Chapter 2 – High-Quality Goods

When he returned to the rental house, it was precisely two o’clock in the morning.

A sliver of light leaked from the crack under the door on the left. Jiang Ruo knocked twice before gently pushing it open, revealing An He struggling to sit up.

Hastily stepping forward to press his shoulders, Jiang Ruo helped him lie back down again. From the inner pocket of his suit, he retrieved a neatly folded stack of cash. “Are you at ease now?”

An He weakly shook his head. “I was worried about you.”

“What is there to worry about?” Jiang Ruo smiled. “You should take care of yourself instead; isn’t there still work to be done the day after tomorrow?”

The two could be considered colleagues, having met on a film set.

At the time, Jiang Ruo was lying atop An He, playing a corpse. After a chaotic fight scene, they were both too exhausted to move. Even so, Jiang Ruo was wary of crushing the person beneath him and used his elbows to prop himself up, ensuring An He didn’t suffer too much discomfort.

It was a simple act of kindness, which Jiang Ruo chalked up to core strength training. Yet, it earned him An He’s gratitude.

After that scene, they chatted over their boxed lunches, exchanging contact information. Later, it was An He who suggested they live together, citing the reason that Jiang Ruo gave him a sense of familiarity.

Jiang Ruo had asked then, “Is it not the feeling of an ex-boyfriend?”

Casually revealing his sexual orientation in such a relaxed manner had inadvertently saved An He the trouble of figuring out how to come clean.

It was quite a shock though; An He’s eyes had nearly bulged out of their sockets. “Could it be that you’re also…?”

It wasn’t surprising that others couldn’t tell. Jiang Ruo was typically carefree, with no particular attention paid to his appearance or possessions. When others brought large bags filled with skincare and grooming products to sets, Jiang Ruo would arrive empty-handed in jeans and sneakers, claiming to travel light and buy whatever he needed later.

Within their circle, even if not overly meticulous, members would at least make an effort to dress up when going out, especially those who were the same type. On the forums they frequented, aside from hookup posts, the most common threads discussed fitness and fashion. It was rare to find someone as laid-back as Jiang Ruo, whose aura reeked of heterosexuality.

An He lay limply back onto the bed, lacking the energy to speak. “Yeah, fortunately it wasn’t outdoors. Otherwise, if I passed out, I’d have to report it as a workplace injury.”

Jiang Ruo chuckled. “I think you’re just obsessed with money.”

“Aren’t you the same?”

An He hadn’t eaten all day, so Jiang Ruo went to the kitchen to make him a bowl of noodles.

He cooked them extra soft, scrambled an egg, and replaced the chopsticks with a spoon. An He leaned against the headboard and took a couple of spoonfuls before suddenly remarking, “Sometimes I feel like you might really be my long-lost older brother.”

Jiang Ruo, who gave people the impression of an older brother upon first meeting, scoffed at the notion. “You can’t even remember your own last name; your older brother is likely just a figment of your imagination.”

In terms of background, An He had a slightly worse story than Jiang Ruo. He had been abducted at a very young age. Being so young and drugged at the time, he had forgotten everything about his parents, including their names and what they looked like, remembering only that he was originally from Feng City. The family that bought him wasn’t well-off, and after sending him through junior high school, they sent him out to work. Now, he made a living by running errands on film sets during the day and selling drinks in a bar at night. He earned close to ten thousand a month piecemeal, more than half of which he sent back home.

Jiang Ruo had scolded him countless times over this. “You treat them like family, yet they treat you like an ATM. Can’t you stand up for yourself and cut ties with them?”

Whenever this topic came up, An He would always grin. “Even without blood ties, we’ve been together for so many years, inseparable despite the distance.”

Mostly to prevent Jiang Ruo from berating him further, he would often add, “Besides, they’ve been good to me, at least raising me this big, it hasn’t been easy for them.”

After so many instances, Jiang Ruo had stopped wasting his breath. They were adults, responsible for the paths they chose.

As for being an “older brother,” he had taken on the role for over a year.

Now, An He put on a foolish smile to please him. “Not a real brother, but better than one, when I strike it rich in the future, I’ll take you to enjoy life.”

Jiang Ruo rolled his eyes dramatically. “That won’t be necessary. Just take care of yourself, don’t always suffer in silence, and I’ll be grateful enough.”

Between bites of noodles, the two chatted sporadically about happenings on the film set.

Aside from their tendency to pimp out extras, the crew An He was currently working with was otherwise decent. In fact, due to An He’s compliance and obedience, they had given him a named character role.

