After Marrying Bigshot Vegetable Boss - Chapter 55

Afterwards, Yu Lan thought about it several times.

 

It must have been because Chu Wang had just finished showering, looking like he could be easily manipulated, that he had approached him in a daze like that!

 

The key point was, Yu Lan himself found it very strange. With Chu Wang’s physique and appearance, what on earth had he thought that made him think he was “being allowed to do whatever he wanted”?!

 

But since it had already happened, he couldn’t just deny it. Yu Lan cleared his throat and said, “So, as I said, it’s not a proper term…”

 

Chu Wang, not knowing whether he was acknowledging this or something else, simply nodded in agreement, saying, “I understand.”

 

…He didn’t need to be so serious about it.

 

Yu Lan felt his lips were a bit warm, but he had acted on impulse to “explain” physically, and then felt his mind went blank, like he was sleepwalking. He was trying to remember what that moment had felt like.

 

But that fleeting moment of heart-flutter was real. Yu Lan, blushing, lowered his head and said, “You… you can continue practicing calligraphy. I just remembered I forgot to finish a group assignment…”

 

“Yu Lan,” Chu Wang suddenly called him.

 

His tone was deep and pleasant, making Yu Lan stiffen up like he was being called out during military training, afraid of what Chu Wang might say.

 

Fortunately, Chu Wang didn’t ask him to do anything else. He simply looked at him and said, “I’m very happy.”

 

This was completely different from what Yu Lan had expected and left him a bit dazed.

 

Chu Wang seemed very straightforward and enjoyed this slow process, even expressing his feelings.

 

Indeed, Chu Wang had always been very direct about such matters.

 

Yu Lan, feeling somewhat confused, glanced at him.

 

He noticed that although Chu Wang wasn’t going to do anything more, he still stared at him intently.

 

Yu Lan blinked and, trying to stay calm, said, “You say you’re happy even though you’ve experienced forced love. Are you suffering from Stockholm syndrome or something?”

 

This time, Chu Wang understood and commented, “You young people use terms quite precisely.”

 

“…………” Yu Lan, both embarrassed and annoyed, retorted, “What young people!”

 

“You’re only seven years older than me! Not a whole generation older!!”

 

He felt ashamed and angry, walking back and forth in the room, feeling that Chu Wang had changed after waking up.

 

But…

 

Upon closer inspection, he had exposed himself in front of Chu Wang, and Chu Wang had immediately pretended not to know and cooperated with his nonsense, seamlessly following along with his story. It was only when he physically encountered Chu Wang that he could be awakened.

 

Indeed, he almost forgot that Chu Wang had a history of this kind of behavior; it was just that recently, Chu Wang had been so sincere that Yu Lan had overlooked it.

 

He glared at Chu Wang, who had already begun practicing calligraphy, and then shuffled back to his own desk.

 

However, Yu Lan thought, this feeling wasn’t all that bad.

 

On the weekend, Xi Jun turned down all visitors. Yu Lan spent the days reading and accompanying Chu Wang for rehabilitation, making his days quite fulfilling.

 

Song Sijue hadn’t contacted him again, and Yu Lan was relieved, thinking that sending junk messages had its uses.

 

But rehabilitation was a lengthy process. After a few days, Chu Wang’s condition had almost fully recovered. His speech and movements were back to how they were before his illness, but he still needed a lot of effort to improve further.

 

Fortunately, Chu Wang’s body had begun to adapt, and the pain had lessened a bit compared to the beginning.

 

During these days, Zhang Yan had also visited once, bringing the documents and materials Chu Wang hadn’t signed previously.

 

When she came, she was still very cheerful and efficient, and even brought pastries for Yu Lan and others, which she had bought while passing by.

 

It seemed that Chu Wang’s promise to give her a raise had been fulfilled.

 

As a result, Yu Lan’s good mood lasted until Monday.

 

The driver dropped him off at the school gate as usual. Yu Lan thanked him with a bottle of milk and walked toward the teaching building.

 

But, whether it was his illusion or not, Yu Lan bit the opened straw, frowning.

 

He had a persistent feeling that someone was watching him, but whenever he turned around, there was nothing particularly noticeable.

 

Yu Lan had always trusted his instincts and felt it had to be related to him, though he had just arrived at school and couldn’t make out what was going on.

 

He arrived earlier than usual that day, took his usual seat with Zhong Jiale, and settled in.

 

Their department had a fixed classroom, and the morning classes were all from their major, so most of Yu Lan’s classmates were people he recognized.

