Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 37
Background
After Li Tingyan left, the room seemed to return to quiet.
Lin Chi flipped through the fashion magazine in his hands. The model on the cover, someone he knew, had a lean and powerful face. She was highly capable, dressed in straw-woven clothes, walking through the wilderness with eyes like a cheetah, a wolf, or any unknown giant creature, easily piercing through people’s hearts.
Lin Chi felt a bit uncomfortable being looked at this way and turned the magazine back over.
He lay in the bedroom, feeling more relaxed after a bath and a massage.
But everything that happened tonight felt like a brand etched on his body and heart. From the moment he saw Li Tingyan in the nightclub, everything seemed to slip out of control.
Lin Chi looked down at the red marks on his wrist, his expression complex.
It was hard to say whether there was a bit of hidden joy when he saw Li Tingyan in the nightclub.
He wasn’t a fool.
Before Li Tingyan, he had other casual partners, but when he was with others, he didn’t have such a strong sense of possession towards his partners.
If they were compatible, they stayed together; if not, they parted ways.
If the other person did something he disliked, he wouldn’t stay for a second, directly declaring the end of the relationship.
He wouldn’t act like Li Tingyan, causing a commotion to catch someone at a nightclub.
Who was the other person to warrant such a grand effort?
Casual partners were meant to be just that—casual, with no emotions like jealousy, envy, or anger involved.
But Li Tingyan’s behavior tonight clearly exceeded the boundaries of what a casual partner should be.
Thinking of this, Lin Chi couldn’t help but shift his eyes, mentally replaying each detail of tonight, each look from Li Tingyan.
He tried to guess what Li Tingyan was thinking.
But soon, realizing what he was doing, he laughed at himself.
He covered his face with the magazine and sank into the soft bed.
He thought to himself, feelings really do cause a lot of trouble.
When he and Li Tingyan were just friends with benefits, everything was easy and carefree. He could unabashedly draw energy from Li Tingyan as motivation for his own life.
But now that he had realized he was looking at Li Tingyan differently, worries began to creep in.
On nights like this, he even started to wonder, could Li Tingyan also have a bit of feelings for him?
These thoughts kept him tossing and turning, unable to calm down.
Lin Chi didn’t sleep well that night. The next day, he appeared at the dining table with faint dark circles under his eyes.
The staff around were very professional. Seeing him return, none of them showed a trace of surprise, they simply asked him considerately what he wanted for breakfast.
Lin Chi, resigned to his fate, calmly ordered, “Just a salad, thank you.”
The salad was quickly served, along with some other regular breakfast items, filling the table.
Lin Chi poured himself some Americano coffee and quietly ate his breakfast.
Li Tingyan had almost finished eating. He asked Lin Chi, “Are you working today?”
Lin Chi responded simply, “Yes, I have a shoot in the afternoon, an interview, and a party in the evening. I’ve rested for several days. If I don’t work soon, Huo Yuning will kill me.”
Li Tingyan understood, “I’ll have Old Gu take you to work, he’ll stay by your side from now on, you can turn to him for anything.”
Old Gu was one of Li Tingyan’s drivers, and the most frequently used one.
Lin Chi was taken aback, “Why would Old Gu follow me?”
“You’re staying here, you need a car for convenience,” Li Tingyan said, “Old Gu has been with me for years, he’s a steady driver. I’d feel more at ease with him by your side.”
Lin Chi wasn’t stupid, he understood this meant Li Tingyan wanted him to stay long-term.
Actually, he wasn’t completely unprepared for Li Tingyan bringing him back yesterday. Li Tingyan seemed especially determined to keep him.
After last night, Lin Chi’s feelings had changed a bit. He was no longer in a rush to cut ties with Li Tingyan.
But living together still felt a bit odd to him.
He slowly cut his salad, frowning slightly, without agreeing or disagreeing.
Li Tingyan noticed what he was thinking. He smiled and said, “I really hope you can stay here longer, otherwise, I can’t help but worry you’re out there causing trouble.”
“…”
Lin Chi’s face darkened, wanting to argue with Li Tingyan.
He had just gone out for a drink last night, yet it felt like Li Tingyan had caught him cheating red-handed.
Unhappy, he said, “Stop using that as an excuse…”
But before he could finish, Li Tingyan ended his meal, wiped his lips with a napkin.
He walked over to him, bent down, and kissed him on the cheek.
The rest of Lin Chi’s words got stuck in his throat.
Li Tingyan straightened up.
