Chapter 134: The Venomous Hand

Chapter 134: The Venomous Hand

"Rustle!"

Duan Jiyang suddenly stood up, his expression flickering between dark and light, nearly knocking over the coffee on the table as he was shaken by Lu Yan's words, which had stirred up a storm in his heart.

How could it be?! His father had clearly told him that Tang Rufeng's illegitimate son status would never allow him to take center stage, and as long as he worked hard, the family assets would still be his. How could he suddenly contact a lawyer to change his will?!

Duan Jiyang, trying to hide his panic, asked, "Did Zhao Shu tell you this?"

Lu Yan leaned back into his chair, smiling but with an expression that seemed genuine. "Why would I lie to you? A couple of days ago, he just happened to come to my bar for fun and mentioned it in passing. Why don't you call him yourself to confirm?"

Duan Jiyang certainly wouldn't ask. He didn't have much interaction with Zhao Shu, so why would the latter tell him anything? This piece of information burned like fire in his heart, and Duan Jiyang couldn't bear to stay another moment. He left the cafe immediately and rushed home.

Little did he know that shortly after he left, Lu Yan sent a message to Tang Rufeng. After doing this, he turned off his phone screen and muttered to himself, "I seduced him? Tang Rufeng really dares to make things up..."

Tang Rufeng indeed wasn't afraid to fabricate stories. It was proven that no matter how innocent and naive a college student might be, they would become cunning and sly once they entered society.

Duan Jiyang was eager to confirm the truth. He hurried home, but before he could even run upstairs, he saw a middle-aged man wearing glasses emerge from Duan Jianfeng's study. The man held a briefcase in his hand, had a scholarly appearance, and was none other than Zhao Qikang, a well-known partner at a prestigious law firm.

In that instant, Duan Jiyang's heart sank like a stone into ice. He barely managed to adjust his expression as he approached, "Uncle Zhao, what a coincidence. Why are you here today? Did Father need something from you?"

Lawyers were often shrewd, and Zhao Qikang never showed excessive closeness to any of the Duan sons on the surface. Seeing Duan Jiyang, he merely smiled politely. "It's President Duan. The chairman had some business matters to handle and asked me to come over to confirm them. It's nothing major."

Duan Jiyang asked without revealing his emotions, "Was it to change the will?"

Zhao Qikang looked at Duan Jiyang slightly surprised, and no one knew what that glance meant. "President Duan, when I came out just now, I heard the chairman telling his assistant to find you. There seems to be something urgent. You should go in quickly; don't keep him waiting."

After saying this, he nodded slightly, turned around, and left, his evasive attitude only adding to the unease.

Duan Jiyang furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before finally pushing open the door to Duan Jianfeng's study. Like Tang Rufeng, he disliked the dim and oppressive atmosphere inside. He stood respectfully in front of the desk, not daring to raise his head. "Father, why did you call me here?"

"Rustle—!"

Duan Jianfeng said nothing, his face dark as he threw an advertising contract in his face. The sharp edge of the paper cut a red line across his face, making it particularly noticeable. Nearly in a rage, he said, "How many times have I told you that it's fine if you drink and eat with your friends, but don't let personal feelings interfere with business. The Jinrong project company had already decided on a cooperative advertising agency. Who authorized you to secretly transfer it to the Lin family?!"

Duan Jiyang subconsciously took a step back, watching as the contract papers fluttered to the ground like snowflakes. He endured the burning pain on his face and said, "Father, I just thought their quotation was more suitable, almost six points cheaper than similar companies."

Duan Jianfeng slammed the table, making it bang loudly. "Cheaper?! You only know about cheapness. Do you know that cheap things aren't good?! They made a mess of Jinrong's advertising marketing. Have you even seriously reviewed it? All you do is scheme all day. If you had devoted even a fraction of the effort you put into taking those photos, the project wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Duan Jianfeng was so angry that his chest heaved, his tone unable to hide his disappointment. "I originally wanted to let you return to the company for training, but now it seems you're truly useless. Get out of here!"

