LWDC Chapter 78

Chapter 78: New Year’s Eve Activities

Chapter 78: New Year’s Eve Activities

Chapter 78: New Year’s Eve Activities

Ning Fei wasn’t surprised at all by Duan Yunhong’s question.

He simply smiled and sharply commented, “The kid’s really been driven to the end of his rope… He’s actually decided to ‘appeal to the emperor’ first, is this a case of grasping at straws when ill?”

“I knew it was your doing.” Although Ning Fei didn’t admit it, Duan Yunhong heard the confirmation in his tone, “What exactly did you do?”

“That’s a long story.” Ning Fei replied, “But I’m about to go out for dinner, and someone’s waiting for me. You wouldn’t make me report for work before I even get to eat, would you?”

“Someone’s waiting?” Duan Yunhong sneered, and the words “Then let them wait” almost slipped out. But saying that would be beneath him, so Duan Yunhong changed his tone, “Then when are you planning to report? After dinner?”

Ning Fei chuckled, “Director Duan, am I not even allowed to attend a New Year’s Eve event? Don’t your company employees get New Year’s Day off?”

“If you get New Year’s Day off, who gives me a day off?” Duan Yunhong retorted, “Ji Zhenwei is asking me this question face to face right now, what do you think I should say? Should I just expose the truth about the fake young master?”

“No, no.” Ning Fei still wanted to use this matter to control Ji Xingzhe and didn’t want to reveal it so early, finally starting to speak more softly, “How are you face to face with Ji Zhenwei? You’re back?”

Duan Yunhong: “I get New Year’s Day off too.”

Ning Fei heard the sarcasm in his voice and didn’t argue with him, only saying, “Do you have to go to the Ji family? Just come out, you have legs, Ji Zhenwei wouldn’t dare chain you up, would he?”

Duan Yunhong continued to sneer: “Go out? The Ji family is having a New Year’s Eve gathering, should I skip a perfectly good meal and go out to eat the northwest wind?”

Ning Fei was used to his attitude: “Director Duan, are you trying to guilt trip me? Fine, come over, you won’t starve to death.

Duan Yunhong said: “Don’t you have an appointment? Aren’t you going out to eat?”

“What are you pretending for, you can’t guess that I’m going to the Lin family? It’s just an extra pair of chopsticks, they won’t mind.” Ning Fei replied, “Unless you want NG and Xie Baolin in the same room.”

“Him? Tch.” Duan Yunhong laughed with considerable disdain, “It’ll be traffic jam now, about thirty to forty minutes to get there.”

“Alright, then I’ll go to the Lin family and tell them first.” Ning Fei tapped the surface of the sideboard with his fingertip, “Then I’ll wait for you at my place, I won’t start dinner until you arrive, okay?”

“Why act so pitiful, do I not know you? Eat when you should, so I don’t have to hear you play the victim when I get there.” Duan Yunhong complained, not even realizing that the corners of his mouth had curved up slightly, before quickly returning to a straight line.

He hung up the phone, put his phone away, and left the room. By this time, the Ji family’s living room was already bustling with activity, and the catering team hired from outside was serving the dishes. Ji Zhenwei saw Duan Yunhong and gestured for him to come and sit down.

Although Ji Zhenwei questioned what he did, in front of so many guests, Ji Zhenwei wanted to save face, so he would definitely act like “good buddies” for tonight. Duan Yunhong was happy to not have to pretend to be good friends with him, walked over and said directly: “I suddenly have an important meeting outside, I’m leaving.”

Ji Zhenwei was puzzled: “What meeting is so important that you have to leave when dinner’s about to start?”

“I’ll explain in detail later.” Duan Yunhong was too lazy to make up a detailed excuse, patted Ji Zhenwei on the shoulder, turned around, and really went to the door. Ji Zhenwei couldn’t possibly stop him by force on this occasion, so he could only let him go for now.

Hiding not far away and quietly observing, Ji Xingzhe watched Duan Yunhong’s departing back, and the uneasiness in his heart grew even stronger.

For some reason, every time Duan Yunhong came, Ji Xingzhe panicked; when Duan Yunhong turned around and left, Ji Xingzhe panicked even more. It seemed that every time Duan Yunhong left the Ji family, he was going to prepare to bring even bigger troubles for Ji Xingzhe.

—Dad, will he not believe his brother’s words because I gave him a heads-up in advance…?

*

Although the Lin family was a little confused by Duan Yunhong’s arrival, they still welcomed him to have dinner together and even brought out their treasured wine to entertain him.

