The Sickly Double Doesn't Want to Be Spoiled - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Are you okay?

Meng Yuan almost let the words slip out.

Heaven as his witness, he hadn’t chosen Lu Cong the person; he had chosen Lu Cong’s money. He would have agreed to anyone offering that much money, okay? Who in their right mind turns away a fortune?

But he only dared to mutter these things in his heart. Meng Yuan admitted he was spineless, and he felt there was nothing wrong with that. If being the most spineless man in the world meant obtaining a massive amount of wealth, he was willing to be spineless until the day he died.

Therefore, marrying Lu Cong wasn’t anything unbearable even if Lu Cong was eccentric, moody, and narcissistic.

…

The Meng Family.

The eldest daughter’s tea party was being held in a fragrant garden. This was the Meng family’s ancestral home, built like a forest manor from a European film, with fragrant flowers, lush greenery, and clusters of blossoms everywhere.

Lu Cong ran into some acquaintances and stayed downstairs to chat, while Meng Yuan was called upstairs by his eldest sister.

Although the eldest daughter, Meng Xiyin, held such a tea party every month, she didn’t often go down to mingle. Most of the time, she sat behind a one-way glass wall on the second floor, calmly looking down at the people conversing below.

Meeting her for the first time, Meng Yuan felt her appearance was vastly different from his own. Though they shared the same father, Meng Yuan had typical Asian features black hair, black eyes, and soft, delicate features that weren’t aggressive.

Meng Xiyin, however, seemed to have partial European heritage. She had deep-set eyes, a high bridge to her nose, and a very three-dimensional facial structure. With her long, curly brown hair, she looked like a leading lady from an old foreign black-and-white movie. Yet her gaze was sharp and bright, filled with a sense of decisiveness that instantly cut through her melancholic aura.

“Look.”

She tilted her chin slightly, signaling Meng Yuan to look downstairs.

Lu Cong was chatting with someone, wearing his customary social mask. The curve of his smile was precise to the millimeter polite, yet carrying a distinct sense of distance. Meng Yuan felt the person opposite Lu Cong looked familiar, but he was certain he had never met him.

“The second son of Guangfa Real Estate, Du An’an,” Meng Xiyin said. “The scene you caused yesterday was quite significant.”

So it was the second son of the Du family. He looked quite a bit like his brother; no wonder Meng Yuan found him familiar.

Meng Yuan pulled at the corner of his mouth awkwardly. “I didn’t expect…”

“Whether you expected it or not, it happened,” Meng Xiyin said with a playful smile. “In less than 24 hours, Boss Du has already made his choice.”

Meng Yuan was slightly startled and looked down.

Du An’an handed a business card to Lu Cong, respectfully saying, “President Lu.”

Lu Cong took it, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Promoted to Vice President?”

“Acting, just acting,” Du An’an laughed modestly.

“Then if I help you today, can those two words be removed?” Lu Cong asked bluntly.

Du An’an hadn’t expected him to be so direct. He paused for half a second before deciding not to beat around the bush. “Yes.”

He said, “So, I’ve taken the liberty of disturbing you today, President Lu, hoping you might reconsider the cooperation between Lingzhou and Guangfa.”

“Of course, I’m not asking for an immediate decision. I just hope you’ll give me a chance so we can talk properly. I guarantee you’ll see my sincerity.”

Lu Cong nodded with an ambiguous expression. “Give me a reason.”

Seeing an opening, Du An’an was delighted but didn’t act impulsively. He steadied his nerves even further.

“I won’t mention too many technical details; that would be showing off before an expert. I only want to say that I trust Lingzhou and I trust your vision. Since Lingzhou previously listed Guangfa as the first-choice partner, it means you’ve already conducted rigorous inspections and recognized our strength. From qualifications to scale, Guangfa is the most suitable choice, period.”

“Secondly, I want to thank you,” he smiled. “If you truly intended to completely abandon our cooperation, you wouldn’t have wasted so much breath yesterday to remind my father. Before I left today, my father repeatedly instructed me to convey his gratitude.”

After he spoke, Lu Cong made no comment, and his thoughts were unreadable. Du An’an wasn’t in a hurry; he waited patiently, studying Lu Cong’s expression, then suddenly laughed.

“And finally, one last point,” he patted his own arm. “I exercise diligently. I will never give your assistant the chance to kick me off the second floor.”

Lu Cong’s sharp eyebrows twitched. Only then did he finally look the young man in the eye.

After a moment, he nodded with a smile. “It seems your father isn’t senile yet.” He took the business card.

…

On the second floor, Meng Xiyin also nodded.

“It looks like he’s earned a chance to play ball with Lu Cong.”

She said to herself, “It’s that fast. One is abandoned, and the next immediately takes his place. Before long, no one will remember who the eldest son of the Du family was.”

Meng Yuan listened in silence, feeling she had a hidden meaning, but he couldn’t figure out why she was telling him this. He could only keep his mouth shut, occasionally giving a vague response.

