Looking at them from a distance, Zhong Ming nudged Zhen Han's arm and asked him in a low voice, "Tell me, who do you think fell deeper between those two?"
Those who knew Meng Ting surely felt that he had changed a lot, but it was not the case for those who knew Yan Sui. With his former indifference, they all thought that he would grow old alone. Otherwise, who would let his apparently-flawed mother arrange his own marriage.
"My brother," Zhen Han answered him almost instinctively.
Perhaps, only he could answer this question. He knew Yan Sui and had more contact with Meng Ting than Zhong Ming and the others. His gaze fell on Meng Ting and there was a faint smile in his eyes.
"Sister-in-law's temperament is simple. If he's really hurt, he'd just walk away and won't quibble over it."
Meng Ting's world was too simple. There were very few transitional zones in it; love or hate; like or dislike; it was very simple and clearly divided. He might get extremely hurt, but he would not quibble over it.
The more he understood Meng Ting, the more he felt that Meng Ting was suitable for Yan Sui, knowing that what Yan Sui hated the most was complexity—the complexity of human nature. Sometimes, he even hated himself because of this [1].
([1] As we all know, Zhen Han has a very complicated personality and he quibbles a lot.)
"This isn't the case for my brother. You see he's still calm and extremely restrained…but if Sister-in-law dares to run away, he'll absolutely…"
"What?" Zhong Ming leaned to his side to listen to what Zhen Han was saying. The more that he listened, the more that he felt that it was reasonable. However, Zhen Han's voice suddenly disappeared.
"He can't let people go…as for how far he can do it, no one can predict it." Yan Sui's strength was very deeply concealed, but if it really broke out, then it would be very terrifying.
Seeing Zhong Ming's frightened look, Zhen Han raised his hand and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, my Sister-in-law's a bit special and protects my brother more than anyone else. It's a bit difficult to get between the two of them."
Zhen Han merely stated a few well-known facts about Yan Sui before and he was already assigned by Meng Ting to the ranks of those people who loved to talk bad about Yan Sui. What could make Meng Ting sad was not the alienation by others; rather, it was his own determination that Yan Sui might not really love him and Yan Sui would want to leave him by that time.
However, Zhen Han thought that it would be far more difficult to change Yan Sui's feelings and make him like someone else.
"Mr. Yan, my Old Master's asking you to go to the study." The butler of the Gus came over and invited Yan Sui when he and Meng Ting were chatting on the side.
Yan Sui nodded at him, then he looked at Meng Ting. He seemed to be hesitating whether he should take Meng Ting with him or not.
The Yan clan and Gu clan had business dealings. In the past, the patriarch of the Gus would invite him to discuss about it. It would rather be inappropriate to bring Meng Ting along with him. It was not because Yan Sui was not allowed to bring him. It was just that, what they would be talking about would be very uninteresting; therefore, he was afraid that Meng Ting would get bored.
"That's alright. I'll be waiting here for you."
Meng Ting said before Yan Sui could even say anything. He smiled at Yan Sui, then he kneaded his thumb.
Yan Sui clenched Meng Ting's hand. After briefly thinking about it, he looked at the butler and said, "Wait a moment."
After saying this, he led Meng Ting to Zhen Han and Zhong Ming's side. He gave them instructions repeatedly, then he followed the butler.
Meng Ting thought that there was no need for someone to look after him, but he understood as well that Yan Sui was worried about him, so he did not turn him down.
"What do you want to eat Little Sister-in-law? I'll get it for you." Zhen Han and Zhong Ming took Meng Ting to sit on a sofa in the corner of the drawing room and said this to him. Yan Sui had entrusted a heavy responsibility to the both of them. Naturally, they could not neglect his sweetheart.
Meng Ting hesitated for a moment and shook his head. "I already ate too much just now and Nanny Wang has prepared delicious midnight snacks for me and Yan Sui. If I eat too much, I won't be able to eat anymore when we get home."
In truth, this was not the real reason; rather, it was because Yan Sui would get worried that he could suffer from indigestion, so Yan Sui would not let him eat too much.
The reason was too simple that it made Zhen Han and Zhong Ming could not help but laugh.
"Okay, then we'll be right here with you waiting for my brother," Zhen Han said as he raised his hand to the passing-by wine server, "Two glasses of wine and bring a glass of juice."
