Chapter Index

    Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Ex-boyfriend

    The hospital’s payment hall is as noisy as a market. The smell of disinfectant mixes with the body temperature of the crowd, creating a unique and disturbing atmosphere.

    Lin Yi stood there, looking at Shen Beidao holding his payment slip in his hand, his mind going blank.

    “We have nothing to talk about.” He spoke very softly and looked away, no longer looking at Shen Beidao.

    “Lin Yi! You are here! I have been looking for you for a long time!” Zhang Zexuan’s voice rang from behind. He didn’t know when he came to the hospital. “I called you and you didn’t answer the phone. What are you busy with?”

    Zhang Zexuan ran over panting, and as soon as he finished speaking, his eyes fell on Shen Beidao.

    Zhang Zexuan then showed a smile that was reserved for social occasions: “Huh? This handsome guy looks familiar… Are you Lin Yi’s friend?”

    He said that he was about to reach out to hold it, but Lin Yi stopped him.

    “Zexuan,” Lin Yi’s voice was hoarse, but with a deliberate tone, “Let me introduce you, this is Professor Shen, the director of the German Department of Jiangzhou University. He is… the popular professor with millions of views on online videos.”

    “Professor?” Zhang Zexuan pointed at Shen Beidao, “You said he is a professor? He looks about the same age as us, right?”

    Lin Yi coughed and said, “He is Li Rui’s mentor.”

    Zhang Zexuan obviously didn’t understand the sarcasm in this tone, but his eyes lit up: “Ah! So it’s you! Li Rui talks about you in front of us every day, saying how awesome and outstanding you are! He also wants to continue to take your postgraduate examination!”

    As he spoke, he enthusiastically held Shen Beidao’s hand. His standard business demeanor left Lin Yi speechless for a while.

    Zhang Zexuan has been with Xie Chun for a long time, and he has never learned anything else. He is very good at talking about people and ghosts.

    “…Zexuan.” Lin Yi tugged on his sleeve and lowered his voice, “What do you want from me? Let’s talk as we walk.”

    Shen Beidao was deliberately left alone.

    “Don’t worry.” Only then did Zhang Zexuan remember the business. He leaned into Lin Yi’s ear and lowered his voice, “Uncle Xie asked me to come and see you… Also, guess who I saw at the door of the outpatient building just now?”

    Lin Yi frowned: “Who?”

    Zhang Zexuan raised his chin and gestured in the direction of the other end of the hall.

    Lin Yi followed his gaze and saw Chen Zhinan.

    He was standing next to the glass door of the outpatient building. He was wearing a dark gray windbreaker. His hair was long and tied in a small knot at the back of his head. A few strands of hair hung casually in front of his forehead.

    After not seeing him for three years, he had lost his youthfulness and his facial features were more clear-cut, but the eyes that were always looking at him still looked warm.

    Chen Zhinan also saw Lin Yi.

    He raised his hand and waved it gently, with a gentle smile on his lips.

    Lin Yi’s heart almost stopped and he was about to be put on a ventilator!

    What day is today?Partying with ex-boyfriends?

    One just lied to him for two months, and the other left without saying goodbye three years ago, and they are all crowded in this hospital?They should all be sent to the neurology department for hospitalization.

    He looked away and said to Zhang Zexuan: “Let’s go.”

    As soon as he took a step, his wrist was grabbed.

    Shen Beidao’s fingers were very cold, and the coolness penetrated through his skin. He pulled Lin Yi to turn to him, without words, just signaling with his eyes, “Follow me.”

    Lin Yi tried to shake him off, but the strength of his hand tightened instantly, and his fingertips pressed against the beating pulse, as if measuring the frequency of his heartbeat.

    He was half-forced to take a few steps to the side, a few steps away from Zhang Zexuan.

    “Let go.” Lin Yi lowered his voice and warned.

    Shen Beidao did not release it.

    Instead, he moved closer, so close that Lin Yi could smell the familiar, cold breath on him, mixed with the bitterness of hospital disinfectant, making him not want to let go.

    Shen Beidao asked him in a low voice: “Have the police contacted you recently?”

    Lin Yi froze for a moment.

    Immediately, he gave a sarcastic smile: “Police? What, Professor Shen is going to report the case to arrest me? Just because I broke up with you?”

    “No.”

    “What is that?” Lin Yi’s voice rose uncontrollably, attracting several inquisitive glances from around him.

    He immediately realized that he had lost his composure and lowered his voice forcibly, but the trembling in his voice betrayed him, “Thank you Professor Shen for your concern, but I abide by the law, so there is no need…”

    He didn’t finish his sentence.

    Shen Beidao suddenly let go of his wrist.

