Li Yang?
The Li Yang he knew?
Jiang Minyu’s mind simply could not place those two names side by side. He couldn’t force them into the same line of thought, couldn’t allow them to exist within the same reality.
They said that when a person suffered an overwhelming blow, the brain could fall into shock. In that instant, Jiang Minyu experienced it for himself.
Not only did he remain in that stunned paralysis for an unusually long time but as he watched Ran Fan stand up and walk out of the café, time stretched unbearably. In that drawn out span of seconds, his entire body felt as though it were being torn apart, ripped into fragments, shattered into pieces that could never quite be put back together.
He had not even truly processed the information Ran Fan had just told him. Pregnancy. Li Yang. Marriage. Each word was like a separate thunderclap yet before he could understand any of it, reality had already descended upon him in the most brutally unforgiving way.
When he chased after Ran Fan and rushed out of the café doors, a man, who had arrived at some unknown moment and had clearly been waiting for some time, wrapped an arm around Ran Fan’s waist and drew him into his embrace.
The man’s face was mature, composed, entirely different from the youthful air of the younger generation. Jiang Minyu had seen that face not long ago.
It was his biological father.
Li Yang.
At this moment, his father was holding Ran Fan, standing in the place that Jiang Minyu himself should have occupied, assuming a role and posture he would never have dared to imagine even if he had exhausted a lifetime of thought.
The cold wind rushed toward him. Everything felt absurd, grotesque, like a twisted farce staged by some merciless hand. Beneath the thick down jacket Ran Fan wore, the curve of his abdomen, hidden until now, suddenly seemed unmistakably clear.
Jiang Minyu stared at the two figures leaning into each other with intimate familiarity.
One was his biological father.
The other was his former boyfriend.
It was like a dream.
“This isn’t real.”
“This has to be some kind of joke.”
Jiang Minyu shook his head. He shook it harder and harder, so forcefully that passersby on the street began to glance over, startled by his raised voice.
“This is impossible! How could the two of you possibly be together?!”
“Ordinarily, it wouldn’t be possible.”
Li Yang spoke calmly. “If I had to explain it, it would be because of you. If it weren’t for you, we would never have met. Perhaps this is fate.”
The moment Jiang Minyu heard his voice, something inside him snapped.
He went mad with rage, shouting hoarsely, “You sanctimonious beast!”
He did not have the courage to look at Ran Fan. He did not have the strength to fully consider what this reality meant now that it stood before him. The rest of his curse never left his mouth. His voice was cut off.
Ran Fan stopped him.
Ran Fan frowned slightly, his expression both sorrowful and calm. He shifted subtly, stepping forward just enough to shield Li Yang behind him.
“Minyu.”
He said gently, “Don’t speak to Li Yang like that. I know you’re hurting. I know you can’t accept this but none of this is his fault. He never intended to hurt you and he hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“We made this decision after a great deal of thought. It wasn’t impulsive. We won’t regret it. Even if the way we met was somewhat coincidental, I hope you can believe me, I’m not doing this to retaliate against you. This was a choice I made from the bottom of my heart. We truly fell in love.”
“You said earlier that I was the person who treated you best in this world. For me, it was the same. When we were together, you were also the one who treated me best. Even after we separated, I never hated you.”
“So, selfishly, I hope you won’t hate me either. Even if you can’t bless us, at least don’t make this ugly. Li Yang is very important to me now. He’s someone I love very, very much. If you’re truly that angry, I hope you’ll direct it at me. Please don’t hurt him. I’m begging you.”
Jiang Minyu had so much fury inside him. A towering, overwhelming rage that burned through his veins. He wanted to question Li Yang.
He wanted to demand how he had managed to make Ran Fan pregnant more than six months ago. He wanted to ask whether, when he had once begged for help in finding Ran Fan, Li Yang had been secretly watching him as though he were nothing more than a pitiful clown performing for amusement.
But faced with Ran Fan’s words, all that fury deflated like a punctured balloon. In an instant, it collapsed into a hollow, crumbling powerlessness.
Once upon a time, Ran Fan had stood in front of him, shielding him, defending him fiercely against his own father’s objections.
Now, he stood on the opposite side of Jiang Minyu, protecting Jiang Minyu’s father instead.
That protection, more than any word or action from Li Yang, plunged Jiang Minyu into despair. Li Yang did not need to say a single sentence. Ran Fan’s stance alone pierced through Jiang Minyu’s defenses and shattered his heart.
He loved Li Yang.
Just as he had once loved Jiang Minyu.
Perhaps even more.
They even had a child together.
In less than a year, the entire world had turned upside down.
Jiang Minyu’s tears fell in steady streams. Through the blur of water in his eyes, everything fractured and distorted. He could no longer see Ran Fan clearly. Nor could he see Li Yang clearly.
As he wept, he thought again,
It was truly a dream.
Why hadn’t he woken up yet?
It was a winter day bathed in bright, perfect sunlight.
The air was cold but the sun was warm and gentle. Brilliant light poured down from the vaulted ceiling, spilling across the interior and filling the entire space with luminous clarity.
