AAWOMAHI Chapter68

After Lu Sihang left, Lu Shiran meticulously checked to see if Lu Xingmian was hurt.

 

Lu Xingmian repeatedly insisted that he wasn’t hurt. Lu Sihang looked sturdier than him, but that was just his appearance. Lu Xingmian had beaten him so badly he couldn’t even fight back.

 

Lu Sihang deserved it, too. He wanted to get physical when he couldn’t win an argument with Lu Xingmian, so Lu Xingmian naturally wasn’t going to let Lu Sihang bully him. But he hadn’t expected Lu Sihang to be so weak.

 

Lu Shiran looked at Lu Xingmian’s hand, which was a little red: “It’s all red. And you say you’re not hurt?”

 

Lu Xingmian chuckled: “It’s just red, the skin isn’t even broken. It doesn’t hurt at all.”

 

Despite what he said, Lu Shiran’s heart ached as he kissed the back of his red hand: “Be more careful next time.”

 

Lu Xingmian’s clothes had gotten dirty, and his leather shoes were stained with some oil during the fight. Lu Shiran had him sit on his lap to wipe his shoes clean.

 

Lu Xingmian looked at the doorway: “Ge, people will pass by here and see us. I’ll just do it myself.”

 

Lu Shiran wasn’t afraid of being seen: “I’m not afraid of being seen. Zai Zai, be good and sit still so you don’t fall.”

 

So Lu Xingmian wrapped his arms around Lu Shiran’s neck and sat quietly.

 

Just then, Xia Yuefang arrived. Seeing the scene before her, Xia Yuefang froze. She couldn’t believe that the person sitting on Lu Shiran’s lap was Lu Xingmian. She remembered what people had said when she first arrived—a good-looking boy they’d never seen before. She had thought of everything but never expected that person to be Lu Xingmian.

 

She had almost forgotten Lu Xingmian had a beautiful face.

 

But how could this be? How could Lu Xingmian know Lu Shiran? He didn’t even have the opportunity to get close to him. It was as if they belonged to two different worlds, and Xia Yuefang couldn’t figure it out. However, she didn’t know what was going on, so she didn’t dare to step forward rashly.

 

Lu Xingmian’s shoelace had come a bit loose. When Lu Shiran bent down to tie it, Lu Xingmian, who had just been worried about people seeing them, started moving around mischievously, making it so Lu Shiran couldn’t tie the shoelace. He did this several times.

 

Lu Shiran grabbed his slender ankle: “Zai Zai, stop moving around. Let me tie your shoelace first.”

 

Next to Lu Shiran, Lu Xingmian was completely relaxed: “I’m just going to move.”

 

Lu Shiran leaned in close to his ear: “If you keep moving, I’ll punish you properly when we get home.” He emphasized the word “punish.”

 

Lu Xingmian immediately stopped moving.

 

After tying the shoelace, Lu Shiran asked him, “Are you full? If not, I’ll take you to get something to eat.”

 

Lu Xingmian: “I’m full.”

 

Lu Shiran said, “Then let’s go home.” He didn’t want any irrelevant people to disturb Lu Xingmian.

 

Standing nearby, Xia Yuefang finally understood. The relationship between Lu Shiran and Lu Xingmian was not simple. She could see that Lu Shiran seemed to really like Lu Xingmian. She had never heard of anyone daring to sit on Lu Shiran’s lap, nor had she heard of Lu Shiran being so gentle and patient with anyone.

 

Only with Lu Xingmian.

 

Xia Yuefang stepped forward with a look of concern and worry on her face: “Mianmian, are you hurt?”

 

Lu Xingmian had his back to the door the whole time and didn’t know anyone was there, or that Xia Yuefang had been standing there for a while already. Lu Shiran, however, had seen her long ago.

 

Xia Yuefang called out “Mianmian” and came in: “I already told off Sihang. It was all his fault. Mianmian, are you okay? I was so worried about you, so I came to check.”

 

When Lu Shiran heard Xia Yuefang call him “Mianmian,” he knew what she was trying to do. She had come over full of anger just a moment ago, but now she was putting on the image of a loving mother.

 

Lu Shiran was not a gentle person when dealing with others. He responded to Xia Yuefang’s sudden concern for Lu Xingmian with an icy reminder: “Ms. Xia, if my memory serves me correctly, Lu Xingmian no longer has any relationship with the Lu family. Therefore, Ms. Xia has no right to be concerned about him.”

