My Nemesis Has Finally Gone Bankrupt Chapter 85

Chapter 85:

Ji Ran hadn’t initially intended to bother with that idiot, but then he thought, what kind of nonsense was this guy spewing, and who were these online keyboard warriors? Why should he have to put up with it?

So he lashed out.

After the tirade, he didn’t feel any regret. In fact, he felt quite relieved. In the past, he would have definitely lit up a cigarette to celebrate.

But he was quitting smoking.

So, as Qin Man was busy messaging the lawyer on his phone, Ji Ran suddenly felt a warmth on his face. He reached out and pulled Qin Man close, planting a kiss on his cheek.

Qin Man: “…”

Qin Man: “What, feeling up for some car action?”

“Nope,” Ji Ran said, crossing his legs nonchalantly. Feeling so good that he couldn’t even muster up the energy to swear anymore, he whistled. “Let’s go home.”

Through his actions, Ji Ran made it clear to the netizens—he really had no intention of entering the entertainment industry.

Just with his remarks alone, no talent agency dared to sign him, fearing that he would spend his days off just using his phone to clap back at haters, rendering the need for a PR team unnecessary.

The short live stream had barely ended before it was downloaded and shared by countless netizens.

It was too intense. Nobody dared to pull off something like this with Ji Ran’s level of popularity, and those who dared didn’t have his level of engagement.

Initially, there were quite a few negative comments.

[His language is so vulgar, clearly lacking in manners. No wonder he’s a bastard child.]

【This behavior, really reminds me of those little thugs in school. Probably already greased some palms, can’t get caught.】

Who would have known that in the afternoon, several official police accounts clicked the like button on this post.

Now, almost all of those sarcastic comments disappeared.

This guy dared to openly confront someone in front of tens of thousands of viewers in a live stream. He’s several times more fierce than those celebrities. If Ji Ran really caught wind of this, he might actually sue.

Can’t afford to provoke, better take a detour.

In a discussion group:

Yue Wenwen: Xiao Ran Ran is awesome—

Yue Wenwen: Did Xiao Ran Ran slaughter my friend circle today? He sure did.

Dad Ji: Stop flattering.

Yue Wenwen thought he wouldn’t believe it, so he directly sent over several screenshots. Ji Ran casually opened one of them, and indeed, the screen was filled with screenshots of his video segment, accompanied by comments like “I’m in love,” “Love it,” and even “I’m wet”…

Dad Ji: Eyesore, stop sending.

After saying that, he couldn’t help but open the other pictures. Despite the flirtatious tone of Yue Wenwen’s friends, their choice of words was quite amusing.

Until he saw one comment—【Not to be mean, but QM is really too classy. Even wearing a mask can’t hide his noble demeanor. I’m in love, I’m very much in love, I’m flooded, I’m willing to drown in his eyes.】

Below was a close-up screenshot of Qin Man in the video.

Ji Ran clicked his tongue and used editing software to save this friend’s circle post.　

Dad Ji: Who the hell is this.

Yue Wenwen: Relax, this person usually likes to act flirtatiously on his friend circle. It’s all in this style, but in reality, he’s actually quite serious.

Yue Wenwen: By the way… Xiao Ran Ran, are you really together with Qin Man?!

Ji Ran replied with a simple “yeah.”

Yue Wenwen I declare, half of my friends list just got heartbroken.

Ji Ran chuckled, too lazy to banter with him.

Yue Wenwen: Oh yeah, Tony called me, said to remind you to touch up your hair this week.　　

Dyed hair tends to fade easily, and Ji Ran didn’t like the look of faded hair color—it made it appear unhealthy. He had gone for touch-ups midway once before.

But now, he wasn’t too keen on going for another one. The color was too obvious; he might as well stick his name on his forehead.

Dad Ji: Let’s discuss it later.

Just as the message was sent, he received a WeChat message. It was from a driver he had been in contact with through a mutual acquaintance recently.

This driver was 28 years old, had spent half a year in a club abroad, and later returned to the country due to family reasons. Although his skills weren’t top-notch, they were decent.

The driver seemed interested in Ji Ran’s proposal and suggested meeting at a café.

When Qin Man came out of the bathroom, Ji Ran was putting on a hat in front of the mirror.

