Chapter 101: Just Playing Around
“Gege, try this. I heard this is their signature dish.”
Wen Yuhuai glanced at the stir-fried, glistening beef cubes before him and gave him face by taking a bite. The taste was indeed good. He was about to say something when the phone on the table buzzed.
He gave it a cursory glance. Wen Yuhuai, who originally hadn’t planned to pay attention, paused, set down his chopsticks, and picked up the phone.
“Gege, who is it?”
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in Song Xingmian’s voice. It wasn’t easy to get a meal with Wen Yuhuai, yet some blind person had to come and disturb them.
Wen Yuhuai replied while returning the message, “Lin Shiyu. He’s here for business again and hasn’t eaten. He’s not far away, so I told him to come over.”
Speaking of this, he seemed to feel it wasn’t quite appropriate and lifted his eyes to look at Song Xingmian. “Do you mind? If you mind, I won’t have him come. I’ll go find him after we finish eating.”
Song Xingmian was quite happy with the first half of the sentence, but his face fell instantly at the second half. He poked at the round plate before him with his chopsticks, shredding a perfectly good piece of fish. He said through gritted teeth, “I don’t mind.”
He really couldn’t understand. Hai City was so far from Shen City; what kind of business required him to keep flying back and forth for “trips”? He had never seen Lin Shiyu come here before, but ever since Wen Yuhuai came to Shen City, the man seemed to want to fly here every day.
Wen Yuhuai didn’t care if he truly minded or not. Hearing him say that, he sent the location to Lin Shiyu without any psychological burden.
Lin Shiyu really wasn’t far away. He arrived barely ten minutes after the message was sent.
Looking as if he had just come from a negotiation table, Lin Shiyu was sharply dressed, and his hair was specially styled, making his face look even more strikingly handsome.
“Just waiting for me?” He had a smile on his face as he pulled out the chair beside Wen Yuhuai and sat down with total composure.
Wen Yuhuai handed him the menu. “See what else you want to eat. Order it yourself.”
Lin Shiyu didn’t stand on ceremony and began looking at the menu.
Song Xingmian couldn’t stand his act and couldn’t help but jab at him. “Brother Shiyu, have you moved your company to Shen City? I always feel you spend more time here than in Hai City.”
Lin Shiyu only raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, saying unhurriedly, “I do have that intention. Am I not working hard for it? On the other hand, you… you have less than a few months until graduation, right? If you don’t go back soon, be careful not to get your diploma.”
One sentence left Song Xingmian speechless, yet Lin Shiyu pushed further. “You’ve been back in the country for so long. Have you told your family? Your family won’t cut off your allowance, will they? Then whose money are you spending? It couldn’t be A-Yu’s, could it?”
“You—”
Lin Shiyu finished ordering, set the menu back, and curled his lips into a careless smile. “Getting so angry… I didn’t actually hit the mark, did I?”
Wen Yuhuai sat to the side eating as usual, allowing the two to trade barbs. He didn’t say a word; instead, he looked a bit like he was enjoying the show.
Song Xingmian had been clinging closer and closer to him lately, yet he always managed to stay within bounds, never quite angering him enough to truly snap. It was still annoying, though, so it was good to have Lin Shiyu take him down a notch.
The new dishes were served quickly. Lin Shiyu didn’t forget to put food in Wen Yuhuai’s bowl as he ate, his voice gentle enough to melt anyone. “I think this dish is good. You should try it too.”
Wen Yuhuai gave him face; he ate whatever was put in his bowl. If it suited his taste, he’d have a few more bites; if not, he’d push it aside. The meal was quite pleasant. When he finished eating, the two who had been at each other’s throats finally called a temporary truce.
“Take your time eating. I’m going to the restroom.”
As soon as he left, the two in the private room set down their chopsticks simultaneously.
