Additional Inheritance - Chap 78
Chapter 78 (M)
Luo Yi didn’t appear to be in a rush to return to Beijing, and instead, he started living in the house rented by Wen Xiaohui.
His daily routine was the same as before, getting up at six o’clock, exercising for 40 minutes to an hour, returning for a shower, preparing breakfast, and then waking Wen Xiaohui up. He was as predictable as a robot. From a young age, Wen Xiaohui realised there was nothing someone couldn’t do if they had the self-discipline and wisdom. Reality served as evidence.
On this particular day, Wen Xiaohui was wearing headphones as he sat still in front of the computer and played computer games. Suddenly, someone took his headphones off.
Wen Xiaohui didn’t turn his head, he only took his hands off the keyboard and the mouse.
Luo Yi said gently, “You’re playing for such a long time every day, your eyes won’t be able to cope.”
Wen Xiaohui didn’t say anything, he just stared at the screen in a daze. The game wasn’t that fun, but it gave him a brief respite in the house filled with Luo Yi’s scent.
Luo Yi said, “Luo Rui phoned.”
Wen Xiaohui turned around instantly and saw the mobile in Luo Yi’s hand. He snatched the mobile phone, then took a deep breath. “Hello?”
The other end of the line was silent.
“…Luo Rui?” Wen Xiaohui couldn’t stop himself from sobbing.
Luo Rui took a deep breath and replied in a trembling voice, “No matter what happens, you shouldn’t turn your phone off.”
Wen Xiaohui blinked away the tears on his moist eyelashes before whispering: “Have you told my mum yet?”
“Yeah, Auntie said she’s coming back. I couldn’t stop her.”
Wen Xiaohui closed his eyes. “I’ll go back to see her.”
“Xiaohui…” Luo Rui’s voice wavered.
At this stage, neither of them knew what to say, especially since the call was being routed through Luo Yi’s phone. The feeling of going through so much trouble to end up with nothing made him feel even more depressed.
Wen Xiaohui bit his bottom lip and said as calmly as possible, “I’m fine. Let’s go with that. I’ll see you when I get back.”
Once Wen Xiaohui hung up, Luo Yi placed his hand on his shoulder. “Why didn’t you chat some more? There’s no surveillance on my phone.”
Although the call wasn’t being monitored, it seemed like not a word could escape Luo Yi’s ears. Wen Xiaohui put the mobile phone on the desk and got up from the chair. He was planning to go upstairs to sleep.
He’d only taken a couple of steps when Luo Yi’s long arm reached out to hug him around the waist. Using his chin to gently nuzzle the top of Wen Xiaohui’s head, he said gently, “Are you going to keep acting like this, huh? Pretending I don’t exist?”
Wen Xiaohui felt scared. He knew he was continuously angering Luo Yi. Luo Yi’s patience was like a deflating balloon, depleting little by little, but he just wanted to close himself off from the world to feel safer.
Luo Yi gripped Wen Xiaohui’s chin and tilted his head up to kiss him gently on the lips. “It’s not good for you to be stuck at home all day. Let’s go for a walk.”
“I don’t want to go.”
“You have to go.” Luo Yi touched his own hair. “Let’s have a look around your studio and you can give me a haircut while we’re there.”
Wen Xiaohui looked at Luo Yi’s hair, which was actually a bit long. He used to be responsible for styling Luo Yi’s hair, so after he left…
Luo Yi seemed to discern his question. He smiled as he said, “You once told me not to let others touch my hair, so I’ve been cutting it myself.” He patted Wen Xiaohui’s back. “Go get changed.”
Wen Xiaohui could only comply.
After changing and heading downstairs, he found that Luo Yi was already holding his coat for him and kindly helped him put it on. Afterwards, Luo Yi led him out the door.
Wen Xiaohui’s car was parked on the ground floor. After the heavy rain yesterday, the car was covered in fallen leaves and splodges of mud, and it looked in a sorry state. As soon as he contemplated the prospect of spending time with Luo Yi in such a narrow and confined space, even his favourite car became repulsive to him.
