Xie Sui rolled over on the bed in Jin Huaiqian’s lounge. Having tossed and turned all morning, he was a bit tired. He let out a yawn and, holding a pillow, unconsciously drifted off to sleep.
The meeting seemed to run a little long.
By the time Xie Sui woke up, the sky outside the window had already darkened, and the city lights were turning on one by one.
He rubbed his bleary eyes and walked out of the lounge, only to find that Jin Huaiqian had already returned. He was sitting behind his office desk, handling documents on his computer, looking mature, steady, and very charming.
Xie Sui’s heart pounded rapidly. He had never thought an older man could taste this good.
Hearing the movement, Jin Huaiqian looked up. “Awake? Hungry? I will take you out for dinner.”
Xie Sui walked over, sat on Jin Huaiqian’s lap, leaned against his chest, and watched him work.
Instead of pushing him away, Jin Huaiqian asked softly, “What do you want to eat?”
Xie Sui felt completely drained of energy and said lazily, “As long as it tastes good, I am not picky.”
Jin Huaiqian chuckled and said, “Alright.”
Jin Huaiqian made an intercom call and had Zhou Zheng reserve a restaurant.
After finishing dinner that evening, Xie Sui drove back home and did not pester Jin Huaiqian further.
Pushing someone too close was also bad. One still needed to maintain a balance between relaxation and tension, practicing the art of hard-to-get.
Shen Yi had heard from somewhere that Xie Sui was getting close to Jin Huaiqian, so he hurriedly called him and questioned him repeatedly.
“Xie Sui! I heard that the person you have provoked recently is Jin Huaiqian? Is that true?!”
Xie Sui raised his eyebrows and did not deny it. “What is wrong? Do you know him?”
“I know him, but he does not know me!” Shen Yi almost roared out. “That is Jin Huaiqian! You know the Jin Group, right? He is the absolute ironclad successor of the Jin family, and the only son of Chairman Jin! How could you dare to provoke him?!”
Hearing the tone from the other side as if the sky were about to fall, Xie Sui found it a bit amusing. “What is wrong with the Jin family? He won’t eat people.”
“You don’t understand!” Shen Yi paced around in circles anxiously. “In that kind of family, the water is too deep, and there are many rules! And…” He suddenly lowered his voice, carrying a bit of mystery and caution, “I heard that Jin Huaiqian has always kept a white moonlight in his heart. It seems to be someone from his university days who went abroad many years ago, but everyone in the circle knows he has never forgotten them. You and him, you better be careful. Don’t end up being treated as a substitute or played with until it’s over.”
White moonlight?
Xie Sui’s originally casual expression paused slightly. For someone like Jin Huaiqian, it was completely impossible to see that he would still have a devoted side to his heart.
Although it was unexpected, it was even more stimulating.
Originally, his interest in Jin Huaiqian might have stemmed more from the novelty of meeting a match for chess and the man’s own attraction. But now, the sudden appearance of a mysterious white moonlight story sounded much more interesting than he had initially imagined.
He hooked the corners of his mouth and spoke in a relaxed tone, “Oh? A white moonlight? Now I am actually a bit interested. Tell me about it?”
Thinking that Xie Sui had finally realized the crisis, Shen Yi hastily poured out all the information he had heard through hearsay and pieced together:
“I heard that the white moonlight is named Shan Mingyu, and he can be considered a childhood sweetheart with Jin Huaiqian. Shan Mingyu’s family background is also very good, but the Shan family’s industries are basically abroad, and his parents travel for business all year round, leaving for months at a time. The parents of the Shan and Jin families knew each other, so naturally, Shan Mingyu lived in Jin Huaiqian’s house. It seems he started living there in junior high school, though I am not clear exactly how long he stayed.”
“The Shan family seemed quite pleased to see the close relationship between the two families, and even intended to have Shan Mingyu’s older sister, I think her name is Shan Mingyue, enter a marriage alliance with Jin Huaiqian.”
Hearing this, Xie Sui’s fingertips lightly tapped against the wall of his cup.
