Zhou Wenbai let out a faint laugh right by Ji Tan’s ear, which was clearly caught.
Ji Tan looked back warily and asked in confusion, “What are you laughing at? Zhou She laughed too, and he insisted he didn’t.”
Zhou Wenbai kissed Ji Tan’s wet, red eyelid, leaned down, and whispered two words against Ji Tan’s white ear bone affectionately.
Ji Tan’s cheeks were like they had been stained with rouge, layer upon layer. Ji Tan felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, and immediately climbed down from Zhou Wenbai’s lap.
Zhou Wenbai pinched Ji Tan’s soft cheeks with amusement and did not tease him anymore. “Let us use the last letter of Tuan Tuan’s name and the first letter of my name, how about that?”
“That way there will be no ambiguity.”
Ji Tan nodded quickly, his red ear tips trembling with shyness. Zhou Wenbai was charmed by Ji Tan, couldn’t help but pinch his soft earlobe again, and whispered, “Pure baby.”
After Ji Tan and Zhou Wenbai decided on their wedding rings, Zhou Wenbai hailed a taxi to take Ji Tan back. Ji Tan was still living at Zhou She’s place; he had never asked why.
Zhou Wenbai did not want Ji Tan to meet anyone from the Ji family before everything was settled. After Ji Tan went to his room to sleep, Zhou Wenbai came out and ran into Zhou She, who seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
Zhou She glanced down and got straight to the point. “What happened to your arm?”
Zhou Wenbai had held Ji Tan with one hand at the jewelry store, and since Zhou Wenbai had his own car, he had taken a taxi to drop Ji Tan off today. Zhou Wenbai moved his aching left forearm and judged for himself, “Fracture.”
He had not let Ji Tan notice it for the entire afternoon.
“You have a high threshold for pain.” Zhou She lifted his eyelids calmly and rubbed the bronze lighter. “The Zhou family? Or the Ji family?”
Zhou Wenbai walked downstairs and named a person who was unexpected yet entirely reasonable.
“Ji Yunxin.”
“Why would it be him?” Zhou She could feel the suppression surging beneath Ji Yunxin’s gentle skin, but he did not expect him to explode today, and that the target of his explosion would be Zhou Wenbai.
Zhou Wenbai took a cigarette from under the coffee table in Zhou She’s living room, rubbed out the lighter with the same bronze patterns as Zhou She’s, and lit the cigarette. The scarlet fire of the cigarette flickered between Zhou Wenbai’s slender, jade-like fingertips, reflecting Zhou Wenbai’s refined brows as murky and unclear, deep as a pool.
“He is a lunatic.” The embers burned the tobacco quietly, and thin white smoke drifted into the air. “On the way from the hospital, he drove from behind and rammed into me.”
Zhou Wenbai did not smoke any of it, waiting for it to burn one-third of the way before extinguishing it. Ji Tan did not like the smell of smoke.
Zhou Wenbai sneered, “No wonder Aunt Ji said that she hates people with mental health issues the most.”
Ji Tan was naturally emotionally indifferent and could not distinguish between right and wrong. Given the precedent of Ji Enyi, Zhou Wenbai questioned Ji Tan on how he bullied Ji Yunxin when he was a child.
“I let Ji Tan throw a glass at him because he wanted to see if he could dodge like a hero in a TV drama; I let Ji Tan lock him up because I wanted to make sure no one could find him; I let Ji Tan catch bugs in the garden and put them in his room because we wanted to find all the bugs together.”
The arc of Zhou Wenbai’s lips became increasingly icy. “Ji Yunxin is like the Ji family; he is rotten to the core.”
Zhou She listened in silence, and a sharp hostility suddenly erupted in his chest.
“Is he after the Ji family, or…” Zhou She cut himself off. Or did he want Ji Tan?
“I am not sure.” Zhou Wenbai masked the indifference and annoyance in his eyes. Unknown panic eroded his heart; he had a premonition that he was going to lose Ji Tan. But he could not accept this result at all. Zhou Wenbai looked at Zhou She, whose face also looked bad, and made a joke: “If you had agreed to marry Ji Yunxin back then, there would not be so much trouble now.”
Zhou Wenbai said this, but he did not feel amused by his own joke at all, and his heart sank heavily.
Zhou She lowered his eyes. “This joke is not funny at all.”
Zhou She stood up. “I am going to sleep.”
Seeing Zhou She pass him by, Zhou Wenbai suddenly called out to him. “Zhou She, do you hate me?”
Zhou She, who had reached the staircase, froze, and after a long while, said, “If you do not hate me, I should be very glad.”
Zhou Wenbai, having reached Zhou She’s back, patted his shoulder, his voice drilling into his eardrum like gossamer. “As long as Tuan Tuan belongs to me, I can not hate anyone.”
