Chapter 43 A Dying Person’s Words Are Kind

Chapter 43: A Dying Man's Words Are Kind

Chi Luoxi was a bit conflicted.

A dangerous vine quietly poked its head out from the deepest part of his heart, tempting him with the thought of returning all the grievances he had suffered, all the times He Angxiao had made him stomp his feet in anger but he was helpless, in full measure and then some.

Making the always lofty He Angxiao taste what it was like to be suppressed and bullied.

Just this thought made him feel a thrill of satisfaction.

But reason told Chi Luoxi: This is a trap.

This might be a pit He Angxiao dug, just waiting for him, this silly rabbit, to jump in with eyes closed. Chi Luoxi had read the newspaper before, which said that He Angxiao could turn a failing small company into a name in the industry within a few years.

Chi Luoxi was obviously no match for him in intelligence.

It’s just that when a radish thinks, God laughs.

He Angxiao indeed lived up to his reputation as a big businessman.

He knew exactly how to play with people's emotions, especially someone like Chi Luoxi, whose thoughts weren’t so hard to guess.

He Angxiao saw the hesitation and struggle in Chi Luoxi’s eyes and leaned in again, every word hitting Chi Luoxi’s most vulnerable spot, his expression full of utmost sincerity and honesty, without a trace of pretense: “Think about it, Chi Luoxi, you’re not losing anything, right? Thirteen yuan and thirty cents, to buy the right to use me. You can take all the grievances you’ve suffered before, the pent-up anger, and vent them however you want.”

“I promise.” He Angxiao raised three fingers. “I absolutely won’t resist. You can hit me and I won’t fight back, you can yell at me and I won’t talk back. I will work hard to be a good lover who satisfies you. If you tell me to go east, I won’t go west. Isn’t that a sweet deal?”

Chi Luoxi was dizzy from that speech, his last bit of caution wavering under the double temptation of revenge and absolute obedience.

“…Then will you really listen to everything I say?”

He Angxiao nodded: “I will, I’ll listen to everything. From now on, you are my sugar daddy, and your words are the imperial edict.”

And so, a sugar daddy contract worth thirteen yuan and thirty cents, unheard of in history, was officially signed in the small courtyard of Chi Family Village, in the early morning air thick with cooking smoke.

He Angxiao’s execution ability was terrifying.

He pulled out a notebook and found a pen, spread it on the wooden table, his back straight, his expression serious as if signing a cross-border merger agreement.

He spoke while writing.

“Sugar Daddy Agreement.”

“Party A (Sugar Daddy): Chi Luoxi”

“Party B (Sugar Baby): He Angxiao”

“Through friendly negotiation, Party A pays RMB thirteen yuan and thirty cents (¥13.30) to obtain partial rights to the personal use of Party B. During the term of this agreement, Party B shall fulfill the duties of a lover to Party A, including but not limited to: obeying Party A’s reasonable orders, not resisting, not talking back, striving to make Party A satisfied, etc. Party A holds the right of final interpretation.”

“This agreement takes effect upon both parties’ signatures and fingerprints. The term is to be determined.”

After writing, He Angxiao first signed his flamboyant name after “Party B,” then pressed his thumb into the red ink pad and pressed his fingerprint.

Then he pushed the pen and notebook toward Chi Luoxi, looking at him with expectant eyes.

Chi Luoxi looked at those lines, hesitant, but still couldn’t resist the temptation of the low price.

He took the pen, wrote his name after “Party A.” Then he followed He Angxiao’s lead and pressed his own fingerprint.

The transaction amount wasn’t large, but the sense of ceremony was strong.

He Angxiao immediately picked up the paper, carefully blew on the still-wet marks, and then, as if treating some rare treasure, solemnly folded it and tucked it into the inner pocket against his chest.

After doing all this, he looked up, eyes shining, staring at Chi Luoxi, unable to control the corners of his mouth from curling up: “My sugar daddy, you can give me your first task now.”

Chi Luoxi, uncomfortable under this gaze, put on a stern face and issued his first instruction: “Then pack your stuff and go back now.”

He Angxiao said firmly: “No.”

Chi Luoxi: “…??”

He'd been tricked again.

“You don’t even listen to me! We just signed it!”

He Angxiao retorted aggrievedly: “But you didn’t always listen to me before, right? This is a fair exchange, and I’m just fulfilling part of my lover obligations—the important part.”

Chi Luoxi was dizzy from that sophistry: “What part of the obligations?”

He Angxiao looked at him: “To sleep, with me.”

Chi Luoxi: “…………”

As expected, you get what you pay for!

