Chapter 38#
Playboy (8)#
Even after starting a relationship with a boyfriend, exams couldn’t be neglected at all. Thanks to his prior foundation, Lu Yi passed the exams easily and obtained the relevant certificates. Next came the matter of signing up for level-based certification.
For him, music would certainly never be the entirety of his life. Although he loved it dearly, in this lifetime, he still leaned more toward being an entrepreneur rather than a musician. However, to find more common ground with his boyfriend and to fulfill an old dream of his own, he still wanted to continue pursuing higher levels and strive for a performance-level certification.
Life seemed to be going smoothly, and the relationship was progressing well too. But clearly, someone didn’t want to see him have it so easy.
That day, after storming out, Li Tang didn’t let Wen Shu comfort him. He went home by himself, smashed a lot of things, vented his anger, and then tried to contact Rong Huan. But the other party simply wouldn’t answer.
After a few attempts, Rong Huan blocked his young nephew, saying he was just in a fit of anger and needed to calm down.
A few days later, Li Tang still couldn’t calm down. He rushed to Rong Huan’s place and knocked on the door. Rong Huan wasn’t there, so he stubbornly stood there all day, skipping lunch and dinner, until Rong Huan returned from outside.
Rong Huan was surprised to see Li Tang. “Why are you here?”
Li Tang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but changed his words at the last moment. He said, “Little uncle, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so rude in front of your friend. But he really has ill intentions.”
Rong Huan glanced at him and opened the door. “Come in, let’s talk inside.”
Out of politeness, he poured Li Tang a glass of water, treating him as courteously as any ordinary guest.
Li Tang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, After all, he’s still my little uncle. As long as I say a few nice words, he’ll forgive me.
Rong Huan, unconcerned with what Li Tang might think, said bluntly, “Li Tang, I hope you truly realize your mistake. From now on, I want you to mind the boundaries between us. I’m only your little uncle, nothing more.”
Li Tang felt a bit wronged. “But you’re my most important little uncle. Do you really have no feelings for me at all?”
Rong Huan replied, “Of course there are feelings, but only the normal care of an elder for a younger relative. As a younger relative, I hope you can respect Lu Yi—your future little aunt, or rather, uncle’s husband.”
“I…” Li Tang didn’t react at first, but when he realized what Rong Huan was saying, he shot up from his seat. “What did you just say? You said you were just friends!”
His emotions became extremely agitated. “Do you even know? He’s my ex-boyfriend! How am I supposed to handle this?”
Rong Huan was silent for a moment. He knew it was awkward, but in the end, he was also a selfish person. He had finally found someone he liked—was he supposed to give up his own happiness for someone else?
“Your relationship with him is in the past. Besides, the start of your relationship was itself a mistake, given that you deceived him.”
Speaking of Lu Yi’s past, even as his current boyfriend, Rong Huan felt a pang of heartache. “You were way too immature. You drove someone to attempt suicide by drinking poison—are you proud of that?”
Thinking of Wen Shu, he added, “Wen Shu is a good person. If you don’t like him, just make it clear. Why toy with someone’s feelings and let them sink deeper?”
Li Tang felt utterly wronged. His whole body trembled, his eyes reddening as he shouted, “What do you know? You don’t understand anything! Who asked you to meddle in my affairs? You’re not even my real uncle!”
Hearing this, whatever trace of pity Rong Huan had left vanished completely. Though gentle, he was not without a temper. “Yeah, I’m not your real uncle. So what? I don’t want to bother with you either.”
He continued, “Li Tang, the truth is, you’ve liked me all along, haven’t you?”
Li Tang’s eyes widened. “You already knew?!”
He didn’t deny it. More accurately, his words were a confession—a confession of the repressed, unrequited affection he’d harbored for years.
Rong Huan stood up. “Yes, I know. I only found out recently. If you think hiding someone in your heart while being irresponsible with others’ feelings counts as true love, then sorry, I don’t accept it. In fact, being the object of your ‘true love’ disgusts me.”
Li Tang’s heart shattered into countless pieces. He couldn’t help but think of his former young boyfriend, who had cried and screamed, cursing him for being heartless, saying he would get his comeuppance. Back then, Li Tang hadn’t taken it seriously, thinking that someone as gentle as his little uncle would never be cruel.
But he never expected that the gentlest person could be the cruelest when pushed.
Unable to accept this reality, he once again stormed out the door.
After returning home, he came down with a high fever. Refusing to see a doctor because he was sick, it turned into pneumonia.
Most school clinics could handle minor injuries and ailments, but something this serious couldn’t be treated there; students had to go to a major hospital. In the end, the school granted him half a month’s leave, asking his parents to take him for treatment, which included hospitalization and injections.
In the hospital, Li Tang continued to act out, refusing medication and injections. His parents had no way to handle him—if the patient wouldn’t cooperate, they couldn’t exactly force-feed him medicine like he was a baby in swaddling clothes.
