GDRG CH14

Chapter 14: The Ruthless Rich Man’s New Sinister Plot

With the trip to Hawaii imminent, Shi Xueqing was determined to leave the best impression on Xing Wei and began to make various preparations in earnest.

First was his long hair. Shi Xueqing’s clavicle-length hair, which he had been growing for a month, had now reached his chest. He spent three days grooming it to be glossy and full, silky and smooth, carefully selecting a few strands of bangs to hang down. He also tied a small portion of his hair at the back of his head, letting the rest fall over his body, striving to create a sense of carefully managed messiness, like a postmodernist’s unruliness.

Secondly, while packing several sets of clothes into his 29-inch suitcase, he also included a copy of “Difference and Repetition” that he had bought from Amazon, to carry in his shoulder bag for reading at all times. He would claim that he had bought the English version to better understand its original main ideas, pretending to ignore the fact that the author, Deleuze, was French.

Fortunately, the second English book he packed, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” made up for this. Shi Xueqing decided to give it to Xing Wei as a gift, perhaps on an evening with a moon and a view of an abandoned railway track. Oahu in Hawaii not only had the abandoned railway tracks that文艺青年 (literary youths) loved, but this time, the book’s Robert was indeed an English-speaking American.

Finally, he had also been trying to help Xing Wei plan the trip to Hawaii. However, he was quickly defeated in the group chat.

Compared to the experienced travelers Xing Wei and Lü Yimeng, he really wasn’t the type for planning. What’s more, this time a very lively and unfamiliar boy had joined the group. He was very familiar with Hawaii, knew where to skydive and where to dive like the back of his hand, and even said he had flown a glider in Hawaii.

He sounded like a rich young master too, a stark contrast to the financially cut-off Shi Xueqing.

You know Hawaii so well, is your last name Kudo?

After two of his ideas were rejected, Shi Xueqing stopped talking. The benefits of his literary youth persona were fully demonstrated at this moment. His silence would only be interpreted as artistic aloofness, not the embarrassment of feeling “shallow” or even anger.

Shi Xueqing only shared a song with less than 999 likes on his social media and then put his phone down. It was Monday. He had worked two ten-hour shifts at the library over the weekend and had worked another ten hours today. Eiffer came in from outside with a coffee cup, saw his pale face, and went out. A moment later, he came back and handed Shi Xueqing another bag of cookies.

“Cyan, it’s very normal for students to want to go out and have fun during the holidays. You can totally ask me for leave to go play next week. You don’t need to apply to me and make up the work time over two weekends,” Eiffer said with affection. “You are really too responsible.”

Of course, Shi Xueqing wasn’t doing it for responsibility, but for the thousand dollars in wages. But he said, “Mr. Eiffer, what keeps me here on weekends is not a sense of responsibility, but a love for it.”

Old American men who grew up in the golden age were easy to fool. Before leaving work, Shi Xueqing happily received two large bags of sugar and oil mixture from Eiffer. Eiffer instructed him, “Eat more, Cyan. My wife saw you a few days ago and joked that if you get any thinner, she’ll really want to invite you to our house for dinner every day.”

Shi Xueqing smiled shyly. On the way back to his apartment, he decided to put the two bags of things in the freezer.

Next week was the decisive moment. He had to control his sugar and oil intake, and also use conditioner to control the split ends of his long hair. He decided to just have a glass of milk at home tonight.

As it turned out, while buying milk, Shi Xueqing bumped into Xing Wei’s bespectacled best friend, Tao Shu, at the supermarket. Even more unexpectedly, Tao Shu actually took the initiative to greet him.

Compared to Lü Yimeng, Shi Xueqing and Tao Shu had never been very close. Tao Shu didn’t like to fly around and preferred to stay in her apartment playing single-player games. According to Xing Wei, she also read some detective novels. Shi Xueqing wasn’t quite sure how to get along with this kind of girl.

Fortunately, Shi Xueqing still had some emotional intelligence. He made some light conversation based on what they were buying at the supermarket to ease the atmosphere, then mentioned the trip the day after tomorrow. Tao Shu then spoke up, “Speaking of the trip, don’t mind him too much. Jason isn’t very careful with his words.”

Jesen? After remembering Xing Jun’s English name, Shi Xueqing was stunned for a moment before realizing that Tao Shu was talking about Jason, the boy who had been talking about gliding and diving in the group chat in the afternoon.

“I don’t mind those things,” Shi Xueqing brushed the topic aside lightly, then said, “Xing Wei is in a bad mood because of her brother, and she has to work hard to plan the trip. I want to help out more and lighten her burden.”

“Yes, you really think so,” Tao Shu nodded. “And thank you for that.”

