Chapter 39#
Playboy (9)#
Rong Huan was very unhappy when he heard this. He had finally managed to get a boyfriend, and now they were telling him to break up? Why should he? If his father’s words were so effective, then back then, it wouldn’t have been the other party who yielded, but himself bowing to his father’s authority.
After all, he was his biological father. Rong Huan held back his anger and tried to speak calmly: “Dad, weren’t you the one who hoped I’d find a partner? So why now that I have a boyfriend, are you forcing me to break up?”
Old Master Rong said: “You’re asking me why? Look at what kind of person you’ve picked. And on top of that, he’s Li Tang’s boyfriend. If this gets out—uncle and nephew fighting over the same man—where am I supposed to put the Rong family’s face?”
Rong Huan said: “Did Li Tang tell you this?”
Old Master Rong said: “It has nothing to do with him. I care about my own son. I found out he had a boyfriend, so I looked into his background. What’s wrong with that?”
Rong Huan said again: “Lu Yi is a good person. I like him.”
Old Master Rong felt like his second son had got his head filled with mush—probably completely blinded by love.
He said: “What’s so good about that Lu Yi? His family is poor, he’s got a strong inferiority complex, he’s not even particularly good-looking, has no presence, and aside from decent grades, he’s useless. And on top of that, he once tried to kill himself by drinking pesticide. Do you know how strong the side effects of pesticides are?”
Rong Huan said: “He didn’t drink much, and his stomach was pumped in time. There’s some damage to his body, but not severe. Besides, who hasn’t done one or two stupid things when they were young? Didn’t I go on a hunger strike back then?”
Back when it was at its worst, Old Master Rong had even tried to force him into some kind of psychiatric treatment, nearly pushing him to the breaking point.
Mentioning this, Old Master Rong’s tone softened a little: “I know it hasn’t been easy for you, that’s why I let you find a partner. But think about it—how old is that Lu Yi? Can you two really last?”
Rong Huan said: “I’m only seven years older than him. You and Auntie have a fifteen-year age gap.”
Old Master Rong did the same, so what right did he have to lecture him?
“That’s different. Your Auntie and I are different.”
“There’s nothing different about it. You say Lu Yi is no good—aside from being a bit young, what else is wrong with him?”
He continued: “I’m not after any family inheritance. I just want to live my own life quietly. Even without wealth and luxury, even without fancy food every day, I can still get by just fine.”
“There’s plenty wrong with him!” Old Master Rong’s voice rose. “His age alone is a fatal flaw. Sure, I’m older than your Auntie, but so what? We have plenty of servants at home to take care of him. You, on the other hand, found someone who has nothing. Are you planning to be the one taking care of him? And besides, the only reason he was with Li Tang back then was because Li Tang had money and status. Now he’s after you. Do you really think it’s true love? Either he’s trying to get back at Li Tang, or he’s after your money!”
Rong Huan took a deep breath: “I know about Lu Yi and Li Tang’s past. But the fault lies with Li Tang, not Lu Yi. I can’t make you understand!”
Old Master Rong said again: “It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. That kid did something like that because he’s stupid and brainless. I will not accept a daughter-in-law who is poor, dumb, and has been involved with your little nephew.”
He felt that Lu Yi’s qualifications were truly too poor.
Rong Huan didn’t like hearing anyone speak ill of Lu Yi, not even his own father: “Li Tang is a member of the Li family. My surname is Rong, not Li. I’m not his biological uncle by blood, so what’s so awkward? Besides, they broke up ages ago. In any case, don’t say any more. I won’t break up.”
After saying this, he hung up the phone. Old Master Rong was furious on the other end. His wife, who was nearby, tried to soothe him: “Old Master, don’t get so angry. It’s not easy for Rong Huan to finally like someone. Let him be. If it doesn’t work out, he’ll break up on his own.”
Old Master Rong said angrily: “What do you know? If you don’t understand, don’t interrupt!”
He was the typical patriarchal figure. Even in his old age, his stubborn nature would never change. Being able to take a step back and accept his son being with a man was already a huge concession for him.
But Rong Huan had to pick someone so unreliable. He thought for a moment—since he couldn’t get through to his son, he would start with Lu Yi instead.
Let him suffer enough to learn that the Rong family was not to be trifled with. The other party would definitely choose to back off.
After hanging up on his father, Rong Huan, who knew his father’s nature well, immediately called Lu Yi: “Where are you now?”
“I’m at the academic affairs office handling some paperwork. What’s wrong?”
