HOYSE CHAPTER 7

Chapter 6 – “Pretty hot-headed for someone so young, huh?”

Rong Jing had no idea how long Xie Ling had been standing there watching him. Just the thought of someone staring at him while he slept made his skin crawl. Whatever kink Xie Ling had, Rong Jing felt they needed to talk.

“You followed me?”

“Heh.” Xie Ling let out a scoff.

Thinly veiled mockery, as if to say: You think I would need to?

Full marks for derision. Very Xie Ling.

Rong Jing suddenly wondered if he was still half-asleep. What about him was worth following? And if Xie Ling really wanted to tail someone, he would not do it so brazenly.

“Do I look like a ghost? What is that expression?” Xie Ling asked.

“Of course you are not a ghost,” Rong Jing said.

Keep popping up like this and you are scarier than one.

Who would not freak out waking to a person in the room? The fact that I did not swing first is already me being a model little brother. 

Unfortunately, he cannot afford to offend him so better keep quiet.

Xie Ling watched Rong Jing fold the hotel quilt with methodical precision, then take the clothes on the rack and tuck them neatly into a bag, focused and unbothered, treating him like air.

It was the first time Xie Ling had seen a hotel guest fold the bedding. And he folded it into perfect crisp blocks. Xie Ling admired soldiers, so seeing his little brother with this kind of habit oddly put him in a good mood. His eyes felt soothed.

Was Rong Jing always like this?

After adulthood, Rong Jing had rarely stayed at the Xie house. Xie Ling barely remembered.

Something about him felt different, as if his attitude toward Xie Ling had softened the tiniest bit. That immovable wall between them had a hairline crack.

Barely noticeable. Almost an illusion.

For ten years, his little brother hid at the sight of him, and shook like a sieve whenever he spoke, as if Xie Ling were some scourge.

After too many cold shoulders, even he got tired of trying. When they did meet, he mostly resorted to discipline, soft or hard, whatever worked. Otherwise, what if the kid grew crooked?

If he had not sensed a subtle change in their phone call, and if they had not happened to run into each other, Xie Ling would not have come. He was not a masochist who showed up just to be rejected by his own brother.

Xie Ling pressed his fingers to the corner of his mouth, pushing the urge to smile away. He stood and yanked open the heavy curtains. Light flooded the room and made the two of them plain as day.

Assistant Zhou Xiang appeared at the door and knocked.

“President Xie, the evaluation report for XieLier is out.” He nodded to the two brothers who had never quite gotten along. “Young Master, long time no see.”

Rong Jing dipped his chin in greeting. Long time indeed. Ever since the original had fallen out with the Xie family, he had simply stopped going home.

“When you are done, come out,” Xie Ling said, walking into the hall. He took the tablet Zhou Xiang handed him and began reading, as if waiting for Rong Jing.

Rong Jing glanced at him, surprised. In his memory, this big brother had no patience for the original and would leave after a few curt words, let alone wait.

Xie Ling was well known in finance for his priceless time and stingy nature. People joked that talking to him was billed in USD, the famed skin-flayer. In an interview he had once said he did not like waiting, because no one’s time was more valuable than his.

The original’s fear of Xie Ling was not baseless. Whatever he did, Xie Ling radiated dominance, a strong sense of control.

But Rong Jing was a beat slow by nature and did not fully receive the man’s pressure. With someone he barely knew, he would not force himself to rebel. He finished packing quickly and followed Xie Ling out without fuss.

Sharp-eyed Zhou Xiang fell in behind them and took the shopping bags Rong Jing had bought yesterday.

Xie Ling eyed the bags with clear displeasure. “You plan to wear that junk to a banquet?” What a mess.

Easy to misread. The original had heard similar lines before and always took them as mockery of his humble background, as if Xie Ling looked down on him.

In truth, they came from different worlds, with different views.

Same words, different angles, wildly different readings.

Seeing Rong Jing close up again, Xie Ling pressed harder. “I will have someone custom make you a suit. A Xie should at least be dressed properly.”

Rong Jing had his own taste. Custom was great, but outside formal events it would not get much wear.

He preferred to style himself. No one knew his needs better than he did.

He could tell Xie Ling was not sneering, just merely disapproving.

“Those are just for daily wear. No need to custom anything. Feels too stuffy.” He lightened the stiffness with a playful lift. “Doesn’t this make me look a few years younger?”

