Chapter 26: Lost All Reason

Chapter 26: Utterly Unhinged

Lin Xie froze.

Xu Xingli pursed his lips, then decided to explain, "I've checked out a few places, but the timings never quite worked. You probably have some good recommendations, right? I'd feel more at ease with your help."

Since the semester began, he’d been searching for a suitable part-time job. However, between his studies and piano practice, he’d tried a few overnight shifts, but the daytime exhaustion was unbearable. Moreover, Uncle Liu was easy to manage, but Xu Zhou was like a human radar. If Xu Xingli wasn't home by 10 PM, the full-scale bombardment would begin.

Xu Xingli was deeply troubled by the incessant nagging from this "old man." But today, it suddenly dawned on him: Lin Xie must have excellent part-time job recommendations! He’d had a living, breathing friend right beside him all this time and hadn't even considered it.

Lin Xie blinked, processing the information for a few seconds. After a moment of thought, she said, "The coffee shop is still hiring. I'll take you there tomorrow."

Xu Xingli smiled, nodding his immediate agreement.

After Lin Xie left, Xu Xingli didn't bother with any more activities. He settled back into his seat and pulled out an exam paper.

Jian Ran hadn't left either. He dragged his chair over to Xu Xingli's side, repeatedly tapping the desk with his pen. After a warning from Xu Xingli, he switched to twirling it, but he still couldn't hold his tongue.

"No, Li, do you really have to find a part-time job somewhere else?"

Xu Xingli glanced at him, humming in response.

Jian Ran pouted, lowering his eyes slightly. He’d known for a long time that Xu Xingli was looking for a part-time job. He was a thousand percent in favor of the idea, but a hundred thousand percent against Xu Xingli working anywhere else.

"Li, there's really no need. I told you I need a playmate, five figures a month. The only condition is your surname is Xu and your given name is Xingli. How’s that for a coincidence? It’s perfect!" He’d held back and held back, but he couldn’t resist. He chattered incessantly next to Xu Xingli, earnestly promoting himself.

Xu Xingli’s ears ached from listening. He tossed down his pen and made a 'mute' gesture: "Stop joking, Jian Ran."

Jian Ran looked at him with a hint of resentment.

Xu Xingli sighed, "I don't need your money."

Jian Ran retorted, twisting his words, "That's not my money, it's my parents'! It's my grandparents'! It's not mine anyway!"

Xu Xingli: "..."

He pursed his lips, blinked, and said, "It'll be yours sooner or later anyway. Besides, if I don't want your money, I certainly can't take your parents' and grandparents' money."

Jian Ran's throat tightened. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word. Finally, he could only collapse onto the desk in grief and indignation, only to be unceremoniously dismissed by Xu Xingli.

"Ah!" He leaned back in his chair, letting out a dramatic sigh. He casually picked up a book, but before he could flip a few pages, his phone rang.

He pulled it out and glanced at it, immediately typing. Just as he was about to hit send, he remembered the person next to him.

"Li," he called.

"Hmm," Xu Xingli responded without lifting his head.

"A friend of mine opened a club. He invited me tonight. Are you coming?"

Xu Xingli blurted out, "No..."

Before he could finish, Jian Ran interrupted him, "Come on, come on! There's no class tomorrow, and a lot of people will be there. It'll definitely be lively tonight. I heard there's even a band performance. Besides, you're starting your part-time job tomorrow, so you won't have time to spend with me anymore. Just pretend I can't bear to be without you, and this is the last time you'll accompany me."

Xu Xingli pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and was silent for a moment before asking, "Do they have pineapple coconut liqueur there?"

Jian Ran smiled, snapped his fingers, and said, "Absolutely! Young Master Xu has spoken. If you want stars, Brother Jian will even pluck them for you."

Xu Xingli curled his lips, glanced at him, and waved his hand, telling him to stop talking nonsense.

The two agreed to meet at the school gate at 9 PM. After that, Jian Ran went to his tutoring class, and Xu Xingli went to the office to catch up on his work.

Xu Xingli left the office precisely on time. He had already told Uncle Liu not to pick him up today.

He quickly hopped down the steps. As soon as he reached downstairs, a distant, muffled clamor reached his ears.

"?" Xu Xingli stopped, frowned, and looked around.

