Chapter 5

But Zuo Nian said he’d already bought groceries the day before. If they didn’t eat them soon, they’d no longer be fresh, so they simply had to cook at home.
Duan Baisui went along with him.
When they got out of the car, Zuo Nian had the flowers in one arm and the bunny tucked under the other, muttering under his breath, “They’re all Nian‑nian’s. All Nian‑nian’s.”
The cake was simply too unwieldy for him to carry, so Duan Baisui brought it in for him.
After putting everything away where it belonged, Zuo Nian tied on an apron and headed into the kitchen.
He looked genuinely happy, humming an off‑key little tune as he worked.
Upstairs, Duan Baisui changed into something more comfortable for lounging at home. As he turned, his eye fell on the ugly doll lying on Zuo Nian’s pillow.
Picking it up, he gave it a closer look. The doll was dressed in a little calico floral dress, likely sewn by Zuo Nian himself.
He wondered if the new Xiao Sui downstairs had any clothes to wear.
Putting the doll back, he suddenly felt it didn’t look quite so ugly anymore.
Heading back down, he went to the kitchen, intending to lend a hand.
But the truth was, he wasn’t very good at cooking. All he could manage was rinsing vegetables and peeling a couple of cloves of garlic.
Zuo Nian, on the other hand, was very serious about cooking. Measuring seasonings, tossing ingredients in the pan—his movements were smooth and practiced.
When he’d finished what he could help with, Duan Baisui crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, watching him.
Zuo Nian knew how to do a lot of things. He’d studied cooking, flower arranging, and drawing. None of it had been forced on him by his family; they were all things he genuinely liked.
Back when everyone was calling him a fool, he had quietly worked hard to better himself.
In truth, he was only a bit pure‑hearted. How was that “stupid”?
“Gege, come taste the soup. See if it’s salty enough,” Zuo Nian called.
Duan Baisui walked over.
Zuo Nian scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, then held it up by his lips. “Careful, it’s hot.”
Lowering his head, Duan Baisui took a sip. When he looked up again, his gaze met Zuo Nian’s directly.
They were so close that he could feel the faint, shallow warmth of the younger man’s breath.
“How is it?” Zuo Nian’s voice snapped him back to reality.
“Not bad,” Duan Baisui said, expressionless.
“Really?” Zuo Nian finished the rest of the spoonful himself, smacked his lips, and passed judgment. “Mm, it’s a bit light. But Dad says we shouldn’t eat too salty, it’s bad for our health. So this is just right.”
He turned back to adjust the heat.
What Duan Baisui was thinking about, though, was that they’d just shared a spoon. It didn’t seem like Zuo Nian realized how intimate that small action was.
He was just naturally closing the distance between them.
And Duan Baisui… didn’t mind it at all.
For dinner, Zuo Nian made three dishes and a soup, all colorful and fragrant.
While they ate, he brought Xiao Sui over and said, “Today is the first day Xiao Sui came to our home, so today is his birthday too.”
Duan Baisui didn’t contradict him and let him have his way.
Zuo Nian took a few more photos, then, once he had a full nine‑square grid, posted them to his Moments with the caption: “Super‑handsome Gege, adorable Xiao Sui, master‑chef Nian‑nian—perfect day!”
Not long after he posted, a new comment popped up.
G: So rich. When are you going to treat your old classmates?
Zuo Nian had been happily replying to comments from his family, but the moment he saw that message, his brows scrunched together.
Noticing his displeasure, Duan Baisui asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zuo Nian pouted. “So annoying. He’s a pest.”
Saying that, he handed his phone to Duan Baisui.
Glancing over the screen, Duan Baisui asked, “Who is it?”
“Liu Gong. The one in the black down jacket this afternoon,” Zuo Nian said angrily. “He’s super annoying. Didn’t buy anything and even ate my candy.”
“Are you close with him? Why do you even have him on WeChat?” Duan Baisui asked flatly.
“We were deskmates in high school,” Zuo Nian replied.
“He scored fifteen points in math. Nian‑nian always got thirty. But he still called me a fool.”
At that, his big eyes blinked once. In all seriousness, he asked, “Isn’t the one who got fifteen points the real fool?”
Chuckling softly, Duan Baisui returned the phone and said, “Mm.”
“If you’re not close, delete him.”
Zuo Nian nodded. “Wouldn’t that be rude?”
Duan Baisui was just about to tell him that politeness wasn’t always necessary when he heard Zuo Nian mutter, “Deleted.”
So much for hesitating.
That night, when they lay down in bed, Zuo Nian brought both the ugly doll and the little bunny into his blanket.
He introduced them to each other very seriously.
“This one is Xiao Nian, and this one is Xiao Sui…”
Leaning against the headboard with a book, Duan Baisui paused and looked over when he heard this.
Pressing the two dolls together in his arms, Zuo Nian whispered, “You have to stay together for your whole lives, okay?”
The next morning, the early meeting was devoted to discussing how to handle Hu Chun and whether TR should be disbanded.
The other higher‑ups felt that Ju Xiao’s presence in the group had always been relatively weak, whereas Rong Jin was the young master of Rongchuang. In terms of both popularity and commercial value, he was currently number one.
It simply wasn’t worth falling out with Rongchuang over Ju Xiao.
“So what you’re saying is?” Duan Baisui asked.
