I noticed a mysterious glint in her eyes, and a thought stirred within me...
“I’ve already bought this house,” Fang Nan sighed softly, her voice low. “During the days you were gone, I didn’t hear from you. Sometimes, I felt so sad. I couldn’t help but come here to look around, to stay in this house for a while…” She leaned against me, her body nestled against my chest, and whispered, “Am I ridiculous…? Actually, when you were here, I only came to this house once. But after you left, this is the only place I can remember you from. Sometimes, when I can’t sleep at night, I come here to look around, feeling like your scent still lingers in this house.” On such a night, with such a lover leaning against me, saying such touching words, I was deeply moved. I couldn’t help but hug Fang Nan tightly, but my throat felt tight. I opened my mouth, but only managed to whisper, “You… sigh, you’re so silly.” Fang Nan’s eyes were gentle, but then a strange glint flashed in them. She whispered, “Well… but I’m not the only one willing to be silly for you.”…
After taking the elevator upstairs, Fang Nan arrived at the familiar door and took out a key from her bag to open it.
Stepping into the room and turning on the light, I was greeted by a home that was almost spotless! Although the light was dim, I could still vaguely see the sofa, coffee table, and television in the living room, and everything was placed exactly as it had always been! The house was a bit deserted, but it was very clean. I casually touched the cabinet next to me, but there wasn't a speck of dust on it, which was obviously because someone came to clean it regularly.
Fang Nan turned on the light, instantly brightening the room. I couldn't help but feel moved; I rushed over and hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek passionately. I whispered, "I...I really don't know what to say." Fang Nan smiled and said, "Actually, after I bought the house, Qiao Qiao and Yan Di would sometimes come to visit, but we rarely saw each other. When Qiao Qiao found out I bought the house, she asked me for a key. Later, sometimes when I came to clean, I found the house had already been cleaned. You see, Chen Yang, you've made so many girls foolish for you." At that moment, I couldn't say anything more.
All he could do was hold Fang Nan tightly.
After embracing for a while, I suddenly felt a surge of interest and couldn't resist sitting down with her on the living room sofa. I then put my legs up on the coffee table in my favorite position and turned on the TV. "You know… when I used to live here, that little money-grubber, A-Mei, never let me put my legs up like that. And she would always fight me for the TV remote. Um, and sometimes Yan-Di would make desserts at night, and there wouldn't be enough for the three of us, so we'd fight. But Yan-Di would always secretly save me a small portion… um. Also, when we first moved in, that little money-grubber gave me a list of chores she'd charge for. From washing dishes and sweeping to cooking and laundry, everything was clearly priced… Sigh, but her schemes all failed. Because since Yan-Di moved in, A-Mei hasn't had a chance to earn any money." As I spoke, I suddenly paused, quickly stopping and glancing furtively at Fang Nan. But I found that she didn't seem to care that I brought these things up in front of her, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Fang Nan looked at me and whispered, "From now on... I'll cook for you too, okay?" I quickly nodded and smiled, "That would be great, but I didn't know you could cook." After thinking for a moment, an idea suddenly popped into my head: "How about we stay here tonight?" Fang Nan naturally wouldn't refuse my suggestion, she just smiled, "Of course. There's a bed and blankets here, if you like, we can stay here for the night." I pulled her close and hugged her, about to say something, when suddenly I heard a crackling sound. Then the lights in the room suddenly went out, and even the TV screen flickered. It was turned off. "Hmm?" My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately let go of Fang Nan and stood up.
Has something happened?
However, I then heard Fang Nan's phone ring. She picked it up, answered it briefly, and said a few words before telling me, "Chen Yang, it seems like tonight is quite a coincidence... there's a power outage in this area. The people downstairs just saw the notice posted at the entrance of the community; due to power grid maintenance, the power outage will continue until tomorrow morning." I paused for a moment, then suddenly let out a strange laugh, pounced on her, and hugged Fang Nan tightly, saying, "That's perfect... in the dark, a lone man and woman... hehe, some things might be more interesting to do in the dark, you know?" Fang Nan understood the implied meaning in my words, but she didn't struggle at all. Instead, she softly leaned into my arms, her face starting to flush, and whispered in my ear, "You... you just like to say things like that to tease me..." But she couldn't finish her sentence, because I had already covered her mouth with mine.
