Chapter 116: A One-Night Stand

Chapter 116: A One-Night Stand

"I've never seen his face, never heard his name, yet I spent a night of passion with him until dawn..."

In the luxurious hotel suite, the dim bedside lamp cast shadows and light, faintly revealing scattered clothes on the floor. Lu Yan sat on the sofa, loosely draped in a white bathrobe. Through the half-open collar, glimpses of his muscular chest flashed, an air of ambiguity lingering. His eyes were half-closed, his probing gaze fixed on the opposite side, his brows slightly furrowed, as if pondering something unknown—

It was indeed somewhat tricky.

Because he had accidentally slept with someone.

On the double bed across from him sat a man whose face was obscured. He sat silently, head bowed, his slender and youthful figure suggesting he might still be a college student. The purple bruise on his shoulder silently revealed what he had just experienced, his fingertips gripping the sheets tightly, veins protruding on his pale hands.

Though he said nothing, the humiliation and endurance radiated from him, making it clear to Lu Yan how uncomfortable he felt.

"…"

After a deathly silence, it was finally Lu Yan who broke the calm. His voice was deep and sensual, giving off an illusion of kindness and warmth due to his detached demeanor: "Are you still in school?"

He noticed an old-fashioned casual backpack on the ground, its pure black exterior and silver zipper marking it as an outdated item long discarded by the market.

The man on the bed stirred at the words, slowly lifting his head from the shadows. It couldn't be denied that he had an exceptionally clean and handsome face. His overly long black hair nearly covered his eyes, giving him a sinister look. His high nose bridge, lips pale from chronic malnutrition, and eyes with more black than white, were cold and unappealing.

Tang Rufeng spoke calmly, his voice hoarse: "I don't know you."

Why am I in your bed?

Lu Yan picked up on the unspoken question in the other's words. He pulled out a thin mint cigarette from the box on the table corner but didn't light it. Instead, he brought it to his nose for a sniff, to wake himself up: "My friends and I were having dinner at a bar, and I drank too much, so I came up to open a room... As for why you're here, I'm not quite sure. If you need it, I can ask the staff to check the surveillance footage."

Even with the excellent soundproofing of the suite, the raucous music downstairs could still be heard. This was the largest entertainment venue in City A, "Elysium," where the first three floors were a bar, and above the fourth floor was the hotel. The man's explanation seemed plausible enough.

Tang Rufeng's face paled. He had originally worked part-time as a waiter at Elysium's lounge, but when he was leaving work, some customers caused trouble. He was forcibly dragged into a private room by several strangers and made to drink several bottles of red wine, after which he passed out.

When he woke up again, he was already in bed...

Even though the young man across from him hadn't said anything inappropriate, his noble aura and obvious wealth were evident. Tang Rufeng was just a poor student. Without even understanding what had happened, how could he hold anyone accountable?

The bed was in disarray, and the pain in an indescribable place behind him made him break out in cold sweat. Despair seeped into his heart, sinking deeper and deeper. Tang Rufeng pursed his lips tightly, spitting out two cold words: "No need!"

He only wanted to escape this nightmare-like place as soon as possible.

Lu Yan got up from the sofa, immediately noticing the other's embarrassment. He picked up the clothes on the floor and placed them at the foot of the bed, considerately saying: "Get dressed first, I'll wait in the bathroom for a while."

True to his word, he went into the bathroom. Tang Rufeng heard the soft click of the door closing before he endured the pain and got up to dress. He didn't bother cleaning up the mess left by the man, hastily putting on his clothes. He blinked back the stinging tears, never wanting to go home as desperately as he did then.

As Tang Rufeng reached the door, a low voice suddenly interrupted his steps:

"Do you want me to give you a ride?"

Lu Yan had just walked out of the bathroom, having changed out of his loose bathrobe into a low-key yet luxurious casual outfit. It contrasted sharply with the slightly shabby old shirt on Tang Rufeng's body. His noble features looked especially handsome under the light, both attractive and gentle, absolutely the type that appealed to both men and women alike.

But Tang Rufeng showed no reaction. Without looking at the man, he lowered his gaze, his fingers tightly gripping the strap of his backpack, coldly declining: "No need, I'll take a taxi myself."

With that, Tang Rufeng directly opened the door and left, using his work card to call the elevator downstairs. His phone was almost out of power, and glancing at the screen, he realized it was already late at night. Panic seized his heart, and he hurriedly ran to the roadside to hail a cab. However, approaching midnight, the road was empty. Most of the cars parked outside the bar were luxury vehicles and business limousines, waiting to pick up drunk rich boys and big bosses inside.

Tang Rufeng had run too quickly, and the cold wind filled his lungs, causing him to cough several times. He leaned against a tree trunk by the roadside, unable to control his body as it slid down slowly. His stomach, filled with alcohol, sent waves of convulsive pain, and he couldn't help but vomit.

