Chapter 22: Xi Xingling
They had agreed to meet at eleven in the morning, straight at the restaurant. If the vibe felt right, they could share a meal. Li Dong did not care either way; eating together was hardly a life-or-death commitment.
If Gu Xichen insisted on staying aloof and refused to eat with someone like Xi Xingling, that was fine too. It was still early. Li Dong could always find food elsewhere.
The restaurant was right next door to the milk tea shop, and they arrived a bit early.
Clinging to Li Dong’s arm, Xi whispered that he had skipped breakfast. “Second Young Master, I am starving. I want something warm, a hot milk tea.”
What could Li Dong do but take him out to buy one.
“Second Young Master, smile at the camera. I want to set it as my phone wallpaper.” Inspiration struck Xi; he whipped out his phone and started a selfie session.
One hand held the cup while the other looped through Li Dong’s arm. He adjusted the beauty filters, then hunted for angles and light like a pro.
Li Dong was exhausted just watching him. He always thought back to when he had dated girls: no shopping marathons, no endless selfies, and certainly no coordinating outfits before dinner. Honestly.
“Do not keep that stern face. I hate it…” Xi freed a finger and booped Li Dong’s mouth. “I want a real smile. One, two, three. Cheese!”
When he was done, Li Dong rubbed his jaw. “With all due respect, you are incredibly childish.”
Xi grinned and hummed. “I will take that as a compliment. I hope to be eighteen forever.” He dug up the photo and practically swooned. “You look insane when you smile. Look, look.”
The glittery phone shoved under his nose, Li Dong took a reluctant glance.
Xi’s still photos were a different species than his live-wire chaos: in motion he made you want to swat him, in photos he made you want to drag him to bed.
“Not bad.” Li Dong chuckled, lifted Xi’s chin, and planted a hard kiss on his cheek. “Come on. Let’s wait inside.”
Xi let himself be led, knees turning to jelly. “Second Young Master…” He felt his waist go soft too. What was he supposed to do with himself now?
“If you are hungry, order something.” Li Dong slid a menu in front of him.
“How could I? He is not even here yet.” Ordering first felt rude. Xi had no desire to embarrass Li Dong in front of someone he had once liked.
He set the menu aside and focused on retouching the photo.
When he finished, he cooed, “Second Young Master, give me your phone.”
That pale hand waved in front of Li Dong, all tempting and biteable.
Li Dong, who at least liked to pretend he was a decent man, stayed steady. “It is in my pocket. Take it yourself.”
“Oh.” Xi bit his lip with joy and slid his clever hand into Li Dong’s trouser pocket under the table. He fished around for a while before finally extracting the phone.
“You really cannot keep your hands to yourself.” Li Dong slapped his hand away. Any longer and he would not remain calm.
“What? I am working.” Xi sent the edited photo to Li Dong’s phone and set their selfie as Li Dong’s lock screen.
“Is that entertaining?” Li Dong took his phone back and looked at Xi’s handiwork.
“Very. I want us to have the same wallpaper.” Xi beamed and hugged his arm tighter, secretly pleased. This way, every time Li Dong picked up his phone, he would see Xi’s face first.
“Tsk.” Li Dong glanced out the window and spotted a familiar silhouette. “He is here.”
Xi scrambled upright, frantically smoothing hair and clothes while darting his eyes around for the man.
He did not need to look long. One glance up revealed a handsome man with flawless poise, in a long coat and a waistcoat, polished shoes gleaming. He wore elegance like a second skin.
Xi’s face collapsed. His head filled with question marks. How could two people look alike, yet carry such wildly different auras?
It was the difference between a seller’s glam photo and another seller’s glam photo, except one was a luxury brand and the other was you.
Next to him, Xi felt like an uneducated nobody. A bottom-of-the-ladder pleb. Meanwhile the other man moved like a young lord. Xi did not even dare claim they looked alike. That would insult the man.
“Chen-ge, over here,” Li Dong said, lifting a hand so Gu could see.
“Second Young Master, I… I do not want to meet him anymore. It is too humiliating.” Xi grabbed Li Dong’s arm and hid his face.
Good grief.
Gu approached with a carefully neutral expression. He had seen Xi’s dramatic lunge a moment earlier. Forgive his bluntness, but the whole thing felt very low.