The smile on Lin Shiyu’s face slowly faded. He picked up a tissue and dabbed at the corners of his mouth. “Watching him so closely doesn’t seem to be of much use. A-Yu still hasn’t put you in his heart.”
“No, it’s not that he hasn’t put you in his heart; he hasn’t put you in his eyes at all. I thought you were quite capable, but all those coaxing methods haven’t seemed to work.”
What Lin Shiyu feared most were the two in Jing City who were currently dormant. They had money, power, and means. Compared to them, the young and inexperienced Song Xingmian was a bit lacking.
Song Xingmian was poked in his sore spot. He felt like flipping the table on the spot, but he held back when he thought of Wen Yuhuai. He retorted, “And you think you’re any better? Flying here trip after trip under the guise of business… everyone knows what you’re after. How many times have you seen Gege pay you any mind!”
Lin Shiyu remained as calm as ever, not taking his words to heart at all. “But he did pay me mind, didn’t he? I’ve made you this angry with just ‘a few times.’ He didn’t pay much attention to you while I wasn’t here, did he?”
Song Xingmian was completely enraged. He kicked the chair Lin Shiyu was sitting on hard, moving it out of place and making a tooth-aching sound.
Lin Shiyu remained seated firmly on the chair, a trace of a smile hooking at his lips. “The diploma from a school in Country M isn’t easy to get, is it? Money alone won’t do it; you need real substance. You can stay in the country for two more months at most. If you don’t go back, your diploma will be in danger.”
Song Xingmian stared at him through gritted teeth.
Lin Shiyu actually laughed out loud, his manner incredibly punchable. “Once you go abroad, I’ll move my projects directly here. Staying in Shen City for the long term and being together day and night is the easiest way to cultivate feelings. If you’re incompetent, then so be it; I’m not as useless as you.”
Seeing Song Xingmian’s fist already swinging toward him, Lin Shiyu unhurriedly raised a hand to block it. He then threw in one last smiling provocation: “Don’t worry. If we really make it, I’ll be the first to call and tell you the good news.”
Wen Yuhuai went to the restroom and smoked a cigarette outside. Thinking the two must be almost finished, he pushed open the door to the private room. He hadn’t expected to see that the table had been flipped by the two of them.
“…”
“Who started it?”
The two who were scuffling together both turned their heads to look at him and finally parted.
Wen Yuhuai felt his temples throbbing. He didn’t even enter the room, leaning against the doorframe as he looked at them. “How old are you? Can’t you talk things through without getting physical? Aren’t you embarrassed?”
Lin Shiyu straightened his loosened collar and dusted off a bit of dirt from his suit. His face looked as innocent as could be. “I’ll declare first—I didn’t start it. I was just using legitimate self-defense.”
Wen Yuhuai looked at Song Xingmian. Compared to the calm and composed Lin Shiyu, his emotions were much more agitated, his face red with anger.
“What happened? Did you start it?”
Song Xingmian didn’t deny it, admitting it cleanly and crisply. “I started it.”
Wen Yuhuai’s brow furrowed. “Why?”
Song Xingmian’s chest heaved a few times. His red eyes glared deathly at Lin Shiyu, and his voice sounded as if it were squeezed through his teeth. “It’s nothing. Brother Shiyu and I were just playing around.”
Wen Yuhuai didn’t believe his nonsense and fixed his gaze on Lin Shiyu. “What exactly happened?”
Lin Shiyu merely raised an eyebrow, his tone leisurely. “Didn’t Xiao Mian say it? We were just playing around. Did we scare you?”
Translator’s Note: Lin Shiyu is a master of psychological warfare! He knows exactly which buttons to press to make Song Xingmian lose his cool. And Wen Yuhuai’s reaction? He’s getting so used to this drama that he’s just tired of it. The term ” legitimate self-defense” (正当防卫 – Zhèngdàng fángwèi) is a legal term, which makes Lin Shiyu’s use of it even more annoying and “refined scumbag-ish.”
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