Chapter 129: Revenge

Chapter 129: Revenge

Two days ago, at the corner café.

Lu Yan had been out of contact for a long time, his phone completely disconnected. Tang Rufeng was already overwhelmed with worry about his mother's illness and Lu Yan's disappearance. Just as he was about to report Lu Yan missing to the police, Duan Jiyang suddenly appeared before him.

"There's no need for you to look any further, Lu Yan is with me."

Duan Jiyang sat across from him, his demeanor seemingly nonchalant, but his hands clenched under the table, his mood as gloomy as if it could drip water.

He had temporarily confined Lu Yan. Lu Wanshan wouldn't spill any secrets, leaving only this impoverished student as the potential leak. Duan Jiyang had someone investigate Tang Rufeng's background, originally intending to facilitate a cover-up, but he never expected that this investigation would reveal that Tang Rufeng was actually that "bastard" from years ago.

Yes, bastard...

Duan Jiyang found it shameful to even utter the word "brother," feeling it was an insult to himself. He vividly remembered how that beggar-like woman stood outside their home with her beggar-like son for an entire day, sparking a fierce argument between his parents. The enmity had been planted in his heart right then.

Tang Rufeng sat opposite him, a steaming cup of coffee by his side, the liquid swaying gently, like memories long dormant now rippling to the surface.

There are enemies in this world who, despite the passage of time, you can recognize at first sight amidst a sea of people. No explanation needed, Tang Rufeng recognized Duan Jiyang as the wealthy young master standing on the steps during his childhood.

Tang Rufeng maintained his usual impassive demeanor, though dark circles under his eyes betrayed sleepless nights spent at the hospital. His back remained straight, like a sharp green bamboo pole. Years ago, in the scorching summer, he stood in the courtyard just like this, looking exactly as Duan Jiyang remembered, loathsome and unchanged: "What's your relationship with Lu Yan?"

For reasons unknown, perhaps wanting to assert dominance over Tang Rufeng or driven by some hidden motive, Duan Jiyang took a sip of his coffee and deliberately countered, "I'm his fiancé. Didn't Lu Yan tell you that?"

Tang Rufeng: "He did, he said he broke off the engagement."

Duan Jiyang laughed. "Lu Yan will spin any lie to woo his little lovers. We're getting married soon, so there's no need for you to look for him anymore. Here's some money in the card, consider it compensation for emotional distress."

With that, he tossed a golden bank card onto the table, his gesture as condescending as a beggar's alms.

Tang Rufeng glanced at it but didn't reach for it. "Is this Lu Yan's intention?"

Duan Jiyang: "No, it's mine. Lu Yan is the type to have fun and then walk away without a care. Do you really think he'd be so kind as to give you compensation for emotional distress?"

Tang Rufeng interrupted calmly, "He's not that kind of person."

At these words, Duan Jiyang's smile faltered momentarily before returning to normal. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Tang Rufeng, how long have you known Lu Yan? Do you think you know him better than I do? If he were truly conscientious, would he not answer your calls for days?"

Every word, every sentence, felt like a needle dipped in poison, piercing his heart.

"Tang Rufeng, do you know why Lu Yan was attracted to you?"

At this question, Tang Rufeng suddenly lifted his eyes, his eyelashes trembling uncontrollably, like still waters finally rippling. The mask on his face began to crack. He saw Duan Jiyang's downturned lips, his expression gradually becoming emotionless, bearing a striking resemblance to his own.

Duan Jiyang spoke mockingly, "If you didn't bear a resemblance to me, do you think he would have been interested in you, a poor student? I was busy with other matters and had a misunderstanding with him, but we've cleared everything up... Now that the real deal is back, who would want a cheap substitute?"

Substitute?

Those two words were like sharp blades, piercing Tang Rufeng's heart painfully. He could disbelieve everything else Duan Jiyang said, but he couldn't deny the similarity in their appearances. He closed his eyes tightly, feeling a ringing in his ears, his breathing becoming rapid and labored.

