Four-Faced Buddha [To My Shore] - Chap 76
Chapter 76 Qin Xianglian
2024-10-13 07:30 Category: Four-Faced BuddhaTurn off the lights
You Shulang stayed in a guest room at Fan Xiao’s apartment.
They will make love, but they won’t sleep in each other’s arms.
At first, Fan Xiao strongly opposed it, and afterwards he would hold onto You Shulang and not let him leave, or stay in the guest room and refuse to leave.
However, You Shulang would either leave after Fan Xiao finally couldn’t stay awake any longer and fell asleep, or he would leave the guest room and sit on the sofa all night.
After several rounds of back and forth, Fan Xiao finally gave in. Each time they finished, he would only lie on You Shulang’s neck for a short while before letting him go, leaving him to suffer from insomnia alone.
The empty, cold bed was You Shulang’s prison, and also Fan Xiao’s.
Some early mornings, Fan Xiao would see You Shulang standing on the terrace smoking. That corner seemed to be the end of the world, and You Shulang stood there as if he had been pushed to the edge of loneliness, his back swirling in the light smoke, blurry as if he were about to drift away from this world.
Fan Xiao never bothered him. You Shulang was on the terrace, and he was in the living room. It was as if an invisible wall separated them, and neither of them could enter the other’s world.
You Shulang might have known he was behind him, but he never turned around. The person who once knew he was afraid of the cold and couldn’t bear to see him suffer even a little bit of chills wouldn’t even spare him a glance on this cool spring night.
When the first rays of dawn appear, it is the most relaxing moment for that person. You Shulang would lean on the railing of the terrace, watching the light gradually rise above the horizon, dispelling the darkness, and perhaps, including his loneliness.
Sometimes, You Shulang would cook for Fan Xiao, perhaps fulfilling his obligations under the sugar daddy/sugar baby contract. The meals were simple and delicious, and Fan Xiao would always praise them in various ways.
He talked incessantly at the dinner table, from the dishes to his work, from people he met in the elevator to children handing out flyers on the street. He seemed to relish gossip, because Fan Xiao knew that as soon as he stopped, the people sitting on either side of the table would fall into an unsettling silence…
Even the most skilled manipulator is at a loss for what to do for the first time.
All the helplessness under the bed was transformed into countless attempts to please him on the bed. Only when skin touched skin, body temperature mingling with body temperature, could Fan Xiao deceive himself from You Shulang’s uncontrollable pleasure, believing that he still liked him, just without saying it aloud.
You Shulang found a new job, still in administration, but the position was not as high as before, and the responsibilities were no less.
Businesses are always busy welcoming and seeing off guests; this is already the fourth drinking party this week.
The young master hosted a banquet, and since he was a light drinker, and the guests were difficult to deal with, You Shulang drank his share and then had to help the young master fend off other drinks, so he ended up drinking a bit too much.
He asked the waiter for an iced towel, covered his face to sober up, and in his dizzy state, he heard someone whisper in his ear: “I had someone replace your wine with water. Don’t give yourself away when you drink it later.”
You Shulang pulled down the ice cloth and saw the young master sitting in the chair next to him, seemingly unconcerned.
Even though You Shulang had only been with the company for a short time, he had already heard rumors that the young boss was a terrible person, a perfectionist, competitive, and extremely demanding, and not the type to be considerate of his subordinates.
His actions now surprised You Shulang somewhat.
Replacing the wine with water made the situation much easier to handle. You Shulang got the other party completely drunk, earning himself the reputation of being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.
Standing side by side with the young master, they saw off the guests one by one. You Shulang expressed his gratitude in a subordinately manner: “Thanks to President Qin’s care tonight, otherwise I don’t know how drunk I would have been.”
Young Master Qin was in his early twenties, with a cold and aloof expression. He had drunk some, and was now somewhat tipsy.
He reached out and patted You Shulang on the shoulder, speaking with a mature air despite his youthful face: “You’re better than all of them. From now on, you’ll work for me.”
You Shulang didn’t take the drunken ramblings seriously, expressed his gratitude respectfully, and then saw the young master, whose legs were already shaky, into the car. Only after the car drove away did the tension he had been holding in completely relax.
“Shulang”.
