After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! - Chapter 112

If Xie En’s tone of voice had been a bit cold just now, it was merely due to his naturally indifferent personality, devoid of any subjective bias.

But now, Xie En’s attitude had clearly changed.

His pale gray eyes grew sharp. As he tightened his jaw, his already well-defined jawline appeared even more stern.

“To be able to see it means you aren’t human, or rather, you aren’t a normal human.”

“I,”

“Regardless of whether you are a normal person or not, you certainly didn’t come here simply for a divination. Speak. What is your true purpose?”

The hidden matters were brought into the light by Xie En in just a few words. It reached a point where Shen Ran’s plan to use polite small talk and a roundabout approach to gather information was no longer possible.

“Sigh.”

Sighing deeply, Shen Ran quietly took Cheng Yi’s hand under the table where Xie En couldn’t see. It was as if this gesture gave him immense courage.

“Manager Xie En, since you’ve discovered it, let’s be open and honest, shall we? I am Shen Ran. This person next to me is my boyfriend, Cheng Yi.”

Cheng Yi remained expressionless, merely tightening his grip to cradle Shen Ran’s hand in his palm. As he applied pressure, the rounded shape of the ring on his ring finger could be felt.

Feeling the warmth emanating from Cheng Yi’s hand, Shen Ran actually managed a slight smile, even though Xie En was currently staring at him with a cold, distrustful gaze.

“I was indeed referred here by a friend. Furthermore, we should be the same kind of people, right? We can both see spirits. I suspect the reason you opened a divination shop like this, Manager Xie En, is related to this ability.”

Xie En remained silent, but his posture indirectly confirmed Shen Ran’s suspicion.

“Manager Xie En, we didn’t come here for a reading. I have some questions I’d like to ask you. I wonder if it’s convenient for you to answer?”

Xie En pursed his lips tightly, seemingly weighing his options. After a moment, he spoke, “Ask your questions first.”

“You are handsome, a young foreigner, and you can see spirits. Actually, I’ve heard about you from others elsewhere. Manager Xie En, you were on the rooftop of the Shen Group building not long ago, weren’t you?”

Xie En didn’t rush to answer Shen Ran’s question. Instead, he tilted his chin up slightly, his gaze toward Shen Ran becoming more contemplative.

“Shen Ran, Shen, so that’s how it is. No wonder you could find this place; those spirits must have revealed it to you.”

This was a semi-confirmation of Shen Ran’s inquiry, so Shen Ran pressed further, “Then, the person looking for Xia Xingyuan, that’s you, isn’t it?”

Upon hearing the name “Xia Xingyuan,” Xie En’s expression changed visibly.

While Xie En’s sitting posture had been somewhat casual before, he now straightened his back, even leaning forward slightly toward Shen Ran. A mysterious light flickered in his gray eyes, and his cold tone was replaced by urgency.

“Yes, it is I who have been looking for Xia Xingyuan. I have been searching for him for a very, very long time. You can also see spirits; do you have a lead on Xingyuan? Do you know where he is?”

Xie En, who had been a man of few words and brief sentences just moments ago, was now firing off questions one after another, making Shen Ran a bit uncomfortable.

Xie En had admitted it quite bluntly, and his anxious expression didn’t seem feigned. Shen Ran observed him and noted that Xie En only showed worry and urgency; there was no sign of resentment or hatred.

In other words, the possibility that Xie En was seeking Xia Xingyuan for revenge could likely be ruled out.

Even so, Shen Ran did not let his guard down. After some deliberation, Shen Ran nodded and responded straightforwardly, “Yes, I know where Xia Xingyuan is right now. However, for the sake of his safety, I cannot tell you easily. Unless,”

“Unless what?” Xie En interrupted impatiently.

“Unless you tell me what your relationship with Xia Xingyuan is, your reason for looking for him, and your past together.”

Shen Ran didn’t ask these questions out of voyeurism or a sudden burst of gossip. It was simply because he had previously asked Xia Xingyuan if he knew someone was looking for him, and Xia Xingyuan had only shaken his head in total ignorance, claiming he didn’t know any foreigners at all.

Xia Xingyuan was currently a spirit; even if he had memories, they might have been lost due to his accident. Therefore, the living Xie En must know more than Xia Xingyuan did.

Since he had taken Xia Xingyuan in and had now found Xie En, Shen Ran naturally had the right to know the full story.

