Additional Inheritance - Chap 29
Chapter 29.1
The refurbishment of Luo Rui’s patisserie was finally complete just before Chinese New Year, which allowed it to air out during the holiday period. In the new year, they began the procurement of stock, soft furnishings, and recruitment. Both Lui Rui and Wen Xiaohui were so knackered that they lost a fair few catties1 in weight. They were a lot more cautious after being swindled so many times but their hard work paid off.
Juxing’s annual meeting was actually more like a farewell meal. At the annual meeting, Liu Xing and Xiao Yan announced that Juxing was going to be taken over shortly, and that it was in the process of reorganisation and integration. All staff at the studio would receive satisfactory assignments, and unless they wanted to go elsewhere, they would continue to work for the new Juxing like before. For the small-fry, the changeover of senior management wasn’t that important, and they all knew that Xiao Yan was going to take a bunch of people with her to start a new company.
Wen Xiaohui learned about these things from Shao Qun a while ago, and he had been earnestly pandering2 to Shao Qun ever since Raven left. After the reorganisation, Juxing was short of staff, and he knew that he would soon have a great development opportunity.
Liu Xing gave everyone a generous Chinese New Year red envelope3. Wen Xiaohui took the red envelope, and in the blink of an eye, he used it to buy a fur coat for his mother. When his mother received the clothes, she scolded him for wasting money whilst checking herself out in the mirror for most of the day, seemingly reluctant to take the coat off.
During the Chinese New Year period, Luo Rui and his parents went on holiday to Switzerland. Wen Xiaohui and his mother cleaned the house4, they went shopping for Chinese New Year goods, and continued to be busy up to the 29th.
On the eve of Chinese New Year, Wen Xiaohui carried a bundle of new year goods to go out.
Feng Yuehua had a face-mask on whilst she was watching TV. “Where are you going? It’s New Year’s Eve.”
“I’m going to deliver some gifts, I’ll be back in the afternoon.” He was going to meet Luo Yi; although he couldn’t spend Chinese New Year with Luo Yi, the least he could do was to give him some tasty food.
“Come home early, there won’t be any taxis later.”
“Okay.”
—————–
Wen Xiaohui was carrying bags of stuff so he struggled to open the door. He shouted into the house. “Luo Yi, come and take your stuff.”
Luo Yi ran down from upstairs, and took the bags from his hands. “Why did you bring so much stuff over? How can I finish it all by myself?”
“It’s not all food.” Wen Xiaohui kicked one of the bags. “Look at you. You don’t even have any Chinese New Year couplets5. It doesn’t even seem like you’re celebrating Chinese New Year.”
Luo Yi’s house really didn’t look festive. It lacked people, it lacked atmosphere, and it was the same as always – lonely.
Luo Yi said faintly, “There isn’t much point in celebrating it alone.”
Wen Xiaohui sighed, “Unfortunately, I can’t spend New Year’s with you… But how about I come see you on the second day of the new year?”
Luo Yi smiled. “Never mind, spend it with your mother. I’m already used to it.”
“Didn’t anyone spend New Year’s with you in the past?”
“Mum was sometimes around, but not it wasn’t guaranteed.” Luo Yi shrugged. “It is said that the greatest significance behind New Year’s is reunion. But to me, Chinese New Year is the same as the whole community going on strike, and it’s very inconvenient.”
Wen Xiaohui patted him on the shoulder. “Give me a bit more time, I’ll find an opportunity to convince my mum, and in future, we’ll be able to spend New Year’s together. No matter where you’ll be working when you’re grown-up, Chinese New Year is the time for family reunions.”
Luo Yi smiled and said, “I’m with my family when you’re by my side. It doesn’t matter at all if it’s Chinese New Year. Therefore, you should rush back and spend it with your mother.”
Wen Xiaohui rolled up his sleeves, “Come on, I’ll head back after we’ve put up these couplets. I even brought over a red lantern; you have to hang up a red lantern if you live in a large villa.”
They found some stools and glue, and they started to stick up the Chinese New Year couplets. Luo Yi seemed to think that it was pretty novel, and he studied the rhymes on the couplets.
“This can’t be your first time sticking up couplets?”
“It is.” Luo Yi said with a smile.
