The Sweetest Marriage Ch.342

Chapter 342 – Chen Qing Released from Prison

As night fell, a dark inkiness swept down, instantly engulfing the entire world.

Lights in thousands of homes were lit in succession, painting the dark night with vibrant colors.

Darkness was banished, leaving misdeeds to hide only within the shadows. Once a beam of light shone their way, the darkness couldn’t escape.

But before the light arrived, let the darkness have its moment.

Outside the outskirts of Shanghai, at L Prison.

A dusky yellow light cast upon the prison gates. Outside sat a car with a person inside, holding a lit cigarette.

This person seemed restless, occasionally glancing towards the prison, waiting for its gates to open.

The moon slowly ascended to its zenith when a slight sound came from the prison gates. Shortly after, the gates opened, and a young man walked out.

The young man looked rather disheveled, with stubble on his face. His clothes were oversized, draping loosely over his frame.

The person in the car honked, drawing the young man’s attention. He briskly walked to the car and opened the door, getting in.

“Chen Qing, welcome back,” said Lu Xiuran, tapping the cigarette ash off, smiling at Chen Qing.

“Mhm,” Chen Qing nodded, his expression indifferent.

Lu Xiuran started the car and said, “Cheer up a bit. Since you’re out, don’t be so down.”

“What about my dad and grandpa?” Chen Qing ignored the comment and asked.

“The old man and uncle are waiting at home for you. Knowing you’re out, they couldn’t be happier.”

As Chen Qing was about to meet his family, a faint smile finally appeared on his face.

The car delved into the darkness, soon disappearing into the vibrant, colorful city that never sleeps, Shanghai. As Chen Qing glimpsed the prosperous scenery outside the window, he felt a sense of being in a different world.

As the car continued, Chen Qing soon realized something was amiss. This wasn’t the way home.

“Lu Xiuran, where are you taking me?” Chen Qing asked, furrowing his brow.

“Going home,” Lu Xiuran replied, chuckling. “But, Chen Qing, you didn’t think your home is still in the villa area, did you?”

“Old man had to cover losses and wanted to invest in business. He sold off the properties under his name,” Lu Xiuran explained. “Did you really think the Chen family in Shanghai would still be as influential?”

Chen Qing fell silent, quietly gazing out of the window. He knew things would have changed drastically while he was inside, but how long had it been? Why had the Chen family fallen like this?

Chen Qing didn’t have much time to dwell on it. Over an hour later, the car drove through the bustling streets of Shanghai and finally stopped at the entrance of an old, rundown neighborhood.

Chen Qing stared at the dilapidated area in silence for a long, long time.

“Chen Qing, let’s go,” Lu Xiuran called out, picking up his bag and leading the way. He walked ahead slowly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Earlier that morning, after a heavy rain, although the roads in the neighborhood weren’t muddy, there were puddles here and there. Under the dim yellow lights of the neighborhood, they seemed like bottomless abysses, ready to swallow anyone who stepped in.

By the time Chen Qing and Lu Xiuran reached a dry patch, their shoes were soaked through, but Chen Qing’s complaints were absent during this period.

Chen Qing remained silent throughout the journey, not because he couldn’t adapt to such an environment—after spending so long in prison, he had experienced all sorts of environments. It was just that there was a mental hurdle he couldn’t overcome. Even now, he couldn’t believe…

Had the Chen family truly fallen?

Lu Xiuran ascended the decrepit staircase. The paint on the stair railings had long peeled off, leaving behind paint chips. Lu Xiuran recoiled his hand in disgust after accidentally touching them. When he reached the corner and noticed Chen Qing hadn’t followed, he stopped and called out, “Chen Qing, are you coming or not?”

“Coming,” Chen Qing collected himself, following Lu Xiuran up the stairs.

Chen Shihuai and Chen Yunsheng lived on the sixth floor of this apartment, in a rented attic.

The old apartment had no elevator, and Lu Xiuran was panting by the time they reached there.

“Damn, how did they end up living in this dump?”

“Where are they?” After doing a lot of hard labor in prison, Chen Qing didn’t feel breathless as he climbed up. Yet, as he looked around at the environment, an indescribable and uncomfortable feeling overwhelmed him.

The hallway had motion-sensor lights, but due to the old facilities, they weren’t very sensitive. They needed a hard stomp or a shout for the lights to flicker on after dimming. The walls seemed to be leaking somewhere, making it damp and musty. Chen Qing’s nose caught a scent of mildew, and the sound of dripping water from an unknown source made it unbearable.

“They’re inside,” Lu Xiuran said, knocking on the door with one hand. The door was old and flimsy, shaking with each knock.

Before long, the door opened.

Chen Yunsheng opened it, and upon seeing Lu Xiuran, a smile immediately spread across his face. “Xiuran’s here! Come on in, take a seat.”

After a year of hardship, just to survive, Chen Yunsheng had shed all his pride, learned to bend his spine and beg for others’ charity.

After Lu Xiuran entered, Chen Yunsheng noticed Chen Qing behind him and froze.

He knew Chen Qing would be released from prison soon, but he didn’t expect it to be at this hour, nearly ten o’clock.

“Aqing,” Chen Yunsheng called out, his voice trembling slightly.

Chen Qing looked at the man before him, not daring to believe it.

This man with white hair, was he his father? Where was the vigor and pride he once had?

