Additional Inheritance - Chap 28
Chapter 28.1
It was already past midnight when Wen Xiaohui left. He had no idea if Luo Yi was still awake, but he’d already prepared some food. In the end, he found that the lights on the third and fourth floors were still on when he got to the villa.
He opened the door and went inside. He hummed softly as he went to the kitchen to get plates and cups, and arranged the supper on the serving trays. Then he headed upstairs with a tray in each hand.
When Wen Xiaohui got to the third floor, he pushed open the half-opened door with his elbow. “Luo Yi, I’ve brought over some supper. Are you still awake?” He went into the room to have a look around; Luo Yi’s computer was still on, but there was nobody there.
He went to check the bathroom and it was also empty. How strange… Could it be that he was on the fourth floor?
He put the supper down, and he walked up to the fourth floor.
Although it had been a while since he first visited the house, he’d never been to the room on the fourth floor. Luo Yi mentioned that the fourth floor was a storage room and it was full of all sorts of things. You only needed to refer to the state of Luo Yi’s bedroom to imagine what the storage room looked like, so he was never curious about it.
The door on the fourth floor was also partially open. Wen Xiaohui knocked on the door then pushed it open. “Luo Yi, I came…”
The ‘storage room’ on the fourth floor was actually a huge room. It was stacked full of all sorts of things just like Luo Yi said. However, what captured Wen Xiaohui’s attention was the middle-aged man’s photo on the wall that was used for target practice.
Luo Yi’s back was facing Wen Xiaohui; he was searching for something when he heard the noise and he immediately turned around. His gaze was as sharp and fierce as a falcon, causing Wen Xiaohui to freeze on the spot.
When Luo Yi saw that it was him, his expression returned to normal. However, it was evident that he was still a bit tense. “Why did you come over?”
“I was out for drinks nearby, and I wanted to bring some supper over for you to eat…” Wen Xiaohui’s fear had yet to dissipate because Luo Yi’s expression in that split second had really scared him. It was as if he had done something wrong, like stumbling upon a secret that he wasn’t supposed to find out.
Luo Yi came over to turn off the lights and close the door. “Let’s go downstairs.”
Wen Xiaohui reflected on the target that he’d just seen. The photo had many obvious arrow holes.
Luo Yi suddenly said, “Yes, it’s him.”
Wen Xiaohui trembled, and he whispered, “You hate him so much.” He wanted to ask why, but he knew that it wasn’t likely that Luo Yi would answer him. He was also worried that if Luo Yi did answer, he might not be able to bear the consequences of his response. The more familiar he was with Luo Yi’s daily life and the feelings at the bottom of his heart, the more he felt that Luo Yi’s thoughts were more profound and complicated than his peers. Rather he had better foresight than some grown-ups. It didn’t seem like this was only because Luo Yi was more intelligent, it was also because of his mysterious upbringing.
Without turning his head, Luo Yi replied, “I don’t hate him.”
“…”
“He’s just an eyesore.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Luo Yi was standing at the corner of the stairs, and he laughed gently before turning his head to look at Wen Xiaohui in silence. The pupils of his eyes were pitch-black. “The existence of this person bothers me.”
Wen Xiaohui felt a sudden chill on his arms and legs. It wasn’t the first time, and occasionally Luo Yi would reveal a facial expression, a look in his eyes, or say words that felt foreign to him. It caused him to suspect that this youth might not be as he seemed, but Luo Yi was great 99.9% of the time. Who didn’t have a side to them that was different to normal? These occurrences ought to have paled in insignificance, but they always left a lasting impression.
Luo Yi beckoned to him. “Let’s go and eat supper.”
