Chapter 4: You Better Be
The next day, Ruan Zhimian was still sleeping in the dormitory when he was confusedly dragged away by Teng Yu, a friend of the original body who had come knocking. Teng Yu even thoughtfully brought a blanket to wrap him in.
The red sports car drove very fast. Ruan Zhimian’s head still hurt a bit. He had slept for nearly ten hours. His porcelain-white small face was buried in the edge of the blanket, looking wilted. He couldn’t quite remember what he had done last night; he only remembered talking on the phone with Shi He.
Right, before the call, he had a glass of wine.
“Mianmian, stop sleeping. I’m taking you out to play.”
Ruan Zhimian rubbed his eyes. His watery, clear dark eyes opened, then closed again.
So dazzling… the red curly hair, so dazzling… the red sports car.
“A-Yu, where are we going?”
Teng Yu gripped the steering wheel and made a stylish turn, saying to him with a smile, “The person you wanted to catch earlier—I found him.”
“His name is Yin Feng. His grandmother is seriously ill, and he owes a lot of money. Lately, he’s been following Han He’an. You’ll see him in a bit.”
Oh, Han He’an’s Nth lover.
Ruan Zhimian silently wrapped the little blanket tighter. The hair at the back of his head was still sticking up. He leaned against the glass to the side, his thick eyelashes drooping, looking incredibly obedient.
Actually, he was talking to Qiuqiu. What should I do? Teach him a lesson?
[Mianmian, Yin Feng’s character is quite tragic. He followed Han He’an for ten years and finally committed suicide due to depression by jumping off a building. It wasn’t written in the manga, so you can perform freely.]
I will work hard.
The little ball rolled into Ruan Zhimian’s arms and even rubbed against him, telling him not to be too nervous.
While responding, Ruan Zhimian opened his phone and used a cute cat emoji to reply to Shi He’s message. He completely couldn’t remember what he had done last night. His persona had long since collapsed, yet he was still diligently playing the role of the obedient Omega lover.
[Baby: Gege, I’m heading out now. See you tonight.]
The car drove all the way to the makeup studio Ruan Zhimian frequently visited. Teng Yu pulled a paper bag from under the back seat and handed it to the staff at the studio. “When I went to pick out a birthday gift for you a few days ago, I bought some clothes too. I’ve already had someone wash them. Try them on in a bit.”
Teng Yu was a Beta, just like Ruan Zhimian.
Teng Yu came from a family of scholars; his parents were well-known academics. With no interest in inheriting the family business, Teng Yu had lived with the elders of his family in Hong Kong since he was a child.
A year ago, Teng Yu returned for school and met Ruan Zhimian at a party.
Teng Yu was in a good mood today. “I’ll take you out for a good look around today.”
Inside the private makeup room, Ruan Zhimian was unceremoniously pushed into the makeup chair by Teng Yu, who observed him in the bright mirror. “Haven’t seen you in half a month—you’ve lost weight, and your complexion isn’t good either.”
Teng Yu muttered softly, “Ruan Xubai didn’t lie to me.”
There was a knock on the door, and the makeup assistant came in with juice. “Boss, please wait a moment. The makeup artist is getting ready.”
“Thanks.”
He’s the boss?
Half an hour later, when Ruan Zhimian got back into the sports car, his style had changed. He wore a black knit top with a detailed cutout design from the collarbone to the neck, paired with black wide-leg trousers.
The snowy-white glutinous rice ball had turned into a black one.
Ruan Zhimian’s face was small, and his features were exquisite. A simple touch of makeup was enough; adding more would actually be counterproductive.
He heard from the makeup artist that Teng Yu had invested in this studio three years ago and became the behind-the-scenes boss. Usually, they went to people’s homes to do makeup, so the original body rarely came here.
Three years ago—that was after the engagement to Han He’an.
Ruan Zhimian lowered his head and looked at the phone that was vibrating.
Ruan Xubai, Ruan Zhimian’s cousin.
He sent messages to care for him every day—a very good older brother.
The Alpha’s voice was calm. “Mianmian, Teng Yu isn’t taking you out to play wildly, is he?”
