ehess: 018-01

 018-01

In the original book, Xi Xingling was a very clever designer. He draws inspiration from his own emotions from various aspects of his life, and all of his feelings are portrayed in his work.

Li Dong has indeed seen that Xi Xingling is a very emotional person.

Usually, people try to hide their emotions, and as people grow older, the more experience they gain in hiding them. But Xi Xingling seems to be the opposite of normal people, and his emotions are magnified instead of hidden.

Maybe it’s just the madness of a great artist, but Xingling is definitely not a normal person.

“What’s the final draft look like? Can you show me?” Li Dong finally replied to Xingling’s message. He asked to see it because he felt like an artist’s work was the most personal and important thing to them—a normal designer would not casually show off his drafts to other people.

“Okay, Second Young Master, wait one moment.” Xi Xingling didn’t give it much thought, and he found the design draft that he had just put away to take a picture for Li Dong to see.

This guy really has no reservations about who he entangles with…

“If my brother asked for you to send a blueprint, would you give it?” He asked this before he clicked into the picture to actually check the draft.

Only after sending this message did Li Dong actually see the drawing. He was amazed. It is indeed a very provocative, poignant design. Even someone like Li Dong who doesn’t understand jewelry is made emotional by it.

“I would have sent it to him before, but I wouldn’t now,” Xi Xingling explained. He hesitated before continuing: “I have reasons to reject him now.”

Li Dong wanted him to learn this lesson securely, so he pushed the conversation in the right direction. “It’s not that you have reasons to reject him now, it’s that you never gave him a reason to accept you before.” Li Dong was determined to make Xingling remember this. “When doing anything, think about whether it’s worthwhile. But not just whether or not it’s worthwhile to you, but if it’ll be worthless in the eyes of others.”

…Okay…

“In my brother’s eyes, are you valuable?”

Xi Xingling pursed his lips, considering this. He accepted reality. “No.” In Han Tianlin’s eyes, he was worthless, too annoying to even be used for casual pleasure.

“In my eyes, do you have worth?”

Xi Xingling lowered his face into his hands. He nodded, feeling very emotional, and answered in a low voice even though Li Dong couldn’t hear him. “I feel like…”

“Alright, work hard.” And Li Dong ended the conversation with Xingling today, here.

“Second Young Master is so great…” Xingling murmured softly; he felt wonderful and free, with an unprecedented happiness that was given to him by Li Dong.

Just a few words had relieved him of his dilemma.

Xi Xingling got to work wholeheartedly today. His focused and positive energy was giving a sense of crisis to his colleagues. This new designer, full of inspiration, just joined the department, and everyone else suddenly felt as if they had no more ideas.

It is also rumored that Xi Xingling and the Second Young Master of the Han family are good friends, and of course, this only makes more people envious and jealous.

Suddenly, a call from Qian Xiaozhen came in. “Xi Xingling, does what you said the day before yesterday still hold true? Did you really ask your rich second-generation boyfriend to treat you to dinner Saturday?”

“I also need to ask him about this. He is usually very busy, so I don’t know if he still has time.” Xi Xingling said something random. In fact, he wasn’t really sure if Li Dong was really busy everyday, or what he did during the day.

Xi Xingling decided to cautiously ask Li Dong if he was still available. Li Dong was at that moment out on a road trip, driving aimlessly and wandering around.

He replied: “What you need right now is not outside validation, but inner fulfillment. I won’t respond to you again until I feel that you have changed.”

a/n: guys, please don’t reply to messages as you drive. this is a work of fiction—do not do as li dong is doing here!!!

Xi Xingling’s calm mood immediately turned tumultuous. He tried to please Li Dong: “I’m definitely changing myself a lot, can Second Young Master at least reply to my messages a few times a day? Or even one a day is enough?”

But Li Dong meant it—he didn’t even reply to this.

Xi Xingling spent time to write a long message, filled with pleas and begging, but when he was about to send it out, he suddenly hesitated. His fingers were frozen midair, and he couldn’t make himself press down.

“Xingling, how is it? Did you clarify? You’re not lying, are you?” Qian Xiaozhen really wished that Xingling was lying—he didn’t want to be bested by someone with so little experience in comparison to him.

“Second Young Master wants me to enrich myself first, so tomorrow’s dinner probably isn’t happening.”

“...Do you have a disease?” This little brother had just escaped a snake pit, but only managed to step into another.

—

The 318 highway from Sichuan to Tibet, the road that every traveler needs to drive.

“Sir, can I buy you a drink?” Li Dong was drinking in a bar in a certain city a bit of ways away. There, he met a lot of gay men who came up to strike up a conversation.

This caused Li Dong to raise his eyebrows. Is it really true that Han Tubai’s face is so attractive to gay guys?

“No, thank you.” He refused, finished the drink in his hand in one gulp, got up, and left.

“You’re so cold to everyone.” Another man caught up to Li Dong, following him out of the club, not wanting to give up. Afterall, Li Dong was the best quality man he has seen for a while now. “Who do you think you are? I know you’re probably into some weird stuff.”

Li Dong smiled. He stopped and stood under a big tree near the door and lit a cigarette. As he slowly smoked it, he said, “I dislike those who desperately rush forward, as if you’ve never seen a man in your life.” He watched the man’s face turn green.

“Why do you act so vicious?”

Li Dong didn’t bother to reply to him anymore, and wanted to finish his cigarette and leave, but he saw a dazzling sports car pull in and park up front.

