Additional Inheritance - Chap 45
Chapter 45.1
If the lights weren’t turned off, Luo Yi would have certainly seen the severity of Wen Xiaohui’s blushing.
Wen Xiaohui was unable to stop himself from leaning back. “What… what’s up?”
“Haven’t you always liked Li Shuo? Yet you rejected him. Is it like you said and you don’t like him enough? You clearly want to start dating.”
Wen Xiaohui’s brain felt a bit muddled. Why was Luo Yi’s behaviour so overbearing? It was as though he’d made a mistake in turning down Li Shuo. When Luo Yi behaved like this, it made him feel a little scared. “What’s wrong, Luo Yi?”
Luo Yi knitted his sword-like brows. “Could it be because of me?”
Wen Xiaohui gulped. “What the heck is wrong with you today? Why are you nattering on like this?”
Luo Yi opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but he swallowed his words back down. He turned around and got out of bed. “I’m going to the toilet.” After he finished speaking, he went to the bathroom without even looking back.
Wen Xiaohui was dumbfounded for a while as he fixated on Luo Yi’s words, but he couldn’t quite recall them. He really wasn’t sure what Luo Yi wanted to say or what he meant by his words. In addition, he’d rejected Li Shuo but Luo Yi wasn’t overjoyed like he’d imagined.
Lying back down, Wen Xiaohui widened his eyes and stared at the ceiling as he felt somewhat agitated. Since matters had already gotten to this stage, he had to admit that something had changed. Something had changed between him and Luo Yi after the signing of the contract. Luo Yi was trying to avoid him and his keenness towards him had plummeted so much that it was at a record low – in particular, Luo Yi’s reaction when he found out today that Wen Xiaohui had rejected Li Shuo. Wen Xiaohui had been thinking about Luo Yi’s possible reactions, but he never imagined it would be like this.
What was going on? Was he over complicating things or had Luo Yi genuinely changed?
Luo Yi spent a long time in the bathroom. When he finally came out, Wen Xiaohui closed his eyes and pretended to be fast asleep in order to prevent any awkwardness. He never expected that they would have nothing to say to each other the first time they slept in the same bed since his return from the US. They used to chat well into the night, but where had their previous enthusiasm gone?
————————————–
Luo Yi was still ‘busy’ for the next month, so Wen Xiaohui couldn’t think of any more excuses. Luo Yi really was trying to avoid him. Seeing that it was Luo Yi’s birthday the following week, Wen Xiaohui was originally hoping to organise an 18th birthday party for him, but he couldn’t be bothered at this moment in time. He really wasn’t the sort of person who could hold back and he had wanted to clear things up for a while. He felt scared. He didn’t dare ask because he worried it was somehow related to the fact that he’d signed the contract. Otherwise, he really couldn’t explain the difference between Luo Yi’s attitude before and after the contract signing. How could things turn out like this after they’d been together for more than two years? The most unacceptable thing was that they hadn’t even had any disagreements.
Luo Rui placed the fruit that had been sliced in front of Wen Xiaohui. He pierced a strawberry with a toothpick and fed it to Wen Xiaohui. “Why do you have your head in the clouds? Didn’t you want to talk to me about what cake to make for Luo Yi’s birthday?”
“I’m not making one,” huffed Wen Xiaohui.
Luo Rui widened his eyes. “I’m so busy. It wasn’t easy for me to find some free time to help you design the cake today. How come you don’t want to make it anymore?”
Wen Xiaohui pouted. “I don’t know what’s going on with Luo Yi. He’s been acting very distant towards me.”
“Isn’t he really busy with his company and also preparing to present his thesis?”
“Yeah.”
“He has so much going on that he couldn’t possibly have the time to hang out with you every day.”
“When do I need someone to hang out with me? When he was busy in the past, he still called and messaged me constantly, but now it doesn’t happen very often.” Wen Xiaohui stopped himself from mentioning the contract. He knew Luo Rui would think he was being a pain in the ass if he was unaware of the contract.
