Renzi could not help asking, “Why were they beating you up?”
“Because I deserved it!” Mu Chutong lay on the bed and looked at Renzi, “I’m pretty thankful that you found me.”
Renzi nodded his head, expressing his agreement. “I’m also very thankful that I found you in time, if not who knows what state you’ll end up in.”
“No, that’s not what I meant. This is not Country C, and at the very least, I can be considered to have the backing of the Gu family. They won’t dare to beat me up too badly.” Mu Chutong looked at Renzi, “I was just worried about you…”
“Huh?”
“They chose to eagerly drag me away in the light of the day, they must have wanted to do something to you.” Mu Chutong spoke gently, “When I was being held down by them, I kept thinking about this, and was quite worried. Seeing you there, I then felt relieved.”
Renzi was extremely alarmed. “What did they want to do to me?”
Mu Chutong coughed a couple of times, “You really don’t know that he’s always had intentions towards you?”
Renzi could not be anymore astounded. His jaw was glued to the floor.
Mu Chutong was not surprised to see Renzi’s reaction, only smiling slightly. “It’s fine, just take it as though I’ve never said anything.”
“What do you mean?” Renzi questioned, “I don’t understand what you just said!”
“You need to change this habit of trusting everyone you meet,” Mu Chutong spoke in a lecturing tone. “The people around you have really indulged this habit of yours. Your brother and Gu Xiaoshan have clearly seen that Shu Jingyi has intentions towards you, but they both won’t tell you about it. It’s because they spoil you too much, afraid that you’ll be sad, or that it’ll affect your mood, or that they like that you’re so foolish. They’re also too arrogant, thinking that they can shelter you forever, afraid that you’ll lose your innocence. They really have something wrong with their brains, and they too think that there’s something wrong with yours.”
Renzi was confused. “Exactly who is the one who has something wrong with their brain? Is it me?”
“Of course you also have something wrong with your brain!” Mu Chutong said harshly, “Why in the world did you ever think that Shu Jingyi was a good person?”
Renzi thought about it, feeling a little hesitant. He paused before saying, “Actually, my brother did warn me. However, I always felt that Mr Shu is someone who has helped me before, and he wouldn’t harm me.”
“He even knows how to help others?” Mu Chutong sneered.
Renzi then told Mu Chutong about the Tan Zhugui matter. Mu Chutong’s head hurt more the longer Renzi went on, and only said, “This… This is clearly a trap laid for you by him!”
Renzi was taken aback. “How is this a trap laid by him?”
Mu Chutong rubbed at his forehead, a headache coming over him. “Think about it yourself! If you don’t understand it after one night, think over it for two nights! You’re already so old, yet you’re unable to think through this? My little President Ren, as a human being, you can’t be lazy in using your brain!”
When Renzi left the hospital and went home, he sunk into deep contemplation. This was the first time in his life that he had used such malice to evaluate a friend’s actions.
Shu Jingyi “helped” him settle the Tan Zhugui matter, and thinking about it carefully, there were many apparent flaws. However, Renzi had never thought about the matter in such a direction, as he had always seen Shu Jingyi as a friend that would never harm him. Also, just as Mu Chutong said, he was also too lazy to use his brain. Ever since he was a child, he had always been like this. The more he did and said, the more mistakes he made, and was often reprimanded by his father.
For example, as a child, he had tried to pour tea out for his father. However, he spilled the tea, and nearly scalded himself. His father then reprimanded him, instructing him to never touch hot water again. As such, he obediently listened to him. Gradually, he himself no longer poured out any tea and water. There would always be someone helping him to do it. He need not spend the energy and effort, and nothing would happen to him.
When he was young, he tried to sign up for horse-riding as an elective. Narrowly getting injured, Gu Xiaoshan then reported the matter to Old Mister Yu. Old Mister Yu immediately helped him change his elective, and reprimanded him again, saying that he was too clumsy to learn horse-riding. Not knowing what to do, from then on he just allowed his family to decide his courses for him. This seemed like a very good idea, as he need not spend any effort and could have courses where learning was easy and the teachers were friendly. It was so much better than deciding for himself.
His life was filled with such experiences, and soon he gradually got used to listening to the advice of “smarter people”, and no longer made decisions himself. Even when he grew up and became a president, he still never made decisions. He would hand over the smaller matters for Zhi Xuan to deal with, and reported the bigger matters to his father to make the decisions. At first, he had thought that managing such a large company would be very difficult, but instead finding out that even though he was lazy, the company could still run by itself, and he could be considered to have done his job. Although his performance was not very ideal, he did not make a loss. In the end, when his brother replaced him, he was not resentful at all, and even sighed a breath of relief.
Gu Xiaoshan and Yu Yuntao had chosen to conceal many bad things from him, probably because just like him, they had been used to it over the years, and old habits were hard to kill off. As someone viewing this situation later, Mu Chutong was astonished to see it. However, to them, it was completely normal.
