AMTWPICL Chapter 59

Song Linchu’s didn’t do this because Tan Yue’s blocked a knife for him, out of guilt or a sense of indebtedness.

He simply wanted to alleviate Tan Yue’s pain.

When he was in junior high school, he once accidentally fell and scraped his knee on the rough pavement, causing a deep wound.

On the day of the scrape, he only felt a slight pain while walking, but it wasn’t enough to hinder his movement.

However, the following day, the wound manifested its true nature. The area around the injury became swollen and red, rendering his leg immobile. He couldn’t even bend his leg, as it would cause a piercing, agonizing sensation. One might even think a bone had been broken.

Having experienced that kind of pain, he understood how difficult it was to endure and could empathize even more deeply.

Moreover, Tan Yue’s wound was much deeper than his own, with a large portion of his back now swollen and red. One could only imagine the intensity of his pain.

So, diverting attention was indeed an effective method to forget about the pain.

As a fellow man, he knew the means to achieve both physiological and psychological pleasure.

Some experiences, even just contemplating them in one’s mind, can stir one’s body and soul.

Therefore, Song Linchu acted in this manner.

Despite the excessive embarrassment, and considering they were in the hospital ward, Song Linchu would have pursued this matter to the end even without Tan Yue’s consent, so that the latter wouldn’t feel any pain for a few hours.

However, it was evident that this slight gesture had already been enough to stimulate Tan Yue.

Tan Yue’s hand, which had been hanging at his side, suddenly clenched the bedsheet.

“Little Lin…” he softly called the young man’s name, his voice resonating from deep within his chest, heavy and muffled, striking at the core of Song Linchu’s heart.

Song Linchu didn’t dare look at him, only his hands moved unskillfully.

The hospital room resembled a steamer gradually heating up, as the temperature slowly rose, causing every element to become restless.

There was no need for Song Linchu to go any further; his initiative alone was enough to bring Tan Yue pleasure. Tan Yue narrowed his eyes, enjoying the young man’s service.

Though his back still throbbed uncomfortably, the pleasure he experienced in body and mind had already surpassed everything else. Especially in that final moment, when the young man leaned in to nibble at his chin, Tan Yue instantly surrendered…

……

Song Linchu emerged from the restroom after washing his hands and found Tan Yue lying on his side on the hospital bed. His face bore the satisfaction of a sated wild beast as he spoke on the phone with someone.

“Yes, it’s quite serious. It concerns the rise and fall of Wanou’s future… Rest assured, I understand the importance… He will understand… Hmm, help me check which other day would be suitable… Alright, we’ll come to visit you in a few days… Goodbye.”

With that, Tan Yue ended the call.

Song Linchu had splashed his face with cold water in the restroom, taking several minutes to calm himself down. By now, the feeling of shame had subsided to some extent.

However, it was impossible for it to completely disappear. Just the thought of the scorching sensation he had held in his hands made Song Linchu’s face flush.

He forced himself to maintain a nonchalant expression and asked, “Was it Grandpa?”

“Yes,” Tan Yue replied.

They didn’t want Grandpa Tan to know about the injury, not just the injury itself, but the entire kidnapping incident, fearing it would distress the elderly man.

But today was supposed to be the day of their housewarming celebration, and given his condition, it was impossible to proceed with the move. They couldn’t evade it without a good reason.

Therefore, Tan Yue could only fabricate an important matter at his company. Fortunately, his grandfather was easy to deceive, and it was easily brushed aside.

With Song Linchu’s “physical pain relief,” Tan Yue endured the most difficult two days. Gradually, his wound scabbed over and improved, while Song Linchu continued attending classes, only coming to visit him in the evenings.

After experiencing such a dangerous ordeal, Tan Yue arranged for a security team at the school to ensure Song Linchu’s absolute safety. Whenever he and his classmates went out, they would be accompanied by someone, eliminating any potential risks.

He had a trusted driver pick him up and drop him off wherever he went, regardless of distance, not relying on anyone else’s assistance.

At this moment, the advantage of Song Linchu being a homebody became apparent. And they didn’t need to worry about matters concerning school or hospital visits since they were just a stone’s throw away.

