After a Flash Marriage With the Disabled Tyrant - Chap 95
As soon as Luo Lingsheng walked out of the airport, he saw his friend Yu Shuo in the waiting area.
Yu Shuo met his gaze and waved, “Lingsheng, this way.”
Luo Lingsheng nodded and approached.
As soon as the two met face to face, Yu Shuo started talking about business, asking, “How’s the cooperation talk in the United States going?”
“The other party will send a representative over the day after tomorrow. You arrange manpower to prepare for the response and subsequent signing.” Luo Lingsheng replied crisply, with a hint of arrogance in his eyes.
Hearing the expected answer, Yu Shuo snorted and said, “I knew it; there’s no client you can’t win over. No wonder Master Luo keeps praising you for being the most like him when he was young.”
The Luo family behind Luo Lingsheng is today’s most sought-after top wealthy family in the Imperial Capital. His grandfather Luo Baisheng, who was also known as Master Luo by others, was already ninety-four years old, and he was still in charge of the intricate family business in his hands. His children and grandchildren under his knees dare not complain.
As the old man’s favorite little grandson, Luo Lingsheng was supposed to join the Luo Group as soon as he graduated and take on important responsibilities, but he was unwilling to get too involved with his family. It took him some time to convince the old man to set up a separate business for him.
Old Master Luo saw that Luo Lingsheng was still young and thought of giving him time to practice and experience some setbacks, so he nodded in agreement.
Luo Lingsheng and Yu Shuo had jointly established an Internet company, and the current development momentum was very good.
“You don’t have to say that out in the open.”
Luo Lingsheng put the suitcase in the trunk, went back to the front, and got into the passenger side, saying, “I don’t want to get into trouble if those words were to be heard by those from the first house.”
“Tch.”
Yu Shuo chuckled, buckled up the seat belt, and started the car.
“Master Luo is getting older; even if he’s holding the family power now and refuses to let go, he can only enjoy his life for another year or two, right? When the time comes, will your fourth house join the fight or not?”
Master Luo had two marriages. After he and his ex-wife had two sons and a daughter, they still couldn’t maintain their relationship and got divorced.
He later married his second wife, and when he was approaching fifty, he got another son, that is, Luo Lingsheng’s father.
Now, with Master Luo at the center, his three sons and one daughter were sorted according to their ages, and they were distinguished by “first house,” “second house,” “third house,” and “fourth house,” respectively.
Luo Lingsheng’s father was the youngest, known as the “fourth house” by outsiders.
“It’s not my turn to fight.”
Luo Lingsheng opened the car window to let in some air and said, “My dad never has this idea. He promised to let me come out and establish my own business, just to get rid of my relationship with Luo.”
Compared with their family’s unambitious stance, the first house had already begun setting up their plans.
Yu Shuo didn’t think so, “Can that be set aside? In today’s society, it wasn’t the same as family division in ancient times. You take your fair share of benefits and are still afraid of inviting “disaster”? You’re too cautious.”
A hint of vigilance flickered in Luo Lingsheng’s eyes, and then he turned the topic away.
“My parents don’t want to fight, and I also think it’s troublesome. My sister and brother-in-law just got married, and they also never thought of that messy stuff. Let the other three houses fight by themselves.”
“That’s right, you can still stand on your own.”
Yu Shuo praised him, but then couldn’t help joking, “Your sister’s marriage has been settled, shouldn’t your mom be worried about you?”
“I heard that when you went to the United States to talk about work this time, your mother specially arranged for the daughter of the Chen family who’s studying there to meet up with you?”
Luo Lingsheng got a headache when he thought of this.
He learned of the “meeting” from his mother’s phone call in advance and immediately chose to reject it. He even left the house where he temporarily lived overseas with his laptop the next morning and found a nearby coffee shop to hide for a whole day.
Yu Shuo inclined his head to look at his friend’s reaction and said with amusement, “It seems you haven’t met up with this Miss Chen?”
Luo Lingsheng thought of something and closed the car window calmly.
Yu Shuo stopped at the red light and asked with curiosity, “Lingsheng, can you tell me the truth? Who did you meet at the Wen family’s birthday party last time?”
Yu Shuo still remembered that his friend was very reluctant to attend such a banquet at the beginning of the day and later said that he wanted to go out temporarily to “take a breath,” then his clothes were inexplicably “dirty” when he came back.
