YMW CH 47

Foraging Wild Vegetables

Cen Wu stopped Xie Guilan and then turned to coax Cen Xiao. How did this happen? Ever since transmigrating into this book, he felt like he’d been busy pacifying men.

Cen Xiao’s expression was cold.

“Brother.” Cen Wu tugged at his arm, shaking it slightly, his voice careful and pleading.

He was afraid that the Cen family would find out about Xie Guilan’s crime too soon. They might not be able to accept it—especially Cen Xiao. If he ever learned the truth, he would never let Cen Wu be with Xie Guilan.

Even though they weren’t actually together, Cen Xiao thought they were.

If the Cen family said anything, or even if they didn’t—just a slight shift in their attitude would be enough. Xie Guilan would notice. And once he did, there would be no room left to mend his relationship with the Cen family.

Xie Guilan wasn’t afraid of corpses. To him, death was nothing more than a pile of writhing, bloody flesh. He had killed Chen Weiguo, but it didn’t stir anything inside him. He knew this wasn’t normal. That was why, deep down, he felt a shred of guilt toward Song Lingwei.

He believed that much of Song Lingwei’s misfortune was his fault, so he had to take responsibility for the rest of her life.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Xie Guilan was cold, even arrogant—a man who walked along the edge of the abyss. He hadn’t been pushed to the brink yet, but if he ever was, he would kill again. It didn’t matter who. Anyone who wanted to get close to him had to accept one thing—on that stormy night, he had been the true killer.

If she couldn’t accept him as he was, she would never have his love. Clearly, Song Lingwei had failed. She had begun to fear Xie Guilan, seeing him as a monster. And so, Xie Guilan had long since stopped yearning for her affection.

Cen Wu couldn’t imagine anyone betraying or leaving Xie Guilan and still being forgiven.

“Wu Wu,” Cen Junshan called from the car. Seeing them still standing in the rain, unresponsive even when the headlights flickered, he stepped out with an umbrella. “What are you doing standing there in this downpour? Get in the car.”

“I’m coming!” Cen Wu quickly replied, then turned to Cen Xiao with wide, pleading eyes. He called out sweetly, “Brother.”

Cen Xiao hated seeing him like this—so spineless, all for the sake of a man. But he didn’t dare let Cen Junshan notice. Cen Junshan was ruthless, a man with no patience for sentimentality.

There was no way he would ever allow Cen Wu to be with Xie Guilan.

If he pushed too hard, Cen Wu might just run off with him. So, for now, he let Xie Guilan go. Cen Wu wasted no time, grabbing Xie Guilan’s hand and pulling him into the car.

Tonight had already been a mess. Cen Wu had slapped Xie Shangjing, Cen Junshan had clashed with Xie Mingcheng—having Xie Guilan stay here any longer felt awkward. But the Cen family upheld appearances; unless they deliberately set out to target him, they wouldn’t make him feel unwelcome.

Guan Xingxue sat in the passenger seat, chatting with Cen Wu and occasionally throwing a question at Xie Guilan. She wasn’t cold toward him.

Cen Xiao, who had been expressionless moments ago, didn’t show any hostility after getting into the car either. He simply focused on driving.

Only then did Cen Wu relax.

He worried that Xie Guilan would be mistreated in the Xie family. Then again, he wasn’t too worried. Xie Guilan was cold-hearted and ruthless. A pampered young master like Xie Shangjing was no match for him.

The only reason Xie Shangjing was still alive was that Xie Guilan hadn’t wanted to kill him. If Xie Mingcheng was a five-star threat, then Xie Shangjing barely rated a two.

Xie Mingcheng was trickier, but he still believed Xie Guilan was his son. He was counting on him to take over his casino one day—he wouldn’t push him to the brink.

Still, Xie Guilan never fought back. Like that time at the stables—kneeling on the ground, the whip lashing his back until his skin was torn open. He hadn’t made a sound. That was why Cen Wu worried about him.

The dim car lights cast flickering shadows on Xie Guilan’s sharp features. Rain-washed neon streaked across his face, cold and brooding. In the darkness, his deep-set eyes looked even more hollow.

Cen Wu took off his jacket and draped it over his lap. Then, using it as cover, he reached out and gently touched Xie Guilan’s hand.

Still coaxing men.

Xie Guilan’s fingertips twitched. He turned to look at Cen Wu, then hooked his fingers around his and grasped his hand tightly.

His palm was burning, but his fingers were ice-cold.

Cen Wu thought he should drink more goji berry tea.

What was with these freezing hands? Was he trying to turn into a ghost?

Halfway through the drive, Cen Wu’s phone buzzed. Meng Liangping, ruthless as ever, had just dropped the report cards into the class group chat. The students, who had been happily chatting about the school festival, instantly plunged into despair.