Tang Rufeng suddenly recalled the night he was drunk and sent to Lu Yan's bed, as if someone whispered in his ear, "He looks quite similar."

He also remembered how friends always looked at him with subtle surprise whenever he went to bars with Lu Yan, their gazes turning into a tacit silence.

These memories were hazy and chaotic, yet they all pointed to something.

Tang Rufeng's hand on his knee tightened, veins bulging. He tried to refute Duan Jiyang's words, but staring at those features that shared a third of his own, he found language frighteningly inadequate and his throat hoarse.

Seeing Tang Rufeng's pitiful, pale appearance, Duan Jiyang finally felt a sense of satisfaction, as if the resentment of over a decade was finally being vented, and Tang Rufeng could no longer fight him like they did as children.

Duan Jiyang called over the waiter to settle the bill, laughing lightly. "If you're still deluded enough to seek Lu Yan for clarification, let me tell you directly, he won't tell the truth. He'll lie and coax you as he always has, after all, naive college students like you are the easiest to deceive."

"It's better for you to cut ties cleanly rather than muddle through with him. Don't be like your beggar mother, always doing things that humiliate yourself."

Duan Jiyang left, the steam from the coffee on the table dissipating, eventually cooling completely. Tang Rufeng closed his eyes tightly, feeling all his strength drained by Duan Jiyang's words. He struggled to stand up from his seat and left the café in a disheveled and hurried manner.

It was late autumn, the sun no longer scorching. The ginkgo trees by the roadside turned from green to yellow, their leaves falling softly to the ground, crunching underfoot.

Tang Rufeng ran frantically along the road, as if trying to exhaust all his energy. After running for what seemed like an eternity, he finally leaned against some roadside plants and slowly came to a stop. His breaths were ragged as he fumbled for his phone and made one last call to Lu Yan, clinging to a sliver of hope. But all he heard was the sweet yet icy voice of the customer service representative: "Sorry, the number you dialed cannot be reached at the moment. Please try again later..."

Substitute.

Substitute.

Tang Rufeng knew he shouldn't believe Duan Jiyang's words, but he couldn't find a shred of evidence to refute them.

Tang Rufeng slowly crouched down, shivering from the cold. His eyes were red, and hatred was growing wildly within him. Yet, the memory that surfaced was of that night in the rental apartment when he stripped naked, selling himself like a cheap commodity. Lu Yan, however, draped a coat over him and whispered:

"You're still young, don't sell yourself short."

Tang Rufeng believed him, regarding him as his savior. But just like a recurring nightmare from over a decade ago, Duan Jiyang's mother destroyed his family, and now, over a decade later, her son was taking away everything he fought to protect.

In that moment, Tang Rufeng felt an intense longing, so strong that it nearly eclipsed his hatred. He realized that without money and power, living in this city where every inch of land was gold meant surviving like an ant, barely scraping by. Even if what Lu Yan said was true, he had to become stronger to avoid being discarded.

The autumn wind was bleak. If Duan Jiyang knew that his words had pushed a poor student into the depths of despair, transforming him into a demon that would consume him, would he regret his actions today? But it was too late, just like raindrops falling from the sky, unable to reverse their course.

The night was endless, and it was that very night that Tang Rufeng's mother passed away.

This was unknown to everyone, even Lu Yan was unaware. After finishing the blood typing at the hospital, he returned to the old Lu family residence, appearing eerily quiet. No one knew what he was plotting in secret. However, when Duan Jiyang finally showed up, he didn't bring the blood typing results, but rather news that was absurd to both Yang Qin and Lu Yan.

"What? You want to re-engage with Ayuan again?!"

