Bai Shuijin looked at the highly confident master and knew he was quite capable.
If Wang Huanxiu’s resentment was too strong and the master really took action, laogong-ge would be gone for good.
He will protect his lover!
Bai Shuijin tried to divert the master. “Master, you must be tired from the bumpy journey. We haven’t decided whether to summon the spirit yet. Why don’t you rest first and get a bottle of glucose from the counter over there?”
Master: “…”
The sixth floor was reserved for Wang Huanxiu, and they were the only ones on this level besides medical staff.
Wang Zhenzhu followed the master as he left.
Wang Muguang noticed. “Little Sister, where are you going?”
Wang Zhenzhu, physically and mentally exhausted, said, “I’m also going to get a bottle of glucose.”
“…”
Both siblings looked much more haggard after just one day, not much better off than Bai Shuijin.
Wang Zhenzhu was especially immersed in the grief of losing her brother.
Wang Muguang pulled Bai Shuijin aside. “Why won’t you let the master perform the summoning?”
“What if he really summons laogong-ge back and then eliminates him?”
Wang Muguang: “We can just choke him then, right?”
Bai Shuijin: “Are you sure you can choke him? What if he pulls out some magical tool? How will you block it?”
Wang Muguang’s pale face showed terror. “He might even capture me along with him.”
Bai Shuijin: ?
Wang Muguang touched his own face. “I’m essentially like a demon spirit in the human world.”
“…”
Bai Shuijin didn’t directly tell Wang Muguang that Wang Huanxiu had returned, afraid that the master might have some extraordinary ability and actually hear it.
Wang Muguang lowered his head in defeat again, his eyes bloodshot. Bai Shuijin had never seen him with a stubble before. In just one day, Wang Muguang’s eye sockets were sunken, a stubble had appeared, and his previously dashing appearance was gone.
“Bai Shuijin, I miss my brother.” Wang Muguang sat on the floor tiles in the corridor. “It’s only been a day since my brother left.”
Bai Shuijin felt uncomfortable again. Even if the ghost had returned, it didn’t change the fact that Wang Huanxiu was dead. The thought that Wang Huanxiu’s body was gone without a trace, and that even the recovered remains were charred, made his heart ache sharply, as if blades were scraping inside. He had suffered so much before death, without even the dignity of a proper departure.
He sat beside Wang Muguang without a word.
The weight of losing a loved one hung over everyone’s heads.
That night, Wang Muguang and Wang Zhenzhu slept in an empty rest room, while the master was arranged to stay in a hotel outside.
As soon as the master left, Bai Shuijin rushed like the wind back to the hospital room where Wang Huanxiu was.
When he opened the restroom, he found the other party still standing inside.
Bai Shuijin’s clenched heart loosened a little, allowing him to catch his breath.
He quickly walked to Wang Huanxiu’s side and hugged him again, hanging his whole body on him.
“Laogong-ge, how many days can you stay here?”
If only he could stay every day.
He pressed his cheek against Wang Huanxiu’s neck, feeling his body temperature.
He wished time could freeze at this moment, so Wang Huanxiu would never leave.
Thump! Thump!
He felt a pulsating sensation at his temple.
Bai Shuijin opened his eyes in confusion.
Earlier, he had been crying too hard and was too excited upon seeing Wang Huanxiu. Now, with a clearer head, he realized: why did the other party still have body temperature?
Not only did he have body temperature, but he also felt the strong, powerful pulse beating under the skin of the man’s neck.
Bai Shuijin blinked and pressed his face against it again.
Yes, it was beating. At the location of the carotid artery, where one typically checks for a pulse to confirm if someone is alive.
He looked up. “Laogong-ge, why do you still have a heartbeat?”
Wang Huanxiu stroked the hair on his forehead and finally explained what he hadn’t been able to say earlier. “Because I didn’t actually die. Everything was fake.”
“What do you mean?”
Wang Huanxiu: “I never boarded the plane. The remains on the bed outside aren’t mine. They were fabricated to imitate me.”
Never boarded the plane. Never died.
Bai Shuijin’s mind went blank. His facial expressions began to war with each other, unsure whether to cry or laugh.
He slowly loosened his arms from around Wang Huanxiu’s neck.
The other party’s blinking eyes, rising and falling breath, and the sound from his throat all testified that everything that had happened today was fake.
Wang Huanxiu wasn’t dead at all. He had been deceiving him, Wang Muguang, and Wang Zhenzhu all day.
