He's Really So Hard to Pursue - Chapter 3

“And you just… walked away?”

At the bar, Qu Yehui looked at Jiang Yanci with an amused, disbelieving grin. “That doesn’t sound like you at all. You described him as this total ten-out-of-ten, and you didn’t even try to close the deal?”

Jiang Yanci had never been one to hide his preferences or his position from his inner circle. Hearing his friend’s teasing, he let out a dry snort. “Trust me, he’s a total Top.”

Qu Yehui nodded in solemn agreement. “Right, right. Understood. So, you’re the one who wants to be ‘closed’ then.”

Jiang Yanci popped a piece of cantaloupe into his mouth. “The guy actually remembered I was his landlord. I’d completely forgotten that was even my property.”

Qu Yehui: “…”

It took a significant amount of willpower for Qu Yehui not to splash his drink directly into Jiang Yanci’s face. Listen to this guy. The sheer level of humble-bragging!

“He pays you rent every year; how could he not remember you’re the landlord?” Qu Yehui pulled out a cigarette. “If it were me, I wouldn’t just remember the person I send money to, I’d take their name to my grave.”

Jiang Yanci smirked and pointed to the wall. “See that? Put it back.”

A “No Smoking” sign had been embedded into the decor since the day the bar opened. Jiang Yanci loathed the smell of smoke; his childhood home had been a permanent fog of it for as long as he could remember. When he was designing the bar, his only non-negotiable rule was that every single corner had to have a “No Smoking” sign. He wasn’t missing an inch.

Qu Yehui sighed and stuffed the cigarette back into the pack, spinning it idly between his fingers. “So, what’s the plan? Jiang Yi made it pretty clear he’s not interested. He rejected you flat out. What now?”

Jiang Yanci rubbed his right wrist and rolled up his sleeves. “I’m going to pursue him, obviously.”

Qu Yehui was surprised. “Still? That really doesn’t sound like you.”

The two had been classmates since middle school. After graduation, Qu Yehui had taken the traditional path; high school, university, studying abroad, and eventually coming home to start a small company. Jiang Yanci had done the opposite. He’d dropped out after middle school to enter the cutthroat world of professional esports.

They’d stayed in touch throughout. During Qu Yehui’s second year back in the country, Jiang Yanci had retired as a champion and called him up. The first thing he’d asked Qu Yehui to do was act as “family” and accompany him through a surgery.

Over the last few years, plenty of people had tried to catch Jiang Yanci’s eye, but his heart had remained iron-clad and strictly solitary. Seeing him choose to charge headfirst into a rejection was a first for Qu Yehui.

“How are you going to do it? Need your brother here to give you a hand?”

Jiang Yanci tapped his wrist. “No need. I’ve got an inside man.”

Qu Yehui’s eyes widened. “You actually have a friend other than me?”

Jiang Yanci: “…”

“Man,” Qu Yehui sighed, “whoever that guy is, he must be a saint to deal with you. If I wasn’t sticking around for your real estate investment tips, your constant ‘casual’ bragging would have driven me away years ago.”

Jiang Yanci gave him a chillingly sweet smile. “Get lost then. I’m not exactly hurting for friends.”

They were used to the banter. Qu Yehui took a sip of his drink, catching sight of a waiter walking toward them out of the corner of his eye.

“Boss,” the waiter said, gesturing toward the back. “Someone’s here.”

Jiang Yanci looked down and let out a low, melodic laugh that grew more amused by the second. “There he is. My inside man.”

Qu Yehui’s curiosity peaked. He loved a good show, so he set his glass down immediately and followed Jiang Yanci to the back.

******

At the back door.

Jiang Xi was sitting on the threshold, looking absolutely dejected. He glared at the employee standing by the door, his teeth gritted.

Where was his back door?! What happened to it?! Why is there a guard here now?!

“Jiang Xi?”

A familiar voice broke through his brooding. Jiang Xi’s head snapped up, his eyes lighting up. “Big brother!”

In his excitement, he’d once again automatically downgraded Jiang Yanci’s seniority. Jiang Yanci didn’t bother correcting him. After the other night, he decided “Big Brother” was fine, it certainly sounded younger than being called “Jiang Yi’s Uncle.”

Jiang Yanci hiked up his pant legs and crouched down to meet the boy’s eyes. “What are you doing here?”

Jiang Xi let out a frustrated groan. “This bar is going to go bankrupt any day now!”

Jiang Yanci arched an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“I’m literally trying to give them my money, and they won’t take it! Who runs a business like this?!” Jiang Xi continued his rant. “This is a back door! A back door! It’s the only way I can get in, and today there’s someone guarding it. Is the owner going through a mid-life crisis? Does he have so much money he doesn’t know what to do with it, so he hires someone just to watch a door?”

