The Sickly Double Doesn't Want to Be Spoiled - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Meng Yuan couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t because he was afraid of “going insane,” nor was it because Lu Cong lying beside him had such a profound impact on him. He simply couldn’t sleep because he had slept too much in the afternoon.

After lying flat in bed until midnight so long that his back ached, Meng Yuan slowly sat up. His head felt a bit dizzy, and he accidentally knocked his phone onto the floor.

Thud! The crisp sound was exceptionally piercing in the dead of night. Meng Yuan instinctively turned to look at Lu Cong, but the man had no reaction whatsoever. He remained in his “corpse-like” pose, breathing steadily. He was fast asleep; not only was his sleeping posture good, but his sleep quality was so high it was enviable.

Meng Yuan picked up the phone and stared at Lu Cong for a while, trying to use mental willpower to suck the sleepiness from Lu Cong’s brain into his own. After failing, he stepped out of bed composedly.

The Meng estate was very large, so Meng Yuan went out for a stroll. The night wind was a bit chilly, so he threw on an extra coat.

As he walked by the pond, he recalled a rumor he’d seen online everyone said this pond at the Meng house was quite eerie. This was an ancestral residence left over from the last century, and this “pond” was more like a massive artificial lake. It was said that many people had drowned here in the past, and even Meng Derun’s third wife had committed suicide by jumping into this very lake.

Standing there for a moment, Meng Yuan felt a chill run down his spine. Thinking of those bizarre stories, the hair on his arms stood up. With no one around and the night dead silent, Meng Yuan surveyed the estate, which was as big as a forest park. He didn’t dare linger any longer and scurried back.

By the time he reached the stairs, his heart was thumping wildly: thump-thump-thump-thump.

He had to stop, bending over to press his hand against his chest while his other hand gripped the banister tightly. The sensation of palpitations was distinct; every pump of blood sent a strange sting through his body. His ears were buzzing, and his vision flickered with darkness.

For a long while, he couldn’t move. This body truly couldn’t handle any strenuous exercise; just running a few steps and rushing up the stairs had pushed him past his limit. He crouched on the stairs for a bit until the tinnitus faded and his heartbeat gradually returned to normal. Then, slowly, he tried to stand up.

He was covered in a thin sweat, with a lingering sense of exhaustion and weakness. Meng Yuan didn’t dare run again. He slowed his pace, shuffling up to the second floor one step at a time, taking several minutes to clear a dozen steps.

The bedroom was on the southwest of the second floor. Diagonally across the hallway was the study. As he passed the study, Meng Yuan heard a faint humming sound.

He stopped, thinking his ears were ringing again. He frowned and pressed his temples, but the sound became clearer. It was the sound of conversation.

Meng Yuan turned his head toward the closed study door. From inside came the intermittent voices of several people sometimes high, sometimes low, occasionally clear, and occasionally muffled. Instinctively, he shuffled a few steps closer to the study.

At the doorway, separated only by a door panel, the voices became distinct.

“So what do you mean by saying all this now?” It was a woman’s voice.

“While Eldest Sister isn’t here, shouldn’t we clarify things? Are we going to start infighting among ourselves?” This was a male voice.

“Heh, you say that as if we were ever united.”

The mixed voices of men and women allowed Meng Yuan to identify them: it was his older siblings. Based on the content, Meng Xiyin wasn’t there. So, what were they planning behind her back? The rumors that the Meng family was plagued by internal discord were clearly true.

Meng Yuan hesitated about whether to keep listening. After all, eavesdropping isn’t right. But thinking of Meng Xiyin, the eldest sister who was a bit cold but not unkind to him he couldn’t bring himself to move.

“So, are we really just going to let Little Sixth live peacefully like this?”

Meng Yuan was jolted. If he wasn’t mistaken, “Little Sixth” referred to the original owner meaning himself.

“Otherwise? Do you really want to take things to the extreme?”

“I feel it’s unnecessary. With that illness of his, he won’t live much longer anyway. Why do something extra and get ourselves into a mess?”

“If he stayed home and behaved, that would be one thing. But it’s different now. He’s latched onto the Lu guy. That’s a variable!”

“More than that. I heard that lately, Eldest Sister has been running around everywhere trying to find a matching bone marrow for him. She’s quite busy.”

“She’s also losing her clarity.”

“How so? It’s possible Eldest Sister is the smartest among us.”

“Anyway, I heard that before his mother died, she made some kind of deal with our father. In short, in the will, Little Sixth gets the most.”

“Either let him die at home before the wedding, or let the marriage fall through, or let him leave with nothing. Otherwise, once he marries over and suddenly kicks the bucket, all the property goes to the Lu family. What about us? There’s no such logic in the world!”

“That’s easy to say. Whether he dies and when he dies is that up to you to decide?”

…

“Who says it isn’t?”

Silence fell. After an extreme quiet, a hallucinatory static-like sound seemed to fill the air. Meng Yuan could almost see the eyes flickering behind that door. What kind of looks were they exchanging?

