“You… you…”
Xie Yunyu stood frozen at the doorway. Remembering that Lu Rang was a celebrity, he quickly shut the door and slipped inside, afraid that anyone passing by in the hallway might catch a glimpse of the scene.
Luo Ying had only opened his eyes when he heard the door open. The moment he saw Xie Yunyu appear, his brain short-circuited. It was only when Lu Rang quietly ended that long, passionate kiss that he finally snapped back to reality.
Perhaps the fervent kiss had been too intense, for Luo Ying’s face was flushed crimson with desire, showing no trace of the pallor one would expect from a patient.
He clutched the blanket tightly in his hands, wishing he could feign unconsciousness, play dead, or pretend to be asleep in that awkward moment.
“You two…”
Xie Yunyu’s gaze shifted between the two of them as he half-covered his mouth and slowly approached.
Lu Rang calmly stood up and extended his hand to introduce himself. “Hello, I’m Luo Ying’s boyfriend, Lu Rang.”
Xie Yunyu was pulled back to the present by Lu Rang’s composed and steady tone. He shot Luo Ying a questioning look, seeking confirmation. Seeing the person on the hospital bed silently acquiesce, he numbly shook Lu Rang’s hand. “I’m Xie Yunyu, Luo Ying’s friend.”
Xie Yunyu and Lu Rang had occasionally seen each other before but had never formally met. He never imagined their first proper introduction would happen under such circumstances.
Lu Rang’s phone rang again, the tone short and urgent, suggesting it might be something important.
He stepped out to take the call, giving Xie Yunyu and Luo Ying ample space for a private conversation.
Xie Yunyu sat down on the sofa beside the bed.
Leaning closer, he carefully examined Luo Ying’s condition and asked with concern, “Are you feeling better now?”
Luo Ying kept his eyes fixed on the rows of blue lines on the blanket, feeling his face still burning hot.
“Much better. I slept for almost an entire day.”
“He… you two…” Xie Yunyu pointed outside, then at Luo Ying. “How long have you been together?”
Luo Ying thought for a moment. “Almost two months.”
Xie Yunyu let out a sigh of amazement, then accepted the reality after a long exhale.
Luo Ying was deeply conflicted. The current situation was perfect for telling Xie Yunyu about his arrangement with Lu Rang, but facing Xie Yunyu’s expression—still struggling to digest the “surprise”—he found it difficult to bring it up.
Xie Yunyu thought of something and changed the subject. “By the way, Luo Ying, how are things with your father?”
Luo Ying replied, “No major updates. The debt issue came up too suddenly, and the bank is still investigating. I’ve also asked people from my father’s company to help look into it.”
Xie Yunyu said, “If it’s still just the investigation phase, why freeze all the funds? That doesn’t seem compliant, does it?”
“Yeah, it really isn’t compliant. I was careless at the time and didn’t file an appeal promptly.”
Luo Ying had realized this issue a long time ago. When he had Fei Yan investigate the contract recently, he also submitted a request to unfreeze the assets.
Now, all he needed to do was wait for Fei Yan’s investigation results. As long as the land reclamation contract was confirmed to have loopholes, he planned to hire a lawyer to appeal the debt issue.
Luo Ying had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before there were signs of progress and a turning point in this matter.
Xie Yunyu added, “If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word. No matter what it is, don’t let yourself suffer.”
Luo Ying’s eyelids twitched, sensing that Xie Yunyu was also subtly referring to his relationship with Lu Rang.
If he told him he was acting as Lu Rang’s first love substitute, Xie Yunyu would probably explode.
Forget it, better not say anything.
Better to avoid trouble than invite it.
Xie Yunyu didn’t stay long before leaving. Lu Rang returned after taking a call, carrying a dinner he had bought from the hospital cafeteria.
Fortunately, those who came to this private hospital were either wealthy or influential. Otherwise, Lu Rang openly buying dinner from the cafeteria would have immediately landed him on the headlines.
Couldn’t he have just ordered in advance? Why bother doing it himself?
Still, it did feel a bit like the gesture of a warm and responsible boyfriend.
After dinner, the nurse came to administer the IV drip. Luo Ying watched as the thin needle pierced his skin, blood briefly flowing back into the tube before being washed away by the medication.
Lu Rang seemed to have pushed all his work aside today, staying close by in the hospital room without leaving. He appeared idle, yet calls and messages for him kept coming one after another.
After the IV drip was finished in the evening, the doctor came to check on Luo Ying’s condition.
Seeing that he was fine, the doctor said he could be discharged the next day.
