After Marrying Bigshot Vegetable Boss - Chapter 26
Ten minutes later.
Yu Lan sat on the sofa. Opposite him, Zhong Jiale’s expression had undergone a qualitative change—from the initial shock when he entered the door to a look of complete self-conviction.
Zhong Jiale looked at him with a very complex expression, even starting to help him and Chu Wang weave stories. Yu Lan had to occasionally interject a few words.
“Yes, yes, uh-huh, I’m your brother’s soulmate. Yes, just as you think. Although we didn’t meet much before, we always maintained a spiritual connection. Uh-huh, we’re not exactly a couple, just soul companions. Right, then when he had an accident, I rushed over immediately…”
“Wow.” Zhong Jiale made a slightly exaggerated but sincere exclamation. “I misunderstood you earlier.”
…It wasn’t exactly a misunderstanding.
“If I had known you had met my brother before, I would have definitely come to your wedding,” Zhong Jiale said with regret. “Wait! I’ll make sure to give you a big red envelope next time!”
Yu Lan hesitated, looking at Zhong Jiale with an expression of exploration, curiosity, and incomprehension. After a lot of thoughts swirled in his head, he only said, “…Thanks.”
“Oh, come on, we’re just classmates, now we’re even closer. I should call you—” Zhong Jiale was about to repeat Yu Lan’s previous words when Yu Lan immediately stopped him. “Okay! Don’t call me that! I think it’s more natural if we continue as classmates!”
What kind of logic does he have?
Who would instantly accept such a fact just because of a scolding?!
Yu Lan recalled the day he first returned to school, when Zhong Jiale came to greet him. Forget it… He remembered Chu Wang’s expression earlier and thought it was indeed unexpected for Chu Wang to have such a brother.
Since his identity was known, Zhong Jiale continued his speech, filling in what he couldn’t finish at school in the afternoon—mostly praises for Chu Wang.
Zhong Jiale had an almost blind admiration for Chu Wang, seeing him as his role model. It made sense why he would be so against his cousin marrying a stranger due to a car accident.
But now that it was all out in the open, Yu Lan didn’t find it so boring. For example, from Zhong Jiale’s perspective, on his birthday in the first year of junior high, besides the normal birthday gift, Chu Wang heard from relatives that Zhong Jiale’s grades were slipping. So when he came to a family gathering, he brought a rabbit for him. After an afternoon, the rabbit came out of the kitchen as spicy rabbit head, and Chu Wang coldly told him at dinner that this was the consequence of not studying hard.
Yu Lan, after hearing this: ………
It’s a miracle Chu Wang even remembered this.
But it also proved that Zhong Jiale getting into a good university was almost entirely thanks to Chu Wang.
Zhong Jiale took his mother’s surname, reportedly because his father lost a bet while dating his mother. Although it sounded reckless, from what Zhong Jiale said, his parents were the most loving couple in the family.
No wonder Zhong Jiale cared so much about marrying someone he loved, probably influenced by his parents.
Even though Zhong Jiale was related to the Chu family, he wasn’t interested in family affairs and hadn’t heard about the Yu family finding their long-lost child, who was then sent to marry Chu Wang to bring good fortune.
Yu Lan didn’t think it was a big deal as long as Yu Ling didn’t bother him—according to the plot of the book, Yu Ling’s childhood sweetheart was about to return to the country. The protagonists would have their romance, and he’d be left alone as a small side character.
But when Xi Yun brought them snacks, she found that the two who were shocked at the door earlier were now chatting and laughing, their friendship seemingly strengthened.
She was pleasantly surprised. “So you were classmates, Lele, you should take care of little Yu from now on.”
Zhong Jiale nodded, and then learned from Xi Yun that the influential figure from another school mentioned by classmates was actually Yu Lan’s non-biological brother.
Zhong Jiale’s feelings towards him had shifted from disbelief to understanding to sympathy in one afternoon. He promised Xi Yun, “Auntie, I won’t let him be bullied again!”
Then he turned to Yu Lan. “Why didn’t you tell me when I saw you in the store last time?”
Yu Lan replied honestly, “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it at the time, so I didn’t say anything.”
Xi Yun, who only heard a bit about it when Yu Ling came home last time, asked curiously, “Lele, what happened?”
Zhong Jiale immediately recounted the whole incident to Xi Yun.
