Chapter 75: The One Catching You Is Here
The last time Ye Ran ran away from home, Chi Yuheng searched for him for a week. In the end, he was hiding in this bar.
People who knew thought Ye Ran chose to drink in Chi Yuhengâs bar because they were familyâdon’t let fertile water flow into others’ fields.
But choosing to drink in the bar he managed again this time… this little young master must think the manager’s life was too long and was specifically targeting him.
Over at the booth, Xu Huijiang was being pressed by Ye Ran like a turtle flipped onto its shell, flailing his limbs in vain, unable to turn over.
“What’s so hard about pursuing Chi Yuheng? Let me get up first…”
Xu Huijiangâs cheeks were flushed with a drunken red, and a layer of thin sweat had broken out on his brow. He had just struggled out and hadn’t sat steadily before swaying. He was seeing double.
“Fuck! I felt like I saw my great-grandmother when you were pressing me just now…”
Ye Ran: “…”
Xu Huijiang sat there muttering, “And my great-grandfather…”
The bar manager arrived at their booth at this time and called Ye Ran respectfully, “Young Master Ye.”
Xu Huijiang was drawn over by his words. “My great-grandfather didn’t look like this. You’re much uglier than my great-grandfather.”
The bar manager: “…”
Where are your manners?
But now was not the time to argue with a drunkard. The bar manager focused all his attention on Ye Ran.
“Young Master Ye, you…” The manager didn’t know where to start to persuade Ye Ran to go back. After thinking for a long while, his head heated up. “Is your stiff neck better?”
When Ye Ran was still working here as the bartender Ah Yao, Chi Yuheng came to take him away. The reason he used to hide from Chi Yuheng was a stiff neck.
Ye Ran was so drunk right now he didn’t understand at all.
The manager smiled.
…How awkward.
Trying to act familiar had failed; Young Master Ye hadn’t recognized him yet.
“Young Master Ye, there’s less wine in the bar latelyânot even half as much as you have at home. You could actually go home…” The manager wasn’t sure if Ye Ran could understand him if he spoke this way.
Ye Ran narrowed his eyes. Although his head was dizzy, he was still steady when he stood up. He leaned toward the manager.
The smell of alcohol on Ye Ran mixed with a cold aura was full of pressure. He curled the corner of his mouth. “You want me to leave?”
A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on the manager’s back, and he instinctively shrank back.
When Ye Ran was a bartender here before, besides being good at mixing drinks and being handsomeâwhich made customers love to have him mix their drinksâthere was nothing remarkable about his personality or speech.
This was mainly to maintain a low profile, fearing he would be discovered by Chi Yuheng.
Right now, the alcohol was getting to Ye Ranâs head, and he had completely brought out his young master temper.
He hadn’t drunk enough, yet they wanted him to leave. Impossible.
Looking at Ye Ran, whose aura was 90% similar to Chi Yuhengâs, the manager stammered, “How could that be… I just feel you’d be more comfortable drinking at home, and the environment would be quieter… Besides, if the Eldest Young Master found out you were here…”
The manager felt he had spoken clearly enoughâYe Ran going back early would be better for everyone.
How could he have expected Ye Ran to raise an eyebrow, his face written with four words: “I fear nothing.”
“So what if he knows? I come to the bar whenever I want; he has no right to control me…”
The drunkenness hit Ye Ran again. After speaking, he sat back on the sofa. “Sooner or later, I’ll make him realize his family status.”
The noise in the bar wasn’t small. The manager heard the first half of what Ye Ran said, but the second half was completely drowned out by the music.
Knowing it was useless to speak for himself, he had no choice but to retreat to the side.
Having no other option, he called Xin Yu.
When Xin Yu received the bar manager’s call, Chi Yuheng was sitting in the back of the car resting with his eyes closed. All the company’s employees were on holiday, and their CEO intended to return to the company alone to do some overtime.
He was striving to take another step in his relationship with his future “Client Father” and successfully collaborate.
Xin Yu had observed Chi Yuhengâs expression when he came out of the hospitalâthe corners of his lips were almost curled up, his steps were light, and he seemed to be in a good mood.
Xin Yu even felt that if the boss was in a good mood, a salary increase was in sight. But just then, he received the bar manager’s call.
The call connected, and the manager hesitated for a long while. “Assistant Xin… that… Young Master Ye…”
The noise on the manager’s end was quite loud. Xin Yu instinctively raised his volume and asked, “Which Young Master did you say?”
