GT chapter 8

Luo Jin was twenty-seven—charming, handsome, successful, and wealthy. He had no shortage of admirers, but he honestly hadn’t dated that many girls.

He had one in college, but not long after they started dating, she went abroad as an exchange student.
They had only just become a couple, so their relationship wasn’t that stable to begin with. The long distance strained things even more, and after barely holding on for a month or two, they decided to part amicably.

Now that girl was married with children abroad, and Luo Jin actually got along quite well with both her and her husband.

His second girlfriend was someone he dated right after starting work. She was four years younger than him—at that age when young girls easily felt insecure. Because they couldn’t meet often, she would throw little tantrums all the time, even trying to limit his social interactions.

At the time, Luo Jin’s career had just begun. Although it was his own family’s company, he still had to build connections himself. He spent every day rushing from one social event to another.

Luo Hui wanted to train his independence, so he rarely helped him with work. Luo Jin was constantly busy, with no time to coax his girlfriend. And since his job required him to interact with female clients or business owners, the girl’s suspicions grew worse. She often cried and questioned him.

He couldn’t balance love and career, and they couldn’t understand each other—so in the end, they broke up.

After that, he hadn’t dated again. He couldn’t have both love and success at once, but he did learn something from those not-so-successful experiences—he wasn’t suited for long-distance relationships, nor for dating someone much younger than him.

“I’m almost thirty, of course I’ve dated,” he replied.

That answer was within Duan Xingchi’s expectations. If Luo Jin had said he’d never dated, that would have been strange.

“What kind of people were they?” Duan asked.

“One was the typical top student—strong-willed, rational. For her, nothing was more important than her future. The other was a little princess—spoiled, clingy, from a wealthy family, never lacking anything, so she made love her top priority. But at that time, I couldn’t give her the kind of relationship she wanted.”

Luo Jin described them simply. After listening, Duan Xingchi commented based on his growing understanding of him, “Sounds like neither of them suited you.”

“Yeah,” Luo Jin agreed. “They were complete opposites—two extremes, really. It’d be great if there were someone right in between.”

“So, you mean a relationship where you spend plenty of time together but still give each other enough personal space?”

“That’s about right.” Luo Jin looked at him. “What about you? Have you ever dated?”

The young master had everything—looks, charm, confidence. And Country Y wasn’t like back home, where dating young was frowned upon. Luo Jin figured Duan Xingchi must’ve had more relationships than he did.

But Duan shook his head. “No.”

“No?” Luo Jin was surprised. “Our young master has such high standards?”

Duan shrugged casually. “Maybe a bit. But when I like someone, I have to have them.”

Luo Jin teased, “Then I guess you haven’t met anyone you like yet.”

Duan Xingchi’s gaze moved from Luo Jin’s hand holding the spatula to his face. He didn’t answer. Luo Jin’s words seemed to fall flat between them. When he turned to look back, their eyes met—Duan Xingchi smiled slightly. “Not exactly.”

Hearing that, Luo Jin figured he must already have someone in mind. His curiosity sparked immediately. “So who’s caught our young master’s eye?”

Duan Xingchi stared at him. “I’m not telling you.”

“Alright, fine,” Luo Jin laughed. “Then when do you plan to start pursuing them?”

That question seemed to stump Duan Xingchi. The person probably wasn’t easy to pursue.

He answered honestly, “I haven’t figured that out yet.”

Luo Jin could hear the uncertainty and hesitation in his voice, which contrasted sharply with the confident “I always get what I want” he’d said just moments ago.

“What’s wrong? Our young master is so perfect—how could you not be confident?”

Duan Xingchi suddenly asked, “Ge, if I liked you, would you be with me?”

The air froze for a second.

Hot oil from the pan splattered onto Luo Jin’s hand. He flinched, the spatula clattering loudly into the pan.

He coughed awkwardly. “Ah?”

“Look how scared you are,” Duan Xingchi said with a smile. “I was just joking. I mean, sometimes even if you’re confident, things don’t always go your way.”

“Oh, I see.” Luo Jin pretended to relax and picked the spatula back up.

