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"If you don't say it, I'm leaving."
Lu Xing stood up with such speed and heartless decisiveness that it momentarily stunned Fu Chenyun.
Damn!
"No, bro. What about our master-disciple bond?"
Fu Chenyun grabbed Lu Xing's hand, pressing him back down, and smoothly pulled a silk scarf from his pocket. He began sadly wiping away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes.
"To think the love and time we’ve shared all these years have been for naught."
Lu Xing glanced at Uncle Fu's arm, rolled his eyes, and said flatly:
"Alright, alright. I see the Hermès scarf, the Patek Philippe, and the Cartier ring. I’ve seen them all, okay?"
"You're getting up there in years. If you keep your hand raised any longer, you'll start trembling like you've got Parkinson's."
Hmm?
Fu Chenyun listened, not the least bit angry. He smugly lowered his "weeping" hand and said with deep emotion:
"It still has to be you. When I show off to others, they don't even notice!"
Luxury brands spend a fortune on advertising to the general public partly so that even ordinary people recognize the labels and know exactly how expensive they are. That is what allows the rich to truly show off.
Otherwise, if a wealthy person is covered in designer gear but the person next to them doesn't recognize a single brand, what’s the point? Who are they even impressing?
Fu Chenyun was delighted. It seemed his carefully coordinated outfit hadn't gone to waste; someone here finally knew their stuff.
Lu Xing was too lazy to indulge this narcissist.
In this industry, everyone starts out saying they’ll "go ashore" after earning a certain amount, but it’s far too easy to get swallowed by a world of "drunken gold and debauchery."
After all, it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but nearly impossible to go the other way. Once your spending habits climb, they rarely come back down.
Lu Xing didn't feel much of that pull himself.
To him, a nine-yuan T-shirt and a ten-thousand-yuan T-shirt were both just pieces of cloth.
But he found it interesting how luxury goods worked, they really only scammed the rich.
Still, there was no helping it; Uncle Fu loved these things, and Lu Xing wasn't going to lecture him.
Years ago, Lu Xing had asked Uncle Fu why he entered this business.
Uncle Fu’s answer had been remarkably simple.
He said it was because he was lazy.
Too lazy to study, too lazy to work, too lazy to even use his brain.
He felt this line of work suited him perfectly. He just had to be a little diligent in front of his clients, open his legs, and the money would hit his account.
That answer had made a massive impact on Lu Xing back then.
It was why he had set a hard rule for himself:
Never break your bottom line.
Once that line is crossed, all that follows is an endless abyss.
After showing off his latest look, Fu Chenyun was in a grand mood and finally remembered why they were there.
He leaned across the table, getting close to Lu Xing, and whispered:
"Do you still remember her?"
Silence.
Lu Xing was quiet for a long moment before finally nodding.
Back then, Lu Xing had been at a dead end. After gritting his teeth and dialing Uncle Fu’s number, his "master" had introduced him to an opportunity with a certain client.
She was Lu Xing’s first client.
Before the contract officially began, Uncle Fu had taken Lu Xing to the capital for a month of "emergency training."
A month later, Lu Xing followed her on a work transfer back to Haicheng, officially taking up his post as a "comfort dog."
Lu Xing traced the rim of his cup and let out a helpless, bitter laugh.
At the time, he had been profoundly grateful to Uncle Fu, viewing him as a savior.
But the more time he spent with her, the more Lu Xing realized that Uncle Fu hadn't given up the job out of kindness. It was because Uncle Fu knew exactly what an extremely dangerous person she was.
Uncle Fu didn't want to get involved, so he found someone to suffer in his place.
Lu Xing was the chosen sacrifice.
He had figured this out on his own later.
They were total strangers, so why would such a golden opportunity just fall into his lap for free?
It turned out that every gift from fate had a price tag hidden on the back.
By her side, Lu Xing had learned how to navigate the world and broadened his horizons, learning things he probably shouldn't know.
But his biggest "gain" was the onset of chronic nightmares and insomnia.
It was only after she transferred away and their contract ended that Lu Xing finally managed to get a full night's sleep.
In comparison to her, Professor Song was an angel.
Lu Xing looked up at Uncle Fu’s face, still scholarly and mature despite the aging and felt like laughing.
He had once truly respected this man as a master.
But once he realized he had been groomed purely as a tool, the laughter died in his throat.
That's right. Such a lucrative path, and no blood relation... why should it have been his turn?
"What are you trying to say? What happened to her?"
Lu Xing lowered his eyes, wondering if the senior sister was asleep yet. He had promised to bring her a gift.
Fu Chenyun rubbed his hands together, looking a bit guilty.
He knew his motives for finding Lu Xing back then weren't pure, and he knew Lu Xing had likely seen through him.
After all, Lu Xing used to follow him around eagerly calling him "Master." Now, being called "Uncle Fu" was already lucky.
Actually, when Fu Chenyun chose Lu Xing, he had observed him for a week at that coffee shop.
Back then, Lu Xing was nimble, quick-witted, and had the kind of face girls loved. He was a natural for the trade.
Results proved his judgment correct.
But in just a few short years, Lu Xing’s image had completely transformed. He had gone from a thin, plain youth to someone with the unmistakable aura of a young master from a wealthy family.
Later, Fu Chenyun had actually felt a twinge of guilt. He didn't want to suffer himself, so he had pushed Lu Xing toward that crazy woman.
He had wanted to save Lu Xing later, but the die was cast. To that woman, his words were as insignificant as a fart. She didn't care.
Fu Chenyun knew she had cast a long shadow over Lu Xing's life. To "cheer him up," he said with a flamboyant flourish:
"She's dead!"
Lu Xing’s hand trembled. He looked up at Uncle Fu in disbelief.
Seeing that he had finally stirred Lu Xing’s emotions, Fu Chenyun pressed on.
"A sudden illness. They threw mountains of money and experimental medicine at it, but it was useless."
"Two months. She was gone in two months. They buried her just last month."
"Before she died, she went a bit mad. She had people plant poplar trees all in front of her hospital window. Even her burial plot was a specific piece of land she chose, surrounded by poplars. I know where it is. If you have time, I can take you. She’s dead anyway and can’t talk back. You can take the chance to curse her out properly."
...
Until he left the coffee shop, a word echoed in Lu Xing's mind.
'Dead.'
He didn't take a taxi. He walked down the road with his suitcase, his shadow stretching long behind him.
She’s actually dead?
The person who had tortured his psyche was gone. Lu Xing felt like he should be smiling.
But...
"Why am I not smiling?"
Lu Xing stared at his long, dark shadow with a somber expression.
She was his first client, and also the first time he had gotten to know the creature called a woman up close.
Dead? Just like that?
He stared at the green trees by the road, rustling in the wind, his expression blank.
Why plant poplar trees in a cemetery?
Back then, she had pinched his face and said he was just like a poplar tree.
He didn't care about anything. He could survive on a bit of soil, a little water, and a patch of sunlight. He wasn't delicate, he didn't like to smile, people didn't like him, and he was born with a "cheap" fate.
A leaf was caught by the wind, drifting from a branch to land on his suitcase.
He stared at it for a long time, then finally let out a laugh.
If you really hated poplar trees so much, why surround your grave with them?
Lu Xing picked up the leaf. His sigh was swallowed by the breeze.
"Old friends wither one by one, like leaves in the wind..."
When a person dies, the lamp goes out.
All of a sudden he didn't hate her anymore.
...
...