Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Amidst the faint rustling, Tian Ruan felt a slight chill on his body, which quickly warmed up again.

He felt like a flower field, his most tender blooms plucked. He wanted to reclaim them, but the man toyed with him ruthlessly, and he went weak instantly. With his head still blood-rushed, his voice thick with a nasal whine, it dripped with honey: "No..."

He was kissed, the taste of oranges and mint lingering between their lips, like melting cotton candy or wobbly jelly. A black hole yawned before his soul, dragging him under into a syrupy dark.

His flower field had been uprooted, played with mercilessly, leaving no blossoms behind.

Tian Ruan emitted a sound like a sob, but upon closer listening, it was just his stomach growling—

"..."

Yu Jingmo pressed his palm against Tian Ruan’s flat stomach and chuckled lowly. "You’re hollow with hunger. Need me to fill you?"

Tian Ruan: "...I want food!"

Hunger jolted Tian Ruan awake. He hastily pulled his clothes together, glaring at the man in front of him with embarrassment.

Yu Jingmo, on the other hand, remained impeccably dressed, his clothes neatly fastened, only adding to his elegant yet wolfish air. Tian Ruan kicked at him, only to hit what felt like steel—Yu Jingmo’s calf muscles were that hard!

Yu Jingmo laughed and caught his sock-clad foot, cradling it effortlessly in one hand, then gently massaging his toes. "Did that hurt?"

Tian Ruan buttoned up his shirt, but his underwear was damp—beyond embarrassing. Starving and even more pitiful, he whined, "I haven’t even had breakfast yet."

Yu Jingmo carried him back to the guest room and fetched him a fresh pair of underwear to change into.

Tian Ruan turned his back to him, changing furtively, afraid the man might pounce again.

By the time the two of them were ready, it was already ten o’clock—the manor had opened its doors to guests.

As Tian Ruan descended the stairs, he spotted Lu Qiuyan standing gloomily in the living room. "Lu Qiuyan, you’re here."

Lu Qiuyan, silent until now, blurted out: "You just woke up this late?"

"..."

A well-dressed woman with understated makeup shot Lu Qiuyan a stern look before smiling politely. "Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Yu. The Lu family is deeply honored."

Yu Jingmo slid into his polite mask. "Mr. Lu, Mrs. Lu, welcome."

Lu’s father, eyes glazed, cheeks ruddy like slapped-on blush, blurted out, "Mr. Yu, are you here to discuss business with me? Excellent!"

Tian Ruan: *The nerve.*

Even Mrs. Lu was stunned by her husband’s shamelessness. Who did he think Yu Jingmo was? Inviting them over was likely just a courtesy, considering their sons often crossed paths.

"Mr. Yu, what business do you want to discuss? Go ahead," Mr. Lu slurred drunkenly.

Yu Jingmo instructed, "Liu Ma, prepare some hangover soup for Mr. Lu."

Liu Ma smiled. "Old Wang already took care of it—it’s ready."

Yu Jingmo nodded.

The butler tilted his chin up slightly, smiling as he addressed Mr. Lu. "Mr. Lu, please follow me to the dining room."

Mr. Lu: "The dining room? What’s on the menu? Any abalone? I only touch abalone."

Mrs. Lu forced an awkward smile and helped her husband to the dining room. "He's drunk and talking nonsense. Please forgive him, Mr. Yu."

Mr. Lu suddenly glared fiercely and pushed his wife away. "I'm not drunk! You damn woman, you're the one who ruined me! Get out of here!"

Lu Qiuyan automatically stepped forward to support his mother. "Dad, step outside for some fresh air to clear your head. Remember where we are."

Mr. Lu raised his hand to hit his son but was cut off by a sharp voice: "Mr. Lu, this is the Yu residence."

Yu Shang stepped between them with a cold expression, pulling Lu Qiuyan behind him.

Mr. Lu blinked blearily at Yu Shang, slowly lowering his raised hand. "Who are you?"

"Yu Shang."

"Oh, oh, the student council president of Deyin, right? Mr. Yu and his wife's illegitimate child, right? Wait, no, since when can men have babies?"

"..."

Lu Qiuyan rolled his eyes hard. "Yu Shang is an adopted son."

Mr. Lu: "Then why did I hear—"

"You're hearing things. You misheard."

"You little brat, I'll teach you—" Mr. Lu faced Yu Shang again, raising his hand only to lower it once more. "You're Yu Shang, Mr. Yu and his wife's illegitimate child, right? Wait, no, since when can men have babies?"

