Finally, the housekeeper added, “I have a distant relative who fractured a bone, and it didn’t heal properly, so they’re often in pain.”

The surroundings were very quiet. The housekeeper wasn’t one to speak out of turn. It was just that that child had asked her not to call him “Young Master,” and to call him “Bai Bai.” He was very well-behaved and easy to talk to.

Moreover, he also had a few broken ribs and couldn’t get some calcium from the sun. He also didn’t have any family in this city. She felt he was really pitiful.

After two or three seconds, Shen Ji casually tossed his expensive cufflinks on the side of the sink, washed his hands, and dried them. “Take the food into the room.”

The housekeeper thought she just needed to bring food to the child in his room, but to her surprise, her employer meant that he was going to eat there too.

The housekeeper found it so bizarre, she almost broke a bowl.

.

Jiao Bai had just woken up and his face was slightly flushed from being buried under the covers. With sleepy eyes, he watched the housekeeper set dishes on the table in his room. Why were there so many plates? Did she bring everything over?

“Auntie, is Jiang Yan eating here too?”

The housekeeper didn’t reply. Once she was done, she got the nurse aide to help Jiao Bai out of bed and set up a chair for him.

Just as Jiao Bai realised what was happening, he heard the notification that his friend had come online, accompanied by a series of footsteps.

The sound of a chairman’s footsteps was different from that of minor characters or extras. Each step carried an aloof, powerful, pretentious and imposing air.

Shen Ji had come straight from the company, where he had dealt with a troublesome matter involving a branch of the Shen family, which had also implicated a few greedy direct relatives. The fates of these people were broken in his hands. He was covered in the stench of blood and the smell of power. When he sat down in the chair, he resembled an executioner overseeing a death sentence.

The originally comfortable air in the room became much thinner.

Jiao Bai didn’t see himself as someone who had been promoted to a lover. He didn’t try to suck up to the old azrszqc and simply sat there. The chest brace was uncomfortable and affected his appetite, making him only crave food when he was extremely hungry, just like last night.

Right now, Jiao Bai wasn’t hungry so the table full of exquisite dishes were just props to him.

The housekeeper served Jiao Bai a bowl of soup. Jiao Bai seized the opportunity to ask, “Jiejie[1], where’s Jiang Yan?”

That “Jiejie” sounded so intimate and affectionate that the housekeeper impulsively blurted out, “He’s not here anymore.”

Jiao Bai’s expression changed. It was indeed just as he suspected.

In the original story, Jiang Yan would stay by Shen Ji’s side for a long time, so Jiao Bai only thought that Jiang Yan had simply been moved to a different place.

He didn’t even know when he left. He left without even saying goodbye.

Jiao Bai scooped up a spoonful of soup with a small spoon, and then placed it back in the bowl. He repeated this action twice and then unconsciously sighed.

“What? You two became best friends in just one day?” Shen Ji, irritated by the noise made by the other person at the table, had lost completely his appetite. His deep, cold voice carried a dark undertone as he asked, “Xiao Jiang is gone so you’re going on a hunger strike?”

Jiao Bai pushed the bowl away and said, “What are you being so sarcastic about?”

Shen Ji pressed his thin, sharp lips together. His face was completely expressionless.

Jiao Bai met the other’s gaze defiantly. He had initially intended to endure it like he had in the morning, but this old man was simply too annoying.

The father and son of the Shen family in Broken Wings were something else. After Little Shen became a scumbag, he replaced his father as the chairman of the Shen Group and also took over the ‘one who deserves a beating the most’ title.

Before Little Shen became a scumbag, Old Shen was the one who deserved a beating the most.

The atmosphere at the table was extremely bad.

Jiao Bai wore a sullen expression, showing no intention of buttering up to him or admitting any wrongdoing.

A layer of frost and ice quickly covered Shen Ji’s face and eyes at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The housekeeper next to them was too scared to breathe. She had misjudged this child. His temperament wasn’t one-dimensional—he could be very soft but he could also be prickly like this. How bold of him to actually dare to talk back to Mr. Shen. She hoped he wouldn’t end up getting her into trouble later.

