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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As Zhao Jinxin spoke, his eyes began to lose focus, and his voice became more and more inaudible. His palm was cut diagonally with a knife, the flesh was torn open, the bones of his four fingers were faintly visible, and the blood flowed continuously.

“Too much blood loss, lift him into the ambulance, hurry up!”

While Zhao Jinxin was still conscious, he kept holding Li Shuo’s hand. Li Shuo followed him into the ambulance. He looked into Zhao Jinxin’s eyes and felt that this was one of the most difficult moments in his life.

Zhao Jinxin half-squinted his eyes, smiled at him slightly, and whispered from his mouth: “It’s okay.”

Li Shuo’s hand lightly covered his forehead, he choked up and said: “You will be in the hospital soon, don’t be afraid.”

Zhao Jinxin nodded, his eyes gradually lost focus and he was eventually unconscious.

Shao Qun also followed into the ambulance. He sat opposite Li Shuo, looking a little calmer, but his eyes were still looking fierce as he glared at Li Shuo.

Li Shuo didn’t even look at him, and he said blankly: “If you want to fight, wait for him to be sent to the hospital first.”

“Fight you?” Shao Qun smiled coldly, “what would the result be? It all depends on what will happen to my brother.”

Li Shuo is not in the mood to argue with him. He just looks at Zhao Jinxin silently, reflecting on everything he has experienced and everything Zhao Jinxin has done for him.

It was really ironic. The less he wants things to happen, the more things will shift towards that undesirable outcome. Perhaps he is not religious enough, he has cultivated small virtues, and can’t understand God’s mysterious way, so this is the cause and effect. He has to take the blame.

But he hopes that the cause and effect of his own seed will be carried by himself alone, so that he will have no complaints.

“Li Shuo, you are not good for Jinxin.” Shao Qun looked at Li Shuo angrily.

“You are also not good enough for Li Chengxiu, now you can shut up.” Li Shuo said boredly.

“People like you seem to be liked by everyone, but in fact, you like no one. You only like yourself. If others can’t cater to your feelings, you will kick them out of the game, right?”

“What does it have to do with you again?”

“My brother is different. His illness is destined for a higher death rate than others if accidents were to happen. So he only cares about having fun in the time that he has because he doesn’t know when the final destiny will come. This is the first time he talks about relationships. With you. You have completely changed his life plan and attitude. What you give him is what you have felt with others, and what he gives you is his first in everything.” Shao Qun said, his eyes became more vicious.

Li Shuo smiled sarcastically: “You know shit. Shit. Shao Qun, I don’t have any desire to argue with someone like you, who is absolutely narcissistic. And my feelings are not for you to make irresponsible comments on. What you say about me is bullshit, and it’s not even as good as a proper bullshit. I just need you to fucking shut up.”

“Why? Did you get pricked by me?” Shao Qun smiled cruelly, “May you, a person with a high sense of morality, never get rid of the torture of guilt in the days to come.”

Li Shuo’s eyes flashed brightly, and he stared at Shao Qun fiercely: “May a person like you, with a cheap sense of morality, always pay a heavy price for his wickedness, for example, by sending him to me.”

The two stared at each other, their auras getting heavier and heavier. If hatred is a tangible gas, this little ambulance may be blown up at any time.

After they finally got to the nearest hospital, Zhao Jinxin was pushed into the operating room.

Li Shuo sat in a chair outside the operating room, looking at the door blankly as if his soul had been emptied.

Shao Qun, this bastard is right, he will be deeply tortured by guilt, but he doesn’t want to regret it. Regret is a useless feeling and it needs to be abandoned as much as possible. He just wants to focus on how to make up for his mistakes.

Zhao Jinxin’s operation only performed hemostasis. The medical conditions at the current hospital are limited. The severed tendons, muscles, and nerves all need more advanced surgery to be repaired. Shao Qun dispatched a helicopter and got them to the best hospital. Over there, Zhao Jinxin entered the operating room again, this time he was in for seven hours.

Zhao Jinxin didn’t come out of the operating room until the sun went down. His operation was very successful, but his vitality was badly wounded, and his face was as pale as a blank piece of paper.

Shao Qun stood by the bed and looked at Zhao Jinxin quietly. After a long while, he said, “Stay with him here. I’ll go to the airport to fetch his parents.”

Li Shuo’s body trembled slightly, his expression seemed to be frozen in ice.

