Well…
He would never admit that even if he got bashed badly.
Bai Muchuan ran his fingers through her hair. “Is there even a need to understand that? After all, there aren’t many who are as kind and compassionate as you, right? I don’t need to understand her. I only need to understand what happened between them and I can analyze from there.”
Hmph! Xiang Wan was not pleased.
“Teacher Xiang, you’re not being fair here.”
Hmph! Xiang Wan continued to protest.
“You’re a murder mystery fiction author, so am I… You know how to analyze and come up with inferences and deductions, it’s the same for me too. Think about Xie Wanwan and Tang Yuanchu, do you really think they can be together? Besides, Xie Wanwan has already blocked him and no matter what he did, she simply refused to bother with him anymore. That means she has made up her mind.”
“If so, shouldn’t you have told Tang Yuanchu directly about it?” Xiang Wan looked at him indignantly with her chin raised up. “Why did you let him suffer like this? He was as though a silly fellow who was unable to hold his head high before Xie Wanwan and even let Ye Lun watch all of these in delight.”
Hur! Bai Muchuan laughed.
He stared at her disapprovingly, as if he was looking at an idiot.
“Don’t you know how Tang Yuanchu is like?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’ll refuse to give up until all hope is lost.”
“…”
Xiang Wan was unable to refute that.
Then she recalled how Tang Yuanchu looked as he crouched in a corner at the underground carpark.
She couldn’t bear to think about it anymore.
But Bai Muchuan was right about one thing.
Tang Yuanchu was rather childish, innocent and very obstinate.
Especially when it comes to feelings, once he had set his sight on a target, he would dive right into it. He was totally the male version of Fang Yuanyuan.
Would he have given Xie Wanwan up without the pain that he had suffered that day?
Since it was destined that he would get hurt, it would be better for him when it was still early.
“Fine, let’s say that you’re right! But—”
Xiang Wan pouted, she wanted to save some face. “Didn’t you say before that what the wife says is always right? We must adhere to this basic principle, which is the foundation of our family… You’ve broken this rule, what should we do?”
This woman, she’s getting more and more eloquent, he thought.
Bai Muchuan cracked up and pinched her nose. When she frowned, he smiled and smoothed her eyebrows then kissed her forehead. “I’m wrong, Darling!” he apologized sincerely, “as punishment, I won’t sleep tonight and not allowed to stop till I exhaust all of myself till the last drop!”
Pffft!
Xiang Wan was laughing as she hammered his shoulders with her little fists.
“You rogue!”
Of course, Tang Yuanchu wouldn’t hear what they were talking about inside Bai Muchuan’s office.
In fact, empathy was non-existent.
Even if they understood, sympathize and even help him out, besides Tang Yuanchu himself, who would actually be able to know how he was feeling inside?
…
Under the same night sky, somewhere in the Capital.
Huang He and Tian Danyue entered an underground casino punctually.
It was hard to imagine such a place without seeing it in person.
On the ground level, it was a bar that catered for lower-end consumers. The place was dirty and noisy. There were people singing, eating; some were cackling loudly; some drunken ones were cursing and swearing. The place was not big. After making several turns, there was actually a hidden stairway to the basement.
And in there, was the underground casino.
Of course, it was no professional casino like those in Macau. This was just a place where people gather to gamble.
At a glance, everything from the environment to the facilities would make one shake their head.
Huang He furrowed his eyebrows in thought, and gave Tian Danyue a sidelong glance.
“This place is not somewhere that someone like An Ying would come. At least, not with his current identity.”
Tian Danyue smiled, showing a contemptuous and disdainful look. “Some people won’t become princes even if they donned themselves in princely garments. Even if he made a fortune for himself, he can’t get rid of his original nature. After all, he is a man of such birth.”
Huang He looked at her again, his gaze deepened but didn’t say a word.
In this underground casino, the smell of cigarette smoke was very heavy. In addition, ventilation facilities were not good. It was so stuffy that it made people feel uncomfortable.