The manager: “Young Master Ye is drunk at the bar. Why don’t you come and take him back?”
The manager thought the best way was to tell Xin Yu. If Chi Yuheng didn’t find out, Ye Ran could sneak back and muddle his way through.
If he was discovered, the manager would have already reported it, so he couldn’t be blamed.
The manager had a good plan.
Xin Yu finally heard what he said. Generally, when a person is on the phone and hears the other party emphasize something, they instinctively repeat it.
However, since this was about Ye Ran, Xin Yuâs ‘instinct’ was urgently stopped.
“Alright, I understand.”
The call hung up. Xin Yu sat quietly in the passenger seat, thinking about how to pick up Ye Ran from the bar later without letting Chi Yuheng know.
In the past, when Ye Ran wanted to go to bars or clubs to play, he had asked Xin Yu to help him provide cover. Xin Yu had righteously refused.
Then Ye Ran frantically moved fruit into his roomâthree boxes of cherries, four boxes of white peaches, and finally, he simply brought a whole truck of durians, piling them up until the room was full.
For those few days, anyone passing Xin Yuâs door had to cover their nose; the smell was too strong.
In the end, Xin Yu didn’t know if he was bribed by Ye Ranâs fruit or if he couldn’t stand the smell being hated by everyone. Regardless, he still helped Ye Ran cover up once, and the effect was surprisingly good; he wasn’t discovered by Chi Yuheng.
With one success, there was continued effort for a second time. After all, one’s mouth is short after eating from others.
Xin Yuâs fingers gripping the phone were tensed. From the corner of his eye, he secretly peeked at the back of the car.
Chi Yuheng still had his eyes closed, seemingly not caring about the commotion just now.
Xin Yu took a deep breath, trying to make his tone sound natural. “Eldest Young Master, it’s time for the routine inspection of the bars and clubs below. Shall I go today as well?”
In the past, Chi Yuheng always left such inspections to Xin Yu. Xin Yu guessed that the probability of Chi Yuheng agreeing to let him go was 99.99%.
In the back seat, Chi Yuheng slowly opened his eyes, his gaze scanning over calmly. “I’ll go with you.”
Xin Yu: “!!!”
These words were like a thunderclap hitting the top of his head.
Xin Yu forced himself to remain calm, trying to save the situation. “Weren’t you going to the company? I’ll report the results to you after I finish checking the bars, and I guarantee no problems will be missed.”
“I’m not going to the company anymore.” Chi Yuheng leaned against the seat, his fingertips lightly tapping his knee. “I remember Tingyu Bar is just two blocks ahead. Since it’s on the way, we’ll go there today.”
Xin Yu’s heart completely sank halfway. He secretly peeked at the rearview mirror. Chi Yuheng still had that unruffled look, and no emotion could be seen at all.
He didn’t know if his boss had actually heard the call from the bar manager just now.
Regardless, the most important thing to do right now was to notify Ye Ran.
Xin Yu secretly took out his phone, found Ye Ranâs WeChat, and his fingertips tapped rapidly on it.
[Xin Yu]: Still drinking? The one catching you is here.
Translator’s Note:
Here are a few things on the terms and cultural references:
- “Hard” (ďźďź): In the original text, the parentheses represent a word that the characters (or the author) find too explicit to say directly. In this context, Ye Ran is admitting he’s “hard” or has an erection.
- “Andrology” (çˇç§): In China, hospitals have a specific department called NĂĄnkÄ, which deals with male reproductive health, similar to urology but with a focus on men’s health.
- “Bent” (ĺ˝äş): This is common slang in Chinese (and English) for being gay. “Straight” is zhĂ (ç´), and “bent” is wÄn (ĺ˝).
- “Zhuge Liang” and “Cobbler”: The idiom SÄn gè ChòupĂjiĂ ng, sÇigè ZhĹŤgÄ LiĂ ng (ä¸ä¸ŞčçŽĺ ďźčľčżčŻ¸č于) literally means “three stinky cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang.” It means that collective wisdom surpasses that of a single genius.
- “Darkness under the lamp” (çä¸éť): This idiom refers to how the area directly beneath a lamp is the darkest. It means something hidden in plain sight or a situation where it’s hard to see what’s right in front of you.
- “One’s mouth is short after eating” (ĺäşşçĺ´ç): This idiom means that once you’ve accepted a favor (like Ye Ran’s fruit), it’s hard to speak out against that person or refuse them.
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