LWDC Chapter 187

Chapter 187 – The Real Gift

Chapter 187 – The Real Gift

Chapter 187 – The Real Gift

Duan Yunhong said that the seventeen golden rays of light are actually most beautiful and perfect on the Winter Solstice. However, Ning Fei didn’t want to wait until then, so it would be nice to see them on his birthday.

“So, you… don’t have any other introductory remarks?”

Ning Fei waited for a long time, then looked at the silent Duan Yunhong. Duan Yunhong asked him in return, “What other introductory remarks do you need?”

“Uh, like, the buildings nearby, the history of this place?” Ning Fei pointed casually. “You come here often, shouldn’t you know it like the back of your hand?”

“…Indeed, but there’s no need.”

“Hmm?”

“I just like to see the scenery at this moment and enjoy a moment of peace. It has nothing to do with the origins of these buildings, how old they are, or what history they have.” Duan Yunhong gazed at the bridge and slowly said, “For you right now, this is even more useless information. What’s the point of knowing it? It’s utterly useless.”

“Stop pretending.” Ning Fei turned to look at him, his gaze sweeping over every change in Duan Yunhong’s expression. “I’ll give you one more chance. Do you want to talk or not? …Think carefully before you open your mouth.”

Duan Yunhong’s mouth, which was about to open, silently closed again.

A few seconds later, he asked, “…Do you really want to hear?”

Ning Fei chuckled, “I’m already here, so might as well listen. Anyway, it’s all part of the birthday program you prepared for me.”

“I didn’t originally plan to be so long-winded…” Duan Yunhong couldn’t quite describe his current mood and couldn’t help but add some superfluous words first. He originally only intended to bring Ning Fei to see it, to let Ning Fei witness the scenery he had seen. Even if Ning Fei didn’t understand or even think there was anything good to see, it would still count as taking him through the most meaningful place for him.

This was also the most core purpose of Duan Yunhong bringing Ning Fei to Pingdu—no, inviting Ning Fei to his original world.

Ning Fei laid bare his origins and old wounds for Duan Yunhong to see, so Duan Yunhong also used his own to exchange—regardless of whether Ning Fei cared or not. The old house he used to live in, the place he escaped to when he was most embarrassed and helpless, he would let him witness and experience it firsthand. Even if Ning Fei couldn’t understand Duan Yunhong’s situation at the time, as long as he was in the place of past memories, Duan Yunhong felt it would be enough.

But at this moment, Ning Fei, who had always been considered uninterested by Duan Yunhong, was actually asking about the details of these places.

—Actually, he still wants to understand me more deeply?

—Or, is it to comfort my past traumas?

Recalling the bits and pieces of getting along in this world, although Ning Fei always had an attitude of not caring much about everything, at certain times, he always deepened the topic appropriately. What Duan Yunhong was silent about and avoided talking about was intentionally or unintentionally brought out by him, reinterpreted, and given new meaning. Duan Yunhong thought he had long been calm about these memories and didn’t care anymore. But the warmth of Ning Fei’s comfort made Duan Yunhong gradually realize recently that he still cared. Or rather, a corner of his heart was still “frozen” by these original experiences.

It wasn’t healed or disappeared, but just sealed away. Ning Fei brought it out and simply chatted with Duan Yunhong, actually giving Duan Yunhong a real sense of “healing.”

“Are you afraid that I’ll think you’re like an old man, being long-winded and pontificating? Come on, what kind of persona are you trying to maintain in front of me, Boss Duan!” Ning Fei didn’t know if he saw Duan Yunhong’s slight daze. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at him. “But, before you say anything, can you estimate how long you’re going to talk?”

“…How can I say for sure?” Duan Yunhong came back to his senses and deliberately replied in an uncooperative tone. “These things are all royal gardens, with great origins. Maybe it’ll take twenty or thirty minutes, maybe it’ll take several hours.”

