After the Fake Young Master Ran Away with His Child, the Villain Went Crazy - Chapter 5

When Jing Ruan received the call, he was at home having lessons. At first, Jing Ruan had listened seriously in class, and his attitude toward studying had been very good. But later, he began to find it dull and boring.

Ever since his last escape, the steward had learned his lesson.

He began guarding against him tightly and did not allow Jing Ruan to go out. Every day, aside from lessons, Jing Ruan only had more lessons. He did not have even the slightest bit of other activity.

After they parted ways at the banquet last time, Yan Jin had given him a card, saying there was a lot of money inside and that it was Jing Ruan’s payment for helping. Jing Ruan accepted it, but after that, Yan Jin never contacted him again.

Jing Ruan had called Yan Jin, but the other party had not answered.

Jing Ruan lay sprawled over the desk. The teacher had already left and had assigned two essays as homework. Jing Ruan was slowly writing them when the phone he had placed by the edge of the desk rang. Jing Ruan thought it was Yan Jin calling back, so he hurriedly answered.

After picking up, he did not hear anyone speak, so he took the phone away from his ear and glanced at the screen. He discovered that it was an unsaved number. Holding the phone, Jing Ruan said hello several times.

“Jing Ruan, what are you doing?”

The person on the other end of the phone spoke.

His voice was very light, and his pronunciation was clear.

Jing Ruan felt that the voice on the phone sounded a little familiar. Only then did he remember who the owner of this phone number was. But how did he know Jing Ruan’s phone number?

“Writing homework.”

Jing Ruan answered listlessly.

“Do you have time to come out for dinner?”

Jing Ruan thought, Why are you asking me to eat? Though that was what he thought, Jing Ruan still answered the question seriously.

“No. The steward won’t let me go out.”

After Yan Yi He heard his answer on the other end of the phone, he only said one thing. He told Jing Ruan not to worry about anything else and simply wait for one hour. Someone would come to pick him up in an hour.

Jing Ruan hung up the phone, half-believing and half-doubting.

After he hung up, not even five minutes passed before the steward knocked and came in. He was still holding a phone in his hand, nodding from time to time in response. A trace of joy showed in his shrewd eyes.

Jing Ruan had never seen the steward express his emotions so obviously before. Although the steward’s tone was always very gentle, most of the time, he did not have much expression.

He was like a robot.

After hanging up the phone, the steward walked toward Jing Ruan.

“Young Master, someone from Mr. Yan’s side called. They said Mr. Yan has invited you to have dinner with him. The car coming to pick you up will arrive soon. Let us go to the cloakroom first and choose what you need to wear tonight.”

Jing Ruan put down his pen and followed the steward toward the cloakroom.

Perhaps because the steward was a little anxious, his steps were much faster than usual.

“Steward, is Mr. Yan very powerful? Why do you listen as soon as he calls? You’re not against it?”

Jing Ruan stood in the cloakroom as servants pushed over two rows of clothing racks. Hanging on the racks were all newly made clothes.

The steward picked up a silver-gray suit and held it against Jing Ruan. As he compared it, he explained to him.

“Young Master, the Yan family is a towering tree that reaches the sky, while our Jing family is merely an ant beneath that tree. Most people in this world look down on those who worship the rich and despise the poor, but Young Master, you must understand that no one would see a ladder to the heavens and refuse to climb it.”

“Young Master, don’t you like beautiful gemstones? Or a room full of glittering golden objects? Young Master, you are luckier than most people, because you are the only one who has seen the ladder to the heavens.”

Jing Ruan listened in a hazy, half-understanding state.

The steward had long since discovered the gold and gemstones hidden under the young master’s pillow. The young master even held them while sleeping. Although those things were valuable, they were not valuable to an extreme extent, so the steward had let him keep them and had not confiscated them.

Jing Ruan changed into the silver-gray suit. The steward folded a handkerchief for him and placed it into his pocket, then led him away to have his hair styled.

The steward tried his best to have Jing Ruan fully prepared before the car arrived. At this moment, after being dressed up, Jing Ruan truly did look like an innocent little prince from a fairy tale.

When they went out the main gate, the car was already waiting outside. Before Jing Ruan got in, the steward pulled him aside and gave him a round of instructions.

