The private investigator, ever so perceptive, quietly took his leave from the apartment.
Liang Jiashu lowered his gaze, staring at the man in the photograph who was smiling back at him. His pale fingertips slowly brushed over those bright, teasing eyes, deep in thought.
Lu Chi seemed particularly sensitive to both surveillance and being followed.
In just two short encounters, he had picked up on the signs with uncanny speed, and even more impressively, had smiled right into the lens with a playful, taunting smirk.
…Would a normal person be able to do that?
According to all prior reports, Lu Chi’s past life was the textbook definition of boring: no dyed hair, no alcohol, no noisy nightlife. Even the investigator had privately remarked that the “old” Lu Chi and the current one were like two completely different people…
Two people with nothing in common.
More importantly, when Liang Jiashu sent people to ask Lu Chi’s former classmates and professors from his graduating year, not a single one could remember that striking face. At best, they could vaguely recall some hazy, indistinct fragments.
That was beyond odd.
So odd, it bordered on eerie.
Just then, his phone vibrated on the desk, snapping him out of his increasingly grim line of thought.
He glanced at the screen and picked up. The voice of his mother, Liang Mingzhu, came through, cold, direct, and with no pleasantries: “Where are you?”
Liang Jiashu: “Shuiyun Garden.”
Liang Mingzhu gave a short acknowledgment, then said blandly: “Assistant Wu just reminded me, you’ve transferred nearly thirty million yuan in the past two days, all recorded under the subsidiary’s accounts. I believe I told you to resolve Liang Zhiyu’s mess before stepping into your lab again?”
Liang Jiashu had always been obsessed with biochemical research. He had a brilliant mind and had already developed several patented technologies, which he sold to Liang Group at fair prices or used to establish subsidiary brands. At just twenty, he had amassed a fortune that would leave most people breathless.
In other words, unlike his waste-of-a-space cousin Liang Zhiyu, he had his own money to spend.
In the past, every time Liang Jiashu started moving funds, it meant he was gearing up to disappear into a research bender. But this time, he flatly denied it. “I’m not going into the lab,” he answered blankly.
Liang Mingzhu: “Then what the hell are you doing transferring all that money for?”
Liang Jiashu: “I’m pursuing a man.”
There was a sudden silence on the other end of the line, as if his mother had just heard a curly-haired baboon announce it was getting married.
After a moment, Liang Mingzhu repeated slowly: “You’re… Pursuing a man?”
“Yes. A very beautiful man,” Liang Jiashu replied evenly.
Knowing his personality all too well, Liang Mingzhu’s voice immediately turned sharp, asking: “Did you use any form of coercion or break any laws?!”
Liang Jiashu: “…No.”
He was merely gathering information about Lu Chi in his own efficient way…
And besides, Lu Chi clearly knew he was being followed, filmed, and background-checked. It wasn’t coercion… Not at all.
It was something only they shared.
A unique kind of understanding just between the two of them.
“…You’d better not have,” Liang Mingzhu exhaled coldly, her tone firm and devoid of emotion. “You should know what I’m like. If you turn out to be the same kind of scum as Zhiyu, I’ll act like I never had a son.”
“Liang Group has a good relationship with the A City police. I’d rather not see you in court one day.”
She had gone through IVF at an advanced age to have Liang Jiashu, but that didn’t mean she’d tolerate any missteps. To Liang Mingzhu, the Liang Group was the core of her existence, and for its sake, she would sacrifice anything.
Click.
She hung up without hesitation.
Liang Jiashu’s expression didn’t shift at all. Calmly, he closed the call, opened WeChat, and went back to stalking Lu Chi’s empty Moments feed.
But this time, he noticed something new… Lu Chi had changed his username, going from [EatSleepDance] to [EatSleepDanceAgain].
What did that mean?!
…He was going back to stripping?!
Liang Jiashu immediately stood up, walking toward the door with a blank face… Only to stop halfway. He frowned and turned to look at the rack full of new clothes in the living room.
