After Being Mistaken for His Boyfriend by His Amnesiac Childhood Friend CHAPTER 27

Chapter 27: “I Don’t Want Your Shares”

The eighty-square-meter VIP room felt vast with only three people occupying a small corner of it. Jian Huaiyi was squished on a narrow sofa, wedged between Eldest Brother Jian on his left and Liang Xun on his right.

“Bro…”

“Quiet, Second Brother.” Eldest Brother Jian’s face was stern, all traces of his usual carefree demeanor gone.

Jian Huaiyi: “…”

Leaning forward to tap on the table, Eldest Brother Jian’s tone was authoritative and absolute as his sharp gaze swept toward Liang Xun. “When did this start?”

Jian Huaiyi’s heart tightened. He tried to intervene, “Big Brother—”

Liang Xun shot Jian Huaiyi a reassuring look before answering in a deep voice, “High school.”

“High… High school?!” Eldest Brother Jian shot to his feet, his temper flaring.

The precious little cabbage he’d watched over for so many years had been snatched by a pig back in high school?!

Eldest Brother Jian glared furiously at Liang Xun, but then another thought struck him.

Wait a minute. If Liang Xun and our Huaiyi got together in high school, then what was the deal with Lu Yang later on?

…Damn.

After figuring it out, Eldest Brother Jian’s fiery anger subsided a little. He straightened his bow tie, still fuming. “Fine. Together since high school. To think you two could hide it for so long, why don’t you go become spies?”

“And you, Second Brother. You’ve got some nerve, don’t you,” Eldest Brother Jian said, his voice laced with meaning.

Jian Huaiyi closed his eyes, remaining silent in the face of his brother’s interrogation.

Just let the world end.

“Brother,” Liang Xun spoke up.

Eldest Brother Jian gave Liang Xun a strange look.

As far as he could remember, this was the first time Liang Xun had ever called him that.

But why the hell did it sound so infuriating?

Liang Xun’s brow was heavy, his pure black eyes serious. “It was my idea to keep it a secret. It has nothing to do with Huaiyi.”

Hearing this, Jian Huaiyi’s eyelids fluttered. A ripple disturbed the calm surface of his eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by the darkness.

Eldest Brother Jian was practically bursting with anger. “Liang Xun—no, President Liang. The Jian family raised you from childhood. Is this how you repay us?! What’s the difference between you and an ungrateful wolf?”

Jian Huaiyi couldn’t listen to this anymore. “Big Brother.”

Never mind that Liang Xun had already repaid everything he’d received from the Jian family several times over throughout the years. He might not have paid close attention back then, but that didn’t mean he was unaware of how the rest of the family had ostracized and looked down on Liang Xun.

And that was before the project Liang Xun had gifted the Jian family a while back.

Liang Xun had long since settled his debt with them.

Eldest Brother Jian took a deep breath. Having vented his anger, he gradually calmed down.

What was done was done. He wasn’t going to play the villain who breaks up a happy couple. Besides, compared to Lu Yang, he would much rather Jian Huaiyi be with Liang Xun.

Eldest Brother Jian’s voice turned fierce. “Liang Xun, if you dare bully Huaiyi, I’ll risk my entire fortune to make you pay the price.”

He stared at Liang Xun, and for a moment, his mind flashed back ten years to the boy cornered in an alley by thugs—a boy who would rather be destroyed than kneel.

To think that such a person was now bowing his head to him for Huaiyi’s sake.

Eldest Brother Jian didn’t know what to feel.

He knew who had sent those thugs back then, but he couldn’t be bothered to intervene. He was a businessman who always came out on top. In his eyes, there were only two kinds of people—the Jians and outsiders. Liang Xun fell into the latter category.

Whether he lived or died was none of his concern.

“I won’t,” Liang Xun said simply. “I plan to transfer forty percent of the shares from all my companies, both domestic and international, to Jian Huaiyi’s name. As soon as he signs, he’ll be the largest shareholder, and I’ll spend the rest of my life working for him.”

The words dropped, and both Jian Huaiyi and Eldest Brother Jian’s eyes widened in shock.

Eldest Brother Jian tugged at his bow tie, stunned. He had inside information; as of last month, the market valuation of Liang Xun’s assets was immeasurable, even surpassing the Jian Corporation.

