Can't Stop Him At All

After dropping off the kids, Wang Yan went to the office instead of heading home.

He didn't mind, but Gu Jia and Zhong Xiaoqin definitely wouldn't feel good about it.

He didn't have much to say about what had happened to Zhong Xiaoqin.

A shop sold counterfeit shoes, and a customer came in to demand a refund. Zhong Xiaoqin happened to walk by and stuck her nose in.

The problem wasn't resolved properly. On top of that, the customer and her husband might have come prepared from the start, and the conflict escalated.

Among the people watching, some had seen everything from the beginning, yet not one of them tried to pull anyone away and stop things from getting worse. They just stood there, holding up their phones and watching the show.

Once the story spread, a bunch of people who knew nothing about the facts and had never bothered to find out what really happened suddenly overflowed with righteous indignation. Then people with some influence started weighing in and condemning her, and the online mob let loose, hurling abuse without a second thought.

There were so many social phenomena like this. Whether it came down to the distortion of human nature or the decline of morality was hard to say.

When he got to the office, Wang Yan brewed himself a pot of tea and sipped it at his leisure.

"Ding. Ding. Ding."

Just then, the phone beside the tea table rang. Wang Yan glanced at it, furrowing his brow, then answered. "Hello? What is it?"

"Hm? When?"

"All right, got it."

"How did things go with the arrangements I asked you to make?"

"Are you sure everything's in place?"

"Good. That's all."

Wang Yan's subordinates had done their best. A week had already passed, and Chen Yu and his younger brother, Chen Xu, had been thoroughly taken care of. They spent every day drinking and carousing.

At first, they still shook their heads and refused. But after getting drunk a few times, and with all the things weighing on him lately—including his divorce and work—Chen Yu had simply let himself go.

Everything had a first time. Once you got past that first time, there was no point in making excuses and fooling yourself anymore. Chen Yu barely had time to enjoy his beloved photography; he spent every day surrounded by women instead. He'd already been run down from staying up late, but this time he wasn't just tired—he was drained.

China was seven or eight hours ahead of Europe. When the story blew up yesterday, it was afternoon over there.

After waking from a night of heavy drinking, Chen Yu, being a journalist, naturally checked the trending news. It didn't surprise him to see the story about Zhong Xiaoqin.

His instincts told him there was something wrong with it.

He hurriedly called Zhong Xiaoqin, but it was no use. She was drinking at the time.

That only made Chen Yu more worried. After thinking it over, he called Zhong Xiaoqin's parents and told them to get out of there and lay low for a while.

Then, without a second thought, he went next door, grabbed Chen Xu, and announced they were going back to China.

Chen Xu had been having a great time too. He was still seeing stars, and Chen Yu had to shake him awake.

"What are you doing, bro? Let me sleep a little longer. What's the rush?"

"Get up and pack. We're going back to China."

At the mention of going home, Chen Xu snapped awake. He was having too much fun to want to leave.

"Going home? We still have a whole week here. Why go back?"

"Something happened to Xiaoqin. I need to go check on her. Come on, hurry up."

Chen Yu had been living the good life these past few days, and Chen Xu had been right there enjoying it with him. He almost blurted out, "What does it have to do with you if something happened to her?" But in the end, he held his tongue. It was Chen Yu's business.

What else could he do as his brother? He got out of bed and packed without another word.

Chen Yu quickly contacted his subordinates, told them he was returning to China, and asked them to keep an eye on things and make sure the other employees were safe.

Once they had packed, he and Chen Xu bought two tickets home. The earliest flight was full, so they had to go through the extra trouble of taking a connecting flight.

It wasn't until the plane had climbed to ten thousand meters that Chen Yu finally came to his senses.

"Why am I doing this?"

Chen Yu kept questioning himself, but only he knew the real answer.

After hanging up, Wang Yan didn't know what to say.

He'd arranged everything this thoroughly. What more could he do?

He thought Zhong Xiaoqin was pretty awful, but he had to admit he respected Chen Yu for going this far.

It was Chen Yu's choice, and he should respect it.

Chen Yu could do whatever he wanted. Who was Wang Yan to interfere? All he'd done was guide things a little. In the end, it had been useless; what was bound to happen had still happened.

