The gland at the nape of his neck was enveloped by this lingering scent, and Yan Chi was also warmed in body and soul by the soft little fellow, Chu Zhuo.
He gently patted Chu Zhuo’s back and looked toward the bodyguard, asking, “Where is Qiu Yuanming?”
“Special Assistant Qiu has already finished handling Zhang Zijun’s matter and returned first,” the bodyguard replied with a slight bow, extending a smartphone in both hands. “Young Master Yan, this is the phone Assistant Qiu retrieved from the director. He said it would have the answers you need.”
Yan Chi frowned slightly. He only knew that Qiu Yuanming was the mastermind behind Yan Zuo, but when had he started knowing what Yan Chi needed?
He raised his hand to take the phone, his slender fingers lightly tapping the screen to unlock it with one hand.
Upon seeing the document that greeted him the moment the screen lit up, his pupils suddenly dilated.
It was the employment contract Chu Kai had signed with the production crew.
Habits formed from years of being an assistant led Qiu Yuanming to thoughtfully attach a descriptive and summarizing paragraph of text:
[Chu Kai has already submitted his resignation to the crew and left. Although he signed the contract and pressed his thumbprint under the alias Zhu Kai, one party has already fulfilled the main obligations, and the other party has accepted them, so this contract is recognized as a de facto contract.]
[The lawyer has estimated Chu Kai’s breach of contract for information leakage and will legally demand compensation of 1.5 million yuan.]
“Information leakage?”
Yan Chi’s question was answered by Qiu Yuanming’s next paragraph of text.
[Of course, whether the information leakage occurred and how this penalty for breach of contract will be compensated depends entirely on you. Your brother said you lack a living assistant, and this penalty can just serve as your compensation for hiring a living assistant. The contract and the lawsuit drafted by the lawyer have already been sent to you. How to handle the next step is up to you to decide.]
In short, what Qiu Yuanming was letting Yan Chi decide was whether to completely draw a clear line with Chu Kai or entangle himself with him once more.
The moment he grasped Qiu Yuanming’s meaning, Yan Chi subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, secretly feeling fortunate that it was Qiu Yuanming who came over this time instead of Yan Zuo.
If it were Yan Zuo, then Grandfather…
Yan Chi snapped back to his senses, a flash of resolute determination cutting through his eyes.
Even if Yan Zuo came, it wouldn’t matter; even if Grandfather found out, it wouldn’t matter.
This Beta whose appearance he had long forgotten would only end up like the Beta nutritionist who was chased out of Xiuchi Road that year, disappearing completely from this city.
[Mn.] Yan Chi hesitated for a moment before typing and sending a single-handed reply in the chat box.
The other party quickly replied: [Yan Chi, if no one changes, even reuniting a hundred times will be in vain.]
“Change?” Yan Chi’s chapped lips pulled into a bitter smile.
He had already witnessed Chu Kai’s change; from loving to not loving, no one could change as fast, as cruelly, and as resolutely as Chu Kai.
Qiu Yuanming sent another message: [Give each other some time. His contact information is on the contract. It won’t be too late to contact him after finishing this episode of the show.]
Yan Chi pressed the power button, tossing the phone back to the bodyguard standing guard on the side. “Return it.”
He, Yan Chi, was not so humble as to act like a love-struck fool rushing over to chase someone the moment he regained consciousness.
Now, the one who should crawl over and beg was Chu Kai, this Beta full of lies.
Giving this Beta a few days of buffer time was his mercy.
“Yan Daddy,” Chu Zhuo, clinging to Yan Chi, had stopped crying. Facing Yan Chi with a flushed little face, he asked in a babyish voice, “Does it still hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Yan Chi ruffled the back of Chu Zhuo’s head.
During family gatherings, Yan Chi had seen plenty of children.
There were babies still in swaddling clothes, toddlers crawling all over the floor, kids old enough to run errands, and teenagers with dyed blonde hair.
Because of his status as the sole heir of the Yan family, those children either feared him and trembled at the sight of him, or deliberately buttered him up, following at his heels the entire day.
You could hardly call it hatred, nor could you call it fondness.
Yan Chi reached out to wipe away Chu Zhuo’s tears and snot.
Perhaps because they shared no blood relation, he felt Chu Zhuo was somewhat more endearing than those other children.
“Wuwah.”
The little face that had just been wiped clean was instantly soaked again by Chu Zhuo’s steadily rolling tears.
