LNTSWJLY Chapter 72

You never know just how hard your competitors are working.

It had been only two days, yet the Yu family had ultimately failed to keep the matter under wraps. One of their business rivals exposed the scandal to damage the Yu family’s reputation. In just half a day, Yu Corporation’s stock had fallen by three percentage points.

Father Yu had originally been lying in bed, recuperating. On the day Yu Zhi left with Lan Jingzhi, Father Yu had fainted during their argument. A medical examination revealed that his three high readings—blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids—had worsened, and he needed to rest and recover.

He did care about his health, so he had temporarily set everything else aside, planning to rest for a few days before dealing with the other matters.

Who could have expected that, in just those two days, someone would dig up the Yu family’s affairs and immediately launch an attack against Yu Corporation? Father Yu was caught completely off guard.

Once the news reached the company’s other shareholders, his phone would not stop ringing. Every call was from a shareholder demanding an explanation.

Clutching his slightly dizzy head, Father Yu said to Yu Chen, “Hurry up and get the public relations team to issue a clarification. Say that we weren’t the ones who wanted to call off the engagement. It was Lan Jingzhi who seduced your younger brother into eloping with him!”

He intended to shift all the blame onto the other party. At this point, he could no longer afford to worry about losing face. Saving the family’s reputation was what mattered most. Otherwise, if the public came to see them as heartless, ungrateful people who repaid kindness with betrayal, it would damage both their public image and their stock price.

Father Yu’s expression darkened before he continued, “Also, release the information that the so-called master is a fraud. Subtly suggest and steer public opinion toward the possibility that Lan Jingzhi colluded with him. I don’t care what the truth is. The last thing we need is for public opinion to turn against us!”

Yu Chen’s heart tightened. He understood that his father was determined to make Lan Jingzhi take the blame, no matter what.

Still, he thought, Lan Jingzhi had managed to deceive him. Who could say for certain that he really hadn’t colluded with that fraud?

Besides, Lan Jingzhi had been exchanging flirtatious glances with Yu Chen’s useless younger brother right under their entire family’s noses. Now, the two had even run away together. It wasn’t as though Lan Jingzhi was entirely innocent.

“Yes, Dad. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Mother Yu understood how important the company was, too. She didn’t even care that Father Yu was publicly acknowledging Yu Zhi’s existence. So what if he was the Yu family’s second young master? Once he had walked out of their house, he could forget about ever coming back!

Father Yu had reacted fairly quickly. In less than half an hour, Yu Zhi saw several more topics appear on the trending list. They had clearly been paid promotions as well.

The trending topics included the Yu family’s public clarification, along with a smear campaign against Lan Jingzhi.

The Yu family handled the public relations side of things well. Not only did they shift the blame onto Lan Jingzhi, but they also publicly admitted that they should not have resorted to feudal superstition. However, they claimed that, as parents, they had only been acting in their children’s best interests. They then steered public opinion toward a touching story about parental love, diverting the public’s attention from the real issue.

Lan Jingzhi saw all of this as soon as he woke up. His face immediately filled with disgust.

“What a bunch of shameless bastards!”

They had pushed all the blame onto him. What the hell was wrong with them?!

He couldn’t swallow this insult, yet he had no idea how to fight back. This was a battle between powerful players, one fought with money and influence. He was nothing more than an ordinary citizen. Even if he spoke up, no one would listen to him.

That only made him angrier.

Yu Zhi knew what he was thinking and couldn’t help comforting him. “This is only temporary. Don’t worry. They won’t be enjoying themselves for much longer.”

Lan Jingzhi had been furious just moments ago, but when he heard Yu Zhi say that, he couldn’t help worrying instead.

“Don’t do anything reckless, okay? They can say whatever they want… I’ll just stop looking at it. Out of sight, out of mind. Just don’t do anything stupid.”

Warmth spread through Yu Zhi’s heart. He gently stroked Lan Jingzhi’s cheek.

“Don’t overthink it. I know where to draw the line.”

Lan Jingzhi wasn’t entirely convinced. He was afraid Yu Zhi might do something behind his back, so he stuck close to him the whole time. He only relaxed after watching Yu Zhi consider what to make for lunch, apparently without any intention of doing anything else.