Wen Xiaohui’s heart started to ache for Luo Yi again. He couldn’t begin to imagine what exactly Luo Yi went through during his childhood that made him talk about his father like this, in addition to shooting arrows through his biological father’s photo. He also rarely mentioned his mother. In the beginning, he thought that maybe intelligent people’s brains function differently; when his mother committed suicide, Luo Yi felt it was a way for her to free herself from her burdens. But when he reflected on it now, it really seemed like Luo Yi didn’t even feel sad. It was as if he never had such a mother and he was completely unaffected. Wen Xiaohui wasn’t able to describe how he felt. He couldn’t even blame Luo Yi for lacking compassion, because it was clear that Yaya was also a poor mother.
They went back to the room. Luo Yi switched on a comedy, and they ate whilst watching the film. On the surface Wen Xiaohui was laughing along to the film, but he was secretly full of doubt and speculation. Luo Yi must have used an arrow to shoot the photo of his biological father to vent his frustration.
Luo Yi went to clear the table after they finished the meal. Wen Xiaohui sat in front of the computer for a bit, and by some strange coincidence1, he suddenly decided to look through Luo Yi’s hard drive. He quickly browsed through the contents by skimming the names of the folders. There wasn’t anything special other than the large number of general knowledge and hobbies folders, and he ran out of time to be able to browse more. Luo Yi was already returning, so he was in fluster and he didn’t have sufficient time to put the video player back on screen.
Luo Yi slightly narrowed his eyes, and he understood everything when he saw Wen Xiaohui pretending that nothing had happened.
Failing to cover his tracks, Wen Xiaohui said “I’m trying to put on a different film.”
“Do you not find this film funny?”
“You’ll definitely have insomnia if you laugh like this before bedtime, and you’ll end up with dark circles under your eyes.”
Luo Yi chuckled, “You shouldn’t watch anything if you want to prevent insomnia.”
“You’re right, we should go to bed.” Wen Xiaohui stretched his waist and touched his stomach. “Recently I’ve been hanging out with you, and I’ve gotten fat from eating too many late-night meals.”
“You’re too lazy to come running with me.”
“Nope, I’d rather sleep a bit more.” Wen Xiaohui got up and said, “I’m going for a shower.”
As soon as Wen Xiaohui went to the bathroom, Luo Yi turned off the film, and he opened up the hard drive folder. A faint smile appeared.
After Wen Xiaohui’s shower, he threw himself on the bed with some force. He took a deep breath. “I’m exhausted.”
“Did you drink too much?” Luo Yi asked, “Who did you go out drinking with? You didn’t call me to pick you up.”
“It’s alright, I didn’t drink too much. It’s just a bunch of gay guys. If they saw you, they’d pounce on you like a beast2.”
Luo Yi burst out laughing. “What an exaggeration!”
“It’s not an exaggeration. How could there be a man that isn’t horny?” Wen Xiaohui smiled as he said, “Actually I went to meet the handsome guy that Xiao Ma set me up with.”
“Oh.” Luo Yi was lying on his side, with his head resting on his hand. “How was it?”
“It wasn’t great. He looks pretty good and he has a decent body, but you can tell from a single glance that he’s the type who likes to play around. I hear that his personal life is very messy, and I’m afraid I might catch something. Anyway, I’m not planning to keep in contact with him.”
“Mn, the more you do it… You deserve better.”
Wen Xiaohui smiled. “Oh, I actually met a great guy today.”
“At the bar? Who is he?”
“I met him at the bar counter by chance. He’s so elegant and charismatic3, and not just handsome. He has a graceful air about him. He’s awesome.” Wen Xiaohui pouted, and said gloomily, “I went to chat him up but he wasn’t attracted to me. Even though I eventually got his number, he clearly wasn’t interested.”
Luo Yi smiled faintly, and replied, “He has bad taste. Forget about it.”
“Not only does he have bad taste, he must be blind.” Wen Xiaohui said angrily, “It hurts my self-esteem… Whatever. It’s really not a big deal. I’ll definitely find a better man in future.”
Luo Yi observed Wen Xiaohui’s look of dissatisfaction, and he felt like he wanted to laugh.
