Additional Inheritance - Chap 51
Chapter 51.1
The next day, Wen Xiaohui didn’t go to work, and instead he headed over to Luo Rui’s bakery to work as a store assistant. Feeling agitated, he decided to do something that didn’t require using his brain.
He sent his mum a text message proposing that they have a chat once she’d calmed down, but he received no response.
As he was clearing away the dishes, a customer pushed open the door and entered, bringing with him a gush of cold wind. Wen Xiaohui turned his head to see. Wasn’t he the guy that Luo Rui was smitten with? The young, handsome guy who wore glasses and had a cold appearance.
At that moment, Luo Rui was in the kitchen at the back, keeping an eye on the cakes that he was baking. Wen Xiaohui quickly gave the waitress a meaningful look, telling her to call Luo Rui over.
As always, the young fellow was fully focussed and went straight to the counter to order a few pieces of cake.
Wen Xiaohui leaned towards him. “Hey Handsome, you come pretty often to ours for cake.”
He glanced at Wen Xiaohui, then nodded.
“Why don’t you sign up for a loyalty card? You can collect points.” Wen Xiaohui picked up a loyalty card and waved it in front of his eyes.
“No, thanks. Just pack these,” said the guy to the cashier.
“Sign up for one. You bought so many cakes, you can get one for free. It’s a really good value. Come on, it’s very easy. You just have to leave your phone number and name.” Wen Xiaohui had no sense of shame, unwilling to back down.
The young fellow didn’t respond to Wen Xiaohui while he waited for the cakes to be packaged up.
“Hey Handsome, I’ve been assigned the task of getting people to sign up. Could you please help me?” Wen Xiaohui blinked and gave him a pleading look.
He frowned. It was obvious that he was beginning to get impatient and he took the card.
“Oh yeah, could I please trouble you to leave your phone number and your name? Don’t worry, we won’t disturb you. Come on, you need to fill out your date of birth here. Here you have to fill out your height and weight.”
“You have to provide your height and weight?”
“Haha, I was just kidding.”
At that moment, Luo Rui came out. He smoothed his hair and scurried behind the counter. He nonchalantly added a piece of cake, then grabbed two bottles of drinking yogurt to personally hand over to him. Smiling sweetly, he said, “They’re all fresh out of the oven. Here you go.”
“How much is the yogurt?”
“It’s fine, it’s on the house.”
The young fellow looked blank as he asked, “Why are you always giving me stuff?”
Luo Rui’s smile froze and his cheeks quickly reddened. “Erm, it’s because you’re a loyal customer…”
The young fellow gave him a look which was profound and sharp. It seemed as though he saw through Luo Rui in a flash. He took the cake and the yogurt. “Keep the change.” As soon as he finished speaking, he left without a further glance.
Luo Rui’s eyes continued to watch his back view until he disappeared around the street corner, then he sighed in disappointment.
“Is that the best you can do?” Wen Xiaohui gave Luo Rui’s head a little push.
Luo Rui pouted. “Does he dislike me? Is it because he thinks I’m a perv?”
“No idea.”
“Quickly tell me that it’s not true!” Luo Rui jiggled Wen Xiaohui’s arm.
Wen Xiaohui put his hand out. In between his fingers was the loyalty card’s form. “Here’s his name, phone number and date of birth.”
Luo Rui’s eyes widened as he exclaimed, “Wow,” and snatched it. “Baby, you’re so awesome!”
“Awesome, my ass! He’s been here so many times, but you didn’t dare ask him to sign up for a loyalty card. How did I develop you into someone like this?”
Luo Rui was excited for a while. “But, I don’t dare call him even though I have his phone number.”
“You wouldn’t dare straddle him even if he stripped off all his clothes. You’re too timid. Are you waiting for Prince Charming1 to propose2 to you? You must be dreaming.”
“Baby… Your mouth is so malicious.” Luo Rui held the card between his teeth, looking like a shy and timid young lady. Wen Xiaohui wanted to beat him up after seeing him.