“We could kick Ju Xiao out of TR and put him on ice for the time being. Once the storm blows over…” someone began.
“Once the storm blows over, he’ll be erased from this circle,” Duan Baisui cut in. “All of you know how realistic this industry is.”
The head of artist management said, “But if we terminate Rong Jin’s contract, the loss to the company will be huge. He has a lot of endorsements, and his fans spend the most.”
“An artist’s commercial value doesn’t represent his character,” Duan Baisui replied. “People with rotten character don’t deserve to be idols.”
At that, everyone finally realized he was determined to blacklist Rong Jin.
The artistic director said, “President Duan, I don’t think we should act on impulse. What happened to Ju Xiao is certainly unfortunate, but who in this industry doesn’t suffer some grievances? And if he’s willing to settle privately, I’m sure Rongchuang won’t treat him badly.”
“If he’s willing to stay in TR, our PR department can definitely spin this. If not, he can go solo.”
Duan Baisui didn’t respond. His fingers tapped lightly on the table—a sure sign he was running out of patience.
“If this blows up any further, it’ll affect the company’s reputation as well.”
“President Duan, I think we need to take the long view. Which celebrity doesn’t have some dirt on them? Compared to others, Rong Jin’s isn’t that serious. And it might really be something Ju Xiao staged on his own. If Chairman Duan were here…” someone started to say.
Their incessant chirping was giving Duan Baisui a headache.
He cut them off coldly. “If my father were here, he wouldn’t be wasting this much time talking to you.”
After the meeting, he received another call from Qin Li.
The blood test results were out. They’d detected signs that Ju Xiao might have been injected with some kind of illegal drug meant to forcibly alter his secondary gender.
Although his glands hadn’t grown in yet, he himself reported having experienced symptoms similar to an Omega going into heat.
If all of this turned out to be Rong Jin’s doing, then he wasn’t just morally bankrupt—he’d broken the law.
According to regulations from the AO Administration, anyone seeking to change their secondary gender had to undergo psychological evaluation at a professional institution. Only the results of such assessments could determine whether gender modification was allowed. What’s more, many of the drugs involved carried unknown risks and the potential for dependency, so they were not to be used casually by non‑professionals.
Many such medications were explicitly classified as controlled substances.
If Rong Jin had ignored someone else’s wishes and forcibly injected them with illegal drugs, then with sufficient evidence, he could be prosecuted immediately.
“Did Ju Xiao say anything?” Duan Baisui asked.
“He’s still talking with the psychologist,” Qin Li replied. “Oh, right—it’s your spouse’s father.”
Of course. Ason was one of the top psychologists in the city. He’d handled counseling for many celebrities before. And since he was now family, Assistant Luo had naturally gone to him first.
“Got it. I’ll head over now,” said Duan Baisui.
By the time he arrived at the hospital, Ason was standing in the hallway talking with Qin Li.
Tall and slender, with a head of striking blond hair, he drew attention wherever he went.
Ason was half‑Chinese, half‑American. His features leaned toward the refined delicacy of Asians, but his eyes were as blue as the ocean.
He took good care of himself, and with his elegant manners, he could easily outshine the current top stars wherever he appeared.
“Dad,” Duan Baisui called out.
The man turned, and his smile was so wide it nearly split his face. “Suìsuì, you’re here.”
When Duan Baisui had been little, Ason and Zuo Jun used to take him out all the time.
Back then, they hadn’t adopted Zuo Nian yet, and they’d doted on him like he was their own son—especially Ason, who never seemed able to stop himself from spoiling him rotten every time they went shopping.
They knew perfectly well that he didn’t lack for anything, but they still couldn’t help wanting to give him the best of everything.
Even after they adopted Zuo Nian, their love for Duan Baisui had never lessened. That was why his relationship with Zuo Jun and Ason was so close.
“Thanks for coming all this way,” Duan Baisui said.
“Don’t say that. This is my job,” Ason replied.
After more than twenty years in China, his Mandarin was now completely fluent.
“If you two need to talk, I’ll head back to my office first,” Qin Li said, cutting in.
“All right. Thank you,” Duan Baisui nodded.
Once Qin Li left, Duan Baisui and Ason moved to a quieter spot to talk.
“Dad, did Ju Xiao say anything?” Duan Baisui asked.
“He seems very afraid of that person,” Ason said slowly. “They isolated him. On set, they’d deliberately cause retakes and kick him into the water over and over. At night, they’d all rush into his room, forbid him from sleeping in the bed, and handcuff him to the toilet. If he dared to call for help, they’d stuff stomped‑flat pieces of bread into his mouth.”
Listening quietly, Duan Baisui could more or less imagine Ju Xiao’s helplessness and despair.
“But he said he could endure all of that,” Ason went on. “Until Rong Jin said he wanted to turn him into an Omega, and kept scaring him—saying that once he really differentiated, they’d play a very big game.”
“Bet on what?” Duan Baisui pressed.
“On a baby,” Ason said, looking at him. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
Of course he did.
He’d heard before that certain rich second‑generation circles liked to play that kind of game.
“That’s enough for now,” Ason said. “Let’s not dig into any more details just yet. We can go step by step, otherwise it’ll only traumatize him further.”
“All right,” Duan Baisui replied.
Later, the psychologist’s report and the test results from the AO Administration were all sent to the police as evidence.
With that, the situation had reached a point of no return.