Ye Ming paused for a long while before saying, “Nothing, I just suddenly thought of asking you if you wanted to go out for lunch tomorrow. I heard there’s a nice place.”
Zhang Hongzhi agreed. “Okay, see you tomorrow.”
Ye Ming didn’t say anything more. He hung up the phone, squinted slightly and turned around to go home.
[888:…I thought you wanted to make a scene]
[Ye Ming: That would be too impulsive. I would be no different from a fool. With Uncle and Zhang Hongzhi’s intelligence, even if I catch them lying, they can easily come up with an explanation to deceive me. All he needs to say is that he cares about me, so he wanted to find out how I’m doing through my friends and only kept it from me because he didn’t want me to overthink. He still won’t let me find out what he has really done. This will instead give him the opportunity to cover his tracks…How can I give them such a chance~]
[Ye Ming: Since the goal is to discover the truth, you have to land a fatal blow so that he can feel that pain. Otherwise, what’s the use? Hehe.]
[888: What’s your grudge against him?]
[Ye Ming:…]
[Ye Ming: Ahem, no grudge…]
[888: Then why are you doing this?]
[Ye Ming: I wanted to ask you, why did you choose him as the target? Can you blame me for this? He can only blame his own lousy fate. Feeling wronged.jpg]
[888:…]
When Ye Ming arrived home, he did not switch on the TV as he usually did and instead sat on the sofa and played with his phone.
On his phone was the text message that Lu Xiuwen had sent him earlier, informing him that he would be back a little late today. Ever since he’d confirmed his relationship with Lu Xiuwen, it had always been this way. Whenever he would be home late, he would inform Ye Ming, and sometimes, he would also tell him what he did and where he’d been…even though Ye Ming never asked.
These were the discreet, thoughtful little details that made him feel that he was sincere. It made him feel respected, and he wouldn’t even suspect that he would lie or hide anything.
But at this moment, Ye Ming stared at the text message without a smile on his face. He just sat there in silence.
Soon, Lu Xiuwen was home. Actually, he wasn’t late. The moment he walked inside, he saw Ye Ming quietly sitting alone in the living room, looking a bit lonely. Something flashed in his eyes as he took off his coat and hung it on the coat hanger. He walked over and gave Ye Ming a gentle hug. He asked gently, “What’s wrong? Are you upset?”
Ye Ming gazed at Lu Xiuwen and managed to squeeze out a smile. He was still thinking about what had happened today.
Actually, he’d wanted to give Lu Xiuwen a surprise because Lu Xiuwen had told him that he had a meeting and would be home a little late and to go home by himself to wait for him to come home. Perhaps he really liked and cared for this person, so he wanted to spend more time with him, thinking about him every minute and every second…
But in the end, he didn’t go, because he saw Zhang Hongzhi going into Lu Xiuwen’s office. Zhang Hongzhi had lied to him, telling him that he was going home.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Who did Zhang Hongzhi meet at the office? Ye Ming didn’t know. But his instincts told him that this had something to do with Lu Xiuwen, for there was absolutely no reason for Zhang Hongzhi to be at Lu Xiuwen office unless it had something to do with himself…
Tf Zlcu rjlv, “Fcmif…”
Oe Wlekfc ujhfv ja tlw qjalfcais, tlr fzqgfrrlbc jr ufcaif jr ereji. “P’w tfgf.”
Tf Zlcu kjcafv ab jrx tlw lo tf xcfk atja Itjcu Lbcuhtl kjr ja tlr boolmf abvjs. Dea atf kbgvr cfnfg ifoa tlr wbeat. C ragjcuf jczlber offilcu fcnfibqfv tlw, jr lo tf jigfjvs xcfk atja lo tf jrxfv jcv vlvc’a ufa atf jcrkfg atja tf kjcafv, atf qfgofma kbgiv yfobgf tlr fsfr kbeiv mgewyif.
In the end, Ye Ming only said, “Why are you home so late? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” His expression was a bit upset and wronged.
