Chapter 77

Chapter 77

"077"

On the afternoon of the third day of the Lunar New Year, Xiao Lancui finally got a call from Lu Ao.

He was reading a book on hybrid rice and didn't pick up. The phone buzzed once, then quickly went quiet again.

A moment later, a WeChat notification popped up.

Xiao Lancui still didn't check it. He was absorbed in his book. It wasn't until evening, when Xiao Mian knocked on his door to call him for dinner, that Xiao Lancui finally closed the book and grabbed his phone to read all the messages.

Lu Ao—

"I messed up [kneeling][kneeling]"

"Alan, [kneeling][kneeling] I lied to you. The night before last, I wasn't home—I went out to handle something. [kneeling][kneeling]"

"I didn't tell you because I was too scared, afraid you'd be mad. [kneeling][kneeling]"

"Alan, I went to see Zhao Lan. [kneeling][kneeling]"

...

Lu Ao kept staring at his phone.

When he got home after handling things and saw the empty water bottle and red envelope on the coffee table, he knew he was screwed.

With Xiao Lancui, there was no other option but to come completely clean.

So, aside from his identity, he confessed every single thing he'd done during that time, in painstaking detail.

Including how he'd threatened the private investigator Xiao Lancui had hired and made the investigator pass along the video he'd shot at Xiao Jingli's villa.

But it was all for nothing.

Xiao Lancui still hadn't replied.

Lu Ao didn't dare send anything else.

When Xiao Lancui gave someone the cold shoulder, he was nearly impossible to win back.

He'd made Xiao Lancui angry twice before.

The first time was on a hunting trip. He and Xiao Lancui had been ambushed by assassins and hidden in a cave. He was badly hurt, unconscious, and running a fever. When he came to, Xiao Lancui didn't talk to him for a month.

The second time was because of Qi Ying.

He refused to pick a consort, and Xiao Lancui took Qi Ying away—again ignoring him for a month.

Xiao Lancui rarely got angry, but once he did, he was almost impossible to calm down.

Both times, it was only after Lu Ao actually made himself sick that Xiao Lancui came to see him, saying, "Your Majesty, your body is the foundation of the nation. Don't act recklessly."

He didn't dare pull that stunt again now.

With Xiao Lancui's sharp, perceptive mind, the things he'd done were already full of holes. If he pulled a similar stunt again, his cover would be blown.

Lu Ao waited until ten at night. Still nothing in the chat.

He sent one final message.

"Alan, punish me however you want. Just don't leave me."

When Xiao Lancui got out of the shower, a WeChat notification popped up. He glanced at it, then switched back to the private investigator's chat.

Private investigator: "Boss, that woman left after dinner the next evening. No one else showed up."

With Lu Ao's confession, Xiao Lancui confirmed that Xiao Liqin really didn't know about Xiao Jingli's villa.

Xiao Liqin was still looking for Xiao Anfeng.

Xiao Lancui paid the private investigator the final amount. "We're done."

He deleted the investigator without a second thought.

He then opened Zhao Lan's reply. She'd responded that morning: "Sorry, classmate. I was so tired yesterday I slept straight through till now. Happy New Year! I made some specialty pastries from my hometown—even better than that matcha milk pudding ice bread. I can't finish them all by myself—it'd be a waste. Want to come grab some when you're free? If you're busy, I'm free—I could drop them off!"

It didn't seem like Zhao Lan had noticed she'd been drugged.

With the info Lu Ao had given him, Xiao Lancui's next move was to bring Zhao Lan over.

Xiao Lancui replied, "You're my second brother's biological mother, aren't you?"

Zhao Lan was too shocked to respond.

Xiao Lancui wasn't in a rush either. He put down his phone, adjusted the bedside lamp, and lay down.

It took him a while to fall asleep.

He thought about Lu Ao's confession, about old memories he'd thought he'd forgotten but remembered all too clearly.

Half-asleep, Xiao Lancui slept restlessly and uncomfortably.

The next morning, he coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood—something he hadn't done in a while. Out of habit, he washed the blood from his lips, turned on the tap, and watched the bright red swirl down the drain.

By the time he'd cleaned up and come out, Zhao Lan was calling.

Xiao Lancui answered.

