Additional Inheritance - Chap 37
Chapter 37
Wen Xiaohui thought about what Luo Yi had said and it made sense – Luo Rui had good looks and he was both gentle and cute. He happened to be the ‘wholesome’ type that Li Shuo was fond of. Although it wasn’t odd for Li Shuo to like Luo Rui, didn’t Li Shuo and himself already have quite an ambiguous…?
To be honest, Luo Rui was much more important to him than any boyfriend could be. He might feel depressed for a while if Li Shuo and Luo Rui got together, but he would still give his most sincere blessing to the couple. However, Li Shuo shouldn’t invite him out on dates on one hand and take the opportunity to get close to Luo Rui on the other hand. He would definitely use his fists to greet Li Shuo if he dared to treat him like that. He said, “That might not be the case. Li Shuo doesn’t seem like the type to behave inappropriately. He’d mentioned before that he was on some work business nearby when he fancied some cake; he didn’t come on purpose. He just happened to be around to help with the reconciliations.”
Luo Yi smiled. “Of course, I was only speculating. I have a lot on my mind, so I often overthink things. You don’t have to bear it in mind.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded. Although he thought that nothing was going on, Luo Yi’s words had caused ripples to form in his heart.
“Xiaohui-ge, I hope you don’t find me too bothersome. I’m worried you’ll get hurt.” Luo Yi emphasised more seriously, “I really want to protect you.”
“I know that.” Wen Xiaohui’s heart trembled slightly as he heard Luo Yi’s words, because the way that Luo Yi protected him was too terrifying. Luo Yi often made him feel utterly confused due to his contradictions. He was still too scared to confront Luo Yi about those matters. He was afraid to damage his relationship with Luo Yi if he asked, which made him feel unwilling.
Once he started the visa application process, he felt like the clock was ticking. It was his first time going abroad and he was going to be gone for a year, so there was a hint of anxiety mixed in with excitement. In the midst of the blazing sun, he applied for his passport, getting everything ready. The workload at the studio became heavier and heavier, such that he lost weight from the strain.
With great difficulty, he managed to have a day off and he invited Li Shuo out to dinner. He wanted to ask Li Shuo some questions about living in the US, so that he could prepare.
Li Shuo agreed at once. “By the way, bring Luo Rui along.”
“…Oh, sure.”
Li Shuo smiled and said, “It’s to thank him for the hotpot and cakes last time.”
After hanging up, Wen Xiaohui heard the faint whispering in his head and he recalled Luo Yi’s words. Although he was unwilling to believe it, once sown, doubt was like a seed that would sprout within the field in his heart. At first, it would dissipate into the dirt to lower your guard, then it would slowly take root and sprout. Even tiny droplets of rain and dew1 would be enough to nurture it until it grew too large to ignore, suddenly bursting into full bloom.
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When he arrived at the restaurant, Li Shuo was running late because of traffic. Wen Xiaohui and Luo Rui sat facing each other. Luo Rui was in the middle of playing on his mobile phone. Wen Xiaohui supported his chin as he stared at Luo Rui’s cotton-soft, curly hair, his long, sparkly eyelashes, his almost translucent skin, and his upturned nose. He suddenly reached out to tug on Luo Rui’s hair.
“AH!” Luo Rui lifted his head up in pain and he complained, “How immature are you?!”
“I’m just young.” Wen Xiaohui tugged on it again once he finished talking.
“Oww, stop messing around. You’re so annoying.” Luo Rui swatted his hand away. “What the hell is wrong with you2?”
“What do you think about Li Shuo?”
“He’s great.” Luo Rui continued to play on his mobile phone. “He’s a male god.”
“Is he your type?”
“I think so.” Luo Rui giggled, “Why? Are you going to give him to me?”
“I’ll give him to you if you’re interested.”
Luo Rui saw it as a joke. “Haha, you’re mine, so your men are mine too.”
Wen Xiaohui smiled and rubbed Luo Rui’s hair vigorously.
