I Became the Darling of the Wealthy Through Gossip - Chapter 9

Qi Beichen shook his head. “I don’t think you believe it.”

“Since you know, why ask me? Is your foot still hurting?”

The pain in the sole of his foot had been replaced by a warm sensation, and it felt much better. It had to be said, he really needed to be more careful with this fragile body.

“Hand. Hold it out, let me see.”

Qi Beichen obediently reached out. Faint traces of blood were seeping through the outer bandage.

Bai Muxuan unwrapped the bandage and used a sterile cotton swab to clean it carefully. “The wilderness is prone to infection; it’s possible the surface of a branch was rough and grazed it again. It’ll be fine after a little treatment.”

Qi Beichen watched Bai Muxuan’s earnest expression and really wanted to reach out and ruffle his hair. When this thought appeared in his mind, his hand had already reached halfway out. He hurriedly shook his head.

“Qi Beichen, don’t move.”

Qi Beichen sat still, not daring to twitch. A fine, dense pain pricked at his fingertips. “Brother Muxuan, it hurts a little.”

“Endure it.”

Until the bandage was re-tied, Qi Beichen didn’t dare breathe a sigh of relief.

“The wound isn’t large, but it’s quite deep. Can you really cut this deep while peeling an apple?”

Qi Beichen nodded forcefully. “It’s true, but later, when I used chopsticks, a splinter from the chopstick stabbed it again, which made it deeper.”

“With scarring-prone skin and a frail body, you should really take better care. There. All done.”

Qi Beichen pouted and smiled at Bai Muxuan. “Brother Muxuan, you’re even cooler when you’re serious.”

“You have a glib tongue.”

Qi Beichen turned his head and became interested in the billiards table nearby. “Brother Muxuan, you should be good at billiards, right?”

“Mm, I am. Need me to teach you?”

Qi Beichen nodded, then shook his head, looking exactly like a bobblehead. “Brother Muxuan, won’t it be a bother?”

“Not a bother.”

“Do you know how to choose a cue?”

Qi Beichen was completely clueless about this. “I don’t. I need Brother Muxuan to teach me step by step.”

Bai Muxuan sighed helplessly and walked to the cue rack. “Cues are divided into nine-ball cues and snooker cues. Choosing one actually depends on personal habit.”

“Generally speaking, girls choose nine-ball cues more often; they are less demanding on basic skills and require less effort, though the accuracy is average.”

“Snooker cues are thinner; they require precise aiming and have higher demands on basic skills.”

Qi Beichen sat on the edge of the sofa, hands propped on the surface, listening to Bai Muxuan’s explanation with earnest concentration.

“Since you’re a beginner, my advice is to start with a nine-ball cue. However, if you want to try a snooker cue, that’s not impossible either.”

Qi Beichen nodded seriously. “I’ll listen to Brother Muxuan. I’ll start from the beginning and progress step by step.”

Bai Muxuan selected a cue from the rack that suited Qi Beichen better. “Try it out. How does it feel?”

Qi Beichen, who had absolutely no idea, swung the cue through the air a few times. “Pretty light. I don’t feel much.”

“Next is the billiards stance. Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart.”

Qi Beichen stood in front of the table, pursing his lips, looking ahead with a solemn, determined nod.

He hadn’t seen a pig run, but he’d surely eaten pork. He thought about the posture others used when playing billiards: hunched back, body lowered.

Bai Muxuan also lowered his head, holding his hand. “The cue should be held in the middle of the palm, not pinched with the fingers. Like this.”

He gently pried open Qi Beichen’s hand. “Don’t be nervous. It’s just for fun.”

“Collapse your waist a bit more. The cue needs to be parallel to the table. Give it a try.”

Qi Beichen considered himself to have extraordinary talent and gave Bai Muxuan a big smile. “I think I’ve got it!”

He channeled the feeling he’d just had: legs apart, shoulder-width. However, the posture was a bit strange; his butt was poked high into the air. As his waistline lowered, he looked exactly like a small hill, with his butt as the highest point. His figure was excellent lean and muscular. The cue trembled with the movement of his arm muscles as he poked toward the cue ball.

Only, the shot hit nothing but air; the cue ball didn’t move an inch.

Qi Beichen looked aggrieved. “Brother Muxuan, I clearly learned how. Why can’t I hit it?”

“It’s fine for a beginner.”

In the other room, they were watching with delight.

Liang Han: “Look, Bai Muxuan is such a hypocrite, being so serious while teaching that kid.” Xie Zhixu: “Indeed. The three of us are here as ‘lonely bachelors’—what’s fun about billiards? Whose lousy idea was this?” Su Haoxuan: “Yours.”

Bai Muxuan wasn’t in a hurry. He walked behind Qi Beichen, steadied his arm, and looked earnestly at the cue ball. His warm breath brushed against the side of Qi Beichen’s cheek, making his earlobes flush red.

“Look straight ahead. Don’t look at me; there’s no cue ball on my face.”

Qi Beichen resisted the urge to look at Bai Muxuan’s expression. “Mm, Brother Muxuan, and then?”

Bai Muxuan guided Qi Beichen’s arm. “Apply a little force, and that’s it.”

Bang…

The balls collided. The cue ball struck the yellow ball squarely, and it rolled into the side pocket. It really was a “one shot, one hole.”

Qi Beichen scratched his head. “Um, Brother Muxuan, let me try again. I don’t believe I can’t do it.”

“No rush.”

Qi Beichen took a deep breath and set his stance. “Brother Muxuan, the cue in your hand seems alive, while mine is dead.”

