Four-Faced Buddha [To My Shore] - Chap 54

Chapter 54 is all true.
2024-10-13 07:23 Category: Four-Faced BuddhaTurn off the lights
“I don’t have a fiancée.” Fan Xiao spoke slowly and deliberately, showing no sign of guilt, but he enunciated each word carefully, as if he had thought about it for a long time before saying it.

You Shulang rinsed his mouth again, screwed the bottle cap back on, and then asked, “Do you need me to leave?”

His voice was hoarse and slow, revealing that he had just experienced a very intense love affair.

“No need.” Fan Xiao took his hand. “Let’s go out together.”

“Wait a minute.” You Shulang took a watch out of his pocket and put it on Fan Xiao’s wrist. “A birthday present, nothing expensive, don’t mind.”

He looked up at Fan Xiao and said, “I hope you will always be happy from now on.”

The room was dimly lit, the light and shadows blurred. Fan Xiao’s gaze slowly moved from the watch on his wrist to You Shulang’s face. Looking at him, he felt that those eyes held all his joy at that moment.

She shook her wrist: “I really like it, and I’ll wear it forever.”

You Shulang chuckled: “You don’t need to wear it all the time, your luxury watches will complain.”

The knocking sounded again. He lowered his eyelids and said softly, “Come on, take me to meet your fiancée.”

Just as he was about to leave, Fan Xiao pulled him into his arms again. Amidst the noise of the door trembling, the man solemnly said, “I don’t have a fiancée. Don’t believe anything they say.”

“Okay.” You Shulang gently kissed the corner of Fan Xiao’s lips…

When they returned, the men, women, and dancers whose genders were difficult to define on stage were much more restrained. Their dance moves were no longer unrestrained and wild, and their expressions were more reserved.

Acquaintances and strangers alike were scattered in the corners of the bar, still drinking and playing board games, but their eyes were all more or less darting toward the main table.

Several unfamiliar faces were sitting on the sofa at the main table. You Shulang first looked at one of the girls. She had black hair and wore a white dress. She was refined and gentle, with a slightly sallow complexion and a somewhat sickly appearance. She had the air of a girl next door.

Shi Lihua’s voice was both enthusiastic and nervous, and he raised his voice to pretend to be relaxed: “Big brother, Xiao has diarrhea because he ate something bad.”

“Big Brother?” You Shulang then turned his gaze to the man sitting in the main seat. The man looked to be about thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, with a dignified and imposing appearance. The lines around his eyes and lips were deep, giving him the look of a serious and dogmatic person.

The man didn’t speak, but someone stood up next to him, walked over to Fan Xiao, and enthusiastically put his arm around his shoulder: “Third brother, you’ve been away for seven or eight months and haven’t even come home to see us. Since you won’t go back, we had no choice but to fly over here to celebrate your birthday.”

He was speaking Thai, which You Shulang couldn’t understand. He saw Fan Xiao smile, put on his humble mask again, and look very respectful: “Big brother, second brother, you didn’t even tell me you were coming so I could have picked you up at the airport.”

Seeing that Fan Xiao was speaking Mandarin, the man called Second Brother patted him on the shoulder a few times and switched to Mandarin as well: “We just wanted to give you a surprise, so we contacted Uncle Xu to pick you up.”

The only elderly man at the table said with a kind face, “You brothers are so old, yet you still play this kind of game. Seeing how harmonious and friendly you are, I’m truly happy for the old president.”

You Shulang recognized the old man; he was the vice president of Fan Xiao’s company, controlling many matters within the company and fiercely competing with Fan Xiao for power.

The old man made way for the girl beside him, saying, “Xiao Xiao, it’s your birthday today. Tingting just got out of the hospital and has been clamoring to come celebrate with you. She’s been looking for a birthday present for ages.”

All eyes fell on the girl, including You Shulang’s. The girl was a little shy, and two red blushes rose on her sallow face: “Brother Xiaoxiao, this is my birthday present for you.”

The exquisite packaging box was dazzling under the light, but Fan Xiao didn’t even glance at it before uttering a nonchalant “Thank you for your trouble.”

With a flick of his eyelids, the bald assistant, who had been silent all along, respectfully took the gift from the girl’s hand.

