HR Chapter 36

Chapter 36: The Game

The hospital was brightly lit. Lu Qingshuang refused anesthesia, staring coldly at the bullet hole in his wrist: “Is this hand useless?”

The doctor trembled, terrified, “Use… useless.”

Lu Qingshuang flexed his wrist, examining it. He reached out to the doctor, “Get the bullet out. If you hurt me, I’ll kill you.”

Sweat trickled down the doctor’s face. He reached forward, then retracted his hand, kneeling with a thud. “I have a wife and children at home, please don’t kill me! I’m innocent, I don’t know anything!”

“Am I fucking guilty?!” Lu Qingshuang kicked over a nearby trolley, scattering medicine, tweezers, gauze, and other items across the floor. He extended his hand, “Hurry up. If you waste my time, I’ll definitely not spare you.”

“Clang!” The bullet landed in the tray. The doctor knelt on the ground, shivering uncontrollably. No pain showed in Lu Qingshuang’s eyes. He shook his bandaged right wrist, pulled out a gun, and pressed it against the doctor’s head. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you.”

The doctor cowered on the floor, trembling, making meaningless “heh-heh” sounds in his throat.

“Waste!” Lu Qingshuang holstered his gun, stepped over the mess on the floor, and slammed the door shut as he left. His time was precious, and he couldn’t afford to waste any more.

Leaving the hospital, Lu Qingshuang swaggered into the entertainment club under his protection. He called for a designated hostess to accompany him, using kisses to observe the surroundings. To the left of his line of sight, there was a tail. This tail had been following him since he left the hospital, sticking to him stubbornly all the way.

He pretended to nibble affectionately at the hostess’s ear, whispering, “Entertain that gentleman for me. Entertain him well.”

The hostess obediently hummed in agreement, slithering over. The little tail politely said, “Excuse me, move aside.” A glance revealed that Lu Qingshuang was gone from his seat. He pushed the hostess away, running over to check. Searching around, he couldn’t find his target and immediately notified the people guarding outside. The people outside said, “Didn’t see him come out.” The little tail frantically searched everywhere.

In a place like this, it’s easy to lose someone, especially if the person being tailed knows they’re being followed.

Lu Qingshuang exited the entertainment club through the back door, head down, tapping on his phone screen, seemingly communicating with someone. A strangely sweet smile graced his face.

The Lu family father and son’s internal strife made many people hesitant to take sides. Some resolutely followed Lu Jianwei, some were loyal to Lu Qinyuan, and some favored Lu Qingshuang. As for Lu Chunjun, he was too capricious, and no one followed him. Lu Jianwei had assigned his own trusted aides to support him.

There were those who harbored ulterior motives, wanting to establish their own factions in the chaos, but they were all suppressed to death. Over time, they understood one thing: you can choose the wrong side, but you can’t start your own faction.

Lu Jianwei had many trusted aides, each famous and influential, with keen eyes. They knew that the Lu family’s wealth and power would eventually be taken over by Lu Qinyuan, and their lives would ultimately be in Lu Qinyuan’s hands. They also acknowledged Lu Qinyuan’s abilities. However, Lu Jianwei was still alive, still the pack leader of the Lu family, and all they could do was obey the pack leader’s orders.

They received a message about a gathering at midnight, set off in the middle of the night, and arrived around dawn. They sat there drinking tea, exchanging pleasantries, their eyes constantly looking upstairs. Lu Jianwei hadn’t shown his face, and they didn’t know why he had summoned them.

Lu Qinyuan and Cheng Ruoyu strode in from outside, bringing in a gust of cold wind, dispersing the harmonious atmosphere.

Lu Qinyuan looked around and asked, “Where’s the Addict Phoenix? Hand him over.”

Footsteps came from the stairs. Lu Jianwei, dressed in casual clothes, with an envelope in his hand, followed by several people in suits and ties, came downstairs. He looked relaxed, his tone light. “Little Shuang is still sleeping. The bullet has been removed from his wrist. The doctor said his right hand is useless.”

Lu Qinyuan said coldly, “I shouldn’t have crippled his hand. I should have blown his head off.”

Lu Jianwei came downstairs. The crowd rose to their feet, calling him Black Wolf. Lu Jianwei waved his hand, walking directly to Lu Qinyuan and handing him the envelope. “I’ll use this to exchange for your brother’s life.”

Lu Qinyuan glanced at the envelope but didn’t take it. He said to the subordinates who had followed him in, “Go bring out that slut!”

“Dare you!” Lu Jianwei’s old partners immediately drew their guns. Lu Jianwei said kindly, “Don’t get excited, put the guns away. It wouldn’t be good if someone got hurt.” He looked at Cheng Ruoyu. “Ruoyu, why are you here today? Hmm? Not happy?”

“Uncle Black, where is Lu Qingshuang? Please tell me.” Thinking of Bai Ze lying in the hospital bed, Cheng Ruoyu couldn’t suppress his anger. “He hurt my brother. He’s here, you can’t possibly not know.”

“I know. A little bit of smoke is all that that little slut can handle.” Lu Jianwei handed the envelope he was holding to the lawyer behind him. “Read it.”

It was Lu Jianwei’s transfer document, transferring all property and power to Lu Qinyuan. Before the lawyer could finish reading, Lu Qinyuan interrupted, snatching it from the lawyer’s hand and tearing it into pieces, throwing them in Lu Jianwei’s face. “Even without this letter, everything will be mine. To think you would use my things to exchange for the Addict Phoenix’s life, laughable!”

Lu Qinyuan suddenly acted. In a flash, a sharp, snowy blade was pressed against Lu Jianwei’s carotid artery. Cheng Ruoyu drew his gun, pressing it against Lu Jianwei’s head. “Uncle Black, I’m sorry. Go, bring the person down!”

