After My Rebirth Chapter 32: Dropped a bombshell.

Chapter 32: Dropped a bombshell.

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Li Wenxing had played a significant role in fueling the plagiarism controversy against Li Sinian, but he didn’t hold real power in the Li family and couldn’t fund much on his own. All the heavy lifting was done by Lin Yuan.

Compared to Jiang Rongxuan, Lin Yuan was far less capable. Even though Lin Yuan had worked hard, three days later, all the negative news about Li Sinian’s plagiarism disappeared without a trace.

That night, Jiang Rongxuan told Li Sinian the problem had been resolved. To show his gratitude, Li Sinian insisted on treating him to dinner.

Jiang Rongxuan laughed and said, “We’ve got a chef at home. Why go out to eat?” So, they decided to have dinner at Li Sinian’s place.

They skipped the usual stir-fry that evening and set up a hotpot in the backyard instead.

Before they knew it, summer had come around again. They had met in the heat of last year’s summer and somehow started a business together. Now, it has been over a year.

Back then, Li Sinian never imagined that both their careers and their relationship would develop so steadily — and with such promising momentum.

Truth be told, the nationwide chain restaurant wouldn’t have taken off without Jiang Rongxuan.

Though the daily revenue was impressive now, the restaurant’s total income had just barely matched the initial investment.

On top of that, the chain was expanding into second- and third-tier cities, which meant another round of heavy investment. Without Jiang Rongxuan’s relentless cash injections, the restaurant’s growth to this scale would’ve taken at least a decade.

Li Sinian clinked his glass against Jiang Rongxuan’s, finally voicing the gratitude he’d kept inside.

Jiang Rongxuan smiled, “I’m a businessman. I don’t do losing deals. Sure, the early investment seemed extravagant, but look at the trajectory — business will only get better, not worse. So, it’s all worth it.”

“I’m throwing money into the restaurant for myself, too.”

That night’s hotpot broth was made by Li Sinian himself, and he’d also brewed the fruit wine they were drinking. The wine was strong but smooth — easy on the throat. After the formalities, the two loosened up, eating and drinking freely. Halfway through the meal, the doorbell rang. Li Sinian opened the door to find Ma Chi standing there.

As soon as the door opened, Ma Chi started complaining, “So you two are sneaking off and eating alone when this was supposed to be a three-person partnership!”

He pushed past Li Sinian and walked inside, eyes landing on the hotpot, grumbling, “I was wondering why it smelled so good—smelled it from a few hundred meters away. Turns out you two were having a hotpot here!”

“Whoa, and there’s wine too? You guys are really something… If I hadn’t stopped by the company today, and assistant Chen told me Little Jiang had come here, I’d have missed this meal!”

Jiang Rongxuan rolled his eyes at Ma Chi’s endless whining, shooting him a glare sharp enough to silence him immediately. Li Sinian closed the door and laughed as he went to grab another bowl, telling Ma Chi to take a seat.

Though the small dining table felt cramped with Ma Chi’s arrival, the atmosphere grew livelier. Ma Chi talked nonstop like a blabbermouth from the moment he entered. Strangely, he both talked the most and ate the most.

The dinner stretched on for nearly two hours. When it was over, the table was a mess of empty dishes and spilled drinks. Jiang Rongxuan and Li Sinian, though they’d drunk quite a bit, were still clear-headed.

Ma Chi, on the other hand, couldn’t resist the delicious pineapple wine Li Sinian had brewed and drank himself into a stupor, eventually slumping onto the table.

Li Sinian divided up the cleanup duties — he would clean the table, and Jiang Rongxuan would take care of helping Ma Chi to the guest room.

Ma Chi’s drunken outbursts came in waves. While his head was down on the table, he was quiet, but the moment Jiang Rongxuan tried to help him up, he started yelling.

He yelled at his dad for not trusting him or believing he could make something of himself.

He yelled that even though he and Jiang Rongxuan were “good brothers,” Li Sinian was clearly closer to him since their collaboration began.

Then, he dropped a bombshell.

Jiang Rongxuan had been secretly crushing on someone since high school—six years of unrequited love—and had never confessed.

Ma Chi yelled this secret loud enough to shock everyone, and Jiang Rongxuan immediately scowled and tossed him to the floor in disgust.

Li Sinian caught Jiang Rongxuan’s gaze, blinked, and deliberately said, “I didn’t hear a thing.”

Jiang Rongxuan smiled slyly, “Don’t lie—you definitely heard.”

Ma Chi lay sprawled on the floor for several minutes, paying for his mouthiness, until Jiang Rongxuan finally took pity and helped him into the guest room.

Thanks to Ma Chi, Jiang Rongxuan stayed at Li Sinian’s that night.

Li Sinian’s home was spacious, but since he lived alone, many empty rooms were stacked with grains or bottles of homemade wine. Only the master bedroom and one guest room were suitable for sleeping.

Ma Chi, the drunken troublemaker, took over the guest room, leaving Jiang Rongxuan to share the master bedroom with Li Sinian.

They lay flat on the bed, separated by the width of a blanket.

