Chapter 82: Side Story 2 (1/2)
Due to the cat café, Jiang Heng rarely stayed in his dormitory. They were all students, and when his roommates asked, Jiang Heng would vaguely say he was working part-time.
The café was Lu Yichuan’s, so in a sense, he was the boss, which wasn’t entirely different from a part-time job, right?
Two of his roommates, both from the neighboring city, were easygoing. They would even help Jiang Heng make his bed when student council inspections were due and leave the door unlocked for him at night.
The roommate who had made such a grand entrance on the first day, however, wasn’t as pleasant.
His name was Li Hao. Short and slightly chubby, he wore designer brands from head to toe and had already gone through countless girlfriends since the start of the semester.
Jiang Heng hadn’t heard of him before the accident, but it was normal, so much time had passed. So he had discreetly asked Li An about this Li Hao, and after being told “he’s not important,” he hadn’t given him much thought.
However, the next day, ever the diligent assistant, Li An had given him a file on Li Hao.
Coincidentally, this Li Hao was related to Li Xingyue, the one Lu Yichuan had sent to prison, and had become quite wealthy after latching onto the Li family.
Three words summarized the half-page report: nouveau riche.
After reading it, Jiang Heng had dismissed it. He and Li Hao rarely stayed in the dormitory, and with Jiang Heng busy with the cat café, they had barely seen each other outside of classes.
But in the second semester, the number of elective courses on their schedules increased, several even scheduled during evening self-study. As winter approached, Jiang Heng, too lazy to travel back and forth, started staying in the dormitory more often.
Li Hao did the same, so their encounters became more frequent.
It wasn’t that Li Hao disliked Jiang Heng specifically; he simply looked down on everyone he considered poor.
Jiang Heng’s clothes had no visible labels, he hung out with Qian Zhen and Song Yang, and the delighted smile on his face whenever he ate luosifen in the dorm made him look…unsophisticated.
And he had such a beautiful, almost bewitching face, attracting attention wherever he went, stealing Li Hao’s thunder completely.
Every night, returning to the dormitory and seeing that face made Li Hao seethe inwardly, the sound of his chair scraping against the floor echoing his frustration.
It was drizzling outside, and Jiang Heng and his two roommates were making instant hot pot.
They had gotten used to his behavior and didn’t even look up.
Qian Zhen said, “I read a lot of reviews, this brand is supposed to be the best, spicy and numbing, large portions too, one bite and you’re in heaven.”
Jiang Heng, trying instant hot pot for the first time, stared at the steaming container, his curiosity piqued, and reached out to touch it, then quickly retracted his hand when the steam burned his fingers.
“So cool! It heats itself up!”
Song Yang came in from outside, carrying a plate of washed fruit. Looking at Qian Zhen’s tanned skin, then at Jiang Heng’s pale complexion, he offered the fruit to Jiang Heng first.
“Did you sleep through high school chemistry?”
The fruit he had chosen was fresh and plump, but Jiang Heng wasn’t interested; he only had eyes for the hot pot.
Hearing Song Yang’s teasing, he chuckled. “Everyone knows, after the Gaokao, your memory gets wiped clean.”
Song Yang took a bite of a jujube and asked again, “Are you sure you don’t want any fruit?”
“No,” Jiang Heng said, “We have plenty of fruit at home, but instant hot pot…that’s not something you can eat every day.”
Since finding out that he ate these things in the dormitory with his roommates, Lu Yichuan’s control over his diet had intensified.
Qian Zhen looked at him in surprise. “You’ve never had instant hot pot before?”
“No, this is my first time. It smells so spicy!”
Finally free from Lu Yichuan’s control, he could finally enjoy extra spicy hot pot.
Qian Zhen and Song Yang exchanged a look, then Song Yang casually asked, “It seemed like your boyfriend was the one who brought you here on the first day of school. Where are your parents?”
Jiang Heng, his eyes still glued to the hot pot, said, “Oh, I’m…an orphan, actually. My parents died in a car accident when I was five.”
Silence fell over the room for a few seconds. Then Qian Zhen coughed. “Then how did you and your boyfriend meet?”
“We grew up together, childhood sweethearts, we were neighbors, then his family moved away when they became rich, but now he’s back in City A.”
