Chapter 41 - Are You Out Of Your Mind, Lu Huaiyu?
Dai Li knocked the table over, resulting in the wine and the liquor falling and splashing all over the floor.
He covered his chest in pain and looked as pale as paper. Looking at Lu Huaiyu, his eyes were full of fear while his voice sounded heavy as if he was being choked. He dared not even groan in pain.
The dinner hall was doused in dead silence, the air almost frozen by the intense tension.
Lu Huaiyu looked down on Dai Li with his sharp and cold gaze. He said in a flat tone, “She said she didn’t want to. Are you deaf?”
He had brought her here himself, and everyone in the hall saw it clearly. He thought he was making himself known, but it seemed like he was not being clear enough.
Cheng Xiyue nervously glanced at Lu Huaiyu, his eyes twitching helplessly. ‘How long has it been since he got so angry? How stupid of Dai Li! Out of everyone, why must he offend Ning Li?!’
If Lu Huaiyu decided to be ruthless, even those in the capital would fear him, let alone now. Dai Li must have mistaken Lu Huaiyu for someone with a good temper.
Then, a middle-aged man anxiously came over, sweating nervously as he said, “Second Master Lu, my son doesn’t mean to offend you. This is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”
The man was Dai Li’s father, Dai Shengquan.
The Dai family was considered one of the richest families in Yunzhou though not in the same league as the Lu family from the capital.
Dai Shengquan thought he could seek out favors, but his son had offended Lu Huaiyu in the blink of an eye. Being a smart man, he quickly apologized to Ning Li.
“Ms. Ning, I’m so sorry about this. My boy might be a little unruly, but he doesn’t mean ill!”
Ye Ming frowned and looked at Su Yuan.
The Dai family was considered a business associate to the Ye family. If the situation was exacerbated, it would do no good to either side.
Su Yuan took a deep breath and said, “Ning Li, this should be a misunderstanding. Dai Li has suffered for his mistake, so let’s talk this over…”
Xu Yini went over to Lu Huaiyu and tried to talk him out of this. “Huaiyu, calm down. Don’t start a fight here. After all, we are here to celebrate Uncle Cheng’s birthday.”
If things continued to intensify, it would turn really ugly for everyone. Moreover, it was all because of Ning Li.
“I can afford to pay his hospital bills,” Lu Huaiyu said calmly.
Xu Yini responded poorly to Lu Huaiyu’s answer. She turned around to Old Master Cheng. “Uncle Cheng, I’m sorry that this is happening at your birthday dinner. Huaiyu will apologize to you officially another time, but he hit my men, and I demand an explanation.”
The situation gave Old Master Cheng a headache. He had practically watched Lu Huaiyu grow up and knew the boy’s temper better than anyone.
Dai Li must be out of his mind. Why would he offend Lu Huaiyu of all people?
“Uhm…”
“I don’t want this to affect your dinner, so I’ll bring him back now.” Lu Huaiyu stepped forward as Dai Li instinctively retreated. Fear was growing in his heart. He had a feeling that if Lu Huaiyu brought him out, he might not come back in one piece!
Cheng Xiyue’s heart skipped a beat. He did not care about Dai Li’s wellbeing, but if Lu Huaiyu’s condition worsened because of this, the consequences would be severe! He turned to Gu Tinglan to ask for help. “I thought you were a professional. Do something to control the situation!”
Gu Tinglan already knew Lu Huaiyu was acting strange. He was ready to go up to the man, but someone else was quicker.
“Second Brother,” Ning Li called out.
The pleasant voice entered Lu Huaiyu’s ears, and at the same time, he felt something pulling at his sleeve.
Lu Huaiyu looked at her, his eyes meeting her clear and charming ones, and that grievance and frustration disappeared into nothing.
Ning Li blinked. “Your shirt is dirty. Why don’t you go home and change?”
When Lu Huaiyu had struck Dai Li, the wine on the table had splashed and wet the edge of his coat.
A second later, Lu Huaiyu nodded. “Okay.”
…
While Dai Li was sent to the hospital, the Dai family was too embarrassed to stay. Every one of them left the party.
The servants came in and cleaned the place up, and the party continued as if nothing had happened. However, there were subtle changes in the atmosphere.
Cheng Xiyue stared in a particular direction and still had not recovered from the situation.
“Holy sh*t…Ning Li was able to hold him down?”
Those few words alone were worth it for him to ask for help!
Gu Tinglan was pondering about the earlier situation from the side. He seemed to have underestimated Ning Li’s influence on Lu Huaiyu.
Lu Huaiyu had obviously been on the verge of exploding, yet he was able to force himself to calm down and revert to his logical self.
Cheng Xiyue got closer and whispered a question, “Dr. Gu, I’m not sure, but is that a sign of him recovering from his condition?”
Had it been before Lu Huaiyu met Ning Li, Dai Li would not even have gotten the chance to reach the hospital.
Gu Tinglan smiled after a slight hesitation. “Maybe. Or maybe his condition is worsening.”
…
In the washroom, Lu Huaiyu took off his coat and tossed it into the trash can.
Ning Li noticed it and prayed for the hundreds and thousands of dollars that were casually tossed into the trash can just like that.
Lu Huaiyu leaned on the wall and watched Ning Li wash her hands through the mirror. He suddenly asked, “Have you forgotten what I taught you?”
Ning Li paused. She knew what he was talking about. She flung the water off her hands and said, “If I didn’t stop you, you might have already tainted your hands.”
Lu Huaiyu raised a brow. “You don’t like my hands being dirty?”
She turned around and stared at him. Then, she nodded with a serious look. She truly felt that beating Dai Li would only dirty Lu Huaiyu’s hands.
He jokingly leaned forward and put his hands out. “So, I must wash my hands as well? How troublesome.”
When he got closer, the smell of the wine on him alone could intoxicate anyone.
Ning Li held his hands and put them under the tap. Since he had done it for her, washing his hands was nothing compared to that.
Lu Huaiyu squinted his eyes at her.
Her soft hands felt like jelly as if she did not have bones in them. A lock of hair blocked her face slightly, but he was able to notice the serious look on her petite face.
Ning Li even used soap to wash his hands, afraid that the ill odor would stay.
“It’s done.” She nodded happily and passed him a hand towel.
Lu Huaiyu looked at her and smiled. “Why do you trust me that much?”
Ning Li looked up at him. Her eyes were sparkling like stars in the night sky, seeming like embers igniting his heart.
“Mm-hmm.”
The little ember ignited his heart and burned fiercely.
…
At 1:00 a.m in Yunding Fenghua, Lu Huaiyu woke up from his dream. His messy black hair covered his eyes and concealed his true emotions.
A long silence later, he got up with his eyes closed and went to the bathroom.
At 3:00 a.m., Cheng Xiyue was woken up by an abrupt call. When he saw the familiar number on his screen, he answered the phone with a bitter look. “Lu Huaiyu, are you out of your mind? It’s 3 in the morning. Why are you calling me?!”
Lu Huaiyu was unperturbed. “Come down to the shooting range.”
Cheng Xiyue widened his eyes as he thought he heard it wrongly. “You motherf*cker! It’s 3 in the morning and you are playing with guns?!”
Lu Huaiyu went silent for a moment before he said with an impatient tone, “I’ll be more lenient with you about the agreement that we spoke about before. Come down here in 15 minutes.”