Epiphanies of Rebirth 41
Chapter 41
Lin Jingzhe was dreaming. He seemed to be imprisoned in an endless nightmare, unable to escape no matter how hard he tried.
In the dream, he returned to the youth of his previous life and experienced that life of ups and downs once more. However, he was like a spectator and could only watch it play out in silence, trapped outside an invisible barrier. He tried to intervene, but he couldn’t make a sound. Finally, the illusion of going back to the past shattered, revealing the cruel reality which, like a sharp blade removed from the sheath, pierced his heart mercilessly.
He believed that simply being born was his original sin and he was therefore destined to be forever alone.
Truth be told, Lin Jingzhe rarely cried. Ever since he first became self-aware, he understood he must be strong. There had been only four times in his life when he couldn’t suppress his emotions.
The first time was when his grandpa died. The only constant in his life, the one person he could depend on, was no more—it was a shock akin to an eternal mountain suddenly collapsing.
The second time was when he first arrived in Yan City in his last life. At that time, his heart was filled with apprehension about being in a strange big city, the regret and indignation at failing the college entrance examination, and longing for the mother he was “forced” to leave. There was also nervousness and—despite his mother’s denigrations—a little bit of hopeful anticipation because he was about to see his father, whom he’d been dreaming of meeting countless times in his childhood. Unfortunately, Lin Runsheng’s behavior completely destroyed what little expectations he had: what he got was not a warm welcome but a dispassionate interrogation from a stern, aloof father. There was also a sharp and capable-looking stepmother watching him with subconscious scrutiny, as well as the completely unexpected existence of Shen Tiantian—tangible proof that his father had already made a new life for himself.
To him, Shen Tiantian was without a doubt someone to be envious of. Although her biological parents were also divorced, she grew up surrounded by love. Everyone in the family knew what she liked to eat and what was her favorite color, and when she was shy or scared, she could hide behind her mother without any hesitation.
His “welcome dinner” was held in the biggest restaurant in Yan City. The huge table was full of spicy dishes. Liyun Town’s residents indeed tended to love spicy food, but Lin Jingzhe was an exception—he preferred sweet foods.
During the whole meal, he didn’t eat anything except for the soup. It caused the atmosphere at the dinner table to become increasingly weird and awkward. When he returned to his “new home” in which he had no sense of belonging and the “guest room” where no one had ever lived, Lin Jingzhe shed tears all night, like a soldier that had suffered a crushing defeat.
The third time was on the day Lin Runsheng died after suffering a heart attack. The man that never showed any warmth lay barely conscious in the hospital bed, crying like a child. Shen Juanying, who was about to give him the divorce papers, knelt beside the bed wiping the tears running down his face.
The last time, he’d been sitting in a car watching a school gate from a distance. Anxious because of his threats, Qi Qing and Jiang Qiaqia had personally come to pick up their daughter from school. The beautiful little girl, lively and confident, flew out of the gate like a sparrow out of the cage and happily threw herself into her mother’s open arms, just like he’d dreamed of doing countless times in his childhood.
For a second, Lin Jingzhe had been overwhelmed with an urge to run them over. He even put the car into gear, but his foot on the accelerator didn’t move.
Perhaps running unprepared into Jiang Qiaqia, whom he’d been avoiding meeting, evoked the pain he buried in the depths of his memory and didn’t want to recall, or perhaps all the strong emotions he’d been suppressing since his rebirth finally found a breakthrough, and the effects of alcohol allowed him to finally let it all out. He had hated fate, the world, many people, and even his grandfather who treated him the best.
But these emotions didn’t make his life any better. Perhaps everything was meant to be. Since then, Lin Jingzhe developed a habit of keeping others at arm’s length. He had friends, but he could never trust them completely. He dated women who pursued him, but usually, after a period of time, he realized he couldn’t give them the happiness they wanted and they’d break up. He used to have a desire to start a family, but as he grew older, other people caught his interest less and less.
He had lost the ability to trust and depend on others. Like the “world’s loneliest whale” whose frequency no other whale could hear, he was completely alone.
Dreams of the past swallowed Lin Jingzhe like a bottomless sea pulling him down to its depths. He curled up, intending to tough it out, but as he was struggling, his hand seemed to grasp a lifeline and he could hear the sound of someone’s breathing close to him, deep and steady, like a father’s.
