T.N: A huge chapter today. Author-sama wrote and wrote and wrote…
Lying together with Shu Ran at night, Xu Shen also knew very well that their relationship could no longer be a secret in the eyes of those around them. He didn’t say anything, just silently hugged Shu Ran into his arms, feeling very peaceful in his heart.
If their relationship could be understood by everyone, it would be the icing on the cake. However, if it couldn’t, it would still not diminish the perfection between them.
Shu Ran happily nestled in his boyfriend’s arms and sighed in a low voice: “It’s fine now. Brother Sen’s family is finally reunited. All we ever wanted was wealth and family happiness… How come I feel like I can successfully retire now?”
He felt like he was the ferryman that had successfully sent his friends to the other side. Of course, all of his friends were also ferrymen who helped him cross many dark rivers.
“Retire to where?” Xu Shen clasped Shu Ran’s hand and chuckled.
“Back to your arms.” Shu Ran’s earthy words of love came right out of his mouth. Thinking about it, due to his recent busy schedule, he hasn’t written a love letter to express his love to his partner in a while. It was time for him to recharge his batteries for a few days and write a passionate love letter.
Xu Shen lowered his head and exchanged a kiss with Shu Ran, then looked at him with deep and tender eyes: “RanRan, you’re my lover, my friend, my teacher, my child…”
“Same for you.” Shu Ran smiled sweetly. He understood Xu Shen’s expression and resonated perfectly. “Speaking of which, I haven’t told you about my parents yet?”
“Do you want to say it?” Xu Shen gently stroked his lover’s hair.
“Actually, it’s nothing. It’s quite a clichéd story.” Shu Ran smiled and began to describe it calmly: “My parents are both public officials, similar to Jiang Fan’s eldest brother, and their positions are quite high.”
“It turns out that you and Jiang Fan have the same background.” Xu Shen didn’t expect it.
“It’s different. Brother Hang treats him like a jewel.” Shu Ran thought of the past, curled his lips, and continued: “Although my parents freely fell in love in college, their relationship broke up soon after they got married. I also transformed from the crystallisation of their love into an abandoned child, growing up with my grandfather.”
Xu Shen felt distressed when he heard that. Although he too didn’t have a good life, he still felt that Shu Ran’s experience was unfair. “Such parents are so irresponsible.”
“Well, the reason why I have been diligent and motivated since I was a child is because I wanted them to see me and love me.” Shu Ran paused and continued: “In the end, no matter how good I was, I still couldn’t compare to the children they had after they remarried, which made me degenerate in my adolescence. It wasn’t until shortly before I met you that I suddenly had an epiphany. After thinking about it, it was like being reborn into what I am now. I started to love myself and support myself unconditionally, no matter what. That situation… When something bad happened, I just thought… Fuck it, what’s the big deal?”
“That’s right, that’s the attitude.” Xu Shen touched his head and smiled: “That’s why I said that when I first saw you, you were so radiant.” Innocent and brave, no matter what predicament he found himself in, he was never depressed or had any self-doubt. Even when his own situation was not very good, he still cared and thought about others.
“It’s amazing. There’s a saying that the things you have will become more and more, and the things you don’t, will never be there. Just when I felt that I didn’t lack the love of my parents…” Shu Ran rubbed his head on Xu Shen’s palm. “You showed up.”
The appearance of Xu Shen completed all his desires and emotional needs. Just like Xu Shen said: lover, friend, teacher, child, parent…
It was all there. Not unilaterally, but mutually.
When Xu Shen needed it, he would be the first to rush to the front and hold the torch as the leader.
“Well…” Xu Shen thought to himself: “It’s because you’re so good that I have the opportunity to become a better person…” Otherwise, given his background, he would just degenerate into a big bastard.
“After all, we deserve to be together.” Xu Shen turned over and pressed Shu Ran, summing up with a smile.
…………
Last year, the World Health Organization announced to the world that homosexuality was no longer a mental illness, and same-sex love was no longer a neurosis that required treatment.
However, back in China, it was still a crime.
Many intellectuals were discussing the issue in private, with most people believing that accepting it was a manifestation of civilization and progress. However, it was impossible to discuss the subject in the open, nor could any relevant articles be published in newspapers.
In fact, many people noticed the obvious ambiguity between Shu Ran, the great talent that attracted everyone’s attention, and his handsome partner, Boss Xu. But, so what?