"Gag—!"

What had happened today far exceeded everything Tang Rufeng had known in his twenty years of life. He vomited violently, his face icy cold, unsure if it was tears or something else. All he felt was unbearable suffering.

At that moment, a black sports car glided past the roadside like a phantom, quietly stopping in front of him. The window slowly rolled down, revealing Lu Yan's noble and elegant face, frivolous and decadent, like a dream of opulence and debauchery.

"Where do you live? I'll give you a ride."

Tang Rufeng was on the ground, reeking of alcohol and the lingering scent of intimacy. In his mind, he could only think of one word to describe himself: trash. He looked straight into Lu Yan's eyes, his pale complexion nearly transparent in the darkness, carrying a deathly stillness unbecoming of his age. His tone was icy: "I'm not a prostitute."

Lu Yan lightly tapped the steering wheel, smiling as he acknowledged: "I know."

This response provided some comfort.

He continued: "Get in the car. I'll take you home first."

The worst had already happened; there was no fear of anything else, unless the other party wanted to harm his life. Tang Rufeng paused for a moment, then threw caution to the wind and climbed into the car, giving an address so remote that even navigation systems struggled to accurately locate it.

Lu Yan asked no questions. The expensive sports car drove through the night, finally arriving in front of a cheap rental building. It was beyond the third ring road, remote and far away, requiring crossing a river. If Tang Rufeng had to walk, he might not have arrived until morning.

Lu Yan stopped the car by the roadside: "We're here."

Tang Rufeng opened the car door without a word and got out, still showing signs of stiffness and discomfort in his movements. Seeing this, Lu Yan thought of something and opened his wallet, pulling out a gold-embossed business card. He handed it through the window: "My number is on it. If you need any help, feel free to contact me anytime."

It was a simple yet exquisite card, bearing only a name and a phone number, nothing more.

If Lu Yan had given money, Tang Rufeng would have felt insulted, but the other party had only offered a thin card. It was hard to guess the meaning behind this gesture.

"No need."

Tang Rufeng felt that if there were no unexpected circumstances, he would never cross paths with the man sitting in the sports car again in this lifetime. That card was merely a burden and a shackle. He declined indifferently, shouldering his backpack and turning into a dark alley, stepping over muddy puddles. Shadows spread out, threatening to engulf him.

Tang Rufeng's family consisted of only his mother, who wasn't in good health. He was nearing graduation and had moved out of the dormitory to prepare for future internships while working part-time at Elysium Bar to support his household.

Tang Rufeng usually returned home by nine o'clock at the latest, but it was already three in the morning now. He worried that his mother might stay up late waiting for him. Hurrying upstairs, he finally reached the door and quietly used his key to open it. He saw that a small table lamp was left on in the living room, and Mother Tang was leaning on the sofa, dozing off in her coat.

The elderly woman always had light sleep. Even though Tang Rufeng tried his best to be quiet, Mother Tang still woke up. She opened her eyes groggily, looked at the wall clock, and instantly became more alert: "Rufeng, it's already three in the morning. Why are you just getting back now? The food in the kitchen has gone cold."

Tang Rufeng didn't dare let her smell the alcohol on him. Lowering his head to change his shoes, he mumbled: "There was a company dinner today, and it ended up running late. I'm going to take a shower first. Mom, you should get some rest."

He hadn't dared to tell Mother Tang that he worked at a bar, lying that he had found an intern position at a company. After hanging his backpack on the wall, he headed straight for the bathroom without looking back.

Mother Tang knocked on the bathroom door from outside, concerned about his hunger: "Rufeng, are you hungry? Should Mom heat up some food for you?"

Tang Rufeng's muffled voice came from inside: "I'm not hungry, you should go to sleep."

Upon hearing this, Tang's mother shook her head, not suspecting anything, and turned back to her room, draped in her coat.

In the bathroom, Tang Rufeng stripped off his dirty clothes and turned on the showerhead to rinse his body. He hadn't felt it much in the car, but once he was home and his nerves relaxed, he realized how much pain he was in. The steady stream of water drenched his hair, clinging tightly to his skin, suffocating him further.

Tang Rufeng pressed against the cool tile wall with his eyes closed, fiercely wiping his face. In the depths of despair, one couldn't even cry. There were too many burdens he had to bear in life: poverty, tuition fees, medical expenses, rent. In the face of these things, modesty and self-respect could only be placed at the bottom.

Tang Rufeng's first experience with intimacy was nothing but pain and humiliation. He silently closed his eyes, cleaning himself up shakily before changing into pajamas. However, he found that he couldn't cover up the hickey marks on his neck, so he added a high-collared shirt underneath before returning to his room to sleep.

Meanwhile, the ghostly black sports car remained parked downstairs, not leaving. Lu Yan closed his eyes, leaning against the chair's backrest, his right index finger slowly caressing his temple, unable to understand how he ended up in the hotel suite, sleeping with a stranger.

