TVLMS Chapter 46.1

“There is a bit of traffic. Is it the teahouse by the square? I’ll be right there.”

Gu Xiyu was on his way to meet someone when he met Liu Sheng. Liu Sheng was still wearing his usual white clothes and standard sneakers, but he was wearing a black hat that didn’t match his temperament.

“Long time, no see.” He didn’t know how Liu Sheng found out he was going out alone today, but he ran up to him from the crowd, greeted him with a cool smile, and then quickly injected an anesthetic into him.

Gu Xiyu could dodge it, but he didn’t want to.

After all, if Liu Sheng wanted to kill him, he could have just stabbed him to death; there was no need to waste time with an anesthetic.

He didn’t make it to the appointment, and when he woke up, he found himself in a small, narrow room. There were some clicking sounds in his ears, so he turned to where the sound was coming from and saw Liu Sheng sitting on a wooden chair, aimlessly sharpening a small piece of wood he had gotten from somewhere with a pen knife.

There was only a small frosted glass window half his height, and it was enclosed by iron mesh. The light hit Liu Sheng, reflecting the soft contours of his silhouette, but not the expression on his face.

Gu Xiyu was sitting in a corner, his hands and feet untied so he was free to move.

“I feel like Liu Sheng is looking down on me.” He couldn’t help but say to the system in his mind.

[?]

“Although I just got out of the hospital, I’m not so weak that I can’t put down a grown man.”

The blind system was a little confused: [……? What are you talking about?]

Gu Xiyu took the trouble to explain, “It’s nothing much, I had an appointment with someone to talk about the land, but I ran into Liu Sheng on the way and he kidnapped me.”

[What?!]

[Liu Sheng kidnapped you?! Where are you now? Are you hurt?]

Outside the house was quiet, no cars or sirens could be heard, instead, there were occasional crisp bird calls: “It must be a small, secluded place, there seems to be the sound of a river flowing …… I think there’s a big waterfall nearby.”

“I’ve released the health checker program, you can follow the data on it.”

[…… How am I going to find you like that?]

Gu Xiyu was confused: “Why do you want to find me?”

[I mean, I might be able to connect to the police station’s system and help you report the case.]

Gu Xiyu asked earnestly, “If you can’t even locate me, are you sure you can get in touch with the police?”

[.…]

On the other side, Liu Sheng seemed to have noticed that he had woken up, his gloomy gaze fell on him, but the edge of his mouth lifted into a smile.

“Don’t worry, it’s just one Liu Sheng; it’s not a big problem.” He finished reassuring the system as Liu Sheng got up from his chair and walked over to him.

Liu Sheng, probably thinking that the effects of the anesthetic hadn’t worn off, looked down at him lazily and said, “Xiyu, I’ve always regarded you like a friend.”

“Even when you said such offensive things to me before, I never cared and was more than willing to continue to spend time with you.” Liu Sheng said, his tone gradually showing disappointment. “But Mianmian is my bottom line; you shouldn’t interfere in my affairs with her and Xu Chengxuan.”

There was no way around it; these two people happened to be the main characters he was supposed to be protecting from Lu Ziqing. Although Lu Ziqing was already on the right track, Xu Chengxuan and Lin Mianmian were also considered his friends. In his perception, friends were meant to help each other, so he felt that what he did was right.

“You say that Mianmian is your bottom line, but you’re doing things that hurt her and make her sad.” Gu Xiyu hesitated a little, “That’s different from the bottom line I know.”

Liu Sheng’s expression became ferocious, “You don’t understand anything! Why do you think I have protected her for so many years? I already have a private agreement with my parents that she will be my bride in the future! I even had our future life plan all figured out! Why does someone always have to be such an eyesore in front of us, why …… why did Xu Chengxuan have to move to this place!”

Tears suddenly slid down the corners of Liu Sheng’s eyes. His eyes were clearly filled with resentment and hatred, yet they were also filled with heartbreaking pain and panic.

He was afraid—afraid of losing the beauty he wanted to keep.

Gu Xiyu suddenly didn’t know how to argue with him.

Seeing that his grip on the pen knife was tightening, he surprised Liu Sheng with a heavy punch before the other party completely lost control, and then gave his hand a heavy knock. The pen knife dropped from Liu Sheng’s palm, and Gu Xiyu didn’t give him time to react, immediately kicking him away and saying, “I understand.”

