Chapter 40 The baby needs to be born safely...
On the way back, Zhao Jian asked knowingly, "Why do you look like a wilted old cucumber now?"
Pei Yumin's face darkened with displeasure: "Who are you calling an old cucumber?!"
Zhao Jian shrugged: "Whoever looks so long-suffering right now, that's who I'm talking about."
"But I don't understand. If you don't want Lu Shangyan to go with that Zhou Keling, why don't you just stop him?"
Tang Suichen, who was sitting in front, immediately turned his head: "Of course it's because he doesn't even have the right to be jealous yet."
Zhao Jian exchanged a glance with him, gave him a high five, and then burst into uncontrollable laughter.
The two of them were singing in unison, and Pei Yumin suspected that they were doing it on purpose.
No, look how hard they're laughing, they're doing it on purpose!
Pei Yumin clenched his fist: "If you say another word out of line, I guarantee you'll have a very hard time from now on."
Tang Suichen and Zhao Jian lowered their heads and began to communicate frantically with their eyes, covering their mouths and chuckling.
After laughing for a while, he looked up and said, "If you ask me for advice now, I might be happy to help. After all, I only had to lift a finger to marry Song Yuxin."
Pei Yumin sneered: "Learn from me to offer up my own ass?"
The smile on Tang Suichen's face vanished completely, and he refused to utter another word.
On that dark and windy night, taking care of Song Yuxin, this virgin, was incredibly difficult for him.
Zhao Jian, on the other hand, seemed indifferent: "Don't even think about it. This trick won't work on Lu Shangyan. He's just lying down."
"But I can give you a suggestion: if you're really worried, call him every half hour. That will keep them from doing anything."
Pei Yumin gave him a deep look, then took out her phone without hesitation.
-
The number of phone calls has increased from once every half hour to once every ten minutes.
At first, Lu Shangyan was able to calmly ask him what was wrong, but after answering three calls, he completely turned off his phone.
Pei Yumin sat dejectedly on the flower bed outside. Zhao Jian had just finished removing her makeup and was about to draw the curtains to do her skincare routine when she saw him looking so pathetic.
He took the mosquito repellent downstairs: "Luckily, the hotel isn't on a high floor, otherwise you'd be feeding mosquitoes here the whole time."
As he leaned closer, he saw the phone had automatically hung up. Zhao Jian sighed helplessly, "If you're so reluctant to let him go, you should have stopped him directly! What's the point of squatting outside feeling sad now?"
“He knows I like him.” Pei Yumin was also liking someone for the first time, and he had no idea what to do: “But this is his agreement with that person, and it was his own idea to go. I’m not his boyfriend, so how can I stop him?”
"He doesn't like me, so I can't stop him from liking other men, can I?"
Zhao Jian looked disgusted, his expression quite unpleasant: "You're almost thirty, not thirteen. Stop reciting those sentimental literary works you read in junior high."
"Besides, I don't think Lu Shangyan likes Zhou Keling. Well... he probably has no interest at all. At most, it's just a reunion of old friends, nothing more."
Pei Yumin paused, not responding, but signaling with his eyes for him to continue.
Zhao Jian didn't want to spoil his mood: "I think he likes you quite a bit. Anyway, if you give it a try, your chances of winning him over are much higher than Zhou Keling's."
Pei Yumin's eyes lit up: "But Zhou Keling has known him for many years, and Lu Shangyan has never forgotten him all these years."
Zhao Jian, like a dating expert, said earnestly, "If they could really get together, they would have been together long ago in these six years. People who are destined to be together will meet again no matter what happens, instead of Lu Shangyan falling in love with someone else before he appeared."
Pei Yumin straightened his back: "You really think he likes me?"
Zhao Jian nodded in agreement.
Pei Yumin stood up, somewhat smug: "But he and I are indeed quite destined. We met a long time ago, and I liked him back then. Just when I thought we would never meet again in this life, and there was no possibility of anything, he appeared in front of me again." He looked ahead, as if he could see Lu Shangyan in his white shirt that was shining through the light again: "He was swaying his waist in front of me, seducing me."
Zhao Jian hadn't expected that Lu Shangyan, who usually seemed dull and aloof, would be so cunning in private. It seemed he could really teach Lu Shangyan all his winning techniques and, incidentally, benefit this infatuated, no, foolish man.
"Yeah, so what are you afraid of? You're just squatting here like you've been dumped. Stand up and go after them!"
Pei Yumin really stood up, full of fighting spirit, ready to continue asserting sovereignty, but he looked around and didn't take a step: "But I don't know where the two of them are now."
Zhao Jian slapped his forehead: "I thought you were a dating expert because you always talked to him, but it turns out you're just all talk."
Pei Yumin's expression turned unnatural: "Stop talking nonsense and stop spouting rubbish."
