The Strategy of Washing Clean a Slag Shou Chapter 36
The Crime Lord's Undercover Boyfriend (Arc 3-2)
In the wee hours of the morning, around 3 AM, the Imperial Court was bustling with its usual vibrant and luxurious splendor. But the senior management team was currently as anxious as ants in a hot pan as they scurried to the top floor.
Gao Min was frowning. "What happened? Are you sure it was Master Zhao?"
A thin man dabbed at the nervous sweat on his forehead before replying, "Chief Lin is present as well, so it has to be Master Zhao. But everyone knows that Master Zhao is not overly fond of the business here. In these past few years, he never shows up except for the usual routine inspections. Who knows what plans he has in store for us this time.”
Gao Min pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, there's no need to work yourselves into a frenzy. Master Zhao may be hot-tempered, but it's not like he'll eat you. All of you, look smart now. Don't embarrass me.”
Everyone chorused in affirmative.
When they reached the topmost floor, they saw Lin Feifan standing outside the luxurious suite, idly tapping on his phone with a bored expression. When he spotted Gao Min and the rest, he smiled and called out a greeting.
"Apologies for disturbing your rest at such a time."
Gao Min replied, “Chief Lin surely jests. The Imperial Court is at its liveliest at night, and we are all used to performing at our peak at this period. If I may ask, what instructions do Chief Lin and Master Zhao have for us at this late hour."
Lin Feifan smiled at her words. "There's no need for Manager Gao to feel uneasy. Master Zhao has no instructions for you. No, rather, he does not have any instructions yet."
Gao Min frowned at the way he emphasized the word ‘yet'. At this moment, they heard Zhao Feng's angry voice thundering out from within the room.
"Where is the bloody doctor! If he's not here in ten minutes, all of you can beat it!"
"He's almost here, he's already downstairs. He'll be here in 2 more minutes," Lin Feifan answered.
There was no rejoinder, and everyone slowly breathed out a sigh of relief. Although the Zhao family's businesses and industries have been washed clean these past few years, deep down inside, the big guns still retained the mannerisms of a thug.
It was rumoured that the ancestors of the Zhao clan were the Jings, an ancient imperial family of the Yu Dynasty, and that they were the direct descendants of the royal family. Although it was difficult to parse the truth from fiction, according to the insider information they had on the Zhao clan, it could very well be true.
The Emperor Cheng Tian was described as the Emperor of Ages by the local and international historians alike. During his short reign of seven years, he developed the nation and laid down the foundations which greatly benefited the people, and his name was still sung in praises today. In addition to that, he brought about the legalization of homosexual marriages as much as six hundred years earlier than the rest of the world.
It was speculated that the Emperor Cheng Tian deeply mourned the untimely passing of his first wife, the Empress Tao, so much so that he fell into depression which eventually led to his early death. But till this day, no one could say for sure if it was truth or a mere folk tale.
Some say that such a brilliantly talented and powerful monarch would not have wasted his life for the sake of love, whereas some argued that the ways of the Yu Dynasty's people had been remarkably open minded. Whether by referencing the folktales and legends written during that period, or the historical biographies compiled by scholars, both could infer the same thing, and that was, the Emperor had been a one of a kind, lovesick man.
In the end, as to the truth of the matter, it is difficult for the future generations to judge. Perhaps only the real Empress Tao knows whether his Fūjūn really loved him or not.
But let's shift the story back to the present. As everyone waited expectantly, a grizzled old doctor was dragged into view by several bodyguards and shuffled off to the topmost VIP floor of the luxurious presidential suite.
It didn't take long for someone to recognize the hapless doctor as the dean of the central city's S Hospital. They immediately looked at each other in dismay. Was there some illness that was serious enough to warrant summoning such a well known figure in medicine?
Gao Min asked cautiously, “Chief Lin, is Master Zhao very ill?”
Lin Feifan grinned, “Did you not hear how healthy his lungs were just now? It's not him who's sick, it's someone else.”
