Chapter 180 - 180: 178: I’ll fight with Ji Baixing even if it kills me
Chapter 180 - 180: 178: I’ll fight with Ji Baixing even if it kills me
Li Wenjun was chatting and laughing with the woman in front of him. At that moment, he seemed to feel a hostile gaze upon him. He turned his head and saw Yin Qin.
Yin Qin was someone he had noticed earlier in the banquet hall.
A few figures from the well-known Consortium Groups in Jin City were always noticeable.
He exchanged a few words with the woman in front of him, then stood up and walked straight towards Yin Qin.
Yin Qin knitted his brows.
For a moment, he seemed somewhat taken aback.
A second later, he straightened his back up.
He hadn’t done anything – why should he feel guilty?
Li Wenjun stopped in front of Yin Qin and greeted him, “Mr. Yin.”
Yin Qin looked at him and asked straightforwardly, “Who was that woman just now?” Li Wenjun smiled, “A client. She likes my designs, we were just chatting for a bit.”
“Really?” Yin Qin questioned.
“No need to lie to you.”
Yin Qin thought it made sense.
“Do you have some time to grab a meal together?” Li Wenjun suddenly asked.
“Right now?”
“The late-night food in Jin City is really good.” Li Wenjun suggested.
Yin Qin hesitated for a moment then agreed, “Sounds good.”
He had no idea why Li Wenjun had suddenly invited him for a meal. He didn’t feel that he had any emotional attachment to Li Wenjun, but he inexplicably let it slide in the moment.
Both of them left the banquet hall directly.
Since they had both been drinking, a designated driver was called. They sat in the car in silence.
Li Wenjun took Yin Qin straight to a familiar street.
This is where he used to come…used to come… to wait for Ji Baixin.
Yin Qin looked out the window.
Li Wenjun was the first to get out of the car.
Yin Qin followed suit and got out of the car.
The street was cluttered and dirty. It was a little after 9 in the evening, a time when the street was bustling with people.
Li Wenjun led Yin Qin into a small barbecue joint. They sat at a pavement table.
They were surrounded by university students.
Some were lovebirds whispering sweet nothings, others were buddies hanging out.
Yin Qin was quietly watching everything around him. Li Wenjun took off his blazer and asked, “Can Mr. Yin put up with this kind of place?” Yin Qin wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about it.
He was dressed in an expensive, formal suit, clearly out of place in such a setting.
Nevertheless, he said, “I’ve never been one to stand on ceremony.”
Li Wenjun smiled, “That’s good.”
He ordered several bottles of beer from the owner and asked for some meat skewers to be prepared.
Li Wenjun offered some to Yin Qin.
Yin Qin hesitated a little. Li Wenjun said, “Baixin really likes these.” Yin Qin accepted them.
He ate with a look of distaste on his face.
Li Wenjun watched him without saying much and poured a beer for each of them. He picked up a skewer and started to eat.
“When we were students, Baixin and I often came here for barbecue,” Li Wenjun volenteered.
Yin Qin didn’t really want to hear it, but continued listening nonetheless.
“Before I knew the true financial situation of Baixin’s family, I never thought she would be the affluent daughter of a Consortium business family. She liked to eat at street stalls, she enjoyed going to amusement parks, she washed her own clothes, even had a part-time job.”
Yin Qin pursed his lips.
These were indeed aspects of Ji Baixin he didn’t know.
“Baixin was so beautiful, her personality was so good, I didn’t expect her to accept me so readily. And we were together…we had such a wonderful time, until…” Li Wenjun hesitated.
The owner brought some more cooked skewers over.
Li Wenjun said, “Thank you.” The owner seemed to recognize him at that moment, “Aren’t you little Li?”
“You remember me?”
“Sure, how could I forget? When you were in college, didn’t you always bring your girlfriend here to eat kebabs? Remember, she liked grilled beef brain the best, where is she today? If she was here, I would have given you a portion for free,” the owner said enthusiastically.
“She’s busy today.”
“You didn’t break up, did you?” The restaurant owner was straight to the point.
Breakups among college sweethearts are quite normal after all.
“No, we’re doing well. She’s working late today.”
“That’s good,” the proprietress seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, “Of all the young couples back then, I found the two of you to be the most compatible and loving. It would be a pity if you broke up. Next time, bring your girlfriend here, and I’ll personally make her a portion of roasted brain flower.”
“Thank you, boss lady.” “You folks enjoy your food, I have to get back to work.”
Li Wenjun nods.
The proprietor left.
Suddenly, Yin Qin couldn’t eat.
