35: play off

They chose to eat at Restaurant Name. The food there was good and they had private booths, making it truly the best choice for entertaining friends.

Yan Zhuohua arrived a bit early, so he ordered a few dishes according to their tastes and asked them to serve those first. He would add more once Wen Hengtang arrived, so they wouldn't have to wait for ages.

By the time the dishes he ordered were served, Wen Hengtang finally arrived.

"Sorry, I didn't expect City A to be this congested even at noon on a Saturday." Wen Hengtang had sweat on his forehead, showing he was indeed in a hurry.

Yan Zhuohua handed Wen Hengtang a few tissues to wipe his sweat before saying, "You'll realize after staying here longer that traffic in City A is rarely clear except in the middle of the night."

Once Wen Hengtang caught his breath and ordered more dishes, the two of them began to chat while eating.

"Zhuohua, those... rumors about you, are they true?" Wen Hengtang stammered.

Yan Zhuohua didn't care at all. "Of course they're true. If nothing else, the Zhao Clan's gossip-mongering skills are quite reliable."

"Then you and... that true young master, are you really going to stay married and live like this?"

Yan Zhuohua found it a bit strange.

"Otherwise?"

Wen Hengtang felt a bit cautious. "Have you never thought that you're more suited to be the family head than he is?"

Yan Zhuohua paused, then slowly looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you were originally the favored son of heaven, the guaranteed heir. Even if Yan Qinghe is back, couldn't he just be an ordinary rich second-generation? You could continue to lead the Yan Family and give him enough financial support. You've been in the Yan Family for so many years; it's not like you don't have the right to those things. If you act now, it might not be too late."

Yan Zhuohua put down his chopsticks and looked at Wen Hengtang seriously for a moment before saying solemnly, "These things were never supposed to be mine. Returning them to him is the natural and right thing to do. It's not that just because you've possessed something for a long time, it becomes yours. It's like renting a house; even if you rent it for ten or twenty years, your name won't be on the title deed because it was never yours to begin with."

"But..."

"There are no buts. Regardless of whether it was voluntary, I was the one occupying another's nest. Now that the true master of this house has returned, everything should return to the right track. Whether the Yan Family is willing to continue accepting me out of affection from these past dozen years is their choice, but Yan Qinghe is the true child of the Yan Family—that is a fact. He is the victim; why should I continue to snatch away what belongs to him?"

Wen Hengtang couldn't argue. He hesitated for a long time before whispering, "I'm just afraid... Zhuohua, aren't you worried that to secure his position or to seek revenge, he'll try to get rid of you, deal with you, or frame you? Look at those books and real-life events; the real and fake young masters are always at each other's throats—it's either one dies or the other perishes... and the one who steps back is always the loser, meeting a miserable end..."

Hearing Wen Hengtang's true thoughts, Yan Zhuohua felt relieved. It seemed he was just worried about him and wasn't intentionally trying to sow discord.

He handed Wen Hengtang a glass of water. "What you're saying hasn't happened yet. I can't 'take precautions' based on such uncertainties. Besides, even if he did do that, he'd just be acting in his own best interest from his perspective. I won't fight him, yet I can still protect myself. Even if, as you say, I end up with a miserable fate, it's just the way of the world—the winner takes all."

Wen Hengtang wanted to say something, but Yan Zhuohua stopped him. "I know you're worried about me. Indeed, in the eyes of most people, or in books and reality, the real and fake young masters are always unavoidable mortal enemies. But I won't deny the possibility of a perfect ending because of that. My family members are rational, upright, principled, and reasonable people; they are very kind and love both of us. Although Yan Qinghe has suffered much, he still possesses the virtues a normal person should have—his character even exceeds that of most people. And I, too, can distinguish right from wrong, understand some principles, and have done what I should. When all three parties have these logical perceptions and judgments, the so-called 'struggle between the real and fake young masters' actually doesn't exist. We recognize our respective positions and possess what we ought to possess, so there will be no conflict of interest or contradiction."

"You trust them that much? What if you lose? Aren't you afraid of regretting it?" Wen Hengtang's tone was very urgent.

"Of course I trust them, and I trust my own judgment. I will make decisions at any time that I believe align with my code of conduct, are correct, and are what I want most in the moment. Furthermore, I will surely take responsibility for all the decisions and choices I make, regardless of the final outcome. It's enough that I did what I thought was right. As for the result, that's not something I can decide alone; I accept it all." Yan Zhuohua looked at Wen Hengtang calmly, with a very gentle smile. "A so-called ending is nothing more than success or failure. There's nothing unacceptable about it; I will never regret it."

Wen Hengtang remained silent for a long time; there was ultimately nothing more he could say.

The meal became somewhat heavy. Even though they later changed the subject and the atmosphere lightened up, it still left a mark on both their hearts.

After finishing the meal, they tacitly went their separate ways. Before leaving, Wen Hengtang turned back and asked Yan Zhuohua, "Would you still be willing to come out and eat with me next time?"

Yan Zhuohua smiled. "Of course I would."

Wen Hengtang laughed and got into a taxi, leaving.

Both pretended nothing had happened, but they ultimately wouldn't see each other again for a short while—at least not until Wen Hengtang had thought things through.

Yan Zhuohua also got into the car. Last night, Yan Qinghe hadn't known how to restrain himself at all, leaving him feeling very uncomfortable now. Having sat for so long just now and spoken so much, he truly had no strength left and only wanted to hurry home and lie in bed.

Seeing that he was so tired he was about to fall asleep, the driver didn't dare drive too fast and drove back as steadily as possible.

Just as the car turned into the courtyard, Yan Qinghe, who was "busy" watering the flowers nearby, came forward to meet him.

Seeing Yan Zhuohua's limp state, he felt pained. "Why are you so tired?"

Saying that, he picked Yan Zhuohua up directly and carried him all the way back to the bedroom in front of everyone.

Unable to struggle, Yan Zhuohua could only cover his face and pretend to know nothing. Behind him were everyone's teasing gazes.

Only after laying him on the bed did Yan Qinghe ask, "Are you unhappy?"

As soon as Yan Zhuohua had gotten out of the car, he'd noticed his complexion was off and his mood was very poor. He just hadn't asked directly, fearing it would worry the family.

Yan Zhuohua reached out and hooked his arms around Yan Qinghe's neck. "I'm unhappy. Hold me while I sleep for a bit, okay? I'm so tired."

Clearly, Yan Zhuohua had already given up on appearances regarding their relationship.

Yan Qinghe naturally would not refuse. He took off his shoes and socks, lay down beside Yan Zhuohua, and held him in his arms face-to-face.

Feeling the powerful heartbeat of the person in front of him, Yan Zhuohua finally relaxed completely.

He believed that Yan Qinghe would definitely not let him down.