Luo Yi smiled and said, “Isn’t Lamborghini your favourite? You can have mum’s one. If you don’t like the colour, you can get it changed or if you don’t like the model, buy a different one.”
“I like this car.” Wen Xiaohui unlocked the car and got into the driver’s seat.
Luo Yi followed and got into the passenger seat. “I just want to give you loads of things – anything you like.”
“I have everything I want at the moment.” Wen Xiaohui mocked, “The 30 million breakup fee you gave me is enough for a lifetime.”
Luo Yi furrowed his brows. “It wasn’t a breakup fee.”
Wen Xiaohui started up the car, not wanting to argue on this subject.
“I don’t think we ever broke up.” Luo Yi organised his thoughts and said gloomily, “We had some issues that we had to work through. I did something wrong and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Wen Xiaohui gripped the real leather gear stick until it groaned. He gritted his teeth as he said, “You never thought you did anything wrong. You can stop pretending.”
Luo Yi gazed at him with eyes as bright as the stars. “I realised I was wrong from the moment you stopped smiling at me.”
Wen Xiaohui quietly held himself back, he nearly started arguing with Luo Yi over stuff in the past. How ridiculous! As if it would achieve anything. What was the point?
Luo Yi throbbed with pain as he noticed how Wen Xiaohui pursed his lips but wasn’t saying anything. He turned his head. His profound eyes looked straight ahead without focus. “That’s why it’s not a breakup fee. I only wanted to make you happier. I can give you everything I have as long as we can go back to how we used to be.”
Wen Xiaohui said in a dull voice, “I’ve already told you I won’t believe anything you say. Even if you were to give me more money, 30 million isn’t that different from 300 billion. I wouldn’t know how to spend it and I don’t need it. It’s pointless. If you really want to make it up to me, you should let me choose how I want to live my life.”
“Only if the life you choose has me in it.”
The outline of Wen Xiaohui’s face looked taut as he tried to hold back his anger. When his sense of helplessness reached a certain level, it generated an indescribable sense of anger. This anger wasn’t just directed towards Luo Yi – it was also targeting his own vulnerable self and this messed up world.
“It must have me in it.” Luo Yi said softly.
These words seemed childishly stubborn and willful, but Wen Xiaohui couldn’t lower his guard at all.
——————————————
Wen Xiaohui only recalled that it was the first day back after Chinese New Year when he got to the office, and it was also the day that he’d planned to say farewell to the employees at the studio. It was a coincidence how he’d already planned to say farewell to them.
As soon as they stepped inside the studio, everyone was ready and standing in two rows. They called out: “Good morning, sir.”
With a smile on his face, Wen Xiaohui waved. “Good morning.”
Everyone stared at Luo Yi behind him – Luo Yi was so good-looking, he was like a movie character who’d stepped out from the silver screen. No matter where he went, he was always the focus of attention.
Lui Yi smiled slightly. He seemed elegant and gentleman-like.
“Oh…” Wen Xiaohui hadn’t anticipated how he would introduce Luo Yi to everyone.
Luo Yi rushed to get the first word in. “Hi everyone, I’m Xiaohui’s boyfriend.”
Everyone burst into an uproar.
Wen Xiaohui’s face paled.
The manager who he hired joked, “Why are you hiding such a good-looking boyfriend? Are you worried someone will steal him away?”
Wen Xiaohui smiled in embarrassment.
“You were lying to us when you said you were single,” heckled the young trainee.
Luo Yi had his arm around Wen Xiaohui’s shoulders, gazing at him affectionately. “We were living in two separate locations, so it wasn’t easy for us to see each other.”
Everyone replied with a drawn-out ‘oh’ and looked understanding. “So you’re going to the US to reunite with your boyfriend?”
Wen Xiaohui let out a forced laugh. “I’ve come to say goodbye to everyone temporarily. I might be back after a while, but I’m not sure yet. Please listen to Mr Chen and if there’s anything you don’t understand, just drop me an email.”