Hundreds of meters of circular arrangements of flowers encircled the venue, blossoms in soft shades of pink and white, tender and delicate. Layer upon layer, they created an overwhelming sense of romance and sanctity, as though the entire place had been transformed into a sacred garden.
These flowers had been airlifted from floral bases all over the world. They had been reserved far in advance, meticulously arranged to produce the grand spectacle of today. Nearly seventy to eighty million had been spent to make this scene possible.
A middle aged man, refined in both appearance and attire, stood to one side, sipping wine as he admired the display. At the same time, he perked up his ears, listening intently to the gossip exchanged by two elegantly dressed ladies beside him.
No wonder the guests at the Li family banquet had spoken so heatedly about the host’s private affairs.
In the past year alone, the Li family had produced an astonishing number of scandals.
First, Li Yang had a long lost biological son.
Then, the iron tree had finally blossomed, Li Yang had found a new partner and even welcomed a new child.
Upon further inquiry, people discovered that the partner was a man.
A man who had carried the pregnancy himself.
That alone was explosive enough.
But no one had expected that it was only the beginning.
Several months ago, the long lost biological son who had returned from outside, no one knew whether it was because he resented Li Yang’s favoritism toward his new partner and new child, seemed to have abandoned his own career entirely. Every few days, he would charge straight to the Li residence.
Li Yang, however, had a temper of his own. If he said the eldest son was not allowed to come, then he was not allowed to come. He hired several bodyguards to stay at the house; the moment they saw him, they would seize him without hesitation.
Each time they caught him, they neither beat nor scolded him. Instead, they would drive him hundreds of kilometers away, dump him in the desolate outskirts and then leave him there to walk dozens of kilometers on foot to find a car and make his own way back.
On the day Li Yang’s soon to be husband gave birth, the eldest son went as well.
According to well informed sources, when news came that Li Yang’s male partner had given him a son, Li Yang himself had not even reacted yet yet the eldest son had already crouched down beside him and begun to cry. The two of them, face to face, did not give each other the slightest courtesy. They did not even bother to pretend.
“If he keeps acting like that, won’t it just make Li Yang dislike him even more? I really don’t understand what that eldest son is thinking.”
“He’s rich, talented and good looking. Why do you care what he’s thinking? Wasn’t Li Yang just as arrogant when he was young? Anyway, we’re just here to watch the show.”
“Hey, do you think Jiang Minyu will come today? Will we get to see him? Everyone says he’s a grown man but looks as delicate as a flower.”
He would likely come but if anyone thought they would actually get to see him, they were underestimating Li Yang. Today was Li Yang’s wedding. Immediately after the ceremony, there would be the full moon banquet for the younger son. At such a significant occasion, there was no room for even the slightest mistake.
The middle aged man considered this as he listened to the two elegant ladies beside him. They suddenly called out to him.
“Old Wang, why are you just listening and not saying anything? Stop pretending and tell us, what does Li Yang’s male partner look like?”
The friend surnamed Wang immediately laughed. Leaning in as if reluctantly joining their gossip circle, he lowered his voice conspiratorially.
“Isn’t the wedding photo displayed right up front? And if that’s not enough, look over at that table. See that older gentleman? That’s the groom, ah, I mean, Ran Fan’s father and the lady beside him in the qipao, that’s his mother.”
While chatter filled the outer hall, inside, the bodyguards were busy.
Just as Li Yang had instructed in advance, the moment Jiang Minyu arrived, they escorted him to the preparation room. As the time for the ceremony approached, Jiang Minyu indeed appeared.
However, it seemed that his purpose from the beginning had been to see Li Yang. He did not clash with the bodyguards, sparing them considerable effort.
Father and son met in the reception room.
The soft, aesthetic music selected for the wedding drifted through the air, dreamlike and ethereal.
There had been no shortage of chances for the two of them to cross paths in recent times. At the beginning, Jiang Minyu had looked at Li Yang as though confronting a sworn enemy. Gradually, the fury on the surface had become less obvious.
But Li Yang knew that today, Jiang Minyu would certainly lose his temper.
This day was special, after all. It was the final glimmer of false hope that Jiang Minyu could grasp.
“I’ve never deprived you of anything. It’s your father’s wedding. Can’t you even manage a decent expression?”
Li Yang smiled faintly as he spoke.
Jiang Minyu looked at him and smiled as well, a cold, mocking smile.
“Father? Are you worthy of being called a father? What kind of father takes advantage of his son’s ex boyfriend when he’s injured and at his weakest? You’re nothing but a hypocrite. A beast in fine clothes.”
Li Yang leaned back against the sofa, his weight tilted to one side, propping his face with one hand. The languid posture, when performed by him, carried an effortless authority, as if the entire world lay secured within his grasp.
Jiang Minyu loathed him most in this state.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Have you got nothing to say?”
“Stealing your own son’s boyfriend, can you even sleep at night? Oh, of course you can. You’re just a selfish old animal!”
Li Yang still did not speak.
The more silent he remained, the more enraged Jiang Minyu became.