As expected, Luo Rui said, “You’re just used to it. Doesn’t Luo Yi treat you well enough? He’s only neglecting you a little. Young Master, do you not think you’re being unreasonable?”
Wen Xiaohui felt a bit angry. “What the heck do you know?”
“Hmph, I won’t help you make the cake then.”
“I’m not making one since I don’t want to celebrate his birthday anyway. I feel bloody annoyed thinking about it.”
Luo Rui realised that Wen Xiaohui really didn’t want to make the cake anymore and he said in astonishment, “There’s no need to go that far. All the more reason for you to surprise him on his birthday if he continues to act like this. How romantic would it be?”
Wen Xiaohui shook his head. “Besides, I’m not in the mood at all. Li Shuo gave me two tickets for a film premiere, but he’s too busy to go. Do you want to go?”
“Let’s go. It’s a good opportunity to relax.”
“Sure, let’s go.”
———————————
The film was a romantic comedy set in a city and coincidentally, the director was Li Hua1. When Li Hua was younger, she took on all sorts of roles. As she accumulated more experience, she was able to command a higher premium, and she began to accept only roles in the highest quality films. She was extremely fussy about the script and also the production team, so she ended up following the trend of moving behind the scenes. This film was her debut as a director.
Wen Xiaohui and Luo Rui went in matching couples-style relaxed-fit suits. A lot of people from both the entertainment and fashion industries were gathered at the film premiere, so they didn’t look strange mixed in the crowd.
“Wow! There’s sooo many handsome guys,” exclaimed Luo Rui excitedly.
Wen Xiaohui’s eyes sparkled. “Isn’t that the model who’s really popular at the moment? Wow! How long are those legs?”
“But their face looks a bit strange.”
“It’s what you call distinctive. Why are you looking at their face? Look at their legs! It’s all the same once you turn the lights off.”
They started to giggle pervertedly.
The film premiere was about to commence, so they went to find their allocated seats. They never expected that they’d be in the front row seats of the VIP section and it was really close to the stage.
“Wow, Li Shuo gave me some good tickets.”
“Yeah, we’re so close that I can see their makeup clearly. It’s a great opportunity to do some research.” It was difficult for Wen Xiaohui to break his work habit2.
It wasn’t long after they sat down that a teasing voice sounded from beside them. “Hey, Wen Xiaohui?”
Wen Xiaohui was shocked and he turned around. It was Shao Qun whom he hadn’t seen in over a year. As Shao Qun was now his boss at the top, he quickly got up on his feet. “Young Master Shao.”
Shao Qun waved his hand. “Just give him a wave.”
It was only at that moment Wen Xiaohui noticed a beautiful boy beside Shao Qun. When the boy saw them, it felt like similar poles of a magnet repelling each other3. The expression in his eyes didn’t seem friendly. He seemed to think there was something going on between Wen Xiaohui and Shao Qun.
Wen Xiaohui had never been someone who would back down and he responded with a glare that said ‘what are you looking at you son-of-a-bitch?’ and he purposely acted coquettishly by saying: “Young Master Shao, I haven’t seen you in such a long time. You look even more charming. After doing the rounds, even celebrities can’t compare favourably to you.”
Shao Qun laughed, “You’re such a sweet-talker. Your friend is here too.”
Luo Rui looked towards Shao Qun and nodded. He was still quite scared by his impression of Shao Qun.
Shao Qun didn’t appear to have any intention of introducing the boy next to him and he sat right next to Wen Xiaohui. “How come you’re here to watch the premiere?”
“My friend couldn’t make it and we happened to be free. How about you? Do you like this type of film?”
“I’m free and don’t have anything to do. I’m here to support a friend.”
The friend he mentioned was evidently Li Hua.
Wen Xiaohui thought to himself: You’re such a great friend – bringing your new love interest to see your old flame.
Wen Xiaohui and Luo Rui glanced at each other and acknowledged their mutual penchant for gossip from the expression in their eyes.
