Chapter 90:
Ji Ran listened to him, his heart racing for a few seconds before snapping back to reality.
“You fucking… Besides these fancy words, what else do you know?” He turned away, refusing to meet Qin Man’s gaze. “No matter how much you say, you’re just a liar.”
Just thinking about how he researched information and sold cars for this liar made him furious.
Qin Man nodded. “Yes, I will turn over a new leaf and start afresh.”
“…Then go ahead, this isn’t a labor camp.” Ji Ran sat on the sofa, hands on his hips, crossing his legs in a lordly manner. “Wait, come here first. I have something to ask you.”
Qin Man moved over.
He pursed his lips, his expression serious, almost as if he could be described as obedient.
“Get lost, don’t sit next to me.” Ji Ran frowned. Qin Man lowered his eyes and shifted to the small sofa beside him.
“Where’s your girlfriend? Let me see her,” Ji Ran asked.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Qin Man said. “I only have a boyfriend, named Ji, called…”
“Shut up, I didn’t ask for your name. You don’t even have a boyfriend now!” Ji Ran furrowed his brow. “Why did you tell Auntie that you have a girlfriend? Do I look like a girl to you? Tell me, if you don’t come up with three, four, five reasons today, I’ll knock your head off.”
When Qin Man returned to the private room and saw no one was there, he left without explaining anything.
“I never said I had a girlfriend,” Qin Man said, puzzled. “I just mentioned there’s someone I like. The rest is her own imagination, nothing to do with me.”
Ji Ran looked at him suspiciously.
The level of trust this guy had with him right now was too low.
Sensing his gaze, Qin Man picked up his phone and quickly dialed a number before Ji Ran could react.
Afraid that Ji Ran wouldn’t believe him, he pressed the speakerphone button and said, “Mom. I haven’t told you before that the person I like is a girl… Uhh.”
Ji Ran was startled and quickly rushed over to cover his mouth.
On the other end, Mother Qin was puzzled, “What? It’s a bit noisy here, say it again…”
Ji Ran quickly pressed the hang-up button.
“Worried you’d think I was making a prank call.” Seeing him glaring, Qin Man chuckled. “I have a bad reputation, so this is the only way you’ll believe me.”
Ji Ran cursed at him. “…Stop pretending to be innocent.”
When Mother Qin called back, Ji Ran was about to hang up, but Qin Man dodged his hand and asked the person on the line, “Do you trust me?”
“You hang up first.”
“I can’t do that.” Qin Man looked at him. “I can’t shoulder any more blame now, I’m afraid you’ll sentence me to death.”
Ji Ran was speechless for a while, then straightened up. “…I trust you, hang up.”
Qin Man hung up the phone and temporarily added Mother Qin’s number to the reject list.
“Can I see your phone?” Ji Ran asked, taking a sip of water.
“I let you see everything.”
Ignoring his flirtatious remark, Ji Ran took the phone.
He opened WeChat and went straight to the Moments.
Qin Man’s latest post was the succinct “Looking for opportunities,” with a small grouping symbol underneath. He clicked on it.
【Visible friends – Dear Beloved Junior Brother.】
He paused, then scrolled down further. Apart from photos of Jiao Jiao, there was indeed nothing else.
Ji Ran’s back felt slightly numb. He suddenly felt like prey, and Qin Man was the hunter, setting countless traps and snares in front of him, waiting for him to fall into them.
Even if the hunter only intended to take him home as a pet and not eat him, it still made him feel uncomfortable.
“This is your last chance to be honest,” Ji Ran regained his composure slightly. “What else have you lied about?”
“Nothing else,” Qin Man paused after speaking. “Wait a moment…”
“?”
Qin Man was silent for a moment. “When I was in the hospital before, I actually didn’t need you to help me to the bathroom. I could have done it myself.”
“……”
“My hand wasn’t at a point where I couldn’t eat either,” Qin Man continued nonchalantly. “I just pretended because I wanted you to feed me.”
