Chapter 53
The atmosphere on the balcony was tense.
“I didn’t lie to you.” After a moment, Lu Zhiyue said calmly, “I’ve liked you for a long time, but our marriage—it really was you who pursued me first.”
Chi Suinian frowned. “Bullshit!”
Lu Zhiyue said helplessly, “That’s a public fact, Suinian. You have your own circle—you can ask people for the truth. No matter how capable I am, there’s no way I could control so many people’s mouths, right?”
Chi Suinian gradually calmed down.
Right. He had already sought confirmation about this before. Qin Suitian, Tang Jin, Lu Heng—everyone had said the same thing.
Even if Lu Zhiyue lied to him, those people around him absolutely couldn’t have helped him lie together.
…Maybe it was just that too much had happened recently, his mind was a mess, and he was starting to overthink.
Chi Suinian loosened his grip a little. “Really?”
Lu Zhiyue’s expression was steady. “Of course.”
Chi Suinian pressed his lips together, then slowly released him. His arms dropped, and the fabric on his shoulder fell lightly as well.
?
Something slid down?
He instinctively lowered his head and saw the collar of his shirt gaping open on both sides of his neck.
“?”
What the hell was wrong with this shirt?
Hadn’t he buttoned it all the way up? Why was it still slipping down?
“This is why you wear long sleeves in the middle of summer?”
Before Chi Suinian could react, someone tapped lightly on the side of his neck.
The cool touch against his skin made him shiver involuntarily.
His gaze lingered on Lu Zhiyue’s fingertips for a moment.
In weather this hot, this man’s fingers were still icy cold.
How weak was he?
Chi Suinian sneered, yanked the collar back into place, and glared at Lu Zhiyue. “And whose fault is that? Lu Zhiyue, if you dare leave another mark on me, I’ll carve a few on you too!”
With a file and a blowtorch.
Cry from the pain!
Lu Zhiyue stared blankly for a few seconds. Chi Suinian sneered, thinking he had scared him.
Lu Zhiyue asked, “Where do you want to leave them? How should I do it?”
“……”
Was that the point here?!
And what was with that eager tone in your voice?
Chi Suinian lost all patience and turned around. “Get lost.”
Lu Zhiyue’s expression was calm. “I just wanted to do it the way you like.”
“Shut up!”
Chi Suinian stormed into the bedroom. Passing by the dressing room, he suddenly froze, stiffened his neck, then backed up and looked again.
And then—
“……”
In the mirror, he saw himself wearing an oversized white shirt. The sleeves and hem were long, the fully buttoned collar still hung loose, and when he raised his arms, the extra fabric folded at his waist flared open instantly.
…Way too big.
No wonder the shirt didn’t feel right—like a sack, billowing in the wind.
He had worn the wrong one.
It was Lu Zhiyue’s.
Their clothes were all kept in the same closet, and the shirts had no marks. He had just grabbed one at random from his pile.
Of all things, he picked the wrong one.
No wonder Lu Zhiyue had been acting so smug just now.
“You knew I was wearing your shirt all along. Why didn’t you say anything?” Chi Suinian asked through clenched teeth.
“What’s mine is yours. Wear whatever you like—you could even tear them all up if you want.”
Chi Suinian was speechless. “Why would I tear your clothes?”
“When you’re mad at me?” Lu Zhiyue said, “You could use them to vent.”
Chi Suinian raised a brow. “Wouldn’t tearing you up directly feel even better?”
“……”
Leaving him speechless, Chi Suinian felt much better. After changing into the right clothes, he went downstairs to eat.
He had somehow argued with Lu Zhiyue all morning and was starving.
After breakfast, Chi Suinian stretched and headed back to his room, planning to play a couple of games or just nap again.
It was too hot outside—the blazing sun turned the ground into waves of distorted heat, scalding just to look at. Anyone who went out in this weather had to be either a god or an idiot.
On his way back to his room, he stopped in front of the guest bedroom.
The room was tightly closed, no sound at all, and the door hadn’t been opened in ages.
Back then, Lu Zhi had said the guest room needed renovations, so he temporarily moved into the master bedroom. But so much time had passed—why still no progress?
And lately, there hadn’t even been a construction team around.
What was Lu Zhiyue up to?
Chi Suinian hesitated, then walked over and slowly turned the doorknob.
What he saw inside made him freeze.
—The guest bedroom that was once elegantly decorated was now stripped down to bare walls and floors. Mold spread across the ceiling and walls, the wallpaper bubbled and warped from water damage, and the balcony’s glass door, cracked with a big hole, was letting in gusts of hot air.
“?”
The room hadn’t been repaired at all?
Expressionless, Chi Suinian stepped back out. Just then, Lu Zhiyue happened to come upstairs. They met at the stairway, and just as Chi Suinian was about to question him, Lu Zhiyue said instead:
“Come to the study. I have something for you.”
Chi Suinian paused for a couple of seconds, then followed.
He rarely went into Lu Zhiyue’s study. Places like that usually stored confidential files or safes, and he had no intention of prying into his privacy.
Without looking around, he asked directly, “What is it you want to give me?”
Lu Zhiyue opened the computer in his study and handed him a folder. “This is the evidence I’ve gathered of the Ding family’s violations. Ding Xuxing has already been detained by the police. The court’s verdict will be out soon. Whether or not to bring down the Ding family—that’s up to you.”
