translated_Chapter 68

68: Inferior Jade Material

“Those were painted by Little Jing, he’s quite a talented kid…”

“How did he do on his exams?”

Qiu Shi frowned, “What?”

“The joint entrance exams, how were his scores?” Qiu Ci asked again.

Qiu Shi realized what he meant: “So-so, average to above average, I don’t remember the exact score, he was pretty upset the day the scores came out.”

There are too many people taking the joint entrance exams, the scoring is problematic, and the reference value remains to be seen. After all, Qiu Ci knows Jing Yueming’s level.

“Qiu Shi, do you hate me?” Qiu Ci asked this out of the blue again.

Qiu Shi took a deep breath: “Why wouldn’t I hate you? Since this is the result you wanted, you should have understood it a few years ago. You just had to develop a relationship with me that’s neither family nor foe. Qiu Ci, we’ve wasted over twenty years.”

Even though it was the worst possible answer, Qiu Ci laughed, “Haha, I hate you too. You started it first. There were so many paths, but the two of us… we both chose dead ends.”

Qiu Shi waved his hand: “Let’s not talk about this. What do you want today?”

What did he want? He came because he wanted to, he wanted to find Qiu Shi: “So soon, have you forgotten Tsukimi Rin already?”

No one understands Qiu Shi better than Qiu Ci.

Qiu Shi’s good mood for the entire day was ruined by this guy: “I can’t forget, but what can I do? What good did you do? Tsukimi Rin’s parents, how could you be so heartless?”

It would have been better not to mention it, but as soon as it was mentioned, Qiu Shi got angry. Even if Tsukimi Rin was eventually hated for providing evidence, it wasn’t right to do something outrageous: “What’s wrong with you? Qiu Ci, I don’t think you’re capable of doing those things. Was it Qin Yishan?”

“I don’t know either, I just feel upset when I see you doing so well…”

Qiu Shi sneered: “So you’re just jealous of me? Hmm?”

Qiu Ci was a little angry: “You and Jing Yueming…”

“You wrote him letters for a whole year, didn’t you?” Qiu Shi interrupted before he could finish. She knew what Qiu Ci wanted to ask: “Are you gay, Qiu Ci?”

Qiu Ci was silent.

“You probably can’t even accept being gay, can you? You’re a good boy. The worst thing you’ve done is being jealous of me. Qiu Ci, you can’t be perfect. You’ve always been an inferior jade material. Did you really paint well when you were drawing? There were plenty of people better than you. Why did the teacher treat you differently? Do you really not understand, or are you pretending not to understand?” Qiu Shi narrated: “You ran an art class, how much money did you lose? Later you participated in a fashion competition, but Little Jing is eight years younger than you and hasn’t even had systematic training, and he can still win awards. I was wondering what you were doing last year.”

“Later, when Qin Yishan came to me, I understood. Your so-called perfection is just the Emperor’s New Clothes. You’ve been weak since you were a child. You’re jealous, you’re gay, why can’t you admit any of it?”

Like countless times as a child when he was reprimanded, he remained silent.

The fault isn’t just Qiu Shi’s, Qiu Ci is the least innocent.

Qiu Shi suddenly felt sorry for him again. She clearly wanted to ease their relationship, and Qiu Ci even came to her, so why did she say such hurtful things again: “Actually, these aren’t really problems, it’s just human nature, I’m pretty much the same…”

“So, don’t be with Jing Yueming,” Qiu Ci’s light green pupils were somewhat scattered, like gems at the bottom of the water.

“Then can you give me back my Tsukimi Rin?” Qiu Shi retorted: “It’s been half a year, I can’t even contact her. How could you understand? Qiu Ci, why did you have to mess things up like this? You couldn’t have done this that year…”

That year, she hit Qiu Ci, such a hard slap. At the time, she didn’t regret it, it wasn’t impulsive, she even thought a slap was too good for him.

She was worried that she couldn’t control Qiu Ci, who was even accompanied by bodyguards, so: “You did this because of me…”

“No,” before she could say it, Qiu Ci knew what she was thinking.