But after returning, Luo Lingsheng was not only not annoyed but also had a subtle smile in his eyes.
Therefore, Yu Shuo, who had been his good friend for many years, made a reasonable guess—
There’s definitely something going on with this guy! He must have met someone at the party behind his back.
“If it’s not young ladies who attended the birthday party, could it be young masters?” Yu Shuo didn’t care about his friend’s silence at all and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, pondering, “Did you fall for Wen Yibei?”
“…”
Luo Lingsheng glanced at his friend and immediately denied, “It’s not him.”
Yu Shuo grasped the deep meaning of this answer and asked, “Then who is it?”
Luo Lingsheng ignored his friend’s questioning. He recalled the “one-sided” encounter in the coffee shop two days ago and was unable to stop recalling those completely different responses.
—Luo Lingsheng, do you like boys or girls? Can I chase you?
—Luo Lingsheng, I will never forget you. See you next time.
—Don’t mention the Luo family; I don’t know them. Aren’t you well aware of what kind of people those young masters and ladies in the Imperial Capital are?
A shimmer of reluctance and unwillingness spilled out from under Luo Lingsheng’s eyes, and he opened his mouth, following his heart’s desire, “Yu Shou, can you help me look into someone?”
Old Master Luo always kept an eye on his children and grandchildren, so it wasn’t good for him to check some things out himself.
Yu Shou asked, “Who?”
Luo Lingsheng, “Shi Yunnan.”
“…..”
The countdown to the red light was over.
Yu Shuo stepped on the accelerator and drove forward. He could barely suppress the shock in his heart, and confirmed with his friend again and again, “Who? You want me to help look into who?”
“Shi Yunnan.”
It was the first time that Luo Lingsheng admitted this name in front of his friend, “It was Shi Yunnan, who we ran into by accident last time when we were on the stairs. He was arguing with someone.”
Even though they had the same birthday, why was it that his twin brother was so famous, yet he not only had to be ridiculed but also hid in the backyard alone, drunk and crying?
Why did that person drunkenly kiss him, dirty his clothes with his tears, and promise, “I won’t forget the next time I see you,” only to completely confuse him with those rich playboys in two or three months?
The more Luo Lingsheng thought about it, the more he felt puzzled and resentful, but the more he thought about it, the more he was absorbed—he wanted to know everything about Shi Yunnan.
Yu Shuo made sure that he didn’t have auditory hallucinations and responded with a light smile, “It seems that our Young Master Luo’s heart isn’t made of stone? Fine, after we finish the list in hand this week, I’ll immediately start checking it out for you.”
Luo Lingsheng thought for a while and said, “Keep a low profile, I don’t want to cause trouble for him, not any form of trouble.”
Yu Shuo nodded, but teasingly said, “It hasn’t started yet, so don’t fall too hard all at once.”
Luo Lingsheng remained unmoved, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to get myself into this just like that.”
“Yeah?”
Yu Shuo took a look at his friend’s calm and even slightly stern face and thought to himself with a smile—
Almost three months have passed since the birthday party, yet you still remember Shi Yunnan? Even if they haven’t gotten involved yet, the other party has indeed left a strong mark in his friend’s heart.
Although Yu Shuo liked to tease his friends, he still did things reliably.
Half a month later, all the information about Shi Yunnan that could be found so far appeared in front of Luo Lingsheng.
“I told you about Wen and Luo’s situation at the birthday party, so I won’t go into details here?”
“Um.”
Luo Ling responded in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the materials, “He went abroad to study at eight?”
“Shi Yunnan didn’t go abroad voluntarily, but was forcibly sent out by Shi Sheng when he was eight years old.”
“Why?”
“To make room for the new madam of the Shi family.” Yu Shuo had long been used to seeing the cruelty of the world, but his peach blossom eyes still showed a trace of disdain.
Less than a year after the mother of two brothers died, he married another woman and even sent his young son abroad. What a good father!
“Shi Yunnan will only return to China when he’s on vacation, but he doesn’t seem to be welcomed by the Shi family either.”
“His maternal grandfather, Master Wen, is not bad. He tried to bring Shi Yunnan to his side several times, but his daughter-in-law seems to disagree, and Master Shi also refuses to let him go.”
