Chapter 9! Ding! The cunning rabbit is online. ...
The light from inside the house behind me shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto a familiar eyeglass chain.
I slowly approached someone in the dim light.
She wore a jade-colored long robe with bamboo leaves embroidered diagonally on the chest, and a lock of long hair tied with a matching silk ribbon on her shoulder.
"Brother?" Luo Yunqing strode over to greet him. "He..."
He glanced back at Teng Zaiye, who had already fallen silent.
No matter how much I planned, I never expected that this pink-haired guy would actually be the young master of the Teng family. Does that mean everything that happened at the auction house last time was exposed?
He leaned close to Jiang Ziyu and whispered, "He came specifically to find me, to settle accounts?"
“He wouldn’t dare.” Jiang Ziyu raised an eyebrow.
The person opposite immediately lowered their hands from their hips.
Something's not right here.
Luo Yunqing finally remembered the word "dog" that he had previously ignored.
Even a group led by Liu Yaoqing treated this pink-haired guy with utmost respect. Not only did Brother Xiaoyu scold him to his face, but he didn't get angry at all. In fact, he seemed a little afraid of his brother.
A probing gaze swept back and forth between the two, and Luo Yunqing suddenly realized something.
Her waist straightened up a bit as a result.
For the first time in days, he showed a relaxed and radiant smile, then turned and asked, "Brother, what brings you here?"
"It's because I'm worried about you." Teng Zaiye moved closer without making a sound, and before Jiang Ziyu could look over, he quickly stepped to the other side and secretly hooked his little finger with Jiang's. "Little Yu's worries were indeed not without reason. You don't know, if I hadn't arrived in time, Fatty Liu's hand would have reached out to... Ouch!"
My foot was stepped on hard.
Teng Zaiye grimaced in pain, pointing at the person and accusing, "Luo Yunqing, do you have no heart! I even saved you!"
"If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!" Luo Yunqing glared at him fiercely, but dared not look at Jiang Ziyu again. "Brother, I..."
"Hey! I told you before, there's a lot going on in wealthy families." Even if Teng Zaiye hadn't finished speaking, Jiang Ziyu had pretty much guessed what was going on.
None of these wealthy people are not shrewd and calculating, and none of them would do a losing business.
Recognizing him would definitely be profitable.
The wailing and howling in his ears annoyed Jiang Ziyu, so he pulled the person aside and asked, "What are your plans now? And who is the Song family going to give you to when you said you were getting married? Luo Luo, you've been smart since you were little, and you should understand now that they just treat you as an item that can be given away at will. Don't, don't let your so-called blood ties hold you back."
The limbs, which had cooled and hardened, gradually warmed up.
Luo Yunqing raised her hand and touched his unconsciously furrowed brow. "Brother, you're still so loving and worrying. Don't worry, I understand what you're saying. As for marriage, the person I marry will naturally be the one I love."
Jiang Ziyu's pupils contracted slightly. She was far more shocked than when he told her he was getting married: "You have someone you like?"
Luo Yunqing nodded emphatically.
"What? What are you two whispering about? Let me hear too." Teng Zaiye put his hand on his ear and shamelessly leaned in.
Jiang Ziyu pushed it away in disgust.
"Little Yuyu, don't be so formal. We're all family."
"Who's family to you?"
He pushed him two or three times. Teng Zaiye immediately grabbed him, wrapped his arms around his waist, and rested his chin on his shoulder, calling him "Little Yu Yu" and "Brother Yu".
Jiang Ziyu felt a wave of disgust wash over him, and with a long finger, she pinched his pouting lips. "Someone's coming. Behave yourself."
It was the Song family's nanny who arrived.
The banquet was about to begin, and Lin Wenting sent someone to summon him.
Luo Yunqing should probably head back soon.
Before leaving, he gave Teng Zaiye a strange look, then his gaze fell on Teng Zaiye's arms holding Jiang Ziyu, and he suddenly said, "Don't take the 10 a.m. flight on October 17th."
Teng Zaiye: ? ? ?
…………
Back in the banquet hall.
As soon as I walked up to Lin Wenting, the lights in the hall gradually dimmed, leaving only a beam of light shining on the entrance to the second-floor staircase.
Song Xuechen wasn't wearing the suit specially made for him by the Song family. Instead, he wore a silk shirt with ruffled sleeves, the top two buttons undone, just enough to show off the cornflower blue sapphire necklace, which was known as the "Mermaid's Tears."
Her slightly wavy hair was specially dyed light gold, her cheeks were rosy, and her captivating peach blossom eyes blinked, making her look just like a naive and innocent little prince in a fairy tale castle.
