Just in Time Chapter 60
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 60 The Past
——The day Yi Chenliang returned to his country was the Mid-Autumn Festival.
He hadn’t been back home for nearly a decade. Everything was both strange and familiar to him; the towering skyscrapers, the bustling streets, and the peaceful crowd.
Wan Hui stood in the bustling crowd, smiling and waving at him.
“Ah Liang!”
He pushed his suitcase towards Wan Hui.
Wan Hui had her hair tied up in a high ponytail, wearing a simple dress with a plain face. She looked like an ordinary person who came to pick up someone from the airport, clean and harmless.
But Yi Chenliang knew that she could calmly break the neck of a target. She had been navigating through gunfire and bullets for many years, and if the mission required it, she would not hesitate to kill him.
They had been partners for many years, and they knew too well what kind of cold-blooded and ruthless thing was hidden under each other’s skin.
“The boss wants to see you.” Wan Hui said, smiling and linking arms with him. The two walked on the road like a pair of intimate lovers, but in reality, they always maintained a safe distance. “He’s really happy that you’re willing to come back.”
Yi Chenliang knew what kind of person Ge San was, so naturally, he didn’t take Wan Hui’s words seriously. He just dealt with it professionally, “When?”
“Tonight at eight o’clock, at the Hager Hotel. Someone will tell you then.” Wan Hui gave him a note, “This is the house prepared for you. There have been quite a few changes in the country in recent years, you might need to take some time to adapt.”
Yi Chenliang took the note, and the two parted ways at the crossroads, blending into the flow of people, tacit and guarded.
He met Zhou Ang on the way to see Ge San.
Zhou Ang was polite and courteous to him, as if he had seen through all his identities, “Mr. Yi Chenliang, your biological father wants to see you.”
Yi Chenliang subconsciously reached for his waist, only to hear Zhou Ang chuckle, “Mr. Yi Chenliang, here is domestic, not abroad. I’m sure you understand.”
Yi Chenliang slowly withdrew his hand and said coldly, “I don’t have a father.”
“The last time I saw you was in Wu City Juvenile Detention Center,” Zhou Ang said with some regret. “But you may not remember.”
Indeed, Yi Chenliang didn’t remember ever meeting this person.
“He’s very worried about you,” Zhou Ang said. “But given his status, it’s not convenient for him to contact you.”
“What are you trying to say?” Yi Chenliang frowned slightly, a hint of impatience in his eyes.
“Perhaps you might be interested in meeting your father,” Zhou Ang said. “He will explain everything to you.”
“I don’t have time.” Yi Chenliang glanced at him coldly. “Don’t follow me anymore. Even if we’re in the country, I can still kill you.”
Seeing that he was about to leave, Zhou Ang reached out to stop him and lowered his voice, “You’ve been in contact with the Chinese police for years. Ge San has been suspicious of you for a long time.”
Yi Chenliang finally stopped, staring at him darkly.
Zhou Ang had seen quite a few scenes, but being stared at by him like this, he instinctively felt danger. He recalled the information he had collected. Yi Chenliang had gone from being a nobody to Ge San’s right-hand man, and now even Ge San was wary of him. It wasn’t just his intelligence that got him there.
“Your father…” Zhou Ang chose his words carefully, “has a rather special status. He knows your purpose. We can provide you with a new identity and a large sum of money.”
A hint of sarcasm flashed in Yi Chenliang’s eyes, “And then?”
“You must never return to the country again,” Zhou Ang said. “Yi Chenliang will completely disappear from the world.”
“This is the best choice for both you and your father,” Zhou Ang continued.
A few days later, he sat in a private room, facing a stern middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties. He sat there, commanding respect without anger. Zhou Ang stood respectfully behind him.
“The Su family owes you an apology,” the man said, his gaze steady, his tone polite but distant. “We sent you to the orphanage with the intention of bringing you back after a few years. But something happened at home, and we were too busy to spare time. By the time we went to find you, you were already gone.”
Yi Chenliang looked down at the tea leaves in his cup, his eyes downcast.
“You were in Wu City Juvenile Detention Center when we found you by chance,” he sighed as he spoke, as if regretful and disappointed. “But the situation at the time didn’t allow us to recognize you.”
“When you went abroad, we lost track of you.” He took a sip of his tea, “Your mother fell ill because of you and passed away a few years ago. Her only wish before she died was to find you. She resented me for half her life because of this.”
“You don’t have to forgive, and I don’t expect your understanding.” The man in the high position always spoke with such certainty, “You contacted the police, just wanting a chance to make amends. But any charge against you would be enough for you to be executed several times over in the country.”
Yi Chenliang finally looked up, his face expressionless, “They promised me amnesty.”
“But it will always be recorded in the files, and you may be under police surveillance for the rest of your life.” The man sighed, “There are countless people watching the Su family, and someone will always be able to trace your real identity. By then, you will be in a difficult position, there’s too much that can be done with your case.”
In the end, they were afraid of being implicated by him.
“I won’t implicate you.” Yi Chenliang frowned.
“This is not something you can decide by saying it.” He said, “Ge San is registered with the Public Security Bureau. You’ve been abroad all these years and have been safe, but once you return to the country, countless eyes will be on you…Giving you a new identity and sending you abroad is the safest way.”
“It’s just the safest way for you.” Yi Chenliang stood up, his tone steady, “I stayed in the country for two full years after I left the juvenile detention center. I didn’t expect that I was so extraordinary back then that you couldn’t find any news about me.”
The two people across from him fell silent at the same time.
“I don’t hate you, and I don’t care about forgiveness.” Yi Chenliang tugged at the corner of his mouth, “It didn’t matter before, and it won’t matter in the future.”
“Still young.” The man sighed, “I hope you won’t regret the decision you made today.”
This was his only meeting with his biological father.
After that, Qi Huo and Ge San died in an explosion.
His painstakingly planned scheme for several years fell through. The man who claimed to be his biological father cut off his only way back from hell to the human world.
****
“…I actually wanted to try hard to be a good person, but unfortunately, I failed.” Yun Fang glossed over many things and said self-mockingly, “It’s also considered retribution for evil.”
Looking back now, when he was working hard to return to his country, it was just because he missed those days standing in the sunshine, even if he was poor and alone.
So he even thanked Wan Hui for letting him die in his home country, at least he could be buried in his homeland.
Yi Chenliang hugged his waist and didn’t speak.
“If they recognize you now, they won’t treat you too badly.” Yun Fang said to him.
The current Yi Chenliang was clean and innocent, and the Su family had not yet reached its former high position. In fact, upon careful consideration, it’s not a bad thing for Yi Chenliang. At least with such a family background, Yi Chenliang’s future could be said to be immeasurable.
Yun Fang had actually prepared for the Su family to recognize him long ago. He originally planned not to interfere with any of Yi Chenliang’s decisions, but when it came to the crunch, he realized that he couldn’t let go.
“Don’t you want me anymore?” Yi Chenliang was silent for a long time before he asked in a low voice.
“I don’t not want you.” Yun Fang held him in his arms and closed his eyes, “I only have you.”
He was just a ghost reborn, and everything he now possessed was stolen from a child named Yun Fang. Only Yi Chenliang truly belonged to him.
“I only have you too.” Yi Chenliang buried his head in his neck, “Yi Chenliang.”
Yun Fang rested his chin on his head, his voice slow and firm, “I know.”