Chapter 28 - 2#
Jing Shun looped his arms around Chi Gui’s shoulders, and in the blink of an eye, he was steadily gathered into the other’s embrace.
Only after they got off the helicopter did the accompanying bodyguards unfold the wheelchair again.
Chi Gui set Jing Shun down. “Are you tired? Hungry?”
“I ate quite well on the plane, so I’m not hungry.” Jing Shun nodded slightly and said honestly, “Just a bit tired.”
This afternoon, he had first dealt with Jing Guanhai’s messy problems, and then there were the planes and helicopters; it would be a lie to say it wasn’t exhausting.
Just as he finished speaking, the private butler responsible for receiving them came forward to greet them.
“Good evening, Mr. Chi. I have been waiting for everyone for a long time. I am the cruise butler sent by Young Master Ji to receive you.”
The “Young Master Ji” the other spoke of was the second young master of the Ji family in Ao City, Ji Tianheng, who was also the host of this banquet.
“Just call me Jamie. From this moment on, if Mr. Chi or anyone else has any needs on the cruise, you can let me know.”
Jamie had a typically mixed-race appearance and was very young.
Jing Shun noticed his emerald-green eyes and couldn’t help but look at him a couple more times.
Jamie met Jing Shun’s slightly appreciative gaze. Although it was an unfamiliar face, he still returned a slight smile.
In the next second, Chi Gui stepped sideways to block their eye contact and requested in a deep voice, “Let’s go to the room first.”
“Understood.”
“Mr. Chi, this way please—”
The cruise ship used by the Ji family for this banquet was top-tier luxury, divided into six decks from top to bottom, equipped with independent areas and providing independent services.
Like the heads of other wealthy families, Chi Gui’s room had been arranged early on.
A completely independent ocean-view room with floor-to-ceiling windows, the area alone reached 120 square meters. Even though it was on a cruise ship at sea, it was no different from a luxury penthouse on land.
Everything was great.
Except there was only one master bedroom, and only one large bed.
“…”
Jing Shun stood frozen at the bedroom door, for a moment not knowing whether to enter or retreat.
Jamie seemed to notice Jing Shun’s fleeting hesitation and thought there was something wrong with his arrangements. “Mr. Chi, and this gentleman, excuse me, is there something inappropriate with the room arrangement?”
All the travel lists and rooms had been matched in advance.
On the final confirmation list sent by Chi Gui’s assistant, Jing Shun’s name was not specifically listed; there was only a note that Mr. Chi might bring a partner.
Just now, Jamie had watched Chi Gui carry Jing Shun down from the helicopter on the deck, preconceiving a relationship between the two, which was why he had brought them together into the presidential suite.
Chi Gui took over, “No problem, you can leave first.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jamie let out a quiet sigh of relief and, by the way, offered a blessing, “I wish both gentlemen a wonderful night.”
“…”
Jing Shun understood the innuendo, and the tips of his ears turned hot.
Once the cabin door closed, Jing Shun was still stuck at the bedroom door hesitating. He looked at the man beside him with uncertainty and reminded him:
“Chi Gui, there’s only one bed here.”
“I know.”
Chi Gui took the lead in stepping into the bedroom, as if he had already anticipated this scene. “But for these few nights on the cruise, we cannot have a second option.”
It wasn’t that there were no extra rooms on the cruise, but once they stayed separately, it would definitely be exposed in the eyes of others.
“Alright.”
Jing Shun remembered the contents of their previous agreement and accepted this fact.
If they had to stay together, so be it. Wade had also mentioned on the plane earlier that this kind of banquet might also serve as a matchmaking ground for various families’ marriage alliances.
Chi Gui probably wanted to avoid this situation, which was why he specifically had him travel as his partner.
Jing Shun felt he still possessed some spirit of contract, so he reminded him in a low voice, “But I’m used to sleeping alone.”
Chi Gui countered, “Don’t you sleep in the same bed with Goubao every night?”
Jing Shun didn’t expect his focus to land on this matter, and froze for a moment. “That’s different. Bao-bao is so cute, and he’s still small, what could he know?”
“…”
Chi Gui remained silent, listening to his weak excuses.
“What I mean is, I’m not sure if I talk in my sleep, snore, or grind my teeth.” Jing Shun listed a few bad sleeping habits, then denied them, “But, I think I probably won’t.”
He used to like wrapping himself in the blanket to sleep; it gave him a sense of security.
But now, turning over wasn’t very convenient, so his sleeping posture was forced to be well-behaved.
Thinking of this, Jing Shun tried to propose an addition: “Can we have one blanket each? Since we’re inside the cabin suite anyway, we shouldn’t have to act too much, right?”
Otherwise, if the two of them shared one blanket, even if the bed was big enough, it would still be a bit too intimate.
Chi Gui didn’t plan to push Jing Shun too hard all at once, so he went along with his wishes, “Yeah, if you’re not used to it, I can have someone bring a spare blanket.”
Jing Shun’s heartstrings loosened slightly. “Okay.”
Chi Gui glanced at the time. “It’s eight o’clock. Really not hungry?”
“Not hungry.”
Jing Shun’s energy was almost depleted. He only wanted to take a simple hot shower and then wrap himself in a blanket to rest well.
