On Top - Chapter 1

Heavy rain. The backyard of Ronggang Buddhist Temple.

The rhythmic clack-clack of a wooden fish drifted steadily from the room. An old lady, dressed in tea colored monastic robes, sat with her eyes closed. She struck the wooden fish with one hand and told her prayer beads with the other, sighing, “…I heard Chengran hasn’t been home for a few days.”

Su Xingyan stood dutifully by her side. “Chengran… has been busy lately.”

“Busy? Busy with what? Busy with that worthless tech company of his, or is he out racing cars again with that crowd of fair weather friends? A-Yan, he’s a married man now, how can he still be so shiftless?”

Su Xingyan lowered his eyes and remained silent. She was talking about Wei Chengran, but the questions were directed at him. He had been married to Wei Chengran for several years and had fulfilled his duties to the letter. Since it was Wei Chengran who wasn’t coming home and not him, these questions shouldn’t have been his to answer.

The old lady opened her eyes, a pair of shrewd, calculating eyes that currently betrayed a sense of frustration. “Chengran has always been playful. You’ve been married to him for almost…”

“Seven years,” Su Xingyan said. “Eight, counting this year.”

“Eight years already…” Wei Old Madam sighed. “Besides us, you are the person who knows him best. You need to keep a tighter leash on him. He’s in his late twenties now, he can’t fool around like he used to. Moreover, his father is getting up there in age. Someone has to take over the company eventually…”

The rain continued to pitter-patter relentlessly. It flowed off the eaves of the ancient temple into puddles, the noise creating a restless agitation in one’s heart.

Su Xingyan stayed to chat with the old lady for a while longer. Hearing the rain gradually weaken, he bid her farewell and headed toward the courtyard exit. The old lady had spent the last few years accompanied by green lamps and ancient Buddhas, she had donated a great deal of incense money and had essentially taken up residence here.

The Wei family didn’t visit her often. Only Su Xingyan came frequently.

Su Xingyan walked to the main gate, lost in thought. Just as he was about to step down the stairs, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back. With a thud, Su Xingyan bumped into a solid wall of flesh. The faint scent of sandalwood from the man drifted into his nostrils. Su Xingyan snapped back to his senses and looked up to see a face with sharp, well-defined features.

Unlike his husband’s youthful, boyish face, the man before him had a classic Eastern look, mature yet sharp. His entire aura was powerful and carried an intense sense of pressure. Yet, his eyes were long and narrow, filled with an unreadable depth behind rimless glasses, which somehow softened his edge. “Careful. It’s raining outside.”

Yan Chong smiled in a refined and easygoing manner. On the hand gripping Su Xingyan’s arm, he wore a string of sandalwood prayer beads. “It’s the plum rain season. The rain let up for a moment, but it’s starting again.” He added, “I’ve sent my assistant to get an umbrella.”

Su Xingyan: “…”

Though he had been pulled back in time, a splash of rain had still soaked his forehead. Su Xingyan lowered his head, water dripped from the tips of his hair, tracing the clear line of his jaw and soaking the chest of his pure white shirt.

Yan Chong’s dark eyes darkened slightly as he watched. Su Xingyan carried a faint scent of sweet osmanthus. But there were no osmanthus trees at Qingyuan Temple, where did the scent come from? Did he have them planted at home?

Su Xingyan felt a chill from his damp chest. He looked up, meeting the man’s gaze, and felt an inexplicable heat in that stare. Moving his eyes down to the hand gripping his wrist, Su Xingyan gently pulled away. “…Thank you.”

The wedding ring on Su Xingyan’s ring finger caught the light, stinging Yan Chong’s eyes.

Yan Chong politely withdrew his hand, acting as though he hadn’t noticed. “No matter. The road is slippery in the rain, you must be careful, Madam.” Yan Chong subtly added a title. “Do you have family here?”

Su Xingyan glanced at him but did not answer.

That single glance was enough for Yan Chong to understand his thoughts. Yan Chong adjusted his rimless glasses and gave a somewhat helpless smile. He explained, “I’ve just returned from abroad and am unfamiliar with many things here. My grandmother is elderly, she originally planned to find a nursing home to spend her late years, but she prefers quiet. That’s why I thought of this temple.”

This statement was only half-true.

