Because of the Hongzhi’s side, Deng Hui kept delaying, which caused the funding to be disrupted. Lu Yue didn’t want to be blackmailed by him, so he had to find another solution.
These past two days, he had managed to find some connections to set up a dinner appointment with the real estate tycoon, Mr. Wang. He hoped this time there would be progress.
Inside the luxury hotel, Lu Yue had his people tirelessly prepare for this meal. To be honest, this opportunity was rare, and he didn’t want to miss it. Fortunately, he was confident in what he had prepared. Although their company was still of moderate size, the prospects for development were promising. Whether he could convince Mr. Wang depended on this conversation…
Lu Yue glanced at his watch again; the pointer had passed the agreed time. Although Lu Yue despised late people, he had to suppress his impatience since he was currently in need of a favor.
However, there were many reasons for being late; Lu Yue didn’t know what Mr. Wang was thinking…
Lu Yue’s heart was pounding, and then suddenly his head started spinning. He swayed violently, almost falling, when a strong hand from behind caught him.
“Mr. Gu, are you alright?” The low, soothing voice pierced his eardrums, making Lu Yue shiver. He then discreetly freed himself from the support and slowly sat in the nearby chair.
“I’m fine, just been having some nightmares lately.” Lu Yue lightly pressed his temple. He couldn’t recall the nightmares he had fallen into last night, but that cold, death-like aura still tightly enveloped him.
The tall assistant beside him flashed a hint of darkness in his eyes, then quickly resumed his calm demeanor.
Twenty minutes later, a slightly chubby middle-aged man finally appeared in sight.
“Mr. Wang, you’re finally here!” Lu Yue stood up with a faint smile. Because his complexion was too pale, he had deliberately applied a bit of makeup to give his youthful face a subtle rosy hue under the lights.
Lu Yue was already like a warm piece of white jade [1]warm piece of white jade: suggests Lu Yue has a serene, pure, and elegant demeanor, like the smooth surface of white jade. It implies natural charm and grace, particularly evident when they smile, … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3506775_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3506775_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, but now when he smiled, it seemed as if he was radiating light, effortlessly capturing everyone’s attention.
The assistant beside him watched the rare smile on the young man’s face and suddenly felt some anger rising from within.
To actually smile at such a man, Gu An, oh Gu An, you really are…unexpected.
At the first glance of Lu Yue, Wang Weishan’s eyes stuck to him like maggots on white porcelain [2]maggots on white porcelain – implies a disturbing and repulsive fixation that makes others uncomfortable. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3506775_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3506775_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, making people feel disgusted and horrified.
But that gaze only lasted for a moment; Wang Weishan immediately reacted and tightly grasped the hand Lu Yue extended, “Sorry for keeping Mr. Gu waiting for so long! I apologize!”
Though his mouth uttered words of apology, his tone didn’t sound apologetic at all. How could someone who deliberately arrived late feel sorry?
Being grasped like this by a fat old man, Lu Yue felt very uncomfortable. He hadn’t even had the chance to hold the male lead’s hand yet, and he was already taken advantage of by an old man. If it weren’t for the mission, he wouldn’t have bothered with such a person!
001: [Host, do you want me to teach him a lesson?]
Lu Yue said coldly: [No need. Don’t take matters into your own hands and ruin my plan.]
Thinking of the plan Lu Yue mentioned this morning, 001 fell into silence without much thought.
While Wang Weishan continued to hold onto him, his assistant suddenly spoke from behind, “Mr. Gu, the food and drinks are ready. Please both of you, have a seat.”
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lu Yue suddenly broke free from the grip and smiled, “Mr. Wang, please have a seat.”
Wang Weishan regretfully touched his empty palm; the smooth touch just now almost made his blood boil.
But, it’s not urgent yet.
With a lewd smile curling his lips, he passed by where He Lang was standing, but suddenly felt a chill coming from behind.
“You wait outside,” Wang Weishan pointed at the obstructing assistant.
