ATMAWTPM Chapter 33

Chapter 33: The Rising Sun.

After getting off work, Ye Tingtong said goodbye to the manager and others. The manager waved his phone at him, “Today’s salary has been sent to you.”

He took out his phone, and sure enough, his bank balance had increased by a few hundred yuan.

And the previous transfer message was the 100,000 that Shen Jun gave him at the end of the month.

The excitement of receiving his salary vanished instantly. Ye Tingtong pursed his lips and looked up to see Shen Jun standing quietly at the door waiting for him.

The man was tall and handsome, making the passing customers glance at him repeatedly. However, unlike Ye Tingtong, who was always approached by people, no one dared to strike up a conversation with Shen Jun, even though he had been sitting in the milk tea shop for so long.

The aura he exuded kept many people from having any further thoughts, but every time Shen Jun looked at him, the coldness on his face would melt away silently, and he could even feel the warmth within.

It was the same now.

Ye Tingtong looked at the person in front of him, and that strange, aching feeling in his heart surged up again, completely washing away the bitterness he felt when he saw the 100,000 transfer message.

He quickly walked up to Shen Jun, a smile curving his lips, “I’m off work!”

“Okay.” Shen Jun pulled up the hood of his down jacket, “It’s windy outside.”

The hood had a circle of soft and extravagant white fur, and when he put it on, Ye Tingtong’s entire face was covered. It was snowing outside, and the hood was too big, so Ye Tingtong had to tilt his head high to feel the coolness of the snowflakes.

This was the second snowfall of the year.

Shen Jun pulled down his hood to shield him from the wind and snow, “Are you cold?”

Ye Tingtong shook his head.

He had just come out of the warm dessert shop, and his hands and feet were warm. Besides, Shen Jun was standing in front of him, his tall figure blocking most of the cold wind for him.

The two walked together towards the car parked by the street.

About a hundred meters behind them, two shadowy figures were huddled in a corner, whispering.

“Is it him? It’s hard to see with the hat on.” One person craned his neck to look, but the wind and snow blurred his vision.

“Didn’t you see who’s next to him? It’s definitely him.” The other person was wearing only a thin leather jacket in the winter, and the red tattoo on his neck was very noticeable.

These were Ye Guodong’s capable subordinates, the tattooed man who had tried to capture Ye Tingtong before but was violently forced into the car by Shen Jun.

“Shen Jun came to pick him up today, and there were bodyguards guarding him the past few days, it’s hard to make a move.”

The tattooed man looked at the two in front of him with a grim face, “Let’s follow them first and see if there are any other good opportunities.”

Before getting in the car, Ye Tingtong felt something and looked back, but only saw the hurried figures of pedestrians.

After fastening his seat belt, Ye Tingtong looked back frequently.

Shen Jun noticed his actions and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Ye Tingtong hesitated for a moment, “I don’t know if it’s my illusion, but I feel like someone is following us.”

When he was being coerced by the Ye family, he had escaped several times, and he was very familiar with this feeling of being watched.

Even though he knew he was safe, Ye Tingtong still nervously gripped the seat belt in front of him, his eyes involuntarily looking back, even trying to open the car window to see more clearly.

However, the car window only lowered a small amount before locking.

“Don’t be afraid.” Shen Jun’s tone remained the same, “It’s okay.”

The scenery outside the car quickly receded, and the cold wind blowing in from the gap calmed Ye Tingtong down a bit.

He turned his head to look at Shen Jun and tentatively reached out to grab the hem of Shen Jun’s clothes.

This was the only way he could think of to not affect Shen Jun’s driving and still comfort himself.

Sure enough, as soon as he touched Shen Jun, he felt as if he had a backbone, his heartbeat stabilized, and Shen Jun also acquiesced to his actions.

Ye Tingtong began to observe the vehicles behind them through the rearview mirror. After a few traffic lights, he noticed a dirty van that was keeping a close but not too close distance from them.

After he finished stating his guess, Shen Jun gave him an approving look, “You have good observation skills.”

This car had been behind them ever since the street outside the dessert shop. It must have been lurking outside the shop where Ye Tingtong worked, and when it didn’t find a chance, it followed them the whole way.

It was the end of the day, and the traffic was heavy. Seeing that the car was weaving in and out, getting closer and closer, Ye Tingtong swallowed, “They wouldn’t just ram into us, would they?”

