MTL - They Regretted it After Their Hearts Turned to Ashes-Chapter 17 dinner
Luo Chengxiu irritably grabbed the water glass and took a few sips of water.
In the middle of the night, it is raining again, what is there to see in the sea?
What does Luo Zhi's inexplicable state and reaction mean?
Dissatisfied with him, or dissatisfied with everyone?
... What qualifications does Luo Zhi have to be dissatisfied?
If Luo Zhi could have been as honest and quiet as today, endlessly causing trouble, and hurting relatives unscrupulously again and again, how could the family be so troubled today!
The more Luo Chengxiu thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He sat motionless at the table, frowned, and held the glass tightly.
I don't know why, when I thought back to the eyes of Luo Zhi that I saw just now, Luo Chengxiu was irritable and uncontrollable, but there was a faint chill that couldn't be shaken.
He clearly left the cold rain long ago without looking back, and also asked his assistant to take away the rain-wet jacket.
The room is bright and warm, and the annoying ghost weather and annoying people are all separated from the door, like two unrelated worlds.
…
Luo Chengxiu was awakened by Luo Cheng's voice and dragged him back into the world he was in.
The whole family is happy, sitting together and enjoying a warm and homely dinner.
His wife has been recuperating very well recently, and her mental state and complexion are much better than before.
Jian Huaiyi coaxed her to be extra happy. His wife was smiling because of what he said, and insisted on hand-picking food to this caring adopted son. That gentle and focused attitude almost seemed to be the same person in the whole room.
Having been accustomed to his mother's attention to Jian Huaiyi, Luo Jun didn't bother him much. He took a cup of coffee and drank it slowly, while distractedly browsing the documents sent by his assistant, occasionally discussing a few words with Jian Huaiyi in a low voice.
Luo Cheng didn't need to carry as much as his brothers, snuggled close to him and hugged his father's arm.
Very ordinary scene.
It's no different from any family dinner.
Seemingly aware that Luo Chengxiu was in a different state today, Luo Orange was looking up at him with some worry in his eyes.
Meeting the gaze of his little daughter, Luo Chengxiu felt a little warmer and shook his head: "...It's okay."
He put down the water glass and pressed his eyebrows hard: "What were you talking about just now?"
Jian Huaiyi suddenly stopped talking, looked at Luo Chengxiu, wanted to speak, but hesitated before saying anything.
Luo Jun put down the document and raised his head: "We are discussing the change of Huaisheng Entertainment's name."
Luo Chengxiu frowned: "Okay, what's the name going to be changed?"
"Dad...that's it."
Jian Huaiyi hurriedly sat up straight and took over the conversation: "Because of the public opinion turmoil some time ago, and some other incidents, Huaisheng Entertainment has always been in the public eye." He paused, "a very negative impression."
He didn't say it explicitly, but the storm of public opinion some time ago was naturally the matter of Li Weiming.
As for some things in the past... it will involve Luo Zhi's own debut as a singer, and the mess of right and wrong words he provokes.
Of course Luo Chengxiu still remembered this.
Because of Luo Zhi's good deeds, the Luo family has become the laughing stock of others more than once.
Everyone knows that the lost and found son of the Luo family is crooked outside.
Being reminded of these by Jian Huaiyi, Luo Chengxiu's expression couldn't help sinking.
"But you can rest assured that effective crisis public relations have been taken in a timely manner, and the situation has improved significantly now."
Jian Huaiyi quickly added: "But after all, this situation is not good for the future development of the company. We are going to change the name first to get rid of the inherent impression that has been formed..."
Jian Huaiyi had already prepared the draft, and taking advantage of Luo Junqi's head, he said it in one breath, and the reasons listed were all quite convincing.
Luo Chengxiu listened to him absent-mindedly, but suddenly lost his patience and waved his hand: "Okay."
Jian Huaiyi froze and closed her mouth immediately.
Luo Chengxiu did not speak immediately, but turned to the side, motioning the chef to put the new dessert in front of Luo Cheng.
The Luo family didn't pay much attention to the field of entertainment, otherwise they wouldn't have allowed that subsidiary company to go bankrupt.
Even if it is handed over to Jian Huaiyi now, it is just to take care of Luo Cheng, lest the Luo family's children go out and show themselves and be bullied and run.
Luo Chengxiu didn't care about the company's revenue in the first place, and naturally he had no interest in these reports: "What a big matter, let it be yours."
Jian Huaiyi sat up straight and lowered her head: "Yes."
"It's a pity, the name Huaisheng Entertainment is not bad." Luo Chengxiu didn't want to make the atmosphere too rigid, and asked casually, "Who came up with it?"
This question was asked, but no one at the table answered.
