Additional Inheritance - Chap 43
Chapter 43.1
It was a wonderful period of time following Wen Xiaohui’s return to China.
Because he’d polished up on his skills1, his status was also boosted. Excluding his work at the studio and freelancing, people started to invite him to social gatherings, makeup design and styling, lectures, in addition to linking up with him to develop a course on how to make videos, and to publish a book. The number of followers on his blog had reached nearly 200,000. Recently, he’d agreed a deal to promote an up-and-coming South Korean makeup brand. His prospects were bright.
Being so busy at work, Wen Xiaohui felt like he didn’t have time for dating. He’d been out for dinner with Li Shuo twice since he got back, but after being apart for six months, they seemed to have returned to the point of being neither distant nor close. It was as he expected, that night had the right blend of timing, mood, and people for a one-night stand, but it didn’t mean anything. They were still a long way from formally acknowledging their relationship and it was purely dependent on fate.
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His mum took him to meet her boyfriend one day. To avoid burdening her, he deliberately chose not to put on any makeup or style his hair, or wear trousers that highlighted his ass – he looked neat and simple, just like a fresh university graduate.
His mum’s boyfriend was called Ian. He was a 49 year old American who worked as the Chinese regional2 head of HR for an international chain of hotels. He was tall and refined. He could also speak Chinese fluently and appeared to be a gentleman – a great match for his mum.
Wen Xiaohui felt delighted for his mum. His mum was only 36 or 37 years old when his dad died; there was still so much ahead of her on the path of life. He’d always hoped that she would find someone who could take care of her and offer her companionship in her old age. He was still a tiny bit wary because Ian was a foreigner, but seeing how well they got on, he really hoped that she found the right man this time.
Ian took his mum home once dinner was over. Wen Xiaohui bought some fruit and took a taxi to Luo Yi’s house.
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The taxi stopped outside the gated area of the villas. Wen Xiaohui got out of the taxi and he greeted the security guards at the gates before going inside.
Looking at the familiar surroundings of the neighbourhood, he suddenly felt a little sentimental. More than two years passed unknowingly and the security guards of the neighbourhood had long since recognised his face. Time passed in the blink of an eye, making it hard for people to adapt. He couldn’t help but think about the first time he met Luo Yi – he would have never imagined that he would develop such a deep bond with the youth.
Luo Yi’s birthday was in two months’ time. After his birthday, the contract would formally conclude3 and he’d receive three million and the house that Yaya set aside for him. Luo Yi would receive the large inheritance that Yaya left behind. Wen Xiaohui really looked forward to receiving the inheritance because he’d always wanted to move his mum to a nicer house and he’d buy himself a scooter if there was enough money leftover.
However, after the contract expired, he and Luo Yi would no longer have a formal relationship. Could this impact their relationship? But after the contract ceased to be effective, he’d be able to act more calmly in front of Luo Yi, because at that point, there would be no moral constraints from whichever angle.
All of a sudden, Wen Xiaohui was shocked by his train of thought. Did he look forward to that day? He laughed at himself. He’d always thought he was brave enough to accept the consequences of his actions, but that didn’t apply when it came to Luo Yi. Surprisingly, he was unable to express his thoughts clearly.
Wen Xiaohui arrived at Luo Yi’s house and went inside. He was stunned because there was an unexpected guest in the living room – Cao Hai.
Luo Yi also appeared a little surprised. “Xiaohui-ge, how come you’re here?”
“I had dinner with my mum and her boyfriend nearby, so I decided to pop over.” Wen Xiaohui looked at Cao Hai as he felt extremely uncomfortable, since Luo Yi had already warned him to be on his guard with Cao Hai. Therefore, he felt that Cao Hai’s presence couldn’t be a good thing.
Luo Yi and Cao Hai sat on the sofa. The coffee table in front of them was covered in documents and they were clearly having a discussion. It didn’t seem to be going well.
Cao Hai said, “It’s so late, I’m going to head back first. Luo Yi, have a good think about it – this is the only solution.”
Luo Yi nodded. “Bye, Uncle Cao.”
Cao Hao made some small talk with Wen Xiaohui, then he left.
Once he was gone, Wen Xiaohui inquired, “What was that about? Why did he come here?”
