BIAC CH 29

Chapter 29: You Still Have the Nerve to Ask That?

After an intense night of lovemaking, Du Jianyou slept so soundly that he didn’t wake up until almost noon. As soon as he opened his eyes, he realized he was alone in bed. The soreness all over his body and the swelling discomfort at the base of his spine made him groan involuntarily—it almost felt like it would’ve been better if he had just passed out again.

While cursing Tang He in his heart, he also couldn’t help but feel shy as he became aware of the strangeness of his body. The moment he remembered that all these aches and pains were remnants of last night’s indulgence—traces left by Tang He—his face flushed uncontrollably.

Just then, the door to the room creaked open. Tang He peeked in, only to find a pink-faced little beauty sitting on the bed, clearly conflicted.

“You’re awake. Are you alright? Anywhere uncomfortable?” Tang He quickly walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. The moment Du Jianyou heard his voice, his face burned even more fiercely, and he lowered his head so far it was practically buried.

“I’m sorry—I was too rough last night. Let me check to see if you’re hurt anywhere, okay?” Without waiting, Tang He reached for the blanket, ready to lift it.

Check what?! Du Jianyou’s eyes widened in panic as he pressed the blanket down with both hands. He was completely naked under the covers. Even though they had seen every inch of each other the night before, it was broad daylight now! Letting someone examine him like this was just too embarrassing!

“Don’t be shy! I called Yanzi earlier, and he said if you’re injured, you need to apply some medicine. That’s why I went out just now—to get the medicine and lunch. Be good, let me apply it quickly, then we’ll eat.” Tang He nagged on without noticing Du Jianyou’s awkward expression.

Called? Asked already? Yanzi? Du Jianyou’s surprise quickly turned into sulky frustration. He glared at Tang He, his eyes shouting, You still have the nerve to ask about something like this? Don’t you have any shame?! He turned his back to Tang He in protest, refusing to look at the pig-headed oaf.

Tang He looked at the suddenly angry, red-faced little shrimp, and finally realized what had gone wrong. “Wait, listen to me. Yanzi’s a doctor, and… he’s like us. He wouldn’t laugh at us!” The more he explained, the worse he felt.

Du Jianyou, still pouting, took the ointment and shooed him out of the room. Letting that guy apply the medicine? Who could guarantee he wouldn’t just pounce again like he did under the pretense of “cleaning” last night? At this rate, how was the injury supposed to heal at all?! It was safer to do it himself.

Then, holding the medicine box, Du Jianyou stood dumbfounded in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at the bruises all over his body. After struggling for what felt like ages, he still didn’t know where to even begin. Hmph! That old pervert…

Meanwhile, the old pervert who had just been kicked out could only shake his head in helpless defeat and began preparing the lunch he had just brought back. While moving about, his thoughts wandered to a call from Su An earlier that morning.

Su An’s work efficiency was well-known—not only was her style decisive and swift, but her personal friendship with Tang He, combined with her strong sense of justice toward Du Jianyou’s situation, had led her to stay up all night. She spent that time thoroughly understanding the ins and outs of what Tang He had entrusted her with and had already taken care of a number of preliminary matters. Early the next morning, she called to report on the progress of her investigation and actions.

First was Wang Guoqing. He was merely a small-time building materials supplier, running a company called Qinghe Construction Materials. By all accounts, he wasn’t even qualified to cooperate directly with the Guangsheng Group—at most, he was a subcontractor several levels down the supply chain. Su An had already issued formal notices to all partner companies: the Guangsheng Group would no longer use any materials provided by Qinghe Construction Materials. All cooperating manufacturers were expected to comply. If any were found continuing to use Qinghe’s materials, Guangsheng would immediately terminate their partnership.

The moment that notice went out, every partner company would inevitably cut ties with Qinghe. After all, on one side stood the powerful Guangsheng Group, and on the other, just a tiny supplier—no one was going to pick Wang Guoqing over Tang He. Besides, these companies weren’t exclusively tied to Qinghe; there were plenty of other material suppliers to choose from. Guangsheng refusing to use Qinghe wouldn’t pose any real disruption to operations.

