Chapter 14: Seeing Through

Zhao Ziqian, seeing his lecherous expression, guessed with high certainty that trouble was brewing. Without holding back, he struck hard: "You sly fox, don’t corrupt Mo Liang!"

“Oh, you idiot Zhao, how come I’ve never corrupted you?” Zhu Yansheng released Lin Mo Liang, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked over beside him, constantly exclaiming, “Tsk, tsk, suddenly you seem so refined!”

“Get lost, I’m not in the mood to talk to you!” muttered Lin Mo Liang as he strode toward the parking area. Typical idiot—he even forgot to have the valet bring the car around. Fine, he’d accompany him for a bit. Waving to the other two, he said, “Mo Liang, Shen Jie, see you another day!”

After parting ways, Lin Mo Liang returned to the private room, lying down on the sofa, his gaze fixed straight upward. The dim light cast shadows over his drifting expression. The door to the room opened silently, and the person who took a seat opposite him, seeing his lack of spirit and evident despondency, sighed softly, “Still troubled by that matter?”

“Shu Lian, I don’t know how long they plan to manipulate me,” his voice hoarse and starkly different from his earlier lazy tone. Then, he quietly mocked himself, “Even a tiger wouldn’t eat its own cub!”

“Every family has its own troubles; why think so much? Take it one step at a time. Besides, you’re no longer the person you used to be. What’s there to worry about?” The man spoke casually, clad in a T-shirt and jeans, looking completely out of place amidst the room’s lavish décor.

“I—” Lin Mo Liang stopped himself. It wasn’t worry he felt, but a deep sense of unwillingness to accept. Why couldn’t they get along peacefully like others? Why must they always exact harm to gain fame and fortune? Is money and power really so important? Important enough to forsake everything, even family?

The man called Shu Lian pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses sharp and intense, at odds with his refined appearance. “Mo Liang, I thought you had already seen through it all.”

He had seen through it, yet even so, deep in his heart remained a faint longing—something he had never possessed since childhood. But repeated wounds had made him realize it was merely a vain hope, something he refused to wake up from. Enough, there was no need to force it. He closed his eyes, voice hoarse, “Shu Lian, I think, I’ve truly seen through it now.”

“Ah!” A shallow sigh filled with resignation echoed softly in the room.

Several blocks away from the Blue Mood Entertainment Club, in the prestigious villa district, inside the study of Building A, Unit 1, a middle-aged man of modest stature was intently copying a famous calligraphy work.

“Come in!” he called out robustly as a knock sounded on the door.

The butler entered respectfully, standing at attention, awaiting his question. The man finished the last stroke and looked up, his gaze deep and spirited, bearing a slight resemblance to Chu Guiyun. “Butler Ding, what’s the matter?”

“Sir, Miss Chu has returned to the ancestral home.”

“Tongtong?” The man seemed uncertain.

“It’s Miss Tong. She just returned this afternoon,” Butler Ding answered earnestly.

“So it’s the Guiyun family’s girl. Has Guiyun gone back yet?” This man was Chu Guiyun’s elder brother, Chu Changyun. The brothers lived in different cities and rarely saw each other. Moreover, Chu Yitong had been mentally disabled for over ten years, making encounters even rarer. Suddenly mentioning her, he found himself struggling to recall.

“It’s just Miss Tong alone.” Butler Ding hesitated but decided to wait for confirmation before informing his master further.

“Oh, if there’s nothing else, you may go.” Chu Changyun waved his hand and resumed copying the calligraphy.