    The hand that had been holding him tightly just now turned to gently support the back of his neck. The fingertips sank into the roots of his hair, forcing him to raise his face slightly with a sense of control.

    Shen Beidao lowered his head and covered her with warm lips without any warning.

    It was a very light kiss.

    It was only as short as two or three seconds, but it was enough to stop time.

    The hospital’s broadcast, the noise of the crowd, and even Lin Yi’s own heartbeat all disappeared in an instant.

    His world was compressed into the messy moment just now: Shen Beidao’s nose brushed against his cheek, and the hot temperature on his lips spread quickly…

    Until Shen Beidao said: “Last time you just announced the breakup unilaterally, I haven’t agreed yet.”

    He looked directly into Lin Yi’s eyes, and his voice had the characteristic low tone after kissing, “So between us, we haven’t broken up yet.”

    Shen Beidao said, taking out a disposable mask from his pocket and quickly putting it on for him, “Why didn’t you remember to wear a mask when you came to the hospital? It seems that there is a lack of care…”

    Zhang Zexuan:!!!!I wipe it!What’s going on!

    The smile on Chen Zhinan’s face completely froze. He took two steps forward, then stopped, frowning tightly.

    An old lady holding a hanging bottle looked over, her eyes slightly surprised…

    Lin Yi’s face suddenly burned up.

    The mask covered most of his face, but the exposed eyes and ears were red and looked more like a bunny.

    He wanted to push Shen Beidao away, wanted to curse, and wanted to disappear immediately!

    But he saw the look in Shen Beidao’s eyes.

    In those eyes that were always calm and composed, there was an almost paranoid determination at this moment. He didn’t seem to care where he was, how many people were around him, or how others looked at him. He could clearly express his love for himself.

    Over the years, none of the boyfriends Lin Yi had talked to dared to express it so frankly in public.

    But Shen Beidao did just that.

    In front of strangers, in front of his friends, in the payment hall of the hospital, the most unromantic place, he did the most careless thing.

    Lin Yi’s breathing was completely messed up.

    He pushed Shen Beidao away hard, with such force that he staggered: “You are really crazy!…”

    The voice was shaking.

    Shen Beidao stood there, looking at him without speaking.

    But the hot, unquestionable, almost brutal love hidden in those eyes was clear enough.

    Lin Yi didn’t dare to look any further.

    He turned around and rushed out of the hospital, almost as if he was running away.

    Lin Yi didn’t stop until he reached the outpatient building building.

    He held on to the cold wall next to him, his cheeks were hot under the mask, and his heart was beating wildly in his chest, as if it was about to pop out of his throat.

    It must be a fever again, it must be.

    “Lin Yi.” Chen Zhinan kept following him.

    Lin Yi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then turned around.

    He deliberately acted calmly: “Is something wrong?”

    Chen Zhinan stood a few steps away, not approaching.

    He looked at Lin Yi’s red eyes and the mask that had been put back on, covering most of his face.

    “Are you sick? Are you feeling uncomfortable…” Chen Zhinan’s voice was still so gentle, with the concern that Lin Yi remembered, “I heard that you came to the hospital, and I happened to be nearby…”

    “It’s just a cold.” Lin Yi replied briefly, then paused, “Just now… did you see it?”

    Chen Zhinan was silent for a few seconds and nodded: “That man… is the person you are dating?”

    “It’s broken up.” Lin Yi blurted out, and after that he felt there was no need to explain, “It has nothing to do with you.”

    “Lin Yi,” Chen Zhinan took a step forward and said with some deliberate flattery, “I won’t leave when I come back this time. Jiangzhou has developed very well in the past few years. I plan to open a design studio and build an independent brand. Are you… interested in cooperating with me?”

    Lin Yi raised his head when he heard this and looked at him squarely.

    Three years.

    Chen Zhinan has changed a lot and seems to have a calmer temperament.

    But Lin Yi is no longer the young man who would soften his heart just because of a look three years ago.

    “Chen Zhinan,” he said, “It’s impossible between us.”

    Chen Zhinan’s eyes darkened: “I just want to be with you, for our ideals…”

    “Chen Zhinan.” Lin Yi interrupted him, “Don’t tell me that you came to me just for the so-called job. I’m not stupid. I will not have any beneficial dealings with my ex-boyfriend, and we are no longer friends. If there is nothing wrong, it is best not to meet.”

    After he said that, he turned around and left.

    “Lin Yi, what happened back then… I couldn’t help it. Your mother came to my house at that time…”

    “Shut up!” Lin Yi warned through his eyes through the mask, “Chen Zhinan, although I am sick, I still have the strength to beat people up.”

