ATD Chapter 2

Zheng Min glanced out the window at the street below. “He’s been waiting downstairs for a week.” She turned back, noticing that Zheng Yan’s expression wasn’t quite right. She patted his shoulder, asking, “Did we get a directive?”

Zheng Yan handed her his phone, rubbing his temples silently.

Zheng Min sat down, reading the message. Her face grew more serious. “I didn’t expect things to move this fast. Qin Xuan still has half a semester left until graduation. Why is Qin Yang in such a hurry? A month ago, Chen Kai passed along word that things weren’t going well for the Qin family. With the company in trouble, handing the reins to Qin Xuan now seems risky. And speaking of Chen Kai, there’s been no news from him this past month.”

“I’m afraid something’s happened.” Zheng Yan pressed a few buttons on his phone, and the message disappeared without a trace. “Our main issue is how to infiltrate the Qin family discreetly. If I’m by Qin Xuan’s side, that problem solves itself.” He looked at Zheng Min, suppressing the disgust he felt for himself. “What worries me is if Qin Xuan is only doing this for fun. If not, then once he takes over the Qin family, I can find a way to slip inside.”

Zheng Min clenched her fingers together tightly, her knuckles turning white. After a long pause, she said, “Zheng Yan, maybe we should think of another way…”

“There’s no other option.” Zheng Yan flipped the phone over and set it face down on the table, his jaw tightening into a straight line. “Zheng Min, don’t say things like that. There’s no turning back now. We’ve committed to this, and we have to keep moving forward.”

Zheng Min shuddered, her voice thick with guilt. “If I had known things would end up like this, I never would’ve let you take on this mission. Who could’ve predicted it would turn out this way? And they won’t even assign someone else… It’s one thing if it’s just dangerous, but why this? What if he… does something to you? I can’t handle it, Zheng Yan, I just can’t.”

“You have to handle it.” Zheng Yan softened his tone. “Zheng Min, remember our roles. I’m a teacher at A University. You’re my only family, running a small convenience store.” He paused, his voice lowering. “And Zheng Min, you might be facing trouble soon, too.”

Zheng Min turned her head, not looking at him. “Compared to you, it’s nothing. I’m your sister, the person you care about the most. Of course, they’ll come after me.”

“Having a weakness makes us seem less threatening.” Zheng Yan stood up and poured her a glass of water. “For now, don’t do anything rash. Just remember one word.”

Through the rising steam from the water, Zheng Min’s face was emotionless. “I know. Endure.”

Zheng Yan squeezed her hand gently. He knew she was suffering on his behalf, but there was no going back now. If anything, staying close to Qin Xuan as a lover might even offer some unexpected advantages in getting the job done. In the end, whether he was a teacher or Qin Xuan’s fling didn’t really matter.

As he thought about this, Zheng Yan’s neatly trimmed nails dug deeply into his palm.

Meanwhile, Qin Xuan was waiting downstairs when he received a call from You Chang.

“Hey, Qin Xuan, how’s it going?”

“You’ve got the nerve to call me?” Qin Xuan snapped, clearly in a bad mood. “If you and Xu Tianyang hadn’t been shooting your mouths off, would I have to lower myself like this and beg for forgiveness?”

“We didn’t know he was right outside the door!” You Chang sounded frustrated. “So, is Teacher Zheng still mad?”

Qin Xuan glanced up at the window, letting out a cold snort. “It’s been a week. He gives me the cold shoulder every time he sees me. What do you think?”

“I mean, come on, he’s really taking himself seriously? A guy almost thirty, and he doesn’t even—”

“If you say one more word, I’ll come back and skin you alive!” Qin Xuan snapped, anger flaring. “Who the hell are you to talk trash about him? You’re just a dog barking at something you can’t understand!”

You Chang chuckled. “Qin Xuan, don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for Zheng Yan? What are you planning to do, date a guy pushing thirty?”

“Shut up. I just can’t stand being the one who got dumped, alright?” Qin Xuan’s heart skipped a beat, but his words flowed smoothly. “You talk too much. I’m hanging up.”

“Wait, wait!” You Chang quickly interjected. “I’ve got some advice for you.”

“Oh?”

“Man, love really messes with people’s brains. If being nice doesn’t work, just get rough. Drag him to bed for a few days, and you’ll be over it. No need to act all desperate. And besides, Zheng Yan is practically a woman. Once you sleep with him, he’ll be yours. We’ve been waiting for you to hang out at Yuan Ming Du for a while now.”

“Only you could come up with such a lousy idea.” Qin Xuan laughed, half-joking. “Alright, I’m hanging up. You guys go to Yuan Ming Du and put it on my tab.”

“Oh, Young Master Qin is being generous as always.” You Chang hung up quickly, clearly eager to gather the group of friends for some fun.

