Chapter 177 The Ruler Incident
On Friday afternoon, the sun scorched the classroom windows. As Lan Sizhui was packing his schoolbag, Jin Ling grabbed his arm.
"Do you want to go tonight?" Jin Ling lowered his voice, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Li Hao from the next class has his birthday today. He invited a bunch of people to the MiSe bar. He said he wants to have a party. It's guaranteed to be exciting."
Lan Sizhui was stunned for a moment. "Bar? My uncle said minors can't go to that kind of place."
"What are you afraid of?" Lan Jingyi came over from behind and patted his shoulder. "Li Hao said that his cousin is a bartender there. If he can sneak us in, we can just play for a while and make sure no one knows."
"But..." Si Zhui hesitated, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the mahogany cat pendant on his schoolbag - that was a gift from Lin Yan, "Lin Yan said he would come to see me tonight..."
"What do you want to see him for?" Jin Ling curled his lips. "He's been controlling you like an old man all day. Uncle Wei and Uncle Lan are finally away, why don't you take this opportunity to relax?"
Lan Jingyi also joined in the fun: "Exactly! Last time you said you wanted to try what a cocktail tasted like, isn't this your chance?"
Si Zhui's heart was indeed moved. He'd heard classmates talk about the neon lights and music in the bar, and he always felt that it was a completely different world from Yunshen Pavilion, mysterious and alluring. Plus, his uncle Lan Xichen had gone to the company early in the morning, saying he had an urgent meeting, so the house was empty and it was indeed a bit boring.
"Just for an hour?" he asked in a low voice, as if trying to convince himself.
"Deal!" Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi smiled at each other, then pulled him towards the school gate.
They didn't know that at this moment, Lin Yan was standing outside the gate of Yunshen Pavilion, holding a wooden box in his hand - inside was a small wooden horse that he had carved late at night, wanting to give Sizhui a surprise.
After ringing the doorbell for a long time, no one answered. Lin Yan frowned and called Si Zhui, but no one answered. He walked around to the backyard and saw that the window of the second-floor study was open, but there was no one in the room.
"Where did he go?" Lin Yan muttered, feeling an inexplicable irritation rising in his heart. He knew Si Zhui was a good boy, but he couldn't resist the instigation of those two "troublemakers" Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi.
After hesitating for a moment, he took out his cell phone and called his grandfather Lin Mo: "Grandpa, please help me check the location of Lan Sizhui, as well as Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi. I suspect they are not at home."
Although the Lin family lived in seclusion, their connections in the human world were unbroken. Within ten minutes, Lin Yan's phone received a location call – the coordinates pointed directly to the "Mi Se" bar in the city center.
"This is outrageous." Lin Yan's face darkened instantly, the warmth in his eyes fading away. He turned and walked towards the parking lot. When he started the car, his knuckles turned white from the force.
The music in the bar was deafening, and the neon lights were blinding. Lan Sizhui huddled in the corner of the booth, watching Jin Ling and the others clink glasses with a group of half-grown children, his juice icy cold from his grip. He regretted it. The smell in here was too strong, the music too loud, and it wasn't fun at all.
"Si Zhui, try this!" Lan Jingyi came over, holding a glass of colorful wine. "Cousin Li Hao made this. He said it's fruity and not strong."
Si Zhui was about to wave his hand when someone grabbed his wrist. He looked up and met a pair of cold eyes.
Lin Yan stood by the booth, facing the backlight, his face gloomy as if it was going to rain. He said nothing, but simply tugged at Si Zhui's arm and dragged him out of the crowd.
"Lin Yan? What are you doing?" Si Zhui staggered and his wrist hurt.
Jin Ling and Lan Jingyi also stood up and wanted to go forward to argue, but Lin Yan gave them a cold glance and they didn't dare to move - that look was too scary, just like Lan Wangji's angry look.
"Come with me." Lin Yan's voice was like ice, and he dragged Si Zhui out.
The wind at the bar entrance was chilly. Si Zhui struggled, "Listen to my explanation! It's not what you think! We are here..."
"Shut up." Lin Yan interrupted him, stuffed him into the passenger seat, and slammed the door shut with such force that the car windows were rattling.
