After My Rebirth Chapter 38: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Chapter 38: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Li Cheng had been discharged from the hospital the night before. The moment he walked out of the ward, he returned straight to the capital.

Li Wenxing, on the other hand, had stayed behind—his goal was to speak with Li Sinian.

They agreed to meet at a hot pot restaurant.

The last time they’d seen each other at the teahouse, Li Wenxing had fully dropped the facade and shown his true colors. So this time, he didn’t even bother pretending. His face was stone cold from the start.

The copper pot on the table bubbled with spicy red broth. Steam curled from the pot and heated the air until it made sweat bead at their temples. But even in that sweltering heat, Li Wenxing’s expression remained frozen.

Compared to him, Li Sinian looked perfectly composed. He casually picked up a slice of beef from the plate, dipped it into the pot, and let it cook for a few seconds. The tender meat, coated in the rich spicy broth, looked mouthwateringly fragrant.

Li Sinian popped the meat into his mouth. His eyes briefly fluttered closed, savoring the taste as if he’d come here just to enjoy the meal.

Li Wenxing’s expression darkened further as he watched him.

Why? After everything this man had done to ruin him, how did he still have the nerve to sit here looking so at ease?

“Is it good?” Li Wenxing finally couldn’t hold back. He let out a cold laugh and sneered, “Because of you, I can’t even lift my head in front of my friends anymore. Lin Yuan-ge doesn’t want me. Even Dad barely smiles at me now.”

“You’ve ruined me—how can you still sit here and enjoy your food like nothing happened?”

Li Sinian swallowed his bite of beef, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and set his chopsticks down. His posture shifted as if he were finally ready for a real conversation.

“You’ve got it wrong,” he said calmly. “I didn’t ruin you. I just returned the favor—an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

“Whether it’s your internet reputation, or losing Lin Yuan, these were all things you tried to do to me. You were just too stupid, so it backfired.”

“I was too stupid… You’re calling me stupid again!” Li Wenxing’s face twisted for a second, but then he suddenly seemed to remember something. His expression smoothed over, and he even smiled smugly.

“Yeah, I’m stupid. Not as clever and capable as you, right?”

“But tell me this—what’s the use of being so capable if the person you like still ends up with me?”

He chuckled. “Isn’t it funny? You and Lin Yuan-ge danced around each other for so long and never made anything official. I only had to say a few words to him, and he started chasing me.”

Li Sinian nodded. “Yeah, that is kind of funny. That garbage Lin Yuan—he’s what you’re bragging about? You’re beyond saving.”

“But now I’m curious. Growing up, you stole a lot from me. You knew you weren’t smart—weren’t you afraid I’d catch you in the act?”

Li Wenxing’s breath hitched, the anger clearly simmering beneath his skin. But Li Sinian’s second question seemed to soothe him somehow.

“At first, yeah. I worried,” Li Wenxing admitted. “But later I realized, if there was something I wanted, I always got it. No matter what it was.”

“Like all those things you worked so hard for as a kid. Or Dad’s warm words. Or Lin Yuan-ge.”

“I know what you’re going to say—that Lin Yuan-ge isn’t worth it. That’s fine. I get it. People always carry resentment toward things they couldn’t have.”

“Honestly, I think you’re just pitiful. You seem like you’ve got it all together, like you’ve got everything. But really, you can’t hold onto anything. Not one damn thing.”

Li Sinian didn’t bother replying to his taunts. He was more interested in something else.

Li Wenxing had said he found it easy to get whatever he wanted. So he knew he had that “irresistible charm” trait. But he didn’t know he was the protagonist of the story. He thought it was just part of his own appeal—and he weaponized that trait against anyone he didn’t like.

Including him.

Li Sinian had gotten what he came for and had no interest in dragging this out. After a few more bites of meat, he made an excuse and got up to leave.

Li Wenxing called after him. “So, from what you said—you hate Dad that much? Even if he asks you to come back, you’re not going to?”

Li Sinian instantly understood.

All that earlier complaining and bragging—that wasn’t the real point. This was the point.

Li Cheng was probably planning to call him back. That made Li Wenxing nervous, so he came to test the waters.

He knew how much Li Cheng doted on him, so he wasn’t too worried about that end. But if Li Sinian really did go back, things might spiral beyond Li Cheng’s control.

Realizing he’d said too much, Li Wenxing tried to backtrack.

“I’m just saying,” he added quickly, “even if you do go back, Dad’s never going to truly care about some illegitimate child who ruined his real son.”

Li Sinian acted like he didn’t catch the subtext. He gave a flat “Oh,” went to the register, and left without looking back.

Outside the restaurant, someone familiar was waiting by the door.

Lin Yuan.

Li Sinian hadn’t cared much for Lin Yuan after leaving home. And after what happened at his apartment the last time, he felt nothing but disgust toward the man.

So when he saw him now, he didn’t even blink. He looked straight ahead and kept walking, treating him like air.

He barely got two steps before he heard fast footsteps behind him—and then a hand grabbed his arm.

He turned around and came face-to-face with Lin Yuan’s eyes, full of guilt.

Li Sinian’s brows furrowed. He yanked his arm free with such force that Lin Yuan stumbled back a step.

Taking two steps away, he snapped, “Are you sick in the head? Li Wenxing’s inside. If you’re looking for him, go in there. Don’t bother me.”

“I—I’m not looking for Li Wenxing. I’m here to see you,” Lin Yuan said, pursing his lips as he stepped closer.

“You still haven’t taken me off your block list—on WeChat, or by phone. This was the only way I could reach you.”

“A’Nian, can we talk?”

That one sentence successfully darkened Li Sinian’s face. “So because you couldn’t get in touch with me, you decided to come find me… Does that mean you followed me?”

