Chapter 121 Entanglement
Lu Yan was drunk and almost fell asleep, but he sobered up instantly because of this sentence. He subconsciously looked at Tang Rufeng and suspected that there was something wrong with his ears: "What did you say?"
Tang Rufeng sat quietly in his seat, his hat brim casting a shadow, revealing only his pointed chin. His skin looked almost tragically pale against the black clothes. He put his hands in his coat pockets and repeated what he had just said:
"Lu Yan, please support me."
It was an extremely ambiguous and erotic conversation, but when he said it, it only brought out a deep sense of powerlessness and despair. Tang Rufeng didn't know who else he could turn to for help. There was no such thing as gold falling from the sky. Lu Yan was his last straw.
In the dim light, Lu Yan's eyes looked somewhat deep. He slowly leaned back in his chair, but did not answer Tang Rufeng's words. Instead, he said to the driver in a calm voice, "Keep driving. Who told you to stop?"
The driver came back to his senses after hearing this and quickly started the car and drove towards the destination. He had been driving for decades and had never encountered such a thing. That male college student was too... too straightforward.
For the rest of the time, neither of them spoke. Tang Rufeng naturally assumed that Lu Yan had rejected him. His heart, which had already fallen to the bottom, sank further and further, and in the end he was almost numb.
Half an hour later, the driver parked the car at the intersection near Tang Rufeng's home: "Mr. Lu, we're here. The alley inside is too small to drive in, so we can only park here."
Lu Yan hummed: "You wait downstairs."
He opened the car door and got out, ready to take Tang Rufeng upstairs: "It's dark and the road is slippery. I'll take you in."
Tang Rufeng adjusted the messenger bag on her shoulder and refused: "Thank you, I can go up by myself."
Lu Yan found it inexplicably funny. You say Tang Rufeng is witty, but the other party still looks unmoved. You say Tang Rufeng is rigid, but at least he knew to add "thank you" this time.
The night breeze was a little chilly, which sobered everyone up. Lu Yan half leaned against the car door and asked calmly, "You just asked me to support you. Is this your attitude?"
Tang Rufeng looked at him knowingly: "Do you agree?"
Lu Yan didn't comment: "Let's talk about it upstairs."
Lu Yan had come here once last time when he delivered medicine to Tang Rufeng, but he just stood in the corridor for a while. This time when he went into the house with Tang Rufeng, he truly had a deep understanding of the word "poverty".
The small house of 50 square meters was occupied by just two rooms. The kitchen and bathroom were so narrow that only one person could enter and exit. Although they had been cleaned as cleanly as possible, the gray and depressing feeling could not be concealed.
Lu Yan looked around and found that he couldn't find a place to sit, so he just stood and talked to Tang Rufeng: "Are you short of money?"
Tang Rufeng turned his back to him, unhooked the messenger bag on his body, unzipped his coat, and threw it directly on the old-fashioned wooden sofa with peeling paint. His voice was low and his emotions could not be heard: "My mother is sick and needs surgery. It will cost 200,000 yuan. If you lend it to me, I will be with you for the rest of my life and do anything for you."
Lu Yan paused when he heard this. He didn't expect it to be for this reason, but he felt it was reasonable. He straightened his coat, half-sat on the armrest of the sofa, and asked with interest, "A lifetime, do you know how long it is?"
Tang Rufeng twitched his lips sarcastically when he heard this: "I can barely survive now, how can I still think about the future?"
He only knows that being alive is the most important thing. Only when people are alive can there be hope. Otherwise, everything is empty talk.
On this slightly cool evening, Tang Rufeng discarded all the dignity and arrogance of the past twenty years. He turned his back to Lu Yan and silently took off his slightly loose T-shirt, then his pants. His young body was covered with a layer of warm yellow light under the old electric light. He had fair skin and slender limbs, with the youthfulness and beauty unique to this age.
Tang Rufeng was telling Lu Yan with a frank attitude that the two hundred thousand was well spent by him, but his back turned unconsciously revealed his inner resistance and fear of love, and he never turned back to look at Lu Yan.
Probably because their first time was not wonderful, and all that was left was pain and humiliation.
Seeing this, Lu Yan looked amused, and finally stood up without saying a word and walked behind Tang Rufeng. The other party noticed his approach and subconsciously clenched his fingertips. The whole person was like a bowstring that was stretched to the extreme, visibly stiff.
Tang Rufeng closed his eyes, preparing to face the upcoming love affair, but suddenly a warm coat appeared on his shoulders. It was heavy and almost enveloped him. Lu Yan's low and lazy voice echoed above his head:
"You're willing to do such a loss-making business?"
