Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 38
Possessiveness
After hanging up, Lin Chi didn’t think much about Xi Ziwen’s words.
He knew Xi Ziwen meant well, but he and Li Tingyan weren’t even a couple yet, so why worry?
Pure self-inflicted trouble.
He shrugged and continued looking at the work schedule Huo Yuning sent him. In another month, it would be fashion week again. This time, he had received dozens of job offers, some arranged by Huo Yuning and some specifically requested by designers who had seen his work.
What surprised him most was that Yu Nian, the founder of THE ONE, not only requested him to participate in his show but also reserved the finale for him.
Huo Yuning was ecstatic about this unexpected opportunity. THE ONE had recently received certification from the Haute Couture Association, becoming a rare Chinese brand with official membership. It was making waves, and the domestic fashion media were all over it. Even the usually low-profile designer had been invited to shoot covers for two major magazines.
Yu Nian’s invitation to Lin Chi as the finale model was a great boost to Lin Chi’s fame and represented Yu Nian’s recognition of him.
Huo Yuning even subtly asked Yu Nian why he chose Lin Chi.
Yu Nian’s answer was simple, “No special reason, just thought his personality suited it.”
Thinking of this, Lin Chi couldn’t help but smile. He had actually had a brief meal with the young designer, suggested by Yu Nian.
Sitting opposite Yu Nian, being scrutinized unemotionally, he did feel like a commodity waiting to be priced.
But aside from that, Yu Nian was quite easy-going. They just chatted casually, Yu Nian complimented his bracelet, and after finishing their coffee, they left.
Lin Chi turned off his phone and looked out the window. He didn’t know what the future held for him and Li Tingyan, but Huo Yuning was right. His career, his passion, would never betray him as long as he held on.
But being so busy meant that despite staying at Li Tingyan’s house, he rarely saw him.
Li Tingyan was already busy, and now Lin Chi frequently had to fly to other cities, even abroad.
Since Lin Chi moved in, more than twenty days had passed, and they had only spent one night together, which was cut short by a sudden emergency meeting for Li Tingyan.
Wrapped in a bathrobe in the dressing room, Lin Chi vented to Huo Yuning in Chinese, confident that the foreigners wouldn’t understand, “What is this, guarding a mountain of gold but eating chaff? When Li Tingyan tricked me into staying, he said it’d be more convenient for us to meet. And now?”
Huo Yuning almost spat out her coffee.
But the analogy was quite vivid.
She knew that Lin Chi was living at Li Tingyan’s place, but after scrutinizing him for a while, she didn’t ask much.
Scrolling through her phone, she discussed work details with clients while flirting with a new boyfriend and still found time to respond to Lin Chi.
“Hang in there. After this busy period, I’ll give you a few days off during the New Year.”
Lin Chi raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Really.”
Huo Yuning typed away. “You’ve been busy enough these past few months, even got sick. I suspect it’s because you were too tired and your immunity dropped.”
After several shoots, Lin Chi had almost fallen asleep in a pile of clothes, and she had to wake him up.
“That’s great.”
Lin Chi sighed. Although he had developed some ambition, he couldn’t compare to a workaholic like Huo Yuning.
Huo Yuning smiled, calling him “unambitious.”
But then she thought of another question.
She looked at Lin Chi, “Where do you plan to spend the New Year this year?”
In previous years, Lin Chi wouldn’t go back to Changyu County to spend New Year’s with Lin Zhaofeng. At most, he’d visit on the third day of the New Year to leave some money.
The rest of the time, he either traveled alone or slept in his rented apartment. Only the year before last did he spend it with friends who also didn’t go home.
In the past few years, Huo Yuning always returned to her hometown for the New Year. However, this year she finally bought a house, though she still had a mortgage. The location was excellent, so she brought her parents over.
She invited Lin Chi, “Do you want to spend the New Year at my place? My parents are in C City this year but will leave on the third or fourth day to visit my brother. You can keep me company; my house is a duplex, and you can stay upstairs.”