 

Lu Xingmian nodded in agreement with Lu Shiran’s words: “You said back then that when you saw me again, we should pretend not to know each other. So, please do that, Ms. Xia. We are genuinely not close.”

 

Xia Yuefang was a little unwilling to accept this: “But I’m your mother.”

 

The word “mother” had become very foreign to Lu Xingmian. After two strangers came to his home that day, and after a long period of disappointment, some things were no longer a weakness for Lu Xingmian.

 

Lu Xingmian said, “Ms. Xia, don’t forget, you yourselves said that I was no longer a part of the Lu family. How can you be my mother then? When I gave you the 500,000 yuan back, you also said with your own mouth that we would be nothing to each other from then on.”

 

Xia Yuefang was stunned. Yes, they had said those words before. But at that time, who could have known that Lu Xingmian would come to know the head of the Lu clan?

 

Not wanting Lu Xingmian to be hurt again, Lu Shiran took his hand and left. Xia Yuefang wanted to step forward and continue to play on his emotions, but Lu Shiran gave her a look that made her freeze where she was, not daring to move. Lu Shiran was nearly 1.9 meters tall, and his presence was very strong. His eyes were fierce, and his black pupils were frighteningly deep. It was as if Lu Xingmian was his greatest weakness.

 

The guests at the party saw the head of the Lu clan gently holding the young man’s hand and leading him away, with Lu Shiran’s jacket draped over his shoulders.

 

One of the ladies found the young man familiar the more she looked at him. She was sure she had seen him somewhere, but the name was on the tip of her tongue, and she just couldn’t say it. When she saw Xia Yuefang, her eyes lit up, and she said to another lady beside her, “I remember who that young man is now. It’s Lu Xingmian, the child from the Lu family who was found.”

 

The other lady had the same thought, both of them feeling that they had definitely seen him before. After hearing the reminder, she finally remembered why he looked so familiar.

 

When Lu Xingmian returned, the Lu family had held a banquet that they had attended. They had seen Lu Xingmian then, wearing an ill-fitting suit and standing quietly to the side. At that time, it was obvious that the Lu family didn’t value their biological son at all, which was why they hadn’t paid much attention to Lu Xingmian.

 

“I remember too. It’s Lu Xingmian. He seems to have become even more beautiful.”

 

“Tsk tsk, I didn’t expect Lu Xingmian to be with President Lu. I wonder what Xia Yuefang is thinking now.”

 

“What is she thinking? She must be filled with regret. They were the ones who kicked Lu Xingmian out of the family. They must regret it terribly now.”

 

“In my opinion, they got what they deserved. The way they treated Lu Xingmian… I heard that when he was with the Lu family, they weren’t good to him at all. They said he wasn’t used to the place and just dumped him in Yan City, not caring about him at all. It’s a good thing Lu Xingmian was resilient and got into Yancheng University.”

 

Xia Yuefang heard the chatter and the ridicule and contempt directed at them. Everyone was secretly laughing at their misfortune. The three of them couldn’t stand being at the banquet anymore and quickly drove away.

 

Xia Yuefang, who hadn’t driven in a long time, was now the driver. The luxury car was a rental. Lu Sihang’s suit was still stained with wine, and he reeked of it. He was worried if he’d be able to return the clothes after they were washed.

 

The car was silent; no one spoke.

 

After a long time, Lu Yan said, “How about we find a time to go see Lu Xingmian? He’s our son after all. Lu Xingmian is soft-hearted. If we sweet-talk him a bit, maybe he’ll have a change of heart.”

 

Xia Yuefang gripped the steering wheel tightly. “You’re right. We have to sweet-talk him into coming back now.” She knew Lu Xingmian didn’t want to see them, but no matter what, she had to get him back.

 

In the car, Lu Sihang clenched his fists. Lu Xingmian’s words kept echoing in his ears. Lu Xingmian was right. He was afraid of him. He was scared from the moment he found out about Lu Xingmian’s existence, afraid that he would take everything from him. Now, it seemed everything was coming true. His parents were actually going to actively approach Lu Xingmian.

