Additional Inheritance - Chap 59
Chapter 59
After finishing dinner in a rush, Wen Xiaohui wiped his mouth and stood up. “I’m going home. Let me know if there’s any further news.”
Luo Yi was surprised. He grabbed Wen Xiaohui by the wrist. “There’s still dessert.”
“I don’t want it.”
“Let’s play computer games together, I bought a new game.”
“I must head back.”
Luo Yi lifted his head up to look at him. His eyes were full of longing. “It’s already dark, don’t go.”
Wen Xiaohui shook his hand off. “Did you think I came here to have sex with you?”
Luo Yi looked a little embarrassed. “I didn’t mean it like that, even if I do miss you a lot… I just want things to be the way they were.”
“Luo Yi, we’ll never be the way we were.”
Luo Yi’s hand gradually formed a fist. “Okay, you should go back then, Would you like me to escort you?”
“It’s fine.” Wen Xiaohui put his shoes on, pushed the door open and left.
“Xiaohui-ge.” Luo Yi’s shout came from behind him. He said in a low voice, “Why don’t you want to go to France?”
Wen Xiaohui turned his head. His expression was like a cat with its fur standing on end. He said firmly, “Fuck you! Stop monitoring my mobile phone!”
“I’m doing it to protect you.”
“Bullshit!”
“Why aren’t you going?” Luo Yi’s pupils looked so dark that they shimmered and it was impossible to tell what kind of thoughts were hidden in their depths.
“I don’t know any French.” Wen Xiaohui stormed out as he slammed the door.
———————–
After leaving Luo Yi’s house, he went past a mobile phone store and thought about changing his phone or maybe his sim card again. However, after some consideration, he decided it was too wasteful, and besides, Luo Yi would still have a way of finding and tapping it even if he got a new one. These kinds of feelings could really drive someone mad. He needed to resolve the problem once the issue with Luo Yi and President Chang was over.
Wen Xiaohui didn’t tell anyone about Luo Yi’s problem but he felt very stifled. He bought some beer to take to Luo Rui after work. When Luo Rui saw that he’d brought over some beer, he rolled his eyes. “Come over to my house if you want to drink, okay? This is a patisserie – we don’t have this sort of crappy beer.”
“It so happens I like drinking this sort of crappy beer.” Wen Xiaohui put the beer down on the office desk and he ordered, “Bring some cakes over and go get some takeaway duck neck and duck tongue from next door. Make sure they add extra chillies.”
Luo Rui placed his hands on his hips as he stared at Wen Xiaohui. “You’re technically a millionaire, can you have some class please?
“Screw class. I have to put on an act every day when I’m out. I’m exhausted.” Wen Xiaohui took out a compact mirror and lipstick. He wiped as he said, “With good looks like mine, eating French food and drinking red wine is a sign of sophistication while eating duck neck and drinking beer is considered down-to-earth.” After he finished speaking, he smacked his lips in front of the mirror. “Go quickly.”
Feeling exasperated, Luo Rui asked a store assistant to go pick up some takeaway.
Wen Xiaohui set out the cake and beer on the desk, then he took out his mobile phone to take a selfie. He murmured, “I haven’t updated my blog in a while.”
Luo Rui sat down opposite him. “What the hell’s wrong with you today?”
Wen Xiaohui raised his eyes to look at him. “What’s wrong with me? I’m just eating cake from your bakery.”
“You’ve suddenly come to ask me to drink with you, something must be wrong.” Luo Rui sighed, “Is it related to Luo Yi?”
“Don’t mention those two words – it’ll ruin my appetite.” Wen Xiaohui picked up a slice of blueberry mousse and viciously took a huge bite out of it.
“Your lack of appetite didn’t just appear in the past day or two. Does mentioning him even make a difference or not?”
Wen Xiaohui scooped up a spoonful of pudding, stuffing it into Luo Rui’s mouth. “Eat.”
Luo Rui bit the spoon and pouted as he looked at Wen Xiaohui.
