Chapter 44

After school in the afternoon, Lu Qi walked out of the junior high school gate alone.

Because it was Friday, there was no evening study. It was Lu Qi's turn to be on duty that day, and it was already 6:00 when she left the school gate. Remembering that her father was at her brother's school for a parent-teacher conference, she decided to make dinner when she got home.

There were not many people on the road. Lu Qi walked out of the gate and just turned the corner when he saw a man slowly walking out from under the shade of a tree.

A shadow fell over his shoulders, gradually receding as he moved, revealing the man's face.

As soon as Lu Qi saw the face clearly, he started to run.

The man seemed to be prepared. He clamped Lu Qi's arm with one hand like an iron clamp and asked quickly, "Is Xie Qinghe back?!"

"What's it to you?!"

Lu Qi raised his voice and shouted, trying to attract passers-by. The owner of the nearby shop who was dozing off was woken up by the noise outside and peeked suspiciously from behind the counter.

"I'm your father, how can this not be my business?" the man said anxiously, squeezing Lu Qi's hand until it hurt. "Do you have any money on you? Xie Qinghe gave you some when he came back, didn't he? Xiaoqi, Daddy really needs it..."

When the man loosened his arms and tried to search Lu Qi's pockets, she broke free from his restraints like a fish, raised her schoolbag and smashed it into the man's face.

"Don't even think about causing trouble for my dad! If you dare to come and stop me again, I'll have my brother beat you up!"

After saying that, without waiting for his reaction, she ran towards the crowded place, and finally merged into the crowd and disappeared.

After returning home, Lu Qi locked the door, took a deep breath, his heart still pounding.

After a moment's pause, she picked up her fallen schoolbag, opened the refrigerator, found some vegetables and eggs, and went into the kitchen to prepare noodles.

As soon as the noodles were ready, Xie Qinghe and Lu Si came in one after the other. Lu Qi placed the noodles on the table and was about to call them to eat, but he saw that both of them looked unhappy. After entering the room, they said nothing and sat on the sofa, one far away and the other close.

"...What happened?" Lu Qi had a premonition that something happened at the parent-teacher meeting today.

It can't be a matter of grades, right? Hasn't her brother made rapid progress recently, even jumping into the top 20 in his grade?

Xie Qinghe was speechless for a moment, then took the initiative to talk about the topic. Unexpectedly, the first thing he said was shocking.

"Xiao Si, are you willing to give up the college entrance exam and study music abroad?"

Lu Qi opened his eyes wide in horror and subconsciously went to look for his brother.

What's going on? What is Dad talking about in his sleep?

Lu Si's face was slightly stiff, his head lowered slightly, his pupils half-hidden by his hair, dark and surging with unknown emotions.

Xie Qinghe didn't seem annoyed by his silent, confrontational attitude. His tone softened as he recounted the past: "When you were six, I brought you from your grandmother's house to the city and took you to the Children's Palace. That's when you immediately fell in love with guitar, and you studied for six years."

"I know you love music, but I don't have the conditions to support you. I just want you to study hard and take a more stable path. This is my failure as a parent."

"I know you're more talented in music, but if you really want to pursue a musical career, talent becomes the least important thing in this industry. Having talent alone is worse than having none at all."

Xie Qinghe's fingertips began to tremble as he unpacked his inner thoughts. He clenched his palms, raised his chin, and looked at Lu Si. His eyes held an unwavering sadness and a father's determination.

"There's an opportunity right now. Mr. Gu is willing to provide you with excellent conditions to support your music studies and plan a series of resources for your future debut, release, and promotion. As long as you follow the path he proposes, you can get anything you want."

Lu Si suddenly looked up at him, his dark and deep eyes flickering with a sarcastic and burning light.

"What are the conditions?"

He spoke indifferently, as if he was chewing something disgusting.

Xie Qinghe looked him straight in the eye and said, "Leave."

Xie Qinghe closed his eyes and said, "According to what Mr. Gu said, one of you and him must go abroad. It's either you or him."

Lu Qi immediately understood who this Mr. Gu was, who he was, and what was the source of the suffocating atmosphere at home today.

