Chapter 52

“Grandpa, please don’t blame yourself for this. None of this is your fault. If anything, I have my own mistakes too—I knew about their relationship and still…”

“Yan Yan, don’t console me or excuse that bastard Duan Yang. You are the most innocent in all of this. Grandpa will ensure justice for you,” Duan Songtao interrupted firmly.

Shen Yan could hear the genuine concern and guilt in the elder’s voice. He wanted to say something to ease his worries but was stopped in his tracks.

Shen Yan chuckled lightly, a faint warmth seeping into his heart. Duan Songtao truly was one of the rare people in the original story who genuinely cared for him.

“Thank you, Grandpa. But I’m fine now. Please don’t let this incident strain your relationship with Duan Yang,” Shen Yan said softly.

The old man let out a long sigh. “You’re such a kind-hearted child, Yan Yan, always thinking of others. But because of that, Grandpa feels even more ashamed to bring up what I’m about to say.”

“Grandpa, why would you feel ashamed? No matter what happened between me and Duan Yang, you’ve always been someone I deeply respect. Please, say whatever is on your mind,” Shen Yan reassured him.

Duan Songtao hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, his voice laden with reluctance. “Yan Yan, I hate to even ask this of you. That little bastard Duan Yang deserves whatever punishment comes his way. But… I’m getting old, and as you know, I’ve already lost both of my sons. He’s the only one left by my side, even if he’s undeserving. I just…”

The old man’s voice trailed off, unable to continue.

Shen Yan had already guessed as much when he received the call. Hearing Duan Songtao’s hesitance only confirmed his suspicions.

“Grandpa, are you worried I’ll press charges against Duan Yang?” Shen Yan asked directly.

Duan Songtao paused before responding with a heavy heart. “Yes. Earlier, the police came by. They didn’t take him away yet, but they mentioned looking into the situation. The evidence online is damning enough—if corroborated, it could result in charges for illegal detention and domestic abuse. If you decide to press charges, he will definitely face a prison sentence. Yan Yan, I know how much you’ve suffered, and he deserves every bit of punishment. But… I just… I don’t have many years left. I don’t want to spend them completely alone.”

“Grandpa, please don’t talk like that. You’re still in good health and have many years ahead of you,” Shen Yan comforted him. “As for Duan Yang, this entire situation came about because of his own actions. But you have my word—I won’t press charges as long as he agrees to a divorce and leaves me alone. Everything that happened can be forgiven and forgotten.”

“You’re serious? After everything he’s done to you, you’re really willing to let him off that easily?” Duan Songtao asked in disbelief.

“I am,” Shen Yan confirmed. “If he agrees to divorce, I won’t pursue anything further.”

“Alright, Yan Yan. You have my word. I’ll make sure he doesn’t dare object to the divorce. But just letting him go isn’t enough. I’ll ensure he gives you a proper apology. That’s not just what he owes you—it’s what the entire Duan family owes you,” the elder declared resolutely.

Shen Yan initially wanted to refuse the so-called “apology,” but seeing Duan Songtao’s sincerity and guilt, he decided against it. Accepting it might ease the old man’s conscience.

After exchanging a few more reassurances, Shen Yan hung up the call.

He hadn’t expected the police to step in so quickly after the online drama, especially on New Year’s Day.

Curious, he checked Weibo and found that the H City police had issued a public response, promising to investigate the matter thoroughly.

Just as he was scrolling, another call came through—this time from the H City police.

As expected, they were inquiring about the situation. Shen Yan thanked them for their attention but explained that he considered it a private matter and didn’t wish to pursue legal action for now. He also wished them a Happy New Year before ending the call.

When he returned to the dining room, Su Yunzhe had already laid out lunch. Shen Yan helped set the table and casually mentioned, “The calls were from Grandpa Duan and the police.”

“Mm,” Su Yunzhe responded as he plated the last dish. “So, you’ve decided to let Duan Yang off the hook?”

Shen Yan hesitated, feeling a bit guilty. “I made the decision on my own. Are you mad at me?”

Su Yunzhe didn’t answer right away. Instead, he slowly poured himself a glass of red wine, took a sip, and ignored Shen Yan entirely.

Shen Yan looked at him nervously. “Are you really mad?”

“Mm,” Su Yunzhe said, maintaining a serious expression.

Shen Yan doubted he was truly angry. Su Yunzhe had never been genuinely upset with him before, so this was probably just an act to tease him.

Still, feeling guilty, Shen Yan circled the table, sat beside him, and smiled sweetly. “Don’t be mad, okay? Grandpa Duan promised me that Duan Yang would agree to the divorce. Isn’t that enough? Why bother holding a grudge against someone like him?”

Su Yunzhe’s expression remained stern. “I care, and I want to hold a grudge. Why are you always defending him?”

Shen Yan froze, caught off guard. Before he could respond, Su Yunzhe suddenly laughed, leaning back and rubbing his temples. Then he reached out to ruffle Shen Yan’s hair. “Just kidding. Eat up—you said you were hungry.”

He began serving Shen Yan some food, as if the earlier seriousness had been entirely fabricated.

As Shen Yan ate, he couldn’t shake a strange feeling.

He had initially thought Su Yunzhe was pretending to be upset just to tease him. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

As Shen Yan was pulled out of the dining room by Su Yunzhe, a wave of clarity hit him like a cold splash of water.

Su Yunzhe was genuinely angry, and it was because Shen Yan kept retreating when it came to Duan Yang’s issues!

He quickly grabbed Su Yunzhe’s hand. “Su Yunzhe, you don’t think I still have feelings for Duan Yang, do you?”

Shen Yan realized that, at times—especially when dealing with Su Yunzhe—he could be quite oblivious.

