TYMRHBDES Chapter 106

No wonder!

Jiang Wanwan’s fingers trembled as he zoomed in on the image.

No wonder Mu Jianian never noticed him, even though he was so beautiful and accomplished!

He was clearly seduced by Jiang Luoluo!

Rage surged through Jiang Wanwan.

How hateful!

Jiang Luoluo was truly hateful!

He already had everything! He had enjoyed their parents’ love and attention for years, yet he still had to compete with him!

Mu Jianian was supposed to be his tutor, arranged by their mother, but Jiang Luoluo had to interfere!

All of this should have been his!

Dammit!

Truly dammit!

Jiang Wanwan trembled with fury, biting his lip as he glared at the figures on the screen.

His eyes blazed with a jealous, manic light.

After recording the video, Jiang Wanwan glared at the person Mu Jianian was cradling so carefully in his arms. Clenching his fists, he turned and stormed away.

In the ballroom, Father Jiang was chatting with friends, holding a glass of wine. When they praised Jiang Luoluo’s progress, he was unusually pleased and took a few extra sips.

“He did improve a bit in the mock exam this time. Finally learned to study.”

“It’s still because Luoluo’s so smart. He can play when he wants and study when he wants. That cleverness runs in the family, just like his old man in his youth!”

Father Jiang waved his hands repeatedly, saying, “Where, where?” but his face was beaming.

The screen in the hall, displaying a giant photo of Jiang Wanwan and birthday greetings, flickered once and then went black, as if it had lost connection.

“What’s going on?” Father Jiang muttered, about to call for the butler, when a crackling sound filled the air. The screen flickered again, and a video began to play.

A friend beside him squinted, his eyes wide with shock behind his glasses. “Old Jiang!”

Father Jiang looked up and frowned when he saw the face on the screen, being held and kissed passionately by another man.

“My God! Isn’t that Jiang Luoluo?”

Whispers spread through the crowd:

“His own little brother’s birthday, and he’s out there messing around with a man!”

“They’re really going at it!”

“Look at his face, all flushed. Being held like a woman…”

“Hasn’t he been running wild for the past two years? I didn’t realize it had gotten this extreme…”

“Ugh—I hear things between men can get really messy. Look at how dominant the guy holding him is. And Jiang Luoluo is so short… I bet he’s the one on the bottom…”

The vile words reached Father Jiang’s ears, and his face turned ashen.

He strode forward and switched off the screen’s power.

The guests at the banquet were disrupted by the incident, and a new topic of conversation arose. They huddled together, whispering among themselves.

Father Jiang’s fingers trembled with rage as he hurried the butler to escort the guests out.

“Go! Bring that little scoundrel here!”

Jiang Wanwan curled his lips and walked over. “Father, please don’t be angry…”

With a crash, Father Jiang threw his glass to the floor. “You’re with them every day! Did you know about this too?”

“You knew all along! Why did you let it go on without telling me?”

“That’s your own brother! How could you just stand by and watch him sink so low?”

Jiang Wanwan hadn’t expected to be blamed. While secretly cursing Father Jiang’s favoritism, he feigned fear and explained, “I didn’t dare say anything, Father…”

Mother Jiang patted Father Jiang’s back and sighed silently.

“Why did everyone leave so early?”

Jiang Luoluo entered the hall, still puzzled.

As soon as he stepped inside, he sensed the tense atmosphere.

Father Jiang glanced at the young man standing beside Jiang Luoluo, his face grim. “Teacher Mu, it’s getting late. We won’t see you out.”

Mu Jianian also noticed Father Jiang’s strange expression.

But since he’d been effectively dismissed, he couldn’t say much. The butler led him out of the hall.

Jiang Luoluo shuffled over slowly. “Dad, why did it end so early today?”

Father Jiang looked at him. “Come here.”

Jiang Luoluo, without thinking much of it, took small steps forward.

But the man sitting in his seat suddenly stood up and raised his hand—

Jiang Luoluo’s face froze in shock. His dark, round eyes widened in fear at the sudden movement.

Father Jiang’s hand hovered in mid-air. Looking at his timid eldest son, he trembled with rage, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to strike.

Jiang Wanwan, who had been waiting to see Jiang Luoluo get punished, turned even uglier.

“You good-for-nothing!” Father Jiang retracted his hand and grabbed a feather duster. “See if I don’t beat this little beast to death today!”

But his son stood rooted to the spot, frozen like a deer in headlights, making no move to dodge.

Father Jiang grew even angrier. How could he have fathered such a complete idiot!

He shot a look at Mother Jiang, who quickly stepped in before the feather duster could fall. “Alright, alright! It’s already happened! What good will hitting him do?”

Father Jiang was still furious. “You good-for-nothing disgrace! You spend every day doing nothing but making trouble! Just wait until I break your legs!”

Jiang Luoluo lowered his head and looked at his legs as if he had just come to his senses. He whispered, “Dad.”

Father Jiang’s anger flared, but he couldn’t help but soften.

When Jiang Luoluo was little and tired of walking, he would always ask to be carried, just like this.