I was overjoyed, so I simply picked her up in my arms and strode into the room.
Although there was no light, I could still vaguely make out the location of the bed, then gently placed Fang Nan on it and kissed her...
However, it seems that fate has decreed that I will not have a peaceful night.
I had just reached out to unbutton Fang Nan's coat when my phone rang. I picked it up, and Tu's voice came through: "Boss, someone's coming up. Looks like someone you know... Should we stop them?" Before I could speak, Fang Nan's phone rang too. She answered; it was Wu Gang's man from downstairs calling: "Miss Fang, someone's here. They seem to be heading towards your place. Hmm, they just asked the security guard at the entrance if anyone lived in that building... and then they came straight here... They're about to enter the building now, should we stop them? It's a man and a woman, both very young." Before Fang Nan could speak, I said, "No need, let them come up." Fang Nan turned to look at me, but I had just hung up on Tu.
Then I smiled faintly and whispered to Fang Nan, "My bodyguard told me... the ones who came up were..." My tone was strange: "They were acquaintances." Because just as Fang Nan was on the phone, Tu added to me on the other end, "I know both of them. They're the young man who had the conflict with us at that bar in Shanghai last time, and there's also a girl I saw at the bar." So... it was Ni Duoduo? And that new recruit under Ye Huan... Luo Lie.
What is Ni Duoduo doing here in the middle of the night?
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter 120: I Like You
Fang Nan and I had already come out of the room and entered the living room. I told Fang Nan to step back, and I went to the door and looked out through the peephole. It was pitch black, and I couldn't see anything. But soon, I heard footsteps coming from the hallway. The footsteps were very hurried, and then two people came running up one after the other. The one in front was light and nimble, obviously a girl, but she was panting heavily. It seemed that after the power outage, she couldn't take the elevator and had to climb so many floors in one go, so she must have been quite exhausted.
The girl in the lead ran up in one breath, but the man following behind suddenly grabbed her, his breathing becoming rapid, and whispered, "Duoduo, stop fooling around!"
The voice sounded vaguely familiar; it was indeed the young man named Luo Lie whom I had met once in Shanghai.
The girl in the lead was naturally Ni Duoduo. Her expression was obscured in the darkness, but one could vaguely see her forcefully shaking off Luo Lie's hand and shouting, "Let go of me!"
Luo Lie, seeing her break free, quickly grabbed her arm again and said in a deep voice, "Duoduo! Miss! If your father finds out you're running around at night again, it might not be good. He's been in a bad mood lately, so you'd better not upset him."
"Angry...so what if he's angry?" Ni Duoduo's voice sounded like a sneer: "Haven't you been following me the whole time? With you watching over me, what else does he have to worry about! Humph!"
“Sigh…” Luo Lie sighed, “You really don’t understand your father’s good intentions.” He paused, then said in a low voice, “What’s so good about that guy… That day in Shanghai, he wouldn’t even look at you twice, so why are you torturing yourself like this? You often come to this place in the middle of the night to look at an empty house, what’s so interesting about it?”
"What do you know?!" Ni Duoduo snapped. She shoved Luo Lie aside and ran to the door. She touched the door and said in a trembling voice, "No, something's wrong tonight! I was outside just now. I clearly saw lights on in the windows!"
As she spoke, she suddenly raised her hand and began to knock on the door forcefully.
I stood at the doorway, silently, without saying a word. Only a silent sigh escaped my lips.
"Is anyone home? Hey! Is anyone inside?" Ni Duoduo knocked a few times, then suddenly burst into tears: "Is anyone inside? Is anyone inside? Open the door..."
