Chapter 28: Arrogant Big Star

Ji Xingci didn’t like returning to the old mansion, and he especially didn’t like seeing his father.

Every time he came back here, he had to steel himself mentally first.

He took a deep breath and finally stepped out of the car.

The old butler respectfully led him inside. The living room, with its soaring ten-meter-high ceiling, was as opulent as a palace. The walls were covered in countless collectibles, every detail proclaiming the unrivaled wealth and prestige of the Ji Family Conglomerate.

It also laid bare Ji Hongyuan’s hopeless vanity and hedonism.

Sure enough, before he even reached the living room, Ji Xingci spotted yet another unfamiliar young woman.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, even younger than him, squeezed into a skirt that was far too tight and completely mismatched to her age and aura.

She twisted her body coyly, leaning slightly toward Ji Hongyuan while clumsily holding a bunch of grapes. A fawning, lamb-like smile hung on her face.

Ji Hongyuan looked thoroughly pleased, lounging idly on the sofa with a glass of whiskey in hand, swirling it lazily.

A wave of nausea churned in Ji Xingci’s stomach.

This scene had replayed endlessly since he was old enough to remember. The young women in the house came and went with new faces, but their eyes always burned with hunger for wealth, matched only by his father’s perpetually insatiable expression.

Images no child should witness flashed through his mind. The shadows of his childhood clung to him like a festering sore, making every entry into this house feel like the very air was filthy.

“You’ve finally decided to show up.”

Ji Hongyuan spotted him and waved the girl away.

“Why’d it take you so damn long this time?”

Ji Hongyuan took a sip of his whiskey, his gaze raking over his son’s excessively cold expression.

“Looks like those reports were spot on.”

Ji Xingci stayed silent, his eyes guarded.

Unexpectedly, Ji Hongyuan didn’t explode in rage. He just tsked with the nauseating indulgence of a worldly man: “Playing with guys… I’m not some rigid old fossil. You’re young—everyone wants to experiment, chase a thrill. I get it.”

He set his glass down and leaned forward, his tone shifting to feigned earnestness: “But Xingci, playtime’s playtime. You need to settle down eventually. Find a proper heiress from a good family, get married, pop out an heir—that’s the right path.”

Ji Xingci stared at his father’s face, ravaged by excess indulgence yet desperately posing as a stern patriarch. His stomach twisted even harder.

“I don’t want kids.”

His father shot him a strange look.

“And why the hell would some heiress marry in just to be my baby factory? Pregnancy hurts like hell…”

Ji Hongyuan finally snapped, “You ain’t the one getting knocked up.”

Ji Xingci choked on his words.

He had nothing left to say. Annoyed, he spat, “If that’s all, I’m out.”

“Hold it.”

“I said hold it!” Ji Hongyuan’s voice dropped dangerously low.

Ji Xingci didn’t stop.

“Grab him.” Ji Hongyuan slammed his glass onto the coffee table with a piercing clink.

In the same instant, four burly bodyguards in black suits materialized silently at the foyer, blocking Ji Xingci’s exit.

Ji Xingci halted abruptly and whirled around. “What the hell is this?”

“It means we’re not done talking. Who gave you permission to leave?”

“Who’s at that place of yours anyway? Making you hate staying here so much you’re dying to run back? Is that how you act?”

Ji Hongyuan finally realized something was seriously off with his son this time.

Maybe his attitude was part of it.

“I’ve spoiled you rotten. Since you won’t heed good advice, stay put and think it over. You leave when you’ve wised up.”

“You’re actually locking me up?!” Ji Xingci gaped at him in disbelief.