“I’m going out to talk with the driver about the contract,” Ji Ran said, hiding all his hair under the hat. “You don’t have to wait for me to come back for dinner tonight.”

Qin Man leaned against the wall. “When we were signing contracts before, you always had me accompany you. Now that there’s no contract, you’re not bringing me along?”

“You wouldn’t understand the conversation anyway, wouldn’t it be boring for you to come?” Ji Ran took out the car keys. “If you’re bored, why don’t you pass that game level next to the TV for me? That level is too tricky.”

After Ji Ran left, Qin Man sat on the sofa and inserted the game disc into the console.

Just as the TV displayed the game menu, his phone rang.

“Xiao Man, this is Uncle Liu. I’ve carefully considered the collaboration you mentioned earlier, and I think your proposal is good. Let’s find some time to meet and discuss it?”

After a long period of not engaging in work-related matters, Qin Man remained silent for a while before returning to his usual tone, “Sure, when are you free?”

It had been over half a year, and he had rested for long enough. In his plan, once the liquidation of his father’s company was completed, he would proceed to handle the company’s procedures and implement several new projects.

But all those plans were disrupted after he met Ji Ran at the bar.

From the moment Ji Ran proposed the sponsorship, Qin Man had set aside all those thoughts and immediately accepted the card.

He took out his phone, sent a message to Liu Chen, and then picked up the controller, earnestly helping his junior brother pass the game level.

After two rounds of the game, the doorbell rang.

Qin Man raised an eyebrow. Who could it be?

His junior brother wasn’t home right now. If it was Grandma Ji again…

Then he would have to entertain the elder on behalf of his boyfriend.

Qin Man walked to the electronic peephole and glanced outside. Indeed, there was a familiar figure standing there, but it wasn’t Grandma Ji.

Chen An stood outside, his shoulders hunched, nervously looking around, appearing meek and submissive.

Qin Man didn’t have much impression of Chen An. He only remembered that the guy always kept his head down and spoke hesitantly, nothing more.

Qin Man didn’t know much about the situation between Chen An and Cheng Peng; Ji Ran mentioned it briefly. From Ji Ran’s tone, it seemed that Chen An was categorized as a “stranger” to him, so there was no reason for him to come to Ji Ran’s house.

Worried that something urgent might be happening, Qin Man finally opened the intercom device when Chen An mustered up courage to ring the doorbell for the third time.

“What’s the matter,” he said in a flat tone.

Chen An swallowed nervously.

This… This was Qin Man’s voice.

“I… I want to find…”

“Ji Ran isn’t home.”

Sensing the coldness in the other’s tone, Chen An feared the call might be disconnected and hastened his speech, “I have… I have something very important—can I come in and wait for him?”

Seeing the silence on the other end, Chen An lowered his voice and said with difficulty, “Please. I really have… something very important.”

Qin Man opened the door.　

Chen An stood in the hallway, staring at the floor. “Thank you.”

Qin Man didn’t respond. He tossed the slippers in front of Chen An and then returned to the sofa, continuing the game he was playing.

Chen An hadn’t expected Qin Man to play games as well. In his eyes, Qin Man was the epitome of a social elite.

After defeating a mini-boss, Qin Man took out his phone and sent a message to Ji Ran, informing him about Chen An’s visit. Perhaps still busy with their discussion, Ji Ran didn’t reply.

As Qin Man picked up the controller again, he heard a faint sobbing beside him.

Chen An was looking at the chat records between him and Cheng Peng. He had sent numerous messages to Cheng Peng, but received no response. Seeing the sweet and affectionate exchanges between the two made him unable to hold back his tears.

Qin Man rubbed his temples. “If it’s something you did yourself, there’s no need to cry.”

Chen An was startled and looked up. “Yes, I’m sorry.”

After Qin Man’s remark, Chen An understood that these people had already heard about his situation with Cheng Peng.

Though futile, he couldn’t help but try to explain, “The situation isn’t… isn’t what you think…”

“What is it then?” Qin Man stared ahead without looking at him. “Wasn’t it your family who reported it? Wasn’t it you who handed over the rope?”

Chen An’s face turned pale. “I just… didn’t want him to suffer any more harm.”

