Chapter 16

How had the conversation gotten here?

Thinking of the lie he had told Chi Ning today, the little black wolf in his mind guiltily lowered its head and apologized to the little lamb again: Sorry.

Chi Ning patted the back of Qin Heng's hand with his fingertips. "You're already amazing. I don't think there's anything wrong with fighting for your own interests. If it weren't for you, I might've been fooled by the agent. Thank you."

The iron tree Qin Heng had planted in his heart seemed to pop out a cluster of green shoots. Looking closer, there was even a small, soft white flower bud within.

"The Jiurong Prestige City stop," the driver said from the front seat.

Chi Ning paid the fare. He had originally wanted to give the driver a little extra to take Qin Heng home, but Qin Heng reached out, swiftly pulled out the extra twenty yuan the driver had taken, and pressed it into Chi Ning's hand. "Don't waste money. I'll walk back myself later."

Driver: ...

The duck that had reached his mouth had flown away, and the twenty yuan he could've earned for nothing was gone too. He'd never seen anyone so damn stingy.

Qin Heng didn't care. He lifted a hand to shield the edge of the car roof. "Come on. It's too late, and it isn't safe. I'll walk you to your door."

12:15 a.m.

Chi Ning had long been yawning from sleepiness. When he got out of the car, he didn't pay attention and bumped his head right into Qin Heng's palm.

Only after steadying himself did he realize that if Qin Heng hadn't protected him, the impact would have woken him right up.

Chi Ning paused for a moment. By the time he reacted, he had already missed the chance to thank him.

The two walked silently side by side along the dim path, the air thick with the damp scent of night dew.

The smell made Chi Ning even drowsier.

As they neared the Chi family home, Qin Heng, who was on Chi Ning's left, suddenly reached out. With his palm facing outward and his elbow raised, he loosely enclosed Chi Ning and blocked something off to the right of his face.

Chi Ning was taken aback. "What's wrong?"

Qin Heng replied calmly, "Nothing. It's not far from here. You can head back yourself."

Chi Ning said, "Oh."

He was so sleepy that he couldn't even think straight. He simply followed Qin Heng's words and continued down the path.

When he got home and opened the door, he saw his father sitting listlessly in the living room. The first floor of the villa was brightly lit, and the television was playing karaoke. The singer on-screen wailed heartbreakingly in Cantonese, "Who will come love me—"

Chi Ning: ...

The middle-aged entrepreneur's emotional breakdown had come with overwhelming force.

He remembered that his parents had an especially good relationship. His mother had been away on a business trip for so many days; his father must have missed her.

Chi Ning said to Chi Baichuan, "Dad, I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep first. You should get some rest early too. Don't stay up too late. Take care of yourself."

Chi Baichuan looked at his sleepy-eyed son and heard his thoughtful concern. The questions he had prepared instantly got stuck in his throat.

He could only turn off the television, unplug the CD player, and go upstairs to sleep with his son.

Outside the Chi residence.

The moment Chi Ning disappeared from view, Qin Heng immediately pivoted on his toes and headed toward the nearby landscaping.

Everyone in Jiurong was rich, so even the landscaping was well done. The shrubs were trimmed into specific shapes, and the greenery was so lush that it could easily hide a whole line of people.

Qin Heng swept his leg at one of the bushes and said coldly, "Get out."

The man was kicked sideways and fell to the ground, but he still remembered to protect his camera. "What are you doing? If you damage the bushes, you'll have to pay for them. Assault is illegal!"

Qin Heng wasn't intimidated in the slightest. He still wanted Qin Heng to compensate him? "Is secretly photographing people while squatting here not illegal? You damaged the bushes by crouching on them. If anyone's paying, it'll be you."

The paparazzo hunched his shoulders and clutched the camera tightly. His eyes darted around before he gave a lewd grin. "What's your relationship with Second Young Master Chi? Are you dating him? Why were you taking him home so late?"

Qin Heng said, "None of your fucking business."

The paparazzo took that as an admission and seemed to gain confidence. "The Chi family is a wealthy family. President Chi would never accept his son being with another man. How about this? Call Second Young Master Chi out and have him pay for the film. I'm confident I can sell it for a good price. Once we get the money, we split it fifty-fifty. What do you say?"

Qin Heng said, "I don't."

He took a step back, assessed the paparazzo's fighting ability, and sneered. "I'll give you two choices. Either hand me the film and get the hell out of here nicely, or I'll beat you and your camera to pieces, and you can crawl out of Jiurong Prestige City."

The paparazzo was a little afraid.

He had seen plenty of people, and his nose was as sharp as a dog's. He could tell Qin Heng really dared to do it.

Qin Heng held out his hand. "Give me the camera. Don't try anything."

Once the film was removed, there would be no chance for him to switch it out.

The paparazzo was utterly aggrieved, but he could only obediently hand over the film containing photos of Chi Ning.

After suffering such a huge loss, he felt uncomfortable without throwing out a few threats. "You think taking mine will solve anything? There are plenty of paparazzi staking out Jiurong! Even if I'm gone, there'll be others! Just wait and see."

Qin Heng tightened his fingers and watched the paparazzo scramble away.

He raised his hand, intending to throw the film into a trash can, but then worried someone might pick it up. So he tucked it away and brought it home.

