Don’t you want to talk to me?
Chi Lanyi?
Gao Rong sat in front of the computer for a long time. He looked at the photo of his 19-year-old lover from his previous life.
Soon, he wanted to mock himself. Because he was actually trying to converse with a photo.
Chi Lanyi in the photo was even a bit younger than when he had first met him in their previous life. In that life, when they met, Chi Lanyi was 22. By then, Chi Lanyi had already dropped out of F University, worn down by life for three years. His eyes no longer held the unique pride and softness of youth.
He was still sensitive, still fragile, still possessing his sickly slender elegance, yet so sorrowful it seemed he was enduring pain at every moment.
At that time, Gao Rong had been moved by this beauty that demanded protection at just a single glance.
So it turned out, at 19, Chi Lanyi’s eyes were clean, like curious soap bubbles easily burst, or like transparent, melancholic glass, always reflecting the gazer’s own image back at them.
Gao Rong sat at his desk the entire afternoon, and without realizing it, finished a whole pack of cigarettes.
In his past life, he had been a heavy smoker. After rebirth, he swore to quit. Not for anyone else, but he had already decided that in this life, he absolutely must quit all habits detrimental to his health.
He didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, rarely stayed up late, strictly controlled his sugar and inflammatory diet, engaged in no uncontrollable recreational activities, and went on two health retreats a year. Many people gossiped behind his back, saying what was the point of earning so much money when he lived such a colorless life.
Gao Rong didn’t want to debate anyone. He told himself he absolutely must live to 120 years old.
Longer, stronger, than Chi Lanyi, than anyone else. He absolutely could not be killed by fate again.
Thus, when he made his secretary go buy cigarettes today, the secretary was startled by this unexpected request. The secretary deliberated and brought him a pack of Dunhill. A very crisp, clean tobacco, with a slight bitterness.
Not the Marlboro Red he would have smoked in his past life, nor the short Liqun cigarettes Chi Lanyi later always puffed on.
Back then, they were always smoking, sitting opposite each other as if in a fierce contest, to see whose tobacco was stronger, harsher, more throat-searing. They had been together for ten years and hadn’t kissed for a long time; they used the swirling smoke to wage this silent war.
The secretary was anxious, asking if this pack of cigarettes was suitable. Staring at the dark wine-red box, Gao Rong thought: in this lifetime, he really had sculpted his image successfully.
So successfully that even the secretary who saw him daily thought he would prefer this kind of English gentleman’s cigarette, rather than the harsh, spicy, heavy Marlboro Red.
The room was filled with a bitter smell. Cigarette pinched between his fingers, Gao Rong thought he should have many things to say to Chi Lanyi.
In his past life’s youth, he loved drag racing. He quit drag racing because of Chi Lanyi. In this life, he was obsessed with making money, living long and healthy, because of Chi Lanyi.
Now, breaking his precept, he was smoking again, still because of Chi Lanyi.
But after brooding over it, Gao Rong felt, forget it. What was this even? He and this life’s Chi Lanyi had never met, were complete strangers.
And besides, he didn’t want to believe that this life’s Chi Lanyi was truly such an ignorant, pure image. The secretary had mentioned that Chi Lanyi’s relationship with that professor was ambiguous; everyone said even if Chi Lanyi became his nephew’s scapegoat, it wasn’t entirely baseless.
Wasn’t that exactly what happened later in their past life? Chi Lanyi became wild and ostentatious, his private life a mess. Chi Lanyi went out with different “friends,” drank and flirted with them. Chi Lanyi threw rocks and bottles at Gao Rong, and fled from press conferences Gao Rong had prepared for him.
Chi Lanyi always had to destroy everything Gao Rong prepared for him.
Even though Gao Rong was his only legal spouse.
Thinking back now, Gao Rong concluded that even in the past, Chi Lanyi hadn’t been purely docile and weak. It was just that Gao Rong back then was always willing to interpret his sharp edges as grievances and helplessness.
Someone who could live like that in his thirties, how clean could he have been at nineteen?
Gao Rong closed the computer and left the office. Evening arrived; he ate very lightly. Aside from unavoidable business dinners, he had a chef cook at home. This business trip to France was no exception.
He had no other place to go besides his temporary lodging.
But as if driven by some ghostly force, when the car passed an intersection, Gao Rong said to the driver: “Stop here for a moment.”
Gao Rong looked at the familiar streets and shops and said: “Turn left, go two blocks, there’s an Asian supermarket over there.”
The secretary, hearing this, teased him: “Boss, you even know this? I thought you said this is your first time in Paris? You’re practically a human GPS.”
Gao Rong just smiled faintly. He thought, it’s all because of Chi Lanyi.
In their past life, Chi Lanyi liked buying things at this Asian supermarket.
