After waiting three days, Ming Rao finally became a member of the “Scarred Face, Cursed Fate” group. When he received the notification saying “You have passed the group review,” he had almost forgotten about it entirely.
The moment he entered the group, the chat box lit up.
@Sparrow (Group Admin): [Welcome new members @Crow @Peacock, say hello to everyone!]
Ming Rao tapped on the group card and realized he was the “Peacock” the admin was referring to.
It turned out that upon joining, everyone automatically received a code name. He scanned the list the other members’ code names were also bird species. Including him, there were forty-seven people in total, with twenty-seven currently online.
Ming Rao opened the emoji panel and found only the outdated yellow smiley faces, so he typed a “hi” and added a tacky tea-drinking emoji. Next to his name was a green “NEW” tag, indicating he was a new member.
The group chat continued, but without context, he couldn’t understand their strange abbreviations and was completely lost. However, he at least picked up on one thing: whenever they used the letter “Y,” they were referring to Yan Yuchuan.
Just then, another person with a “NEW” tag popped up.
@Crow (NEW): [Want to hear the latest news?]
Everyone began typing “1” in unison, and Ming Rao followed suit, enthusiastically adding “What what?” As a fellow newcomer, he didn’t want to be completely overshadowed.
After receiving more than ten “1”s, the buildup was complete, and “Crow” spoke up unhurriedly.
@Crow: [Y is getting married]
@Partridge: [?]
@Magpie: [??]
@White-headed Bulbul: [Making up stories the moment you join?]
@Sparrow (Group Admin): [@Crow where did you get this info?]
@Crow: [Internal source he said it during a meeting, the whole of Xina knows by now]
@Magpie: [To whom?]
@Crow: [Don’t know, but it’s confirmed]
@White-headed Bulbul: [You don’t even know who he’s marrying and you call it confirmed?]
@Crow: [Believe it or not aren’t you guys trying to dig up dirt on his sugar daddy situation? This is your chance]
@Partridge: [So is there actual proof of the sugar daddy thing, or is it just hearsay?]
@Sparrow (Group Admin): [Multiple sources have confirmed it, shouldn’t be fake]
@Parrot: [Then why hasn’t anyone said who the sponsor is?]
@Sparrow (Group Admin): [His background isn’t ordinary even gossip sites don’t dare expose him]
@Magpie: [True, someone with an ordinary background wouldn’t be a sugar daddy anyway]
Ming Rao raised an eyebrow at this. Just then, “Crow” popped up again.
@Crow: [The sugar daddy thing is real]
@Crow: [Click to view image]
Ming Rao opened the image. It was a photo or more precisely, a cropped portion of one. The person on the right was unmistakably Yan Yuchuan, while the other person had been almost entirely cut out, leaving only a hand making a V sign, wearing an expensive men’s watch. The two were lying in the same bed, the implication clear.
He wanted to look more closely, but the photo turned into a torn icon “Crow” had activated the “burn after reading” mode.
Five or six years was too far back; Ming Rao couldn’t remember when the photo had been taken. He only knew that it was his hand, and the watch on it was currently sitting in the drawer of his bedside table.
The photo had been taken with a front-facing camera. With such terrible photography skills, it definitely wasn’t his work. That meant Yan Yuchuan had taken it.
But Yan Yuchuan would never publicly share a photo of himself with Ming Rao. So how had this person gotten hold of a photo saved on Yan Yuchuan’s phone?
He tapped into “Crow’s” group card no personal information at all. This person had joined the group at the same time as him and immediately dropped a bombshell, clearly arriving with a purpose.
Yan Yuchuan had proposed to Ming Rao, and right after, this person had gotten wind of it. That meant they were likely someone close to Yan Yuchuan, or as they claimed, had an insider at Xina Technology feeding them information.
The private chat was buzzing with speculation about whether Yan Yuchuan’s marriage was a business alliance. If it was, they could take advantage of his public wedding announcement to stir up his sugar daddy scandal. Then Yan Yuchuan would lose on both the romantic and business fronts marrying into trouble and losing everything…
The twenty-plus people online chimed in one after another, all eyeing Yan Yuchuan and the Xina Technology behind him like predators.