Wen Xiaohui felt very upset; he was unable to call Yaya irresponsible so he could only be nicer to Luo Yi to make up for his short-changed childhood.
After sticking up the couplets and the good fortune sign6, the European solid-wood doors with decorative patterns were completely tainted by the Chinese influence, but Luo Yi was very pleased and he said that it looked festive.
“Come on, let’s hang up the lantern. It needs nails.”
“Let me do it.” Luo Yi climbed up the ladder.
Wen Xiaohui looked up at Luo Yi from below, and when Luo Yi lifted his hand to hammer the nail, the bottom of his sweatshirt rode up and exposed his flat and solid abs, which were accompanied by his pair of long legs that were bent. He was so good-looking that you couldn’t take your eyes off him.
Luo Yi seemed to sense something, and he suddenly looked down. Wen Xiaohui didn’t have time to divert his eyes and met Luo Yi’s gaze head on while it was suspended in mid-air.
Wen Xiaohui had a spell of anxiety.
Luo Yi smiled faintly. “Pass me one more nail please.”
“Oh.” Wen Xiaohui hurriedly passed it to him, but he was too rough. The thin nail directly stabbed Luo Yi’s hand.
Luo Yi retracted his finger, and he watched as a small bead of blood appeared.
“Fuck!” Wen Xiaohui said, “Come down quickly.”
“It’s fine, I’m nearly done.”
“No, nails are really dirty. Come down first and let me disinfect it.”
Luo Yi had no choice but to come down. Wen Xiaohui looked at his hand, and he felt especially distressed. Such a beautiful looking finger and he managed to take a small chunk of flesh off it. What a crime! He took out the first aid kit, and pressed a piece of cotton wool dipped in disinfectant on the wound. With a face full of remorse, he looked at Luo Yi and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Luo Yi chuckled, “It’s only a surface wound. There’s no need to apologise.”
Wen Xiaohui grabbed his finger; he was particularly upset. He became increasingly puzzled about his own thoughts, just like how he couldn’t understand what Luo Yi was thinking.
After disinfecting, Wen Xiaohui helped him apply a plaster. As he was about to let go, Luo Yi’s finger nimbly coiled around Wen Xiaohui’s finger.
Wen Xiaohui froze on the spot. He trembled as he tilted his head upwards to look at Luo Yi.
Luo Yi also looked at him with his unfathomable eyes. Those eyes that stared at him contained indescribable emotions. He said softly, “I was lying – I don’t want you to leave. I really want to spend Chinese New Year with you.”
Wen Xiaohui felt a heavy blow to his heart, and his whole body felt out of sorts.
Luo Yi’s body slowly moved closer to him. “You said that you’d always spend Chinese New Year with me, but you have your mother right now. In future if you have a boyfriend, would you still celebrate it with me?” He stared at Wen Xiaohui without blinking. “I really want to keep you by my side at all times.” His face was already approaching Wen Xiaohui, and the two of them weren’t even the width of a fist apart. Luo Yi lowered his eyes, which fell on Wen Xiaohui’s lips.
Wen Xiaohui’s heart started to beat like crazy, as he saw that they were about to touch. He suddenly pushed Luo Yi away.
Luo Yi didn’t expect it at all, and he almost fell off the sofa. He looked at Wen Xiaohui and his expression showed that he felt a little wronged.
Wen Xiaohui was panting heavily, with a face full of panic. “What the heck are you doing, Luo Yi?”
Luo Yi whispered as he was wringing his hands, “I was only thinking about how I could make you stay with me all the time.”
Wen Xiaohui said in a loud voice, “Not in this way! Have you lost your mind? Do you think that these matters are so frivolous?”
Luo Yi looked up, his expression showed he was very distressed. “I don’t know what I should do. Do you dislike me?”
Wen Xiaohui took in his expression, and his temper immediately calmed down. He sighed loudly. “What makes you think that?”
“Because you like men.”
“But I won’t fall for my sister’s son.” Wen Xiaohui replied very seriously, “I know that you don’t like me in that way, you’re just… You used to be too lonely so you want me to always be with you. I understand how you feel, but you shouldn’t have these thoughts in future. You’re not gay, so don’t imply that you are and don’t force yourself.”
Luo Yi pursed his lips and he said in a low voice, “Then you’ll be snatched away by others.”
