City: I Started As A Rich Second Generation Villain - Chapter 9 – If Fate Is A Lonely River

The best way to turn two brothers against each other is to introduce a woman into the mix—or to create an unequal distribution of benefits.

The ancients once said: “Do not covet your brother’s wife.”

The “ancients” also said: “Do not start a business with your closest friend.”

This is because of unequal distribution of benefits, as if interests and friendships are inherently separate. Reality teaches people to swim forward, yet they often lose their friends in the process.

These experienced individuals earnestly warn us how to avoid two good friends drifting apart and going their separate ways due to certain issues. Yet in reality, people repeatedly make these heartbreaking mistakes.

Gu Junqing, however, planned to tackle the problem from both angles, ensuring they parted ways completely and leaving the current protagonist isolated and alone.

It was important to note that Liu Yang played a crucial role in the early stages of the plot. Whenever Lin Tian encountered problems, he would turn to Liu Yang for advice, as Liu Yang was the only one willing to help him and believe he could defeat Gu Junqing. It could be said that Liu Yang contributed significantly to Lin Tian’s efforts to overcome him.

If fate is a lonely river, who will be your ferryman?

Clearly, Liu Yang was Lin Tian’s ferryman during his early transition. Without Liu Yang’s financial support for Lin Tian’s first gambling-stone purchase, and without Liu Yang’s constant encouragement and belief in him, Lin Tian’s rise would not have been so easy.

Of course, this only made Lin Tian’s later ingratitude all the more glaring. By cutting off Liu Yang, Lin Tian’s right-hand man, Gu Junqing anticipated that Lin Tian would suffer greatly.

After class, Murong Wan and Luo Ningyu approached Gu Junqing’s desk to apologize and express their gratitude. Murong Wan appeared very sincere, not only apologizing for her behavior the previous day but also thanking Gu Junqing for saving Luo Ningyu.

Luo Ningyu, on the other hand, seemed rather indifferent. After all, she was already his girlfriend. Standing beside Murong Wan, she even mouthed to Gu Junqing, “Do you still want to come to my place for a drink?” This stirred some restlessness in Gu Junqing. He had initially thought Luo Ningyu was an innocent high school girl, but it turned out she was quite the little temptress.

“We’d like to invite you to dinner in a few days to express our gratitude!” Murong Wan said earnestly.

The little temptress Luo Ningyu, clinging to Murong Wan’s arm, quickly nodded in agreement.

“Sure. What day were you thinking?”

“How about the evening three days from now?”

“Sounds good,” Gu Junqing smiled.

In the original story, there was a similar scene, but the one being invited was Lin Tian instead.

Moreover, during that dinner in the original story, something interesting happened.

Lin Tian ran into his younger sister, Lin Qingzhu, who was working part-time at the restaurant. Then followed the cliché plot: the sister being harassed at work, the protagonist heroically saving her, and winning the admiration of those around him for his integrity and sense of justice.

If Liu Yang was Lin Tian’s right-hand man, then his sister Lin Qingzhu was the most important person to him at this time. Having lost their parents early, the two siblings had relied on each other since childhood. However, in order to attend Tianlin High School, Lin Tian had spent a large sum of their parents’ savings, leaving the household finances strained. As a result, his sister had to take on part-time jobs to help make ends meet.

While it was true that one should strive for higher goals, Lin Tian achieved this at the cost of his sister’s sacrifices. Astonishingly, he accepted this arrangement without qualms and even occasionally entertained inappropriate thoughts about his sister, Lin Qingzhu.

Of course, there are clichés in novels where the protagonist’s sister is eventually revealed to have no blood relation to him. But it was important to note that this had not yet been discovered, which further highlighted how hypocritical and disgusting Lin Tian truly was.

The book portrayed Lin Tian as righteous and noble—but everything depended on perspective.

“Then it’s settled!” Murong Wan couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh, her dreamy eyes curving like crescent moons.

Murong Wan reached out to seal the agreement with Gu Junqing, who also extended his hand to clasp hers.

Gu Junqing felt only a soft, delicate sensation as her small, pale hand slipped into his, making his heart itch uncontrollably. He couldn’t resist lightly scratching her palm with his pinky finger, causing Murong Wan to quickly pull her hand back.

Her face slightly flushed, Murong Wan glared at him and said, “You rogue, you pervert!” Yet she felt no anger in her heart.

For some reason, after Luo Ningyu clarified the situation and their misunderstanding was resolved, her impression of Gu Junqing had improved significantly. He was kind, studious, and polite—aside from being a bit lecherous.

She couldn’t understand why she had found him so detestable before.

After saying this, she tried to pull Luo Ningyu away. Luo Ningyu, however, was reluctant to leave and stumbled as she was dragged along.

“Hey, you two held hands! I want to hold hands too! Hehe.”

“You little minx, we were shaking hands to make peace!” Murong Wan hurriedly pulled Luo Ningyu away, afraid she might say something even more embarrassing.

Gu Junqing raised an eyebrow. Why were they running off so quickly? It wasn’t as if he would do anything to them.

It was time to continue with class. Teacher Yu Miaojin was wearing a pinkish-white sheer dress today, her slender and graceful figure faintly visible beneath the translucent fabric. Her soft, jade-like arms and beautifully rounded long legs, paired with her flawless ice-like complexion, had made many male students feel their noses grow warm over the past few classes. The boys could only remind their “little brothers” that they were not destined for such beauty.

Finally, school ended. Only after watching Teacher Yu Miaojin leave the classroom did the silent room begin to stir.

At last, one male student’s nose betrayed him, dripping with unworthy red drool. The surrounding boys cast him disdainful glances but still walked out of the classroom with their heads held high.

Don’t lower your head, or the drool will fall.

Lin Tian swallowed his saliva, thinking of catching up to Yu Miaojin under the pretense of asking a question to get closer to her. However, he noticed that Gu Junqing had already caught up to her and was walking side by side with her, chatting and laughing.

Lin Tian’s expression darkened. Wasn’t he supposed to be the protagonist? Shouldn’t all the women be drawn to him?

But seeing the two of them laughing and talking so intimately left no room for him to interrupt. He could only shake his head and leave the classroom, planning to use the money he had just borrowed from Liu Yang to find a way to make a fortune. After all, with his Golden Eyes, it shouldn’t be hard to find a method to get rich.

He didn’t notice the flicker in Liu Yang’s eyes as he watched him leave.

Liu Yang was starting to regret lending Lin Tian tens of thousands of yuan. In the past few days, his father’s company had gone bankrupt, and his mother, overwhelmed with anger, had fainted and been diagnosed with a terminal illness. The surgery costs were still short, and his family urgently needed money. Yet he felt too embarrassed to ask for the money back. He had initially patted his chest and promised Lin Tian he wouldn’t need to repay it, calling him “brother” all the while. Now, he simply couldn’t bring himself to retract his words.

Feeling frustrated, Liu Yang had no choice but to leave campus and head home, thinking he would ask Lin Tian for it next time.

Just after stepping off campus, Liu Yang was suddenly dragged away by two burly men. Struggling, he shouted, “What are you doing?” in an attempt to attract attention from people nearby.

Suddenly, something was pressed against his waist, startling him into stillness. His entire body trembled uncontrollably.

He was forcibly escorted by the two men, each holding one of his arms, to the front of a Cullinan. The car door opened, and he was pushed inside.

There, he saw someone smiling at him.

It was Gu Junqing.