Luo Yi jabbed all of his fingers into his hair, looking on edge and distressed. “He came to help me with the financing of the company.”
“Him? Can you trust him? Isn’t he after my sister’s estate?”
Luo Yi nodded. “But he’s the only one who can help me. He demanded a cut which is a bit higher than the interest charged by a bank, but it’s still a good deal.”
Wen Xiaohui sat opposite him, squeezing his shoulder. “Luo Yi, you shouldn’t seek help from people indiscriminately4. You need to consider carefully if you can trust him. Why would he want to help you? He doesn’t look that rich.”
Luo Yi wiped his face. “Let me get you some dessert. Yesterday, I made…”
“Luo Yi.” Wen Xiaohui said firmly, “How could I be in the mood for dessert? And I’m trying to lose weight… Tell me all about it.”
Luo Yi shook his head. “Although he can help, the solution he proposed is too risky and I haven’t agreed to it yet.”
“What kind of risk? Is it illegal?”
Luo Yi remained silent.
Wen Xiaohui raised his voice. “You can’t agree to this!”
“If we press on ahead, he’ll be the only one breaking the law. It has nothing to do with us. But… I’ll try and think of another solution.”
“Us?” Wen Xiaohui said hesitantly, “When you said us, did you mean me as well?”
Luo Yi appeared momentarily flustered. “It’s nothing, I said it without thinking. I meant me.”
Wen Xiaohui’s tone of voice became more serious. “Don’t hide things from me, okay? How can you hide such a serious matter from me? What’s going on?”
Luo Yi heaved a sigh, hanging his head in silence.
Wen Xiaohui gave him a whack. “Speak now! I don’t want to see you like this. You haven’t been the same since I got back from the US. You used to love smiling, unlike how you’re so miserable all the time. You’re always busy with this and that. Why are you doing this? You’re still so young. Tell me the truth. What’s it about?”
“Actually, it’s nothing serious, but I didn’t want you to get involved.”
“What do you mean by getting me involved? I’m your guardian – I’m responsible for you.”
Luo Yi sighed. “Okay, I’ll tell you. I’m in desperate need of funding right now, otherwise all the time we spent on a project will go to waste. The interest on the loans that I borrowed will keep racking up and it’ll bankrupt me. I could solve this dilemma if I could defer the timing until the end of October when I get my inheritance, but it’s just too late. That’s why Cao Hai proposed a solution that allows me to access my inheritance in advance.”
“What’s the proposal?”
Luo Yi looked at him. “Forge a contract to let you inherit the estate, then transfer it to me.”
Wen Xiaohui’s jaw dropped. He didn’t know enough to assess the feasibility of the proposal. The key phrases he heard were ‘forged contract’ and ‘let you inherit the estate’.
Luo Yi lowered his eyes. “I knew this would frighten you, that’s why I didn’t want to tell you.”
Wen Xiaohui gulped. “Would it work?”
“Theoretically, it could work. It’s dependent on your trustworthiness. Xiaohui-ge, I trust you 100%, but this involves a fraudulent contract. I know you’re very wary about that sort of thing, so…”
“That’s right. Forging a contract… Why is Cao Hai so brazen? Isn’t he worried he’ll get arrested?”
Luo Yi smiled reluctantly. “Cao Hai’s always been that kind of person. He’s going to get a large sum of money when this issue is settled, which is why he’s willing to take a gamble. Also, he was my mum’s lawyer, so he drafted the will. The contracts that we signed previously were also kept by him and he’s best placed to amend the contracts. The only person who knows about the content of the will is Sun Ying and she’s critically ill. We’ll be safe as long as the three of us reach an agreement. At the very least, Cao Hai seems very confident about it and he says he can handle the matter safely. Even if something goes wrong, you can always say that you knew nothing about it.”
Wen Xiaohui was shocked by what he’d heard, twisting his fingers into a knot and seemingly not knowing how to proceed. He didn’t actually understand much of it, but he knew it was illegal. But it wasn’t that serious, so even if something went wrong, Cao Hai would be the one liable for forging the contract. The most pressing matter was that Luo Yi was currently in desperate need of money and the inheritance was his anyway. He couldn’t inherit it now only because he was still underage and using Wen Xiaohui to transfer the funds was unlikely to be a major issue.
