ABPTA Chapter 55

Translated by: Queen Dei Mos

Yu Lan didn’t manage to get out of bed until three days later.

He had also learned about what had happened online, and although he felt a bit embarrassed, he still logged onto Star Network and greeted his fans.

The atmosphere in the comments section, however, had become rather strange.

“Fuck, it took them ten days. Boss Shao is truly amazing! [thumbs up]”

“Boss truly lives up to his name!”

“Ah Lan must be so exhausted! [teary-eyed]”

Yu Lan, “……”

I-it’s not ten days……he only had a good rest before he had the nerve to log on to Star Network……

Over these ten days, the online discussions about him and Mr. Shao had gradually cooled down.

The black fans gradually faded away, and the fans screamed in the comment section for a half of the day without any response from them. Bored, they followed some clues and found other information.

For example, there was a photo of Yu Lan taken at the beach before. At the time, fans had speculated that the silly photo might have been taken by a manager. However, judging by the current situation, it’s highly likely that the photo had been taken by CEO Shao.

CEO Shao took such a silly photo of his family’s treasure. Didn’t his heart ache?!!!

Another example, some of the daily photos Yu Lan used to take of flowers, plants, or even in small forests he used to post——fans were curious about how Yu Lan was always in contact with nature, wondering where he lived. Now, some fans suddenly thought of something. They had heard that Shao Mingyu had a villa. Could it be that Yu Lan lives in that villa?

But Yu Lan had been posting those types of photos since the beginning of his debut, from the time he registered on Star Network. If that fan’s speculation was true, it would mean that……Yu Lan didn’t get to know Shao Mingyu after becoming a model but perhaps they knew each other before. Maybe even before that, the two of them might have……

Thinking like this, another large number of people exclaimed that they were choked by the dog food¹Dog Food – refers to overly sweet or romantic content. Why can’t they have this fairytale-like romance?!!

Even though it’s a bit different from what the fans had speculated——back then, he and Mr. Shao hadn’t confirmed their relationship, Yu Lan still felt sweet happiness. Occasionally, he would raise his arm to smell the scent that belonged to Mr. Shao, and he felt so happy that flowers could almost bloom in his heart.

Shao Mingyu arranged for a doctor to examine Yu Lan’s body.

Before the doctor arrived, Yu Lan suddenly thought of something. He pulled the man aside and asked in a hushed voice, “Mr. Shao, have you checked? About those precautions earlier……were any of them broken?”

Shao Mingyu glanced at him and chuckled, “If any of them had been broken, do you think you would have been able to get out of bed in just three days?”

If it had been that unrestrained and intense to that extent, the youth probably would have been in bed for a week. Perhaps, with a little less courage, he wouldn’t dare let him touch again next time.

“And I’ve told you, I won’t let you get pregnant so soon.” Shao Mingyu patted Yu Lan’s head.

Yu Lan lowered his head, touched his belly, and quickly whispered, “It’ll be soon.” After speaking, he turned around, and hurriedly ran away with a series of “thud, thud, thud”.

Shao Mingyu stood still for a moment, and when he snapped back to reality, he squinted his eyes slightly and his lips curved with a faint smile.

Yu Lan obediently underwent the examination. The doctor stated that there were no major issues. Moreover, with the permanent marking, his heat, which had never been stable before, were expected to become completely stable.

Since the doctor said so, the upcoming matters were able to proceed naturally one by one.

Yu Lan and Shao Mingyu chose a clear and sunny day and obtained their marriage certificate.

The Luo family promptly organized a small banquet——not quite an engagement party, since the two had already obtained their marriage certificate. It’s just that since Shao Mingyu was getting married, the Luo family felt it necessary to invite some familiar and perhaps not-so-familiar, friendly or maybe not-so-friendly individuals or families. This was a way of letting everyone know that the Luo family fully accepted Yu Lan as a member of their family.

The impact of this banquet was immediate——On the internet, the black fans who were grumbling before fell completely silent when they saw the Luo family’s actions.

It was obvious that the Luo family valued Yu Lan.

On this day, Yu Lan dressed handsomely, and coupled with his charming face, many eyes were glued to him.

However, it didn’t really matter, after all, Yu Lan was stuck to Shao Mingyu’s side all the time. Shao Mingyu, on the other hand, either had his arm around him or held his hand, keeping a close eye on him. Occasionally, he would even feed the youth a bit of food, showing a great deal of affection.

