A Broken Mirror Never Mends - Chapter 18

It was five in the afternoon by the time Shi Tian finished meeting with his defense lawyer.

As soon as he sat in the passenger seat, Assistant Chen, who was in the driver’s seat, looked at him with a worried expression and asked, “Brother Shi, are you really going? I have a bad feeling about this.”

Shi Tian didn’t answer. He just buckled his seatbelt and asked, “Is the stuff ready?”

“It’s ready, Brother Shi,” Assistant Chen replied, pointing quickly to the glove box. “The shop clerk asked me why I was buying this stuff, and I didn’t even know what to say…”

Shi Tian leaned down and pulled a black plastic bag from the compartment. From the bag, he took out a voice recorder, a can of pepper spray, and a mini taser.

He opened the packaging one by one to check them. After confirming they worked, he put the three items into his suit pocket with satisfaction. “Let’s go.”

Assistant Chen silently looked away, not daring to ask more.

With all those weapons, anyone would think President Shi was going to have a life-or-death showdown with President Ji.

The car traveled along the highway toward the outer ring road, passed through a toll station, and finally arrived at the destination—Wangyue Pavilion.

As a high-end private kitchen restaurant, Wangyue Pavilion’s local reputation was almost on par with a Michelin star. The restaurant was a standalone three-story classical building. The carved railings and marble pavilions blended perfectly with the mountain and water scenery, leaving a lasting impression on every guest.

Of course, Shi Tian wasn’t here to enjoy the scenery or the food.

After getting out of the car, Shi Tian gave Ji Yuanlin’s name to the waiter, who immediately led him to a private room near the lake. The room had a beautiful name: “Rushi Studio.”

He lifted the classical door curtain. Just as he stepped inside, he heard the sound of clinking glasses.

Eight people were sitting around an antique carved round table. There were old and young, and all were familiar faces.

Among them were people Shi Tian had dealt with many times: GPs from private equity firms, venture capital partners, and the two managers who helped him and Ji Yuanlin manage their trust funds.

Seeing Shi Tian arrive, one of the managers who knew him well waved him over. “Come in, come in! We thought you’d be arriving later.”

Shi Tian scanned the room and asked, “Where is Ji Yuanlin?”

“Did you happen to miss him on the way?” another fund manager said. “He said you were almost here and stepped out a few minutes ago to meet you.”

Shi Tian took a random chair and sat down. A waiter in the room quickly served him steaming bird’s nest with silver fins as a starter.

Stirring the expensive ingredients in his bowl, he looked up and asked calmly, “Are you all not afraid of getting into trouble by eating with us right now?”

The private equity GP sitting next to Shi Tian laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “Xiao Shi, if things were really that serious, you two would have already been restricted from spending. We’re all family here. Yuanlin invited us today because he wanted us to be open witnesses. After all, things are easier to handle when they’re laid out on the table.”

“Exactly,” another person added. “President Shi, you two have been together for so many years. If there’s a misunderstanding, just explain it. Honestly, there’s no need to make things so tense.”

Hearing the words “open witnesses,” Shi Tian lowered his eyes, hiding his true emotions.

This was one of the main reasons he decided to attend Ji Yuanlin’s dinner.

He wasn’t a fool. After the scandal broke, he had repeatedly asked to meet Ji Yuanlin to understand the situation, but Ji Yuanlin had avoided him. Why did he suddenly send an invitation right before the court date?

It was precisely because he was worried Shi Tian wouldn’t show up that Ji Yuanlin invited so many of their old friends and figures from the financial world. These people were licensed professionals regulated by laws. Any event they appeared in openly would certainly be free of risk or illegal behavior.

Shi Tian had originally planned to meet this group to discuss the company’s future debt restructuring, but that was supposed to be after the lawsuit. He didn’t expect Ji Yuanlin to gather them so quickly, as if he wanted to bring their private issues out into the open.

Thinking of this, Shi Tian’s pupils constricted slightly.

