DTTM 5

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: A Young Man’s Devotion

At nine o’clock in the evening, Aunt Kou and Xiang Rou went back to their room to sleep, and I also prepared to go out.

“Daddy, where are you going?” Wei Jiarui woke up as soon as I opened the bedroom door.

I was immediately at my wit’s end. I put my index finger to my lips and whispered, “Daddy has to go out for a bit. Can you be a good boy and go back to sleep?”

The chubby boy sat on the hard bed, his fingers fidgeting with the blanket. Hearing this, he frowned and shook his head: “No, I want to go too!”

Once he starts making a fuss, it never ends and will definitely alarm Aunt Kou. She will ask me why I’m driving to Baiyujing in the middle of the night, and whether I tell the truth or a lie, it will make her worry.

“Okay, Okay, I’ll take you with me.” I reluctantly gave in and beckoned him.

Wei Jiarui’s round face instantly relaxed, and he jumped off the bed and clung to my calves.

“Go to sleep when you’re sleepy. If Daddy isn’t here when you wake up, just wait patiently in the car. I’ll be back soon.” I picked him up and tiptoed out, reminding him, “Also, don’t tell Grandma Kou that we came out tomorrow, okay?”

He nodded vigorously and, mimicking my soft voice, said, “Okay!”

Half an hour later, he was fast asleep in the passenger seat.

The address sent by Xu Chengye is located in Luoying Mountain, Shangcheng, Baiyujing, a well-known wealthy area.

When we set off from Zengcheng, the weather was clear and cloudless, but whether it was due to the changeable mountain fogs or the difference in weather between the two places, it started to rain when we reached the halfway point of Luoying Mountain. By the time we arrived at Zong Yanlei’s grand mansion, which occupied a considerable area, the rain had intensified, and even with the windshield wipers at full speed, they struggled against the torrential rain.

The gate was several hundred meters away from the residence, and there was no guard post at the entrance. Fortunately, I had an umbrella in the car, so I parked the truck in front of the gate, opened the umbrella, and rushed into the rain.

“Beep-beep—”

After the doorbell rang twice, a deep, dignified male voice came through: “This is the Zong Mansion. How can I help you?”

I licked my lips, half of my body was soaked by the rain: “Manager Xu sent me.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, as if they were confirming something. Two minutes later, the other person returned and said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Xu did inform us, but we didn’t know your car was a box truck. We’re having a banquet at home today, and the garage is already full of our guests’ cars. Could you please park your car at the back door and enter from there?”

The other party had already tried to be as tactful and polite as possible. I was not a guest, nor was I of a high enough status to enter through the main gate. On such a night filled with guests, the fact that they allowed me in was already a favor to Xu Chengye.

“Okay, thank you for your help.”

I turned around and quickly got back to the car, made a U-turn, drove around almost the entire way, and parked it near the back door. When I got out, I made sure to open the window a little for Wei Jiarui.

The back door was much smaller than the front door. There was a guard room next to the black iron gate. When the person inside saw me approaching, he only opened the window a little to confirm my identity, and then opened the small door on the far side to signal me to go in.

I nodded to him and stepped inside, holding up my thin umbrella.

Upon entering, I saw a straight path leading directly to the main residence, with low shrubs on both sides. Every ten meters, there was a dim streetlamp, which barely guided me forward in this dark, rainy night.

It was only a hundred meters, but it felt like an eternity. By the time I reached the main residence, not only were my arms, pants, and shoes wet, but even my hair was damp.

I raised the brim of my umbrella and looked at the building in front of me, which was still brightly lit and bustling with people at midnight. I was momentarily dazed.

In the past, Zong Shen’an also loved to host banquets, usually two or three a month. He was very good at these kinds of events and could be considered a social expert in high society.

Holiday parties, charity galas, adult shows… his banquets were themed according to the seasons and trends. Those who also enjoyed hosting banquets were either less creative or less prestigious than him. As a result, the clan’s banquets once became the gold standard in Shangcheng, and everyone considered it an honor to attend.

