MNL Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Mottled – You Lied.

Chapter 81: Mottled – You Lied.

If it weren’t for what happened today, Cha Fei’ang would never have known that Liang Ge, who usually kept a low profile, was actually so rich. He thought he was just going to a key high school, but he didn’t expect it to be full of rich kids. How could his moderately well-off family survive? Sitting in the taxi, Cha Fei’ang became more and more unwilling, so he asked Ye Lanshan again.

Ye Lanshan pondered for a while and said, “Does my family owning oil wells count?”

Cha Fei’ang: “…”

He wanted to jump out of the car.

The three of them hurriedly rushed to Liangchen Restaurant, which, as expected, was a five-star restaurant. It was packed with customers, but fortunately, Liang Ge led the way, and they got in easily. Listening to the repeated calls of “Young Master Liang,” Cha Fei’ang felt that from today on, he had to completely look at this simple and honest northern boy in a new light.

Under the guidance of the waiter, they saw Gu Qianqian in the furthest corner. Gu Qianqian was thinly dressed, her back outline was clear, and she stared blankly out the window, while at the same table were two men. One was sitting next to Gu Qianqian, with dark skin and simple clothes, smiling obsequiously at the man in front of him, while the man opposite was pot-bellied, with a face full of Horizontal meat, and two thieving eyes squinted at Gu Qianqian’s indifferent profile.

Liang Ge felt so disgusted that he almost vomited and was about to rush up, but Cha Fei’ang grabbed him.

“Why are you pulling me?!”

“Don’t worry, we need to understand the situation first.”

“What’s there to understand? Selling your daughter in public, what the hell is that if not a beast?”

“Then what problem can you solve by rushing up like this?”

“I—”

“Cha Fei’ang, your phone keeps ringing.” After Ye Lanshan reminded him, she said to Liang Ge, “If you were sitting there right now, would you want to be seen by acquaintances?”

Liang Ge was stunned. The answer was obviously no, especially for a girl like Gu Qianqian, who had a strong sense of self-esteem. If they just went up like that, Gu Qianqian would probably stay away from him completely afterward.

“Wait, look who that is.” Following the direction Cha Fei’ang pointed, they saw a thin boy wearing a black baseball cap sitting to the southeast of Gu Qianqian’s table. They instantly recognized that figure and temperament – it was Xu Jing.

“Brother Jing wants us to go over.”

If there weren’t so many people here, they should have noticed Xu Jing’s presence as soon as they came in. After all, all the other places were full, but he was very special, occupying a table for four all by himself.

“Brother Jing, why are you here?” Cha Fei’ang looked at the untouched coffee in front of Xu Jing and asked, “Are you waiting for someone?”

Xu Jing made a shushing gesture, and they realized after sitting down that this position allowed them to hear the conversation at Gu Qianqian’s table completely.

Wang Foguo’s greasy face showed an extremely lewd smile, and two rows of uneven yellow teeth made people feel disgusted.

“Your daughter is really beautiful, I like her very much.”

Gu Rui also echoed with a smile, saying, “Our Qianqian is a very obedient girl and has excellent grades.”

“Really? No problem, when she comes to my house in the future, I will let her continue to go to school during the day.”

“Really? That’s great, Qianqian, hurry up and thank Director Wang!”

The light had already faded from Gu Qianqian’s face, and her empty eyes were like a dry well, without any fluctuation. She remained silent and stared out the window after hearing Gu Rui’s words.

“Qianqian, be good, as long as you agree, Director Wang said he will give 300,000 to treat Grandma’s illness.”

After the words fell, Gu Qianqian still didn’t respond, like a shell with its soul sucked out.

Gu Rui said sternly, “Gu Qianqian!”

“Oh, father-in-law, it’s okay, it’s our first meeting, Qianqian might just be shy. After we get along for a long time, she definitely won’t be like this.” Wang Foguo stretched out his short, stubby hand to touch Gu Qianqian’s face, a lascivious smile appearing on the corner of his mouth. “Looking at that little face, so beautiful.”

“Fucking hell!”

Liang Ge slammed the table and stood up, rushing over like a cannonball. None of the three could stop him.

“You two beasts, doing such dirty things here, you’re really shameless. Do you really think there’s no law in this society?” Liang Ge, a tall guy, stood there, aggressive and red-faced, scaring everyone.

Gu Qianqian obviously didn’t expect to meet Liang Ge at this moment, especially in this situation. A trace of panic flashed in her eyes, and she just wanted to escape from this place immediately.

