The fisherman refused the spoils of their fight

There was a hum, like the lingering vibration of an arrow striking the bull's-eye.

Why him?

Those were the only words that suddenly rose in Ji Yanzhi's mind.

He and Ji Ting were brothers by blood, after all. Lu Yanchu was an unrelated outsider. Why should he be able to hear Ji Ting's thoughts?

Resentment welled up in Ji Yanzhi's chest. The feeling was awkward and strange, like having something snatched from him while walking down the street.

He might not care about it, but no one else could pick it up before he threw it away. And he certainly couldn't share it with someone else.

A chill swept through Ji Yanzhi's eyes. Lu Yanchu really was a nuisance. Nothing good ever happened when he was around.

Lu Yanchu still had no idea what had happened. He came in and greeted Ji Ting and Xu Ren with a smile. "Ji Ting, Mr. Xu, the food is ready. Would you like to go to..."

"We'll eat here." Ji Yanzhi spoke abruptly, his voice icy enough to shed frost.

Sensing something wrong with the atmosphere, Lu Yanchu looked at Ji Ting, only to find him watching Ji Yanzhi.

[Why did Ji Yanzhi keep breathing in and out just now? Was his chest feeling tight?]

Lu Yanchu's brow twitched slightly. Why was his chest suddenly feeling tight?

Ji Yanzhi lifted his eyes coldly, as though holding back a fire, but all he said was a chilly, "Go eat."

"Oh."

Ji Ting took Xu Ren over to the sofa by the window, while Ji Yanzhi and Lu Yanchu remained at the large table.

The servers came and went until all the dishes were served. The manager bowed slightly. "Enjoy your meal. Please call me if you need anything."

Once the private dining room's door closed, Lu Yanchu resumed their earlier discussion. But before he had spoken for long, he could clearly sense that something was off with Ji Yanzhi's mood.

He had only stepped out for a few minutes. Had something major happened in that time?

"President Ji, do you see any issues with this part?"

Ji Yanzhi withdrew his gaze from the two eating their meal and said with utter indifference, "No. Keep going."

From his observations just now, Xu Ren definitely couldn't hear Ji Ting's thoughts. That meant the trigger had nothing to do with being an outsider, nor with how close someone was to him.

Which brought him right back to the original question. Ji Yanzhi shot an icy sideways glance at him. Why could this irritating bastard Lu Yanchu hear them?

Lu Yanchu felt that glare and grew even more bewildered. What was wrong now?

Just as the question arose, something suddenly came back to him, and his whole body tensed.

He remembered Ji Ting once saying that Ji Yanzhi had schizophrenia...

Lu Yanchu's Adam's apple bobbed. Even his breathing unconsciously grew quieter, for fear of provoking the man beside him.

"Why aren't you talking? Go on," Ji Yanzhi urged impatiently.

Lu Yanchu's lips curved in a faint smile, though every nerve in his body was taut. "That's more or less everything. Is there anything you'd like to add, President Ji?"

"It's your business, and you want me to add something?" Ji Yanzhi could clearly no longer keep the anger out of his voice. "Should I spoon-feed you your dinner, too?"

Lu Yanchu evidently sensed it as well. As he turned sideways, he took the opportunity to move his chair farther back.

Watching this inexplicable maneuver, Ji Yanzhi asked, "Are you planning to sit outside?"

"I saw you frown just now, President Ji. I thought I might be crowding you."

Had all that acting made Lu Yanchu lose his mind?

Ji Yanzhi gauged the distance between them with his eyes and nearly laughed in exasperation. "How are we supposed to talk with you so far away? Sing to each other across the mountains?"

"Am I far away?" For his own safety, Lu Yanchu began playing dumb. "I can hear you perfectly well, President Ji."

The way he acted, as though avoiding something filthy, thoroughly infuriated Ji Yanzhi.

Scrapping his original plan entirely, he curled his lips, though there wasn't a trace of amusement in his dark eyes. "I've given it some thought. I can help you with this."

Lu Yanchu looked a little surprised, but Ji Yanzhi abruptly changed tack. "However..."

Meanwhile, the two eating their meal had yet to notice that war had broken out.

Xu Ren's cheeks were stuffed full, and he sounded almost moved. "Old Ji, this roast squab is so delicious."

Ji Ting said nothing, simply moving the other crispy-skinned squab over to Xu Ren's side.

"Try this beef. It's incredibly good, too!"

"Mm."

Looking at the tableful of dishes, of which they had eaten less than a third, Xu Ren asked shyly, "Teacher Ji, when we leave, can I take the leftovers home?"

Ji Ting looked at him. "Does your dorm have a micro..."

Before he could finish, something was suddenly knocked over at the large table.

Both instinctively turned to look. Lu Yanchu had risen to his feet, his usual smile gone, his eyes fixed coldly on Ji Yanzhi.

Ji Yanzhi, however, leaned slowly back in his chair, his expression full of mockery. "What? Surely you didn't think there was such a thing as a free lunch, Mr. Lu?"

Lu Yanchu remained silent. When he spoke again, his voice was filled with ice. "What do you think Ling Xi is, President Ji? An object you can casually hand over? Or a bargaining chip you can put on the table?"

Ji Yanzhi gave a scornful laugh. "You think questioning me like this makes you noble? If you're truly so confident, why are you hiding Ling Xi?"

Sensing the hostility in the air, Xu Ren leaned closer to Ji Ting. "Teacher Ji, who's Ling Xi?"

Ji Ting calmly withdrew his gaze. "The person they like."

In fact, before coming, he had wondered whether Ji Yanzhi would use Ling Xi to strike a deal with Lu Yanchu. Now that it had actually happened, Ji Ting couldn't help feeling that it was just as he had expected.

Across the room, Lu Yanchu's expression had turned utterly cold. "You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, President Ji. You've always had whatever you wanted. Of course you wouldn't know that ordinary people deserve respect, too."

"And your idea of respect is making him hide from place to place, living like a rat that never sees daylight?" Ji Yanzhi sneered. "Even Ji Ting wouldn't be as useless as you."

"Ji Ting also knows better than you how to protect Ling Xi. He would rather suffer himself than ever force the person he loves."

For no apparent reason, the battle spilled over onto Ji Ting. Beside him, Xu Ren was already stunned, staring at him with something close to horror.

What?! Teacher Ji liked this Ling Xi, too?!

Ji Ting took a deep breath and couldn't help closing his eyes briefly. [Whether this male rivalry comes from the plot or from instinct, neither of them has any human reason left at this point. This is a lesson-a reminder that I should stay away from the plot's turbulence.]

Both men heard Ji Ting's thoughts. For Lu Yanchu, it was like having a bucket of cold water dumped over his head, instantly cooling his heated emotions.

Ji Yanzhi was different. He had been remarkably calm all along; he had only proposed those terms to anger Lu Yanchu.

Seeing Lu Yanchu's thoughtful expression, he sneered inwardly.

"Since you say you aren't deliberately hiding Ling Xi, and you think so highly of Ji Ting, why don't you hand him over to Ji Ting?"