Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"031"

Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, Lu Ao's dark eyes flashed with a sharp, piercing light. The second the footsteps faded, he bolted to the window and yanked open the heavy curtains.

He stared hard at the ground below. Before long, a tall, lean figure came into view.

Lu Ao's eyes hungrily followed Xiao Lancui's figure until it disappeared into the wooded path at the last possible second. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.

Even though he was absolutely certain the man in front of him was Xiao Lancui, even though those achingly familiar hands had touched him just minutes ago, even though the unique fragrance of Xiao Lancui still lingered at the tip of his nose, he still felt like he was dreaming.

That cold body—the one he had held in his arms as he slept for an entire year—had truly come back to life.

He still couldn't wrap his head around it!

Xiao Lancui was alive, breathing, warm, and standing before him again!

Lu Ao's fingers trembled violently. He lifted his left hand, bowed his head, and pressed his dry lips again and again to the skin Xiao Lancui had just touched.

Xiao Lancui's warmth still lingered there.

A low, deep laugh rumbled out of him.

His brilliant teacher had probably believed he was just another Lu Ao from this world.

He'd walked away without a backward glance.

Lu Ao couldn't remember when he'd first started wanting Xiao Lancui. He had always loathed everyone—men, women, the elderly, the young, children—and even more so, sex between people.

Man with woman, man with man—all of it was filthy and sinful.

He himself was the filthy, sinful product of a man and a woman's coupling.

So when that eunuch had crept onto his bed in the dead of night, rubbing his filthy face against his hand and saying, "Please, Your Highness, have mercy on your servant—I'll bring you fresh meat buns tomorrow!"

A wave of nausea hit him. He hadn't eaten for days, yet he still couldn't hold back the urge to throw up. He coldly watched the eunuch try to pull down his pants, then, without a flicker of emotion, reached out and grabbed that pale, thin neck.

Amid the eunuch's terrified pleas for mercy, he snapped the neck clean off with his bare hands.

In his lifetime, he had lied to Xiao Lancui three times.

The first time, he killed the eunuch not because he was called a bastard—it was because he was disgusted, because he couldn't stand anyone touching his skin.

The second time, he didn't stab the eunuch with a knife—he snapped the eunuch's neck with his bare hands.

After that, anyone who tried to crawl into his bed—woman or man—was ripped apart and fed to the beasts.

But he craved Xiao Lancui.

He wanted to touch Xiao Lancui, to kiss every inch of his skin, to be inside him and never leave.

Only Xiao Lancui was sacred, utterly beautiful.

But he also knew, with painful clarity, that the moment Xiao Lancui discovered his twisted, obsessive desire would be the beginning—and the end—of losing him.

As long as he was Lu Ao, Xiao Lancui would never accept him.

They were the closest of teacher and student, the most harmonious of sovereign and subject—but they could never be lovers, never be one.

He would never let Xiao Lancui find out the truth.

Xiao Lancui was long out of sight. Only then did Lu Ao let the curtain fall. His gaze swept over the cake and water on the table. He strode over, grabbed them, and threw them in the trash without a second thought.

That person.

That man.

His narrow dark eyes flooded with a deep red haze.

Fu Chen.

In the few memories this body had, Fu Chen was a friend of Lu Siye's, a classmate from the same school—which meant Fu Chen was also Xiao Lancui's classmate.

At the thought of Xiao Lancui, the murderous look in Lu Ao's eyes instantly faded. He whispered, "See you next time, Teacher."

Xiao Lancui returned to the Xiao residence. At that moment, Xiao Jingli was drinking tea on the sofa, while Xiao Anfeng sat nearby, flipping through documents, completely absorbed.

He'd just gotten back from the office. With Xiao Mian taking an exam at school tonight, and Xie Jingfang, Xiao Liqin, and Xiao Lancui—all potential disruptions—out of the house, Xiao Jingli didn't bother pretending to be cold anymore. He openly gazed at Xiao Anfeng, the affection in his chest flooding over.