“This is the first day, so all you have to do is send a text message. When it’s his birthday, you can give him a present. You should chat to him more when he comes and you’ll slowly get to know each other. Oh crap, I feel anxious for you.”
Luo Rui nodded, stroking a curl on his own head and feeling as though he couldn’t stop smiling.
That night after they closed the store, they both felt very cold and decided to order some takeaway before going home. The takeaway hadn’t arrived, but instead Luo Yi arrived first.
Wen Xiaohui exclaimed, “How come you’re here?” As he looked at Luo Yi, he recalled what his mum had said. For no apparent reason, he appeared flustered.
“You didn’t really reply to my text messages all day. I guessed that you might be here.”
“How did you know I was here?”
“Just had a feeling.” Luo Yi stared at Wen Xiaohui’s slightly swollen cheeks. “What happened to your face?”
“Nothing.”
“How could nothing have happened when your face is swollen?” Luo Yi’s tone of voice became more serious.
Wen Xiaohui was the kind of person who could spend half a day shouting if he had a spot on his face. His face was swollen from being slapped, so there was no way that nothing had happened.
Wen Xiaohui lowered his head. His voice was gloomy as he replied, “It was my mum who hit me.”
Luo Yi’s face darkened. “Why?”
“She knows about you. She thought the sale of our apartment went too smoothly, so she was concerned. She started to look into it…”
Luo Yi let out a sigh.
Luo Rui was hanging around at the side and he didn’t know what to do. He said, “I… I’m going to the kitchen to check on something.” He ran off to the kitchen around the back, giving the two of them some personal space.
Wen Xiaohui said in a deeper tone: “My mum told me to buy the apartment back.”
“She’s just angry, so you should let her cool down for a few days, then talk about it.”
Wen Xiaohui shook his head. “Originally, the sale of the apartment was to keep things hidden from her. Since she already knows, there’s no point anymore. I’ll transfer the money to you. Let’s find a day where you can come along with me to transfer the apartment back. I don’t think my mum is going to move because she said she didn’t want my sister’s house.”
A dark shadow appeared briefly in Luo Yi’s eyes. “Transactions at such frequencies will be investigated by the Housing Administration Bureau. We should wait two or three months.”
“Oh… There’s such a thing?”
“Yeah.”
Wen Xiaohui sighed, “Luo Yi, did my sister ever mention anything about my dad or my mum?”
“No, but she spoke about you frequently.”
“Not even once?”
“Nope.”
Wen Xiaohui became silent for a while, then he asked, “How old were you when you got the burn on your back?”
“Around eight years old. Why?”
“How did it happen? Were you playing with fire?”
“Yeah. I accidentally set the car on fire.” Luo Yi looked as though he didn’t want to continue discussing the topic. “Let’s go home. Have you had dinner yet?”
Wen Xiaohui shook his head. “Luo Rui ordered takeaway.” Eight years old… He accidentally set the car on fire… If no one mentioned this incident, then how did his mum find out? Was what his mum said the truth? Luo Yi actually wanted to murder his own father? Perhaps there was some sort of misunderstanding…
Soon, the takeaway arrived. Luo Rui happened to order too much food, so the three of them had dinner together. Wen Xiaohui was surprisingly quiet during the meal and Luo Yi didn’t say much either. Each of them had a load on their minds, feeling repressed as they ate dinner.
After dinner, Luo Yi wanted to take Wen Xiaohui back to his house. Although Wen Xiaohui didn’t want to be alone with Luo Yi at this point in time, he couldn’t think of an excuse to turn him down and he could only head home with him.
————————————–
After showering that night, Wen Xiaohui said, “I want to take a look at the scars on your back.”
Luo Yi frowned. “What’s up with you today?”
“I only want to take a look.” Wen Xiaohui stared at Luo Yi without blinking.
Luo Yi took his top off and turned around.
