Chapter 9

My parents have never mentioned it, but I know they have set up a startup fund for Yu Run. Could you help me ask if he is interested

City H is the hometown of her, him, and Yu Ze, and it is also the first stronghold of Piao & Min Su.

I know. "Li Darong continued in a gruff voice, "The boss is busy."

She has never quite understood the person Li Darong, who clearly dislikes her very much, yet always reluctantly sends her towards Yu Run.

"It is I, Kong Anhuai." Kong Anhuai did not pay much attention; in her memory, after she first rejected Yu Run, Li Darong's tone towards her had always been like this. "Is Yu Run here?"

Kong Anhuai paused the action of hanging up the phone

I have to fly to Yangshuo tomorrow to meet Mr. Bai to discuss the soft decoration matters, and I need your help with this. Yu Ze selectively ignored his friend's subtle complaint, took a bite of the pickled mustard greens, and quickly spat it out, saying, "Is your pickled mustard greens expired?"

She initially intended to adopt a mindset focused on completing the task, thinking that a brief persuasion over the phone would suffice

Yuze pouted, looking aggrieved, and said, "I really have no choice; you know that every time I talk to him, we end up arguing"

This guy actually wants to get himself killed as soon as he returns! Have you ever heard of free climbing?" After downing a glass of red wine, Yu Ze's eyes turned red, "I think I understand his lifelong wish now; his wish must be to first infuriate my father and then to infuriate our entire family!"

"Welcome home." Kong Anhuai heard his own response, his tongue stiff, and he answered in a very cheerful manner

The matters of the Yu family are private affairs of Yu Ze, and since Yu Ze does not like to discuss them, she rarely inquires. However, she always feels that the Yu family's opposition to Yu Run's rock climbing is excessively extreme. The way Yu Ze speaks about this issue is as if Yu Run is engaging in some illicit activities outside.

Therefore, Kong Anhuai has never been able to understand whether Yu Ze simply thinks that rock climbing is dangerous or if there are other reasons. Whenever Yu Run is mentioned, she loses control of her emotions

Isn't he retired? Why is he climbing again? The kitchen in Kong Anhuai's home is merely a decoration; after rummaging for a long time, he took out a pack of pickled vegetables from the refrigerator to serve as a side dish, which Yu Ze disdainfully rolled his eyes at.

It is said to be a demonstration competition organized with the climbing association, aimed at encouraging more people to participate in climbing. Yu Ze rolled his eyes, saying, "How can he be so dramatic? Climbing to the point of risking his life isn't enough; even after retiring, he still encourages others to take the same risks."

While driving on the highway, I accidentally exceeded the speed limit for a few minutes

"Have you been drinking?" Yu Run paused for a moment before asking

I tell you, this time I will definitely kill Yu Run!" Yu Ze burst into Kong Anhuai's room, saw the remaining bit of red wine, and instinctively grabbed a cup to start drinking heartily

"What can I help with?" Kong Anhuai, who was disturbed in the middle of the night and had opened a bottle of fine red wine, felt quite frustrated. At that moment, while hanging up the phone, he acted impulsively out of a moment of weakness. Now, thinking back, such good wine was just downed by Yu Ze, and it pains him greatly.

After all, every time she sees Yu Run, she feels utterly disheartened, making it difficult for her to muster the courage to advise him against rock climbing; this is a conversation destined to fail

Is there something?" Li Darong's tone was not pleasant

It has long been an official competition event, so how has it turned into a reckless act

Yu Ze was indeed led astray immediately, wishing he could shove the entire wine glass into his mouth: "What should I do? My parents still don't know about this matter, I'm so worried I could die."

Then, after a hesitant call from Kong Anhuai, Yu Run slowly conveyed, "Tell Yu Ze that I plan to first infuriate her and then infuriate her entire family"

My parents devoted most of their energy to me, while Yu Run became increasingly silent. Yu Ze looked at Kong Anhuai and shook his head, saying, "By the time we realized that Yu Run had completely lost interest in studying, it was already too late"

The phone call has ended

Moreover, she herself felt a bit worried. Last time in Country B, she had witnessed Yu Run's rock climbing and had seen his hand swollen to the size of a pig's hoof. Given such a condition, she felt that attempting free climbing was akin to courting death.

Was that a man on the phone just now? Yu Ze felt that he might be hallucinating from anger, as he actually thought that the voice of the man calling Kong Anhuai in the early morning sounded like Yu Run's.

Then the phone hung up

Even though this younger brother is actually two years older than her

Ah Ze..." Kong Anhuai pondered for a moment and gently reminded, "The rock climbing event has been included in the 2020 Olympics.

She annotated her impatience, probably because her relationship with Yu Ze was too close, truly considering Yu Run as her own younger brother

And this dangerous individual has returned to the country

It seems that Yu Ze did not hear the content of the call, and Kong Anhuai breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at her sideways: "Are you in the mood to gossip about me now?"

Do you think I can persuade her? Yu Run has a stubborn temperament, and she is not close enough to him to advise him on the direction of his life

The person answering the phone was not Yu Run himself; it was immediately clear from the voice that it was Li Darong.