Lu Si straightened his back, staring at his father without blinking, his whole body shrouded in a gloomy and resolute mood.

"That's impossible." Lu Si paused for a moment, then said firmly, "I won't leave, nor will I accept anything from others."

"--impossible?"

Xie Qinghe's always gentle face was torn for a moment, "If I can't take other people's things, then can you fall in love early?"

"What did I teach you since you were little? Don't fall in love too early, don't fall in love too early, and yet you do this in your senior year of high school, and with an Alpha?"

Xie Qinghe's words completely touched upon the guilt that was deeply buried in Lu Si's heart. He was speechless for a moment, and like a child who had done something wrong, a look of helplessness and confusion appeared on his face.

But the confusion only lasted for a few moments, and Lu Si's face regained its composure. His voice was rational, not like that of an ordinary person, nor like that of an adolescent boy.

"I've thought about it and made up my mind. If you really know me, you should know that I'm serious."

Xie Qinghe choked for a moment, the corners of his lips curled up sarcastically, as if asking Lu Si, or also asking himself back then: "Lu Si, let me ask you, what are you taking seriously now? - Your studies, your youth, or your short life at the age of seventeen?"

Lu Si was unable to speak.

Xie Qinghe's face showed a hint of fatigue. "Your determination is ultimately no match for the determination of an adult who is determined to break you up."

He sighed softly, like a light mist that vanished in the blink of an eye. "If your determination doesn't die, and if it grows stronger, it will only turn into a sharper thorn, piercing you and those you care about."

After finishing work late at night, Gu Jianbo did not rest in the apartment near the company, but drove an hour back to the villa.

He knew someone was waiting for him.

I entered the password and entered the door. I fumbled for the light switch and just turned it on, I saw Gu Fang leaning against the wall on the second floor.

He was dressed in simple home clothes, and the warm light cast on his shoulders didn't seem to warm him. He didn't know how long he had been standing there leaning against the wall. When the light came on, she opened her tightly closed eyelids and glanced at him with an unclear expression.

"Dad." He called in a calm voice.

Gu Jianbo nodded, opened the refrigerator to find some ice water, poured himself a glass, then raised another glass and asked Gu Fang, "Or?"

Gu Fang came downstairs and joined him. The open kitchen counter was high enough for two people to stand and talk across the table. He didn't take the glass of water, but simply asked, "What are you doing in the second shift?"

Gu Jianbo smiled faintly: "What do you think?"

When Gu Fang came out of the studio today, the parent-teacher meeting had already ended. He received a message from Lu Si and learned that Gu Jianbo had gone to Class 2 to talk to Xie Qinghe.

"I asked Wen Chuji." Gu Fang said expressionlessly, "He said that you proposed some favorable conditions and hoped that Lu Si would go abroad."

This was the first time Lu Si's name appeared in the conversation between the two.

"Yes, that's what I said, and I plan to do it." Gu Jianbo was not surprised. He was the one who raised Gu Fang, and he understood his straightforwardness and euphemisms best. "If Lu Si doesn't want to, then you will be the one to leave."

Gu Fang's logic was always simple and clear. He fixed his eyes on Gu Jianbo's face and said slowly, "I don't understand."

Gu Jianbo took a few sips of ice water, his voice tinged with coldness. "Because, judging by various factors, you two can't last. Two As will eventually separate, not to mention that your family backgrounds are vastly different, and I don't want you to get hurt in the future."

He raised his hand slightly, as if he wanted to brush the loose hair on Gu Fang's forehead to his ears.

Gu Fang did not refuse and said quietly: "Even if I get hurt, that is my choice, I am willing."

He changed the subject and asked coldly, "Besides, how can you be so sure of my future? I believe that Lu Si and I can overcome the objective difficulties of AA. Besides, our family background—this is only a matter between Lu Si and me, and has nothing to do with our parents' families."

Gu Jianbo chuckled softly a few times, without refutation, and simply asked, "Fangfang, how can you be so sure that Lu Si is the only one?"

"You're only seventeen. You still have a long life ahead of you. Omega only occupies a few years of your life. You will live the rest of your life as an Alpha. Why should you use a few years or months of feelings to judge the rest of your life?"

