Chapter 56

Chapter 56

"056"

Xiao Anfeng's sudden departure—especially the fact that Xie Jingfang had driven him away with her own words—inevitably left her worried. But soon, the gurgling clay pot on the stove captured all her attention.

Her so-called cooking skill was just a rich housewife's little pastime. After Xiao Lancui mentioned he liked tomato scrambled eggs with beef, she did look up recipes—but that's all she did. Today was her first time actually making it.

When you keep yourself busy, it's easy to forget the unpleasant stuff.

Xiao Lancui went to find Yungu privately.

"Go follow him and take a look."

Yungu looked surprised, but Xiao Lancui stayed perfectly calm. "Mom loved him for 21 years—that's not something you can just erase. Once we know he's got a place to stay, she'll feel better. Don't tell her I sent you. I don't want her feeling guilty toward me again."

Yungu let out a soft sigh and nodded. "I'll take care of it."

With that settled, Xiao Lancui headed to the living room.

Knowing Xiao Anfeng, he'd definitely go to the hospital to see Xiao Jingli now, but he'd hesitate at the entrance, pacing back and forth for a while before Xiao Liqin dragged him away.

Yungu would report everything to Xie Jingfang, word for word.

How much longer could this fragile mother-son bond hold?

Xiao Lancui twisted open his sippy cup, slowly sipping his herbal medicine while texting instructions to the private detective.

"Keep following them."

Xiao Liqin would definitely set Xiao Anfeng up somewhere new. Even if he knew about Zhao Lan, he wouldn't send Xiao Anfeng back to his birth mother. He'd cut off all ties between Xiao Anfeng and his past.

As for his luxury penthouse—in the original story, after Xiao Anfeng left the Xiao family, Xiao Liqin planned to send him there, but Xiao Anfeng refused out of spite, insisting on finding some cheap place to suffer on his own.

Now that he'd nearly been beaten to a pulp in that penthouse, Xiao Liqin definitely wouldn't feel comfortable letting Xiao Anfeng stay there. He'd find him somewhere else.

The original story didn't go into much detail about Xiao Liqin's properties—only that one penthouse was mentioned outright. But between the lines, he definitely owned more than one property.

Also, Xiao Anfeng had slept with Lu Siye earlier than expected and ended up in the hospital, almost dying from it. Xiao Liqin wouldn't hold back anymore—he'd use ruthless tactics to keep Xiao Anfeng by force.

In the middle of the original story, Xiao Liqin did lose control, forcibly kissing Xiao Anfeng and nearly going all the way.

Xiao Lancui recalled the relevant chapters from the original text with precision.

When Xiao Anfeng broke up with Lu Siye yet again, he got drunk and went running to Xiao Liqin. The moment he saw his most trusted older brother, he burst into tears. Xiao Liqin, torn between jealousy and heartache, lost control, pinned him down, and kissed him forcefully.

Xiao Anfeng was shocked. Xiao Liqin confessed his feelings passionately, and fueled by alcohol, they ended up in bed. They were about to take the final step when Xie Jingfang suddenly fell ill—a phone call from the Xiao family cut them off.

The next day, Xie Jingfang's condition stabilized and Xiao Anfeng sobered up. He couldn't face Xiao Liqin, so he fled abroad and disappeared for a while, until Lu Siye found him first. They kissed, went to bed, and made up.

...

Xiao Lancui fell into brief thought. He'd sent away the substitute Sun Xiao, yet Xiao Jingli had still found another substitute, Cheng Peng. The people changed, but things developed the same way.

Now he just had to wait and see how Xiao Jingli would react when he learned Xiao Anfeng had left.

"Brother, have some fruit." Xiao Mian walked over.

Xiao Lancui put away his phone. Xiao Mian set down a big platter of fruit and sat on the single sofa next to him, glancing over like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

The fruit platter had big red strawberries, plus pale snow strawberries with a hint of pink. Xiao Lancui had never tried this new variety before. He pulled out a wet wipe to clean his fingertips and said flatly, "If you've got something to ask, ask."

Xiao Mian rubbed his nose and whispered, "Are you really going to drive away..." He suddenly didn't know what to call Xiao Anfeng anymore. Calling him "Second Brother" would be an insult to his real second brother; calling him "Anfeng-ge" felt too weird. So he just went with "him." "Him?"

Xiao Lancui finished wiping his fingers, picked up a pale snow strawberry, and took a tiny bite. It was sweet but didn't really taste like strawberry—not his thing. After swallowing that bite, he asked back, "What do you think?"

