Chapter 26: He was crying
by LihuaThe next day, Xu Lin sat in Ji Jixuan’s car.
The black iron gate at the foot of the mountain finally opened. Outside the window, the mountain where he’d lived for over a year grew farther and farther away. Xu Lin felt a momentary daze. He rolled down the window, and the wind rushed in, tousling his hair.
He faced the wind, closed his eyes, and smiled.
Deeply breathing in the air outside.
Ji Jixuan drove him to a commercial building, pulled into the underground garage, and parked. An assistant-like man, who had been waiting for some time, stepped forward and opened the car door for Ji Jixuan.
Xu Lin quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and got out.
As soon as he stepped out, Ji Jixuan exchanged a few words with the man by the car. The man nodded repeatedly, then walked briskly over to Xu Lin with a smile. “Please, come with me.”
Xu Lin looked at Ji Jixuan. Ji Jixuan had already stepped into an elevator, apparently not going with them. As the elevator doors slowly closed, their eyes met for a brief second. Xu Lin understood and obediently followed the man.
The man led him to another elevator and introduced himself, “I’m Mr. Ji’s assistant. You can call me Xiao Jin.”
He addressed Xu Lin with the respectful you. As Ji Jixuan’s assistant, he probably didn’t need to be so courteous to just anyone.
Xu Lin wasn’t sure how much Xiao Jin knew, or if he was fully aware of his relationship with Ji Jixuan. To be safe, he said little, only smiling and humming in acknowledgment.
The elevator stopped at the third floor. Xiao Jin led him to a staff break room. Inside sat a large, burly Alpha in a bodyguard’s uniform. He stood up quickly when he saw Xiao Jin. “Xiao Jin-ge.”
Xiao Jin nodded. “Go get a uniform.”
“Got it.”
The Alpha went into an inner room. Xiao Jin said quietly to Xu Lin, “Mr. Ji has three meetings to attend today. You’ll just need to follow along the whole time.” He pointed to the Alpha fetching the uniform.
Then he checked his watch. “I have other things to do, so I’ll be going now.”
Xu Lin quickly said, “Sure. Go ahead.”
Xiao Jin hurried off. A few minutes later, the Alpha came back carrying a brand-new bodyguard uniform.
He handed it to Xu Lin. “This size should fit. Try it on.”
Xu Lin took it. “Thanks.”
“No need to be so polite.” The Alpha extended his hand. “My name is Wang Bin. Xiao Jin-ge told me everything. If you have any questions, just ask me.”
Xu Lin was curious about how Xiao Jin had introduced him. Wang Bin answered his unspoken question a moment later: “Don’t worry. As long as you don’t mess up and stay focused, this job isn’t that hard. It’s your first day on trial—no need to be so nervous. I was new once too.”
On trial.
So, whether Xiao Jin knew the truth or not, this Wang Bin was clearly in the dark, thinking Xu Lin was just a new hire.
Xu Lin said, “I’ll be in your care today, Wang-ge.”
“Ah, no problem. Don’t mention it.”
Less than ten minutes after Xu Lin changed, Wang Bin told him it was time to head out.
He followed Wang Bin downstairs to the building entrance to join the main group. Ji Jixuan usually traveled with five bodyguards. Including Xu Lin today, six of them stood in a row.
They were all Alphas, sturdy and tall. Xu Lin was glad he wasn’t short, or he’d have looked awkward standing among them.
Before long, a group of people emerged from the building in a grand procession. At the front was Ji Jixuan, wearing a black suit, with Xiao Jin beside him, speaking in a low voice.
Xu Lin had never seen Ji Jixuan like this, and he stared at him with fresh eyes.
He stood at the entrance, blending in with the bodyguards. All of the Alphas wore masks, their expressions serious. Only Xu Lin’s eyes, above his mask, were bright and sparkling, not looking anywhere else but at Ji Jixuan.
When Ji Jixuan passed by him, he looked straight ahead, not sparing him a single glance.
He got into a black Bentley, and Xiao Jin followed into the passenger seat. The doors closed, and they drove off.
Wang Bin nudged the stunned Xu Lin and told him to get in. The bodyguards got into the same vehicle, following Ji Jixuan’s car.
“What were you spacing out about?” Wang Bin asked quietly in the car.
“…” Xu Lin said, “Nothing.”
“You can’t stare at Mr. Ji like that. He’ll get upset.”
“Why?”
“Mr. Ji is sensitive to being watched,” Wang Bin said. “He doesn’t like people staring at him.”
Xu Lin was thoughtful.
Because he was new, and they were all in a closed vehicle, Xu Lin became the center of attention. Another Alpha chimed in, “Hey, why are you wearing gloves? Aren’t you hot?”
