Lu Xiuwen’s face turned pale immediately.
Why did things still end up like this? In the previous life, he had loved this person gently and cautiously, but this person betrayed him. His sincere love was unable to keep this person…This life, he was unwilling to repeat the same mistake. He kept this person under his control by fair means or foul, but in the end, he was still leaving him.
Could it be that he really did the wrong thing?
Lu Xiuwen knew that his actions were not upright and proper because he chose to take a shortcut. Because of this, he had put tremendous effort into planning the scheme but in the end, the situation still spun out of control like in the previous life.
In this world, the will of a person was perhaps the most difficult thing to control. And it was the most difficult to predict.
Lu Xiuwen clenched his fists tightly and trembled. He was afraid that he might do something overboard out of impulse.
Just like the wish of the devil that creeped into his heart in the dead of the night, wanting to bring Ye Ming back and lock him up so that he could no longer leave his side, unable to escape from his sight…But in the end, he couldn’t bear to see Ye Ming in pain and sadness.
After a long time, Lu Xiuwen let out a long sigh and took a step backward. He gazed deeply at Ye Ming and said in a hoarse voice, “Okay.”
He turned around and left.
Perhaps he was too eager and impatient. If he continued to stay, would it only make Ye Ming feel that he was using tricks to force and deceive him?
Once he was no longer trustworthy, to Ye Ming, nothing he did was trustworthy any longer.
Lu Xiuwen was aware of this. The helplessness and depression in his heart was indescribable. After all, it was him who deceived Ye Ming in the first place. He shouldn’t blame him for what he himself did wrong.
[Ding, Lu Xiuwen’s blackening value- 5, current blackening value 15]
Ye Ming watched as Lu Xiuwen left. He went back into the dorm and shut the door without saying a single word. The moment he lifted his head, he was met with the curious gazes of Hu Lei and the others.
Ye Ming did not say anything but climbed onto his bed. He faced the wall and clutched the pendant on his chest tightly, his cheeks streaming with tears.
In fact, he really was unwilling to chase Lu Xiuwen away. He loved him so much…but if he didn’t let go of Lu Xiuwen, was he really about to treat it like no big deal and continue to return to his side and act like a fool who didn’t know anything?
He couldn’t do it.
Hu Lei saw Ye Ming’s shoulders shaking slightly. He knew that this youngster must be crying again…He wondered what happened between him and Lu Xiuwen. Even though Lu Xiuwen tried to persuade him humbly, Ye Ming still remained unmoved. It was totally unlike Ye Ming’s usual softhearted style. It was rare for him to be acting this tough.
But the more it was like this, the more Hu Lei was afraid that something serious had happened to Ye Ming.
Ye Ming fell asleep in a daze. By the time he woke up, it was already the next day. And because he doesn’t need to attend class, he could sleep as much as he wanted. However, the blissful days of someone bringing food for him was about to end. Ye Ming let out a sigh with grief.
[Ye Ming: If it wasn’t for Wei Weicai reminding me, I almost forgot that I don’t have any money.]
[888: It’s a good thing that he reminded you.]
[Ye Ming:…]
[Ye Ming: Boohoo, Uncle left just like that. I’m really sad. I asked him to scram and he really did scram. He didn’t even try to persuade me and dumped me, who’s alone and penniless, at school.]
[888:…]
[Ye Ming: Uncle doesn’t want me anymore, boohoo.]
[888: It would appear more convincing if you were able to cry like this when he was leaving instead of after waking up from a good sleep. This is just a little suggestion, nothing against you. I hope you don’t overthink it.]
[Ye Ming:…]
Tf Zlcu rifqa jii atf kjs ecali cbbc. Le Ofl ygbeuta tlw iecmt jujlc. Lf jaf atf iecmt ybeuta ys tlr xlcv mijrrwjaf lc rlifcmf. Lf xcfk atja tf mbeivc’a mbcalcef ab ilnf ilxf atlr, batfgklrf, tlr lwjuf ab batfgr kbeiv mbiijqrf.
Coafg fjalcu, Tf Zlcu tfrlajafv obg j ibcu alwf yfobgf jrxlcu Le Ofl, “Ktf qjga alwf pby atja sbe obecv obg wf ijra alwf—jgf atfs ralii tlglcu?”
