Chapter 5: Arc 1 Part 4
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It was early in the morning and the sun’s rays crept across the sky when Qiao Chen woke up in Wei Zhennan’s bed. Wei Zhennan, who was sleeping next to him, immediately woke up after he moved. He leaned his body against Qiao Chen’s and left b.u.t.terfly kisses along his back.
For nearly the whole night, Qiao Chen couldn’t sleep. After Wei Zhennan brought him to bed, he eventually couldn’t resist and ended up enjoying the night. Last night marked the night Qiao Chen finally lost his virginity after retaining a virgin body for three worlds.
Although he couldn’t really compare Wei Zhennan against anyone else, Qiao Chen had to admit that Wei Zhennan was really good. Apart from the first time, which was awfully painful, he became deeply captivated after the trying it one more time. They ended up doing it several more times after.
After enjoying some morning “exercise”, Qiao Chen pushed Wei Zhennan away. His legs felt somewhat weak as he made his way to the bathroom. Wei Zhennan immediately followed him out of bed. He leaned against the bathroom doorway and fixedly watched Qiao Chen shower.
Wei Zhennan couldn’t help himself. He walked foward and wrapped his arms around Qiao Chen’s waist. The water constantly ran along the two men’s bodies. Wei Zhennan pushed Qiao Chen tightly against the wall and gave him a deep kiss. When Wei Zhennan began gently biting and nipping at his neck, Qiao Chen threatened, “I’ll call the police on you.”
Wei Zhennan nearly laughed out loud. “Didn’t you also enjoy yesterday? But after enjoying such a pa.s.sionate night, how can you immediately become so cold?”
“How can I enjoy it when you’re the one who’s doing it over and over again? Haven’t you heard of the words, ‘self control’?” Qiao Chen didn’t want to admit that he was a natural born bottom. In the end, as the catcher, he did enjoy it. But no matter how much he enjoyed it, how was he able to endure that endless stamina and desire?
Qiao Chen managed to escape Wei Zhennan’s embrace. Then. he exited the bathroom and picked up his pants. As he took out his phone, he saw a few missed calls. Two of them were from the Qi Villa’s line and the other one was from Qi Yuxuan.
Qiao Chen tossed the phone onto the bed and began getting dressed. “I’m heading back”
“Not gonna eat breakfast?” Wei Zhennan asked.
“Are you making it?” Qiao Chen glanced at him with narrowed eyes.
“I don’t know how.” Wei Zhennan replied confidently.
“Then you’ll be hungry. I’m going to have breakfast at home.” Qiao Chen put his phone back into his pocket and was ready to go.
“Then I’ll go home with you and eat too.” Wei Zhennan said- also mentioning that he would be ready after a change of clothes.
Qiao Chen immediately stopped in his footsteps, turned around, and glared at him. “Are you insane?”
“You don’t want to make me breakfast and you forbid me from having breakfast at your house. Your dad would certainly be happy to treat me to breakfast.” Wei Zhennan already changed into his good clothes. He wasn’t joking. He wanted to go home with Qiao Chen.
“Then, do you want go ahead and tell my dad ‘Hey there I just had your son for dinner last night. I’d like come over for breakfast now.’ ?”
“Well that’s not impossible.” Wei Zhennan smiled.
“Uncle Wei, can you please have some self respect?”
“If you want to avoid me, then I’ll just have to find you through your dad. As far as I’m concerned, this self respect thing is something that has always been optional for me.”
“I’m not trying avoiding you. I just need to go back home now. I can make breakfast for you next time.” Qiao Chen had no choice but to coax him. Either way, he really wasn’t avoiding him and it wasn’t like he could anyways. For Qiao Chen, he figured that he could just think of Wei Zhennan as a □□. That was, he could enjoy the fun of love and complete the task- all of this was very acceptable.
(T/N: □□ was like that in the raws.)
“Then give me a good bye kiss then you can go on your own.” Wei Zhennan stood still and waited for Qiao Chen to come and give him the kiss.
Qiao helplessly and begrudgingly walked over, wrapped his arms around Wei Zhennan’s neck, and gave him a small kiss. Wei Zhennan immediately pulled Qiao Chen’s head in to deepen their kiss. After the kiss, he lifted Qiao Chen’s chin and nipped it, “Don’t forget, you owe me breakfast.”