“Yubai.” He stopped at their table, uncertain if he should sit.
“Chen-ge, sit.” Li Dong gestured, then caught Xi by the nape and forced him to lift his head. “What are you, scared of ghosts? Greet him.”
Dragged into the open, Xi peered up with big, aggrieved eyes. “Hello, Chen-ge. I… I am Second Young Master’s…” He stole a look at Li Dong. What exactly was he? There was still no official label.
“Just say your name,” Li Dong said, releasing him.
“I am Xi Xingling.” He inched back to latch onto Li Dong’s arm again. “Second Young Master…”
“What now? Afraid you will be eaten?” Li Dong shook his arm, exasperated. Then, to Gu, he offered a rueful smile. “Sorry. He is always like this.” He did not shove Xi away, which made it clear he allowed the clinginess.
Han Tianlin had told Gu that the person with Han Yubai now looked a lot like him.
Gu had expected someone strikingly similar to explain Yubai’s fascination.
Now he looked and felt insulted by the comparison.
“You are with him because he resembles me?” he asked, right in front of Xi.
“No.” Li Dong knew Gu did not see Xi as a person, probably just a prop. He smiled. “I really am over you. And think about it. You were married for two years. I am not a kid anymore. We have both reached the age where we should be doing what our lives require.”
“And what your life requires is this?” Gu let out a small laugh, then nodded. “If you are just playing, I will not interfere. You are right. You are not a child.”
“Nice to hear you say it.”
“Then until you have had your fun, do not show it off. You know this. Tianlin and I do not approve. If your father finds out, neither of us will help you.” Gu’s voice remained even. “If you want an easy second-generation life, stay within the lines. It will only benefit you.”
Li Dong shrugged. Warnings like that did not land anywhere inside him.
“I appreciate the concern.”
“But you will not listen, will you?” After a long quiet beat, Gu said, “Everything moves in stages. I only hope this stage will not last long.”
Without waiting for an answer, he took out a card. “It feels like ages since I last bought you a gift. Consider this something from me.”
“Thank you.” Li Dong watched him rise.
A man like Gu was never going to sit and eat with someone like Xi. He left a gift for Li Dong and walked away.
He never once looked at Xi directly, never showed the slightest curiosity.
It was not just Xi who felt the weight of his pride. Even Li Dong could feel the altitude difference, as if they were being viewed from above. The gap remained obvious, even while Li Dong wore Han Yubai’s face.
“Second Young Master, his aura is… terrifying.” Xi clutched his chest like he might faint. “Next to him I am the budget version. I want to cry.”
Worse yet, the man definitely liked Li Dong. That kind of gaze could not lie.
“What are you crying for?” Li Dong flicked the card. “This is for your car.”
After lunch, he took Xi to look at cars.
The BMW sales manager recognized Li Dong and started calling around the city. Within the hour, a suitable car was brought up front.
“Sl*tty Xiao-Zun, guess what I am doing right now?”
While Li Dong negotiated, Xi got bored and messaged his bestie.
Qian Xiaozun: “Guess what? No. Say it or do not. I am not guessing.”
Xi: “You are so un-cute. No wonder you cannot find a boyfriend with the big size. We are buying a car. Guess what model?”
Qian: “Oh-ho. Back with Han Second Young Master? Is he buying it for you?” He remembered the 3,700 break-up fee and snorted. “Let me guess, he is getting you a Chery.”
Xi: “Screw you. Your mom drives a Chery. My man is buying me a BMW. Open those sl*tty eyes and take a good look. BMW.”
Qian: “Wow, somebody has money now and a new mouth to match. Fine. Go live your new life and do not come to me.”
Xi: “Do not be so stingy. Once I get my plates, I will take you for joyrides and gift you a designer bag every now and then. Could happen.”
Qian: “That is more like a sister. Now spill. Why is he into you again? Is this real or are you a toy?”
Xi: “True love. Listen, I met his old white moonlight today, and let me tell you, the guy is so good-looking and so impressive…” And on he went.
Thirty minutes and a thousand messages later, he had delivered a full report: first, shock at the white moonlight’s excellence; second, self-deprecation and despair; third, a triumphant rally. “For Second Young Master to give him up and choose me instead, it is the luck of my life. Honestly I am stunned too.”
His gay bestie laid it on thick. “I knew you would land a good one. Look at that face and that body. Of course your man pampers you.”
