Chapter 52 – Might as Well Choke to Death

Ye Lin’s brotherly act was too much for Ye Ziran, who ended up eating an extra bowl of rice and gnawing on two pig knuckles out of frustration. The bowls in the restaurant were small; otherwise, Shen Fubai would have suspected that Ye Ziran was the reincarnation of a gluttonous beast.

Ye Lin still felt it was a shame that Shen Fubai’s face had been injured—this was a face bestowed by the gods, how could someone have the heart to harm it? Unforgivable, utterly unforgivable.

Ye Lin was a straightforward face-con. Moreover, having just found out that Shen Fubai was his brother’s boyfriend, and thus now part of the family, he couldn’t help but pay more attention. His frank staring made Shen Fubai feel rather uncomfortable, lowering his gaze.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have felt anything, but Ye Lin was Jiang Heng’s good friend, and earlier, Jiang Heng didn’t know what he had said to Ye Lin. Could it be that he introduced his new identity…? Oh well, thinking about it made him embarrassed.

A second or two of staring from Ye Lin was fine, but when it continued, Shen Fubai asked, “Is there something on my face?”

Ye Lin replied, “There’s a scar.”

Well, of course. He knew there was a scar, but was a scar really so attractive? What, did it not only fail to detract from his perfect features but also add a touch of tragic beauty?

Shen Fubai smiled politely. “It’s nothing. It’ll be gone by tomorrow. It’s not like I’m disfigured.”

Ye Lin also said, “Ah, no problem, no problem. You’re beautiful even with a scar.” He just wanted to praise his brother’s boyfriend, knowing it would make his brother happy. And Shen Fubai was indeed beautiful, and as a seasoned member of the face-con club, Ye Lin genuinely believed so.

Jiang Heng paused with his chopsticks, almost breaking them.

He didn’t feel particularly happy.

Just then, a dish of diced chili fish head arrived. Jiang Heng picked the tenderest piece of meat from the fish head for Shen Fubai, then turned the plate towards Ye Lin.

“I remember you love eating fish eyes,” Jiang Heng said to Ye Lin with a faint smile. “This eye is for you.”

Ye Lin looked at the large fish head with its dead, unblinking eye staring at him. “…I don’t actually like fish eyes, thank you.”

He was about to say that Jiang Heng must have remembered wrong, but Jiang Heng slowly said, “Fish meat tastes better with vinegar. Ye Lin, don’t you agree?”

Ye Lin: “…Yes.”

Although he was very masculine, after years of friendship, he finally understood what Jiang Heng meant.

Jiang Heng was saying: I’m jealous, if you keep staring at Shen Fubai, I’ll gouge out your eyes.

Ye Lin painfully swallowed the fish eye.

What kind of person was this, putting romance before humanity… No, putting same-sex romance before humanity.

But this also made Ye Lin see how much Jiang Heng cared about Shen Fubai. Goodness, after so many years of friendship, he was already jealous over a few extra glances at Shen Fubai. Jiang Heng was truly, completely jealous.

Jiang Heng: This is nothing, I’ve even been jealous of that stuffed bear.

The bear, Xiong Heng Heng, who was once again brought up for ridicule: “…”

Realizing that Jiang Heng was genuinely devoted, Ye Lin became even more serious in his attitude towards Shen Fubai. He had long known about Jiang Heng’s orientation and his idol, so there wasn’t much surprise. He expressed his blessings for the relationship between Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai.

His brother’s boyfriend was also his brother, they needed to build a good relationship, giving Shen Fubai the feeling of being integrated into his boyfriend’s circle—Ye Lin was well-intentioned with Jiang Heng.

Fortunately, they were all men, and it was easy to get familiar quickly.

To become acquainted, they had to start with common topics. And among boys, talking about games was never a mistake.

Ye Lin began to bridge the gap with Shen Fubai. “Fubai, do you play games?”

Shen Fubai nodded. “Yes.”

