In the years that followed, the Carter family returned to Beijing at least once a year. But fate had not allowed him to see the doll so often. He had managed to catch a glimpse of him at a few occasions or official receptions. Still, he had never been able to approach him because he always kept to himself, talking only to his siblings and parents. Then, finally, the right opportunity had presented itself.
The right opportunity came to him during university. In those days, he was called Hēi Sé, the black, by everyone. That nickname had been given to him by one of his many high school adventures. She had explained that he deserved to be called because his soul was black, and not even a sliver of light could pass through it.
His fame as a playboy and the echoes of the misdeeds he had committed together with his two companions in misfortune, Sun Wěi Qí and Hu Yún, had only fuelled the use of this nickname.
His father, tired of rushing to clean up his messes aroun
3.99 km2. This was the size of the Cbd area, and, despite the vastness of space, he had come across Hēi Sé himself, even making a fool of himself. That lightning-fast thrill of seeing him again had taken him back in time. For a moment, he had rediscovered the impertinent self of a few years earlier when he had not yet discovered the suffering of love. As a boy, he had always been sociable and cheerful and, for this reason, wanted and loved by many. It was because of these characteristics that he had first approached Shàng Wèi. Although he felt he had already met him when he noticed him lost in his faculty, his haughty attitude made him unbearable. That was why, after the first stormy encounter, he had tried very hard not to be in his vicinity. As soon as he saw him appear anywhere, Adam would eclipse himself. But slowly, he had not realized that in avoiding him, he had begun to observe him, studying his movements and his schedule. As t
Until one day, on his way back from his shopping trip, he had heard that annoying nickname again. "Xiao Wū Mù, you're hard to intercept without your little fan club," a wry voice had said behind him. To his surprise, the shopping bag he was holding had slipped from his hands, falling to the ground. Then, heedless of the cans rolling everywhere, he had turned to face the owner of that item. "You think you're funny? My name is Adam and not Xiao Wū Mù." He had rebelled. "I know! But I find that the name I gave you suits you better," Shàng Wèi had said confidently, approaching him. "You see, your skin is the shade of Macassar ebony, which is very precious and not easy to come by, kind of like you are." He had said with a caressing look. Adam had been incredulous; he had never heard such nonsense. It was clear he was pulling his leg. "You know there are different shades of colors in the world; we're not all made the same. The fact that you'
Strolling lost in his memories, he arrived at Ritan Park. There weren't many people around, just a group of elderly people taking a Tai Chi class and a few tourists on their way to the Temple of the Sun. He decided to rest for a moment and chose to sit on a bench not far away. He looked at the time; Claire was probably already in the shop at that moment. He decided to call her. After only two rings, he was greeted by the bright, joyful voice of his little sister. "How is my charming big brother? Do you already miss me after such a short time? Don't worry; I haven't set your house on fire yet!" Adam smiled as he listened to that flood of words; it instantly lifted his mood. Claire was the one who had helped him most to recover from his bad experience years ago. Despite being the baby of the family, she had been there for him and had been his confidante. She was the only one who knew what had really happened. "Adam? Adam? Are you still t
The next day Adam went to the office. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by the bright smile of a young woman with long black hair. "Good morning! You must be Adam, welcome. I'm Shun La, the editorial secretary," the girl told him. "Good morning Shun Lan. Nice to make your acquaintance. I'm Adam Carter." "Don't be so formal. We prefer to keep a more relaxed environment in the office. The work itself is stressful enough, without having to think about all the pleasantries involved." She explained to him jokingly. "Come on; I'll take you to the director." "I'm not late, am I? I remember the email said to report at 9 am today," he asked worriedly. "Yes, that's right, rest assured. But, unfortunately, Mr. Jameson had to come in early because of a little problem that arose last night." She said as she got up from her desk. Shun La filled him in on some work-related matters as they walked down the long corridor that led to the manager's of
When Adam left the office that Friday, he found the smiling face of William waiting for him. As he reached him, he was smothered in William's strong embrace. They hadn't seen each other for many weeks. They decided to go to a restaurant near Adam's home; this would also make it comfortable to prepare for that evening's event. After ordering a delicious hot pot, sitting down at the table, they told each other about the latest happenings: job changes, updates from their old friends, and their respective families. Having been friends since high school, their respective families had also grown closer, and it was not uncommon for them to be together on several occasions. Even Margaret, William's younger sister, had become Claire's best friend. "How's George doing in Ottawa?" asked William as he dipped a piece of tripe into the pot of boiling broth. "We spoke just this morning. First, George spent a good five minutes complaining about the bitter col
