Chapter 48
After leaving the meeting room, Qin Suitian looked at Chi Suinian worriedly, afraid he might break down. He cautiously asked, “You okay?”
Chi Suinian raised an eyebrow. “What could possibly be wrong with me?”
He’d spent the whole time cursing people out. Apart from feeling a little disgusted, his mood was actually pretty good.
Seeing that Chi Suinian looked calm and composed, seemingly unaffected, Qin Suitian was relieved. “I’ll keep trying to handle things with the board. I won’t let Chi Kaidong get a seat so easily.”
“Alright.”
“Wanna come over tonight? Ning Chen’s been whining about seafood. We just got some fresh tuna and Australian lobster. I remember you like those too,” Qin Suitian offered.
“Nope,” Chi Suinian said, walking toward the elevator. “The third wheel energy is too strong. I’d feel guilty.”
Qin Suitian chuckled. “Still joking at a time like this—guess you’re really not shaken. Alright, then. Be careful on the way home. Call me if anything comes up.”
“Mm.”
The elevator doors closed. Chi Suinian’s expression immediately turned cold.
Chi Kaidong’s appearance had been too sudden. Even seeing him in person still felt like a dream.
Ever since Chi Suinian returned to the Chi family, Chi Kaidong had vanished without a trace, as if he’d evaporated from his world. Chi Suinian had looked into it before—he’d run off abroad with his lover and hadn’t returned in over a decade.
Now he was suddenly back and stirring things up with Chihao. If anyone believed he wasn’t targeting Chi Suinian, they’d have to be an idiot.
Back then, he had his grandparents’ protection. Chi Kaidong’s schemes couldn’t reach him. But now, he could only rely on himself.
After leaving the company, Chi Suinian sent a message to Lu Heng asking where he and Tang Jin were.
Lu Heng quickly replied with a voice message. “Where else? Still chilling at ‘Xiaoyaoke.’ You coming?”
There was a lot of background noise—it sounded like a crowd.
Chi Suinian was exactly in the mood to drown his nerves in some chaotic environment.
He simply replied, “Coming.”
Lin Qi was still waiting at the door. Chi Suinian got in the car and gave him an address.
“You’re not going home, Young Master Chi?” Lin Qi asked cautiously.
The place Chi Suinian mentioned was the biggest entertainment venue in Jin City. If he really took him there, his own job might be on the line.
“Nope.” Chi Suinian glanced up at the rearview mirror and pretended to push the car door open. “If you’re busy, I’ll go myself.”
“N-no, I’m free.” Lin Qi quickly started the car. “We’re on our way now.”
······
Chi Suinian used to frequent Xiaoyaoke a lot, so he easily found his usual booth.
The place was packed, and there were some unfamiliar faces. With one glance, he realized he didn’t know most of them.
“Tang Jin, did you just say Chi Suinian is coming?” a clear voice asked.
“Mm, he should be here soon,” Tang Jin replied.
“Great.”
“What, you got something to talk to him about?” Lu Heng asked, putting down his glass.
“It’s not me. It’s my little brother.” The man patted the soft-featured young guy beside him and smiled. “Back in school, Xiao An got bullied and cornered in the woods. I heard Chi Suinian was the one who beat those guys off.”
“Ever since then, my brother’s been wanting to thank him. He just had to tag along today.”
“Bro…” Yuan An looked a bit anxious, head down and face red. “Don’t say that.”
Yuan Feng, his older brother, gave him an amused glance. “Why not? You go on and on about him at home.”
Tang Jin glanced at the two and internally rolled his eyes—his gaydar flashing bright red. His smile faded a bit. “Just a heads-up—Suinian’s in a terrible mood today. He’s here to drink and blow off steam, nothing more.”
Yuan Feng’s smile froze for a moment. “Oh, of course. No ulterior motives. Xiao An, just go thank him with a drink when he gets here.”
Blushing furiously, Yuan An mumbled, “Okay.”
Tang Jin frowned and was about to suggest switching booths when a voice came from behind, “Move.”
Tang Jin shifted to the side. “So quick?”
“Mm, I was nearby,” Chi Suinian replied, glancing around. “Why are there so many people?”
“They’re from the booth next door. We all know each other, so we just merged tables,” Tang Jin explained. “If it’s too noisy, we can move.”
“No need. It’s fine.”
Lu Heng, noticing his pale face, poured him a drink. “What’ve you been up to lately? You look like crap.”
