Reborn as a Substitute / 重生为替
Author: PDG
In his previous life, Ji Sheng was a popular star who was framed and eventually died in disgrace.
Reborn as an 18th tier artist, Ji Sheng is determined to take revenge. In order to climb to the top of the world of fame and fortune, he does not hesitate to send himself to the bed of Xie Xuanming, his enemy in the previous life.
Xie Xuanming is handsome, rich and can be considered a perfect lover.
It's a pity that there is a white moonlight in his heart.
On the first meeting after rebirth, Xie Xuanming squeezed Ji Sheng's chin and narrowed his eyes.
Xie Xuanming: You look like him.
Ji Sheng: Hehe, I knew it in my previous life.
One day, Xie Xuanming was drunk and crazy, dragging Ji Sheng to visit the white moonlight's grave.
Xie Xuanming hugged the tombstone tenderly: I knew him for several years, but he never loved me.
Ji Sheng: Hmm, no love, no love.
Xie Xuanming stroked the nameplate with the tips of his fingers: Obviously he approached me first and my heart was stirred, only to find that he was playing games.
Ji Sheng: Yeah, acting, acting.
Xie Xuanming: Come closer, let him see. It's not like I am alone, it's not like no one wants me.
Ji Sheng had no choice, stepped forward and froze.
Ji Sheng: Wait, isn't this my grave?
Chapter 1
yun1yun yun1yun
1 year ago
"Ji Sheng, a former member of 'Loptr' (1), was caught in a sexual harassment scandal. The victim, Sheng Kongzhi, a member of the same band, issued a statement accusing him of evil deeds. The two belong to the same company 'Qingchu' that also announced the termination of Ji Sheng's contract this morning.
"After the victim and the company spoke out, Xie Xuanming, a newcomer movie star who is also the subject of Ji Sheng's scandal, posted an article in support of Ji Sheng…"
Slender fingers touched the button and pressed it lightly.
The car radio went silent abruptly but the mobile phone on the station still vibrated non-stop.
Ji Sheng raised his hand to reach for the phone, an action that caused his sleeve to slide down slightly, revealing a hideous scar on his wrist.
The yellow light in front of him turned red. Ji Sheng stopped the car, picked up the phone, glanced at the caller's name and accepted the call.
"I'm sorry, Xiao Sheng, public opinion is completely out of control and the company must make trade-offs. We've been friends for so many years, you have also watched "Qingchu' rise, you can't bear to let it fall again, can you…"
Ji Sheng interrupted: "I'm on my way."
There was silence for a while, and Ji Sheng said calmly: "Ten minutes, put the termination documents there, I will sign."
After the call, Ji Sheng rubbed his throbbing forehead. He wanted to turn off the phone, but paused when he saw unanswered messages.
Xie Xuanming: 【Where are you】
Xie Xuanming: 【Answer the phone】
Ji Sheng paused for a second. The traffic lights turned green, and the car behind him honked impatiently.
Ji Sheng regained his senses, turned on airplane mode on his mobile phone and threw it onto the co-pilot.
When he reached the fork of the road ahead, he turned to the side line calmly but his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a red car rushing from behind the corner, approaching at an alarming speed.
Ji Sheng slammed on the brakes, but it was too late——
The red dot quickly enlarged in front of Ji Sheng's eyes and finally coincided with the scar on his wrist…
The collision was dull, the pain of broken bones sharp.
Ji Sheng half-opened his eyes, feeling his blood and his life flow down from his forehead together.
Something buzzed in his ears, like millions of people speaking at the same time, making a lot of noise.
He heard his young self shouting: "My dream is to become the greatest drummer in China!"
He heard the doctor say, shaking his head: "You can't play drums anymore."
He heard Sheng Kongzhi explain guiltily: "Xiao Sheng, I can't help it. Our relationship can't be exposed. I don't want to lose my reputation… I'm sorry…"
The noise gradually disappeared, and Ji Sheng closed his eyes. In complete silence, the sound of someone's gritted teeth suddenly exploded in his ears, the whisper like a reluctant last sigh of a dying beast.
"Ji Sheng… you owe me…"
Urban village of Baimao City
"Since Ji Sheng died in a car accident caused by drunk driving at the end of last year, Xie Xuanming, previously the subject of Ji Sheng's scandal, has repeatedly expressed his disgust with Sheng Kongzhi in public. Today, he even said: 'I won't participate in any shows with Sheng Kongzhi, and I won't perform in any dramas with Sheng Kongzhi."
On the balcony, Ji Sheng lowered his head and poured ice water on his face.
Beside him, a battered second-hand mobile phone broadcast entertainment news in a lossless audio quality.
This kind of broadcasting seemed a bit outdated for a modern young man. But for Ji Sheng, who had spent a month and a half in bed almost paralyzed, without seeing anything but the ceiling, it was a daily entertainment that he had become accustomed to.
Oh, by the way, he was not called Ji Sheng anymore.
"Netizens speculate that Xie Xuanming's remarks are related to the sexual harassment incident at the time. For a while, the behaviour of the newcomer actor, infatuated and unable to distinguish between right and wrong, retaliating against the victim Sheng Kongzhi, was widely criticised…"
The radio squealed and continued playing when an explosive roar drowned the anchor's flat tone.
"Ji Hui!"
Ji Sheng raised his head from under the faucet, squinted his wet eyes and looked.
A yellow-haired teenager stood at the door of the balcony(2), questioning him with an angry expression: "The agent asked you to accompany somebody to drink?"
"En."
"You agreed?"
"En."
Seeing his indifferent eyes, the yellow-haired boy took two steps forward, grabbed his collar and scolded furiously:
"Do you have any dignity, you've just got off the ground, are you in a hurry to climb on a man's bed?"
Ji Sheng leaned back, pulling away, while confirming the identity of the teenager in his head.
He lay in bed for a month and a half, but most of the time was spent dazed and wondering. The people who came and went to take care of him didn't write down their names…
For example, the boy in front of him, Ji Sheng called up the information from Ji Hui's memory and after some effort confirmed that he was the bassist of Ji Hui's band, surnamed Huang; the rest was unclear.
Not even remembering his name; it was clear the original owner of this body was not very concerned about this young man.
Yellow hair, surname Huang…
Ji Sheng silently gave the young man a code name Xiao Huang(3).
Ji Sheng broke free, lowered his head and scooped a handful of water: "The agent asked me to go, I can't help it."
Seeing that he couldn't get Ji Sheng to listen, Xiao Huang shouted angrily, his eye twitching: "He asked you to go and you go, so shamelessly and brazenly rush to replace that Ji Sheng and do his unfinished b*tch work?"
Ji Sheng didn't look at him: "The dead are to be honoured, so let's say a few words less."
Xiao Huang stared at him for a while and finally slammed the door shut.
Ji Sheng lingered under the faucet for a while, then raised his eyes.
The young man in the mirror had a sharp chin, thin eyebrows and an eye-catching tear mole at the corner of his eye that added a bit of inexplicable brilliance to his face.
This kid really didn't look like he could have a proper job.
Ji Sheng drained the water droplets from his fingertips.
He really looked like Ji Sheng in his previous life; especially the lower half of his face was almost exactly the same.
After living alone for a month and a half, Ji Sheng reluctantly accepted the reality that he had been reborn and reborn in the body of this virtually unknown drummer of a small band.
The little drummer's name was Ji Hui, he had the same surname as Ji Sheng and his job was also highly similar to his.
Main job, a drummer; side job, a substitute.
The same as Ji Sheng in the previous life, he was a hand-picked stand-in for Xie Xuanming.
However, before Ji Sheng appeared, Ji Hui had already been expelled from his post.
Ji Sheng brushed his hair carelessly.
He had almost all the memories of Ji Hui, except for the empty place in the last half a year.
When Ji Sheng woke up in Ji Hui's body, more than seven months had passed since his death in a car accident.
The half-year memory that Ji Sheng was missing began with Ji Sheng's death and ended with Ji Sheng's rebirth.
After being reborn, Ji Sheng opened his eyes, lying on the bed. The shocking wounds on his body reminded him what kind of abuse the owner of this body, the drummer named Ji Hui, had suffered.
After a month and a half of waiting, Ji Hui's consciousness never came back and Ji Sheng gradually realized that he might be gone.
But like in his own case in the previous life, the cause of death and the person who did it were not clear.
