AM Chapter 7

07 Reputation

Breakfast time ended, and Chen Mo, feeling indigestion, put on his headphones and nestled on the sofa to browse his phone. Shen Qing was washing dishes in the kitchen, while Lucas was using a tablet to recommend his favorite singer’s concert to Liang Jingren, who was sitting at the dining table.

Halfway through washing the dishes, Shen Qing’s phone rang. His hands were still wet, so he asked Liang Jingren to answer it for him. Coincidentally, the person on the phone was looking for Liang Jingren.

After the person identified himself, Liang Jingren went to the balcony to take the call.

Chen Mo couldn’t hear what was being said on the balcony with his headphones on, but when he looked up from his phone, he could clearly observe the changes in Liang Jingren’s expression during the call.

He didn’t know what the person on the phone said, but Liang Jingren was very emotional, very emotional, extremely emotional.

Shen Qing also noticed Liang Jingren’s abnormality and decisively wiped his hands, handed the dishes to Lucas, and walked towards the balcony.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Qing asked when the phone was returned to him.

Liang Jingren said, “Strong Bro’s boss is getting out.”

At this time, Chen Mo had already taken off his headphones, leaning his body slightly towards the direction of their conversation. When he heard “Old Strong,” he immediately thought of Strong Bro, but wasn’t Strong Bro’s boss Liang Jingren? And what did “getting out” mean?

Shen Qing probably knew more than he did, and his expression became tense, asking, “When?”

“Probably within the next two months, as early as next month.”

“Are you going to pick him up?”

“Of course.” Liang Jingren said without hesitation.

Perhaps Chen Mo’s gaze was too direct, and his eavesdropping was quickly discovered. Liang Jingren turned around, tilted his head slightly, and his gaze slanted straight at him. He stared at Chen Mo for a long time before saying, “What?”

Chen Mo was sitting on the sofa, several feet shorter than him, feeling like he was being looked down upon. He felt uncomfortable, and the words he spoke naturally had a sting: “I just heard that someone’s good boss is going to jail?”

Liang Jingren’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t say anything, only stared at him coldly.

The cold gaze felt like it was drilling into his bones, unbearable. Before long, Chen Mo somewhat guiltily avoided the angry stare that he had provoked.

Liang Jingren started smoking on the balcony again, but this time he took a paper cup with him to catch the ashes. Chen Mo continued to nest on the sofa and browse his phone.

Shen Qing walked into the living room and sat beside him, asking, “You hate Liang Jingren so much, why don’t you go back to your room?”

Yes, everyone knew he hated Liang Jingren, even Shen Qing, who didn’t have much contact with him, knew.

“This is my apartment, why should I hide from him…” Chen Mo grumbled, dissatisfied.

Chen Mo and Lucas had bought a black used car together, taking turns driving it. Because they were in the same college at the same school, there were basically no disagreements about travel, which was quite convenient. Occasionally, if they needed the car independently, like for going on dates, they just had to inform the other person in advance.

When Liang Jingren was coming, Lucas asked Chen Mo to borrow the car for a week, but Chen Mo refused, so Lucas rented a car instead.

Before leaving for the airport, the group of four dragged three suitcases downstairs to the apartment. Lucas and Shen Qing naturally moved all the suitcases to the rented silver-gray sedan.

The trunk couldn’t fit all the suitcases, so one suitcase had to take up space in the back seat.

Liang Jingren was already preparing to get into the car. He opened the car door on one side and saw that Chen Mo was also coming over to get in, so he asked strangely, “Don’t you have a car? Drive your own.”

Chen Mo frowned and said, “There’s still a seat in this car.”

Liang Jingren’s lips twitched, and he gave a dry laugh, saying, “I thought you definitely wouldn’t want to be in the same space as me.”

Chen Mo opened his mouth and said, “I don’t want to, but I’m too lazy to drive.”

“You’re so lazy you’re going to die.”

“… Hmph.”

On the way to the airport, the driver, Little Lu, started his loud-singing karaoke mode. Even though the car’s music was loud enough, it still couldn’t block his devilish singing from entering their ears.

