When Father Lu, Ms. Li, and Lu Qi's plane arrived in Mountain City, night had already fallen.
They knew it was too late to disturb the child, but they still could not help wanting to get a little closer to him as soon as possible.
By the time the three of them stood beneath the rundown apartment building, it was already late at night. Lu Yao had long since turned off the lights, lain down, and fallen asleep.
Father Lu and Ms. Li stood downstairs with solemn expressions, staring up at the place where Lu Yao lived. No one could say what they were thinking at that moment.
After a while, Father Lu finally said, "Let's go. Get some proper rest tonight. We'll come back tomorrow."
They called it getting proper rest, but all three of them knew this night was destined to be sleepless.
Father Lu casually found a budget hotel nearby that was still open, intending to make do for the night.
Lu Qi had always been extremely picky about hotel accommodations whenever he traveled, but today, he had no objection at all to Father Lu's arrangement.
Meanwhile, Lu Yao had barely fallen asleep when he found himself pulled back into that strange dream. Recently, he had dreamed this same dream every night.
Lu Yao's transparent figure floated in midair as he silently watched the dream from a god's-eye view.
In the dream, he stood on a rooftop, laughing like a madman.
At that moment, a strikingly beautiful girl suddenly came up to the rooftop. The crazed version of him abruptly quieted when he saw her, only gazing at her eagerly.
The girl coldly shook off the hand he tried to reach toward her. After saying something to him, she left in her high heels.
Not long after the girl left, he suddenly climbed onto the low wall at the edge of the rooftop. His expression was calm, and a relieved smile appeared on his face before he leaped down.
Lu Yao had lost track of how many times he had seen this scene, but even so, his brows still furrowed when he saw it again, his disapproval obvious.
After so many dreams, Lu Yao had learned that the world he was currently in was the world of a brainless Mary Sue novel called The School Bully Boyfriend Loves Me to the Point of Terminal Illness.
In the novel, Lu Yao was cannon fodder, while the male lead was Lu Qi, his half-brother from the same father and the school bully.
As a disposable cannon-fodder character, Lu Yao actually tried to compete with the male lead for the Mary Sue heroine. His ending was doomed to be miserable.
Although the cannon-fodder Lu Yao in the novel was the young master of the Lu family, he had been left to drift outside since childhood.
He had been abducted by a nanny when he was young. At the time, the nanny was fleeing from the police, so she tried to strangle him to death before throwing him into some bushes.
Fortunately, he had a strong will to live and somehow survived. His foster father, who had been working in Sea City at the time, passed by the bushes and heard his cries. Remembering a fortune teller's claim that a son would bring him wealth, but knowing his wife was not pregnant, he decided to take the child home first and abandon him once his wife became pregnant.
Later, after his foster father racked up a mountain of gambling debts in Sea City, he fled back to his hometown, Mountain City, to escape them.
After the Lu Yao in the book was brought back to the Lu family by his biological parents, he felt that a country bumpkin like him did not belong among the noble Lu family, leaving him deeply insecure.
In the novel, he transferred to the aristocratic high school Lu Qi attended.
Faced with an environment completely unlike the one he had known before, he was constantly anxious. Then the heroine reached out a hand to him, allowing him to feel kindness for the first time at that school. Naturally, he fell for her.
To please the Mary Sue heroine, the supporting male character did many things. He thought they were in love with each other, but when he planned to confess, he discovered that the heroine liked his school-bully brother, Lu Qi, and that the two were already together.
Inferiority and jealousy drove the Lu Yao in the book insane over the heroine. He began targeting the school bully again and again, trying to replace him, but every attempt backfired. Instead, he disgusted everyone and became hated by all.
In the end, after the school-bully male lead inherited the Lu family's vast fortune, he drove Lu Yao, the cannon-fodder supporting male character, out of the Lu family. At some point, the supporting male character also went mad and ultimately jumped from a building to his death.
After the cannon-fodder supporting male character leaped down, Lu Yao knew this dream was probably nearing its end again.
He turned to the glowing blue orb that followed behind him every time he dreamed and asked, "What exactly do you want?"
Lu Yao knew the orb could understand him. There was a good chance it was responsible for him repeatedly having this dream lately.
The orb's blue light flickered, but it gave no response.
Morning sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and into the room.
When Lu Yao opened his eyes again and saw the familiar ceiling, he knew the orb had expelled him from the dream.
He lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Even though he was awake, everything from the dream still seemed vividly clear.
In Lu Yao's opinion, the person with the most brains in this fictional world was probably that Mary Sue heroine.
Thinking of how the him in the dream had been played like a fool by that heroine, then stupidly jumped to his death for that woman, Lu Yao gritted his back teeth and muttered a curse at the version of himself in the book.
