-2-
Han Qu first left the port from the black wharf, and after many twists and turns, it took him three and a half days to arrive in the USA.
However, the contact had already fled, as if he had heard some rumor.
Even making a temporary phone call, it seemed like all connections in China had suddenly been cut off, not even a single greeting came through.
Han Gaozhi was ruined, Eshan collapsed, and now he was nothing.
Han Qu stood alone for a long time, but in the end, no one came to meet him.
He clearly remembered that it wasn’t like this when he came to America before.
As the eldest son of a billionaire entrepreneur, even while he was still on the plane, he would receive luxurious care from the cabin crew.
Upon arrival, there would naturally be many people specially there to greet him and dust off his journey, back then he even found it annoying how some people would shamelessly fawn over him, it was disgustingly obsequious.
Han Qu’s English was not very fluent, and he carried little luggage. Now, suddenly, he felt as if he was in a deserted city, unsure of where to go.
He knew he was a fugitive, and that he might not even be safe in America. Fortunately, his family had pre-purchased many properties abroad for tax evasion purposes, and now officially, none were under Han’s name.
It took several days of stumbling around before he found a place to stay, and after racking his brain for the safe’s password, he managed to get some cash.
Paying the TV bill was quite troublesome, and the community guard was Mexican, who didn’t understand anything he said.
All these annoyances were incredibly irritating.
Han Qu had roughly sorted out his living situation, but he felt laughably destitute—his home didn’t even have a servant, and he had to cook for himself.
Just a few months ago, he was a powerful figure in the entertainment industry, where celebrities would greet him respectfully as “President Han”.
Many things were difficult to manage abroad, and his phone couldn’t connect to the internet.
A friend had visited briefly, leaving some cash but not even a phone number before departing.
“The situation is tense right now, there’s a warrant out for your arrest, and people abroad are also looking for you.”
“A warrant?”
“You’ve made too many enemies; they’re publicly seeking your whereabouts, and the reward is substantial.”
Han Qu reflexively wanted to laugh at those poor fools and how much they could offer, but then he realized that he had no relation to Han Gaozhi anymore.
His friend looked at him with pity, his tone complex.
“I came here because we’ve known each other since childhood. Don’t stay in one place too long; the FBI is checking your acquaintances here.”
As the friend turned to leave, Han Qu quickly followed.
“Wait, there are a few things I can’t handle—”
The friend didn’t stop, didn’t even say goodbye, just drove away.
Han Qu cursed, took out a crappy dictionary, and sat back down to continue figuring out what the form the guard had given him was about.
Fortunately, there were many immigrants in the community, and many spoke Mandarin.
Initially cautious not to go out, he eventually couldn’t stand his terrible cooking and went to a restaurant, boldly ordering a heap of dishes and planning to take some to go.
There was no issue while he was eating, but before dessert was served, several surprised looks came his way.
People began whispering, and some took out their phones.
Han Qu felt something was off, slapped some cash on the table, and got up to leave, just as a waiter hurried over saying the takeaway wasn’t ready yet.
“Never mind, never mind,” he said quickly. “The money’s here.”
“Sir—”
“It’s Han Qu!! He’s leaving!!”
“Block him, he’s a murderer, he’s worth a fortune!!”
“Be careful!! Does this beast have a gun—”
Instantly, five or six people stood up, their various languages like the call before a hunt.
Han Qu turned pale, rushed back to his car, and fled haphazardly, almost crashing into an oncoming truck. Dodging and weaving, he hardly knew where to go, almost throwing up his meal.
Who were those people??
How did they find him here? Or did everyone now know about that damned incident??
He hadn’t killed anyone; he had never killed anyone, it was that idiot who jumped on his own—
Han Qu couldn’t return home, as he might be immediately apprehended by those lying in wait. The city was swarming with traffic police, and he was running low on cash.
Cursing, he hammered the steering wheel and decided to risk returning home for one more night.
He would freeze to death if he tried to sleep in the wilderness, without even a bed to lie on.
At 3:30 AM, the large window on the west side of his temporary shelter was suddenly smashed.
The alarm blared instantly, and the sound of several people rushing inside followed.
Half-asleep, Han Qu heard the noise and wrapped himself in half a blanket while running, only to be pinned to the ground, a gun pressed against the back of his neck.
The familiar Mexican accent was rapidly saying something, and several others were conversing in Spanish beside him.
It was that security guard—they had actually—
Four or five robbers swept the living room clean of scattered cash, packed valuable electronics like computers and phones into bags, and someone else pried at the safe.
Bent over, the security guard pressed his boot against the neck of the Eastern man, slapped him harshly a couple of times, and demanded the bank card PIN and safe code in broken English.
“PASSWORD!! SAY YOUR PASSWORD!!!”
Battered and bleeding from the mouth, Han Qu, without hesitation, revealed everything about his assets, too scared to resist.
The robbers took their fill unscrupulously, kicking him viciously as a warning before leaving.
Han Qu curled up in the blanket, shivering for hours until dawn when he slowly got up to survey the chaos around him.
The glass was shattered, the television and computer were gone, and a few hundred-dollar bills littered the floor, stepped on and marked with footprints.
He yelled in rage, kicked over the coffee table, and knelt amidst the debris, sobbing.
On September 23, Han Gaozhi was charged with corruption, tax evasion, and tax fraud, and Eshan Venture was thoroughly investigated.
Meanwhile, Jiang Shu returned to ShiDu by car. Eight people sat in a circle in a room filled with the scent of hot pot.
“This was supposed to bring Xiao Chi back to the seventeenth floor,” Xie Lianyun explained as he opened the door: “There are too many people coming in and out of SPF, and I’m afraid something else might happen. Later, we should buy two big houses both domestically and internationally—ask Long Jia to handle that too.”
