IG: Chapter 6 - The Modern Blue Phoenix Shatters Two Abacuses
Yang Guangsheng rose from the crowd and headed out of the private room. Someone tried to follow him, but he refused. A moment later, Jiang Xinbai also stood up and left the room.
The place Yang Guangsheng had chosen was hardly respectable. Smoke filled the air, raucous cries echoed, and the lighting was dim. In the hallway, both men and women exposed flesh, their eyes sharp as hooks. Jiang Xinbai walked straight through the scene without a sideways glance, following Yang to the restroom.
The restroom was comparatively bright and quiet, like a small oasis in this hedonistic hell.
When he entered, Yang Guangsheng was just emerging from a stall and washing his hands at the sink. Seeing Jiang Xinbai behind him in the mirror, Yang smiled. “Following me?”
Jiang Xinbai replied, “No. I came out for some air. It’s too noisy inside.”
He noticed Yang was still wearing the chain-style collar pin today, its rose-gold diamond pendant trembling and shimmering with his movements as he washed his hands. It suddenly reminded Jiang of some past events.
He felt uncomfortable all over. Turning away, he walked to the sink and began washing his hands. He scrubbed vigorously.
“Scrubbing so hard. Do you have OCD?” Completely unaware of being physically repulsive to someone, Yang Guangsheng shook the water off his hands and turned to look at Jiang Xinbai, speaking affectionately. “You came so late. Were you really working overtime?”
Jiang Xinbai turned to look at Xiao Yang. “Our company has been quite busy lately.”
“Your company?” Yang Guangsheng dried his hands with a paper towel, still watching Jiang. “Which company? Who are you working for now?”
Jiang Xinbai fell silent for a moment before answering, “Industrial Park Two. My old unit.”
“Huh?” Yang Guangsheng looked somewhat shocked. “You went back?”
“Mm.” Jiang Xinbai didn’t elaborate.
But Yang stopped drying his hands. He glanced at the hand soap, then back at Jiang. “You went from being the assistant to the young master of the group back to being a small employee at a branch? That’s like bungee jumping.”
Jiang Xinbai remained expressionless, calm. “There’s nothing unreasonable about it, Xiao Yang. Since I didn’t do well in the assistant role, I returned to my original job.”
“It’s not that you didn’t do well… you actually did quite a good job.”
Yang Guangsheng moved closer, letting Jiang catch a whiff of that long-unfamiliar peach scent.
Yang asked quietly, “General Manager Lin placed you by my side, but when the plan to plant a spy failed, he just sent you back the way you came. Is he really that unrefined?”
Jiang Xinbai’s eyes widened slightly. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. He said nothing. Yang Guangsheng took his reaction as confirmation.
He chuckled twice. “As expected. He sure knows how to pick people. You really are my father’s favorite type.”
Jiang Xinbai still said nothing. So Yang continued.
“At the very least, he could have transferred you to headquarters and given you a higher-paying job. You’re quite capable – though a bit dull, you’re diligent and thorough. My father likes you too. Even if you’re not with me, you’d still have opportunities and a future. Why just toss you back like that? What a waste. And you didn’t even tell me all this time. If you had, I would’ve helped arrange something for you.”
Jiang Xinbai remained silent. Yang Guangsheng snorted. “What, did I hit the nail on the head?”
“…Did Xiao Yang fire me because of General Manager Lin?”
Yang Guangsheng raised an eyebrow at him.
"I've been thinking these past two months about where I went wrong." Jiang Xinbai also took a tissue, lowering his head to wipe his hands. "If that's the reason you're not using me, thank you for telling me today. I feel much better."
"Don't worry about the job." Jiang Xinbai said, "My current job is a good fit, and I'm doing quite well. The minimum requirement for a full-time position at headquarters is a master's degree. Even if I got in, I wouldn't be well-received. I don't want to go."
Yang Guangsheng studied his face. After a moment, he moved closer. His voice softened.
"Silly. If you're my person, even graduating from elementary school is fine. That company belongs to my family."
Jiang Xinbai: "Really, it's not necessary."
"Don't worry." Yang Guangsheng said, "I'll take care of your job. I promise to transfer you to a suitable and satisfying position."
"Then isn't being your assistant suitable?" Jiang Xinbai asked directly, "While working as your assistant, I've actually been learning a lot about game companies."
Yang Guangsheng was taken aback. Then he chuckled softly. He reached out and slapped the back of the tall guy's head.
"You little rascal, you're not teaming up with Lin Shufeng to play the victim card with me, are you?"
"I don't understand what you mean." Jiang Xinbai said, "Manager Lin recommended me as your assistant because Old Yang always thought I was suitable, not because I have any other relationship with Manager Lin. Do you not get along well with Manager Lin?"
"....." Yang Guangsheng stared at him. Finally, he smiled and said, "No. We're actually relatives. We get along fine."
Jiang Xinbai didn't say anything more. He threw the tissue into the trash can and stood aside, waiting for Yang Guangsheng to leave first. But Yang didn't move. Instead, he asked, "Do you want to go to Jiangcheng with me?"
Jiang: "I think I can handle the assistant job."
Yang: "Aren't you afraid I'll harass you again?"
Jiang: "You don't like my type. You said so yourself."
Yang Guangsheng looked at him meaningfully. Then he turned and walked out of the restroom.
Jiang Xinbai followed behind, taking out his phone. He saw a message from Lin Shufeng.
💬: ⦍Did he approach you first?⦎
💬: Lin Shufeng: ⦍How did it go?⦎
Jiang Xinbai replied: ⦍Smoothly⦎
Everything was proceeding according to his thoughts and plans.
