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Ye Xingzhou sat down while casually flipping through the last two pages of the document he had been reading. When he looked up again, Lin Zhinian had already entered and was standing in front of his desk while gazing at him with a complex expression.
Ye Xingzhou gestured lightly, "Sit down."
Lin Zhinian refused and insisted on standing. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Did my second uncle come to see you earlier?"
Ye Xingzhou replied, "Mm."
Lin Zhinian fixed his gaze on Ye Xingzhou's eyes, "Do you want to take advantage of this? From the moment you agreed to help my second uncle with business introductions, was that your intention?"
"What do you want to ask?" Ye Xingzhou lifted his eyelids, his expression indifferent. "I’m a businessman; it’s in my nature to seek profit. When opportunities come knocking, I have no reason to refuse."
Lin Zhinian was taken aback then forced a bitter smile. "So you mean my second uncle is foolish and deserves to be taken advantage of? What about me? You brought me along, letting people including my second uncle, misunderstand our relationship. Was that just to embarrass your elders? Or did you set a trap back then, knowing my second uncle wanted to use me to gain benefits from you, so you let him suffer the consequences?"
Ye Xingzhou said nonchalantly, "You can think whatever you want."
He thought whatever he wanted and Lin Zhinian felt a bitterness in his heart. It was indeed he who had shamelessly approached Ye Xingzhou and foolishly hoped that after all these years, this person would still be waiting for him.
Ye Xingzhou had never made any clear statements; he simply did not reject Lin Zhinian's closeness, perhaps even enjoying the show and watching him like a clown as he repeatedly lowered his pride to seek favor, only to be used.
All of Lin Zhinian's struggles and torment were, in Ye Xingzhou's eyes, utterly insignificant.
"Do you really have to be like this? Those things from back then... do they really mean nothing to you?"
Lin Zhinian asked hoarsely and struggling to get the words out. He didn’t even know what he was waiting for in this place for an hour and insisted on seeing this person but without asking for an answer, he felt an unshakeable dissatisfaction.
"Back then, you ran all over the city to buy a cake for my birthday. Then we agreed to watch the sunrise together and, sneaking out in the middle of the night. We rode your bike to the mountains dozens of kilometers away and said we would go see it together again. When someone from another school caused me trouble, you fought to the point of dislocating your wrist. When I got sick and was hospitalized, you stayed up all night watching over me. Were all these things fake?"
In the lounge, Qi Xing was absent-mindedly finishing a game while glancing outside.
This Teacher Lin was speaking with a face that looked like he was about to cry while staring blankly at Ye Xingzhou. Qi Xing even thought his hands were trembling because he was desperately suppressing his emotions while Ye Xingzhou seemed to not even notice him as his head still slightly lowered and his posture remained unchanged.
Unfortunately, Ye Xingzhou was sitting with his back to the lounge and he couldn’t see the expression on that bastard's face.
Qi Xing curled his lip slightly before withdrawing his gaze and starting a new game.
Ye Xingzhou was also distracted as his gaze fell on a cufflink that had fallen from the edge of the folder.
A brightly colored coral cufflink, it's not his but Qi Xing's, which must have slipped off when he had pushed him onto the table earlier.
The image of Qi Xing lost in ecstasy resurfaced in his mind with his moist lips slightly parted because of gasping for breath. His eyes tinged with desire with the corners stained with a seductive red and an excessively beautiful face drenched in sweat while completely immersed in it and making one unable to resist of wanting to ravage, bully, invade, and possess more.
Ye Xingzhou pinched the cufflink between his fingers while slowly rubbing it.
Lin Zhinian noticed his action and finally realized that Ye Xingzhou might not have been listening to him at all as he was clearly not showing any interest in his reminiscences.
He bit his lip while feeling increasingly uncomfortable and insisted on continuing, "Xingzhou, I know you hate me for leaving despite your pleas but I had no choice. I really had no choice. My parents passed away early and my second uncle calls the shots at home. My life isn’t any better than yours in the Ye family. If I had gone with you, I would have lost everything. My second uncle wants me to please you now because you are the one in power at Ye's but back then, he would have treated me as a family outcast and wanting to get rid of me. And it’s not just him; your father... I’ve never told you this, but your father came to see me."
Ye Xingzhou's fingers paused and the corners of his brows finally moved slightly.
