Chapter 8

Ning Yang lost his appetite halfway through dinner. Claiming he still had work to deal with, he went to the study and shut himself inside.

He sat in his chair, staring at the childhood photo of himself and Ning Xibai on the desk. He exhaled smoke, his mood restless.

"Knock, knock." There was a knock at the door, and Ning Luo poked his head in. "Big Brother?"

"Come in."

The moment Ning Luo entered, the smoke made him cough. "Cough. Big Brother, why are you smoking? Bad mood?"

When facing a benefactor, his attitude had to be proper and his concern had to be sincere.

Ning Yang glanced at him and stubbed out his cigarette. "No."

Ning Luo: "...Oh."

Well, that conversation was dead.

He rubbed his arms and gave an awkward laugh. "It's kind of cold in here."

[Why isn't Big Brother responding? Does he like it when other people's warm faces get pressed against his icy ass?]

His gaze drifted to the photo on the desk again. Ning Xibai was sitting on Ning Yang's shoulders, flashing a V sign. [You keep him in your heart, while he kicks you into a ditch. You two really aren't compatible. How could someone who smells like smoke go after someone who smells like milk?]

Ning Yang's hand jerked, and he nearly pressed the cigarette butt against his own hand.

A vein throbbed at his temple. "Ning Luo, can you stop imagining all sorts of nonsense? Xibai is my younger brother. You're my younger brother too."

Even if he did not particularly like this newly arrived younger brother.

Ning Luo looked confused. "I know. It says so on the paternity test."

It was not like he could not read.

[Ning Yang seems like a younger-brother fanatic. Is he warning me about how I treat that green-tea brother?]

[Do I even need to imagine it? That green-tea brother is a whole palace intrigue drama by himself. Didn't he see how his eyes lit up the moment joining the company was mentioned?]

Ning Yang was not blind. Of course he had seen it, but he refused to admit it. "Xibai was happy because he felt that entering the company meant Father had acknowledged him. He had no other thoughts."

Ning Luo went along with it smoothly. "Mm-hm, mm-hm, I understand."

[Why explain that to me, Big Brother? You make it sound so real. You can fool others, but don't fool yourself.]

"..." Ning Yang finally understood how suffocating it felt to punch cotton.

He forcibly changed the subject and tossed Ning Luo a stack of freshly printed papers. "Take a look."

Ning Luo took them and saw they were materials related to a magazine shoot. Everything was noted in detail, from the overall process to the photographer's aesthetic preferences and the editor-in-chief's personality and taboos. It was obviously compiled by a professional.

Ning Yang spoke in a businesslike tone. "Since you've been given this opportunity, make good use of it. Don't cause trouble."

Ning Luo looked at Lu Tingzhou's ID photo on the papers and swallowed. "I'm working with Best Actor Lu?"

"He's the main focus, and you're the lesser one. It's primarily promotional photography for the film he starred in. You're incidental," Ning Yang said, tapping the desk. "Any other questions?"

"No, no."

Ning Luo tucked the stack of documents against his chest like treasure. Thinking that he would be seeing his new favorite from this world again made him so excited that he felt even closer to Ning Yang. "Big Brother, are you still working this late? Won't that be too tiring?"

Ning Luo smiled at Ning Yang with curved eyes. His smile was bright, and the light fell over his shoulders, reflecting in those clear, pure eyes like radiance pouring out from their depths. His dimples seemed full of sweet wine, and even his voice rose cheerfully at the ends, lively beyond compare.

Ning Yang looked away. "Work requires it."

"Fine, but you should still sleep early," Ning Luo said. His gaze wandered before landing on Ning Yang's head, and he offered a warm reminder. "Staying up late often can make you go bald and turn into a balding old man."

"...Thanks."

Ning Luo smiled shyly. "You're welcome."

"..."

After seeing Ning Luo off, Ning Yang stared at the documents on his laptop without taking in a single word. Instead, every word Ning Luo had said that day drilled into his heart, leaving him unable to find peace.

Ning Luo did not care what he was thinking. The first thing he did after returning to his bedroom was pull out that stack of documents and kiss the ID photo several times. He grinned like a hooligan.

What was this? His husband! Smooch! Hehehe, smooch smooch smooch smooch smooch.