Rong Huan said: “My dad just called me. He said some really nasty things and even forced me to break up with you.”
What Lu Yi cared about was Rong Huan’s own feelings: “And you? What did you think?”
Rong Huan’s tone sounded a bit angry: “Of course I refused. If I listened to everything he said, then I’d have no self left. I guess Li Tang went and tattled to my dad.”
Hearing Li Tang’s name, Lu Yi understood. It made sense—knowing Li Tang’s personality, once he saw that his beloved uncle had been snatched away by him, he would try to use Rong Huan’s father to pressure him.
Thinking about it was kind of funny. Before, he was the one who got to pick and choose others.
“My conditions really aren’t good. It’s understandable that the old master has concerns.”
Rong Huan laughed and said: “How could that be? How could I bear to let you go? My boyfriend is amazing. I definitely won’t give up.”
Rong Huan sniffled: “Actually, it’s not like we have to have our parents’ blessing. My dad is such an old fossil—forget it. A relationship is ultimately between the two of us anyway.”
The one he was going to spend his life with was Lu Yi, not some old man. He wasn’t stupid.
Lu Yi said: “But I still hope you can feel a bit better inside.” Having family approval was always better than having them refuse to accept it.
Rong Huan continued: “Don’t pay him any mind. He’s just a stubborn old rock. Anyway, when I came out to him, he didn’t agree either. I really don’t care. But if you dare go behind my back and break up with me under the pretense of ‘doing what’s best for me,’ then I will never forgive you!”
“I understand. Set your mind at ease. No matter what he says, I won’t back down.”
After calming down his little boyfriend, Lu Yi went back to finishing his paperwork.
It was campus recruitment season now. To boost employment rates, students basically had to sign a tripartite agreement or go into self-employment.
Lu Yi would obviously choose self-employment. With limited funds, he partnered with someone to set up a small studio that specialized in “campus The most beautiful ID photo ” (campus The most beautiful ID photo —best ID photos on campus).
The female classmates in his class would do makeup, and he was responsible for photography. If there was post-production work, he would handle that too.
The main issue was that he had very little capital right now, too little start-up funds. Even if he wanted to invest in the stock market, he’d need at least a year before that was viable. Talking about starting a company was way too early.
Everything was going fine at first, but suddenly the studio had to disband. Besides exams, every time he tried to get something done, he ran into one or two small obstacles.
After thinking it over, he guessed that Old Master Rong’s family was warning him. He solved these small problems himself and didn’t mention them to Rong Huan, so as not to worry his boyfriend.
Sure enough, a week later, Old Master Rong “invited” him for a meeting.
When he first saw Lu Yi, the old man was a bit surprised, because the real person’s temperament was quite different from the photo. But even with the difference, it didn’t change the fact that Lu Yi was Li Tang’s ex-boyfriend, from a poor family, and stupid enough to have tried to kill himself over his ex-boyfriend.
He cut straight to the chase: “Break up with my son, and I’ll give you one million yuan and send you abroad for further studies. Or you can choose not to break up, and then you can say goodbye to your diploma.”
Lu Yi said: “If I were you, I definitely wouldn’t have said that. Doing this will only push your son further away and alienate him. And your son will only feel more sorry for me, and our relationship will grow even stronger.”
Old Master Rong banged his cane hard on the ground: “How dare you! Are you threatening me? I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice. You’re just a wet-behind-the-ears kid, don’t you dare tell me what to do.”
Lu Yi was not intimidated by the old man’s threat: “Whether my words have any effect is not for you to decide. It’s decided by your son—my boyfriend—Rong Huan.”
Old Master Rong said: “Slick-tongued! In any case, my son could find anyone and they’d still be better than you. If you’re smart, you’ll break up as soon as possible. Otherwise, you won’t get a thing.”
The more he looked, the more he disliked Lu Yi. He liked people who were obedient and docile. Lu Yi simply didn’t fit the standard, and he looked very scheming. His foolish son must have been fooled by this superficial appearance.
Otherwise, how could someone who drank pesticide survive? How could he be so lucky? It was probably a fake suicide attempt! He thought that Lu Yi did it all for Li Tang’s sake. When he saw he couldn’t get anything from Li Tang, he came after his son.
Lu Yi didn’t pick up that thread. Instead, he asked the old man: “You said anyone would do?”
Old Master Rong narrowed his eyes: “What do you mean by that?”
Lu Yi took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then said slowly: “Then what about your nominal grandson, your eldest son’s son, Li Tang? Would he be okay too?”