They drove in silence. As the car sped through the night, Sizhui watched the street scene recede outside the window, feeling panicked and aggrieved. He wanted to explain that he hadn't drunk, that he had been dragged here by force, but seeing Lin Yan's tense face, he swallowed the words back.
The car finally stopped in front of a detached villa - this was Lin Yan's residence, not far from Yunshen Pavilion, and Sizhui had been there several times.
When he was dragged into the living room, Si Zhui realized that Lin Yan's hands were shaking, not because of fear, but because of anger.
"Kneel down." Lin Yan pointed at the carpet in front of the coffee table and said in a low voice.
"I won't!" Si Zhui's stubborn temper came out, "I didn't do anything wrong!"
"You didn't do anything wrong?" Lin Yan turned around abruptly, the bloodshot eyes clearly visible. "A minor entered a bar and hung out with a bunch of bad people, and you still dare to say you didn't do anything wrong?" He took out a ruler from the cabinet at the entrance - that was the one Lin Mo used to urge him to practice wood carving. At this moment, he held it in his hand, with a heavy feeling of oppression.
"I just went to take a look! I didn't do anything!" Si Zhui's tears welled up in his eyes, but he raised his head stubbornly, "Why are you so mean to me without asking clearly?"
"Why?" Lin Yan's voice suddenly rose, and the ruler slapped his palm. "Because I know how many traps there are in the bar, because I saw someone pass you a drink, and because you are the apple of my eye and cannot be hurt!"
The last sentence hit Sizhui's heart like a hammer. Tears immediately fell from his eyes, but he still said stubbornly: "Then you can't..."
Before he could finish his words, the ruler came down and hit him on the back. The sharp pain could be felt even through his school uniform.
"Ouch!" Si Zhui groaned in pain and subconsciously shrank forward.
"The first one is for being ignorant and going in knowing it was dangerous." Lin Yan's voice trembled, but he didn't stop, and the ruler fell again. "The second one is for not being able to refuse and being shaken by others' instigation."
When the third blow came, Si Zhui could no longer hold back and burst into tears: "I was wrong... Lin Yan, I was wrong... Stop hitting me..."
Lin Yan's hand paused, the ruler hanging in mid-air, his knuckles white. He looked at Si Zhui's trembling shoulders, his heart aching like a knife. But remembering what he had just seen in the bar, he hardened his heart again: "Remember this pain. Next time someone drags you somewhere you shouldn't go, think about today."
He threw down the ruler, turned around and walked towards the study without even looking at Sizhui.
The only sound in the living room was Sizhui's sobbing, shaking the crystal chandelier. He collapsed on the carpet, his back aching, but his heart aching even more. Lin Yan had never been so harsh to him, never attacked him without hearing his explanation. The disappointment in his eyes just now was more painful than the pain of the ruler.
After crying for an unknown amount of time, the sobs gradually subsided. Si Zhui raised his head and looked at the closed door of the study. Tears began to fall again. He slowly got up, walked to the sofa, sat down, hugged his knees, and buried his face in them.
The moonlight shone through the French windows, casting a cool, clear glow on the floor. He knew Lin Yan was doing this for his own good, and that he really shouldn't have gone to the bar, but the sadness of being wronged and misunderstood overwhelmed him like a tide.
In the study, Lin Yan leaned against the door, listening to the crying outside gradually fade away. The pen in his hand was deformed by his grip. The wooden box on the corner of the table was open, and inside, a small wooden horse lay quietly, with a small word "chase" carved on its back.
He raised his hand and pressed his brow, his eyes filled with fatigue and regret. Was he too harsh? Should he listen to his explanation? But when he thought about the possible dangers, he couldn't control his temper.
He was two years older than Sizhui, and Lin Mo had long since taught him to discern the evil in others, and where he could and could not go. He knew Sizhui was kind and trusting, so he always wanted to protect him more, but today...
Lin Yan sighed, took out a bottle of blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing ointment from the drawer, his fingertips trembling slightly.
The light in the living room was still on, like a lonely star. He knew that he would have to slowly overcome this hurdle tonight.
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