Chapter 70

Chapter 70

"070"

Inside the car, Xiao Mian didn't dare to even breathe.

Xiao Lancui kept his usual cold, indifferent look, but Xiao Mian felt a chill run down his spine.

It was pure animal instinct.

Xiao Lancui was in a bad mood. Don't mess with him.

Xiao Mian was both scared and a little pleased—being this pissed off definitely meant he'd fought with his girlfriend or some other chick.

Even if it wasn't a fight, things had ended on a bad note.

Awesome!

Xiao Mian secretly rejoiced, biting his lips hard, fighting back a laugh.

The ride back to the Xiao house was dead silent. As soon as they entered, the smell of food hit them right in the face.

Xiao Jingli was in the living room texting. When Xiao Lancui walked in, Xiao Jingli put away his phone and said with a smile, "Perfect timing. We're about to sit down to eat."

Xie Jingfang had refused all help. She'd cooked over twenty dishes solo—cold plates, hot plates, soups—all the flavors Xiao Lancui had once mentioned. Then she remembered the pot of pear soup. "Mianmian, you dish out the rice. Don't let your brother do a thing."

She scurried back to the kitchen.

Xiao Jingli was already antsy from waiting. He sat down and cut straight to the chase.

"Xiao Mian, call your eldest brother. It's New Year's—coming home for a family dinner won't kill him."

Xiao Mian clutched his bowl and instinctively shot a look at Xiao Lancui. Only after Xiao Lancui gave a nod did he brush off Xiao Jingli, set down the bowl, and pull out his phone to dial Xiao Liqin's number directly.

"Alright, got it." Xiao Mian said a few words and hung up, still addressing only Xiao Lancui. "He said he already ate. Told us to enjoy ourselves. He'll swing by in a few days when he's free."

Xiao Jingli went quiet, his face dark and brooding. Xiao Lancui cracked a faint smile. "Alright, let's eat then."

Xie Jingfang came back with the pear soup, clueless about the little exchange that just went down. In past years, Xiao Lancui had been at the reunion dinner too, but back then Xie Jingfang could just pretend he wasn't there. This year, it was a real family reunion in every sense of the word.

Xie Jingfang kept heaping food onto Xiao Lancui's plate. "Eat up. Food beats medicine any day. Get your strength back, and the sickness will fade."

Xiao Lancui was the one to speak up. "You eat too."

Only then did Xie Jingfang start eating. Everyone ate well during the New Year's Eve dinner except Xiao Jingli, who couldn't even taste his food. Xiao Lancui even polished off a full bowl of rice.

After dinner, it was time to make the New Year's dumplings.

Xie Jingfang couldn't roll out the wrappers—the maid had prepped them before heading home. There were three fillings: beef, seafood, and veggie—all flavors Xiao Lancui had mentioned before.

Xiao Jingli stuck around to wrap dumplings too. He was dying to see Xiao Anfeng and brought it up again. "Xiao Mian, where does your brother live now? Once the dumplings are ready, deliver them to him."

Xie Jingfang shot him daggers, but he acted like he didn't notice, dead set on grabbing this rare chance to get Xiao Anfeng's address.

"How the hell should I know!" Xiao Mian was done—he was fed up with Xiao Jingli too. He chucked down the mangled dumpling he'd been wrapping and opened his mouth again. "You—"

Xiao Lancui interrupted. "I know where he is."

The sudden words stunned everyone. All three heads whipped toward him.

Xiao Lancui was still calmly shaping dumplings. He'd learned from the time they were surrounded by the enemy, and Lu Ao had shown up with backup to break the siege. They'd seized the enemy's weapons and supplies—besides tons of flour, there were also a dozen or so pigs.

Lu Ao had ordered the whole army to make pork dumplings for the townsfolk.

Xiao Lancui had shaped a few himself. Compared to cooking, dumplings were a piece of cake.

His dumplings were stacked on a separate plate. After finishing the last one, he looked up with a faint smile. "A buddy of mine spotted him at an apartment building."

Without giving Xiao Jingli a second to jump in, his perfectly shaped lips said slowly. "It's called Royal Garden."