He never liked eating these things anyway.
Things like this, so filthy, so unsanitary, how can anyone like them?!
Li Wenjun sees him tossing the unfinished skewer on the table, not saying anything.
He picks up his drink, “Mr. Yin, I toast to you.”
“Why toast me?” Yin Qin’s face didn’t look so good.
“To toast you for taking such good care of Baixin over the years.”
“That has nothing to do with me,” Yin Qin said, “She won’t let me get close to her, she disappears when I’m ten meters away.”
Li Wenjun gives a small smile.
Yin Qin just kept watching him.
Watching his unrestrained smile.
Go ahead and gloat in your victory.
In Ji Baixin’s world, Li Wenjun indeed was the victor.
‘You sought me out tonight, brought me to your old dating spot, you’re trying to get me to back off, aren’t you?” Yin Qin said bluntly.
It’s gotten to this point, there’s no use feigning ignorance to the obvious.
Li Wenjun said, “We never actually broke up.”
“I don’t usually care to pry into other people’s business, but… I’m very curious about what happened to you guys back then.”
Li Wenjun lifts his glass and takes a sip.
Yin Qin also takes a sip, but he doesn’t like beer, especially cheap beer like this, so he drinks very little.
He wouldn’t lower himself for someone like Li Wenjun.
After finishing his drink, Li Wenjun slowly started, “Baixin is two years younger than me, when she was a freshman, I was a junior. When we got together, I didn’t know her family was so powerful, and I didn’t expect that Baixin would be willing to turn against her family for me, despite their strong opposition. I didn’t want Baixin to do this for me, but in the end, I am selfish. I want to possess someone when I like them. I couldn’t control myself.”
Yin Qin took up the beer in front of him and started drinking.
He told himself that he wasn’t trying to get drunk, it was because the taste of this cheap beer wasn’t as bad as he’d thought.
“Our year together was very happy, the most blissful moment of my life. I once promised that I would be good to Baixin, that I would make her happy. But… during my senior year internship, there was an international exchange opportunity from the school, my mentor gave it to me. I initially declined, but I didn’t know that my guide went individually to Baixin and had a talk with her, that this was a rare opportunity and shouldn’t be missed due to romantic matters.”
Yin Qin continued drinking.
Seeing Yin Qin drink, Li Wenjun followed suit.
Drinking and talking, “Neither of us were swayed by the professor’s words, as I had made it clear to Baixin that I would never leave her. After graduating, I would find work in Jin City. I would stay with her through college, and once she graduated, we would get married.” The word “marriage” seemed like a dagger through Yin Qin’s heart.
He poured himself more beer.
Li Wenjun did the same.
Yin Qin was drinking hard.
Li Wenjun didn’t try to stop him.
The two of them quietly drank in silence. Li Wenjun spoke, “Everything was planned. Until my parents came.”
Yin Qin was looking at Li Wenjun.
“My parents had a chat with Baixin. I don’t know what they discussed, but after that conversation, Baixin insisted that I go abroad to study.” Li Wenjun had a lump in his throat.
Yin Qin asked, seemingly casually, “Didn’t you push Baixin to tell you? Or your parents?”
“Baixin eventually told me,” Li Wenjun said, “Under my resolute decision to sever relations with my parents, Baixin finally revealed the truth. She said that my mother had begged her, kneeling, to let me go…”
Yin Qin could imagine, he truly could, at that time, the nineteen-year-old Ji Baixin, the immense pressure she had on her.
The silent suffering within her.
“She told me that she wasn’t afraid of being disowned by kin, but she couldn’t reject the desperate plea of my mother. Baixin, she’S softhearted in the end,” Li Wenjun said, “If my parents had tried to force us apart through strong-arming like Baixin’s parents, she probably wouldn’t have given in.”
Yin Qin took a fierce gulp of his beer.
He didn’t know that Ji Baixin had also experienced these things.
And he always assumed that her break-up with Li Wenjun was due to the collapse of their feelings, so he consistently gave her cold and sarcastic remarks, attempting to get her attention.
But he didn’t expect, each time he brought it up, it may have only resurfaced her memories.
“At that time, I didn’t want to compromise, but Baixin was steadfast. She said she couldn’t keep a relationship with me while carrying the burden of this familial guilt, she would feel uneasy. She even said that if I wasn’t going abroad, our only way out would be to break up.” Li Wenjun spoke calmly, he too had drunk quite a bit, “I had no choice but to agree. But on the condition that she return to the Ji family. I would be studying abroad for at least two years, during which time I wouldn’t be able to take care of her, only the Ji family could ensure Ji Baixin is provided for.”
