Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Upon hearing that Du Henbie’s head had been bashed in by He Lansi’s cousin, Tian Ruan’s first reaction was guilt. If he hadn’t told Du Henbie about Tangerine Isle, Du Henbie wouldn’t have gone looking for He Lansi—and wouldn’t have gotten beaten.

...What curse did the Du family piss off? Why were they always getting their asses handed to them? Last time, it was Du Danren who got his ass kicked by Sha Meijuan, and now it was Du Henbie.

Tian Ruan suspected he’d be the next one to get whacked.

At times like this, the only way to avoid a beating was to butter up the main duo.

Tian Ruan glanced left and right before making a dive for Lu Qiuyan. He was about to leap toward him when a large hand yanked him back down.

Tian Ruan: "..."

Yu Jingmo said calmly, “Do you want to gawk at the drama or see about your big bro?”

Tian Ruan: “Aren’t they the same thing?”

Yu Jingmo smiled.

Tian Ruan stared. "?"

Mrs. Du hung up the phone and said apologetically, “My eldest son has been beaten and is in the hospital. I need to go see him.”

Yu Xinglong stood up with his wife and daughter. “Then we’ll get outta your hair.”

Madam Lu also said, “We’ll head out.”

Tian Ruan quickly interjected, “It’s not like it’s your kin who got whacked, and the Yu family invited you here today. Why not stay for a meal first?”

“...”

Yu Jingmo nodded. “Food first, drama later.”

Mrs. Du thought for a moment and said, “I haven’t eaten either. Let’s all have a meal first.”

Since even Mrs. Du wasn’t in a hurry, the others couldn’t very well say anything.

The dining table was large enough to comfortably seat all four families.

Liu Ma had long prepared for this meal and enthusiastically served dishes and soup, quietly reminding the kid, “Bud, remember to serve Lu Qiuyan. He’s got no guts to grab food himself.”

Yu Shang: “Got it.”

Lu Qiuyan and Yu Shang were separated by Madam Lu and an empty seat originally reserved for Lu Qiuyan’s father. Across from them sat Tian Ruan, flanked by Mrs. Du, Shen Wanyue, Yu Xinglong, and Yu Ti.

The butler poured everyone a glass of red wine and orange juice, thoughtfully delivering a glass to Lu Qiuyan’s father, who was still lying on the lawn.

The moment the scent of alcohol reached him, Lu Qiuyan’s father bolted upright, chugged it, and passed right back out.

The butler sawed out a violin version of *Canon* to set the mood for lunch.

Yu Jingmo was the type who didn’t speak during meals, and his silence set the tone for the others. Tian Ruan, however, was fidgeting like a kid. He pursed his lips and hissed, “Pssst!”

Yu Shang remembered he was supposed to serve Lu Qiuyan. Using the shared tongs, he picked up a piece of tangy glazed ribs and reached toward Lu Qiuyan’s bowl—still a mile short. "..."

Seeing this, Lu Qiuyan blinked, then stood up and held out his bowl to receive it.

The two managed to complete the clumsy handoff, and the ribs plopped into Lu Qiuyan’s bowl at last.

Mrs. Lu sat silently in the middle: '...'

"Thank you," said Lu Qiuyan.

Yu Shang replied earnestly, "Don’t mention it."

Tian Ruan found it amusing and picked up a spring roll to pass to Lu Qiuyan. "Here, take this!"

Lu Qiuyan raised his bowl and took it from him.

Mrs. Lu’s face darkened as she scolded her son, "Are you a beggar?"

Lu Qiuyan was stunned.

Tian Ruan froze for a second, then snapped out of it, and picked up another spring roll for Yu Jingmo. "Mr. Yu, are you a beggar?"

The table went dead silent, and the butler's violin slipped on a note.

Yu Jingmo replied calmly, "No."

Tian Ruan faced Yu Jingmo but directed his words elsewhere: "A gentleman doesn’t take handouts—is this some kind of insult? Have I insulted you?"

Yu Jingmo curved his lips slightly. "No."