He would look at his legs, then come close, acting cute and calling him “Dad”…

The feather duster swung several times in the man’s hand, but it never actually landed on Jiang Luoluo.

Jiang Luoluo, tilting his small face up at him, had misty eyes that looked frightened. He whispered, “Dad, what did I do wrong…?”

That was the last thing he should have asked. It only made Father Jiang angrier.

“Bang!” He slammed his hand on the table. “You’re asking me?! You have the nerve to ask me!”

“What’s going on between you and that Mu Jianian?!”

“It was your little brother’s birthday, and you were in the garden, hugging and kissing Mu Jianian! How shameless!”

Jiang Luoluo finally understood. He turned to look at Jiang Wanwan and, as expected, saw the other boy’s provocative smirk.

And in his eyes, a thick layer of jealousy.

Father Jiang slammed his fist on the table in fury. “So you really like him, huh?!”

“Forget about the exams. Love conquers all, right? Just keep running around with him. Your mother and I won’t interfere anymore!”

“Fine! Neither of you need to go to school anymore. I’ll call the school right now and have both of you expelled. Then you can be together all day long!”

As Father Jiang spoke, he pulled out his phone, ready to make the call.

Jiang Luoluo quickly stopped him. “Dad, no!”

He could drop out of school, but Mu Jianian couldn’t.

He had asked the System. In a month, Mu Jianian would enter the top domestic university with the highest provincial ranking. Through his hard work, he would quickly rise to prominence and reach the pinnacle of success.

After more than a decade of studying, this was his chance to change his fate.

If he were expelled because of Jiang Luoluo, would it directly alter his destiny…?

Jiang Luoluo didn’t dare gamble. He couldn’t let his actions ruin Mu Jianian’s future.

He walked over to Father Jiang, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, “Dad…”

“I’m not in love. I was just curious, just playing around…”

“I don’t want to spend my whole life with him…”

“Dad…”

Jiang Luoluo shook Father Jiang’s sleeve. “I know I was wrong, Dad. I won’t mess around anymore. I’ll be good…”

“Please don’t call the school…”

On the other side of the wall, Mu Jianian clenched his fists, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Jiang Luoluo’s voice continued, sounding as sweet and coquettish as always, but her words were like daggers piercing his heart.

“Dad, his family is so poor. His father’s a drunkard, his mother’s a gambler. They have nothing. I don’t want to be with him…”

“Everything he owns isn’t worth as much as one of my watches…”

“Dad… I’m breaking up with him… I’ll dump him tomorrow…”

Mu Jianian closed his eyes.

His knuckles, clenched tight, turned white, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

Poor…

Just playing around…

That’s right.

What kind of person was Jiang Luoluo? After all these years of causing trouble at school, how could Mu Jianian have thought the other was truly in love with him?

Jiang Luoluo was just having fun, enjoying the thrill of something new.

Once he realized Mu Jianian had fallen for him, he would revert to his true nature—the same malicious Jiang Luoluo he had always been.

Mu Jianian’s chest felt as if a million fine needles were pricking him, or as if a thorny hand had clawed viciously at his heart.

His face pale, he slowly lowered his eyes.

He had been so foolish.

After barely managing to appease Father Jiang and securing his father’s promise not to force them to withdraw from school, Jiang Luoluo was forced to delete all of Mu Jianian’s contact information at Father Jiang’s insistence before being allowed back to his room.

As soon as he returned, Jiang Luoluo called Li Chuan and asked him to find out Mu Jianian’s phone number. But when he dialed the number, it was switched off.

What he didn’t know was that after Jiang Luoluo returned to his room, Father Jiang had gone next door to see Mu Jianian, who should have left long ago.

“Children can be mischievous, and I’m afraid Luoluo has disrupted your studies, Mu Jianian,” Father Jiang said, his face grim but forcing himself not to lose his temper. “Luoluo has been spoiled since childhood. My wife and I indulged him, letting him run wild at school every day.”

“You heard what he said earlier. He’s just a child, thinking it’s fashionable to date someone of the same sex. He was just playing around.”

“But exams are just around the corner. As parents, we can’t let him continue this nonsense. So, please, stop contacting each other.”

“I know something about your family’s situation. You’re very short on money, aren’t you? Of course, I can offer you some compensation…”

Mu Jianian looked up, his cold gaze fixed on the middle-aged man before him. Then he turned and walked away.

The next day, Jiang Luoluo arrived at school early. He waited until the first class ended, but the seat behind him remained empty.

Soon, he received a bolt from the blue: Mu Jianian had dropped out.

Back home, Jiang Luoluo threw a tantrum, accusing his father of breaking his promise. Finally, Father Jiang, exasperated, called the school. The head of the Academic Affairs Office explained again: Mu Jianian had come to school himself to withdraw.

The door to Mu Jianian’s rented apartment was locked tight. Jiang Luoluo skipped classes for several days, camping outside in hopes of seeing him, but to no avail. He then went to Mu Jianian’s home, but still found nothing.

Had Mu Jianian simply vanished into thin air?

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