Chapter 254 - The Xu Family Disputes, Duan Lang's Heart Hurts
Chapter 254 – The Xu Family Disputes, Duan Lang’s Heart Hurts
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yunjin Prime Manor…
Fu Chen was dealing with the accumulated documents he had to process before the new year. His phone was at the side. Before even Song Fengwan called, the Duan family called him.
He picked up the phone and answered.
“Fu Chen, do you know where Little Bai has been recently?” The person who called was Duan Linbai’s mother.
“You didn’t give him a call?”
“I did. He said that he would be back in a few days. It’s almost the new year, and he still can’t see, yet why is he still going around randomly?” Mrs. Duan sighed, her tone full of worries. “He’s already in this state, yet he still went outside to fool around. We asked where he was, but he refused to tell us.”
“He knows his limits.”
Duan Linbai was indeed usually a little frivolous, but he wouldn’t dawdle when it came to serious matters.
“As if. He slipped out without even telling us. How can I not be worried? Besides, it’s almost the new year, and he’s still not home.”
…
Mrs. Duan complained to Fu Chen for a long time before hanging up. Fu Chen narrowed his eyes. He’s indeed been away for a while. Ever since he became blind, he rarely used his phone and contacted me.
Fu Chen hesitated for a moment before calling Duan Linbai.
***
Ning County, 7 Days Inn…
Duan Linbai was listening to a song with his legs crossed when the call came. He picked up his phone and fumbled around with it to answer. “Hello…”
“When are you coming back?” Fu Chen asked straightforwardly.
“In a day or two.”
“You haven’t settled your matter with Xu Jiamu yet?”
“After she returned to her hometown, she went out to work part-time at a hotel. F*ck, she’s busy until midnight every day. I originally planned to block her. But even when I fell asleep while waiting, she still hadn’t even gotten off work yet.” Duan Linbai was speechless.
“Why didn’t you go to the hotel to look for her?”
“What if someone recognizes me? I’m a famous person after all.”
“It’s almost the new year. Come back soon,” Fu Chen reminded before hanging up.
Duan Linbai sniffed. “Little Jiang, what’s the date today?”
He was blind and definitely couldn’t stay in a room alone, so he stayed in the same room as Little Jiang.
“The 20th of the twelfth lunar month.”
“Let’s go and block her!” Duan Linbai thought that he really couldn’t stay here for much longer. He got out of bed and almost tripped over his slippers, scaring Little Jiang so much that his heart trembled.
The last time he had taken a shower, he had insisted on doing it alone. When he was using the shower gel, he had almost slipped and fallen. Fortunately, he had only hit his arm. But it was slightly bruised and a ghastly sight.
When the two of them arrived at the hotel, Little Jiang got out of the car first to ask if Xu Jiamu had come to work.
“Xu Jiamu is off today.” The receptionist at the front desk was very familiar with Little Jiang because he came here almost every day.
“Thank you.” After Little Jiang thanked the receptionist, he hurried back to the car.
“He’s here again?” A waiter walked over and looked at the car by the roadside with its flashers on.
“Yeah, again.” The receptionist sneered, and her tone was slightly disdainful. “He waits here all day in a luxury car. Looking at that 666 Beijing license plate, I know that he’s a rich scion. He even has a driver when he goes out.”
“Xu Jiamu sneaks away every time, so it seems like she’s unwilling to get involved with him. This child comes here every year to work. She’s obedient and diligent, but I’m afraid she won’t be able to come next year. She’s going to be busy with her doctorate and probably won’t have any more holidays.”
“If she’s really obedient, would she have provoked such a person?” the receptionist muttered while cleaning the bar counter.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you know what kind of place the capital is? There are all sorts of people there. She said that she has nothing to do with this person, yet he’s been here waiting for her for so many days. I think this girl is just too ambitious and playing hard to get.”
…
While they were talking, Duan Linbai’s car had already arrived at Xu Jiamu’s neighborhood.
The place Xu Jiamu worked was very near her neighborhood.
“Little Boss, are we going up just like this?” At this moment, the sky was already dark. “If there’s someone else in her house, wouldn’t it be inconvenient?”
“Let’s go take a look first.” Duan Linbai had already thought it through.
It would naturally be good if he could meet her tonight. If he couldn’t, he would return to the capital tomorrow. Anyways, she had to go back to school, so even if she could run away from him now, she wouldn’t be able to run away from him forever. It would be easy to catch her then.