Although he spoke obliquely, none of those present were fools. One by one, the dawn of understanding slowly lit their eyes—- so that's how it is!
At his age, Chief Physician Wang has weathered through all kinds of storms, but being bundled up out of his home in the dead of the night by a group of black garbed bandits in order to treat a patient certainly takes the cake. If nothing else, it was an eye-opening experience.
But this patient was really very pretty. Dark glossy hair curled over the youth's forehead, forming a stark contrast with his snowy white complexion. Owing to blood loss, his lips were a pale, muted pink. He looked like a peacefully sleeping little prince.
As he checked Su Yang's injury, he found it increasingly odd. The wound was terribly deep, and without prompt medical care, it should have been fatal. And yet this boy merely seemed to have collapsed from fatigue.
However, at the current level of understanding on the study of medicine, there still were too many things that could not be explained with science. So there's no need to make a fuss over it.
{T/N: How is this guy a doctor lol lol}
While his wound was being cleaned, Su Yang's face scrunched in pain but he did not wake.
Zhao Feng furrowed his brows. “Can't you use a lighter hand.”
Cold sweat trickled down Dr Wang's back. He had no idea how or where he should even place his hands. Even though he was getting along in his years, he still knew who Zhao Feng is. But the process of disinfecting a wound is bound to hurt, it's not like he could apply anesthetic just because of a bit of pain, much less when it's a head injury.
Zhao Feng seemed to realise that he was being unreasonable as well, and said irritably, "Hurry up."
Dr Wang deftly disinfected the wound and bandaged it neatly, before leaning back with a faint sigh of relief. This simple procedure had been more exhausting than conducting a major operation.
Zhao Feng personally wiped down Su Yang's body and dressed him in a clean set of pajamas. Once done, he called for Gao Min to enter.
“I'll be leaving him here. Look after him, make sure nothing happens,” he told her emphatically.
Gao Min promptly replied, “Please leave it to me.”
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At noon of the next day, Su Yang hazily drifted back to awareness. In his confused state, he thought he must be dreaming right now. He remembered being in the Róng Wáng's palace, and then….. where is Jing Cheng?
His thoughts stalled for a moment, then he abruptly recalled that he has already been transported to another world.
He stared listlessly at the magnificent crystal chandelier affixed to the ceiling. “So the previous missions was a success, I'm still alive……”
“The host should seek out a psychologist as soon as possible, your current mental state is somewhat unwell,” the system advised him earnestly.
Mental state somewhat unwell? It would be a miracle if it was still well, okay!
Day in, day out, his life had hung from a thread. Plagued by anxiety, he would finally drift into exhausted sleep, only to wake with a start in fear of never seeing daybreak again. He was terrified at the thought of opening his eyes to find himself back in the strange and lonely rift in time and space where he would slowly fade away, with no one ever knowing what became of him. And on top of that, he had had to worry about his target's behaviour suddenly growing increasingly abnormal. To sum it up, it had been hell on earth for him!!
Su Yang's face was cold. “If you're truly concerned about me, let me go home at once.”
The system did not reply.
After the room had sunk into a long, awkward silence, Su Yang suddenly said, “Oh right, the Imperial Court. Zhao Feng was going to send me to the Imperial Court.”
The system: “This is the Imperial Court.”
Su Yang: “……”
He gave a bleat and flailed down from the bed. Scampering around the room on his bare feet, he found that the doors were locked from the outside. He then whipped apart the curtains, before staring out in a daze from a height of over over two hundred meters.
There's no escape.
Su Yang slid to the floor and hugged his knees, taking a moment to carefully look over the room he was in. He soon realised that something did not seem right.
For one, the room was impressively luxurious, simply too good for a soon to be discarded ex-lover. His body felt fresh and clean, and the wound on his forehead had been meticulously tended to. All this served to highlight the degree of care he had been showered with.
Which begged the question; after having severely pissed off Zhao Feng, who else would have dared to do this, if not the man himself?
