Additional Inheritance - Chap 30
Chapter 30.1
Luo Yi phoned him as home time was approaching. “Xiaohui-ge, what time will you be home? What would you like to eat tonight? I’m at the supermarket.”
“Oh, I’ve just remembered that I won’t be back for dinner tonight,” said Wen Xiaohui, who couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice.
“What’s up? Are you going out?”
“I have a date today, hehe.” Wen Xiaohui laughed so much that his mouth could barely close.
“…Date?”
“Do you still remember how I told you about the handsome guy I met at the bar called Li Shuo?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“We’re fated to be together. Today Liu Xing asked me to deliver some documents to an accountancy firm and it turns out to be the firm that he owns!” Wen Xiaohui said with infatuation, “He’s even more handsome in a suit. He looked so classy sitting on the executive chair in the CEO’s office.”
“Oh, what a coincidence.” Luo Yi said expressionlessly, “You should go then. You… Will you be coming back tonight?”
“Hahahaha. Of course I’ll be back. How could our relationship develop so quickly?”
Luo Yi smiled faintly and said, “You seem to be really looking forward to it.”
Wen Xiaohui was about to say that he wanted to get rid of his virginity, but then he remembered how he was trying to avoid the topic of men in front of Luo Yi in case he led him astray. Therefore, he coughed a couple of times. “I’m only kidding. Li Shuo doesn’t seem to be interested in me, so I’ll treat it as going out for a meal with friends. I can make friends with a guy, right?”
“Of course. I’ll wait up until you get back tonight.”
“You don’t have to wait for me. Go to bed early.”
Luo Yi replied quietly, “But I want to wait for you. I’ve been wanting to see you all day.”
Wen Xiaohui felt aggrieved. “Okay, I’ll try to be back soon.”
“Yeah, have a nice meal.” Luo Yi hung up the phone. There was a blank expression on his face as he stood still in the crowded supermarket for three seconds. All of a sudden, his expression changed and his pupils started to dilate rapidly. His whole body emitted a terrifying aura, and he stretched out his hand to knock over the pyramid of coke cans in front of him that were piled up higher than a person.
Hundreds of ring-pull cans came crashing to the ground with a bang, spilling the drinks everywhere. Everyone was so shocked that they continued to back away, in case it splashed on their trousers. A few people had been hit on their lower backs.
Luo Yi directed a cute smile at the supermarket employee who came running over. “I’m so sorry, I accidentally bumped into it. I’ll compensate you.”
——————-
Wen Xiaohui was in two minds about wearing makeup. He remembered what the young gay guy had said about Li Shuo liking the ‘wholesome’ type. In the end, he only applied a layer of powder so that his skin would appear a little more translucent. The average person wouldn’t be able to tell that he had makeup on, and he left the house feeling pleased with himself.
Li Shuo chose a Japanese bar1 that had a small facade, the decor was very homely. It appeared dainty and cute amongst the concrete office buildings of the CBD2. The fast-moving time seemed to slow down inside.
Wen Xiaohui went inside and saw Li Shuo chatting to a man in English who appeared as if he was the owner. When he saw him coming, he smiled as he waved to him.
Wen Xiaohui walked over. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Li Shuo said with a smile, “You’re not late, I arrived early. My office is just opposite here so I come pretty often.”
The owner led them to a table that was out of the way and personally took their order.
Li Shuo passed the menu to Wen Xiaohui. “Have a look to see if there is anything you’d like to eat.”
Wen Xiaohui opened the menu to check and his eyes opened wide in alarm. How could such a tiny Japanese bar be so expensive?! He pretended to be calm and ordered a few dishes.
Li Shuo said as he explained, “The chefs of this establishment were all hired from Japan, and all the ingredients are imported by air. Although not many people know about this place, you won’t want to eat another restaurant’s Japanese cuisine once you’ve sampled the food here.”
Wen Xiaohui cursed silently: “How pretentious.” Yet without a moment’s hesitation, he put on a charming smile. “Oh, I’m so looking forward to it.”
After placing the order, Li Shuo poured tea for Wen Xiaohui. “Juxing isn’t that far from here.”
“It’s not too bad. Your English is amazing, have you ever been abroad?” Wen Xiaohui tried desperately to find a topic for conversation.
“Yeah, I’m of American nationality. I was very young when I emigrated.” Li Shuo winked. “I returned to China to start a business.”
“Isn’t it nice abroad?”
