From late March to early April, Chu Ci’s assistant Xiao Wang was on annual leave, so Chu Ci was unusually busy. He had no time to repair the car and could only leave the inexplicable second-hand Honda parked downstairs, unable to start.
Of course, he also stopped driving the conspicuous Mercedes S600 to work every day. Aside from the first day when the car broke down and he had no choice, he began taking taxis from the second day onward.
Han Yue was unaware of this. Otherwise, he would have exploded in rage again. Recently, a new military-industrial project had been approved at the top level, and as one of the project leads, Han Yue had to report to the Central Military Commission every day, attending meetings until his head was spinning.
Before long, it was early April—Han Yue’s birthday was approaching.
This was the first birthday he would spend outside the military since adulthood. As soon as the news spread, various factions moved quickly. Starting a week in advance, gifts and banquets poured in, and social obligations filled his schedule deep into the night every day. Han Yue returned home each night reeking of alcohol. To guard against him losing control while drunk, Chu Ci would lock the bedroom door every night before sleeping and even barricade it with two chairs.
No one expected that Han Yue’s drunken episodes were truly dangerous. In the first few days, he could still restrain himself and sleep in the study for the night. But later, whenever he came home drunk, he would go straight to Chu Ci’s bedroom and kick the door until it cracked. One night, completely intoxicated, after failing to kick it open, he suddenly pulled out a Type 06 suppressed pistol and fired at the lock.
Chu Ci had already been awakened by the kicking. When he heard the gunshot, he sat up in shock, only to see Han Yue storming in with killing intent, holding a cocked Type 06 suppressed pistol. He reeked of alcohol, his eyes bloodshot and burning, looking extremely dangerous.
Chu Ci’s first instinct was to run, but he had barely taken two steps before Han Yue grabbed him around the waist, lifted him, and threw him onto the bed.
The gun was only a few centimeters away—and still switched off safety. Chu Ci’s expression changed drastically; his body trembled uncontrollably.
“Han Yue… are you planning to kill me?” he asked in a shaking voice.
Han Yue, still muddled between rage and intoxication, froze slightly when he heard his name.
His finger was still on the trigger, the muzzle almost touching Chu Ci’s face. A slight slip would have caused a misfire, blowing half his head off. He remained frozen for several seconds. Chu Ci’s face had gone completely bloodless.
“Let… let me go!” Chu Ci stammered.
Only then did Han Yue look down and register the gun in his hand. His alcohol-clouded brain took a moment to react. He hurriedly tossed it far away.
“Don’t… don’t be afraid. I’m not going to kill you,” he slurred, trying to reassure him while reaching out to touch Chu Ci’s face. “I like you.”
Chu Ci was shaking all over, his teeth audibly chattering. Han Yue pinned him down on the bed, pressed against him, clearly feeling the fear in his rigid body.
“Who told you to lock the door? Damn it, I come home in the middle of the night and you won’t even let me in. Of course I’d lose my temper!” Han Yue muttered incoherently, alcohol still surging through his head. He lowered his head to kiss Chu Ci’s lips. “Alright, fine. Don’t lock the door at night next time! …Damn it, I missed you…”
Suddenly, Chu Ci used all his strength to shove him away, then slapped him hard across the face.
A sharp “pa” echoed through the room.
Han Yue’s head snapped to the side. He froze, stunned.
Chu Ci quickly got out of bed, trembling as he gathered his keys and wallet, threw on his coat, and rushed out the door.
By the time Han Yue reacted and rushed after him in anger, the front door was already wide open. Chu Ci was gone.
Han Yue stood in the empty living room for several minutes before finally recovering a trace of clarity. He forced himself to wash his face in cold water, then sat down to think where Chu Ci might have gone.
He was alone in Beijing—quiet, withdrawn, and had almost no friends. Han Yue checked the time: past two in the morning. Where could he possibly go?