An alert young chap saw Tian Danyue at the entrance of the underground casino and quickly came to greet them.
“Sister Danyue, you’re here?”
Tian Danyue was a woman who thought highly of herself. Although she did not lead a good life, she did not like to be associated with people like this. But a woman like her immediately changed her expression to be all smiles when she saw the young chap coming up to her. Her attitude was totally different from earlier.
“San’er, where’s Brother Ying?”
The young chap let out a laugh with a hint of sarcasm.
“Brother Ying took a liking to a girl and had just left with her. Then you showed up.”
Tian Danyue seemed slightly puzzled.
They had already fixed the time and location. What was he up to?
Hmph! She sneered, “Brother Ying didn’t want to see me anymore?”
“How could that be? Sister Danyue, you sure love to joke.” The young chap then explained, “Blame that girl for being too beautiful. Brother Ying and a few brothers also drank quite a bit. You know how men are, heheh…”
As he said that, he watched how Tian Danyue’s face became gloomier.
“Nonetheless.” He sneered. “Brother Ying has a message for you.”
“What is it?” Tian Danyue looked at the young chap from the corner of her eyes.
“Brother Ying said that Sister Danyue has a weak constitution, hence, this is not a suitable place for you to wait. He wanted you to go back first and Brother Huang to stay behind and wait. Once Brother Ying is finished with his matters, he will meet him.”
“No!” Tian Danyue directly rejected the arrangement without thinking.
“Then that’s too bad.” The young chap just smiled and refused to budge. “Sister Danyue, you know Brother Ying’s temper.”
Tian Danyue showed a dirty look and nearly lost her temper when Huang He stopped her.
“I’m fine with it,” he said, “you go back first. I’ll stay and wait for Brother Ying.”
“But…” Tian Danyue moved her mouth and wanted to say something but was stopped by Huang He again.
It was evident to see that Brother Ying wanted to meet him alone.
Would it be of use even if she lost her temper?
Huang He smiled at Tian Danyue. “Just go back first, it’s cold here.”
Tian Danyue knew what he was thinking.
She was worried but still left reluctantly.
The moment she left, the young chap by the nickname of San’er immediately had a change of expression.
“Follow me!”
Huang He pursed his lips into a smile and complied.
The young chap shot a glance at him. “Why didn’t you ask where we’re going?”
“Why should I? Aren’t we going to see Brother Ying?”
“Hur!” There was contempt in the young chap’s gaze.
Huang He snorted a laugh. “Or you’re asking about why Brother Ying lied to me when he didn’t come here at all?”
The other party was shocked. “How did you know?”
Huang He let out a faint snort. “Why would Brother Ying come to such a complicated place and risk being seen by others?”
…
It was midnight, the weather was bone-chilling in the Capital.
Tiny snowflakes drifted on the cold wind, landing on people’s faces and brushing their necks, making people shiver as they walked on the streets.
The car was parked outside.
Huang He did not hesitate. He lowered his head and got in the car.
Although the heater was turned on, Huang He felt that… it seemed colder than the outside.
He was sitting on the front passenger seat when a voice came from behind. “Don’t turn around!”
The commanding tone was unfriendly.
Huang He did not talk much. “Brother Ying?”
The voice behind him didn’t give a reply. Instead, he commanded the driver. “Drive slower.”
The car drove along the street.
There were few cars and people around. Huang He didn’t look back throughout the journey. He sat in his seat calmly and glanced at the rearview mirror with the corner of his eyes as he waited for the other party to speak.
The car was very dark.
He couldn’t see the other party’s face.
It was just a dark shadow, exactly what his nickname suggested. Somehow, his presence made people felt pressured. Huang He knew very well that An Ying was trying to create such an atmosphere so as to make him feel frightened. Huang He was very willing to play along. So, he pretended to be nervous yet trying very hard to be calm.
“Brother Ying, I wanted to meet you to talk about something…”
Well…
He would never admit that even if he got bashed badly.
