Chapter 28: When Light Becomes a Crime
A beam of light shines into an iron tower, revealing all the filth and ugliness inside—
and suddenly, the light itself is guilty.
Ye Chen looked calmly at the person in front of him. His chopsticks lay beside his hand, untouched.
That inner voice had long since faded, yet a faint buzzing still echoed in his ears.
For once, he couldn’t smile at all. He simply stared at Gu Yang without moving.
“What are you looking at?”
Even when eating alone, Gu Yang still used the serving chopsticks. The Gu family had clearly raised him well—his table manners were proper and refined, nothing to fault.
Like a beautiful porcelain vase—just being placed there was pleasing to the eye. It didn’t need to serve any other purpose.
Though they hadn’t interacted much, Ye Chen knew that the one who would inherit the Gu family in the future was definitely Gu Qingxu. Only a sophomore in high school, and he was already beginning to get involved with the family business.
By comparison, Gu Yang clearly remained on the periphery.
Suddenly, Ye Chen recalled something from many years ago.
A woman had once been rushed into the hospital by ambulance.
She was already unconscious when she arrived. Even after gastric lavage, she couldn’t be saved.
Back then, the head of the Gu family had flown into a rage, pointing at the doctors and nurses and shouting, “If you can’t save her, I’ll make you all pay with your lives!”
There had been a boy with him.
The scene was chaotic like boiling porridge—no one paid attention to a child.
Except him.
But they hadn’t spoken.
He had merely watched from afar.
Hospitals revealed all facets of life. The Ye family’s hospitals were private—only the wealthy could afford treatment.
And the wealthy put on better dramas.
He had seen well-dressed middle-aged men anxiously send pregnant women into operating rooms.
A few days later, the same man would return, wearing the same anxious expression—only the woman on the gurney would be different.
Once, Ye Chen had tugged at the man’s sleeve. When the man bent down, he had whispered in his ear, asking which one was his mistress.
The man’s face had turned ugly. Soon after, he whispered something to Ye Chen’s father.
Then Ye Chen had received a hard slap across the face that burned for a long time.
He had really wanted to ask that boy—Was the woman in surgery your mother?
The one losing his mind outside doesn’t look like your father. What’s he doing here?
Why don’t you look sad at all?
When his own mother had been wheeled into surgery, he had cried louder than anyone.
Jiang City’s social circle was small. Who would’ve thought that after all these years, they would end up as classmates?
After studying Gu Yang silently for a long time, Ye Chen finally forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Nothing. Just thinking this meal was well worth arranging.”
There were probably many people who now hated Gu Yang.
Shen Mingjun. Nie Ying. Lu Ran.
After all, their matters were things best left in the dark.
To them, the wrongdoing itself mattered less than the one who exposed it.
To them, Gu Yang was the problem.
…
He was no different.
—
Lu Ran jolted awake from bed.
The servant bringing in his herbal medicine rushed forward to check on him, only to be slapped aside.
The porcelain bowl shattered on the floor. The crash startled Mrs. Lu, who had been in the next room—she ran over without even putting on slippers.
“Ranran, what happened?”
The fear hadn’t faded from Lu Ran’s face. He panted, dazed, staring at her.
Mrs. Lu sat at the bedside and hugged him.
“Did you have a nightmare? It’s okay, don’t be scared. Mommy’s here.” She gently patted his back and signaled for the servant to leave.
“Ranran, are you having another episode?” Lu Zhenxing, who had been handling company matters in the study, came over as well. Lu Zheng followed, closing the door behind them.
Their love for Lu Ran was unquestionable.
By the time they had their second child, the company had stabilized. They had more time to spend with their children, unlike with their eldest son, who had largely been raised by a nanny.
And since Lu Ran had asthma from childhood, they had poured even more attention into him—along with the affection they had once been unable to give their firstborn.
So even after learning the truth, they couldn’t let go.