A deep male voice echoed in the night. Fan Xiao stepped out of the shadows and into the light. He looked away from the departing car and carefully touched You Shulang’s elbow: “I’ve come to take you home.”
The man, who had been drinking, made a rather exaggerated sideways movement to avoid the attack: “I told you it’s not necessary.”
Unable to shake him off, Fan Xiao’s hand slid down You Shulang’s arm and grasped his. His icy fingertips tried to slip between the warm fingers, but failed, and instead clenched his fist tightly.
“I’m eating nearby too, I didn’t come here specifically to wait for you. Let’s go home together since we’re going the same way, okay?”
Fan Xiao recently discovered a pattern. The more sincere and earnest he appeared, the more annoyed You Shulang became. It was better to keep a little distance; this would actually bring him closer to You Shulang.
“Let go first.” You Shulang, still drunk, didn’t want to get entangled with Fan Xiao. “Where’s the car? Drive it over here.”
Fan Xiao responded but did not let go, pulling You Shulang toward the parking lot.
One pulled and the other struggled, creating a sense of confrontation.
Just then, the car that had just driven away came back along the same route.
The rear window slowly rolled down, revealing Mr. Qin’s unapproachable face inch by inch.
He looked at You Shulang and Fan Xiao’s clasped hands, then glanced at the hidden anger on You Shulang’s face.
A cold, hard statement was thrown out of the car: “Minister You, I need a summary table of the company’s office supplies usage and expenditure for the first quarter. Whatever emotional disputes you need to deal with, I hope you won’t let them affect your work. I want to see the relevant materials on my desk first thing tomorrow morning.”
That was truly outrageous; You Shulang had finally experienced it firsthand. He nodded and replied with the simplest of words: “Okay, Mr. Qin.”
“Young Master Qin?” Fan Xiao suddenly spoke up. “Is the Qin of Qin Xianglian or the Qin of Qin Hui? Sorry, I grew up abroad and don’t know much about Chinese history.”
He tossed a cigarette into his mouth, biting it slightly, his eyes sharp: “But I do know that nighttime is an employee’s private time, there’s no reason for them to work themselves to the bone for you. Do you understand labor law, Xianglian?”
Mr. Qin’s face was as tense as a sculpture. He sank his back into the leather seat, rolled up the window, and through the last crack, he uttered a faint, “Drive.”
Fan Xiao took off his cigarette, his anger still lingering, and cursed through gritted teeth, “You little brat.”
Turning his head, he saw You Shulang’s tired expression. He nervously and guiltily squeezed the man’s palm: “I didn’t mean to interfere with your work, it’s just that Qin is so bossy, I can’t stand him ordering you around.”
He bent down and advised, “Why don’t you come work for my company? Xu Zhong controls many things in the company, and he always has ill intentions towards me. There are too many things that require my attention, and there are always times when I’m exhausted. Would you like to come and help me?”
You Shulang, his eyes red from drinking, sneered, “How can you be so confident that I’ll help you? Aren’t you afraid that Xu Zhong and I will join forces to bankrupt your company?”
Fan Xiao felt a tickle in his heart at the sight of that red mark, and he suddenly leaned down and kissed the corner of You Shulang’s eye: “You don’t need to bother with anything. If you want it, the whole company is yours.”
You Shulang exerted force with his wrist and pressed down, finally breaking free from Fan Xiao’s grasp. He chuckled lightly and said sarcastically, “As if you’re the one in charge. I heard that Fan Er is still investigating your accounts.”
He walked past Fan Xiao toward the car: “Stop talking nonsense, let’s go back.”
Fan Xiao lowered his eyes, suppressing his inscrutable gaze, and slowly followed behind.
The next morning, in Qin Zhiyang’s office.
The young man flipped through the newly delivered documents, his slender fingers so white in the sunlight they seemed to melt.
“Did I take up Minister You’s rest time?” he asked without looking up.
“These are all materials that were already organized, so there’s no need to work overtime to organize them tonight,” You Shulang replied.
“Yes, I knew you were better than them.” Qin Zhiyang looked up. “My judgment is never wrong.”
He interlaced his fingers: “In my office, we only talk about work. But today, I’ll make an exception for you.”
