Chapter 3 – Had Enough Yet

Once they entered the Jin Garden, standing at the elevator entrance, Jiang Ruo was still dazed.

The makeup artist, Lin Xiao, who had come down personally to meet him, nudged him with her elbow. “Hey, look over there.”

Jiang Ruo mechanically turned his head to look. In the direction of the VIP elevator, the gigolo led the girls in front, while Xi Yufeng followed behind.

He was still wearing a white shirt and suit pants, with a coat draped over his arm, his hands in his pockets.

He still looked indifferent, as if he had returned to retrieve something he had forgotten, rather than being invited back out of courtesy halfway through the evening.

“Xi Family’s eldest son,” Lin Xiao whispered gossip. “Previously, our second female lead was with him.”

Jiang Ruo was taken aback for a moment before slowly coming back to reality. “…Second female lead?”

“Mm-hmm, Zhou Xinyao, the tall one with an amazing figure. Last year, she was unknown in the industry, but this year she’s been showered with great opportunities. She even landed the endorsement for W brand skincare recently.” At this point, Lin Xiao lowered her voice further. “You know, that kind of thing, the breakup fee.”

Jiang Ruo blinked, not really understanding.

He thought about it and asked, “Is he… quite a womanizer?”

He originally wanted to ask if he wasn’t into guys, but at the last moment, he changed it to something less shocking. After all, judging from Xi Yufeng’s tone earlier, outsiders didn’t know about it yet.

Lin Xiao laughed. “These young masters all play around wildly. When they reach a certain age, they marry the person their family has arranged for them, then continue to play around outside after marriage… Do you think that counts as womanizing?”

A “ding” sounded, signaling the elevator’s arrival at the first floor, and the doors opened.

With no one around, Lin Xiao finally dared to look openly towards the VIP passage.

Jiang Ruo also took a glance, but it was just a distant back view.

He heard Lin Xiao sigh. “A man like that, even if there’s nothing to gain, there would still be plenty of people wanting to be with him.”

Jiang Ruo did not approve of this notion.

Beautiful appearances were fleeting, but powerful economic strength was the eternal foundation.

He couldn’t deny the faint flutter in his heart when he first saw Xi Yufeng, but he wouldn’t allow himself to drown in the illusory fantasy.

This was a lesson reality had taught him.

But he wouldn’t deprive others of their right to dream.

After seating, Lin Xiao, sitting next to Jiang Ruo, gossiped about other things, including how the eldest son of the Xi family had lost his birth mother early on, and now the lady of the Xi household was an actress whom Old Xi had married later.

And the actress had already given birth to a son for Old Xi outside, the second son not much younger than the eldest.

Jiang Ruo was too busy eating and had to take pictures of An He for feedback. Swallowing a phoenix tail shrimp, he finally had a chance to interject. “Isn’t that a case of a son’s status depending on his mother’s, leading to a struggle between the two dragons for the throne?”

That’s how TV dramas played out.

Lin Xiao was amused. “I think you’d better quit acting and become a screenwriter.”

“I’ll start writing tonight, and Sister Lin, remember to help me secure sponsors.”

“Off with you, don’t get cocky just because you’re getting a bit of attention.”

“But I actually prefer acting.”

“Then don’t eat so much; do you want to look like a swollen pig tomorrow on camera?”

“I know… Hey, Sister Lin, don’t snatch my chopsticks!”

Because of the director’s speech, the producer’s singing, the male lead’s toast and cake-cutting, and other such lengthy events, dinner dragged on until past ten o’clock at night.

Tomorrow, they still had to shoot scenes, so the main crew left in the production vehicle, leaving some small fry waiting to hail cabs at the Jin Garden’s entrance in the chilly early spring night.

After helping the completely drunk Lin Xiao into the backseat and entrusting her care to a staff member in the car, Jiang Ruo watched the taillights flicker and fade until they disappeared at the end of the road. Looking around, he realized he was the last one left.

The valet informed him, “The next taxi will arrive in ten minutes. Guests can wait inside the lobby for a while. I’ll call you when the car arrives.”

Jiang Ruo returned indoors and, following the signs, headed toward the restroom.

When the party dispersed earlier, there had been too many people and the scene had been chaotic, so he hadn’t had a chance to wash his hands.

Inside, Jiang Ruo almost had his eyes dazzled.

The Jin Garden was indeed the top hotel in Feng City, not only known for its attentive service and delicious food, but also for its extravagantly luxurious bathroom decor. Jiang Ruo felt he might disrupt the atmosphere of indulgence just by stepping on the floor.

Treating it as an opportunity to experience life and gather material for acting, Jiang Ruo washed his hands while humming a tune.

