The Price of Freedom and a Glimpse into a Troubled Past

The moment the scream erupted, the bodyguards at the entrance automatically closed the door, and the server inside the room turned on the sound system. It was all executed in one smooth, seamless motion, completely drowning out Cai Xinyu’s cries.

Wang Jian: “…” His perception of Jiang Yan was once again thoroughly refreshed. ‘Is this man truly not the leader of some underground organization?’ he wondered. The entire process was so slick, executed without a single spoken command, revealing an astonishing level of proficiency. It seemed Jiang Yan was no stranger to such dealings. Yet, on the surface, Wang Jian remained perfectly calm, even applauding his good friend and praising his excellent work.

Just as he was pondering how he would need to re-evaluate his understanding of Jiang Yan, the sound system abruptly fell silent, and the door was opened from the inside by the bodyguards. Cai Xinyu, too, ceased his screams, his two arms having been reattached. Wang Jian: “…” ‘So, Jiang Yan’s bodyguards also possess some medical knowledge,’ he mused, a wry, helpless smile playing on his lips.

‘He truly kept it well-hidden!’ Wang Jian thought. ‘I’ve been so carefree and unfiltered with Jiang Yan for all these years—is it a miracle I’m still alive?’

Though his arms still throbbed faintly, Cai Xinyu was not entirely muddled. Without waiting for Jiang Yan to press him further, he volunteered, “I’ll give you the phone! I’ll give it to you! But!”

Jiang Yan’s eyes darkened.

The bodyguards immediately began rolling up their sleeves.

‘Still trying to bargain?’

Cai Xinyu’s expression grew tense, and he instinctively recoiled, quickly pleading, “No, no, don’t touch me!”

“Lin Yu’s phone is in a fingerprint-locked box,” he quickly added, “only I can open it, so you have to let me go back.”

Wang Jian glanced at Jiang Yan, wondering if this domineering CEO would indulge in a dramatic novel plot, ordering his subordinates to smash the fingerprint box just to vent Lin Yu’s anger.

However, Wang Jian’s guess was mistaken. Jiang Yan’s show of dominance would not, for the time being, escalate to the destruction of Cai Xinyu’s property. His true objective was simply to make Cai Xinyu retreat in the face of difficulty, ensuring that even if Jiang Yan didn’t intentionally hide Lin Yu in the future, the scoundrel wouldn’t dare harass him again.

Thus, Jiang Yan nodded. “Alright.”

Two security guards then escorted Cai Xinyu out of the private room.

The burly bodyguards lining both sides of the corridor simultaneously removed their sunglasses the moment Cai Xinyu emerged, each one glaring at him with a menacing expression.

Cai Xinyu felt his scalp prickle, scarcely daring to draw a breath.

He had initially believed that once he was out of the corridor, he would be safe. However, to his surprise, from the elevator to the main lobby, then to the main entrance, and even along the roadside where his car waited, bodyguards with hostile gazes continued to watch him. The oppressive pressure assailed him from all directions, leaving him trembling with fear throughout the entire journey.

‘Damn it!’

He cursed fiercely in his mind. ‘Lin Yu, is this how you repay me after latching onto someone powerful? Who bought your grandmother three years’ worth of medicine? If you’re so capable, come confront me yourself! You’re using Jiang Yan to back you up and bully me, aren’t you!’

Cai Xinyu walked with his head bowed, appearing submissive, but his heart seethed with resentment, constantly cursing Jiang Yan.

****

After Cai Xinyu was led away, Wang Jian picked up a glass of red wine and gazed at Jiang Yan. ‘This man truly lives up to his title as a film emperor,’ he mused. ‘After five years of acquaintance, all I’ve ever seen is the side he chose to show me.’

‘He had simply been too naive. How could someone from a powerful, wealthy family be anything like them, who merely possessed a decent amount of money?’ A sudden sense of humility washed over him, a feeling of being unable to reach such lofty branches.

“Thank you for tolerating me all these years,” Wang Jian said, his tone jocular, attempting to mask his sudden unease.

“Scared you, did I?” Jiang Yan clinked glasses with him, chuckling at his friend’s lack of fortitude. “This is nothing yet.”

He continued, “You only truly understand the horrors of corporate scheming when you’re immersed in it. All of this, it’s nothing at all.”

Jiang Yan lifted his chin slightly. “The bodyguards are merely a disguise, a front for their profession. In truth, they are enforcers hired by our Jiang Corporation. In times of necessity, they serve as a sort of military force. However, under the constraints of a society governed by law, they won’t act too brutally.”

