Additional Inheritance - Chap 17
Chapter 17
Trying his hardest to act stupid, Wen Xiaohui responded, “Young Master Shao, I honestly don’t know what you want me to do. I wouldn’t dare accept as much as 100,000 yuan. I told my mother when I got home and she told me I shouldn’t do it, and that I should work hard instead.”
Shao Qun raised his eyebrows. “You told your mother about it?”
Wen Xiaohui continued to follow the script that he had agreed with Luo Yi when they first got here. “Yes, of course I need to discuss such important things with my mother.” He pretended to be innocent, as if he were a child who didn’t know the ways of the world.
Shao Qun gave him a sidelong glance. “Stop acting stupid in front of me. The tasks I asked of you are very straightforward. You only need to keep an eye on the relationship between Raven and the other two partners. Do you really want to be on the same salary for the rest of your life?”
“I’m not acting, Young Master Shao. I’m actually very spineless.”
Shao Qun studied him and then suddenly asked, “How did you get the injury on your neck?”
Wen Xiaohui stared blankly. Luo Yi, who had his head down concentrating on his phone, raised his head. “Eh, I got into a fight with someone when I was drunk.”
“A man can’t be considered spineless if he has the courage to fight. I told you before, Wen Xiaohui, that I sought you out because you’re ambitious. I’ll be honest, Juxing will be undergoing some change and of course, you can continue to be loyal and follow Raven. I won’t mention how he might not reciprocate, but he’s not even in a position to help himself1. I’m not asking you to betray Raven or the studio, I just want to have an insider to observe what I can’t see from the outside. In addition to money, I can also offer you your own office at the new Juxing as a reward.”
Wen Xiaohui’s eyes widened. Although Shao Qun didn’t specify the role that he would be given, only senior stylists could have their own office. He was currently at the level of an assistant stylist, which meant that he would achieve overnight success2 . This sounded very tempting. Perhaps it was because Shao Qun wasn’t knowledgeable about this industry unlike Wen Xiaohui, but there were plenty of stylists that didn’t live up to their names and having a good reputation was worth much more than expertise. Wen Xiaohui could use this opportunity to make great advancements. Even though he had already decided to reject Shao Qun, he felt quite hesitant now.
Luo Yi put his phone down. Feigning confusion, he asked, “Uncle, will you be the boss?”
Wen Xiaohui replied, “Oh! Of course, not.”
“If you have your own office, then doesn’t that make you the boss? Or what else could it mean?” Luo Yi looked towards Shao Qun.
Wen Xiaohui immediately realised that Luo Yi was trying to determine if Shao Qun was good for his word3.
As expected, Shao Qun paused and replied, “The organisational structure of new Juxing hasn’t been decided, but I guarantee that you’ll be satisfied with your role.”
Wen Xiaohui suddenly became a lot more alert. It was very likely that he would have been conned by Shao Qun if Luo Yi wasn’t around. He said cautiously, “Young Master Shao, I’m actually not that bright, I couldn’t even get into university. Aren’t you worried that I’ll mess things up? I don’t have confidence in myself to do it right.”
“That means I can use this opportunity as a test for my future employee.” With an insincere smile4, Shao Qun said, “Unless you don’t want to be tested?”
Wen Xiaohui thought up a string of swear words to curse him; if he didn’t agree to be tested, wasn’t that the same as volunteering to be sacked? He actually went as far to threaten him. Why was he so unlucky? How did he manage to catch Shao Qun’s eye when he only stared at him a couple of times at the charity event?”
Wen Xiaohui didn’t know how to respond so he looked pleadingly at Luo Yi. But before Luo Yi could speak, Shao Qun gestured to Luo Yi by rotating his finger. “Turn around.”
Luo Yi was shocked. “What?!”
Shao Qun tilted his chin up and ordered, “I told you to turn around.”
Luo Yi knitted his eyebrows and glanced at Wen Xiaohui before quietly turning around. Shao Qun smiled and stretched out his hand to grasp Wen Xiaohui’s chin between his fingers. His deeply profound eyes stared right into Wen Xiaohui’s eyes and he proceeded to express the seductive words in a hypnotic voice. “If you do a good job, I’ll reward you in other ways.”
