Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 49
Rejection
When Lin Chi arrived at the café, he immediately saw Yu Nian and another tall young man sitting beside him.
This young man with black hair had a kind of handsomeness and coldness completely different from Yu Nian.
His face was still young but appeared much more mature than Yu Nian, with sharp features and a strikingly handsome, sword-like appearance.
But his gaze at Yu Nian was very gentle, completely different from his external image. He even unconsciously played with Yu Nian’s fingers, as if Yu Nian was the only bright spot in the world.
Yu Nian was chatting away, showing none of the coldness or impatience he usually displayed on camera, like a chatterbox.
Lin Chi: “…”
He recognized the person opposite him, who was none other than Yu Nian’s perfect boyfriend, the renowned painter Qi Wang.
When these two were together, they automatically treated their surroundings as air.
He had to clear his throat a few times before Yu Nian noticed his presence.
“Ah, you’re here,” Yu Nian finally diverted his attention from chatting, looked Lin Chi up and down, frowned, and said, “I don’t like the pattern on your shirt.”
“Bear with it,” Lin Chi said as he sat down at the table, “because I like it.”
He greeted Qi Wang and asked Yu Nian, “How come Qi Wang has time to come out for tea today?”
Qi Wang had been busy with the new gallery he was investing in, so he should be quite occupied.
“He’s leaving soon. He only brought me here,” Yu Nian said. “What do you want to eat? Look at the menu.”
Qi Wang glanced at the time; he indeed couldn’t stay any longer.
He stood up, not caring at all if this scene would appear in gossip magazines, and kissed Yu Nian on the side of his face.
“I’m leaving now. I’ll pick you up in the evening,” Qi Wang said softly.
Oh dear.
Lin Chi held up the menu, wanting to whistle playfully.
But he held himself back.
Qi Wang said goodbye and took his car keys to leave.
Yu Nian’s gaze followed Qi Wang until he reached his car, and then it met Lin Chi’s teasing expression.
Lin Chi casually ordered a coffee, a salad, and some ice cream, and took a sip of the ice water on the table.
“You two have been together for so long. Don’t you get tired of it? Even when parting, you have to kiss?” he asked sincerely, remembering that Yu Nian had once said he and Qi Wang met in their youth, broke up for a long time, and then got back together, which had now been two or three years.
Yu Nian gave him a disdainful look. “Are you jealous?”
“Pretty much,” Lin Chi admitted frankly. “After all, I don’t have anyone to kiss right now. The last time I got laid was half a year ago.”
He stuck his spoon into the ice cream and sighed.
Yu Nian couldn’t help but laugh.
He glanced at Lin Chi sideways, “Why don’t you sleep around? Wasn’t there a little handsome guy pursuing you recently? His family background is good, and he’s the heir of a hotel or something. Doesn’t he suit you?”
Lin Chi’s coffee arrived.
He took a sip and knew exactly who Yu Nian was talking about.
It was a little handsome guy he met at a party who fell for him at first sight, chased him all over the world, and openly expressed that he was open to anything, even just sleeping together without dating.
“You mean Eloe? He’s only eighteen. I’m not a pervert.”
Yu Nian teased, “So what if he’s eighteen? These kids abroad mature faster than you.”
He took a sip of coffee and, with no embarrassment, continued, “Besides, even in China, eighteen is considered an adult. When I was eighteen, I was already sleeping with Qi Wang.”
Lin Chi nearly spit out his coffee.
He silently wiped the corner of his mouth and gave Yu Nian a thumbs up, saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
With Yu Nian’s current cold attitude towards strangers and Qi Wang being a closed book, he could hardly imagine how these two ice blocks ever got together.
He waved his hand and said, “You don’t need to worry about me. There are so many people pursuing me that they could line up to the Eiffel Tower. I’m just too busy. If I wanted to, I could change partners every day.”
He wasn’t bragging.
Since coming abroad, his popularity seemed to have increased even more, with groups of men and women flocking to him, each holding a sign of love.
If he hadn’t managed to make a name for himself and had Huo Yuning and Yu Nian backing him, he suspected he might have been involved in some sort of scandal by now.
“Is it that you don’t have time? I’m not even happy to talk about it,” Yu Nian said coldly.
He had known Lin Chi for half a year, and after a brief period of unfamiliarity, they quickly hit it off and spent a lot of time together.
Most of his family’s business was in City C. One time, after Lin Chi got drunk and let slip Li Tingyan’s name, he learned that Lin Chi had actually had a fling with Li Tingyan, who had always been his sister’s rival.
He couldn’t help but marvel at how small the world was.
But speaking of this person, Yu Nian leaned back in his chair, the sunlight making him squint.