Chen Qing stared at Chen Yunsheng for a long, long time, finally taking a deep breath. He had finally accepted the reality of the Chen family’s downfall.

“Dad,” Chen Qing called out wearily.

Chen Yunsheng replied heavily, taking Chen Qing’s hand and leading him inside.

“Dad, Chen Qing’s back,” Chen Yunsheng called out into the room. Soon after, Chen Shihuai appeared before Chen Qing.

Without the former arrogance and grace of the Chen family’s patriarch in Shanghai, Chen Shihuai’s posture and slow gait only indicated that he had aged.

“Why are you all standing there? Come here, let’s discuss matters.” Lu Xiuran, valuing his time, didn’t want to indulge in reminiscences. He found a place to sit and called the Chen family members over.

The four of them gathered and had some discussion. When Lu Xiuran left, he wore a smile, and the gloom on Chen Shihuai and Chen Yunseng’s faces had diminished.

“Aqing, don’t worry. Anything that belongs to our Chen family, we will definitely reclaim it!” Chen Yunsheng rubbed his hands, speaking fiercely.

Anything taken from the Chen family would be retrieved, and those who dared to harm their family would face irreversible consequences.

“Yeah, no one can touch what belongs to our Chen family!” Chen Shihuai added coldly, his gaze revealing a ruthless determination.

Chen Qing looked at his grandfather and father, nodding. “Okay, let’s take it back together.”

This decrepit life was not what he, Chen Qing, wanted. He was still the young master of the Chen family, his commands obeyed by all!

*

Beijing.

As the night grew deeper, it should have been the best time to sleep, but Chen Li lay tossing and turning in bed—not because he couldn’t sleep, but because he was plagued by nightmares.

In his dream, he was back in his childhood living in a cramped attic. He curled up in fear, facing figures that morphed from Chen Qing to Chen Yu, then shifting to Du Lixun, Chen Yunsheng, and others.

Their faces contorted with malice as they stood before him, their words cutting like knives.

“Chen Li, why don’t you just d*e?”

“Chen Li, you fool, how dare you still show your face?”

“You can just d*e now, why linger here? Wasting food?”

“Chen Li, let me tell you, you’re the dirtiest scum in this world. If I were you, I’d find a place to end it all.”

“Chen Li, you mongr*l, how do you have the nerve to live in this world?”

“Chen Li…”

“Chen Li…”

“Go d*e…”

Chen Li tried to cover his ears to block out these words, but they echoed incessantly in his mind, like a demonic chant.

“Ah!”

Chen Li jolted awake from the dream, and a gentle voice washed away the haunting echoes.

“Li Li, I’m here.”

In the next instant, Chen Li fell into a warm embrace, feeling an endless sense of security.

Quietly nestled in Wei Chen’s arms, Chen Li, drenched in sweat, wasn’t sure how long he had been experiencing this nightmare.

“Li Li.”

“Li Li.”

Wei Chen repeatedly called Chen Li’s name, gradually pulling him out of the remnants of the nightmare.

Chen Li leaned against Wei Chen’s chest and said, “Achen, I want to take a shower.” He felt sticky and uncomfortable all over.

“Alright, I’ll carry you in.”

Wei Chen lifted Chen Li effortlessly and carried him into the bathroom.

“Where’s Qiuqiu?” Chen Li didn’t see Qiuqiu in the crib and asked.

“Dad took Qiuqiu to bed. Don’t worry,” replied Wei Chen as he undressed Chen Li.

In reality, Wei Chen foresaw that Chen Li might not sleep well tonight, so in order to fully take care of Chen Li, he had Chen Yunlan take care of Qiuqiu for the night.

“Okay,” Chen Li responded, lifting his arms to let Wei Chen undress him.

As the warm water cascaded over his body, Chen Li let out a contented sigh. He leaned completely on Wei Chen, feeling relieved as if everything from the dream had drifted far away.

The sticky feeling washed away, leaving his body refreshed. Chen Li clung to Wei Chen, wrapping his fair legs around Wei Chen’s waist. His lips weren’t idle either, peppering kisses all over Wei Chen’s face.

Wei Chen allowed Chen Li to shower him with affection until Chen Li went a bit too far, resulting in a gentle pat on Chen Li’s tender buttocks. Chen Li pouted in displeasure, squirming against Wei Chen. Wei Chen’s restraint weakened in the face of Chen Li’s actions—especially when Chen Li wasn’t wearing any clothes. A few twists and turns from Chen Li elicited a response from Wei Chen.

Chen Li noticed and teasingly rubbed against Wei Chen.

“Achen, you’re getting hard,” Chen Li said, looking into Wei Chen’s eyes and giggling.

“Yeah,” Wei Chen admitted openly, feeling no embarrassment at their age.

Chen Li continued to tease, kissing Wei Chen’s lips. “Achen, want to do it? Qiuqiu isn’t here tonight.”

In matters of intimacy, Chen Li was never shy.

The next moment, Wei Chen tossed Chen Li onto the soft bed, immediately following by pressing down, kissing Chen Li passionately. Soon, the couple got swept into their own world of passion and intensity.

Outside the window, neon lights painted a vibrant array of colors, while inside, fiery passion raged, creating an indescribable scene.

Though the night was already deep, it was long, incredibly long.

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