Forty percent of the shares… that meant if he and Jian Huaiyi ever broke up, Liang Xun would be left with nothing.

Eldest Brother Jian adjusted his expression, but he could no longer bring himself to be as harsh with Liang Xun as before. He cleared his throat. “Ahem. Well, that’s… but if you’re not good to Huaiyi…”

Before he could finish, Jian Huaiyi cut him off. “Big Brother, that’s enough.”

Eldest Brother Jian added a few more instructions before finally leaving.

The VIP room now held only Jian Huaiyi and Liang Xun.

The situation was spiraling further out of control. Jian Huaiyi felt mentally exhausted, but the shares were no joke. He stated clearly to Liang Xun, “Liang Xun, I won’t sign it, and I don’t want your shares.”

Liang Xun didn’t insist, his hands tightening slightly.

He understood. Those shares were a chain, and Jian Huaiyi wasn’t ready to spend the rest of his life with him.

He hadn’t completely won back his boyfriend yet.

He had been too reckless.

Having dealt with his brother, Jian Huaiyi got in his car and left first. He couldn’t be in the same space as Liang Xun right now and remain calm.

The shock from moments ago had yet to subside.

Liang Xun was not a man who spoke lightly. He truly intended to give his entire fortune to him.

That fool…

The black Lexus sped into the night, leaving a trail of afterimages on the empty highway.

Jiang Xiaowei was watering the flowers when a young man walked into the shop.

“Welcome.” Jiang Xiaowei put on her apron and looked closely. “Boss!”

Jian Huaiyi nodded in greeting.

He scanned the shop. “Are there any left?”

“Yes, boss. You wanted Eustomas and which other ones?”

Jian Huaiyi pressed his lips together. “No Eustomas.” He paused, a fizzy sensation bubbling up in his chest, as if a bottle of lemon soda had been poured inside.

“I want Champagne Roses.”

Jiang Xiaowei froze for a second before replying, “Of course! I’ll get them for you right now.”

As she turned away, she muttered to herself, “Note: The first time the boss didn’t want Eustomas.”

The light in the back room was dim. With a click, Jiang Xiaowei carefully peeked out and turned on the light for Jian Huaiyi.

Broken stems littered the floor around his feet. Jian Huaiyi wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the finished bouquet. The pale green wrapping paper resembled leaves, cradling the radiant Champagne Roses at the center.

Compared to Eustomas, Champagne Roses were more vibrant and flamboyant.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Just like before, Jian Huaiyi left the arranged bouquet in the shop instead of taking it with him.

He noticed an empty shelf nearby and asked Jiang Xiaowei, “Are all these flowers sold out?”

“Yep!” she explained. “Christmas is coming up, so we’ve had more customers than usual.”

Christmas.

Jian Huaiyi grew thoughtful. If Christmas was near, then the Winter Solstice, which came before it, must be in the next day or two.

He glanced up and saw the calendar on the wall. Coincidentally, this year’s Winter Solstice fell on December 21st.

December 21st. Liang Xun’s birthday.

Jian Huaiyi didn’t come home all night.

Late at night, Liang Xun sat in the living room, his long legs crossed.

Only a small lamp was on, swallowing most of his body in darkness.

He looked up at the clock on the wall again.

Three hours ago, Jian Huaiyi had sent him a message saying he would be back late tonight.

It was almost one in the morning.

Jian Huaiyi still wasn’t back.

Liang Xun’s expression was grim, his long lashes casting heavy shadows on his eyelids.

Ten minutes ago, worried, he had sent a message asking what he was doing. There was still no reply.

What could he be doing that he didn’t even have time to reply?

Liang Xun stared down at his phone, his slender fingers swiping across the screen. He even suspected it was a network issue, turning off the Wi-Fi and refreshing again.

Still no new message.

Was I too hasty? Did I scare him away?

But forty percent of the shares should be fine, right?

Liang Xun was agitated, his lips pressed into a thin line.

He navigated to the encrypted folder in his favorites. It was an Excel spreadsheet, densely packed with items meant to improve a couple’s relationship. Each entry was the result of Assistant Qin’s painstaking research through countless documents, with citations clearly marked, making it all look very convincing.

Ding—

Liang Xun’s finger froze mid-swipe.

[Jian Huaiyi: I’m not coming back tonight. You go to sleep first.]

