DREB CHAPTER 76

Li Yan was withering away at an alarming rate.

Though his belly grew larger, the rest of his body visibly thinned. He no longer wanted to talk to Lu Lianning, and it became harder to get him to eat.

Lu Lianning felt a fire burning inside him. He tried again and again to negotiate, hoping Li Yan wouldn’t be so stubborn, softening his own temper in the process.

Kneeling by the bedside, he held Li Yan’s hand—now so frail he could feel the bones. He bowed his head and asked, “What will it take for you to agree to have this child?”

Li Yan found the question laughable. In the dim light, for the first time, he thought Lu Lianning’s handsome face looked hideous. Speaking in such a negotiating tone, as if Li Yan truly had the option to refuse, like he had a choice.

“After you give birth, I’ll open a ramen restaurant for you, okay? You can work every day, and the money you make will be yours to spend however you like.” Lu Lianning studied Li Yan’s profile, trying to guess his thoughts.

His expression suggested he was struggling to find the right words. “But Zheng Zhi said it’s best if you rest for half a year after giving birth to recover your health…”

Li Yan abruptly closed his eyes, as if he could no longer bear to look at him.

“After the baby is born…” Lu Lianning paused, then added, “You won’t owe me anything anymore…”

At that, Li Yan finally responded. He opened his mouth, and his voice was hoarse, likely from not speaking for a while.

Lu Lianning’s eyes lit up, and he leaned closer to listen.

“I won’t owe you anymore? Then… can you let me go?” Li Yan’s eyes were half-open, his gaze fixed on Lu Lianning as if clinging to his last hope.

But Lu Lianning fell silent, unable to answer.

He wasn’t willing to lie to Li Yan. Their relationship couldn’t survive another lie, especially if it were to be exposed again.

Finally, Li Yan grew frustrated with the prolonged silence. But this time, he didn’t cry. Instead, his face showed a calm hopelessness, tinged with deep exhaustion. He asked Lu Lianning, “What do you really want?”

It was clear that Lu Lianning wasn’t the type who liked children or taking care of others. On the contrary, he preferred to maintain control in all his relationships, always striving to be the favored one. If he couldn’t achieve that, he would take it by force, and if even that failed, he would destroy everything and rebuild it in his own way.

But Li Yan was a lost cause. He couldn’t be reshaped—he was already broken long before Lu Lianning came into his life.

Lu Lianning seemed momentarily taken aback by Li Yan’s question. He thought for a moment but decided not to lie anymore. Meeting Li Yan’s gaze, he lowered his voice and confessed his wish, “I want things to be the way they used to be…” His voice grew quieter with each word until it was barely a whisper.

But Li Yan, being too close to miss any of it, caught every word. The way things used to be? How far back?

Was he referring to when Li Yan would buy him crayfish late at night? Or when he’d warm Lu Lianning’s hands against his stomach in the winter? Cooking for him every day, waking him up, even bringing food right to his mouth…

Was that what he meant?

Li Yan wasn’t surprised by the answer. At that moment, Lu Lianning unexpectedly seemed much easier to understand. Li Yan knew exactly what had always weighed on him. Even if Lu Lianning had made mistakes, he wanted to atone for them.

But having this child wouldn’t redeem him. That crossed Li Yan’s bottom line.

And Li Yan wasn’t someone who was easily pushed past his limits.

He had always stubbornly followed his own path, believing himself indifferent, yet offering sympathy where it was deserved. Most of the time, he was surprisingly easygoing.

Fine, fine.

Sure, maybe I found this plastic bottle first, but since you’re older, Lao Yue, you can have it.

Fine, fine.

Even though the butler went overboard back then, the park near the house truly was beautiful. On a cold winter day like this, you’d probably enjoy a hot roasted sweet potato as well.

Fine, fine.

Even though Lu Lianning was spoiled, selfish, and had a bad temper, he still looked pitiful lying drunk in the study on his birthday. So, just wish him a happy birthday. Hopefully, he won’t think about Chen Miao anymore.

Hearing Lu Lianning’s response now, Li Yan finally decided to return the words Lu Lianning had once said to him. He slowly enunciated each one: “Keep dreaming.”

–

At three in the afternoon, Lin Sheng was playing basketball at the gym.

Since it was a weekday, there weren’t many people around. After playing until five, he left the court. Du Lin messaged him, saying he’d be having dinner with a junior and wouldn’t be able to join him.

Lin Sheng responded with an “Mm” to acknowledge the message.

He walked out of the campus gate and turned onto a commercial street. After a few steps, he began to sense something was off. Frowning slightly, he first thought it might just be his imagination. But when he purposely turned onto a quieter street, the figure continued to follow.

The area was deserted. Lin Sheng stopped, turned around, and saw the person less than ten steps away.

It was a beautiful Omega in a black trench coat, with a pale, almost sickly complexion. Though attractive, his cold and gloomy eyes made him seem unapproachable.

When the Omega noticed Lin Sheng turn around, he met his gaze without any attempt to hide.

Although he appeared quite righteous now, his earlier act of following Lin Sheng had left a bad impression. Therefore, Lin Sheng merely looked at him without saying a word.

After a brief pause, the Omega walked toward him. He forced a smile and extended his hand. “Hello, I’m Li Yan’s younger brother, Chen Yu.”

–

Zheng Zhi ran into an old acquaintance at the hospital.

They stepped into the elevator together, and Zheng Zhi felt obliged to greet him. “Mr. Qi, what a coincidence.”

Qi Zhen responded warmly with a smile, “Hello, hello, Dr. Zheng.”

After that, a silence settled between them. The elevator hadn’t yet reached the first floor, and with only the two of them inside, the atmosphere quickly became awkward.

Of course, the awkwardness might have been felt only by Zheng Zhi. At that moment, Qi Zhen started a conversation. “By the way, Dr. Zheng, I wanted to ask you for advice on something.”

He was acting like a normal person, making it hard for Zheng Zhi to refuse. “Oh? What is it?”

Qi Zhen spoke earnestly, his expression reflecting the weight of someone grappling with a long-standing issue. “I think I might have some kind of mental illness… something just doesn’t feel right.”

Zheng Zhi was surprised that he had finally recognized the problem and, for once, demonstrated some patience. “Actually, I minored in psychology during university. You can tell me your symptoms, or I can refer you to a professional psychologist.”

Qi Zhen smiled gratefully and continued, “I always feel like what others have is better. I like taking what belongs to other people. It’s like if there were two identical pieces of cake—one for me and one for someone else—I’d still think theirs is sweeter, tastier than mine.” He pondered before adding, “And… there’s this saying… Oh, right! It feels like my heart is shattered into pieces, and each piece falls in love with a different person…”

When he finally finished explaining, the elevator was filled with heavy silence.

Confused by the lack of response, Qi Zhen turned to look at Zheng Zhi. “Dr. Zheng?”

Zheng Zhi stared straight ahead expressionlessly, not saying a word.

Eventually, Qi Zhen realized to glance down and noticed the business card wedged between Zheng Zhi’s fingers.

“City A’s Psychological Diagnosis and Treatment Center.”