He was about to call Lu Shangyan again to ask where he was, but he still couldn't get through. However, he finally got through to Lu Shangyan.
Pei Yumin immediately went to greet him, a hint of shyness on his face: "When will you be willing to marry me?"
Zhao Jian slapped his forehead again, then turned and went upstairs.
Lu Shangyan remained rooted to the spot, the backpack strap slipping into his palm. It took him a long time to realize what was happening: "Huh?"
-
The next day, the group returned to the old house together.
There's a lot of rotten wood under the grape trellis, and it's easier to clean it up if there are more people around.
Zhao Jian finally found an opportunity to ask Pei Yumin, "Did you succeed last night?"
If he succeeds with such a crude proposal, he'll swallow a piece of wood on the spot and die from overeating.
Upon hearing this, Pei Yumin, who had dark circles under his eyes and looked unwell, seemed to have suddenly become a different person: "He said he needs time to think about it."
Zhao Jian neatly loaded the stones into the cart.
Then, Pei Yumin's voice, filled with barely suppressed happiness, rang out: "The fact that he didn't reject me proves that he will say yes to me."
Zhao Jian: "......."
Zhao Jian: "Since you're so rich, why don't you go and get a new 'love brain' transplant?"
This time, it only took half an hour to completely clean the yard. Afterwards, the group planned to do a quick clean inside the house before finding renovation workers to redo the plumbing and electrical work and do some simple renovations.
After all, no one has lived here for so many years, the electrical circuits are aging, the paint is peeling off the walls, and the roof is leaking, so the risk factor is still quite high.
Lu Lin appeared at this moment. He smelled of alcohol and was a bit fatter than when Lu Shangyan last saw him. However, his exposed arms had many scars, some scabbed over and some bruises. Lu Shangyan began to suspect that he hadn't just gained weight, but had been beaten up.
He glanced around, and straightened his back when he saw Lu Shangyan. Bullying Lu Shangyan had become a habit for him. Even now, as a drowning dog in this miserable state, he still thought that Lu Shangyan would always listen to him and let him do as he pleased. He thought Lu Shangyan was the little guy who would always be inferior to him and always have to listen to him.
"Who gave you permission to touch our things! Get out here, all of you!"
Seeing that no one listened to him, he yelled at Lu Shangyan again: "Did you send them here?!"
“My mom told me that a while ago you took them to my house and smashed everything! You even hired people to threaten them into returning all the money you’ve given them over the years.”
"You're really something else, Lu Shangyan, bullying people like this while I'm not around! Have you forgotten how I beat you up when you were a kid!"
In the past, Lu Shangyan would have lowered his head after hearing his unreasonable lecturing, but this time there were many people standing in front of him, and he looked at Lu Lin through the gaps left by those people.
He felt that Lu Lin was now a fat donkey braying wildly in the yard, a stupid donkey that had long been tied up and was waiting to be slaughtered.
During his time away "doing business," Lu Lin had been pampered and had long forgotten the fear he felt when Lu Shangyan had pressed him against a tree and threatened him. He only felt that it was a disgrace, that he had been intimidated by a piece of trash, and he had to find a chance to get his revenge!
Today is a perfect opportunity, with everyone present, so he can settle both old and new scores at once.
"Lu Shangyan, do you think you can become emperor just because you brought back a few pretty boys who look like eunuchs? Do you know who I've been doing business with lately?! They're big bosses you'll never meet in your entire life! I'm their favorite now. If I ask them for help, killing you will be a piece of cake! Not only you, but all these so-called friends of yours will go to hell with you!"
After saying that, he stood in the yard and burst into laughter. For a moment, Lu Shangyan wanted to pretend he didn't know him, because Lu Lin's appearance was really too embarrassing!
Zhao Jian licked his lips: "I'm telling you, you idiot, do you want to go out and ask what year, month, and day it is? This is a society governed by law! Besides, what powerful people could a pig like you possibly know? Going to hell? I think you should wash yourself clean first and get ready to be rendered into lard!"
Lu Lin had never met Zhao Jian before. Judging from his rough voice, he simply told him, "Shut up, you tomboy!"
He noticed Zhao Jian now, looked him up and down several times, and said, emboldened by the alcohol, "But you are quite good-looking. Why don't you come with me? I'll make sure you live a life of luxury, much better than following these poor bastards."
Zhao Jian looked at his penis with disdain: "No, it looks like it lasted less than three seconds."
Zhao Jian's face flushed red. He looked around for something handy and finally grabbed a small brick and threw it at him.
But the brick slid right in front of them, glistening and slippery.
Zhao Jianle laughed even louder and exclaimed sincerely, "It really is a lie! No wonder you were so angry; I guessed right."