When I was 12 years old, Zong Shen’an held a grand charity gala, which was attended by the then queen and Princess Chuluo.

That queen was the current King of Penglai’s third wife. Born into a middle-class lawyer’s family, as a commoner turned queen, she had little influence in aristocratic circles, so she always carefully tried to ingratiate herself with the nobles in hopes of fitting in. Unfortunately, she was abandoned by the king less than two years after the gala. After the divorce, she left for another country heartbroken, and we haven’t heard much from her since.

The charity gala was extremely grand, attracting media attention and even forcing Wuxi Li, who usually dislikes such occasions, to put on a fake smile all night. Zong Yanlei had a persistent low-grade fever and could have skipped the event, but given his childhood betrothal to the princess, Zong Shen’an still urged him to make an appearance.

Zong Yanlei’s expression was already sour when he was changing clothes. When he arrived at the banquet hall, everyone couldn’t help but stare at him curiously, and his face became even more sour.

I followed closely behind him, feeling a little smug.

He got so angry when I looked at him a couple of times back then; now that so many people were watching him, I wondered how angry he’d get.

We walked through the banquet hall, straight ahead, and the crowd peeled away layer by layer like an onion until the four people at the very core were revealed, Zong Shen’an and his wife, and the queen and her daughter.

“Ah, this is my son, Zong Yanlei.” Zong Shen’an smiled with a loving expression. “Yanlei, come quickly and pay your respects to Their Highnesses.”

At that time, I had been in the Zong family for two years, not a long time, but not short either. I had never seen Zong Shen’an show any concern for his son. Sometimes I even felt that Zong Yanlei might not be as valuable as one of his paintings or a vase. Yanlei? I don’t know if Zong Yanlei got goosebumps hearing that, but I certainly did.

“Good evening, Your Majesty. May the stars shine as brightly as you.”

When Zong Yanlei greeted the queen, I took advantage of the fact that Zong Yanlei didn’t have eyes in the back of his head and secretly glanced at Princess Chu Luo standing to the side.

If there are angels in this world, then they must resemble Chu Luo at this age.

She was a little younger than me and Zong Yanlei, eleven years old that year. She had beautiful, silky long silver hair, snow-white skin, and an innocent and naive look. At first glance, she looked like a delicate porcelain doll.

Like everyone else, she was curious about Zong Yanlei, but unlike everyone else, she looked at him more openly. Her deep blue eyes, like the sea, were fixed on Zong Yanlei’s bandaged hands and lower face, and she did not flinch even under his terrifying gaze.

“Good evening, Your Highness. May the stars shine as brightly as you.” Zong Yanlei bowed to the princess, his voice much colder than when he had bowed to the queen earlier.

In the past two years, Chu Luo has frequently attended charity events, paying particular attention to the medical and educational issues of children with rare diseases, and winning the hearts of many with her strong affinity for people. Some media outlets say that she is clumsily imitating her mother, trying to create a kind and approachable image. But I know that she is not imitating anyone; she has been like this since she was a child.

That day, after Zong Yanlei paid his respects, Chu Luo did something that surprised everyone.

“Hello.” She opened her arms with a sweet smile and gave Zong Yanlei a big hug. “I didn’t know you were so sick, otherwise I would have come to see you sooner.”

If she knew how to play the role of “kindness” when she was eleven years old, then her acting skills are amazing.

Zong Yanlei froze. Despite his delicate skin, which would hurt even from a gentle hug, he had allowed Chu Luo to hug him for a long time in public that day.

“Chu Luo.” Perhaps feeling that this was improper, the queen frowned slightly and softly called to her daughter.

Chu Luo pouted, let go of his arm, and turned to look at his mother: “I just wanted to wish him well.”

Even though the princess and Zong Yanlei had been betrothed since childhood, what mother would want her daughter to marry a sickly, bandaged man? The queen’s expression became somewhat subtle.

“Your Highness, you haven’t met the new Finance Minister’s wife yet, I’ll introduce you.” Wuxi Li must have noticed this, so she took the initiative to change the subject.

