Dear Mr. Lu Chapter 31
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
The eyes of many spectators focused on Luo Wencheng, and then, when they clearly saw the party concerned, everyone went silent for a while.
Was this elegant handsome looking young man really Luo Wencheng?
The well-cut suit, the polite demeanour, the calm and distinctive temperament were so different from the Luo Wencheng they knew.
Everyone looked at him, and then at Luo Wenjun, who was hiding behind Luo Kaifang.
Luo Wenjun was also dressed decently today, but that playful white tuxedo worn on his too slender and short figure made him look like a child dressed as a man. He was dainty and cute but style? What style?
Luo Wencheng didn't seem to notice these glances and there was no change in his expression as he followed Lu Chong into the house.
The Luo family's house was huge. All the original furniture in the hall had been removed and replaced with long dining tables, sofas, chairs and so on. All kinds of food and wine were freely available, and flowers and other decorations were just right. Soothing music was playing. It could be seen that a lot of thought was put into it.
After coming in, Luo Kaifang, the host, lifted his wine glass and said to Lu Chong: "I heard the famous name of Lu Jiuye for a long time but I didn't expect to see you with my own eyes. You're really more impressive than the legend. I am here to represent the Haining people and say welcome to Lu Jiuye."
Everyone hurriedly moved their minds away from the Luo family's dispute and lifted their glasses in response, looking at Lu Chong with eagerness, in awe or curiously.
Lu Chong said lightly: "I came to Haining to do business. What Jiuye this, Jiuye that? Those who don't know might think I'm doing something shady for a living. Old Mr. Luo is too polite."
Luo Kaifang's smile stagnated.
Someone laughed unkindly.
This was really an ass-kissing that went wrong. Luo Kaifang probably didn't expect the other party to be so disrespectful that his first sentence would be a cold rejection.
And what about "old"? Luo Kaifang, who had always struggled to look younger, was openly called "Old Mr. Luo" on such an occasion and couldn't refute it…
The people present were either wealthy businessmen or certain officials; this reception was attended by half of Haining's notables, so why should Luo Kaifang be qualified to "represent" them?
Seeing Luo Kaifang deflated, many people were happy. They hurriedly took advantage of this opportunity to toast Lu Chong and ask him what business he was going to do in Haining.
A smile appeared at the corner of Lu Chong's mouth: "I took a fancy to a piece of land. I want to build an amusement park."
"……" The man who asked thought he was joking, but seized the topic to talk to Lu Chong enthusiastically.
In a moment, Lu Chong was surrounded and calmly coped with the flattery and compliments thrown at him by everyone.
Someone searched for the way to approach him and turned to look at Luo Wencheng, as if not recognising him: "By the way, who is this?"
The smile on Lu Chong's face became real for a moment: "A young kid, following me around to learn."
He turned his head and said to Luo Wencheng: "If you feel bored, go eat something. We'll be able to leave in a while."
Luo Wencheng glanced at him and smiled: "Okay."
He got up and got a glass of juice, and immediately several young people came over and said, "Luo Wencheng, now that you're doing so well, don't forget your brothers."
Another one said: "There was some misunderstanding between us before, don't take it to heart."
One more asked: "Do you live with Lu Jiuye now? What are Lu Jiuye's developing plans?"
Another one: "When are you free to come out to have a couple of drinks together?"
Luo Wencheng scanned the faces around him, the blurred, unrecognisable faces of either his former scoundrel friends or those who had bullied him in "Golden Glory".
They were all irrelevant people.
He answered them perfunctorily to get rid of them and went outside. The servants of the Luo family he saw along the way treated him with trepidation.
He could still vaguely remember their indifference and mockery when his identity was revealed.
Luo Wencheng smiled indifferently and stood at the edge of the garden quietly looking at the precious flowers and fountains.
Even though the Luo family was having a hard time, its life had not been affected; they continued to live in luxury and pleasure day after day.
Luo Wencheng's gaze wandered and he suddenly saw a man. He narrowed his eyes slightly. Was it him? Leisurely, he took a step over: "Enjoying the flowers?"
The young man who had been squatting there for a long time raised his head in surprise, pushed up his glasses and said with some embarrassment: "This kind of flower is rare. I didn't expect to see it here, so I watched it for a while."
"Do you want to draw it?" Luo Wencheng said with a smile.
"How do you know?"
"I saw you moving your fingers just now, as if tracing its outline."
"Yes, I am an art student at Haining Academy of Arts." The young man said.
Luo Wencheng's eyes flashed slightly, and he said in surprise and joy: "Really? Then we're probably going to be fellow students."
"You are too?"
"I should be going to school next Monday. But I'm just a freshman. Should I call you Senior?"
The two started a conversation about school and arts.
The day and night of etiquette torture hadn't been in vain. Luo Wencheng had already had a foundation, and his good manners and conversation skills he displayed at the moment made the young man called Zheng Chang feel very comfortable. Luo Wenchneg's insights on painting surprised him, and the two talked without stopping until the elders of the Zheng family called out from the hall, and Zheng Chang left apologetically.
Luo Wencheng stared at his back for a couple moments. He originally thought he would have to go to school to see this young man; but to his surprise he had been exceptionally lucky.
Zheng Chang was not someone important, but his grandfather was the deputy mayor of Haining.
Zheng Zonghuai was about to retire, but he had only climbed to the level of deputy mayor. He had a lot of resentment in his heart and was eager to do something big so that he could move up one more step.
In his previous life, Zheng Zonghuai chose to cooperate with the Luo family after the Luo family indirectly hugged Lu Chong's thigh. With the help of the Luo family, he finally rose to the position of mayor. This time, Zheng Zonghuai would probably love to have some explosive evidence of the Luo family's tax evasion and even breaking the law.