After hesitating for a while, he said to Lin Chi, “By the way, I heard some news about your ex.”
Lin Chi lifted his spoon and corrected him, “That’s not my ex, just a fling. It doesn’t count as an ex.”
Alright then.
Yu Nian nodded and smoothly changed the term to “your former fling.”
He looked at Lin Chi, who was focused on his meal and seemed uninterested in what he was saying.
He didn’t beat around the bush and said slowly, “I told you before that Li Tingyan might be marrying the second daughter of the Chen family, right? That was a misunderstanding.”
Lin Chi’s fork paused for a moment.
He didn’t say anything.
Yu Nian continued, “I heard that Li Tingyan rejected the marriage directly. The so-called marriage proposal was entirely his grandfather’s wishful thinking. Li Tingyan has now stated that he will never marry. If a successor is needed, he’ll choose from his aunt’s children. So now his aunt is fully supporting him and opposing his father.”
Lin Chi finally found it hard to continue eating.
His fork spun around the dish, and he understood what Yu Nian was implying.
He couldn’t hold back and asked, “Why is he opposing his father?”
Yu Nian looked at him as if he were an idiot and said, “To seize control. Originally, it was a done deal that Li Tingyan would be the heir, and his grandfather supported him. But recently, something must have happened because his grandfather’s attitude became strange. He even allowed Li Tingyan’s father to enter the power center and even let Li Tingyan’s illegitimate brother come to the forefront. Li Tingyan is now surrounded by enemies. That’s why it was guessed that he might marry the Chen family’s second daughter to gain support.”
This was all what Yu Nian’s sister had told him. He wasn’t interested in business matters, only repeating what he’d heard.
“And it turns out that was also false news.”
Yu Nian slowly put a peach in his mouth and commented, “His father has never been a good person, a waste and a scum. Whoever encounters him is unlucky. The old man of the Li family used to look down on this son, but recently he has been frequently making favorable moves. My sister said that it seems more like he’s pressuring Li Tingyan rather than wanting to use his son.”
Lin Chi’s fork made a sharp scraping sound on the plate.
Yu Nian looked at him.
Lin Chi looked uncomfortable, as if trying to cover up something, “What does that have to do with me?”
He took a sip of coffee, “You rich families always fight among yourselves. A small model like me doesn’t need to worry about it.”
“Don’t include my family. Although we have complicated bloodlines, we are very harmonious,” Yu Nian said. “It’s just the Li family that’s a mess.”
“Well, it does relate to you in a way, but it’s always nice to hear that an ex is having a hard time.” Yu Nian smiled again.
He looked at Lin Chi and casually dropped a bombshell, “I also heard from my sister that Li Tingyan seems to be in the hospital. There are rumors that he might have been beaten up by his grandfather.”
This was like a thunderclap.
Lin Chi’s fingers even trembled slightly.
“What did you say?”
He looked at Yu Nian suspiciously, “Are you sure?”
Yu Nian shrugged, taking no responsibility, “I don’t know. I heard it from Li Tingyan’s cousin. Li Tingyan is definitely in the hospital, but who knows if he was beaten up or just had appendicitis.”
Because of the juicy gossip Yu Nian shared, Lin Chi was distracted all afternoon.
Yu Nian was busy preparing for his next fashion show, talking whimsically about his design concepts. Since this young master wasn’t short of money, he was planning to rent out a shipyard as the stage space.
“Come and be my final act then,” Yu Nian said.
Lin Chi casually replied with an “mm.”
The two stayed together until evening when Qi Wang came to pick up Yu Nian as expected.
Yu Nian’s noble and aloof face immediately blossomed into a radiant smile upon seeing his boyfriend.
Lin Chi made an exaggerated teasing expression from the side and received a kick from Yu Nian.
After parting with Yu Nian, Lin Chi went to get his makeup done.
Before eight o’clock in the evening, he arrived punctually at the banquet venue. As a representative of the Blue Blood brand, the evening was star-studded, and Lin Chi even saw the acclaimed actress Luoyang Shu, who had come from abroad.
On such an occasion, he was as noticeable as a diamond, with people constantly coming up to greet him.
Including a certain young master who relentlessly pursued him.
When Eloe cornered him on the balcony, Lin Chi seriously doubted whether he should have checked the guest list before going out.
As Yu Nian mentioned, the eighteen-year-old young master had developed quite well.
Standing at 1.80 meters, he was only a bit shorter than Lin Chi. Dressed in a well-tailored black suit, he highlighted his lean and solid physique. His pair of blue eyes was as clear as the ocean, and they were especially heartbreaking when he looked at someone with focused attention.