Zhao Lan didn't speak first. Xiao Lancui stayed quiet too, waiting patiently. After ten minutes, Zhao Lan broke the silence, her voice small. "You all know?"

"Mm." Xiao Lancui replied casually. "A few things have happened recently..."

"Is Anfeng in trouble?" Zhao Lan cut in anxiously.

Xiao Lancui headed downstairs. "Let's talk in person. You pick the place."

Zhao Lan hesitated, then gave him her address.

When Xiao Lancui arrived, Zhao Lan opened the door right away. She was too anxious to care about anything else and asked straight out, "What happened to Anfeng?"

Xiao Lancui adjusted his scarf. "Can I come in to talk?"

"Oh, sorry!" Zhao Lan quickly let him in. "Please, come in!"

"Thank you."

Xiao Lancui stepped inside. The warmth of the room quickly chased the chill from his body. His long lashes blinked twice.

Lu Ao was pretty skilled—he actually managed to fix it.

He took off his scarf, hung up his coat, and followed Zhao Lan into the living room.

It was Zhao Lan's first time hosting a guest, and on top of that, it was Xiao Lancui, whose identity her son had taken over. She was super nervous. "I've only got hot water at home. Tell me what you want to drink, and I'll go buy it."

"Hot water's fine."

The extra moment gave her time to calm down. Remembering who Xiao Lancui was, her face flushed with embarrassment and guilt, and she didn't dare ask more about Xiao Anfeng.

Xiao Lancui spoke up. "Don't feel guilty about me. In this situation, you're a victim too."

Back when Zhao Lan gave birth, she hadn't even woken up before Xiao Anfeng's biological father took the child away.

Zhao Lan's eyes got red. She lowered her head, twisting the fabric of her pants at the knees, and whispered, "I'm sorry, I... I approached you with bad intentions too."

"I get it. My second brother is your child—you carried him for ten months. It's only natural you'd miss him and pull some strings. You never actually hurt me."

In the original story, Zhao Lan and the original Xiao Lancui had never even met.

He brought up Xiao Anfeng on his own. Despite her guilt, Zhao Lan was still more worried about Xiao Anfeng. She looked up and asked carefully, "An Feng... he..."

"Real bad."

Zhao Lan jumped up in shock and rushed over to Xiao Lancui. "What happened to him?"

Xiao Lancui cut to the chase. "My father took him and locked him up."

Zhao Lan was shocked. "What! Why would Xiao Jingli..."

Xiao Lancui gave a quick summary, explaining in a few sentences what had happened between Xiao Anfeng and Xiao Liqin. Zhao Lan's face got paler as she listened. After a long moment, she slumped back into her seat, dazed and silent.

Xiao Lancui didn't bother her, quietly sipping his water. When his cup was empty, Zhao Lan finally spoke. "Do you know where they're keeping Anfeng?"

Xiao Lancui asked first, "Has my father reached out to you?"

Zhao Lan nodded. The day before, she'd fallen asleep, and when she woke up, she saw three missed calls from Xiao Jingli. Afraid it was another emergency where Xiao Anfeng needed blood, she quickly called back.

Xiao Jingli answered but said nothing was wrong—he was just calling to wish her a happy Spring Festival.

Zhao Lan obviously didn't believe it. Unable to figure it out, she quickly made some pastries and contacted Xiao Lancui, hoping to get some info.

She never expected news this huge.

Zhao Lan gritted her teeth, swallowing her pride, and suddenly knelt in front of Xiao Lancui. "Child, I'm begging you..."

Before her knees hit the ground, Xiao Lancui stopped her. Zhao Lan looked up, and Xiao Lancui helped her up, saying, "I know the place, but I can only take you near it."

Xiao Lancui let out a soft sigh. "One's my father, two are my brothers. It's not right for me to get involved."

Zhao Lan nodded over and over, grateful. "I get it, I get it. Thanks for the trouble. I promise I won't say a word."

Xiao Lancui let her go and gave a faint smile. "I'll take you there now."

The two went downstairs. A man carrying fruit was on the phone at the building entrance. Xiao Lancui acted like he didn't see him. The man, still on the phone, naturally fell in step behind him and Zhao Lan. Xiao Lancui just opened the car door and let Zhao Lan get in.