Lin Yuan froze. “N-no, I wasn’t following you. Don’t say it like that—it sounds bad.”

“Then what would you call it?”

Lin Yuan looked at him for a long moment. In the end, he decided not to answer the question directly.  “A’Nian, I regret it. I’m sorry.”

He reached out to grab Li Sinian’s hand. “We were so good together, but then Li Wenxing showed up and I… I was weak. I’m sorry. Please, just give me another chance.”

Seeing that Li Sinian didn’t pull away, he took the opportunity to hold his hand tighter. “I’m sorry, A’Nian. I really am. Can you forgive me?”

Li Sinian smiled faintly. “So what you’re saying is… the reason you left me was because Li Wenxing seduced you?”

The wording made Lin Yuan frown. It painted him as a shallow playboy. But if enduring some ugly words meant regaining Li Sinian’s forgiveness, he was willing to swallow it.

“Yes,” he nodded. “I admit I was at fault too. But your brother’s tactics were just too clever. That’s what made me slip.”

“A’Nian, I’m sorry. I really know I was wrong. I’ll never do something like that again.”

Li Sinian nodded slowly. “I see… So that’s how you see your relationship with Li Wenxing. I wonder—does he know that?”

As he spoke, his gaze drifted past Lin Yuan’s shoulder.

Lin Yuan instinctively turned and saw Li Wenxing.

Li Wenxing had intentionally left a few minutes later, not wanting to walk out with Li Sinian. But he hadn’t expected to find his former admirer groveling at his older brother’s feet.

The funniest part? That guy was slandering him just to win Li Sinian back.

Lin Yuan let go of Li Sinian’s hand out of reflex. The moment he did, he remembered that the person in front of him wasn’t his sweet little angel anymore, but a manipulative bastard. He reached for Li Sinian’s hand again.

This time, Li Sinian dodged him completely—pulling not just his hand but his whole body away.

Li Wenxing watched the whole exchange, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.

He stepped forward until he stood directly in front of Lin Yuan, looking up at him.

“Lin Yuan-ge,” he said sweetly, “what you just said wasn’t very nice. What do you mean I seduced you?”

“You’re the one who begged people for my contact info and tried so hard to ‘accidentally’ bump into me. You complained about how overbearing Li Sinian was and how boring it had gotten. Why didn’t you say I seduced you back then?”

A full-on lovers’ quarrel. In public.

Li Sinian folded his arms and took a step back, watching the drama unfold like a soap opera.

At first, Lin Yuan had been arguing with Li Wenxing out of pure emotion. But as the shouting match went on, clarity began to return, and he realized just how humiliating this was.

When he saw Li Sinian turning to leave, the last trace of impulsive fire fizzled out. He ignored Li Wenxing completely and turned to follow Li Sinian.

But Li Wenxing, clearly provoked, grabbed his arm.

Li Sinian turned at the commotion just in time to see Lin Yuan shove Li Wenxing to the ground.

Li Wenxing immediately pulled out his phone—probably calling someone for backup.

Li Sinian found the whole scene so ridiculous he couldn’t help pulling out his phone and snapping a picture.

Since Li Wenxing was now on the ground, Lin Yuan couldn’t very well chase after him. He didn’t dare leave the situation.

The restaurant, To Eat, wasn’t far from home. Li Sinian drove twenty minutes and was back.

Someone was waiting at the door.

Jiang Rongxuan.

The moment he saw him, Li Sinian was reminded of the dream he’d had the night before—and his nerves spiked.

He was pretty sure now that the younger student in the dream had been Jiang Rongxuan. But whether the “person he liked” was actually him… That, he wasn’t sure of.

He stayed in the car for a bit before finally stepping out. The moment he did, Jiang Rongxuan’s eyes locked onto him.

As he approached, Jiang Rongxuan gave him a cool, unreadable smile.

“Brother, where did you go?”

“You’re here again today?” Li Sinian asked at the same time. He gave a sheepish laugh. “Li Cheng went back to Jingshi, and Li Wenxing wanted to see me. So we went out to eat.”

“Mm.” Jiang Rongxuan’s gaze dropped to his left hand. “And then?”

It was the same hand Lin Yuan had grabbed earlier.

Li Sinian shrugged. “We just ate… Oh, and I watched a really good show.”

He chuckled at the memory of the ridiculous scene outside the hotpot place.

Jiang Rongxuan reached out and gently took his left hand, pulling a tissue from his pocket and carefully wiping it clean. “If you’re smiling just thinking about it, then it must’ve been a real show.”

“Brother doesn’t want me to come over?”

The topic switch was so abrupt that Li Sinian was caught off guard. His attention had still been on the way Jiang Rongxuan was holding his hand.

“What?”

Jiang Rongxuan met his eyes, a hint of hurt in his gaze. “I came yesterday. Now I come again and I’m being questioned. Brother doesn’t want me here?”

“No! Of course not!” Li Sinian rushed to explain. “I just thought you were always busy. Coming all the way here might be inconvenient for you.”

Jiang Rongxuan let out a breath. “I thought you were sick of me.”

Once he was done cleaning, he let go of the hand with a gentle motion. “Since brother welcomes me, I’ll come in now.”

Li Sinian nodded and opened the door for him. As he followed Jiang Rongxuan inside and shut the door behind them, he couldn’t help glancing down at his left hand. Strange. When Lin Yuan had grabbed this hand without asking, he’d felt disgusted.

But when Jiang Rongxuan had taken it without permission, he didn’t feel repulsed at all.

In fact, he’d even had the mental space to notice how Jiang Rongxuan’s fingers had faint callouses, how his veins stood out subtly, and how long and slender his fingers were.

Really… humans are such hypocrites.