HR Chapter 11

Cheng Ruoyu was infuriated by their matter-of-fact attitude, as if he definitely knew something. Even if he did, why should he tell them? One moment demanding he be honest, the next insisting he confess everything—where in the world would you find such an easy deal?

What Mo Qiu mentioned, however, precisely stung his heart. Cheng Ruoyu sighed helplessly, lamenting, “You think I’d be willing? What kind of person is Xiao Qi? This is the first time in my life I’ve seen someone so perfect. The old man’s been watching me twenty-four hours a day, never leaving me for a moment. I’d love to make a move. I don’t know whose deal that old man took, but it’s so shameful.”

Lu Qinyuan questioned, “I don’t believe Uncle Cheng hasn’t revealed anything to you. Even if he said nothing, Ruoyu, your ability to guess stories still has some credibility.”

Being praised naturally made him happy. Cheng Ruoyu said proudly, “I guess, the old man is doing a favor for an old acquaintance.”

Mo Qiu mused, “Old acquaintance?”

“I found a phone number in my dad’s call history, saved as ‘old acquaintance.’ By the time I tried to contact it, the number was disconnected.” Cheng Ruoyu was extremely frustrated; it was the first time he’d done a deal he couldn’t control at all.

Mo Qiu asked again, “Can young master Cheng guess which old acquaintance it might be? Who is the most likely?”

Cheng Ruoyu shook his head. “There are too many people who could be considered old acquaintances of our family; I can’t guess who it is.”

Mo Qiu lowered his head and thought for a while, then shook his head at Lu Qinyuan, indicating that there were no further questions. Lu Qinyuan said half-jokingly, “You should have seen Xiao Qi when you came in. If you still can’t let him go, you can take him back today.”

Cheng Ruoyu righteously refused, “Once the money’s been paid, no returns are accepted. That’s the rule of the Doll House, and one that I set myself. I can’t break my own rules for Xiao Qi.”

This rule was actually to restrain himself, to avoid doing things that would break his promises.

Thinking of another possibility, Cheng Ruoyu’s expression darkened slightly. “Lu-ge is going to dispose of him?”

“You’re overthinking it.” Lu Qinyuan smiled. “Xiao Qi is outside; go take a look at him.”

This meant he was free to go.

“It’s good if that’s not the case. No more questions?” Seeing that no one had any more questions, Cheng Ruoyu repeatedly urged Bai Ze, “Don’t forget to come home.”

Bai Ze said with a smile, “I know.”

Cheng Ruoyu then left without looking back.

“See how he’s been guessed right, the more guilty he feels, the more serious he acts, making him even more suspicious. He thinks he’s hiding it so well.” Shu Xiu really couldn’t accept how stupid Cheng Ruoyu was and couldn’t help but sigh.

Lu Qinyuan just smiled and asked, “How much of it is believable?”

He was asking Bai Ze. Bai Ze said, “Three parts false, seven parts true.”

Mo Qiu laughed, “Three parts false, seven parts true—that’s not really lying. Young Master Cheng’s words are always hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood. To be able to do this much means he still recognizes Lu-ye as a friend.”

“It’s good enough that he’s willing to tell me this much. We can’t push people too hard; after all, he’s a friend.” Lu Qinyuan was very understanding of Cheng Ruoyu’s predicament. He changed the subject and started talking about the Si Cheng family of Shang Ze City. “I heard the Si Cheng family has been very lively recently.”

Mo Qiu’s heart stirred. “Could there be some connection between the two?”

Qi Yue suddenly came to life, his eyes sparkling as he said, “Living people are also excellent experimental materials.”

These words sounded somewhat cruel, but they were an undeniable fact. Many crazy scientists secretly conducted experiments on living humans, but few were exposed.

Lu Qinyuan said slowly, “Then that would be pitiful.”

Sha Tang, who had been silent all along, suddenly interjected, “I’ve seen a person who hasn’t changed in ten years.”

“When did you see him? Do you know where he is now?” Mo Qiu pressed.

“I saw him when I went out to buy groceries a while ago. I’ve seen him twice in total, but I haven’t spoken to him.” Once was ten years ago, and the other was just recently, so when he saw Xiao Qi, Sha Tang suddenly thought of that person, wondering if Xiao Qi was like that person? Could there really be a way to stay young forever, an elixir of immortality?