Suddenly, Luo Lie grabbed her wrist from behind and whispered, "Duoduo, don't be silly. You're so infatuated. How could he possibly see that? Sigh..." He said softly, "Just now... maybe you were mistaken. There are so many windows in this building, it's not surprising you were wrong. You've been to this place so many times, and we've already inquired about it. This house was sold to someone else a long time ago, and it's been empty ever since. The security guards outside said so. Aren't you giving up? Besides... even though he's returned to China now, with his status and position, how could he possibly live in a place like this? With his relationship with your father, how could he possibly come back to Nanjing? Don't you understand any of this?"
His voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, until it was almost tinged with a strange tenderness.
I stood inside the doorway, and upon hearing Luo Lie's voice, a sudden thought struck me: This kid... seems to have feelings for Ni Duoduo...
Snap!
A crisp sound rang out; it was Ni Duoduo struggling a few times. She slapped Luo Lie's hand away and suddenly shouted, "I don't understand? I don't understand? Let me tell you, you're the one who doesn't understand!!" Her voice seemed to finally break into tears, and then with a "whoosh," she covered her face with her hands, squatted down, and sobbed intermittently, "You... how can you be so hateful! I hate you so much! You... do you think I don't know what you're saying? Do you think I don't understand? But... but I just can't help thinking about him... I, of course I know he won't come back here, he won't come back to this house... but I can't find him, I can't see him... the only place I can think about him is here... yes! yes! I'm just deceiving myself! But what else can I do besides deceiving myself and comforting myself! Of course I know he won't come back to this house... but besides coming here to think about him, to miss him, what other place do I have? What other way is there? You... how can you be so hateful... can't you let me have a little bit of hope... sob sob sob sob..."
Ni Duoduo and I were practically touching, separated only by a door. Hearing the girl outside crying so openly and revealing her true feelings, even I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. Just as I was lost in thought, a soft little hand suddenly slipped into my palm. Turning around, I saw Fang Nan standing silently behind me, her eyes filled with tenderness. She smiled gently at me and then sighed.
Her gentle expression and soft sigh, devoid of any hint of blame, left me speechless.
Outside, Ni Duoduo spoke and cried, eventually breaking down in tears. Looking through the peephole, I saw Luo Lie standing helplessly to the side, sighing repeatedly.
Finally, Luo Lie said in a low voice, "Miss Duoduo... why are you doing this? Ever since you saw him in Shanghai, you've come here every two days since you came back. But what's the point of coming here? You come here to see him, to cry here, but he doesn't know anything. All your infatuation is in vain."
"Shut up! Shut up!!" Ni Duoduo suddenly jumped up and lunged at Luo Lie with her claws outstretched. Luo Lie grabbed her wrist, gently pushed her away, and said seriously, "Alright, it's late. You should hurry back with me. If your father finds out you ran away again tonight, we'll both be in trouble."
"No!" Ni Duoduo's voice suddenly became agitated: "I... I didn't see wrong just now! The lights here were on, there must be someone inside! I couldn't have been wrong!"
"I can't be mistaken... So what if I can't be mistaken?" Luo Lie said dismissively, "These houses have long been sold to others. Even if the lights are on, it's just other people living in them. You're just having too many fantasies."
Ni Duoduo snorted, then turned around. She knocked on the door several times, forcefully: "Is anyone home! Is anyone home! Open the door!!"
Luo Lie finally got a little annoyed.
He couldn't help but snort, "You're just being ridiculous, aren't you?! Fine, then let's make it even more outrageous!" With that, he walked up and kicked the door hard twice.
Then he shouted at Ni Duoduo, "Did you see that?! There's no one inside! At the rate you're knocking, even a deaf person would hear you! There's not a sound from inside! Are you going to keep messing around?!"
Ni Duoduo remained silent for a while, but soft sobs continued to escape her lips. Luo Lie grew impatient and suddenly grabbed Ni Duoduo's hand. He dragged her away, angrily saying, "Let's go! Go back!"