Qin Man remained silent. He wasn’t interested in other people’s affairs.

But Chen An seemed to have been holding it in for too long, in desperate need of someone to confide in. This matter had been weighing on his mind for half a month. He didn’t dare to tell his family, and it wasn’t appropriate to tell his friends. As for Qin Man… Qin Man’s identity was just like his, both being someone else’s lover.

So he spoke, regardless of whether Qin Man wanted to listen or not.

At first, he had been placed by Cheng Peng’s side to eavesdrop on his business conversations. Although he knew Cheng Peng was always cautious with his lovers and he might not obtain any important information, it was better than nothing.

Initially, he was just an insignificant pawn.

But even the one who arranged for him to be there couldn’t have imagined that Cheng Peng would develop feelings for Chen An.

It was an unexpected turn of events.　　

With the messages Chen An received becoming more and more numerous, the puppet master behind the scenes, a ruthless individual, had been biding their time for months, finally waiting for the auction.

“I… I’ve been hiding a lot of things about Cheng Peng from them, haven’t told them,” Chen An sobbed, “The original arrangement was even more ruthless than that accusation. I originally wanted to delay, but they… they approached my family… I had no choice, I… I really had no choice…”

Qin Man listened to him coldly.

“Do you think you’re pitiful?” It was a while before he spoke, his tone indifferent.

Chen An was taken aback. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. I mean… I didn’t mean to…”

“You have many choices,” Qin Man interrupted him. “You could tell Cheng Peng the truth. He would naturally find a way to protect you. Or you could leave early, so they wouldn’t find your family.”

“I’m too scared,” Chen An wiped his tears. “He… he hates deceit, I’m too scared to tell him.”

“I can’t guarantee that he’ll still want me after I tell him… If it were you, what would you do?” Chen An looked at him tearfully, her eyes pleading.

Qin Man had almost forgotten about it if Chen An hadn’t brought it up. There was still one thing left unresolved between him and his junior.

The details about his family’s ‘bankruptcy’.

He had intended to confess while they were at the hospital, but given Ji Ran’s temperament, who knew how he would react… He was injured at the time, and he wasn’t confident he could convince him to stay if he got angry and left. As a result, he kept postponing it until now.

What would he do?

Qin Man fiddled with the keys.

This matter needed to be addressed as well. He needed to think about how to say it so that his junior wouldn’t be too angry.　

“I won’t let myself end up in your situation,” he said calmly after a moment. “You know how hard-won Cheng Peng’s feelings are, yet you insist on courting disaster. No one can help you with that. What do you want from Ji Ran today? Asking for his help? Then you can leave.”

Ji Ran refrained from using violence.

Seeing that Qin Man wasn’t willing to hear about his troubles, Chen An sniffled. “I just want… to make a phone call to Cheng Peng.”

Of course, Ji Ran wouldn’t do him that favor.

A few minutes later, Qin Man received a reply – “Tell him to get lost.”

So Qin Man ignored Chen An’s pleas and crying, and ushered him out the door.

Ji Ran finalized the deal with the racer, agreeing to sign the contract by the end of next year. He even paid a portion of the deposit to seal the deal. With that settled, he headed home, finding Qin Man on the balcony making a phone call.

“Alright,” Qin Man said, turning around upon hearing Ji Ran’s arrival. He planted a brief kiss on Ji Ran’s lips before continuing his conversation on the phone. “I received the email. The scenery there is indeed beautiful.”

Ji Ran, holding some late-night snacks and sipping on cola, leaned against the railing nearby, listening to Qin Man’s phone call.

“Okay, I’m fine. Make sure Dad takes care of himself too.”

Hearing this, Ji Ran choked, coughing loudly a few times.

Qin Man was actually talking to his mother on the phone?

Ji Ran began to frantically recall – did that quick kiss just now make any odd noises?

Qin Man gently patted Ji Ran’s back a couple of times to help him recover from choking, chuckling softly. “Choking on water now?”

The person on the other end of the phone asked, “Who? Is there someone with you?”

Ji Ran covered his mouth, coughing lightly, and glared at Qin Man fiercely, indicating that he should focus on the call.