“So, every time Shi Yunnan comes back from vacation, he rolls around like a rubber ball, never finding a safe place to live.”
Hearing Yu Shuo’s statement, Luo Lingsheng felt something inexplicable and complicated in his heart.
“Which university is he now attending?”
“Shi Yunnan’s grades have always been good, and he has received scholarships every year. Now he has been admitted to the Department of Management at R University with a full scholarship. He’s currently a freshman.”
Yu Shuo tapped on the information on the table and said, “I’ve found all the information I can find for you.”
“As for those things that involve privacy, I think you probably don’t want to know in this way, so I didn’t ask people to investigate deeply.”
Luo Lingsheng replied, “Well, knowing this much is enough.”
“Aren’t you going to chase him?”
Just after Yu Shuo’s curious questioning, the secretary knocked on the door outside the office.
“President Yu, the video conference will start in three minutes.”
“I’m going now.”
Yu Shuo responded, put away his curious look, and walked out with a serious face.
The office door was closed again.
It was only then that Luo Lingsheng turned the information to the first page, carefully reading it word for word from beginning to end.
It wasn’t until the assistant sent in a new batch of reports that he stopped checking them out. He didn’t want to delay his business for a little sentimentality.
…
Luo Lingsheng finished the work at hand step by step. It wasn’t until he got home that his suppressed desire to explore emerged again.
Luo Lingsheng clicked on the official forum of Shi Yunnan’s university. A specific browsing area was reserved on the web page with a simple and clear title—The Freshman Summer Camp Photo Gallery.
He remembered Shi Yunnan’s grade and subconsciously went in to check, but he did not expect to find the person in his memory among the top three most viewed posts.
The boy in a white t-shirt was sitting under the shade of a tree. He probably sensed that someone was taking pictures of him, so he looked straight at the camera without any shyness, and naturally fixed a smile on his lips.
Somehow, it reminded Luo Lingsheng of the glacier blocks melting under the scorching sun, pure and spirited. It was completely different from the teary-eyed, red-nosed appearance of that day.
Luo Lingsheng’s gaze was fixed on the photo, and his thoughts drifted away. When he regained consciousness, he had already saved that photo by some strange accident.
“…..”
Luo Lingsheng looked at the photos in the album, hesitated, and failed to press the delete button. He returned to that post and found that someone had posted Shi Yunnan’s social media account and contact information.
Luo Lingsheng frowned, disapproving of this kind of unauthorized disclosure of other people’s contact information.
With his morality, he naturally couldn’t do things like save his phone number or disturb him.
However, Luo Lingsheng, who hesitated again and again, chose to open the foreign social media software and entered Shi Yunnan’s social media account that he saw in the post.
—Onan.
Luo Lingsheng didn’t click to follow, but just used the newly registered account to check the daily content in Shi Yunnan’s account.
He would resent the small feral cat on the side of the road for not being friendly and slinking away after eating the canned food he bought specially for the occasion.
He would show off that he won the newspaper lottery today and donate the small amount of money he gets to the homeless on the side of the road.
He would complain about being cheated out of money by the billiards shop owner and how he got his money back for the cues with his sharp tongue.
…
The overly life-oriented daily content was a little childish and adorable, but without exception, it can make people smile.
The corners of Luo Lingsheng’s mouth raised unconsciously, as if he could still imagine Shi Yunnan’s expression when he dictated these contents.
It wasn’t until he reached the bottom of his social media feeds that he reacted with hindsight: how could he be so immersed in what others were sharing about their lives?
“…..”
Luo Lingsheng fell into silence, feeling more entangled in his heart.
Because of a banquet that had nothing to do with him, because of a drunken kiss, because of an unexpected encounter, it seemed that he really fell in love with Shi Yunnan?
Luo Lingsheng thought that reasons would always outweigh emotions, so he put aside these inconclusive thoughts and went back to the forum to read other people’s replies to Shi Yunnan’s post.
He knew that Shi Yunnan’s foreign name in school was Onan, and he also knew that Shi Yunnan was very talkative in front of outsiders.
But when faced with a sudden offer of love, the other party will also use the most dry way to refuse, never leaving the slightest opportunity.
Shi Yunnan’s temperament was hot on the outside and cold on the inside, like sharp ice in midsummer.
People can’t help approaching in the heat, but if they are not careful, they will be hurt by the coldness emanating from it.