Su Xingyan remained silent for a long moment before looking up at him, puzzled. “Then how did you know I had family here?”

“I didn’t know before. But I know now.”

Yan Chong cracked a joke. Seeing Su Xingyan staring at him, he pulled back his smile and said seriously, “I guessed. After all, not many young people come to worship Buddha these days. I assumed you had family here.”

Perhaps because the man was so candid, Su Xingyan looked down and smiled reflexively. Su Xingyan had a classic Jiangnan look, a small frame and a lack of the typical “masculinity” seen in boys. During his school days, people used to joke that he was a girl, which once made Wei Chengran so angry he chased someone down a hallway with a stool, demanding an apology for Su Xingyan.

When Su Xingyan smiled now, his somewhat cold face took on a unique, captivating charm.

Yan Chong watched him with focused interest.

“Qingyuan Temple is a place of green lamps and ancient Buddhas, and it’s quite remote. Not many people come to offer incense normally,” Su Xingyan said. “If the elderly person likes quiet, this place is indeed a good choice.”

Yan Chong nodded.

As if suddenly remembering something, Yan Chong asked, “Would it be convenient to exchange contact information?”

Yan Chong had already taken out his phone.

Su Xingyan looked at him, his gaze moving slowly from the phone up to the man’s calm and composed face. Su Xingyan raised a hand to brush the lingering rainwater from his hair. The wedding ring on his finger once again flashed in front of Yan Chong’s eyes.

Su Xingyan: “I am married.”

Yan Chong: “And?”

For a moment, Su Xingyan was almost angered into laughter. This man was a “beast in a suit” polished on the outside, a scoundrel underneath.

As they spoke, the assistant hurried over with an umbrella. Yan Chong took the umbrella, turned back, and gave Su Xingyan a meaningful look.

Yan Chong feigned confusion. “In such heavy rain, isn’t your husband coming to pick you up?”

Su Xingyan’s face clouded with displeasure. “What does that have to do with you?”

Yan Chong didn’t get angry at the rebuff. Instead, he smiled and sighed. “It seems he isn’t very attentive.”

Su Xingyan considered himself a good tempered person. Since childhood, the times he had truly lost his temper could be counted on one hand, usually, Wei Chengran did the losing for him. But at this moment, Su Xingyan was provoked by this man’s few words. His faint brows knitted together. “This gentleman…”

“My surname is Yan,” Yan Chong said.

“…Mr. Yan.”

Su Xingyan exhaled softly, forcing his anger down. “You appear to be a believer in Buddhism?” Su Xingyan’s gaze landed on the prayer beads on the man’s hand. “I wonder which scripture teaches one to be so unrestrained and flippant in speech!”

Su Xingyan was well-bred, even when angry, his scolding was mild. But such mild words wouldn’t leave a scratch on an old fox like Yan Chong.

“You’re so angry, Madam, did I hit a nerve? It seems your husband really doesn’t treat you well.”

Yan Chong’s smile remained composed. Before Su Xingyan’s next wave of anger could hit, he shoved the umbrella into Su Xingyan’s hand. “The scriptures don’t teach one to be unrestrained, but they do teach one to follow their heart and guide others toward kindness. Until we meet again.”

“You!”

Su Xingyan gripped the umbrella, wanting to hurl it back at him, but Yan Chong had already hurried away with his assistant. The rain continued to crash down. Holding the umbrella that still carried the man’s warmth, Su Xingyan frowned, feeling a sudden urge to throw it at the man’s retreating back.

However, as soon as he raised his hand, it touched the icy rain outside the eaves. Su Xingyan flinched from the cold and pulled his hand back. His phone buzzed. He looked down, it was a message from Wei Chengran.

Chengran: 【Not coming back.】

Above that was the message he had sent three hours ago: 【Are you coming home for dinner tonight?】

A rainstorm besieged the entire city of Ronggang.

“Mr. Yan, should I look into him?”

The noisy rain was cut off by the car door.

Yan Chong sat in the back seat, his body still radiating a faint mist from the dampness. Hearing his assistant’s question, Yan Chong couldn’t help but curl his lips. He involuntarily recalled the image of Su Xingyan’s cold eyes flashing with anger. A very beautiful, very cold man, too bad he was a step too late, the man already belonged to someone else.