Ji Sheng could only lie in bed and piece together the approximate story of the little drummer's life from the mouths of the people who visited and took care of him.
Ji Hui, an unlucky child, was sent to Xie Xuanming's bed by the unscrupulous company in exchange for the resources because he looked too similar to Ji Sheng. He was nurtured for a few months, but for some reason annoyed Xie Xuanming and was kicked out. Later, he was kidnapped by an unidentified person and beaten badly. He was thrown into the wilderness to die and survived only because some kind-hearted person found him in time.
His phone vibrated and the agent's message urged him: "Are you ready, hurry up."
Ji Sheng replied: "Right away."
Because Ji Sheng had been hot for a while during his lifetime, Ji Hui, who looked similar to him, aroused the interest of many people as soon as he appeared. After "Ji Hui" recovered, the agent couldn't wait to start pimping again, looking for a few big guys to set up a scene to send Ji Hui in, urging him to return to his old job of serving others in bed.
After swiping the screen with the agent's message, Ji Sheng changed clothes, ignored Xiao Huang's disgusted gaze and pulled the door.
When walking, Ji Sheng heard a hateful "b*tch" from behind.
He closed the anti-theft door without changing his expression and locked it.
There were only two keys to this sh*tty house, one in the hands of the agent and the other had just been taken out by him.
Before the "b*tch" comes back, stay in the house obediently, Xiao Huang.
A trace of mockery appeared at the corner of Ji Sheng's mouth and quickly faded away.
Ji Sheng swiftly jumped down the stairs.
Xiao Huang's evaluation was sharp but lacked precision.
No comments on Ji Hui's life but Ji Sheng really couldn't take responsibility for that "b*tch".
Ji Sheng saw the dilapidated van downstairs.
When the door was opened, the agent's verbal abuse started.
Ji Sheng took a seat under the accompaniment of slurs.
He was lower than a b*tch, he was considered a fool.
On the way, after the agent had cursed enough, he began to instruct Ji Sheng again.
"You are just too stupid! What's wrong with taking a shortcut arranged by the boss? That Xie Xuanming, rich and generous, but also loving and righteous, is willing to give someone a head start, imagine how many people want to be noticed by him… You have the advantage of the face that resembles that guy's appearance, so be a good boy and please him in exchange for a smooth progress, make everyone happy. But no, you dummy, you've been kicked out in a few days, shame on you!"
Ji Sheng suddenly wanted to laugh.
Xie Xuanming, he thought, you have made such a good impression on everyone. Even a pimp praises you for being loving and righteous. Stirring up the whole entertainment industry for a dead notorious lover… Only that lover, who should have been buried in the ground, knows that he was just a substitute when he was alive. Relying on the fact that he was somewhat similar to Emperor Xie's white moonlight, he used to get what he needed.
Xie Xuanming's memories, Ji Sheng exchanged them for real money.
What was such a mundane thing as money in comparison with the temptation of Emperor Xie's youth?
Therefore, even if outsiders knew the truth, they would likely just continue buzzing, "That's what Ji Sheng owed Xie Xuanming…"
A lousy van couldn't drive up to a high-end brothel full of people indulging in a life of luxury.
The agent put Ji Sheng down at the side door, asked him to wait there to be taken in after he'd go around and find a place for parking.
Ji Sheng looked back at the bright building behind him. The nightclub looked like a palace, illuminated extravagantly.
Standing by the door, he turned around and saw that there was no one nearby, so he relaxed a little and started carefully dissecting some dark matters in his mind.
Ji Sheng's expression became a little colder. A month and a half after he was reborn, he still didn't understand why he was clearly killed by a collision but all reports in unison determined that he was drunk driving.
Just as he didn't understand while he was alive why free love would suddenly be called unilateral sexual harassment.
Ji Sheng died being wronged, and he died without understanding anything.
But it didn't matter.
Ji Sheng narrowed his eyes, the darkness in the depths of his eyes glimmering.
He had plenty of time to figure it out now.
It just needed to be considered in the long run.
Ji Sheng lightly kicked the stones at his feet.
First of all, he must find a way to get close to Xie Xuanming——the man who was inextricably linked to his previous life and death.
Then…
As Ji Sheng was thinking about it, he didn't notice a black car stopping quietly in front of him.
When he reacted and looked up in surprise, the rear seat window had already slid down and a hand stretched out from the car lightning fast, squeezing his chin like vice.
Ji Sheng's jaw hurt; he was dragged forward unceremoniously, his stare slamming straight into the dark grey eyes of the man in the car.
Ji Sheng looked at the familiar and unfamiliar face, his mind bursting and countless disordered fragments rushing in.
In a trance he saw himself in a night bar, the overhead light dim and the man in front of him dark like a shadow.
In the endless silence, Ji Sheng shivered and leaned closer, sharing the breathing space with the man.
After ten seconds, he closed his eyes and stretched out his hand to push: "The reporter should have taken enough shots."
"But I haven't," the man said in a low voice. In the next second, the back of Ji Sheng's head was vigorously pressed down, his lips and teeth crushed, and when he whimpered and struggled, the smell of blood rose between the two of them.
The picture was spinning; Ji Sheng was in a daze for a few seconds, then raised his eyes.
Just now, the man changed his clothes, sat on the sofa and said in a cold voice: "Come here."
The brain did not respond, but the body moved consciously.
It wasn't until he squatted in front of the man and saw his handsome face gloomy, the smell of alcohol in his breath impossible to hide, his eyes bloodshot and with dark shadows of fatigue under them, Ji Sheng suddenly understood.
This was Ji Hui's memory.
The man in front of him was Xie Xuanming after Ji Sheng's death.
Xie Xuanming pinched Ji Hui's chin, his eyes dark: "You look like him."
Ji Hui opened his mouth, what did he want to say——
His jaw ached, dragging Ji Sheng back to reality.
Xie Xuanming was sitting in the car, looking at him with impatience and hostility that Ji Sheng had never seen before.
His fingers clenched Ji Sheng's face at this moment, leaving terrifying red marks.
"I said, don't show up in front of me again," he said grimly.
Loptr is one of Loki's names
I'm not quite sure why there is a sink and a faucet on the balcony but judging by some photos it's normal
Huang means yellow, Xiao Huang is basically Little Yellow, is also a character from Pokémon; since Ji Sheng later mentions Pokémon, it might be from there
Chapter 2
yun1yun yun1yun
1 year ago
Ji Sheng's chin was pinched hard, which made him squint his eyes in pain, but his brain was working quickly.
If Xie Xuanming was the one who kidnapped Ji Hui, then he didn't have to go to such great lengths to warn Ji Hui not to show up again.
It was not Xie Xuanming who killed Ji Hui.
Moreover, Xie Xuanming didn't know that someone wanted to kill Ji Hui.
Ji Sheng, on a mental journey beyond the earth, unconsciously held Xie Xuanming's wrist, gently rubbing his wrist bone, as if begging him to be lighter.
Ji Sheng was thinking.
Since Xie Xuanming did not have any radical ideas about the current "Ji Hui"… then it was possible to approach him boldly and get the information he wanted to know.
He started wondering about it when a loud roar came from not far away.
"Ji Hui, what are you doing! I've called you three times, come here!"
Ji Sheng returned to his senses, and the force crushing his jaw suddenly relaxed.
Ji Sheng was pushed heavily, staggering as he took a few steps back.
When he looked up, the car window had already slid up and Xie Xuanming's icy gaze disappeared behind the anti-peeping glass. The black car started slowly and drove past Ji Sheng.
Ji Sheng followed it with his gaze and watched it drive into the underground parking lot.
"Ji Hui!"
The agent was yelling again. Ji Sheng turned and walked up to him quickly.
While sitting on the leather sofa in a private room, Ji Sheng began to figure out how to approach Xie Xuanming.
Xie Xuanming was also in this nightclub at the moment. This kind of place was not something that "Ji Hui" could come to whenever he wanted. If he missed this time, he didn't know when he would have another chance to contact him.
It was an opportunity not to be missed.
Ji Sheng had just made up his mind when a girl sitting next to him suddenly cried out. Ji Sheng looked over and saw a middle-aged man with a big belly sit down close to the girl.
Ji Sheng recognized this man. A few minutes ago, the agent with an eager smile pushed Ji Sheng in front of him.
"Brother Jiu, this is the one I mentioned to you, Ji Hui. "
The fat man called Brother Jiu looked at him up and down: "Is it the kid Xie Xuanming played with?"
