Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 54 (Part 2)
Translated by Pure
Edited by Alkonost
Chapter 54.2 "Factory found!"
Lin Jingzhe held the cigarette between his slender, fair fingers. Paired with his youthful facial features, a surprisingly mature air exuded through the rising smoke.
Lin Jingzhe didn’t bother to give Qi Kai another look after lighting up the cigarette; his lowered eyes just stared at the ground.
Qi Kai suddenly felt a little tired and didn't bother to pursue Lin Jingzhe's shameless act of pilfering his cigarettes.
The idea of bickering dissipated like riding the wind, it wasn’t a good time and place to do it now anyways. Qi Kai opened his hands, and Lin Jingzhe took out a cigarette from the box that should have belonged to him and threw it over. Qi Kai threw the cigarette butt that was almost finished from his mouth onto the ground, and stamped it out with his feet.
"F*ck." Lin Jingzhe frowned and looked at his foot, "Do you have any fuck!ng sense of morals?"
Qi Kai ignored him and leaned back against the wall with the new cigarette in his mouth.
The two sides fell quiet for a while when Lin Jingzhe heard him say, "What's going on with Wubao Mountain?"
"What do you mean?" Lin Jingzhe feigned ignorance, "You snatched it from me at the auction, and now you ask what's going on?"
Lin Jingzhe never played cards according to the routine, so Qi Kai's brain began to throb with pain. "Don’t play dumb, you know what's going on."
Lin Jingzhe laughed and didn't refute, he just said, "Mr. Qi doesn't want that piece of land anymore? All right, why don't you sell it to me."
Qi Kai was stunned. He suddenly turned his head to look at him, "Really?"
With a straight face, Lin Jingzhe replied, "Have I ever told a lie?"
Everything you say is a bunch of bull! Qi Kai complained in his heart but could not to pursue this question, so he continued to ask, "What price is Mr. Lin willing to offer?"
Pinching the cigarette, Lin Jingzhe turned to Qi Kai and answered, "Sixty million."
"What?!!?"
Lin Jingzhe laughed, "What? Not interested in selling?"
"You're f*cking dreaming!" I’d be a fool to agree! Qi Kai argued, "The bid from Dominion Properties for that land by Wubao Mountain was 80 million! Counting all the taxes and fees, we ended up paying nearly 90 million. You're offering 60 million, are you messing with me?"
Lin Jingzhe said indifferently, "Then don't sell it. You were the one who raised the price to 80 million yuan."
"But Mr. Qi." Lin Jingzhe paused, and then added with a smile, "While 60 million isn't much, it isn't a trivial amount either. I'd advise you to take the offer while it's on the table."
Qi Kai stared at Lin Jingzhe’s meaningful smile, but couldn't comprehend it’s connotation. His stomach started to hurt as if he had been beaten, "Forget it."
He didn't want to talk about this business anymore. Only a fool would consider doing business at 30 million loss. But at the same time, Qi Kai had a hunch that Lin Jingzhe was manipulating him, leaving him quite vexed.
Some time ago, he had brought this person a lot of trouble. It was a pity that Qi Qing was not reliable at all, so that rare advantage only lasted for a relatively short period of time.
When he thought of the time when he made Lin Jingzhe overwrought, Qi Kai couldn't help but gloat. He smirked cheaply, "I heard that Mr. Lin promoted a group of doyen last month?"
Lin Jingzhe raised his eyebrows. "Mr. Qi is quite well informed."
Last month, he officially promoted Mao Dongqing, the team leader of the company's only project team, to be the director. Sun Yiqing, the capable girl who had the best relationship with him in the team, became the new team leader.
After the Triangle Plot project officially launched, more and more miscellaneous tasks needed to be managed in the company. Lin Jingzhe recently recruited a new group of people to fill the vacant departments in the company. For the time being, Sun Yiqing and Deng Mai were managing them. Deng Mai had even started bringing in new recruits of his own to help alleviate future challenges.
This was not a small move. After being promoted, Mao Dongqing was very grateful. Recently, he seemed to be striving to the utmost to help Lin Jingzhe in any way or shape of form.
Qi Kai obviously didn't understand the value of Mao Dongqing. On the contrary, he thought it was funny that Lin Jingzhe promoted a group of newcomers who had just joined his company. "I remember that this group of employees only joined your company not long ago? But yes, it’s hard to recruit employees these days. Mr. Lin, it’s hard for you to solve the labor shortage and it’s inevitable to cherish the manpower.”
Lin Jingzhe didn't seem to hear the sarcasm in this sentence as looked at Qi Kai and answered in a relaxed tone. "Yes, speaking of this, I have to thank Mr. Qi."
Qi Kai: "What?"
"I remember that Qiqing Real Estate is a cooperative relationship with your Dominion Properties, right? It's quite fortuitous. Had you not offered such attractive salaries at a time when we were struggling to hire, we likely wouldn't have found these outstanding employees." Lin Jingzhe smiled, "So indirectly, shouldn't I thank you for that?"
Qi Kai couldn't gain the upper hand at all and felt very powerless for a while. Suddenly, he noticed something from the corner of his eye. He glanced towards the door of the banquet hall. "Mr. Xiao?"
