I Became the Darling of the Wealthy Through Gossip - Chapter 8

I have to admit, Qi Beichen’s original body was rather fragile; the pain in the soles of his feet was intensifying, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the skin had actually broken.

As for Xie Zhixu, he was still looking like a drowned rat, standing by the river. A gust of cold wind blew by, and he was visibly covered in goosebumps.

“I say, Liang Han, didn’t you have wilderness survival experience in Hawaii? Where did that experience go? Can those sticks even catch fire? They’re all soaking wet.” Su Haoxuan’s voice drifted from a distance, laced with resentment.

“Well, that’s just the weather’s fault. Didn’t I still bring you along to find some common firewood?”

“You forget it. Let’s think of another way.”

Su Haoxuan and Liang Han emerged from the forest behind them, though their once-clean clothes were now stained with large patches of mud.

Qi Beichen suddenly realized: these were all young masters. One couldn’t count on wilderness survival skills from them. It was fortunate this was just a camping trip; it seemed he shouldn’t propose such difficult meeting locations in the future.

“Hey, what are you guys standing there stunned for?” Liang Han looked Xie Zhixu up and down. “Zhixu, did you go for a swim in the river? In weather this cold, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”

Xie Zhixu glanced at Qi Beichen, then shot a look at Liang Han. “I went into the river to exercise my body. Why, is that not allowed?”

“What about your firewood? Without firewood, how are we supposed to camp? We can’t just eat with our hands and gnaw on tree bark like savages.”

Qi Beichen almost wanted to cry. His barbecue, his grilled fish, and his wonderful camping trip were they all going to fly away like this?

Bai Muxuan stood where he was and let out a long sigh. “In the future, for activities like this, I should be the one to organize. Beichen doesn’t have the experience and didn’t know your… skill levels.”

Liang Han: “Mm, I think you’re more reliable. But what do we do now?”

Su Haoxuan: “What can we do? We have to head back the way we came. As for what happened here, no one is allowed to speak of it. Let’s just pretend that only heaven and earth know, and you and I know—and that no one else knows.”

Qi Beichen looked sorrowfully at the other four, wringing his clothes and biting his lip. “Um, this is all my problem. I should have planned it out in advance, checked the route, and I shouldn’t have been late.”

Qi Beichen’s long eyelashes fluttered as he blinked; little droplets of water still clung to the tips, trembling constantly, and his eye sockets were red.

Xie Zhixu: “How about this? It’s pretty close to my family’s hotel, which has other entertainment facilities. Why don’t we just change the venue for our gathering?”

Qi Beichen lowered his head, glancing at everyone’s expressions. Not bad, still within a controllable range. As long as no one called him a “pitfall,” he was safe.

Su Haoxuan: “I agree. In weather like this, we should be indoors, enjoying the heat and having a comfortable party.”

Qi Beichen looked at them even more pitifully. “But, our gathering, our camping, our barbecue…”

Xie Zhixu patted his shoulder. “The hotel has barbecue, and we can still hang out. As for camping… it looks like that’ll have to wait until next time.”

Bai Muxuan: “Then it’s settled. It only takes ten minutes to drive there from here.”

Qi Beichen felt indignant, though in the end, he only regretted not planning the trip properly.

Qi Beichen stood in front of the hotel and froze. He suddenly realized the economic strength of these few individuals. In the original book, these young masters’ families were the ones who controlled the pulse of Jiangcheng.

The Liang family’s luxury goods were bestsellers abroad; if the Su family’s energy sector were cut off, half of Jiangcheng would plunge into darkness; the Xie family’s hotels were everywhere; and as for the Bai family, they opened many hospitals. Every “big shot” backer here was incredibly influential.

The main body of the hotel stood on the sea in the shape of a ship’s sail. It was platinum-colored, with outer walls made of bulletproof glass. The lines didn’t go straight up but rose in elegant parabolas, converging in the air.

Qi Beichen was fascinated.

“Qi Beichen, I’ve noticed that not only do you like staring at me, but you also like staring at these buildings. Do you like them?”

Qi Beichen nodded, then shook his head. “I like looking at Brother Muxuan because Brother Muxuan is handsome and charming. As for these buildings, I’m just wondering who designed them.”

“This hotel? This? It was designed by Xie Zhixu, who calls it ‘highlighting Jiangcheng as a coastal city.’ You didn’t see it a few years ago, a Category 17 typhoon hit, and the rabbit statue in front of the door was blown directly into the sky. When it fell, it smashed to pieces.” Liang Han led the way into the hotel.