Luo Jun was also unclear, turned to the side and looked at Jian Huaiyi beside him.
His original intention was just to ask the other party if he knew about the company's past, but at an inadvertent moment, he suddenly noticed that Jian Huaiyi's expression seemed a little strange.
When I looked closely, it was no different than usual.
"It's Luo Zhi, Dad." Jian Huaiyi smiled, "Have you forgotten? You handed over the company to him three years ago. Luo Zhi is actually very capable."
His tone was very calm, and that kind of calm and frankness without any jealousy was completely unmistakable, allowing Luo Jun to confirm that the glance was really just his own illusion.
Luo Jun retracted his gaze and lifted the coffee cup again.
Hearing Jian Huaiyi's words, Luo Chengxiu was a little surprised: "Is it only three years?"
He sorted out his memory and found that Jian Huaiyi was not wrong.
Luo Zhi indeed took over Huaisheng Entertainment three years ago.
... Said to be taking over, but in fact it was just Luo Chengxiu's preparation for bankruptcy liquidation for these unneeded subsidiaries, and he needed to fill the vacant position with a named general manager.
No matter what, he was the last person in charge before the company went bankrupt. Even if it was just a name, it would affect his resume to some extent, and he might be ridiculed by public opinion in the future.
Luo Chengxiu didn't want Luo Jun and Jian Huaiyi to have such a reputation, and it was inconvenient for outsiders to be responsible, so he gave the subsidiary to Luo Zhi.
In just three years, a company that was only waiting for bankruptcy and liquidation was actually revitalized by Luo Zhi.
Because Luo Zhi had never used the funds of the Luo family, had no connection with the Luo family, and even hadn't touched the Luo family's connections when competing for resources, Luo Chengxiu almost completely forgot about it.
"Yes." Jian Huaiyi nodded, "Luo Zhi he—"
This time, he didn't need to finish his sentence.
Mrs. Luo was sitting on the side, and when she heard the name suddenly, her relaxed face suddenly changed, and she looked around suddenly: "Luo Zhi? Where is Luo Zhi?!"
Luo Jun's expression suddenly sank, he glanced at Jian Huaiyi lightly, put down the coffee and supported her: "Mom, there is nothing."
Jian Huaiyi also seemed to have just reacted to his own blunder. He suddenly became cramped. He wanted to appease Mrs. Luo, but he didn't dare, and looked at Luo Chengxiu with some fear.
"Okay, I just talked about him casually." Luo Chengxiu frowned, "I want to ask, it has nothing to do with you... Why don't you hurry up and persuade your mother."
Mrs. Luo's illness can't be stimulated in the slightest. Once she encounters an incentive, it is very easy to attack. If it really breaks out, don't think about peace for the rest of the night.
Jian Huaiyi hurriedly answered yes, got up and walked around to the other side, and whispered to Luo Jun from left to right, only then did Mrs. Luo, who was already starting to get restless, gradually calm down.
But even so, Mrs. Luo was no longer as relaxed and happy as before. She just shrank in Jian Huaiyi's arms, tensed in horror, and kept searching the room for the possible figure.
Her eyes were free and vigilant, as if she was afraid that Luo Zhi would suddenly appear at any time, and her body could not help shaking.
Luo Chengxiu squeezed the water glass slowly.
He looked at the chaos in front of him that easily disturbed everyone, and remembered the disasters Luo Zhi made, the bad reputation he left outside, and the evil he did.
…
What did Luo Zhi say and do to his wife that night when he and Luo Jun couldn't make it in time?
Tiger Poison still doesn't eat offspring, although his wife's mind was not clear at that time, but after all, as a mother, she always has the instinct to protect her children.
Luo Chengxiu still remembered the years when the child was lost. Although Luo Zhi was willful and playful and lost himself, his wife was almost completely overwhelmed by the strong self-blame. She washed her face in tears all day long, and she was so confused that she seemed to have lost consciousness.
How much did Luo Zhi have to do to stimulate his biological mother to push him down?
…
Thinking of this, the messy thoughts from before have naturally faded away.
"What if you have the ability?"
Luo Chengxiu's tone was cold. He didn't know if he was answering what Jian Huaiyi had just interrupted, or if he was telling himself: "If you have a bad mind, even if you have a little crooked ability, you will only use it to harm others."
Jian Huaiyi didn't care to reply, she hugged Mrs. Luo and slowly persuaded her in a soft voice, her hand clenched into a fist hanging under the table finally slowly loosened.
Luo Orange seemed to have thought of something, softly "ah", and hurriedly covered her mouth.
Luo Chengxiu frowned, he turned sideways, and looked at the daughter who seemed to have a lot of secrets and worries recently: "What's wrong?"