He knew that Tang Rufeng had good grades. If it weren't for his mother's illness, he would have earned back the money in one or two years at most if he had found a job after graduation and worked hard for it. Was it worth risking his whole life?
Tang Rufeng slowly opened his eyes and looked back at Lu Yan in a daze, but he had already turned on his phone and tapped the bank interface with his fingertips: "What's the card number? Tell me."
…
Lu Yan's transfer was very fast. In less than thirty seconds, Tang Rufeng's cell phone buzzed, indicating that 500,000 yuan had been deposited into his bank card. This amount of money was not only enough to support his mother through the surgery, but he could even hire a good caregiver.
Although Lu Yan is not very old, he speaks with a sense of experience, as if he, like this old house, has walked through countless years without anyone knowing:
"You still have a long life ahead of you, don't sell yourself out."
Tang Rufeng is just a poor student now, with little influence. It is not surprising that he would have such thoughts under the high pressure brought by poverty, but his future still has infinite possibilities, just like the train of the times will roar past many years later, this old community will be razed to the ground, replaced by high-rise buildings, and Tang Rufeng will also rise very high.
The youthfulness between his brows will gradually fade away, and he will become as expressionless as those in high positions. Holding the most expensive red wine, he will sit in the office building where every inch of land is valuable, overlooking the busy crowd below the floor-to-ceiling windows. Lu Yansi has no doubt that he will be able to reach such a height in the future.
Tang Rufeng has already spent years of hard study to get the first step into the society, and he only needs to take the final step. If he sells himself for $200,000 today, his life will change.
Because of poverty, I have nothing.
Because you have nothing, you should know how to make choices and trade-offs.
Lu Yan is trying to change his own destiny, and if possible, he also wants to help Tang Rufeng.
"I still say that. If you need any help, give me a call."
Lu Yan left under the cover of night. He probably didn't know that the coat and half a million he left behind that night not only changed Tang Rufeng's fate, but also changed his own fate.
“…”
Tang Rufeng was in a daze for a long time until he heard the sound of a car engine starting downstairs. Then he reacted and walked quickly to the window.
Lu Yan happened to get into the car. He was wearing a white shirt with two buttons open, with his inky black hair falling in front of his eyes. He slumped lazily against the back of the chair, with a lingering look like an ink painting. He inadvertently raised his head to look upstairs, and suddenly found Tang Rufeng standing by the window. His gaze paused.
Lu Yan slowly lowered the car window, made a phone call gesture to him, smiled, and then signaled the driver to leave.
Lu Yan has been hanging out in bars and other places of entertainment during this period, just to force Duan Jiyang to break off the engagement with him, but he didn't expect that the other party had not made any move. At first, Lu Yan thought that the other party was too lazy to care about him, but later he found out that his white moonlight had returned to his country and the other party had no intention of caring about him at all.
"Lu Bing, it's a rare trip for you to come back to China. I specially prepared a lot of dishes today. You have to give Aunt Yang some face and eat more later."
The usually deserted Lu family residence became lively for once because of Lu Bing's return. No matter what Yang Qin thought of this stepson, she never made any mistakes in her work. She started working early in the morning and cooked a table full of dishes.
Lu Wanshan was obviously very satisfied with Yang Qin's attitude. He patted her hands and said, "Well, there is a nanny at home. Why do you have to cook for yourself? Hurry up and sit down to rest. You are tired after a whole morning."
Yang Qin then smiled gently and sat down next to him.
Little did he know that this scene was extremely complicated in Lu Bing's eyes. His mother died early, and he lacked family affection in his heart, so he inevitably placed his hopes on his father. However, he did not expect that Lu Wanshan would remarry after only two years and give birth to a son. He had never cared about him. It would be a lie to say that he was not heartbroken.
Lu Bing lowered his eyes and ate the rice in the bowl without touching the dishes on the table. He said in a polite and distant tone: "Thank you, Aunt Yang."
Yang Qin smiled and said, "We are a family, why should we be polite? I have cleaned your room and nothing has been moved."
Lu Bing said, "No, I found an apartment outside and I won't live at home anymore."
Yang Qin smiled faintly: "Is that so? Then you have to take good care of yourself."
In fact, whether Lu Bing lives at home or not has nothing to do with her. It is better for him to live outside so that she doesn't have to see him every day, which would make her upset.
Lu Yan didn't say a word from beginning to end, he was unusually quiet. To him, Lu Bing was now an invisible landmine, he would rather avoid provoking her if possible. In a nutshell, it was more important to protect his kidneys.