He looked at Lin Chi and said gently, “Besides that reason, I also want to see you more conveniently. Every time I go to meet you, it takes an hour’s drive and there can be various unforeseen situations. If you stay here, we won’t have that problem.”
He looked at Lin Chi softly, showing a good-natured demeanor, like a courteous gentleman begging for Lin Chi’s favor.
He said, “If you really think my place is too empty, you can invite friends over. There are two small villas next door meant for gatherings.”
“…”
Thanks a lot.
If I throw a party at your place today, Huo Yuning will strangle me tomorrow asking if there’s something going on between us.
“No need,” Lin Chi said sulkily.
But in the end, he didn’t outright refuse.
After breakfast, Lin Chi rested for a while and then went out by car.
He arrived at the shoot location. Huo Yuning wasn’t there, it was just him. But he wasn’t a new model, he didn’t need his agent like a nanny following him around, he greeted the photographer and makeup artist confidently.
The makeup artist started working on him, surprised, “What did you do last night? You don’t look so good today.”
Lin Chi pursed his lips, feeling a bit embarrassed.
He had tried hard to reduce the swelling in the morning, but he still didn’t look as good as usual.
Fortunately, his natural looks were good, and that day’s shoot didn’t require anything too demanding, so it didn’t matter much.
“Didn’t sleep well last night,” he said.
“Clearly.”
The makeup artist applied some concealer, “But it’s okay, your skin is good, no acne or blemishes, I’ll just cover it up a bit.”
Lin Chi was joking with the makeup artist, making her laugh out loud, when his phone rang.
He thought it was Huo Yuning, but when he looked, the name on the screen was Xi Ziwen.
Lin Chi: “…”
He quietly pretended to accidentally hang up.
Anyone could guess what Xi Ziwen wanted to talk about.
But after hanging up once, the other side persistently called again, and a third time.
Even the makeup artist showed a puzzled expression, glancing at his phone curiously.
Annoying.
Lin Chi thought silently.
He had no choice but to text Xi Ziwen, saying he was at work.
Xi Ziwen, however, was relentless, quickly texting back, “When will you be done with work?”
Lin Chi rolled his eyes.
What’s wrong with everyone? He was just having a fling, not even a proper relationship, yet everyone was making a fuss about it—Huo Yuning was like this, and now Xi Ziwen too.
However, he also understood that being abruptly dragged away like a caught adulterer yesterday must have made Xi Ziwen quite worried.
He thought for a moment, realizing he couldn’t avoid it, and sent another text message.
“Around five o’clock. I’ll call you back then.”
Only then did Xi Ziwen reluctantly let it go.
“Alright.”
But he added a threat, “If you don’t call me, I’ll keep calling you tonight.”
Lin Chi sent back a middle finger emoji.
After putting on makeup, Lin Chi went through the shoot as scheduled. Then, during a break, he finished a thirty-minute interview.
When it was all over, he changed his outfit, removed the exaggerated makeup, applied a more everyday look, and got into the car to head to the next venue.
However, he had over an hour of free time in the car.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then raised the divider and dialed Xi Ziwen’s number.
The other side picked up almost instantly.
But once connected, neither of them spoke, as if they were playing a game of who could stay silent longer.
Finally, Xi Ziwen couldn’t hold back, gritting his teeth, “Lin Chi.”
“Hey～”
Lin Chi responded nonchalantly, acting oblivious, “What’s up?”
“What do you think?”
Xi Ziwen was so angry he almost laughed, even cursing, “Damn it, yesterday you were taken away before I could react. By the time I tried to find you, you were nowhere to be seen, and you wouldn’t answer your phone. I even thought I’d have to collect your body! And then today you hang up on me!”
Lin Chi rubbed his nose.
To be fair, it was his fault.
What was he doing then? Fooling around in the car with Li Tingyan, how could he remember Xi Ziwen?
This made him lose a bit of his momentum. He coughed and explained, “I didn’t have any issues yesterday, just didn’t hear my phone.”
“Tch.”
Xi Ziwen didn’t believe a word of it.
With the atmosphere between those two yesterday, Lin Chi, that shameless guy, was definitely not doing anything innocent.
But he didn’t call to scold Lin Chi. That wasn’t his main point.
“Alright, I’m not here to argue with you. Stop bullshitting me.” Xi Ziwen, sitting on his balcony with his legs crossed, looking at the garden below, frowned deeply, holding back his anger. “I really don’t get it, how did you end up with Li Tingyan? The person you like is him? What kind of taste do you have?”