He took a sip of orange juice slowly.
"Luo Wencheng, your tenacity is admirable. Climbing up Lu Jiuye is not enough, you want to hook up with a man whenever you see one." There was a poisonous voice.
Luo Wencheng frowned, turned his head, and saw Luo Wenjun gritting his teeth.
"What are you talking about?"
"I say you are shameless and cheap enough to be a man's plaything!" Luo Wenjun walked closer and cursed in a low voice.
Luo Wencheng said with a serious expression: "If you are cheap yourself, don't think everyone is like you. Mr. Lu and I are not in that kind of relationship."
"Huh, sell your body and deny it?! Judging by your slutty ways, Lu Chong doesn't satisfy you, does he? If he can't satisfy you, you come out to eat on the sly?"
Luo Wencheng's face suddenly turned cold: "Watch your mouth. Mr. Lu is a good person. He took me in because he sympathised with me and wanted to help me. It's not something dirty as you think."
He said it loud enough for others to hear and then whispered in Luo Wenjun's ear: "Well, I don't even have to pay with my body and he treats me so well. What about you? Even if you recommend yourself to his bed, he won't look at you."
Luo Wencheng knew very well how to touch Luo Wenjun's sore spot. Sure enough, Luo Wenjun was almost out of his mind with anger when he heard this.
"You, you, quibble whatever you want! Now you hooked up with Lu Chong who knows how, and Father and Big Brother are ashamed of you!" As he said that, he waited triumphantly for Luo Wencheng to show a painful expression.
Luo Wencheng… smiled leisurely and stood up straight: "Is that so? But why did I hear just now that they cleaned up my room, oh no, they cleaned up your room, crying and begging for me to move back?"
Dear Mr. Lu Chapter 32
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
Luo Wenjun was almost choking from anger but suddenly his face changed, and he plopped down on his knees.
Luo Wencheng opened his eyes wide in surprise and suddenly realised something.
Then he had to listen to Luo Wenjun's heartfelt plea, just short of bursting into tears: "Second Brother, just come back! Please forgive Father. Everything happened because of me. As long as you are willing to come back and help the family, I will leave right away."
Luo Wencheng watched his performance with interest. Footsteps came from behind him, and he glanced sideways. It was Luo Wenhao.
Not only that, through the glass windows not far away, many people in the hall could see what was happening here, right?
Luo Wencheng smiled faintly, looking down at the person at his feet indifferently. His voice was soft and calm: "Luo Wenjun, it seems that you are really desperate. You can even do this kind of thing. I really underestimated you."
He stood as he had been trained yesterday, like a real nobleman, while the one at his feet seemed to be just an ant: "Don't you know that after kneeling like that, Haining's upper circle will no longer accept you unless you make a complete comeback, like I did?"
Luo Wenjun raised his head abruptly, and his gaze stabbed Luo Wencheng like a poisoned dagger, but after noticing Luo Wenhao, he looked pitiful again: "Second Brother, do you hate me so much?"
Luo Wencheng was not interested in watching him act anymore. He turned his head and smiled at Luo Wenhao, who had a stiff expression on his face, and said, "Your younger brother is good, he can bend and stretch. It's a pity, if the person who witnessed this scene was Luo Kaifang instead of you, he might have achieved the effect he wanted."
And now?
Luo Wencheng ignored him and Luo Wenhao didn't care. Luo Wenjun was acting for the blind audience and knelt down for nothing.
When Luo Wencheng was about to leave after speaking, Luo Wenhao grabbed his arm, and the orange juice in Luo Wencheng's hand spilled out and splashed on his cuffs.
Luo Wencheng's gaze turned cold abruptly.
Luo Wenhao said, "Come home, it will be good for you and me."
He used "me" instead of "us" or "the Luo family".
"Let go."
"Are you sure Lu Chong won't get tired of you?" Luo Wenhao looked at him deeply, "You can pretend for a while, but you can't pretend for a lifetime. You know what you used to be like in the past, and I know it too."
Luo Wencheng was slightly taken aback, almost thinking that Luo Wenhao had seen through him, but then realised that it was impossible.
It was impossible for anyone to know that he approached Lu Chong purposefully and used Lu Chong.
As for what he used to be like in the past? Although he didn't like to study and had many bad habits of a second generation ancestor (a spoiled kid of a wealthy family), he had not broken the law, he was not amoral. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with him. He was really not afraid of Luo Wenhao's intimidation.
Luo Wencheng smiled and said clearly: "Let go!"
Zhou Yishan came out of nowhere: "Yo, is someone making trouble?"
Luo Wenjun hurriedly got up from the ground. Luo Wenhao frowned: "Who are you?"
Luo Wencheng hurriedly took the opportunity to break free from Luo Wenhao and hid beside Zhou Yishan: "Mr. Zhou, why are you here?"
Zhou Yishan raised his eyebrows: "Didn't I come here in the same car with you just now?"
"You didn't get out of the car, I thought you had left."
That was because Zhou Yishan had spent some time feeling out the front and back of the Luo family.
He tsk'ed: "One is playing the weak little white flower, the other is playing the domineering president, you two brothers are full of drama."
Luo Wenhao's face became a little ugly. But he already understood that this person must have followed Lu Chong or was someone close to Lu Chong. He stretched out his hand with an awkward smile: "Mr. Zhou, right? It turns out you're here with Mr. Lu and Ah Cheng. I'm sorry I didn't recognise you for a while."
Zhou Yishan glanced at him, shook his head and let out a sigh, then pulled Luo Wencheng into the house. As he walked, he said, "You ah, you are a fragrant steamed bun now. Who doesn't want to put their hands on you? Be careful and don't be lured by a few words. There are many bad guys in this world."