“If I were in the US, I’d have to join my father’s firm. I feel that it would be a hindrance to my personal development.”
Wen Xiaohui laughed, “Isn’t this the standard script for rich second generations3?”
Li Shuo smiled and said, “It’s not like that. The accountancy market in the US is well developed and the biggest firms partner with the large corporations. The prospects for new entrants are limited, and it’s a hundredth fold harder to start a business. China is an emerging market, so new and promising companies emerge every year. I feel as if I would have better development opportunities here. Conversely, regardless of my achievements, everything would be built upon the foundations laid by my father, which wouldn’t be in line with my aspirations.”
Wen Xiaohui thought to himself that Li Shuo certainly had money to burn, but he could only continue pretending and both his voice and expression conveyed his adoration. “You’re so amazing.”
Their meal arrived quickly; Wen Xiaohui tasted the ebi prawn4, which was really tasty. They chatted as they dined, and since Wen Xiaohui didn’t understand Li Shuo’s line of work, Li Shuo cooperated by chatting to him about fashion and entertainment industry gossip.
Wen Xiaohui looked at Li Shuo with his large, liquid eyes5 the whole time, hoping to catch his attention. However, Li Shuo seemed too principled from his expression to his gestures, and he continued to maintain a distance between them that was typical of friends. This made Wen Xiaohui feel very disappointed, and he began to doubt his attractiveness. Although he had never seduced a man before, he was also a man and he understood the needs of a man. How could Li Shuo face his charms without any reaction? He couldn’t be fucking frigid!
After dinner, Li Shuo glanced at his watch. “Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”
Wen Xiaohui propped up his chin, looking gloomily at him without saying a word.
Li Shuo gave him a sideways glance. “What’s wrong?”
After putting on an act all night, Wen Xiaohui felt a bit tired, and he had the feeling that this would be both the first and last meal with Li Shuo. Therefore, he couldn’t be bothered to continue acting and he asked bluntly, “What’s your type?”
Li Shuo was slightly surprised. Afterwards, he smiled and said, “It varies – it depends on how I feel.”
“Forget it. What feelings? The looks are most important. What kind of appearance do you prefer?”
Li Shuo pondered, “The gentle-looking type.”
“I can set you up with one?” He wanted to introduce Luo Rui to Li Shuo to keep the benefits within his family6.
Li Shuo chuckled, “Thanks, but I’m not planning to be in a relationship at this moment in time.”
“You’re only using this excuse to get rid of me, I’m not a child.” Wen Xiaohui pouted in dissatisfaction. He took out his mobile phone and started to flick through Luo Rui’s photos. “I know you’re not interested in me. I’ll show you my friend.” Wen Xiaohui pointed his phone screen towards Li Shuo. “You see, he’s my childhood friend. He’s 20 and he’s a pastry chef. His most prominent trait is his gentleness, and he’s great at cooking and can make beautiful cakes. He’s innocent and amicable, and his appearance is also very beautiful.”
Li Shuo gently moved his wrist down, and he said softly, “Adi, you’ve misunderstood – I’m not dissatisfied with you or your friend. I really don’t have time to start a serious relationship. I spend most of my energy working, I can’t divert my attention to date someone. To rush into a relationship in these circumstances would be very irresponsible. To be blunt, I’m only after an experienced sexual partner, but I don’t think that you or your friend are the type.”
Wen Xiaohui was left speechless. This was the first time that he’d met someone like Li Shuo – he was very clear about what he wanted and what he didn’t want. Each stage of life was planned with precision and he wouldn’t let his feelings or rash decisions derail his plans. He felt a little repelled by such a clear-headed person because to put it nicely, such people could be considered mature, but to put it more bluntly, heartless.
Of course, Li Shuo could also be lying, and he might not have taken a fancy to him nor Luo Rui. He might have been worried that he wouldn’t be able to get rid of him, so he made up an excuse to reject him. Although he didn’t have much experience of being in a relationship, he had seen all sorts during his time in the industry. There were people like Li Shuo who wanted to sleep around without taking responsibility, so they would never get together with someone that they couldn’t get rid of easily.
In any case, at least he was honest.
Wen Xiaohui looked down in disappointment.
Li Shuo rubbed Wen Xiaohui’s hair. “You’re really interesting and attractive. I can introduce some of my fairly decent friends to you guys if you don’t mind.”
Wen Xiaohui winked. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
Acting coquettishly, Wen Xiaohui said, “Then I’d like a tall and handsome guy.”
Li Shuo laughed, “No problem.”
