The Price of a ‘Luxurious Life’

Jiang Yan, who had been intently focused on driving, had been keenly aware of the prolonged gaze from the passenger seat. Unable to suppress a smile, he finally let out a soft chuckle.

“What’s this? Have you suddenly discovered that your friend of five years is, in fact, a black-hearted lotus?” he quipped, turning to Wang Jian.

“You’re overthinking things,” Wang Jian retorted with a wry grin, though admitting internally that there was some truth to it. “I simply never imagined you’d fall so deeply in love, keeping your ‘little darling’ hidden away, only to unleash the classic domineering CEO trope to deal with a scumbag.”

Having delivered his assessment, Wang Jian shook his head, feigning a dramatic sigh. “I’ve known you for five years. Why did it never occur to me to try and win you over? Just to experience that…”

“Am I not doting enough on you?” Jiang Yan countered, a hint of mischief in his voice. “Perhaps I should just give Hongbo Hospital to someone else then.”

Wang Jian hissed in mock pain.

“So, it turns out you’re ‘love-struck’ for me too, huh?”

“Enough of your nonsense,” Jiang Yan interrupted. “When this topic arises, I find myself utterly incapable of clear thought.”

“You still believe your feelings for Lin Yu are more akin to sympathy, not actual affection that developed so swiftly,” Wang Jian observed, his tone growing serious.

“It’s only been a few days, hasn’t it? Four days, to be precise.” Jiang Yan found such rapid emotional development utterly unacceptable.

To him, emotions were akin to a gently flowing stream, requiring no grand spectacle or flamboyant display. They were the subtle, fragmented hues of a prolonged sunset, unfolding slowly over time. How could anything so profound ignite with the suddenness of a lightning strike, leading to love at first sight and a lifetime commitment?

“Well, your body certainly seems far more honest than your heart,” Wang Jian scoffed, gesturing towards the rearview mirror where twenty identical black cars followed in perfect formation. He clicked his tongue twice. “If this isn’t ‘falling in love,’ then I can only resort to explaining it with metaphysics. You must have owed Lin Yu a great debt in your past life, and now you’re happily overpaying him in this one.”

Jiang Yan remained silent.

After a moment of contemplation, he nodded. “Falling for him… perhaps I have. Don’t you agree that Lin Yu is truly… his beauty is a kind that my vocabulary struggles to define, utterly unique. Yet, attractiveness alone cannot be the sole determinant of genuine affection. I need to ensure this isn’t merely a fleeting infatuation, for I have no desire to squander anyone’s emotional investment. Thus, I intend to observe for a while longer, to understand the true nature of my feelings for Lin Yu.”

Wang Jian offered no further comment, acknowledging that matters of the heart truly demanded careful consideration and ultimate responsibility.

****

Wang Jian had visited Jiang Yan’s private lounge before; it wasn’t a high-end establishment open to the general public.

Rather, it served as an exclusive retreat for their affluent social circle.

Today, Jiang Yan had ‘invited’ Cai Xinyu to this very lounge, accompanied by such a formidable escort of bodyguards. This display of power was undeniably striking.

However, as Wang Jian disembarked from the car alongside Jiang Yan, he swiftly realized he had gravely underestimated his friend of five years, perceiving him as far too gentle.

The brightly illuminated parking lot outside the lounge was devoid of any guest vehicles. Instead, it was filled with concentric circles of identical black cars, mirroring those driven by their bodyguards, all with their headlights ablaze.

The instant Jiang Yan emerged, a rapid, brief symphony of horns erupted from the vehicles.

A respectful salute.

“Good heavens, this spectacle…” Wang Jian murmured, utterly taken aback, for he had never witnessed such a display.

The lounge’s manager hurried over, a beaming smile fixed on his face, and addressed Jiang Yan. “President Jiang, the venue has been cleared. Your esteemed guest has already been escorted to the top VIP suite, and we are serving him our lounge’s most exclusive, highest-priced package.”

“Hahaha, are you planning to utterly crush Cai Xinyu in one fell swoop, driving him directly into bankruptcy?” Wang Jian chuckled. The average person could never afford the exorbitant prices at this lounge.

Wang Jian, ever one to enjoy a good show, relished the escalating drama.

Based on his understanding of Jiang Yan, this ruthless targeting of Cai Xinyu was likely no longer solely about avenging Lin Yu.