Ning Fei: “…”

He confirmed the windward side and stood behind Duan Yunhong. “You talk.”

Duan Yunhong: “What are you doing?”

Ning Fei’s forehead leaned against his back: “Sheltering from the wind.”

Duan Yunhong felt the weight on his back and thought: He really knows how to please people.

However, even though Duan Yunhong could stand here for a few hours, it wouldn’t matter. But if Ning Fei caught a cold because of this, the scene of him throwing a tantrum would be fatal. So, Duan Yunhong turned around and grabbed the person behind him: “Let’s go to the car and eat. We can talk while we eat.”

Ning Fei asked, “Aren’t you going to look at your golden bridge hole anymore?”

“It’ll be gone soon. If we stay here and get blown by the cold wind, you’ll probably scold me.” Duan Yunhong took his hand out of his pocket, held it, and led him towards the parking place. “Let’s go. The place to eat is in the hotel we’re staying at tonight. You don’t have to come out and get blown by the cold wind after entering. Are you satisfied now?”

“Oh, no wonder you brought a small suitcase. It doesn’t have a rope in it, does it?”

“You’re just thinking about the final program tonight, aren’t you? Then I really have to tell you for several hours, tell you everything clearly…”

*

Duan Yunhong said he would be long-winded for a few hours, but in reality, he told the history in a rather interesting way. After all, if he told it too badly, it wouldn’t be worthy of his style and level, and he himself wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Ning Fei just listened to it as a dinner program. At the end, he made a sharp comment: “Then this country used to be pretty good, quite…active. And the royal family that built this garden is at most about the same as the ones back home. Rotten and stinky, the poorer they are, the more they want to spend.”

“Regarding the descendants…indeed.” Duan Yunhong replied, “So it’s quite amazing that the royal family in your original world could maintain their rule for so long.”

Ning Fei shrugged: “No need to say it so tactfully. It’s just that the people there are numb and indifferent. No one remembers this. Even if there are occasional ones, they don’t have the ability to solve it and can only silently live out their humiliating lives.”

Duan Yunhong said: “At least when you said you’d kill one for every one you wrote about, someone was willing to exchange their life.”

“Ha, too bad I didn’t let them get their wish. They even hate me for it.” Ning Fei casually replied, “Alright, stop praising me indirectly. I know your people still have many who will resist. Even outsiders like Liang Zhiming aren’t afraid to die, alright?”

“I didn’t mean that…”

“Alright, I know what you mean, no need to talk nonsense.” Ning Fei kicked him under the table. “You even went to the lake to worry about the country and the people while you were in a wheelchair. I know where your stubbornness comes from now. And this stinky mouth, harder than a dead duck, I can also understand. If it wasn’t hard, you would have spilled everything as soon as you were tortured.”

Duan Yunhong, who was originally feeling a little ripple in his heart, was a little dumbfounded and speechless after hearing his words: “What kind of broken analogies are those? Is your temper very good? Are you easy to talk to?”

“Indeed, not good. I didn’t say my temper was good.” Ning Fei replied, “However, you seem to also believe in your set of ‘for the freedom of traversers’, is it because you had a similar ideal when you were in this original world?”

“What are you saying…”

“I’m not joking with you, I just think there are indeed similar points.” Ning Fei rested his chin on his hand and looked at him. “You always say that I’m brainwashed by the Bureau. But there’s no organization that brainwashes and passes it on among you bandits. Even if Lin Jianru told you, how could you firmly believe it for so long? Or is it—

“Actually, Lin Jianru is your mentor. You trust and admire him and believe everything he says, but you’re just too stubborn to admit it?”

“Ah? Me and Lin Jianru?! That sounds disgusting enough.” Duan Yunhong paused and couldn’t help but explain, “I wasn’t alluding to you and Yu Zhou.”

Ning Fei: “Thank you. I didn’t think so originally, but after you said that, I feel like it’s a bit like that.”