Jiang Xinbai felt that his suspicions and judgments about Yang Guangsheng's reactions were correct, and his estimates of his personality, preferences, and way of doing things weren't far off. Most importantly, it seemed luck was also on his side.
Like fishing for big fish. You have to use your brain, sometimes you need to bait the hook, and you can't be afraid to wait. Bait, perseverance, destiny. He probably had all of them. The closer the prey gets, the steadier you must be.
Yang Guangsheng, walking ahead, was also thinking.
ʿ*The kid is quite cute. Got me interested. Want to reel him in and devour him.*ʾ
The two men, each with their own calculations, turned the corner. Jiang Xinbai put down his phone and looked up. Suddenly, he intuitively felt someone's gaze on him, making him extremely uncomfortable. He glanced around and saw a figure disappearing at the end of the hallway.
Yang Guangsheng turned back to look at him: "What are you doing? With legs that long, you walk so slowly."
"....." Jiang Xinbai withdrew his gaze and caught up with Yang Guangsheng's pace.
After returning to the private room, a few of Yang Guangsheng's cronies, under his direction, pressured Jiang Xinbai to drink. Jiang Xinbai showed strong resistance but couldn't completely refuse, ultimately unable to avoid the fate of being forced to drink.
Last time, the complete blackout was indeed an act. It was an excuse to flirt with the boss and retreat unscathed without breaking character.
But he genuinely hated drinking – it made him feel awful, and that wasn’t an act. After just a few glasses, he started feeling dizzy and decided to stop. However, in his daze, he saw a man wearing a hat offering him a toast. He said he wouldn’t drink anymore, but the man was overly enthusiastic, pushing the glass right in front of his mouth and lowering his voice amid the noisy entertainment: "You should at least give some face."
Although Jiang Xinbai didn’t know everyone here, they were at least all friends of Xiao Yang. Suppressing his anger, he drank it, then pushed the glass away.
But the man grabbed his hand, seemingly trying to pull him up.
Just as Jiang Xinbai was puzzled and wanted to take a closer look at the hat-wearing man’s face, Yang Guangsheng walked over at the right moment and sat down beside Jiang Xinbai. The hat-wearing man quickly stood up and left.
Yang had been drinking, but not too much – just a bit tipsy. His hand subtly slid up Jiang Xinbai’s thigh from the knee: "Xiao Bai, I’m tired. Call a designated driver and take me home."
Jiang Xinbai felt the hairs on the touched area stand on end. That electric current continued upward along his leg, stirring a tingling numbness throughout his body. That disgusting yet strange feeling was back. After two months, the memories he had been avoiding resurfaced, as if summoned.
Yang Guangsheng was staring straight at him, playfully observing his expression. So he ignored the feeling, calmly took out his phone, and called a designated driver.
A few minutes later, the driver arrived. Yang Guangsheng bid farewell to his friends, got into the car, and sat beside Jiang Xinbai. Jiang Xinbai shifted slightly away in the opposite direction.
"What’s wrong, afraid I’ll eat you?" Yang Guangsheng leaned over, filling the gap Jiang Xinbai had just created. He smiled and whispered to Jiang, "Didn’t you firmly say I wasn’t interested in your type? So what are you afraid of…"
Yang Guangsheng suddenly sensed something was off. He stopped speaking and carefully observed Xiao Jiang. If someone drank too much, their face would turn red, and their eyes would grow hazy. But they probably wouldn’t sweat or breathe rapidly.
"What’s wrong with you? Not feeling well?" He raised his hand and touched Jiang’s face with concern.
Jiang Xinbai grabbed his wrist like a vise. Yang Guangsheng couldn’t help but cry out in pain: "Fuck, take it easy!"
He saw Jiang Xinbai frowning, his eyes looking abnormal as well.
Startled, he asked, "What’s wrong? Really not feeling well? Let me take you home first."
"...It’s nothing." Jiang Xinbai released his hand. "I’m really sorry, Xiao Yang. I’m a bit dizzy."
He leaned to the other side, closed his eyes, and pretended to sleep. Ever since getting into Yang Guangsheng’s car, Jiang Xinbai had started reacting.
Was it because he had hooked up with Yang Guangsheng here last time after drinking too much, and now it was a conditioned reflex?
...Something’s off. This shouldn’t be happening.
Jiang Xinbai’s body grew increasingly restless and feverish. He began to realize things might not be as simple as they seemed. This feeling… it seemed somewhat familiar… He opened his eyes and turned to look at Yang Guangsheng. Yang was also leaning drowsily against the other window, resting with his eyes closed, looking as if nothing was on his mind.
It probably had nothing to do with him. Yang Guangsheng unbuttoned his collar with his fingers, tugging it slightly to reveal his fair chest.
"....." Jiang Xinbai looked away.
Fuck. Nothing good ever happens when I'm with Yang Guangsheng. Jiang Xinbai figured this was probably the second time in his life he'd been drugged.
He was baffled. Those were all Xiao Yang's friends, there to welcome him back – who would do something like this? And to me? Or was it random poisoning? No way. That's too far-fetched.
Confused, he pressed a hand to his muddled head and tried to think. After a moment, he recalled a figure – the man in the hat. He thought about that guy's build and his voice. Suddenly, it clicked.
It was just a guess, not certain. So he pulled out his phone and turned it on. The harsh light sped up the foggy, hallucinatory process in his mind. He felt even dizzier, squinting as he sent a message to the number he'd called before: ⦍Fuck your mother.⦎
Peter quickly replied with a: ⦍ :) ⦎
138xxxxxxxx: ⦍Gave you triple the dose today⦎