After sharing the photos with the impatient Bai Miaomiao, Ruan Bei and Qin Gu first went home and took a shower.

He didn't dare go inside his own house, afraid that his mother would ask him if he had fallen into a stinky ditch or been splashed with swill.

After showering and smelling wonderful, Ruan Bei comfortably lay down on the bed and looked through the newly saved photos on her phone. The more she looked, the more she wanted to laugh. She had never seen Lu Sibai so disheveled in either of her previous lives.

After Qin Gu finished showering, Ruan Bei tossed her phone aside, grabbed a hairdryer, and started drying his hair while asking, "You actually let me be alone with Lu Sibai just now?"

Although Lu Sibai was beaten so badly that he had no chance to fight back, and Qin Gu was waiting not far away, given his overwhelming protective instincts towards Ruan Bei, he still felt a little strange about letting Ruan Bei stay.

Qin Gu squinted, enjoying the warm breeze and the comfort of Ruan Bei's fingers running through his hair. Even his voice was lazy: "Hmm, you shouldn't be afraid of him. Look, he's not a big deal. He's just like a piece of trash. You can deal with him however you want."

He had long realized that Ruan Bei's past experiences had deeply affected him, causing him to harbor an inexplicable fear of Lu Sibai. This kind of mentality was unacceptable.

But Qin Gu felt sorry for the suffering he had endured and was unwilling to force him, so he could only try to boost his courage.

Ruan Bei paused in his movements, then slowly smiled and said, "You're right. Actually, after I burned that evil spirit that night, I suddenly stopped being afraid."

What's there to be afraid of? He burned such a huge evil spirit, so why should he be afraid of that weakling Lu Sibai? In the end, he only relies on the people around him, but they can't hurt him anymore.

Especially after beating up Lu Sibai today, and with so many photos saved on her phone, just seeing how pathetic Lu Sibai looked made her feel incredibly weak after being bullied by him.

After thinking it through, Ruan Bei suddenly felt enlightened, and even the spiritual energy in his body seemed to become much more cheerful.

He asked with a grin, "Do you think Lu Sibai will spend the whole night soaking in the trash can?"

"No, he got off the bus halfway. If he doesn't go back, the driver will come looking for him."

Dong San had already reported that he had made the dazed Lu Sibai believe he had received a text message from Qin Shen, and that he would get off the bus midway to meet Qin Shen.

"Dong San is really clever," Ruan Bei couldn't help but praise. He hadn't mentioned Lu Sibai's romantic history; it was Dong San who came up with the idea on his own.

"Speaking of which... Lu Sibai is experiencing sleep paralysis. Doesn't he find it strange? Why doesn't he ask his parents for help?" Ruan Bei was indeed quite puzzled by this.

Qin Gu: "Who knows? Maybe his parents are slow to react. It's just in time for them to come. Let's just give them a piece of our minds."

Ruan Bei nodded: "That makes sense."

Did Lu Sibai ask for help? Of course he did, but that night he suddenly received a message saying the operation had failed, and then he could no longer contact his mother.

His mother was very secretive about it, and she usually controlled the communication between the two of them, changing her number from time to time.

She blocked Lu Sibai, and Lu Sibai was immediately at a loss.

When he experienced sleep paralysis, Lu Sibai already sensed something was wrong. He sent messages to all the accounts his mother had used, and he didn't dare stop even if there were no replies.

To make matters worse, he secretly observed that Lu Minghai had already sent people to investigate Ruan Bei, and he didn't know when the results would be available, which made Lu Sibai even more uneasy.

He hadn't left the house for several days, hiding at home in fear. At the slightest disturbance, he would suspect that Lu Minghai already knew his identity, just like a frightened bird.

If he hadn't learned that Qin Shen would be attending the party today, he wouldn't have chosen to go out. Now he understands that all of this is Ruan Bei's revenge, the revenge of Ruan Bei, whom he didn't take seriously and thought was inferior to him in every way except for his good fortune.

On the deserted street, Lu Sibai, buried in the garbage, slowly curled the corners of his mouth, his eyes swirling with hatred.

That woman gave birth to him, yet she refused to help him.

He had been the son of the Lu family for over a decade, but because of a small scandal, they changed their attitude towards him.

And then there's Qin Shen. He likes him so much, but he didn't actually do anything with Chu Tianze. Why does he act like he's the one who wronged him and torment him like that?

The most hateful one is Ruan Bei, who dared to humiliate him like this. He will absolutely, positively, never let him get away with this!

"Young Master? Young Master, where are you?" An urgent shout came from not far away. Lu Sibai immediately struggled to get up, making the overturned trash can make a noise.

The driver followed the sound, but before he got close, he was so overwhelmed by the pungent smell that he stumbled and backed away.

Lu Sibai almost fainted from anger. Suddenly, thinking about his miserable situation, he wished he could gouge out the eyes of the driver who saw him in such a pitiful state.

Finally, the driver, enduring the nausea, covered his nose and dug his young master out of the garbage heap. His expression was contorted the whole time, and it looked like he was about to faint from the stench every second.

After finally managing to get him out, the driver, seeing Lu Sibai's swollen face and bloodstains covering half of it under the streetlights, was shocked: "Young Master, what happened to you? Let's call the police!"

