Kowtowing was entirely out of the question. Li Jin wouldn’t even drop to his knees for heaven or earth, so how could he possibly kneel and kowtow to Fang Jinshi?
Feeling a sudden rush of blood storm his brain, Li Jin roared, “In your dreams!”
Fang Jinshi adopted an expression of pure bewilderment. “How is this about what I want? Wasn’t your boyfriend the one who offered to drop to his knees to buy my departure from your lives?”
This reminder successfully jogged Li Jin’s memory. He suddenly realized that ever since stepping foot into this shop, he had been entirely led by the nose by the youth. He had completely forgotten his original purpose: to warn Fang Jinshi, make him drop his wicked schemes, and stop trying to entangle himself with Gu Tuo.
Li Jin reasoned that since Fang Jinshi hailed from a wealthy family, he didn’t care for money and couldn’t be bought with power. What else could he possibly hope to gain by ingratiating himself with Gu Tuo?
Wasn’t it obviously because Gu Tuo was his uncle—the single person who could strike at Li Jin’s weakness?
Unfortunately for Fang Jinshi, he was overestimating his hand.
Li Jin was going to make him realize that what he assumed to be a weakness was nothing of the sort. Gu Tuo himself was a hard bone to chew; Fang Jinshi wasn’t guaranteed to gain any advantages from him.
“Xiao Nuo is too innocent, which is why he was deceived by you. Do you honestly think your nagging, lingering tactics are clever?” Li Jin let out a soft sneer, his face twisting with disdain.
“Uncle is the only family I have left, and I do care about him deeply. But that doesn’t mean I blindly accept every single piece of his advice. Even if you manage to influence him, you won’t affect me. Furthermore, my uncle is Gu Tuo—do you think he’s just some ordinary man? How long do you think your petty tricks can blind him? The moment he sees through your true colors, you will pay a heavy price!”
His speech was delivered with resounding certainty, leaving Fang Jinshi completely stunned.
So, what on earth did any of this have to do with Mr. Gu?
Tracking his reaction closely, Li Jin assumed the youth was showing a lack of confidence.
Consequently, he squared his shoulders, his confidence swelling. “What you’re doing is utterly pointless. Do you honestly think that no matter how much my uncle likes you, you could ever rank above me? Do you think he’d shield you instead of helping his own nephew?”
In reality, Gu Tuo absolutely would.
But Li Jin was never going to let Fang Jinshi know that.
Listening up to this point, Fang Jinshi finally put the pieces together.
No wonder these two had kept quiet for so long only to suddenly storm his shop today.
It turned out they had caught wind of his close relationship with Gu Tuo and had completely panicked.
Fang Jinshi lowered his eyes, masking the mockery dancing in his gaze. “You certainly know me well. You’ve guessed my thoughts entirely.”
Surprised by his blunt admission, Li Jin was momentarily taken aback.
He subconsciously tapped the pen cap clipped to his breast pocket, feeling as though the youth had walked right into his trap.
Unable to contain his smugness, he gloated, “We’ve known each other for so many years. What little schemes of yours could I possibly not know?”
The speaker meant nothing by it, but the listener took it to heart.
Lin Nuo’s heart suddenly constricted, as if squeezed by an invisible, giant hand. Bitterness, swelling ache, and pain flooded his chest all at once.
He was forcefully reminded of the years Fang Jinshi and Li Jin had shared—the years he could never be a part of.
Even though they had broken up and become bitter enemies, they still possessed such tacit understanding and knew each other inside out. The sudden surge of jealousy caused his eyes to sting and redden automatically.
Hearing this, however, Fang Jinshi merely let out a cold laugh.
He appeared to be agreeing with Li Jin, yet his words were laced with sharp barbs: “Oh yes, you know me far too well. What am I hoping to get out of you two by approaching Gu Tuo? Am I targeting your toxicity, his pathetic enabling, or the sheer eyesore of your toxic-enabler alliance? You are truly slandering me!”
Thinking of that refined man, Fang Jinshi’s expression finally softened slightly. “I might as well spell it out for you. I don’t care a single whit about the two of you. The one I am targeting—is your uncle!”
“W-What?” Li Jin doubted his own ears.
Pronouncing each word with absolute clarity and conviction, Fang Jinshi stated, “I said, I am targeting your uncle. He is mature, restrained, and possesses an extraordinary demeanor.”