“Get out.” Shen Ji’s tone was very calm.

The housekeeper immediately headed outside, and even kindly and discreetly signalled to Jiao Bai with her eyes, urging him to back down—he absolutely had to. He had broken bones, so he should avoid getting himself into trouble and suffering further.

Jiao Bai was very calm and collected, because he had confidence.

—And that confidence came from his activity level having soared to 49.1.

“To answer your question from last night,” Shen Ji said, his expression cold and unfeeling, “I want to play with you[2].”

Chairman Shen was slapping himself in the face live[3]. This was an explosive super-big news event, and there was only one audience member present.

Jiao Bai: Hehe.

Shen Ji looked at the young man with the gaze of someone bestowing charity upon a lowly pauper, an arrogance backed by the immense wealth and power of the Shen family. “I’ll give you just two weeks to heal your fractures.”

“After two weeks, wash yourself clean.”

“Now, eat.”

After hearing the domineering CEO quotes that were passed down to every generation of the Shen family, Jiao Bai glanced at Shen Ji’s activity level and saw that it hadn’t dropped.

So, Jiao Bai wielded his activity level like a weapon. He took the spoon out of his soup bowl and threw it across the table.

The spoon struck Shen Ji squarely in the chest, staining his custom-made deep gray shirt.

If Shen Ji was ten years younger, he would have already flipped the table, and the little dog would have been kicked to the ground, on the brink of death.

Now, he remained still, allowing his anger to set his dark eyes ablaze with bloodshot veins, which made him look especially terrifying. “I see you’re tired of living.”

To his surprise, he didn’t know what happened to the little dog all of the sudden, but he looked even angrier than he was. He was grounding his teeth, breathing heavily and his innocent, soft downturned eyes were all round and red.

Shen Ji’s anger was suddenly dispersed by a burst of desire. Even he didn’t notice that his voice had already grown hoarse as he asked, “What are you angry about?”

Jiao Bai’s face twitched. Etbj xnt, you’re asking me what I’m angry about[4]? How can you still have the nerve to ask?!

Your Pikachu is now wearing a coat—a strawberry pink coloured coat. The yellow and pink combination is gaudy and blinding[5], yet it etbjhmf thinks that it’s so pretty and adorable.

It’s so ugly!!!!!!

 

Translators Note:

I went through the comments of this chapter on Jinjiang and found out that the last few sentences of the chapter were changed (censored). Jiao Bai’s anger makes a bit more sense in the original.

The original sentences are:

你的皮卡丘身上多了层套套，粉粉嫩嫩的草莓色，整个把它套在了里面。

你还老子的童年男神！

Your Pikachu is now covered by an extra layer, a strawberry-pink coloured bnmcnl, and it is completely encased inside it[6].

Give Laozi back my childhood Prince Charming!

 


[1] 姐姐 (jiějie) means older sister – affectionate way to address an older female friend, acquaintance or even stranger. He also calls his online friend, Zhang Zhen, this.

[2] Note that this ‘play with you (玩你)’ doesn’t mean ‘play together with you.’ It means he’s treating Jiao Bai as the object or toy he wants to play with. This ‘play with you’ is phrased the same way as how you would phrase for example ‘play with a doll.’ Jiao Bai also uses it this way in the chapter 21 part 2 when he asks Shen Ji if he wants to play with him.

[3] This is a reference to chapter 22 where Jiao Bai says: “If you play with me, wouldn’t you be eating your own words.” ‘Slapping yourself in the face’ is the literal translation for ‘eating your own words.’ ‘Slap in the face’ has been explained in an earlier footnote.

[4] Uses Laozi here.

[5] 辣眼睛 – literally means ‘stings the eyes’ like when something spicy gets in your eyes. It means that something is so unpleasant to look at that it burns your eyes.

[6] Not sure if it’s clear, but Pikachu is completely inside the rsqzvadqqx-ohmj bnmcnl.