Both he and the man stared at the car door seriously, wanting to see who was driving what was clearly a multimillion dollar sports car.

“...” When the person did get out of the car, Li Dong almost swallowed his cigarette. Damn, he almost thought it was Xingling getting out of that car, having chased him all the way here. But obviously, Xingling can’t afford to drive a multimillion dollar sports car.

Thus, this look-alike can only be Han Yubai’s first love, Gu Xichen. Li Dong was really happy that he was hiding under a tree, and took a few steps back. He turned his head and pretended not to recognize him.

“Wow, so handsome. This guy’s looks are on par with yours.” The man beside LI Dong coquettishly poked Li Dong’s arm, acting very familiar.

“Get out of my sight,” Li Dong scolded fiercely. He immediately tossed away his half finished cigarette and walked away.

Gu Xichen was about to walk right passed them, but the man’s clearly shocked expression and Li Dong’s loud “get out” attracted his attention.

After looking over, he frowned. “Yubai?”

Li Dong considered for a second whether he should pretend that he didn’t hear Gu Xichen and continue walking, or if he should turn around and face him…

“Oh, do you two handsome men know each other?” This man was causing so much drama. “No wonder people say that birds of a feather flock together. It turns out to be true…”

Li Dong was very annoyed by this other party, and he was forced to turn around and face Gu Xichen. “Oh, hey, weren’t you abroad?” Glancing over at Gu Xichen’s car, it seemed that he was alone.

“I just came back, and I plan to return to Beijing in a few days.”

It really wasn’t unreasonable for Yubai to hold Gu Xichen up on a pedestal. Although his looks are very similar to Xi Xingling his temperament directly beats Xi Xinglings by miles.

“What about you?” Xichen continues, “what are you doing now?”

“I’m not doing anything. I’m just driving around. I want to explore a bit.” Li Dong really wanted to leave. “You probably had something important to do here, so I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll go back to my hotel.”

“No.” Xichen reached out and tugged on Li Dong’s wrist.

Li Dong immediately moved away, and suddenly the mood became a lot more awkward. He really didn’t mean to move away, but he just also really didn’t want to have any contact with Gu Xichen, or make any misunderstandings. He is not Han Yubai, and what Li Dong despises most is having an unrequited love.

Why be stuck on one love when there are so many interesting things in the world?

Sex and love are only a small portion of those things.

“It’s so awkward between us now.” Xichen smiled tolerantly. “I haven’t seen you in two years, haven’t you been curious about my situation at all?”

“How have you been?” Li Dong went with where Xichen obviously wanted the conversation to go.

“I’m divorced and ended my two year long political marriage, so I’m doing better now.” Gu Xichen said, but LI Dong felt like this was all performative.

Even when he speaks coherent words, it’s hard to distinguish the real meaning of this man.

“Then congratulations, you’ve finally escaped a sea of suffering and found the shore.” Li Dong smirked, and gave Gu Xichen a pat on the shoulder. “Brother Chen, let’s go have dinner in Beijing.”

Xichen was stunned.

“Ah, but wait, I haven’t finished my trip yet. Then, let’s wait for me to return to Beijing to have dinner together? I’ll try to go back as soon as possible. But you won’t be here for many days, will you? Are you going abroad again?”

“No.” Xichen maintained his calm smile and said, “I haven’t seen you in 2 years—you’ve changed a lot.” Yubai was no longer a boy who wore his heart on his sleeve, but instead a smooth, sophisticated and calm man.

Li Dong secretly rolled his eyes. Of course he changed—he was a completely different person, in fact.

“Then let’s part ways for now. Goodbye, see you in Beijing.” He left only the view of his back for Xichen as he walked away.

“Tianlin, what happened to Yubai?” Gu Xichen gave up on his goal for this trip, and returned to his own hotel to call Han Tianlin.

“What, you ran into Yubai?” Han Tianlin frown after hearing Gu Xichen explain what had just occurred. “Xichen, tell me the truth, have you always been aware that Yubai likes you?”

Xichen considered this for a while, before admitting, “Yes, I’ve known.”

“Does your sudden divorce have something to do with Yubai?” Han Tianlin only found out today that Xichen was divorced.

“No, there’s no relation. Even if Yubai didn’t exist, I would still be divorced.” Gu Xichen knew what Han Tianlin meant to ask, so he replied with a wry smile, “You know me, I’m a naturally cautious person, and divorce is already a big risk for me. I wouldn’t do anything much riskier.”

“Yubai has been with a bottom who looks like you, recently.”

“...”

“That little bastard has no skills other than pleasing Yubai.” Han Tianlin smiled disdainfully, his contempt for Xi Xingling shining through his voice even through the phone. “Xiche, Yubai has always held you in his heart. If you’d consider him, it wouldn’t be impossible.”

“Are you sure? I met him today and he seems completely different.” Xichen recalled Li Dong’s smile, and felt as if something irreversible had changed.

“I’ll bully the little bastard into leaving Yubai.” Han Tianlin said confidently with a smile. “It’ll be simple. Just a phone call will do.” He then hung up on Xichen and dialed Xi Xingling’s number.

According to Han Yubai’s personality, if Xi Xingling does something wrong yet again, Yubai will definitely discard of Xingling completely. Besides, Gu Xichen has already returned, so what’s the point of keeping a knockoff around?

---

translator notes:

an even longer chapter this time! enjoy guys! gosh, friendships can be so stressful, and i just went through an entire argument with my friends. but translating this was really relaxing, honestly.

PREVIOUS TOC NEXT