“You fainted last week and gave Mom and me a fright. Be good lately and take care of your health. I’ll be back tomorrow to accompany you for your birthday.”
The black glutinous rice ball replied in a soft voice, “I’m being very good, Gege.”
Teng Yu’s face darkened when he heard the voice. “Young Master Ruan, don’t try to drive a wedge between us here. I’m telling you, I’ll take good care of Mianmian, guaranteed better than you.”
Ruan Xubai replied indifferently, “You better be.”
Why did they suddenly start arguing?
The call ended. Teng Yu was fuming. “We’ll eat first when we arrive. I’ve had lunch prepared. Ignore Ruan Xubai. When I first met him at the racetrack, he was already this annoying.”
Ruan Zhimian blinked. “Okay.”
He quietly lowered his head and replied to Ruan Xubai’s message. “Gege, see you tomorrow.”
Close to 2:00 PM, Ruan Zhimian followed Teng Yu into a low-key, luxuriously decorated clubhouse. This was a property of the Teng family and had been taken over by Teng Yu two years ago.
It really was a “health-focused” gathering. As soon as they entered the VIP private room, they saw steaming hot soup. Dozens of dishes were laid out on the table. Beside them, a youth who looked like an Omega was wearing a waiter’s uniform. He had his head down and stood to the side, looking somewhat at a loss.
Ruan Zhimian and Teng Yu made eye contact.
This was Yin Feng, and he recognized Ruan Zhimian.
Ruan Zhimian sat down. His clear, dark eyes looked at Yin Feng without concealment. He clearly saw the scars on the inside of Yin Feng’s arm, as well as the back of his neck, which was tightly covered by a gland patch yet still showed a bloody scab.
He was a Beta and couldn’t perceive the pheromones of Alphas or Omegas.
However, he could see the marks of such suffering.
A small bowl of soup was brought over. Ruan Zhimian picked up the spoon, took a small sip, and spoke very calmly. “Do you like Han He’an?”
“No… I don’t…”
Yin Feng immediately knelt down. He was desperate for money, but he wanted to save his only relative. “My grandmother had a brain hemorrhage and just woke up in the ICU. Young Master Ruan, I…”
What could he do? It seemed he couldn’t do anything.
Yin Feng’s body was stiff as he knelt. His being tormented by Han He’an was an equal exchange; Ruan Zhimian was the victim.
The young master before him, who was even more beautiful than a celebrity, frowned slightly. There was no mockery or pity in his gaze; it was more like he was evaluating him. “How old are you this year?”
Yin Feng looked up. “One month away from twenty.”
Ruan Zhimian continued to ask, “How much more money do you need for your grandmother’s treatment?”
“One hundred thousand.”
Ruan Zhimian pulled out his phone and directly transferred two hundred thousand to him without asking another word. “Take it and take good care of your family.”
Yin Feng looked at him in disbelief. “Thank you. I will pay you back in the future.”
The truth or falsehood of a person’s emotions can be seen from their eyes.
In the many years after he fell ill, Ruan Zhimian had seen many different expressions: selfish, cunning, hypocritical… but never an open, sincere one.
He knew they wanted to get the inheritance. To his face, they would curse Ruan Zhimian to die early and go see his parents.
He had also once hoped someone would grasp him like this.
Ruan Zhimian lived until just before his twentieth birthday. Before he died, he donated his entire inheritance to those who suffered from illness and had no money for treatment.
He thought that not everyone could be as miserable and unfortunate as he was.
Someone should be able to recover. Someone should be able to be happy.
Yin Feng left quickly, promising he would leave Han He’an right now. He proactively wrote an IOU, his pale face full of seriousness and a hint of conviction.
“Han He’an is not worthy of you. Please give it some more careful thought.”
Teng Yu looked on in surprise. “Mianmian, do you not like Han He’an anymore?”
Ruan Zhimian stood upstairs. He watched Yin Feng’s departing back and didn’t answer Teng Yu’s question.
“A-Yu, saving someone is much harder than harming someone.”
“I’m just giving him back the right to choose for himself.”
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