Unable to resist the urge to seek shelter, like a small animal, he burrowed into the warmth that temporarily made him feel safe. Then, the dreams slowly faded away, letting him break free and sink into a peaceful sleep for the remainder of the night.
When he woke up the next day, Lin Jingzhe couldn’t distinguish for a moment between dream and reality.
A small ray of sunlight broke through the tightly drawn curtains, painting a bright spot on the ceiling. The air conditioner was humming quietly, and the poorly sound-insulated walls allowed in the sounds of people moving around in the other rooms and cars driving outside.
His head ached a little, but the faint pain did not dull his mind.
Lin Jingzhe’s entire attention was focused on another body tightly entwined with his. Like a defenseless baby, he lay in the warm embrace, his head pillowed on the other person’s arm, their legs tangled, and his hands resting against the other’s chest.
The scent that had seeped into his dream lingered in his nose. Tinged with a slight trace of alcohol, it was the distinctive scent of a precious fragrant wood, clean and refreshing, and strangely familiar.
Lin Jingzhe’s fingers twitched. The other person’s robe was loose, revealing a broad chest. It was smooth and firm, with no hair, and muscular but not exaggeratedly so.
It was a man’s chest.
Lin Jingzhe fought through his headache to find an explanation for the current situation, but he couldn’t remember anything. His memory ended around the umpteenth drink he had tossed down in the nightclub. Exactly how much did he drink, where he was, and who brought him here, he had no idea.
Could he have picked up a “companion” last night? But all the bargirls yesterday had been, well, girls.
And what happened after they came here? He wouldn’t have drunkenly forced himself on the guy, would he?
Anyway, he had to deal with the situation no matter what it was. At the very least, he couldn’t continue lying in this position, even though it felt quite snug and comfortable.
The man’s strong arm encircled Lin Jingzhe’s back. He took back the hands that rested on the other’s chest and wriggled back, trying to break free. Then, the body next to him stirred, and, to his complete and utter shock, Lin Jingzhe heard a hoarse but familiar voice.
“What time is it?” Xiao Chi asked, drowsiness still lingering in his baritone.
At the same time, the arm resting over Lin Jingzhe’s side slid down, following the curve of his body until it lay over his hip bone, then tightened.
Lin Jingzhe was forced to nestle against Xiao Chi again, as if sinking into a pliable heat. It was perhaps a strange metaphor, but that was how it felt to him. He moved, wanting to put some space between their bodies, but immediately stopped.
Completely awake now, he cleared his throat and said, trying to ignore what was poking his leg, “I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s too early.”
His voice seemed to make Xiao Chi snap to full consciousness, too. For a moment, neither of them knew what to say, and the room fell into an awkward silence.
Could you at least let go of my thigh? Your hand is too hot!
Lin Jingzhe felt a twinge of embarrassment, which was rare for him. Sure enough, drinking was a road to trouble, and both parties being drunk was a road to disaster. Whatever wild guesses he made, that Xiao Chi would be the person sleeping next to him had not even crossed his mind. He thought that Xiao Chi was probably feeling the same—after all, it was only yesterday that their relationship had eased a little.
“Are you awake?” Xiao Chi’s voice rumbled somewhere over the top of his head.
Not knowing what to say, Lin Jingzhe only uttered a bland, “Yes.”
The beds in the guest house were not especially sturdy. When Xiao Chi moved, the rustle of bedding was accompanied by creaking as the bed wobbled slightly. At last, Lin Jingzhe felt the other man change position, but the hot hand still remained on his thigh.
Xiao Chi simply propped himself up on the arm that had served as Lin Jingzhe’s pillow, then shifted slightly down so they would both lie on their sides facing each other.
Lin Jingzhe finally saw his face clearly and lost his voice for a moment.
The light was dim enough that the room seemed to still be steeped in the night. Xiao Chi’s face was very close to his; his gaze drifted from the well-defined chin to thin lips, past the straight nose, to the drowsy, slightly bloodshot eyes.
This eye shape was commonly called “long and narrow,” but Xiao Chi’s eyes were not narrow, and their clean-cut shape served to accentuate the elegant line of his brow ridge. These eyes now gazed straight into Lin Jingzhe’s, as the two were almost close enough for their noses to touch. Because of this close distance, a few of Xiao Chi’s fluffy curls, currently untamed by hair products, slid down, tickling Lin Jingzhe’s face. Inadvertently, Lin Jingzhe’s gaze flickered down to the other man’s exquisitely shaped, slightly parted lips.