“So…” Song Yang asked, “I heard your boyfriend is already working. Is he paying for your university tuition?”
Jiang Heng hadn’t considered this before.
“It seems…that’s the case…”
Since his rebirth, he seemed to have been living off Lu Yichuan, his food, clothing, shelter, everything taken care of by the man. Under the subtle influence of capitalism, if they hadn’t mentioned it, Jiang Heng wouldn’t have even realized it.
So he was being kept by Lu Yichuan?
“I am using his money now, but I have a job, so I’ll give him all the money I earn later.”
But his job wasn’t exactly stable, he wasn’t sure if he could even earn any money.
The more he explained, the more silent Song Yang and Qian Zhen became, both from ordinary families who had worked hard to get into A University. Without any financial support, they could only swallow their pride and work part-time jobs to make ends meet, while Jiang Heng…
The pity in Qian Zhen’s eyes was almost overflowing, and the 1.8-meter tall man almost shed a tear. He pushed his own hot pot towards Jiang Heng. “Is that enough? If not, you can have mine too, just eat as much as you want, we bought plenty.”
The hot pot was ready. He lifted the lid, and the spicy aroma filled the air.
Jiang Heng didn’t see the pity in Qian Zhen’s eyes, but he heard his words, and his face lit up. “Really?”
“Tsk!” A cold sneer came from the side. “Unsophisticated bumpkin, haven’t you seen the world?”
“Hey!” Qian Zhen said, “What did you just say?”
Li Hao, sitting in his chair with his arms crossed, wrinkled his nose at the pungent smell. “Am I wrong? If I took you to Linxuan Restaurant for a meal, you’d probably be kneeling on the floor, thanking me profusely, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh…I forgot, a bunch of country bumpkins who haven’t even seen the world, you’ve probably never even heard of Linxuan Restaurant, have you?”
He looked Jiang Heng up and down with disgust. “It’s a disgrace to share a dorm with you lot, and there’s even a…homosexual. Disgusting.”
Song Yang and Qian Zhen’s faces darkened. Qian Zhen, hot-tempered, rolled up his sleeves, ready to punch him.
Seeing his reaction, Li Hao’s face changed slightly, and he yelled, “Come on, hit me! If you dare to lay a finger on me, I’ll make sure you’re expelled!”
Jiang Heng grabbed his arm. “Don’t fight him. You’ll only dirty your hands.”
He looked at Li Hao, tilting his head slightly, as if puzzled. “Is your family really that rich?”
Li Hao scoffed. “My monthly allowance is more than you’ll earn in your entire life, you bumpkin.”
“Oh…” Jiang Heng drawled, “If you’re so rich, why are you wearing fake shoes?”
Li Hao immediately jumped to his feet. “Bullshit! My shoes are authentic!”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk…” Jiang Heng shook his head. “Really?”
“What do you mean?!”
“You know whether they’re real or not…” He shrugged. “No wonder everyone’s talking about you behind your back. It seems…the rumors are true.”
Li Hao’s face darkened considerably. He looked like he had swallowed a fly, indignant and frustrated, his face turning red. “Talking about me? What are they saying about me?”
Jiang Heng ignored his question. He said, “You won’t even be able to step foot in Linxuan Restaurant again.”
Because it was funded by Lu Yichuan.
Little Jiang Heng, emboldened by his connection, was now flexing.
Li Hao scoffed. “Who do you think you are? Do you think Linxuan Restaurant is some cheap roadside stall? You can’t just ban me!”
Jiang Heng scoffed back. “We’ll see about that.”
Li Hao glared at him.
Jiang Heng met his gaze without flinching.
Finally, Li Hao cursed under his breath, slammed the door, and left the dormitory.
Song Yang said worriedly, “Will he…retaliate against us?”
Qian Zhen said, “Guaranteed.”
“…”
Jiang Heng reassured them, “Don’t worry, he wouldn’t dare.”
The two looked at him. “Why not?”
Jiang Heng said honestly, “I’ll just…whisper sweet nothings to a certain someone and get some outside help.”
Qian Zhen and Song Yang: “…”
What should you do when your bro is willing to do so much for you?
Jiang Heng finished his instant hot pot, his mouth burning from the spiciness, his belly full. Later, tossing and turning in bed, like a student after a heartwarming lecture, he finally understood his caretaker’s hardship.
