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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Two days later, Zhao Jinxin wanted to be discharged from the hospital, but Mrs. Zhao disagreed. The two were arguing. Li Shuo came and also tried to persuade him: “When the doctor says that you can be discharged, then you will be discharged.”

Zhao Jinxin looked at him sadly: “I can recuperate at home, I really hate the hospital.”

“Then you won’t listen to me?” Li Shuo’s tone was gentle.

Zhao Jinxin is suddenly no longer stubborn, and whispered: “I’ll listen to you.”

Madam Zhao was dumbfounded by such sight.

Li Shuo smiled and said: “Auntie has prepared such a fragrant meal for you, it must be delicious.”

“You come and eat with me.”

“I have eaten at home.” Li Shuo shook the bag in his hand, “I brought you some books and comics.”

“That last book.” Zhao Jinxin took it out from under the pillow, “You haven’t finished reading it to me.”

Li Shuo saw that it was the unfinished horror story. He smiled gently and said, “Okay.”

Madam Zhao curiously asked, “What book is that? Is it a good read?” She stretched out her hand to try to get it.

Zhao Jinxin hides it on his side: “Mom, it’s horrifying, it’s not suitable for you to read.”

“I like to read this kind of story.”

“This book is in English. It is too difficult for you to understand.”

After all, Mrs. Zhao was not born and raised in the United States. Although there is no problem with daily conversation, there is a little problem when it comes to reading, but she does not agree: “It just happens to be a good practice then.”

“This book won’t work, I’ll buy you a new one.” Zhao Jinxin said with a smile, “This book belongs to me and Brother Li.”

Madam Zhao curled her lips and couldn’t help but smile at them.

After dinner, Li Shuo took Zhao Jinxin for a walk in the garden behind the hospital and told him about Xu Darui and Lao Diao’s gang: “I have submitted all the information to the police. Lao Diao may have killed people before. It’s definitely more than enough. My friends have found the evidence.”

Zhao Jinxin smiled carelessly: “No matter what, he won’t be able to get out in this life. Leave this matter to my brother, you don’t have to worry about it.”

Li Shuo thought for a while and said, “Okay then.” He didn’t have any means to deal with these people since it really violated his own principles. It’s better to let Shao Qun deal with them. Anyway, people like them can’t be dealt with only threats. As long as he can keep those people away from his family, it’s fine.

“What are your plans next?” Zhao Jinxin shook Li Shuo’s hand and laughed: “why don’t you join my company? Let’s work together to develop the love resort.”

Li Shuo sneered: “I’m not joining. I’m going to reopen my business and train some talented and ambitious young people.”

“I knew you would say that, but I really want to see you every day.” Zhao Jinxin blinked, “How nice if we could live together.”

Li Shuo smiled and said casually: “we can talk about that later.” He quickly turned the topic off.

Zhao Jinxin is a little disappointed. Although he knows that he can’t be impatient, sometimes it is really difficult to control the urgent desire to completely own this person.

On the day Zhao Jinxin got out of the hospital, it happened that Zhao Rongtian had some business that needed to be dealt with in the United States, and Mrs. Zhao stayed behind to take care of him.

Li Shuo personally picked Zhao Jinxin from his home and settled him in. Zhao Jinxin’s assistant was going to purchase things according to the order Li Shuo had listed. Madam Zhao just wanted to go shopping, so she went ahead with the assistant.

Zhao Jinxin couldn’t use his hands but he recovered well. As soon as his mother left, he hugged Li Shuo and kissed him for a long time. Obviously, he rarely had time to be alone with Li Shuo in the hospital so he felt like he couldn’t get enough.

When the atmosphere was about to escalate, the doorbell rang suddenly.

“She can’t be back so soon.” Zhao Jinxin said aggrievedly.

Li Shuo smiled: “I’m going to open the door.” He thought it was Madam Zhao who might have forgotten to bring her things so he opened the door directly but instead, he saw an unexpected person.

A few months ago, he and this person also looked at each other awkwardly through this same door, but they had to change their positions. He was outside this time.

Ken raised his eyebrows, raised his hand and waved: “Hi~”

Li Shuo nodded: “Hi.”

Zhao Jinxin came over and was stunned when he saw Ken: “Why are you…?”

“I heard that you are sick. I come to see you.” Ken’s Chinese pronunciation is very interesting, a bit simplistic, and he simply changed to speak in English. “But it might be inconvenient today?” He looked at Li Shuo.

Li Shuo smiled like a gentleman: “No, please come in.”

Zhao Jinxin’s expression was slightly distorted, he secretly made a discontented look at Ken but Ken looked very innocent.

Ken brought some supplements for him. Li Shuo took it and made a ‘please’ gesture towards him: “You drink tea?”

 “Sure.”

When Li Shuo went to make tea, Zhao Jinxin whispered to Ken: “What are you here for?”

