Chapter 81

Chapter 81

"Want some strawberries?" Tian Ruan deflected the question.

Lu Qiuyan was about to press further when he felt Yu Shang tug lightly at his wrist. He dropped the subject and took a strawberry instead, biting into it.

Tian Ruan turned his face away, shooting a glare in Yu Jingmo's direction.

Yu Jingmo casually plucked the strawberry from his hand. "I'll have it."

Tian Ruan had a sudden idea and said to Lu Qiuyan, "My lips are red from eating strawberries."

Lu Qiuyan: "That’s suspiciously specific."

"..."

Might as well not have explained.

Forty minutes later, they arrived at a hospital in the suburbs—a psychiatric hospital with a picturesque setting.

When they saw the words "Psychiatric Hospital," everyone was stunned.

"Did your older brother get hit on the head and turn into a mental patient?" Lu Qiuyan guessed.

Tian Ruan: "Impossible!"

That was the novel’s second male lead—no matter what, he wouldn’t suddenly become mentally ill.

The driver drove through the gate after the license plate was recorded for entry.

Located in the suburbs, the hospital’s front courtyard was vast, with two dozen parking spots adjacent to a man-made lake. The surroundings were open and lush with greenery. It looked fine during the day, but at night, it might as well be the wilderness.

Any patient trying to escape would have to run barefoot for three miles before seeing another soul.

After getting out of the car, Yu Jingmo held Tian Ruan’s hand.

Tian Ruan looked around and saw a nurse pushing an elderly man with a face twisted with age in a wheelchair. The old man babbled nonsense, and the nurse patiently replied, "Yes, that’s right."

"Doesn’t seem like a mental patient—more like dementia," Yu Jingmo remarked.

Tian Ruan found it odd: "Is this place *also* a nursing home? Then second uncle could move here instead of always getting into fights at that upscale retirement home."

Yu Jingmo chuckled. "I’ll have Assistant Xu look into it."

The place looked bleak and isolated. If Yu Er moved here, he’d probably be bored out of his mind.

Following the room number Madam Du had sent, Tian Ruan went inside. The place was even emptier than expected—a mere dozen people in the lobby, all there to fill prescriptions or visit patients.

The building had only four floors, with patient rooms on the third floor. Most stood empty, the occupancy rate quite low.

"If second uncle moved here, he wouldn’t even have anyone to argue with," Tian Ruan said, approving of the setup.

Yu Jingmo: "There are still nurses and doctors. He’d pick a fight with a *stray* dog."

"...True enough."

When they reached Du Henbie’s room, Tian Ruan stopped, drew a sharp breath, and held it—

Lu Qiuyan didn’t understand. "Just go in."

Tian Ruan nodded, turned the doorknob, and opened the door. As soon as he entered the ward, his mournful voice wailed like a crying erhu: "Bro! Bro, what happened? Waaah..."

Tian Ruan's eyes were red, tears swirling in them: "Bro, you poor bastard, your head's been smashed... Waaah... Who was it? Who did this? I'll fucking avenge you!"

Everyone: "..."

Du Henbie: "Did I die? Why the funeral dirge?"

Tian Ruan paused, "Huh?"

Yu Jingmo looked at Tian Ruan with amusement, "How's bro doing?"

Du Henbie leaned against the headboard, his head wrapped in bandages, "Not dead."

Lu Qiuyan remarked to Tian Ruan, "So fake."

Tian Ruan: "..."

Madam Du shot her eldest son a glare, "Ruan's just worried about you."

Yu Shang handed over the supplements and said, "Get well soon, President Du."

Poor male lead, unsure what to call the second male lead, could only address him as "President Du."

Yu Jingmo: "None of that 'President' crap - call him Uncle."

Yu Shang: "..."

Du Henbie chuckled, "Titles are whatever, the sentiment is enough."

After much hesitation, Yu Shang still said expressionlessly, "Get well soon, Uncle."