Lin Zhinian's eyes turned red with tears glistening: "I’ve always hesitated but I like you, really. I’m not as heartless as you think. Later, your father found me and told me he had high hopes for you and that he wouldn’t allow you to have a stain like me then demanded that I leave you. If I didn't do it, he would abandon you and send you back to where you came from. I was scared, really scared that I didn’t dare to gamble. Later, I tried to contact you but it didn’t work. I thought you received the postcards I sent back home but when I asked you before, you said you hadn’t. Maybe your father took them. For these past ten years, I’ve been thinking about you and never forget for a moment but I didn’t dare to come back. I was afraid of affecting you and afraid your father would use the same tricks again. It wasn’t until he passed away that I dared to come back to see you."
"I thought we still had a chance," he looked at Ye Xingzhou while choking on his words, "That award-winning painting was for you. Did you think the person in the painting was you? No, it was me. I painted myself. I’ve also been living in darkness with you as my only light. I should have made it clear to you long ago. I know that I'm selfish and cowardly but my feelings for you have always been genuine, back then and now. But why do you have to retaliate against me in this way?"
In the office, there was a moment of silence so profound that one could hear a pin drop, except for Lin Zhinian's unsteady breathing; no one spoke.
Ye Xingzhou kept his eyes down while rubbing the cufflink in his hand and no one knew what he was thinking.
Lin Zhinian couldn’t see the emotions in his eyes and Qi Xing in the lounge couldn’t see them either.
The silence was finally broken by the sound of Qi Xing's mobile game.
After a light and cheerful tune, a slightly humorous electronic voice said, "Game Over." Lin Zhinian was startled and looked up in disbelief toward the lounge.
Qi Xing pushed the door open and walked over to Ye Xingzhou's side, kicking him lightly, "Are you done talking? I’m starving. When can we leave?"
Ye Xingzhou turned his gaze to him with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Qi Xing snorted lightly and turned his gaze away.
Lin Zhinian watched Qi Xing's casual appearance and suddenly felt a surge of anger. That more than an hour he had spent waiting outside, along with the words he had just spoken, suddenly felt incredibly ironic. Perhaps in the eyes of these two people, he was just a joke.
"Why are you here? Why were you eavesdropping on us?"
"I’ve been here all along; I came first," Qi Xing replied innocently to Lin Zhinian's questioning. "Teacher Lin, let’s be reasonable. I was here and I happened to hear your conversation. How can that be called eavesdropping? Ye Xingzhou didn’t kick me out."
"Don’t twist the facts!" Lin Zhinian retorted and even gritted his teeth.
This little Young Master Qi was born lucky. He was pampered by his parents and spoiled by a powerful grandfather. He had everything, yet he still wanted to compete with him for Ye Xingzhou. Why?
Qi Xing clicked his tongue, "Let me say this, Teacher Lin, you talked a lot about what Ye Xingzhou did for you back then, but what did you do for him? You still leave him. Okay, we all know that you were forced but you’re just putting on a melodrama here. My mom loves watching those but not us. I can tell Ye Xingzhou isn’t interested in that kind of thing. What’s love compared to money? If you don’t earn money then you’re just wasting time. You think too highly of yourself and too little of the charm of money. Oh, and although I don’t understand your artistic thoughts, let me give you a piece of advice: it’s better to live a bit more brightly. Two people living in darkness together is just a recipe for depression, right?"
Lin Zhinian was so infuriated by his words that he could barely stand as his face flushed red. Just as he was about to retort, he heard Ye Xingzhou laugh. He instinctively looked over and this man’s eyes were only on Qi Xing, as if he found Qi Xing’s words amusing. His expression relaxed and joyful, something Lin Zhinian had never seen on Ye Xingzhou before, not even back then.
Lin Zhinian was momentarily speechless and stunned for a while before he managed to find his voice to ask Qi Xing, "What does this mean? You, a playboy who only has a fleeting interest, what do you even know about true feelings?"
Qi Xing shrugged, "You said it yourself; I’m just playing around. I was pursuing you before but you didn’t believe I was really after you. Now it’s the same with Ye Xingzhou; we’re just playing around. Are we supposed to live or die over this?"
The more he spoke so casually, the more Lin Zhinian felt a sense of injustice compared to his own heart, which he had laid bare only to be discarded by Ye Xingzhou. "Is that how you think too?"
This time, he was asking Ye Xingzhou.
