After a Flash Marriage With the Disabled Tyrant - Chap 43
The night wind was howling when Shi Yunnan walked up to the rooftop.
The hotel deliberately reinforced high fences around the rooftop; the outermost door was locked to prevent dangerous accidents.
Shi Yunnan looked around, locked his eyes behind a water tank surrounded by concrete, and walked over with the things in his hand in a hurry.
As he got closer, he naturally saw the person behind the water tank—
Yuan Rui leaned against the concrete wall, curled himself into a small ball with his hands tightly wrapped around his legs, and buried his head in his knees, sobbing faintly.
At this moment, all of his usual arrogance had disappeared.
Shi Yunnan calmed down a little and let out a sigh of relief, “How old are you? Still hiding here to cry secretly?”
“…..”
Yuan Rui, who was sitting on the ground, stiffened his shoulders and raised his eyes slowly.
There was only a faint old-fashioned light on the rooftop, just above the tank where they were. The light was dim but enough for them to see each other’s presence.
Seeing Shi Yunnan, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Yuan Rui tried to gather his self-esteem, “Why are you here? And, how did you know I was here?“
Shi Yunnan put down the dozen cold beers he brought, and raised his eyebrows, “The front desk in the hotel lobby said that they hadn’t seen you come down, and the other floors are mostly guest rooms or banquet halls. I thought about it. You should only run up.“
And his guess was right.
Shi Yunnan took out a can of cold beer, crouched down and handed it over, “Here.”
Yuan Rui hesitated for a moment, and then felt that his face was already lost today. There’s nothing to struggle with.
So he took Shi Yunnan’s cold beer and opened it, saying, “What the hell? How can this be enough?“
Shi Yunnan heard his awkward, distasteful tone and snorted at him with a smile, “Then don’t drink it, just apply it to your swollen face. It’s ugly.”
“…..”
Yuan Rui was slapped hard by Yuan Puguang. The right half of his face was still red and swollen, and coupled with the obvious crying red eyes and nose, he looked somewhat wretched and cute at the same time.
Then again, it was all thanks to his decent face; otherwise, he would have looked quite distasteful.
Yuan Rui didn’t answer, he just pressed the cold beer to his face.
Because he pressed too hard, he subconsciously “hissed” and then glanced at Shi Yunnan with some embarrassment.
Shi Yunnan didn’t hide his smile at all. He took out a bottle of white wine from his trench coat pocket and handed it over, “Take it, the one with the highest degree. I’m not responsible if you’re drunk.“
Yuan Rui lowered his eyes and stared at the liquor that was stuffed into his palm. He suddenly felt a touch of subtle emotion—being helped.
Was Shi Yunnan this considerate?
He could even guess that he wanted to drink some strong liquor right now.
“Don’t look at me with such pitiful eyes; I have a husband,” Shi Yunnan said as he sat down opposite him.
“…Shi Yunnan, you!”
Yuan Rui was speechless. He had to apply cold beer to his face with one hand while biting and twisting the cap of the liquor bottle, “Stop being narcissistic, I don’t like you.”
In an instant, the strong and rich alcohol smell penetrated into Yuan Rui’s nose, causing him to cough for a while.
Shi Yunnan casually picked up the beer on the ground and took the initiative to clink it with him before tilting his head back and drinking it.
Yuan Rui secretly stared at his actions. The corners of his mouth bent unconsciously, but he quickly held back as if aware of something.
In the past, when he had disputes with Yuan Puguang, he would either go to a nightclub to drink alone, or hide himself.
Yuan Rui felt that he hated being disturbed at such a time, but facing Shi Yunnan, who suddenly appeared in front of him, he had a rare misconception—
It would be nice if the other party was his friend.
Shi Yunnan drank silently without speaking, while Yuan Rui depressingly chugged down the booze.
The night wind blew away the drunkenness a little bit.
Due to the emotions weighing on his mind, Yuan Rui drank quite a bit. Within half an hour, he asked sullenly, “Shi Yunnan, don’t you want to know what just happened in the box?”