Su Yang touched the bandages on his forehead, and sniffed at the crisp and fragrant scent of body wash on his skin. He began giggling foolishly.
“I knew it, he still likes me……” This young Master's charm has not diminished in the slightest!!
Come lunch time, a dining cart was pushed into the room by a few bodyguards. The tray was densely packed with blood enriching dishes and nourishing soups. Su Yang was told to finish half of it.
“This is Master Zhao's order,” the bodyguard added.
The food reeked of medicinal herbs. Never mind half, Su Yang would have trouble with just one mouthful.
{T/N: For the curious, dishes or soups made with traditional chinese medicinal herbs can range from tasty to downright awful. The worse it tastes, the better it is for you. Or so I've been told.}
He frowned. “I want to see Feng gē. If I can't see him, I won't eat.”
The bodyguards had clearly not anticipated this. They shared a quick look, then said, “Master Zhao is busy, he is not able to accompany Mr. Xu for lunch. Please have your meal first.”
Su Yang obviously knew that Zhao Feng would not have time to spare for him, and thus used him as a handy excuse.
Owing to Zhao Feng's baffling actions from the previous night, the bodyguards were careful to treat Su Yang with patience and courtesy. Hence when he resolutely refused to eat, they immediately made a call, requesting for instruction.
Zhao Feng looked at the crafty young man on the screen, a smile unconsciously forming on his lips. “Alright, have him wait a bit, I will dine with him.”
As expected, when Su Yang heard that Zhao Feng will be making a personal visit, his face immediately took on a pinched look. He eyed the table full of food with an aggrieved expression, as if it had offered him a deadly insult.
“Seems like he doesn't like traditional herbal medicine either.” Zhao Feng smiled faintly.
=========
By the time Zhao Feng arrived at the Imperial Court, Su Yang's heart had already crumbled to pieces, but he still valiantly feigned an expression of joy at Zhao Feng's arrival.
When Zhao Feng was greeted with his bright, round eyes, for a moment he almost believed that he was truly wholeheartedly welcomed. And so, he had barely touched on the subject of food, when the little guy immediately threw himself against Zhao Feng's chest, clutched at his shirt, and obstinately chanted, “I won't eat! I won't eat! I won't eat!” He had apparently touched on a nerve.
Ever since he took on the position of power, no one has ever dared to shout in his face. Zhao Feng ought to be furious, but the warm and fragrant little soft jade in his arms made all other thoughts fly out of his head. The sweet, cool fragrance of the mint body wash drifted from Su Yang's body, mixed with a hint of his own youthful scent. It was both incredibly distracting and enticing.
His fair cheeks were flushed pink from either outrage or anxiety. His cherry red lips were slightly parted, as if inviting a kiss. Truly a seductive demon.
Zhao Feng had never experienced the beautiful feeling of having someone throw themselves into his arms. Previously, those who had attempted to do so had only managed to rouse his disgust, but this little guy was different.
Zhao Feng curled his arm around the youth's slender waist and smiled. “If you don't want to eat, then I'll eat. I happen to be hungry.”
Su Yang asked in surprise, “Really? Then you have to finish it all!”
Zhao Feng nodded. “Yes, I'll finish it all.”
Su Yang paused. Something about the man's tone raised a niggling feeling of danger in him. He immediately loosened his hold on Zhou Feng's shirt with some embarrassment, and gave a hollow laugh.
“Then, then you had better start eating.” He pointed at the dishes on the dining table. “Look, it's over there.”
Zhao Feng did not move, and instead swept an indifferent glance at the bodyguards standing off to the side. They immediately wheeled the food trolley out and left the room, locking the door behind them.
Su Yang's smile fell off. “I was talking about the food,” he said firmly.
Zhao Feng nodded calmly and replied, “I was talking about you.”
Su Yang: “……”
#ThisgenerationgapistooscaryQAQ#
Note: For the last line, the raws' literal meaning was, an age difference really does produce a generation gap, but I just cut it short. I thought a modern setting arc would be easier to translate. I was so so wrong.