Chi Luoxi knew He Angxiao was up to no good. All this talk about sugar daddy and obedience—going around in such a big circle, digging such a deep pit, finally revealing the dagger—so this is where he was aiming.

The longest road Chi Luoxi had ever walked was He Angxiao’s path of schemes!

He Angxiao wasn’t done yet; he slowly added, “Oh, right, almost forgot to mention. During the term of the contract, as my sugar daddy, you also have basic obligations. The most important one is not to get involved with anyone else. Otherwise…”

He patted the pocket where he had put the agreement: “I’ll have to make this contract public. I’ll put it on the most well-informed notice board in your village, so all the villagers, young and old, can read it. Let them all know that Chi Luoxi, with such a perfect lover as me, is still two-timing and unfaithful, an irresponsible heartbreaker.”

Chi Luoxi: “…………”

He no longer looked at He Angxiao’s face, which was filled with a face of triumph; he absolutely didn’t want to talk to this bastard anymore.

But then evening came.

The moon climbed up the treetops, the village fell completely silent, even the barking of dogs grew faint. He Angxiao carried his own pillow and brazenly knocked on Chi Luoxi’s door.

Chi Luoxi had bolted the door from inside and yelled through the door: “He Angxiao, have you no shame? Grandpa is still watching!”

He Angxiao’s voice came from outside the door: “Grandpa agreed.”

Chi Luoxi had no choice, afraid this bastard would really shout and alert the neighbors. He suppressed a bellyful of anger, slid the bolt open with a clatter, then pushed and shoved him, trying to shove him back into the next room.

But once He Angxiao entered the room, he was like a boneless vine—no matter how much Chi Luoxi pushed, he couldn’t move him.

Chi Luoxi was exhausted and panting, but in the end, He Angxiao got his way, and the two of them fell together onto the not-so-wide wooden bed.

He Angxiao let out a long, satisfied breath. His arm came around, firmly encircling Chi Luoxi into his embrace, with Chi Luoxi facing away. His chin nuzzled against the soft top of Chi Luoxi’s head

He Angxiao knew when to quit. He'd held him today, so it wouldn't be long before he got to sleep beside him too. "Is there sleeping pills mixed into the air in your village? How come as soon as night falls, I feel so drowsy my eyelids keep drooping."

Chi Luoxi didn't answer, but his body reluctantly relaxed a little in his arms.

He quietly turned his head slightly, and by the hazy moonlight filtering through the lattice window, he saw that the dark circles under He Angxiao's eyes—persistent ever since they'd reunited—had faded until they were almost invisible.

It made sense.

In this village there was no nightlife, no social engagements. Once it was fully dark and the insects began to chirp, besides sleeping there really wasn't much else to do.

Work at sunrise, rest at sunset. Simple, and most nourishing.

After living in Chi Family Village for a while, He Angxiao gradually discovered that many of the tasks he'd originally thought required his personal supervision or the sky would fall, were actually handled much better than he'd imagined by the elite team he'd hired at a high price.

Video conferences went from three times a day to once every two days, and finally to once a week as a summary.

The frantic emails and message notifications in his phone gradually decreased too.

He Angxiao began to have whole blocks of time to squat on the doorstep and watch a hen lead her chicks pecking for food, or to follow Chi Luoxi to the back mountain to gather firewood.

Even he himself didn't pay much attention, but the anxiety that had once plagued him—keeping him awake all night, forcing him to rely on medication for brief sleep—had actually improved quite a bit.

Chi Luoxi secretly muttered to himself: He Angxiao's body is way too fragile. In the city, he was always getting stomachaches, headaches, insomnia, and had been hospitalized a few times.

Out here in the mountains, eating simple meals, sleeping on a hard bed, exposed to wind and sun, he was actually more spirited, and had even put on a little flesh.

A rich man's disease, indeed. Needs a good dose of the rough life.

He Angxiao suddenly let out a long sigh and remarked, "No wonder country folks like to have so many children."

Chi Luoxi was stunned by his random comment. "...Huh? Why?"

He Angxiao turned sideways, found his ear precisely in the darkness, and said with ill intent, "See, if you do that kind of thing at night, even if you lie down at eight, you're done by ten. There's still plenty of time, and there's no other entertainment. Besides sleeping, what else is there to do? That gives you plenty of sleep, restores your energy, and tomorrow you can keep working on making babies."

Not everyone's like He Angxiao, who goes on for hours.

Chi Luoxi abruptly pushed away He Angxiao's approaching head, burrowed deeper into the quilt, and said in a muffled voice, full of shy anger, "You... don't always think about that kind of thing! And do you know, after you finish, I have to go heat water to wash up! This isn't like the city, where you just turn on the tap and get hot water! It's really cold at night!"