The next day.

Chi Ning slept until noon. After washing up and coming downstairs, his stomach was growling with hunger.

After greeting his older brother good morning, he plopped down at the dining table and waited for the meal to be served.

Chi Yang sat beside his younger brother, his expression unreadable as he repeatedly seemed to want to speak but stopped himself.

Chi Baichuan's expression was even more solemn. The atmosphere was like a tribunal.

He asked, "Ningning, tell Dad the truth. Why did you come home so late yesterday?"

Chi Ning paused, then improvised. "Playing ball."

Chi Baichuan took a deep breath. "Did you know Jiang Shijie got beaten up?"

"I did." Chi Ning answered righteously. "He sat on Boss Xu's table and broke it, so people from Boss Xu's shop beat him up."

That answer made Chi Yang and Chi Baichuan look slightly better.

Chi Ning considered it and quietly breathed a small sigh of relief.

Chi Yang smiled. "I knew it. There aren't even any photos. That nonsense about Xu Jiahao flying into a rage for his beloved must've been made up by the paparazzi. Boss Xu would never do something so cheap. He may run gambling operations, but he's an upright man."

Chi Baichuan snorted and snapped open the newspaper. His wrist shook, making the paper crackle.

"What about this?" He pressed his lips together sternly and read through gritted teeth. "Second Young Master Chi was taken home late at night by his boyfriend, allegedly unable to stand steadily as the two shared a loving moment."

In the photograph, a boy half a head taller than Chi Ning stood before a taxi, while Chi Ning was almost leaning against him.

"Ningning, explain this to Dad."

Thinking that someone was coveting his sixteen-year-old son made Chi Baichuan's face tremble with rage. "Who is he?"

Chi Ning murmured, "He's..."

"Stop!" Chi Baichuan raised his palm, stopping Chi Ning from continuing.

He was afraid of hearing an answer he didn't want.

He needed to prepare himself mentally...

Chi Baichuan held his breath and forced himself to say, "All right. You... go on."

Chi Ning lowered his eyes and thought it over. He pursed his lips and glanced at his father. "Dad, he's my classmate, an alumnus of No. 1 High School. He's working part-time to support himself right now. Jiang Shijie got beaten up because he not only smoked in Boss Xu's billiards hall and sat on Boss Xu's pool table, but also asked me to accompany him and President Shen to play pool."

Chi Baichuan's anger flared. Shen Zongze and Jiang Shijie were birds of a feather. Everyone knew what kind of people they were!

They dared ask his son to accompany them.

Did they deserve it?

Chi Ning paused. "Then Qin Heng protected me. He thought it was unsafe for me to come back so late, so he walked me home."

The various scams Qin Heng had skillfully used in his previous life really were somewhat useful. Picking and choosing what to say, cutting off the beginning and end, was indeed much easier than lying outright.

Chi Baichuan let out a long breath, put down the newspaper, and gripped his dining knife. "Why wasn't Jiang Shijie beaten to death?!"

Whew...

Chi Ning quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Chi Yang wasn't fooled. His fingertips lightly tapped the table. "Ningning, Boss Xu's billiards hall closes at eleven thirty. Gangnan District isn't that big, and a round trip by taxi only takes twenty minutes. Why didn't you get home until nearly one? Where were you for that hour or so in between? What were you doing with Qin Heng?"

Chi Ning: Why wasn't his brother falling for it at all?!

His father's gaze fell on him again. He bit his lower lip, nearly wanting to tell the truth outright.

But what if he once again became the accident that caused the Chi family's downfall? Would this month of happiness vanish in an instant because of his mistake?

He didn't dare gamble.

Chi Ning clawed at the edge of the table, unable to think of how to respond. His nose reddened as he stammered, "I, I..."

Chi Baichuan's heart immediately softened. He kicked his eldest son beneath the table, then turned to his younger son. "It's fine. We can talk after lunch. You're hungry, right?"

Chi Ning lowered his head. "Okay."

The housekeeper, an elderly woman, perceptively set out the dishes.

The dishes looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful, but Chi Ning ate without tasting anything, distracted and preoccupied with how to explain himself to his father after the meal.

Chi Baichuan and Chi Yang watched helplessly as Chi Ning finished eating, stared blankly ahead, and kept moving his hand, shoveling several mouthfuls of air into his mouth from the empty bowl.

Chi Baichuan: ...

Chi Yang: ...

"Would you like another serving of rice?" Chi Yang reminded him.

Chi Ning came back to himself. "No need. I'm full."

Chi Baichuan found his younger son's flustered appearance adorable and teased, "Have you figured out what to say?"

Honestly, he hadn't.

But he had a bit of a plan.

Chi Ning shut his eyes. "Dad, Brother... what if I like boys?"

He was so brave!

In his previous life, by the time he realized he liked boys, his entire family was gone. He had been left all alone and had never considered dating or coming out.

But this life was different. His parents and brother would live long lives, and he needed to make some plans for the future.

Chi Yang and Chi Baichuan exchanged a look.

They had both studied abroad and were open-minded. They wouldn't make things difficult for Chi Ning over his sexual orientation. But for Chi Ning to say something like this meant he already had someone he liked.