Xiao Jingli instantly crushed the dumpling in his fist. Gooey filling oozed out between his fingers and dripped onto the table. His voice jumped an octave. "Royal Garden?"

"Yes." Xiao Lancui was nonchalant, grabbing a tissue to wipe his fingers. "He's on the 28th floor. My friend said it's one apartment per floor, so that's 2801."

Xiao Jingli saw black. The leftover dumpling wrapper was ground to mush in his palm. He understood.

It all clicked.

Xiao Liqin had played him!

Xiao Liqin had known Xiao Anfeng's real identity the whole time. Xiao Liqin—

He was into Xiao Anfeng too!

Living right above Cheng Peng—had Xiao Anfeng already seen Cheng Peng?

Xiao Jingli almost stumbled. He let go of the dumpling wrapper and filling now mashed to paste, bracing himself with both hands on the table. He was practically bellowing. "Take the dumplings to him right now!"

Xie Jingfang was done. She got up to refuse, but Xiao Lancui reached out first and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, smiling. "Don't get up. You've done enough today. I'll pack the dumplings."

Xie Jingfang looked at Xiao Lancui, her eyes softening. She said quietly, "Your big brother... he doesn't live alone. How about you and I stay, and let Xiao Mian go with him?"

Xiao Mian immediately protested. "Then I'm not going either." He just wanted to ring in the New Year with Xiao Lancui. "I don't want to go!"

Xiao Jingli slammed his hand on the table, his face twisting in rage. "We're all going!"

His plan was to get to Xiao Liqin and Xiao Anfeng's place, find a way for Xie Jingfang to keep Xiao Liqin busy, and take Xiao Anfeng away himself.

Xie Jingfang had to come along.

Xie Jingfang looked at Xiao Lancui. Only after he nodded did she sit back down, staying quiet—a silent agreement.

Xiao Jingli hurried out first. "Pack it up fast. I'll go start the car."

Xiao Lancui went to pack the dumplings. Xiao Mian offered to help, holding up the plate he'd made himself. "You pack the other plate."

Xiao Lancui opened a fresh container and packed the twenty dumplings he'd shaped.

Dumplings in hand, they headed out.

Xiao Jingli drove, flooring it like a maniac.

Xiao Mian rode shotgun, with Xiao Lancui and Xie Jingfang in the back. Nobody said a word the whole ride. Xie Jingfang kept her right hand wrapped around Xiao Lancui's left. When they pulled up to Royal Garden and the car stopped, Xiao Jingli was out the door in a flash.

Xie Jingfang's brows were furrowed tight. Her heart ached even more for Xiao Lancui, and she squeezed his hand harder, her resolve hardening.

She had to figure something out.

Not half of the Xiao Corporation—all of it. All of it belongs to Xiao Lancui, not a single cent to Xiao Jingli or Xiao Anfeng.

Xiao Lancui lowered his gaze, sweeping over the woman's hand. His brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing, only saying, "You all go in first. I need to take a call."

Xiao Lancui didn't take the call. He went to the security booth instead, leaving the carefully packed insulated lunchbox there for now.

"I'll come get it in a bit." He handed the guard a red envelope with money in it. "Happy New Year."

The guard took it with a big grin. "Wishing you a Happy New Year too!"

Xiao Lancui headed from the guard booth toward the luxury building. Every floor had its lights on except the 26th and 28th.

The 27th floor was lit up too.

Lu Ao leaned into the telescope, watching the figure, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "A Lan, you really came."

Only once Xiao Lancui vanished into the building did Lu Ao head back to the living room. The new phone was tossed on the coffee table.

A video was playing on it.

"How... how could he... I'm his son!" Xiao Anfeng's voice cracked into sobs and screams. "I'm your own brother, right?"

Lu Ao sank into the sofa, picking up the ointment from the coffee table, catching a glimpse of the violent struggle on the screen—

Xiao Anfeng grabbed a fruit knife, trying to slash his wrist. Xiao Liqin immediately grabbed the blade, blood dripping through his fingers. Xiao Anfeng went rigid with fear.

Xiao Liqin looked at him with deep affection. "Xiaofeng, you're not my real brother. We're not blood-related."

