GDRG CH37

Xing Jun was working in his office in LA.

The cooperative project was extremely complicated, with entangled interests from all sides enough to drive any worker crazy. Yet, he handled it with ease.

Unknowingly, it was mid-afternoon, and the meeting came to a close. All parties had reached a temporary agreement. Xing Jun finally emerged from the conference room and walked straight to his office without stopping.

“Jensen.” His partner, Alex, followed him with a smile. “Partnering with you on this business is the best decision I’ve made in years. It’s hard to find a second partner in all of California who is as good at management, proficient in technology, and knows what investors are thinking as you are.”

“I have great confidence in our project. I believe we can both get the results we want,” Xing Jun smiled faintly.

“August is perfect for going out to sea. Are you interested in sailing?”

Xing Jun socialized effortlessly with his partner. It wasn’t until Alex left that he withdrew the fake American smile from his face.

Victory was right before his eyes, easily within reach, yet Xing Jun felt no joy. He had always believed that a victory not yet fully achieved was merely a smoke bomb to numb people’s senses.

He checked his work on the computer again, frowning as he combed through every detail that might have been overlooked. Even after leaving his workplace, Xing Jun’s mind was still stuck in work, unable to detach.

Just then, Ni Youwen called.

“I’m in LA. Wanna come out and meet up? Forgot to mention, I finally got Mia.”

Mia was a minor internet celebrity Ni Youwen had been chasing for a full three months. She studied at a famous influencer school in Los Angeles and had played hard to get for three months, finally succumbing to the Harry Winston piece Ni Youwen gave her on Armistice Day. Xing Jun’s ears were calloused from his bragging: “You’ve said it countless times already.”

“So what if I say it again. She has over a hundred thousand followers on Insta.” Ni Youwen started emphasizing his new girlfriend’s follower count again. ” wanna come out for dinner this weekend?”

Xing Jun knew Ni Youwen mostly wanted to show off his new girlfriend. He smiled and gave a non-committal answer: “Busy with work, let’s talk later.”

“By the way,” Ni Youwen’s tone suddenly became ambiguous, “Is your… that person, also in Los Angeles?”

“Hm?”

“Don’t pretend with me. Otherwise, why would you ask me if I knew a reliable gallery manager?” Ni Youwen sounded smug. “You move pretty fast. From Hawaii to Los Angeles—did you already seal the deal?”

I guess so. But for some reason, Ni Youwen’s frivolous tone made Xing Jun a little unhappy.

“He’s staying at my place now,” Xing Jun said simply.

“Yo, impressive, bro!”

Ni Youwen started talking to himself, saying that since that was the case, why not have dinner together as a foursome. He’d bring Mia, and Xing Jun would bring his “whoever,” very symmetrical. Rationally, Xing Jun felt there was no problem, but when Ni Youwen talked about how much money he spent to get Mia and asked him how much it cost to settle “whoever,” Xing Jun felt a bit displeased again.

For reasons unknown, he didn’t quite like Ni Youwen mentioning Shi Xueqing and Mia symmetrically. Xing Jun pretended to change the subject casually: “Why is it so noisy on your end?”

“Oh, I brought Mia out shopping,” Ni Youwen said. “Wait a sec, let me go swipe my card for her.”

“Why not just get her a supplementary card?” Xing Jun asked.

Ni Youwen, who had been eloquent and excited just moments ago, suddenly laughed a couple of times: “That kind of thing… When I pay for them in person, they know ‘eating someone’s food makes your mouth soft, taking someone’s hand makes your hand soft’ (they feel indebted). They’ll beg and try to please me. Giving a supplementary card is different.”

“What’s different?”

“It’s a matter of freedom. Without the process of begging someone face-to-face, they might think the money is their own.” As Ni Youwen spoke, his tone finally revealed the shrewdness and indifference of a third-generation rich investor hidden under the playboy skin. But soon, he grinned again: “Gotta go, I’m going to pay.”

His frown deepened. Just as Xing Jun was about to hang up, he heard Ni Youwen add: “You didn’t give him a supplementary card just two days after starting the arrangement, did you?”

“Hm?”

“Afraid you haven’t figured out these people’s true nature and just ran off to be someone’s ATM. The first one I dated, I had no experience back then. Guess what? A week after opening the supplementary card, she maxed out the hundred-thousand limit.” Ni Youwen was talking when he shouted to the other end of the phone, “Coming, I’m really coming.”

The phone hung up.

Xing Jun stared at the phone, seeing his own expression turning very ugly on the screen.