“Young Master, there are risks even when climbing the ladder to the heavens. Remember to be obedient. Please Mr. Yan, do you understand? Only when he is happy will you have endless wealth and glory.”

Jing Ruan nodded and said he understood.

There were four cars sent by Yan Yi He altogether. Aside from the one Jing Ruan sat in, the others were filled with bodyguards.

While the driver was not paying attention, Jing Ruan looked around the car.

The inside of the car was very spacious. Even when Jing Ruan stretched out his legs, they could not reach the seat in front. The ceiling of the car was dotted with stars and looked very beautiful. Jing Ruan leaned against the car window and looked outside.

Many cars on the road kept far away from them.

The car drove for half an hour before reaching the destination. It was a restaurant in the city center. A police cordon had been set up outside the restaurant, and many bodyguards stood at the entrance. Within a kilometer of the surrounding area, pedestrians were forbidden from walking this way, and there were also guards patrolling.

Jing Ruan thought that Mr. Yan was even more impressive than the gang leaders from where he used to live. He was only going out for a meal, yet the arrangement was this grand, and he brought so many bodyguards with him.

Jing Ruan followed the bodyguards into the restaurant.

At the restaurant entrance, the bodyguard at the door used a device to scan Jing Ruan. After confirming there was no safety issue, another person led Jing Ruan inside.

The hall was quiet. The servers stood at their posts, each carrying out their own duty. At the table farthest back in the hall sat one person—the main figure of the day, Mr. Yan.

After Yan Yi He saw that he had arrived, he raised his eyes and glanced at Jing Ruan, then continued looking through the menu in his hand.

Jing Ruan was led to sit across from Yan Yi He.

“Mr. Yan.”

Jing Ruan greeted him obediently.

Yan Yi He circled a few dishes, then pushed the menu in front of Jing Ruan and indicated for him to order.

Jing Ruan accepted the menu and opened it to look. He did not recognize any of the words written on it. They looked like little tadpoles to him. Pretending to be calm, he looked at the pictures instead and tried to tell what the dishes were from the images.

Jing Ruan chose two dishes that looked tasty.

The dishes were all freshly made and required some waiting. A server came over carrying a tray. On the tray was wine that had already been decanted. The server poured a shallow amount into the wineglasses in front of the two of them, then set down the tray and withdrew on their own.

“Mr. Yan, why did you want to invite me to dinner?”

Jing Ruan sat with his back perfectly straight. Holding the wineglass in both hands, he brought his nose closer and sniffed it.

The liquid in the glass smelled sweet and fragrant, with a hint of grape. But he did not dare drink it. His gaze stared straight at the person across from him.

He saw Yan Yi He hold the wineglass and gently swirl it once, take a small sip of the red wine inside, then set the glass down.

Seeing that he had drunk it, Jing Ruan also imitated him and swirled the glass. When Jing Ruan swirled it, he could not control his strength properly and used a little too much force, causing some wine to splash onto the back of his hand. In order not to waste anything, Jing Ruan instinctively lowered his head and licked the red wine from the back of his hand.

Then he drank all the red wine in the glass in one mouthful.

After finishing it, Jing Ruan smacked his lips and tasted it.

“It’s good.”

Jing Ruan held his glass out in front of Mr. Yan, wanting the other party to pour him another cup, because he felt these things all belonged to someone else, not to him. Only if the other party gave it to him could he drink it.

Yan Yi He picked up the red wine and only poured him another shallow amount. While he poured, Jing Ruan’s gaze stayed fixed tightly on the bottle.

Jing Ruan held the glass and looked at the tiny bit of grape juice at the bottom, thinking that rich people were stingy too. There was such a big bottle beside them, yet he only poured him this tiny amount.

The person across from him had every joy, anger, sorrow, and delight written on his face. Yan Yi He did not need to guess to know what Jing Ruan was thinking.

“This is red wine. It’s for whetting the appetite before the meal. If you like it, take a bottle back with you when you leave.”

Yan Yi He said.

“Thank you, Mr. Yan.”

Jing Ruan was not polite at all.

The food arrived very quickly. Jing Ruan only saw knives and forks, not chopsticks, so while the server was still serving the dishes, he asked him for chopsticks. The server froze for a moment upon hearing this request, then looked toward Mr. Yan.

Only after Yan Yi He nodded did the server go down and bring up a pair of chopsticks. Jing Ruan only stared at the dishes on the table and did not notice this small episode at all.