Just as Ye Tingtong was feeling doubtful, a sudden push-back sensation came. He watched as Shen Jun stepped on the accelerator, rushing out in the last second of the red light.

However, the tattooed man was clearly not one to obey traffic rules either, and he stubbornly followed them even through the red light.

For the next ten minutes, Ye Tingtong’s adrenaline soared. He clutched Shen Jun’s clothes tightly, afraid that he would be flung out.

However, luxury cars had their merits for being expensive. Whether it was starting, accelerating, or turning, its performance far exceeded the car behind them. After a few turns, Ye Tingtong could no longer see the gray van at all.

The car entered Taizi Bay and stopped. Ye Tingtong was still in shock.

Shen Jun’s expression did not change much throughout the whole process. He had encountered this kind of tracking more times than Ye Tingtong.

However, looking at Ye Tingtong’s slightly pale face, he paused, “Scared?”

He wondered if his method of handling things was too aggressive and didn’t consider Ye Tingtong’s feelings. Then, he saw Ye Tingtong seemingly come back to his senses, shaking his head vigorously, his eyes shining as he blurted out, “Shen Jun, you’re so handsome!”

Sitting in the passenger seat was so exciting! Especially when he saw the van gradually being left behind, it was so satisfying!

“If Shen’s goes bankrupt, you can become a race car driver!”

Shen Jun was both amused and exasperated by his words. Looking at the undisguised admiration in Ye Tingtong’s eyes, he said, “I’m not that good.”

He was just more familiar with the road conditions here.

The two got out of the car, and Ye Tingtong still looked back anxiously, “We should have shaken them off, right?”

He carefully recalled the appearance of the van, “It’s someone from the Ye family.”

There was a time when those people had used the same dirty van to catch him.

Shen Jun hummed, “They already know that you work at that dessert shop.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Tingtong’s eyes widened, “Then I can’t go to work anymore, but the shop is doing so well right now.”

He subconsciously wanted to take out his phone to resign from the job with the manager, but Shen Jun raised his hand to stop him, “At this time, you’re not worried about your own safety, but about the dessert shop’s business?”

Ye Tingtong was startled and looked up in confusion, “But I have you!”

As long as he had Shen Jun, he was safe.

Looking at the unquestioning trust in his eyes, Shen Jun didn’t know why, but he averted his gaze, and put Ye Tingtong’s phone back in his pocket, “You don’t need to quit.”

“I have a way.”

*

At nine o’clock in the evening, a van was parked in the shadows of a tree outside the Taizi Bay neighborhood.

The two people inside the car were eating instant noodles, but their eyes were fixed on the direction of the gate.

“The security in this neighborhood is really annoying, do they even have surveillance on the dog holes?”

Although they had made a lot of effort, they still managed to find Taizi Bay. However, the security was too tight, and without an invitation from a resident, they couldn’t even get through the door, let alone find the exact address.

Moreover, the people who lived here were all rich, and the two of them, being unfamiliar faces, were immediately spotted by the security guards. They were watched very closely, and the walkie-talkies were talking about who knows what, as if they were ready to pin them to the ground and send them to the police station. So the two could only choose a remote corner and wait for an opportunity in the cold winter.

The tattooed man listened to his colleague’s complaints without saying a word, but the resentment in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

He really couldn’t imagine that Ye Tingtong, who was always beaten and scolded, thin and pitiful, could actually live such a luxurious life above others.

During the day, looking at the smiling face through the window of the dessert shop, the darkness in his heart would grow infinitely, wanting to rush up and tear up that carefree, beautiful face.

In fact, the two had no grudges against each other, but he just couldn’t stand Ye Tingtong living so well.

Halfway through eating his instant noodles, a person suddenly came out of the neighborhood gate. He was wearing the same down jacket they had seen during the day, with a hat on, making it impossible to see his face. However, his height and build clearly matched that of Ye Tingtong.

The white down jacket was particularly eye-catching in the dark night.

That person left the neighborhood and walked towards the street across the road. There were several convenience stores there; he must have gone out to buy something.

The tattooed man got out of the car without hesitation and followed him. The other person hastily put down the instant noodles in his hand, “Wait, we haven’t seen his face yet!”

