“Knock, knock, knock.”
The bedroom door suddenly rattled. Recovering his focus, Lanting glanced around the room’s furnishings, brushed away a few wisps of lingering ghostly energy, and called out, “Come in.”
The door swung open to reveal Lan Lin in a full suit.
His attire clearly showed he had just come straight from the office, arriving to see Lanting without even a moment to spare.
Lan Lin pulled up a chair and sat down, turning to see his chronically frail younger brother slumped in the seat, looking listless and lacking in energy.
“Didn’t you sleep well?” he asked, his tone softening.
Lanting shook his head. “Not bad.”
Noticing his brother’s loose hair, Lan Lin simply stepped forward, picked up the comb from the desk, and began to brush it for him.
Lanting’s shoulders instantly stiffened, though his expression remained unchanged, letting Lan Lin tend to his hair.
Off to the side, the usually quiet and silent rusted sword let out a sudden hum. Lanting’s gaze shifted toward it before quickly looking away.
He reached out, pretending to casually rest his hand on the armrest, but actually pressed his fingers firmly against the sword hilt.
Under Lanting’s suppression, the humming sound quickly faded back into silence.
A moment later, Lanting withdrew his hand, and the sword seemed to harbor a grievance, flashing with an unusual crimson and black light, brimming with fierce murderous intent.
A ripple of emotion crossed Lanting’s eyes before settling back into stillness.
Standing behind him, Lan Lin brushed his brother’s hair while reminiscing aloud. “You were always in poor health as a child. Naturally frail, your physical constitution could never compare to other kids your age.”
“When you were born, the doctors said you might not even make it to adulthood. We refused to believe it and started searching for specialists all over the world.”
“Doctors came in waves, all telling us to leave it to fate, but we still wouldn’t accept it.”
When Lan Lin spoke of the past, his tone was filled with emotion and nostalgia. “Mom and Dad heard that some boys have a harsh birth chart, born clashing with their own destiny, and that as long as they grow out their hair and are raised like girls, they can live a long life.”
“So Mom and Dad, who never believed in ghosts or deities, started growing out your hair.”
He chuckled a few times. “I don’t know if ghosts and spirits are real, but somehow your health really did improve step by step. Though you’re still frail, you safely made it past eighteen.”
Surprisingly, despite being a busy CEO managing countless corporate affairs, Lan Lin managed to tie a neat, beautiful long ponytail.
Straightening his brother’s temples, Lan Lin glanced at the handsome young man in the mirror. “When you were little, you used to fuss that you didn’t know how to comb your hair and insisted I do it for you, only for me to pull out a bunch of hairs and get beaten by Dad until I couldn’t get out of bed.”
“You’ve grown up now,” Lan Lin said. “You comb your hair much better than your older brother does.”
A flicker of suspicion crossed Lanting’s eyes, fearing Lan Lin might have noticed something amiss, but looking up, he only saw a boundless, aching tenderness in the reflection.
“Running away from home for over half a year, you must have suffered quite a bit with that fellow.”
Even with the Lan family’s deterrent influence, it was impossible to completely prevent people behind the scenes from talking trash or mocking his younger brother.
Finally, Lan Lin patted Lanting’s head. “Mom and Dad love you. Don’t let a wrong relationship alienate you from them.”
With that, Lan Lin walked out, pulling the door shut behind him.
As the sound of the closing door faded, Lanting blinked.
That fellow had completely misinterpreted his sudden coldness toward the family as emotional trauma and social withdrawal.
Lost in thought for a second, the pad of Lanting’s ring finger caught on a tiny splinter on the desk, drawing a bead of blood.
He raised his hand to inspect the droplet, then closed his eyes.
“Tch, what a nuisance.”
Not long after Lan Lin left, the rusted sword beside his hand, which had remained quiet for a while, began to stir again.
It nudged his palm, bumped against his thigh, and even spun circles inside his tied-up ponytail.
“Noisy.”
The moment Lanting’s gaze shifted over, he reached out and swatted the rusted sword away.
The blow looked effortless, but it carried immense force, sending the rusted sword crashing against the wall where it hovered, dizzy and dazed for a long while.
“Behave yourself,” the young man warned.
He stood up and headed for the bathroom. The frosted glass door clicked shut, and the sound of running water soon followed, casting a blurred silhouette shifting behind the glass.
The rusted sword stuck against the wall subtly shifted.
