Chapter 20: B-King
An Yi felt that what the other person had heard was not the correct answer. “What I clearly heard was, no extra soup for the hot-and-sour noodles!”
Lin Jiu stood up with his arms crossed, his face full of conviction. “No, no, no. She definitely said the delivery forgot to bring her vinegar.”
An Yi said, “No, I think I heard it right.”
Lin Jiu asked, “Why?”
An Yi gave a shy smile. “Because I’m confident.”
To be alive, there were only two words for it: confidence!
Confident Frog.jpg
The two of them argued back and forth, the debate fiercer than an actual debate competition, trying to piece together arguments from the scattered bits of alien language in Gu Lingling’s sobbing.
Gu Lingling’s eyes were already blurred from her smudged eye makeup. Looking at the two unreliable people in front of her, she suddenly felt that her life was unbearably bitter, and for a moment she cried even harder.
An Yi: …
Lin Jiu: …
The two of them hurriedly stopped arguing, deciding they could resume the debate another day. Looking at Gu Lingling’s utterly dejected state, taking care of her was clearly the priority.
Gu Lingling was heartbroken beyond measure. She lifted the champagne bottle and was about to chug it in one go, but An Yi quickly snatched it away.
Was she trying to drink herself to death?!
Gu Lingling said, “Why are you stealing my wine?”
A flash of inspiration struck An Yi. “Saving your life.”
Lin Jiu went to the restroom to see if there was a basin or something, planning to get some water so she could wash her face.
Gu Lingling looked dispirited. She stared at the bottle in An Yi’s hand. “An Yi, do you know how much this bottle of champagne cost me?”
An Yi looked down at the champagne and, seeing there was no price tag on it, asked, “How much?”
With tears streaming down her face, Gu Lingling said, “Twelve thousand. And I spent another five thousand coming to this five-star hotel just to stay one night. And now…”
The more she spoke, the sadder she became. “Now there’s not a single cent left on my card. Do you know why I did all this?”
Before An Yi could answer, Gu Lingling went on talking to herself. “I wanted to treat myself a little better. He wouldn’t treat me well. He lied to me together with that outsider. So I…” She slapped her own chest. “I’ll treat myself well. Boohoo… I’ll treat myself well.”
Seeing Gu Lingling like this, An Yi could not connect her at all with the strong, dazzling woman she usually was. Ever since the day he met her, he had never seen her cry once. She had always been vibrant, full of energy, brimming with confidence. But now, looking at the endless tears pouring down her face as though there were strings pulling them out, An Yi felt awful inside.
He exerted some effort to get her onto the sofa, then softened his voice and cautiously probed, “Who bullied you?”
At that question, all of Gu Lingling’s grievance burst out at once.
“Sun… Wangzu. I’ve been with him for five years. We got together in college. I gave him my whole heart. Whatever I did, I always thought of him. Whatever I bought, I always got him a share too. He does art, painting, but he refused to sell his work cheaply, saying his paintings were artistic, that people with taste would definitely see his efforts, that gold would always shine eventually. After we graduated from college, he stayed at home with no income. I paid all the rent myself. I treated him that well, and he had a mistress long ago. If I hadn’t caught them yesterday, I’d still be kept in the dark.”
Gu Lingling sobbed as she spoke. “He said he had no money, so every month I pinched pennies and saved five hundred for him. But it turns out some of his paintings had already been sold, and all that money was spent on someone else. He just thought I was stupid, thought I was easy to bully. I caught those cheating bastards red-handed, and they still bullied me together.”
“An Yi, they bullied me. They’re not human! They’re not human! They bullied me. How could he treat me like that?!”
Gu Lingling clutched helplessly at An Yi’s arm.
Yesterday, she had originally planned to go shopping for some presentable clothes, thinking she would wear them to the fashion show in a few days. Big shots would all be there. She could not afford luxury brands, but she still wanted to make herself look pretty.
She had already worn that red dress of hers for three years and had never been willing to replace it. She always thought that as long as it was not torn, she could keep wearing it. It was only because of the fashion show that she had finally gone out to buy something new.
Walking down the street, she had fallen in love at first sight with a white dress in the display window of a boutique. It was beautiful. She had stood there alone by the window for a long time. But when she saw the price, she hesitated.
Sun Wangzu said he was an artist, disdainful of selling his paintings cheaply. He said that people with taste would definitely notice his effort, that gold would always shine, and that once his paintings were appreciated and collected, once he had money, the two of them would be able to live a good life.
He said that once they had money, he would move her into a bigger home, buy her all the dresses and bags she could not bear to buy for herself, and dream about their future together.
Because she loved him, she had never once pressured him about his career. She really believed that him staying home all day was part of perfecting his art.
So when he had no income at all, Gu Lingling took on every expense in the household. After every meal, Sun Wangzu would praise her, calling her a strong woman and saying that meeting her was the blessing of eight lifetimes.
But looking at the shocking price of that dress, Gu Lingling had backed off. She thought of the upcoming rent and their daily living expenses. A dress like that was something she simply could not buy, and could not afford to wear.
