Meng Ting looked at Yan Sui for a long time. He raised his hands and hugged Yan Sui’s neck tightly, then buried his head on the side of his neck.
“Thank you,” regardless of whether Yan Sui could do it or not, he would still be grateful for his heart that protected him. When he woke up from rebirth, he wanted to be a waste. He was planning to give up on himself, but he didn’t expect that he would meet Yan Sui.
While he was thankful, he didn’t know how long he could hold on to this luck. But there was no doubt that when he could, he would use all his energy to hold on to it. Not only because he wanted to stay away from the past trajectory of his fate, but also because this person was Yan Sui, who was already special enough to him.
“There is no need for the word thank you between us.”
Yan Sui said, looking a little helpless. He raised his hand to rub Meng Ting’s hair. He knew in his heart that it would take some time and some actions on his part to build Meng Ting’s absolute trust in him.
Meng Ting’s mood gradually warmed up in Yan Sui’s warm embrace. His hands were still tightly wrapped around Yan Sui’s neck, and then asked in a low voice, “Do you still want to go to the study?”
Yan Sui smiled gently when he heard this. He continued to rub Meng Ting’s hair and said, “I’m not going. I’ll stay here and watch TV with you.”
“Okay,” Meng Ting responded, but he didn’t sit properly. He still clung tightly to Yan Sui. Forget about watching TV; he probably didn’t even hear what was being said on TV.
However, Yan Sui’s embrace, his breath, made him feel safe, made him feel fond of it. He just wanted to cling on like this, to hold on like this.
After about half an hour, Meng Ting fell asleep leaning on Yan Sui’s shoulder like that.
Yan Sui first picked up Maoqiu on his lap with one hand and put it to the side. Then he wrapped one hand around Meng Ting’s shoulder and held his thigh with the other. And just like that, without waking up the person, he picked him up and walked to their room step by step.
After putting the person back on the bed, Meng Ting still didn’t wake up. Yan Sui breathed a sigh of relief, but Meng Ting’s hands were still wrapped around his neck. Yan Sui didn’t even bother to take off his clothes. He just lay there with his clothes on and continued to gently pat Meng Ting until he fell asleep completely before he got out.
He dimmed the lights, went to the study, and fetched the laptop. However, it was not that he still had official business to do. Instead, he urged the person who was conducting a thorough investigation to first pass him part of the investigated information. He took the laptop in order to read this.
As the light and shadow fell on Yan Sui’s face, his expression gradually changed from serious to cold. If Meng Ting hadn’t been sleeping beside him and he consciously suppressed his emotions, his face would probably have been even uglier.
The most critical period for investigating Meng Yin was the seven years after he returned home with his grandmother, from the age of seven to fourteen. A child truly grows and learns during these seven years, but the life that Meng Ting lived during these past seven years… was truly infuriating.
Meng Ting’s grandmother was indeed his biological grandmother, but her relationship with Meng Ting’s birth mother, Yu Meixuan, was never good to begin with. Mother and daughter were as bitter as enemies, almost to the point of not having contact with each other until death. It was impossible to expect her to treat Yu Meixuan’s child well.
She took the money given by the Meng family and spent all her time gambling and drinking. She would directly lock Meng Ting at home, and not going home for three days or two was a common occurrence. Meng Ting was born with some congenital deficiencies. He didn’t know how to cry or make trouble until he was seven years old. Even when extremely hungry, he could only endure it silently.
Among the information Yan Sui looked at, there was a photo of Meng Ting when he was eight years old. His face was pale, his hair was yellow, his face was as big as a palm, and his eyes were extraordinarily big. His eyes were full of fear and helplessness. He didn’t get any love and care from his grandmother, only imprisonment and starvation.
This situation lasted until Meng Ting was nine years old when he was so sick that he almost died. His grandmother got a little scared, but more than anything else, she was afraid that without Meng Ting, the Meng family would not give her any money in the future.
After recovering from his illness, Meng Ting, who had never received basic education until the age of nine, was sent directly to the third grade of a nearby primary school. It was too much to expect that Meng Ting would be able to keep up with his studies and understand the lessons in the classroom. One could only imagine how helpless Meng Ting would be when he first arrived at school, and how his teachers and classmates would look at him.
At that age, he was unable to read a single word, unable to answer any questions, and was completely out of sync with everything around him. There was no need to punish or scold him, the glances alone were more than enough to crush a young boy who was not even nine years old.
However, this did not mean that Meng Ting’s grandmother started taking responsibility. She still continued to play her cards, only giving Meng Ting some money when she remembered it. It was even more impossible for her to pick up and drop him off at school every day. The place where they lived was very chaotic. Meng Ting’s uniqueness was obvious, and he easily became the target of bullying by some older children.
From the third grade until junior high school graduation, Meng Ting’s daily life revolved around how not to go hungry and how not to be beaten, and to try to make himself a little normal amidst it all.