Luo Cheng shook his head in a panic: "It's okay..."
She couldn't hold back her words. She lowered her head and fiddled with the dinner fork for a while, and finally asked in a low voice, "Dad, Luo Zhi, did he... really kill Brother Chen Bai's mother?"
Although the volume was lowered enough, the room was not noisy after all, and only Mrs. Luo, who was still immersed in her own world, did not hear it.
As soon as Luo Cheng's words fell, Luo Jun and Jian Huaiyi's eyes were already stunned.
Luo Chengxiu didn't seem surprised: "What did Ren Chenbai tell you?"
Luo Orange nodded.
Because of this incident, Luo Cheng has not dared to see Brother Chenbai for several days, and every time he thinks about it, he feels inexplicably guilty.
Of course, this guilty conscience must be remembered on Luo Zhi's head - if it wasn't for Luo Zhi being so bad, how could she be so exhausted that she couldn't even raise her head in front of Brother Chen Bai by doing such a deceitful deed?
"It's probably his family who told him that." Luo Chengxiu nodded, "Let's just assume that, he may not be able to stand the truth."
This answer was really ambiguous, Luo Cheng was startled, and wanted to ask again: "Brother Ke Chenbai—"
Luo Chengxiu looked at his daughter, his expression darkened: "Don't mention this again."
Ren Chenbai is the most favored among the young people of this generation. In terms of ability, he is not inferior to Luo Jun. In serious competition, he even beats Luo Jun, and his character and personality have never been singled out.
Even this villa was lent to them by Ren Chenbai when he heard that Mrs. Luo was going to recuperate.
There is no shortage of villas in the Luo family, but it is difficult to find such a good location.
Although this villa is right by the sea, because of the clever location, the sea breeze was blocked by the cliff not far away. You can see far from the top when the weather is good, you can get to the beach from the back door connected to the garden, and it is close enough to the port.
Mrs. Luo was recuperating here, her body and mind were relaxed and comfortable, and her condition was indeed much better than before.
…
Owing to the Ren family's favor, Luo Chengxiu didn't say much. Besides, he had also met Ren Chenbai, and knew that Ren Chenbai was very kind to Luo Zhi.
Probably because Luo Zhi used to be fostered in Ren's house, Ren Chenbai followed his mother and always took special care of Luo Zhi, and he didn't seem to hate Luo Zhi because of this past event.
In Luo Chengxiu's heart, there is also a faint measure - Luo Zhi has been taken care of by the Ren family for so long, and he should repay others. The Luo family would naturally reciprocate in the shopping mall, but such a heavy human debt was originally meant to be repaid by Luo Zhi himself.
Even if Ren Chenbai occasionally brings up this matter, he will inevitably treat Luo Zhi coldly a few times, what's the big deal? The child of Ren's family is very gentle, and he will not do too much drastic things.
Thinking of this, Luo Chengxiu found a suitable occasion to speak: "Little Orange."
Luo Cheng was still in a trance, she heard the words and quickly responded and stood up.
"I saw Luo Zhi outside, probably Ren Chenbai told him we were here, and he followed."
Luo Chengxiu said casually, "Take a few things to eat, and then pack up a decent room."
Thinking of the shabby house that Luo Zhi was standing in, Luo Chengxiu couldn't help but feel disgusted - who had to show this miserable look? Who wronged him? In such a big villa, is there a room for him to live in?
Hearing the first sentence, Luo Cheng froze in place, trying his best to keep his secrets from being revealed, but was stunned by his father's subsequent instructions: "For... Luo Zhi?"
"Otherwise?" Luo Chengxiu looked at her reaction and couldn't help frowning, "Isn't he sick now, so just leave him in that leaky house and starve him all night?"
Luo Cheng did not think of this at all, her face flushed red, she timidly responded, and went to the table to pick up a few things to eat.
Luo Chengxiu pressed his eyebrows twice again, closed his eyes, and leaned back on the back of the chair.
He has been extraordinarily tolerant to Luo Zhi today.
They just said a few words, without scolding or beating, not even asking why Luo Zhi came.
Of course Luo Chengxiu usually doesn't care about these details. It wasn't because the pale and dazed figure always appeared to provoke his anger. He asked Luo Cheng to bring Luo Zhi some food, perhaps still due to that unexplainable upset.
...so Luo Zhi had better be a little more interesting, and don't give him that lifeless look.
Thinking of this, Luo Chengxiu lost his appetite completely, and ordered brothers Luo Jun and Jian Huaiyi to take good care of their mother, then got up and left the table and went back to the room to rest.
Luo Cheng asked people to pack up a few lunch boxes, but she didn't know Luo Zhi's taste, so she had to pack them all and stuff them into a thermal insulation bag.