…….
Qiao Chen returned to the Qi villa. The entire family, except for the still sleeping Qi Yuxin, sat around the dining room table eating breakfast. Qiao Chen joined them. Mrs. Qi notified the servant to fetch a place setting for him.
“Beichen, where were you last night? Why didn’t you give us a call?” Mrs. Qi asked and appeared concerned.
Qi Yuxuan also went out last night. He called the home and asked if Qi Beichen was home or not so she called Beichen a couple of times to see where he was. However, none of the calls were answered. Even though she was ignored, with Mr. Qi present, she felt as though she had to make some sort of an attempt to appear concerned.
“I was at a friend’s house. We ended up talking late into the night and I just stayed over. I forgot to call and give you a call.”
Mr. Qi put his newspaper down and began eating breakfast. He spoke after a few bites, “You shouldn’t a.s.sociate with those old friends of yours anymore. Go with Yuxuan. He’ll open the door for you, and you can make friends with people closer to our standards. You need to learn how to mingle with upper cla.s.s people now.”
“I understand, dad.” Qiao Chen agreed. Inwardly, though, he scoffed. Haven’t you been waiting for an opportunity like this, Qi Yuxuan?
As if on cue, Qi Yuxuan quickly said, “There was a dinner party last night with suitable people around our age. I wanted to take you with me, but you didn’t answer your phone. You should go to with me for another party. It’s in two days.”
‘Qi Beichen’ had rejected several invitations from him already. Now that ‘Qi Beichen’ couldn’t refuse this one, Qi Yuxuan could finally introduce Shu Wenjie to the picture. It was all thanks to Mr. Qi’s words.
Qiao Chen had been waiting for him to say this. He played along and pretended to have some hesitations, “I’m afraid I won’t have any common ground with these people. I won’t know how to socialize with them.”
“We’re all the same age, and they’re all easy to get along with. I’ve met them numerous times now, so we all know each other very well. You don’t have to worry about a thing.” Qi Yuxuan enthusiastically a.s.sured him.
“Well, alright then.” Qiao Chen “reluctantly” agreed. He knew what kind of party Qi Yuxuan wanted to take him to. It wasn’t the formal party that Mr. Qi thought it was- the kind where they would be sipping on red wine with the upper echelons of society. No, it was a party that Shu Wenjie and Qi Yuxuan specifically conspired and created just for him.
Later that night, Qiao Chen got a call from Wei Zhennan right as he was headed to bed.
“When are you going to make me my breakfast?” Wei Zhennan asked.
“I’m not going to be free for the next few days. Qi Yuxuan wants to take me to some party so I can meet suitable people within my family’s circle.” Qiao Chen replied.
“Is he so amiable? It’s not like you to trust in everything he says.”
“I know he’s scheming something. However, if I don’t make it look like I’m walking straight into his trap, then how will be able to turn the tables on him?”
“Want me to lend a hand?” Wei Zhennan asked with a smile.
“Not yet, but I’ll ask when I need you. I can’t keep you as a bench warmer.”
“You’re welcome to call for me if you need me for anything. Remember, if you can’t handle the situation then call me right away.”
Even though Qiao Chen knew he could handle it by himself, knowing he had someone he could rely on felt… nice.
…….
Qi Yuxuan took Qiao Chen to an entertainment club*. The previous Qi Beichen visited this club numerous times. This club was a part of the Shu family’s properties. It was also the most convenient place for Shu Wenjie to just play around or plunge into more immoral behavior. He might not work, but he strictly followed the school of hedonism.
(T/N: *From what I can discern, an entertainment club is an extravagant bar/club that has open floors and private rooms. The club functions like a mini Las Vegas strip [nightclubs, alcohol, s.e.x, and gambling galore].)
Shu Wenjie immediately met the two men at the door as they entered the establishment, “You guys are finally here. I’ve been waiting. You must be the little brother. Beichen, is it?”
Shu Wenjie was two years younger than Qi Beichen, but he still called Beichen little brother. He figured he should a.s.sert himself as the senior. Besides, his relationship with Qi Yuxuan meant he could call him little brother anyways**.
(T/N: **Short story: He’s taking liberties. Long explanation at the end if you want some more insight.)