The slap on his face still burned. It must have been struck with full force. His anger slowly faded, replaced by unease and worry. Beijing was enormous; losing one or two people in the city was nothing unusual. At this hour, wandering outside alone—what if something happened?
Damn it. He should’ve just slept somewhere else last night. It was all that bastard Pei Zhi’s fault for pouring so much alcohol into him…
Han Yue splashed his face with cold water again, paced the room twice, then picked up his phone. His father, mother, and elder brother were all unreliable, so he scrolled through his contacts and called several acquaintances from the public security system who were well-connected and socially active.
Most were either asleep hugging their wives or mistresses. When they received Han Yue’s call, they were all confused:
“What? Your partner ran away? Who dares dump Second Young Master Han? Go find him. Bring him back immediately!”
While chaos erupted on one end, Han Yue received an unexpected call—from one of Han Qiang’s friends.
The caller was Zhao Ting, a man Han Yue was not very familiar with, but who was close to Han Qiang. He was the type who was extremely skilled at networking and ingratiating himself with people. He ran several hotels and nightclubs, had connections across all social circles, and was very keen on collecting information.
Han Yue had only met him a few times and considered him a superficial acquaintance. Yet Zhao Ting had recently sent him an expensive gift via Han Qiang, making it difficult to refuse.
Zhao Ting laughed over the phone. “Second Young Master Han! It’s me! I happened to see your partner on my way to the hotel. It’s so late, and he was alone outside wearing only a thin coat. I was worried something might happen, so I invited him to my hotel to sit for a while. We’re already here—would you like to come over?”
Han Yue was startled.
Chu Ci had only left for less than two hours, and he had not even finished making his calls. How did Zhao Ting already know he had run away? And how did he “happen” to encounter him on the road? This man was far too sharp.
“Alright, thanks for the trouble. I’ll head over now.”
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly heard Chu Ci’s voice on the other end of the call. Zhao Ting covered the phone and spoke to him briefly. After a moment, he returned and said awkwardly, “Sorry, Second Young Master Han. Engineer Chu says if you come, he’ll leave immediately.”
Han Yue immediately asked, “Where is he?”
“He went to a room. I arranged a premium suite for him—definitely comfortable. He won’t be mistreated.”
Han Yue cursed under his breath, irritated. He wanted to rush over immediately, but feared Chu Ci would actually leave again if he did. Moreover, he still felt uneasy about the pistol incident earlier and was not ready to face him directly.
Zhao Ting, sensing everything perfectly, lowered his voice and said, “How about this, Second Young Master Han? Your birthday is in two days anyway. Why not hold your party at our hotel? I’ll make sure Engineer Chu stays until then. You can invite Pei Zhi and the others, make it lively. With so many people around, he won’t be able to confront you. At a party like that, once drinks are flowing and people are relaxed, whatever tension there is will just disappear…”
Han Yue thought to himself: so this bastard is finally showing his real intention—he’s trying to force me to hold my birthday banquet at his place, huh? Clinging to Han Qiang still isn’t enough; he’s really trying to latch onto the Han family’s big tree!
But thinking that was one thing—without Zhao Ting, that seasoned opportunist, Chu Ci wouldn’t have been found so quickly. Han Yue coughed and said, “Fine, let’s do it that way. —Whatever my partner spends at your place these next two days, put it all on my tab. Just serve him well.”
Zhao Ting laughed loudly. “No way, no way! How could we possibly take money from a friend? We’ll take good care of him, don’t worry!”
The next day, when Han Yue’s mind had cleared, he started to doubt how Zhao Ting had managed to find Chu Ci so quickly.
It was certain Zhao Ting had met Chu Ci before—once, the year before when Han Yue returned to Beijing for a holiday. Back then, trying to show off, he brought Chu Ci to a social gathering with his circle of friends. The two had seen each other from across a long table, but never even exchanged greetings.
Could Zhao Ting have remembered Chu Ci’s face from that moment onward? Damn it—was this guy developing some inappropriate intentions toward his man?