Yang Qin nearly burst out laughing upon hearing Duan Jiyang's intentions. As a piano teacher, she had always maintained a gentle and elegant image in public. Now, she slammed the table in anger, her voice cold and unyielding: "Duan Jiyang, I won't say anything about your engagement and subsequent breakup. But coming back now is simply outrageous! Yes, our Lu family may not be as powerful as yours, but our son isn't a cabbage for you to pick and discard at will!"

Faced with Yang Qin's fury, Duan Jiyang remained silent. Sitting on the sofa, he waited until she finished her tirade before rising and bowing his head. "Auntie, I was wrong in the past, I hope you can forgive me. I genuinely love Ayuan, and I will treat him well after marriage."

Yang Qin's face turned livid with rage. She once thought Duan Jiyang was a rare suitable marriage prospect, but after prolonged contact, she found him worse than garbage. With a sarcastic tone, she asked, "Love Ayuan? Didn't you love Lü Bing? You were ready to die for him and forced Ayuan to donate a kidney. President Duan, your 'love' is certainly 'priceless' and 'fickle,' isn't it?"

Even Lu Wanshan found the situation ridiculous, but that didn't mean he wanted to offend Duan Jiyang. Seeing the escalating conflict, he quickly stood up and grabbed Yang Qin, scolding her, "Enough, this is none of your business! Ayuan's marriage is something I will discuss with President Duan, you don't need to interfere!"

"You're talking nonsense!"

Yang Qin, rarely using vulgar language, spat out an obscenity. She was trembling with anger, tears streaming down her face. Thinking about how Lu Wanshan had been keeping Lu Yan locked up these past few days, forcing him to donate a kidney to Lu Bing, her heart sank to its lowest point: "Lu Wanshan, you're nothing but a beast who sells his son for wealth and glory! You don't care about your own son, but I do about the one I gave birth to. I'm laying my cards on the table today; you won't tie Lu Yan to this scoundrel. If it comes to it, we'll get a divorce!"

After her declaration, she slammed the teacup on the table with force, turned around under Lu Wanshan's astonished and incredulous gaze, and went upstairs to start packing her suitcase.

Lu Yan had remained in his room all along. Seeing the situation, he finally opened the door and came out. Standing by the second-floor railing, he looked down at Duan Jiyang with a mix of coldness and speechless frustration:

"Duan Jiyang, what madness are you up to now?"

Hadn't he already agreed to donate a kidney to Lu Bing? Why was the other party suddenly running over to propose marriage?

When Duan Jiyang saw Lu Yan, his expression froze. Realizing the situation, he immediately rushed up the stairs, looking somewhat at a loss: "Ah Yan, I..."

Lu Yan interrupted him: "Call me by my full name. We're not close."

Duan Jiyang knew that Lu Yan harbored resentment towards him and didn't mind his hostile attitude: "I haven't seen you go out much during this time. I heard you had a fever. Are you feeling better?"

Since returning from the blood typing test that day, Lu Yan had developed a fever, possibly due to sudden weather changes or getting caught in the rain. In any case, he had been sick for several days. Apart from Yang Qin, no one knew what he was quietly preparing for. The Lu family was like a solitary boat on the sea, seemingly calm, yet in reality, it faced the danger of capsizing at the first sign of a storm.

Impatiently, Lu Yan spoke: "It's none of your business. Have the blood typing results come out yet?"

Mentioning the kidney donation, Duan Jiyang suddenly fell silent for a moment. His tone seemed somewhat icy, even carrying a barely perceptible disgust towards Lu Bing: "You don't have to donate a kidney to Lu Bing anymore."

Lu Yan momentarily doubted his hearing: "What?"

Duan Jiyang repeated himself: "You don't have to donate a kidney to him anymore."

Lu Yan glanced at the sun outside the window, noticing that it hadn't set in the west. Raising an eyebrow, he asked: "You don't care about Lu Bing's life anymore?"

Duan Jiyang slowly exhaled, recounting the cause and effect of the matter to Lu Yan in a low voice. His brows were tightly furrowed, each word tinged with regret and hatred, as if he had no feelings left for Lu Bing, and those years of entanglement were merely a mistake.