At that moment, the director, the production team and the actors appeared on stage. Wen Xiaohui looked full of anticipation as he waited for Li Hua’s reaction to Shao Qun’s new love interest. He didn’t expect Li Hua to look so pleased with her own success as she greeted the guests attending the premiere. When her gaze stopped on Shao Qun, she continued to smile graciously as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Shao Qun also gave her a slight smile in return.
Wen Xiaohui mentally gave them a big thumbs up and he thought to himself: These two are so awesome.
The film started after a round of talking on stage plus interactions.
Shao Qun leaned over slightly. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been well, thanks to Young Master Shao. It was due to Young Master Shao that I could go abroad to train. My career’s been going smoothly since I got back.”
Shao Qun chuckled, “I told you I wouldn’t treat you badly. I didn’t lie to you.”
Wen Xiaohui smiled rather awkwardly. “Young Master Shao is definitely someone who doesn’t say things lightly4.”
“Having not seen you in over a year, you seem more mature. Work hard and there will be lots of opportunities for you to shine at Juxing.”
“Of course. Thank you, Young Master Shao.”
“Oh yeah.” Shao Qun smiled inquisitively. “How has your young nephew been?”
Wen Xiaohui’s heart thumped. He hadn’t forgotten how Luo Yi had sent Director Luo’s nude photos to Shao Qun before. Although he never found out whether Shao Qun knew Luo Yi did it, the fact that Shao Qun never hassled him after that incident made him think that things weren’t that straightforward. Of course, if Shao Qun didn’t bring it up, he would continue to play along and act dumb. He replied, “He’s well and will be graduating soon.”
“Oh, he completed his credits quickly.”
Wen Xiaohui was about to reply but he was instantly stumped. He had never mentioned that Luo Yi was at university and based on Luo Yi’s age, he should have been graduating from secondary school. How did Shao Qun know? He turned his stiff neck and glanced at Shao Qun.
Shao Qun had a smile on his face as he looked at Wen Xiaohui. His expression looked as sharp as a knife, like he was going to cut through his pretence in one blow. It made Wen Xiaohui’s whole body tremble.
Shao Qun knows. Shao Qun definitely knows! He investigated Luo Yi. He wouldn’t have investigated Luo Yi if he didn’t know something. Was Luo Yi aware of this?
Shao Qun whispered, “Relax. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Was the implication that Luo Yi had done something wrong? It had been such a long time since the incident that Shao Qun wouldn’t have waited until now if he wanted to cause trouble. He stuttered, “Young Master Shao, I don’t really know what you mean.”
“Do you like playing dumb with me? I’m well aware of what you both did. I must say, I have a whole new level of respect for you. I used to think that you were a scaredy cat, but I never expected you to be so spunky.”
Shao Qun was clearly of the opinion that Wen Xiaohui and Luo Yi were responsible for the nude photos. Nobody would suspect that a child would be so calculating and resort to such measures. Therefore, Wen Xiaohui was unable to refute it. After all, he was the one who would benefit the most from it, so who would believe him if he said that he didn’t know anything?
Each of them watched the dull film with a load on their minds. In particular, Wen Xiaohui regretted going to the premiere. He was so unlucky that he bumped into Shao Qun. He tried to think of an excuse to slip away, but it would have been too obvious.
After the film had been on for a while, Shao Qun began to speak. “Luo Yi isn’t your nephew by blood. I did a brief check on you. He’s the son of your father’s adopted daughter.”
Wen Xiaohui secretly rolled his eyes. “Yeah.”
“He seems to have an interesting upbringing.”
Wen Xiaohui’s heart thudded. “W-What do you know?”
“I know a bit, but I didn’t look into it any further because of the risk. It wasn’t necessary. Since you’re the employee I helped to develop, I want to give you some advice – you should stay away from him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean to say that he’s a very dangerous person. His family background is beyond what a normal person can imagine.”