Yu Lan was surprised to see Jian Ling and Shao Yuan also present at the banquet.

In the crowd, Jian Ling locked eyes with Yu Lan who stared at him without any expression for a moment, then shifted his gaze away

Unlike the last time they met when Shao Yuan was full of hostility, he was quite gentle towards Jian Ling this time, even a bit cautious. What a pity that Jian Ling remained indifferent.

Yu Lan found it strange and asked, “How did the two of them end up together?”

Shao Mingyu glanced over there and gave Yu Lan a small piece of cake before replying, “You guessed that Jian Ling was the one interested in you initially, but did you ever guess that it was because of him that Shao Yuan also became interested in you?”

Yu Lan was stunned.

“They’ve known each other all along, they simply kept it well-hidden, so no one knew before.” The man sighed and used his fingers to wipe off the cream from the corner of Yu Lan’s lips.

Shao Yuan was secretly in love with Jian Ling, but Jian Ling didn’t even want others to know that they knew each other. This was also probably the reason why Shao Yuan held a grudge against Shao Mingyu——Not because the person Shao Yuan was interested in always revolved around Shao Mingyu, but simply because of Jian Ling, the white moonlight²(白月光) – bái yuè guāng. Meaning: White Moonlight usually refers to a person or thing that is elusive in the heart, has always been loved, but cannot be touched. (Baidu) in his heart.

Yu Lan’s emotions were quite complex at this moment.

Unexpectedly, Shao Yuan was now quite apprehensive of Shao Mingyu. After briefly showing up, he hastily left with Jian Ling.

Not far away, Luo Mingjia observed everything and shook her head.

Jian Ling still thought that if he married Shao Yuan, it would mean that Shao Mingyu would never be able to escape from him for the rest of his life.

But when had Shao Mingyu ever taken Shao Yuan seriously?

As the evening banquet was coming to an end, Yu Lan went to the restroom. By lucky coincidence, he saw a man with his hands in his pockets walking down the hotel stairs, accompanied by an assistant.

Eh……is that the person the one Uncle mentioned before, Wen Qiong’s financial backer?

Yu Lan didn’t think much of it and entered the restroom. However, as he walked in, he was hit by a strong floral scent——he paused in his steps.

In front of the sink, a person with their back turned to him was injecting themselves with a syringe.

After the injection, the floral scent that had been getting stronger finally stopped. The person rolled down their sleeve, tossed the syringe in the trash can, and turned around——

Yu Lan pursed his lips.

It was Wen Qiong.

Wen Qiong’s face was flushed, sweat glistened on his forehead yet he wasn’t flustered at all and gave a lazy smile. He spoke in a hoarse voice, “You guys are having a banquet nearby, right? Congratulations.”

Yu Lan thought of the man he saw earlier and guessed that Wen Qiong was probably having a meal with that person. He hesitated and asked, “……Are you okay?”

“Hmm? I’m fine. I’ve already injected a suppressant. I just need to rest for a while.” Wen Qiong replied with a smile.

Yu Lan nodded and went to wash his hands.

Wen Qiong leaned on the sink with one hand, and gave Yu Lan a sly smile as he approached.

After he finished washing his hands, Yu Lan dried them with a tissue, threw it away, and then turned around. He looked at Wen Qiong and calmly asked, “What do you really want to say to me?”

Wen Qiong arched an eyebrow and asked, “Did CEO Shao tell you about what happened when he was fourteen?”

Yu Lan was taken aback.

“At that time, I was only ten years old, locked in the red-light district where my mother worked.” Wen Qiong’s tone was very gentle. “I wanted to go out, but I couldn’t. She told me not to be like those idiots, that there was no future for the Silver Moon Clan outside, and it was better to stay there and learn how to serve customers properly.”

Yu Lan was stunned.

Wen Qiong.……came from the red-light district?

Wen Qiong smiled and said, “Fortunately, CEO Shao appeared at that time and rescued me.” After saying this, Wen Qiong paused.

Inside the restroom, it became silent for a moment.

The two of them locked eyes.

After a moment, Wen Qiong sighed, “It seems you already knew?”

Of course, Yu Lan knew. He had felt gloomy before about the incident where Mr. Shao had gone to the red-light district. Afterwards, he realized that Mr. Shao’s actions at that time were to find him.

But——

“Even if Mr. Shao hadn’t mentioned this to me, I wouldn’t easily doubt him.” Yu Lan said calmly.