At this moment, the store assistant brought the duck neck back. Wen Xiaohui opened the bag, both of his hands dove in. He ate until his little mouth was greasy – it was incredibly crass.
Luo Rui propped his chin and stared at him for a while, he whispered, “I hate Luo Yi as well.”
Wen Xiaohui froze. “Why?”
“You used to be so carefree and nothing could trouble you for more than three days. You haven’t been quite like yourself after breaking up with him.”
“Of course, I used to be dirt-poor, but now I’m a rich man.”
“That’s why you despise the poor.”
“Xiao Ma.” Wen Xiaohui wiped his mouth. “Do you think I’ll ever meet someone I like?”
“You definitely will. How old are you? You’re 22. Maybe you’ll meet more than one.”
“Fuck! You’re jinxing me to fall out of love a few times.”
“Fuck you! Why don’t you look at it from another angle?”
Wen Xiaohui sucked his finger. “But I believe people’s feelings are finite – a number of kilos and grams1. Luo Yi nearly depleted all of mine, so how could I fall in love with anyone else?”
Luo Rui pinched Wen Xiaohui’s face. He frowned as he said, “Don’t be so sad, I’m really not used to it. You’re overthinking things. You’ll eventually forget it, no matter what it is. You’ll forget Luo Yi completely in a couple of years.”
Wen Xiaohui remained silent for a period of time. “Maybe you’re right and I need to start another relationship.”
Luo Rui nodded enthusiastically. “Li Shuo. Li Shuo’s so amazing.”
Wen Xiaohui lowered his head to continue eating duck necks. He couldn’t really describe how he was feeling inside. He made the wrong decision from the outset and perhaps he needed to rectify his error. However, could you actually rectify how you feel towards somebody?
The two of them unwittingly downed seven cans of beer, although it was barely anything to Wen Xiaohui. Luo Rui was the kind of person whose face was flushed after just one can of beer. His face was reddened from drinking and even his tummy was bloated. His chin rested on the desk as he waved his hand weakly. “No, I can’t drink any more. I’m so full and I feel dizzy.”
“You have such low tolerance.” Wen Xiaohui was sprawled on the desk. He giggled as he played with Luo Rui’s soft curls and felt a sense of tranquillity. Alcohol was great – it could temporarily relieve people of their worries.
They both continued to drink until they were dizzy, as if they’d fall asleep in the next second. Coincidentally, at this time, there was a knock on the door to the office. They were startled and became a lot more sober.
Luo Rui let out a beer-induced belch. “Come in.”
When the door opened, a tall figure appeared in the doorway. It happened to be Luo Yi.
They were shocked and after they came back to their senses, Luo Rui gazed towards Wen Xiaohui with a look of surprise.
Wen Xiaohui sprung up, but he felt dizzy as a result of getting up too quickly. His body started to sway.
Luo Yi strode forward to support him. His tone of voice was full of concern as he asked, “Why are you drinking here?”
Wen Xiaohui pushed him away and replied rudely, “Why are you here?”
“I was passing by and it suddenly occurred to me that you might be here. That’s why I’ve come to check and it turns out you’re here.”
“Bullshit! Are you following me?” In order to avoid Luo Yi eavesdropping on his calls, he tried to avoid using his mobile phone to contact people.
“I wasn’t following you. I genuinely came to see if I was in luck.” Luo Yi nodded in the direction of Luo Rui. “Luo Rui-ge.”
Luo Rui mustered his courage to say: “W-What are you doing in my store? Haven’t you and Xiaohui broken up?”
Luo Yi smiled slightly, but he didn’t say anything in response.
“You should hurry back home,” said Wen Xiaohui bluntly.
“I’ll take you home.”
“I don’t need you to take me home. Leave quickly. You’re not allowed to come to Luo Rui’s store in future.”
Luo Yi urged, “You should come to my house, you’ll make Auntie angry if you go back home.”
