Additional Inheritance - Chap 72
Chapter 72
“Still no news?” A man sat amongst the shadows in the dim corner of the room. His voice was deep and repressed, sounding as if it were wrapped around a block of ice that wouldn’t melt.
“We can only confirm that he headed south.” Cao Hai stood in front of the sofa, rubbing his watch; his anxiety was evident from his neurotic behaviour. Beads of sweat continued to form on his forehead, which moistened the strands of hair at his temples.
“You call that an answer?” The sudden rise in pitch left others shivering in fear.
Cao Hai subconsciously took a step backwards. “Luo Yi, I’ve tried my best. I’ll start with Li Shuo’s social connections… He must have hired an expert to be able to erase all traces of their whereabouts. Give me more time, I can find them.”
“How much more time do you need? Didn’t you hire ‘experts’?” Luo Yi stood up as his eyes showed a piercing coldness, his imposing manner made it impossible for people to raise their heads.
“I-I’m under a lot of restrictions; I’m currently being investigated by the Lawyers Association, so I can’t make any big moves. You too. Chang Xing’s getting ready to fight back, but you’re not thinking of countermeasures, and instead, you’re spending all your time and effort on the search. Have you gone insane?”
Luo Yi took a large step forward and stopped in front of Cao Hai. He stared at him with contempt. “Did you just ask if I’m insane?”
Cao Hai drew a deep breath. He stared at Luo Yi, feeling as though there was a venomous snake coiled around his body. He soon regretted what he’d said.
“I’m telling you.” Luo Yi said softly, “In my entire life, the only time I was normal was when I had Wen Xiaohui by my side.”
Cao Hai shivered because he knew what Luo Yi had said was true. Wen Xiaohui wasn’t around, so Luo Yi couldn’t even be bothered to pretend. Beneath the surface of this youth who was approaching 20 years old was a vine of thousand year old poison ivy that was rotten at its roots. Only Wen Xiaohui was able to see his sunnier side, and now that Wen Xiaohui wasn’t around, he was free to wallow in darkness.
Cao Hai raised his arms in surrender. “I’ll keep looking, but it’s beyond my capabilities. You shouldn’t force me. Please sober up, Chang Xing won’t let us off. He’s coming out, and he’ll try everything to make a comeback and seek revenge. Even if you were to bring Wen Xiaohui back, you’d have to split your attention to protect him. Why? We have no idea where he is, but at least he’s safe.”
“Are you scared?” Luo Yi cast him a sidelong glance.
“Am I not allowed to feel scared? I have a family – a wife and kids. Shouldn’t I feel afraid? Are you not scared? If you really love Wen Xiaohui, shouldn’t you be worried that something might happen to him? It’s good that he has left.”
Luo Yi’s expression became more sombre. A hail storm was brewing in the dark pupils of his eyes. He clenched his fists and said slowly, “Do you know what day it is?”
Cao Hai was stumped. “Chinese New Year’s Eve1?”
“That’s right.” Luo Yi turned away, his broad shoulders trembled slightly. “He promised he’d celebrate all future new years with me.”
Cao Hai suddenly felt that Luo Yi appeared hateful, ridiculous, and pitiful. They met when Luo Yi was around 11 or 12 years old. Luo Yi was the most intelligent young person he’d ever met. From the beginning, he feared Luo Yi’s exceptional IQ, and he had reason to be fearful, as even Luo Yi’s own mother was afraid of him. He used to think that Luo Yi planned everything with precision and implemented them ruthlessly, but it seemed as though the only thing that Luo Yi failed to factor into his plans was the heart – his own heart and Wen Xiaohui’s heart.
Some errors were fatal, and the one that Luo Yi made happened to be this kind.
Cao Hai shook his head as he looked at Luo Yi, then he left quietly.
Luo Yi stood in the centre of the living room, looking around at the emptiness. He couldn’t stop himself from spinning round and round. There was nothing. It was devoid of life, chatter, laughter, and even more so, it lacked the person that he wanted to sweep up into his tight embrace. He’d been living in this house from birth, which was close to 20 years. He used to think that his memories of the house would be filled with Chang Xing’s sinister eyes, Luo Yaya’s fearful tears, or the sluggish appearance of his mute nanny. He didn’t know when Wen Xiaohui started to appear in every image of the house. The smiles, the tears, the passion, the shamelessness, and finally, even the cold indifference and hatred all belonged to Wen Xiaohui. There were traces of him everywhere.
Luo Yi felt as though his head was spinning, and he collapsed weakly onto the sofa. Staring continuously at the crystal chandelier overhead, the rims of his eyes started to ache. His vision became blurred. He took his mobile phone out, logged into Wen Xiaohui’s account and made a new post to his blog. It only consisted of three words: I miss you.
Would he see it? Who was spending New Years with him?