Yin Qin clutched his glass, feelings roiling inside him.
Ji Baixin, this stupid woman.
Was it worth it? For this man?
A woman who had been proud since childhood, was willing to kneel at the Ji family gate for a whole day in order to fulfill Li Wenjun’s request! She endured the scorn of his parents and all of high society, yet she returned to the Ji family.
Given Ji Baixin’s character, she would rather starve to death outside than give in.
As I thought.
It’S true that when you love someone, you can love them to the point of losing yourself.
He can’t change Ji Baixin.
He had no choice…
“We agreed that I would return after 2 years. However…” Li Wenjun said, “Too many learning opportunities abroad… If I had returned after only 2 years, I would still be the same have-not as before. I wouldn’t have been able to provide Baixin with any security. I wouldn’t even have the courage to propose to her parents. And I don’t want Baixin to be disowned because of me anymore. I want to be able to proudly marry her.”
So that was why.
So that was why.
“Eventually, after spending 4 years abroad and working ten times harder than others, I was promoted to be the Chief Designer of the East Asia district of YILANG and assigned back home”. Li Wenjun said, without sounding boastful, “I didn’t even dare to contact Baixin after returning home as I had broken my promise. Because of an overly busy schedule, we lost contact for quite a while. Since then, the only way I could do was to follow her social media discretely in the quiet of the night, but she never updated it even once.”
But she had been waiting for you.
She had been waiting for you.
“I thought that Baixin wouldn’t forgive me easily when I returned. However, I was only overthinking.
In reality, she was waiting for me; she had always been waiting,” Li Wenjun looked at Yin Qin.
Yin Qin’s eyes stirred.
He was actually very calm.
When one truly accepts a fact, even if it feels like being cut with a knife, one can still accept it silently.
They didn’t actually break up.
They had just been apart.
These past years, he had been foolishly infatuated.
Throughout the years, Ji Baixin had not taken any initiative to call off the engagement, probably because of the terms she had agreed to, in order to return to the Ji family.
In the heart of Ji Baixin, he was only a condition, a discardable condition if the need did not arise.
He drank his beer.
One after another.
Looking at the way he was, Li Wenjun sincerely said, “I’m sorry, Yin Qin.”
What for?
It had been his fault all along, he had brought it upon himself.
Ji Baixin had told him countless times that she was not into him, yet he deceived himself, and others.
He deserved it; he could only blame himself.
“I know you really like Baixin, and I know about the engagement between you two. I’m very sorry, but… ” Li Wenjun said, “I am back together with Baixin.” Yin Qin was in the midst of swallowing his drink
There was a moment of pause.
And then, he was severely choked.
Despite knowing the outcome, the pain still took him by surprise.
The pain was so intense that he even forgot to swallow.
At that moment, he nearly coughed his lungs out.
Li Wenjun passed him a napkin and asked, “Are you alright?”
It took a while for Yin Qin to recover, but he said, “It was nothing.”
Li Wenjun fell silent for a moment, seemingly unsure about what to say next.
Yin Qin finally managed to recover. Wiping his mouth, he said, “I’m fine, I just wasn’t paying attention. The taste of this beer isn’t pleasant, it is hard to swallow.”
Li Wenjun didn’t expose him. He said, “I might be a bit selfish.”
Yin Qin did not say a word.
Li Wenjun then suddenly picked up a bottle of beer and began gulping it down.
Yin Qin was watching him.
He saw the bottle of beer gradually becoming empty until there was not a single drop left.
Li Wenjun put down his beer, he said, “I am sorry Yin Qin, I hope you can take the initiative to call off the engagement with Baixin. I don’t want, and I cannot have Baixin get hurt for my sake. And the best solution I can think of is, for you to break off the engagement first, then I can propose to her smoothly.”
Yin Qin looked at the empty bottle in front of him.
He wanted to ask Li Wenjun, if he drinks two bottles, no, ten bottles, Will you let Ji Baixin go?
He emotionlessly stated, “This is a big deal for both of our families.”
“I know.”
“Therefore, I cannot agree to it.”
Li Wenjun’s hopeful eyes dimmed, “But you are wasting your time by lingering around Baixin.”
“I don’t care, when I get older, I can just find a younger one. I’m not at a loss,” Yin Qin replied nonchalantly.
Li Wenjun pursed his lips.
He knew his demand was somewhat unreasonable.
But Yin Qin’s words somewhat annoyed him, “Yin Qin, we are adults. We were all young and immature a few years ago, it’S understandable that we made mistakes. But now, after so many years, it’S time that we learn to grow up. The things you did back then, was the damage you did to Baixin not enough? She was spat on by thousands.”