Now it was Lu Yan's turn to be stunned. He subconsciously touched his right shoulder, never having imagined such a cause and effect behind the scenes. For some reason, that unforgettable memory for Duan Jiyang felt exceptionally vague to Lu Yan, like ripples on a lake dissipating instantly without leaving any trace.

However, since he didn't have to donate a kidney to Lu Bing, it was naturally a happy outcome for everyone: "Since you say I don't have to donate a kidney to Lu Bing, don't come looking for me unless there's something important. Better yet, don't come looking for me at all."

As Lu Yan prepared to check if Yang Qin had finished packing her luggage, planning to divorce that unscrupulous father as soon as possible and move away, he was unexpectedly grabbed by the wrist by Duan Jiyang. The latter asked in a deep voice: "Lu Yan, can't we really start over?"

Turning to look at him, Lu Yan couldn't help but find it amusing: "Start over? Why? Just because I saved you when we were kids?"

Duan Jiyang remained silent, seemingly acknowledging it by default, or perhaps he didn't know how to answer himself.

Suddenly, Lu Yan became serious: "Duan Jiyang, actually, it wasn't me who saved you in the river that day; it was my cousin, Lu Nian. The scar on my shoulder is from fighting with others in the past. I can't swim at all."

Upon hearing this, Duan Jiyang's expression changed slightly, and he asked in astonishment: "What? Not you? Where is Lu Nian now?"

"..."

Lu Yan stared at him silently, not saying a word. Three seconds later, he suddenly burst into laughter. Holding his stomach, he laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face. Confused, Duan Jiyang looked at him, his brows furrowed: "What are you laughing at?"

Straightening up, Lu Yan wiped the corners of his eyes: "Duan Jiyang, I don't have a cousin at all. You don't like me, nor do you like Lu Bing. You just like the person who can save you, whether it's a cat or a dog."

Lu Yan shook his head slightly, feeling pity for Duan Jiyang for the first time. His tone was sincere: "You don't understand what it means to like someone. You can develop good feelings for someone because they saved you and gradually fall in love with them as you get to know each other better. But you can't fall in love with them just because they saved you. What you love is the act, not the person."

"Me, Lu Bing, and Lu Nian are just variables you plug into your formula. This isn't called liking someone."

Lu Yan spoke calmly, almost friendly compared to his tone towards Duan Jiyang during this period. However, every word was like a boulder, leaving Duan Jiyang dizzy and disoriented. It was as if something he had held onto for a long time shattered and collapsed within him, sending a chill spreading from the soles of his feet.

Duan Jiyang's expression was extremely ugly as he tried to salvage the situation: "No, things aren't as you said..."

"It doesn't matter either way. What matters is that I don't like you."

Lu Yan was always straightforward and decisive. As a child, he had gotten into too many fights and suffered too many injuries. That incident of saving someone from drowning was insignificant, making it difficult for him to recall. Therefore, he couldn't understand why it had become Duan Jiyang's obsession:

"Duan Jiyang, since I saved you when we were kids, why don't you let me off the hook today? From now on, we'll be even. Neither of us owes the other anything."

Duan Jiyang attempted to speak again, but Lu Yan cut him off with a single sentence: "Don't make me regret pulling you out of the river."

"..."

There was nothing worth staying for in that broken home. Ignoring Lu Wanshan's objections, Lu Yan took Yang Qin and left with their suitcases, planning to find a lawyer in a couple of days to file for divorce. At that time, he might even be able to claim a portion of the old man's property.

In the car, Yang Qin covered her face with a handkerchief and sobbed continuously. Assuming she was upset, Lu Yan comforted her: "Mom, don't be sad. After all these years, we've saved up some money. We won't have to worry about food or drink. There's nothing worth remembering about that old man."

