CH 32

Life is an unfinished script.

Every paragraph, every plot, contained different choices and so many different scenes were played out on stage. Just like a person could never know what the next piece of chocolate in a box would taste like, a person could never predict the next scene. 

No one knew who would be the protagonist and who would be the cannon fodder, left behind all alone. 

Luo Qin once thought that he and Qiao Ruxu were inevitable. But looking at the pair of rings in that little black box, so full of unsaid meaning, what came to Luo Qin’s mind was Lin Zhixia’s face. 

Bight, gentle and beautiful. Lin Zhixia was as comforting as sunlight on an autumn day. He seemed as if he had been born with magic powers. In the face of any adversity, Lin Zhixia didn’t lash out with anger and rage but stayed calm and steady, able to withstand any hardship. In the face of such outward calm and peace, Luo Qin couldn’t help but feel the pain and anger for him. 

“I have someone I like,” Luo Qin pushed the pair of rings towards Qiao Ruxu again, his voice calm and cold, “I can’t accept this.”

Qiao Ruxu’s face filled with anger. He couldn’t stand such a roadblock. Before coming today, he’d imagined so many ways of this confession going and never once had it ended like this. 

“Luo Qin, do you realize what you’re doing?”

Luo Qin frowned, annoyed, “Of course, I know. I’m completely serious.”

Qiao Ruxu lowered his head and murmured, “Is it because of Lin Zhixia?” 

Luo Qin said nothing. 

Qiao Ruxu took his silence as a confirmation. He raised his head, showing a distraught expression, “Luo Qin, today you’ve made me feel angry and humiliated. How could I lose to someone like him?”

“Ruxu, there have always been other problems in the way of being together. You know that just as well as I do.”

Luo Qin’s eyes were cold as they looked at Qiao Ruxu, “Don’t blame Lin Zhixia as the reason we are not a couple. I also feel angry that you would insult him like that.”

Listening to Luo Qin’s words, the light in Qiao Ruxu’s eyes went out.

Yesterday, when Qiao Ruxu had heard Qiao Mei talk about the way Luo Qin treated Lin Zhixia, about how considerate and protective he’d acted, Qiao Ruxu had assumed it was an exaggeration. Qiao Mei loved to exaggerate gossip, always happy to add fuel to the fire. 

So even though Qiao Ruxu had felt a brief moment of crisis, he knew that he had a higher position in Luo Qin’s heart than Lin Zhixia ever could. After all, Lin Zhixia had been driven from Luo Qin’s house four years ago. And Qiao Ruxu was superior to Lin Zhixia in every way imaginable. 

But today, Luo Qin had slapped Qiao Ruxu’s face so severely. 

It shouldn’t be like this!

Qiao Ruxu’s elegant disguise started to crumble. 

“Luo Qin, have you forgotten what he did before? If it hadn’t been for Lin Zhixia’s actions, you and I would have been together long ago…”

“Qiao Ruxu! I’m beginning to regret coming here today.”

Luo Qin put down his silverware and nodded firmly, “I’m sorry but I have something else to do today. I’ll be leaving first.”

Luo Qin stood quickly to leave and at that moment, a flash of light went off in his peripheral vision, making him blink rapidly. But when he glanced at the corner where the light had come from, the place was empty. 

Luo Qin’s heart filled with dread. 

He kept thinking about that flash of light as he drove home. He had a suspicion in his heart and at first, he felt that his theory was too far-fetched. But the more he thought about it, the more he believed his theory was right. 

As he drove, fresh gossip was brewing. 

Luo Qin was not an entertainment star but he was still a renowned man of business who was backed by generational wealth and a reputation as mighty as the mountains. He’d always been a hot topic in Tongcheng. 

And because Luo Qin’s appearance was so superior, he even had a group of fans who worshiped him like an idol. His life and achievements were constantly in the news and fresh gossip of Luo Qin always made a splash. 