Of course, it’s true that there is no thief-proof measure that lasts forever. Only by addressing the problem at its root can they rest assured.

This was also Tan Yue’s mistake. He has been like a lone wolf all these years, he could go forward without hesitation in whatever he does, had no weakness, no worries, so he could be more ruthless and decisive than others.

He had accumulated a lot of prestige these years, and he was the only one who made trouble for others, and almost no one dared to act wild in front of him.

Over time, he started living in the comfort zone.

So much so that after being with Song Linchu, he was still in this comfort zone, not guarded, and let people take advantage of the loopholes.

Song Linchu only had two classes this afternoon. When he came from school, he saw Cheng Bin in the ward, talking to Tan Yue.

Cheng Bin continued, “Tan Yuming learned about Young Master Song’s importance to you from Tan Mingqing. Therefore, when he found out about Tan Gan’s plan, he immediately thought of orchestrating this scheme, becoming the hidden mastermind behind the kidnapping.”

“He knew that Tan Gan’s bodyguard, Zhao Quan, is a filial son, so he controlled his mother and threatened him. Then everything unfolded afterward. He had no intention of sparing Zhao Quan and the driver. By eliminating them, there would be no witnesses, and all the blame could be pinned on Tan Gan, leaving himself completely untainted.”

“By doing this, he not only causes a rift between you and Tan Gan, but also deprives you of the most important person in your life. Even if the plan unravels, he originally had little time left and nothing to fear. That’s why he dared to take such a treacherous path.”

These lengthy explanations, combined with the events that transpired that night, allowed Song Linchu to fully grasp the intricacies of that day’s events.

So, the one behind the second kidnapping, the one who wanted to kill him, was none other than Tan Yuming.

Tan Mingqing’s terminally ill uncle.

Song Linchu’s expression became incredibly complex for a moment.

Are all members of the Tan family so ruthless?

One disabled, one sick—the type of people who would undoubtedly be offered a seat on a bus—yet each one more ruthless than the other.

Especially Tan Yuming; this was practically murder.

Although Song Linchu was aware that kidnapping and murder cases often appeared in TV dramas, those were, after all, fictional things. In reality, we live in a society governed by the rule of law, and most conflicts arise from monetary disputes.

But to directly resort to murder, and it seems like a triple homicide at that, left Song Linchu bewildered and even unable to believe it.

Especially since the person he once wanted to pursue was Tan Yuming.

If he hadn’t mistaken the target… Song Linchu felt a shiver down his spine.

He couldn’t imagine how it would feel to have someone like that by his side.

Song Linchu couldn’t help but glance at Tan Yue…

Thinking that he was frightened, Tan Yue gestured for him to sit beside him, took his hand, and reassured him, saying, “It’s alright now. I won’t let such things happen again.”

Song Linchu shook his head and said, “I’m fine.”

Tan Yue gently rubbed his head.

Cheng Bin couldn’t bear to look.

Someone used to be such a straight steel man, capable of even telling girls how uncomfortable fake eyelashes are whenever he received their flirty winks. Now he had transformed into considerate husband.

When Song Linchu had actively pursued him in the past, Cheng Bin had thought on numerous occasions that their relationship wouldn’t last, but Song Linchu miraculously perservered.

So, as the saying goes, as long as you take the initiative, we’ll have a story. And that statement turned out to be true.

Cheng Bin tried his best to ignore the “dog food” being distributed by these two and continued, “Boss, how should we proceed now?”

“What does the police say about this?”

“The police have already apprehended Tan Gan and Tan Yuming. However, Tan Yuming’s condition has been poor lately. He has been hospitalized, and when the police arrived, he was still unconscious. Mr. Tan Gan is resolutely denying any involvement in the kidnapping and insists that he was merely catching up with Young Master Song.”

“Hand over the recordings and the evidence of his previous crimes to the police. Since he is so eager to go to prison, let’s fulfill his wish. Get the most professional lawyer in this field and don’t give him any chance to resist.”

Tan Yue was not someone to be manipulated. At the very first moment Tan Gan called, he recorded their conversation, and the content was crystal clear. The police would make the judgement as to whether it was kidnapping or just catching up.

The sentencing guidelines for kidnapping, with the intent to extort property or holding someone as a hostage, were a minimum of ten years.