“Yes, you haven’t seen tonight’s auction items yet. I’ll take you to see them in a bit. There’s a painting that’s really…” Zong Shen’an then chimed in, “Yan Lei, if you’re not feeling well, you should go back and rest.”

The couple escorted the queen away, and Chu Luo obediently followed, but as she walked, she would turn back and quietly wave to us.

Zong Yanlei stood still without moving. At first, I thought he was just being polite, but after waiting for a long time, until the queen and the others were completely submerged in the crowd, he still didn’t make a move.

I called him softly, confused, “Young Master?”

I called his name several times, but he didn’t respond. I stepped forward to his side and looked at his face. I found that his gaze was following the direction Chu Luo had left. In those blue-green eyes that were always cold and full of arrogance and stubbornness, there was a fervor I had never seen before.

A young person’s affections are always this simple.

After that, Zong Yanlei, who had never been interested in socializing, started having me attend various events where Chu Luo was present. Every time I finished an event, he would make me recount everything to him in detail. In addition, he started writing love letters like those great Casanovas, and after writing them, he would give them to me, threatening that I must personally deliver them to the princess.

With the princess around, Zong Yanlei’s temper became much more normal, but if the princess didn’t reply one day, or if she talked to a young nobleman for a few more minutes, Zong Yanlei would go crazy even more violently.

To make my life easier, I had no choice but to continue concealing the fact that the princess didn’t want to marry him and refused to accept his love letters. That’s right, the princess didn’t accept those letters, or rather, she reluctantly accepted one or two letters before refusing them, stating that she only felt sympathy for Zong Yanlei and had no intention of fulfilling the marriage agreement; she wanted to choose her own path in love.

I don’t know if she was too naive or I was too worldly, but when she said that, I really felt she was delusional.

If I told Zong Yanlei the truth, I would be dead. So every time I went back, I made up stories, recounting with certainty the princess’s expressions and words that never existed.

To avoid giving myself away, I would read every letter carefully and then burn it. Zong Yanlei would pour out his heart in the letters, telling what interesting books he had read that day, or which teacher’s class he didn’t want to attend the next day. At first, I would just try my best to imitate the princess’s tone and reply in a pretentious manner, but gradually, I would also deliberately say things that would confuse and embarrass Zong Yanlei, and then secretly enjoy his frowning expression.

Zong Yanlei continued writing letters for four years. He was very diligent at first, but later he probably learned to be more reserved and gradually became less frequent, sometimes only writing one letter every four or five months, and the content was mostly polite greetings. By the time we went to university, he had completely stopped writing.

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The motion-sensor light under the eaves turned on, and almost the next second, the black solid wood door was pushed open from the inside, and a young male servant leaned out and asked, “Mr. Jiang?”

“Yes, it’s me.” I said as I approached, closing my umbrella.

He stepped aside to let me in, and noticed that most of my body was soaked by the rain. He frowned slightly, looking somewhat troubled.

“You’re all too wet. I’ll go get you a dry towel. Leave the umbrella by the door and wait for me.” He repeatedly told me not to wander off or go to the front hall, and then he disappeared.

I took off my soaking wet coat and sat on a small stool by the door—probably the servants’ shoe-changing stool—and waited for about ten minutes until my icy body had completely warmed up. The faint ball music changed one song after another, but he still didn’t come back.

After waiting for about ten more minutes, I realized that the other party might have forgotten me, so I tried calling Xu Chengye, but he didn’t answer.

I decided not to wait foolishly any longer, so I got up and followed the music.

Where there’s music, there are people; where there are people, one can find out where Zong Yanlei is. I won’t disturb those distinguished guests; I’ll just quietly ask a servant. With that thought in mind, I continued along the passageway.

I had put a sun-blocking eye patch on my right eye specifically for tonight’s occasion, but it had become a bit sticky after getting wet from the rain, so I simply ripped it off and stuffed it into my pocket.

Only when I got closer could I tell that it was a piano dance piece being played. The scattered notes were high-pitched and rapid, like the torrential rain outside, tightly connected, without any room for respite, accompanying me for half the journey, and finally stopping abruptly as I stepped out of the passage.