Up to this point, everything that had happened today was delightful.

After washing his hands and exiting, he saw the valet still standing outside through the glass door. Since the taxi hadn’t arrived yet, Jiang Ruo took the opportunity to look around.

Last time, he had been too preoccupied with chasing people for money to pay attention to the scenery. Now, he could see that the Jin Garden’s decor wasn’t entirely a display of the rich’s tasteless aesthetics. Several carefully selected decorations placed in corners and murals on the walls of the corridors showed a refined touch.

Acting, mooching meals, watching handsome men… Jiang Ruo, who had been busy for a long time, thought this could be considered a beautiful day, possibly worthy of being recorded in his memory canvas spanning twenty-two years.

If he hadn’t run into Zhang Shaoyuan.

Following a brightly colored painting up the spiral staircase to the second floor, Jiang Ruo came to a quiet corridor. When he finished looking and turned around, he met Zhang Shaoyuan’s particularly greasy smile.

“I didn’t expect…” He was the one who spoke first. “To run into you here.”

Even if Jiang Ruo sensed something from Zhang Shaoyuan’s hostile tone, he still forced a smile. “What a coincidence, President Zhang. You came here for drinks again?”

Zhang Shaoyuan reeked of alcohol, having clearly had quite a lot to drink. His steps were unsteady as he moved forward two steps, looking at Jiang Ruo with more obvious lecherousness. “It is quite coincidental. I’ve been looking for you, Jiang Ruo.”

Hearing him call his name, Jiang Ruo knew that the previous incident couldn’t be brushed aside.

As expected, Zhang Shaoyuan bluntly said, “I’ve made inquiries. The one I spent the night with last time was called An… What was his name again? You’re different from him.”

The sudden turn of events left Jiang Ruo momentarily at a loss for how to respond. Then, he heard Zhang Shaoyuan chuckle twice and continue, “You’re more beautiful.”

The compliment produced a spine-chilling effect, sending shivers down Jiang Ruo’s spine as if a snake was slithering up his spine.

What happened next was beyond his control.

Jiang Ruo was naturally rebellious, hiding his defiance in public but ready to fight back when provoked in private.

Especially since he had wanted to beat up this damn guy last time.

“How about tonight…”

Before Zhang Shaoyuan’s hand could reach him, Jiang Ruo took the initiative, grabbing his wrist and throwing a punch without hesitation.

Zhang Shaoyuan cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, his face filled with shock when he turned around, seemingly not expecting to be hit.

His drunken state left him weak, causing him to stumble against the wall as he tried to stand up.

Jiang Ruo sneered, stepping forward and grabbing Zhang Shaoyuan by the collar, lifting him half off the ground. His right fist raised, clearly not done with the beating.

Terrified, Zhang Shaoyuan closed his eyes. After a moment, the fist didn’t fall.

He heard Jiang Ruo’s gritted teeth say, “This punch is for An He. If you dare try again, I won’t let you off.”

Five minutes later, Jiang Ruo returned to the restroom, though this time it was on the second floor, even more extravagant and quieter.

Turning the faucet to full blast, he placed his hands under the water and desperately rinsed them, trying to wash away the lingering filth and oiliness.

After scrubbing for a while, he gradually stopped. Because Jiang Ruo realized that the scene was eerily similar to the night An He returned from the Jin Garden, not bothering to treat his wounds or eat or drink, but instead turning on the showerhead and standing beneath it, letting himself be submerged by the water.

There was a vulgar saying specifically describing this behavior — a whore wanting to erect a memorial archway(be seen as virtuous).

Taking someone’s money but pretending to be morally upright.

In the empty space, only the sound of rushing water remained. Jiang Ruo gave a self-mocking smile as he looked at the person in the mirror, thinking to himself, ‘Never thought that, even now, you still have your pride, still hold onto your principles.’

After a moment’s pause, Jiang Ruo emerged.

Calculating the time, the taxi should have arrived by now. Looking down from the upper floor, he saw the valet entering the building.

Jiang Ruo couldn’t help but quicken his pace, but as he reached the staircase, his attention was drawn by a vague black shadow lurking in the dark. Just as he was about to take a closer look, the shadow suddenly loomed larger, and his arm was suddenly grabbed.

Then he was forcefully pulled into a dark corridor beside him, followed by another arm wrapping around his neck.

His heart, which had just calmed down, began pounding wildly once again. Jiang Ruo’s first reaction was that Zhang Shaoyuan had returned for revenge, but that guy was clearly heavily drunk and shouldn’t have recovered so quickly.

In panic, Jiang Ruo instinctively struggled, reaching up to pry off the other person’s arm. As he passed over a watch with a cold texture, he inadvertently touched a patch of unnaturally hot skin, causing his fingertips to involuntarily tremble.