Hearing this, Duan Jiyang suddenly raised his head. "Are you really going to hand the company over to that bastard Tang Rufeng?!"

Duan Jianfeng became even angrier. "So what if I do? The company is mine. I can give it to whoever I want. It's none of your business!"

Duan Jiyang, not knowing where his courage came from, gritted his teeth and said, "If you hadn't swallowed my mother's company back then, who knows if the Duan family would be where it is today!"

After saying this, he ignored Duan Jianfeng's shocked and furious expression and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. However, he didn't expect that Tang Rufeng was sitting on the sofa downstairs waiting for him. The other party held a cup of milk tea in his hand, half-drunk, indicating he had just arrived.

Duan Jiyang quickly walked down the stairs, his voice cold and filled with hostility. "What are you doing here?!"

Tang Rufeng crossed his legs, shaking the cup of milk tea in his hand as he spoke indifferently. "This is also my home. Why can't I come here?"

Duan Jiyang muttered two words under his breath. "Bastard!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Rufeng didn't seem angry at all. He stood up from the sofa, his pitch-black eyes seemingly examining Duan Jiyang, staring until the other felt a chill run down his spine. Then, with a smile that was neither here nor there, he asked, "Don't you want to know what Father was doing with Lawyer Zhao just now?"

Duan Jiyang unconsciously clenched his fists, his expression fluctuating between shock and suspicion. "Do you know?"

Tang Rufeng's lips curved into a cold smile. "Of course I know."

He stepped forward, standing in front of Duan Jiyang, seemingly casually saying, "You already know in your heart, right? Father changed the will."

Hearing this, Duan Jiyang's expression froze, followed by a sneer. "Just because I messed up an advertising plan, he's going to change the will and divide the family assets with you? Do you think I'd believe that?"

Tang Rufeng, however, said, "Messed up? Let me tell you the truth. The promotion wasn't messed up. He just wants you to leave the company. It was just an excuse."

Duan Jiyang felt there was a deeper meaning to these words. "What do you mean?"

Tang Rufeng remained silent, instead idly shaking the cup of milk tea in his hand. The cup had a simple and elegant lily pattern drawn on it, a bud about to bloom, endearing to the eye. But Duan Jianfeng hated this flower the most because he was allergic to lily pollen.

Tang Rufeng said meaningfully, "You know what you've done. The old man has actually been quite nice to you, at least he didn't report you to the police. Don't you think so?"

His words were disjointed, yet they struck Duan Jiyang like a hammer blow, causing his vision to spin. He subconsciously took two steps back, his eyes flashing with darkness and panic.

No... how could it be like this?! Could it be that the old man discovered that he deliberately placed pollen in his room on his birthday, and that's why he wanted to get rid of him?

Duan Jiyang was overwhelmed with panic. In his haste to confirm something, he instinctively looked up at Tang Rufeng but found that the other had already left. The vast living room was left with only him, standing alone in the middle.

Duan Jiyang quickly regained his composure, barely managing to steady his nerves. As he hurriedly walked out, he pulled out his phone and called his secretary, instructing them to do whatever it takes to delay Zhao Qikang, ensuring he had no time to change the will. Then, he drove away from the old residence.

...

"Zhao Shu sent a message today, saying that his father accidentally got into a car accident a few days ago and is currently lying in the hospital. It's probably Duan Jiyang's doing."

Due to Duan Jianfeng's presence, Lu Yan and Tang Rufeng had been meeting in private during this period, choosing a private room in the bar as their location. The dim lighting fell upon them, somewhat blurred, while the karaoke screen in front flashed images continuously.

Tang Rufeng had just gotten off work, his expression showing signs of fatigue. He closed his eyes, resting his head on Lu Yan's lap, visibly relaxed and lazy. "It's not likely; it was definitely him."