When they had sex, Wen Xiaohui tried not to look or touch the scars since they were unlikely to evoke pleasant memories and might ruin the mood. Today, he proactively put his hand on top of the scars. He felt as though his fingertips were being scorched as he touched the sinister-looking scars. He trembled slightly as if the burns previously suffered by this body had been transferred to his own skin. The vicious and intimidating Qiongqi tattoo seemed particularly garish.
If Luo Yi really did something like this when he was eight years old, his greatest wish was to find out why he did it. What did Luo Yi experience as a child that would make a young child want to murder his own father?
Luo Yi asked softly, “Are you done looking?”
Wen Xiaohui hugged him from behind. “It must have been really painful.”
Luo Yi replied indifferently, “I don’t remember.”
“What was your childhood like? Why would they let you play with fire in a car?”
“No one was looking after me,” said Luo Yi matter-of-factly.
“D-Do you really hate that person?” After Wen Xiaohui worked up enough courage to ask the question, he used all his strength to hug Luo Yi tightly. He could feel Luo Yi’s body trembling like his.
“Xiaohui-ge, what’s up with you today?”
“You answer me first.”
“…Yes.”
“Why.”
Luo Yi stayed silent.
“Why?” Wen Xiaohui asked relentlessly. The question had been sitting stagnant in his tummy for a very, very long time. If that person hadn’t appeared on the day of Luo Yi’s birthday, if Sun Ying hadn’t told him that Yaya might have committed suicide, or if his mum hadn’t said those words to him, perhaps he would have been able to continue holding it in. But, he really couldn’t tolerate it anymore. There was no way that he could have stayed out of it from the day he met Luo Yi and signed the contract.
Luo Yi’s tone of voice changed as he pulled away from Wen Xiaohui to turn and look at him. “Don’t ask questions like this again.”
Wen Xiaohui was about to open his mouth when Luo Yi touched him on the lips. His eyes looked as deep as a bottomless pit, rendering people with a fear of plummeting. He whispered, “I already told you not to ask again.”
Wen Xiaohui felt a chill on his back, then he suddenly became covered in goose pimples. He gulped. He really was too scared to say anything.
Luo Yi gently kissed Wen Xiaohui’s forehead. He grabbed his clothes and got up to go to the bathroom.
Wen Xiaohui froze for a while before he slowly covered his chest. The erratic beating of his heart kick-started his innate fear to the extent that his whole body also trembled.
Doubt began to form. It was something that he’d never previously considered – could he and Luo Yi really continue to be together?
When Luo Yi came out of the bathroom, Wen Xiaohui pretended that he’d fallen asleep.
Luo Yi got into bed and under the duvet. He hugged Wen Xiaohui from behind – his broad chest was stuck right against Wen Xiaohui’s back, as he affectionately kissed his neck.
Wen Xiaohui didn’t move. He didn’t know why, but Luo Yi’s intimacy made him feel a bit nervous.
Monster… Monster…
He kept dwelling on the words that his mum used to describe Luo Yi.
Was he actually engulfed in the warm embrace of a monster?
Footnotes:
The Chinese wording refers to the handsome guy riding on a white horse, which is a term used to refer to Prince Charming in the fairy tales.
The term ‘marry’ in Chinese is gendered and the author uses the specific term for marrying a wife (i.e. Luo Rui) in this sentence.
Translator note:
Shui Qiancheng released her Sentinel/Guide alternative universe extras for the 188 series, which includes Additional Inheritance, taking the number of AI extras from 33 to 34. This is the official art from the new extra.
Chapter 51.2
Trigger Warnings: References to domestic violence
Wen Xiaohui didn’t go home for a whole week as he knew that his mum still hadn’t calmed down. However, he felt that continuing the cold war1 between them wasn’t the solution since they were mother and son, not children. Besides, the mood between him and Luo Yi would continue to be depressing unless this issue was resolved, which made him feel miserable.