Given the social status and influence of those two people, any baseless rumors without actual evidence would only be regarded as dirty water thrown by the people…
…After all, ever since Shu Ran became famous, there has been an endless stream of people throwing dirty water at him.
So everything was slander!
In the view of common people, writer Shu Ran published a love letter to his partner in the newspapers every now and then for so many years. It was romantic and affectionate, and those who liked him would never allow anyone to slander that bright and honest love.
As for Writer Shu’s mysterious companion, they didn’t reply much, but every time they did, it was terribly entertaining! So straightforward and enthusiastic, that it was estimated that only such a generous temper could attract Writer Shu who had both talent and beauty.
Some people even said that if one day Writer Shu stopped writing love letters to his partners, they would be heartbroken.
It was often said that the most unfaithful scholar was the one who betrayed his heart… Writer Shu was indeed a brave man. After all, if he ever betrayed his heart one day, he would definitely be drowned in saliva!
Only after reading the tabloid did Xu Shen realise that he was part of a vulnerable group… It turned out that everyone was worried that after Shu Ran became successful, he would abandon his wife who was a loser!
“See!” Xu Shen pushed the young man next to him in a funny way, with a very stern look on his face: “If you dare to abandon me, no one in the country will spare you!”
“Haha…” Shu Ran murmured: “The people support the weak wife. You’re stronger than me and also have a lot of money. You can knock me off with one hand, so I am the weaker one!”
“Enough said, you don’t have to abandon me… I took the initiative and fell into the trap, so I’m part of the vulnerable group!” Xu Shen continued to argue.
“That’s not called being part of a vulnerable group, it’s called being a pervert!” Shu Ran scolded with a smile.
Xu Shen smiled as well, picked up the black tea, and took a sip: “Let’s go… Go there early and congratulate Brother Lu Di.”
Lu Di’s child was admitted to a famous university that year, and a banquet was about to be held1In case you forgot who Lu Di is because I sure did, he’s Shu Ran’s pen pal from Shanghai, the one who has an antiques store and invited them to go horse riding.
“Um.”
With their status, attending a private party with only relatives and friends was terribly difficult. The two of them now lived in a quiet courtyard with a forest garden, which was decorated in an antique style where every frame looked like an ancient painting. With a bigger home, they had to hire people to take care of it. Of course, those people were carefully selected before they dared to keep them around.
As for Lu Di, his business was not small to begin with either. Over the years, he had been investing with Shu Ran, and his net worth had doubled… In addition to that, he also liked to be lively and had many friends. When Shu Ran and Xu Shen arrived, they saw him dancing and greeting guests.
“Brother Lu Di, your friends are here…” The guest noticed the two distinguished people with extraordinary temperaments and quickly reminded Lu Di: “I didn’t expect you to know Boss Shu and Boss Xu… How about introducing them to us?”
“Oh, I’m really sorry! They like to be quiet and don’t like to socialize… Just forget about it.” Lu Di apologized to his guests, then said goodbye and hurried to greet Shu Ran and Xu Shen.
“Brother Lu Di, congratulations.” Shu Ran took the gift from Xu Shen and gave it to him: “It’s a pair of the four treasures of the study2“Four Treasures of the Study” is an expression used to denote the brush, ink, paper, and ink stone used in Chinese calligraphy and spread into other East Asian calligraphic traditions. The name appears to originate in the time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–589 AD).”
“Is there any plum-flavored ink?” Lu Di said with joy. “My child keeps on talking about it.”
“Yes, let him write something and show it to me. If it’s not good, I’ll criticize it.” Shu Ran said with a smile.
“Of course, you’re the teacher! If you don’t criticize him, who will?” Lu Di then looked at Xu Shen: “Welcome, Brother Xu! Let’s go upstairs.”
“Please.” Xu Shen smiled casually and nodded. He was exactly thirty years old that year, but his face was still so young and had not changed much. The only thing that changed was his temperament. At thirty, Xu Shen had a foundation that he did not have in his early twenties.
In other words, his gangster spirit faded, but his noble aura increased. After all, he no longer had to fight with others, living a pampered life that naturally changed his temperament.
Lu Di sighed: “Brother Xu is really popular wherever he goes… So enviable.”
He remembered what he felt the first time he met Xu Shen, with only one thought left in his mind. As a fellow man… How could someone else be so handsome?!
