Chapter 109#

The kiss didn’t last too long.

Lu Lin released Yan Heqing, his dark eyes gazing at the young man. “There’s no backing out of the ‘contract’ with me.”

This was the only time he had been forceful with Yan Heqing.

Yan Heqing smiled. “I’ve decided to sign the ‘contract’, and I won’t back out.”

The uncertain future was no longer important.

He would live.

He would definitely make himself live.

His eyes were clear. “Let’s tell others at the end of the month.”

He still had one thing left to do.

“In this ‘contract’, you are Party A, you call the shots.” Lu Lin hugged Yan Heqing, holding him tightly in his arms.

In the end, they chose six sets of bedding, including the red one.

When they walked out of the store, Lin Fengzhi was nowhere to be seen.

Yan Heqing knew Lin Fengzhi had left.

As soon as Lu Lin kissed him, Lin Fengzhi couldn’t bear it and ran away.

From a distance, Lin Fengzhi couldn’t hear their conversation. Lu Lin’s kiss was not in his plan, but the effect was immediate.

Yan Heqing didn’t think much about whether Lu Lin had discovered Lin Fengzhi was following them.

Lin Fengzhi made no attempt to disguise himself; it was too easy to spot him.

Carrying paper bags in both hands, Yan Heqing shifted everything to one hand and took out his phone to check the time. It was almost time for lunch. He put his phone back and said, “Let’s go eat. My treat today, to your taste.”

Lu Lin had taken in the previous scene. The restaurant was on the top floor. Lu Lin chose a Jiangnan cuisine restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and they had lunch.

The plan for the afternoon was to go to the old house of Lu Lin’s maternal grandparents. The housekeeper who looked after the old house said that it hadn’t rained, and the honey plums were growing well, big and sweet. It was the perfect time for picking.

However, Lu Lin didn’t take Yan Heqing back to the old house right away. Instead, he went to a watch shop.

The storefront was not large, and the decoration was understated, but the prices all started at six figures.

When they entered the store, the staff closed the door and hung up a “temporarily closed” sign.

Lu Lin took Yan Heqing’s wrist.

The slender white wrist was a stark contrast to the young man’s palm. After a few months of care, the calluses on Yan Heqing’s fingertips had faded a lot, but his recent frequent experiments had added other marks. It was not a delicate hand.

But it was incredibly beautiful.

Lu Lin put his arm around Yan Heqing’s shoulder, sat him down in a chair, and looked at the watches in the glass cabinet. “Pick one. The first time I saw your hand, I wanted to put something on it.”

Yan Heqing raised his hand slightly. The store’s lights were bright, and the dark red red bean bracelet glowed with a mellow luster. “I have one.”

“Not enough,” Lu Lin chuckled. “Two more things are missing.”

Besides the watch, the other was naturally a wedding ring.

Yan Heqing had agreed to marry, but he was only willing to go through with it, without it feeling real. Now that Lu Lin mentioned the ring, it felt a bit more real. He was slightly lost in thought, and when he came back to his senses, he chose a mechanical watch with a silver steel band.

The price was in the mid-range for this store, not too low and not too high. His wrist was slender, so the owner removed two links from the strap on the spot, and it fit perfectly.

“It suits you very well.” It wasn’t that beauty was in the eye of the beholder; Yan Heqing really did look good wearing a watch.

Yan Heqing looked at the watch. It was very beautiful. He was confident that he could earn enough money to buy this watch in the future, but right now, he really couldn’t afford it.

He said seriously, “I don’t have the money to give you a gift of equal value right now. In the future—” he paused for a second, “in five years, I will…”

The rest of the words died on his lips. He asked in confusion, “What are you laughing at?”

Lu Lin was laughing, a different laugh from usual, one of clear delight.

He leaned in and whispered in Yan Heqing’s ear, “I don’t accept blank checks. You have to pay some interest first.”

Yan Heqing knew what kind of interest Lu Lin wanted.

But he took out a one-yuan coin from his pocket. “Here, one yuan of interest per year.”

After a moment of surprise, Lu Lin accepted it all. He stood up straight and smiled, “This is the second one.”

The first one was the lucky coin.

“This time next year.” He ran his fingers through Yan Heqing’s hair; he loved to ruffle Yan Heqing’s hair like this. “Remember to pay the interest on time.”

When they came out of the mall, the fine weather suddenly turned gloomy. A few large, thick dark clouds covered the sun, but it didn’t rain.

Yan Heqing glanced at the sky and lowered his eyes.

With Lin Fengzhi’s personality, he would soon do something extreme.

Jump into the sea, take pills, or something else.