All of a sudden, Wen Xiaohui felt extremely ashamed. Shao Qun’s appearance was deemed impeccable by both women and gay men, but his most attractive feature was his dominance that was deeply ingrained into his bones. This made people want to both surrender to him and conquer him. However, Wen Xiaohui felt uneasy not only because of Shao Qun’s blatant soliciting, but also because of Luo Yi’s presence.
A loud bang echoed, the tea cup that was on the table had rolled to the ground. The majority of the tea from the cup spilled onto Luo Yi’s trousers, and he promptly stood up.
Wen Xiaohui also stood up at once. “Hey, what were you doing? You should have been more careful.”
Luo Yi looked down at his trousers without saying a word. His long eyelashes hid the swirling emotions in his eyes.
“Young Master Shao, I’m going to take him to the toilet to clean up.”
Shao Qun nodded.
As they were about to leave, Shao Qun said, “There is a toilet inside this private room, it’s on the left.”
They had no choice but to use the toilet inside the private room. When the door closed, Wen Xiaohui lowered his voice and whispered, “What should I do, Luo Yi? He threatened me.”
Luo Yi’s complexion didn’t look great. “He not only threatened you, but also tried to bribe and seduce you. Which of these do you find more tempting?”
Wen Xiaohui was stunned; Luo Yi’s question was very strange.
Luo Yi smiled and said, “He is very attractive. Is he the type you like?”
Wen Xiaohui didn’t know why, but he didn’t dare say yes. He had a feeling that Luo Yi would fall out with him if he agreed. “Then… Okay. I won’t let him use me.”
“Since he has already said this much, you can no longer refuse. You might as well try and beat him at his own game.”
“Huh?” Wen Xiaohui pouted, “How could you u-turn so quickly?”
“This is known as revising your strategy.” Luo Yi turned on the tap and splashed the water onto his face a few times. He raised his head and looked at the reflection of Wen Xiaohui’s eyes in the mirror. “Xiaohui-ge, are you going to sleep with him?”
No matter who asked this question, Wen Xiaohui wouldn’t get angry and would instead play along and joke about it. When the question came out of Luo Yi’s mouth, it made him feel both humiliated and angry because Luo Yi was his only relation that was younger than him. His face turned serious. “Luo Yi, even though you act like a little grown-up all the time, you’re still a teenager. If you’re going to say something inappropriate, then don’t say it at all.”
Luo Yi turned his body to face him. “But I have already said it and there’s no way to take it back. Why don’t you answer me? Are you going to sleep with him?”
Wen Xiaohui was really getting angry now. “Why the hell are you asking this?”
“I dislike him. I agree with you, I think he is very dangerous.”
Wen Xiaohui sighed, and said rather unhappily, “No.”
Luo Yi wiped his face. “After you go out, you should tell him that you’re willing to help him, but you must not take the money. In future, you must tell me each time you speak to him on the phone or meet up with him and I’ll teach you how to respond. If you get through this phrase smoothly, you’ll have an advantage once Juxing’s reorganisation is complete, otherwise you’ll have to leave Juxing.
Wen Xiaohui sighed, “Okay. ”
Luo Yi used a towel to wipe his trousers before they walked out.
All the dishes had been served. Shao Qun glanced over at them with a meaningful look in his eyes. “Come and have dinner.”
Wen Xiaohui started eating without restraint.
Shao Qun observed both Wen Xiaohui and Luo Yi. Luo Yi had taken a couple of mouthfuls when he suddenly raised his head and made direct eye contact with Shao Qun. Their eyes interlocked and suddenly a dangerous spark flashed between them.
Shao Qun was a little shocked since he didn’t expect a 15 year old child would have this sort of penetrating and vicious look in his eyes. As a result of Luo Yi quickly lowering his head, he thought for a moment that his eyes were playing a trick on him. After gathering his thoughts, he fell into deep contemplation.