Zhou Wenbai’s light voice crashed heavily into Zhou She’s heart, splashing out all of Zhou She’s empty, drained blood. Zhou Wenbai went past Zhou She to go upstairs and into the room he had just come out of.
Zhou She stopped at the doorway of his room and did not move for a long time; the weary, sweet, and clingy cooing of Ji Tan toward Zhou Wenbai from the room next door was clearly heard by him.
“You smell, do not kiss me.”
“Little brat…”
“It is Zhou She who smokes; I am stained with it.”
“There is no taste in my mouth, just one kiss.”
“Uh… you are lying… uh…”
More of the couple’s intimate, whispered words were swallowed up in the interweaving of their lips and teeth.
Zhou She lowered his eyes, and after a long time, finally moved, walking into his own room. Zhou Wenbai seemed to have been stimulated by the near-deadly car accident Ji Yunxin had fabricated, constantly exerting pressure on Zhong Peiyi to shorten the wedding date. It made Zhong Peiyi complain to Ji Tan all day long. Ji Tan could not ignore Zhou Wenbai’s thoughts and persuaded Zhong Peiyi to agree. And so, the fifteen-day wedding period was shortened to one week.
“Is Elder Ji in good health?” Zhong Peiyi chatted eagerly. “People feel good when they have happy events, and he seems to be in good spirits lately.”
Ji Shixin circled back. “Children and grandchildren have their own blessings; when the younger generation gets married, the elders can finally put one thing to rest.”
“It is a pity that Enyi is seriously ill.” Ji Shixin sighed. “Shixi and Jiayan are simply unable to get away.”
“After all, they are his uncle and aunt.” Zhong Peiyi played along. “Grandfathers are always closer, anyway.”
Cheng Jiayan was Ji Tan’s biological mother, but he had no blood ties to Ji Tan. Zhong Peiyi’s words were pointing out that Cheng Jiayan and Ji Shixi were heartless, while this irrelevant old man who was only thinking about the Zhou family’s interests had come over to crawl and scavenge. Ji Shixin had been through storms and waves; now that Ji Tan and Zhou Wenbai were getting married, ensuring the safety of the Ji family through the Zhou family was what was really important—everything else was trivial. Ji Shixin responded to Zhong Peiyi with courtesy, then turned to Ji Yunxin beside him: “Why haven’t Tuan Tuan and Wenbai arrived yet?”
Ji Yunxin understood. “I will make a call and ask.”
Ji Shixin nodded. “The engagement is tomorrow; since both sides are gathered today, tell them not to be too late.”
Ji Yunxin sent a message to Ji Tan in front of Ji Shixin.
“They are getting married, so they are always a bit clingy.” Zhong Peiyi sipped her tea leisurely. “My time is all tied up with them.”
Ji Shixin smiled. “You are still the one who dotes on the younger generation, Peiyi.”
The two of them played a game of wits, slowly and unhurriedly. Ji Yunxin checked the time and said respectfully and politely, “Aunt Zhong, I have prepared a gift for you; I would like to give it to you in private.”
Ji Shixin’s eyes narrowed slightly; Ji Yunxin had never mentioned this to him. Ji Shixin felt his obedient and sensible grandson drifting out of his control.
“Tuan Tuan and Wenbai will arrive soon.” Ji Shixin said, “Whatever the gift is, send it after dinner; why the hurry?”
Ji Yunxin, who was always obedient, insisted against the norm. “Aunt Zhong, it will surprise you.”
Zhong Peiyi’s smile slowly faded. “No problem.” Zhong Peiyi’s expression remained unchanged. “Since you say so, I am also looking forward to it.”
Ji Yunxin bowed to Ji Shixin and then followed Zhong Peiyi upstairs. Zhong Peiyi had initially shown a degree of tolerance for Ji Yunxin because he looked like Ji Yuan, but the temperament on Ji Yunxin, exactly the same as her ex-husband, gave her no good impression of this young man.
“What is it?” The gentle and elegant mask Zhong Peiyi had been deliberately maintaining disappeared, revealing her original arrogance. “If you are trying to bypass your grandfather to discuss a partnership with me, I think you are not confident but arrogant.”
Ji Yunxin’s expression remained unchanged as he handed the file bag in his hand to Zhong Peiyi.
“Aunt Zhong, take a look.” Ji Yunxin’s lips curved slightly, his eyes void of any emotion. “This was found in Aunt’s study; I can become Aunt Zhong’s most convenient revenge tool.”
Ji Yunxin said softly, “After all, we both hate the same person.”
Zhong Peiyi took it with a sense of foreboding, opened the cowhide bag, and the psychological diagnosis report inside made Zhong Peiyi’s eyelids jump violently. Ji Yuan had been providing psychological treatment to Zhou She since he was eight, but this record should have been stored in the hospital, not in Ji Yuan’s study. A lot of things flashed through Zhong Peiyi’s mind.