Hearing this, Ye Lin became even more enthusiastic. “Do you play ‘Wandering Guests’? It’s a six-year-old game, and Jiang and I used to team up every day to clear dungeons when we were in high school. Let me tell you, he was amazing, number one in the thirteenth—”

“Cough, cough.” Jiang Heng suddenly started coughing.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Fubai’s attention was instantly drawn away.

“Nothing, choked on some rice.” Jiang Heng calmed down, abandoning the white rice and taking a big sip of his drink.

Seeing him recover, Shen Fubai turned back to ask Ye Lin, “What were you saying about thirteen?” He was quite interested in Jiang Heng’s high school days. That was a life he hadn’t participated in.

He loved Jiang Heng so much, but for the first twenty years of Jiang Heng’s life, he didn’t even know such a person existed in the world. He didn’t know that someone living somewhere, with whom he had no intersection, would later become his beloved.

This was simply a waste of life.

Ye Lin: “I said number one in the thirteenth—”

“Cough, cough, cough.” Jiang Heng started coughing again while drinking his beverage.

Ye Lin stopped and looked at Jiang Heng, Shen Fubai, and Ye Ziran looked at him in unison.

Jiang Heng remained calm. “Choked on the drink.” He put a piece of fish meat in his mouth with his chopsticks. “Let’s continue eating.”

Ye Lin continued speaking. “Old Jiang was number one in the thirteenth—” district!

“Sorry.” Jiang Heng interrupted him, calmly pulling out a tissue. “Got a fish bone stuck in my throat.”

He didn’t bother pretending to cough this time. Because he realized that he couldn’t rely on Ye Lin’s emotional intelligence, it was better to be straightforward.

Ye Lin was speechless.

Jiang Heng’s upbringing since childhood was evident in his behavior. Although he loved to eat, his table manners were always elegant. Today’s three consecutive throat incidents seemed less and less believable each time.

Finally, Ye Lin’s dense mind caught on.

Jiang Heng didn’t want Shen Fubai to know about his game account?

Well, Jiang Heng had been a fan of Shen Fubai since high school. Back then, everyone was busy studying for college entrance exams, but they were carefree. Jiang Heng and he played games every day, and in the end, Jiang Heng scored seven hundred on his college entrance exam, choosing the Central Academy of Drama. He, on the other hand, scored two hundred and fifty, inheriting the family business.

…Sometimes the gap between people was wider than between humans and pigs.

That wasn’t the point. The point was that back then, Jiang Heng was a die-hard fan of Shen Fubai, even naming his game ID ‘Fubai’s Number One Fan’. Until he became the top player in the entire server, hanging high on the combat power list, this title became well-known throughout the thirteenth district.

If Shen Fubai knew Jiang Heng’s game ID, he would know that Jiang Heng had been a fan of his for six years. After all, “Fubai’s Number One Fan” had also been famous in the thirteenth district for six years.

However, Ye Lin had previously assumed that they had both been honest with each other. Unexpectedly, even after pursuing Shen Fubai, Jiang Heng hadn’t told him that he was his loyal fan for many years.

This was impressive.

Ye Lin thought that Jiang Heng was probably still embarrassed to say it, and there was no need for him to meddle. As long as things were going well now.

So, he wisely kept quiet.

However, Shen Fubai’s curiosity had been piqued by these repeated interruptions, although he was more concerned about Jiang Heng.

“Do you want to go to the hospital to see a throat specialist?” Shen Fubai asked worriedly.

The probability of choking three times in a row was quite low.

“No need, it was just an accident.” Jiang Heng didn’t want Shen Fubai to worry too much, hastily taking a bite of rice to prove that his throat was fine.

…As a result, because he ate too quickly, he really choked this time.

Watching Jiang Heng drink madly to relieve himself, Shen Fubai’s determination hardened. “We must go to the hospital tonight.”

This was the fourth time! There might be some illness.

Jiang Heng: “Let me explain…”

“No. I know that going to the hospital as an actor might attract paparazzi and lead to rumors about having a terminal illness. But we can’t avoid going just because we’re afraid of being photographed. Health is important.” Shen Fubai was serious and stern.