——————–
Footnotes:
居酒屋 also known as an izakaya, an informal Japanese bar like an Irish pub, Spanish tapas bar, etc.
Central Business District is the commercial and business centre of a city.
The term used was fuerdai, which refers to the offspring of millionaires/billionaires. Generally used with negative connotations.
Refers to amaebi, a type of sweet shrimp/prawn which is often served raw by itself or as sushi.
水汪汪, this phrase has various definitions but it’s being used in this context to describe how WXH is using puppy dog-like eyes to make himself appear cute.
肥水不流外人田, literally don’t let the fertile waters flow to another’s fields i.e. keeping the benefits within one’s family (idiom).
Chapter 30.2
After dinner, Li Shuo took Wen Xiaohui home. Wen Xiaohui recalled how protective Luo Yi was about his privacy, so he asked Li Shuo to drop him off at a street junction, and he walked to the villas by himself.
The lights at Luo Yi’s house were still on. As soon as Wen Xiaohui stepped through the door, he saw Luo Yi watching TV in the living room. When Luo Yi saw that he’d come home, he asked, “How did the date go?”
Wen Xiaohui replied, “It was alright. We’re going to try and get along as friends first.”
“Is he the owner of Zhengxin Accountancy – Li Shuo?”
Wen Xiaohui was stunned. “How did you know?”
“You told me his name and his profession, so I could look him up online easily.” Luo Yi crossed his arms across his chest, leaning against the wall and watching Wen Xiaohui take his shoes off. He said indifferently, “He really is quite handsome. He’s 27 years old – young and promising. He meets all your standards.”
Wen Xiaohui felt somewhat awkward, and he couldn’t help recalling the incident with Shao Qun. At the time, Luo Yi mentioned that he got the information on Shao Qun from Cao Hai, but Cao Hai said that they hadn’t been in contact at all since the signing of the foster carer agreement. He didn’t know which one of them was lying, but at least Luo Yi was genuinely trying to find information on Shao Qun. He pretended to ask nonchalantly, “Why did you investigate Li Shuo?”
“I’m worried that you’ll meet a jerk, so it’s best that I find out more about them.”
“He was just a date! He doesn’t even count as a friend yet, so it’s not necessary.”
“It’s necessary if you plan to keep in contact with him.” Luo Yi looked at him profoundly, “I’m sure you wouldn’t want to meet someone like your cheating ex-boyfriend. Therefore, we can spend some money to investigate him in depth if it’s necessary.”
“It’s not necessary!” Wen Xiaohui said with greater emphasis, “It’s not good to behave like this.”
“What’s wrong with it?” Luo Yi stared right at him. His pupils were like two black holes that had the ability to suck people right into them.
Wen Xiaohui felt a little unhappy, because he lost count of the number of times that Luo Yi had shown a desire to control him. Although it was very mild, and in addition Luo Yi would immediately stop if Wen Xiaohui disapproved, he was sensitive to these things and he would always notice. He didn’t blame Luo Yi; the environment that he grew up in led to his insecurity. He was very dependent on his ‘only remaining’ relative, so it was inevitable that he would overreact. The more he was like this, the more his heart bled for Luo Yi. Therefore, he was going to try his best to neutralise Luo Yi’s desire to control, and the plan broadly involved stopping him each time he noticed it happening. As a result, he said in a serious tone, “Luo Yi, you’re still a student and I’m a grown-up, on the other hand. I know that you want to protect me, but I don’t need your protection. I’m capable of looking after myself. Our roles have been reversed – I should be the one protecting you and you shouldn’t have to worry about anything. Study hard and live a good life.”
Luo Yi lowered his head and remained silent.
Wen Xiaohui went over and stroked Luo Yi’s head. He said gently, “I understand what you’re thinking, but I hope that you can live your life as a carefree student who doesn’t have to worry about me.”
Luo Yi replied quietly, “I can’t do that.”
“…”
Luo Yi looked miserable as he tilted his head up and glanced at Wen Xiaohui. “You’re the only one I have left, Xiaohui-ge, and I’m afraid of losing you. I even worry about you having an accident when you go to work. That’s why I want to know everything about you – I want to eliminate everything that might harm you. Is my way of thinking really annoying? Do you find me annoying too?”
“Of course not!” Wen Xiaohui tried to hastily justify it. “How could I find you annoying? Of course, I know that you’re concerned about me, but there are things that people your age shouldn’t be worrying about. I can take care of myself – both my daily life and work. You just need to take care of yourself.”