Wen Xiaohui rubbed Luo Yi’s earlobe, and he said gently, “No one can snatch me away. My mum is my mum, my boyfriend is my boyfriend, and you are you.7 You’re one of the most important members of my family and no matter what, I’ll always be by your side.”
Luo Yi nodded and he gently hugged Wen Xiaohui. “Xiaohui-ge, you’re so important to me.”
Wen Xiaohui gently caressed Luo Yi’s back. “I know that. You’re really important to me too.”
“You’re the only person that I trust in the entire world. Do you trust me completely?”
“Of course.” Wen Xiaohui replied without hesitation.
“Mn, that’s good then.” Luo Yi’s arms tightened, and his gaze was as calm as water without a ripple or a wave.
——————-
Wen Xiaohui felt ill at ease after he returned home. His greatest fear had become reality, but fortunately Luo Yi’s feelings for him ought to be relatively muddled. It couldn’t count as love, he must just be over-reliant on him and afraid of losing him. After all, Luo Yi was pretty young, and it was inevitable that he would be influenced by the man that he liked. It was the same as everyone getting the most fashionable haircut. It made him want to try it out, but he didn’t know if that’s what he actually wanted or whether it would suit him. It was Wen Xiaohui’s fault, and in future he wasn’t going to discuss men with Luo Yi again.
That evening, Wen Xiaohui and his mother went to his maternal grandma8 and grandad’s house to celebrate Chinese New Year. On the first day of the New Year, he went to visit his paternal grandma. Except for text messages wishing each other a happy new year, he and Luo Yi didn’t contact each other that frequently in the last couple of days, which was unusual. On the third day of the New Year, Wen Xiaohui used the excuse of having to accompany his paternal grandma instead of going to find Luo Yi. He thought that it would be best to let Luo Yi calm down.
When Luo Rui called him from abroad to pass on his New Year greetings, Wen Xiaohui thought about how it was an international phone call so he shouldn’t talk too much. However, he couldn’t stop himself from telling Luo Rui what had happened.
On the other end of the line, Luo Rui made a big deal out of it. He was a bit worried and he asked, “What are you going to do?”
Wen Xiaohui said irritably, “It’s hard to explain succinctly9. I’ll tell you when you’re back.”
“Shit! You’re only telling me part of the gossip. Do you have any gossip ethics that would allow people to celebrate New Year10?”
Wen Xiaohui made a ‘hmph’ sound. “The goddamn rich guy who went on holiday to Switzerland deserves to have a bad new year. Gotta go.”
Footnotes:
Asian measurement which is equivalent to 500g in China (note that a catty is slightly different depending on which country/region you’re in e.g. it’s 600g in Taiwan).
In the raws, it’s phrased as hugging Shao Qun’s thigh.
紅包/hongbao refers to a Chinese New Year (‘CNY’) tradition of gifting money in a red envelope.
It’s tradition before CNY to deep clean the house, and the house isn’t cleaned during the new year period to avoid sweeping away the good luck. The link also explains CNY shopping.
CNY couplets are usually hung for good luck.
福/Fu (sounds much ruder in Cantonese) means good fortune, and people tend to stick the diamond-shaped sign with the character upside down for CNY.
I think it’s trying to say that they all play a different role in WXH’s life, but they’re all important to him.
Just a reminder that Chinese has more identifiers for family members, which distinguishes between younger/older relations and also maternal/paternal relations.
一言难尽, hard to explain in a few words or difficult to explain succinctly (idiom).
I think that the author is implying that Luo Rui is going to be on the edge of his seat before WXH tells him the rest of the story, which is why he’s unable to enjoy the New Year celebrations.
Chapter 29.2
On the sixth day of the Chinese New Year, Wen Xiaohui felt that he couldn’t go on like this anymore, and he planned to use the excuse of delivering New Year goods to visit Luo Yi.
Luo Yi seemed normal as if nothing had happened, but his face looked pale and haggard. He appeared very tired.
“What’s going on with you? Did you stay up late?”
“I can’t do much during New Year, so I’ve been staying up all night to play games.”
Wen Xiaohui couldn’t help but feel somewhat guilty for not coming to see him earlier. “Don’t stay up late in future.” Wen Xiaohui put the stuff down, and took out a red envelope1 from his pocket. He smiled as he flashed it in front of Luo Yi. “Here. Have a prosperous new year.”
