Lin Ruohuai was reviewing his bank card transaction history on the sofa, feeling a heart-wrenching pain so severe he felt he might have a heart attack and die on the spot. Unable to swallow this grievance, he sent a message to Xie Yusheng. No reply. A few minutes later, his phone rang.
Xie Yusheng explained to him: “My card was frozen recently. It’s only 58,000; don’t be so stingy.”
He said it as if it were 5.80 yuan. This kind of capitalist simply had no compassion. The lingering effects of the gastroenteritis hadn’t faded yet, leaving a hollow ache in his abdomen. Lin Ruohuai remained good-tempered, speaking gently: “This isn’t being stingy. This wasn’t even my bill to begin with.”
Before Xie Yusheng could speak, Lin Ruohuai continued to block him: “It was a payment you were supposed to make. How did it end up on my head? You need to reimburse me now. No credit accepted.”
Xie Yusheng said: “You’re just stingy.”
Lin Ruohuai puffed out his cheeks and stopped talking.
Later, Xie Yusheng transferred 108,000 yuan to him. Including the 50,000 yuan appearance fee, it wasn’t long before Xie Yusheng received a message from Lin Ruohuai—Thank you for your support, Young Master. I will continue to work hard.
Xie Yusheng: What a poser.
Lin Ruohuai didn’t care what the person on the other end thought. After receiving the money, his bank balance swelled again. He happily put his clothes away, but as he passed the window, his eyelid suddenly jumped. With a shua, he pulled the curtains shut.
He felt like someone had been peeping at him lately. Was it an illusion?
I’m overthinking it, he thought. His entire net worth was barely 100,000 yuan, and it was fresh out of the oven at that. Which wealthy family would bother robbing him?
On the day of the anniversary, Lin Ruohuai got up at five in the morning to tidy himself up. He looked at the person in the mirror.
The suit was tailored perfectly, the diamond on the tie clip sparkled, and the cufflinks were exquisite. Every inch was pressed flat without a single wrinkle. Lin Ruohuai leaned closer to the mirror, adjusting a stray strand of hair. His features were lush and striking. He pursed his lips into a slight smile; he looked decent and elegant enough.
Lin Ruohuai practiced in front of the mirror for a long time. He looked both poised and beautiful. Satisfied with the effect, his eyes curved into a smile.
Xie Yusheng’s car arrived to pick him up half an hour late. Secretary Zhou went upstairs to knock on the door. The journey was calm and uneventful, but Lin Ruohuai sensitively sensed danger. He quietly played his role until he got into the car. Once inside, it felt like falling into a dark abyss; the surroundings were chilly, entirely due to the aura radiating from the man next to him.
Cold as a sculpture. Lin Ruohuai glanced at him. Should I ask? If he didn’t ask and there was a “landmine” buried somewhere, he might stupidly step on it. 100,000 yuan was too cheap a price for his life.
But asking felt like meddling. Moreover, the only things that could trigger such a massive temper in Xie Yusheng were his family or Shen Qingyi. It was likely the latter, which concerned Lin Ruohuai even more.
In this life, one must learn to communicate. One must use their mouth.
Lin Ruohuai lowered his head and fumbled around for a moment. Suddenly, Xie Yusheng’s deep voice rang out above him: “What are you looking for?”
“Where is the trigger for the middle partition? I need to talk to you about something.” Lin Ruohuai was being quite explicit.
Xie Yusheng looked at him like he was an idiot, then touched something. The middle partition rose slowly, instantly making the backseat space feel safe.
After a bit of rustling, it went quiet again. Lin Ruohuai rubbed his hands: “What’s going on? Something about Shen Qingyi?”
Xie Yusheng’s brow twitched, and his anger flared: “Zhou Gaoyi is there too. Shen Qingyi brought him.”
“Who’s he?” That name was even more unfamiliar than Shen Qi’s.
Xie Yusheng seemingly didn’t want to say: “What do you think?”
Lin Ruohuai figured it out and comforted him: “That’s fake. It’s just like our situation it’s all a front. He still likes you; it’s impossible for him to have anything real with Zhou Gaoyi. Truly.”
That book was written as “Double Pure/Virgin Leads,” after all.
Xie Yusheng said nothing.
