiqiu heard the word “park,” he instinctively thought it was a place for old people to gather, and he was very unhappy about it. He kept insisting on going to Times Square and Broadway instead.

His vision had seriously deteriorated, and he could barely distinguish between people and objects from twenty meters away. He Xu didn’t dare take him to crowded places. If anything went wrong, wouldn’t Young Master Ke tear him apart? So, he patiently explained how famous and beautiful Central Park was, repeatedly assuring him it was definitely not the kind of park where elderly people in China dance in the squares. Only then did he manage to convince Bian Yiqiu to leave the ward.

However, He Xu never expected that a simple walk in the park would cause trouble.

Bian Yiqiu had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. He was a perfect model, able to pull off even casual wear with runway flair. Coupled with his handsome features and commanding presence, wherever he went, he was the kind of man who would undoubtedly turn heads.

There were many so-called artists setting up stalls in the park, painting. Though Bian Yiqiu didn’t understand art, he had a soft spot for people who could paint because of Lu Xiao, so when he passed by a few artists near the lakeside, he couldn’t help but slow down and take a couple more glances.

One of the young artists, holding a paintbrush and painting a white girl, suddenly looked up. Their gazes met, and his eyes immediately lit up. He spoke in Chinese, asking, “Sir, are you Chinese?”

Bian Yiqiu glanced at him, curved his lips into a smile, and said, “Yeah.”

The young artist brightened up and said, “Wow, I’m really lucky today to run into such a handsome fellow countryman. Could you wait a few minutes for me to paint a portrait of you?”

Since Bian Yiqiu had nothing urgent to do, the lakeside scenery was nice, and there was a handsome young man who made the first move to talk to him, it wasn’t his style to refuse. So, he nodded and said, “Sure.”

When He Xu and Zuo Cheng heard him say “sure,” they both had a feeling something was about to go wrong. Why? Because this young artist looked too much like Lu Xiao. Not just in appearance, but in that fresh, clean, youthful vibe, he was strikingly similar. And more importantly, he could paint.

As it turned out, their concerns weren’t unfounded. The two of them really did hit it off quickly because of this “chance encounter.” Over the next few days, Bian Yiqiu would go to Central Park to watch him paint, and the young artist would often visit him at the hospital, always bringing unique little gifts or homemade snacks. Every time, he’d call him “Qiu Ge,” which made Bian Yiqiu’s heart flutter, and he no longer found staying in the hospital boring.

Zuo Cheng, ever so honest, reminded him, “Young Master Ke is coming soon, Boss, take it easy.”

Bian Yiqiu threw a pillow at him. “Are you my man or Ke Mingxuan’s? Am I supposed to get his approval just to make a friend and pass the time?!”

He Xu looked at the straightforward Zuo Cheng with sympathy and silently mocked him in his mind. Making friends didn’t require Ke Mingxuan’s approval, but the one you were befriending clearly wasn’t some pure, innocent friend. Every time that young artist came to the hospital, it wasn’t just his eyes that were glued to you. His body was almost stuck to you too. If Young Master Ke caught sight of this, you wouldn’t be the one in trouble, but we sure would.

Of course, to avoid such a situation, whenever He Xu had a phone call with Ke Mingxuan, he always made sure to ask, “When are you coming?” When Ke Mingxuan replied, “A few more days,” he would immediately follow up with, “Let me know when you book your ticket, I’ll send a car to pick you up.”

However, Lawyer He never expected that just the night before, when Ke Mingxuan had said “the time isn’t set yet,” he would suddenly appear the very next afternoon! And of course, it happened to be at the exact moment the young artist was in Bian Yiqiu’s hospital room. He Xu was so shocked that the cigarette in his mouth dropped right out.

Ke Mingxuan rolled his suitcase up to him and said, “Surprised to see me?”

He Xu let out a dry laugh. “This is more of a shock than a surprise.”

“Young Master Ke, why did you suddenly come?”