Ye Xingzhou turned around with the smile fading from his lips and coldly said, "It has nothing to do with you. This conversation ends here. If there’s nothing else, please leave."
Lin Zhinian finally saw clearly that there was indeed no ripple of emotion in Ye Xingzhou’s eyes because of him, only indifference and annoyance.
When he realized this, Lin Zhinian felt as if all his strength had been drained and a chill spread through him, feeling utterly humiliated. He couldn’t stay for another second and not wanting to be ridiculed or provoke further disdain. He took two steps back then turned and quickly left.
As his footsteps faded, Qi Xing shot a cold glance at the still-seated Ye Xingzhou.
Ye Xingzhou grabbed his hand and reattached the cufflink he had been holding.
Qi Xing watched his actions and suddenly said, "Young Master Ye, back then, to make your uncle lose face and prevent others from scheming about your marriage, you found someone to act and made your orientation known to everyone. You could have chosen anyone but why did you pick your old love? Did you really plan for their company back then? It’s not like you needed to sacrifice your appearance, right?"
Ye Xingzhou had already fastened the cufflink and give it a light adjustment.
Qi Xing leaned in closer. His face almost touched Ye Xingzhou's while staring into his eyes with a teasing smile, "Or are you actually being selfish?"
After a moment of silent eye contact, Qi Xing’s eyes sparkled with mischief but Ye Xingzhou remained unfazed, "You’re overthinking it."
He raised his hand and rubbed Qi Xing’s chin lightly, "It was an opportunity that came knocking, so I took it. If I had chosen someone else, do you think the Ye family would easily believe it? As long as they don’t bother me, it doesn’t matter how it goes."
Qi Xing pushed his hand away and stood up straight while scoffing, "So that means the Ye family knows all about your past with Teacher Lin? Who would have thought that Young Master Ye was such a romantic back then? Running all over the city to buy a birthday cake, sneaking out at midnight to ride a bike to watch the sunrise, fighting until your wrist dislocated to help someone and even staying up all night to care for a sick person. I’m almost ready to applaud that it’s so touching. Teacher Lin said he left you out of necessity and the blame lies with your dead father. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, shouldn’t you regret it and rush to embrace him for a heartfelt confession and leading to a happy ending?"
The more he spoke, the more sour it became and Qi Xing seemed to realize it. He felt increasingly frustrated as he was like the villainous male supporting character in a melodrama, the kind that gets struck by lightning for breaking up couples.
Leaning back in his chair, Ye Xingzhou looked at him and took in every subtle change in Qi Xing's expression.
But it's still not enough.
Ye Xingzhou said, "Your mom loves those dramas but I see you enjoy them too. You’re quite the storyteller."
Qi Xing replied, "He said it himself; what have I made up?"
"I’ve watched the sunrise with you, fought for you, and cared for you when you were sick," Ye Xingzhou reminded him.
That was not the same thing.
Qi Xing scoffed, "Last question: what were you thinking during those silent seconds after he finished speaking?"
Ye Xingzhou frowned.
Qi Xing didn’t give him a chance to respond and kicked him again, "I’m going home now; you can play by yourself. Bye."
Ye Xingzhou’s voice turned serious, "Going home now?"
Qi Xing waved his phone in front of him, "My mom just sent me a WeChat message as there’s something at home and I need to go back now."
Ye Xingzhou grabbed his hand, "Stay."
Qi Xing laughed while playfully prying his fingers open one by one and showing him the WeChat message. Confirming it was indeed from his mom ten minutes ago.
Ye Xingzhou’s expression darkened.
Qi Xing put his phone away.
"Sorry, Young Master Ye but I can’t keep you company tonight."
As the car drove out of the Ye Corporation, Qi Xing let out a sigh. That bastard Ye Xingzhou could just have fun by himself.
With others, it was sneaking out at midnight, riding a bike to watch the sunrise but with him, it was just to pick him up for a quick pleasure and happened to see the sunrise.
With others, it was solving problems and getting into fights until dislocating a wrist but with him, it was nearly getting him killed and helping him was just a matter as he needed him to have connections.
With others, it was staying up all night to care for the sick and with him, it was taking advantage of him when he was sick.
Everywhere he compared, he fell short.
Not to mention running all over the city to buy a birthday cake; he probably didn’t even know when his birthday was.
If Ye Xingzhou was playing some game of "seeing you reminds me of him," then he could just roll away.
He stepped on the gas hard and accelerated away without looking back.