In addition, he had a previous crime of stealing confidential information from other companies. Combining the two offenses, it was enough for him to spend the rest of his life in jail.

Originally, Tan Yue had intended to spare Tan Gan out of respect for his grandfather’s face.

But he didn’t appreciate the gesture and insisted on touching his sore spot.

He had personally destroyed his extra life card.

“As for Tan Yuming…” A cold gleam flickered in Tan Yue’s eyes.

For someone like him, even if he were imprisoned, it would be akin to receiving medical treatment in a hospital. He was getting off too lightly.

However, Tan Yue knew what mattered most to him. Since he wanted to destroy the person who meant the most to him as revenge, he had no choice but to retaliate in kind.

Tan Yue issued concise instructions to Cheng Bin, who nodded repeatedly before turning around to carry them out.

In the afternoon, the calm and uneventful Weibo suddenly exploded with a sensational commercial scandal: the blood-soaked bun eaten by Juhe, the founder of a well-established brand, during his rise to success.

Juhe was considered an old brand. Back in the day, it emerged out of nowhere and became memorable to many people because of a widely circulated advertisement slogan. Although it had fallen on hard times in recent years, the brand could still evoke that slogan in the minds of many.

Thus, as soon as this scandal broke, it immediately attracted a lot of attention.

This scandal revealed the unscrupulous acts Juhe had committed during its rise to success, such as suppressing competitors and engaging in malicious competition. Those actions could be considered relatively harmonious methods. However, in one major bidding project, when Juhe couldn’t match another company in terms of product quality, it resorted to intentionally causing a car accident. Although there were no fatalities, one employee ended up with a lifelong disability.

Tan Yue only discovered this information after digging deep into the matter this time. If he had known that Tan Yuming had been involved in such activities in the past, he definitely wouldn’t have considered partnering with him.

This scandal was simply too big and caused an immediate uproar on Weibo.

A single stone stirred a thousand ripples. People immediately came forward to say that Juhe had been using inferior materials in its products over the past two years, making them increasingly trashy.

Furthermore, an “informed source” exposed that some time ago, when a certain major brand ended its cooperation with Juhe, it had actually planned a kidnapping. The target was a family member of the CEO of that brand, and they nearly killed the person. It was clear that Juhe was a repeat offender.

The situation escalated, and the police quickly intervened, expressing that they had already taken control of the main individuals responsible for Juhe and were launching an investigation.

Juhe was already teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, and with these revelations, several other cooperative clients terminated their contracts. Some investors began withdrawing their funds, and the stock plummeted. Bankruptcy was now an inevitable outcome.

Not only that, but its founder and chairman, Tan Yuming, bore the brunt of the blame, becoming the subject of intense public criticism.

Someone even leaked that he had a terminal illness, and as a result, netizens were filled with comments wishing for the disease to conquer him. There were countless sarcastic remarks and sentiments such as “serves him right.” Even his nephew, Tan Mingqing, was implicated. Tan Mingqing’s parents were summoned by the school authorities for a discussion.

Tan Mingqing always boasted to his friends and brothers about how great his uncle was, wishing to let the whole world know that he had a wealthy uncle who would leave his entire fortune to him. Now that his uncle was in trouble, as the beneficiary, he naturally became the target of much criticism. He didn’t even dare to go to school anymore.

From this point onward, Tan Yuming’s reputation was completely shattered.

For over thirty years, Tan Yuming had placed the utmost importance on his fame, wealth, and assets. The greatest achievement of his life was starting from scratch and creating Juhe, becoming a part of the wealthy.

Yet, in just a few days, all of his efforts were destroyed.

Not only that, he was burdened with two counts of kidnapping and one count of malicious injury. Even if he didn’t need to go to prison due to health reasons, he would spend the rest of his life in misery.

————————-

On the day of Tan Yue’s discharge from the hospital, it happened to be a Sunday.

His wound had already scabbed over and healed, and the pain had mostly subsided. The doctor provided them with instructions and dietary recommendations, which both Song Linchu and Tan Yue listened to attentively, carefully noting down each one.

They went back home in time for lunch.

After finishing their meal, Song Linchu noticed Tan Yue furrowing his brows, as if constantly wanting to scratch his back. He asked, “Is it itchy?”

