“That works too. I was a little thirsty anyway…”
“…”
Okay?
Chi Gui had actually agreed to such an outrageous request and helped smooth things over?
For a moment, Jing Shun thought he was hearing things, but the waves of shocked gasps behind him proved it was real.
After casually sweeping his gaze over the gossiping guests behind them, Chi Gui’s eyes turned colder when they landed on Chi Sheng.
“I came here to take care of something. I heard you hosted this banquet in the name of the Chi family?”
Chi Sheng instantly felt pressure weighing down on him. “Uncle, I—”
“Who gave you the authority?” Chi Gui interrupted coldly, leaving no room for argument. “Since when can just anyone attend a banquet hosted by the Chi family?”
Everyone knew that a real banquet organized under the Chi family’s name was something countless elites and wealthy families fought desperately to get into. Sometimes even getting an invitation wasn’t enough.
In other words, he was openly saying that Chi Sheng’s banquet was beneath the Chi family’s standards.
Unable to refute him, Chi Sheng could only grit his teeth and answer, “Y-yes, I was careless.”
Chi Gui ignored the insincere apology and instead turned to Jing Shun.
“Mr. Jing, are you staying, or are you leaving?”
Jing Shun had long stopped wanting to stay.
“I’m leaving.”
Chi Gui gave an almost imperceptible acknowledgment, as if calling for him.
“Then let’s go.”
After saying that, he turned and walked out first, clearly having had no intention of entering the banquet hall from the beginning.
Ignoring the shocked and gossip-filled stares behind him, Jing Shun was just about to follow when he heard Chi Sheng’s unwilling voice behind him—
“Ah Jing! Are you really not giving me any face at all?”
“Otherwise?”
Jing Shun looked at him as though he were a stranger.
“Chi Sheng, whenever you get close to me now, I can smell the stench hidden beneath your polished suit.”
“Instead of standing here accusing me, why don’t you go to the hospital and get yourself checked? Be careful you don’t catch a disease.”
The unusually sharp words struck like a heavy hammer, instantly smashing apart the gloom in Jing Shun’s heart while ruthlessly humiliating Chi Sheng.
The guests immediately began whispering among themselves, and the countless gazes gathering around felt sharp enough to pierce through Chi Sheng’s back.
Chi Sheng felt something stuck in his throat, utterly humiliated.
Wonderful.
Now he had truly become a joke.
Jing Shun no longer paid him any attention and quickly left the banquet hall.
He originally thought Chi Gui had already disappeared, but unexpectedly, the man was still standing in front of the private VIP elevator instead of leaving immediately.
“…”
Was he waiting for him?
Jing Shun didn’t dare confirm it.
Separated by less than a meter, their gazes briefly met.
The hotel’s general manager stood respectfully beside Chi Gui. When he noticed Jing Shun following after them, surprise briefly flashed through his eyes before he pressed the elevator button.
“Chairman Chi, please.”
Chi Gui stepped inside first.
The general manager then invited, “Mr. Jing, please come in as well.”
Jing Shun nodded slightly and silently followed.
The elevator doors closed, perfectly shutting out all the outside noise.
It was inconvenient for Jing Shun to adjust the direction of his wheelchair inside the elevator, forcing him to face Chi Gui directly. From the height of his wheelchair, all he could see was the man’s exceptionally perfect waist-to-leg proportions.
Jing Shun lowered his eyes, faint envy surfacing within them.
After spending so long in a wheelchair, he had developed an indescribable longing for normal, healthy, powerful legs.
The private elevator descended faster than ordinary elevators.
—Ding!
The elevator arrived at the B2 parking level.
Jing Shun’s wheelchair happened to block the doorway, so he could only back out first. After finally turning around, he saw a completely black Rolls-Royce Phantom parked right outside the entrance.
Without needing to think, he knew it was waiting for Chi Gui.
Suddenly, Chi Gui called out to him.
“Mr. Jing, your address.”
Jing Shun looked up. “What?”
Chi Gui said, “If you don’t mind, I can have someone drive you home.”
“…”
Given his current physical condition, it really wasn’t suitable for him to stubbornly force himself to keep up appearances. Since someone was willing to take him home, it would save him a great deal of trouble.
Jing Shun did not reject the sudden kindness. After searching through his memories, he named an old residential complex he hadn’t mentioned in a long time.
“Then I’ll trouble you, Mr. Chi.”
Because Jing Shun’s legs were inconvenient, getting into the car was difficult.
Fortunately, the hotel’s general manager was very observant. He quickly called the driver over to help Jing Shun out of the wheelchair and settle him comfortably into the back seat.
The car doors closed, and the vehicle slowly drove out of the parking lot.
Jing Shun glanced at Chi Gui sitting to his left. After thinking for a moment, he still spoke.
“Mr. Chi, I acted rashly in the banquet hall earlier and disturbed you. Thank you for helping me out.”
Helping him out?
The dimness in Chi Gui’s eyes flickered briefly beneath the streetlights outside the car window as he answered indirectly.
“Mr. Jing, your complexion looks very poor. If you’re not feeling well, you can rest first. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
“…”
His body truly did feel terrible tonight.
Ever since waking up after being reborn, a dull pain had continuously throbbed in his temples, and the confrontation in the banquet hall had exhausted even more of his energy.
Jing Shun said nothing more. After repeating another quiet “thank you,” he turned to look out the window.
Rows of camphor trees flashed past outside the car. The mottled shadows of the trees enveloped Jing Shun’s thin figure as he closed his eyes and hurriedly sorted through both his current situation and the path ahead—
His parents had long since divorced and formed new families of their own. At this point, neither of them cared about him anymore. Although Jing Shun had debuted as a child star, he actually didn’t have much savings left after becoming an adult.