He told Duan Xingchi about his upcoming business trip on Monday night. Each of them was holding a plate of fruit.

“I have a morning flight to City B tomorrow for work. I’ll be gone at least a week, so you’ll have to manage by yourself these few days.”

Duan Xingchi bit a grape in half, the juice spilling from between his lips and teeth, staining his shirt. He looked down at the faint purple mark on his collar.

“Why are you only telling me now?”

He said it like a statement rather than a question, and Luo Jin could sense a bit of annoyance. He froze, unsure how to respond, and finally promised sincerely, “Next time, I’ll tell you earlier.”

“Alright.”

Duan Xingchi replied simply, his eyes fixed on the TV. The lights in the living room were dim—perfect for watching movies—but the shadows on his face made it hard to read his expression.

He didn’t touch the grapes again. Luo Jin studied his face. “What’s wrong? You’re not happy?”

Duan Xingchi shook his head. He didn’t want Luo Jin to think he was being dramatic or petty. It was just that he disliked being told things at the last minute—especially since Luo Jin was the only person he knew here. During the day, he often found himself waiting for Luo Jin to come home. And now, all of a sudden, he’d been told he’d have to spend a whole week alone in this big, empty villa.

“I’ve already arranged for your meals,” Luo Jin said. “The driver will bring them on time every day.”

“I know.”

Luo Jin could tell that Duan Xingchi was embarrassed to admit he was upset. After all, the young master had his pride.

As he thought about what gift to bring back to coax him with, he couldn’t help but secretly feel pleased—pleased that the young master actually couldn’t bear to see him go.

See? There really wasn’t anyone whose relationship he couldn’t handle.

…..

Early the next morning, when Luo Jin left, it was only six o’clock. Duan Xingchi’s bedroom door was still closed, and Lin Beibei was waiting for him at the entrance. Luo Jin left a note and headed out.

When the sound of the front door opening and closing reached upstairs, Duan Xingchi finally came out of his room. In truth, he’d already been awake when Luo Jin got up.

He went downstairs, and perhaps because he knew Luo Jin wouldn’t be home that day, the entire villa felt even emptier than usual.

On the dining table, he saw the note.

“Xingchi, first of all, I’m sorry. I promise to tell you earlier next time—don’t be mad, okay? If anything comes up, you can call me. Take good care of yourself. I’ll try to come back as soon as possible.”

Duan Xingchi folded the note, tightened his grip around it, and muttered softly, “That’s more like it.”

…..

In the car, Lin Beibei handed Luo Jin his breakfast.

“You made this again?”

“Of course.”

Leaning against the seat with her eyes closed, Lin Beibei looked like she was resting, but Luo Jin sometimes wondered if she ever got tired. She’d come to pick him up at six in the morning, somehow managing to put on a full face of makeup and make breakfast—all before spending twenty minutes driving to meet him.

“Did young master Duan wake up?”

“No, not yet. He usually gets up after eight. I told him last night that I was going on a business trip—he wasn’t too happy about it.”

“Why?”

“Maybe he thought I told him too late.”

Lin Beibei smiled brightly. “Looks like you are getting along quite well with young master Duan, Mr. Luo.”

At that, Luo Jin couldn’t help but feel a little proud. “Of course.”

The weather in City B was much cooler than in City G. After being in such hot weather for so long, stepping off the plane and feeling the crisp air made Luo Jin feel completely refreshed. His suit finally matched the temperature.

He and Lin Beibei headed to the hotel. After unpacking and resting for a bit, they went to inspect the land that afternoon.

It was rare to find such a large vacant lot amid the city’s skyscrapers, so it was no surprise it was in high demand.

“This piece of land was actually bought years ago,” Lin Beibei explained. “No one knows why it’s been left undeveloped for so long. Only this year did the owner’s whole family emigrate to Malaysia, so they decided to sell all their domestic assets. You could say they had good foresight.”

With his hands behind his back, Luo Jin scanned the entire open area. Not far away, other people in suits like him were also inspecting the land—likely competitors he’d see again at the auction.

