My Nemesis Has Finally Gone Bankrupt Chapter 78

Chapter 78:

In the restaurant, the central television was playing a popular variety show. Normally, the TV in the restaurant was for decoration purposes, but today it surprisingly attracted business, with many customers occasionally glancing up.

The steak in front of Ji Wei remained untouched as his gaze remained fixed on the TV.

“They’re together,” he finally uttered after a while.

Xu Lin showed no reaction, placing the cut steak in front of him and taking away Ji Wei’s untouched meal.

“What I saw with my own eyes—”

“I know,” Xu Lin responded calmly.

“I checked,” Ji Wei took a sip of water, “They’re not dating, it’s a transactional relationship.”

“Not necessarily,” Xu Lin picked up a towel and wiped his hands. “Eat up, we’ll leave after.”

“Leave for where?” Ji Wei paused.

“Where else?” Xu Lin smiled, “Of course, back to your home.”

“I said, until I figure out that matter, I’m not going back,” Ji Wei swallowed a piece of beef.

“But that’s your family’s business,” Xu Lin’s tone remained steady. “It has nothing to do with your fiancée. She’s a good woman and shouldn’t be caught up in your family’s conflicts. If you run away from the marriage, what will happen to her?”

“I don’t like her anyway. I only agreed because of my dad’s words,” Ji Wei said.

Now that he realized the person he had always admired might not match the image he had in mind, how could he continue to follow their words?

“Ji Wei,” Xu Lin set down his utensils, looking up at him. “You’re a person, not a puppet on strings.”　　

“What you did before, no one forced you, it was all your own doing,” Xu Lin said.

“I know, I’ll make it up to her,” Ji Wei replied.

Xu Lin had nothing more to say. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and nodded. “Take your time eating, I’m going back first.”

Ji Wei immediately looked up. “Where are you going?”

“Of course, back home.”

“And me?” Ji Wei asked.

“You can go back to the hotel to sleep, or back home… It’s up to you.” Xu Lin stood up, bidding him farewell. “If there’s nothing necessary in the future, I think we don’t need to keep in touch.”

As Ji Wei watched Xu Lin’s departing figure, he felt a heavy weight in his heart, unable to express his feelings.

During this time, it seemed like he had been constantly watching this person’s back.

Resolute, never looking back.

Xu Lin had always treated him with extreme tenderness, never showing him a cold face.

Enduring the discomfort in his heart, he casually tossed aside his utensils, making a bit of noise.

People around him looked in his direction, but he didn’t care at all. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

It took a while for the other person to pick up.

“What?” The impatience in the other’s voice was evident.

“Ji Ran, let’s meet,” Ji Wei said. “I have something important to ask you.”

Ji Ran didn’t hesitate. “No, I’m not available to deal with you. Stop calling me. We’re not that close.”

After Ji Ran finished speaking, he hung up the phone without waiting for a response, tossed the phone aside, and continued to stare intently at the iPad in front of his pillow.

As the phone rolled a few times on the bedding with his force, just as it was about to fall to the ground, a large hand caught it steadily and placed it casually on the bedside table.

Qin Man leaned against him. “Are you still watching?”

Ji Ran hugged the pillow, his face dark as he stared at the screen.

He had just finished watching it once and was now watching it for the second time, specifically with the comments turned on.

Previously, the comments had almost filled the entire screen, so he had no choice but to watch it once without comments.

At first, he thought, even if they were included in the variety show, it wouldn’t be a big deal. At that time, Qin Man hadn’t confessed to him, and their interactions should have seemed normal. He couldn’t understand what the fuss was about.

Until he realized one of the most brilliant professions in society today – the editor.

When He Suiran came to challenge him to rock-paper-scissors, the cameraman zoomed in on Qin Man. At that moment, Qin Man was looking at him, and the editor added four big characters in the middle: “Intently staring.”

Then, during the dialogue of “Can you do it?” and “Why can’t I do it?” the editor added a suggestive “Wow” sound effect.

