Luo Ying had always had a low tolerance for shrill, raspy voices.
He didn’t even need to turn around—just hearing the voice told him exactly who it was.
In Haidu, there was a circle built on wealth, where someone had ranked all the city’s elite and wealthy heirs.
Before Luo Xiaohe went bankrupt, Luo Ying had ridden on his father’s coattails, always held in high regard. After the bankruptcy, he was naturally dragged down from the clouds without mercy.
The person who had just spoken was Zhou Daiyu, the one who had loudly proclaimed in a hundred-person group chat on the day Luo Ying’s family was penalized by the bank that his father had embezzled funds and fled.
Zhou Daiyu’s family had been in construction contracting for generations, only venturing into the film industry in recent years.
Due to corner-cutting incidents in their contracted projects years ago, Luo Xiaohe had never worked with their family, yet they were always eager to latch onto Luo Xiaohe’s projects.
Not only did Luo Xiaohe look down on their family, but Luo Ying also looked down on Zhou Daiyu.
Back in their school days, Zhou Daiyu had always fawned over Luo Ying, showering him with gifts during holidays. Luo Ying had refused several times to no avail, until he finally got fed up and publicly berated him in front of many people in their circle.
Zhou Daiyu felt that Luo Ying had humiliated him that day, and ever since, he had been badmouthing Luo Ying behind his back.
Now that he had caught wind of the bankruptcy news, he had been crowing about it in the group chat for days.
His sarcastic remarks fell flat, so he quickly switched to another jab: “Mr. Luo’s temper is still as fiery as ever.”
Luo Ying poured two glasses of wine, handing one to Ye Xirong, completely ignoring Zhou Daiyu.
Ye Xirong was the type to make friends based on his mood. He glanced at Zhou Daiyu—unimpressive looks, not worth his time.
Zhou Daiyu felt like he was being treated as invisible. How dare someone who had gone bankrupt still act so arrogantly toward him? “Luo Xiyu, I’m fucking talking to you!”
Clang—
Luo Ying’s glass slammed heavily onto the table. He lifted his eyes to look at Zhou Daiyu, his amber eyes filled with disgust and warning, cold as a blade, cutting into Zhou Daiyu with every glance.
Before changing his name, Luo Ying had been called Luo Xiyu.
Because he had fair features and rosy lips since childhood, and the name sounded too feminine, he was often bullied by male classmates in elementary school who treated him like a girl.
Luo Ying would come home feeling wronged every time. When Luo Xiaohe found out about it, he pulled strings overnight to change his name to “Luo Ying.”
He had always hated that old name. Aside from those who had gone to school with him as a child, Luo Ying had never mentioned it to anyone else.
Coincidentally, Zhou Daiyu had attended the same schools as him all along. This guy really knew how to step on every one of Luo Ying’s sore spots.
Zhou Daiyu was thoroughly intimidated by Luo Ying’s gaze. He had thought that with Luo Ying’s family bankrupt, he would be an easy target, but he hadn’t expected him to still be so arrogant.
Over the years, Luo Ying’s long-standing dominance over him and his aloof, noble demeanor were enough to make Zhou Daiyu hesitate.
He had initially planned to slip away as if nothing had happened, but his earlier outburst had been too loud, drawing the attention of many around them.
Zhou Daiyu felt trapped. He had only wanted to mock Luo Ying, but now he was on the verge of becoming the joke himself.
“Who’s making such a racket?”
Wen Silan returned, holding a wine glass as he stood behind Luo Ying’s sofa. Leaning one hand on the sofa, he bent slightly forward, his expression casual and indifferent.
Lu Rang had just extricated himself from a group of directors, his face cold, his sharp brows tightly furrowed, exuding an aura of guarded intensity.
From an outsider’s perspective, the only son of the “big mountain” in the domestic entertainment circle, a top-tier film emperor, and a major shareholder of an entertainment company—all three held significant status in the industry, yet they were gathered around just one person. It was immediately clear who they were backing.
“My meaning… what I wanted to say…”
Zhou Daiyu’s confidence visibly waned. He had long heard that Luo Ying and Lu Rang had an unusual relationship during their school days, but he hadn’t expected them to still be in touch now.
He was hoping to get Lu Rang to take on a film project he was co-investing in, so he absolutely couldn’t afford to offend him today.
Luo Ying, in a tone that suggested he had no interest in engaging, lifted his eyes and asked, “Looking for me?”
Zhou Daiyu stumbled over his words: “Long time no see, I… I just came over to say hello.”
Luo Ying’s lips curled slightly, one eyebrow raised in indifference. He let out a drawn-out “Oh,” his tone dripping with impatience, as if he were practically writing “Why isn’t this guy leaving yet?” on his face.
“What time is it?” Ye Xirong nudged Luo Ying with his elbow, almost treating Zhou Daiyu as if he were air.
Wen Silan glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late, almost ten.”
Lu Rang leaned down, positioning himself between Wen Silan and Luo Ying. He rested one hand on Luo Ying’s shoulder and whispered close to his ear, “We should head home.”
Ever since running into Zhou Daiyu, Luo Ying had felt his appetite vanish, and his mood had soured.
He couldn’t wait to get home early. If he hurried through his bedtime routine, he might even have time for a steamy night with Lu Rang.
It had been over half a month since they’d last been intimate.
After Luo Ying left with Lu Rang, the onlookers who had been watching the drama still hadn’t dispersed.
“Who is that guy?”
“Probably a new artist signed by President Wen. He’s pretty good-looking.”
“What new artist would be brought to a place like this? Look at the kind of scene this is. Didn’t you see Teacher Ye actively going over to chat with him earlier?”