Han Yue had never had a good impression of Zhao Ting. The man was skilled at flattery, obsessed with connections and nepotism, and constantly smiling in a way that felt fake and insincere. He had used sweet talk and money to get close to Han Qiang, treating him like a brother.
Back when Han Qiang caused a car accident, Zhao Ting had also been in the car. Both were heavily drunk. When the traffic police arrived, there was no need for a breathalyzer—the smell of alcohol alone was overwhelming.
Afterward, Old Commander Han forced Han Qiang into court. During the proceedings, Zhao Ting’s suddenly reversed his testimony, claiming the victim had run a red light and was actually at fault. At the same time, one of Han Yue’s close friends working in the higher court had already arranged things from above. With Zhao Ting’s sudden change in testimony, the court smoothly followed the direction and ruled Han Qiang partially responsible, settling the case with compensation.
Although the Commander’s wife was very grateful afterward, Han Yue never had a good impression of Zhao Ting. In his view, Han Qiang’s current incompetence was largely the result of people like Zhao Ting enabling him—surrounding him with flattery until he became arrogant, overconfident, and incapable of real ability.
So when this suspicion arose, Han Yue immediately became restless.
As far as he knew, Zhao Ting was extremely observant and skilled at pleasing people, while Chu Ci was the type who responded better to softness than pressure. Right now, still angered over that gun incident, if Zhao Ting had any bad intentions and tried to take advantage of the situation…
—In truth, Han Yue was completely misjudging Zhao Ting.
Zhao Ting was indeed a man of loose morals and extravagant lifestyle, but even if you gave him a hundred lives, he would never dare to covet the person at the center of Second Young Master Han’s heart.
At the gathering, Zhao Ting had deliberately memorized Chu Ci’s appearance simply because he could tell Han Yue’s attitude toward him was unusual—possibly even genuine feelings. If he could build a good relationship with Chu Ci, it would naturally make it easier to connect with Han Yue. Zhao Ting had few real skills in life, but networking with powerful second-generation elites was something he excelled at.
That night, he learned from a friend that Han Yue’s “heart’s obsession” had run away from home, and Han Yue was frantically searching everywhere. At that time, Zhao Ting was just returning from the hotel. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Chu Ci standing not far across the road.
What luck.
He had initially been cautious, since the rumor was that Chu Ci—the engineer—was not easy to deal with, especially after slapping Han Yue and running away. Zhao Ting had already prepared himself for rejection.
Unexpectedly, things went far more smoothly than he imagined. The moment he introduced himself, Chu Ci recognized him. When he suggested going to the hotel, Chu Ci followed without resistance. Even during the call with Han Yue, he showed no strong objection, remaining polite yet distant the entire time.
What more was there to say? It was like a pie falling straight from the sky—pure fortune. Zhao Ting was destined to connect with the Han family through this second young master.
Excited, he rubbed his hands together and not only arranged for proper meals and accommodations, but also assigned a dedicated car to pick Chu Ci up from work every morning and escort him back every night. At the same time, he cleared out the hotel’s second-floor banquet hall and prepared full entertainment—food, drinks, gambling tables, dancing—determined to turn Han Yue’s birthday party into a grand capital event.
On the day of his birthday, Han Yue dressed impressively. He got a haircut, wore cologne, put on a coat worth over fifty thousand yuan, and even carried a set of apartment keys as an apology gift.
The luxury duplex apartment was located near Chu Ci’s research institute—only a five-minute drive away. A double bed had already been selected and installed days earlier.
What Han Yue hated most was that Chu Ci refused to spend his money on anything, insisting on financial independence down to the last detail. His greatest pleasure was getting Chu Ci to move into his house, lie on his bed, and—by extension—become his completely.
When he arrived at the hotel, Pei Zhi, Hou Yu, and a group of troublemaking friends were already there. The moment they saw him, they immediately started teasing:
“Oh, look at Second Young Master Han today—fully upgraded! Dressing up for who? Is that engineer coming too?”