Once the excitement faded, Ning Luo finally took a proper look around.

This was the first time he had come to this bedroom. The original owner had never lived here either.

The room covered eighty square meters, and its 4.5-meter ceiling made the entire space feel exceptionally open. Ning Luo jumped down from the huge bed, stepped onto the soft wool carpet, and flipped over the tag to check the brand.

He had once liked a small rug from this brand. It cost five hundred thousand, and after agonizing over it for three months, he still had not bought it. Yet now he was standing on one of their best-selling models, and it was this—huge!

Ning Luo excitedly plucked out several strands of wool.

Then he went to touch the sofa across from him. The excellent texture brought tears to his eyes.

This sofa was made of lambskin!

There was also an embedded antique display shelf on one side. Any item on it could be considered a work of art. Ning Luo even suspected that several of them had been auction pieces, worth more than his entire net worth in his previous life.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

The fragrance of money!

Ning Luo drifted lightly toward the walk-in closet. The moment he flung it open, he was stunned again.

Despite never having come here before, the Ning Family had prepared everything for him. The coats alone were divided by occasion and style, with complete outfits for spring, summer, autumn, and winter. They filled two entire rows, with no fewer than a hundred pieces. Walking inside felt like browsing a luxury store.

In a daze, Ning Luo shut the dressing room door. With his hands pressed together, he looked up at the dazzling, luxurious crystal chandelier in the bedroom with the devotion of a believer. "This is what I deserve after stanning the God of Wealth exclusively for over twenty years!"

Lu Tingzhou was only a favorite on the side. How could he count as someone Ning Luo truly stanned?

He finally got the joy of becoming rich overnight!!

Who cared about being cannon fodder? Who cared about a tragic ending? None of it mattered!

People just had to learn to follow the money!

After finishing his work, Ning Yang remembered Ning Luo's comment about staying up late making him bald. For once, he went to bed early.

The moment his head touched the pillow, a loud singing voice exploded beside his ears.

[Good luck comes, wishing you good luck, good luck brings joy and love~ Good luck comes, we have good luck, flourishing and prospering all across the land with good fortune!]

Ning Luo twisted every vocal run in the song into countless bends and turns. He sounded like a knotted maggot, twisted into a pretzel, with not a single note in tune.

Ning Yang shot upright.

No, how could someone send their inner thoughts through a wall?

How hard was Ning Luo singing in his head for it to be this loud?!

Was something wrong with him?

-

Ning Luo sang from "Good Luck Comes" all the way to "Love You Until Death," so excited that he rolled from one side of the bed to the other.

Then, tangled up in several thin blankets, he fell out of bed with a "plop."

"..."

He struggled and grunted his way out of the murderous blankets, his fair face flushed red from the effort. Only then did he finally calm down a little.

That was when he noticed his phone vibrating.

He picked it up and saw a message from Ning Yang.

Three minutes ago.

[Ning Yang: Ning Luo, sleep.]

One minute ago.

[Ning Yang: Ning Luo, sleep!!!]

Huh? What was going on? Could it be that he had rolled around too loudly and disturbed Ning Yang?

Ning Luo hurriedly replied, "Sorry, Big Brother. I'll sleep soon."

[Ning Yang: ...Heh.]

Ning Luo stared at that one character. A dozen pie charts flashed through his mind, yet he still could not figure out how much of it was teasing and how much was sarcasm. In the end, he simply tossed his phone aside and muttered, "Heh, heh, heh. Did phlegm get stuck in his throat and he can't cough it up?"

After a tiring day, he quickly fell asleep on the huge Simmons bed.

He dreamed that he was lying atop a mountain of gold while a handsome man from the Western Regions held up two hoes and asked softly, "Dear master, did you drop this golden hoe or this silver hoe?"

For a moment, Ning Luo did not know whether to look at the money or the beauty. His eyes were extremely busy, though he had no idea what they were busy doing. "They're both mine. Both mine."

Just as he was about to take the hoes, countless snakes surged toward him, binding him tightly, suffocating him, and dragging him rapidly backward.

Ning Luo saw a face similar to his own. The snakes turned into a woman's hair, rolling through the air. "Luo Luo, everything I did was for you. What parent in this world would harm their child?"

