Shameless

Ye Ruan's racing heartbeat slowly turned cold. His eyes seemed veiled in ice, and his pale fingers tightened around the man's wrist.

"Nan! Han!"

Ye Ruan yanked the man's wrist away, clenched his hand into a fist, and smashed it toward Nan Han's face!

Caught off guard, Nan Han's head snapped to the side under the punch.

Two figures suddenly rushed out from behind him. In seconds, they intercepted several of Ye Ruan's punches, then joined forces with some difficulty to restrain him and pin him against the nearby wall.

One of them pressed his fingers into the wound on the back of Ye Ruan's shoulder, turning his face deathly pale with pain.

"Let go of me!"

Nan Han wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, gave a calm, composed smile, and stood before Ye Ruan.

"Son, why start swinging the moment we meet? Are you short on money lately? How is your mother doing? I heard she's going back to the research institute this year to undergo..."

"Shut up!" Ye Ruan turned and stared daggers at Nan Han, wishing he could tear him apart with his teeth.

Nan Han was over fifty, but looked barely forty. He wore a suit every day, his hair meticulously combed.

Both his manner and the way he handled things gave an impression of cold, ruthless cruelty.

Ye Ruan had no idea how his mother had ever fallen for a scumbag like him.

"You and my mother are already divorced. It's none of your business."

"Even if she and I are divorced, you're still my biological son. Blood is thicker than water."

Nan Han gently rested his palm against the back of Ye Ruan's head. With that smile on his face, he almost looked like a loving father.

Ye Ruan's crimson eyes turned blood-red, and he suddenly gathered his strength and raised his foot to kick him!

The two men holding Ye Ruan instinctively pressed him harder against the wall.

The wound on the back of his shoulder had nearly healed, but under one man's hand, the newly grown flesh tore open, and blood instantly stained Ye Ruan's sweater red.

The pain nearly brought Ye Ruan to tears. He bit down hard on his lower lip without making a sound.

Nan Han glanced at his shoulder. "That's enough. Let him go."

"General..."

Nan Han said, "It's fine. Let go."

Ye Ruan closed his eyes briefly, then turned to lean his back against the wall.

"Dumpling, all three teams will assemble in the auditorium in five days. The higher-ups have an announcement to make. Of course, you deserve a reward for making it out of City H alive, too."

Nan Han patted Ye Ruan's shoulder, his cold fingers wiping the dust from that fair little face.

"Daddy will come in person to bring you your medal."

Ye Ruan turned his face away in disgust, rejecting his touch.

Nan Han merely smiled, utterly unconcerned, then turned and left.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Ye Ruan stood silently for a long time, then bent over with his hands braced on his knees and retched.

So disgusting.

Just seeing Nan Han made him sick.

Ye Ruan's slender body trembled slightly. His eyes burned, and he felt deeply wronged.

He desperately wanted to see Gu Cheng.

He wanted Gu Cheng to hold him and soothe him softly.

Even if he couldn't have any of that, just holding hands would be enough.

Feeling Gu Cheng's warmth would make it hurt less.

Ye Ruan hurried toward the second floor again, only to stop abruptly just before he reached it.

He stood there wavering for a long time. In the end, reason won out. Ye Ruan took one long look at the nearby hospital room door, then turned and went downstairs.

Inpatient ward, room 208.

"You've really fucking lost it! You dragged all those people into staying there three extra days just to set a trap for Ye Ruan!"

Lying in his hospital bed, Fang Ci turned his head and unleashed a torrent of curses, abandoning his image for the first time.

The culprit, Gu Cheng, munched on an apple, his expression unruffled.

"What are you yelling for? Didn't I have Jingjing bring you back early? It's not like I mistreated you."

Fang Ci was so furious his lungs hurt. "Sure. Sixth Brother and Old Li nearly starved until they were unrecognizable."

Gu Cheng scoffed. "You're exaggerating. At most, those two lost a little weight."

"Fine. I can't win an argument with you."

Fang Ci looked helpless. "But you didn't have to put yourself in the hospital, did you? The First Team members are all waiting for you to train them."

Gu Cheng clicked his tongue and patted his chest.

"You think my ribs are really broken? You think I really bashed a dent into my head?"

Gu Cheng laughed at him. "Fang, you're too naive. Learn a thing or two from me. If you want to stop being single, you need one trick after another."

"Sure, you got your tricks. I nearly fucking worked myself to death dealing with all those doctors." Xu Chu opened the door and walked in, cursing.

"If you're fine, hurry up and get discharged. I can only cover for you for three days at most."

Gu Cheng grinned. "Three days it is. I'm waiting for my wife to come."

Xu Chu said, "Oh, so you're really sitting here waiting to catch your rabbit."

Gu Cheng finished the last bite of his apple and tossed the core neatly into the trash, then laced his hands behind his head and lounged at ease.

"My bunny loves me so much. Once he hears I'm hurt, he'll definitely come running to me, all tearful and pitiful."

Gu Cheng chuckled. "Then all I have to do is hold Bunny and soothe him a little, tie him up with a belt while I'm at it, and carry him straight back to my room and lock him inside."

Fang Ci said, "...You really have no shame."

Xu Chu sneered. "No shame? I doubt this bastard ever had any to begin with."

Gu Cheng swept a disdainful glance over the two of them.

"You're just jealous of my handsome face. If I weren't good-looking, my little bunny would've beaten me to death ages ago for getting handsy."

Xu Chu clicked his tongue. "Such a pretty little bunny, wasted on you. What a pity."

Gu Cheng paused and frowned. "From the sound of it... you've met my wife?"

Xu Chu didn't dare admit that he had once pulled up the bunny's shirt to confirm his suspicions.

He was even less willing to admit that he had been the one to check the bunny's body for injuries.

What the fuck did that count as? Taking liberties with his buddy's wife?

With Gu Cheng's shameless possessiveness, if he found out about those two things, he would probably hurl Xu Chu off the second-floor balcony.

Xu Chu gave a vague smile. "I happened to ride in the same car as him when I came back from the defense line a few days ago. He had two kids with him. I thought they were his."

Knowing what the outrageously flirtatious Gu Cheng liked to hear, Xu Chu deliberately added:

"I even asked the little bunny whether Gu Cheng was his man. Who knew Ye Ruan was so shy? He was embarrassed for ages and never answered."

Against his conscience, Xu Chu chose to forget the murderous look Ye Ruan had given him upon hearing that question.

Gu Cheng couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from rising. "He's just shy. Usually, one kiss from me leaves him embarrassed for ages."

The more he talked, the more excited he became, and Gu Cheng bragged:

"When his bunny ears are out, even his ears get warm when he's embarrassed. If I tease him until he gets mad, he'll smack my face with them."

Gu Cheng rubbed his cheek. "You single losers wouldn't understand. Those soft, fluffy ears don't hurt even if they smack you a dozen times. It's like being tickled."

Xu Chu wanted to slap himself. "All right, all right! Have mercy, will you? Stop fucking showing off."

After listening to all that, Fang Ci, nursing both a secret crush and heartbreak, grew even more miserable. He buried his head beneath the covers and ignored everyone.

Gu Cheng was still giddily reliving his memories of kissing and cuddling Ye Ruan.

Outside the second-floor window, Ye Ruan sat on the outdoor air-conditioning unit, his cheeks so red they looked ready to bleed. His upright bunny ears were more honest than their owner, listening to everything inside the room.

Once he was sure Gu Cheng was fine, Ye Ruan relaxed and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The back of his shoulder hurt terribly. Climbing the smooth drainpipe had been difficult.

To avoid being discovered by Gu Cheng, he hadn't dared use his special ability to jump up.