Before the agent had a chance to speak, Brother Jiu grinned, demonstrating a mouthful of yellow teeth, and stepped forward to encircle Ji Sheng's waist ambiguously: "I like to play with the people Emperor Xie played with."
Ji Sheng felt goosebumps when the salty pig hands(1) rested on his butt.
This fetish was really f*cking strange. If Xie Xuanming knew there was a guy who molested "his people" on a regular basis, with his temper of a mad dog protecting his food, the fat man wouldn't have enough rotten teeth in his mouth to be knocked out.
Ji Sheng would be very happy to watch a dog bite a dog, but it was a pity that Xie Xuanming was not a Pokémon so that he could throw a Pokéball and have him at his beck and call.
Thus, he could only fake a smile, quietly slip out of Brother Jiu's arms, go to a private room and find a corner to hide, with the walls on his three sides and people on one side to seal off the possibility of being harassed as much as possible.
Ji Sheng felt isolated from harassment, but the girl next to him was not so lucky. After Brother Jiu sat down, he began to move his hands freely. His fingers as fat as pig intestines touched the girl's body, making her stiffen with fright, shiver and shrunk back.
The girl was not very old; she was one of those unlucky children who wanted to sing and dance, but was tricked into a nest of lewdness by an unscrupulous company. Now facing Brother Jiu's undisguised rascality, the girl was pale with fright, not daring to move or resist. There were tears hanging on her eyelashes, and she was on the verge of losing it.
Watching this scene would make anyone feel pity but instead it aroused the malice in Brother Jiu's heart even more.
"What is the little girl doing?"
"Sing… singing." The girl leaned to the side helplessly, like a willow branch.
"A singer, ah." Brother Jiu smirked, "A singer is good, ah, beautiful and promising, also makes nice sounds in bed."
The girl trembled even more and big tears started falling from her eyes.
Her crying attracted the attention of many people.
"Yo, Brother Jiu, you are so unsympathetic to the fairer sex, scared the little girl to tears," a younger dude raised his voice, laughing.
The ridicule of others made Brother Jiu very embarrassed. His expression suddenly changed, his fleshy face looking hideous: "Why are you crying? Coming here to sell yourself and still putting on a face, are you looking down on me!"
"No… no." The girl's shoulders shook and she cried even more severely.
Brother Jiu was going to scold her again, but Ji Sheng couldn't stand it anymore.
Although he wanted to protect himself, he couldn't push the little girl to the pit.
"Brother Jiu, don't be angry."
Brother Jiu raised his eyes when he heard the sound. He saw a dark-haired boy in the corner looking up at him, a tear mole hidden under his lower eyelashes.
His collar was a little wide, exposing his white neck, his jagged collarbone blindingly bright in the light.
Brother Jiu's anger instantly dissipated and instead of cursing he mused aloud.
"You are the one Xie Xuanming had before, what's your name——Ji…"
"Ji Hui."
"Yes, Ji Hui." Brother Jiu slapped his forehead, leaning over the girl, his lewd smile reappearing, "What are you doing?"
"A drummer. "
"A drummer is good, ah." Brother Jiu's smile widened, "Come to Uncle tonight, Uncle will lend you his belly, so you can sit on it and beat it like a drum."
When Brother Jiu lost his temper just now, many people had already started paying attention to this side of the room. Now that they saw him talking to a delicate boy, they laughed. Some people even coaxed: "Lao Jiu, what's the point of being so formal? Why don't you let this kid show his hand on the spot, so that we can also enjoy your belly and hear what kind of heavenly music can be played!"
Brother Jiu appeared interested: "Xiao Ji, now everyone wants to see you show your skills, can you give Brother Jiu face? "
"Face must be given." Ji Sheng smiled slightly, "But Brother Jiu's status is high, I dare not lay a heavy hand for fear of offending. Let's try it on a different drum kit."
The people watching the excitement were about to heckle, when Ji Sheng lightly picked up a bottle of imported wine on the table, took a tissue and wiped the mouth of the bottle.
"Drum kit." Ji Sheng said succinctly, "As for the drumsticks…"
He turned to look at the girl who had finally stopped crying, and said softly, "Can you lend me the hairpins on your head?"
"Eh." The girl was taken aback, pulled out two plastic hairpins from her bun and handed them over timidly, "Is this okay?"
Ji Sheng gave her a soothing smile.
He took the wine bottle and the borrowed hairpins, and everyone who was not interested felt a little curious.
Brother Jiu looked at the mouth of the bottle that was thumb-wide, and then at Ji Sheng's slender fingertips dangling the hairpins. Slow preparations made him impatient, so he yelled: "Why did you stop? Beat, ah?"
Ji Sheng ignored him and lightly turned the hairpins in his hands.
This was the first time he touched the "drumsticks" since he was reborn.
The drums used to be Ji Sheng's life, his whole soul.
In the previous life, the scar cut his life apart and stripped him of his bloody soul.
Now…
Ji Sheng flipped his right hand. The wrist bone was smooth, and the raised muscles hid the violent energy that had been suppressed for too long. Now that it finally had a chance to see the light of day, it was crouching like a hunting lion, ready to spring, a deafening roar brewing in its throat.
Ji Sheng let out a sigh of relief.
Long time no see.
Ji Sheng didn't move for a while, and Brother Jiu was about to get mad again but was stunned to see that the expression of the quiet boy suddenly changed.
He raised his hands and struck the bottle with two hairpins.
"Boom."
The first sound hit the hearts of onlookers.
It should actually be "ding" or "clang".
After all, it was common sense that glass could only make these two kinds of sounds.
But the crisp sound they heard was really more like a heavy "boom" and fierce sound waves seemed to directly echo in the chests of the listeners.
Before they could catch their breath, the stormy drumbeat spread out all over the place.
If the sound of music can reflect the emotions of the musician, then this endless thunderstorm of drums was probably created by a fierce, fuming, angry, ecstatic drummer.
Ji Sheng pounded the "drum" almost frantically. His years of percussion skills had clearly been integrated into his bones and blood, but right now he didn't care about it.
At this moment, he just wanted to sink in the storm he created and open his arms to embrace the falling rain and booming thunder.
But the show had to end.
He tapped for the last time.
Ji Sheng used the "drumsticks" without holding back. He heard a crisp clang, and the wine bottle was overwhelmed. It broke under the final stress, glass fragments flying everywhere, making someone scream.
Amidst the horrified gazes of the people around him, Ji Sheng slowly breathed out, calming the agitated state of his mind. After a few seconds, the traces of loss of control and rebellion disappeared on his face. He lowered his eyes, and when he raised them again, he had returned to his previous timid and harmless appearance.
"Thank you for your hairpins." Ji Sheng returned the hairpins to the stunned girl and said softly, "They are beautiful and solid, but pay attention when you use them. Don't be careless, or you might pierce someone's guts."
Brother Jiu, shocked and dumbfounded, suddenly felt a sharp chill in his belly and unconsciously clutched his abdomen.
Ji Sheng looked down at the broken glass and liquor splashed on his clothes and said: "I need to deal with it."
He got up, said goodbye politely and pushed the door open.
The people in the private room looked at each other and no one dared to stop him.
Ji Sheng stepped out of the room and looked at the long row of room numbers in the corridor, sighing uncontrollably.
Where is he going to find Xie Xuanming?
He was still worried when the door of the room not far away opened and two people walked out laughing.
"Didn't you say that Actor Xie is here tonight? Aren't you going to say hello?"
"Wait a minute, I just asked. The guy is not in the room, so I guess he went to the bathroom. "
Ji Sheng's ears perked up; he followed the signs and walked to the bathroom.
After entering the bathroom, Ji Sheng was in trouble again.
A resplendent nightclub would naturally be equipped with a resplendent toilet.
The doors of more than a dozen cabins were neatly closed, and Ji Sheng pushed two or three of them but he couldn't really knock on them one by one.
He could only return to the entrance, stand helplessly in front of the sink, clean up the stains on his clothes and wait for the man to come out.
Ji Sheng was concentrating on picking the glass fragments from his shirt, when he was suddenly caught.
Brother Jiu hugged Ji Sheng from behind, his greasy face rubbing indiscriminately on his neck.
"F*ck." Ji Sheng couldn't help swearing when turning his head and seeing the enlarged pig face so close.