Gu Rui stood up immediately and roared, “Who are you?”

“It’s none of your business who I am!” Liang Ge lost his mind in anger, throwing Gu Rui several meters away with a violent shove. He pulled Gu Qianqian behind him, pointed at Wang Foguo, and cursed, “Take your dirty hands away! I’m warning you, stay away from her, if I find out again, I promise I’ll beat you so hard that your own mother won’t recognize you!”

Wang Foguo stood up with difficulty, his big belly shaking. He looked at the young and inexperienced Liang Ge and said disdainfully, “Where did this little brat come from?”

“I’m your ancestor!”

Wang Foguo frowned and said, “Do you know who I am? How dare you talk to me like that? Don’t you want to live?”

At this time, more and more people were watching. The lobby manager heard the commotion and hurried over, but when he saw Liang Ge, who was glaring angrily, he was instantly stunned. “Young Master, what are you doing here?”

Wang Foguo smiled coldly, “So this restaurant is your family’s? Kid, do you believe that with just one word, I can make your family disappear completely from Linhe City?”

The lobby manager was so frightened that his face turned pale. He quickly stepped forward to curry favor, saying, “Director Wang, is there some misunderstanding here?”

“What misunderstanding? I’m saying this kid’s family education is lacking. He’s learning to play with women at such a young age.”

“Slap—”

An extremely loud slap echoed in the hall, and everyone was stunned. Liang Ge looked at Gu Qianqian, who was standing in front of him, and didn’t react for a moment.

Wang Foguo also looked at the weak girl in front of him in disbelief. It wasn’t until a burning pain came from his face that he realized he had actually been slapped by a little girl?!

“I fuck, you’re asking for death.”

Wang Foguo was about to hit Gu Qianqian when Cha Fei’ang and Ye Lanshan immediately stepped forward. Liang Ge also rolled up his sleeves in preparation. Gu Qianqian saw the three figures standing in front of her, her lips were tightly pursed, and her eyes were red. At this moment, a low male voice came from not far away.

“Director Wang.”

Shen Linzhi slowly walked out of the crowd, and Xu Jing immediately lowered the brim of his hat after hearing the voice.

Wang Foguo obviously didn’t expect to see Shen Linzhi here. The anger that had rushed to his brain was instantly suppressed, and his eyes became evasive.

“Director Shen, what are you doing here?”

Shen Linzhi walked unhurriedly to Wang Foguo’s side and said, “I’m here to have dinner with my son.”

At this time, Shen Yan was standing outside the crowd, looking at this side expressionlessly. Cha Fei’ang wasn’t surprised because he knew in advance, but Liang Ge and the others were greatly shocked.

Shen Linzhi looked around and smiled, “Director Wang, what’s going on here?”

Wang Foguo knew that it was difficult to say what was happening, so he glared at the teenagers in front of him. His eyes were squeezed into slits by the fat, making him look unthreatening and even a little comical.

“Director Wang, you and I are both businessmen, and we know the importance of public opinion. If things get out of hand, not only will business be difficult, but you probably won’t be able to explain it to the old man, right?” Shen Linzhi leaned close to Wang Foguo and said, word by word, in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “Please be careful, Director Wang, with this kind of criminal activity.”

Wang Foguo was not very promising and relied entirely on the connections and foundation accumulated by the old man when he was a staff officer in the military headquarters in his early years. Now, he seemed to be respected everywhere in the upper class, but in reality, the bad things he did in private had already spread like wildfire in the circle. Shen Linzhi was one of the few people he was afraid of, because this person had a friendship with the old man and had once reported him. In addition, Wang Foguo also knew that if he really fought now, he would definitely not be able to beat the several young men. So, he glared at Gu Qianqian unwillingly for a while, turned around and left. Seeing this, Gu Rui also followed in exasperation.

“You kids are quite bold, do you know what kind of background they have?”

In comparison, Shen Linzhi’s appearance seemed much more approachable. In addition, he was Shen Yan’s father. Liang Ge and the others didn’t know the situation and originally wanted to thank him, but Cha Fei’ang stopped them immediately.

“Does having a background mean you can do whatever you want?”

Shen Linzhi just smiled after hearing this, obviously mocking Cha Fei’ang’s naive thoughts.

Having a background doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want, but without a background, you don’t even have the right to resist.

