Chapter 4#

“Brother Ri! Brother Ri! Don’t say I don’t have your back. Take a puff, I promise it’ll send you to heaven.” The young guy hooked my arm and casually pulled me into a shoulder hug. The smoke seeping from his mouth as he spoke made my head dizzy.

“No, no need… uh–”

To be honest, although Du Yijie and the others called me Brother Ri, having a bunch of kids who were almost adults respectfully address another kid as Brother Ri was just… a bit much. So among this group, apart from occasionally chatting with Du Yijie, I generally felt out of place. Especially when Du Yijie insisted I join them a few times—forced drinking and endless smoke filled the air. This old bones of mine was suffocating in silence.

Du Yijie and his gang rarely attended class, usually hanging out under the big tree on the sports field or in empty classrooms. Ever since that day, they’d pull me along every few days to hang out. From then on, my image as a model student began to waver. Even my classmates looked at me with three parts pity and seven parts fear when I had a meeting with our homeroom teacher, Mrs. Liu. She held my hand and gently persuaded me, “Student Ren, the school will protect you if you’re in trouble. You need to think about your future and act carefully…” Things like that.

Thus, I felt deeply melancholy.

Du Yijie probably realized I didn’t fit in with them, so he stopped bothering with me after a while. He just made me sit next to him as everyone chatted and laughed. Du Yijie rarely spoke, mostly just curling the corner of his mouth. He had a nice hand gesture when smoking. In my past life memories, only Wang Zheng’s way of holding a cigar could easily make hearts flutter—but Wang Zheng wasn’t a heavy smoker and rarely smoked in front of me.

I remembered Wang Zheng’s secretary, Li Ling, once said: “I never would have guessed that such a strict manager as Mr. Wang could be such a perfect gentleman. Even when he smokes, he only has half a cigarette. Last time, Xiao Zhen from the planning department said that the manager doesn’t smoke much because he’s afraid the smell would cling to him—apparently, his lover doesn’t like it.”

Back then, I was newly married to Shu Yuan. My heart, which had been as still as dead water, once again rippled.

Later, when I signed that transfer agreement, the contemptuous smile on Wang Zheng’s face and his cold voice almost pierced every cell in my body.

“A guy with the surname Ren always likes to be one-sided.”

I… I’m always one-sided.

“Um… Boss—” At my age, calling a young kid “boss” made my cheeks burn a little. As soon as I spoke, the whole group went quiet. Du Yijie looked over too, and his eyes always made my heart twitch a little. I forced a smile and said, “I—I’ve been missing too many classes… There’s a midterm in two weeks…”

Du Yijie frowned slightly.

A few little delinquents started making noise. “Brother, who cares about that stuff? Just ignore it!”

“Pfft, it’s just a small exam. We can get any exam paper we want! Hey, am I right, Boss—ow!”

Du Yijie smacked the kid who was boasting about getting me the exam paper on the back of his head—hard. The group, who had been making a ruckus, suddenly fell silent. My eyes went wide, and I didn’t say another word.

Du Yijie stubbed out his cigarette butt and glared at the kid. His voice cold, he said, “Don’t teach him bad things. Xiao Qi is different from you.” Then he turned and patted my shoulder, a slight smile tugging at his lips, his eyes holding a hint of warmth.

“Here’s the plan: you don’t have to come tomorrow. Study hard. When’s the exam?”

I swallowed. “…The twenty-third.”

Du Yijie lowered his head, thought for a moment, then ruffled my hair. “If you do well that day, Brother Du will take you out for a nice meal.”

In my past life, by the time I took over as CEO of Ren Corporation, Du Yijie had already established a iron grip over the entire Southeast Asia region. Besides having immense influence in the black markets of Southeast Asia and even all of Asia, his legitimate businesses included civil engineering and overseas real estate, with several major cooperative projects with Ren Corporation.

During a Ren Corporation banquet, which was quite grand, many political figures showed up to save face. Unexpectedly, Du Yijie came in person. At that time, everyone called him “Uncle Du.” Back then, I was still naive and had to toast every guest as a matter of courtesy. By the time I faced Du Yijie, I was already half drunk.

