Werebeast Gongs CH 108 Awakening From The Dream
It was past midnight, and any lingering interest had long faded. So when Liu Si, her beautiful eyes half-lidded, wrapped her smooth arms around him with clear intent, Lei Jin declined, claiming exhaustion. Fortunately, Liu Si was tactful and didn’t press further. With a soft "goodnight," she took her side of the bed and drifted off.
They had shared a bed countless times—it should’ve been second nature by now. Yet tonight, Lei Jin felt inexplicably uneasy. His head throbbed, and despite lying still for what felt like hours, sleep eluded him. Giving up, he grabbed a robe, snatched a bottle from the liquor cabinet, and headed to the rooftop terrace.
Though summer lingered, the coastal city’s nights carried a chill. Lei Jin sprawled across a lounge chair, the wind clearing his mind. He tried recalling his dream, but the once-vivid fragments had blurred into obscurity. Just a dream after all. Pressing an arm over his eyes, he wrestled with the lingering unease until he realized—he’d brought up an unopened bottle of foreign liquor. Cursing under his breath, he vowed to stock authentic Chinese wine next time.
"Lei Jin, remember to come back!" The boy’s final cry pierced his thoughts.
"Mingya…" The name slipped out unbidden, stirring a rare pang of panic.
Just a dream. It’s over now. Stop dwelling. Lei Jin slapped his own cheeks.
Below, his bodyguards, alerted by the noise, rushed up with guns drawn—only to freeze at the surreal sight of their boss slapping himself in the middle of the night.
Holstering their weapons, one scratched his head and asked in concern. "Boss, what are you doing?" These two had been with Lei Jin since his street-fighting days. Though they respected him deeply, their rapport allowed for bluntness.
"Stargazing," Lei Jin grumbled.
They exchanged glances. Did Sister Liu kick him out of bed? Their rough—no, unrestrained—boss stargazing? More shocking than the sun rising in the north.
"Boss, should we call Mr. Yu Ran over?" one ventured, wiping sweat. Other then Miss Liu who accompanied their boss the longest, everyone knew Yu Ran was Lei Jin’s latest flame—though based on the man's aloofness, whether their boss had succeeded in seducing the other remained a mystery.
"Scram. I know what you’re thinking. Can’t a man look at stars?" Lei Jin lobbed the unopened bottle at them.
"Boss, the cerebellum controls movement, not thoughts," the other quipped, catching it.
"Shut it. You think I don't know you? Get lost." Lei Jin waved them off, though their antics had lightened his mood. These men had stood by him through life and death. None of them had much of an education to speak of but they were all loyal and good brothers. If he ever vanished, they’d be his only regret.
If that world had been real, Roger was his sole link. Maybe he could start there and see if it had truly existed.
Outwardly, Lei Jin remained his uncaring self, but those close enough noticed the change—a newfound steadiness, sharper foresight. Most shocking? He’d stopped bedding partners. Rumors exploded in the Qinyan Gang: The boss can’t get it up! Soon, those who were ambitious began leaving pills, nourishing soups, and all kinds of secret recipes on Lei Jin's desk under other pretexts.
So this city's people would often see in corners, scenes like this:
"Will the boss recover?"
"One-to-two odds if yes, one-to-ten if no."
"How long will it take?"
"One month—one-to-one. Two months—one-to-two. And so on."
By the time Lei Jin caught wind, the gossip was unstoppable. Still, morale had never been higher.
Tonight, Lei Jin drank with the gang’s old guard at Liu Si’s club. But his mind wasn't in it, he had asked someone to go to Europe to make inquiries. Twenty years was not a long time, but it was also not easy to find a missing archaeologist. Fortunately, Lei Jin was willing to spend a lot of money and finally got some information. However, to his disappointment, there was no such archaeological team twenty years ago, let alone missing people. Of course, more specific information would depend on the email sent. In fact, Lei Jin himself didn't know whether he wanted to confirm whether the dream was true or false.
"Lei, you’re spacing out. What are you thinking" A scar-faced older man patted his shoulder, a drink in hand.
"Nothing. A toast, Uncle Kuan." These elders had built the gang with his adoptive father. Though retired, their influence remained. They didn't make trouble and Lei Jin was also willing to play nice—gathering once in a while and keeping in touch, though there wasn't anything deeper than that.
"Don’t worry, young man. Rest up, and the future’s bright," another old man in a dark traditional Tang suit added.
Lei Jin’s eye twitched. Knowing there was no point in explaining, he forced a smile. "Thanks, Uncle Zhou."
