He's Really So Hard to Pursue - Chapter 5

The college student bolted for the door. Jiang Yanci leaned his head to the side, watching the boy’s frantic retreat through the window. He let out a soft “tsk.”

“So young. Can’t handle a little setback, I see.”

“Big brother… Unc…”

Jiang Xi was spiraling. Where did he fit into this? What was he supposed to call them now? What was he even supposed to say? Was he officially a third wheel?

Wait!

The realization finally hit Jiang Xi like a freight train. He looked at Jiang Yanci with a mix of terror and genuine heartbreak. “Big brother… why are you doing this to yourself? What’s so good about my uncle? Besides his face and his body, the man is a total bore! It’s just tattoos, tattoos, tattoos all day. He doesn’t deserve someone like you!”

Jiang Yanci had already retracted his hand, but he didn’t miss the chance to tease Jiang Yi. “Manager Jiang, talk about burning bridges. The second the college kid leaves, you stop the massage? You’re really treating me like a disposable tool.”

Jiang Yi was slightly nearsighted. Usually, he got around fine, but for intricate designs or fine details, he needed his glasses.

Like right now.

He completely tuned out Jiang Yanci and Jiang Xi. He slid his glasses onto the bridge of his nose and picked up Jiang Yanci’s hand again, examining it with clinical precision.

Jiang Xi: “…”

He covered his eyes. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil! Was he invisible? Was his wattage as a lightbulb not high enough to warrant some personal space?

Jiang Yanci was surprised by the sudden intensity of the gaze, but his composure was far superior to the teenager’s. He waited until Jiang Yi had turned his hand over several times before asking with a playful grin, “So? How is it? Are these esports hands beautiful enough for you? Manager Jiang…”

His smile turned suggestive. “Actually, pro players have the best ‘hand skills’ in the business.”

Jiang Yi’s expression didn’t flicker.

“And our stamina is incredible at night,” Jiang Yanci continued. “Though, the flexibility is just average. We spend all our time sitting for training and rarely exercise.”

The conversation was veering dangerously off track.

A strange, heavy atmosphere began to fill the room. The nephew silently rubbed his nose, finished cleaning the spilled ice cream off the floor, and backed out of the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

“Oh?”

Jiang Yanci arched an eyebrow. “Jiang Xi is quicker than I thought. He even knows how to give us some ‘alone time’.”

“It wasn’t a simple surgery, was it?”

Jiang Yi finally spoke.

The smile on Jiang Yanci’s lips remained unchanged. “Of course not. Years of accumulated injuries. When I went under the knife, the doctor said the chances of a full recovery were slim.”

But by then, he was already a World Champion. He had the glory he wanted. Though it was a shame he couldn’t keep going with SUG, he was luckier than 90% of pro players. He had reached the summit. He had snatched the trophy from the legendary TAG “Five-Man Group” while they were at the height of their power.

Retiring wasn’t his first choice, but it was his best one at the time.

However…

“Do you want a tattoo?” Jiang Yi asked suddenly. “That design you liked the other day, I still have it. Do you want it?”

Jiang Yanci was instantly intrigued. “You’ll do it personally?”

Jiang Yi tilted his head. “Yes.”

“Jiang-ge?”

The term caused Jiang Yi’s pupils to contract slightly. He lowered his eyelids, his tone neutral. “Sure. Call me whatever you want. You are the landlord, after all.”

Jiang Yanci stared at him. “I’m hitting on you, you know. I was flirting just now.”

Jiang Yi: “I’m neither blind nor deaf.”

“So, does this mean you’re willing to give us a try?” Jiang Yanci pressed his advantage.

“No.”

Jiang Yanci: “…”

Regarding that answer, Jiang Yi fell silent for a moment before adding an uncharacteristically long explanation. “You’re doing fine on your own; there’s no need to go ‘charity-dating.’ I don’t have that intention, so don’t waste your time on me. As for the tattoo, consider it a thank-you for helping me just now.”

Jiang Yanci cursed him out internally but kept the bright smile on his face.

Dammit!

What a smooth talker. He was just trying to draw a line between them and keep things purely transactional. Looking at Jiang Yi’s cold, handsome face, anyone else would have been turned off by the frostiness. Who would keep pushing with a grin like this?

But this was Jiang Yanci.