The faces of the "bad guys" Luo brothers were as black as the bottom of a pot.
Luo Wencheng laughed in a muffled voice: "Mr. Zhou, you are very destructive."
Zhou Yishan said meaningfully: "You are not weak either."
Master told him that this kid was a bit pitiful; where was he pitiful? He was pretty happy to tear the Luo brothers apart; the question was whether he pretended to be well-behaved in front of his master.
Luo Wencheng returned to the hall and sat obediently by Lu Chong's side. Ten minutes later Lu Chong said goodbye. He attended the reception banquet with him as the honourable guest for a total of half an hour, which was tantamount to just showing his face symbolically.
The guests were very sorry to realise that the only thing they had gained from this reception was the unanimous belief that Luo Wencheng, who seemed to be ruined, managed to hug Lu Jiuye's thigh and the Luo family was going to be unlucky in the future in all probability.
In no time at all, these two news spread rapidly throughout the circle.
Back at Lu Chong's house, Luo Wencheng seemed a little dejected. Although he concealed it well, the occasional absent-mindedness was still noticed by Lu Chong.
After the meal, Lu Chong called him into the study and gave him a file: "Take a look for yourself."
Luo Wencheng opened it hesitantly, and it turned out to be the acceptance letter from Haining Academy of Arts, as well as the brief introduction to the school, an admission handbook and a key.
"A dormitory key?"
"Well, a four-person dormitory, I didn't apply for a single dormitory for you. Going to university without living in a group dormitory would be less flavorful. Don't you want to experience campus life?" Lu Chong said.
Luo Wencheng's lips moved and he clenched the key tightly: "Then, can I come back here on weekends?"
He asked cautiously, as if he was afraid of being abandoned, and Lu Chong hooked the corners of his mouth, "Of course."
Luo Wencheng smiled: "Thank you, sir. I will make you supper."
After he went out, Zhou Yishan came in and leaned on the bookcase lopsidedly: "You really spoil this kid. He is not as simple as he seems on the surface."
He told Lu Chong how Luo Wencheng was smooth and cold in front of the Luo brothers.
Zhou Yishan had seen it from the beginning to the end. Luo Wencheng's eyes when he looked down at Luo Wenjun were really haunting. He was taken aback when he saw this gaze. That was not the look ordinary people could have.
Lu Chong had long stopped smiling. He opened the documents on the table and flipped through them as he listened. He suddenly remembered the first time he had seen this child, and the cold, hard and determined way he had looked at him in the bar.
Then he remembered that Luo Wenchnge had stayed up late last night studying his manners.
Just to be able to behave decently today.
What a strong sense of self-esteem.
He was obviously soft and sweet, coquettish to strangers when he was dying, but he insisted on packaging himself as indestructible.
Lu Chong's gaze softened slightly. He looked at the document, signed his name on it and said, "When you had no standing around me yet, it was rumoured that you were the reincarnation of Rakshasa."
Zhou Yishan was taken aback.
It took him a while to understand that this was defending Luo Wencheng in disguise.
Not only did people have more than one side; even two completely opposing sides could appear in the same person, and this was something that Zhou Yishan naturally understood.
But such a definite stance still surprised Zhou Yishan a little.
"So you came here all the way specially for him?" Lu Chong asked.
Zhou Yishan said weakly: "We have heard that there is a kid next to you. We were worried that he had a wrong origin and bad intentions… You came to Haining and there were only two people here, Fat Liu and Lao Ding. I was going to investigate the hidden dangers and arrange the protection forces."
"The people under these two have done a good job."
Lu Chong raised his head and looked at his second-in-command. For so many years, these people risked their lives to protect and support him. They had experienced so many ups and downs together. Lu Chong was not as cold-blooded and ruthless as the legend had it. He was actually very lenient to these people who had followed him from early on. That was why Zhou Yishan dared to say that he was concerned Lu Chong had someone he didn't know well by his side, and rushed all the way to investigate and confirm in person, without worrying about offending his master.
Lu Chong was really not angry. He said, "Since everything is okay, go back. I'm fine here."
Zhou Yishan was a little uneasy, hesitated for a while, and couldn't help but say: "Sir, everything in the capital has been arranged before coming here and the brothers have taken their places. Are you going to stay in Haining and not go back, leaving us?"
Lu Chong was silent, looking quietly somewhere. When Zhou Yishan saw him like this, he knew that Lu Chong was again caught up in some mysterious thoughts that no one could disturb.
A group of them sometimes dare to make jokes in front of their master, but no matter how big or small, they all actually had a good sense of measure.
Zhou Yishan knew that it was time for him to withdraw, so he left the study quietly, gently closing the door behind him.
"Meow." A fat big cat with a black and yellow back got out from under the sofa, came to Lu Chong's side swaying her buttocks and tugged at his trouser leg.
Lu Chong bent over and put the cat on his lap. The cat yawned lazily, licked her front paws and narrowed her eyes.
Lu Chong stroked her back: "Not in the best of spirits today? Sleep well. Wait a little longer, stay with me for a while longer, okay?"
Dear Mr. Lu Chapter 33
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
Haining Academy of Arts was a very beautiful school.
On Monday morning, Luo Wencheng came to the school to report.
He got out of the car, took a big suitcase from the trunk, turned his head and said to the man in the car, "Sir, I'll go first."
Lu Chong, who sat in the car, said, "Really don't need me to accompany you? Or I'll have someone take you through the formalities."
Luo Wencheng smiled shyly: "I'm 21 years old, I'm not a child. I can do this by myself."
