Chapter 124

Chapter 124

Du Henbie had no intention of exposing his private affairs in front of everyone. He walked to a secluded corner, set down his wine glass, and spoke unhurriedly, "Not exactly an ex-boyfriend. It was just a twist of fate."

At that time, Yan XX was abroad recording a variety show while Du Henbie was busy with work. The two had little to no interaction.

Back then, Du Henbie was swamped with work when his boyfriend of six months suddenly broke up with him. People abroad cared about emotional connection, and Du Henbie’s constant traveling meant they barely saw each other. Trouble in paradise was bound to happen.

None of Du Henbie’s relationships had ever lasted more than a year. He’d had five boyfriends, and each one ended the same way.

Every time he got dumped, he would feel down for a while. He’d always been generous—whenever they met, he’d dote on them. Aside from being busy, he hadn’t wronged them. So why did they always leave?

It was at this moment that X, like some drama heroine who spills coffee on the CEO, spilled coffee on Du Henbie, catching his attention.

Had Du Henbie watched more domestic soap operas back then, he would have realized how cheesy this setup was.

A few years ago, X wasn’t particularly famous yet, but he had a handsome face and a reckless, kinda naive vibe. His methods of pursuing Du Henbie were clumsy, but they actually got to Du Henbie a little.

Previously, Du Henbie had always been the one doing the chasing. This was the first time someone pursued him—it didn’t feel half bad.

So Du Henbie put in money and work, learning the rules of the entertainment industry. He dropped 50 mil to make X famous.

X was extremely grateful for this, but when Du Henbie proposed dating, he took off like a bat out of hell, vanishing in an instant.

Du Henbie: "..."

It was only then that Du Henbie realized he’d been scammed.

X returned to China, his career flourishing. Du Henbie, stuck overseas, was left bewildered.

With Du Henbie’s wealth, he could’ve had X blacklisted out of spite—but he didn’t think it was worth it. It would make him seem too invested.

Forget it. Like getting bit by a dog. The money spent? Just paying for the rabies shot.

After that, Du Henbie shut down emotionally and stayed single for years—until he got tangled up with He Lansi thanks to some accidental aphrodisiac mishap.

When two alphas clash, one has to give. Du Henbie overpowered He Lansi, determined to take control this time and finally break the curse of “no relationship lasting more than a year.”

Beyond that, Du Henbie felt something different toward He Lansi—something indescribable, unlike anything before.

The most obvious sign? He wanted to get with He Lansi every single day...

Of course, he didn’t say that out loud. He simply recounted the story’s general outline.

Tian Ruan was eating this drama up. The nerve of X! How dare he mess with the original novel’s second male lead! A minor character pulling a move like that? Unbelievable!

“He should sign ten thousand autographs!” Tian Ruan was both shocked and amused, barely keeping a straight face.

He Lansi gave him a “you’re dumb” look. “If I’d been scammed like that, I’d have ended that guy long ago.”

Du Henbie chuckled. “I’ve been scammed more than once or twice. If I killed them all, I’d be in prison by now. Not worth it.”

“So you just take it? That’s what you get.”

“…”

Tian Ruan: “Big sis, don’t say that. At least you’re here to care for Big Bro.”

He Lansi: “Beat it. If you interrupt again, I’ll—” He caught sight of Yu Jingmo’s icy glare and abruptly changed his tone. “Kiss you too.”

Tian Ruan: "..."

Afraid of being harassed, Tian Ruan hid behind Yu Jingmo, only revealing his gossip-loving head, crunching on something crisply: "We can’t let this slide. We must ask X why he toyed with big brother’s feelings."

Du Henbie: "Actually, I didn’t like him that much..."

"And he played with your money—that’s the most unforgivable part!" Tian Ruan clenched his fists, fury flashing in his eyes, as if it were his own savings that had been scammed.

Du Henbie massaged his forehead. "I don’t want to deal with it."

"Then I’ll manage your money—I mean, handle this for you."

...

He Lansi rolled up his sleeves. "A good beating will make him talk."

Tian Ruan and He Lansi immediately agreed. After Yan XX finished singing and took a break, the two of them grabbed the superstar from both sides and dragged him upstairs.

X was panicking inside but forced a smile, telling his assistant, "These fans are just too enthusiastic. Wait here."

The assistant nodded nervously.

"What, is Madam also a fan of Yan XX?"

"Honestly, he doesn’t hold a candle to President Yu, nor is he as handsome as his son."

"It’s not about looks—Yan XX is such a gentleman and so witty."

"I feel like he’s different from what I imagined—a total letdown..."

Amid the whispers, X was hauled to the second floor still smiling, shoved into a small tearoom, and unceremoniously dropped onto the floor—his smile finally vanishing.

Before him sat two heavy hitters and two young men.

He had met both of these influential figures before. One, whom he’d assumed was just another wealthy passenger on a plane, turned out to be none other than Yu Jingmo, the real power broker of Su City.

