“Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?” The voice on the other end was soft, but the tone was far from polite.
“What did Mom always say? Remember to call home often, right?”
Song Yu pursed his lips and responded with a low “Mm.”
The other party clearly didn’t take this matter to heart either. After briefly mentioning it, she got straight to the real purpose of the call.
“You attended the birthday banquet for the Lu family’s young master, Lu Zhi, last night, didn’t you?”
Song Yu knew immediately that word must have spread to the Song family through those who had caused trouble the night before.
“If it weren’t for playing mahjong with Mrs. Liu and the others today, I wouldn’t have even known about this. Honestly, what’s wrong with you? You received an invitation, why didn’t you tell the family?”
“Was your evening gown inappropriate?”
“How can you leave a good impression on the Lu family like that? Don’t you know that just a little favor from them could bring our family’s projects overflowing profits?”
Mrs. Song rambled on incessantly.
In truth, she had only learned about it just before making the call. At first, she didn’t believe it, but after seeing a blurry photo of Song Yu, she had no choice but to accept it.
After all, among the dozen or so children the Song family had sponsored, Song Yu was not only an unremarkable beta but also less talented than the others.
Song Yu remained silent, but since the original owner had always been this way toward them, Mrs. Song didn’t grow suspicious.
“You were at the birthday banquet last night. Did you meet anyone whose interests align with our family’s company projects?”
“No.”
After saying this, Song Yu deliberately held the phone away from his ear. Sure enough, even from a distance, the other party’s shrill voice came through loud and clear.
“What?! No?! Then what on earth did you do last night?!”
Song Yu deliberately lowered his voice, letting the noisy classroom sounds drown him out. “I got drunk as soon as I arrived and was sent back.”
Mrs. Song’s sharp nails dug into the phone, as if she were trying to shove the receiver into her ear. Despite the background noise, she heard every word.
“You! Are you trying to drive me to an early grave?”
“You got drunk and left as soon as you arrived?!” Mrs. Song swayed slightly, sinking onto the sofa as her shock turned to fury.
But she quickly calmed down. Though the anger on her face hadn’t faded, her voice softened slightly.
“Mom doesn’t mean it like that. Mom just thinks we should all work together to make the family better, right?”
“Mom will transfer fifty thousand to your card. I heard freshmen have a lot of things to buy at the start of the semester, don’t they?”
“It’s just that Mom has been so busy lately and hasn’t had time to prepare anything for you.”
Seeing that she was putting on a show of motherly affection, Song Yu no longer suppressed his voice. His tone was filled with gratitude and pleasant surprise. “Thank you, Mom. I’ll study hard at school.”
Mrs. Song opened the proposal on the table in front of her with one hand. Looking at the words “Music Appreciation Salon” written on it, her wrinkled face suddenly broke into a smile.
“Oh, right.” Her withered finger traced over the proposal. “Come home during the National Day holiday in a couple of days. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”
“Coincidentally, the ladies I know have recently taken an interest in the piano. I’m planning to host a music appreciation salon.”
“You’ll support Mom, won’t you?”
Song Yu immediately understood that his mother wasn’t asking, she was simply notifying him.
Was he finally about to witness firsthand what the original book meant when it described the Song family as a place that devoured people without spitting out the bones?
“Alright, I’ll go back.”
After all, he had just received a fresh 50,000 yuan, so Song Yu could afford to put on a slightly better face.
After hanging up the phone, the homeroom teacher entered the classroom for a formal discussion with the class and announced that this year’s National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays would be combined into an eight-day break, starting next Wednesday.
With the 50,000 yuan from his mother now in hand, Song Yu no longer felt the usual urgency to take on part-time jobs during school days. Instead, he spent more time practicing in the music room.
Song Yu knew that if he made even the slightest mistake at the salon, his mother would devour him whole.
And since that chance encounter with Lu Qiwen on Sunday, Song Yu hadn’t seen him again.
It was just before the National Day holiday. Song Yu was about to hail a taxi to take the subway when, as soon as he stepped out of the school gate, a notification popped up on his phone.
[Urgent Task: Recent follower loyalty value is too low. Please address this issue immediately. Time limit: tonight. Penalty for failure: rewards reduced by half.]
Half?!
Song Yu had been carrying his bag, but upon seeing this message, his hand went slack, and the bag thudded to the ground.
“Are you serious, System? Do you know it’s National Day holiday right now?”
“How am I supposed to know where that school bully has gone? How do I even raise the follower loyalty value?!”
The taxi driver parked by the roadside leaned out and asked, noticing the passenger’s rapidly changing expression, “Hey kid, are you getting in or not?”