Qiu Ci felt a dull pain in the back of his head, like a fever: “I only got angry from the first time you met him, sponsored him, and dated him, so I used a method to have Tsukimi Rin contact you. You know what happened after that. I’m not doing this to spite you, consider it me being jealous of you, okay? So you…”

“Ha? Just because of a red dress?”

“Yes, just a dress, just a resume, just a photo, just think of me as crazy.”

“You really are crazy, Qiu Ci, are you still a love bug? How old are you? You must have been twenty-five at the time, and you actually…” Qiu Shi wouldn’t understand, she’s always the one being loved, even when Tsukimi Rin broke up with her, she was crying when she said it.

“Qiu Shi, you can have anything you want, okay…”

“No,” Qiu Shi said resolutely: “I’m just messing around with him, but you, are you really planning to spend the rest of your life with him? Did you come to me because of him?”

Qiu Ci didn’t say anything, just like that year when he made her go to France, and like when he was in the hospital after the car accident at sixteen, facing Qiu Shi. Ten years later, that look was still staring at Qiu Shi, stubborn and weak: “Take care of yourself, I’ll agree to your request when Tsukimi Rin comes back to me.”

“She won’t come back.”

“So, you won’t get your wish either. The time when I would give you anything you wanted is over. Since you want to play this game with me, then let’s play it to the end.” Qiu Shi gave up entirely, what reconciliation, what twin siblings.

Qiu Ci wasn’t wrong, and jealousy wasn’t wrong either. Qiu Shi was the first to be jealous. She didn’t live the life she wanted at sixteen, and ruined Qiu Ci’s life. She could have just coaxed him properly back then, and later prevented Qiu Ci from studying finance.

His identity was destined to allow him to be free and unrestrained for the rest of his life, no one could influence him.

Therefore, in front of Tsukimi Rin, Qin Yishan, and Su Yuyang, he’s refined and gentle.

Only Qiu Shi would make him angry, frantic, and jealous.

Qiu Shi didn’t believe that his younger brother would like someone because of a design draft. He envied the life that he never had, and was jealous that Qiu Shi could effortlessly gain one intimate relationship after another that he didn’t have.

When he met Jing Yueming that year, Qiu Shi felt that this child was like Qiu Ci back then, with a sense of confidence, but he didn’t have Qiu Ci’s fate, and was always weak, even daring to only look for reasons to blame himself when arguing.

It was precisely this weakness that made him more like Qiu Ci in the orphanage, without a father and without status.

This time, she became Jing Yueming’s Louis, wanting him to fly for Qiu Ci.

Qiu Ci didn’t even know how he left.

He went to the pharmacy to buy antipyretics, and drank them dry with mineral water.

He took another shower when he got home, planning to sleep because of the drowsiness from the cold medicine.

He was disturbed by a phone call from Su Yuyang.

“Brother Qiu, come out and have fun. I know you took a day off, you can fool others but not me.”

Qiu Ci changed his clothes and went out.

Thinking self-destructively, it was probably because he had been stimulated during this time, and going out for a stroll might help.

He called a car to the gay bar that Su Yuyang had chosen. Normally, Qiu Ci would never come.

Su Yuyang had already booked a booth and was waiting for him.

“Brother Qiu, I’ve been waiting for you for a while, why did you take the day off, are you in a bad mood?”

“Yeah,” Qiu Ci said after sitting down, scanning the surroundings.

“Actually… Sister Ai La told me to take you out to relax or something. Here, there’s every flavor, you choose what others have.”

As he said that, he poured Qiu Ci a glass of high-proof liquor.

Qiu Ci picked it up and naturally took a sip, carefully scanning the various people around him.

Finally, his gaze landed on a well-dressed boy.

Su Yuyang was surprised, no way, isn’t this the same type as me?: “Have you set your sights on him?”

“No,” Qiu Ci said stiffly: “I just remembered, I took cold medicine.”

…