Lin Shengjia was a little surprised, and kept asking about the situation in Shenzhen during the meal. Duan Yunhong wasn’t too enthusiastic towards him, but answered most of his questions. Finally, Lin’s father spoke up to stop him, and Lin Shengjia didn’t talk about the Shenzhen economy at the dinner table.

However, after dinner, Lin Shengjia still eagerly followed him to Ning Fei’s house to communicate with Duan Yunhong about the progress of Shenzhen’s “business situation”. When he heard that Duan Yunhong was not only doing business for the Ji family, but also had some other industries of his own, and they were all related to the Internet and digitalization, he couldn’t help but praise him repeatedly. Lin Shengjia also demanded that at least half of the industries given to him in the future be these “emerging industries”.

Duan Yunhong agreed indifferently.

In theory, it would be okay to give them all to Lin Shengjia, since he couldn’t take them away anyway. But Duan Yunhong was the kind of person who thought, “Why should I give it to you if it’s not yours? I’d rather throw it away than give it to you”, so Lin Shengjia could only get the part that was promised to him.

Lin Shengjia, having received good news and promises, was happily going home when he ran into Luo Chenghong, who had just come out of the Lin family’s house. When Luo Chenghong saw his beaming face, he sneered, “You actually went to be a third wheel with so little tact? It’s a miracle Duan Yunhong didn’t kick you out.”

“I was going to find him in the first place, why would he kick me out?” After learning Luo Chenghong’s true identity, Lin Shengjia didn’t have much respect for his elders in private. He stood at his doorstep looking at Luo Chenghong, with an old-fashioned tone: “As for you, you kept harassing Teacher Ning during dinner just now, right? Teacher Ning doesn’t like you, and Director Duan was there too, trying to blatantly destroy other people’s relationship, that’s really annoying.”

“‘Relationship’? Ha, you’re too naive, someone like Duan Yunhong wouldn’t fall in love easily. That Ning Fei, he seems very difficult to deal with as well.” Luo Chenghong replied indifferently, “However, if you’re referring to a ‘physical relationship’, then it doesn’t count as a relationship. Don’t just say it’s just me, even if there are more, that wouldn’t be destroying anything.”

“I don’t want to hear you talking about ‘impart’ topics. Go away, don’t do this kind of thing at my house in the future.” After saying that, Lin Shengjia decisively entered his house. Luo Chenghong glanced at the Lin family’s house on the left, glanced at Ning Fei’s house on the right, sneered, and turned around and left.

—It seems I can’t make a breakthrough here, maybe I can find some fun over there.

*

On the other side, at Ning Fei’s house.

Ning Fei was in the kitchen pouring water from a thermos. After mixing water to a suitable temperature, he came out of the kitchen with a cup in each hand, and then handed the one in his right hand to Duan Yunhong: “Here, ‘economist’, wet your throat.”

Duan Yunhong took it, touching the wall of the cup: “Warm water?”

“Otherwise?” Ning Fei sat down on the sofa next to him, drinking a few sips himself, “Still want to continue quenching your thirst with alcohol? Didn’t drink enough at the Lin family?”

Duan Yunhong said: “I meant cold water is fine. Have you been so influenced by the locals that you drink warm water?”

Ning Fei pointed to the kitchen: “Then don’t drink it, go to the faucet and open your mouth to drink, there’s enough.”

Duan Yunhong said: “Did you eat gunpowder?”

Ning Fei got up to take the water from his hand, Duan Yunhong shook his hand, dodging it. Ning Fei stood in front of him, condescendingly saying: “Get out.”

“I don’t want to argue with you.” Duan Yunhong didn’t move, “I came to hear you say what exactly you did.”

Ning Fei stared at him coldly, without saying a word.

Duan Yunhong met his gaze for a few seconds, suddenly lowered his head and took two sips of warm water, then put the cup down and took out a box from the bag he brought to Ning Fei’s house and handed it to Ning Fei.

Ning Fei was still thinking about whether him drinking warm water counted as a concession, when he was stunned by the box in front of him. Taking a closer look, it was the packaging box for a new mobile phone.

“Bought in Shenzhen, the latest model.” Duan Yunhong pushed it into his hands, “You didn’t say you didn’t buy new glasses either, go out and buy them tomorrow.”

Ning Fei: “…”

Ning Fei: “I’ll take that as you saying ‘sorry’.”

Duan Yunhong raised his eyebrows slightly, but ultimately didn’t refute.

