Chapter Nine: Refusal

By the time Lu Zijun had left, Long Kun finally let out a breath. He was relieved that Brother Nan had not exploded on the spot, snatched up a bottle, and smashed Lu Zijun’s head like a watermelon. If that had happened in his club, it would have caused no end of trouble. More importantly, he knew that Lu Zijun had backing of his own, so if conflict could be avoided, that was certainly for the best.

Long Kun sent the three hostesses in the private room out, then closed the door and said with a trace of worry, “Brother Nan, this Lu Zijun has some family connections. I couldn’t dig up a thing on him.”

After downing three bottles of liquor, Zhuo Nan was feeling the effects despite the superbrain helping to numb his nerves and slow the pain alcohol brought to his body. He drew a couple of deep breaths before speaking. “If even you can’t find anything, then his family really does have some ties. But it doesn’t matter. I know his younger cousin. He’s my class monitor.”

Long Kun found that amusing. So after all that, they were actually acquaintances. That made things much easier. But Zhuo Nan’s next words left him speechless.

“This afternoon I had a little clash with his younger brother, and tonight I ran into him. Looks like I’m pretty fated with this pair of brothers...”

Long Kun could only curse inwardly. He wanted to say more, but might as well go stand in a corner and cough up blood. From Zhuo Nan’s tone, he could tell one thing clearly: that man named Lu was not even worth Brother Nan’s notice. Since the boss himself did not care, what was there for him to worry about?

Seeing Yang Yilin’s look of concern, Long Kun immediately understood that his role was over. Now it was Brother Nan’s time alone with Sister-in-law.

He stood up and said to Zhuo Nan with great respect, “Brother Nan, I’ll head out first.”

Zhuo Nan nodded, and Long Kun turned and left the private room, making sure to shut the door tightly behind him. There was a faint trace of awkwardness on Yang Yilin’s face. Earlier, Zhuo Nan had said she was his girlfriend only to get them through the moment, but now that the two of them were alone, she felt uncomfortable all over. Her heart was fluttering like a startled deer, pounding faster and faster, her face growing warm.

What she was thinking, in truth, was this: Zhuo Nan had drunk so much. What if he could not control himself and tried to do something beastly to her? If she refused, would she hurt his feelings? After all, he had drunk this much because of her. But if she gave in to him, he already had two girlfriends. Where would that leave her? Third in line?

Yang Yilin’s mind was in complete disorder, so much so that she never noticed Zhuo Nan staring at her the whole time. It was only when he spoke that she came back to herself.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Ah...” Startled out of her thoughts, Yang Yilin cried out instinctively, then shook her head wildly and said, “I wasn’t thinking about anything.” In truth, her expression had already betrayed her.

Zhuo Nan smiled. “No need to lie to me. You must be wondering whether, if I pounced on you later, you should resist or give in. Right?”

He had put her thoughts into words with merciless directness. Yang Yilin wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the floor and crawl inside. But Zhuo Nan would not give her that chance.

He reached out at once, pulled her into his arms, and held her tightly. No matter how hard she struggled, he would not let go.

“Zhuo Nan, let me go!” Yang Yilin said angrily.

“I won’t. I’m never letting you go.” Zhuo Nan shook his head firmly. In his eyes, he may already have liked this woman. If that was the case, he did not mind taking her into his own harem.

“Zhuo Nan, if you don’t let me go, I’ll get angry,” Yang Yilin said, glaring at him.

Zhuo Nan chuckled and said teasingly, “The way you look right now tells me you’re already angry. In that case, I’m even less likely to let go.”

Infuriated, Yang Yilin burst out cursing, “You filthy lecher, you scoundrel. I’m never speaking to you again!” With that, she turned her head aside and would not look at him.

“Yilin...” Zhuo Nan suddenly changed his tone and called her name with deep feeling.

Yang Yilin fell for it. Before Zhuo Nan, that old fox, she was nothing more than a novice, not even worthy of being called an entry-level player in matters of the heart.

She turned back with wide, curious eyes, wanting to hear what he had to say. But before she could hear a word, Zhuo Nan’s lips were already on her cherry-red mouth. He only felt a special fragrance in her kiss, one that made it impossible for him to stop.

Yang Yilin was furious. Zhuo Nan had actually dared to take liberties with her. But no matter how she struggled, she could not break free from his embrace, so she chose the simplest method to deal with the problem.

“Ah!” Zhuo Nan cried out in shock and instinctively pushed her away, clamping a hand over his mouth as he stammered, “Why did you bite me?”

Having succeeded, Yang Yilin was secretly delighted, though she still put on an angry face and said, “Why did you try to bully me?”

