Chapter 3 – Bells

“Xiao Cheng.” Luo Zhi replied before she hung up. “I got in trouble. If I go over there, Dad would break my leg.”

The other end of the phone was silent, and no one answered.

“Since you are all in the company, I’ll go home first.”

Luo Zhi’s tone was relaxed, he raised his hand and rang the bell hanging in front of the car. “Why don’t you help me keep an eye on it, while I take a few changes of clothes and leave…”

Luo Cheng interrupted him on the other side of the phone. “…so it really was you who hurt the second brother?”

Luo Zhi paused.

He still held the phone in one hand, lowered his gaze, and did not answer immediately.

“Second brother is seriously injured, and his head is covered with gauze. No matter how I ask him, he won’t say anything.” Luo Cheng’s tone was colder than before. “So you really did it.”

“Why do you always do this?”

Luo Cheng asked: “Was it the lack of money again, or was it something at home that made you dissatisfied?”

Luo Zhi raised his head and leaned back on the seat.

He was silent for a while before smiling: “It’s nothing like that at all, little sister. It was Jian Huaiyi and me who had a conflict in private.”

“There were a few words that we didn’t agree on, and I was impulsive.” Luo Zhi let go of the bell, “Help me plead to Dad for mercy. Didn’t you recently put in a bid for a script that you wanted? How about this, I’ll buy it and give it to you.”

Luo Cheng studied at an art school, and her group was missing a good script for the final assignment.

Just two days ago, Luo Cheng was so worried that she couldn’t sleep. She spent most of the night looking everywhere for a good script with the help of her circle of friends.

What Luo Zhi didn’t tell her was that he had already secretly asked someone to buy the script.

Although the original script was not a hit, it was of high quality. Since it was personally adapted by a well-known senior screenwriter, the price of the script nearly emptied the little money he had saved.

When Luo Zhi bought the script, he stayed up late to read it all in one night. Needless to say, he was so moved that he used up two whole boxes of tissues.

Anyway, it is his own film production company near the water tower. He was going to set up a relatively formal team directly, and then invite a few professional teachers to guide and shoot a web drama for Luo Cheng and her classmates.

Luo Zhi has been busy with this matter these days.

He planned to give it to Luo Cheng as a surprise, and thus kept the matter so confidential that only a few people in the entire company knew about it.

…although this was not how he planned on telling her, he couldn’t find it in himself to care about it too much.

“Little sister.” Luo Zhi said. “Actually, I—”

On the other end of the phone, Luo Cheng just whispered, “You should have let Dad break your leg.”

…

The latter part of what she said was drowned out by his tinnitus.

It was a sound Luo Zhi had never heard before. It was like the roar of a train or some kind of huge vehicle. When it whistled and rumbled past, even the railroad tracks and the viscous air trembled slightly.

Luo Zhi raised his hand and covered his ear before he switched the phone to one side.

Luo Cheng’s upbringing was very good. She was so well-behaved and docile, that whoever saw her would praise her for being a sensible and caring little girl. She was the type of person who never blushed or made a loud noise with anyone.

Even when she said these words, her voice was low and soft, ever so gentle.

But underneath her soft tone was like a cold chill that would not go away.

Those were the only kind of cruel and hateful words that only a sheltered little girl who has never seen a sinister heart could give to the person she hated the most.

“Xiao Cheng.” Luo Zhi heard his own voice. “Do you know what you are saying?”

“I used to think that my father was too strict with you, but I didn’t expect you to do this… To do such an excessive thing to the second brother.”

Luo Cheng said in a low voice, “If this is the only way to make you reflect so that you won’t cause any more trouble or do anything that would hurt Mom, then you should be given a decent punishment…”

Luo Zhi gave a soft “oh”.

He subconsciously raised his hand, and his fingertips rubbed at the scab on the corner of his lip.

Since he did not apply any treatment to his wound, the place was clearly red and swollen, and the slightest touch caused a burning pain.

Luo Zhi smiled apologetically: “No way.”

Luo Cheng was talking on the other end, her voice was lower than usual, and her tone was a little anxious. It was as if she never thought that he would reply like that.

And these reasons that are constantly being listed can prove that Luo Yan’s bad deeds and crimes are numerous and heavy.

Luo Zhi was not a good person, the whole family was troubled, so they were already being very tolerant to only punish him by his father’s family rules.

Hearing Luo Zhi’s reply, Luo Cheng’s voice also stopped without warning.

“No way.” Luo Zhi fastened his seat belt. “That will hurt a lot, I’m afraid of the pain.”

Luo Cheng gritted her teeth: “Then you—”

Probably because the previous words were too rude, she restrained herself this time and did not say any more.

But it was not difficult to guess what she wanted to say.

“Then why didn’t you think that the second brother would hurt when you hurt him?”

“Then why do you never do the right thing and always cause trouble? Why do you have to make everyone uncomfortable?”

“Then why can’t you disappear far away? Why can’t you disturb us less? What else do you want?”

