After Crossing Over to the Republic of China, I've Become a Heartthrob Chapter 35

Restored Memories

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For some reason, Shi Yao breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

It wasn't Song Yuan.

Song Yuan had not lied to him.

He asked, "Then who did it?"

Qiu Hongshang said, "A warlord."

"A warlord?" Shi Yao wondered, "But why?"

Qiu Hongshang sighed, "Han Pu's activism for the education and political communities, his advocacy for the underprivileged, and his advocacy for women's rights, offended the warlord Tang Jisheng. He saw him as a thorn in his side and wanted to get rid of him."

"Where is this Tang Jisheng now?"

"Dead."

"Dead?"

"Warlords are often at war, in this world, it's normal," Qiu Hongshang lit a cigarette and blew a beautiful smoke ring: "it's a kind of retribution."

Learning this news, he didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.

When Shi Yao went to the hospital to visit Han Pu, Nian Zhen was taking care of him.

When she saw Shi Yao coming, she voluntarily withdrew, leaving them alone. Sitting by the hospital bed, Shi Yao looked at Han Pu's profile and felt an extraordinary sense of peace and tranquillity in his heart.

Professor Han, Teacher Han, Mr. Han.

Shi Yao gently caressed his eyebrows, you're going to wake up, right?

Your ideal, our ideal, has not yet been realised.

This ideal will definitely be realised.

So, you'll definitely wake up, right?

When he left the hospital, Shi Yao went to Fan Fei Restaurant and found Jacob.

He asked him, "Do you have any wine here?"

Jacob raised an eyebrow: "Hmm? I thought you didn't like to drink?"

"I don't! But I just want to drink today." Shi Yao said, "Do you want to join me?"

"My pleasure." Jacob took two bottles of wine, opened one and handed it to Shi Yao: "What? Something bothering you?"

"I don't know," Shi Yao asked, "what are your plans after this?"

"That's exactly the question I wanted to ask you, what are your plans?" 

"I don't know."

"Do you want to come to England with me?"

"What would I do there?"

"I have a castle and a manor, we could live a life of luxury."

"Do you have a servant? And a harem of three thousand beauties?" Shi Yao teased him.

"A few servants, yes, but if you don't like them, they can all be dismissed." There was a rare seriousness in Jacob's blue eyes, "Do you want to think about it?"

"Thanks for the offer," Shi Yao clinked his bottle with his, "I still can't let go of this place."

"What's there to let go of?"

"I've just met my mother, Professor Han hasn't woken up yet, and there may still be a struggle between the two Song brothers."

"Okay, then I'll stay here with you," Jacob said, "and when you've figured it out, you can find me anytime."

———

The National Business Conference was held the following morning at nine o'clock in the Yujiang Pavilion.

The organiser was the Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce and there were participants from all over the country, but only three of them were the most powerful.

They were Song Yuan's Nanyang Chamber of Commerce, Song Liao's Yuandong Chamber of Commerce, and Qiu Hongshang's Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce.

The main purpose of this meeting was to settle the market disputes between the three major chambers.

Qiu Hongshang had brought Shi Yao with her, intending to train him as her successor. She was aware of the entanglement between Shi Yao and Song Yuan, so she instructed Shi Yao to wear a mask and not to interact with the people from the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce.

Shi Yao was obedient and sat beside Qiu Hongshang, a little bored.

While he was sleepy, he saw Song Liao staring at him and was a little embarrassed.

What's worse, when Song Yuan saw that Song Liao kept looking his way, he also fixed his gaze on his face.

Shi Yao hastily raised his meeting booklet to shield his face and whispered to Qiu Hongshang, "It's over, I feel like Song Yuan has recognised me, should I go back first?"

But Qiu Hongshang reassured him, "You're my child, why are you afraid of him? Even if you are recognized, Mother will support you."

Shi Yao's heart felt warm and he felt more secure than he ever had before.

During the break in the meeting, Shi Yao was just going to the washroom when he was stopped by someone halfway.

This person was none other than Xia Jin, who had beaten him up before.

Xia Jin had a few of his men with him, and his tone was unkind: "You, stop."

Shi Yao simply ignored him.

Xia Jin commanded his men to surround him: "I told you to stop. Why are you wearing a mask? Being sneaky, take it off."

"It's none of your business." Shi Yao rolled his eyes, "Good dogs don't get in the way."

"I suspect that you are a wanted criminal of our Nanyang Chamber of Commerce."

"I suspect you're out of your mind."

"You don't want to refuse a toast only to drink!" Xia Jin reached out to remove his mask, but Shi Yao blocked it, and in the middle of the pushing and shoving, someone made a mistake and pushed Shi Yao hard. 

Shi Yao fell backwards and hit the pillar of the doorway. The pain was so intense that it was transmitted through the skull, and he fainted immediately. 

Qiu Hongshang rushed to the scene, embraced him in distress and scolded him, "Who gave you permission to make trouble here?"

Xia Jin smiled and said, "President Hongshang, we were just carrying out our duties, he looks like Shi Yao."