Next, it showed Qin Man arm-wrestling with him. An arrow was drawn on Ji Ran’s face, with the caption “Nervously cheering him on.”

Finally, when Qin Man won the arm-wrestling match and eagerly looked at him for the promised gift, that scene was also captured by the camera.　　

Their appearances on screen totaled less than ten minutes.

During these ten minutes, the barrage reached its peak for the entire show.

【What kind of magical farmhouse is this? Are all the customers so handsome?】

【Ahh, are those two guys wearing couple outfits?】

【The two people sitting on the right side are also very handsome. I couldn’t tell who is a celebrity and who is an amateur for a moment… I suspect they were arranged by the program team, and they will probably debut soon!】

【Oh my… I know these people… I suggest you invest cautiously.】

【The guy in white and the guy in black are a perfect match. Oh, the guy in white has such gentle eyes, there must be something fishy going on!】

【…Why don’t you mention that He Suiran also looked tenderly at the guy in white? Seriously, He Suiran grew up abroad, so it’s not surprising if he likes men. Instead of shipping White X Black, why not ship White X He Suiran!】

【I have to say, the editor really understands! The guy in the black T-shirt is so cute when he acts coquettish.】

Damn couple outfits.

They were just wearing T-shirts.

Seeing their footage with Qin Man covered in pink bubbles again, he mentally turned the editor into a piece of paper.　　

Isn’t this infringement? This darn show didn’t even consult them beforehand, and just put them on TV without permission?

He picked up his phone, about to message Yue Wenwen. Then he saw someone next to him suddenly reach out.

Then they liked a comment on a barrage.

【Don’t stand for cults, black x white is still better. He Suiran doesn’t have any chemistry with anyone.】

Ji Ran slapped their hand, “Do you even know what that means to like it…”

“I do,” Qin Man said, “It’s saying we make a good couple.”　　

“Who said we make a good couple? Don’t flatter yourself,” Ji Ran’s ears turned red, “You’re the one trying to climb up!”

Ji Ran called Yue Wenwen, but no answer; he was probably out somewhere at a bar.

He had to give up and decided to try again tomorrow morning.

Qin Man took out his phone and downloaded the video from the app. As he glanced up, he saw a comment in the barrage.

【Are people who recognize their husbands always serious? The one in the white shirt on the screen is the son of Zhao Qingtong, who was exposed some time ago.】　

Ji Ran locked his phone screen and was about to continue cursing at the video editor when suddenly the iPad was forcefully pushed, tipping over onto the bedsheet, rendering the screen invisible.

“Don’t look at that. Can you help me change my dressing?” Qin Man asked.

Without much hesitation, Ji Ran tossed the iPad onto the bedside table. He wasn’t particularly interested in variety shows, and celebrities had no special allure to him. He didn’t want to waste time watching a few adults play games.

At four in the morning, Ji Ran was awakened by the ringing of his phone.　

He answered in a daze, forgetting his temper, “Hello?”

“Are you available right now?” It was a strange number, but the voice belonged to Cheng Peng.

Cheng Peng was always considerate, and he wouldn’t call in the middle of the night unless it was urgent.

“I am,” Ji Ran sat up, rubbing his eyes, and asked, “What’s going on?”

“Come pick me up,” Cheng Peng’s voice sounded weary, “and let’s grab some late-night snacks together.”

Ji Ran had a bad feeling about this and asked, “Where are you?”

“At the police station.”　

After hanging up the phone, Ji Ran didn’t hesitate to roll out of bed. A long arm wrapped around him from behind, a man’s voice sounding tired, “Where are you going?”

“To pick up Cheng Peng, he’s in trouble,” Ji Ran pushed away his hand and got up to put on his pants.

“I’ll go with you.”

“No,” Ji Ran hesitated, “this isn’t something to be shared lightly. Cheng Peng might not want too many people to know. Stay home and wait for me.”