Wen Xiaohui didn’t have any awareness of the mutual hostility5 between them and continued to eat happily. The mantis shrimp6 shells piled up in front of him.
Wen Xiaohui only lifted his head up when he was almost finished eating. He knew that Shao Qun had been waiting for him. As he rinsed his fingernails in the bowl of lemon water, he said, “Young Master Shao, I can’t say no since you trust me so much, but I can’t accept your money. I feel honoured to be able to assist you, but the nature of this relationship will change if I take the money.
Shao Qun chuckled, “How come your IQ has increased after a trip to the toilet?”
Wen Xiaohui was enraged. In the whole world, there was possibly only Shao Qun who could speak so bluntly and without regard for others. He put on a fake smile and replied, “It’s probably because I’m full now.”
“That’s fine, I’ll keep the money and award it to you as a bonus later.”
“Thanks in advance, Young Master Shao.”
Shao Qun tilted his chin up and gave Wen Xiaohui a seductive look. “I’ll take you out for drinks tonight.”
“I’m sorry, Young Master Shao. I must return home after dinner, this restaurant is quite far from my house.”
Shao Qun’s lips curled into a smile. “If you live too far away then don’t go home. You can stay over at mine.”
Wen Xiaohui nearly choked on the tea. Shao Qun scrutinised Luo Yi and noticed that his jaw went stiff in an instant. Shao Qun revealed an earnest smile.
Wen Xiaohui teased, “I7 don’t dare visit your residence. Besides, my mother is waiting for me to come home. How about another time?”
Shao Qun suddenly asked, “Is he really your nephew?”
Wen Xiaohui felt like dying after being subjected to Shao Qun’s unusual brain circuit. He was both cautious and nervous when he first started speaking to Shao Qun, and it was with great difficulty that he became more used to conversing with him. Just like now, Shao Qun had a tendency to jump from one topic to the next without any warning, which caught him off guard. He didn’t know how to continue.
Downplaying the severity of his question, Shao Qun added, “You don’t have any nephews in your wider family.”
Wen Xiaohui’s eyes widened. “You investigated me?”
“Would I make use of someone without performing due diligence?” Shao Qun spoke as if it were a matter of course.
Luo Yi’s fist clenched under the table.
Wen Xiaohui suppressed his anger. “He’s my distant relative’s son.” The resistance that Wen Xiaohui felt towards Shao Qun had peaked tonight. He said politely, “Young Master Shao, we’re leaving first.”
“Do you need the chauffeur to drive you home?”
“No, thanks.” Wen Xiaohui tried his hardest to hold it in, but he failed. “Young Master Shao, we’re only acquaintances but that didn’t stop you from looking into my background. You’re scaring me.”
Shao Qun laughed, “Don’t be afraid, I’m not a gangster. I won’t do anything to you.”
Wen Xiaohui bottled up his anger, but remained silent. He dragged Luo Yi outside.
Trying his best to be provocative8, Shao Qun added, “Frankly speaking, you look more like a couple.”
Wen Xiaohui really wanted to smack Shao Qun’s mouth with the bottom of his shoe. Luo Yi turned around and glanced at Shao Qun. The expression in his eyes was unfathomable.
Wen Xiaohui was like someone who had escaped from a poisonous gas chamber and exerted all his strength to take a deep breath as soon as he came out of the restaurant. He exclaimed, “This was a Hongmen Banquet9. I feel sick after this meal.”
Luo Yi smiled as he said, “But you didn’t go easy on the food.”
Wen Xiaohui responded, “Hmph. It would be a waste if I didn’t eat it.”
Luo Yi opened the bicycle lock. “Let’s go back.”
Wen Xiaohui straddled the passenger seat and said gloomily, “I have a bad feeling about this. I don’t want to get involved with Shao Qun at all.”
“Everything has a cause and effect10. Meeting him at the charity event was the cause, so you must endure the result of being entangled with him. Just go with the flow, it’s only a job at the end of the day. Don’t be too anxious.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded. “Yeah. It really isn’t a big deal, but Shao Qun is very frightening.”
The midsummer evening in the capital was still a bit stuffy; Luo Yi cycled very quickly, but there was still no way to relieve the melancholy in their hearts.