After work, he rushed back home. He decided that he would put on a bold face and beg for forgiveness. He was still on the bus when he received a phone call from Ian.
“Hi, Uncle Ian?”
“Xiaohui.” Ian sounded anxious. “Where are you? Something happened back home.”
Wen Xiaohui’s heart clenched. “What happened? Did something happen to my mum?”
“Yuehua’s okay, calm down, but your apartment’s on fire.”
Wen Xiaohui was stunned: “W-What? It’s on fire?”
Ian sighed. “Your apartment’s very unlucky. Come home. Yuehua needs you to reassure her.”
Wen Xiaohui hopped off the bus at the next stop. He grabbed a taxi and hurried home.
Before he even got to his apartment, he saw dense smoke coming from his neighbourhood in the distance. It was especially noticeable in the dark.
The taxi driver said, “Hey, whose house is that? They’re so unlucky – it’s on fire.”
Wen Xiaohui was in a bad mood and he didn’t say a word.
After he got out of the taxi, he ran towards the neighbourhood. As expected, he saw that the windows of his apartment had been charred black. It seemed as though the fire had been extinguished. Plumes of back smoke were still billowing out and there were crowds of people who had gathered by the entrance to the building.
Wen Xiaohui shoved his way through the crowds and immediately spotted Ian and his mum. He rushed over. “Mum!”
Feng Yuehua was wearing her pyjamas and flip flops, with tears in her eyes.
Wen Xiaohui saw that his mum was indeed unharmed – his heart which felt like it was dangling in mid-air eventually dropped back down. “Mum, what happened?”
Feng Yuehua took a deep breath, saying fiercely, “Someone came around to sell insurance, but it seemed like he was trying to cause trouble. I argued with him for a bit. After the argument, I went back to our apartment, but I wasn’t sure when I’d locked myself out. I clearly remembered that I hadn’t locked the door… There was still food cooking inside, but the apartment went up in flames before the locksmith arrived.”
Wen Xiaohui let out a sigh. He knew his mum’s temperament – she was an impulsive sort of person, so if she came across someone who had a foul mouth, she would definitely not let things slide.
Ian said, “Maybe this is the end of your fate with this apartment. The burglary happened first, then the fire. You’re not suited to living here anymore.”
Feng Yuehua replied emotionally, “The apartment that we lived in for more than 20 years… Is this really the end?”
Wen Xiaohui said, “It’s good that you weren’t hurt. What about the salesman? I’ll beat him to death first.”
“He ran off ages ago.” Feng Yuehua looked aggrieved.
“Fuck!” Wen Xiaohui felt very depressed. Seeing the home where he grew up being covered by the thick plumes of smoke, it gave off the impression that his childhood was also being buried. Although there wasn’t much valuable in his house, they were still relics from when his dad was alive and they recorded his growth from childhood. He felt so upset that he wanted to cry.
The blaze wasn’t too big – it was quickly extinguished. After verifying that there was no further danger, they went inside to have a look around. The fire had indeed originated in the kitchen and it spread very quickly as a result of the dry weather and the fact that they had heaps of stuff everywhere. The whole house was a complete mess – there was no way that anyone could live there.
Ian consoled them both: “You can stay over at mine if you don’t mind.”
Feng Yuehua didn’t agree to it on the spot. “I’ll talk about it with Xiaohui.”
Wen Xiaohui returned to his room and he cleaned it up a bit. His room wasn’t too badly damaged, but many of the items made out of paper and clothes had been set on fire. The textbooks he used to view as junk, that he resented for taking up space in his room, had become actual junk. It made him feel upset.
Who would be in the mood to tidy up the apartment after seeing its sorry state? It wasn’t the same as when the apartment was broken into, because the thief had only made a mess and it was fine once everything was put back in place. A lot of things had been completely destroyed this time. The apartment was so filthy that it felt uncomfortable to stay there even for a short period of time.
———————————-
Luo Rui rushed over after hearing the news. He took both mother and son back to his house.