Zhuo Nan had nothing to say. It was true enough that he had been the one to make the first improper move. A bite in return was hardly unreasonable. He touched his lips and said, “Look, you even made me bleed. Did you really need to go that far?”

Yang Yilin lifted her chin. “Only a move like this works on a scoundrel like you.”

Zhuo Nan thought to himself, I am indeed a scoundrel, but did you really need to treat me like this? Since Yang Yilin had already decided he was a rogue, Brother Nan felt it necessary to continue being one.

In truth, he wanted very much to slap Yang Yilin across the face, then sneer at her and say, “Girl, it’s your good fortune that I’ve taken a fancy to you. Don’t be ungrateful.”

But he had already turned over a new leaf and intended to become a cultured rogue, so that approach was no longer useful.

So... “Yilin, I really do like you.”

A master actor indeed. If Brother Nan did not go take the entrance exam at the Beijing Film Academy, it would be a terrible waste of talent. At that moment, his lips were bleeding, his eyes were full of tender emotion, and he looked at Yang Yilin with unmistakable affection as he slowly, deliberately spoke the words. At the same time, he extended his left hand and held hers tightly. If necessary, Brother Nan could squeeze out a couple of tears on command, without the slightest need for any eye drops.

In an instant, Yang Yilin was moved. To say she was touched would be too much; she was not such a lovestruck fool. It was only that the atmosphere had softened, and Brother Nan’s face was especially expressive. Her thoughts stalled for a brief moment, and she asked shyly, “But you already have a girlfriend. What am I supposed to do?”

Zhuo Nan heard that and thought, Ha, this is going somewhere. The rest will be easy.

His hand moved a step further, slipping an arm around her shoulder as he said softly, “If you don’t mind, I’ll take care of them. All right?”

Yang Yilin looked at Zhuo Nan for several seconds without saying anything. His gaze made him feel a little uneasy, as though all the petty thoughts in his heart had been laid bare before her.

Then Yang Yilin removed the hand resting on her shoulder. Her expression calm, she said evenly, “Zhuo Nan, you don’t understand me at all. I’m not some seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl. Do you know what I want?”

Zhuo Nan blinked dumbly and shook his head.

A faint, mocking smile touched Yang Yilin’s lips. As if speaking to herself, she said, “I’m twenty-seven this year. In three years I’ll be thirty. You’re only fifteen now. Do you know how big the gap is between us? I know you’re very rich and capable. To have achieved so much at such a young age is indeed extraordinary. But I’m only an ordinary girl. I want a boyfriend who loves me, then to marry him and have a healthy, lovely child. He can go out to work while I stay home and build a family. You can’t give me that. I know that if I followed you, I’d have endless wealth and luxury, but that isn’t what I want. What I want is to put on a beautiful wedding dress, walk into marriage, and live an ordinary life simply and happily.”

Her words struck Zhuo Nan’s heart like a heavy hammer. At that moment, he felt pain.

Had Yang Yilin’s dream not once been exactly what he had wanted too? Simple and happy. And yet after being reborn, everything had changed. He no longer wanted to settle for ordinariness. He no longer wanted to be like in his previous life, a small figure at the mercy of others.

Zhuo Nan believed that with his understanding of this world, he could easily live as a wealthy man with nothing to worry about. But the heart that refused to accept ordinariness kept stirring him again and again. Such a chance at rebirth was not given to everyone. Since he had it, why not live another life with thunder and fire?

Faced with Yang Yilin’s longing gaze, Zhuo Nan could not answer her.

He knew that if he nodded, Yang Yilin would surely marry him, even if it meant waiting until he was of marriageable age. But that would also mean giving up everything he had now, including the two women who loved him so deeply.

Zhuo Nan closed his eyes in pain and lowered his head, which had once been held so high. That single gesture was enough to give Yang Yilin her answer.

Yang Yilin forced back the tears in her eyes, smiled faintly, and said softly, “Thank you.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she stood up from the sofa and walked steadily toward the door.

“Yilin...” Zhuo Nan called from the sofa.

Yang Yilin looked back with a smile. “Is there anything else?”

Her expression was so calm, as though nothing at all had happened between them just now.

A bitter smile appeared on Zhuo Nan’s face. This woman looked strong, but in truth she was very fragile inside. Right now, what she most wanted was probably to find a place and be alone for a while. Zhuo Nan did not want to disturb her anymore, so he only said, “I’m sorry.”

Yang Yilin smiled and shook her head, then turned and opened the lock. A moment later, with a loud bang, she shut the private room door behind her. Zhuo Nan knew that with that sound, she had also shut the door she had left open for him deep in her heart.