Why was it ugly? Was it because work was too tiring, because he knew Shi Xueqing’s true nature, because Ni Youwen acted like he was stupid, or something else?

Or was it because Ni Youwen’s words made him very uncomfortable?

From the invitation for the four of them to eat, to the repeated “these people.”

Unknowingly, Xing Jun sat in the car for another ten minutes. There were new messages in the work group chat, but he didn’t click to check.

Finally, a text message popped up. It was from the Sales Associate at the Hermes store in Hawaii.

The SA discovered Xing Jun was a potential big client and had been very enthusiastic since his purchase, occasionally telling him which bag and which color had arrived in the store. Xing Jun looked at that message for a while and suddenly laughed.

What was he uncomfortable about? Thinking about it now, wasn’t Shi Xueqing also forcibly smashed over by his money?

It was still that saying. One was after wealth, the other after sex; very fair. Why think so much?

Xing Jun felt relieved, started the car, and casually deleted the SA’s text message. Suddenly, he found another text message in his inbox.

Probably sent during the meeting. Buried under other messages, he hadn’t noticed it.

A supplementary card transaction record. Xing Jun’s heart stirred, and he clicked on the message.

After seeing the transaction amount, Xing Jun was stunned.

One hundred dollars.

Apart from that, there were no other transaction records. The text message stopped there, a lonely single line.

Ni Youwen had probably finished paying and started messaging in the small group chat: “Sigh, bought three pairs of shoes. Should have hired a driver to move them.”

Someone teased him: “Miu Miu again?”

Ni Youwen: “A brand I haven’t heard of, pretty expensive.”

A few people chatted idly in the group. No one noticed Xing Jun didn’t reply—Xing Jun never liked chatting idly in groups. Compared to this group of alumni or friends, he was purely career-focused. Sometimes they felt Xing Jun probably didn’t check the group much.

But Xing Jun did check the group messages today; he just didn’t reply to anything.

He drove out of the parking lot, got on the highway, and drove toward Brentwood. The group chat was heated all the way, but Xing Jun was only thinking about one thing.

Shi Xueqing had gone to such lengths to hint for a supplementary card, yet he only spent a hundred dollars. What was it for?

What did he do to spend only a hundred dollars?

He couldn’t have just gone to the supermarket to buy some vegetables and fruits.

Unknowingly, the irritation from listening to Ni Youwen was gone, leaving only curiosity.

The white villa appeared before his eyes. From a distance, Xing Jun, immersed in his thoughts, saw the villa’s windows were lit. He subconsciously became alert, slammed on the brakes, and wanted to call the police.

A moment later, realizing what he had done, Xing Jun laughed dumbly.

How could he forget Shi Xueqing was in the villa?

Now, there was more than just a voice assistant in this white villa.

Xing Jun parked the car in the garage. Instead of taking the small path from the garage into the house, he walked openly through the front door. Thinking about things, his pace was fast, and his hand pushing open the door was also fast.

But when he stepped into the entryway, he paused.

There was a refreshing, clean scent in the villa. The stereo was on, playing jazz music ambiguously.

Every time he came to Los Angeles for business, Xing Jun would rest here. But today, this place seemed to have changed its appearance. He walked into the living room and saw Shi Xueqing sitting on the sofa with his back to him.

Wearing a silk dressing gown.

The blue-gray color was very high-class, setting off his skin as white as jade. At the same time, it didn’t look exaggerated or vulgar; instead, it carried a bit of coolness and aloofness.

Shi Xueqing lowered his head, flipping through a book under the light.

The one he pulled from Xing Jun’s bookshelf yesterday, “The Garden of Forking Paths”.

“You’re back?”

When saying this, Shi Xueqing didn’t even turn his head.

Xing Jun paused, went to the island counter to pour water first. He said as if unintentionally: “What did you do today?”

“Wandered around the nearby supermarket. Bought some things.”

He really went to the supermarket.

Xing Jun drank a mouthful of water and asked casually: “What did you buy?”

Shi Xueqing stood up this time. Xing Jun watched him walk up to him, carrying a bag in his hand.

“Condoms.”

“…”

Shi Xueqing handed the bag to Xing Jun: “Bought with your card.”

He handed over not only the paper bag but also a wrist as white as jade.

Xing Jun’s wrist holding the water cup just froze there.

Shi Xueqing wore nothing under his robe; his calves were straight and beautiful. He looked at Xing Jun with a tranquil expression.

“…Why didn’t you buy something else?”