But Tang He could already foresee the ripple effect this notice would cause. Since the announcement gave no reason for the disassociation, rumors were bound to swirl. Everyone would start speculating on how such a minor company managed to offend such a major group like Guangsheng. Unable to guess the truth, people would inevitably suspect the quality of the building materials themselves.

Once that rumor spread, others would become even more hesitant to use Qinghe’s products. Beyond just following Guangsheng’s lead, they’d also start questioning the safety and reliability of Qinghe’s materials. In the end, not only would Guangsheng’s partners stop using Qinghe’s supplies—even unrelated companies would avoid working with them, fearful of damaging their own reputations.

Perfect. Tang He thought coldly: You dared to hurt someone I care about with rumors? Then I’ll let you taste the true power of rumors. Let’s see how you handle the fear of public judgment.

That idiotic Wang Guoqing had woken up from his drunken stupor in the hospital last night, only to find Zhao Tiancheng glaring down at him from the bedside. As soon as he stirred, Zhao sneered and told him flatly: In response to the slander you spread yesterday about Du Jianyou, Mengzhichu Corporation will be filing charges against you.

Wang Guoqing, still groggy, immediately brought up how he’d been beaten too and claimed he was going to sue as well. But Zhao Tiancheng had already spoken with Su An and had a counter ready. With a casual shrug, he said, Whoever beat you, you go sue them. Every debt has its debtor. Our company has nothing to do with that. And with that, he left Wang Guoqing sitting there, dumbfounded on the hospital bed.

At the time, Wang had no idea that within just forty-eight hours, his own company would be blacklisted across the entire city.

Su An had also looked into the three people shown in the infamous photo. As it turned out, they were well-known within the industry—infamous second-generation rich kids. They inherited family businesses from their powerful elders but did nothing productive. Instead, they held empty titles like CEO, Director, or Manager while spending all their time at banquets and social events. In truth, they were just freeloaders causing chaos.

Upon deeper investigation, Su An discovered that the actual operations of the three companies were still mainly handled by the older generation, who were generally hardworking and dependable. It was only these three ungrateful descendants who had gone off the rails—harming not just their own reputations but now dragging innocent people into their mess as well.

One of them, Tian Fu, was bisexual and notoriously promiscuous with both men and women. He had recently gotten involved with the younger sister of a mafia boss. The girl had been serious about the relationship and had even wanted to marry him. But the idiot, as careless as ever, didn’t understand the weight of the situation and arrogantly claimed he was just “playing around” and “blowing off steam.” He spread nasty rumors about the girl that ruined her reputation, pushing her to the brink of suicide.

There was no way that mafia boss, who had doted on his little sister since childhood, was going to let that slide. Tian Fu was promptly placed under a hit order. Whether he was already dead or had fled abroad was uncertain, but either way, he wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon. That one could be left to the mafia boss—it saved everyone else the trouble.

The other two were cousins with the surname Zhou—Zhou Anshan and Zhou Anhai—both serving as division managers in related companies. Since their foolish friend got himself hunted down, they seemed to have toned things down slightly, probably out of fear. But it was only a slight improvement. Deep down, they were still scumbags looking for trouble and new people to harm.

Others in the industry, upon hearing those names, could only shake their heads, offer a bit of sympathy to the hardworking elders in those families… and wait to see how long it would take for those two to destroy their own legacies.

After listening to Su An’s report, Tang He’s initial anger and intent to punish the three companies began to waver slightly. After all, the heads of those companies were indeed respectable businessmen who had spent decades building their enterprises through hard work—only for their idiot sons to nearly ruin them. Still, while they might seem innocent, raising such disgraceful children wasn’t completely without fault.

So, he instructed Su An to issue a mild but meaningful warning to those companies. It wouldn’t be as severe as his fury the night before when he’d wanted them all driven out of the industry, but he still couldn’t swallow this grievance without at least giving them a taste of consequence.

