Winner Takes All

Li Shuo was resting at home for two days. He can’t fathom whether it was because he is affected by his mood. The symptoms of the cold were a bit recurring. Although the fever had subsided, he was still not very energetic.

Han Feiye has not contacted him. Before he asked Cheng Sheng to visit him, he still wondered if something had happened to Han Feiye. Since he was okay, but still refused to contact him and did not answer the phone, so he thinks that his attitude towards him was obvious.

Li Shuo felt very uncomfortable. After all, it was the person he once liked very much. The two of them reunited after a long time and got along well. Even if they don’t get together in the future, they are rare friends who can reminisce about the old days, but because of Zhao Jinxin, Han Feiye no longer dare to contact him anymore.

The situation this time is completely different from 12 years ago. This kind of ‘testing’ method is too obscene and hurtful. As long as he thinks about Han Feiye’s struggle and sadness, he feels guilty, and at the same time is full of anger at Zhao Jinxin.

This is the real Zhao Jinxin. He will always remember the sharp fangs of the real Zhao Jinxin, so that he will not be confused by his cute-like appearances.

However, since Han Feiye had made a choice, he couldn’t force him to change his mind. He repeatedly deleted, deleted, changed, edited a solemn apology text, and sent it over towards Feiye. When he returned to the United States, he wanted to apologize to him face to face, but he was afraid if he’s being too hasty about it, and he didn’t know whether Han Feiye would still want to see him at that time.

After sending the text messages, he felt even worse. In the past few months, everything went wrong. From the time he was framed by Shao Qun, he experienced a series of obscure things such as being fooled by his cousin, his father nearly died, and him quitting his position at the company. So far, it seems that there is nothing to be happy about.

He was still uncomfortable and wanted to make another appointment with Wen Xiaohui another day, but he thought again that he might be in a better mood to meet that little fairy.

He cleaned himself up a bit and then went out. When passing the store on the way, he bought a belt.

The two people made an appointment to go to the same old place. It was a place where they had visited several times before. There were few people and the atmosphere was good.

He arrived a while earlier and ordered a glass of rum first. It seemed that he shouldn’t drink when he caught a cold, but his mouth was bitter and he wanted to taste a bit out of his irritation.

He just took a sip of the alcohol and suddenly heard that the glass of the window next to him was knocked twice. He was startled, and turned his head, a smiling face appeared in his sight.

He was a very beautiful boy with porcelain-white skin and delicate features. He has a small fringe on the back of his head. He had put on a delicately decorated light make-up on his face. He also wore very fashionable clothes. The whole person was flashy from head to toe. Carefully carved and refined. He looks a bit feminine, but there is a hint of stubbornness displayed between his eyebrows, and his smile is dazzling.

He jumped up and down to show his love from outside the window, then turned and ran towards the door.

Li Shuo couldn’t help but laugh.

This is Wen Xiaohui, a famous stylist in China. But when the two met back then, he was only in his twenties and he had just started a business. Wen Xiaohui was still working as an apprentice in his current studio. The two had an ambiguity of some sort of an affair before, but in the end, they ended up unharmed because of a madman comparable to Shao Qun. The two now have been good friends for many years.

“Brother Li!” Wen Xiaohui ran over happily.

Li Shuo stood up, smiled and spread his arms, Wen Xiaohui plunged into his arms and laughed, “I miss you so much, do you miss me?”

Li Shuo smiled and said: “Of course I miss you. I have not seen you in a while, the longer not seeing you, why is it the younger you look?”

Wen Xiaohui “tsk”: “The longer not seeing me, the younger I look? What is looking younger? I’m nowhere there”

Li Shuo sneered and said, “Okay, the older you get, the younger you look.” Wen Xiaohui is a bit older than Zhao Jinxin, but looks much younger than Zhao Jinxin, like a student.

Wen Xiaohui touched his face and said triumphantly: “I have always had 16-year-old skin.”

Li Shuo ruffles Xiaohui’s hair: “Yes, it hasn’t changed for so many years.”

Wen Xiaohui was so happy that he raised his hand and ordered a glass of wine.

