Receiving that message, Lin Fanxing had just opened Qin Xin’s chat.
Little Xin: [Brother Fanxing, did I do something wrong lately? Why have you been so cold to me?]
Lin Fanxing had become much colder. As far as he was concerned, his current attitude was perfectly stable and perfectly normal. Thinking back to all the rotten things Qin Xin would do to him over the next two years, the fact that he hadn’t already lured the young Best Actor out somewhere and smashed a bottle over his head proved he possessed remarkable self-restraint. Therefore, he replied:
Fanxing: [I’ve been busy lately.]
Little Xin: [So when you’re busy, you don’t have time for me anymore…?]
When I’m busy, why would I have time for you?! The fact that I haven’t killed you yet is already proof of my mercy!
In truth, these past two days it wasn’t just Lin Fanxing who had become distant; he could also sense that Qin Xin had cooled off considerably.
Qin Xin was twenty this year too, an ordinary adult. In the adult world, some things didn’t need to be said outright. Whether someone liked you or not, both sides usually understood without putting it into words. Just like in that previous life, he and Qin Xin had somehow ended up together without an official confession. Before either of them realized it, they had simply become each other’s boyfriend.
But now that Qin Xin had realized this fish wasn’t easy to hook, a seasoned player like him naturally moved on to cultivating other fish instead. And all of a sudden, Lin Fanxing found their current relationship unbearably dull.
The two of them just sat in each other’s contact lists, neither alive nor dead.
It was boring, too. Lin Fanxing couldn’t even say whether they counted as flirting. More than flirting, it felt like testing each other, a constant push and pull. Qin Xin had always been testing whether he would take one more step forward, and Lin Fanxing was certain that if he did take that step, Qin Xin would immediately turn whatever they had into something ambiguous.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.
Wasn’t this exactly how things had unfolded in his previous life?
People always said that if you wanted a different ending, you had to make different choices, so this time, Lin Fanxing decided to be brave.
He deleted Qin Xin’s contact.
The instant he pressed delete, though, he had to admit it: his heart still gave a faint, painful tug. It was difficult to describe. It was the kind of pain only someone who had suffered terribly in love, who had finally woken up after losing everything, could truly understand.
He wasn’t made of stone. He simply knew how to let go.
Whenever love became a problem, Lin Fanxing had only one solution:
I give up.
As for the pain that came afterward, he could endure it.
Time would heal him.
And yet, what he deleted wasn’t just one person. It felt as though a piece of his heart had been erased too, leaving a genuine hollow behind. Lin Fanxing sat motionless on the sofa, unable to move, remaining perfectly still while he slowly recovered, as though waiting for his heart to boot back up and temporarily patch the hole in his chest.
Only after several minutes did he finally gather enough strength to move again.
Then he returned his younger brother’s video call.
“Hello.” Lin Fanxing steadied his breathing before the call connected. “Where are you?”
“I’m at Kong Yue’s place. Brother, let me live with you from now on!” Xiaoxing said, his face swollen and bruised.
The sight startled Lin Fanxing.
“Y-You… Did they beat you up?”
The face on the screen barely resembled the clean-cut young boy Lin Fanxing remembered. His cheeks were swollen, and together with the bruises Lin Fanxing himself had left, it looked as though his entire face had been remade.
Yet Xiaoxing looked oddly proud.
“I hit myself too. If I hadn’t, they wouldn’t have felt sorry for me…”
Kong Yue, who was boiling an egg to make a warm compress for him, was utterly speechless.
Threatening suicide had already been outrageous enough, but Xiaoxing had even slammed his own head against the wall right in front of their parents.
Still…
Sometimes it really did take a villain to deal with another villain.
If Xiaoxing hadn’t committed so completely to the self-sacrifice act, how could Lin Dong and Zhou Fu ever have handed over the money?!
“Brother, I got your money back too. Let’s repay the debt first… and then let’s work hard and earn money together.”
Xiaoxing’s thinking was still simple, as both he and his brother could become entertainers. They would definitely be able to make money, right?
But at that moment, every trace of resentment Lin Fanxing had held toward his younger brother disappeared.
“You…” He let out a helpless laugh. “Honestly… What possessed you to beat yourself up like this?!”
He had never imagined his little brother could be this extreme. Taking the egg Kong Yue handed him, Xiaoxing said, “Let’s skip over the details. Anyway, I got the money back. Bro… I always wondered why you were never close to them.”
“…Now I finally understand.”
Hearing that, Lin Fanxing bit the inside of his cheek as his throat tightened.
“Bro…” Xiaoxing looked at him earnestly. “From now on, let’s live together, okay?”
His heart had completely gone cold, for the hideous side of their parents had become something he could no longer recognize. And what frightened him even more was the realization that he had never been the lucky, favored child.
They simply happened to like him more… for now.
But the moment their parents’ love was withdrawn, or the moment something bigger was at stake, Xiaoxing had no doubt they would do the exact same thing. After all, there was no difference between one star and the other.
