Chapter 17
Yuan Chuyu returned to his room before everyone else. His soaked clothes clung to his body, and his water-soaked bathrobe hung heavily on him, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
But there are other things that are even more uncomfortable.
Lin Lang saw that he was coughing badly and wanted to swim over to help him, but he reacted very strongly and avoided her.
He was being inappropriate, ashamed of his outward appearance and didn't want her to see it. He resolutely turned his back to her, quickly got his clothes and towel, and left.
However, returning to the room, the enclosed private space only amplified the fact that he was burying his head in the sand.
This was the room that should have belonged to Cheng Yanjin, her fiancé, and was separated from her by only one wall. As a result, the restlessness that could not be quelled burned even more fiercely.
It was indeed Cheng Yanjin's room, but so what?
He's currently living in this room.
Cuckoo taking over the nest?
Morally corrupt?
He calmly looked at his flushed face in the mirror, his earlobes burning even redder, and even the rim around his eyelids was particularly noticeable.
Yuan Chuyu took a quick shower in the bathroom, then turned the shower water down, took two steps back, and leaned against the tiles with his back slightly hunched over, his entire back of his head pressed tightly against them. He tilted his head back slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down a few times with some impatience.
The scratch marks on his thigh from her fingernails hadn't faded yet, and because the water temperature in his shower was too high, they were even more noticeable on his skin, almost like an allergic reaction.
Yuan Chuyu casually rubbed the raised scratches with his fingers a few times, closed his eyes, and then pinched them harder with his nails to leave her marks.
Both violence and sex possess a kind of madness that pushes him to the limit; his adrenaline surges as rapidly as his heart rate, and he can even hear his eardrums thumping during the surging passion.
The faint sound of water came from next door; Lin Langyi had returned.
Did she get to eat the lychee mousse later than expected?
Do you like it?
Yuan Chuyu's eyelids flushed even more. He even reached out and turned off the shower completely. The sound of the last two or three drops of water falling to the ground was drowned out by the trickling water next door, and only his panting could be heard in the bathroom.
He simply let his hand hang down, offering only half-hearted comfort, while with his other hand he picked up his phone from the table, tapped on the mother-of-pearl profile picture, and pondered intermittently how to invite her to his room for a detailed discussion.
He typed a few words with one hand, but the water stains and fog on his fingers made the screen less responsive, and he typed the short sentence slowly and haltingly.
He rubbed the spot on his chin where she had accidentally kissed him with the back of his hand. Just touching that skin made him hopelessly recall everything that felt like destiny underwater. He paused for a long time, then lowered his eyes and continued typing.
Doing this to a mother-of-pearl head is no more noble than doing it to her body; it only makes him realize that he is an incorrigible scoundrel.
The water supply next door had been cut off, and the hairdryer was making a loud noise. Yuan Chuyu took a deep breath before turning on the shower again, and steam slowly rose into the bathroom once more.
"I'm sorry, did I come too early and disturb your washing up?" She felt apologetic when she saw his still damp hair.
"No." His voice was still a little hoarse, but he gave her a flawless smile. "Perfect timing, please come in."
Yuan Chuyu felt that his conversation with Lin Langyi went very smoothly. Negotiation and bargaining were his areas of expertise. He gradually released bait and then got her to exchange some insignificant price, such as ending the marriage alliance with the Cheng family.
He had received too much sweetness today, and the close proximity of the room where he was having a heart-to-heart talk with her had made him dizzy. He thought everything was going too well and smoothly, so much so that when Lin Langyi got up without hesitation to open the door for Cheng Yanjin and took his hand to stand in front of him, he couldn't even maintain a polite and courteous smile.
The news that the Cheng and Lin families were going to be united by marriage has been widely spread.
Yuan Chuyu's gaze lingered on their intertwined hands.
It was Lin Langyi who took the initiative to lead him, which made him even more jealous, frustrated, and sad.
