Red Line Resurrection Chapter 14

Chapter 14

◎You like my brother very much?◎

Zhou Shunan racked his brain but never imagined that Shen Lingjun would be Liang Ji’an’s younger brother.

His family was wealthy, and although they weren’t in the same circle as the Liang family, he knew about the peripheral gossip. He had never heard that Liang Jinwei had a second child.

And even if there was one, it would only be an illegitimate son. Yet, Liang Ji’an was generous enough to bring an illegitimate son home and raise him properly—it sounded like a complete fantasy.

Given Liang Ji’an’s personality, shouldn’t he have quietly dealt with the matter outside?

Zhou Shunan returned home filled with questions, but he didn’t dare ask anyone. After all, this was news the Liang family hadn’t made public. If he inquired, Liang Ji’an would quickly know the information leaked through him.

He felt both terrified and lucky. Fortunately, he hadn’t done anything too outrageous to Shen Lingjun.

*

Shen Lingjun waited in the car for less than half an hour before Liang Ji’an returned. He wanted to ask how Ji Yuxuan was handled, but Liang Ji’an only said he had called the police and didn’t know the immediate aftermath.

So, he didn’t ask further. Liang Ji’an drove him back. Shen Lingjun felt uneasy the entire way, mentally rehearsing seven or eight times how he should explain tonight’s events. He had just been told not to lie last night, and today he was caught red-handed. Could a person be this unlucky?

When they arrived home, the house was empty. Even He Wen, who usually greeted them at the door, was absent. Shen Lingjun followed Liang Ji’an like a little shadow until Liang Ji’an stopped outside the study door.

Returning to the familiar place, Shen Lingjun instinctively felt his recently healed backside start to ache again. His eyes darted around. He grabbed Liang Ji’an’s shirt, buried his face in his back, and mumbled in a muffled voice, “Brother, I was wrong.”

“I shouldn’t have stayed out after dinner and lied to you.”

“But the other things were accidents. I broke up with him. I didn’t know he would come looking for me.”

Liang Ji’an grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him forward, looking at him with a half-smile. “You’re certainly practiced at admitting fault, but unfortunately, what you’re saying is highly unbelievable.”

Shen Lingjun immediately spilled everything he had thought of on the way to mitigate his guilt. “I only went to the bar because I had never been and was curious, but I didn’t do anything. I didn’t touch a drop of alcohol, truly.”

“If you don’t believe me, smell me. There’s no alcohol smell at all.” He fluttered closer to Liang Ji’an on his tiptoes, only to be pushed back by a finger pressed against his forehead. Liang Ji’an said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

Shen Lingjun buzzed like a tireless bee. “And I listened carefully in class today.”

“I have already decided to make plans for my future life.”

Liang Ji’an’s gaze lingered on his waist and hips for a moment. Shen Lingjun thought he was about to hit him again. He was nervous and scared, yet not entirely resistant. Instead, Liang Ji’an chuckled when he realized what Shen Lingjun was thinking. “Do I look like I enjoy hitting people?”

Shen Lingjun immediately shook his head.

“I’m not that angry about this matter. Go back and rest first.” Liang Ji’an took off the jacket stained with Shen Lingjun’s tears. “Everyone who recorded videos at the scene has deleted them; they won’t be posted online. As for Ji Yuxuan, he won’t bother you again. Don’t worry.”

Shen Lingjun breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he had escaped a disaster. He then whispered hesitantly, “Thank you, Brother.”

After confirming Shen Lingjun had gone back to his room, Liang Ji’an did not enter the study. Instead, he drove to another Liang family residence. Ji Yuxuan was tightly bound to a chair. He Wen stood nearby and bowed slightly when Liang Ji’an arrived. “Sir.”

Liang Ji’an raised a hand, signaling him to leave. He sat down very relaxed on the sofa opposite Ji Yuxuan and said slowly, “You like my brother very much?”

“So much that you needed to hear him break up with you face-to-face to be satisfied?”

“How long have you been together?”

Ji Yuxuan didn’t answer. Liang Ji’an said unhurriedly, “It seems you are a man of few words.”

Ji Yuxuan was so angry he nearly rolled his eyes. His mouth was tightly gagged; he wished he could speak!

Liang Ji’an left him stewing for another ten minutes. When Ji Yuxuan was struggling, red-faced and thick-necked, Liang Ji’an walked over and, through a leather glove, removed the cloth from his mouth.

Ji Yuxuan gasped for several breaths. He dared not speak carelessly now. Those two slaps from Shen Lingjun had, if nothing else, knocked some sense back into him. He knew exactly who he could provoke and who he couldn’t.

He tried to open his mouth to say he didn’t like Shen Lingjun, but as soon as he formed the shape of the word, Liang Ji’an delivered a fierce slap across his face. Ji Yuxuan’s mouth immediately filled with the taste of blood, and his teeth felt loose.

Liang Ji’an unleashed all the anger he hadn’t directed at Shen Lingjun onto Ji Yuxuan. He was always protective. Shen Lingjun was his brother; he could discipline him and punish him, but if anyone else made Shen Lingjun unhappy, he would return it tenfold.

That glance Shen Lingjun gave him outside the bar, besides the obvious anger, contained clear fear. Considering Shen Lingjun’s past, Ji Yuxuan likely played a very important role in it.

“If you hadn’t come looking for him, parting ways amicably would have been fine.”

“I don’t want to interfere in children’s affairs.” Liang Ji’an unbuttoned his shirt and rolled up his sleeves twice. “But you truly have no sense of boundaries.”

About twenty minutes later, he emerged from the room, composed, though there was a streak of blood on his shirt. He Wen handed him the other set of clothes he had prepared. While changing, Liang Ji’an asked, “Have the clothes I ordered arrived?”

He Wen replied, “They arrived this afternoon. They have already been hung in the Young Master’s closet.”

Liang Ji’an instructed, “Pick out some suitable accessories for him to match. Nothing too formal.”

He Wen acknowledged the order and turned to deal with Ji Yuxuan, who was still inside the room. Ji Yuxuan didn’t seem to have any obvious external injuries, but the floor beneath him was wet, emitting an indescribable odor.

Two bodyguards appeared from nowhere to clean the living room. He Wen supervised meticulously. His bonus this month had doubled due to the high intensity of work, and judging by the current situation, it would likely continue to double.

The retirement fund he originally planned to achieve by age fifty-five could now be completed early.

But he didn’t feel relieved.

He knew very well that Liang Ji’an was not an easy master to serve. He only appeared easygoing because he didn’t care about many things, but now he was like a volcano that had been dormant for too long and finally found an eruption point. Those previously suppressed emotions were finally surfacing.

The temperament of a person who gains too much power too early will not be healthy. Liang Ji’an himself must be aware of this, but he didn’t seem to think it was something worth reflecting on.

He Wen sighed for the Young Master, who was still oblivious to everything. He hoped the Young Master would truly learn his lesson and be obedient, or else the tracking device Liang Ji’an had ordered might come in handy one day.

[Author’s Note]

Smooch smooch smooch!