I couldn’t really recall his face clearly.

All I knew was that the current Du Yijie, though still carrying a certain ruthlessness, lacked that bloody aura. Back then, Uncle Du—no one dared to look him directly in the eyes.

I actually had two weeks of peaceful days.

Occasionally, Du Yijie would drop by after class, just to ask about my studies and remind me to leave my schedule open on the day after the exam. That made my heart pound and the whole class nervous.

My duties as the hygiene monitor had been taken over by someone who volunteered, so I was honorably relieved of my position. Life suddenly became leisurely. On the other hand, Wang Zheng somehow became the student council president of the junior high division. Our schedules completely swapped. By the time I turned off the lights, I could barely see Wang Zheng’s figure.

I slept lightly—a problem that developed in later years of my past life. Anyway, after what happened…

I will never, ever want to think about that again.

I shuddered.

Almost all the problems from my past life carried over into this one. Whether that was a blessing or a curse, at least I could take precautions in advance.

In the darkness, Wang Zheng was walking a little unsteadily, bumping into things occasionally. He coughed softly and rummaged through drawers, looking for something.

“Click.”

Wang Zheng seemed startled. As he turned around, he wasn’t paying attention. Suddenly, a “thud”—he groaned and bent over. “Wang Zheng!” I quickly grabbed the desk lamp and went over to him. He was holding his waist, looking like he was in great pain. But when he saw me coming to support him, he stubbornly put on that proud face, tilting his chin up—only for his brows to twitch painfully. It was quite alarming.

Wang Zheng grabbed the table and sat down on the bed, then coughed again. I hurriedly turned on the light to get a better look. His face was slightly pale, perhaps from the collision, and his forehead was sweaty from the pain. Seeing me staring at him, Wang Zheng let out a cold snort and looked away.

I had to find some medicinal liquor and cough drops. Hearing his continuous coughs, I sighed and also got some anti-inflammatory medicine. Ever since our argument that day, we’d barely spoken. Earlier, Wang Zheng would at least throw me dirty looks and make cold remarks. But since that day, he almost hadn’t said a word.

Wang Zheng had a proud temper and was extremely concerned about saving face.

In my past life, Wang Zheng and I had plenty of arguments, but I rarely talked back.

The worst time was during my marriage to Shu Yuan. I remember that Wang Zheng got quite drunk at the wedding banquet. When it was over, I asked Li Ling to take him home, but he suddenly grabbed my collar. His eyes were bloodshot, but he sneered and said, “Ren Qiri, you’re getting married? Hah! Aren’t you impotent with women, you faggot? How disgusting!”

That was the first time I ever hit Wang Zheng.

Wang Zheng’s skin was very fair, so the red finger marks on his face stood out even more. His eyes stared at me fiercely. Even now, whenever I think about it, my heart aches a little.

Later, to make Wang Zheng happy, I gave away many of my team’s project proposals.

But what Wang Zheng did afterward hurt much more than that slap.

That was a pain I doubted I could forget even if I were reborn a hundred times.

“Wang Zheng, Wang Zheng, stop fussing. Let me put some medicine on.” I looked at Wang Zheng’s childish face—delicate like a doll’s. In a few years, those features would sharpen, and his eyes would grow deeper.

Wang Zheng was stubborn. In my past life, he was soft neither on soft nor hard approaches—a true self-centered master.

I thought for a moment, sighed, and said, “There’s the midterm next week. If you drag yourself to the exam sick, and I end up doing better than you, don’t come crying.”

That did the trick. Wang Zheng immediately opened his eyes, shot me a look up and down, and gritted his teeth. “Dream on.”

“Alright, alright, I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming. My dear Lord Wang, would you kindly lie down and lift your noble clothes so I can see if you’ve knocked a dent into yourself?” I couldn’t help but use the tricks I’d used on my son. The good boy hated the smell of medicinal liquor, so even if he had a bruise, he wouldn’t let me apply medicine. I always had to find some way to coax him.