Lu Chong nodded: "Call me if you need something. I will send someone to pick you up on the weekend."
"Thank you, sir, but I can go back by myself. See you then, sir."
Luo Wencheng watched the car drive away, feeling a little warm in his heart. He didn't expect Lu Chong to send him to school in person. Although he said it was just by the way, he felt that Lu Chong had come here with him on purpose.
He raised his head and looked at the tall gates of Haining Academy of Arts.
The large gilded artful letters shone brightly in the sunlight, and the irises of Luo Wencheng's eyes also glowed with the sunlight.
He didn't expect to be able to go to university once he was reborn.
What he said to Lu Chong at the beginning was not all lies. He really wanted to experience student life. After ten years of struggling at the bottom of society he especially wanted to experience this kind of simple and pure youthful life.
With the registration certificate, Luo Wencheng first went to the teaching office, completed the admission procedures, and then followed the counsellor to the dormitory.
It was class time now. There was no one in the dormitory. There were things on three beds and only one was still empty. The counsellor gave him a few instructions and left, muttering to himself that someone who transferred in the middle of the school year obviously had a strong background. The school director also paid special attention to this young man and asked him to personally bring him to the dormitory, but he did not apply for any special treatment, and no one followed him. The counsellor had never seen such a relationship.
Luo Wencheng looked around the dormitory. The room was not large. The four beds were all arranged in a pattern of bed-plus-table. There was a balcony and a separate bathroom.
He was a day student in junior school and senior school, and he really hadn't lived in such a collective dormitory, so he was vaguely excited for a while.
He opened his twenty-eight-inch suitcase, took out a compression bag, and as soon as it was released, the flat compression bag swelled violently. Inside were quilts and pillows. These things were not impossible to buy, but Uncle Ding said that the quality of the ones bought outside was not good, so he had to bring them from home.
By taking care of Lu Chong's three meals a day, Luo Wencheng had clearly gained Uncle Ding's recognition.
He made the bed, hung his clothes in the empty closet, put his notebook on his desk, then took a certificate and prepared to go to the library to get the books.
When he walked out of the dormitory building, he saw a figure hovering there seemingly indecisively, trying to walk in, hesitating for a while and then retreating, and then coming closer again.
The old concierge auntie stared at the young man for a long time, filled with suspicion.
Luo Wencheng's eyes lit up, and he walked over in surprise: "Zheng Chang! Oh, I should call you Senior Zheng now."
That person was Zheng Chang, whom he had met and chatted with at the Luo family reception. When Zheng Chang saw him, a hint of embarrassment flashed across his face, "Junior Luo."
Luo Wencheng said, "What are you doing here?"
The embarrassment on Zheng Chang's face became even heavier: "Well, I heard that you came to report today, so I wanted to see if you needed any help."
Luo Wencheng knew that Lu Chong's every move was something that most of Haining paid attention to. It was definitely not a secret that he got Luo Wencheng into Haining Academy of Arts through the back door.
But Lu Chong's behaviour was also relatively low-key. It took some effort to find what dormitory Luo Wencheng was in. The Zheng family likely wanted Zheng Chang to make friends with him and then get to Lu Chong though him.
Zheng Chang was a simple and straightforward person, so he must have had a psychological barrier to approaching his junior and ingratiating himself with him, which was why he was hesitant either to enter or to retreat.
Luo Wencheng thought that the Zheng family had done exactly what he wanted and said happily: "Senior Zheng, you are just in time. I am going to the library, but the campus is so big and I don't know where to go. Can you show me the way? As a thank you, I'll treat you to lunch."
Hearing what Luo Wencheng said, Zheng Chang let out a sigh of relief, and the embarrassment on his face subsided: "Okay, I'll take you there, but what are you going to do in the library?"
"Collect the book, I don't have any books for this semester."
Zheng Chang was surprised: "Do you need to go by yourself?"
Luo Wencheng smiled and nodded: "I have already used the connections to come in the middle of the year, so I don't want to look too special."
After receiving the books, Luo Wencheng asked Zheng Chang to take him to buy daily necessities. It was just about noon, so they headed to the cafeteria and went up to the third floor to eat stir-fry. Luo Wencheng kept his promise and invited Zheng Chang to lunch.
Zheng Chang looked at Luo Wencheng oddly at first, but gradually realised that he was not pretending to be anything but really integrated into the identity of an ordinary student. Not only did he not have a bad temper, but his personality was also warm and generous, so Zheng Chang developed a good impression of him. The instructions of the elders that made him feel uncomfortable were left behind, and he and Luo Wencheng communicated in a truly relaxed manner.
The school cafeteria was good, but there was no shortage of rich people among art students. Compared with the ordinary canteens on the first floor and the second floor, the stir-fry on the third floor was more popular. Therefore, there were a lot of people on the third floor at this time. After Luo Wencheng and Zheng Chang sat for a while, many people stared at them.
Zheng Chang was the school grass (the most popular male student) of the Arts Academy to begin with. He had a good family background and was the grandson of the deputy mayor. Although he didn't carry a lot of weight in Haining, for ordinary people, his status was already out of reach, so he was very popular.
Luo Wencheng had a handsome appearance, elegant movements and his clothes were low-key from head to toe, but a discerning person could tell at a glance that he was not someone ordinary, especially since he had a particularly calm and relaxed aura beyond his age. When he was talking intently, when he smiled slightly, he emanated a kind of appeal that made people unable to look away.
These two handsome guys sitting together, it was like a Shiny Pikachu (seems to be a rare one, as far as I understand), making it difficult for people not to pay attention.
After a while, someone came over to strike up a conversation: "Handsome Brother Zheng, where did you get this little brother from?"