A deep voice sounded in his ear. “Don’t make a sound.”

For some inexplicable reason, Jiang Ruo didn’t move. This choice was also instinctive, because he knew the person behind him wouldn’t harm him.

Not possible, nor necessary.

Until a group led by the gigolo hurriedly walked past the path Jiang Ruo had just taken, the clamorous “Where’s my brother? Go find him quickly” faded away, Jiang Ruo noticed the arm that had been holding him gradually loosening, slipping down from his shoulder as if exhausted.

Taking a deep breath to steady his disordered breathing, Jiang Ruo turned around. By the light from the outer corridor, when he saw the person leaning against the wall, his heart involuntarily constricted.

Perhaps due to discomfort, the man named Xi Yufeng appeared somewhat disheveled, hunched over and leaning against the wall to prevent himself from collapsing. A few strands of hair that were usually meticulously combed fell onto his forehead, trembling slightly with his heavy breaths.

His breath was warm, something Jiang Ruo had noticed when he spoke close to his ear.

This sudden onset of symptoms didn’t resemble fever, but rather the effects of consuming some aphrodisiac drug.

Despite this, his eyes retained a sliver of clarity. When he realized the person in front of him was coming closer to investigate, Xi Yufeng immediately warned him with a sharp tone, “Back off.”

Jiang Ruo rolled his eyes, thinking that high-end goods had quite a bad temper.

But since he had already cooperated, he decided to help him all the way.

Jiang Ruo stepped forward, supporting Xi Yufeng without hesitation, asking, “Which room are you staying in?”

If someone had told Jiang Ruo that on February 29th of a certain year, he would enter a VIP guest room at the Jin Garden and stay there overnight, he wouldn’t have believed it.

He had lived in dilapidated old houses, shared cramped rooms with a dozen people, slept under leaky bridges, and spent half a month in detention. The past twenty-two years of his life were riddled with hardships.

He never imagined that one day he would lie on soft, delicate silk sheets, sharing a space with someone who should have never crossed paths with him.

Jiang Ruo wasn’t entirely sure if, upon entering the room and guiding him to the bedside, he held back from letting go out of fear that he might collapse.

After a tumble, Xi Yufeng was now pressing down on him, his arms supporting his body on either side. The breath laced with a hint of alcohol sprayed onto his face without restraint, leaving Jiang Ruo momentarily dazed.

It was hard to describe his current feelings — a mixture of schadenfreude at watching a lofty deity fall to earth, coupled with an inexplicable sense of regret.

Indeed, all people were born equal. Even the coldest individual, after ingesting that drug, would become desperate and greedy.

Jiang Ruo watched as the clarity in Xi Yufeng’s eyes was swallowed inch by inch, replaced by a rapidly spreading wave of feverish desire.

And the suppressed ferocity that was finally unleashed.

Xi Yufeng furrowed his brows, his tone displeased as he asked, “What are you staring at?”

Recalling the way this man had looked at him during their initial encounter, Jiang Ruo raised his eyebrows, answering spitefully, “Just watching the show.”

Xi Yufeng clenched his remaining shreds of rationality, grinding his teeth so hard that Jiang Ruo could almost see the prominent veins from his jawline down to his neck.

On the brink of losing control, Xi Yufeng’s already low voice became even hoarser. “Had enough yet?”

Jiang Ruo shook his head. “Not yet.”

For a moment, the air was thick with hostility, a tangible force that assaulted his senses — communicated solely through gaze and aura.

Jiang Ruo wasn’t one to be easily intimidated. He swallowed a breath of air, suppressing his excessively rapid heartbeat, then lifted his head, deliberately slowing his breath as he approached Xi Yufeng’s ear. “I want to see if you really like guys.”

This was a spontaneous decision. Since he chose to indulge in verbal sparring, Jiang Ruo didn’t harbor unrealistic expectations of leaving unscathed.

His memory canvas was almost entirely filled with black and white, a barren landscape stretching endlessly. Regardless of whether he was considered delirious or insane, he didn’t mind taking advantage of this moment of disorientation to add this unconventional stroke to it.

After all, he had nothing to lose.

As they drew closer, the messy smells on the surface dissipated, revealing the cool scent of cedar on Xi Yufeng. Jiang Ruo found himself thinking aimlessly, wondering how someone could be like the wind and snow, so close yet still so far away.

However, his distracted expression, seen through the eyes of another, could only be explained as absent-mindedness.

Thus, before Jiang Ruo could react, darkness descended from above, enveloping him. Xi Yufeng’s kiss, carrying a chill akin to frost, descended like a storm, sweeping over him.