That was the crux of why he didn't want to lie down with He Angxiao.

Cleaning up afterward in this village without modern facilities was a troublesome and painful ordeal.

He Angxiao was amused by his honest complaint. He pulled the quilt and the person inside it closer again, and compromised, "Alright, alright, we'll do Plato first then. As soon as the road is fixed, I'll have someone install a water heater right away, okay?"

Chi Luoxi was puzzled. "Plato? Who's Plato?"

How was He Angxiao supposed to explain the concept of Platonic love? He was silent for two seconds, then chose the easiest explanation. "...A distant relative of mine. You don't know him."

Chi Luoxi took it seriously and was even more surprised. "A foreigner? He Angxiao, you have foreign relatives?"

He Angxiao hummed vaguely in agreement. "Mm, isn't my mom in Switzerland?"

His mother was indeed in Switzerland, but she had married a Swiss man.

Chi Luoxi said, "Oh. Your mom is amazing."

He Angxiao's heart softened at the pure, admiring look in his eyes, but it also itched fiercely. He leaned over and gave Chi Luoxi a loud kiss on the cheek. The darker thoughts in his mind started bubbling up again—he was so cute that he wanted to crush him and swallow him whole, to hold him tight until he was crushed to death in his arms.

That road was built exceptionally fast.

The construction crew He Angxiao hired was very professional. Once the machinery and materials were in place, progress was rapid. In just over ten days, the stretch from the village entrance to the foot of the back mountain was already paved with smooth, pitch-black asphalt, shining with a glossy luster in the sunlight.

There was still a faint, slightly pungent smell of asphalt in the air, but to the villagers, it was the most hopeful scent they knew.

Everyone cherished that road immensely.

Men, women, old and young—they loved to stroll to the village entrance, not getting too close, just standing under the old locust tree, looking from a distance at that brand-new road surface, their eyes eager.

The adults would pull their mischievous children, point at the road, and repeatedly warn, "See that? The road isn't dry yet. You mustn't step on it! You can't damage it."

The children nodded without fully understanding, their eyes also glued to that black strip, flat and straight.

The village chief seemed to stand taller, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out, always beaming.

Every few days he would invite He Angxiao to his home for dinner, always setting out the best meat and home-brewed rice wine on the table. After the meal, they would squat in the yard, discussing what kind of cash crop would be suitable to plant on that patch of back mountain.

The village chief thought long-term: with the road built, goods could be transported out. If they could also have a stable source of income in the village, then many young people wouldn't have to leave their hometowns and go to faraway, exhausting places to work.

Having the whole family together was what really mattered.

When the road reached the back mountain section, the village chief specifically asked Chi Luoxi to guide He Angxiao on an expedition deeper into the mountains.

Chi Luoxi knew this mountain like the back of his own hand.

He led the way with a sturdy wooden stick, sweeping aside fallen leaves and protruding branches as they walked.

There were a few scattered patches of farmland deeper in, mostly small terraced fields that the villagers had opened up themselves, growing corn, sweet potatoes, and such.

When they reached a relatively open, sunny slope, He Angxiao stopped, crouched down, grabbed a handful of soil, rubbed it between his fingers, and looked around at the vegetation.

Chi Luoxi stopped too, unable to contain his curiosity. "Can something really valuable grow here?"

In his memory, there wasn't anything special about this mountain except wood, wild fruit, and mushrooms.

He Angxiao didn't look up, but said offhandedly, "If it can grow you..."

This rare, elite Little Radish—what couldn't it grow?

He stopped mid-sentence, looked up, and met Chi Luoxi's eyes.

He swallowed the teasing remark that followed. He Angxiao cleared his throat, stood up, pointed at this sunny slope before them, and began to talk eloquently, his fingers moving as he spoke, sketching a blueprint in the air.

"This spot is actually pretty good. Look, the soil is loose and rich in humus, the drainage is good, and the sunlight is ample. I've seen quite a few wild medicinal herbs along the way—they're growing well, which means the environment is suitable."

"We can plan it out and adapt to local conditions. For example, here we can plant some common herbs with high demand: Polygonatum, Gastrodia, Coptis. Over there in the shadier, damper area, we could try some slightly more precious ones like Epimedium and Dendrobium."

"If you want quick results and short-term profits, we can set up mushroom sheds using mature technology with a short cycle. If you want a long-term investment, then plant tea. One planting can be harvested for many years. As long as management is good, it's a stable long-term income source."

He spoke at a steady pace, from the soil to the light, from the varieties to the market, from short-term gains to long-term planning.