The person didn’t go to the convenience store, but turned to a milk tea shop further away.

This made the tattooed man even more certain of Ye Tingtong’s identity. He directly called Ye Guodong to come over.

Ye Guodong didn’t want to stay in the old van, so he found a place nearby to wait. He arrived very quickly after receiving the call.

The moment “Ye Tingtong” came out of the milk tea shop, he was covered with a handkerchief from behind, his consciousness blurred, and he lost the strength to resist. He was dragged into the depths of an alley behind the street.

Ye Guodong looked at the person who had slumped to the ground and cursed viciously, “Damn it, I really thought I couldn’t catch you!”

He crouched down and pulled off the scarf and hat covering the person’s face. When he saw the unfamiliar face underneath, he immediately realized something was wrong, “Damn, we’ve been tricked!”

He immediately got up to run, but was kicked hard in the back. The force of the impact made him fall forward onto the ground. The tattooed man wanted to help his boss, but two tall, burly men rushed in front of him and attacked him without mercy.

In the deep alley of the night, muffled groans of pain could be faintly heard, but they were quickly dispersed by the night wind.

Ye Tingtong and Shen Jun sat in another shop for ten minutes. After looking at his phone, Shen Jun led him into the depths of the alley.

As soon as he went in, he saw three people tied up and lying on the ground.

Two familiar faces had no obvious injuries on their faces, but their tattered clothes and the dirt on their bodies showed that they had been beaten up. Now, they were weakly twitching in pain on the ground.

Ye Guodong was lying on the ground. In his blurred vision, he saw a figure in a thick down jacket slowly approaching him.

He struggled to open his eyes and saw the person they wanted to capture standing in front of him, with the cold-faced Shen Jun guarding beside him.

Ye Guodong tried to get up from the ground, but as soon as he made a move, two burly men rushed forward and pressed his head down hard. His face was rubbed against the concrete ground, and the taste of blood in his mouth became more pronounced.

Even though he posed no threat, Shen Jun still protected Ye Tingtong by taking a step back.

Even though there was no chance of turning the tables, Ye Guodong still looked vicious, “You little bastard, tell them to let me go! Otherwise, I’ll whip you to death later!”

Without him saying it, Ye Tingtong had already seen the whip among the pile of tools beside him. It was the one that he was often beaten with, with a wooden handle and rough rope.

Ye Tingtong’s face paled, but his tone was not very scared, “You don’t need to scare me. I’m not the Ye Tingtong from the past who would come begging you for forgiveness after being scolded a few times.”

Ye Guodong still wanted to say something, but a bodyguard immediately picked up the whip from the ground and stuck it in Ye Guodong’s mouth. Ye Guodong couldn’t say anything instantly, he could only make strange “wuu” sounds.

When the person quieted down, Ye Tingtong noticed that besides the tools that were used to beat him, there was also a pile of simple disguises.

He looked at the tattooed man on the ground and gritted his teeth, “Where were you planning to take me?”

The tattooed man wanted to act tough like Ye Guodong, but as soon as he said one word, he was kicked hard in the stomach.

The arrogant man broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, and immediately became honest, speaking in a trembling voice, “Your dad wanted us to catch you, take you to a place where no one knows, and blackmail Shen Jun. He wanted to use Shen Jun’s connections and means to send the Ye family abroad to escape disaster.”

Ye Tingtong noticed that he used the word “disaster.” Just as he was about to ask, Shen Jun took the initiative to answer him.

“The Ye family’s cash flow has broken down, and they’ve been reported by employees for tax evasion. Now, all their assets have been frozen by the state. They must want me to fill this hole.”

As soon as Shen Jun finished speaking, Ye Guodong let out an excited “wuu” sound. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared viciously at Shen Jun.

If it weren’t for Shen Jun’s interference, their tax evasion would not have been discovered. Moreover, in order to turn the situation around, the Ye family had financed a round with others. Afterward, they were even reported for embezzling public funds and sued.

With such a large funding shortage, they couldn’t fill it at all. To avoid going to jail, Ye Chengliang put aside his dignity and went to ask those people whom he had looked down upon in the past for help.

But with Shen Jun suppressing them, no one was willing to help them.

Ye Chengliang suffered the ridicule that he had never experienced in his life in his later years, and he lost all his dignity. He aged ten years and was directly admitted to the ICU.

