Winner Takes All

Title: 谁把谁当真 (Winner Takes All)

Author：水千丞 (ShuiQianCheng)

Translator: 月野 見事 (TsukinoMigoto)

Protagonists ：黎朔 (LiShuo), 赵锦辛 (ZhaoJinXin)

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The noon sun shines through the glass window into the house. Though the winter sun is not as bright, it makes people feel warmth nonetheless. Li Shuo slowly wakes up under the gentle sunlight.

He opened his eyes and saw the familiar sheet printing. His ears and half of his cheek were numb, but the discomfort was quickly replaced by the soreness from his lower body.

He didn’t dare to move.

A big hand is covering over Li Shuo’s face and a gentle voice sounded over his head: “Morning. Or it should be good afternoon.” He leaned down and kissed Li Shuo’s temple and spoke affectionately, “my sleepy lamb.”

Li Shuo rolled his eyes and glanced at Zhao Jinxin. He barely propped up his body but he is already affected by the swollen part so he couldn’t help groaning.

Zhao Jinxin hugged him by the waist: “Don’t get up in a hurry. You take a good rest.”

Li Shuo turned over and lay on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze, somewhat not daring to recall the madness of last night.

Zhao Jinxin whispered: “Are you hungry?”

“A little bit.”

“I’ll get you some food.” Zhao Jinxin turned over and got out of bed.

Li Shuo looked at his back leaving the room and thought that the courteous appearance was funny. How triumphant was he when he showed off with Shao Qun. Why bother doing this now?

Li Shuo calmed down for a while and was too lazy to get up, so he just keep lying down on the bed.

After a while, Zhao Jinxin came in with breakfast. He put the tray on his lap and showed off the dishes bowl by bowl. He said, “I made them all. I know you prefer Chinese breakfast.”

“Well, thank you.” Li Shuo took a sip of the soy milk, and then started eating with the porridge. He hung his head and looked at the side dishes, completely ignoring the hot gaze above his head.

After a while, Zhao Jinxin couldn’t help it and said cautiously: “Is it delicious? I think I did a good job.”

“It’s delicious.”

“If you’d like, I will make it for you every day.”

Li Shuo chuckled, “No need. I will change my taste now and then.”

Zhao Jinxin heard some hints in Li Shuo’s words. His face changed slightly. He rubbed the water stains on the corners of Li Shuo’s mouth with his fingertips and said with a smile, “No problem. I will learn more about all kind of breakfast.”

Li Shuo was noncommittal and continued to eat.

After eating, he felt that his body was not so uncomfortable, so he got out of bed, barely straightened his back, and walked into the bathroom.

After washing up, Zhao Jinxin has already cleaned up the bed. There are suddenly a lot of things piled on the plain sheets. They consist of various gift bags and gift boxes, about a dozen of each kind.

Li Shuo frowned and looked at Zhao Jinxin.

Zhao Jinxin smiled slightly: “During the time when I especially missed you, whatever I saw and I felt like I wanted to give to you, I just bought a bunch of them for some reason.”

Li Shuo nodded, “I’m not interested.” He walked out.

“Why don’t you open it? I think you will like it.”

Li Shuo stopped and turned to look at him: “These things are useless to be used against me. Why don’t you think about the things that I lack?” He cocked his neck for a moment, then laughed, “Unfortunately, I don’t lack anything.”

“These things are not used to go ‘against’ you. I just want to give them to you.” Zhao Jinxin walked over, gently squeezed Li Shuo’s chin, leaned down, and said to his ear, “You lack a man with a talent to satisfy all your imaginations about the future. I am that man.”

Li Shuo chuckled and turned to leave.

Zhao Jinxin grabbed his waist: “Look. Let’s see what I bought for you. It’s a good time to do this today anyway.” He said as he walked back, dragging Li Shuo in his arms.

Li Shuo was taken back to the bed by him and had to say: “Let me go. I will see them for myself.”

Zhao Jinxin didn’t let go, and said coquettishly: “You open it. Even if I hold you, it won’t affect your ability to open the present.”

Li Shuo ignored him. He bent over and Zhao Jinxin followed him. He opened a few boxes. There are valuable antiques, jade, and watches, as well as interesting notebooks, music boxes, handicrafts, and more. The things do seem to be bought casually, but in each gift, there is a handwritten card containing love words. Li Shuo flips through it casually. Some of them are fleshy and some are affectionate, and they can be seen written with their heart.