Looking at Luo Yi’s smile, Wen Xiaohui began to feel a little ashamed and he hid his face in his pillow. He closed his eyes.
“The person you mentioned… Is he really that great? Is he that attractive?”
Wen Xiaohui replied in a gloomy voice, “Yeah, he’s really attractive.”
“Perhaps in 10 years’ time, I’ll be more outstanding than him.”
Wen Xiaohui’s heart trembled slightly, and he gently opened his eyes.
Luo Yi was still staring at him with a gentle and youthful smile. It caused Wen Xiaohui’s heart to beat even faster. Wen Xiaohui knew that he shouldn’t respond, but he inexplicably replied, “Of course you’ll be better than him.”
Luo Yi asked in a gentle voice, “Would you consider me then?”
Wen Xiaohui’s eyes widened.
Luo Yi watched Wen Xiaohui as his eyes grew larger and his pupils contracted like a terrified bunny. This was very amusing because Wen Xiaohui was somebody who embodied the traits of vanity, influence, shallowness and simplicity, naivety, and righteousness, all at the same time. How could there be someone who was so contradictory?
Wen Xiaohui was so nervous that his jaw nearly dropped. He stammered, “Stop teasing, you little brat.”
Luo Yi chuckled, “I’m only joking.”
Wen Xiaohui said rather solemnly, “Don’t joke about these things next time.”
“Are you angry?”
“No.” Wen Xiaohui turned himself around. “You should sleep soon.”
Luo Yi stared at his back. Looking at Wen Xiaohui’s thin shoulders, he had a suddenly urge to flip him over to face him.
Footnotes:
鬼使神差, literally means demons and gods at work and refers to a curious coincidence or unexplained event caused by something supernatural (idiom).
如狼似虎, literally like wolves and tigers, but it means ruthless when used to describe someone.
有范儿, Beijing slang to describe someone who is elegant, with a gentlemanly air, and charismatic.
Chapter 28.2
“This area is 81 square metres. That costs over 500, and the colour really isn’t much different. You’re absolutely nuts!” Wen Xiaohui was once again angered by Luo Rui so much that he jumped to his feet.
Feeling wronged, Luo Rui replied, “What do you mean they’re not that different? The cheap one, just one look at the beige and… You can tell that it’s really cheap. The expensive one is completely different.”
“Bullshit! Why don’t you cover it in gold leaf then?”
“I don’t care, I’ve already ordered it anyway.” Luo Rui said, “I want to model my bakery into a high-end and chic French patisserie. If you act like this again, I’ll start to doubt your taste.”
“Taste? You idiot. Do you know how much you’ve flipping exceeded your budget by? You’ll have spent all your money before the refurbishment is half complete. You can go cry to your mum and dad about your taste!”
Luo Rui showed a terrified expression. “It can’t be. That’s 500,000 yuan – how could I have spent it all?”
“Close enough.”
Luo Rui scowled miserably. “Then… I’ll go get a refund.”
“Go quickly.” Wen Xiaohui dragged him along, and then walked out.
As Wen Xiaohui was exiting the store, a man walked towards him and he immediately noticed that he looked familiar. After careful consideration, he realised that it was the lawyer, Cao Hai, but he seemed to have dropped an entire clothing size. It appeared that his state of mind wasn’t great, and he seemed to be in a rush.
Cao Hai also saw him. “Hi, Mr Wen.”
“Mr Cao.” Wen Xiaohui looked at him up and down. “Have you been well? How come you’ve lost so much weight?”
Cao Hai sighed, “It’s been a bit stressful.”
“Income and stress levels are positively correlated; it proves that you earn a lot.” Wen Xiaohui recalled what Luo Yi had told him that Cao Hai and Yaya used to be together and he felt a little awkward.
Cao Hai shook his head, showing a forced smile. Looking at Wen Xiaohui, he paused to think for a moment before asking, “How are things with you? Are you well?”