The little prince slowly walked downstairs and obediently came to Song Jingguo and his wife, sweetly calling them "Daddy and Mommy." He didn't forget to glance smugly at Luo Yunqing, who was standing in the shadows behind Lin Wenting.
So what if he's my own son?
His parents love him the most!
He heard Song Jingguo's opening remarks: "Welcome everyone to my son Xiaoxue's eighteenth birthday banquet."
Turning eighteen is a coming-of-age ceremony, and the significance of this milestone is self-evident.
This one sentence made everyone present realize that what the Song family valued most was the son they had raised by their side for many years.
Lin Wenting seemed to realize that this was not seventeen, nor nineteen, but the crucial eighteenth year of her life.
Amid the cheers, she turned her head and said, "Aqing... Mom will throw another one for you in a few days."
Song Xuechen's birthday party kept her so busy that she completely forgot how important eighteen years old is to a person.
Luo Yunqing looked at her quietly without saying a word.
"Ah Qing!" Lin Wenting suddenly panicked.
Just as he was about to reach out, Song Xuechen stopped him abruptly with a cry of "Mom."
"Mom, Xiaoxue bumped her hand upstairs." Song Xuechen lowered her eyes, slightly raised her forearm to reveal the bruise on the back of her hand, and asked in a sweet voice, "Can Xiaoqing go for me at the opening ceremony this year?"
Song Xuechen has been playing the piano since elementary school, and she would play a solo piece as the opening act at her birthday banquet every year. This year was no exception, and the piano was moved to the center of the banquet hall early on.
To everyone's surprise, he injured his hand at this time.
"How did you get hurt like this?!" Lin Wenting immediately became extremely anxious. "Mom, call the doctor."
“No need, Mom, it’s just a minor injury, but the piano…” Song Xuechen tilted her head, grinned at the person behind her, and called out, “Xiao Qing, go for me!”
His voice was already sharp, and when he raised it upwards as if he had turned on a loudspeaker, it immediately attracted a lot of attention.
However, I seem to be completely unaware of this.
Seeing that he didn't speak, she slumped her head. "Xiaoqing doesn't want to? Ah! I forgot. Xiaoqing has been in the orphanage all her life and has never touched a piano. I'm sorry, Xiaoqing."
"Tsk tsk tsk, what a green tea. He's deliberately trying to cause trouble for your brother." Teng Zaiye, hidden in the crowd, crossed his arms and asked the person next to him, "What do we do now? Should we just take your brother away?"
"Why did you leave?" Jiang Ziyu walked casually to the dining table, picked up a glass of red wine, and glanced at the distance. "He underestimated Luo Luo too much."
"Your brother can play the piano too?" Teng Zaiye followed over and hurriedly replaced the wine in his hand with juice.
Before Jiang Ziyu could answer, Luo Yunqing stepped out of the darkness.
He took off his coat, loosened the top button of his shirt, ran his fingers through his hair and smoothed it back, letting out a barely audible laugh: "Since Brother Xiaoxue has said so, then I shall respectfully comply. I will play a piece to wish you, Brother, that every year, every day, may you be as happy as you are today."
He spoke very slowly, enunciating each word exceptionally clearly, enough for everyone in the room to hear.
After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves, walked to the center of the banquet hall, pulled out a chair, and gracefully sat down.
All eyes turned to the piano, and the stingy beam of light shifted away from Song Xuechen, with the light source and gaze now focused on the piano.
Luo Yunqing first pressed a few simple keys to familiarize herself with the tone.
Some people already realized that this was definitely not a novice.
Even Song Xuechen felt a sudden surge of regret, which compelled him to quickly tell someone to stop.
Why is everyone watching Luo Yunqing?
Today is his birthday!
Why don't you look at him?!
"Stop, stop now..."
The hand, which had been resting lightly on the black and white piano keys, pressed down hard, like fireworks that exploded one after another as they rose into the sky.
The originally gentle and joyful atmosphere at the banquet was instantly enveloped by this overwhelming murderous aura, making one's soul tremble and scream, and making one's blood boil again and again, unable to stop.
"Symphony of Destiny?"
"Listen carefully, but it doesn't quite sound like it. He... added a variation himself!"
"Who plays this at their birthday party?"
A crowd gathered around, some praising, others expressing dissatisfaction.
Luo Yunqing ignored him and sped up the pace again and again until all that could be seen were afterimages leaping rapidly across the piano keys.
"I was wondering why you were so calm." Teng Zaiye stared blankly for a while, then put his hand on Teng Zaiye's shoulder, "So your brother is even better at the piano than you."
