The Legend and the Hidden Guard

The weather grew increasingly gloomy; as summer neared its end, the temperature seemed to become even more stifling and dry. Gray, heavy clouds choked the sky. As Chu Nian stepped out of the company doors, a single, icy drop of rain happened to land right on the tip of his nose.

He wiped it away indifferently and walked straight toward the black car that had been parked downstairs for a long time. Half an hour ago, he had received a message from Zhou Ze saying that Lu Jinnian was waiting for him and asking him to head over as soon as he finished work.

Chu Nian stopped in front of the car and pulled the handle—it was locked. He leaned down to peer through the window. It was difficult to see through the one-way glass, but he sensed that the vehicle was currently empty.

He frowned and instinctively checked the time. He had clearly seen Lu Jinnian come out earlier, so where had he run off to now?

His finger slid across the screen, and before he even realized it, he had dialed the number at the very top of his call log.

The phone rang for a few seconds. Just then, a familiar figure flashed in his peripheral vision. Chu Nian turned his head; the great Young Master Lu was currently limping toward him, supported by his driver.

As if by telepathy, Lu Jinnian looked up as well. Even from a distance, Chu Nian felt the man’s gaze fixate on him. He hung up the phone and deliberately turned his head away to avoid eye contact.

Since when… did I become afraid of looking him in the eye?

Chu Nian blinked awkwardly. Images from the night of his birthday surfaced unbidden in his mind—him holding the cake, standing before Lu Jinnian, and using his mind-reading ability to shamelessly peek at the man’s wish.

[I hope…]

[…that Chu Nian will always be loved.]

When the man had opened his eyes that night, Chu Nian was certain his heart had skipped a beat. He didn’t understand what had caused that fluttering sensation…

Was it the dancing firelight reflected in Lu Jinnian’s eyes? Or was it the reflection of himself, staying unchanged within those deep, dark pupils?

Chu Nian’s hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists. His short nails dug into his palms, the sting pulling his wandering thoughts back to reality. He turned around just as Lu Jinnian slowly shuffled up behind him. Chu Nian stepped aside and opened the car door, making way for the young master.

He watched Lu Jinnian awkwardly scramble into the car, knees on the seat as he crawled inward bit by bit. Chu Nian frowned at the sight of the man’s high-upturned rear and silently looked away.

The broken leg had brought Lu Jinnian a lot of trouble. Most notably, it had completely eroded the cool, majestic dignity of the Lansheng CEO.

Zhou Ze considerately blocked the view behind Lu Jinnian, keeping a watchful eye to ensure no one saw their boss in such a disheveled state. Only after Lu Jinnian was steadily seated and said “Okay,” did Zhou Ze return to the driver’s seat.

Chu Nian sat in the car and closed the door. He glanced at Lu Jinnian’s profile; the man’s lips were pressed thin, his expression stern as he stared straight ahead, appearing completely indifferent to his earlier clumsy display.

Chu Nian glanced at the tips of his ears—the bright red hue there betrayed the young CEO’s embarrassed inner thoughts. Watching Lu Jinnian’s trembling lip line, Chu Nian let out a soft laugh.

[Wife…]

Lu Jinnian’s pitiful inner voice drifted into Chu Nian’s ears.

[When we’re out in public, can you stop loving me so much for a second?]

The smile on Chu Nian’s face froze.

[If you keep staring at me like that…]

[…I’m going to jump out and announce our relationship to the public!!]

Under Chu Nian’s gaze, Lu Jinnian lowered his head and raised a hand to rub his brow, feigning composure. He couldn’t help but let his lips curl up, only to force them back down a second later.

[Ah!! I want to tell the whole world!! I have a wife who loves me so much!!!]

Chu Nian frowned, his expression complicated.

Has he misunderstood something?

Lu Jinnian took a deep breath, as if finally managing to suppress his emotions. He looked up and said to Zhou Ze in a cold voice: “Zhou Ze, play a song.”