"No!" Ni Duoduo suddenly screamed, struggling a few times but unable to break free. In desperation, she grabbed Luo Lie's hand and brought it to her mouth, biting down hard. Luo Lie winced in pain, groaned, released her hand, took two steps back, and shouted, "You...you're insane!"
Ni Duoduo quickly stepped back. Her body moved to the doorway, and she leaned against the door, blocking the peephole. I could no longer see outside, only hear sounds.
“Luo Lie… Brother Luo Lie.” Ni Duoduo’s voice suddenly softened, and she whispered, “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bite you.”
Luo Lie snorted, sullenly angry, and didn't say anything.
Ni Duoduo's voice carried a hint of pleading: "I'm sorry, please don't be angry, okay? Did I...did I hurt you? I...I apologize to you. Please don't be angry, okay?" Her voice seemed to be on the verge of tears: "Now, among Father's people, only you are willing to listen to me...only you are willing to fool around with me...I know that what I'm doing is very, very foolish. I know that what I'm doing is just a fantasy of mine, and all of this...all of this is impossible. But...but I really can't, I have no other choice. Besides you, no one else is willing to listen to me like this, no one else is willing to be with me like this...Last time, I secretly ran away to Shanghai, and Father punished you for it, making you get a beating. I feel so sorry for you."
Luo Lie still snorted, but the anger in his voice gradually subsided.
Then Ni Duoduo sighed softly and whispered, "You know... it's been three years... In these three years, I've dreamt of him almost every night. I see him smiling at me, frowning at me, glaring at me, getting angry at me. I also dreamt of him holding my hand, and us running wildly through the darkness... Back then, he held my hand so tightly, and he told me that no matter what happened, he would protect me, safeguard me, and never let anyone hurt me... You know? All these years, every time I close my eyes at night, I see these scenes. His words echo in my ears almost every night in my dreams..."
Luo Lie sighed...
Ni Duoduo seemed to become more and more obsessed as she spoke: "I met him twice in Canada. The first time, I was tricked into going to a bad place, and he saved me again. That time, he was furious, really angry, and even slapped me... But I didn't feel any pain or anger at all; instead, I was very happy. It was because of that time that I knew he wasn't dead, that he was still alive... His anger and rage were all because he cared about me and was worried that I would go astray... Later... I met him again, and he took me home, but Uncle Jinhe found him. That day, he and Uncle Jinhe got into a fight, and he was covered in blood... I was terrified, really terrified, and then I fainted... In the end, I heard that he managed to escape, and I was so happy..."
"I later learned some things about what happened between him and my father... I know it was all my fault, all caused by me. If I hadn't caused such a big mess back then, dragging him down with me, he wouldn't have fallen out with my father, and my father wouldn't have done such a thing to betray him... I know he must have been suffering a lot inside... But he never blamed me. I remember when I met him for the second time in Canada, he spoke to me kindly... Sigh... In short, all of this is actually our family's fault for betraying him."
Luo Lie finally couldn't help but say, "He's suffering? Humph, he's not suffering at all now! He's the famous Little Fifth Brother! A rising star in Hollywood! A smuggling tycoon in Canada! With just one word, he can make hundreds or even thousands of people risk their lives for him! With just one word, he can influence several powerful families! He's living the high life right now! So where is he suffering! Haven't you noticed that your father's hair has turned quite a bit gray lately...? Isn't all of this because of him! If he hadn't returned to China and had stayed in Canada to be his Little Fifth Brother, none of this would have happened!"
"Don't say anymore... It's always been our family that has wronged him in these matters," Ni Duoduo sighed.
There was a moment of silence outside, neither of them spoke. I could only hear Luo Lie breathing heavily, clearly still angry.
A thought struck me... This kid seems to really hate me.