Zhou Xiang had braced for another cold war. Seeing the Young Master smooth it over, he exhaled hard. God, if this ended badly again, the vice president would brood for days.

Xie Ling looked him over. A cream off-white hoodie from a fast-fashion brand, black casual pants. Ordinary clothes, but on Rong Jing they looked good, and made his legs seem even longer.

Xie Ling did not object further, only sneered, “So you are saying I am stuffy?”

His gaze slid to the metal frame on the corridor wall, to the blurred reflection within. Still in his prime.

Rong Jing realized Xie Ling wore nothing but bespoke. He had not meant it that way. Would their brotherhood just get colder from one misread after another?

He offered a suggestion. “Your suits… I cannot tell them apart. You look about my age. Maybe try other colors next time?”

From memory, Xie Ling’s wardrobe rotated among glossy black, deep black, and matte black.

It looked flashy to Xie Ling, but he was a little pleased by the meaning beneath Rong Jing’s words. His eyes softened.

The more they talked, the stranger it felt. In ten years, Rong Jing had never spoken so naturally to him, and had never dared to offer opinions.

“Do you remember what I said yesterday?” Xie Ling suspected he did not. In the Xie family, who would ever take his words lightly? Only this kid.

“I did not forget. I already bought clothes for the banquet.”

By the elevator stood two Omegas. They had changed clothes and even gender presentation; Rong Jing did not recognize that one of them was the drunk he had carried back last night. He only noticed that as they approached, one Omega with a stunning presence tensed up.

It was subtle. People tense when they are nervous or short of breath.

Rong Jing remembered that some Omegas in this world were very sensitive to scent. He paused, then gestured to Xie Ling to take the stairs around the elevator.

It was a little more trouble for them, but more comfortable space for the Omega.

Xie Ling found it odd, but if Rong Jing wanted exercise, he had no reason to object. At the restaurant entrance, Xie Ling stopped and looked at him.

In the past, Rong Jing avoided him, except for those few years as a kid when he had no choice. They had drifted apart for years. He could not remember the last proper conversation, much less a meal alone. 

And now he was willing to have breakfast. Could a person change this much?

Under that dark stare, Rong Jing got goosebumps. Xie Ling’s eyes were very black, and when he looked seriously, they were cold and deep, carrying a storm-bearing edge.

Rong Jing shifted. “What is it?”

Xie Ling narrowed his eyes. “Inside first.”

The server led them to a window table. Xie Ling sat without moving and deliberately said, “Get me something, anything.”

He connected his tablet. On the other end of the ocean, it was still night; a video report from a branch office played in his earphones as he listened and replied now and then.

Rong Jing could feel Xie Ling’s hot-and-cold, the occasional probing glance.

No way he was not nervous. Xie Ling was smart and quick, not easy to fool. But Rong Jing did not want to act. He did not even know if he could ever go back. If he could not, was he supposed to play the original forever?

Most people would never imagine a swapped soul.

Even he had needed days to accept he was in another world. Who would jump to that conclusion?

Still, Xie Ling had noticed his changes. That surprised him.

He had worried more about the original’s mother. He did not expect this unfamiliar big brother to be the first to catch on.

Whatever churned inside, Rong Jing kept a calm face. He was a minimalist with expressions. He picked dishes from memory of Xie Ling’s tastes and sent them over.

This hotel did buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Unlike others, its Chinese offerings were lavish.

The Cantonese dim sum alone came in dizzying variety. He even saw a few foreign guests already onto their thirtieth plates.

While discussing the report, Xie Ling kept observing Rong Jing. Same face, but the temperament had transformed.

Several Betas and even some Omegas sent flirty looks his way. Seeing his little brother this popular gave Xie Ling a quiet pride.

But the kid did not look left or right, either oblivious to the attention or simply did not care.

It felt like Rong Jing had grown up where he could not see it, and he had missed a lot. Something hollowed in Xie Ling’s chest.

Rong Jing returned with breakfast, categorized by type, and even brought a bowl of scallion noodles, asking the chef to add lard.

Right. No one but family knew Xie Ling liked lard in his mixed noodles and rice. This was his little brother, no doubt about it.

One thing different: the old Rong Jing had rejected the Xies like a plague and seemed ready to hate them for life. Now, the hostility toward Xie Ling had subsided.