“I saw his brother buying him clothes and thought they were close. But now, it seems like he was just bullying him.”
Xi Yun, now understanding the whole situation, looked stern. “So that’s what happened? I thought he was just finding fault.”
Having experienced the recent watering incident, Zhong Jiale was completely on Yu Lan’s side, nodding repeatedly as he listened.
Yu Lan genuinely didn’t mind the incident, and he had already made a scene using Chu Wang’s card at the time. “It’s really okay, Auntie!”
He said it twice before Xi Yun’s expression softened.
After dinner, Yu Lan finally saw Zhong Jiale off and then returned to his room.
After closing the door and walking to Chu Wang’s side, he summoned the genie and saw Chu Wang frowning. “Is what Zhong Jiale said true?”
Yu Lan feared he would get angry and immediately raised his hand. “Mr. Chu, I promised! Next time something like this happens, I’ll just use your card to buy the store!”
His response was so quick that Chu Wang didn’t have time to say more. After a pause, he squeezed out a few words. “As long as you weren’t wronged.”
Yu Lan smiled happily at him. “I really wasn’t.”
“That’s good.”
Yu Lan came over to wipe his hands. “Mr. Chu, I only have one class tomorrow. I’ll come right after, and I should be on time.”
He lowered his head, wiping more carefully than ever.
He really didn’t mind. Such things and words didn’t hurt him at all.
But now, there were suddenly several people who seemed to care if he was wronged, really cared, and wanted to protect him.
Telling him not to be afraid, that it wouldn’t happen again.
Yu Lan had long learned to distinguish between sincerity and pretense, so now, he couldn’t help but feel a bit happy.
“Alright.”
Chu Wang responded softly.
He watched as Yu Lan carefully wiped each of his fingers, then called out, “Yu Lan.”
“Yes?” Yu Lan lifted his head at the sound of his voice, his smile still lingering on his lips.
When he smiled, his eyes curved into a beautiful arc. Perhaps he had noticed this before and used that smile to charm others.
But Chu Wang had a gut feeling that at this moment, Yu Lan wasn’t trying to be a cunning little trickster; he just seemed genuinely happy.
“Don’t take to heart what Zhong Jiale asked you today.”
“Huh?” Yu Lan paused to think. Did Zhong Jiale say anything particularly noteworthy?
He mainly praised his idol, the good brother Chu Wang, recounting stories from childhood, repeatedly expressing amazement that Yu Lan had known Chu Wang before the accident…
But suddenly, Yu Lan had a flash of insight and blurted out, “Are you referring to the question about how many relationships you’ve had?”
Yu Lan remembered he had casually answered “none” at the time and quickly added, “It’s okay, I wouldn’t ask you that.”
His straightforwardness made Chu Wang feel that his previous words were somewhat redundant.
“Mr. Chu, you’re handsome and charming. It’s normal for people to like you,” Yu Lan said sincerely this time.
Besides, since he came here, Chu Wang hadn’t shown particularly antisocial behavior, at least not in his soul state.
Chu Wang didn’t respond to this, instead asking, “If we’re talking about that, shouldn’t you be more likable?”
Yu Lan paused for a moment at his words.
He could tell Chu Wang was sincere, but he still smiled lightly and replied, “Not really.”
“Who I truly am,” he said with an even more pronounced smile at the corners of his eyes, with no other emotions from that statement, “Mr. Chu has already seen it all.”
But isn’t this fine too?
Chu Wang was about to say this when Yu Lan, still smiling, changed the subject. “Besides, I don’t have that many advantages. It’s enough if people don’t dislike me.”
“Mr. Chu,” Yu Lan thought for a moment, “tomorrow, when the ‘master’ comes, is there anything in particular I should pay attention to or avoid?”
“Probably not,” Chu Wang replied, not continuing the previous topic. “It’ll likely be the same as before. Don’t be nervous.”
“I’m not nervous. It’s just…” Yu Lan looked over. “What if the master finds you and does something to make you disappear?”
“I mean, just in case, what if,” because Yu Lan didn’t even know why this thought popped into his head, “I suddenly can’t see you, or you suddenly can’t talk to me anymore?”
This time, it was Chu Wang’s turn to pause.
He couldn’t tell Yu Lan that he had thought about this many times himself.
There were even days when he had a strange feeling, worrying that if Yu Lan touched him, he wouldn’t be able to wake up, as if he could slip back into the void at any moment, back to the previous year of torturous, timeless existence.
