The Disliked Shou and the Charming Gong : Chapter 24: Your Husband Hired Me to Seduce You

He Ning’s brows were tightly knitted: “How would you know?”

Wen Junhe calmly took the phone from his hand and scooped him up onto the bed: “I happened to see him once before. His name is He Cheng. He emigrated a long time ago. There’s no real evidence to prove this matter.”

He Ning searched his memory for this vague name. An old man, old enough to be Han Qing’s grandfather. Just imagining the scene made his stomach churn. Wen Junhe was right, there was no solid proof, but letting Han Qing off the hook like this just didn’t sit right with him.

Wen Junhe’s fingers threaded through He Ning’s hair, like he was coaxing a child: “Don’t worry about anything else besides the case. I’ll have someone look into it. Sleep first.”

Half of He Ning’s face was buried in the soft down comforter, his tone carrying deliberate sharpness: “You and Han Qing were pretty close, weren’t you? Even knowing something like this. He sure was good to you.”

Wen Junhe’s gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds before he admitted fault cleanly: “I was blind before. I didn’t know people well enough.”

He Ning didn’t respond.

The warm yellow bedside lamp illuminated his dark hair and crimson lips. He looked a bit sickly, yet breathtakingly striking.

He Ning suddenly looked up, as if remembering something: “That social media account you had before, you made it specifically for me to see, didn’t you?”

Wen Junhe admitted: “I just wanted to get a rise out of you.”

Those carefully staged photos, the deliberately checked-in art exhibitions, they were all He Ning’s preferences. Wen Junhe himself never cared for these things. All these years he had been like a machine that never stopped, desperately making money, going it alone. Until one day he realized that what he was chasing was never fame or fortune, but the lover he had lost along the way.

How had He Ning never noticed before that Wen Junhe had such a repressed side to him? A warm palm kneaded at his waist, the pressure just right, making his whole body go soft. Like a cat being petted the right way, lazily squinting his eyes.

“You’re really something, stop rubbing,” He Ning’s voice carried the hoarseness of illness, yet somehow it was alluring, “Haven’t you noticed your hand is wandering lower and lower?”

Wen Junhe moved his hand away from He Ning’s backside. He Ning’s skin glowed with a moist luster, like a piece of fine mutton fat jade, the kind of quality that came from being raised in wealth: “I won’t touch anymore. You keep sleeping.”

Sometimes Wen Junhe would stare at He Ning with such intensity that his soul seemed to get sucked right out of him.

He Ning reached out to touch Wen Junhe’s face, his fingertip lifting his chin, his finger sliding to his Adam’s apple and pressing lightly. Because of his illness, his voice was softer than usual: “Wen Junhe, I won’t feel guilty. This is all what you owe me.”

He Ning had never thought of himself as a good person.

Wen Junhe’s words “disgusting” from back then had been grinding against his heart all these years.

He had He Hongxing’s blood running through his veins. He knew that better than anyone. Growing up watching his father do evil out in the world, he had had chances to stop him. He hadn’t missed out on the benefits those dirty dealings brought either. He had enjoyed that poisonous shelter, so paying the price was only fair.

But when it came to Wen Junhe alone, his hate was crystal clear. Every bit of sincerity he had given, he remembered down to the last detail.

The calmer Wen Junhe’s gaze was when he looked at him, the more he wanted to tear that fake, proper mask right off his face.

Back when he was in the deepest pain and despair, He Ning had thought about dying. He had worn the blue and white striped hospital gown and climbed up to the hospital rooftop alone. He Ning didn’t want to live without dignity like this.

At the time, the side effects of his medication made black spots dance before his eyes, and sharp ringing in his ears nearly pierced his eardrums.

The moment he looked down, a wave of dizziness crashed over him. His heart beat so fast it felt like it would shatter his ribs. He Ning bit down hard on his tongue, the taste of blood spreading through his mouth, his fingers clutching at his clothes and shaking uncontrollably.

Wen Junhe’s voice, which had once been calm to the point of cruelty, chose that exact moment to echo clearly in his ears. They had once watched a news report about someone jumping off a building.

“When a person falls from a height, their eyeballs fill with blood, blood vessels burst, the moment they hit the ground their bones pierce their internal organs, and nerve endings send waves of unbearable pain straight to the brain…”

Every word was like mocking his cowardice.

He Ning staggered back two steps. The night wind whipped through his thin hospital gown, so cold he shook all over.

When He Ning returned to his hospital room with a deathly pale face, the nurses were running around in a panic.

Now Wen Junhe was like dead wood meeting spring, finally knowing how to love someone. But this new life was reserved for He Ning alone. No one else could even touch it.

Wen Junhe understood the meaning in He Ning’s words. Slowly he reached out and grasped the other person’s wrist, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy, just enough to steady him.

“I know. So I’m willing to do anything for you.”

He Ning: “Anything? Even if it goes against your principles?”

Wen Junhe: “You wouldn’t.”