Luo Yi covered his eyes with his hands. His body felt so light, it could float into the clouds. He couldn’t exert his strength at all. In this large and quiet house where you could hear a pin drop, he only heard his own heartbeat. One beat at time – beating vigorously and painfully – making him feel as if he was the only person left on earth. Without any interruptions, he finally had the courage to consider the question – was it worth it?
This question made him feel afraid, because the answer could negate everything he’d done in the past. It was becoming more difficult for him to avoid it because, inexplicably, there seemed to be a pair of eyes watching and questioning him, demanding answers from him.
Was it worth it? Everything he did to Wen Xiaohui and everything he received in return. Was it worth it?
Luo Yi’s hand moved to his chest as he tightly gripped his sweater and flesh underneath, but it couldn’t relieve his suffering at all.
Where are you?
———————————
For the first time in Wen Xiaohui’s life, he had to spend New Year’s alone.
Li Shuo had gone back to the US, and Wen Xiaohui couldn’t get in touch with anyone, so he cleaned the house and shopped for New Year goods by himself.
On Chinese New Year’s Eve, he came out of the shopping centre laden with bags. He had spent half an hour waiting by the side of the road, but he still didn’t manage to grab a taxi. There were many people on the street. Most of the drivers had already gone home to celebrate New Year’s. He was completely unfamiliar with the public transport system in the city, so he had no clue how he was going to get home. He looked all around and noticed that there was a Porsche 4S dealership on the ground floor of the shopping centre. There was a burgundy 911 model parked on a rotating platform by the shop window, turning slowly under the spotlights. The glittering paintwork and the sleek body accompanied by its seductive red hue made Wen Xiaohui feel impetuous.
He went inside carrying a pile of shopping bags.
There were only two or three employees left in the store. They were all yawning and looking at their watches, but when they saw him come in, they greeted him courteously, “Which model are you interested in, sir?”
Wen Xiaohui put the shopping bags down as he pointed to the 911. “I’d like that one.”
“Ah…” The store assistant took a minute to respond. “Would you like to see the brochure to choose the specifications?”
“It’s fine, I want that one.”
The store assistant turned to look. “That’s the demo car. We can offer a 15% discount.”
“Yeah, I’ll take it. Can I drive it home today?”
The store assistant replied uncomfortably, “Sir, it won’t be that quick. There are a lot of procedures to complete.”
“When will it be complete?”
“It’ll be after Chinese New Year.”
Wen Xiaohui pouted. “How will I get home?”
The manager came over. “Sir, I can take you home. I can take you through the car purchase agreement.”
“Okay.”
Wen Xiaohu was in a bit of a muddle as he followed the manager into his car.
———————————
Grasping the signed agreement for the deposit and his ID when he returned home, it finally dawned on Wen Xiaohui that he’d spent a large sum of money to buy a sports car that he’d coveted for a long time.
This was his most impulsive purchase in his entire life, but he didn’t feel an ounce of regret. A breakup fee should serve its purpose as a breakup fee; it’d be a waste of Luo Yi’s generosity if he didn’t squander it.
He put on some music, and started to stick Chinese New Year couplets and cut-outs up. He laid out the new tableware on the dining table and went to prepare the New Year meal. When he began imagining how he could cruise around in his little sports car in the new year, he shouted ‘cheers,’ but the only response was some unintelligible hip-hop.
Gradually, it became dark. There was the occasional sound of fireworks outside. Wen Xiaohui had cooked a few dishes for himself, and after arranging them on the table, he took his phone out to take some photos, but he couldn’t send them anywhere. A wave of disappointment swelled in his heart.
He turned the TV volume up to max and listened to the din of the Spring Festival Gala. Faced with the table full of food and his bowl and chopsticks for one, his hand that held the chopsticks began to feel as though it couldn’t exert any strength.
He reluctantly lifted his hand to pick up a piece of spare ribs with his chopsticks, but he dropped it onto the dining table. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he tried to pick up the piece of spare ribs. His fingers didn’t seem to want to listen to him; they became as floppy as a noodle and he struggled to move them. Seeing the spare rib sauce smearing the brand new tablecloth, Wen Xiaohui became exasperated and slammed his chopsticks down on the table. He grabbed the spare ribs with his bare hands, shoving it into his mouth.
The instant the fragrant and tender spare ribs entered his mouth, warm tears streamed down his face.
He spat out the ribs, then picked up the wine on the dining table and swigged from the bottle. The burning taste of the alcohol went straight to his throat, choking him until his face became flushed. A wave of heat surged to his forehead. His tears flowed uncontrollably and violently like flood waters.
Putting down the bottle of wine, he picked up his mobile phone. He wanted to find someone to speak to – the subject didn’t matter and it could be anyone at all. He opened up Weibo coincidentally, and he was struck by the fact that he didn’t log into his own account anymore. Instead, he’d set up an alternate account, and this account only followed himself and Luo Rui. When he logged into the alternate account, he was gobsmacked.
