The Lu and Lin families were longtime friends. Lu Muchi had been ten at the time, and he had always known Lin Fengzhi was adopted.
If Lin Fengzhi regained his memories and discovered that he had slept with his biological older brother...
One finger at a time, Lu Muchi slowly loosened his left hand from Yan Heqing's arm.
After a moment, he snatched Yan Heqing's phone and pocketed it. "I'll think about it. Contact me if you want your phone back."
Lu Muchi closed the car door, walked around to the driver's seat, started the car, and drove off.
In the small hours of the morning, the residential complex was utterly quiet. Yan Heqing's back ached faintly where it had hit the balcony.
Yet he seemed not to feel the pain as he considered his next move.
The same weapon would stop working if used too often. He still had to find a more powerful one.
Someone surfaced in Yan Heqing's mind.
Someone who rarely appeared but whose presence ran throughout the novel.
The uncle Lu Muchi feared most, the man Lin Fengzhi had first fallen in love with and idolized.
Lu Lin.
Chapter 4: 004
Lu Lin, the current head of the Lu Group.
In the original novel, Lu Lin mostly appeared through other people's accounts, particularly from Lin Fengzhi's perspective.
Lin Fengzhi had five diaries, every one filled with his deep love for Lu Lin.
The time Lu Muchi had nearly strangled Yan Heqing to death had been because he saw those five diaries.
Lu Lin had few interests or hobbies. He neither smoked nor gambled, and only occasionally went out for a drink with friends.
His only regular leisure activity was fishing. He went fishing for a full day every Tuesday.
He wasn't lustful, either.
At a wedding banquet, Lin Fengzhi had cast aside his shame, found an opportunity to sneak into his room, stripped naked, and slipped into his bed.
When Lu Lin returned to his room and lifted the covers to find Lin Fengzhi, he hadn't so much as twitched an eyebrow. He lowered the covers, turned, and left the room.
That night, Lin Fengzhi had cried until morning.
Lu Lin.
Yan Heqing repeated the name twice in his mind.
The wind grew colder. Yan Heqing didn't return to the Yan home. He walked slowly down the road without looking back.
As dawn approached, the breakfast shops along the street began opening one after another. Feeling a little hungry, Yan Heqing found a self-service bank and withdrew two hundred yuan.
He had brought his bank card in advance.
After withdrawing the money, he walked into a beef noodle shop at random.
His gaze swept over the prices on the menu. After a moment of silence, Yan Heqing still ordered just a small bowl of beef noodles, with no extra egg or meat.
He didn't have much money. For now, he had to spend sparingly.
Soon, a steaming bowl of beef noodles arrived. Bright green chopped scallions and a few thin slices of beef floated on the soup, the golden noodles distinct strand by strand.
Yan Heqing took two chopsticks and had just stirred the noodles when a plate suddenly appeared before him.
On the plate were a golden fried egg, sliced braised tofu, and two halves of a braised egg.
Yan Heqing looked up in surprise. It was the owner's daughter, her face flushed. "On the house!"
Not daring to meet Yan Heqing's eyes, the girl shyly ran off.
It was the first time she had seen such a beautiful boy, and also the first time she had seen one so thin. It seemed a stronger gust of wind could blow him away.
Yan Heqing froze for a moment. Then he tightened his grip on his chopsticks and silently finished every last bit of the noodle soup and the plate of extras that, to him, were something of a luxury.
His icy fingers gradually warmed.
When he paid, his lips curved into a faint smile, and he told the girl, "Thank you."
When he wasn't smiling, his striking features had an intensely aggressive edge. But when he smiled, he was like a slowly melting snowflake, gentle and warm.
Those two extremes blended perfectly in him.
The girl pressed her lips together in a bashful smile. "Come back anytime!"
"I will," Yan Heqing said.
Yan Heqing left the shop. It was seven, and the streets were growing busier. With winter approaching, everyone wore thick clothes and hurried along, rushing to work or school.
With a bowl of hot noodle soup in his stomach, Yan Heqing felt much warmer now, but the wind still stung his face.
Late autumn was nearly over. Winter was coming.
There was a subway station a short distance ahead, and Yan Heqing went inside.
It was his first time taking the subway. He stopped at the entrance to watch what others did, then went to a ticket machine and bought a one-way ticket back to school.
The subway was a little warmer than outside the station. Yan Heqing held a hanging strap and stood closest to the door.
Different advertisements flashed past the windows as he thought about what he needed to do next.
First, he needed to transfer his household registration out and place it under the university's collective household registration. Then he would submit an application to change majors.
He had chosen software engineering on his college application so he could start earning money sooner. Now he wanted to switch back to the major he had truly dreamed of-biology.
As he planned in his head, a voice suddenly came from beside him. "Excuse me..."
Yan Heqing turned. A very tall, thin young man stood beside him.
Yan Heqing said nothing, expressing his puzzlement with his eyes.
Looking at Yan Heqing, the young man thought his face was even more exquisite and beautiful from the front than in profile. He worked up his courage. "Could I add you on WeChat?"
The young man's eyes were full of anticipation.
Yan Heqing declined. "I don't have WeChat."
It was the truth. His phone was the cheapest kind made for seniors and couldn't download WeChat.
"This even counts as a phone?" Eating breakfast at a five-star hotel, Lu Muchi sipped his coffee and browsed through Yan Heqing's phone.
There were only four contacts.
Zhao Huilin, Yan Shengbing, Director Yang, Teacher Li.
There were no text messages, either.
Lu Muchi tried to dig up some traces through the browser, but it wouldn't connect to the internet.
In the age of 5G, Yan Heqing's SIM card was still on 3G. It couldn't even open a webpage.
Bored, Lu Muchi tossed the phone aside. With little appetite, he poked his soft-cooked egg with his fork, sending golden yolk flowing across the plate.
Another difference occurred to him.
Lin Fengzhi's clothes were all custom-made in Italy, hand-sewn by master tailors.
Yan Heqing's...
Street-stall goods.
His fork moved on to stab at a sausage. Soon, he had poked everything on his plate into a pitiful mess.
"Don't waste food."
The sound of a chair being pulled out followed. Lu Muchi immediately set down his fork and obediently stood. "Yes, Uncle."