He set down his teacup, leaned closer to Xiao Anfeng, and casually draped an arm over Xiao Anfeng's shoulder. Leaning in to inhale the fragrance of his hair, his hand moved across the documents, guiding Xiao Anfeng.

Xiao Anfeng didn't find the skin against his arm strange at all, nor the breath on his neck too close. He loved these little intimate gestures from Xiao Jingli. He silently prayed for this moment to stretch on—ideally, for every day to be like this.

Until Xiao Lancui broke the spell.

"Dad."

Xiao Jingli snatched his hand back. He grabbed his teacup and smiled. "You're back."

Xiao Anfeng's mood sank like a stone. He gripped the edges of the documents so hard the sharp paper nearly cut into his skin. He looked up, shooting Xiao Lancui a resentful glare.

It was always like this—the rare moments he got alone with Xiao Jingli, Xiao Lancui had to ruin them!

Xiao Lancui was doing it on purpose, keeping them apart!

Xiao Lancui had initially intended to head straight upstairs. With Xiao Jingli and Xiao Anfeng so wrapped up in each other, no one would've noticed him come in.

But it was just too much to stomach.

The way Xiao Jingli was clinging to Xiao Anfeng.

Though they weren't blood-related, they were still father and son in name.

Father and son—it went against all decency.

Xiao Lancui had known about Xiao Jingli's dirty intentions, but tonight was the first time he'd seen him cross that line with his own eyes.

It made him sick to his stomach.

Xiao Lancui could now confirm that Xiao Jingli indeed hadn't encountered Sun Xiao this time around—otherwise, he wouldn't be so desperate.

The whole "replacement lover" plot from the original story had changed.

It was only now that Xiao Lancui realized something.

He had a low sex drive, no real physical urges, which had made him overlook the most basic human needs. Especially since Xiao Jingli was a man—after having Xiao Mian with Xie Jingfang, they'd slept in separate rooms ever since. The excuse was naturally that Xiao Jingli favored his adopted son, and after a big fight with Xie Jingfang, he'd conveniently started sleeping in a separate room.

In the original story, aside from Sun Xiao, there was no mention of Xiao Jingli sleeping with anyone else.

However, this defies logic, and even more so, the physiological needs of men, for whom food and sex are basic instincts.

So in the gaps the original text left open, Xiao Jingli definitely slept with other men—one, or a whole bunch.

That's something worth digging into.

Xiao Lancui mulled it over, but a sharp pain suddenly yanked at the nerves in his skull—he was just too wiped today.

He rubbed his temples, traded a few quick words with Xiao Jingli, and headed up.

He always took the stairs, and as he hit the third floor, Xiao Anfeng caught up.

"Xiao Lancui!" Xiao Anfeng snapped, "Why didn't my mom and brother come back? You're the only one who bailed early."

Xiao Lancui was beat today. He turned, giving Xiao Anfeng—still stuck on the stairs—a cold, dismissive look.

His voice was just as flat. "If you wanna know why they didn't come back, ask them. As for me," he gave a faint smile, "I don't owe you an explanation."

He didn't give Xiao Anfeng a second thought, and with that, he stepped inside.

Xiao Anfeng blinked, staring at the shut door with a small frown. For some reason, a weird feeling crept in—

This was the first time since Xiao Lancui's amnesia that he actually seemed human.

A living, breathing person with feelings.

He could tell Xiao Lancui was in a seriously bad mood today.

Xiao Anfeng was so thrown he stared at Xiao Lancui's door for a long beat before heading back down.

He pulled out his phone, mulled it over, and shot a WeChat to Xiao Liqin.

Xiao Anfeng figured Xiao Lancui's mood tonight had to be tied to Lu Siye.

Xiao Lancui had shamelessly begged his mom to bring him to the Lu family birthday bash, just to see Lu Siye.

After that random hookup with Lu Siye last time, they'd been flirting on WeChat. Probably Xiao Lancui couldn't get ahold of Lu Siye and was freaking out.