Ken shrugged: “Just visiting you. I didn’t know he was there.”

“Thank you, but I hope…”

“Don’t worry, I will leave as soon as possible.”

When Li Shuo walked out of the kitchen, he saw the small gestures of the two whispering to each other. He squinted his eyes and walked over with the tray casually and handed Ken a cup of tea: “We’ve met each other a few times. Let’s get acquainted. My name is Li Shuo. I am an auditor. What do you do for a living?”

“I work at the bank.”

“How did you two meet?” Li Shuo asked.

Zhao Jinxin was inexplicably a little bit nervous. The more normal Li Shuo’s behavior was, the more worried he became.

“We met in the United States at a gathering of friends. Later I transferred here and found out that he was here, so I got in touch.” Ken simply said, “But you can rest assured that we already… uh …”

“It doesn’t matter, the past was everyone’s freedom.” Li Shuo said with a smile.

Ken suddenly breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s good. You are great.”

Li Shuo’s smile remained unchanged: “By the way, when was the last time you two had sex?”

Ken’s smile froze on his face and Zhao Jinxin’s expression changed completely.

Li Shuo looked at Ken gently but reluctantly, waiting for him to answer.

Ken glanced at Zhao Jinxin, obviously not knowing how to answer.

Zhao Jinxin whispered: “Shall we discuss this matter later?”

Li Shuo looked at him for four or five seconds before nodding, “Okay.” He raised his hand to Ken, “This tea is very fragrant, you can try it.”

Ken quickly lowered his head to drink tea to hide his embarrassment.

Li Shuo also took a sip and then patted Zhao Jinxin on the knee: “Jinxin, I have an appointment with a friend to talk about some matters so I will leave first. You two can talk slowly.”

Zhao Jinxin grabbed his hand and became incomprehensibly nervous : “You are not allowed to go.”

Li Shuo smiled: “I will be back. I promised your mother to come over for dinner at night, right?”

Zhao Jinxin frowned: “If there is something bothering you, let me explain it clearly first.”

Ken lowered his head and rubbed his forehead.

“There’s nothing bothering me. I just asked casually. You don’t need to be nervous.” Li Shuo patted his hand and then pulled his hand back.

Zhao Jinxin grabbed his hand again: “Ken, answer his question.”

Ken didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “My buddy, how do you want me to answer? I don’t want to participate in this kind of relationship between you two… whatever it is.” He stood up and spread his hands towards Li Shuo, “We have had sex, yes, but It’s all in the past, and the things between you two now have nothing to do with me. I wish you a speedy recovery and goodbye.” He couldn’t wait to retreat to the door and left as if he was fleeing for his life.

Li Shuo and Zhao Jinxin looked at each other and no one spoke for a while.

Li Shuo spoke first: “I really have some matters to deal with, can I go now?”

“Since you have doubts in your heart, why don’t you just ask me directly?” Zhao Jinxin said sincerely, “No matter what questions you have, I am willing to answer them all.”

Li Shuo looked at Zhao Jinxin deeply and took a breath in silence. He realized that he cared very much about what happened in Zhao Jinxin’s so-called 43 days but he wanted to act magnificently. In fact, he doesn’t really want to know if Zhao Jinxin lied to him on this matter. After all, sometimes the truth is ugly. When he decides to give Zhao Jinxin a chance, he must let go of everything he has in the past. He must convince himself to let it all go.

What is really important in this matter is the attitude he wants to show to Zhao Jinxin and the attitude he wants Zhao Jinxin to give him, so he must figure it out.

What he wants is that Zhao Jinxin will not lie to him in the future.

He thought for a while, and looked at Zhao Jinxin sternly: “Did you do it or not in that period of time? You only have this chance to confess. No matter what the answer is, I will accept it. But if we re-establish trust this time and you still lie to me, it will be different.”

Zhao Jinxin lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

Li Shuo sighed, “I hope that this is the last lie between us.” He got up and walked to the door.

Zhao Jinxin leaped forward and hugged him with a strong force, his voice trembled slightly: “Don’t be angry with me, I was…”

“If you have any more that you had hidden from me, it’s best to say it all at once.” After gaining self-confidence, Li Shuo found that he was still very uncomfortable. It’s not that he doesn’t know what kind of person Zhao Jinxin was before, so he needs great courage to try it with him again.

“No, really no.” Zhao Jinxin squeezed Li Shuo’s waist tightly. He was afraid that if he let go, he would find that the idea of being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Li Shuo again was just a vain dream. The figure of Li Shuo’s back leaving him behind really terrified him. 

Li Shuo was angry but also felt a bit of pity for Zhao Jinxin in his heart. He patted Zhao Jinxin’s hand cruelly and then removed his hand and walked out in a big stride.

After leaving through the door, Li Shuo didn’t even have time to wait for the elevator. He walked down the stairs quickly. After four or five floors down, he leaned against the wall of the corridor and let out a long sigh.

