Chapter 28: Invitation

Chapter 28: Invitation

Lu Yan didn't actually expect Yu Zechuan to come. He had just politely declined the other's offer a second ago; Yu Zechuan not kicking him while he was down would already be good. Why would he go through the trouble of rushing over to save him?

Most importantly... who in their right mind would lend a person they'd only known for a few days one million yuan?

But Lu Yan had no other choice now. After all, his phone contacts only listed Yu Zechuan and Jiang Boyun as wealthy individuals. In front of Uncle Chong, he dialed Yu Zechuan's number. As the ringing tone echoed in his ear, he was torn.

He hoped that the call would be answered, but also wished that it wouldn't.

Yu Zechuan hadn't slept all night and was feeling rather unwell. He had just taken his medication and was about to take a nap when, less than five minutes after closing his eyes, his phone rang.

"Buzz—"

When one's nerves were at their weakest, even the slightest sound could rouse them from sleep.

Yu Zechuan felt a pulsing headache as an endless wave of exhaustion washed over him, making his head throb. With his articulate fingers, he fumbled under his pillow, found the phone without looking, and hit the end call button.

There were only two people who would call him: Xue Jin and telemarketers. Regardless of which one it was, Yu Zechuan felt they deserved it, as eleven o'clock at night was a normal sleeping time.

"Apologies, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later..."

The sweet voice of the customer service representative sent Lu Yan's heart plummeting into the depths of despair in an instant.

It was over. Yu Zechuan had hung up on him directly. He must still be upset about the incident in the afternoon. What should he do? Was he truly going to lose an arm today?

Lu Yan attempted to call again, but Uncle Chong's patience had reached its limit. He stomped on the table and snatched the phone from Lu Yan's hand, spitting on the ground. "Brat! I finally see it now, you're just playing us for fools! Didn't you say your whole family was wiped out? Then where did these uncles come from? Ah Ping, cut off one of his fingers to teach him a lesson!"

"Understood, Uncle Chong!"

AhPing had long held a grudge against Lu Yan. Upon hearing the command, he rushed forward with his knife in hand and grabbed Lu Yan's shoulder. However, before he could apply force, he was unexpectedly kicked hard in the stomach by Lu Yan, causing him to fall to the ground.

Taking advantage of the momentary confusion, Lu Yan leaped onto the rooftop's edge. The cold night wind fluttered the corners of his clothes. At the height of the eighth floor, most people would feel their knees weaken, yet he smiled merrily, "Uncle Chong, isn't this pointless? I sincerely want to repay my debt. Why must there be bloodshed?"

With four or five henchmen at his side, Uncle Chong quickly surrounded Lu Yan. Looking up at him with his single remaining left eye burning with anger, he spat, "Damn it, do you really think I won't dare push you to your death? If you have the guts, jump today! If you dare, I'll wipe the slate clean!"

Lu Yan casually kept his hands in his pockets and intentionally stepped on thin air, "Are you serious?"

He appeared completely fearless of death. The rooftop's edge was barely the width of his foot, yet he stood there nonchalantly, as if a slight gust of wind could send him plummeting down.

Uncle Chong's back was drenched in cold sweat. He had only intended to collect the debt, not cause a fatal incident; otherwise, calling the police would lead to dire consequences for all. But his pride, honed by years of living in the rough streets, refused to let him appear weak before the young and inexperienced Lu Yan. Pointing at Lu Yan, he growled fiercely, "Jump! Jump right now, you scoundrel! I'll count to three, and whoever doesn't jump is a coward!"

Lu Yan smiled slightly, pushing his foot out a little further, "Uncle Chong, are you sure... I should really jump?"

Below was a small balcony. Jumping down wouldn't be impossible, but it would likely result in severe disability. The contest at this moment was about who had the greater courage and who was more willing to risk their life.

Time seemed to slow down as everyone held their breath, staring intently at Lu Yan's every move, wondering if he would actually go through with it.

Uncle Chong's labored breathing echoed,

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three..."

Before he could finish counting, his phone suddenly rang, interrupting his threat. Seeing this, Lu Yan quickly retracted his half-stepped foot. He leaned forward, crouching at the edge of the rooftop, extending his hand towards Uncle Chong, "Give it here, do you want me to answer it for you?"

