Lu Lin sat down, and a server arrived with his food.
A steak and vegetable salad, two boiled eggs, a cup of black coffee, and a plate of freshly cut fruit.
Lu Muchi stole a glance at Lu Lin. Since Lu Lin had not told him to sit, he remained standing. "Uncle, what brings you to the hotel so early?"
Lu Muchi probed for information. It had been so late last night that he had gone straight to a hotel owned by the Lu Group to rest. He had never expected Lu Lin to be there too!
Lu Muchi feared Lu Lin more than anyone. They were seven years apart and rarely saw each other, but every encounter was like a mouse meeting a tiger.
Yet the person he admired most was also Lu Lin.
Lu Lin had taken charge of the Lu Group while Lu Muchi was still in secondary school. In just a few years, he had expanded it into an industry leader.
Lu Lin's gaze swept lightly over the basic phone on the table. He ate unhurriedly, his speech as measured as ever. "Eat."
Only then did Lu Muchi sit down. He picked up his knife and fork and swiftly finished the mess on his plate.
They were the only people in the vast restaurant. There was not a sound.
Fifteen minutes later, Lu Lin finished eating, rose, and left.
Lu Muchi's plate was clean too. No sooner had Lu Lin left the restaurant than he bolted.
Caught off guard by Yan Heqing's terms, Lu Muchi took no action for the time being, waiting for Yan Heqing to come asking for his phone.
Half a month passed as he waited, without a single sound from the phone.
Over those two weeks, Yan Heqing transferred his household registration and applied to change majors.
Changing majors was not difficult for him. If he placed in the top five on the final exams, he could transfer directly to the new department at the start of the next semester.
Yan Heqing also rented a shabby old place of a little over ten square meters. But it was close to campus and had its own kitchen and bathroom. Within the Third Ring Road, where every inch of land was worth a fortune, even this cost 1,500 a month.
For Yan Heqing, this was an enormous sum, but also a necessary expense.
After signing a one-year contract with the landlord, he spent three days cleaning, repairing the broken water heater, wiring, and power strips, and unclogging the drain. Then he furnished it simply and planned to move in that very night.
He returned to the Yan home to pack his things. There was not much: a few clothes, his books, and that black umbrella.
Zhao Huilin had once been desperate for Yan Heqing to move out.
With Yan Heqing living at home, the water and electricity bills were an expense every month!
Although Yan Heqing gave the family 300 a month for living expenses, how could that possibly be enough?
Still, it was better for him to give the money to her than to the school. So she had applied for Yan Heqing to be a day student, citing family hardship and an inability to board.
Things were different now. She had not gotten her hands on that 4.9 million yet!
When Lu Muchi had visited last time, Zhao Huilin had been frightened and resolved never to deal with someone like him again. But some time had passed, and with Yan Shengbing constantly bringing it up, the idea had taken hold of her again.
It was 4.9 million...
Once the money was paid, she would send Yan Heqing off with gongs and drums!
She stopped Yan Heqing from packing. "Qingqing, your dad and I raised you for thirteen years. Never mind all the care we put into you-just the money we spent was beyond counting. Now that your wings have grown strong, you want to run off with a man. If word gets out, people will condemn you behind your back!"
She thought Yan Heqing was moving into Lu Muchi's home.
"Eleven thousand," Yan Heqing said.
Zhao Huilin did not understand. "What?"
A thin notebook was handed to Zhao Huilin along with a white envelope.
"Every expense of mine is recorded here. 10,954.3. There's 11,000 in the envelope. Keep the extra 45.7."
Yan Heqing slipped the umbrella into his bag, picked it up, and left.
Zhao Huilin was dumbfounded. It took her a good while to react. She tucked the envelope away and hurried after him.
She caught up with Yan Heqing at the entrance to the apartment building, grabbed him, and began making a scene. "You think this little bit of money can buy you out? Don't even dream of it! I raised you all these years. You have to look after your little brother and support me and your dad in our old age!"
Her voice was so loud that people had already opened their doors to watch. Zhao Huilin deliberately raised it further. "Everyone, come and look! A real, live white-eyed wolf!"
Yan Heqing said nothing. Once more people had gathered to watch, he set down his bag, took Zhao Huilin by the wrist, and calmly pried her hand away.
Then he took off his jacket.
Wearing only a tank top, he exposed a conspicuous red scar the size of a bowl's rim on his left shoulder.
Before Zhao Huilin could react, Yan Heqing spoke evenly. "This one was from when I was seven. Dad lost his job, got drunk, and went on a drunken rampage. He smashed a pot of hot pot onto my back."
He pulled up his trouser leg next. On his left calf was a long scar, faded almost to the color of his skin, but ugly and winding in shape.
"This was when Yan Feng fell off the bed at five. You blamed me for not watching him properly and whipped me with a spatula."
Finally, Yan Heqing turned to show the left side of his face. Several thin, small gashes marked his outer ear. They had healed, but their dark color stood in stark contrast to his normal skin.
"These," Yan Heqing recounted calmly, "were cuts Yan Feng made with a knife."
The onlookers were all shocked.
They were all neighbors, and the apartments had poor soundproofing. Everyone knew something of how Yan Shengbing beat Yan Heqing when he was drunk.
They also knew that Zhao Huilin mistreated her adopted son and often refused to feed Yan Heqing.
Some neighbors could not bear to watch and occasionally bought Yan Heqing food in private.
Clothes hardly bore mentioning. Even in the depths of winter, Yan Heqing often wore only a thin long-sleeved shirt.
But they had still never imagined Yan Heqing had been abused so badly. Cutting his ear! Who would dare let their child play with Yan Feng after this?
Zhao Huilin had never imagined that Yan Heqing would expose all this in public.
In the past, Yan Heqing had always let them beat and berate him without even daring to cry.
Now she panicked completely. Pointing at Yan Heqing, she unleashed a torrent of abuse. "Don't believe him! This white-eyed wolf is craving a man and can't wait to dump our family, his burden! You don't know yet, do you? A man paid to keep him!"
"Yes," Yan Heqing said quietly. "My mom took 100,000 to sell me."
"I refused and decided to cut ties with them."
"Now I ask everyone here to bear witness. I've repaid the full 10,954.3 the Yan family spent on me. From now on, if they want to sell someone, whoever they sell them to, it has nothing to do with me."
Gasps rose from the crowd. Just ten thousand over thirteen years! Even raising a dog would not be that cheap!
And selling their son to a man for 100,000-Zhao Huilin and her family were worse than animals!