“Not for now.” Song Yu forced a smile as he picked up his bag again.
The system only ever issued tasks, it never helped with actually completing them. Song Yu was so angry he wanted to tear it apart, but there was nothing he could do.
Resigned, he took out his phone and, staring at the still-open page from that awkward phone call, mustered the courage to send over the cutest, friendliest puppy emoji he could find.
Before Song Yu could even think of what to say next, he saw the status on the other side change to “typing…”
Holy crap, does this school bully have his phone glued to his hand? That was fast!
Song Yu waited nervously for a while, but the other side kept showing “typing…” until, after what felt like an eternity, a single question mark finally appeared.
On his end, Lu Qiwen leaned back in his car, staring at the friendly puppy greeting emoji on his screen and snorting coldly.
It had been so long since he’d returned to the dorm, and this guy hadn’t even bothered to reach out. Did he have any awareness at all that he was supposed to be pursuing someone?
At first, he really had been busy and couldn’t go back to the dorm. He’d even prepared responses for when Song Yu asked why he hadn’t returned. But days passed, one, two, three, and Song Yu hadn’t sent him a single message.
Lu Qiwen couldn’t quite explain why he was so irritated, but out of sheer stubbornness, he stayed at the internet cafe until just before the National Day holiday. Just as he was about to head home, he received an invitation from a friend.
[Same as usual, come help hold down the fort?]
Coincidentally, Lu Qiwen was tired of gaming, and the restless agitation inside him still hadn’t found an outlet. Without a second thought, he agreed.
[Hey Lu, what have you been up to lately~? Why haven’t you been back to the dorm?]
Looking at the message in front of him, Lu Qiwen’s thoughts snapped back to the present. He sneered a few times before replying.
[So you do remember I haven’t been back to the dorm?]
[I thought you were hoping I’d never come back.]
Song Yu stared at Lu Qiwen’s two replies, feeling a pang of guilt. It was true, he had thought exactly that.
[How could I not? I really couldn’t sleep at all without you! I just felt bad about messaging and disturbing you.]
[I’ve been practicing piano the past few days, but as soon as the holiday started, I came straight to hang out with Brother Lu!]
Lu Qiwen narrowed his eyes slightly, the mint candy in his mouth stirred by his tongue.
[Where are you?]
[Me? I’m at the school gate.]
Song Yu didn’t understand why Lu Qiwen suddenly asked that, but after he replied, the other side didn’t send another word.
Just as he was wondering whether to invite Lu Qiwen to hang out somewhere, a dark blue car slowly pulled up in front of Song Yu.
Thinking it was a taxi, Song Yu was about to wave it away when the door opened, revealing the handsome face of an alpha.
Lu Qiwen strode over to him, lifting his chin slightly toward the car.
“Get in?” Song Yu was still a bit confused.
“Just get in when I tell you to. Why so many questions?”
Before Song Yu could ask anything, Lu Qiwen grabbed the bag from his hand and tossed it into the back seat.
Song Yu had no idea what Lu Qiwen was up to, but this could solve the problem of his follower duties, right?
He calmly prepared to follow his luggage into the back seat but was stopped by Lu Qiwen grabbing his collar.
Song Yu turned to look at him blankly, “Huh?”
“Sit in the back?” Lu Qiwen’s sharp phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, giving off a dangerous vibe.
“Treating me like a chauffeur?”
Song Yu froze.
It was actually the school bully driving himself!
Very wisely, he closed the back door and grinned at Lu Qiwen, “How could I? I was just closing the door.”
“So, where are we going?”
Lu Qiwen got into the driver’s seat, “To sell you off.”
“Brother Lu, you’re joking. I’m not worth much.” Song Yu quickly hopped into the passenger seat, looking as if he was afraid Lu Qiwen might change his mind. “I’m not good-looking, and our genders don’t match up, right?”
Seeing how flustered he was, Lu Qiwen’s lips curled into a slight smile.
Soon, the car drove farther away. When Song Yu realized they were heading toward the suburbs, he couldn’t help but grip the seatbelt tightly. “L-looks like it’s getting dark. Why are we going somewhere so remote?”
Lu Qiwen lazily lifted his phoenix eyes, a smile tugging at his lips as he took in Song Yu’s clearly nervous but forcibly calm expression.
“So I told you,” he said slowly, drawing out his words. “I’m selling you off.”
Song Yu swallowed silently, frantically calling out to the system in his mind.
“System!!”
“Th-this school bully wouldn’t really, suddenly…”
But the system, which usually replied immediately, remained completely silent.
Song Yu nearly twisted the seatbelt in his hands into a pretzel, all while forcing an indifferent smile onto his face.