“Bro… are you angry with me?” Xiaoxing asked, his voice so hoarse it was almost painful to hear.
“Yes,” Lin Fanxing sniffed sharply, “I’m angry that you’re already this old and still don’t know how to protect yourself! I’m angry that you got yourself into trouble and even dared to borrow money from strangers!”
“I’m angry because…”
Halfway through the sentence, his voice failed him. Grief and regret rolled over his tongue before escaping as a long, shaky exhale.
“…because you’re so thoughtless.”
Pressing hard against the space between his brows, Lin Fanxing continued, “For the next couple of days, let’s deal with the money first. We can talk about everything else afterward.”
Only once this mess was finally settled would he feel that being reborn hadn’t been in vain. But after ending the call with his younger brother, another realization suddenly struck him. Once he and Xiaoxing got through this crisis, he would no longer have any reason to stay here, right?
This was Little Fei’s home; how could he keep freeloading at someone else’s place?!
Besides, Little Fei’s family wasn’t well off either… so maybe, renting this place out would bring in extra income.
People really did have emotional inertia, he sighed. Before they had even said goodbye, he was already grieving the farewell.
Calling Little Fei his savior wasn’t wrong, and calling it the suspension bridge effect wasn’t wrong either. After everything they had been through together, Lin Fanxing could no longer classify Little Fei as just an ordinary friend.
He was a special friend, even though… he was still a faceless friend.
Regardless, he was someone who ranked far above an ordinary friend. But whenever Lin Fanxing had time to think quietly, one question kept surfacing.
Why did Little Fei never show his face?
Could it be…
…that his face had been disfigured?
Well… that was a deeply personal matter. Lin Fanxing couldn’t very well demand that he take off his helmet, much less try to snatch it off while he wasn’t paying attention. And Little Fei had never once asked why Lin Fanxing’s life had fallen into such misery, so how could he repay kindness with ingratitude?
So Lin Fanxing decided to suppress his overflowing curiosity. As long as Xiao Fei never brought it up, he would never ask. But once he moved out of here…
Would he and Little Fei ever have a reason to meet again?
Lin Fanxing slowly looked around the warm, slightly worn living room.
No.
They couldn’t really be called close, and their lives didn’t overlap at all. So once he left, they would probably never see each other again.
It wasn’t until after ten that night that Little Fei finally contacted him. By then, Lin Fanxing had already accomplished something enormous.
He had paid back all their debts.
Xiaoxing had forced the money out of their parents, but because Lin Fanxing had deliberately delayed repayment, the final amount came to 1.9 million yuan with interest. However, the instant the debt was cleared…
Lin Fanxing was finally free.
No debt, no negative balance, a completely free man.
Little Fei: [Have you had dinner? Sorry, something came up at home. I just finished dealing with it.]
The truth was, Qin Xin hadn’t just finished dealing with things. After returning to his grandfather’s house…
…he had fainted.
His body simply couldn’t withstand so much strain. Steward Bai knew basic medicine and concluded it was heatstroke, so by the time Qin Xin opened his eyes, it was already now. He was lying in an unfamiliar but comfortable bedroom, and on the tray atop the bedside table sat his dinner.
Fanxing: [I already ate! I have good news! My brother got the money back, and I’ve paid everything off! I’m finally no longer living in the red!]
That fast?
Qin Xin sat upright. Then again, it made sense, for Xiaoxing was the treasured child of the family. The moment he threatened his own life, Lin Dong and Zhou Fu immediately handed over their bank card. They should have paid this debt in the first place, but Qin Xin still felt they had gotten off too lightly.
Fanxing: [Tomorrow morning I’m accompanying my brother to take care of something important.]
Again with your brother. Why does your brother have so many things to do? He’s already nineteen… a full-grown adult.
I’m only twenty…
Why don’t you spend time with me instead?
So Qin Xin immediately sent another message.
Little Fei: [Alright. Once you’ve decided on the time and place, let me know. I’ll go with you. An extra person means an extra pair of hands.]
Fanxing: [I’d be troubling you again.]
Little Fei: [It’s no trouble. But tomorrow afternoon, you’re coming to the hospital with me. I want your eyes examined.]
Despite all the chaos they’d managed to resolve over the past few days…
Qin Xin still hadn’t forgotten about Fanxing’s eyesight.
He had only just put down his phone when the bedroom door suddenly opened. Years of living under constant pressure and surveillance made him react instinctively, so in one swift motion, Qin Xin shoved his phone beneath his pillow.
“Who’s there?!” he asked.
“It’s me.”
The person who pushed the door open was Steward Bai, saying, “I thought you were still asleep. My apologies, I was too presumptuous.”
After saying that, Steward Bai stepped back out of the room and gently closed the door. A moment later, there was a knock.
“Young Master Qin,” Steward Bai asked from outside, “may I come in?”