He thought he'd treated Chen Yu well. He'd given him money, a career, and a future. Over there, Chen Yu had experienced the customs of all kinds of countries through his subordinates' arrangements, and seen plenty of beautiful scenery.

And at the first bit of news, he still rushed back without stopping?

After thinking it over, Wang Yan called the two men working under him and told them to get started.

They were to anonymously report some of the dirty dealings at Zhong Xiaoyang's family's home to the relevant authorities. Wang Yan really couldn't stand Zhong Xiaoyang.

In essence, there wasn't much difference between the two of them. They both went after married women. But Wang Yan took things seriously and responsibly; he didn't sleep with someone and then run off. Besides, he knew Xu Huanshan would cheat, but all he'd done was lay the groundwork and nudge things along. With Gu Jia's personality, there had been a little flirtation, but if Xu Huanshan hadn't cheated, Wang Yan would have had no chance with her.

Looking at Zhong Xiaoyang's history of sleeping around and playing the field, it was obvious he was the type to have his fun and leave. Even that bastard Liang Zhengxian was miles better than him. At least Liang Zhengxian didn't mess around with married women—though that might just be because he wasn't into them.

Zhong Xiaoyang was from Northeast China, the same place as Wang Yan.

Honestly, given the times and the way he beat people up, there was no way he could avoid getting mixed up in that kind of thing. It was entirely a problem with the man himself.

Zhong Xiaoyang's family was bound to have some shady dealings or other. Once the authorities got involved, they were sure to go under.

Wang Yan would leave it at that. He wouldn't pull any more strings. It was up to Zhong Xiaoqin to decide what she wanted to do.

After giving his instructions, Wang Yan went back to work. The Liang family was already on the verge of collapse.

Gu Jia spent the whole morning trying to encourage Zhong Xiaoqin, hoping she could stay strong and get through this.

Zhong Xiaoqin didn't know what to do. She really had been frightened.

Just then, she got a call from her mother. "Xiaoqin, are you okay? I called you so many times yesterday, but couldn't get through."

"Mom, I'm fine. I'm at Gu Jia's. You don't need to worry. How are you two? Are you all right?"

"We're fine. Chen Yu called yesterday and told us to get out of there right away. We're at your second aunt's house now. Don't worry about us. Just take care of yourself."

Hearing that Chen Yu had kept an eye on her parents from Europe, Zhong Xiaoqin thought about how she'd treated him lately. She felt a little touched, but also strangely uneasy.

"Xiaoqin, how can people be so vicious?"

"Old Zhang next door messaged me this morning. He said when he went out, he saw that someone had splashed red paint all over our front door and plugged the keyhole with glue."

"They even spray-painted things on the wall. I'm telling you, what they wrote was vicious. Your dad even said that if we didn't live on a higher floor, they would've smashed the windows too. Those people... How can they do something like that?"

Listening to her mother's endless chatter, Zhong Xiaoqin felt terribly guilty, and tears filled her eyes. Yesterday she'd been so caught up in her own sadness that she hadn't even thought about what her parents were going through.

She forced herself to keep it together so her mother wouldn't notice. After comforting her for a while, she hung up.

Zhong Xiaoqin hugged herself and sobbed. Thinking about what her parents had endured, what she'd been through herself, and the tangled mess between her, Zhong Xiaoyang, and Chen Yu, all she could do was cry and let it out.

Gu Jia gently patted Zhong Xiaoqin, offering silent comfort.

She didn't know what to say. Anything she said could rub salt in the wound, so all she could do was stay by her side.

After a long while, Zhong Xiaoqin had cried herself out. She sat there, idly playing on her phone.

She saw the announcement her company had posted on Weibo, saying that the employee surnamed Zhong involved in the incident had been fired.

Furious, Zhong Xiaoqin stopped caring what anyone else thought and stormed over to the company to demand answers.

In the end, she found out that Zhong Xiaoyang had taken the blame for her.

Zhong Xiaoqin was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. She hadn't expected Zhong Xiaoyang to go this far for her.

She called Zhong Xiaoyang, asked where he was, and then went over, her mind heavy with worries.

When they met, Zhong Xiaoyang said a few things that were half true and half false, and told her a little about his family.

"I'm not even worried about my job, so what is there for you to worry about?"