Lu Qiwen’s smile widened, but he offered no explanation.
Song Yu remained anxious until Lu Qiwen slowly brought the car to a stop.
“Get out.”
Staring out the window at the desolate parking lot with no buildings in sight, Song Yu clung to the seatbelt, not daring to move.
Lu Qiwen unbuckled his seatbelt and glanced over. Seeing Song Yu’s tense, slightly fearful expression, he leaned in close and said in a low, teasing voice, “If you don’t get out now, I’ll drag you out later and feed you to the wolves.”
Hearing this, Song Yu’s grip on the seatbelt instantly loosened, his hand flying to the buckle. He then flung the car door open in one fluid motion, a move that earned a look of approval from Lu Qiwen.
“Brother Lu!” Several people walked over toward the car and froze when they saw Song Yu.
“Huh? Isn’t this Brother Lu’s car?”
They stared at Song Yu for a few seconds before Lu Qiwen also got out of the car.
The moment they saw Lu Qiwen, they swarmed around him, all the while stealing glances at Song Yu.
Song Yu really wanted to ignore it, but their stares were just too obvious. Before he could even ask where they were, one of the guys who had crowded around Lu Qiwen squeezed over to Song Yu with a smile.
“Hey there! Just call me Zhou Fang,” he said cheerfully. “Come on, I’ll take you to the spectator seats.”
“What are we going to do?” Song Yu couldn’t help but ask as he followed Zhou Fang. “Where did Lu Qi… Brother Lu go?”
Zhou Fang, walking ahead, muttered quietly, “So clingy?”
Thinking Zhou Fang hadn’t heard him, Song Yu raised his voice and asked again.
Zhou Fang turned around and winked at Song Yu. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Song Yu fell silent and followed Zhou Fang with his head down. As they left the parking lot, more and more people appeared around them.
“Hurry up! There aren’t any good spots left!”
“I heard that guy is coming today!”
“Really? Let’s hurry over then!”
Song Yu grew even more curious.
But before they even got close, he could hear waves of cheering and roaring engines.
Song Yu suddenly guessed what this place was for.
Yet, when he saw the crowd packed in layers upon layers, he couldn’t help but swallow nervously. Zhou Fang, however, led him straight to a set of tiered wooden steps.
“Make way, make way.”
“How come you brought someone along? That’s unusual.” said a lean man sitting nearby, casually sipping from a bottle of beer.
“What do you mean? This is someone Brother Lu brought.”
Zhou Fang wiped off some water droplets that had accidentally splashed onto his arm with his sleeve.
“Lu Qiwen?!”
“Who else would I mean?” Zhou Fang rolled his eyes and stared at the people sitting above. “Hurry up and give us a prime spot.”
For a moment, the man drinking beer looked at Song Yu as if trying to see right through him.
“Hmph.” the man finally grunted, turning his head away coldly and taking a big gulp.
In early October, the temperature in the deep mountains at night dropped to nearly 15 degrees Celsius.
A cool breeze swept by, and Song Yu rubbed his arms, which were almost breaking out in goosebumps from the cold. He reached out to grab Zhou Fang, who was busy arranging seats in front of him.
Suddenly, the noisy crowd, where you had to shout into someone’s ear just to be heard, fell silent.
Everyone seemed to be looking in the same direction. Just as Song Yu was about to ask what was happening, someone grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out of the crowd.
Only when his back bumped against a broad, warm chest did Song Yu turn his head to look.
“Put this on.”
Lu Qiwen was wearing a red-and-white racing suit, his head slightly lowered. His semi-long black hair was tied up, with only a few stray bangs falling over his forehead. The lip piercing was gone, leaving only a black earring in his left ear.
Song Yu was stunned. He had seen Lu Qiwen in tailored suits and all kinds of trendy outfits. But now, the red-and-white racing suit seemed as if it was made just for him, accentuating his tall, straight figure and making him look even more striking.
“What are you staring at?”
The venue was dimly lit. Lu Qiwen tossed his jacket over Song Yu’s head, then added with a threatening tone, “Put it on, quick. If you catch a cold, I’ll have to drag you to the hospital.”
“People might think I’m bullying you on purpose.”
The refreshing scent of mint enveloped Song Yu, and he instinctively grabbed the jacket with both hands.
It wasn’t until Lu Qiwen had walked away and he had already taken a seat that Song Yu, now wearing the jacket, finally snapped out of his daze.
Unable to pinpoint his exact feelings, Song Yu rubbed his thumb over the fabric of the jacket a few times.
So Lu Qiwen could be this considerate?
Beside him, Zhou Fang wore a complicated expression. “You and Brother Lu…?”