Chapter 88:
Ji Ran gripped the steering wheel, listening to the ringtone coming from his phone beside him.
It was 7 o’clock in the evening, and the downtown area was jammed with traffic. He waited at the red light twice but couldn’t pass through.
The phone rang, he glanced at it and answered.
“Where are you going?” Qin Man asked.
“I have some business.”
Qin Man sensed something off in his tone, “Where are you? I’ll come to you.”
Ji Ran took a deep breath without showing any signs of tension.
He hadn’t seen the documents yet, and the situation wasn’t clear. He couldn’t jump to any conclusions now.
“No need,” the traffic light turned green, Ji Ran said, “I’m driving, I’ll call you back.”
This time, Ji Ran drove extremely slowly, maintaining a sluggish speed of 40 miles per hour on the street.
To avoid Chen An, Cheng Peng had been staying in a house near the company recently. Ji Ran parked the car in the parking lot and went straight up the stairs.
“Coming,” Cheng Peng opened the door and gave him a quick once-over, “Where have you been? It took you so long.”
“Traffic,” Ji Ran explained briefly.
There were two sets of documents on the glass table in the living room.
“These are what I could confirm for now,” Cheng Peng said, “There are definitely things we haven’t found out yet, take a look.”
Ji Ran sat down on the sofa and casually flipped through a couple of pages.
Cheng Peng watched him from across, surprised to see his calm demeanor.
Ten minutes later, Ji Ran closed the documents.
Then he asked the person in front of him, “Is there any water? I’m thirsty.”
Cheng Peng replied, “Yes, what would you like to drink?”
“Just plain water,” Ji Ran paused, then asked, “Do you have any alcohol?”
“Yes, but only beer,” Cheng Peng replied understandingly, “If you want wine, I can have someone bring it from the cellar.”
“Beer will do.”
A few minutes later, the living room echoed with the sound of a beer can being opened.
Ji Ran held the canned beer, leaned back, crossed his legs casually, adopting a relaxed posture as if he was back to his demeanor from a few months ago.
“Do you have cigarettes?” He took a few sips and asked.
“Didn’t you say you were quitting?” Cheng Peng replied.
“Forget it.”
Just mentioning it made him feel like an idiot.
Cheng Peng handed him a cigarette, Ji Ran bent down to hold it with his mouth, lit it up, and took a deep drag, feeling relieved.
The taste was long gone, and because it had been so long, he even found it a bit harsh.
Cheng Peng watched him silently for a moment before asking, “What are you planning to do?”
Ji Ran spit out the smoke: “I don’t know.”
He really didn’t know.
“You seem very calm,” Cheng Peng praised, “You’re right, in this aspect, you’re indeed better than me.”
Ji Ran fell silent. There was nothing to be proud of in this mess.
To be honest, knowing about this matter didn’t surprise him much. Instead, he felt a strange sense of relief.
After all, he had never expected Qin Man to fall in love with him in the first place.
“Why do you think he faked bankruptcy?” Cheng Peng lit his own cigarette and asked.
What else could it be? Ji Ran thought coldly.
To see him foolishly handing over money, foolishly loving him.
To deceive him all the way, and then deliver the fatal blow in the end.
“But I think, going through all this trouble, it’s unnecessary,” Cheng Peng picked up on his thoughts, “Do you think it might be…”
“Ninety-nine percent and one percent, which side do you want me to choose?” Ji Ran interrupted, laughing self-deprecatingly.
His relationship with Qin Man was just a game.
A gamble that Qin Man wasn’t deceiving him, a gamble that he would hit the jackpot and make this arrogant man bow his head to him in the end.
From the start, he knew his chances of winning were slim. In the past, Ji Ran would never have gambled.
But after months of being together, he realized his chips had already been thrown onto the gambling table, with nothing left. Once you’ve placed your bet, there’s no turning back, so he had to speak up and take the gamble.
Actually, when he thought about it carefully, there was nothing likable about him.
He always found fault with Qin Man, either being sarcastic or mocking whenever they met. They had been at odds for so many years… unless Qin Man was a masochist.
