Additional Inheritance - Chap 25
Chapter 25
Luo Yi was evidently busier ever since he started university. Wen Xiaohui, who had spent the entire summer holidays with him, was a little unaccustomed to it at first. However, he eventually got used to it, and the number of times that he went to Luo Yi’s house decreased. After all, he himself became a lot busier at work, but they still managed to keep in contact every day.
One evening, when they were both lying in bed and chatting before sleep, Wen Xiaohui’s mobile phone rang suddenly. He took his phone out to glance at it. It was Xiao Ai calling. It was nearly midnight so he thought that it must be something urgent. He answered the phone hurriedly, “What’s up, darling?”
“Xiaohui! Xiaohui! Something’s happened!” Xiao Ai’s tone of voice was especially pressing.
Wen Xiaohui felt as if his heart tightened. “What happened? Speak slowly. Are you okay?”
Xiao Ai took a deep breath. “I’ve got some juicy gossip!”
Wen Xiaohui rolled his eyes. “Do you know what time it is, fatty?!”
“Why are you calling me fatty!”
“Get to the point!”
“Raven’s in trouble!”
Wen Xiaohui was startled. “What happened?”
“A-Kai came back to the country. He posted a message on Tianya Club1 to blast Raven around 8pm. He claimed that Raven plagiarised his creations when he was Raven’s assistant, docked his wages, and bossed him around. Furthermore, Raven pretended that A-Kai’s designs were his own and he made A-Kai into a scapegoat. He also pimped out A-Kai. It’s so thrilling!”
Wen Xiaohui suddenly sat up. “Where’s it? Where’s it?! Send me the post.”
Luo Yi also sat up, and he propped his head up to look at Wen Xiaohui.
“I’ve already sent it to you via QQ2. A-Kai also revealed many of Raven’s old secrets, including whom Raven had cursed behind their backs, and whom he’d slept with. Despite Raven’s awful personality, A-Kai used to be his assistant, but it still got to this stage once he resigned. Neither of them seem to be good people.”
Wen Xiaohui kept nodding. “Exactly, what the heck? At the studio back then, it seemed like they got on well on the surface. Raven used to call him ‘darling’ and A-Kai flattered him back. But now, the end result is… Let’s not talk about it. Fuck, I’ve flicked back through my chat records3 and they’re all from you. I won’t be able to get any sleep tonight.”
After hanging up, Wen Xiaohui opened the link to read it. The title was shocking, with all sorts of accusations piled on top of each other. It was easy to tell that someone was trying to cause a huge disturbance.
Luo Yi moved his head closer and the scent of shampoo wafted into Wen Xiaohui’s nose. He thought to himself: “It smells so nice.”
Luo Yi asked, “What happened?”
“Raven’s ex-assistant who left the company exposed his secrets.” Wen Xiaohui showed him the post. “To be honest, A-Kai usually seems very easy-going. You can even say he appears a little weak, otherwise he wouldn’t let Raven take advantage of him. This doesn’t seem like the kind of thing that he would do.”
“Even a rabbit will bite in an emergency.”
“I guess…” Wen Xiaohui looked at it for a moment and felt the goosebumps spreading across his body. As soon as two people who used to be close fell out, they would have lots of ammo on their hands to crush each other. Raven appeared after a dozen or so pages with a long response. He denounced A-Kai for slandering him, but A-Kai had too much evidence like chat records, receipts, and he even had recordings of phone calls. It was clear that this was premeditated. Raven had been famous in the fashion industry for a number of years, and Juxing was the most famous styling studio in the country. This kind of scandal was naturally coveted by the media. It was sure to feature on the bulletin of various media for a while. This was really a ruthless move that would leave Raven’s reputation in tatters.
As he was reading, he felt one of his shoulders being pressed down. When he tilted his head, he saw that it was Luo Yi who put his chin on his shoulder to look at the mobile phone screen. This position nearly caused his back to rest against Luo Yi’s chest. Both of them were still lying on the same bed. This made Wen Xiaohui subconsciously sit up straight. “Why don’t we go to the computer to read it? The mobile phone screen is too small.”