A shadow moved inside the bathroom, and the sword instantly played dead once more, save for a single droplet of red liquid at its tip that vanished in a flash.
The bathroom door soon opened, and Lanting stepped out wearing silk pajamas, water droplets still clinging to the ends of his hair.
A drop trickled down the young man’s exquisite jawline, slid past his Adam’s apple, and pooled in his collarbone.
Lanting snapped his fingers, and instantly the moisture evaporated from the tips of his hair. Within moments, he slipped completely dry into bed under the covers.
This mortal body remained terribly sensitive to the winter cold.
Tucked into the blankets with the quilt covering half his face, Lanting closed his eyes. As his body heat rose in sleep, a rare trace of color finally returned to his face.
In the silent night, sensing that the young man had truly fallen asleep, the rusted sword vibrated silently and slowly.
The next moment, black mist spread through the room, pooling by Lanting’s bedside to form a tall man.
The man wore scarcely any clothing; his pale grey upper body was covered in bizarre, intricate markings, his chest muscles thick and bulging, radiating a wild, dark aesthetic.
He looked down at himself, then instantly shifted his gaze to the sleeping youth, utterly refusing to look away.
His gaze was burning and direct, resembling magma hidden beneath a volcano for millennia.
Just then, a beam of moonlight pierced through the window, illuminating the youth’s pretty chin.
The man paused, then slowly raised a hand, stretching it out as if to touch the youth’s skin.
The next instant, sensing something, he abruptly vanished on the spot, the black mist instantly retreating back into the sword without a single trace.
Almost simultaneously with his disappearance, the youth on the bed opened his eyes.
The room was completely empty, with nothing out of the ordinary.
Lanting lowered his gaze, frowning as he stayed awake until dawn.
After that day, Gu Guixi did not come looking for Lanting for half a month. The Lan family was more than pleased to see this and asked no questions.
Lanting didn’t care either, eating and drinking comfortably at home while occasionally playing Go with his adoptive father.
Because of the original body’s frail health, the Lan family had always adopted a hands-off approach, letting him do whatever he enjoyed without prying.
When he discovered Lanting knew how to play Go, the elder Lan was pleasantly surprised for quite a while.
They played a few matches; initially, Lanting lost quickly, but by later rounds, he actually won two games.
Father Lan was amazed. “You picked this up so fast?”
Lanting kept his expression neutral. “Played a bit online.”
Father Lan beamed with delight. “Not bad, not bad.”
Before he could finish, Lanting’s phone rang with a rare incoming call.
The only person who would call him was Gu Guixi.
Clearly, the Lan family members all knew this. The living room instantly fell silent, the atmosphere turning heavy.
Lanting wiped his hands, slowly answered the call, and after a moment, offered a single response. “Mhm.”
After he hung up, Lan Lin asked, “What does he want?”
Lanting brushed off his sleeve. “Inviting me to a gathering with his friends.”
Hearing this, Lan Lin’s face darkened instantly. “Summoned at his beck and call, dismissed at his whim. What does he take you for?”
“It seems the Gu family hasn’t learned their lesson yet. I will…”
“No need to get angry.” Lanting interrupted him, his voice slow and light. “His retribution has already begun.”
The Lan family members were momentarily stunned.
In the end, Lan Lin drove Lanting to the club entrance himself.
Lanting didn’t make Lan Lin get out of the car. Glancing at Gu Guixi waiting by the entrance, he waved goodbye to Lan Lin.
“You head back first.”
Lan Lin didn’t press further. He shot Gu Guixi a threatening look before telling Lanting, “Call me when it’s over.”
“Mhm.”
As the car drove away, Gu Guixi walked over. Having learned that Lanting disliked being touched, he made no attempt to offer a supporting arm this time, merely acting as a guide.
“Follow me.”
Lanting rarely spoke to him, feeling it was a waste of breath on someone destined to die.
This time, however, he said quietly, “I heard the Gu family’s biggest business partner ran off with all the funds.”
Lanting tilted his head toward him, keeping his profile turned to Gu Guixi without sparing him a glance, his tone laced with hidden malice.
“Is that so?” he asked lightly.
Gu Guixi froze completely.
A partner fleeing with funds and the company teetering on the verge of collapse dealt a massive blow to their stock prices. To prevent investor panic, the Gu family had kept this tightly under wraps. Outsiders had no way of knowing this.
Unless the Lan family was behind it.