“But what if he really likes you?” Cheng Peng pondered, “Or maybe he has Stockholm syndrome?”
“Forget it, don’t try to console me, just shut up and drink with me,” Ji Ran clinked glasses with him, “I’m really fine.”
“I’m prepared long ago, don’t worry about me.”
After finishing a glass of wine, Ji Ran’s phone rang again.
He glanced at the caller ID, then hung up and turned off the phone.
Then he raised his glass and clinked it with Cheng Peng’s, “Do you have an extra room here?”
“Yes, feel free to drink.”
Ji Ran’s tolerance for alcohol wasn’t actually that good, not even as good as Yue Wenwen’s. However, his skill at playing dice and drinking games was excellent. After a game, he hardly drank much.
When he opened the sixth can of beer, Cheng Peng couldn’t help but intervene, “Stop drinking.”
“I’m fine.”
Ji Ran took a swig.
His cheeks were already flushed, and his lips were glistening.
After drinking half a cup, he suddenly remembered something, “Is my phone turned off?”
He searched around but couldn’t find his phone. Cheng Peng quickly said, “Yes, you turned it off just now.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Cheng Peng sighed in resignation.
Ji Ran nodded, feeling reassured.
If he hadn’t turned it off, he was afraid he might drunkenly call Qin Man after getting drunk.
Then he asked himself what he really wanted to do, if he was just playing around with him.
Like a hysterical clown.
Honestly, he just wanted to ask now.
Not why he deceived him.
He just wanted to ask him, whether there were any words of those pretty things he said before that were actually true.
Cheng Peng wanted to comfort him, but didn’t know where to start.
Actually, in his opinion, Ji Ran was very calm now. Besides looking a bit drunk, he hardly showed any other signs of distress.
Cheng Peng was glad he didn’t have much alcohol in his fridge.
After finishing the drink, Ji Ran didn’t go crazy with alcohol, nor did he ask for more bottles. He just said he was tired and wanted to go back to his room to rest.
“Can you stand steady?” Cheng Peng stood up.
Ji Ran tried it. Then he laughed, “Maybe I need a little support.”
Still able to laugh, he probably was fine. Cheng Peng helped him up, led him to the guest room, adjusted the air conditioning temperature, and gave him two extra blankets before leaving the room.
Looking at the empty cans scattered on the floor, Cheng Peng sighed.
He had no intention of cleaning up now, thinking he’d wait until the cleaning lady came tomorrow. As he was about to go back to his room, he caught sight of Ji Ran’s phone on the sofa.
Afraid it might slip into the sofa crack, he picked it up and was about to place it on the table when the ringtone echoed through the living room.
Ji Ran had already turned off his phone; it was ringing on his phone.
He glanced at the unfamiliar number, then walked out to the balcony.
“Who’s this?”
“Sorry to disturb, it’s me,” Qin Man sat on the sofa, staring at the black TV screen, “Do you know where Ji Ran is?”
“Do you need to find him for something?”
“Is he at your place?” Qin Man stood up, picked up his coat hanging on the sofa, and decisively said, “I’ll go get him now.”
“No need to come over,” Cheng Peng looked at the night view, “I don’t think he really wants to see you right now.”
Qin Man’s movements halted, his hand holding the clothes hanging by his side, “What do you mean?”
Cheng Peng answered evasively, “Congratulations in advance. Those pieces of land in Wangxing should fetch a good price within the next two years.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
After a while, Qin Man asked, “Where are you guys now?”
“If you’re not going to get an answer, then there’s no point in keep asking,” Cheng Peng lit a cigarette, “Qin Man. I know you had conflicts with Ji Ran back in school. If you don’t accept him, there are plenty of ways. Ji Ran is alone and powerless, he can’t compete with you. You really don’t need to resort to such time-consuming and laborious methods.”
“I haven’t,” Qin Man rubbed his forehead, forcing himself to calm down, “As you said, I don’t need to… Is he with you now?”
He had been calling Ji Ran’s phone continuously and no one answered. He was worried that Gu Cheng or someone else had done something again, feeling extremely anxious.