Since Su Yunzhe even knew the backstory of his marriage to Duan Yang, he obviously understood how devoted Shen Yan had been to him in the past.

But Shen Yan wasn’t the original character anymore. He had no emotional ties to Duan Yang, so he often unconsciously overlooked the fact that, in this world, he was someone with a complicated romantic history.

And now, repeatedly defending his ex in front of his current partner would obviously make Su Yunzhe uncomfortable.

What’s worse, Su Yunzhe wasn’t voicing his feelings and seemed to be holding back for some reason.

Shen Yan felt both guilty and heartbroken, so he decided to lay everything out in the open.

Su Yunzhe hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. “I know you don’t.”

“Then why are you—?”

Su Yunzhe gave a slightly embarrassed smile. “I know it, but hearing you keep defending him still makes me upset!”

Su Yunzhe had taken over the Su family business at eighteen, weathered countless storms, and developed immense emotional self-control. But now, over such a trivial matter, he was feeling agitated, restless, and inexplicably angry. He even found himself acting a little immature.

But there was no denying it—he was upset. Even knowing Shen Yan had no feelings for Duan Yang, he still felt deeply annoyed.

Shen Yan stared at him for a moment before suddenly throwing his arms around Su Yunzhe and hugging him tightly. “Idiot! If you’re upset, just say so! How am I supposed to know otherwise?”

Su Yunzhe held the person who had thrown himself into his arms, and his dissatisfaction instantly vanished like smoke in the wind. He chuckled. “Didn’t you figure it out anyway? A meeting of the minds, huh?”

“What? No way! It’s because I’m smart!” Shen Yan pushed him away and looked seriously into his eyes. He spoke with a firm tone, “Su Yunzhe, listen to me. Duan Yang and I didn’t even have anything to ‘end’ because we never truly started. The only reason I keep asking you to go easy on him is that Grandpa Duan only has him left. As for everything else, I don’t care about it. All I want now is a divorce from him—I don’t want things to get more complicated. So, to be clear, what I’m doing has nothing to do with him! Do I look like a masochist who can’t let go of someone who treated me like that? How blind do you think I am?”

In truth, Shen Yan simply didn’t want Su Yunzhe to have any dealings with Duan Yang. He was afraid that if things went awry, Su Yunzhe’s fate might align with what was written in the original story.

So he was willing to let Duan Yang go scot-free, facing no consequences or responsibility, as long as Su Yunzhe could stay safe and well.

Of course, he couldn’t tell Su Yunzhe any of that.

Su Yunzhe, who had already realized his anger was unfounded, was now thoroughly appeased. His mood soared as he teased Shen Yan, gently pinching his cheek. “If your eyes weren’t blind, how’d you end up falling for someone like Duan Yang?”

“What nonsense! That was back when—” It wasn’t me.

Shen Yan quickly swallowed the second half of his sentence and smiled brightly. “Back then, I was just inexperienced. If I’d met you first, he wouldn’t have stood a chance, right? Okay, okay, since you’re not mad anymore, let’s go build a snowman!”

Without waiting for a response, Shen Yan grabbed Su Yunzhe’s hand and ran outside.

Su Yunzhe, laughing, grabbed two coats—one for Shen Yan and one for himself. As he helped Shen Yan bundle up, he teased, “This is a surprise. Willing to go outside? Not afraid of the cold anymore?”

“Of course, I’m afraid!” Shen Yan was genuinely terrified of the cold. The moment he stepped outside, a gust of wind had him shrinking into his coat. Standing in the doorway, he refused to move forward and instead pushed Su Yunzhe. “So you build the snowman, and I’ll watch from here.”

But Su Yunzhe decided to play dirty. He wasn’t focused on building a proper snowman and kept throwing snowballs at Shen Yan instead.

At first, Shen Yan endured it, too reluctant to touch the icy snow. But after the third or fourth snowball hit him, he finally snapped.

“Su Yunzhe!” Furious, Shen Yan grabbed the snowman’s head and charged at him, hurling it.

Su Yunzhe, who had expected this, immediately started running. Yet he cheekily called out, “Come on, catch me! If you do, I’ll let you XXXOO!”

Shen Yan rolled his eyes so hard they could’ve fallen out of his head. With all his might, he flung a large snowball at Su Yunzhe. By sheer luck, it hit him squarely on the head.

The snowball was loosely packed and disintegrated immediately, leaving his hair covered in snowflakes and making him look utterly ridiculous.

Shen Yan froze for a moment before bursting into uncontrollable laughter, completely unrepentant.

Su Yunzhe’s expression darkened as he gave him a sinister glare.

Shen Yan quickly tried to apologize. “I didn’t mean to! Really, I—ah!”

But it was too late.

Su Yunzhe, a man who once skipped classes for a week because his hair didn’t look right, was not about to let this slide.

“Yan Yan,” he said in a low, deliberate tone, “you’d better hope I don’t catch you. If I do, you won’t be leaving the bed anytime soon.”

Shen Yan, being utterly inexperienced with snowball fights, was no match for Su Yunzhe and ended up scrambling aimlessly.

What made it worse was his lack of experience walking in snow—he fell every couple of steps.

Thankfully, Su Yunzhe always paused when Shen Yan tripped, standing at a distance to enjoy watching his clumsy attempts to get back up.

Meanwhile, far away in H City, Duan Yang’s rage had reached a boiling point.

He had thought Su Yunzhe was powerless and could only remain silent in the face of his accusations. Yet overnight, he had plummeted from his pedestal into the depths of humiliation.

His reputation was in tatters, his name dragged through the mud, and now he even had to face police questioning.

When had Duan Yang ever been subjected to such indignity?

 

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