Ji Ling couldn’t help turning to Yan Yixuan. “Why do you sound so bitter?”
Yan Yixuan chuckled. “Bitter? I’m just being real. With a beauty like that right next to you—if I didn’t show up, wouldn’t you two have just left together?”
Ji Ling said, “Watch what you say. Don’t let the paparazzi hear that. She’s a big celebrity, and I’m still doing business with her—I need her help.”
Yan Yixuan laughed again. “I thought Boss Ji never needed help from anyone.”
Ji Ling knew he was throwing shade. He was still hung up on being rejected all those times.
Ji Ling let out a quiet sigh.
That conversation with Zhong Mingwei just now made him realize—no matter what he wants deep down, he and Yan Yixuan probably won’t be able to untangle themselves from each other anytime soon.
So Ji Ling asked, “Young Master Yan, what are you doing here anyway?”
Yan Yixuan said, “This is my family’s hotel. I come and go as I please.”
“…”
Still picking a fight. And he says he’s not bitter.
Ji Ling cut to the chase. “Young Master Yan, let’s talk.”
Yan Yixuan glanced at his watch again—he’d been checking it a lot earlier too. Ji Ling noticed and said, “Got something to do? Never mind then. Another time.”
Yan Yixuan looked up. “No, I’ve got time.”
He turned around and gave some instructions to the managers who were still waiting nearby. Ji Ling caught bits and pieces—it sounded like it had something to do with community work.
The Yan family wasn’t just known for business. Their public image was spotless too. They donated to charity, supported traditional culture, helped with city planning, even put money into education.
Yan Yixuan really did have his hands full.
Ji Ling couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for him. Trying to keep the whole family’s reputation shining while making all the right business moves—that was no easy job.
People always thought Yan Yixuan was just a charming playboy—smooth, romantic, a carefree gentleman.
Ji Ling used to think that too. Yan Yixuan could flirt like nobody else, and no one could really resist it.
But lately, in front of Ji Ling, he’d started showing another side.
He was willful and did whatever he wanted. When he was pleased or pissed, he showed it right away. No more hiding behind that gentle mask. Sometimes, Ji Ling felt like he was dealing with a kid.
But this version of Yan Yixuan—stripped of all the fake layers—was somehow even more attractive.
Ji Ling couldn’t help but touch the tip of his nose, trying to hide what he was thinking.
Once Yan Yixuan finished giving instructions to the manager, he turned back and said, “Come on, let’s go somewhere else.”
Ji Ling thought he was about to get dragged off to that fancy suite upstairs, but instead, Yan Yixuan led him to the hotel bar.
“…”
“What?” Yan Yixuan noticed something was off and asked, then it was like he suddenly remembered something. “Oh—you don’t like drinking.”
He thought it was because of that one time he pressured Ji Ling to drink, and that Ji Ling still held a grudge. But honestly, Ji Ling had let that go a long time ago. In business, it’s almost impossible to stay away from alcohol.
The truth was, Ji Ling just felt a bit guilty for assuming the worst of him. So he said, “No, it’s not that. I drove here. I’ve gotta drive back later too.”
“Then just watch me drink. I kinda feel like having a drink.”
It was still afternoon, but the lighting in the bar was set up to block out natural light, so it wasn’t too bright. But it also didn’t have that wild, noisy vibe of a nightclub—more quiet, more classy.
Still, Ji Ling knew that was just because it wasn’t nighttime yet. Once the sun went down and those ceiling spotlights lit up, that soft vibe would turn into something way more heated.
From the moment Yan Yixuan stepped into the bar, the bar manager stuck to him like glue.
They sat down in a booth, and the manager didn’t even ask what he wanted to drink—he just asked which bottle.
The server brought over a bottle, poured a glass for Yan Yixuan right there, and set it down in front of him, along with a neat little tray of dried fruits.
Then the manager turned to Ji Ling. “What would you like?”
“Soda water,” Ji Ling said.
Yan Yixuan raised a brow. “…They’ve got non-alcoholic drinks here too, you know.”
Ji Ling waved him off. He just wanted to talk.
Yan Yixuan dismissed the staff, and finally, it was just the two of them. But for a while, neither of them said anything. The silence hung between them.
“How’s work been lately?” Yan Yixuan finally broke the ice.
Ji Ling almost laughed.
That lame attempt at small talk coming from him was hilarious. No one knew more about his work than Yan Yixuan did. Why even bother asking?
When he saw Ji Ling smirking, Yan Yixuan realized he’d put his foot in his mouth and got a little annoyed. He tried to cover it up. “I am one of your shareholders. Can’t I check in on the company?”
Ji Ling said, “The company’s doing great. We might be landing a deal for an international movie soon.”
He kept it short, and truthfully, Yan Yixuan didn’t really seem all that interested—it felt more like he was just making conversation. “Another film, huh?” he said. “Am I getting an invite this time?”
He probably said it without thinking, but the second the words came out, they both paused.
Ji Ling stared at the glass of wine in front of Yan Yixuan, and for some weird reason, his brain wandered off—he actually found himself wondering whether that bottle of wine cost more than the handbag Zhong Mingwei was carrying. Then he looked up, his eyes sincere. “Of course you’re invited. Why wouldn’t you be? If you want to come, I’ll invite you every time.”
Yan Yixuan was a little moved. He lowered his gaze and said, “If you book out the whole theater every time, I’m afraid you’ll go broke. If you don’t meet the terms of our agreement by next year, your company will be mine.”