Chi Lanyi didn’t like taking cars on rainy days; he liked walking. Strange to say, Chi Lanyi liked staying in cars on sunny days, but when it rained, he’d rather run outside with an umbrella, yet wouldn’t bother remembering the map and would easily get lost.
They often came to Paris for Fashion Week, so Gao Rong inevitably became his map. On rainy days, Gao Rong many times held an umbrella and came here with Chi Lanyi to buy cigarettes.
The shop owner was a Taiwanese man. The Taiwanese man asked him: “Boss, what cigarettes do you want to buy?”
“Seven Stars. Regular, menthol, light, black. All of them.”
“Wow, you’re pretty professional. You know we have them all here. There’s also a platinum limited edition, want it?”
“Yes.” Gao Rong smiled.
Chi Lanyi liked collecting different series from the same brand. He liked coming to this shop precisely because it had every kind of Seven Stars, and also because he liked limited editions.
“But there’s only one box of the limited edition left.” The owner’s eldest daughter shouted.
“I said bring it out, this is a big customer. Xinyi, are you planning to save that last box for the little prince?”
“Little prince?”
Gao Rong couldn’t help but repeat the name.
The owner’s eldest daughter, wearing a yellow top, blushed and pouted as she tossed the cigarettes in front of Gao Rong.
The owner made a threatening gesture as if to hit her, then explained: “Oh, it’s a regular, a guy who studies design. He’s very pale and delicate, like he’s glowing. We privately call him the ‘Little Prince.’ His name is also very nice, Lan Yi, orchid-like.”
“Oh.”
Gao Rong’s expression dimmed slightly.
His fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the counter, one after another, as if trying to control some frequency. The owner’s youngest daughter gossiped loudly: “Little Prince hasn’t come for two weeks. Sister is heartbroken. I told her, maybe Little Prince found a girlfriend and is buying cigarettes with his girlfriend from now on.”
“You’re asking for a beating!” the eldest daughter screamed.
The two girls started play-fighting. Gao Rong looked down, listening to the two girls argue about “Chi Lanyi’s girlfriend,” a subtle coldness in his eyes.
He used a plastic bag to carry away the several packs of cigarettes. The owner, spotting the watch peeking from his sleeve, was a bit shocked: “Wow, you’re rich, sir. And you still shop here?”
Gao Rong only smiled. The owner continued: “I was even going to introduce you to the little prince. It’s rare to meet smoke buddies with such matching tastes. And don’t mind those two girls messing around; I can tell, the little prince, at first glance, seems like he prefers guys. And handsome guys at that.”
“…”
Gao Rong’s expression grew even colder.
“Haha, just kidding, don’t take it to heart.” The owner laughed heartily, “What are the odds of that? All liking the same type of cigarettes, all good-looking, all single, and all liking men.”
Carrying a bag of cigarettes, Gao Rong returned to the car. He thought, yes, what a coincidence. He and Chi Lanyi did both buy the same kind of cigarettes, were both good-looking, both single, and both liked men.
And how unfortunate too. He had originally followed Chi Lanyi to this store; buying the same cigarettes wasn’t surprising at all.
Gao Rong tossed the other cigarettes aside, solely holding the platinum limited edition box in his hand. He thought Chi Lanyi would definitely like this color.
Even though limited editions were all just flashy and insubstantial. Only the packaging changed; inside, there was no difference.
He hadn’t gone to see Chi Lanyi, yet upon arriving in Paris, he had snatched up his cigarettes. The Asian supermarket owner’s eldest daughter’s eyes were a bit red when she mentioned Chi Lanyi no longer coming; clearly, she had a crush.
Too bad she would be disappointed. Chi Lanyi probably wouldn’t be coming for the next few weeks. He would be trapped in the whirlpool of scandal.
His phone vibrated again. Not many people had Gao Rong’s private number.
Seeing the caller ID, Gao Rong frowned. He answered the call, and Gao Yuanzhou’s excited voice burst through: “Uncle! I heard from my mom that you’re in Paris!”
“Aren’t you on tour?” Gao Rong said coldly.
“Tour, shmour! My uncle is here, so as the host, I must entertain you!” Gao Yuanzhou chuckled, “Forget the tour, forget being a star, all that can wait. Today, I absolutely must treat my uncle well. You, sir, are the paramount emperor of our family.”
Gao Yuanzhou spoke frivolously. Gao Rong deeply disliked this personality.
Gao Rong’s sister Gao Xi, after several failed marriages, had poured all her doting affection into this son.
He wanted to play piano? She spent fortunes hiring famous tutors.
He wanted to be a star? She threw money at buying awards and promotional articles.
He wanted to go abroad? She got him a green card and bought houses across various European countries.