The two were arguing fiercely when Tang Suichen, as if just realizing what was happening, explained to Pei Yumin, "When people are driven to the brink, they often say a lot of things they've been holding back. He's been driven to the brink now, so I thought I'd let him go and see if I could get anything useful out of him. It would be another lead in the investigation."
Pei Yumin stretched his wrists and slowly walked out, followed by several bodyguards. It seemed that he was the one who was abusing his power.
Lu Lin's past two weeks have been a living hell. He almost died outside and never came back. He is most afraid of being beaten, but he is also very proud. Besides, he is in debt and is waiting to sell his house to get some money to save his life. If Lu Shangyan takes it back and even tries to exchange it for his money, he will surely die!
Now that things have come to this, he can only grit his teeth and insist: "Try touching me, and I'll show you what it means to provoke someone!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Yumin kicked him.
Lu Lin: "...You're asking for it!"
Pei Yumin said, "What kind of business are you doing out there? It looks like you're losing money and not taking any payment." He tugged at Lu Lin's collar: "Look at this, your neck and body are covered in injuries. You're not doing some kind of shady business, are you?"
Lu Lin owed over three million! He was furious: "Get out! You clowns who can't stand to see others succeed! I advise you to get out of my house right now and pay off your medical bills, or I won't let you off the hook!"
Tang Suichen smiled innocently: "Then tell me, how can you not let us off the hook?"
Lu Lin looked at Tang Suichen and felt that his face was somewhat familiar, especially his mouth, the way it opened and closed when he spoke!
He couldn't help but stare at Tang Suichen a few more times, watching him slowly approach him, and then asked him, "Tell me? Who do you want to ask to stand up for you?"
Lu Lin took a step back, wanting to give himself a safe distance: "Believe it or not, I'll make a call right now..."
"Then go ahead and hit him," Tang Suichen interrupted him, having lost patience with his continued boasting.
Lu Lin patted his pocket: "I forgot my phone. I'll tell him when I get back. I advise you to be smart and get out of here before I lose my temper."
Pei Yumin stared at his face for a while, noticing the faint scars on his left cheek, when something suddenly flashed through her mind: "You must have witnessed the truth of Lu Shangyan's parents' drowning death, right?"
Lu Lin's pupils dilated, fear flashing in his eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed rapidly, and he dared not look at Pei Yumin's face again. Finally, when his gaze fell on Lu Shangyan's face, he finally regained some confidence and forced himself to remain calm, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Pei Yumin circled around him once: "You really didn't know?"
"What do I know?" Lu Lin raised his voice. "How old was I back then? What does their death have to do with me! You want to take over my house, but you don't need to throw mud at me like this!"
Zhao Jian pinched his chin: "The more guilty you are, the louder you shout. You must know something!"
Pei Yumin curled his lips: "He knows more than just a little; he was there at the time."
Lu Lin's eyes were trembling: "You're talking nonsense! I don't know anything!"
Tang Suichen touched his earlobe, extremely annoyed: "Don't you know why you're so agitated?"
Lu Lin opened his mouth and said, "Forget it, I can't reason with you. I'll find a suitable time to settle the score with you when I get back!"
At this point, Pei Yumin was not about to let him go easily. If prey is delivered to your door, you have to take a bite even if you don't want to eat it. This is the least you can do to respect your prey.
Pei Yumin ordered his men to close the iron gate. At this moment, Lu Lin was completely sobered up from the alcohol and realized how absurd and ignorant he had been to come alone to confront them!
Most importantly, when he was at the village entrance, he saw the old man who had been taking care of Lu Shangyan. He asked him and learned that only Lu Shangyan and Pei Yumin had returned, so he assumed that it would be the same today!
Little did he know that the old man was lying to him!
But he hadn't even seen the person clearly before he started shouting and making boastful remarks. Plus, the alcohol emboldened him, and he wanted to take the opportunity to vent the frustration he had been holding in for so long.
He never intended to have a direct confrontation with these people, otherwise he wouldn't have just thrown a brick at Zhao Jian, but would have directly attacked him with his fists!
He gritted his teeth: "You just said this is a society governed by law, how dare you hit someone?"
Pei Yumin twisted his neck: "I won't hit people." He reached out and pinched Lu Lin's face, forcing him to show the scar on his left cheek.
The scars on it were already very faint. If he hadn't gotten close just now and been looking for the spot on his body that wouldn't be easily noticed, he really wouldn't have been able to find them.
How did you get this scar?
Lu Lin feigned nonchalance: "What else could it be? I fell and broke a window when I was little. The wound was deep and I needed several stitches."
Pei Yumin smiled and shook his head: "No, you're lying."