The old man’s smile was a little stiff, and the girl looked embarrassed: “Xiao Xiao, aren’t you going to open the gift Tingting gave you? She chose it with great care.”

Fan Xiao led You Shulang to his seat, fiddled with his watch for a few moments, and then put on an apologetic expression: “Uncle Xu, there are too many gifts. Let me look at them slowly later.”

Fan Xiao’s smile was apologetic enough, but his words were extremely impolite. Shi Lihua tried to smooth things over, but was silenced by a stern gaze.

The man sitting in the main seat picked up his wine glass and said sarcastically without expression, “We’re actually here on my father’s orders to see how your investments are going, to see if you’ve lost so much that you can’t even afford a plane ticket.”

He didn’t look at Fan Xiao, showing absolute contempt, and his words chilled the atmosphere of the entire room.

You Shulang glanced at Fan Xiao, and seeing that there was no change in his expression, he lowered his eyelids, took out a cigarette, and slowly rubbed it in his hand.

“Don’t let your eldest brother scare you,” the second son of the Fan family chuckled, adding, “Father just sent us to check on you. If you’re having trouble with your investments, we’d like to help you. But you know, your second brother can’t really help you, though he might be good at picking up girls for you.”

Seeing Fan Xiao pour You Shulang more wine, a scrutinizing look appeared in his eyes as he leaned forward and asked, “And who is this?”

Shi Lihua was startled, fearing that You Shulang had revealed his so-called “identity.” He was about to change the subject when Fan Xiao stopped him again.

Fan Xiao spoke casually, only slightly raising his chin as he introduced the women: “Director You hasn’t introduced them to you yet. This is my eldest brother, Fan Bo. This is my second brother, Fan Yu. You know Vice President Xu, and the woman next to him is his daughter, Xu Ting.”

Fan Xiao, displaying double standards, became more solemn when introducing You Shulang: “This is You Shulang, the office director of Bohai Pharmaceutical. The drug we jointly developed with Bohai will be launched soon.”

The second son of the Fan family politely brushed him off, while the eldest son didn’t even give him a glance. He rudely interrupted the “meaningless” conversation and scolded, “Fan Xiao, Uncle Xu’s daughter is your fiancée. Are you disregarding the years of affection between Father and Uncle Xu by treating her so coldly?”

Shi Lihua was the first to be startled. He was so anxious that he kept rubbing his feet, fearing that You Shulang would become jealous and ruin his relationship with Fan Xiao. Everyone present was a ruthless devil; if they found out Fan Xiao’s weakness, who knew what kind of storm they would stir up.

But the person who should have been astonished or furious simply took a sip of wine, his hand steady enough to keep the wine in his glass from churning.

Fan Xiao withdrew his gaze from You Shulang and smiled faintly: “Brother, I don’t understand what you’re saying. When did Tingting become my fiancée? She’s a perfectly innocent girl. If you say that, Tingting will cry.”

Xu Ting did look like she was about to cry, her fingers tightly twisting the hem of her skirt. The old man beside her also looked extremely unpleasant. He coughed lightly, seemingly implying something.

Fan Er clicked his tongue at this moment, prompting Fan Xiao: “Third brother, have you forgotten? Before you returned to China, Father said that he would arrange your engagement once Tingting recovered from her illness.”

The eldest son of the Fan family also cast a sharp glance: “Didn’t you agree to this marriage in exchange for the opportunity to return to the country?”

The tension was palpable. Shi Lihua swallowed hard and finally managed to say something that no one interrupted: “Well, Director You, how about we go over there and play some cards?”

When a family discusses private matters, outsiders should find a reason to leave, but Fan Xiao didn’t move, blocking the way out, so You Shulang, sitting in the corner, naturally couldn’t move.

The match twirled between his fingers. Despite the provocation, Fan Xiao remained composed. He smiled and said, “I only remember my father saying that if I could get along with Miss Xu Ting, I could consider getting engaged to her. But that was just something we talked about over afternoon tea, and I’d almost forgotten about it. My older brothers, on the other hand, remember it clearly.”

Fan Er crossed his legs and chuckled: “I always remember romantic and sentimental things clearly, unlike my elder brother who only remembers important matters.”

The eldest son of the Fan family, whose name had been called out, had an extremely solemn expression, and his words were firm and resounding: “Fan Xiao, you know best what your father really means. If you pretend to be confused while you know the truth, you can keep delaying like this.”