Lu Ran clutched Mrs. Lu’s hand and looked at his family surrounding him. Only after calming down did he speak, aggrieved:
“I dreamed that you all didn’t want me anymore. You kicked me out of the house. I was still in my pajamas. You wouldn’t even let me put on shoes. I stood outside barefoot, knocking on the door, and you wouldn’t open it.”
“How could we ever treat you like that?” Mrs. Lu hurried to reassure him. “This is your home. Who would dare drive you out?”
Mr. Lu joined in comforting him.
Lu Zheng looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end only said, “Dad, Mom, you stay with Ranran. I’ll handle the remaining documents.”
When he stepped out, he spotted a figure near the staircase landing.
The servants wouldn’t dare eavesdrop.
“Lu Ji.”
The person about to go upstairs stopped and turned coldly. “What.”
“Ranran’s personality has always been like this—he gets upset easily. Don’t take it to heart,” Lu Zheng said. “You don’t need to move into the school dorm. In a few days he’ll calm down.”
Lu Ji let out a short laugh—self-mocking, edged with sharp irony.
“It’s fine. My dorm’s already assigned. I got a special admissions slot anyway. You don’t need to pay my housing fees.”
“It’s not about money.” Lu Zheng’s tone grew displeased. “Moving out without a word—did you consider how Mom would feel?”
“Can’t you talk to the family before making decisions? If the He family hadn’t called earlier, we wouldn’t even know.”
Lu Ji stood on the upper step, looking down.
“Isn’t me moving out exactly what you all wanted?”
“How can you think that? Dad had a room prepared for you long ago. Mom personally decorated it. We’ve never rejected you, Lu Ji. It’s you who can’t get past this.”
“Ranran has been with us eighteen years. How could we just ask him to leave because of… this?”
At the mention of Lu Ran, Lu Ji’s expression darkened.
He didn’t even want to hear the rest.
He turned and left.
Lu Zheng watched his retreating back, then glanced at the calendar on the wall, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
“So it’s almost that day. No wonder…”
—
Most people forget much of what happened in early childhood. There’s even a term for it—childhood amnesia.
But Lu Ran remembered clearly.
Even if he tried to forget, his dreams dragged him back to that freezing warehouse again and again.
Why had the caretaker been absent that day?
Why had the rolling door been unlocked?
He had pulled it open. The metallic crash when it slammed upward was so sharp it raised goosebumps.
Delighted, he stepped inside, as if discovering a new adventure map.
Aunt Ye followed, calling his name, telling him to come back.
But he insisted on playing hide-and-seek—she had to find him.
He hid well—small body curled between two cardboard boxes. The smell of medicinal herbs was thick. The air-conditioning was on, but he was too excited to feel cold.
After some time, her voice grew weak. She said she felt unwell and asked if they could pause the game.
He didn’t believe such a clumsy trick.
Other kids had tried that too—pretending to give up so he’d reveal himself, only to declare victory.
He wouldn’t fall for it.
He would stay hidden until she found him.
Until—
A heavy thud.
Something collapsing to the ground.
Lu Ran jolted awake again.
He hurled a pillow to the floor, clawed at the quilt, breathing turning erratic before finally slowing.
In the past, he would’ve woken the whole house.
Now, he didn’t dare.
He didn’t want Lu Ji to see him like this.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.
Did Ye Chen hate him now?
Would Ye Chen help Lu Ji push him out of the Lu family?
After all, the paternity test had been conducted at the Ye family’s hospital.
He wasn’t the biological son.
Lu Ji—that bastard—was.
And Ye Chen knew so much.
If what his original family had done came to light—
Lu Ran didn’t dare imagine the consequences.
The sky outside was still pitch-black, but he had no hope of sleep.
He sat upright in bed, gaze gradually focusing.
…It was all Gu Yang’s fault.
Why did he have to reveal everything? No—why could he transmit it through thoughts?
How was that even possible?
Was Gu Yang even human?
He had always thought Gu Yang strange.
Everyone cried at touching movies—Gu Yang remained expressionless.
Sometimes he would laugh at inexplicable moments.
Now it was downright unsettling.
Come to think of it, he didn’t know Gu Yang at all.
They weren’t even that close.
