Chapter 164: If You Are Willing, Let Us Get Engaged

Ling Wu took a clean suit out of the walk-in closet, took off the jacket that had been dirtied, and stood before the floor-to-ceiling window to undo the buttons of his shirt. As the clothing fell to the floor, his smooth back and lean waist were revealed, appearing particularly sexy.

The cigarette case and a few photographs in his trouser pocket were temporarily placed on the tabletop.

He looked toward the vast, boundless sea. After putting on his clothes, he put the cigarette case and lighter away again, and Jing Du was waiting for him just outside the door at this moment.

This cruise ship engagement banquet would become Ling Wu's hunting ground. His state of mind had been getting worse lately; his insomnia was severe, and memories that had been hypnotized away began to surface frequently. He had to complete his plan as soon as possible.

Even if he could not hold on until the day the aristocratic class collapsed and the commoners were liberated, at the very least, he could take away everyone who caused the death of Ling Tingwan.

Ling Wu: 【001, I want to query the favorability of the mission targets.】

Just as 001 had said, Ling Wu could find it whenever he needed it. A cold electronic voice sounded quickly—【Respected Son of Luck, currently querying the favorability of unfinished mission targets for you.】

【Chu Yi favorability 97!】

【Jing Duye favorability 81!】

【Yin Huaiyu favorability 79!】

【Yu Shixue favorability 83!】

Ling Wu glanced at that electronic panel; it was about as he had expected. Capturing these few people was very simple.

【System prompt: Do you need to enable favorability increase notifications for you?】

【Yes/No】

Ling Wu chose yes.

He twisted the doorknob and walked out.

Seeing him walk out, Jing Du immediately stood up from the sofa. He said, "Ling Wu, you can just leave that dirty piece of clothing in the room; someone will come to clean it."

"Okay."

Jing Du: "Let's go, I'll see you out."

The two walked side by side into the corridor. Jing Du really wanted to speak, but he was not a talkative person, so the atmosphere was silent. Just as they were about to enter the elevator, Jing Du said, "Ling Wu, don't you want to ask me why I hate men, yet still chose to get engaged to a man?"

Ling Wu said, "For the sake of family interests."

"Yes."

The elevator door opened, and Ling Wu walked in first. His eyes looked toward Jing Du, his gaze so frank: "You look very sorrowful, but Jing Du, it's not that you have no way out; this is something you agreed to yourself."

There was a hint of self-mockery in the depths of Jing Du's eyes.

That's right.

It was clearly all his own choice.

What was he feeling melancholy and stubborn about now?

Even though he knew Wei Ranxu's affection was feigned, he still agreed to the engagement out of spite, binding two unwilling people together until they grew to loathe the sight of each other.

Jing Du thought highly of himself; he was arrogant and cold. He had once tested Ling Wu, and after knowing that the other party indeed did not like him, he was too prideful to admit his mistake, refusing to bow his head for those hurtful and insulting words from the past.

Counting it up, Jing Duye had bowed his head before; he went against what he had said in the past, saying he did not hate Ling Wu, but he did not receive even the slightest response from this person.

Consequently, Jing Du fell into a state of obsession again. He pretended to be indifferent, just like when he was a child and unwilling to admit defeat to that Eldest Young Master of the Jin Family whom he had never met, as spoken of by the older generation.

He was outstanding, yet he always lost at Ling Wu's hands.

If only time could flow backward, back to that night in Jingwan, if he hadn't said those words that tore their relationship apart, would everything be different?

He would still be able to see those beautiful eyes filled with affection.

Jing Du asked him this: "I often heard your name when I was a child, so do you know me?"

And Ling Wu told him: "My father said you are very excellent."

Jing Du watched the numbers in the elevator constantly decreasing, and his heart seemed to sink along with them. His habitually cold eyes were somewhat burning at this moment: "Then what about you?"

"Ding!"

The elevator door opened, and the view suddenly opened up.

Before leaving the elevator, Ling Wu looked at him deeply, his eyes bright and spirited, and he nodded slightly: "I think so too."

He then left the elevator, listening to the favorability increase notification of 5 ringing in his ears, took light steps, and soon disappeared along the direction of the corridor...

Jing Du stood in the elevator, his ears filled with that sentence "I think so too." The spell was broken; he was instantly relieved. He pushed up his glasses frame before stepping out.

As night fell, the dance floor was filled with gracefully twisting figures; the engagement ceremony had long since ended.

Ling Wu left the banquet hall and walked toward the restroom. At the entrance, he ran head-on into a drunken man. He frowned slightly and subconsciously turned his body to the side, intending to bypass this person.

That man's eyes went straight when he saw Ling Wu's face. In a muddled state, he wanted to reach out and pull him, but was blocked by a low, deep male voice: "Get lost!"

A tall figure was standing at the restroom entrance, though it was unclear when he had arrived. Wei Ranxu had a cigarette between his fingertips, his eyelids drooping lazily, his thin lips holding the cigarette body. His expression was somewhat weary and cold, and he was currently leaning against the wall, watching Ling Wu with a composed air.

Ling Wu was also looking at him. Was Wei Ranxu hiding in the restroom to smoke?

Ling Wu said "Thank you" and passed him, walking inside.

Wei Ranxu did not stop him, only staring at his back and saying: "Ling Wu, I just realized you easily attract perverts."