Bai Muchuan ran his fingers through her hair. “Is there even a need to understand that? After all, there aren’t many who are as kind and compassionate as you, right? I don’t need to understand her. I only need to understand what happened between them and I can analyze from there.”
Hmph! Xiang Wan was not pleased.
“Teacher Xiang, you’re not being fair here.”
Hmph! Xiang Wan continued to protest.
“You’re a murder mystery fiction author, so am I… You know how to analyze and come up with inferences and deductions, it’s the same for me too. Think about Xie Wanwan and Tang Yuanchu, do you really think they can be together? Besides, Xie Wanwan has already blocked him and no matter what he did, she simply refused to bother with him anymore. That means she has made up her mind.”
“If so, shouldn’t you have told Tang Yuanchu directly about it?” Xiang Wan looked at him indignantly with her chin raised up. “Why did you let him suffer like this? He was as though a silly fellow who was unable to hold his head high before Xie Wanwan and even let Ye Lun watch all of these in delight.”
Hur! Bai Muchuan laughed.
He stared at her disapprovingly, as if he was looking at an idiot.
“Don’t you know how Tang Yuanchu is like?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’ll refuse to give up until all hope is lost.”
“…”
Xiang Wan was unable to refute that.
Then she recalled how Tang Yuanchu looked as he crouched in a corner at the underground carpark.
She couldn’t bear to think about it anymore.
But Bai Muchuan was right about one thing.
Tang Yuanchu was rather childish, innocent and very obstinate.
Especially when it comes to feelings, once he had set his sight on a target, he would dive right into it. He was totally the male version of Fang Yuanyuan.
Would he have given Xie Wanwan up without the pain that he had suffered that day?
Since it was destined that he would get hurt, it would be better for him when it was still early.
“Fine, let’s say that you’re right! But—”
Xiang Wan pouted, she wanted to save some face. “Didn’t you say before that what the wife says is always right? We must adhere to this basic principle, which is the foundation of our family… You’ve broken this rule, what should we do?”
This woman, she’s getting more and more eloquent, he thought.
Bai Muchuan cracked up and pinched her nose. When she frowned, he smiled and smoothed her eyebrows then kissed her forehead. “I’m wrong, Darling!” he apologized sincerely, “as punishment, I won’t sleep tonight and not allowed to stop till I exhaust all of myself till the last drop!”
Pffft!
Xiang Wan was laughing as she hammered his shoulders with her little fists.
“You rogue!”
Of course, Tang Yuanchu wouldn’t hear what they were talking about inside Bai Muchuan’s office.
In fact, empathy was non-existent.
Even if they understood, sympathize and even help him out, besides Tang Yuanchu himself, who would actually be able to know how he was feeling inside?
…
Under the same night sky, somewhere in the Capital.
Huang He and Tian Danyue entered an underground casino punctually.
It was hard to imagine such a place without seeing it in person.
On the ground level, it was a bar that catered for lower-end consumers. The place was dirty and noisy. There were people singing, eating; some were cackling loudly; some drunken ones were cursing and swearing. The place was not big. After making several turns, there was actually a hidden stairway to the basement.
And in there, was the underground casino.
Of course, it was no professional casino like those in Macau. This was just a place where people gather to gamble.
At a glance, everything from the environment to the facilities would make one shake their head.
Huang He furrowed his eyebrows in thought, and gave Tian Danyue a sidelong glance.
“This place is not somewhere that someone like An Ying would come. At least, not with his current identity.”
Tian Danyue smiled, showing a contemptuous and disdainful look. “Some people won’t become princes even if they donned themselves in princely garments. Even if he made a fortune for himself, he can’t get rid of his original nature. After all, he is a man of such birth.”
Huang He looked at her again, his gaze deepened but didn’t say a word.
In this underground casino, the smell of cigarette smoke was very heavy. In addition, ventilation facilities were not good. It was so stuffy that it made people feel uncomfortable.