Lin Ruohuai knit his brows in worry. No wonder Xie Yusheng wanted him to sign an agreement; turns out he thought Shen Qingyi also had someone by his side and wanted to spite him. What kind of middle-schooler, “non-mainstream” romance logic was this?
Lin Ruohuai had originally said he wouldn’t interfere, but seeing it for real, he couldn’t help but say a few more words: “If you just spoke clearly with him, this wouldn’t happen.”
Xie Yusheng finally opened his mouth: “Speak clearly how?”
Don’t you have a mouth?
Xie Yusheng’s tone was low, like a storm brewing: “He won’t listen.”
Lin Ruohuai scratched his palm with his finger, imagining a brainless scene where one person says “Listen to my explanation” and the other says “I won’t listen, I won’t listen!” He said speechlessly: “You haven’t even tried. How do you know if he’ll listen?”
Xie Yusheng insisted: “He won’t listen. He’ll slap me.”
Lin Ruohuai paused, remembering Shen Qingyi’s character design was that of a cold, aloof beauty. “How much strength could your wife possibly have? Isn’t that just a reward?”
Xie Yusheng: Wife?
Lin Ruohuai laughed: “Isn’t he?”
Xie Yusheng looked at him meaningfully: “Ever since your mother passed away, you’ve been washing your face with tears all day, looking dead to the world. You’re not crying now?”
Lin Ruohuai used two fingers to toy with the soft fabric of his suit hem: “If I cry anymore, I’ll go blind.”
Xie Yusheng: “I don’t discriminate against the blind.”
The banquet was held at the Xie family’s private estate. The environment was quiet and elegant, where the mountains, water, and sky blended into one.
Lin Ruohuai was nearly frozen to death by Xie Yusheng’s coldness. He exhaled a breath of fresh air, looking at a dark grey mountain in the distance. it weighed down half the sky as if it were about to rush over, making one feel breathless.
Lin Ruohuai didn’t dare look again. When he was a child, he often dreamed of gigantic objects, leading him to have a sense of awe and fear toward such things.
As the banquet began, Lin Ruohuai was led inside by Xie Yusheng. First, they greeted Xie’s parents, who asked nothing else. Regarding his status as Xie Yusheng’s boyfriend, Lin Ruohuai had been subjected to speculation and scrutiny from all sides since entering, feeling like needles were pricking his back. Conversely, Xie’s parents, who should have been the most curious, didn’t bother to ask a thing.
Later, the two Shen brothers arrived late. Shen Qingyi pushed Shen Qi into the venue from behind.
Almost without anyone needing to point it out, Lin Ruohuai recognized Shen Qingyi’s appearance. A “lotus rising from the water” cold, elegant, and soft. Heavens, such a beautiful person, and Xie Yusheng actually fought with him? It seemed Xie’s level of enlightenment wasn’t high enough yet.
After looking at the younger brother, Lin Ruohuai’s gaze landed on the older brother in the wheelchair. He couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.
Mother Xie stepped forward to greet them, her attitude polite and formal. “Mr. Shen, please make yourself at home here. Feel free to do as you like. We have also arranged a room upstairs.”
Lin Ruohuai noticed that after Shen Qi appeared, all the eyes that had been scrutinizing him shifted to Shen Qi. Covetous gazes entangled him wantonly, yet not a single person dared to step forward.
The vibe Shen Qi gave off was too cold, as if one were standing in a world of ice and snow.
Lin Ruohuai pursed his lips slightly, his gaze cautious as if afraid of disturbing the other man. His eyes drifted down, landing on the fingers resting relaxed on the armrest—fingers that were bony, fair, long, and jade-like, like pieces of art. Slowly looking up, he saw the suit and shirt didn’t have a single wrinkle; the tie was neat, and the buttons were done up perfectly to the top, revealing a section of his neck and a prominent Adam’s apple.
Then there was that face. As Shen Qi’s gaze swept over, Lin Ruohuai suddenly forgot to breathe.
His aura was so powerful it made people forget he was in a wheelchair.
When Lin Ruohuai first transmigrated, he had carefully examined the original owner’s appearance. It was virtually the same as his own, but overall, it wasn’t “his” body. However, after a few days of adapting, he didn’t know if it was an illusion, but his features seemed to be slowly merging with his pre-transmigration self, gradually becoming his own body.
