Chapter 2 A Different Life
Liao Feng has been dreaming these days, and he keeps dreaming of the person he had a one-night stand with. He can't see the face clearly, but he can hear the person's moans in his ears.
Especially when he saw that the images of Ruan Xingfeng were clearer, he intensified his search, hoping to find that person as soon as possible, but there was no result.
When it comes time to pay tuition, the atmosphere at home becomes gloomy, as if it is weighed down by a thick dark cloud.
At the dinner table, my parents' voices were filled with their usual fussiness, honed by life, as they repeatedly calculated every expense.
Ruan Xingfeng and his sister were both studying, he at a local university and his sister in a faraway foreign country. The two high tuition fees added up like two heavy mountains pressing on the back of this not-so-well-off family.
The calculator tapped coldly, and the pages were covered with traces of anxiety. Finally, a cruel and realistic "solution" was proposed: one of the two children must make a sacrifice and temporarily drop out of school.
"Drop off? Whose drop out?" Ruan Xingfeng suddenly raised his head. The suppressed irritability and frustration of fruitless search in his chest were instantly ignited by these words and exploded into a rage.
He put down his chopsticks with a thud, his voice rising slightly with excitement. "Who was it that promised us back then that as long as we were willing to study and could pass the exam, he would sell everything he had to support us? And now, with just a few words, you're asking us to give up on one of them?"
He scanned his father's furrowed brow and his mother's averted gaze with a burning gaze. "My sister is studying abroad, working part-time. She barely asks for anything from home except tuition. I'm in China, spending all my spare time working. Living expenses, miscellaneous expenses—which one haven't we earned ourselves? We haven't added any extra burden to you, and now you're going to regret even this final tuition payment?"
The air grew even quieter, and the parents' faces were filled with embarrassment, helplessness, and a hint of anger at being contradicted.
My father's Adam's apple rolled, and he wanted to say something, but in the end he just sighed heavily, and the ashtray was filled with crushed cigarette butts.
The mother's fingers were unconsciously twisting the edge of her apron, her eyes were evasive, and her lips were trembling, but she could not utter a forceful rebuttal. The heavy silence was suffocating, and only Ruan Xingfeng's rapid breathing echoed in the small dining room, and the panting sound in the dream that still lingered in the depths of her mind, which seemed particularly ironic at this moment.
The reality of the predicament and the inner confusion intertwined into a huge net, trapping him tightly and leaving him nowhere to escape.
Ruan Xingfeng felt a surge of anger rushing to his head, and the words that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time finally burst out: "Since you can't afford the tuition, why did you tell us to 'get ahead' in the first place?!"
He was startled the moment he finished speaking. The sound was particularly harsh in the quiet living room, like a stone hitting glass.
He caught a glimpse of his mother who shuddered violently, her eyes quickly turning red, and his father's face instantly turned the color of liver, his knuckles holding the teacup turning white from being pinched.
A sharp feeling of guilt immediately pierced him. The words were too harsh and too pointed, like a blunt knife cutting his parents' faces.
But this trace of guilt was quickly drowned out by greater grievance and anger.
Why should he give up? Give up the university acceptance letter he had earned after countless long nights of studying under the dim light of a desk lamp until his eyes were sore?
Give up the opportunity to study that he had to sacrifice every winter and summer vacation, and work hard in the fast food restaurant kitchen and at the express sorting station under the scorching sun or the cold wind to save money?
He barely slept a single peaceful night during his three years of high school, every ounce of effort soaked in sweat, just to grasp at the straw that could change his fate: going to college! Wasn't this the only goal his parents had instilled in him since he was a child, the one and only goal he had always wanted: to "get ahead."
"I hope my son will become a dragon and my daughter will become a phoenix..." Ruan Xingfeng's voice lowered, a thick nasal sound and an uncontrollable tremor. Every word seemed forced out of his chest, filled with bitterness. "You've been saying this for over a decade! We believed it and worked hard to do it! Getting into a good university, isn't that the 'dragon and phoenix' you want? Now, you tell me the ladder is gone?"
He took a sharp breath and stared at his parents. There was anger, confusion, and even more despair in his eyes, as if he had been pushed away from behind by the people he trusted the most.
"You ask us to fly, but you don't even give us the most basic breeze to flutter our wings. Is that fair? Yes! We earn our own living expenses, and we don't ask for a penny more! But tuition... this most basic threshold fee, isn't it the ladder you promised to build? The bold words of 'selling everything you have' are still ringing in my ears. Now, the pot is still there, the iron is still there, and you want us to jump off the ladder first?"