Since he left Beijing, there hadn’t really been any significant posts, but there were twenty-something identical posts containing only three words each: I miss you.
The postings weren’t made at a set time or frequency, but every so often, these three words were posted. The comments seemed to speculate that he’d been hurt in a relationship, which was why he was behaving oddly. In actual fact, they had guessed right.
Amidst the blur of his tears, Wen Xiaohui looked through the dozens of posts that were exactly the same. His heart felt so painful that he could barely breathe.
Luo Yi, what’s the point in doing this? You should be aware that we can’t go back to…
In the end, Wen Xiaohui couldn’t manage a bite of the Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner that he’d spent all afternoon preparing. He turned off the TV and swallowed a sleeping pill. He buried himself in the depths of his duvet, using sleep as the means to cope with his most difficult Spring Festival yet.
———————————
After the Spring Festival public holidays, Shao Qun moved to Pengcheng. He started to take Wen Xiaohui with him everywhere to all sorts of social events.
Wen Xiaohui forced himself to keep his spirits up. Every day, he was happy-go-lucky, bragging and sucking up to Shao Qun’s business contacts who were high-ranking officials and VIPs, making them extremely delighted. Shao Qun was also very satisfied with him.
One day, Wen Xiaohui drank too much, and Shao Qun had to support him out of the nightclub. Wen Xiaohui was a bit out of it as his arm was draped over Shao Qun, pointing to the stars in the sky. He shouted crazily, “The omnipotent Young Master Shao, please grant me a star.”
Shao Qun glared at him. “If you call my name again, I’ll chuck you by the side of the road.”
“You… Hehe. You wouldn’t.”
When the driver saw the both of them, he immediately got out of the car to help Shao Qun and Wen Xiaohui got in with their help.
Shao Qun smoothed his suit and replied angrily, “I’ll let you have three days off.”
“Thank you, Young Master Shao.” Wen Xiaohui belched, then moved closer to Shao Qun to look at him through widened but blurry eyes. “I said Shao Qun.”
Shao Qun glared at him.
“Oh, Shao Qun. If you want to find a man, you should call a gigolo. I’m not going to be your pimp.”
Shao Qun gave him a shove. “Sit properly.”
Wen Xiaohui giggled, “Hey, what’s your first crush like? Are they pretty? Are they prettier than me?”
“I forgot.” Shao Qun replied indifferently.
“How could you forget your first crush? Your first crush is the most memorable.” Wen Xiaohui’s vision became blurry, and he struggled to see Shao Qun’s face. He tried his best to inch closer and closer.
Shao Qun turned and gripped Wen Xiaohui’s chin in between his fingers. “Fuck, are you looking to get laid?”
For a moment, Wen Xiaohui couldn’t keep up. “Huh?”
“Forget it. If I really did fuck you, I wouldn’t be able to get rid of that psychopath, Luo Yi.”
Hearing the two words ‘Luo Yi,’ he felt as though he’d been drenched by a bucket of icy water on a winter’s day. It was thousands of times more effective than any detoxing medicine, and almost immediately, Wen Xiaohui felt 50% more awake. He widened his eyes. “W-What?”
“I told you to stop acting slutty. Luo Yi is looking everywhere for you.”
“Who is slutty?” Wen Xiaohui wiped his face. His heart started to beat erratically. “W-Will Luo Yi be able to find me?”
“He will sooner or later.” Shao Qun pondered: “But he won’t have time to spend on you lately. Chang Xing’s case is appearing before court, and it’s going to be carnage.” He sounded excited by the prospect.
“…I won’t let him find me,” whispered Wen Xiaohui.
Shao Qun threw him a glance. “Do you know what ‘irresistible force’ is? If Luo Yi’s force is 100 and you only have 10, Luo Yi is the ‘irresistible force.’ Sometimes, you need to be more open-minded. If you can’t resist him, then why don’t you try and minimise your suffering?”
Wen Xiaohui listened carefully to Shao Qun, but the more he heard, the more he thought it was a load of bollocks. He didn’t dare to talk back because he’d already sobered up. He shivered as he shrunk back into the seat. His heart was beating frantically, and he felt uneasy. After a while, he said softly, “Young Master Shao, have you ever fallen in love with anyone?”
“No.” Shao Qun replied, devoid of expression.
Wen Xiaohui didn’t speak again. Just then, he was stupid enough to want to have a heart-to-heart with Shao Qun. Maybe he felt too lonely, so he was brave enough to chat to Shao Qun. It was mad.
What could someone like Shao Qun possibly understand?
Wen Xiaohui put his hand over his eyes, wishing he could have another bottle to drink himself unconscious. That way, he wouldn’t have to think about anything.
Footnotes:
Traditionally, there is a reunion dinner with family on Chinese New Year’s Eve, which is the most important get-together meal of the year.