【Ahhh! I was just looking at our festival photos, and now I get hit with this? Can’t we have one more happy night? Crying emoji】

【Mr. Meng! I don’t care about anything else! I just need to know—can we still go on the autumn trip? I didn’t rank last this time!】

【Holy—am I seeing this right? Our Second Young Master scored how much??】

Cen Wu’s name suddenly appeared in the chat, making his stomach lurch. He checked the scores.

Xie Guilan: 742 points. Still ranked first in the entire grade. Of course—his “golden son” never disappointed.

Then, scrolling further, he saw his own name.

532 points.

The original owner of this body had scored a mere 132 last time. He had improved by 400 points, single-handedly pulling up the entire class average.

Just then, Meng Liangping sent another message.

【Meng Liangping: Some of you didn’t do so well this time, but others made incredible progress. Overall, our class’s performance was strong, and the principal has approved the autumn trip! Once we finish the parent-teacher conference, we’re heading out. Rose emoji, thumbs-up emoji.】

The chat exploded.

Other classes had to pay a fee for their trips, but not theirs. Thanks to Lu Wang’s family connections, their trip was fully covered—transportation, everything. No one wanted to miss it.

Cen Junshan glanced at the report card and paused. His sharp brows furrowed in surprise. He had always carried the aura of a man who had weathered the storms of the business world—commanding, composed. But now, a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

He had been fully prepared for Cen Wu to rank dead last. The boy had never been good at academics.

Who would have thought he’d score over 500 this time?

Like their ancestors’ graves had suddenly started spewing good fortune.

“Alright,” Cen Junshan said, his fatherly instincts kicking in as he reached over to ruffle Cen Wu’s hair. “What do you want as a reward?”

Cen Wu shook his head, indifferent. He didn’t dare spend the Cen family’s money.

Instead, he jabbed at Cen Junshan a few times.

Cen Junshan frowned and turned to look—only to see Cen Wu clutching Xie Guilan’s school uniform jacket. He immediately understood.

With a sigh, he reluctantly praised Xie Guilan as well. His words were sincere—after all, even though Cen Xiao had often ranked first in the past, his scores had never reached Xie Guilan’s level.

But what a shame.

Xie Mingcheng was too ruthless a man. Cen Junshan wanted nothing to do with him. Unfortunately, Xie Guilan was his illegitimate son.

A real pity.

Later that night, the backstage area was a chaotic mess. No one had eaten properly. Guan Xingxue had the housekeeper prepare a late-night snack—stir-fried greens, crab, and fish soup.

Autumn had arrived, and the crabs were fat and bursting with roe. Cen Wu snatched up a few, grabbed a whole fish, and took a bit of everything before dragging Xie Guilan upstairs to eat.

He didn’t want him sitting in the dining room, feeling awkward or going hungry.

The others didn’t say anything. Xie Guilan had been here plenty of times. The Cen family wasn’t overly strict with rules—if Cen Wu wanted to do something, he just did it.

The Xie family, on the other hand? Xie’s father would have definitely lost his temper.

Cen Wu padded into the kitchen and grabbed a crab for Xie Guilan. Cen Xiao stood off to the side, watching him like a hawk.

Cen Wu hesitated, then placed it in the bowl.

And then grabbed another.

And another.

Anyway, in Cen Xiao’s eyes, Cen Wu was already hopelessly in love—beyond saving. A few crabs wouldn’t make a difference. He hadn’t even picked any wild vegetables, so what was the harm in catching some crabs?

“So stingy.” Guan Xingxue pushed Cen Xiao’s forehead and scolded, “Why are you guarding those crabs?”

Cen Xiao kept a straight face, showing no expression. After Guan Xingxue left, he shook his head in sorrow. Was he really guarding the crabs?

No—he was guarding his son’s innocence!

No one understood him.

Cen Wu carried the crabs to find Xie Guilan. He wasn’t very hungry, but Xie Guilan definitely was. At the Xie family’s house, Xie Guilan ate worse than pig slop. Sometimes, Xie Shangjing even forced him to eat leftovers—

Trying to destroy his dignity.

“You… you eat this first.” Cen Wu cracked open a crab and handed it to Xie Guilan. The golden crab roe was so rich that it almost dripped onto his hand.

“Young Master,” Xie Guilan said, lips pressed together. “I can do it myself.”

Cen Wu urged him, “Just eat.”

Xie Guilan had no choice but to lower his head and eat. He wasn’t messy, but a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy who had gone hungry for too long was bound to eat a little hastily.

Cen Wu sat beside him, carefully picking out fish bones. Outside, the Cen family estate was dotted with lights, illuminating the long, rainy night. Only after making sure the fish was completely boneless did Cen Wu pass it to Xie Guilan.

Xie Guilan hated fish bones, but he also disliked fish without them. He only ate fish that still had bones. Difficult to please.

A young master.