Yan Heqing waited patiently.

Lin Fengzhi wouldn’t really kill himself. He just wanted to threaten him with suicide and would contact him before performing the act.

He got in the car and fastened his seatbelt. Before they reached the old house, Lin Fengzhi’s call came as expected.

Yan Heqing answered the call. He didn’t speak, just waited calmly.

Heavy breathing came from the receiver. Finally, Lin Fengzhi lost his patience and spoke with a breakdown in his voice.

“I told you, if you get married, I’ll die!”

His roar was deafening. Lu Lin pulled the car over to the side of the road. Yan Heqing replied indifferently, “I told you, that’s your business.”

“Then get ready to collect my body!” Lin Fengzhi screamed hysterically at him. “I’m at—” he gave an address, “I’ll give you an hour. If you’re not here, I’ll jump from here!”

Lin Fengzhi hung up the phone.

Yan Heqing put down his phone and turned to look at Lu Lin. Without a word, Lu Lin started the car.

Yan Heqing was very calm, but Lu Lin’s face darkened, his fingertips pressing heavily on the steering wheel.

That address was Yan Heqing’s childhood home, the place that had caught fire.

Lu Lin sped up.

On the other side, Mother Lin redialed Lin Fengzhi’s number while anxiously asking the driver, “Have you seen him?”

Today, the driver had taken Mother Lin around the city countless times looking for Lin Fengzhi.

Seeing Mother Lin’s ashen face in the rearview mirror, he said with concern, “Maybe the young master’s phone is broken. You look really terrible. Should I take you to the hospital first?”

He didn’t understand why Mother Lin was so desperate to find Lin Fengzhi today. When he received her call in the morning and rushed over, she was sitting on a bench on the street, clutching her chest, her face deathly pale, breaking out in a cold sweat from time to to time. He wanted to take her to the hospital, but she insisted on finding Lin Fengzhi first. For the whole day, she hadn’t had a drop of water.

The driver was worried that Mother Lin would collapse before they found Lin Fengzhi.

In such a big city, looking for someone was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Mother Lin once again rejected the driver’s suggestion. Hearing the mechanical “the number you have dialed is switched off” voice, her heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cave, so cold that her limbs trembled.

Lin Fengzhi had actually lied to her…

Mother Lin’s eyes stung. Worried that the driver would notice, she quickly turned her head away, forced herself to suppress her disappointment, and urged the driver to speed up.

She was worried that Lin Fengzhi would hurt Yan Heqing again.

In the morning, she had immediately asked the driver to take her to Yan Heqing’s residence.

But not only could she not find Lin Fengzhi, even Yan Heqing was not there, and she really didn’t have the face to contact Yan Heqing.

Mother Lin’s mind was in a daze. A place suddenly came to her exhausted mind.

She forced herself to sit up straight, her bloodless lips trembling as she gave an address, “Go check this place.”

It was the address where Yan Heqing and Lin Fengzhi had lived as children.

A sharp pain shot through her heart. Mother Lin pressed heavily on her chest and finally took a small sip of water so she wouldn’t collapse.

…

No. 21, Yuntan Street, Yunwu District.

The place where the fire had occurred was now a high-rise apartment building.

The dark clouds hung low, the streetlights were already on, and people occasionally entered and exited the apartment building.

Lu Lin stopped at the entrance of the apartment. He looked at Yan Heqing. “Do you want me to go up?”

Yan Heqing shook his head. “I’ll go up by myself.”

He was about to open the door when Lu Lin suddenly reached out and covered his hand. It was warm and dry, but he quickly moved it away. “Be careful.”

Yan Heqing got out of the car.

He had never been to this place before.

He had always remembered the house number, but he resisted coming back. He missed this place, but he also feared it.

Now that he was here, things had already changed.

Yan Heqing looked up. It was about thirty stories high. He could vaguely see the top floor, but he couldn’t see Lin Fengzhi.

At this height, humans were incredibly small.

Yan Heqing withdrew his gaze and walked into the apartment.

Just as he entered the elevator, Mother Lin’s car also arrived. She circled the area and was about to go somewhere else when she couldn’t find Lin Fengzhi. Suddenly, a figure walked over and politely knocked on the rear window.

Mother Lin’s breath hitched. She lowered the window and looked at Lu Lin with shame and embarrassment. “Mr. Lu…”

Lu Lin got straight to the point. “Lin Fengzhi is on the roof, threatening to jump to blackmail Yan Heqing.”

Mother Lin’s vision went black, and she almost couldn’t catch her breath. She could no longer care about etiquette and rushed out of the car and into the apartment.

