Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 63 (Part 3)
Translated by Pure (ko-fi)
Edited by tingting
Chapter 63.3 <Legend of Jianghu> has finally aired!
Shi Nanxing was a person who does what he says. Not to mention that he also had to follow up the planting and sales of the raw opium in the South, so he no longer had much leisure time to dally around in Yan City.
He had always looked down on Qi Kai's sloppy little business. Not to mention being exhausted and tied up, there was very little profit. After all, his current focus was shifted from the Qunnan’s sea area to the border of a southwestern province. He went to a small border country and bought a few hundred acres of mountain land to plant some good things.
Of course he wouldn't tell his family about this matter. Although the Shi Family and Elder Qi indulged him, they both had the courage of mice. They had already made a big deal out of their small smuggling operation, there was no way they would allow him to fiddle around the illegal drug business. So out of all his relatives, only Qi Kai knew about his new hustle.
Shi Nanxing actually looked down on Qi Kai a little bit. The rascal was greedy and stupid, but more importantly, much too indecisive. He would rush to his side at every opportunity to make money but when Lin Jingzhe was mentioned, Qi Kai would only utter a bunch of bullshit excuses.
If it weren't for the fact that almost all of the profits Shi Nanxing had made in Qunnan were confiscated and the huge amount of funds needed to operate the raw opium farms, Shi Nanxing wouldn't have allowed Qi Kai to cooperate with him again.
In the past two days, the two had many altercations due to their disagreements on handling Lin Jingzhe. Their relationship was no longer as close as before, and they didn't stick to each other anymore when they went out to socialize.
Shi Nanxing repeatedly tried to cozy up to Xiao Chi. They had toasted several times, and he took advantage of the opportunity to sit down next to him.
Looking at Xiao Chi's reserved and reliable appearance, Shi Nanxing couldn't help but inwardly sigh. From the perspective of a cooperating partner, Xiao Chi was really much more stable and reliable compared to Qi Kai. If Xiao Chi had shown any interest in doing business with him, then was there any need for Qi Kai? In the business world, there was no such thing as relatives and friends, only interests dominated all. He deeply hoped that Xiao Chi was one of his kind of people.
Because Shi Nanxing had a higher seniority, Xiao Chi and Hu Shaofeng had to call him Uncle Shi. And because of this, even though he sat down at the wrong designated table, the others found it difficult to bluntly drive him away. Helpless, they could only greet him pretending nothing was wrong.
That was how Shi Nanxing wormed himself into the circle. He swept through the table from the corner of his eye and asked seemingly casually, "Is Mr. Lin, from New Beginnings Real Estate, not seated at this table? I still want to have a toast with him."
Lin Jingzhe called earlier and said that he was busy and would come later, but Xiao Chi replied calmly with: "He hasn't arrived yet."
"Hey, this is a coordination led by your Flux Realty, Mr. Lin shouldn’t be late for such an important occasion." Shi Nanxing shook his head with a look of disapproval. "When he comes, he must be punished with three more glasses of wine!"
Xiao Chi frowned when he felt the malicious hostility towards Lin Jingzhe emanating from Shi Nanxing. "It’s just a trifling matter."
Hu Shaofeng was very worried that Xiao Chi would directly quarrel with Shi Nanxing, so he hurriedly interrupted, "Yes, who dares force Mr. Lin to drink? Uncle Shi, you really know how to crack a joke, hahahaha."
He’s that arrogant? Shi Nanxing caught the slight change in Xiao Chi's expression– he looked a bit displeased. So you actually do mind his pretentiousness. Put together with the ‘insider information’ he had received earlier, Shi Nanxing was becoming more misguidedly certain about his initial belief.
In the business field, the best way to gain trust was to reveal some of one’s own standpoint and playable cards. And so, Shi Nanxing no longer beat around the bushes and directly expressed his thoughts, "It's because you have a good temper and a high tolerance. If it were me, I would never indulge him to become reckless and cocky. That surname Lin is nothing but a wretched-looking tramp from the countryside. Did he really think he was something amazing after making a small profit from buying and selling?"
Hu Shaofeng: "...?"
Xiao Chi's breath became a little heavier. He frowned and stared fixedly into Shi Nanxing's eyes.
He’s angry because he agrees?
Shi Nanxing keenly grasped Xiao Chi's emotions hidden in his sharp eyes. Although he inwardly chuckled, Shi Nanxing continued with great confidence, "These poor bumpkins are truly lawless. As people from the same compound, we must be united outside.”
