Chapter 100

At first, the kiss wasn’t intense, just a gentle brushing of lips.

But as it continued, the man’s kiss gradually took on an aggressive edge, hidden beneath gentle movements, as if even the surrounding air was being plundered.

He was forced to lean back until he was lying on the cool surface of the desk.

The hem of his thin shirt slid up against the desk, revealing a small patch of his fair, narrow waist.

And so, he was kissed even more deeply.

Because his eyes were covered, his senses were heightened. He could only clutch tightly onto the man’s clothes to alleviate the sense of insecurity.

And—

He had never so clearly felt his heart beat so fast as when Lu Shenxing was kissing him.

When the long kiss ended, he no longer dared to look at that folded handkerchief.

It was no longer fear.

It was extreme embarrassment.

***

The next day, while eating breakfast, Ji Wei was slightly surprised to learn that Lin Yishan had been stabilized.

Lin Yishan had been so ruthless with himself yesterday; he had thought he wouldn’t survive.

But on second thought, it was the Lin family, after all.

Although the Lin family was not as prosperous as before, they were still an old, established wealthy family. With their financial resources, the resources they enjoyed were top-tier, which naturally included medical resources.

Lin Yishen was Lin Yishan’s biological older brother. No matter how furious he was, he wouldn’t just stand by and watch him die.

Ji Wei pursed his lips.

“The hospital transfer procedures have been completed. Lin Yishan can arrive in Yancheng this afternoon.” Huang Bo had just returned home from outside, carrying a basket of cauliflower from the market.

“It’s a pity he’s in a vegetative state. It’s hard to say how long he’ll be in the hospital. He might wake up tomorrow, or he might never wake up.”

To be able to transfer Lin Yishan, who had just been stabilized, to Yancheng, it was clear that a tacit exchange of resources had taken place.

“I don’t understand why he would commit suicide.”

Ji Wei truly couldn’t understand.

Lin Yishan hadn’t offered a single word of defense for himself, choosing instead to end his own life. It made no sense at all.

“We’ll only know when he wakes up.”

After putting the cauliflower into the refrigerator one by one, Huang Bo steamed a bowl of shrimp and egg custard for him and comforted him, “Don’t worry, Weiwei. It’s not a big deal.”

Someone almost died, and that’s not a big deal…

Ji Wei couldn’t help but think worriedly that Huang Bo had been at home for too long and seemed to have lost touch with society. His standards of judgment were different from ordinary people’s.

But he was still very grateful to Huang Bo and said, “Thank you.”

He lowered his head to eat the custard. The custard melted in his mouth, carrying the fresh flavor of shrimp. It was both savory and tender, and tasted wonderful.

He hadn’t had egg custard in a long time. When he was little, his father used to make it for him often.

When he was little…

His hand, which was scooping the custard, paused. He suddenly remembered what Lin Yiqiu had said yesterday.

—Today Yuanyuan came to my villa to watch cartoons and asked me if bad guys always get punished.

This Yuanyuan sounded very young.

He couldn’t help but unlock his phone, open the Lin family file that Huang Bo had sent him, and search for “Yuanyuan” in the document.

A description popped up.

Just one sentence.

—Lin Yishan’s adopted daughter.

***

Shanghai, Mid-Levels Villa.

“Yuanyuan, stop running! Your favorite cartoon is about to start.”

A nanny chased a little girl out of the villa and all the way to the garden before finally catching her. “The fountain up ahead is under construction. Don’t go over there, be careful not to fall.”

The little girl was only six or seven years old, with straight bangs, looking like a porcelain doll. She was still crying and struggling when the nanny picked her up. “I want to find Daddy! I want to find Daddy!”

The nanny had a bit of a headache, but still comforted her in a soft voice, “Your grand-uncle will be back tomorrow. I heard he brought lots of toys for Yuanyuan. Can Yuanyuan be a good girl?”

The nanny patiently coaxed her.

Unexpectedly, the little girl cried even louder.

“How are we supposed to work like this?”

Not far away, a worker got a headache from listening to the crying and stopped digging.

“I heard she’s just Lin Yishan’s adopted daughter. I don’t know how she got so lucky to be adopted by the Lin family,” said a worker laying cement.

“It’s not really luck, is it? Lin Yishan has a tough fate. He jinxed his own son and daughter-in-law to death, didn’t even leave an heir,” another worker joined the conversation.

There was never a shortage of people happy to gossip about the wealthy.

“What are you talking about? Get back to work!”

The foreman walked over and sternly reprimanded them.