“You were sitting next door. Did you hear it?”
Shi Yunnan shook the beer in his hand and replied calmly, “I didn’t hear much.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t ask you what happened today. When you calm down and no serious accident happens, I will ignore your “death and life” as an alcoholic.“
These words were cold enough, as if treating Yuan Rui as an irrelevant stranger.
But it was considerate enough, at least for Yuan Rui at this moment. There was no questioning or ridicule. He was just there to accompany him and leave him some face.
Yuan Rui’s heart was moved, “Why? Because I helped you at the jade shop that time?“
Shi Yunnan didn’t deny it, “I said I don’t like to owe favors.”
Yuan Rui sneered, “I wasn’t helping you that time. I was just passing by and couldn’t stand it.“
Shi Yunnan didn’t answer, and was silent for a long time, but Yuan Rui was unable to control his rash temper.
He put down the can of beer that was applied to his face, patted his painful but cold cheek, and said sullenly, “My dad has such a temper. In fact, he doesn’t usually hit me in front of outsiders.“
“…..”
When Shi Yunnan heard this remark, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He thought that Yuan Rui’s reaction to what had happened in the box would be full of resentment and complaint against Yuan Pugaung. Unexpectedly, the first sentence that the other party uttered was to explain his father’s action.
“Can you see how old my dad is? He’s younger than the parents of my same-age friends.“
Yuan Rui didn’t look at Shi Yunnan. He only poured out what was in his heart, like he was talking to himself.
“The Yuan family has been engaged in jade carving for five or six generations. I heard that the jade carvings of our ancestors were used as palace tributes.“
In that era, when the education level was not high, there was a belief in the art profession: strict teachers made excellent apprentices.
It was common for masters to beat, scold, discipline, and even punish their apprentices.
Those who were talented and could endure, finally got the master’s skill, inherited the mantle and continued to work. Those who have no talent and can’t withstand it naturally have to change their careers and find another way of life.
“At my father’s age, when he was young, he learned jade carving from my grandfather and was taught through beating and scolding. My mother said that the more he learned, the more he got into it. He spent his life doing jade carving, unable to tolerate other crafts.“
The Yuan family rules were based on jade carving expertise and not being duplicitous.
“He only had me when he was almost fifty years old. He hurt me, but he also put all his hopes on me.“
“I heard my mother mention that…”
Then, Yuan Rui took a sip of wine and coughed twice before continuing—
When he was drawing lots for his first birthday, he grabbed a piece of jade carved by Yuan Puguang himself, so he was praised by the guests, saying that “the son inherits the father’s business” and that he “was born for this.”
Thinking about that time now, the burden was already there for Yuan Rui to shoulder.
Yuan Rui recalled that when he was six or seven years old, when other children were still playing around and didn’t even understand the word “art,” he had already picked up the carving knife and sat straight in front of the desk all day long.
“At that time, I had little strength. The carving knife and jade were heavy. I could grind out blisters and bloodstains on my fingers just to carve a simple flat word. I cried and threw away that jade piece. As a result, my dad whipped my palms with a wicker stick.“
Because the painful memory was too deep, Yuan Rui still vaguely remembered that heart-breaking day.
Shi Yunnan frowned slightly.
Whipped with wicker? This was yet another overly pedantic and regressive rule left behind by the older generation.
In comparison, when he was six or seven years old, at least he was still in his mother’s tender embrace, and the so-called “father,” Shi Sheng, also looked a little like a father.
“My mother often tells me that I’m my father’s son, and his requirements for me are naturally higher and stricter… Lu Zhao’an was adopted. Although my father also raised him as his own son, he couldn’t really beat or scold him.“
“I believe this!” Yuan Rui nodded heavily and added, with a shimmer in his eyes, “But Lu Zhao’an has always been good at anything. He will never be beaten or scolded by my dad.“
“In some professions, it depends on talent!” Yuan Rui’s bitterness and grievance became heavier along with the drunkenness.