    The two were in a stalemate.

    The pain in Chen Zhinan’s eyes was so real that it made Lin Yi feel dazed for a moment.

    Three years ago, he also looked at himself with this look, and then said: “Lin Yi, let’s separate, I’m going to Japan.”

    There was no explanation, just a cold notice.

    Now that he is back, with so-called “difficulties”, what does he want to do?Start over?

    What do you think of Lin Yi?A tool that you can put down and pick up again at any time?

    Lin Yi smiled, and the smile was very cold: “If possible, I hope that in the future, even if we live in the same city, it is best to meet like strangers.”

    At this time, a Land Rover stopped quickly at the door of the outpatient clinic building.

    Zhang Zexuan stuck his head out from the driver’s seat and waved anxiously: “Brother Yi! Get in the car quickly! Uncle Xie is urging us to go back to the company! He said there is something urgent!”

    Lin Yi didn’t say anything else. He opened the car door and got into the passenger seat. His movements were crisp and smooth, without any hesitation.

    Zhang Zexuan smiled apologetically at Chen Zhinan outside the window: “Brother Nan, I’m sorry! The company is really in an emergency! Let’s meet again another day!”

    The car drove out of the hospital and merged into traffic.

    It was so silent all the way.

    Zhang Zexuan held the steering wheel and secretly glanced at Lin Yi several times, but hesitated to speak.

    Lin Yi leaned back on the chair, closed his eyes and frowned.

    The touch of the kiss just now still lingers on the lips, Shen Beidao’s eyes are still lingering in his mind, and Chen Zhinan’s words echo in his ears…

    Chaos.Everything is so chaotic.

    The black Land Rover was parked in the underground garage. When he was about to enter the company, Zhang Zexuan finally couldn’t help but said: “Brother Yi… there is something I have to tell you in advance.”

    Lin Yi didn’t open his eyes: “Say.”

    “This matter… has something to do with Du Xiaoman.” Zhang Zexuan paused and added, “It also has something to do with you.”

    Lin Yi finally opened his eyes and looked sideways at him: “My dad really wants to marry him?”

    “It’s not your dad, it’s directly related to you.” Zhang Zexuan’s expression became serious, “But before I say anything, you answer me a question first.”

    “What?”

    “Do you know a man named Shen Yizhong?”

    Lin Yi frowned, searched through his memory, and shook his head: “I don’t know him.”

    Zhang Zexuan took a deep breath: “What about…his son, Shen Beidao?”

    Lin Yi turned to stare at Zhang Zexuan, trying to see signs of joking on that face that always had a playful smile.

    But Zhang Zexuan’s eyes were very serious, so serious that it made him feel uneasy.

    “What do you mean?”

    “Just now in the hospital, Shen Beidao kissed you…” Zhang Zexuan smiled, “You two have an unusual relationship, right?”

    Lin Yi didn’t say anything, which was considered acquiescence.

    Zhang Zexuan sighed and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, as if he was organizing words.

    After a while, he spoke in a very slow voice: “Du Xiaoman was caught because he used a photo to extort money.”

    Lin Yi: “…photo?”

    Zhang Zexuan took out his cell phone from his pocket, unlocked it, pulled out a photo, and handed it to Lin Yi.

    The picture on the screen was very dark, but Lin Yi recognized it at a glance.

    He was sitting in the passenger seat of Shen Beidao’s car, his face turned sideways, talking to the person in the driver’s seat.

    The angle of the photo is very tricky, and it looks like the two are very close to each other, as if they are kissing.

    It was that night at the museum.

    Shen Beidao drove him home…

    “What’s wrong with this photo?” Lin Yi was a little confused.

    “Du Xiaoman sent this photo to your mother, saying that you…had an improper relationship with a man, and then your mother transferred 300,000 to him as hush money.”

    Lin Yi: “What?”

    He had no idea about this.

    “After he tasted the sweetness, he sent the photo to the owner of the car.”

    Zhang Zexuan continued, trying to put his words tactfully, “Because this Maybach is registered under the name of a German pharmaceutical agency company, and the legal person of the company is Shen Yizhong.”

    Shen Yizhong?Shen Beidao’s father?

    Lin Yi’s fingertips began to feel slightly cold.

    “Du Xiaoman sent a blackmail letter to the company’s public email address and fax, demanding three million.”

    Zhang Zexuan paused, “Because… Shen Yizhong has been living abroad, so it was Shen Beidao who received the news.”

    “Later, Shen Beidao took the initiative to report the case and was very determined to send Du Xiaoman in.”

    There was dead silence in the carriage.

    Lin Yi held the phone, thinking and recalling, and the photos on the screen gradually blurred into a dim light spot.

