Your distance (3)

Duan Xingzhi's sensory fugue broke out in the early morning after the first day of the new year.

After spending a night socializing with the guests visiting the Duan residence, Lu Hengren fell into a deep sleep as soon as he touched the pillow. When he was woken up by the housekeeper, he almost thought he was still dreaming.

Lu Heng walked through the long corridor in the dark and arrived at Duan Xingzhi's room for the first time. It was large and empty, with all the decent things smashed and the floor covered with scratches.

Mr. Duan and the family doctor stood by the bed, their expressions grim. Lu Heng took a quick glance and saw Duan Xingzhi lying on the bed, his eyes tightly closed, his hands and feet bound with restraints, breathing heavily.

"Lu Heng," Mr. Duan said sternly, "come here."

Lu Heng approached cautiously, knelt on one knee beside the bed, and held Duan Xingzhi's hanging hand.

He was almost thankful that Mr. Duan had handed him over to Duan Xingzhi so quickly, saving him so much trouble and entanglement. He looked up at Mr. Duan, but his face was as cold as ice. He bent down and patted his face twice, not lightly or heavily, with a warning: "Just help him, don't think about anything else."

"I understand, sir, don't worry." Lu Heng responded quickly.

He lowered his other knee and slumped over the bed, catching his breath. His back faced Mr. Duan and the doctor, shielding Duan Xingzhi's violently heaving chest.

Are they going to watch here too?

Is it going to be like this from now on?

Lu Heng shook Duan Xingzhi's hand, realizing with some sadness that this was a good deal. He was Duan Xingzhi's short-term antidote, in exchange for a new path in life and long-term freedom.

Duan Xingzhi suddenly pulled back his grip, tightly. Lu Heng practically screamed, sliding down uncontrollably.

The sentry's surging emotions made his whole body tremble and spasm. After a long time, he gasped for breath and raised his head to look at the face of the doctor who was hurriedly bending over to check Duan Xingzhi's condition.

Lu Heng thus accepted his true role in the Duan family.

Mr. Duan never explicitly stated this; after all, his initial financial support to Lu Heng wasn't for this reason. But Lu Heng knew it. No matter how complex the group's business was, no matter how skilled Mr. Duan was at assigning people to positions, this building would eventually belong to his only son, meticulously nurtured by the finest tutors—although, as it stood now, this son was far from mature.

But how far away will that day be? Before that day finally arrives, how will Lu Heng stay safe?

It's all unknown.

The only thing I can do is to enjoy Mr. Duan’s gift, enjoy the hard-earned studies, work and life, and enjoy a decent life without having to sell my body to my sponsor.

However, Duan Xingzhi's reaction was far from pleasant; he was even quite unhappy.

Lu Heng went to see him the next day. Duan Xingzhi, lying in bed, had already regained consciousness, his brows furrowed and his lips tightly pursed. As soon as he saw Lu Heng come in, he barked, "Are you my father's dog? You listen to everything he says, but my words don't matter. Are you just going to watch me die here if he doesn't say anything?"

Lu Heng had long been aware of Duan Xingzhi's childishness. He smiled and said, "You are the dog." Duan Xingzhi immediately sat up and opened his mouth to curse.

"Isn't it?" Lu Heng showed an innocent expression, "I saw it all when I was counseling you yesterday."

Duan Xingzhi's spiritual body is an Alaskan dog. The young boy Duan Xingzhi is very upset about this. If the other party did not have basic common sense, he would probably lie and say it was a wolf.

"Oh, I saw something else." Looking at Duan Xingzhi's frozen face, Lu Heng's mood improved and he said slowly, "What did you see..."

Duan Xingzhi was so angry that his face turned red, and he seemed to have something to hide. He shouted in frustration: "Get out! Get out!"

Lu Heng hadn't actually seen anything, and even if she had, she had completely forgotten it. She casually said a few words, and Duan Xingzhi actually fell for it. He immediately felt better, and walked slowly to the door, turning back and saying, "I won't tell your dad."

"Get lost!" Duan Xingzhi responded to him.

In this regard, serving Xiao Duan is less inhumane than serving Lao Duan.

Before school started, Lu Heng counseled Duan Xingzhi several times. Each time, she tentatively got Mr. Duan's permission before going to find Duan Xingzhi.

The latter had become much more obedient since he tricked her that time, sitting by the bed with a gloomy face, waiting for him. Lu Heng always started by using the smooth tone that made Duan Xingzhi hate him the most, saying the things that he hated the most.

"Be careful with your mental barrier," "If you're not nice to me, I'll tell your dad everything I see," "I'm not angry, why are you angry?"