Of course, Lu Xiuwen was late because he had something to attend to. But Ye Ming had always been sensible and well-behaved. He was delighted that Ye Ming would occasionally throw a bit of a tantrum. He pinched his cheeks and said in a pampering tone, “I’m sorry, I’ll try to be home earlier next time.”
He then carried Ye Ming into the bedroom and lowered his head to kiss him. He teased, “Do you want to shower with me?”
Ye Ming knew what Lu Xiuwen wanted to do. If it was before, he would love to do things together with Uncle…but now, all that was on his mind was how his best friend had betrayed him and he was in no mood for anything. He lowered his gaze and said, “I still have to wake up early for tomorrow’s class. The teacher for this class is strict and attendance will be taken. I don’t want to miss the lesson again.”
Lu Xiuwen sensed that something wasn’t right about Ye Ming. But since Ye Ming didn’t want to talk about it, he also didn’t want to talk about it or force him. He released his hold on Ye Ming and said gently, “Okay, then get some rest early.”
Tonight, Lu Xiuwen didn’t do anything but just hugged Ye Ming to sleep.
Ye Ming felt Lu Xiuwen hugging him and he buried his head in his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. In the past, his hugs always made him feel safe and steady. But today, it was a little different.
Zhang Hongzhi…why did he go to Lu Xiuwen’s office? Why did he lie?
Actually, it didn’t even matter if he really knew Uncle Lu. He could tell him so directly, so why did he lie?
Ye Ming fell asleep with lots of questions on his mind. The next day, Zhang Hongzhi really came looking for Ye Ming at school. He smiled. “Let’s have dinner together tonight. I’ve invited some friends along. The more the merrier.”
He dragged Ye Ming along.
Actually, he didn’t really want to dine there. It was just an excuse that he’d made when he called Zhang Hongzhi yesterday out of impulse. He kept thinking about how Zhang Hongzhi had lied to him yesterday as he stared at Zhang Hongzhi’s passionate smile.
He really wanted to ask him about it, but he hesitated and was unable to open his mouth for a long time. Perhaps he subconsciously understood that if he asked, he would lose this friend.
Zhang Hongzhi could sense that Ye Ming was distracted. But he couldn’t figure out why he was unhappy. He was with Ye Ming almost every single day and he was well aware of his every single action. Nothing had happened and everything had been fine when they parted other yesterday.
Soon, everyone arrived at the restaurant. They were all good friends of Zhang Hongzhi’s. Because they hung out frequently, they were very familiar with Ye Ming too. Everyone could see that Ye Ming was not in a good mood, and they patiently cracked jokes, trying to cheer Ye Ming up.
But it was a pity that Ye Ming really was not in the mood. He was still thinking about how Zhang Hongzhi had lied to him yesterday. He wanted to ask him but couldn’t bring himself to do it. And now that there were more people around, it wasn’t the right time to talk.
Halfway through dinner, Ye Ming felt that he could not bear it anymore. He stood up and said, “I’m going home.”
The whole room was filled with silence. Zhang Hongzhi was the first to react. Concerned, he asked, “Young Master Gu, are the dishes not to your taste?”
If it was in the past, Ye Ming might tell him directly that he didn’t want to be there any longer. But today, when he stared at Zhang Hongzhi’s seemingly sincere face, he suddenly didn’t want to let him know about his true feelings. He lied, “Yesterday, Uncle asked me to be home early tonight.”
Zhang Hongzhi never doubted Ye Ming’s words, for Ye Ming was a pure child who never lied. Whatever he said was the truth. Since Lu Xiuwen wanted him to be home early, he certainly would not stop him. He stood up and said, “Let me walk you out.”
Ye Ming said, “It’s okay. My ride is just downstairs, I can go back on my own. You guys can continue on with the dinner.”
Zhang Hongzhi smiled. “Okay.”
Ye Ming nodded to the others and turned around to walk away, closing the door behind him softly.
He made a turn at the corridor, and while waiting for the lift, he felt his pocket and realized that his mobile phone was not with him. He must have left it in the private room just now. He turned around and went back to get it.
The door of the private room was just slightly ajar. He hadn’t closed it properly when he’d left just now. The noise of laughter that was very different from before could be heard indistinctly from the private room.
