The Taming of the Ruffian Hero

Two months later, Beijing.

The summer has come.

Zhang Dong dragged out an air water tank and set up a small swimming pool in the room. Chen Yuanxi was naked and immersed in the water. He remembered that Captain Cao had been telling him from the small town that people of the Mo Family had been caught one after another, but the one who often provided clues was He Fu, the major fugitive who had killed three people several years ago.

Captain Cao had asked about the identity of He Fu several times, but Chen Yuanxi said nothing.

“It’s enough. You’re so tired. Come here,” said Chen Yuanxi.

Zhang Dong took off his vest and rolled down. They had playing in the water for a while, and did not notice the sound of the door opening.

When Hong Xuan came in, Chen Yuanxi was lying on Zhang Dong’s body, pouring water on his head, and washing his hair. When they saw Hong Xuan, they immediately stopped, looking like children who had done something wrong.

Hong Xuan came here to discuss Chen Yuanxi’s marriage.

However, Chen Yuanxi eloquently repeated the last words of Zhao Mingjiang.

“The man has gone,” Hong Xuan sighed and said, “Wenxi, I never think there is any love between you and Zhao Yuan. He and you are brothers, maybe just like your father and I. Wenxi, conduct yourself well.”

“What is the right way?” Zhang Dong asked, “Uncle Xuan, you can’t see the whole world even if you travel far and wide.”

“People have laws, so does the nature. You’re old enough, but can’t you understand that?” asked Hong Xuan.

“You and uncle Lin are brothers. Zhao Yuan and he are lovers. Things are different among different people,” Zhang Dong replied in a loud voice.

“What about you and him?” Hong Xuan grabbed Zhang Dong’s collar, and angrily asked, “I’ve been watching you for so long. How about you and him?”

“Just because Wenxi and I are mature men, we know better how to judge the world.” Zhang Dong’s face was calm, and his eyes were clear.

“Zhao Yuan is married! How can he think it through?” Hong Xuan asked in a fierce voice.

Chen Yuanxi’s face suddenly turned pale.

Only then did he know that Zhao Yuan had already held a wedding ceremony with Shu Xiaoman in City G when he did not bother about what was happening in the outside world for two months.

“He has twin children and has achieved success in his career. Wenxi, you’re twenty-seven this year. Zhang Dong, if I remember correctly, you are thirty-one! You two stay here all day and do nothing serious. Tell me, is Luo Yang executed? Has Mo Qian been sentenced to death? Are you in the mood for anything else?” Hong Xuan could not help being fierce.

Seeing that Hong Xuan had become an ordinary father who was urging his son to get married, Zhang Dong could not help laughing.

“I didn’t do anything wrong. Did I do something wrong? I’m tired and want to rest. That’s all!” Chen Yuanxi suddenly blushed, and said angrily, but he was gently knocked on his head by Hong Xuan.

“I didn’t do anything wrong. Leave me alone!” Chen Yuanxi sat on the chair with anger and turned his head, keeping silent.

“You are the same child as before!” Hong Xuan had not seen Chen Yuanxi doing that for many years, and could not help feeling it funny at this moment.

Chen Yuanxi turned and said, “I am a child. You’re my only father now, and I am always your child!”

“I can’t talk to you!” Hong Xuan seemed angry.

“Then you can stop talking with me. If you are angry, you can lock yourself in the room. Don’t stay in front of me!” Chen Yuanxi simply said.

Although Hong Xuan had a good physical body, he had been tired for so many years and was more than fifty years old, so he did feel unwell because of being angry with Chen Yuanxi and went to the inner bedroom to have a rest.

“He’s really married this time.” After Hong Xuan went in, Chen Yuanxi sat in a daze. Zhang Dong saw that his left index finger seemed to be bleeding because of being pinched by his right hand.

Zhang Dong knew that there was no reason for him to talk at the moment. When the night wind blew, he put on a coat for Chen Yuanxi, who had been standing alone by the window for more than two hours.

Zhao Yuan’s wedding was grand and extravagant. It seemed that he wanted everyone to know that he, the president of YH company, would marry a beautiful lady. The twins were very adorable and the couple loved each other. At the wedding, people toasted each other, full of laughter and happiness.

The bride’s red floor-length evening dress was very beautiful and bright, looking like the red sunset.

But suddenly, the skirt began to twist. Gradually, it became the bloody scar on Hong Xuan’s face and the scar on Gu Xi’s forehead. Then a face appeared on the skirt. It was Wang Xiang who had passed away. He seemed to be smiling and crying.

Chen Yuanxi woke up suddenly from a nightmare, and Zhang Dong also sat up beside him.

Zhang Dong held Chen Yuanxi in his arms, patted him gently on the arm, put his chin on Chen Yuanxi’s forehead, and said softly, “It’s OK, it’s OK.”

The door was suddenly opened. Hong Xuan turned on the light with a puzzled face. When he saw this situation, his face immediately turned livid. But when he saw the sweat on Chen Yuanxi’s head and his pale face, his face gradually turned gentle.

Chen Yuanxi broke away from Zhang Dong and smiled at Hongxuan. “I’m fine.”

“You never have nightmares,” said Hong Xuan.

“Maybe because I’ve done a lot of bad things.” Chen Yuanxi smiled and wiped his sweat with a pillow towel.

Before closing the door, Hong Xuan added, “Is there an alarm clock in that pillow? It has been shaking suddenly.”

