Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 44

Jiang Jingda initially wanted to delay dealing with company matters, but considering that He Lang might be unhappy, he decided to go to work early.

 

Once Jiang Jingda’s footsteps faded away, He Lang threw off the blanket and moved from a lazy state to full alertness. He checked the window to confirm that Jiang Jingda’s car had left and immediately tried the fingerprint lock.

 

The lock opened, but unexpectedly, there was also a password lock. He Lang tried his birthday and the date of his coming-of-age, but failed.

 

Disappointed by the result, He Lang sighed softly and decided to seek another method on another day.

 

When Jiang Jingda returned at noon with lunch, he quickly noticed something was off.

 

The door setup was sophisticated; the small latch at the bottom was open, indicating that someone other than him had tried to open it. However, since the outer password door couldn’t be opened, the door was still locked. Jiang Jingda reset the fingerprint lock to its original state and checked the password input records, finding numerous failed attempts.

 

Glancing at He Lang, who was absorbed in his book, Jiang Jingda’s gaze grew darker. Everything was clear, wasn’t it?

 

He spent the day distractedly pleased at the company, only to come home and find this situation—like a cold splash of water.

 

His Lang Lang was truly cunning. He had thought he was obedient, but it turned out he was still trying to escape?

 

Jiang Jingda locked the door and set out the lunch, casually asking, “How was Lang Lang today?”

 

He Lang paused his actions, closed his book, and replied flatly, “It was okay. I was just reading.”

 

“Did you figure out the password?” Jiang Jingda asked suddenly, causing He Lang’s expression to change. So, he already knew.

 

Seeing He Lang remain silent, lost in thought, Jiang Jingda sighed, pinched his shoulder, and reproached, “That’s not how a good child behaves.”

 

Having his intentions exposed, He Lang felt a bit embarrassed and chose not to speak. He didn’t proactively respond to Jiang Jingda’s intimate touch as he had the day before, turning his head away in refusal.

 

This change in attitude made Jiang Jingda’s mood worse. He tightly gripped He Lang’s chin and kissed him forcefully.

 

The last time, it had been due to a lack of clarity, but this time, both were fully aware. He Lang stared with wide eyes, rejecting Jiang Jingda’s closeness and using all his strength to push him away. He constantly wiped his lips with his sleeve, pulling his collar up to cover the marks on his body in shame.

 

Jiang Jingda pressed him onto the desk, locking his hands with one hand while undressing him with the other.

 

Since he wanted to cover himself, Jiang Jingda decided he shouldn’t wear anything at all.

 

The ensuing events happened naturally. The more He Lang struggled, the more pain he experienced. Eventually, he stopped resisting, feeling humiliated and angry after it was over, ignoring Jiang Jingda completely.

 

Feeling exhausted and emotionally drained, He Lang leaned against the bed, adopting a lazy posture while smoking. He darkly mocked, “Locking his own brother here and betraying his beautiful wife, this is what the head of the Jiang family does.”

 

He wasn’t a smoker and had never tried it before, but he found Jiang Jingda’s cigarettes while rummaging. Out of curiosity, he smoked to pass the time. He discovered the cigarette had a magical effect, with the smoke seeming to carry away his physical exhaustion and gloom, dissipating into thin air.

 

The swirling smoke softened He Lang’s features, making his sarcasm less apparent.

 

Jiang Jingda looked at him with infatuation. Even though He Lang was just sitting there, casually smoking, it made Jiang Jingda entranced.

 

Yet, each of He Lang’s words was like a sharp thorn, piercing his heart painfully but helplessly.

 

Jiang Jingda took a deep breath, kissed the top of He Lang’s head reverently, and carefully held his other hand, examining it closely.

 

There was a small mole at the base of He Lang’s palm, which Song Qinglian had once told him represented happiness. Holding it meant holding onto happiness.

 

When He Lang was a child, his chubby little hand could be fully held. But as he grew older and his hand bones lengthened, it was no longer possible.

 

He Lang noticed Jiang Jingda staring at his hand in a daze and recalled what his mother had said. He closed his hand, “See, it can’t be held.”

 

Did this mean he could no longer grasp happiness? He Lang shook his head and withdrew his hand from Jiang Jingda’s grasp.

 

Unwilling to give up, Jiang Jingda reached out and clasped He Lang’s fingers tightly, speaking gently, “I will hold onto your happiness.”

 

This was his promise and his persistence. He intended to hold Lang Lang’s hand for a lifetime, though he didn’t plan to say it out loud.

