Chapter 39 – Bad People

The only wine in the room that was stored in a wooden box was the bottle Jiang Ruo had brought.

Perhaps sensing the uncanny coincidence, Xi Yufeng looked at the waiter, who promptly said, “It was Miss Meng’s request; I’m just following orders.”

After a brief pause, Xi Yufeng reached for the bottle of wine but was beaten to it by Jiang Ruo, whose palm pressed against the top of the wooden box.

“This is a gift for you,” said Jiang Ruo.

His expression was inscrutable, his hand firmly held down the box in a protective gesture akin to an animal guarding its food.

Xi Yufeng’s frown deepened. “It’s just a bottle of wine.”

“Yes, just a bottle of wine,” Jiang Ruo turned to look at him. “But it’s a gift from me to you.”

The air grew tense, the room so quiet that the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

Disobeying the commands of his benefactor in front of so many people, Jiang Ruo knew his actions were far from prudent, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at that moment.

Poverty had dominated the first half of his life. This was something precious he had squeezed out of himself, exhausting all his courage, to offer.

Yet Xi Yufeng would merely see it as childish.

“Since it’s a gift to me, I should have the right to dispose of it as I wish.”

Xi Yufeng’s voice was low, tinged with suppressed anger. With a slight exertion of force, he pulled the wooden box containing the wine from Jiang Ruo’s grasp.

He then handed it to the waiter and, when he turned around, his expression had returned to calmness.

Words meant to soothe fell on Jiang Ruo’s ears as cold as snow.

“Just buy another one,” said Xi Yufeng.

Jiang Ruo wasn’t sure how he ended up outside the private room, leaning against the wall, his body slowly sliding down until he was huddled on the ground.

He guessed he must look utterly wretched.

But what did it matter? What did he amount to? Who would care about his reluctance or empathize with his unhappiness?

Jiang Ruo took a deep breath, reminding himself to endure a little longer, to hold on a bit more. Everything would pass. That woman named Meng Lan might not even notice the line of writing — it was so inconspicuous, much like the thing he wanted to give Xi Yufeng, so worthless.

Taking several deep breaths, he stood up just as the door to the adjacent private room suddenly opened. A flamboyantly dressed woman emerged.

Upon seeing each other, they both froze momentarily. Then, as Jiang Ruo turned to leave, he was stopped by the woman.

“Jiang Ruo, right?” Meng Lan crossed her arms, stepping closer. “Did Xi Yufeng send for you?”

At this moment, Jiang Ruo found himself thinking, rather inappropriately — so it wasn’t just him who called him ‘Xi Yufeng.’

After a brief moment, Jiang Ruo turned around and smiled at Meng Lan. “Yes, why else would I be here?”

Because if Xi Yufeng hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have appeared in such a place.

Meng Lan seemed to interpret his attitude as defiance, her face darkening slightly before she laughed again. “True, someone like you wouldn’t be able to move freely in such circles.”

Jiang Ruo gave a noncommittal “hmm,” guessing she had nothing more to say, and turned to go.

“I heard the rumors about you, thought you might actually hold some weight in his heart,” said Meng Lan. “Now it seems, not really.”

Because after the wine changed hands, it wasn’t even considered a proper gift anymore, at most an addition to the festivities. Xi Yufeng had mentioned that the birthday gift would be chosen and given on another day.

Jiang Ruo, facing away from Meng Lan, remained silent.

“Thanks for the wine, it tastes excellent.”

As Meng Lan spoke, watching the retreating back disappear behind a door, she didn’t see the imagined signs of devastation or breakdown. Disappointed, she pursed her lips.

Turning to lean against the railing, she looked down at the raucous party below, the lights swirling and music blaring. Yet Meng Lan’s eyes were dimmed.

She chuckled softly, mumbling to herself, “How boring.”

Back inside the private room, Jiang Ruo received a drink specially prepared for him.

Xi Yufeng was discussing business with someone beside him but spared a moment to say, “I promised to make you a drink suited to your taste.”

Indeed, he kept his word.

Jiang Ruo stared at the light blue cocktail for a while before reaching out to pick it up and downing it in one go.

Someone nearby clapped and whistled. “Celebrity Jiang has quite the drinking capacity.”

A faint red tinge covered Jiang Ruo’s face, as if he’d become drunk the moment the alcohol hit his stomach.

Drunk enough to forget everything.

So Jiang Ruo raised the empty glass and pointed toward the bar. “Another one, please.”

Fortunately, the drink wasn’t too strong. Jiang Ruo drank several glasses yet still conversed coherently, his steps steady when he stood.

As midnight on December 25th arrived, a few slices of Meng Lan’s birthday cake were delivered from the neighboring room. The guests, having eaten their fill and imbibed plenty, used the cake as a prop, scooping a fingerful of cream to smear on the faces of those around them.

Amidst the laughter, only Jiang Ruo seemed out of place. He walked to the table, bent over to pick up a slice of cut cake, and began eating it.