Hearing these questions, Xie En’s tightly clenched hands slowly relaxed. Placing the half-withdrawn Runestones back into their bag, he lowered his head to tidy the tabletop. His husky voice echoed in the divination room.

“Xingyuan and I were friends, but I, I liked him.”

“It’s just that I never had the chance to voice those feelings before the opportunity was gone forever.”

Chapter 111: Go Quickly, My Dear Little Prince

Xie En watched with his head lowered as the assistant focused intently on wiping the stain. After a long moment, he slowly raised his hand and made a gesture.

The two bodyguards understood. Having just entered, they silently retreated back outside.

Soon, most of the cream was cleaned off, though white marks inevitably remained on the black fabric.

A look of difficulty appeared on the assistant’s apologetic face, but he quickly thought of a solution.

“I am truly sorry, guest. How about this: you give the coat to me and leave a contact method. After the coat is dry-cleaned, I will return it to you. What do you think?”

Actually, with the assistant’s proactive handling of the situation, Xie En no longer cared about how the clothes were treated. Although the suit jacket was a high-priced custom piece, it meant nothing to him, and the assistant’s way of handling things had been more than sufficient.

Xie En had intended to refuse, but looking into the assistant’s sincere, clear eyes, he ended up nodding as if possessed.

“Fine.”

He handed the coat to the assistant. The assistant’s eyes crinkled into a smile as he bowed to him. “My name is Xia Xingyuan. I will definitely contact you later. I am really sorry for causing you trouble today!”

Xia Xingyuan.

Repeatedly chewing over the name in his mind, Xie En left the bakery.

Before he departed, Xia Xingyuan tucked a paper bag into his hands.

It was only after returning to the hotel that Xie En discovered the bag contained fresh versions of all the desserts he had originally selected but dropped on the floor. Xia Xingyuan hadn’t missed a single one; he had packed a second portion of everything for him.

He had even placed two extra donuts in the bag.

A few days later, Xia Xingyuan contacted him, asking for an address so he could drop the clothes off after work.

However, since he was staying in a hotel, Xie En hesitated before saying, “I’ll go to you instead.”

“Is that okay? That would be too much trouble for you!” Xia Xingyuan laughed somewhat bashfully. “To tell you the truth, I’m actually on the night shift tonight. If I went to deliver the clothes to you, I’d really have to skip work.”

So, Xie En went to that bakery once more under the cover of night.

During their conversation, Xie En learned that Xia Xingyuan was a university student and that working at the bakery was just a part-time job. The pay was low while the workload was high, and Xia Xingyuan had ended up paying out of his own pocket for the trouble encountered that previous day.

Xia Xingyuan was very talkative and told him a lot: about university life, interesting stories from his part-time jobs, and his own past.

He also slowly came to know what Xia Xingyuan’s life was like, so vivid and full of twists.

As the saying goes, wanting to understand a person is the beginning of falling in love with them.

Xie En began to want to know more about Xia Xingyuan.

After this occasion, Xie En maintained close contact with Xia Xingyuan.

He began to frequent that bakery often. Because Xia Xingyuan was still living on campus, Xie En simply stayed at a hotel near K University.

Occasionally, he would ask Xia Xingyuan out for dinner, and Xia Xingyuan would sometimes take him along to sneak into classrooms for lectures on a whim.

Xie En had originally planned to stay in City K for only two months. After meeting Xia Xingyuan, the plan to leave was postponed indefinitely.

Later on, Xie En went as far as to buy an apartment, pretending it was his home. He invited Xia Xingyuan over for meals and video games, doing the things normal people do.

Xia Xingyuan was quite happy to oblige, knocking on the door every few days with food and drinks. The two of them got along very harmoniously.

Xie En never told Xia Xingyuan about his background, nor did he mention that he had originally intended only a short stay. If he truly cared for Xia Xingyuan, he couldn’t say those things and add a burden to him.

What’s more, while he felt this way about Xia Xingyuan, Xia Xingyuan might not feel the same.

Many times, Xie En wanted to speak his heart, but every time he met Xia Xingyuan’s always-smiling eyes, he felt unable to say the words.

Love makes one considerate.

Unfortunately, accidents always happen to break a beautiful, peaceful life.

Xie En had thought that by taking the initiative to withdraw, he could distance himself from that nonsensical and selfish struggle. Unfortunately, he still underestimated the darkness of human nature.