 

–

 

Lu Xingmian wasn’t used to wearing such formal clothes, especially with the top button of his shirt fastened. It felt strange, as if a collar were looped around his neck. As soon as he got into the car, he immediately unbuttoned it.

 

Lu Shiran offered, “Let me.”

 

Lu Xingmian tilted his head slightly. Lu Shiran quickly untied his necktie. After unbuttoning the top of his shirt, Lu Xingmian felt a huge sense of relief. He admired Lu Shiran, who wore a suit every day with the top button always fastened and his tie neatly in place.

 

After unbuttoning the shirt, Lu Shiran saw the bruises on his neck and couldn’t help but smile.

 

“What are you smiling at?” Lu Xingmian asked.

 

Lu Shiran praised him like a child. “I’m happy that our Zai Zai was so amazing today.”

 

Besides the necktie being uncomfortable, the dress shoes were also a bit painful. Lu Xingmian told Lu Shiran about it.

 

Lu Shiran immediately took off his shoes. When he removed his socks, he found that both of Lu Xingmian’s heels were red and raw. Lu Shiran’s brows furrowed. They were worn down so badly; Lu Xingmian must have been in pain all night.

 

Lu Shiran immediately blacklisted the shoe brand. While massaging Lu Xingmian’s heels, he said, “We’re not wearing these shoes again.”

 

“But we have to,” Lu Xingmian replied. “We still have to go upstairs later.”

 

Lu Shirong put the shoes to the side. “Your boyfriend isn’t just for show. I’ll carry you up.”

 

After getting out of the car, Lu Shirong carried Lu Xingmian into the elevator. Lu Xingmian said, “I’ll press the button.”

 

Lu Xingmian pressed the floor button. When the elevator doors were halfway closed, someone outside also pressed the button, and the doors opened again. Two people got in.

 

Lu Shiran and Lu Xingmian were at the very back of the elevator. Lu Xingmian wrapped his arms around Lu Shiran’s neck and smiled at him. He remembered the time when Lu Shiran carried him up five flights of stairs. He thought back to those times and how Lu Shiran had carried him on his back several times. In retrospect, that period was a happy one.

 

Dressed in his suit and tie, Lu Shiran appeared so composed that Lu Xingmian couldn’t help but trail a finger along his adam apple, it looked striking even in motion. The time in the elevator seemed to stretch on, and Lu Xingmian had so much fun teasing him that Lu Shiran’s breathing became heavy.

 

Lu Shiran’s eyes deepened, and his lips moved slightly as he whispered, “Stop it.” His young boyfriend was acting so mischievous, taking advantage of the other people in the elevator.

 

When they got home, Lu Shiran first applied ointment to Lu Xingmian’s raw heels. As he focused on the task, Lu Xingmian thought about how Lu Shiran still hadn’t asked him about the audio file. Just before bed, he couldn’t help but bring it up himself.

 

As soon as Lu Shiran got into bed, Lu Xingmian straddled him directly. “Ge, aren’t you curious?”

 

“Curious about what?” Lu Shiran asked.

 

“The audio file on my phone.” Lu Xingmian replied.

 

Lu Shiran chuckled, “Not at all.”

 

“You’re really not curious?” Lu Xingmian looked him in the eyes. “It’s a person’s voice in the audio, and it’s particularly nice.”

 

Lu Shiran’s gaze immediately fell to the phone. “Mmm.”

 

Lu Xingmian continued, “It’s really nice. Back when you didn’t have time to lull me to sleep, this person kept me company. I’d listen to his voice to fall asleep, and it worked surprisingly well.”

 

Lu Shiran’s eyes stayed fixed on Lu Xingmian’s phone. Even if he hadn’t been curious before, he was now.

 

Lu Xingmian held back a laugh and asked again, “Ge, are you really not curious?”

 

“Zai Zai.” Lu Shiran’s voice was hoarse, filled with a strong sense of possessiveness and jealousy.

 

Lu Xingmian laughed. “Ge, if you’re curious, you can just say so. I’m generous. I can let you listen with me.”

 

Lu Shiran hummed in agreement. He wanted to know what kind of voice Lu Xingmian was so infatuated with.

 

Lu Xingmian opened a folder with several audio files. He tapped the first one. After a few seconds of silence, a man’s voice began to play. When Lu Shiran heard it, he was stunned. It was his own voice.