The air was as quiet as if the pause button had been pressed.
At the banquet, countless strange and sophisticated men and women wearing evening gowns, holding glasses of champagne, turned their heads to look at them.
The luxurious crystal chandelier above his head was exquisite and dazzling, casting abundant and bright light on Ruan Qiuping's face, revealing his expression clearly.
Ruan Qiuping's eyes opened wider, his pupils were slightly moist, and he was dazed and stunned as if he was in a dream.
The half-piece of bread in Chen Hai's mouth fell onto the floor. He pointed at Yu Huan, turned to Jing Yang with a shocked look on his face and said, "Jing Yang! He, he got into bad luck... Ugh!"
Jingyang quickly covered Chen Hai's mouth.
Ruan Qiuping seemed to be suddenly awakened from a dream. His pupils suddenly constricted and he involuntarily took a few steps back, looking at Yu Huan in shock.
“… Ruan Ruan.”
Yu Huan stretched out his hand, as if he was about to touch Ruan Qiuping's cheek again.
Ruan Qiuping reacted quickly this time. The moment Yu Huan stretched out his hand, he quickly turned his head away.
His heart was beating fast, but his brain was blank and his whole body was trembling slightly.
He held the ceramic fragment tightly in his hand, with only one thought in his mind.
Get out of here!
Stay away from Yu Huan!
His pupils trembled, and he immediately prepared to run out of the banquet hall.
But just as he was about to run, Yu Huan noticed his intention and stretched out his long arm in front of him, as if to stop him—
Ruan Qiuping didn't dare to touch Yu Huan again, and immediately stopped in front of Yu Huan's arm.
He wanted to change direction and continue running, but he was now in the corner of the banquet hall, where the road was already congested. The assistants and bodyguards around Yu Huan also had a tacit understanding and stretched out their arms together, blocking Ruan Qiuping's way.
To the left was a solid wall, and in front was a human wall with Yu Huan as the center. Hundreds of people in the banquet hall all stopped what they were doing and looked at the commotion in surprise.
Ruan Qiuping didn't dare to use invisibility in public. He could neither advance nor retreat, and if he looked up he would be met with Yu Huan's scorching gaze that almost burned him.
Seeing Yu Huan walking towards him again, Ruan Qiuping's brain suddenly froze like a machine that had been broken for decades. He turned around and hurriedly crawled under the pastry table next to him.
…
Jing Yang: “…”
Chen Hai: “…”
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
The banquet hall, which had been quiet just a moment ago, was suddenly filled with whispers and noisy sounds, and many people even picked up their phones to start secretly filming.
"Isn't that Mr. Yu from Guilai Group? I heard that he never attends banquets. Why is he here?"
"What's the relationship between that guy and Yu Huan? Why is there such a mood?"
"… Mr. Yu is the kind of person who bullies others by taking advantage of his power. Look how he scared the other person to the point that he fell under the table."
"I seem to have heard that President Yu has had an abnormal relationship with a man since high school. Someone broke the news that they were hugging and kissing in front of many people... Is this the man?"
"High school? The age doesn't match."
“… I think I know why Mr. Yu has not had any scandals for many years.”
"Shit! I bumped into it!"
… What a mess.
Ruan Qiuping was confused by what he heard. He sat on the bed with his knees hugged, and began to seriously think about whether he would need to write a few thousand words of self-criticism if he turned invisible or used instant teleportation to escape at this time, and how many people's memories Qi Yue should erase...
He thought about it and felt that this method was not feasible.
Then he remembered that Yu Huan had touched the corner of his lips just now.
Ruan Qiuping frowned, lowered his head, looked at the ceramic fragment in his palm with concern, and began to pray that this fragment was really useful and could dispel the bad luck that he had just been infected with when Yu Huan touched him.
"Ruan Qiuping!" Chen Hai didn't care at all. He lay on the bed and leaned his head to look at Ruan Qiuping at the table. He shouted, "Hey! Ruan Qiuping! Do you owe anyone money? How much do you owe? Look how cowardly you are!"
Jingyang pulled Chen Hai, who was lying on the ground, up and sighed helplessly: "Chen Hai, please don't make trouble, okay?"
"How did I cause any trouble..." Chen Hai patted his clothes and whispered, "Is it not okay?"
The tablecloth was twenty centimeters away, and Ruan Qiuping could see the cane and leather shoes approaching him step by step.
Then he heard Yu Huan: "Excuse me, what is your relationship with Ruan Qiuping?"
Chen Hai: "Does Ruan Qiuping owe you money? Are you enemies? If so, Ruan Qiuping and I don't know each other."
"No, we have a good relationship."
Chen Hai said: "Oh, then we are classmates! And we are in the same group!"
"I'm sorry that I can't entertain you in person. The 17th floor of the hotel is the VIP leisure and entertainment area and the top buffet food area. Here is the pass. I hope you can have a good time."
"Wow!" Chen Hai happily took the card and happily pulled Jing Yang along and left, "Jing Yang Jing Yang! Let's go eat some top-notch buffet food!"
"Well, classmate Ruan also..." Jing Yang seemed to feel that it was not good to leave Ruan Qiuping behind.
"But I'm so hungry, and I've never eaten at a top buffet before..."
"...Okay then." Jing Yang bent down and said to Ruan Qiuping, "Ruan Qiuping, I'm really sorry, I'll take Chen Hai upstairs to eat first. Um, when you're done here, you can come up to us."
He waited for a while, but still didn't hear Ruan Qiuping's response, so he said goodbye and left with Chen Hai.
Not long after Chen Hai and Yang Yang were sent away, everyone in the banquet hall gradually left.
