Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"034"

The next afternoon, Xingkang Hospital, Room 606.

Fu Chen had booked a separate VIP room; his previous one was Room 809.

He'd also put on foundation and concealer.

Fu Chen was usually particular about his appearance, but this was his first time using cosmetics, for one simple reason: he didn't want to look bad in front of Xiao Lancui.

If Xiao Lancui saw him beaten up like this, Fu Chen would die of embarrassment! Xiao Lancui already thought little of him as it was.

Fu Chen also wore a pair of decorative glasses and held a foreign classic, putting on airs as he leaned against the headboard flipping through the pages.

Too bad Xiao Lancui wasn't wearing his glasses today.

Fu Chen sighed inwardly, mentally rehearsing what to say, planning to jump in and say he was fine first—that he'd been jumped last night and just scraped a little skin—but Xiao Lancui spoke first.

"Can you ask about Lu Ao for me?"

Fu Chen never paid attention to Lu Ao, so Xiao Lancui got straight to the point.

Fu Chen flung the book aside and let out a frustrated laugh. "Hey, Classmate Xiao, aren't you here to see a patient?"

Xiao Lancui looked at him. "What's wrong with you?"

"..." Fu Chen was speechless. His concealer was flawless; on the outside, he looked even healthier than Xiao Lancui.

Xiao Lancui's face was pale, and his lips were especially pale.

Fu Chen felt a pang in his chest. The question was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back and said in a low voice, "No."

Xiao Lancui then said, "So you weren't beaten up and put in the hospital."

Fu Chen shot up. "You fucking knew!" He caught himself, looked at Xiao Lancui's holy face, and somehow felt like even Xiao Lancui's hair strands radiated holiness. He quickly coughed a few times and added, "Scratch the fucking."

He still felt like cursing. "It's no big deal, just some dumbass with a big mouth. I just got careless walking at night—I didn't even..." He got too worked up, which pulled at his crooked mouth, and he winced in pain.

Bruises could be covered up, but a crooked mouth couldn't be.

Fu Chen cursed the shadowy figure who'd beaten him again in his mind—if he ever caught him, he'd beat him to death! He finished, sucking in air through his teeth, "It's just my mouth. A few days and it'll heal."

Xiao Lancui didn't say anything else, just waited for Fu Chen to respond. Seeing Xiao Lancui wasn't going to continue, Fu Chen had to speak up. "You don't even know Lu Ao. Why are you asking about him?"

Fu Chen naturally assumed yesterday was Xiao Lancui's first time meeting Lu Ao, which was totally normal. Few people even knew Lu Ao existed, let alone had met him.

Xiao Lancui took the opportunity. "Anyone who saw last night's scene would want to know what happened next."

Fu Chen nodded automatically, then felt speechless. "So you're saying I'm not a person."

He hadn't seen Lu Ao last night, but thinking of the pools of blood on the living room floor gave him a headache.

Lu Siye had been... too harsh.

Fu Chen grabbed his phone. He stressed, "I'm not doing this for you, and I'm not trying to prove I'm a person. It's just... I don't want Lu Siye ending up on the news for legal issues."

He dialed Lu Siye's number, glanced at Xiao Lancui, and put it on speaker without hesitation.

The call connected, and the first thing he heard was some off breathing. Fu Chen's face changed—he knew exactly what that sound was. He instinctively reached to turn off the speaker, but Lu Siye spoke first, his voice dripping with annoyance at being interrupted. "You'd better have a reason like you're about to be rushed to the ER."

Another voice piped up, "Ah, Young Master Lu, too fast..."

Fu Chen was already too late to turn off the speaker. The man's extremely seductive breathing echoed through the silent hospital room.

Fu Chen was at a loss.

He absolutely couldn't let Lu Siye find out Xiao Lancui was right next to him. If Lu Siye found out he and Xiao Lancui had listened to his live sex show, it would be the end of the world.

Fu Chen didn't even dare to look at Xiao Lancui's face. He gave a dry laugh and reminded him, "Bro, keep it decent..."