Chi Suinian was stunned. “When did you investigate this?”
“A long time ago,” Lu Zhiyue replied. “The information should be pretty complete.”
Ever since he heard that Chi Suinian had been harassed by Ding Xuxing at Chi Yu’s birthday banquet, he had started looking into it. And finally, today, he had dug up everything there was to find on the Ding family.
Chi Suinian opened the folder and skimmed through it, too shocked to say anything.
This was more than just “complete.”
It was detailed down to the tiniest thing.
Even the bribes Ding’s father had offered during banquets were all recorded—who, how much money, what method of transaction—clear as if seen with his own eyes.
“Any restrictions on using this?”
Lu Zhiyue froze. “No.”
Chi Suinian nodded. That meant the source was legitimate.
“Got it.” He closed the folder, thought for a moment, and said, “Thanks.”
Lu Zhiyue was a little surprised. “What?”
Chi Suinian raised his voice. “Thank you!”
Lu Zhiyue chuckled softly. This was the first time he’d ever heard Chi Suinian thank him. Progress.
But if he didn’t take the chance to make a request now, he’d feel like an idiot.
So Lu Zhiyue arched a brow. “That’s it?”
Chi Suinian froze for a second, then narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Otherwise, what else do you want?”
Lu Zhiyue said, “I helped you with such a big matter, and you’re brushing me off with just two words?”
Chi Suinian stared at him for a few seconds, then said stiffly, “What do you want? Say it. A car, a house, money—anything I have, I can give you.”
Lu Zhiyue’s eyes curved in a sly smile, like a cunning wolf. “I want you to promise me one thing.”
Chi Suinian’s expression stiffened. His face flushed, then paled, shifting several times before he finally said coldly, “If you dare say ‘offer yourself to me,’ I’ll beat you to death.”
Lu Zhiyue truly hadn’t thought of that, but hearing it made him feel a brief pang of regret—followed quickly by secret delight. “That’s what you thought of?”
“You were expecting me to ask for that?”
“……”
Expect your damn uncle!
That was just how it always went in TV dramas—he had only thought of it suddenly!
Seeing how taut Chi Suinian’s expression was, Lu Zhiyue quickly added, “Relax, I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I’ll wait for the day you truly and sincerely fall in love with me.”
“……” Chi Suinian’s ears turned red, his voice slightly rushed. “Who the hell would ever fall in love with you! Just spit out your request already, or the offer expires.”
“My request is,” Lu Zhiyue said seriously, “I want you to go on a date with me.”
“…A date?”
“Mm.” Lu Zhiyue looked at him. “Do you agree?”
Chi Suinian hesitated. “Can’t you change it?”
Lu Zhiyue paused, then tested, “Then… do it once?”
“……”
Do it once, my ass.
Chi Suinian’s lips moved, but the curse stuck in his throat.
Since he owed him, swearing right now wouldn’t put him in the right. Forget it.
Chi Suinian said, “When?”
“Today,” Lu Zhiyue said.
Chi Suinian glanced at the blazing sun outside. “…Fine, let’s go.”
“Wait a moment.” Lu Zhiyue suddenly turned toward the bedroom.
“?”
“I’m changing clothes.”
“……”
Could you be any more fussy?
Back in the bedroom, Lu Zhiyue went into the walk-in closet to pick clothes. Chi Suinian looked through the folder carefully again. Later, Lu Zhiyue sent him the electronic copy. After checking it, Chi Suinian forwarded it straight to Qin Suitian.
After a long while, Qin Suitian finally replied:
[The information is very thorough. Lu Zhiyue found this?]
Chi Suinian: Mm.
[The source?]
Chi Suinian typed: No problem.
[Alright then. What do you think?]
He was asking whether to deal the killing blow to the Ding family.
Chi Suinian flipped through the information in his hand. Ding’s father had committed plenty of misdeeds over the years—some of them downright vicious.
Ding Xuxing was already in custody, and prison awaited him. Their grudge was set in stone—it was unresolvable. If the Ding family wasn’t crushed, he’d have to live in fear every time he stepped out the door.
Chi Suinian typed: I won’t let anyone who wants me dead walk free.
[Good. Got it.]
With one hidden danger resolved, the heavy weight on Chi Suinian’s chest suddenly lightened.
But even after he finished chatting with Qin Suitian, Lu Zhiyue was still in the closet.
Chi Suinian kicked the closet door. “Lu Zhiyue, are you putting on dragon robes or what? What’s taking so long?”
Lu Zhiyue: “It’s our first date. I want to take it seriously.”
The closet door was frosted glass. He could see the silhouette of Lu Zhiyue moving inside.
Expression blank, Chi Suinian stared at the silhouette for a while. Then he jabbed Lu Zhiyue’s head with his finger, poked his neck, over and over, and finally rubbed his face before turning away to sit on the bed.
His gaze wandered idly around the room.
The wardrobe he’d opened that morning was still ajar, full of neatly hung clothes arranged from dark to light, all spotless and tidy.
Chi Suinian hesitated for two seconds, then walked over, fingertips brushing along the row of hangers.
Ten minutes later, when he came to his senses, he was already standing in front of the bathroom mirror—dressed in freshly changed clothes.
“…………………………”
Chi Suinian lowered his head to look at himself—and suddenly had the urge to just die.