Brother Jiu was unaware of Ji Sheng's nausea. He indulged in the fragrance of the young man: "Baby, your drums are so good that you make me hard… Believe it or not, touch it——"
He grabbed Ji Sheng's hand, trying to press it to his lower body.
The blue veins on Ji Sheng's forehead suddenly pulsated.
Even a clay man has three points of fire(2), not to mention that Ji Sheng had just finished playing the drums fiercely and his mood was not stable. This wretched fat man also connected his white moonlight, "drums", to sexual innuendo.
It simply stepped all over his minefield.
"Not only do I hit the drums well." Facing the shameless actions of Brother Jiu, Ji Sheng smiled angrily, "I also hit people well!"
He broke free from the shackles of Brother Jiu's hug, clenched his fist, turned his phalanges forward and slammed a punch into the flesh-packed jaw.
Since Ji Sheng dared to do it, of course he had the confidence. He had practised drums for many years and his arms look thin, but his muscle strength was far greater than that of ordinary people.
When he was in the underground, he made a name for himself among a bunch of nasty ruffians with his harmless face, his explosive and stable skills and his deadly punches that took life, not money.
Now facing Brother Jiu, who was dozens of pounds heavier than him, Ji Sheng was still sure to make him suffer.
But he had overlooked a small detail.
He was not Ji Sheng now, but Ji Hui.
Compared with Ji Sheng, Ji Hui's skinny body was really a bamboo pole lacking exercise and nutrition.
He was a half-baked drummer with a short practice time, no muscles on his arms and poor physical strength.
Ji Sheng's unrestrained style of drumming just now had exhausted all Ji Hui's physical strength.
At this moment, Ji Sheng went all out with this punch but even before the punch landed, Ji Sheng was shocked to realise that there was not enough strength behind it.
Sure enough, his soft blow was easily intercepted by Brother Jiu.
Brother Jiu squeezed his thin smooth wrists and smiled lewdly: "Baby, so you like to play rough, good to know, I like it too."
He pressed Ji Sheng onto the sink, eliciting a cry of pain from him, grabbed his hair and dragged his head back, forcing Ji Sheng to raise his head high, revealing his fragile neck.
Brother Jiu became more and more angry, grinning as he hurriedly unzipped his trousers.
"No wonder Xie Xuanming has a crush on you. You look so similar to Ji Sheng. It's a pity that the unlucky b*tch is dead and I can't sleep with him, so I can only wrong myself and taste the inferior version…"
Ji Sheng lowered his head forcefully and stared at him coldly, wondering what terrible things he had done in his previous reincarnation to attract the attention of such people. Even after changing his body, he was still haunted by them.
Hostility flashed in the depths of his eyes; he raised his knee slightly, aiming at the certain body part, about to make a ruthless move.
Brother Jiu was immersed in his lust and did not pay attention to the changes in the expression of the man under him.
He chuckled cruelly and Ji Sheng raised his knee resolutely.
"Bang!"
Before Ji Sheng succeeded, the door of one of the cabins was suddenly thrown open, and a man strode out of it. Ji Sheng didn't have time to see clearly but he suddenly felt that no weight was pressing on him anymore.
The man picked up Brother Jiu with one hand and threw him away like garbage.
Brother Jiu's feet left the ground and he flew for a few feet until the rebounding cabin door slammed into his face, making his cheeks tremble.
He fell to the ground, squealing in pain, but before he could say anything, he was picked up by the collar and pulled up again.
He raised his eyes in amazement and when he saw the man clearly, his legs went so soft that he almost knelt down.
"Xie… Xie Xuanming…"
Xie Xuanming looked down at him, his eyes wolf-like gloomy and ruthless.
"Who did you say you were going to sleep with just now?"
The author has something to say:
Xie Xuanming——Toilet God of War
Refers to a pervert, someone who likes groping people in public
An expression meaning everyone has their own temper and will be angry when they are angered.
Chapter 3
yun1yun yun1yun
1 year ago
Ji Sheng felt that his life was magical.
He, physical age nineteen years old, actual age twenty four, dying once and coming back to life, a genius in his past life and a potential genius at present, obviously should be seizing the time to shine, but in actuality, was sitting half-undressed on the sink in a nightclub luxury toilet, witnessing real-life mortal kombat.
Not far from him, the stranger who had just attempted to rape him was currently slumping on the floor like a big garbage bag, being beaten up by the subject of his scandalous affair in the past, now his potential golden master.
Xie Xuanming made a fierce move. He grabbed Brother Jiu's head and slammed it against the wall. At first Brother Jiu screamed bitterly, crying and begging for mercy, but then gradually there was no sound.
A string of red flew out of his mouth and there was an echo when it hit the floor.
Ji Sheng's scalp was numb; it took him a while to realise that it was probably Brother Jiu's teeth that flew out.
Xie Xuanming's methods were violent, but his face was impassive. Except for his hair that quivered slightly due to his body movements, his whole face could be said to be static, with a terrifyingly calm expression.
He looked too abnormal, like a serial killer in a movie.
Ji Sheng's body was stiff; he suddenly thought of an evaluation of Xie Xuanming he had heard on the mobile phone broadcast during the month and a half when he was lying in bed.
"Severe depression, suspected of mental illness, prompt medical attention recommended."
The cold, even voice of the anchor floated in Ji Sheng's mind, providing the most infernal commentary to the bloody and brutal picture in front of him.
Ji Sheng shivered instinctively, wondering whether he had taken a rebirth script or a horror movie script…
If it weren't for the fact that he had known Xie Xuanming for many years, retaining a little trust in his humanity and believing he wouldn't take his anger out on others… or even if he did, then not to the extent of beating people into a bloody pulp…
Ji Sheng probably would have grabbed the doorknob and fled.
Even if you run away from here, you don't know when you might be kidnapped and end up in a plastic bag, dead, Ji Sheng persuaded himself calmly.
There was no smooth road in any direction for him, so it was better to take a gamble.
Ji Sheng bit the bullet and stood close to the sink like a prisoner, waiting for Xie Xuanming to finish his great career of beating people up.
Who knows how long it took, but Xie Xuanming finally stopped.
He threw the bloodied Brother Jiu away, turned around and approached Ji Sheng step by step.
Ji Sheng swallowed and stood straight.
Xie Xuanming approached gradually.
Distance two steps, one step——
Ji Sheng held his breath.
They were face to face.
Xie Xuanming walked past Ji Sheng without looking at him, stopped in front of the sink beside him, turned on the faucet and cleaned up the filth on his hands.
The water gurgled.
Ji Sheng looked away in embarrassment and his gaze happened to fall on Brother Jiu who was unconscious not far away.
There was nothing he could do. Whoever entered the bathroom at this moment would definitely see Brother Jiu at first glance.
After all, there was a large pool of blood on the platinum-white tiles that gave people a visual impact equal to witnessing a murder scene with their own eyes…
Of course, this might be a murder scene as well.
Ji Sheng looked at the motionless Brother Jiu feeling his heart palpitating.
No one will die, right?
If he does, will Ji Sheng be convicted as an accomplice?
He glanced at Xie Xuanming out of the corner of his eyes and realized that he was concentrating on cleaning up. After figuring out the guy was too lazy to pay attention to him, Ji Sheng slowly moved a few steps towards the half-dead Brother Jiu.
Squatting down beside Brother Jiu, he stretched out his hand to explore.
Still breathing.
Ji Sheng didn't have time to sigh in relief when he was suddenly pulled back by force and staggered up, unable to keep his balance.
Xie Xuanming picked Ji Sheng up abruptly, turned back and forced him to take a few steps until he was pressed heavily to the sink.
The collision between his backside and the countertop made Ji Sheng grit his teeth. It was too late to cry out, and Xie Xuanming's Shura-like expression silenced him anyway.
Xie Xuanming had some blood on his face that had not been wiped clean, his skin was pale and his aura was frighteningly hostile.
He looked at Ji Sheng condescendingly: "What did I tell you?"
Xie Xuanming's expression was too gloomy, and Ji Sheng had no doubt that if he could not give a reasonable explanation, there would immediately be another bloody lump on the bathroom floor, similar to the first one, but smaller in size.
Ji Sheng's mind worked quickly and he said frankly:
"I have amnesia."
Something finally changed in Xie Xuanming's eyes. He grimaced and sneered: "Continue."
