Winner Takes All

The madness in the pantry made Li Shuo look back feeling a little bit afraid. Although he is not a person who pays too much attention to rules, he has never done too much wild things. But as long as he and Zhao Jinxin are together, he seems to be daring to try something out of the box.

It’s just that he dared to make love with Zhao Jinxin in a public space when he is never the type of person who would dare to make love like that easily. How could it be so ironic between them two? However, this is the best condition for the two of them. After all, Zhao Jinxin also had defaulted their relationship as mere sex-friends that day.

Lately, Li Shuo has deliberately been avoiding thinking about their conversation that day. Now that his brain has completely calmed down, he recalls that when he was shocked by his dad unexpected emergency, his whole self was not in a stable state. He could have said things more tactfully rather than seeming to imply that Zhao Jinxin “has to threaten” him, it is no wonder that Zhao Jinxin was angry. But at least, his proposal was correct. He can’t trust Zhao Jinxin now. Zhao Jinxin is obviously only “haven’t played enough”, so he avoided answering his “rebuilding trust”.

Li Shuo is the type of person who likes to make things clear and to do things clearly. If they are sex-friends then they’ll on have sex so he won’t bother to talk about feelings. Keeping to the no-string-attached principle is the best for them now. As for the feelings he had already developed, he could withdraw from it bit by bit sooner or later, even if he would catch a pile of debris along the way.

In the week his dad was hospitalized, Zhao Jinxin came twice. He wanted to help on the day of the discharge but Li Shuo refused. He was afraid that if Zhao Jinxin appears too frequently, his parents might misunderstand. Although he knew that his dad was smart and might have seen something early, but exactly because of that, he knew that no one would question him as long as he himself didn’t speak about it.

While Uncle Guang and the housekeeper were packing up, Li Shuo went to the hospital for the discharge procedures.

He took care of all the necessary formalities and hurried back to the ward.

As Li Shuo walked into the elevator and watched the elevator doors close slowly, suddenly, a voice came in: “Please wait.”

The voice was not high, the tone was smooth and calm, there was no impatience, and it also had a unique accent, which was very nice, and made Li Shuo feel inexplicably familiar. He strode up almost conditionally and blocked the elevator door with his arm.

The elevator door opened, and a handsome face appeared in front of Li Shuo.

The two froze at the same time.

Memories are like a box that has been covered in dust for many years but when it is suddenly opened, accompanied by dust flying on the face, they left us with confused eyes.

Li Shuo felt that his breath was trembling, and called out with uncertainty: “… Fei Ye?”

It was Han Fei Ye who appeared before him without warning.

Han Fei Ye is such a person. After so many years, it seems that there has not been much change about him. His figure is thin, his face is pale, his eyes are bright, the temperament is always clear and cold, and the silence is like water, although it is less than when he was in his early twenties. The unique and clear temperament is still unforgettable after all this time.

Han Fei Ye opened his mouth and stared for a few seconds before whispering: “Little Shuo.”

The elevator door had to be closed again. Li Shuo quickly drilled out of the gap and unintentionally almost hitting Han Fei Ye causing Han Fei Ye to flash back one step subconsciously.

Li Shuo was embarrassed and nervous, even if he was already thirty-four years old, even if he was accustomed to the big scene, he would be able to stay calm, but when he met the man again, he went back to the day when he first saw Han Fei Ye. He went back to being hairy kid as he was back then.

The two were silent for a few seconds, and they both started to calm down.

Li Shuo smiled: “I didn’t expect… I will meet you here.”

Han Feiye also smiled, his eyes are very gentle: “Yeah, what brings you here?”

“My father was hospitalized but is discharging today. He’s all right now, how about you?”

“My mother fell and her bones broke, but it was not a big deal.”

The two fell silent again.

Once intimate, but now speechless, it is incomparable.

“Cheng Sheng…” The two said in unison.

Han Fei Ye let out a laughter and Li Shuo laughed along too.

Li Shuo took a deep breath and regained his old-fashioned calmness: “I heard Cheng Sheng say that he has seen you. I am going to accompany my dad to be discharged from the hospital and have a party at home. If you have time someday, can I invite you for a meal?”

Han Fei Ye smiled and said, “Okay. My mobile phone number is 20267…”

“2026785?”

Han Fei Ye is stunned: “You still remember.”

“It turns out that you haven’t changed your number, in fact, my number hasn’t changed as well.” Li Shuo felt dull. How could he forget this number, he used to replay it countless of times, and wanted to call after breaking up, but in the end he refrained himself. At first, it was because his self-esteem was too strong. Later, he understood Han Fei Ye and felt that he no longer had the guts to see him. And much later, time diluted everything else.

Han Feiye smiled faintly: “Then… contact me some other day.”

Li Shuo nodded.

