HR Chapter 33

Chapter 33 Letting Go

Almost as soon as Xiao Qi moved, Lu Qinyuan and Lu Jianwei simultaneously drew their guns and aimed at each other. Lu Qinyuan slightly deflected his aim, quickly firing a burst. Lu Qingshuang cried out in pain, clutching his injured wrist as he looked at Lu Qinyuan, resentment mixed with unwillingness as he mocked, “He has someone he loves, he’s going to find the person he loves. What right do you have to stop him, you third wheel!”

Lu Qinyuan didn’t even spare Lu Qingshuang a glance, his gun pointed at Lu Jianwei, unwavering. Xiao Qi didn’t stop his steps at the sound of gunfire. Lu Qinyuan watched the resolute figure leave, his eyes flashing, and he couldn’t help but roar, “Xiao Qi!” But this only spurred Xiao Qi’s pace even faster, his figure, already blending with the darkness, quickly disappeared into the night.

Once Xiao Qi was gone, Lu Qinyuan finally faced Lu Qingshuang. “I heard you refused to quit drugs. Are you afraid that if you quit, you’ll have no reason to pester Lu Jianwei? You don’t need to use your body as a bargaining chip. Lu Jianwei values your ass, not you as a person. It’s not like Lu Jianwei can’t find anyone else. He’s just used to you and too lazy to change. You still think he has feelings for you? Don’t let drugs cloud your judgment. Lu Jianwei is getting old and can’t satisfy you anymore, so you still have the energy to interfere in my affairs? Lu Qingshuang, you really are cheap, so cheap that it’s sharp, but even being cheap has its limits, right? You’re cheap to the bone.” His voice was slow and rhythmic, like a poet reciting, and aside from the content, the serious and proper tone was more like a gentle teacher lecturing a student.

“Lu Qinyuan! You!…”

Lu Qingshuang switched the gun to his left hand and rushed towards Lu Qinyuan, pointing it at him. He was trembling with anger but couldn’t refute a single word, while Lu Jianwei’s silence made him feel even more desperate. This man, this man he called father, he had never understood once. He never knew when Lu Jianwei would choose to abandon him, just like years ago, when he was abandoned without a word, and then brought back when he remembered him. Capricious and unpredictable.

The hand hanging at his side dripped blood and trembled. His heart was growing colder and colder, and a trace of determination flashed in his eyes. The hand holding the gun gradually stabilized, and he slowly pulled the trigger.

“Don’t be impulsive,” Lu Qinyuan turned his gun and pointed it at Lu Qingshuang’s brow, the slightly upturned corners of his lips carrying a bloodthirsty taste. “If one of us three has to die, believe me, it will be you.”

This sentence was like the last straw, light but weighing a thousand pounds. A sob of despair escaped Lu Qingshuang’s throat, and he lowered his hand weakly, sniffing and taking a few deep breaths, his voice trembling. “Why don’t you say anything? Why!” The last sentence seemed to be shouted out with all his strength, and after shouting, he leaned back against the table and sat down, staring at the stars in the sky without blinking.

The stars are so bright tonight, so beautiful, and so despairing!

Lu Jianwei put away his gun and finally spoke, “Enough Bear, you can leave.”

Lu Qinyuan pointed the black gun at Lu Jianwei, closing one eye as if aiming. “The game has started, it’s a fight to the death. If you break the rules, you must be prepared to bear the consequences.” He snorted and chased after the direction Xiao Qi left, not worried at all that the person behind him would take a cold shot.

“You also think I’m cheap, don’t you?” Lu Qingshuang said wearily. “Living is so tiring.”

Lu Jianwei squatted down and lifted his wrist to check the wound. The situation wasn’t good. The bullet had pierced through the bone. This hand was probably useless. Lu Jianwei took out a handkerchief and simply wrapped the wound, looking down into Lu Qingshuang’s eyes. “Let’s go, let’s get the bullet out.”

Lu Qingshuang’s eyeballs turned slightly. “Kill me.”

Lu Jianwei smiled. “What’s the highest level of killing?”

Lu Qingshuang sighed softly. “Breaking the spirit.”

Everyone says that death isn’t easy, that it requires courage, but living requires more than just courage.

Death may only require a knife, a medicine, a rope, a bit of boldness, but living requires far more than death, so much more that you can’t imagine.

Living is an involuntary cultivation.

You, me, him, none of us can escape it.

After chasing him for several blocks, Lu Qinyuan finally saw the youth standing quietly under a streetlight. His shadow stretched long on the ground, the stars were bright in the sky, and the youth under the light was beautiful, with long hair hanging to his waist and black clothes like ink.

Lu Qinyuan didn’t know whether to be happy or worried, a kind of tragic joy that brought tears to his eyes, only because Xiao Qi had stopped for him.

Hearing footsteps, Xiao Qi turned his face and smiled, then turned back to continue watching the flashing neon lights on the building across the street. The colorful lights made him dizzy after watching them for too long. He closed his eyes, and his voice was so soft that it seemed to be blown away by the wind, fleeting. “I want to go out for a walk.”

“Are you asking me, or notifying me?” Lu Qinyuan’s voice was very calm. “If I say no, will you stay?” Without waiting for Xiao Qi to open his mouth, Lu Qinyuan continued, “My intention in showing you Lu Qingshuang was not to encourage you to run away. Of course, if you insist on escaping, I will use my own methods to stop you, for example, breaking your legs.”

“…Ah-Lu.” Xiao Qi walked over and snuggled into Lu Qinyuan’s arms, gently wrapping his arms around his waist. “Please, Ah-Lu.”

“Do you want to go out that much?” Lu Qinyuan sighed softly. He felt the head buried against him nod vigorously, the voice muffled in his clothes. “I want to so much.”

