LNTSWJLY Chapter 75

“What treat?” Yu Zhi had a pretty good idea what was going on, but he still asked Lan Jingzhi.

Lan Jingzhi replied with a smile, “It’s nothing. It’s just that Qi Sheng is meeting you for the first time, and he voluntarily offered to treat everyone. You could say it’s his way of welcoming you.”

“Qi Sheng, isn’t that right?” he asked with a smile, turning toward him.

Qi Sheng felt as though his heart were bleeding. However, faced with Lan Jingzhi’s leisurely, unbothered smile and the exceptionally handsome man sitting in front of him, he couldn’t bear to embarrass himself in front of Yu Zhi. He forced a smile and said, “Y-yes… I-I’m treating everyone. Please, Sir, don’t stand on ceremony!”

The gritted teeth behind those words delighted Lan Jingzhi. Keeping his smile unchanged, he deliberately took Yu Zhi’s hand and spoke in an utterly sweet, affectionate voice.

“Darling, since Qi Sheng is being so hospitable, we shouldn’t disappoint him by refusing his kind offer. Don’t you agree?”

Yu Zhi glanced at Qi Sheng, whose face had gone pale and whose confidence was clearly faltering. Then he looked around at the others. Knowing that Lan Jingzhi wouldn’t single someone out without a reason, he simply agreed.

“It’s up to you.”

Although Yu Zhi had said he was there to pick up Lan Jingzhi, he stayed in the private room instead of hurrying to take him home.

With someone backing him up, Lan Jingzhi became even more outrageous than before. He briskly ordered several bottles of expensive liquor. As though he were simply trying them out of curiosity, he opened each bottle, either smelling it or taking a single sip. Then, claiming that it tasted awful, he set it aside.

Qi Sheng watched with gritted teeth, his heart bleeding with every bottle. He had no idea how many times he had cursed Lan Jingzhi under his breath.

That was money! Every single bottle cost money!

Once a bottle had been opened, it could no longer be returned!

That shameless bastard Lan was doing this on purpose!

Lan Jingzhi was no immortal, either. Drinking too much could easily make him drunk, and it also meant more trips to the restroom. His head was beginning to feel a little fuzzy. Seeing that there were still unopened bottles on the table, he magnanimously decided to spare Qi Sheng the rest.

He leaned close to Yu Zhi’s ear and whispered, “I’m going to the restroom. We’ll head home in a bit.”

Yu Zhi reminded him, “Be careful.”

Lan Jingzhi gave him an OK sign. After he left the private room, everyone else fell silent as well. The karaoke machine was paused, and no one spoke. The only sounds were the rustling of clothes as people moved and the sound of their breathing.

Ever since Yu Zhi had walked in, everyone had felt as though they were in a dream. Only now did they finally come back to their senses.

Although they had no idea why Lan Jingzhi’s boyfriend had changed from Yu Chen to Yu Zhi, one thing was certain: they did not want to see the expression on Lan Jingzhi’s face when he found out what they were about to say.

“Mr. Yu, may I ask how long you and Brother Lan have been together? He never mentioned you before. When he said he had a boyfriend, we all assumed he meant his previous one. Oh, right! Do you know who his ex-boyfriend was? It was the young master of Yu Real Estate Corporation, Yu Chen, the one who was trending on social media before.”

Yu Zhi rested one long leg over the other and loosely folded his hands on his knee. His back was straight, and his bearing was elegant and composed. He looked completely at ease.

“I know. What are you trying to say?”

“You know?” someone asked in disbelief. “If you know, why would you still date him? Mr. Yu, let me tell you something. Lan Jingzhi is a man who cares only about profit. All he cares about is money and status. He doesn’t love you at all!

“He was with Yu Chen before, and it was the same story back then. Now, he must have gotten together with you because he’s after your wealth and social standing. You can’t stay with someone like him! Once you run out of money or once he meets someone with better prospects than you, he’ll definitely dump you!”