Wang Jian’s expression grew increasingly troubled.

‘This doesn’t sound like a legitimate businessman at all,’ he thought.

“When we conduct business, we have to grease palms both high and low. We’re hardly good people, are we?” Jiang Yan shrugged, then self-deprecatingly added, “I’ve known you for so long, and I’ve never claimed to be a good person. But I’ve always been fair to you, haven’t I? Comrade Old Wang, there’s no need for any psychological pressure.”

“I’ll try not to feel any pressure…” Wang Jian usually saw Jiang Yan with bodyguards whose sole purpose was protection and keeping rabid fans at bay. Tonight’s bodyguards, however, possessed an aura far more potent than the ones he typically brought to film sets and events.

These men, seemingly stained with the scent of blood, were utterly unlike ordinary people, and Wang Jian truly felt his scalp tingle. In Jiang Yan’s considerably veiled words, he understood what “greasing palms both high and low” truly implied: the Jiang family undoubtedly held something in their grasp that he dared not even contemplate…

Jiang Yan then shifted the conversation, quite naturally, to Lin Yu, moving away from such heavy topics. As they discussed patient-related matters—a medical field Wang Jian was intimately familiar with—he slowly began to regain his composure.

About half an hour later, Jiang Yan received a call from a bodyguard, informing him that Lin Yu’s phone had been retrieved.

“Work’s done! Let’s go get some late-night snacks!” Jiang Yan’s mood was visibly bright.

****

At half past one in the morning, a bodyguard delivered Lin Yu’s phone into Jiang Yan’s hands.

Wang Jian took one look and found it rather incredible. “This phone must be an old model, at least six or seven years old, and a rather cheap one at that. I doubt its market price exceeded 500 at the time. Look, the screen is worn, the colors are off—how can anyone even use this?” Wang Jian idly fiddled with it, and the sluggish phone eventually displayed the contacts list.

“Only two contacts?” Wang Jian exclaimed, “There’s no social life at all on this!” He read out the names: “Grandma, Cai.”

The mere mention of the name “Cai” instantly irritated Jiang Yan. “He’s far too controlling. It was just a relationship; what right did he have to stop Lin Yu from having friends?”

“Being in a relationship with someone like that must be torturous,” Wang Jian remarked, immediately realizing he’d just stated the obvious.

Anyone, not just a doctor, could discern from Lin Yu’s current state just how miserable his ordeal had been.

After finishing their late-night meal, Jiang Yan packed a bowl of bird’s nest congee and returned to the hospital.

To prevent a recurrence of the previous two incidents where Lin Yu had been agitated, Jiang Yan dared not immediately present the congee. He intended to first gauge Lin Yu’s reaction, ready to order other takeout if even the bird’s nest congee proved upsetting.

Wang Jian’s phone had access to the hospital’s surveillance system, allowing him to check on the patient’s condition simply by entering the room number.

At that moment, Lin Yu was awake, lying with a vacant gaze, seemingly staring at the ceiling yet perhaps seeing nothing at all. His entire face was a sickly yellow, and his expression utterly exhausted. However, he appeared less tense, likely due to the absence of anyone else in the ward.

“I’ve already asked the nurses in the work group,” Wang Jian reported. “Lin Yu’s fever has broken, and he’s been good about drinking water, but he refuses to eat.” He added, “Our hospital food is really delicious! We absolutely don’t skimp on patients.”

Jiang Yan chuckled at him. “No need to explain. He seems to have an eating disorder.”

Wang Jian raised an eyebrow in understanding. “Severe depression, anxiety disorders, and autism all have a certain probability of manifesting this condition.”

“So, how can we get him to eat?” Jiang Yan inquired earnestly.

“Coax him, wear him down, seize every opportunity. If you can trick him, do it. Every bite counts.”

Jiang Yan pondered for a second, then nodded. “Understood.”

He entered the ward.

Lin Yu heard the door open, his hollow eyes sharply focusing as he instinctively thought Cai Xinyu had returned. A surge of nausea welled up, but as he sat up to search for a weapon, he realized he was in a hospital and had been rescued by Jiang Yan. The tension in his body slowly receded, and he looked toward the bedroom door with a hint of anticipation.

The moment Jiang Yan entered, carrying a chill from outside, Lin Yu’s heart gave an almost imperceptible flutter. This man, who had so effortlessly pulled him from three years of hell, shone brighter than any deity.

“Does your head still hurt?” Jiang Yan’s voice was gentle.

Lin Yu shook his head.