"When you get out of this relationship, you'll find someone more suitable for you," he said meaningfully. "If a few years doesn't work, then decades will. You'll have another unforgettable relationship. That's more mature and longer-lasting."

Gu Fang's jawline tightened, his lips pursed tightly, "I just want this."

He repeated stubbornly, "I just want this. You can't make the choice for me, and you can't understand my feelings for Lu Si. I just want this - is this one request not even acceptable?"

“It’s not a question of whether it works or not.”

Gu Jianbo avoided his stubborn gaze and raised his eyebrows indifferently. "The problem now is that you need to calm down. You have been blinded by your inner stubbornness and short-term obsession."

"Calm down, calm down. When you regain your sanity, talk to me again."

Having said that, Gu Jianbo unilaterally refused to communicate with him, put down the cup, left the villa, and closed the door with a click.

Early the next morning, Saturday, Lu Si called Gu Fang again.

"Sorry, the user you dialed is out of service area..."

Lu Si put his fingertips to his lips, frowned and thought for a moment, then switched to WeChat to continue making calls and video calls, but still no one answered.

"elder brother……"

Lu Qi gently reminded, "The noodles are going to clump together."

Xie Qinghe went to work early in the morning, and Lu Si had no intention of making breakfast, so Lu Qi continued to cook noodles. She only knew how to cook noodles, and her cooking skills were inconsistent, sometimes salty, sometimes bland.

Lu Qi took a few more bites and found that there was really no salt, so he went to the kitchen to get the salt and soy sauce bottles and put them on the table. "Brother, it may not taste good, remember to add salt and soy sauce. Remember to go to school quickly after eating, you still have classes today."

Lu Si still didn't react. He took a few mouthfuls of noodles and then frowned to check his phone.

Lu Qi had to deliver flowers to Suyuan in the morning. She was carrying a shoulder bag and was about to leave when she suddenly came to the table and whispered, "Brother..."

"What?"

Lu Si suddenly raised his eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Qi wanted to talk about her encounter with Lu Jianye yesterday, but seeing her brother's expression, she swallowed the words back. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Are you and Gu Fang... okay?"

Lu Si paused, raised his hand and rubbed the top of her head, his voice as normal, as if nothing serious had happened.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Lu Qi continued in a low voice: "As long as we are determined."

A faint smile flashed across Lu Si's eyes, "Yes, as long as we are determined, everything will be fine."

In Class 7, Gu Fang's seat is vacant.

Lu Si asked Xie Ziyao who was standing by the window: "Why aren't you here?"

Xie Ziyao scratched his head: "I heard from Lao Wu that he asked for leave, and it seems that he asked for several days."

Lu Si lowered his eyebrows, his eyes were scattered and moving, he had some guesses but was not very surprised.

Arriving at Class 11 on the third floor, Lu Si found a classmate at the door and said, "Please call Le Jiayu."

The classmate poked his head in and called out, "Le Jiayu! Someone's looking for you!"

Students would occasionally pass by the corridor, chatting and laughing. Lu Si found a quiet spot and glanced at Le Jiayu. "Can you contact Gu Fang?"

Le Jiayu was a little confused: "What? You can't contact him? Didn't the susceptible period just pass..."

Lu Si briefly explained to him what happened at yesterday's parent-teacher meeting.

Le Jiayu was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped to the ground, and she stumbled over her words, "Mr. Gu, Mr. Gu, do you know about your relationship?"

Lu Si nodded calmly, one hand tucked into the pocket of his school uniform jacket, his eyelids lowered indifferently, "So I guess Fangfang is probably locked up at home now, and you're the only one who can go and see him."

"Okay." Le Jiayu nodded hurriedly, "I'll go after school this afternoon."

On Saturday afternoon, No. 12 Middle School was dismissed from school.

Le Jiayu first went to the top floor of the Houshan community, entered the password to enter, and found that there was no one there.

He sent a message to Lu Si, feeling a wave of anxiety in his heart. He hailed a taxi at the gate of the residential complex and, while in the car, sent Lu Si the address of the villa.