Last time they met hadn’t ended well. Ji Ling was still mad then—he’d stormed off after throwing some pretty harsh words. After that, everything about the company had been handled through Yan Yixuan’s investment managers. He hadn’t stepped in personally.
But now that Yan Yixuan was putting everything back on the table, Ji Ling decided to face him head-on. After all, that’s what he’d wanted when he asked him to talk.
Ji Ling answered seriously, “I intend to honor every clause of the contract and the agreement.” He tried to make him understand. “I take my business very seriously. So when you try to use it to pressure me into giving in, I just… I can’t accept that.”
Of course Yan Yixuan got it. If you want to destroy a man, the fastest way is to destroy his career. But did he really want to destroy Ji Ling?
Suddenly, Yan Yixuan raised his glass and gave Ji Ling a look. “Truce?”
Ji Ling lifted his soda water and clinked glasses with him. “We were never at war,” he said with a grin. “Didn’t we already become business partners?”
He knew then that Yan Yixuan had backed off. Yan Yixuan had reluctantly accepted this whole partnership-for-money setup.
And once again, Ji Ling realized—he pretty much always came out on top with Yan Yixuan.
Every time Yan Yixuan tried to take the lead, he ended up losing it, and in the end, always gave in to Ji Ling’s way.
Ji Ling knew he could be a bit forceful—once he made up his mind, that was it. But each time he ‘won,’ wasn’t it mostly because Yan Yixuan let him?
Looking at that ridiculously handsome face, Ji Ling couldn’t help feeling a little giddy. He knew now—he had a special pass when it came to Yan Yixuan.
He said teasingly, “See? I can still invite you to the movies. You better say yes next time, too.”
Yan Yixuan didn’t catch what Ji Ling was really thinking. He just replied, “Let’s hope the next one’s actually worth watching.”
They both smiled—one of those knowing smiles—but honestly, they each had their own thoughts. Ji Ling couldn’t tell where things with Yan Yixuan were heading. He just knew—it wasn’t over.
The sky outside was starting to shift toward evening. Ji Ling asked, “Wanna grab dinner? Or maybe let me try your hotel’s restaurant?”
Yan Yixuan downed the last sip of wine, glanced at his watch again, and said, “Rain check. I really do have stuff to handle.”
Ji Ling could tell he wasn’t just brushing him off, so he said, “Alright then. Let’s go.”
They stood up at the same time and left the bar side by side.
Ji Ling felt a little disappointed. Maybe it was the leftover frustration from that last time in Yan Yixuan’s office, but this talk had felt too much like a business meeting—way too stiff.
He knew things were still a little awkward between them. Ji Ling couldn’t help thinking back to that hug at the end of their last meeting.
He still didn’t really get what had come over him. Back then, the only way he could think of to hold himself back… was to just wrap his arms around Yan Yixuan.
Looking back now, wasn’t that just another kind of impulse?
Maybe he really had freaked Yan Yixuan out.
Ji Ling was lost in thought when he suddenly heard Yan Yixuan speak.
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have had that drink. Would’ve been better to just go upstairs and rest for a bit.”
His tone was calm, but the words carried a not-so-subtle undertone.
Ji Ling couldn’t help but laugh. “Young Master Yan, some things about you really never change.”
As they got closer to the elevator, Ji Ling asked, “Where are you headed? Want me to give you a ride?”
Yan Yixuan paused. The expression on his face slowly shifted—whatever warmth there was faded, replaced by that familiar cool, distant look. “No need. I’ll call my driver.”
But Ji Ling wasn’t backing down. “I’ve been drinking soda all afternoon—might as well make it count. Besides, I switched cars today.”
Yan Yixuan shot him a quick glance. “How much did it cost?”
“…”
Ji Ling joked, “Actually, can I go visit your horse again? Maybe next time I’ll ride the horse over to pick you up. That’s way more dramatic, right?”
Yan Yixuan finally couldn’t hold it in—he laughed too. He checked the time again, hesitation written all over his face. After a moment of thinking it through, he finally gave in. “Alright. I’ll ride with you.”
Ji Ling asked, “So, where to?”
Yan Yixuan looked at him and said, in this empty sort of voice, “Home.”
Why wouldn’t he want a ride if he was just going home?
As if reading his mind, Yan Yixuan added, “Not the apartment. I mean my real home.”
Ji Ling dug through his memories, trying to place what exactly ‘home’ meant in Yan Yixuan’s world. And then it clicked.
“Zhongchuan Road, number 325.”
Yan Yixuan gave the address out loud like it meant nothing.
Ji Ling knew the place.
Not because he’d been there, but because that place was well-known.
For entrepreneurs, where they live says a lot. Rich people always seem to be collecting fancy homes—seaside mansions, mountain villas, you name it. But no matter how flashy the new ones are, what everyone still talks about is the old Yan family estate.
It was built back in the early 1900s, right when the Yan family first rose to wealth. Even in that era, the place had flair—elegant and Western, full of charm. The house went through all kinds of ups and downs over the years, yet somehow managed to stay standing. And in recent times, it finally returned to the Yan family’s hands. They renovated it, and the whole family moved back in.
The place even had a name, passed down from the very beginning. The first lady of the house had a given name with just one character—‘Jin.’ So they named the garden estate after her: ‘Jin Garden’.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