Ji Sheng continued: "I was kidnapped and beaten up, and when I woke up… I lost part of my memories."
Without waiting for Xie Xuanming to question, he neatly pulled up his sleeves.
Xie Xuanming lowered his head to look at his pale wrists covered with large bruises and red marks.
He stared at the purple green, took Ji Sheng's hand expressionlessly and gently rubbed the marks with his fingers, causing Ji Sheng's skin to shift, and then patted him soothingly. As soon as Ji Sheng relaxed, he maliciously pressed down again, making him grunt in pain.
Ji Sheng pursed his lips and frowned.
After confirming the authenticity of the wounds, Xie Xuanming let go and said coldly: "I hate this look."
Ji Sheng broke out in a cold sweat from pain. A bit of anger bubbling in his heart somewhat washed away his fear. He gritted his teeth and said:
"I am a human being, and I will naturally scream if it hurts."
He was a human being, but Xie Xuanming not necessarily was.
As the boy in front of him frowned, his eyes a little red and his lips slightly open, red and swollen as if they had been ravaged, Xie Xuanming's expression darkened.
The hand wringing Ji Sheng's shoulder loosened and pressed against his skin through the fabric with a suggestive rub.
Ji Sheng was faintly aware of the nastiness of this gesture and struggled.
Xie Xuanming completely ignored his resistance, stretched his arm and wrapped it around Ji Sheng's back, followed down and stopped ambiguously below his waist. Feeling the instant stiffness of the body under his touch, Xie Xuanming sneered: "You're afraid of pain but not afraid of shame. Even injured, you don't forget to climb on a man's bed. I should praise you for your dedication. "
"Emperor Xie." Ji Sheng's upper body leaned back. He found the harassing presence above his buttocks so refreshing that he managed to regain his composure, his thin lips twitching as he reminded, "Now it is you who are flirting with me."
Xie Xuanming said indifferently: "So what?"
Ji Sheng first choked and then laughed in exasperation, his mind free from fear, absurd irritation taking its place.
Their status was so unequal that Ji Sheng simply shut up and tilted his head. He looked like "I'll quietly watch you play".
With Ji Sheng lying flat and not resisting, Xie Xuanming stopped, removed his hands from Ji Sheng's backside and placed them on the sink.
"What are you looking for me for?"
"If I say I miss you so much…"
"Scram."
"…" Ji Sheng calmly finished, "I really want you to cooperate with me."
Xie Xuanming showed his third expression today——surprise.
He raised his eyebrows slightly as if he heard something ridiculous: "Cooperate?"
"En." Ji Sheng uttered the prepared statement, "Before today, Emperor Xie, you didn't know that I was beaten by someone, did you?"
Xie Xuanming didn't make a sound but the corners of his eyes moved slightly.
"Those people are very heavy-handed. If it weren't for good luck, I might not be able to stand here and talk to you now. Personally, I don't think that I have enough value for someone to kill me, so it was actually directed at you, Emperor Xie."
"Me?"
"Correct." Ji Sheng said, "I heard that you have a conflict with some people because of a certain person. I also heard that I and that… senior are somewhat similar in appearance."
"This is your bargaining chip?" Xie Xuanming's eyes narrowed as he sneered, "Rumours and a rip-off version of the face."
"Drunk driving." Ji Sheng raised his voice and looked straight into Xie Xuanming's eyes, "That senior, did he really have an accident because of drunk driving?"
Xie Xuanming's calm mask fell apart in an instant.
"Who told you that?"
He clenched his shoulder again with a heavy hand.
"The one who hit me," Ji Sheng frowned in pain.
He knew that he had taken the right step——he used an unknown secret and forced Xie Xuanming to face his request for cooperation.
"What did they tell you? "
"This kid looks so similar to the guy surnamed Ji who was killed by a car," Ji Sheng said one word at a time.
The hand clenching his shoulder suddenly tightened, and he groaned in pain.
"What else?"
"I don't remember."
Xie Xuanming's eyes flashed. After a while, he calmed down and his hand relaxed.
Ji Sheng took a breath: "I have the value necessary for you and you can keep me safe… Cooperation is a win-win situation."
Xie Xuanming did not speak.
Ji Sheng waited patiently until he heard footsteps vaguely.
Ji Sheng's expression changed. Xie Xuanming made so much noise just now and made such a mess.
There were only three of them in the bathroom.
Brother Jiu was still unconscious and there was blood on the ground.
It was really hard to explain this scene to people.
With the sound of footsteps approaching, Xie Xuanming said, "You are not qualified to discuss cooperation with me. "
Before Ji Sheng could say anything, he felt weightless and then his back slammed against a cold and hard object, sharp pain piercing his neck.
Xie Xuanming lowered his head and bit Ji Sheng's neck.
Ji Sheng instinctively raised his palms and struck, but Xie Xuanming immediately squeezed his wrists with one hand, raised them and pressed them against the mirror behind his back.
At this moment, the two whose footsteps they heard walked into the bathroom with a smile and were stunned by the scene inside.
The marble tiles were stained with blood horribly and a lifeless body lay on the ground, but the two people on the sink ignored it. One man pressed down the other man, scantily dressed, and bit him roughly on the shoulder.
To be honest, at first glance this scene looked a bit like a zombie invasion.
Between the two onlookers, one of them recovered and took a half step forward to stop them, but was held back by the other.
"Xie Xuanming…" he reminded in a low voice.
Everyone who could enter this palace-like nightclub had some status and also had heard that Xie Xuanming was unpredictable and not to be messed with.
The two men did not move.
On the sink, Xie Xuanming leaned to Ji Sheng's ear.
"You said you have value, prove it to me."
He quoted a string of digits and got up, whispering: "Let your company dial this number, and you can use it in an emergency. Don't call indiscriminately on a regular basis."
Xie Xuanming stood up, wiped the blood on his face in front of the mirror, turned his head and walked to the door.
The two people at the entrance automatically gave way, watching him walk away, leaving one man unconscious and the other one undressed.
Although Ji Sheng was not beaten, he did suffer some injuries.
The agent was shocked when he saw him: "How come you're like this, you have to rely on your face to eat. "
"The injury is on the body, not on the face. I don't rely on my body to eat." Ji Sheng licked the wound on the corner of his lower lip and laughed at himself, "Not necessarily at least."
The agent did not want to accompany him in his sorrow and asked urgently, "How was it? Did Brother Jiu leave a message? Can we get the resources?"
Ji Sheng looked at his eager face and couldn't hold back his mockery: "Your Brother Jiu may not be able to get out of the hospital anytime soon."
"?"
"But the resources should be available." Ji Sheng lowered his eyes and moved his sore wrist, " After all, we Emperor Xie are not the kind of people who visit a prostitute for nothing."
"What do you mean? Ji Hui, are you having a fit today? Why are you talking so weird?"
Ji Sheng reported the number: "Xie Xuanming gave it, call it."
The agent shut up instantly, fished out his mobile phone, his face changing to more enthusiastic at once: "What? I didn't write it down just now, Xiao Hui, repeat it, I will call."
Ji Sheng repeated and the corners of the agent's mouth lifted in a smile before he asked in passing, "By the way, what's wrong with your neck?"
… …
Ji Sheng touched his neck silently and his face completely darkened after he saw the dazzling red on his fingers.
Damn.
This son of a b*tch hasn't grown up in ten years.
Chapter 4
yun1yun yun1yun
1 year ago
Ji Sheng unilaterally announced that Xie Xuanming was a miser.
After being contacted by the agent, he doled out Ji Hui's little sh*tty company an itinerary——a children's show at Stardust Kindergarten.
When hearing about this resource, someone as knowledgeable as Ji Sheng was speechless.
He was poor for half of his previous life and couldn't afford refusing any jobs, such as business openings, amusement park performances, wedding backup singing… anything and everything.
But a band performance in a kindergarten…
This scene was too avant-garde for Ji Sheng to think about, or dare to think about.
Ji Hui's little band was called 'Niepan', homophonic with 'niepan' meaning 'nirvana', or rebirth in fire(1).
"Why not just call it Nirvana?" Ji Sheng couldn't help asking.
The lead singer of the band, an eloquent older guy, replied: "Since it was the owner who suggested the name and he had the desire to make the band more popular, he changed the word to make the band name more comprehensible."
Ji Sheng didn't understand: "What do you mean?"