I just didn’t know if the father would fall for the same trick…

Wang Zheng clutched his clothes, his eyes wide open. After a long moment, he relented and unbuttoned them. The indoor light was a bit yellowish, and Wang Zheng’s face was exceptionally pretty. Now, with his head down and his eyelashes fluttering—still a bit wet from the pain, no doubt—he slowly unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his chest. The room was filled with an ambiguous atmosphere…

Ahem. Hallelujah.

That collision Wang Zheng had really was something. There was a big bruise on his waist. The moment I saw it, all romantic thoughts vanished. I felt a pang and blurted out, “How could you be so careless!” I twisted the bottle cap open, poured some medicinal liquor into my palm, and noticed Wang Zheng frowning. “What’s that awful smell?”

He covered his nose and pursed his lips.

Just like his son.

My heart ached a little. I said, “It’s a special recipe from Xiao He’s hometown. Works for any fall, bump, or sprain. Your son—cough—I’ve tried it myself; it really works.” Thanks to my good boy, I’d gotten good at rubbing in medicine. I knew exactly how much pressure to use, and Wang Zheng’s furrowed brow slowly relaxed.

After a while, I told Wang Zheng to avoid getting the area wet. I poured him some water and stayed until he swallowed the pills. He seemed reluctant at first, but maybe he was truly sick. In the end, he didn’t glare at me and obediently took the medicine and drank.

I said, “Don’t push yourself too hard. Some things can wait. You may be Superman, but not everyone else is.”

Wang Zheng didn’t reply. He just slowly closed his eyes and let out a gentle sigh. Soon, his breathing became even.

Wang Zheng was extremely talented and hardworking—completely different from me. I think that if the company didn’t have Wang Zheng, it might not have lasted ten years under my leadership. Besides, when Wang Zheng and that scumbag joined hands, it chilled me to the bone. But I also knew it was because of my own incompetence.

So I didn’t hate Wang Zheng. At most, I resented him a little.

By the time the midterms started, Wang Zheng was back to full energy, his chin held high. Seeing my dark circles, the corner of his mouth even lifted.

I think this must have been how Lü Dongbin felt when he was bitten by the dog.

Speaking of which, I’d tightened my belt, and my clothes seemed a bit looser… My face, which used to be so round you couldn’t see my eyes, seemed to have slimmed down, gradually taking on the outline of my past life.

The day before the last exam, Du Yijie’s gang came to find me. Du Yijie asked how I was doing. I said, “The questions were okay.” One of Du Yijie’s lackeys, Ah Zhong, laughed and pointed at me. “Ha! Wouldn’t have guessed with that face you’re pretty smart. Boss, don’t you think—ouch!” Ah Zhong was a straightforward kid, but he got hit a lot.

Du Yijie smirked and said slowly, “Get first place. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.”

I gave a dry laugh.

Actually, I hadn’t finished what I was saying—“the questions were okay, just barely enough to lose to Wang Zheng and take second place.”

Before leaving, Du Yijie reminded me, “After the exam tomorrow, I’ll wait for you at the main gate. No rush. You can drop your bag off first.”

“That last matter—my sister insists I thank you in person.” When Du Yijie genuinely smiled, you could see his two canine teeth, giving him a boyish look.

But thinking of his appearance as the leader of the criminal underworld twenty years later, I felt a bit deflated.

The next day, right after the exam ended, everyone in my class had their own plans. The kids all looked relieved.

I went back to the dormitory to drop off my bag and change into casual clothes, intending to head out. But the moment I stepped out the door, I saw Wang Zheng rushing over from a distance, looking flustered. He stared at me and demanded, “So you’re here! …Where are you going?”

I was stunned, and before I could answer, Wang Zheng grabbed my wrist. “Ren Qiri, never mind that. Grandma Ren has sent a car.”

Wang Zheng started pulling me along. My hand hurt from his grip. “Wang Zheng! What do you mean?”

I shook off his hand forcefully, but he just stared at me, hesitated for a moment, and then said slowly, “Your mom’s been in an accident.”