“Why are you talking so much? The one who tied the bell must untie it. The problem lies with Xiao Qi, so just start with Xiao Qi. He’s just one Xiao Qi. Since he’s here and hasn’t done anything harmful, there’s no need to dwell on Xiao Qi’s background.” Qi Yue, who constantly held a scalpel, crossed his slender fingers and rested them against his chin, tilting his head slightly and smiling casually, “Which of us is clean? Maybe we’re not as innocent as Xiao Qi.”

Lu Qinyuan looked at Bai Ze. “What does Xiao Bai say?”

Bai Ze smiled. “Investigate Si Cheng. Qi Yue is also right; we need to pay attention to Xiao Qi’s health.”

“Okay.” Lu Qinyuan had the same idea. He looked at Mo Qiu. “A few days ago, Lu Qingshuang almost turned Shang Ning upside down. Was he looking for Lu Chunyun?”

Mentioning this person made Mo Qiu couldn’t help but smile. “Indeed. He was yelling that he would find Lu Chunyun and chop him into pieces to feed the dogs.”

Qi Yue said, “Lu Qingshuang isn’t that impulsive. What did Lu Chunyun do to provoke that precious darling?”

Mo Qiu glanced at Shu Xiu, who felt very strange, and then heard Mo Qiu lower his voice and say, “Lu Chunyun gave Lu Jianwei a gift.” He paused, his voice even lower, “A large abomination.”

Qi Yue immediately straightened up and subconsciously closed his legs, shouting at Mo Qiu, “An abomination is an abomination, why are you looking at me?”

Shu Xiu blushed slightly and scolded Lu Chunyun, “That’s just asking for death!”

Mo Qiu smiled and continued, “Isn’t it asking for death? Now he’s being chased all over the streets, like a rat crossing the street. He’s lost most of his territory, and almost nothing is left. His hands off doesn’t really matter, but we have to make moves in advance.”

“Bai Ze and I will take care of this.” Lu Qinyuan asked, “Any other news?”

“Nothing else. Lu Qingshuang hasn’t made any moves since last time.” Lu Jianwei was protecting him too well, so it was difficult for Mo Qiu to find any useful information.

Qi Yue couldn’t help but sigh, “What kind of sins did he commit?” To be targeted by Lu Qinyuan.

“Min Jia is outside; can’t even control your thoughts. If you want to sleep with him, I can introduce you.” Lu Qinyuan sarcastically said, he wasn’t enthusiastic about saving people from suffering. For Lu Qingshuang, he only prepared knives. In front of Bai Ze, Lu Qinyuan spoke more euphemistically, after all, they were somewhat familiar with each other, and he usually referred to him as “Addict Phoenix.”

Qi Yue quickly said, “No, no, Lu-ye, please spare me.” He looked to Bai Ze for help. Bai Ze turned his gaze slightly, but ultimately helped by saying, “Someone helped him create the sins; he can only bear them.”

Qi Yue quickly rolled down the stairs, saying, “Yes, yes, that’s what I meant; I didn’t mean anything else.”

Shu Xiu quickly kicked him when he’s down, “Dare you have other meanings? Let Min Jia beat you to death!”

“I’d be happy to be beaten to death.” Qi Yue stood up and left, giving Shu Xiu a flying kiss. Shu Xiu disgustedly turned his head away, which made Qi Yue laugh heartily.

Walking outside, Cheng Ruoyu looked up at the sky and exhaled a long breath.

He knew that his acting was clumsy, and his set of leaky statements couldn’t hide anything from Lu Qinyuan, especially with Bai Ze around, it was easy to see whether his words were true or false.

When he first saw Xiao Qi, Cheng Ruoyu was astonished, but Cheng Du severely warned him not to make a move on Xiao Qi, unless he wanted to bring ruin to the Cheng family. He was entrusted by an old acquaintance and couldn’t break his promise.

Although Cheng Ruoyu was playful and obsessed with beauty, he wasn’t lost. He valued filial piety, and the position of his family in his heart outweighed everything else, but letting go required a strong enough reason. Cheng Du initially refused to reveal anything, but couldn’t resist Cheng Ruoyu and had to mention, “Old acquaintance, a deceased acquaintance.”