So him rushing off to see Lu Siye tonight meant something went down—and Xiao Lancui got hit hard.

Could he have found out about him and Lu Siye hooking up?

Xiao Anfeng's restless mood suddenly lifted at Xiao Lancui's misery—he even felt a spark of excitement.

Xiao Lancui's pain was his high.

Once he hit the second floor, he hit send.

"Bro, did something go down at the Lu family dinner tonight?"

About ten minutes later, Xiao Liqin texted back: "That classmate of yours, Fu Chen, got hauled off in an ambulance."

After his shower, Xiao Lancui saw a text from Xiao Mian from half an hour ago.

"You went to the Lu place today—did you see Fu Chen get his ass kicked?!"

Xiao Mian couldn't stand Lu Siye, so he naturally hated Fu Chen too. He'd just finished one exam and was dreading the next when he scrolled his Moments and saw Fu Chen got beaten up and hospitalized—he perked right up.

Xiao Lancui was a little surprised—Fu Chen had been totally fine at the Lu place. Who'd he pick a fight with now?

But he didn't care, and he didn't want to know. He shot Xiao Mian back one word: "No."

He set the phone down and crashed.

He was dead tired tonight. Once he'd confirmed the Lu family's youngest wasn't Lu Ao, a heavy, restless dread settled over him. As he slept, dreams came in broken, chaotic, endless waves.

The earlier dreams had faded to a blur, leaving him lying in the snow, blood pooling around him.

Xiao Lancui's eyes snapped open, staring at the dim ceiling, breath fast and shallow. Before he could even react, a mouthful of dark blood splattered across the sheets.

He coughed in fits, heart pounding out of control. The white duvet looked like someone had splattered ink across it, dark blotches everywhere. After a while, his rattled insides seemed to settle back into place, and he felt human again.

Xiao Lancui grabbed a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his lips, threw back the covers, and got up. After cleaning up in the bathroom, he stripped the duvet, shoved it in a bag, and carried it downstairs.

In the dining room, Xie Jingfang was there too—a rare sight.

She was alone, eating by herself. Before Xiao Lancui walked in, she'd been idly stirring her bird's nest porridge, but the second he entered, she started drinking it.

Xiao Lancui muttered "Morning" and sat down, not offering anything else.

After a few sips, Xie Jingfang finally broke the silence. "What was wrong with you last night?"

Xie Jingfang hadn't seen Xiao Lancui since she'd walked into the banquet hall. He was already gone when the driver called—Xiao Lancui had used the driver's phone to say he felt sick and went home early.

Was he screwing with her?

She'd been strong-armed into bringing him to the Lu place, and he'd bolted after barely a minute.

But Xie Jingfang wasn't mad—she was surprised at herself. What she really wanted to know was—

She glanced at Xiao Lancui's pale face—he really did look rough—and the question slipped out before she could stop it.

Xie Jingfang regretted it instantly—it made her look like she actually gave a damn about Xiao Lancui...

But Xiao Lancui didn't seem to notice, answering with his usual smile, "Caught a cold, had a bit of a headache."

Xie Jingfang let out a quiet breath, hummed in acknowledgment, and went back to her porridge.

Xiao Lancui stayed quiet, finished his breakfast in silence, gave a polite goodbye, and quietly got up to leave.

Xie Jingfang watched Xiao Lancui's back as he walked away, lost in thought.

She'd also come down early for another reason. Last night, she hadn't wanted to walk in at the same time as Xiao Lancui, so she'd shown up over ten minutes late.

At the banquet, she'd run into a casual acquaintance, and after some small talk, the woman suddenly smiled and said, "Your Anfeng is quite the catch. My niece has her eye on him and won't let it go—she's begging me to get his contact info from you."

Xie Jingfang followed her gaze and spotted a poised, graceful young woman. She liked her a lot and smiled back, "I'll have to ask Anfeng first. I can't decide for him."

"Don't put it off—he's right here. Ask him now, and if he says no, I can report back on the spot."

Xie Jingfang froze. "He's here?"