Facing the surprised looks thrown his way, Jiang Ruo chewed on the cake while laughing. “Cake is for eating, but you rich people smear it on your faces. How wasteful.”

Later, everyone gathered around the sofa to play cards and chat. One young man recounted a recent embarrassing incident, saying he’d carried a stack of cash for tips, but ended up dropping his pants into the toilet bowl while using the restroom. Fifty crisp red bills, gone with a splash as the water flushed them clean.

Everyone laughed, calling it a pungent joke, but Jiang Ruo looked at the storyteller seriously and said, “Next time, call me. I can help you pick them up.”

He pulled out his phone, ready to exchange WeChat contacts.

His phone was snatched away by Xi Yufeng, but Jiang Ruo didn’t find anything amiss. He simply put his phone aside, stood up, and walked to the small stage in the center of the room. Standing by the stand-up microphone, he said, “Some of you may have heard that I used to dance.”

“I don’t know how to tell jokes, but today is such a wonderful day. Let me dance for you instead.”

In the uproar that followed, Jiang Ruo felt a buzz in his head, as if he’d found a way to throw caution to the wind, to live for the moment.

It was the last time, and things were already like this.

They couldn’t get any worse.

Pulled into the bathroom by Xi Yufeng, the loud slam of the door closing shook Jiang Ruo, lost in a drunken stupor.

Leaning against the door, Xi Yufeng gripped his chin, forcing him to look up. “What are you doing?”

Jiang Ruo’s eyes were unfocused. It took him a while to find his focus, staring unblinkingly at Xi Yufeng.

“I’m not crazy,” he said. “Isn’t it good to let loose and have fun?”

As he spoke, the scent of alcohol wafted towards Xi Yufeng. Confirming this, Xi Yufeng furrowed his brows, his tone softening despite his annoyance. “You’ve had too much to drink.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Ruo lowered his eyelids, repeating quietly, “Too much.”

Xi Yufeng released his grip and tried to pull Jiang Ruo by the arm. “Let’s go, we should head back.”

But Jiang Ruo refused to budge, shaking his head. “I’m not leaving. Today is a holiday, I want to continue playing here.”

His hand gripped the doorknob for support, but he couldn’t get Xi Yufeng to move. Xi Yufeng, unable to tolerate it any longer, snapped, “Jiang Ruo!”

This shout startled Jiang Ruo, his hand loosening immediately.

Xi Yufeng took advantage of the moment, dragging him away from the door and opening it.

When he turned around, it was his turn to be stunned.

Because he saw a pair of bloodshot eyes, filled with tears.

A thin layer of moisture, shimmering under the overhead light, made Xi Yufeng feel a sudden pang.

This time, Jiang Ruo didn’t avoid his gaze, meeting his eyes straight through the thin air.

Then he smiled, his voice suddenly hoarse. “This is the first time you’ve called my name.”

“Call it a few more times… alright?”

Today, Old Liu was absent, so Xi Yufeng drove a Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

Halfway through the journey, neither of them spoke.

Seemingly exhausted, Jiang Ruo leaned against the passenger seat for a while, his eyes closed. When he opened them, he was momentarily disoriented, unsure of where he was. Turning to see Xi Yufeng, he smiled and asked, “Are we going back now?”

Xi Yufeng glanced at him, noticing the redness in his eyes had disappeared. He gave a low “hmm.”

After a while, Jiang Ruo asked, “Earlier, did I embarrass you?”

Xi Yufeng’s hands rested on the steering wheel, silent.

Jiang Ruo took his silence as acknowledgment. “Can’t be helped. People like us, accustomed to poverty and fear, hear the rich talk and think they’re hinting at us, think it stings.”

This sounded familiar. Jiang Ruo remembered telling Xi Yufeng long ago about some habits of poor people, like eating their fill when they got something good, fearing they might never have the chance again.

It didn’t seem like it was that long ago. They’d known each other for only a few days.

But when exactly did he tell him? Jiang Ruo couldn’t recall.

Alcohol truly muddled the mind.

He told Xi Yufeng what he remembered: “Have you heard the rumors about us?”

Xi Yufeng remained silent, and Jiang Ruo continued. “Some say you spoil me rotten, giving me whatever I want. Others say our relationship is terrible, that I always embarrass you in public… maybe like what happened at Jin Garden earlier, that you’ve tolerated me for a long time.”

“There are also rumors that you’re getting married, arranged by your family… but you refused, because of me.”

Jiang Ruo’s voice was soft, his tone so matter-of-fact that it made Xi Yufeng’s grip on the steering wheel tighten involuntarily.

Silence stretched for a few seconds before Jiang Ruo heard Xi Yufeng ask, “Who told you these things?”

“Do I need someone to tell me to know?” Jiang Ruo’s smile was faint. “By the way, I have something to tell you too.”

Xi Yufeng remained passively silent as Jiang Ruo explained that he would soon appear on a variety show as a friend of Chen Muxin within the entertainment circle.