It was a girl who was talking. She was obviously on good terms with Zheng Chang. She winked at Luo Wencheng. Luo Wencheng's face was not soft but his skin looked too good. Nowadays, young people would stay up late with their mobile phones or facing the computer, and little by little, the vicissitudes of life would reflect on their faces. In contrast, Luo Wencheng looked exceptionally fresh.
"What little brother, don't molest people indiscriminately." Zheng Chang briefly introduced, "His name is Luo Wencheng. He is a freshman who has just enrolled. Wencheng, this is Chen Rui, also a second year student. She is in the same class as me and the president of the student council this year. If you need anything, you can find me or her."
Luo Wencheng smiled and nodded: "Hello, Sister Chen."
"Luo Wencheng…" Chen Rui repeated the name again, and finally remembered where she had heard it before. The way she looked at Luo Wencheng changed.
Luo Wencheng didn't seem to notice: "Has Senior Sister eaten yet? We've just been served too, why don't we sit down and eat together?"
Chen Rui hesitated for a moment and sat down cautiously. But she was pretty thick-skinned and after the meal, she was already laughing and joking with Luo Wencheng, as if she had completely forgotten the glittering signboard of Lu Jiuye's name behind Luo Wencheng.
After the meal, Zheng Chang and Chen Rui took Luo Wencheng to buy a professional drawing board and paints that needed to be used in class, as well as some tutorial books. Knowing that Luo Wencheng's sketching skills were not bad, they suggested that he shouldn't follow the rules and go to class with freshman students, but choose classes selectively, going to classes with second year and third year students. Chen Rui even made a schedule for him and recommended him to join certain clubs.
It could be said that she was very attentive.
Luo Wencheng couldn't help but sigh at how useful it was for Lu Chong to take him to the official reception banquet, which really saved him a lot of trouble.
With Zheng Chang and Chen Rui, one of whom was the third generation in the family of officials, and the other, although she didn't have much of a background, was the student council president, had great social skills and a wide range of contacts, it was easy for Luo Wencheng to integrate into the school life and almost everyone was polite to him. Of course, many people didn't like him, but they would only say bad things about him behind his back.
"I'm off." Luo Wencheng said to his three roommates as he picked up his bag.
"You've been going to the club very diligently recently." His roommate said with a cheerful smile.
"The club is working on a new project and everyone is very busy." Luo Wencheng said and went out. As soon as the door closed, the roommate's smile disappeared, "What the crap?"
Another roommate sneered in agreement: "A guy who sells ass, making it look like he's so upright and honest. Going to the club? He's probably looking for someone to hook up with."
He looked at Luo Wencheng's clothes, quilts, shoes, computer and everything else, and secretly checked them. These things looked ordinary, but in fact they were very expensive. The roommate's family was not in a good situation, and his eyes turned red when he saw these things.
The third roommate didn't speak, secretly took out his mobile phone and sent a text message: "He just went out, to the club."
Luo Wencheng naturally didn't know the true faces of the three roommates, or rather he had already guessed but didn't care. He walked on the dim path under the streetlights through the small courtyard, took advantage of no one around, turned towards the river, crossed the bridge and went over the wall at the edge of the basketball court.
A short while later, he came to an abandoned construction site.
The dark construction site was desolate and dilapidated, full of garbage. Except for a few homeless people who had nowhere to go and borrowed the semi-finished building here to shelter themselves from the wind and rain, there was no one else.
Luo Wencheng walked around in the darkness, as if looking for something, and finally after a long time stood still.
Found it.
For half a month he had been sneaking over to search as soon as he had the opportunity, and he almost went through the entire construction site until he finally found what he was looking for.
Luo Wencheng hooked the corners of his mouth, then went back to school as quickly as possible, took off his big hooded black jacket and stuffed it into his backpack, and then went to the club as if nothing had happened.
He had been in this club for half a month and had been recognised for his excellent sketching skills. This time, the club responded to the school's call to start a series of artworks with "The past and future of the city" as the main theme. He was also assigned a part of the task.
"Here you are?" Chen Rui looked up from the drawing board and teased him, "Have you wandered around most of the campus looking for inspiration? What did you find this time?"
Luo Wencheng smiled and said, "Mostly observed more. I want to draw the Science and Technology Museum tonight."
"Is that the Science and Technology Museum that is still under construction? What's so good about it to draw?"
Luo Wencheng didn't answer, pinned the drawing paper, paused, picked up a fountain pen and began to draw generous lines on the paper, sometimes using the pen to add delicate, fragmented shadows.
Half an hour later, the Science and Technology Museum that was halfway under construction, surrounded by construction racks and with debris everywhere, appeared on the paper. The whole painting was composed of black pen lines, but it was realistic and delicate. Every small detail was handled very well, even the streetlights and moonlight were there, and the whole picture felt very thorough.
The half-finished building seemed to be waiting in the night for people to complete it, and its future grandeur and majesty seemed to be visible from the existing frame.
Chen Rui and the other club members who came over were silent for a moment, and Chen Rui sighed: "Your hands are really amazing. What you draw with a fountain pen is stronger than what others draw with watercolours."
The most outrageous thing was that it could be drawn so fast!
Luo Wencheng smiled.
Chen Rui suddenly said: "I've thought of something. Our theme this time is not only to show the contrast between old and modern buildings, the contrast between backward and developed areas, and various representative landscapes. We can also paint some of the buildings under construction, to represent change and development."
Luo Wencheng nodded: "There can also be abandoned or failed buildings, to represent a winding path of exploration."
"Hehe, we can completely cooperate with the Department of Public Information this time. They also want to engage in this topic. Why don't we work together? They'll write a script, we'll put up the pictures and make a big project."