They were all in matching uniforms, but Xu Lin wore an extra pair of black gloves.
“Isn’t it cooler this way?” Xu Lin joked, brushing it off.
The others laughed and teased him a bit, then moved on.
Once their attention was off him, Xu Lin quietly touched his fingers through the gloves.
Only Xu Lin knew that he wore the gloves to hide the ring on his finger.
Before leaving today, Ji Jixuan had taken off his own ring at the entrance as usual. He’d told Xu Lin to take his off too, but Xu Lin didn’t want to.
He didn’t want to take it off.
No matter the reason.
Ji Jixuan hadn’t been lying.
He really was busy—so busy his feet barely touched the ground. They went from one place to another, following Ji Jixuan everywhere. Xiao Jin frequently updated him on matters and handed him documents to sign.
Though Ji Jixuan’s face remained expressionless the whole way, Xu Lin noticed his brows were faintly furrowed the entire time.
He didn’t even seem to have time to stop for a sip of water.
He must be exhausted.
Alright. Xu Lin forgave him for coming home so rarely.
He probably really couldn’t spare the time.
Around two in the afternoon, Ji Jixuan began his second meeting of the day.
The meeting was at a securities firm and would take three or four hours. Wang Bin and the others could take their lunch break.
The fourth floor of the building was a staff break area with plenty of coffee shops and small canteens. They found an empty table. Lunch was a standard group order, but only five boxes arrived.
Obviously, because Xu Lin had come so suddenly, the catering staff had forgotten to prepare one for him.
Wang Bin offered his own. “Take mine.”
Xu Lin couldn’t accept that. Wang Bin was big, an Alpha with an even bigger appetite. Xu Lin was starving, but Wang Bin must be hungrier.
Xu Lin refused. “No, you eat. I’ll go buy something outside.”
Before Wang Bin could insist, Xu Lin stood up and walked out. “I’ll be right back.”
There were plenty of food options on the fourth floor. Xu Lin planned to just have some noodles. But when he reached into his pocket, he realized he hadn’t brought his phone. He had no money.
“…”
He’d left in such a hurry this morning, empty-handed. He’d been too excited to even eat breakfast. Now he hadn’t eaten all day. He patted his growling stomach and sighed.
Wang Bin and the others probably didn’t have their phones either, and likely no cash.
Xu Lin didn’t go back. He found a bench and sat down.
Forget it. He’d skip a meal today. He was used to going hungry anyway. He decided to wait a while until Wang Bin and the others had finished eating before returning, to avoid questions.
He stretched his legs and swung them gently.
Across from him was a popcorn stand, the air thick with sugary sweetness. There was also a hot dog machine by the register, sausages sizzling with oil.
Xu Lin’s stomach let out a loud, undeniable growl.
Damn. It smelled so good. He was so hungry.
Right! He didn’t have money, but Ji Jixuan definitely did! If he could just find him, his lunch problem would be solved…
Then he paused.
Yes, Ji Jixuan could solve it.
But he couldn’t go to him.
He was in a meeting. He was working.
Right now… they were boss and employee.
They couldn’t have any contact.
“No need to buy more. I can’t finish it.”
“Don’t worry, if you can’t, give the rest to me. These sausages are good.”
A couple came out of the canteen. The man dragged the woman to the popcorn stand and bought two hot dogs, handing both to her.
“Try it.”
She took a bite and stopped. The man took out a tissue and wiped the grease from her fingers, then casually finished the rest of her hot dog.
They chatted and laughed, arms linked, and walked away.
Xu Lin stared at their backs.
Even after they disappeared around the corner, Xu Lin kept looking in that direction.
“…”
Of course he envied them.
He wanted to live that kind of life with Ji Jixuan too. Just walking down the street together, chatting casually, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand—like a real couple.
From morning until now, he’d been at the back of the group, watching Ji Jixuan’s back from a distance.
Ji Jixuan never looked back. Not once.
They couldn’t make eye contact. They couldn’t speak.
They were supposed to be the closest people, married partners—yet they were more like strangers.
Xu Lin sat for twenty minutes, then got up.
Walking along, he was distracted and didn’t notice. His foot missed a step, and a sharp pain shot through his ankle. His scalp tingled, and he braced himself against the wall to keep from falling.
He’d misstepped.
His calf cramped violently. It took him a long time to recover.
He sat down on the step, rolled up his pant leg, and saw his ankle swollen and bruised purple.
He rotated his ankle. It hurt, but he could still move it. No serious damage.
Xu Lin clicked his tongue.