Jiang Ziyu glanced at his shoulder indifferently and said, "The orphanage has a music classroom, and the director teaches us whenever he has time."
She brought the juice to her lips, then looked at the thin boy under the spotlight. His black hair grew to the back of his neck, parted and spread out on both sides by his prominent spine.
The shirt was made of a slightly thin material, and a slender waist was clearly visible under the strong light. Her right arm was wrapped in layers of gauze, presumably because it was difficult to operate with one hand, and the knot was somehow tied in a tight knot.
If he hadn't taken off his suit, he wouldn't have been able to see him, let alone know that the Song family looked down on him to such an extent!
"Zheng—"
A long, resounding note followed.
The performance has ended.
Someone clapped three times first, and soon thunderous applause filled the banquet hall until the lights came back on.
The audience cheered.
"This is the son that the Song family just found."
"I had heard that he grew up in an orphanage and thought he couldn't do anything, but I didn't expect him to play the piano so well."
"I feel like I could run five or six laps right now."
"That's so exciting!"
The focus of the conversation has completely shifted.
Apart from a few people who were on good terms with Song Xuechen, everyone else gathered around Luo Yunqing, and for a moment they didn't know who the real protagonist of this birthday party was.
"Tch! What's so great about her? She's just benefiting from Xiaoxue's fame."
"Yes, if Xiaoxue hadn't injured her hand, he wouldn't have been involved."
As soon as he finished speaking, a gasp of surprise rang out.
Finally, someone noticed the gauze on Luo Yunqing's hand.
"Oh my god! You're hurt!"
"Oh! I remember now. Before he was recognized and returned to the Song family, he took three knife wounds to save Madam Song."
"It's terrifying to think about. It must have hurt a lot back then."
"Why would you need to play the piano when you're so badly injured?"
...
Every word he spoke felt like a slap across Song Xuechen's face.
Finally, unable to resist, he turned and ran out of the banquet hall.
"Xiaoxue?"
Song Moyan was following his father.
He glanced at the person leaving and was about to chase after them.
“Ayan.”
"Father, Xiaoxue ran away crying, I'm going to see her."
"What are you looking at? You know his personality, he's always been spoiled," Song Jingguo said nonchalantly, pulling him along as he continued chatting and laughing with his business partners.
Lin Wenting was also surrounded by other ladies, all praising her for having given birth to a good son.
Only a few scattered individuals chased after them.
They chased him all the way to the poolside.
Song Xuechen leaned over a bench on the shore and burst into tears.
"Xiaoxue, don't cry."
"It's your birthday today, cheer up."
"It all comes down to that guy surnamed Luo! He knew it was your birthday and still stole the spotlight by playing that kind of tune."
"Why isn't Pei Hengzhi here at a time like this? If he were here..."
“I called him before the banquet started!” Song Xuechen sobbed, her cries growing louder with each sob, “He didn’t answer!”
"Why wouldn't Pei Hengzhi answer? Was he delayed on the way?"
"How should I know!"
Song Xuechen was both angry and furious.
Clutching the gemstone necklace around her neck and biting her lip hard, she saw Luo Yunqing and two strange men emerge from the banquet hall.
…………
"You're something else, Luo Yunqing." Teng Zaiye had noticed this the day they first met; this guy had plenty of strength and skill. "Your brother's really worrying for nothing, making this special trip... ugh!"
My stomach was suddenly hit hard.
Jiang Ziyu calmly withdrew her hand, adjusted her glasses, and took out a debit card from her pocket. "Actually, before coming here, I went back to the orphanage. This is what my mother-in-law told me to make sure to give to you."
Luo Yunqing did not answer.
Jiang Ziyu then explained, "It's not the one you gave to Grandma. It's another one she gave you to celebrate your 18th birthday. She also asked me to tell you that everything is fine at the orphanage."
"It's a token of my appreciation from your mother-in-law, please accept it." Jiang Ziyu grabbed his hand and handed it to him, while also retying the unsightly gauze on his arm. "If you need anything in the future, come to me. If I can help, I'll do my best to help you."
Luo Yunqing clutched the thin card tightly, her eyes lowered. "Thank you, brother."
"Don't talk nonsense." Jiang Ziyu flicked her finger on his forehead, then pulled Teng Zaiye over. "Let's go. Take good care of yourself from now on, and... happy birthday."
As Teng Zaiye was being dragged away, he didn't forget to shout back at the top of his lungs, "Remember this, there's a share of mine in there too. Don't say I came empty-handed... Ouch! Little Yuyu, are you trying to murder your husband?"
Shut up!