Ji Ran’s face flushed. “I didn’t… ask you to say these things.”
“Doesn’t this count?” Qin Man raised an eyebrow. “Then there’s nothing else.”
Ji Ran questioned, “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Qin Man affirmed. “And I won’t do it again in the future.”
Ji Ran nodded and tossed the phone back. “Then go pack your bags.”
Qin Man was puzzled. “What?”
“Aren’t you supposed to respect me and break up?” Ji Ran asked. “You still have to pay me the termination fee?”
This time Qin Man was left speechless.
“We’re neither lovers nor partners, so why are you still living in my house?” Ji Ran picked up the game controller again, naming his new character.
【Welcome to the game, Old Dog Orphan Qin!】
Seeing Qin Man still not moving, Ji Ran mocked, “What are you standing there for? Shall I show you the way out?”
“No need, I’ll leave on my own,” Qin Man chuckled and stood up.
He knew he had touched Ji Ran’s bottom line this time and it wouldn’t be easy to appease him, but he was prepared for it.
“Do you remember what I said just now, about wanting to pursue you again?”
“You can pursue all you want,” Ji Ran scoffed. “Let’s see if you can catch a flower.”
He thought Qin Man would hesitate for a while, but to his surprise, the other man immediately returned to the guest room. After a while, a voice came from inside, “You bought me so many clothes that my previous suitcase couldn’t fit them all.”
Ji Ran exerted a bit too much force and accidentally dropped “Old Dog Orphan Qin” into the sea.
Impatiently, he said, “…. Use mine, it’s on top of the cabinet.”
A few minutes later, Qin Man came out of the bedroom and leaned against the wall. “Junior… I need to discuss something with you.”
Ji Ran glanced at him warily. “Go ahead.”
“Can you give me a piece of clothing you’ve worn before?”
“What do you need it for?”
Qin Man smiled. “To use when I miss you.”
Ji Ran’s mind froze, and he didn’t immediately understand. “What do you mean? Use it for what…”
A few seconds later, Ji Ran’s ears turned red.
He grabbed the cigarette box on the table and threw it mercilessly toward the door. “…. No way! Damn… you perverted bastard!”
Qin Man packed up and walked out with the suitcase. “Old Dog Orphan Qin” had already reached level fifty.
He looked at the person on the sofa. “I’m leaving?”
“No need for goodbyes, thanks for being here,” Ji Ran didn’t even lift his head.
Qin Man chuckled. “Before I go, can you remove me from your blacklist?”
“No, you’re fine in there.”
“You agreed to let me pursue you, don’t back out now.”
“When did I agree to let you pursue me?”
“Then I will be shameless, I won’t breakup.” Qin Man frowned.
“… Tsk.”
Ji Ran dropped the controller and picking up his phone to remove Qin Man from the blacklist. “Alright? Can we break up now?”
Qin Man was satisfied and put his phone back in his pocket.
“Smoke less, drink less, and eat on time.”
“Are you my ex-boyfriend or my mom?” Ji Ran urged him. “Just leave already.”
Half a minute later, Qin Man left Ji Ran’s home.
It wasn’t until there was no sound outside that Ji Ran put down the controller and glanced into the room.
It seemed unchanged until he opened the closet. Finally, he felt something. It was empty, except for his own clothes.
Before he could dwell on it, his phone rang.
Q: I’ve arrived.
Dad Ji: ???
Ji Dad: You’ve only been gone for two minutes, and you’re already here??? Are you messing with me?
Q initiated location sharing.
Ji Ran opened it and saw that their coordinates were extremely close, almost next to each other —
Q: I bought the house across from yours.
Dad Ji: …
Q: The owner of the house was about to go abroad recently and was eager to sell, so I bought it when I saw it was cheap.
Q: Does this count as deceiving you? You didn’t ask me.
Q: Ji Ran?
Q: Junior?
Q: Dad?
Q: Answer me.
Ji Ran was fucking speechless.
He quickly walked to the balcony and looked across.