Li Jin froze in sheer shock, his brain temporarily short-circuiting.
What did he mean by “targeting his uncle”?
What kind of nonsense was Fang Jinshi spouting?
Seeing Li Jin’s blank, catatonic expression, Fang Jinshi smiled with immense satisfaction.
When he smiled, he looked as radiant as the stars and as brilliant as a clear moon—utterly breathtaking. Li Jin was nearly captivated by that long-lost smile until he heard the youth drawl softly: “You’re going to have a second uncle very soon. Be a good boy, dear nephew.”
It felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck Li Jin, jerking him awake. Only then did he process the absurd words that had just left Fang Jinshi’s mouth.
Shock and fury warred in his chest, overlaid with a heavy layer of flat-out denial. His eyes widened in a rage as he bellowed in condemnation, “Stop talking complete nonsense! You’re living in a fool’s paradise!”
How could Fang Jinshi possibly not care about him anymore?
How could his approaching his uncle be motivated by a genuine pursuit of his uncle’s affection?
His uncle possessed a dull personality and lived a thoroughly monotonous life—he was nothing like what Fang Jinshi described!
Fang Jinshi had once loved a man like him; how could he turn around and fall for Gu Tuo?
Li Jin had always possessed an inflated sense of self-worth. He was utterly convinced that Fang Jinshi hated him out of lingering love, and that approaching Gu Tuo was strictly a tool for vengeance. He never expected that everything was merely his own delusion—a pathetic case of unrequited wishful thinking!
This was undeniably a brutal slap delivered straight to his face.
Feeling his cheeks burning with a stinging humiliation, Li Jin roared, “Don’t you f—king dare talk absolute—”
Before the words could fully clear his mouth, Fang Jinshi’s brows snapped up. Rising abruptly to his feet, he snatched a watering can off the flower display and aimed it straight at Li Jin’s face, delivering a fierce, sharp spritz.
The rest of Li Jin’s rage was effectively blasted right back down his throat.
He smacked his lips, tasting the heavy plastic flavor of the watering can. Realizing he had just caught a mouthful of raw tap water, he quickly spat repeatedly, “Pah, pah!”
Stepping back a few paces in deep disgust, Fang Jinshi said coldly, “Your clothes look clean enough, so why is your mouth so filthy? Do you need me to wash it out for you again?”
His fury completely boiling over, Li Jin opened his mouth to unleash a volley of curses.
Yet the moment his jaws parted wide, Fang Jinshi blasted him with water yet again, calling out, “Dear nephew, open your mouth a bit wider so it washes out cleaner.”
This time, Fang Jinshi squeezed with significantly more force, creating a much wider mist that drenched Li Jin’s head and face entirely.
Li Jin couldn’t even snap his eyes open. With water rushing up his nostrils, he began to choke and cough violently.
Lin Nuo had been staring blankly, unable to react. Shaken awake by Li Jin’s violent coughing, he shuddered violently and threw himself forward like a sacrificial lamb, shielding Li Jin. “Fang Jinshi, aim at me instead! Stop hurting Brother Jin!”
Oh, aim at him instead.
Fang Jinshi flashed a bright, toothy smile.
Since Lin Nuo had made such a specific request, it was a minor effort for him anyway—why shouldn’t he accommodate him?
The sharp spritz-spritz of water echoed continuously through the shop.
Fang Jinshi didn’t play favorites, ensuring the rain was distributed entirely evenly.
By the time the can was half-empty, the couple was thoroughly drenched from head to toe. Looking utterly pathetic, they ducked and dodged, scrambling blindly to find an exit.
Driven to a desperate edge, Li Jin intended to strike back. Fang Jinshi didn’t fear him in the slightest; aiming the nozzle directly at his eyes, a single, sharp blast immediately dismantled any thoughts of retaliation.
Squeezing the lever rhythmically, Fang Jinshi marched forward, effectively driving the intruders right out of the shop.
As Lin Nuo stumbled through the exit, his foot caught on the threshold, nearly sending him sprawling.
Li Jin lunged forward to steady him, and the two clung to each other in a frantic embrace, looking exactly like a pair of drenched chickens huddling for warmth.
Staring down at his pale, terrified lover shivering in his arms, Li Jin’s chest blazed with a murderous fury. Just as he opened his mouth to bark a final threat, Fang Jinshi tilted his chin up. Looking down on them from his step, he granted them a single, final word: “Scram!”