Chapter 43
Ling Sicheng didn’t immediately respond, leaving Shen Yan unsure whether he was gathering his thoughts or avoiding the subject altogether.
Worried he might have been too abrupt, Shen Yan quickly added, “You don’t have to force yourself. I was just concerned. After all, Duan Yang isn’t exactly a good person, and I’m afraid he might…”
Ling Sicheng shook his head with a faint smile. “It’s fine, I don’t mind. It’s just… I was debating whether it’s necessary to explain. Actually… my dad’s last name is Duan.”
Shen Yan’s eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean? You’re not saying that you and Duan Yang are—”
“No!” Ling Sicheng interrupted before Shen Yan could finish. “By blood, Duan Yang and I are technically cousins. Emotionally, we’re complete strangers. My dad was the eldest son of the Duan family, but he passed away many years ago. Long before that, he’d cut ties with them. From what I’ve heard, it was because he and his father—Duan Laoye—had irreconcilable differences. My dad loved art and wanted to live a simple life, but he was exceptionally talented in many areas. The old man was determined to make him the family’s heir. They argued constantly until my dad finally left home for good. Later, he met my mom…”
The two fell in love at first sight and planned to marry. But since Duan Yemian had run away from home, he didn’t have access to his household registry, so they couldn’t register their marriage. Despite that, they lived as a real couple, built a family, and had a child.
Life was modest but happy.
Until Ling Sicheng was five years old, when his father fell gravely ill with a rare and dangerous disease. The only hope was treatment abroad, but the process was fraught with obstacles—paperwork, financial constraints—and they couldn’t make it in time. Duan Yemian passed away.
“Didn’t you try contacting the Duan family?” Shen Yan blurted out. “They wouldn’t have just stood by! Master Duanis actually a kind person, and your dad was his own son!”
Ling Sicheng nodded. “He is kind. That’s why my mom did seek him out. But he happened to be out of the country at the time, and by the time he returned… it was too late.”
“But surely the Duan family had others around. Wouldn’t anyone else—” Shen Yan’s words faltered as realization struck him mid-sentence.
Looking at Ling Sicheng, Shen Yan felt a deep pang of guilt and regret. He shouldn’t have asked.
But Ling Sicheng remained calm, his tone as gentle as ever. He lightly patted Shen Yan’s shoulder. “Why that look? I was too young to remember much back then. But you’re not wrong—it wasn’t the family; it was Duan Yang’s father, Duan Yechen.
“I think he resented that Master Duan favored my dad too much. He worried that if my dad recovered, Master Duan would still choose him as heir. So, when my mom couldn’t find Master Duan and turned to him for help, he agreed on the surface but did absolutely nothing. A week later, with Master Duan’s return imminent, he made a show of stepping in, but by then… it was too late. My dad’s condition had deteriorated to the point that traveling abroad was impossible.”
When Duan Songtao, the old man, returned to find his favored son gone—and because of deliberate delays by his second son—he was heartbroken and fell ill himself.
After that, Duan Yechen saw even young Ling Sicheng, then named Duan Sicheng, as a threat. He feared Master Duan would transfer his affection for Duan Yemian to his grandson and make him the heir. Thus began relentless efforts to drive them out.
Ling Sicheng’s mother, harboring deep resentment toward the Duan family and blaming them for her husband’s death, wanted no part of them. She applied for a job transfer and moved to a different city during the winter break that year.
Ling Sicheng recounted these events calmly, as if they were someone else’s story. Only when mentioning his mother did his expression darken.
“After we left, my mom never went back to that city. I think she believed it held no happy memories for her.
“Yet, at the beginning of the year, when she was gravely ill and nearing the end, she held my hand on her hospital bed and said, ‘Chencheng, Mommy still loves our old home. I’d like to stay there with your dad forever.’”
Ling Sicheng fell silent for a long while before continuing. “So, I applied for a transfer to H City. I want to be there for them too.”
Shen Yan felt a tightness in his chest. He wanted to offer words of comfort but couldn’t find the right ones.
After struggling for a moment, he could only say two words, “Brother Feng…”
Ling Sicheng interrupted with a faint smile, “My decision to leave wasn’t entirely because of him. I thought that after all these years, no one would remember me in that city when I returned. Who would’ve thought the Duan family would find out? The old man, feeling guilty, kept sending people to contact me, probably wanting to make up for the past. Duan Yang, however, assumed I was there to fight him for the inheritance and constantly caused trouble for me, forcing me to leave. His methods were exactly the same as his father’s back then. I didn’t want to have any ties with them, and with some other frustrations piling up, I simply resigned.”
But in truth, Qin Mofeng was the real catalyst. If not for Qin Mofeng’s harsh actions, Ling Sicheng might have stayed and faced off against Duan Yang. His unflinching attitude toward Duan Yang that night showed he wasn’t intimidated by him.
The real reason he left was because Qin Mofeng hurt him.
When you care, you get hurt. When you care, you feel disappointment.
Shen Yan chose not to dwell on that and instead brought the topic back to the Duan family. “Duan Yang’s father did such horrible things. Don’t you hate him?”
Ling Sicheng smiled faintly. “What’s the point of hating him? He didn’t do anything directly illegal, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Besides, he’s already dead—call it karma.”
“Dead?” Shen Yan was startled.
Ling Sicheng looked puzzled. “You didn’t know? Aren’t you married to Duan Yang? You don’t know about his family?”
Shen Yan chuckled awkwardly. “We’re married in name only, just a legal formality. I don’t know him at all. But no, I haven’t met his father.”