 

As he was settling in and hadn’t had the chance to take out his books, a girl came up to him.

 

Yu Lan recognized her as the girl who had previously helped chase away an unfamiliar person who wanted to gossip about him.

 

The girl seemed a bit nervous, called out to him, and said, “Yu Lan, the person who came to look for you last time… I remember he’s your brother, right?”

 

There had been some commotion at the time, with rumors about the Yu family having an illegitimate child or something being wrong with them. But Yu Lan had only cared about whether Chu Wang had woken up and hadn’t paid much attention to the details.

 

He nodded, “Yes, that’s right.”

 

The girl hesitated and continued, “I don’t know how, but last night, an anonymous account added several department groups in our school and posted the same content about you.”

 

Since Zhong Jiale was the class monitor and very enthusiastic, Yu Lan had forgotten to rejoin the class group chat after returning to school.

 

“You don’t need to look…” The girl bit her lip, “Anyway, it’s some fabricated content, mostly saying you’re not married, but…”

 

The original wording in the text was quite unpleasant, so the girl took a few seconds to rephrase, “…just that you maintained a romantic relationship.”

 

She phrased it delicately, but Yu Lan was not new to being gossiped about, so he quickly understood the implication: “So they’re saying I’m not properly married?”

 

“That person added many groups and sent the messages at the same time. After that, they deleted their account, so we don’t know who it was,” she said. “We’ve already asked those who saw the message not to spread it. At least our department won’t spread it. But finding the source is difficult; we had someone from the computer science department try to trace it, but the final IP was from abroad, so it’s probably someone who arranged for others to send it.”

 

Yu Lan recalled the vague glances he had felt on his way to class earlier and suddenly connected the dots.

 

No wonder he had felt someone watching him.

 

It wasn’t that people were looking at him; it was that they were enjoying the drama.

 

The girl, worried that he might be upset, said, “Don’t worry, we all know you’re not that kind of person. We just don’t know who the spreader is, and it’s not good for your reputation.”

 

“Isn’t your brother quite well-known in the university town?” The girl remembered that Yu Ling had come to find him before and kindly suggested, “Why don’t you tell him? He could help clarify things and reduce the impact. It would be beneficial.”

 

Listening to her, Yu Lan smiled.

 

The girl thought he was upset and quickly comforted him, “Don’t be too sad! And don’t be angry. As long as we find a solution…”

 

Yu Lan smiled reassuringly and comforted her in return, “It’s okay. I’m not angry.”

 

The girl finally finished speaking, but was still very concerned, “If you need any help, just let us know! We all know it’s just someone framing you.”

 

Yu Lan responded with a “Hmm” and nodded, “I understand. But it’s really okay. Just don’t let it affect you.”

 

The girl said her goodbyes and left.

 

However, others still in the classroom saw this and spoke loudly, “It’s fine! We’ll investigate and see who’s behind this.”

 

“Yeah! It’s such a low move to spread rumors. They’re probably just venting their frustrations!”

 

Yu Lan sat in his seat, feeling a bit dazed.

 

He initially thought that this was just a routine affair.

 

After all, he had encountered similar situations in high school, with various rumors circulating about him, saying he was unlucky or something. He didn’t care much about it and had long gotten used to being scrutinized by all sorts of eyes when entering the classroom.

 

He truly believed it wasn’t a big deal. He even knew the typical sequence of events—rumors would spread widely, and if he was unlucky, he’d gain a bad reputation. Even if it was later clarified, most people who were interested in the drama would have already dispersed, leaving only a few who cared about the truth.

 

However…

 

It seemed different this time.

 

These people seemed even more anxious than he was. They contacted students from other departments, asking them to delete records and stop spreading the rumors, and even came over to comfort him, saying it wasn’t a big deal.

 

Yu Lan, who had originally not cared, felt a bit happy now.

 

It seemed that everything was indeed starting to improve, just as he had said in front of Aunt Liu’s grave that day.

 

It seemed that there were more kind and sincere people, and that was enough.

 

Moreover, the situation was truly lacking in suspense.

 

When the girl was comforting him and suggesting that he should contact Yu Ling, Yu Lan couldn’t help but laugh—who else but him would come up with such tactics?

 

He hadn’t expected his methods to be so simple, similar to those bullying tactics in high school.

 

If people don’t like hearing bad things, they have someone educate Li Shu. If that doesn’t harm him, they fabricate rumors.

 

Yu Lan found his social media and did a quick search. He couldn’t find any messages in his department, but the neighboring school still had the original rumors.