The three of them were in despair upon learning of Wang Huanxiu’s plane crash and crying until their hearts felt broken.
Yet…Wang Huanxiu had never even boarded the plane.
No wonder he had smelled something like burnt plastic when he touched the fake remains.
Wang Huanxiu looked at his red and swollen eyes, and knew that he had cried again after leaving earlier. He wanted to fetch a cold cloth to soothe them, but just as the towel was about to be applied, it was slapped away.
Not only was the towel slapped away, but a hand also rose and slapped him across the face.
Wang Huanxiu’s face turned to the side. A clear, five-fingered palm print instantly appeared on his handsome face.
Bai Shuijin’s chest heaved up and down like an angry leopard. “Why did you do this!”
“Do you… do you know how hard Little Uncle and Zhenzhu cried? Their eyes are almost swollen shut!” Bai Shuijin was so angry he began to stutter, pounding Wang Huanxiu wildly with his fists. “What could possibly justify using life and death as a joke? Everyone outside says you’re dead! I thought you were dead too! How could you scare people like this!”
Bai Shuijin broke down into loud sobs. The collapse and despair of the day erupted completely at this moment. “I hate you! I thought you were dead! I thought we would never see each other again!!!”
Wang Huanxiu looked at the person crying uncontrollably, his eyes filled with heartache and self-blame. He wanted to pull him over for a hug, but Bai Shuijin dodged left and right, remarkably agile.
He didn’t know what plans Wang Huanxiu had, nor what difficulties he might be hiding. When he received the news, all he knew was that his lover was dead, without even a whole body left. He had cried until his mind went numb.
It turns out it was all fake.
He should be happy. He was happy. Wang Huanxiu wasn’t dead. Nothing could be better than this. Regaining something lost was the most wonderful feeling in the world.
Bai Shuijin just never expected that Wang Huanxiu would deceive him, and deceive Wang Muguang and Wang Zhenzhu along with him.
His anger erupted like a volcano, and his head spun with fury. He opened the door to leave but was stopped by a hand grasping his arm.
“Where are you going?”
Bai Shuijin slapped his hand away. “To tell Little Uncle and Zhenzhu.”
He couldn’t keep the two in the dark forever. After learning of Wang Huanxiu’s accident, they refused food and drink, rushing back overnight with the master to summon his spirit.
In the early hours of the morning, Wang Muguang was dragged out of bed by Bai Shuijin. He was extremely sleepy, having finally managed to fall asleep, and now, being awakened, he felt completely lifeless.
“I feel like I’m going to join my brother.”
Bai Shuijin pulled him toward the hospital room. “Your brother doesn’t need your company.”
Then he went to knock on Wang Zhenzhu’s door.
Ten minutes later, the two of them stared blankly at Wang Huanxiu standing in the restroom.
Wang Muguang: “…”
Wang Muguang looked at the ceiling, the floor tiles, and then at Bai Shuijin. “Did you summon him back?”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
After some explanation, Wang Muguang and Wang Zhenzhu finally realized that Wang Huanxiu was not dead.
They both rushed over, hugging Wang Huanxiu and crying uncontrollably. Wang Zhenzhu understood that Wang Huanxiu must have had his reasons for doing this, but Wang Muguang’s thought process was different.
He rolled up his sleeves. He knew this was the first and likely only time in his life he would have a chance to lecture Wang Huanxiu.
“Big Brother, I feel nothing but contempt for your behavior of stopping at nothing to achieve your goals!”
He raised his fist, eager to strike. He punched Wang Huanxiu’s shoulder so hard that his hand bones hurt from the impact, but the other party showed no reaction.
The news of Wang Huanxiu’s death was reported, and the Wang family began preparing his funeral.
Although Wang Muguang was usually a bit foolish, he understood this was a dirty and ruthless business war. When people came to see him, he would burst into tears within five seconds.
After crying three times in one day, Wang Muguang’s tears ran dry. The director would never have to worry about his crying scenes NG-ing again. Wang Zhenzhu was smarter than him and more direct in her approach. She publicly claimed she was too grief-stricken and was bedridden with illness.
Even if someone came to visit, she could use feeling unwell as a reason to decline.
It was much easier than Wang Muguang’s time-consuming and effort-consuming method.
And Bai Shuijin spent every night lingering in bars, drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
The driver waited at the bar entrance. It was almost 2 a.m., so he went in to find Bai Shuijin.