Since Shen Yan didn’t have the memories of the original host, he couldn’t be certain if the original person had met Duan Yang’s father or not. However, he himself had no impression of the man.
In the original story, only Duan Yang’s mother was mentioned—his father wasn’t even brought up.
So, he was dead?
“Three years ago, a car accident. The entire vehicle caught fire—saved on cremation costs, I suppose. My mom hated him, but when she heard the news, she wasn’t happy about it. To her, it didn’t change the fact that my dad was gone. But…”
Ling Sicheng scratched his head sheepishly. “I was a little happy. Felt like justice served.”
“Of course! A man who could harm his own brother and bully a widow and her son deserved it! And Duan Yang has the audacity to keep bothering you? Shameless!” Shen Yan fumed.
Ling Sicheng, however, seemed indifferent. “At that time, he was even younger than I was. What could he have known? Duan Yechen wouldn’t have told his son about what he did. To Duan Yang, I’m probably just someone trying to take his inheritance. Forget it, let’s drop this. But you, what’s your plan? Since Secretary Zhang has already tracked you down, I doubt they’ll give up after being turned away today. They’ll probably play the long game, and if you run into him, it’ll be trouble.”
The mention of that gave Shen Yan a headache. He sighed deeply. “Yeah, better safe than sorry. I guess I have no choice but to leave for now.”
So, when Su Yunzhe received the news and rushed over, Shen Yan was already gone. All that was left was Ling Sicheng graciously inviting him inside for tea.
“Mr. Su, you came at an unfortunate time. Yan Yan was here visiting me just a few days ago. As soon as he left, you showed up.” Ling Sicheng didn’t bother hiding anything, knowing full well Su Yunzhe wasn’t there for him.
Su Yunzhe, uninterested in tea, wore a rare hint of impatience on his usually composed face. “Do you know where he went?”
Ling Sicheng shook his head. “I don’t. He didn’t tell me—said he didn’t want me to be tortured into spilling the beans.”
Su Yunzhe believed him. If Shen Yan truly didn’t want to be found, he likely wouldn’t have left any clues behind. The guy might not even know where he’s going himself.
“He’s gone.”
With Shen Yan absent, there was nothing more to discuss.
As Su Yunzhe turned to leave, Ling Sicheng suddenly stopped him, as if something had occurred to him. “Mr. Su, do you know why Yan Yan ran?”
Su Yunzhe looked back at him, silent.
Ling Sicheng sighed and shook his head. “I figured you’d have no clue. Think carefully about what he’s afraid of. If you don’t figure that out, even if you find him, he’ll just keep running. Take care.”
Ling Sicheng waved casually and turned to head back inside.
As he walked away, Su Yunzhe’s voice drifted over, “Qin Mofeng… He went to Chengnan Elementary. He used to say his first-grade Chinese teacher was a stunning beauty, and her daughter was a little princess, like Snow White. He always dreamed of marrying Snow White someday.”
Ling Sicheng didn’t look back or reply.
Su Yunzhe, who rarely spoke more than necessary, seemed uncharacteristically verbose, though only briefly. No matter their brotherhood, matters of the heart ultimately had to be resolved by the people involved.
Without saying more, he turned and left.
When he reached the gate, Ling Sicheng called out again, “Yan Yan’s book is about to be published. The publisher seems to be planning a small book signing in City B. Whether he’ll go or not, I can’t say.”
This time, Ling Sicheng truly retreated into the house.
He thought to himself, Shen Yan probably wouldn’t expect me to sell him out like this, would he?
Still, Shen Yan should be thanking him. Otherwise, those two would keep guessing at each other’s feelings, dragging things out indefinitely.
This could be considered doing a good deed, couldn’t it?
As for Qin Mofeng…
Ling Sicheng shook his head, forcing himself to forget Su Yunzhe’s earlier words.
Shen Yan, of course, had no idea that right after he left, Su Yunzhe had shown up, nor that Ling Sicheng had so readily betrayed his location.
His publisher worked fast. The contract had just been signed, and the sample copies were already printed, with plans to release the book by year’s end.
Initially, Shen Yan didn’t think this had much to do with him. But for some reason, the website he’d signed the contract with noticed his ID photo and realized he had a great look. Suddenly, they wanted him to make a public appearance.
His editor had been persistently contacting him about the matter.
Shen Yan hadn’t considered it seriously at first—especially since it was already winter, and City B, located in the north, wasn’t somewhere he was keen to visit during the cold season.
But when the Duan family unexpectedly sent people to find Ling Sicheng, Shen Yan’s peaceful plan of lying low at Ling Sicheng’s house until the New Year fell apart.
With no clear idea of where to go, and after being hounded by his editor’s repeated calls, he finally relented and agreed.
In City B, Shen Yan holed up indoors, avoiding the cold as much as possible.
He had to admit that northern winters were actually quite pleasant—so long as you didn’t step outside.
Two weeks later, his book was officially released, and the publisher held a small signing event at a themed bookstore.
The website had announced the event in advance on Weibo, inviting readers to attend. Shen Yan’s book had enjoyed decent popularity during its serialization, so the signing drew a crowd.
Even some people unfamiliar with the work showed up after hearing how good-looking Shen Yan was, buying copies just for the chance to see him up close.
What was supposed to be a half-hour appearance turned into a marathon session. Shen Yan ended up signing several hundred copies, leaving him with a sore wrist by the end. After bidding farewell to the organizers, he retreated to the backstage lounge to rest.
But to his surprise, someone was already there, seated on the sofa with their back to him.
Even without seeing the person’s face, Shen Yan immediately recognized them. His brow twitched violently as he called out, “Duan Yang?”