Thinking of this, Jing Shun glanced in the direction of the bathroom, and instantly ran into a problem again—
Taking a bath was more troublesome and time-consuming for him than for normal people. If Chi Gui stayed in the room the entire time waiting, even with a door in between, he was afraid he would still find it awkward.
“Jing Shun.”
“Hmm?”
“What are you thinking about?”
“…I want to take a shower first.”
Chi Gui heard the hesitation in Jing Shun’s tone and guessed his inconvenience. “I have to go meet a few other family heads and executives. It’ll probably take an hour or two.”
Chi Gui looked at him and said, “Will you be fine staying in the room by yourself to get ready?”
Jing Shun hurriedly agreed, “Yes!”
In his previous life, he had plenty of experience living alone. Moreover, this time Chi Gui only needed to go out for an hour or two before coming back.
The temperature in Ao City was quite a bit higher. Even after heading out to sea, the air conditioning inside the cruise ship was kept fully on twenty-four hours a day.
Chi Gui simply changed his outfit and left the cabin suite.
Without anyone to disturb him, Jing Shun relaxed completely.
He first approached the bathroom to check the situation. There were no assistive facilities, which was slightly inconvenient, but some of the chairs in the room could be used to leverage himself, so it shouldn’t be too hard.
Jing Shun began his preparations before washing up.
…
Chi Gui went out the door and ran straight into Wade, who was rushing over.
Wade didn’t expect to run into Chi Gui at the cabin door, and quickly approached. “Sir? Is the room arrangement unsuitable?”
“It’s fine, Jing Shun is getting ready.”
Chi Gui spoke briefly, walking only toward the open-air deck on the side. “How many people have arrived?”
Wade followed beside him and said in a low voice, “I just inquired with a waiter. No one from the Li family showed up. Besides them, both the Qin and Zhang families have arrived. Zhang Aode is currently at the gam/bling table on the upper three decks.”
In Ao City, gam/bling was permitted.
Wealthy families and businessmen regarded this as a form of entertainment. Sometimes, when the mood struck, they would throw down thousands of gold at the table.
“Sir, this Zhang Aode is quite up there in years, but his addiction is by no means small.” Wade laid out all the information he had gathered. “I heard he hasn’t left that hall all afternoon.”
A trace of scrutiny flashed deep within Chi Gui’s pupils.
Wade asked, “Sir, do you want to go up and meet him?”
Chi Gui was still thinking about Jing Shun, who was left alone in the room, and did not plan to leave for too long.
“No, it’s too late today. We’ll talk about it tomorrow. As for Zhang Aode’s side, let’s not make any big moves for now, just feel out his attitude.”
Sometimes, “if the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move” is the best strategy.
Wade asked, “Then now?”
Chi Gui glanced at the time. It had only been five minutes since he went out. “Go say hello to the host, Second Young Master Ji.”
“Alright.”
…
The pitter-patter sound of water in the bathroom finally stopped.
Jing Shun sat on the chair in the shower area. After drying himself with the bath towel prepared on the side, he quickly changed into his undergarments and bathrobe.
The heat in the bathroom was thick, with only the slightly open door gap letting in a strong draft of cold air. Perhaps because he had stayed inside for too long, Jing Shun felt faintly dizzy and weak.
He carefully grabbed the chair at the edge of the shower stall, planning to transfer himself onto the wheelchair using the strength of his hands as usual.
But the accident caught him completely off guard.
At the very instant he moved to the edge of the wheelchair, the slender legs of the chair suddenly slipped on the smooth bathroom floor.
Jing Shun’s center of gravity tilted violently. His limp legs, however, were powerless to support his body weight. All of a sudden, like a kite with a broken string, he fell heavily toward the floor.
The wheelchair beside him was dragged down by his body, tilting and crashing down with its full weight—
Bang!
Time seemed to be put on a delay.
Jing Shun only felt his mind go blank. A buzzing noise, sometimes loud and sometimes faint, rang in his ears. The instinctive fear etched deep in his body reacted faster than his reason.
“Jing Shun, how did you fall again?”
“Crawl! Hurry up and crawl up!”
“…”
“I like hiding behind the surveillance cameras most, watching your miserable look when you fall on the floor. It’s so amusing.”
“…”
The nightmares in his memory swept over him.
Jing Shun’s breathing was rapid. His panicked gaze swept around, utterly terrified that an invisible surveillance camera would pop out from some corner.
He tried to support himself with his hands to crawl up, but the wheelchair pressing down on him was simply too heavy.
Each attempt felt more like an exercise in futility than the last.
Jing Shun collapsed powerlessly on the floor, his body stiffening uncontrollably. He bit his lip hard, refusing to let himself sink into uncontrollable fear.
What should he do?
Why couldn’t he crawl up?
Why still couldn’t he crawl up?
“…”
The ringing in his ears and the dizziness grew increasingly severe.
In a daze, Jing Shun felt as if he had fallen into an icy cavern where he couldn’t call for help. His numb limbs felt as if they were wrapped in a heavy burden of a thousand pounds, dragging him down rapidly.
That snowy night from his past life seemed to have trapped him once again in a different way.
Jing Shun’s consciousness gradually blurred. He parted his lips and uttered a near-imperceptible call, “…Chi Gui.”