TA •Chapter 66

"Do you want to check the call log first?" Jiang Yuduo said, flipping through the man’s phone.

"Cheng Yi wouldn’t let this person reach him directly," Cheng Ke said. "He’d definitely have someone arrange everything so it had nothing to do with him."

"Then how are you going to confront him? Without evidence?" Jiang Yuduo tossed the phone to Chen Qing. "Go get the photos in here printed out."

"No evidence is needed," Cheng Ke said. "At a time like this, evidence is just me saying it’s him, and that means it’s him. Whoever says otherwise, it doesn’t matter."

Jiang Yuduo looked at him but said nothing.

A ringing sound came through the phone’s receiver. Cheng Ke’s breathing tightened with it, and he took a deep breath. His hand was shaking a little, and he couldn’t tell whether it was from anger or the cold.

He looked at the people in the car, still struggling and cursing, and tightened his grip. If he put in a little more strength, maybe he really would crush the phone in his hand.

When the call connected, the voice that came through was not Cheng Yi’s, but a woman’s.

"Hello, Young Master. The Second Young Master is in a meeting right now and doesn’t have his phone with him." There was a trace of surprise in the woman’s voice, probably because she hadn’t expected Cheng Yi’s phone to still be able to receive his call.

"How long until it’s over?" Cheng Ke asked. He recognized the voice as Cheng Yi’s assistant, Xiao Tang. Only she would address them as Young Master and Second Young Master.

"I’m not sure. He’s been in there for almost an hour," Xiao Tang answered.

"I’ll be at the company within the hour. Tell him to wait for me in his office," Cheng Ke said. Before the other side could say anything else, he hung up.

"You’re going to his company?" Jiang Yuduo frowned.

"Mm," Cheng Ke answered. "I’m going now. Have Chen Qing lend me this big truck. I’m not driving his little car. It’s too slow."

"You’re going alone?" Jiang Yuduo stared at him.

"He always makes a full show of everything. He won’t do anything to me," Cheng Ke said. "Besides, I’m going to his company to find him."

"Then are you planning to do anything to him?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

Cheng Ke looked at him without speaking.

"I’m going with you," Jiang Yuduo said. "I don’t care whether your judgment of him is right or not. My judgment is that I don’t trust it. What if he’s switched from acting school to stunt work?"

Cheng Ke couldn’t help laughing.

Chen Qing was still efficient. He lived up to his title as the great protector. He quickly got the photos printed out, then also pried out the man’s memory card.

"What should we do with these two?" Da Bin asked.

"Let them go," Cheng Ke said.

"You’ve got two minutes to disappear," Chen Qing said, bracing himself against the car door and looking at the people inside. "There are no surveillance cameras on this road. If you don’t leave within two minutes, you and the car are both mine. Call the police, cry injustice, do whatever you want."

The people in the car quickly gathered their things and sped off in the car with one shattered window.

Chen Qing even checked the time. "Efficient. Less than a minute."

Cheng Ke got into the Range Rover and sat in the passenger seat. Jiang Yuduo drove. Just after starting the car, the back door was pulled open, and Chen Qing and Da Bin got in, along with one other sturdy-looking guy with a face that looked like he had just gotten out of prison.

"You guys…" Cheng Ke turned around.

"I was telling you, Ji… Ke-ge," Chen Qing said. "This is my client’s car. The paint was just fixed, and he’s picking it up tomorrow morning. I have to go with you."

"I have to go with Qing-ge," Da Bin said.

Prison-face crossed his arms and said nothing. His expression basically said that since he was already in, he wasn’t getting out.

"I’m not going to fight," Cheng Ke reminded them.

"Don’t worry, Ke-ge, we’re not going in," Da Bin said. "Third Brother is going in with you. We’ll stay outside. If anything really happens, then we’ll go in to help clear things up."

Cheng Ke didn’t say anything else. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had. Jiang Yuduo had already driven off.

From here to Cheng Yi’s company was pretty far, farther than the glorious building where his father’s company was located. Cheng Ke had said he’d be there within the hour, but he probably wouldn’t make it right on time.

The scenery along the way was familiar and unfamiliar in turns. Sometimes, if you changed cars, what you saw outside changed too.

Cheng Ke kept turning his phone over in his hands. Now and then, he would glance at the screen.

Those two people should already have reported to whoever they answered to that their location had been exposed. Cheng Yi must have known by now too, so of course he wouldn’t contact him. Maybe in a little while, he would still be sitting in his office, cluelessly waiting for his dear brother after his important meeting was abruptly interrupted, letting everyone there know that the Cheng family’s eldest young master was not only useless, but a domineering kind of useless.

Jiang Yuduo drove fast. Faster than Cheng Ke had expected, probably by a fair bit.

As the car drew closer and closer to Cheng Yi’s company, Cheng Ke’s mood became complicated. In the little space carved out from the fury filling his head, there was only desolation.

He had thought since the day he left home that he would never go back, but that feeling was different from what he felt now. After today, he really would no longer be able to go back.