Hu Shaofeng looked at Xiao Chi's gloomy expression, and even his liver started to tremble. In his mind, he wondered if Shi Nanxing drank a bottle of insecticide. Why would he suddenly come to mindlessly talk about this kind of nonsense?
It’s fine if he wanted to badmouth Lin Jingzhe, but why did he choose to yabber it to Brother Xiao? Don't you see Brother Xiao's face getting uglier by the second?
Seeing Xiao Chi and Hu Shaofeng’s ‘aggrieved expressions’, Shi Nanxing became calm and composed. He was very confident as he steadily pulled out his trump card. "I, Uncle Shi, will tell you the truth. I’ve never liked Lin Jingzhe and New Beginnings Real Estate, and I feel uncomfortable seeing him still jumping around."
Xiao Chi finally replied. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Shi Nanxing, and said in a deep voice, "Really?"
Shi Nanxing met his probing eyes, there was even an unclear inquiry in it. With ample experience in dealing with this unique type of situation, he just remained profoundly silent and lightly shook his head.
From their peripherals, the door of the venue was pushed open. Everyone turned to look in that direction. From a distance, they could still hear the sounds of greeting. Shi Nanxing held his wine glass and looked in that direction. He finally caught a glimpse of Lin Jingzhe, who had just arrived with Deng Mai, smiling and clinking glasses with others.
Xiao Chi's deep gaze also fell in that area. His pupils were like two clusters of scorching flames, falling on a certain target without moving.
Truthfully, his gaze frightened Shi Nanxing very much. Fortunately, Xiao Chi's target was not him, so he began to gloat at the thought of Lin Jingzhe’s demise.
Lin Jingzhe slowly made his way to their table. He had originally wanted to say hello to Xiao Chi first, but unexpectedly met Shi Nanxing. He didn't have much contact with this man, so he was very polite. With a smile, Lin Jingzhe nodded as a greeting, "Hello, Mr. Shi."
A warm smile appeared on Shi Nanxing's face immediately. Holding his glass, he personally stepped forward to shake hands with Lin Jingzhe. "Mr. Lin, you’ve really taken your time! Oh, how I’ve anxiously waited for your arrival!"
After all, Lin Jingzhe was the founder of New Beginnings Real Estate and he still had several key projects in his hands. Although Shi Nanxing despised the enemy strategically, he was unable to remain indifferent to the enemy tactically. He wanted to torment Lin Jingzhe, yes. But, he didn’t want to let the target know. On the surface, they should remain exceedingly friendly and harmonious, this way, it would be easier for him to stab him in the back.
Therefore, the friendliness in Shi Nanxing’s expression was impeccable, successfully fooling Lin Jingzhe. And so, both parties exchanged pleasantries warmly. Before Shi Nanxing left, he cast Xiao Chi with a look of tacit understanding.
After walking a distance away, Shi Nanxing looked back under the cover of the crowd. Sure enough, he saw that Xiao Chi's expression when facing Lin Jingzhe was much more gloomy than when he was facing himself just now.
Shi Nanxing grabbed himself a glass of champagne from the passing waiter and giddily took a sip to his success.
Lin Jingzhe watched Shi Nanxing leave, turned around, and smiled at Xiao Chi, "That Mr. Shi is quite enthusiastic."
Hu Shaofeng hesitated to speak while Xiao Chi directly lowered his face and snorted.
Lin Jingzhe looked at them with some confusion, "What?"
Hu Shaofeng glanced at Xiao Chi's face and awkwardly explained, "You don't know what he said about you in front of us just now."
"What did he say?" Lin Jingzhe recalled all the times he had encountered Shi Nanxing. All of which were all but pleasant exchanges of words, so he couldn't help being very surprised.
Xiao Chi was so angry that his breathing became rough. "That motherf*cker called you reckless and cocky. He said you were a wretched-looking tramp from the countryside; a lawless poor bumpkin. And that he has never liked you."
Lin Jingzhe: "???"
He tried hard to think, but he didn’t seem to have any animosity with Shi Nanxing for him to hold such an extreme grudge.
Lin Jingzhe turned his head to search for him in the crowd in astonishment. Not far away, stood Shi Nanxing, talking to another person. He had probably sensed Lin Jingzhe’s gaze and turned to face him. A friendly and eager smile immediately appeared on his face as he raised his glass to Lin Jingzhe.