Luo Yi reached out to embrace Wen Xiaohui’s waist. With his face resting on Wen Xiaohui’s shoulder, he whispered, “What if I still can’t?”
Wen Xiaohui felt his heart starting to beat erratically. This was the first time that Luo Yi acted coy and heck, it was so cute that he couldn’t resist. Such a perfect and handsome young man who practically gave him all his attention; it was inevitable that it would cause ripples in his state of mind. He started to stutter ,”Erm… You… Try your best to focus on your own studies…” After he finished speaking, he wanted to beat himself up. Wasn’t this the phrase that grown-ups spouted that he absolutely despised when he was a student?
Luo Yi shook his head, “It doesn’t require much energy to keep on top of my studies. Xiaohui-ge, do you know that I can’t work out how to get along with others? My family was very different from other people’s families. I don’t have any friends because I feel like there’s a generation gap between me and others. But you’re different – there is no pressure or awkwardness when I’m with you. You have your mother, your colleagues, your friends, and you’ll also have a boyfriend in future. But me… I only have you.”
Wen Xiaohui felt that his heart had been struck again. All at once, the heartache, the pity, and the guilt – all of these emotions flooded his brain. In his eyes, regardless of Luo Yi being half a head taller than him, Luo Yi had transformed into a pitiful puppy that had been deprived of love. He comforted him by saying softly, “Don’t talk like that, you’ll make friends with someone that you get along with sooner or later. One day, you’ll meet someone that you’ll fall in love with. And even if you don’t, you still have me. I know that you lack a sense of security, but rest assured, I’ll never leave you.”
Luo Yi rubbed Wen Xiaohui’s neck. His lips glided over Wen Xiaohui’s collarbone, making Wen Xiaohui’s heart pound incessantly.
This particular moment could be described as tender, or it could be described as embarrassing. Wen Xiaohui couldn’t help but think what if he hadn’t gone to meet Cao Hai originally, or what if he’d never signed the agreement. How would things have turned out? Without Luo Yi, his life would have been the same as before, without any difference. But if Luo Yi didn’t have him… He began to feel a sense of heroic spirit that arose as a result of his rescue of a bewildered and lonely youth.
His mobile phone’s ringtone sounded and ended the silence. Luo Yi released his hand and he stood up straight. Wen Xiaohui also pretended to fuss over his hair as he answered the phone.
As soon as the call connected, Luo Rui shouted, “How was the date? How was the date?! How was the date?!!!”
“Shit! Can you keep it down?” Wen Xiaohui said half-heartedly, “I freeloaded an extortionate and delicious meal, that’s all. I had a good appetite sitting next to him, I even forgot that I was on a diet.”
Luo Rui made a noise that sounded as if he was in a dream-like state. “Amazing!”
“What’s so amazing?” Wen Xiaohui saw that Luo Yi had gone to the kitchen and he whispered, “He’s not interested in me. He said that he’s busy at work and that he doesn’t have time to date.”
“It looks like you’re not his type so set me up with him.” Luo Rui said desperately.
“I tried and I’ve already told you his answer – he’s busy, no time to date.”
“What nonsense, it’s clearly an excuse,” lamented Luo Rui. “What an arrogant snob1! His standards are so high – what’s so great about him? In future, don’t pay him any attention.”
“He said he was going to arrange dates for us with his tall and handsome friends.”
“I take back what I said just now.”
They chatted for a bit before hanging up. Luo Yi brought out a glass of warm milk. “Go shower after you finish your drink and go to sleep early.”
Wen Xiaohui really liked Luo Yi’s softer side and how considerate he was of others. There couldn’t be anyone in this world who could refuse such meticulous care. Sometimes he would think ‘It doesn’t matter if I don’t have a boyfriend as long as I have Luo Yi,’ but he would immediately suppress these kinds of thoughts as soon as they surfaced.
Wen Xiaohui told Luo Yi about the changes at his work while they were chatting before bed. Director Luo and Shao Qun ought to meet with them when the integration completes, as the investors. He was very concerned about the prospect of meeting Director Luo.
Luo Yi said, “Don’t worry, he didn’t dare do anything for so long, so it’s unlikely that he’s going to do anything now. You just have to act normal and try not to provoke him. You also have Shao Qun to support you, and in addition… I think Shao Qun will soon push Director Luo out.”
“Oh? How do you know?”
“That’s just my guess. Shao Qun is very ambitious.”