"Besides, if the two of us get together, one of us would have to leave because of the office romance policy."

Zhong Xiaoqin couldn't handle that kind of talk. She felt a little sweet inside, but said, "Who said I wanted to be with you?"

"Zhong Xiaoyang, do you know what made me the angriest about this?"

"If this hadn't happened, I'd already have been ready to be your girlfriend. Now that you've gone and done this, it makes it seem like I'm only doing it to repay you."

With that, she turned to leave.

Hearing this, Zhong Xiaoyang knew exactly where he stood. He'd already succeeded, so why keep pretending?

He hurried forward, pulled Zhong Xiaoqin close, cupped her face, and kissed her.

Zhong Xiaoqin was swept up in the romance of the moment. The complicated feelings she'd had earlier, when she heard Chen Yu had told her parents to get out of there, were long forgotten.

She kissed Zhong Xiaoyang back just as eagerly.

After a long while, they finally broke apart.

Zhong Xiaoqin looked at Zhong Xiaoyang shyly but said nothing.

Zhong Xiaoyang sweet-talked her for a little longer before the two of them got back to the matter at hand.

"Xiaoqin, are you comfortable staying at Gu Jia's?"

That made Zhong Xiaoqin hesitate. "Not really, but I have nowhere else to go. Wherever I go now, I feel like people are staring at me, like they're about to come over and hit me or curse me out."

"How about... staying at my place for a while?" Zhong Xiaoyang said, looking as though he was only offering for her sake.

Honestly, the suggestion did appeal to Zhong Xiaoqin a little.

But they had only just confirmed their relationship. Moving in together right away didn't seem right. Zhong Xiaoyang might think she was easy and frivolous, and that wouldn't do. "No, I'll stick it out for a couple of days. We can talk about it then."

"Besides, I already rented a place. It's just that this whole thing makes it hard for me to go there."

Better to be awkward than to seem easy, even if it did inconvenience Gu Jia a little. She really had no choice, so she might as well shamelessly impose.

Seeing that there was no point pushing it, Zhong Xiaoyang didn't insist.

Zhong Xiaoqin left, giddy as a young girl.

As she walked, she kept thinking about their kiss. She even felt like skipping a little.

She returned to Tianyue Mansion in high spirits. But as soon as she got downstairs, her mood sank. She was living under someone else's roof—and under the roof of someone she didn't even like. No matter how thick-skinned she was, it still felt awful.

After contacting Gu Jia, the building staff helped Zhong Xiaoqin use her key card to get upstairs.

Seeing her friend looking both happy and troubled, Gu Jia wondered why her mood had changed so much. That morning, she'd been crying her eyes out. How had she perked up after going out once?

Gu Jia voiced her confusion. "Xiaoqin, you look so conflicted. What happened?"

Zhong Xiaoqin rattled off what had happened earlier, then ended with a pitiful little plea: "Gu Jia, I might have to impose on you for a few more days."

Gu Jia had already called Wang Yan about it when Zhong Xiaoqin left earlier. She had to take his feelings into account, after all.

Gu Jia waved a hand confidently. "What are you talking about, Xiaoqin? Don't worry. Stay as long as you want."

Gu Jia was clever enough not to comment on what Zhong Xiaoqin had told her.

Living with Wang Yan for so long had inevitably rubbed off on her. This time, she wasn't going to act self-righteous and run her mouth.

Seeing how firmly Gu Jia said it, and how unlike her slightly melancholy mood that morning she seemed, Zhong Xiaoqin realized she must have already talked it over with Wang Yan. She finally relaxed.

Wang Manni had also heard what had happened to Zhong Xiaoqin, and asked about it in the group chat.

Gu Jia invited her to meet at her dessert shop. Zhong Xiaoqin couldn't really go anywhere in her current state, and even though Gu Jia knew Wang Yan wasn't interested in Wang Manni and that she was with Liang Zhengxian anyway, she still didn't want Wang Manni coming over.

They were only friends on the surface. A little showing off once was enough; there was no need to think about anything more.

It wasn't far away, so Wang Manni came over during her lunch break.

She started by asking with concern, "Xiaoqin, are you okay?"

Though things between her and Zhong Xiaoqin had felt warm for a while, that feeling had only lasted briefly. Besides, she was in trouble and living under someone else's roof, so she managed a strained smile. "I'm fine. It's nothing now."