Yan Sui looked at a few photos, and each one made him feel extremely distressed. Meng Ting’s fear of medication and IV drips might have originated at this time. The experience of being so hungry to the point of having to resort to eating medicine is unimaginable for Yan Sui.
Yu Meixuan was too irresponsible, the Meng family was too irresponsible, and Meng Ting’s grandmother was equally irresponsible. For Meng Ting to survive all of this and still maintain such a temperament is nothing short of a miracle.
Yan Sui put the laptop aside, then lifted Meng Ting’s right hand out of the quilt. There was a long, thin scar on the palm of his hand. The information from the investigation said that the injury was caused when he was fourteen years old before he was sent to the closed high school.
It was left by a confrontation when Meng Ting almost killed someone by mistake. The scar was left on him by a middle-aged man who suddenly broke into his house and wanted to molest him.
The man was carefully investigated in the file. He was originally one of Meng Ting’s grandmother’s lovers. Meng Ting’s grandmother must also bear half of the responsibility for this misfortune.
Only Meng Ting and that person were aware of the circumstances at the time. It’s just that nobody expected Meng Ting to be so vicious. He destroyed that person’s vital part and nearly killed him.
That person did not die. The Meng family spent money and means to suppress the matter, and as punishment, Meng Ting was sent to a closed high school; supposedly to make him correct the violent nature in his bones.
As for Meng Ting’s grandmother and that man, they are still alive and well in Donglin Town.
This is all the information in the file. Maybe there are still mistakes and omissions, but in any case, what Meng Ting experienced in those seven years was like a nightmare.
Yan Sui looked at the scar on Meng Ting’s hand, and the coldness in the corners of his eyes and brows became even more intense. He thought that there was a shadow of the Meng family behind this incident. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be like now; those who should be punished get away with it, and those who shouldn’t be punished continue to suffer from the misfortune instead.
As for who it is, it is still uncertain for the time being. But now that he has investigated them all, he will not let go of anyone connected to the Meng family.
Yan Sui put Meng Ting’s hand back on the quilt, quietly got up, and walked to the balcony connected to the room. After making a few phone calls, he returned to his room, put away his laptop, and went to the bathroom again. He didn’t do anything else when he came back to bed. Meng Ting wanted him to accompany him to bed, so he accompanied him.
He slowly lay down, took Meng Ting into his arms, hugged him, and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. In a whisper, he said, “Meng Ting, good night.”
Looking at Meng Ting sleeping soundly, Yan Sui’s knitted eyebrows loosened a little. He reached out and ran his hand through the hair on Meng Ting’s forehead. He held the person in his arms and closed his eyes to sleep for a long time, but that distressed feeling lasted until he fell asleep after a long time. None of it could be dispersed from his chest.
***
Meng Ting woke up in Yan Sui’s arms. Yesterday’s gloom was completely swept away. He was held obediently. When Yan Sui was about to wake up, he leaned up and kissed him on the forehead, “Yan Sui, good morning.”
Yan Sui’s eyes gradually regained their clarity, and then Meng Ting’s beautiful smiling face came into view. His eyebrows were curved, he was looking at the person with a smile, and his lips were slightly pursed. Yan Sui felt his forehead, and his eyes lingered on his lips for a while longer without realizing it.
He raised his hand and rubbed Meng Ting’s cheek, “Did you sleep well?”
“Very well,” Meng Ting supported his body with one hand and moved up, then he held Yan Sui’s cheeks with both hands. He lowered his head and kissed his lips. Before Yan Sui responded, Meng Ting’s own cheeks turned a little red, so he continued, “I slept with you, so I slept exceptionally well.”
It was so good that he wanted to kiss Yan Sui more. As for why it was his lips, he just did it out of his heart.
Yan Sui pursed his lips slightly, and when Meng Ting was about to turn aside after finishing speaking, his hand pressed the back of his neck to stop him from leaving. The two of them looked at each other, and Meng Ting’s cheeks turned redder, but he still understood what Yan Sui meant. He slowly approached, and then their lips touched each other. The two of them exchanged a gentle and affectionate morning kiss.
After the kiss ended, Meng Ting slowly opened his eyes. He continued to hold Yan Sui’s cheeks with both hands and then moved closer to nuzzle him. He whispered, “Yan Sui, I like you.” A kind of liking that is gradually becoming clear.
“Um,” Yan Sui responded. He wrapped his arms around Meng Ting’s waist and sat up with him in his arms. He rubbed Meng Ting’s hair, met his eyes, and said seriously, “I like you too, Meng Ting.”
Meng Ting’s eyes lit up when he heard this, and his smile became more and more uncontrollable.
He couldn’t help but say again, “I will always like you.”
Even if Yan Sui doesn’t like him anymore, he will still like Yan Sui.
Yan Sui raised his eyebrows slightly. He pinched the tender flesh of Meng Ting’s cheek and said with certainty, “This is how it should be.”
Since they liked each other, they naturally had to keep on liking each other. It goes for him, as well as Meng Ting must do the same.
***
The two of them got up and went for a morning run together. When they came back, they took Dahuang for a half circle. They went back to the room to wash up and then went to the dining table to have breakfast.