“Y-Yes… please come in.” Qin Xin felt a little awkward. After all, he was the outsider who had just moved in. Steward Bai, on the other hand, belonged to this household.
Sensing Qin Xin’s unease, Steward Bai first placed the water and medicine on the tray beside the bed before sayinggently, “You’re safe now.”
Qin Xin nodded in silent understanding.
However, Steward Bai had been Qiao Yao’s right-hand man since he was young. How could he and Qiao Yao fail to see through a little scheme like Qin Xin’s?
The moment Qin Xin left, they had immediately instructed the driver to follow after him, and sure enough, they hadwitnessed Qin Guangze’s violence with their own eyes.
“Young Master Qin,” he said, “you’re very clever.”
“I didn’t have any other choice.” Qin Xin understood the implication immediately. What Steward Bai was really saying was:
We’ve seen exactly what you wanted us to see.
“Which means,” Steward Bai continued, “you should also understand why your grandfather keeps his distance. He isn’t a heartless man. Precisely because he isn’t, it’s much harder for him to reconcile with the past. If you want to become close to him again… it won’t be as simple as saying a few kind words or lowering your head.”
“I understand.” Qin Xin nodded obediently.
“Over the next day or two, I’ll prepare all of your daily necessities. I’ll also take your measurements so we can have clothes made for you. And if you’d like, we can arrange a different family doctor.”
“No need to change doctors just yet.” Qin Xin shook his head. “Doctor Fang has been treating me for more than ten years. I’d still like to keep taking his medicine.”
He had no intention of cutting that line just yet, for it would still be useful.
The two chatted for a while longer. Qin Xin deliberately told Steward Bai about his plans to go out the next day so he wouldn’t catch him off guard.
At exactly nine the following morning, Qin Xin changed into casual clothes and headed out, meeting Fang Feiyu at their agreed location.
“Sigh.” The moment they met, Fang Feiyu let out a long sigh. “Give me one more day,” he begged. “Just one more day. If it still doesn’t recover tomorrow, I’m selling everything.”
“Suit yourself. Just don’t keep throwing more money into it.” Qin Xin borrowed the motorcycle again. After all…
He planned to cultivate Fang Feiyu as his future wallet.
“The moment you sell, tell me.”
“…”
Easy for you to say.
In reality, Fang Feiyu had already sold half his shares that morning. He had still fantasized about timing the market perfectly, sell half first, wait for the reversal, buy back at a lower price, maximize profits… Only after losing money did he finally realize Qin Xin had been right.
He had never possessed any real skill, and he’d simply been lucky. But once his luck ran out…
He knew absolutely nothing.
Still, there was one thing he couldn’t figure out. Why did Qin Xin insist on borrowing his motorcycle every time he went to see his “canary”? Could it be…
…that the canary was obsessed with motorcycles?
Or maybe…
…their family owned a repair shop?!
“…”
Lin Fanxing had already arrived with his younger brother and Kong Yue.
The person they had come to meet was the talent agent who had almost convinced Xiaoxing to sign a fraudulent contract, the most suspicious person in this entire affair.
“Brother,” Xiaoxing asked nervously, “what if he refuses to take the money back and insists I sign with his agency? What do we do? Call the police?”
“Impossible.” Lin Fanxing shook his head. “If he forces you to sign, that’s coercion. Besides, all you signed before was an IOU. Unless there’s some notarized agreement saying you have to sell yourself to repay the debt, which there isn’t… even if there were, it wouldn’t be legally valid. This is modern society. Nobody signs indenture contracts anymore.” He paused. “But… let’s not call the police. We’ll try talking things out first.”
It wasn’t that Lin Fanxing lacked courage, but both he and his brother planned to build careers in the entertainment industry. How could they afford to make enemies?
You never knew who stood behind a talent agent.
“Brother!” Xiaoxing glanced at his phone. “He says he’s already at the café!”
“He came early?” Lin Fanxing had wanted to wait for Little Fei, but today wasn’t the sort of matter where they could keep someone waiting.
“Alright, then let’s…”
Before he could finish speaking, his vision suddenly blurred.
Damn it! Not sooner, not later… The aftereffects of my death from my previous life chose this exact moment to appear?!
Lin Fanxing grabbed his brother’s arm, and the next instant, his vision disappeared completely.
“Brother? Bro!” Xiaoxing panicked instantly, and so did Lin Fanxing. He had no idea what kind of person they were about to face, but he was certain it wouldn’t be a good one. And making the other party wait wasn’t an option. Standing here waiting for his eyesight to return wasn’t an option either.
Just as he was trapped between those impossible choices, the familiar roar of a motorcycle engine arrived beside him once again. Just like that day in the pouring rain, when Little Fei had ridden up behind him.
“What happened?!”
Qin Xin had arrived right on time.
T.N: If you like his novel, you can read up to chapter 24 on my Patreon, with new updates coming every week!
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