Those terms Chi Luoxi had never heard before, spoken by He Angxiao, became concrete, as if a vivid picture was unfolding before his eyes.

He Angxiao was indeed very smart.

He could see opportunities others missed, and had the wisdom to revitalize situations others thought hopeless.

He was also very good at making money, at turning insignificant things into real benefits. Such a shining person, standing anywhere, would be the center of attention.

Chi Luoxi really didn't understand how He Angxiao could think he wasn't likable.

It was He Angxiao himself who was the dazzling one that made it impossible to look away.

Chi Luoxi watched He Angxiao's profile as he pointed commandingly, and the exclamation slipped out almost before he could think: "...You're amazing."

He Angxiao brushed the dirt off his hands, turned around, and faced Chi Luoxi. The mountain wind brushed through the hair on his forehead. Against the light, that cocky confidence returned: "I'm this good—so, you wanna marry me?"

Chi Luoxi: "...We're just lovers now, He Angxiao. Don't overstep that boundary."

The words sounded familiar.

He Angxiao realized this was exactly what he used to say to shut Chi Luoxi up when their relationship was still tense and he was trying every means to keep Chi Luoxi by his side.

The exact words were a little different, but the gist was the same.

Now Chi Luoxi had thrown them right back at him, word for word.

He Angxiao's chest tightened with a mix of frustration and regret.

He looked at Chi Luoxi's stern little face, thinking, when would Chi Luoxi finally say yes to his marriage proposal?

He Angxiao knew he couldn't push it now, so he casually changed the subject, his gaze shifting toward the depths of the forest: "That school you went to—is it still standing? Is it far from here?"

Chi Luoxi hadn't expected him to suddenly ask that. He paused, then pointed to a distant mountain hollow: "It's over there, you have to cross that mountain ahead. But no one goes there anymore. Fewer and fewer kids in the village, so the teacher pulled out. It's probably all falling apart by now."

But He Angxiao seemed intrigued: "Come on, let's check it out."

Chi Luoxi couldn't talk him out of it, so they walked one after the other along a mountain path.

Chi Luoxi walked in front, still holding a thick wooden stick, occasionally pushing aside thorny brambles and dangling vines. He Angxiao followed behind him.

He Angxiao noticed that when Chi Luoxi passed certain spots, he would suddenly slow down, reach out and lightly brush the rough bark of an old roadside tree with his fingertips. Sometimes he would crouch down and murmur a few words to a clump of tiny purple wildflowers growing in a rock crevice, their name unknown to him.

He Angxiao could catch a few words: "You've grown so big now."

His tone and expression weren't those of someone addressing lifeless plants—they were more like greeting old friends.

He Angxiao watched from the side, puzzled and uneasy. The scene somehow reminded him of a forest princess from a cartoon he'd watched as a kid, one who could silently talk to the mountain woods.

After crossing another gentle slope, the view opened up to reveal a relatively flat valley.

In the center of the valley stood a low, run-down two-story building. The red brick walls were mottled and faded, and many windowpanes were broken, gaping dark like dead eyes.

In the courtyard in front, weeds grew waist-high, almost swallowing the path leading to the door.

In the corner leaned a rusted, paint-peeled basketball hoop.

Everything radiated the desolation of long neglect.

He Angxiao stopped, a little shocked as he took in the ruin.

This was the school where Chi Luoxi had studied? Smaller, simpler, and more decrepit than he'd imagined. Time and neglect had left too deep a mark here.

But right in front of the courtyard stood a cement flagpole base, whitewashed. Though its edges were chipped, amid all the desolation it carried an odd dignity.

Chi Luoxi also stopped, looking at the flagpole base, and said to He Angxiao: "I used to be the flag raiser. Every Monday morning, I'd have to be the first one at school to raise the flag."

The reason was adorably simple.

"Because the teachers all said I was the neatest and wouldn't get the flag dirty."

He Angxiao pictured it: a young, fair-skinned Chi Luoxi, dressed in cleanly washed clothes, standing with a solemn expression on that humble flag-raising platform, stretching on tiptoe to yank the rope, making the bright red flag slowly rise in the small valley encircled by mountains.

He couldn't help letting out a low laugh.

There was an indescribable tenderness and affection in that laugh.

"Let's go in and take a look?" He Angxiao suggested, already stepping toward the main building, curious about the place Chi Luoxi grew up in.

"Hey! Don't just go wandering!" Chi Luoxi quickly stopped him. "No one's been in there for ages. The grass is this tall—there might be snakes."

He Angxiao wasn't fazed, thinking Chi Luoxi was making a big deal out of nothing: "What season is it? Shouldn't snakes be in hibernation by now?"