When Liu Sheng fell, he also accidentally knocked over the chair he was sitting on earlier.

Gu Xiyu stared at him, his eyes a little out of focus, and said, “I used to be someone’s bottom line.”

“In fact, I’m still not entirely sure what these two words meant to him, I only know that he gave up a lot of things that he could have gotten because of these two words.”

“So I guess you and he mean different things.”

Lu Ziqing and the others were finally able to find Gu Xiyu because he called the police. It wasn’t that Liu Sheng was moved by his few words, but that Liu Sheng couldn’t beat the seemingly skinny man even though he was ready with a weapon. Liu Sheng had a good relationship with the original owner, and his impression of him was still the same weak boy he knew, so he never thought that Gu Xiyu, who had been given an anesthetic, would be able to take him down.

Gu Xiyu grabbed his mobile phone back from him and called the police station and Lu Ziqing, respectively.

Lin Mianmian and her family also came over. Lui Sheng’s expression was very calm as he faced them; there was no remorse or anger in sight, and his eyes looked dead.

Gu Xiyu didn’t listen to what the family said, but Lu Ziqing, who came to pick him up, didn’t look good, so he patted him on the shoulder and reassured him, “You should remember how I beat you up, you should know he couldn’t do anything to me.”

Lu Ziqing: “……” I’m speechless.

After the small twist with the male and female protagonists, Gu Xi Yu received several phone calls from Lu Chenghe, wanting to talk to him about the land and the revocation of the lawsuit.

At the dining table, Gu Xiyu put down the phone after talking to Lu Chenghe’s secretary and said to the man in the gold-rimmed glasses across the table, “I’m sorry, there was an accident on the way over last time and you had to make a trip for nothing.”

The man he was meeting looked to be in his thirties and gave a particularly sincere impression when he smiled, “It’s okay, I heard about that incident from Wenyi, and fortunately, you didn’t suffer any injuries.”

The man in front of him was a representative sent by DG, a large domestic company that had just risen to prominence in recent years, and they were one of the parties interested in the land in his hands. Xu Wenyi was DG’s consultant lawyer and often handled cases for their company, and when he found out that he wanted to find a reliable buyer to take over the land, he recommended this company to him.

*Xu Wenyi is the male protagonist’s father.

While he was recovering from his illness, he did a lot of research on DG, including their past achievements and background, and found that the company’s history was quite similar to Fengming’s. The president was also a young man who had started from scratch and had built the company up to a remarkable position in the business world through his outstanding personal skills. At the same time, their company also had a good reputation, with a 90 percent satisfaction rate from their clients, which was indeed more trustworthy than the Lu family, which had a bunch of black history and even tried to obtain land through villainous means.

“Our company has been proposing the development of a resort and commercial city since two years ago, so we have always wanted to get our hands on this piece of land. This document is the plan that Mr. Liu asked me to give you first, as well as the price that the company offered for the land acquisition, including our assessment report of the land’s market value.”

Gu Xiyu: “Okay, I’ll contact you again when I’ve finished reading it.”

Back at Lu’s house, he took this report out and discussed it with Lu Ziqing.

“DG? I’ve heard my father mention it; I think he had a brief collaboration with them on a project before, and he has a pretty good opinion of this company.” Ever since he had moved into Lu Ziqing’s room, Lu Ziqing’s mood was like New Year’s Eve every day, and he was particularly well-behaved and cooperative when talking to him.

If there was a day when he didn’t have class the next day, Gu Xiyu naturally didn’t have to think about resting that night. The soundproofing in the house was not 100%, especially as the room was just above Lu Mingren’s and Xie Chunhua was across the hall, so he had to endure every time.

Yet Lu Ziqing, this devil, enjoyed bullying him in that way.

“I’ve seen some of my father’s company’s planning books, and none of them are as well written as this one. If you don’t want to give the land to the Lu family, DG is indeed a good choice.” Lu Ziqing read the document from DG carefully.

He was silent for a moment and asked, “Then do you think I should give the Lu family a chance?”

Lu Ziqing had an expression of seeing a ghost: “Are you a reincarnation of a Bodhisattva?”

Gu Xiyu smiled and said, “No.”

“I’m just being considerate about you.”

The risk value, which had not moved for a long time, wavered and dropped to 10 points after he said this sentence.

