Chapter 8
Xiao Xiao stayed at An Le’s place for one night. The next morning, he got up early and rushed off to work without even having breakfast.
An Le, half-asleep, sat up in bed, watching Xiao Xiao get dressed and run out the door. He rubbed his eyes, lay back down, and continued sleeping until noon before finally waking up completely.
After washing up, he cooked a bowl of noodles and ate. Then he opened the window, sat by it, and prepared to draw.
He was clumsy; he didn’t understand many things, but drawing was the one thing he was talented at.
He could depict every story warmly and beautifully. Xiao Xiao said that children loved his drawings.
Therefore, every month he would draw a twenty-page booklet and give it to Xiao Xiao, who would submit it for publication and then give him the money.
An Le held his pen, looking down from the window. Several children were running wild outside, chased by two women wielding clothes hangers, shouting as they pursued them.
But the children in front weren’t crying; they were laughing.
Watching this scene, An Le also smiled.
When he was that young, he also had a mother. His mother would hug him, buy him toys and snacks, tuck him into bed, and take him to the amusement park.
But later…
“Knock knock knock.”
Someone knocked on the door.
An Le looked back in confusion. No one ever knocked on his door.
Xiao Xiao was at work; he wouldn’t suddenly come over, and even if he did, he would call first.
Could it be people from An Le’s family?
An Le’s hair stood on end. He dropped his pen and frantically hid in the bathroom.
The knocking wasn’t loud, but it felt clear and terrifying, as if it were pounding on An Le’s heart.
He crouched on the floor, praying silently for the person at the door to leave.
After a while, as if his prayers were answered, the knocking stopped; there was no sound of forced entry.
An Le hesitated, timidly opened the bathroom door, and cautiously walked out. The phone on his bedside table suddenly rang, making him jump. He quickly grabbed the phone. It was an unknown number, so he immediately hung up.
Outside the door, Lu Heng frowned: “Quite wary, I see.”
He patiently sent An Le a message: “This is Lu Heng. Save the number and open the door.”
An Le had initially thought it was his family, and he was terrified. But the illuminated screen displaying Lu Heng’s message made him subconsciously relax. Then, he didn’t know why, but he suddenly stood up and ran to the door, opening it.
An Le didn’t say anything, only looking at Lu Heng with an expression of pleading in his eyes.
For a moment, Lu Heng didn’t dare to speak, afraid of frightening the timid omega.
An Le, suppressing his fear and the urge to get closer to Lu Heng, silently stepped back to make way for him.
Before even entering, Lu Heng took in the small single room.
The room was tiny. To the left of the entrance was the bed; to the right, a folding table and two small stools. A slightly larger table stood by the window, with a few books and a pen holder on it.
Further in was a very small kitchen, and behind a door was the bathroom.
It was a terrible environment. Lu Heng handed An Le a file.
Lu Heng: “This is my information. Call me after you’ve read it.”
Lu Heng had never been to such a poor place. He had the means to provide An Le with a better place, but it had to be An Le’s choice.
He didn’t want to stay long, so he gave An Le the file and left.
An Le watched Lu Heng’s back with some disappointment, pursed his lips, closed the door, returned to the window, and carefully opened the file.
He had just opened the file when his phone rang. It was Xiao Xiao. As soon as he answered, he heard Xiao Xiao excitedly say, “Le Le, I found it! I found it!”
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Chapter 9
Xiao Xiao’s voice was filled with excitement on the phone. An Le looked down at the file bag in his hands and whispered, “Is he really that amazing?”
“Yes, super amazing!”
Xiao Xiao seemed to be walking and was slightly breathless. An Le listened attentively, waiting for Xiao Xiao to sit down and tell him slowly.
“I ran around all morning, plus searching on the internet, checking rumors, and getting firsthand information from my crush, so I can tell you clearly that Lu Heng is very powerful. He’s a super tycoon who can single-handedly control half of the Southern business world. He can definitely rescue you safely from the An family.”
Xiao Xiao was very happy about this. After finishing, he immediately added, “But although we’re sure about his power, we can’t just rely on hearsay to judge his character. We still need to see for ourselves. If he comes to see you again, tell him that you want to date first, secretly test his character, and then decide whether to get married.”
“If his character is really good, then marry him. At least, at least let him take you away from the An family, so you don’t have to live in fear, worrying about being found.”
Two years ago, the person the An family was desperately trying to curry favor with explicitly demanded An Le as his lover.
An Le had only just turned eighteen at the time and was immediately told to accompany a strange alpha.
He was timid and somewhat introverted, and he was both afraid and resistant.
But no one in the An family cared about his feelings. They raised him only because he was an omega, beautiful and easy to manipulate, and destined to be sacrificed for the family’s benefit.
An Le was terrified. He had no one to turn to for help, and he could only call his only friend, Xiao Xiao.
At that time, their relationship wasn’t very close; they had only met twice. He only tried calling him out of desperation.
But unexpectedly, Xiao Xiao actually came, without hesitation.
Xiao Xiao found two people and released several stray dogs into the An family’s courtyard. While the An family was in chaos, he unlocked An Le’s door and took him away.
Then, Xiao Xiao used all his savings to buy An Le a suppressant with a two-year effect and brought him here, renting a small apartment for him to hide for two years.
Although life here was much better and safer than at the An family’s, he didn’t even have a proper job, and he had to save on everything. Xiao Xiao felt heartbroken watching him.
Xiao Xiao hoped An Le would live a good life.
An Le nodded, but then remembered he was on the phone. Since Xiao Xiao couldn’t see him nodding, he said, “I understand, thank you, Xiao Xiao.”
“You’re welcome. Make yourself something to eat. I’m going to eat too. Be safe at home, and don’t wander around. I’ll come see you when I have time.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, An Le continued to look at the information Lu Heng gave him.
“If possible, it’s indeed okay to get married…”
He owed Xiao Xiao too much these two years.
Xiao Xiao had saved him, taking him from the darkness to the warmth of the sun, teaching him what it meant to be self-reliant and what it meant to be himself.
He also knew that Xiao Xiao had been secretly supporting him, and he had been relying on Xiao Xiao.
If he really married an alpha, maybe this problem could be solved.
Thinking this, An Le took out Lu Heng’s information.
The first thing he saw was Lu Heng’s photo—handsome and ruthless, looking as fierce as he was in person.
There were several pages of information. An Le read page by page, looking up unfamiliar words or terms online when needed. It took him more than half an hour to finish reading the document.
After finishing, An Le said with some envy, “He started taking over the Lu family at eighteen. He’s really amazing.”
Lu Heng was twenty-five years old but started managing the Lu family at eighteen, acting decisively and skillfully, leaving an indelible mark on the business world.
Lu Heng’s eighteenth year was so brilliant. What was An Le doing at eighteen?
It seemed he was running for his life.
An Le was lost in thought when his phone suddenly rang—it was Lu Heng calling. He didn’t know why, but he felt a little excited. He answered cautiously, “Hello?”
Lu Heng: “How’s your decision?”