“I know that, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s just the child my sister entrusted to me. It won’t be dangerous as long as we’re not looking for trouble.” Wen Xiaohui felt a little guilty when he said these words. Luo Yi’s father was like a bomb hanging over their heads, but he didn’t know if that person would post a threat. This was based on the premise that ‘even a cruel tiger would not devour its cubs’ and he thought that at the very least, that person wouldn’t harm Luo Yi.
Shao Qun smiled mockingly. “I can’t say any more since I don’t want to be implicated. I’m only advising you to take care and not to disregard my warning.”
“I understand.”
Once the film ended, Wen Xiaohui hurriedly dragged Luo Rui away.
Luo Rui asked anxiously as they walked, “It was too noisy during the film, so I couldn’t hear properly. What did Shao Qun talk to you about? You look awful.”
“It was nothing. It was just about the nude photo incident. It should be okay now.”
“Oh, that was such a long time ago. It should be fine.” Luo Rui stroked Wen Xiaohui’s head. “Don’t be scared. If Shao Qun really did want to do something, he wouldn’t have waited so long. Don’t think too much about it.”
Wen Xiaohui nodded.
Wen Xiaohui’s mobile phone started to ring at that time. It turned out to be his mum calling when he looked at the caller display. “Hello Mum.”
“Xiaohui, come home now! Feng Yuehua’s voice sounded very anxious and angry. She was also gasping for breath.
“What’s wrong, Mum? Did something happen?”
“Our house was burgled.” Feng Yuehua ranted, “That fucking thief dared to steal from me5. If I were home at the time, I would have chopped him to death with my vegetable cleaver!”
“I’m heading back now, Mum. Have you phoned the police? Don’t touch anything before the police arrive.”
“I know that. Come home as quickly as you can and check what’s missing.”
Footnotes:
Li Hua was the actress that Wen Xiaohui styled with Raven in the earlier part of the novel when they went to the charity dinner. She allegedly slept with Shao Qun.
职业病 is sometimes translated as occupational disease because that’s the literal meaning. However, in this instance, it is being used to describe someone who develops certain work habits that follow through to their personal lives, and not someone who contracted illness as a result of their profession.
同性相斥 is a phrase which means that similar poles of a magnet repel each other, but it’s also being used as a pun. 同性 can also mean gay people or people of the same kind, so I think the alternative meaning is that the two bottoms (shou) are repulsed by each other.
金口玉言, literally from jade words from a golden mouth (idiom). This refers to the fact that words spoken by the emperor (i.e. the golden mouth) in olden times could not be taken back and it still applies in modern usage.
Refers to herself as lao niang i.e. a rather pompous way of referring to oneself.
Chapter 45.2
Wen Xiaohui dragged Luo Rui into a taxi and rushed home. Soon after getting into the taxi, he received a call from Luo Yi.
Wen Xiaohui’s head was so preoccupied by the burglary of his house that he didn’t feel particularly happy when he saw Luo Yi’s incoming call. “Hi, Luo Yi.”
“Xiaohui-ge, where are you? Come around for supper.”
“Sorry, but I have to head back home.”
“You sound a bit anxious. What’s wrong?”
“A thief broke into our house!”
“A thief?” Luo Yi asked in a deeper tone, “When did that happen? What did you lose?”
“I’m still on my way home, so I don’t know yet.”
“Give me a call once you know what’s going on. Do you want me to come over?”
“It’s fine. My mum is at home.”
“Oh yeah. In any case, call me once you know what’s going on.”
“Okay.” Wen Xiaohui felt more relaxed after facing up to his relationship with Luo Yi and he started to suspect that their drifting apart was all in his head, since he and Luo Yi got on well for more than two years. There really was no reason for their relationship to suddenly sour.
The police were already there and making detailed notes by the time he arrived home. Wen Xiaohui looked at his house that had been ransacked. He felt upset.
His mum was sitting on the sofa. Ian was around too as he consoled her.
“Mum.”
Feng Yuehua was so furious that her eyes looked bloodshot. “How come you’re only back now?”