Then he looked up and met Xiao Chi’s eyes. Even sleepiness could not dull their sharpness.
They stared at each other. Because of their position, Lin Jingzhe’s hands were gently pressed against Xiao Chi’s bare chest. “What’s the matter?” he asked, voice unconsciously softening until it was almost a soundless exhalation.
The hot breath tickled Xiao Chi’s lips, which were just a few centimeters away, drawing a startled gasp from him. He opened his mouth, but only let out a breath. Lin Jingzhe’s slim but toned thigh rested under his hand. Feeling the silky smoothness of the skin against his palm, he couldn’t help but gently knead and stroke it.
Both their hearts pounded, and they seemed to hear each other’s racing heartbeat. Xiao Chi’s hand resting on the bed caressed Lin Jingzhe’s short hair. He glanced down at Lin Jingzhe’s glimmering eyes shadowed by long eyelashes, and slowly stroked his hair again.
The tips of their noses were almost touching. In a voice that matched Lin Jingzhe’s soft tone, Xiao Chi said as if to explain, “…You got drunk yesterday. When I came back, you were sleeping in my room.”
Lin Jingzhe felt as though he were burning up. The burning hot hand on his thigh was misbehaving a little, but he didn’t immediately throw it off. He felt like playing a bit, one of those little games adults sometimes played on impulse. His hands were resting on Xiao Chi’s chest. Watching Xiao Chi’s wandering gaze, he trailed his finger over the smooth skin. He wet his lips and moved his head back a little, muttering, “Huh?”, not knowing what he was saying.
Xiao Chi’s chest itched from the teasing touch. His gaze sweeping down, he caught sight of the tongue that darted out from between Lin Jingzhe’s lips for a second. He shifted down a little, nuzzling the neck unwittingly offered up to him while his hand sank into Lin Jingzhe’s short hair, caressing it slowly. Looking into the eyes that slowly became moist and glossy, he murmured, “…It was very late, so I didn’t wake you up… You were crying all night, you know.”
Lin Jingzhe felt the weight of the other man’s body sinking over him, and his muscles seemed to suddenly lose all strength.
“Why were you crying?” Xiao Chi asked.
“I didn’t cry.” His arms moved of their own volition, wrapping themselves around Xiao Chi’s neck.
The hug caused Xiao Chi’s body to slide down a little, and the curls tickling Lin Jingzhe’s face slipped from his cheek to his jawline. Both of them seemed to be a little tired. Although he had just woken up, Lin Jingzhe had trouble keeping his eyes open. Xiao Chi’s head dropped, landing on his pillow; a moment later, he turned and buried it in the curve of Lin Jingzhe’s neck. The tip of his nose slid up Lin Jingzhe’s skin until finally, it reached the younger man’s ear.
“You did,” he whispered.
Lin Jingzhe let out a sharp gasp. He hugged Xiao Chi’s neck tightly, mind blank, his knees bending slightly.
Xiao Chi’s lips finally touched his skin, pausing for a moment at the spot between his ear and cheek. “Why were you crying?”
“I don’t know…”
Xiao Chi’s reply was a series of small, scattered kisses.
He was like a machine whose engine suddenly turned on, engulfing Lin Jingzhe in a surge of raw power. The two young and healthy bodies, which tended to easily give in to passion in the mornings, quickly became excited. Xiao Chi’s lips trailed from Lin Jingzhe’s ear to his neck, then to his cheek. Lin Jingzhe bit the strand of hair that fell into his mouth as the other man moved, then turned his head, trying to find his lips for a real kiss. He was like an animal instinctively seeking warmth, emotions quickly prevailing over reason. Xiao Chi kept gently rubbing Lin Jingzhe’s thigh; finally, his hand began to slowly travel upward.
As their bodies heated up more and more, the space under the comforter felt like a furnace, making them sweat. Xiao Chi raised a hand to pull out his hair from Lin Jingzhe’s mouth. He pecked on the corner of the youth’s slightly open mouth, then moved on to the lips eager for the kiss—
Bang bang bang—!
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. “Big Bro, are you awake?” Deng Mai’s voice came from the outside.