It was okay to be handsome, but he was also lucky enough to find an equally outstanding and talented… Partner.
“Don’t get confused by my appearance.” Xu Shen touched his face and said with a smile.
“Did Brother Shu get confused as well?” Lu Di looked at Shu Ran and asked.
“…” Shu Ran was stunned for a moment, wondering if he asked the wrong person… Then he thought again, well… They were all human beings, making him smile: “I was confused in the beginning, but most people don’t have the patience to understand and can only see the surface.”
“Oh, then Brother Shu is definitely not an ordinary person.” Lu Di shook his head and concluded.
Shu Ran wanted to kick that old boy, finding it funny. Looking to the side, Xu Shen also watched them with a smile.
“Hello, Teacher Shu!” Lu Di’s son came over to pay homage to his calligraphy teacher.
“Congratulations, I was very happy when I heard on the phone that you passed the exam.” Shu Ran smiled and continued: “I’m here to congratulate you in person today.”
“Thank you!” The child happily hugged the gift from Shu Ran for entering higher education and retreated, leaving space for the adults.
“Brother Shu, I have something to ask you.” Lu Di offered more tea to them.
“Oh? Tell me?” Shu Ran leaned back lazily on his chair. The biggest reason why he didn’t like socializing was precisely because he couldn’t do whatever he wanted in front of others.
“There’s a hot spring resort development project in Quan City. Do you think we can invest in it?” Lu Di took out a pile of information and asked them to take a look: “Brother Xu, take a look too. Didn’t you engage in real estate recently? In this regard, you should be pretty good at it!”
“Why do you suddenly want to invest in a resort?” Xu Shen said. “It’s time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the payment cycle is very long. It’s also not that interesting… Just buy more land, that’s so much more cost-effective.”
“This… Because the scenery is good, I can enjoy it myself. I’m already in my forties, and there’s no resort that I like in China, so I want to invest in my retirement home.” Lu Di said. “If I can, it would be better to also make some money on the side. What do you think, Brother Shu?”
“If you have nothing to do and are willing to put in the hard work, you won’t lose anything anyway.” Shu Ran had an impression of that resort. He should be able to make some money, just not a lot. “If you want to make easy money, I’m on Brother Shen’s side. Just buy more land.”
“Okay, I understand.” Lu Di concluded. So it was time-consuming and labor-intensive, and he couldn’t make a lot of money.
“In addition to buying land, you can also invest in making movies.” Shu Ran knew that the 90s would become the golden age of Hong Kong movies, and it was also very profitable to invest in movies now.
“Oh? Do you have a way?” Lu Di had never been exposed to that industry.
“Not yet.” Shu Ran said. “Brother Shen and I’ll go across the sea to have some fun in a while, and see if we can meet some people.”
“Well, then bring more people.” Lu Di quickly warned them.
“Don’t worry.” Xu Shen and the others usually brought bodyguards with them every time they went out. Even today, there were actually two of them guarding outside.
Since they wanted to find business on other people’s territory, they definitely had to bring enough bodyguards.
…………
It was unknown how Jiang Fan learned that they were going to cross the sea and play cards, but he immediately raised his hand to sign up: “Take me with you, I’ll go too!”
“We’re about to leave, and you don’t have a passport.” Xu Shen didn’t really want to take Jiang Fan, that bright light bulb3light bulb refers to a third wheel. Someone who’s disturbing the peace and quiet of a couple, with him. Going out with the three of them would not be fun at all…
“I can get it now, wait for me!” Jiang Fan was very interested in crossing the sea. He had long wanted to go, but unfortunately, no one took him.
“Forget it…” Shu Ran couldn’t bear to look at him, so he patted Xu Shen: “Let Brother Fan come with us. Just tell him to prepare quickly.”
Xu Shen had no choice but to take the light bulb on a trip. “Don’t tell Kaizi!” he ordered.
“OK!” Jiang Fan quickly went to complete the formalities.
Talking about the sea in the 90s… Every single rich person knew about it. It was a man’s paradise for shopping and playing cards.
At that time, one Mr. He was already a famous figure. Many famous movie stars and singers of later generations were already on their way to success, and coal bosses from the mainland were also pouring money into the entertainment industry to flatter their lovers.