“Mum, don’t be upset.” Wen Xiaohui went over to give her a hug. “The important thing is that you’re okay. What valuables do we have? The most valuable thing in our house is my beautiful mum.”
Feng Yuehua couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “You’re spouting nonsense.”
Luo Rui also comforted her and said, “Auntie, what Xiaohui said is right – it’s lucky that you’re unharmed despite the misfortune.”
Feng Yuehua nodded, letting out a sigh.
Ian stroked her back. “Let’s all tidy up.”
Wen Xiaohui and the police officers finished taking notes. It was late. The police had taken away the CCTV from the house to study and they were due to go to the police station the following day to help with the investigation.
Once the police officers left, they looked at the house that was in complete disarray and felt tired even before they started to tidy up.
“Let’s make a list of everything that’s missing first. We should check as we’re putting everything back in place,” said Ian.
“Okay.” Wen Xiaohui rolled up his sleeves.
Ian looked at Luo Rui with curiosity. “Xiaohui, is he your boyfriend?”
Wen Xiaohui looked at the matching couple’s suits that they were wearing and he laughed out loud. “You could say that.”
The four of them started to tidy up the house from the inside out.
Wen Xiaohui checked the items in his room. His room wasn’t big, so after a quick look around, he discovered that nothing was missing. He felt relieved that he kept his notebook at the office instead of bringing it home, otherwise it would have been a casualty.
After they finished their checks, they found that only some cash in the living room was missing – it was just a few hundred yuan. On the contrary, Feng Yuehua’s jewellery box which was stored on the bookcase had been tipped over, but they didn’t take it away. It made people wonder if this thief was perhaps blind.
Feng Yuehua let out a sigh of relief. “Luckily, we didn’t lose that much.”
Wen Xiaohui also felt more relieved. “That’s great, we just need to sort out the house. It has been peaceful in this neighbourhood for over 10 years, so why did this happen to our household? Was the thief lying in wait for a while, thinking I look like a rich person?”
Feng Yuehua mocked, “Which household’s rich person do you look like?”
“It’s my disposition. My elegant disposition.”
Ian and Luo Rui both burst into laughter.
They stayed up throughout the night to put everything in the house back in its place. It was past 3 a.m. by the time they finally sorted the house and once the rubbish had been taken out, the house was clean again.
Ian felt too awkward to stay the night and he drove home. Luo Rui stayed to sleep over that night.
After Luo Rui lay on Wen Xiaohui’s bed, he rolled over and said rather uneasily, “I never realised how small this bed was in the past.”
“When was the last time you slept in my bed? Was it in the final year of secondary school?”
“Are you implying that I’m fat now?” Luo Rui pinched the flesh on his belly. “Don’t scare me like that.”
“You’re eating sweet treats all day. Don’t you know if you’re fat or not?”
Luo Rui mumbled to himself as he felt a bit down.
Wen Xiaohui sighed. “I can’t really fall asleep. After the house got burgled, I don’t have any sense of security at home and it makes me feel particularly anxious.” It was as if some kind of protective barrier had been broken, making it difficult for people to feel at ease.
Luo Rui hugged him and stroked his head to comfort him. “Baby, you don’t have to be scared. If you’re still worried, you can stay with me since my parents aren’t around.”
Wen Xiaohui said as he smiled, “It’s fine. I’ve always wanted to buy a new house for my mum. After I receive my inheritance, the first thing is to buy a bigger and better house to live in.”
“If you’re going to buy a house, can you buy one closer to me?”
“Damn rich second generation! Do you know how expensive your neighbourhood is? I can’t afford it.”
Luo Rui pouted. “I used to see you every day when we were still at school.”
“I see you a few times a week nowadays. You love me so much, I feel under a lot of pressure.”
Luo Rui heckled, “Piss off.”
The two of them went to sleep hugging each other. Only a few minutes after Wen Xiaohui closed his eyes, he suddenly reopened them and moved his shoulder.
Luo Rui asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Luo Yi asked me to update him on the situation, but I was so busy that I forgot.”