Zhang Dong smiled bitterly, “Yes. I’ll take it away.”

That evening, Zhang Dong had been pressing the pillow and dared not get up again. Chen Yuanxi pillowed his arm and gradually calmed down.

The three lived together for several days, and Hong Xuan became more and more unhappy. At Zhang Dong’s suggestion, the three decided to go back to the town together to meet Hong Xuan’s daughter, Hong Yan.

When they were close to Ziyun Piano Store, Hong Xuan stopped and gave Chen Yuanxi a pinhole camera.

“Uncle Hong Xuan, will you… not go?” asked Chen Yuanxi.

Hong Xuan nodded his head.

Maybe before making the decision, Hong Xuan had already realized that he would never meet his daughter again in this life. Hong Xuan had passed by for many times, even once sneaked into Ziyun Piano Store to secretly watch his daughter play the piano in the house. But they could not meet. He did not know what would Hong Yan think when she saw his appearance. Instead, he would rather let her gradually accept that her father had died eight years ago.

Chen Yuanxi calculated and found that he had not seen his childhood playmate for more than eight years, although he had lived in the small city for so long and passed Ziyun Piano Store several times.

They met each other face to face and hardly knew each other.

They had not meet for many years. Chen Yuanxi wanted to talk about something they were familiar when they were children, but he finally failed to do after raking his brains, so he could simply ask Hong Yan how she had been these years. Then he knew that she had been running the piano store here and had opened another two small piano stores in the small town after he transferred Ziyun Piano Store to her when she graduated.

Soon, Chen Yuanxi went straight to the point. He was eager to hear Hong Yan say that she had a lover.

But Hong Yan was single.

“I’m waiting for you to come back.” Hong Yan said with a smile.

“Wait for me?” asked Chen Yuanxi.

“If you don’t come back and make it clear to me, I can’t get married! My love has been delayed for so many years!” Hong Yan said with a smile.

Until then did Chen Yuanxi know that Hong Xuan had conveyed Lin Ziwei’s will to two people when he had an accident. One was Huang Xiya and the other was his wife.

Hong Xuan always regarded Lin Ziwei’s order as his faith. Naturally, he hoped that Hong Yan would marry Chen Yuanxi. Besides, Hong Yan and Chen Yuanxi had been engaged when they were children, which they both knew. So he thought that Hong Yan was willing to marry Chen Yuanxi. However, he could hardly believe his daughter’s remark at this moment .

“We haven’t seen each other for more than eight years and three months. In these years, we have our own lives. Even if you has come back to the small town, we still couldn’t have chance to meet. You don’t know me, and I’m not familiar with you. Besides, you’ve changed a lot! I can only get your information from news and newspapers. How can we have that kind of relationship?” Hong Yan smiled and blushed.

“I have always respected uncle Lin, and I am very sorry for his departure. Since things have passed for so many years, I won’t say anymore. But his will is only valid for you, and can’t restrain me. Although my mother told me that my father wanted me to marry you, and even if I want to comply with my father’s wishes, I also have to respect your wishes, don’t I?” “Look, you haven’t come to make it clear for so many years, so that I couldn’t get married. Brother Wenxi, how can you compensate me?” Hong Yan then joked and smiled, two shallow dimples appearing on her face.

Chen Yuanxi’s eyes turned red and he held Hong Yan tightly in his arms, saying, “Sister, uncle Hong Xuan is my father. You are not my friend, but my sister!”

“I really have two good family members. One is my father, who has escaped from death in a great danger. At present, Chen Tianjiao is dead, but I don’t know where he is. He hasn’t returned home for more than eight years! The other is you, my brother. You joined the Chen Family, worked as a undercover, and destroyed the Chen Family to avenge uncle Lin. I also haven’t seen you for more than eight years. It’s really…” Hong Yan said as her eyes turned red, and then she sobbed softly in Chen Yuanxi’s arms.

Chen Yuanxi suddenly felt that something had been melted in his heart, which then became a pool of spring and rippled in the warm sunlight.

“Yanyan, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. What I did before is too dangerous. I’m afraid that I couldn’t protect you.” Chen Yuanxi thought of the scenes in Hong Xuan’s house when he was a child. He remembered that when he was severely trained by Hong Xuan, there was always a sister who wiped his wound. When he was sick, there was always a sweet voice around him. It was an excuse! For many years, because of all this, he had been cold-hearted and had not taken care of her for a second. He just had left her a Ziyun Piano Store that seemed to be profitable.

“Brother, you have told me that I can read and see the letters and photos sent by Brother Yun Che and Sister Ziping. I knew what you meant from the first letter. I read every letter. It’s true. I know and remember every story. I feel the same with them! I shed tears with them and have fun with them. Brother Xi, I sincerely hope that Brother Yuan and you can live happily together. The world is big and the time is still early. In the future, it will be our young generation’s world, right?” Hong Yan said with a smile.

“How are they doing?” asked Chen Yuanxi.

“They have children. Now they are living in the prairies of Latin America. They said that they would to go to the South Pole soon! They said they would take many pictures of Antarctica and Aurora. They said there is the ends of the earth!” Hong Yan held Chen Yuanxi tightly and said.

“Thank you, sister. You know all this.” Chen Yuanxi was very peaceful.

After Chen Yuanxi and Zhang Dong left, Hong Yan stood at the door of Ziyun Piano Store, tightly holding the half of the pendant once she had lost and shedding tears again.

“Brother Xi, I finally don’t have to wait for you.”