Lu Qinyuan, with Lu Jianwei as a hostage, retreated to a safe place, ordering his men to collect everyone’s guns. He threw Lu Jianwei onto the sofa and wiped his hands with a handkerchief. “Lu Jianwei, do you know why I haven’t killed you all these years? I promised my mother I wouldn’t kill the person she loved. If I promised, I wouldn’t break my word. But you can’t take it as a life-saving talisman and do whatever you want. If you do, I’ll make you wish you were dead.”

The subordinates quickly brought Lu Qingshuang down. Lu Qingshuang seemed to have just been pulled from bed, disheveled and bleary-eyed. He seemed frightened by the scene before him, shrinking back with a shrug.

Lu Qingshuang’s half-open clothes were like a human body on display, causing some people with weaker willpower to gulp. Their gazes were glued to him. Lu Qingshuang was disgusted, his eyes subconsciously searching for Lu Jianwei, wanting to seek his protection, but he found that Lu Jianwei was also looking at him, with an indescribable emotion in his eyes. He couldn’t understand it. He tentatively took a step forward, only to have his shoulder grabbed and held in place.

Lu Qinyuan walked over and, without a word, slapped Lu Qingshuang twice, using his handkerchief to twist Lu Qingshuang’s chin, turning his face towards Lu Jianwei. “Your protector has fallen. Looking at him is useless. Want to live? Beg me, and I’ll give you a way out.”

Lu Qinyuan’s two slaps looked casual, but he used all his strength. Lu Qingshuang’s cheeks quickly swelled up, the palm prints clearly imprinted on his face, symmetrically arranged for an artistic effect.

“Then kill me.” As he opened his mouth, a thread of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Lu Qingshuang stuck out his tongue to lick it clean, pressing his voice low. “If you don’t kill me now, you’ll regret it.”

“No, if you beg me to kill you now, you’ll regret it even more.” Lu Qinyuan interrupted him, lightly scanning the room. He released the hand gripping Lu Qingshuang’s shoulder and took a stroll, seemingly satisfied with the quality of these people. A smile played on his lips. “I’m more tolerant of those who seek death. Like you, who loved men the most in life, how about letting these people fuck you to death? Letting you have an orgasm until you die.”

“You… why do you have to treat me like this! I’ve never harmed you!” Lu Qingshuang was furious, twisting his body, wanting to rush to Lu Qinyuan, but his body had long been hollowed out by drugs and lust. His original skills had become just a show. He struggled for a long time, but other than revealing more of his skin, he achieved nothing.

Lu Qinyuan appreciated Lu Qingshuang’s loss of control. He smiled and said, “There are many reasons. The most fundamental reason is that you were born into the wrong family.”

Lu Qingshuang stopped struggling, chuckling softly, then bursting into loud laughter. As he laughed, his voice lowered, interspersed with thin sobs like coughs, his body trembling with laughter, scattered and fragmented, mournful and sad.

He suddenly raised his head, resigned, tears streaming down his face as he smiled. “Do whatever you want with me.”

Born into the wrong family? Was that something he could choose? If he could, he would rather be born as wood, stone, flowers, or grass than suffer as a human.

“Do you have any last words?” Lu Qinyuan’s expression was serious. “To put it another way, who do you want to drag down with you?”

Suddenly, Lu Qingshuang stopped laughing and stopped crying. He stared blankly, as if digesting the meaning of Lu Qinyuan’s words, his eyes involuntarily looking at Lu Jianwei again. Lu Jianwei lowered his head, but when he felt his gaze, he looked up. The moment their eyes met, Lu Qingshuang looked away as if burned, lowered his eyelashes, and slowly smiled. He was like a child who had received candy, smiling happily and sweetly, but as he smiled, tears uncontrollably fell again.

As Lu Qingshuang laughed and cried, Lu Jianwei suddenly spoke. “Let me accompany him. No need to look for another place. This place is good. I’m used to living here.”

This was exactly what Lu Qinyuan wanted. He immediately ordered everyone to withdraw, replaced by his own people.

Lu Jianwei’s trusted aides called him Black Wolf, one after another, refusing to leave. Lu Jianwei looked at the brothers he had shared life and death with, his sharp gaze softening. “I don’t want you to follow me for the rest of your lives, only to die at the hands of the heir I’ve chosen. Go back and think about it. Think carefully before you go. Don’t choose the wrong path.”

Lu Qinyuan and Cheng Ruoyu stood side by side in front of the door, watching the cars carrying the bosses leave one by one.

Cheng Ruoyu lamented, “Just let them leave like that? There are quite a few thorny old stubborns in there. They’re sure to cause trouble for you when they get back.”

Lu Qinyuan snorted. “If they don’t cause trouble, how am I supposed to deal with them?”

“Pitiful!” Cheng Ruoyu sighed for the foreseeable tragic fate of those thorny old stubborns, and walked towards his car. “I’ll go back first. You can decide what to do with that slut Lu Qingshuang, but don’t let him have an easy time.”

Lu Qinyuan didn’t commit to anything, turned around, and returned to the villa. Lu Qingshuang and Lu Jianwei sat face to face on the sofa. Seeing him come in, Lu Jianwei asked, “Are they all gone?”

Lu Qinyuan didn’t answer him. He walked to the piano placed in the corner of the living room, opened the lid, and nimbly pressed a series of notes. Words drifted out with the melody. “The rules are simple. As long as Lu Qingshuang can quit drugs alive, I’ll spare him.”

He stood between the sofas, where the two were sitting, announcing solemnly like a judge, “Then, let the game begin. I wish both players a pleasant game.”