“Do it tomorrow, there’s no rush. It’s not like you’ve lost anything.”
“You don’t know what he’s like.” Wen Xiaohui sat up to go find his mobile phone.
“He would have phoned you earlier if it was that urgent.”
“Ah-ha, my mobile phone has no battery left.” Wen Xiaohui1 dug out his mobile phone and he whacked himself on the head a few times in anger. He rushed to charge the phone and when he turned it on, there were a few text messages and missed calls as expected. The recent missed call was received a moment ago. He quickly called him back. Once the call connected, he said, “I’m really sorry, Luo Yi. I’ve been tidying up the house and I didn’t know that my phone had run out of battery.”
The person on the other end of the line took a deep breath. Luo Yi began to speak and his tone of voice was solemn. “I’m outside your house.”
Wen Xiaohui was shocked. “Oh? Now?”
“Yeah.”
“W-Why did you run over to mine? It’s 3 a.m!”
“Because your phone was off. I had no way of knowing if you were okay.”
“You… Wait for me. I’ll come down now.” Wen Xiaohui rolled over and jumped off the bed. He said to Luo Rui. “You should go to bed. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Luo Yi was stunned. “Who were you talking to? Who’s sleeping beside you?”
“Luo Rui – he helped me to tidy the house.”
“Oh.” Luo Yi seemed to calm down from the tone of his voice.
Luo Rui looked at Wen Xiaohui and gave him a dubious looking smile.
Wen Xiaohui rolled his eyes at him, putting him back into bed. “Go to sleep.” He draped a jacket over his pyjamas, then rushed downstairs.
——————————-
When he got downstairs, he saw Luo Yi just outside the building, wearing a hoodie that didn’t seem too thick as he leant against his bicycle. Luo Yi’s hands were in his pockets as he waited for Wen Xiaohui.
Wen Xiaohui ran over and used his hands to cover Luo Yi’s freezing ears. “It’s already autumn, how come you’re wearing so few clothes? Don’t you know that it gets cold at night?”
Luo Yi hugged him. It was a very tight hug.
Wen Xiaohui froze.
Luo Yi said in a hoarse voice. “It’s lucky that you’re alright.”
Wen Xiaohui felt a gush of warmth in his heart. “I’m fine. There was no one around when the thief broke in. We’ve checked and it doesn’t look like we’ve lost any valuables. The main point is that my house doesn’t have anything valuable in it, haha.”
Luo Yi rubbed his cheek against Wen Xiaohui’s cheek. “What did the thief steal?”
“Just a few hundred yuan in cash. They didn’t even touch my mum’s jewellery – there was even a diamond ring.”
Luo Yi’s expression looked very gloomy. “Anything else? Are you missing anything?”
“I didn’t notice anything missing. My computer’s at the office and all my jewellery is just costume jewellery, which the thief didn’t touch. The thief was very unlucky – he went through all that trouble and only got a few hundred yuan.” Wen Xiaohui felt a bit embarrassed about the position they were in; he wanted Luo Yi to let go of him, but Luo Yi wouldn’t let go. He secretly felt a little happy about this because the indifference with which Luo Yi treated him over this period of time seemed to have been obliterated by this hug. It seemed like he had been overthinking things and Luo Yi was genuinely too busy.
Luo Yi finally let him go, but his arms were still wrapped around Wen Xiaohui’s waist. “You can move into the house that Mum left you once you receive your inheritance. The neighbourhood is really safe.”
“Yeah, I’ll go take a look when the time comes. I have been thinking about moving my mum to a nicer house because this place is too old.”
Luo Yi whispered again, “It’s good that you’re safe.”
Wen Xiaohui smiled and said, “What could have happened? It’s just a thief.”
Luo Yi gave him a profound look, suddenly lowering his head to kiss Wen Xiaohui on the lips.
Wen Xiaohui’s eyes widened. His heart started to race and his mind went completely blank.
Footnotes:
The raws state Luo Yi, which I think must be a typo.