He had survived the eight-times-speed world of professional gaming and come out with a world title. One man… How hard could it be?

If he couldn’t reel this one in, he didn’t deserve his own name. If “slow-cooking the frog” didn’t work, he had plenty of other plays in his handbook.

Feeling the lingering warmth where Jiang Yi had touched his wrist, Jiang Yanci stood up. “Fine! How about today?”

Jiang Yi frowned. “Are you sure?”

He glanced at the sky outside. Between the PK rounds with Jiang Xi and the drama with the college student, they had burned a lot of time.

Jiang Yi stood up. “Let’s do it tomorrow.”

Jiang Yanci leaned his hands on the table, his smile turning coolly defiant. “Today.”

Jiang Yi: “…”

“Manager Jiang,” Jiang Yanci said, his voice laced with provocation. “Is it too much trouble to ask you to work some overtime for your landlord?”

Jiang Yi wasn’t an early sleeper anyway. Since Jiang Yanci was insistent, he didn’t argue.

Xiao Zhao and Jiang Xi were still in the shop, and both were shocked to hear about the last-minute session.

“Mr. Jiang, this is so sudden!” Xiao Zhao exclaimed. “There’s plenty of time tomorrow; you could just come back then.”

“Big brother, what are you getting? Is it cool?” Jiang Xi chimed in. “You’re my idol now. I want the same one as you.”

Jiang Yi pulled out a cigarette and stood by the window, taking a long drag. “Xiao Zhao, prep Room 1.”

Xiao Zhao nodded quickly. “Got it. Don’t worry, Boss, Mr. Jiang. I’ll have it perfectly ready.”

Jiang Xi stared at his uncle expectantly. “Can I help?”

Jiang Yi gave him a lazy glance. “Yes.”

The boy beamed.

“Get out. Go home and find your mother,” Jiang Yi said coldly.

Jiang Xi: “…I don’t know where she is.”

“Call her. Keep calling until she picks up.” Jiang Yi finished his cigarette and crushed it out. He began the sterilization process for the session. “And tell her this: I’m video-calling her in two hours. If she isn’t home, she can start paying for her son’s life herself starting next month.”

Jiang Xi looked like he was facing a national crisis. “Uncle! Do you really have the heart to let your pure, innocent nephew be ruined by his own mother?”

“Like you said,” Jiang Yi countered, “she’s my nephew’s mother. Clock’s ticking. You going?”

Jiang Xi grabbed his bag. “I’m on it. Mission will be accomplished.”

Once Jiang Yi had finished disinfecting and dried his hands, Xiao Zhao signaled that Room 1 was ready.

“Let’s go.”

Jiang Yanci lay down on the table, and Jiang Yi sat to his right. “Does the scar on your wrist still require follow-ups or physical therapy?”

“Why?” Jiang Yanci asked.

“Because if we tattoo over it, the equipment used in follow-ups might cause burns to the skin in that area,” Jiang Yi explained.

“It’s an old injury. I stopped doing follow-ups a long time ago.”

Jiang Yanci rested his left hand on his waist. His eyes were incredibly bright, especially as Jiang Yi took hold of his wrist, contemplating where to start the first stroke.

Jiang Yanci smirked.

His voice dropped into a low, amused hum just above Jiang Yi’s head. “Manager Jiang… I never said I was getting it on my wrist.”

Jiang Yi blinked, surprised. “What?”

The left hand resting on Jiang Yanci’s stomach suddenly moved. He hooked the hem of his shirt and pulled it up, revealing a lean waist, a flat stomach, and pale, flawless skin.

Behold: a new play.

*****

Jiang Yi’s breath hitched for a fraction of a second, but he naturally averted his gaze.

Jiang Yanci patted his stomach. “Tattoo it right here.”

Jiang Yi’s eyes remained clear and professional. “The skin on the abdomen is thin. The pain will be doubled.”

Jiang Yanci nodded. “Do it.”

Jiang Yi tapped the armrest of his chair and stood up. His tall, imposing frame loomed over Jiang Yanci, looking down at him from a height. “You’ll need to strip first.”

“How much?” Jiang Yanci smirked. “Upper body, lower body, or both?”

Jiang Yi asked one last time, “Are you sure about this placement?”