"..."

Tian Ruan: "Did he glitch out?"

The glitching Mr. Lu was helped by bodyguards into the dining room and made to drink a bowl of sobering soup. He then face-planted on the table, unconscious.

Mrs. Lu: "Is... is this really sobering soup?"

Mr. Lu began snoring thunderously: "Snnooorrrkkk... pffffttt..."

Mrs. Lu: "..."

Liu Ma: "The liquor's out, now he's just tired."

Lu Qiuyan hoisted his father over his shoulder and carried him outside, dropping him on the lawn. "He'll wake up in an hour."

Mrs. Lu didn't object and sat with her son in the tea room, where they could keep an eye on Mr. Lu while talking with Yu Jingmo without disturbing anyone.

Tian Ruan said to Lu Qiuyan, "Nice sunny day. Doesn't your dad look like a cat sunbathing?"

Lu Qiuyan glanced outside. "More like a sunbathing bear."

Tian Ruan took a sip of tea and handed him some osmanthus cake. "Liu Ma's recipe. It's delicious."

Another cook brought over chestnut cakes, smiling. "These are good too."

Lu Qiuyan tried both. "Your place always has the best food."

Tian Ruan: "Hehehe."

Mrs. Lu asked in surprise, "Qiuyan, do you eat here often?"

Lu Qiuyan: "No, Yu Shang and Tian Ruan often bring me meals."

Mrs. Lu: "How could you do something like this?"

Yu Jingmo said, "They should look out for each other."

Mrs. Lu replied, "I gave Lu Qiuyan money for meals, but he's just too careless. No telling where it all went."

Tian Ruan almost pointed out that Lu Qiuyan never had enough money—without being frugal, he wouldn’t be able to participate in various activities. Most clubs at Deyin charged fees, and unless one won honors in competitions, only a handful per club got real attention.

Take the student council, for example. Out of over a hundred roles, maybe four or five actually mattered.

Of course, Tian Ruan’s club fees were covered by Yu Shang, since it was Yu Shang who invited him. Moreover, even if he did nothing, the student council still gave him a few hundred yuan in bonuses every month.

The fees and bonuses basically broke even—no gain, no loss.

Plenty of Deyin students weren’t pinching pennies—they just wanted to join clubs. Only a few kept tight tabs on their spending.

Lu Qiuyan didn’t bother explaining anything to his mother either. It was pointless anyway.

Tian Ruan glanced at the soft pink high-necked wool sweater Mrs. Lu was wearing. "Mrs. Lu, that sweater suits you—is it new?"

Mrs. Lu looked down and smiled gently. "Lu Qiuyan bought it for me on my birthday."

"That’s gotta be close to two grand, right?"

Mrs. Lu went still and turned to Lu Qiuyan. "You told me it was two hundred!"

Lu Qiuyan: "..."

In the silence, Tian Ruan took a sip of tea. "At least Lu Qiuyan’s filial—can’t say the same for Yu Shang."

Yu Jingmo barely held back a laugh. "Mhm."

Yu Shang: "..."

Mrs. Lu chuckled and sipped her tea without pressing further.

As the talk was dying out, the butler stepped out to welcome guests. Soon, he returned with Yu Xinglong and Shen Wanyue, the third son and daughter-in-law of the Yu family, followed by a guilty-looking Yu Ti.

Yu Xinglong immediately spoke up. "Jingmo, my disgrace of a daughter’s been a nuisance!"

Yu Ti crept behind her mother.

Shen Wanyue stepped aside, making no effort to shield her daughter, and said shamefully, "Good-for-nothing, shouldn’t you thank your uncle and uncle-in-law? You’d be locked up too, otherwise."

Yu Ti shuffled forward, head down. "Uncle, Uncle-in-law, thank you."

Yu Jingmo: "Mhm."

Tian Ruan remarked, "That stuff’s fine in private, but don’t go spreading it around."

Yu Ti whined, "They’re all gone now, wuwuwu..."

"You had it coming."

"..."

"Besides, you’re still underage. You’ve got no business reading smut. Save it for adulthood."

Shen Wanyue added, "I said the same thing! No clue where she dug up all that porn."

Yu Ti cried out, "Mom!" There are strangers here!

Lu Qiuyan and his mother did glance at Yu Ti a couple more times upon hearing this but said nothing—it wasn’t their place to comment.