Luo Yi patted Wen Xiaohui’s hand. “Xiaohui-ge, let me think of another way. Maybe someone will help me in my hour of need.”
Wen Xiaohui frowned as he glanced at Luo Yi. “Luo Yi, there’s something that I’ve always wanted to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m just curious, I don’t mean anything else. Erm, how much did my sister leave you?”
Luo Yi remained quiet for a while. “I can tell you, but don’t ask me where she got it from. There’s a lot that I don’t know and there are things that I know, but I don’t want to tell you because it won’t do you any good.”
“Tell me, I’ll find out anyway.”
“$260 million, 12 houses, plus companies, land, cars, jewellery, stocks and shares, financial investments, etc., totalling…” Luo Yi looked at Wen Xiaohui’s dumbstruck expression and he said softly, “Over $300 million.”
Wen Xiaohui was stunned. In his entire life, he’d never set his eyes on anyone so rich, not to mention actually knowing them personally. That goddamn person was sitting right in front of him, cooking and washing up for him frequently, even picking him up from work on his little bicycle for over two years!”
Luo Yi waved his hand in front of Wen Xiaohui’s eyes. “Xiaohui-ge, are you alright?”
“Oh shit!” Wen Xiaohui shouted, “$300 million! It’s so much money! How are you going to spend it?”
Luo Yi chuckled, “Having more money enables people to live more comfortably, but it’s just a number when you have too much.”
“You deserve a slap with that attitude.” Wen Xiaohui rubbed his hands anxiously. “$300 million. $300 million. Can you help me put $300 million into perspective? Could you buy a yacht?”
“Yes.”
“Could you buy a private jet?”
“Yes.”
“Could you buy a Lamborghini?”
“That’s a lot cheaper than a yacht or a private jet.”
Wen Xiaohui cradled his head. “I need to calm down a little.”
Luo Yi smiled slightly, as he turned around to tidy up the documents on the coffee table.
After Luo Yi finished tidying, Wen Xiaohui raised his head. “Can you solve your financing problem with this sum of money?”
“It’s more than enough.”
“Is it really risk-free? You’re forging a contract. But since you’re forging a contract, why don’t you change it so that you inherit the money directly?”
“I thought about this ages ago, but Cao Hai explained to me that it would be riskier to do it like that and it involves lots of professional stuff. I haven’t studied law in detail, so I don’t understand it that much either. I think if Cao Hai could use a simple way to resolve the issue, he wouldn’t choose a more complicated solution. He must have made the decision after careful deliberations.”
“Could he be using this opportunity to mislead us?”
“There is that possibility, but doing things in such a roundabout way has added the riskiest factor. You.” Luo Yi stroked Wen Xiaohui’s hair. “The biggest risk is that you won’t transfer the funds to me after receiving the inheritance. If Cao Hai really wanted to try something, he’d start with you.”
“How could I not give it to you?!” said Wen Xiaohui with a sense of urgency.
Luo Yi smiled. “I know. I wouldn’t actually mind leaving the money in your hands.”
“I wouldn’t dare to keep so much money. It’s enough to scare me to death.” Wen Xiaohui felt warm and fuzzy inside. He was proud because it was such a large sum of money that there was nothing that Luo Yi could do if he decided to keep it all for himself, but Luo Yi trusted him enough to let that much money pass through his hands – it was an unconditional sort of trust. He felt very moved by Luo Yi’s trust in him and he subconsciously wanted to give him something in return.
Luo Yi said, “Xiaohui-ge, don’t think too much about it. It’s late so you should go shower first. I’m going to work for a bit longer.”
Wen Xiaohui grabbed Luo Yi’s arm as he took a deep breath. “Why don’t you do what Cao Hai suggested?”
Luo Yi’s eyes widened. “Y-you’re willing to do it?”
“I don’t want to see you like this again. When this crisis is averted, you have to promise me that you won’t spend all your time and effort on these sorts of things again. You have so much money – why would you rush to get into business? My hope is that your teenage years will be straightforward and filled with happiness.”
“I’ve learned my lesson from this incident, I won’t be so careless in future. But…” Luo Yi gave Wen Xiaohui a profound look. “Xiaohui-ge, do you really intend to do this?”