While the two of them had dinner together, Mr. Yan did not speak. As for Jing Ruan, he was too occupied by the delicious food to have time to talk. Besides, he did not know what to say either.

Jing Ruan ate until his whole head was almost buried in his plate. From beginning to end, he barely lifted his head, so he naturally did not notice that Yan Yi He had only taken a few shallow bites of the food and had stopped eating very early on.

He sat quietly across from him and watched Jing Ruan eat.

In fact, from the moment Jing Ruan entered the door, Yan Yi He had seen that the clothes on him had all been made in a rush. The finer details did not fit him well.

Among people in their circle who had even a little wealth, clothes were all tailor-made by dedicated master tailors. These tailors also understood their employers’ habits very well. The clothes they made highlighted strengths and concealed weaknesses, and custom orders generally did not take a short amount of time. The measurements also needed to be constantly updated.

When the other party looked at the menu, it was very obvious that he did not recognize English.

And he understood nothing about dining etiquette either.

Yan Yi He’s index finger lightly tapped the tabletop, making a faint sound. When Jing Ruan heard it, he lifted his head and looked across.

The moment his gaze met Mr. Yan’s,

the other party smiled at him with great kindness and gentleness, then said one sentence.

“A little mouse doesn’t become human just because it puts on new clothes.”

The instant Jing Ruan heard this sentence, he froze. A chill ran up his spine. The chopsticks in his hand slipped from his weakened grip and fell onto the plate, making an ear-piercing sound.

It was over. He had been discovered. They had discovered he was an outsider.

Jing Ruan did not want to live the way he had before.

Hunger. Filth. Blood. Cold.

“What are you saying? I don’t understand.”

Jing Ruan forced himself to remain calm, but in truth, his body had already betrayed him. His entire face had turned deathly pale, his body was trembling slightly, and his eyes darted everywhere, not daring to meet the gaze of the person across from him.

Yan Yi He merely smiled, holding the red wine and savoring it unhurriedly.

He had plenty of patience and was in no hurry.

Jing Ruan’s mental fortitude was not strong. He felt as if a very long time had passed, but in reality, he only held on for a few minutes before his psychological defenses broke.

“Mr. Yan, I was wrong. Can you help me keep it a secret?”

Jing Ruan hurriedly got up in a fluster. He walked to Yan Yi He’s side and dropped to his knees with a thud. His eyes were pitiful and pleading as he looked at the other party, hoping Yan Yi He would not expose this matter and would keep the secret for him.

Yan Yi He looked at the person kneeling at his feet, trembling all over. He leaned down and looked at Jing Ruan from a lofty position. He pulled the handkerchief out of Jing Ruan’s pocket and, with exceedingly gentle movements, wiped away his tears for him.

If someone who did not know the truth saw this,

anyone would only think the other party was a gentle person.

“Then, who sent you?”

Yan Yi He asked him softly.

After Jing Ruan heard this, he hurriedly thought about it carefully. Who sent him? He had come to this world by himself. He had opened his eyes after waking up and was already here.

Seeing Jing Ruan frown and think for a long time, Yan Yi He changed the question and asked whom he knew, and whom he had met.

Jing Ruan honestly listed every person he had met, one by one. After Yan Yi He extracted the information, he stopped asking further questions.

“What do you want?”

Yan Yi He asked Jing Ruan.

The tears in Jing Ruan’s eyes had not yet dried. Hearing these words, he stared blankly at the other party. Only after he reacted did he carefully ask whether he could have money.

Yan Yi He could not help letting out a soft laugh.

He lightly clapped his hands twice. The nearest bodyguard walked over and respectfully asked what instructions Mr. Yan had.

Yan Yi He gave the bodyguard a couple of instructions, then rose and prepared to leave. Before leaving, he bent down and said a few words beside Jing Ruan’s ear.

Little mouse, I’m very interested in you now.

Use this time to rake in money properly.

Jing Ruan watched the other party walk out of sight. Then the bodyguard came over and handed him a card. Jing Ruan accepted the card in a daze, even foolishly asking the bodyguard how much money was inside.

The bodyguard said, “Enough to buy the entire Jing family.”

Holding the card, Jing Ruan thought to himself,

the steward’s words were not wrong at all.

No one would see a ladder to the heavens and refuse to climb it.