Lu Siye snorted, and the sounds got even louder. "Spit it the fuck out. I'm busy here, no time to chat with you."

Fu Chen quickly said, "How's Lu Ao now?"

Lu Siye paused briefly, then continued. "Why are you asking about him? He ran off again this morning. Fuck, what an idiot. Hope he dies out there."

The man's voice grew more and more suggestive. Even Fu Chen, with his thick skin, couldn't handle it, so he said a couple of quick words and hung up.

The room went silent instantly.

Fu Chen opened his mouth a few times but couldn't make a sound. He felt he was being wronged—it wasn't like he was the one having sex in broad daylight. He just made a phone call, so why did he feel so embarrassed to show his face now?

Fuck!

Fu Chen let out a string of curses in his head but heard footsteps and looked up sharply. Xiao Lancui was heading out. "Thanks. Take care of yourself and recover well."

Fu Chen's mind went blank, and the words slipped out naturally. "Hey, I'm not that kind of person."

Xiao Lancui had already opened the door and said without turning back, "I know."

Fu Chen watched helplessly as the door closed, yanked off his glasses, flopped back onto the pillow, and stared at the ceiling, saying softly.

"Xiao Lancui, I'm really not that kind of person."

Xiao Lancui really did know.

He got into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.

The original text had said it in black and white: Fu Chen had only ever slept with his first love, and his second love was Xiao Anfeng.

In a way, Fu Chen was staying faithful to Xiao Anfeng.

The elevator quickly arrived at the first floor, and as the doors opened, Xiao Lancui saw the second man who was staying faithful to Xiao Anfeng.

Huo Shenan had just come downstairs to get some air, eating a Big Mac. The instant he saw Xiao Lancui, he almost bit his tongue. He laughed, "Yo, our Car God Xiao is here to see the eye doctor again?"

Huo Shenan was also the only virgin among the three Princelings—he fooled around but never went all the way.

Xiao Lancui sneered at the "Princelings" label. What princes.

He turned a deaf ear and walked straight past Huo Shenan, ignoring him.

Huo Shenan was used to this by now. He could walk without his cane now, just a bit slowly. He struggled to keep up with Xiao Lancui. "Hey, hey, hey, fine, I won't ask! Car God, hey, Xiao Lancui!"

That last shout echoed throughout the first-floor lobby.

Passersby turned to look, but luckily there weren't many around. Only then did Xiao Lancui come to a stop. Huo Shenan quickly stepped forward, he was walking too fast and nearly tripped. Once he steadied himself, he blinked at Xiao Lancui. "Seriously, I really need to thank you. That prescription you gave me—I've taken a few doses, and my leg really doesn't hurt when I sleep anymore!"

Xiao Lancui, expressionless, asked, "Done? Out of my way."

Huo Shenan, "..." He coughed again. "About what happened before—I'm sorry."

Back when Lu Siye brought Xiao Lancui to hang out with them, he had secretly messed with Xiao Lancui many times for Xiao Anfeng's sake—making him run around all day for butterfly pastries that didn't exist was routine.

Not that he'd had a change of heart; he'd always been a real asshole. But that racing incident had shaken him, and that prescription—it made Huo Shenan genuinely admire Xiao Lancui.

Bottom line: he respected strength. Only the strong earned it.

Huo Shenan continued, "You've lost your memory, so you don't remember—I messed with you a few times before. You—"

"Apologies are useless."

Four words, without warning, and Huo Shenan froze. The Thousand Island dressing taste in his mouth went stale, and he let out a weak "Ah."

Xiao Lancui said flatly, "If I beat you to death, would you take an apology?"

Huo Shenan's Adam's apple shifted. "I didn't bully you that bad..." He sighed. "How about you get back at me? I promise I won't fight back or say a word."

"Beating or cursing you is just as pointless." Huo Shenan's sudden apology was an unexpected bonus, and Xiao Lancui wasn't about to waste it. "When I need a favor someday, don't say no."