During that period, many excellent films appeared, and later generations all had to thank the lovely coal boss Qian Duo, the one who had a good aesthetic and did not dictate the scripts4I don’t know who Qian Duo is, but I assume he’s a big investor from the 90’s.
On the deck of a vacation cruise ship.
“You two are so mean! You didn’t even bother to notify me when you came out to play!” Jiang Fan, wearing a floral shirt and shorts, was lying on a chair reading a beauty magazine while criticizing Shu Ran and Xu Shen.
“We’re not just here to have fun.” Xu Shen wore sunglasses and a short-sleeved shirt. His strong long legs and handsome appearance attracted many beauties in bikinis to look at him, guessing whether that handsome guy also noticed them…
…The answer was no. Xu Shen’s eyes under his sunglasses were closed most of the time. He only occasionally opened them to look at Shu Ran who was seriously sunbathing on the lounge chair between him and Jiang Fan.
“It’s better to close your eyes while here…” Jiang Fan covered half of his eyes with the magazine, not daring to look directly at the beauties in bikinis coming and going. Ahem, girls from the mainland didn’t dare to wear such clothes…
However, on their way to Hong Kong, people did not only dare to wear them, but they also dared to appear like that on TV and in magazines.
“The social atmosphere is different.” Shu Ran said.
“I thought you were asleep.” Xu Shen looked at his wife and smiled: “Would you like some more sunscreen?”
In that international atmosphere, it was normal for him to put sunscreen on Shu Ran. No one thought it was weird. He even heard from Shu Ran that those rich people had a lot of fun in private, so they not only guessed their relationship but also probably experienced it themselves.
“Come.” Shu Ran lay down on the large chair.
Xu Shen immediately sat up. Jiang Fan next to him rolled his eyes, turned around quickly, and continued to admire the good figures and long legs of the beautiful sisters. It was just pure appreciation and respect, even if there were beautiful women who were obviously ogling him as well. He just pretended not to see it.
Those three young men were surrounded by so many bodyguards that anyone with eyes could tell that they had money in their pockets. If it wasn’t for the bodyguards who were watching eagerly, many people would have loved to come forward and strike up a conversation.
“Hey!” Shu Ran patted Xu Shen’s hand and said with a smile: “You’re not helping me put on sunscreen… You’re obviously taking advantage!” If he kept on touching him like that, he might get embarrassed enough to throw him overboard!
“I’m not taking advantage. I’m applying it very seriously, okay?” Xu Shen said. He applied it very carefully, afraid that if he didn’t do a good job, Shu Ran might turn into a giant panda, with one part black and one white.
“I don’t believe you…” Shu Ran whispered.
A waiter came over with a tray of champagne and asked them if they wanted some. However, the bodyguards immediately came over to stop him from approaching, saying no.
Drinks that have been opened were not handled under their own eyes, so it was better not to drink them. They were never so cautious, not even when they messed around before.
“I’m going swimming.” After all, Jiang Fan couldn’t stand them smooching next to him, so he put away the magazine and got up to leave.
“Brother Fan, be careful!” Shu Ran warned.
“I know!” Jiang Fan smiled.
Shu Ran saw that soon, a blonde and blue-eyed beauty approached Jiang Fan. He smiled secretly, thinking that it was useless. Their brother Fan only had one word in his vocabulary, and that was OK.
“Brother Shen, shall we also go swimming for a couple of laps?” Shu Ran asked.
“No.” Xu Shen glanced at the swimming pool and said: “The swimming pool is too small. Next time, we’ll go to the beach to play.”
“That’s fine.” Shu Ran turned over and looked at Xu Shen with a smile: “I’ll help you apply some sunscreen too.”
“There won’t be any reporters here, right?” Xu Shen was moved by the words that touched his heart twice.
“How is that possible? How much money did we spend to get here? Have you forgotten?” Shu Ran took the sunscreen and pushed Xu Shen’s chest, telling him to lie down.
“No wonder rich people like to go out.” Xu Shen rested his arm on the back of his head with an expression of great enjoyment.
Sunshine, sea breeze, and a gentle companion.
“Of course.” In fact, the rich people around them would spend 10,000 times more money than they did, but they were all perverts. Normal people like them would not dare to come without bodyguards, for fear of being targeted by said perverts.
“Boss Xu, are you satisfied with the sunscreen application?” Shu Ran asked with a smile: “Do you want to apply for a card?”