Behind them, Qu Yehui was nearly doubling over trying to suppress his laughter. Jiang Xi, Jiang Yi… okay, definitely relatives of the legendary ‘Top’. Probably a nephew.

Jiang Yanci’s smile didn’t waver. “It’s Monday. Why aren’t you in school?”

Jiang Xi suddenly felt a cold chill down his spine. “You… you aren’t going to tell my uncle, are you?”

Jiang Yanci patted his hands and stood up, his long legs making his cargo pants look sleek and unwrinkled. “Skipping class, I assume?”

“It’s a process!” Jiang Xi insisted, sounding guilty.

Jiang Yanci tilted his head. “I’m all ears.”

Jiang Xi stood up and brushed off his pants. “I have to visit a bar or an internet cafe before class so that I’m in the right headspace to actually listen to the lecture tomorrow.”

Qu Yehui: “…”

Do kids these days even try to make their lies believable?

“Well, they’re guarding the door, so it looks like you’re not getting in today.” Jiang Yanci sounded genuinely disappointed, as if he were taking Jiang Xi’s side.

With the bar out of the question, that only left the internet cafe. Jiang Xi grumbled a bit more before looking at Jiang Yanci with sparkling, hopeful eyes.

Jiang Yanci gave him a kind, saintly smile. “Don’t get your hopes up. I was actually just heading over to see your uncle. Let’s go together.”

Jiang Xi went on high alert. “Are you going to tattle on me?”

Jiang Yanci hooked the boy’s hood and pulled him back. “Wrong.”

“Then…?”

“I’m taking you to play games.”

Jiang Xi nearly jumped for joy. “Big brother, you really are my brother! But… would my uncle really let you take me to a cafe?”

Jiang Yanci’s eyes curved into the devious shape of a fox’s. “I have my ways. You just have to trust me.”

“I trust you! I trust you! You’re my real brother!”

Jiang Yanci accepted the title with a clear conscience. He turned to Qu Yehui. “That’s it for today. I’ll buy you a drink next time.”

Qu Yehui shot Jiang Xi a look of pure pity. “Sure. Just… try to be gentle.”

The poor kid, Qu Yehui thought. How naive do you have to be to think Jiang Yanci is actually taking you to have ‘fun’? Tomorrow, there’s going to be one very heartbroken teenager deleting his gaming accounts.

*****

After the rainy night rejection, Jiang Yanci hadn’t come away empty-handed. At the very least, he’d dug through his WeChat contacts and found an account that had never seen anything but rent transactions.

He formally changed the contact name from “Old Street Tenant” to Jiang Yi.

He hadn’t contacted Jiang Yi immediately. He’d spent a few days plotting how to reel him in step-by-step. His conclusion? The nephew’s “assistance” was absolutely essential.

“Uncle!” Jiang Xi shouted the moment he pushed the door open.

Jiang Yi was relatively free today, with no afternoon clients. He was in the main hall sketching a design, and he didn’t even look up at the sound of the boy’s voice. “It’s only Monday. Are you planning on skipping class every day this week?”

Jiang Xi scurried over. “I didn’t skip! My big brother here talked me into coming out.”

Jiang Yanci: “…”

The kid is certainly ‘filial.’

Big Brother?

The hand holding Jiang Yi’s pen faltered for a fraction of a second. He looked up, his expression a calm, unreadable pool. “You’re here,” he said naturally.

Jiang Yanci smiled lazily. “Xiao Zhao, I ordered some delivery. Could you grab it for me when it gets here?”

Xiao Zhao gave him an ‘OK’ sign. “No problem, Mr. Jiang! But what did you order? We’ve got plenty of snacks here.”

“Ice cream,” Jiang Yanci said, rubbing his wrist. “For Jiang Xi.”

“And dinner.”

“I don’t like sweets,” Jiang Xi grumbled.

Jiang Yi shot him a freezing look.

Jiang Xi immediately wilted. “I mean… I can eat it occasionally.”

Jiang Yanci was already getting used to their dynamic. “Trust me, you’ll want to eat it in a bit.”

He walked over to the sofa and sat across from Jiang Yi. “Busy?”

Jiang Yi’s pen moved, and a simple but elegant design appeared on the paper—a few letters with stylized flourishes. The font was unique, carrying a distinct personal flair, all in a deep, matte black.

Assassin.

Jiang Yanci’s gaze lingered on the word, a bit dazed.

Jiang Yi looked at him. “Like it?”

Jiang Yanci nodded. “It’s beautiful.”