“I’m not going to the company today. Let’s set out together in the evening.”
Meng Ting raised his face from the congee1稀飯 (xī fàn): congee (thick rice porridge) is a form of savory rice porridge made by boiling rice in a large amount of water until the rice softens. Depending on the rice-water ratio, the thickness of congee varies from a Western oatmeal porridge to a gruel. In the Chinese language, 稀飯 across the south usually means rice porridge, while in the north it may refer to cornmeal porridge, proso millet porridge, foxtail millet porridge, or sorghum porridge, reflecting the north-south divide of grain production. 
bowl after hearing this. He looked at Yan Sui, blinked, and then shook his head, “No need to do that, I’m not afraid of them. Yesterday… I was just a little bit upset, but it’s completely gone now.”
Meng Ting felt that he was upset yesterday because he had been doing too well these past two days. Understanding what is good made him more aware of what is not good, which is why he felt upset. Towards the Meng family, he only felt disgust, not fear.
“If you have things to do, go to the company. I’ll wait for you to come home, or I can wait for you over there too, it doesn’t matter.”
Yan Sui thought about it again and nodded, “Okay, I will go home early.”
“Um,” Meng Ting smiled after hearing this and buried his head to drink the congee again. Nanny Wang knew about Meng Ting’s big appetite, so she specially prepared this big bowl for him that could cover his entire face, so that he could eat enough in one go without having to fill it all the time. Anyway, Meng Ting was quite happy with it.
After Yan Sui left for the company, Uncle Xiao and Nanny Wang brought a few servants to Yan Sui and Meng Ting’s room. They cleared half of the space that originally contained Yan Sui’s things and added things that belonged to Meng Ting. Meanwhile, the room that was originally organized for Meng Ting directly turned into his storage room, although there is currently nothing in it.
There was an extra desk by the window in Yan Sui’s study room, which was also prepared for Meng Ting. At the same time, Meng Ting also received his own laptop and tablet. Yan Sui also prepares other things for Meng Ting, but those have to be given to Meng Ting by himself.
After those people exited, Meng Ting looked at the room again, and his eyes couldn’t help but heat up a little. He didn’t feel much at first, but now he really feels that this is the room that belongs to him and Yan Sui together.
Their clothes were placed in a drawer, and their shoes were placed in another drawer. The other half of the room that originally belonged to Yan Sui was completely occupied by him. This feeling was particularly good.
“Yan Sui will be back in two hours. We will pick him up together then.”
Meng Ting rubbed Maoqiu, his face showing undisguised anticipation.
“Meow,” Maoqiu called softly with its eyes closed, and then continued to lie down in its master’s arms for a nap.
Although Maoqiu and Dahuang are ugly in appearance, they are much more well-behaved than ordinary pets. Meng Ting took Dahuang to recognize the people in the house, and it didn’t randomly bark when it saw those people.
Maoqiu was inconvenient due to its injury. Even if it wanted to climb onto the sofa, it had to circle around Meng Ting’s feet and meow softly. When it got on the sofa, it only stayed in Meng Ting’s arms. It was just as well-behaved as its master. Nanny Wang and Uncle Xiao have already changed their views on them.
Meng Ting was playing with his cell phone in the room for a while when he heard Dahuang’s bark and a woman’s scream.
“What is this thing? Throw it out!”
To be able to talk like this in the Yan residence, moreover, it’s a woman. It is undoubtedly He Wan.
List of Idiom in Chapter 25
老死不相往來 (lǎo sǐ bù xiāng wǎng lái): grow old and die without having had any dealings with each other―never be in contact with each other; (of two entities) to never have contact with each other; to never interact; be completely isolated from each other all their lives; not visit each other all their lives; Refers to not contacting each other or communicating the situation.強人所難 (qiǎng rén suǒ nán): to force someone to do something he or she not wish to do or is unable to do; force sb to do what he is unwilling or unable to; constrain sb to do things that are beyond his power.
顯而易見 (xiǎn ér yì jiàn): clearly and easy to see (idiom); obvious; clear; obviously; clearly; it goes without saying; evidently; apparently.
逍遙法外 (xiāo yáo fǎ wài): lit. to remain free and unfettered outside the law; unfettered and beyond the law (idiom); evading retribution; getting away with it (e.g. crimes); (of fugitives) to be at large; to be on the loose; go unpunished.
其貌不揚 (qí mào bù yáng): to be undistinguished or unattractive in appearance; (idiom) nothing special to look at; unprepossessing/unimposing in appearance; ugly; ill-favoured; describing a person’s ugly appearance; an idiom derived from a historical story. The allusion to the idiom first comes from Zuo Qiuming‘s Zuo Zhuan in Spring and Autumn Annals.
如出一轍 (rú chū yī zhé): from the same mold; peas in a pod; exactly alike; to be precisely the same; to be no different from each other; be identical (to/with); coincide with; sound/act exactly the same; refers to two things that are very similar.
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