Chapter 27 – Listening to the Rumours
Novel Title: 长夏醒迟 (Long Summer, Late Awakening)
Author：麦香鸡呢 (McChicken)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 余炀 (Yu Yang -MC/Gong), 靳吾栖 (Jin Wuqi -ML/Shou)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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When Jin Wuqi woke up again, he was still in the hotel, in the same room. Yu Yang had already left, leaving only Du Yele anxiously hovering by the bedside.
“Are you awake? Are you okay?” Du Yele saw Jin Wuqi open his eyes and immediately asked, “Move a bit. Let’s see if there’s any pain.”
How could there not be pain? Jin Wuqi had fainted from the intense pain when Yu Yang forcefully penetrated his reproductive cavity. For an omega not in heat, having their reproductive cavity forcefully opened was an unbearable experience.
“Where’s Yu Yang?” Jin Wuqi asked hoarsely.
“Last night, he left. I don’t think he was really drunk,” Du Yele said indignantly. “He helped you take a bath, then brought some medicine for you. He asked me to take care of you and then he left.”
Jin Wuqi looked at his wrists. They were still marked with redness. He nodded.
“Oh, and I scolded him…”
“You…” Jin Wuqi sighed. “He drank. So, it was hard for him to control his emotions. There’s no need to scold him. He’s probably more upset than anyone.”
“You shouldn’t be so harsh on yourself!” Du Yele clicked his tongue. “Tying you up is already using force. If we report it to the Omega Association, he’s done for.”
“Stop talking.” Jin Wuqi closed his eyes. “Let me rest a bit more. Then, I’ll go to the company.”
“You’re still going to the company? Just go home and rest. You’re already like this…”
Du Yele looked at Jin Wuqi’s slightly furrowed eyebrows and closed his mouth in frustration.
***
Yu Yang sat in his office for the entire morning. His mind was filled with the words Du Yele had yelled at him last night.
That foreigner’s Chinese was really good. He cursed in such a logical and well-organized manner, every word hitting home.
“Everyone knows you’ve been greatly wronged. But do you know what he went through to get here from abroad?”
“I swear to the heavens, in these four years, he has suffered much more than you. The people he met were even more disgusting than you can imagine!”
“He was injured in his gland and he has a short heat cycle. I refuse to believe you never suspected something went wrong!”
“Back then, if he had any way, he would never have let you become one of the victims. There were many things he simply couldn’t resist.”
“He’s an omega. Do you realise how much he has lost to get to where he is today? It’s not just you. There are so many others he had to sacrifice!”
…
Yu Yang remembered the face he saw in his drunken state yesterday. It was tearful, as if there were so many things he wanted to say but could only cry out, “Yu Yang.”
What on earth… What’s going on?
Yu Yang sent a WeChat message to Chen Antong: You mentioned before that you knew about what happened to him abroad. I want to know.
Chen Antong was a clever person. Without needing clarification, he knew who Yu Yang was referring to with ‘him’.
Chen Antong: You want to know now? It’s simple. Sleep with me and I’ll tell you.
Yu Yang: Don’t be ridiculous.
Chen Antong: Alright then. I’ll step back. Let’s go out for a meal.
Yu Yang: Okay. You decide on the time and place.
***
“Well, it’s not really anything big. And I’m not too sure about the specifics,” Chen Antong began in a tone that sounded like he was sharing gossip he had heard, “Basically, his family wanted him to marry an alpha. It was said that the engagement had already been arranged and many people in the circles had received news about it.”
“At that time, Jin Wuqi seemed to still be in China. Shortly after the news of the engagement came out, he returned to his family’s side. First, he publicly announced that the engagement was false news and that he had not agreed to it. Then, a few months later, the alpha who was rumoured to be engaged to him suddenly disappeared. Not long after that, the alpha’s family company started to decline, with scandals of tax evasion, bribery, and drug trafficking surfacing one after another.”
“However, the alpha’s family must have colluded with many powerful people. At first, they could cover it up with various relationships. But it seems someone was determined to bring them down. Over the next year or two, they continuously released various pieces of information, each one more damning than the last. Every time they thought they could catch their breath, more horrifying evidence would appear. This battle lasted for several years. In the end, their family was completely taken down.”
Chen Antong shook his head as he spoke, “Honestly, the people behind this were really patient and ruthless. On one hand, they slowly gathered various evidence, without being hasty, as if they deliberately wanted to exhaust them. Instead of delivering a fatal blow all at once, they came one after another, like pulling in a fishing net. On the other hand, they were very capable and had strong means. The evidence they produced was really detailed and terrifying. They were irrefutable. No one could save them. In the end, even the special investigations bureau got involved.”
“You’re talking about the company that was declared bankrupt in March last year?” Yu Yang listened quietly and asked, “They started with petroleum energy. And after the bankruptcy, several officials were implicated?”
“Yes, it was quite sensational at the time. It must have been well-known domestically, especially in financial circles,” Chen Antong said. “The alpha who was supposed to marry Jin Wuqi reportedly went to prison during the time he was missing. After he was released, his family hadn’t completely gone bankrupt yet. He probably took the opportunity to escape surveillance and went into hiding. He still hasn’t been found.”