Lu Lin's gaze involuntarily fell on Lu Shangyan again: "Why would I lie to you? What's so strange about a scar? I have tons of scars, and so does Lu Shangyan! You dare say you don't have any scars? You can't just conclude that I know about this based on a small scar! I could say that everyone in the world with scars witnessed it!"
Pei Yumin raised his chin and stared down at him, exuding a strong sense of pressure: "Stop trying to twist the facts. This scar on your head wasn't from a fall."
Lu Lin rolled her eyes at him, then looked up at the sky: "You're not a doctor."
Pei Yumin said, "You used to have a mole here, right? It must have been quite large, and it was difficult to remove. It could only be surgically removed, which is why it left a deep scar. Even after almost twenty years, the mark is still there."
Lu Lin vehemently denied it, only saying that he bumped into it accidentally.
Pei Yumin, however, was unconvinced: "Whether it's true or not, I'll send you to the police station for investigation and we'll find out."
It wasn't a beating, much less torture. Lu Lin breathed a sigh of relief. So much time had passed since that incident. The ordinary people in those two small counties had been dead for over a decade. Who would still remember? Even if they investigated, what could they find out?
Pei Yumin guessed what he was thinking, turned to Lu Shangyan, who looked numb, indignant, and at a loss for what to do, and said in a casual tone, "By the way, you came back too late yesterday, I forgot to tell you, the man who knocked Mom and Dad into the river when he was drunk back then has been found."
“He moved to another city a few years ago and won’t be home until tonight. I was planning to tell you after he arrived.” He looked at Lu Lin again, a malicious smile on his face. “But now there’s been an unexpected situation.”
He said with a helpless tone, "It looks like we'll have to go back early again today."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Lu Shangyan rushing towards Lu Lin with a shovel in hand. In the instant the shovel was raised, Pei Yumin reacted quickly and grabbed Lu Lin's waist.
Seeing him like this, Lu Lin thought to himself that it would be better to let him hit him with a shovel. At worst, he would bleed a little and have to go to the hospital for stitches and stay in bed for a few days. At least that way, even if Lu Shangyan was unwilling, he would have no choice but to be led by the nose.
Pei Yumin dared not tighten the cord too much, and could only try his best to comfort him. He whispered in Lu Shangyan's ear, "The baby must be born safely."
Lu Shangyan's hand covered the back of his hand. Upon seeing this, Pei Yumin immediately let go, grabbed his hand, and made him place his palm on his lower abdomen.
Lu Shangyan's chest heaved violently, making it difficult for him to speak, but he still tried his best to look at Pei Yumin and ask, "What have you found out?"
Pei Yumin looked into his tearful eyes. It turned out that he still knew nothing about what happened back then, and did not think anything of what he said, but still believed him unconditionally without any evidence.
Pei Yumin placed her palm over his eyelids and quietly wiped away his tears: "If you trust me, I will definitely not let you down."
Lu Shangyan nodded almost imperceptibly.
Pei Yumin said, "That person said that there was a child who fell into the water with your parents back then, and he wasn't so drunk that he was unconscious. He remembered many things quite clearly. The reason he didn't save the child in time was because after the motorcycle overturned, he slid more than ten meters, and his head hit the rocks and trees on the side of the road, causing him to fall into a coma."
“After he woke up, your uncles and aunts came to demand compensation, saying that the person was gone. But he said that he dodged at the time and did not hit your parents. He only saw a child suddenly dart out when he passed by.”
"Your parents chased after him and pulled him back, but they were knocked into the roadside fence and fell into the water along with the child. You mentioned that the fence was loose at the time, so they must have been knocked in by the child."
"However, he remembered that although it was raining all day, it was daytime and there were people nearby. If they heard the noise, they would definitely come to the rescue, or at the very least, they would call for help or call the police."
“He also suspected that the possibility of death was extremely small under these circumstances, but the situation was indeed unfavorable to him at the time. There were no security cameras, and he couldn’t find the child. In order to avoid going to jail, he had no choice but to pay compensation first. He emptied his savings of 300,000 yuan, sold his house, and borrowed a lot of money to make up the difference.”
For so many years he had resigned himself to his fate, but when Pei Yumin called, he felt that he had another chance to clear his name, which is why he wanted to come back as soon as possible.
Lu Shangyan was slow-witted; these words were clearly very simple, but he seemed unable to understand them.
He anxiously raised his hand and grabbed a handful of hair, his expression one of extreme pain. Only with Pei Yumin's strength did he manage to stay upright and not fall to the ground.
Lu Lin's forehead was covered in sweat. He just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible: "What does this have to do with me? You've said so much, what does it have to do with me? Just let me go!"
The more flustered he is, the more likely he is to slip up.
Pei Yumin turned to look at him, his face extremely gloomy: "Because the child from back then was you, and the murderer is also you."
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