“Try me.” Ji Hongyuan sneered and waved at the bodyguards. “Escort the Young Master to his room to rest. No leaving without my say-so, and no visitors either!”

~~~

After Ji Xingci went radio silent, Lin Wu tried reaching out. The first attempt got no reply; the second revealed he’d been blocked.

Lin Wu blinked in shock, suddenly realizing this petty streak of swiping people’s phones might run in the family.

A day later, the butler’s demeanor shifted too, subtly suggesting Lin Wu should probably leave Ji Xingci’s place.

Lin Wu could only feign a heavy heart as he packed up from the lavish penthouse and returned to the old residential building he shared with Xu Qing.

Having grown used to Ji Xingci’s sprawling apartment, the stairs here felt even narrower and more rundown than he remembered—barely room to turn around.

By the time he fumbled to the door with his keys, it swung open on its own.

Xu Qing had been moping hard lately over Lin Wu pursuing Ji Xingci, even dropping some weight from his face.

Spotting Lin Wu back out of the blue, his immediate reaction was misty eyes as he barreled into a hug.

“05, how could he do this to you? Waaah.”

“Ah.” It took Lin Wu a beat to catch on—Xu Qing must mean Ji Xingci’s fans piling on him lately.

With zero word from Ji Xingci, his fans had pinned it all on Lin Wu, painting him as some kind of male fox demon.

Lin Wu’s Weibo comments had started out all friendly, but now they were a brutal warzone.

A couple of the most unhinged ones, clearly not all there mentally, didn’t just curse him daily—they snapped at anyone defending him too.

All the fans he’d just started building were scattering in fear.

“It’s okay.” Lin Wu shook his head, his face going pale anyway. “I don’t mind.”

That only made Xu Qing look more heartbroken.

“Forget about him, alright? After treating you like this and sending you packing…”

Lin Wu tried explaining for Ji Xingci: “He just went to his parents’ place—temporarily out of touch. I’m actually worried about him…”

Xu Qing grew even more worked up. “If he really wanted to reach you, nothing would stop him. No contact means he ditched you! And you’re still fretting over him?”

Lin Wu: “…”

In the original text, Xu Qing had stewed over this for three whole months. Who knew he’d wise up in under three seconds now.

Talk about lightning progress.

Xu Qing even clutched his hand. “05! You can’t be this love-struck. Protect yourself—forget the guy.”

“Come on in. I’ll fix up your room.”

Lin Wu could only nod.

A few days later, Xu Qing stormed over righteously furious, shoving his phone in Lin Wu’s face.

Lin Wu glanced at it.

Just like in the plot: a tabloid exposé on Ji Xingci dining with a wealthy heiress.

For sneaky pap shots, the photos were shockingly crisp. You could clearly see the pair heading into the restaurant, all cozy and intimate.

Way ahead of the plot timeline.

~~~

Ji Hongyuan hadn’t expected Ji Xingci to cave so quickly. After all, his son had thrown an absolute fit at first—nearly coming to blows with him and even threatening to burn down the house.

Ji Hongyuan had been livid, steeling himself for an even tougher confrontation.

Based on what he knew of his son, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he’d held out for years without backing down.

Yet here it was, only a few days later. Four? Five?

Ji Xingci had come to him, brows knitted tight, dark circles under his eyes, radiating a barely contained anxiety.

He got straight to the point:

“If I go on this blind date, will you let me go out?”

Ji Hongyuan stared at him blankly for several seconds before mustering his authority, narrowing his eyes as he appraised him. “…You’ve finally seen reason?”

“Just say yes or no.” Ji Xingci’s tone dripped with impatience.

Doubts swirled in Ji Hongyuan’s mind, but this was exactly the outcome he’d hoped for. He pushed down the nagging weirdness and nodded. “Of course. As long as you meet Director Zhou’s heiress properly and conduct yourself with decorum, you’ll have your freedom back afterward.”

“Fine. I’ll do it.” Ji Xingci tossed out the words and turned on his heel, not sparing another syllable.

Ji Hongyuan’s expression grew even stranger.

This level of compliance? It wasn’t like his son at all.

Pathetic. A few days without that person, and he was falling apart already?

In truth, Ji Xingci really was at the end of his rope.