“You, don’t always say I’m no good and unambitious, where exactly are you ambitious?” An He, having regained some strength after eating, began lecturing Jiang Ruo in turn. “God gave you such a face to use it as an advantage, not to play a chauffeur.”

Jiang Ruo glanced at him sideways. “Then did God make you delicate and fragile just for you to get bullied?”

Further discussion would inevitably lead back to the issue of personal choices, so An He wisely kept quiet, setting down his spoon and picking up the money on the table. He pulled out a few bills and handed them to Jiang Ruo. “Thanks for running errands, brother.”

Jiang Ruo accepted them without hesitation, taking the opportunity to remind him, “Safety comes first. If something like this happens again, I can’t guarantee I won’t beat the guy into the ground.”

An He had seen Jiang Ruo in action before. Recalling the scene, he pursed his lips uneasily and conceded, “Got it, brother.”

Reaching the doorway of the room, Jiang Ruo suddenly paused, turning around to say, “Speaking of convenience, I did benefit today.”

An He perked up. “What do you mean?”

“I met someone.”

“Who?”

“A man.”

An He’s interest was piqued. “A man? Was he handsome?”

Jiang Ruo hesitated for a moment.

The image of that cold and severe face reappeared in his mind, still carrying a surreal and detached quality.

Struggling to find the right words, Jiang Ruo opted for the most straightforward and understandable language, describing the man rather crudely, “An extraordinary… high-quality catch.”

That night, unable to sleep past his usual bedtime, Jiang Ruo got up to cool off on the balcony.

While there, he stretched his leg straight and rested it on the railing, stretching his muscles and tendons. His body had stiffened from neglecting his basic exercises for a few days due to his busy schedule; even slight stretches hurt now.

To divert his attention, Jiang Ruo pulled out his phone, ignoring the prominent reminder of his monthly repayment due this month. He opened the browser and typed in the keywords “Feng City” and “Xi.”

The surname Xi wasn’t particularly common, greatly narrowing down the search results. Using the process of elimination, only one family remained, and Jiang Ruo had guessed as much when Zhang Shaoyuan addressed the man as “Young Master Xi.”

Surprisingly, there weren’t many tabloid stories about him. Most of the news revolved around overseas listings, acquisitions, and financing. It made sense, considering the depth and breadth of such a family’s influence. Having amassed substantial wealth, they would naturally consider generational succession and social responsibility. Every move they made would be closely watched, hence the need for discretion.

Despite their efforts to maintain a low profile, Jiang Ruo managed to find a photo beneath one of the news articles.

Perhaps it was a candid shot, but the man in the photo only revealed his profile, with sharp and defined features that could only be described as perfect. Even with differing tastes, his appearance was undeniably appealing.

In the parlance popular within circles, this face was blessed by the heavens, destined for success.

Moreover, overshadowing his physical attractiveness was a natural aura that radiated a distant and icy demeanor, keeping people at arm’s length.

The caption below the photo introduced him as the eldest son of the Xi family, currently holding one-third of the original shares in the conglomerate and serving as its highest decision-maker and future leader.

None of these titles registered with Jiang Ruo; his focus was solely on the three characters that represented his name — Xi Yufeng.

Xi Yufeng.

Jiang Ruo repeated the name silently, musing that there was actually someone whose essence perfectly matched their name.

But as fleeting as the wind, he was ungraspable and unreachable.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept towards him. Jiang Ruo extinguished the screen of his phone, raised his head, and drew in a breath of cool air mingled with the dew of the night.

The chill wind brushed past, lifting strands of hair from his forehead, and along with it, any fleeting emotions or unexplored sensations were carried away.

To Jiang Ruo’s surprise, before the search history on his phone could vanish, he encountered the “high-quality catch” once again.

Two weeks later, it was still at the Jin Garden. The production team of the drama series in which Jiang Ruo was involved threw a birthday party for the lead actor. Originally planned at a restaurant near the film city, perhaps due to objections from the actor’s team, the venue was changed to this location at the last minute.

In a show of generosity, even minor characters like Jiang Ruo, who were unnamed and insignificant, received invitations.

Initially, Jiang Ruo had no intention of attending. However, An He persistently urged him to go over the phone, advising him not to offend anyone and to make acquaintances, as networks were built through such interactions.

“At the very least, you can enjoy a good meal. It’s the Jin Garden, after all,” An He said before hanging up. “On my first day there, I was taken straight to the guest room and didn’t even get to taste the food.”