“Mom, I am the older brother, you recognized the wrong person.”
“Mom, I am the younger brother!”
“Mom, I do not like red!”
“Mom, it is the older brother who does not like red.”
“Mom, I am going for psychological treatment.”
These voices made Zhong Peiyi’s head ache as if it were about to explode. How could it be? They had been lying to her since they were eight. Zhong Peiyi’s blood-red long nails gripped the thick pile of psychological treatment slips, and the names on them were all… all…!
Zhong Peiyi’s trachea contracted violently, squeezing the last remaining air out of her lungs, and her body could not stop convulsing.
You lied to me! You lied to me just like your father did!
Zhong Peiyi was panting in embarrassment. Damn it! They all deserve to die!
Ji Yunxin watched appreciatively as the whites of Zhong Peiyi’s eyes were gradually stained with blood, his ears twitching as he heard the noisy sound coming from downstairs. Ji Yunxin’s gentle voice was calm. “Aunt Zhong, Tuan Tuan and Dr. Zhou have returned.”
Zhong Peiyi looked up; the veins on her forehead were bulging, and her beautiful, gentle face now looked like that of an evil ghost. The door moved slightly, and the tall, refined, and handsome man walked in.
Zhong Peiyi’s eyes were poisonous, as if they were coiling around the newcomer like chains. A4 paper flying through the air, like snowflakes dancing in the sky, hurtled toward Zhou Wenbai like a predestined fate. Zhou Wenbai’s vision was good enough to see clearly that the patient’s name written on the psychological treatment slip was Zhou Wenbai.
Every copy, every sheet. Dense and thick.
Ji Tan did not pay attention to the content on the scattered A4 paper, but like a scene in a movie, he instinctively took a step forward and looked at Zhong Peiyi, who was clearly in a bad state. “Mother Zhong?”
Zhong Peiyi’s eyeballs turned mechanically; her lipstick, which was very flattering to her skin, now looked like flowing blood. Zhong Peiyi’s eyes were unfocused; she tilted her mouth at Ji Tan, as if she were smiling or pronouncing a verdict. “Tuan Tuan, Mother Zhong does not agree to you marrying Wenbai.”
Zhong Peiyi repeated neurotically, “Mother Zhong does not agree.”
“Whether it is Zhou Wenbai or Zhou She, neither is allowed.”
Zhong Peiyi could no longer tell who was who. Eighteen years of lies interwoven—who was innocent and who was the real evildoer? Or perhaps both were murderers.
A sudden accident.
Ji Tan froze. “…Why?”
The other shoe dropped. Zhou Wenbai found that he could actually be very calm. Zhou Wenbai calmly arranged for Ji Tan: “Tuan Tuan, you go downstairs first.”
Ji Tan seemed to want to grab Zhou Wenbai’s arm; he raised his hand, saw Zhong Peiyi, and retreated silently. Zhou Wenbai noticed this subtle change in Ji Tan’s movements, and his heart felt even heavier and deeper.
Ji Tan retreated and left this bizarre and uncanny scene. Zhou Wenbai waited until Ji Tan left, closed the door again, and naturally took out a cigarette case from his pocket. He lit a cigarette with the faint blue flame of the bronze lighter he had picked up on the road of his escape.
Twins—the most magical creation of nature. Fate is magically connected; who replaces whom, who impersonates whom—it is all just for the survival of the two intertwined lines. When Zhou Wenbai snatched that sharp axe from the terrified Zhou She at the age of eight, they were destined to share this consequence together.
Not one person, but two. Two people split this pain that intertwined their lives. One was stained with blood, the other bore the infamy. Everything that befell the twins was doubled; there were no two people in the world who would have such unfair fairness. Even the lighters they found on their escape were two identical bronze ones. He had one, and Zhou She had one.
Zhou Wenbai lifted his eyelids; the bit of ice-cold chill that could not be melted in the depths of his eyes was exposed without reservation. Zhou Wenbai passed by Zhong Peiyi, who was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and looked at Ji Yunxin, who was smiling at the side. The left forearm with the unhealed fracture trembled uncontrollably. Yet, Zhou Wenbai used his trembling left hand to hold the cigarette to his lips. The spicy nicotine rushed violently into his throat and lungs, choking Zhou Wenbai until he almost shed tears.
“Mom.” Zhou Wenbai looked calmly at Zhong Peiyi, who was filled with hatred for him. His refined voice was hoarse from the cigarette smoke, as light as the smoke exhaled from Zhou Wenbai’s thin lips. “Do you know?”
“I was just—cough, cough—I was just one step away from being able to marry Tuan Tuan.”
Tomorrow was his and Ji Tan’s wedding day. And he was going to die today.
The other shoe had dropped. Zhou Wenbai sighed, both unwilling and resigned. “Just one step away.”