“Ahem!” Xu Shen played with him: “How much is the annual card?”
“All your wealth.” Shu Ran pressed him arrogantly.
Xu Shen groaned when he was pressed down, but still asked with a smile: “You’re so cruel, what’s your employee number? I want to file a complaint against you.”
“A complaint against me? Have you eaten the guts of a leopard?” Shu Ran continued to be arrogant.
Later in the evening, several people had a seafood dinner while watching the chef cook it. However, the portions of each dish were not large, making everyone feel that they were not full and wanting to ask for fried rice.
Shu Ran felt that it wasn’t that the portions were small, but that their appetites were slightly larger. His own appetite was average, and one lobster with thick arms would take up a lot of space in his stomach, but… That was not the case for the others.
“Are you really not going to eat more?” Xu Shen wanted Shu Ran to have another small bowl of seafood fried rice that was quite delicious.
“I don’t want to eat that.” Shu Ran said. “I’ll eat two more sea urchins.” They lived inland and didn’t often have access to that stuff. In the future, when transportation becomes more convenient, they could eat it as they please.
“Your taste is really weird. You don’t eat the fried ones but the raw ones.” Xu Shen had sea urchins before. It was sweet and fishy, but he thought that fried rice was better.
“This thing…” Shu Ran leaned close to Xu Shen’s ear: “It’s an aphrodisiac.”
Xu Shen: “Then give me two as well!”
“What are you whispering about?!” Jiang Fan protested… Why were the two of them whispering to each other, pulling him down when they were supposed to play together?!
Xu Shen had no choice but to lean over and talk to him: “Would you also like two?”
“I… What’s the use of eating this thing?” Jiang Fan regretted it. He wouldn’t have listened to their whispers if he had known better, but after thinking about it, he still said: “I’d better take two.”
He was just planning ahead, okay?!
And so, three men sat down to eat sea urchins, with weird smiles on their faces.
The chef was puzzled and scratched his head.
After the three of them went into the room to rest, the bodyguards also took turns enjoying the services on the cruise ship. It was great to travel every now and then for a business trip like this…
…Mainly because the boss was super generous!
On the surface, they booked three rooms, but one of them was occupied entirely by bodyguards, and Xu Shen still sneaked into Shu Ran’s room.
“Baby, you were right. That sea urchin is really strong.” Xu Shen took a shower, went to bed, wiped his hair, and called Shu Ran over: “Come and give it a kiss.”
“How can you ask for that so naturally?!” Shu Ran was chewing gum in his mouth, arranging his hair in front of the mirror. After all, they still had plans of going to the card table to show off.
“Please.” Xu Shen’s voice sounded a little uncomfortable.
“Okay.” They were about to go out soon, so there was not enough time for much. Shu Ran turned his head and spit out the chewing gum into the trash can, licked his lips, and asked: “Can you bear the mint flavor? Do you want me to chew another one?”
“I’ll try.” Xu Shen was quite interested in challenging it.
“Then, okay. Don’t blame me if it gets too cold.” Shu Ran said.
“How can it be that exaggerated?” Xu Shen couldn’t help laughing.
Indeed, facts proved that the effect was not that obvious. It was only slightly cooler in the beginning.
“Next time I’ll drink Fengyoujing, let’s see if that’s exaggerated5Fengyou Essence (simplified Chinese: 风油精; traditional Chinese: 風油精; pinyin: Fēngyóu jīng) is a type of Chinese patent medicine, usually in the form of an oily liquid with a light green color. It is derived from countries in Southeast Asia where the weather is warm and wet with the prevalence of mosquitoes because it serves a great deal in relieving itchiness. In China, it is sometimes called “panacea oil” as it is believed to alleviate the symptoms of many diseases ranging from coughing and rhinitis to the cold and flu.” Poor Shu Ran had to chew another piece of gum again… The taste in his mouth that night was too complicated, and he even forgot what the sea urchins originally tasted like.
“That sounds scary.” Xu Shen shivered, got up, changed his clothes, and went out.
Jiang Fan was wearing a white suit, waiting for them outside. When Shu Ran came out, he complimented him, saying: “Brother Fan, you’re very suitable for dressing up like this. It’s just that the pocket of your jacket is missing something.”
“What?” Jiang Fan looked at his chest.
Passing by a decorative flower basket, Shu Ran took a camellia flower from the basket, broke off the excess branches, and inserted it into Jiang Fan’s chest pocket: “Now it looks good.”