Before Yan Sui left, he specifically made it clear that they could not let Meng Ting drink; thus, Zhen Han and Zhong Ming naturally did not dare to forget it.
It did not take long for the wine server to come over. Meng Ting picked up the juice and took a sip, then he frowned and put it down.
As a doctor, Zhen Han was very attentive. Meng Ting clearly put it down, not because he did not want to drink it, but because he tasted something and could not get it into his mouth.
"What's the matter?"
"Besides juice, there's the taste of pills…"
He least liked this unbearable taste. He stood up and walked directly to the bathroom he had once visited.
Zhong Ming and Zhen Han also stood up to keep up with him. After a few steps, Zhen Han stopped and looked at Zhong Ming, "You go."
While Zhong Ming went to look for Meng Ting, Zhen Han took that glass of juice. After a little consideration, he went to look for Gu Lang with a dark, yet well-composed face. If anyone wants to harm Meng Ting, this glass of juice would be the evidence.
Meng Ting was already at his limit when he reached the bathroom. He leaned on the toilet and vomited.
The dinner he ate at home and at the banquet just now—everything was vomited. He vomited until he did not have anything to vomit but he was still retching there and his complexion rapidly turned deathly pale. He could not come out for quite a while.
Even though Zhong Ming followed him, he could not help with anything. He could only worry helplessly and ask, "Have you vomited a lot? This is too much. They even dared to drug you right before our eyes!" Inducing vomiting like this—the drug must be something that could make people ill.
The more Zhong Ming thought, the more anxious he felt. "Is it an aphrodisiac? I'll call for emergency treatment right away."
Meng Ting did not hear what Zhong Ming said at all. He restrained the stiffness of his limbs and stood up. He turned on the faucet, rinsed his mouth, and washed his face.
Gu Lang and Zhen Han rushed over and almost asked at the same time, "How's he?"
"He should've thrown up everything completely," Zhong Ming said to Zhen Han and Gu Lang. His anxious look had not changed. He thought Meng Ting was in a very bad condition, then all of a sudden, he became reticent. Looking at it was even more terrifying than the black-faced Yan Sui.
Zhong Ming patted his thigh and looked at Zhen Han. "What's wrong with the juice?"
"I've sent it for testing." Zhen Han was a veterinarian and knew a bit of pharmacology. However, to be able to know what medicine it was by its smell and taste, that was too defiant of the natural order. He did not have such talent.
"It's similar to barbital." Meng Ting suddenly started to talk and immediately stated the generic name of the drug in the juice.
"What's that?" Zhong Ming and Gu Lang were completely unaware of what Meng Ting said, but Zhen Han certainly knew about it.
"It's the chief component of sedatives…" Zhen Han answered while trying to reach forward and hold Meng Ting's arm, but Meng Ting avoided him. Zhen Han did not dare to force him. His tone was somewhat more gentle, "Sister-in-law, come with us to see the doctor first. Gu Lang already asked someone to call for my brother."
"Can you find out who it is?" Meng Ting looked up to look at Zhen Han. His face was unusually pale that his pupils appeared unusually dark.
"It's under investigation and it'll take some time."
Gu Lang answered as well. They were somehow quite confused. Sedatives were used to treat mental illnesses. Why would anyone wish to give it to Meng Ting? However, no matter what their intention was, the one who added the drug had already violated their taboos and touched Yan Sui's reverse scales.
Meng Ting hung his head low and followed them. He lifted his hand to hold his abdomen and his frown became a bit deeper. That nauseating feeling was still overwhelming, but he also knew that he had nothing to vomit.
Walking from the bathroom to the lounge, Meng Ting's complexion became more ghastly again.
Gu Lang, Zhen Han, and the others all felt distressed when they looked at him. In a moment, Yan Sui would be coming back and they did not know what his distressed look would look like.
"I don't need to see a doctor. I'll just rest for a moment."
Meng Ting was now rejecting even Zhen Han's touching one arm, let alone being examined by a doctor. Meng Ting's voice was not loud at all, but they could hear that rejection. They were not Yan Sui. They could not force him even if they wanted to.
Zhen Han and Gu Lang were still a bit hesitant. The doctor was also hesitant to come forward. When the door of the lounge opened, Meng Ting instinctively raised his head to have a look. However, the person who had arrived was not Yan Sui; instead, it was Meng Qi.