 

His hand was larger than He Lang’s, and as their palms touched, the warmth from his hand continued to flow. He Lang stared at the sincere smile on Jiang Jingda’s normally impassive face, feeling dazed.

 

If he remembered correctly, the wedding date was approaching. How could Jiang Jingda talk about giving him happiness?

 

He Lang’s indifference had become normal for Jiang Jingda, and he didn’t blame him. When he chose this irreversible path, he had already prepared for it.

 

Loving Lang Lang had always been his own matter.

 

Fearing He Lang might be too lonely, Jiang Jingda brought Gua Tu into the room, preparing not only a rabbit cage and feed but also some snacks that rabbits usually don’t eat.

 

Gua Tu was deeply touched and immediately turned its allegiance, “Host, I think this partner is quite good. Don’t be so cold to him. Weren’t you always calling him ‘brother’ before? Ribbit~”

 

He Lang petted its soft fur and replied, “Things are different now.”

 

Fortunately, he was patient and occupied himself with reading and writing, managing to endure. Jiang Jingda continued to keep him confined, showing no sign of relenting, as if he planned to keep him locked up for a lifetime.

 

Strangely, over the next few days, Jiang Jingda spent significantly less time with him. Sometimes, it was his assistant who brought food and necessities, but it was always in the company of dozens of people, creating a suffocating blockade that left He Lang with no escape.

 

Realizing the reason, He Lang remembered that Jiang Jingda and Meng Xinyue’s wedding date had arrived. Was Jiang Jingda busy preparing for the wedding these days?

 

Gua Tu twitched its whiskers, opposing He Lang’s thoughts, and pulled out its hidden phone, using its small paws to search for the latest reports. It showed He Lang the screen, “Look!”

 

He Lang carefully read the text, feeling increasingly turbulent.

 

The report stated that Jiang Jingda had annulled his engagement with Meng Xinyue and exposed the reasons for their union, as well as absorbed the Meng family, who had tried to align themselves with him.

 

The report also revealed that Meng Xinyue had used He Lang’s homosexuality to coerce him into the engagement and collaboration with the Meng family.

 

This revelation led to strong condemnation from certain groups, with many arguing that this was the new era and personal rights should be respected.

 

Meng Xinyue probably didn’t expect Jiang Jingda to be so bold, but Jiang Jingda publicly came out and announced that He Lang was his partner. He even included proof of his adoption by Jiang’s father, clarifying that there was no blood relation between him and his current brother, thus no ethical violation.

 

Love between people of the same sex should not be rejected or demeaned.

 

He Lang took a deep breath and continued to check the comments and Jiang’s current situation.

 

Public opinion was mixed. Some viewed it as inappropriate, believing that same-sex relationships violated harmony, while most young people supported and admired Jiang Jingda’s bravery.

 

Their shares had fluctuated, causing some impact, but no significant losses.

 

After this wave of controversy, the Jiang family, having absorbed the Meng family, reorganized their management, and their overall profit gradually increased, stabilizing their market share. External opinions no longer affected their development.

 

The amount of information was overwhelming, and He Lang took some time to process it.

 

“Host, this world’s partner is really easygoing… But without the host’s help, he wouldn’t have easily acquired the Jiang family,” Gua Tu nudged He Lang’s cheek.

 

Seeing the widespread reports, the Jiang family had been thrust to the top of the spotlight. With such momentum, Jiang Jingda had achieved considerable success. The question was how the manual would assess it.

 

“Is this enough? I’m tired and don’t want to stay in this world anymore.” He Lang had been living in the room for too long, growing increasingly weak, even forgetting the feeling of physical activity. He liked peace, but not this stagnant state.

 

Gua Tu nodded, understanding that the host had endured for a long time. “It can be considered completed. Will the host stay until it disappears?”

 

He Lang shook his head. If he just disappeared like this, Jiang Jingda would definitely think he was missing and would spend a lot of effort looking for him. He didn’t want to make him do these futile things.

 

…

 

While still dealing with follow-up matters at the company, Jiang Jingda received a call from the assistant who was with He Lang. He immediately stopped his work, answered the call, and hurried toward the elevator, clearly rushing home.

 

It wasn’t actually a big deal. It was just that when the assistant mentioned, “Young Master said he missed you,” it was like an injection of excitement straight into his system, making his heart race a little faster, eager to get home and see his Langlang.

 

While in the car, he was thinking about what to say to Langlang when he got back. Seeing that there was still about ten minutes of travel time left, Jiang Jingda couldn’t help but send him a text message:

 

“Brother brought you a gift. I hope you won’t refuse it… I haven’t properly watched you write, fed you, or kept you company these days. Do you really miss your brother? But it’s okay, even if you’re lying, brother will still be very happy.