After Zhang Hongzhi saw Ye Ming out, he turned around. He raised his eyebrows and gave a smile to his friends. He no longer wore that polite gentleman’s demeanor on his face and said loudly, “Everyone, let’s eat and enjoy ourselves. I understand that everyone has been holding back with Young Master Gu around and I feel sorry for that. Today, I’ll be paying the bill. You can order whatever you want!”
Everyone let out a roar of laughter. “Zhang-ge, so you do know to feel sorry for us for putting on a show with you everyday, acting pure with that kid. Do you think you can pay us off with just a meal? Isn’t that too perfunctory? That won’t do!”
Zhang Hongzhi chuckled. “Do I look like that sort of person to you? Everyone, just eat and drink to your heart’s content. I’ll treat all of you to unwind at Lake Garden Club later. That should be good enough, right?”
Lake Garden Club was the typical money-squandering establishment, especially for rich children like them. It was a very expensive place and they were still students, after all. Their families were wealthy, but they had not yet inherited their family businesses.
This time round, Zhang Hongzhi managed to get off the hook. Because Ye Ming was not around, they all began to speak without refrain. It was obvious that this group of wealthy kids had been holding themself back badly in front of Ye Ming.
One of the guys said, “Zhang-ge, you are really good at tolerating because you are with Young Master Gu every day. Your entertainment lifestyle is practically nonexistent. You could become a Buddha with your pure heart and lack of desire.”
Zhang Hongzhi opened another bottle of wine and sneered. “How is that possible?”
Another guy laughed as he said, “There’s something you don’t know. You hardly hang out with us, so you don’t know the rules. This Young Master Gu is an obedient baby. He has to go home before nine o’clock every night. We only kick off our nightlife after he leaves. There’s absolutely no impact on it at all.”
That guy suddenly came to a realization and gave a thumbs up. “So that’s how it is. This is a worthy business.”
Zhang Hongzhi smiled and said with pride, “Of course this is a worthy business. All I need to do is accompany this kid at school and pretend to be his best friend, and President Lu will then invest in my family’s business and even provide us with a lot of privileges. Did you all know that I even went to meet President Lu yesterday?”
Everyone was staring at Zhang Hongzhi with envy, for he was the one selected by Lu Xiuwen to become Ye Ming’s friend. How much benefit did the Zhang family get? Furthermore, being favoured by such an influential person would allow the Zhang family more resources than others when they intend to develop something in the future. They could only wish that they had been the ones selected by Lu Xiuwen. Fortunately, Zhang Hongzhi needed someone to help him accompany Ye Ming, and so he shared some benefits with them.
Someone said emotionally, “It looks like President Lu really likes Young Master Gu. He really put in so much effort.”
Someone was unconvinced and said disdainfully, “I don’t see how much he really likes him. If you really liked someone, will you use such a trick? Don’t tell me that all of you have forgotten how Young Master Gu ended up hanging out with us?”
One of the girls smiled. “Isn’t it because his identity was exposed and he was alienated by his original friends? Everyone knows about this.”
That person said mysteriously with a smile, “Then tell me, why do you think his identity was exposed? Why did his friends distance themselves from him?”
The girl was a little surprised. “Could it be that President Lu was behind it?”
The other party laughed. The answer was obvious.
That girl was still in disbelief. She then asked Zhang Hongzhi, “Zhang-ge, did President Lu really set that up? Why did he do that? I don’t think there’s any need to do that.”
Zhang Hongzhi was in a better mood when he was looking at beautiful girls. Seeing as she was a newcomer, he put on the expression of an authority figure and smiled as he explained, “What else could it be, if it wasn’t because he wanted to sleep Yong Master Gu?”
“I also admire President Lu’s tactics. I think Young Master Gu was supposed to be a straight guy, but he was foolishly kidnapped to the bed. He was betrayed but is still grateful to the person who betrayed him.”
A tall guy slapped his thigh, unable to hold back his laughter.“That’s right. In order to get Young Master Gu drunk that time, I was the one who went around to look for backup.”