“You’re secretly hoping I’ll do it, but you feel bad for getting me involved.”
Luo Yi hung his head in shame. “I…”
Wen Xiaohui smiled as he stroked Luo Yi’s head. “I won’t be your guardian anymore in less than three months. I haven’t done anything for you for the past two and a bit years. On the other hand, you’ve been looking after me. I want to help you, so let me take responsibility one last time.
Luo Yi raised his head to look at Wen Xiaohui with unspeakable emotions hiding in the depths of his eyes, which were as dark as obsidian. He replied in a deep voice, “Xiaohui-ge, have you thought about this properly?”
“Yeah, I’ve thought about it properly. Unless you think that I’m going to embezzle the funds.” Wen Xiaohui started laughing.
“How could I? I’ve already said that I trust you unconditionally.” Luo Yi added, “Like the way you trust me.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded. “Let’s do it so I can satisfy my craving for being a millionaire.”
Luo Yi gave Wen Xiaohui a meaningful look and he smiled stiffly.
Wen Xiaohui regretted his recklessness after he agreed, but he thought there was no way Cao Hai would put himself at risk and Luo Yi wouldn’t harm him either. The money was Luo Yi’s anyway, so nothing would change besides giving Cao Hai a share. It would also solve Luo Yi’s problems. After careful consideration, he decided that he should help, but he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone because of confidentiality. Just as Luo Yi had said, the three of them reached a consensus and no one else would find out about this matter.
In actual fact, the most shocking thing about this incident was the colossal sum of money that formed the inheritance. From the beginning, he wondered how much money Yaya earned to be able to leave him and his mum a house and a large sum of money. The food she consumed and the clothing she wore were lavish and now he finally understood why. The size of the inheritance was already beyond his comprehension. He felt a little awkward as soon as he thought about how he spent more than two years with Luo Yi who was a secret millionaire.
Footnotes:
镀过一层金, a similar phrase is used in Chapter 42.1 which means that Wen Xiaohui gold-plated himself i.e. turned something ordinary into something extraordinary.
大中华区, without getting political, the term of Greater China refers to China and its territories (including Hong Kong and Macau) plus Taiwan.
The raws state that after Luo Yi’s birthday, the contract between them will be formally effective. I’ve changed the wording to make it consistent with the paragraph after where it states that their contract will cease, i.e. Wen Xiaohui is no longer Luo Yi’s guardian once he’s an adult.
病急乱投医, it literally means that any doctor will do when you’re sick (idiom). It’s used to describe a situation where you turn to the first person for help in a crisis.
Chapter 43.2
Wen Xiaohui went to Luo Rui’s after he finished work that afternoon. Luo Rui’s bakery had become one of the well-known specialty dessert shops in the capital and ‘Lory’ was a must-visit destination for young people on a date or wanting to keep up with trends. It had been featured many times in fashion and culinary magazines, in addition to being recommended by a number of celebrities. Luo Rui – as the owner and a famous food blogger – even had his own fan club. Of course, it was all closely correlated with Wen Xiaohui’s initial hard and soft selling on his blog for Luo Rui.
The number of store assistants had increased a lot, freeing up much of Luo Rui’s time. When he saw Wen Xiaohui coming, he took him to the staff room and gave him a newly created cranberry cheesecake to try.
Wen Xiaohui complimented Luo Rui non-stop as he ate. Looking at Luo Rui’s staff room, he exclaimed, “Xiao Ma, you’ve made the staff room so feminine – I don’t know if I should feel a little awkward.”
Luo Rui rolled his eyes at him. “We’ve both worn skirts before, so why would you feel awkward?”
Wen Xiaohui burst out laughing and said, “Let’s wear them when we go out next time. It’s way too much fun. That’s how you have fun when you’re beautiful, otherwise it’s such a waste.”
Luo Rui also looked a little excited. “The hair removal appliance I bought recently is really easy to use. I’m going to wear a miniskirt this time.”
“Hey, let’s get back to business. Do you really plan to open a branch?”