Uncle Chong's face darkened, and he threw the phone at him without hesitation.

Lu Yan caught the call steadily, glanced at the caller ID, then answered, "Hello?"

Halfway through his sleep, Yu Zechuan sensed something amiss and sat up to realize that it was Lu Yan who had called. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed, his voice hoarse and low, revealing his exhaustion, "Did you just call me?"

Lu Yan found himself momentarily at a loss for words, responding with a delayed "Mm."

Yu Zechuan asked, "Is there something you need?"

"..."

All he received in reply was a long silence.

Though Lu Yan didn't want Yu Zechuan's money personally, he knew he couldn't avoid Uncle Chong's gaze. Thus, he mustered up the courage to ask, "Can you lend me one million dollars?"

Assuming Yu Zechuan wouldn't lend him the money, Lu Yan asked casually, not expecting any real response. However, after a few seconds of silence on the other end, he was taken aback by the answer that came:

"I can. How would you like me to transfer it to you?"

"..."

Lu Yan couldn't believe it; this idiot was actually taking the loan seriously.

Uncle Chong misinterpreted Lu Yan's stunned silence, assuming the person on the other end of the line refused to lend the money. He grabbed the phone and spat on the ground before fiercely threatening, "Let me tell you, we have this kid in our hands. He owes us over a million in gambling debts. If you don't come here with the cash to bail him out within two hours, I'll chop off his hands right away!"

After his threat, Uncle Chong waited for a response, but there was only silence from the other end. After a moment, he heard rustling sounds, as if someone was getting dressed, followed by a cold, detached voice:

"Location."

Lu Yan's second uncle... His voice sounded so young?

This was Uncle Chong's final thought.

The apartment complex wasn't far from the abandoned building, a roughly half-hour journey. Yu Zechuan rushed there in twenty minutes and found four or five hooligans crowding the rooftop, with Lu Yan standing at the edge, keeping a safe distance from them.

Among them, only Uncle Chong was seated. As Yu Zechuan surveyed the area, he identified him as the leader of the gang and walked straight up to him. "How much does he owe you? I'll pay it."

"Yu Zechuan!"

Lu Yan tried to speak, but the group of hooligans surrounded him with grins. "Dude, you don't need to do anything now. Someone's paying your debt for you—just sit tight and wait quietly."

Uncle Chong narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the man before him with caution. The man was tall and lean, clearly well-trained in some form of discipline. Despite the mask covering his face, the scar snaking up to his temple was a striking feature, and his cold, fierce gaze seemed to delve into the depths of an abyss.

This was someone not to be trifled with.

In an instant, Uncle Chong arrived at this conclusion. Unlike Lu Yan's carefree demeanor, Yu Zechuan exuded an air of a desperate, desperate man.

He forced a smile. "Young man, what's your name?"

"I'm here to repay a debt, not make friends."

Yu Zechuan pulled out a black credit card from his pocket, the thin card balanced deftly on his fingertips, contrasting starkly against the white. He gazed intently at Uncle Chong's unharmed eye, his voice low and detached. "There's one and a half million in there. Release him as soon as you get the money, and don't ever bother him again."

Uncle Chong was taken aback, nearly jumping off his stool. "One and a half million? Are you serious?"

He had never encountered anyone so prompt in repaying a debt. Was this some sort of trick?

"Uncle Chong, Uncle Chong," a subordinate tugged at his sleeve discreetly, whispering, "That watch he's wearing is worth over a million. My family runs a watch store, I've seen it before."

Regardless of whether he was in or out of prison, Yu Zechuan's wealth and arrogance made a mere million seem insignificant to him. The disdain he showed for money was not something one could fake.

Uncle Chong prided himself on his astuteness. He hesitantly reached for the silver card, but Yu Zechuan didn't let go, his eyes masked by the mask conveying a warning:

"Also, if he ever comes to you guys again for money to gamble..."

Uncle Chong immediately caught on: "Don't worry, we won't lend him a single cent anymore. With an affluent relative like you, why would he need us?"

Only then did Yu Zechuan release his grip and hand over the bank card. Uncle Chong pulled out a piece of paper and offered it to Yu Zechuan: "This is the IOU, in total..."