Li Darong let out a hum from the other end of the phone, as if he understood everything: "You are here to persuade him not to engage in free climbing, aren't you"

The climbing gym is not far from the airport, and it takes only about ten minutes to drive there. Kong Anhuai pressed his lips together and still decided to go.

At one o'clock in the middle of the night, I opened the door and was surprised to see Yu Ze, who would definitely go to bed on time at ten o'clock.

Kong Anhuai remained silent, took a bite of the pickled mustard greens, frowned, and spat it out; it was indeed expired

In simpler terms, it means climbing a steep cliff without any safety harness, just climbing directly

Then I will call back later. Kong Anhuai wanted to quickly hang up the phone, as there was no common ground in their conversation. Dislike is usually mutual.

What did Yu Run say when he returned to the country just now

The last time we encountered each other on the plane was like this, and this time it is the same.

Welcome home

However, she inexplicably believed that she needed to take that trip on behalf of Yu Ze

Only a few would find it so awkward, as Kong Anhuai stood in place, pressed his lips together, and ran to the wine cabinet to open another bottle of red wine

Yu Ze's gaze flickered

Before Kong Anhuai could consider how to respond, the doorbell of her home was pressed frantically.

Free climbing ... This term was recently searched by Kong Anhuai while looking up climbing. Its literal meaning is to climb relying solely on one's own strength without the aid of any protective equipment

Kong Anhuai listened quietly to the attitude of the Yu family towards Yu Run. Kong Anhuai was well aware of it, having witnessed it with her own eyes. The estrangement was definitely not merely caused by a climbing incident, and Yu Run was not the kind of person who became rebellious due to being ridiculed in childhood

He did not go astray, and I also know that rock climbing is not a bad thing, but I always feel that he could have had a more relaxed life. If I had been a bit more caring towards him back then and had not mocked him for not doing well in his studies, he might not have chosen such a dangerous profession

Kong Anhuai endured the throbbing pain in his forehead and poured himself another glass of wine

Therefore, even if he has achieved success in rock climbing, I still want to pull him back to a more relaxed life trajectory. You should also know that he has suffered quite a few injuries over the past few years. After letting him roam freely for seven years, it is time for him to settle down. Yu Ze concluded, "So, could you help me persuade him and also ask him what his plans are after retirement?"

That brat won't answer my calls! Yu Ze huffed, "You help me talk to him. He's already retired, so he shouldn't be messing around with these things anymore. He's in his thirties now; he should come back and settle down to do some small business to put his parents' minds at ease."

Upon returning, he brought a significant bombshell

Kong Anhuai felt a bit awkward, as she had hurriedly opened the door while still on the phone.

By the way, do you have his contact information? He has been using the old number from back then for these past few years, and I will write it down for you. Yu Ze's personality has always been one to act on impulse; over the past few years, he has become accustomed to the way of working in collaboration with Kong Anhuai during their entrepreneurial endeavors. Now, he feels that the idea that suddenly came to him is simply brilliant

"Aze, is rock climbing really that bad?" Kong Anhuai asked earnestly

However, even if Yu Ze did not speak, she would still be unable to refuse Yu Ze's request

"Drink up, drink up." A bottle of expensive liquor was opened and pushed over, causing Kong Anhuai to have a headache

Kong Anhuai was left alone, staring blankly at his phone

On the other end of the phone, Li Darong quickly reported an address to Kong Anhuai and said, "Come if you want!"

Yu Run is a dangerous individual; he can make someone as calm as Kong Anhuai flee in panic time and again, and he can also drive a person like Yu Ze, who possesses maternal love and a forgiving heart, to the point of wanting to strangle him and then take his own life in an instant

Still returning to City H

Beside him is Yu Ze, who is drinking and glaring at him with a fierce expression

After all, they are siblings by blood, and it is impossible for them to truly disregard his well-being. Kong Anhuai knows that Yu Ze has often secretly watched the live broadcasts of Yu Run's matches over the past few years; she is merely tough on the outside but soft-hearted on the inside

After sending Yu Ze onto the flight to Yangshuo, Kong Anhuai made a phone call to Yu Run

She picked up the phone and held it to her ear; indeed, Yu Run on the other end had not hung up, and she could hear his breathing.

She vaguely remembers that Yu Run was quite willing to listen to Kong Anhuai's words back in the day

Always angry, as if she owes him a lifetime of debt

You know, I have had almost no contact with him for the past seven years. Kong Anhuai has a characteristic that when he generally stops talking, it usually indicates a soft heart or tacit approval. Therefore, Yu Ze played his card of sorrow even more cheerfully, saying, "If it weren't for the last time Yu Run ran into you at the airport, I estimate that even if he returned to the country this time, he probably wouldn't have contacted me."

I have always felt quite sorry for Yu Run. This is something Yu Ze has never said. I have always had good grades since I was young and was often the subject of my parents' bragging, while Yu Run's grades have always been in the lower middle range. At that time, I was still young and even laughed at him for being too foolish.

Welcome home, damn it

He knew that I have always liked wood carvings and asked for your phone number to send the wood carving to me. Yu Ze smiled wryly, thinking of it as him softening his stance towards me, leaving a way out for both of us.