However, his advantage in talking was short-lived, as Duan Xingzhi soon discovered a way to suppress Lu Heng. Initially, he argued back, but when he realized it wasn't working, he simply stared at Lu Heng with a cold face, patiently waiting for the moment when he could finish his counseling.

I don’t know why, but after helping Duan Xingzhi with his counseling, Lu Heng always feels particularly comfortable, as if he had drunk a little wine, unloaded all his burdens, and was floating in the air.

He spoke uncontrollably, and when he looked up at Duan Xingzhi, the latter's gloomy face finally relaxed a little. He half-grasped his neck with his hands and looked into Lu Heng's slightly red and moist eyes.

Duan Xingzhi was fascinated by this brief, soft moment.

"What did you call me?" Duan Xingzhi said.

"Mr. Duan, Duan Xingzhi." At the beginning, Lu Heng always said this, with a long voice like a fox.

"You're wrong!" Duan Xingzhi suppressed his anger, "Think about it again!"

Lu Heng tilted her head, thought for a moment, squinted her eyes, and then, as if rewarding him, she put her face against his hand and said in a sticky voice, "Master."

"What else?"

"Xingzhi."

"that's all?"

"……elder brother."

"besides."

“…”

Duan Xingzhi tried many times, but this last word was the only one Lu Heng refused to say. Every time she reached this point, her expression, which had just recovered, would darken again, and she would tell him to get out like a child.

Around the day after he said "get out" for the third time, Lu Heng actually got back to school to attend classes.

Duan Xingzhi was not aware of the regular undergraduate curriculum and thought Lu Heng was going to rebel against him. He was so angry that he rushed into Lu Heng's room, smashed his things, and angrily called him an ungrateful person. He only stopped when the housekeeper reminded him.

Afterwards, he secretly bought the things back in the same condition they were.

However, Lu Heng was unaware of the situation. It had originally belonged to the Duan residence, and he had no interest in or need of it. The only thing he knew was that one day, not long after, an unfamiliar call came through his communicator. He cautiously picked it up, and the message contained only three words: "Get down."

She rolled out in her pajamas. The Duan family's car was parked downstairs of the dormitory. Lu Heng opened the car door and leaned in, saying, "What else can you say besides roll away?" But before she could finish her words, Duan Xingzhi pulled her into the car and knelt heavily on the seat.

Even my glasses almost fell off.

The young master had an unusually bad temper, and he couldn't wait for Lu Heng to return to the Duan family once a week before personally coming to the school to arrest someone. I found it quite ingenious to have Lu Heng do the counseling in the car, especially the way Lu Heng shivered and frantically closed the windows. Even though I knew he was faking it, I still found it endearing and pitiful.

He clearly wanted the whole world to know that he was the one favored by the Duan family.

Duan Xingzhi found himself as high as a drunk, and he had completely forgotten Lu Heng's threat to tell his father about his erotic dream.

The guide's identity was too cunning, Duan Xingzhi thought, very unfair.

I haven't even gotten into Lu Heng's heart yet.

As soon as Lu Heng's hazy eyes regained some focus, the first thing she said was, "You came to see me, does your dad know?"

The volume is just right for the driver in the front seat to hear.

"I'm a sentry, my dad is a sentry?" Duan Xingzhi's forehead veins throbbed, and his determination to be gentle with Lu Heng disappeared in an instant. "I will come here every day and every month in the future. You just wait for me obediently!"

Lu Heng didn't say anything. He always looked at Duan Xingzhi as if he was looking at a child. At first, he would wonder if he was so easily angered because he lacked love. But because Duan Xingzhi got angry so much and so frequently, he soon got used to him getting angry for no reason.

Mention what happened to his father? Work left a trace.

Duan Xingzhi saw that he had no intention of trying to please him, and his face became even more tense. Lu Heng, knowing what was going on, slipped away, covering her face with her pajamas.

No matter how angry you are, you still have to come to see Lu Heng as usual.

He just angrily and coldly let him feel his anger, and feel how he could easily decide his life and death. His studies, his work, his secrets, and everything he had depended on his hands that were guiding him. He should be nervous and cautious.

Even after it was over, she didn't force him to call her brother.

Lu Heng, however, was already able to handle Duan Xingzhi's excessively anxious emotions with ease. With his natural talent for learning anything, he quickly became a skilled guide. He finished his movements, seemingly noticing Duan Xingzhi's recent gloom.

Duan Xingzhi found that he was looking at him and was delighted, but he continued to keep a straight face without showing any emotion.