Ming Rao propped his chin on his hand, watching their scheming with great amusement, thinking darkly: Yan Yuchuan, it seems I’m not the only one who hates you.
The next day was Sunday, and Ming Rao headed to the Flux Art Center for the weekend salon.
Originally, Yan Yuchuan had arranged to discuss the prenuptial agreement with him on Saturday, but the night before, he said something had come up and asked if they could move it to Sunday.
Between “attending the salon” and “marrying Yan Yuchuan,” Ming Rao felt the former was more important and flatly said no.
Yan Yuchuan then suggested, “Or we could do a video call?”
“Sure,” Ming Rao said slowly, drawing out his words. “President Yan’s got a young spirit, huh? Into online dating.”
Yan Yuchuan caught the sarcasm in his tone, and after a moment of silence, conceded, “When does your salon end? I’ll come find you once I’m done with things here. It might be a bit late.”
The flight from Pingcheng to Platinum Harbor was nearly three and a half hours. He’d rushed over in the afternoon and would have to make the exhausting trip back that evening. Ming Rao had already braced himself for a last-minute cancellation text from him.
But at five o’clock, right as the event wrapped up, he was having afternoon tea with friends at a café next to the art center desserts not even on the table yet, when Yan Yuchuan called. “Are you at the art center?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I don’t see you.”
“I’m with my friends,” Ming Rao hesitated, then asked, “You came?”
“Mm.”
“Where are you?”
“Southwest gate. It’s the only place to park.”
Ming Rao said goodbye to his friends and headed to the side entrance he’d mentioned. The gate was tucked away, a good ten-minute walk from the café. Yan Yuchuan was leaning against a bus stop sign, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a cigarette.
Ash fell onto the cuff of his dark blue shirt, and he flicked his wrist to shake it off the exact same gesture as five years ago.
Except, five years ago, if he’d seen Ming Rao walking toward him, he’d have guiltily hidden his hand behind his back and quietly stubbed the cigarette out. Now he blew out smoke without a care and asked, “Want one?”
“No thanks, I don’t smoke,” Ming Rao glanced at the pack offered to him, then said dryly, “Also, I have a sensitive stomach. The smell of smoke makes me nauseous. I hope you won’t smoke in front of me from now on.”
Yan Yuchuan froze for a moment, then crushed the cigarette against the bus stop pole. “Sorry, I didn’t know.”
Once in the car, Ming Rao couldn’t stop himself from thinking about his twentieth birthday.
They hadn’t spoken for four months back then. When they met again, Yan Yuchuan was in terrible shape he’d lost at least thirty pounds and was hopelessly addicted to smoking. Halfway through celebrating Ming Rao’s birthday, he’d snuck out for a smoke, then, terrified Ming Rao would catch the smell, doused himself in a lethal amount of cologne, creating an even more suffocating scent.
He’d said things like “I smoke because I miss you” and “I’ll quit completely by the next time we meet.” Looking back now, it was all bullshit.
Only an idiot like Ming Rao would have believed him.
He closed his eyes, the more he thought, the tighter his chest felt. His foot suddenly pressed down hard, kicking the back of Yan Yuchuan’s seat.
Yan Yuchuan turned around, saw his grim expression, and asked, “Is it too stuffy in here?”
Ming Rao shook his head, a knot of frustration still lodged in his chest. “Didn’t you have things to do? Why are you here so early?”
“Finished up and came over ahead of time.”
Ming Rao didn’t respond. The car drove in silence to the base of a sky garden restaurant in the city center. They took the elevator to the top floor, where his secretary, Chen Le, was already waiting in the reserved private room.
Today’s meeting was just a preliminary discussion no formal documents would be signed. To keep a low profile before the marriage announcement, they’d only brought Chen Le, who had a legal background, to serve as a legal advisor.