And that idiotic school-bully male lead. Despite being the heir the Lu family had raised for so many years, he had also been led around by the nose by that venomous beauty. He was nothing but an idiot.
There was no need for the male lead to look down on him for bringing shame to the prestigious Lu family with his country-bumpkin existence. Whoever wanted such a fucking idiot for a brother could pick him up themselves.
In any case, he had no intention of returning to the Lu family.
Wasn't living well enough? Why did he have to return to the Lu family, acknowledge his ancestors, and end up with such a stupid fate?
Lu Yao reached for the phone beside his bed and checked the time. It was already seven thirty, so he got up.
Milk was the name Lu Yao had given the kitten he had picked up yesterday.
The little kitten, Milk, had slept in the same room as Lu Yao last night. Seeing him get out of bed, he emerged from his cat bed and circled Lu Yao like a clingy little tail.
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Lu Yao had been slightly irritated when he woke up, but the kitten's adorable behavior softened his expression. With one long-armed scoop, he lifted him from the floor into his arms, unable to resist stroking his fluffy fur with one hand.
Just as Lu Yao finished mixing formula for the kitten, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Father Lu, Ms. Li, and Lu Qi stood outside the door.
After ringing the bell, all three wore expressions of poorly concealed nervousness.
If Father Lu's or Ms. Li's subordinates saw their faces right now, their jaws would probably drop. These two actually got nervous in their lifetimes?!
When no one came to answer the door after the bell rang, Ms. Li raised her wrist to check the time. It was only a little past eight.
She looked at Father Lu and asked worriedly, "Did we come too early? Yangyang might not be awake yet. What if we disturb his sleep?"
Lu Qi, who had barely slept all night from excitement, nodded. "It is a little early. I'm usually still asleep at this hour on weekends too."
Father Lu said, "Let's wait outside for a while." They were separated from Lu Yao by only one door now. It was impossible for them to leave.
Usually, everyone else waited for Father Lu and Ms. Li, these two powerful figures. Today, however, they were getting a rare taste of what waiting felt like.
Hearing the doorbell, Lu Yao started toward the door. The kitten drinking milk on the floor followed after him again clingily, so Lu Yao could only indulgently pick him up.
Other than debt collectors occasionally coming to his door, the only visitor Lu Yao had was Grandpa Bai next door, who sometimes brought him things. At this hour, those night-owl debt collectors were probably sleeping like pigs anyway. Besides, he had nearly paid off the debts his foster parents had left behind, so there was even less reason for them to come demanding payment.
So he assumed the person outside was Grandpa Bai from next door and opened the door without a second thought.
Lu Qi had been standing outside and felt that his feet were a little sore, so he leaned against the door and squatted down.
Who would have thought that not long after he squatted down, Lu Yao would suddenly open the door from inside?
Lu Qi was caught completely off guard. The moment the door opened, he tipped backward and fell flat on his back, meeting Lu Yao's eyes head-on.
At that moment, Lu Qi's face was the very picture of embarrassment.
Lu Qi had never imagined that when he met Lu Yao for the first time, he would make such an unforgettable entrance.
Ever since learning Lu Yao's whereabouts, he had rehearsed countless ways to make his entrance, all so Lu Yao could see how mature and dependable his older brother was and come to admire him. Yet all his preparations seemed to have gone to waste?!
Though he was dying of embarrassment inside and wanted to pound the floor, Lu Qi had been the Lu family heir for so many years. On the surface, he remained perfectly composed. He patted his pants and rose leisurely to his feet as if nothing had happened.
Watching him put on that act, Lu Yao lowered his gaze and silently sneered. Sure enough, he was an idiot.
If he was that much of a fool, then it was understandable that the Mary Sue heroine had him wrapped around her finger.
In this brainless Mary Sue novel, the author mainly wrote from the heroine's perspective, focusing on her irresistible charm and the love the male lead and all the other suitors had for her. The male lead's parents only served as background characters. Therefore, Father Lu and Ms. Li rarely appeared in Lu Yao's dreams.
Although he had already seen Father Lu, Ms. Li, and Lu Qi in his dreams, this was Lu Yao's first real encounter with them in reality.
When Lu Yao opened the door and saw them outside, perhaps because the same blood ran through their veins, he inexplicably felt nervous around Father Lu and Ms. Li.
Fortunately, Lu Qi's little mishap had eased his sudden tension.
Over the years, Ms. Li had accumulated countless things she wanted to say.
She stared without blinking at Lu Yao, who stood before her holding the kitten. She had so many questions she wanted to ask. Was he happy all these years? Why was there a bandage on his face? How had he been hurt?
She parted her lips slightly, only to realize that her throat was trembling so badly from nervousness that she could not make a sound. Tears even began falling one drop after another.