“Wasn’t she supposed to be?” Yin Qin said, “1 was cheated on; as a man, shouldn’t I fight back?” “Looks like I had overestimated you,” Li Wenjun said, somewhat sarcastically.
“Yes, you did overestimate me, I’m not as great as you thought!” Yin Qin pronounced each word clearly and loudly, “Let me tell you, Li Wenjun, I’d rather exhaust Ji Baixin than to make it easier for the two of you! Do you know who I hate the most in my life?” Li Wenjun’s brow furrowed.
“I hate Ji Baixin!” Yin Qin said, “So I will never let her have it easy!”
Nor… be happy with someone else.
“Bang!” Li Wenjun chastised with a sudden punch.
Caught off guard, Yin Qin flew off the bench.
Such an action instantly caught everyone’s attention.
The store owner and his wife rushed over.
Yin Qin sprang up from the ground and without uttering a word, he landed a punch in retaliation.
The punch was definitely not light.
Having spent several years studying abroad with Ji Baijian, who was such a fan of martial arts and boxing, Yin Qin had picked up a few moves, even being forced to learn for a long period by Ji Baijian!
This punch also sent Li Wenjun tumbling off the chair.
The next second, Yin Qin pounced on Li Wenjun, showering him with fierce blows while he was down.
No one around them could pull him away.
Li Wenjun was unable to fight back.
Yin Qin was blinded by fury.
Every punch was thrown with full force!
You took Ji Baixin from me, you took Ji Baixin from me!
“Stop!”
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in Yin Qin’s ears.
Yin Qin of all people, momentarily froze.
Ji Baixin gathered all her strength to push Yin Qin away.
At that moment, Yin Qin got pushed off of Wenjun by Ji Baixin.
Li Wenjun’s face was a mask of injuries.
All the injuries were caused by him.
Yin Qin just looked at them, his gaze icy cold.
Ji Baixin helped Li Wenjun up from the ground, and asked him in a low voice, “Wenjun, are you okay?”
Li Wenjun bore the pain, “I’m fine.”
Ji Baixin scrutinized him worriedly, her fingers gently touched Wenjun’s face.
The sting made Wenjun involuntarily groan in pain.
Ji Baixin’s face changed drastically.
She turned her head, giving Yin Qin a deeply resentful look.
Her hatred was as sharp as a knife, piercing deeply into Yin Qin’S chest.
So deep, so painful!
Ji Baixin.
Ji Baixin, you could only see the wounds on Li Wenjun but you never see, my wounds.
You can’t see my broken heart, bloodied and battered.
Ji Baixin wouldn’t even speak a word to Yin Qin.
Maybe, even that would have been a waste.
He looked forward to Ji Baixin at least saying a few words to him, even though they might be unfriendly, angry, or even venomous.
What he couldn’t stand the most was Ji Baixin’s indifference.
So indifferent as if he had never existed in her world, as if she didn’t even know that there was a man named “Yin Qin” in this world.
But this man, he loved her so deeply!
Ultimately, Ji Baixin didn’t respond as Yin Qin had hoped, instead, she helped Li Wenjun up and left.
Yin Qin called out to her, “Ji Baixin.”
Ji Baixin ignored him as if she didn’t hear.
It was always like that, no matter what he said, she never listened!
Yin Qin didn’t know where he found the courage, he strode forward and grabbed Ji Baixin’s arm, telling her, “Ji Baixin, I’m calling you.”
Can’t you hear me calling you?
Ji Baixin moved her arm, and without hesitation, she shook Yin Qin off.
She was disgusted.
No, she was repulsed.
“You’re my fiancee.” Yin Qin ignored all the anguish in his heart and told her that she was his fiancee.
Ji Baixin just laughed coldly.
The only time he could see her smile that wasn’t for Wenjun was this icy cold laughter, so heartless, it made him feel like a fool.’
She said, “I’ve never admitted to that.”
Yin Qin’s throat bobbed, bobbed continuously.
Ji Baixin never noticed his emotions.
Ji Baixin never cared about how devasted he was.
He just watched as Ji Baixin helped Wenjun, affectionately helping him away from him.
“Can’t you stop following him?” Yin Qin asked loudly from behind them.
Ji Baixin didn’t even pause, let alone respond.
She walked away resolutely.
Yin Qin’s eyes were bloodshot, everything in front of him was getting blurry.
He mumbled, and mumbled, “Please, Ji Baixin..”