Spreading the news early would spur investors who were speculating about the company's prospects to act, thereby driving up the stock price. This was indeed a crucial step that could give Ying Shan Lake a glimmer of hope. Yuan Chuyu was all too familiar with this kind of business strategy, so he could give a thousand reasons to agree with this move.
Cheng Yanjin's reaction was also quite intriguing. This was the first time Yuan Chuyu had seen him display such a strong protective attitude towards his food, hiding Lin Langyi behind his back and even pulling her away from him a few steps.
Yuan Chuyu was thoroughly doused with cold water and tried his best to calm himself down.
He felt that the current standoff between the three of them seemed absurd and ridiculous. It was something that could be handled properly and would not spiral out of control.
Cheng Yanjin's stress response and Lin Langyi's choice were like a resounding slap in the face, or more like the sounding of a warning bell. Yuan Chuyu tried his best to ignore the raging emotions in his chest and to gloss over everything.
He's a businessman; he knows how to cut his losses in time and should refuse to do business that loses money.
He enjoys the sense of order in his life. From childhood to adulthood, meticulous planning, a rigorous attitude, and unwavering commitment to completing tasks have brought him everything he has today.
His life plan was very clear, or rather, the life trajectory of every scion of a prominent family is similar.
Studying in North America or the UK at top universities worldwide, students will likely repeat their studies before the age of 30, pursuing one or two master's degrees in different fields. Girls may minor in art and philosophy, while boys may study economics and management. They will then return to China to inherit the family business. Whether they can advance further or remain mediocre depends on their personal qualities. Afterward, they will marry a partner of equal social standing.
As it should have been, he had been running smoothly along this fixed orbit, much like a planet revolving around the sun. But one day, unexpectedly, he deviated from his life's trajectory by fifteen degrees.
This matter is more complicated than expected.
Rejecting a loveless business marriage and interfering in someone else's marriage are two completely different matters.
Moreover, he had been friends with Cheng Yanjin for over a decade, but he had only met Lin Langyi a handful of times.
He told himself that things had come to this point, and he could not continue down the wrong path. Forcing things would only push everything to an irreversible point: alienating the Cheng family, damaging Yingyuan's reputation, affecting the impression of other partners, and causing him to lose the status and leverage he had worked so hard to gain over the years.
Yuan Chuyu also found a thousand reasons to convince himself to stop there.
He replied to Yuan Pingran in the same way, fluently, reasonably, and logically, just like every time he stood on the podium to give a speech or to conclude a meeting at a shareholders' meeting, he appeared calm and composed, just like his usual self, easily deceiving Yuan Pingran.
He was even surprised that he could so smoothly utter a series of negative statements, as if he had carefully considered the pros and cons, as if this were a business merger that would affect the life or death of the company.
Did he really consider the possibility between himself and Lin Langyi so seriously?
Yuan Chuyu poured the flower tea down the drain. If only all these tangled feelings could be poured out so easily, if only deceiving himself could be as easy as deceiving Yuan Pingran.
Cheng Yanjin continued to press on about what had happened that day, and Yuan Chuyu's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened. Finally, he abruptly turned off the water, interrupting his questioning with a clearly angry attitude.
On what grounds do you question him?
What more do you want from him?
Didn't you show indifference and disdain first? And then you blame me for meddling too much? If that's the case, then don't entrust her to me today.
People who desperately want to let go and forget are most vulnerable to chance encounters. He tried desperately to push her out of his world, thinking that he could sort out his feelings if he couldn't see her, but she just happened to appear in front of him again, making all his previous efforts go to waste.
You have the upper hand, while I am nothing more than an outcast.
After a thousand words, Yuan Chuyu could only utter one simple sentence: "Be nicer to her."
Yes, generously offer your blessings and sincerely wish her joy and success. Regardless of whether she chooses you or not, continue to help Ying Shanhu as planned. This is what a gentleman who knows when to advance and retreat and handles matters properly should do.
Yuan Chuyu finally realized the tightness in his chest after making such a rational and correct choice.