After saying that, he drank a glass of water and covered the cup tightly with his hands to calm himself down. After a long time, they were still quiet. Ruan Xingfeng exhaled and made up his mind.
Ruan Xingfeng: "Please pay my sister's tuition. I will find a way for myself. I'm sorry for what I said just now." After saying that, he left home. He did not listen to his mother's voice to keep him, nor did he want to hear his father's sigh. He needed a quiet environment to think about his life.
He really missed Liao Feng now. Sitting on the stairs, he regretted not taking out Liao Feng's photo just now. Since he was 10 years old, Liao Feng has become his spiritual support. He hugged himself and imagined that Liao Feng hugged him like that day, a very reassuring embrace.
Just when he was in tears, his cell phone rang. He looked down and saw that it was an unfamiliar number. He had no habit of answering unfamiliar numbers, but for some reason he wanted to answer this one.
When Liao Feng's questioning voice reached his ears, Ruan Xingfeng's nose felt sore and he bit his lips tightly to prevent himself from crying.
Liao Feng: "Ruan Xingfeng? Are you still listening?" It didn't feel good to be ignored, but he still endured it and called out again.
Ruan Xingfeng was brought back to reality by his voice. Ruan Xingfeng: "Sorry, I was distracted just now. What did you say?" He held the phone in a hurry and spoke nervously.
Liao Feng: "Let's meet, I have something to ask you. If you are free now, come to the VIP room and I'll wait for you." Ruan Xingfeng responded, adjusted his mood, took a taxi and went to the nightclub to find Liao Feng.
Liao Feng in the private room was also a little nervous. There was a briefcase in front of him. He didn't show his nervousness deliberately, but his eyes were always on the briefcase.
The assistant beside him couldn't help but teasing: "Mr. Liao, why don't you rehearse it?" Liao Feng glared at him when he heard his words, then continued to look at the file bag and then at his watch.
Liao Feng rubbed his slightly sweaty palms and said, "Let's rehearse." He always felt uneasy, with an inexplicable irritability and tension swelling in his chest, and he couldn't even explain the reason.
The contract had been reviewed countless times by the legal team, and he had already memorized the terms by heart; he also memorized every word for the response lines taught by Song Xuexi.
But my heartbeat at this moment was even more intense than when I first entered the National Physics Competition.
The assistant stood by with his hands down, his heart already in turmoil: Isn't it just a sponsorship agreement? Besides, he's the one paying the bill, so why is he so nervous?
Just as Liao Feng was about to speak, Ruan Xingfeng came in. Liao Feng gave his assistant a look and he immediately left the private room, leaving the space for the two of them.
Liao Feng asked Ruan Xingfeng to sit down and handed him the document. Ruan Xingfeng was a little shocked when he saw the four big words "Keeping Agreement" on it, but when he thought of the tuition fee, he couldn't help but picked up the document bag and opened it to take a look.
Liao Feng: "What I want to ask is, do you agree?" He looked at Ruan Xingfeng's lowered eyes and spoke. Ruan Xingfeng nodded, not knowing what he was thinking.
Liao Feng cleared his throat and continued, "You should have finished reading it. I basically understand your family situation..." He paused here to observe Ruan Xingfeng, but the other party still lowered his eyes and looked at the document without saying anything.
Liao Feng was a little displeased but continued, "The terms of the agreement are clear: I will provide you with all the resources you need to ensure the well-being of you and your family. In exchange, for the next year, your time, social life, and even...your body will all belong to me, and you must fully comply with my arrangements. You may not develop intimate relationships with anyone of the opposite sex or the same sex without permission, and the details of our relationship may not be made public. If you agree, please sign."
After he finished speaking, he leaned back on the sofa and put the pen in front of Ruan Xingfeng. Ruan Xingfeng: "I can accept everything, but I wonder if you will..." His purpose was to earn tuition fees. If Liao Feng interfered with his studies, there was no need to sign this contract.
Liao Feng could see his doubts, "Don't worry, I won't interfere with your studies. If you need any help, feel free to tell me." His tone was very convincing. Ruan Xingfeng took a deep breath and finally signed the last page as Party B.
Liao Feng watched the ink dry on the paper and nodded with satisfaction. His earlier gentleness was instantly replaced by a sense of control. "Very good." He stood up and pulled out a pre-prepared bank card from his suit pocket. He casually placed it next to the agreement. The password was on the back.
"I've sent you the address. You can pack up and go over." He paused, his eyes sweeping over Ruan Xingfeng's young but already tired face, "As for your tuition, I have already paid for the remaining three years in one lump sum." When he reached the door and put his hand on the door handle, he thought of something, turned around and looked at Ruan Xingfeng and said, "There is 2.4 million in the card, for one year." After that, he closed the door and left.