She told Wang Manni what had happened.

"Oh, I see. That guy really is good to you, huh? Honestly, how far have you two gotten?" Unlike Gu Jia, Wang Manni played along.

At the question, Zhong Xiaoqin felt that sweetness bubble up again. She really did have a big heart. "Manni, let me tell you..."

Caught up in the moment, she chattered on about the little flirtations and romantic moments between her and Zhong Xiaoyang.

Wang Manni played along and teased her a little, while Gu Jia smiled without saying anything, quietly eating her pastries as she listened to the two of them.

"By the way, a few days ago you said in the group chat that Liang Zhengxian was coming here to expand his business. How's that going?"

"He's staying at my place now. He probably has a lot of business to deal with, because he leaves early and comes back late every day. He's not as relaxed as he used to be," Wang Manni said, sounding a little sweet and a little disappointed.

"Oh, since he's in Shanghai now, hasn't his future lady boss gone to see him?" Zhong Xiaoqin teased.

Wang Manni furrowed her brow. "No. He didn't mention it. He seems so tired every day, so I didn't bring it up."

Gu Jia wanted to say something at that, but in the end, she kept quiet.

The three of them tacitly avoided talking about Wang Yan. Ever since Gu Jia and Wang Yan got together, Zhong Xiaoqin and Wang Manni had never discussed Gu Jia's private life.

The three friends chatted a little longer, then Wang Manni went back to work. Gu Jia drove Zhong Xiaoqin around to clear her head.

That afternoon, the brothers Chen Yu and Chen Xu returned.

Chen Yu rushed home. His place had been hit pretty badly too.

He ignored it, put his things down, and got straight to work.

He'd already figured out what to do on the plane: follow the leads to find the source, collect photographic evidence, and take down the whole operation in one sweep.

Over the next two days, Chen Yu and Chen Xu investigated, followed leads, and interviewed people. As a journalist who'd spent years on the front lines, Chen Yu had a sharp eye.

Apart from getting beaten up, everything went smoothly.

This time it was much worse than in the original story. Chen Yu was badly run down, and though Chen Xu was younger and had more energy, all his recent partying had left him in rough shape too.

If they hadn't called the police ahead of time, the officers who arrived in time to rescue them from a vicious beating, fists and clubs alike, might not have gotten there before they were beaten to death.

In the end, Chen Yu broke four ribs, fractured an arm, and cracked a bone in his leg. Chen Xu fared much better. He only had a limp and a slight arm strain. That was mainly because, when they were surrounded and kicked, Chen Yu had risked his life to protect him and taken most of the blows.

The result made everyone happy.

Zhong Xiaoqin was completely vindicated. The same people who had been hurling abuse at her now turned around, shamelessly liking and reposting stories in support of her. "See? She's a good person."

Chen Yu brought his company a lot of publicity and helped make the media outlet they ran well known. As for whether he got the result he personally wanted, that remained to be seen.

As Zhong Xiaoqin was lounging in the sun on the balcony and scrolling through her phone, Chen Xu called and told her to check the news.

After hanging up, Zhong Xiaoqin looked through her phone and saw a report about the bust of a counterfeiting operation. Thinking of Chen Xu's call, it was obvious who had done it.

She put down her phone and stared blankly into the distance, her heart stirring.

Thanks to my brother Blade Drinker, for another 100 coins.

Thanks to my brother Wang Mumu for the monthly ticket.

Thanks to my brother One Moment, for the monthly ticket.

Thanks to my brother Book Friend 20171029005308066 for the monthly ticket.

Thanks to my brother Book Friend 20180410234227016 for the monthly ticket.

As always, thanks to all the brothers who voted for me.

Thanks to the brothers who comment, and to the good brothers who just read without commenting.

Thanks to my brother Old Cheng (Cheng Jiean), my brother One Little Bookworm xwb, my brother Chaos Thorn, my brother Promise, my brother Impermanence, and many other good brothers. Forgive me, little bro, for not being able to keep track of everyone, so I'll thank these few brothers as representatives.

The big brothers never make a fuss; they just quietly vote. I see it all. Thanks for your quiet support all this time.

Thanks to all the big brothers for supporting me.