Luo Yi smiled as he asked, “Is the red envelope for me?”
“Of course it’s for you, but it’s not that thick. Wait for Xiaohui-ge to make more money, I’ll definitely give you a thick envelope.”
Luo Yi accepted the red envelope, and he seemed very happy. “’I’d be happy even if you put a piece of paper inside.”
Wen Xiaohui took his coat off. “Let’s cook together. I’ll make up for New Year’s Eve dinner.”
“Sure.”
Wen Xiaohui put the stuff in the kitchen, and started to sort them. “This is the pork stew that my grandma marinated. It’s super tasty. My mum failed to inherit any of her mother’s talent for cooking.”
“Yeah, it smells very nice.”
Wen Xiaohui gave an overview of the items as he arranged them. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a thick cigarette butt in the gap between the bin and the corner of the wall. He stretched his hand out and picked up the cigarette butt. “Eh? You don’t smoke, Luo Yi?”
Luo Yi said, “I don’t smoke.” He turned around and caught Wen Xiaohui holding the half-finished cigarette. His expression immediately became more solemn.
“Whose is this? Did they accidentally drop it outside the bin?”
“A classmate came over to my house yesterday.”
“Really?” Wen Xiaohui threw the cigarette butt into the bin, and he began to feel suspicious.
Wen Xiaohui used to be pretentious2 during his secondary school days, and he smoked for half a year. However, he didn’t inhale the smoke all the way to his throat and he spat it out as soon as it reached his mouth. He ended up quitting because he was worried about his teeth yellowing, which was why he had some knowledge about smoking. It was a hand-rolled cigarette; the paper that was used for the cigarette seemed especially high-end, and the cut tobacco was unlikely to be cheap either. Furthermore, the odor was particularly strong. The type of people who smoked such cigarettes were typically older, and he’d never seen a student smoking this kind of cigarette. The most important thing was that Luo Yi wouldn’t even take a photo with anyone, he didn’t seem like he had any friends. Would he really let his classmate come to his house?
His intuition told him that Luo Yi was hiding something, but he couldn’t ask because what Luo Yi was hiding was either related to Yaya or the biological father who couldn’t be mentioned.
They cooked dinner together, but in fact, it was mostly Luo Yi who cooked. Wen Xiaohui stood beside him in support, eating food on the sly. Luo Yi accidentally burnt his hand while he was stir-frying. Wen Xiaohui had a feeling that Luo Yi’s state of mind wasn’t great today; he seemed absent-minded.
During dinner, Luo Yi spoke intermittently, and he seemed quite distracted. Wen Xiaohui eventually couldn’t stand it anymore, and he put down his chopsticks. “Luo Yi, you seem a bit off today and it can’t just be because you stayed up late. What happened to you during the past few days?”
Luo Yi also put down his chopsticks, and said solemnly, “That person came to see me.”
Wen Xiaohui’s heart tightened. “When was that?”
“…Yesterday.” Luo Yi ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry I lied. The cigarette butt wasn’t from my classmate, it was his bodyguard’s.”
“Why did he come to see you? Did he come because of Chinese New Year?”
“He wants an item from my inheritance. He said that my mum stole it from him.”
“What is it?”
“An official seal3.”
Wen Xiaohui frowned and said, “What’s it for?”
“I’m not sure, but it must be really important because it was listed separately in the will.”
“You’re unable to give it back to him even if you wanted to.”
Luo Yi nodded. “Correct. I can’t inherit the estate until I’m 18, but there’s a clause which says that I can use the funds for an emergency if I have any mishaps.”
Wen Xiaohui widened his eyes. “What? What do you mean by mishaps or emergencies?
Luo Yi said slowly as he looked at Wen Xiaohui, “For example, if I get ill, have a car accident, or…”
Wen Xiaohui forcefully slammed his hand down on the table, and said sternly, “What you’re trying to say is that he’ll make sure you have an accident in order to get his hands on the official seal.” His voice was trembling as he spoke.
Luo Yi lowered his head and stayed silent momentarily. “I asked him the same thing, he said that he wouldn’t and that he’ll wait until I’m 18… But I don’t really believe him.”