“What the heck are you doing? Stop touching my hair.” Luo Rui opened his mouth wide, pretending to bite Wen Xiaohui’s hand.
They continued to bicker for a while until Li Shuo arrived. He brought along two boxes of expensive-looking chocolates to give to them.
Li Shuo queried the progress of Wen Xiaohui’s visa application, as Wen Xiaohui happened to be discussing the details of his US trip. He was feeling very unsure, since he was the kind of person who had never left the country, and he could just about recognise all 26 letters of the English alphabet. All of a sudden, he’d be leaving for a foreign country and he was feeling nervous.
Li Shuo tried to make him feel better by giving him a list of things that he needed to prepare before leaving and the contact number of his friend in the US. “I’ve already mentioned it to my friend, so you can contact her when you arrive. Feel free to reach out if you have any problems.”
Wen Xiaohui replied with sincerity, “Thanks.”
After they spent a while chatting, Li Shuo suddenly brought up the topic of Luo Yi. “Your nephew seems to be very intelligent.”
“Yeah, he’s already at university after skipping a year and getting in without taking exams. He’s a super grade-A student.” Wen Xiaohui felt proud when he mentioned Luo Yi.
Li Shuo said with a smile, “Oh, he’s such a genius. He’ll do great things in future. You must have amazing genes in your family.”
Wen Xiaohui laughed, “My family’s genes aren’t bad, but he’s not related to me by blood. His mother was adopted by my father.”
“Oh, I see.”
Throughout the meal, Li Shuo continued to chat politely with them. Wen Xiaohui observed him for a while and it didn’t seem like Li Shuo was paying special attention to Luo Rui, nor was he ignoring him. He thought that maybe Luo Yi was overthinking things and that he was possibly overthinking as well.
—-———————-
After dinner, Li Shuo took Luo Rui home first and then he asked if Wen Xiaohui would like to go for a stroll around Houhai3. Wen Xiaohui gladly agreed.
They continued along the paved road in Houhai, walked along the main street which had a strong sense of commercialism, and they crossed over Yinding bridge4 towards an area with lots of pubs. Eventually, they settled on a small family-run pub with a fireplace.
Relaxing music played in the little pub. Perhaps it was because it was a working day that they were the only table of customers. The owner brought over some wine and some snacks and then he went back to the bar to watch TV.
Both of them were nestled into the spongy sofa, talking about all manners of things. Wen Xiaohui felt relaxed and comfortable in Li Shuo’s company.
Pouring another glass of wine, Li Shuo handed it to Wen Xiaohui. “I never thought that I’d be able to find Niagara5 here. I used to drink this kind of Canadian ice wine frequently when I was in the US. It has a fresh and sweet flavour. Try it.”
Wen Xiaohui took a sip and it was as Li Shuo had described, refreshingly cold and sweet, with a nice aftertaste. “It tastes so nice, you’re such a wine connoisseur.”
“I have some friends who are very knowledgeable about wine. My knowledge is much more superficial than theirs; I’m just along for the ride. It doesn’t count as being knowledgeable.”
Wen Xiaohui licked the corner of his lips. “I actually don’t love drinking that much, but it’s easy to drink sweet wine like this.”
Li Shuo stared at his pink and tender tongue which darted out part way before retracting and his eyes became darker. “You have to be careful drinking this wine because it might taste like a non-alcoholic drink, but the alcohol content isn’t like a normal drink.”
“Yeah, I know.” Wen Xiaohui tilted his head up and he happened to look right into Li Shuo’s profound eyes.
Li Shuo didn’t know when he’d gotten so close to him. One of his elbows was resting on the back of the sofa, with his body slightly curled in on itself. This action stretched his shirt, which happened to emphasise his strong pectoral muscles. The simple but elegant scent on Li Shuo’s body was like an intoxicating incense.
Li Shuo laughed and his voice appeared husky and sexy. “Are you feeling a little drunk?”