“Lu Zhao’an can tell at a glance what jade texture is suitable for engraving, but I can’t. When I finally develop this vision, all his jade carving works can already be sold in shops.“
Compared with experience, he wasn’t as good as Lu Zhao’an.
Compared with talent, he wasn’t as good as Lu Zhao’an.
Living under the same roof, and being taught by the same person, day by day and year by year, he was always unable to compete.
“I know my dad has begun to feel disappointed in me. He was depressed that I, as a son, couldn’t ‘inherit the father’s business’, so every time he praised Lu Zhao’an, he would belittle me in passing.“
“Whenever he scolds me, he always says, ‘Look at your brother! How can I, Yuan Puguang, have such an incompetent son as you?!‘ “
“…..”
Shi Yunnan still didn’t respond, but remained silent as a listener.
However, he knew that teenagers have their own temperaments. If they lived under another person’s shadow for a long time, problems would arise in the long run.
“I also know,” Yuan Rui admitted, his voice trembling with emotion. “I’ll never be able to beat Lu Zhao’an. He’s the moon in the sky, and I’m the mud on the ground.“
“In the eyes of my dad and those jade carvers, and even in Lu Zhao’an’s heart, I will always be the incompetent one.“
Not competent enough, let alone standing side by side.
Yuan Rui began to become rebellious. He messed around all day and no longer followed the rules, but he was just trying to show off his ridiculous self-esteem and face in front of others.
“I want them to know that even if I don’t engage in jade carving, I can still have my own life!“
Yuan Rui laughed at himself and admitted to himself without waiting for Shi Yunnan to speak, “Yes, this idea is naive, but I can only think of such resistance.”
Then what he got in exchange was Yuan Puguang’s quarrels and beatings.
“The more you do this, the more it shows that you care about the Yuan family.” Shi Yunnan hit the nail on the head.
The genuine unconcern was what he (Syn) did to the Shi family, walking away without any attachment.
For the first time, Yuan Rui met Shi Yunnan’s gaze and did not embarrassedly deny it, “Yes, because my surname is Yuan! No matter how incapable I am, I don’t want to watch our family go downhill!“
“Do you think I only care about the Yuan family’s little assets like they said?” Yuan Rui shook his head, “Wrong.”
Yuan Rui knew that Lu Zhao’an was more capable of managing the Yuan family than he himself. He didn’t mind that it was the other party who was taking care of the Yuan family now.
However, the self-esteem that was stepped on from childhood to adulthood and the inferiority complex that intensified in his heart day and night didn’t allow Yuan Rui to say anything nice to Lu Zhao’an, who surrendered.
“On the day of the warehouse incident, Keyue came to me and said that he wanted to invest in the Yuan family’s newly added jade design. In the future, we will calculate the profit according to the shares.“
When Shi Yunnan heard this, a trace of irony flashed across his eyes—
Sure enough, some of the trajectories of fate would still overlap, but Xie Keyue still thought of profiting from the Yuan family at this juncture.
“I didn’t agree at first.” Yuan Rui said.
On one hand, he knew that Lu Zhao’an was fully responsible for this matter and didn’t want to find another “investor” to check and balance the other party’s future decisions.
On the other hand, it was because Yuan’s jade carving was going downhill and the newly opened jade design was currently unsure if it would be profitable.
In other words, when Lu Zhao’an consulted Yuan Puguang at the beginning, they felt that they had to grit their teeth and do business at a loss until the market opened up.
Yuan Rui didn’t want to pit his friends.
“I’m actually confused about what’s going on with you, Keyue, and the Shi family. But for me, Keyue is indeed the only friend who has ever acknowledged me since I was a kid.“
Asian parents in nutshell: I beat you because I love you : )
“I’m actually confused about what’s going on with you, Keyue, and the Shi family. But for me, Keyue is indeed the only friend who has ever acknowledged me since I was a kid.“
When Yuan Rui said this, he suddenly remembered Shi Yunnan’s compliment to him in the warehouse that day, so he silently added a sentence in his heart: You are the second.