Lin Jingzhe: "...."
Reciprocating the fake smile, Lin Jingzhe also raised his glass to the other party. The atmosphere between the two parties seemed to be very amicable. Turning back, Lin Jingzhe muttered with disbelief, "Is he right in the head?"
Xiao Chi's face was livid from Shi Nanxing’s previous accusations. Hu Shaofeng could only shrug his shoulders inexplicably, "Who knows."
******
It didn't take long for Lin Jingzhe to feel that Shi Nanxing's presence continually became stronger. The latter often appeared in various activities he attended. Obviously, Shi Nanxing didn't know that his true face had been exposed. Every time, he was as enthusiastic as if he was Lin Jingzhe's biological brother, as intimate as could be.
Unsure of his true purpose, Lin Jingzhe didn't tear his mask off and continued to act along. But everytime when he came back home, he would recount the strange situations to Xiao Chi, "I ran into Shi Nanxing again during lunch. He pulled me over for a long talk. Whether it was about the ‘land king’ or the mixed-used building on 2nd Middle Road, his praises and boosts could almost lift me to the sky."
After Xiao Chi finished mopping the floor, he took the clothes Lin Jingzhe had ironed and hung them in the cloakroom. Hearing his narration, he snorted coldly, "He spoke ill of you just this morning."
"What did he say?" Lin Jingzhe paused while holding the iron when he heard Xiao Chi replied angrily, "He said you were condescending and short-sighted."
"Why was he acting that way?" During this period of time, Lin Jingzhe heard almost every accusation from Xiao Chi and Hu Shaofeng, all of which were relayed from Shi Nanxing. However he was still acting as if he was his closest friend whenever they met. Lin Jingzhe sometimes wondered if Shi Nanxing suffered from schizophrenia when looking at his friendly face.
Lin Jingzhe unplugged the cable to the iron and put it away. He then put his arms around Xiao Chi's neck, kissed Xiao Chi's lips, and coaxed, "Don't be angry. I'm not even that angry, so what are you angry about?"
If Xiao Chi hadn't wanted to know what Shi Nanxing's purpose was, he would have beaten him to a pulp long ago.
After carefully smoothing out the coat on the hanger, Xiao Chi said, "My grandma called in the afternoon, asking us to come to have dinner together sometime. My parents have already left for work again."
"Then let's go back and see her tomorrow." After their relationship was disclosed, Lin Jingzhe went to Xiao Family's house a few more times. He gradually became acquainted with each of the members and was no longer too shy about visiting. Because he was solely raised by his grandfather, Lin Jingzhe was especially comfortable around the older generation. His friendship with Elder Fang was also quite close. Although Xiao Chi’s grandma was very serious when she prayed, she was easy to get along with most of the time.
With a turn, Lin Jingzhe caught a glimpse of a familiar jacket. He took the hanger out of the closet, feeling an oncoming headache, "Don’t you know what month it is? Put your leather clothes away, aren’t you afraid of freezing to death?"
However, Xiao Chi stubbornly snatched the clothes from his hand, "It can be worn indoors."
"Wouldn’t you be sweating inside?" Lin Jingzhe has seen him wearing this jacket since the beginning of autumn, he had already grown immensely tired of it. "How about we switch it up?"
Xiao Chi took off the leather jacket from the hanger and put it on in one smooth motion. He then hugged Lin Jingzhe from behind and kissed him on the cheek, "You gave me this."
After that, he dusted his leather jacket and went out to watch TV with a serious face.
Lin Jingzhe: "..."
He actually wanted to explain the whole misunderstanding. However, seeing Xiao Chi's proud appearance, he didn't bear to.
The sky was getting dark but their house was brightly lit inside. After the news broadcast and the weather forecast in the living room television ended, there was a burst of melodious music.
Lin Jingzhe was sitting in the dining room and had a clear view of the TV screen. Hearing this familiar theme song that was to be overplayed in the future, his act of moving his chopsticks stopped immediately.
When he turned his head towards the TV, a group of familiar and young faces were displayed on the screen.
It had been several days since their bean paste promotion script had been rendered and approved, <Legend of Jianghu> finally aired!
Pure: Hi! Hope you had a good laugh at this chapter haha. You might have noticed I updated the font of the whole website, I heard Sans Serif Fonts were a little easier to read than Serif Fonts (which i used before). Let me know what you think and if there’s any changes I should make! Cheers!