Cen Wu thought about it and felt his heart soften. Ever since Xie Guilan came to Huaijing, he hadn’t eaten fish again. He had to take care of Song Lingwei, attend school, work part-time—sleeping only three or four hours a night at most.

There was no time to eat something as troublesome as fish.

Maybe Song Lingwei loved him a little, but she loved herself more.

Cen Wu lowered his eyelashes. His deep-set under-eye shadows made his pale side profile look soft. He focused seriously on picking out the fish bones.

Before, he had been afraid Xie Guilan would find it bothersome, so he hadn’t done it. But now, Xie Guilan probably wouldn’t mind as much, right?

“Mm.” Cen Wu handed over the plate, leaning in with a bit of anticipation. “Try this too…”

Xie Guilan looked at him for a moment, then lowered his head and ate bite by bite.

Cen Wu’s long lashes curved as he smiled.

It felt like he was willing to do anything for him.

On a stormy night without a moon, he became the moon himself—like he had been thinking about him for a long time.

Cen Xiao had a German Shepherd named Duke. It had been raining for days, so he couldn’t take Duke out for a walk. He played with him inside the villa instead. But Duke grabbed his collar and leash, ran straight to Cen Wu, and pressed against his leg, whining.

Cen Wu rubbed Duke’s furry head and said, “I… I can’t take you out to play either.”

Cen Xiao had been annoyed at Xie Guilan at first, but when he glanced down, he saw Xie Guilan silently cracking open a crab and placing it beside Cen Wu. That was slightly more acceptable—at least he had some awareness.

Duke refused to leave. Since Cen Wu had already finished eating, Cen Xiao went downstairs first, letting the dog stay and play for a while.

Pavlov’s dog.

Xie Guilan still remembered what that old policeman had asked him. But back then, he truly had no idea what “Pavlov’s dog” meant.

Cen Wu sat on the cashmere rug by the bed, and Duke lay down across his lap, its dark eyes glancing toward Xie Guilan.

Xie Guilan: “……”

His dark peach-blossom eyes deepened. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

Even he had never laid on Cen Wu’s lap before.

Duke played for a while before running off to find Cen Xiao again. Cen Wu noticed it had forgotten its collar.

A black leather collar. Cen Wu’s cold-white fingers curled around it, pressing the hidden clasp. The collar suddenly snapped open, startling him. He looked up—

And locked eyes with Xie Guilan’s dark gaze.

What’s wrong, brother?

He still remembered when Xie Guilan had said he’d be his dog.

This man dared to say anything.

Cen Wu clutched the collar and leaned in slightly, teasing him. “W-what? You want to wear it?”

Being someone’s dog never led to a good ending. Even if he couldn’t beat sense into Xie Guilan, he couldn’t just let him go astray either.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly remembered—

The original Cen Wu and Xie Shangjing had indeed put something like this on Xie Guilan before. His face paled a little, and he instantly regretted the joke.

Just as he was about to apologize, Xie Guilan’s thin, blood-red lips curled. His expression was half-amused, half-indifferent as he said, “Sure.”

Cen Wu: “……”

Cen Wu: “???”

Xie Guilan half-knelt on the rug. His tall, lean figure loomed over Cen Wu, gripping his wrist tightly.

Cen Wu was completely dumbfounded. He hadn’t reacted yet, and the difference in strength was too great—if Xie Guilan wanted to control him, he had no chance of breaking free. His snow-white ears flushed red. He kicked at Xie Guilan’s knee, but Xie Guilan didn’t even flinch.

All he could do was watch helplessly as that black leather collar closed around Xie Guilan’s pale, slender neck, pressing against his Adam’s apple.

Xie Guilan lowered his head. His face was darkly handsome, and his deep peach-blossom eyes stared straight at Cen Wu. He tightened his grip around Cen Wu’s fingers, forcing him to snap the buckle shut with a soft click.

Xie Guilan’s complexion was always cold and pale, but the collar was pitch black. When his Adam’s apple moved, the contrast was both chilling and strangely alluring.

Cen Wu’s lashes trembled violently. His whole body felt hot, his voice shaking slightly. His face burned as his gaze wavered—he didn’t dare look up. “You… what are you doing?”

Who could resist this kind of temptation?

People had a natural weakness for it.

Cen Wu bit his lower lip. His lips, already a soft red, darkened further from the pressure. His breathing turned heavier.

Xie Guilan, usually so indifferent, suddenly lowered his head—who wouldn’t feel a rush from that?

Stop teasing me, brother. I don’t have much self-control.

“You already agreed—I’m the young master’s little dog,” Xie Guilan murmured, as if he had finally found the perfect justification.

He lay down across Cen Wu’s lap, clutching his hand, forcing him to rub the leather collar. His voice was both resentful and wickedly playful.

“Young master doesn’t want me anymore?”