So why had Gu Yang suddenly—
He scrolled through his contacts.
When his finger paused over He Ming’an’s name, he hesitated.
Among the people he knew, He Ming’an was closest to Gu Yang.
But Lu Ran wasn’t close to He Ming’an either.
And based on certain rumors, He Ming’an probably wouldn’t be warm toward him now.
When he opened the chat app, he realized several small class groups had 99+ unread messages.
Their class had formed endless combinations of group chats. Lu Ran had muted them all out of annoyance.
Now he clicked in one by one.
—
The next morning, Gu Yang looked visibly exhausted. The moment he entered the classroom, he collapsed onto his desk.
“Up all night cultivating immortality again?” Yu Bai teased. “Not sleeping at night, catching up during class—you’re truly our role model.”
He’d heard Gu Yang was seeing a psychologist for insomnia, but honestly, Yu Bai suspected his circadian rhythm was just wrecked.
Whenever Yu Bai texted him late at night, Gu Yang always replied instantly.
What he needed wasn’t therapy—he needed someone to confiscate his phone at bedtime.
“By the way, what did you and Ye Chen talk about last night?” Yu Bai couldn’t resist asking.
“No idea. He opened up at first, talked a lot. Then he just stared at my face while I ate.”
Yu Bai: “…”
How do you make that sound so ambiguous?
Of course, Yu Bai knew Ye Chen had probably invited Gu Yang out fishing for information.
But he couldn’t ask too directly.
After all, while everyone seemed to be bonding over shared gossip, some people probably wished they could kill whoever knew their secrets.
Great. Another immortal cultivator.
Lu Ran walked in, heavy dark circles under his eyes.
Understandable—after yesterday’s humiliation, the fact he showed up on time was impressive enough.
The classroom atmosphere stiffened as he entered.
Several pairs of eyes assessed him.
Usually, he would’ve confronted them head-on.
Now, he pretended not to notice.
Because of his identity.
From their perspective, he was the fake young master occupying someone else’s place.
No matter how prettily framed, he had taken someone else’s nest.
Especially since his mother had deliberately swapped him for a life of comfort.
What kind of dog-blood drama was this?
Still, since the Lu family had publicly framed it as “the real young master being wronged” and kept Lu Ran in place, no one knew who’d have the last laugh.
So no one immediately kicked him while he was down.
What if the fake young master turned real?
Lu Ran reached his seat.
To his left—
Gu Yang.
Enemies on a narrow road.
After reading last night’s group chat history, he had nearly crushed his phone in regret.
If he had checked earlier, he wouldn’t have walked in unprepared.
Shen Mingjun—child of a mistress.
Ying Jiayi’s father—an ambitious live-in son-in-law grooming the next generation.
Nie Ying—born to a maid.
He had thought his life was dramatic enough.
Turns out everyone’s lives were equally spectacular.
If it didn’t involve him, he would’ve enjoyed the show.
He cursed Gu Yang in his heart a thousand times.
He’d heard Yu Bai mention Gu Yang and Ye Chen had dinner.
What did they talk about?
Did Ye Chen know about eight years ago?
When he looked forward, Ye Chen happened to glance back.
Lu Ran’s heart skipped. He quickly looked away—
Only to realize Ye Chen hadn’t been looking at him.
He was looking at Gu Yang.
For once, Ye Chen wasn’t grinning.
After a few seconds, noticing Lu Ran staring, he slowly shifted his gaze—
And mouthed two words.
“Fake young master.”
Lu Ran’s chest twisted in pain again.
He forced himself to calm down.
Don’t end up in the hospital again.
Gu Yang, that bastard.
He cursed silently.
Always peeking at everyone else’s gossip.
Why doesn’t he look at his own?
The thought had barely formed—
When Gu Yang’s inner voice rang out.
[Why did the Gu family go bankrupt and end up being acquired by Nie Ying? This plot is ridiculous.]
[Was it really because Gu Qingxu had no brains?]
[I committed suicide not long after the Gu family went bankrupt. No explanation given. What is that—going down together? How touching.]