Yu Zhi’s lips pressed into a thin line, and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. His gaze swept over the group. For a moment, each of them felt as though a sharp blade had scraped across their body. The sensation sent chills down their spines and made their hair stand on end!

Fortunately for them, Yu Zhi eventually lowered his eyes and said, “Speaking badly about people behind their backs isn’t a good habit. Aren’t you all friends?”

Their faces flushed slightly. After a moment, they replied, “We… We’re only trying to save you and help you escape this misery, too. Mr. Yu, are you really willing to stay with someone as materialistic as him? You don’t even mind if he’s only after your money? You clearly have the chance to choose someone who would love you more. Why give up the happiness you deserve for someone who doesn’t love you?”

They spoke with such earnest sincerity that they seemed genuinely concerned for Yu Zhi’s well-being. They made it sound as though everything they were doing was simply out of kindness and that all they wanted was for him to find happiness.

After remaining silent for a moment, Yu Zhi finally spoke in an unhurried tone. “What about you? When choosing your own partners, do you never consider their family background, wealth, looks, or abilities?”

The group was immediately at a loss for words.

“We… Of course we…”

Yu Zhi let out a faint, mocking laugh. “You keep claiming that you’re helping me, but all you’re doing is satisfying your own selfish desires. You deliberately tried to drive a wedge between us right in front of me because all you want is for Jingzhi to lose me.

“There will always be people in this world who, when they can’t have something themselves, don’t want anyone else to have it, either. Jealousy has already taken over your hearts and seeped into your very bones and blood. Perhaps one day, it will even eat away at your souls.”

His voice remained calm and indifferent, yet his words stripped away the group’s polished, respectable facade, exposing the ugliness beneath.

The men began to feel uncomfortable in their seats. They had never expected Yu Zhi to be so blunt or to ignore all the usual social niceties. In front of him, they felt as though they were standing naked, stripped bare of every last layer of pretense!

“Mr. Yu, that’s not fair of you to say,” Qi Sheng declared righteously. “Our words may be unpleasant to hear, but they’re still the truth, aren’t they? Isn’t Lan Jingzhi with you because of your status, social standing, and financial resources? You can’t just get angry because we’ve exposed the truth so bluntly and attack us while ignoring Lan Jingzhi’s own problems!”

At that moment, he was convinced that he must look dazzling, standing out from the crowd as the most attractive person in the room. Surely Yu Zhi would notice him looking like this and be drawn to him.

Yu Zhi did notice him, but he gave him no special attention. Instead, he continued, “And what of it?”

“When people choose their partners and develop feelings for them, there are always many factors involved. It might be money or power, talent or looks. Perhaps it’s their personality and temperament, or simply the way they treat them.

“Compared with a person’s inner qualities, external advantages might seem vulgar or materialistic, but they are still ordinary factors that attract people. They are part of what makes someone appealing to others. There’s nothing wrong with that, and it certainly isn’t an unforgivable sin. There’s no need to look down on or despise people for it.

“You condemn Jingzhi with your words, yet deep down, you’re no different from him. That hypocrisy of yours is far more repulsive.”

The group’s expressions turned absolutely ugly. One after another, they were left speechless by Yu Zhi’s sharp retorts. Some were even so humiliated and angry that they lashed out by putting Yu Zhi and Lan Jingzhi in the same category.

“Mr. Yu, don’t you think you’ve gone too far?!” Qi Sheng gritted out through clenched teeth.

Yu Zhi stood up and straightened his clothes, preparing to leave.

“He has never hidden or disguised his true self from me. I would rather accept the real him than spare even another glance at hypocrites like you.”

Those words struck directly at the heart of their intentions. Without paying any attention to their faces, which had changed color like a painter’s palette, Yu Zhi turned and walked out of the private room.

“B-Brother Qi…” Someone held out a phone to Qi Sheng, whose face had turned an ashen blue.

Qi Sheng looked at the call duration, which had already stretched to several minutes, and saw that the call was still connected. In a fit of anger, he smacked the person on the head.

“Why didn’t you hang up?!”