Jiang Heng was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Well, to completely reassure Shen Fubai, getting an examination wouldn’t hurt.

Jiang Heng didn’t forget to cover up the previous mention of the thirteenth district. “He was saying that thirteen people couldn’t beat me alone. In the past, when we were young and reckless, we got into a conflict in the game, and thirteen people gathered to ambush Lin and me. I took them all down myself.” As he spoke, he glanced at Ye Lin.

Ye Lin immediately chimed in. “Right! There were thirteen people, incredibly impressive. I just cheered him on from the side.”

He also admired Jiang Heng’s ability to think on his feet. The incident Jiang Heng mentioned was true, but what Ye Lin had originally intended to say was clearly about the thirteenth district. It was amazing that Jiang Heng could come up with such an excuse in such a short time.

Shen Fubai nodded, also thinking that Heng Heng was super impressive. However, he was now more worried about Jiang Heng’s health.

“Knock, knock—” The door was knocked on twice.

All the dishes had already been served, so it couldn’t be a waiter coming in. Shen Fubai was still wondering who it was when a young girl’s voice came from outside. “Boss, I have something to discuss with you.”

This voice sounded a bit familiar.

Considering that Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng, two major celebrities, were inside, to protect their privacy, Ye Lin planned to go out. But Jiang Heng spoke first. “Let her in.”

With Jiang Heng’s terrifying memory, capable of memorizing most of a script after reading it once, he already remembered who the girl outside was.

Shen Fubai hadn’t recalled yet, but when the girl entered, he also recognized her.

A month ago, she was working here part-time on weekends and asked Shen Fubai for an autograph.

When Li Ruowei came in and saw Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng, she was clearly excited. But this time, she seemed preoccupied, stealing a few glances at them before walking in front of Ye Lin. “Boss, I’d like to take a leave. I have something tonight, can I leave early?”

Ye Lin said, “You should talk to the supervisor about that, no need to ask me.”

“It’s not that, there’s another thing!” Li Ruowei hurriedly said, becoming hesitant again. “I want… I want to advance my salary for this month.”

Her family situation was average, but she wasn’t working to supplement household expenses. Usually, she helped out here on weekends and worked part-time during the summer holidays just to hone her skills. Besides, her monthly salary of 4,000 yuan, with food and lodging included, wasn’t much in Beijing, but it was more than enough as pocket money.

But this time, she really needed the money.

Ye Lin asked, “Reason?” To advance salary was acceptable, but a reason was required. Spending it on drinking, whoring, gambling, or buying branded clothes and bags was definitely not allowed. Of course, Li Ruowei was just a high school student, and after working part-time in the restaurant for so long, Ye Lin knew she wasn’t a vain and competitive person.

Li Ruowei lowered her head. “Someone in my family is sick…”

“Alright, I understand.” Ye Lin wrote out a slip. “Go talk to the supervisor, I’ll let you have this month’s salary in advance.”

“Thank you, boss!” Li Ruowei appeared very agitated. She held the slip and, before leaving, looked at Shen Fubai once more. Seeing the injury on Shen Fubai’s face, she hesitated, wanting to say something, but considering the boss was present, she ultimately left without saying anything.

After the door closed, Shen Fubai said, “Mr. Ye is quite a straightforward person.”

Both he and Jiang Heng were actors; how could they be fooled by that girl’s poor acting—the girl was lying.

Her wandering eyes, uncertain tone, and nervous fidgeting weren’t just signs of nervousness.

Ye Lin was a shrewd businessman, how could he not see through it?

“So what if she lied? I can see that she’s not telling the truth, but I can also see that she won’t misuse the money.” Ye Lin said, “The little girl obviously has a need and doesn’t feel comfortable disclosing the reason, why delve too deeply? It’s good to be able to help in a pinch.”

Shen Fubai was deeply impressed. “You have the spirit of a knight-errant.”

Ye Lin said, “You flatter me.”