Xiao Mian's lips moved, but he couldn't come up with an answer right away. After Xiao Lancui finished the strawberry, he shook his head honestly. "I don't know. I..." He took a deep breath and went on, "If it were me, I'd be angrier than you. Being lied to and used..."

Even with his slow brain, he understood why Xiao Jingli had swapped sons. If he hadn't, the illegitimate kid treated like crap by the whole family for twenty years would've been Xiao Anfeng.

Xiao Lancui had once asked him, "Do you really think Dad loves me?"

At the time, he'd thought Xiao Lancui was being dramatic. Now he understood—Xiao Jingli really didn't love him.

Didn't love his mom, didn't love any of the kids she gave him, including himself.

Xiao Mian clenched his teeth. "I hate him! I hate his guts!"

Xiao Lancui knew the "him" meant Xiao Jingli. He picked up a big red strawberry and handed it to Xiao Mian, saying calmly, "Eat this one. The white ones aren't that good."

Xiao Mian froze—Xiao Lancui was way too calm! But the distraction did calm him down a bit. He took the strawberry and bit off most of it in one go, muttering, "Good riddance. Staying would've been awkward for everyone."

"Lancui, come eat!"

Xie Jingfang came to the living room to call them to dinner. After some rare physical labor, her haggard, pale face had a bit of color and life in it.

The table was set with all the dishes the original body loved. Xiao Lancui ate quietly while Xie Jingfang stayed silent, constantly piling food onto his plate, watching him with a smile.

Xiao Lancui let her look. Only after he finished eating did he speak. "I want to head to the hospital tomorrow."

Xie Jingfang's smile froze. She now fully understood how ruthless Xiao Jingli was toward her—she wished he'd drop dead. She lowered her head, nervously gathering the dishes. "You... you still acknowledge him, I know. He was good to you before, he..."

"No."

Xie Jingfang stopped what she was doing. She looked up at Xiao Lancui again. "What?"

"I'm not that masochistic." Xiao Lancui smiled faintly. "I'm going to the hospital to make clear what happened today. I drove away his precious treasure. I don't want him getting the wrong idea and coming after you."

Xie Jingfang was deeply moved. She immediately turned and grabbed one of Xiao Lancui's hands with both of hers, tears welling up as she smiled. "No, he won't get the chance to cause us trouble." She eagerly shared her decision. "As long as you agree, I'll contact a lawyer for a divorce right away."

This took Xiao Lancui by surprise.

In the original story, Xie Jingfang never once considered divorce. He had deliberately steered her in that direction, estimating the earliest she'd bring up divorce would be when Xiao Anfeng's true identity was exposed—never expecting it to come this early.

Indeed, the human heart is unpredictable. No matter how precisely you plan, you can't account for how fickle people's hearts are.

Taken by surprise, Xiao Lancui's mind drifted to Lu Ao.

He snapped back to reality in a second, meeting Xie Jingfang's gaze. "Have you thought it through?"

Xie Jingfang nodded. "I decided the day I bit a chunk of flesh off him. I am..." She let go of one hand and finally, cautiously, reached up to touch Xiao Lancui's face. He didn't pull away. Tears welled up again as she gently stroked his cheek. "I was afraid you wouldn't want to. His kindness to you was an act, but for the past twenty years, he was the only one who was good to you. I... I don't have the face to ask you to come with me."

"Your matters—you only need to think about yourself." Xiao Lancui smiled. "As for me, kindness built on lies and deception—I won't forgive it."

Xie Jingfang threw herself into Xiao Lancui's arms, laughing and crying at the same time. "My good child, you're my best child!"

Xiao Mian licked his lips nearby and chimed in, "I'm pretty great too, Mom. I support all your decisions! Especially the divorce!" He suddenly seemed more mature. "He doesn't deserve to be your husband, or our father."

Xie Jingfang cried for a while, then pulled Xiao Lancui back to her room to talk. It was past midnight before she reluctantly let him go back to his room, then grabbed him again, asking over and over, "You won't slip away again, will you?"

A faint smile curved Xiao Lancui's lips. "Just as you chose me, I'll choose you too."

Xie Jingfang was finally at ease. She smiled, relieved, gazing at Xiao Lancui with ever-deepening fondness, then gave him a gentle hug. "Goodnight, my child."

Back in his room, Xiao Lancui didn't check his phone until after his shower.