Xiao Lancui took the passenger seat. He'd booked a ride-hailing car, and the driver drove them smoothly to the foot of the mountain.

They got out, and Xiao Lancui led Zhao Lan up the mountain road for a bit before stopping, slightly out of breath. The parts of his face not covered by his scarf had a faint flush.

Zhao Lan walked a few steps ahead, then turned back when she noticed Xiao Lancui hadn't followed. Seeing his condition, she quickly said, "You can't walk anymore, can you? You don't need to take me. Just tell me the direction, and I can find it myself."

Xiao Lancui really couldn't walk much further.

It was four or five degrees colder in the mountains, and he hadn't rested well the night before, so he felt pretty bad.

The villa wasn't far now, so Xiao Lancui gave Zhao Lan the exact directions. Zhao Lan took a few steps, then turned back again. "Let me walk you back down first."

Xiao Lancui smiled. "The way down is easier. Don't worry about it."

Only then did Zhao Lan nod and hurry off toward the villa.

Xiao Lancui watched the woman's slender figure for two seconds before looking away and slowly heading back down.

He rarely thought about his birth mother.

He had no memories of her.

She'd left only a portrait, which his father said didn't look like her. He'd imagined her countless times while holding that painting.

Still, he couldn't picture her face.

Later, the painting hung in the study, and even later, it was probably burned to ashes along with him.

Xiao Lancui's mind drifted.

He could restore that painting exactly as it was, and with modern tech, maybe build a lifelike model.

Even if it didn't look like her, it might capture a bit of his mother's likeness.

Lost in thought, Xiao Lancui noticed a car drive past. The tinted windows hid the occupants, but the license plate read Jing A5481.

Xiao Lancui wasn't worried. He'd get the photos soon enough.

Sure enough, when Xiao Lancui got back to the foot of the mountain and got in the car, a WeChat message from Lu Ao came through.

No text—just two pictures.

One showed Zhao Lan outside the villa, sobbing and pounding on the door. The other showed the man getting out of the car with plate Jing A5481.

It was the same guy who'd been on the phone at Zhao Lan's place.

One of Xiao Liqin's guys.

Xiao Lancui still didn't reply, but Lu Ao knew he'd seen it.

Xiao Lancui was meticulous with his money—he never spent a cent he didn't have to. Since he had people watching Xiao Jingli, he'd fire the private investigator.

Lu Ao zoomed in again on another video the PI had sent.

It was footage of Xiao Lancui heading down the mountain.

In just a few days, Xiao Lancui had gotten thinner, his complexion worse. A strong gust of wind could blow him away at any moment.

The half-hour video of him going down—Lu Ao watched it over and over countless times until dawn, when the fifth day of the new year arrived.

The day Xiao Lancui was supposed to go back to the Lu family with him.

Lu Ao didn't know if Xiao Lancui would still go, and he couldn't ask him. He knew Xiao Lancui's temper too well—he wouldn't get an answer.

Lu Ao left the sofa, shaved, showered, and picked out a three-piece suit. He put on his coat and headed out.

He arrived at the hotel at the agreed time.

Just as he got out of the car, Lu Siye came out. Lu Siye didn't look at him, but glanced past him to see if Xiao Lancui was there. Seeing no sign of him, Lu Siye let out a sneer. "My mom said you're gay and bringing your boyfriend to the event. So where is he? Don't tell me Xiao Lancui already got bored of you after a few days and dumped you."

Lu Ao's gaze darkened, and before he could speak, Lu Siye's mockery froze on his lips. His eyes narrowed, and he clenched his jaw, fixing his gaze on what was behind Lu Ao.

Lu Ao's heart skipped a beat, and he turned around instantly.

Behind him, a Hongqi (Red Flag) car had pulled up. The rear door opened, and a man dressed entirely in white stepped out.

A simple, long snow-white coat made Xiao Lancui's skin look as clear and pale as ice. A hint of lace cuff peeked out from his wrist.

Xiao Lancui first glanced at Lu Ao, whose gaze had suddenly turned deeper, before slowly meeting Lu Siye's blazing stare.

He said calmly—

"Even if you were six feet under, I'd never abandon him."