Chapter 37#

Playboy (7)#

Li Tang’s reaction was quite undignified. Among the four people present, three were in the know, leaving only Rong Huan in the dark. He looked at his young nephew, then at Lu Yi, slightly bewildered: “You two are very familiar with each other?”

If it were just an ordinary acquaintance, Li Tang wouldn’t have lost his composure like this.

The “himself’s” ex-boyfriend turned out to be a close friend’s nephew. That lowered the other party by a generation, which sounded absurd, but when he carefully recalled the details of their interactions, there were many clues that matched Li Tang.

It really was… Lu Yi’s expression was quite subtle, but compared to Li Tang’s face—as if he’d eaten something awful—his state was clearly much better. After all, he was now the elder, not Li Tang.

Lu Yi broke the silence first: “We can be considered quite familiar. The kind of familiar where no introduction is needed.”

Li Tang didn’t know how Lu Yi had become his uncle’s friend, but in front of his beloved little uncle, he still didn’t dare to overstep. He held back and said, “That’s right. The movie is about to start. Let’s watch the movie.”

This film told the life story of a certain music master. Both the subject matter and the genre were quite niche. If it weren’t for Rong Huan, who loved music, Li Tang would never have chosen a film like this.

Originally, Rong Huan planned to bring a friend along, and Li Tang had no objections—in fact, he felt a secret little joy, because it meant his uncle was opening up his social circle to him.

But when he discovered that his ex-boyfriend was the friend his uncle had brought, that joy vanished completely. He couldn’t help but speculate about Lu Yi’s malicious intentions with the worst possible mindset. He watched the entire movie with a dark expression, his attention not on the screen but tightly fixed on his little uncle.

The four seats, from left to right, were: Wen Shu, Li Tang, Rong Huan, and finally Lu Yi.

Facing this situation, Wen Shu maintained his usual obedient demeanor, said nothing, and just watched his boyfriend.

He was from the art school, studying dance, but he had heard a lot about this music master. He hadn’t been paying much attention to the movie, but given the awkward atmosphere, he could only look at the big screen. As he watched, he realized it was actually a good film and became quite focused.

If he had been paying attention to his boyfriend, he would have noticed that his boyfriend kept staring to his right, at Rong Huan.

But even if he had noticed, he would have thought Li Tang was looking at Lu Yi, because the situation was just too awkward. He himself was fine, but the one who would have the hardest time accepting the truth was probably Li Tang.

Wen Shu, the pretty young man, didn’t care much. Rong Huan had no idea what was going on. His original plan, as the netizen he’d known for years had suggested, was to quietly place his hand on Lu Yi’s hand. But Lu Yi was watching the movie, and his little nephew kept staring at him.

That gaze was like hot lava—burning and intense, impossible to ignore even if he wanted to.

Of course, it wasn’t a look of affection. It was more like the stern invigilator during the college entrance exam, catching a student looking around and then standing there, glaring.

Rong Huan wanted to make a small move, but his courage shrank under that terrifying stare.

He was quite dissatisfied with his nephew. He had been looking forward to this movie, but he barely watched any of it. He sent a message to Li Tang.

Rong Huan: Li Tang, what’s wrong with you today? Your boyfriend is sitting right next to you. Can’t you look at him? Or at least watch the movie? Staring over here is really rude.

After sending that, he sent another message to Lu Yi, his tone a few degrees gentler: Lu Yi, did something happen between you two before?

Lu Yi was watching the movie. His phone was habitually set to vibrate. He felt it buzz in his pocket, took it out, and saw it was a message from Rong Huan.

He thought for a moment. Rather than letting Li Tang spout nonsense in front of Rong Huan, it was better to strike first: It’s like this. He’s the person I mentioned to you before—the one I loved when I was young and foolish, the one I was wrong about. I never expected he would be your nephew. It’s really awkward. When the movie ends, I’ll just go back first.

At the same time, Rong Huan received a text from Li Tang.

Li Tang: Little uncle, this guy must be approaching you deliberately to get back at me. He’s disgusting. Don’t be friends with him, or you’ll be taken in by a scheming, despicable person like him.

Li Tang’s hands were trembling as he typed those two lines.

Rong Huan looked at Lu Yi, then at his little nephew Li Tang. His hand slipped, and his phone clattered to the floor.