“He is.”
“I’ll go pick him up.”
“No need, for now, it seems like his affairs don’t need your concern anymore,” Cheng Peng said indifferently, “You should think about how to explain things to him, so your breakup won’t be too ugly.”
Qin Man’s tone grew colder, “We won’t break up.”
Cheng Peng chuckled ambiguously, “Is there anything else?”
“…What is he doing?”
“Sleeping.”
The wind on the balcony was too strong, Cheng Peng felt a bit chilly and turned back to the living room. Unexpectedly, he bumped into a few empty cans on the way, making a loud clang.
Qin Man heard the sound and asked, “Is he drinking?”
“He just had a couple of drinks out of boredom.”
Judging from that sound, it probably wasn’t just a couple of drinks.
Qin Man fell silent for a moment, “Is he drunk?”
Cheng Peng frowned, unable to help but ask, “Why does it matter to you whether he’s drunk or not, and how much he’s had to drink?”
Qin Man had rarely been spoken to in this tone throughout his life. If it were anyone or anything else, he would probably have hung up the phone long ago.
He looked at the empty living room, casually tossed his coat back onto the sofa, and sat back down. “…He gets drunk easily. Heat up some milk for him and don’t let him touch water. He didn’t eat much for dinner, so he basically drank on an empty stomach. Put some stomach medicine and water by his bedside in case he wakes up in the middle of the night and needs it.”
After finishing, he paused, “Thank you.”
“…He’s my friend, I’m just helping him out, no need to thank me,” Cheng Peng stayed silent for a moment before saying.
“Sorry to trouble you,” Qin Man repeated.
Cheng Peng remained silent for a long time, so long that Qin Man thought the call had been disconnected.
“Did you know Ji Ran was poisoned when he was young?” Cheng Peng suddenly said, breaking the silence.
Qin Man was taken aback, his grip on the phone tightening slightly.
“After his mother passed away, the nanny who was closest to him poisoned him. He had to wash his stomach several times to get rid of it,” Cheng Peng slowly continued, “His biological father ignored him, and the teacher who had the most influence on him turned a blind eye. Even I, Cheng Peng, it took us many years of contact to finally reach the relationship I have with him today.”
“But because of those incidents, his sense of security is almost nonexistent.”
“So he has very few friends and has drawn a clear line with his family. Yet, despite being alone, he’s willing to be in a relationship with someone he’s been enemies with since childhood…”
At this point, Cheng Peng sighed almost imperceptibly.
“…He really, truly believes in you.”
After hanging up the phone, Qin Man sat on the sofa for a long time without moving.
It wasn’t until he felt a pain in his palm that he somewhat snapped out of it. He lowered his head and saw a red mark where his nails had dug into his palm.
Unable to resist, he called Ji Ran again.
The female voice on the other end was icy cold, pouring into his ears like a basin of cold water.
He called Liu Chen, asking him to check the houses under Cheng Peng’s name. It didn’t take long for a reply to come in.
With his phone running out of battery, Qin Man got up and went to the study. He casually opened a drawer, intending to find paper and pen to jot down the address.
However, he saw a piece of printed paper in the drawer, with the words “Budget” written at the top.
Office space: 12 million yuan for three years.
Renovation: 2 million yuan.
Four company cars: 2 million yuan in total.
Employee salaries: 4 million yuan (temporary, subject to change).
…
Although it wasn’t explicitly stated, Qin Man knew exactly what this was. Many of the numbers were inaccurate, indicating that the person who compiled this spreadsheet didn’t understand these matters.
Ji Ran had zero interest in starting a company, so this spreadsheet… was done by him for someone else.
And it was obvious who that someone else was.
Further down, there was a car sale contract. Qin Man hastily glanced at a few lines, feeling like his chest was being squeezed, aching with every breath.
Cheng Peng was right. Ji Ran was really trying hard to believe in him.
And he was trying hard… to be good to him.
This feeling was sincere, passionate, and pure to the extreme.
Qin Man clenched the contract, his thoughts in chaos, experiencing the first time in his life that he felt disoriented, at a loss.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
