The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

Chapter 87

Li Heng was never like his second brother, who had the bad habit of putting his phone on silent. In fact, he had set up several different ringtones to distinguish between calls from family, friends, or just deliveries and telemarketing calls.

For text messages, he had set up vibration alerts.

Sometimes, his father and eldest brother would send him messages, most of the time reminding him to focus on his studies or telling him to pay attention to staying warm as the weather turned colder.

However, at the end of most of these messages, his eldest brother or father would also ask if he had enough pocket money, or if there was anything he wanted.

It was awkward, but also kind of cute.

The phone vibrated twice in quick succession. At first, Li Heng thought it was another one of those reminders from his family. He pulled out his phone, only to find that the message came from an unknown number.

Pulling down the notification bar, he saw the contents of the text, and after a moment of silence, he handed the phone to Xie Duzhi.

The message was from Bai Ruan, who had probably gotten his new number from Lin Mo.

The first message read:

“Heng, are you wondering why something so coincidental happened? Why I suddenly became Lin Mo’s boyfriend? Are you curious about what I’m up to…? You seemed lost in thought during dinner yesterday, like all your questions were written on your face.”

The second message followed immediately, with an attached location screenshot:

“Honestly, I can’t promise I won’t do something to Lin Mo. I’m actually kind of fed up with him. He’s too weak and easy to coax, not like you, Heng. But for now, he still has some value. What happens to him depends on you—”

Then, a third message quickly followed:

“Come have lunch with me, it’s at the address I just sent you. I know you’re free this afternoon, your classes are during the seventh and eighth periods.”

It ended with a heavily implied threat:

“Whether I hurt Mo Mo or not really depends on you.”

Li Heng was both shocked and enraged. It took him quite a while to calm down, and he even felt a little ashamed of how naive he’d been just moments ago.

—Now, he was completely certain that Bai Ruan didn’t like Lin Mo at all. He had only pursued him to use him, to become his boyfriend for his own purposes.

He also recalled how Bai Ruan had acted yesterday, pretending to like Lin Mo, and how the kiss that had been interrupted halfway felt so disgusting and nauseating.

He couldn’t help but feel grateful that he hadn’t had breakfast earlier.

What exactly did Bai Ruan think “liking” someone was? He couldn’t help but wonder.

Before, he had pretended to be pitiful to approach him, trying to gain his sympathy. That wasn’t too hard to understand. People’s sympathy comes easily, whether it’s for a stray cat or dog, a beggar, or someone who’s suffered misfortune.

But liking someone in a romantic sense was different.

Liking should be something cherished.

Whether he was pretending to like Lin Mo or trying to get Lin Mo to like him, it made Li Heng feel like Bai Ruan was garbage, not even worthy of being called human.

“I almost took a screenshot of the messages and sent it to Mo Mo,” he sniffed, the frustration overwhelming him. “But then I realized it might be too reckless. Bai Ruan could be using a number that Mo Mo doesn’t know about, and he might not believe it.”

The possibility that Mo Mo might actually believe it made him even more upset.

Bai Ruan’s feelings were fake—he was despicable and shameless—but Mo Mo’s feelings were real.

Why was it that the person who didn’t deserve it, Bai Ruan, didn’t get what he deserved, while the person who genuinely liked him got hurt? It just didn’t seem fair.

Aside from the frustration, there was a sense of irritation, and he didn’t even notice when someone knocked on the door.

Xie Duzhi opened the door.

He was holding a paper bag with breakfast in it, thinking maybe he had misunderstood when he told his assistant to place the order—why would the breakfast be from McDonald’s instead of something more appropriate like rice or noodles?

“…Eat your breakfast first,” Xie Duzhi said, placing the bag in front of Li Heng, feeling a bit awkward about the situation.

Li Heng was still thinking about the messages, his face sullen, his head drooping, showing no interest in the hamburger.

But if he went to the meeting, what might Bai Ruan do to Lin Mo? If he didn’t go, it would play right into Bai Ruan’s hands.

It seemed like no matter what, Bai Ruan wouldn’t suffer any consequences.