“If you don’t want to drag it out, then you can do it yourself, brother. Didn’t your sister-in-law already file for divorce? There are no obstacles now.”

*Clatter!* The wine glass slammed heavily onto the marble bar, splashing liquid everywhere and instantly filling the air with the pungent smell of strong liquor!

Everyone knows that the eldest son of the Fan family has a weakness that is his runaway wife, but no one expected that Fan Xiao, who is usually the most shrewd and worldly-wise, would deliberately run into her.

While Shi Lihua and Fan Er were trying to salvage the situation, Xu Ting had already run out of the bar crying. The old man, his face full of anger, chased after her, leaving behind the words, “My daughter, Xu Zhong’s daughter, is not someone your Fan family can bully.”

“That old bastard Xu Zhong is obviously using his sickly illegitimate daughter to pave his way,” Fan Erwai said casually on the sofa. “Third brother, Xu Zhong is a master at stirring up trouble in front of our father. Who knows what crime he might pin on you? Why don’t you get engaged to Xu Ting first to appease our father? As for what happens later, you can figure it out later by taking advantage of the situation.”

After comforting Fan Xiao, he went to appease Fan’s eldest son: “Brother, the third son is the youngest, so it’s inevitable that he’ll say the wrong thing. He didn’t mean to upset you by bringing up your sister-in-law’s divorce. Today is his birthday, so please forgive him this once. How about we brothers have a few drinks?”

Fan Da’s gaze grew even more intense and fierce. He remained silent for a while before finally replying with an “okay.”

“Since we’re going to have a few drinks with the third brother, let’s switch to larger glasses.”

Fan Xiao and You Shulang sat on the ground next to the car, and the air within a meter radius was thick with the smell of alcohol.

You Shulang fumbled around in his throat for a while before finally unbuttoning one button. He closed his eyes and said, “Your older brother can really drink. Is he a reincarnation of a wine barrel?”

With his head leaning against the car body and his chin slightly tilted back, Fan Xiao chuckled: “Director You is indeed drunk, making such low-level jokes.”

He leaned against You Shulang, ignoring his dizziness, and said with a wicked grin, his breath reeking of alcohol: “Director You, what’s our relationship? Why are you risking your life to carry my drinks?”

The eldest son of the Fan family had asked the same question before, but his response was extremely blunt and impolite: “Who are you? What gives you the right to drink on behalf of Fan Xiao?”

Fan Xiao had a good alcohol tolerance, and You Shulang rarely saw him drunk. Even when he was drunk, he would usually pretend to be crazy so that he could have more fun with him in bed.

Just now, after downing two bottles of strong liquor, Fan Xiao began to speak very little, and his face gradually turned pale. You Shulang knew that he was trying his best to control every movement and that every word he uttered was circled three times in his mouth before he could utter it without going off-key.

The glass was refilled with brownish liquor. You Shulang took the glass first and said with a smile, “I’ll drink this one for President Fan.”

All four of them were looking at him, and Fan Xiao and the eldest son of the Fan family frowned at the same time.

“Who are you? What gives you the right to drink for Fan Xiao?” Fan Da’s words came faster than the drunkard’s.

Despite being blatantly disrespected, You Shulang remained unmoved, his faint smile unchanged: “President Fan has an important meeting with us tomorrow, so it’s not advisable to get too drunk tonight. In order for our project to reach production and generate profits as soon as possible, I’ll drink the rest of the drinks on his behalf. This is also a good opportunity to welcome the two bosses back to the country.”

These words were so flawless that even the eloquent Fan Er couldn’t find a rebuttal for a moment. Fan Da was already somewhat drunk, and the sorrows in his heart had been brought to the surface. Now he only wanted to drown his sorrows in alcohol, and he no longer cared whether the person he was being forced to drink was Fan Xiao or not.

Fan Xiao disagreed and was about to snatch the wine glass back when a warm sensation pressed against his outer thigh. You Shulang gave him a casual glance, his expression leaving no room for argument.

Even though he was drunk, Fan Xiao knew to be wary of You Shulang. After a moment of silence, he withdrew his hand.

You Shulang drank two more bottles with Fan Da, finally getting the man with a huge capacity for alcohol drunk.