The prenuptial agreement covered standard sections: property ownership, income and expenses during the marriage, rights during separation and divorce, and inheritance matters. Chen Le specifically emphasized that the final section required close attention.
Ming Rao glanced at the bold heading “Ownership of Family Resources and Principle of Non-Use.”
“Both parties hereby affirm that their marital relationship shall not establish any business relationship between the parties or their families; whether during the marriage or in the event of separation, divorce, or death, neither party shall in any manner use, acquire, or benefit from the other party’s family resources, including but not limited to financial, intellectual property, or tangible assets, for the development or expansion of their commercial enterprises.”
The more Ming Rao read, the darker his expression grew. Finally, he slapped the document onto the table. “What does this mean?”
Chen Le explained, “Well, this clause means”
“I can read. It means your Xina doesn’t want to have anything to do with Ming’s Real Estate.”
Chen Le glanced at Yan Yuchuan and gave an awkward smile. “Mr. Ming, you’ve misunderstood. This section was actually added by President Yan out of concern for protecting your family”
Ming Rao smiled without warmth at Yan Yuchuan. “So should I be falling over myself with gratitude toward President Yan?”
Chen Le looked troubled. “Well.”
“It’s fine, I’ll explain,” Yan Yuchuan spoke up as Chen Le hesitated. “I added this clause. Xina Tech is at a critical stage of development right now. I wanted to ease your parents’ concerns and put their minds at rest.”
“Put their minds at rest? You’re rushing to distance yourself from my family before we’re even married, how are they supposed to feel at ease?”
Yan Yuchuan’s eyes dimmed, and he lowered his gaze. “Sorry, I chose my words poorly. I just didn’t want actually, it’s not entirely about your parents. I thought maybe you’d find my proposal too abrupt”
“I do find your proposal abrupt,” Ming Rao cut him off flatly. “Isn’t it?”
“So I wanted to put your mind at ease. I genuinely want to marry you, not because ” Yan Yuchuan paused, ” I have ulterior motives.”
After a moment of silence, Ming Rao let out a cold laugh.
Of course he understood what Yan Yuchuan meant. Wasn’t that exactly how it had been back at the innovation camp? He wouldn’t take the resources the Ming family pushed his way, he wouldn’t take the money the Ming family offered, and he wouldn’t take the Ming family’s son either he wouldn’t take him.
After all these years of circling around, going from a penniless nobody to a CEO worth hundreds of millions, he was still the same. No matter what love or affection nothing was more precious than his pride.
The poison that had been festering in Ming Rao’s heart for years now transformed into a fierce, caged beast, clawing his insides until they were riddled with holes, threatening to break free from his body and lash out at others.
“Whatever, do what you want. If you want to add it, add it,” he said, his gaze sharpening as he let out another cold laugh. “Then I want to add a clause too.”
“Alright,” Yan Yuchuan sat up straight. “What do you want to add?”
Ming Rao stared into the void, his expression unchanged. “I want an open relationship.”
“…”
When no response came for a long while, Ming Rao turned his head slightly and saw Chen Le buried in a stack of documents, pretending he didn’t exist in this room at all, while Yan Yuchuan sat quietly watching him with obvious confusion in his eyes.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Give me your answer,” Ming Rao pressed, narrowing his eyes. “Oh, do I need to explain what ‘open relationship’ means to you?”
Chen Le cleared his throat and spoke with difficulty: “Um, maybe I should just”
But his voice was too faint, easily swallowed by the heavy, oppressive atmosphere of the sealed room.
Yan Yuchuan, as if he hadn’t heard, replied: “No need, I know what it means.”
“Good. Then please add that clause for me. After all, it’s not like I’m going to stop having sex just because I marry you. I have normal physiological needs too. You can understand that, right?”
Yan Yuchuan paused briefly, hummed in acknowledgment, then added: “Actually, there’s no need to worry.”
Ming Rao raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
“I’ll fulfill all the marital obligations I’m supposed to fulfill.”