This had been one part of his plan. He had wanted to expose Lan Jingzhi in front of Yu Zhi, then call Lan Jingzhi so that he could hear with his own ears the very moment his true nature was exposed. Who could have guessed that Yu Zhi would defend Lan Jingzhi throughout the entire conversation, while tearing their own masks off again and again?!

“I-I was so angry that I forgot…” the person said miserably.

Qi Sheng became even angrier. He snatched the phone and was about to hang up when he heard laughter coming from the other end.

It was Lan Jingzhi.

After laughing a few times, Lan Jingzhi called out, “Thank you, Qi Sheng! I’m in a really, really good mood right now. If you have any more wonderful opportunities like this in the future, feel free to invite me again!”

Laugh, laugh, laugh! What the hell was so funny?!

I don’t ever want to see you again!

Qi Sheng angrily hung up the phone. When he came back to his senses, he looked at the table covered with opened bottles of liquor. Gritting his teeth, he turned to the others and said, “Drink! Nobody’s allowed to leave until every last bottle is finished!”

As if! How could they possibly finish all that liquor? They weren’t people who could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. They were afraid of drinking themselves into the hospital, and even more afraid of being left behind and forced to pay the bill.

They no longer cared about the embarrassment and resentment they had felt after being stopped from talking back earlier. One after another, they grabbed their belongings and ran.

“Brother Qi, I just remembered I have something to take care of at home. I’ll be leaving first!”

“Brother Qi, I also…”

“Brother Qi…”

“Nobody’s leaving!” Qi Sheng tried to grab them, but he failed to catch anyone.

In the blink of an eye, Qi Sheng was the only person left in the private room, facing the enormous bill for all the liquor.

“LAN! JING! ZHI!”

While Qi Sheng raged helplessly, Lan Jingzhi had already learned that Yu Zhi had left the private room. He didn’t even bother going back inside. Instead, he went straight out of the club.

In the spacious parking lot, a man dressed in a black suit stood some distance away. As though he had sensed Lan Jingzhi’s gaze, he turned his head and looked at him.

Something suddenly tugged at Lan Jingzhi’s heart. A tingling sensation spread from deep within him throughout his entire body, making him unconsciously quicken his pace as he hurried toward the man.

He strode forward and threw himself into the man’s arms. Taking in the faint, pleasant fragrance lingering on Yu Zhi and the slight chill of the early autumn air, he closed his eyes briefly and asked, “Have you been waiting long?”

“I just got here. Get in the car. Let’s go home.”

Mm. Home.

Lan Jingzhi settled into the front passenger seat, and the car set off toward home. After a while, once he had recovered from the rush of emotions, Lan Jingzhi turned to Yu Zhi with a meaningful look.

“Little Brother Yu, you’re not going to tell me this car is a rental, are you?”

Yu Zhi kept his eyes focused on the road, but the corners of his lips curled upward despite himself. He said helplessly, “Haven’t you already figured it out?”

Lan Jingzhi leaned against the dashboard. “What exactly am I supposed to have figured out? That my boyfriend has been hiding his true abilities and is actually the boss of an up-and-coming game company? Or that my boyfriend is successful and impressive out in the world but pretends to be poor at home, even going so far as to spend his time livestreaming himself cooking just to make me happy?

“Should I say you’ve lost your head over a pretty face, or that you’re deeply devoted to love? Little Brother Yu, why don’t you teach me?”

From his tone and the things he said, Yu Zhi could tell that Lan Jingzhi wasn’t genuinely angry.

“I didn’t lie to you.”

Lan Jingzhi nodded. “Right. You merely kept things from me.”

Yu Zhi was at a loss for words.

Just moments ago, he had been able to make that entire group turn red in the face with his merciless retorts. But when faced with Lan Jingzhi, it was as though he had suddenly lost his gift for eloquence. All that remained was helplessness.

The two of them drove home together. Once they arrived, Yu Zhi caught Lan Jingzhi just as he was about to return to his room and wrapped his arms around him.

“What would it take for you to forgive me?”