Luo Qin’s cell phone kept ringing but the caller ID showed many insignificant people trying to contact him. He quickly grew impatient. Seeing the name Qi Mingyuan light up the screen, Luo Qin finally picked up. 

“Brother Luo, what’s going on? You suddenly proposed to Qiao Ruxu? What about Brother Zhixia?”

Luo Qin was stunned. 

“What proposal? What are you talking about?”

“That’s what the news is saying. Listen, I’ll read it for you, ‘Luo Qin, a famous business man, has his lover exposed! After years of a long distance relationship, XX Entertainment was front row to the proposal scene!’”

“There are close up photos of the two of you and a ring! Isn’t this a proposal?”

Luo Qin felt a headache forming. 

His first thought wasn’t about whether Qiao Ruxu had hired someone to do this or if it was a coincidence that the paparazzi happened to be at the restaurant. 

The only thing he could think was; I hope Lin Zhixia doesn’t see this. 

“Qiao Qi, help me contact the PR department. Remove all of this from the news, immediately.”

“Okay!” Qi Mingyuan realized Luo Qin’s intention in a flash. He breathed a sigh of relief. “I understand. Brother, you must have been framed by someone. It’s so obvious that you have feelings for Brother Zhixia!”

Luo Qin didn’t acknowledge Qi Mingyuan’s nonsense and hung up the phone. 

He stepped on the accelerator and drove faster. 

Luo Qin was still out when Lin Zhixia got home. Sister Li cooked glutinous rice balls for them and then Lin Zhixia took Lin Keai to the living room to play. 

“Dad, Xiao Xun only got one little red flower today. He was sad so I gave him the super delicious chocolate balls that Uncle Luo bought for me.”

“Good boy,” Lin Zhixia blew on the rice ball and then fed it to Xiao Ai. “It’s great that Xiao Ai can comfort other children.”

Sister Li sat next to the little guy and asked, “How many red flowers did Keai get?”

Lin Keai spread his arms out, “I didn’t get any.”

After he finished speaking, Xiao Ai swallowed the rice ball, looking happy beyond words. He hadn’t even gotten a single red flower but was still comforting others. Sister Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She looked at Lin Zhixia and he smiled at her, saying nothing. 

The rice balls were quickly eaten and Lin Keai felt sleepy after eating, so Lin Zhixia took him upstairs to wash up and sleep. Lin Keai’s eyelids kept drooping as he brushed his teeth and he fell asleep on Lin Zhixia’s shoulder. 

When Luo Qin returned home, the first thing he did was seek out Lin Zhixia. 

He hurriedly ran to the second floor but then found himself hesitating outside of Lin Zhixia’s door. 

He didn’t know what to say and he dreaded Lin Zhixia’s reaction if he knew about the gossip. 

As Luo Qin hesitated, the door in front of him suddenly opened from the inside. 

Lin Zhixia had just finished taking a bath and his whole body looked fresh and tender. As soon as he opened the door, he came face to face with Luo Qin. Startled, he took a step back. 

After a moment, Lin Zhixia recovered and said softly, “You’re back.”

At the sound of his soft greeting, Luo Qin’s nerves were instantly soothed. 

Lin Zhixia moved to the side so that Luo Qin could see Lin Keai in his tiny bed. “Xiao Ai is asleep.”

Luo Qin kept gazing at Lin Zhixia, searching his face carefully. His expression gradually started to relax. It looked like Lin Zhixia hadn’t heard about the news. 

That was very good. 

But Luo Qin was naturally a cautious man so there was still a trace of concern in his heart. He carefully asked, “Zhixia, have you seen any news about…”

Lin Zhixia paused and then asked, “Oh, you mean about you and Mr. Qiao?”

Luo Qin’s heart sank. 

“I did,” Lin Zhixia smiled slightly, “Congratulations.” 

Qin Zhe happened to be at the restaurant that night and he’d shown Lin Zhixia the news as soon as it hit. 

