Winner Takes All

Zhao Jinxin brought the breakfast back to the bedroom but Li Shuo was no longer in bed. There was a sound of water rushing in the bathroom.

He puts down the breakfast and pushes open the bathroom door. Through the steam, he saw Li Shuo’s back to him. The shoulders, waist, hips, and legs… there was power and beauty everywhere. They are moisturized by water and the skin exudes a soft luster. The traces of eroticism on the back make Zhao Jinxin feels like a horse. Even the slightly warped hair tips and powdery heels interpret the strongest temptation.

Zhao Jinxin bit his lip. His eyes became deep and naked with desire.

Li Shuo seemed to notice something behind him and he turned his head suddenly to look. The desire in Zhao Jinxin’s eyes was too late to be hidden and he was caught red-handed.

Both of them were stunned. Zhao Jinxin coughed slightly, covering up the embarrassment.

Li Shuo smiled at him: “Peeping, eh?”

“I’m not peeping.” Zhao Jinxin stared at him without blinking. “I’m looking straight up.”

Li Shuo turned off the shower and took the bath towel. He then turned around slowly.

Zhao Jinxin whistled and looked forward to seeing him.

When Li Shuo turned around, he blocked the bath towel over his lower body quickly. Looking at Zhao Jinxin’s collapsed face, he couldn’t help laughing at him.

“Uncle Li bullied people again.” Zhao Jinxin was like a rabbit with his ears folded.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen it yet.” Li Shuo shook the water from his hand towards him then he wiped his body indiscriminately.

Zhao Jinxin took a bathrobe from the closet and shakes it off. Then, he gentlemanly propped it up with his hand. Li Shuo turned around. He reaches out and lets Zhao Jinxin put the bathrobe on him.

Zhao Jinxin hugged him from behind while helping him tie the bathrobe, he said ambiguously, “You smell good. Why didn’t I find my shower gel so fragrant before.”

Li Shuo laughed: “It may be that you don’t use it often.”

Zhao Jinxin held him and shook him around. He then coquettishly said: “I will take a bath with you next time.”

“OK. Let me have dinner first.” Last night, Li Shuo was so exhausted that he had the illusion that his stomach was deflated.

“I feed you.”

“Go to the dining room to eat.”

“I’ll feed you at the dining room.” Zhao Jinxin looked eager to try.

Li Shuo said helplessly: “Let’s go.”

Li Shuo didn’t want his walking posture to look strange. He just stood up and tried to walk as normal as possible. But even this normal movement also affected sensitive parts. It caused embarrassing pain. His mouth twitched. Even a few steps of the road is very difficult for him.

Zhao Jinxin stretched out his hand and wanted to help hold him up but Li Shuo put his hand on his shoulder with a ‘don’t you dare’ expression.

Zhao Jinxin flew a kiss at him understandably: “OK. You walk by yourself. I will prepare the dishes.”

Li Shuo took advantage of when Zhao Jinxin turning around to bent down quickly. His expression was a little stretched. His backache was terrible.

When he reached the dining room, Zhao Jinxin has prepared breakfast on the table. White porridge plus a few simple side dishes. All are spicy and oil-free. Very light. Li Shuo feels embarrassed and moved. Zhao Jinxin’s words and actions are intimate.

“Come have a taste. The porridge has just been heated. You see if it is hot.”

Li Shuo tasted a bite of scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The taste was very sweet. The simpler the dishes, the more the craftsmanship is tested. He praised: “It’s delicious. So you also can make Chinese breakfast.”

“I will make more.” Zhao Jinxin said mysteriously. “I still have a lot to learn. I will let you enjoy it in the future.”

Li Shuo laughed and scolded: “Don’t be too serious.”

“Right. Auntie called you in the morning.”

“Oh. I’ll call her back later.”

“I picked it up.”

Li Shuo nearly choked. He was surprised and said, “Why did you pick it up?”

“You didn’t go back for the night. Auntie must be worried. I don’t know when you will wake up. I’m afraid she’s worried.” Zhao Jinxin said casually. “I said you drank with me. We drank too much and just slept at the hotel.”

Li Shuo let out a sigh of relief. With Zhao Jinxin’s unrestrained mouth, he was really afraid that his mother would hear anything suspicious.