“Then, came the decline of Jin Wuqi’s family. It seems he had prepared in advance. Shortly after the alpha’s family went bankrupt, Jin Wuqi split his own company. Some parts were acquired and others were sold off directly. In short, it was broken up into pieces and then sold off one by one.”
“It’s quite puzzling. Such a large family company. He could just decide to give it up and it was done for. Now, although he has his own company in China, its scale cannot be compared to before. But it’s still quite remarkable.”
“Everyone says it was Jin Wuqi who bankrupted that alpha’s family. But no one knows why he would do something so extreme. Haa… I’m even more confused. Anyway, that’s probably how it is.”
Yu Yang sat in silence, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew about Jin Wuqi’s family’s company, as Zhou Zhou had mentioned it. But Yu Yang had never thought that the decline of another company might also be related to him.
If Jin Wuqi had to return because of the arranged marriage, why wouldn’t he say a word about it? Since the matter abroad had been resolved long ago, why wouldn’t he provide an explanation? If he could just explain the situation back then, saying he had his reasons, that he was under a lot of pressure, any reason would do. Even if Yu Yang couldn’t completely forgive him, at least he could get some relief.
***
More than a month later, Yu Yang went to Jin Wuqi’s company for the first time.
Since the last banquet, Jin Wuqi had followed Yu Yang’s request and hadn’t tried to contact him again.
Moreover, during this period, Jin Wuqi has been mostly overseas for a project survey. He has missed all the social events. Yu Yang knew this. So he chose to come find Jin Wuqi today.
Yu Yang stood outside Jin Wuqi’s office. Jin Wuqi was finishing a temporary meeting, talking to Du Yele while holding documents and walking towards his office.
Du Yele saw Yu Yang and gently nudged Jin Wuqi with her elbow.
Jin Wuqi looked up, hesitated for a moment when he saw Yu Yang, then his secretary walked over and told him, “Mr. Yu is here to see you.”
“Understood.” Jin Wuqi handed the documents to Du Yele. “You make the arrangements.”
Du Yele nodded and glanced at Yu Yang. He then walked away.
Jin Wuqi opened the door and walked in, asking Yu Yang, “What would you like to drink?”
“I don’t want anything.” Yu Yang stood by the sofa, looking at Jin Wuqi’s back. “I have a question for you.”
Jin Wuqi paused for a second. He then turned around, smiling, “What’s the question?”
“What happened during those years you were abroad?” Yu Yang asked.
“Why do you suddenly ask about this?” Jin Wuqi smiled lightly.
“You spent over four years just to bring down two companies?” Yu Yang stared at him. “Then you came back to run a company that’s not as big as before?”
Jin Wuqi almost unconsciously took a step towards Yu Yang. His craving for the hint of lemon soda pheromone was irresistible now.
He was about to speak when his phone beeped. Jin Wuqi picked it up, glanced at it, and his fingertips twitched.
“Tomorrow,” he looked up at Yu Yang, “Yu Yang, let’s set a time for tomorrow. I’ll tell you then.”
“Why not now? Where do you need to go?”
“Please, Yu Yang,” Jin Wuqi tightly gripped his phone, “Can it be tomorrow…”
His current demeanour reminded Yu Yang of that night. The omega’s fragile plea. He had been drunk that night, unable to stop himself. But now facing this sober, Yu Yang couldn’t help but soften.
“Alright,” he said. He then paused and asked, “Last time, that…”
“It’s okay,” Jin Wuqi touched his abdomen and smiled, “If you need it, I can do it. But please, don’t tie me up again.”
He walked up to Yu Yang and gently hugged him. He deeply inhaled the alpha pheromones. Jin Wuqi said, “It hurts that way. And I’m really scared.”
Yu Yang’s hands remained motionless by his sides. He knew that night he had been the one to force things, so he was at fault.
But he couldn’t help but blame Jin Wuqi too. After all this time, why did he have to wait for Yu Yang to confront him before being willing to give an answer? What was it that made him so reluctant to speak?
***
Jin Wuqi drove calmly, having received a text from Wei Yi during his conversation with Yu Yang.
Come see me now. I have conditions. If you miss this opportunity, don’t even think you can smooth things over with me again. I will immediately expose those things.
He sent a location, which was on the side of a desolate road in the suburbs.
Jin Wuqi called Du Yele.
“Du Yele, I’m going to see Wei Yi now.”
“Are you crazy?! Why not let another person go instead? Where are you?!”
“I’m already on the way. I’ll send you the location when I’m there. Get ready and bring a gun.”
“Send me the location now! I’ll come out immediately…” Du Yele’s voice was trembling. “Quickly send it to me. Hurry!”
“Okay. I’ll hang up and send it to you. Wei Yi wants to talk about conditions with me. Whatever he asks for, I’ll agree. I’ll protect myself. Be careful on your way.”
“Please, make sure you protect yourself. I’m on my way. You really can’t afford any more injuries right now, you know?”
“I know. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to see him. I really, really want to resolve this.”
Jin Wuqi hung up. He sent the location to Du Yele and continued driving forward at high speed.
He couldn’t wait any longer. With unexpected events unfolding, he had to deal with Wei Yi and tell Yu Yang the whole truth.
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*Translator’s Note: Yeah. Let’s solve the misunderstanding quickly. -K
Next update: 2024.05.23
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