At this point, a thought struck Shi Xueqing. He thought of the biggest potential source of unease for the trip. He put the pear in his hand back and pretended to continue choosing, while saying, “Lately, how has Xing Wei’s relationship with her brother been?”

“Hmm?”

“I heard from Xing Wei that they had a fight. She’s been in a pretty bad mood. It would be great if they’ve already made up. Otherwise, Xing Wei will be unhappy when she goes to Hawaii.” Shi Xueqing frowned, pretending to be genuinely concerned.

He was indeed concerned, but not in a good way.

“Weiwei is quite angry. It’s like a new and old grudge has erupted. She has no intention of making up with her brother. She said that since she was in middle school, her brother has been busy fighting for the family inheritance and only ever gives her money. Now that she’s grown up, he comes and bosses her around.”

“Oh.” Shi Xueqing nodded, feigning sorrow.

He waved goodbye to Tao Shu. Xing Wei was still fighting with Xing Jun. The potential danger was removed. He felt much more relaxed, and his steps back to the apartment were light. He even felt like humming a song.

But as he walked, his steps slowed down.

Because he was looking at the front yard of a house.

It wasn’t because the front yard of this house was particularly luxurious. Shi Xueqing often passed by this house when he went to the supermarket to buy things and walked back to his apartment. The owner of the house also knew him. She had previously said that her friend’s cat had a litter of kittens, so she had taken two back to raise. The older one was an orange cat, the brother, and the younger one was a calico, the sister.

On the lawn, the two cats were snuggled together, napping. The orange cat was grooming the calico. The brother and sister kittens were fluffy and very close.

Although Xing Jun and Xing Wei had never spoken in detail about their family situation, from their snippets of conversation, Shi Xueqing could roughly tell that their family members were not very good. For example, Xing Jun not only had to fight for the family inheritance, but he also had to take on the role of a parent and give his sister money.

In addition, Xing Jun was also poor at communicating with his family, and his domineering ways angered them.

Actually, to have a brother who would give you money should be quite fortunate. Shi Xueqing thought that if it were him, he wouldn’t fight with Xing Jun. Whatever Xing Jun said, he would pretend to have heard it and just act obediently on the surface while doing his own thing behind his back. Anyway, Xing Jun couldn’t possibly watch him all the time.

Of course, Shi Xueqing also knew that this was only for him, who loved money. Xing Wei might have more spiritual needs.

But at this moment, more than envying Xing Wei and wanting a brother who would give him money regardless of the family situation, he wanted to be a brother like Xing Jun.

The reason was simple.

He really had a sister.

His sister was in a boarding school in China. He didn’t know if all the classmates around her were good people.

His fingers suddenly loosened, and the few pears in his pocket rolled all over the floor. Shi Xueqing scrambled to pick up the pears, thinking speechlessly that for a moment just now, he had actually empathized with Xing Jun.

What was there to empathize about?

His situation was different from Xing Jun’s. Besides, he had a pile of his own problems to deal with. Where did he find the time for such sentimentality?

And Xing Jun drove a Ferrari, while he had such a hard time making money.

Shi Xueqing went back and had a glass of milk for dinner. After dinner, he started to repeatedly pack his luggage for the trip the day after tomorrow, checking all his preparations.

As he was checking, he unknowingly thought of Xing Jun again. Sweat beads suddenly appeared on the arm that was tying up the suitcase, as if he were still in the movie theater, being held by Xing Jun’s large hand.

Shi Xueqing: …It must be because Xing Jun is too scary. No, he’s too detestable.

Xing Jun spoke ill of him and tested him. In addition, Xing Jun was a ruthless rich man who had successfully fought for the family inheritance, could afford a Ferrari, and could stay in a presidential suite. He had to be careful.

Fortunately, Xing Jun was still fighting with Xing Wei. This trip would be free of Xing Jun’s lingering ghost.

Thinking of this, Shi Xueqing became happy again. The day of departure was the day after tomorrow. With endless hope and fantasy, he fell asleep on his full-size bed.

The moonlight shone through the curtains, illuminating the floor and his mattress.

The floor was a mess of clutter. On the bed, he was a lonely figure.

…

After returning to her apartment, Tao Shu was a little conflicted. She didn’t even play her single-player game, just sat on the sofa, seemingly pondering something. But she quickly got over it and went back to playing her game.

Halfway through the game, she surprisingly received a message from Xing Jun on WeChat: “Classmate Tao Shu, are you there?”

As Xing Wei’s best friend, Xing Jun had of course added her on WeChat, so she could be Xing Wei’s emergency contact in M City. Tao Shu paused the game and replied slowly, “What’s up?”

Xing Jun: “Nothing, just that Xing Wei blocked me. I wanted to know how she’s been feeling lately, and I saw on her Instagram that she seems to be going on a trip to Hawaii?”