When Yu Zhi went into the kitchen, Lan Jingzhi went to tidy up and clean the room.

Yu Zhi glanced back in the direction Lan Jingzhi had gone, took out his phone, and made a call.

“Mm. You can release it now. Do it the way I told you before.”

The entire call lasted less than thirty seconds.

From a distance, Lan Jingzhi’s voice rang out.

“Little Brother Yu, how should I wash your clothes?”

“Just wash them with water,” Yu Zhi replied.

The other person fell silent.

Only then did Yu Zhi turn around, open the refrigerator, and start preparing lunch.

Meanwhile, at the Yu family’s home, Xia Ningyang had been staying there for the past two days. While Father Yu was sick and confined to bed, Xia Ningyang had kept Mother Yu company, offering her gentle words of comfort. As a result, her favorable impression of him had grown even stronger.

Her earlier displeasure over her son’s feelings for him had also faded considerably.

Her son, Yu Chen, was the most important person in her heart. Naturally, anyone her son liked would rise in her estimation as well.

Having had someone like Lan Jingzhi to compare him with made her impression of Xia Ningyang even more favorable.

“Ningyang, Chenchen is busy at the company today, so he probably won’t be able to eat on time. I’ve had the servants prepare some food at home. Take it to the company for him and remind him to eat on time,” Mother Yu said as she walked into the kitchen to give the servants instructions.

Xia Ningyang smiled. “Auntie, I know. I’ll make sure Brother Chen eats on time, so don’t worry.”

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, he even felt a little grateful to Lan Jingzhi. If Lan Jingzhi hadn’t made such a terrible impression, lowering Mother Yu’s expectations, she might not have accepted Xia Ningyang so readily even now.

Without Lan Jingzhi as a contrast, Yu Chen might not have forgiven him so easily or entered into a romantic relationship with him.

Whenever Xia Ningyang thought about the wonderful future he and Yu Chen would share, his heart filled with excitement. He eagerly looked forward to seeing Yu Chen at lunchtime.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

A servant hurried over to answer the door. “Who is it?”

No one answered from outside. But when the door opened, several police officers were standing there. They held up their police identification and asked, “Hello. Is Xia Ningyang here? He is suspected of involvement in a case and needs to come with us.”

The servant hurried back in a panic.

“Madam! Madam! Th-there are police officers looking for—looking for…”

A sudden, ominous premonition rose in Xia Ningyang’s heart. A chill spread through him.

Mother Yu frowned. “Who are they looking for? Our family has always followed the rules. Could that little rascal Yu Zhi have gotten himself into trouble out there, and now the police have come knocking on our door?”

As she spoke, she headed toward the living room. Xia Ningyang tried to stop her, but it was already too late.

“Officers, may I ask who you’re looking for?”

The police repeated what they had just said, then added, “We went to Xia Ningyang’s home earlier and were told he had come here. Please ask him to come out and accompany us to the station.”

Mother Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“W-What did you say?! What happened to Ningyang?!”

Her expression didn’t seem fake. It appeared she genuinely had no idea what had happened.

The officers exchanged glances, took out a phone, opened a video, and played it for Mother Yu.

The video showed what had happened on the day Yu Chen’s accident occurred. Yu Chen and Xia Ningyang had been arguing inside the car, and Xia Ningyang had been getting physical with him, which led to the accident. The footage also clearly captured the entire sequence of events during the crash: Yu Chen saving Xia Ningyang by pushing him out of the car, while Xia Ningyang fled in a panic and never returned.

As Mother Yu watched the video, fury filled her heart. Her eyes blazed with anger.

One of the officers continued, “We need Xia Ningyang to come with us, and we also need your son, Yu Chen, to come to the police station to give a statement. We hope you’ll cooperate.”

Mother Yu whipped around. She glared at Xia Ningyang with furious eyes. Frightened, he instinctively took a step back.

But Mother Yu strode straight up to him and slapped him across the face.

“You wretched little bastard!”

……………… 

The moment the video was released, it shot straight onto the trending list, turning the earlier trending topics into one big public spectacle.

Netizens were astonished by just how many bizarre people existed in the world. They marveled at how deep the waters ran in wealthy families, and they agreed that this latest twist was wonderfully satisfying.