Lin Jingzhe, who’d been almost completely lost in Xiao Chi’s presence, opened his eyes a sliver. He glanced at the door, then at Xiao Chi, who also paused because of this unexpected interruption.
They stared at each other, both reading the same decision in the other’s eyes.
Lin Jingzhe hesitated for less than a second before tightening his embrace around Xiao Chi’s neck, pulling the other man’s head towards him.
Their lips touched, ignoring the knocking on the door. The familiar yet unfamiliar taste made both men instantly indulge in each other. Lin Jingzhe opened his mouth, accepting the enthusiastic tongue. This should be regarded as their second intimate contact; Xiao Chi’s kissing technique was not very good—if anything, he was rather clumsy—but their bodies’ instincts soon took charge.
Sloppy, wet kissing sounds filled the room, not pausing for a moment, accompanied by two rapid and heavy sets of breaths. The two clung tightly together, with such strength as if they wanted to absorb each other into their bodies.
Outside, Deng Mai, who didn’t receive any response, immediately became anxious.
Lin Jingzhe was a light sleeper and easily awakened. It was impossible for Deng Mai’s loud knocking not to wake him up unless something was wrong!
Nearly ten hours passed since he’d brought Lin Jingzhe here. Lin Jingzhe had been very drunk—did some accident happen and he got hurt?!
His knocking, increasingly louder and more urgent, ended up waking up Dai Gaofeng, whose room was on the same floor. When the older man came out and saw who was making a ruckus and in front of which door, he was taken aback. “That’s Xiao Chi’s room!” he exclaimed.
Deng Mai looked at him, startled. However, there was no way he remembered wrongly—this was definitely the room where he’d left Lin Jingzhe last night: number 608, the same as on the key tag! Besides, his own room was on the same floor. While it was on the far end of the corridor, relatively out-of-the-way, he couldn’t mistake the floor, right?
Now, both of them were anxious, and Dai Gaofeng’s heart sank. Putting aside that there clearly had been some mistake in the distribution of the rooms, why was there no response despite Deng Mai banging on the door for so long? With how drunk he was yesterday, Lin Jingzhe might still be dead to the world, but why wasn’t Xiao Chi answering? He hadn’t drunk much!
If Xiao Chi met with a mishap during this investigation trip, it would be a disaster. Dai Gaofeng immediately rolled up his sleeves and joined Deng Mai knocking on the door. After a long time with no reaction from the inside, he was ready to break the door down. The guest house director rushed over when he received the news, followed by the manager holding the box with spare keys. To his dismay, however, he couldn’t find the one for 608. Finally, Dai Gaofeng lost his patience and not caring about his image, kicked the door open.
He strode into the room. Before he could turn on the lights, he saw Xiao Chi sitting up in the bed, then turning to glare at him.
He probably just woke up, because his robe was in disarray, almost completely revealing his chest, and his hair was messy.
“Amitābha!” Dai Gaofeng didn’t think much, only that Xiao Chi hadn’t been as sober yesterday as he looked and didn’t hear the knocking just now. He clasped his hands together and bowed devoutly to the side, thanking the gods, then walked towards the bed with a relieved smile. “Thank heavens you’re fine. I almost thought that something happened to you…”
Behind him, Deng Mai shouted “Big Bro Lin!” and rushed to the other side of the bed. When Dai Gaofeng came closer, he saw that there really was another person lying beside Xiao Chi.
Lin Jingzhe languidly sprawled on the bed, loosely wrapped in a bathrobe. When he glanced at Dai Gaofeng, the older man paused midstep.
That expression in his eyes… Dai Gaofeng almost thought it looked sultry.
The guest house director was mortified that such a big mistake could happen, and assured them that the reception desk clerk would be called to account. The manager, who too wanted to know why the spare key for 608 was missing, apologized profusely to Xiao Chi and Lin Jingzhe: “I’m very, very sorry, such a slip-up should never have happened. Mayor Cao had told us that this room must be thoroughly disinfected, so we singled it out for special cleaning. Perhaps, the spare key was accidentally put back with regular keys in a moment of inattention…”
His voice was getting quieter and quieter because Xiao Chi’s glare shifted from Dai Gaofeng to him. The young man’s expression was dark and his eyes scary, as if he was about to commit a murder.