Huo Shenan immediately said, "You got it!"

Just then, someone cut in.

"Xiao Lancui."

Huo Shenan turned and saw Xiao Anfeng.

Xiao Anfeng was holding a thermos. His gaze flickered between Xiao Lancui and Huo Shenan for a moment before settling on Xiao Lancui. "I'm glad you came to act like a responsible adult."

Xiao Anfeng had also heard that Xiao Jingli was sending Xiao Lancui abroad to recuperate. On one hand, he was pleased Xiao Lancui was out of the way; on the other, Xiao Jingli's meticulous care for Xiao Lancui, down to the smallest detail, made him burn with jealousy.

He gave Xiao Lancui a complicated look as he handed over the thermos. "Since you're here, take the pork bone soup to the injured guy yourself."

The injured guy, Huo Shenan, frowned. "Xiao Anfeng, what are you playing at?"

Xiao Lancui didn't take the thermos. Xiao Anfeng's brow furrowed slightly. "Xiao Lancui caused you to have that car accident. I promised my family would take full responsibility. Now that he's here in person, he'll take care of you until you're released."

His intention to pair them up was too obvious. Huo Shenan stared hard at Xiao Anfeng, about to speak, but Xiao Lancui cut in first. "First, the accident was his own shitty driving."

Huo Shenan, "..." He wanted to retort but couldn't argue with Xiao Lancui saying it.

Xiao Lancui continued, "Second, who gave you the right to take responsibility for me?" His tone was flat. "Third, if you want to play nursemaid, do it yourself. Don't use my name."

Xiao Anfeng, caught red-handed, had a faint flush of embarrassment on his face. He looked at Xiao Lancui, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Xiao Lancui left the hospital. Outside, the world was a stark contrast to the warm, spring-like interior—the wind bit cold against his skin, and he pulled his scarf higher.

It suddenly crossed his mind that Lu Ao—this world's Lu Ao—had worn thin clothes yesterday, got soaked in the rain, and hadn't gone home. Maybe he'd frozen to death somewhere by now.

But that had nothing to do with him.

He was just a stranger.

*

Before he knew it, the day of the auction arrived.

Zhou Sizhe was waiting inside the gate well ahead of time. The moment Xiao Lancui got out of the car, Zhou Sizhe pushed the door open and rushed out to greet him.

Xiao Lancui carried a paper bag with a few scrolls in it. Zhou Sizhe knew that small bag was worth tens of millions, so he didn't offer to take it, smiling as he said, "Mr. Xiao, you're here! Please, come in—it's freezing outside."

Xiao Lancui followed him into the waiting room.

As the code-locked door swung open, Xiao Lancui's gaze immediately landed on the sword displayed in the glass case.

"Teacher, the sword's been nicked!"

Lu Ao had returned victorious from his first campaign, received his reward from the emperor, and skipped the celebration banquet entirely. He rushed out of the palace through a side hall and headed straight to Xiao Lancui's residence without a moment's pause.

No one knew that Prince Lu Ao had a teacher, and that teacher was a disowned son of the Xiao family, exiled the year before to a temple on the outskirts of the city—nominally for rest, but truly in banishment.

Little did they know, it made it convenient for Xiao Lancui to teach Lu Ao.

Lu Ao climbed over the wall into the temple's rear courtyard with practiced ease, entered the private meditation room, and hurried to Xiao Lancui.

Lu Ao had just turned sixteen.

The young general who made enemy armies tremble on the battlefield was all boyish excitement in front of Xiao Lancui, stroking the small crack at the sword's tip and muttering repeatedly.

"This sword is so beautiful—what a shame it got nicked. That loser I beat, I hacked him a hundred times and still didn't feel satisfied!"

Xiao Lancui drew the blade. Under the lamplight, a hairline crack at the tip was clearly visible.

Zhou Sizhe watched Xiao Lancui nervously, barely daring to breathe, until Xiao Lancui spoke—

"Authentic. Emperor Yingzong of Li, Lu Ao's personal sword."