Wen Xiaohui shoved him hard. “Didn’t you hear me telling you to get lost?!” He felt particularly ashamed in front of Luo Rui. He was initially going to keep it a secret, but he would have never guessed that soon afterwards, he’d be explaining to Luo Rui why he was still entangled with Luo Yi.
The shove was indeed brutal. Luo Yi instinctively dodged, so Wen Xiaohui staggered and nearly fell flat on the floor. Luo Yi grabbed him in an embrace and said softly, “Stop causing a fuss. Luo Rui-ge’s bakery still needs to do business.”
Wen Xiaohui looked up and glared at him. “Why did you come if you knew he still needs to do business?”
Luo Yi caressed Wen Xiaohui’s head. “Let’s go home.” He supported Wen Xiaohui as they left the office.
Luo Rui caught up to them. “Luo Yi, I’ll take Xiaohui home in a little bit. I have a car.”
Luo Yi turned his head, giving Luo Rui a calm and cold look that was obviously a warning. “You don’t have to worry about me and Xiaohui-ge.”
Luo Rui froze – his heart was beating crazily and his scalp felt numb. For the first time, he finally understood why Wen Xiaohui had said that Luo Yi was scary sometimes. Just one look was enough to stop him from taking another step.
Wen Xiaohui became angry, slapping Luo Yi in the face. “What the hell are you playing at? I told you to get lost, you should get lost!”
Unexpectedly, there were no customers in the store, but there were still a few store assistants around, who turned to look at them, one after another. Even more unexpected was that someone pushed the doors open to go inside at that moment in time. This person was none other than Li Shuo.
All four people were stunned. It was dead quiet in the store.
Luo Rui whispered to the store assistants: “Go tidy up the kitchen.”
The store assistants rushed to the kitchen at the back of the store.
Li Shuo quickly recovered his usual form. “Ah, I was passing by and thought I’d pick up some cake since I’m here.”
Luo Rui said hurriedly, “Li-dage, please come inside.”
Wen Xiaohui replied in embarrassment, “Li-dage.” After such a scare, he’d shaken off his drunken stupor.
Luo Yi gave Li Shuo a cold look without saying anything. It was clear that he wasn’t even bothering to pretend to be polite.
Li Shuo walked a couple of steps closer and nodded towards Luo Yi. A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes.
Wen Xiaohui said, “Li-dage, let me treat you to dinner. We’ll leave straight away.”
“Okay.” Li Shuo glanced at Luo Yi.
“He’s not going,” said Wen Xiaohui with indifference. “Let’s go, Luo Rui.”
“Oh.” Taking small steps, Luo Rui ran across carrying the cake. “Li-dage, this is a new flavour from my store.”
Li Shuo accepted the cake with a smile. “Did I come at an inconvenient time? How about I take you both out to dinner another day?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s go now since we’re both hungry.”
Wen Xiaohui dragged Luo Rui by the hand and left.
Luo Yi said in a low voice, “I have something to tell you.”
“We’ll talk another day.” Wen Xiaohui left the store without glancing back.
After getting into Li Shuo’s car, there was an awkward silence. Luo Rui and Li Shuo were both full of suspicion and Wen Xiaohui was in a foul mood. Just then, Wen Xiaohui tried to get rid of Luo Yi and now he wanted to get rid of this car because he just wanted to be by himself and not have to give anyone an explanation.
It was a shame no one would grant him his wish.
Contrary to Li Shuo’s normally cautious approach, he got straight to the point and asked, “What happened between you and Luo Yi?”
Wen Xiaohui said gloomily, “We’ve had an argument.”
“It doesn’t seem as simple as just an argument.” Li Shuo glanced at him from the rearview mirror.
Wen Xiaohui turned his head to look out the window. After a while, he said, “Li-dage, I don’t want to go for dinner anymore. I feel a bit unwell from drinking too much, you and Luo Rui should go together. Just let me out by the side of the road.”
Li Shuo’s expression dimmed. He suddenly turned the steering wheel in a hurry and stopped the car by the roadside.