Before he could finish, a hand suddenly snatched the IOU from mid-air. Lu Yan stood before Uncle Chong, quickly tearing the paper with his name into shreds. "Our debts are settled now. Don't show up in front of me again."

Disregarding the reactions of others, Lu Yan grabbed Yu Zechuan's hand and led him downstairs. They walked in silence until they reached a nearby street where Yu Zechuan abruptly pulled away.

Lu Yan was taken aback, then subtly slipped his hands into his coat pockets, feeling somewhat awkward. "Sorry about today. I'll find a way to return that money to you."

The late-night street was deserted, devoid of any pedestrians. Only the 24-hour convenience store illuminated the area, while the occasional speeding car sent its roar echoing far and wide.

Yu Zechuan was in a foul mood, perhaps due to Lu Yan's gambling debt. Those two seemingly harmless words held a peculiar power, capable of dismantling anything beautiful. He had thought Lu Yan was a model young man, at worst a bit too talkative. He never expected such behavior in private.

Yu Zechuan furrowed his brow, his voice deep and somber: "Why did you gamble?"

Lu Yan: "What?"

Yu Zechuan patiently repeated himself, "Why did you gamble?"

Lu Yan snapped back to reality, gazing at the cracked pavement, improvising an excuse, "Oh, I was short on cash back then and got into it unintentionally."

After a brief pause, he assured, "Don't worry, it won't happen again."

Despite Yu Zechuan's still grim mood, he didn't show it, choosing to remain silent with his long eyelashes slightly lowered, casting a shadow over his darkened gaze.

Before long, a taxi passed by the intersection, and they flagged it down, heading straight back to the apartment.

In the car, Lu Yan attempted to speak several times but couldn't find the right words. Eventually, he said, "Actually, you didn't have to come today..."

The original debt to Uncle Chong was no more than seven hundred thousand, and the other half was mostly fabricated. There was no need for Yu Zechuan to give them a direct payment of three hundred thousand; Lu Yan would have found a way to smooth things over.

Yu Zechuan's eyebrows lifted slightly as he coldly countered, "Then why did you call me?"

Lu Yan had no reply.

Yu Zechuan remained silent, pulled out his phone, and set a unique ringtone for Lu Yan right in front of him. After a moment, he turned off the screen and said, "I don't sleep well at night. If I don't answer your call next time, it means I didn't hear it. Remember to call again."

He hadn't forgotten Uncle Chong's threat on the phone to chop off Lu Yan's fingers. If he hadn't returned that call, the outcome would have been disastrous.

The car was dimly lit, and Lu Yan couldn't even see Yu Zechuan's face clearly; he could only glimpse a vague profile. It wasn't until they were on the highway, with the orange streetlights pelting against the car windows like raindrops, that he could finally discern something.

Lu Yan felt like laughing, but he managed only a half-smile. He reached up to wipe his face, using the motion to hide his expression as he lowered his head. "Hey, we've known each other for such a short while. Isn't it a loss for you to lend me so much money all at once?"

Lu Yan had never encountered anyone like this in his life before.

Yu Zechuan still looked unwell, his face devoid of color. He closed his eyes, leaning back in the seat to rest and fend off the dizziness from the car's motion. "Money is the most worthless thing. If I don't spend it now, when am I supposed to spend it? After I'm dead?"

From the day he was released from prison, he hadn't planned on living. The money in the bank would just become a string of meaningless digits after his death.

At that moment, Lu Yan realized that Yu Zechuan's life might be as fleeting as his own. He would leave after completing his mission, while Yu Zechuan would pay with his life for killing Jiang Boyun.

Thirty days for him,

A lifetime for him...

The taxi arrived promptly at the apartment building, and Yu Zechuan, after paying the fare, alighted alongside Lu Yan. Standing on the sidewalk, he zipped up his open coat to his neck, ready to ascend to his home. However, just as he was about to do so, his wrist was unexpectedly grasped.

It was a warm hand, and without even looking, Yu Zechuan knew it was slender and articulate, as beautiful as a work of art.

Silently turning around, Yu Zechuan found himself face-to-face with Lu Yan's profound gaze. The streetlight reflected in Lu Yan's eyes, like fragmented stardust in the night sky, as he hesitantly spoke, "How about...?"

Lu Yan paused for a moment before continuing, "Would you like to watch a movie together?"