Even more absurdly, no one was willing to take over the Ye family’s company, and they were being forced into a dead end.

Only the person who caused the problem could solve it, but Ye Tingtong was determined to break off contact with them. He even avoided his favorite grandfather. They could only resort to this, using Ye Tingtong to threaten Shen Jun to flee abroad.

They had followed several times and found that Ye Tingtong was well-guarded. He was working in an ordinary milk tea shop, but there were bodyguards watching him 24 hours a day. The money he was making wasn’t even enough to pay for the tip of the bodyguards.

Shen Jun had done things too ruthlessly. Now, he was pretending to be honest and looked like he was an innocent victim. This angered Ye Guodong so much that he managed to break free from the people around him. Even though he was pushed back down, the rope in his mouth was pulled out and he cursed, “Shen Jun, you villain, you deserve to die!”

These insults were harmless to Shen Jun, but he raised his hand to cover Ye Tingtong’s ears.

Ye Guodong immediately changed his target, looking at Ye Tingtong, who was protected in the center of safety, with resentment, “Your mother is a bitch, and you’re a bastard! If it weren’t for you, our family would have been fine!”

“You’re a jinx! I really regret giving birth to you and taking you in! You shouldn’t have been born!”

Even though his ears were covered, Ye Guodong’s desperate roars still came through intermittently.

In the end, Ye Guodong was taken away by the police. Ye Tingtong didn’t know what Shen Jun had done, but before getting into the police car, Ye Guodong was handcuffed.

Originally, Ye Guodong was the most likely Ye family member to be picked out because he was idle, but now, he was also sent to the police station.

The noise disappeared, and Shen Jun and Ye Tingtong returned to Taizi Bay together.

The security guard saw the two and took the initiative to greet them, “Good evening, Mr. Shen, Mr. Ye!”

Shen Jun nodded to him, but Ye Tingtong, who was usually polite, was a bit absent-minded. After a while, he replied softly, “Hello.”

The two returned home, and the warm air rushed towards them. The coldness had frozen Ye Tingtong’s face, and he relaxed slightly. He wanted to say something, but Shen Jun spoke first, “Don’t think about anything, go take a bath first.”

Ye Tingtong nodded and took a few steps towards his room. Then, he remembered something, turned around, and said blankly, “But my room doesn’t have a bathtub…”

Shen Jun was silent for a moment before saying, “Come to the master bedroom.”

The bathroom was filled with mist. Ye Tingtong was in a daze in the spacious bathtub, Ye Guodong’s hysterical voice constantly echoing in his mind.

“You shouldn’t have been born!”

It seemed like his mother had also said similar words when he was a child.

Ye Tingtong hugged his arms tightly, the mist blurring his face.

He thought, it must be rare for a child to be so disliked by their own parents.

He was really a failure.

Ye Tingtong buried his head in the water, and several bubbles popped up on the surface. Just as he felt that he couldn’t breathe, there were a few muffled knocks on the door.

“It’s almost time. Come out.”

The tone of voice had a hint of command in it. It made Ye Tingtong suddenly choke on water, but he obediently got out of the water, coughed, and replied, “I’ll be right there!”

He thought that Shen Jun also wanted to take a shower, so he hurriedly dried himself, changed into his pajamas, and went out.

Shen Jun looked at his still-wet hair tips and frowned slightly. He went into the bathroom, took a clean handkerchief, and waved at him, “Come here.”

Ye Tingtong obediently went over. To Shen Jun’s orders, his body always responded faster than his consciousness.

Shen Jun draped the towel over his shoulders, picked up a hair dryer, and personally started to dry his hair.

Ye Tingtong wanted to take it, “I can do it myself.”

But Shen Jun just raised his arm slightly, and he couldn’t reach it.

Moreover, Shen Jun’s strength was just right, and his fingertips moved through his hair, coupled with the warm air, it was so comfortable that he wanted to doze off.

He fantasized that if Shen Jun wasn’t a businessman, could he work at a hair salon? Then he would definitely go there to wash his hair every day.

His hair quickly became dry and soft. The sound of the hair dryer stopped. Ye Tingtong didn’t have any reason to stay with Shen Jun, but he stood at the door of Shen Jun’s bedroom, and he hesitated to step out.