“Yeah, he’s the Beichen I was talking to you about. Beichen, this is my friend Shu Wenjie.” Qi Yuxuan introduced them to each other.
Shu Wenjie acted like a long time friend and hung his arm around Qiao Chen’s shoulders. The two men continued further into the club with Shu Wenjie as he said, “I always hear Yuxuan talk about you, so I’ve always wanted to meet you. But why do you always stay at home like some hermit? Adults should be out and about in the world. You should have fun and make some friends.”
They walked into a private room with seven or eight people playing cards. Shu Wenjie spoke to the room, “Everyone come here. I want to introduce you to Yuxuan’s little brother Beichen. Since he’s Yuxuan’s little brother that means he’s my little brother too. You guys better take care of him. Disrespecting him means you’re disrespecting me, got it?”
The group clamored in agreement. They said they ‘considered him as one of their own’, ‘were going to be great friends’, and invited Qi Beichen to play cards with them.
Shu Wenjie pushed Qiao Chen into one of the seats near the table. Then, he sat in the seat next to him and asked, “Do you know how to play? If not, I can teach you. It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it.”
“I can a bit, but I didn’t bring too much money with me.” Qiao Chen said.
“No problem. Your brother Yuxuan should have brought some. Anything you lose, you can always win back. He didn’t bring me out here just to keep you busy. We’re just here to have fun.”
Qi Yuxuan echoed some words of agreement so Qi Beichen would let loose and put his guard down.
Qiao Chen knew that his was the first trap Qi Yuxuan set for Qi Beichen. First, they would let him win over a long period of time. Then, the group would constantly praise his skills and good luck. After they convinced him that he was on a roll, they would then take him to a gambling ship. Shu Wenjie stuck to him like glue and played the devil’s advocate. Shu Wenjie encouraged him to gamble more and more.
The more Qi Beichen gambled, the more he lost. The more he lost, the more he gambled. It was during this time that Shu Wenjie would borrow Qi Beichen’s money to gamble too. He borrowed until Qi Beichen ran out of money. Then, he would introduce Qi Beichen to a loan shark so he could borrow even more money. Eventually, the debt collector’s would find their way to the Qi family doorsteps so Mr. Qi could settle the debt. Afterwards, Mr. Qi would scold and curse at him. Finally, in a fit of anger, Mr. Qi would also throw an ashtray straight onto Qi Beichen’s head and cause a head wound.
On the first day, Qiao Chen returned home with his spoils. While he and Qi Yuxuan were out, Shu Wenjie kept sighing, “Your luck is just too good. Luckily it’s just beginner’s luck. If you actually got the hang of it, you’d make a killing. They’d even lose the shirts off their backs with you playing like that. You should go again tomorrow. We gotta go while the getting’s good. You have to practice your skills, and then we can win a lot of spending money.”
In the following days, Qi Yuxuan brought Qiao Chen to Shu Wenjie’s entertainment club every day. Each day, Qiao Chen won more and more money.
“Your luck is just amazing. No wonder you were able to return back to the Qi family. This must be one of the luckiest times in your life. It’s just a shame… you’re just playing cards with some friends in my entertainment club. You gotta take advantage of your luck before it runs out, you know? Who knows when you’ll be this lucky again?” Shu Wenjie looked at Qiao Chen with a face full of envy and admiration.
The next day, Shu Wenjie called Qiao Chen again. Shu Wenjie spoke in a mysterious tone and told him he’d take them to an especially fun place. To convince Qiao Chen further, Shu Wenjie reminded him of his luck and stressed how he’d rake in the dough.
This was the time that Qi Yuxuan would back off. To avoid suspicion, he would let Qi Beichen head out while he stayed at home with their dad. Qi Yuxuan would ask for advice on company matters and then play dumb when Qi Beichen’s gambling problems surfaced. Unfortunately for their plans, as long as Qi Yuxuan stayed back, then Qiao Chen would as well. He never went out with Shu Wenjie on his own.
Qi Yuxuan and Shu Wenjie had been in on this for too long. They let Qiao Chen win far too much money for them to give up now. Qi Yuxuan was forced to accompany Qiao Chen and Shu Wenjie. He figured he could make up an excuse and just slip away. If not, then he’d find another way to convince their dad that he had no idea about Qi Beichen borrowing money.