The old man was particularly fond of Yan Heqing. He was such a young fellow, yet he was remarkably patient when fishing and eager to learn, asking him for tips every day.
When Yan Heqing arrived, the old man greeted him with a beaming smile. "You're early today, Xiao Yan."
Yan Heqing set down his fishing bag and smiled. "Not as early as you."
"I can't help it." The old man chuckled. "I don't sleep much. More than half my life has gone by, and now all I think about is the fish in this water. I rushed over before dawn. Look."
He motioned for Yan Heqing to look in his bucket. "Good luck today. Caught one over thirty centimeters long."
Inside the red bucket, a fish swam about, flicking its tail.
Yan Heqing smiled, unfolded his chair, and sat down to bait his hook.
The old man watched him the whole time, then suddenly asked, "Xiao Yan, you've been fishing all this time without catching a single fish. Why not try another spot?"
Sometimes, you had to put it down to something mystical. In the same spot, one person could catch fish while another couldn't catch a thing no matter what. Move somewhere else, and they could catch fish again.
Yan Heqing gazed at the calm water, his long lashes lowering slightly to conceal the light in his eyes. "No need."
"Soon."
By the time the old man caught his second fish, Zhao Huilin and Yan Shengbing had arrived at Beijing University.
It was their first time visiting a university, and the gate guard refused to let them in. "Do you have staff IDs?"
Zhao Huilin gave him an ingratiating smile. "No, we're here to see our son. My son's a student at Beijing University."
Yan Shengbing nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, my son's a student at your university."
The guard nodded. "Then that's easy. Tell him to bring his student ID and come get you."
Zhao Huilin and Yan Shengbing were both dumbfounded. Zhao Huilin forced a smile. "My phone's dead. Let us in, and I'll go find him myself."
The guard gave them several suspicious looks and pushed the landline toward them. "Use this."
At her wits' end, Zhao Huilin exchanged a glance with Yan Shengbing, and they both rushed inside at once.
The guard had been watching out for just that. He reacted swiftly and chased after them. "Stop!" He caught up with them in a few strides, seized them, and marched them out of the university.
"Try that again and I'll call the police!" the guard warned sternly.
The guard was tall and burly, so Yan Shengbing only dared to mutter curses under his breath. Afraid he would cause trouble, Zhao Huilin hurriedly pulled him aside and lowered her voice. "We'll wait here. Yan Heqing will definitely come out when classes end!"
For once, Yan Shengbing had a clever thought. "Don't universities usually have several exits?"
"We'll each watch one." Zhao Huilin gritted her teeth. "We have to get that money!"
At the mention of money, Yan Shengbing perked up immediately. "All right! I'll go find another gate."
But by past eight that evening, there was no one left at the gates of Beijing University, and neither of them had managed to catch Yan Heqing.
Yan Shengbing bought a few steamed buns to fill his stomach and planned to keep waiting. Just then, Yan Feng called.
"Mom, Dad..." Yan Feng's voice trembled. "Come home, quick. Someone's here looking for Yan... my brother."
Yan Shengbing and Zhao Huilin rushed home. Smoke filled the cramped living room. Lu Muchi sat smoking on the sofa, while Yan Feng stood pressed against the wall, not daring to move. Both his trouser legs were soaking wet.
Zhao Huilin's heart ached terribly, but she didn't dare lose her temper. She approached Lu Muchi with a few deferential steps. "Young Master Lu, is something the matter?"
She was apprehensive, afraid Lu Muchi had come to settle accounts with them over Yan Heqing.
Her conscience was far from clear. They really had abused Yan Heqing.
Yan Shengbing, meanwhile, cowered by the doorway without even entering.
Lu Muchi's patience had reached its limit. He pressed his cigarette butt onto the coffee table and ground it out hard. "Where's Yan Heqing?"
Zhao Huilin froze. "Didn't he move in with you?" Then she realized Yan Heqing hadn't gone to Lu Muchi. Her mind began working again, and she immediately changed her tune. "Young Master Lu, Yan Heqing ran away."
The unexpected answer made Lu Muchi's stern face freeze for several seconds. "Ran away?"
"That's right. Yesterday, I even told him to go see you, but he stormed off in a huff. We still can't reach him." Zhao Huilin wiped away tears. "We've only just come back from his university. We waited all day without seeing him."
Avoiding me? Lu Muchi was so furious he laughed.
It seemed Yan Heqing still didn't understand what kind of person he was.
Lu Muchi stood, took out a business card, and tossed it onto the coffee table. "Let me know if you hear anything about him. Understood?"
Zhao Huilin nodded furiously. "Understood, understood. Don't worry, Young Master Lu. We're on your side!"
Lu Muchi left.
Yan Shengbing quickly darted inside, shut and locked the door, and gasped for breath.
Zhao Huilin ran over to check on Yan Feng. "Son, are you all right?"
Yan Feng stared blankly for a long while before coming to his senses and throwing himself into Zhao Huilin's arms, sobbing his heart out. "Mom, I was so scared..."
Zhao Huilin's heart ached terribly. She held him and soothed him. "Don't be scared, don't be scared. Mom's here."
She didn't dare hate Lu Muchi. Someone that wealthy was beyond her ability to provoke, so she directed all her hatred at Yan Heqing instead.
If Yan Heqing had obediently signed the contract that day, they would already have their five million and be living the good life. They wouldn't have had to suffer any of this!
Zhao Huilin abruptly stopped short.
An outrageous thought occurred to her. Could Yan Heqing have deliberately arranged all this to get revenge on them?!
Lu Muchi went downstairs, and the Mercedes parked in the shadows immediately drove over and stopped in front of him.
A young man was also sitting in the back seat. He was a film academy student who had taken a job playing a younger brother who had been adopted by another family.
He had been brought along to meet his "older brother," only to spend three hours waiting in the car without anything happening.
When Lu Muchi finally returned, the young man sensed his foul mood and didn't even dare breathe loudly.
Without a word from Lu Muchi, the driver didn't dare start driving either, leaving the car blocking the road.
The cars behind them kept honking.
Several minutes later, Lu Muchi finally spoke. "Get out."
The driver immediately unfastened his seat belt, but Lu Muchi added, "Not you."
He turned and looked without a trace of warmth at the young man's ashen face. "Get out."
The young man scrambled out of the car.
A storm brewed in Lu Muchi's eyes. He really hadn't been himself lately. He had actually found someone to play Lin Fengzhi.