All the same style of shirt and slacks in different shades of basically gray, tailored just for him and rushed through overnight by his private tailor. Young Master Liang thought for a moment, then stepped over and carefully selected a new silver-gray shirt, his face as serious as if conducting a scientific experiment. Then, he changed out of his previous smoky-gray shirt and put on the freshly pressed one.
The crisp ironing lines on the shirt matched perfectly with his tailored black slacks, outlining his tall, lean figure.
Liang Jiashu nodded in satisfaction. He went straight downstairs, and without changing expression, slipped into the driver’s seat of his Rolls-Royce.
A new car… Also, freshly bought.
At least that’s how Liang Zhiyu always pursued people, right? New car, new outfit, new hairstyle… Too bad his cousin was a broke loser and had to steal his dad’s Porsche 718.
Trashy car for trashy people. Perfect match.
Liang Zhiyu didn’t deserve Lu Chi. And if he was to be sincere, no one did.
Except for himself.
The engine roared to life. With an expressionless face, Liang Jiashu hit the gas.
……………….
A taxi pulled up in front of the luxury-car-lined entrance of FOM.
Lu Chi stepped out, slinging his depressed frog-head bag over one shoulder. He casually bought a strawberry candied hawthorn skewer from a nearby street vendor and strolled inside.
It was early in the evening, and the nightclub was still fairly quiet, with only a few well-dressed young people chatting and laughing at booths in the first-floor lounge. The DJ was adjusting equipment and looked up in surprise when she saw Lu Chi, raising a hand in greeting.
Lu Chi bit into the candy and waved back with a smile.
Before he could even finish waving, Manager Zhao, like a cockroach with a radar for movement, suddenly popped out of nowhere, practically in tears: “Lu Chi, you finally came back!”
His eyes were red with emotion…
Only God knew what kind of hell Manager Zhao had been through over the past two days. First, he was summoned to Shuiyun Garden by Liang Jiashu. Then Liang Zhiyu stormed the club, demanding to know why Lu Chi wasn’t answering his messages. Just when he managed to survive everything, Lu Chi transferred back his advanced salary and coldly informed him: “Manager, this is my formal resignation.”
Then he got blocked.
For the past two days, every VIP client in the club had been asking for him:
“Where’s the pink-haired waiter?!”
“Manager, where’s our Lu Chi?!”
“Goddammit, hand him over now!”
Manager Zhao had never been under that much pressure in his life.
Thankfully, his new hire had the brains to dye his hair pink and throw on a sexy outfit, going up on stage every night to dance. Even though he was clearly a knockoff, at least he served as some temporary entertainment.
Manager Zhao gave a dramatic sigh. “You wouldn’t believe it… This new kid, Gu Yanyan, somehow charmed a few young masters into buying drinks! Not quite at your level, but still above average.”
However, Lu Chi walked past him without even blinking. Manager Zhao tailed him, babbling nonstop, obviously trying to persuade him to come back and create a rivalry act with Gu Yanyan.
In the end, he even dragged Gu Yanyan over, shoving him in front of Lu Chi and laughing awkwardly while asking: “Xiao Chi, look… Doesn’t Xiao Gu remind you of yourself?”
Under the bright lights, Gu Yanyan’s hands clenched.
He wore a semi-transparent provocative top, exposing his thin collarbones. His previously malnourished bland hair had been dyed pink, and his delicate face was caked in makeup. His eyes were bloodshot from too much drinking, and rhinestones glittered below his lashes, like a cheap knockoff marked with gaudy stickers.
But no matter how hard he tried, in front of the real thing, the fake still became painfully obvious.
His palms were slick with cold sweat. The moment Gu Yanyan saw Lu Chi, it felt like a cold bucket of water hit his head. He sobered up immediately but didn’t dare look him in the eye. Staring at Lu Chi’s pristine white collar, he forced a smile and muttered awkwardly: “Chi-ge, y-you’re back? Did everything get sorted? Actually, this hair and outfit… It’s not what you think…”
But before he could finish, Lu Chi raised his head. He didn’t even look at him, only smiling faintly as he turned to Manager Zhao to ask: “Sir, are you out of your mind?”