Lu Qinyuan reached out and hugged him tightly, taking a deep breath, and said in a low voice, “Don’t go too far. I’ll find you after I’ve dealt with things here.” After hugging for a while, Lu Qinyuan let go and took out a card and stuffed it into Xiao Qi’s hand. “You can’t be without money when you’re outside. Don’t mistreat yourself. Come back when you’re tired of playing.”

“Yeah, I’ll remember.” A trace of sadness of parting floated in his heart. Xiao Qi took a few steps, then turned back and saw that Lu Qinyuan was still standing there, so he ran back and kissed Lu Qinyuan on the cheek, waved his hand, and ran away quickly, like a bird finally flying out of a cage.

Lu Qinyuan touched the cheek that had been kissed and smiled wryly.

When Xiao Qi ran away resolutely and silently, Lu Qinyuan was really shocked, angry, and sad. But he didn’t stop him, because he couldn’t stop him at all.

That smile was very light, illusory like smoke, gone in an instant. But Lu Qinyuan clearly felt that Xiao Qi was smiling at him, sincerely, for the telepathy between him and himself.

Lu Qinyuan breathed out heavily. The indescribable feeling made him not know what expression to make. Should he praise his greatness, or should he despise his cowardice? Was he pitying himself or pitying Xiao Qi by doing this? He himself didn’t understand. He just instinctively felt that he should do this, and he had to do this. Otherwise, Xiao Qi would not forgive him, and he would not forgive himself in the future.

A black car stopped beside him, and Lu Qinyuan got into the car and ordered to go straight back to Lan Yuan.

He has someone he loves, he’s going to find the person he loves. What right do you have to stop him, you third wheel!

Lu Qingshuang’s words were still in his ears. What reason did Lu Qingshuang have to help Xiao Qi? Why was he complaining on behalf of Xiao Qi’s loved one? Did they know each other? What relationship could there be between them?

The person Xiao Qi liked must be from the Si family or working in the Si family. At the same time, the person who could show favor to Lu Qingshuang, without thinking too much, there was only one person who met all the conditions over the years, and that was Cheng Hui, Cheng Ruoyu’s second uncle, who had been dead for twenty years.

I’ve seen a person who hasn’t changed in ten years.

Sha Tang’s words suddenly popped up, and Lu Qinyuan suddenly remembered the memorial tablet of Cheng Hui placed in Cheng Ruoyu’s house. How could Cheng Ruoyu, who respected Cheng Hui so much, be careless enough to let it gather dust?

Unless, Cheng Hui was not dead at all!

“Drive faster, go back to Lan Yuan immediately.”

Lu Qinyuan was anxious and almost couldn’t sit still. As soon as he got out of the car, he strode inside. “Call Sha Tang to the study!” He went straight upstairs without stopping, pushed open the door of the study, and rummaged through the drawers for a somewhat old photograph.

In the photo, a teenager was sitting upright in a chair with a two-year-old doll in his arms. The teenager was unsmiling, but his eyes were very gentle. If he wasn’t so stoic, he would definitely smile very tenderly.

The teenager was the young Cheng Hui, still in his prime.

Cheng Hui didn’t like to take pictures when he was young, and he died very early, so the surviving photos were collected by the Cheng family. Even if relatives and friends had a few in their hands, they were taken back on the grounds of remembrance. The one in Lu Qinyuan’s hand was his private collection, so it wasn’t taken away.

Lu Qinyuan and Lu Qingshuang had actually only met a few times. The reason was nothing else. Lu Qinyuan and Lu Qingshuang were naturally at odds. When Lu Qinyuan saw Lu Qingshuang, he would hit him without any occasion or reason. When Lu Qingshuang saw Lu Qinyuan, he would hide as much as possible, and if he couldn’t hide, he would just endure it.

Lu Qingshuang’s mother didn’t want her son to be beaten, so she told Lu Qingshuang to try not to appear in front of Lu Qinyuan. But children are forgetful, and although Lu Qingshuang was hurt in his heart, he still longed to have playmates. He wasn’t afraid of being beaten or scolded, as long as someone could play with him, so Lu Qingshuang still moved forward despite Lu Qinyuan’s fists.

Once, when Lu Qinyuan was holding a branch to insert into Lu Qingshuang’s butt, Cheng Hui, who had come back on vacation to find Lu Jianwei, saw it. Cheng Hui grabbed Lu Qinyuan’s ear and took him to Lu Jianwei, sternly lecturing the father and son.

Lu Jianwei loved this little brother very much, and agreed that he would definitely teach this brat a lesson, and asked people to take Lu Qinyuan down. Lu Qingshuang was confused and nestled in Cheng Hui’s arms, still unable to realize how terrible the things that were happening to him were.

From that day on, Lu Qinyuan never saw Lu Qingshuang again, until the year Min Chu died, they met again.

That year Lu Qinyuan was eight years old, Lu Qingshuang was six years old, and it was also Cheng Hui’s last visit before going to the Si family’s research institute.

“Master Lu, it’s so late, you’re looking for me.” Sha Tang was wearing pajamas, his eyes were sleepy, he dragged his feet and walked in, and yawned drowsily. “What’s the matter, can’t it be said tomorrow?”

“Come and recognize someone.” As soon as Lu Qinyuan opened his mouth, Sha Tang immediately sobered up, the voice like an ice cream that had just been frozen in the refrigerator, cold and hard and exuding chill: “Look carefully, recognize him well.”

Sha Tang immediately lost all sleepiness, took the photo and looked at it for a long time without seeing anything unusual, but still felt a little familiar. Lu Qinyuan said: “Does it look like the person you said hasn’t changed in ten years, when he was young?”