Chapter 4 — Internet Users Love Me

I blinked a few times, forcing the moisture back from my eyes, then wrote two words on his palm: No. He did not speak, his ears turned red, the tip of his nose was also red, looking extremely pitiful. I wrote again on his palm: Do you hear clearly? He nodded vigorously. I was about to write something more when I suddenly heard footsteps behind me.
“Sister Van Lang.”
I turned around. Luc Van Cu wore a stone-green robe, a neat mandarin, and in his hand twirled a string of sandalwood Buddha beads. His eyes fell intently on my face.
“Can we go over there and talk?”
Manh Khai Nien suddenly took a step forward, blocking me behind. He was almost half a head taller than Luc Van Cu, his fists hanging at his side, his knuckles so tense they turned white. He didn't say a word, but he was like a wall. Luc Van Cu glanced at him, his expression bland as if he was looking at a rock.
"Second Young Master Manh, don't worry. This is the place of Buddha's door, and in the middle of the day, I won't do anything." He stopped. “Just a few words.”
Manh Khai Nien turned his head to look at me. I shook my head slightly, signaling it was okay. He took half a step back, but refused to go far, only standing guard three steps away. Luc Van Cu led me under an ancient eucalyptus tree in front of the palace. The golden sunlight penetrated through the dry branches and fell on his shoulders. He stopped, looked at me and then got straight to the point.
“You want to marry Manh Khai Nien?”
"It's my personal matter, I'm bothering Second Young Master Luc to take care of it."
“Chieu Vien has given you to me.” He frowned slightly, his voice became cold and hard. “If under the nine streams he knew that I was marrying a deaf and mute person, what would he think?”
An Chieu Vien. It's An Chieu Vien again. Regardless of his previous life or this life, when Luc Van Cu opened his mouth, he always mentioned An Chieu Vien.
“Van Lang, if Chieu Vien knew that she was so shameless in bed, what would he think?”
“When you smile at me, if Chieu Vien sees it, what will he think you are thinking?”
“Be good, let Chieu Vien see how promiscuous you are.”
During every long night in my previous life, he pressed me next to An Chieu Vien's sword to do those things. Each sentence and each word is like a blunt knife cutting meat. From then on, I could no longer calmly face my brother's name. Even just hearing the three words "An Chieu Vien", my whole body will feel cold and I can't control myself to tremble. During those days, I hated everyone. Hate Luc Van Cu, hate yourself, also hate An Chieu Vien. Before he left, why did he have to hand me over to Luc Van Cu? But what's wrong with An Chieu Vien? He just hopes that someone will protect his sister on his behalf.
“He will be happy for me.”
Luc Van Cu was stunned. My eye sockets are hot. I raised my head and looked straight into his eyes.
“If my brother under the golden stream knew that there were still people like him in this world, using their lives to protect me, he would be happy for me.”
Luc Van Cu's face gradually paled. He stared at me, his lips moved a few times, and it took a long time for a sound to come out.
“Use your life to protect me?”
He looked like he was chewing something he couldn't swallow. Suddenly, a fire that shouldn't exist flared up in those bland eyes.
"Then I will marry you. I can also use my life to protect you sister.” His voice was low and urgent. "If you marry me, it's better than marrying a deaf and mute person."
I calmly looked at him.
“Second Young Master, you also said these words in your previous life.”
His pupils suddenly shrank. I didn't give him time to react.
“But in my heart, you are not one-thousandth as good as Manh Khai Nien. Last life was not as good, this life is not as good."
Luc Van Cu's whole body stiffened in place, as if someone had used a hammer to hammer him into the ground. I turned around, walked towards Manh Khai Nien, grabbed his sleeve and led him away. Don't know how far it has gone. The sleeve in my palm was tightened and then released by him, released and then tightened again. Up until now, all his emotions were clearly shown on his face. At this time, he was unusually silent.
“What's wrong?”
Manh Khai Nien bowed his head, took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and gave it to me.
— Lang Lang, don't marry me.
I stopped walking and looked at him. He took out another sheet.
— I am mute. If Lang Lang marries me, others will laugh at me.
Another sheet.
— I don't want Lang Lang to be laughed at.
The pieces of paper had been written on in advance, neatly folded one by one and tucked into the sleeve. Perhaps he thought for a long time before mustering up the courage to give them to me. His tears fell, each drop hitting the piece of paper, blurring the ink into a hazy patch. My chest felt like someone was squeezing me tightly, so painful that I couldn't breathe.
“Okay.” I took a deep breath and deliberately made my face darken. “Then let's not see each other anymore.”
Having finished speaking, I turned around and left. Immediately, urgent footsteps were heard from behind. Manh Khai Nien panicked and chased after me, clutching my sleeve. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, tears fell from his eyes.