Xie Duzhi couldn’t bear to watch him like this, so he tapped the table twice to remind him that the hamburger was getting cold.

“This was my fault,” he admitted, acknowledging his oversight. “I should have looked into the people connected to you as well.”

Had he done that, they wouldn’t have had to wait until now to find out that Lin Mo was dating Bai Ruan.

“But Third Brother, this isn’t your fault,” Li Heng retorted. “At the beginning, he and Mo Mo were just online friends. It’s normal that they didn’t exchange names.”

“If they started dating, and meeting up, they could easily have used the excuse of keeping a surprise or maintaining mystery by not revealing their names,” he added, thinking further. “Even the account he was chatting on might not have been his real one, or maybe it was just a random one.”

Xie Duzhi shook his head, not replying.

He understood this was his mistake; he had always been more focused on “unrelated” matters.

Even when Li Heng had brought up concerns about his roommate’s love life, he had noticed some clues but didn’t take them seriously, let alone investigate further.

“Third Brother, if you think this is your fault, then I’m the biggest problem,” Li Heng said bluntly, putting the hamburger down and looking unbothered. “After all, Mo Mo and I are roommates. If he wasn’t my roommate, Bai Ruan wouldn’t have targeted him.”

Then Lin Mo wouldn’t be at risk of being hurt by all of this.

But this reasoning didn’t quite hold. It was a kind of flawed logic.

“…”

Xie Duzhi didn’t know how to argue against that, so he stayed silent, standing up to pour him a glass of milk instead. “Once you’ve eaten, we’ll discuss the messages.”

Li Heng couldn’t help but sneer but then decided to hold back the urge to express his frustration. Now wasn’t the time for that.

After finishing the hamburger, the fries with extra ketchup, and the sausage, Xie Duzhi finally spoke.

“Just pretend you didn’t see them,” Xie Duzhi suggested. “Even if he might…”

The youth paused, realizing that his conclusion wasn’t backed by enough evidence.

He could only speculate that Bai Ruan had used some Pick-up Artist techniques on Lin Mo, but he couldn’t yet confirm how important this “lifeline” was to Lin Mo.

Because of the influence of Pick-up Artists (PUAs), many people have had suicidal thoughts and some have even lost their lives. Even those who manage to escape the trap while still rational often need a long time to recover and return to their former selves.

Li Heng sensed something from Xie Duzhi’s silence, and a feeling of unease arose within him.

Xie Duzhi did his best to briefly and clearly explain some of the characteristics of Pick-up Artists to him.

“I’m not sure… Bai Ruan suddenly brought up breaking up, and at the same time said some extremely hurtful things to Lin Mo. Could this lead him to suicidal thoughts?”

Li Heng originally wanted to say that, based on Lin Mo’s description, Bai Ruan didn’t actually attack his self-worth. But then he remembered Lin Mo saying that he felt Bai Ruan was like light, and that he existed for him. This made him fall silent.

Perhaps Bai Ruan didn’t attack Lin Mo’s self-worth directly, but he did make him negate his own identity.

However, in Lin Mo’s dreams, Bai Ruan behaved in the way Xie Duzhi described—frequently criticizing him, saying “this is wrong” and “that won’t do.”

Later, even when Lin Mo was streaming or playing games, Bai Ruan would interfere, though back then Lin Mo was naive, never learning his lesson. He always forgot the times Bai Ruan had betrayed him and thought he genuinely wanted to play with him.

“Lin Mo’s mental state is more fragile than most,” Li Heng said, understanding that this was why Bai Ruan targeted him instead of Wei Zhuowei.

“I’m suddenly not sure if I can pull Mo Mo back from this.”

He thought of Xie Duzhi’s previous analysis, and his heart ached even more. “Unless I just take his phone away and completely cut off any way for him to contact Bai Ruan, he’ll always be able to see his messages.”

He felt trapped, seriously considering what precautions he should take if he was to meet Bai Ruan that afternoon.

“It’s just one possibility—the worst-case scenario,” Xie Duzhi’s furrowed brows relaxed a little. “To Bai Ruan, Lin Mo still has value to be exploited.”