She still wants to slip away when she’s in my territory?
Only if she doesn’t go to school…
The two of them stumbled up the stairs. Little Jiang was already panting from exhaustion, but there was no change in Duan Linbai’s expression.
When they reached the fifth floor, they heard the sound of an argument coming from a certain house. Duan Linbai was blind, but he wasn’t deaf, so he immediately recognized Xu Jiamu’s voice in the argument.
“Little Boss, it seems to be Miss Xu.” Little Jiang could tell it was her as well. “Looks like we didn’t come at the right time.”
Duan Linbai gripped his blind cane tightly and stood still without saying a word.
…
“… What’s wrong with me asking you to give your brother some money?! He’s still in school and has a girlfriend now, so it’s normal to spend more money!” A middle-aged woman’s voice sounded.
“I don’t have any more money.” Xu Jiamu’s voice was quiet, but the old building wasn’t soundproof at all, so everything was clearly audible.
“You receive so many scholarships every year, and you’re also working. You don’t have money? If you don’t want to give him money, just say so.”
“I transferred a thousand yuan to him at the beginning of the month. A few days ago, he asked me for another five hundred. Where can I get so much money?” Xu Jiamu raised her voice.
“Don’t you know what kind of place Jinling is? The living cost is high over there. What’s wrong with him asking for some money?”
“He’s not good in his studies, but he’s quite good at spending money.”
“He’s still your younger brother. As his elder sister, it’s only right for you to help him. Seems that you think you’re all grown up now. I worked so hard to send you to university, yet you’re getting so agitated with me just because I want you to spend a little bit of your money?” The woman’s tone was sharp. “I’m afraid it’s going to be difficult if I expect you to provide for me when I’m old.”
“I’m a student too, and I don’t have an official job yet. Have I ever spent a single cent of our family’s money ever since I went to university? No. Yet he asks for money every few days. Our family doesn’t own a bank. Where would we get all this money?”
“What did you say about your brother?!” The woman raised her voice, and there seemed to be the sound of things breaking in the house.
…
Duan Linbai gripped his blind cane tightly. Standing at the side, Little Jiang didn’t dare to breathe loudly. We really came at the wrong time.
“… It’s going to be the new year soon, and he’s not coming back. I really don’t know why he’s staying out of town.”
“He said he’s working, unlike you. Now that you can be financially independent, you’re giving me the cold shoulder, aren’t you?!”
“Working?” Xu Jiamu chuckled. “Is he actually accompanying his girlfriend, or is he working? Since he’s earning money, why does he still have to ask for money from home? He usually doesn’t even call home, and only when he needs money will he be so diligent in calling.”
“He’s still young, and he’s out of town alone. It’s only right for him to ask for some money.”
“Yeah. He can spend three to four thousand yuan a month, yet during my first month in university, you only gave me four hundred for my living expenses.”
“The prices are different for different places. Have I mistreated you?”
…
Inside the house, other than the sound of the argument, there were also sounds of things being thrown on the floor.
“… Why did I raise such an ungrateful wretch like you?!”
“Stop arguing. It’s almost the new year. You two are letting the neighbors see us making fools of ourselves,” a man suddenly said. At this moment, many people had come out of their houses. Most of them came out to watch the commotion, so no one knocked on the door to stop the fight.
“What new year?! Listen to what she just said! She’s so bold now! How dare she talk back to me?! Isn’t it just a few hundred yuan?! It’s only right and proper for an older sister to take care of her younger brother!”
“He’s already twenty. What’s right and proper about that? He has arms and legs, so why should I be taking care of him?” Xu Jiamu was also being forced into a corner.
The woman sneered. “You saw it all, right? This good daughter of ours we raised is an ingrate. We can’t expect her to spend a single cent for the family in the future.”
“That’s enough. Stop talking.” The man came out to mediate again. “Jiamu, stop talking too. Don’t make your mother angry.”
“Hah, now that she has a rich boyfriend, she wants to leave our family as soon as possible.”
“Mom, what do you mean?” Xu Jiamu’s voice was slightly trembling.
“So many of our neighbors saw it. They said that a man driving a luxury car looked for you. Do you dare to say that the two of you have nothing to do with each other?” There was a hint of scorn in the woman’s tone. “I’m asking you a question, but you’re still pretending to be dead.