“Mn, I’m okay. Maybe, just a little bit.”
Li Shuo put his wine glass down and used his hand to gently tilt Wen Xiaohui’s chin up. “Your skin looks a bit flushed.”
Wen Xiaohui felt like he was about to stop breathing because Li Shuo’s face was right in front of him. Li Shuo was so close that he could clearly see each of his fine and long eyelashes and the natural highlight of his straight nose bridge, which was like the edge of a blade.
Li Shuo closed his eyes and he gently pressed his lips against Wen Xiaohui’s.
Wen Xiaohui felt his palms starting to sweat and his heart was beating frantically. He was even more nervous now than when he had his first ever kiss! He started to subconsciously hold his breath when Li Shuo’s lips touched his, as if he was scared that his breathing would disturb the kiss, which was delicate as a cicada’s wing.
Li Shuo kissed him briefly and pulled away to put some distance between them. He smiled as he looked at him. “Did you like that?”
Wen Xiaohui nodded honestly. Li Shuo tempted him with his mature and boundless pheromones, leaving him with the anxious heartbeat of someone in love. It made him feel excited.
Li Shuo placed his hand on the back of Wen Xiaohui’s head again and this time, it was no longer a half-hearted attempt. Instead, he threw himself into it passionately and attentively, carefully savouring Wen Xiaohui’s lips, as they stole each other’s breaths.
Wen Xiaohui couldn’t help but cling onto his shoulders, intoxicatingly revelling in this tender but arousing kiss. When Li Shuo finally let go of him, Wen Xiaohui’s breathing was in disarray. He glanced shyly at Li Shuo, with an endless smile on lips. Li Shuo also smiled. “The wine is really sweet.”
Wen Xiaohui teased, “Is my kissing technique okay?”
Li Shuo laughed, “Technique doesn’t matter when it comes to kissing. It depends on the person you’re kissing.”
“That makes sense.” Wen Xiaohui still felt a little uneasy. Was he in a relationship? Did he have a boyfriend? But he was just about to leave for a year, so wasn’t the timing too unfortunate? He said hesitantly, “Li-dage, I really want to ask you something. You didn’t seem too interested in me at the beginning. Did you suddenly become interested in me because you saw me in a fight?
Li Shuo laughed, “Of course not.”
“Then what is it?”
“How should I say this?” Li Shuo pondered. “I’ve never dated someone like you before. To be honest, I’m not that keen on guys who dress up a lot. I don’t mean to offend, but I don’t criticise how people dress either as they have freedom to choose. This is purely my own personal preference. You’re beautiful, confident, funny, and cute, but you didn’t seem to be my type when we first met. That’s why I never thought I’d date someone like you.”
“And then…?”
“After getting to know you, I discovered the other sides to you.” Li Shuo used his long and slender fingers to gesture. “People are made up of many different ‘facets’ and there’s a difference between the one that you wish to present to others and the real you. It doesn’t mean that someone is hypocritical and sometimes, it’s a way of self-preservation or it’s out of courtesy. Originally, I only saw just the superficial version of you, but then I saw more of the real you. It’s quite a strong contrast, which I thought was very interesting. Gradually, I started to think that you were very mesmerising and I wanted to get to know you better, so that I could see more of both the real you and the disguised version of you.”
Wen Xiaohui felt a little smug due to Li Shuo’s well-thought-out6 compliments. How could someone say ‘I7 was never interested in you initially, then I got to know and found that you were alright’ so beautifully! It was worthy of Li Shuo. Wen Xiaohui rubbed his hands and said quietly, “You’re pretty much the same as my first impression of you. Does that mean that there are very few ‘facets’ to you?”
Li Shuo smiled faintly. “Not necessarily. The business side of me isn’t the same as what you see now. I’d use a different side if I were facing an enemy. But with you, I wish to always be the type that you like.”