Han Feiye walked two steps towards the elevator, then turned back and said softly, “Little Shuo, how are you?”

“…Good.” Li Shuo looked at him quietly, “How about you?”

Han Fei Ye smiled: “I’m fine.” He then turned and entered the elevator.

The two looked at each other like that, as if they were going to look into the insides of each other’s skins until the elevator doors were completely closed in between them.

Li Shuo closed his eyes, thumped his forehead twice, and then sighed heavily.

Han Fei Ye, Han Fei Ye, Han Fei Ye.

They have met again by chance…

If Li Shuo was asked who is his most favorite man in his life, he would not hesitate to say the name “Han Fei Ye”. He once thought that the souls of the two people were highly compatible, and he was ready to spend a lifetime with him, but later…

Not only did Han Fei Ye infect him with his non-arrogant, nonchalant personality, but also affected his aesthetic, so that everyone he loved in the future would somewhat have the shadow of Han Fei Ye.

Only Zhao Jinxin is different.

Zhao Jinxin’s face suddenly appeared in Li Shuo’s mind, and he was startled.

Why would he think of Zhao Jinxin at this time?

The cell phone rang suddenly, relieving his inexplicable displeasure, and answered the phone. It turned out that his mother urged him to come back. He made a few excuses and said to go up immediately.

Back in the ward, Mr. Li insisted that everyone should take a picture in the ward, laughing that he would never come again.

Li Shuo was full of his own thoughts and smiled extremely stiffly.

A few days later, International Express sent the contract to transfer equity to Li Shuo.

Li Shuo read the contract three times. Instead of worrying about what is in the way, he was persuading himself with the black and white letters to accept the decision he had made.

Then he solemnly signed. At that moment, he really had the illusion that he had been peeled off as he personally sold the career he had built so hard. The kind of frustration that he had never experienced before was difficult to understand.

After the settlement of this contract, the remainder was the contract is with Ennan. The official seal of the company was also sent in the express. He can sign the contract here in US.

But if he wants to sign a contract, he must let Zhao’s father and son know about his status with his company, but if it is possible, he doesn’t want to talk to Zhao Jinxin in private. First, he already said that he will not get Zhao Jinxin involved with what Shao Qun did to him and not to mention that under the premise that to mention this, he might fall into an inevitable embarrassment.

But the cooperating party has the right to know and it is the reasonable thing to do, so he cannot hide it because of private matters.

Feeling helpless, he still took the contract and went to Ennan Group.

Zhao Jinxin was very happy to see him, and took him into the office for a good kiss before asking, “Do you plan to sign the contract today?”

Li Shuo pushed him away: “But before signing, there is one thing I want to let you and uncle know, and then you will decide whether to continue cooperating with the company.”

Seeing Li Shuo’s seriousness, Zhao Jinxin frowned slightly: “What reason do we have for not cooperating? The contract is already agreed on.”

Li Shuo straightened his tie and concealed his agitated emotions. He sternly said: “For a reason that you and I both know, I sold the firm’s shares, only retaining some original shares, and will no longer participate in their business affairs of the company in the future.”

Zhao Jinxin’s expression also startled, looking at Li Shuo quietly, waiting for him to continue.

“You can find a better partner, but if you are still willing to cooperate with the company, I will specialize in coordinating Ennan’s project as a consultant. I guarantee that our business level and the services provided will not drop even a little. “

Zhao Jinxin put his hands on his chest and lowered his head slightly. After a moment of silence, he raised his head and said softly, “I’m sorry.”

Li Shuo spread his hands and didn’t want to respond at all. He has received Zhao Jinxin’s apology and the man had saved his dad’s life. Everything is even. The person who really needs to apologize to him is obviously not here. He said: “You discuss with your father. No matter what the result is, I respect your decision and I can also recommend my friend’s office to you.”

“I never thought of affecting your career.” Zhao Jinxin pursed his lips, “You intervened in the relationship between my brother and Li Chengxiu, I just wanted to help my brother…”

“That’s what he told you?” Li Shuo couldn’t help interrupting Zhao Jinxin, and the tone went up unconsciously.

“Is that not it?”

Li Shuo gritted his teeth: “He…” He took a breath, and swallowed what he wanted to say, “Forget it, I’m not going to mention it, let’s not talk about it.”

“It’s better to mention it. If you don’t say anything, you will feel uncomfortable in your heart.”

“What’s the point of mentioning it?” Li Shuo shook the document bag, his hands are trembling. It contained the contract he drafted and signed by himself, and which he had sold all of his painstaking effort. The culprit of all this is the cousin of the person in front of him. “I will feel uncomfortable if I don’t say it? Can I change anything after I say it?”

Zhao Jinxin sat next to Li Shuo, watching his eyes as calmly as water: “I know you have a lot of grievances in your heart, let them go. Vent them. That’s my main point.”

