“Old man, how can you still hit someone at your age?” Jian Yang shouted, holding his phone as he rushed in. He bent down to take Guan Ciyan’s arms to help him up.

He tried pulling harder, but couldn’t lift him.

He tried again with more force, still no success.

Guan Ciyan didn’t like being touched and tried to pull his arm out of Jian Yang’s grip. Jian Yang whispered, “Don’t move, you’re too heavy.”

Crack—

The whip hit the ground with a deafening sound. “What are you doing?”

“I’m stopping you from committing a crime,” Jian Yang replied, still unable to lift Guan Ciyan. He stood up and blocked the old man’s view of Guan Ciyan.

The old man swung the whip in his hand, twirling it around before pointing it at the palm of his hand. “What crime have I committed?”

Just by looking at it, Jian Yang could imagine how much pain the whip would cause if it hit him. He cleared his throat and said, “Crimes against the national economy. Do you know who he is? The whole city’s economy is supported by him alone. For the safety of the citizens, I can’t allow you to hurt him.”

Guan Ciyan was still kneeling, but he glanced at Jian Yang’s face. From this angle, he could see a bit of soft flesh on Jian Yang’s face, in that transitional stage between youth and adulthood, with traces of childishness left.

He had brought Jian Yang here to put on a show in front of the old man, but he didn’t expect Jian Yang to go this far.

He had let someone take advantage of the situation, and pictures were taken of him and Jian Yang entering and leaving the hotel, which violated the old man’s taboo. Now the old man wanted to punish him, and he had no excuse. If he didn’t take a few lashes, the matter wouldn’t be resolved.

But Jian Yang didn’t need to defend him.

“You won’t allow it?” the old man asked, whipping the air.

Jian Yang moved back slightly, his calves brushing against Guan Ciyan’s back. Guan Ciyan felt him shudder.

The soft muscles against his spine conveyed the panic and fear in the young man’s heart.

Guan Ciyan’s thoughts were interrupted by the trembling legs. He listened to the confrontation between Jian Yang and the old man, unable to understand Jian Yang’s intentions or purpose. Only the image of Jian Yang shyly telling him he liked him the most floated through his mind.

“I won’t allow it,” Jian Yang bit his teeth together.

He only had good luck when he was by Guan Ciyan’s side. How could he let someone hurt the source of his good luck?

“Who are you?” The old man sized Jian Yang up, sensing that the other party was not simple, daring to block him.

“Why should you care who I am!” Jian Yang never revealed his weaknesses and tried to intimidate the old man with Guan Ciyan’s identity, “I am Mr. Guan’s loyal follower.”

The old man had already been somewhat wary. Upon hearing Jian Yang’s words, he swung the whip twice, one striking the ground to gather strength and the other raising his arm, aiming at Jian Yang. Guan Ciyan suddenly stood up, his long arm wrapping around Jian Yang, pulling him into his embrace. The whip hit his arm, the tail grazing Jian Yang’s shoulder.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! It hurts!” Jian Yang cried out in pain, jumping and rubbing against Guan Ciyan. Due to the height difference, all Guan Ciyan saw was Jian Yang’s two unruly cowlicks swaying up and down.

Guan Ciyan pressed Jian Yang’s head down and whispered, “Jian Yang, this is my father.”

Well.

In order to erase his name from Guan Ciyan’s death note, he had entered another one.

Jian Yang stiffened, looking up at Guan Ciyan with wide, innocent eyes, full of confusion.

Guan Ciyan nodded, indicating: it’s exactly as you think.

Jian Yang opened his mouth slightly, then turned to face the old man, pointing at his shoulder, “Grandfather Guan, your strength is truly impressive! You’re such a good hitter, you must be in great health. You’ll live a long life.”

Guan Ciyan frowned. His father, and Jian Yang calls him grandfather? What was he, Jian Yang’s uncle?

The old man snorted coldly, ignoring Jian Yang’s flattery, and asked Guan Ciyan, “Who is this?”

“He’s the one who was with me at the hotel, his name is Jian Yang,” Guan Ciyan answered calmly, as if nothing were wrong. “I brought him here to explain everything personally.”

“Not everyone is qualified to speak with me.” The old man threw the whip aside and sat in a nearby chair, taking a sip of tea. “Call Jingyu to the disciplinary room.”

Jian Yang instinctively opened his mouth to argue, but Guan Ciyan’s large hand clamped onto the back of his neck, his thumb gently stroking, almost as if to comfort him. But to Jian Yang, it felt like a warning.

Even just lightly resting on his neck, it felt like any moment his throat could be squeezed, and he’d be killed.

Jian Yang raised his face to see if Guan Ciyan looked like he wanted to strangle him. He saw that Guan Ciyan’s lips were pale, and the whip that had protected him had torn his sleeve, faint blood seeping out. Jian Yang touched his nose and then wrapped his arms around Guan Ciyan’s waist.

Guan Ciyan’s first reaction was to push Jian Yang away, already grabbing his hand around Jian Yang’s waist, looking down at him. Jian Yang mouthed, “It’s okay.”

Then he pulled himself toward him, wanting to lean against him.

Guan Ciyan held Jian Yang’s hand, but the push never fully materialized.

Before long, Guan Jingyu entered, his expression changing when he saw Jian Yang, but no words came out.

The old man was much more relaxed with Guan Jingyu, “Jingyu, sit.”

“Grandfather.” Guan Jingyu sat across from the old man.

Jian Yang: “Grandfather, Mr. Guan should sit too. He’s injured.”

The old man looked at Guan Ciyan, “Do you want to sit?”

Guan Ciyan squeezed Jian Yang’s neck again, “No, this is fine.”