Wen Xiaohui said anxiously. “You… What’s that person up to?”
Luo Yi shook his head. “I’m not sure either, but he’s very influential with contacts both above board and in the underworld4.”
A chill permeated Wen Xiaohui’s body, which made him feel cool. He sensed that something was off as early as when he read Yaya’s suicide note. The gun from Luo Yi’s birthday was further proof that Luo Yi’s father was an extremely dangerous person, and you couldn’t count on this kind of character to have any familial affection. What would Wen Xiaohui do if he actually harmed Luo Yi?
Luo Yi grabbed Wen Xiaohui’s hand. “I’m still related to him by blood even if I’m estranged from him. I don’t think that he will harm me, but he might find alternative methods because he seemed very desperate to get the official seal.”
“What will he do?”
“I don’t know.” Luo Yi furrowed his straight eyebrows. “Xiaohui-ge, I’m a little scared, to be honest.”
Wen Xiaohui grabbed his hand. “Don’t be scared. Why don’t we call the police?”
Luo Yi shook his head. “It’s no use. Let’s wait and see what his next step is. If he’s only after money, we’ll just give it to him in the worst case scenario.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded. “That’s right. If he wants money, then give it to him. You can give him my share. The most important thing is that you’re safe.”
Luo Yi smiled. “Xiaohui-ge, you’re too good to me.”
“That’s how it should be.” Wen Xiaohui clapped his hands together. “You should be more careful. In my opinion, he’s your… Erm, after all you’re related to him so he shouldn’t do anything too extreme. If you have any problems, you need to discuss them with me. I don’t hide anything from you, so you can’t hide anything from me either.”
“Sure.”
Wen Xiaohui dipped his head and swallowed a few mouthfuls of food. He suddenly said, “Did he have anything to do with my sister’s death?”
Luo Yi was silent for a period of time, and then he gently said, “Mn.”
Wen Xiaohui clenched his fists.
—————
By the time he started back at work after the end of the Chinese New Year period, Juxing had lost a third of its staff. It was evident that they’d left with Xiao Yan and the studio appeared a bit desolate. Liu Xing started to oversee the work daily – managing, coaching, and recruiting. Every day he was so busy that he sported dark circles around his eyes. The staff didn’t stay idle either because with fewer staff at the studio, one person had to do the work of two.
On this day, Wen Xiaohui had just finished his lunch. None of the customers had requested him, so he sat on the sofa for a rest. Liu Xing happened to be coming out of his office, and he said as soon as he saw him, “Adi, do you have any spare time?”
“Eh, yes…”
“I’ve an errand for you. Go to this firm’s office and deliver the documents.” Liu Xing handed him a stack of documents. “I’ll send the address to your mobile phone.”
“Okay.” Wen Xiaohui gloomily accepted the documents and left.
He opened, then looked at Liu Xing’s text message: Zhengxin Accountancy. He grabbed a taxi without the slightest hesitation since he could claim it back on expenses.
When he arrived at the firm, he reported his name and was escorted to the office by reception. The lady on reception said, “Please wait for a moment, our boss will be finishing his meeting shortly. Alternatively, you may wish to leave the documents on the desk.”
“My boss asked me to personally deliver it to the person in charge. He said that they’re important documents.”
“That’s fine, please wait.”
Wen Xiaohui sat on the large, genuine leather sofa and he looked around the office thinking about how impressive it looked, wondering when he would have an office like this. Of course, it wouldn’t be as traditional, but it would be just as large and spacious. It was going to be fashionable with a breath of youthfulness.
He couldn’t help but lean against the sofa’s backrest, he felt like his whole body was sinking into it. It was so comfortable, and he’d worked hard all day. He ended up standing from morning until the afternoon, and when he was finally able to sit down for a bit, he was instructed to go out. It was so annoying. He continued to lean and his body gradually relaxed. Eventually, he couldn’t resist closing his eyes and he accidentally fell asleep.
He wasn’t sure how long he had slept, but he felt a little cool. He stretched, and then wrapped his coat around himself. He had completely forgotten where he was, and he plopped himself sideways on the sofa, intending to go back to sleep.
A laugh rang out in the room.