 

They had even made a document with a sensational title and included pictures of him getting out of the car several times.

 

The content was nothing new, mainly saying that the married status he mentioned in front of his classmates was actually false. Instead, he had just found an off-campus sugar daddy, flaunting the cars deliberately, and even had the audacity to bring the person into campus, talking about marriage, but not even having an official status.

 

As for who this “big shot” was, the document didn’t say, leaving it up to speculation.

 

Yu Lan skimmed through it and couldn’t help but roll his eyes internally.

 

How old is this person mentally?

 

Yu Lan thought with disdain.

 

Moreover, the document was rushed and poorly made, likely thrown together at the last minute. It was very clumsy, seemingly aiming not to make people believe it but just to turn Yu Lan himself into a spectacle.

 

But he could also somewhat understand Yu Ling’s mindset.

 

Yu Ling was essentially betting that with Chu Wang waking up, this so-called “marriage to bring good luck” would definitely be denied and torn apart by him. He also bet that the Chu family, valuing their reputation, wouldn’t make this “family scandal” public.

 

Of course, the main bet was that Yu Lan would once again be rejected and abandoned.

 

Yu Lan thought about it and realized that Yu Ling might be in a desperate situation, trying this risky move. After all, many people knew about their relationship now, and if it was completely overturned, Yu Ling wouldn’t have a good life either.

 

But maybe Yu Ling, now desperate, resorted to this tactic. So now…

 

Yu Lan suddenly asked those around him, “Do any of you know Yu Ling?”

 

Everyone thought he needed Yu Ling’s help and gathered around. Yu Lan pretended to be helpless, “I can’t reach him. I don’t know if he’s in class today. If he is, I’ll go to the neighboring school to find him.”

 

Soon someone brought news from the neighboring school that Yu Ling wasn’t attending class that day.

 

No wonder.

 

Just then, the class bell rang, and Zhong Jiale hurriedly rushed in.

 

He sat down next to Yu Lan, watching him open his book and remove the pen cap with a stunned expression, “Uh, uh… Didn’t you hear?”

 

“That trashy brother of yours! It must be him, right? I can’t think of anyone else who would do this—”

 

“Keep your voice down,” Yu Lan gestured, “or you’ll get called out.”

 

“Why aren’t you worried at all?!” Zhong Jiale, knowing Yu Lan must be aware of something, was shocked.

 

“What’s there to rush about?” Yu Lan finished his milk and started to encourage his studies, “No need to hurry. We’ll talk about it after class.”

 

“But this morning is packed—”

 

“Zhong Jiale! It’s you again!!”

 

As Yu Lan had predicted, Zhong Jiale had to stifle his questions and was forced to keep quiet.

 

Meanwhile, in the Chu family’s row of villas, Chu Wang was having breakfast in the middle villa.

 

He could now eat normally, and aside from needing more time to walk, he was essentially like a regular person.

 

The group’s affairs were slowly getting back on track. After a year of intense work, Xi Jun finally had a chance to relax. Chu Wang had advised her to take a break, so she was now on a forest vacation in a neighboring city.

 

He opened the morning news, just setting his bowl down when he heard someone calling him.

 

“Mr. Chu,” the butler, standing not far away, said, “There’s a visitor at the door who insists on seeing you…”

 

“I thought we agreed not to see anyone during this period.”

 

“Yes, that’s what I told him, but he seems to have been waiting for a long time, and…,” the butler paused, “He’s Mr. Yu’s… brother.”

 

In the butler’s memory, Yu Ling had come last time when Chu Wang was still unconscious. He had claimed to have lost something and wanted to check the surveillance footage, but when he left, nothing had been found, and there was no further news.

 

Hearing the name, Chu Wang raised his eyebrows slightly.

 

No, he had indeed seen this brother before.

 

“Where is he now?” Chu Wang asked.

 

“He’s still at the door.”

 

“Then have him come in. I’ll wait for him on the balcony.”

 

Yu Ling had lost a lot of weight in recent days. Holding his breath, he had waited until now. Hearing someone call him in, he adjusted his attire and nodded to the person, saying, “Thank you.”

 

However, the attitude of everyone in the Chu household toward him was very cold. As Yu Ling was about to enter, the gardener watering the plants at the entrance clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

 

“Here again to look for something?” The woman who had brought out desserts last time also mockingly commented.

 

“……” Yu Ling felt uncomfortable all over.

 

But since he was already here, he had no choice but to maintain a somewhat stiff smile and walk to the designated place.