Xiao Anfeng's eyes welled up again. "You don't need to remind me. I know it all too well—I'm the son of a mistress..."

"No, you're not an illegitimate child. Your parents are other people entirely. You've got nothing to do with the Xiao family."

Xiao Anfeng was so shocked he forgot to cry, tears still streaming down his face. "What did you say?"

Xiao Liqin said each word slowly and deliberately. "If there's any connection at all, it's that my dad was once lovers with your real dad."

...

Lu Ao shut it off.

He pulled off his shirt, revealing a raw, bloody mess across his chest. Last night, after Xiao Jingli left, Xiao Anfeng had stumbled back to the 28th floor in a daze. Lu Ao knew something else would go down, so he'd climbed back up to the 28th floor and filmed it.

Xiao Lancui might not need it, but Lu Ao had to be ready for anything.

Later, Xiao Liqin made a passionate confession and kissed Xiao Anfeng. In shock, Xiao Anfeng shoved him away and retreated to his room. "I... my head's a mess. I need to be alone."

Lu Ao went back to the 27th floor.

It was snowing late at night, and the outside wall had gotten slippery. An accident was bound to happen—he fell to the 10th floor before grabbing onto something to stop his fall, but not before scraping a layer of skin from his chest.

Lu Ao put on the ointment and stepped out, watching the elevator numbers climb. Before long, the numbers stopped on 28.

His dark eyes drifted up toward the ceiling.

His A Lan was now just a single concrete slab away.

On the 28th floor, Xiao Jingli got out of the elevator and headed straight for the door—same layout, he knew it all too well.

Behind him, Xie Jingfang kept a close eye on Xiao Jingli. How had he gotten the master elevator card from the property office so fast?

She found it odd but had no answers, so she followed Xiao Lancui and Xiao Mian to the door.

Xiao Jingli didn't knock. He just punched in the door code.

He tried Xiao Anfeng's birthday. A "beep" went off, and the door clicked open.

Faintly, a familiar moan drifted out of the darkness.

Xiao Jingli's head rushed with blood. He charged into the room, about to shout Xiao Anfeng's name.

"Click."

Sensing the thermal infrared, the dark space instantly blazed bright as day. The lights inside automatically switched on, and the motorized curtains simultaneously slid open to the left.

A soaked chest pressed tightly against the curtain, which jammed, emitting a "squeak" of warning.

The one lost in pleasure lifted his wet eyelids. Xiao Anfeng's unfocused pupils turned, meeting a familiar, furious face.

He finally turned around, terrified, and instinctively blurted out, "Dad!"

Xiao Liqin froze too. His first instinct was to pull the curtain around Xiao Anfeng, but Xiao Jingli had already charged over with bloodshot eyes, yanked him out, slammed him to the floor, and grabbed his throat, hoarsely screaming, "I'll beat you to death, you beast!!!!"

Xiao Jingli's roar echoed through the room.

With the obstruction gone, Xiao Anfeng stared in horror at the entrance.

Neatly dressed Xie Jingfang, Xiao Mian, and—

Xiao Lancui!

Xiao Anfeng instinctively grabbed the curtain to wrap around himself, lips trembling, wanting to call out "Mom" but daring not.

Xie Jingfang's vision went black. She staggered backward, and Xiao Lancui caught her in time, steadying the woman.

Xie Jingfang was losing her mind. She cried out in despair, "What in the world are you doing?!"

Xiao Mian was petrified too—a similar scene, except this time, the man behind Xiao Anfeng was his own eldest brother!

Xiao Lancui was deeply uncomfortable as well.

The situation had escalated beyond what he'd anticipated.

He'd calculated there would be a scene tonight, but he'd expected it to stop at Xiao Liqin losing control and kissing Xiao Anfeng, or maybe a hug.

Not this—

Feeling an intense gaze, Xiao Lancui looked up and met Xiao Anfeng's tearful plea.

Wrapped in the curtain, unable to move, and unable to hide the mottled marks covering his calves, Xiao Anfeng was utterly humiliated.

Xiao Lancui averted his eyes, handed Xie Jingfang to Xiao Mian, and strode quickly toward Xiao Anfeng, removing his coat and offering it over.