"What's wrong?" Lu Heng tilted his head, his slightly loose temples shaking, revealing his slightly tired eyes. "Did your dad scold you?"

How could it be because of such a childish reason!

Duan Xingzhi was filled with rage and glared at Lu Heng fiercely. Seeing Lu Heng's mischievous smile, he knew that this fox had bad intentions and was treating him like a child.

"If one day I have a conflict with my father," he said coldly, "who will you help?"

Duan Xingzhi didn't seem to realize the position he had placed Lu Heng in, allowing her to make such a weighty decision. He stared at Lu Heng without blinking.

Lu Heng blinked. "What? Are you asking this question now? I thought I could delay it a little longer."

"Just tell me whether it's me or him!" Duan Xingzhi suddenly became very impatient.

Lu Heng smiled and climbed onto his hand again, interlocking their fingers from elbow to wrist, leaning forward a little. Two buttons of her shirt were unbuttoned, emitting a faint scent of perfume, a scent familiar to Duan Xingzhi. It blended with the guide's essence, with a rich top note and a cool finish, lingering in his heart.

He was annoyed that he had been distracted by it again.

"Of course," Lu Heng smiled brightly, "It depends on your performance."

-

Duan Xingzhi often felt that he could not understand what Lu Heng was thinking or doing.

After entering his junior year, Lu Heng's academic and work workload intensified, his day-to-night routine upended, and he even managed to find time for socializing. This routine kept exhausting him. When Duan Xingzhi drove to the office to pick him up and took him back to school, he'd always see a ghostly figure standing at the basement elevator door, tumbling straight in as soon as the door opened.

As for why Duan Xingzhi condescended to pick him up, forget about it.

In the interval between traffic lights, Duan Xingzhi turned his head to glance at Lu Heng's face as she quickly fell asleep. From his angle, he could just see Lu Heng's straight and soft nose bridge and bluish lower eyelids.

Although it was indeed difficult for her to stay by his side, wasn't Lu Heng trying too hard? Duan Xingzhi secretly complained.

After all, if Lu Heng was very tired, he would feel a little pity for her, and if Lu Heng could speak softly and kindly to her, he would be less angry, which would be good for both him and Lu Heng.

But Lu Heng just smiled and helped him to relieve his stress, then quickly fell asleep in his car. Sometimes she didn't even do any of the comforting and just fell asleep.

What on earth is Lu Heng thinking about?

Duan Xingzhi felt that he had paved a perfect shortcut for Lu Heng. Lu Heng only needed to take one step and she would slide into Duan Xingzhi's arms at the end. But Lu Heng didn't even take that step, choosing instead to sleep next to him.

How sleepy must one be to be so stupid.

Duan Xingzhi slammed on the brakes and reached down to pat Lu Heng's face. Lu Heng was a light sleeper, waking up instantly when he was touched. He straightened up, propping himself up on the seat with his hands: "Are we there yet?"

"We're here." Duan Xingzhi stared at him for a moment. "Do you think I'm your driver?"

"That's not the case." Lu Heng remained calm, reaching out to straighten his glasses, which had become tilted from sleeping. Duan Xingzhi was disgusted by his little action, and he made a loud "tsk" sound and said in a gruff voice, "Get out of the car!"

Lu Heng was about to leave without any regrets, just like before. Duan Xingzhi felt an irritation rising up in his head again. He suddenly wanted to smash something.

"Oh, right—" Lu Heng turned around and happened to see Duan Xingzhi's face, which was so angry that he gritted his teeth. He was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered and raised an eyebrow, "What's that expression on your face?"

"If you have something to say, say it quickly!" Duan Xingzhi tried hard not to yell at him.

Lu Heng then leaned in through the car window, folded her hands naturally together, and rested them on the edge of the window, tilting her head to one side. It was hard to tell if she was just tired or deliberately acting coquettishly: "I'm sorry, I've been very tired recently, so I didn't help you with the counseling."

Duan Xingzhi snorted coldly, "You still know how to say sorry? You've prospered using my family's money and connections. It's your duty to serve me well!"

Lu Heng wasn't hurt by the sharp words and continued, "I'm free next weekend and I'm going to visit Mr. Duan. Will you be home? Come find me then."

Fine. It wasn't like Duan Xingzhi couldn't make an exception for Lu Heng's promise once in a while, but he could still take him on for a week without any chance of success.

Moreover, before this, I always asked Lu Heng to come whenever I called, and Lu Heng never took the initiative once.

Is it a date if we arrange a time to meet in advance? Yes.

"Come or not," Duan Xingzhi said, "I'm leaving now. Get out of here."