"Do you want to know what happened just now?"

A strange mechanical voice suddenly echoed in the air. On such a dark and windy night, it inevitably sounded eerie. Upon hearing this, Lu Yan suddenly opened his eyes, only to see a black heart appear before him at some point. The entity was surrounded by thin blue-violet currents, akin to a scene from a sci-fi movie.

"What are you?"

For some inexplicable reason, Lu Yan wasn't panicked at all, as if he had seen this heart countless times before.

"Me? Who I am isn't important; what matters is that I can help you survive."

The system silently landed above Lu Yan's head, a faint blue light entering his mind, beginning to implant memories. Lu Yan felt an excruciating headache, as countless images flashed before his eyes. In the end, it was a handsome man in a suit pressing him against the wall, asking softly, "Ayuan, are you willing to donate a kidney to him?"

Are you willing to donate a kidney to him?

To whom?

Who wants to take out his kidney?

A look of surprise flashed across Lu Yan's eyes, but before he could regain his composure, the image in his mind instantly switched to a familiar face filled with hatred—

It was truly familiar.

Raven-black hair, pale cheeks, clean and delicate features—it was none other than Tang Rufeng, who had spent the night with him in the hotel. But now, the other party's eyes were red-rimmed, looking at him with a desperate and hateful gaze, asking in a hoarse voice, "All these years...you've just been using me as his substitute, haven't you?!"

A substitute?

What kind of substitute?

Before Lu Yan could ask this question, his figure suddenly lost weight, being dragged down from a tall building by Tang Rufeng. He opened his eyes in horror, the sound of rushing wind in his ears, struggling desperately but being held tightly by the other party until they crashed to the ground.

Everything was blood-red.

The memories implanted by the system were too realistic. Lu Yan violently trembled, sitting straight up from the chair's backrest. He panted heavily, his back drenched in cold sweat, staring at the system in shock and suspicion. "What is all this nonsense?!"

"Fate."

The system whispered, "This is your future fate."

Lu Yan frowned. "What do you mean?"

The air subtly quivered, and a photo of a man in a suit appeared before Lu Yan's eyes. The man was handsome, clearly a cold-hearted superior.

"This man is Duan Jiayang. You've been infatuated with him for five years and finally got engaged last month. Unfortunately, he likes your older brother, Lu Bing, who is abroad."

Lu Yan asked without revealing any emotion, "And then?"

"You became jealous and used every means possible to deal with Lu Bing, wanting to kill him. But you didn't expect the truth to come out, causing Duan Jiayang to despise you. At this time, Lu Bing was suddenly diagnosed with kidney failure, and you are the best match for a kidney transplant."

Lu Yan silently pulled out a cigarette from the pack, placing it between his lips. His hand trembled slightly as he lit it. He thought to himself that he shouldn't be so low as to donate a kidney to his rival, but the system's next words shattered his hopes.

"In order to be with Duan Jiayang, you threatened him with this matter to marry you. Duan Jiayang reluctantly agreed due to the circumstances, but you didn't expect that shortly after your kidney transplant surgery, Tang Rufeng would drag you down from a tall building."

A piece of ash fell quietly, particularly noticeable on his black pants.

Lu Yan slowly raised his head. "Why?"

Just because he accidentally slept with him in the hotel?

"Because Tang Rufeng bears a resemblance to Duan Jiayang. You glanced at him a few times while drinking at the bar. Your friends, trying to please you, deliberately got him drunk and sent him to your suite, leading to a night of passion."

"You were infatuated with Duan Jiayang but couldn't have him. Coincidentally, Tang Rufeng was a poor student, so you kept him as a kept man. But he never expected that you were merely using him as a substitute for Duan Jiayang. It happened that his mother passed away during that period, and Tang Rufeng saw you as his only support..."

Lu Yan interrupted, "So he killed me out of love turned to hate?"

The system said, "You were the last straw that broke him."

"..."

Lu Yan silently smoked, momentarily at a loss for words. Amidst the swirling smoke, he turned his head to look out the car window at the neighborhood. The walls were weathered and faded, the only source of light being the old street lamp, worn down by the elements and barely hanging on.

Lu Yan frowned, extinguishing the cigarette inconspicuously. "Why are you telling me all this?"

There's no such thing as unexplained kindness or malice, nor unexplained hatred. He and the system were strangers, yet the latter suddenly appeared to reveal this shocking secret. It couldn't be to protect him, could it?

The system's black body floated up and down, the electric current crackling as it slowly uttered three words: "To protect you."

Lu Yan: "..."

The system circled around Lu Yan, its icy mechanical voice carrying a barely perceptible seriousness. "Now, someone wants to take out your kidney, and someone wants to commit double suicide with you. You must survive, understand?"