At this hour, there were few people left at school. Xu Xingli followed the sound and saw the brightly lit convenience store not far away.

A group of laughing students was gathered inside the store. The sound must have come from them.

Xu Xingli unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. He shrugged, and just as he was about to leave, Jian Ran's call came in.

"Li! I'm waiting for you at the gate! Are you out yet?"

"Almost," Xu Xingli replied, hurrying towards the school gate.

Midway, the noisy sounds grew fainter and less distinct. Xu Xingli couldn't help but glance at the convenience store a few more times, but he didn't notice anything unusual.

Jian Ran stood at the gate, peering inside. Seeing him come out, he immediately pulled him into the car, had him buckle his seatbelt, and told the driver to start.

Half an hour later, the car stopped at the club's entrance. The two entered the club side by side.

The high-end club was sumptuously decorated. The mingled scents of cigars, alcohol, and cologne were somewhat pungent at first, making Xu Xingli furrow his brow.

Jian Ran was already accustomed to it. He familiarly put his arm around Xu Xingli's shoulder and headed upstairs.

Everyone they met along the way greeted them—mostly Jian Ran, of course. However, Xu Xingli didn't like socializing in such settings. He kept his eyes down, pretending to be aloof, which made him feel much more relaxed as no one actively approached him.

Jian Ran first led him to an empty private room. Then he said something to a waiter nearby, and soon, a selection of drinks was placed in front of them.

"Try this," Jian Ran gestured with his chin towards one of the milky-white fruit wines. "I don't know how it tastes."

Xu Xingli picked up the glass and took a sip. The fruit wine still tasted fresh, but it had a bit of a kick.

The alcohol content here must be quite high, but Xu Xingli considered himself to hold his liquor well. He nodded indifferently and said, "Not bad."

Jian Ran, holding another glass of strong liquor, smiled at his words and said loudly, bragging, "I specifically told my friend to add this drink, otherwise, there really wouldn't be any today."

Xu Xingli smiled at him, "Thanks."

"No problem," Jian Ran waved his hand, then stood up and asked, "I'm going to say hello to my friend. Do you want to come?"

No matter what, this was Jian Ran's friend's new establishment opening today, and he had specially added this fruit wine for him. Xu Xingli needed to pay his respects. He stood up, nodded, and said, "Let's go."

They came out of the small private room, turned a corner, and arrived at the main private room on the second floor.

The main private room was very large and filled with many people, men and women, of all sorts. Jian Ran, fearing Xu Xingli would get lost, held his wrist and led them inside.

After several twists and turns, the two stopped in front of a person.

Xu Xingli also recognized Jian Ran's friend. He couldn't recall his name, only that he was the only young master of the Lin family, eighteen years old this year. Because he had secured a guaranteed spot for studying abroad, his studies weren't too busy, which was why he suddenly decided to open a club like this.

Young Master Lin was strikingly handsome with a bright and radiant smile. His gaze lingered on their joined wrists, and he teased, "Are you two dating?"

Both of them froze, then simultaneously let go of each other's hands and said in unison, "No, we're not!"

Young Master Lin laughed even harder, "What are you afraid of? I won't play the villain and break you two up." Then he looked at the blushing Jian Ran and asked in a lowered voice, "Ranran, you're not doing so well, are you?"

Jian Ran's cheeks immediately turned red like peaches. He glared at the person, "Who are you calling incapable?!"

Young Master Lin shrugged, still smiling. Then, as if remembering something else, he looked at Xu Xingli beside him and said, "Xingxing, right?"

Xu Xingli nodded.

Young Master Lin was enthusiastic about making friends. He extended his hand, "I've heard about you. If you ever need anything in the future, you can come to me. This is my business card."

The Lin family and the Xu family operated in different circles, so the two families had no interaction. Still, Xu Xingli politely accepted the business card. A name was written on it—Lin Ji.

After the three chatted briefly, Lin Ji suddenly stood up, walked onto the small stage in the private room, stood in front of the microphone stand, and cleared his throat.

"Dear friends, thank you for coming to support us. All drinks tonight are on me, free!"

The private room erupted in cheers.

Lin Ji smiled, a smirk playing on his lips, and continued, "The band won't arrive until ten o'clock. For the rest of the time, please enjoy the rock music brought to you by Young Master Duan Yi!"