In his previous life, Chi Sheng had promised again and again that he would arrange the best medical team for him and told him not to worry about treatment expenses.
But Jing Shun’s pride and dignity had remained intact.
He refused to become Chi Sheng’s burden, so outside of treatment, he tried every possible way to earn money himself and never once asked Chi Sheng for financial help.
Yet in the end—
Chi Sheng delayed again and again with endless excuses, and every promise became nothing but empty words. Jing Shun nearly spent all his savings trying to treat his legs, but he still couldn’t stop their condition from worsening day by day.
“…”
Everything from his previous life remained vivid in his mind, making Jing Shun’s eyes sting painfully.
The legs that had been crippled because of an accident had become an old festering wound buried deep in his heart. Perhaps only by standing up again could he finally remove that unbearable pain.
Fortunately, less than three months had passed since the accident.
There was still hope.
Jing Shun naturally intended to do everything possible for rehabilitation. More than anyone else, he longed to stand again and return to the screen he loved most.
But the experiences and lessons of his previous life had taught him one thing—
To heal his legs, he not only needed the best and most professional medical team, but also enough financial support.
Relying on himself alone was far from enough.
But now… who could possibly help him?
—Screech!
The sudden braking startled Jing Shun out of his thoughts. He trembled slightly and opened his eyes.
Noticing the fleeting expression on his face, Chi Gui asked coldly, “What happened?”
“S-sorry, Chairman Chi.”
The driver looked nervously into the rearview mirror and carefully explained, “Cars are parked all along both sides of this neighborhood, so visibility’s poor. A stray cat suddenly ran out just now, so I had to brake suddenly.”
Jing Shun looked carefully out the window and realized they had arrived.
After the Jing couple divorced, the only property left to him was this small, old apartment. He had lived here alone since turning eighteen.
Later, the luxury apartment had been arranged by Chi Sheng, who claimed he was worried about Jing Shun living in an old neighborhood with outdated facilities. Thinking about it now, it was probably just another way for Chi Sheng to create the image of being deeply devoted to him in front of outsiders.
“Sorry, it’s really inconvenient to drive and park around my place.”
Jing Shun explained with a hint of apology as he looked at Chi Gui.
“I can get off here. My place is just up ahead, only a few steps away.”
He unfastened his seatbelt, then after a slight pause awkwardly added, “I’ll just have to trouble… the driver to help me again.”
Chi Gui instructed the driver, “Old Zhang, go get the wheelchair.”
After speaking, he casually unfastened his own seatbelt and got out of the car, walking around to Jing Shun’s side.
The car door opened from the outside, and a sharp, icy gust of wind rushed in.
Suppressing the chill, Jing Shun called softly, “Mr. Chi?”
“This area probably doesn’t allow cars to stop for long.” Chi Gui’s expression remained calm, as though he were merely stating a fact. “I’ll carry you down. It’ll be faster.”
Jing Shun’s first instinct was to refuse.
He truly couldn’t imagine someone of Chi Gui’s status and position personally helping him out of the car.
But the reality was right in front of him—
Chi Gui stood by the door silently looking at him, his nearly one-meter-ninety frame shielding him from the biting cold wind.
“…”
There wasn’t enough time to overthink.
“Then I’ll trouble Mr. Chi.”
Chi Gui gave a quiet acknowledgment and decisively stepped closer.
One arm slipped behind Jing Shun’s back and around his waist. Through the layers of clothing, the contact didn’t feel awkward or invasive at all.
His injured legs hung weakly without any support.
Jing Shun’s breathing tightened. Just as embarrassment over his own helplessness surfaced, Chi Gui swiftly exerted strength, lifting him out of the car and steadily settling him into the wheelchair the driver had already prepared.
The actual contact lasted no more than five seconds.
But Jing Shun still noticed that the faint tea fragrance he had smelled earlier in the cold wind came from Chi Gui’s clothes. He had no idea what brand of perfume it was, but it smelled surprisingly pleasant.
“Thank you, Mr. Chi. Sorry for the trouble.”
“You’re welcome.”
After the brief exchange, their gazes met once more in a moment of silence.
Perhaps because he had spent years navigating the world of fame and power, Chi Gui naturally carried a sharp, intimidating aura of authority between his brows and eyes.
Yet tonight, he hadn’t acted superior in the slightest. Instead, he had helped Jing Shun twice in a row.
For a fleeting moment, Jing Shun developed a subtle realization—
The powerful and decisive head of the Chi family, whom everyone described as untouchable, didn’t seem nearly as unapproachable as people claimed.
Almost like a sudden flash of inspiration, the question Jing Shun had been agonizing over in the car finally found its clearest answer.
That’s right.
In the entire city of Haishi, who could possibly have more connections than Chi Gui? Who had more resources than him?
The silence stretched beyond five seconds.
“If there’s nothing else—”
“Mr. Chi, I…”
They spoke at the same time, then stopped together.
A slight movement flickered across Chi Gui’s brows as he gestured with his eyes for Jing Shun to continue first.
Jing Shun’s fingers tightened slightly before loosening again. His next words carried both sincerity and cautious probing.
“Thank you for helping me tonight, Mr. Chi. If you don’t mind… would you like to come upstairs for a cup of tea?”
Hidden within that invitation was the faint lifeline Jing Shun desperately longed for.
Of course, he had already prepared himself for rejection.
After all, the difference in their statuses was far too great. A shabby old apartment building like his probably wasn’t even worthy of entering Chi Gui’s eyes.
The streetlights glowed dimly, and light snow began drifting through the cold night once more.
A delicate snowflake landed on Jing Shun’s nose, melting instantly and leaving behind a faint flush of red.
Chi Gui answered faster than Jing Shun had expected.
“Sure. I am a little thirsty.”