Chen Rui did as she said, and immediately contacted the Department of Public Information. As the president of the student council, she had full authority to do so.
A meeting was held that night.
They decided on the aspects that needed to be shown, chose certain characteristic buildings, bridges, railways, stations, attractions, factories, mountains, rural areas and so on, preferably the kind with a story behind them that could be explored, and then split up into groups to go on an expedition.
As they talked, someone finally mentioned: "When it comes to the construction site that was abandoned halfway through, there is one place that is particularly typical. It seems that there was an accident in the first place."
As soon as these words came out, everyone looked at Luo Wencheng involuntarily.
That project was the responsibility of a subsidiary of the Luo family's company.
Luo Wencheng was slightly startled on the surface, but breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. Finally, someone mentioned this. It was worth laying the groundwork for such a scene.
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded, indicating that he could be responsible for this part of the project.
After all, that construction site represented the shameful history of the Luo family's failed investment, cutting corners and inadequate safety measures that caused a worker to fall to his death. Although the case had long been closed, those who should have been punished had been punished and those who should have been sentenced had been sentenced, it was still not something that anyone could easily bring up, hurting the face of the Luo family.
However, what Luo Wencheng wanted to turn up was not just a simple matter of a work-related accident that caused the death of an employee. It was an outright murder. The disclosure of this incident was enough to ruin Luo Wenhao's reputation forever.
This was the first move Luo Wencheng had planned for a long time ago. Although meeting Lu Chong made him reveal it in a more roundabout and gentle way, he thought that the effect would be much better than he originally expected.
Dear Mr. Lu Chapter 34
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
"Uncle Ding, I'm going out, please tell Mr. Lu."
Early in the morning on the weekend, Luo Wencheng picked up a sandwich, stroked the big cat's head, waved to Uncle Ding and went out with a big backpack on his back.
"Do you really not need a driver?" Uncle Ding asked behind him.
"No, no, I've made an appointment with my classmates, we'll take a taxi together." Luo Wencheng said as he walked out of the door of the villa. His slender, straight back in a down jacket quickly disappeared behind the plants in the garden and then outside the fence.
Uncle Ding smiled and shook his head, turned around and went back to the living room, and saw Lu Chong coming down from upstairs: "Master is up. Ah Cheng made you breakfast, should I serve it now?"
Lu Chong buttoned his sleeves, with no expression on his face. Even though his hair was a little damp from washing, his aura was no less cold and majestic than usual. His face softened a little when he heard about breakfast. He glanced around but only saw the fat cat lying listlessly at the door. The young man was nowhere to be seen. "He went out? What kind of meal was he cooking so early?"
Uncle Ding smiled and said, "He cares about Master. It's true, Ah Cheng cooks better than anyone else." His cooking was also more in line with Lu Chong's taste. If the same thing was made by Luo Wencheng, Lu Chong would often eat a little more.
Lu Chong walked over and bent down to tease the cat. The big girl didn't bother to pay attention to him as usual, stood up, shook her body and climbed onto the sofa, curling in a ball and falling asleep.
Now Ribs was basically only enthusiastic about Luo Wencheng, and the rest of the time she spent more and more time napping.
There was a trace of worry in Lu Chong's eyes.
Uncle Ding served breakfast; the nutritious porridge that had been simmered for several hours and the freshly fried thin pancakes seemed very ordinary, even common, but the aroma was very tempting.
Uncle Ding said: "Ribs was more lively when Ah Cheng was there, and the house was also more lively. It's a pity that he lives at school. Although he comes back on weekends, there are a lot of club activities, so he has to go to school again."
Uncle Ding was talking about Ribs, but in fact, when Luo Wencheng was there, Lu Chong was also in better spirits. He would talk more, and his face would be more expressive.
After getting familiar with his surroundings, Luo Wencheng was less formal and more and more like a youthful, sunny boy, making those around him feel comfortable, so much so that the atmosphere in the villa would be much different when he was there and when he wasn't.
Lu Chong paused: "Lao Ding." His eyes were calm, but there was a hint of warning, and Uncle Ding quickly lowered his head.
Lu Chong looked at the simple but exquisite food on the table and seemed to think about something. After a while, he said, "Take it away and bring ordinary food. From now on it will be this way."
Uncle Ding sighed and took away the tray.
"Wait. Don't tell him about it."
"Yes." Uncle Ding thought to himself, what was it all about? Willing to be nice to the other party but unwilling to be nice to himself, not accepting being influenced, not accepting any kindness, not giving anyone the opportunity to integrate into his life.
How could it go on like this?
……
Luo Wencheng didn't know that the breakfast he had carefully prepared was rejected.
He had already met up with his classmates.
Two were members of his club, and one more was from the press club. His name was Du Taozheng. He was a friend of Zheng Chang. His family had been involved in journalism for several generations, and the editor-in-chief of Haining's official paper, the Haining Daily, was Du Taozheng's eldest uncle.
It could be said that the Du family and the Zheng family were in the same camp.
Zheng Chang had placed Du Taozheng on Luo Wencheng's team so that he could take care of Luo Wencheng, but of course Du Taozheng was also very willing to make friends with Luo Wencheng and was very enthusiastic right away.
They took a taxi to the construction site. The area looked a bit strange. There were high-rise buildings nearby, but there was also an abandoned factory building as well as the unfinished construction site of the Luo family.
"Ten years ago, this land was very hot and subject to speculation. As a result, the Luo family's project collapsed here, and a human life was lost. Some people said that the feng shui here was not good. It was originally intended to be made into a high-end villa area. But the way it went, even if the houses were built, no one would want to buy them. In addition, when the Luo family gave up on their own project, other developers were also discouraged, resulting in this land remaining abandoned to this day."