Feng Yuehua discussed it with Wen Xiaohui. After all, she thought that it would be inappropriate for her and Ian to live together since they weren’t married yet, and that was why she decided not to move in with Ian.
Wen Xiaohui said opportunistically, “Mum, there’s furniture and furnishings in the other house, so why don’t we move in?”
“I’m not going.” Feng Yuehua turned around. “I’ll be staying with your Aunt Wang for a month to wait for the house to be refurbished. I’ll be moving back home when it’s complete.”
“Aunt Wang’s daughter is in her postpartum confinement2. You’ll be a hassle if you go there.”
With a face full of stubbornness, Feng Yuehua pursed her lips.
Wen Xiaohui grabbed her hand. “Mum, try not to lose your temper at a time like this. We’ll go stay there for a month, then we’ll move back once the apartment is refurbished. It’s inappropriate for you to bother others for a month and it’s too expensive to stay in a hotel. We have a place that’s ready to move into, so why wouldn’t you?”
Feng Yuehua glared at him. “Do you think I’m just losing my temper? Xiaohui, do you even understand my concerns? Are you heartless? Aren’t you wary of danger?”
Wen Xiaohui struggled to speak: “Mum, Yaya was really wealthy – she was extremely, extremely wealthy. A house and three million is nothing, so why would that person have any reason to come after us? I know you don’t want to get involved with him. I don’t want to either. It should be fine as long as we don’t provoke him.
“What about Luo Yi? You’re so close to him, aren’t you scared?”
Wen Xiaohui’s heart trembled. “I think that Luo Yi’s a good person.” After he said those words, he suddenly had a guilty conscience. It shocked him. Why? Why did he have a guilty conscience?
“Don’t you believe what I told you?” asked Feng Yuehua as she gritted her teeth.
“No, Mum. I believe you, but Luo Yi won’t harm me. He treats me very well – like a member of his family. Think about it, that person must have done something for Luo Yi to react that way at such a young age. Otherwise, why would an eight year old child come up with that kind of notion? He’s not a monster, nor is he the devil – he wouldn’t do that sort of thing to us.”
Feng Yuehua lowered her head. After a while, she sighed. “Yaya mentioned he used to beat her often. Sometimes, it was in front of the child.”
Wen Xiaohui could have guessed it already, but he still felt distressed for Luo Yi when he heard it.
“Mum, Luo Yi’s also a victim – try not to be prejudiced against him because of this incident. Firstly, he was still young at the time of the incident, so maybe he didn’t understand what he was doing. Secondly, he treats me really well. There’s no way he could hurt me, so don’t be scared of him.”
Feng Yuehua shook her head. “In any case, he’s still that person’s son.”
“Mum, he’s also Yaya’s son and he can be considered to be my nephew. Would you like to meet him? I guarantee you’ll like him after meeting him. He’s intelligent, handsome, and really good at taking care of others.”
Feng Yuehua remained silent for a period of time until she had a sudden flash of inspiration. She immediately stared at Wen Xiaohui. “Are you going out with him?”
The expression on Wen Xiaohui’s face froze as he nodded awkwardly.
“You!” Feng Yuehua raised her hand to slap him, but the slap didn’t end up materialising. Using her hands to cover her face, she seemed exhausted.
Wen Xiaohui felt that his face was burning and it was just as he’d said – in name, Luo Yi was his nephew. Although they weren’t related by blood, it still didn’t sound great. He felt upset because all throughout his childhood, his mum was never disappointed in him regardless of when he was being mocked for being effeminate, when he discovered that he was gay, or when he found out his results were too poor to go to university. Instead, she was supportive and encouraged him to be himself and to do what he wanted to do. But now, it seemed as though he’d used up all the disappointment that his mum had stored up over his life in the space of a few days.
Feng Yuehua shooed him out of her bedroom. Wen Xiaohui closed the door gently and saw that Luo Rui was carrying some milk. Luo Rui felt like he was on the edge of his seat as he stared at Wen Xiaohui. He started to ask as soon as Wen Xiaohui came out: “Is Auntie okay?”