After much thought, his father called Rong Huan and begged him to help.
When Rong Huan received the call, his first reaction was surprise, followed by anger. He became even more convinced that Li Tang was just a spoiled child who, when he couldn’t get what he wanted, would throw a tantrum for candy, relying on others’ affection for him.
He treated relationships the same way—irresponsible, relying on others’ love to hurt them freely, since they wouldn’t hurt him even if he hurt himself.
If Rong Huan kept indulging Li Tang, the kid would be ruined.
Addressing his stepbrother, Rong Huan…
Li’s father handed the phone to Li Tang. “Your little uncle’s on the line.”
Li Tang took it, and Rong Huan’s voice came through: “If you want to use this method to torment yourself, go ahead. If you die, I’ll only be happier.”
Li Tang immediately threw the phone away. His father was furious, but his mother held her husband back, saying, “He’s sick.”
She muttered to herself, suspecting that her brother-in-law must have said something harsh. This brother-in-law really is troublesome. I always thought my son was normal—he was probably led astray by this little uncle’s orientation.
Li Tang said angrily, “Call the doctor. I want the injection. I’ll take the medicine.”
If Rong Huan could say something so heartless, why should he keep hurting himself? Would he really rather die of illness? That wasn’t worth it. He would never let those two have an easy time!
Hearing this, Li’s mother showed a hint of relief, thinking that at least in moments like this, the younger uncle was somewhat useful.
After recovering, Li Tang remained resentful. He had liked Rong Huan for so many years—from childhood possessiveness to teenage awakening and through the present—so many years’ worth of feelings couldn’t be dropped in a few words.
His words carried little weight, but someone else’s did.
His biological grandmother had later married a man who was also from a large family—Rong Huan’s biological father. The old man was domineering and autocratic. Back when Rong Huan came out, the old man nearly beat him to death.
But Rong Huan was too much like his deceased mother—seemingly gentle but stubborn to the core.
In the end, Rong’s father had no choice but to yield to his son. After all, Rong Huan still had an elder brother who already had children, so the Rong family line wasn’t broken.
Li Tang’s father was a stepson who hadn’t changed his surname, so he wasn’t in the Rong family registry and couldn’t claim any of the Rong family wealth.
At first, Rong Huan didn’t have a man he liked. If he had, Rong’s father would surely have broken them up.
But as his children grew up and grandchildren arrived, the old man’s heart softened. Seeing his eldest son and eldest daughter with kids, and even the child he had with Li Tang’s grandmother married off to a nice girl, he began to worry about his youngest son, who was still alone.
If he liked men, so be it. As long as he found someone clean and decent who could settle down, that was enough.
He didn’t expect a high match—he wasn’t selling his son. A partner from a slightly lower background would be easier for his gentle son to manage, with the old man backing him up so the other party wouldn’t dare go too far.
The relationship with Lu Yi had only just been confirmed. Since Lu Yi hadn’t graduated yet, Rong Huan didn’t plan to inform his family so soon. His stepmother was fine—no blood relation, so she wouldn’t meddle. His elder sister and brother had their own families and wouldn’t interfere with their brother’s affairs. His only concern was the old man.
He planned to wait until Lu Yi graduated and their relationship was more stable before telling his father.
But then Li Tang called the old man directly.
While still sick, Li Tang complained cleverly: “Grandpa, I got sick this time because little uncle made me angry.”
Although the old man liked Li Tang, he wasn’t his biological grandson, so he wasn’t keen on hearing a non-blood grandson badmouth his son. Besides, Li Tang also liked men.
“Your little uncle is your elder. Show some respect.”
Li Tang tightened his grip on the phone and said, “It’s because little uncle is dating my ex-boyfriend. I tried to persuade him, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Your ex-boyfriend? What’s the story?”
Li Tang immediately launched into a vivid account of Lu Yi’s background, exaggerating his flaws—poor family, gold-digging, and even the time Lu Yi drank pesticide to commit suicide after their breakup.
Of course, he didn’t say that he had deceived Lu Yi, driving him to the edge. Instead, he portrayed Lu Yi as someone who was overly emotional and psychologically fragile.
Hearing this, the old man was appalled. A poor, gold-digging, gloomy man with a suicide attempt—and so much younger than his son? How could he be reliable?
He wanted someone to take care of Rong Huan, not for Rong Huan to accommodate and tolerate someone else. Though Li Tang hadn’t spelled it out, the old man could piece together just how dangerous Lu Yi was.
He didn’t act impulsively. First, he had someone investigate, and found that Li Tang’s claims were mostly true.
Seeing the evidence, the old man was furious. He called his son directly. “Are you dating someone named Lu Yi lately?”
Rong Huan was surprised. “Dad, how did you know?”
The old man on the other end was furious. “How can you be so foolish? At your age, you still can’t give your old man peace! Anyone is fine, but not him. You have to break up with him, or else don’t call me your father!”