At noon, Zhenlong took everyone to his private estate. It was huge and completely guarded by serious-looking men. He showed Zhiyuan around.
"Since you have found out the truth," Zhenlong said carefully, "I guess it's okay for you to stay here, right? It's the safest place."
Zhiyuan nodded quietly, looking around. The walls weren't bare. They were covered in pictures. Pictures of Wenhao and Zhenlong together, young and smiling. Dr. Shen looked around too, a soft smile on his face. Yichen's gaze never left Zhiyuan, filled with a heavy guilt.
Zhiyuan hesitated, then pointed at the walls. "Do you... have more pictures?"
Zhenlong's eyes lit up. "Yeah. I have so many of them." His face grew sad. "When Wenhao died... Meilin told me how your uncle and aunt were thinking about burning all of his stuff. His personal things. So I asked her to sneak them out. To send them to me. I couldn't let them be destroyed."
He led Zhiyuan down a hall to a special room. He opened the door. "This room has all of Wenhao's things. From his life before... before everything."
Zhiyuan hesitated, then stepped inside.
The room was neat and organized. One wall was covered in frames. There were pictures of a young Wenhao graduating, smiling proudly. A picture of him and Dr. Shen in a basketball team, holding a trophy. Pictures Zhiyuan had never, ever seen.
On the opposite wall were pictures of Wenhao and Zhenlong. They were holding hands. Laughing. One picture showed Zhenlong kissing Wenhao's cheek. They looked so in love.
Zhenlong saw where Zhiyuan was looking and quickly turned one of the lovey-dovey photos face down, his ears turning red. "Oh, that... amm... those are not so important pictures."
Zhiyuan felt a real, small smile touch his lips. "They are... beautiful," he said softly. "I want to see them."
Zhenlong looked surprised, then smiled, still blushing. He nodded.
Zhiyuan walked slowly around the room, looking at each picture one by one. He saw his father as a young man happy, playful, full of life. He gently touched one picture of Wenhao laughing, his eyes shining. He tried hard not to cry.
Dr. Shen came over, pointing at different photos, his voice full of nostalgia.
"Oh! Is that the picture of us when we moved into our first apartment? Wah, I missed this! I thought we lost that picture!"
"Oh, oh! This one! This is when we celebrated his 21st birthday!"
"Oh and this one! Oh god, I can't forget this one! This is when he bunked our final class just to go hang out at the pier! We got in so much trouble!"
Zhenlong chuckled along with the stories, watching Zhiyuan's face.
Yichen stood by the door, just watching. He saw Zhiyuan's small smile, the way he carefully studied each photo. Inside, Yichen's heart ached, but he also made a quiet plan. In the future, he thought, I will also make a room like this. Filled with our memories. With Zhiyuan smiling. The thought made him smile a little inside.
But then he saw it Zhiyuan's shoulders began to shake. A quiet sob escaped him.
Zhenlong was at his side in an instant. "Hey, hey, it's okay," he said softly, reaching out. He pulled Zhiyuan into a tight, protective hug. Zhiyuan buried his face in his shoulder, crying quietly for the father he missed so much.
When the tears slowed, Zhiyuan pulled back. He sniffled and pointed to a particular photo on the "love" wall. In it, Wenhao looked very young, wearing what looked like a school uniform. Zhenlong stood beside him, looking handsome but noticeably older, wearing a sharp suit.
Zhiyuan frowned. "Why is Dad in a uniform here? And you... you're in a suit. He looks like a student."
Zhenlong froze. He and Dr. Shen shared a quick, panicked look.
Zhenlong pulled away, scratching the back of his neck. He gave a very sheepish grin.
"Amm... you see... you can say we... had... a huge... age gap." He laughed awkwardly. "Amm... oh! I remember! I have... am... his old clothes too! From school! Do you want to see them?"
He was desperately, obviously, trying to change the topic.
Dr. Shen couldn't hold it in anymore. He rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful.
"This," Dr. Shen announced, pointing a finger at Zhenlong. "This is the number one reason I hated him the most! He was older than Wenhao! Much older! It was not proper!"