The battle for the throne finally reached a fever pitch. The second brother held great power and controlled everyone else, eventually turning his sights toward Xie En, who was far away in City K.

Even if one withdrew voluntarily, they could not be let go; all hidden risks had to be eliminated.

It was originally a peaceful summer night. Xie En and Xia Xingyuan were eating barbecue at a roadside stall after watching a movie, discussing the plot as they ate.

Halfway through the conversation, Xie En’s eyes suddenly froze.

Seven or eight people were walking along the street, all foreign faces. They seemed to be searching for something, their expressions so serious they could even be described as fierce.

He recognized the leader; he was his second brother’s right-hand man.

The purpose of these people appearing here went without saying.

Xie En’s expression turned stern. After settling the bill, he prepared to take Xia Xingyuan and leave, only to discover there was another group of people behind them.

They had no intention of leaving him a path to live.

Xie En had no choice but to take Xia Xingyuan to the underground parking lot. Leaving by car might offer some hope.

At the same time, someone recognized him. The group’s pace quickened, and a pursuit began.

The underground parking lot was large and empty. Messy footsteps echoed everywhere, and silhouettes could be seen through the gaps between the many cars.

Xie En had already contacted his own people and made a plan. After breaking through the encirclement in the car, he would find an intersection to drop Xia Xingyuan off, ensuring his safety first.

However, at that moment, the previously silent Xia Xingyuan opened the driver’s side door and sat inside, his movements light and practiced.

“Xie En, I’m familiar with this place. Let me drive.”

Xia Xingyuan was usually easy-going, but this time, the look in his eyes was resolute.

Xie En couldn’t refuse and had to let Xia Xingyuan have his way.

The car drove out of the parking lot. Through the rearview mirror, Xie En saw several cars emerging one after another. There was a sense of relentless pursuit.

Xia Xingyuan sped through the night roads, familiar with every street. He actually managed to gradually leave those cars behind.

Xie En’s people were still on their way. Just as he was considering where he should part with Xia Xingyuan, Xia Xingyuan suddenly stopped the car.

“That group hasn’t caught up yet. Take this chance to get out and find a place to hide until your people come for you. I’ll keep driving to draw their attention. When they catch up and see it isn’t you, they won’t make things too difficult for me.”

As Xia Xingyuan spoke, he unbuckled the seatbelt for the stunned Xie En and gave him a shove on the shoulder.

“What are you dazing for? Get out of the car! If you don’t go now, they’ll catch up again!”

“Xingyuan, aren’t you going to ask me what’s happening?”

“I’ll ask you slowly after today’s matters are over. Now go quickly, my dear little prince, it’s really almost too late.”

Chapter 112: No Regrets

Hearing this title, Xie En was utterly shocked. “How could you know I was?”

In that most critical moment, he locked eyes with Xia Xingyuan.

Even though the situation was incredibly tense and Xia Xingyuan was just an ordinary person, he still narrowed his eyes and laughed happily.

“Xie En, do you have any self-awareness regarding your looks? With a face that recognizable, it’s hard for anyone to think you’re just an ordinary person. And,”

And, when Xia Xingyuan had taken Xie En’s suit jacket to the dry cleaners, he had already figured out Xie En’s identity.

Xie En stepped out of the car as instructed. Before speeding away, Xia Xingyuan rolled down the window and gave him a sly, brilliant smile.

“Xie En, if you want to travel low-profile and hide your tracks next time, don’t let the designer embroider your name inside your clothes. Remember to contact me after things are settled; there’s still a tub of ice cream I bought in your fridge.”

This was also the last thing he ever heard Xia Xingyuan say to him.

The last words.

He couldn’t let the opportunity Xia Xingyuan gave him go to waste. After getting out of the car, he immediately dove into the small alleys, and it wasn’t long before his backup arrived.

While his own crisis was resolved, a problem arose on Xia Xingyuan’s end.

That group had no intention of leaving survivors. Realizing they couldn’t catch the car from behind, they simply took a detour to block it from the front.

Their method of blocking was, a life for a life.

A speeding vehicle suddenly appeared in the opposite lane, its high beams flashing on without warning, blinding Xia Xingyuan.

It was a pre-planned suicidal car crash; how could Xia Xingyuan have avoided it?

Xia Xingyuan’s phone could never be reached again, and the tub of vanilla ice cream in his apartment was never opened by anyone.