“So many people saw it, and you even brought him back home. I don’t even want to talk about the conversation you two had outside. Now, everyone in the entire neighborhood knows that my daughter has hooked up with someone rich and powerful…
“… and even brought the man home!”
Duan Linbai purely wanted to find trouble with her and hadn’t expected rumors to spread like this. His heart felt like it was being clutched tightly by something. It was extremely uncomfortable.
Xu Jiamu smiled lightly. “I really have nothing to do with him. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”
Xu Jiamu knew very well that she couldn’t afford to offend someone like Duan Linbai, so she could only hide from him, but he wasn’t a bad person. He only waited at her workplace, and he hadn’t come to her home to block her. Otherwise…
“Old Xu, listen to what she said. You think I can’t control you anymore, don’t you?”
The sound of things being thrown around in the house echoed again.
“Oh, they’re arguing again?” Everyone in the building seemed to have come out.
“Old Xu’s family is really something. It’s not easy for their daughter to come back for the new year. What’s there to argue about? Their son is indeed not as promising and capable as their daughter.”
“Exactly. Their son spent money to go to a community college and even held a celebration banquet in a hotel.”
…
Duan Linbai gritted his teeth and wanted to go forward with his blind cane.
“Little Boss.” Little Jiang pulled him back. “Where are you going?”
“What else? I’m naturally going to argue with them.” Duan Linbai couldn’t listen to this anymore.
“This is someone else’s family affair. Why do you want to get involved in it? You might even make things worse.” Little Jiang pulled him. Duan Linbai couldn’t see and almost fell.
The two in the house were still arguing…
… until the woman shouted, “Get lost!”
The house instantly fell silent.
The surrounding onlookers felt that there was no more commotion to watch, and they all went back home.
“Little Boss,” Little Jiang said softly, “let’s go too.”
Duan Linbai stood still for a while before turning around and stumbling down the stairs. Little Jiang wanted to support him by his arm, but he shook him off. He was clearly throwing a tantrum.
Little Jiang rubbed his nose. I can’t be blamed for this. With Little Boss’s temper, he might even turn the Xu family upside down and insult everyone in the family.
…
The two of them went downstairs and got into the car, but the atmosphere was indescribably depressing.
“Little Boss?” Little Jiang asked softly. “Do we go back now?”
“Wait a bit more.” Duan Linbai rubbed the folding blind cane in his lap. It was unknown what he was thinking about, but his tone wasn’t as lively as usual but instead very serious.
About seven minutes later, the sensor lights in the corridor gradually lit up, accompanied by the sound of a suitcase hitting the stairs.
Duan Linbai touched the car door with his fingers and opened it. He opened the foldable blind cane and propped it on the ground. He touched around with it while walking toward the sound.
“Little Boss.” Little Jiang was shocked and terrified that Duan Linbai might bump into something. If he returns with a body full of injuries, the Duan family won’t let me off.
“Drive the car forward. Her suitcase is too bulky.” Duan Linbai walked forward while leaning on his blind cane.
Xu Jiamu’s eyes were red as she stumbled downstairs with her suitcase. When she reached the first floor, she saw Duan Linbai at the entrance of the corridor.
Unlike usual, he was dressed fully in black today and wearing sunglasses. His entire look made his skin look even fairer. He was holding a blind cane with his fingertips, and the fluorescent paint on it was dazzling.
“Xu Jiamu?” Duan Linbai called out tentatively when he heard nothing.
“Why are you here?” Xu Jiamu’s eyes were red. Even though she knew that he couldn’t see, she still raised her hand to wipe her tears away. She dragged her suitcase forward with difficulty. “I’m really not in the mood to argue with you today. If you’re still here for what happened that day, I’d rather you beat me up, and then we’ll be even.”
“Do you think just one beating is enough? Dream on. Get in the car first. I haven’t eaten yet, and I’m starving.”
Xu Jiamu really wasn’t in the mood to deal with him. She dragged her suitcase and chased after him, wanting to make things clear with him.
She saw Duan Linbai leaning on his blind cane and pretending to look like a domineering CEO with an indomitable attitude. But he bumped into the rearview mirror of the car…
“F*ck, whose car is this? Why is it parked randomly? Does the driver have any public spirit?”
Standing at the side, Little Jiang looked dumbfounded. Didn’t you ask me to drive the car forward?
Xu Jiamu suddenly burst into laughter through her tears.. Is he here to be funny?