    So that’s it.

    It turns out that when Shen Beidao asked him “Has the police contacted you?”, wasn’t it because of the breakup or anger, but because of Du Xiaoman’s matter?

    Did you have a bad attitude towards him… just now?

    I should have asked more carefully, but… he kissed me forcefully without my consent. If I didn’t beat him, I would be giving him face!I really don’t want to talk nonsense to him!

    “Wait a minute, how do you know so detailedly?” Lin Yi suddenly raised his head and stared at Zhang Zexuan.

    Zhang Zexuan’s expression stiffened for a moment, and his eyes began to wander, “Just…Uncle Xie told me.”

    “My dad didn’t even mention me as the client, will he tell you?”

    “Zhang Zexuan.” Lin Yi’s voice was full of coercion, “Tell the truth.”

    “Okay, okay!” Zhang Zexuan raised his hands in surrender, “I have seen them being sneaky in a short period of time, and they have installed a monitoring device in Uncle Xie’s office.”

    Lin Yi took a breath: “How dare you install this in my dad’s office?”

    Lin Yi was shocked: “Didn’t he beat you?”

    “Don’t get excited yet. I only pretended for less than an hour! I was discovered!”

    Zhang Zexuan said with a sad face: “I’m not here for you! I’m afraid that Uncle Xie will really help Du Xiaoman escape the crime and find you a stepfather! So… Uncle Xie said that he would let me communicate with you about this matter, which is considered as making up for it.”

    By the way, three months’ salary was deducted!

    Zhang Zexuan wailed in his heart.

    Damn it!All capitalists are like monkeys, even my friend’s father is no exception!

    Lin Yi leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

    There was so much information coming at him, he needed time to digest it.

    Du Xiaoman used photos to blackmail.

    Mom gave me three hundred thousand.

    Shen Beidao’s father was involved.

    Shen Beidao called the police.

    Now, Zhang Zexuan told him this…

    “One more thing.” Zhang Zexuan’s voice became even lower, “Although Du Xiaoman didn’t extort three million, Shen Beidao… transferred one million to him.”

    Lin Yi suddenly opened his eyes: “…what?”

    “I heard that the police records show that Shen Beidao first transferred one million to Du Xiaoman and then reported it to the police.”

    Zhang Zexuan’s expression was also very confused, “I don’t understand why…he could have called the police from the beginning.”

    Why?

    Lin Yi’s mind was in chaos.

    Why does Shen Beidao give money?

    Is it to stabilize Du Xiaoman?

    Or… is there another reason?

    “The case is still under trial. It seems that Uncle Xie still wants to help Du Xiaoman reduce his sentence.”

    Zhang Zexuan sighed, “But the transfer record of one million is irrefutable evidence, and Du Xiaoman has already spent part of it… Even if you really want to get him, you will have to stay for a few years.”

    Zhang Zexuan turned his head, looked at Lin Yi’s pale face, hesitated for a moment, and then said: “Brother Yi, come up later… think about how to tell Uncle Xie, this matter involves too much, you have to be mentally prepared.”

    “You go up first!” Lin Yi unbuckled his seat belt, “I suddenly remembered that I forgot to do something important.”

    “What’s going on? Why didn’t you say anything just now so I could send you there.”

    “No need.” I have to ask this person who spent a million in hush money what was going on in his head.

    “Hey?…Don’t leave, Brother Yi! How can I deal with Uncle Xie if you leave…”

    Amidst Zhang Zexuan’s wailing, Lin Yi had already walked away.

    The only answer he received was the distant “ding” of the elevator closing.

    “It’s over, it’s over… I’m not really going to be spanked tonight!”

    Zhang Zexuan slumped his shoulders and took out his mobile phone with a sad face. The screen light reflected his expression of hopelessness.

    He clicked on the orange shopping app, found the order, faced the product details page marked “Micro listening device·Upgraded anti-detection version”, and viciously pressed the [Evaluate] button:

    Fingers were flying on the virtual keyboard, and resentment almost burst out through the screen:

    Bad review!Must leave a negative review!

    Product problem: False advertising!Very poor quality!Garbage service!

    User experience: Seller, can you sleep??I can’t sleep anyway!!!

    What the hell!What about the promised “military-grade shielding technology, worry-free security inspection”???

    Why is there no security check function?If the machine scans it, the alarm will beep!I am now kneeling down to my eavesdropper to beg for forgiveness!!!

    ———————–

    The author has something to say: Actually, Zhang Zexuan and Xie Chun… well, just imagine for a moment.

    Soon, Shen Raosi will try his best to coax the children. He has many tricks [dog head holding rose in mouth]

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