He also gave a lot of instructions. When he explicitly mentioned controlling and abstaining from alcohol, Luo Ying felt Lu Rang’s stern gaze flicker toward him.
The next day, after completing the discharge procedures, Luo Ying basked in the sunlight after the rain, feeling as if he had been reborn, full of energy and vitality.
Back home, he comfortably nestled into the sofa. Indeed, home was much more comfortable than the hospital.
As soon as Lu Rang returned home, he hurried upstairs to his study, looking quite anxious. Luo Ying recalled the earlier phone call, curled his lips disdainfully, and reminded himself not to care.
Footsteps soon echoed from the stairs as Lu Rang walked briskly toward Luo Ying, holding a document folder.
“What’s this?”
Luo Ying squinted at the folder in front of him.
Lu Rang spoke elegantly, like a cool and wealthy guy: “Your salary raise.”
“What’s inside?”
Money? It seems too little.
A check? It feels a bit thick.
Luo Ying took the folder, opened it, and found a pile of property deeds, contracts, land certificates, bankbooks, and bank cards.
Luo Ying: …
Luo Ying: ??
Luo Ying: !!
“What do you mean by this?”
This salary raise seemed a bit too much.
Yet Lu Rang’s cold and handsome face was filled with sincerity: “Luo Ying, I want to be with you forever. Is that okay?”
“Huh?” Luo Ying packed the items back into the folder. “So, you’re planning to hand over all your assets to me?”
“Yes, that’s right. The bank card password is 595799, and the bankbook password is the same. You can use the money however you want.”
Luo Ying was shocked.
This guy was playing it big—wasn’t he afraid Luo Ying would run off halfway?
“Bro, I’m just a substitute…”
“Luo Ying!” Lu Rang raised his voice, seemingly unhappy. “You’re not a substitute.”
Luo Ying was filled with confusion.
If he hadn’t heard Lu Rang say not long ago that he was just a self-important substitute, he might have been moved to tears by the contents of the folder.
Well, he was still a little moved.
After all, Lu Rang had also given him a black card.
Luo Ying had money to spend now.
“Are you planning to buy my whole life with money?”
Isn’t that a bit shallow?
“No.”
Lu Rang shook his head. “What I mean is, I’m giving you everything I have, including myself.”
“I’m asking for your opinion. Is that okay?”
Luo Ying stared blankly for a long time before finally uttering a single word: “Wow.”
Lu Rang sat down beside him, tilting his head, unable to figure out what Luo Ying was thinking. He could only watch silently, waiting for his response.
Luo Ying couldn’t bear such a direct, waiting gaze. He had taken Lu Rang as a sugar daddy, a casual fling, fully intending to slip away once he had earned enough money. But Lu Rang didn’t play by the rules—pulling out a stack of property deeds one after another, catching him completely off guard.
Wait… wait…
What exactly did this guy mean now?
Was he using him as a substitute for his first love, or had he genuinely fallen for him?
If it was just a substitute, no one would agree to that.
If he had truly fallen for Luo Ying himself, even though Luo Ying didn’t have that much romantic feeling for Lu Rang, it wasn’t impossible to get to know him better and explore things further.
But…
They had no emotional foundation. How could Lu Rang possibly fall for him in such a short time? It made no sense, completely illogical.
Could it be because of their three years of high school camaraderie?
Luo Ying took a deep breath, adjusting his mindset. “Lu Rang, let me ask you this—who do you like more, me or your first love?”
For a moment, he felt a flicker of hopeful excitement, wishing Lu Rang would answer without hesitation that he liked him.
But Lu Rang didn’t.
Instead, his dark eyes seemed to reflect a tangled mess of confusion.
That hesitant, almost agonized expression, as if he were struggling to make a choice, looked exactly like how Luo Ying had felt when he first debated whether to agree to Lu Rang’s proposal of dating.
“Luo Ying, actually, you and him, you two are…”
Luo Ying didn’t want to hear Lu Rang compare him to that first love.
He waved his hand, forcing a magnanimous smile, his expression calm and composed. “Ah—alright, alright, no need to compare. I was just joking.”
Luo Ying felt hollow inside, yet it was as if a pair of hands were squeezing his heart—an indescribable ache and frustration.
He accepted the folder Lu Rang handed him, lowering his gaze and letting the hair on his forehead hide his disappointed eyes.
With a faint smile, Luo Ying said, “Are you giving yourself to me too? Well, I’ll think about it.”
“But Lu Rang, compared to you, I actually like your money more.”