He bent down to pick up his phone. Two hands reached out from his left and right, colliding with each other. In the end, he picked up the phone himself.

After the two-hour movie ended, only Wen Shu among the four had actually watched it attentively.

When the lights came on, Wen Shu picked up his belongings and the food wrappers he’d brought, then said, “Tang, let’s go back to school.”

Li Tang instinctively slapped Wen Shu’s hand away. Maybe his movement was a bit rough; his hand hit Wen Shu’s hand with a loud smack.

For a moment, Wen Shu looked at his boyfriend in disbelief, his expression… He had brought him here to meet his beloved little uncle. He thought he had succeeded.

After all, his family background might be slightly inferior to the Li family’s, but it was still a good match. To be treated like this was simply too much.

If the little nephew treated his boyfriend like this, then when Lu Yi was Li Tang’s boyfriend, had he been treated the same way?

Rong Huan’s heart was a chaotic mess, but seeing this scene, a sentence inexplicably popped into his mind. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for Lu Yi, who had been wronged.

Between Lu Yi, whom he had known for a few months, and these two, the scales of trust in his heart quietly tipped toward Lu Yi.

The human heart is biased like that. Whoever you like, there’s no fairness or reason.

Lu Yi broke the awkward silence: “Let’s go out first. I still have exams in a few days.”

Li Tang reflexively said, “What exams do we have? You could at least make your lies believable.”

There were no important exams at school. Neither the postgraduate entrance exam nor the civil service exam was coming up soon. He was determined to expose this shameless guy’s lie.

But the moment he said that, Rong Huan’s face darkened. Lu Yi’s admission ticket for the exam had been handled by the music shop, printed uniformly and distributed to the examinees. Rong Huan had personally given Lu Yi his admission ticket, so of course he knew the exam date was in a few days.

As for Li Tang, he had no idea about the situation but just started lashing out. He didn’t seem like the little nephew Rong Huan remembered at all.

As the elder, Rong Huan scolded him: “No matter what your past relationship was, Lu Yi is the friend I brought today. Li Tang, you are being extremely rude.”

In Li Tang’s memory, Rong Huan had always been a very gentle person. To be scolded like this for an outsider made him feel terrible, as if a knife had gouged a chunk out of his heart: “Rong Huan, I’m your nephew. He’s just an outsider!”

He could imagine all the bad things Lu Yi had said about him in front of Rong Huan, how he had slandered him. Of course. Lu Yi hated him so much; how could he have stayed indifferent all this time? He was just waiting for this moment.

Hearing Li Tang’s words, Rong Huan really felt that his little nephew was too immature. To be honest, Li Tang was his stepmother’s grandson, with no blood relation to him. One was surnamed Li, the other Rong. Without blood ties, the bond was just built on watching him grow up.

He had been quite adorable as a child, well-behaved in front of him all along. How could he be so immature and play with other people’s feelings?

The gay circle was already chaotic. There were plenty of honest, rule-abiding people, but they got deceived by people like Li Tang. Those with a stronger mindset silently licked their wounds; those who didn’t would retaliate against others.

Li Tang’s willful, immature behavior only tipped Rong Huan’s internal scale further.

The air seemed thick with gunpowder. Even Wen Shu, who had originally been angry at Li Tang’s attitude, felt a bit intimidated. He tugged at his boyfriend’s sleeve, sounding a little timid: “Can you stop arguing?”

Li Tang shouted at him: “None of your business!”

With that, he wiped his tears with his elbow, shoved Wen Shu aside, and ran out, like the tragic heroine in a movie.

Wen Shu glanced at Rong Huan and Lu Yi, shouted “Li Tang, wait for me!” and followed suit.

Lu Yi sighed and then said, “If you don’t mind, let’s find a place to talk properly?”

Rong Huan gave him a deep look and then said, “Alright. I think we do need to talk.”

His little nephew’s immaturity was one thing; Lu Yi’s deception was another. If it really was just a coincidence, fine. But if the other party had done it on purpose, then he would feel equally chilled and heartbroken.

Or rather, if Lu Yi had deceived him, it would hurt more than what Li Tang had done. Because he had no special expectations for his nephew, but he did have different feelings for Lu Yi.

They left the cinema, found a café, and booked a small private room.

After they sat down, Rong Huan asked bluntly, “Alright, what do you want to say to me? Spill everything today.”