Wen Xiaohui shook his head. Luo Rui passed him some milk. “During this time, you were also… At least no one was harmed. Just treat it as using money to block the calamity.”
Wen Xiaohui rested his head on Luo Rui, whispering: “Baby, I’m so tired.”
Luo Rui felt distraught as he stroked Wen Xiaohui’s back. “I know.”
“Why does trouble come knocking on the door every two or three days?”
“Life shouldn’t be like this.”
“But you don’t have concerns. Hmph! It’s because you’re rich.”
Luo Rui sneered, “I’m poor.”
Wen Xiaohui hugged him as he muttered, “I feel like after meeting Luo Yi, there have been a lot of ups and downs in my life.”
“But after you met him, you also experienced a lot of joy.”
“Yeah.” Wen Xiaohui felt bitterness, but also sweetness in his heart as he thought of Luo Yi.
“Don’t worry about anything related to the apartment. You and Auntie can stay over in my house before the renovations are complete.”
“No, my mum is really worried about inconveniencing others.”
“I can’t be considered as an ‘other’ person – I’m her godson. When I was little and my parents weren’t home, I used to go to yours frequently for dinner and sleepovers. Having you over for a month isn’t a big deal,” said Luo Rui with a smile.
Wen Xiaohui’s heart felt warm and fuzzy. “I’ll ask her. She’s really unwilling to live in that house.”
“You don’t have to go. It’s a good opportunity to spend time with me.” Luo Rui let out a small sigh. “It feels lonely living by yourself for such a long time.
————————————
Wen Xiaohui requested three days off from the studio, hiring people to clean up the apartment. They packed the important stuff into boxes and sealed them. Making the most of the opportunity, it was the best time to have a full renovation of the apartment. Since his mum was unwilling to move house, they could improve the living conditions.
After Luo Yi found out about the fire at Wen Xiaohui’s apartment, he comforted him a bit and promised to transfer the ownership of the apartment back as soon as possible in order to make his mum feel more at ease.
On the last day of his holiday, Wen Xiaohui and his mum went to sort out the renovation. It was much more tiring to choose hard finishes than soft furnishings. It was completely unlike the newly-wed bliss when he and Luo Yi went shopping at the home decor stores.
After ordering the bathroom fittings, they had an appointment with the tiler to measure dimensions and they rushed home. They froze as soon as they stepped through the door – the wall in the master bedroom had been smashed through.
“What the heck happened?” Wen Xiaohui shouted, “Who told you to smash the wall?”
“Mr Li3 told us to do it,” shouted one of the builders.
“Who is Mr Li?” asked Feng Yuehua.
“Didn’t the company send him over?” A few of the builders chattered, but no one seemed to know Mr Li.
Wen Xiaohui was so furious that he made a call to the company in charge of the renovations to rant at them. The company was also baffled. They called Mr Zhang who was in charge, but Mr Zhang still hadn’t arrived.
After going around in circles, no one knew what the heck was going on. The wall in their apartment, that they had no intention of touching, had been smashed.
It was common to find similar mistakes in the building industry. There was no point arguing with the builders and they could only accept that they’d been unlucky.
Footnotes:
冷战 refers to the US-Soviet Cold War between the years of 1947 to 1991. When used to describe relationships, it means that the two people who have a disagreement are not on speaking terms.
In Chinese culture, some women who have given birth decide to stay indoors (i.e. the ‘confinement’) for a full month to nurse their bodies and recuperate.
Similar to where I’ve used Mr Cao for Lawyer Cao, Mr Li is actually Builder Li in the raws, but I’ve used an alternative to make it sound less awkward in English.
Translator note:
Just a warning that the next chapter is really long (nearly 10,000 Chinese characters in total). There’s a chance that there could be a slight delay in releasing the translated chapters.