“How about we agree on a signal?” Yu Lan pondered for a moment and walked over to Chu Wang.
The vegetative Chu Wang lay quietly, breathing steadily, as if he were just in a deep sleep.
Yu Lan crouched down, glanced at the man floating nearby, smiled, and then lightly hooked his pinky finger with Chu Wang’s.
“Mr. Chu,” he said, “if something happens, or if you return to your body and are conscious but can’t communicate with me…”
“If you can control even a little bit of strength, just a tiny bit, use your pinky to touch me, and I’ll know you’re inside.”
“And you?” Chu Wang asked after a moment.
“I’m always here, aren’t I?” Yu Lan lifted his head and smiled at him, though there was a fleeting hint of guilt.
At least for the next three months, he wouldn’t leave.
To quickly cover this guilt, Yu Lan smiled again. “I won’t leave.”
Chu Wang looked at him for a long time before softly saying, “Okay.”
The next day, Yu Lan had just been home from school for half an hour when he heard noise downstairs—the so-called master had arrived.
Before meeting Chu Wang, Yu Lan had adhered to materialism for eighteen years, never expecting to be anxious about something like this.
But contrary to his expectations, the master the Chu family had hired wasn’t flamboyant at all. There were no Taoist robes, talismans, or anything that looked mysterious. He was dressed very plainly and could easily be mistaken for a visiting relative.
The man’s demeanor was also very polite and gentle, but he paused when he saw Yu Lan.
“You are…”
“I am Mr. Chu’s wife,” Yu Lan replied, standing by the bedside of the vegetative patient.
He hadn’t even had the chance to speak with Chu Wang before the other person arrived. Chu Wang’s spirit was floating beside him, and Yu Lan glanced at him before answering.
The master, surnamed Zhao, looked to be in his early thirties with regular features. He stared at Yu Lan for quite a while.
Yu Lan felt uneasy under his gaze. Several times, he wanted to instinctively look for Chu Wang but held back, fearing the master might notice.
It was unclear if the master noticed anything. After a minute or two, he finally looked away, his expression becoming unreadable.
It seemed he hadn’t noticed Chu Wang.
Yu Lan felt inexplicably relieved but still thought something was off. If the master could see Chu Wang, he would worry. If the master couldn’t see him, Yu Lan would think he was just a charlatan.
The master sat down, concentrating for a long time, sometimes muttering to himself, other times simply staring intently at Chu Wang.
Xi Jun showed him the progress Chu Wang had made during this period. “Mr. Zhao, under your guidance, Chu Wang has indeed… improved significantly.”
Her expression was mixed with hesitation and anxiety. “I wonder if he…”
She probably wanted to ask if he could wake up but didn’t want to hear a hopeless answer.
“Mrs. Xi,” the master said, standing at the room’s door, “to be honest, it’s not impossible.”
Xi Jun was stunned.
She didn’t expect him to change his stance.
“It might be because of this gentleman’s presence; something has indeed changed,” the master continued, using some technical terms and mentioning magnetic fields that Yu Lan didn’t understand. He then concluded, “There has been improvement. Although this improvement might not fully support Mr. Chu waking up, it’s a good sign.”
These words were enough for Xi Jun. She opened her mouth but couldn’t speak for a moment.
“By the way,” the master said, about to leave, then noticed Yu Lan standing aside and waved him over. “Come here.”
Yu Lan, unsure of the reason, obediently followed.
The master took out a wooden box from his bag. “Mrs. Xi mentioned that you’ve been living in this room recently?”
Yu Lan nodded.
The master opened the box, revealing several small packets wrapped in yellow paper, and handed one over. “I’ll leave this with you.”
“What is this?”
“It’s a special cinnabar powder for warding off evil,” he explained. “It won’t harm ordinary people, but since you’re here to bring good fortune, you need to be more cautious.”
“If you feel something strange around you or feel uneasy, put it under your pillow or sprinkle some around.”
Yu Lan felt like he was hearing nonsense but nodded. “Oh.”
As the master was about to leave, Yu Lan couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Zhao, why did you give this to me?”
He expected another cryptic response but was surprised when the master smiled. “The Chu family has been very generous with their payment, so we naturally have to be diligent.”
Yu Lan: Understood.
