Chapter 77: Next Life

Yang Chen understood. He figured anyone who could send Guo Ziheng to chase after someone had some clout. At least that small-time thug Guo Ziheng didn't dare to cross him, yet he couldn't best him in a fight. The fear of him never seemed to fade. So, he was trying to pass the buck.

"Alright, alright, none of that fox expression," Yang Chen said nonchalantly, "Just tell him my name. If he wants trouble, let him come at me. I'll be waiting for him at the International Public Relations Department of Yulei."

"Mr. Yang truly is a straightforward man!" Guo Ziheng laughed heartily, motioning to his cronies, "Let's go!"

Yang Chen couldn't let him walk away so easily. He waved his hand, "Hold on! I'm not done yet!"

Guo Ziheng paused, sensing trouble brewing. He asked somewhat stiffly, "Mr. Yang, is there anything else you'd like to instruct?"

Yang Chen grinned, "General Guo, if I'm taking on these tasks, there must be some service fee involved..." He trailed off, rubbing his fingers together.

Sure enough! It was extortion again! A vampire! A thug!

Guo Ziheng cursed inwardly, but on his face, he could only make a show of immense willingness. After his cronies handed over the checkbook, he swiftly wrote out the amount, handed it over to Yang Chen, and said with a fawning smile, "Mr. Yang is right, I've been quite thoughtless."

His cronies were all dumbfounded. What's wrong with their boss? Giving money and acting like a fool?!

Yang Chen nodded satisfactorily, flicking the check in his hand. This Guo Ziheng wasn't bad; he immediately forked over twenty thousand Yenxia coins. So he said with a smile, "You can leave now. I'll take care of the rest."

Guo Ziheng didn't dare to linger any longer. Another few minutes might mean losing several more thousand. With his entourage, he hurriedly left, as if they were avoiding a ghost.

Watching the group leave in a hurry, Yang Chen smiled and turned to Chen Bo, who was still lost in thought, "Is there anything you want to explain to me?"

Chen Bo swallowed hard, hesitatingly said, "Th-thank you, Yang Chen..."

"Is that all?" Yang Chen asked with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

Chen Bo twisted his hands, his face flushed, unable to speak.

Yang Chen didn't force it. He walked over to the corner of the stall and grabbed a few bottles of beer, then said to Feng Biao, who was hiding on the side, "Boss Feng, a few bottles of beer, alright?"

"Of course, of course!" Feng Biao cursed inwardly. This guy was a downright jinx. He had already fallen into this predicament, and now he's here to cause trouble. If those thugs really came in to fight, wouldn't they demolish his little stall?!

Yang Chen signaled to Chen Bo, "Follow me."

They walked silently to the riverbank in the outskirts. In the cool breeze, it felt tranquil yet eerie.

They reached a slope, where Yang Chen sat on the grass and stopped. Chen Bo hesitated for a moment, then sat down beside him.

"Can you drink?" Yang Chen picked up a bottle of beer, twisted it slightly, and the cap came off.

Chen Bo cleared his throat, nodded, took the beer, and gulped it down. But after just a few sips, he choked and coughed repeatedly. Tears streamed down his face, but before he could recover, he started drinking again as if he had a vendetta against the beer.

Yang Chen didn't stop him, taking a few sips himself.

Chen Bo's tolerance was obviously poor. After only a few sips, his face was flushed and his eyes were clouded.

The night wind blew over the riverside, clearing one's mind a little. Chen Bo, who had drunk quite a bit, breathed more smoothly. He suddenly put down the empty bottle, turned to Yang Chen, and looked at him straight. On his overly delicate face, an unprecedented serious expression appeared.

"Yang Chen, do you look down on me?" Chen Bo asked.

"If I looked down on you, I wouldn't have taken on this mess to save you," Yang Chen glanced at him.

Chen Bo's lips trembled slightly as he said, "I'm not that kind of person. I was forced into it. I don't like men..."

"To be honest, you know I've come back from overseas. Homosexuality means nothing to me. So you don't need to explain these things to me. Whether you are or not doesn't matter to me. I just want to know how all this happened," Yang Chen said.

Chen Bo nodded, as if mentally prepared, and slowly began to explain, "You've helped me so much, I should tell you everything, even if it means you might look down on me after hearing it..."

"When I was young, my family was poor, but I excelled in my studies. Although I was bullied at school because of my frail body, I was still admitted to Peking University on scholarship. Because I looked like a girl, many people at school made fun of me. In my junior year, a senior from the basketball team suddenly asked me out to dinner. His family was wealthy, and I didn't dare to refuse. But that day, after I went, he drugged me... and he... he did that to me..."