Lan Jingzhi tilted his head back to look at him. “Shouldn’t you be the one to figure out how to make me happy and earn my forgiveness? You’re making the person you wronged come up with a way for you to apologize. Where’s your sincerity?”

Yu Zhi smiled helplessly. “All right. I guess I’ll just have to do it this way.”

Lan Jingzhi looked puzzled. “What are you going to do?”

Yu Zhi didn’t answer. Instead, he took Lan Jingzhi by the hand and led him upstairs.

There were several rooms upstairs, too. However, since the renovations hadn’t been completed earlier and the downstairs area had been more than enough for their needs, Lan Jingzhi had never gone up there. He had no idea what was waiting for him.

“What’s upstairs?” he asked.

Yu Zhi still didn’t answer. Once they reached the upper floor, he placed his hand against the wall and flipped the light switch. The dim space instantly lit up as brightly as daylight.

Lan Jingzhi casually turned his head to look around, but his gaze froze in an instant. He stared at what lay before him, utterly stunned.

Yu Zhi took his hand. “Come in.”

Before him was a dance studio created by combining two rooms into one.

The wooden floor was spotless, and the enormous mirrored wall reflected their figures with perfect clarity.

Lan Jingzhi walked inside and gazed at his reflection in the mirror, still looking as though he hadn’t quite come back to his senses.

“How did you…” He parted his lips, wanting to say something, but the words never came.

Yu Zhi smiled faintly. “It’s only natural for me to like you and understand you.”

“If you love dancing, then dance to your heart’s content. You don’t have to give it up for the sake of making a living or struggling to survive.”

Almost no one knew that, ever since he was a child, Lan Jingzhi’s greatest love had never been chasing money. It had been dancing. But later, when he had to live under someone else’s roof, simply getting through each day took all the strength he had. He no longer had the courage to fight for the chance to enroll in dance classes.

Yet now, someone had effortlessly uncovered a passion he might have even forgotten himself and placed the opportunity right in front of him.

Lan Jingzhi had originally intended to tease Yu Zhi a little over the things he had kept secret from him. Unfortunately, Yu Zhi never gave him the chance.

He turned around and wrapped his arms around Yu Zhi. Closing his eyes, he suppressed the ache of emotion and the tears threatening to fall. The corners of his lips curved into a smile as he drew in a long, deep breath and slowly let it out.

“Little Brother Yu, you’re wrong about one thing. My heart’s desire changed a long time ago.”

Yu Zhi’s heart stirred. He knew what Lan Jingzhi wanted to say, yet he played along and continued the conversation. Perhaps it was because he wanted to hear those heartwarming words, too. No matter how many times he heard them, he would never tire of them.

“Then what has it changed to?”

Lan Jingzhi smiled and slipped his arms around Yu Zhi’s neck. He tilted his head back slightly, facing the light, turning toward the warm sunshine, and slowly leaned in to kiss Yu Zhi on the lips. His words came out both muffled and unmistakably clear.

“You…”

He had led Lan Jingzhi away from the clamor of the world and then guided him into a dreamlike wonderland, helping him rediscover his innocence and return to the person he had once been.

You are where my heart longs to go. You are the dream I yearn for. You are the one I love most.

I struggled in the ordinary world and sank into the mire of worldly life. The immortals were too busy with their own affairs, and the angels merely watched from the sidelines. Only you found me, guided me, and taught me. You kept me from being tainted by the world, protected me as life polished and tempered me, and told me, “You’re already wonderful, and you can become even better.”

The night breeze was cool, and the stars and moon shone brightly.

The lights went out, leaving only the lights downstairs to illuminate their faint outlines.

Yu Zhi heard Lan Jingzhi whisper softly beside his ear.

“Little Brother Yu, you’re so dazzling.” Like a light, bright and warm.

Life is long, but with you illuminating the road ahead, I can move forward without hesitation.

Holding him close, Yu Zhi continued to shower him with lingering, tender kisses. Yet that did not stop him from smiling softly as he murmured, “Guide me.”