After Shao Qun left, Li Shuo gently lay on the bedside, his eyes full of fatigue. He stretched out his hand and quietly painted Zhao Jinxin’s face with his fingers, from the forehead to the tall bridge of the nose to the pale lips. Zhao Jinxin’s lips were originally very rosy, and the corners of his mouth were always slightly curled, creating a pleasing smile. Now looking at this pale and weak appearance, it makes Li Shuo feel heartbroken.

Shao Qun said that the feelings he gave to Zhao Jinxin were left-over from others. This is wrong. The feelings he gave to Zhao Jinxin overturned his understanding of feelings. He had never given anyone such an unforgettable feeling, and there would never be another like this. Personally, like Zhao Jinxin, he left such a heavy and deep mark in his life.

Li Shuo felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. He didn’t close his eyes all day and night. Before sleepiness swept his consciousness, he held Zhao Jinxin’s hand.

Li Shuo didn’t sleep for too long as he heard some noise. He barely opened his eyelids when he was met with a pair of familiar eyes.

“…Jin Xin.” Li Shuo immediately sat up. Since he had been lying down for too long, his waist was sore.

Zhao Jinxin touched Li Shuo’s face: “It’s so tiring to fall asleep on the bed like that.”

“You… the anesthetic is gone…” Li Shuo looked at his hand, “It should hurt.”

“It’s okay.” Zhao Jinxin wanted to behave plainly, but his eyes still leaked his worries, “My hand… is it okay?”

Li Shuo said quickly: “It’s okay, the operation went very well.”

Zhao Jinxin breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s good.”

“Jin Xin.” Li Shuo said solemnly, “I am…”

“You are not allowed to say those three words.” Zhao Jinxin touched Li Shuo’s lips with his finger, and he grinned, “You can say ‘I love you’, you can say ‘You are handsome’, but you are not allowed to say ‘I am sorry’.”

Li Shuo was startled, and barely squeezed a smile: “Okay, thank you.”

“I know you are such a person. And I like someone like you.” Zhao Jinxin stretched out his hand, “Uncle Li, hug me. If you hug me then it doesn’t hurt.”

Li Shuo stretched out his arms and hugged the man.

“How do you know where I would be at?” Li Shuo asked softly.

“If I told you, you were going to be angry with me.”

“Really? Then now is the best time for you to say it.”

“Hmm, I installed a location tracker on your phone. Last time, I saw that you didn’t look normal when you received a call so I went to investigate.”

“Hmmph, I should have guessed it.” Li Shuo touched his head, “You really are a bastard.”

Zhao Jinxin chuckled: “Hmm, I am.”

Li Shuo also smiled.

At midnight, Zhao Jinxin’s parents arrived and Mrs. Zhao started crying when she saw her son.

Zhao Rongtian was still very calm and in turn comforted Li Shuo with a few words. He then learned about the situation.

Li Shuo didn’t give out too many details about the situation.

After listening to Li Shuo, Zhao Rongtian pondered for a moment, nodded and said: “It seems that he really likes you.”

Li Shuo looked up in surprise.

Zhao Rongtian patted Li Shuo on the shoulder, turned and left.

Li Shuo froze for a moment, showing a wry smile, as if the whole world knew about his relationship with Jinxin and he was the only one who tried to hide it.

That night, Madam Zhao stayed in the hospital and Li Shuo went home.

He took a shower, changed his clothes, then took out a bottle of wine. He drank alone. When he was slightly drunk, he saw a big shopping bag on the ground. After thinking about it for a long time, he remembered that it was a gift from Japan that Wen Xiaohui had given to him.

He put down the wine glass, walked over to pick up the bag, and opened it.

The shopping bag contains erotic underwear, erotic props, and even erotic snacks. They are all embarrassing gadgets, which really fits Wen Xiaohui’s style.

Li Shuo picked up a pair of underwear and shook it in front of his eyes. He couldn’t help but smile, and then his eyes turned red.

He picked up the phone and called Xiao Chen and Brother Xiang respectively. He asked Xiao Chen to collect all evidence on Xu Darui who had blackmailed him. Brother Xiang asked someone to dig out more evidence on Lao Diao’s gang. He hoped that these people would go into prison and won’t be able to come out again.

The next day, on the way to the hospital, Li Shuo received a call from his father and was scolded severely by him. He felt that every sentence his father said was right. He was not mature enough, not decisive, and not able enough in handling his problems. It was comprehensive, which led to a series of undesirable consequences.