Wen Xiaohui felt like he was almost intoxicated, and he wished that he could throw Li Shuo down and engage in some shameful acts with him.
Li Shuo handed him a wine glass. “Here you go.”
Wen Xiaohui gulped down the wine to calm himself down. He hadn’t forgotten that he was due to go to the US and he said with regret, “Soon, I’ll be going away for a year.” How could they maintain their relationship if they were going to be separated for a year?
Li Shuo gently clinked his glass against Wen Xiaohui’s. “I know, so I can’t make any commitments to you and you don’t have to commit to anything either. I really like this feeling between us, so there’s no need to pile pressure on it. Who knows if you’ll find a new relationship in the US by the time you come back? If that happens, I’ll wish you all the best.”
After hearing those words, Wen Xiaohui didn’t respond for a while.
Li Shuo looked at Wen Xiaohui’s stunned appearance and he explained with a smile, “I really like you, but you’re free.”
Wen Xiaohui roared “fuck” in his head. How could someone say you can hook up with others this year and I’ll sleep with someone else. We won’t tie each other down. Let’s have some fun and date other people. We’ll talk about it when you get back. Li Shuo made it sound so pleasant.
Wen Xiaohui’s passion that had just been sparked was suddenly doused with a basin of cold water.
He didn’t know how to describe Li Shuo. Li Shuo was so perfect that it was hard to find fault with him in any respect, but perhaps it was because he grew up in the West, his way of thinking was very different from Wen Xiaohui’s. Or maybe it was because Li Shuo was too mature and everything had to be made clear without any margin for error. As a result, it seemed like something was missing: a compelling reason for someone to spontaneously rush into something. Li Shuo’s rational thinking and his propriety were evident from the words that he’d just spoken, snuffing out Wen Xiaohui’s passion. He didn’t think that Li Shuo was being selfish or irresponsible. Li Shuo was trying to seek a delicate equilibrium where no one would be at fault and the more you put in, the greater the reward. He wouldn’t owe anyone anything and any unnecessary trouble would be avoided. However, when it came to love, these kinds of thoughts were bitterly disappointing.
Wen Xiaohui wanted the person he liked to tell him: “When you’re in America, you shouldn’t be looking at the White and Black hunks with great pecs. You should only think of me. When you get back, we’ll fuck for three days8 straight to cure our lovesickness.” Instead of telling him calmly and attentively: “You’re free.”
Wen Xiaohui thought that perhaps it was because Li Shuo only had trivial feelings for him.
It seemed as if Li Shuo noticed that Wen Xiaohui was acting strangely. “What’s wrong? Did you drink too much?”
Wen Xiaohui smiled. “A little. The side-effects of this wine are quite strong.”
“Yes, I told you already. Don’t worry, this wine won’t make you suffer. You’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded.
Li Shuo grabbed Wen Xiaohui’s hand gently and asked in a soft and restrained voice, “Would you like me to take you home?”
Wen Xiaohui glanced at Li Shuo; he was such a seductive man and clearly the best candidate to help him lose his virginity. Although he’d just suffered a setback in the last few minutes, he still had a good impression of Li Shuo. Li Shuo didn’t do anything wrong or say anything wrong. They were both adults – he could sleep with whoever he wanted and he didn’t need any justification. Did that mean he should go to Li Shuo’s house?
Would it be meaningless?
With his moment of hesitation, Li Shuo was able to tell what he was thinking and he said considerately, “Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”
Wen Xiaohui smiled as he nodded.
Once Wen Xiaohui got into the car, he pretended to be tipsy and he stopped talking. He looked out the window quietly, as he felt the wave of depression at the bottom of his heart.
He no longer wanted to question whether it was because Li Shuo’s love for him was too shallow or because he was naturally a cold person, as he couldn’t find a single fault with Li Shuo. He started to wonder if it was his problem. Was he taking it too seriously? It was just a few dates and a kiss, and he was already thinking about going steady with him. It was hilarious. When did he become such a coward? He once dreamt about becoming a pickup artist9 and although he found out afterwards that he wasn’t the type, he wasn’t someone who would force another to marry him just because they kissed. If that was really the case, how many times had he kissed Luo Rui?