She just casually hid Luo Zhi in a hut that looked like a warehouse. The hut was not connected to the main building. To get there, she could only pass through the outer garden.
The heavy rain outside poured the sky into darkness, and all the lovely gardens during the day turned into hideous shadows. Luo Cheng really didn't dare to go by himself, so he took two umbrellas and went to the eldest brother for a long time, and finally moved Luo Jun.
With Jian Huaiyi by her side, Mrs. Luo's condition was stable. Luo Jun left his assistant behind, held up an umbrella and went out with her: "Why don't you let Huai Yi accompany you?"
Agitated by the cold wind, Luo Cheng shivered unconsciously, and pressed close to his elder brother: "Brother Huai Yi...I want to accompany my mother."
She said that, but a more vague complaint loomed in her heart.
Brother Huai Yi seems to be... not as concerned about her as before.
Is it because the company is too busy?
Maybe so, but Luo Zhi was busy with her previous work, so she would never deal with her like this...
If she didn't choose to help Jian Huaiyi that day, but let Luo Zhi continue to run the company, would the current situation be completely different?
Luo Cheng was taken aback by his own thoughts, and when he loosened his hand, the thermal bag fell to the ground.
Luo Orange let out an "ah" and hurriedly bent over to pick up the bag.
Fortunately, no spills.
It's just that there is a lot of muddy water on the outside of the bag, which doesn't look very clean, but it shouldn't matter inside.
Luo Jun held an umbrella and was looking at somewhere in the rain in a trance. He heard Luo Cheng's movement behind him, so he stopped and turned to look: "What's wrong?"
The weather tonight was so terrible that Luo Cheng didn't dare to go back again, so he hurriedly hid the thermal bag behind him: "It's okay."
She trotted to keep up with Luo Jun: "Brother, the weather is so bad, can you still go on the cruise tomorrow?"
"I don't know." Luo Jun asked her, "Aren't you applying for any production crew?"
Thinking of Luo Zhi's indifferent attitude towards him now, Luo Cheng felt more and more discouraged, and pursed his lips: "I don't think there is much hope... Brother, please let Brother Huai Yi help me."
It was originally to pave the way for Luo Cheng to let Jian Huaiyi take over Huaisheng Entertainment. Luo Jun didn't ask more, just nodded and continued to walk forward.
Jane Huaiyi bought five tickets for the cruise, saying that she wanted the family to relax.
Luo Jun's recent work has not been busy, and it was originally necessary. But seeing that the mother rarely expected to be happy, she asked the assistant to change the arrangement.
They are all in the villa here tonight, and it is also for the convenience of going directly to the pier tomorrow morning, but I didn't expect Luo Zhi's news to be so quick, and he even followed him.
Luo Cheng chased after him for a while, and asked in a low voice, "Brother, Luo Zhi doesn't have a ticket... Will he be angry?"
"What is there to be angry about?" Luo Jun's expression turned cold, "He shouldn't be here."
Luo Orange knew that she had said the wrong thing, and quickly shut her mouth.
She knew very well that the eldest brother's dislike of Luo Zhi was almost entirely due to Luo Zhi's targeting of Jian Huaiyi.
During the years when Luo Zhi was still at home, Luo Jun happened to be studying abroad, and only occasionally came back for a while during the summer vacation. Later, Luo Zhi was lost, and then the second brother was replaced by Jian Huaiyi, and Luo Jun also went home to take care of his mother, and the family slowly got together.
From childhood to adulthood, Jian Huaiyi has been following Luo Jun, and after graduation, he became Luo Jun's assistant, and the relationship naturally became closer.
It is also because of this that every time Luo Zhi finds fault with Brother Huai Yi, he will make the elder brother very angry.
…
What happened next really confirmed her thoughts.
Luo Jun walked a few dozen meters away from the room and stopped: "Go, I don't want to see him."
Luo Orange nodded obediently, took courage, and walked over step by step with an umbrella.
A bright flash tore apart the thick clouds, and the white light dazzled people's eyes, and also illuminated the figure standing motionless in front of the window.
Luo Cheng was so frightened that she almost screamed out. Her legs were weak, and her mind was blank. She said a sentence intermittently several times: "Dad, Dad told you to go to sleep elsewhere."
She picked up the thermal bag with her fingers and handed it in through the window tremblingly.
Luo Zhi did not respond.
Luo Cheng's hands were sore that he instinctively softened, and the insulation bag full of muddy water fell into the room.
A very dull "boom" sound.
For some reason, Luo Orange's heart also seemed to be smashed by the sound, and suddenly thumped uncomfortably.
She didn't dare to wait for any answer from Luo Zhi, she just hurriedly retracted her hand and ran back to her eldest brother.