Qi Beichen suddenly thought of a term: “handsome and charming villain character”—but clearly, Bai Muxuan wasn’t that.

Xie Zhixu’s face turned pale. “The hotel is equipped with dampers; I’m not afraid of typhoons now.”

“Really?” Liang Han continued to tease.

“I’m telling you, it’s true!”

A ten-meter-long arcade led to the lobby. On both sides were Roman columns made of white marble, decorated with complex Baroque acanthus carvings. The ceiling of the arcade featured statues of the Olympian gods, and the floor was made of glass, with small fish swimming underneath.

They entered by scanning their faces, completely effortless.

Liang Han: “Xie Zhixu, where are we going?”

Xie Zhixu: “The billiards hall. I already gave the heads-up on the way here to clear the place out. It’s been a while since we played, so let’s have some fun.”

Bai Muxuan glanced at Qi Beichen beside him. A quiet child is definitely up to something. Surprisingly, Qi Beichen followed along obediently, as if he really were different from before.

Xie Zhixu leaned toward Qi Beichen, a smile on his face. “Have you played billiards? ‘One shot into the hole’.”

Damn it, Qi Beichen felt that this sentence had a double meaning, but he was too embarrassed to say anything. “Never played, and I certainly don’t have that skill.”

Xie Zhixu’s expression turned subtle. “Oh…”

Qi Beichen immediately understood: Xie Zhixu’s intentions weren’t innocent; his eyes kept darting toward him—definitely not innocent.

“How about I teach you?”

“No need, there are staff members here, and Brother Muxuan can teach me…”

Xie Zhixu acted as if he’d discovered a new continent and hurriedly backed away a few steps. “You guys have a good relationship, so you decide. Tsk, this isn’t normal. Something’s going on.”

Qi Beichen felt completely wronged. This was only the second day since his transmigration, and they were already playing matchmaker.

Xie Zhixu pushed Bai Muxuan. “You two stay together; the three of us will go to another room. Since there’s no way around it, we’re creating conditions for you two. You’d better thank us guys for that.”

Bang!

The door closed directly.

The heater was set a bit too high, causing a thin layer of pink to bloom on Qi Beichen’s cheeks, looking like a ripened little cherry. Cute enough to pinch.

“Ahem, don’t listen to their nonsense. These guys are just like this—no sense of propriety, always have been since they were kids.”

“Oh… I didn’t take it to heart, Brother Muxuan. However, I do want to learn how to play billiards. But my foot… it’s not being very cooperative.”

Only then did Bai Muxuan remember that Qi Beichen had said his foot hurt and had been limping back on the shore. “Sit on the sofa and take off your socks. Let me see.”

Qi Beichen listened obediently to Bai Muxuan, sitting on a corner sofa. Perhaps because he was wearing too many layers, he tugged hard at his socks, but they wouldn’t come off. The delicate, stinging pain was really starting to act up.

He put in a bit more strength. Thud! His elbow hit the corner of the table. “Sss…” What kind of terrible luck was this? Hitting his head when opening a door, hitting his hand when closing one.

Bai Muxuan retrieved a medical kit from a small cabinet nearby. Hearing the “thud,” he turned back immediately to see Qi Beichen with red, watery eyes, looking like he was in extreme pain. He walked over to Qi Beichen, medical kit in hand, and sat on the sofa.

“Why are you so careless?”

Qi Beichen pouted, gently rubbing his wrist. “It’s not my fault; it’s the sock. It didn’t want to come off itself.”

“So next time you fall, should we say, ‘Darn ground, it’s all your fault—if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have fallen’?”

“Perhaps that is the truth.” Qi Beichen was best at arguing with flawed logic.

Still, the annoying sock finally came off the foot—a cause for celebration.

The fair sole of his foot was slightly flushed, with signs of bruising, even though the pebbles shouldn’t have been that piercing earlier.

Bai Muxuan looked at Qi Beichen again. “Do you have scarring-prone skin?”

“How did you know?”

Bai Muxuan took out some safflower oil and poured it into his hand. In the enclosed space, the scent hit the roof of his mouth instantly. Qi Beichen pushed back, looking reluctant. “Um, Brother Muxuan, can we not use this? The smell is very unpleasant.”

“Good medicine tastes bitter. Besides, your foot is injured. If you don’t want to be unable to get out of bed tomorrow, then be good.”

Qi Beichen stopped struggling instantly. However, when the warm fingertips touched the sole of his foot, he couldn’t help but shrink back.

