After lamenting his life choices for some time, Chen Yu eventually recovered enough to gather the evidence he'd collected against He Qiang, Madam Liu, and Liu Yao. Sore and irritated from last night's workout on top of his fall, he was merciless, using an untraceable account to send every detail to the police.
In addition, he edited out his actions against the hitman from the footage he'd recorded of yesterday's murder attempt and uploaded it to the anonymous blog with Xiao BaoBao's previous videos. The news that their darling idol was almost killed predictably sent his fans into a frenzy.
To tell the truth, Chen Yu didn't particularly need the support of public opinion.
It was merely that He Qiang had some backing, although insignificant compared to Zhao Jia, it was enough that without critical eyes watching, the three people might have enjoyed some small courtesies and comforts. With so many netizens and reporters monitoring their situation, no one would dare to show any favor anymore. Also, most likely none of the three would die in prison, but since they were stained indelibly, they would never be able to recover.
Yes, Chen Yu was just that petty. So what?
Actually, while compiling the information, Chen Yu had briefly wondered where yesterday's motorcyclist went, because he was unwilling to excuse his would-be murderer. A moment's reflection later, he recognized that there was no way Zhao Cui would have let that happen.
Oh well, his testimony wasn't that important. Zhao Cui could do whatever he wanted with him, Chen Yu trusted that his lover would clean up after himself without affecting the investigation.
Sure enough, a few days later the police located the murder suspect when a hospital certified the death of a man from excessive burns. Not included in the report was that the corpse showed signs of having suffered extreme torture.
In fact, the man had confessed who'd ordered the assignment quite quickly. It was just that his slight delay made it so that someone else had acted to avenge Shao Shao before Zhao Cui could. Worse, Zhao Cui could sense that the person responsible was that same mysterious hacker who was pursuing his baby.
Furious, he'd vented a bit.
When the police found Madam Liu to take her in for questioning, she was in her house, gloomily staring at a pile of voided contracts and overdrawn credit card statements.
The woman was intelligent after all, she followed along passively, aware that with the Liu family done for, her influence was gone. She couldn't figure out who was behind their rapid decline, and her husband was even more clueless, having rarely paid attention to business matters. The only one who could help now was her brother.
Unfortunately, He Qiang's involvement in both the incident yesterday and the murder case fifteen years ago was irrefutable.
Chen Yu had generously provided bank documentation of payments passed through hidden accounts to an underground organization, recorded discussions of pricing and strategy, and diligently uncovered the clip of Shao Li's mother being run over. Preliminary testing had revealed that the data was authentic.
As for Liu Yao, no need to bother looking—she'd been stuck in her room for so long expecting news of Shao Li's death, it was easy to imagine how she would fly apart when she found out that she was the one who was finished.
Chen Yu checked the progress of the mission. En, it seemed people were getting really worked up, the bar was already 91% full. He narrowed his eyes in pleasure and contemplated how to raise the last 9%, absentmindedly swiping his finger back and forth across his tender lips.
This charming sight greeted Zhao Cui when he strode in, he naturally didn't hold back and lifted the petite body onto his lap. He whispered into the boy's ear, "Shao Shao, what are you thinking about? Thinking about me?"
Lost in thought, Chen Yu hummed vaguely.
Zhao Cui paused, and the air around him solidified for an instant then relaxed. He gently grasped one of Shao Li's soft hands, kissed the tip of each finger lightly until he arrived at the cute pinkie, then he suddenly sank his teeth in.
The sharp sting woke Chen Yu up from his daze. He'd noticed that Zhao Cui seemed to like biting, he'd left marks all over his body, and especially the back of his neck had been chewed so hard that it had bled a bit.
But without any pleasure to dilute it, this nip felt surprisingly painful. Shao Li lifted teary eyes without speaking.
Having gotten the boy's attention, Zhao Cui pecked Shao Li's temple and asked, "Who were you thinking of so happily?" Clearly the deep voice was as mild and attractive as usual, but Chen Yu could tell there was trap hidden inside the question.
While he curiously examined what the issue could be, his surface expressed bewilderment with a touch of fear.