Lin Chi raised an eyebrow, surprised Xi Ziwen knew Li Tingyan too.
But then he thought, it made sense. Although Xi Ziwen’s family was in a different industry, it wasn’t unusual for wealthy families to know each other.
He was completely nonchalant now, no guilt like when facing Huo Yuning last time.
“So what? Is there something wrong?” he retorted.
“Everything is wrong,” Xi Ziwen said irritably. “Can’t you find someone normal?”
Lin Chi was displeased. “What’s wrong with him? Not handsome enough?”
“That’s not what I mean.”
Xi Ziwen frowned, his tone more serious.
“Lin Chi, I’m being serious. Do you know Li Tingyan well? Do you really like him?”
Lin Chi was stumped by the question.
Did he know Li Tingyan well?
He knew Li Tingyan had type A blood, liked light food, wasn’t fond of sweets, excelled at horseback riding, rock climbing, sailing, and golf. He wasn’t talkative but had a gentle temper, especially with him, even could be called tender.
They had watched many movies together. Lin Chi had talked about his unfortunate family background and complained about work troubles to Li Tingyan.
Li Tingyan had even taught him simple French in a hotel, correcting his pronunciation with his tongue.
They were very close.
Yet he didn’t dare to say he truly understood Li Tingyan.
“I know him quite well,” Lin Chi snorted lightly, refusing to admit defeat. “We’ve been sleeping together for almost half a year. If I don’t understand him, do you?”
Xi Ziwen sneered, “I might know more than you.”
Before Lin Chi could express surprise, he continued, “Li Tingyan and I went to the same high school. I was a few grades below him. When he was in the upper school, I was in the lower. Our families had connections, though it was more of my grandfather’s generation. He and I, and my brother, weren’t close, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know about his family’s matters.”
Lin Chi sensed he was hinting at something. “What matters?”
Xi Ziwen sat on the balcony, face changing with the wind.
Talking behind someone’s back wasn’t right, but Lin Chi was his buddy. He couldn’t just watch Lin Chi fall into a big trap.
“It’s not a big deal, but you’d better listen and remember.”
Xi Ziwen said, “In high school, Li Tingyan wasn’t like he is now. He was notorious for his bad temper, never smiling.
Maybe it was because of his family. His parents divorced very early, and his dad had an illegitimate child even before the divorce, just a year younger than him.
That would have been fine, but his dad kept trying to promote this illegitimate child. When Li Tingyan had a serious car accident in college, his dad was parading this kid around as the heir.
But did it work? How many people know about his illegitimate brother now?”
Xi Ziwen continued, “Li Tingyan secured his position with his grandfather’s support, but even then, he kept his half-brother suppressed, forcing him to stay abroad, not even giving face to their father.”
Xi Ziwen got angry just thinking about it. His elder brother always used Li Tingyan as an example to lecture him, but he was much younger than Li Tingyan and came from a loving family. Why should he learn from Li Tingyan?
But he was too lazy to complain.
Instead, he asked Lin Chi, “Tell me, do you think you can handle someone as ruthless as Li Tingyan? With his family background and complex upbringing, do you really think you can adapt?”
He couldn’t help but tease, “Look at how blind you are. If you ask me, you should find a silly, sweet, rich second-generation kid. Wouldn’t that be better? No scheming, just obedient to you.”
Lin Chi had been frowning, but this made him laugh.
Casually bantering with Xi Ziwen, he said, “What, aren’t you the silly, sweet, rich second-generation? Are you planning to sacrifice yourself for me?”
Xi Ziwen wasn’t embarrassed at all.
“That’s right, someone like me. Am I not much better than Li Tingyan? My family doesn’t have nearly as much drama as his.”
Lin Chi couldn’t help but laugh.
But what Xi Ziwen said did affect him a bit.
When he met Li Tingyan, Li Tingyan had already become quite calm and generous, treating him gently and even indulgently. It was hard for him to imagine the person Xi Ziwen described being the same Li Tingyan.
Xi Ziwen kept rambling, saying he was blind and should give up on the crooked tree that was Li Tingyan.
Lin Chi understood. If it had been a few days earlier, he might have wholeheartedly agreed with Xi Ziwen.
But after last night, he became uncertain.
So he couldn’t give Xi Ziwen the answer he wanted to hear.
“Let’s talk about it later. I know what I’m doing,” Lin Chi said with a half-truthful smile. “Feelings are complicated. Who can say for sure? Anyway, I need to get to work. We can talk later.”
With that, he hung up the phone.