Chapter 36: Only Then Would It Count as Revenge…
That single second seemed to stretch into infinity.
The expression on Qi Lecheng’s face vanished briefly. He stared blankly at Gu Yang, motionless.
After an unknown amount of time, a smile slowly returned to his face.
He had a clean, delicate appearance, carrying a kind of pure, self-contained boyishness. So the faintly excited smile he wore now wouldn’t raise suspicion—
That is, if one didn’t know what had just happened.
Based on what they knew so far: Gu Yang already knew what Qi Lecheng would do to him in the future. Qi Lecheng, through Gu Yang’s inner voice, also knew what he himself would do in the future—and understood that Gu Yang knew as well.
With something that twisted, even if someone could control their expression, they would instinctively distance themselves.
Just like the rest of the class—who had already subtly edged away from that area.
But Gu Yang remained completely relaxed, merely lifting his head to look at him calmly.
Qi Lecheng quickly suppressed his smile and replaced it with a shy, awkward expression. He cautiously looked at Gu Yang. When he saw no fluctuation in Gu Yang’s eyes—just steady calmness—the corners of his lips curved again.
He knew it.
Gu Yang was different.
“Gu Yang, I…” He had just begun to reach out his hand when it was slapped away harshly.
He Ming’an looked at him calmly.
The force of that slap was heavy—heavy enough that Qi Lecheng’s hand still tingled. Covering the back of his hand, he turned his gaze to He Ming’an.
The two faced each other in silence.
Meanwhile, Gu Yang looked at He Ming’an in confusion. “What’s wrong with you?”
You’re actually asking what’s wrong?
Yu Bai inwardly admired Gu Yang’s astonishing obliviousness. After already knowing what kind of filling Qi Lecheng had inside that “glutinous rice ball,” how could he still ask so naturally?
“Nothing,” He Ming’an said slowly. “I just suddenly remembered that there’s been a flu outbreak in Falan recently. Classmate Qi just returned from there, so I was a little concerned.”
Qi Lecheng hadn’t expected that. He pressed his lips together, looking slightly at a loss, and took several steps back—directly retreating beside Xie Wu.
Xie Wu: …
So you’re reluctant to infect Gu Yang, but infecting me is fine?
He barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He knew He Ming’an’s excuse was pure pretense, yet he still instinctively shifted his chair back.
His overly normal moral compass simply couldn’t handle it.
“Alright, don’t be so nervous.” He Ming’an’s smile returned. “I was only making a casual remark. I didn’t mean to accuse you.”
Qi Lecheng tugged at the corner of his clothes, nodded, and returned to his seat. But his gaze collided directly with Ye Chen’s.
Ye Chen didn’t avoid him. Instead, he met his gaze head-on and gave a faint smile.
His contingency plan had worked perfectly. The timing couldn’t have been better—even Qi Lecheng himself had unknowingly assisted him.
For the time being, Gu Yang wouldn’t focus on him anymore.
Lu Ran had also returned to his seat resentfully. His attention seemed oddly scattered—he kept glancing at Gu Yang, then at Qi Lecheng, his expression ever-changing.
But this whole matter was still a ticking time bomb.
Gu Yang’s existence would expose what was originally hidden—filth and ugliness dragged into the light.
Then his very existence was a sin.
Ye Chen’s thoughts drifted, and he missed the subtle change in Qi Lecheng’s expression.
Because he had already heard it.
He had heard what Qi Lecheng had just said.
Qi Lecheng didn’t know about what had happened before, but his logic was simple.
That person had deliberately brought him up, making Gu Yang think about things related to him. The one by Gu Yang’s side had already started rejecting him. From now on, speaking to Gu Yang would no longer be convenient.
It was that person’s fault.
Earlier, when he’d been called out by a teacher, someone had secretly looked through the phone he’d forgotten to lock.
He didn’t know the name—only memorized the facial features carefully, tracing them several times with his eyes before lowering them quietly.
He had already remembered.
After school, He Ming’an walked out the gates with Gu Yang.
After carefully organizing his words, He Ming’an smiled and said, “You even remembered to bring back the commemorative album Qi Lecheng gave you. I rarely see you care so much about a gift.”
After a barely perceptible pause, he asked, “Is it because your aunt grew up in Falan?”
“If I remember correctly, you have one-eighth Falan heritage.”
Gu Yang looked at him.
His eyes were a dull, lifeless gray. There was no obvious mixed-blood appearance in his features, but his bone structure was sharp and elegant. When light and shadow fell across him, it was like natural contouring.
“Yeah.” He lifted the corner of his lips.
He didn’t deny it.
“…What kind of person do you think Qi Lecheng is?”
“Him?” Gu Yang actually considered the question seriously before answering, his tone light and careless.
“I think he’s pretty interesting.”
He Ming’an stopped walking.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He Ming’an smiled gently and shifted the topic without a trace. “Is Uncle Huang picking you up today?”
Gu Yang nodded.
“Isn’t Xiao Song tutoring you? Not going?”
At that, Gu Yang’s face showed unconcealed disgust.
He Ming’an’s lips curved faintly. “You helped him so much before. He must remember it all. With nothing else to repay you, the only way he can is by helping your grades.”
“I don’t need it.”
“That’s not a bad thing.” He Ming’an said softly, “I actually have a suggestion. Let him continue tutoring you—and pay him tutoring fees.”