“Luo Lie…why do you always seem so angry whenever he’s mentioned? Do you hate him? But you’ve never met him before, and he’s never offended you.” Ni Duoduo suddenly said this.
"I..." Luo Lie stammered, then shouted, "Who said I hate him... No, who said he didn't offend me! He's driven your father to such a miserable state, and your father so hastily turned against the Qinghong gang—wasn't it all because of him? And our plan to instigate Shen Shan's defection in Shanghai—we'd planted our pawns for so long, and in the end, he ruined it all... Wasn't all of this his doing? Hmph, he came back to China just to get back at your father! Don't you understand that... He... He..." Luo Lie became increasingly agitated, finally blurting out, "What I hate most is that he's made you so heartbroken!!"
"Ah..." Ni Duoduo gasped softly upon hearing this.
After a moment of silence, Ni Duoduo suddenly asked in a low voice, "Luo Lie... do you... do you like me?"
Luo Lie's breathing quickened. After a moment of silence, he finally shouted, "That's right! I like you! Did you only realize that today?! I've always been willing to patiently accompany you and talk to you. Even if you act up or make your father angry, I've always tried my best to protect you... Haven't you understood all this time?! Yes! That's right, I like you!"
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter 121: Hatred
Ni Duoduo couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She seemed to think for a moment before saying, "Luo Lie...you...I..."
"Hmph! You want to apologize to me, don't you?" Luo Lie had just confessed his feelings in his excitement, and now he finally spoke without restraint, shouting, "I know, I'm just delusional!! You don't have even the slightest bit of affection for me, right! I know! I know everything! I know!! You only have that guy in your heart! You're willing to talk to me a few more times on weekdays, but it's only because...because..." His voice suddenly became hoarse, "...because I...my appearance looks somewhat similar to his, doesn't it!"
The last few words seemed to be spitting out from between his teeth!
“No…you…I…” Ni Duoduo panicked, stammering, but couldn’t utter a complete sentence.
"Haha! I know everything! You think I don't understand, but I know everything!" Luo Lie suddenly became emotional, his voice rising, and filled with a long-suppressed resentment!
"You! You, Ni Duoduo! And your father, Huan Ge! And Jin He, and even Cang Yu... all of you... Humph!" Luo Lie shouted, "Three years ago, I was just a small-time hoodlum. Your father suddenly promoted me. The way he looked at me back then puzzled me! I didn't know him at all, but he was very kind and friendly to me. Sometimes, he would stare at me blankly, his eyes filled with reluctance, sadness, and even a hint of guilt... I realized that although he was looking at me, in his heart, he regarded me as someone else!"
thump!
Ni Duoduo suddenly sat down on the ground, and her back no longer blocked the peephole. I could finally see the outside world again.
"You, Luo Lie, what did you just say? My father, did he really have guilt in his eyes?" Ni Duoduo asked in a trembling voice.
Ni Duoduo's words sent a shiver down my spine! Because I couldn't help but think the same thing again!
Ye Huan... Brother Huan, does he really feel any remorse?!
"So what if it is! So what if it isn't!" Luo Lie suddenly clenched his fists, and in the dim light, I could vaguely see the expression on his face. He gritted his teeth, his face full of indignation: "What does all this have to do with me! But you know what! Over the past few years, I've always found it strange. I'm just a small-time hoodlum, completely insignificant. But why does your father favor me so much? In less than three years, I've risen to my current position! I've become your father's confidant. Jin He taught me kung fu, and your father had me manage his business... At first, I felt very proud and happy. Because I thought I was very capable, very successful. But later, every time... every time..."
He suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! You know what! Every time I do something well, when I succeed, Jinhe suddenly says, 'Not bad, you're just as capable as him.' But when I fail and don't do things well, I hear Cangyu occasionally say, 'Sigh, you're just like him, always so impulsive.' I... I've fucking had enough!! No matter how well I do things, how well I satisfy them, they still think of that guy!! No matter how badly I do things, how much I fail, they still think of that guy... What the hell am I! What am I! Am I his shadow? Am I his stand-in!!! My name is Luo Lie! My name is Luo Lie! Not Chen Yang! But why, here, does everyone treat me like his stand-in!!"