Wuwuwu…
Lu Yichuan works so hard to provide for me, and I’m secretly eating hot pot behind his back. I’m such a bad kitty!
As soon as classes ended on Friday, Jiang Heng, filled with gratitude, packed his little bag and went to find Lu Yichuan, even going to his company to pick him up from work.
Their relationship wasn’t a secret, and the receptionist let him go up without any questions.
The CEO’s office was connected to the secretarial department, and the moment he entered, the secretaries greeted him enthusiastically.
“Xiao Heng! Here to pick up CEO Lu?”
“Haven’t seen you in a while! My mom made some local specialties, take some back with you!”
“I bought some snacks, have some!”
“I just bought some cake, try one!”
“Can you hand this file to CEO Lu? I don’t dare to show it to him myself.”
…
Jiang Heng, his arms laden with snacks and a file, struggled to enter Lu Yichuan’s office.
He didn’t knock, and Lu Yichuan didn’t even have to look up to know who it was. He looked up from his computer, a smile playing on his lips as he saw the silver-gray hair peeking out from behind the pile of food, and stood up to help him.
“Every time you come here, I don’t even see your face until you’re halfway through the door.”
Jiang Heng wrinkled his nose. “Everyone is so enthusiastic, they just shove food at me before I can even react.”
Lu Yichuan ruffled his hair. “That’s because Rongrong is adorable.”
“Hee hee!”
Jiang Heng was exceptionally well-behaved today. He poured tea for Lu Yichuan, even offered to give him a shoulder massage, making Lu Yichuan raise an eyebrow in amusement.
Back at the villa, Lu Yichuan, as usual, reached out to take Jiang Heng’s jacket, but he was stopped.
The diligent Little Jiang Heng moved behind him. “Why should you take it off? You’ve worked hard all day! I’ll do it!”
Lu Yichuan, his eyes lowered, watched as he took off his jacket, patted it meticulously, and hung it up carefully.
Although inappropriate, in this context, Lu Yichuan had the strange feeling of seeing a doting little wife waiting for her husband to come home from work.
He asked, “Jiang Heng, did you…do something?”
Jiang Heng: “…”
“What! What did I do?!” he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “Is that the kind of person you think I am?”
Lu Yichuan: “Judging by your reaction, it seems I was right.”
“…”
Damn him.
Jiang Heng said, “Okay, fine…there was a…minor incident.”
“But I genuinely feel sorry for you,” he emphasized.
Lu Yichuan took off his watch, the sound echoing in the quiet room. “Sorry for me? Why?”
Jiang Heng’s voice was soft. “You work so hard! I eat your food, use your money, and even scold you all the time. I’m such a terrible person.”
The housekeeper’s head poked out from the kitchen. “Mr. Lu, Mr. Jiang, dinner is ready.”
Lu Yichuan waved her away and looked down at Jiang Heng. “Just because of that?”
“That’s…a lot already. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be able to support myself. That’s your money, but you’re still so generous, letting me use it freely.”
Lu Yichuan said, “But I earned that money for Rongrong.”
He led Jiang Heng to the dining room. “I want to give you the best, so I have to work hard and earn a lot of money.”
“You’ve got the cause and effect reversed. It’s because of Rongrong that I earn so much money, not that I earn a lot of money and then give a portion to Rongrong.”
He said, “Everything I have is Rongrong’s.”
Jiang Heng, walking beside him, turned to look at him, his eyes glistening with tears. “Wuwuwu…Lu Yichuan, you’re so nice! No one else treats me so well!”
The kitten’s face was crumpled, looking utterly pitiful, and Lu Yichuan’s heart melted.
“So…are you going to repay me?”
“Yes!” Jiang Heng said. “You work so hard, I’ll draw you a bath tonight!”
Not to mention the fact that CEO Lu didn’t need anyone to draw him a bath, but the way he phrased it made Lu Yichuan feel…strange.
“Where did you get that idea?”
Jiang Heng sniffled. “You took care of me, you’re like my parents now. As a child, it’s my duty to be filial. I can also give you a shoulder and foot massage…”
Lu Yichuan: “…”
He said slowly, “I thought we were on the same…romantic wavelength, but you’re clearly on the familial devotion channel.”
His feelings, unrequited.