Hu Lei was stunned. Over summer break, they had indeed worked part time together. But wasn’t that for an internship? After everyone learned about Ye Ming’s identity, he never took on another job. He didn’t expect that Ye Ming would suddenly bring this up.
Furthermore, it was the school term now. They didn’t have as much spare time as they did during summer break. It would be a little too tough to take on a part time job, and it was unnecessary.
Hu Lei hesitated for a while and said, “The private tutor job is still hiring, you can go there anytime. But, what are you asking about that for?”
Ye Ming stared at him and suddenly cracked a faint smile. He said softly in embarrassment, “I’m thinking of doing something. It’s not nice to keep spending your money.”
This was the first time that Ye Ming had smiled in a while. He seemed like he had already recovered a lot. But Hu Lei knew that deep down he still minded, otherwise, why would he want to look for a part time job to earn money out of the blue? The Lu family was not short of this small amount of money. This showed that he was determined to cut ties with Lu Xiuwen!
Previously, how had he never realized that this refined young man could be this tough?
Lu Xiuwen scratched his head and said, “Are you still offended by that bastard Wei Weicai’s words? Are you really worried about this small amount of money? So what if you have eaten a few meals on me? It’s really not going to make me go broke.”
After a short pause, Ye Ming looked into his eyes and said seriously, “I know that you’re my brother and you don’t mind the money for these few meals. But I can’t keep asking you to pay for me…Moreover, I need a job. I can’t keep asking you to help me pay the bills all the time, right?”
Hu Lei saw that Ye Ming was really persistent. He recalled the way he looked when he chased Lu Xiuwen away with determination. He let out a sigh in his heart and finally relented, “Okay.”
He really couldn’t understand why Ye Ming didn’t want to be a young master of a rich family and instead chose to work and earn a living.
Ye Ming’s life was considered to have returned back to normal. He attended school in the morning and worked in the evening. He suddenly became very busy. But because of the previous drama, there were even more people who were paying attention to him. No matter where he went, there were people pointing fingers of blame at him…
Previously, this was what Ye Ming was really concerned about. He was afraid of others passing negative comments about him, so he had an escape mentality and drifted apart from all his friends. Now, it seemed like he had gotten over it. He didn’t care how others talked about him. Even if he came across malice, he just dismissed it with a smile.
Just like a flower in a greenhouse that had experienced tribulation and finally learnt to grow up. And this was indeed the case.
After leaving Lu Xiuwen, he couldn’t continue to live like a fool and be so naive. He needed to learn to live on his own. This process would certainly be very painful and challenging. But he couldn’t turn back, he needed to learn to grow up.
Today, it was already ten o’clock at night when Ye Ming came back to the dorm from a student’s house. He laid on the bed in exhaustion and fell asleep very quickly.
[Ye Ming: Is this worth the trouble? Why am I taking things so hard!!!]
[888: This is the trouble that you’ve sought on your own. You’ll need to finish it even if you need to kneel.]
[Ye Ming: I missed Uncle. If Uncle is here, he won’t bear to see me suffering like this. QAQ Oh yeah, where’s my uncle? I haven’t seen him for so long, could it be that he really doesn’t want me anymore?]
[888: Emmmm.]
[Ye Ming:…He really doesn’t care about me anymore? That’s impossible!]
[888: Nope, he is watching you everyday. You are well aware of the situation, why bother asking? Indifferent jpg.] If it was him, he would certainly ignore this spicy chicken. It was indeed hard to make sense of the mind of a human being.
Ye Ming let out a sigh of relief. How could Lu Xiuwen who was really fond of him really ignore him? It was just that the real crisis hasn’t come yet and Lu Xiuwen felt that he was still angry, so he didn’t dare to show up. Was he thinking of using the laissez-faire policy or did he feel that he couldn’t escape his grasp?
Although Lu Xiuwen got his love in this life and depleted a lot of blackening value, in the end, the matter that gnawed at his mind was still his betrayal and those words he said during his previous life. In order to deplete the blackening value, he still needed to wait for one key person to appear. If he didn’t leave Lu Xiuwen’s side temporarily, not looking for opportunities to expose those scars, he would be unable to get rid of this knot forever.