Luo Lie grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked, clearly indicating his turbulent emotions. Ni Duoduo suddenly uttered weakly, "So...that's why you..."
"That's right! What you just said isn't entirely wrong. Although I've never met him, and I'm not even familiar with him, I hate him! I really hate him! Because of him, your father, Jinhe, Cangyu, and you... you all treat me as his substitute, as his shadow. Even if I put in ten times the effort, try my best to perform, and strive to achieve results, all I hope is that you'll notice me, Luo Lie! But every time, my efforts only earn me your nostalgia for him! Why! Why!!"
Bang!
In his anger, Luo Lie slammed his fist against the wall with a loud thud! His punch was so hard that I could vaguely see blood flowing from his fist.
"Ah!" Ni Duoduo saw it too. She gasped softly, then quickly stood up, pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket, took one out, and rushed over to tightly wrap Luo Lie's hand. "You...you're bleeding! Why are you so agitated...I..."
“Sigh…” Luo Lie’s body suddenly stiffened as Ni Duoduo held his hand. He sighed and quietly watched as Ni Duoduo hurriedly bandaged his hand. Then he suddenly whispered, “Duoduo… in your heart, have you always just seen me as his substitute? Is it my fault that I look like him? I know… I climbed up from the bottom step by step, so I really want to try my best to show myself. I hope to gain everyone’s recognition. But every time I try harder, I am ignored more and more… This feeling is really unpleasant.”
Ni Duoduo didn't speak, but finished wrapping his hand before taking a step back, lowering her head to think for a while, and then whispering, "Luo Lie, I don't know. I'm sorry... I really don't know. But I know that you've actually been working very hard. You've done a lot for Father during this time. Even Uncle Jinhe appreciates you a lot. Actually, you don't need to be so hard on yourself. It's not that people haven't seen your efforts, it's just that everyone feels a little guilty towards him. It's because of this guilt that we can't forget him. It's not your fault, it really isn't your fault."
"And what about you?" Luo Lie said in a deep voice, "When you're with me, looking at my face, aren't you thinking about him too?"
"..." Ni Duoduo was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed, her laughter tinged with bitterness. But she still laughed nonetheless: "I...I admit, I was willing to talk to you at first because you really resemble him. But later, I talked to you because you were very kind to me." Ni Duoduo's voice also became somewhat strange: "Actually...haven't you noticed that the people around my father don't seem to like me very much?"
"What?" Luo Lie asked in surprise.
Even I, who was eavesdropping at the door, couldn't help but feel a little strange.
“I’m telling the truth,” Ni Duoduo said with a bitter smile. “Jinhe and Cangyu, neither of them likes me. Although they are very polite to me, I can sense it. Because… everything, everything, is my fault! If I hadn’t caused trouble that day, Chen Yang wouldn’t have been implicated, and without that incident, Father wouldn’t have become enemies with Chen Yang… If that disaster hadn’t happened, Father wouldn’t have been forced to turn against the Qinghong people… You see, everything is caused by me, the troublemaker. So, whether it’s Cangyu or Uncle Jinhe, although they never say it, I… I can sense that they don’t actually like me.”
Luo Lie remained silent. And I, standing at the door, also had very mixed feelings.
Indeed... if Ni Duoduo hadn't gone to that damned party and gotten into trouble with the son of the leader of the Qinghong gang... I would have gone to save him...
If Ni Duoduo hadn't been so immature and reckless back then, and had simply been a good girl instead of making those awful friends and attending those disgusting parties...
Then, none of that will happen.
I might still be under Ye Huan's command, serving as his trusted general. And Ye Huan wouldn't be forced to rebel against the Qinghong and establish his own faction.
But can all of this really be blamed on a girl like this?