Playing the bass fiercely, Xiao Huang said in a rough voice: "It's just that our boss is f*cking illiterate and wrote it wrong."
Ji Sheng: … …
Ji Sheng: Okay.
Although it was a kindergarten performance, the organisers offered a good price and a TV station was invited to broadcast the whole process live. Considering that rock music was too intense for young children, the organisers required Niepan to wear doll costumes when performing and determined the setlist that consisted of 'Happy Birthday'.
When the news reached Niepan, the faces of the members turned black.
Although Niepan had no fame, no resources and no capital, its members were all young men with a lot of energy, playing in underground bands for years, so they were a bit rebellious and couldn't stand being told what to do by condescending outsiders.
Now, the organisers had thrown in a bunch of requirements and made it clear that they couldn't get on the stage as a band, had to be masked to be eligible to perform and had no right to choose the repertoire.
How could the members feel comfortable?
However, even if they were not happy, they still had to rehearse seriously and prepare for the performance conscientiously.
Niepan had been inactive for several months. They couldn't get any large-scale commercial performances and the company wouldn't let them go for small-scale jobs.
If Niepan could no longer create value for the company, it was very likely to be abandoned.
Being abandoned did not mean termination of the contract, and Niepan members could not return to the underground while the contract was still in the hands of the company. The company controlled their activities. Until the contract expired one day, they did not have the right to choose what to do.
The band members who were not hot but had a contract lived in the streets that were darker than the underground, repeating boring practice routines day after day. If they couldn't go up, they could only sink.
After seeing the requirements, the members cursed for a while, then honestly put on the doll costumes sent by the organisers and began to practice "Happy Birthday", the most popular song in the world known to children from three to eighty years old.
Since the members of Niepan were signed by the company, they were obviously impeccable in terms of expertise and had a couple of tricks up their sleeves.
After practising a couple of times, they became familiar with the repertoire.
But just because you practice fast doesn't mean you don't feel suffocated when you practice.
In early autumn the weather barely started getting cooler, and the air inside the dilapidated underground garage was stagnant, isolated from the outside air currents. The temperature in the garage was already a few degrees warmer than the daytime temperature outside and the doll costumes completely cut off any fresh air, making them sweat and gasp for breath after two or three practice sessions.
The harsh environment caused the band members to make frequent mistakes and the otherwise smooth progress gradually came to a halt.
Stopping for the fourth time because of a mistake, Xiao Huang broke down completely.
"Practice, d*mn it! It's a children's show, are you serious? Practice if you like, Lao Tzu doesn't have the time to wait on rich young masters and young ladies anyway!"
He pulled off his headgear irritably, threw it on the ground, slammed the door fiercely and went out.
The remaining members stayed where they were, large, naive, bloated dolls looking at each other, none of them having any intention of going after him.
The lead singer took off his headgear and rubbed his sweaty hair: "Let's rest first. "
He was the oldest among them, gentle in temper and had a certain right to speak for the team.
After he said that, the keyboardist and guitarist also took off their headgear. They took off their heavy clothes, found a place to sit down and relaxed.
The lead singer sat on the floor, feeling uncomfortable. Bassist Xiao Huang was the youngest member of the band and was stubborn like a mule, grouchy and unpredictable, and would not listen to anything he said.
He was afraid it would be very difficult to persuade him to come back to practice.
The lead singer was sighing when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder.
He turned his head, and Ji Sheng, dressed lightly, bent towards him from behind: "I'll go out and find him."
The lead singer was a little surprised. Ji Hui had always been quiet and timid, shrinking in a corner and not talking much. Xiao Huang didn't like him because of his weak personality and often mocked him mercilessly. Ji Hui was also afraid of him because of it and avoided Xiao Huang as much as possible…
At this moment, surprisingly, Ji Hui said that he wanted to go out to persuade Xiao Huang, who was in conflict with him.
But if someone wanted to make his life more difficult, the lead singer was not going to stop him.
"Okay," he said.
Ji Sheng got up, took two steps and turned back: "By the way, what's his name again?"
Lead singer:… …
Ji Sheng didn't mention his amnesia to the other members. Although the lead singer knew that Ji Hui was not particularly friendly with the band members, he didn't expect that he didn't even know the names of the guys who spent days and nights by his side.
Ji Sheng's eyes were too innocent, and the lead singer didn't say what he was going to say. He finally sighed helplessly: "Huang Sizhe."
Ji Sheng opened the door: "Thank you."
Huang Sizhe didn't go far; he squatted a few metres away from the door, his doll costume bloating and bunched up, offering Ji Sheng a bulging back.
Ji Sheng walked up and patted him on the shoulder: "Hi, Huang Sizhe."
Huang Sizhe turned his head, saw that it was Ji Sheng and his expression sank.
He still remembered the abhorrence of being locked up in the dorm room by Ji Sheng two days ago. That day, he had to stay hungry for most of the day because of Ji Sheng, until the lead singer passed a takeaway from the balcony of a neighbouring room with a clothes rail and he managed to eat a good meal. He said angrily: "Aren't you practising hard to show your skills to young masters and young ladies? Why are you coming out? "
"To rest." Ji Sheng yanked his doll costume. "Are you not hot?"
Ji Sheng's movements were a bit too violent and ripped up the drenched lining along with the inside of the doll suit.
As the sweat-soaked clothes separated from his skin, Huang Sizhe felt a chill run through his body and overreacted by getting up and slapping Ji Sheng away.
Ji Sheng took a half step back, his loose collar slipping, revealing the charming teeth marks on his shoulder.
Huang Sizhe caught a glimpse of this brilliance, his face alternately turned red and white, and finally went black. He gritted his teeth and cursed: "You really don't know what's good for you! You've suffered once and still want to stick to your ways. Can't you live without a man?"
In the face of the insult, Ji Sheng remained calm as he reached out and tugged down the cuffs of his doll suit, "Go back to rehearsal."
Huang Siche shrugged him off, "I'm not f*cking going back. Who wants to be like you, doing anything for money."
"Don't go back, don't rehearse, don't go to gigs, don't make any money, get buried by the company, demand to be released from your contract, pay a huge termination fee…" Ji Sheng calmly recounted, "You're happy with that, I'm fine with that too."
Huang Sizhe was stuck for a second and then continued to yell: "It's none of your business, are you qualified to take care of me?"
Ji Sheng stepped forward and grabbed Huang Sizhe by the collar.
His expression was colder than Huang Sizhe had ever seen before: "My friend, I was the one who begged for the costume you're wearing, and I was the one who asked for the gig you're going to. Even the company that pays your salary would have gone out of business long ago without me. I don't expect you to be grateful, but it's better not to be so condescending when you're taking the money earned by someone else selling his body. In your own words, you are not qualified."
Huang Sizhe was shocked by Ji Sheng's sudden outburst. He recovered soon and was going to get angry, but found that everything Ji Sheng said was reasonable and he had no room for refutation.
Huang Sizhe's face flushed; he couldn't say a word.
"Come back to rehearse." Ji Sheng had no intention of making things difficult for the child, withdrew his hand and turned to walk away.
Huang Sizhe looked at his back, gritted his teeth for a while and finally reluctantly dragged his feet back.
The internal contradictions of the members were resolved, and the next rehearsal process went a lot smoother.
The birthday song was not difficult; even if it was adapted, it would not be much more complicated. A few days before the performance, Niepan had already practised it to perfection and could complete the performance with their eyes closed.
But new bad news came——musical instruments were not available at the venue.
The price of musical instruments required for a band was not small. Even though Stardust Kindergarten, a private, aristocratic kindergarten, was financially strong, it was unlikely to have all kinds of instruments, let alone spend a large sum of money on a single performance.
Therefore, musical instruments could only be acquired by Niepan itself.
Although it was just a very bullsh*t commercial performance, it was going to be on TV in the end. The members didn't dare to take their fourth-hand, a hundred yuan or so worth trashy musical instruments on stage, fearing they would be taken for junk collectors. They worked hard making calls and looking around for people to borrow musical instruments.
After a few days of scraping and scrambling, Niepan finally managed to get a guitar, bass and keyboard. But the big one, the drum kit, no member was eventually able to borrow.
Two days before the performance, the lead singer ended another call and shook his head helplessly.
Everything is futile.
The keyboardist was silent for a while, then gave up and said, "Let's just chip in to buy a set."