He might feel jealous and gloomy at times, but he wouldn’t truly doubt him.

“Is that right? It seems it’s not that easy for you and him to break up.” Wen Qiong said with a smile.

Yu Lan furrowed his brows. “You don’t actually like Mr. Shao.”

“Yeah.” Wen Qiong turned around, washed one hand after another, ³(衝了一下手) – This doesn’t make sense…I just winged this one.and lowered his gaze. “But I envy you.”

Yu Lan’s brows furrowed even harder.

“Thirteen years ago, on that day, I sensed that Mr. Shao and the friend he brought with him……were looking for someone but I couldn’t figure out who. I was very curious about who was that person that could make that wealthy young master so concerned that he was willing to conceal it from his family and take a risk by coming to a dangerous place like that? Wen Qiong spoke softly. “Later, when I met the two of you, I understood——that person was you.”

“But you were separated from him for over ten years, right? He had been searching for you all those years, yet you only returned to his side now.” Wen Qiong finished washing his hands and turned to face Yu Lan. “So where have you been these more than ten years?” He gazed at Yu Lan intently and questioned, “Did you experience something similar to what happened to me back then?”

Yu Lan didn’t respond.

Wen Qiong didn’t mind and continued, “But why were you able to meet Shao Mingyu, and why were you able to completely move on from your past?”

Yu Lan replied, “Now you are a first-tier celebrity with your own career, you’ve also moved on, right?”

“Is that right?” Wen Qiong rolled up his sleeves again.

Only now did Yu Lan clearly see the numerous needle marks on his arms. He stared blankly, when he realized what they were, his expression changed. “You’re using suppressants to control your heat?!”

Initially, Yu Lan didn’t understand the human traffickers’ intentions, and during the most frequent injections of suppressants, his arms also looked like this.

He knew that in the entertainment circle, many celebrities had financial backers, and this was an unspoken rule. However, this approach by Wen Qiong was——

“I haven’t moved on. I can’t move on. Is the red-light district really such an easy place to escape from?” Wen Qiong took a step closer to Yu Lan. “Did you know? Since the day we met, Shao Mingyu has been sending people to keep an eye on me.”

Yu Lan was once again stunned.

“He protects you very well, so I couldn’t possibly do anything to you, and frankly, I didn’t plan to.” Wen Qiong chuckled. “I just couldn’t help but pay attention to you, wanting to see how high you could climb.”

“Indeed, do you understand? No matter how high you climb, it has nothing to do with the other members of the Silver Moon Clan.” Wen Qiong tilted his head, “You were just fortunate enough to meet Shao Mingyu, which allowed you to progress smoothly. Those messages you were trying to convey with your photos……they are meaningless because in this world, there aren’t enough Shao Mingyus who can rescue and care for numerous members of the Silver Moon Clan.” Wen Qiong patted Yu Lan on the shoulder and turned away. “You’re a lucky one, and I envy you.”

Yu Lan suppressed his astonishment, watching Wen Qiong’s retreating figure, spoke, “When I was three years old, I still had a dad.”

Wen Qiong’s steps came to a halt.

Although memories of his father have mostly faded away, among the items that Shao Mingyu had kept from his and his mother’s past, were photos of the three of them as a family.

“Among the members of the Silver Moon Clan who come out of the red-light district, many still seek wealthy individuals for various reasons and become their lovers, right? Those who are luckier might even be capable of becoming their mate. And then, there are those who do even more, they might also abandon their own omega children.” Yu Lan slowly explained. “Yet my mom chose my dad, an ordinary worker. Later, he died in a car accident on his way back home.”

“I was indeed fortunate enough to have met Mr. Shao. He has helped me a lot……whether it was emotionally or in terms of support. However, even without Mr. Shao, I would have chosen a mate like my mom did, someone like my dad, regardless of their status as long as their love was sincere. But no matter the mate……if you only want to rely on them wholeheartedly, you can never obtain redemption.”

Yu Lan stepped forward, one step at a time, and stopped beside Wen Qiong. He said, “You wanted to know where I spent those more than ten years before, right? I was abducted by human traffickers and kept captive for sixteen years.”

Wen Qiong was momentarily shocked.

“That day, I was drugged and taken on a spaceship. The human traffickers intended to deliver me to the person who had bought me. During the journey, the spaceship lost control and hovered. We were all knocked unconscious, but I woke up first.” Yu Lan paused.

Wen Qiong instinctively held his breath.