When the first trending topic appeared, reporting that the young heir of a wealthy family had called off his engagement immediately after waking up, netizens had rushed to criticize the Yu family for being heartless and ungrateful— using someone when they needed him, then kicking him aside once he was no longer useful.

Then the second trending topic appeared, and the public turned on Lan Jingzhi instead, calling him a scheming gold-digger who had tried to attach himself to a wealthy family. They claimed that heaven had eyes and that it was fortunate the Yu family had seen through his true nature and dumped him.

Then the third trending topic appeared, and netizens fell silent. The video was flooded with countless comments expressing shock and disbelief.

They were shocked that such a love saint or rather, such a love-struck idiot could actually exist in this world. At the most critical moment, he had risked his life to save the very person responsible for causing the crisis. Now, he was even willing to put the past behind them and get together with that same person.

At the same time, they were stunned by Xia Ningyang’s cold-bloodedness and how calculating he was. He had caused the car accident, and even after someone saved him, he had not shown any gratitude. Instead, he had abandoned his rescuer and left. According to the reports, he had not even called an ambulance or the police. And yet, he had somehow managed to capture the heart of this love-struck young master, who was now willing to accept him despite everything that had happened.

【These two are made for each other. Surely, nobody has any objections?】

【None at all. They’re a textbook case of a scumbag getting together with another scumbag. That trope has been popular forever.】

【I can’t believe they still managed to get a happy ending after all that! I give up!】

【So, there’s just one thing I want to know. Did these two start their affair before or after all this happened?】

【I know the answer! According to an insider, the love-struck young master in the video already had a boyfriend at the time. It was none other than Lan Jingzhi, the guy you’ve all been cursing out since this morning.】

Someone soon put together a comprehensive summary of the events leading up to the incident, and everyone discovered that this so-called love-struck young master was not only a shameless scumbag who pursued men. He might also have been playing with someone else’s feelings!

The claims that Lan Jingzhi had colluded with the fortune-telling master? The two of them did not even know each other! The entire Yu family had been smearing Lan Jingzhi to shift the blame onto him!

They had kicked him out of the house and then gone on to slander him. They were simply bullying him because he had neither power nor influence nor money. Even if he tried to explain himself, nobody would hear him out, much less believe him!

【Ugh… So this is what a wealthy family is like? I’m gonna throw up!】

【Waaah, that Mr. Lan is so pitiful! Is he really just going to let them bully him like this?】

【What else can he do? This is the power of capital. They can say whatever they want, and if they don’t want other people speaking up, then those people won’t even get the chance to open their mouths.】

【Disgusting!!!】

People naturally sympathized with the weaker party. This was especially true after several trending topics had appeared throughout the day, each bringing another reversal of the story. The repeated twists had given netizens time to move past their initial shock and think about the situation more rationally.

The Yu family was making an enormous spectacle of itself online, aggressively pushing its version of events. Their behavior only triggered a backlash. As a result, netizens found themselves increasingly inclined to side with Lan Jingzhi, who had not said a single word in his own defense.

When news spread that the police had gone to the Yu family’s home, people became even more certain that something was wrong. The information seemed to confirm their suspicions, and they became all the more convinced that their conclusions had been correct.

Public attention continued to grow, and more and more people condemned the Yu family for using its power and influence to bully others. In the end, the authorities had no choice but to publicly single out the Yu Corporation for criticism. They also quietly suppressed the trending topics to reduce the incident’s impact on the public.

On the surface, the situation seemed to have calmed down.

Beneath the surface, even more conflicts were brewing.

The company’s shareholders collectively turned on Father Yu and demanded an explanation. Today’s farce had directly wiped several hundred million yuan off the company’s market value. That was money coming straight out of the shareholders’ pockets. Who would be willing to accept that?

Despite his illness, Father Yu had to struggle to deal with the shareholders. He was too busy to handle matters at home and had no idea that another major battle had broken out there as well.

With Yu Chen speaking up for Xia Ningyang and expressing his willingness to forgive him, Yu Chen successfully got Xia Ningyang released from the police station.