Tan Yue nodded.

That’s how wounds were—painful at first, then itchy once they started healing, making it hard to resist scratching. However, scratching could reopen the wounds, causing bleeding and potential infection, a never-ending cycle.

“Do you want me to scratch it for you?”

Tan Yue glanced at Song Linchu, who blinked at him. Tan Yue whispered, “Alright, let’s go to the study.”

During Tan Yue’s hospital stay, his workload had piled up. Originally, he had planned to go to the company in the afternoon, but he didn’t want to worry someone, so he decided to go on a workday tomorrow.

The two of them arrived at the study, where Song Linchu asked Tan Yue to sit down. He turned up the room’s heating since it was still slightly chilly despite the blossoming of spring. Tan Yue mustn’t catch a chill.

Song Linchu helped Tan Yue remove his shirt. His back had fair skin, and when slightly bent forward, it resembled a strong and resilient bow, with sleek and flawless lines.

There reddish wound looked somewhat grim, but it didn’t diminish its beauty. On the contrary, it added a touch of morbid allure.

Song Linchu couldn’t help but make a sound of appreciative. He could look at this beautiful back for a lifetime!

“Is this alright?” Song Linchu carefully scratched around the wound.

The doctor had mentioned that if the itching became unbearable, light scratching was allowed, but the scabs mustn’t be disturbed, as it could lead to bleeding and easy infection.

Tan Yue let out an “mmm”.

Seeing that he wasn’t focused on his work, Song Linchu hesitated for a moment. Then, as if determined, he spoke up, “Gege, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Tan Yue squinted his eyes, enjoying the young man’s service. He made a sound of agreement, signaling for him to continue.

“Well… When I pursued you back then, you must have guessed the reason behind it.”

Tan Yue nonchalantly replied, “Yes, but I don’t mind.”

It was obvious that Song Linchu pursued him to seek revenge against Tan Mingqing. It was a case of “you hurt me, so I’ll make your uncle, whom you fear the most, my target. I’ll become your little uncle and make your life miserable!”

Initially, Tan Yue did mind being used, and he indeed ignored Song Linchu for a week.

However, their fate was deeply intertwined, and with his grandfather’s incident, it seemed as though fate itself was pushing them together.

To this day, Tan Yue didn’t mind these circumstances at all. In fact, he was even grateful for these coincidences, as they led him to find the love of his life.

Song Linchu’s voice carried a hint of difficulty. “Actually, when I initially pursued you, I mistook you for Tan Mingqing’s biological uncle.”

The implications behind this statement were immense, causing Tan Yue’s body to stiffen slightly.

Song Linchu, who was helping him scratch his back, naturally noticed this change.

However, since the conversation had reached this point, there was no more room for concealment.

“At that time, Tan Mingqing would always boast to me about having a wealthy uncle who will pass down the family fortune to him. He used his uncle’s money to buy various luxury items for his boyfriend, my roommate, Su Zhan. Su Zhan would flaunt those items in front of me every day, mocking and annoying me. I couldn’t think of an effective way to deal with it.”

At this point, Song Linchu paused and sneaked a glance at Tan Yue’s expression. Seeing that he remained expressionless, Song Linchu became even more anxious.

Yet, he mustered the courage to continue, “So, wicked thoughts emerged in my mind. I thought that if I became the object of his uncle’s affection, the legitimate inheritor in his family registry, I could strip him of his inheritance rights…”

As he reached the end, Song Linchu’s voice seemed to drown in the air.

He felt ashamed of his thoughts and actions, which could be perceived as acts of an opportunistic thief by others.

In truth, he could have kept this matter to himself for a lifetime, without anyone knowing or causing harm to anyone else.

However, witnessing Tan Yue’s kindness and how he even shielded him from harm, Song Linchu couldn’t deceive him any longer.

Though his initial motives were despicable, he still hoped that their love could be pure and transparent.

Song Linchu dared not look at Tan Yue anymore. He stopped scratching and let his hand hang down, his eyes lowered as he said, “I’m sorry, gege. I’m not a good person, nor am I as noble and virtuous as I may seem. Not only did I use you, but I also deceived you.”