[He will never marry you!]
By the time Lu Ting’an arrived home, Lu Chenhu had already returned; his car was parked in the courtyard.
The moment he opened the front door of the villa, Lu Ting’an’s foot froze in mid-air. The entire lobby was shrouded in thick clouds of smoke, looking more hazy than the Monkey King’s rampage in the Heavenly Palace. Then came the pungent smell of burning incense.
“What’s going on?” Lu Ting’an took two steps back, covering his nose as he peered inside with concern. “Dad! Are you performing an exorcism in there?”
Hearing his voice, Lu Chenhu—who was in the middle of an offering—hurriedly thrust the incense sticks into the burner and ran to the door with frantic, short steps. “You brat, you’re finally back.”
The wind from outside blew inward, and Lu Chenhu, mouth agape, suddenly choked on a mouthful of smoke.
“Cough! Cough, cough, cough!”
“Are you okay?”
“Cough! Don’t come in yet…” Before Lu Ting’an could move, Lu Chenhu had already rushed out. “There’s a brazier on the ground in front of you. I’ve burned a talisman I got from Daoist Master Cheng Xuan. Hurry up and jump over it to burn away the bad luck.”
“…”
Lu Ting’an wanted to call him superstitious, but seeing the house had already been turned into this state, it would seem ungrateful not to jump. Squinting his eyes to find the brazier on the ground, he lifted his leg and leaped over.
As soon as he landed, Lu Chenhu raised his hand and showered him with two handfuls of salt. After fussing over him for quite a while, the older man finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Alright, you guys, come over here and clear away the brazier and the salt. Throw them far away, you hear me!”
“Yes, sir.” Several servants gathered around, carrying the brazier away. Others went to open the doors and windows to air the place out.
Lu Chenhu then led Lu Ting’an to his late wife’s memorial tablet. He lit three sticks of incense, pressed them into his son’s palm, and urged, “Offer some incense to your mother. Let her spirit in heaven protect you. Ah Hai called to report to me this afternoon—what on earth were you thinking, child? Daoist Master Cheng Xuan said to stay far away from ‘yin’ and filthy places, yet here you are, running off to a murder scene?”
Lu Ting’an piously prayed in his heart, ‘Let me stop dreaming,’ before planting the incense. “It’s not like I wanted to. My superior took me to the scene; could I refuse?”
Lu Chenhu slammed his hand on the table in irritation. “What kind of ‘superior’ has such a big ego?”
“Gu Yingzhou, the Captain of Major Crimes Unit 1.”
“…” The angry expression on Lu Chenhu’s face froze. He looked at his son with a suspicious, “why-are-you-so-hopeless” gaze. “Are you sure Gu Yingzhou insisted on taking you to the scene, and it wasn’t you wagging your tail and chasing after him?”
Lu Ting’an: “?”
“Am I really that cheap?” In all his life, Lu Ting’an had never chased after anyone like a puppy.
Lu Chenhu pursed his lips and brushed the question aside with a very subtle, knowing look.
…
During dinner, Lu Chenhu initially ate in silence. But the more he thought about it, the more distressed he became, until even the fragrant sticky rice became hard to swallow.
He knew his son’s character best. Due to the family’s indulgence, Lu Ting’an had never failed to get anything he wanted since childhood. Consequently, after reaching adulthood, he was utterly ruthless when pursuing men he liked.
When Lu Chenhu first learned his son liked men, he felt as if the sky had fallen.
His wife had passed away early, and the Lu family had only this one “lone seedling.” It would be one thing if the family were penniless, but he was successful and had a massive estate for his descendants to inherit. If Lu Ting’an didn’t marry and have children, wouldn’t the Lu family line end with him!
During that period, Lu Chenhu was a daze, unable to eat or sleep, losing ten pounds. He once thought he was about to go join his late wife.
However, reality proved that when dealing with a “debt-collector” son like Lu Ting’an, a person’s bottom line can be constantly lowered.