Lin Chi was momentarily stunned.
But he quickly smiled and shook his head, “Better not, it’s more convenient for you all to be at home.”
Huo Yuning understood Lin Chi’s personality well. He actually hated troubling others.
“Are you going on a trip?”
Lin Chi shook his head, “Probably not.”
Huo Yuning raised an eyebrow, “Then you’ll be alone? That’s so boring.”
Lin Chi rubbed his nose, “I won’t be alone. I’m still staying at Li Tingyan’s place. Li Tingyan said he would come back after having New Year’s Eve dinner with his grandfather at the old house.”
Silence.
Huo Yuning held her coffee but didn’t take a sip for a long time.
After a while, she slowly repeated, “You mean, Li Tingyan will spend the New Year with you?”
Lin Chi looked up at the ceiling, pretending not to feel the intense gaze beside him.
“More or less, that’s the idea,” he said vaguely.
“Haha.”
Huo Yuning let out a clear, cold laugh.
She thought, men’s words are indeed not trustworthy; what did Lin Chi swear to her before?
She took a sip of coffee and continued typing with one hand, saying quietly, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Li Tingyan transferred his property to your name one day.”
Lin Chi protested, “What nonsense are you talking about? Why would he give me his property…”
But under Huo Yuning’s sharp gaze, his words trailed off.
Fine.
Lin Chi also silently drank coffee while the makeup artist worked on him.
He admitted, ever since he moved into Li Tingyan’s place, Li Tingyan had indeed been unbelievably generous to him.
The dozens of household staff at the Li residence seemed to serve only him, while Li Tingyan had no particular needs.
Because of his work, Li Tingyan even added a new makeup room and practice room at home, and Li Tingyan’s stylist was always on call to serve him.
Initially, he maintained his strong principles, trying to draw a clear boundary.
But Li Tingyan didn’t understand and was puzzled why he kept such a distance from him.
After several failed communications.
He couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore. Living in the house, staying at Li Tingyan’s place, how many boundaries could be clearly drawn?
Lin Chi sipped his coffee through a straw and saw a message from Li Tingyan on his phone, replying to the photo he sent earlier that morning.
“Very beautiful,” Li Tingyan replied.
When Lin Chi got up, he saw the beautiful sea and sunrise outside, so he casually sent a photo to Li Tingyan.
Li Tingyan asked, “Did you go to that restaurant near the port?”
Lin Chi was now at the Acropolis in Greece. Last night, during their conversation, Li Tingyan recommended some interesting places.
“Not yet, I’ll go tonight.”
He typed back and sent Li Tingyan a picture of himself getting styled.
Huo Yuning watched coldly from the side, unable to understand the relationship between these two.
Lin Chi, the fool, was bubbling with pink bubbles inside and out these days, spreading hormones everywhere, and his eyes were always electrifying. During the shoot yesterday, he made the Dutch assistant girl laugh so hard she almost fell over, even though he didn’t mean anything special, making her eyes shine with love.
He looked like a man immersed in love.
But when asked if he was really in a relationship, Lin Chi vehemently denied it, acting as if love was a pit of fire he would never jump into.
Ha, men.
Indeed complex and changeable creatures.
Huo Yuning shook her head and couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
….
When they arrived in Greece, their work was basically done.
But when Huo Yuning and Lin Chi set foot on Chinese soil again, it was already the 28th of the lunar month.
Two more days, and it would be New Year’s Eve.
Li Tingyan had just finished his company affairs and came to the airport to pick them up.
But Huo Yuning had someone else to pick her up, so she didn’t leave with them. She just greeted Li Tingyan.
Li Tingyan still remembered her, calling her “Miss Huo.”
But his attention was obviously not on her, as Lin Chi was leaning against him, yawning repeatedly.
Huo Yuning sensibly didn’t disturb them, exchanged a few words, and then said goodbye.
“Are you very tired?”
