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 lowered its head guiltily 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 have been fooled by the agent. Thanks."

The iron tree Qin Heng had planted in his heart seemed to sprout a cluster of green buds with a puff. Looking closer, there was even a small, soft, pure white flower bud.

-

"We've arrived at Jiurong Prestige City," the driver said from the front seat.

Chi Ning paid the fare. He had wanted to give the driver a little extra to take Qin Heng home, but Qin Heng reached out, swiftly pulled 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 already in his mouth had flown away, and the twenty yuan he had gotten for nothing was gone too. He had never seen anyone so damn stingy.

Qin Heng did not care. He raised a hand to shield the edge of the car roof. "Let's go. 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 exhaustion. When he got out of the car, he was not paying attention and bumped his head upward, straight into Qin Heng's palm.

Only after steadying himself did he realize that if Qin Heng had not shielded him, the impact would have knocked him wide awake.

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

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

The smell made Chi Ning even sleepier.

As they neared the Chi family's gate, Qin Heng, who was standing on Chi Ning's left, suddenly extended his arm. His palm faced outward, his raised elbow loosely encircling Chi Ning as his hand shielded the right side of Chi Ning's face.

Chi Ning froze. "What is it?"

Qin Heng said calmly, "Nothing. It's not far from here. Go in yourself."

Chi Ning said, "Oh."

He was too sleepy for his brain to work, so 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. A singer on the screen wailed heartbreakingly in Cantonese, "Who will come and love me—"

Chi Ning: ...

A 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 sleep early too. Don't stay up too late. Take care of yourself."

Chi Baichuan looked at his bleary-eyed son and heard his considerate concern. The interrogation he had prepared instantly got stuck in his throat.

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

Outside the Chi Residence.

The moment Chi Ning disappeared from sight, Qin Heng turned on his heel and headed toward the nearby landscaped bushes.

Everyone in Jiurong was rich, and even the landscaping was well done. The shrubs had been trimmed into particular shapes, and the greenery was lush enough to hide a whole line of people.

Qin Heng swung 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 the hell are you doing? You'll have to pay if you damage the bushes, and assault is illegal!"

Qin Heng was not intimidated in the slightest. He wanted Qin Heng to pay him? "And it isn't illegal for you to squat here taking sneak photos? You damaged the bushes by squatting in them. If anyone has to pay, it's you."

The paparazzo hunched his shoulders and clutched the camera tightly. His eyes rolled, and he grinned lewdly. "What's your relationship with Second Young Master Chi? Are you two dating? Why were you taking him home so late?"

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

The paparazzo took that as an admission and seemed to gain confidence. "The Chi family is a wealthy family. Boss Chi would never accept his son being with a man. How about this? Call Second Young Master Chi out and have him pay to buy the film. I'm sure 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 say no."

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

The paparazzo was somewhat frightened.

He had seen plenty of people and had a nose 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."

That way, there would be no chance for him to switch out the film after taking 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 would feel awful if he did not throw out a few threats. "You think taking mine means it'll do any good? There are lots of paparazzi staking out Jiurong. 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 to throw the film into a trash can, but then thought it would be bad if someone picked it up, so he tucked it away and brought it home.

The next day.

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

He greeted his older brother good morning, then dropped into a chair at the dining table to wait for the meal.

Chi Yang sat beside his younger brother, his expression unfathomable as he repeatedly seemed on the verge of speaking, only to stop himself.

Chi Baichuan looked even more serious, and the atmosphere was like a three-man trial.

He asked, "Ningzai, 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. "Do you know Jiang Shijie got beaten up?"

"I do." 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 let out a small breath 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 blue-eyed beauty was definitely paparazzi garbage. Boss Xu would never do something so beneath him. He may run gambling, but he's an upright man."

Chi Baichuan snorted, slapped open the newspaper, and shook his wrist. The pages rustled sharply.

"What about this?" He pressed his lips together sternly and read through gritted teeth. "Second Young Master Chi returned home late at night escorted by his boyfriend, seemingly unable to stand steadily. The two were deeply affectionate."

In the photograph, a boy half a head taller than Chi Ning stood in front of a taxi, while Chi Ning was practically leaning against him.

"Ningzai, explain this to Dad."

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

Chapter 16

Chi Ning murmured, "He is..."

"Stop!" Chi Baichuan raised a palm and cut Chi Ning off.

He was afraid of hearing an answer he did not want.

He needed to prepare himself mentally...

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

Chi Ning lowered his eyes and considered his words. 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 now. Jiang Shijie got beaten up because he not only smoked in Boss Xu's billiards hall and sat on Boss Xu's billiards table, but also asked me to play ball with him and Boss Shen."

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 keep them company.

Who did they think they were?

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

The various tricks Qin Heng had skillfully used to deceive people in his previous life really were somewhat useful. Cutting off the beginning and end and picking out only certain parts was indeed much easier than lying outright.

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

Phew...

Chi Ning quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Chi Yang was not fooled. The fingertips resting on the table tapped lightly. "Ningzai, Boss Xu's billiards hall closes at eleven thirty. Gangnan District isn't that big. A round-trip taxi ride takes only twenty minutes. Why didn't you get home until almost one? Where were you for that extra hour? What were you doing with Qin Heng?"

Chi Ning: Why was his brother completely unmoved!

His father's gaze fell on him again. He bit his lower lip and nearly wanted 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 did not dare gamble.

Chi Ning clawed at the edge of the table, not knowing how to respond. His nose reddened as he stammered, "I, I, he..."

Chi Baichuan's heart immediately softened. Under the table, he kicked his eldest son, then turned to his younger son. "It's fine. Talk after lunch. You're hungry, right?"

Chi Ning lowered his head. "Okay."

The elderly housekeeper, perceptive as ever, promptly set out the dishes.

The food looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful, but Chi Ning ate without knowing what he was eating, distracted and preoccupied with how to explain himself to his father after lunch.

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

Chi Baichuan: ...

Chi Yang: ...

"Want another bowl 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?"

To tell the truth, he had not.

But he had a slight plan.

Chi Ning closed 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, leaving him all alone. He had never even considered dating or coming out.

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

Chi Yang and Chi Baichuan exchanged a look.

They had both studied abroad and were open-minded. They would not 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.