Li Shuo handed him a gift box: “I came here a bit in a hurry, I hope you like it.”

“Wow.” Wen Xiaohui opened it and said happily, “Thank you Brother Li, you are really a perfect boyfriend with no dead ends in 360 degrees.” He flew several kisses to Li Shuo in the air.

“Oh, really, then why did you rejected me?” Li Shuo teased him deliberately.

“Hey, just blame me for being blind.” Wen Xiaohui blinked, “I brought you a gift too.”

“What gift?”

“Ahem, anyway, Luo Yi treated you so… unwelcomely last time, I am apologizing for him. I took a bunch of wine from his wine cellar, all in my trunk, and I will give it to you in a while. “

Li Shuo laughed loudly: “Okay, this gift is good.”

Wen Xiaohui put aside his laugh, looked at him gratefully, and said sincerely: “Brother Li, thank you, all these years, all the help, thank you so much.”

Li Shuo smiled and said, “As long as you are well.”

“By the way, how is Cheng Xiu? Did you see him?”

Speaking of Li Chengxiu, Li Shuo is still a bit heavy: “He… Shao Qun used some despicable means, and I am afraid that the two of them will be entangled in the future.”

Wen Xiaohui sighed: “It’s all fate.” He didn’t know what he was thinking of, his eyes seemed to be fogged, and he sighed, “Sometimes I desperately want to change something, but in the end, I found that it might be doomed. Yes, everything is in vain.”

Li Shuo shook his head: “I was at a loss for a while. I often remembered the feelings you had analyzed about me. You said that I was not devoted or sincere enough. At that time, although I heard it, I didn’t understand it very well. Now, I probably understand. Now, both Shao Qun’s feelings for Cheng Xiu and Luo Yi’s feelings for you are very intense and profound. However, such feelings are double-edged swords, full of madness and paranoia, why would I lose to such irrational feelings? I…” At the end of his speech, he laughed self-deprecatingly: “I just can’t understand why I can’t deal with emotional problems calmly and peacefully, and I have to make trouble.”

“People are cheap.” Wen Xiaohui shrugged, “What makes you laugh, you forget when you turn your head but what makes you hurt, you can remember it for a long time.”

“Some people choose not to experience these.” Li Shuo shook the glass. “I don’t want to experience it. I just want to have a good relationship with one person based on equality and respect. If one day I can’t go on for some reason, you can also get together for a drink with me and relax.”

Wen Xiaohui laughed a little lonely: “Brother Li, if you really love someone, you will get out of control.”

“Out of control…to what extent?”

“To the extent of how much you love him, you will get out of control.”

Li Shuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. If it is true as Wen Xiaohui said, at least he can still control himself now. It is a wise decision to cut off all thoughts at this moment. Although, in his heart, he actually does not believe in who he will lose control for. After all, he has never experienced it. Zhao Jinxin is already the person who can stir his emotions and make him lose his calm. He will definitely and never become like Shao Qun.

Wen Xiaohui saw him not talking, and spread his hands: “I know you don’t believe it, but I’m not so sure. After all, people are different from each other. You have always been so sensible, and you might still be so sensible when you fall in love. It’s good that way too. Yes, you always know what you want, and you always know where to go next. If I have half of your brain, I’ll be… better.” Wen Xiaohui raised his glass.

Li Shuo also raised his glass and touched the other glass: “Xiaohui, you are smarter and stronger than you thought. You deserve everything you have now.”

Wen Xiaohui was taken aback, then made a nauseous expression, and said with a chuckle: “It’s so nice to receive praise from you. I really want to call you if I have something going on and want to listen to you saying that I am more beautiful today than anyone else.”

Both of them laughed.

“Brother Li, you, don’t even think about Cheng Xiu, take out your chic, and everything will be in the past.” Wen Xiaohui poured wine for him.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“Really…but you don’t look so good.” Wen Xiaohui rubbed the back of his hand and said softly, “Whether it is me or Cheng Xiu, not being with you is mostly our loss. People are waiting for you, hurry up and find a better one.”