Rain on a leaky roof.
What lousy luck. He’d actually sprained his ankle.
When he got back, Wang Bin and the others had already finished eating, and the boxes were cleared away.
Seeing him return, Wang Bin asked, “All done eating?”
“Yeah.”
Xu Lin tried to walk as steadily as possible, hiding any sign of injury.
From then until evening, Xu Lin limped along, favoring his swollen ankle as he followed the group, trailing behind Ji Jixuan.
At first, only his foot hurt. Then his stomach started aching too.
His eyes remained fixed on Ji Jixuan’s back. He so desperately wanted Ji Jixuan to turn around, even just a glance. But he never did.
And so the pain became familiar, numbing him.
Ji Jixuan’s schedule ended at 11 PM.
Xu Lin changed out of his uniform and was led by Xiao Jin into Ji Jixuan’s car. When he got there, the car was empty. Ji Jixuan hadn’t arrived yet.
Xu Lin leaned back in the passenger seat, head tilted, and fell asleep.
He woke groggily to find the car already moving. He turned his head to see Ji Jixuan driving quietly beside him.
Xu Lin stared at him, his gaze tracing from the corner of his eyes to his brows. He wanted to speak, but his lips were sealed shut, as if parting them would hurt. He suddenly had no strength to talk.
Xu Lin closed his eyes again.
He slept the whole way home.
Once inside, Xu Lin went straight to the kitchen and opened the fridge. There was nothing ready to eat—everything needed cooking. Xu Lin took a piece of chilled watermelon and bit into it.
Before he could take a second bite, Ji Jixuan walked in and saw him. “Don’t eat cold things.”
The sweet juice in his mouth suddenly turned bitter as medicine.
Xu Lin’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he forced the bite down.
He was full.
“Oh.”
He responded, put the bitten watermelon back in the fridge, and closed the door with a heavy slam.
Without a glance at Ji Jixuan, he walked straight upstairs to the bedroom.
Ji Jixuan’s hands froze mid-motion as he was unbuttoning his cuffs. He stared blankly in the direction of the bedroom.
He took off his jacket and stood thinking for a few seconds.
A few minutes later, Ji Jixuan went back upstairs.
The bedroom door was ajar. The light was off.
In the dark, a small lump lay on the bed—Xu Lin curled up under the covers, seeming to be asleep.
But Ji Jixuan knew he wasn’t.
He could hear Xu Lin’s quiet sobs.
He was crying.
“…”
Ji Jixuan silently stepped back and left, heading to the study. He tugged at his collar in irritation. Nothing was around his neck, but the air still felt stifling.
He called Xiao Jin.
The full story was quickly sorted out.
Ji Jixuan rubbed his brow, opened the cabinet under the desk, keyed in the code, and took out a tube of white nutrient solution.
It didn’t taste good, but at least it wouldn’t leave him hungry.
As he stood up, he felt suddenly dizzy. Ji Jixuan frowned. Within seconds, cold sweat broke out on his back.
That familiar sensation burst from his very bones, crawling through his limbs like a snake, churning through his blood.
Ji Jixuan gripped the desk, his fingers white, veins bulging on his neck and forehead.
His hearing became unnaturally acute.
Through several rooms, Xu Lin’s breathing and quiet sobs came to him magnified a hundredfold, seeping into his ears without mercy.
Ji Jixuan’s hands trembled. The nutrient solution slipped from his grasp and shattered on the floor.
He rummaged through the cooler for suppressants, plunging the needle into his bruised arm. He injected three doses. Useless.
His chest heaved violently. Xu Lin’s quiet breathing filled his ears.
He couldn’t stay here.
Gritting his teeth, Ji Jixuan hurried out, fighting his instincts with the last shred of his sanity. He got into the car without a second’s delay, stepped on the gas, and sped away from the villa. On the road, he struggled to pull out his phone and call Zong Xi.
Zong Xi picked up, his tone lazily teasing: “Well, if it isn’t the Second Young Master Ji. What orders do you have now?”
Ji Jixuan’s voice was hoarse and ragged. “…Come… hurry.”
Hearing his state, Zong Xi immediately understood. He dropped the casual tone and said urgently, “What? Didn’t you just… it’s early again? Hold on, I’ll be right there.”
Xu Lin didn’t know when he’d fallen asleep. When he woke, his eyes were swollen and sore, almost too puffy to open. It was still dark out.
Ji Jixuan wasn’t beside him.
He walked barefoot out of the room but couldn’t find Ji Jixuan anywhere. He froze. He rushed to the window and looked out. Sure enough, Ji Jixuan’s car was gone from the yard.
Again. He’d left without a word.
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