Lu Yue turned to look at his own assistant and somehow sensed a hint of oppression from his silent face.
He waved his hand at him, “You go outside for now.”
The silent assistant pursed his lips almost imperceptibly, then turned away in silence. The moment he stepped out of the private room, his face suddenly darkened.
It had to be said, Mr. Wang was truly cunning. Lu Yue had spent half an hour drinking with him, but every time the topic of cooperation came up, it was deftly avoided.
Lu Yue couldn’t handle alcohol to begin with; every time he drank too much, he would get severely dizzy, even vomiting and feeling nauseous until the next morning.
However, whenever there were such occasions before, He Lang would help him handle the alcohol, so he hadn’t felt this dizzy and uncomfortable in a long time.
Lu Yue’s face flushed from the alcohol, things in front of him started to blur, and his stomach began to feel restless.
“Mr. Gu, you have such a great capacity for alcohol, have a little more!”
Lu Yue saw Wang Weishan’s enlarged face, his mind unable to keep up, not even realizing when the documents beside him had fallen to the ground.
The strong smell of alcohol close by stimulated his sensitive nerves. Lu Yue frowned uncomfortably; he couldn’t take another sip.
“Hmph, can’t handle your liquor, huh, little guy.” Seeing the beautiful youth slumped on the table, Wang Weishan put down his glass, his gaze shamelessly fixed on the trapped prey.
“So beautiful!”
Lu Yue lay motionless on the table, only retaining a faint awareness of his surroundings. He felt someone touching his face, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable, even more so than being drunk.
Whoever it was, they needed to back off…
Lu Yue tried to move his arm, but he couldn’t muster any strength…
When the door of the private room was kicked open, Wang Weishan was in the midst of carrying him out. He was burning up all over, that area had swollen to the point of discomfort, and he just wanted to take the person to the bed that had already been prepared.
But his actions were interrupted.
“What are you doing? Don’t get in my way!” Wang Weishan roared with a fierce momentum, but when his drunken eyes met the man’s murderous hostility, his back suddenly went cold.
“Give him to me.” The man’s voice was icy, piercing to the bone, and his chilling gaze, along with the aura of frost emanating from him, made it difficult to breathe.
Though his nerves were now trembling, Wang Weishan remembered that the other party was just a mere assistant.
He quickly reassured himself, thinking, What’s there to be afraid of?
He smiled, “This is a transaction between me and your boss. You know we’re here to cooperate, right?”
He thought that after hearing this, the man would step aside voluntarily. But to his surprise, He Lang’s eyes were fixed on Lu Yue, who was lying unconscious in someone else’s arms, like a wolf eyeing its prey.
Without another word, He Lang forcefully kicked the person who dared to touch Lu Yue in the abdomen with all his strength. As the person clutched his stomach in pain, He Lang rudely snatched the unconscious man away.
“You better wait for me!” came the painful and angry cry from behind, but He Lang acted as if he hadn’t heard, his face as cold as ice as he dragged the young man away.
In his dazed state, Lu Yue felt himself being dragged away, the person carrying him acting particularly rough and seemingly filled with suppressed anger.
Struggling to open his eyes just a crack, Lu Yue saw his tall assistant’s indifferent jawline.
He mumbled, “Don’t leave yet… we haven’t… finished discussing the cooperation!” But before he could finish the last word, he was roughly thrown into the car, accidentally knocking his forehead in the process.
The sudden pain brought a moment of clarity to Lu Yue’s eyes. He glanced sideways and saw his assistant closing the car door with a stern face. For a moment, Lu Yue thought it was He Lang standing in front of him.
There’s a time when he got drunk, He Lang also had that same displeased expression.
Lu Yue felt his head spinning again, not because of drunkenness, but because of the dizziness caused by memories constantly flooding his brain. Lately, he had been feeling dizzy like this often, wondering if it was because he missed He Lang too much…
He Lang…
He Lang…
The tall assistant’s face was still terrifyingly grim as he escorted Lu Yue all the way home.