Wen Xiaohui immediately opened his eyes and he quickly sat upright. He didn’t know when the person sitting in the stylish executive chair had appeared. He was dressed immaculately and looked dazzlingly handsome. He looked at Wen Xiaohui with interest.
It was him!
Wen Xiaohui was so shocked that his jaw dropped. Wasn’t this the guy that he unsuccessfully tried to chat up at the bar – Li Shuo?!
Li Shuo said in a gentle voice, “Did you sleep well? Are you a bit cold?”
Wen Xiaohui felt his cheeks burning, and he stood up. “Erm, I’m so sorry. I was too tired and accidentally fell asleep…”
“It’s not your fault, my meeting overran so I should be the one apologising.” Li Shuo smiled and said, “Take a seat.” He went over, sat down on the sofa next to his, and poured Wen Xiaohui a cup of tea. As he was pouring tea, his wrist became exposed which revealed his extremely expensive watch and diamond cufflinks. His impeccable taste was visible everywhere.
Wen Xiaohui glanced at him in his well-pressed suit; he had a smile on his face and his seated legs appeared long. The entire room was brimming with Li Shuo’s sophisticated and gentlemanly pheromones. He felt like he could no longer breathe and he began to feel dizzy.
Li Shuo placed the tea in front of him. “Have a hot drink so you don’t catch a cold.”
“Erm… Okay.” Wen Xiaohui picked up the tea and his hand started to shake, spilling some onto his trousers.
Li Shuo started to laugh, and he took out a tissue to hand to him.
With a blushing face, Wen Xiaohui accepted the tissue and he hurriedly wiped it up.
“Why are you so nervous? Because we met at the bar?”
So he still remembered it. Wen Xiaohui replied with embarrassment, “It’s a little unexpected.” He handed over the document wallet to Li Shuo. “This is what my boss asked me to deliver. So your firm looks after the accounting for Liu Xing.”
“Oh, not quite. We look after your boss’ personal finances.” Li Shuo accepted the documents. “Our firm also provides financial advisory services for individuals.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded. The hand that was gripping the tea cup felt strained. He couldn’t bear to delete Li Shuo’s mobile number, but he never intended to call him. It just sat in contacts on his mobile phone, and he thought that he would never see him again. He didn’t expect that he would see him again less than a month later. Wasn’t this a sign that they were fated to be together? Wen Xiaohui started to fantasise.
“I remember. Aren’t you called… Adi?”
Wen Xiaohui nodded hurriedly, “That’s right.”
“Thank you for personally delivering the documents.”
Wen Xiaohui felt dispirited again. Damn, he was shown the door that quickly. Such a decadent office, such a handsome, amazing and young CEO – he really wanted something sordid to happen between them! However, he only dared to fantasise about it. It was only after meeting Li Shuo that he realised he was more shy than he imagined. He could only say, “Don’t mention it. I’ll head back now since you’re busy.”
“Ah, let me see you out.” Li Shuo made a polite gesture to usher him out, and opened the door for him. He continued to escort him all the way to the entrance of the lifts. He even pressed the button to call the lift for him.
Wen Xiaohui clenched his teeth, summoning all his courage to look at Li Shuo. “Erm, could I take you out for a meal?” Since the Heavens orchestrated a second meeting, wasn’t it the same as letting their fate go to waste if he didn’t do anything? He felt like he couldn’t resist such an attractive man.
Li Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly, which was followed by a hint of a smile. He lowered his head, and seemed to consider it for two seconds before he lifted his head up and smiled. He responded, “Sure. How about the Japanese restaurant opposite my office at 6:30pm?”
Wen Xiaohui’s eyes lit up. “Of course!”
Footnotes:
Technically red envelopes tend to be given to unmarried people by those who are married (this must have been a sign of adulthood back in the day), but I guess it’s not unusual for WXH to give Luo Yi one because he’s a generation older than Luo Yi.
装逼, refers to someone who is a show-off and acts in a particular way to satisfy their ego, and they may also resort to lying.
Seals are used for official purposes, for example, as identification akin to a signature at post offices or banks. Seals remain the customary form of identification on cheques in mainland China and Taiwan. Personal identification is often with a signature accompanied by a seal imprint, because they are more difficult to forge than a signature.
The raws uses the phrase black and white to convey the same meaning.