An alert young chap saw Tian Danyue at the entrance of the underground casino and quickly came to greet them.
“Sister Danyue, you’re here?”
Tian Danyue was a woman who thought highly of herself. Although she did not lead a good life, she did not like to be associated with people like this. But a woman like her immediately changed her expression to be all smiles when she saw the young chap coming up to her. Her attitude was totally different from earlier.
“San’er, where’s Brother Ying?”
The young chap let out a laugh with a hint of sarcasm.
“Brother Ying took a liking to a girl and had just left with her. Then you showed up.”
Tian Danyue seemed slightly puzzled.
They had already fixed the time and location. What was he up to?
Hmph! She sneered, “Brother Ying didn’t want to see me anymore?”
“How could that be? Sister Danyue, you sure love to joke.” The young chap then explained, “Blame that girl for being too beautiful. Brother Ying and a few brothers also drank quite a bit. You know how men are, heheh…”
As he said that, he watched how Tian Danyue’s face became gloomier.
“Nonetheless.” He sneered. “Brother Ying has a message for you.”
“What is it?” Tian Danyue looked at the young chap from the corner of her eyes.
“Brother Ying said that Sister Danyue has a weak constitution, hence, this is not a suitable place for you to wait. He wanted you to go back first and Brother Huang to stay behind and wait. Once Brother Ying is finished with his matters, he will meet him.”
“No!” Tian Danyue directly rejected the arrangement without thinking.
“Then that’s too bad.” The young chap just smiled and refused to budge. “Sister Danyue, you know Brother Ying’s temper.”
Tian Danyue showed a dirty look and nearly lost her temper when Huang He stopped her.
“I’m fine with it,” he said, “you go back first. I’ll stay and wait for Brother Ying.”
“But…” Tian Danyue moved her mouth and wanted to say something but was stopped by Huang He again.
It was evident to see that Brother Ying wanted to meet him alone.
Would it be of use even if she lost her temper?
Huang He smiled at Tian Danyue. “Just go back first, it’s cold here.”
Tian Danyue knew what he was thinking.
She was worried but still left reluctantly.
The moment she left, the young chap by the nickname of San’er immediately had a change of expression.
“Follow me!”
Huang He pursed his lips into a smile and complied.
The young chap shot a glance at him. “Why didn’t you ask where we’re going?”
“Why should I? Aren’t we going to see Brother Ying?”
“Hur!” There was contempt in the young chap’s gaze.
Huang He snorted a laugh. “Or you’re asking about why Brother Ying lied to me when he didn’t come here at all?”
The other party was shocked. “How did you know?”
Huang He let out a faint snort. “Why would Brother Ying come to such a complicated place and risk being seen by others?”
…
It was midnight, the weather was bone-chilling in the Capital.
Tiny snowflakes drifted on the cold wind, landing on people’s faces and brushing their necks, making people shiver as they walked on the streets.
The car was parked outside.
Huang He did not hesitate. He lowered his head and got in the car.
Although the heater was turned on, Huang He felt that… it seemed colder than the outside.
He was sitting on the front passenger seat when a voice came from behind. “Don’t turn around!”
The commanding tone was unfriendly.
Huang He did not talk much. “Brother Ying?”
The voice behind him didn’t give a reply. Instead, he commanded the driver. “Drive slower.”
The car drove along the street.
There were few cars and people around. Huang He didn’t look back throughout the journey. He sat in his seat calmly and glanced at the rearview mirror with the corner of his eyes as he waited for the other party to speak.
The car was very dark.
He couldn’t see the other party’s face.
It was just a dark shadow, exactly what his nickname suggested. Somehow, his presence made people felt pressured. Huang He knew very well that An Ying was trying to create such an atmosphere so as to make him feel frightened. Huang He was very willing to play along. So, he pretended to be nervous yet trying very hard to be calm.
“Brother Ying, I wanted to meet you to talk about something…”