Zhiyuan, still sniffling from his tears, let out a wet chuckle. He looked at his blushing father. "How much older?"
Zhenlong scratched the back of his neck again, looking everywhere but at Zhiyuan. "Well, you see... age is just a number... it's about the connection, really..."
Dr. Shen crossed his arms. "Oh, stop being a coward. Tell him."
Zhenlong sighed, defeated. "Fine. Amm... maybe... a few years..."
"Not more than ten," Dr. Shen cut in, his voice flat.
The room went silent.
Zhiyuan's jaw dropped open. Yichen, who had been quietly watching from the doorway, felt his own mouth fall open in shock.
"Ten... years?" Zhiyuan repeated, his eyes wide. He looked back at the picture. His father in his school uniform. Zhenlong in his sharp, expensive suit. Suddenly, the "age gap" made a lot more sense. "You... you were a full adult. And he was still in school?"
Zhenlong held up his hands. "It wasn't like that! We didn't get together then! We just... met! I was his... amm...helper
Dr. Shen snorted. "Helper Is that what they call it? You were a grown man, hanging around a teenager, buying him gifts, driving him in your fancy car. It made me sick!"
"I was a gentleman!" Zhenlong insisted, his face bright red now. "I waited! I waited until he was much older! And legal! Very, very legal!"
Zhiyuan just stared, his mind trying to process this new, very weird piece of information about his parents' love story. He looked from the flustered mafia boss to the disapproving doctor.
Yichen finally found his voice from the doorway, a low mutter. "Wow. No wonder Dr. Shen wanted to fight you."
Zhiyuan blinked. Then, to everyone's surprise, he started to laugh. It was a real laugh, shaking his shoulders. It was partly shock, partly the sheer absurdity of it all.
"So," Zhiyuan said, wiping a new tear this time from laughter from his eye. "My biological father is a mafia boss who had a huge crush on my schoolboy dad. This family just gets weirder and weirder."
He looked at the embarrassing photo again and shook his head, a true smile on his face for the first time in what felt like forever. Despite the shock, it was a human, messy, funny story. And for now, that felt okay.
Later that night, after dinner, the estate was quiet. Zhiyuan was standing by the large pool, his feet dipped in the cool water. He stared at the moon's reflection, feeling much lighter than before.
Behind him, a few feet away, Yichen stood watching. He looked like a lost puppy, afraid to come closer.
Dr. Shen came out from the house holding two steaming cups of tea. He saw Yichen standing there, looking completely miserable.
Dr. Shen chuckled. He walked over and held one cup out to Yichen. "Here. Go give this to him."
Yichen glanced at the cup, then back at Zhiyuan's back. He shook his head sadly. "He doesn't want anything from me."
Dr. Shen glared. "Go. Or I will kick your ass myself. Stop being a coward."
Yichen hesitated, but the doctor's glare was fierce. He finally took the cup. He walked slowly toward the pool, his heart hammering.
He sat down carefully on the edge, a little distance from Zhiyuan. He held out the cup of tea.
Zhiyuan didn't look at him. But after a moment, he silently reached over and took the cup from Yichen's hand. He took a small sip, still looking out at the water.
Yichen's heart squeezed. He swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry," Yichen whispered, his voice rough. "I'll... I'll never do it again. I swear."
Zhiyuan gave no reaction. He just took another sip of tea.
The silence was torture. Yichen started fidgeting, his words tumbling out in a desperate rush.
"Please... please don't ignore me. It hurts. It hurts so bad. I didn't mean to hurt you. I... I..." His voice cracked, thick with tears. A sob escaped him. "I love you, Zhiyuan. I love you so much. I've never loved anyone before like this. I... I didn't want to lie to you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
He was crying openly now, his shoulders shaking, sobbing like a heartbroken child.
Zhiyuan froze. He finally glanced over at Yichen. Seeing the tough, skilled bodyguard reduced to a sobbing, pleading mess was... not what he expected. A strange feeling bubbled up in his chest.