He must have drank too much.
Yes, he’d drank too much. In addition, there was Li Shuo’s seductive charisma making his brain short circuit. It was good that Li Shuo had clarified things or he might have said something that he shouldn’t have said. He would be mortified if Li Shuo had to reject him in his polite and scholarly manner.
He couldn’t help but tap his own head a few times.
“Xiaohui, are you alright? Do you have a headache?” Li Shuo tugged on his hand, still being very gentle.
“It’s nothing, I’m fine.”
“Maybe you’re just not used to this type of wine. When you get home, boil some ginger broth.”
“Yeah, okay.”
It wasn’t because he wasn’t used to the wine, he wasn’t used to being intoxicated like this and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
——————–
When he arrived home, his mother was already rolling out her quilt to get ready for bed. She found him stinking of alcohol as she put her hands on her hips and scolded, “You’re as tired as a dog every day, but you still go out to get drunk! Do you want to drop dead?!”
“Mum, are you really my mother?”
Feng Yuehua glared at him. She turned around to go to the kitchen to cook him some sweet ginger broth.
Wen Xiaohui drifted in and he mumbled, “Mum, I might have accidentally broken up with someone.”
“How can you accidentally break up with someone?”
“It’s like how… There’s a guy that I like, but I’ll be going away soon, which is why we can’t get together right now. Who knows what it’ll be like when I return? That’s why it feels like I’ve broken up with someone.”
“That doesn’t count as breaking up at all. You’ve fed a stray dog some pork sausage on the side of the road, but it didn’t follow you home. You’re only feeling upset over the pork sausage.”
“Shit. What you just said seems very philosophical, Mum. But aren’t you cursing him?”
“Why can’t I scold that bastard for leaving you in a bad mood and drunk?”
Wen Xiaohui smiled. “Mum, you look even prettier today.”
Feng Yuehua pinched his arm. “Give it a blow and drink it once it cools down.”
“Okay.”
Feng Yuehua hugged him and asked, “Does that man have an eight-pack and an 18cm you-know-what?”
Wen Xiaohui nearly spluttered. “Mum, you…”
“Does he?”
“I haven’t seen him without clothes on, but he has strong pecs.” Wen Xiaohui pointed: “His stomach is also very firm, so he must have great abs. And I haven’t seen that yet.”
“Then you don’t need to feel down. You can deal with it when you get back.”
Wen Xiaohui chuckled, “That makes sense!”
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The next day, Wen Xiaohui phoned Luo Rui while he was at Luo Yi’s house waiting for dinner and told him what had happened between him and Li Shuo last night.
After Luo Rui finished listening, he began to stutter, “This… this….”
“Speechless? I don’t know how to analyse what happened.”
“Yeah, that’s the feeling.”
Wen Xiaohui shook his head as he sighed. “Maybe there’s just too large a gap between our way of thinking. Perhaps all foreigners are like this?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Weren’t you in France for a year?”
“But I’ve never been in a relationship with a French person. Basically, they only want to shag. It was so scary.”
“Aww, it scared our poor Xiao Ma to death.” Wen Xiaohui copied his tone of voice and squealed.
“Stop spouting nonsense and let’s talk about more important matters.”
“What important matters? I’ve already said all I needed to say. I can’t rush him and force him to pledge his undying love. Actually, what he said makes sense. If by chance, I hook up with a White hunk or Black hunk in America… Black hunks aren’t really my type. Anyway, what he said makes sense, so I don’t have a counter-argument. Let nature run its course.”
Luo Rui was quiet for a while. “But people will get hurt.”
“If you don’t take it seriously, you won’t get hurt. I’m okay. I like him a little, but it’s not like I can’t live without him.”