………………

“Impossible… This is impossible! It has to be fake!”

Mother Yu stared in disbelief at the familiar face on the screen, repeatedly insisting that it was impossible and that the person in the video could not be him.

Yu Chen’s expression was complicated, but unlike his mother, he did not refuse to believe what he was seeing. He accepted the truth much more readily.

“Just admit it, Mom. The son you looked down on has now built a successful career from nothing and earned glory and recognition for himself.” Yu Chen’s words were not entirely free of bitterness or emotion, but that was about as far as his feelings went.

He had never had much of an impression of his younger brother, nor had he ever felt particularly close to him. He neither liked him very much nor disliked him intensely. In his heart, the most important person had never been his parents or his siblings, but Xia Ningyang. No matter what happened within the family, Yu Chen had never really cared.

“He lied to us! He did it on purpose! He wanted to get away from us!” Mother Yu exclaimed angrily. “Tell him that he can forget about it! I won’t let him get away with this!”

Her youngest son, whom she had always looked down on, had become successful in his career, and his future was clearly full of promise. Meanwhile, the Yu family was beset by one problem after another. They were even on the verge of losing their position and being kicked off the board of directors.

Along with her humiliation and anger, Mother Yu felt a twinge of regret.

But she did not regret neglecting her youngest son or treating him poorly. What she regretted was letting him walk away so easily.

“Enough! Stop making a scene!” Father Yu snapped angrily. “What’s the point of talking about this now?! Is he going to come back? Don’t even think about it!”

Father Yu saw the situation most clearly. He cared about his pride, too. There was no way he would lower himself and bow his head to his son, especially one he had never taken seriously in the first place.

Besides, the Yu family had not yet reached the point of utter ruin. Although regret was eating away at him inside, he was still unwilling to swallow his pride and approach his son.

Mother Yu seethed with frustration. Her chest heaved as her breathing grew unsteady, and the health she had only recently managed to recover began to fail her again.

Yu Chen immediately called a doctor. After the doctor finished examining Mother Yu, they discovered that Father Yu had also lost consciousness and could not be awakened. The Yu household descended into chaos.

Not long afterward, the Yu family lost its position, and the Yu Corporation was renamed. Father Yu suffered a stroke because he could not withstand the blow. Mother Yu was also left bedridden, forced to recuperate from her illness.

Yu Chen had no choice but to shoulder the burden of supporting the family on his own. He used his meager salary and the remaining dividends to support his parents.

Although they still had enough money to live comfortably and did not need to worry about food or clothing, both of them remained bedridden with lingering illnesses. No matter how much money they had, it could not buy back their health.

Yu Chen insisted on staying with Xia Ningyang, but the unequal effort they put into their relationship often left Yu Chen mentally and physically exhausted. The two remained entangled with each other for their entire lives. It was only when they grew old that they finally managed, with difficulty, to treat each other with mutual respect and stop making trouble for one another.

Many years later, as Yu parents watched him on television, seeing how successful and glorious he had become, their heart monitors gradually flatlined.

No one knew whether they had ever regretted the coldness and neglect they had shown that child.

Yu Zhi did not know, either. But he knew that the original owner’s wish had been fulfilled, and that was enough.

Lan Jingzhi took his hand.

Yu Zhi shook his head with a smile. “I’m fine. They’re just unimportant people.”

“Let’s go. The opera is about to begin.”

“I hope no one takes pictures of us. We’re not young anymore, so why do you still have so many male and female fans?”

“It doesn’t matter. They’re unimportant people, too.”

“I mean, I’m jealous.”

A kiss landed on his lips.

“Sweet?”

“…Sweet.”

For the rest of my life, there will be only you.

………………

In a cramped, crowded room, a man curled up on a narrow bed slowly opened his eyes.

The exhaustion weighing on his body made him frown. He had no strength to get up.

After realizing that no one else was around, he wanted to receive the plot and his mission first. However, he waited one second, then two, then a full minute. In the end, he opened his eyes again in bewilderment.

Where were the plot and the mission?

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