Yuan Rui was a bit gifted in recognizing and judging raw stone and jade, but this ability was the most basic and least valuable in the eyes of jade carving masters like Yuan Puguang.
Seeing Yuan Rui, who still retained purity and seriousness in his eyes despite being drunk, Shi Yunnan understood—
Yuan Rui grew up under such repressive voices, and what he needed most was the approval of outsiders.
Xie Keyue was someone who could turn water into honey with words. He most likely approached Yuan Rui with ulterior motives from the very beginning.
In Shi Yunnan’s dream, Yuan Rui was indeed one of the few friends Xie Keyue was sincere with. Perhaps their friendship was built on such a foundation in the beginning.
“After I first rejected Keyue’s proposal, he added that he was willing to resign himself to his fate even if he ended up losing money.”
But the only condition for Xie Keyue’s investment was to let his friend Yuan Rui participate in Yuan’s jade design instead of him.
He said he was busy working for the Shi family. There was no way to do two things at once, so he could only invest money.
“The more he recognizes my ability to identify jade, the more I feel that it is better for me to guard the business for him. In the future, even if things go wrong, the decision-making power will be in Lu Zhao’an’s hands.“
Shi Yunnan’s lips twitched.
This time, Xie Keyue really packaged himself as a good person. On one hand, he gave Yuan Rui enough face, and on the other hand, he regarded himself as a hands-off shopkeeper1.
The first two projects he personally participated in fell into trouble, so Xie Keyue was probably more conservative this time.
But the most important thing was that Xie Keyue, the “book transmigrator,” never made uncertain investments. Since he was willing to invest in the Yuan family, it meant that Yuan’s jade design was destined to make money.
Yuan Rui poured the last sip of wine into his mouth and leaned against the cement wall while murmuring, “I was convinced by him, but, but at the same time, I also hid a bit of selfishness.”
“What is it?”
Yuan Rui snorted twice in a self-deprecating manner, and the grievance in his heart returned, “… I want to help him.”
Shi Yunnan was stunned for two seconds before realizing that the “him” that Yuan Rui was referring to was Lu Zhao’an. Even if Yuan Rui did not speak, he could still guess the reason—
Lu Zhao’an broke the Yuan family rule of “fine diamond jade carving” and switched to jade design, which must not be without questions and pressure from others. If too much money was lost in the end, all the responsibility and blame would fall on him alone.
At least the burden can be eased in terms of monetary pressure with Xie Keyue’s investment.
Moreover, Yuan Rui volunteered to join. If he was being serious, he could more or less help with jade procurement, material selection, etc. Even if they fail in the end, the scolding will not be carried by Lu Zhao’an alone.
On the contrary, Yuan Rui will receive more chastisement—
Because he was Yuan Puguang’s only son, and because he had been an “unaccomplished” waste since he was a child,
Since ancient times, those who are mediocre have had to bear more infamy.
While Shi Yunnan was pondering, Yuan Rui, who was opposite him, openly sobbed with drunkenness, “I specially reserved a hotel box. I thought about telling them seriously, I also want to contribute to the Yuan family…“
But after only mentioning it, he was unceremoniously rejected by Yuan Puguang.
The hope in his heart fell through. Yuan Rui retorted angrily to his father. That’s why Shi Yunnan and others heard the two accusations halfway through the dinner.
“What about Xie KeYue? Why did he come?“
Shi Yunnan did not shy away from asking questions. He clearly remembered that Xie Keyue wasn’t present when the two families first met at the elevator entrance.
Yuan Rui shook his head, “I did tell him about this today and also told him not to come for the time being.”
After all, Yuan Rui wanted to convince his parents first, and then find time to bring his friend to meet his family another day.
This way, even if it doesn’t work out, his friendship with Xie Keyue won’t be particularly damaged.
“Keyue was probably afraid that I wouldn’t be able to convince my parents. That’s why he came over.”