The matter of failing to save someone in danger could be treated as either a serious or a minor offense. If the victim chose to press charges, Xia Ningyang could very well end up spending several years in prison. However, Yu Chen, the person directly involved, refused to pursue the matter. He even came forward to explain that it had all been an accident and that he was willing to forgive Xia Ningyang for his negligent behavior. With Yu Chen taking that position, the police could do little else. They had no choice but to release Xia Ningyang.

What would keeping him in custody accomplish? Even if they really brought charges against Xia Ningyang, Yu Chen could use his influence as the person involved to ensure that a conviction was unlikely. In the end, the police would only be wasting their efforts.

Xia Ningyang might have escaped legal punishment, but he could not escape the trouble waiting for him in everyday life.

His friends and colleagues pointed fingers at him, openly mocking him or making sarcastic remarks behind his back. That alone would have been bad enough, but Mother Yu treated him even worse. She glared at him whenever she saw him and never once gave him a kind look. When she saw Yu Chen bring Xia Ningyang home, she erupted into a furious argument and insisted that he get out.

He had nearly caused her son’s death! She had already shown him mercy by not demanding that he pay with his own life, yet he still dared to show his face in front of her?!

Did he really think she was someone he could bully?!

What hurt Mother Yu most was that her own son had actually taken Xia Ningyang’s side.

Compared with his own mother, who loved him so dearly, the person who had nearly gotten him killed was the one who had won his heart?

Mother Yu was genuinely furious. Even Yu Zhi’s sarcastic remarks and departure the last time had not dealt her as great a blow as seeing Yu Chen defend Xia Ningyang.

She was so angry that her chest began to hurt. Just as Father Yu had finally gotten out of bed, she took his place in the hospital bed instead.

………………

Yu Zhi had not witnessed the chaos in the Yu household with his own eyes, but he could easily guess how things had unfolded.

He simply did not tell Lan Jingzhi any of it.

It wasn’t that Yu Zhi thought Lan Jingzhi would feel guilty or soften toward the Yu family. In fact, if Lan Jingzhi found out what had happened, Yu Zhi would consider it a blessing if Lan Jingzhi did nothing more than burst out laughing.

But since Lan Jingzhi had already cut ties with the Yu family, it was better not to bother him with these matters.

As long as he saw the tide of public opinion on Weibo turning in their favor and felt better because of it, that was enough.

And that was exactly what happened.

Lan Jingzhi hadn’t even finished washing the clothes when he happened to scroll through Weibo and came across the video that had been uploaded online. He was so startled that he nearly jumped out.

“Little Brother Yu! Have you seen this? This video!” he called excitedly as he dashed into the kitchen.

Yu Zhi curled his lips into a smile. “I’ve seen it. It’s spread everywhere already, and fewer people are cursing you now.”

“Hmph! As if I care about that,” Lan Jingzhi declared haughtily.

Then he broke into another delighted smile. “But seeing them curse out that idiot Yu Chen makes me so happy! They’re saying exactly what I’ve been thinking! You have no idea how speechless I was when I found out what happened. There’s no one in this world as stupid as Yu Chen! The netizens were absolutely right to call him a love saint. He was willing to risk his own life to save the person who had harmed him, and now he’s even getting a happy ending with that person! There’s no doubt about it. He’s the greatest love saint of our generation!”

It was obvious just how happy he was. He had already forgotten all about the insults directed at him earlier and kept chiming in with the comments beneath the video.

Only after thoroughly enjoying his enemy’s misfortune did he finally put his phone away, satisfied. Then he leaned forward from behind and rested against Yu Zhi’s back.

“See? I really do have good taste and good luck. I managed to get a boyfriend like you, Little Brother Yu. You’re a thousand, ten thousand times better than Yu Chen.”

Yu Zhi couldn’t help smiling, but he said, “Yet, in the eyes of many people, someone like Yu Chen, who is willing to give everything for the person he loves, even his own life, seems to be more popular, doesn’t he?”

Hearing the hint of doubt in Yu Zhi’s voice, Lan Jingzhi couldn’t help leaning his head forward to look at Yu Zhi’s calm expression. Then he moved close to Yu Zhi’s ear and whispered, his breath brushing against the other man’s ear.