“Forget it, it’s already so late. You should go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow.”
Wen Xiaohui felt a little reluctant. “Maybe A-Kai or even Raven will reply.”
Luo Yi grabbed the phone from Wen Xiaohui’s hand. “Go to sleep.”
Wen Xiaohui pouted and looked at him resentfully.
Luo Yi pinched his cheek. “Be good and go to sleep.”
Wen Xiaohui plopped on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. “It’s so strange.”
Luo Yi covered him with a duvet. “What’s strange?”
“A-Kai. A-Kai went abroad first, then he resigned. If he wanted to expose Raven’s secrets or to take revenge, then he would have done something about it six months ago. Why would he wait until now? To be honest, A-Kai doesn’t really seem like such an extreme person. He’s always been friendly and honest. I really don’t understand why he’s doing this.”
“Perhaps it’s because he can’t let go of his grudge.”
“In reality, other people will have their own views on his actions. No matter what, Raven is still his former boss, and A-Kai revealed everything about him as soon as he quit. Who would dare hire him in future?”
“Maybe he wants to set up his own business. His skills are pretty good.”
“Yeah, he’s great and he’d be good at running his own business. Do you think he’s doing this to hype up his own business?”
“Possibly.”
“Hmm, it’s too complicated.” Wen Xiaohui turned over. His pair of round and bright eyes looked at Luo Yi in the darkness. In deep contemplation, he said, “Look at this world of grown-ups, university is much simpler.”
Luo Yi smiled and said, “Of course.”
“I don’t know how this incident will affect Raven and Juxing.”
“Just watch and see.”
Wen Xiaohui fell silent momentarily. “There’s another unusual thing that Xiao Ma drew my attention to.”
“What is it?”
“Have you noticed that I’ve been possessed by a malevolent star this year?”
Luo Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “What do you mean?”
“Anyone who doesn’t get along with me has suffered bad luck – Luca, Sydney-jie’s ex-husband, Director Luo, and now it’s Raven… Thinking about it, it’s actually a little scary.”
Luo Yi smiled faintly, “Perhaps the gods are destined to protect you.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded. “It must my inauspicious fate4 that brings bad luck to bastards.”
“Go to sleep soon, so you have enough energy tomorrow. You can go to work to gossip.”
Wen Xiaohui started to laugh.
—————–
Early next morning, Wen Xiaohui couldn’t wait and rushed to the studio. It had been a while since he was so enthusiastic about work.
As expected, gossip travelled at an astonishing speed. Everyone already knew, and whenever they bumped into others, their facial expressions showed that they mutually understood each other.
Wen Xiaohui was styling the hair of a young trendy man when he got asked about it. Although Wen Xiaohui was bursting with the latest gossip, he was worried about saying too much. He could only laugh and joke about it.
When it was time for lunch at noon, a few young people had the time to get together to share information.
“How’s it going? Has Raven responded yet?”
“He uploaded an official post on Weibo to clarify, but he ended up being downvoted 3,000 times.” Xiao Ai presented her mobile phone screen.
“Raven’s really shameless5 this time. A-Kai’s provided a ton of evidence, he even has recordings.”
“Therefore, this sort of thing must be premeditated. It’s so scary. There are lots of people scolding A-Kai for having bad intentions and trying to create hype. In any case, no one benefitted from this matter.”
One of their colleagues laughed coldly. “How would A-Kai not benefit? No one knew who he was before, but now everyone knows who he is.”
“Yeah, right. I really couldn’t tell that A-Kai was this sort of person…”
“What are you all doing?” Lu-jie came over in a foul mood and said, “If you’re going to have lunch, then eat your lunch. You’re talking so much; aren’t you worried that you’ll bite your tongues? You young people have no sense of propriety. You’re still under the roof of said person. Buzz off.”