Thus, she raised a chaotic, irresponsible little demon king who, from childhood to now, never stopped causing trouble for Gao Xi. Gao Xi couldn’t manage her son, so she came to Gao Rong to manage him. Gao Rong also didn’t like dealing with Gao Yuanzhou’s matters; as long as no major incident occurred, he let him learn his own lessons.
This time, Gao Yuanzhou acting as a male mistress had truly blown the matter out of proportion. Gao Rong never expected that, tired of being a star, this guy would sneak into F University pretending to be an art student and engage in a teacher-student love affair.
Gao Rong detested this nephew of his. This nephew was nothing but a familial duty to him.
In his past life, he had stubbornly eloped with Chi Lanyi. That elopement led to his early death and caused his mother to die with unfulfilled regrets.
In this life, he always wanted to manage himself better and also compensate his family.
Gao Yuanzhou was also afraid of him. This time, he probably sensed the aura of being abandoned and could only run over to beg forgiveness. Yet Gao Rong said icily, “Continue your tour. After the tour is over, go to the boarding school in the UK.”
“Huh? Ah… Uncle… Okay.”
Gao Yuanzhou didn’t dare to speak further. He knew his uncle was a man of his word, and obediently accepting punishment now was the best course. But before he could hang up, someone came over, finally finding him, and urged him noisily to come back and play.
Incorrigible. Frowning at the sound, Gao Rong decided that once Gao Yuanzhou was in the UK, he would completely abandon this nephew from the family.
Just as he was about to hang up, he faintly heard from the receiver someone speaking Chinese: “Brother Zou, you really want to get with that Chi Lanyi from your school?”
“The one with his eyes on the top of his head? Hey, do you guys think he and Renault actually had a thing or not?”
“Who cares if they did or not. If they did, it’s even more exciting. Oh right, I messaged him, told him to get here quick, that I have clues about who framed him.”
“Clues? More like you have booze… Whoa, you’ve even got that kind of thrilling stuff. How do you use it?”
“This stuff is really fun… Wait, Chi Lanyi is here, he actually came over.”
“Gao Yuanzhou.”
Gao Yuanzhou had originally intended to hang up and quickly sneak back to his apartment. He heard an extremely chilling note in Gao Rong’s tone; even an idiot would know he couldn’t afford to provoke Gao Rong further.
No one in the Gao family dared to provoke Gao Rong. If Gao Rong was angry, everyone suffered. Gao Yuanzhou definitely didn’t want to test death himself.
Besides, the people throwing this party tonight weren’t his close acquaintances. Since trouble had befallen him, he didn’t dare hang out with his usual crowd, so someone had dragged him here.
Not long after arriving, he’d sensed something off. This group had a somewhat terrifying vibe; several people’s eye sockets were bruised dark-blue. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he’d end up doing laughing gas balloons with them.
Partying hard was one thing; harming himself was another. Gao Yuanzhou immediately wanted to slip away.
He was just looking for an excuse to leave when Gao Rong’s icy voice came from the phone: “Gao Yuanzhou, which bar are you at?”
Gao Yuanzhou reflexively blurted out the bar’s name, then thought in shock: No way. But Gao Rong quickly said, “Fine.”
He paused, then added: “Stay right there. Wait for me to come over.”
Gao Yuanzhou was dumbfounded, hardly believing his ears: “Huh?”
Gao Rong hung up, leaving Gao Yuanzhou utterly bewildered.
Wait, what was his uncle coming here for? To play dice with him? Or was an old tree finally blossoming, and he wanted to come to the bar to hunt for beauties?
Gao Yuanzhou couldn’t help but glance around at the people nearby—a bunch of odd-looking characters, not a single decent-looking one. Over there, two people were still chatting: “Is that Chi Lanyi really that pretty?”
“Really, don’t doubt it. You’ll see for yourself soon what the ‘Little Prince of F University’ means.”
It couldn’t possibly be because he heard the name Chi Lanyi on the phone. Gao Yuanzhou considered this for a moment, then immediately dismissed it as absurd.
Chi Lanyi was famous for his beauty—even Gao Yuanzhou had heard of him. But his uncle, as everyone knew, had a bias against art students, thinking few good things come from studying art.
Even having his own nephew study piano made his uncle frown for a long time.
And how could these two even know each other? One working in the US, one studying in France, not a single overlap point.
Gao Yuanzhou tossed his phone back onto the sofa, not taking the matter to heart. He watched as someone ran out of the private room and another person came back in from outside with a small bag. A few people chatted and then all grinned slyly.
“Yeah, this one’s potent. Give him this, guaranteed he’ll be full of passion.”
Suddenly, Gao Yuanzhou thought he heard something like this muttered nearby.