Xi: “I feel like money is nothing to him.”
He sent that just as he slid into a luxury sedan. Li Dong was already driving him to a great restaurant.
The evening agenda: good food, a mall stroll, a hot spring, and the compulsory bedtime exercise.
“Second Young Master…” In the city’s most luxurious suite they tangled until dawn. Xi’s soul left his body, floated somewhere near the ceiling, and then fell back to the mattress to die happily again and again.
“Call me Dong-ge.” Li Dong pinched his throat, gentle but unyielding.
“Dong-ge…” Xi’s eyes watered as he obeyed.
After nearly twenty minutes, Li Dong left him and stepped into the shower.
“My god…” Was this real life?
It was perfect.
Xi rolled blissfully on the wide bed, then hopped up and padded to the floor-to-ceiling window.
The best view in the city spilled out beneath him.
He stood there, chest bursting with joy. “Dong-ge~~” He pushed open the small upper window and shouted into the winter air like a fool.
He had asked moments ago why he should call him Dong-ge. Was it a childhood nickname?
Li Dong went along with it. Yes. Call me that from now on.
Xi practically climaxed from happiness. He felt as if he had finally become the real deal, the one true love.
“Idiot. You want to freeze to death?” Li Dong came over, shut the window, and scolded him. “Go soak in the tub. Warm up. And stop running around naked and yelling by the window. Are you sick?”
“I am not sick. I am under your spell,” Xi said shamelessly.
“You are the spell.” Li Dong flicked his forehead.
“Okay, okay. I will bathe. And I will take care of my butt while I am at it.” Xi scampered to his bag, dug out balm and a moisturizing mask, and sang nonsense while he worked. “La la la…” He also took out a little jewelry box and opened it to admire the diamonds inside.
“Mwah~” He kissed the ring and tucked it away.
Such beautiful hours never last. After a dreamlike weekend, Monday demanded good behavior and a return to work.
“Dong-ge, Dong-ge…” Outside the office, Xi wrapped himself around Li Dong again. He could not let go. He hated leaving. “I hate Monday. Actually I hate Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday too. Hmph.”
“Scram.”
“Heartless after using me!” So sad.
Li Dong opened the car door, lifted Xi out, and set him on his own two feet. “Your bag.” He handed over the brand-new purchase from last night. “Focus on your job. Do not get big-headed.”
“Dong-ge.” Xi stood there head-to-toe in designer, smiling like a flower. “Thank you. This weekend was perfect. It felt like a dream.” One he would never forget. “Mwah~ Flying kiss. Bye-bye!”
Li Dong only glanced at the radiant boy and said nothing.
He turned the wheel, stepped on the gas, and glided away.
Xi watched, dazzled, a thousand crushes blooming across his expression. He wanted so badly to keep Li Dong. Possessiveness rose in him like a tide he had never felt before.
“Dong-ge…” He lifted a hand and waved at the empty air, standing in the morning light, sweetness bubbling up like a teenager in first love.
His mind was still replaying last night. He did not seem to realize he was dressed in money, and that walking into the office like this would cause a stir.
“Wow, your outfit…” Xia Bailun stared. “Be honest. Are these real or A-grade fakes?”
Xi lifted his arm. “Have you ever seen fakes that feel this real?”
“Where did you rent them?” Xia sniffed. The guy clearly was not old money; you could smell small-timer a mile away, even in labels.
“Whatever makes you happy.” Xi rolled his eyes internally. “Let’s work. We were not hired to gossip.”
“Tsk.” Xia said, “I am full-time now. The general manager bumped me to twenty thousand a month.” He flashed two fingers with pride.
Xi’s breath snagged. He had always thought he was different, and here he was, just another twenty-thousand-a-month wage slave. “Congratulations.”
He fumed, then grabbed his phone and complained to Li Dong: “Dong-ge, I am so mad, blah blah blah…”
Li Dong opened the message, saw the wall of text, and wanted to kneel.
Solution: “From now on I will personally transfer you twenty thousand every month.”
Xi’s puffed-up cheeks deflated in a heartbeat. “For real?” A private allowance of twenty thousand? He could cry. Being kept by your boyfriend felt dangerously sweet. He could not sit still at his desk. “I miss you so much. I do not want to work at all [crying][crying][crying].”
