The Sickly Double Doesn't Want to Be Spoiled - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Asking that was completely redundant.

Of course Lu Cong would appear.

Meng Yuan had already given up on wondering why reality didn’t match the plot. It was entirely possible his colleague had remembered it wrong, or perhaps his colleague had read a pirated version.

After returning from the hospital, Meng Yuan recuperated at home for another two days. This illness affected his immunity; occasional low-grade fevers were almost unavoidable, and lying in a hospital indefinitely wouldn’t help much.

“While your condition is relatively stable, you should enjoy life more,” the doctor had consoled him.

To Meng Yuan’s ears, this sounded less like consolation and more like saying he was a goner that since a day spent playing and a day spent lying down both counted toward his end, he might as well go out and party. It was a bit poignant, but not wrong.

After consulting with Qin Qing, Meng Yuan set a plan to visit a private island in the South Pacific in half a month. He actually wanted to leave next week, but unfortunately, he had to attend the old professor’s birthday banquet, so he had to delay it by a few days.

Meng Yuan curled up on the sofa, propping his head with one hand, his mind filled with various fantasies. Come to think of it, he had never been abroad. Well, in his past life, he hadn’t even left his home province.

The South Pacific… it was so far away that it made him fearful, and so foreign that he didn’t even know how to imagine it.

“Xiao Yuan,” someone tapped his shoulder. Qin Qing looked at him with a smile. “What are you thinking about? Look, which style do you like?”

Meng Yuan snapped back to reality, remembering he was in the middle of picking out formal wear. A row of models stood in the living room, similar to him in stature and skin tone, each wearing different suits and tuxedos.

“Just simply pick the colors, styles, and fabrics you like,” Qin Qing said. “Once we’ve selected them, we’ll have them custom-made and let the designer refine the details. Trying on clothes is the most exhausting part, so let’s just look for now.”

She gazed at the row of models, having them turn around to see the full effect. “How about it? Is there anything you like?”

Meng Yuan felt they were all good; every set was so exquisite. They looked like finished products already; he could have put any of them on right then. He couldn’t fathom—if they were going to be custom-made even more precisely later, what kind of magic could they possibly perform?

“Is this the outfit for the birthday banquet?” he asked.

“This is for your wedding banquet,” Qin Qing teased with a smile. “President Lu places great importance on it. He said he’s afraid you’ll find it too tiring, so he’s having the ‘Return to the Bride’s Home’ banquet outfits made at the same time to save trouble later.”

She added: “As for the birthday banquet, that’s already prepared for you. It’s in the walk-in closet. Want to go take a look?”

Meng Yuan was dizzy from being hit with three different “banquets” in a row. Why did Lu Cong have such a strong sense of ceremony? Was a “Return to the Bride’s Home” banquet even necessary?

In Meng Yuan’s memory, the people he knew who got married never had such a thing; they just went home for a meal and that was it. Did he and Lu Cong really have to go back to the Meng house to show off?

Whatever. Since Lu Cong was preparing it and Lu Cong was paying for it, and Meng Yuan didn’t have to do anything except cooperate, he’d just go along with it.

“No need,” Meng Yuan was too lazy to move; he got tired just by shifting a bit. “I trust your vision.”

As he spoke, Meng Yuan felt his eyelids growing heavy again. The models went to change into another set of clothes, and by the time they came out, Meng Yuan had already fallen fast asleep against the sofa.

Faint footsteps approached from the hallway connecting to the main entrance. Lu Cong walked in at an unhurried pace, his gaze sweeping over the row of models.

That was close. If it weren’t for the fact that these models had skin tones and builds similar to Meng Yuan, he would have almost thought the kid had become bold enough to order “male models” to the house.

He told Meng Yuan to be bolder, but not that kind of bold.

“Picking clothes?” Lu Cong asked.

“Yes,” Qin Qing said. “You’ve come at the right time. Help Xiao Yuan choose; after all, it’s your wedding banquet.”

Lu Cong was carrying several shopping bags, large and small, all from various jewelry brands or unbranded custom items. “Is there nothing he likes?”

Qin Qing shook her head, casting a helpless glance at Meng Yuan. This fellow was so deep in sleep he didn’t know where he was.

Lu Cong: “…”

He placed the shopping bags casually on the coffee table, took two steps toward Meng Yuan, and stared at him for a while. He reached out toward the boy’s fluffy, curled hair.

The moment his finger touched a strand of hair, the person in front of him shivered and opened his eyes.

As if sensing something, Meng Yuan instinctively curled inward before he was even fully awake, his large eyes flickering with a dazed and timid light. He hadn’t actually been in a deep sleep, just dozing. The buzzing conversation in his ears hadn’t been clear until Lu Cong’s sudden proximity brought a strange, electric sensation that woke him instantly.

Lu Cong’s eyes darkened slightly. “What did I tell you before?”

Meng Yuan reacted for a moment, then whispered: “To be… a bit bolder…”

“Good,” Lu Cong continued. “So, what should you do?”