Lu Bing, on the other hand, looked at him twice more and suddenly spoke hesitantly, "I heard...you and Duan Jiyang are engaged?"
Only Lu Bing himself knew the complex emotions hidden in these words. Although he left Duan Jiyang due to some misunderstandings, he still couldn't let him go in his heart. When he was abroad, he was caught off guard and heard that Duan Jiyang was engaged to his own brother. He was in a daze for a long time and couldn't get over it.
Lu Yan hummed perfunctorily: "It's ordered."
But it doesn’t matter, we’ll be gone in a few days.
But Lu Yan certainly couldn't say this out loud, otherwise Lu Wanshan would be so angry that he would flip the table.
Lu Bing paused when he heard this. He didn't have much appetite to begin with, and after hearing this, he lost his appetite even more. He lowered his head and said calmly, "Really? That's good."
I don’t know if it’s because of the illness, but Lu Bing’s face looks a little ugly, and you can see that he is swollen if you look closely. However, because he is relatively thin, it is not very obvious. He looks like a blank sheet of paper, and even his facial features are faded.
In contrast, Lu Yan has handsome features, deep eyes, and is particularly impactful. He used to be somewhat similar to Lu Bing, but now there is no trace of the same.
Lu Bing didn't want to stay at Lu's house for long, so she made an excuse to leave after dinner. No matter how Lu Wanshan tried to keep her, it was useless. Lu Yan felt that his drinking mission was completed, so he went upstairs to rest. However, not long after he lay down, he received a call from Pan Yuan:
"Lu Yan, have you heard that Lu Bing has returned to China!!!"
Lu Yan could feel Pan Yuan's deep shock even through the microphone. After all, Duan Ji Yang had always been a well-known figure in the circle. He and Lu Bing had caused quite a stir back then, and almost everyone had heard about it.
Lu Yan turned over in bed, not even bothering to open his eyelids: "He is my brother, do I need you to tell me whether he is going back to China or not?"
Pan Yuan was anxious: "They were madly in love before, aren't you afraid that Duan Jiyang will rekindle his old feelings for him?"
Lu Yan was eager for them to rekindle their old love sooner rather than later. Duan Jiyang could go wherever he wanted: "What is coming cannot be stopped. What's the point of being afraid? Besides, I'm not in a hurry, so why are you in a hurry?"
Pan Yuan stuttered when he heard this, feeling that Lu Yan had seen through his thoughts: "I... I'm worried about you too. After all, it was you who told Lu Bing about Duan Jiyang and Jian Yixian. If it gets discovered, I'm afraid Duan Jiyang won't let it go."
Even though Duan Jiyang now looks like he is deeply in love, he was also a playboy who had been through many flowers in the past. Jian Yixian was just one of his many lovers. She was not special, but she was indeed obedient and well-behaved, so she held the most importance in Duan Jiyang's heart.
At first, Duan Jiyang fell in love with Lu Bing at first sight and used many means to win her over. He was like a prodigal son who had turned over a new leaf. But just when the two were about to get married, Jian Yixian suddenly threatened to commit suicide and forced Duan Jiyang to go see him.
Duan Ji Yang was originally just afraid that he would do something stupid, but this kind of thing happened once, and twice, and three times. The fourth time, they rekindled their relationship and got together again, but Lu Bing was still unaware of it.
At this time, Lu Yan did something suicidal in order to destroy the relationship between Duan Jiyang and Lu Bing.
He told Lu Bing about the ongoing relationship between Duan Jiyang and Jian Yixuan!
It is conceivable that Lu Bing, such a proud and arrogant person, could not endure such humiliation. He packed his bags and went to a foreign country, and from then on became the most regrettable white moonlight in Duan Jiyang's heart.
Pan Yuan was still chattering on the other side of the microphone: "Duan Jiyang was almost crazy about this matter. What if he knew that it was you who gave the news to Lu Bing, then... then you are dead!"
Lu Yan: “…”
Lu Yan suddenly admired his former self. He actually did such a suicidal thing?! If Duan Jiyang knew about it, it would be a huge uproar.
Lu Yan suddenly sat up from the bed: "Are you tight-lipped?"
Pan Yuan said: "It's better than Lu Bing's prison anyway."
Lu Yan: “…”
grass!
The news of Lu Bing's return to China caused a stir in the circle. When his former friends found out, they organized a party and dragged Lu Bing and Lu Yan to the party, calling it a welcome party. At first, Lu Yan thought that the group of people were there to reminisce, but when they arrived, they found that they were there to laugh.
"Lu Bing, you haven't been back to China for so many years. Did you come back suddenly this time because you heard that your brother and Mr. Duan were engaged, and you wanted to attend their wedding?"