“You wouldn’t.” Wen Junhe repeated it again, his voice even softer this time, yet carrying unshakable certainty.

He Ning suddenly laughed.

The next day He Ning was clearly feeling much better.

They went out on the ocean on a speedboat. Wen Junhe changed into casual clothes and followed behind. Meng Xuan sat at the bow of the boat. The moment he saw Wen Junhe his face changed, cursing filthily under his breath, grabbing his sunglasses and getting up to leave. The humiliation on his face made him look like he’d been slapped in public.

Zhou Chong, on the other hand, was calm. Looking at He Ning and Wen Junhe standing openly side by side, He Ning didn’t show even a hint of embarrassment.

Zhou Chong: “He Ning, you had quite a day yesterday.”

“Aren’t we going out on the ocean? Are we leaving or not?” He Ning said this lightly.

Meng Xuan jerked to a halt, spinning around with fire practically shooting from his eyes: “He Ning, did you bring him here specifically to make me lose face?”

He Ning: “Meng Xuan, don’t go crazy.”

Meng Xuan: “He Ning, do you think I have no bottom line when it comes to you?”

He Ning let out a scoff: “That year I fell into the water, you were the one who pulled me out. I’ve always remembered that. If you really want to settle accounts down to the last penny, you’re the one who insisted on coming up to me to be my dog. I haven’t forgotten who made me lie in a hospital bed for three months. Han Qing was the one holding the knife, but you were the one who handed it to him.”

“You really think I can play around with you again without any hard feelings? I only kept you around because you still had some use. Did we really have to spell it out like this?”

Meng Xuan’s face instantly went deathly pale.

He knew He Ning well. Useless things were always thrown away without hesitation.

Before, he had still had a place by He Ning’s side. Now he wasn’t even worth a second glance.

He only ever went soft on Wen Junhe again and again.

“Wen Junhe! Did you say something to him again?” Meng Xuan suddenly exploded, reaching out to grab Wen Junhe’s collar.

Wen Junhe was faster, landing a punch on his cheekbone.

Meng Xuan staggered back, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, then threw himself forward without caring about anything else. The two of them tussled and knocked over a coffee table, shattering glass cups all over the floor.

Wen Junhe pinned Meng Xuan to the ground, his fingers pressing against his throat: “You show some respect.”

He Ning told Wen Junhe not to make an ugly scene. They were here to have fun, and having a good time was what mattered most.

He Ning boarded the speedboat and greeted Zhou Chong across from him: “Brother-in-law, hello.”

Zhou Chong looked at Wen Junhe, found it boring, and got off the boat too.

He Ning frowned at the scrape on Wen Junhe’s knuckles, his tone carrying some impatience: “Why did you fight with him? He’s just crazy.”

The speedboat rocked gently with the waves. He turned to look at the other boat that had already sailed far away, Zhou Chong’s figure growing smaller and smaller in his sight.

The sea wind whipped He Ning’s shirt into a loud flutter.

“Meng Xuan isn’t someone who can win arguments. You could say a few random things and he’d be half dead from anger. But no wonder he hangs out with Zhou Chong. They’re both crazy.”

“One year in high school I was really into this young celebrity. When he found out, he had the guy brought right to me, set up a private concert, had him sing just for me alone. He scared that poor celebrity half to death. Later I had my dad compensate him with some resources as payment for emotional damages.”

When He Ning brought this up, Wen Junhe remembered.

Back then He Ning had indeed been obsessed with a young celebrity. He couldn’t remember the name, but he had gone to that celebrity’s performances many times. His phone was full of concert videos, and he could always hear He Ning humming that person’s songs.

Originally, He Ning’s phone wallpaper had always been a photo of him and Wen Junhe together. Later it was changed to a photo of He Ning and that celebrity.

Wen Junhe remembered that he had been jealous back then.

Later He Ning suddenly stopped mentioning that celebrity, stopped singing his songs. Wen Junhe had thought it was just a passing phase.

Now he knew it was because that crazy Meng Xuan had basically kidnapped the guy and brought him right to He Ning.

Wen Junhe imagined the scene. He Ning sitting in an empty audience seat, on stage a celebrity forced to perform, Meng Xuan standing nearby like some perverted director.

Pretty crazy indeed.

“I told him back then not to do that kind of thing ever again. You could say he was good to me, he really was. But sometimes the way he did things was just like my father. I couldn’t accept it.”

Meng Xuan simply didn’t understand the meaning of knowing when to stop.

He Ning: “I even started to wonder if my affection was like the plague to some people.”

Wen Junhe said: “It isn’t.”

He Ning thought, back then Wen Junhe definitely hadn’t thought that way.

He Ning simply leaned on the railing to feel the wind. His hair was blown into a complete mess by the sea wind, a few strands plastered right onto his face.

“Go inside,” Wen Junhe urged him, “You just got over your fever.”

He Ning didn’t move. Instead he leaned back, pressing against Wen Junhe’s chest.