A while back, Lu Ting’an had been in a terrible state—lifeless and dull. He would either stay up all night or sleep for days on end. Doctors came many times but found nothing physically wrong, yet a street sorcerer claimed he looked like a man with no time left to live.
At that point, Lu Chenhu thought: I don’t care if he likes men or a pig—as long as he’s healthy, he can like a blade of grass for all I care.
Who could have guessed that once Lu Ting’an recovered a bit, his taste would improve so drastically that he’d fall in love with Gu Yingzhou at first sight during a banquet…
After holding it in for a while, Lu Chenhu finally couldn’t help himself. “Son, I believe that a person’s greatest virtue is self-awareness. Some… desires… should be nipped in the bud.”
Lu Ting’an had a piece of braised pork in his mouth, chewing away. “What desires?”
Lu Chenhu thought for a moment, trying to be subtle. “Gu Yingzhou is the only son of the Gu family. His mother’s side is a century-old scholarly clan; his maternal grandfather is still the President of Hong Kong University. His father is even more formidable—the grandfather’s generation ruled both the underworld and the legitimate business world, and only ‘washed his hands in a gold basin’ ten years ago. Even so, their network of connections is incredibly complex. Son, do you really think such a prestigious family would ever allow a man to marry in?”
Lu Ting’an: “…” Chew, chew, chew.
Lu Chenhu set down his bowl and chopsticks. “Don’t you get it yet? The Gu family already has a suitable daughter-in-law in mind. The kind that can actually bear children!”
“…” Chew, chew… He stopped chewing.
He finally caught the drift. Lu Chenhu was giving him a “friendly reminder” to drop any wicked designs he had on Gu Yingzhou.
He knew Lu Chenhu had his best interests at heart. Since the original owner truly did like men, this was a misunderstanding he hadn’t cleared up yet.
However, there was one point he felt he had to address.
“Why is the assumption that I’m the one who wants to marry into the Gu family?” Lu Ting’an tilted his head, looking genuinely perplexed. “Could it not be that I want to marry Gu Yingzhou into ours?”
Granted, he didn’t look as “manly” as Gu Yingzhou, but he was absolutely certain his heart was tougher than anyone’s. Even if he were gay, he’d definitely be the one on top.
Lu Chenhu sat there with his mouth open, speechless. “…”
He was extremely relieved he had set his bowl down before speaking; otherwise, Lu Ting’an’s words would have sent his dinner crashing to the floor.
He had no idea who his son had inherited such a delusional, narcissistic streak from.
After a moment, Lu Chenhu finally spoke again. “Ting’an, which side did you face when you slept last night? How could you have such a beautiful dream?”
“The right side.”
Lu Chenhu let out a hearty laugh. “Then I’ll sleep on my right side tonight too. I’ll see if I can dream of marrying your mother all over again.”
Lu Ting’an: “…”
After a brief pause, he offered a quiet reminder. “I wouldn’t suggest it, Dad. Have you forgotten? I only have nightmares.”
“…”!
Lu Chenhu’s laughter was cut short as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. His wide grin vanished, replaced by a look of intense guilt. “No, son… I didn’t mean…”
Lu Ting’an lowered his head and set his bowl down. “It’s fine. I didn’t take it to heart.”
Despite his words, he stood up and headed upstairs.
“…”
Lu Chenhu felt even more guilty, nearly tempted to slap himself. He cursed his own big mouth for bringing up such a sore subject, unaware that the moment Lu Ting’an reached the stairs, he straightened his back—his face devoid of the “depressed” look he’d worn downstairs.
Lu Ting’an was doing it entirely on purpose. That’s what his father got for questioning his virility.
That night, Lu Ting’an dreamed again.
During the day, he had repeatedly seen that toad-faced, human-bodied monster tearing at Zhou Wanxi, and he expected more of the same that night.
But to his utter surprise, when he entered the dream tonight, he saw the entire crime scene in full detail.
Including the killer’s face.