Zhao Jinxin looked at Li Shuo deeply. He chuckled and said: “Why? Are you afraid if they’ll find out?”

Li Shuo paused. He asked: “Are you not afraid?”

“No. We’re not doing anything terrible.”

“I’m not afraid.” Li Shuo shrugged. “I just think it’s not the right time.”

Zhao Jinxin smiled quietly: “Yes.” He digressed. “This Xue Lihong is marinated by my chef. Eat it with the porridge is especially delicious. Try it.”

“Yes, it’s not bad.” The two had dinner as they listen to music and chat together.

Li Shuo told Zhao Jinxin about his experience in Africa. He talked about the suffering he saw with his own eyes.

Zhao Jinxin listened carefully. From time to time, he kneaded Li Shuo’s generous palms and fiddled with his soft hair as he listened. He tried to imagine Li Shuo in his early twenties. What would the rebellious and naive Li Shuo looks like… As he thinks about it, he thought that it’s such a pity that both of them had not met during the time. He wished he could see Li Shuo like that.

Zhao Jinxin also talked about his experience at school. Since he was addicted to extreme sports in high school, he almost ended up badly twice. Later, a classmate experienced terminal illness and he saw how it was like as he was hopelessly dying. So he no longer plays with things that worry his parents.

The two of them chatted for the whole afternoon without them noticing. They both knew more about each other. Li Shuo felt that he likes this young man more and more. Their growth background is similar and the value gap is not big. Their personalities are very suitable. It is not easy to meet such a person who fits in all aspects. The most important thing is that the intense passion they can burst out when they are together makes him feel like he’s drunk.

As it got late, Li Shuo thought it was time to go home. Zhao Jinxin held his waist and refused to let him go.

Li Shuo said with a smile: “You still don’t want people to go home. How shameless.”

“Don’t go.” Zhao Jinxin just didn’t let Li Shuo go. “You accompany me.”

“I have been with you for two days and one night, Master.”

“Stay with me one more night.” Zhao Jinxin blinked his innocent eyes. “If I can’t see you, I will always think of you.”

Li Shuo touched his face and teased him: “Then you think of me. You don’t need to have a taste.”

“No. I won’t let you go.” Zhao Jinxin pressed Li Shuo with the weight of his body. His head arched into Li Shuo’s shirt and started to kiss earnestly.

Li Shuo hurriedly pushed away the furry head. He is still awkward in walking. He dared not to ignite more flames.

“Uncle Li, don’t go. I won’t do anything.” Zhao Jinxin pleaded pitifully.

Li Shuo smiled indulgently: “Okay, okay. I won’t go. I’ll stay one more night.” In fact, he was not willing to leave. The two were still in a passionate period. Naturally, they hated to be separated.

At this time, Li Shuo’s cell phone rang. He took a look at the screen. It was from China. He quickly answered the phone: “Hey, Brother Xiang.”

“Brother, there are two news. One about you. One about Li Chengxiu. Which one do you want to listen to first?” Brother Xiang’s voice sounded very excited.

Li Shuo almost blurted out, ‘Of course about Li Chengxiu’. But he immediately realized that Zhao Jinxin was nearby. He said: “Tell me about mine.”

“Benhui’s legal person changed his confession. He said that it was not your involvement.”

“Great!” Li Shuo couldn’t help but pat the sofa armrest. “I don’t know how much Shao Qun’s king bastard gave him to let him obstruct the justice like this!”

Zhao Jinxin got up from Li Shuo. He turned his head away unconsciously and looked out the window.

“Yes! These unethical things. We’ll revenge sooner or later.” Brother Xiang said angrily. “How many things have delayed you from coming back. You have been in the United States for three months. You can come back anytime now.”

“Okay. I’ll deal with Ennan’s contract and go back. It should be early next month.” Li Shuo paused. His heart was uneasy. “Then …?”

“Oh. Li Chengxiu. We found that Shao Qun went to Li Chengxiu’s home some time ago. So, we also sent someone to check. We found that Li Chengxiu would pay money to the person who maintains his mother’s grave. Next month, I will see if I find out where he is by then. “

Li Shuo sighed heavily. His chest was a little stuffy: “Shao Qun is still one step ahead of us …”

“It’s not a first step. We also have control over that person’s account trends. At least we will locate Li Chengxiu’s position at the same time as Shao Qun. Brother, you don’t have to worry too much. Little Li looks like a little girl but in fact, he is very resilient. He must be fine. All we can do now is wait. You just want to help him and you’ll find him soon to talk. “

“Well, Brother Xiang, I can’t return home this time, I have really troubled you.”