When Ye Ming thought about this, he let out a sigh. Why hadn’t his assistance shown up yet?
He wanted to return to Uncle’s big house. He didn’t want to go to school or work anymore. Yingyingying. Poverty was his biggest enemy!
A substantial life went by very slowly! A day dragged past like a year. After more than a month, Ye Ming sensed that he had slimmed down a lot. He felt sorry for himself when he looked at himself in the mirror. He didn’t believe that Lu Xiuwen wouldn’t feel sorry for him!
The student that Ye Ming taught was a brat. Not only did he have a poor foundation, he was disobedient and very rude to him. There were countless times that Ye Ming wanted to roll up his sleeves and beat that brat to death, teach him how to behave well and learn the cruelty of society. But in order not to dent his pure and kind white rabbit image, he restrained himself and didn’t lose his temper. He even taught him repeatedly with patience. By the time he left at night, he felt that he was about to have a heart attack.
This was way harder than putting up a show in front of Uncle. At least, there was no need to be this sullen when putting up a show. But this was way too sullen!
Ye Ming rode his bicycle at night back to the dorm, looking sullen. Yes, in order to save money, he didn’t even get a ride and rode on a rented bicycle instead! Did he have it easy???
Ye Ming was riding the bicycle in a rage, but because he was too depressed and sad, he didn’t notice the pit on the road, and the bicycle suddenly flipped over and crashed into the flowerbed by the roadside. His fall left him grimacing in pain.
[Ye Ming: Waah, it’s painful. Did I tear my skin?! Bro, where’s my pain shield?!]
[888: Oh, I went to play a game just now and didn’t notice it. Ever since I lost so many times after bringing you along last time, I swore that I would redeem my reputation in front of my colleagues so that I could wipe out the previous humiliation. So sorry for the carelessness. Please don’t take it as an offense.]
[Ye Ming:…] A curse got f*cking jammed in his throat.
[888: Is there anything else? If nothing, I’ll continue?]
[Ye Ming:…I’m already bleeding. And you don’t even feel sorry for me QAQ]
[888: Go to the hospital quickly! Get to the hospital before the wound heals! If you’re late, it’ll stop bleeding!]
[Ye Ming:…]
Ye Ming sucked in a breath of cold air. His eyes were red and tears of sadness almost flowed down. He felt that 888 was doing it on purpose. Not only did he not feel sorry for him, he even rubbed salt into the wound, hitting him when he was down. When he thought about this…the sadness in his heart flowed like a river. He couldn’t help but lift his head and stare into the dark sky.
Lu Xiuwen was following from a distance behind. He was sitting inside a black car, watching all this.
He was unwilling to make things difficult for Ye Ming or let him be in pain. He didn’t want him to think that he was forcing him. So he left the school that day. But how could he really ignore him? He had arranged for someone to watch Ye Ming these days and whenever he had time, he would come over personally. Even if he was only watching him from afar.
But this process was far more painful than he had imagined…Bit by bit, watching the child that he pampered in his palm slowly growing stronger, Lu Xiuwen did not feel gratified at all. He only felt sorry and helpless. But he couldn’t show up.
Because Ye Ming didn’t want to see him now.
He wanted to take care of Ye Ming forever. He was unwilling to let him experience too much of the cruelty of the world, unwilling to see him growing too strong. He could have relied on him…Before, Ye Ming was indeed like that. He trusted and relied on him unconditionally, attaching himself to him.
He’d messed up everything. He could have used a more gentle approach, but because he was unreconciled to the hatred in his heart, he chose the most despicable approach. Thus, he lost this child’s trust.
In the end, the cruel reality still made him grow up.
Lu Xiuwen clenched his fist tightly and placed it on his knee. He saw Ye Ming come out of the student’s house very late at night, riding the bicycle back to the dorm alone in the middle of the night. Perhaps he was too exhausted, but he fell down after letting his mind wander and sat on the ground for a long time, not getting up. He stared blankly with his eyes reddened as if he was about to burst into tears anytime.
Lu Xiuwen used all his might to refrain from rushing out to hug that person. If he dashed out now, Ye Ming would know that he had been following him and would hate him even more.
Lu Xuiwen shut his eyes in pain. But what was more painful was that he knew that Ye Ming was still wearing the necklace that he gave him.