Everyone left immediately.
Wen Xiaohui initially thought that this was just a normal online row. He was still considered an influencer, and he’d been cursed by others fairly frequently. It would be fine once the heat had died down, but he didn’t consider the impact that it would have on Raven, which was much bigger than he or others imagined.
This piece of gossip first appeared on the headlines of each of the large websites, then two mainstream newspapers covered it. Because it concerned the gossip of certain celebrities, everyone was aware of it in the fashion and entertainment industries.
Raven vanished without a trace for several days, and even the employees at the studio were unable to contact him. At first, everyone’s attitude was to enjoy the spectacle, but as an employee of Juxing, they began to feel more unsettled.
Wen Xiaohui received Shao Qun’s call one day after finishing work. His intuition told him that Shao Qun’s call must be related to Raven. As expected, as soon as the call connected, Shao Qun cut straight to the chase and asked, “Has Raven’s incident impacted Juxing recently?”
“Yes. At first, everyone was enjoying the spectacle. But then we realised that the incident was being blown out of proportion, so everyone’s a little nervous.”
“There’s no need to be nervous. It has nothing to do with you all. Juxing won’t be affected and on the contrary, it’s become even more famous.”
“But this incident has a negative impact on Juxing.”
“This is a personal matter rather than Juxing’s issue. You just need to get rid of those who created the negative publicity.”
Wen Xiaohui was shocked. “You’re saying that…”
“Yes, XX Investment and I have discussed the matter. Raven’s asking price was too high, so we decided to cooperate with Liu Xing.”
“Liu Xing? But Liu Xing is unwilling to expand the business.”
“It’ll be our decision once the contract is signed.”
Wen Xiaohui gulped down his saliva, secretly scolding the unethical businessman. He asked, “What about Raven?”
“Before the incident, Raven had already set out everything with the other two. He wanted to split up the company, but they didn’t reach an agreement and they were planning to go to court over Juxing’s brand name. Now that this has happened, his reputation is in tatters, so he’s not worthy to represent Juxing. There’s no way that he’ll win the lawsuit. Besides, he’s under immense pressure6 and I reckon he doesn’t have the energy to pursue the lawsuit. That woman Xiao Yan should be able to handle it. Liu Xing was originally Juxing’s leader, so ultimately Juxing’s brand will end up in his hands, which is the same as in our hands. Raven can take his shares and go wherever he wants.”
Wen Xiaohui thought that Raven was being discarded like rubbish being swept out of the house. It not only preserved Juxing’s reputation, but it also lowered Liu Xing’s asking price. This was really killing many birds with one stone7. However, Raven would be completely defeated. He couldn’t help but lower his voice and ask, “Young Master Shao, A-Kai exposed Raven’s scandal. You… Do you happen to know the inside story?”
Shao Qun chuckled, “I do indeed know about this, but I wasn’t involved. It was Luo Zhigao who did it. Luo Zhigao has a relationship with A-Kai, I shouldn’t have to say anymore.”
Wen Xiaohui once again felt a chill on the back of his neck. How could all of these people be so immoral? Even though Raven deserved it, he and Director Luo appeared chummy and they even had a physical relationship. It was like stabbing someone in the back without even blinking8. They were all assholes. He whispered, “Why did Director Luo do this? Weren’t they really close?”
“Two words – self-interest.”
Wen Xiaohui was speechless. He felt disgusted, particularly disgusted.
“I need you to help me with the second task now.”
“Young Master Shao, I…”
“The situation is evident, you’re an idiot if you refuse me.”
Wen Xiaohui sighed, “Please continue.”
“At the studio, spread the news that Raven’s going to be kicked out of Juxing.”
“…”
“Do as I tell you. It’s the truth, you’re not starting a rumour.”