When asked why, Jiang Ruo said, “It’s a deal that guarantees profit, why wouldn’t I go?”

“If I remember correctly, the company hasn’t been stingy with resources for you.”

“Resources can never be too plentiful. Besides, if I get them from your side, it would trouble you to invest…”

“So you find it troublesome?” Xi Yufeng asked coldly. “Or is it that asking for my resources is harder than asking for his?”

The word “ask” left Jiang Ruo speechless.

It felt as if a ball of cotton was stuffed in his throat, unable to spit it out nor swallow it down, making his chest tight and painful.

A warning bell rang loudly in his mind, reminding him that Xi Yufeng ultimately looked down on people like him, struggling like ants in the mortal world.

They seemed to have returned to the place of their first encounter, with Jiang Ruo looking up from below and Xi Yufeng gazing down from above.

There had never been equality between them.

Driving along the main road in the city center, traffic was heavy due to the holiday. The navigation system showed that there were at least three traffic lights ahead that were all congested.

Xi Yufeng lowered the window next to the driver’s seat, pulled out a cigarette, held it between his lips, lit it, took one puff, and then held it between his fingers. His elbow rested on the window frame as he looked ahead at the traffic, impatiently flicking the ashes.

This was the first time Jiang Ruo had seen Xi Yufeng smoke in the car, so he watched for a while.

Then, without thinking, he leaned over to snatch the cigarette from Xi Yufeng’s hand.

During the red light, the two played a game of cat and mouse, with one trying to grab and the other dodging.

Though Jiang Ruo didn’t succeed in taking the cigarette, the tension between them eased somewhat. Xi Yufeng extinguished the cigarette in the car’s ashtray, his brows knitted in displeasure and resignation. He asked Jiang Ruo, “Are you done causing trouble?”

“Not yet.”

“What else do you want?”

Jiang Ruo smiled brightly. “I want the last rumor to come true… can that happen?”

Even after returning to the spacious apartment, Xi Yufeng didn’t answer whether it could or couldn’t happen.

Thus, the last vestige of courage faded with the extinguished ember, merging into the pitch-black night, sinking into the depths of the sea.

Still, Jiang Ruo didn’t forget his duty — to provide maximum emotional value for his benefactor.

While Xi Yufeng was showering, Jiang Ruo stripped naked and stepped into the shower stall.

The noisy sound of running water mixed with the sound of ragged breathing. Occasionally, Xi Yufeng’s voice could be heard, asking if this counted as seduction.

Jiang Ruo replied intermittently that it didn’t, that if one was willing, it didn’t count as seduction.

Xi Yufeng grabbed his chin and made him turn around. His gaze swept down from his eyes to his toes, scrutinizing him openly. Even the kisses that landed on his shoulders were filled with a casual cruelty, silently declaring his absolute control over Jiang Ruo’s entire being.

Afterward, there was a brief moment of tenderness, as Xi Yufeng wrapped his arms around Jiang Ruo’s waist, pulling him close so that his whole body nestled against his own. His lips lingered near his ear, asking in his usual mesmerizing voice, “Is this bad?”

Yes, is this bad?

Jiang Ruo asked himself.

But he was unsatisfied, too greedy. Having so much wasn’t enough; he foolishly hoped that the other could be as unconstrained by convention as he was, holding nothing back.

Excessive greed was evil.

He suddenly recalled lying on the cold warehouse floor, listening to a destitute man pour out his heart, explaining the meaning of an unattainable goal.

He hadn’t told anyone that, for a fleeting moment, he could empathize with that scoundrel.

Perhaps it was because they were both at the end of their ropes, pushed to the brink. Perhaps it was because they were both pawns, losing their significance together.

Suddenly remembering, Xi Yufeng once said, “I’m not as scary as you think.”

Jiang Ruo couldn’t help but want to laugh. Was this not scary?

You set up a trap, luring me in, ensnaring me. But you stayed outside, looking down at me trapped, and said, “You willingly came in.”

Those outside the game were also bad, thoroughly bad.

Jiang Ruo thought, worse than me.

Deep into the night, the alcohol evaporated from his pores. Jiang Ruo curled up on the bed, his eyes tightly shut with exhaustion, finding even breathing a waste of energy.

Yet he could still hear the slow breathing of the person beside him, who hadn’t fallen asleep, and the sound of shifting. Then, an arm circled his waist.

“Jiang Ruo.” A low, weary voice called his name. “Don’t cause trouble with me anymore.”

Xi Yufeng’s rare display of vulnerability only made Jiang Ruo’s throat tighten.

It felt as if the cotton ball lodged in his throat had fermented and expanded, pressing against the root of his tongue, inevitably constraining him.

The hand resting on his body moved to his ear, gently stroking his temple and cheek.

His chest pressed against Jiang Ruo’s back, Xi Yufeng whispered near his heart, almost like a promise. “Except for the things beyond my control, whatever you want, I can give you.”