“Little Brother Yu, are you jealous?”

“No. I was just making an observation,” Yu Zhi replied calmly.

Lan Jingzhi drew his head back and rested it against Yu Zhi’s back. After a moment, he said slowly, “When I watch novels and TV dramas, I also really like characters who are willing to give everything for the person they love. Those scenes always seem so swoon-worthy and sweet. As for real life, I don’t believe in that sort of thing, but I suppose people like that must exist. Still, I just don’t think Yu Chen should be one of them.”

“If you’re going to love someone and treat them well, shouldn’t you at least choose the right person? Otherwise, you’d be losing out terribly.”

Yu Zhi couldn’t help smiling. “You’re not wrong.”

“Before you love someone, you must first love yourself. Once you realize that their feelings aren’t equal to yours, and that they don’t deserve everything you’re giving them, you should cut your losses in time instead of blindly compromising and giving more and more.”

“If you love someone so much that you lose yourself in the process, all they’ll do is take advantage of you. They won’t cherish you; they’ll only keep pushing for more.”

Of course, that was a different matter if the other person was willing to return your love sincerely.

Lan Jingzhi narrowed his fox-like eyes, his gaze turning dangerous. In a leisurely tone, he asked, “Then, Little Brother Yu, why did you spend two years being that girl’s backup option without cutting your losses in time?”

Yu Zhi: “……”

Did this count as shooting himself in the foot?

He opened his mouth, seemingly about to say something.

Lan Jingzhi only smiled and said, “Don’t try to compare my situation with Yu Chen to yours. I never liked him in the first place. That wasn’t love.”

Yu Zhi turned his head to look at him.

Lan Jingzhi poked him in the back. “Why aren’t you explaining yourself? Don’t you have anything to say?”

Yu Zhi replied with complete seriousness, “I was going to say that the water in the pot is almost boiled away.”

Lan Jingzhi: “……”

“What are you standing there for? Turn off the heat, quick!”

He hurried past Yu Zhi and reached forward to turn off the gas stove. Just as he was about to turn around and shoot Yu Zhi an irritated look, he suddenly felt someone wrap their arms around him from behind.

The other person pulled him effortlessly into an embrace, leaving his back resting against their chest. Yu Zhi’s body had clearly not finished developing, and he was not much taller or more muscular than Lan Jingzhi. Yet, somehow, his embrace gave Lan Jingzhi a natural sense of security, making all the questions he had been about to ask fade away.

A thought surfaced in his mind.

What was in the past was already in the past. Why dwell on pointless grievances? All he needed to do was focus on the present and the future.

“If I said I’d been bewitched, you’d probably doubt me. If I said I’d been young and foolish, you’d probably scoff at me. And if I said it was because I’d transmigrated and been reborn, you’d probably fall silent, not knowing what to say. So, what am I supposed to tell you?”

“I can’t think of one.”

Yu Zhi didn’t want the person who had let the original owner down to know that this sincere love had ever existed. However, he was unwilling to completely erase all the effort the original owner had once made or everything he had gone through. Those experiences were proof that the original owner had existed.

“But I can promise you this: at this very moment, and in every moment from now on, you will be the only one in this heart of mine.”

From the moment this heart had come into existence until now, it had never left.

Lan Jingzhi took a deep breath and forced a smile through gritted teeth. “All you ever do is sweet-talk me.”

But he liked it.

Who wouldn’t?

Yu Zhi sighed inwardly. Fine, if Lan Jingzhi wanted to call it sweet talk, then sweet talk it was. Some people used sweet words to deceive others, while others were simply making predictions ahead of time, waiting for time to prove them true.

Yu Zhi had agreed to do a cooking livestream for Lan Jingzhi, but Lan Jingzhi thought they weren’t ready yet. He wanted to buy a phone with the best camera resolution so he could capture Yu Zhi’s hands at their most beautiful on camera. As a result, the two of them settled for a simple lunch.

After the meal, Lan Jingzhi said he wanted to return to the place where he had lived before.

Before moving into the Yu family’s home, he had rented a place of his own. He had never truly felt comfortable putting his trust in the Yu family, so he had kept the rental rather than giving it up. Quite a few of his belongings were still there, too.