Ling Wu's voice was very calm: "Is that so?"

Wei Ranxu moved closer to him, taking the opportunity to press him against the washbasin. He took the cigarette away with two long fingers, exhaling the choking smoke rings along with his warm breath onto the side of Ling Wu's neck. Seeing Ling Wu's body tremble slightly, his gaze fell onto his fair earlobe, and he said teasingly: "That's right."

"Then you should stay away from me." Ling Wu was choked into coughing twice: "Cough, cough... cough..."

Wei Ranxu stepped back: "Sorry, I forgot you don't smoke."

He turned on the faucet and rinsed the cigarette butt under the water. Soon, that faint spark was extinguished, and Wei Ranxu threw it into the trash can nearby.

The sound of clapping came from the doorway, neither light nor heavy.

"I didn't expect to witness a good show just by coming to the restroom."

Yin Huaiyu stood at the doorway with his suit collar wide open, clapping his hands. Behind him followed Yu Shixue and Shen Zhaojue.

Wei Ranxu's tone was unfriendly: "What are you all here for?"

"Huh? Restroom, restroom." Yin Huaiyu turned on the faucet: "Of course, I'm here to wash my hands."

"What, did I disturb your refined interest? Are you two hiding in the restroom for a tryst?"

Jing Du has a green hat on his head.

"Huaiyu, what nonsense are you spouting?" Yu Shixue's expression was stern; he did not want Ling Wu to get involved in the messy emotional drama between them. He tapped his knuckles against the door: "Ling Wu, come here, we're leaving."

Ling Wu could not understand, did this restroom have some unique charm? It could attract several idle "great Buddhas" to it.

Yin Huaiyu hurriedly covered his lips: "My fault for saying the wrong thing, of course I didn't mean it like that."

At this moment, Shen Zhaojue, who had been silent for a long while, stood beside Yin Huaiyu and chimed in: "Young Master Wei, the engagement ceremony just ended, how can you not uphold the husband's way?"

The two groups of people engaged in a war of words, nearly coming to blows.

Ling Wu felt that this restroom was unusable, so he let Yu Shixue drag him out; the two men's leather shoes stepped onto the floor, the sound dull and hurried...

Yu Shixue brought him out of the interior of the cruise ship and stood on the deck; the crimson sunset dyed the entire sea surface, shimmering with ripples.

He looked at Ling Wu's side profile, illuminated golden by the sunset, and thought of how he had seen Wei Ranxu pressing someone against the sink earlier, leaning close to his neck to exhale smoke; that angle made the two look intimate and inseparable.

If not for the occasion, Yu Shixue would have wanted to punch Wei Ranxu right then and there.

The bastard!

Yu Shixue asked him: "Ling Wu, what were you doing in the restroom?"

Ling Wu did not like this tone of interrogation; he leaned back against the railing, his attitude firm: "What exactly do you want to say? Just say it directly, no need to beat around the bush here."

Yu Shixue's expression was subtle; he placed his hands on the railing in front of him and applied slight pressure, his knuckles turning white. His voice was a bit hoarse, as if seeking a truth: "Does Wei Ranxu like you?"

Their aristocratic circle had always been open-minded.

Setting ground rules after an engagement and playing around with others was normal; no one expected the other party to have any loyal feelings in such a commercialized marriage—it was all nonsense.

As long as it didn't reach the public eye and wasn't too excessive, it was all a matter of turning a blind eye.

As a man, Yu Shixue naturally understood men; the way Wei Ranxu looked at Ling Wu in the restroom just now was aggressive and suggestive, making his alarm bells ring instantly.

He was so angry he wanted to kill.

But at the same time, he couldn't understand how Wei Ranxu, who had previously acted like he liked Jing Du so much, could suddenly like someone else overnight.

And that person just happened to be Ling Wu.

Yu Shixue suddenly remembered that night at Song Mountain, when Jing Du had said with a half-smile, "Do you think Wei Ranxu likes me?"

At the time, he had just thought it strange, but now he could see it clearly; perhaps it hadn't changed overnight.

It was that Wei Ranxu had never liked Jing Du from the very beginning.

Yu Shixue gripped his shoulders on both sides and said: "Ling Wu, don't associate with him. He has those kinds of disgusting thoughts about you. He's already engaged yet still wants to provoke you; he's no good."

"Yu Shixue, in what capacity are you speaking to me like this?" Ling Wu pried the fingers Yu Shixue had placed on his shoulders off one by one: "He has disgusting thoughts about me, but don't you?"

His voice carried a certain seductive quality, like a siren from the deep sea, inducing people to speak the secrets hidden deep in their hearts.

"You are all the same."

Yu Shixue denied it, unable to help but roar: "Not the same! Of course I am not the same as him!"

Ling Wu watched his crazed state with cold eyes, standing in place unmoved; from beginning to end, he was as calm as a bystander. Such an indifferent attitude could easily drive Yu Shixue insane.

Yu Shixue was stung by Ling Wu's attitude; why was he the only one whose emotions fluctuated? He wanted to completely shatter the invisible, distant gap between them: "I like you, I have no engagement, I am clean; as long as you agree, our two families can get engaged immediately."

Ling Wu had better be willing, otherwise, he could not guarantee what he might do.