“Hmm.” The old man was satisfied, “So, Jingyu, tell me what happened with the news you showed me.”

Guan Jingyu looked at Jian Yang, his eyes flickering, “My uncle took Jian Yang to the hotel after the banquet. It wasn’t a big deal. With my uncle’s status, he should have dealt with this kind of thing many times, but I don’t know why this time the news got out. When I saw the news today, I was worried it would anger grandfather, so I came to talk to you first. Please don’t get upset.”

The old man nodded, “You’ve dealt with many things like this, so what, do you want me to have another grandson?”

Guan Ciyan replied, “I have no plans to marry or have children for now, so you don’t have to worry.”

“It’s not you, so who released this news? Who dares to use my family’s name to grab attention and fight for the spotlight? Or should I say, is this little thing by your side trying to climb up by using you? It looks like you’re quite happy about it,” Old Master Guan sarcastically implied that Guan Ciyan had been protecting Jian Yang with that whip.

“Impossible, Grandpa,” Guan Jingyu interjected, “Jian Yang… he has always liked me unilaterally, and he doesn’t want to be taken away by my uncle. It wasn’t him who intentionally leaked the news. It must have been accidentally caught on camera. My uncle’s relationship with the media and his entertainment circle is strong enough to suppress it with just a little push. Grandpa, please don’t be angry.”

Green tea warning!!!

Jian Yang finally understood. Does the Guan family still have a rule about the descendants maintaining chastity? Guan Ciyan was whipped last night because he went to a hotel with him.

“Stop, stop, stop, let me make a statement,” Jian Yang raised his hand. “Grandpa Guan, I don’t like Guan Jingyu. We are just ordinary friends, don’t misunderstand. I went to the hotel yesterday because I had an important gift to show to Mr. Guan. Nothing happened between us, so you don’t need to worry about us getting a grandchild because Guan Ciyan can’t have one.”

The hand resting on the back of his neck suddenly tightened.

Jian Yang hurried to add, “I can’t have one either.”

“Shut up!” Old Master Guan, who had been ignoring Jian Yang, was finally angered by him and let out a scolding.

Once he was acknowledged, Jian Yang continued, “The media that first released the news is not a small one. It definitely wasn’t me who leaked it because I can’t afford to pay for the publishing fees. It also wasn’t accidentally caught on camera. Big media outlets don’t do paparazzi work, so it must have been someone with status and power who took the photo and gave it to the media. This news will affect Mr. Guan like a fish losing its bicycle, but it makes you angry, so Mr. Guan got a beating.”

Guan Ciyan’s index finger scraped along Jian Yang’s neck. Jian Yang looked up at him; his mouth curled slightly in a hint of admiration.

Jian Yang raised his eyebrows at him.

Having spent years in the entertainment industry, Jian Yang wasn’t a fool. He could clearly understand Guan Jingyu’s small tricks.

Jian Yang’s words practically printed “The news must have been released by Guan Jingyu” in bold letters on Old Master Guan’s forehead.

Old Master Guan paused and said, “No matter what, Guan Ciyan, you should always remember your position. Your every word and action represents the Guan family. I don’t want to be mocked at my age. If you didn’t act so recklessly, no one would have found a way to exploit this. This matter ends here. Go back and reflect on yourself.”

Jian Yang, even more anxious than Guan Jingyu, said, “Grandpa, aren’t you going to beat me?”

“I see, Grandpa must be tired from beating,” Jian Yang teased, slipping away from Guan Ciyan’s side. He grabbed the whip on the table and lashed it onto Guan Jingyu’s body.

“Ah—” Guan Jingyu, only wearing a shirt, immediately had blood marks appear on his chest.

Jian Yang respectfully handed the whip back to Old Master Guan. “How was it, Grandpa? Was my whip up to your standards? Consider it a welcome gift from me, to make sure everything is fair.”

“Rascal!” Old Master Guan pretended to strike Jian Yang.

Guan Ciyan’s deep voice acted as a hammer, “Dad, the Guan family’s rules—strict punishment for internal family conflicts. You said that yourself.”

Old Master Guan shouted angrily, “My family’s matters shouldn’t be handled by outsiders!”

Guan Ciyan took a step forward, pulling Jian Yang back to his side. Jian Yang wrapped his arms around his waist to steady him as he slightly swayed.

Although Old Master Guan was angry, he didn’t chase after Jian Yang to beat him. Guan Ciyan had his weaknesses in hand. No matter how much he supported Guan Jingyu’s power grab, he couldn’t tolerate Guan Jingyu defaming the Guan family in front of outsiders.

The Guan family had to present a united front to the outside world; otherwise, under the lure of massive profits, someone would definitely try to stir up internal strife.

“Dad, the situation is clear. I’m taking Jian Yang home now,” Guan Ciyan didn’t care about the scars on his body or the single whip mark on Guan Jingyu.

However, Jian Yang stood still, and it took some effort for Guan Ciyan to pull him along.

The two of them took slow steps out of the punishment room. A fine rain began to fall from the sky. Guan Ciyan’s straight back slightly bent as he leaned on Jian Yang, “Had one whip and still not satisfied?”

“He used me as a scapegoat, defaming you in front of Grandpa, making me be hated by Grandpa. You got whipped for it,” Jian Yang puffed out his chest in frustration.

“Uncle,” Guan Ciyan said.

“Huh?” Jian Yang was puzzled.

“My dad, you should call him uncle,” Guan Ciyan laughed lightly. “Or, do you want to call him like Guan Jingyu does?”

“Uncle, uncle.” Jian Yang called out twice, sweetly, “Following you is hard; you’re so heavy, don’t lean all on me.”