A man in a suit smoking a cigar sat at the other end of the corridor, watching their every move. After Shu Ran saw him, he nodded politely. Unexpectedly, by sheer coincidence, they met that person again at the card table.
The other party was accompanied by a young girl who looked like a typical Hong Kong beauty. Spotting Shu Ran’s gaze, the cigar man patted the girl next to him and said: “Go over there and sit with Boss Shu and the others.”
The girl was the cool type, neither smiling nor looking like she wanted to socialize. However, she glanced at Shu Ran’s side, then stood up and sat over. Since Shu Ran was in the middle, she took the seat next to Jiang Fan.
“Sir, do you know us?” Shu Ran asked doubtfully.
“Of course, we know each other.” The other party said. “You’re very famous in the mainland. I occasionally read those newspapers.”
“I see.” That was… Actually really not that surprising.
“Let me introduce myself, my name is Huang Wenqi.” The other party stood up, shook hands with Shu Ran and the other two, and then took out three business cards and pushed them over: “I wonder if you’re interested in movies?”
The business card clearly said “XX Film Company”.
“It turns out that Mr. Huang is a filmmaker.” Shu Ran smiled: “We don’t know much about this industry, so we’ll learn from you then.”
“I’m easy to talk to!” Huang Wenqi’s smile became even more enthusiastic: “Let’s play cards for now, and we’ll make an appointment to talk in detail.”
“Okay.” Shu Ran said.
“Miss…” Jiang Fan played with the chips in his hand and asked the girl next to him in a low voice: “How do you play this? I haven’t played it before.”
The girl was startled, but she soon helped him look at the cards, guiding him step by step. To thank her, Jiang Fan said: “If I lose, it’s on me, but if I win, I’ll give you half.”
It wasn’t sure if it was because he was a newbie at the table, or just plain lucky. The girl’s eyes widened every time she looked at his cards, suggesting that he should push the chips desperately.
“When it comes to playing cards…” Shu Ran whispered to Xu Shen. “Sure enough, children are better at playing.”
“You’re right.” Xu Shen thought to himself that if it was his turn to draw cards next time, he should no longer fool around… It seemed that not only his essence but also his luck had been sucked away by Shu Ran, making him the least lucky among the three.
“Mr. Xu, do you need a cigar?” Huang Wenqi’s assistant received the instructions and came over with a whole box of cigars to ask Xu Shen, who looked upset about losing.
Xu Shen waved his hand. He was in fact not upset… He could still afford to lose that small amount of money, treating it as losing to Jiang Fan.
“Mr. Jiang is very lucky.” Huang Wenqi looked at them with a smile.
“Not bad, Mr. Huang, you’re not bad either.” Jiang Fan smiled lazily and took a sip of the cocktail made by the bartender on the spot.
“It seems that you like Jia Yi very much…” Huang Wenqi’s eyes flickered back and forth between the two of them: “In that case, how about letting her be your girlfriend for the night?”
The girl named Jia Yi’s face immediately looked ugly, and she raised her eyes to glare at Huang Wenqi.
However, Jiang Fan said: “Mr. Huang, you’re very disrespectful to the lady.”
Huang Wenqi shrugged, spreading his hands to show that he was innocent: “I just suggested that she do whatever she wants. After all, I’m not her boss yet.”
Everyone’s expressions turned very strange. Could it be that that person suggested that once he was her boss, she would have to do whatever he wanted…
“Mr. Huang, stop saying such things. We don’t like it.” Shu Ran said directly.
After being disturbed like that, he lost interest in having fun with Mr. Huang, so Shu Ran turned to Xu Shen: “Brother Shen, let’s go play something else.”
“Yeah.” Xu Shen threw the cards and took away his and Shu Ran’s chips, not giving any face to Mr. Huang.
Jiang Fan still had a lot of chips in front of him. He called a waiter over and asked him to put them in a box for him. Then, he turned to Lady Luck who accompanied him all night, saying: “I’ll take it and change it into money, then share it with you later.”
However, as soon as Jiang Fan came back after exchanging his chips, he found that both the girl and Huang Wenqi were missing. He was a little worried, so he quickly asked the bodyguards where they had gone.
“It seems they… Went to the bar.” One bodyguard answered.