"See? Lei’s resilient. He’ll bounce back."
Resilient enough to keep lining your pockets? Lei Jin wondered why they had to get together for a drink for no reason? In fact, such things have been happening again and again since he took this position. He knew very well that the reason they supported him to take the position at that time was, firstly, that his power should not be underestimated, and secondly, that he could bring more benefits to the gang. It was normal for everyone to look to their own interests. It's just that he was in a particularly bad mood today and didn't want to deal with these hypocritical faces.
Lei Jin signaled Liu Si.
Once "business" concluded, hostesses flooded in, expertly revving the atmosphere. With Liu Si present, none dared approach Lei Jin—until she left to handle a disturbance. Then, his seat became prime real estate. After all, who wouldn't prefer a young and handsome man to the old fogeys. But every industry had its rules and they didn't dare to move from their spot. Still, the eyes couldn't lie and the seductive glances cast from the corner of their eyes kept coming his way.
Rather than stoke the old men’s jealousy, Lei Jin summoned a male escort. The new manager, unsure of his tastes, asked for preferences.
"Just keep it clean."
The boy who arrived had nearly white-blond hair, huge blue eyes, and a sweet, obedient demeanor. Lei Jin was taken aback.
The table barely blinked—Lei Jin’s bisexuality was old news. Only Zhou Hao, Uncle Zhou’s son and the gang’s second-in-command, snorted from his seat. Their mutual disdain was no secret. Lei Jin pretended not to hear. Zhou Hao was a man who had returned from studying abroad. He was arrogant, but he was at least loyal. Lei Jin always turned a blind eye to him. Of course, the fact that this guy had a very handsome face was also a major reason. At the beginning, Lei Jin had thought about him many times, but then he thought that it would definitely get him into trouble, so he gave up the idea early on.
"Brother Jin, I’ve admired you for so long," the boy purred, curling into Lei Jin’s lap.
"Oh? What’s your name?" Lei Jin pinched his chin, flashing his trademark smirk.
This time Zhou Hao slammed the cup heavily on the table, stood up, brushed off the hem of his clothes, looked at Lei Jin and the people in the room, and said sternly: "Boss, uncles, I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
By ten, the elders dispersed. Lei Jin took the boy—Ye Er—home. Undressing, showering, bedding him should’ve been routine. But as Ye Er knelt on the mattress, all Lei Jin saw were pleading blue eyes. His arousal evaporated.
He sent Ye Er to a guest room and retreated to his study. The email confirmed it: There was indeed nothing twenty years ago but two years ago an archaeologist by the name of Roger had disappeared. The attached photo showed a black haired, green eyed man at work, a pocket watch beside him—a very familiar pocket watch.
Not a dream. Those people really existed in his life, Xiya, Moya, Mingya, his child, Roger, and many other people were not his imagination. What was going on and why did this happen? The harder Lei Jin tried, the harder it was to remember. He only vaguely remembered these names, but he had a premonition that one day he would forget them all, not a single one, because he knew he could never go back.
A few days later, Lei Jin returned to the villa in the suburbs. Sister Zhou, who came once a week to clean up, left a letter saying that she found some things in the bathroom and put them in a box on the table in the living room. He opened it and found a pocket watch and a ring-shaped black jade. Lei Jin's complexion was pale, but he calmly put away the pocket watch and found a chain to carry the black jade with him.
Five years later, all memories of that world had vanished—first the faces, then the names. Lei Jin remained unmarried, though he’d doted on Ye Er for years. Only Liu Si stayed constant, joking they should just grow old together. Lei Jin smiled, considering it—yet something always held him back.
The day Lei Jin fell into the sea, he was designated by the other party to go to the high seas in person to settle a big order. However, he was ambushed by a third party on the way, and Zhou Hao's support was delayed in arriving. It was not uncommon for black eating black in the underworld. He didn't have any particular regret for his death, but it was a pity for the brothers who had been following him. However, if they survived, Zhou Hao likely wouldn't kill them all. After all, he had treated Zhou Hao very well in the past few years, and he should remember that at least.
As darkness closed in, Lei Jin remembered everything. The foolish Mingya who’d traded his life for Lei Jin’s departure. If given another chance… maybe he’d choose differently.
"Lei Jin, are you awake?" Mingya’s voice.
"Where are we?" Pitch-black.
"Mingya failed you." He hadn’t expected Lei Jin to turn back for him. Now, they were both trapped.
"So I never left." Lei Jin exhaled.
"Were you dreaming?"
"A long dream. But I’m awake now." In every sense.