Lu Yan clicked his tongue. "Really ruthless."

Tang Rufeng opened his eyes, speaking with an unclear meaning. "He can be even more ruthless. Do you believe it?"

Lu Yan reached out to cover Tang Rufeng's eyes, smiling. "No matter how ruthless he is, it has nothing to do with me. I don't like him, you know that, right?"

Ever since learning that Duan Jiyang had deceived Tang Rufeng about being a substitute, Lu Yan couldn't help repeating this phrase every now and then, to the point where Tang Rufeng's ears were practically calloused. Hearing this, Tang Rufeng pulled down Lu Yan's hand, his eyes bright and asking tirelessly, "Then who do you like?"

"You."

"I love you."

Lu Yan was always particularly patient with Tang Rufeng, repeating himself as many times as the latter wished to hear it, be it a thousand or ten thousand times: "Are you staying here tonight, or going straight home?"

Tang Rufeng rolled up his sleeve to check his watch. "I can't stay too long, lest we get caught like last time. I'll head back in two hours."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Lu Yan's lips as he teased, "Don't we look like lovers having an affair?"

After saying this, he added, "We have two more hours. Why don't you sleep some more? I'll keep you company."

They hadn't seen each other for a while since their last encounter that ended with them being secretly photographed, mostly communicating through their phones. Tang Rufeng didn't want to waste the precious two hours they had by sleeping, so he got up from the sofa. He wrapped his arms around Lu Yan's neck and sat on his lap, sniffing him like a puppy before giving him a kiss.

Lu Yan held onto Tang Rufeng's waist, allowing him to do as he pleased. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, thinking that it wasn't him seducing Tang Rufeng, but rather the opposite: "You're not sleeping?"

Tang Rufeng bit Lu Yan hard, sensing that he wasn't fully focused. His deep voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction, "I can sleep when I get home."

Alright then.

Lu Yan understood what Tang Rufeng meant. He flipped them over, pinning him down on the sofa, and engaged in a deep, breathless kiss. Tang Rufeng seemed to enjoy the thrill of near-death experiences, always tightly hugging Lu Yan's neck as he panted in his arms, his eyes flushed red like a bewitching spirit from Strange Tales of Liaozhai.

Tang Rufeng pressed his nose against Lu Yan's, gently rubbing against him as if remembering something. "When I used to work part-time at the bar, I often saw you drinking upstairs..."

Lu Yan asked subconsciously, "And then what?"

Tang Rufeng replied, "And then nothing happened."

He didn't dare to approach Lu Yan or appear in front of him, only frequently passing by the bar downstairs because he could see Lu Yan lazily sitting in the booth, laughing, whenever he looked up. He was flamboyant and unrestrained, like a blazing flame.

Lu Yan had never looked down, so he never noticed.

Whenever Lu Yan thought about this, he couldn't help but laugh, his chest shaking. "Do you know why I went to the bar every day to drink?"

Tang Rufeng was puzzled. "Why?"

Lu Yan said proudly, "To break off my engagement with Duan Jiayang. I deliberately indulged in debauchery there, and he couldn't take it anymore, so he broke it off."

Tang Rufeng choked upon hearing this, not expecting such a twist. "If you didn't want to be with him, why did you insist on getting engaged in the first place?"

Lu Yan tried to recall for a moment but found that his memories of Duan Jiayang were blank. He inexplicably fell in love and inexplicably got engaged, making it difficult to find a reason. "...I can't explain it. From the beginning, I felt that something was wrong between us."

Wrong start, wrong ending, wrong person.

Tang Rufeng's breathing hitched at these words, feeling inexplicably nervous. Suddenly, he felt a warm sensation brush past his ear as Lu Yan whispered a nearly intimate love confession: "But the two of us are right..."

He kissed Tang Rufeng's delicate cheeks, his slightly thin jawline, and finally captured his swollen lips, lingering and caressing. "We still have a long life ahead of us. Don't do anything that can't be undone, understand?"