Work went smoothly for most of the cocktail reception. Adam had managed to complete almost all the scheduled interviews. On top of that, Hēi Sé had disappeared from sight; with any luck, he could have left before he reappeared. He was glancing over the notes he had taken when he was interrupted by a female voice, high-pitched and annoying. "Am I mistaken, or does this sound like little Adam?" she asked. Adam turned back to the woman who had spoken to him. Ming Jia Li, his aunt, was standing in front of him. She was accompanied by Zhao Shang Chiang and Zhao Maylin, the hated cousins. "But how nice a little family reunion...ah no, I forgot that you are not part of our family," Maylin said dismissively. "Indeed! And you'd better disappear before MY grandfather comes and sees you." Shang Chiang added mockingly. Adam clenched his hands tightly into fists. "I'm carrying out my duties; I can't leave just because my person bothers someone." He
William turned a threatening glance towards Maylin. Adam, for his part, was distraught and didn't know how to counter the slander he had just expressed without being rude to his boss. The tension between them was palpable. The ambassador was about to intervene when he was interrupted by a loud laugh. Astonished, the group turned to look at Lord Dashwood, who was laughing heartily. "My dear girl, it is unlikely that two young men of such high performance as Mr. Carter and Mr. Blake could be a couple." Externalized the man. "Indeed, they are very close, but they are certainly not romantic partners. And believe me... I'm an expert on the subject," he concluded, winking at the girl. Her cheeks flushed violently when she heard this tacit confession; offended and embarrassed, Maylin left the group without a word to anyone. Her mother ran after her, apologizing to everyone. Adam and William giggled under their mustaches, trying not to be noticed. Then, once
"Have you succeeded?" Adam asked "Yes and no. Those two never came close, but on the upside, I overheard a few snippets of conversation between our thug-ramp and...your grandfather? May I call him that?" "Call him Ming. He was never my grandfather. What's this about anyway?" "I'm not sure. You know my Mandarin's a bit dodgy, despite your lectures, but I think they're interested in getting their hands on Lord Dashwood's publishing empire:" "Impossible! That cannot happen," Adam declared. "I need to do more research. I can't base my article on hearsay." William affirmed, getting up abruptly from the couch he was pondering on. "And how do you intend to do that?" asked Adam. "I'm going back to London tomorrow and try to convince the boss to send me here for some time. Once I've convinced him, I'll get your father to help me get my visa as quickly as possible." "It's not that simple! This time you got in because you had a di
"Jiejie, have you seen George?" Claire turned to answer Margaret coming towards her. "No, why?" She asked her. "I asked him to take care of Matthew so that I could finish getting ready," Margaret explained to her, cradling the newest addition to the family in her arms. "Maybe he went to William's to finish the preparations for the ceremony. You know he still cares about these things, even though he doesn't do them anymore." "Um...He wasn't at William's. Someone else was there instead." Her friend and sister-in-law reported evasively, turning red like a pepper. Claire rolled her eyes, already assuming who was in William's room. "Was Wĕi Qí there by any chance?" She asked, with a slightly threatening tone in her voice. But before Margaret could answer, they saw George appear at the end of the corridor. "Darling, I'm sorry. I went to see something with William and Wĕi Qí." Said his brother, taking his little boy in his arm
Four years later... In the semi-darkness of the room, a cadenced sound of bodies coming together could be heard. The two figures clinging to the bed were teasing and tormenting each other with impressive skill. The moans of pleasure they both let out with each new thrust filled the walls of the room like a hymn to passion. The soft blond waves were scattered on the pillow, forming almost a golden areola around the young man's face. A heavenly sight, especially after a long week apart. "Say it!" The succession of thrusts became more and more inflamed. A light coating of sweat covered the golden skin of the body above him. "Say it!" One more thrust, deeper. His body was overcome with enjoyment; he was in the throes of shivers of pleasure from that powerful, rough movement inside him. The calloused hand wrapped greedily around his erect member, subjugating him in its jerking grip. "Say it! Or I'll s
A month later... "Mom! Why did you do that?" Adam's disdainful wail echoed in the small bathroom of the hospital room. "Love, you looked like a bum. So I had to fix you up." "Yeah, but not like that!" The boy complained again to his mother. Then, he held a small mirror in his hands and looked at his completely bearded face with disgust. "I look like a student like that." He whined. "What's going on in here?" Chun Chu's good-natured voice came from the door of the room. "Hello, Dad. Can you tell your grandson that he's fine like this?" Said Hui Ying in exasperation. "Chun Chu, seriously, am I okay?" Adam cast a pleading look towards his grandfather. By now, the shadows of the past were dissipating. Chun Chu had become a fixed presence in their lives, especially Adam's. Although he and his siblings were not yet fully accustomed to this new adult figure at their side, there was no doubt that, on both sides,