He Ning closed his eyes and nuzzled into his embrace again: “Stop talking nonsense. Let me lean on you for a bit.”

Wen Junhe’s hand hovered in midair, but finally came to rest lightly on his waist.

He Ning and Wen Junhe stayed two more days on the island.

The old guys on the board had been giving He Ning dirty looks openly and secretly lately, but they didn’t dare to act up because of his special status. After all, He Ning hadn’t stepped on their sore spots yet.

A charity sale invited a fairly famous singer to draw a crowd. He Ning stood below the stage and heard a clear, bright voice singing a lazy little tune, completely at odds with that person’s flamboyant look on stage.

The pink-haired singer sat on a tall stool holding a guitar, the stage lights falling on him like they had wrapped him in a layer of fog.

An assistant leaned over to whisper an introduction: “Jin Mi, child star debut, not as famous as before but still has some name recognition. Originally they were only going to send some small celebrity from his company, didn’t expect him to come personally.”

He Ning stared at the person on stage for a while, remembering that the last time they met was at that ridiculous show Meng Xuan had forced on him.

Back then Jin Mi had been the same, with pink hair, cursing him out up one side and down the other.

On stage, Jin Mi seemed to spot him. He switched to an old song, his fingers flying over the strings, his pink hair swaying with the rhythm. He Ning suddenly smiled and started clapping.

Back then, to compensate Jin Mi, He Ning had stuffed him with quite a few resources. But the guy had also made something of himself, managing to stand firm in the industry on his own merit.

When the event ended, the sky was already darkening. Wen Junhe sent a message asking if he wanted to come eat at his place, saying he had bought fresh fish.

He Ning had just pulled out his phone to reply when Jin Mi’s manager came to pass on a message, saying he wanted to invite him for a drink.

He Ning’s fingers paused on the screen for two seconds, then replied with “have work.”

The hotel hallway was covered with thick carpet, completely muffling footsteps. When he rang the doorbell, Jin Mi opened the door very quickly, as if he had been waiting right by the entrance.

The young man was only wearing a thin shirt, his collar open, sequins from his performance still stuck on his collarbones.

“Young Master He, long time no see.” Jin Mi stepped aside to let him through. Warm air from the room mixed with a faint scent of perfume, hitting him in the face.

He Ning glanced at the bottles of alcohol arranged on the coffee table. He thought Jin Mi had chosen a hotel because he was a public figure, both avoiding attention and maintaining some dignity.

“No need to call me that. I can’t live up to the ‘young master’ title anymore. Just call me He Ning.”

He Ning took the glass Jin Mi handed him. Jin Mi said this was fruit wine, very low alcohol content. The room was a bit stuffy, so He Ning loosened his collar. Ever since Wen Junhe started keeping an eye on him, he had barely touched a drop of alcohol. He cautiously took a small sip, his Adam’s apple bobbing twice, then downed a big gulp. The taste really did seem different from other alcohol. Jin Mi suddenly leaned in closer, his elbow propped on the coffee table, his chin resting in his palm.

He stared at the ring on He Ning’s ring finger for a while, then suddenly smiled: “How strange. You actually did end up married to a man. But back then didn’t you tell me you were definitely going to marry your boyfriend at the time?”

Jin Mi’s tone couldn’t be called mocking or sentimental. He was simply stating a fact.

He Ning didn’t respond right away. He had liked Jin Mi quite a lot back then, because he thought he sang well and had personality.

“People can’t have everything go their way.”

“Do you like your husband now?”

He Ning was caught off guard by the question and brushed it off: “He’s alright.”

Jin Mi spoke again: “You’ve changed a lot. But you’re still so good-looking.”

He Ning changed the subject and chatted with Jin Mi about his new album, when he suddenly felt his head growing heavy, his temples throbbing. He pulled open his collar to cool down, but his skin was getting hotter and hotter, even his breath carrying an abnormal heat.

He jerked his head up to look at Jin Mi, looking at the glass of fruit wine he had just finished: “You put something in this?”

Jin Mi tilted his head and smiled, pink hair falling over his eyes, paired with that delicate face, looking exactly like an elf straight out of a fairy tale. He shook his glass, ice cubes clinking against it: “Yeah. Originally one of my colleagues was supposed to come today. When I saw your name, I volunteered.”

He leaned in closer, his breath hitting He Ning’s flushed face: “Actually, I never forgot you. All these years, you’ve always been my most loyal little fan. But back then a young master like you definitely wouldn’t have looked twice at a small celebrity like me, right?”

“All these years, and here we are meeting again. Isn’t this fate?”

He Ning cursed out a string of profanity, bracing himself on the sofa arm to stand up, but his knees went weak and he fell right back down.

Jin Mi grabbed his wrist, his grip surprisingly strong: “What’s the rush?”

He pressed against He Ning’s ear, his voice light as a feather: “Don’t worry. Your husband hired me to seduce you. He said just make you happy.”