As for those two idiots, Tang He had his own ways of making sure they’d be so terrified they’d never be able to show their faces in this city again.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Du Jianyou finally managed—face flushed red—to haphazardly apply the ointment. During the whole process, he angrily cursed Tang He from head to toe in his mind. What infuriated him most was that the jerk had the nerve to run around asking others about his injuries! What was that supposed to prove? That he was proud of what he’d done to him? That he was some kind of beast in bed? You turned me into a mess—must you announce it to the world? His internal monologue was practically a whole script.

The moment he recalled Tang He’s vigor, his thighs went weak again. He shook his head and forced himself to stop thinking about it—otherwise, he might just break for real.

Wobbling on shaky legs and supporting his aching waist, Du Jianyou slowly made his way to the dining table. Seeing this, Tang He immediately stepped forward to help, but was promptly smacked away. That wolf pretending to be kind during the New Year? No thank you! Du Jianyou gave him a fierce glare and carefully lowered himself onto the chair, wincing as he settled into the seat like an old man, finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

Tang He thought Du Jianyou’s pouty, blushing act was adorable. But seeing the stiffness in his posture and the obvious signs of discomfort, Tang He’s heart ached with guilt. He had clearly overdone it last night.

“Yanzi said that after a few times, your body will get used to it and it won’t be as uncomfortable,” Tang He said, choosing the absolute worst time to bring it up again.

Another eye roll from Du Jianyou.

“Yanzi again? Who exactly is he?” Du Jianyou asked, annoyed. Just how close are the two of you that you feel free to share every intimate detail of what happened in our bed?

He’d only just given this man his body and heart, and now all he kept hearing was “Yanzi said this” and “Yan Zi suggested that.” His whole body ached from top to bottom, and yet Tang He’s mouth was still full of someone else’s name. The little jar of vinegar^[1] inside him—already half-open—suddenly exploded without warning.

Normally sharp and perceptive, Tang He was completely oblivious this time. Too focused on worrying about his precious bunny’s condition, he didn’t even notice that said bunny was about to explode with jealousy.

“Yanzi is a good friend of mine—his name is Lin Yan. ‘Lin’ as in two trees, and ‘Yan’ as in peaceful day. We’ve been best friends since high school. He’s now the head of surgery at Z University Hospital. When you fainted yesterday, he even came to check on you, but you were still unconscious at the time. Next time there’s a chance, I’ll formally introduce you two.”

“…” I don’t want to meet him.

“Oh right, that bottle we used yesterday… it was from him,” Tang He added, without a hint of self-preservation.

“Oh?” Du Jianyou’s smile widened as he slowly asked, “And why would he give you that kind of thing?”

“Oh, well, because I asked him… You know, I wanted to know how men can be together, and how to make it comfortable for you. He taught me and then just threw in the—”

Tang He had been speaking with total innocence, not realizing the growing storm on Du Jianyou’s face. But as he spoke, he suddenly noticed the deepening flush and the darkening expression, and it finally dawned on him… he may have said entirely too much.

SMACK!

Du Jianyou slammed his slender hand—and the chopsticks in it—down onto the table, producing a loud, crisp crack that made Tang He jump.

“Tang He, are you a pig?! How could you be so dumb?! Do you even have a brain?! How am I supposed to face anyone after this…” Du Jianyou was trembling with anger. After shouting, he buried his head in his hands and covered his face like he was ready to give up on life altogether.

“Hey, hey, don’t get mad! I was just worried about you, that’s all! Don’t worry—he’s really one of us. He even has a boyfriend! He would never laugh at us…” Tang He hurried over and hugged the flustered Du Jianyou, patting his back while trying to soothe him and offer reassurance.

Little did he know… he was saying that a little too early.

Later on, when they actually stood in front of Lin Yan, even Tang He could sense that soul-deep amusement in Lin Yan’s eyes—and Du Jianyou, who stood beside him, could only glare furiously and kick Tang He hard in the leg.

“You bastard!” Pressed tightly in Tang He’s arms and flailing in frustration, Du Jianyou couldn’t help but picture Tang He thick-skinnedly asking for bedroom advice. In the end, he couldn’t hold back anymore—his lips twitched upward and he let out a quiet, sneaky chuckle.

(To be continued…)