���Why…" Meng Qi glanced around. He seemed to be quite surprised that there were so many people in here. His gaze fell on Meng Ting. "Little Seventh…what happened to you?"
When Meng Ting realized that the person who came was not Yan Sui, the light in his eyes dimmed down again and his gaze fell on his slightly trembling hands. The darkness in his eyes kept expanding.
"How come you're in here?" Zhen Han frowned as he asked Meng Qi. The corner where they were sitting was quite remote. He did not alarm anyone when he looked for Gu Lang. Meng Qi and his friends were drinking in the courtyard and they only asked their men to call for Yan Sui. How come he came in here?
Zhong Ming and Gu Lang also stood up. The gaze of the three men and Zhen Han's tone somewhat carried a skeptical undertone. Meng Qi suddenly stopped walking and frowned deeper. "A servant told me that Little Seventh had something to talk about and asked me to come to the lounge."
Zhen Han looked at Meng Qi. His complexion became even more ghastly.
What sedative…that was just to make Meng Ting fall asleep. After that, they would lure Meng Qi over…allowing others to brand them groundlessly with such label of 'brothers committing incest'. The mind behind this scheme was truly vicious, really sinister and vicious!
Zhen Han wanted to know. Zhong Ming and Gu Lang wanted to know as well. However, before they could say and do anything, the door was opened and Yan Sui finally arrived.
He came in with large strides and his gaze fell on Meng Ting. His expression turned icy in an instant with dregs falling off. Meng Qi instinctively moved aside a few steps. Zhen Han and the others, who were in front of Meng Ting, consciously retreated back as well and made way to let Yan Sui approach.
Hearing his steps, Meng Ting slowly raised his eyes to look at the man, then he called out, "Yan Sui…"
Flat tone and expression were useless. No matter how good he pretended, his face already exposed everything. He was unwell; very, very unwell.
Yan Sui sat down and immediately took Meng Ting into his arms. He embraced Meng Ting with all his strength. He did not give Meng Ting a chance to hesitate or reject.
Meng Ting's whole body slightly stiffened, then he raised his hand and clasped on Yan Sui's waist. After that, he buried his face into Yan Sui's neck.
His body was still quite stiff and there was a kind of unexplainable stiffness from his limbs to his abdomen. The feeling of breathlessness still existed, but it would become a bit better with Yan Sui by his side.
"What's the matter?"
Yan Sui's voice was not low, but it was solemn and it directly penetrated to the bottom of the hearts of those people around them.
Zhen Han stepped forward, looking a little guilty, "Zhong Ming and I accompanied Sister-in-law and asked for a glass of juice for him. Sister-in-law took a sip and found that it had been drugged…"
"What drug?" Yan Sui interrupted Zhen Han and the space between his eyebrows wrinkled.
"Barbital, a sedative."
Yan Sui clenched his fist while holding Meng Ting's hand, then he smiled at himself. His smile was cold and ruthless, making Gu Lang and Zhong Ming shivered. They knew Yan Sui had reached his breaking point.
"Are there others aware of this?" he asked.
His question stunned Meng Qi for a while, he knew Yan Sui was asking him. Then he recalled back before shaking his head, "I don't think so, I came here after receiving the message."
"Right, since they organize this, why don't we act with them till the end. Isn't it a waste if we don't do that! "
Zhen Han and the others looked at each other and instantly understood what Yan Sui was planning to do. He was trying to track down the one who did this to Meng Ting.
Meng Qi glanced at Meng Ting, who closed his eyes and leaned against Yan Sui. He then nodded, expressing his willingness to cooperate.
"Sister-in-law..... "
Capturing the mastermind behind this was important, but Meng Ting was not looking good at all.
Yan Sui leaned towards Meng Ting and gave him a kiss on the forehead, "He will be fine."
No one knew Meng Ting's situation better than him, Yan Sui then patted Meng Ting's back, "You'll be fine. "
Meng Ting did not respond, instead he tightened his grips on Yan Sui's waist.
After they had a brief discussion, Gu Lang and Zhong Ming were the first to leave, before Zhen Han and Meng Qi left too. Leaving Yan Sui and Meng Ting alone in the room.