“In short, my view of traversers initially came from Lin Jianru’s rhetoric. Because there was no problem with his logic.” Duan Yunhong looked at him, “After a long time, it’s based on my position. I may not really believe it, but in order to achieve my goal, of course, I use that rhetoric when facing traversers. Just like you may not like the Bureau very much, but when facing traversers, you still have to speak from the Bureau’s and the original owner’s position, right?”

“…Don’t try to trick me.” Ning Fei raised an eyebrow, “I lo-ove the Bureau.”

“I’m not so free that I’m tricking you at this time.” Duan Yunhong said, “And I said, at this stage, I don’t want you to leave the Bureau either. It’s safer for you with it.”

“Hmph, you say it so eloquently, as if you can come and go freely.” Ning Fei sneered, “Then if you’re just choosing this rhetoric based on your position, can’t you also choose a new position and change to a new rhetoric?”

“What, do you want to speak for the Bureau?”

“Dare I speak, dare you listen?”

Duan Yunhong didn’t reply for a moment.

“…This part is really a joke, don’t be so serious.” Ning Fei picked up the red wine glass and took a sip, “But Boss Duan, you’re just giving me a 3D three-dimensional personal resume for my birthday. Isn’t that a bit too little?”

Duan Yunhong then replied, “…You’ll know when we go upstairs later.”

Ning Fei put down the wine glass and smiled slightly: “No problem.”

*

After dinner, the two of them indeed went up to the hotel’s luxurious suite.

This place was bigger than the master bedroom of Duan Yunhong’s old house, and the decoration was more exquisite, with a hint of imitating the taste of old money from abroad. Ning Fei had no complaints. As soon as he walked in, he turned to Duan Yunhong and reached out: “Boss Duan, come on, it’s time for a little ‘birthday gift’ between adults.”

Duan Yunhong looked at him, silently put down the suitcase, and began to take off his coat.

Ning Fei liked watching him do this too much. Duan Yunhong used to say that Ning Fei had trained these movements, and Ning Fei thought he wasn’t far behind. Especially when Duan Yunhong was consciously trying to look good, it was really pleasing to the eye—at least it all fell right into Ning Fei’s aesthetic sweet spot.

Duan Yunhong took off his thick coat, then took off his black suit jacket and unbuttoned his vest. Just as he was about to pull his tie, Ning Fei quickly stepped forward to stop him: “Stop, stop, stop! This has to be kept!”

Duan Yunhong took the opportunity to hold him: “You’re starting already?”

“What else?” Ning Fei’s fingertips gently hooked the man’s chin, as if scratching an itch. “Could it be that Boss Duan has the special skill of self-bondage? That’s great, I’m willing to continue being an audience member!”

“I’m being serious with you.” Duan Yunhong lowered his eyes and stared at him. “Before that, I’ll give you the real ‘gift’ first. Of course, how to deal with it is your decision.”

“The way you say it, I feel like I have a bad premonition.” Ning Fei put away his teasing expression and raised an eyebrow. “Tell me what it is first.”

“It’s…this.”

Duan Yunhong pointed to the brooch on Ning Fei’s chest, the one that Duan Yunhong had given him.

“…Ah?” Even someone as intelligent as Ning Fei couldn’t figure out what this riddle was, so he directly asked, “What do you mean? Does this brooch have a function you haven’t confessed to me?”

“No.” Duan Yunhong said, “What I mean is, if you want, you can hand it over to the Bureau.”

“Huh?”

Ning Fei couldn’t figure it out even more: “What would I do with it? Are you going to give me a big credit?”

“It’s giving you the power to decide!” Duan Yunhong originally wanted to make the whole process a little more romantic, at least a natural progression. But Ning Fei was always on a different channel, and Duan Yunhong couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I almost had the punchline spoiled by you earlier… I mean, I accept the Bureau’s offer of amnesty!”

——————–

President Duan, a huge offensive!