“Hey, my brother. Don’t worry about it. I’ll wait for you to come back and I’ll give you a good wind. Wash your guts!”

When Li Shuo hung up the phone, he feels at ease. At least there are clues now. He wants to find Li Chengxiu before he rushes to target Shao Qun.

Zhao Jinxin looked at him: “How was it?”

Li Shuo laughed: “It’s all good news. One is that I can go back to China. The other is the clue about Li Chengxiu.”

Zhao Jinxin nodded. He said in a condemnation: “Congratulations.”

Li Shuo saw that Zhao Jinxin was not right. He immediately understood what he was thinking. He reached out and squeezed his face. He smiled and said, “Are you jealous?”

Zhao Jinxin lowered his head. He didn’t speak.

Li Shuo rubbed his hair gently and seriously said: “Jinxin, if I don’t end with Chengxiu in my heart, I won’t be with you. So you can rest assured. I, Li Shuo, will never betray any feelings. I feel responsible for Chengxiu. I can’t watch him suffer. I want to help him. You can understand. Right?”

Zhao Jinxin smiled: “I’m not so stingy.”

Li Shuo also smiled. He couldn’t help but kiss him: “Chengxiu is a particularly good person. If there’s an opportunity, I’ll introduce him to you.”

Zhao Jinxin gave a perfunctory ‘Hmm’.

“Tomorrow, you help me urge your company’s lawyer to make the revised contract. Once the contract is finalized, let’s go home together?”

“Okay.”

Li Shuo showed a refreshing smile: “It’s finally possible to go back. These three months really suffocated me. It also delayed many things.”

“How come you can go back suddenly?”

“The person who framed me changed his confession. It is estimated that the person behind the envoy taught him.” He has never been a vengeful person. He treated people with tolerance as much as possible. But as for Shao Qun alone… He made him has the idea of revenge for the first time in his life. Shao Qun has such a famous background and he is powerful in Beijing. He seems to be unshakable at all. This made him even more disgusted of the man.

The gloom flashed in Zhao Jinxin’s eyes before he smiled: “This is a good thing. We have to celebrate. Let me open a bottle.”

“Come, come, come.”

Zhao Jinxin opened a bottle of good wine. The two were lying on the mattress’ side, drinking and chatting. When the wine entered the realm, they also fell into a semi-dreaming state. They unconsciously fell together and kissed and stroked each other.

Zhao Jinxin is very gentle. He served Li Shuo comfortably though he himself didn’t make it to the end.

At the time of drunken life and death, Li Shuo realized an unspeakable and huge sense of happiness.

Every time he falls in love, Li Shuo always wants to know if the person he’s with will accompany him to the end. He always feels that with his character, finding a calm and docile person will make the relationship last for a long time. But it turns out that one after another, a ‘Li Chengxiu’-type, never lasted with him. The emergence of Zhao Jinxin made him wonder if he had looked for the wrong type before. Maybe… people like Zhao Jinxin, who are arrogant, bold and outspoken instead, are more complementary and suitable for him. This one has given him too many surprises over time. It made him look forward to their future strongly.

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*Translator’s note: Xue Lihong dish also known as ‘snow in red’ is the Chinese vegetable dish. This veggie is actually green in color. I think the snow thing is when the veggie is covered in white with eggs (I commonly saw the scrambled egg version of the dish with the veggie) when served. I have no idea why the name is ‘snow in red’ for the dish maybe because in some dishes there’s chilies and ground pork in it. I’m not sure why. 

Also, there’s another story, a shared universe to this one, by Shui Qian Cheng entitled ‘Sissy’ (娘娘腔). This story is about Li Chengxiu and Shao Qun. In the story, you will find out that Chengxiu broke up with Li Shuo at the beginning because he was threatened by Shao Qun. Meow. Shao Qun is a fucking real bad boy in that story ugh! But he really loves Chengxiu and willing to do all crazy and unconventional things to get him back.