Gu Guixi was furious, but he knew anger was useless now. Since Lanting brought it up, it meant the Lan family had a way to deal with it.
And the only thing he needed to do now was to please Lanting.
Once known for his aristocratic pride, the young master Gu now had his role reversed with Lanting, his complexion looking more wretched than ever.
Without bothering to check Gu Guixi’s reaction, Lanting walked straight ahead, his posture radiating an aloof superiority.
Pushing open the private room door, Lanting saw Bai Heng seated right in the center of the crowd like the moon surrounded by stars.
Bai Heng was clearly familiar with this group of young elites, far more than Lanting ever was, and their attitude toward Bai Heng was vastly different from their disdain for Lanting.
Even knowing Lanting couldn’t see, Bai Heng shot him a contemptuous look.
Calling Lanting here had been his idea.
Bai Heng wanted Lanting to know that nobody could steal his man away.
Heaven knew how many glasses he had smashed abroad while struggling through his days, upon hearing a young elite report that Gu Guixi’s attitude toward Lanting had drastically changed.
The very next day, Bai Heng resolutely returned to the country, and even their accidental encounter at the gates of Jinchuan University had been meticulously engineered by him.
Gu Guixi followed closely behind Lanting. The young elites had been chatting amongst themselves, ignoring Lanting completely, but when Gu Guixi entered, the room quieted down.
Bai Heng let out a soft laugh, his tone sweet and gentle. “A-Xi, I’m so thirsty. Pour me a glass of water, please. I want you to feed me yourself.”
At that moment, Lanting gave a soft cough. Bending slightly and raising his head, a trace of blood stained the corners of his lips, his lowered gaze masking his expression.
Seeing this, Bai Heng instantly beamed.
Gu Guixi filled a cup with water and walked over. With every step he took, Bai Heng’s eyes lit up. The next second, Gu Guixi changed direction, holding the cup out directly to Lanting.
“Your throat must be uncomfortable after coughing. Have some water.”
Bai Heng’s smile nearly cracked, while Lanting merely uttered an “Oh?” and reached out to take it.
His fingertips brushed the cup for a fraction of a second before he knocked it away, sending scalding water splashing directly onto Gu Guixi’s hands, causing him to cry out in pain and clutch his skin.
Gu Guixi stumbled backward onto the floor, his face distorted in agony.
“Water this hot, are you trying to hurt me?” Lanting asked softly.
Gu Guixi gritted his teeth, clutching his hand. “I’m sorry. No, I checked and it was warm water, I…”
No one understood why Gu Guixi was apologizing to Lanting. A hot-tempered young elite widened his eyes, immediately rolling up his sleeves to rush forward.
Lanting tilted his head slightly, raising his voice for the first time. “Get back down!”
His voice wasn’t particularly loud, merely a bit sharper than his usual gentle tone, yet it forcefully extinguished the young man’s blazing wave of impulse and anger.
When the man snapped out of it, his entire back was drenched in cold sweat.
Lanting smoothed his cuffs, then suddenly stepped down hard on Gu Guixi’s hand. Amidst the ensuing screams, he spoke up. “The Song family’s company was asking my brother to dinner just two days ago, hoping to secure a partnership.”
“The He family just got my brother’s approval to join a project and is practically ecstatic.”
“As for the Xu family, I recall their contracts are already signed. But do you really think the Lan family can’t afford that breach of contract fee?”
Lanting called out the names of the young elites one by one, grinding his shoe downward. Gu Guixi shrieked, trying to pull his hand back, but it felt pinned beneath a mountain, utterly immovable.
The young elites stared at the blind youth in front of them as if looking at a demon. Though the youth kept his gaze lowered and refused to look at them, it felt as though an invisible pair of eyes was coldly staring them down.
“Every single one of you survives by clinging to the Lan family’s coattails. What qualification do you have to point fingers at me?”
In the past, the original body had been mild-tempered and foolish, never thinking of using his family background to intimidate others. With Lanting laying it out like this, everyone thought of their elders and family businesses, turning ice-cold inside with hollowed-out minds.
Suddenly, Lanting lifted his foot, lowered his head, and disgustedly wiped the tip of his shoe clean with a tissue.
Scalded and then trampled, one of Gu Guixi’s hands was a mangled, unrecognizable mess.
The crowd instantly came to their senses, apologies rising and falling around the room.
Lanting didn’t raise his head through it all, merely offering a faint, detached smile.
Bai Heng’s face turned livid with anger.