“Take a look,” Jiang Yan instructed, handing him his phone and patting his shoulder. He motioned for Wang Jian to review the contents as they proceeded into the lounge.

Wang Jian began by relaying what he already knew. “When Dr. Zhang spoke to me about Lin Yu, he also complained about Cai Xinyu. Apparently, at dinner parties, Cai Xinyu would brazenly admit he’d solicit substantial ‘red envelopes’ from patients’ families for extra income, or openly hint at what gifts he desired. As a deputy director, he’s clearly accumulated a significant amount of ill-gotten wealth.”

He surmised that with Jiang Yan’s extensive network, investigating Cai Xinyu would be a trivial matter.

Subsequently, he glanced at the documents his assistant had forwarded to Jiang Yan’s phone, which largely corroborated Wang Jian’s own information.

“Patients’ families are solely focused on seeking treatment, their legal awareness is often lacking, and their financial means are insufficient to win a case against Cai Xinyu. The atmosphere at that hospital is far from ideal; you’ll need to undertake a thorough overhaul in the future.” By this point, Jiang Yan and Wang Jian had already entered the exclusive VIP passage on the third floor of the lounge.

The dim lighting in this area cast a somewhat somber pall over Jiang Yan’s features.

Wang Jian found his demeanor genuinely unnerving.

He grasped Jiang Yan’s intent: concerning Cai Xinyu’s proactive solicitation of bribes, Jiang Yan had no intention of pursuing official legal recourse. The domineering CEO was clearly preparing to wield his personal influence to rid society of this particular blight.

The data on the phone also detailed Cai Xinyu’s precise home address, complete with accompanying photographs.

“Hoh, a three-story villa!” Wang Jian exclaimed with a touch of envy. “Even I couldn’t afford that.”

Therefore, a mere deputy director at a private hospital, relying solely on his salary, likely lacked the financial capacity to acquire a property worth tens of millions.

“This particular property features a shared courtyard for two households,” Jiang Yan stated. His subordinates had discovered that Cai Xinyu’s relationship with his neighbors was exceedingly contentious.

The leading manager escorted them to the entrance of a private room, its door adorned with rather ‘bling-bling’ decorations. He bent down and opened it.

Jiang Yan and Wang Jian stepped inside with an air of composure, while the twenty bodyguards instinctively positioned themselves in an orderly line along the wall by the entrance, standing at attention.

The oppressive aura was palpable, instantly reaching its zenith.

Wang Jian felt as though he were an emperor making a grand entrance, his posture naturally straightening with pride.

He yearned to boast and swagger, utterly unconcerned with maintaining his image.

Inside the private room, Cai Xinyu sat on a brown leather sofa, his expression flustered, his posture restless and uneasy.

He was pinned down by two tall, impassive bodyguards, utterly unable to move. A curvaceous, coolly beautiful woman steadily poured wine down his throat, mouthful after mouthful.

Catching sight of an empty bottle of red wine on the table, Wang Jian couldn’t help but inwardly gasp. ‘That’s a wine that costs 8,888 per glass!’ he thought with a pang.

Was Cai Xinyu struggling to swallow it, finding the taste particularly… distinctive?

‘You accepted bribes, now you’re forced to cough up the money,’ he mused. ‘Serves you right.’

“Director Cai truly is a connoisseur of life, isn’t he?” Wang Jian remarked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

“You!” Cai Xinyu didn’t recognize Wang Jian, and his face contorted in a furious scowl at the blatant mockery.

It was evident he longed to lash out at Jiang Yan, yet his fear of being brutalized by the two bodyguards was equally apparent. His fury only allowed a single, choked “You!” to escape his lips.

“Great Movie Emperor Jiang, bullying a common man like me—aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock if word of this gets out?” After a visible struggle to compose himself, Cai Xinyu finally managed to utter the indignant accusation.

“The crucial point is whether anyone would even dare to spread rumors about me,” Jiang Yan countered smoothly. He gestured for Wang Jian to sit, then handed him a bottle of red wine. “Director Cai is hosting tonight, so please, drink your fill.”

“Jiang Yan!” Cai Xinyu’s gut churned with suppressed rage. He had suspected all along that tonight was a banquet of the Hongmen, a trap.

Yet, he hadn’t even been afforded the courtesy of refusal. Cai Xinyu, who had been ‘exercising’ with someone else, was unceremoniously hauled into a car by the bodyguards and ‘invited’ to this location, with no explanation given.