Once he sat down, the server brought tea. Xie Ling personally poured him a glass of hot milk.

Rong Jing glanced at it. Xie Ling said lightly, “For calcium.”

Rong Jing doubted he would grow at his age, but he did not argue. To give Xie Ling face, he drained it in one go.

Satisfied, Xie Ling asked offhand, “How is the breakfast here? Any thoughts?”

He did not expect anything useful. Just forcing a topic.

“You can tell they put thought into it. Most hotel buffets lean Western and all taste the same, lukewarm in the stomach. Here, there are many Chinese dishes. The ingredients are fresh, the flavors authentic. The Cantonese dim sum is especially popular.” Rong Jing spoke while glancing at the bustling buffet area. A comforting, distinctive breakfast added a lot of points. 

Even the warm boat congee in his bowl made him feel the money was not wasted. His tone was mild, his pace unhurried. It felt sincere and made people want to listen.

Last life, he had shot a magazine cover in country M around Christmas. The location was near Chinatown. On Christmas Day, ninety percent of stores were closed and the streets were empty. Only Chinatown bustled, with lines outside every Chinese restaurant, mostly locals.

Cantonese dim sum tended to suit Western palates, and this hotel’s version had that slightly sweet tilt he remembered. From details that tiny, he could tell the operators had done their homework, considering both Chinese and Western guests.

He bit into a char siu rice roll. Those memories felt like yesterday. His eyes softened with nostalgia. The new world was interesting and not bad at all, but he still wanted to go back.

Human nature. Most people prefer the familiar, where the people and career they know are. If he could remember who Gu Xi was, would that be his way back?

Sensing Rong Jing’s sudden dip in mood, Xie Ling placed a crab roe soup dumpling in his bowl. “Eat more.”

Rong Jing paused, bowing his head to swallow the rising sting and warmth.

Hearing the neat praise, Xie Ling cleared his throat. “The breakfast team is a state five-star chef on a high salary.”

“No wonder,” Rong Jing nodded. Few hotels bothered to invest in breakfast. Most treated it as a free add-on. This place went the other way, and the price made sense.

“You graduated months ago. Thought about doing something else? Or are you dead set on acting?” It was a test wrapped in small talk.

Other than Father Xie, Xie Ling had been the most opposed to Rong Jing taking the film academy exam. Act? For what? Was the family out of rice? Why should he parade himself in public?

“What I said can be done through observation. Business suits you better, big brother. I know my limits,” Rong Jing replied, thinking he was being tested for ambition. After all, Xie Family’s second young master always thought the original wanted to steal the inheritance.

“Learning to flatter now? Your allowance is capped this month. No increase.” Xie Ling paused, then added a rare encouragement. “You have a knack for this. At least you spotted what makes XieLier different. Many your age do not even have their eyes in the right place.”

Xie… XieLier?

Wasn’t that the hotel name? No way.

Rong Jing stared, finally catching up to why Xie Ling knew his room number and could waltz right in.

Xie Ling’s expression shifted. His tone turned dangerous. “You really forgot?”

Damn, he was pissed.

So his little brother cared this little? He dared to ignore everything about his own big brother?

This brother was not worth keeping!

“No,” Rong Jing said at once, masking his shock and burying his head in food.

The original had never seen himself as a Xie. Why would he care about their properties, let alone Xie Ling’s acquisitions? If the original had not known, how could he?

“You did not forget paying your own bill, hmm?” Xie Ling muttered, still stuck on it.

“...”

“Pretty hot-headed for someone so young, huh?”

“...”

“What, wings grown in, ready to cut me off?”

The more he spoke, the colder he got, actually starting to fume.

No one dared sit near them. Xie Ling’s pressure was palpable. Only Rong Jing sat unscathed, while servers circled nervously, recognizing the boss.

Rong Jing noticed the atmosphere and struggled under the barrage. He could also tell Xie Ling was not the cold snob the original had believed, nor did he despise his origins.

He simply excused himself by saying he needed to return to campus today and slipped away.

Before he left, Xie Ling made him add his WeChat, still strong-arming it. To his surprise, Rong Jing agreed instead of dodging as usual.

After ten years, Xie Ling finally had his little brother on WeChat. He resisted the urge to peek at Moments and only said coolly to the guy who always wanted to run from him, “Now that you have added me, do not vanish. What happened yesterday, I do not want a repeat.”