Qin Man was standing on the balcony on the other side, with several pots of flowers beside him. When he saw Ji Ran, he even blew a kiss in his direction.
Ji Ran pulled the curtains tightly, his face cold. He was about to return to the living room to play games when his phone rang again.
Q: When are you coming over to visit the neighbor’s house?
Dad Ji: Get lost!!
——
“So, you just ran out?” Cheng Peng listened and didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Ji Ran took a sip of wine, his expression unchanged. “Sort of. Got tired of playing games, so I came out for a stroll.”
Yue Wenwen looked speechless.
He had worked under the scorching sun all day at the construction site and had planned to soak in a bath for half an hour, do a facial mask, and get 12 hours of beauty sleep to prepare for another day of sun exposure tomorrow. But as soon as he got home, he saw Ji Ran’s message in the group saying “Broke up, come out for a drink.”
How could he still think about facial masks and beauty sleep after that? He just took a quick shower and rushed out.
And this was the news he got??
“Forgive me for being blunt, but are you sure this is a breakup?” And not just some little game between lovers?
Ji Ran said, “Otherwise?”
All right, you say what you want.
Yue Wenwen with a look that said: I see through you dog couple. “Did you break up?”
Such a stimulating topic, how can I miss out on you guys.
“Just cut the crap….” Ji Ran’s ears burned a bit. He took a sip of wine. “Do you want a drink or not?”
Fine, he called him Wenwen coaxing him out and now that he’s here, he told him to cut the crap.
Yue Wenwen sighed and propped up his chin. “Sure, Master, this servant will accompany you for the night.”
Seeing both of them being so nonchalant, Cheng Peng shook his head and smiled, taking out his phone to check.
“Peng Peng, why have you been glued to your phone all night?” Yue Wenwen noticed, “No one’s even looking for you.”
“…. Nothing.” Cheng Peng raised his hand and offered Ji Ran a cigarette. “Want one?”
Ji Ran blinked and said, “No.”
“Aren’t you supposed to give up quitting?”
“I just don’t feel like it….” Ji Ran said, “Okay, give me.”
Ji Ran didn’t get drunk tonight. He called a designated driver to take him home.
Before entering the house, he glanced at the opposite building.
The lights were on on the second floor.
In just a few seconds, as if sensing something, the curtains inside moved.
Startled, Ji Ran hurried back to his own place.
After taking a shower, he lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a while, then turned his head and looked at his phone on the bedside table.
Throughout the night, Qin Man hadn’t sent many messages. The last one was still from eight in the evening.
Tsk. Still trying to pursue someone with this little patience. Even a dog wouldn’t pay attention to you.
After drinking, Ji Ran felt slightly tipsy, and as he cursed inwardly, drowsiness crept over him.
Turning over, his phone slipped down to the blanket. He picked it up and subconsciously stuffed it under his pillow, then… felt something.
In a daze, he pulled out the object.
It was a gray T-shirt, the one he bought for Qin Man, which he usually wore as pajamas.
How did this shirt end up under his pillow?
As he pondered, a faint scent of cologne emanated from the shirt, wafting into his nostrils.
—”For when you miss me.”
The words drifted into Ji Ran’s ears, jolting him awake. Suddenly, he felt the object in his hand burning hot, and he instinctively threw it aside.
Realizing something, he sat up abruptly, opened his wardrobe, and searched for a long time.
Then, to his shock…
His most frequently worn pajamas… were also… damn it… gone…
Almost instantly, an image of Qin Man holding his clothes… flashed through Ji Ran’s mind, and his cheeks instantly turned red with embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Qin Man was in the study, considering how to adjust the positions of the older employees.
His phone rang, and he picked it up to check.
Dear Beloved Junior Brother: ?
Dear Beloved Junior Brother: [Image]
The background of the photo was that familiar bedsheet. Junior Brother was flipping off the camera, and his T-shirt was lying on the bed, with a pair of scissors beside it.
Dear Beloved Junior Brother: You’re dead.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
Lmao 🤣 wtf was that 😂