He was the beautiful, gentle type. Once in middle school, during a rebellious phase, he had tearfully dyed his hair “granny grey” at a hair salon. His classmates gave him the nickname “Ragdoll Cat.” It wasn’t meant to be mean, but it sounded weak—and he actually preferred Tabby cats.
He liked the type with low-set brows over the eyes the fierce, handsome, and cold type. Most of the novels he read featured such leads. Shen Qi was the spitting image of his ideal novel protagonist.
It felt like a 2D character had jumped out in front of him. So exciting, so thrilling. Lin Ruohuai suppressed the urge to smile. His peripheral vision met Shen Qi’s gaze again. Why is he looking at me too?
At that moment, Xie Yusheng suddenly patted his back and introduced him: “This is my boyfriend, my fiancé.”
The surrounding air seemed to stagnate, only flowing again after a long while.
Big brother, your mouth really is something else. Forget it, the plot that needs to happen must happen. Besides, I’m getting paid to do this; I have to be professional.
Shen Qingyi’s voice was still very flat: “Is that so? Then, congratulations to you both.”
If you listened closely, there was a tremor in his voice.
Sigh, I don’t like bullying big beauties. Just as he finished sighing, his lowered eyes subconsciously flickered toward Shen Qi… Why is he still looking at me?
Could I have been exposed?
This scene didn’t last long. Shen Qingyi was led away by Zhou Gaoyi. Seeing this, the veins on Xie Yusheng’s forehead instantly bulged. Lin Ruohuai saw the situation and quickly said: “Go after him, hurry!”
Xie Yusheng suddenly looked at him. Lin Ruohuai changed his tune without missing a beat: “I want to eat cake. Go get me a piece, go quickly!”
Thus, only Lin Ruohuai and Shen Qi were left in this small corner.
Shen Qi had an eccentric personality; no one dared to get too close. Moreover, everyone knew that ever since the accident with his legs, he had become even more cold and arrogant than before. He disliked communicating with others and resisted physical contact. Gradually, no one dared to go looking for trouble.
Shen Qi looked away, his brow slightly heavy, as if several answers to a problem were forming in his mind.
Clearly Xie Yusheng’s boyfriend, yet he smiled so kindly at Xiao Yi. He didn’t seem sarcastic at all, just purely friendly. Now he had sent Xie Yusheng away to be alone with him—his tactics were quite varied.
Either he was faking it, or his level was very high.
A waiter walked over with a tray of colorful alcoholic beverages. Lin Ruohuai licked his lips, lowered his head, and looked at him expectantly: “Mr. Shen, would you like something to drink?”
Shen Qi said coldly: “I’m not drinking.”
Lin Ruohuai was stunned for a moment, then thought about it and felt this attitude was quite normal for Shen Qi. He felt bad for the younger brother.
Lin Ruohuai said “Oh, okay” twice: “Then I’ll drink.”
Shen Qi still had no expression. Lin Ruohuai was nearly frozen by his coldness. He figured Xie Yusheng wouldn’t be back for a while—should he just turn and leave? Take a stroll? But would it be bad to just leave Shen Qi here?
Lin Ruohuai could only stay put and drink half a glass of orange juice. At some unknown point, Shen Qi suddenly appeared behind him and asked: “Is it good?”
“It’s pretty good.” Lin Ruohuai shared naturally, “Want some?”
Shen Qi looked at the faint lip print on the rim of the glass. “I’m not drinking it.”
Lin Ruohuai: “…”
For some reason, he felt that Shen Qi’s attitude toward him was hot and cold.
Have I been exposed? Lin Ruohuai had never been in a relationship, and his acting skills weren’t very polished. He rubbed his nose, looking for a chance to slip away: “Mr. Shen, I’m going to the restroom.”
As soon as he spoke, Shen Qi’s wheelchair didn’t move. He looked at him sideways. Lin Ruohuai self-consciously and politely waved his hand: “Bye-bye?”
Still no response. Lin Ruohuai lowered his hand, thinking it wasn’t surprising at all that a cold, deadpan face like Shen Qi’s would react this way. Just as he turned around, a voice sounded behind him.
“When you come back, bring me a glass of orange juice.”
Lin Ruohuai paused and looked back.
Shen Qi said: “I don’t consume other people’s saliva.”