“Pff—”
A chuckle suddenly came from under the covers, attracting the attention of everyone in the room, including Xiao Chi.
When Xiao Chi’s gaze fell on this person, his expression visibly eased up, although it still remained fierce.
But Lin Jingzhe didn’t seem to notice. He was hugging the pillow he was laying on and chuckling. The bathrobe had slid off his shoulders, revealing his slender but muscular arms.
“Mr. Xiao.” Lin Jingzhe looked up and licked his lips, then said with a faint smile that only Xiao Chi recognized as teasing, “Thank you very much for your hospitality.”
Xiao Chi opened his mouth to speak, but finally, just let out a helpless sigh. He grabbed the bathrobe hanging from Lim Jingzhe’s shoulders and pulled it up as if he wanted to completely cover Lin Jingzhe’s exposed arms. The endeavor proved unsuccessful, and he could only pull the comforter towards himself to better cover the lower part of his body.
The alliance members spent the rest of the day inspecting the land. Though Xiao Chi never said a word to Lin Jingzhe, his sharp gaze followed the youth the whole time.
Because of the room blunder, in addition to the guest house director, Mayor Cao also apologized to the two as preparing the reception had been indirectly his responsibility. It actually wasn’t that big of a deal, but it quickly became known to everyone. While it might’ve been just a clerk’s slip-up, from another angle, it could be considered the height of carelessness and disrespect.
The conditions in the Changqing party committee guest house were not that great, and every single one of the bosses despised the bed for being too small. It was technically a double bed, but of the size that allowed only one person to sleep comfortably. Yesterday, they set out very early to make the long drive from Yan City to Changqing City, which alone was tiring enough, then in the evening, attended a banquet where they had much to eat and drink. If, ready to drop, they arrived in their rooms and found another boss lying in their bed—
Let’s just say, if this happened to them, their reaction would not be pleasant.
Allowing this kind of mistake to occur was simply insulting.
Not to mention, Mr. Xiao’s temperament was on the cool and unapproachable side. Most of the alliance members were older than him and had been acquainted with him for a while, but few of them dared to approach him rashly; they even weighed up the risk before offering him a toast. According to rumors, Xiao Chi was also a bit mysophobic, so he would get even angrier in this situation than others.
Allegedly, when Dai Gaofeng rushed into the room, Xiao Chi looked as if he was on the verge of murder, so furious that even his eyes were red.
Mayor Cao walked in front, introducing a plot of land. Lin Jingzhe followed behind him, poker-faced, with Xiao Chi’s intense gaze firmly fixed on him.
“There must’ve been a fight—they definitely had a falling-out,” one of the bosses stated with certainty, shaking his head.
The conflict between these two people was no small matter. One was the head of a new and promising real estate company who made a flashy debut and the depth of whose abilities was as of yet untested, and the other was a talented entrepreneur who had already established himself and whose privileged background was an open secret. When they arrived here, the two of them seemed to be on quite good terms, seeing as the whole journey, they were discussing cooperation. Unexpectedly, their relationship fell apart after only one night.
It was all the fault of those unreliable people in charge of the guest house!
Even Dai Gaofeng was deeply worried. In the business world, it was better for foes to be reconciled than to contend with each other; discord among the alliance members was not an outcome he would be happy to see.
The only one who was pleased was Qi Kai. The whole day yesterday, he’d been trying to find a chance to talk to Lin Jingzhe about cooperation, but each time he was about to corner the youth, he’d been thwarted by Xiao Chi.
Xiao Chi was fucking deliberately trying to make trouble for him! Qi Kai was certain of it, but there was nothing he could do. He now had much less power and influence than he used to, and even back then, he had suffered a lot from Xiao Chi. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to challenge Xiao Chi directly.
But just like that, those two became at odds! This was simply a divine intervention in his favor!
Someone up there must’ve really looked upon him favorably, because before midday meal, he got an opportunity to catch Lin Jingzhe alone.
Lin Jingzhe had been feeling frustrated all day, and even the slightest things got on his nerves. Before the whole mess in the morning, Xiao Chi had already managed to light a fire and stoke it, so to speak. Lin Jingzhe’s body, abstinent ever since his rebirth, was akin to dry wood—a single spark was enough to set it ablaze. At that time, he was in a state of extreme excitement, his strengthless body twisting in the sheets, desperately trying to find Xiao Chi’s lips again. He was almost on the verge—and it fucking ended up in a big fucking disappointment.