What Zhou Sifu said earlier wasn’t wrong. Before, Ji Yuanlin was in the light while he was in the dark. Now, both he and Ji Yuanlin were out in the open.

He had to counter this move. If he didn’t come today, he would never know what Ji Yuanlin’s next play was.

Soon, the door curtain was lifted again.

Under the gaze of everyone, his husband—the man he was about to face in court—walked naturally to his side and pulled out a chair to sit down.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Ji Yuanlin smiled at the group. “Since the food is served, please help yourselves. We won’t be formal.”

After greeting everyone, Ji Yuanlin picked up a spoon and placed a bowl of high-quality matsutake chicken soup in front of Shi Tian. “Tiantian, this soup is good for the stomach. Have a bowl before eating?”

Quietly putting his hand into his suit pocket, Shi Tian switched on the voice recorder. He kept his expression neutral. “Okay.”

Since Ji Yuanlin wanted to put on a show for outsiders, he wanted to see just how far this man would go.

As he picked up his chopsticks to start eating, he saw out of the corner of his eye that Ji Yuanlin was still wearing the wedding ring they had exchanged at their ceremony.

And yet, just last week, Ji Yuanlin’s new lover had worn a ring he gave him and declared his ownership in front of everyone on a big screen.

How ironic.

Although the dinner centered around the couple’s debt dispute, the atmosphere wasn’t heavy.

According to Ji Yuanlin, the two of them were only having a private disagreement over debt allocation. It hadn’t “turned ugly” to the point of a lawsuit, as the rumors suggested.

He also told everyone present that he had already paid the first large fine owed to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce in full. As for the debts incurred while Shi Tian was CEO, they were a family and should bear them together.

“I invited you all today first to thank you for your support of Fengyu over the past few years.” Ji Yuanlin stood up and raised his glass. “Second, I want to ask you to have confidence in us. The company’s profits doubled again last quarter. I believe the internal issues will be resolved soon, and we will get back on track.”

“Your main problem is having too much ambition.” An old investor drank some wine and laughed with his arms crossed. “Xiao Ji, you need to be steadier in the future. Learn from Xiao Shi.”

“Yes, yes, Uncle Lu is right.” Ji Yuanlin bowed sincerely and poured wine for him. “I will definitely learn my lesson.”

After speaking, he raised his glass and finished the wine in one gulp.

Shi Tian sat straight in his chair the whole time, watching his husband talk nonsense with a bored expression.

The dinner ended around nine in the evening. After seeing their old friends out of the room, Ji Yuanlin returned to find Shi Tian leaning against the lakeside railing. Shi Tian looked slightly tipsy as he gazed at the moon’s reflection in the water.

It was still that familiar face—sharp, handsome features and thin lips curved slightly upward. His face looked elegant under the dim yellow light of the lanterns.

If Cheng Xi was a wild and sexy kitten, the person in front of him was more like a swan with its neck tucked for winter. This person’s beauty was always restrained and subtle, yet it was what had made him fall head over heels for his entire youth.

He saw Shi Tian’s lips move, and the gaze directed at him was filled with mocking coldness. “Is the Best Actor finished with his scene?”

Hearing the sarcasm, Ji Yuanlin suppressed a strange urge in his heart and took a step closer. “You know why I looked for you.”

Shi Tian tilted his head with feigned confusion. “How would I know what I know?”

“…”

Holding his breath, Ji Yuanlin spoke in a low voice. “Tiantian, let’s settle out of court.”

“I’ve already paid the 200 million yuan fine to the Bureau. As for the remaining 600 million, I’ll give you 300 million for immediate needs. We can apply for a bank loan for the other 300 million. Once the new products pass quality inspection and hit mass production, we can apply for an IPO in a year or two. With a few cornerstone investors, the capital will circulate back quickly.”

“An IPO?” Shi Tian scoffed. “Didn’t you used to hate the idea of going public? With the mess we have now, you think you can pass the stock exchange’s listing hearing?”