Only one filthy young man was working in silence. He had a long scar on his face that obscured his original features, making him look particularly hideous. Anyone who saw him would say what a pity.

He was always in charge of the renovation and reconstruction of the Mid-Levels Villa. The workers under him were all from the same hometown. Only this young man was from out of town. It was a matter of fate, really. One of his workers had been arrested for soliciting prostitutes, which was how he had hired an outsider.

A very down-to-earth and hardworking young man.

He smiled encouragingly at the young man. “Fang Hao, keep up the good work.”

The young man lowered his head slightly. “I will.”

The moment he lowered his head, his gaze fell on the villa.

And on the incessantly crying little girl.

***

Up until Lu Shenxing’s birthday, Lin Yishan still showed no signs of waking up.

Early in the morning, a steady stream of gifts piled up in the entire living room. Huang Bo categorized the gifts while recording them in a register.

The most common gifts were calligraphy, paintings, and antiques, which were presentable without being too tacky. There were other things too, like several pieces of mutton fat jade seed material, none of which were light.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Ji Wei had just gotten dressed and come out of the bedroom. He hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet.

He wondered who could have arrived so early.

He opened the door.

—It was Ying Guanxiao.

Ying Guanxiao greeted Ji Wei and the others at the door and looked around the living room for a long time. “Where’s Old Lu?”

“He’s still in his room, he’ll be out soon.”

Ji Wei replied.

Ying Guanxiao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He nodded and placed a gift on the console table by the entrance. “I won’t come in. It’s like this, the guys at the company want to throw him a party tonight to celebrate his birthday. Could you let him know?”

“Weiwei, I’m counting on you!”

He took his leave after saying that.

He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he left so quickly it was as if he were afraid Lu Shenxing would come out.

Ji Wei was left completely bewildered.

After Lu Shenxing came out of his room, he suppressed his confusion and said, “The people at your company want to celebrate your birthday tonight.”

“Ying Guanxiao said that?”

The man walked to the refrigerator, opened a bottle of milk, and put it in the microwave to heat.

Ji Wei nodded. “Everyone seems to really want you to go. They said they’re pooling money.”

“What about you?”

Lu Shenxing suddenly asked.

Ji Wei didn’t like crowded places, but he also wanted his idol’s birthday to be lively. So he nodded emphatically.

“If Weiwei wants me to go—” The man paused, looked into his eyes, and said, “Then I’ll go.”

Hearing Lu Shenxing’s words, for some reason, Ji Wei’s heart seemed to skip a beat.

***

At six in the evening, as soon as Ying Guanxiao arrived at the restaurant, a group of people surrounded him, wanting to confirm if Lu Shenxing would come. He stroked his chin and said decisively, “He’ll be here.”

He might not have the clout, but Weiwei did!

With that thought, he sat down with peace of mind.

Because there were many people, most of whom were actors, they had booked the entire restaurant.

The clamor was clearly audible—

“Do you think Senior Lu will come?”

“Hard to say. Senior Lu has never liked gatherings.”

“That’s right. I’ve been with the company for so long and I’ve never even seen Senior Lu.”

***

It was almost seven o’clock, and he was starting to feel unsure himself.

Just as he was about to tell everyone to start eating, Lu Shenxing and Ji Wei arrived.

The air suddenly fell silent.

There were truly a lot of people.

At the thought of the clinking glasses and social mingling, Ji Wei couldn’t help but take a step back. His movement was small, but it was still noticed.

The man suddenly took his hand and led him towards the empty seats.

—Their fingers intertwined tightly.

He took a deep breath and squeezed Lu Shenxing’s hand back.

After sitting down, the scene he had anticipated didn’t happen.

Everyone was eating quietly. Even when it was time to cut the cake, they just politely said “Happy Birthday” in unison. Perhaps because they were actors, they were all very reserved. He silently thought to himself.

Little did he know that at a table far away, the actresses were whispering about them.

“Ahhhhhh, Ji Wei is so cute. His skin is as white as milk. I really want to pinch his cheeks.”

“Do you dare? Senior Lu is right there.”

“I think Film Emperor Lu is a very cold person. I can’t imagine him smiling at all.”

“I’ve seen him smile, but it’s that very polite and distant kind of smile.”

Only after everyone had had a little to drink did someone boldly come over to offer a toast.

“I wish Senior great success with your movie.”

An actor walked over and nervously raised his glass.

To his surprise, Film Emperor Lu also stood up and toasted him back, “You too.”

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. He then looked at Ji Wei. “I wish you and Senior a hundred years of happiness.”