Yan Chong took off his non-prescription glasses and closed his eyes. To the rhythm of the rain drumming against the window, he said softly, “No need. It was just a chance encounter.” Ronggang was a big city, they likely wouldn’t cross paths again.

Besides, he had more important things to do. Yan Chong opened his eyes again. Without the glasses to shield them, the sharpness in his dark eyes was impossible to hide.

The assistant, a capable man who had followed Yan Chong for years, said no more. He drove the Rolls-Royce through the flooded streets toward the Yan family estate.

By the time Su Xingyan returned to the Wei family estate with Yan Chong’s umbrella, it was already seven or eight in the evening. The Wei family had already finished dinner. Seeing Su Xingyan enter looking so disheveled, the youngest sister, Wei Mingran, greeted him with a giggle. “So pretty. Even a ‘drowned rat’ look turns into a ‘lotus rising from the water’ when it’s a beauty.”

Su Xingyan glanced at her but didn’t reply. Mingran was eighteen and just starting university, she was lively and said whatever came to mind. Most of the time, Su Xingyan didn’t take it to heart. Moreover, he really was a drowned rat, despite the umbrella, the storm in Ronggang was too fierce to be fully blocked. Su Xingyan was in no mood for talk, he only wanted a hot bath and rest.

“Nanny Zhang, please boil some ginger soup for me.” Su Xingyan took a towel to dry his hair, then looked at the dripping black umbrella in his hand. He hesitated for a split second, but when Yan Chong’s face resurfaced in his mind, he frowned with distaste. Without a second thought, he tossed the umbrella into the trash can.

Wei Mingran, sucking on a lollipop, walked over slowly. Her eldest sister-in-law usually had a great temperament, even dealing with her old-fashioned father or her playboy brother, he was always composed. Why was he suddenly so angry with an umbrella?

Mingran craned her neck to peek into the trash. The gold-stamped logo on the handle caught her eye. She blinked suspiciously and muttered, “An umbrella from the Yan family?”

But how would her sister-in-law know someone from the Yan family?

Su Xingyan hurried to the bedroom for a hot bath. However, perhaps because the steam in the bathroom was too thick, when he closed his eyes, he couldn’t stop thinking about Yan Chong’s smiling face.

…What a difficult man.

Su Xingyan let out a soft breath, dried himself with a towel, and got into bed. Perhaps because the day had been too exhausting, his head had barely hit the pillow before he fell into a deep sleep. In a blur, he felt a scorching hand slip under the hem of his pajamas…

The heat of the man’s palm burned his skin. Su Xingyan shivered from the heat and tried to catch the hand, but his wrist was pinned to the bedside. Meanwhile, the man’s other hand traced his features and slowly began to invade his body…

“Ungh…”

“Madam, has your husband still not returned? It must be lonely, sleeping in an empty bed. Do you want me to help you? Hmm? Do you want it or not…”

No!! No!!!

Su Xingyan opened his eyes in terror, but the person before him wasn’t that detestable man. Wei Chengran was still in his suit, leaning over him with one hand. Though he was in his late twenties, his natural baby face made him look innocent and youthful. Wei Chengran was currently stroking down toward his waist. Seeing Su Xingyan’s panicked expression, his hand paused.

But a moment later, Wei Chengran narrowed his peach-blossom eyes and gave a mischievous laugh. “Why so nervous? Yanyan, is there any part of your body I haven’t touched? Any part I haven’t tasted?”

Su Xingyan’s heart was still pounding, his hand gripping Wei Chengran’s arm was still trembling slightly. It wasn’t until Wei Chengran added a finger that Su Xingyan closed his eyes in a mix of pain and pleasure. Wei Chengran was always bold and impulsive, especially in this regard, he was naturally gifted and had tried every trick in the book on him…

Wei Chengran leaned down, lightly biting Su Xingyan’s red, hot earlobe. He seemed to have just been drinking, his lips against the earlobe were scorching, and the scent of alcohol drifted into Su Xingyan’s ear. “Why was Yanyan so scared just now? Who did Yanyan think I was?”

With red eyes, Su Xingyan turned his face away and bit down on his knuckle. He didn’t dare answer Wei Chengran’s question.

He felt ashamed of his fleeting thought.