“I’m still hesitant. How can I guarantee the quality if I open a branch? I oversee all the cakes that are made here, so how could one person have the time to look after so many stores?” Luo Rui held his chin, feeling tormented as he replied, “I don’t actually need that much money, I’m content because I’m making enough to support myself.
“Piss off, you goddamn rich second generation1! Wen Xiaohui became enraged when he heard these words.
“It’s true – you’re familiar with my personality. I don’t want a tiring life, you age quicker when you’re toiling.”
“Just leave it then, don’t open a branch. It’s not like you’re short on money. Franchising could ruin the reputation of your bakery, so you can spend the rest of your life looking after this store instead. It’ll be enough to support your standard of living and you still have your wealthy parents if not.”
Luo Rui nodded and he replied happily, “I’ll listen to my man.”
With a mwah, they sent a kiss in the air to each other.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the staff room and one of the store assistants poked their head through the door. They winked as they said, “Boss, boss. He’s here!”
Luo Rui’s eyes lit up and he pulled Wen Xiaohui up. “Let’s go, I’ll show you a handsome guy.”
“What handsome guy?”
“Just look and don’t say anything.”
Wen Xiaohui became curious as he followed Luo Rui back to the store.
He saw a tall guy with his back to them by the cash register. His pale neck was exposed. He was pointing at the cakes in the display window and his fingers were beautiful – they were long and full of strength.
Luo Rui was so excited that he tugged on Wen Xiaohui’s sleeve as he pointed at the back view of the guy. His eyes were gleaming.
Wen Xiaohui frowned and scrutinised him. He’s in heat.
Luo Rui fixed his hair. He walked over and said in a sweet voice. “Hello, you’re here again.”
The guy with his back to them turned around – he was an extremely handsome young man who appeared to be of a similar age to Luo Yi. His skin was so pale that it looked like it could reflect light and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. His face was expressionless, appearing both intelligent and detached. Looking at Luo Rui, he nodded and replied with a “mn”.
“What would you like to buy today?”
“Those three,” he said.
From the display cabinet, Luo Rui took out a mango mousse and he smiled as he said, “I’ll give you this one for free. The mango was imported from Thailand and it was made only an hour ago – it’s really fresh.”
“Oh, thanks.” The young man paid and picked up the cake, then he turned around and left.
The girl on the cashier said with infatuation, “He’s still acting so cool.”
Wen Xiaohui’s elbow bumped against Luo Rui. “Who was that?”
“A customer.”
Wen Xiaohui rolled his eyes. “Thanks for answering and clearing that up.”
Luo Rui giggled and replied, “Recently, he’s been coming to the store a lot – saying that his family enjoys our cakes. That’s the reason why he sometimes comes around on his way home from university.”
“He’s really good-looking. What’s wrong? Are you feeling lovesick?”
Luo Rui pouted. “Am I not allowed to be lovesick?”
“That kid looks too cold. It might not be easy to get along with him.”
“No, he’s just cold on the outside and warm on the inside.” Luo Rui said seriously, “He saw someone bullying me the first time he came to the store – the guy insisted that my cakes weren’t fresh, trying to extort money from me. He kicked him out and he looked so handsome.”
“Do you like him?”
Luo Rui felt shy as he nodded. “A little bit.”
“Then why don’t you ask him for his number?”
“Forget it. He’s a university student and he’s most likely straight. I’d better not make him dislike me in case I scare him off and he never comes back again. I feel content just looking at him.”
We Xiaohui poked his finger at Luo Rui’s forehead. “Is that the limit of your courage? Next time I see him, I’ll help you ask him.”
Luo Rui replied coyly, “Just forget it.”
“Forget it? Are you a man?”
“Yeah.”
“If you’re a man, you have to courageously pursue the person you like.”
“I’m not at the stage of liking him yet. I don’t even know him…”
“How will you get to know him if you don’t get in touch? I feel so worried seeing how no one wants you.”
Luo Rui put his hands on his hips and said, “Fuck you! Haven’t you been single all this time?”
“Fuck, do we really have to stab one another?!”
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A few days later, Wen Xiaohui, Luo Yi, and Cao Hai met up again at Luo Yi’s house.
Wen Xiaohui and Cao Hai stared at each other with a hint of awkwardness in their expressions. Luo Yi appeared solemn and didn’t smile from start to finish.