To prevent the artists from getting drunk, the wine today was all low-alcohol fruit wine.

Ji Wei decided to take a small sip.

But before he could even lift his glass, Lu Shenxing reached out, took his glass, and said faintly, “This one of mine can’t drink.”

He drank it for him.

This one of mine…

The tips of Ji Wei’s ears quietly turned red. He lowered his head and ate his food.

As they were about to finish eating, Lu Shenxing left the table and walked to the counter.

Ying Guanxiao came out of the restroom and happened to see him. He couldn’t help but say, “They really just wanted to show their appreciation.”

That’s why he hadn’t stopped them when they said they wanted to celebrate Lu Shenxing’s birthday.

“It’s not easy for newcomers to make money,” Lu Shenxing said, having settled the bill. He lowered his eyes. “Are we really going to make the juniors pool their money?”

Ying Guanxiao was stunned and said no more, walking back to the table with him.

***

By the time they returned to Hua Ting after dinner, it was already 11:30 PM.

Good, there was still half an hour.

Ji Wei was about to go to the storage room to get something when Huang Bo stopped him.

Huang Bo didn’t like being in front of people and hadn’t gone to the party, but he had made an eight-inch Oreo birthday cake.

“How can store-bought cake be as good as homemade?”

Huang Bo cut a large slice for both him and Lu Shenxing.

It was delicious.

But Ji Wei looked up at the clock on the wall. It was almost twelve, and he hadn’t given his gift yet.

Thus, he ate with a distracted air.

“Is it not good?” Huang Bo asked him with concern.

Lu Shenxing also looked over at him.

Ji Wei quickly shook his head. “It’s especially delicious.”

By the time Huang Bo finally left, it was already 11:52.

He rushed to the storage room and retrieved a large box.

The white box was wrapped with a thin red ribbon, like a Christmas present.

He ran to Lu Shenxing, panting, holding the box.

Ji Wei had intended to hand over the box, but he felt it was too straightforward and not surprising enough, so he quickly hid the box behind his back.

Before he could speak, Lu Shenxing, as if guessing his thoughts, said with his eyes half-lowered, “I didn’t see anything.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, then took the box out from behind his back, held it, and handed it to Lu Shenxing, saying very loudly, “Happy twenty-ninth birthday!”

The young man’s pale irises reflected the light, sparkling like crushed gold.

Lu Shenxing stared intently at the young man.

Ji Wei didn’t notice the man’s gaze. He just looked nervously at the clock. It was already fifty-five. He couldn’t help but restrainedly persuade, “Do you want to open it now?”

He wanted Lu Shenxing to see his gift on his birthday.

He thought he had hidden his eagerness well, but Lu Shenxing still heard the emotion in the young man’s voice and said softly, “Okay.”

Ji Wei’s heart couldn’t help but leap into his throat. Compared to the gifts others had given, his was not particularly valuable, but he still wanted to give it.

The man pulled the ribbon, and it slid silently onto the wooden floor.

He opened the box—

The bottom of the box was lined with a soft blue fabric, on which a group of small Ji Weis made of cotton cloth sat or lay.

Each one was less than half a palm’s size, tiny.

Some were holding a drawing board, some were reading a book, and some were sleeping in little dinosaur pajamas…

Although their actions were different, they all had large, pale eyes and a pair of faint pear dimples. They smiled shyly, so soft that a single poke would make them fall over, making one want to hold them in the palm of their hand.

“Do you… like it?” Ji Wei’s voice became a little quieter as he asked, feigning composure.

His heart was already pounding like a drum. He had originally just wanted something to accompany Lu Shenxing when he wasn’t around.

But now he suddenly regretted it. How could he have thought of giving dolls of himself? Even a fountain pen or a tie clip would have been better.

It was so embarrassing.

His head slowly drooped.

Just as he was having an internal battle, he heard the man’s voice from above his head, “I like it very much.”

In an instant, his head shot back up, all his previous regret gone. The corners of his mouth curved up uncontrollably. He swallowed, his heart beating exceptionally fast.

He needed to go drink a glass of milk to calm down.

Just as he turned, the man said from behind him, “I like this one the most.”

“Which one?”

Actually, he liked them all.

He couldn’t help but want to turn around and look.

The clock struck midnight.

He was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace from behind by Lu Shenxing, whose arms wrapped around his narrow waist.

The man rested his chin on his shoulder and said in a calm voice, “The twenty-nine-year-old Lu Shenxing’s favorite is—”

“His Ji Wei.”