After everyone left, the distress in Yan Sui's eyes were no longer hidden. He kissed Meng Ting's lips before speaking in a soft voice, seemingly afraid to scare the person in his arms.
"Good boy, don't be afraid. I'm Yan Sui, open your eyes and look at me….. "
Meng Ting's eyelashes flickered before his eyes finally opened, his eyes were dark and empty enough to make people panic. After a while, his eyes seemed to be back to its usual state, "Yan Sui…. "
Yan Sui continued to rub at Meng Ting's neck, and he gently kissed him, "That's right, I'm Yan Sui."
"You are Yan Sui." Meng Ying whispered Yan Sui's words in a soft voice, he blinked for a while, escaping the nightmare he was in, "Yan Sui, you are Yan Sui."
"I'm here, it's okay, it's okay..... "
Yan Sui said as he continued to kiss him, Meng Ting was not looking good at all and his temperature was as cold as an ice. Yan Sui could only use the method that Meng Ting loved to make him feel warmer.
Meng Ting's expression did not have any changes, but when one looked into his eyes, they could definitely feel his sadness and hopelessness.
"It turns out, I'm not getting any better yet.... "
If any other normal people heard what Meng Ting said, they might not understand what he was talking about. Yet, Yan Sui completely understood his past and all the nightmares he faced before.
"It's okay, it's okay, Meng Ting, I said it's okay. "
Meng Ting was a drug addict before, and when he quit it, they sent him to a special high school for a while. That place treated those restless students the same way they treated patients with mental disorders, including Meng Ting.
Meng Ting, who could not take medicines or injections was forced to take the stabilizer and injections every day, and because he resisted taking those, those three years he was in there, it was so miserable and terrifying. So terrifying that when Yan Sui knew about this, he followed Meng Ting's way of coping, which was not to mention about it ever.
But today, he and Meng Ting were unprepared at the sudden attack, making Meng Ting fall back to the darkness he was once in, and Yan Sui was so distressed that he wanted to kill someone to vent his anger.
"I'll always be with you, let's take it slow and steady, all right?"
Yan Sui lifted Meng Ting's chin and kissed him again. The kiss was gentle as Yan Sui was afraid of hurting him and made him feel uncomfortable.
Meng Ting was no longer talking, he did not respond to Yan Sui's kiss nor did he resist it, but the haze in his eyes seemed to have dispersed.
Yan Sui could hear some noises coming from the door, he then let Meng Ting leaned against him before taking his suit off and used it to cover Meng Ting.
The doorknob twisted and a dozen people squeezed into the room.
The first few who entered the room stopped in shock when they saw Yan Sui, for a moment they could not make any sound. The others behind them who were not aware of the situation in the room continued to make a racket.
"Meng Qi, you are so mean. How dare you come here to enjoy alone."
"Yeah, yeah, I want to see which beauty you're having….. Yan… Mr Yan!"
"I apologize, we enter the wrong room."
Gu Ya, the first one to enter the room, quickly apologized. He had a pleasant relationship with Meng Qi and was one of his frequent drinking buddies too.
"Sorry…" A series of apologies came, making the scene extremely awkward.
Yan Sui did not respond to their apologies, instead he patted Meng Ting's back before picking him up bridal style.
As he got closer to the crowd, he said to them, "Get away from me."
Everyone moved to the side subconsciously. As Yan Sui took Meng Ting out from the lounge, Gu Lang and Zhong Ming rushed over and nodded at him, telling him they had determined the suspects but still needed more investigations.
"Give me the result tomorrow."
"Okay." Gu Lang nodded again, the Gu family was responsible for what happened to Meng Ting. But, Yan Sui did not blame him for their old-time sake. Most importantly, how could he easily let it go when someone tried to do something, especially during his birthday party.
After Yan Sui and Gu Lang finished speaking, he continued to carry Meng Ting and headed towards the hall. He looked down and said, "Let's go home."
"Okay." Meng Ting responded. When the tip of his nose breathed in Yan Sui's scent, he subconsciously tightened his grip on him. He felt like he was in a mini world with only him and Yan Sui, making Meng Ting feeling much better than before.
Yan Sui ignored all the eyes on him, he walked past the banquet hall and the courtyard, finally leaving the Gu's residence with Meng Ting in his arms.