He felt as if a thin, long gash had been cut into his chest when he said such magnanimous words as "Let's part ways and wish each other well".
This wound eventually became a dull knife, cutting him with a non-fatal wound every time he pretended to be nonchalant, causing his blood to slowly dry, his veins to wither, and the aftereffects of this wound to become a prolonged, agonizing torture, causing him to feel a dull ache every rainy season.
Humans often use pain to measure love.
In his pain, he suddenly realized that he actually liked her.
It turns out it wasn't the resentment stemming from competitiveness, nor the rebellious spirit of not getting what one wanted, nor even a fleeting feeling of affection.
Through these twists and turns, internal conflicts, and wavering and ups and downs, he undeniably came to realize his true feelings.
Fortunately, he desperately tried to correct himself, attempting to belittle his feelings with his old arrogant, oppressive, and condescending attitude:
It's just a liking, maybe just a shallow liking, not to the point of being heart-wrenching or devastating. Everything can still be set right.
A rational person should make a rational decision, a resolute person should remain steadfast, and a self-disciplined and introspective person should only aim for the right goal and not write down a wrong answer.
It's just a slight deviation from the right path of liking, like a stroke of oil paint that accidentally goes outside the lines when painting, like a sleeve that gets wet by accident, or like walking alone along the railway tracks, knowing that following the parallel lines step by step is the right way, but being gently pushed by fate as if it were a joke.
He took a wrong step, hesitating and wavering, letting himself take that wrong step. This step crossed the line and plunged him into another world, where he glimpsed a sliver of light. Behind him, the train rumbled and warned him, forcing him back off the tracks in a sorry state, but he would never forget the breathtaking sight he had seen.
It was too short, so short that it felt like a blank space with infinite possibilities. Everything ended before it even began, which made it even harder for him to recover from the trembling heart and the unforgettable daze.
Shortly after Lin Langyi and Cheng Yanjin left, Yuan Chuyu also left. He threw himself back into his normal work, letting the chaos occupy his unruly mind, and continued to work with the Lin family on the preliminary work for the bulk commodity market.
He didn't get home until late at night.
The house is very quiet; he moved out a long time ago and lives alone.
Unable to sleep, Yuan Chuyu would subconsciously think of her whenever he had free time, so he simply took out his notebook and read it, using his unique way of relieving stress to forcibly shift his attention.
He turned page after page, finally stopping at Wang Xiaobo's "The Golden Age".
"Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I leaned down onto her flushed body. I don't even remember what I did. I told her what happened, thinking Chen Qingyang wouldn't remember."①
"But she said, 'I remember! I woke up then, and you kissed my belly button, didn't you? That was close, I almost fell in love with you.'"①
That was close, I almost fell in love with you.
He spent a full twenty minutes looking at that page, silently reading the two short sentences over and over again. The more he read, the stronger the resentment churning in his heart became, like a fire that burned everything away.
Why should we avoid suspicion?
He did nothing at all, so there's no reason to ban normal social interactions.
Yuan Chuyu picked up his phone and once again sent an invitation to his business partner at an inopportune time. The unfinished conversation was finally completed several days later:
Y: [I'm so sorry to bother you so late at night. I'd like to ask if the fishpond tour program I mentioned last time is still open?]
The bulk market has high quality requirements for its products. If it's convenient for you, could I participate in a boat trip to harvest pearls and experience opening pearl oysters? Thank you very much!
Lin Langyi replied quickly; she was currently making preliminary preparations for the bulk market pearl category, and she was probably still busy with this matter.
Pearl: [Of course, you're always welcome!]
Y: [I'm not in a big hurry, but I was thinking that if you were here, you would be more familiar with the situation at Ying Shan Lake.]
Pearl: [Yu-ge, I'll guide you. I'm very good at boating and clam opening!]
Yuan Chuyu thanked him, read through the brief, businesslike conversation several times, and finally locked the screen with a calm expression.
It was just normal social interaction.
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