Lu Ziqing took his hand and kissed it, raising an eyebrow, saying, “I won’t take a single penny of the Lu family’s property. I just wish I could sue them all and throw them in jail for you, just fining and restricting the Lu family’s company is letting them off too easily.”

After confirming Lu Ziqing’s thoughts, Gu Xiyu had no other worries, and after talking to Xie Chunhua about the matter and obtaining her permission, he officially sold the land to DG. The money would not be much use to him in this world, so he deposited it into an account and gave Xie Chunhua the bank book. He also bought Xie Chunhua a house so that she would have a stable place to live and not have to worry about rent.

In the end, Xie Chunhua got softhearted and asked him to find a house for Gu Sichuang, put it in his name, and keep the deed. This way, if Guchuang ran out of money one day, he would at least have a place to shelter from the elements, which would be regarded as the utmost kindness to him.

After taking care of these matters, the four of them spent the first and second days of the New Year together, and Gu Xiyu was ready to go abroad to study.

He originally thought that Lu Ziqing would pester him to do it in these few days, thinking that they would not be able to see each other for a long time. Unexpectedly, the rebellious teenager had changed his nature and earnestly told him, “You have to take a long flight, and you still have a lot to deal with when you arrive at school, I can’t bear to tire you out.”

He was very relieved that his rebellious stepson had grown up.

After going abroad, Gu Xiyu was only able to live stream on weekends. Lu Ziqing would abandon his teammates every time he was on air and use his main account to play with him. The fans in the barrage would tease the two of them every day, but they insisted on not admitting or denying it, only playing how they should, and not holding back at all.

They video-called almost every day, and although there was a time difference, it didn’t stop them from talking every day and always finding the perfect time to chat. Sometimes when there was no chance to talk, Lu Ziqing would leave him a message asking about some practice questions he hadn’t been able to ask the night before, and he would send him the answers once he had written them.

Rebellious teenager: [The school wants me to participate in the city high school math competition].

Lu Ziqing’s study progress was amazing, he had already managed to break into the top 30 in the whole year at the end of the last semester, his mathematics and chemistry results were the best, and his homework for the new semester was always up to date. From being the last student in the class for poor students, he had completely transformed into a top student who was praised by everyone and was recommended to represent the school in the competition.

Gu Xiyu looked at the time on his mobile phone and reckoned that Lu Ziqing should be on lunch break: [So are you going?]

Rebellious teenager: [Of course, I can bring Brother glory in case I win.]

Gu Xiyu replied: [What if you lose?]

Rebellious teenager: [Brother will have to console me when we meet.]

[Okay.]

The conversation lulled for a while, and just as he was about to exit the chat interface, Lu Ziqing suddenly sent him another message: [I’m having a bit of a hard time.]

Rebellious teenager: [I looked at the calendar; you won’t be back for another eight months.]

Gu Xiyu’s finger lingered above the phone’s keyboard for a long time.

He finally sent a voice message, objectively saying, “Be patient for a year; the rest of my life is yours.”

—-

The day before the college entrance exams, Lu Ziqing did something very bold without telling Gu Xiyu.

He went to Lu Mingren’s study and told him about his feelings for Gu Xiyu. Lu Mingren was so shocked that he almost dropped his work computer: “What… what are you talking about?”

Lu Ziqing justified: “I said you should stop thinking about introducing me to someone; I like Gu Xiyu, we have done everything that should and shouldn’t be done, and when my future job and financial resources start to stabilize, I will get a marriage license with him.”

The final obstacle to their being together was their parents, and he wanted to remove Lu Mingren before Gu Xiyu returned, so that he wouldn’t blame Gu Xiyu.

However, he thought too much, and Lu Mingren’s first reaction was to slap him on the back, asking angrily: “Xiyu is such a good boy; did you force him? Lu Ziqing, you have hardened your wings, I thought you were sensible and prudent, I didn’t expect you to directly engage in such a big thing behind my back!”

“…… Yes, I forced him.” Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a lie.

Lu Mingren looked pained; he wiped his face after scolding him and fretfully said, “How do you want me to explain this to his mother?”

Lu Ziqing was stunned, as he didn’t expect him to say this, and he said, “Dad, don’t worry about it, I’ll handle it.”

“You handle it, my ass!”

“……”

Lu Mingren finally decided that when Gu Xiyu returned from his study abroad, the three of them would discuss the matter properly and determine the next step before they officially went to Xie Chunhua’s door to make it clear.