Wen Xiaohui and Luo Rui were both shocked – it was the first time Li Shuo seemed angry.
Wen Xiaohui didn’t know what to do. He saw Li Shuo’s blank face and instinctively wanted to avoid his fury; he quickly got out of the car.
The next second, Li Shuo opened the door too. He said to Luo Rui: “Wait in the car for a little while.” Afterwards, he closed the door with a bang. He straightened out his suit, taking a breath to calm himself. He stared at Wen Xiaohui. “It might not be good for me to speculate, I hope you can forgive me if my guess is wrong. Is there something going on between you and Luo Yi? Isn’t he your nephew?”
Wen Xiaohui immediately felt nervous. “We aren’t related by blood.”
Li Shuo narrowed his eyes and stared at Wen Xiaohui for some time. He suddenly chuckled, “You rejected me because of a kid?”
Wen Xiaohui swallowed his saliva. This was the first time he felt a little frightened of Li Shuo.
Li Shuo raked his hand through his immaculately styled hair; a few strands hung down, adding a sense of ruggedness. He exhaled and smiled teasingly. “This is a real surprise, I’ve always been curious about the person you like. I never would have thought that…”
Wen Xiaohui felt so ashamed he couldn’t lift his head up. He didn’t feel ashamed for turning Li Shuo down, rather it was because of his own stupidity. A kid led him around in circles and potentially ruined his chance for a good relationship.
Li Shuo folded his arms over his chest. He lowered his gaze to look at his shiny leather shoes. Remaining quiet for a while, he then raised his head. He’d already gained control over his emotions as he smiled ever so slightly. “Apologies, I lost my composure.”
Wen Xiaohui whispered, “You haven’t, I’m the one who forgot my manners. I’ve been embarrassing myself.”
“Don’t say that, love has always been a very personal matter. I have doubts about my own upbringing since I’m feeling envious of a kid…” Li Shuo laughed quietly as he shook his head. “It’s inevitable for men to develop a sense of competitiveness, which is desirable in your career, but not desirable in relationships. I’m sorry, please get in the car and I’ll take you home.”
“Li-dage.” Wen Xiaohui felt very upset. He said in a hoarse voice, “I’m sorry, I made the wrong decision.”
Li Shuo smiled faintly, “It’s such a pity.”
At that moment, Wen Xiaohui realised that this was the end for him and Li Shuo. Commencing with the dignity and reputation of a man, Li Shuo was unable to accept that between him and a kid, Wen Xiaohui had chosen the latter. This was a very pragmatic problem and if he were in Li Shuo’s shoes, he wouldn’t be able to accept it either. Stealing a quality horse from an evenly matched competitor and driving an obsolete second hand car that was inferior in every possible way were two concepts that were poles apart. This sort of comparison was very cruel and unethical, but they were men and he understood this better than anyone else.
His feelings were indescribable – he felt a sense of loss and regret, but he also felt relieved. No matter what, he thought he was fortunate to have met Li Shuo because it made him realise there were such perfect people in this world.
———————–
Li Shuo brought them both back to Luo Rui’s house. When the car left, Luo Rui shouted, “What the hell’s going on?! Did you say you weren’t going to get in touch with him?!”
Wen Xiaohui rubbed his ears. He whispered, “Don’t talk so loud.”
Luo Rui dragged him inside the house. Wen Xiaohui noticed the pinks and blues that conveyed the sentiments of a teenage girl throughout the house and he suddenly felt warmed and touched. His entire body felt a lot more relaxed.
Luo Rui pushed him inside. “Tell me clearly, what’s actually going on?”
“He’s pestering me, I can’t do anything about it.”
“This sort of thing takes two to tango2.”
Wen Xiaohui wrinkled his nose. “I don’t want to give him any attention either, but I can’t get rid of him. It’s not my fault.”
Luo Rui heaved a deep sigh. Regretting that Wen Xiaohui had failed to live up to his expectations, he said, “Wen Xiaohui, you need to be able to let go of a relationship. You were the one to teach me this. Have you forgotten how awful you felt? You’re still entangled with him like the fibres of a lotus root3.”
