Su Wanyu stood up, about to say something to Lu Feng, when Du Hao beside her took her hand and led her toward the door.
She opened her mouth, then swallowed her words.
The evening sunset clouds hung on the horizon as Lin Ran drove Lu Feng home.
Neither spoke the entire way.
Lu Feng gazed out the window at the rapidly receding cityscape, his mind blank.
By the time the car stopped at the entrance of the residential complex, the sky had darkened.
Lin Ran turned off the engine but didn’t let him get out immediately. She turned her face toward him and asked, “Did you have fun today?”
Lu Feng didn’t answer.
Lin Ran curled the corner of her mouth. “I know you didn’t, but you lost the bet.”
Lu Feng lowered his gaze, silent.
How he lost—she knew better than anyone.
But there was no point in talking about it now.
Lin Ran didn’t intend to hear him say anything either. She simply ordered, “Take your things.”
Lu Feng got out of the car, walked around to the trunk, and pulled out the shopping bags inside.
As soon as the trunk closed, Lin Ran stepped on the gas and sped away.
The crimson taillights reflected in Lu Feng’s eyes.
He lowered his gaze, picked up the shopping bags, and headed home.
His foster mother was cooking when she saw the exaggeratedly large and small bags in his hands. She froze. “Xiao Feng, what are these…”
“A friend gave them to me.” Lu Feng ended the conversation, went straight to his room, and closed the door.
Bang!
He casually tossed the shopping bags onto the floor. Without turning on the light, he fell backward onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He could smell the department store fragrance on the pile of new clothes, taste the lingering sweetness of popcorn in his mouth, and feel the warmth of Lin Ran’s palm still lingering on his thigh.
And that kiss…
Lu Feng raised his hand, his fingertips unconsciously brushing against his lips. His eyes suddenly darkened.
He sat up, rummaged through a drawer, and pulled out half a pack of cigarettes.
A flame flickered to life, illuminating his handsome yet weary features in the darkness.
He took a deep drag, the harsh smoke stinging his lungs, bringing a self-inflicted clarity.
He needed clarity.
He needed to clearly recognize that everything today was a sweet trap meticulously designed by Lin Ran.
She was building a cage for him.
Feeding him sweetness, making him addicted, letting him willingly crawl inside without even realizing it, content to be locked within.
This was her method of taming him.
Ridiculous.
Did she think he was a man who only thought with his lower half?
Lu Feng viciously crushed the cigarette butt. Sparks flew in the darkness, burning his fingers, but he felt no pain.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Xiao Feng, are you coming for dinner?” his foster mother asked from outside.
“I’m not hungry.”
Footsteps faded away.
Lu Feng looked at the shopping bags on the floor, wondering how to deal with them, when another knock came.
“Brother Lu Feng, are you there?” Su Wanyu’s cautious voice drifted in.
Lu Feng got up and opened the door.
Outside, Su Wanyu’s eyes were slightly red, as if she had just been crying.
She held a thermal lunchbox. “My family just made some porridge. I brought some for you. Would you like to try it?”
“Not hungry.”
“Okay… Can I come in? I have something I want to say to you.”
Lu Feng hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside to let her in.
Su Wanyu entered the room, and the first thing she saw was the shopping bags on the floor. Her face instantly paled.
But she said nothing, only placed the thermal lunchbox on the table and turned to face Lu Feng.
“Brother Lu Feng, at the movie theater today… Du Hao and I are just ordinary friends. He—”
“Xiao Yu,” Lu Feng interrupted her. “You don’t need to explain these things to me.”
“Dating and making friends are your own freedom.”
The words were polite yet distant.
In the past, Lu Feng would not have been so cold toward her.
She was the neighbor girl he grew up with, and in his eyes, she was practically family.
But Su Wanyu had confessed her feelings to him.
If he didn’t distance himself from her, given Lin Ran’s temperament, she would definitely make Su Wanyu’s life difficult.
He didn’t want to drag any more innocent people into this.
At this moment, Su Wanyu was already deeply shaken by what she had witnessed at the movie theater.
Feeling the cold treatment from her childhood friend, her anger flared up. Pointing at the pile of shopping bags on the floor, she demanded, “All of these were bought by Lin Ran, weren’t they?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you accept them?” Her voice rose. “That’s her sugar-coated bullet! She’s using these things to bribe you, to corrupt you. Can’t you see that?!”
“I can see it,” Lu Feng replied calmly.
“Then why—”
“I don’t have the right to refuse.”
Lu Feng cut her off, turning to lean against the wall as he wearily rubbed his temples.
“Xiao Yu, right now, I’m her servant. For this entire month, everything about me is under her control.”
“If she tells me to try on clothes, I have to try them on. If she tells me to accept something, I have to accept it. Whatever she tells me to do, I have to do it.”
Su Wanyu’s nose stung, and her frustration instantly dissipated.
“I’m sorry, Lu Feng gege… I shouldn’t have lashed out at you. I’m just… just scared…”
“Scared that I’ll fall for her?” Lu Feng finished her sentence for her.
Su Wanyu bit her lip, tears falling. “Yes… I’m afraid you’ll come to like her.”
“No, I will never like her.”
Lu Feng spoke with firmness, not just to Su Wanyu but almost as if he were convincing himself.
“Why?” Su Wanyu’s heart lifted with hope as she pressed further.
Lu Feng looked out the window.
“Because I have no heart.”
His voice was soft, as elusive as mist.
Su Wanyu froze.
No heart… How could that be?
Her childhood friend had always been kind and responsible since they were young.
Though he appeared aloof on the surface, deep down, he had a sincere and passionate heart.
But at this moment, she suddenly felt he was a stranger.
Or perhaps she had never truly understood him?
No.
Lu Feng gege’s claim of having no heart was just a result of being tormented by Lin Ran, leading him to this self-destructive mindset.
In the end, all of this was Lin Ran’s doing!
“Go back, Xiao Yu,” Lu Feng said, looking at her. “I’ll handle my own affairs.”
Su Wanyu nodded obediently. “Goodnight, Lu Feng gege.”
She turned and left, gently closing the door behind her.
Returning to her room, Su Wanyu took out her phone, found Du Hao’s chat window, and began typing.
[Senior, you once said that if anyone bullied me, you’d definitely stand up for me. Does that still hold true?]
A reply came a few seconds later.
[Of course it does! What happened?]
Su Wanyu stared at the screen, her expression darkening.
After some thought, she replied:
[It’s like this. Because Lu Feng gege and I are childhood friends, Lin Ran keeps bullying me in private, but we really just have a sibling-like bond. I can’t take it anymore. Can you help me think of a way to teach her a lesson? So I can vent my anger.]
This time, Du Hao took two minutes to reply.
[That young lady from the Lin family is indeed arrogant. Her family has some influence in Jingbei.]
[But don’t worry, I’ll help you think of a way to vent your anger. We can discuss the details when we meet tomorrow.]
Su Wanyu stared at the message, her fingertips trembling slightly.
It was a tremble of joy.
If only she had known Du Hao would be so useful, she would have sought his help sooner.
Though it was dishonorable, even somewhat despicable, to use him against Lin Ran.
But the thought of Lin Ran’s arrogant face, of Lu Feng’s helplessness under her control, of her own years of guarded love possibly slipping away—
Su Wanyu closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened them again, her gaze was filled with determination.
[Alright, senior, see you tomorrow. Good night.]