The first bit, Rong Jing heard it for what it was: keep in touch.

The second bit… what happened yesterday? Taking an Omega to a hotel? As if he had wanted to. What, should he have put the Omega in his own room? His chastity did not count?

Rong Jing declined the lobby manager’s offer to call a taxi. During rush hour, taxis got stuck till you doubted life.

As the saying went, in a first-tier city commute you either get stuck, get squished, or both.

He checked the map. There was a subway line directly to the film academy, less than a ten-minute walk.

On the other side of the lobby, back turned to him at the front desk, stood Gu Xi and his friend Guan Hongyi.

They wanted to settle yesterday’s room charge, only to be told it had already been paid.

Guan Hongyi was reluctant. “Can I know who brought me here? I want to pay him back.”

The receptionist still remembered the golden-haired beauty from last night who, by morning, had become a delicate young man.

People still struggled with cross-dressing.

Guan Hongyi could feel the sidelong looks. He was used to it and did not care.

With perfect courtesy, the receptionist slid over a slip of paper with an address. “The gentleman said if you want to repay, please send it here.”

Guan Hongyi glanced down. XX Film Academy, Class of 2012. Recipient: Lei Feng.

He and Gu Xi looked at each other and could not help laughing.

“So he is from the film academy too? Your junior?”

Gu Xi nodded. He had graduated early. By count, Class of 2012 did make him a junior.

The receptionist felt awkward. Who would have thought their young master calculated this closely

Usually rich second-gens were lavish. This one was… a different kind of fireworks.

It read like: I helped you, but since we are strangers, to spare you guilt, let us keep the money straight.

Of course, if the other party had not insisted, the front desk would not have produced the slip. Rong Jing had planned to pay it all anyway. That much grace he believed he had.

“I do not need the name now. At least give me a room number, so I can say thanks,” Guan Hongyi pressed. A rare specimen like that would be a waste to let go.

The front desk kept apologizing. They could not disclose guest information. Rules were rules.

“Not even to say thanks?”

“Really sorry,” the receptionist smiled, still refusing. President Xie had given the order personally.

“And the guest has already left.” In fact, eleven o’clock behind you, he just walked out.

Gu Xi knew exactly what Guan Hongyi was thinking. He tugged him away and murmured, “Do not make it hard for them.” Their attitude made it obvious. They would never say.

Guan Hongyi sighed. “I just cannot bear to let it go. If you had seen him, you would not be able to either.”

Gu Xi smiled faintly. The late-summer breeze rippled a pool of spring water. The smallest curve of his lips was still breathtaking.

Seeing that, Guan Hongyi realized he was overthinking.

People lost control over Gu Xi. Gu Xi would not lose it over anyone.

Not even a little.

---

Buffet restaurant

After Rong Jing left, Xie Ling’s face cooled at once. He had just stood when someone burst in. The newcomer’s hair was dyed a blazing red, aura flamboyant, every item on him worth a fortune, like a walking ATM.

“Brother Xie, wait!”

Xie Ling glanced over and recognized a local celebrity from Hushi whom the younger generation jokingly called Crown Prince, the sole heir of the Wu family. Still in college, generous with friends, clear on favors and grudges. The family had moved from black to white, but the old airs lingered. He was loud and arrogant.

“Young Master Wu.”

Wu Fuyu (pronounced “Fu”) did not care about Xie Ling’s frosty face. Xie was not his generation.

Though only a decade older, Xie Ling already held real power, the model child of other people’s parents. Even Wu Fuyu would not dare put on airs before him.

He had been massaged all night, but his neck still throbbed. The hospital X-rays said it was only a sprain, nothing serious.

Their looks had screamed liar. Wu Fuyu had been so angry he could not sleep. He was in so much pain he almost peed himself, and they called it nothing? Were they blind?

He was going to find that f***ing bastard if it killed him.

He had poured his heart into a portrait and shoved it at Xie Ling, hoping he would help track the man down.

His family had roots in Hushi, with little pull in the capital. Best to ask the local snake.

Xie Ling looked at the so-called portrait without a change in expression.

Behind him, Zhou Xiang’s mouth twitched as he eyed the Wu heir’s mysterious confidence.

A stick-figure monster. Where were they supposed to find someone off this?

Find him? Over my dead body.

Who on earth looked like Godzilla?

---

 PREVIOUS           TOC           NEXT