"But don't worry, maybe their wedding will be held abroad, so you don't have to make a wasted trip."
"Alas, I'm not saying anything bad about you. Why did you quarrel with General Duan over Jian Yixian's matter? Now you've lost more than you gained."
Lu Yan sat in a corner of the box, watching everyone's heart. Sometimes he really had to admire the speaking skills of this group of people. Every word they said seemed to be for Lu Bing's good, but in fact they were all hitting the pain in his heart. Lu Bing's face, which was not very good to begin with, suddenly became even uglier.
"I have something else to do. I'm leaving now."
Lu Bing studied art, and due to his personality, he was somewhat aloof. When he was with Duan Jiyang, he could still vividly remember how these people smiled at him. Now, after just a few years, they have changed their faces. Lu Bing felt disgusted from the bottom of his heart and stood up to leave.
Seeing this, Lu Yan had no intention of staying any longer. He placed the drink in his hand on the table and made up an excuse: "There's a lot going on at home lately, so Lu Bing and I are leaving first. Everyone had a great time, and today's drinks will be on my bill."
The group of people didn't know whether they were fanning the flames or something else, but they deliberately clapped and laughed, "Master Lu is still very generous. It turns out that people who are about to get married are different. I'm looking forward to drinking in your and Mr. Duan's wedding wine!"
Lu Yan said, "It's still early, you should drink enough today."
I definitely won’t be able to drink at the wedding, but I may be able to attend the banquet.
Lu Yanyu opened the door of the private room and was about to leave, but he bumped into a familiar figure. It was none other than Duan Jiyang. Behind him were a few young men who looked familiar but whose names he couldn't remember. It seemed that they also came to the bar to play, but he didn't know how they found this place.
Seeing this, Lu Yan paused, and subconsciously glanced at Lu Bing, who was standing stiffly beside him. He knew that Duan Jiyang had come here on purpose because he heard that he had returned to China, so he said meaningfully:
"Mr. Duan, what a coincidence, you didn't go into the wrong box, did you?"
Because of Duan Jiyang's appearance, the box fell into silence instantly, with only the accompaniment of singing still ringing. Everyone looked back and forth between the three of them with confused eyes, and it was unknown what they understood.
In short, it's very exciting.
Because his family deliberately concealed the news, Duan Jiyang only learned about Lu Bing's return yesterday. His eyes have been on Lu Bing since he entered the door. He only felt that she had lost a lot of weight and looked much more haggard. He asked in a deep voice: "I heard that you are holding a welcoming banquet for Lu Bing. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to include a few of us?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone's hearts exploded:
My goodness, this is lingering love, but Duan Jiyang is too blatant. His legal fiancé is still next to him. Is it really okay for him to flirt with Lu Bing like this?
When Lu Bing saw Duan Jiyang's familiar face, he was stunned for a while. He came to his senses and lowered his head subconsciously. Years of grievances and bitterness surged up in his mind. His throat was sore and his tone was stiff: "The welcoming banquet has been held. You should find another private room."
He was about to leave when Duan Jiyang grabbed his wrist and said in a low voice with hidden anger: "Lu Bing, how long are you going to hide from me?!"
Onlookers: Wow!
Lu Yan: Wow!!
Duan Jiyang's friends all noticed that this was inappropriate. They glanced at Lu Yan, secretly pulled Duan Jiyang, and whispered, "Jiyang, if you have anything to say, let's talk about it in private. Your fiancé is still here."
Fiancé, these three words somehow irritated Lu Bing's nerves. He suddenly shook off Duan Jiyang's hand and said in a cold tone: "I have never been hiding from you, I'm just living my own life. You are already engaged, so don't interfere in my affairs in the future!"
He seemed to be afraid that he would be soft-hearted when he finished speaking, and ran away hurriedly without looking back. Seeing this, Duan Jiyang's face became gloomy, he gritted his teeth, and followed him.
Lu Yan was watching from the side, and he laughed so hard his heart skipped a beat when he saw this. He thought it was more exciting than the cliché dramas he had watched at eight o'clock. He must have been blind to like Duan Ji Yang before, because he thought he was handsome and rich, but now he can see that he is a playboy who is confused and doesn't know what's going on. Fortunately, he hasn't married yet, otherwise he would be so angry that he would die.
Lu Yan laughed so hard that tears came out. He raised his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes, and suddenly realized that the silence in the box was a little abnormal. Almost everyone was staring at him with pity and sympathy, and they were hesitant to speak.
Lu Yan slowly typed a question mark: "......?"
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