A marriage alliance? The Jin family and the Shan family?
Xie Sui did not pay much attention to those messy matters in the circle, but he seemed to have a slight impression of this event, vaguely remembering having heard others talk about it.
Shen Yi continued to gossip: “But who could have imagined it? When those two were in university, they actually ended up together. It wasn’t the kind of marriage alliance the families expected, but real, true dating.”
“This matter caused a small-scale explosion in the circle at the time.” Shen Yi recalled the details he had heard. “When the Shan family found out, they were absolutely furious. They might have originally planned everything perfectly, with the two siblings marrying into different alliances to bring the families closer and consolidate relationships. In the end, the younger brother directly got together with the intended marriage partner himself. How could that work? The plan was completely ruined. The Shan family exerted immense pressure and forced Shan Mingyu to go abroad, breaking off contact with Jin Huaiqian.”
“What about Jin Huaiqian’s side?” Xie Sui asked.
“Of course Jin Huaiqian refused.” Shen Yi sighed. “For this matter, he had a particularly stiff fallout with the Jin family. I heard he even lowered his status to beg the people of the Shan family, wanting them not to send Shan Mingyu away. But the Shan family’s attitude was extremely firm. The most fatal part was…” Shen Yi paused. “Shan Mingyu himself ultimately chose to obey his family’s arrangements and went abroad to study, leaving Jin Huaiqian alone to face all the pressure.”
“So, it was Shan Mingyu himself who chose to leave?”
“The legend goes that way,” Shen Yi said. “Anyway, the result was that the person left, Jin Huaiqian suffered a massive blow, and his relationship with his family grew cold. Later, he threw his whole heart into his career, becoming more and more cold and detached. A fixed person never appeared by his side again, though he had a large crowd of little lovers. You can see him in many entertainment industry celebrity scandals.”
After finishing, Shen Yi carefully added the rest of his words: “That is why I am telling you to be careful. Jin Huaiqian’s affection for that Shan Mingyu must be very deep, and he hasn’t let go after all these years. You suddenly popped up, and although I don’t know how he took a liking to you, just in case, I mean just in case, he treats you as a temporary consolation, what will you do when his white moonlight returns?”
Xie Sui did not respond immediately.
Childhood sweethearts, growing up together, overcoming identity changes, and loving each other against family pressure, only for one side to actively choose to leave in the end. This story was indeed melodramatic.
Beneath this pool of water, such a past was actually submerged.
Xie Sui developed a strong desire to investigate that person named Shan Mingyu, who could influence Jin Huaiqian to such an extent.
“When is he coming back?” Xie Sui suddenly asked.
“Ah? Who?” Shen Yi blanked out.
“Shan Mingyu. Is there any word on when he is returning to the country?”
“How could I know the exact news on that.” Shen Yi scratched his head on the other end. “But I seem to have heard that he is developing quite well abroad, and now the focus of the Shan family has shifted entirely overseas, so there shouldn’t be any necessity for him to come back.”
“Alright then.”
“Why do I feel like you are a bit disappointed? Aren’t you afraid? Many novels write about substitute literature. What if you are some domineering president’s white moonlight substitute little bride?”
“You really watch too many web novels. Besides, am I the kind of person who cares about this sort of thing?”
Shen Yi was choked up, his heated emotions slowly cooling down. Right, Xie Sui indeed did not care about these things.
Shen Yi said helplessly, “Anyway, just be careful yourself.”
After finishing the talk about Shan Mingyu, Shen Yi suddenly remembered that there was still one proper matter he hadn’t asked about.
Shen Yi gave a sneaky, thievish laugh and asked, “Xie Sui, let me ask you a question.”
Hearing this tone of his, Xie Sui knew that the question he wanted to ask would certainly not be anything proper. “Ask ahead.”
“You, who is on top and who is on the bottom between you and Jin Huaiqian?”
“What on earth are you thinking about in your head all day long?”
Shen Yi complained in his heart, no matter how much I think, it isn’t as rich as yours.