Seeing the flood starting again, Li Dong went straight to ghost mode and stopped replying.
“Dong-ge, did your WeChat break? Are my messages not getting through?” came the text soon after.
You little…!
“Kidding. I know you are sick of me. Hahaha.” Xi: “This is the last one. A kiss for you. Thank you, Second Young Master, for spoiling me. Thank you, Dong-ge, for loving me. Mwah.”
He sent a selfie with puckered red lips, exhaled in contentment, and finally put the phone down to work.
Not that he planned to let Li Dong off easy.
Lunchtime dragged, so Xi hid in the restroom and harassed him again.
Worried that someone might overhear, he did not speak this time. He sent pictures.
“Dong-ge, which part of me do you like best? Tell me and I will send a photo.”
“I like your nostrils.”
“Rude. I am not sending nostrils. I will send this.”
Li Dong glanced at the image. A pale sliver of shoulder. “You exhibitionist.”
“Pretty or not? Do you want to kiss it?”
“Kiss your head.”
“Do not be like that. Kiss my butt.”
Li Dong sent an angry emoji. “Are you looking for a beating?”
After a long pause, Xi replied, “This is so embarrassing. Just seeing ‘beat me till I die,’ my knees went weak… [laugh-cry].”
Li Dong was genuinely speechless. “Seriously, do not spend all day sending me this nonsense. Focus on your job.”
“I am.” Xi lowered his voice and sent a whisper. “Dong-ge, I am not as irresponsible as you think.” He stifled a small laugh, a little guilty. “Ahem. Anyway, I like you very much.”
He said it cleanly, with no teasing.
“Then listen to me and get back to work.” Restrooms are cold. Bare shoulders are colder. A shoulder that pretty should not catch a chill.
“Okay.” Sitting on the toilet lid, Xi tugged his clothes tighter and whispered, “Bye-bye, Dong-ge.”
The other end clicked off, and the silence returned.
To preempt further ambushes, Li Dong simply turned off his phone. As an idle heir with no real job, there were very few people who needed him urgently anyway.
As for Han Yubai’s old cronies, he had blocked them all. He did not want to inherit Han’s social life or force himself to live Han’s way.
And why should he? With Wang Yun and Han Tianlin covering for him, Li Dong could glide along as the carefree younger master.
On weekdays he found amusements as needed and sometimes ate with Wang Yun and Tianlin. They seemed to like this new “Han Yubai” even more. He had changed. He was thoughtful and compliant, none of the old temper or impatience.
They were so pleased that they bent over backward for him, sending him the best of everything.
Even knowing their brother was wrapped up with Xi, Tianlin did not interfere. He only reminded Li Dong, “Use protection. Or take him for regular tests. Best is once a month.”
“Got it, brother. I will.” Li Dong had no desire to butt heads with him.
Whether he actually took Xi for tests would be his decision.
“Ugh, Dong-ge is ghosting me again.” After a day of unanswered texts, Xi knew he had been put on the shelf.
He was used to it, but it still hurt.
He went home and called, voice syrupy and sad. “Dong-ge, I know I am annoying, but I really miss you. Please do not hate how clingy I am.”
Ghosting is so cruel.
“You have to understand…” Li Dong did not avoid Xi because he hated seeing him. He avoided him because the moment they met, Xi wanted to go at it. “My stamina has limits. You see me and you drop to your knees, then you want me on you.”
Any man would be terrified of that schedule.
“Oh, so that is it. You could have just said so. I am embarrassed now.” Xi flopped on his bed and covered his face. “It is an instinct, but I will control it next time.”
“Really?”
“Really. What do you take me for? I am not some reincarnated little s*ut.”
“You are not reincarnated. You just are one.”
“You can call me that if you like. If anyone else says it I will be mad.”
“My brother calls you that. You dare be mad at him?”
“I did not hear it. La la la.”
“Leave me alone for a while. Do not make noise.”
“Hate you… [crying] I love you so much it hurts.”
Author’s Note:
Seeing that everyone can’t bear to part with our flirty little Xingling, let me explain the setup.
Actually, every shou in the story is one of Li Dong’s official CPs. They each represent a different side of his true partner.
Once Li Dong clears all the stages, he’ll be able to summon his official lover, the one who’s both seductive, smart, and scheming.
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