He asked, almost as if bestowing a handout, “Was that person your boyfriend yesterday?”
You Shulang felt a headache coming on, and his humble attitude turned cold: “Although President Qin made an exception for me, I don’t want to break my own rules. I don’t talk about personal matters at work.”
Qin Zhiyang raised an eyebrow: “As a subordinate, you shouldn’t talk back to me, but I do admire you more now.”
He pulled a document from the drawer and placed it in front of You Shulang: “This is the information I looked up last night. The man you were entangled with yesterday is named Fan Xiao. He is Chinese and grew up in Thailand. Here is all the information about his family and the companies he currently controls.”
After saying this, Qin Zhiyang opened his phone’s media player, and the image of Zhang Chen jumping off the building appeared on the screen.
“This is a suicide attempt that was live-streamed on an online platform a few days ago. Because I checked all your information, I know that this person is your adoptive mother’s child. From his conversation with you that day, I roughly analyzed the emotional entanglement between you and Fan Xiao. In addition, you seemed reluctant to leave him last night. I boldly guessed that you are currently in a state of wanting to leave him, but unable to leave.”
To You Shulang’s surprise, a knock came at the office door, interrupting their conversation.
The young man frowned slightly and called out: “Come in.”
The female secretary brought over coffee, and its rich aroma immediately filled the air.
After putting down the coffee, the female secretary turned to leave, but Qin Zhiyang called her back.
He glanced at the coffee cup in front of him: “I have guests in my office, and you only brought me a cup of coffee?”
The female secretary glanced hastily at You Shulang and the teacup in front of him, and stammered, “This is your coffee time every day, and I’ve seen Minister You drink tea.”
“Then you should have poured Minister You a cup of hot tea.” Qin Zhiyang then turned his gaze to the coffee cup. “Moreover, I just told you yesterday that I have some very important documents on my right. Since I accidentally knocked over a coffee cup before, I asked you to put the coffee on my left. But you didn’t do that today.”
The woman’s expression changed drastically: “I’m sorry, Mr. Qin, I forgot.”
“Memory is one of the most basic abilities a secretary should possess.” Qin Zhiyang’s tone grew increasingly cold. “I hope you won’t forget again next time, otherwise I will ask your superiors to punish you accordingly. Now, get out.”
The woman walked away unsteadily in her high heels, and Qin Zhiyang looked at You Shulang again.
“Where were we?” He picked up his coffee cup with his left hand, took a sip, and placed it on his left side. “Oh right, we were talking about Fan Xiao.”
The young man’s face was as tense as it had been the night before: “He mocked me, insulted me, and questioned my abilities, which I absolutely cannot accept, so I have to correct his thinking.”
You Shulang slowly frowned: “He was just talking nonsense, Mr. Qin doesn’t need to take it to heart.”
Qin Zhiyang’s eyes suddenly lit up with eagerness: “Aren’t you going to ask me how to correct him?”
You Shulang was silent for a moment before asking, “How do we correct it?”
“I have no connection with him in life or work. The only person who can entangle us is you, Minister You.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I take you away from him, do you think I’ve won?”
You Shulang was shocked, then helpless: “Young Master Qin is really used to having a smooth life. He can’t stand the slightest grievance or loss. To save face, he can even come up with such an absurd thing.” He stood up. “If there’s nothing else related to work, I’ll head out now.”
You Shulang took a step towards the door, and just as his hand touched the door panel, he heard the person behind him say, “I really like you.”
The anger that had been suppressed for so long suddenly surged up, and You Shulang felt as if everyone in the world was playing a trick on him!
Turning his head, he looked at Qin Zhiyang and said without any politeness, “Kid, nobody’s going to play house with you.”
Qin Zhiyang wasn’t annoyed: “I hope you’ll analyze this rationally and seriously. First, I’m gay, which is a good match for you; second, you’re meticulous, and I admire your work; third, I’m a spiritual Platonic, and I’ll never kiss or have sex in this life, so I won’t cause you any harassment. You just need to cooperate with me and make that person who calls me Qin Xianglian regret what they did and said yesterday for the rest of their life.”
Qin Zhiyang stood up and extended his hand to You Shulang: “Be my boyfriend, and I’ll help you leave him.”