Lu Yi thought for a moment and then said, “To be honest, when I first approached you, my intentions weren’t pure.”

Hearing this, Rong Huan suddenly stood up and made to leave, but Lu Yi quickly grabbed his hand.

“Wait a moment. Let me finish.”

“What’s there to say? You lied to me, so you lied.” So it was all a setup. He felt like an idiot—foolish and naive.

“I only hid the fact that I came for you. But everything else, I never hid from you, did I?” Lu Yi held his hand tightly.

He carefully chose his words, ensuring there would be no ambiguity: “Before I met you, I knew your name, but I didn’t know what your relationship with Li Tang was. I hadn’t seen your face. I heard about you from my roommate, because he said he saw Li Tang getting close to you.”

He continued, “I told you before, right? He was my first love. I did a lot of stupid things for him, even drank pesticide. After I woke up, the Lu Yi who used to like Li Tang was dead. But I don’t hate him either. My friendship with you has absolutely nothing to do with Li Tang.”

He took out his phone and placed it on the table: “See for yourself. A few months ago, my chat records with my roommate. Back then, we didn’t know each other, and I had just been discharged from the hospital. Take a look.”

Rong Huan wavered a little: “Then let go of me.”

Lu Yi said, “I’m afraid if I let go, you’ll run away and won’t listen to my explanation.”

Rong Huan’s face reddened. Actually, that was exactly what he was planning: “I’m not Li Tang, that kid, and I’m not the hero or heroine of a melodrama. Let go. How can I read it otherwise? I’m not left-handed.”

Lu Yi finally let go.

Rong Huan unabashedly read through Lu Yi’s chat records. After all, Lu Yi had told him to. And since it came suddenly, he didn’t believe Lu Yi had time to tamper with it.

After finishing, he silently put the phone down and didn’t say a word.

Lu Yi asked him, “Are you still angry now? I’m sorry I hid this from you, but I really didn’t know Li Tang was your nephew.”

He paused and then added, “I thought… Li Tang liked you…”

“How could Li Tang like me? He’s my nephew.” Even if there was no blood relation, being with Li Tang was still incest to him. Melodramatic plots in novels were exciting to read, but if they happened in real life, especially to him, he absolutely couldn’t accept it.

Besides, he was 27 now. It was fine that Lu Yi was 20, but when he was 20, Li Tang was only 13. When he realized he liked men in high school, Li Tang was 11. He wasn’t a pervert who could fall in love with a child.

“But Li Tang really does like you. Don’t you know that?” Lu Yi felt he could understand Li Tang. Because there was someone he liked deeply in his heart, but because of his little uncle, he could never have them, so he suffered.

There were several types of playboys. Some were born that way; some were hurt and then went on to hurt others. Li Tang leaned toward the latter—because there was someone in his heart, so everyone else was just settling.

Like a psychologist analyzing criminal motives, Lu Yi could understand the emotion, but he couldn’t forgive it.

Why should you hurt others just because you can’t have someone? If you had clearly stated upfront, “I will never like you in this life; I’m only dating you because I can’t be with someone else,” then let’s see how many people would still willingly humiliate themselves.

The original host was already the type who lacked love and was sensitive. When he saw someone reaching out, he grabbed it without hesitation, not knowing it was just a straw, and then sank deeper into the quagmire alone.

What’s wrong with being an honest person? Do ordinary, honest people deserve to be hurt?

Lu Yi especially hated this kind of irresponsible, emotionally manipulative behavior. And it wasn’t just for the original host, who shared his name.

Lu Yi’s words were so firm that Rong Huan couldn’t help but recall his own past. In previous years, he had developed crushes on some men—after all, he wanted to fall in love too. But somehow, something always messed it up.

There were even two men who were quite good, but Li Tang would conveniently expose them, saying they were hooking up with others, and he had evidence.

He did all this out of kindness, but when he thought about it carefully, it felt a bit off. And when they were younger, it was fine—kids cling to the adults they like. But as Li Tang grew up and became sensible, he still said ambiguous things.

Even the date Li Tang came out was the same day he himself had come out years ago. The only difference was that when he came out, he didn’t have anyone he liked, but Li Tang did—though he was eventually broken up by his family.