"I won't close it, I won't close it, not only will I not close it, I'm going to kiss it... Ouch! It hurts, it hurts, quick, quick let go, my ear is going to fall off."
"It's best if it falls."
…………
The two argued all the way to the garage.
Just as Jiang Ziyu was about to get into the car, a seven-seater Maybach drove into the Song family's house.
Teng Zaiye tilted his head: "That car..."
"What? You know him?" Jiang Ziyu followed his gaze.
After the car came to a stop, a young man got out first and went straight to the trunk to take out a folding wheelchair.
As he opened the door, two more bodyguards dressed in identical black suits came down, each nearly two meters tall, and each wearing a conspicuous white headset behind their ears.
He stepped out of the car, turned around, and helped the boss, who had difficulty walking, out of the car, and laboriously carried him to the wheelchair that had been laid out.
With legs like this, you still came to celebrate the Song family's young master's birthday?
Could it be that young master's reinforcements?
Teng Zaiye: "Isn't this Lao Pei!"
Jiang Ziyu turned her head in shock: "You know him?"
Teng Zaiye nodded and led him over to greet them, "Chen Zhao, Lao Pei!"
“Young Master Teng.” Chen Zhao turned his head and noticed the person next to him first—the auctioneer who had spoken eloquently on the stage at the auction that day.
What are you doing here?
Teng Zaiye tilted his head to block his view.
Chen Zhao immediately withdrew his gaze and said, "The boss has come to annul the engagement."
"Call off the engagement!"
Teng Zaiye's eyes lit up.
He really made the right choice coming today; he managed to stumble upon all sorts of exciting scenes.
"How can we not join in this fun? Let's go!"
“Young Master Teng…”
He had just taken a step out when someone pulled him back.
Jiang Ziyu gritted her teeth and muttered under her breath, "They came to break off the engagement, why are you meddling? Isn't today chaotic enough already?"
“I’m not doing anything.” Teng Zaiye lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, “Don’t you want to see what kind of joke the Song family will make today? Anyway, we don’t have to work tomorrow, so let’s just treat it as watching a movie. I have a feeling it will be even more exciting than a movie.”
Jiang Ziyu wanted to say something more, but his hand was grabbed by five fingers and pulled back the way he came.
"Speaking of which," Chen Zhao pushed the wheelchair forward, asking curiously, "What brings Young Master Teng here this time?"
He didn't have much of a relationship with the Song family, so there was no need for him to come.
"Accompany my little Yu Yu... Ouch!" Teng Zaiye quickly stopped when his lower back was pinched hard, and took a deep breath: "Come on, come listen to a solo concert."
Chen Zhao: ? ? ?
"But you guys are something else." Teng Zaiye casually gripped the hand on his waist and gave it a couple of squeezes. "Why are you so late? The birthday party has been going on for ages."
Chen Zhao's gaze immediately drifted away.
Jiang Ziyu finally heard the man in the wheelchair speak, and first sighed helplessly: "Just finished the examination, brain."
Teng Zaiye: "Brain? Didn't you injure your leg?"
“You’ll have to ask Chen Zhao about that.” Pei Yanli chuckled briefly, also wanting to know, “Why did you put me in the neurology department?”
Chen Zhao laughed twice, feeling guilty.
Seeing four or five people gathered by the pool outside the banquet hall, he raised his chin and changed the subject: "What are they doing there?"
Everyone's gaze fell upon that direction.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, one of the black-haired boys in a shirt fell into the pool with a splash.
"Xiao Luo!"
Jiang Ziyu was greatly alarmed.
He hurriedly pushed aside Teng Zaiye, who was blocking his way, and staggered over, about to jump inside.
"Are you crazy! Don't you know you can't swim?!" Teng Zaiye stopped him.
Jiang Ziyu's face turned deathly pale: "Xiao Luo doesn't know either."
"Chen Zhao".
"Okay, boss."
Chen Zhao locked the wheelchair safety lock, took out his phone, jumped into the water, and swam towards the boy who was splashing around in the pool.
He hooked the person's chin and lifted them out of the water: "Take a slow breath, don't rush. We'll be on shore soon, don't be afraid."
"Th-thank you."
Is he a stutterer?
Without much thought, Chen Zhao quickly led the group ashore.
The moment she emerged from the water, Luo Yunqing reached out and precisely grabbed the wheelchair on the shore, panting heavily.
His soaked shirt clung to his waist and abdomen, and the gauze that Jiang Ziyu had tied for him had somehow come loose again. His black hair was sticky and water dripped from his face from time to time, and his cheeks were pale and bloodless.
His eyes were wet and extremely red after being soaked in water.
They just looked over there silently.
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