“It’s thirty-six mu—that’s about 22,600 square meters. The auction price could reach thirty to fifty thousand per square meter, which means we need to prepare at least seven hundred million yuan.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Luo,” Lin Beibei said confidently. “Leave that to me. You just bid boldly. No matter how much we invest now, once the development is complete, the profits will multiply many times over.”

Lin Beibei had once been Luo Hui’s trusted assistant, so her words always gave Luo Jin a sense of reassurance. Looking at the land again, he already felt victory within reach.

The auction was scheduled for Thursday, but Luo Jin’s goal wasn’t just to secure this plot—he also wanted to look around for other promising properties and handle post-purchase matters, which would take at least a week.

Still, before the auction, there wasn’t much to do. He could afford to relax a bit and enjoy some leisure time in City B.

“Want to go to Zhonggang?” Luo Jin asked.

Lin Beibei shook her head. Zhonggang was a street full of bars, and even though she wasn’t on duty at the company, drinking with her boss still didn’t feel appropriate. “I’ll pass, Mr. Luo. I got up too early this morning. I’m going back for a beauty nap.”

“Fair enough. I’ll meet up with Lu Zhiyan and Pei Xinan—they’re both around here lately.”

They parted ways, and Luo Jin called Lu Zhiyan.

The moment the call connected, he could hear Lu Zhiyan’s uneven breathing and slightly husky voice. “Luo Jin.”

Just from that tone, Luo Jin understood immediately. “No way, Ah Yan—already getting frisky in broad daylight?”

Before Lu Zhiyan could respond, Pei Xinan grabbed the phone. His voice was hoarse and full of mock indignation. “Jin-ge, how is it ‘frisky in daylight’? Lu Zhiyan’s a beast. We haven’t seen each other for ages, and he’s been going since last night!”

The words had barely left his mouth when Luo Jin heard a sharp slap sound—who knows where Pei Xinan got hit.

“You two really have no shame,” Luo Jin said, laughing. “Enough fun. Come out tonight and drink with me.”

“You’re in City B?”

“Yeah, came to bid on a piece of land.”

“Alright. Pick a place and send us the address.”

“Got it.”

Luo Jin wandered around Nanjing Plaza for a bit, and when night fell, he headed to Zhonggang and chose a quiet bar. The bars here weren’t noisy—the kind frequented by white-collar professionals who came to unwind after work. No DJs, no dance floor—just a singer with a guitar performing soft, slow folk songs.

The place wasn’t crowded yet, and the dim lighting added a relaxed atmosphere. Not wanting to disturb Lu Zhiyan and Pei Xinan’s “romantic” mood, Luo Jin ordered a bottle of liquor first and texted them the address after finishing his first glass.

About an hour later, the bar had filled up, and he spotted two familiar figures walking through the door.

They were wearing matching hoodies and identical jeans—like twins.

“Seriously? You two came here just to show off in front of me?”

Pei Xinan slumped into his seat, exhausted. “He’s fine. I’m not fine.”

“Yeah, you look like you’re not fine,” Luo Jin chuckled. “Eat some meat, you’ll need the energy.”

He raised his hand to call the waiter over and pushed the menu toward the couple.

“When are you going back?”

“The day after tomorrow. You?”

“I’ll need about a week or two, not sure yet.”

Lu Zhiyan leaned back in his seat, looking at him while his hand rested behind Pei Xinan, kneading the waist of his boyfriend, who had been worn out the whole day.

Luo Jin felt like he couldn’t even bear to look.

“I heard President Duan sent his son to stay at your place?”

“Yeah. At first, I thought it’d be a hassle, but after a few days together, it’s actually not bad.”

Hearing this, Pei Xinan perked up and cut in with interest. “Which President Duan? The one from Maifeli Jewelry?”

“Yeah, that’s him.”

Pei Xinan gave Luo Jin a meaningful glance, but in the dim light, Luo Jin didn’t notice. Just then, the drinks they ordered were brought to the table.

Pei Xinan couldn’t drink for now, so Luo Jin and Lu Zhiyan simply set down their glasses and drank straight from the bottle.