"Yeah, with your oldest son. Didn't you see him?"

Xie Jingfang realized then—the woman had mistaken Xiao Lancui for Xiao Anfeng. She said nothing, disgust churning in her chest.

How could some mistress's bastard ever look anything like her son?!

Xie Jingfang turned and blocked the woman. Over breakfast, Xie Jingfang quietly studied Xiao Lancui. It was the first time she'd ever really looked at him.

Is it because they've been living together for so long? She actually found herself thinking the same thing...

Xiao Lancui's lips actually looked a bit like hers.

Xie Jingfang set down her spoon, pressing a hand to her aching forehead. Though reluctant to admit it, lately she seemed to dislike Xiao Lancui less and less...

Xiao Lancui didn't take the Xiao family car. He walked out of the neighborhood, and as he passed a trash bin, he tossed in the bag he was carrying.

He was deathly pale. When he got in the car, the driver jumped. "Should we go to the hospital?"

Xiao Lancui named City University as the destination.

He knew Xie Jingfang had been watching him just now, her expression flickering between confusion and distaste.

Probably at the banquet last night, someone had mistaken him for Xiao Anfeng, and it had caused a stir in Xie Jingfang.

For Xiao Lancui, that was a small bonus beyond his original goal.

Regardless of looks, the only sons Xie Jingfang ever mentioned in public were Xiao Liqin and Xiao Anfeng. When he appeared alongside Xiao Liqin, people who'd never met Xiao Anfeng would naturally assume he was Xiao Anfeng.

Xiao Lancui's head was pounding, his thoughts sluggish. When he reached the school, he bought a pack of fever reducers at the pharmacy by the gate.

He really did have a slight fever.

Partly physical, partly emotional.

He went to the convenience store to buy a matcha milk pudding ice bread, and Zhao Lan asked offhandedly, "You look awful. Are you sick?"

Xiao Lancui scanned the code to pay and said with a smile, "Yeah, I've got a fever."

Zhao Lan pressed further, "Are you a local or do you live on campus? If you're on campus, contact your roommate to come get you—you look like you're about to keel over."

Xiao Lancui put away his phone, took the ice bread, and said, "I'm a local. My brother's also at City University."

Zhao Lan's eyes lit up, her maternal instincts impossible to hide.

Xiao Lancui smiled faintly. "I look worse than I feel. Thanks for your concern."

He walked off with the ice bread, and Zhao Lan couldn't help pressing a hand to her chest, spinning around with a smile. She was getting more and more familiar with Xiao Lancui—she was one step closer to seeing Xiao Anfeng in person!

Meanwhile, Xiao Lancui walked out of the cafeteria. He had a catalytic chemistry class in the morning and planned to sit in on it, then meet Jiang Xing in the afternoon for the quantum symmetry symposium.

A few steps later, he slowed slightly. He had that feeling of being watched again, but this time it was different.

This time, there was no feeling of danger.

He glanced over his left shoulder.

A male student carrying a huge backpack hurried past, munching on a flatbread.

Scallion egg pancake—the smell of scallion oil was overwhelmingly strong. Xiao Lancui sped up and kept walking.

Seconds later, a tall man dressed all in black walked past the spot Xiao Lancui had just been.

Lu Ao wore a black cap, a black mask, a black overcoat, and even his canvas shoes were pure black.

At the same time, his pocket vibrated.

After watching Xiao Lancui enter the academic building, he finally pulled out his phone.

"Boss, I sent what you asked for to your email."

Lu Ao didn't enter the building. He leaned casually against the outside wall, waiting for Xiao Lancui to finish class, and logged into the email account the private detective had set up for him.

It was a survey form.

Xiao Lancui's file in this world—his entire background.

"Xiao Lancui, gender: male.

Date of birth: November 21, 2006.

Family: both parents deceased; adopted at three months old by the chairman of the Xiao Group. Xiao family matriarch: Xie Jingfang. Eldest son: Xiao Liqin. Second son: Xiao Anfeng. Fourth son: Xiao Mian.

..."