Hearing this, Chu Nian’s eyes widened instantly. The trauma of being dominated by “Brother Has a Wife” still lingered in his heart.

“Wait!” Chu Nian blurted out to stop him. He looked at Lu Jinnian. “I don’t want to listen.”

Lu Jinnian furrowed his brows in confusion. “Why?”

Chu Nian swallowed. “I just don’t.”

Likely provoked by the distrust in Chu Nian’s eyes, the more Chu Nian resisted, the more Lu Jinnian insisted. He even solemnly promised Chu Nian that his music library no longer contained those old, tacky songs.

Caught between the two, Zhou Ze chose to follow his boss. He opened the music player and jumped to a random track. As a melodious intro played followed by a string of English lyrics, Chu Nian’s heart finally settled back into his chest.

It seemed Lu Jinnian really had improved his musical taste.

He watched the man’s fingers tapping the rhythm on his knee. Chu Nian leaned against the car window and let out a sigh of relief—only for that sigh to get stuck in his throat when the English lyrics suddenly switched to:

“Please don’t be obsessed with me, I’m just a legend. Although I’m reluctant, I still have to say, don’t be obsessed with me, I’m just a legend…”

Chu Nian’s eyes bulged. He couldn’t catch his breath and suddenly burst into a violent coughing fit.

Hearing the loud commotion, Lu Jinnian thought he was highly satisfied with the song. His lips curled up and he quirked an eyebrow at Chu Nian: “How is it? This song is for you.”

“What did you say?” Chu Nian stared at him in disbelief.

The ink-like pupils revealed a clear, honest sincerity. The thin lips moved, enunciating every word: “This. Song. Is. For. You.”

Subsequently, Chu Nian’s face turned sour at a speed visible to the naked eye. He closed his eyes, his lips trembling slightly as he whispered, “Turn it off.”

“Huh?” Lu Jinnian blinked innocently. “You said you like this song very much?”

Chu Nian snapped his eyes open, gritting his teeth. “I said… turn it off.”

Lu Jinnian finally noticed something was wrong. Meeting the sharp glare Chu Nian shot at him, he thought, ‘Uh oh,’ and hurried Zhou Ze to kill the music.

The car fell silent instantly. Driving in the front, Zhou Ze felt the atmosphere in the back become exceptionally stiff, like the calm before a storm. He didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, straightening his back and trying to minimize his presence.

Lu Jinnian stared fixedly at Chu Nian. Seeing the expression on the other’s face soften slightly, he secretly clutched his own chest.

Whew. I almost died just now.

He had no idea how he had stepped on Chu Nian’s landmine; the man’s expression looked like he genuinely wanted to kill him. Lu Jinnian glanced at Chu Nian’s now-gentle profile and asked cautiously, “Are you angry?”

Chu Nian replied stiffly: “No.”

Lu Jinnian continued to test the waters: “Are you going to the hospital now?”

Chu Nian nodded. “Mhm.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No need.”

“Then I’ll wait for you outside.”

“No need.”

Faced with Chu Nian’s rejection, Lu Jinnian fell silent.

[And he says he’s not angry.]

Lu Jinnian turned his head away.

[My wife’s heart is as hard as a rock.]

“Lu Jinnian,” Chu Nian called out softly. The man turned back instantly, a joy in his eyes that he perhaps didn’t even realize was there, but which Chu Nian saw clearly.

Chu Nian froze for a second, then looked away. “Are you very free?”

Lu Jinnian paused for half a beat, then nodded. “Yes, very free.”

He shook his injured leg. “My leg is broken. My dad gave me three months of leave, and my brother is handling everything now. You tell me if I’m free or not.”

“So be prepared. When Lu Jinnian has nothing to do, he loves to harass people.”

“Because right now, you…” His gaze swept over, a flickering light in his eyes. “…are mine.”