“Then what? In front of him, my dad started talking to me more and more aggressively. I really tried to put up with it, but I still, still couldn’t hold my temper…… “
The more Yuan Rui thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. The confidence he had built up over the past few days collapsed at that moment.
“Shi, Shi Yunnan.” He raised his eyes to look at the person in front of him. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.
“In your eyes, an outsider, am I really… that bad? “
So bad that no matter how hard he tried, no one wanted to believe that he also wanted to do something serious?
Shi Yunnan looked at Yuan Rui, who was holding his mouth to hold back his tears, and inexplicably thought of Little Goldfish at home, probably because of his face that still has some baby fat.
Shi Yunnan moved closer and spoke frankly, “Although you are arrogant and willful, I think you’re not a bad person. No one is perfect. The same goes for you and I.“
Shi Yunnan touched his pocket, but he didn’t bring any tissue, “Cry if you want, I won’t laugh at you.”
“…..”
Yuan Rui tried to hold back the tears, but they kept falling down one after another.
The grievances and low self-esteem of many years were being poured out like a flash flood at this moment, and he absent-mindedly leaned on Shi Yunnan’s shoulder.
Shi Yunnan stiffened for half a second, but Yuan Rui’s cries stopped his hand that wanted to push back.
“I’m not fooling around, I, I really just want to help them. Why has he only scolded me since I was a child?“
The more he was reprimanded, the more Yuan Rui was afraid of making mistakes. The more he was afraid of making mistakes, the less he could concentrate on doing well.
At first, Yuan Rui was willing to follow Lu Zhao’an’s back and cheerfully called him brother, but gradually, the polarized reprimands and compliments pushed the distance between them further and further.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch up.
Because of the unresolved inferiority deep in his heart, Yuan Rui began to accept his fate, began to give up struggling, and began to watch other masters and elders lift the other party to a high platform, and then let himself fall into the mud.
The more the other party tolerated him, the more he resisted.
…
The more he cried, the more confused he became, and he even burped untimely.
Shi Yunnan didn’t expect Yuan Rui to be such a crybaby. At this moment, he was still drunk, and he cried so much that he even wet his coat.
He had no choice but to take out his mobile phone and send their location to Lu Zhao’an on WeChat, with a brief and concise message.
“Come to pick up your little crybaby.”
It took Lu Zhao’an less than twenty minutes from the time the message was sent to the time he arrived at the rooftop.
He was panting hard, but the worry in his eyes hadn’t dissipated. It wasn’t until he got close to the two that he barely suppressed his panting, “Mr. Shi, sorry to bother you.”
Even though Yuan Puguang strictly prohibited it, Lu Zhao’an, who was worried, still disobeyed his master’s order and ran out. However, Yuan Rui turned off his mobile phone immediately, so he couldn’t find him.
Yuan Rui cried and fell asleep halfway. He was even snoring.
“…..”
Shi Yunnan didn’t hide his disgust and thought it was funny, “It must have been hard for you to have such a little brother.”
Lu Zhao’an didn’t say anything. With Shi Yunnan’s help, he brought Yuan Rui back to himself.
Shi Yunnan picked up the beer bottles on the ground, thought about it, and said, “Mr. Lu, to be honest, I don’t have a good relationship with Xie Keyue.”
“If the Yuan family accepts Xie Keyue’s investment, then I might choose not to cooperate.“
Will you spend your energy making money for your enemy?
Shi Yunnan didn’t have this kind of good grace yet.
Lu Zhao’an’s expression changed slightly, and he answered truthfully, “Master doesn’t intend to invest and cooperate with Xie Keyue. He just said those heavy words at the dinner table because he wanted Mr. Xie to retreat.“
After all, the visitor is a guest. No matter how reluctant Yuan Puguang was, there was no way he could attack Xie Keyue, so he pointed the spearhead at his own son.
Yuan Puguang was accustomed to saying heavy words and couldn’t take Yuan Rui’s mood into consideration, so a big dispute broke out.