The other, rarely seen domestically but a household name abroad, was the newly minted Du family patriarch, Du Henbie. Just the two letters "DU" represented wealth that dwarfed even the richest lists.

"Yan XX, spill the beans!" Tian Ruan used Yu Jingmo's hand like a judge’s gavel, slamming it onto the table.

Yu Jingmo shot a frosty glare at him.

Tian Ruan: "..."

Tian Ruan hurriedly lifted Yu Jingmo’s hand, blowing on it gently. "Sorry, sorry! Did I hurt you?"

Yu Jingmo: "You’ll make it up to me tonight."

"..."

When the main couple wanted to chase gossip, nothing could stop them—so Tian Ruan dragged everyone along.

Sure enough, X fell right into the script. He glanced at Du Henbie but couldn’t bring himself to look directly, his gaze shifty. "Mr. Du, I’m sorry. Back then, my manager forced me into it."

He Lansi gave a humorless smile, his icy stare fixed on the man who had collapsed on the floor. "Your manager forced you to seduce someone?"

X nodded solemnly. "I didn’t want to, but he said if I didn’t make it big within a year, he’d hand me over to someone else—you don’t know how long that repulsive creep had been after me. I’d sooner die than submit, so I had no choice but to deceive Mr. Du..." After all, Du Henbie was at least decent-looking.

He added, "But Mr. Du, don’t worry. I’ve saved up. I’ll return every cent you wasted back then."

Du Henbie: "No—"

Tian Ruan cut in, "Mr. XX, what a straight shooter—you owe my big brother money? Just give it to me."

His calculations were practically smacking everyone in the face.

Yu Jingmo cast an amused glance at the little gold-digger beside him. "Pay what you owe—money or favors."

X stammered, embarrassed, "Uh, I can cover the emotional distress."

Tian Ruan: "How much?"

"Is 50,000 enough?"

"Not enough. At least 200,000."

X winced but nodded. "A total of fifty million two hundred thousand. I can write an IOU right now. Can I pay it off within three years?"

"Sure." Tian Ruan took over completely and pulled out a notebook and pen. He instructed, "Yan XX owes Tian Ruan fifty million two hundred thousand. No numbers—write it out in words, compactly, to prevent tampering."

After finishing the IOU, X blinked in realization and stared at Tian Ruan. "Why am I the one owing you money??"

Tian Ruan said without shame, "What belongs to my big brother belongs to me. I can give you three years to repay, but my big brother’s iron-fisted ways won’t allow that. Are you sure you want to owe him?"

"…"

"Right, big brother?" Tian Ruan blinked innocently.

Du Henbie had nothing to say to this little shit of a fortune beast.

X wiped cold sweat from his forehead, just glad Du Henbie wasn’t out for payback. At least this settled things—money really could buy safety.

But then he noticed the foxy-eyed beauty smiling at him. Even someone like X, who had seen countless beauties, was momentarily stunned by that bewitching face. Instinctively, he struck a pose. "Beautiful, what’s your name?"

"He Lansi."

"What a lovely name. If you’re free later, would you like to have dinner with me?"

"We can eat right now."

"?"

He Lansi kicked X square in the stomach. "How’s my nut-cracking special taste?"

X’s eyes rolled up and he blacked out.

He Lansi: "So good you fainted? What am I supposed to do with you?"

"…"

Five minutes later, X woke up, pale-faced as he looked at He Lansi. "Beautiful, why?"

He Lansi smiled, sitting on Du Henbie’s lap. "What do you think?"

"!!"

Tian Ruan sighed. There were always those who got taken in by He Lansi’s looks, but none ever came to good—wait, hadn’t his so-called big brother also fallen for He Lansi at first sight?

Yet they still kept up their nightly fun. He Lansi probably didn’t even get why himself.

Tian Ruan watched as He Lansi perched effortlessly on Du Henbie’s lap, with Du Henbie holding him close. The two were close yet apart, pulled together yet keeping distance.

Like two magnets of opposite poles—irresistibly drawn to each other, yet deliberately maintaining space.

Tian Ruan was shipping them hard, grinning like an idiot at the scene.

He Lansi: "...Having a seizure?"

Tian Ruan: "No, just appreciating your *stellar* posture."

The moment the words left his mouth, a pair of large hands grabbed him and dropped him onto a pair of toned thighs, his back resting against a warm, solid chest.

Yu Jingmo: "Like it?"

Tian Ruan sat on Yu Jingmo's lap like a child. "..."

Yu Shang looked at Lu Qiuyan, then down at his own empty lap.

Lu Qiuyan: "...I'm not sitting."

Yu Shang: "Oh."

X: "???" Seriously?! They’re just gonna bully him, the single dude buried under 50 million in debt?!

Tian Ruan couldn’t even begin to imagine how gorgeous the scene would be if Lu Qiuyan sat on Yu Shang’s lap.

...Actually, it was already low-key gorgeous now.