Li Shuo clenched his fists and turned his face away: “No need.”

“My brother said that you gave Li Chengxiu ideas when he and Li Chengxiu were in a good condition and took advantage of their emotional crisis. Was he lying to me?” Zhao Jinxin obviously refused to give up.

Li Shuo’s face was gloomy, he reluctantly spit out the word from his mouth: “No.”

“So what you did was essentially the same as what I did.”

“Watch your mouth!” Li Shuo immediately stood up, his anger soared uncontrollably, “Do you know what kind of beast Shao Qun is? Do you know how he treats Chengxiu? I wasn’t trying to win his love. What I did was to save a good person from insult and hurt!”

Zhao Jinxin sighed: “My brother has a bad temper, he is also domineering and impulsive, but he has never liked a person like how much he likes him. And so does Li Chengxiu. Does he like you? He likes my brother. Two people are in love with each other, what are you doing mixing yourself in it?”

“What do you know?” Li Shuo picked up the file bag, “If you can’t talk about business, I’ll go first.” Affected by the affairs of the office, he was in a low mood, he was out of control, and if he stay any longer, looking at Zhao Jinxin’s face for even a second, he was afraid that he could no longer control his temper.

Zhao Jinxin chased after him, holding the door that Li Shuo had just opened with his big hand, and slammed it shut.

Li Shuo took a deep breath, turned around, and said calmly: “Jin Xin, I’m not here to quarrel today, and I don’t want to quarrel with you. We have different positions and it makes no sense to argue about right or wrong.”

Zhao Jinxin gently touched his face: “I don’t want to argue with you about right or wrong, I just want you to vent. My brother is a bastard, I know that, but I can’t get him to apologize to you by his own head. So I apologize for him. I’m sorry. I apologize for your career, I apologize for concealing my identity. But I will never apologize for ruining the relationship between you and Li Chengxiu, because you are not completely innocence in this matter.” Zhao Jinxin pointed with his finger, and press it on Li Shuo’s lips to prevent him from retorting, he grabbed Li Shuo’s earlobe and said ambiguously, “And, I’ve already said it, since I first saw you, everything I did was more than just for my brother, even if you belong to the great Emperor, I will make you mine.”

Li Shuo felt his palm warm, and the anger brewing in his chest dissipated a lot. He pushed Zhao Jinxin away: “Just as I’m finished, don’t mention it again.”

Zhao Jinxin grabbed his waist and said with a low smile: “You’ve finished venting, shouldn’t it be my turn?”

Li Shuo’s scalp went numb for a while: “Are there anything else in your mind besides this?” The two of them did it for half a night before, and his waist is still a little sore now. He can’t beat the kind of “strength” Zhao Jinxin had. After all, they are 11 years apart. Moreover, he doesn’t like having sex to solve everything. The best way to resolve conflicts is to communicate. Unfortunately, the two have nothing to communicate about.

“I didn’t delay work or life, what’s wrong with it?” Zhao Jinxin bit Li Shuo’s lips and pulled it gently.

“No, I still have something to do today.” Li Shuo rejected Zhao Jinxin.

Zhao Jinxin didn’t come hard either, he just trapped Li Shuo and refused to let him go, and then bringing his hands up and down over Li Shuo’s body to get him straight into the fire.

At this time, the horrible sound of the phone rang.

“I really have something.” Li Shuo pushed Zhao Jinxin away, and answered the phone without even looking at the phone display: “Hello?”

“Little Shuo.”

Li Shuo was startled, his expression and tone immediately changed, becoming cautious: “Feiye.”

Zhao Jinxin narrowed his eyes.

There were a few nice chuckles on the other end of the phone: “I was waiting for you to call me, and then I thought about it, I’m already at this age, why would I still be playing this set, so I called you instead.”

Li Shuo also smiled: “I have been working on something very important these days. I wanted to contact you when I finished my work, really.”

“Well, I know, you never lie to me.” Han Feiye said, “About that…”

“If you are free today, let’s have a meal together.”

“Okay, where to go?”

Li Shuo thought for a while: “Old place?”

There was a pause on the phone: “Okay, the old place.”

After hanging up the phone, Li Shuo met Zhao Jinxin’s smiling but non-smiling eyes, and he said: “Then I’ll go first, and you and uncle will give me a reply after discussing it.”

Zhao Jinxin pressed him to the door, trapped him between his arms, and said with a smile, “Baby, are you going out on a date?”

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*Translator’s Note: Chengxiu and Shao Qun had already broken up when he was with him, btw. This is known by reading the other book. And Li Shuo actually saved Chengxiu from Shao Qun, that beast! Grr.. Oh. And I was actually rooting for Fei Ye and Li Shuo but oh well… Jinxin gonna ruin that smoothly anyway. * sigh * I didn’t proofread this part. Sorry for any mistake. I’m a busy guy.