Zhao Jinxin picked up a card, put his chin on Li Shuo’s shoulder, and whispered: “My sweet lamb, it rained a lot today. I’m really afraid that you will get wet. I want to hold an umbrella for you for the rest of my life.”

Li Shuo’s body was slightly stiff, and he immediately made a turnover but Zhao Jinxin hugged him tightly.

Zhao Jinxin picked up another one and continued reading: “A unique gift for the world best Lambert, I love you as long as I’m still breathing.”

Li Shuo only felt that his heart was trembling with Zhao Jinxin’s words. He forcefully broke Zhao Jinxin’s hand apart, threw the gift onto the bed, and said coldly, “You wrote well. Must have practiced a lot.”

Zhao Jinxin spread his hands: “I only wrote for you.”

“WellI’m flattered.” Li Shuo didn’t look at Zhao Jinxin and the gift anymore. He turned and left the bedroom.

The moment he stepped out, he inexplicably remembered the day when Zhao Jinxin ‘confessed’ to him. The charming roses in that room and the affectionate words of love from his favorite youth were beyond anything he had ever experienced in a lifetime. The sum of romance is even greater.

Such a good thing, why is it all fake?

There were no roses in the living room, only their clothes were thrown on the ground in a mess. He knew that Zhao Jinxin didn’t clean up the clothes on purpose so he went and picked them up.

Zhao Jinxin followed behind him and said ambiguously: “Uncle Li was so enthusiastic last night. It should have been a long time since you were satisfied.”

Li Shuo did not speak. It is true that he hasn’t been satisfied for a long time. The sex that Zhao Jinxin gave him is as crazy and hearty as he remembered. This is Zhao Jinxin’s advantage and he has nothing to refute against that.

Zhao Jinxin licked his lips, his eyes flashed with evil spirits: “I really want to make you never get out of bed so that you won’t leave me.”

Li Shuo smiled mockingly and threw Zhao Jinxin’s clothes at him: “You should go now.”

Zhao Jinxin was taken aback.

“I have something to do this afternoon. You should go back first.” Li Shuo said naturally.

Zhao Jinxin looked at him deeply, “Are you driving me away?”

“You came uninvited anyway, I’m just being polite.”

Zhao Jinxin narrowed his eyes: “If I don’t leave?”

“Then the next time you come, you have to break the door open to get in.”

Zhao Jinxin nodded and laughed twice: “Okay.” He picked up a document from the coffee table and handed it to Li Shuo, “I will leave after you read this.”

Li Shuo opened the document and looked to see ‘Lambert Holiday Resort’ written in bold red font.

“This is the planning of the hotel project. I plan to build an overall tourism and leisure resort center. You can take a look at it when you have time. If you have any comments, tell me. The last few pages are reserved area for our two families.”

Li Shuo said coldly: “Our two families? Didn’t you threaten me to make my dad go to jail for a lifetime? What qualifications do you have to plan this kind of thing?”

Zhao Jinxin’s eyes avoided looking at Li Shuo directly: “As long as you stay by my side, nothing bad will happen.”

Li Shuo sneered: “You have a good calculation. I have already withdrawn from this project. Your plan has nothing to do with me, but don’t plan your own private areas. My Li family will be clear from being entangle with you within one year.”

Zhao Jinxin’s face turned pale but he still smiled and said, “Uncle Li, you are destined to enter our Zhao family. If you want to, I can marry you.”

Li Shuo threw the file to him: “Just go back.”

Zhao Jinxin looked at the file in his hand and was silent for a few seconds. He then put it on the cabinet, and walked over: “Let me have a kiss.”

Li Shuo frowned.

“Don’t refuse.” Zhao Jinxin pressed the back of Li Shuo’s head, gently kissed on the soft lips, and then sucked hard. He kissed deeper and deeper and finally put Li Shuo in his arms, tasting the lips carefully. It is the taste that fascinated him.

This man, at least his lips are soft.

Zhao Jin let go of Li Shuo intently, and said softly, “I will come after I get off work tomorrow.”

“Whatever.”

Zhao Jinxin looked at him intently, took two steps back towards the door, but then walked over again, his lips pressed against Li Shuo’s ear, and he quickly said “I love you” before turning to leave.

Until he heard the sound of closing the door, Li Shuo let out a long breath, as if the rope that was holding his hands and feet disappeared, he felt that his limbs were returning blood, and he was regaining his strength.