Du Taozheng had obviously done his homework and spoke eloquently about the history as soon as he arrived.
"But what is very puzzling is that the development rights were acquired by the Luo family at a high price. However, it was given up after a single accident. I even heard they had to use some connection in order to prevent the government from pursuing it. Compared to this, it shouldn't be too much of a problem to arrange the house sales after some proper maintenance. It seems the Luo family put the cart before the horse or something?"
Luo Wencheng said without hesitation: "I was young back then, I don't know much about it."
Du Taozheng nodded and stopped asking questions.
He was clicking away with his camera, and Luo Wencheng and the others were looking for angles and setting up their drawing boards to sketch.
Luo Wencheng glanced at the two members of the club and then focused his attention on Du Taozheng.
It would be very appropriate for Du Taozheng to reveal this matter. But how could he discover the place?
It would be fine to pretend that he accidentally discovered it. At first, Luo Wencheng even thought about sending an anonymous letter to the major newspapers and media to expose it rudely and simply, but not now.
He had Lu Chong's backing. This was both a benefit and a disadvantage. His persona in front of Lu Chong couldn't collapse. A person who did everything possible to retaliate against his former family and had a dark heart would not be liked no matter how much misery he had suffered.
Moreover, this also involved deception.
Once a man like Lu Chong knew that he had been played from beginning to end, it was quite chill-inducing to think how he would react.
Luo Wencheng lowered his eyes, sketching. He quickly finished drawing a picture and kept paying attention to Du Taozheng. When he saw him walking near the place, his heart fluttered. He picked up the drawing board and walked to Du Taozheng's vicinity, pretending to choose the angle. Suddenly he said loudly: "Senior Du, stand there and don't move. I'll draw a picture of you in this scenery, okay?"
"Huh? Like that?" Du Taozhen turned around and thought for a while, "Yes, yes, a person who came to this place to explore the traces of the past and dig up stories, very tasteful. Then you have to draw me looking good, and you have to draw my camera in particular."
As he said that, he raised his camera and pretended to take a shot: "How about it, can you do this pose?"
Luo Wencheng measured with his fingers and said: "It's not very coordinated with the background, Senior Du, take two steps back."
"Like this?"
"A little to the left."
"Is this okay?"
"Senior Du, be natural, your posture is a bit stiff, forget it, you take your pictures, I'll find my own feeling."
Du Taozheng gave a thumbs up to Luo Wencheng and then resumed taking pictures, however, not allowing himself to step out of the frame or make a less than elegant pose. So he basically had to hover around, shooting repeatedly up and down.
The drawing took a little longer for Luo Wencheng to finish, and soon it was time for lunch. All four of them had brought their own lunch and sat down in a clean area to eat and share the morning's harvest.
The sketches were almost done, enough photos had been taken, and basically all the scenes had been explored, so they decided to eat and work for a while before leaving.
Suddenly, Du Taozheng let out a "Huh?"
He was flipping through the photos in the camera. Luo Wencheng was sitting next to him, glancing at the pictures with a normal expression, when Du Taozheng suddenly flipped back to stare at a photo. Luo Wencheng leaned closer: "What's wrong?"
If it was someone who saw this photo for the first time, he would definitely not see anything. But Luo Wencheng was waiting for this, and naturally he could see the clue from the pit in the ground at a glance.
The pit was very deep, with cement blocks, stainless steel, broken wooden boards, and plastic bags piled up in it. It was very messy, but there was something sticking out from under the edge of a cement slab. If you looked closely, you would find that it was a bit like a person's finger, or rather a white bone.
Du Taozheng originally passed by it but the extraordinary sense of smell for pictures that he had cultivated for many years made him instinctively perceive that something was wrong. Now he lowered his head and looked intently. He was immediately taken aback. Seeing Luo Wencheng leaning over, he quickly pretended to be calm and flipped to the next picture: "It's nothing. I thought I got a mouse in it, but I thought wrong."
A member of the club said: "It's normal to have mice. There is a lot of garbage here."
"Yeah, yeah." Du Taozheng's smiled a little stiffly.
Luo Wencheng glanced at him secretly, exploring his expression and then slightly hooking the corner of his mouth. He sat back and stuffed a sushi he brought with him into his mouth and chewed it slowly. The chef's cooking was really delicious.
After the break, everyone continued to be busy, while Du Taozheng was clearly distracted. Seeing that no one noticed him, he returned to the edge of the pit to study it, and his face was getting uglier and uglier.
But when he came back, he looked completely normal and said with a smile: "It's almost time, let's go."
Dear Mr. Lu Chapter 35
yun1yun yun1yun
4 months ago
Luo Wencheng couldn't help but sigh that Du Taozheng's nerves were too good; he packed his things as if nothing had happened. The group soon dispersed and went home to organise and perfect today's harvest. On Monday, the two clubs would have a meeting.
Luo Wencheng suppressed his mood and spent the weekend calmly. It was a pity that he did not see Lu Chong who seemed to be very busy.
On Sunday night, he made a lot of food that was easy to store or could be warmed up without affecting the taste, and put it in the fridge. This was prepared for Lu Chong.
Although he lived in school, he couldn't miss out on leaving a good impression whenever he could.
He didn't notice Uncle Ding's somewhat complicated expression and played with Ribs for a while. At midnight, he stood quietly in the bathroom, suffering the pain of a thousand cuts in his stomach.
He could basically endure this kind of pain now, and his expression would be less distorted. He found that the most troublesome thing about living in the dormitory was that he couldn't run to the toilet in the middle of the night every time, or his roommates would think he was doing certain things there.