“I’ll buy you breakfast when you come back,” Qin Man squinted at him, finally reminding him, “Drive carefully.”

　　——

Cheng Peng was detained for 72 hours on suspicion of unlawful detention of others.

The one who reported him was a relative of Chen An.

Just three hours after they left Qing Bar that night, the police came to arrest him.

Ji Ran handed over the bail money with a dark expression. When Cheng Peng came out, his clothes and hair were messy. Ji Ran had known Cheng Peng for so long, but it was the first time he had seen him in such a disheveled state.

He immediately got angry: “Where’s that bastard?”　　

The police officer’s face changed when he heard that. “What’s going on? You’re looking for trouble even at the police station?”

“It’s nothing,” Cheng Peng said. “Let’s talk outside… Is the car here?”

In the car, the two of them remained silent for a while.

Ji Ran was fully awake now. He wasn’t good at comforting people, and he struggled to find the right words.

Cheng Peng asked, “Do you have cigarettes?”

“Yes… No.” Ji Ran remembered he had given all his cigarettes to Lao Xing. He rubbed his forehead. “Do you want an e-cigarette?”

Cheng Peng smiled. “Forget it.”

Ji Ran stopped by the roadside and got out of the car to bring Cheng Peng a pack of cigarettes. It was almost five in the morning now, too late for supper, and breakfast places were about to open. Since they had nowhere else to go, they simply sat in the car.

Ji Ran asked, “Why did they detain you for 72 hours? What does Chen An want?”

Cheng Peng, who seemed timid and submissive, unexpectedly had such courage.

“It’s the company that’s competing with me for that piece of land. We had a falling out over a project before. They were well-prepared this time, and I didn’t react quickly enough. They stalled the auction.” Cheng Peng exhaled a puff of smoke. “It’s just three days. Nothing happened to me inside.”

Seeing Cheng Peng in such a desolate state, Ji Ran knew that it wasn’t just about the detention or the land that was bothering him.

They had known each other for so many years, and this was the first time Ji Ran had seen Cheng Peng so concerned about a lover.

“I sensed something was off with him early on,” Cheng Peng suddenly said. “Last week, I overheard him talking to someone on the phone, and the conversation sounded strange. But I thought it was just because we had been arguing a lot lately, so I automatically assumed the worst… It seems like I’ve been living too comfortably these years, never expecting something like this to happen.”

Ji Ran pursed his lips and took a moment before saying, “If you’re unwilling to do it, I can take care of him for you.”

“No,” Cheng Peng said, “This is my own business, and I don’t want to involve you. I’ll handle it.”

That night, Chen An approached him with a flushed face, expressing a desire for some excitement. It was the first time Chen An had taken the submissive role in bed, and Cheng Peng didn’t think much of it. He simply took the rope and tied Chen An’s hands.

In the following days, Chen An claimed to be unwell and hadn’t attended school, staying home the whole time.　

Then, the police barged in, and he was handcuffed.

Cheng Peng had never felt so embarrassed before, and he burst out laughing.

He still remembered, before he left, Chen An sat on the bed, crying as if he himself had been arrested.

Ji Ran clicked his tongue, interrupting his thoughts: “Alright, learn from your mistakes. How much genuine affection can money buy?”

Cheng Peng chuckled, “Do you not feel embarrassed saying that yourself? If this happened to you and Qin Man, wouldn’t you also stumble?”　

“Yes.” Ji Ran answered without hesitation.

After a while, he took out his e-cigarette, playing with it in his palm without lighting it up. “But I wouldn’t be as lost and heartbroken as you, feeling so embarrassed.”

Cheng Peng glanced sideways at him, giving him a deep look before laughing. “Well, I’m definitely not as composed as you.”

Ji Ran returned his smile, gazing out the window calmly, devoid of any emotion.

Compared to Cheng Peng, he had long been prepared.

If one day Qin Man really deceived him, he could just dust himself off, neatly climb out of the pit, and move on.

Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.