Li Tingyan asked Lin Chi.
“Not really, just the flight was long. I was still being interviewed at 2 a.m. yesterday, didn’t sleep well.”
Lin Chi collapsed into the back seat, sprawling out.
Li Tingyan clearly saw the faint dark circles under his eyes.
Lin Chi yawned again. Even if he wanted to sleep, he couldn’t.
He looked at Li Tingyan in confusion and even pinched Li Tingyan’s chin, looking him over.
“We all stayed up late together, why don’t you look tired at all?”
In the morning in Greece, Li Tingyan was still replying to his messages. According to the time difference, it was midnight in China, but Li Tingyan now looked energetic and even had time to pick him up.
Lin Chi muttered, “No wonder people say that one of the essential traits of successful people is abundant energy.”
He prided himself on having good stamina, but compared to Li Tingyan, he was nothing but fragile.
Li Tingyan chuckled, raised the partition, and let Lin Chi rest on him.
“Do you have any other work later?” Li Tingyan asked.
“No.”
As Lin Chi spoke, a hint of happiness emerged, “Huo Yuning said I can delay work until after the New Year.”
“That’s good.”
Li Tingyan said softly, “Knowing that you’re back, Aunt Liang specially prepared the scallion oil white eggplant and black truffle fried rice that you liked last time.”
Aunt Liang was the one who specifically made vegetarian food for Li Tingyan’s family.
It was just right because Lin Chi often couldn’t eat greasy food, so he especially liked what Aunt Liang made.
Lin Chi smiled.
On the way back, he chatted with Li Tingyan intermittently, all of it meaningless small talk.
“That photographer was Spanish and even taught me a few phrases in Spanish…”
“Huo Yuning stayed at the hotel the first night, and someone next door threw a party. She was so angry that she went to knock on the door with a face mask on and her hair down, scaring the people inside…”
But as he spoke, he stopped again.
Li Tingyan had been responding to him earlier, but now he had his eyes closed. Although his body still maintained a sitting posture, it was clear he had fallen asleep.
Lin Chi was taken aback.
He lay on Li Tingyan’s lap, staring at Li Tingyan’s lowered eyelashes for a long time before gently touching them.
He suddenly realized that Li Tingyan might not be as relaxed as he appeared.
While abroad, he saw news about Li Tingyan. Li Tingyan had led the acquisition of the American Wright New Energy Company. He wore a dark suit, with his hair slicked back, looking much more serious and cold compared to the casual demeanor he had around him, even though he was smiling at the camera.
The reports extensively introduced his business empire and speculated that his grandfather, the true head of the Changhe Group, might bypass his father and directly hand the group over to the younger generation.
So these days, Li Tingyan had been flying back and forth, extremely busy.
Yet, he still appeared at the airport on time, coming to pick up someone who had just been on an ordinary work trip.
As Li Tingyan slept, Lin Chi couldn’t help but play with his eyelashes.
He thought of what Huo Yuning had asked him.
What exactly is their relationship?
Not quite lovers, not quite partners.
Two people with completely different statuses and backgrounds.
They had the most outrageous beginning. When he first met Li Tingyan, he even accompanied Li Tingyan to the wedding of the person he had a crush on.
What kind of ending could such two people have?
But now, gently touching Li Tingyan’s eyelashes, looking at his sleeping profile.
Lin Chi felt his heartbeat was particularly loud, a vague thought he had always suppressed grew stronger in his heart.
So strong that he couldn’t ignore it.
Huo Yuning had advised him, Xi Ziwen had advised him.
Even he himself had tried to convince himself to turn and run.
But it was all useless.
He couldn’t help but think, it would be great if Li Tingyan were his.
This person quietly sleeping, who had traveled a long way to Changyu County, standing outside his house, looking at him in the wind and snow and under the dim light.
It would be great if he were his.
Author’s Note:
Xi Ziwen: Ugh, lovesick fool.
Huo Yuning: Ugh, shameless couple.