Unable to bear his baby looking at him like that, Zhao Cui lifted his hand to stroke his hair, only for Shao Shao to flinch away. His eyes sank. "Were you thinking about that man that's stalking you?"
Chen Yu wrinkled his brows. Wasn't his stalker...Zhao Cui?
Zhao Cui's teeth itched seeing Shao Li frown. Was his baby upset because he'd disparaged that man? He gripped Shao Shao's fragile jaw, rasping, "I was late protecting you this time, I promise it won't happen again. Don't focus on that hacker anymore, don't think about other men, baby, I can't take it."
Reluctant to confront Shao Li's expression, Zhao Cui closed his eyes and pressed his forehead down on Shao Li's shoulder. The humble image, however, was somewhat ruined by the strong arms that completely wrapped around the boy and could promptly restrict any movement.
The Chen Yu who'd figured out what Zhao Cui was talking about just wanted to facepalm.
This vinegar jar, what other man, he was the only one. But looking at this powerful man going to such lengths to secure Shao Li's affection, he softened. Anyway he was responsible to some extent for his jealousy, so he'd handle it.
With his arms restrained, the best Chen Yu could do was to lower his head and kiss the other man's cheek. Immediately, Zhao Cui jerked his head up and stared unblinkingly at Shao Li's face as if he wanted to swallow him whole.
Blushing, Shao Li murmured, "I told you I l-love you, gege, of course I won't think about other people like that. And anyway, I haven't met any hackers?"
At Shao Shao's words, Zhao Cui's eyes reddened. He hadn't really thought Shao Li had interacted with the hacker—he would have caught any communication already if they existed. Nevertheless, hearing his baby's assurance, he still felt like a death row prisoner who'd been granted amnesty.
In response, he whispered, "Baby, I love you too, I love you so much I don't know what to do."
His desire to lock Shao Shao up grew every day, every moment, but he couldn't bear for his baby to dislike him. He'd turned it over in his mind, since this was the case, he had to make it so that no one dared to have other thoughts about his Shao Shao.
Gazing at Shao Li with earnest eyes, Zhao Cui said, "Shao Shao, you didn't meet him, but there's a pervert who's obsessed with Xiao BaoBao, he's been secretly filming you for months. And there are so many other people who talk about how they want to do bad things to you, it really makes me so sad." Here he gave a dejected sigh.
Chen Yu laughed in his heart. Truly shameless ah, what pervert, what wanted to do bad things, could anyone be worse than you?
Zhao Cui saw that Shao Li was listening carefully, he continued in a solemn tone, "So I thought about it, and Zhao Jia is relatively well-known, if we announce that we're together, no one will bother you again."
Shao Li appeared to be considering it. In fact, Chen Yu was simply punishing Zhao Cui for trying to manipulate him, he had long decided to accept.
Revealing their relationship wasn't a big deal—the original owner didn't have any family to object, Zhao Jia was absolutely under Zhao Cui's control, and he didn't have an idol image to preserve.
Even if this hadn't been the case, Chen Yu had never intended on hiding his feelings. He had always felt that acting ashamed about his feelings made it shameful in truth. As long as he'd chosen to treat Zhao Cui sincerely, he would do so openly, if it made his lover happy to formally inform people of course he had no objection.
Thus, after several rounds of persuasion, Chen Yu was satisfied and bashfully acquiesced. Zhao Cui celebrated zealously with his baby on the bed, around the kitchen, in the bathtub.
Zhao Jia's efficiency was unparalleled, a huge press conference was held the next morning, and their romance, as well as Xiao BaoBao's decision not to go into the entertainment circle, was made public.
X Country wasn't the most liberal place, but with Zhao Jia's might and Xiao BaoBao's popularity, the news went over rather smoothly. Guided by Zhao Jia, the media focused on the couple's bravery in opening up, how they met and fell in love, and the obvious warmth between them.
Throughout the world, people cursed Zhao Cui for snatching away their little darling, but the interview footage plainly displayed Xiao BaoBao affectionately holding Zhao Cui's hand, turning red whenever their eyes met, in short, feeding them dog food.
Sob, their baby was getting married off, they wiped their tears and fluttered their handkerchiefs farewell.
These intense emotions were enough that 99.9% of the meter was filled.