Ms. Li hurriedly wiped her tears away and turned slightly to the side, unwilling to let Lu Yao see her in such a disheveled state.
Seeing Ms. Li cry, Lu Yao's chest seemed to tighten as well. He pressed his lips together and hugged the kitten closer.
"Thump, thump, thump."
At that moment, a middle-aged woman came down from upstairs.
She looked at Father Lu and the others suspiciously. Lu Yao, that unwanted orphan, actually had people coming to see him? Who were these three people? Judging from how they dressed, they looked rich and were clearly not people Lu Yao should have been able to know.
At the critical moment, Father Lu still took control of the situation.
Looking at Lu Yao's phoenix eyes, which were identical to his own, he asked, "Would it be convenient to talk inside?"
Compared to Ms. Li, he seemed exceptionally calm and collected, if one ignored the hand trembling slightly behind his back.
Lu Yao stepped aside to let them in, then closed the door, shutting out the middle-aged woman's prying gaze.
Father Lu and the others did not know that Lu Yao had already learned about his background through his dreams, so Father Lu clearly explained the entire story to him.
Worried that Lu Yao would not believe him, he also took out a paternity test report between himself and Lu Yao. He had secretly ordered someone to collect Lu Yao's DNA and have it tested earlier.
Ms. Li had already calmed her emotions. Her eyes rested gently on the boy's cold yet exquisite features, as though she wanted to engrave every detail of him into her mind.
After flipping through the paternity test report, Lu Yao set it on the table across from Father Lu and said evenly, "I won't return to the Lu family."
Lu Qi had been secretly looking at the kitten lying shamelessly on Lu Yao's shoulder with jealousy. Damn it, even a cat was closer to Lu Yao than he was. Once Lu Yao came home, he would definitely let this kitten experience the misery of falling out of favor.
Ever since Lu Qi had learned Lu Yao's whereabouts, he had never considered the possibility that Lu Yao might refuse to return to the Lu family.
After all, in his view, Lu Yao's foster parents had treated him badly, and they had died in a car accident. Once Lu Yao knew who his biological parents were, wasn't returning home the natural thing to do?
Therefore, when he heard Lu Yao refuse, he could not help widening his eyes in shock. What had Lu Yao just said? Had he heard wrong?
Unlike Lu Qi, who was still a high school student, Father Lu and Ms. Li were adults. Of course, they had considered this possibility beforehand. But even with that mental preparation, sorrow and disappointment still showed in their eyes upon hearing Lu Yao's refusal.
Lu Qi looked at Lu Yao and asked agitatedly, "Why?"
Lu Yao's expression remained calm. "There's no reason."
Lu Qi said, "You..."
Lu Qi had wanted to keep pressing him, but Ms. Li suddenly held down his hand, signaling for him to stop. Seeing her reaction, Lu Qi could only close his mouth.
Ms. Li's eyes were red, but she clenched her hands tightly and tried to hold back the tears gathering in them. She did not want Lu Yao to feel guilty because of her tears.
She had wanted to ask why too, but she did not dare.
She was afraid the answer she would hear from this child was that he hated them.
For all these years, Ms. Li had kept wondering whether none of this would have happened if she had not gone on that business trip, or if Father Lu had not answered that phone call. While she had blamed Father Lu for Lu Yao's disappearance over the years, she had also constantly condemned and tortured herself.
Because of Lu Yao's unexpected refusal, the living room fell into an awkward silence.
After realizing Lu Yao's resistance toward them, Father Lu said nothing. He merely left behind his and Ms. Li's contact information, then naturally stood and said goodbye to Lu Yao, as though they had only come to greet him.
In Lu Yao's eyes, perhaps this first meeting would also be their last.
Although the three of them felt completely different from how they had seemed in his dreams after meeting them in person, Lu Yao did not think the Lu family would come to his door again after being rejected once.
For some reason, Lu Yao stood alone by the window, his gaze heavy as he watched their retreating figures below.
One who had never felt the blazing summer sun would not find the winter wind piercing.
Since he already knew the tragic ending from the start, why begin at all? He could live well on his own, couldn't he?
After saying goodbye to Lu Yao, Father Lu and the other two fell into a deathly silence. None of them had the heart to speak. They simply walked quietly.
As Father Lu walked, he suddenly turned around and looked up toward the window of Lu Yao's home. To his surprise, he met eyes with Lu Yao, who was standing behind the curtains.
Lu Yao had not expected Father Lu to suddenly turn around. He pulled the curtains shut and turned away from the window.
Seeing that child draw the curtains and hide away, a trace of a smile finally appeared in Father Lu's deep eyes. The tightly furrowed brows he had worn since coming downstairs relaxed slightly at last.
Was that child curious about them too? Did he also want to get closer to them?
If they gave each other a chance to get to know one another, could everything turn out differently?