After the interlopers had seemingly given up, Xiao Chi intended to help him out to the end. But then, Dai Gaofeng kicked open the door and gave Lin Jingzhe enough fright that there was no longer the need.
Lin Jingzhe would give a kowtow to any man who could keep his calm if this happened to him.
The sight of Qi Kai’s arrogant face used to be just an eyesore, but with the added bonus of annoyance, Lin Jingzhe was now finding it absolutely repulsive. Blocked by the man, he took a deep breath and asked, barely maintaining politeness, “Is something the matter, Mr. Qi?”
“Oh, weren’t you and Mr. Xiao inseparable? What happened, have you quarreled?” Qi Kai had no qualms about being rude, and he intended to get back at Lin Jingzhe for avoiding him before. Smiling insincerely, he continued, “If I didn’t know, I would’ve thought you were brothers.”
At the mention of Xiao Chi, a fresh wave of annoyance washed over Lin Jingzhe. Pulling up the corners of his mouth in a semblance of a smile, he said, “Mr. Qi’s eyesight seems to be quite poor.”
Hearing the complete lack of respect in Lin Jingzhe’s voice, Qi Kai frowned, the expression in his eyes turning unpleasant.
This guy had quite the pair of balls, didn’t he? Did he have no idea who Qi Kai was? Who Qi Kai’s grandfather was? But he knew Lin Jingzhe’s background: a country bumpkin from some village in the middle of nowhere, who got acquainted with Fang Wenhao after entering Yan University. Didn’t this yokel comprehend the difference between them?
He couldn’t touch Xiao Chi, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t touch Fang Wenhao. The old man in the Fang family was known to not to intervene in the matters of the younger generation; besides, Fang Wenhao wouldn’t necessarily value their friendship so much that he would be willing to oppose Qi Kai for Lin Jingzhe’s sake.
But after a moment of consideration, Qi Kai calmed himself down. After all, he had taken a big fancy to the piece of land in Lin Jingzhe’s hands.
Deciding to magnanimously ignore Lin Jingzhe’s slight, he got down to business: “You know what I want to talk to you about, right, Mr. Lin?”
Unruffled, Lin Jingzhe leaned against the wall with folded arms, watching Qi Kai as he would a circus monkey performing tricks. “I really don’t. Would you mind being more clear, Mr. Qi?”
“Don’t fuckin’ pretend. We can do this the easy way, but I don’t mind the hard way either. I still haven’t settled the score with you for the piece of land at Shiku Lane that you took off my hands for a pittance. Don’t try to play a fool with me!” At Lin Jingzhe’s reaction, the smile on Qi Kai’s face contorted into a rictus of anger. He closed in on the youth, jabbing a finger into his chest. “You want me to be clear? All right. Dominion’s Properties’ manager has contacted you so many times, but you seem to always be ‘busy.’ Since we’re both here, why don’t you spare me some time to discuss cooperation?”
Since Qi Kai cut to the chase, Lin Jingzhe didn’t bother to keep up his fake smile. Expressionless again, he knocked away the hand jabbing at his chest and stood up straight. Although he was a little shorter than Qi Kai, the pressure he gave off was not inferior.
He was not afraid of this person. It was true that Qi Kai came from a powerful family and was not smart to provoke, but Lin Jingzhe also was no longer the nobody with no money that could be crushed at will like a bug. The money he earned and the triangle-shaped plot of land had provided him with enough capital that he could go toe-to-toe with Dominion Properties. Moreover, he knew the economic and social developments of the future and didn’t need to blindly grope his way forward as Qi Kai and the others had to. No matter how capable Qi Kai actually was, he went belly-up in the 1990s in Lin Jingzhe’s last life. Whatever the man himself thought, he wasn’t invincible and all-powerful.
“I am in fact that busy, and we have no cooperation to discuss,” Lin Jingzhe said with a sneer.
He turned, intending to leave, but Qi Kai grabbed his arm and shoved him back against the wall, eyes blazing. “I told you not to play a fool with me, didn’t I? The land at the 2nd Middle Road…”
Lin Jingzhe cut him off: “Sorry to break it to you, but my company has already negotiated cooperation on the development of that piece of land with Flux Realty.”