Bai Muxuan shot him a look, and he hurriedly spread his foot out.

“Hahahaha… mm… hahahaha…”

“Br… Brother Muxuan, can… can you not touch the arch? Hahaha… it’s… it’s ticklish!” Qi Beichen hadn’t expected this body to be so sensitive. He wanted to twist his waist, but he couldn’t—it was simply torture.

“Endure it. You must rub it out gently; the medication has to penetrate for you to get better.”

Qi Beichen didn’t want to move, but he truly couldn’t hold it in, so he really didn’t. With a sudden spring, he kicked directly at Bai Muxuan’s face. A thin layer of oil instantly appeared on Bai Muxuan’s cheek, shimmering near the corner of his mouth as if he’d been stealing snacks.

“Qi Beichen…” Bai Muxuan choked back a breath. “Behave yourself.”

Qi Beichen wanted to laugh but couldn’t, his face flushed red from holding it in. Pressing on the bruised area was indeed painful.

Beep-beep-beep… The “Whisper” group chat was in full swing.

Liang Han: What’s that sound over there? Like a wolf howling? Su Haoxuan: What sound could it be? Isn’t that Muxuan and Beichen? Could it be that they are… Xie Zhixu: This is a respectable hotel, and there’s a surveillance camera overhead. Can’t you guys be a little more pure? Day and night…

Bai Muxuan’s hands were busy, so he couldn’t reply, but a dark line was clearly climbing his forehead.

Qi Beichen: Don’t talk nonsense! I just hurt the sole of my foot, and Brother Muxuan is massaging it for me now. Good technique; it feels very comfortable. Liang Han: Damn! What did you say? Bai Muxuan is massaging the soles of your feet? Did I hear that right!

The group chat exploded. Messages scrolled by.

Su Haoxuan: I don’t believe it. Send a photo. Qi Beichen: [Photo.jpg] Xie Zhixu: Tsk tsk tsk tsk. No wonder you didn’t let us make jokes. Tell us, when did you two get together? Qi Beichen: This is concern between friends. Brother Muxuan is a doctor; this is a doctor’s instinct to save the dying and heal the wounded. Xie Zhixu: Give me a break. I fell into the river earlier, and I didn’t see Bai Muxuan being this concerned—he didn’t even say a word about preventing a cold. Liang Han: Isn’t this more delicious than all that messy gossip? This is explosive. If the paparazzi catch this, maybe tomorrow’s hot search will be the Qi family and the Bai family together.

Bai Muxuan rubbed the soles of Qi Beichen’s feet gently with just the right amount of pressure; the previously swollen soles gradually grew hot, feeling warm and comfortable.

Liang Han: Why’d you stop talking? It seems there’s no sound there anymore. What did you guys go off to do? Xie Zhixu: The surveillance shows nothing. They’re still rubbing the feet. It really is just rubbing feet. Liang Han: Damn, Xie Zhixu, why does your phone have a live feed? Xie Zhixu: This is my family’s hotel. Besides, there’s only surveillance in public areas. Don’t let your minds wander. Su Haoxuan: Qi Beichen, how come you have a cross-shaped scar on your ankle?

Qi Beichen felt something was wrong—this was absolutely wrong. The camera overhead was a surveillance device, and everything could be seen from inside.

Qi Beichen: I got it when I was playing in an amusement park as a kid and was dragged into a van. Because of this, no one wanted to adopt me, so I ended up in the orphanage. Xie Zhixu: What a pitiful little baby. So tragic. We’ll take good care of you in the future.

Qi Beichen didn’t know if his own mindset had been corrupted, but every word they said seemed to contain other flavors.

Liang Han: After all, you’re the youngest in our group. Spoiling you a little is standard practice. Su Haoxuan: Wasn’t it said before that the young master of the Qi family… Xie Zhixu: Shut up! Liang Han: Shut up! Su Haoxuan: Beichen is just a soft little cupcake; we must protect him well. Xie Zhixu: Ugh… disgusting… Liang Han: Ugh… disgusting… Qi Beichen: Ugh… disgusting… Bai Muxuan: What’s this, you’ve joined in too, becoming a repeater?

Qi Beichen put down his phone and looked at Bai Muxuan. Eye to eye: “Brother Muxuan, the essence of humanity is being a repeater. Do you believe it?”

Bai Muxuan capped the safflower oil, set it aside, walked to the window, and opened it to air out the smell. “Guess whether I believe it or not?”