A figure dressed in white entered the room. The movements were slow and measured. As a result, the figure had a fragrance that differed from the smell of laundry soap and disinfectant, which could be smelled throughout the hospital. She approached the bed with a circumspect step and, after glancing at the sleeping patient hidden by the immaculate sheet, drew a syringe filled with a colorless liquid from his pocket. Very calmly, so as not to wake the patient, she took the drip thread, which was sticking out from under the covers. Then she inserted the thin needle, letting the transparent liquid flow slowly and inexorably towards the perforated vein. Once the injection was complete, she put the syringe away and gently placed the drip back in its original position. An evil chuckle escaped the figure's crimson lips before she turned on her heel to leave the room. "You'd have to have a specialist diploma to perform this kind of operation. B
Shàng Wèi strolled non-stop in front of the operating room door. The red light above the door had been emanating its evil aura for five hours. He still bore the marks of the struggle. But it was nothing serious, thanks in part to Wĕi Qí's excellent plan. If it weren't for him, all of them would probably have lost their lives during the rescue operation. Jai Li had managed to bribe all the Ming family's security guards, and Shang Chiang had hired a gang of thugs affiliated with one of the city's most giant bosses. It was a small army of about thirty people with the worst intentions and armed to the teeth. But Wĕi Qí, in his cunning, had managed to disguise the Interpol agents as his company's bodyguards. As a result, the small handful of men had managed to neutralize the criminals and catch a fleeing Shang Chiang quickly. And when the police finally caught up with them, those agents had already vanished, leaving Wĕi Qí's men to take credit for the succ
"Xiao Wū Mù!" "Mmm..." "Wake up!" "Mmmm... nooo..." "Xiao Wū Mu, wake up!" "Five more minutes." A crystal-clear laugh echoed faintly in his ear as two mighty arms wrapped around his waist. "We have class this morning." "I don't want to go. It hurts all over." Adam grumbled sleepily, sinking his head under the covers. "Ohhh! Does my little doll hurt? Please show me where. I'll kiss you to take the pain away." So said the deep voice, mouthing at him. A cheeky hand came down and gently cupped his bottom. Adam grabbed the pillow and hurled it at his molester's head. "Ouch!" The moan of pain roused him from his light sleep. Reluctantly, he squinted his eyes, sighing in exasperation. Then, very slowly, he sat up, grimly observing the culprit of his lack of rest. Hēi Sé looked at him with a naughty and satisfied look. He looked like a big, proud cat that had just eaten its prey. And, con
"What do you mean by that?" Hui Ying asked. "Don't play innocent with me. I know how devious you can be. How did you curry favor with our father after stabbing him in the back? How?" "I didn't ingratiate myself with anyone." Hui Ying defended herself. "DON'T LIE!" the shrill voice of Jia Li boomed along the concrete walls. After clearing her throat and regaining some control, she began to speak again, "If you didn't ingratiate yourself with him, how come you and those abominations of yours appear in his will, huh? How can your children, and not mine, be the future heirs of Ming Pharmaceutics?" "What?" Hui Ying asked in amazement. "I said stop playing innocently with me!" "I don't know anything about it, Jia Li. I never spoke to our father. You know, you were there too when we visited. He never spoke to us." "Evidently, despite my best efforts to keep you apart, you must have managed to find a way to communicate with him
"You idiot! Where do you think you're going?" Wĕi Qí suddenly opened the door and removed the key from the ignition. Shàng Wèi looked at him, furious. "What do you think you're doing? Give me back the key now, and let me go." "Where, to the slaughterhouse? Use your head. Do you think they're going to roll out the red carpet for you when you get there? And let you take Adam away, like nothing happened, huh?" He asked angrily. "Don't nag me. Give me the key." He ordered again, raising his voice. Shàng Wèi was beside himself with anger at Wĕi Qí's attitude. He was getting in his way, and just at the moment when he wanted to run to save his Wū Mù. "Get out of the way, Wĕi Qí." He intimated again, seeing that his friend had no intention of letting him go. "You will have to knock me out." The latter challenged him. Shàng Wèi was waiting for nothing else. Nothing else mattered to him at that moment but reaching Adam as soon as
"Hooked!" George said with satisfaction, staring at his laptop screen. Shàng Wèi looked at the man's smug face. "Maylin just turned on her mobile phone. So now we know where she is." He explained briefly. "What's the address? I'll send some men there right away." Said Wĕi Qí, stepping closer to see the newly requested information. "I want to go too." So said William, approaching in turn. "Don't even think about it." Wĕi Qí immediately objected, glaring at him. "But..." His protest was silenced by a hasty kiss. "No buts." He told him as he pulled him away, patting his bottom lightly. William sat down next to Shàng Wèi with a childish pout. "Your friend is just insufferable." He commented with a sigh. Shàng Wèi looked at him in amazement. It was the first time William had ever spoken to him without his usual snooty air. The two of them had never had a good relationship in the past, and his irration