Along the way, fear began to gnaw at him. He worried that Lin Yu, that ‘vixen,’ had whispered something in Jiang Yan’s ear, prompting him to send men to eliminate Cai Xinyu. He resisted, loudly threatening to call the police.

The two bodyguards, however, remained utterly unperturbed. One concentrated on driving, while the other casually pulled out his phone and began reciting names to Cai Xinyu, doing nothing else but listing them.

That mere recitation of names sent a prickle across Cai Xinyu’s scalp and a chill down his spine.

Each name belonged to a patient from whom he had extorted bribes.

After listing several names, the bodyguard leisurely began to recite the corresponding prices.

Those escalating figures suddenly made Cai Xinyu’s heart feel perilously close to giving out.

He vehemently interrupted the bodyguard. “That old man, Wang Anning—I only demanded two hundred thousand from his family! How has that ballooned to two million with you? And Huang Xiaoting? Her mother slipped me one hundred and fifty thousand, not one and a half million!”

Cai Xinyu cursed under his breath. “Damn it! You investigated me? Fine, I concede, but you can’t just spout baseless accusations!”

“Understood, Mr. Cai,” the bodyguard replied blandly, pulling a voice recorder from his pocket. “This three hundred and fifty thousand in bribes is already sufficient for a conviction.”

“Shit!” Cai Xinyu’s face instantly drained of color, his fury skyrocketing!

‘Indeed, a master begets the dog they deserve!’ he thought, his teeth grinding with seething hatred as he inwardly cursed Jiang Yan to an agonizing demise.

‘He actually had his damn bodyguards record me!’

If written evidence alone might not suffice, then this audio recording would undeniably ensure Cai Xinyu’s incarceration.

Yet, it was abundantly clear that Jiang Yan had no intention of actually sending him to prison.

He could only bow his head in resignation, cease his protests, and meekly ride in the car to the lounge.

What he hadn’t anticipated, however, was that this single, forced consumption ‘meal’ might very well drain his entire life savings!

Jiang Yan was truly ruthless.

He railed internally, but outwardly, he capitulated.

“Jiang Yan, I admit my mistake. I know I can’t afford to cross you. Lin Yu is truly cunning, to have reeled you in. I was foolish to challenge you; I apologize.” Cai Xinyu’s tone was humble, yet tinged with simmering resentment. “Will you let me leave now? For this evening’s ‘treat,’ please extend my thanks to Lin Yu. Without him, I would never have tasted such fine wine in my life. Heh.”

“I don’t need your apology, and I imagine Lin Yu doesn’t want to hear your voice or see your face either. Tonight, I invited Director Cai here to give you some peace of mind.” Jiang Yan elegantly poured two glasses of wine, handing one to Wang Jian. A cool, aloof smile played on his lips as he glanced at the disheveled Cai Xinyu, still pinned by the bodyguards. “Your new superior is quite interested in you, Director, given your exceptional abilities, and wished to meet you in advance.”

Cai Xinyu’s eyes widened in confusion. “What new superior?” He looked at Wang Jian.

“May your future be prosperous,” Wang Jian toasted, raising his glass in the air before taking a sip. He then feigned an exaggerated sigh of appreciation. “The wine Director Cai provides is truly exquisite.”

Cai Xinyu’s face contorted in agony, his heart aching with every thousand-yuan sip! ‘Damn it!’ he thought.

Then he was forced to gulp down another mouthful, the taste in his mouth truly indescribable. ‘My money, all my money!’

His eyes turned bloodshot, and he choked on the forcefully administered wine.

‘Damn it,’ he thought, ‘I’ve never been so utterly humiliated in my life.’

Jiang Yan took a sip of red wine, slowly swirling his glass as he addressed the distressed Cai Xinyu. “I want Lin Yu’s phone.”

This represented Lin Yu’s dignity.

Cai Xinyu’s eyes burned with jealousy and resentment. What possible motive could Jiang Yan have for helping Lin Yu so extensively?

“Did Lin Yu trade his body to make a deal with you?” he spat, grinding his teeth.

Jiang Yan’s hand, swirling the glass, paused. His gaze sharpened, fixed on Cai Xinyu.

“Hmph, don’t imagine he possesses some pristine, noble character. When he was with me, he willingly used his body to secure a luxurious life. Now he’s merely reeled in a fatter fish in you, so naturally, he disdains to even glance my way anymore.” Cai Xinyu’s voice was laced with venom.