Jiang Yanci glanced down at his waist and let out a soft “tsk,” looking slightly dissatisfied. “Actually, it seems a bit too high. Let’s go lower.”

As he spoke, he hooked his thumbs into his waistband and tugged his trousers down slightly.

For a brief moment, Jiang Yi’s breathing grew heavy. What greeted his eyes was a broad expanse of pale, smooth skin.

“Then take it all off,” Jiang Yi said, his voice regaining its steady clip. “Shirt off completely, and just the outer trousers for the lower half. This area is sensitive; the pain will be intense.”

While he spoke, Jiang Yi returned to his computer and adjusted the size of the Assassin design. Jiang Yanci had a lean waist, so Jiang Yi tweaked some of the fine details surrounding the main text. “I made some edits. See if you’re satisfied with this.”

Jiang Yanci had just finished pulling off his shirt. Hearing this, he walked over, bare-chested. When he saw the design, he froze for a second.

He pointed to a small detail at the top right of the word. “Is this… the weapon of my signature champion?”

It was a small sun, artistically rendered so that at first glance it didn’t quite look like a sun but rather blended seamlessly with the sharp, edgy style of the Assassin text.

Jiang Yanci rubbed his chin. He was deeply impressed. It was a way of carrying his legacy, his trademark hero—on his skin, but in a subtle, sophisticated way.

This man… is incredibly attentive, Jiang Yanci thought.

The tattooing process was anything but pleasant. Jiang Yi was thorough and professional—everything was sterile and safe—but the location Jiang Yanci had chosen was a nightmare for anyone’s pain tolerance.

The sensation in his abdomen rivaled the moment the anesthesia wore off after his surgery. Worse, the pain was laced with an agonizing itch. Even though Jiang Yi was wearing sterile gloves, Jiang Yanci felt as if the man’s hands were lingering on his waist, tracing his skin with intent.

Jiang Yanci let out a low, muffled groan.

Jiang Yi’s hands didn’t falter. “I told you it would hurt,” he said tonelessly.

So suck it up, was the unspoken conclusion.

Jiang Yanci: “…”

How can such a thoughtful man be so cold-hearted?

He gritted his teeth and joked, “Careful, or I’ll raise your rent next year.”

Jiang Yi played along without missing a beat. “Go ahead. I’ll see you in court.”

As the pain accumulated, it eventually transitioned into a dull numbness. Jiang Yanci began to feel as if his abdomen didn’t belong to him anymore, as if he were just a piece of parchment being etched upon, devoid of sensation. He finally closed his eyes and swallowed his groans.

After an unknown amount of time, he heard Xiao Zhao’s voice from outside the door. “Boss, Mr. Jiang hasn’t had a tattoo before, right? Should I send him a list of aftercare instructions?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Yi’s voice replied. “Make it detailed.”

As the final stroke was completed, Jiang Yi slid his glasses down to the bridge of his nose and pinched the area between his eyes. “Lie there and rest for a bit.”

He started to stand up to leave, but his wrist was suddenly caught by a heavy weight.

Jiang Yanci opened his eyes, the corners of them red with exhaustion. “I’m thirsty. Get me some water?”

Jiang Yi’s gaze swept over him with a clear implication. “A ‘restless’ thirst, I assume?”

Jiang Yanci was well aware of his body’s reaction to the prolonged contact. He felt a bit wronged. “My feelings for you are obvious. You’ve been running your hands all over me, touching my waist and stomach for an hour. If I didn’t have a reaction, I wouldn’t be a normal man.”

Jiang Yi brought over a glass of water with a straw and placed it near Jiang Yanci’s head.

“I thought you were in pain?”

After a few sips of lukewarm water, the cooling sensation helped dull the “heat” that had flared up, mostly because the stinging pain of the fresh tattoo was returning in full force.

Hearing Jiang Yi’s question, Jiang Yanci admitted, “It hurts like hell.”

Jiang Yi looked down at the fresh ink on his abdomen. “Clearly not enough.”

“What? Are you planning to make it hurt more, Manager Jiang?” The words flew out of Jiang Yanci’s mouth before he could think.

Seeing the momentary look of shock on Jiang Yi’s face, Jiang Yanci realized how that sounded. He let out a dry, awkward cough. “Uh, that… that’s not what I meant.”

Jiang Yi stared at the tattoo for a long moment. “I’m not that cruel.”

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