Gu Xiyu, who was far away from home, did not know that Lu Ziqing had already taken care of Lu Mingren and was wholeheartedly immersed in his schoolwork. When Lu Ziqing’s college entrance exam results came out, he happened to have finished his final exams, so it didn’t matter if they stayed up all night to video chat.

However, Lu Ziqing became so busy that he didn’t even have time to report his results to him, and when he woke up, he only saw his hurried message: [My classmates are so excited, and they have set up several parties, so I may not have time to contact you in the next few days. Don’t get angry if you send me a message and I don’t reply in time!]

He wouldn’t be angry, but he somehow felt a little empty in his chest when he realized that the Great Demon didn’t even have time to join him on the live broadcast.

In the second world, the Great Demon managed to make him get used to his presence again.

This weekend, after live streaming without Lu Ziqing, Gu Xiyu went off air as usual. He looked at the time, and it happened to be almost time for his evening meal. He grabbed his wallet and was about to go to the restaurant near the dormitory to bring something back for dinner when there was a sudden knock on his door.

The hostel manager for the foreign student’s dormitory was a university student from the same building, who liked to organize some activities and would often come over to give them some leaflets or explain the situation.

Gu Xiyu thought it was the same situation today, so he opened the door without hesitation.

He looked up and saw the man standing outside the door and was momentarily stunned.

The tall boy gently lifted the hat on top of his head, revealing his black eyes that were covered by the brim, and the heavy shadows under his eyes could not hide the smile in his eyes.

He looked like a mischievous child who had managed to play a prank on an adult.

“You ……” Gu Xiyu opened his mouth and finished his question with some difficulty, “Didn’t you say you were going to party with your friends?”

Even if there was no party, he shouldn’t have shown up.

“I lied to you.” Lu Ziqing opened his arms and lunged forward, his eyes lighting up the moment he hugged Gu Xiyu, “Aren’t you concerned about my grades? Of course I couldn’t let you down, so I decided to come over to report the good news to you in person.”

There was no doubt that Lu Ziqing’s results in the college entrance exam were very good; not only was he first in his grade, but he was even in the top five in the province.

He pursed his lips and said, “That kid Xu Chengxuan aced the test and became the provincial champion.”

“If it wasn’t for playing games with me, you could have too.” Gu Xiyu said, his tone very serious.

What he said was the truth.

Now that Lu Ziqing had come to see him, Gu Xiyu took him out for a meal and then accompanied him to a hotel room.

After taking a shower, the two people who hadn’t seen each other for half a year sat next to each other on the double bed and played a few games on their mobile phones.

“Brother’s marksmanship is good, is this really your first time playing?”

Gu Xiyu didn’t reply, not knowing how to explain that he handled the real scenarios.

He was playing games when he was suddenly pressed under the blanket and kissed to the point of lacking oxygen. Like someone swimming in the deep sea, he needed to adjust his breath every so often.

It was logical that they should have reached the last step, but maybe it was tradition for every soul fragment to insist on kissing him before falling asleep in a state of extreme exhaustion, so what was started was not finished.

Gu Xiyu had no ripples in his heart. He knew Lu Ziqing was only tired this first day, and sure enough, the young and vigorous Lu Ziqing rested for one night and became lively again the next day. As someone who has lived in this strange place for half a year, he and Lu Ziqing drove around during the day sighsightseeingd at night, Lu Ziqing would let him experience the joys of being adrift in the big waves.

Life was quite harmonious, but unfortunately they only had a week together.

“Before I came to you, I went to the ATB team base to try out.” Lu Ziqing said, “I’ve already signed a contract with them and will be going over to participate in training soon. Their jungler will be retiring soon, and if there are no accidents, I can become the starting member of their team in the next season at the earliest.”

Gu Xiyu thought for a moment; the finals happened to be around the time his semester was ending: “Go for it, maybe I’ll have the chance to see you play your first season live.”

Lu Ziqing smiled with great anticipation; his melancholy from having to part faded considerably, and he solemnly assured Gu Xiyu, “I’ll try my best to reach the finals.”

Since he had made up his mind to do it, he naturally had to do his best.

Gu Xiyu sent Lu Ziqing off and looked up at the panel, the risk value on it was still at 10. No matter what he did during this period, the risk value did not change at all. The matter of Zhou Tianyi could be considered solved, so what was the last point that was missing?