Discouraged by the price, she lost all interest in shopping. She sighed and returned home listlessly.
Who would have thought that the moment she stepped through the door, she would see a pair of women’s high heels by the entrance?
Gu Lingling froze on the spot. Her brain seemed to crash. Her eyes stared blankly at those red high heels.
What did that mean?
Her thoughts were faster than her actions, issuing a warning like a blade-sharp winter wind in the dead of the twelfth month.
Her brows twitched involuntarily, and soon after, that disgusting sound she probably would never forget for the rest of her life entered her ears.
Rage and losing control seemed to have agreed in advance, surging up all at once. Gu Lingling strode quickly to the bedroom and saw the cheating couple on the bed.
The moment Sun Wangzu saw her, he froze. “Weren’t you supposed to come back tonight?!”
The sight stabbed painfully into Gu Lingling’s eyes. She grabbed whatever was near at hand and started hurling things at the bed.
“How could you do this to me?! What are you doing?! This is my home! What are you doing in my home?!”
But Gu Lingling’s strength clearly could not compare to Sun Wangzu’s. Besides, the mistress at his side was also putting on airs and declaring her territory. Together, the two of them forced Gu Lingling out of the house.
Sun Wangzu threw Gu Lingling’s bag and coat at her. Looking at the way she glared at him, he even raised his hand as if to hit her. Gu Lingling shrank her neck back in fear. He did not actually strike, just told her to get lost.
Gu Lingling glared at him hatefully. “Sun Wangzu, aren’t you afraid of retribution? Everything you told me before was a lie. You said you’d treat me well. You liar!”
She got up and tried to lunge at him, but Sun Wangzu shoved her to the ground.
“Gu Lingling, I’ve wanted to break up with you a long time ago. The only reason I never said it was because I pitied you. Treat you well? You’re fucking worthy of that? A cheap woman like you, who comes wagging over with just a crook of the finger, thinks someone should treat you well?”
Gu Lingling did not want to relive it, but she still forced herself to say it through her grievance.
“He… he…”
“He said I don’t deserve for anyone to treat me well. An Yi… An…”
An Yi pulled the sobbing Gu Lingling into his arms.
“An Yi, do I really not deserve… not deserve for someone to treat me well?”
An Yi said, “You do. Of course you do.”
Don’t listen to that dog spewing rumors.
No one treated her well, so she had spent every cent on her card, buying good wine and staying in the most expensive five-star hotel. But none of it… none of it could soothe her.
Gu Lingling sobbed, “For this household’s expenses… I couldn’t even bear to buy myself… buy myself one white dress. And he still treated me like this, treated me… like this…”
She also wanted to be a strong woman, the kind of heroine in TV dramas who, upon discovering her boyfriend’s cheating, slaps him and turns away coolly. It was not that she still held any hope for Sun Wangzu. She just could not stop feeling heartbroken. The best years of her life as a woman had been reduced to worthlessness by his words. Five years of feelings, not five days. A full five years. She had poured everything into it, only for it to end like this. She could not accept it. How could she possibly accept it?
Lin Jiu came out carrying water, saw Gu Lingling in this state, and felt his heart twist. Even though the two of them were always either arguing or fighting in the past, he had genuinely considered her a friend. Hearing about the scumbag from her own mouth, he got so furious he almost sloshed the water out of the basin.
A pink-crystal-girly-heart kind of person like her had been bullied like this!
An Yi was furious too. He called room service and had the hotel send up some hangover soup, then he and Lin Jiu worked together to half-carry, half-support Gu Lingling to the bathroom to wash her face.
When the two of them were leaving, they told her, “Sleep well. In two hours, we’re heading out.”
Gu Lingling struggled to raise her head. “Where to?”
Where else?
Back to the apartment. To catch the trash in the act.
Standing outside the door, An Yi and Lin Jiu exchanged a look. They said nothing, each hailing a cab by the roadside and heading home.
The moment An Yi got back, he ran straight into the walk-in closet and pulled out every piece of clothing he had from his time in the An family home. Although An Shaofeng had not given him much fatherly love and was a bargain-bin dad, when it came to money, he really had been willing to spend on him.
Whenever he bought him things, as long as An Yi asked, he did not even blink.
During that one year in the An family, he had accumulated piles of luxury-brand clothes and accessories.
An Yi rummaged through the clothes, picking the most expensive pieces he could find. If he was going to back up Gu Lingling, then he had to do it in the richest, flashiest way possible.
And since he worked in design, while choosing clothes, he also put together an outfit. After changing, he went to the bathroom to do his hair.
As the saying went, clothes make the man just as saddles make the horse. Standing in front of the mirror, An Yi looked far more refined than usual. The clothes on him leaned flamboyant, making him look like the young master of a wealthy family out for fun.
He wondered what hairstyle would look the most intimidating. Instantly, an image of Huo Beixing with his hair slicked back appeared in his mind. Just one look at that made him seem hard to mess with.
An Yi tried several times, but his hair would not stay in shape. He glanced at the hair gel on the sink. After finally getting everything done, he was just about to head out when he walked out of the room and ran straight into Huo Beixing, who had just come back.