He started by opening the photos the private investigator had sent. As expected, Xiao Anfeng had gone to the hospital first, even walked into the lobby, but then turned around and left. Xiao Liqin caught up to him, and Xiao Anfeng burst into tears in Xiao Liqin's arms.

The private investigator had even recorded nearly two minutes of video. Xiao Anfeng cried for two minutes, then collapsed, weak and faint. Xiao Liqin carried him in a princess carry back to the car and drove to an upscale apartment complex called Yujing Garden.

Xiao Lancui zoomed in on the photo, his gaze sweeping over the familiar name "Yujing Garden."

Truly father and son—they chose the same spot to stash their beloved away. It was in the same building as the apartment Xiao Jingli had set up for Cheng Peng—

Xiao Lancui blinked twice, his long lashes fluttering.

What if it wasn't a coincidence, but intentional?

Xiao Liqin was no fool. In the original story, everyone else put together couldn't match his intellect. Given his almost pathological obsession with Xiao Anfeng, he couldn't have missed Xiao Jingli's feelings for him.

Assuming Xiao Liqin knew, then Cheng Peng was someone he planted, or someone he secretly maneuvered into place—a carefully chosen stand-in for Xiao Jingli. So his real goal was—

To shatter Xiao Anfeng's blind worship of Xiao Jingli.

It had actually happened once in the original story. After Xiao Anfeng's identity was exposed, Xiao Jingli approached him, said "I truly love you," and kissed him. Xiao Anfeng softened in the moment and didn't pull away.

Xiao Liqin knew Xiao Anfeng best. In his mind, Xiao Jingli was likely his greatest rival in love. Lu Siye wasn't even on the radar yet.

Xiao Lancui finally felt a flicker of interest.

If Xiao Liqin really was what he suspected, then he had some brains and some means to fight and compete. Xiao Lancui could make use of him and reap the rewards without lifting a finger.

He transferred more money to the private investigator. "Keep watching. Also look into who's been pimping for Xiao Jingli."

After taking care of that, Xiao Lancui opened Lu Ao's two messages.

One was a photo for his ID, the other read "Goodnight, brother."

That little pup was well-behaved. He said he'd call when he missed him, but in reality, he only sent texts at reasonable hours each time.

This time, a faint smile flickered in Xiao Lancui's eyes as he zoomed in on the simple ID photo.

The young man smiled at the camera with a pure, clean smile. His black hair had grown a bit longer, and he looked very obedient—as if through the screen, he were cheerfully calling out, "Brother!"

Xiao Lancui's heart stirred. He suddenly really wanted to hear Lu Ao's voice. He glanced at the time.

But it was already past 1 a.m.

His long, elegant fingers hesitated for the first time. He opened the call log but couldn't bring himself to tap it, lingering for a long while.

At this hour, most people were probably asleep.

With that in mind, Xiao Lancui put down his phone and got into bed, leaving the bedside lamp on. He pulled the covers up and closed his eyes.

Half an hour later, he opened his eyes again.

He still wanted it—badly.

He wanted to hear Lu Ao's voice, and he wanted to see Lu Ao's face.

Longing welled up in his chest. There was no denying it—only half a day apart, and he was already missing his little dog.

Xiao Lancui threw the covers aside and sat up. He pressed his thumb against the small hickey on the left side of his neck, and it suddenly clicked.

It was in that final second that Lu Ao had buried his face in his neck and bitten him—not hard enough to hurt, just a gentle nip. At that moment, Lu Ao had also whispered very softly.

"Brother."

Xiao Lancui pulled his thumb away, grabbed his phone from the nightstand, and sent a message.

"You asleep?"

He knew logically there wouldn't be a reply, but sending it still lifted his mood a little.

He was about to put the phone down when it buzzed—then buzzed again, and again, and again.

The young man's replies came flooding in.

"Not sleeping!"

"Brother's not asleep either?"

"Brother was working till now? So tiring [crying]"

"Brother, brother, brother…"

The last one read, "I miss brother so much. Can we video call now? [sobbing, pitiful face]"

The corners of Xiao Lancui's lips curled up. He opened WeChat and searched for Lu Ao's phone number. They hadn't added each other on WeChat yet.

It came up quickly. The username was a simple "L," and the profile picture was indeed a dog—a tiny, well-behaved white dog.

Xiao Lancui didn't recognize the breed. He ran an image search—

"Pomeranian," Xiao Lancui murmured.

At the same time, he sent the friend request.

The message contained three words.

"Open video."