Since the master’s passing, Young Master Bai has come here almost every day. Sometimes he didn’t drink, sometimes he got completely drunk.
When the driver found him, Bai Shuijin was sitting with a waiter playing Forest Ice and Fire.
Alcohol made his face flush, and large areas from his face to his neck were red.
“Young Master Bai, it’s late. Let’s go back.”
The character Bai Shuijin was controlling suddenly fell into a poisonous pool and died. Since he lost, he might as well go back.
He stood up indifferently, stretched lazily, and followed the driver.
They did not go home. Since the master passed away, Bai Shuijin had moved out.
He also never mentioned anything about Wang Huanxiu again, as if this person had never existed in the world.
To anyone looking, it seemed he didn’t want to stay in that place of sadness, where every place stirred memories.
After all, before the master’s death, the two had such a good relationship. Now that the person was gone, it only brought torment to Young Master Bai.
The driver looked at Bai Shuijin slumped in the back seat and advised kindly, “Young Master Bai, drink less in the future. The master wouldn’t want to see you like this from heaven.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
No, he wouldn’t want to see it from earth either.
But because of Wang Huanxiu’s deception, Bai Shuijin had been holding onto his anger. He went to bars to drown his sorrows but never drank much each time, just one or two glasses. It was just that his face turned red easily from alcohol, and with a bit of acting, everyone thought he was drunk.
In fact, he wasn’t drunk at all.
Returning to the apartment he had recently rented, Bai Shuijin changed his shoes and walked inside.
Only after ensuring the person entering was Bai Shuijin did Wang Huanxiu come out of the room. Looking at the drunken Bai Shuijin, he appeared like a resentful husband hidden in the boudoir, and his eyes were gloomy.
Wang Huanxiu had not gone out for two weeks, and has been staying here all along. Before everything was concluded, he was still in a state of death and could not appear in the public eye.
As a result, he could only stay at home every day, unable to do anything. He couldn’t stop Bai Shuijin from going to bars either, as the other party was still giving him the cold shoulder.
Bai Shuijin stretched lazily, walked to him with a red face, and stared at him with watery eyes. “Not asleep yet?”
Wang Huanxiu smelled the fruit wine scent on him and asked, “How could I sleep when you’re not back?”
Bai Shuijin pouted. “We don’t even sleep together.”
Since moving here, the two had not slept in the same room, let alone had any intimate contact.
Wang Huanxiu was unwilling but couldn’t say much, as he was the one at fault.
Bai Shuijin moved closer to him and stood on tiptoe, his breath spraying onto his face. This was the closest they had been in two weeks.
Wang Huanxiu hungrily wrapped his arms around his waist and lowered his head to kiss him, but Bai Shuijin turned his face away. “Mmm… no.”
His refusal carried a strong nasal tone, making Wang Huanxiu hard and aching.
It had been half a month. Half a month without even a single kiss.
“Why not?” he asked softly.
“Because I don’t want to let you kiss me.”
Bai Shuijin answered bluntly and distanced himself from him. Wang Huanxiu followed behind him, but was stopped outside the door when he tried to enter the room.
“You can’t come in here.”
The man endured until the veins on his forehead bulged. “We haven’t rested together for half a month.”
Bai Shuijin calculated; it had been quite a while. Actually, he also wanted to be close to him, but he felt that forgiving Wang Huanxiu so easily would let him off too cheaply.
He closed the door, then opened it again after a few minutes.
“Go take care of yourself.”
Bai Shuijin threw his underwear out to him. No one was more kind-hearted than him.
.
Many people came on the day of Wang Huanxiu’s funeral, held in the back garden of a private mountain villa. The open-air seats were full.
Bai Shuijin and Wang Zhenzhu stood there with numb, pained expressions, leaving Wang Muguang alone to handle the socializing and wailing.
The subdued and heavy music at the scene set the atmosphere. Chen Ji stood behind Bai Shuijin; he was equipped with listening devices, allowing Wang Huanxiu to monitor all sounds at the funeral.
While listening to the sounds from the monitor and working, Wang Huanxiu said, “Tell Wang Muguang to stop wailing when this part is over. I can’t hear anything else.”
Chen Ji: “…”
Bai Shuijin and the other two knew about Wang Huanxiu’s monitoring, so Wang Muguang sometimes deliberately directed his words towards the suspected individuals.
The previously extracted DNA showed the remains indeed belonged to Wang Huanxiu, so Wang Wang and Wang Dong were reassured.