Only then did Ning Fei take the phone and put it on the coffee table next to him. Duan Yunhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but still maintained that calm expression on his face, calmly saying: “Now can you tell me what kind of ‘behind-the-scenes manipulation’ you’ve been up to?”

Ning Fei sat down on the long sofa and patted the seat next to him. Duan Yunhong moved from the single sofa to sit next to him, and Ning Fei finally decided to let this foul-mouthed person off the hook, and began to talk about his recent experiences.

Mainly the police station’s settlement negotiations, and asking Qin Ran to create some “speculation and intimidation”. There wasn’t much to say about the settlement, anyway, the core idea was “the Qin family paid money to buy a settlement”. He went into more detail about the conversation with Qin Ran, and after finishing, Ning Fei had finished his half cup of warm water.

“Oh, right, I had a question back then, but I forgot to ask it later.” Ning Fei put down the cup, as if he was talking to Duan Yunhong, and also as if he was talking to himself, “How did those unemployed people recognize Qin Ran? Did they really go to the school gate every day to watch the students leave?”

“…How would I know, why didn’t you ask the police back then.” There was a subtle pause before Duan Yunhong’s answer, but he quickly handed his cup to Ning Fei, casually changing the subject, “Want more to drink?”

“No need. If I want some, I’ll pour it myself.” Ning Fei wasn’t really concerned about how the police investigated it, and his thoughts returned to the main subject, “Anyway, the words I used to intimidate Qin Ran were meant for him to convey to Ji Xingzhe, to make Ji Xingzhe lose his composure. I thought he would find a way to deal with you, but he actually chose such a risky method, I don’t know if he’s bold or too stupid.”

Duan Yunhong held the cup in his hand, meaningfully saying: “It’s not that you don’t know, it’s that you know too well. You did this to make Ji Xingzhe take action, using him to stimulate me, forcing me to help you do things? This week, you didn’t make a single phone call, didn’t say a single word, just circling around and assigning me work?”

Ning Fei leaned against the back of the sofa: “Director Duan is a busy man, I didn’t dare to bother you.”

Duan Yunhong turned his head to look at him: “Still talking strangely? Is there something else you haven’t said?”

“What else is there? Nothing.” Ning Fei recalled it once, “The rest are trivial matters, you wouldn’t want to hear them, right?”

“This.” Duan Yunhong pointed to Ning Fei’s face, “Stitches removed? Why not wrap it in gauze, special situation?”

“This? Ha, on purpose, originally prepared to disgust Xie Baolin.” Ning Fei lightly touched the scar with the back of his finger, “He said you kicked me out of bed because I had a disfigurement, so I want to sit across from him with a disfigurement to disgust him.”

Duan Yunhong narrowed his eyes slightly, with a hint of displeasure in his words: “You can’t believe a single word that Xie Baolin says.”

“Indeed, this person’s fetish is also very strange, and he also said that the wound would make him more excited.” Ning Fei looked at him, suddenly blurting out, “I don’t think he really wanted to do anything to me, he meant that since you slept with me, he also wanted to try it with me—could it be that he actually has feelings for you?”

“…Ha?” Duan Yunhong was indeed surprised by Ning Fei’s words, “He has feelings for me? How is that possible! This guess is too disgusting.”

Ning Fei finally laughed: “Who knows, maybe he just wants to experience everything you’ve experienced?”

“You should worry about yourself.” Duan Yunhong’s eyes landed on his wound, “It may be true that he’s more excited by bloodstains and scars. I also heard that he seriously injured, or even possibly killed debt collectors, if you’re really alone with him, who knows what he’ll do.”

Ning Fei suddenly said: “What if I told you that we’ve actually slept together?”

“…” Duan Yunhong was silent for two seconds, “Then I can only say that your taste is really inconsistent.”

“Hahaha…” Ning Fei completely laughed out loud. He knew that Duan Yunhong definitely understood that this was just a joke, but the other party actually responded, no matter what the psychology was, Ning Fei accepted that he had given in this time.

After laughing, Ning Fei took the cup from Duan Yunhong’s hand, and then leaned closer: “Then Director Duan, Xie Baolin doesn’t reject wounds, what about you?”

Duan Yunhong met his gaze, unflinching: “…Have you finished your business?”

“Report completed.” Ning Fei’s index finger hooked onto the man’s sweater collar, gently pulling it open, “‘New Year’s Eve event’, are we going to play with the lights off, Director Duan?”

“No turning off the lights.”

Duan Yunhong pulled the person into his arms and kissed him directly.