 

When Yu Ling reached behind him, he said, “Mr. Chu, hello.”

 

This was his third visit to the Chu family.

 

But it was the first time he faced the man he had heard so much about.

 

The previous two times, the man had still been asleep, and now, with his back turned, Yu Ling felt an unavoidable sense of nervousness.

 

He heard some noise and saw the man turn his chair around to look at him.

 

Yu Ling hadn’t expected Chu Wang to look like this with his eyes open.

 

The man was inherently cold, with no warmth in his eyes.

 

He didn’t even look directly at Yu Ling. Although he was sitting in a wheelchair, he still had an unassailable aura.

 

Chu Wang lifted his eyelids but didn’t speak.

 

Since he remained silent, Yu Ling didn’t dare to sit down. The butler, who had come to call him, didn’t even offer him a cup of hot tea to ease the awkwardness.

 

There was nothing, absolutely nothing.

 

Yu Ling’s hands were resting on his pants, and his throat felt tight. The words he had prepared seemed to have vanished.

 

Chu Wang clearly wasn’t inclined to speak, and seeing that Yu Ling didn’t say anything, he picked up a report beside him and continued reading.

 

Yu Ling was startled by this kind of pressure, standing there almost stunned, not knowing what to say.

 

After a few minutes, he finally recovered from this terrifying silence. Besides being scared, he was somewhat relieved—

 

Chu Wang was indeed this kind of person.

 

Even when faced with someone who had done nothing, he was like this. What would his reaction be if he knew everything Yu Ling had done?

 

Driven by this belief, Yu Ling finally mustered the courage to speak again, though his voice was still trembling, “Mr. Chu, hello, I am…”

 

He was startled by Chu Wang’s lifted eyelids, and his tongue stumbled.

 

“If you haven’t learned how to speak yet, don’t waste time here.”

 

Yu Ling broke into a cold sweat, struggling to maintain his composure. He finally steeled himself and said through gritted teeth, “I’m Yu Ling, from the Yu family, the family you married into, and I’m Yu Lan’s… brother.”

 

The smooth process he had initially planned was disrupted, and he stuttered, almost biting his tongue.

 

Seeing that Chu Wang didn’t speak, Yu Ling finally gained some courage but still spoke softly, “I-I came to apologize to you.”

 

With the initial hurdle crossed and reaching a familiar phase, Yu Ling took several deep breaths and continued, “I know, my younger brother, he may not have the best temperament. I’ve heard he has offended you a lot recently, but, but I want to ask you, given that he’s my family, not to blame him. He’s still young…”

 

“Who?” Chu Wang’s voice was deep, with a hint of confusion.

 

Yu Ling thought he hadn’t heard clearly and quickly said, “Yu Lan, the one you married…”

 

Chu Wang lowered his gaze and put the tablet he was half-reading aside.

 

“Mr. Yu, I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about.”

 

“I know you’re very angry. I-I understand he has been very unreasonable this time. I heard from my mother that he seems to have stolen from your account and made large expenditures, and done things to your company…” Yu Ling hurriedly began listing details and then added, “But please, considering he woke up after coming, can you let him go…”

 

“Married into good fortune?”

 

Chu Wang suddenly repeated these two words.

 

Yu Ling was about to nod when he heard Chu Wang say, “I just had a normal marriage. There’s no such thing as ‘married into good fortune.’”

 

Yu Ling’s mind went blank, and he didn’t even understand what Chu Wang meant by this statement.

 

“No, Mr. Chu, it’s just that you…

 

“Do you mean that because I was in a coma from the car accident, I had to rely on your brother to wake up, is that it?”

 

Yu Ling’s legs felt weak, and he quickly said, “No, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to say that you…”

 

He found it strange that every point Chu Wang made was outside his expectations.

 

But Yu Ling didn’t dare to ask further. Despite Chu Wang’s calm tone, Yu Ling always felt a spine-chilling fear.

 

Controlled by this strange emotion, Yu Ling felt increasingly nervous and excited, and he forced himself to speak, “What I mean is, I just want to plead for him. Please…”

 

“You just said he misappropriated my money?”

 

Yu Ling’s eyes brightened but he hesitated, “I’ve only heard about it. Maybe it’s not—”

 

“You also said he meddled with my company?” Without waiting for Yu Ling to finish, Chu Wang asked again.

 

Yu Ling’s breathing became lighter, but he dared not slack off and pretended to be confused, “Not necessarily, maybe—”

 

“So outrageous.”