… The kid at that time really grew up and looked like he had extraordinary abilities, so he dismissed everyone just because they said they wanted him to.
Ruan Qiuping said quietly in his heart.
"Mr. Yu, how about I help you move this table away?" A burly voice spoke, and it seemed to be Yu Huan's bodyguard.
Move the table?!
Ruan Qiuping quickly reached out and hugged the table leg, his reaction as big as a turtle protecting its shell.
Yu Huan glanced at him and suddenly shook the table, saying, "No need, you all go down as well."
After Yu Huan's men and bodyguards left, only Yu Huan and Ruan Qiuping were left in the huge banquet hall.
"Ruan Ruan." Yu Huan called him softly.
As Yu Huan got older, his voice became deeper and more restrained.
Not only his voice, but his movements, demeanor, and tone of voice all seemed to have changed a lot.
In Ruan Qiuping's memory, Yu Huan still retains the appearance of a 17-year-old, easily angry, easily laughing, nervous, and also coquettish, clear and bright like the sun.
But the 32-year-old Yu Huan has matured a lot. People say that he treats people in a low-key and elegant manner, as clear and cool as winter snow.
Ruan Qiuping felt a little strange about this mature man, which also made him curious. He couldn't help but want to know more about Yu Huan. He wanted to know when Yu Huan started wearing glasses, why Yu Huan was using crutches, was it because the mechanical legs were not comfortable to use? He wanted to know how Yu Huan had survived for the past 15 years, and why Yu Huan could recognize him at first sight.
But Ruan Qiuping just thought about all this. He clenched the ceramic fragments in his hands, hugged his knees, and continued to hide quietly under the table like a turtle.
"Ruan Ruan, can you please come out?" Yu Huan asked him softly.
But no answer was received.
Yu Huan bent his knees and squatted down, stretched out his hand and slowly lifted the tablecloth.
But Ruan Qiuping was in a panic and pulled the tablecloth tighter inside.
Yu Huan paused for a moment, then loosened his hand.
Seeing Yu Huan let go, Ruan Qiuping breathed a sigh of relief and continued to squat with his knees hugged.
But when he quietly moved his gaze outside, he saw through the twenty-centimeter gap between the tablecloth and the black metal prosthesis sticking out from the trouser leg of Yu Huan as he half-squatted.
Ruan Qiuping looked at the black and cold piece of metal and felt as if he had fallen into water. His breathing was suffocating, and water plants were entangled around his heart, making him unable to move or struggle.
Fortunately, Yu Huan quickly stood up with the help of crutches. His movements were a little unsmooth, but his fallen trouser legs covered the metal prosthesis.
Yu Huan was silent for a while, then slowly said: "Ruan Ruan, talk to me, don't ignore me, I almost forgot your voice."
Ruan Qiuping still didn't speak.
Yu Huan lowered his eyes, speaking in a low and slow voice: "Ruan Ruan, do you know that I have been waiting for you for a long time? Fifteen years. Now that you have appeared, you are still hiding and don't want to see me?"
"Ruan Ruan, you lied to me about so many things, did you know that? You said you were going to buy me some candy, but you never came back. You said you would show up once a year, but you've been gone for fifteen years."
"You wanted to bring me good luck... but since you left, I feel unlucky every day."
Ruan Qiuping trembled all over.
"Ruan Ruan, can you please let me see you?"
"I miss you so much."
There was another long silence.
The banquet hall was so empty that even the sound of the pendulum clock's hands moving could be heard clearly.
After a long time, the silver-white tablecloth swayed slightly.
A hand stretched out from inside and slowly lifted the tablecloth.
Ruan Qiuping looked up at Yu Huan, his face pale and his eyes red.
Yu Huan finally smiled when he saw Ruan Qiuping coming out.
If his previously calm and upright face was as flawless as thick ice, his smile at this moment was full of warmth that could melt ice and snow, overlapping with the pure and smiling boy from years ago.
Yu Huan extended his left hand towards Ruan Qiuping: "Ruan Ruan, come out."
However, Ruan Qiuping quietly shrank back, avoiding Yu Huan's hand, and crawled out from the other side of the table.
Ruan Qiuping took a few more steps back until his feet were against the wall. He stopped and glanced at Yu Huan. Then he lowered his head and looked down at his toes: "Yu Huan, do you feel... unfortunate?"
Yu Huan: “Yeah.”
"Why?"
Yu Huan's life was smooth and peaceful, he had never encountered any accidents, his family relationships were good, and he had a high social status. Why did he still feel unhappy
Yu Huan suddenly took two steps forward.
Finally, he stopped in front of Ruan Qiuping and said softly:
"Ruan Ruan, I wait for you every year, but I never see you. Why do you think I am lucky?"
Ruan Qiuping's eyes widened slightly, his lips trembled, and then he said: "That's because you don't know anything... Do you know who I am? Do you know that you will be unlucky if you meet me? Do you know that all your misfortunes are caused by me? Do you know that your legs-"
"—What if I knew?" Yu Huan suddenly interrupted Ruan Qiuping.
He took a step forward, his toes almost touching Ruan Qiuping's.
Too close...
Ruan Qiuping subconsciously wanted to move away again, but before he could move, Yu Huan suddenly stretched out his arms, tightly wrapped his arms around his waist, and suddenly pulled him into his arms.
Yu Huan looked down at him, his dark pupils seemed to be a bottomless tunnel. His arms tightened inch by inch, half of his body pressed tightly against him, his mouth was so big that it seemed to embed Ruan Qiuping into his body. He said:
"—what if I insist on touching you?"