“He’d better come!” Han Yue said, looking toward Zhao Ting.
Zhao Ting smiled. “Relax, I’ve already sent a car to pick him up. The research institute hasn’t even finished work yet—he’ll be here in about an hour.”
Han Yue finally relaxed slightly and patted the keys in his pocket. Originally, he had planned to simply hand them over, but Pei Zhi had advised him that gifts shouldn’t be that crude—especially for someone like Chu Ci. They needed packaging, refinement, something that looked tasteful and intentional.
So Han Yue had improvised: he placed the keys inside a ring box, tied it with a pink ribbon, and at first glance it even looked like a proper gift.
“Alright, let’s drink first. Drink while we wait—drink while we wait!” Zhao Ting instructed people to open the gambling tables and sound system, personally opening two bottles of 2000 Lafite and greeting everyone warmly: “Come on, today I’m putting everything on the table. Let’s drink until we drop!”
Han Yue was repeatedly toasted by a crowd of friends. People he knew and didn’t know alike came over to join in the excitement and make themselves familiar faces. The banquet hall was extremely lively. At one point, the restaurant even rolled in a three-tier birthday cake for him to cut, pushing the atmosphere to its peak.
Although Han Yue was slightly intoxicated, he still remembered the time and kept checking his watch. An hour and a half passed quickly, but there was still no sign of Chu Ci arriving. Phone calls also went unanswered. Han Yue became restless and went to find Zhao Ting.
“Didn’t you send someone to pick him up? Where is he?”
Zhao Ting slapped his forehead and immediately called to check. The driver on the other end said that engineer Chu was still slowly packing up and might not be planning to come at all.
Han Yue’s expression changed instantly. He let out a cold laugh.
“Zhao Ting, I only came here because of my partner. I trusted your guarantee that you could make him change his mind. And now what? He’s not coming? What exactly is going on here?”
Zhao Ting immediately broke out in a cold sweat. “T-this… this is the driver’s fault! He’s completely incompetent! Alright, I’ll go personally pick up Engineer Chu right now. Whether I have to persuade him or drag him here, I’ll make sure he comes tonight no matter what. What do you think?”
Han Yue nearly snapped his chopsticks in half. Even his voice changed. “Tell him—if he dares not come, I’ll break his legs.”
Zhao Ting’s trip ended up delaying things by another half hour.
Han Yue had already drunk half a bottle of red wine and half a bottle of white. His mind was no longer fully under control. He staggered up and decided to go outside to get some air, smoke a cigarette, and wait for Chu Ci.
Just as he reached the hotel entrance, he saw Zhao Ting’s BMW pull up and stop steadily at the steps. Zhao Ting got out, walked to the passenger side, and politely opened the door.
Chu Ci stepped out of the car—and even smiled at him while saying something.
Han Yue was certain that was not a polite “thank you,” because Chu Ci’s sentence was relatively long, and there was still a faint smile on his face throughout.
The alcohol in Han Yue’s body felt like it had turned into flames burning through his veins. He could not remember a single time Chu Ci had smiled at him like that—let alone so gently, so… good-looking.
Zhao Ting also smiled and replied a few words, then gestured invitingly toward the entrance.
Chu Ci walked up the steps while turning his head back to speak with him, still smiling. The two of them even made a few hand gestures in the middle of their conversation; it was obvious they were talking quite comfortably.
Han Yue tightly crushed the cigarette between his fingers without even smoking it. His expression at that moment was undoubtedly terrifying—enough to make anyone who saw him step back in fear.
Chu Ci continued talking as he walked up the steps, then suddenly turned his head and saw Han Yue standing at the entrance.
For a split second, he paused. The smile on his face disappeared immediately. He looked at Han Yue with clear guardedness, even instinctively taking half a step back.
Han Yue clenched his jaw. After a moment, he let go of the cigarette butt, letting it fall straight to the ground, where he stamped it out with his foot.
Then he reached out, crooked a finger toward Chu Ci, and said:
“Come here.”