Thus, Jiang Ruo found himself standing at the entrance of the Jin Garden, determined to sample the delights of its cuisine on behalf of An He.

The seats on the production team’s vehicle were limited, so Jiang Ruo arrived by public transportation.

The Jin Garden stop was near the southern entrance of the parking lot, and it still required a bit of walking to reach the main gate. The area was undergoing construction, leaving the sidewalks pockmarked and uneven. Not being familiar with the terrain, Jiang Ruo was forced to zigzag around various obstacles. Eventually, he took a wrong turn and ended up in a deserted area near the entrance of the parking lot.

With no sight of the main entrance sign, Jiang Ruo sighed resignedly and pulled out his phone to contact a makeup artist sister he knew, asking her to share her real-time location.

At this hour, the nightlife in Feng City was just beginning, and there was a steady stream of cars outside the Jin Garden. Suddenly, a beam of light shone directly at him, causing Jiang Ruo to reflexively shut his eyes and raise his hand to shield them.

Someone had switched on their headlights, illuminating the surroundings in a harsh white glow. Once the intense light moved away, Jiang Ruo managed to open his eyes, only to have his ears assaulted next.

The car, because of reasons unknown, had performed an abrupt stop halfway into the entrance. Immediately afterward, the driver’s side window rolled down, and the young man behind the wheel shouted, “Brother, didn’t I tell you to wait for me here? Why did you leave?”

In this prime location, the Jin Garden had constructed an outdoor parking lot capable of accommodating over a hundred vehicles, with four entrances and exits in the east, south, west, and north. The likelihood of encountering someone here by chance was lower than Jiang Ruo becoming an overnight sensation by playing a chauffeur.

His phone vibrated as the makeup artist sister informed him she would send a signal once she reached a spot with better reception. Jiang Ruo responded with an “obediently waiting” emoji, and while he waited, he observed the commotion that was unfolding nearby.

Two cars blocking the way were moved to the side by the valets stationed at the parking lot.

One was a flashy sports car, while the other was a business van. Judging by their logos, both were equally expensive.

However, the people getting out of the cars were vastly different.

The driver of the sports car was dressed flamboyantly, almost like a gigolo from a nightclub. As three similarly eye-catching girls stepped out of the car, Jiang Ruo realized it was a two-door, four-seat sports car.

As for those exiting the business car…Jiang Ruo recognized the icy-white figure and thought to himself, I can’t believe I ran into him again. Is fate giving me another chance because I didn’t whistle last time?

But it was merely a fleeting thought. An He had once commented that Jiang Ruo was a giant in thought but a dwarf in action. At the time, Jiang Ruo had disagreed, but reflecting on it now, the assessment was spot on.

Not only did he refrain from making any noise, but he also retreated further behind a stone pillar.

They had already started conversing.

“What’s wrong, Brother? You didn’t reply to my texts or answer my calls. I couldn’t reach you.”

“The phone died.”

“That guy Shi Mingxu, didn’t he tell you I was coming over?”

“He called me, but I missed the call.”

“This is how things are handled, nearly missed each other… forget it, forget it. Brother, what do you think of these girls? They’re of higher quality than last time, right?”

Following the sound, Jiang Ruo glanced over. The girls were standing with their backs to him, obscuring their faces. Without a reaction from the man surnamed Xi, it was impossible to judge.

For the man maintained a detached attitude, his tone devoid of any fluctuation: “Mm, go ahead and have fun. I’m heading back.”

“Ah, don’t go,” the gigolo stepped forward. “It’s the weekend, why waste it sleeping? I’ve already booked a room. Didn’t you say you wanted to try something exciting last time…”

Jiang Ruo couldn’t hear the rest clearly, as the gigolo whispered into the ear of the man in the white shirt. Presumably, it wasn’t anything clean.

Three women and two men, they sure knew how to have fun.

Having been an actor for two years, Jiang Ruo had seen such affairs frequently within the industry. He should have been desensitized by now, but he still felt a wave of disgust at the thought of what was about to transpire.

He didn’t even want to whistle anymore.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a refusal caught his attention once more.

“No.”

“Why? Brother, are you fooling me? In reality, you don’t actually — ”

“Yes, I’m fooling you.”

The man’s voice was low, carried to Jiang Ruo’s ears by the wind with a biting chill.

“I don’t want to play this game,” Xi Yufeng said calmly. “Because, I like men.”