"He is Shi Yao, what can you do about it?" Qiu Hongshang was aggressive: "He is a member of my Yingzhou Chamber of Commerce, how can you behave so impudently on my territory? Take him down!"

Xia Jin's face changed dramatically, "President Hongshang, do we have some kind of misunderstanding?"

Qiu Hongshang was furious: "If anything happens to Yao'er, I'll make sure you pay me back a hundred times over!"

This rebuke was so loud that it was heard by the entire assembly.

Song Liao rushed to the scene and looked at Shi Yao with worry in his eyes.

"Please don't be angry, President Hongshang." The sound of Song Yuan's voice came into the room: "It was my incompetence in controlling my subordinates, and I have offended you."

Xia Jin looked at Song Yuan for help.

But he heard Song Yuan say, "It was all a misunderstanding between me and Mr. Shi, and the wanted notice will be withdrawn immediately." He pointed at Xia Jin: "This person is yours to deal with, you can vent your anger however you want."

Xia Jin was so scared that he immediately collapsed to the ground.

Song Yuan looked into Qiu Hongshang's arms with concern: "How is Yao'er? Shall I send for a doctor?"

"No need for you all to trouble yourselves." Qiu Hongshang ordered someone to pick up Shi Yao and take him to a hotel room.

After carefully placing Shi Yao on the bed, Qiu Hongshang personally checked his body.

She was born into a medical family, her father was a well-known Chinese doctor, and she had inherited her family's education since she was a child.

Later, she studied Western medicine and became a doctor in the army, following Shi Yao's father in his campaigns in the north and south, and dealing with many difficult and complicated cases. 

After a number of examinations, her heart finally settled.

Shi Yao was fine, and was only in a brief state of unconsciousness due to the impact.

But...

What is this?

When Qiu Hongshang took Shi Yao's pulse, she noticed something unusual.

This pulse should be a sign of mental confusion and memory loss.

Either it was the aftermath of a serious illness, or someone had deliberately drugged him.

Qiu Hongshang fetched her acupuncture kit and pierced several key acupuncture points.

Shi Yao, who was unconscious, suddenly regained consciousness and his mind was overwhelmed with memories.

Section after section, scene after scene, without a clue, came flooding back to him.

The original owner's emotions poured out, and fragments of memories that could not be sorted out flashed around chaotically.

His heart was pounding rapidly, and his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

The intensity of the emotions was suffocating him.

There was love, there was resentment, there was obsession, and there was difficulty in his heart.

All of these things, they all originate from one person, and they all boil down to one person.

This name echoed in his heart: Song Liao, Song Duheng. 

Young Master Duheng, Young Master Duheng, Young Master Duheng.

[The original owner's perspective]

I met Young Master Duheng when I was nine.

My father was an army officer and according to him, I was still in my mother's womb when I got engaged to Young Master Duheng.

Unfortunately, I have no memories of my mother, and my father said that the family was separated in the war not long after I was born.

When I was nine years old, my father took me to the Song residence.

That was the first time I met Young Master Duheng.

I fell in love with him almost at first sight.

We stayed at Song residence for about a week.

I was introverted, cowardly and quiet.

Young Master Duheng was always bullying me, making me cry and then buying me sweets to comfort me afterwards.

I was used to living in the army with my father and had never eaten such delicious candies.

I asked Young Master Duheng what kind of candy it was.

He said it was chocolate.

"Chocolate, what is it made of?" 

"It's from the West. It's made from the fruit of the cocoa tree." Song Liao said, "It's very expensive, I'll only give it to you."

My heart, just like the taste of this chocolate, was sweet and bitter.

The sweetness was Young Master Duheng's preference for me, and the bitterness was my admiration for him.

Young Master Duheng was one of the most dazzling noblemen under the sun, someone I could never hope to reach.

That day, Master Song and my father had an engagement ceremony. 

I didn't understand what this meant.

I asked Song Liao, "What is an engagement?"

Song Liao said, "Your father has promised you to me. This means that from this day on, for all eternity, you are destined to belong to me."

After leaving the Song family, I had thought that my father would keep me with him.

Instead, my father sent me back home to the countryside and left me in the care of my grandmother.

I still remember when we parted for the last time, my father stroked my face and said to me, "Yao'er, swords are merciless on the battlefield, I can't take you with me. Stay with your grandmother, and if I don't make it back, go to the Song family."

At that time, I did not know the pain of parting and said innocently to my father, "When you come back, can you buy chocolate for Yao'er?"

My father smiled and promised me, "Okay."

However, I didn't wait for the chocolates, I waited for my father's bones instead.

After my father's death, every day and every night, I looked forward to the reunion with Young Master Duheng.

The love I felt for him, day after day, went to the very core of my being.

My love for him grew with my life, with my time, without distinction.

On the day my grandmother died, I cowered in my crumbling tiled house.

Then, as if by divine intervention, as if coming out of my dreams, Young Master Duheng came to me, he really came to me.

On that dreary, rainy day, he held out his umbrella and extended his hand to me.

He said to me, "I've come to take you home."

From that moment on, I was doomed to an eternal fascination and obsession with him.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: July 3, 2023