Until he drains him of all his remaining value, Xie Duzhi believed Bai Ruan wouldn’t break up with him so easily.

After all, aside from Lin Mo, no one else around Bai Ruan would be so easy to get close to.

Li Heng exhaled with some relief. “Then we should still have some time… Should I go ahead and contact a psychologist for Mo Mo, get them to talk to him and start providing some counseling?”

Even now, Li Heng’s first thought was still of Lin Mo.

Xie Duzhi let out a rare sigh. “Lin Mo’s value to Bai Ruan comes from you.”

“As long as he’s still your roommate, as long as you treat him as a friend and he can affect your emotions…”

Xie Duzhi’s gaze darkened for a moment, but then quickly returned to normal. “To Bai Ruan, that makes him useful.”

Right now, Bai Ruan held the piece named “Lin Mo” in his hand, testing their potential responses without making a move.

Li Heng uttered a few “oh”s, just when he thought things seemed to be getting simpler, like a light at the end of the tunnel, Xie Duzhi’s voice reached his ears again.

“He might use Lin Mo’s life to threaten you, making you do things you don’t want to do but that seem insignificant compared to a human life.”

“—Like becoming his so-called friend, cutting ties with me, or even speaking harshly about me.”

Xie Duzhi’s tone was unhurried, even with a hint of casualness, but this only made Li Heng feel a deeper, indescribable panic.

Even if it was just an act, he felt it was repulsive, and he didn’t want to cut ties with Xie Duzhi over something like this—not even on the surface.

Because he was his most beloved older brother.

All he could do was stare at him, trying to express his unwillingness—perhaps even a plea—with his eyes.

Xie Duzhi showed no signs of urgency.

He looked back at Li Heng calmly, a trace of well-hidden amusement glimmering in his eyes.

Li Heng, unable to maintain his composure, broke down first, drawing out his words as he called, “Third Brother”

“What?” Xie Duzhi asked knowingly.

What else could it be, of course he was asking for a plan.

Li Heng couldn’t understand why the usually calm and reliable Xie Duzhi was suddenly playing coy, speaking only halfway and leaving him anxious.

Unaware that compared to his previous pessimism, his emotions had already eased significantly.

With a plan already in mind, Xie Duzhi subtly shifted the focus.

“Don’t let him reach you, control your emotions, and decide how to use Lin Mo based on your reactions.”

Recognizing that if he dragged it out any longer, Li Heng would truly worry, he finally spoke calmly.

Bai Ruan wanted to turn Lin Mo into the most useful and unexpected piece, but Xie Duzhi could do the same—using the strategy of “fear of harming the hostage,” but in reverse, turning Lin Mo into a discarded piece that Bai Ruan couldn’t use.

Even though this seemed a bit cruel, especially for Lin Mo, who was completely in the dark.

But Xie Duzhi wouldn’t feel guilty about using him.

“As long as he’s unsure of Lin Mo’s place in your heart, he can’t use that position as leverage.”

“So, does that mean I should just ignore him, pretend I didn’t see anything?” Li Heng tried to grasp the main point.

Xie Duzhi didn’t nod.

Bai Ruan’s personality was extreme, and outright ignoring him might have the opposite effect, pushing him to discard Lin Mo as a piece.

But the solution was equally simple—

Shift the focus, make him realize who his real opponent was, and hesitate to make a move.

In manipulating others, Bai Ruan was smart.

And smart people often overthink things and make assumptions.

“You don’t need to deal with him,” Xie Duzhi corrected him. “I’ll go see him.”

Wouldn’t that make you a more direct target? What if he tries to harm you?

Like bribing a waiter to poison you.

Li Heng hesitated. “…But that’s too risky. It would be easy for him to harm you.”

“This is a law-abiding society,” Xie Duzhi chuckled. “He isn’t that foolish.”

“Then can I wait for you in the car?” Li Heng still wasn’t reassured. “Bai Ruan wouldn’t know I was in the car.”

“No.”

Xie Duzhi’s tone was firm. “You have to go back to class.”