He jerked the cue suddenly. Thud…

He’d hit the cue ball, but with too much force—or perhaps it was just the perfect angle—the moment the cue ball touched the blue ball, the blue ball shot straight toward the surveillance camera.

Crash…

The number 2 blue ball was now wedged into the camera, with its label exposed.

In the other room, the gossip masters exploded.

Liang Han: “What’s going on? Why did the camera suddenly go black?” Xie Zhixu: “What do you think?” Su Haoxuan: “Need to ask? That ancestor of the Qi family definitely made a ‘one shot, one hole’—only this time, the hole was the camera.”

Qi Beichen froze, then looked at Bai Muxuan behind him with a sorrowful face. “Brother Muxuan, how much will this cost to repair? I don’t think I have the money.”

Bai Muxuan glanced up at the camera. “Conventionally speaking, it should be in the tens of thousands.”

Qi Beichen’s face turned an extra shade of pale. “I don’t have that much. Will I have to wash dishes here to redeem myself, or go to one of the private rooms and work as a servant?”

“Beichen, your imagination is a bit too vivid. This is Xie Zhixu’s hotel; they don’t engage in illegal activities.”

Qi Beichen decided to head to the other side anyway. His hand had barely touched the doorknob when a powerful force suddenly pushed him to the floor.

“Damn, Qi Beichen, what kind of greeting is this?” Liang Han retracted his hand, looking at Qi Beichen, who was rubbing his butt on the floor.

Qi Beichen massaged his waist the soreness had intensified, and half of his butt even felt a dull throb. He looked down, lips pursed, his face pale. “Um, Brother Zhixu, the camera… it was me. How much do I need to pay? If I need to wash dishes, that’s not impossible.”

Xie Zhixu looked up at the No. 2 ball jammed in the camera, then back at Qi Beichen. “Actually, I’m more curious about how much force you used to make it fly up there.”

Bai Muxuan patted Xie Zhixu’s shoulder. “He didn’t do it on purpose.”

Xie Zhixu nodded. “I didn’t say I’d make him pay. As it happens, the hotel’s surveillance system is old; changing to a new set doesn’t cost much.”

“So I don’t need to wash dishes in the kitchen?”

“No—who told you that you needed to wash dishes? Was it Bai Muxuan? Doesn’t sound like him.”

“I imagined it myself. That’s how it is in TV dramas.”

Xie Zhixu pouted and pushed himself up from the floor. “Beichen, watch fewer of those short-form dramas; they’ll poison your soul.”

Grumble… Qi Beichen’s stomach chose that moment to growl.

Bai Muxuan checked his watch. “It’s about time to eat.”

Liang Han looked helpless. “Exactly. If we’d been more careful when assigning tasks, we’d probably be happily eating barbecue and drinking beer at the campsite right now, maybe even playing some little games. Now we can only eat at the hotel.”

Qi Beichen’s pale face went even whiter, and he tugged hard at the corner of his trench coat.

“Liang Han, say less! This was your lousy idea in the first place, with all that talk about our ‘perfect rapport’.”

Su Haoxuan waved his hand helplessly. “Zhixu, I heard the barbecue at your hotel is top-notch. True or false?”

“Of course it’s true. The meat comes straight from the ranch to the hotel kitchen; every animal has a legitimate, authenticated source.”

Bai Muxuan patted Qi Beichen’s shoulder comfortingly. “It’s all right. Just a small oversight.”

The charcoal fire flickered. The meat slices on the iron grill curled at the edges, and drops of oil fell onto the coals, making a sizzle as white smoke and aroma billowed up.

The venue was quite similar to an outdoor barbecue setup.

“Not bad, right? I designed this myself. However, the business here is always at a loss. I had considered transforming it into a clean bar, but looking at it now, it’s good that I didn’t.”

There were small tents on both sides, but it was cold, quiet, and deserted.

Liang Han looked at the golden-brown edges of the meat and flipped a piece with his tongs. “I say, we should eat while we play. Eating like this—what’s the point?”

At the mention of playing, Qi Beichen perked up. This was his specialty; every time his dorm had a barbecue, he was the one to suggest games.

“How about we play Truth or Dare?”

Liang Han shook his head and looked around. “It’s deserted here; even a Dare wouldn’t be exciting.”

Qi Beichen tapped his fingertips against the table. “Then, shall we play something brain-teasing?”

Bai Muxuan nodded in agreement.

“Turtle Soup, then. It’s more interesting,” Qi Beichen proposed.

Liang Han: “I agree.” Xie Zhixu: “Agreed!” Su Haoxuan: “Eating and playing—pretty good.”

“Who’s finding the riddle?”

Liang Han volunteered. “I will. I have plenty on hand. Let’s do this one.”

“Agreed in advance: no horror, no gore, and no ‘dirty’ themes. Everything must be proper.”

“Ghost would believe that…” Qi Beichen muttered to himself.

All five gathered around, staring at Liang Han’s phone. The riddle provided was… confusing.

“The riddle this time is: ‘Insert’. I insert it slowly, I insert it quickly, I insert it with force. With danger averted, it’s exhilarating.”

Xie Zhixu shook his head. “You really are yourself everything you find has a bit of ‘color’ to it.”

Liang Han pushed Xie Zhixu. “What are you talking about? I don’t! This is a proper, genuine Turtle Soup riddle I found online; it doesn’t involve any dirty themes.”

Qi Beichen looked at the riddle, inexplicably familiar, yet somehow his spine went cold. “This isn’t one of those horror ones, is it? I don’t want to have nightmares tonight.”

Bai Muxuan frowned slightly. “The ‘proper’ one you’re talking about is like this?”

“Of course! I guarantee the final answer is very decent. If you don’t believe me, let’s start now.”