As he spoke, he pushed aside the dry, tough weeds blocking his path and took a few steps closer to the crooked wooden door on the first floor to peek inside.

Just as his left foot came down on a patch of loose, thickly leaf-covered shadow under the porch—

A grayish-brown spotted shape suddenly shot up from the leaves like lightning. Before he could pull his right hand back, it gave his fingertip a sharp bite—not deep, but enough.

A sharp pain shot through him. He Angxiao inhaled sharply, yanked his hand back, and stumbled back several steps. He raised his hand: on the pad of his right index finger were two tiny, clean puncture wounds, already bleeding.

He Angxiao's face went white instantly.

He looked up at Chi Luoxi, who was rushing over, and his voice trembled weakly: "...Am I going to die?"

Chi Luoxi hurried over, grabbed his hand, and examined the two bite marks closely.

Chi Luoxi gave He Angxiao a complicated look and said helplessly, "Who told you not to listen? You just had to go wandering and step on it. I told you there might be snakes here."

After striking, the snake had already slithered off quickly, disappearing into the deeper grass, leaving only a faint rustle behind.

Chi Luoxi's sharp eyes caught the tail—grayish-brown with faint rings. He recognized it. It was a common non-venomous rat snake in these mountains, usually pretty mild, eating mice and small frogs. It wouldn't attack unless provoked or threatened.

He Angxiao's step had probably landed right near the spot where it was coiled for winter hibernation.

There were never any venomous snakes around here.

He Angxiao's wound wasn't deep, and not much blood had come out.

Chi Luoxi remembered there were a few common herbs on the back mountain that could reduce swelling and cool the skin. He could pick some on the way back, crush them, and put them on the wound. In two days it'd heal without even a scar.

Seeing He Angxiao's terrified, pale face and remembering how this guy had messed with him over that sponsorship contract, a wicked sense of revenge suddenly welled up in Chi Luoxi.

Chi Luoxi didn't really understand why He Angxiao was so afraid of dying.

He was constantly worried about his life and health, yet he still dared to come into the mountains.

Chi Luoxi deliberately furrowed his brows, pulled He Angxiao's hand closer, and pretended to examine the two bite marks very carefully and with great professionalism, even leaning in to sniff, his face more solemn than ever, brows knitted, as if this were a serious crisis: "...Judging by the spacing of the punctures and the bleeding, it looks like a highly venomous snake."

"We'd better hurry. No time to waste. Get down the mountain fast. If we make it to the township clinic in time, you might still have a shot."

He Angxiao seemed to actually start feeling dizzy. The bitten finger began to throb with a numbing sting, his chest felt tight, and he tugged at his collar: "I think I'm having trouble breathing. Is the poison spreading?"

Chi Luoxi was almost laughing inside, but kept his face straight, even adding a hint of pity and urgency, he sighed: "Then say your last words quick. Since we were lovers, I'll do my best to carry them out for you."

He Angxiao's mind was in a panic. How could he tell if Chi Luoxi was serious or joking?

He'd never been bitten by a snake before.

"All my bank card passwords—you know them—they're my birthday backwards. And the passwords to a couple of safes are your birthday... the stuff inside can set you up for life without you ever lifting a finger. The house, car, legal documents—all in the second drawer of my study..."

He caught his breath, gripping Chi Luoxi's hand tighter. "Chi Luoxi, you must remember, never let anyone discover you are a Radish Spirit. There are many bad people and creeps in this world. You have a pure heart, and I'm afraid someone will harm you."

Saying this, He Angxiao's eyes reddened and his voice choked. "And don't forget me. Even if you meet a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand people who are good to you in the future... none of them will love you like I do. From the day I found out you were a Radish Spirit, I've been especially anxious that I might die. And now this day has come. Heaven really envies talent!"

The grave expression on Chi Luoxi's face instantly froze.

He widened his eyes, staring at He Angxiao in disbelief, his voice cracked in shock: "...You... when... did you find out?"

At this moment, He Angxiao only felt the stinging and numbness from the wound growing stronger, along with dizziness and chest tightness. He thought this was a sign of the venom taking effect, and time was running out.

Knowing his end was near, he spoke sincerely. He had nothing to hide anymore and just wanted to finish his most important warnings.

"...I installed a hidden camera in the living room. That time you tried to trick me into running away from home, I saw you transform. Baby, you must remember my words, okay?"

Chi Luoxi: "…………"

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Author's note: Little Radish: I'm not Ultraman. Why would I transform?

For those saying Boss He is anxious about age, you forgot that Little Radish's ID says eighteen, and they're almost ten years apart, hahaha.

Boss He: 'I feel terrible.'