Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

As soon as he finished speaking, the private room fell silent.

The atmosphere became incredibly awkward.

Mr. and Mrs. Lan looked rather grim, and Lan Yuan, standing beside them, looked even worse.

"He Ziyu, I advise you..." Lan Yuan couldn't help but want to retort, but before he could finish speaking, he was kicked again.

Left with no other choice, they fell silent once again.

"Weren't you two quite close in junior high?" Lan's mother chuckled, quickly interrupting Lan Yuan, "Back then, you even bought Yuan little gifts and walked home with him after school. Your Uncle Lan and I both thought you two would be best friends for life..."

It would have been better if Lan's mother hadn't brought it up, as it reminded He Ziyu of those unpleasant memories.

A lifelong friend...

Does he fit too?

"Auntie is right. I did give Lan Yuan small gifts back then, and I even went home with him." He Ziyu held a spoon and casually stirred the soup. "But you probably don't know that nine out of ten of the gifts I gave him were thrown into the trash can. And I was the one who insisted on going home with him. Many times he used the back door to avoid me."

"If Auntie considers this a good relationship, then I'd have friends all over the world, right?"

After He Ziyu finished speaking, Lan Yuan's expression turned even uglier.

"When did I throw away your gift? You need to provide evidence to support your claims."

"Don't you know whether you threw it away or not?" He Ziyu raised an eyebrow dismissively. "If Young Master Lan feels wronged, why not just bring the gift next time we meet to prove your innocence?"

Unexpectedly, He Ziyu wouldn't let go of the matter of him throwing away the gift. Lan Yuan retorted somewhat angrily, "Fine, so what if I threw away the gift you gave me? Back then, you were following me around like a gay guy every day. Not to mention me, any straight guy would find that unbearable."

"Ah Yuan, what nonsense are you talking about!" Upon hearing this, Father Lan slammed his hand on the table in displeasure.

They went all out to treat everyone today to win over He Ziyu, but Lan Yuan just went and called him a homosexual?

They probably think they're not cold enough already!

Startled, Lan's mother quickly tried to smooth things over: "Ayu, don't be angry. Lan Yuan got scolded by us today because of his studies, so he's in a bad mood and didn't think before he spoke..."

"How could I not think?" Having been deprived of his voice time and time again, Lan Yuan couldn't swallow his anger any longer and stood up from his seat. "Am I wrong? He was sending flowers and chocolates back then. What normal friends would do that? I was just being cold to him because I was afraid he would do something even more outrageous, so I nipped the problem in the bud."

He Ziyu wasn't angry when Lan Yuan said that. He just smiled faintly and said, "Anyone can say that to me, but for Young Master Lan to say it to me, isn't that just the pot calling the kettle black?"

Lan Yuan frowned: "What do you mean?"

He Ziyu put down his spoon, leaned back in his chair, and slowly said:

"Back in school, I don't know who was always asking after my younger brother and even secretly giving him gifts."

"And that time we bumped into each other at the mall, Young Master Lan personally admitted that he was with He Ningqiu."

"Is this what you mean by 'nipping a problem in the bud'?"

Lan Yuan: "You're talking nonsense! I never said anything like that!"

"There's no point in dwelling on whether I said it or not now," He Ziyu chuckled. "I just want to tell you, Uncle and Aunt, that your son doesn't reject homosexuals; he only rejects me. It's already quite an achievement that the two of us have been able to live peacefully together until now."

"As for friends..."

"I, He Ziyu, am quite popular and have no shortage of friends. Since Young Master Lan has such a big problem with me, don't force him to do things he doesn't want to do."

Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Lan's hearts sank instantly.

Although He Ziyu phrased it tactfully, his meaning was clear—he didn't want to be friends with Lan Yuan.

How can that be allowed?

Seeing that her lifeline was about to slip away, Lan's mother quickly said, "Ayu, don't take it to heart. How could he possibly have a problem with you? Look at how rude he is to us all now; it proves he's not targeting you, he's just in a bad mood..."

"A person who speaks rudely to their parents when they are in a bad mood has a problem with their character. We are not on the same page, so Auntie shouldn't force herself on you."

"He Ziyu, I realize I've really given you too much face..." Lan Yuan was already annoyed, and seeing his parents' subservient manner made him even angrier. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to grab He Ziyu's collar.

Mr. and Mrs. Lan were startled and quickly grabbed him.

"Lan Yuan, are you crazy?!"

"Sit down right now!"

The sudden farce completely extinguished He Ziyu's last remaining appetite.

While the Lan family members were pulling at each other, he slowly pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth, then stood up and said, "Uncle and Aunt, I'm full. Can I leave now?"

"Um, Ah Yu..."

"Let him leave if he wants to!"

He Ziyu was too lazy to watch this family's bizarre performance. After smiling and saying goodbye, he turned and walked out of the private room without hesitation.