Xiao Chi stood in the door without responding. He stopped about ten meters away from them, staring at the smoke in Qi Kai's hand as if it was a demon personifying pestilence.
Qi Kai courted a rebuff. He tsked, uninterested in conversing with either people, Qi Kai chose to simply walk away with a cigarette in his mouth.
He took a couple steps, and for some reason, had the urge to look back.
Lin Jingzhe didn't move, and stood relaxed with the back of his head leaning on the pillar. He held a cigarette between the fingers of one hand, tilted his head and stared at Xiao Chi.
His expression and demeanor seemed to have shifted slightly from when he faced Qi Kai just now. As for the difference, Qi Kai couldn't tell, but he suddenly felt that a piece of cold ice had melted into a puddle of soft and frivolous water.
Qi Kai continued to stare blankly, but someone up ahead suddenly spotted him, so he had no choice but to turn his head amidst their call.
Lin Jingzhe leaned over and looked at Xiao Chi for a while. It seemed like a simple appraisal, yet there was a certain intensity to it. The latter frowned and stared at the cigarette in Lin Jingzhe’s hand. He then stepped forward to take the cigarette away.
Lin Jingzhe didn't resist, but let the thing between his fingers be taken away. He tilted his head upwards to gaze into Xiao Chi's face, now so close their lips could touch. At that moment, he had no inclination to converse. Instead, he retrieved another cigarette from the case in his pocket, stuck it between his lips, and brought Xiao Chi's hand - still holding his half-smoked cigarette - closer. With the lit end of his discarded smoke, he ignited his fresh stick, removed it from his mouth, and moved it towards Xiao Chi's lips.
Xiao Chi had no choice but to take it while he said, "I don't..."
Lin Jingzhe exhaled in his direction, the snow-white plume of smoke unfurling like an ethereal cotton flower, barrelling towards Xiao Chi's face.
Xiao Chi choked before he could say the word ‘smoke’. He didn't like the smell of smoke, so he coughed twice.
Watching Xiao Chi's grimace and coughing fit seemed to snap Lin Jingzhe out of his daze. He hastily removed the cigarettes from both his and Xiao Chi's mouths and put them out. Lin Jingzhe waved his hands in the air to diffuse the smell, then took out the cigarette case in his pocket, and threw it into a nearby trash can.
While he was looking for the trash can, Xiao Chi followed behind him quietly. Lin Jingzhe stared at the two cigarette butts he threw in the trash can for a moment. After he calmed down, Ling Jingzhe apologized, "I'm sorry."
Xiao Chi asked, "Are you unhappy?"
"No." Lin Jingzhe laughed, with the same expression as before, "No. So, why did you come out?"
Xiao Chi looked at him and saw nothing wrong with his expression. "You have been out for almost half an hour. I was getting worried."
Lin Jingzhe's hand froze on his face before shifting to loop around Xiao Chi's neck. He drew closer, planting a gentle kiss on the corner of Xiao Chi's mouth. "I was talking to Qi Kai and forgot. I will let you know next time."
"It stinks." Xiao Chi complained about the smell of smoke in his mouth. However, when Lin Jingzhe was about to back away, Xiao Chi pressed the back of his head and covered his lips. Their entangled tongues danced together in a fierce battle for some time.
Consumed by the warmth of Xiao Chi's mouth, Lin Jingzhe was blissfully ignorant until Xiao Chi finally released him. Suddenly aware of their public surroundings, his eyes scanned the vicinity quickly.
"It stinks." Xiao Chi stretched out his thumb to wipe the saliva overflowing from the corner of Lin Jingzhe’s mouth. He complained again with a voice of disgust that was completely different from his gentle gaze. Seeing him looking around, Xiao Chi also turned his head. "What are you looking at?"
"...Nothing." Fortunately, there was no one around. Lin Jingzhe breathed a sigh of relief. He opened his mouth to bite the finger that was still moving around his mouth after wiping the corners of his lips. His heart was full of sweetness as he continued to advise, "Be careful next time. Don't do this casually outside, what if someone sees us..."
Once their relationship was exposed, it may cause a big uproar. It was okay for him, but Xiao Chi had a different family background. If word got out, they may face a lot of trouble.
Lin Jingzhe didn't want this relationship to end so quickly, hence he had become more cautious outside.
Xiao Chi was puzzled by this. So what if someone saw them? When he was in high school abroad, it was quite normal for couples to kiss openly on campus, some even did it in their classrooms.
Therefore, he ignored Lin Jingzhe's shyness, and took a step forward. Xiao Chi held him in his arms and pressed him against the wall.
Lin Jingzhe was taken aback. Before he could refuse, Xiao Chi kissed him again, his hands sliding into his clothes, and his warm palms groping all over his back.
Lin Jingzhe was kissed until he became weak in the knees. His tongue was almost swollen from being sucked so much. Inwardly, he thought: didn't you keep complaining about my stinky mouth?
Why are your actions completely unlike your words?
Translated by pure, hosted on puretl.com / do not repost!