Your words were so determined, so why are you unwilling to throw away the necklace that I gave you?
It was unlikely that Lu Xiuwen couldn’t figure out such a simple question. Regardless of how things were in the previous life, at least in this life, Ye Ming really loved and believed him. The reason why Ye Ming was angry and in pain was because he had deceived him, and he didn’t believe Ye Ming’s love for him.
In this life, he could have gotten this love. But he had ruined it because of his selfishness and impulsiveness.
The driver, Uncle Li, pitied Lu Xiuwen when he saw him in such a state. He advised in a soft voice, “President Lu, why don’t you bring the young master home? He’s just being childish. He quarreled with you because he was too shocked and had never expected things like this. I think he’s so sad because he cares about you.”
Lu Xiuwen opened his mouth slightly and said, “I know…”
He knew that Ye Ming still cared about him, but he was unable to forget how determined Ye Ming was when he’d chased him out the other day. He’d never experienced something so intractable. He loved that person but was unable to make him come back.
This child…was stubborn beyond his imagination…If he showed up now, he would only push him even further away.
Ye Ming sat on the side of the road for a while but didn’t cry in the end. He stood up and brushed the debris on his shirt and left while walking his bicycle.
Lu Xiuwen followed behind slowly and watched Ye Ming go into the dorm. He sat downstairs for almost the entire night and left when it was close to daybreak.
When Ye Ming got back to the dorm, he laid on the bed in exhaustion. It was the weekend tomorrow, but not only couldn’t he sleep in, he also needed to attend two more jobs. In order to survive, he had to give it his all. This world was too cruel! Under the pressure of desperate poverty, he almost lost his interest in relationships!
Another two weeks passed by. Just when Ye Ming was reaching the end of his patience, he finally received the news from 888 that Song Qin was coming over to find him. He was crying tears of joy when he heard about this news!
In the previous life, Song Qin came looking for him a little later down the timeline. But this life, it was shifted forward. Lu Xiuwen’s reincarnation had affected how things progressed.
This time, Lu Xiuwen guarded against Song Qin in advance. He attacked him by crowding him out from the competitive tender last time and targeting him everywhere. Song Qin hated Lu Xiuwen even more. He learned that Lu Xiuwen liked Ye Ming but Ye Ming and Lu Xiuwen had fallen out now. In the end, Song Qin decided to target Ye Ming.
Everyone knew that Ye Ming was Lu Xiuwen’s weak spot. Even if he couldn’t do anything to Lu Xiuwen, as long there was an opportunity to annoy Lu Xiuwen, he would not let it slip past.
Although Lu Xiuwen was not with Ye Ming all the time, he had arranged for someone to trail Ye Ming. He didn’t plan on repeating the same mistake from the past life, giving Song Qin the opportunity to deceive Ye Ming. So if Ye Ming didn’t cooperate, Song Qin wouldn’t be able to meet him.
On Saturday afternoon, Ye Ming got off from work at the cafe. He looked around and didn’t go to the usual place for dinner but rode the subway.
Because it was off-work rush hour, it was very crowded inside the subway. With 888’s instructions, Ye Ming managed to shake off Lu Xiuwen’s people. He got off at the next exit and Song Qin quietly followed behind.
Ye Ming went into an old city district and went to Chengbei Cemetery alone. His mother, Gu Xueya, was buried there.
Ktf jcclnfgrjgs bo Xe Wefsj’r vfjat kjr mbwlcu eq rbbc. Yc atja vjs fnfgs sfjg, Oe Wlekfc kbeiv yglcu tlw ab qjs gfrqfma ab Xe Wefsj…Mbg rb wjcs sfjgr, Oe Wlekfc tjv jikjsr yffc tlr ojwlis. Ciatbeut tf vlvc’a tjnf tlr qjgfcar klat tlw, Oe Wlekfc tjv wjvf eq obg atlr rtbgambwlcu klat tlr ibnf. Lf kjr cfnfg ibcfis.
After losing Lu Xiuwen, he realized that he had no one to rely on. In the end, he was still an orphan. If only his parents were still around, they would protect him and take care of him. They wouldn’t deceive him, right? After all, Lu Xiuwen…was not really his family.