Those who were watching the show realized that things weren’t going to change, so they dispersed with a lack of interest. Xu Jing took this opportunity to leave, but as soon as he turned around, he was stopped by a tall figure pressing up against him. A familiar voice spoke with a meaningful tone.

“Where are you going, desk mate?”

Xu Jing: “…”

The reason for this was that he saw Shen Yan get into Shen Linzhi’s car and followed them all the way here. Later, he found out that Shen Linzhi had reserved a private room, so he simply sat outside to wait. As a result, he ran into Gu Qianqian. Although he didn’t like to meddle in other people’s business, anyone who saw that scene would be suspicious, so he took advantage of the time he was waiting for Shen Yan to see what those two men were trying to do.

Xu Jing raised his head slightly and greeted him calmly, “Good afternoon.”

Shen Yan deliberately asked, “Having dinner here?”

Unexpectedly, Xu Jing didn’t hide anything and said directly, “No, waiting for you.”

Shen Yan was a little surprised by this frankness. In fact, he had already noticed Xu Jing following him when he left the house. Watching someone cover himself up like a private detective and follow him so carefully, he couldn’t help but laugh in the car. As a result, Shen Linzhi, who was self-sentimental, saw it and was overjoyed.

Cha Fei’ang stepped forward and said, “Brother Jing, we’re planning to go somewhere else to sit down, want to come with us?”

Xu Jing hummed and looked at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan’s gaze lingered on Gu Qianqian’s pale face for a moment and refused, “You go.”

Xu Jing understood what he meant and replied, “Okay.”

Watching the backs of the people leaving, Shen Linzhi walked up and said, “Do you need my help with that girl’s matter? Wang Foguo won’t let her go.”

Shen Yan smiled coldly, “You want to make a deal with me again?”

“No, but it can be considered that way.” Shen Yan turned his head and looked at Shen Linzhi coldly, his eyes full of sarcasm. Then, a flattering voice came over, “Smile again for Daddy to see, like you did in the car, and I’ll help her.”

“Help if you want, don’t if you don’t.”

Shen Yan turned around and left.

Shen Linzhi: “…”

The group went to a nearby milk tea shop. Ye Lanshan saw that Gu Qianqian’s palms were red, knowing that the slap must have been hard, so she asked the shop assistant for an ice pack. Liang Ge bought hot pearl milk tea and carefully placed it in front of Gu Qianqian.

Gu Qianqian lowered her head and was silent for a long time, finally just saying softly, “Thank you.”

Ye Lanshan asked, “So you really agreed?”

Gu Qianqian’s eyes were red, and she squeezed out a bitter smile. “You’ve been to my house, right? I’ve been raised by my grandma since I was a child. The last time I went to the hospital for an examination, the doctor said her liver was bad and she needed to have surgery as soon as possible. I have no choice.”

Liang Ge clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, “You can come to me!”

Gu Qianqian looked at him, a trace of self-deprecation flashing in her eyes. “Thank you today, Liang Ge. I didn’t expect that restaurant to be your family’s. I thought…” Gu Qianqian tried her best to restrain her inner turmoil, and her expression became even more desolate. “I wanted you to study hard and get into a good university.”

But the facts proved that it wasn’t necessary at all. Liang Ge had such a family background that even if he didn’t get into a good university, he could still live better than many people for the rest of his life. But she was different. The only path in front of her was the college entrance examination. So, she was determined to take her grandma away from that narrow, damp alley. She wanted to go to a farther place and see a bigger world. She wanted to run, she wanted sunshine, she wanted freedom, instead of living like a dog in such a dark place, and she didn’t want to become a caged bird like Wang Foguo.

But did she still have a choice?

Liang Ge felt even worse after hearing Gu Qianqian say this, but he was clumsy and could only think of one sentence after thinking for a long time, “Qianqian, you don’t have to worry about the money, I’ll help you.”

Gu Qianqian didn’t say anything. Ye Lanshan put the ice pack in Gu Qianqian’s hand and said, word by word, “We can’t make a choice for you in this kind of thing, and we don’t have the right to. But once you agree, there’s no turning back. As Liang Ge said, we can lend you the money first, but if you really want to do that, no one can help you.”

“That’s not a small amount…”

Xu Jing opened his mouth calmly, “Is one million enough?”

The four of them: “…”

Cha Fei’ang knew that he couldn’t help with the money, so he hadn’t said a word since coming here. But at this moment, he really felt like the world was spinning. One million, six zeros, a number he wouldn’t dare to dream of. Damn it, would the world die if there was one more rich kid like him?