Li Shuo smiled: “Don’t worry, I’m really fine.” He never likes to be pitied by others, but he clearly sees the kind care in Wen Xiaohui’s eyes. The man’s self-esteem is haunting him, and he can’t help but blurt out. “I have a companion recently.”

“Oh? Really?” Wen Xiaohui’s eyes lit up, “Is he handsome? Is he handsome?”

Li Shuo regrets saying this a bit, but the words had already been blurted out, so he can only bite the bullet and pick it up. He smiled, “Very handsome.”

“Photos, photos, photos.” Wen Xiaohui patted the table rhythmically, yelled a few times, and changed his words, “Nude photos, nude photos, nude photos.”

Li Shuo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, took out his phone and flipped through it, and found out the semi-nude picture of Zhao Jinxin secretly switching to his caller ID picture at the time, “Here.”

Wen Xiaohui glanced, his eyes straightened immediately, his saliva dripped, “Brother Li, this… is really damn handsome.”

Li Shuo felt a little bit sorrowful, and smiled reluctantly: “Yes, not bad.” He said that he would take it back.

“No, let me look at it again.” Wen Xiaohui grabbed the phone, licked his lips, looking at Zhao Jinxin, and said intoxicatedly, “Oh, when you two go to bed, how beautiful the picture should be, can you give me some insiders about your time in bed?” He blinked at Li Shuo.

Li Shuo knocked on his head and said with a smile: “Seriously.” He took his phone back.

“But he doesn’t match your usual tastes.” Wen Xiaohui pointed to himself, “Don’t you like the type like me and Cheng Xiu who are like silly little guns?”

Li Shuo let out a light cough, and didn’t want to talk more: “Occasionally I tend to change my taste.”

Wen Xiaohui flashed a sly look in his eyes, and said meaningfully, “I understand.” He made an ‘OK’ gesture, “Very good.”

Li Shuo knows what Wen Xiaohui is thinking. Wen Xiaohui may have associated Zhao Jinxin as a duck. After all, this photo is really sassy. Even if he wasn’t a duck, he said it ambiguously, he looked like a sex friend.

Actually, the two of them are really in that kind of relationship, it is only he who was passionate.

Wen Xiaohui also did not ask any more tacitly. The two chatted about other things, about the past, about the present, and unknowingly, they had drank a lot.

Wen Xiaohui couldn’t hold it anymore, so he asked for a driver to pick him up.

Li Shuo originally wanted to leave, but looking at the wine left on the table, and then at the empty location on the opposite side, as if suddenly sober, realizing that he was alone, so it was like he was possessed, he kept drinking one cup after another.

Every time the spicy drink enters his throat, and the bitter tongue is washed away, it gives him the pleasure of fighting poison with poison. He doesn’t know how much alcohol he needs to drink to break the bitterness of his heart.

While drinking, he started to feel headache and dizziness. His body seemed to be a little hot again. Gradually, he became so tired that he couldn’t even lift his wine glass, and his whole body began to fall into slumber again.

The waiter came over and was talking to him, but he couldn’t understand what the other person was saying. He realized that he had drunk too much, maybe because his fever is not completely healed yet, the alcohol was getting to him very fast. After he left school, he has never been drunk in public. That would be too embarrassing. What happened to him today? He doesn’t want to be embarrassed.

He felt that he was being lifted up, put on the soft sofa, and then he lost his consciousness.

Until a pair of powerful arms set up his body, a soft sigh was heard in his ears. The sound was very familiar, so familiar that it made his nose sore, and there was an urge to cry.

He opened a gap in his eyes with great effort, and met a pair of eyes that couldn’t see his thoughts.

Zhao Jinxin? No, it’s an illusion, he thought.

After all, it’s not surprising since his head is full of thoughts of him so hallucinations could occur.

???

Translator’s Note: A ‘duck’ is a slang for ‘male prostitute’ in Chinese. Also, WenXiaoHui is the protagonist in another story by ShuiQianCheng; Additional Inheritance. The ML is LuoYi, his nephew (this is the madman comparable to Shao Qun as mentioned in this chapter). You can find the story through this link: https://www.novelupdates.com/series/additional-inheritance/