In fact, when Lin Zhixia had seen the news, he unexpectedly felt a moment of disappointment. But after a few moments, that feeling disappeared. 

It was as if the thick fog hovering in front of his eyes these days had finally dissipated. 

This was the way it should be. This was the plot of the novel. 

Although Luo Qin and Qiao Ruxu took many detours in life, the real ending of the novel was inevitable. 

Luo Qin looked at Lin Zhixia in silence. His eyes were dark, as if obscured by a thick cloud of ink. 

He’d been so worried that Lin Zhixia had seen the news that he’d rushed back home. He was afraid that Lin Zhixia would misunderstand the situation and be unhappy because of that. 

But now Luo Qin saw that Lin Zhixia already knew about it and didn’t even care. He felt very uncomfortable. 

“Zhixia,” he said with difficulty, “that’s all you have to say?”

Luo Qin’s feeling of depression and loss was clearly expressed on his face. Normally, Luo Qin’s bearing was noble and dignified but now he looked despondent. Lin Zhixia stared blankly at Luo Qin’s sudden transformation. 

“I wish blessings for the both of you. Since you have confirmed your relationship with Mr. Qiao, I don’t think it’s appropriate for Xiao Ai and I to live here like this. We’ll move back in a few days.”

After Lin Zhixa finished speaking, he felt a sense of relief. 

Luo Qin didn’t say a word, still looking at Lin Zhixia with that strange look on his face. Lin Zhixia felt a weird pressure on his chest and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Zhixia, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time but I know that I’ve hurt you and that you don’t trust me anymore. I know I have no right to talk about these things but…I feel that if I don’t tell you, you will move further and further away from me.”

Luo Qin gently pulled Lin Zhixia from the room and into the hallway, closing the door behind him. The hallway was dark, lit by only two dim lights, casting a yellow glow over the long, narrow space. The atmosphere between them became ambiguous. 

Luo Qin’s face was close to Lin Zhixia’s and he was still gently grasping Lin Zhixia’s arm. Luo Qin wasn’t using much strength to hold onto Lin Zhixia but he still felt trapped, unable to move away. 

Lin Zhixia subconsciously looked down at Luo Qin’s hand that was touching him. 

There was a scar there that would never fade. One that Luo Qin had received while protecting Lin Zhixia at the incident in the restaurant. 

Lin Zhixia sighed in his mind and looked back up at Luo Qin. The man’s face seemed as if it were covered by a dark veil, the dim lighting casting shadows over it. But Luo Qin’s eyes could be seen clearly, breaking through the misty gauze to gaze straight into Lin Zhixia’s soul. 

The atmosphere felt unusual and Lin Zhixia’s heart was pounding but he had nowhere to escape to. 

Luo Qin spoke, his voice and harsh breathing spreading towards Lin Zhixia, as if to cover him in a dense net. 

“I didn’t propose to Qiao Ruxu. Those pictures were just us talking in a restaurant. I didn’t buy that ring and I didn’t accept it.”

Lin Zhixia let out an absent minded, “Um…” His eyes darted around. 

He didn’t understand why Luo Qin was telling him this and he was confused by the tense atmosphere between them. 

He felt awkward and unable to break the silence. His whole face reflected the question mark in his mind. 

Luo Qin had been originally stimulated by Lin Zhixia’s indifference but as he watched Lin Zhixia dart his eyes around, trying to cover up his obvious panic, Luo Qin thought he looked very cute. 

Lin Zhixia was very cute and Luo Qin didn’t deserve him. 

But even still, he couldn’t suppress his feelings any more. 

“I told him that I already have someone I like.”

Lin Zhixia picked up on the foreshadowing hidden in Luo Qin’s words. He suddenly raised his head to look straight at Luo Qin. 

He saw that Luo Qin’s expression was gloomy and his eyes looked hopeless. But Luo Qin still smiled down at him, his lips parting as he said in a low, intimate voice, “I like you, Lin Zhixia.”