Chapter 18: Meeting Chen Jiadong

Chapter 18: Running Into Chen Jiadong

After dinner, the three of them left the old residence.

In the days that followed, Lu Hechi stayed home all day with nothing to do. Remembering that he had a company, he reissued his old phone card and logged into WeChat.

The newly logged-in WeChat was blank.

He found Shen Lanxue's WeChat ID and noticed the note was just his name.

The pre-amnesia him had zero game.

After griping about it, Lu Hechi changed the note to a snowflake icon.

After thinking for a moment, he added a heart as well.

A few more weeks went by, and he could finally get the cast off his arm. Shen Lanxue took the afternoon off work to accompany him. His forearm was pale and yellowed.

Like a dried-up chicken foot.

Lu Hechi tried moving it—he could do some basic stuff, but it stung a little.

The doctor said he needed to hit the rehab clinic three times a week.

So Lu Hechi spent his time learning the ropes of managing the entertainment company while making regular trips to the hospital for rehab.

His WeChat was blowing up with messages every day, but he didn't recognize any of the names and had no clue how to reply, so he just left them on read.

By May, Lu Hechi's hand was mostly healed, and everyday stuff was no big deal.

He just couldn't do heavy lifting.

One afternoon, Shen Lanxue had just walked in the door when his phone rang—it was Song Jiyao.

"Mr. Busy, I've hit you up like a dozen times and you never have time. You're free tonight, right?"

Shen Lanxue's first instinct was to say no.

He had no idea when Lu Hechi's memory would come back—every day felt like a ticking clock.

Song Jiyao seemed to have read his mind. "Don't blow me off again—I'll be crushed."

Shen Lanxue pinched the bridge of his nose.

He sighed and gave in. "Fine."

Okay, this one was on him. Before, he'd catch up with friends at least every couple of weeks.

But ever since Lu Hechi got out of the hospital two months ago, he'd spent every spare second outside of work with him.

Song Jiyao said on the other end, "If you can't stand to leave your man at home, just bring him along. Being cooped up inside all day isn't good for him either."

After he hung up,

Shen Lanxue mulled it over. He went back to the bedroom to change, and when he came downstairs, Lu Hechi latched onto him. "Bro, you hungry? You eaten yet?"

Shen Lanxue said, "I'm heading out to see a friend today. Wanna come with?"

Lu Hechi didn't even hesitate. "Sure."

Meeting your partner's friends is the first step to becoming part of each other's lives.

Shen Lanxue smiled. "Okay."

Shen Yixing was left at home with a servant to do his homework.

The meetup was at an upscale club called Lanwan, members-only with an annual fee. The doorman checked their IDs and bowed them in.

The private room was on the tenth floor. They rode the elevator up and walked to the end of the hall.

When they pushed open the door, the place was decked out in black and gold—understated luxury. There were about a dozen people in there.

Pool table, mahjong table, karaoke—everything you could want for a night in.

When they got to the leather couch, Zhou Fang drawled, "So Ayao actually managed to drag you out."

Song Jiyao chuckled. "A bet's a bet. That villa up north is mine now."

Zhou Fang: "Fair enough."

The room was dimly lit. As they got closer, Shen Lanxue gave quick intros.

Lu Hechi got a good look at the two guys who'd just spoken.

Zhou Fang had that sharp, handsome thing going on, with a bit of a rogue vibe.

Song Jiyao, on the other hand, screamed money—from his clothes to his whole look, everything was flawless.

He had on a perfectly tailored white shirt and gray dress pants.

A watch on his wrist that cost seven figures.

Lu Hechi didn't know what to say, so he just went with, "Hey."

Song Jiyao couldn't help but crack up.

"...So he really did lose his memory, huh."

Zhou Fang was checking him out too, sizing him up top to bottom.

Shen Lanxue sat down with Lu Hechi, a warning look in his eyes.

They all shot the breeze for a while longer.

Song Jiyao grabbed a lychee from the fruit bowl on the coffee table, peeled it, and tipped up the chin of the young guy next to him, feeding it to him like he was teasing a cat.

Lu Hechi had a weird feeling this guy looked familiar. His dark eyes locked onto that face, watching him slowly bite into the lychee, until the guy turned and met his gaze.

Lu Hechi: "?!"

He went stiff.

He never in a million years expected to see Chen Jiadong here.

Was it really him? Or just someone who looked like him?

Seven years had gone by, and everyone had changed. The polished veneer of adulthood had replaced the rough edges of youth—not just in looks, but even more in vibe.

For the rest of the night, Lu Hechi kept sneaking looks at the young guy next to Song Jiyao from every angle. He even pulled up Chen Jiadong's recent photos on his phone to compare.

The more he looked, the more he looked like him.

He wanted to ask him, but this wasn't a good place for a conversation.

Song Jiyao cut in out of nowhere: "What, Young Master Lu has his eye on my guy?"

"?" Lu Hechi was caught off guard: "I just thought he looked familiar, like someone I know."

Shen Lanxue stopped short, his gaze following Lu Hechi's.

He knew—this was Song Jiyao's kept boy.

Chen Jiadong's face stayed neutral. Curled up in Song Jiyao's arms, he smiled: "I wouldn't dare claim to know Young Master Lu. You've probably got the wrong guy."

A beat of silence passed.

But the moment quickly faded as the conversation moved on.

A few of the rich kids wanted to play pool, so Lu Hechi let Shen Lanxue know and joined in for a couple of games.

After that, he stopped paying attention to them.

Almost an hour went by. Lu Hechi had to use the bathroom and figured he'd step out of the VIP room for some air.

After washing his hands, he looked at himself in the mirror.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Shen Lanxue's friend seemed to have it out for him.

He washed his face, ran his fingers through his black hair, pushing it back, and figured he was probably overthinking things.

He really needed to get out more and be around people.

Ever since he lost his memory, he'd been stuck at home every day. The only people he spent time with were Shen Lanxue and Little Star, and occasionally he'd visit Lu Wentang.

He felt like his people skills had gotten rusty.

Pushing open the restroom door, he saw the young man who looked like Chen Jiadong stepping out of the private room.

Lu Hechi called out tentatively: "Chen Jiadong."

The man paused, then looked up.

Lu Hechi walked over, getting annoyed: "Chen Jiadong, it really is you. Why did you deny knowing me? Aren't we friends?"

Chen Jiadong let out a laugh.

He had a total idol face—small head, small face, really pretty features. But the most striking thing was his eyes—they were incredibly bright.

"Hey, didn't I already tell you? Stop reaching out to me. Not just on the phone—in real life too, obviously."

Lu Hechi said: "I don't know what happened back then, but I'm sorry. If you'd just tell me—"

Before Lu Hechi could finish, Chen Jiadong cut him off.

"I don't want to."

Chen Jiadong sighed: "A Chi, this is getting old. You're this high-and-mighty young master now, and I'm just some kept little star."