After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! - Chapter 70

After calling Shen Ran to let him know Ziqing was safe, Luo Mu said those words:
“I’ll take care of Ziqing tonight.”

Ai Ziqing instinctively tried to refuse.
“There’s no need to trouble yourself. I can handle it… just drop me off somewhere, that’s all.”

Drop him off?

Not a chance.

Luo Mu knew full well that Ai Ziqing had zero sense of direction—he couldn’t tell east from west, and even with navigation, he’d still get lost.

And more than that…

“Can you even turn your phone back on?” Luo Mu asked calmly as he started the engine. “If I drop you off now, you won’t even be able to take the bus or subway.”

Ai Ziqing had been sitting in the warmth of the car for a while now.

He pulled out his phone and pressed the power button repeatedly.
Nothing.

His expression, at first firm and defiant, slowly shifted to one of reluctant acceptance.
“It’s not turning on. Maybe the cold killed the battery. Do you have a charger?”

Luo Mu glanced at the phone and shook his head.
“Your model’s too old. My car’s charger won’t fit.”

“…”

“I’ll take care of you tonight,” Luo Mu repeated, this time more gently.
“Ziqing, if something happens to you out there alone, Shen Ran will worry.”

The words hit home.

After all, Ziqing was only in K City because of Shen Ran.
Ranran was already neck-deep in complicated emotions—he couldn’t let himself become another source of worry.

So he fell silent, turning to look out the window, no longer resisting.

That silence… was a quiet sign of acquiescence.

Luo Mu glanced at him from the corner of his eye and finally exhaled a silent breath of relief.
Then, with a smooth press of the pedal, he pulled the car into motion.

Halfway through the drive, Luo Mu pulled over briefly, stepped out, and returned with something in a small paper bag before continuing on.

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a five-star hotel.

After handing the keys to the valet, Luo Mu headed toward the hotel lobby.

He’d only walked a few steps when he realized Ai Ziqing wasn’t following.
Turning around, he found him still standing by the car, looking up—gaze fixed on the building’s glowing sign.

“Ziqing.”

At the sound of his name, Ziqing snapped out of his thoughts. A faint, bitter smile tugged at his lips.

“Really feels like times have changed. Look at you, Luo Mu. You only stay in luxury hotels now, huh?”

It was meant to sound teasing, but the undertone was unmistakable:
self-mockery.
Almost like saying the rich man’s changed. So has the story.

“This hotel’s close to the Shen Group office. You can walk there tomorrow,” Luo Mu explained, unexpectedly patient.

“I know you don’t sleep well. If the environment’s bad, you won’t rest properly.
This place—this is one of my properties. It’s quiet and comfortable.
You need to rest well, Ziqing. Only then can you really help Shen Ran.”

Unlike the Luo Mu of the past—tight-lipped and stoic—today he offered explanations without being asked.

And not just words. Actions, too.

He walked over… and gently took Ai Ziqing’s hand.

“Come on. Let’s check in.”

Luo Mu hadn’t forgotten what Shen Ran said earlier:
“Don’t be a mute.”

As they walked together, Ziqing lowered his gaze to where Luo Mu’s fingers curled lightly around his own.

Just the slightest tremble ran through them.

His brows drew together… but this time, he didn’t pull away.

Maybe it was because when they were kids, Luo Mu had always led him by the hand.

Maybe it was because he’d pushed Luo Mu away so many times over the years, and now… he just didn’t have the strength anymore.

He simply couldn’t push him away this time.

They checked in—only one room.

Clearly, Luo Mu wasn’t planning to stay himself.

He escorted Ai Ziqing all the way to the top-floor luxury suite.

“Thank you for today,” Ziqing said quietly as he reached for the door. “I’ll get some rest now.”

But just as he was about to close it, Luo Mu reached out—gently stopping the door from shutting. His hand caught Ziqing’s again.

“Ziqing… I spoke with Shen Ran this afternoon.”

“You and Ranran? What did you talk about?”

“We didn’t talk much,” Luo Mu said softly, “but Ziqing… there’s a lot I want to say to you.”