Yan Sui carried Meng Ting in his car all the way until they reached Yan's residence. The journey back home was silent, but Yan Sui kept his firm grip on Meng Ting, not giving him any opportunity to push him away. After getting off from the car, Yan Sui once again picked Meng Ting up in bridal style.
Uncle Xiao and Nanny Wang were a little surprised, even though it was normal for Yan Sui and Meng Ting to be intimate with each other at home. After that, they both went back to their own business.
"Don't think of trying to push me away, I won't leave you alone."
Yan Sui said after placing Meng Ting back on the bed.
The moment Yan Sui carried Meng Ting out from the lounge, he realized Meng Ting's body was getting stiffer; he rejected any contacts from anyone, including him. But Meng Ting didn't want to reject him, that's why he became stiffer to prevent hurting him
According to the report came after a brief investigation, once Meng Ting was tranquilized, there would be an excitation phase that lasted for three or four hours, along with a clear tendency to violence and rejecting anyone who got close to him.
But as long as they kept him in a closed room, he could hurt no one and would return to normal after a day or two.
"I'm not thinking about it." Meng Ting said. His body's instinctive reaction was to reject everyone's contact, but he did not want to push Yan Sui away. He recognized Yan Sui, how could he reject him?
"Okay, I was wrong." Yan Sui said, lowering his head to kiss Meng Ting's lips again. The coldness on his face finally dispersed, and after a few minutes, he began taking off Meng Ting's clothes.
Meng Ting's body instantly became stiff, his instinct was to reject anyone who touched him. They had done the most intimate actions in the past before, but this time, even a slight touch from Yan Sui would raise a lot of small lumps.
Meng Ting clenched his hand into a fist without even realizing it. He was forcing himself to accept Yan Sui, forcing himself to not hurt him.
Yan Sui took Meng Ting's jacket off and unbuttoned his shirt, then slipped his pajamas on. The moment the pajamas covered Meng Ting's line of sight, he suddenly backed away. Even though he was not trying to hurt anyone, he would have fallen to the ground if Yan Sui had not grabbed his leg.
Yan Sui pressed Meng Ting's leg and quickly pulled down his pajamas. Meng Ting stopped moving after seeing Yan Sui.
He glanced at Meng Ting for a while before continuing his action, he took his pants off and put on his pajamas again.
After that, he changed himself and sat on the bed while circling Meng Ting into his arms.
His hands were slowly patting on Meng Ting's back, again and again.
Meng Ting's eyes were still wide open, normally he should have been squinting and sleepy. However, he could not feel sleepy at all, instead he felt cold, even though Yan Sui was hugging him, he felt cold.
Meng Ting then curled up his body, Yan Sui gently patted at his back before hugging him again.
"Don't be scared, you won't hurt me. Let me stay with you."
Yan Sui said, the pain in his eyes was getting more difficult to control. He continued stroking Meng Ting's hair, "I'm here, I'll always be here."
Meng Ting slowly looked up, those dark brown eyes had a kind of hollowness, but he was more trance compared to last time, not strong, but still different.
Yan Sui was so distressed that he kissed Meng Ting's eyes and asked.
"Who am I?"
Meng Ting looked at Yan Sui and slowly replied, "Yan Sui…"
He looked at the thin layer of Yan Sui's shirt, along with his fragile collarbone exposed right in front of him. He held him in his arms and exposed his softest and most vulnerable parts to him.
So, how could he say he would not be hurt by him. Just in case, what if he did?
Meng Ting still did not respond to his words. Yan Sui was anxious, but he was unsure what he was anxious about. His eyes darted to Meng Ting's dry lips and then glanced around to see the kettle on the table in front of the sofa. He patted his back gently before standing up.
Before he turned around, Meng Ting suddenly strangled his legs and pulled him back against him. Suddenly, the two changed their position, and Meng Ting had Yan Sui trapped under him. He widened his eyes and a look of confusion flashed across his face.
"Didn't you say…. You will stay with me?"
His hand shivered slightly before falling on Yan Sui's collar, "Please don't go."
"I won't go." Yan Sui was trying to pour water, but Meng Ting misunderstood that he was leaving, so he raised his hand and hugged the person on top of him firmly. "I won't go."
Meng Ting's limbs shivered before releasing his grips on Yan Sui.