Huo Beixing’s gaze fell on the carefully dressed-up An Yi. Usually, whether at home or out and about, An Yi mostly wore casual clothes. Compared to his normal look, this outfit was like Little Frog wearing a giant bright-red flower on his head.
An Yi had clean, bright features that gave people the transparent freshness of a boy next door. Yet now, dressed in flamboyant clothes with his hair swept back while still wearing that obedient face, he carried a few extra shades of mischievous defiance.
Huo Beixing stared at An Yi, unable to look away. He pressed his lips together, reached out, and pulled An Yi to his side. Without saying a word, he simply stared at him like that. Since waking up this morning, he had not seen his wife. When he asked Uncle Zhong, Uncle Zhong had told him that An Yi had gone out first thing.
An Yi froze slightly under his gaze. “I’m heading out for a bit now.”
As he said that, he remembered something and turned back into the room. He walked to the desk, intending to put on a watch before leaving.
Huo Beixing followed behind him like a little tail.
“Wife, are you wearing a watch?”
An Yi nodded.
Seeing that An Yi only had two watches, Huo Beixing reached over and opened his own watch cabinet beside them, then took one out and handed it to him. It was his favorite watch.
“Wife, wear this one.”
The watch in Huo Beixing’s hand was extraordinarily luxurious. The moment he finished speaking, he put it on An Yi’s wrist whether he agreed or not.
It matched his wife perfectly.
Looking at the watch on his hand, An Yi lifted a smile toward Huo Beixing. “Thank you.”
Huo Beixing grew a little red in the face. His big hand kept pulling An Yi closer, intentionally or not, wanting him to stay nearer.
But because of yesterday’s sofa war, An Yi’s chest was still a little sore. The moment he was tugged close, he shuddered.
Huo Beixing bent down to look at him. “Wife, why are you trembling?”
Huo Beixing’s voice hummed softly above him.
An Yi stammered, “N-no reason.”
As if it wasn’t because yesterday you practically swallowed a frog whole.
Then he said he still had something to do, grabbed his coat, and hurried out of the room.
Only when he got downstairs did he realize that Zhao Ningzhuo had come over to hang out and was holding a piece of card paper in his hand.
After spotting Beautiful Little Frog, Zhao Ningzhuo could not help glancing at him several times. He puckered his lips, about to whistle at him. What a fine-looking guy. But the moment he saw Huo Beixing behind him, his heart jumped. The whistle that had not yet left his mouth instantly turned into beatboxing.
“Puff puff dong dong puff… yo…”
Once Huo Beixing came downstairs, Zhao Ningzhuo asked, “Why is your wife dressed up so nicely? What’s he going out for?”
Huo Beixing scratched his head. “I don’t know either.”
“I see.” Zhao Ningzhuo wore an expression that said he understood everything. “Your wife might be about to find someone.”
“……”
Two minutes later, Zhao Ningzhuo was once again thrown out of the Huo family home.
Zhao Ningzhuo: ……
You really can’t take a joke. 🙂
No wonder your wife is going to find someone!
Before heading to the hotel, An Yi made a special stop at a luxury boutique and bought Gu Lingling a white dress. He did not know which brand’s white dress she had seen back then, but he picked one that he personally felt would definitely look beautiful on her.
Lin Jiu was waiting in the hotel lobby, and the moment he spotted An Yi, his eyes were instantly drawn to the limited-edition sneakers on the man’s feet.
Holy shit! Weren’t those the limited ten-pair release from two months ago?!
Back then, he had begged his older brother for them, but his brother had flatly refused, saying he was too lazy and useless to deserve them.
Maybe it was because the two of them had been marinating in the same studio atmosphere, but their styles were shockingly aligned today. They had both, in perfect tacit agreement, brought out the exact same rich-young-master wastrel look, radiating B-king energy from head to toe.
Lin Jiu stared at those shoes with undisguised longing. He was used to good things, and he could tell real from fake at a glance.
But once he walked up to An Yi, both of them froze.
Lin Jiu had plenty of luxury brands on him. Back when An Yi was in the An household, once Chen Lin learned he wanted to study design, she had specially hired a teacher to instruct him in how to spot authentic luxury goods from fakes. It could be called a compulsory course.
And every single item Lin Jiu was wearing right now was genuine. The chain around his neck nearly blinded Little Frog.
At the same time An Yi raised a hand, the watch on his wrist made Lin Jiu’s brow jump.
Holy shit! Wasn’t that the one his older brother had failed to win at auction?!
The two of them looked at each other, then looked each other over, and for a moment the air seemed to freeze solid. They stood there facing one another in silence.
Back when the group had first discussed opening a joint studio, they had all introduced their personal backgrounds and experiences.
An Yi cleared his throat. “Well, you know, I grew up in the mountains, and even now I don’t really have any money.”
Lin Jiu scratched his cheek. “Same here. I only got through college on subsidies.”
“……”
The moment they finished speaking, both of them felt a wave of guilt.
He’ll probably believe it, right?