After about half an hour, we arrived at the gate of the villa community.

The security guard recognized Le Jiayu and let him in without trying to stop him.

The Gu family villa is located in a more remote corner, surrounded by bamboo forests. The green bamboos isolate the human voices and only the rustling of bamboos can be heard. The silence is eerie - this place was chosen because Gu Fang loves quietness.

Le Jiayu pressed the doorbell, and an aunt's voice came from the display screen at the door: "Who is it?"

He often came to the Gu family villa. He recognized Aunt Su's voice and coughed lightly, "Aunt Su, it's me, Xiaole. I'm here to look for Fangfang. Is he here?"

"Uh, it's Xiaole."

Aunt Su was obviously hesitant to speak, "You're looking for Xiaofang... Xiaofang, Xiaofang is not here. It seems like something happened in his hometown. He should be accompanying Mr. Gu back home."

Yue Jiayu called out sweetly, "Auntie Su, can I go to his room? I forgot to take my notebook when I lent it to him last time, and I need it urgently this weekend."

Aunt Su paused for a moment, "Uh, Xiao Fang is not here, we don't dare to go into his room, you can come another day."

Le Jiayu dragged out her voice: "I'm really, really anxious - Aunt Su, please let me in. I'll go look for it in the room. He won't blame me."

Aunt Su paused the conversation, seemingly discussing with someone else, and then said to Le Jiayu, "Xiao Fang's study materials and notes are all in the community behind the school. Xiao Le, go look for them there. They're not here at the villa."

Le Jiayu finally understood that no matter how he tried to persuade her, Aunt Su was determined not to let him in. So he stopped pestering her and said, "Okay, I'll go look over there."

Le Jiayu avoided the camera at the door and walked around the villa.

He was sure that Gu Fang was definitely being held captive in this villa.

Le Jiayu spun around like a headless chicken, turning several times but finding no window to crawl through. Dejected, he squatted down by the bamboo forest, pulled out his phone, and was about to text Lu Si when a white object suddenly shone into his field of vision from above.

Le Jiayu thought she was dazzled and looked up.

I saw that the white thing was actually a rope tied with several bed sheets, tied very tightly and hanging from the windowsill on the second floor.

Le Jiayu was stunned and stood up.

Gu Fang suddenly appeared at the window, climbed over the windowsill, and tried to pull the rope.

"Gu——"

Le Jiayu was about to scream in fear when Gu Fang suddenly dropped a pen and hit him on the forehead with a precise blow. Le Jiayu groaned in grievance and covered his forehead. The blow finally sobered him up, and he realized that Gu Fang was not trying to jump off the building, but to escape.

Expensive bed sheets have their advantages. At least the quality is indeed high-quality and can easily bear Gu Fang's weight.

Le Jiayu's full name was terrified.

The villa was built in a simple style, with occasional gaps between the blue bricks and gray tiles. Gu Fang slowly slid down through the gaps. Le Jiayu hadn't noticed when she saw him competing on the horizontal bar at the sports meet, but now, she couldn't help but wonder what Gu Fang had been eating to grow up. His arm strength was truly astonishing.

Everything was going smoothly originally, but the villa had been built for a long time and moss had grown on many parts of the wall.

When he was about one meter away from the ground, Gu Fang's feet suddenly slipped, and Le Jiayu immediately screamed "Let go, let go!" As soon as he said the word "let go", Gu Fang dropped the rope and jumped straight to the ground, rushing to Le Jiayu's side, and covering his mouth that was unable to keep the door closed.

"Le Jiayu, I really thank you and your family."

Gu Fang lowered his voice, covered his mouth, and threatened him with his eyes not to shout again.

Le Jiayu nodded hurriedly, and Gu relaxed his mouth. Le Jiayu looked down and said in a hoarse voice: "Let go, your knee -"

When Gu Fang jumped down, his knees hit the ground and the surface of his pants was covered with green mud. It was obvious that his skin was broken.

"It's okay, just a minor injury." Gu Fang put his arm on his shoulder for support. "Let's go, they haven't noticed yet."

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