“Xie Lianyun, are you being stingy or not—”
Jiang Shu hadn’t returned to this place of sorrow for a long time. He was distracted the whole way, suspecting that these kids were colluding with Qi Ding to lie and deceive him. When he opened the door, he involuntarily held his breath.
Chi Ji stood at the front door, blinking and smiling.
“Uncle Jiang, I’ve missed you.”
The old man, now with graying hair, looked disheveled and decadent, far from his once imposing appearance.
He stood frozen for a long time, first reaching out to touch Chi Ji’s forehead, his fingers trembling as they touched something tangible, then moving to touch his shoulder.
“It’s really me, Xiao Chi,” Chi Ji said with a resigned smile. “Don’t be afraid of me.”
Mei Shengyao silently handed over a stack of tissues, standing by.
Jiang Shu choked up, struggling to speak, tears dripping down.
He still remembered, on February 17, the day Chi Chi jumped, he had made the decision to send the five out for one last time.
When Chi Chi had sent them off, he had wanted to eat hot pot but was refused.
“I’m sorry…” Jiang Shu, supported by others, sat down, covering his eyes, not wanting the younger generation to see, and messily wiped his face with the tissue: “Still alive, that’s good…”
“That day, Chi Chi, I never thought… I thought our home was safe. The doctor said you should eat less spicy food because of your poor sleep, that’s why I said…”
Chi Ji opened his arms and hugged him, patting his back comfortingly.
“Uncle, it’s all in the past, it’s okay, we’re all here.”
Rarely did Jiang Shu break down like this, crying incoherently: “It’s not that I didn’t let you eat hot pot, I used to worry it would make you fat, Chi Chi, I never meant to make things difficult for you…”
Mei Shengyao continued to hand over tissues, while Xie Lianyun helplessly spoke up: “Uncle—stop crying, or the hot pot will get too salty.”
Bo Jue coldly said, “Hot pot is supposed to be salty.”
“That’s not the point——”
Jiang Shu composed himself, washed his face, and returned to look at each person one by one.
In the early years when he led the group, he rarely expressed mushy emotions and preferred to be a stern manager.
Now, he didn’t care about that anymore and hugged each of the now-grown children one by one.
With each hug, he said an apology, unable to stop himself.
When he hugged Huo Ren, the young man smiled and patted his shoulder.
“Chi Chi is recovering quickly; we’re planning to hold the final concert the year after next.”
Jiang Shu rubbed his eyes and sniffled, “I’m not worried about Chi Chi, he’s always been a good dancer, his health is good, he’ll be fine.”
Bo Jue and Xie Lianyun instantly changed their expressions.
“That farewell performance, just singing would be enough—”
“Damn, I haven’t exercised in six months—”
Pei Ruye spoke slowly, “We should start stretching in advance.”
“No!! Boss Pei!!!”
“Let’s just sit and sing, that’s nice!!!”
Now reunited, everyone had changed a lot.
Long Jia’s presence had matured significantly, and Bo Jue exuded the air of a professor.
Mei Shengyao gradually regained his former cheerfulness, while Xie Lianyun still appeared carefree on the surface.
Chi Ji now looked much healthier, his skin smooth and pale like a freshly peeled egg.
With his heart now unburdened, Jiang Shu ate several bowls of rice with gusto, wiped his mouth after finishing, and said they should meet again another day before going out to find a place for a haircut and shave.
Bo Jue and Xie Lianyun watched the uncle’s retreating figure, not taking their eyes off him for a long time.
“He’s dressed so old-fashioned today, don’t you buy him clothes, Xie Lianyun?”
“These are new clothes I bought for uncle!! It’s your outfits that are too flashy, okay!!”
As everyone chatted and drank tea, Mei Shengyao helped Chi Ji out to the terrace for some air.
Chi Ji was in a good mood today, humming a song and smiling with squinted eyes, looking very adorable.
The young man watched him quietly for a long time, finally letting go of something in his heart, bowing his head in acknowledgment.
It was as if he was admitting he was a bad kid.
“Senior brother, actually, there’s something I’ve never told you.”
He dared not look at Chi Ji’s face, confessing many past secrets.
Surveillance, decoys, the desperate escape during the fall, and all the pain and guilt of the past two years.
“Senior brother, the day you left, I really thought the last light in the world had gone out.”
Mei Shengyao, aware of his former unknown obsessions, now held nothing back, as if he was prepared to pack his bags and go to prison afterward.
“My first friend when I was a child was you, senior brother… If you really had left that day, what would I have done, I might have really gone crazy…”
Chi Ji reached out to rub his face, wiping the tears from the corners of the young man’s eyes.
“I love you too. Silly.”
Author’s Note:
The previous phrase ‘I love him so much’, and here ‘I love you too’, both reflect the bond of love among the six people of the Crown, who all deeply care for each other. Given the current tense situation, I might not be able to write a complete spin-off for the Mei Chi & Xie Chi pair, and I want to say again to everyone,
Yes, although we have been troubled by this many times before, now it might all be windowed (covers face).
Hi thanks for the Chapter!! Just informing you that part one of the Chapter is missing ..
Hmmm, I don’t know. I understand that Xiao Ji and Xiao Yao make sense on paper. And they were always close(r). However, I just don’t think their romantic vibes are as explosive as Long/Bo or even Pei/Huo. Not saying that every romantic relationship has to be super passionate and overdramatic, and they’ve been through crazy stuff together. But for me, just loving and caring for each other seems enough in their case. At least with how things are currently. Maybe in 5 years, when Chi Ji has returned to a kind of normalcy and when Yao Yao is old enough to let go of his feelings of “owing” and “monopolizing”, they can revisit this. But Yao Yao is still stuck in situation where he was taking care of Chi Ji 24/7.