Hearing the dissatisfaction in Lu Jinnian’s tone, Chu Nian shut his mouth and stopped speaking. The atmosphere in the car became even more deathly silent than before. He shifted toward the door, almost pressing himself against it, staring out the window.

His Adam’s apple bobbed in his dry throat. This atmosphere made Chu Nian incredibly uncomfortable, so the moment they arrived at the hospital, he got out without a word. Rejecting Zhou Ze’s offer to escort him, Chu Nian fled into the hospital like a runaway.

The car window Chu Nian had left behind slowly rolled down. Lu Jinnian stared at Chu Nian’s thin back, his long, thick lashes drooping to hide the churning emotions in his eyes.

Chu Nian always seemed to be pushing him away.

Am I getting too close?

In their contract, it did state that they couldn’t truly fall for each other. At that thought, Lu Jinnian shook his head. Chu Nian was fulfilling the contract; he wasn’t doing anything wrong.

The one in the wrong was himself—failing to control his emotions when facing him. Unable to hide the love he had accumulated over years of longing.

A dull thud of thunder echoed in the distance, and the clouds gathered thicker. Lu Jinnian looked up, but in the gloom, not a single drop of rain fell. However, his heart was a haze.

******************************

The air on a summer rainy day was airtight. Chu Nian dashed up the inpatient building, nearly colliding head-on with an oncoming doctor.

Dr. Song instinctively reached out to steady him, but Chu Nian hit the brakes, coming to a halt exactly half a meter away. Dr. Song blinked, taking in Chu Nian’s flushed face from the run, and laughed. “Mr. Chu, there’s no need to be in such a hurry.”

Chu Nian panted heavily, nodding apologetically. “I’m sorry.”

Dr. Song patted his shoulder and led him to Liao Ling’s ward. Chu Nian looked through the viewing window; the woman inside was lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully.

“She just took her medicine; it has a slight sedative effect,” Dr. Song explained softly. “Liao Ling’s mood has stabilized a lot recently. She even joked with the nurse yesterday. If this continues, I don’t think it will be long before she can be taken home for treatment.”

“After all, what psychiatric patients need most is the care of their family,” Dr. Song said.

Chu Nian murmured, “Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Song.”

Dr. Song smiled. They discussed Liao Ling’s other recent conditions, and by the time they finished, the sky outside had turned completely dark. Dr. Song saw Chu Nian to the hospital entrance, where Chu Nian bid him goodbye.

The rain still hadn’t fallen. A cold wind brushed against his back as the night temperature plummeted. Chu Nian sucked in a breath of cold air and rubbed his arms with his palms.

The streetlights flickered on, their dim yellow glow falling on the grayish-black ground. His shadow was stretched infinitely long behind him. There weren’t many pedestrians on the street; cars roared past, leaving nothing behind but swirling dead leaves.

Lu Jinnian’s car was no longer outside the hospital.

He probably got angry at me, Chu Nian thought.

He walked along the sidewalk. The hospital wasn’t far from where he lived, and the rare silence around him finally allowed his tense thoughts to relax a little.

What Chu Nian didn’t know was that a dozen meters behind him, a black car was moving slowly. The man in the driver’s seat stared at Chu Nian’s figure ahead. Then, with a “ding-dong” in his earpiece, a deep male voice came through.

“Is he out?”

“He’s out.”

“Mhm.” The man’s throat rolled. “Follow him closely.”

Zhou Ze asked in confusion: “President Lu, aren’t we going to invite Mr. Chu into the car?”

The other side was silent for a few seconds. “No need.”

“Just ensure his safety. It seems Lu Yanyang’s people have their eyes on him.”

Zhou Ze gave an “Mhm.”

Then he looked up, and the figure that had been in his line of sight suddenly vanished.

His eyes widened as he scanned left and right in a panic.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Jinnian sensed the abnormality.

Zhou Ze swallowed, his voice trembling.

“President Lu.”

“Mr. Chu is gone.”