So it was just because they paid him well that he gave me this?
This explanation eased Yu Lan’s unease significantly.
Once the master left, Yu Lan made an excuse to Xi Jun, saying he was tired and wanted to rest. He hurried back to his room without even taking a sip of water.
He hadn’t been able to stay in contact with Chu Wang the entire time, so he didn’t see his spirit towards the end. Although the master didn’t seem to do anything significant, he was still worried about the “what if” scenarios he had considered the night before.
As soon as Yu Lan closed the door, he rushed to the bedside, touching Chu Wang’s hand. “Mr. Chu, Mr. Chu?”
Perhaps a bit anxious, he looked up but didn’t see the familiar figure.
He tightened his grip on Chu Wang’s hand and unconsciously swallowed. “Mr. Chu? Are you there?”
“Yu Lan.” Someone called him from the room.
He quickly looked up and finally saw the familiar figure by the bedside.
“I was just in the closet, so I responded a bit late,” Chu Wang explained.
Yu Lan sighed in relief. “That’s good, that’s good.”
“I thought something might have really happened.”
Seeing Chu Wang floating in mid-air, Yu Lan felt reassured and asked, “So, did you feel anything different when the master came today?”
Chu Wang naturally shook his head. “A charlatan, what difference could it make?”
He then remembered something. “I saw he gave you something?”
“Yes,” Yu Lan took out the small wooden box he had just received. “This!”
“He said it’s special cinnabar. I don’t understand.”
Chu Wang obviously thought it was just another scam, chuckling lightly with little emotion. “Probably my mom gave him another house.”
Yu Lan could hear the natural tone in his voice, suggesting that Xi Jun had already given this Mr. Zhao plenty of things.
Yu Lan felt a twinge of incredulity. “He didn’t even see you, didn’t ask me anything relevant, and he made so much money?!”
Chu Wang made no comment.
Being a charlatan is that profitable!
Yu Lan was shocked by his words and began to reassess the small box he had received. “These things, worth a house?!”
A few packets of yellow-paper-wrapped cinnabar, a house?!
For a second, Yu Lan even thought that once Chu Wang woke up, he might as well become a charlatan himself.
He incredulously opened the box, finding the items inside haphazardly packaged, with the top packet bulging and leaking some cinnabar granules.
Chu Wang found his expression amusing. “My mom mainly needs a psychological comfort.”
But isn’t that comfort a bit too expensive?
Yu Lan’s earlier unease and other thoughts vanished. He looked at the small box, at each packet of paper, as if they all read “worth millions.”
He was determined to see what kind of cinnabar was worth millions.
Yu Lan frowned and casually picked the top packet.
As he pulled at the crease, the yellow paper package crumbled easily.
Bright red cinnabar powder scattered all over his hand.
Yu Lan: …So, where is the value in this seemingly shoddy stuff?!
Amazed at how easy it seemed to make money, as if it were a scam, Yu Lan pinched some of the fine granules between his fingers.
Nothing special about it.
He muttered to himself.
The fine cinnabar dust lay on his hand, red as blood. Yu Lan stared at it for a couple of seconds, even finding it a bit creepy.
He held out his hand to show Chu Wang. “The master also said this stuff can ward off evil.”
Chu Wang saw him mutter and purse his lips, seemingly still upset about the money.
He moved a bit closer, intending to offer a few words of comfort to ease Yu Lan’s mind.
Suspended in mid-air, he moved just slightly—
Suddenly, something felt wrong.
Normally, a soul would pass through any physical object, yet he felt a faint resistance?
Chu Wang’s heart skipped a beat. He looked down and realized the resistance came from Yu Lan’s cinnabar-covered hand that was reaching out to him.
Yu Lan’s palm was covered in cinnabar powder, especially on his ring finger and pinky, likely from handling the packet.
Could it be…?
Yu Lan didn’t notice this oddity, still lamenting over the high price for the box’s contents.
He looked up, about to speak to Chu Wang. “And Mr. Chu, look at this—”
Before he could finish, Yu Lan suddenly felt a cool touch.
Chu Wang’s semi-transparent body was still suspended, but his hand appeared in front of him.
Yu Lan saw Chu Wang’s long, slender fingers lightly touch his own, then, cautiously and incredulously… hook his pinky.
Originally, I wanted to post another chapter tonight! Didn’t finish writing, so this is a combined one!