"A set of drums for performance costs at least 15,000 yuan, Roland electronic drums cost 8,000 yuan if cut in half, 2,000 yuan for a double step and 1,000 yuan for a single step. Even a drum chair costs more than 100 yuan…" The lead singer rubbed his eyes wearily and made a rare foul-mouthed remark, "D*mn, a band is really rich people playing and poor people having fun."
The air pressure in the underground garage dropped very low.
Huang Sizhe looked at Ji Sheng who was unhurriedly arranging his doll costume and said with an irritated stab, "You're not worried?"
Ji Sheng took off the doll costume and folded it, then said quietly, "I'll think of a way."
Ji Sheng's way was to summon an invincible Pokémon —— a mad dog that could knock out human teeth when he was not in his right mind, but at the same time was very rich.
Ji Sheng felt it was unlikely that Xie Xuanming would agree to help, but he was still optimistic. After all, he could only mentally conjure Xie Xuanming's supernatural powers last time; this time, he had a specific means of summoning.
Ji Sheng fished out his mobile phone and dialled the number given by Xie Xuanming.
The one who answered was not Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng said, "Please give Senior Xie the phone, thank you."
The man was very cautious: "What is the name of the gentleman?"
"The surname is Ji." Ji Sheng smiled, "Just tell him that someone named Ji is looking for him, there's trouble."
The call was quickly transferred to Xie Xuanming, and a low voice full of unpleasantness came from the microphone:
"I remember I said not to call me if nothing is wrong…"
Ji Sheng went straight to the point: "Something is wrong. I need a drum kit…"
"…it's none of my business."
"To prove my value." Ji Sheng added, "You have to give me the means to prove it."
"…" Xie Xuanming was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled, "If you want to drum, you can. Building X, No. XX, XX Road," he quickly recounted. "Take a shower and be there by nine o'clock."
Nirvana actually doesn't mean rebirth, does it? Anyway, 'nirvana' is spelled 涅槃, while the name of Ji Sheng's little band is spelled 涅盘, the last character meaning 'a plate' or 'a dish'.
Chapter 5
yun1yun yun1yun
1 year ago
The address given by Xie Xuanming was a famous villa area in Baimao City.
Municipal planning did not allow building single-family villas that could seize already tight land resources in the city. The villa area where Xie Xuanming's house was located could be regarded as unique. Although it was not in the centre of the city, it was still the sub-center circle and the surrounding city parks made a house in this community a real symbol of affluence.
Generally speaking, as long as someone announced this address as their destination, the public would admit their wealth and status and cast envious glances at them.
Of course there were exceptions.
Ji Sheng finally stopped a taxi in his urban village. After he mentioned the address, the driver took a subtle look at his shabby clothes, then glanced at his handsome face, at the split corner of his lips and the unhealed scar by his eye…
A beautiful boy with injuries on his face.
The driver sighed quietly. People with a lot of strange fetishes had money, who could blame poor young people for rushing to eat this bowl of rice.
Ji Sheng's urban village and the wealthy area were at opposite ends of the city and to get there one had to cross more than half of the city. The rehearsal ended at eight o'clock, and after taking a shower, it was already half past eight. Ji Sheng looked at the time; it was definitely too late for a subway and a bus if he wanted to arrive before nine o'clock, so he had to take a taxi.
In the back seat, Ji Sheng touched his pocket. There was only 110.7 yuan in the second-hand mobile phone account, and this pitiful amount was destined to be greatly reduced when he got out of the car.
Ji Sheng arrived at the villa area at ten minutes past nine.
Security guards in wealthy areas were paid twice as much as their counterparts in other places, so their work was naturally first-class and dedicated.
No matter how Ji Sheng tried to explain, the security guard insisted that no one should enter without being picked up by a property owner or at least a telephone permission.
Ji Sheng wanted to give Xie Xuanming another call, but he was afraid that Xie Xuanming would make a fuss because of being bothered for this "ordinary matter" and order to get kicked him out of here. So Ji Sheng had to take a step back: "Can I wait for someone to pick me up at the gate?"
The security guard was still not happy, probably because he thought that Ji Sheng standing there would spoil the view.
However, the entrance of the community was not under the jurisdiction of the security guard and he could only reluctantly agree to Ji Sheng's suggestion.
Ji Sheng stood by the gate for two hours.
Xie Xuanming was very punctual, and at the same time very prone to having double standards.
He asked Ji Sheng to arrive by nine o'clock and Ji Sheng had to work hard to appear by then, but at the same time he did not say "I will wait for you there at nine o'clock", cutting off any expectations for the possibility of his appearance at this time to zero.
By the time Ji Sheng figured it out, he had been standing by the gate for more than an hour and a half. Without changing his expression, he gave Xie Xuanming an international friendly gesture in his heart, lowered his head and rubbed his legs.
Ji Sheng's injured legs had not healed yet and it hurt to stand for too long. In the end, he couldn't stand anymore, so he squatted down, shrinking himself into a hamster under the frowning gaze of the security guard.
When Xie Xuanming came back, he saw the following scene——at the entrance of the community, Ji Sheng curled up in a ball, hugging his knees and with his head lowered, revealing only a fluffy curl of hair to the outside world. The ever-dedicated security guard was holding a stick defensively, confronting the hamster as if meeting a great enemy, like Runtu facing a badger(1).
Shame.
This was Xie Xuanming's first thought.
He asked Ji Sheng to wait, but he didn't expect that this guy would use such a hamster nesting casual waiting method.
"Stop the car," Xie Xuanming said coldly.
He pushed the door and got out of the car, walked over to the ambiguous ball on the ground, resisted the urge to reach out and kick it, and leaned down.
Ji Sheng was hugging his legs and reviewing the rehearsal in his mind, when he suddenly realized that his feet were off the ground.
He tilted his head, looked at Xie Xuanming, who had picked him up, and said politely, "Good morning."
He glanced at the time calmly and apologised: "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought it was already early in the morning. "
Xie Xuanming ignored his eccentricity: "If you are willing to squat until the early hours of the morning, I don't mind."
"I mind." Ji Sheng straightened his legs and put his feet on the ground, patted his pants, smiled and waved to the security guard, "The person who picks me up is here, can I go in?"
The security guard sensed some ambiguity in his words, but before he had time to think about it, he saw that the movie star surnamed Xie tsked and walked towards the car without looking back. The boy who had been squatting for a long time hastily said goodbye and turned to catch up with him.
The two got into the car and drove into the community.
The security guard withdrew his gaze.
The guys were quite good-looking, but either one really didn't look right.
The strange world of the rich.
When Ji Sheng entered the villa, he was stunned by the familiar decoration and design style.
He was sure that he had never been to Xie Xuanming's house, at least not in his previous life. Then this kind of vague sense of familiarity could only come from the original owner of this body, Ji Hui.
Xie Xuanming had brought Ji Hui to his home before.
Ji Sheng was a little surprised.
Xie Xuanming didn't seem to be the kind of character who would easily allow people to invade his private realm.
While Ji Sheng kept looking around, Xie Xuanming poured a glass of water in a small open kitchen and said coldly: "Who are you going to sell the information to?"
Ji Hui was selling information?
Ji Sheng captured the key point.
What information? Was it related to Xie Xuanming? Who was it being sold to?
Was this why he annoyed Xie Xuanming?
Ji Sheng's brain worked quickly, but he almost immediately chose to ignore the large number of doubts that followed and focused on the problem that needed to be solved most at the moment.
He walked up to Xie Xuanming and stretched out his hand.
"130."
"What?"
"130, reimburse the taxi money."
"It costs 70 to your dorm any day," Xie Xuanming said coldly. "No matter how much you love money, cheating for 60 is too much."
"65 is one way. If you don't have any plans to keep me in the golden house, I have to go back tomorrow." Ji Sheng calmly settled the accounts, "You shouldn't be short of money, so those 60 are not your last."
The atmosphere solidified.
After two seconds, Ji Sheng took out his mobile phone and shook it tentatively: "WeChat? "
Xie Xuanming put down the cup lightly, turned and walked into the room.
The door panel slammed shut, making the thin wall tremble.
Ji Sheng was stuck in place, putting away his mobile phone and shrugging.
So, it's cash.
Xie Xuanming didn't come out for a long time.
Ji Sheng didn't expect to have to wait when he came here. He really couldn't stand anymore. He cautiously found a place to sit down and prayed that Xie Xuanming would not go crazy and kick him out, or beat him up first and kick him out later because he had defiled his leather couch.