Meng Yuan felt his blood turn to ice. He couldn’t tell if it was fear or anger, or perhaps both. He felt it was absurd, utterly absurd, that these people were trying to decide his life and death with a few casual words. Yet, in this world this inherently absurd world it seemed nothing was impossible.

Meng Yuan trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat soaking his back. His heart, which had just calmed down, began to hammer against his ribs again, bringing sharp stings. He moved to gritted his teeth and endured it, sweat blurring his eyes.

The voices inside had stopped. He didn’t know if they had reached a consensus. After some rustling sounds, the sound of footsteps followed. Meng Yuan snapped his head up, realizing the conversation had ended and they were coming toward the door to leave.

Tap, tap. Tap, tap.

The sound of leather shoes mixed with the light click of high heels drew closer, step by step, becoming clearer and clearer. Meng Yuan’s reflex was to flee in panic, but his feet froze before he could take a step.

“You’re not without a backup.”

That sentence echoed in his mind. Lu Cong’s voice seemed to drift by his ear. Was that man trustworthy? Meng Yuan wasn’t sure, but somehow, he felt a surge of courage out of thin air.

Before he could think further, the door opened.

His Third Brother gripped the handle and pulled open the solid wood door of the study, which was painted a deep red. Faint light slowly spilled out from the crack.

The people inside were startled for a second, then the Third Brother let out a light laugh: “Meng Yuan?”

The door opened fully, and the smell of cigarettes wafted out. The Second Sister walked out gracefully with a cigarette in her right hand. Meng Yuan finally saw the four of them clearly. They were all tall; even the girls, once in heels, were taller than Meng Yuan. As they approached him together, the pressure was enough to make his heart explode.

Meng Yuan used every ounce of strength he had to avoid taking a single step back under the pressure. He stood his ground firmly.

“My apologies,” Second Sister said with a look of feigned regret. “We didn’t expect you to still be awake at this hour.”

They seemed to feel that discussing how to kill Meng Yuan wasn’t out of line at all, nor did they feel any awkwardness or embarrassment at being caught by the person in question. Meng Yuan found it difficult to understand; anger sparked like a flame in his heart.

He asked bluntly: “You want to kill me?”

The group apparently didn’t expect him to be so direct. They exchanged glances and smiled. “Things like this… if said out loud, it’s not very polite, is it?”

“So you hope to kill me in a polite way?”

The group fell silent, staring at Meng Yuan as if it were none of their business. Everyone’s eyes held a terrifying sort of innocence. That look made Meng Yuan shiver with disgust.

He took a step forward: “Then do you dare to just kill me right now? I’ll give you a chance.”

The expressions of his brothers and sisters finally shifted, and they looked at Meng Yuan with curiosity. Of course they didn’t dare. Even if they were to act, it couldn’t be a rushed move; they would need to plan a scheme that allowed everyone to escape unscathed.

“Xiao Yuan,” the Third Brother said with a beaming smile. “This is probably a mis”

“You don’t dare now, and you won’t have the guts in the future.” Because he was so angry, Meng Yuan showed no mercy: “You really think you’re gods? You’re overestimating yourselves.”

After saying that, ignoring the man’s suddenly frozen smile, he turned and walked away without looking back.

At the end of the corridor, not far from the bedroom, stood a dark figure. Meng Yuan’s footsteps paused for a split second, and the person stepped out from the shadows.

Meng Yuan saw Lu Cong approaching with a smile, reaching out to give him a round of applause. That smile looked as if he had done something to make him immensely proud.

“Well done,” Lu Cong said.

Meng Yuan snapped back to reality and realized he was shaking uncontrollably, cold sweat dripping down.

“I was actually very nervous…” he said.

“Are you sure it’s nervousness and not fear that you’re just barely holding back?”

Meng Yuan’s eyes flickered. In the dim light, they looked like candles swaying in the wind—forlorn and helpless.

His brothers and sisters followed, their footsteps approaching leisurely. Lu Cong raised his eyes, glancing at the dark figures ahead. After a moment, he gently pulled Meng Yuan into his arms. He patted the boy’s trembling back.

“President Lu,” the person in front said with a smile. “It’s truly strange. Why is no one sleeping tonight?”

“Indeed,” Lu Cong said. “I usually sleep quite well, but tonight I suddenly couldn’t sleep.”

Then he shifted his tone and suddenly laughed: “Perhaps it’s because I’m afraid that if I fall asleep, this kid will disappear.”

The expressions of the others changed slightly.

Lu Cong stared at the crown of Meng Yuan’s hair. “If that really happened, my heart might ache so much that I’d make the four of you disappear as well.”

“President Lu,” the Third Brother gritted his teeth slightly. “You must be joking.”

Lu Cong didn’t bite. “We can’t stay here any longer. I’m taking Meng Yuan home now.”

He had a bit of a smile on his face, arrogant and leisurely as his gaze swept over the four of them one by one.

“No objections, right?”