Lu Zhao’an felt sorry for what Yuan Rui had gone through, but he couldn’t blame the master who raised him and taught him. It wasn’t easy for him to be caught in the middle.
“Well, then I’ll go back first.”
Shi Yunnan nodded slightly and chose to go downstairs with them.
After he drove away, Lu Zhao’an carried the well-behaved Yuan Rui on his back.
Yuan Rui seemed to be very familiar with this posture. Even in his sleep, he did not forget to use both hands to circle Lu Zhao’an.
“Brother…”
When the babble reached his ears, Lu Zhao’an halted in his tracks. A complex glimmer of light flashed across his eyes.
After a long silence, he walked towards the parking lot with Yuan Rui on his back.
…
When Shi Yunan returned home, Little Goldfish and others had already washed up and fallen asleep.
In the study, Luo Lingsheng, who heard a slight movement on the stairs, immediately put down the report file and went out with his wheelchair.
In the next second, the two bumped into each other.
The smile on Shi Yunnan’s lips widened as he leaned closer and said, “I thought you were all asleep.”
“No, I’m waiting for you.” Luo Lingsheng replied.
Then he asked about what happened to his lover in the past two or three hours: “Did you find young master Yuan? What’s the situation?“
As soon as he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of a large dark stain on the shoulder of Shi Yunnan’s trench coat, “How did the coat get dirty?”
Shi Yunnan glanced down, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and said, “It’s a long story. Aren’t you busy? Let’s go back to the room. I’ll tell you what happened.“
Seeing that the light in the study had gone out, he simply pushed Luo Lingsheng to the bedroom.
After entering the bedroom and closing the door, Shi Yunnan sat down by the bed casually and briefly explained everything that happened after he found Yuan Rui.
Luo Lingsheng was not a gossipy person, so Shi Yunnan naturally didn’t have any qualms.
“Now I can be 100% sure that Yuan Rui himself is not bad at heart. He has been rejected since he was a child. That’s why his personality is twisted and reckless.“
“People like him are often used by those who have ulterior motives.”
Luo Lingsheng understood his implication, “You mean Xie Keyue?”
Shi Yunnan hummed in acquiescence.
Of course, making friends with others is a free right. Shi Yunnan wasn’t Xie Keyue, so he wouldn’t keep speaking ill of the other party in front of Yuan Rui.
Shi Yunnan pointed to the tear stains on his clothes and remembered Yuan Rui’s crying appearance. He couldn’t help laughing and said, “I’ve met Yuan Rui four or five times, and every time he was always so rude and arrogant. Today he actually hugged me while crying.“
“…..”
The change in Luo Lingsheng’s eyes wasn’t obvious, “Did he hug you?”
Shi Yunnan was still immersed in the “amusing” event and momentarily did not notice the other party’s subtle changes, “Yes, this guy is quite strong when he is drunk. I can’t even break free.“
“Say, if he remembers his words and deeds tonight when he wakes up tomorrow, will he avoid me when he sees me next time?”
“Speaking of which, Yuan Rui is not as mature as our little goldfish in some respects, which is quite funny.”
“…..”
Luo Lingsheng still did not speak.
He always felt that Shi Yunnan always had an indescribable preference when evaluating Yuan Rui?
Seeing that Luo Lingsheng hadn’t spoken for a long time, Shi Yunnan took a closer look and finally found something wrong.
He approached with interest and asked, “Luo Lingsheng, are you listening to me?”
“Yes.”
“Then what did I say?”
Luo Lingsheng rubbed his fingers slightly and answered the question, “Take off your coat and go take a shower first.”
“Okay.”
Shi Yunnan deliberately took off his coat slowly and carefully in front of Luo Lingsheng, with playfulness in his eyes, “Husband, what should I do with this coat? It’s tens of thousands.”
Seeing Shi Yunnan’s deliberate teasing, Luo Lingsheng pulled him into his arms and threw the answer, “Don’t lose this coat.”
Besides…
Let me hug too.
1
It is a metaphor for a person who only commands others and does nothing by himself