Lu Qiuyan froze for a moment upon hearing this, "Wait, does that make me Uncle too?"

Yu Shang gave him a cold glance.

Lu Qiuyan inexplicably shrank back, "Nah, don't bother."

Madam Du smoothed things over, "Who cares about seniority. Xiao Lu, Yu Shang, and Xiao Ruan are all classmates, so they’re peers—no need to be so particular."

Tian Ruan grinned, "Yeah, yeah." But inwardly [thinking], he thought, The male lead and love interest as fake uncle and nephew is just too thrilling—a domineering president forcing love on his rebellious uncle, uncle-nephew by day, forbidden action at night!

"Smack-smack-smack..." Tian Ruan murmured unconsciously.

Madam Du: "What does 'smack-smack-smack' mean?"

Tian Ruan snapped back to reality, only to find everyone except Madam Du staring at him with eerie expressions.

Yu Jingmo lightly tapped his forehead, "Get your head out of the gutter."

Tian Ruan made exaggerated clapping sounds - smack! smack! smack! putting on an innocent face, "Just applauding Mom’s wisdom."

Madam Du smiled gently, "Ah, got it."

"Where’s He Lansi?" Tian Ruan changed the subject. "Bro, you took a beating for him—why isn’t he here?"

Du Henbie’s smile faded slightly, "He’s feeling shitty and needs space."

"Is his family really bankrupt?"

"It’s almost over."

"Is there really no hope left?"

"Had it been three months ago, there might still have been a chance for a turnaround," Du Henbie said. "But we didn’t know each other back then."

Three months ago, Yu Jingmo had extended an olive branch to He Lansi, but He Lansi didn’t take it. The He family, clinging to their so-called pride, missed their chance to recover and were doomed from then on.

Yu Jingmo said, "As long as he cuts himself loose, there’s still a chance to turn things around."

Du Henbie shook his head. "It’s too late. He Lansi’s parents bailed."

Tian Ruan widened his eyes. "What do you mean, ran away?"

"They severed all ties with the He family, fled abroad, and took the last 50 million He Lansi had left. The He family patriarch is ill, and only He Lansi can inherit the estate—and the debts."

In this country, inheriting an estate means voluntarily taking on the family’s debts.

Some small companies on the verge of bankruptcy would forge financial records at the last minute, getting acquired by larger companies. Once taken over, they become hot potatoes—just hollow shells, with the new owners left to repay the debts.

The same logic applies here. If the He family chose another heir, that heir would inherit the debts.

He Lansi’s parents were originally the first in line to inherit, but now the burden has fallen on He Lansi.

"...How could parents do that?" Tian Ruan fumed.

Du Henbie replied coolly, "To merchants, profit outweighs parting. Family ties are merely decorative."

Tian Ruan froze. "Is the Du family like that too?"

Du Henbie shook his head. "Every family has its own cross to bear. In the Du family, you can trust me and my mother."

Far away in the city center hospital, Du Danren suddenly sneezed, rubbed his nose, and blankly went back to his chess game with the man in the next bed.

Tian Ruan didn’t comment. "Then what will He Lansi do now?"

A total dead end—so this was He Lansi’s situation in the original story.

The book never spelled out how He Lansi went bankrupt or what happened to his family. Turns out, no description meant nothing was there—soon, he would have no family left at all.

Yu Jingmo remarked drily, "He Lansi is too proud."

Because he was proud, he refused to submit to others. He’d rather crash from his prodigy’s pedestal and shatter into pieces than ask for help.

Tian Ruan walked to the window and suddenly spotted a tall figure standing by the lake—that garish pink leisure suit studded with rainbow sequins, the stark white pants, the champagne-colored slightly long hair. Who else could it be but He Lansi?

He Lansi stood by the lake, teetering in the wind.

Tian Ruan gasped. "He Lansi’s about to jump!"

With that, he dashed out, Lu Qiuyan close behind. Yu Jingmo and Yu Shang quickly followed suit.