But all along, Li Tang’s behavior was like, “I actually have a boyfriend, you’re just my uncle,” so he got very close. Rong Huan never thought much of it. Sometimes, when it felt too intimate, he would tell him to be careful, but Li Tang’s attitude was so natural that it made Rong Huan feel like he was overthinking.

If Li Tang really had those intentions, then he had taken advantage of Rong Huan many times.

Thinking of this, Rong Huan’s face alternated between pale and flushed. He felt like vomiting.

Seeing how terrible his expression was, Lu Yi came over and asked with concern, “Are you okay? You look awful.”

“I’m fine. Just a bit of an upset stomach.”

“Then don’t drink the coffee. Let’s pay and go. I’ll go with you to buy some stomach medicine.” Lu Yi held his hand, frowning. “Your hand is so cold.”

This was the first time Lu Yi had held his hand. Earlier, he had only grabbed his arm. The warmth from the young man’s palm was high, a constant source of heat transferring from his body, making Rong Huan feel much better.

“It’s nothing. I’m just feeling nauseous thinking about Li Tang.”

Li Tang had really been spoiled by his elder brother and sister-in-law, getting everything he wanted since childhood. Now he had set his sights on him.

“Then don’t think about him.” Lu Yi let go.

But this time, he failed to let go; Rong Huan held on.

“?” Lu Yi looked at Rong Huan with a puzzled expression.

Remembering what his friend had said to him earlier, Rong Huan mustered his courage and asked, “What about you? Don’t you have anything else to say?”

Lu Yi stared blankly at the hand holding his for a while, saying nothing.

Rong Huan’s newly warmed heart cooled by half. He was about to let go, determined never to see Lu Yi again, but as soon as he released his grip, Lu Yi grabbed him again.

Lu Yi looked at him: “These past few days, I’ve been trying to focus on my work, but every time you send a message, I can’t study properly. When I watch videos of masters playing the piano, I end up thinking of you. I’m really sorry for saying such ambiguous things to you without clearly expressing my feelings.”

His dark pupils clearly reflected Rong Huan’s gentle, handsome face: “I think I really like you too. I’m not the type to easily make promises. Once I say ‘forever,’ I mean it for real. Right now, I can’t say ‘forever’ to you yet, but after we’re together, I should love you more every day. Do you like me?”

This was the first time Lu Yi had spoken so much, such a long speech. Realizing what he had said, Rong Huan’s face turned bright red. Li Tang, that little nephew of his, was completely forgotten, thrown to the ends of the earth.

He felt his head burning hot, lowered it, stared at their intertwined fingers for a long time, and then said in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum: “Then… let’s give it a try.”

After all, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Having established a new relationship, the two walked out hand in hand.

Lu Yi had never really held anyone’s hand before, but holding Rong Huan’s felt very natural. Perhaps the higher-ups made him transmigrate not only to resurrect Yu Ke and make a new choice but also to find someone he truly loved.

Thinking of this, his eyes suddenly dimmed.

Although Rong Huan was immersed in joy, he keenly sensed Lu Yi’s change in mood. He asked, “Why do you suddenly look so unhappy?”

Lu Yi looked at him: “I’m just a little scared. Thinking about what it would be like if I didn’t have you in the future… how sad it would be.”

He didn’t know how many fragments he needed to collect. In other worlds, without someone he loved, it would be very lonely, wouldn’t it?

Rong Huan said, “Even though I’m seven years older than you, it’s only seven years, you know. Maybe you’ll go before me even.”

The age gap was a sore spot for him. Although Lu Yi’s words expressed affection, he wasn’t happy hearing them.

“Yes, yes, I’ll definitely go before you.”

“Pfft, don’t jinx it. Don’t say such unlucky things.” Rong Huan didn’t like hearing Lu Yi curse himself either.

Lu Yi looked at him and smiled.

Rong Huan was confused by his gaze and touched his face: “Is there something on my face?”

Lu Yi shook his head.

Rong Huan said, “Then why are you looking at me? I’m not…”

Before he could finish, his lips were silenced by another pair.

Lu Yi leaned down and kissed his newly acquired boyfriend: “Now I like you even more than before.”

Realizing what had just happened, Rong Huan was completely stunned. His walking became clumsy, arms and legs out of sync.

Covering his lips, he grinned foolishly: Starting today, he was someone with a boyfriend too.