Luo Lingsheng slowly browsed to the last page, only to find someone “tearfully complaining”: Shi Yunnan is gay through and through, and he already has a boyfriend who’s also Chinese. Because the other party couldn’t bear seeing Shi Yunnan being repeatedly harassed and confessed to by his suitors, he also stood up and swore sovereignty over his boyfriend.
This post was accompanied by a photo of the two of them, and it even got a lot of support from Shi Yunnan’s classmates in the same major.
Luo Lingsheng clicked to enlarge, and he could vaguely recognize the faces of the two: one was Shi Yunnan, and the other was the young man he met in the coffee shop last time, who seemed to be called Fu Ziyu?
—What? Think I’m not good enough for you? Come on, baby, give me a kiss.
—Come on, kiss.
Luo Lingsheng remembered the closeness between Shi Yunnan and Fu Ziyu in the coffee shop that day, and his eyes darkened slightly.
He felt as if he had suddenly lost something; his heart felt suffocated yet empty.
It turned out that he really had a boyfriend.
That’s right, he shouldn’t have those inexplicable thoughts.
It was just what a drunk kid said that day; how could he take it seriously?
Luo Lingsheng let out a ridiculous sigh from his throat, immediately closed the official forum, and locked all the investigation materials in his drawer.
Since he was a child, he didn’t like to waste his feelings and time on unnecessary people and things, and now he was even less likely to covet Shi Yunnan, who already had a boyfriend.
It’s a pity that once some good feelings take root, there’s no way to get rid of them easily.
Whenever he had free time alone, Luo Lingsheng couldn’t help but look at Shi Yunnan’s social media, browse Shi Yunnan’s school forum, and even the unpopular billiard club’s official website.
As the days went by, Luo Lingsheng reluctantly acquiesced to this good feeling while secretly admonishing himself…
It’s limited to this; don’t cross the line.
…
The following year came in a flash.
Luo Lingsheng returned to the United States again because of his career needs.
The long takeover meeting finally came to an end just before 8:00 p.m.
After Luo Lingsheng packed his things, he hurriedly prepared to leave the branch office, but Yu Shuo, who suddenly appeared, stopped him, asking, “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“We haven’t seen each other for most of the year because of work; let’s go for a drink tonight?”
“No, some other time.”
Yu Shuo, who was rejected, clicked his tongue, and his peach blossom eyes were full of teasing, “I see, now that you’re in the United States, you can’t wait to meet your little boyfriend?”
“…What little boyfriend?”
“Still pretending in front of me?” Yu Shuo raised his eyebrows and whispered in Chinese, “Of course it’s Shi Yunnan; aren’t you interested in him?”
“It’s been eight or nine months; you should have caught up with him by now, right?”
Luo Lingsheng’s eyes changed slightly, and he retorted flatly, “No, I have nothing to do with him.”
“…”
Yu Shuo got stuck, and took several seconds to ask, “No? He turned you down?”
Luo Ling replied in a low voice, “I never planned to chase him, so the two of us are on parallel lines; there is no intersection and no involvement.”
“But…” Yu Shuo couldn’t believe it.
Luo Lingsheng glanced at the time, as if there was something urgent to do, “I still have some personal matters to deal with, so I’m leaving first.”
Half a minute later, Yu Shuo looked at Luo Lingsheng’s back as he hurriedly left; the astonishment in his eyes hadn’t completely dissipated.
Although he really didn’t mean it, during the meeting just now, he accidentally caught a glimpse of Luo Lingsheng’s phone screen—that side profile looked a lot like Shi Yunnan.
With his friend’s temperament, if he wasn’t his little boyfriend, would he use this kind of photo as his wallpaper? Obviously impossible.
“Could it be that he still has a crush on that person?”
Yu Shuo felt more and more incredulous.
No way? Is there anyone in this world that friends dare not easily chase after?
…
Luo Lingsheng, who had left the company, sat quietly in a shop. Taking advantage of the waiting time, he opened Shi Yunnan’s social media account as usual.
Half an hour ago, Shi Yunnan just posted a daily update and attached two photos.
The first one seemed to be in the dim environment of a bar, with all kinds of wine bottles on the table.
The second one was a photo of Shi Yunnan and Fu Ziyu sitting together with their shoulders crossed.