“Yeah, I’ve been great. Luo Yi and I get along very well. It’s a coincidence that I bumped into you today while helping my friend buy decorations for his patisserie.”
“Hmm, Luo Yi…” Cao Hai’s lips trembled ever so slightly as he said his name.
“What’s wrong?”
“Luo Yi… Has he been well?”
“Yeah, he’s studying at X University. Aren’t you in contact with him?”
Cao Hai’s expression looked evasive. “No, we haven’t kept in contact.”
“You haven’t been in contact with each other since we signed the contract?”
Cao Hai hurriedly shook his head. “We haven’t.”
Wen Xiaohui was a bit shocked. He clearly recalled that when he asked Luo Yi why he knew so much about Shao Qun, Luo Yi had said that he got his information from Cao Hai. Which one of them was lying? He became more suspicious the more he stared at Cao Hai, thinking back to how Luo Yi told him to not trust Cao Hai’s words. Wen Xiaohui didn’t continue to press, and merely nodded. “Oh yeah, I still have something to sort out with my friend so I need to head off first. You should go do what you need to do.”
“Mr Wen…” Cao Hai called out to him. “How about we find a place to sit down? It’s nearly time for dinner.”
Wen Xiaohui became more alert after hearing these words. He said, “I’m sorry, but my friend and I are in a rush to sort some stuff out before closing time. How about another day?”
Cao Hai nodded. “Actually, I only wanted to ask if you two have had any disputes over anything in your daily lives, such as money or something else.”
“Nope, Luo Yi and I have never argued about money. He even gave me his allowance to manage, but I haven’t really touched it. Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
Cao Hai laughed, “Haha, occupational hazard1. In any case, you’ve never spent time together before now, so I was worried that you might have clashing personalities.”
“No, we’re good.”
“Luo Yi isn’t short of money so feel free to spend his allowance as you see fit. I’ve seen your blog – it’s very expensive to buy cosmetics etc., so there’s no need to go easy on Luo Yi.”
Wen Xiaohui thought it was very strange that Cao Hai suddenly decided to say such inexplicable things to him that had nothing to do with Cao Hai at all. He began to think that it was even more strange. “Erm, I’ll go with the flow since it’s not like I’m that short of money. In any case, I’ll receive the inheritance from my sister in two years’ time when Luo Yi turns 18.”
Cao Hai’s expression was difficult to detect, but he appeared a bit stiff. “Hmm, yes. You should head off.”
“Okay, see you later.”
“Oh, yeah…” Cao Hai said, “It’s best not to mention to Luo Yi that you bumped into me.”
“How come?”
“There has been a misunderstanding between us for some reason, and he probably won’t want any further dealings with me after Mrs Luo’s will has been executed.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded, and half-heartedly agreed to the request. “That’s fine.”
After they said their goodbyes, Wen Xiaohui and Luo Rui got into a taxi.
Luo Rui asked, “Who was that? Was he your sister’s lawyer?”
“Yeah, it was him who originally drew up the will and the contract for the guardianship.” Wen Xiaohui pondered over what Cao Hai had just said and his unnatural expression, and he felt that it didn’t seem right. He needed to tell Luo Yi once he got back. Who knew if Cao Hai was really dissatisfied with the division of assets like Luo Yi said or what he might be planning? He swore to Yaya on the day that he signed the contract that he would protect her only son.
“The way he speaks is very weird. Even his tone of voice and his expression seem weird.”
Even Luo Rui could discern that something was off.
“I don’t know. Anyway, Luo Yi told me not to trust Cao Hai because he and Yaya had something going on. They used to do business together, and apparently he wasn’t too satisfied with the division of their joint investments.”
“Huh? It can’t be? If he’s dissatisfied then how come you signed the contract so smoothly?”
Wen Xiaohui was unable to answer for a while. It was true that if Cao Hai had an opinion and was dissatisfied about the distribution of assets, then he would have made preparations from the beginning. Why would he wait until this moment in time? “Perhaps… Perhaps he thinks that the inheritance my sister left me is worthless.”