“Who knows? It’d be for the best if that were the case. Otherwise, with Director Luo putting pressure on me2, I’d still feel like there’s something wrong.”
“Relax. I won’t allow Director Luo to make life difficult for you3.”
Wen Xiaohui turned his head to look at him. “You?”
“Did you forget that we have his photos?”
Wen Xiaohui widened his eyes. “Don’t act recklessly. I’ll live with it if he fires me. You absolutely must not break the law.”
Luo Yi was a little puzzled. “We have compromising material, which can be used to protect you. Why are you still scared?”
“The less trouble, the better. Is there any logic in courting trouble? It’s only a job. Seriously, it isn’t such a big deal. In any case, it’s not as important as your future prospects so you can’t act recklessly.” Wen Xiaohui broke out in a cold sweat. On the topic of the photo, he would have nearly forgotten about it if no one mentioned Director Luo. He never thought that Luo Yi would actually consider using the photo to blackmail Director Luo. This wasn’t the first time that Luo Yi made him feel a tiny bit scared. That time when Luca was beaten up, Luo Yi recorded a video of it and it made him feel that it was… Very inappropriate.
Luo Yi shrugged. “Fine, I’ll do what you say.”
Wen Xiaohui laid down momentarily, but he was still feeling a bit irritable and couldn’t help turning his body around to look at Luo Yi. “Luo Yi, how can you be so fearless?”
“Huh?”
“Well… For example, that time with Luca, you wanted me to feel less angry so you suggested putting the video online. It’s the same this time. Don’t you understand that all of these things are illegal?”
Luo Yi smiled and said, “If I dare to put it up online, then naturally I wouldn’t let them find out who did it. They won’t be able to trace it back to me.”
“No, that’s not the point. You still did something very dangerous even if they can’t trace it back to you.”
“How can it be dangerous if they can’t trace it back to me?” Luo Yi replied disapprovingly, “Even if they’re able to trace it back, have you forgotten that I’m only 16? It’s not like they can do anything to me.”
Wen Xiaohui felt a slight chill in the air. Luo Yi seemed to lack a certain something, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it at this moment in time. It was like… How the majority of people believed that certain things were unethical, but they didn’t count as anything in Luo Yi’s eyes. It was very scary. He didn’t think that Luo Yi was a bad person, because Luo Yi was only trying to protect him. But his actions appeared to be a little extreme… He frantically tried to think up an excuse on behalf of Luo Yi, it was the commonly used one – his abnormal family. He said, “Luo Yi, you can’t think like this in future. Although you might think that it’s just like a prank or something… It’s still illegal and just because they don’t catch you doesn’t mean it’s not illegal. Even though you want to protect me, you need to use the correct methods. You’re so young and you have a boundless future, so you can’t mess around with these sorts of things. Don’t speak like that again.”
“Okay, I understand.”
In his heart, Wen Xiaohui sighed slightly.
“I only want your life to be free of troubles.” Luo Yi said, “I hope that you will never have to worry as a result of people, matters or money.”
Wen Xiaohui’s demeanour softened. “Luo Yi, thank you.”
“You don’t have to be so polite with me.” Luo Yi grabbed onto Wen Xiaohui’s hand. “Xiaohui-ge, can I sleep while holding your hand?”
Under such a sincere and dependent expression, Wen Xiaohui was unable to refuse and he could only nod.
Luo Yi smiled slightly, he held onto Wen Xiaohui’s hand and tucked it into the duvet. He closed his eyes gently.
Wen Xiaohui tossed about in bed, unable to sleep. He couldn’t help sorting through both the small and the larger matters that happened since he met Luo Yi. He always felt as if there were things that seemed to be obscured by a layer of gauze, which made him unable to see through them or make out what they were. The more time he spent with Luo Yi, the more he felt that Luo Yi wasn’t as sunny and innocent as he imagined. This young man was very intelligent and scheming. There were times when Luo Yi was so intelligent that it scared him – the incidents with Luca and Director Luo, and the callousness that was hiding behind his intelligence. It made him feel at wit’s end. He could no longer regard Luo Yi as the youth who didn’t know the ways of the world.
Footnotes:
他眼睛是不是长在头 literally means are his eyes on the top of his head. When someone is said to have eyes on their foreheads or tops of their heads, it implies that they’re conceited, snobbish and arrogant.
The raws say with Director Luo pushing down on WXH’s head to be precise.
穿小鞋, literally wearing small shoes. It means to make life difficult for someone (idiom).