 

A lot has happened recently that I haven’t told you, fearing you’d worry, especially since it posed some risk to Jiang’s family and you might be angry with me. But now, Jiang’s family is number one in the industry…

 

Brother hasn’t let you down. Will Langlang like brother a little more?”

 

…

 

Jiang Jingda carefully composed the long message, looking out the window, taking a deep breath, and gently rubbing the box in his hand.

 

Now that things have settled, he should focus all his energy on his Langlang.

 

Arriving at the door, he dismissed the assistants, entered the password, and used his fingerprint to get in.

 

However, as soon as he opened the door, he heard a loud crash of shattering glass. His heart skipped a beat, and his pulse quickened.

 

The balcony, which had always been covered by heavy curtains, was now fully drawn open. The glaring sunlight outside momentarily blinded Jiang Jingda.

 

To prevent He Lang from escaping, the floor-to-ceiling windows had always been locked, but now a large hole had been smashed through, with broken glass scattered on the ground and a chair tipped over nearby.

 

Jiang Jingda instantly realized something was wrong and, regardless of the risk of sharp glass cutting him, rushed out to the balcony.

 

Not far ahead, a slender figure stood silhouetted against the light. He took a step forward, reaching the edge of the railing.

 

This scene was both beautiful and chilling.

 

“Langlang—” Jiang Jingda stopped in his tracks, slowly approaching and calling out to him.

 

He couldn’t believe that He Lang had smashed the glass with the chair just to come out and see the view.

 

“Don’t come closer.” He Lang did not turn his head. His voice was so faint that it could be swept away by the hot summer breeze.

 

“It’s dangerous there. Langlang, come here.” Jiang Jingda pleaded desperately, finally getting He Lang to turn around.

 

Seeing the faint smile on He Lang’s face, Jiang Jingda felt a bit relieved, opening his arms to him, waiting for Langlang to come closer.

 

But soon, he realized that the smile on He Lang’s face was not meant for returning to him but for saying goodbye.

 

“No!!!” Jiang Jingda’s eyes were about to burst with tears, his heart shattered.

 

Before he could catch up, He Lang leaped down, the image frozen in his mind like a still frame.

 

Jiang Jingda’s heart stopped at that moment.

 

His body rushed forward, trying to grab He Lang’s hand and hold him close, hoping to reduce the damage when he fell.

 

But in the brief time, with the influence of gravity and resistance, it was all in vain. Jiang Jingda could barely hold his fingertips.

 

He could have stopped there, but… even though it was just a tiny touch, he continued to follow, leaping down himself.

 

Time in the air passed in the blink of an eye, memories of their first meeting, intimacy, cold wars, and conflicts exploded in his mind.

 

A wave of terror surged, knocking Jiang Jingda down, defeating him.

 

Is this the end?

 

With a loud crash, both of them fell.

 

Jiang Jingda, with better physical condition, fell painfully but seemed unhurt. He grit his teeth and crawled towards He Lang, his eyes turning red upon seeing the flowing blood.

 

It should be hard to cause such a significant impact from the second floor, but He Lang fell unconscious immediately, his head bloodied, breathing gradually fading until his chest stopped rising.

 

The surrounding servants heard the crash and hurriedly gathered, frantically searching for the medical kit and calling for an ambulance.

 

Jiang Jingda’s vision darkened, trembling as he held He Lang’s hand. It felt as if his own heart had stopped with He Lang’s breathing, his blood flowing backward and chilling his entire body.

 

He Lang’s phone fell out of his pocket, still containing unread messages.

 

And Jiang Jingda also had an unsent gift in his pocket.

 

“Young Master, calm down—Young Master…”

 

The shouting around him became background noise; his eyes only saw his Langlang.

 

Jiang Jingda used the white shirt sleeve to wipe the blood off He Lang’s face, keeping him looking as clean and beautiful as possible. He took out the box from his pocket, which contained a pair of men’s rings of the right size.

 

He obsessively put the rings on He Lang and himself, then intertwined their fingers, and they were both lifted into the ambulance.

 

He wanted to fulfill his promise, as he said, to hold his hand for a lifetime, until death.

 

—

 

The author’s note: This world has actually collapsed == The ending is a bit rushed ORZ Hope everyone doesn’t mind. The next world will still have your company.

 

The attributes are still unclear; the world background is something like the martial arts and chivalry… The卷名 (volume name) will reveal the content. I personally think it’s somewhat healing【……】