Luo Rui exclaimed, “Three million plus a house aren’t worth anything?”
“My sister’s much, much richer than we thought.” Wen Xiaohui sighed, “I have no idea. It’s so annoying.”
“Forget about it. Your brain capacity is insufficient, go home and let Luo Yi think about it.”
“What do you mean by ‘my brain capacity is insufficient’? Your brain capacity must be sufficient then – it’s full of glue. If it weren’t for me, I don’t know how much money you’d be conned out of.”
Luo Rui glared at him. “Why do you always make fun of me?”
“That’s the true essence of our love.”
“Who’s in love with you?” Luo Rui said softly, “You’re so thin.”
“Fuck2! You’re thin. Your whole family is thin. I’m3 standard size.”
Luo Rui fluttered his eyelashes and shamelessly said, “I’m4 a zero5. What’s wrong with me being thin?”
“Other people are also zeroes, but they’re not thin!”
The taxi driver used his rearview mirror to stare at the two of them with a ‘WTF’ expression.
—————-
When he arrived back at Luo Yi’s house that evening, Wen Xiaohui shook off the snow on his body. He said as he shivered, “It’s freezing outside. I’ve been running around all day at the decorating centres for Xiao Ma, that son-of-a-bitch. I must have jilted him in my previous life, so I’m fucking repaying the debt in this lifetime.”
Luo Yi dragged him into the house, and closed the door. Afterwards, he used his large, warm hands to cover Wen Xiaohui’s deep-red ears. “You should drive mum’s car. Look how cold you are.” There was an aggrievance to his tone as he criticised him.
“No, no, no, I’m not driving.” Luo Yi had said before that Wen Xiaohui could drive the cars in the garage, but Wen Xiaohui didn’t dare. He’d only driven a few times since he passed his driving test. Even if Luo Yi didn’t blame him if he scratched or scraped such an expensive car, he’d still feel really depressed. Although he wanted to drive a fancy car to act pretentious, he only had the intention but not the guts to do so. He only dared to take some photos inside the car and put them online to show off.
“You will never be able to drive if you don’t practise. You’ll be fine once you get used to it.”
“Let’s wait for the weather to warm up first. The roads are so slippery now so I really don’t dare. I’ll practise in spring.”
Luo Yi nodded. “That’s better.”
Wen Xiaohui gradually recovered the sensation in his ears. Luo Yi’s hands were really large, the type that could easily grasp a basketball. His fingers were long and slender with smooth and round nails, and they looked very elegant and beautiful. The warmth from his palms penetrated the bottom of his heart through his frozen-stiff ears, which made him feel that not only his ears, but that his entire body began to warm up. He smiled at Luo Yi, and nodded.
“I’ll make you a cup of ginger tea6. No matter what happens, don’t tire yourself out so much in future because I can help you both in my spare time.”
“You can’t because it’s nearly the end of term exams; you must be really busy. We’ve already bothered you enough, and even Xiao Ma feels bad. And if you appear in front of him so often, I worry that he’s going to fall for you.”
Luo Yi chuckled, “You’re worried that he’s going to fall for me? How come?”
“Xiao Ma’s gay, but he’s an attractive, gentle and considerate, rich second-generation. He’s really popular in our circle.”
“And?”
Luo Yi smiled slightly, and stared at him.
“And what? Do you seriously want him to fall for you?”
“Are you jealous?”
“Why would I..?” Wen Xiaohui was conscious that Luo Yi was becoming more unreserved in his speech. When did this start? Luo Yi inevitably had some ambiguous feelings towards him, but it was out of the question. He needed to throttle the things that must not happen while they were still in their infancy. “I’m not jealous, I’m just worried that you’ll be bent by him. Do you think you’d have an easy life as a homosexual?”