Without Lin Wu at his side, he tossed and turned through the nights, sleep elusive, his breaths coming shallow and ragged. Mornings brought swelling in his chest and throbbing down below—not just discomfort, but now his stomach was starting to cramp faintly too.

A profound, physiological craving gnawed at him relentlessly.

He just wanted to see Lin Wu. Craved it desperately.

The blind date had become his fastest ticket back to freedom.

The venue was set at the famed Sky Garden Restaurant. Beneath a vast glass dome bloomed meticulously tended tropical flowers, with gentle streams murmuring through a private, opulent space.

Miss Zhou’s makeup was flawless, her dress revealing just enough skin—she’d clearly invested real effort into this meeting.

Ji Xingci’s looks alone were enough to turn heads, to say nothing of his family pedigree. Who wouldn’t entertain some hopes?

But when he held the car door for her and they walked into the restaurant side by side, only for him to give her a cursory glance without even a half-hearted pleasantry, her illusions shattered.

Young Master Ji’s mind was clearly elsewhere.

Ji Xingci did look peaky, dressed carelessly, one hand unconsciously pressing his lower abdomen, his whole body taut like a bowstring.

After an icy silence settled over the table, he dragged his gaze from the window and looked up abruptly.

“Can I borrow your phone for a sec?”

Miss Zhou: “…?”

Did Young Master Ji really need to ask his blind date for her phone?

Unless… Her eyes flickered, then lit up. The thrill of scandalous gossip eclipsed any sting of rejection.

“Are the rumors true?”

Ji Xingci blinked, caught off guard. “What rumors?”

“You and that hot new actor from 《Jiang Fan》…”

Ji Xingci froze. “No!”

He rubbed his forehead awkwardly, but offered nothing more. It came off a little defensive.

“If it’s inconvenient, I can step out and buy a new one right now.”

Miss Zhou’s lingering hopes evaporated entirely. She found the situation oddly amusing—and pity-inducing, for some reason.

She didn’t press further. Instead, she fished her phone from her clutch, unlocked it, and handed it over.

…

Lin Wu had been in the middle of some consoling words from Xu Qing when the call came in.

Puzzled by the unfamiliar number, he answered. “Hello?”

The voice on the other end was achingly familiar. “Where are you?”

Lin Wu paused. “I’m… I’m at home.”

Ji Xingci exhaled audibly in relief. “I’ll head home to see you soon.”

“No, I’m at my own place.”

Ji Xingci’s frown was practically audible. “Who told you to leave? I said wait for me at home.”

“The butler did…”

“Impossible.”

He wouldn’t keep a butler he didn’t trust.

If the butler were Father’s ally, Ji Xingci never would have let him stick around the house—he knew too much.

Lin Wu gave a wry smile. “You think I’m lying?”

Ji Xingci brushed it off. “Head back now. I’ll call the butler.”

Lin Wu fell silent.

Ji Xingci pressed, urgency creeping in. “Did you hear me?”

A long beat passed before Lin Wu finally replied.

“Are you on a date with someone right now?”

Silence from Ji Xingci.

Lin Wu drew a shaky breath, his eyes reddening as he fought to steady his voice.

“Didn’t you say we were together?”

“I…”

Ji Xingci shot another glance at Miss Zhou.

“I don’t have my phone on me.”

Lin Wu: “Why won’t you just answer the question?”

“Can’t I explain it to you in person?”

Ji Xingci’s temper frayed. Why was Lin Wu turning this into such a mess?

Didn’t he want to see him too?

Was it Xu Qing?

“I tell you to go home, so go. What’s with the questions right now?”

Lin Wu went quiet again, longer this time.

“If you won’t answer, I don’t want to.”

Ji Xingci’s face flushed hot with frustration. Unable to mind the company anymore, he shot to his feet.

“Lin! Wu!”

Miss Zhou, who’d been eavesdropping with glee, nearly burst out laughing. She hastily turned to gaze out the window, feigning obliviousness.