Chi Suinian knew he didn’t look good. He leaned back into the couch and casually said, “Had a bit of a fever a few days ago…”
“Holy shit.” Tang Jin immediately snatched the glass from him, his face turning pale. “You came to a bar after having a fever? Are you trying to die? Don’t you know alcohol and cephalosporin antibiotics don’t mix? You could die from drinking like this.”
“A few days ago,” Chi Suinian repeated patiently and snatched his glass back, finishing it in one gulp. “I’m fine now.”
“Oh, good… You scared the hell out of me.” Tang Jin let out a long sigh of relief.
The alcohol burned on the way down, and the sour taste made his head ache. Chi Suinian looked at the table and frowned. “What is this?”
Lu Heng replied, “Meigel. Oh, right—you don’t like sour drinks.” He snapped his fingers and called over a server. “Bring out the bottles I’ve got stored here.”
“Right away.”
While they were waiting for the new drink, Chi Suinian was thinking of what game to play to pass the time when a waft of sweet fragrance suddenly approached him. The cloying perfume was so strong it was like someone had knocked over a whole bottle.
Used to Lu Zhiyue’s faint pine scent, he had grown extremely sensitive to any other perfumes—especially this overly sweet, somewhat feminine kind.
“Senior.”
Chi Suinian lifted his gaze and confirmed the person was speaking to him. “You’re talking to me?”
“Mm.” Yuan An blinked and lifted his glass slightly toward him. “Back at university, I really appreciated what you did for me. This drink is to thank you.”
Chi Suinian scanned the boy’s face—he didn’t recognize him at all. “You’ve got the wrong person.”
“N-no, I’m sure!” His voice suddenly rose a few notches, and seeing everyone look over, he quickly lowered it again, muttering nervously like an ostrich, “Jincheng University… behind Dormitory 3… That day, I was being bullied, and you saved me.”
Chi Suinian paused, then remembered.
That day, he had just gotten into a fight with Lu Zhiyue—almost started brawling right on the track—and went off to cool down. Too lazy to walk all the way back to the dorm, he’d just picked a shady tree to nap under.
But not long after, he was disturbed by loud arguing and annoying crying. He couldn’t sleep, got fed up, and got up to clear everyone out.
As for what the crying person looked like? He hadn’t paid attention at all.
“Oh. I didn’t do it to help you,” Chi Suinian replied. “They were just being too noisy. So no need to thank me.”
Yuan An froze, eyes reddening immediately.
After that brief encounter in college, he’d always carried Chi Suinian in his heart like a hero. He had thought about getting closer, but he was too shy to approach. Then he heard recently that Chi Suinian got married—and only then realized what he’d lost.
So when he heard his brother was going to a party with Chi Suinian’s friends, he jumped at the chance just to see him again.
But he didn’t expect Chi Suinian to still be this indifferent. Biting his lip, unwilling to give up, he insisted, “But to me, you did help. I have to offer this drink, Senior.”
“Come on, Suinian, the kid’s being sincere—just take the drink,” someone coaxed.
“Yeah, he’s been looking toward the door the whole time before you arrived. If you don’t drink, he might cry on the way home, ha ha.”
Tang Jin smacked the table. “Hey, stop talking nonsense.”
“How is it nonsense? Everyone saw it. Right, Yuan Feng?”
The older man laughed. “Pretty much. My little brother has high standards and a stubborn streak—won’t look at anyone else.”
“Come on, Master Chi, drink up. Don’t make him cry.”
Chi Suinian loathed people who pressured others to drink at parties. Drink if you want, don’t if you don’t. He’d already made himself clear—what didn’t they understand?
“I don’t like this wine. I got the message. You drink it yourself.”
Yuan An bit his lip. “It’s a Romanee-Conti my brother brought. It’s really good, n-not sour.”
Chi Suinian frowned in annoyance.
“Kid, Suinian doesn’t drink other people’s wine,” Tang Jin said at the right moment to step in. “You’d better take it back.”
Yuan An sat back down, red-eyed, and kept his head lowered, saying nothing.
Tang Jin let out a relieved breath. Just then, the waiter returned with the wine. He poured a glass for Chi Suinian and said, “Let’s move to a different place.”
This time, Chi Suinian didn’t argue. The crowd was growing, and the air was getting stuffy.
Yuan An tried to follow and say something more, but when Chi Suinian shot him a look, he froze and sat back down with a stiff face.