“So you’re worried about that.” Luo Yi pouted in disappointment, and he turned around to go into the kitchen.
Wen Xiaohui looked at his back view, and he rubbed his hair like crazy. He felt a burst of agitation. What was Luo Yi thinking? Why did he continue to say things that could be misconstrued? He clearly knew that certain things shouldn’t happen between the two of them, and that it was also impossible, but he would still occasionally cause Wen Xiaohui’s heart to feel restless. How could he have so little willpower? No, it wasn’t his fault. He was naturally bent, it was due to Luo Yi’s behaviour being too…
What should he do if Luo Yi actually liked him? Although he was very attractive, he couldn’t bear the responsibility of bending his sister’s son!
After a while, Luo Yi brought out a cup of coke boiled with ginger. “Come here and drink it. Don’t catch a cold.”
“Yeah.” Wen Xiaohui quickly took a couple of sips, and pretending to be indifferent, he asked, “How’s university? Are there any girls interested in you?”
“Hmm, yes.”
“Wow, are they pretty?”
“No, not pretty.”
“Erm, don’t focus too much on their appearance, inner qualities are more important.”
Luo Yi laughed out loud.
Wen Xiaohui became furious. “What the heck? I’m superficial like this, and I like to look nice. But aren’t you a genius? Your IQ is so high, can’t you see through someone’s thoughts to see if they’re good or not?”
Luo Yi restrained his laughter. “I’ll give it a go.”
“Yeah, you should give it a go…” Wen Xiaohui suddenly recalled what happened during the day. “Oh yeah, I bumped into Cao Hai outside Xiao Ma’s shop today.”
Luo Yi’s expression remained unchanged, but there was a barely perceptible glint in his eyes. He replied nonchalantly, “Hmm, Cao Hai? How coincidental.”
“Yeah, he’s lost so much weight. He must be tired from making so much money.”
“Perhaps. What did you talk about?”
“He was acting so strange.” Wen Xiaohui frowned, “Didn’t you tell me to beware of him last time, so I was on my guard against him. He asked how we were getting along, if we had any disagreements over money, and he even said that I don’t have to be careful with your money.”
“It’s a little strange that he’s taken an interest in these things. Did he say anything else that was unusual?”
“I think that was all… He said he wanted to take me out for dinner, but I didn’t end up going.”
“Yeah, you can ignore him. He’s already tried his best to extract the assets from the company, but he’s still so greedy.”
“Hmph, I never expected him to be like that. I used to think that he was a nice guy.”
Luo Yi shook his head. “Self-interest.”
“It’s great how you’re not obsessed with money. I’m only a kid, I can’t beat a hot-shot lawyer.”
Luo Yi smiled. “Yes, let him lose sleep over it. In any case, the execution of the will is practically all sorted, so he can’t extract all the assets. But it’s still a bit risky before I can officially access my inheritance as an adult. After all, he was one of the partners of my mother’s company, so I still have to be wary of him. I chose to study law so that I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.”
Wen Xiaohui gave him a big thumbs up. “Clever.”
“But just to be safe, I registered a company so that we can consolidate mum’s inheritance through its capital operations as much as possible.”
“Oh, what are you planning to do?”
“It’s quite complicated to explain.”
“Don’t worry about it, I won’t be able to understand. But if there’s anything that I can help with, just let me know.”
Luo Yi’s eyes momentarily flashed a hint of smile. “Sure.”
Footnotes:
职业病, sometimes translated as occupational disease; it refers to compulsive behaviour as a result of one’s profession.
Censored word in the raws such that only the top strokes of the character for grass (F-word) are visible.
Uses laozi, the exaggerated/pompous form for I.
The word for I used in this sentence is 人家, which is how females sometimes to refer to themselves in a coy/flirty way in modern times. This term was typically used more often in a historical context.
As in he’s a bottom/shou and zero doesn’t refer to dress sizes.
Ginger dispels colds in Chinese medicine.