Chen Yu wasn't concerned about the last portion, he had quit his job and was enjoying his lazy life practicing his instruments and visiting various schools and universities as a popular guest lecturer. Also, as Shao Li had wanted, he spent a fair bit of time performing everywhere, regardless of whether it was on the streets, in hospitals, or at school, so that people could share the joy of music.
For a short while, he followed up on how the original main characters were doing.
By the time their trial rolled around, it was common knowledge that these people had tried to kill Xiao BaoBao, who was also the lover of Zhao Jia's master.
Everyone competed to curry favor by treating these idiots with as much cruelty as they could. Thus, even before they entered prison, Madam Liu and He Qiang looked like they had aged a decade, and Liu Yao lost all semblance of self-control, screaming and sobbing constantly.
Meanwhile, former Headmaster Feng had begged his family after innumerable rejections and finally secured a restaurant waiter position. As someone who'd once been a respected white-collar worker, he was well-versed in the rules of fine dining, but his gym-trained physique simply couldn't keep up with the work. His body swiftly began breaking down like his self-esteem.
The occasional glimpses he got didn't vary much, so that Chen Yu almost never checked again.
Zhao Cui hated being apart from his baby, so within five years, he chose a younger cousin to take over the management of Zhao Jia.
The young woman was clever and learned quickly, but she still suffered from an immense amount of stress. Partially to help her and mostly to speed up the training process, Zhao Cui transferred Ming Wu to her as an assistant. Over time, the two discovered that they matched well both in and out of work, and they organized a cozy wedding.
After Zhao Cui and Shao Li attended as guests, Zhao Cui noticed on their drive back home that Shao Shao seemed a bit downcast. Seating the unchanged petite body on his legs, he stroked the back of Shao Shao's slim neck and asked, "Baby, what's wrong?"
Shao Li shook his head, raised his eyes, and tried to curve his lips into a smile. Chen Yu wasn't sure what had unsettled him. Perhaps it was that his relationship was so different from that of Ming Wu and his wife, he would pass through this world and live on while Zhao Cui would die.
Zhao Cui deliberated over what could have upset Shao Shao, and he eventually guessed that it was because he wanted to get married as well. Although there wasn't any country that registered gay marriages yet, if his baby wanted, Zhao Cui could change that with a phone call.
The more he considered it, the more he felt that he had been stupid for not thinking of it earlier.
He cuddled Shao Li close, saying, "I'm sorry baby, I was careless and didn't realize you wanted a wedding. Tell me where would be good, I can arrange it right away. Or do you want to travel around and have one in each country?"
Even after years of being together, Chen Yu still felt that his lover was so interesting, where did he get his ideas from?
But well, a wedding wouldn't be bad...he put aside his melancholy mood. He'd decided from the beginning that he'd cherish this man for however long they lasted. He wouldn't care about what would happen afterwards.
Shao Li didn't want an ostentatious ceremony, only a few close friends were invited, then the couple flew to a secluded villa for their honeymoon.
After their wedding, the two became even closer. Zhao Cui doted as usual on Shao Li, but Chen Yu also clung cutely to Zhao Cui, even prioritizing him over music.
When Zhao Cui lay in the hospital bed many years later and saw Shao Li that stayed with him for months without ever mentioning instruments or concerts or new works, his nose felt sour.
How could he leave his baby by himself when he'd scarcely grasped that Shao Shao loved him so much? Who would make sure he ate and slept and dressed? Who would make his favorite hot chocolate and pick out fish bones for him?
Chen Yu watched Zhao Cui's aged but still handsome face grow paler every day until one spring afternoon, Zhao Cui held his hand, reminded him not to forget to take care of himself, and closed his eyes, leaving behind a last "I love you, baby."
The doctors and nurses rushed in, but Zhao Cui was gone. Chen Yu stared at the familiar features for so long that when he blinked, his dried out eyes uncontrollably grew wet.
Suddenly the system's customary bell tone rang. [Congratulations, host. With the completion of your mission, you have the choice of leaving this world. Would you like to be transferred now?]
Chen Yu wiped his cheeks and postponed it. He'd take care of whatever Zhao Cui wanted done. A week later, on the day of his lover's funeral, Shao Li peacefully left the world.