Jin Shaoyan said somewhat awkwardly, "The recent revival of artistic and literary styles is what led us to make this decision..."
"Artistic style? The formal term for pornography?"
I noticed that Jin Shaoyan was briefly embarrassed after I said that. He awkwardly downed the wine in his glass, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and after a short pause, quickly pulled out a contract and handed it to me, saying, "You can take a look at this. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, we can discuss it further."
Our recent meetings seem to revolve entirely around paper. I picked it up and glanced at it; the terms were excellent and favorable to us. But that's secondary; I still don't know what he's really up to. I threw the paper on the table and said, "In fact, Miss Wang is completely disillusioned with your company. She's decided never to return. She plans to spend the rest of her life with Juhua."
Jin Shaoyan poured himself another glass of wine, looking helpless, and said in a sullen voice, "Can you try to persuade her?"
I chuckled and said, "I do need to advise her to stay away from you. We're just small fry; we can't afford to outsmart you." I had already taken out my phone. I didn't want to beat around the bush anymore; I wanted to find out what he was thinking as quickly as possible.
Jin Shaoyan suddenly jumped up, pointed at my nose, and cursed: "Xiao Qiang, you bastard! You said you would come to me later, but not only did you ignore me, you also sabotaged me at every turn."
I never imagined someone like him could have such a berserk moment, so I gripped the brick and watched him warily. Jin Shaoyan leaned closer and shouted, "Smash! Smash! 5 million per brick..."
I was stunned. 5 million per brick? What does that mean?
Seeing that I hadn't reacted yet, Jin Shaoyan called out with a mournful face, "Brother Qiang, it's me!"
That "Brother Qiang"... it sounded so familiar, so familiar... so familiar it made my eyes sting. A brother I used to call Jin 2 used to call me that, though Jin 1 had called me that too, but it wasn't the same tone. At that moment, I dialed the number for my mind-reading ability. Jin Shaoyan's thoughts seemed incredibly complex and turbulent. On the phone screen, scenes flashed by rapidly: drinking Moutai at a Western restaurant, eating barbecue at a street stall, playing cards in a hotel...
I stood up blankly: "It's...you?"
Jin 2 opened his arms and rushed towards me: "Brother Qiang, I'm back!"
I smiled and waved to him, then opened my arms in return.
The next moment, Jin Shaoyan, caught off guard, was grabbed by the neck by me. I shook him like a plastic curtain in a storm, and said viciously, "Give me back my money—"
Jin Shaoyan rolled his eyes and kept saying, "Uh...uh!"
...
After we finished being intimate, I asked Jin Shaoyan with a grin, "How did you 'get back'?"
Jin Shaoyan rubbed his neck and looked at me with a complaint, saying, "Do you remember when you paid me back at the Chinese restaurant last time?"
I slammed my fist on the table: "What do you mean 'repay your money'? You're trying to extort me!"
Jin Shaoyan quickly shrank back: "Yes, yes, that day was a nightmare. I wish you had given me 500,000 in counterfeit money."
I said, "I'm a law-abiding citizen—get to the point!"
Jin Shaoyan said, "It rained that day. After you went in, you gave your coat to the supervisor and asked him to dry it for you..."
I immediately understood: "You took that pill?"
Jin Shaoyan nodded.
"How did it end up in your hands?"
"After you left, the foreman noticed that you had left your clothes behind. Since he saw that we were together, he naturally entrusted your clothes to me for safekeeping."
I glanced at him sideways and said, "I can't believe someone like you would steal."
Jin Shaoyan quickly waved his hand: "No, the foreman was about to give me the clothes, but before I could take them, the medicine fell onto my leg. I didn't touch your clothes at all."
I chuckled and said, "Do you think I'm stupid? Since you saw where it fell from, why don't you return it?"
Jin Shaoyan blushed: "...I originally wanted to return it, but you know how delicious it looked..."
"So you just took it as Viagra?"
Unexpectedly, Jin Shaoyan became extremely nervous, shaking his head repeatedly: "No, no, no. I just thought it was a new chewing gum. How could I have taken Viagra?"
I guessed what he was avoiding, and asked him with a smile, "And then you thought of Shishi?"
Jin Shaoyan said, "To be honest, I thought of you first, Brother Qiang, and all the little things you've done for me..."
I spat and said, "Then you still remembered Shishi and wanted your brother Qiang to do another little bit of a ritual for you?" I asked him, "When did you realize that?"
Jin Shaoyan said, "After taking your medicine and taking a nap, I remembered everything. By the way, Brother Qiang, what is that?"
At that moment, I was confused too. The medicine was supposed to make me remember my past life. I said, "What else do you remember? Who were you in your past life?"
Jin Shaoyan shrugged: "What past life?"
I understand a little. The efficacy of this medicine is probably limited to a life-or-death experience. Jin Shaoyan has died once, so the medicine reminded him of his experiences as Jin 2.
I gave him a brief explanation, and Jin Shaoyan laughed, "Looks like I missed quite a few good shows after I left."
I threw a pistachio on his head: "You little rascal, you remembered a long time ago, why are you only coming to find me now?"
Jin Shaoyan said awkwardly, "I don't know how to face you. I don't think I've done anything decent lately. I want to make up for my image first, so that you'll have a good impression of me before I decide whether to tell you or not."
I picked up my wine glass and said, "Keep pretending. Still calling yourself Mr. Xiao, still calling yourself an artsy type? Why don't you stop pretending now?"
Jin Shaoyan finished another glass of wine, his face flushed, and asked, "Is Shishi really angry with me?"
I sighed softly, "Some things can't be said. It's very hurtful to curse a monk in front of him."
Jin Shaoyan's face turned pale: "Why can't your medicine make people forget other things while reminding them of some things?" As he spoke, he reached for the wine bottle again, but I snatched it away.
Jin Shaoyan smiled faintly and said, "I'm fine."
"I know you're alright, leave some for me!"
Now I understand his sinister intentions, and I asked him, "Did you prepare this wine especially for me? Did you want to get me drunk and trick me into telling you something?"