“Okay…”
After hanging up the call, Wen Xiaohui was in an awful mood. As he said last night, this was the world of grown-ups, which was complicated and disgusting. He was powerless to do anything, because he had to learn to be ‘adaptable to the circumstances.’ The sign of the times meant that he now had to hug Shao Qun’s thigh tightly, because Raven was really done for.
Feeling dejected, he called Luo Rui to rant. After Luo Rui heard about it, he was stunned. “It’s so scary. You should be like me, I’m starting my own shop so there won’t be such messy affairs.”
“If I had a rich dad like yours, I would have started my own shop ages ago.”
“Don’t be so down, Baby. It’s got nothing to do with you anyway. You only need to do your job well.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“But it’s true, you really are protected by a martial god. Oh actually, it should be god of pestilence instead.”
“Damn. Can’t you say something nicer.”
“Have a think about it – Luca, Sydney’s…”
“I know, I know! I spoke to Luo Yi about it yesterday. If you hadn’t mentioned it to me, I would never have realised. Something’s happened to Raven just now, and it’s all clear. I’m warning you not to provoke me. If you provoke me, you might be the next person to suffer misfortune.”
Luo Rui giggled on the other end of the line. “I’m so scared.”
“What martial god and god of pestilence? Luo Yi’s way of speaking is much more refined than yours, he said that the gods are destined to protect me.”
“Of course the straight-A student is good at talking. Hey, come to think of it, you never had this type of special ability before. There were loads of bastards that bullied us when we were at school. Why didn’t you use your powers to curse them with bad luck? Now all of a sudden… It seems like you’re only like this after meeting Luo Yi.”
Wen Xiaohui’s heart trembled. “That’s right!”
“Oh, come to think of it, Luo Yi is your guardian angel9.”
“That’s enough, young lady.”
Luo Rui continued to tease him unscrupulously, but Wen Xiaohui was a little absentminded.
Was it true? Ever since he met Luo Yi, anyone who made life difficult for him had suffered misfortune…
He wasn’t the brightest, but he wasn’t stupid and he had pretty good intuition. When Luo Rui was spouting nonsense, he recalled several things; for example, Luo Yi asked if Luca wasn’t local. When Luo Yi came to the studio for the first time, he observed Luca’s rotten luck. When he was injured by Sydney’s ex-husband, it was Luo Yi who rushed over to rescue him and he even took his ID card. Afterwards, Sydney’s behaviour became erratic. Not to mention Director Luo, whose fingers were fractured by Luo Yi stomping on them. Raven didn’t really have any contact with Luo Yi, but he was often the subject of Wen Xiaohui’s rants. Each of these little incidents seemed subtle if you connected them together.
Wen Xiaohui scratched his head, and he couldn’t stop laughing at himself for acting like he’d been possessed by Detective Conan10. He was overthinking it. He thought that Luo Rui was right about Luo Yi being his guardian angel. After meeting Luo Yi, both his daily life and his career had become much smoother, and it was just that he brought misfortune to bastards. He respected the gods, and in this imperceptible and mystical world, he recognised that he had a very strong kind of bond with Luo Yi.
Footnotes:
Tianya Club is a popular Chinese internet forum website.
QQ is an instant messaging app in China.
爬楼 or ‘climb stairs’ means to browse previous chat records or posts for your circle of friends. It originated from web forums where someone would post a reply to a message which constructs a floor, and after reading many replies, you’ve climbed the metaphorical stairs.
命硬, this refers to a form of Chinese divination where a person’s birth date characters, also known as eight characters (八字) or the four pillars of destiny, aren’t auspicious and can cause the death of those close to them.
丢大人了, someone who has done something shameful to lose face.
焦头烂额, under-pressure, but literally means that someone’s head has been badly burnt.
The raws use the phrase killing many birds with one arrow (although the usual idiom is to kill two birds with one arrow, similar to the English equivalent).
As in it’s effortless
守护神, protector god – I’ve used guardian angel as the English equivalent as it has the same connotations.
Detective Conan is a Japanese manga series about a high school detective.