Actually, Lucas’s singing wasn’t terrible, but it definitely wasn’t as good as a CD. Chen Mo was just tired of hearing it so much, but at this moment, he felt extremely irritable because Liang Jingren actually disregarded the safety of the driver and other passengers and started requesting songs for Lucas, even enthusiastically whistling along.

It was outrageous.

And even more outrageous was Shen Qing, who could lean his head on his shoulder and fall asleep in this environment!

After arriving at the airport, the refreshed Shen Qing led Lucas to drag the suitcases to check them in, leaving the last moments of farewell to the father and son who didn’t have a good relationship.

“What exactly are you here for?” Chen Mo asked Liang Jingren. He had learned from Lucas that Liang Jingren hadn’t been to any attractions this week, at most just checked in at a few statues near their school.

Liang Jingren said, “To see you.”

Chen Mo had clearly rehearsed the lines of sarcasm and veiled criticism in his mind several times, but looking at Liang Jingren in front of him, hearing him say these simple four words, his mood became subtle, and not a single cold word could come out.

“To see if you’re willing to admit your mistakes.” Liang Jingren added.

Chen Mo was even more speechless, and the hands that were hanging down on both sides tightened into fists.

“As long as you’re willing to admit your mistakes, I’ll forgive you.”

“If…” Chen Mo opened his mouth, “If I don’t admit it?”

“I paid your tuition, you should know that.” Liang Jingren’s tone was very calm, as if he had expected him to be so stubborn. “Tuition abroad is really not cheap, several hundred thousand a year.”

Chen Mo’s lips trembled. He bit his lip hard, looked up and stared directly at Chen Mo, saying, “I’ll pay you back! After I graduate, I’ll pay you back everything!”

Liang Jingren silently exhaled, rubbed his forehead, and said, “I don’t care about the money.”

Ah… he remembered… Liang Jingren’s high and mighty appearance sitting in the leather boss’s chair…

That was clearly Chen Daxiang’s seat, how did he take his place? And after he sat in that position, how did his tone and manner become so cold? Not at all like the man who took him to the amusement park to skip school and bought him an extravagant seven-scoop ice cream.

“Then what do you care about?! Your reputation?!” Chen Mo was a little agitated, and his voice rose several degrees.

Liang Jingren was still calm and composed, not only his expression, but even his voice showed no fluctuations: “Not my reputation, your reputation.”

Boom——Rumble——

The roar of the plane covered the entire airport, and the sudden heavy pressure seemed to tighten Chen Mo’s throat in an instant.

Chen Mo was speechless.

Liang Jingren boarded the plane.

The last thing he said before he left was: “Think it over and come back home, I’ll be waiting for you at the villa.”

Lucas watched the two of them walk onto the boarding bridge and then ran back to the hall to find someone—he didn’t expect Chen Mo to still be standing there stupidly.

Lucas nudged him with his elbow, but he didn’t move. Lucas simply shrugged his shoulders and bumped into him sideways, finally shaking this petrified fossil.

“Hey bro, what stimulated you?”

Faced with Lucas’s concern, Chen Mo only lowered his head, clenching his fists tightly, as if trying to make his fingernails sink into his flesh.

Lucas saw that he was lowering his head and not speaking, so he cheekily bent down to take a closer look. This look was terrible, Chen Mo’s eyes were as red as if they had been dyed with chili water!

Lucas was so frightened that he jumped back several steps. “Holy crap, bro, do you have a sudden case of red-eye disease!”

A few seconds later, he vaguely heard Chen Mo making some noise. Lucas, in a monkey king pose, lowered his arms and carefully leaned forward again.

Now he could hear clearly, Chen Mo was constantly muttering:

“Go to hell, go to hell, go to hell, go to hell!”

“I won’t go back to China, I’d rather die than go back!”

“Damn it, kill him, kill him, kill him, kill him!”

Hiss…

Lucas leaned back and took a cold breath. Although he didn’t know what exactly had happened between the father and son, at this moment, he felt scared.