Chapter 34: Small World

Yuan Suo took the lead, stepping towards Yu Minchuan before Tang Liyue, and called out excitedly, “Minchuan! You finally decided to leave the house!”

Tang Liyue was blocked behind him, leaving Yu Minchuan no choice but to shift his gaze to Yuan Suo.

Yu Minchuan gave a polite yet distant smile and spoke softly, “Brother Suo, long time no see.”

Yuan Suo was sharp, he could tell that Yu Minchuan wasn’t too eager to talk to him.

But that didn’t matter.

He leaned in closer to the car window. “Are you still holding on to what happened back then? Things weren’t as simple as they seemed, maybe you’ve been blaming Second Master unfairly.”

The smile on Yu Minchuan’s face faded slightly, his gaze turning colder.

“Brother Suo, even my Second Uncle himself doesn’t want to explain. Why are you trying to play peacemaker?”

Yu Minchuan’s words made Yuan Suo choke up.

Yu Mo Yuan had refused to explain the accident, partly because the full details were still under investigation and partly because he didn’t want Yu Minchuan to know that Zhao Zhiliu was involved.

Yuan Suo sighed. “Fine, if you don’t want to hear it, I won’t bring it up. But even if you’ve cut ties with him, why block me and Brother Shi An on WeChat too?”

“Brother Shi An?”

Behind them, Tang Liyue froze, and blurted out the question.

Yuan Suo turned his head. “Yeah, he’s another friend of mine and Second Master’s. He also watched Minchuan grow up.”

Tang Liyue hesitated and asked, “Is his last name Qin?”

“Yeah, the son of the Director of Industry and Commerce, Qin Shi An.”

Tang Liyue was shocked.

The world is really this small?!

Brother Qin was actually friends with Yu Mo Yuan and Yuan Suo?

And he even knew Yu Minchuan?

Noticing her reaction, Yu Minchuan furrowed his brows. “Liyue, you know Brother Shi An?”

“Yeah,” Tang Liyue nodded. “My best friend is Qin Jiao Jiao, so I’ve met Brother Qin a few times.”

Yuan Suo grinned. “Oh, Qin Jiao Jiao! Old Qin’s precious little sister. But none of us have ever met her.”

Tang Liyue gave an awkward chuckle, too surprised to say anything more.

Yu Minchuan opened the car door and said, “Liyue, get in first.”

After Tang Liyue got into the car, Yu Minchuan looked at Yuan Suo. “Brother Suo, let’s talk some other time. I need to take Liyue home now. Please take care of her at work.”

Yuan Suo leaned against the car window, grinning mischievously.

“I can take care of Xiao Tang, but there’s a condition.”

Yu Minchuan raised an eyebrow. “What condition?”

“Unblock me on WeChat first.” Yuan Suo smirked. “Yu Mo Yuan offending you is his problem. Don’t take it out on the rest of us.”

“Alright.” Yu Minchuan agreed.

Hearing the answer he wanted, Yuan Suo stepped back, allowing the driver to pull away.

—

After exiting the parking garage, Yu Minchuan rolled up the window and turned to Tang Liyue.

“Liyue, was work tiring?”

Tang Liyue shook her head gently. “Not really, I’m still in the learning phase.”

“But you look exhausted.”

In the morning, Tang Liyue had been full of energy, even excited about her first job.

But after just one day, her expression seemed drained of enthusiasm.

Tang Liyue sighed. “I just ran into some difficulties. It’s fine, though, I can handle it.”

“If you ever have a problem, tell me. Maybe I can help.”

Tang Liyue nodded without hesitation. “Okay.”

But deep down, she didn’t take Yu Minchuan’s words seriously.

After all, Yu Minchuan had been disabled since he was twenty.

Before his accident, he had been a piano prodigy, he had no real work experience.

If she couldn’t solve the problem, Yu Minchuan probably wouldn’t be able to either.

The scenery outside the window blurred past as the car drove onto an unfamiliar road.

“Huh? Where are we going? Aren’t we heading back to the estate?”

Yu Minchuan smiled. “I’m taking you to a special restaurant to celebrate your first successful day at work.”

Then, as if afraid she might refuse, he added,

“Ever since I started going out again, I don’t like staying home anymore. I always feel like going out for a drive, so I’ve been checking out restaurant guides online. I want to visit them one by one. Liyue, you’re my only friend. Will you come with me?”

Since he put it that way, it was hard for Tang Liyue to refuse.

“Of course, I can go with you.” She nodded. “But not tomorrow. After work, I want to visit the Tang family.”

Yu Minchuan’s expression barely changed, but his fingers tensed slightly.

“Is something wrong? Do you need me to come with you? Maybe if I’m there, they won’t give you a hard time.”

“No, no! That’s not necessary!”

Seeing how firmly she declined, Yu Minchuan didn’t insist.

—

About half an hour later, the car finally pulled up in front of a French restaurant by the lake.

There was a small courtyard at the entrance. If you sat there, you could enjoy the view of the shimmering water.

Unlike before, Yu Minchuan wasn’t wearing a hat or a mask.

He was dressed in a crisp white shirt, and his neatly styled hair made him look even more refined.

Even though he was in a wheelchair, his looks and presence alone drew the attention of every woman in the restaurant. Some even secretly took out their phones to snap pictures.

Tang Liyue chuckled. “Look, so many people like you.”

Yu Minchuan smiled faintly. “If I weren’t good-looking, I doubt anyone would.”

“Looks are just an entry pass. Confidence and personality matter more.”

Yu Minchuan only smiled without replying. Instead, his fingers brushed over his legs.

Noticing this, Tang Liyue hesitated before asking in a soft voice, “Minchuan, is there really no way for your legs to recover?”

Most people who had been disabled for years would suffer muscle atrophy.

But looking at his legs, they didn’t seem too weak, so maybe he wasn’t permanently disabled?

Yu Minchuan said quietly, “The doctor said I have a 10% chance of walking again, but I might end up with a limp. I’d also have to endure unbearable pain and go through daily rehab.”

“At first, I clung to that 10% chance like it was my reason to live. I woke up early every day and rushed to the rehab center. Even when the pain made me pass out, I refused to give up.”

“But…”

“But what? Did it not work…?”

Yu Minchuan shook his head. “I don’t know if it worked. Because after just a week, I stopped going.”

“Why?!” Tang Liyue was anxious for him.

Yu Minchuan looked up, his eyes glistening with unspoken pain. But his smile was bright, almost dazzling.

“Because my mother said she didn’t want a crippled son embarrassing her.

She said being completely disabled was more convenient than having a limp.”

Tang Liyue froze, her eyes filled with sorrow.

Yu Minchuan pinched her cheek gently and laughed. “Liyue, don’t look at me like that. I don’t want pity.”

Tang Liyue grabbed his hand in return. “Minchuan, try again! Maybe you really can stand up one day!”

“No. No one expects me to walk again.”

“I do!”

Yu Minchuan stiffened.

Tang Liyue continued, “Grandpa probably expects it too, I can tell he cares about you. So does Yu Qi. Yuan Assistant, Brother Qin, and even your second uncle would want you to walk again!”

Yu Minchuan lowered his head, silent for a long time.

It wasn’t until the food was served that he finally looked up and gave a bitter smile.

“I’m used to it. Maybe… one day.”