He was all alone again.
Ye Ming really missed his parents. His unsurpassable longing had led him here. If he came here early, he wouldn’t bump into Lu Xiuwen, right?
Ye Ming kneeled slowly in front of the tombstone. He burst into tears again. He understood this made him look weak, but he couldn’t help it…he really felt very pained and sad. There were countless times that he felt that he couldn’t go on anymore.
He wanted his mom and dad. But they were already dead.
He missed Uncle Lu. But why did Uncle Lu treat him like this…He was so good to him and even raised him. But why did he treat him this way?
Why…
Mom, Dad, why did you leave me…I really miss you. I don’t want to be alone…
Just when Ye Ming’s eyes were hazy from crying, a sigh was suddenly heard beside him. “Such pitiful.”
Ye Ming lifted his head blankly and saw a stranger standing next to him. That man was looking at him with pity and handed Ye Ming a handkerchief. he said gently, “Wipe off your tears.”
Ye Ming didn’t know him. Wary, he didn’t take his handkerchief and used his sleeve to briefly wipe his face instead. He said, “No need, thank you.”
Song Qin didn’t force him and folded the handkerchief and tucked it back into his pocket. He stared deeply at Ye Ming and said, “Lu Xiuwen was indeed too overboard for treating you like this.”
Ye Ming never expected that this stranger would mention Lu Xiuwen’s name and even make such a statement. He took a step backward and stared at him coldly. “What do you mean?”
Song Qin smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I mean no harm. I just happened to pass by and couldn’t help but make a few comments…A lot of people know what Lu Xiuwen did to you. After all, he went looking for you at the school; it’s no surprise that I know about it. I can’t tolerate watching him bully an orphan like you. If you need any help, you can come to look for me. This is my business card.”
Ye Ming hesitated for a while but still accepted Song Qin’s business card. He turned his head around and got ready to leave because he didn’t plan on talking about personal issues with a stranger.
But before he could take two steps, Song Qin said indistinctly, “Come to think of it, don’t you want to know why Lu Xiuwen treated you like this?”
Why?
Ye Ming’s halted his footsteps. What could it be? Even he didn’t have an answer to this question. Could it be that an outsider knew why?
Song Qin stared at Ye Ming’s back and pronounced each word carefully, “Lu Xiuwen never told you that he loved Gu Xueya, right?”
Ye Ming suddenly turned around to look at Song Qin with his lips trembling and his face pale.
Song Qin was very satisfied with the reaction that his words had caused. He slowly said, “Everyone knows that Lu Xiuwen loved Gu Xueya. Only young people like you don’t know about it. It was not a secret back in the day. After all, during Gu Xueya’s wedding, he didn’t care about his identity as Gu Xueya’s brother and caused a scene. And he even forced Gu Xueya and her husband to leave this place. It was the talk of the town during that time. Although it was rude and impetuous, this infatuation…anyone with eyes can see it…I just never expected that he would be so infatuated. Twenty years have passed, and Gu Xueya is already dead, yet he still thinks of her and raised her son and kept him beside himself.”
Listening to Song Qin’s words, Ye Ming’s head was filled with blood and dizziness clouded him as if the world was spinning around. It’s impossible…It’s impossible that it’s like this…
It’s impossible that it’s like this…
Song Qin looked at him with pity. “It would have been a good deed if he’d just raised you. We even praised him for his infatuation…But to turn you into Gu Xueya’s replacement and use foul tricks to make you fall into his grasp, not letting off even the child that he raised with his own hands is something not even a beast would do. You made the right choice by leaving him. Although the truth is cruel, it’s better than being completely in the dark. It’s good to realize it early.”
Ye Ming looked at him with bloodshot eyes. His expression was extremely fracturable as if he was able to crumble. He said in a hoarse voice, “You’re lying!”
Song Qin shrugged and said, “I don’t have anything against you, why would I lie to you? Moreover, a lot of people know about this. Even if you don’t believe it now, sooner or later, you will still hear others talking about this.”
Song Qin knew to stop before going too far. It would make Ye Ming grow even more suspicious if he said too much. He turned around and walked away.