Tian Ruan nodded. "I look up to you, which is why I shared my favorite food with you."

"Yeah."

After a brief silence, Mrs. Lu said, "I spoke out of turn. I apologize."

Tian Ruan looked at her. "You owe your son an apology."

Mrs. Lu clenched her chopsticks, then turned to Lu Qiuyan. "I was wrong, son."

Lu Qiuyan shrugged it off. "It's fine."

"You have wonderful classmates, all of them are good. They’re good people to learn from. I'm happy for you."

"...Oh."

Tian Ruan knew Mrs. Lu didn’t genuinely think he and Yu Shang were good influences—it was just basic social etiquette. She wanted Lu Qiuyan to rub elbows with more prep-school kids to lay the groundwork for his future in business.

But she never asked what Lu Qiuyan liked or what his dreams were.

Lu Qiuyan was free and untamed. His future would be filled with diverse pursuits, living life on his own terms—never stepping into the cage his parents had envisioned for him.

That, at least, put Tian Ruan at ease.

After the meal, Yu Xinglong left with his wife and daughter. Knowing they had matters to attend to, Mrs. Lu also prepared to leave, though she hesitated at the sight of her husband lying drunk on the lawn.

The butler reassured her, "No need to fret, Mrs. Lu. Your car is already waiting outside."

Mrs. Lu smiled. "Thank you."

Bodyguards carried Mr. Lu into the car, taking up the whole back seat. Mrs. Lu took the passenger seat and told Lu Qiuyan, "Keep your father upright."

Lu Qiuyan: "No."

The butler cut in smoothly, "Rest assured, Mrs. Lu. The bodyguards will carry Mr. Lu inside once you arrive home. Young Master Lu can stay here to do homework with our young master—they can help each other."

Upon hearing this, Madam Lu did not refuse. "Very well, Qiuyan, if you have any questions you can't solve, ask Yu Shang for help. He's the student council president, ranked first in the school, and has many qualities worth learning from."

Tian Ruan: "Lu Qiuyan also has many things worth Yu Shang learning from. For example, Lu Qiuyan is particularly quick-witted, while Yu Shang is just a total blockhead."

Yu Shang: "...I'm still here."

Thunder grumbled overhead.

Madam Lu: "Is it going to rain? Let's hurry. Goodbye, Mr. Yu."

Yu Jingmo nodded slightly. "Take care."

Tian Ruan clung to Yu Jingmo's arm, clamming up and not daring to speak more blunt truths.

Madam Du also bid farewell to Madam Lu. "Feel free to bring Xiao Lu to the Du family for a visit sometime. My door's always open."

Madam Lu managed a tight smile. "Thank you for your kindness, Madam Du."

"Xiao Lu is a good child. If he ever shows interest in foreign trade in the future, our family can help out."

"Alright."

In Madam Lu, Tian Ruan saw something familiar—a bit of Sha Meijuan in her, pushing her son to excel while clinging to control.

Proud yet humble; brave yet timid.

Fallen from wealth to her current state, she must be struggling inside.

At least the current Lu Qiuyan still respected and loved his mother. It was only after never getting the approval he craved that he gradually grew disappointed.

"Madam Lu." Tian Ruan's sincere voice stopped Madam Lu in her tracks.

Standing by the car, Tian Ruan looked back at the whole story arc of the book. Without a doubt, Lu Qiuyan had never truly received his parents' love.

Perhaps Madam Lu wanted to love this child, but she went about it the wrong way. She was always burning with ambition—wanting to prove herself, but powerless, so she poured all her hopes into her son.

Yet Lu Qiuyan disappointed her too.

Wasn't this the tragedy of an ordinary family under Chinese parenting norms?

"Madam Lu, there's something I want to tell you. You can treat it as nonsense, or you can think about it carefully." Tian Ruan didn’t want Lu Qiuyan to suffer so much. With just a little effort, perhaps the butterfly could stir a storm on the other side of the Atlantic.