So he could only spend this period of time lying on the bed without moving. After a long time, he could count it as practising. The only problem was that he couldn't control his sweating. The quilt was damp every night, so he could only change it frequently.
When it was finally over, Luo Wencheng collapsed on the washbasin, sweating profusely, panting for a long time, then took a shower, returned to bed and fell asleep, exhausted.
When he got back to school the next day, he was a little impatient to find out what Du Taozheng would do next, but he could only keep quiet. When he met Du Taozheng and Zheng Chang at the evening meeting, they both behaved normally.
Luo Wencheng was a little disappointed, but not too anxious.
The appearance of bones at the abandoned construction site of the Luo family was not necessarily related to the Luo family. It was not easy to investigate, but the fact that the Luo family had given up the land in the first place was the biggest oddity in itself, so as long as someone was intent on finding trouble with the Luo family, they would never let go of this clue.
As long as the Zheng and Du families were willing to investigate, they would definitely have results. After all, when Luo Wenhao killed people, he was fourteen the first time and eighteen the second time. Both times, things were not done cleanly.
As for their unwillingness to check?
The Zheng family needed to do something big to get a chance to be promoted, and the relationship between the Du family and the Luo family was not friendly.
The Luo family needed a positive image and press, and needed to cover up certain bad things. They repeatedly bribed the Du family to do things for them.
There were generations of journalists in the Du family, many of whom were righteous and passionate. The behaviour of the Luo family naturally made them unhappy, and the more times they did it, the more the Du family felt that it was exclusively working for the Luo family but was not treated with respect. Who would be pleased with that?
In the days that followed, Luo Wencheng, through his listening to conversations and his observations of Du Taozheng and Zheng Chang, did find that they should be in possession of something crucial.
The only thing was that these two people looked at Luo Wencheng with somewhat complicated eyes every time.
Luo Wencheng was puzzled at first and then he realised: they couldn't be concerned about him, could they?
Now the whole of Haining knew that the merchant ships of the Luo family broke into Lu Chong's territory and the matter had never been resolved. Then the youngest son of the Luo family offended Lu Chong. Lu Chong had never given the Luo family face since he arrived in Haining. The status of the Luo family in Haining was not as good as before, and many people wanted it to fall.
The Zheng and Du families also wanted to seize this great opportunity.
But what if they were concerned about him?
After all, he was from the Luo family and now was sheltered by Lu Chong.
What if they felt that once the Luo family was in trouble, he wouldn't be able to bear it and would ask Lu Chong for help regardless of his past…
Luo Wencheng thought about it and his face darkened a bit as he rubbed his forehead.
Perhaps another point was that the current Haining was not the previous Haining. Lu Chong's arrival was tantamount to a mountain pressing on the head of the Haining natives. Anyone who wanted to do something, especially something big, would inevitably have their hands tied.
Lu Chong must first show his attitude on this matter.
"Classmate Luo…" A voice intruded into Luo Wencheng's thoughts. He stopped and raised his head. There was a girl in front of him blocking his way.
The girl was very pretty and held a pink envelope in both hands; her head was bowed nervously and shyly as if she didn't dare to look at him: "Classmate Luo, I've liked you for a long time."
Luo Wencheng had already encountered this situation many times before. Regardless of his background, his appearance and temperament alone had a devastating effect. Since he started school, there were many people who confessed to him, both girls and boys.
Luo Wencheng usually politely declined, but this time he focused on the girl's face.
The girl was even more nervous.
Luo Wencheng said slowly: "Have you given me this before?"
"Huh?"
"More than once. It should be three times." Luo Wencheng raised three fingers, "Every time the hairstyle and clothes are different."
The girl was surprised that he could recognise and remember her. She was ashamed that her disguise was seen through, and she was so anxious that she almost cried.
Luo Wencheng smiled slowly. His smile was so gentle that even the most anxious person would drown in his smile and all their bad mood would be soothed.
Luo Wencheng's eyes seemed to be filled with soft waves of light that made him look very tender.
He stretched out his hand and took the envelope, and said somewhat helplessly: "If I don't take this, you have to continue to change clothes. Let's make an appointment to talk. If you keep doing this, it will delay your studies and delay your life."
The girl couldn't hear what he said at all. She only knew that her envelope had been accepted. She was about to explode or faint. When she recovered, Luo Wencheng was waiting for her to answer: "Tomorrow afternoon, after the fourth class, how about we talk in the tea house opposite the school?"
"Good! Good!" The girl nodded again and again. She had countless things to say but didn't dare. She blushed and left.
Luo Wencheng looked at her back and smiled a little. How young and pure she was, while he had a bright skin and a dark mind full of calculations, rotten to the core.
He returned to the dormitory with the envelope, as if inadvertently putting the envelope on the table.
The roommate came up as if discovering the new world: "This is a love letter, right? You actually brought a love letter with you? Tell me, which goddess is it?"
Luo Wencheng smiled and didn't say anything.
Another roommate who said less than the other two looked at the envelope, pushed up his glasses and looked at Luo Wencheng: "It seems that the next step is to have a date, right?"
Luo Wencheng said: "It's not a date. I asked her to have a chat tomorrow afternoon. I don't plan to have a girlfriend."
"I see." When Luo Wencheng left, the roommate picked up his mobile phone and seemed to be chatting with someone. In fact, he secretly typed a text message and sent it out.
"Tomorrow afternoon will have a date with a girl, the identity of the other party is unknown, the location is unknown."
……
The next day was Friday. As usual, Luo Wencheng was going back to Lu Chong's house. He called Uncle Ding early in the morning: "Uncle Ding, I may come back later in the afternoon, so you don't need to leave me dinner."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and a low voice that seemed to be slightly smiling came: "A date with a beauty?"