“The fuck you did! Don’t try to scare me off with Xiao Chi! Do you really think he became your backing just because you had a few words with him? He’s not fuckin’ likely to pick a fight with me just because of you!” Qi Kai didn’t believe a word of what Lin Jingzhe said. Sneering, he mocked, “Try to be more self-aware, will you? You’re not even close to being in the same weight class as Xiao Chi. You might’ve ‘negotiated cooperation’ with him, but did he so much as acknowledge listening to you? Anyway, I’m not afraid of provoking him, but you should damn well be afraid of provoking me. Listen properly when I speak, don’t fuckin’ play stupid, don’t piss me off…”
Thump—
Whatever he wanted to say next, he had to swallow, because just then, Lin Jingzhe punched him in the stomach.
Lin Jingzhe had been working out regularly since the military training, and his body was quite robust now. He was able to inflict no little damage on Xiao Chi during their bathroom encounter in Shen City, and he only became fitter and stronger since then. His punch held so much power it made a dull, wince-inducing thump when it landed. Completely unprepared, Qi Kai squawked and folded in two, then fell to the ground, clutching his stomach.
Suddenly exploding into violence was a bad habit left behind from Lin Jingzhe’s previous life’s reprobate youth. Although he fixed it later, arrogance was still buried deep in his bones.
After knocking Qi Kai down, Lin Jingzhe didn’t give his opponent any chance to gather his wits and fight back. He kicked Qi Kai in the stomach and following the motion, stomped on him.
Lin Jingzhe knew exactly where to hit; the severe pain in Qi Kai’s stomach persisted for a long time. Curling up, the young man cursed through clenched teeth, “Fuck you, you motherfucking…”
“Fuck you.” Lin Jingzhe put a foot on Qi Kai’s chest and exerted a little strength, pressing him flat to the ground, then bent down and lightly patted Qi Kai on the cheek. “Let me tell you again, Mr. Qi: the two of us have nothing to discuss, no cooperation or any other business. And, I also don’t mind doing things the hard way, just so you know.”
Qi Kai tried to punch him, but Lin Jingzhe straightened, putting more force into the foot stepping on the opponent’s chest as he did, and the pain immediately made the man lose the will to fight.
Trying to save at least some face, Qi Kai struggled to growl menacingly, “You fucker… Just you wait…”
“Oh, I’ll wait.” Lin Jingzhe stepped back and looked down at him with a sneer. “Don’t chicken out or I’ll make you call me ancestor!”
Xiao Chi, who had been looking for Lin Jingzhe, appeared at the door just in time to hear the taunt. Stunned, he stopped and looked at Lin Jingzhe, his heart fluttering a little at the youth’s ferocious appearance.
He cleared his throat and called out, “Mr. Lin.”
Lin Jingzhe glanced at him, a little embarrassed and a little… he didn’t know what this emotion was. His anger mostly dissipated, but he didn’t want to talk right now, so he just replied, “Mr. Xiao,” and headed for the door behind Xiao Chi.
Their shoulders brushed as he walked past Xiao Chi. Without thinking, Xiao Chi raised a hand and grabbed Lin Jingzhe’s arm.
Lin Jingzhe didn’t stop walking, only looked at him sideways as Xiao Chi’s hand was forced to slide down his wrist. When Lin Jingzhe’s hand was about to slip away from Xiao Chi’s, he smirked and hooked his index finger, letting it drag against the hollow of Xiao Chi’s palm.
The skin grazed by his fingertips still felt as hot as before.
That was all the contact they had. Once their hands separated, Lin Jingzhe turned his head back to the front and left without looking back.
Xiao Chi stood there unmoving, watching him leave in a daze. From the soles of his feet to his back, he felt both numb and tingly; as if in that instant he experienced a scene of debauched revelry, the brief teasing touch almost caused his body to react.
Only after Lin Jingzhe’s back completely disappeared from sight did the fire in his body subside a little. By the time he turned around to glance at Qi Kai, who was clutching his stomach and struggling to get up from the ground, he had reverted back to his usual expressionless self.
Being beaten up naturally made Qi Kai seethe with fury, and a stream of obscenities kept pouring from his mouth. When he got halfway to his feet, his gaze met Xiao Chi’s. Having a sworn enemy witness his humiliation made him even more ashamed and angry, and he snarled, “The fuck you lookin’ at? Fuck off!”
