After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! - Chapter 68

When Shen Ran saw that the caller ID showed Luo Mu, he panicked even harder.

“We’re dead. It’s Brother Luo Mu! He must be calling to ask if we picked up Xiao Ai! What do I do?! How do I even begin to explain that we, lost him?!”

He clutched his face with both hands, eyes wide in panic, like a walking version of The Scream.

There he was, flailing and muttering in public, a little too loudly for comfort.

And while he was still mid-meltdown, Cheng Yi calmly pressed the answer button.

“AHHHH! Why did you answer it?!” Shen Ran practically leapt into the air and snatched the phone from Cheng Yi with trembling hands. Holding it to his ear, he immediately launched into frantic apology mode:

“Brother Luo Mu! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! Cheng Yi and I— we didn’t find Xiao Ai! I think we lost him! We’re going to check the station’s security footage right now! I—”

“Shen Ran, calm down. You don’t need to look for him.”

Luo Mu’s calm voice came through the speaker.
“Ziqing is with me. Don’t worry.”

Shen Ran froze.

He blinked. Hard.

“…Huh?”

“There are two high-speed rail stations in K City,” Luo Mu explained. “You were waiting at the East Station, but Ziqing got off at the West Station. I happened to be nearby and picked him up.”

“…Oh. Uh… I see.”

Once Shen Ran was sure Ai Ziqing was safe, the panic drained from his body and relief washed over him like a wave. His legs went weak from the adrenaline crash.

“That was terrifying… so terrifying! I tried to call him earlier and his phone was off—I thought something had happened!”

Then, it seemed Luo Mu had put the call on speaker, because the next voice to speak was Ai Ziqing’s.

Soft, gentle as always—except now laced with sincere apology:

“I’m sorry, Ranran… I didn’t mean to worry you. I think the cold got to my phone. It shut down on its own and wouldn’t turn back on.”

Expected, yet unexpected.

K City winters were harsh, and since Ai Ziqing hadn’t traveled far in years, he probably hadn’t taken enough precautions. His phone shutting off from the cold was perfectly plausible.

“I just wanted to call so you two wouldn’t worry. Ziqing is fine. I’ll take care of him tonight,” Luo Mu added.

“…Huh?”

Shen Ran blinked again, then caught on quickly—very quickly—and nodded like a bobblehead, rushing to give the two of them space:

“R-right! Of course! It’s getting late anyway, so we’ll just head home. Thank you, Brother Luo Mu! Ziqing-ge, make sure to rest early, okay? Cheng Yi and I still have things to do, so I’ll hang up now! Bye!”

Come on—if he still couldn’t read the room at a time like this, he might as well retire from society for good.

Once the call ended, Shen Ran shoved the phone into Cheng Yi’s coat pocket, took a big gulp of milk tea, and started aggressively chewing the taro balls inside to calm his nerves.

Then he turned and asked Cheng Yi,
“Well, I guess our mission’s over now. What should we do next?”

“Where else? Get dinner. Go home. Shower. Sleep,” Cheng Yi said casually, though his tone carried a hint of something else.

But Shen Ran didn’t pick up on it at all.

“So boring,” he sighed.

He had it all planned out—after picking up Ai Ziqing, the three of them would go out for a delicious meal together. He wanted to take Xiao Ai all over K City, to make up for the years he hadn’t traveled.

But alas—plans change.

Now, there was nothing left for him and Cheng Yi to do. They were like two unwanted contestants on a dating show who had just been voted off, quietly fading into the background.

“Well, since Xiao Ai-ge isn’t coming, I guess this unopened milk tea is yours now,” Shen Ran said, handing it to Cheng Yi.

But Cheng Yi didn’t take it.

Instead, he leaned in again and drank straight from Shen Ran’s already half-finished jumbo-sized milk tea.

“I don’t want that one. I want this one—with you.”

Staring blankly as Cheng Yi casually sipped from the straw and walked off, Shen Ran’s expression went through several complex phases.

Finally, with a sigh of surrender, he trailed after him.

“Cheng Yi! Why is your mouth so snarky, but you drink such sweet milk tea?! I’ll never understand you!”

“Take a guess.”

“Guess what? Guess whether I’ll guess or not?! …Ughhh!”

At K City East Station, Shen Ran and Cheng Yi slowly strolled away, still bickering playfully as they walked. It was a little chaotic, sure—but the air between them was sweet, warm, and full of affection.

In contrast, K City West Station felt heavy, silent, and still.

After ending the call, Ai Ziqing sat quietly in Luo Mu’s sleek black Maybach S680, clearly uncomfortable.

He refused to look in Luo Mu’s direction, instead turning to stare out the window.

Ai Ziqing never would’ve guessed that the first person he’d see upon arriving in K City wouldn’t be Shen Ran—but Luo Mu.

And all of this… had started from a single moment of daydreaming on the train.

—

Luo Mu hadn’t been wrong. Ever since graduating from university, Ai Ziqing had hardly left F City. After taking over Qingshan Welfare Home from his father, he poured his entire life into it.

The only time he’d traveled was years ago—to a neighboring province to bring home a child who had lost their parents in an accident.

So when Shen Ran called him in that teary, pitiful voice, Ziqing’s heart clenched instantly.

You couldn’t blame him. The trauma the Shen family had caused ran deep.

Ai Ziqing had once thought the Shen couple to be kind and friendly. He never expected them to be the kind of people who—behind closed doors—would abuse their own child.

That realization had shaken him to the core.

So the moment he found out Shen Ran was going to meet them again, Ai Ziqing didn’t even hesitate. He immediately started booking his train ticket.

He truly cared about Shen Ran—deeply and sincerely.

This time, now that he knew what was happening, he couldn’t sit idly by.
He had to be there.
He wouldn’t allow Shen Ran to suffer even a moment more.

As the train neared its destination, the scenery outside became increasingly familiar.

Ziqing’s mind drifted—back to a time when he used to travel to K City like this all the time.

With Luo Mu.

Back in university, they didn’t have much money. They couldn’t afford high-speed rail. So every trip to school was on those slow, clunky green trains.

What took an hour now used to take forever.

The seats were cramped, and they’d sit so close together their knees would touch. When his back ached from the long ride, Luo Mu would always notice without a word—then quietly reach over to massage his stiff neck and shoulders.

Luo Mu’s hands had been skilled, gentle. As he massaged, Ai Ziqing would slowly drift off to sleep on his shoulder. He wouldn’t wake until they’d reached their destination and Luo Mu called his name softly.

The train pulled into the station, just like old times.

And without even realizing it, Ziqing followed the crowd, half-lost in the haze of memory.

But unlike those days…
This time, he was alone.

He had always told himself that he was used to it—used to doing things on his own.

But sitting in this car now, with Luo Mu beside him yet everything between them feeling so far apart… he finally understood.

He wasn’t.

He wasn’t used to being alone at all.

“…That’s why,” Ai Ziqing murmured softly to the window, “I never wanted to leave F City again.”

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