The driver was scared out of his wits when he heard this.

Lin Fengzhi was going to jump off a building?

He quickly notified Father Lin.

…

This apartment building was for single working people. The units were basically 20 to 30 square meter lofts, with more than 20 units on each floor and only 4 elevators.

With people coming in and out, the elevator ascended extremely slowly. When the elevator door opened and closed on the 28th floor, only Yan Heqing was left inside.

Yan Heqing watched the numbers jump. When it reached the 32nd floor, he turned on his phone’s recorder, put it back in his pocket, and walked out of the elevator onto a spacious and desolate rooftop.

Walking around to the side, he saw Lin Fengzhi standing inside the railing.

The sky was dim, and the high-rise buildings opposite were lit with scattered lights. Lin Fengzhi had been staring at Yan Heqing since he appeared.

His eyesight seemed to have deteriorated again. He had to look very carefully and forcefully to see things clearly.

The wind on the high floor howled frighteningly, and the top of Lin Fengzhi’s hair was blown into a mess.

He gripped the railing and bit his lip. “Yan Heqing, you’re finally here!”

Yan Heqing looked at his crazed appearance, his heart already calm. “Don’t you consider Auntie Lin?”

Ding.

The sound of an elevator door opening and closing could be faintly heard.

Lin Fengzhi didn’t notice at all. At this moment, his eyes were only on Yan Heqing.

“Don’t change the subject!” he said with red eyes. “Ever since you appeared, my life has completely changed! Everyone, Mom, Dad, my two older brothers, Gu Xingye, and Ge Tongyuan! They all like you and ignore me!”

As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes. “I’m not as outstanding as you, not as good at speaking, and you know a lot of things I don’t understand. I’ll give it all to you, they can all like you! I don’t care, but why!” His eyes gradually became resentful and jealous. “Why did you have to steal Uncle Lu?”

“I love him so much, but he doesn’t even look at me…” Lin Fengzhi scratched the railing with his nails. He didn’t understand, he really didn’t understand. He and Yan Heqing were twins, why did Lu Lin only like Yan Heqing and not him?

“Anyway, I died once 13 years ago.” Lin Fengzhi blinked away his tears. With the mist in his eyes, his vision became even more blurred. He had no other choice but to use his last resort to force Yan Heqing. “I can’t lose Lu Lin. If you insist on marrying him, I’ll use my life to bless you.”

Yan Heqing’s eyes were dark. “If you die, the Lin family will be the most heartbroken. Do you really not care about them?”

Lin Fengzhi’s voice suddenly became sharp. “Stop pretending to be kind! If I die, you’ll be the happiest! I was so stupid to think you liked me, but you actually hate me! Your adoptive parents were poor and abused you, so you’re jealous of my comfortable life. You think I stole your life, but you hid yourself and gave me the adoption opportunity. It’s not like I asked you to!”

He became more and more agitated as he spoke. “What right do you have to blame me! You did it willingly! And now you have Uncle Lu, you’re the happiest person in the world! You have to give Uncle Lu back to me. I don’t care about any of these things, I can give them all to you!”

“You… you really mean that…” a weak, trembling voice suddenly sounded.

Lin Fengzhi looked over at the sound. His vision was blurry, but his hearing had become increasingly sharp.

He couldn’t have misheard. It was Mother Lin!

Yan Heqing also turned around.

He had been focused on Lin Fengzhi and didn’t know when Mother Lin had appeared behind him.

Mother Lin’s eyes were vacant as she stared ahead, as if looking at Lin Fengzhi, but also as if looking at no one.

Her lips trembled as if she wanted to say something more, but her vision went black and she fell forward.

Yan Heqing quickly stepped forward to catch her. Seeing that something was wrong with Mother Lin, Yan Heqing decisively laid her down and performed simple first aid.

Lin Fengzhi’s vision was even worse in the dark. Everything was a blur. When the sound suddenly stopped, he shouted anxiously, “Mom, where are you?”

No one answered him.

Yan Heqing performed first aid on Mother Lin, and her chest finally began to rise and fall slightly. Yan Heqing quickly picked her up on his back and dialed 120 with one hand while walking towards the elevator.

Lin Fengzhi heard Yan Heqing’s voice and panicked. He fumbled down from the railing. “Mom, brother, brother… Yan Heqing, say something! What’s wrong with my mom…”

The only response was the increasingly urgent sound of the wind on the high-rise building.

…

The elevator descended slowly. Beads of sweat appeared on Yan Heqing’s forehead. He turned his head slightly and encouraged Mother Lin, “Hold on, the ambulance will be here soon. You’ll be fine.”