In front of him, the youth with deep blue eyes continued slowly, “When I woke up, I wanted to kill them. Of course, the spaceship had already lost control, so even if I killed them, as long as no one passed by and discovered the spaceship, I would be left alone inside until the air ran out, suffocating to death——I couldn’t escape. But even if I perished with them, I didn’t want to become someone else’s plaything.”

Later, a spaceship approached.

Yu Lan had a glimmer of hope.

He didn’t know the situation inside the spaceship. If he killed the human traffickers, would they listen to his explanation and accept him on board? Considering various possibilities, he ultimately chose to forego the opportunity to kill the human trafficking couple, risking it for a chance that made his heart beat faster.

He successfully entered the spaceship.

He couldn’t easily kill the fully awake human traffickers anymore, but he found an opportunity to escape from their grasp and ran desperately.

The effects of the drugs were still lingering, and his stamina had already reached its limit.

Luckily, he encountered Mr. Shao.

Mr. Shao gave him a bright future, but if he had solely relied on others, Yu Lan wouldn’t have been able to stop the spaceship during its journey in the beginning.

He initially made an all-or-nothing choice.

He chose to die with the human traffickers in the worst-case scenario.

And if he hadn’t met Mr. Shao, Yu Lan would still have made some difficult but what he considered right choices for his freedom and the future.

That path might not have been as smooth as the one he was on now, but Yu Lan wanted to walk on it, and he was determined to make it happen.

At the end of the day, he appeared before everyone. He took those photos, and conveyed the message he wanted to send.

“Did you really have no choice? You chose this path just to climb higher. What about those in the Silver Moon Clan? Don’t they have a choice? They could also choose to live an ordinary life. What are you all trying to prove? You, in order to prove yourself, chose this path.”

Wen Qiong stood frozen in place.

Yu Lan continued walking forward. Before leaving the restroom, he turned his head and said, “If someone confines a member of the Silver Moon Clan and forces them to stay in the red-light district, then they are victims, and the criminals will eventually end up in prison. Everyone else has a choice.”

Wen Qiong clearly chose this path with a specific purpose. Yu Lan had nothing to say about this matter. However, the red-light district hadn’t forced him to do so, nor did it trap him.

And so how many more people are deceiving themselves and others like Wen Qiong, and how many have truly lost touch with the outside world, merely and completely following the crowd blindly?”

Yu Lan could only hope that among those confused individuals, some would eventually come to understand that they have choices.

……

Back at the banquet hall, Shao Mingyu noticed something unusual about Yu Lan and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I ran into Wen Qiong.” Yu Lan replied after taking a sip of water. Hesitating, he asked, “Mr. Shao, are you having someone watch over him?”

Shao Mingyu paused for a moment and said, “I used to, but I’ve already withdrawn them now.”

If the other party knew his place, Shao Mingyu saw no reason to waste manpower.

“I had a brief encounter with him more than ten years ago.” Shao Mingyu considered for a moment and decided to bring up this matter. “I’ve told you before——”

At that time, the case that he and Song Ze encountered in the red-light district also involved Wen Qiong. After resolving the matter, Wen Qiong naturally gained his freedom.

Later on, the two of them didn’t have much contact, but during the few times they did meet, Shao Mingyu noticed that the person who had once been determined to escape from the red-light district had changed.

“Yes, I know, he mentioned it to me earlier.” Yu Lan said as he hugged the man and nuzzled against him.

Meeting Mr. Shao was his stroke of luck. Without Mr. Shao, even if Yu Lan had managed to escape from the human traffickers on his own, his life at this moment would likely have been filled with twists and turns.

Yu Lan wasn’t afraid of hardships; so long as he was free.

However, Mr. Shao gave him a more fulfilling life, so his heart was naturally filled with gratitude.

Just as he had said before, he was grateful that Mr. Shao had appeared in his and his mother’s lives.

The author has something to say:
The final chapter will be posted tomorrow~

The side stories will include more sweet and mundane moments during the pregnancy, for those interested readers to enjoy~

T/N:

Please comment and share if you like the story!
If you like what I do, please do support me thru ko-fi~

Chapters Left: 6

• 1
  Dog Food – refers to overly sweet or romantic content
• 2
  (白月光) – bái yuè guāng. Meaning: White Moonlight usually refers to a person or thing that is elusive in the heart, has always been loved, but cannot be touched. (Baidu)
• 3
  (衝了一下手) – This doesn’t make sense…I just winged this one.