The alcohol had made them restless. When people didn’t pass out drunk like Ma Chi, they were more likely to feel the kind of excited wakefulness Li Sinian was experiencing—unable to fall asleep.

After tossing and turning for who knew how many times, Jiang Rongxuan’s voice came from beside him.

“Older brother, can’t sleep?”

Li Sinian paused mid-shift.

“Am I disturbing you?”

“No,” Li Sinian replied.

“Good, then.” Jiang Rongxuan said, “Just can’t sleep, huh?”

“Yeah, a little.” Li Sinian shifted his position to face him. “You?”

“Me too.” Jiang Rongxuan turned toward Li Sinian. “How about we talk for a bit?”

“Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

“Well…” Jiang Rongxuan paused thoughtfully for a moment. “How old are you this year? Twenty-four?”

“Yeah, almost twenty-five.” Li Sinian also turned fully to face him. “What about you? I think you’re two years younger than me, so you must have graduated college by now?”

“Yeah.”

Li Sinian shook his head with admiration. “That’s impressive. Twenty-two, college grad, and already successful in your career. Lots of people are just getting started at that age.”

Jiang Rongxuan smiled quietly. “Everyone’s life experiences and opportunities are different. Growing up in a family like ours means you have to force yourself to grow up early — compete and fight for everything — or you wouldn’t last long.”

He looked Li Sinian in the eyes. “Aren’t you the same? You got elite education from a young age. While others were still stressing over college entrance exams, you were juggling schoolwork and managing family business affairs. If you were still in Jing city, I bet it wouldn’t be any easier than it is for me.”

Li Sinian thought back to his childhood, to his previous life. It was hard not to agree.

“Enough of this depressing talk,” Jiang Rongxuan said, glancing toward the window. “Look at that beautiful moon out there. Let’s change the subject.”

He smiled and asked, “Hey, brother, you’re not getting any younger. Don’t you want to be in a relationship?”

“Pshh.” Li Sinian reached out and lightly patted Jiang Rongxuan’s shoulder. “Finally no elders pushing me about dating, and you’re already on me again.”

Jiang Rongxuan laughed. “I’m just worried about your future.”

“What about you?” Li Sinian asked. “Ma Chi said you’ve had a crush on someone for six years. Is that true? Someone like you, and you can’t get them?”

Jiang Rongxuan was silent for a moment, then lay back down.

Li Sinian thought he might have hit a sensitive topic and quickly added, “I was just asking casually. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“It’s nothing,” Jiang Rongxuan said, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah, I’ve had a crush on someone for six years. It’s not exactly that I can’t get him — I just never made a move.”

“Why not?”

“Afraid of rejection.” Jiang Rongxuan gave a self-deprecating smile. “I want to get better — control everything around me — before I try. That way, my chances are higher.”

Li Sinian grinned. “So even someone like you, the ideal man, gets nervous around the person you like.”

Jiang Rongxuan tilted his head at him. “You think I’m the ideal man?”

“Yeah? Sort of.” Li Sinian said, “The girls at the company said so too. They listed all your good qualities, and I have to admit, you’re pretty ideal.”

“Hey, but you said you want to control outside factors first. What do you mean? Afraid someone will try to stop you from being with the person you like?”

Jiang Rongxuan’s eyes locked on Li Sinian’s face. “Yeah. My family might oppose it — because he’s a man.”

Li Sinian blinked, surprised. Then shook his head. “Why would I mind? Honestly, I’m a little surprised, that’s all.”

Seeing no disgust or hesitation on Li Sinian’s face, Jiang Rongxuan smiled faintly and looked back at the ceiling.

“He’s a senior at my university, two years older. Back then, I had just returned to my original family as an illegitimate child. I was bullied and excluded everywhere — at home and school. Sometimes I didn’t even have enough to eat.”

“Other students either bullied me to get on my legitimate brother’s good side or condescendingly gave me charity and then mocked me behind my back. Only he helped me sincerely.”

“That was the darkest time in my life — worse than when I lived with my mom and we were poor. Without him, I don’t know how I would have survived.”

Li Sinian nodded thoughtfully.

Right, he remembered Jiang Rongxuan had only recently been called back to the Jiang family. Before that, he was treated like an illegitimate child.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Li Sinian said. “If someone helped me through the hardest time in my life, I’d probably fall for them too.”

Jiang Rongxuan chuckled softly. “Especially if they’re good looking.”

They talked late into the night, sharing stories from their childhoods and lives — everything they could think to say.

Just as Li Sinian was drifting off, a faint memory surfaced: In high school, he might have brought lunch to a junior once.

But it was years ago, and he hadn’t really thought about it much since. The memory flickered briefly and faded.

The next morning, Li Sinian was woken by the shrill ring of his phone.

He groggily looked at the screen. It was his father — practically as good as dead to him.

He answered, barely putting the phone to his ear before his father’s furious voice exploded.

“Li Sinian! You really don’t miss a chance to embarrass me, do you? A food influencer stealing recipes and getting your identity exposed online — you’ve made me lose all face!”