He tried to keep a straight face, to stay angry. But he couldn't. A snort escaped him. Then another. Before he knew it, he was laughing. A real, bright laugh that rang out in the quiet night.
Yichen looked up, shocked, his tears still streaming. "You... you're laughing? You're... you're not mad anymore?"
Zhiyuan shook his head, his laughter softening into a warm smile. In one quick move, he reached out, grabbed the front of Yichen's shirt, and pulled him close. He pressed his lips against Yichen's in a firm, sweet kiss.
Yichen melted instantly. All the tension, the fear, the guilt, evaporated. He was about to wrap his arms around Zhiyuan and deepen the kiss when Zhiyuan pulled back, just an inch away.
His smile was still there, but his eyes were serious. "This," Zhiyuan said, his voice low and clear. "This is your one and last chance. If you dare to lie to me again... I will kill you myself."
Yichen looked into those beautiful, serious eyes. He saw forgiveness. He saw a second chance. He saw love.
He didn't need any more words.
"Never," Yichen breathed out as a promise. Then he surged forward, capturing Zhiyuan's lips again with his own. This time, the kiss was deep, hungry, full of all the love and apology words couldn't hold.
Zhiyuan kissed him back just as fiercely, his hands coming up to grip the front of Yichen's shirt tightly, holding on as if he'd never let go. Under the moonlight, by the quiet pool, the last wall between them finally crumbled away.
The kiss was deep and healing, a silent promise in the moonlight. Then—
SPLASH!
A huge wave of cold pool water crashed over them, drenching them completely.
Yichen jumped back, startled. Zhenlong was now in the pool, treading water, looking up at the sky with an innocent whistle, as if he'd just happened to fall in.
Yichen scrambled away from the edge, his heart pounding with a different kind of fear now.
Zhiyuan, soaked and blushing bright red, quickly got to his feet. "I… I'll go change," he mumbled, not looking at anyone, and hurried back toward the house.
Yichen watched him go, relief and worry mixing in his gut.
The second Zhiyuan was out of sight, the atmosphere changed.
In a flash, Zhenlong's arm shot out of the water. He grabbed the front of Yichen's shirt and yanked him violently into the pool.
"AH—!"
Before Yichen could even catch his breath, a powerful hand clamped on the back of his neck and shoved his face under the water.
He struggled, bubbles erupting around him. Just as his lungs began to burn, he was hauled back up, gasping for air.
Zhenlong's face was inches from his, his eyes dark with fury. He kept a vise-like grip on Yichen's hair. "You dare?" Zhenlong snarled, his voice low and deadly. "You dare to kiss him?"
"I— Boss, I—" Yichen choked, trying to explain.
SHHHKKK!
His face was shoved under again, deeper this time. The world was muffled, cold, and terrifying. He couldn't fight he wouldn't fight his boss, his father-figure. He went limp, waiting for it to end.
He was dragged up again, coughing and gasping.
"Didn't I tell you to keep your distance?" Zhenlong roared, shaking him by the hair. "Your job was to protect him! Watch over him! Not to put your hands on him! I haven't forgiven you for the last time! And now you're kissing him again?"
Zhenlong's breath was hot and angry against Yichen's wet face. "Keep. Your. Distance. From. Him."
"I'm… sorry… I love him…" Yichen rasped out, water dripping from his lips.
"LOVE?" Zhenlong yelled, the word echoing off the water. "If you really love him, then you will stay AWAY from him!"
He shoved Yichen's head under a third time, holding it longer. Yichen's hands clenched into fists under the water, but he didn't resist.
When he was pulled up, he was barely conscious, wheezing for air.
Zhenlong brought his face close, his voice dropping to a harsh, desperate whisper. "The mistake I made… I won't let you repeat it. The world we are from… the bullets, the blood, the enemies around every corner… it is not safe for him. It killed Wenhao. It will kill him too if we drag him in. Do you understand? Do you understand?"
Yichen, trembling and breathless, looked into the eyes of a man haunted by his greatest failure. He finally saw it this wasn't just anger. This was terror. The same terror Yichen felt every time Zhiyuan was in danger.