“I wanted to come early and keep him company…”

Before Ke Mingxuan could finish speaking, a rather unsettling sound came from the hospital room.

“Qiu Ge, gentle… gentle… it hurts… mmm…”

“It’ll hurt a bit at first, but if you bear with it, it’ll feel better…”

Ke Mingxuan’s face darkened at once, and He Xu’s heart raced in panic.

No way, Boss! You really dared to do this?! There’s no saving you now!

Ke Mingxuan kicked open the hospital room door with a loud bang, causing He Xu to quickly cover one eye, unable to bear the sight, fearing that something terrible like a bloody scene might follow.

Luckily, with his other eye, He Xu saw that the young artist was still sitting calmly by the bed, fully dressed. But… but why was Bian Yiqiu’s hand inside the guy’s collar? This looked a lot like an attempted molestation, for goodness’ sake!

Both people in the hospital room were startled. Bian Yiqiu immediately turned to yell, but before he could say anything, he saw Ke Mingxuan’s face, dark with anger, and was instantly taken aback.

The young artist also shot him a displeased glare. “Hey, what’s with you? You don’t knock before entering the room… Ouch…”

Bian Yiqiu gave him a light tap on the head, quickly jumped off the bed, and with a smile, looked at the obviously unhappy Ke Mingxuan. “Darling, why didn’t you let me know you were coming? Were you trying to surprise me?”

Ke Mingxuan gave a fake smile and said, “Oh, really? Are you surprised?”

“Of course I’m surprised, definitely surprised.” Bian Yiqiu said, walking up to him. He shamelessly flattered and acted cute, “I’ve missed you so much. Come here and give Grandpa Bian a kiss.”

Even the young artist, as dense as he might be, could tell who Ke Mingxuan was. He grabbed his sketchpad and bag and rushed out the door.

“Qiu Ge, I’ll head back now. I’ll come see you tomorrow!”

Bian Yiqiu didn’t have time to deal with him. He Xu, being well aware of the situation, quickly shut the door. Moments later, he heard Bian Yiqiu’s voice, shaky with breath. “It’s not what you think, let me explain… I was just giving him a shoulder massage… Damn, we’re in a hospital, don’t do anything rash… Ke Mingxuan… mmm…”

He Xu silently lit a candle for his boss, then turned to see Zuo Cheng walking down the hallway from the other direction. He quickly stepped forward, threw his arm around Zuo Cheng’s shoulders, and steered him toward the elevator.

“What are you doing? I still haven’t given the boss what he wanted…”

“He doesn’t need it now. Come with me to get something to eat.”

“What time is it now? What do we need to eat? I’ve got to stay with the boss…”

“Young Master Ke is here. Boss doesn’t need you anymore.”

Zuo Cheng was on the verge of tears. Every time Young Master Ke showed up, he felt like he was being forced out of the picture. What was going on?

The consequences of Young Master Ke’s jealousy were severe, and the process was not something that could be easily described. However, considering Bian Yiqiu’s health, he still held back and didn’t go too far, only pinning him against the wall for one round before stopping, though this round did last a bit longer.

Afterward, he placed him gently on the bed and kissed his forehead and brow repeatedly.

In less than half a month, he already found himself missing this living, tempting body deeply.

Bian Yiqiu had just had his fill and lazily spread out his limbs, letting Ke Mingxuan do as he pleased. After being kissed several times, he got goosebumps and, unable to hold back anymore, pushed him away.

“What are you doing?”

“Want more?”

Bian Yiqiu found himself more and more impressed by Ke Mingxuan’s shamelessness. With a swift roll, he straddled his waist. His bare lower body made sticky contact, maliciously grinding against “Little Ke,” who had just released, and drawled two words, “Want it~”

A chill ran down Ke Mingxuan’s neck. Bian Yiqiu looked down at him from above, curling his lips into a wicked smile. His hand landed sharply on Ke Mingxuan’s sweaty chest, his rough palm kneading the firm muscles while his fingers pinched and pulled at his nipple.

“If President Ke is having trouble… I can take over.”