“Tattoos are painful.” Jiang Yi paused, his tongue unconsciously poking his cheek. A flash of Jiang Yanci in that bathrobe from the other night crossed his mind. “You’re not really suited for tattoos.”

Jiang Yanci was curious. “How so?”

“People with delicate skin tend to be more sensitive. The pain threshold is lower; the line work wouldn’t be easy for you to handle,” Jiang Yi explained simply.

Jiang Xi blinked, confused. “Uncle, how do you know his skin is delicate?”

Xiao Zhao, who had just walked over with the delivery, nearly tripped over her own feet. She almost lunged onto the sofa with the food.

Oh my god! Did I just hear that?! The Boss knows Mr. Jiang has delicate skin!

How else would he know unless he’d touched it? You can’t tell how ‘delicate’ someone’s skin is just by looking!

Jiang Xi really was a brat to ask a question like that out loud.

Xiao Zhao set the food on the table, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “Mr. Jiang, your delivery is here! I’ll set it out for you.”

“It’s for everyone. Dig in,” Jiang Yanci said. He felt like Xiao Zhao was a bit too excited. When he looked at her, she gave him a demure smile that she couldn’t quite hide. It was a look that was…

A little sly. A little suggestive.

Jiang Yanci turned back to Jiang Yi, his tone dropping into something more flirtatious. “Yeah… how do you know my skin is so delicate?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xiao Zhao’s expression get even more intense, practically vibrating with the need for answers.

Jiang Yanci got it now. The younger generation was quick. She’d already picked up on the undercurrents between them.

Jiang Yi remained unfazed. “Professional observation.”

Jiang Yanci shrugged and put the ice cream in the freezer. “Haven’t eaten yet, right? I just ordered a few things. Care to join us?”

Jiang Yi glanced at the food and looked down at his phone. Two seconds later, Jiang Yanci’s phone chimed with a WeChat notification.

—Transaction from Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yanci looked at the screen and couldn’t help but laugh. “We really are something else…”

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow.

“The perfect definition of ‘We have no fate, it’s all just you spending money on me,'” Jiang Yanci teased. Their chat history was nothing but rent and transfers—a purely financial transaction.

“Take it.” Jiang Yi was indeed hungry. He signaled for Xiao Zhao and Jiang Xi to set the table. “There’s no reason for you to treat us.”

Jiang Yanci waved it off. “Let’s just eat.”

He’d ordered from a Huaiyang restaurant he liked. He’d been there many times and happened to see they offered delivery.

The meal was quiet. Jiang Yanci seemed to have forgotten why he came, while Jiang Xi kept giving him meaningful looks.

Once they finished, and Jiang Yi had cleared away the empty containers, his sharp gaze landed heavily on Jiang Xi. “Jiang Xi!”

Jiang Xi sat bolt upright, deciding to strike first. “Uncle! Big Brother said he was taking me to play games today!”

Jiang Yi’s brow furrowed in confusion.

Jiang Yanci let out a low curse under his breath, his smile remaining perfectly fixed. “I heard from Xiao Zhao that Jiang Xi was a top student in his first year, but his grades slipped in the second. I figured it was probably because of gaming.”

Jiang Yi remained silent, clearly agreeing with that assessment.

Jiang Yanci rubbed his chin, his expression unreadable. “So, I’m going to play a few rounds with him. It might be more effective than you just being strict with him.”

For a high schooler addicted to games, you had to let them see just how cruel the gaming world could really be.

Heh.

Jiang Yi looked thoughtful. Under Jiang Yanci’s gaze, he slowly, deliberately, nodded.

There were two high-spec computers in the guest lounge. Jiang Yanci glanced at them. “Not bad. We’ll use these. Jiang Xi, you play Demon King, right?”

Jiang Xi nodded eagerly, powering up the machine. “Yes, yes! I’m really good. I’ve got a high rank!”

“What position do you play?” Jiang Yanci asked casually. He turned on his own computer, his slender fingers resting on the mouse and keyboard. His rolled-up sleeves revealed the scar on his wrist.

Jiang Yi stood with one hand in his pocket, his eyes instinctively falling on that wrist. As a tattoo artist, he couldn’t help but stare at scars. It was a professional habit.

That scar was long. It didn’t just stop at the wrist; it extended across the back of his hand, though it was fainter there, harder to see at first glance.

That hand has been under the knife.

Jiang Yanci had beautiful hands, even with the scars. His fingers were thin and long, the joints elegant and well-defined, made even more striking by his pale skin.

That surgery must have hurt, Jiang Yi thought. He stared at the hand for a moment before clearing his throat.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice low. “Does it… hurt?”

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