Xie En was not a known friend or relative of Xia Xingyuan, so in the end, he didn’t even have the right to attend the funeral.

He himself felt he had no right to go.

He didn’t know if the situation within the Y Kingdom’s royal family mirrored that mutually destructive car crash, but in the end, the second brother’s conspiracy did not succeed. Driven to a dead end, the third prince decided to take the second brother down with him. A shooting, both dead.

How ironic and theatrical.

At this point, the farce within the Y Kingdom’s royalty ended, but Xie En had no desire to return to his so-called home across the ocean.

He spent days and nights wandering the place where the accident happened, at the entrance of the bakery, and on every street they had once walked side by side.

The regret and pain that had existed since years ago had not dissipated to this day; instead, it had grown deeper. It was so deep that it had now become Xie En’s obsession.

By the time he finished the story, Xie En’s face was pale.

He let out a trembling breath, his bloodless fingers pressing hard against his brow.

“I killed him. He died because of me. If I hadn’t tried to get close to him, if the person who got out of the car was him and not me, then he wouldn’t,”

The word stuck in Xie En’s throat; he couldn’t say it no matter what.

“So for these past two years, I’ve been looking for him. I’ve searched all of City K and asked every spirit I could find. Xingyuan wouldn’t just disappear. Absolutely not.”

Halfway through the story, Shen Ran’s eyes had already turned red. Now, he was silently sniffing, trying hard not to let the tears swirling in his eyes fall.

No wonder Xia Xingyuan didn’t remember how he died. No wonder Xia Xingyuan said he didn’t know someone like Xie En.

Being killed by a speeding car head-on was a death too painful, too impactful. Xia Xingyuan forgetting everything about Xie En must have been because it was just too painful, right?

Cheng Yi handed him two tissues. “Wipe your tears. Both of you, take a moment to relax.”

Interrupted by Cheng Yi, the gloom in Shen Ran’s heart dissipated slightly, allowing him the presence of mind to continue asking,

“But Xie En, you didn’t die. Why can you see spirits?”

“Because I, how should I put it? You could say I made a deal with a demon.”

Xie En rolled up the sleeve of his black sweater, showing his wrist to the two of them.

There was a deep, hideous scar on his wrist. Although it had long since healed, it was still startling to look at.

Shen Ran gasped. “This, you?”

“With a wound like that, the amount of blood loss is greater than you can imagine. If no one had found me, I would have died directly from blood loss. I wanted to stay with him.”

Xie En spoke of such a heavy topic lightheartedly, even curling his lips into a slightly bitter smile.

“But unfortunately, no one found me, yet I didn’t die. On the verge of death, I met a demon and made a deal. When I woke up, I could see so-called spirits.”

“Since it’s a deal, what was the price? What did you give up?” Shen Ran asked anxiously.

“I gave up, my life, I suppose.”

Exchanging fifty years of his lifespan for a faint chance, even if he could really see Xia Xingyuan’s soul, there were no other possibilities.

A person cannot judge how much life they have left, and Xie En was no exception. With fifty years cut away, his time of death might be in ten years, or twenty. Or perhaps it would be tomorrow, or even the next second.

But as long as he could see Xia Xingyuan, even if he had to give up everything, Xie En had no regrets.

“I have only one goal now, and that is to find Xingyuan. I’ve told you everything. Now, please tell me news about Xingyuan.”

His gray eyes were full of longing, but Shen Ran didn’t dare, and couldn’t bear, to meet Xie En’s expectations.

“Xia Xingyuan is my friend now. He’s doing quite well lately. But, but he doesn’t remember you, nor does he remember anything from your past.”

Shen Ran thought Xie En would be devastated, but Xie En only froze for a moment before letting out a smile, as if relieved.

“He really still exists, That’s good. That’s wonderful. It’s fine if he doesn’t remember the past. It’s fine if he doesn’t remember me. That pain was brought to him by me; forgetting me was the right decision.”

Despite saying that, Shen Ran could see clearly that Xie En’s eyes had finally turned a heartbreaking red.

The most painful thing in the world isn’t death, but being forgotten.

“Shen Ran, I, can I go see him?”

“You can. I recently found something for Xia-Xia to do. He’s been busy and happy lately, and you can go to that place. Just, you have to be prepared for him not to recognize you.”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you.”

Xie En seemed to maintain his calm and indifference, but both Shen Ran and Cheng Yi could tell that it was just a front.

Heartbreak is always silent.

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