“Luxurious life?” Jiang Yan scoffed, a cold edge to his voice. “I wonder what exorbitant price you paid for that white sweater of his, worn to fraying, or those cracked canvas shoes, faded yellow from washing, their print almost indistinguishable. So, *that’s* what you call a luxurious life.”

Lin Yu didn’t own a single item that cost more than fifty yuan.

Jiang Yan’s temper flared.

He couldn’t fathom how Cai Xinyu, living in a three-story luxury villa, could have reduced his supposed boyfriend to a pitiful beggar, so heartbreakingly poor, and still have the audacity to claim Lin Yu was after his wealth.

Jiang Yan set his wine glass down on the table with a crisp, though not loud, sound that nonetheless conveyed his powerful, imposing aura.

The atmosphere in the private room instantly froze.

Cai Xinyu visibly shivered, his eyes wide with terror, and he quickly shrank back into the sofa. He whimpered, pleading, “Jiang Yan! Jiang Yan, you can’t lay a hand on me!”

Wang Jian quickly stepped in to restrain the furious Jiang Yan, fearing he might act impulsively.

“Lay a hand on you?” Jiang Yan asked, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, indicating he had no such intention. “Do you know that I can make a person vanish completely, leaving absolutely no trace?”

His tone was utterly flat, as if he were remarking on having eaten a lollipop that day. Yet, his formidable presence terrified both Cai Xinyu and Wang Jian.

“I’ll say it again: I want Lin Yu’s phone.”

“Okay! I’ll give it to you! I promise I will!” Cai Xinyu’s scalp tingled with fear, and he quickly assured, unable to meet Jiang Yan’s eagle-like gaze. He swallowed hard, agreeing.

His defiance dared not show.

Cai Xinyu believed Jiang Yan was perfectly capable of making him disappear. It was just an old phone he’d used for years; he’d give it up. ‘A wise man knows when to retreat,’ he thought.

“I’ll go home and get it for you now,” he said.

“Just tell me where it is; I have people at your house already,” Jiang Yan replied, his voice laced with disdain at Cai Xinyu’s quick submission and eager cooperation. He picked up his wine glass, leaned back on the sofa, and, without bothering to look at Cai Xinyu, interrogated him with an air of immense pressure, “His ID card is with you too, isn’t it?”

After all, the boy had already showered, and his pockets held no ID. ‘Damn it, Jiang Yan has no intention of letting him go. He’s utterly ruthless!’ Cai Xinyu’s exasperation could only be stifled, trapped within him. He ground his teeth and nodded. “It is.”

“I want to take all of Lin Yu’s belongings.”

Cai Xinyu didn’t immediately agree. Instead, he forced a fawning expression and asked, “Movie Emperor Jiang, if you’re just toying with him, when you’re done, please give him back to me. I truly love Lin Yu. We were together for three years; we have a deep bond.”

In just four days, he had sought out many men for release, only to realize that none of them could replace Lin Yu. He didn’t know when he had fallen in love with Lin Yu; he’d never felt it when Lin Yu was by his side. Now, returning home to an empty, desolate space, he felt an extreme sense of unease, a subtle, dull ache.

Lin Yu was like an addictive poison, stirring an irreplaceable emotion throughout his being. The thought of Lin Yu sleeping with Jiang Yan filled him with murderous rage!

Jealousy burned fiercely, yet faced with Jiang Yan’s power, he dared not show it.

“I love Lin Yu,” Cai Xinyu declared to Jiang Yan, his words seemingly from the heart.

“Feelings? Love?” Jiang Yan scoffed at Cai Xinyu’s declaration.

He set his glass down, leaned back on the sofa, and rubbed his temples, letting out a soft, contemptuous chuckle. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. “Three years, you say? You ‘loved’ someone to the point of…”

…driving them to suicide, he mused. ‘Hmph.’

So Lin Yu had been tormented for three long years, which explained his constant mental strain and endless nightmares.

“Good, very good…” Jiang Yan’s fury surged, his eyes practically lethal.

“Act now,” he commanded, his voice imbued with an extreme coldness.

The two bodyguards moved almost simultaneously, with swift precision, dislocating both of Cai Xinyu’s arms in an instant.

“Aaaah!” The excruciating pain of dislocated joints tore a wretched howl from him.