Jin Xin must be sad now… he thought. Li Shuo restrained the urge to return to him and instead, walked downstairs step by step.

In the evening, he naturally found an excuse not to go back there to have dinner but he knew that Zhao Jinxin would come to his own door so he made a soup to replenish blood specially for him.

At about 11 o’clock, the doorbell rang while Li Shuo was reading. He got out of bed slowly and opened the door. Zhao Jinxin looked at him and whispered, “Are you asleep?”

Li Shuo nodded: “If your mother knew you were running around…”

“She doesn’t know.” Zhao Jinxin hugged Li Shuo, and said dully, “You said you came over for dinner at night.”

“You also said that you haven’t slept with anyone within those days.” Li Shuo said flatly.

Zhao Jinxin stiffened and said in a deep voice: “Li Shuo, don’t do this. I swear I will never lie to you again. You said that you gave me a chance, don’t take it back.”

Li Shuo gently touched some strands of his hair: “I won’t take back what I promised. I always do what I say, unless you can’t do it first.”

“I can do it, I will never lie to you again, I will never find anyone, I just want you.” Zhao Jinxin buried his face in Li Shuo’s neck, “Don’t be angry with me, Uncle Li, I’m very scared.”

“What are you afraid of? If you find someone else one day, it will only prove that you want to find someone else. Then I will be separated from you ‘decently’ and fulfill your wish.” Li Shuo said what he said but his heart felt really down and sad. He obviously just wanted to teach Zhao Jinxin a lesson, but he couldn’t help but imagine the worst future. He doubted whether he could really trust Zhao Jinxin again.

“No!” Zhao Jinxin said eagerly, “There is no one, I don’t need anyone else.”

Li Shuo smiled bitterly in his heart. He really asked for trouble. During the day today, maybe he shouldn’t ask at all. He overestimated his own mind and heart. But in fact, he had been skeptical about it all the time. If they didn’t clear the roadblocks before setting off, they would only stumble even more. He didn’t want to spend time in the future repeating his suspicion, so it would be enough to give Zhao Jinxin a warning.

He whispered: “Jin Xin, I said it, I hope this is the last lie between us. You have admitted it, I accept it. But there will be no next time.”

“No next time.” Zhao Jinxin looked into Li Shuo’s eyes deeply: “I know, you may not be able to trust me for a while. But I want to spend my life with you, so I have time. Let time prove me to you .”

Li Shuo looked at him intently but did not speak.

“I dare not tell a lie to you again, really.” Zhao Jinxin lowered his head and kissed his lips. He smiled bitterly, “Uncle Li, I am really afraid of you.”

“What are you afraid of?”

“Afraid of your figure from the back.”

“…back view?”

“Yes, your back view.” Zhao Jinxin closed his eyes, “your back view represents rejection. I don’t want to see it again in my whole life.”

“Jin Xin, I am a… very selfish person. In terms of feelings, you can be willful, domineering, and bad. But as long as you are absolutely loyal to me, I will always open my arms to you.” Li Shuo stroked Zhao Jinxin’s face, “If not, you can only look at my back view for the rest of your life.”

Zhao Jinxin paused, slammed Li Shuo against the wall, blocked his lips with a strong force, and kissed him fiercely and rudely.

A trace of surprise flashed in Li Shuo’s eyes. He was overwhelmed by Zhao Jinxin’s kiss but could only allow the kiss to rob him off of his oxygen.

When the two were panting apart, Zhao Jinxin said in a dumb voice: “Sometimes, I wish I could just eat you, so that your everything will merge into my bones and blood, and we can’t be separated anymore.” The kind of possessiveness that is so overwhelming seems to overflow out of him, colliding with the fear of losing this person, making him feel painful anxiety from time to time.

Li Shuo turned his head and gently bit his ear: “This idea is good, but it is not realistic. Is there a better one?”

“Probably the only thing left is to make you pregnant but unfortunately it’s even more unrealistic.”

Li Shuo pinched him on the side of his waist: “Are you looking for a fight?”

Zhao Jinxin has nowhere to vent for his love and hate madness. He gritted his teeth and smiled: “At least we can finish the first half of this thing, for example, putting mine in…”

“I have taken biology class.”

“Great, then there is no need to explain, let’s practice directly.” Zhao Jinxin stroked Li Shuo’s soft lips with one of his hands. His movements were gentle, but his eyes were full of lust.

Li Shuo looked at the flame in Zhao Jinxin’s eyes and somewhere in his body was also lit. He licked his lips and pushed Zhao Jinxin on the sofa.

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Next update: 2022/04/08 (on knoxt), 2022/04/10 (on wattpad)

*Translator’s Note: Really, please forgive me. I really didn’t do any proofreading of all these chapters since I’ve been busy so just go easy on me or just ignore them if you found any mistakes ya. Thanks! -K

*P/S: some more artworks from weibo