The air went still.
Lu Chi lazily bit into another strawberry, ignoring Manager Zhao’s darkening expression as he spoke slowly: “I think you’re confused. I’m a customer now. Not your employee.”
“If you want to throw your weight around, go do it in your office. Don’t pull that shit in front of me. Got it?”
Gu Yanyan stood frozen, watching Lu Chi chew on his candied hawthorn and walk off without even glancing back. Manager Zhao, who was usually so bossy in front of staff, turned pale and didn’t dare say a word.
In that moment, Gu Yanyan forgot all his survival instincts. It was as if something warm and powerful had enchanted him, and his feet moved of their own accord, chasing after the slender figure ahead.
Lu Chi noticed the presence behind him. Without turning, he glanced sideways, expression unreadable.
As if saying: And who the hell are you?
Gu Yanyan felt sick with nerves but still clenched his fists and spoke in a shaky voice: “Chi-ge, I’m sorry. I know I’m just a cheap imitation. But I really need the money… I’m really, really sorry.”
Nobody liked being imitated.
Especially by someone pitiful enough to copy everything you do, hoping to steal even a shred of your light.
Gu Yanyan had long accepted his own pettiness and ruthless methods. But at that moment, he suddenly felt a desperate need to prove something to the man before him. On impulse, he fumbled for his phone, clumsily trying to transfer money to Lu Chi.
But then, the man in front of him casually bit down on his candied hawthorn skewer, reached into his sad frog-head bag, and started rummaging around. A few moments later, Lu Chi pulled out a half-used box of hangover pills.
The package looked inconspicuous under the flashing neon lights.
Lu Chi glanced at the flushed-red-from-drinking main character Shou, handed him the pills, and offhandedly offered a tip: “It’s best not to mix drinks. It gets you drunk faster.”
With that, he gave Gu Yanyan’s head a light pat, like someone kindly acknowledging a stray dog they’d just met on the street, then turned to leave.
Neon lights shimmered from above as the man’s figure quickly disappeared. He was gone, but the faint scent of sweet strawberries still lingered in the air.
Gu Yanyan stood frozen, staring at the box of pills in his hand, eyes wide with confusion and disbelief… Like a stray bracing itself for a brutal kick, only to be met with a fleeting moment of kindness instead.
Just a single moment of gentleness before the man vanished like air.
He completely forgot he was supposed to be dancing, drinking, and making money. Gu Yanyan glanced at the bar, grabbed a random glass of water, and gulped it down with the hangover pills. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Chi, still with his candied skewer in hand, jump onto the dance floor, swaying to the beat.
Like a moth to a flame, Gu Yanyan was about to follow.
But just halfway there—
BANG!
A powerful force crashed into him from behind, knocking him flat on the floor.
Liang Zhiyu didn’t spare a glance at the server he’d just bulldozed. He was brimming with rage, and yet, even more so with delight… So excited he completely forgot to act cool, he lunged forward and grabbed Lu Chi’s wrist with a death grip.
The sharp rings on his fingers dug sharply into Lu Chi’s wrist bone as the man turned to look at him.
When Liang Zhiyu was caught in those striking eyes, his brain instantly went blank, then filled with joy. Suddenly, he jumped up, mimed an enthusiastic slam dunk out of nowhere, and blurted out with childlike excitement:
“Lu Chi! Did you come here to see me?!”
Lu Chi: “……”
And before anyone could react, the server who had just been knocked to the floor, Gu Yanyan himself, scrambled to his feet, forcefully pried Liang Zhiyu’s hand away, and threw his body in front of Lu Chi like a guard dog, growling through clenched teeth:
“Don’t touch my Chi-ge!”
Lu Chi: “……?”
………………………………..
Enjoyed this chapter? You can support me and read up to Chapter 17 here, with 5 new chapters coming on the first week of the next month! Happy Reading!