Xiao Chi still had this indifferent and austere look about him, just as Qi Kai remembered. He had the same expression on his face when he came with Xiao Miao to confront him a few years ago. Xiao Miao had been crying so hard she almost couldn’t breathe, but her brother looked completely calm and serene. After getting confirmation of what had happened from Qi Kai’s mouth, he just nodded and led Xiao Miao away.
Qi Kai glared at him, new grudges and old hatreds momentarily flooding his heart. “What’s the matter? You want to hit me, too? Come on, then!”
He felt safe taunting Xiao Chi because he was almost completely certain the other man would do nothing. Even at that time with Xiao Miao, despite being furious, Xiao Chi didn’t lay a finger on him. Oh, he later found someone to beat Qi Kai up in secret, but during the confrontation, he remained calm and cool, never crossing the line of propriety.
Xiao Chi had always been the most unfathomable one in their generation of children who grew together in the compound. Qi Kai had never seen him act unrestrainedly or recklessly.
Sure enough, even after being provoked like this, the man remained calm. Qi Kai sneered, half-taunting, half-venting, “Did you really fucking agree to cooperate with that twat? The little bitch tried to scare me off with you. Just he wait, sooner or later I’ll fuck him up for good…”
However, it seemed that this day, he was not destined to be allowed to finish speaking.
Xiao Chi, face still completely calm, took a step forward and interrupted whatever he wanted to say next with a fist in the face.
This was the first time ever Qi Kai had seen Xiao Chi act violently. For a moment, pain took a backseat to the shock of this completely inconceivable development.
But very soon, the stupefaction wore off as pain commanded his full and undivided attention.
Xiao Chi was stronger than Lin Jingzhe. A big part of why Qi Kai had been beaten up by Lin Jingzhe was because the youth caught him by surprise. Now, though, it was due to a pure difference in strength—for Xiao Chi, he was no different from a punchbag.
For a while, the sound of fists hitting flesh mixed with Qi Kai’s screams filled the room.
Some time later, Xiao Chi, not a hair out of place, pushed open the door of the restaurant banquet room where the group gathered for lunch.
He turned to Dai Gaofeng, who was sitting at the head of the table, and said, “Mr. Qi has to take care of some urgent matters. He won’t be joining us for this meal, so there’s no need to wait for him.”
Then, his sharp gaze cut to the already seated Lin Jingzhe. He stared at the youth with such intensity that the others were alarmed.
Xiao Chi: 【Excited!】【Broke the abstinence today!】【So good!】
The people at the table unobtrusively changed seats, silently separating him from Lin Jingzhe.
Dai Gaofeng thought, distressed, ‘I know you were upset but was what happened really something you have to hold such a grudge about?!’
Translator’s Notes:
- “The ‘world’s loneliest whale’ whose frequency no other whale could hear” – a reference to the 52-hertz whale (thank Austera for catching this, it went completely over my head). Austera also says that the other whales can hear him just fine, he just sings at a higher frequency, but I had to go with what was in the raw. The author probably was influenced by the Taiwanese movie 52Hz, I Love You.
- “As if in that instant he experienced a scene of debauched revelry…” – 酒池肉林 (lit. “lake of wine and forest of meat”) – a Chinese idiom for excessive extravagance and debauchery. (Wikipedia, The Chinese Emperor Who Built A Lake of Wine and a Forest of Meat)
- “Broke the abstinence today!” – Xiao Chi says 破戒, which means breaking a religious precept or breaking one’s vow of abstinence (from smoking, drinking, s*x, etc.). In the most literal sense, it means breaking one of the Five Buddhist Precepts.
Translator: Eques
Editor: Austera
Consultant: Austera
Eques:
You get the whole chapter today. Oof.
Oh, my god. This chapter gave me such whiplash 😭 Went from angst to heat to comedy to confrontation to heat to confrontation to comedy— *absolute cinema.jpg* I do like the explanation of this whole night+day being coping, but I also like the thought of LJZ being vulnerable and letting his guard down. Can’t wait to see if he’ll have a properly mentally sober reaction later— we already know XC is gone 🤭 Can’t stand it when a couple isn’t on the same page but as long as it’s lighthearted like this and no one gets seriously hurt.