“You…” Jiang Yan disliked beating around the bush and asked him directly, “Can you hear the words ‘bird’s nest’?”

Worried that Lin Yu might be agitated, he pronounced “bird’s nest” somewhat indistinctly.

Lin Yu’s eyes were clouded with confusion; he hadn’t heard clearly.

Jiang Yan, once again cautious, slowed his speech and softly uttered two words: “Bird’s… nest.”

Lin Yu shook his head. He had eaten bird’s nest when he was with Cai Xinyu, but he seemed to lack any ability to distinguish food, unaware of what tasted good or bad. He could only differentiate the flavors of certain fruits.

Jiang Yan breathed a huge sigh of relief; Lin Yu’s reaction to “bird’s nest” was calm.

Only then did he fully enter the ward, retrieve the bird’s nest congee he had hidden behind him, walk to the bedside, and open the lid of the delicate glass bowl.

“I brought you some bird’s nest congee.”

“Bird’s nest is very expensive…” Lin Yu shook his head, refusing to eat. “I’m not very hungry.”

“How many days has it been since you’ve eaten anything?” Jiang Yan began his clumsy attempts at coaxing. “Bird’s nest isn’t expensive. Just try a bite.”

Lin Yu’s expression was full of guilt. He looked at the digital clock on the wall: 1:45 AM.

Jiang Yan guessed what the young man was thinking. He said, “I had to go out for something, and I picked up the congee on the way.”

This was also true; he didn’t want the young man to feel burdened, thinking he had gone out specifically for Lin Yu late at night in the cold.

Seeing that Lin Yu was still unwilling to eat, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but ask, “People can’t go seven days without food, so… you?”

Lin Yu looked at Jiang Yan with a sluggish expression and told him, “It was two days before I escaped from Cai Xinyu’s house that I couldn’t eat anything at all. Before that, I could still force myself to eat a little, not much, but enough not to starve.”

Jiang Yan wanted to know why he had suddenly stopped eating completely.

“You used to be able to eat?” He used a rather indirect rhetorical question. If the other person answered “hmm,” it meant they didn’t want to talk, and he wouldn’t press further. However, such a rhetorical question, when posed to someone with a desire to share, would elicit an answer.

But clearly, Lin Yu had no desire to share.

Jiang Yan didn’t want to force him.

Yet, Lin Yu was also very considerate. Jiang Yan had helped him unconditionally, and if he wanted to know about his condition, how could Lin Yu refuse to tell him?

“Because I used to depend on Grandma for everything. Even if I didn’t like food, I’d tell myself that eating gave me the strength to study, to get into a good university, and bring honor to our ancestors. With a good education, I could find a good job and Grandma wouldn’t have to work so hard to support me. So, I would eat some, and if I couldn’t eat, I’d force myself to take one more bite.” Thinking of his grandma, his nose began to sting, but he didn’t want Jiang Yan to see him, a 21-year-old, cry. So he turned his face to the side, looking at the projection of light outside the curtain, trying to calm his emotions.

So this young man only had his grandma, no other relatives. And his eating disorder seemed to have been present for a long time.

Jiang Yan’s brow furrowed slightly. He felt his guess was correct: Lin Yu’s grandma had passed away. And it was very recent. With his emotional pillar gone, a person who already wanted to commit suicide, and who already had an aversion to eating, would experience a rapid exacerbation of their eating disorder due to psychological suggestion.

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Yan apologized.

Lin Yu shook his head. He was the one who chose to speak; Jiang Yan had done nothing wrong.

He continued, “Grandma passed away from a sudden heart attack on the 22nd of last month. At the time, I wanted to go with her. But Second Grandfather told me that when a loved one dies, someone must keep vigil for them for a month so their soul can peacefully follow the underworld envoys.”

He gave a bitter smile. “Superstitious, I know… but I truly believe it. Grandma didn’t know her way, and her legs and feet weren’t good from years of labor. I was afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep up with the underworld envoys. I prayed for Grandma at Cai Xinyu’s house for a month, and during that time, I tried very hard to eat. I couldn’t be weak when I had to guide Grandma. But now, Grandma must have reached her destination. Second Grandfather said that after a month, the deceased can no longer hear prayers from the living. So, I finally don’t have to eat anymore. Eating is so difficult.”

Lin Yu spoke calmly about how difficult eating was, yet he took the bird’s nest congee from Jiang Yan’s hand and softly said, “I’m willing to listen to you. I’ll try to eat a little bit.”

Jiang Yan’s heart, in that instant, was fiercely struck by Lin Yu’s sensible obedience.