“This guy has that much clout? Why did he leave with Brother Lu? They must have a special relationship.”
“I heard Brother Lu might be… Are they that kind of relationship?”
“What nonsense are you talking? Gossiping about that kind of thing is the biggest taboo in this circle!”
Late at night, a light rain began to fall again. The sports car sped onto the elevated highway, the wind whipping the rain against the windows.
The windshield wipers swayed back and forth, and the car was quiet, the warmth gradually filling the interior.
This was the peak hour for night shift workers in Haidu to head home. A car changing lanes on the highway had caused a minor collision, leading to a long stretch of road being completely blocked.
Luo Ying had always thought of Lu Rang as a man of few words, but perhaps because Lu Rang always took the lead in flirting and intimacy, Luo Ying never found their time together dull.
The car inched forward slowly. Lu Rang’s hands, with their distinct knuckles, gripped the steering wheel. His neck was slender, his jawline sharp and handsome.
The Adam’s apple visible at the collar of his shirt moved up and down occasionally. The faint, elegant scent of wood emanating from him was intoxicating, and Luo Ying nestled into the seat, greedily savoring it.
“Luo Ying, are you planning to break into the domestic entertainment industry?”
Lu Rang’s sudden question snapped Luo Ying out of his reverie, and his eyes flew open.
“Ah, yeah.”
“Last time I visited your set, I chatted with that investment representative. It seems there are quite a few ways to make money in the entertainment industry.”
“Our company’s cross-border financial projects are basically stable now. Before, Yun Yu… my business partner and I were thinking about expanding our ventures.”
Luo Ying explained earnestly, but Lu Rang showed no particular reaction after listening.
At work, they naturally had little interaction, and Luo Ying almost never shared anything about company matters.
Instead, it was Lu Rang who occasionally talked about what happened on set, which Luo Ying found quite satisfying.
But even if Luo Ying didn’t discuss it, Lu Rang could still figure out the direction of his company’s operations.
It was as if he had eyes planted on him.
Lu Rang asked again, “The Yun Yu you mentioned, is it Xie Yunyu?”
Luo Ying clicked his tongue in surprise, “You know him?”
Lu Rang glanced at him and said calmly, “We’ve met a few times.”
Hearing this, Luo Ying stiffened, feeling as if the seat beneath him was on fire—he could hardly sit still.
In Luo Ying’s eyes, Xie Yunyu had always been a clean, aloof, and simple-minded man, so he hadn’t thought about telling him about being kept by Lu Rang. At least for now, he wasn’t keen on going into detail.
Besides, Xie Yunyu hadn’t had much contact with the entertainment industry before. How had Lu Rang met him?
Luo Ying’s mind was a mess of thoughts. If it weren’t for Xie Yunyu having a boyfriend who was pestering him, he might have suspected that Xie Yunyu could be Lu Rang’s white moonlight.
Seeing Luo Ying’s stunned expression, Lu Rang smiled, his tone dripping with affection, “We met at a gathering with my friends. It was just a few encounters.”
“Oh!” Luo Ying’s face fell. He wasn’t particularly interested in knowing, so why bother explaining so deliberately!
Lu Rang changed the subject, “It’s clear that Teacher Ye likes you.”
Luo Ying was puzzled and followed up, “Why? We only met for the first time today.”
“He believes in fate.”
Luo Ying felt inexplicably smug, “I feel a connection with him too.”
As the traffic started moving, Lu Rang glanced at him while accelerating, “He thinks you and I are fated, able to be together again after so long apart.”
“He knows about our relationship!?”
“Yes. Ye Xirong told him.”
Luo Ying felt as if he’d been struck over the head, and the sound of rain outside the car window seemed to grow denser.
He had pretended not to be familiar with Lu Rang in front of the old man and even specifically mentioned that they were just old classmates.
No wonder Ye Suishan had looked back at Lu Rang when patting his hand—he had known about their relationship all along!
Luo Ying held his forehead, realizing he had put on an act all evening for nothing.
So, when Ye Suishan said he was optimistic about his project and wanted to ask for a role for Ye Xirong, was it also because of his relationship with Lu Rang?
Luo Ying hesitated, “Then what he said…”
“Teacher Ye genuinely finds your project novel and promising.”
Lu Rang paused before continuing, “Ye Xirong is currently in a dispute with his agency over terminating his contract, so he really doesn’t have any roles lined up in the short term.”
Luo Ying felt relieved. With the approval of an industry heavyweight, his project shouldn’t fall through.
It was a 280 million investment, after all. If it failed, he’d have nothing left but to stand on Haidu Bridge and let the northwest wind blow him away.
Back home that night, Luo Ying and Lu Rang shared an unspoken understanding. After showering, they quickly tangled together.
After more than half a month apart, Lu Rang’s demands were even more greedy and intense this time.
After several rounds, Luo Ying felt as if his entire body was filled with Lu Rang’s lingering presence.
Luo Ying thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of soul-deep connection with Lu Rang—it was something he loved, something that intoxicated him.
Weakly curled up under the covers, on the verge of sleep while clutching the edge of the blanket, he was scooped up by Lu Rang and taken to the bathroom for a soak in the tub.
In the bathtub, Luo Ying drifted in and out of consciousness, feeling as if his feet were floating.
He leaned into Lu Rang’s embrace, wrapping his arms around his neck.
Steam curled in the air, Luo Ying’s face flushed from the exercise, her long lashes fluttering, her gaze alluring and lively.
Seizing the perfect moment, she lilted her tone, staring at Lu Rang without a hint of shyness as she said, “Lu Rang, I really like you.”