This funeral was held two weeks after Wang Huanxiu’s death. Those two weeks were turbulent; the previous cooperative relationship between Wang Dong and Wang Wang had also broken down during this time.
With Wang Huanxiu dead, the two became the most powerful competitors for the position of power. Knowing each other well, they both understood the other was someone who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals, just like when they joined forces to kill Wang Huanxiu.
Neither side would show mercy. Wang Dong knew Wang Wang’s weakness and first targeted Wang Pingtian, who was still in prison. He bribed personnel to carry out a beating on Wang Pingtian every three days, recording videos and sending them to Wang Wang.
Wang Wang treasured his son most. Watching his son say in tears in the video, “Dad, please save me. I want to get out of prison,” Wang Wang felt like killing Wang Dong. At this moment, he was standing not far from Wang Dong, wishing he could use his eyes to carve Wang Dong’s flesh and drink Wang Dong’s blood.
As far as Chen Ji knew, Wang Wang intended to repeat his old trick, using the same method on Wang Dong as he did on Wang Huanxiu.
If he could kill his own nephew, why not a cousin.
Those who come together because of interests will also separate because of interests.
Death rendered all grudges meaningless. Not only friends but even Wang Huanxiu’s usual business rivals in the industry came.
Although they usually competed in business and wished the other party would drop dead on the spot, it still felt strange now that he was really dead…it was too unexpected, too easy.
Indeed, life is too unpredictable.
It was also a pity; the other person was young and successful in his career.
Pei Zhiheng looked at Bai Shuijin standing by the flower arrangements wearing a white flower, and pity rose in his heart. The ones who would suffer most from Wang Huanxiu’s departure were undoubtedly Bai Shuijin and the siblings Wang Muguang and Wang Zhenzhu.
He knew his current thoughts were immoral as Wang Huanxiu had just died, but the best way to get over one relationship was to start the next.
Bai Shuijin now exuded the air of a young and beautiful widow, and it was as if he had activated a fatal attraction.
Lei Liming looked at his sorrowful expression and sighed. Lei Huan, who was behind him, asked, “Why do you keep staring at him?”
Lei Liming withdrew his gaze stiffly.
“It’s nothing. Let’s enter.”
The funeral began. Wang Heng came with his family to attend. After sitting down in his seat, the master of ceremonies began organizing the funeral.
Bai Shuijin looked sad and depressed, and Wang Heng felt uncomfortable.
Wasn’t Wang Huanxiu supposed to be very resilient? How could he die just like that?
With the melodious and sorrowful sound of the cello, the master of ceremonies began the eulogy. “I believe everyone was grief-stricken upon receiving this news. On October 21st, Mr. Wang Huanxiu left us.”
After just a few sentences, someone started crying, tears streaming down his face.
The master of ceremonies’ voice continued, “During his lifetime, Wang Huanxiu was an upright, kind, optimistic, and upward-looking person. Those who knew him all said he was an excellent gentleman. He would offer emotional encouragement when someone was down, and he would not hesitate to help others when they were in need…”
The master of ceremonies grew more and more impassioned, and more and more fervent as he spoke. “There is no one in this world like him, no one as kind and upright as him, as open and honest as him!”
Pei Zhiheng and Wang Heng in their seats felt their scalps tingle.
Crazy.
Was the person who died really Wang Huanxiu?!
It sounded like a completely different person. That shady guy had been making things difficult for them from behind the scenes, snatching business and connections alike.
Pei Zhiheng took a deep breath. Forget it, the person was already dead. He could endure it for a while. The deceased are to be respected.
After the funeral procedures ended, relatives and friends offered their condolences and concern to the family. Bai Shuijin didn’t want to socialize and stayed by himself in the lounge. Soon, Chen Ji returned with takeout fried chicken, and the two planned to eat together.
As a result, Wang Huanxiu’s earpiece was filled with the sound of their chewing.
Just as Bai Shuijin was eating happily, there was a knock on the door to the lounge.
Startled, the two hurriedly hid the fried chicken, wiped their mouths with wet wipes, and opened the door. Seeing it was Pei Zhiheng, Bai Shuijin breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Oh, the magic guy.’
Pei Zhiheng squeezed in through the door crack. “Madam.”
Bai Shuijin got goosebumps. What kind of madness was he up to now?
He still had to act, pretending to be sad. “Just call me what you used to. Did you come for something?”