A look of surprise crossed Ming Rao’s face. “Looks like you’ve really lost your memory completely.”
Yan Yuchuan frowned.
“Yan Yuchuan, you don’t actually think you can fulfill those obligations, do you?” Ming Rao tilted his head, giving him a once-over from head to toe, his gaze lingering meaningfully on a certain spot.
Yan Yuchuan froze, cleared his throat, and spoke hesitantly: “What do you mean?”
“Do I have to spell it out for you?” Ming Rao tilted his head, his teasing voice echoing through the private room. “If you were a man with normal functioning, do you think we’d have ended up where we are today?”
“…”
“Um, you two keep talking, I’ll go check if dinner is ready.” Seizing the gap in the silence, Chen Le tossed out the words without taking a breath, and the moment they left his mouth, he bolted toward the door like an arrow released from a bow, vanishing in an instant.
Only the two of them remained in the private room. Ming Rao kept his eyes lowered, staring motionlessly at a crooked staple on the edge of the document binding, saying nothing.
Yan Yuchuan picked up the kettle, poured a glass of lemon water, walked over and set it in front of him, then pulled out a chair and sat down beside him.
“Thirsty?” Yan Yuchuan was the first to break the silence. Steam rose from the cup, softening his voice into something unusually gentle.
Ming Rao said nothing, only turning his head away.
Yan Yuchuan asked: “Can you tell me what the problem is?”
Ming Rao muttered under his breath: “What ‘what problem’?”
“What is it that doesn’t satisfy you?”
“Are you insane?!” Ming Rao whipped his head around and saw Yan Yuchuan looking at him with complete seriousness.
He had only made all that up on the spur of the moment out of spite, just to see Yan Yuchuan embarrassed. Now, faced with such an upright and candid inquiry, he was caught off guard and found himself at a loss.
Yan Yuchuan stated matter-of-factly: “I just want to solve the problem.”
“What else could it be? It’s just not compatible.”
Yan Yuchuan pressed patiently: “In what way is it not compatible?”
“…”
Ming Rao couldn’t figure out how Yan Yuchuan could ask such a question without batting an eye, but since he had dug this hole himself, he had no choice but to steel himself and continue: “You said I always want too much, that I don’t know when to stop, that no man would ever like a slutty thing like me who’s never satisfied… There, are you happy now?!”
“Did I really say that?”
“Do you think I’d joke about something like this?”
Yan Yuchuan nodded gently. “Then I really was out of line.”
His tone was filled with deep self-reflection, which sent a chill down Ming Rao’s spine. Ming Rao started rambling incoherently: “Ah, well, it’s not really your fault either. You did your best. It’s just that my needs are too strong. I can’t fall asleep without three to five rounds a night. It’s only natural that you can’t keep up.”
As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed straight ahead, but his peripheral vision caught Yan Yuchuan staring intently at him, a gaze that made him deeply uncomfortable.
“What are you looking at me for?” Ming Rao finally lost his patience. “Are you signing or not? If you don’t agree, then forget it.”
Yan Yuchuan obediently averted his gaze, lowering his head. After a long moment of contemplation, he asked softly, “Can you give me some time to think it over?”
“Now you need to think it over?” Ming Rao yanked viciously at the staple, pressing aggressively. “Weren’t you pretty quick to distance yourself from our family just a moment ago?”
“It’s not about distancing myself,” Yan Yuchuan defended. “I just didn’t want you to think I had ulterior motives.”
“Then what are your motives?” Ming Rao laughed in fury, whipping his head around to stare directly at him. “I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time, what exactly are you after by marrying me? You don’t stand to gain anything from this marriage. Are you trying to do charity? Give back to society? It’s not like I’m unwanted, you know.”
Yan Yuchuan was about to speak when Ming Rao cut him off: “Don’t tell me it’s because of that list. Don’t you think that’s absurd?”
“I’ve told you before,” Yan Yuchuan said, his deep, dark eyes locking onto his face, “it’s because I love you.”