But Yang Qin choked out: "I'm not sad; I'm happy. I haven't had a single day where I didn't want a divorce. Every time, I convinced myself to endure it. Now that we've finally escaped that hellhole, I'm too happy to bear it."

She always thought that Lu Yan would inherit the family business in the future. For the sake of her son's prospects, she endured year after year. Although she lived a life of wealth, she had endured countless grievances. Today, she finally moved out with determination, but Yang Qin didn't feel the expected reluctance. Instead, she felt liberated.

Lu Yan said: "Mom, you're right to think this way. Besides, you're still young and beautiful. Find someone handsome and virtuous in the future. They'll be a million times better than that old man."

He was deliberately trying to cheer Yang Qin up. Hearing this, she couldn't help but break into a smile through her tears: "Mom only hopes that you'll be well. Don't let that surnamed Duan trouble us anymore."

Lu Yan replied uncertainly: "He probably won't, right?"

He drove Yang Qin to settle in his residence outside. Then, he went to Tang Rufeng's previous rental house to look for him. However, the place was empty, cleaned spotlessly, showing no signs of anyone living there.

Lu Yan couldn't help but pause for a moment. He found a key and an envelope pressed under the coffee table. Opening it, he saw only a brief sentence written inside:

"Don't miss me, don't look for me."

"Rip!"

Lu Yan couldn't control himself as he crumpled the paper into a ball fiercely. His heart inexplicably skipped a beat. He couldn't understand why Tang Rufeng had suddenly left. Hadn't they agreed that he would wait for him at home?

Lu Yan had never considered the possibility of Tang Rufeng leaving. According to the ending the system had told him, the other party would rather drag him to his death from a high building than let go. How could he leave so easily?

Lu Yan searched everywhere Tang Rufeng might have gone, the old rental house, the riverside, the bar. He even went to Tang Rufeng's school, but the news he received was that he had already withdrawn from school.

He was like a gust of wind, suddenly bursting into Lu Yan's life. In the end, when he left, he didn't even leave a trace behind.

It wasn't until this moment that Lu Yan realized how little he knew about Tang Rufeng. All he knew was that the man was a poor student, where he lived, what university he attended, and that he had a sick mother. Beyond that, he knew nothing. He didn't even know where Tang Rufeng's hometown was, let alone anything about his relatives.

Lu Yan searched for three whole months, utterly clueless. He initially thought of asking friends with wide networks in their circle to help him look, but not a single one would answer his calls. It was always Pan Yuan, the ultimate good sport, who responded to him.

"You want to pay someone to help you find that waiter? Forget it. There are better things to do with your money. Save it, so you don't get dragged into trouble."

Confused, Lu Yan asked, "What do you mean?"

Ever since Pan Yuan's unrequited love for Duan Jiayang came to naught, he had lost all interest in romance. Over the phone, he dropped a bombshell on Lu Yan:

"I heard you and Auntie moved out. No wonder you didn't know. Your father was anonymously reported for using cheap materials and passing them off as high-quality ones, causing problems with a construction project for a partner. Now he's facing a pile of lawsuits, and if things go wrong, he could end up in jail. And that project was given to your family by Duan Jiayang because of Lu Bing. I heard he's also been implicated. Chairman Duan is furious and has already convened a board meeting to remove Duan Jiayang from his position."

Pan Yuan expected a series of shock and disbelief from Lu Yan, but he remained eerily calm, casually replying, "Oh, that thing. I know about it."

He was the one who made the report.

No matter how much Lu Wanshan tried to guard against it day and night, he couldn't prevent his own son. Lu Yan had prepared the report long ago, aiming to catch them off guard and make sure Lu Wanshan and Duan Jiayang had no time to pressure him about donating a kidney.

Duan Jiayang, preoccupied with the Lu Bing affair for a long time, had neglected company affairs, causing discontent. This incident led to his being held accountable by the board and his removal from his position.

It was for the best, like ridding the people of a pest. The ancestors of the Lu family would have to thank him.