Fortunately, Meng Xiyin didn’t cling to the topic. She turned to look at Meng Yuan, her cat-like eyes fixed on him.

“You’ve decided to marry Lu Cong?”

Meng Yuan felt uncomfortable under such a gaze and nodded awkwardly. “Mhm.”

A scoff came from in front of him. Meng Yuan looked up and saw a touch of mockery at the corner of Meng Xiyin’s mouth. “You really haven’t listened to a single word I’ve said to you.”

Meng Yuan paused. What words?

She must have said them to the original owner, but Meng Yuan’s memory was blank. He cautiously refrained from answering, thinking of how to cope.

Meng Xiyin lost her patience. “Did I not tell you? He doesn’t love you, and he never will. Do you really want to build your marriage on a foundation completely devoid of love?”

“He’s marrying you only because our families are well-matched. With you appearing in public as his partner, letting all eyes good and bad focus on you, he can protect the person he truly hides behind the scenes.”

“Does it feel good to be used as a shield? Meng Yuan, can’t you wake up?”

His shoulder was gripped; Meng Xiyin’s nails almost pierced his skin, her eyes full of anger at his lack of ambition.

Meng Yuan stared at his sister blankly, unable to speak for a few seconds. It wasn’t that he was shocked by the content of the conversation, but rather he hadn’t expected Meng Xiyin to lay it all out for him so plainly.

“I know,” Meng Yuan said softly. “But I’m sorry, sister, I’ve already decided.”

Meng Xiyin stood up abruptly.

“You!”

She pointed a finger at Meng Yuan’s forehead, her breath trembling with rage.

“You have absolutely none of our Meng family’s spirit. You’re just as cowardly as your mother,” she said. “Obstinate!”

Just before storming out, she stood still for a moment, took a deep breath, and suppressed her anger.

“You only have one chance to regret this,” she said, as if unable to bear it. “If that day truly comes in the future… I’ll give you one chance to come and find me.”

With that, she left without looking back.

Meng Yuan sat in place alone for a long time.

He had known all along. He knew there would be no feelings between him and Lu Cong. He knew there was someone else behind the scenes Lu Cong truly wanted to protect. He even knew this entire world was just a novel.

But so what? What could be done?

His life was running out; every day lived was one less remaining. He spent his days counting down in his heart. He didn’t have the energy to fight for anything anymore.

What if Lu Cong didn’t love him? He didn’t love Lu Cong either. No one was giving more than the other. If you really calculated it, Lu Cong was the one losing money.

Meng Yuan felt exhausted. He would be dead in a little over a year. He didn’t want to fight for anything with all his might anymore; he had lived his previous life with enough effort and struggle. If he tried to move in a direction completely opposite to the plot, he didn’t know how many other troubles would split and extend from it.

Meng Yuan didn’t have the energy. Right now, he just wanted to lie flat, soak in the sun, and comfortably live out a few good days.

But he couldn’t tell Meng Xiyin these things. There was no thread to pull, no way to start.

Meng Yuan felt a splitting headache.

As the sunset tilted, he watched the shadows below gradually disperse.

“Meng Yuan?”

Lu Cong pushed open the door. His face was blurred in the dim room.

“How long have you been here?” He walked in. “Why didn’t you answer when I called?”

Meng Yuan’s reaction was a bit sluggish. He felt dazed. It took him a moment to pull his phone from his pocket and see three missed calls.

“I was daydreaming; my phone was on silent,” he laughed apologetically. “Did you need something?”

Lu Cong’s gaze fixed on his face, looking at him suspiciously for a while. “Are you okay?”

The speed at which Meng Yuan blinked was very slow. One side of his face was bathed in the sunset; his pupils and eyelashes were dyed gold.

“I’m fine,” he said softly, checking the time. “Is it time for dinner? Let’s go eat.”

Lu Cong stopped him.

The back of Meng Yuan’s hand was freezing cold. His eyelids and lips were unusually pale. He stood for a few seconds, then suddenly took two steps back as if he were about to fall.

Lu Cong instinctively propped up his back, feeling his own heart thud twice in his chest.

“What is actually wrong with you?” His tone became more serious.

In just half an afternoon, Meng Yuan hadn’t been in the sun or the wind, yet he looked as if he had undergone some ordeal, his strength suddenly drained away.

Meng Yuan shook his head. He continued backward, leaning against the glass wall.

Lu Cong’s hand was caught between the hard glass and the boy’s soft spine. Meng Yuan’s back was slightly damp with sweat, his shoulder blades protruding clearly. His body temperature wasn’t high it was slightly cool.

Lu Cong suddenly felt his palm go stiff.

“Meng Yuan?”

Meng Yuan didn’t look at him, staring blankly ahead. He seemed utterly exhausted, his voice very faint. “Are you very afraid of trouble?”

Lu Cong paused for a subtle moment. “What do you mean?”

“Me too,” Meng Yuan said.

In his peripheral vision, Lu Cong’s expression changed noticeably. Meng Yuan seemed unaware as he turned his head slightly to look at him.

“That is the real reason I chose to marry you.”