He turned his head to look at Jiang Yuduo. After today, the only things still truly left in his life were Pu Ding, that themed restaurant, and… Jiang Yuduo, this person whose mental state he still had no idea how to judge.

But such a pitifully small, somewhat chaotic life didn’t make him feel panicked. The only emotion was a faint sense of melancholy.

If he really counted carefully, the life he had always had was the one that had truly been empty.

"Is it the place up ahead?" Jiang Yuduo asked.

"Mm, there’s a parking lot entrance next to the building," Cheng Ke pointed it out to him. "Go down there."

"Is the whole building his company?" Chen Qing asked from the back.

"No," Cheng Ke said. "The top two floors."

"That’s not much," Chen Qing said. "Your dad’s whatever group has such a huge building. We need to go up with you later. Waiting downstairs is too far away."

Cheng Ke thought for a moment. "Then just wait in the reception area later."

"Okay." Chen Qing nodded.

After parking, they got into the elevator, and Cheng Ke pressed the button.

The elevator started going up. Since it wasn’t rush hour, it kept going without stopping halfway. The carriage was completely silent.

Just before it reached the floor, Chen Qing suddenly said, "Why do I feel a little excited?"

"If you’re still this excited when the doors open, just ride back down right away," Jiang Yuduo said. "Wait for us in the car."

"No," Chen Qing said. "I suddenly calmed down again. I’m at peace now."

Right after he said that, the elevator doors opened.

Cheng Ke walked out, turned around the elevator lobby, and saw the entrance to Cheng Yi’s company.

The entrance was pretty ordinary, all glass, with the front desk in full view and two young women standing behind it. It looked no different from any other company.

Cheng Ke was very familiar with this place. After all, for a while, he had followed behind Cheng Yi frequently, coming and going here and at his father’s company.

The front desk girls had already seen them the moment they came out of the elevator. One immediately picked up the phone, while the other looked over with a smile.

Cheng Ke glanced at the wall beside him. The reflection there really was a little nerve-racking. The four people behind him looked exactly like they were here to smash, rob, and loot.

"Mr. Cheng," the smiling receptionist said politely, bowing her head slightly. "Mr. Cheng is still in a meeting. He’ll be out soon. Please wait a moment."

The way she said it, it sounded like they weren’t even going to let him into the office, just block him right at the door.

Cheng Ke turned his head. Jiang Yuduo moved closer to him. "What is it?"

"You guys wait here for me," Cheng Ke said. "I’m going in."

"Okay." Jiang Yuduo hesitated for a moment, then nodded and jerked his chin at Chen Qing and the others.

The few of them walked over to the reception sofa and sprawled onto it together, lighting cigarettes. Da Bin looked at the front desk. "Miss, could you help us pour some water?"

"Just a moment," the receptionist said with a somewhat strained smile. She brought several cups of water over and set them in front of them, then turned back to Cheng Ke. "Mr. Cheng, please have a seat first…"

"Tell them you can’t stop me," Cheng Ke said, glancing at Jiang Yuduo’s side, then turned and walked straight in. "I’ll wait for him in his office."

"Mr. Cheng! Mr. Ch…" The receptionist followed a few steps, calling softly and anxiously.

Cheng Ke didn’t turn back or stop. As he crossed the middle of the office area, he could feel the eyes around him. Most of these employees recognized him. They all knew he was the Cheng family’s useless eldest young master, the older brother who gave their promising young CEO endless headaches.

By the time Cheng Ke reached the corridor, Xiao Tang had come jogging out from Cheng Yi’s office at the end of the hall. She must have gotten the front desk’s call and hadn’t expected him to come with other people, so she was probably trying to stop him.

When she saw him, Xiao Tang froze for a second, then immediately slowed down and came up to him with a smile. "Young Master, you came just in time. The Second Young Master just got back to his office."

"Mm," Cheng Ke nodded. "My luck’s pretty good."

Xiao Tang quickly turned and pushed open the office door. "Mr. Cheng, the Young Master is here."

Cheng Ke didn’t wait for the door to open all the way. He pushed it open himself and walked in.

Cheng Yi was sitting behind his desk by the window. Only when he saw Cheng Ke come in did he stand up. "Ge, what’s wrong? Why are you in such a rush?"

Cheng Ke said nothing. He walked to the front of Cheng Yi’s desk and stopped there, facing him.

"Does the Young Master still want coffee?" Xiao Tang asked.

"No need," Cheng Ke said. "Go out and close the door."

Xiao Tang hesitated and looked at Cheng Yi. Cheng Yi nodded, and she turned to leave, closing the door behind her.

"Ge…" Cheng Yi frowned, bracing himself on the desk. "Did something happen?"

Cheng Ke pulled down the zipper of his coat and tossed the printed photos onto the desk. "You didn’t get photos of me and Jiang Yuduo in bed, so you couldn’t get the money, is that it?"