Still, after interacting with Renzi, Mu Chutong had a little understanding of why everyone around him wanted to protect him. Being so pure and unguarded, Renzi was really a rare breed. However, Mu Chutong felt that this was very harmful, and he really could not just sit and watch it continue.
Mu Chutong called Gu Xiaoshan and told him everything that happened.
Gu Xiaoshan’s thoughts headed in the same direction as Mu Chutong, feeling that Shu Jingyi’s sudden reveal of his true nature was definitely because he had something up his sleeves. He asked, “Is Renzi fine?”
“Hey, President Gu, don’t you have a bit of humanity in you?” Mu Chutong said, “I’ve been beaten half to death, but you’re asking after little President Ren instead?”
Hearing this response, Gu Xiaoshan knew that Renzi was safe. “It’s good that nothing happened to him.”
Renzi had nothing to do, and so came to visit Mu Chutong everyday. Today, Renzi brought two bunches of bananas and a basketful of apples, placing them next to Mu Chutong’s bed. Mu Chutong was amused by them, “You’re bringing all these fruits everyday. People who know will say I’m a patient, but those who don’t will think I’m a monkey.”
Renzi laughed, “But I can’t come empty handed.”
“You can,” Mu Chutong said. “Why do the apples you brought me have skin on them? Peel them for me.”
“But apples would definitely have skin?” Renzi did not really know how to peel apples, but feeling that he was already so old, he needed to learn to do some things for himself. “Where’s the fruit knife?”
Mu Chutong pursed his lips towards the kitchenette. “It’s over there.”
Mu Chutong was staying in the luxury suite of a private hospital that Renzi had arranged, and with it came a kitchenette. It was not very big, but there was a stove, a chopping board, a kitchen counter, and a stocked refrigerator. There was everything that one would need. When Mu Chutong was sick of the food provided by the hospital, he could request for the nurse to cook for him. Since everything was paid for by Renzi, he did not hold himself back.
Renzi brought an apple and opened the door to the kitchenette. The door immediately closed behind him, and behind him appeared a person who clapped his hand over his mouth.
Renzi got a shock, dropping the apple. However, recognising the faint cologne smell and feeling the familiar embrace, he relaxed, and even felt a delight amidst his surprise. The person who had “sneakily attacked” him from the back saw that he was not the least bit afraid, lost interest and let him go. Renzi did not dare to turn around and look at that person’s face. So, that person walked to the front of Renzi and spoke, “You’re not happy to see me?”
Renzi lifted his head up, and to no surprise, he saw Gu Xiaoshan’s face. What made him surprise however was the stubble on Gu Xiaoshan’s face. He looked a little more dispirited than usual, and the stubble on his cheeks cast a shadow on them, looking more haggard, but also added a bit more masculinity to him.
Renzi was startled, “Why didn’t you shave?”
“I’ve missed you too much, so I came immediately once I landed. I didn’t have time to shave.”
Renzi was a little happy, but also a little doubtful. “Are you telling the truth?”
“Of course!” Gu Xiaoshan said that, but he had deliberately not shaved to act pitiful.
Renzi now started evaluating his actions “maliciously”, and got angry. He scolded, “Bullshit! If you missed me, why didn’t you go to my place? Coming over here, you just wanted to see your first love!”
Gu Xiaoshan had not thought that Renzi had become a little wilier. He held Renzi’s shoulders and explained with a laugh, “I heard that you’ll come here at this time everyday, and that’s why I’m here.”
“Who did you hear it from?”
Gu Xiaoshan saw that Renzi was eyeing him suspiciously, and so sighed, “Mu Chutong was the one who told me.”
“You!” Renzi was exasperated, “You’re still not completely cut off from him!”
“I’m currently in a business partnership with him, how can I not contact him?” Gu Xiaoshan explained. “Also, he knows that I’m concerned about you and yet couldn’t contact you, that’s why he told me all these things. He understands completely that there’s only you in my heart. Instead, you’re the one who doesn’t understand.” Gu Xiaoshan put on an aggrieved expression. Together with his stubble, it made Renzi’s heart ache for him.
Renzi’s heart softened, feeling that what Gu Xiaoshan said was reasonable. However, he turned his head away. “I don’t want to listen to your words. You only know how to lie!”
“You’re the judge. If you want to sentence me to death, you should still listen to my explanation.”
“I won’t listen, I won’t listen!” Although Renzi said that, he did not walk away. He instead bared his feelings, “You will only use those refined tactics of yours and confuse me, why do I have to listen? If you want me to listen to your explanation, you have to be sincere about it.”
Seeing Renzi’s attitude, Gu Xiaoshan knew his hopes were high. Catching hold of Renzi’s hand, he kissed the back of it. Renzi felt the gentle kiss and blushed, speaking boorishly, “Just say what you want to say, don’t do this! —You, you’re so rude!”
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