Another burst of laughter and applause erupted.

At this moment, Xu Xingli hadn't reacted yet, until he saw Duan Yi laughingly jump onto the stage and give Lin Ji a friendly punch, which brought him back to his senses.

Wait, wait, why was Duan Yi here? Then his brother...

Before he could figure it out, the next second, Xu Xingli met a pair of familiar black eyes.

He had forgotten. The wealthy elite was a closed loop, and their friends were also a closed loop. Inevitably, friends had actually all met each other.

It could even be your brother.

Xu Xingli wanted to run, but then he saw the woman next to Xu Zhou.

Song Yijin's makeup was vibrant and lively, and her beauty was dazzling. At this moment, she was turning her head and saying something to Xu Zhou. Seeing that Xu Zhou's attention wasn't on her, she followed his gaze and looked over.

A familiar melody instantly filled the private room. It was "FREE."

Lin Ji jumped off the stage and came over to them, putting his arm around Jian Ran's shoulder and saying, "This is the song you asked for. I heard you all like it a lot, and Duan Yi here is great at singing."

Jian Ran nodded vigorously, praising, "Thank you, Brother Lin Ji! Brother Duan Yi is also amazing!"

Xu Xingli, however, was not in the mood to listen and turned to leave.

But before he could take a step, Jian Ran grabbed his arm. Jian Ran, still excited, asked, "Where are you going? Aren't you going to listen to the song?"

Xu Xingli didn't immediately break free. Instead, he subconsciously glanced in Xu Zhou's direction, and quickly met his brother's intense gaze again. He pursed his lips, withdrew his hand, and replied, "I don't feel well. I'm going back to the private room now."

"Ah?" Jian Ran scrutinized his face and asked, "Do you need me to take you home?"

Xu Xingli shook his head, "No need. I just feel tired. You stay and have fun here."

Jian Ran was about to say something else, but Xu Xingli had already left without looking back.

Jian Ran blinked and scratched his head. Lin Ji, beside him, narrowed his eyes and saw someone stand up out of the corner of his eye.

Xu Zhou stopped Xu Xingli at the private room door. As the door closed, the music and clamor were cut by more than half.

"Why are you here?" Xu Zhou's tone was unpleasant, as if suppressing anger.

Xu Xingli didn't look at him, only coldly replied, "If you can be here, why can't I?"

Xu Zhou took a deep breath, "What's with you and Jian Ran holding hands?"

Xu Xingli rolled his eyes.

Big brother, are you blind? Can you even call that holding hands?!

He pursed his lips but didn't argue the point, only saying, "Well, you're still dating Sister Song."

Xu Zhou: "..."

After a long silence, Xu Zhou let out a deep sigh, "Where did you get the idea that I'm dating her? Duan Yi is right here. Who dates like this?"

Xu Xingli snorted, crossing his arms and sulking, "Then who holds hands like that?"

Xu Zhou: "..."

Seeing that he stopped talking, Xu Xingli shook off his grip and walked towards the private room.

Xu Zhou was about to follow when the private room door suddenly opened.

Lin Ji leaned against the door, his gaze darting between the two of them. Then, a knowing smile spread across his face.

"Brother, it's just kids exploring a new romance, it's nothing."

Xu Zhou glanced at him, his entire demeanor instantly chilling.

Lin Ji, however, didn't care. "Seriously, Jian Ran is a really good kid. He's simple and cute, and he's the eldest in his family, so the family business is his. What's not to like? Besides, Xingxing isn't your biological brother, is he? As the saying goes, the tighter you hold the reins, the more rebellious they become. You can let go and observe for a while."

Xu Zhou stared in the direction Xu Xingli had left, his voice cold, "You don't understand a thing."

Lin Ji chuckled, raised his hand to pat his shoulder, and asked in a low voice, "Because you don't want to let go?"

Xu Zhou glared at him.

Lin Ji also looked towards the small private room, his voice low and distant: "I don't know what you two are going through, but if you care, you must hold on tight. And, if the time is right, whether it's suitable or not, you should express your feelings as soon as possible, so you don't leave any regrets."

Xu Zhou froze, then opened his mouth: "You..."

Lin Ji smiled, shrugged, and said, "I have a very good friend who missed his chance." He paused for a moment before speaking again, "The person he loved is already dead."