Lu Yan might not have been unable to see Tang Rufeng's hatred towards Duan Jianfeng, nor could he guess what scheme Tang Rufeng was planning. He wanted to let the other settle his grudge but also worried that he might impulsively do something irreparable. Thus, he could only remind him indirectly in this manner.

Tang Rufeng closed his eyes upon hearing this, his throat inexplicably tight, struggling to hide his hoarseness. "Mm... I know."

Indeed, Tang Rufeng wanted Duan Jianfeng to pay the price, but now he wasn't alone. He couldn't act recklessly like he used to when fighting and brawling. He still had a sliver of hope for the future, which wasn't worth sacrificing everything for scum like Duan Jianfeng.

As the weather grew colder, Duan Jianfeng, who had leg problems, disliked going out. Although he usually had a housekeeper to take care of him, she couldn't be with him all the time.

On an ordinary afternoon, the family doctor came as usual to check on Duan Jianfeng's health. However, just as he arrived at the door, he saw Duan Jianfeng clutching his neck in terror, tumbling down the stairs. The sight scared him so much that he dropped his medical bag and hurriedly rushed forward to assess the situation:

"Chairman! Are you alright, Chairman?!"

Duan Jianfeng's voice was hoarse, unable to speak. His hands tightly gripped his neck as he gasped for air, his aged face flushed with large patches of red rashes, resembling symptoms of an allergic reaction. His eyes, originally unfocused, suddenly lit up upon seeing the doctor. He clutched his hand tightly and forced out a few raspy words from his throat: "Call... call an ambulance..."

Seeing his condition deteriorating, the doctor quickly dialed 120 and rushed him to the hospital. After emergency treatment, it was determined that he suffered from pollen allergy. However, due to the cervical dislocation he experienced during the fall, his nerve function was severely damaged, potentially leading to paralysis.

Upon hearing the news, Tang Rufeng and Duan Jiayang immediately rushed to the hospital but learned that Duan Jianfeng was still undergoing surgery. Currently, the secretary was handling affairs on his behalf.

The more guilty one feels, the more eager they are to show it. Before Tang Rufeng could say anything, Duan Jiayang had already stepped forward and asked, "Secretary Lin, how could Father suddenly develop a pollen allergy? Isn't there a housekeeper at home?"

Secretary Lin hesitated. "The cause is still unclear. The housekeeper happened to be picking up the ordered dishes at noon, so she wasn't at home at the time. It was the family doctor who discovered the chairman's abnormal condition and sent him to the hospital. I've already reported it to the police, and we're still waiting for the investigation results."

Hearing that Secretary Lin had already called the police, Duan Jiayang remained silent and walked to the long bench outside the operating room to sit down. He didn't expect Old Man Duan to have such a strong will to live, surviving both an allergic reaction and a fall from the building: "Did Father mention who should take charge of the company while he's hospitalized?"

Secretary Lin gave Duan Jiayang a deep look, suspicion evident in her gaze. She then nodded and said, "If the chairman doesn't have any special instructions, whoever was in charge before will continue to be in charge now."

In other words, it was Tang Rufeng.

Duan Jiayang's expression turned ugly, feeling as if he had lost more than he gained. Not only had he failed to get rid of the old man, but he had also given the benefits to Tang Rufeng, that bastard.

Tang Rufeng didn't intend to wait outside. He glanced at the time and said indifferently, "Since the police have been notified, let's wait for their results. There are matters at the company, so I'll head back first. Call me when the chairman wakes up."

Hospitals were places where human warmth and coldness were most apparent. Duan Jianfeng probably never imagined that one day, lying in his hospital bed, the only person keeping vigil would be a secretary. His two sons regarded him as an enemy, each hoping for his death, yet they didn't know whom to blame.

Meanwhile, Lu Yan also encountered trouble. Somehow, Lu Wanshan had found out their home address and refused to leave, acting like a thug.