Xing Jun said slowly.

Shi Xueqing looked innocent, but his voice was slightly husky: “The card you gave me, the first purchase, of course, has to be bought for you.”

“…”

Xing Jun stood there motionless. Although Shi Xueqing was puzzled that he didn’t respond, he also knew that when seducing someone, too much is as bad as not enough.

He put the paper bag on the table and went back to the sofa to read. While reading, he thought Xing Jun’s reaction was a bit different from what he imagined.

Where exactly was it different? He originally thought that after hearing those words, Xing Jun would immediately carry him back to the bedroom, or just start doing it right on the sofa.

He had even specially laid a new blanket on the sofa for this purpose.

Shi Xueqing pretended to continue reading, but actually didn’t absorb a single word. After a while, the spot beside him sank. Shi Xueqing thought, Xing Jun finally came over.

Then he heard Xing Jun say: “Why didn’t you buy more expensive ones?”

Shi Xueqing didn’t react: “How expensive can condoms be?”

No way. Do you rich guys have specialized luxury condoms, like a few hundred dollars each?

But Xing Jun chuckled a few times. Shi Xueqing was feeling baffled when his body was lifted into the air.

Finally being picked up. Pressing against Xing Jun’s body, smelling the familiar scent full of possessiveness on him, Shi Xueqing finally felt like things were back on track.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Take your condoms,” Xing Jun added.

Shi Xueqing was carried by Xing Jun to the island counter to grab the paper bag. As soon as his fingers hooked onto the paper bag, he was carried upstairs by Xing Jun, back to the bedroom.

…So strong. Shi Xueqing thought again on the way. Xing Jun carried him like it was nothing.

As soon as they entered the bedroom, Xing Jun pressed down, pinching Shi Xueqing’s chin on the bed: “Got the card, and the first money was used to buy this kind of thing?”

Shi Xueqing lowered his eyes and didn’t speak, pretending to be shy. It wasn’t until Xing Jun handed him the things in the paper bag that he raised his eyes and gave Xing Jun a drifting glance.

“Bite open the package,” Xing Jun said.

Shi Xueqing obligingly bit it open. Xing Jun took the thing out of the package and added: “You even bought large, studded ones.”

His tone sounded indifferent.

Much later, Shi Xueqing learned that every time Xing Jun used this tone, his butt was going to be in big trouble.

Who understands the weight of a ruthless rich guy suddenly speaking indifferently? That’s the suppressed omen before the Yellowstone volcano erupts.

At this moment, Shi Xueqing didn’t have this self-awareness yet. He said: “I thought you would like it.”

“Is that so?” Xing Jun said. “Then let me see how well you bought.”

He tapped Shi Xueqing’s hand with the box: “Put it on for me.”

Shi Xueqing’s posture was elegant and reserved, but in his heart, he thought, Men know men best.

Open your mind to hook a rich guy, isn’t it a piece of cake?

Much easier than hooking a rich, beautiful girl (“Bai Fu Mei”). Sometimes he felt the rich girls treated him like a bestie. But this rich guy, from beginning to end, had no intention of treating him like a brother.

Maybe his talent really lay in extracting gold coins from rich guys. Shi Xueqing lay in bed thinking so.

As a result, Xing Jun grabbed his chin again: “Still distracted now?”

Shi Xueqing smiled again: “Don’t let me continue to be distracted then.”

The depths of the rich guy’s eyes darkened a bit more, but the corners of his lips hooked up.

Shi Xueqing saw Xing Jun smile like this in bed for the first time, stunned for a moment, and then began to feel smug again.

He felt his idea of buying condoms was simply too good. The rich guy asked him all day in bed if it felt good or if he liked it, showing how much he cared about this kind of thing.

Now he had to fiercely satisfy the rich guy’s male competitiveness.

Shi Xueqing intended to act the part to the end, his eyes filled with deliberately crafted shimmering waves, looking very expectant. But Xing Jun’s next sentence made him freeze.

“Next time buy something expensive, don’t save money for me. People who don’t know might think I went bankrupt. I’ll give you more credit limit.”

?

Shi Xueqing was stunned at first, then delighted in his heart.

This move of his was indeed correct!

Affirmation of masculinity was indeed the most important thing to a rich guy!

While Xing Jun looked at Shi Xueqing’s momentarily blank face, he just found it funny. He patted Shi Xueqing’s face with his hand, but a secret corner in his heart was speaking.

Shi Xueqing really was different from Ni Youwen’s pile of fallacies.

——Even if it was an act.

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