Not to mention, he was confessing with those pretty lips, “LIN, I don’t understand why you’re rejecting me?”
He gazed at Lin Chi with melancholy, “Am I not handsome enough? I swear I’ll give you a great experience. I’m not rushing to take things further with you; we can start slow. You should give me a chance.”
Lin Chi, with a cigarette in his mouth and the collar of his shirt open, revealing his slender collarbone, which had been intentionally marked with a lipstick print by the makeup artist, looked like a real playboy.
He sighed and said, “We really aren’t compatible. You’re too young. I’m not interested in you.”
Eloe was completely immune to this response. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Lin Chi, “This reason isn’t convincing, LIN. Although I know Chinese people are usually more conservative, I don’t think you are one of them. You clearly don’t care about this.”
He had been persistently pursuing Lin Chi for a month and had gotten to know his personality.
He understood a bit of Chinese and had eavesdropped on Lin Chi’s conversations with his agent. The agent once laughed and mentioned Lin Chi’s past lovers, one of whom was only twenty, not much older than him.
“I’m an adult. I can be responsible for my actions.”
Eloe emphasized again.
He leaned closer to Lin Chi and whispered, “Do you know what they are saying about you behind your back?”
Lin Chi, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked over and raised an eyebrow, “What?”
Eloe was very close, but because Lin Chi was taller than him, there was no sense of oppression.
His blue eyes were fixed on Lin Chi, “They say you’re like a conservative Puritan, either with a pure faith or…”
He looked Lin Chi up and down, revealing a mischievous smile, “Or you have some unspeakable issue, being overly self-conscious.”
At first, Lin Chi didn’t react, but once he understood, he immediately cursed.
But before he could finish his curse, Eloe moved even closer, forcing Lin Chi to step back.
Eloe’s face was indeed very delicate; Europeans could sometimes age poorly, but he was in the prime of his life.
He was like a rose brought by a nightingale, with both handsome contours and beautiful features.
In other words, even Lin Chi would find no flaw.
Eloe asked, “Don’t you want to refute them with your actions?”
His perfume scent also got onto Lin Chi’s hair, with a faint rose scent in the aftertaste.
However, Lin Chi inappropriately remembered that Li Tingyan’s home garden was also full of roses, but not a single one bloomed when he left.
This association suddenly made his mood drop.
He looked at Eloe’s face.
“Then just consider me a conservative Puritan,” he said nonchalantly, “You know, China has its own religious beliefs. After entering a monastic life, one must abandon all desires, including lusting over beauty.”
He unsurprisingly saw Eloe’s eyes widen, looking a bit cute.
He smiled, feeling a bit better, as he still had some mercy for beauties.
He, like comforting a child, took the cigarette from his lips, gently brushed a strand of Eloe’s fallen hair, and placed a light, airy kiss on Eloe’s side face.
“It’s an honor to have your affection,” his dark eyes were full of tenderness, yet he said cruel words, “But I must reject you once more.”
Eloe was really devastated this time. As someone who was usually pursued and coveted, being continuously rejected was a severe blow to his pride.
Fortunately, he was not unreasonable. He looked at Lin Chi with hurt, then pursed his lips and turned to leave.
It was evident that he was genuinely sad this time.
The balcony had once again become Lin Chi’s private territory.
He continued to smoke, sitting in the night, feeling a bit sorry for Eloe.
But it was only for a moment.
After all, he really had no conscience.
Peeking through the gap in the balcony curtains, he saw that the hall was still lively with song and dance. He even saw Huo Yuning chatting and socializing with people, with an exaggerated expression, talking to a blonde woman, clearly in a bad mood but forced to deal with it.
He comfortably continued to laze around.
He took out his phone, hoping to sneak a chat with his friends back home.
But when he opened the phone, the news about Li Tingyan appeared again.
Still the grand unveiling ceremony at C University Library.
But this time it was not just simple photos, but a video.
In the video, Li Tingyan seemed to have become a bit thinner since they separated.
Still as handsome and noble as ever, surrounded by people, clearly the main character of the event. Even though he was smiling, there was an inherent sense of coldness and indifference.
Lin Chi looked at the video with complex emotions.
In those brief seconds, it felt like a century.
He thought, if only Huo Yuning were here, she might grab her bag and throw it at him, cursing him as a stubborn fool with no change.
Li Tingyan and he had been apart for six months, and here he was still watching his ex’s video.
But he hadn’t told anyone.
During the six months of separation, he did meet Li Tingyan once.
In April, in Finland, before the snow had even begun to melt.
In the dark of the night, he had met Li Tingyan once.
Author’s note:
I really enjoy scenes where lovers embrace passionately in icy and snowy environments ^_^.