“Um, after you wash your hair later, do you need me to help you dry it?” Ye Tingtong tried to find a proper excuse for reciprocity, “My technique is also good.”

He didn’t know if it was because he had bathed for too long, or because he was shy, but Ye Tingtong lowered his head, revealing a slender neck. His fair skin was slightly moist and even flushed.

Shen Jun averted his gaze, “Whatever you want.”

Then Ye Tingtong stayed with peace of mind. Shen Jun’s bedroom didn’t have much extra decoration, just a small sofa by the window and two bedside tables. Ye Tingtong didn’t know where to settle down, so he boldly slipped into Shen Jun’s bed.

He knew that his actions were very inappropriate, but he didn’t want to sleep alone tonight.

Besides, it wasn’t like they hadn’t slept together before.

Even though Shen Jun wasn’t far away, Ye Tingtong felt restless after being alone for a while. He rolled around on the wide bed, messing up the originally neat bed. Halfway through, he even wanted to go play with Xue Gao, but he was afraid of cat hair getting on Shen Jun’s bed and making him unhappy.

He waited anxiously for ten minutes. Shen Jun finally came out.

Ye Tingtong was stunned when he saw his already-dried hair. Just as he was about to say something, Shen Jun had already gotten into bed from the other side and turned off the lamp, “Go to sleep.”

He didn’t seem to have any doubts about Ye Tingtong’s behavior of climbing onto his bed. The two naturally lay on the same bed, as if they had slept together countless times.

In the darkness, Ye Tingtong moved to Shen Jun’s side, and like last time, he slowly snuggled into Shen Jun’s arms. The other’s body temperature was still warm. He hesitated, “Did you feel it?”

Shen Jun hummed.

Ye Tingtong was very uneasy.

Ye Tingtong rested his head on Shen Jun’s chest, listening to the other’s strong heartbeat, as if he had gained courage from it, “Actually, I don’t feel much for Ye Guodong. Even after I went into the Ye family, he didn’t raise me. He spent his days doing nothing and never cared about me.”

“I can ignore the things he said, but I want to know, if they didn’t want a child, why did they make my mother pregnant? If they didn’t look forward to my birth, why didn’t they abort me?”

Now, no one could answer his question. Ye Tingtong didn’t seem to need an answer, and continued talking to himself, “Actually, I even thought before that it would be better if I died. Anyway, no one would care, and my existence is just a burden to everyone.”

Then his mother wouldn’t have to be looked down upon and raise him so hard, Ye Guodong wouldn’t have to call him a bastard every day and beat and scold him, and Shen Minghuai wouldn’t have to have the Ye family leech off of him because of him.

He himself could also escape this world that he didn’t have any attachment to.

“But now, Ye Guodong said that I shouldn’t have been born.”

This was a perspective that Ye Tingtong had never considered. Maybe even his birth was a mistake.

Ye Tingtong was very confused. The value system he had just established had been destroyed again. It turned out that he was just a child who was disliked and not wanted by anyone.

He rambled on for a long time, with no logic, all of it was a release of negative emotions. However, Shen Jun patiently listened to him until he was done venting. Then, Ye Tingtong felt that he was being held tightly in Shen Jun’s arms.

Unlike his tentative approach in the past, the other’s hand was wrapped around his waist. The embrace was warm and thick, completely enveloping him.

Ye Tingtong smelled the unique scent of Shen Jun on the tip of his nose and sniffled, “Shen Jun, is it true that no one likes me?”

Shen Jun did not answer him directly. Instead, he asked him a question, “Who gave you your name?”

Ye Tingtong was taken aback and replied, “My mother did.”

His mother raised him alone, and there were no other relatives around.

“Do you know what Tingtong represents?” Shen Jun’s tone was steady, “It’s the rising sun, representing hope and new life.”

The head in his arms slowly lifted, and in the darkness, he could see Ye Tingtong’s stunned eyes, “The sunrise?”

That was something very beautiful.

“Yes.” Shen Jun looked at him in the dark, “Your mother was looking forward to your birth.”

Ye Tingtong stared, his beautiful face looking somewhat lost.

The person in his arms was soft but fragile. Shen Jun lowered his head and gently touched the corner of his lips, his voice low, like a murmur, “There’s something I’ve never told you.”

“I like you. I’m very happy that you came to my side.”