He shuffled over, picked up the file on the cabinet, and looked at document page by page.

In the whole plan, there are several ingenious designs that only two people can understand, it is like Zhao Jinxin showing his love to him. The private area design on the last few pages is basically a honeymoon-themed resort.

Thinking of Zhao Jinxin’s mood when planning these things, he suddenly felt sad.

He knows that Zhao Jinxin really likes him, but that liking must be like flowers blooming in Spring. When it is there, it is infinitely beautiful. If it is not there, it will just not be there.

The enthusiasm of Zhao Jinxin’s feelings for such season is not worthy for his life.

Although Li Shuo did not agree to live together, Zhao Jinxin basically regarded Li Shuo’s house as his own. He reported almost every day after work, and it was difficult to drive him away on weekends. He changed tricks to please Li Shuo just to keep Li Shuo around him. But a wall was already built around Li Shuo and it couldn’t be torn down.

On this day, Zhao Jinxin had just made a meal for Li Shuo but Li Shuo came out of the bedroom neatly dressed.

“Are you going out?” Zhao Jinxin looked at him.

Li Shuo nodded.

“I already made a meal, let’s go together after eating.”

“I have an appointment for dinner already.” Li Shuo didn’t even look at him and just put his wallet and mobile phone into his pocket.

“I will take you there.”

“No need.” Li Shuo put on his shoes.

“The New Year is almost coming, it’s messy outside.” Zhao Jinxin took off his apron and threw it aside, blocking the entrance, “I’ll take you there.”

Li Shuo looked at him and said lightly: “Whatever you want.”

Zhao Jinxin casually put on a coat and followed Li Shuo downstairs.

Today, Cheng Sheng made an appointment with Li Shuo for dinner and said that he would introduce the friend he mentioned last time to Li Shuo. Li Shuo just wanted to get to know the emerging firm through that person.

At the hotel, Zhao Jinxin tightened the scarf around Li Shuo’s neck, stared into his eyes, and whispered, “Are you not planning to take me with you at all?”

“No, you can go back.”

Zhao Jinxin lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembled, and his expression looked very disappointed. He quickly kissed Li Shuo: “I’ll be waiting for you in the car.”

“No need, you can go back.”

“I want to wait for you. Don’t worry about me. You go.”

Li Shuo frowned, opened his mouth as if to say something but he said nothing in the end. He didn’t know the significance of Zhao Jinxin’s doing this.

Zhao Jinxin smiled slightly: “Do you think it makes no sense for me to do this? Of course there is. It makes sense for me to stay closer to you.”

Li Shuo took a deep look at Zhao Jinxin, pushed the car door open and left.

Zhao Jinxin stared at Li Shuo’s figure unblinkingly, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He looked down and saw that Shao Qun was calling.

“Hello, brother.”

“Jinxin, are you going back to the United States this year?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Not sure? Aunt and the others are coming back?”

“They have come not long ago so they won’t come back to China during the New Year.”

“If you don’t go back to US, come to me for the New Year.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you when the time comes.” Zhao Jinxin paused, and suddenly said, “Brother, there’s something…”

“What’s wrong? You have something to say?”

“Why did you ask me to approach Li Shuo?”

“Why else? Isn’t he the type that you’re into?”

“What about the aftermath?”

Shao Qun was silent for a moment: “What do you want to say? What’s wrong with you today?”

Zhao Jinxin raised his hand and covered his eyes, and said in a deep voice, “You said that if I had done this favor for you, I can make any request with you. I haven’t mentioned what I want yet, right?”

“Yes, you can mention it at any time and I will always fulfill it.”

“I want you to…” Zhao Jin said painfully, “apologize to Li Shuo.”

Shao Qun paused, then suddenly growled: “What the hell did you just say?!”

Zhao Jin smiled stiffly, “Forget it. Pretend that you didn’t hear me.” He hung up the phone.

Although it is a difficult request to ask his arrogant cousin to apologize, if it works, he will definitely try to get Shao Qun to keep his head down, but he knows that Li Shuo is just talking about that casually. The problem between them has nothing to do with Shao Qun.

Li Shuo may not have any feelings for him anymore, that’s the biggest problem.

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Next update: 2022/01/03 (on Knoxt), 2022/01/05 (on Wattpad). *Translator’s NOTE: I’m taking a short break from translating since I have critical examination for my thesis this coming January, need to shift my focus to that. Thank you for your understanding -K