Chapter 22: CH 22

The mansion had three floors in total. The stairwell led to the second floor living room, which directly aced the balcony and had a bar and pool rack, and to the right was a corridor leading to Ming Luchuan’s bedroom. 

Xia Wennan paused at the threshold and peered in, hesitant to enter.

Ming Luchuan switched on the lights and pulled Xia Wennan inside. 

Xia Wennan hurriedly backed away, ending up by the window. “Don’t mess around,” he said to Ming Luchuan.

Ming Luchuan gave him a cold stare. His footsteps shifted slowly, but he was heading in the direction of the bathroom. 

After Ming Luchuan finally disappeared behind the bathroom door, Xia Wennan breathed a sigh of relief and began surveying the room. 

It was a typical bedroom, spacious and simple, with a double bed in the centre and a built-in wardrobe on one wall.

Xia Wennan had expected to see Ming Luchuan’s childhood mementos, but all he found was a photograph of a group of people on his nightstand.

Someone in the photo appeared to be Ming Luchuan in his teens. He was already quite tall at that age, anda shadow of his current handsomeness was present in his facial features. Beside him stood two identical omega youths, Ming Siyan and Ming Sichen. The two boys were clinging to each other, their affection palpable. On his other side was the last person in the photo, a similarly young omega; he bore no resemblance to the Ming family, but he was a very beautiful omega with curved brows, bright eyes, and a sweet smile.

Xia Wennan picked up the photo and looked at it for a moment before putting it back down. He returned to the window and looked down, discovering that it had a direct view of the garden. Moths flitted around the garden lights, which were still brightly lit.

Ming Luchuan emerged from the bathroom in his pyjamas a few moments later. “Go take a shower,” he instructed Xia Wennan as he buttoned his pyjama shirt.

Xia Wennan remained motionless. “Are we really sleeping here?” he asked Ming Luchuan. “There’s only one bed.”

Ming Luchuan’s body continued to exude warm steam. His sideburns were damp from the shower, as was his skin. He took a seat on the edge of the bed. “I’m not going to do anything to you.”

Xia Wennan looked at him for a moment before shifting his feet cautiously towards the bathroom.

While the bathroom was all fogged up, the mirror was clear. Xia Wennan curiously wiped at its surface and found it hot. He then noticed a pair of cups and toothbrushes on the bathroom counter, as well as multiple clean towels on the rack next to it. 

He walked to the door he’d just locked and opened it, poking his head out to inquire, “Is the toothbrush in here mine?”

Ming Luchuan rose from the bed and approached him, pushing Xia Wennan aside as he pushed open the door. He pointed out which towel and toothbrush belonged to Xia Wennan and told him that the clean pyjamas on the shelf were also his.

All of the items were clean, but they were clearly not new.

The undeniable proof that he’d previously stayed here muddled his thoughts. He pushed Ming Luchuan out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him so he could shower.

Before going to bed, Xia Wennan found some clean sheets in the cupboard. He knelt on the bed, rolled the sheet into a thin line, and draped it across the middle of the bed as a barrier between himself and Ming Luchuan.

Ming Luchuan sat to the side, watching him with cool indifference. When Xia Wennan looked up after he finished positioning the bed sheets, Ming Luchuan said, “Have you lost your mind?”

Xia Wennan confidently blustered, “Didn’t I break my brain?”

The corners of Ming Luchuan’s thin lips were downturned, rendering his face exceedingly stone-cold. “Do you think the covers will be able to stop me?”

“It’ll stop a gentleman, but not a scumbag,” said Xia Wennan. 

“Did I say I was a gentleman?”

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Squatting on the bed, Xia Wennan suddenly smiled at Ming Luchuan. It was a sweet smile. “I reckon you are.”

“You’re deranged.” Ming Luchuan averted his gaze. 

The two men lay down in the dark after the lights were turned off, neither touching the rolled-up bed sheet that divided the bed.

Xia Wennan hadn’t drank much, so the alcohol had barely taken effect on him. His eyes were wide open, his mind racing. As he grew accustomed to the darkness, he was able to make out the unfamiliar silhouettes of his surroundings.

“You mentioned that your little brother was also involved in a car accident?” he blurted out. 

There was no immediate response. It was a while before Ming Luchuan said, “I was already asleep.”

Xia Wennan was taken aback. “Do you fall asleep that easily?”

Ming Luchuan had consumed several glasses of wine tonight, and the exhaustion had taken its toll on both his mind and body. But despite the fact that he wasn’t particularly happy, his tone lacked its usual indifference and was rather soft as he voiced his displeasure, “Why are you so rude?”

“Sorry,” Xia Wennan hurried to say, then waited a few seconds before asking, “So… are you awake now?”

“What is it?” said Ming Luchuan. 

“I can’t sleep, I want to talk to you.”

“It’s the middle of the night. What could you possibly want to talk about?”

“Why are you so boring, how did I ever fall for you back then?” Xia Wennan was also displeased. “Be honest with me, did you lord something over my head and blackmail me into marrying you?”

As the words streamed out, Xia Wennan had an epiphany. He rolled over and sat up, looking down at Ming Luchuan. “You said that I’m the one who developed the most popular perfume on the market right now. Because I’m that brilliant, of course you’d do everything in your power to keep me in Ming Yan—so you forced me to marry you, didn’t you?”

Ming Luchuan remained silent. His bright eyes shone through the darkness. His gaze was set squarely on Xia Wennan. “You’ve crossed the line,” he said after a moment.

It was then that Xia Wennan realised he’d crossed the bedsheet-lined boundary. He ducked his head towards Ming Luchuan and quickly apologised before returning to his own side. 

“Why are you so petty?” Xia Wennan muttered as he lay back down on his pillow. After that, he continued, “I asked you a question just now, are you too much of a coward to answer me?”

In the silence of the night, Ming Luchuan’s voice had a hint of scratchiness to it, like the slow playback of an old vinyl record. “I told you right from the start that you were the one who liked me and proposed to me.”

Xia Wennan didn’t pause to consider that. “I don’t believe you.”

Ming Luchuan didn’t ask why. If he had though, Xia Wennan’s thoughts would have returned to his strange theory about how people don’t fall in love with a chicken. Ming Luchuan merely turned his back to Xia Wennan, the bed rustling with his movement. 

Xia Wennan looked at his back and suddenly found himself feeling somewhat lonely, so he mustered up a sincere tone and said, “I don’t remember anything. I have no idea what’s a lie and what isn’t. If what you said is true…” The next thing that would’ve fallen from his lips were: then I have to apologise, because as of now, I definitely don’t have any feelings for you, but it didn’t make it out of his mouth. He’d always thought that these words sounded too pretentious for him, and he wasn’t that kind of person.

He’d been raised by his grandpa, and despite many adversities, they’d always been optimistic and carefree. The grief of losing their loved ones, combined with their strained financial situation, had made up their harsh reality—but you can’t stay stuck in a state of inferiority and self-pity forever. As long as you intend to live, you must focus your attention on those who remain by your side and fight for a better future. 

In those days he spent with his grandpa, their only source of entertainment had been their TV. They never watched any sad or emotional shows and instead tried to fill their days with laughter and hope.

And so, what was the point…

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