Mother Lin couldn’t speak. Her eyeballs were turning blue. She lay on Yan Heqing’s shoulder, looking at the sweat dripping down his face, and tried to raise her hand to wipe it away, but she had no strength.

They finally reached the first floor. Yan Heqing ran out of the apartment with Mother Lin on his back.

The sound of the ambulance siren was getting closer.

Mother Lin was lifted into the ambulance. Yan Heqing got in with her, and Lu Lin followed behind in his car.

When Father Lin, Lin Fengxian, Lin Fengyi, and a young woman arrived at the hospital, the ambulance arrived at the same time.

The situation was critical. Father Lin’s hand trembled as he signed the surgery consent form, and Mother Lin was pushed into the operating room.

“Don’t worry, Dad,” Lin Fengxian comforted Father Lin. “The doctor said the success rate is ninety percent.”

The young woman next to him was Lin Fengxian’s fiancée, and she also comforted him softly.

Only Lin Fengyi leaned against the wall, his head lowered as he stared at the cold corridor, his hanging hand clenched so tightly that his veins bulged.

They all knew.

The driver had told Father Lin everything that had happened today.

At this moment, Lin Fengzhi finally arrived. The corridor was brightly lit, and he could see things much more clearly. He saw Lin Fengyi and ran towards him. “Brother, Mom—”

Before he could finish, Lin Fengyi punched him in the mouth. A thick taste of iron instantly filled Lin Fengzhi’s mouth. He raised his hand in astonishment to touch his mouth, and it was covered in blood.

Lin Fengyi’s eyes were bloodshot. “Get lost! Get as far away from my mom as you can!”

Lin Fengzhi was stunned. Blood dripped down, and his chest was soon covered in blood. He didn’t move, just stared at Lin Fengyi without moving.

Lin Fengyi was about to rush over and hit him again, but Lin Fengxian held him back. Lin Fengxian didn’t want to look at Lin Fengzhi anymore. He frowned and said, “Go away.”

Lin Fengzhi shifted his gaze and saw Yan Heqing and Lu Lin not far away.

He finally found an outlet for his anger and rushed towards Yan Heqing with his fist raised. “It’s all your fault! It’s you—”

His voice stopped abruptly.

Lu Lin caught Lin Fengzhi’s fist and threw him away with ease. Lin Fengzhi staggered and slammed heavily against the wall, the pain contorting his face.

Lu Lin’s voice was cold. “Touch him again, and I won’t be polite.”

Lin Fengzhi cried, spitting out blood. “Why are you still protecting him! He’s the one who hurt my mom…”

“Shut up!”

He was making a scene at the entrance of the operating room. Father Lin finally exploded. “You’re the one who made your mom need surgery, and you’re still shirking responsibility! This is a hospital. If you really care about your mom, then don’t make a fuss!”

This was the first time Father Lin had ever yelled at Lin Fengzhi. Lin Fengzhi’s mouth was still open, his teeth and lips covered in blood. After a moment, he finally shut up and became quiet.

The light in the operating room went out, and the doctor walked out.

The Lin family couldn’t be bothered with Lin Fengzhi and all rushed to the entrance of the operating room. No one dared to speak first.

The doctor took off his mask, his face wreathed in smiles. “Don’t worry, the surgery was very successful. The patient is awake.”

Father Lin was overjoyed and cried, “Thank you, thank you so much.”

Lin Fengzhi also breathed a sigh of relief. First, his mother was fine. Second, with his mother around, someone would protect him!

He thought about how Lin Fengyi had actually hit him until his lip bled, and his eyes reddened as he prepared to go and complain to his mother.

The nurse pushed Mother Lin out. Lin Fengzhi was the first to rush forward and grab one of her hands. “Mom, does it still hurt?”

The Lin family didn’t stop him.

They all knew how much Mother Lin doted on Lin Fengzhi. She had just come out of surgery and couldn’t be upset.

Lin Fengyi was so angry that he turned his back, out of sight, out of mind.

However, in the next moment, a weak voice sounded.

Mother Lin pushed Lin Fengzhi’s hand away. She had no strength, and the push was light and powerless, but Lin Fengzhi’s hand let go.

Lin Fengzhi was horrified and squeezed out a word, “Mom?”

Mother Lin spoke slowly but with extreme clarity, “I am not your mother.”

Then she reached out to Yan Heqing. “Heqing, can you accompany me to the ward?”

Except for Lu Lin, everyone was stunned. Lin Fengzhi was even more as if he was facing an abyss, staring at Mother Lin in astonishment.

Yan Heqing stepped forward, gently took Mother Lin’s hand, and gave his answer.