He turned his head to stare directly at Ji Yuanlin. “You want a private settlement?”

“Yes.”

“The conditions?”

Ji Yuanlin paused and said, “I give you the money, and you give me the other evidence you have.”

Thinking Ji Yuanlin was trying to trick him again, Shi Tian frowned. “…What evidence?”

Ji Yuanlin’s face suddenly went cold.

“The records for those foreign currency accounts.” After confirming no one else was around, Ji Yuanlin whispered, “Tiantian, you know very well that if those things are given to the Bureau for investigation, it will only make things more troublesome for both of us.”

Shi Tian was genuinely stunned this time.

Foreign currency account records? What on earth was that?

After thinking for a moment, he spoke with a normal expression. “First, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Second, I refuse.”

Settling out of court meant no lawsuit and avoiding debt.

Anyone else might have quickly agreed to such a tempting offer, but for him, it was impossible.

If he did this, he might settle with Ji Yuanlin, but he would never be able to settle with himself for the rest of his life.

Seeing that the person in front of him was still playing dumb, Ji Yuanlin’s eyes darkened.

A few days ago, after paying the first fine, he suddenly received an urgent call from his lawyer. The lawyer said the Bureau had received anonymous reporting materials and would be assessing the legality of his overseas investment projects.

Because the assessment process was restarted, he had to accept another investigation. Since there was a problem on his end, the original plan to sue for the debt dispute could not proceed smoothly.

Not many people knew about his assets moving abroad; he could count them on one hand. All those people shared his interests and would be held responsible if something went wrong, so it was impossible for them to betray him.

There was only one possibility left.

From the day he met Shi Tian, he knew he was a smart man. They had been together for eight years, doing everything together, and knew each other inside and out.

Regarding the evidence of those assets, Shi Tian might have held onto it for a long time, waiting for the final moment to make a move against him.

Shi Tian was grabbed by the wrist and didn’t know what kind of madness had suddenly overtaken Ji Yuanlin. He instinctively reached into his pocket for his self-defense tool, but Ji Yuanlin used his height and size to grab his shoulders and slam him back against the wooden railing.

Pinning Shi Tian’s upper body, Ji Yuanlin pulled the voice recorder out of his pocket and shook it in his hand.

—The man named Ji had known all along that he was prepared.

Shi Tian cursed in his mind. He was about to use force to take it back, but he found that Ji Yuanlin didn’t take the recorder. Instead, he tucked it back into Shi Tian’s waist.

“Record all you want,” Ji Yuanlin said quietly in his ear. “The court knows about these things anyway. It can serve as proof of our out-of-court settlement.”

A dark, violent energy flickered in his eyes. He looked down at the trapped figure and slowly leaned in.

“You’ve been faking it all along, haven’t you?” Ji Yuanlin’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and a strange redness suddenly filled his eyes. “Brother Shi, you didn’t love me that much either.”

Shi Tian struggled hard against the railing, his anger visible in his trembling lips. “Let go—”

Ignoring the anger, Ji Yuanlin pressed his thumb against Shi Tian’s closed mouth, prying his lips open. Just like in the past, he ignored everyone else, leaned down, and kissed him.

Shi Tian didn’t have time to dodge, so he tried to turn his face away, but Ji Yuanlin grabbed his jaw and forced it back.

Clenching his teeth, Shi Tian stared at the man and said word for word, “…Ji Yuanlin, you filthy dog.”

“Now you’re acting all pure and noble again?” Looking at the fire in Shi Tian’s eyes, Ji Yuanlin spoke slowly. “Back in Harbin, if I hadn’t been the one to find you, you’d be dead.”

He brushed a soft lock of hair from Shi Tian’s forehead and whispered into his ear, “You were the one crying and begging to sleep with me, and yet you fucking called out your ex’s name while we were doing it.”

“Shi Tian, tell me, aren’t you just a slut?”

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