"Don't call the police!" Lu Sibai's nose was broken, and when he spoke, his face would involuntarily twitch, making him dizzy with pain.

He supported himself on the driver's arm and repeated, "Don't call the police."

Lu Sibai never even considered calling the police. What use would those junior officers be? They would only make things worse. Once he found out Ruan Bei's true identity, would Lu Minghai really let the police arrest him?

Impossible. He knows Lu Minghai too well; he wouldn't want to lose face like that.

Ruan Bei probably already knows about his background, but for some reason he hasn't said anything. Perhaps he's waiting for the Lu family to come and pick him up?

But whatever he thinks, since he won't say anything, this is my chance. I can still make some amends while I have this time.

In his extreme state of hatred, Lu Sibai had a new idea.

He refused to call the police, and the driver didn't dare to either, since he was just an employee.

"Should we go to the hospital first, or go home first?"

Lu Sibai took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, saying, "Go to the hospital, no, find me a hotel first."

He's going to go crazy if he doesn't wash himself clean soon!

Even if you're going to play the victim, you have to do it properly.

“But these injuries on your body…” The driver was afraid something might happen to him. He was the one who picked him up and dropped him off, and if this happened halfway through the journey, he would be held responsible.

"Take me to a hotel." Lu Sibai's voice turned cold, and the driver had no choice but to help him to find a hotel.

On the way to the hotel, Lu Sibai attracted the attention of all passersby with his outstanding scent, and those who encountered him fled at the mere mention of his name.

If he hadn't paid so much, the hotel almost wouldn't have let him in, because the other guests protested on the spot.

Lu Sibai had the driver buy him a scarf to cover his face, then hurriedly hid in the hotel and rushed into the bathroom.

He was washed several times from head to toe, wincing in pain as he washed. His body was covered in injuries; the bruises weren't too serious, but they were painful to touch.

The worst part was his nose. He carefully washed the blood off his face with some warm water. When he saw his crooked nose in the mirror, Lu Sibai's face contorted in rage.

Even though his nose hurt terribly, he still endured the pain and brushed his teeth for a long time. He was still brushing his teeth when Qin Shen came over.

He had the driver contact Qin Shen using his phone, betting that Qin Shen would come over if he heard he was in trouble.

Of course, the driver wasn't allowed to say anything about being thrown into the trash can.

Since the recording incident, Lu Sibai has become much more cautious about details. He booked an extra room and moved to another one after taking a shower.

So when Qin Shen arrived, he was only concerned with the shock and heartache over Lu Sibai's badly beaten face, and he didn't experience the stench bomb attack, so he didn't know that the person who rushed into his arms had just crawled out of the garbage heap.

"What...what's wrong with you?"

Qin Shen cupped his face in his hands, looking incredulous: "Who did this to you? I'll take you to see a doctor first."

“Ah Shen…”

Lu Sibai's eyes were filled with tears, and she sobbed. She accidentally pulled on her injured nose, and the pain almost made her lose her composure.

"Please help me, I'm so scared, so scared... Waaaaah, Ah Shen, what should I do..."

"Tell me what exactly happened."

Qin Shen was both anxious and angry: "Who bullied you? I'll avenge you!"

"Yes, yes... Waaah, I can't say..."

Qin Shen's forehead veins throbbed: "Why can't I say? I want to see who's so lawless."

Lu Sibai bit her lip and said painfully, "I deserve all of this. I just can't bear to part with you. I... I want to see you one more time. Even if we never see each other again, I will always remember you."

"Can't see you? What do you mean?"

Lu Sibai remained silent, his face filled with conflict and despair.

Qin Shen was heartbroken: "Tell me, don't you believe me?"

"I believe you, how could I not believe you, it's just..."

Lu Sibai blinked, a tear sliding down her cheek: "I'm just afraid that once you know the truth, you'll... you'll abandon me..."

Qin Shen was about to assure her that he would never abandon her when he suddenly remembered the bright green hat she had worn before, and he stopped in his tracks.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "As long as you don't have any ambiguous relationships with other men, and you don't find another sworn brother, I won't abandon you."

This hesitation immediately made his words seem less confident and credible.

Lu Sibai was waiting for him to make a statement, but what he got was this, and he almost fainted from choking.

How could you think of me like that?

Lu Sibai sobbed, "I've already apologized to you and been punished, so why won't you let me go? We grew up together, have you forgotten everything? Why do you have to hurt me like this? What are you doing here? Why do you still care about my affairs and who bullies me..."

He cried terribly. At first, it was an act, but later it aggravated the injuries on his nose and face, and the pain made him cry uncontrollably.

Qin Shen was alarmed by his crying, but to be honest, Lu Sibai looked really ugly crying with his bruised and swollen face and crooked nose.

Qin Shen was the only one who truly cared for him; otherwise, most people would have turned their backs on him long ago.

He coaxed Lu Sibai for a long time before he finally stopped her tears.

Lu Sibai sobbed, "Didn't you want to know? I'll tell you, anyway, I'm even less worthy of you in the future, so let's just consider this our last meeting."

“I am not the biological son of the Lu family. I was switched at birth. The one who hit me today is the real young master of the Lu family.”

Qin Shen: "...?"