In sharp contrast to her gentle tone, the woman's long, cold nails viciously gripped his cheeks, leaving bloody marks. "I've given so much for you. Don't disappoint my expectations."

Ning Luo woke up in fright.

Still shaken after waking, he patted his chest and turned over.

He had always felt that being transported into this novel was no accident. Besides sharing the same name, his upbringing was similar to the original owner's as well. He had a father who died early and a highly controlling biological mother who had died three years ago.

His mother had placed immense pressure on him, leaving his oppressed mind with nowhere to vent. Even the face of someone closest to him had become the source of his nightmares.

He was grateful that his mother had given birth to and raised him. He was grateful for all the love she had poured into him.

Yet he did not have the slightest ability to return that love.

"That scared me to death. Good thing it was only a dream," Ning Luo said, hugging a soft throw pillow to his chest and rubbing against it. "I knew this novel had to be written by one of my haters. Damn it."

But once he woke up, he could not fall asleep again. Ning Luo checked the time.

Forget it, he might as well get up.

The housekeeper, Aunt Zhang, was surprised to see him come downstairs so early. "Second Young Master, you're up so early? I only made breakfast for the Eldest Young Master. Wait a moment, I'll make yours now."

"Morning, Aunt Zhang. Thank you, Aunt Zhang." After greeting her, Ning Luo indeed spotted Ning Yang, dressed in a suit, in the dining room.

At the same time, the other man saw him too. "Heh."

Ning Luo: "..."

[I told you, this guy has phlegm stuck in his throat. It still hasn't cleared up after an entire night.]

He smiled. "Morning, Big Brother."

Good morning, benefactor. Will you shower me with money and resources today?

Ning Yang looked at the person in front of him, who had just woken up. Those round almond-shaped eyes were still hazy with sleep, and he openly yawned, a watery sheen misting his eyes.

He had not styled his hair today. A lock of hair stuck up from the top of his head, while his slightly long bangs hung in front of his eyes before he brushed them aside, revealing his exquisite brows and eyes.

This was the kind of person who wore two faces—kind and smiling on the surface, while constantly mocking others in his heart.

Ning Yang turned his head away, too lazy to look at him.

Ning Luo did not understand where this childish behavior had come from.

Soon, Aunt Zhang finished preparing his breakfast. He thanked her and began eating.

But with a living person sitting silently across from him, the atmosphere was unusually quiet—so quiet that Ning Luo could not sit still. He could only let this shy, reserved introverted boy find a topic of conversation. "Big Brother, do you still have to work on weekends?"

"No." Ning Yang seemed to find the atmosphere awkward too. After giving him two words, he threw in three more. "Going on a blind date."

"A blind date?" Ning Luo's eyes lit up at the keyword. He asked with great curiosity... no, concern. "Which number is this? A man or a woman? Is she pretty? Do I know her?"

[And, and, is there anyone you can introduce to me? Ah, will my bland and boring life finally stir up some waves?]

[Call him Big Brother one more time today, and tomorrow I'll be hugging male models' thighs!]

Ning Yang looked at him in silence.

Ning Luo touched his nose and restrained himself. "Ahem, I was just concerned."

[Fine, don't tell me. Don't talk to Big Brother in the future either. Big Brother is already together with loneliness. (Lights cigarette)]

"The Chen Family's second daughter, who just returned to the country." Ning Yang did not want to say more.

"Oh, oh, the Chen Family's second daughter who just returned to the—" Ning Luo's nod froze halfway through. His voice abruptly rose. "Second daughter? Chen Chuan'ang's sister?"

"You know her?"

"Did Ning Xibai introduce you two?"

Their voices overlapped.

Ning Yang was somewhat surprised. He nodded. "How did you know?"

Ning Luo sucked in a sharp breath.

[Damn it, why is it this blind date? Do you know those two deliberately set this up so they could run a pig-butchering scam on you?]

[Big Brother, go ahead. I already feel sorry for you. Aren't you just a sow being led to slaughter, waiting to be cut?]

Ning Yang's first reaction was: Why had Ning Luo called him a pig twice in one breath?

His second reaction was that his face instantly darkened.