Right there on this sofa, the boy lay dying, and for the first time, he had the thought that death would be better.
Mom, Dad, Brother, I'm sorry...
Living is so tiring.
His light brown pupils were unfocused. He said softly, "Aren't you afraid I'll die from torturing me like this?"
Lu Muchi revealed a cruel smile, looking down at him.
"You can't bear to die, you love me."
Stepping away from the original scene, Yan Heqing calmly met those bloodthirsty eyes, "You won't."
His nonchalant attitude completely enraged Lu Muchi. His head was throbbing with anger, and he couldn't even tell whether he cared more about Xu Qiaoyin being let go by Yan Heqing or about Yan Heqing's disdain for him.
He said, word by word, " Yan Heqing, don't take advantage of my feelings for you to test my limits!"
"Do you like me?" Yan Heqing revealed a mocking smile. "Like me by spending money to humiliate me, by using violence."
"You—" Lu Muchi wished he could immediately shut Yan Heqing's mouth; every word he uttered left him speechless.
"To you, I'm no different from that cat." Yan Heqing's words were like daggers to the heart. "When you're happy, you buy you expensive canned food to cheer you up; when you're unhappy, you leave you on the side of the road."
"Shut up!" Lu Muchi angrily, grabbing Yan Heqing's collar. "If you talk back again, believe me, I'll lock you up!"
"I believe you." Yan Heqing even nodded. "I just helped the last one you locked up escape."
Hit where it hurt, Lu Muchi nearly crushed his hand bones. "Stop talking! I told you to stop talking!"
Yan Heqing didn't stop. He calmly exposed him, "You hate your grandfather, you hate him for making you lose your mother and your freedom. But you're no different from him; you're just like him."
"I'm not!" Lu Muchi retorted urgently.
But in his mind, he was the one who had been locked up by Lu Changcheng.
Not long ago, it was only after Yan Heqing persuaded him that he regained his freedom, a limited freedom.
Yan Heqing suddenly reached out and grabbed Lu Muchi's arm, then flung it away forcefully, like throwing away a bag of garbage.
The extra ten kilograms or so they gained came in handy at this moment.
Not powerful enough, but no longer a lamb to the slaughter.
" Lu Muchi, you don't love anyone, you only love yourself." Yan Heqing said without looking at him. "Don't try to find Teacher Xu. You know better than anyone that if you make a scene, your grandfather won't let her off the hook."
Lu Muchi there, stunned.
He heard Yan Heqing leave, heard the door close, but he still didn't move.
--
Outside, the housekeeper finally managed to get Lu Lin's number, and the villa door opened.
Everyone looked at Yan Heqing Yan Heqing in astonishment, who was completely unharmed.
The butler froze, holding his phone, speechless as he watched Yan Heqing get into the car and drive away.
It wasn't until long after the car had driven away that the butler came to his senses. He looked down and deleted the number he hadn't yet dialed.
Meanwhile, the assistant was reporting to Lu Lin.
"The person who inquired about the number is the young master's personal butler."
Lu Lin flipped through the documents. "What is it?"
"He didn't say," the assistant reported truthfully, "He only seemed to be in a hurry."
Lu Lin didn't speak again, indicating that the assistant could leave. The assistant turned around, then remembered something and turned back, " President Lu, we received news from Beijing University's biology department that the life sciences department will be going on a week-long field internship in Mount Huai next week, and they need to allocate some funds from the scholarship."
Such minor matters would never have been reported to the assistant in the past, as the group had a dedicated person in charge. However, this year is different; Yan Heqing is at Beijing University's School of Life Sciences, so the assistant is paying special attention.
The assistant glanced out of the corner of her eye at the succulent that was blooming exceptionally well, completely out of place in the office.
He guessed it was a gift from Yan Heqing.
Lu Lin turned the page. "Specific time."
Tomorrow afternoon.
*
After getting off the highway, Yan Heqing didn't go home first, but went to the welfare home.
He was leaving for a field trip tomorrow afternoon, so he went to deliver a message to Auntie Zhang first.
When they arrived at the orphanage, night had just fallen, and the orphanage's neon lights were flashing. Yan Heqing got out of the car, and as his feet touched the ground, he finally felt a sense of reality.
Have you ever been timid?
Perhaps, in that instant when facing Lu Muchi.
Once the bait is in the water and the rod is lifted, you'll know exactly what kind of prey you've caught.
In the end, he won.
The small fish caught the big fish.
From this moment on, it was Lu Muchi's turn to experience hell.
Yan Heqing tilted his head slightly and looked up at the sky.
A spring night.
The stars are about to appear.
It was almost eight o'clock, and the orphanage was still working overtime on construction. The children didn't seem to mind the noise; they were laughing and cheering together for the workers.
If the elevator is installed soon, the kids on the fourth and fifth floors will be able to go downstairs and play and sunbathe with us!
The security guard said Auntie Zhang was in the dormitory building. Yan Heqing came over and was a little surprised to see the elevator.
I hadn't been here for a while, and they'd even installed an elevator at the welfare home!
Auntie Zhang, who was energetically helping to hand out tools, took a break and saw Yan Heqing. Immediately, her face lit up with a smile, she rubbed her hands on her apron and ran over to greet him, " Xiao Yan!"
Yan Heqing has started school and comes less often, which Auntie Zhang finds quite unsettling. "Why are you here at this time?"
Yan Heqing turned his gaze away from the elevator and relayed Xu Qiaoyin's farewell. Xu Qiaoyin made up a plausible reason, "She wants to teach in the west, and after much consideration, she decided to leave today. She told you not to worry about her, and she'll contact you once she's settled."
Auntie Zhang was both relieved and tearful. "So Teacher Xu went to teach in a rural area! It's such a small thing, why did she lose contact with me! I've been worried about her for two months... When she contacts me, I'm going to give her a good scolding!" She laughed heartily as she spoke.
Having delivered the message, Yan Heqing prepared to go home and pack his luggage. Before leaving, he glanced at the elevator again.
Was it sponsored by Lu Lin?
He thought about it and decided to ask Auntie Zhang anyway.
Auntie Zhang nodded, "Yes! It's that big boss from the Lu Group, oh my god, I've never seen a more generous boss, so considerate in every way! Our orphanage has really met a wonderful person this time."