Ruan Xingfeng finally breathed a sigh of relief, then sat on the ground gasping for breath in frustration. Was it his luck or his sorrow to have formed a relationship with his idol?
But the next three years will belong to him, and his life will be all about Liao Feng. If Liao Feng has existed in his life in an ideological way for the past ten years, then in the next three years Liao Feng will be by his side in a practical form, which may be something worth being happy about.
Thinking of this, he went home and packed his things. When his parents asked him about it, he also planned to live in the school dormitory. It was not that he didn't want to talk to them more, but he was afraid that if he opened his mouth again, he would say those harsh words and hurt his parents.
The car he had called was parked downstairs, an ordinary online-hailing vehicle. The driver cast a subtle, scrutinizing glance at his destination, the Yunqiyuan apartment complex known for its tight security and high prices, especially when he noticed his faded jeans and the worn backpack on his shoulder.
Ruan Xingfeng opened the car door and sat in the back seat. His voice was a little dry when he gave the address. The car merged into the evening rush hour traffic. Outside the window were the familiar yet unfamiliar city lights.
He saw the steaming hot smell of fireworks from the roadside stalls, saw students walking together in school uniforms, and saw the lights shining through the office buildings. Although they were all bitter, they also had the flavor of fireworks. However, he stripped himself away and sold himself to the cold and unknown three years behind that address.
The car finally stopped outside the iconic, low-key yet cold and hard black gate of "Yunqiyuan".
There is no exaggerated carved ironwork here, but the heavy stainless steel access control and ubiquitous hidden cameras silently declare its xenophobia and strictness.
The window of the security room was lowered, and a face with a stern expression poked out, his eyes sweeping sharply over the online taxi and Ruan Xingfeng in the back seat.
"Visitor? Which building?" The voice came through the loudspeaker without any emotion.
"Building B, 2801. Ruan Xingfeng." He reported the message sent by Assistant Liao Feng.
The security guard lowered his head to check on the computer, then picked up the intercom and whispered a few confirmations. Every second of waiting seemed extremely long.
Finally, the narrow gate on one side of the gate, which was only for pedestrians and bicycles to pass through, slid open silently.
"Go in. Building B is the second building on the right. Use your card to enter the unit door." The security guard's gaze lingered on him briefly, then moved away.
Ruan Xingfeng got out of the car and the gate quickly closed behind him, blocking out the noise from the outside world.
The inside of the community is extremely quiet, with only the carefully designed landscape light strips emitting a soft yet cool light.
The meticulously trimmed shrubs and lawns exuded a faint plant scent, and there was not a single fallen leaf. The air was filled with an almost sterile silence.
He followed the instructions and walked towards Building B. The stone pavement under his feet was smooth without any bumps. The unit door was made of thick tempered glass, with a password and card swiping area next to it that was glowing faintly.
He dug into his backpack and pulled out the access card Assistant Liao Feng had given him. It was a plain black card with no markings. A soft beep sounded, and a green light flickered on. The door latch popped open, and he pushed it open and entered.
A mixture of cold air from central air conditioning and some high-end fragrance hits you in the face. The lobby is not large, but extremely exquisite.
The off-white marble floor is as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the simple yet priceless crystal chandelier above. Abstract metal artwork is placed in the corner.
The front desk was empty, with only an internal phone lying there quietly. The entire space was spacious, clean, and spotless, yet also cold without a trace of life.
He walked towards the elevator. There were only two elevators with mirrored doors, which clearly reflected his current appearance. His face was a little pale, and there was a lingering confusion and a hint of fatigue in his eyes. The old backpack on his shoulder seemed out of place in such a luxurious environment and was extremely dazzling.
He pressed the button for the 28th floor, and the elevator ascended smoothly and silently, at a speed so fast that it made him feel slightly weightless. The numbers kept jumping, and his heart was hanging with them.
With a ding, we arrived at the 28th floor. The elevator door opened, revealing an equally quiet, thickly carpeted corridor with only two heavy entrance doors on either side.
2801 is on the right side. He walked to the door, took a deep breath, took out the pure black card again, and stuck it on the sensing area of the smart door lock.
With a light "click", the door lock was unlocked.
Ruan Xingfeng grasped the cold metal doorknob and gently pushed it open. There was no light from inside, and it was completely dark. He fumbled around and found the switch on the wall of the entrance.
“Pah.”
Soft light instantly poured down and illuminated the living room. He felt that this living room was bigger than his house and was so out of place compared to him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