His words came more easily than ever tonight.
And his eyes—steady and sincere—met Ai Ziqing’s with unmistakable clarity.

Ai Ziqing averted his eyes, lowering his gaze as if burned by Luo Mu’s.
His nerves tensed. His heart was racing. He couldn’t breathe.

So overwhelmed.
So flustered.

He wanted to run.

“No… there’s nothing left for us to say…”

He tried to pull his hand back.

But this time—he couldn’t.

No matter how he struggled, Luo Mu wouldn’t let go.

“Ziqing, just let me say a few words… okay?
Please. I’m begging you.”

That one word—“beg”—made Ai Ziqing’s clenched fist suddenly loosen.

Luo Mu never begged.

So the moment he said it… Ai Ziqing knew he couldn’t refuse.

He stopped struggling.
Still avoided Luo Mu’s eyes.
But that silence—that silence meant consent.

Just this once, the man who always hid inside a shell—Ai Ziqing—left a small, cautious crack in his armor.

And just this once, the man who always kept his words locked inside—Luo Mu—finally broke his silence.

This time, he wasn’t going to let Ai Ziqing walk away without hearing the truth.

“Ziqing… The person who’s been funding the Qingshan Welfare Home all these years…
It’s been me.”

“That year… when I didn’t go back to F City with you, it wasn’t because I wanted to chase fame or fortune.”

“Ziqing… you’ve always been my family.
You’ve always had a place in my heart.”

One sentence after another, steady and sincere, landed like pebbles into the still water of Ziqing’s heart—each one causing bigger ripples.

Ai Ziqing’s eyes slowly widened. He lifted his head in disbelief, stunned.

When Luo Mu finished, he didn’t press further. He let go of Ziqing’s hand.

“…It’s late. You should rest. Get some sleep—you’ll need your energy to support Shen Ran tomorrow.”

Just as he turned to leave, Luo Mu seemed to remember something and placed a small box into Ai Ziqing’s hand.

“Oh—this is for you.”

With that, he left.

—

Ai Ziqing stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, watching Luo Mu’s car drive away.

Farther and farther, until it disappeared into the night.

But his heart was anything but calm.

It churned.
A storm inside his chest.

So all this time… the anonymous benefactor who saved him from desperate moments again and again…
was Luo Mu.
And had always been Luo Mu.

No wonder.

No wonder the welfare home went ignored for so long, and only in recent years started stabilizing—suddenly and miraculously.

A bitter smile curved at the edge of Ziqing’s lips.

How could he have been so slow?

The room was quiet. He looked down at the box Luo Mu had stuffed into his hand.

A phone.

Luo Mu had stopped the car earlier…
Just to buy him a phone.

“…You tell me to rest well, then turn around and say all this.
How could I possibly sleep well after that, Luo Mu?”

Back then, Luo Mu had left him.
No reason. No goodbye. No explanation.

But now he knew…

Luo Mu had left for him.
For Qingshan Welfare Home.

As the director, Ai Ziqing should feel nothing but gratitude.

But as himself—as Ai Ziqing—how was he supposed to face Luo Mu now?

In the quiet room, he whispered to no one:

“…If I hadn’t had autism back then—
If I’d been ‘normal’—
Would I have faced you with less fear? Would I have understood you better?”

That night, Ai Ziqing tossed and turned.

That night, Wei Hailan was up too, obsessing over his wedding escape plan, giggling to himself one minute and stressing out the next.

Only one person slept soundly—

Cheng Yi’s bedroom.

Under the bed lay a few discarded… “lifesavers.”

On the bed, Shen Ran had curled around Cheng Yi’s arm like an octopus, fast asleep—murmuring in his dreams:

“Cheng Yi… no more… I mean it this time… let’s just… mm… next time…”

—

As morning light crept across the city, a new day began.

The Shen Group’s annual gala was about to begin.

Standing at the entrance, Shen Ran looked up at the familiar building and sighed:

“…Can’t believe it’s been so long since I was last here.”

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