Shi Xueqing’s face appeared in Tao Shu’s mind again, along with the subtle expression that he had inadvertently revealed after thinking that Xing Jun would definitely not appear recently, despite trying to hide it.

She pondered for a while longer, then replied slowly, “I’m her best friend. I can’t talk about these things behind her back. You should go ask her yourself.”

Xing Jun: “She’s not replying to my messages.”

Tao Shu looked at the paused game screen and typed another sentence: “Or you can ask other classmates.”

She added another sentence: “For example, Shi Xueqing. I feel like you two are quite close. He also asked me recently about you and Xing Wei’s fight.”

The “typing…” indicator showed on Xing Jun’s side for a long time. In the end, Xing Jun only replied with four words.

“Thank you.”

The conversation ended. Tao Shu sat on the sofa for a while longer, frowning at those four words, feeling a sense of conflict, not knowing whether she had done a good thing or something that pricked her conscience.

In the end, she decided not to think about these things and went back to her game.

Xing Jun, on the other hand, was holding his phone at this moment. He thought for a while, then directly called Xing Wei.

After three calls, Xing Wei finally answered.

The TV was blaring on Xing Wei’s end. She shouted, “Is there anything urgent? If there’s nothing urgent, I’m hanging up!”

“I thought about what happened a while ago, and it was my fault.”

Xing Jun said.

One sentence made Xing Wei’s eyes widen. “Has the sun risen from the west? You can apologize?”

“I was a bit in the wrong.” When he had a goal, Xing Jun was calm, strategic, and very articulate. “One gets flustered when one cares.”

“More than a bit!” Xing Wei grumbled, but her tone had softened.

Xing Jun looked at the two-thousand-dollar commemorative statue in the corner of the living room. He verbally promised Xing Wei the right to go abroad to chase her idols and shop randomly for the next few times this year. Finally, seeing that his sister had been placated, he took a roundabout way and said, “I saw on your Instagram that you’re going to Hawaii this week?”

Xing Wei was very sensitive. “What’s wrong? Are you going to boss me around again? Do you have an opinion on which companions I’m bringing?”

“Of course not.”

Xing Wei: “I don’t believe you. Shi Xueqing is going too. Let me tell you, you better not say bad things about him.”

A vein popped on Xing Jun’s forehead. What kind of love potion had Shi Xueqing given Xing Wei?

He viciously thought that Shi Xueqing deserved to be fucked even more.

“I didn’t intend to say bad things about him.”

“You definitely did!”

“I really didn’t… It’s great that he’s going. The more people, the more fun you’ll have, and the more at ease I’ll be.” Xing Jun tried hard to feign calmness. “I was just thinking that since you decided on the spur of the moment, I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to book tickets. What are you guys planning to do? It’s so soon, have all the activities been booked?”

Xing Wei: …

There were indeed a few that couldn’t be booked. She was a student after all, and she didn’t know many people locally. Even with money, it was useless.

“How about I book them for you?” Xing Jun said like a good brother who had learned his lesson, his fingers clutching the table. “As it happens, I was thinking of going to Hawaii too.”

“Really?!” Xing Wei’s voice was full of surprise and delight. “Brother, you’re the best! There are six of us going in total…”

“It’s okay, I’ll pay for everything. Consider it my apology to you.”

“Oh my god! How can I have such a good brother!” Xing Wei screamed with joy.

Xing Jun smiled slightly. Being praised by his sister, his smile showed no joy, the slight curve of his lips only revealing darkness and danger.

On the coffee table in front of him, a statue and a candle were placed together in the shadows of the living room, along with a sticky note on top.

Crinkled, with Shi Xueqing’s handwriting.

“Thank you for your purchase.”

“—Cyan”

“By the way,” Xing Jun said at the end of the conversation, “you don’t need to add me to your group chat. I also have to take a few days in Hawaii to meet an old classmate alone. I won’t be hanging out with you guys every day.”

“Oh, which old classmate?” Xing Wei stopped the idea of adding Xing Jun to the group chat.

The one I met at your school.

A scheming green tea, sowing discord, yet still pretending to be nonchalant, gentle, and beautiful.

Wait for your revenge, Shi Xueqing, Xing Jun thought.

This kind of person should have their mask torn off, their methods exposed, so they can no longer pretend in front of everyone.

This kind of person should know… that there are some people he cannot easily offend and provoke.

Once he offends them, he won’t be able to escape even if he begs for mercy.

In the moonlight of M City, Shi Xueqing, in his deep sleep, suddenly felt an itch in his nose and let out an unforgettable sneeze.

A beautiful journey was imminent, yet he had a sense of unease in his dreams.

It was as if he had been targeted by a large, vengeful beast.