“Food,” Chu Zhuo cried, pointing a hand toward the small table inside the room. “The food is cold, didn’t eat food, wuwah.”
Yan Chi pulled out a tissue, wiping his hands with somewhat sluggish movements.
He withdrew his previous favorable impression of Chu Zhuo; crying children weren’t very endearing after all.
“Stop crying.” Yan Chi stuffed the tissue into Chu Zhuo’s other half-clasped little hand, his impatient tone made powerless by his exhausted state of mind.
Holding the tissue in both hands to wipe his tears, Chu Zhuo secretly observed Yan Chi’s reaction through the tissue.
He didn’t know if Yan Chi was angry; he only knew that when Daddy was sick, he didn’t like him crying either.
But Daddy would hold him, whispering softly in his ear to tell him that if the baby cried sadly, Daddy would hurt even more, so the baby had to be happy every single day so Daddy wouldn’t hurt.
Thinking like this, Chu Zhuo puffed out his cheeks like a cute, adorable little hamster, blooming a smile toward Yan Chi.
Yan Chi, who was just about to step down from the bed, looked at the smiling Chu Zhuo with tears still hanging on his face and lost his focus for a moment. Chu Kai’s face flashed into his mind unbidden.
That night when they first knew the stirring of love, Chu Kai had curled up in his arms, his tears soaking the pillow while he cupped Yan Chi’s face in both hands and said with a beaming smile, “Yan Chi, I love you.”
Abruptly, Yan Chi’s expression turned icy.
What he needed to eat right now wasn’t some loving breakfast; it was medicine.
“Where is everyone?” Yan Chi raised his voice slightly to call out, and the bodyguard outside the door immediately walked in briskly.
“Carry him outside, and bring the medicine and nebulizer over.” As Yan Chi gave the instructions, his Adam’s apple felt like it was choked with grit, every movement carrying a trace of difficulty.
Held in the bodyguard’s arms, Chu Zhuo’s eyes filled with tears again, but his little mouth was pressed tightly shut, and he didn’t dare cry.
He felt that Yan Daddy must not like him because he was a crybaby.
He didn’t like him, and he didn’t like the loving food he had made Daddy prepare.
A few minutes later, when he saw Uncle Bodyguard take the bear sandwich, the heart-shaped egg, and the lunch box out of the room and throw them away, he ran over in disbelief and pounded against the bodyguard’s lower leg.
He couldn’t hold it back and burst into loud sobs: “Bad guy, Daddy made that! Bad person, humph! You’re all bad people, don’t, Daddy.”
The bodyguard glanced awkwardly at the little attachment soaking his trouser leg, but still tossed the food along with the lunch box into the trash can.
The food had gone cold, and Young Master Yan had waved his hand to signal throwing it away, so naturally they followed orders.
Plus, Assistant Qiu had given repeated, strict instructions: although conditions in Mimi Kiln Village were limited, Young Master Yan’s meals must not be neglected under any circumstances.
Therefore, even though Chu Zhuo broke down and cried bitterly, they showed no softness at all.
After crying for a while, Chu Zhuo remembered that Yan Daddy was still sick.
Pouting angrily, the little feet walking toward the room changed direction.
He didn’t like this adventure anymore, and he didn’t like Dad’s friend. He wanted to go home and find Daddy.
About ten minutes later, Chu Zhuo, who had stopped his tears by playing with the ants on the ground, suddenly stood up and walked out of Room 6 without a word.
The bodyguard at the courtyard entrance blocked him. “Little buddy, go back to the yard and play.”
“I’m not playing anymore!” Chu Zhuo looked up at him, trying hard to widen his eyes to look fierce. “I’m going home!”
The bodyguard’s expression remained unchanged as he blocked the path again, repeating, “Little buddy, back to the yard.”
The little hand clutching his clothes trembled uncontrollably. He cheered himself on in his heart, telling himself to be brave.
He was going to defeat these bad guys wearing black clothes and black glasses, and then go home to eat all of the loving food Daddy made.
“Hmph,” he thought to himself, “I won’t let the bad guys eat Daddy’s delicious food.”
“Hey! Ha!” As he threw a punch, his palm felt as though it hit steel, causing him to pull it back in pain, and his little face instantly scrunched up into a ball.
Afterward, like a defeated little rooster, he was effortlessly hoisted up and carried back into the yard.