He spoke with a weak voice, not at all like someone who had just eaten two large chicken legs, but rather like he hadn’t eaten a bite in three days.
Pei Zhiheng sat down beside him and said, “I know you’re very sad about Wang Huanxiu’s death.”
Bai Shuijin looked at him. “What do you want to say?”
Pei Zhiheng straightened his collar. He was a little nervous. What he was doing now was immoral, but one must strive for oneself in all things.
Moreover, now Bai Shuijin had the buff of being sad and vulnerable. If he accompanied him for a while, Bai Shuijin would eventually develop feelings for him. If he didn’t fight for himself now, it would be even harder later.
Opportunity is fleeting once lost, it will never come back.
He looked at Bai Shuijin solemnly. “Madam, the best way to get over a relationship is to start a new one.”
“What do you think of me?”
Bai Shuijin blinked. “What about you?”
Pei Zhiheng: “…”
Was he really not getting it, or was he pretending to be dumb? Maybe he hadn’t expressed himself clearly?
Just as Pei Zhiheng was about to speak plainly, there was a knock on the door again. Pei Zhiheng was startled and stood up immediately. Who! Who was coming to find Bai Shuijin!
His first thought was to hide. Although he knew his behavior of making a move on someone at their partner’s funeral was wrong, he was not prepared for others to know about his shameful actions.
“Where to hide? Where do I hide?!” Pei Zhiheng panicked, even eyeing the trash can nearby.
No, he couldn’t hide there.
Bai Shuijin pursed his lips together because he and Chen Ji had hidden their fried chicken there.
Wang Huanxiu, who was connected via earpiece on the other end, had dark lines on his face.
Pei Zhiheng hid behind the curtain, and only then did Bai Shuijin open the door. It was Lei Liming outside the door.
Bai Shuijin: ‘Oh, the video game guy.’
He opened the door to let him in.
Lei Liming looked at him shyly and after a long time, said, “You’ve lost weight.”
Bai Shuijin, who had gained three pounds this week: “…A little.”
The two sat down on the sofa.
Seeing his hesitant look, Bai Shuijin asked, “Is there something you need?”
Lei Liming drank half a bottle of water due to thirst and was silent for a long time. “It hasn’t been long since Huanxiu left. I hope you won’t be too sad. Take care of your health. If your health is ruined, everything is over.”
He wanted Bai Shuijin not to be so sad, otherwise he… he would feel heartache.
Bai Shuijin nodded. “Thank you, I’ll be careful.”
Looking at the other person’s delicate and vulnerable little white flower appearance, Lei Liming hesitated to speak. “Bai Shuijin, actually I…”
Bai Shuijin was stunned, not knowing what he wanted to say. “Actually you what?”
Lei Liming drank the remaining half bottle of water and gathered his courage. “Huanxiu is gone, but you still have me. As his good friend, I have an obligation to take care of your future life.”
Bai Shuijin was petrified on the spot, and a herd of horses galloping across the prairie.
Pei Zhiheng behind the curtain cursed inwardly. He actually had a competitor!
Chen Ji covered the listening device in his pocket considerately.
President Wang, it’s better you stop listening. The more you hear, the greener it gets.
Wang Huanxiu listened to everything happening in the lounge, his back teeth clenched tight. He didn’t expect that one after another had been coveting Bai Shuijin for so long. He hasn’t been gone long, and they came so quickly.
Knock knock!
A knock rang out again.
Bai Shuijin, Pei Zhiheng, Wang Huanxiu, Lei Liming: “Who is it this time?!”
Seeing that someone had come, Lei Liming felt ashamed of his behavior. If someone saw and suspected something between him and Bai Shuijin, it wouldn’t be good, especially since Bai Shuijin hadn’t agreed yet.
Lei Liming stood up. “I’ll hide for a bit.”
He strode toward the curtain. Before Chen Ji could stop him, Lei Liming and Pei Zhiheng behind the curtain unexpectedly made eye contact.
“…”
“…”
Four eyes met, and they looked at each other in silence.
After the two hid, Bai Shuijin opened the door and Wang Heng swaggered in directly.
He didn’t beat around the bush like Pei Zhiheng and Lei Liming. Instead, he looked at Bai Shuijin and went straight to the point. “Bai Shuijin, even without my cousin, you still have me.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
The listening device in Chen Ji’s pocket emitted a sharp screech.
Wang Huanxiu angrily lifted the invisible coffin lid off himself: I’m not dead yet!