Among their family, there was only one person who Cheng Du would call an old acquaintance, and be willing to worry about. Cheng Ruoyu’s heart was filled with mixed feelings. When he sent Xiao Qi away, he didn’t even have the courage to look at him, fearing that he would impulsively regret making an irreparable mistake.

Xiao Qi was still playing rollerblades in the yard. Min Jia and Zhu Yan were sitting on chairs, smiling faintly and talking about something, occasionally looking at Xiao Qi. When he came over, they nodded as a greeting.

Cheng Ruoyu beckoned to Xiao Qi, and Xiao Qi skated over like the wind, circling him once like a butterfly before stopping, smiling and asking, “What’s the matter?”

Xiao Qi’s face was flushed and smiling, and the cinnabar tattoo under his left eye was like a blooming flower. Cheng Ruoyu touched his head, hesitating to speak. He wanted to ask Xiao Qi if he was willing to go with him, but he knew that it wasn’t realistic; Lu Qinyuan wouldn’t let him go.

Looking at Xiao Qi’s bright, smiling eyes, Cheng Ruoyu was filled with guilt. He said in a low voice, “I’m sorry.”

He didn’t dare look at Xiao Qi’s eyes. When he received Lu Qinyuan’s call saying “Not bad, I’ll take him,” he realized that he had made the worst move. This was a dead end that he couldn’t solve.

Cheng Ruoyu thought with a wry smile that he was a person who had a harsh and picky eye for beauty, and he couldn’t control himself in front of Xiao Qi. Although Lu Qinyuan was cold-hearted, he was also a normal person. He should have listened to his father and shouldn’t have sent Xiao Qi to Lu Qinyuan, but since things had been settled, he could only look forward.

Xiao Qi looked at Cheng Ruoyu and suddenly smiled. “I’m doing quite well here.”

“Are you?” Cheng Ruoyu was slightly distracted, taking off the mutton fat white jade beads on his hand and putting them on Xiao Qi’s wrist. “I was entrusted to help you eliminate distracting thoughts and evil thoughts.” He paused for a moment and said in a low voice, “I’m leaving; you must wait for him to come and see you.”

The beads had a jade-like luster, warm and delicate, with exquisite workmanship. Each bead was decorated with a blooming manjusaka flower, the curves were smooth and graceful, and there wasn’t a single flaw. They were still warm when Cheng Ruoyu gave them to him.

Qi Yue, who had escaped, saw Min Jia from a distance and wagged his tail, calling out “Jia Jia” and clinging to him.

Min Jia reached out to block him and said to Zhu Yan, “You stay with Xiao Qi; I’m going to walk the dog.” He got up and left, followed by Qi Yue, who had transformed into a dog, protesting unhappily, “How did I become a dog…”

Zhu Yan saw Cheng Ruoyu talking to Xiao Qi and asked, “Do you know Young Master Cheng?”

Xiao Qi shook his head and suddenly thought of the sweet and sour taste of raspberries. He tugged on Zhu Yan’s hand and said, “Uncle, take me to pick raspberries, okay? I want to eat raspberries.”

“Okay.” Zhu Yan granted Xiao Qi’s every request, bending down to help him take off his rollerblades and change his shoes, then took Xiao Qi out the door.

The raspberry bushes grew on the mountainside. Zhu Yan and Xiao Qi strolled and played as they went, and from a distance, they could see the red raspberries covering the branches, hidden among the clusters of green leaves.

“Wow, now I can eat my fill!” Xiao Qi ran over and climbed up the branches, picking two and stuffing them directly into his mouth. He busily reached out to pick more, picking and eating, chatting casually with Zhu Yan, “Uncle, did you plant these? They’re so well-grown!”

“Mm.” Zhu Yan was tall and picked the ripe ones from the higher places, occasionally eating a few. He couldn’t handle sourness; his teeth would ache as soon as he ate them, but his sister liked them. “We’re from the countryside. Our family was too poor to afford any fruit, so the raspberries that grew on the mountains near our home could satisfy our cravings. My sister especially liked to eat them. As soon as the raspberries were ripe, the children in the village would tie a red rope to the branch with the best raspberries, which meant that it was owned. The children in the countryside were honest and wouldn’t pick the ones with red ropes tied to them.”