Chi Suinian had just gotten up when a shout rang from the corner.
“Chi Suinian!”
The room fell briefly silent before the crowd parted. Ding Xuxing stormed over with a dark face. “Was it you?!”
Tang Jin was confused. “What do you mean, was it him? Ding, speak clearly.”
Ding Xuxing stared daggers at Chi Suinian. “Did you investigate me?! You leaked dirt about me online?! That’s a violation of privacy—you know that?! I can sue you into the ground!”
Chi Suinian raised an eyebrow in surprise. Ding Xuxing had been exposed online?
Whoever did that deserved a banner of gratitude. If he found out who it was, he’d personally send them one—commend their heroic deed.
“Ding Xuxing’s famous now?”
Everyone there was a savvy insider. Hearing the gossip, they immediately pulled out their phones to check the stock market.
Some were just there for the show, others saw opportunity—Ding Xuxing quickly became a laughingstock.
His eyes were bloodshot—clearly hadn’t slept all night. His posture was hunched, his spirit strained, looking both creepy and unstable.
“Chi Suinian! What will it take for you to stop?!”
Tang Jin finally got the gist and scoffed, “Oh, now you’re playing the victim? When you publicly slandered Suinian, you weren’t worried about karma. So you can talk trash about him, but he’s not allowed to fight back?”
“You can’t just leak my dirt online!” Ding Xuxing’s forehead veins bulged. “Delete it now, or I swear I’ll make your life hell!”
Chi Suinian sneered. “Oh? And how exactly are you gonna do that?”
“You’ve got one hour. If that stuff isn’t scrubbed from the internet—” Ding Xuxing’s face darkened, his voice menacing, “Chi Suinian, you’d better watch your back!”
Quite a few people in the room were familiar with the Ding family’s ways. Though not a big name in Jincheng’s business circle, they were notorious for being shady—rumors said they kept a crew of thugs just to harass and intimidate people. Just last month, they allegedly broke a debt-owing boss’s leg.
Disgusting stuff.
“Threatening me?” Chi Suinian laughed quietly. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. Let’s see which of us goes down first—me or your online reputation.”
“You—!” Ding Xuxing choked on his own words.
The only reason he came in so aggressively was because he couldn’t get the posts deleted. The exposer clearly gave instructions to the platform, and those disgusting details had been trending all day.
Now it was clear—Chi Suinian was the mastermind.
Ding Xuxing stared at him a while longer, then sneered and left.
After he was gone, Tang Jin leaned over curiously. “Damn, that was fast. You already found his weakness?”
Chi Suinian glanced at him. “Where would I get the time? My people haven’t dug up anything solid yet. Someone else must’ve done it. Honestly, with how awful Ding is, he had it coming.”
Tang Jin exchanged a subtle look with Lu Heng. Both of them had a good guess who the mysterious “Good Samaritan” might be.
Chi Suinian stayed at Xiaoyaoke (Free Wanderer) until evening. Tang Jin tried organizing a night boat cruise, inviting a few people who liked night diving to head out on the sea.
A man nearby checked his phone, raised his hand with an apologetic smile, and said, “You all go ahead. I can’t make it.”
He waved his phone. “Wife’s checking in. If I don’t go home soon, there’ll be no smoothing things over.”
Everyone laughed. The man just shrugged helplessly, drank a few penalty shots, and left.
“Guys,” another man stood up, “strict house rules for me too. I’ll head out first. Next time, I’ll host and treat you all to a proper round of golf.”
There was another wave of teasing laughter.
The crowd burst into another round of laughter.
Chi Suinian nonchalantly curled his lips. Being in a relationship had its downsides—he couldn’t enjoy himself out and about in peace.
Thankfully, Lu Zhiyue was sensible enough not to bombard him with calls. Otherwise, he’d be the one embarrassed right now.
That was what he thought, but after staying quiet for a while, he pulled out his phone and glanced at it.
Great.
Not a single call or message.
And this person claimed to like him?
It was already so late and not a single sound—what kind of liking is that? Liar.
Chi Suinian stared blankly at the screen, glaring at it for a while. After some time, he tapped the screen and realized—
His phone was dead.
“Got a power bank?” He patted Tang Jin beside him.
“Out of battery?” Tang Jin leaned over to take a look. “No worries, you can charge on the yacht. Let’s go, let’s go…”
They stepped out of the bar. The street outside was already empty, with a row of designated drivers waiting at the entrance.