He opened the door and acted so familiar with the place, heading straight to the bedroom. And directly threw Lu Yue onto the bed and was about to leave.
He didn’t know what Lu Yue had said to Wang Weishan today. Although he didn’t believe in Wang Weishan’s so-called “mutual consent” deal.
After all, hadn’t Lu Yue betrayed him before?
And now, leaning so defenselessly in someone else’s arms, can he still believe him?
He Lang showed a cold, mocking smile. He didn’t want to stay in the same room with this person for another moment. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from strangling him!
But as soon as he took a step, the person grabbed the corner of his clothes.
“… Ah Lang?” Lu Yue’s voice trembled uncontrollably, sounding both like a complaint and a coquettish plea.
Hearing this, He Lang paused, wondering if Lu Yue had recognized him. Then he heard Lu Yue behind him say, “Ah Lang, I dreamed of you again…”
Dream? He Lang turned around, his expression uncertain as he looked at the person smiling and snuggling against him. He immediately understood that this was the effect of the drugs he gave him.
“Ah Lang, why do you look unhappy today? You’ve been… you’ve been sullen the whole time.” Lu Yue’s face was flushed, and he spoke unconsciously while slowly reaching for his lover. Only in dreams could Lu Yue be so reckless, seeking fleeting comfort as he did before.
Unfortunately, he didn’t know that the person before him wasn’t a figment of his imagination but his very real, deceased lover.
He Lang immediately changed his mind. He turned around with a cold smile, slowly approached Lu Yue, and reached out to stroke his face. “Do you know why I’m angry?”
Lu Yue, not yet catching the tone in He Lang’s voice, responded honestly and sluggishly, “I… I don’t know. Why are you unhappy, Ah Lang?”
He Lang suddenly closed the distance, his eyes like a ghastly specter from hell, staring intensely into Lu Yue’s hazy eyes. He spoke slowly and deliberately, “Because you—betrayed me!”
“Because you—betrayed me!”
These words struck Lu Yue like a bolt from the blue [3]Like a bolt from the blue is an idiom that means something unexpected and surprising, like a sudden lightning bolt from a clear blue sky. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3506775_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3506775_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, leaving him stunned for a second. Then, as if deeply shocked, he clutched his head and shook it violently, shouting, “I didn’t! I didn’t! I didn’t betray you—”
“You didn’t? Then how did I die?” He Lang’s expression was exceptionally ferocious, his eyes glaring murderously, while a cruel yet seductive smile played at the corners of his mouth.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yue’s eyes became wild and mournful.
His Ah Lang was dead, he’s the cause of his death, and now Ah Lang had come for him!
Tears streaming down his face, Lu Yue frantically grabbing at his hair, muttering, “It’s all my fault, all because of me…”
He Lang’s eyes, hidden in the darkness, narrowed sharply, his tone filled with unprecedented sorrow: “So, you admit you betrayed me?”
“No, I didn’t betray you!” Lu Yue cried out, now in a frenzy, as he lunged forward and grabbed the man’s clothes, showing none of his former gentleness.
He Lang pushed him away with a cold laugh: “You didn’t betray me? Then why did you hook up with Deng Hui? And you both plotted to kill me, and then pretended to deceive everyone?” Even he himself had been deceived.
He Lang’s murderous intent surged, his eyes instantly bloodshot. It was as if he had released his inner demon, mercilessly choking Lu Yue’s slender neck.
If that’s the case, then die!
His grip tightened gradually. The immense force made Lu Yue’s throat ache, and his airway was ruthlessly constricted. He could only open his mouth, showing a face full of pain. Soon, his face turned red.
He stared at He Lang, who was glaring at him with intense hatred. At that moment, Lu Yue knew He Lang truly wanted to kill him.
The thought that his lover wanted to kill him brought an indescribable sadness to Lu Yue. This heart-wrenching pain overshadowed his fear of death. He even thought, since it was his fault, he might as well repay with his own life.