Suddenly, the view opened up before me, and I gasped for breath, somewhat overwhelmed by the sight outside the passage.

The lush vegetation was vibrant, the huge crystal chandelier shone brightly, and the ballroom was filled with the clinking of glasses. Everyone was dressed in gorgeous clothes and wore half an animal mask on their face. The air was filled with the smell of smoke, alcohol, fur, and money.

Although Zong Shen’an didn’t pass on any outstanding genes to Zong Yanlei, his skill in organizing banquets seems to have been well inherited.

The piano notes rose again like ghosts, light and joyful like dragonflies skimming the water’s surface. I took the first step, then the second…

More and more people are looking at me through their mask, their eyes revealing curiosity, disgust, mockery, and even desire.

Suddenly, my arm was grabbed by a hand and pulled aside.

“Hey!” My muscles tensed instantly. I abruptly raised my hand to break free, took two steps back, and stared at the other person warily. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t be nervous, it’s me.” The man wearing the gray rabbit mask raised his hands in a friendly gesture.

I recognized his voice: “Manager Xu?”

“It’s me.” The other person took off his mask, revealing a refined and amiable face.

“Why didn’t anyone bring you in?” He looked me up and down. “You’re all wet.”

My coat was the wettest part, so I took it off in the foyer. The white T-shirt underneath was okay in parts covered by the coat, but the exposed chest area was sticking to my body, and I could see the skin underneath.

I tugged at my collar, which revealed a large expanse of my collarbone, and gave an embarrassed smile. I then explained in detail how the male servant had disappeared and how I couldn’t get through to him on the phone.

Xu Chengye took out his phone and immediately felt embarrassed: “Sorry, sorry, my phone automatically went into sleep mode at my usual bedtime. You must be so uncomfortable being wet like this, let me get you a towel…”

“No need, no need,” I stopped him. “Please take me directly to see Mr. Zong.”

My son is still waiting for me in the car; he could wake up at any moment, so I don’t have time to waste.

“Well… alright.” Xu Chengye couldn’t persuade me otherwise, so he grabbed a napkin from the long table for me to wipe myself with, and then led me around the crowd to the other end of the dance hall.

As we walked, he kept giving instructions, don’t reveal his identity, don’t say anything carelessly, don’t look around carelessly, and most importantly, if Zong Yanlei gets angry, run as fast as you can.

I readily agreed and followed him to a heavy door guarded by bodyguards.

Donning the gray rabbit mask again, Xu Chengye signaled to the bodyguards to open the door. The two obeyed, each grasping a doorknob and slowly opening the black, carved wooden door. Instantly, a thick, ambiguous, and even somewhat vulgar, decadent sound poured out from inside, a stark contrast to the elegant piano music playing in the front hall.

The enclosed space was filled with the strong smell of tobacco. Three large card tables were set up inside, each piled high with chips, where high-stakes games were being played under the direction of the dealers.

At one end of the room, a beautiful blonde woman sang softly, her red lips slightly parted, her eyes alluring. At the other end, two male dancers with slender limbs, their waists draped only in white gauze, clung to a metal pipe like two twisting snakes, displaying astonishing flexibility and core strength.

This was my last chance to escape.

The further I followed Xu Chengye inside, the stronger my urge to run away became. When we reached the long table at the very back, Xu Chengye stopped behind a figure in a black suit. Instantly, the hairs on my neck stood on end, and my right eye, back, and even the area on my tailbone where bone marrow had been extracted began to ache.

Xu Chengye leaned down and said something to the other person. The person turned his head slightly, revealing a white bird mask on his face with realistic feathers and a beak like an eagle’s, exuding the malice of a carnivore.

My heart was pounding like a drum, and I wanted to run away. I desperately suppressed this almost biologically instinctive warning of danger and looked Zong Yanlei in the eyes.

With a cigar between his fingers, his River Pine Stone eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized me from head to toe, slowly exhaling a puff of white smoke. His expression displayed his bewilderment at the unexpected appearance of such a comical clown at his meticulously prepared banquet.