“Okay.”
Wen Xiaohui looked at Luo Yi. “Go sit over there. Your hair needs to be washed first. I need to say a few words to the manager.”
Luo Yi gave him a broad smile. “Please wash it for me.”
Wen Xiaohui puffed up his cheeks and said quietly, “Then wait for me over there.”
Wen Xiaohui called Mr Chen into the office to talk to him in detail about the running of the studio and emphasised a few important matters before he handed over the company seal, keys and other important stuff to him.
When he left the office, he saw Luo Yi sitting in a chair surrounded by two female trainees who were chatting to him with bashful looks. Luo Yi’s face wore a smile that was appropriate for the circumstances.
Wen Xiaohui walked over. “Let’s wash your hair.”
Luo Yi stood up to follow him.
Wen Xiaohui sat on a stool and said to Luo Yi, “Lie down.”
Luo Yi took his jacket off and lay on the reclining chair with his head over the wash basin. He stared at Wen Xiaohui.
Wen Xiaohui turned the taps on, wetting Luo Yi’s hair.
Luo Yi whispered, “You look beautiful from this angle.”
Wen Xiaohui’s fingers moved through the supple roots of Luo Yi’s hair as he allowed the water to moisten it. He once heard an irrational saying that people with soft hair would also be softhearted. This was clearly nonsense. Luo Yi’s heart was the hardest and most ruthless among all the people he’d ever met, regardless of how soft his hair was.
He opened the bottle of shampoo. His long and slender fingers weaved through Luo Yi’s black hair and massaged his scalp.
Luo Yi closed his eyes. He had a faint smile, which showed that he was enjoying it.
Wen Xiaohui looked at Luo Yi’s smooth and unblemished forehead and his long curly eyelashes. He’d seen Luo Yi from this angle many times. He used to buy new hair products frequently and used Luo Yi’s hair to experiment. The number of times he washed Luo Yi’s hair was more than the number of times he washed his own mum’s hair. In the past, they enjoyed such tender moments, so he washed Luo Yi’s hair frequently, and he would struggle to hold himself back from kissing him on the lips. Finally, their whole bodies might have ended up wet, despite only washing Luo Yi’s hair. Luo Yi would rub him until he was covered in bubbles and press him against the wall to enter him or they would bond in the most intimate way in the bathtub. They had lots and lots of memories relating to hair washing or you could say that they had all sorts of memories, and Wen Xiaohui felt that he and Luo Yi had done everything possible when it came to love. It was the reason why he couldn’t fall in love with anyone else.
After his hair was washed, Luo Yi sat back in his chair and watched Wen Xiaohui in the half-length mirror in front of him. Wen Xiaohui’s eyes were lowered as he blow-dried Luo Yi’s hair in silence. Luo Yi’s gaze, which was passionate and tenacious, continued to follow him.
Wen Xiaohui turned the hair dryer off and took a pair of scissors out. He whispered, “You don’t have to keep looking at me.”
Luo Yi chuckled, “I can’t help it.”
The tip of the scissors pressed against Luo Yi’s temple. Wen Xiaohui bent down next to Luo Yi’s ear to say: “My hand might slip if I’m nervous.”
Luo Yi was as calm as the water’s surface under a light breeze. “I believe in your workmanship.”
Wen Xiaohui gripped the scissors tightly and imagined himself doing something drastic to end it all. However, he only dared to daydream about it. With a snip, he cut a strand of Luo Yi’s hair that was hanging over his temple.
Luo Yi gazed in the mirror at Wen Xiaohui who was focussed on his work. His expression softened as he continued to stare. This was the Wen Xiaohui from his memories – not depressed, silent, or dejected. At this moment, he resembled his former conscientious self from a few years ago when he was at Juxing. This was the real Wen Xiaohui. He was so handsome that Luo Yi wished that time would stand still at this moment, so he could savour this beloved expression. Of course, he’d rather turn back time such that he never lied to Wen Xiaohui. He would pretend to be that version of Luo Yi. Forever…