Chen Bo paused, pain and resentment evident in his eyes. "Later, I found out he liked men. But he forbade me from telling anyone, and I didn't dare to report it because I had no family or relatives in Beijing, no one to help me. Besides, I was worried that others would look down on me, see me as a freak, so I endured it. After that first time, that senior often asked me out to do those things... But he would give me some money to make my life in Beijing a bit easier. Sometimes I sent the extra money to my parents back home. At that time, I thought, enduring a bit of injustice was better than suffering for nothing."

"But later, that senior started inviting other men as well. That's when I found out they had a club specifically for such activities. Those people were all wealthy, and I couldn't resist. So after graduating from university, I hardly spoke to anyone because I was afraid of revealing something and being looked down upon..."

Yang Chen felt deeply sorry for Chen Bo's dark past. Though it might not seem too tragic to him, for an ordinary college student in China, enduring such experiences must have been incredibly difficult. It wasn't just about sacrificing his male dignity but also betraying his own soul.

Chen Bo continued, "After graduation, many companies wanted to recruit me, but I chose to come to Zhonghai so I could escape from those men who tormented me in Beijing. Thankfully, I succeeded, and they probably grew tired of me, so I've been working at Yulei International until now, without anyone from my past coming to find me... But... But I recently encountered some trouble. I suddenly need a lot of money..."

"What trouble?" Yang Chen asked, puzzled.

"My father's hard labor in his youth left him with a chronic illness, and recently he was diagnosed with kidney failure and needs a transplant. Although our family is better off than before, we don't have that much money... so I..."

"So you're thinking of earning money through other means?" Yang Chen pondered for a moment before asking, "A few days ago, I saw someone in the Tianfu Kingdom who looked a lot like you. Was that you?"

Chen Bo was startled. "You were in the Tianfu Kingdom? You... you did see me, I work there."

"No wonder you're so sleepy early in the morning and don't sleep at night," Yang Chen realized.

"In the Tianfu Kingdom... there are... those kinds of services..." Chen Bo, now seemingly more open about it, said frankly, "Many male customers there like men, and occasionally I can earn quite a bit of tips... Although it's uncomfortable, at least I can earn more money to support my family. Besides, I've done that kind of thing before, so I just accepted it. At least it can provide money for my father's treatment."

"What about today?" Yang Chen inquired.

Chen Bo bit his lip, painfully explaining, "That guy is a pervert, he's completely insane. I've seen him abuse other men in the Tianfu Kingdom... His methods can torture people to death. I happened to witness it once, so I've been avoiding him out of fear it might happen to me. But today, that guy wanted me to come over. The thug who just grabbed me is his accomplice, they wanted to take me to him. I'm not planning to work in the Tianfu Kingdom anymore. Tomorrow, I'll quit and find another job elsewhere."

"Do you know his name?" Yang Chen had probably grasped the situation already; it seemed the pervert Chen Bo mentioned engaged in shameful homosexual activities.

Chen Bo shook his head. "I only know his surname is Zhou, they call him Young Master Zhou. I don't know anything else, but he seems powerful, the thug with the surname Guo always flatters him."

Yang Chen nodded thoughtfully, then smiled lightly, patting Chen Bo's shoulder. "Don't worry too much. If your father's illness lacks money, you can just borrow from me. You can pay me back slowly later. Though I haven't achieved much, helping a friend in need is something I can do. Besides, money can be earned again, but once a person is gone, everything is lost."

"Thank you..." Tears welled up in Chen Bo's eyes uncontrollably. He wiped them away and smiled, "I know you're a good person, but I don't want to borrow money from you anymore. My sister and I managed to gather enough money, borrowing from relatives and friends. My sister is coming to Zhonghai on Wednesday, planning to work here with me and help repay the debts."

"Your sister is coming to work in Zhonghai? Doesn't she need to go to school?" Yang Chen thought Chen Bo's sister was just coming to visit him.

Chen Bo shook his head bitterly. "My sister is very sensible. She took a break from school, but her university has reserved her enrollment, so she can continue her studies in a couple of years."

"Every family has its own challenges. Since you say you don't need to borrow money, I won't force you. But if there's anything you need or if you need help, just let me know. I have plenty of free time, as you know," Yang Chen winked.

Chen Bo poured out a bunch of concerns. Seeing that Yang Chen didn't look down on him, he felt much better. Blushing, he said, "Yang Chen, if I were a woman, I would definitely marry you. You're a real man."

Seeing the blush on Chen Bo's face as he shyly spoke those words, Yang Chen felt a jolt through his body. He quickly waved his hand and awkwardly chuckled, "Uh... let's talk about that in the next life... hehe..."