He was helped away by his assistant and Fan Er, who had been watching with a smile. Only after those people’s backs disappeared from sight did Fan Xiao and You Shulang collapse.

Now, the two of them are sitting in the underground parking lot, completely exhausted and dizzy, waiting for a designated driver to pick them up.

“Your eldest brother hates you, but not as much as your second brother’s malice towards you,” You Shulang said calmly, a cigarette between his fingers.

Fan Xiao chuckled, climbed up from under You Shulang’s neck, stretched his neck, and gave You Shulang a big kiss: “You figured it out? Director You is amazing.”

Feeling dizzy, he slumped back into the crook of his neck and leaned back obediently: “My elder brother hates me openly, but Fan Yu hates me in every dark corner.” Fan Xiao reached out and grabbed at the air, “It’s like a hand hidden in the darkness, ready to pull me into the abyss at any moment.”

“I envy people like my older brother, who are passionate and whose love, hate, and passion are all clearly displayed, unlike us.”

“Us?” You Shulang paused in his act of lighting a cigarette.

“Yes.” Fan Xiao’s smile seemed somewhat forlorn. “Like Fan Er, my true thoughts are always buried deep inside. I’m very fake.”

“Was it all fake with me too?”

The pungent smoke slowly dissipated, enveloping You Shulang’s words within it.

Fan Xiao straightened up and looked at him. You Shulang’s gaze returned his gaze lightly and vaguely, veiled by the smoke, yet also obscure and profound.

Overwhelmed by the alcohol, Fan Xiao felt he could say something drunk, so he leaned in and kissed You Shulang: “It’s all true for you, my love for you couldn’t be more real.”

However, before he could kiss her, the man opposite him dodged and pushed him, saying, “Someone’s here.”

The fire door not far away was pushed open with great force, slamming against the wall with a loud bang, accompanied by a sound like a pig being slaughtered.

“Zhang Chi, you son of a bitch, put Grandpa down! If you dare touch Grandpa’s ass again, believe me, I’ll kill your whole family!”

*Smack!* The sound of flesh being slapped echoed in the empty parking lot.

“Go to hell, Zhang Chi, you damn bastard, if I don’t castrate you, you’re not Xue Baotian!”

Xue Baotian? You Shulang and Fan Xiao exchanged a glance, and a smile slowly crept onto Fan Xiao’s lips, a wicked smile.

The footsteps drew closer, and they heard Xue Baotian begin to back down: “Zhang Chi, Brother Zhang, please forgive me. Next time I see you, I’ll pretend I didn’t see you. I’ll go home tonight and gouge my own eyes out, okay? I won’t sleep with this or that anymore. Can’t I at least show absolute respect to our mother and our sister?”

Xue Baotian’s commotion was already close by when Fan Xiao and You Shulang, who were sitting on the ground, saw him being carried on the shoulders of a tall and strong man.

“Can’t I call you Dad or Grandpa?” Xue Baotian cried. “Zhang Chi, please let me go. Give me a chance to reform. The government would just kill me if I didn’t. You should learn from the government.”

“If the government can’t teach you, I will. I advise you to save your energy and call for Daddy in bed.” The man, who had been silent all along, spoke for the first time.

“Fan Xiao!” Xue Baotian, who was being carried on his shoulder and swayed back and forth with his head down, suddenly spotted the two people in inconspicuous positions through the gaps in the car. “What was that You thing again? Director You!”

“Help!!” he shouted as if he had seen a relative, “President Fan, Director You, please save me, this man is trying to cut my kidney!!”

The man carrying him stopped and turned his head to look at the two people hidden behind the car, whom Xue Baotian regarded as his lifeline.

Surprisingly, the man’s eyes were clear and innocent, devoid of any hostility. You Shulang whispered in a voice only Fan Xiao could hear, “Should we save him?”

Fan Xiao slumped against the car, leaning unsteadily: “I’m drunk.”

You Shulang smiled and said, “What a coincidence, I’m drunk too.”

“Fan Xiao, I’m here to celebrate your birthday, you have to save me! Director You, you saved that girl last time, why aren’t you saving me this time?! Fan Xiao…you surnamed You…help me…”

Footsteps and pig-slaughtering noises rang out again until the car door slammed shut with a loud thud, and then everything quieted down.