He hated this attitude of Li Yang’s, as though he himself stood at the foot of a mountain while Li Yang stood at its summit, every downward glance from above tinged with an unspoken condescension.
At last, Li Yang spoke.
He picked up a tissue from the table, held it up before Jiang Minyu’s eyes and, when Jiang Minyu stared at him in bafflement, said:
“Minyu, do you see this piece of paper? You are as fragile as this sheet.”
“I can think of countless ways to tear you apart. For example, look at you now. You’re exactly like your mother. Refusing to take responsibility. The most selfish kind of person yet standing there openly accusing others of selfishness.”
“But I don’t intend to do that.”
Li Yang posed a question.
“Do you think the world revolves around you?”
“I don’t think it does. Have you ever considered that the more you hate me, the more aggressive you become, it doesn’t make you look strong? It makes you look even weaker.”
“You can’t knock me down. You can’t win back what you’ve lost. You can’t change the mistakes you’ve made. All you’re doing is making yourself look pitiful.”
Jiang Minyu felt as though he were being slowly flayed alive. The hidden truths buried deep within his soul, truths even he could not see clearly, were dragged out and trampled beneath someone else’s feet. Nearly overcome with humiliation and rage, he snapped:
“Look at your age! How many years do you think you have left? One day you’re going to die!”
“So?” Li Yang asked calmly. “After I die, will Ran Fan start loving you again?”
“You still haven’t realized it? For the rest of his life, he will only love me. Even if I die, that won’t change in the slightest.”
“Ran Fan is that kind of person. When he loves, he loves like this. You, of all people, should understand that best.”
Silence fell.
Jiang Minyu clenched his teeth so hard they nearly cracked, his eyes bloodshot and burning red.
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening broke the silence.
Ran Fan walked in from outside, dressed in a perfectly tailored white suit. In his arms, he held a baby.
Because Li Yang had deliberately kept them apart, Jiang Minyu had not seen Ran Fan’s face for a very long time. Now, standing there before him, Ran Fan looked radiant. Giving birth as a man seemed not to have drained him in the slightest. On the contrary, it appeared to have infused him with a new brilliance. His complexion was glowing, his features gentle and luminous, as though happiness itself had settled into his bones.
“Are you two chatting?”
The atmosphere in the room was clearly strained, thick with unspoken tension yet the air around Ran Fan was always soft, as though he carried warmth with him wherever he went. Holding the baby carefully in his arms, he smiled, whether intentionally or not, it was impossible to tell and said in a light, teasing tone:
“Baby, look, who is this? That’s Daddy and who else? That’s right, it’s big brother.”
Big brother.
Each word struck like a blade drawn across flesh.
Jiang Minyu could endure no more. Without another word, he turned and hurried out of the reception room.
Li Yang did not watch his retreating back.
Instead, he stood up, gently taking the baby into his own arms and leaned down to press a kiss to Ran Fan’s forehead.
“He finally fell asleep with difficulty. Don’t wake him.”
When he noticed Ran Fan’s gaze lingering toward the door, he asked softly, “Worried?”
“Yes.”
“He probably won’t come back. If you’re uneasy, I can have a few people follow him.”
Ran Fan nodded. Then his eyes shifted to Li Yang’s face and remained there, unmoving.
Li Yang smiled at him while holding the child. “What is it?”
Ran Fan’s voice was steady, sincere. “Sir, you truly are the most charming man in this world.”
“Have I captivated you?”
“Yes. Completely captivated.”
They leaned in and kissed.
Li Yang, who had just recently celebrated his fortieth birthday with Ran Fan, felt his heart beating fiercely in his chest, just as it had in his most reckless, impetuous youth. He recognized this feeling well. He was submerged in love.
“Minyu will get better,” he said quietly. “He just needs time.”
Ran Fan did not respond to that. He simply continued looking at the man before him and spoke from the depths of his heart.
“Sir, you are my husband. You are the most important.”
Li Yang’s eyes curved slightly as he let out a soft laugh. “Fan Fan, are you nervous?”
“With you holding my hand, I’ll feel better.”
“Then we’ll hold hands.”
They kissed once more.
Then, carrying new life in their arms, they stepped forward together, into the light.
(The End)
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[Translator]
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← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Let’s break upChapter 2 · A hand landed on Ran Fan’s backChapter 3 · Jiang Wenyu’s biological fatherChapter 4 · Li Yang kissed him againChapter 5 · Could you come to the hospital?Chapter 6 · I hope you can give birthChapter 7 · Are you bothered by the fact that I am Jiang Wenyu’s biological father?Chapter 8 · Don’t you think I’m ordinary?Chapter 9 · Don’t consider it me going back on my wordChapter 10 · You are a truly remarkable personChapter 11 · Would you say you’re cold-hearted towards Ran Fan?Chapter 12 · Dr. Ran resigned several months ago.Chapter 13 · Can we meet up?Chapter 14 · You also know the child’s fatherChapter 15 · You are the most important to meChapter 16 · Extra 1Chapter 17 · Extra 2Chapter 18 · Extra 3