Huang Wenqi was sitting at the bar drinking. The girl with a cold face stood beside him, pointing at him while yelling: “You’re so shameless, you just went too far!”
“Am I going too far? I’m not going too far. You’re too naive.” Huang Wenqi twisted his shoulders: “You think wearing a beautiful skirt and playing cards with me will lead to a contract? Come on, Missy, you really think you’re a pearl that can shine…”
“Give it to your mother!” A glass of wine poured on top of Huang Wenqi’s head: “You don’t have to sign me if you don’t want to, but that’s no reason to insult me!”
The girl put down the cup with a snap and showed him a rude gesture before leaving.
“Hey!” Huang Wenqi jumped up in anger, scolding and chasing after her: “Damn it, you dare to throw wine at me? Just stop!”
“Mr. Huang, why are you so angry?” Jiang Fan stuffed the money into his pockets, put his hands on his hips in front of the girl, and said with a smile: “Don’t you deserve that glass of wine on your head?”
If the one insulted by Huang Wengi had been one of his friends, well… A simple glass of wine wouldn’t be enough to solve the problem. At the very least, he would have had to take a dip in the swimming pool and cool his stinky temper.
Huang Wenqi took out his handkerchief and wiped the wine from his face carelessly while still pointing at the girl behind Jiang Fan, shouting at them: “Mr. Jiang, you’re wandering in the mainland, I advise you not to meddle in other people’s business! After all, this woman has no future, but you still want to be able to live in Hong Kong and mainland China, right?! Do you understand?!”
“What’s there not to understand?” Shu Ran and Xu Shen came over: “Mr. Huang, are you joking with my brother?”
They both stood next to Jiang Fan, and their bodyguards followed soon after.
Huang Wenqi’s face turned ugly at that moment. In his expectations, no matter how strong those people were back in the mainland, they would not dare to do anything here… However, he did not expect them to be so arrogant.
“As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake… Think clearly.” Huang Wenqi warned.
“Yeah, think clearly. How about that?” Shu Ran was not afraid of Huang Wenqi. He was just an ordinary film company boss, not even close to being a major force. Even the truly major forces had to rely on others to give them food. As long as they were rich, cooperation was still the wisest choice.
Huang Wenqi was a tough guy, but he had already noticed that the most silent one among the three was not a pure businessman. He was not afraid, but those were people he should not offend, so he could only admit that he was unlucky, glaring at the woman who caused the trouble: “Fuck, just wait! I’ll die with you!”
Then he left.
The girl once again gave him a rude gesture with an expressionless face. The worst thing he could do was bury her in the entertainment industry, but she still won’t starve to death.
“Will he cause trouble for you in the future?” Jiang Fan gave her half of the money he won: “Well, this is what I promised you.”
“Thank you.” The girl hesitated for a moment, then accepted in a low voice. She pushed her hair behind her ears and said: “Let it go, I won’t do this anymore.” That bastard was actually right. If one wanted to be famous, they would have to pay a price… She was indeed too naive before. Being a star was not just about having talent and beauty.
“My name is Jiang Fan.” Jiang Fan stretched out his hand to her.
“My name is Liang Jia Yi…” The cold and charming girl finally showed a shy smile.
Shu Ran and Xu Shen exchanged a look, and Shu Ran said: “Since everything is okay, you two have a chat. We’ll continue to play.”
“Ms. Liang.” Jiang Fan said. “The atmosphere here is not good. Let’s go outside for a drink.”
“Okay…” Liang Jia Yi responded.
“Well, put the money in your handbag first.” Jiang Fan could see that the other party was a little embarrassed.
“Oh.” The young girl opened her handbag and put the money in.
Outside, the two of them held a cup of something, leaning against the railing to enjoy the breeze. Jiang Fan asked: “What’s going on with that rotten guy? How did you get into trouble with him?”
“That person works in movies…” Liang Jia Yi wrinkled her nose, her delicate facial features looking very three-dimensional in the night: “I just participated in a beauty pageant not long ago, but didn’t get a good ranking. He took the initiative to contact me and said that he could give me a movie role but… That role was of a certain type, and he asked me to dress up like this, saying it was an audition to see if I was suitable…”
Jiang Fan’s mouth twitched: “Isn’t this a trick used by old men to deceive little girls?! How old are you?! Why were you still fooled?!”