The advertisement screen across the road showed the time: 01:36.
It was already past midnight.
Chi Suinian glanced toward the street corner. That familiar black car was still waiting dutifully. Lin Qi had opened the door and was waving at him.
“It’s about an hour to the pier. We can play till dawn and even catch the sunrise,” Tang Jin looked around and said, “Suinian, you didn’t drive, right? Ride with me.”
Chi Suinian paused for a moment and suddenly changed his mind. “Forget it. I’m not going.”
“Huh? Not going again?” Tang Jin raised an eyebrow.
Chi Suinian walked toward the black car. “Phone’s dead. Going home to charge.”
Tang Jin stood there with his mouth open, speechless: “…”
What, the yacht can’t charge your noble phone?
At the corner, Lin Qi got out early and opened the car door. Seeing the group still lingering, he asked, “Where to now?”
“Home.”
“Oh… huh?” Home?
Not going out anymore?
Chi Suinian gazed out the window at the silent street in a daze. After a while, he suddenly asked, “Your phone still has battery?”
“Uh… yeah.” Lin Qi quickly pulled it out. “You need it?”
Chi Suinian pursed his lips and awkwardly asked, “Anyone… looking for me?”
Lin Qi paused.
With that tone, anyone hearing it would think someone was out to get him. Lin Qi quickly shook his head. “No one.”
Chi Suinian shut his mouth and didn’t speak again.
The car drove for a while. Lin Qi thought Chi Suinian had fallen asleep and didn’t dare make a sound.
But then Chi Suinian suddenly said, “Give me the charger.”
Lin Qi jumped. “Oh, okay.”
Chi Suinian plugged it into the car charger and waited blankly before finally turning the phone on.
After the long and boring startup tone, the phone began chiming non-stop—
Missed calls: Lu Dog, 13 times.
Unread WeChat messages: Lu Dog, 27 messages.
Chi Suinian’s heart, which had been drifting all night, suddenly floated gently back into place.
He stared at the screen for a while.
…Tch.
Sending that many messages—Lu Zhiyue really had too much free time.
He tapped on WeChat first to see what the guy had sent, but before he could read them clearly, a new call came in.
【Lu Dog】
Chi Suinian blinked and answered after a few seconds, tone stiff: “What?”
“Your phone died?” Lu Zhiyue asked. “Battery ran out?”
“Yeah.” Chi Suinian replied, “Just turned it on. You called and texted so much—what’s the matter?”
“You’ve been drinking?”
Chi Suinian hummed softly and explained in a slow voice, “Not much.”
“Mm, very good.” Lu Zhiyue chuckled. His voice was low and clear, instantly sobering. “Come back first. I’m waiting at home.”
Chi Suinian snorted coldly. “…Who asked you to wait?” And also—”What’s with calling me good, huh?”
Lu Zhiyue laughed. “I volunteered.”
Lin Qi glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed Chi Suinian’s expression had relaxed—much better than the intimidating vibe earlier. Just as he sighed in relief, his gaze caught on something, and he froze. “That car behind us… it’s been following us the whole way.”
Chi Suinian was startled and turned to look. Sure enough, a car was sticking closely behind them.
Lin Qi slowed down and moved closer to the side of the road, trying to let the car behind pass.
Lu Zhiyue overheard and instinctively got up to leave the house. “Where are you?”
Chi Suinian noticed a never-before-heard tension in his voice but didn’t have time to think further. Lin Qi suddenly sped up, saying, “That car is catching up!”
“Suinian!” Lu Zhiyue shouted over the phone, “Buckle your seatbelt! And tell me your location!”
Chi Suinian looked around. The night was dark, and the car was moving fast—he couldn’t figure out exactly where they were.
Lin Qi said, “Young Master Chi, buckle your seatbelt.”
Chi Suinian responded, grabbed the strap, and clicked it in place.
Lin Qi ran several red lights, but the car behind still didn’t let up. It was so close that it slammed directly into their rear.
Chi Suinian’s vision instantly went blurry.
On the silent street, their black sedan was hit and flipped over, skidding sideways into the roadside greenery.
Thick smoke rose, and the air was filled with the pungent scent of gasoline. Just before everything was swallowed by darkness, Chi Suinian heard Lu Zhiyue’s desperate scream—
“Chi Suinian——”