Weakly, shivering, Yichen managed a small, defeated nod. "I… understand."
The fight left Zhenlong's body. He released Yichen's hair. Yichen slumped in the water, holding onto the edge of the pool, utterly broken, not by the violence, but by the horrible truth in his boss's words.
Back in his room, Zhiyuan sat on the edge of the bed. He rubbed his hair gently with a soft towel. He was changed into dry, warm clothes. The room was quiet.
He felt different. Lighter. The heavy stone of secrets that had been sitting on his chest for weeks felt... smaller. Not gone, but manageable.
He looked out through the open balcony doors at the night sky. He could almost feel a presence there, like a warm memory.
"Dad?" he whispered to the quiet air, a small, hesitant smile on his face. "Can you hear me?"
He paused, as if listening to the breeze.
"Me and dad had a long conversation...He's... a lot. Really dramatic. And he has a terrible temper." Zhiyuan chuckled softly to himself. "But... he loved you. I can see it. In his eyes. In every picture on his wall."
He looked down at his hands. "I saw the room. With all your things. I saw you smiling. I saw you young and happy. I never knew that person. But I'm glad I met him today."
A wave of emotion hit him, but it wasn't sharp pain anymore. It was a soft, sad warmth.
"I'm so tired, Dad. Of the fighting. Of the company. Of other's games. I just... I don't want to go back."
He said it out loud, and it felt true. It felt like a weight lifting.
"I don't want to be CEO Liang right now. I just want to be... me. Zhiyuan. The man who is learning who he is. The man who... who might be in love with a very stupid bodyguard."
He shook his head, but he was still smiling.
"I feel like I finally took a full breath for the first time in twenty years. It's scary. But it's also... peaceful here. Even with all the crazy people."
He lay back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. His voice was just a soft murmur now, a son sharing his heart with a father he hoped was listening.
"I wish you were here to tell me what to do next. But maybe... maybe it's okay that I don't know. Maybe for a little while, I can just... be.....free"
He closed his eyes, the towel forgotten beside him. For the first time in a long, long time, the thoughts in his head were quiet, and the feeling in his heart was something close to hope.
Yichen's room was dark. He sat on the floor, his back against the side of the bed. A single cigarette burned between his fingers, its tip glowing orange in the darkness.
He didn't smoke often. Only when his mind was a battlefield, and he couldn't find peace.
Zhenlong's words played on a loop in his head.
"If you really love him, then stay AWAY from him."
"The mistake I made… I won't let you repeat it."
"The world we are from… it is not safe for him."
He took a slow drag, the smoke burning his lungs. He held it in, as if the pain could clear his thoughts. Then he let it out in a long, shaky stream.
He's right.
The thought was a knife to his own heart.
The world of violence and shadows. The world Han Zhenlong ruled.
It's dangerous. His love was a target painted on Zhiyuan's back.
But…
He remembered Zhiyuan's laugh by the pool. The way he had pulled him close for that kiss. The warmth, the forgiveness, the love in his eyes just moments before Zhenlong interrupted.
He needs me too. Not just a bodyguard. He needs someone who sees him. Just Zhiyuan.
Another drag. The ash grew longer.
What's worse? he asked the empty room. Leaving him alone and safe but heartbroken? Or staying by his side and knowing I might be the reason he gets hurt again?
He thought of Wenhao. He'd only seen him in pictures vibrant, alive, loved. Gone too soon because of the world Zhenlong brought to his door.
Is that Zhiyuan's future if I stay?
The cigarette was almost down to his fingers. He didn't feel the heat.
Zhiyuan's voice from earlier echoed in his memory "This is your one and last chance. If you dare to lie to me again..."
But this wouldn't be a lie. This would be leaving. To protect him. Was that a betrayal too?
He stubbed the cigarette out in a small glass tray on the floor. The room was plunged into near darkness again, save for the moonlight.
He dropped his head into his hands.
His heart screamed one thing. His duty, his fear, and the ghost of Wenhao whispered another.
He had no answer. Only the crushing weight of a love that felt like it could destroy the very person he wanted to save.