Qin Xuan was just about to put his phone away when he noticed a shadow moving behind him. He instinctively took a step forward, turning to see who it was. His guard relaxed when he saw Luo Wen. “Oh, it’s you. What are you doing here?”

Luo Wen was a tall, well-built man. He stood straight and respectful, with no unnecessary expressions on his face. “Young Master Qin, Mr. Qin requests your presence.”

Qin Xuan waved dismissively. “What’s the big deal? Can’t it wait for a phone call? Tell the old man I’ve got important things to do.”

“Young Master.” Luo Wen took a step closer, meeting Qin Xuan’s eyes. “Mr. Qin insists you come back immediately.”

Qin Xuan squinted, sensing from Luo Wen’s unusually firm attitude that something serious was going on. What could make the old man so anxious? And why couldn’t it be discussed over the phone?

Qin Xuan stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Alright, I’ll go with you. Give me five minutes.” With that, he turned and walked into the building.

Luo Wen watched as Qin Xuan disappeared into the building, then glanced up at the window Qin Xuan had been staring at earlier. After a long pause, he let out a nearly inaudible sigh.

Inside, Zheng Yan released the curtain and walked over to the bed. He peeked through the window just in time to see Qin Xuan speaking to Luo Wen before entering the building. His brow furrowed slightly. “Luo Wen is here.”

Zheng Min jumped to her feet. Zheng Yan raised his left hand, gesturing for her to stay calm. “Qin Xuan is on his way up. Get ready.”

Zheng Min took a deep breath. “The Luo Wen you’re talking about, he’s the one who works for Qin Yang, right?”

“That’s him.” Zheng Yan had noticed Luo Wen looking up and was now pondering the implications. “He didn’t come for us, but he definitely sensed something.”

Zheng Min gripped the edge of the table. “I didn’t expect Qin Yang to send him personally. This means Qin Yang is determined to hand the company over to Qin Xuan. I’m starting to think Qin Yang’s health is failing.”

Zheng Yan glanced at his watch but didn’t respond. His tone was calm as he said, “Sis, it’s time to start cooking.”

Zheng Min gave him a look before grabbing an apron and heading toward the kitchen. “I’ll make some stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork.”

As Zheng Min stepped into the kitchen, the doorbell rang impatiently. She paused for a moment, then turned on the faucet to wash vegetables.

Zheng Yan quietly slipped into his study, grabbed a stack of graded papers, and set them on the desk. When the doorbell rang for the fifth time, he hurriedly ran out. “Coming, coming! Just a moment, please.”

He rushed to the door and opened it, his face changing drastically when he saw Qin Xuan. In a panic, he tried to shut the door again.

But Qin Xuan was quick, blocking the door with his hand. He looked at Zheng Yan with a pitiful expression. “Teacher, won’t you even look at me?”

“Move your hand,” Zheng Yan muttered through gritted teeth, though his grip on the doorknob was weak, clearly not daring to use force.

Qin Xuan immediately noticed this subtle hesitation. Taking advantage of it, he pushed the door open and squeezed inside. “I know you still care about me, Teacher.”

Zheng Yan’s hand trembled. From the kitchen, Zheng Min called out, “Do we have guests?”

“No, just the neighbor borrowing something,” Zheng Yan quickly replied, then lowered his voice, “Qin Xuan, if you don’t want my sister to kick you out, leave right now.”

“I won’t stay long. I just have a few things to say.” Qin Xuan put on his best “obedient student” face. “Teacher, something came up at home, so I have to leave. I won’t be waiting downstairs for you anymore.”

Zheng Yan replied flatly, “That’s for the best.”

“Why are you like this, Teacher? I know you’re just saying the opposite of what you mean.” Qin Xuan leaned in, trying to kiss him, but Zheng Yan quickly stepped back, his expression darkening.

Qin Xuan’s tone turned serious. “Give it a few more days, Teacher. Once I take care of things at home, I’ll come find you. Then we can go back to how things were, alright?”

He didn’t give Zheng Yan a chance to reply. As soon as Zheng Yan opened his mouth, Qin Xuan continued, “It’s settled, then. Now, how about a goodbye kiss, Teacher?”

Zheng Yan’s eyes widened, and he tried to escape, but Qin Xuan grabbed him around the waist and spun him back around. Feeling like he wouldn’t see Zheng Yan for days and irritated by his cold attitude, Qin Xuan kissed him forcefully. He didn’t stop there, letting his hands roam as if he wanted to devour the man right there. By the time they finally parted, Zheng Yan was flushed bright red.

Satisfied, Qin Xuan let him go and playfully kissed him on the cheek. “I’m off, Teacher. Wait for me.”

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