“Twenty… I was indeed stupid this time.” Liang Jia Yi lowered her head and continued: “But don’t worry about what will happen because of him. He’s just pretending to be powerful, but he actually has no background.”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to come… But she still didn’t expect that the boss of such a small and ordinary film company would not treat people as human beings.
After chatting for a while, Jiang Fan became familiar with the young girl. She was a college student, still in school, and very talented. No wonder she could participate in a beauty pageant.
“Go back and study hard.” Jiang Fan advised kindly: “Don’t enter the entertainment industry. You’re beautiful so as long as others have the opportunity to bully you, they will not let it go. You also have no backing… In short, you’ll regret it.”
“I know, that’s what I decided just now.” Liang Jia Yi nodded.
“As long as you understand.” Jiang Fan said no more.
“You’re from the mainland…” Liang Jia Yi looked at him. “So, we’ll never meet again in the future?”
“Most likely.” Jiang Fan nodded.
“Then thank you for tonight.” The girl forced a smile. She couldn’t explain why she felt so sad. Maybe it was because she had never liked a boy in her whole life, and now it seemed that the only one she had tender feelings for was from across the sea.
“You’re welcome, isn’t that how it should be?” Jiang Fan had never seen such a rogue and rude man before, making him feel quite shocked at the time. After thinking about it, he took out his mobile phone and asked: “Can I have your phone number?”
Liang Jia Yi was stunned, but she quickly agreed: “Oh, okay!”
Then she promptly reported her home landline number.
“We’ll get off the ship after dawn.” Jiang Fan wrote down the number and said. “Shall I take you back to rest?”
“Do you still want to play cards? I…” Jia Yi said. “If you’re not sleepy, I’ll play with you.”
“Ah, I plan to play without looking at the cards.” Jiang Fan blurted out, quickly adding: “But you can come if you want. I guess we’ll have better luck together.”
Liang Jia Yi crossed her arms and smiled.
“It’s a bit cold.” Jiang Fan took off his suit jacket, offering it to the other party: “You can wear this. Let’s go.”
“Thank you.” The girl put on Jiang Fan’s coat and found that there was a camellia in the chest pocket, exuding a faint floral fragrance.
Shu Ran and Xu Shen changed tables, and their luck improved. Their eyes were stuck on their winnings, but soon they saw Jiang Fan returning with the Goddess of Luck herself, walking straight towards their table.
“What are you doing?! Don’t get involved with us!” Xu Shen waved his hand unceremoniously and said: “Go play somewhere else!”
“Brother Shen, what does it have to do with me if you’re unlucky?!” Jiang Fan said speechlessly.
Shu Ran rolled his eyes secretly. What kind of magically steel straight man was Brother Fan?! How could he not see that Brother Shen was obviously creating opportunities for them to be alone?!
But they really didn’t expect that Jiang Fan would bring the girl back to play cards… However, facts proved that Jiang Fan really came over just for fun.
There was finally someone willing to teach him step by step, and he played all the things he didn’t know before, giving up very late at night. Despite Shu Ran’s opinion, Jiang Fan was not a magically steel straight man… He just thought he was lucky that night, wanting to share his money with others.
After dividing the spoils, Jiang Fan sent Lady Luck back to her room, but soon after closing the door, he remembered that he had forgotten to ask her if she wanted to leave the dock in their car tomorrow.
Forget it. He’ll just have to ask again tomorrow.
Before getting off the ship the next morning, Jiang Fan knocked on Liang Jia Yi’s door. When the other party came over and opened the door, he asked: “Miss Liang, do you want to take our car and leave the dock?”
“Okay.” Miss Liang no longer wore makeup but was dressed in sportswear, with her long hair tied up, looking very youthful.
“This style suits you better.” Jiang Fan commented.
“I’m always like this…” Jia Yi smiled bitterly. She was dressed up like that last night, but that kind of environment was obviously not suitable for her.
“That’s right.” Jiang Fan led her away.
After stepping on the deck, Liang Jia Yi finally realized how grand those wealthy gentlemen from the mainland were. The three of them brought more than a dozen bodyguards, each one of them carrying several suitcases.
And before they even got off the ship, there was a row of luxury cars waiting to pick them up…
T.N: It looks like Brother Fan managed to look dashing in a white suit, save the beauty, and find himself a young wife, all in the span of half a chapter! What can I say, it was worth the 60-chapter-long wait 😂