Cheng Yi was stunned. He glanced down at the photos, then reached out and flipped through them. His brows immediately drew together. "What’s going on?"

"Let’s skip this question-and-answer round," Cheng Ke said. "Just tell me one thing."

Cheng Yi still frowned, looking at him without speaking.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Cheng Ke said. "I gave you an hour’s advance notice. With your IQ, that was enough time to come up with more than one reason. Pick any one and send me away with it."

"Ge," Cheng Yi gathered the photos together and tapped them with his finger. "Let me just ask you, what use do I have for these photos? Everyone knows you like men. What threat could these photos possibly pose to you?"

"You should be asking yourself that." Cheng Ke looked at him.

"Ge," Cheng Yi braced himself on the desk and leaned a little closer to him, saying word by word, "I really don’t know why you keep targeting me like this. Why do you always think I’m trying to hurt you? Why?"

When Cheng Ke faced Cheng Yi, what he found most unbearable was his state like this. He was calmer than anyone else, more patient than anyone else.

With Cheng Ke’s former personality and habits, facing someone like Cheng Yi, he would most likely have stayed silent and walked away, maybe even too lazy to keep questioning him.

But now, he had already been driven out of his old life. He accepted these changes and did not intend to pursue the reasons anymore. Yet Cheng Yi was like a thorn hidden in his clothes, suddenly appearing when he least expected it, pricking into his skin. It didn’t hurt, didn’t wound, but it made it impossible to sit or stand in peace.

There were some things, some people, Cheng Ke no longer wanted to endure. If the relationship couldn’t be escaped, then he might as well smash it to pieces.

Cheng Ke gave Cheng Yi no warning and no chance to prepare. He raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

After that crisp crack, the office fell into dead silence.

Cheng Yi hadn’t managed to dodge. He just froze there, his eyes full of shock.

All these years, Cheng Ke had never once taken the initiative to hit him. It had always been Cheng Yi provoking him, Cheng Ke being forced to strike back, and after middle school, there had been no more physical fights between them.

As for this slap, let alone an hour, Cheng Yi probably wouldn’t have imagined it even if given a year.

After a long silence, Cheng Yi finally looked at him and said, "Ge?"

"Are you recording this?" Cheng Ke looked back at him. "Or have you already called Dad or Mom? Am I being this cooperative, does that make you happy?"

Cheng Yi’s expression finally changed. The shock quickly darkened into something cold.

"Today, it’s not you asking me," Cheng Ke pointed at him. "It’s only me asking you. I’m asking you why now. You’ve got three seconds to answer."

"Cheng Ke, just what the hell…" Cheng Yi didn’t give up his last shred of restraint, even though his eyes had already gone so cold they could chill a person’s spine.

"One, two, three." Cheng Ke counted off the three numbers cleanly and efficiently, then raised his hand and punched him in the bridge of the nose.

Years of boxing practice had not been for nothing. Even though Cheng Ke used his left hand, the punch still landed solidly, with no loss of force.

Cheng Yi stumbled back two steps, bending over to clutch his nose. He didn’t move for a long time.

"I asked you why." Cheng Ke said it again, his voice still calm and steady.

"Cheng Ke!" Cheng Yi raised his head and shouted at him. His expression could no longer maintain its usual composure. "Are you crazy!"

"If I leave here today and don’t get an answer," Cheng Ke said, staring at him, "then you’ll get to see what I really look like when I go crazy."

Cheng Yi said nothing. He stared back at him just as fiercely, and Cheng Ke could even hear his breathing turning heavier and heavier with anger.

"You’re convinced I had those photos taken, aren’t you? Even if you can’t think of how I could use them to hurt you, you still believe that, right!" Cheng Yi’s voice was low and rough, thick with rage he could no longer hide.

"That’s right," Cheng Ke said, narrowing his eyes. "I’m convinced you wanted to hurt me, just like you’re convinced you won’t let me go."

"Right now, you’re just like that lowlife thug boyfriend of yours," Cheng Yi said through clenched teeth, word by word.

"That’s right. I’m a lowlife thug now, just like my boyfriend," Cheng Ke said, just as deliberately. "So hurry up and take those photos and tell Mom and Dad that I’ve become completely useless. They don’t need to expect anything from me anymore."

"Lowlife thug," Cheng Yi suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Do you really think you’ve said everything?"

Cheng Ke didn’t speak. Cheng Yi’s words suddenly made his heart go cold.

"Cheng Ke," Cheng Yi said, pulling a tissue from the box to press against his nose and then glancing at it before tossing it aside. He slowly walked up to Cheng Ke, nearly nose to nose with him. "Don’t you have anything else to add about your boyfriend?"

Cheng Ke’s voice also went cold. "Your interest in my boyfriend has gone beyond what I can tolerate. Do you want to come out to the whole family?"

"Cheng Ke," Cheng Yi stared at him for a moment. "Are you really okay with me telling Mom and Dad that your boyfriend isn’t just some street thug who fights and collects protection money to get by, but also a madman who escaped from a mental hospital?"