 

Chu Wang said in a low voice.

 

Hearing this, Yu Ling quickly lowered his head, “Actually, I came to see you once before—”

 

Chu Wang didn’t let him finish and interrupted directly, “He indeed should be taught a lesson.”

 

Yu Ling had stayed up several nights creating multiple fake accounts and had to manage both sides. He hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly with Chu Wang himself. He was about to fake some tears and plead, “But he’s just immature. He never meant any harm. Please—”

 

“You’re right.”

 

Chu Wang suddenly nodded, as if agreeing with Yu Ling’s words, “You’re his brother, and you care so much about him that you’ve come here to plead.”

 

“Well, as you wish, I’ll overlook what he’s done.”

 

Yu Ling felt something was off but didn’t have time to adjust his expression when Chu Wang continued, “Since you care so much for your brother, how about you take his punishment instead?”

 

Hearing this, Yu Ling was momentarily stunned, unable to adjust his facial expression, “…What?”

 

“I’ve been very polite to you up to now. Let’s end the pleasantries here,” Chu Wang said, his voice turning cold again, “Decide where to start settling accounts.”

 

“Is it from your embezzlement and abuse of power, or from your pretentiousness and habitual bullying, or is it spreading rumors to ruin reputations?”

 

Yu Ling was instantly speechless. His already weakened legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, “No, it’s not at all like you think!”

 

“Yu Lan is right. It’s a waste of time talking to you.” Chu Wang looked at the trembling Yu Ling and felt that even looking at him was excessive. He turned his face away, “Your family has only one or two assets worth looking at. If you act now, and liquidate the real estate and vehicles, it should just cover the debt.”

 

Yu Ling was thoroughly scared. He had prepared himself for this, knowing that even if Chu Wang didn’t believe him, he had anticipated something different. Mentioning the family assets made him so weak that he could hardly stand, “Mr. Chu, I’m telling the truth. You just woke up, I don’t know what he told you, but don’t be fooled by his sweet talk!”

 

“And, and also…” Yu Ling was completely disoriented, and this outcome was unacceptable to him, “He even tried to splash water on you at that time. I stopped him. I didn’t expect…”

 

Maybe Yu Ling had repeated this so many times, like Xianglin’s wife, that Chu Wang coldly said, “Since you mentioned this, let me tell you a secret.”

 

Yu Ling couldn’t even cry, and his lips trembled as he looked up.

 

“Aren’t you curious why, when you came the second time and wanted to find evidence, the footage from other times was there, but the record for that day was missing?”

 

Yu Ling suddenly felt a wave of fear rising from his heart, with no reason for the fear.

 

His back felt cold, and even though he was sweating, he felt an icy chill.

 

Chu Wang’s tone was much calmer this time.

 

“Actually, I watched you come over. I realized what you were trying to do, so…”

 

“The record for that day was indeed deleted by me.”

 

Yu Ling was almost paralyzed with shock in that instant.

 

He couldn’t muster the strength to speak or respond.

 

He knew it couldn’t be true, that there were no supernatural forces in the world—after all, so many people who did wrong never faced retribution. How could it be…?

 

Yet Yu Ling remained frozen, completely immobile.

 

But how did Chu Wang know all this? Why would such a person believe Yu Lan instead of him?

 

Suddenly, the phone rang, startling Yu Ling.

 

He looked up and saw Chu Wang’s expression change. It turned out that his eyes weren’t only cold and fierce; they could also show a gentle smile, as warm as spring.

 

Chu Wang glanced at the frightened Yu Ling and paused for a moment before turning on the speakerphone and answering the call.

 

Yu Ling heard the voice that haunted his nightmares on the other end of the line, clear and somewhat soft.

 

“I’ve been accused by an idiot of not marrying you, but being kept by you as my sugar daddy,” Yu Lan’s voice didn’t sound angry at all, as if the long-awaited revenge hadn’t stirred up even a ripple.

 

Chu Wang seemed to smile and then spoke in a soothing tone, “Don’t be angry.”

 

Before he could ask Yu Lan for his opinion, Yu Lan said directly, “Otherwise, come pick me up after class?”

 

“Hubby.”

 

He ended with a sweet term of endearment.

 

Chu Wang called the butler and told him he was going to the school.

 

It seemed like no one paid any attention to Yu Ling on the floor. Before leaving, Chu Wang, as if remembering him, asked casually, “I’m going to pick up my wife. Do you want to come along?”

 

–

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There should be one more chapter (coma).

 

TL – Coma for me too