As soon as he arrived home, Wen Xiaohui received Sydney’s call. He felt a little bit nervous when we saw the caller display, he was afraid that he would hear her crying as soon as he answered the phone. He didn’t expect that Sydney’s voice would be so calm and she asked if he was free tomorrow. She wanted to have a chat with him and he instantly agreed.
“Sydney just called and invited me for a coffee tomorrow.” Wen Xiaohui said happily, “She seems to be in good form.”
Luo Yi replied, “Oh, that’s good.”
“Yeah, I wonder what’s happened with her ex-husband. Sydney’s such a strong woman, she can get through this.”
Since leaving the restaurant, Luo Yi appeared a little depressed. He said with indifference, “Yeah, she should be okay. I’m going for a shower.”
“Sure.”
Wen Xiaohui had planned to update his Weibo a bit before taking a shower. He went for a tour at X University today and took a lot of photos so he had new content to update his blog. After some consideration, he decided to take a photo of Luo Yi’s student ID10 as proof of authenticity, and to show off his grade-A student nephew.
He went to the bathroom door and shouted, “Luo Yi, where is your student ID?”
“What?” In the bathroom, the sound of water stopped.
“Your student card. Can I take a picture of your student ID cover? I won’t take a picture of the contents inside.”
“Sure. It’s in my backpack, in the outer pocket.
“Okay.”
Wen Xiaohui found Luo Yi’s backpack, and he discovered that it had four pockets on the outside. There were two pockets on either side and two on the front of the bag. He picked one at random and rummaged through it, but there were only a few receipts. He opened another and he saw the student ID. While he was taking it out, he picked up an ID card at the same time. Wen Xiaohui was about to stuff it back in when he suddenly queried why Luo Yi would have a resident ID card at such a young age11. He flipped over the ID card casually and he was instantly alarmed.
The ID card clearly belonged to Sydney’s ex-husband!
Wen Xiaohui carefully examined it a few times and it was really that man. Both his age and his place of origin matched. How come Luo Yi had this man’s ID card? When did he take it? What was he doing with it?
The sound of water from the bathroom stopped again. Wen Xiaohui jammed the ID card back in the pocket as if he had been burnt. He was filled with suspicion, but he was also a little hesitant, and wondered whether he should ask Luo Yi.
Footnotes:
自身难保, powerless to defend oneself/helpless (idiom).
一步登天, ascending to heaven in a single leap/instant success (idiom).
The original Chinese wording refers to writing a bounced cheque (空头支票) to convey the meaning. Do people still write cheques?
皮笑肉不笑, literally means that his smile is on the surface aka fake (idiom).
剑拔弩张, literally means with swords drawn and bows bent i.e. mutual hostility (idiom).
See Wikipedia page for Mantis shrimp.
This sentence uses a humble form of ‘I’ which is used in the context of speaking to a superior. In addition, WXH uses the formal you throughout this chapter when speaking to Shao Qun to show his respect.
唯恐天下不乱, wishing for the world to be in chaos (idiom). In summary, Shao Qun is a shit-stirrer.
Hongmen Banquet is similar to the Red Wedding from Game of Thrones; it references an event where one person expects the other to betray/frame them, akin to a poisoned chalice. The event it references happened during the Qin dynasty, where there was a banquet set up between the two rebel leaders Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. An assassination attempt was made on Liu Bang by a sword dancer. He survived the banquet and went on to found the Han dynasty, one of the most prosperous dynasties in Chinese history. The name of the ‘Han’ ethnic group is derived from the Han dynasty. There’s an alternative universe danmei version of the story by Feitian Ye Xiang called The Hegemon of Western Chu but it’s very loosely based on the original and is unfortunately incomplete.
Baidu searches show that a Chinese university ID looks completely different to a typical European university ID card. The Chinese version is a booklet form that resembles a passport so when WXH suggests taking a photo of the cover, he’s not uploading any photos of Luo Yi.
In China, residents over the age of 16 are required to have resident ID cards and Luo Yi is only 15.