Cao Hai coughed. “Mr Wen, I never thought we’d have the opportunity to sign contracts for the second time. It must be fate.”
Wen Xiaohui forced himself to laugh a couple of times.
“I believe Luo Yi has already explained everything to you, so I won’t say it again.” Cao Hai piled several contracts in front of Wen Xiaohui. “You only need to sign your name and leave your fingerprint2.”
Wen Xiaohui moved them towards himself. Each of the three contracts had a dozen pages, he put on an act and flipped through them, but he didn’t notice anything significant. He put the contracts down and glanced at Luo Yi.
Luo Yi looked at him in return – his gaze was as serene as water – making it difficult for people to tell what he was thinking. He said softly, “Xiaohui-ge, you can back out at any time.”
“I didn’t have to agree at the beginning, but now I can’t go back on my word.” Wen Xiaohui shrugged. “Since I’ve agreed, I won’t back out.” He picked up the pen. “I can’t be bothered to read through the contract since you’ve both studied it in depth, that’s all.” The person who needed to worry about having his money stolen wasn’t him.
As the tip of Wen Xiaohui’s pen was about to come into contact with the blank paper, Luo Yi suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
Behind the lens of his glasses, Cao Hai’s eyes flickered and he discretely took a deep breath.
Wen Xiaohui gave Luo Yi a puzzled look. “What’s wrong?”
Luo Yi pursed his lips, looking somewhat stiff. It took a while before he finally uttered two words. “Thank you.”
Wen Xiaohui smiled. “You’re welcome.”
Luo Yi let go of Wen Xiaohui’s hand and lowered his eyes.
Wen Xiaohui signed his name with an air of confidence. “Great, have I become a millionaire now?”
With an insincere smile, Cao Hai replied, “That’s right, Mr Wen. We still need to sort out the inheritance tax and other things, which will take a few days. In the meantime, you can enjoy being a millionaire.”
Wen Xiaohui laughed out loud. “That’s awesome.”
Luo Yi said, “Xiaohui-ge, if there’s anything you want then feel free to buy it.”
Wen Xiaohui replied with a smile. “I’m not short of money at the moment, I can earn tens of thousands a month. Take care when you process it and once it’s complete, I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Cao Hai held up the documents in his hand. “You signed the gift agreement a moment ago. Once you’ve inherited the estate, it’ll be passed immediately to Luo Yi.”
Wen Xiaohui was shocked. “Oh.” Although this seemed reasonable, he still felt that it was a little strange. In reality, there was no pressing need for him to sign the gift agreement, since there was no way he could bring himself to embezzle Luo Yi’s money. He thought to himself, “This is to avoid further trouble.” It wasn’t necessary for him to meet Cao Hai to sign contracts for the second time.
Cao Hai stood up and reached his hand out to Wen Xiaohui. “Mr Wen, thanks for your cooperation. You’ve helped us out a lot.”
Wen Xiaohui shook hands with Cao Hai, feeling a little disdainful towards him.
After Cao Hai left, Wen Xiaohui lay on the sofa on his back. “Hahaha, I’m a millionaire! This is such a once-in-a-lifetime experience!”
Luo Yi whispered, “Yeah.”
Wen Xiaohui suddenly sat up. “Let’s celebrate! Let’s celebrate my status as a temporary millionaire and your successful financing.”
Luo Yi smiled and said, “Okay, what would you like to eat?”
“Braised prawns3.”
“Let’s go to the supermarket to buy some stuff.”
They went to the supermarket to buy ingredients together and returned home in high spirits to prepare dinner.
It seemed like nothing had changed apart from Luo Yi being preoccupied. Wen Xiaohui breathed a sigh of relief – he felt that he made the right choice – just like his choice back then to sign the guardianship agreement. Having Luo Yi by his side was one of the luckiest things in his entire life.
Footnotes:
富二代 / fuerdai (rich second generation) refers to people who have wealthy parents rather than accumulating wealth through own efforts. It was previously used to describe Shao Qun and his bunch of friends.
Although this sounds strange, leaving a fingerprint to accompany a signature on contracts as proof of identity is not uncommon in Asia.
Here’s a picture of the Shandong speciality dish of braised prawns.