Since he had now decided to live here with Yu Zhi, he planned to terminate the lease and bring over all the important things he needed.

“I’ll go with you and help,” Yu Zhi offered.

“No!” Lan Jingzhi objected firmly.

Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Lan Jingzhi’s gaze darted away. “Well… My place is such a mess. I don’t want to ruin the perfect image you have of me.”

Yu Zhi: “……”

Why did Lan Jingzhi think he had a perfect image in Yu Zhi’s eyes in the first place?

Everyone had flaws and imperfections. Even a saint could never be perfect. Who exactly was Lan Jingzhi expecting to meet such impossible standards?

Seeing how determined Lan Jingzhi was, Yu Zhi found it difficult to object. Besides, Lan Jingzhi was not a child who needed someone watching over him. In the end, all he could say was, “You can start packing your things. I’ll find someone to help you move them over another day.”

Only then did Lan Jingzhi nod. “All right, I’m off.”

He pressed a kiss to Yu Zhi’s lips, then chuckled twice. “Little Yu, wait for me to come home.”

Yu Zhi’s eyes softened as he smiled. “Be careful on the way. Call me if anything happens.”

Not long after Lan Jingzhi left, Yu Zhi’s phone rang.

“Mr. Yu, President Tong from Huanyue came by this morning. He expressed interest in joining our new project.”

“Reject him.”

“But the terms he offered are genuinely quite generous. Would you like to reconsider?”

“When it comes to newly emerging businesses, Huanyue’s usual practice is to swallow them up through mergers and acquisitions, not cooperate with them and help them grow. I find it hard to believe you don’t know that. At this point, I have reasonable grounds to suspect that the other party has bought you off.”

“M-Mr. Yu, I haven’t! Please believe me. I really haven’t!” The voice on the other end of the phone was panicked. If there was no shady business going on, there certainly seemed to be.

Yu Zhi simply did not visit the company often. That did not mean he was unaware of what was happening there.

“You know the truth yourself. You can save any further explanations for the lawyers.”

After hanging up, Yu Zhi called the assistant he trusted.

“Look into the project manager. If you find anything wrong, have the lawyers handle it and proceed accordingly. Even if there’s nothing wrong, fire him anyway. I don’t need a project manager who lacks foresight.”

“Understood, Sir.” His assistant’s voice came clearly through the phone. “The legal letter you asked us to send to the Yu family this morning has already been mailed.”

“I’m aware. Thank you,” Yu Zhi replied politely.

“It’s my job.” The assistant would never dare take this young but highly capable boss lightly.

Still, he couldn’t help being curious. What exactly was the relationship between their young boss and that Mr. Lan?

Their young boss had not only gathered evidence to guide public opinion but had also shown no mercy in suing the Yu family for defaming Lan Jingzhi, as though they weren’t his relatives at all.

Yet the assistant who worked for Yu Zhi knew very well that their young boss was the youngest son of the Yu family.

Could it really be just as the Yu family’s statement claimed that their young boss had run off with his own brother-in-law?

Although the Yu family didn’t seem like decent people, the story sounded strangely exciting and left plenty of room for the imagination.

After leaving home, Lan Jingzhi took a taxi to his former residence. As soon as he stepped inside, he wasn’t surprised to find a thick layer of dust covering everything.

After all, he hadn’t been back for more than a month, and he hadn’t asked anyone to clean the place, either.

He was wondering whether he should clean the apartment before packing his things when he heard a familiar set of footsteps. His brows instinctively drew together.

Turning around, he saw a young man with an ordinary-looking face but an immaculate, carefully put-together appearance approaching with his hands tucked away.

“Well, well! If it isn’t Mr. Lan, who married into a wealthy family! What brings you back to our poor little slum?”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Yu Chen doesn’t want you anymore, so you’ve been kicked out! Hahaha! That’s what you get for paying off a fraud and resorting to crooked methods!”

This was exactly why Lan Jingzhi hadn’t wanted Yu Zhi to come with him. He didn’t want Yu Zhi to have to face these people’s sarcastic remarks and taunts. He wanted Yu Zhi to be surrounded by warmth, positivity, and beautiful things instead.