Shen Wanyue didn’t mince words: "Now you feel embarrassed? Weren’t you shameless while reading that stuff?"

Yu Ti covered her face and ran out, wailing, "I don’t want to live anymore…"

"Hey!"

Yu Ti dashed out of the main house, flung herself onto the lawn, and pretended to be dead.

But when she turned her head, she saw a creepy, red-faced middle-aged man. Terrified, Yu Ti screamed, jumped up, and kicked him twice: "You creep! Pervert!"

Lu’s father, who was just coming to, was still dazed and couldn’t see clearly before being stomped unconscious again. "Hnngh—snort—hnngh—"

Yu Ti clutched her heart and stumbled backward, falling into Shen Wanyue’s arms, sobbing, "Mom…"

Shen Wanyue stared at Lu’s father in shock. "Is… is he dead?"

"I think so. Mom, I killed him!"

"…"

Yu Xinglong was also frightened. He’d only brought his daughter to say thanks—how did it turn into murder??

"What do we do now? What do we do?" Yu Ti panicked.

Yu Xinglong had a sudden idea and shouted, "Grab a shovel, quick! We gotta bury him!"

The butler just stared.

The parlor went dead silent.

Tian Ruan suddenly spoke to Lu Qiuyan, "My sympathies."

Lu Qiuyan: "...No need for that."

Lu’s mother abruptly stood up. "Pardon me." She hurried outside.

Amid the chaos, Lu’s mother checked her husband’s breathing and calmly announced, "Relax, he’s alive."

"Not dead?" Shen Wanyue exclaimed in relief. "Thank goodness."

Yu Xinglong: "And you are…?"

Lu’s mother: "I’m his wife."

Yu Xinglong and his family: "..."

Lu’s mother stood up and clapped her hands. "You three must be shaken up. My husband was just sunbathing—leave him be."

"Okay… okay." Still in a daze, they went back inside.

To prevent further misunderstandings about Lu’s father being dead, Tian Ruan got a bright idea. He went upstairs, wrote a sign, and handed it to the butler. The butler chuckled while reading it: "The mistress is a genius."

The butler stuck the sign next to Lu’s father’s head. It read: Not dead. Please don’t disturb.

Like a damn tombstone.

Everyone: "..."

Tian Ruan cheerfully sought praise from Yu Jingmo. "Pretty smart, right?"

Yu Jingmo gave a small smile. "Yes, smart."

So when Madam Du arrived, she saw someone lying on the lawn with a sign planted beside them and was startled. On closer inspection, she realized the person wasn’t dead and entered the main house looking confused.

"Mom," Tian Ruan called sweetly.

Madam Du glanced around, quickly identifying everyone present, and walked straight to Lu Qiuyan’s mother with a smile. "Hello, I’m Xiao Ruan’s mom and Lu Qiuyan’s adoptive mom. I came today to get to know the family."

Lu’s mother shook her hand in shock, her heart sinking. "When did Qiuyan become adopted? I wasn’t aware."

"Just recently, alongside my youngest son," Madam Du replied gracefully, her every movement poised and composed.

In contrast, Lu’s mother appeared somewhat flustered, casting a cold glance at Lu Qiuyan.

Lu Qiuyan pressed his lips together and remained silent.

Lu’s mother said, "You’re quite adept at forging connections. By becoming Madam Du’s adoptive son, you’re now of the same generation as Madam Yu, even a generation above Yu Shang—and on par with me."

Lu Qiuyan: "..."

Madam Du took a sip of tea and smiled. "Who's in what generation doesn't matter. I really took to Xiao Lu because he seems honest, so I adopted him. I hope you’ll be understanding, Madam Lu."

Lu’s mother forced a smile. "That my son’s connected to the Du family is his good fortune."

Her repeated use of "connected" made it sound as though Lu Qiuyan had pushed his way in.

Tian Ruan interjected, "Madam Lu, it was I who insisted Lu Qiuyan accept my mom as his adoptive mother. I apologize for not informing you beforehand. Lu Qiuyan has done nothing wrong, and he doesn't belong to anyone. Please don’t blame him."

Lu’s mother still didn’t look happy, and Lu Qiuyan remained silent.

Just as Madam Du was about to smooth things over, her phone suddenly rang. She excused herself and stepped aside to answer. "Secretary Wu, what’s the matter?" she asked.

The secretary said, "President Du’s head was hit by He Lansi’s cousin. He’s in the hospital now."

"???"