“Ha?” Gu Yang looked incredulous. “Why would I pay to suffer?”
“I just think Xiao Song’s family situation is very poor. Even with scholarships and financial aid, it probably doesn’t fill the gap.” He Ming’an’s voice was gentle. “After all, his mother can only rely on him now.”
At that last sentence, Gu Yang’s eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly.
He lowered his gaze and didn’t respond.
A long silence followed.
A car parked not far away rolled down its window. Gu Qingxu tapped lightly against the window frame, urging him over.
When Gu Yang walked away, he even forgot to say goodbye.
He Ming’an watched the retreating figure. In the empty space, he had already removed the mask of his expression.
He had never forgotten.
Inside A-Yang was a tendency toward self-destruction.
There was a membrane between him and the world.
Inside that membrane, even his sense of self had not fully formed—yet he quietly hoped something would pierce through and hurt him.
And because of that, he was often only passively accepting, never actively doing anything.
Not until the car disappeared from view did He Ming’an slowly withdraw his gaze.
His expression darkened.
But wasn’t this what he had wanted from the beginning?
When Lu Ji returned home, he immediately sensed something wrong with the atmosphere.
A servant took his schoolbag. Lu Ji felt awkward.
The Lu family employed several household staff, but Lu Ji was used to doing things himself and always felt uncomfortable about it. He’d tried to decline before, but seeing Lu Ran’s disdainful expression, he endured it.
Right now, though, he didn’t have the mind for that.
“Second Young Master, President Lu is waiting for you in the living room,” a servant said softly.
A bad feeling settled in his chest.
When he entered the living room, he saw President Lu, Mrs. Lu, Lu Zheng, and Lu Ran already seated.
Their expressions were grim. Lu Zheng gave him a slight nod.
Lu Ji noticed Mrs. Lu’s eyes were red—she had clearly just been crying.
His heart sank.
Anxious and unsettled, he wanted to ask what happened.
But the next second, Mrs. Lu’s sorrowful gaze fell on him.
“Why… did you tell people about this at school?” Her usually gentle voice was hoarse and exhausted.
“What are you talking about?” Lu Ji asked, confused.
“You’ve already done it. Why pretend you don’t know now?” Lu Ran accused.
Seeing Lu Ran jump in made Lu Ji even more irritated—he didn’t even know what was happening.
And it wasn’t strange he didn’t know. In Class Ten, although the rumor had spread privately, people still avoided confronting him directly—especially after Ding Ziyu’s withdrawal from school had left lingering tension.
Mrs. Lu had only learned of it by accident while overhearing students after dropping Lu Ran off.
She’d gone pale with shock.
The rumors hadn’t yet reached the adult social circle—but they would soon.
That’s why she’d called Lu Ji home immediately.
She looked at her biological son—only recently reunited—with heartache.
“Why did you tell your classmates about this? Didn’t you promise Mom you would never tell anyone?”
“How can Ranran stay in school like this? If people know he’s not our biological child, some bad-hearted kids might bully him.”
“That’s why I had you pretend to be twins—to protect both of you.”
Her face turned even paler as she spoke.
“My stomach…” She pressed a hand to her abdomen.
Lu Ran shot Lu Ji a vicious glare. “Are you satisfied now?”
“I didn’t say anything at school.” Lu Ji frowned, finally understanding.
“You didn’t? Then how did it spread?” Lu Ran sneered. “Only a few people know. Are you saying I spread it myself?”
Lu Zheng glanced at Lu Ran.
He felt something off—but couldn’t pinpoint it. After all, Lu Ran wouldn’t use a self-destructive method like this.
So he stayed silent.
“No wonder Ranran has been falling sick lately,” Mrs. Lu said sharply. “It must be because of the gossip.”
“Mom, that’s not—”
Lu Ji tried to explain, but Lu Ran quickly hugged Mrs. Lu, performing tearfully. “It’s my fault. Maybe I should leave. Don’t be upset for our sake.”
Mrs. Lu grew agitated. “Impossible! I want to see who dares take you away!”
“Lu Ji,” Lu Zhenxing finally spoke. “Didn’t we agree? Present you and Ranran as twins. If you were unhappy, you should’ve said so then—not stab us in the back now.”
That sentence froze Lu Ji’s heart.
“What do you mean?” His voice turned sharp.
“You think we can’t mention your original family?” Lu Ji stared at them in disbelief. “Was that my fault? Was it my fault I was switched into that kind of household?”
Old wounds reopened. The room fell silent.
“Xiao Ji,” Lu Zheng tried to mediate. “No one was at fault. Bringing you back was to make up for regret.”
“Make up for regret? By letting this fake who took eighteen years of my life continue sharing my identity?” Lu Ji pointed at Lu Ran.
Lu Zheng’s face tightened. “Why speak so harshly? We raised Ranran for so many years. That bond can’t be cut.”
“What did he do wrong? What do you want from him?”
With each sentence, Lu Ji stepped backward.
He saw the dissatisfaction in Lu Zhenxing’s eyes. The sorrow in Mrs. Lu’s. The faint provocation in Lu Ran’s.
What did he want?
He wanted Lu Ran to live the rest of his life in the same hell he had endured for eighteen years.
Only then would it count as revenge.