“Please come and take away this single dog; pulling me to drink every day is too much.”
There were also interactions between Shi Yunnan and other friends in the comments section below—
“Onan, can I take you away?”
“No, I’m afraid my future lover will be jealous.”
The moment Luo Lingsheng saw this text, his heart seemed to be clenched tightly.
He repeatedly confirmed the meaning of this line and his long-term misunderstanding, then let out a self-deprecating laugh for the first time.
It was said that three men make a tiger1.
He couldn’t believe that he had been misled for this long.
“Hello, sir, here are the items you ordered.” The waiter in the store brought up the packed items.
Luo Lingsheng closed the web page, feeling that his life had never been happier than it is now, “Thank you.”
The waiter was fascinated by his handsome face and sudden smile and couldn’t help blurting out, “Sir, can I add your contact information?”
Luo Lingsheng recalled the reply he saw on his phone not long ago and applied what he had learned, “Sorry, I’m afraid my future lover will be jealous.”
The waiter was taken aback but not embarrassed by his rejection at all, “Sir, I wish you and your future lover happiness.”
“Thanks.”
Luo Lingsheng carried the things he had bought, and after confirming that the time was still early, he left the store with ease.
…
The night in early summer still carried a hint of a cool spring breeze.
When Shi Yunnan came out of the nightclub, he took two deep breaths before he could barely suppress the hotness caused by alcohol and couldn’t help complaining in his heart—
Fu Ziyu, that d*ckhead, had to drag him to every newly opened nightclub to drink and inspect. He wouldn’t stop once he got interested.
Shi Yunnan stayed with his friend for several hours. He didn’t drink too much wine, but he was a little dizzy. He couldn’t take it anymore, so he escaped first.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
Shi Yunnan opened it and was relieved when he saw that it was a message from Wen Yibei—Yunnan, happy birthday.
Shi Yunnan glanced at the date, it happened to be zero o’clock.
Obviously, Wen Yibei, who has a time difference with him, sent the message deliberately at this time.
He quickly replied: Brother, happy birthday.
Within three minutes, Wen Yibei called, “Yunnan, why don’t you rest at this hour?”
“I’m going back to rest.”
Shi Yunnan was walking on the empty street when he heard the noise on the other end of the phone. Wen Yibei’s popularity had always been good, and at this time someone should be celebrating his birthday with him.
“Brother, have you eaten the cake yet?”
“I ate some.” Wen Yibei replied.
He paused while listening to his elder brother’s gentle and doting voice, “Do you want to eat? I’ll order a cake for you, okay?”
“No need. I don’t like sweets.” Shi Yunnan lied, “I loved cake as a child, but I prefer to drink now.”
“You should drink less, because no one will take care of you when you’re drunk.”
Hearing this voice of concern, Shi Yunnan suddenly felt a little lonely, “Brother.”
“Hm?”
Shi Yunnan couldn’t say those coquettish and nauseating words; his words only ended in a blessing, “Happy birthday.”
“Okay, you too.”
Shi Yunnan was not in a hurry to go back and walked slowly for about twenty minutes before arriving at his residence.
Suddenly, with sharp eyes, he found a packaged cake box on his doorstep.
“…..”
Shi Yunnan stood there stunned for two seconds before squatting down to investigate. There was a greeting card on the cake box with a line of big characters clearly written on it.
—Shi Yunnan, happy birthday.
The strong and powerful calligraphy immediately attracted Shi Yunnan’s attention.
To be able to remember his birthday and write his Chinese name, it must have been written and delivered by Wen Yibei or Fu Ziyu without his knowledge.
Shi Yunnan was not in a hurry to enter the house and even sat down on the steps to open the cake box impatiently. He put the delicate and small cake on his lap and randomly lit a candle to make a wish.
The candlelight shone into Shi Yunnan’s eyes, revealing the happiness within, “I hope that in the new year, someone will love me.”
The murmured prayers were scattered in the summer night wind.
Shi Yunnan took a spoon and dug a mouthful of the cake until the familiar and favorite sweet taste entered his mouth, then dragged the small cake into the house with a happy humming.
It wasn’t until the door was completely closed that a black car in the distance chose to leave.
—No one at this banquet cared who I was, and no one celebrated my birthday.
—Shi Yunnan, I will remember your birthday every year.