"..."

After an unknown period of time, Xu Zhou finally looked at him, his eyes no longer cold, his tone carrying a polite solemnity: "My condolences."

Lin Ji didn't react for a moment. He blinked, then suddenly understood and unceremoniously slapped Xu Zhou on the shoulder, retorting, "It really is a friend of mine! Hey! Not me! Don't curse me, okay?"

Xu Zhou nodded in understanding: "Okay."

Lin Ji: "..."

Forget it, this person is also stubborn. He's quite similar to his friend.

Lin Ji pouted and reopened the private room door, saying, "Instead of arguing, it's better for both of you to calm down for a while. Let Xingxing be alone for a bit. With your personality, he probably doesn't want to see you right now."

Xu Zhou: "..."

After a moment of silence, he finally returned to the main private room with Lin Ji.

On stage, Duan Yi was going wild, and Jian Ran also jumped up to join him. It's true that friends in the elite circle are a closed loop, but there are only a few who truly know each other well. Most have only met once or twice and haven't even spoken.

Just like Duan Yi and Jian Ran.

Duan Yi's impression of Jian Ran was still stuck on the little kid who hadn't even grown hair on his body ten years ago.

At that time, Jian Ran insisted on clinging to Xu Xingli and sleeping in the same bed with him. As a result, he was so excited that he wet the bed in the middle of the night. Feeling embarrassed, he conspired with Xu Xingli to secretly wrap up the sheets.

Later, Xu Zhou went to Xu Xingli's room and smelled something off, only then discovering the incident.

How could Young Master Jian endure such humiliation? He directly threw away all the bedding and sheets.

When he was throwing away the duvet cover, Duan Yi happened to be looking for Xu Zhou and laughed for a long time.

As a result, Jian Ran always had a faint hostility towards Duan Yi. Duan Yi, however, had no memory of this little kid until now, when he suddenly recalled these past events.

"Kid, do we have WeChat?"

After being kicked off the stage, he raised his chin at Jian Ran.

Having sung too intensely, Jian Ran had sweat on his forehead. He pushed his bangs up and nodded, "Yeah."

Duan Yi scrolled through his contacts and asked, "What's your name?"

Jian Ran shook his head, sweat dripping down, "Abdominal Muscles Bottle Opener."

Duan Yi burst out laughing, "You're so wild, kid."

Jian Ran glanced at him, "I have an eight-pack, it's not for show!"

Duan Yi nodded, "Alright, alright, you're impressive. Seeing that you also like Northward, we should have a lot to talk about."

Jian Ran's eyes lit up, "Really? I like the lead singer the most, he's so cool! What about you?"

Duan Yi paused, then raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I also like the lead singer. Our conversation will definitely be very pleasant."

No sooner had he spoken than a loud bang suddenly echoed from outside the private room. The entire building seemed to tremble.

Someone opened the door, and screams rose one after another.

Whispers quickly spread throughout the private room.

"It's the Xu family, right... two people..."

"That fake young master's clothes were all ripped off..."

"Xu Zhou's hands are covered in blood, it's terrifying..."

Duan Yi suddenly stood up, his face stern, and pushed through the crowd to rush out. Jian Ran followed closely behind.

Standing at the door of the private room where Xu Xingli was, they finally saw the scene inside.

Lin Ji wrapped his coat around the trembling Xu Xingli, while Xu Zhou knelt on the ground, tightly gripping someone's neck. His blood-stained, crimson hand had bulging veins, bones creaked, and his knuckles were white.

His voice was calm, yet it was like a cold pronouncement of death.

"How many times did you touch him? Where did you touch him?"

The person in his hand had his eyes rolled back, unable to speak. He was only twitching all over, blood and white foam continuously gushing from his mouth.

Xu Zhou ignored it, "I'll kill you."

Duan Yi rushed forward to stop him, and Jian Ran also tried to pry his fingers open.

"Are you still going to kill someone? What about Xingxing?" Duan Yi cursed, slapping him, trying to make him sober up.

But it was no use. Xu Zhou was insane, utterly unhinged.

Just as the person was about to give out, a slender, pale hand gripped Xu Zhou's arm.

"Brother," Xu Xingli called out, his breath unsteady.