When Zhang Hongzhi recalled the incident last time, his face darkened. “That was also President Lu’s order. Besides, we asked you to find someone to force us to drink, just a bit of acting would be good enough. But Young Master Gu didn’t drink much, whereas I ended up being the one who got really drunk. I had headaches for several days.”
The guy laughed. “But after that, President Lu treated you generously. That round of drinking was worth it.”
Zhang Hongzhi only laughed when he thought about that. “I say, why does he need to go through so much trouble? With Young Master Gu’s small body, what’s the problem with President Lu taking him directly? There’s really no need for the trouble.”
“President Lu is into this sort of thing. Zhang-ge, boring individuals like you shouldn’t be commenting.” Everyone covered their mouths and laughed. Speaking of this incident, this was really the hottest gossip. They all said excitedly, “This Young Master Gu is also one of a kind. He got himself into such a relationship with the uncle that raised him and even foolishly got taken to bed. And after being taken to bed, he still thanked President Lu for saving him. I’ve never seen such a foolish person.”
“Yeah, but President Lu really put in a lot of effort. He arranged for us to be friends with Ye Ming. Even my dad doesn’t put in this much effort for his favourite mistress.”
“Because he is President Lu’s child bride.” (T/N: Child Bride refers to China’s ancient tradition of taking a girl, usually orphaned or from an impoverished background into a family and raised to become the wife of one of the family’s members.)
“What child bride, haha…are you trying to make me die from laughing?”
“Sigh, why do you think President Lu wants to do this? Could it be that he really likes him? Tsk, tsk, tsk…Young Master Gu is really in a favourable position. In the future, he’ll be living off the Lu family and won’t have to worry about being swept out of the house. Do you think that he deliberately seduced President Lu?”
“Who knows? But I don’t think he would be swept out of the house. Did you guys forget about Young Master Gu’s background? I can tell that President Lu can’t even bring himself to chase him out, hehe…”
“That’s true though.”
Translated by : Ch1yo
Edited by: beansprout
… Fuck… If YM was an innocent fluff ball, I would have been sad. But he’s not so…
Opportunity
Their words are really hurtful 😦
Thank you for the translations!
+1 – I cannot imagine…
+2
+3
+4
OMG, knowing this is what’s happening but then actually hearing the filthy truth along with the conjectures from these so called friends is so jarring! If YM was the real Gu Ran, I could totally see how this would break him! I think our scheming shou will now take this opportunity to become a very willful and disobedient rabbit who eventually runs to that enemy guy for help.
Damn if it was the original he would’ve been heart broken. How can yall say this about him, you don’t want to be his friend then fine but don’t be such assholes
ZHZ…you….provided an opportunity!
Thanks for the chapter~
Ooooo all’s been revealed. Now what will Ye Ming do? ψ(｀∇´)ψ
Thanks for the chapter!
Aigo~ so everything that happened was a well-played plan. Nice.
If Ye Ming was a really innocent and naive youth I would definitely felt sorry for him.😅
Thank you for the chapter💕
Aigo~ so everything that happened was a well-played plan. Nice.
If Ye Ming was a really innocent and naive youth I would definitely felt sorry for him.😅
Thank you for the chapter💕
I don’t know how to delete this😩
Aigo~ so everything that happened was a well-played plan. Nice.
If Ye Ming was a really innocent and naive youth I would definitely felt sorry for him.😅
Thank you for the chapter💕
Ohoho Zhang Hongzi! You naughty naughty (≖ᴗ≖๑)
Love it when extras do their jobs well ¯_ (´∇｀ )_/¯
Thanks for the chappie! ( ˘ ³˘)♡
Words like this kan make innocent people kill themself or lose trust in everybody.
Thank god Ye Ming is aware of things and knows how to play these guys. Otherwise, it’d be too heartbreaking to read about a cinnamon roll cheated and lied to by everyone around him 😭
Thanks for the chapter! 😘
I AM SAD NOW BYE-
THANKS FOR THE CHAPTER CH1YO-SAMA!!!!!!!!!!
…..my heart hurts……when people pretend and talk behind ur back.only to kniw it way later….its hurtful
Set aside our mc real personality, they word truly hateful TT