In fact, Luo Zhi didn’t listen to any of these words.

He was already familiar with these things, so even if Luo Cheng only said two words this time, they still spontaneously and consciously jumped out of his memory clearly, and his mind subconsciously filled in the rest.

Luo Cheng did not continue to speak, and Luo Zhi was not in a hurry to open his mouth.

The suppressed silence on the phone made their breaths sound harsh and noisy like there was wet sand being stuffed into the phone, pressing hard against the speaker, and rustled by their breaths.

Luo Zhi sighed softly and started the car: “What do you want from me?”

“…”

Luo Cheng paused before answering: “Dad wants you to come and discuss the company’s power distribution with the second brother…”

“Huaisheng Entertainment?” Luo Zhi said. “Little sister, that is my company.”

Although it can be regarded as a part of the Luo family’s industry, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy when it came into his hands. It was him who went out to participate in a bunch of variety shows in an effort to pull it back together.

During the two years when his ears recovered the best, Luo Zhi couldn’t hold back his itch and picked up a guitar he hadn’t touched for many years. He was able to become a popular singer for a while.

This is also an important piece of evidence of “neglecting his duties” in the eyes of the Luo family.

Luo Zhi now thinks that it is not the prejudice of the Luo family – after all, his popularity is only black and not red. He has been chased and received threatening letters all the way, and the entire Internet turned black against him. Although he managed to save the small entertainment company, it became an entertainment company with a bad reputation.

Although Luo Chengxiu was named the chairman of this company and gave it the name “Huaisheng Entertainment”, in actuality, it has always been Luo Zhi who was in charge of it.

There had been no help from the Luo family, no money from them, and Jian Huaiyi had no shares of positions in the company.

…but now it looks like that will be changing soon.

Luo Zhi raised his hand and gently rang the bell that had long stopped ringing.

“I guess.”

Luo Zhi said: “Little sister, you want to enter the entertainment industry. Mr. Luo’s condition is that you must join his company, and plans on letting Jian Huaiyi take over so he can be rest assured?”

The other end of the phone suddenly fell silent.

The person on the opposite side seemed to be suddenly pierced in the heart1, not knowing how to answer, and subconsciously held her breath.

After a long while, Luo Cheng finally asked him back: “How can you call him Mr. Luo? Luo Zhi, that’s our father…”

“Looks like I guessed it right.” Luo Zhi smiled, “Okay, let him handle it.”

Luo Cheng was stunned on the other side of the phone.

She didn’t believe Luo Zhi would agree so easily, and after hesitating for a long time, she gritted her teeth and asked in a low voice, “What tricks are you playing?”

“Nothing.” Luo Zhi’s tone was very soft. “It’s not very important, I’ll give it to you if that’s what you want.”

He didn’t really have much interest in running the business. He only wanted to have a good company because Luo Cheng has dreamed of being an actor since she was a child.

In a place where fish and dragons are mixed2, if there isn’t a sponsor to protect them, a clean and well-behaved girl is too eye-catching…3

Luo Zhi leaned back and looked up at the bell.

He put the phone back to his left ear.

The hearing in the ear that didn’t have a hearing aid was weaker than that of ordinary people. And now the tinnitus was acting up again, he could only vaguely hear some movement.

He listened to the girl’s sweet and crisp voice.

While he was distracted, the voice vaguely became more childish and soft, like a little girl who just learned to walk.4

She refused to let him go out without saying anything, sobbed and pulled the corner of his clothes, stumbled step by step, hiding behind him like a little crybaby.

“Second brother, you are not allowed to leave, I’m scared!”

“Second brother, as soon as I shake the bell, you have to come immediately. I will count down from three.”

“Someone is bullying me, you have to help me beat him, second brother…”

…

He doesn’t know when that voice faded away from its innocence, as well as its trust and dependence on him.

Later, even the title “Second Brother” became Jian Huaiyi.

The bell was thrown in the utility room, and a thick layer of rust formed on its surface. By that time, it already stopped ringing.

While Luo Cheng was was packing her things to go to college, she found the bell she used to play with as a child.

However, she no longer remembered where it came from. Thinking it was useless, she was going to ask someone to take it away with the other useless things to throw it away.

Luo Zhi picked up the bell, polished it bit by bit to clean up the rust, and hung it in the car.

Luo Zhi bent his index finger and tapped the microphone twice.

The faint voice in his ear suddenly stopped.

“When you grow up, anyone can protect you.”

Luo Zhi warmly said, “Since you believe in Jian Huaiyi more, then leave it to him.”

“Forget it today.” Luo Zhi said, “I will go to the company to hand it over to him tomorrow.”

Luo Cheng was silent for a few seconds, then whispered to him: “Luo Zhi…”

Luo Zhi took off the bell and put it in the storage box.

He didn’t let the call last any longer, and after saying this, he hung up.

1

to feel guilty

2

a place where there are prey and predators

3

basically saying that she will be taken advantage of if she doesn’t have someone to rely on for protection

4

we are flashing back to his childhood memories