“Ok…”

Before he could finish typing, the message was recalled. All that remained in the chat was Liang Xun’s lonely message from over ten minutes ago: “Okay. Do you need my help with anything?”

On the other side, Jian Huaiyi sat in his car. The heater was blasting, so he was only wearing a turtleneck sweater, his handsome face slightly lowered.

He had just seen Liang Xun’s message. After replying, he realized that Liang Xun was probably already asleep at this hour.

So he recalled it.

The streets were deserted in the early morning, the streetlights dim. He got out of the car and found a nearby hotel to stay in for the night.

On the Winter Solstice, you eat dumplings.

At noon, Assistant Qin knocked on the door of the president’s office, carrying a food container.

“Come in.”

Liang Xun’s voice came from inside, its low tone laced with a hint of coldness that sent a chill down Assistant Qin’s spine even through the door.

Assistant Qin adjusted his glasses, pushed the door open, and walked in. His sharp eyes cautiously sized up the man behind the desk, then retracted before Liang Xun could notice.

“Boss…” Assistant Qin began tentatively.

When nothing followed after a long pause, Liang Xun said coldly, “Can’t you even speak properly anymore?”

Just as I thought.

The boss is in a bad mood today.

Realizing his tone was a bit harsh, Liang Xun pinched the bridge of his nose and softened his voice. “What is it?”

“Boss, it’s the Winter Solstice today. I brought you some dumplings.”

“Just leave them there.”

Assistant Qin placed the steaming container on the desk.

His boss didn’t have many relatives. The Liangs didn’t acknowledge him, and his only connection to the Jians was Young Master Jian, but even that was infrequent. Young Master Jian had his own friends and family in the country. Apart from his periodic trips back every few months, Liang Xun was always alone during holidays.

When they were abroad, he would bring Liang Xun dumplings every year on the Winter Solstice.

“Is there anything else?”

“No,” Assistant Qin said.

“You may leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

Liang Xun sat in his office until the afternoon, finding his efficiency was much lower than usual. He finally just closed his files and left.

As his car pulled into the driveway, he had just stepped out when he heard someone outside shout, “It’s snowing!”

He subconsciously looked up. Specks of snowflakes fell onto his shoulders, making a soft rustling sound like grains of salt.

“What are you doing standing at the door?”

A clear, smooth voice overlapped with one from the depths of his memory. Liang Xun’s gaze leveled, and the figure of the young man gradually came into focus.

It was snowing today, and the weather was terrible, so Jian Huaiyi had taken the day off from work.

Eldest Brother Jian usually turned a blind eye to this sort of thing, but for some reason, he had interrogated him thoroughly this time before finally relenting.

Jian Huaiyi stood in the snow, wearing a slim-fitting, light brown open-knit sweater. A gust of wind blew past, and he frowned and sneezed.

Careless.

Liang Xun walked forward and, out of habit, touched the back of Jian Huaiyi’s hand. As expected, it was ice-cold.

He glanced at the open-knit sweater he was wearing, his lips moving slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.

The heating was on in the living room. Jian Huaiyi poured a cup of hot water to warm his hands, and color gradually returned to his face.

“I bought some dumplings. Do you want some?”

“Yes.”

Today was Liang Xun’s birthday. For the first time in a long while, Jian Huaiyi went into the kitchen, telling Liang Xun to wait in the living room.

He had come prepared, having bought several bags of frozen dumplings from the supermarket beforehand.

All he had to do now was open the package, drop the dumplings into the pot, wait for them to boil for about ten minutes, and then scoop them out with a slotted spoon.

A plate of steaming dumplings was ready.

A few of them had accidentally broken apart while cooking.

Jian Huaiyi pondered for a moment, then used his chopsticks to hide the broken ones at the bottom of the pile.

There. Perfect.

Jian Huaiyi’s lips curved in a satisfied smile. He took off the apron and carried the plate of dumplings out.

While he was cooking, Liang Xun had tried to come into the kitchen to help multiple times, only to be mercilessly shooed out each time.

Liang Xun watched the approaching young man, a faint premonition in his heart that today’s meal was destined to be extraordinary.

Though he was still trying to figure out why.

They ate in silence. With a crisp clink of chopsticks against a bowl, Liang Xun set his down.

“Liang Xun.”

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