After the door to the private room closed, Lan's father finally lost his temper and slapped Lan Yuan across the face.

Lan Yuan was stunned. His face first felt numb, and then it burned hot.

"Husband?" Mrs. Lan looked at her husband in shock. "We're all family. Can't we talk this out? A-Yuan's nose has been operated on several times and it's very fragile. What if you slap it and make it even more crooked?"

Lan Yuan: "..."

Mr. Lan frowned, and said firmly, "If I didn't hit him, would he have come to his senses? How many times did I tell him before dinner to be nicer to He Ziyu and make him happy? And what did your son do in return?"

"But you can't just resort to violence..."

"Alright, that's enough!" Lan Yuan interrupted their conversation sharply, snapping out of her daze. "You've both seen it. He Ziyu looks down on me. I have my own dignity too. I've already done more than enough by not provoking him. If I were to coax him... what would others think of me? How could I stay at No. 8 Middle School?"

Being beaten up by He Ziyu at school was already enough to make him lose face. If he were to try to curry favor with He Ziyu now, Lan Yuan felt that he would become the laughing stock of the entire Yuecheng within three days.

But Mr. Lan didn't think so.

"Since you are so stubborn, I will tell you the truth."

"Our Lan family's deficit is much larger than it appears on the books. The little bit of money your Uncle He is making up for can't solve the fundamental problem. In other words, if things continue like this, not only will we go bankrupt, but the Lan family might also be burdened with huge debts."

Mother Lan: "Honey, why are you telling him all this..."

"If I don't tell him, will he know our current situation?" Mr. Lan's tone was very serious. "Lan Yuan is not a child anymore. He should know something about family matters, especially the debt problem."

Upon hearing this, Lan Yuan frowned as well.

"How can there still be debt? Our company's market value is not low, and we have movable and immovable assets. Aren't those enough to offset it?"

Father Lan shook his head and said:

"Your mother and I didn't want to put too much pressure on you, but seeing how you are now, there's no need to hide it anymore."

"Lan's stock has been falling, its partners are pessimistic, and its competitors are constantly bullying it. If it doesn't find a stable force to rely on as soon as possible, it won't be long before it's heavily in debt."

Lan Yuan's father's words completely extinguished his arrogant arrogance.

He originally thought that the company's bankruptcy was the limit; at most, he would no longer be able to enjoy a life of comfort and ease.

But what if bankruptcy leads to mounting debt...?

That's a different situation altogether.

Lan Yuan couldn't imagine living like a rat in the street, constantly running away from debt collectors, nor could he imagine his life being crushed by an invisible mountain before it even began.

If it ever really comes to that, I'd rather just kick the bucket and die.

"Now you should know why your parents are so anxious, right?" Mr. Lan sighed. "To be honest, after He Ziyu beat you up like that, we were too angry to even think about you being friends with him. But what could we do? We had to swallow our anger for the sake of making a living."

"Yes, your father is right." Mother Lan patted his shoulder. "In the entire Yuecheng, the only families we can rely on are the He family and the Jiang family. You didn't have much of a relationship with Jiang Chengyu before, and you even broke his arm, so it's impossible for you to get along with him. But He Ziyu is different. He Ziyu used to be very good to you."

"He's just angry that you ignored him back then, that's why he's being so cold to you. If you try to put yourself in his shoes, maybe you won't feel so bad."

After being persuaded by her parents, Lan Yuan gradually calmed down.

Indeed, in the entire Moon City, only the Jiang and He families have any connection with the Lan family's project and can provide assistance.

If he had to choose between the two, he would rather choose He Ziyu.

After all, He Ziyu had genuinely liked him.

And this feeling of liking something will leave a faint trace in your heart, no matter how much time has passed.

"Oh, right..." Mr. Lan suddenly remembered something, "He Ziyu just said that you went on a date with his brother, what's that all about?"

"He's talking nonsense," Lan Yuan replied without hesitation. "That guy never tells the truth. Just take it with a grain of salt."

After saying that, he pressed the service bell next to him.

"I have no appetite, I don't want to eat anymore, just pay the bill."

……

When He Ziyu returned to his office, He Lianghan had just finished eating a vegetable salad.

"Ah Yu's back? How was the food? Are you happy?"

"Not bad." He Ziyu smiled, not mentioning what happened at the dinner table.

"I still have some work to finish, please sit down and wait a while," He Lianghan said. "I'll have my assistant show you around the company's various departments in half an hour."

"OK."

He Ziyu nodded and sat back down on the sofa.

At the same time, he recalled the ugly faces of Lan Yuan's family once again.

He knew that guy would definitely come looking for him again.

But this time, he will absolutely not be soft-hearted.

After thinking for a moment, He Ziyu took out his phone, asked someone from the student union for a number, and added that person on WeChat.