When he arrived at the hospital, he saw Wen Xiaohui and Li Chengxiu who had come after hearing the news. They both looked relieved when they saw him in a good condition.

Li Shuo smiled bitterly and said, “I hope we won’t be in the hospital again for our next gathering.”

Wen Xiaohui sighed: “I don’t know what’s wrong. I have had a special relationship with the hospital in the past two years. I’m really unlucky.”

Li Chengxiu frowned and said, “Brother Li, if Shao Qun says something bad to you, don’t take it to your heart.”

“It won’t go to my heart.” Li Shuo smiled, “I will say something worse to him.”

Wen Xiaohui slapped his palm and applauded: “Yes.”

Suddenly there was a deliberate cough being made from behind them. Li Shuo didn’t need to look back to know that Shao Qun was behind him, he patted the shoulders of the two of them: “I’m going to see Jinxin, thank you for coming, and I will see you for dinner another day.”

Li Shuo walked into the ward and saw that Zhao Jinxin was playing with his mobile phone with one hand on his legs. When he saw Li Shuo, he smiled: “Come here.”

Li Shuo frowned and said, “Why are you still playing with your mobile phone?”

“I’m bored. I just hurt my hand. My mother told me to lie down on the bed. What kind of logic is that?” Zhao Jinxin dropped the phone and stretched out his hand, “Uncle Li, hug.”

Li Shuo pressed his hands down: “I’ve brought something to eat. Let’s eat first.”

“You feed me.” Zhao Jinxin twitched his mouth on purpose.

Li Shuo opened the lunch box, scooped up a spoonful of custard, and stuffed it into his mouth.

“It smells good.” Zhao Jinxin licked his lips.

Li Shuo smiled slightly: “Eat more. I also made bird’s nest soup with red dates to replenish your blood.”

“Hey, stop telling me to replenish blood. My mother is going to force me to take all kinds of blood meds, all kinds of liver, all kinds of tonics, it makes me sick to think about it.”

Li Shuo paused: “Have you shed a lot of blood before…?”

Zhao Jinxin shrugged: “Yeah.”

“You were…” Li Shuo thought for a while. Zhao Jinxin didn’t tell him about him being kidnapped when he was a child, and he shouldn’t ask. So, he simply shook his head, “I have to make up to you this time.”

“My brother told me that he told you, right?” Zhao Jinxin smiled, “I just feel embarrassed, such an adult is afraid of the dark. But you always think I’m joking.”

“You don’t have to be embarrassed at all, there are many things that even adults are afraid of.”

“Really?” Zhao Jinxin looked into Li Shuo’s eyes quietly, “Then what are you afraid of?”

“I’m… afraid of the weak ego.” And it caused him to be cowardly, evasive, and lack courageous self.

Zhao Jinxin shook his hand: “You are not weak at all. You have the broadest and most tolerant mind. This requires more courage than fighting fiercely.”

Li Shuo laughed at him, disagreeing with him, but he didn’t want to refute him. For his broad and tolerant mind had always been exchanged for resentment over virtue. In exchange for the biggest loss and the biggest crisis of this life, why should he not doubt himself? There will always be a few moments in a person’s life where he will deeply doubt his own beliefs. The first time was when he stepped on the barren land of Africa with the scorching sun where he couldn’t open his eyes. The second time was now, as if he tried to be good, but his goodness always deviated from his original intention.

But he only allowed himself to doubt for a while. There is no right or wrong in beliefs. It is obviously himself who did wrong.

Zhao Jinxin seemed to see through Li Shuo’s thoughts. He gently touched Li Shuo’s face: “It’s not your fault. You are the best person in the world in my eyes. No one is more perfect than you.”

Li Shuo smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Zhao Jinxin squeezed his chin and said softly: “Uncle Li, I want to take advantage of the situation. Now, I want your broad and tolerant mind to give me another chance.”

Li Shuo looked at Zhao Jinxin quietly, staring into the depths of his eyes. He saw the most sincere feelings in those eyes.

“This time, I will say that sentence again. This will be the third time. The first two times, you were serious but I did not cherish it. This time, I am serious. I will hold on to you and never let go.” Zhao Jinxin coughed slightly, “‘Let’s re-establish trust.”

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Next update: 2022/04/06 (on knoxt), 2022/04/08 (on wattpad)

*Translator’s Note: I feel funny reading the conversation between the three shoes (LS, WXH & LCC). They are all caught by the 188 scum gongs. -K

*T/N: Included here some artworks from weibo. -K