“Although he and your dad are involved in illegal transactions, calling the police may not be useful, but whether or not you want to be taken care of by that old man is your choice.”

After the words fell, Liang Ge coughed several times. He and Ye Lanshan had racked their brains to comfort her for a long time and didn’t dare to mention those two nasty words. Xu Jing was fine, he didn’t even blink an eye before saying those words.

Gu Qianqian looked at Liang Ge, who gave her an awkward smile, still that simple and clean smile, just like when she first met this northern boy on the first day of school. Gu Qianqian clenched her fists, frowned, and her face showed a bit more determination, “I know.”

Before returning to the apartment, Xu Jing returned to the villa in the city center again. By this time, it was completely dark, but Shen Yan hadn’t returned yet. He stayed in the room for a while, couldn’t help it, and went to the corridor again.

After about half an hour, a steady footstep sounded on the stairs. Considering that this kind of behavior of waiting for someone in the cold wind was too stupid, Xu Jing went back to the room, and finally listened to the sound, calculated the time, and went out, creating a kind of very fateful atmosphere, bumping into Shen Yan face to face.

“Going out at this hour, where are you going?”

He took the initiative first. Xu Jing didn’t answer but asked, “Coming back at this hour, where have you been?”

“Taking a walk.”

Xu Jing stepped forward and smelled Shen Yan’s body.

“Really?”

Shen Yan found it a little funny, “Smelled out any affair?”

“No affair, but there are lies.” Xu Jing raised his head and looked directly at Shen Yan, saying, “You lied.”

Shen Yan’s fingers suddenly tightened, embedding into his palm, causing a faint pain.

“What did I lie about?”

“You went to the hospital.”

Shen Yan’s face changed, but he didn’t deny it.

“The smell of disinfectant on you is very obvious.” Xu Jing slowed his tone and asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Shen Yan shook his head and said simply, “Just a headache, it’s an old problem.”

“Is it because he’s been looking for you recently that you can’t sleep well at night?”

Shen Yan was stunned for a moment and said, “No.”

“Shen Yan, I’m a light sleeper.”

Xu Jing’s light sleeping habits meant that he would wake up even if the person next to him turned over. He originally wanted to see what this person was doing up so late, but he didn’t expect that after Shen Yan got up, he would either stand in front of the window, staring at the dark street, not knowing what he was thinking, or he would sit on the bedside, staring at him. Xu Jing had almost failed to pretend several times because of that silent gaze, cursing Shen Yan in his heart for being possessed by a ghost while feeling distressed.

“There is a little.” Shen Yan paused and said softly, “I just went to the hospital to get some sleeping pills, don’t worry.”

Xu Jing stepped forward and hugged Shen Yan.

“Next time you can’t sleep, call me, I’ll stay with you.”

Shen Yan didn’t answer but reached out to touch Xu Jing’s hair, but at the moment he was about to touch it, he was interrupted by a certain abnormality coming from his body.

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

Shen Yan passed Xu Jing and opened the door of 602, his movements a little flustered, completely different from his usual calm demeanor, as if he was deliberately suppressing some emotion that was about to explode. Looking at that hasty back, Xu Jing had doubts. He was about to follow him to see what was going on, but his phone rang at this moment. He glanced at it and found that it was a call from Qin Xin. It seemed that Shen Yan should be fine. It wasn’t good for him to always be so suspicious. In the end, he went back to the room to answer the phone.

It was as if a sharp knife had been stabbed fiercely into his heart and was being stirred. A twisted suffocating feeling suddenly swept over his head, and Shen Yan stumbled into the bathroom, his forehead bulging with veins, and his body trembling uncontrollably! He took out the medicine bottle from his pocket with difficulty, and several examination reports fell out as well, scattered all over the floor. Shen Yan looked up and swallowed the nitroglycerin with his saliva. After a few breaths, the pain gradually subsided. But in a flash, his throat suddenly tightened, and Shen Yan immediately grabbed the sink, spewing out a mouthful of blood, instantly staining half the mirror red.

The rusty smell of blood surged in his mouth. Shen Yan looked up at the person in the mirror, his face pale, and blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away roughly and tried to wipe the bloodstains on the mirror clean, but no matter how much he wiped, he couldn’t wipe it clean. Instead, it became dirtier and more chaotic.

Finally, it formed a mottled and terrifying picture.

How pitiful.

Shen Yan stopped his movements and suddenly laughed. The smile was sharp and desolate, looking like a dying monster.