After hanging up, Qin Man inquired, “How did it go?”

Ji Ran recovered his composure and, feeling quite pleased about the deal, replied, “It’s done.”

“Good,” Qin Man nodded.

Remembering something, Ji Ran asked, “What did Chen An come to talk about this afternoon?”

Qin Man answered, “He said he wanted to use you to make a phone call to Cheng Peng.”　

Ji Ran couldn’t wait for Chen An to disappear from Cheng Peng’s world entirely.

He clicked his tongue and remarked, “He should count himself lucky I’m not around.”

At that moment, a piercing cry echoed from downstairs. It was the neighbors taking their twin daughters out for a walk.

The two little girls were having an argument, while their parents squatted between them, trying hard to mediate.

The children were adorable, even when crying, and Ji Ran couldn’t help but stare at them for a while.

“Do you like kids?” Qin Man noticed his gaze and asked.

“I don’t like them,” Ji Ran paused, “but I don’t dislike them either.”

He didn’t have any particular feelings towards children. It was just that the scene of the family squatting on the street looked unexpectedly heartwarming.

Qin Man watched with him for a while until the parents took their children back home. Then he smirked and said, “I completed your game for you.”

Ji Ran responded with an “Oh.” “I’ll see if I can reach the ending tomorrow.”

Qin Man waited for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “And then?”

“What?” Ji Ran asked.

“Reward,” Qin Man reminded him. “I spent almost two hours on that level.”

“…” Ji Ran pointed to the night snacks he brought back, “These are all yours, enjoy them slowly.”

Qin Man chuckled, “I don’t feel like eating night snacks.”

“In that case, they’re gone,” Ji Ran said, about to enter the house.

But before he could take a few steps, he felt hands around his waist. With a strong grip, the person behind him pulled him into their arms.

Qin Man kissed his earlobe, his voice sounding particularly enticing in the night, “Little junior, how about giving me a child?”

Ji Ran’s face flushed, and he made a token struggle, “Get lost, you’re so good, want to perform childbirth for me?”

“Sure. I’ll give birth for you.”

“How are you going to give birth… Damn.”

Before Ji Ran could finish his sentence, Qin Man suddenly changed positions, standing in front of him. He reached out and tugged at Ji Ran’s waistband, startling him into swearing, “Can’t you pay attention to the situation? This damn thing is on the balcony…”　

“It’s fine, no one can see,” Qin Man reassured.

Two grown adults standing there, how could no one see them?! Ji Ran was about to ask when he saw Qin Man squatting down, his movements incredibly skilled – indeed, they couldn’t be seen.

“What are you doing?” Ji Ran panicked, “Get up quickly…”

“I’m giving birth to your child,” Qin Man chuckled softly, “If you don’t give me food, where else can I get it for you?”

…

The two of them had a moment on the balcony, and Ji Ran was ashamed to the point of exploding, yet he couldn’t resist the temptation.

He kept looking up, afraid that the neighbors next door might suddenly come out and catch them, in which case he’d have to kill Qin Man out of frustration.

Fortunately, the neighbor was busy comforting their child and didn’t appear on the balcony.　　

After enjoying a period of time, Qin Man helped Ji Ran finish washing up, and then the two of them entered the bathtub together.

Ji Ran lay in Qin Man’s arms, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the wonderful moment.

“Can you accompany me somewhere the day after tomorrow?” Qin Man asked as he kneaded Ji Ran’s ears.

“Mmm,” Ji Ran responded lazily, not bothering to ask where.

“Don’t you want to know where we’re going?” Qin Man chuckled.

“What’s there to ask?” Ji Ran replied, “Are you going to sell me off?”

“I can’t do that,” Qin Man smiled, “But I might need you to wake up a bit earlier.”

“How early?”

“8 AM, the plane lands,” Qin Man replied.

Ji Ran again mumbled a vague acknowledgment.

The water enveloped them, providing immense comfort, and Ji Ran was almost drifting off to sleep. After a while, he remembered to ask, “Plane? Who are we picking up?”

“My parents,” Qin Man responded.

“Oh,” Ji Ran replied.

A few seconds passed, and then Ji Ran’s eyes widened suddenly, the drowsiness disappearing in an instant.

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