Meng Yuan’s eyelashes fluttered as he lowered his gaze, gradually relaxing his tense spine. Lu Cong successfully touched the boy’s soft hair, nodding with satisfaction: “Very obedient.”

“No clothes you like?” His tone softened considerably.

Meng Yuan pursed his lips in distress. “They all feel very good. I can’t choose.”

“Mind if I pick for you?”

Meng Yuan shook his head immediately. Of course not! He was dying for someone to make a decision for him. He had looked until his eyes were blurry; if this continued, the models’ legs would probably start to ache from standing.

“You choose,” Meng Yuan said. “I’ll wear whatever you pick.”

Seeing the expectant look in the boy’s eyes, Lu Cong felt a strange sensation in his heart. He didn’t know how to describe it, but the feeling wasn’t bad.

He scanned the models one by one and pointed: “That white one.”

The store manager, waiting nearby for instructions, quickly took note.

“The bowtie design on the second one on the left is good; it should suit him well. Keep that detail during the alterations, but take the waist in a bit more.”

Lu Cong thought carefully: “The dark green one at the end would be good as a toasting suit.” He turned to look at Meng Yuan: “How about it?”

Meng Yuan had no objections and nodded obediently: “I like them.”

The corners of Lu Cong’s lips turned up slightly as he waved to the group across from them, signaling they didn’t need to stay.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Meng Yuan said to the group.

“Young Master Meng, you’re too kind!” the manager said quickly. “It’s all part of our job.” He led the models in a bow and left quietly, their footsteps very light.

Qin Qing opened the bags on the table and brought out a pile of small boxes all rings, spread out across the table. “My god, why did you buy so many rings?” she asked, shocked.

“Wedding rings are a must, of course.” Lu Cong was indifferent; in his mind, this was just the basic setup for a marriage.

Qin Qing clicked her tongue. “But we usually think a wedding ring is just one pair.”

Lu Cong frowned; money sometimes gave him a certain kind of naivety. “Isn’t that too stingy?”

Qin Qing: “…”

“What do you think?” Lu Cong looked at Meng Yuan again.

Meng Yuan’s head was spinning again from the choice, dazzled by the pile of gemstones until he was speechless. So, picking rings now? He couldn’t choose anymore. Meng Yuan had always thought he didn’t have “choice paralysis,” but now he realized it wasn’t that he didn’t have it—it was that he had never had the luxury of choice before.

Curse you, fate!

He had never owned an item, be it food or clothing, simply because he “liked” it. Every item he owned was the cheapest necessity he could find after careful consideration and spending half the night comparing different shops. Usually, he would use those things for years until they were completely broken.

“Forget it,” Lu Cong compromised. “If all else fails, pick one pair as the main rings and rotate the others. Just one thing: your hand can’t be empty.”

He looked at Meng Yuan. When Meng Yuan didn’t respond, he kept staring steadily.

Meng Yuan snapped back to his senses. For some reason, his smile looked a bit bitter. “I heard you,” he said softly.

“What a great life…”

The models left the villa one after another, looking back at the vast, bright living room and whispering among themselves. Meng Yuan sat on the sofa, bathed in the clear sunlight of the villa, surrounded by a mountain of jewelry. Beside him sat a handsome lover who pampered him, and a graceful housekeeper watching over everything with a gentle gaze.

Yet the youth in the center looked like a spoiled little prince, with a faint frown between his brows. Perhaps for people like them, the biggest worry every day was debating what color jewelry to wear.

“Yeah, a truly great life…” “Don’t look, we can’t compare. One of those gemstones is worth more than your house.” “The gap between people is truly huge.” “In a few years, you’ll realize the gap between people is bigger than the gap between humans and pigs!” “Hahaha, then I guess my second-hand Chrome Hearts is okay at least it’s real!” “Sigh, I never want to wear fakes again either…” “Do good deeds and accumulate merit; hope for a better rebirth in the next life!”

…

In the evening, Meng Yuan exited a donation app and let out a long sigh of relief.

He hadn’t expected that after coming to this world, the first sum of money to leave his hands would be a donation. Meng Yuan felt it was quite good; perhaps it was meant to be.

In the past, he had also donated from time to time, participating in crowdfunding platforms like Waterdrop, but his ability was too weak; it was always just a dollar or two.

Now it was different; Meng Yuan had just donated 500,000 yuan in one go!

500,000!

Although it was nothing to him now, Meng Yuan knew very well that 500,000 could give almost any ordinary family an instant glimmer of hope for a second chance at life.

He rolled over in bed, feeling the tightness in his chest finally ease. Spending money felt this good!

That night, he had a beautiful dream. In the dream, he became a pixelated character in a game, moving bricks back and forth. Suddenly, a giant gold coin fell from the sky with the words “50w” flashing in brilliant gold, and it landed right on his forehead with a clack.

He was knocked down by the impact.

Then he climbed back up tenaciously. He took a giant bite out of the gold coin and ran home happily.

His mother, who had been passed away for years, had actually come back to life, becoming a pink pixel character with a bow, making a whole table of his favorite dishes. They used that giant gold coin to cure his father’s illness.

Meng Yuan was so happy that tears actually came out.