The door was wide open. Yan Heqing slowly stood up. He was in great pain and dragged his feet to the door, where he silently closed it.
After standing in the dark for a while, he turned to look at the bathroom, wanting to wash his feet, but he was afraid that the sound of water would attract the attention of Yan Shengbing and Zhao Huilin. After hesitating for a long time, he slowly returned to the balcony.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his feet off the bed, and pulled a small flashlight and a book from under his pillow. Ignoring his cramping stomach, he began to do his homework.
The flashlight beam illuminated his left ear.
Unlike now, there were several thick cuts on my earlobe, which had just scabbed over and were now oozing new blood.
Lu Lin was heartbroken beyond words. He bent down to get a better look, but the flashlight beam flashed past his eyes, and the scene changed to the living room.
"You won't agree, is that it?" Zhao Huilin looked left and right, took a fruit knife from the coffee table, held it to her wrist, and cried out, "I raised you with my own hands, and this is how you repay me, Yan Heqing? Fine, out of sight, out of mind, I'll die right now!"
Yan Heqing kept his head down and remained silent. Zhao Huilin's eyes darted around, and instead of cutting the knife, she cried even louder, "You don't care about me, but you care about your own brother, don't you? Haven't you always wanted to find him?"
Yan Heqing's Yan Heqing visibly trembled; Zhao Huilin knew he had struck a nerve.
She gripped the knife firmly, immediately stopping her sobs, and pleaded earnestly, " Heqing, you know who Young Master Lu is. Do you think your mother cares about that little bit of money? I'm thinking of you. Young Master Lu values you so much. If you go along with him, it'll be a piece of cake for him to help find your brother. On the other hand—" she drawled, "If you offend him, it'll be just as easy for him to make your brother disappear without a word."
The living room fell silent instantly.
Yan Shengbing was about to speak when Zhao Huilin's gaze silenced him. The couple stared intently at Yan Heqing in silence.
As time passed, Zhao Huilin couldn't help but start shouting again, "I don't want to live anymore! I want to die, and nobody can stop me..."
Yan Shengbing pretended to stop her, "Wife, don't be impulsive!" He turned back and urged urgently, "Son, my good son, you must persuade your mother. She loves you so much and listens to you the most!"
The room was in complete chaos as Yan Heqing finally closed his eyes slowly.
Then Lu Lin heard his numb voice, "I'll go sign the contract tomorrow."
"I will sign a contract with Lu Muchi."
Chapter 148 Sunrise 2
Fearing that Yan Heqing might change his mind, Yan and Zhao stayed up all night in the living room to prevent him from running away in the middle of the night.
Yan Heqing remained quietly on the balcony.
I drew the blue curtain, briefly isolating myself in a small space where I could breathe freely.
The balcony countertop was neatly arranged with books, but he wasn't reading; he was quietly staring at the clear alcohol bottle in his hand.
Inside the bottle is a white gladiolus that is about to bloom.
The narrow space already carried a faint floral fragrance.
Lu Lin's pupils turned a deathly black, experiencing for the first time in his life a suffocating feeling of helplessness.
Time ticked by, and at midnight, Yan Heqing leaned closer to the blooming gladiolus, gently inhaling its comforting scent, and whispered—
Happy coming-of-age ceremony, Yan Heqing.
Lu Lin then realized that it was November 8th, Yan Heqing's 18th birthday.
Outside the coffee shop, a torrential downpour was in full swing.
The man in the suit smiled and pushed the contract towards you. "It's very simple, just sign your name. The terms are all in your favor."
Yan Heqing didn't answer. He stared at the black characters on the white paper—many, many characters, all of which eventually merged into the same character.
live.
To live.
You must do everything in your power to survive.
Yan Heqing picked up the pen and slowly wrote his name at the starting point.
So slow, yet the handwriting is so ugly, crooked and twisted, like the jagged rain streaks on a French window.
After he signed the document, the man breathed a sigh of relief, took back the contract, and left to report.
Lu Lin stood beside Yan Heqing, his head bowed as he gazed intently at Yan's gaunt face.
Pale and thin, with lifeless light-colored pupils, Yan Heqing didn't touch the coffee in front of him, nor the plate of sweet sugar cubes. His withered fingers rested on his knees, then suddenly gripped them tightly, instantly revealing bulging blue veins.
The next second, thunder and lightning struck, and the lights in the cafe went out instantly. Lu Lin reached out to hold Yan Heqing's hand, but naturally missed.
But a dampness fell onto the back of his hand, and he could smell a faint scent of rust.
His brow twitched slightly, and his vision gradually cleared.
It was a dimly lit room with the windows tightly sealed. Yan Heqing was leaning against the wall next to him, blood flowing down his outline and dripping onto the back of Lu Lin's hand.
There was No. 1 Primary School pool of blood on the floor.
Yan Heqing remained motionless, silently gazing ahead as blood flowed freely.
Lu Lin's heart clenched. He clenched his fists and looked over with dark eyes.
As the footsteps drew closer, Lu Lin guessed who it was.
The door opened, and the person who entered pressed the light switch on the outer wall, instantly illuminating the dark room. The sudden, clear light unsurprisingly revealed Lu Muchi's face.
The room reeked of blood. Lu Muchi covered his nose and saw that Yan Heqing was still bleeding. He clicked his tongue and said, "Want to die? Get this straight, you're a toy I bought for three million. Only I can decide your life or death."
Yan Heqing still didn't react. Lu Muchi angry. He pulled away, strode into the room, grabbed Yan Heqing by the collar, lifted him up, and slammed him against the wall. "How dare you ignore me! Who do you think you are!"
Yan Heqing still didn't react. Blood kept flowing onto Lu Muchi's skin. In the end, disgust prevailed. He quickly threw Yan Heqing to the ground, took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands vigorously. The words of reprimand were on the tip of his tongue, but he suddenly changed his mind.
He thought of a very interesting game. " Yan Heqing," he looked down at Yan Heqing, a playful smile on his lips, "Want to meet your younger brother?"
He emphasized the word "intimate," and sure enough, Yan Heqing reacted immediately. He looked up at Lu Muchi as if facing a formidable enemy, and finally spoke, "What are you going to do?"
It was a hoarse sound forced out of his throat.
Lu Muchi scoffed, "Don't be nervous, I wouldn't dare touch him even a little bit."