"What?" Madam Lu was pierced by Tian Ruan's earnest, pitying look.

As if... he had seen all this from some higher plane.

Tian Ruan said, "Sand slips faster the harder you clutch it."

...

Watching Madam Lu's car drive down the mountain, Madam Du got into her car to visit Du Henbie.

Tian Ruan threw on some casual wear and egged on Lu Qiuyan, "Come on, let's check out the action."

Lu Qiuyan: "...That's your eldest brother."

Tian Ruan straightened up and said solemnly, "We're paying respects to Eldest Brother."

Though Lu Qiuyan was speechless, nosiness was human nature, and he couldn’t resist. Watching Tian Ruan bring a large bag of snacks, he asked, "Is this your hospital visit gift?"

Tian Ruan: "No, these are for the road."

"..."

"Oh right, we should bring a gift for the visit." Tian Ruan casually grabbed four apples. "Four apples together mean 'peace and safety'—a good luck charm."

Lu Qiuyan: "More like 'good and stingy.'"

Tian Ruan then grabbed four bright red strawberries. "This is 'berry bad luck,' perfect for his head injury."

"...You dare say that to his face?"

If Du Henbie didn’t slap him, it’d be a testament to his self-control.

Tian Ruan: "Then it’s 'berry trouble invited.'"

To keep up the auspicious theme, Tian Ruan grabbed four dried persimmons Liu Ma had just sun-dried.

Liu Ma: "'Dis one ‘prosper’ good."

Tian Ruan: "This is called 'persimmon-filled autumn.'"

"...Madam, maybe you shouldn’t visit after all."

Tian Ruan then grabbed four cans of Wahaha milk. "No worries, this represents 'boom-boom-boom-boom'—boom career, love, life, and... jiji (prosperous + slang for male genitalia)."

Liu Ma nodded repeatedly. "This 'prosper' one good."

Lu Qiuyan: "..." What the hell is "jiji"? Does drinking this milk make you... uh... more virile?

Thinking he was well-prepared, Tian Ruan fell silent upon seeing two boxes of supplements in the limousine, each worth at least 10,000 RMB per box. "Are my gifts too shabby?"

Yu Jingmo glanced at the plastic bag of hospital visit gifts in his hand. "My gift is your gift—same thing."

Tian Ruan handed Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan a can of Wahaha milk each. "Then let’s have these. Yu Shang, yours is for booming love. Lu Qiuyan, yours is for booming career."

He gave Yu Jingmo one too. "Mr. Yu, yours is for booming life."

Yu Jingmo looked at the can in his hand. "And what’s yours for?"

Tian Ruan: "Same as yours."

Lu Qiuyan: "His is for booming jiji."

"..."

Yu Jingmo bit back a laugh. "Well, good."

Tian Ruan glared at Lu Qiuyan. *Are you even a good daughter-in-law?*

Lu Qiuyan took a pointed sip of his milk, pretending not to notice.

Tian Ruan drank every last drop of his "booming jiji" milk, closed his eyes, and prayed with all his might in his heart: *Oh great cosmic forces, bless me with a big dick!*

Yu Jingmo, taking in his solemn face, seemed to guess his thoughts. Leaning close to the shell of his ear, he whispered with a chuckle, "Let me touch it more, and it’ll grow bigger."

Tian Ruan jumped, eyes snapping open, luminous with startled emotion.

Yu Jingmo kissed his earlobe.

Tian Ruan froze as if hit by a freezing and burning spell—utterly motionless, with only a blush slowly creeping from his neck to his cheeks. He didn’t dare turn to look at Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan behind him.

Yu Jingmo sat back casually, opening his laptop to check emails, acting so proper it was like it never happened.

After a moment, Tian Ruan worked up the nerve to turn around and offered them strawberries. "You guys want some?"

Yu Shang kept his head down, tapping away on his phone as if preoccupied. "I'm good."

Lu Qiuyan stared at Tian Ruan’s lips, finally noticing, "Your lips are still red—did someone kiss you?"

Tian Ruan: "…………"