“Who can’t you live without?” Luo Yi’s voice rang out from behind him.
Wen Xiaohui was surprised. He told Luo Rui that he’d speak to him next time, before hanging up. “Is dinner ready?”
“You didn’t respond after I called for you twice. I thought you’d fallen asleep, so I brought your dinner up.” Luo Yi placed the food on the table. “Who were you two talking about? Was it Li Shuo?”
Feeling down, Wen Xiaohui nodded.
“What happened?”
Wen Xiaohui didn’t really want to talk about it. How could you describe these sorts of things to someone?
Luo Yi said, “We agreed that you wouldn’t keep anything from me.”
Wen Xiaohui sighed and told Luo Yi about him and Li Shuo, omitting some details like the kiss.
Luo Yi’s expression displayed a look of interest after he finished listening to him. “How interesting!”
“What’s so interesting? Do all clever people think the same? Do you know what he’s thinking?”
“No, it has nothing to do with being clever.”
“Then it must be the cultural differences.” Wen Xiaohui pulled his knees up to his chest. “After some thought, I think he’s right, but I still feel uncomfortable. This is what’s making me feel so depressed.”
“That’s pretty normal. Both of you have a different perception of love.”
“What difference?”
“A whole night wouldn’t be sufficient to talk about the differences. You can understand it by comparing yourself to an extremist in love and he’s a conservative.”
“You’re making it even harder to understand.”
Luo Yi smiled. “It’s fine if you don’t understand, but Li Shuo is a very clever person. Before his eyes, you’re practically transparent. You should just listen to what he has to say, but don’t believe everything.”
“That’s true, it’s not like I know him that well.” It occurred to Wen Xiaohui how he had a real life example right in front of him – Luo Yi. He thought he had a good understanding of Luo Yi, but it turned out he didn’t know him at all. Who knows? Maybe Li Shuo was the same.
“Was Luo Rui there yesterday when you went for dinner and drinks?”
“He was there for dinner, but it was just the two of us at the pub.” Wen Xiaohui said, “Why did you ask about Luo Rui?”
“Did you see how he interacted with Luo Rui?”
Wen Xiaohui immediately felt annoyed. “Why the heck do you keep mentioning Luo Rui? I don’t think there’s anything between them.”
Luo Yi smiled and said, “I was just asking. Don’t think too much about it.”
“How can I not think about it when you put it like that? I’ve been overthinking ever since you mentioned it. Luo Rui is my best friend. Don’t… Don’t make assumptions like these again.”
Footnotes:
雨露 means rain and dew, but it also has a dual meaning of favour/grace. It is often used in an idiom which means to bestow favour/grace equally. I’ve included this footnote as I feel like it’s being used as a metaphor to describe Li Shuo – Wen Xiaohui has doubts that he’s trying to string both him and Luo Rui along.
A slight variation of 发神经 is used in the raws, which generally refers to someone who is acting abnormally/mad/insane.
Houhai or ‘Rear Lake’ in central Beijing refers to the lake and surrounding areas. It’s known for its nightlife, and it’s popular with expats and younger locals.
Yinding bridge, also known as Silver Ingot bridge, is a traditional Chinese style bridge in Houhai. +1 to Li Shuo for choosing a romantic date location.
Niagara ice wine seems to be a dessert wine which is made using frozen grapes. I’ve based this on the description given by the author as she just calls it “gara” in the Chinese text.
滴水不漏, literally means that something is watertight and not a drop of water can escape. It is used to describe words of actions which are meticulous and cautious, such that there are no flaws to be found in the argument (idiom). It originates from a Confuscian writer called Zhu Xi (1130-1200AD) who lived during the Song dynasty.
This uses laozhi, the more pompous form of I.
Not necessarily three days and three nights, it’s just a Chinese phrase that means days.
百人斩, literally ‘hundred people slaughter’ is the Chinese slang for a pickup artist, i.e. someone skilled in the art of seduction, according to Chinese internet forums.