The Yu family had already given his Little Brother Yu more than enough coldness. Someone like Yu Zhi shouldn’t have to be exposed to any more of the world’s ugliness.

“You mean that stupid, lovesick saint, Yu Chen? Being able to dump him was my good fortune. Ah, I forgot, you never even got the chance to dump him yourself. My mistake. I shouldn’t have brought it up and reopened your old wounds.”

They had been neighbors for years. Who didn’t know the score? The man standing opposite him was mocking him simply because he had been jealous when Lan Jingzhi became Yu Chen’s boyfriend.

“You!” The man was furious.

He was just about to fire back when Lan Jingzhi continued, “Do you need anything else? If not, I’ll get back to what I was doing. Unlike you, I don’t have so much free time that I can go around picking fights with people.

“My boyfriend is waiting for me at home. We still have a candlelit dinner planned tonight, followed by a long and passionate night together. He’s very clingy, and he’s five years younger than me, with an incredible amount of energy. Sometimes, I can barely keep up with him…”

He paused, then put on an apologetic expression.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot you don’t have a boyfriend. You wouldn’t be able to understand these kinds of troubles.”

As he finished speaking, he even gave an embarrassed little smile.

The neighbor’s eyes widened. He couldn’t help thinking that Lan Jingzhi had truly become a different person in a short time. In the past, they had been evenly matched, but now, going up against Lan Jingzhi, he was losing in every way!

For some reason, the Lan Jingzhi standing before him now seemed absolutely brimming with confidence.

Wait a minute. Hadn’t the Yu family exposed him and kicked him out? Hadn’t Yu Chen abandoned him? Shouldn’t he be wallowing in self-pity by now? What the hell was with this sudden doubling of his combat power?!

And then there was that boyfriend he kept talking about— young and full of energy…

The neighbor instinctively swallowed.

Lan Jingzhi was just about to close the door when his phone rang. He answered casually. “Who is it?”

“…Lan Jingzhi! Wasn’t stealing my younger brother away from us enough? Now you’re actually sending us a lawyer’s letter and threatening to sue us over such a trivial matter?! Don’t you have a conscience at all?!” Yu Chen’s voice came through the phone, gritted with anger.

The neighbor pricked up his ears.

Lan Jingzhi frowned. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Yu Chen raised his voice angrily. “Isn’t that exactly what happened? Who else would send us a lawyer’s letter under your name?! Lan Jingzhi, do you really think that just because we haven’t pursued the matter, we’ve actually let you and Yu Zhi off the hook?”

Lan Jingzhi sneered. “Since you have no intention of leaving us alone anyway, why should I leave you alone? If you’ve got the guts, then don’t defame us.”

“You—!”

Lan Jingzhi had no interest in listening to him any longer. He hung up immediately, then opened Weibo to look for what he had come to find.

The neighbor’s cautious voice sounded behind him. “Um… were you just talking to Yu Chen?”

Good heavens! Where on earth had this guy found the nerve to act like that?

Lan Jingzhi ignored him. His fingers scrolled across the screen until, a moment later, he stopped.

He stared at the lawyer’s letter posted on Weibo, frozen for a moment. His fingertips gently brushed over the image…

His eyes shimmered like starlight. Then, suddenly, he broke into a radiant smile.

So, while he had been trying to protect his Little Brother Yu, Yu Zhi had been protecting him, too.

He couldn’t help recalling what Yu Zhi had said earlier about making sacrifices for someone you loved. His Little Brother Yu hadn’t merely been paying lip service to those words. He had proved them through his actions. Just as he had once said, he preferred to show his feelings through what he did.

Lan Jingzhi hadn’t wanted Yu Zhi to face the indifference and clamor of society. Yet, long before that, Yu Zhi had already been protecting him through his actions, standing in front of him and helping him deal with those unpleasant people.

Warmth flooded Lan Jingzhi’s heart. A sweet feeling spread through him, like the beautiful clouds at the edge of the sky— wonderful and dreamlike.

Carried by the wind, those clouds quietly descended into the mortal world and scattered across Lan Jingzhi’s heart, intoxicating him like wine.

The storms of the mundane world. The warmth and bustle of everyday life.

Together, they would face it all. Together, they would move forward.

====================