Madam Du rushed to the window, her face going pale. "How could this child give up on life? Henbie—"

She turned around just in time to see her eldest son stride to the window, vault over the sill, and plunge straight down from the third floor.

"......"

Madam Du rushed to look and saw her son sprinting toward the lake ahead of the others. Her racing heart gradually steadied.

For Tian Ruan, however, the sight of this "heavenly descent" was far from delightful—Du Henbie almost jumped onto his head!

"Ahh—!" Tian Ruan jerked to a stop in terror, causing Lu Qiuyan to crash into him unexpectedly, sending them sprawling.

Tian Ruan swore Lu Qiuyan’s lips brushed his cheek. "..."

Lu Qiuyan: "...An accident..."

The next second, Yu Jingmo, expression icy, hauled Tian Ruan off Lu Qiuyan.

Tian Ruan's heart lurched. Just as he was about to speak, Yu Jingmo said, "No need to explain. It's fine."

As he spoke, Yu Jingmo scraped his thumb over Tian Ruan's soft, slightly dusty cheek.

Tian Ruan hurriedly looked up at the sky, listening intently. "...Where’s the thunder?"

Yu Jingmo: "?"

"Unfair!!" Why was there thunder when he accidentally kissed Lu Qiuyan, but none when Lu Qiuyan kissed him?

Not even Yu Shang's slight jealousy had summoned any thunder.

Tian Ruan, incensed, stamped his foot and pointed at the heavens. "Strike me with lightning!"

Yu Jingmo: "What about He Lansi?"

"Oh, right..." Tian Ruan quickly turned to look, only to see that He Lansi had already been grabbed by Du Henbie. He let out a relieved breath. "It's fine now."

By the lake, green grass swayed gently, and sunlight danced on the rippling water—a clear, sunny day.

Winter had arrived, yet He Lansi was dressed lightly, looming there, all tragic and artsy by the lake like the very picture of a man on the verge of drowning his sorrows.

But in reality, He Lansi was simply admiring his own reflection in the water... Even the way he smoked looked damn fine.

Couldn’t help himself, He Lansi took out his phone and snapped a few selfies. Truly, nothing beats a brooding man.

Suddenly, a tall figure appeared in the front-facing camera. The next second, Du Henbie grabbed him, and his phone went flying—splashing into the lake.

He Lansi instinctively moved to retrieve it—

"Don’t you dare! I’ll cover your debts!" Du Henbie roared.

He Lansi: "?? Huh?"

The cigarette scorched Du Henbie’s skin, but he didn't let go of He Lansi.

He Lansi quickly released his grip, letting the cigarette butt fall to the ground. He stared at the small burn on Du Henbie's hand. "Let go."

"No." Du Henbie dragged him firmly toward the shore, his steel grip unyielding, his expression frigid. "A measly 200 million—is that worth killing yourself over?"

He Lansi was still dazed. "My phone fell in the water."

"Tough luck. I'll buy you a new one."

He Lansi was bewildered. "You're really going to help me repay the debt?"

"My word is bond. Since I've said it, you don't need to worry." Du Henbie marched him to a paved area a safe distance from the lake, finally loosening his grip slightly.

He Lansi turned his head and saw Tian Ruan and the others. "What, y’all here for the drama?"

Tian Ruan advised, "Where there's life, there's hope. If you die today, you'll lose everything."

He Lansi finally caught on and laughed so hard tears sprang to his eyes: "You all thought I was going to jump into the lake? Hahaha... Why would I ever jump? I was just checking out my gorgeous reflection by the water... Hahaha, even Yu Jingmo bought it..."

"…………"

Yu Jingmo said, "Repay me 50 million yuan within three days."

He Lansi's grin vanished instantly.

Du Henbie sighed, "I'll pay it for him."

The more Tian Ruan watched, the more he felt that He Lansi would end up becoming his sister-in-law. Welp.