“I’m not entangled with him.” Wen Xiaohui clawed his hair in frustration. “Our relationship is complicated. Stop nattering, I’m going to bed.”
“Stop right there, you…”
Wen Xiaohui jumped to his feet and ran to the bedroom. He quickly took his clothes off and got under the duvet.
“You haven’t showered or washed your face yet!” Luo Rui rushed in and tugged at his duvet.
“Don’t wanna wash, I’m going to sleep,” replied Wen Xiaohui who was rolled up in the duvet.
Luo Rui looked at the hump in the duvet, which resembled an ostrich trying to hide itself. His chest heaved, his eyes were wide open as he said sternly, “A fucking useless coward like you should just drop dead! The Wen Xiaohui that I know wouldn’t go a day without washing his face or completing his skincare routine. He loves being beautiful and to look good in the eyes of others more than anything else. He’d never cry even if someone bullies him. If something major happens, he would still be able to enjoy life to the max. Take a look at your own behaviour now!”
The person inside the quilt curled himself up and his body started to tremble.
Luo Rui gritted his teeth, he slammed the door and left.
After a while, Wen Xiaohui pulled the duvet down and stared at the ceiling with his red-rimmed eyes.
—————————–
Early next morning, Wen Xiaohui left without a word. He ran away feeling dejected. He was trying to avoid a number of people and a number of things because it was impossible to estimate how much Luo Yi had lost.
When he arrived at the studio, Luo Yi was unexpectedly waiting for him, wearing a white shirt and jogging bottoms. He was leaning against his bicycle, waiting for Wen Xiaohui in silence like many times during those three years. But compared with before, he was much taller and broader. He went from a teenager who possessed the innocence of childhood to a young man who exuded an air of steadiness.
Wen Xiaohui calmly walked over.
Luo Yi glanced at him. “What did you all eat yesterday?”
“None of your business. Why did you come to find me?”
“You said you’d give me a chance.”
“I never said you’d be the only one. Li Shuo is much better than you – at least he won’t deceive me,” said Wen Xiaohui mockingly.
Luo Yi said indifferently, “Xiaohui-ge, I don’t want to frighten you, but I’ll end up doing something even scarier if you decide to be with him.”
Wen Xiaohui’s eyes widened and he said between gritted teeth, “Are you threatening me?!”
Luo Yi tugged on his arm. “You’re the only one I want to possess, I won’t let anyone else have you.”
Wen Xiaohui shook off his hand. “There’s nothing between me and Li Shuo. Don’t apply those dirty thoughts of yours to him.”
Luo Yi smiled weakly, “Fine.”
Wen Xiaohui felt a chill running down his spine. He didn’t have any doubts about what Luo Yi had said and thinking back to the methods Luo Yi used to deal with Luca, Director Luo and Sydney-jie’s ex-husband, he couldn’t let it happen to Li Shuo. He changed the topic of discussion. “Why did you come to find me?”
Luo Yi’s smile gradually froze, then disappeared a little at a time. Finally, he said in a serious tone, “That person has made a request.”
“What was the request?”
“I need to give him something, but I don’t want to see him and he doesn’t want to see me either. He suggested,” Luo Yi lowered his head, “letting you take it to him.”
Wen Xiaohui was dumbstruck.
Footnotes:
Localised from catty (500g in China, varies depending on country in Asia) and liang (50g in China).
一个巴掌拍不响, literally means one palm can’t clap by itself (i.e. it won’t make any noise). This is equivalent to the English proverb it takes two to tango, which I’ve used in the translation above.
藕断丝连, literally means the lotus root has been broken but the fibres are still attached (idiom). The fibres of a lotus root are notoriously stringy and almost silk-like. It means that on the surface, someone has broken off contact with another person, but they’re still in contact in reality. The phrase is derived from a poem by the Tang dynasty poet, Meng Jiao.