Just after midnight, Xie Xuanming came out. He gave Ji Sheng a very stingy look and said succinctly: "Come here."
Ji Sheng didn't know where to go, so he had to get up and follow him upstairs.
Walking up the stairs, Ji Sheng hurriedly took a glance at the layout of the villa.
The room Xie Xuanming was staying in just now should be a study or a studio, and the direction he was going to——
It was the master bedroom.
"You sit there."
Ji Sheng glanced silently at the large bed in the centre of the master bedroom, and according to Xie Xuanming's instructions, sat down on the couch beside the large bed.
As soon as Ji Sheng sat down, Xie Xuanming walked towards him.
In the shadow of his tall figure, Ji Sheng leaned back silently.
You don't sleep in a bed, you choose a couch.
What a strange fetish.
Xie Xuanming took two steps closer, propped his hand on the back of the couch and looked down at Ji Sheng from above: "Do you know what to do?"
Ji Sheng froze for a second, then began to take off his shirt without saying a word.
He was wearing a shirt with many buttons today. It was painful to put it on, and it was even more painful to take it off.
Ji Sheng unbuttoned it slowly, his movements deliberate and sincere, as if he was the only one left in the whole world, alone with the white-washed shabby denim shirt.
Xie Xuanming sneered.
When the third button was undone, Ji Sheng finally couldn't maintain his composure and looked up with his collar open, asking a self-defeating question, "Got any lube and condoms?"
"No." Xie Xuanming sneered even more, "I don't need those things."
Very good; Ji Sheng was expressionless.
God d*mn it, die and get reborn.
And die again of pain on a man's bed.
It's so d*mn good.
While Ji Sheng was cursing the injustice of fate frantically, Xie Xuanming didn't have the patience to wait and pushed him down.
Ji Sheng was startled, forced back by him, and reclined on the couch.
Xie Xuanming's sharp Adam's apple was right before his eyes. Ji Sheng closed his eyes instinctively and only a strong fragrance of cut grass filled his senses now.
In this chaos, Ji Sheng suddenly became distracted.
Xie Xuanming clearly didn't like to use perfume before.
At least the time at the bar when Xie Xuanming pressed up against him, his mouth tasted sour with sparkling wine but his body was unexpectedly clean, with only the residual scent of shower gel.
Not like a breakout star, more like a high school student.
But that was ages ago, after all.
People do change.
Ji Sheng felt inexplicably uncomfortable. He kept his eyes closed and gave up struggling, lying like a corpse. He lay for some time in self-loathing, but the grassy scent suddenly dissipated and the light before his eyelids changed from dim to bright orange.
Ji Sheng opened his eyes tentatively when he heard the rustling sound.
The first thing he saw was a bright crystal lamp illuminating the master bedroom. Then his gaze shifted down to Xie Xuanming standing by the couch, a towel and pyjamas hanging from his arm, as he tilted his head to drip eye drops into his eyes.
After he finished dripping into his right eye, he changed to dripping into his left eye.
After dripping the eye drops in both eyes, Xie Xuanming leaned over and put the vial of eye drops back on the bedside table.
He quickly brushed past Ji Sheng, in a perfunctory manner as if he could not see that there was a living person sitting on the couch, or as if he simply regarded Ji Sheng as an unimportant, negligible object like a pillow.
A humanoid pillow that looked like his white moonlight.
A beautiful one-to-one handcrafted reproduction.
Ji Hui, or Ji Sheng, was probably something like this in his eyes.
After putting away the eye drops, Xie Xuanming went to the bathroom. Soon the sound of pattering water came from behind the wall.
He didn't give Ji Sheng an extra look the whole time, except for the upward curve of his mouth, which was mocking in every way.
Ji Sheng sat on the couch, his clothes tattered and messy.
He didn't care to be annoyed by Xie Xuanming's ridicule; his mind was filled with only one piece of data.
He probably knew what information Ji Hui leaked.
Xie Xuanming, the newcomer movie star, the pillar of the box office, the king of hot topics.
The prince on a black horse of countless girls, the dream lover of countless gay guys.
Such a popular lover, oh no, he couldn't do it.
Ji Sheng came to this conclusion with great seriousness.
He bought a pitiful young boy who looked seven or eight points similar to his white moonlight just to let him sit by the bed and tell himself the bedtime story of three little pigs.
Such abstinence in a magnificent young man who looked like a wolf or a tiger…
Either he was a staunch follower of Plato.
Or a potential buyer of Viagra.
Ji Sheng felt that Plato might not be happy to accept this kind of unfilial disciple who would knock out human teeth without saying a word.
Therefore, Xie Xuanming must have been the latter.
Thinking of this, Ji Sheng suddenly understood Xie Xuanming's anger.
If this kind of private matter was exposed by a pillow man (literally), who would be able to bear it?
Ji Sheng certainly felt that he wouldn't.
So Xie Xuanming should be even more unable to.
After Xie Xuanming took a shower, he instructed Ji Sheng to stay still, and went to bed.
His movements were proficient to perfection. Ji Sheng thought that similar things must have happened many times. The simple couch under him that was seriously inconsistent with the bedroom decoration style was estimated to be a XXXXL-size "action figure stand" in Xie Xuanming's eyes.
Ji Sheng was solemn for a moment.
It once again affirmed the authenticity of the information about Xie Xuanming's impotence.
Xie Xuanming didn't know that he just took a shower and Ji Sheng had already created such a misconception in his mind.
Xie Xuanming took his mobile phone to reply to some messages, glanced at "Ji Hui" who was honestly staying where he was put, and thought that judging from the stress response just now, the amnesia he mentioned was probably not a lie.
This made Xie Xuanming have a bare minimum of trust in "Ji Hui".
Xie Xuanming turned off the phone and lay down on his side.
He fell asleep, but Ji Sheng was still a little dumbfounded.
Of course it was good not to have to sell his body, but did he have to sit on the couch like this all night?
As soon as this thought came out, Ji Sheng felt his backache instantly soared up a few levels.
Ji Sheng hammered his waist bitterly, thinking that the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility, and the deeper the sickness, the better the golden master.
Everything had a reason, but Ji Sheng didn't want to hear it.
Fortunately, Xie Xuanming specifically told him to sit until he fell asleep.
In other words, after Xie Xuanming fell asleep, Ji Sheng could lie down.
After Ji Sheng completed his reading comprehension exercise, he began to hypnotise Xie Xuanming silently in his mind.
Go to sleep, go to sleep, my dear gold master, my dear drum kit supplier.
Mom loves you, Dad loves you, and I love you too.
It's just that your white moonlight doesn't love you.
He kept urging steadily, as if praying.
Xie Xuanming seemed to have problems sleeping. Several times Ji Sheng felt that he was going to fall asleep, but he suddenly opened his eyes and looked like an eagle at Ji Sheng who was about to lie down.
Ji Sheng could only return to his post and sit up straight as honestly as a student caught by the head teacher while skipping a lesson.
Xie Xuanming opened his eyes several times, and Ji Sheng suddenly developed a subtle feeling.
Xie Xuanming would not be so idle as to supervise him.
It was more like he was looking at someone through Ji Hui's face.
Someone who was not by his side.
Ji Sheng smiled, dumbfounded.
What?
Xie Xuanming, movie emperor on stage and mad dog off stage, was unable to fall asleep without seeing the white moonlight's face?
It was really weird.
It was the kind of weird that no one would believe even if you told them about it.
Xie Xuanming closed his eyes and opened them a few times, then finally closed his eyes at two o'clock in the morning and fell asleep.
After several previous lessons, Ji Sheng didn't dare to lie down immediately. He cautiously decided to observe for a while.
Xie Xuanming wore a face of the King of Hell when he was awake, and was not easy to approach when he was asleep either. His elegant eyebrows were furrowed and his eyelashes twitched uncontrollably in his restless sleep.
His compressed lips gradually opened slightly and a faint whisper floated out.
Ji Sheng held his breath and concentrated but could not capture the words.
He got up quietly, leaned forward, about to eavesdrop, and froze suddenly.
At a distance of one foot from him, Xie Xuanming frowned with a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows, his forehead covered with cold sweat.
He clutched the quilt and whispered bitterly:
"Ji Sheng… you owe me…"
1. Runtu is a character from 'My Old Home' by Lu Xun, apparently having some enmity with badgers