Lu Yue gradually stopped struggling. He closed his eyes, and although his face was twisted with physical pain, there was a smile of relief at the corners of his mouth.
I’m coming to be with you, Ah Lang…
Seeing Lu Yue like this, He Lang was deeply shaken. The young man seemed to have an out-of-body experience, leaving only an empty, lifeless shell.
A sudden, inexplicable fear surged in He Lang’s heart, a fear even more unsettling than when he’s facing death.
He can’t die!
With this thought, He Lang abruptly withdrew his hand.
Saved, Lu Yue gasped for breath. He looked at the still cold-faced man and said, “Ah Lang, I really didn’t betray you… please believe me…”
The young man’s eyes seemed to plead, evoking an inexplicable tenderness. He repeatedly begged his lover to believe him, tears streaming down his face out of guilt.
“If you want me to believe you, then help me find the killer.” After a moment, He Lang spoke from above.
“I will,” Lu Yue said firmly.
Lu Yue woke up in a daze, and by then, it was already bright outside. His first reaction was to check the time, but as the sunlight streamed through the window, the nightmare scenes from last night flooded into his mind like a tidal wave.
The fierce gaze, the suffocating sensation, and the icy voice…
He dreamed of He Lang again last night.
It was still very real, a terrible dream. He was almost killed by He Lang in the dream. He could still remember He Lang’s fierce gaze and the force around his neck.
His neck?
Lu Yue was suddenly shocked. He immediately reached out to touch his neck, feeling a sharp pain where he touched. In a panic, Lu Yue hurriedly ran to the bathroom mirror, and sure enough, he found a dark red bruise on his neck.
Last night wasn’t a dream?
He Lang really come back for him?
Lu Yue was both shocked and delighted. Without knowing why, he immediately picked up his phone and dialed his assistant’s number.
“Mr. Gu?” The voice on the other end of the phone was calm.
“It’s me,” Lu Yue said, “After I got drunk yesterday, did you send me home?”
The voice on the other end replied calmly, “Yes, after you got drunk, I brought you home. I apologize for making a decision on my own.”
“It’s okay, thank you for bringing me back. I’ll go to the company later. That’s all.” Lu Yue hung up the phone, feeling a bit unsettled.
He knew what happened last night was absurd, but he had a feeling it was real.
He Lang did come back for him, and he really wanted to kill him.
As he thought about it again, all the scenes and conversations from last night came flooding back.
He Lang’s death was intentional, he thought Lu Yue had betrayed him and mistakenly believed he had killed him, so he came to find him.
In the end, Lu Yue agreed to help him find the killer.
Yes, it must be like this.
He Lang was really murdered, and the thought of this made Lu Yue wish that person was dead. His lover was cruelly killed by someone!
Lu Yue’s breathing was accompanied by sharp pain.
Who, who would kill He Lang?
Who could it be?
“You didn’t betray me? Then why did you hook up with Deng Hui? And you both plotted to kill me, and then pretended to deceive everyone?”
The sudden recollection of He Lang’s interrogation made Lu Yue’s heart skip a beat.
Could it be Deng Hui?
That’s right! That day, Deng Hui threatened him to attend the party, and later he bumped into He Lang there. He Lang died the same night he ran out!
The murderer is Deng Hui!
Lu Yue felt like a prisoner lost in the darkness. With no clear path ahead, he searched desperately and persistently for even the faintest clues to guide him towards the light. [4]like a prisoner lost in the darkness. With no clear path ahead, he searched desperately and persistently for even the faintest clues to guide him towards the light – This phrase describes how … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3506775_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3506775_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
When Deng Hui’s hypocritical and detestable face appeared in his mind, he felt as if he had found the only way out.
“Deng Hui…”
Though bathed in sunlight, Lu Yue’s eyes were filled with the darkness of hatred. He spat out the name, wishing to annihilate this person completely.
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