Seeing Ye Ming’s reaction, it was obvious that he already believed it. After all, he hadn’t made anything up. Song Qin curled the corners of his lips. Lu Xiuwen, you tried to make my life difficult. I’ll cause some trouble for you then. Aren’t you very capable? Then how come you can’t even handle a kid?
A long time after Song Qin left, Ye Ming was still standing in the same spot.
The sky slowly turned dark. Coldness invaded his body by penetrating through his thin clothing, making him shiver all over…The tombstone stood tall and upright beside him, reminding him that his parents were buried there. The picture of the gentlewoman on the tombstone seemed to be smiling at him.
Their eyes looked similar. One would be able to tell from a glance that they were mother and son. Ye Ming stared at his mother in a daze. A sad emotion gradually surfaced.
So…was this the reason why Lu Xiuwen was treating him this way?
He raised him because he loved his mother. He said he loved him, but in fact, he saw his mother in him. He courted him by fair means or foul because he looked like his mother.
He was just a replacement for his mother. So Lu Xiuwen was gentle to him, yet heartless and cold.
All of this was because of his mother…
The question that he couldn’t figure out no matter what suddenly had an answer. But he would rather he had never found out the answer because this answer was too cruel. It was so cruel that he couldn’t bear it.
The person that he loved treated him with tenderness for close to twenty years, merely because he saw another person through him.
This was the truth.
It was all an enormous lie.
Ye Ming was trembling. He slowly lifted his gaze and saw Lu Xiuwen rushing over with a panic-stricken face. The person who he was once deeply in love with and was still in love with now was the person who hurt him the most.
Lu Xiuwen’s people informed him that they had lost sight of Ye Ming. He quickly secured his location using the necklace and found that he was at Gu Xueya’s grave. He left in the middle of a meeting and rushed over anxiously. His worries made him unable to pretend that nothing had happened anymore. After hearing that Song Qin had met Ye Ming, he was eventually unable to control himself and came to see Ye Ming!
But the moment he arrived, he saw Ye Ming standing in front of the tombstone, looking at him as if he were a stranger.
Ye Ming’s expression was indifferent when he saw Lu Xiuwen appearing here…
He was very surprised that Lu Xiuwen would show up here. He had not made any prior plans to come here today, nor had he told anyone about it. By rights, it was impossible for Lu Xiuwen to track his location so quickly.
If it was before, he surely would have appeared shocked. But at this instant, under extreme sorrow, his mind was unusually calm.
There was a reason behind Lu Xiuwen’s every move. It certainly was not a coincidence for him to appear here. So then why was he here?
The pendant in front of his chest stuck close to his skin. This was all he had left. No matter what, he was unwilling to throw away the last thing that Lu Xiuwen gave him. But at this instant…it seemed to be burning his skin, burning through his heart…
Lu Xiuwen wanted to control him, wanted to possess him. Wanted to raise him beside him like a replacement. For him to be able to locate him, if he was trailing him…aside from the necklace, what else could it be?
It turned out that he had already begun to plot against him ever since then.
The gift that he lovingly gave him, which was filled with their love for each other, turned out to be his tracking tool. Previously, he gazed at him with eyes that were filled with love and hope, saying that he wished that he would wear it and hoped that he liked it.
He foolishly wore it, unwilling to make Lu Xiuwen sad. Even if they were already apart, he was still unwilling to throw it away. Because when he looked at this necklace, he would recall how Lu Xiuwen used to love him. He wanted to treasure this love and pretend that Lu Xiuwen still loved him.
But now, all this had become a joke that mercilessly mocked his stupidity.
Those words of love never belong to him, they were all for his mother. Only this cold tracker was his…
There really was nothing more depressing than this. It was like a preposterous farce.
Lu Xiuwen strode over and grabbed Ye Ming’s arm. He stared at him in concern and asked, “Why are you here?”
Ye Ming lifted his head and stared at him. His eyes were filled with yearning and sadness. This time, it was really time for him to give up…the most foolish and ridiculous thing was to still hang onto the extravagant hope that this man loved him…Ye Ming grabbed the necklace around his neck and tugged it off hard! He didn’t even care if it caused a bleeding scar around his neck!
He threw the necklace on the ground with all his might. He raised an eyebrow and gave a cold laugh. “Why? I can’t be here?”
Sponsored Content
