Life and Death Insurance – CH 046

Chapter 46

The house was quiet, devoid of the familiar aroma of cooking. Only the living room light was on. Xiang Tian sat quietly on the sofa in front of the coffee table, seemingly waiting for him to return.

This desolate scene caused the anger that had been building up inside Ling Zhengzhong to resurface.

What was Xiang Tian doing? He was the one who had been dominated last night! Even setting aside the fact that he had also enjoyed the pleasure, he was practically a victim himself. Yet, he hadn’t said a word, and this culprit was already sulking with resentment, not even bothering to cook dinner. Did he think the whole thing was his fault?

“I’m home!”

His tone was harsh, and Ling Zhengzhong said gruffly, throwing his briefcase and coat onto the sofa beside him.

“Zhengzhong, I want to talk to you,” Xiang Tian said softly.

“What are you talking about?” Ling Zhengzhong sat down on the sofa opposite Xiang Tian and asked.

“It’s about the time you were drugged last night…”

“Don’t mention that again! I don’t want to talk about it!” Ling Zhengzhong replied immediately.

Xiang Tian’s mention of it only fueled Ling Zhengzhong’s anger. The whole situation was ultimately caused by that woman, Lin Qiaoya. His reputation had been ruined by her drugging him! That damned woman! He wouldn’t let her get away with it so easily!

Xiang Tian misunderstood Ling Zhengzhong’s meaning. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, “Zhengzhong, if I had known you were thinking this way from the beginning, I wouldn’t have slept with you last night!”

What? Wouldn’t have slept with him?! What kind of talk was that? What did he take Ling Zhengzhong for? As if sleeping with him was some huge loss.

Ling Zheng, unable to suppress his anger any longer, sneered, “Well, I’m really sorry, but I’ve made you suffer, haven’t I?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“That’s exactly what I mean! Xiang Tian, ​​you think you’ve suffered a loss? You eat my food, live in my house, and even slept with me last night, and I haven’t said a word, yet you’re acting like you’ve been wronged! If you feel I owe you something, if you feel you’ve suffered by working with me, you can leave immediately. Everyone’s happy, and I’d rather have one less person here!!”

Xiang Tian’s previously hopeful expression dimmed.

Actually, everything was packed. He’d stayed to wait for Ling Zhengzhong to return, clinging to a sliver of hope that he might ask if what Ling Zhengzhong had said last night was just casual talk. But the other man wouldn’t even mention it, even telling him to get lost immediately. So what was the point of his staying? What else could he beg for?

Without saying anything more, Xiang Tian stood up, went to the bedroom, retrieved his packed travel bag, and said to Ling Zhengzhong, “Mr. Ling, I’m so sorry to have bothered you for so long. I’ll leave right away!”

Hey, that’s not what I meant.

Seeing Xiang Tian’s pale face, Ling Zhengzhong felt a pang of heartache. He had only been angry and hurled a few insults; he hadn’t really intended to kick him out. The issue of superiority could be discussed later. Who would just abandon someone over a single disagreement?

But the already packed travel bag annoyed Ling Zhengzhong. He had rushed back from work, intending to have a proper talk with Xiang Tian, ​​but it turned out the other man had already planned to leave. What was he supposed to say? Let him go if he wanted to. He was just a man; what was there to care about?

Xiang Tian placed the door key on the table, picked up his travel bag, and walked out without looking back. The door closed softly behind him, separating them into two worlds.

For a moment, Ling Zhengzhong almost impulsively wanted to run out and stop the person who wanted to leave, but he hesitated for a long time and ultimately did nothing.

What good would it do to keep him? Ling Zhengzhong didn’t know. He didn’t even know just how important Xiang Tian was to him.

None of the various excuses he considered ultimately came to fruition. Before going home, Ling Zhengzhong had thought of many solutions, but he couldn’t think of what he would say if Xiang Tian left him.

Perhaps leaving was the right thing to do. Perhaps he would quickly forget this person, forget this man who had once brought him laughter and warmth. Everything that had happened between them could just be considered a strange, fleeting dream.

Life without Xiang Tian wasn’t much different from usual, except for the absence of breakfast and dinner and the lack of someone to chat with. But these two things alone made Ling Zhengzhong feel unbearable. The little hamster seemed to have placed him under his spell, spinning his wheel in front of him all day, making it impossible for him to work or sleep well at night. This situation continued for two days until Ling Zhengzhong finally couldn’t take it anymore. Regardless of whether it was late at night, he made a phone call to Yang Yiqing.

From the time he dialed the number to the time he answered, a full five or six minutes passed, infuriating Ling Zhengzhong. “Yang Yiqing, you’re never around when I need you! What have you been doing? Why haven’t you answered my calls for so long?!”

“Boss, before you lose your temper, take a look at the clock above your head. If it’s pointing to 12:30, then I’m perfectly normal,” the other person said slowly.

“So you’re saying I’m not normal! How come after you started hanging out with Yu Shenglin, even your speech has become like his, sarcastic and unpleasant?”

“Xiao Lin is right next to me right now. Be careful, he doesn’t get angry and hang up on you. What is it that’s worth calling me in the middle of the night?”

“Ahem… well, I have a question for you. Between you and Yu Shenglin… who’s on the bottom?”

There was silence on the other end of the line for a while. Just when Ling Zhengzhong thought Yang Yiqing might have fallen asleep, a furious shout suddenly erupted.

“Ling Zhengzhong, are you a pervert? Calling me in the middle of the night to ask me something like this? Don’t you know this is an invasion of privacy? What business is it of yours who’s on top and who’s on the bottom?”

Faced with this barrage of insults, Ling Zhengzhong could only offer a wry smile.

“I didn’t mean to pry into your privacy. I just wanted to know, if you’re always on top, and suddenly one day you’re on the bottom, would you be able to accept it psychologically?”

This time, Yang Yiqing didn’t get angry. He asked, “Zhengzhong, you wouldn’t be so bored, would you? Is something wrong?”

“Answer me first!”

“…”

Yang Yiqing was silent for a while before saying with difficulty, “Your question stumps me. I’ve never thought about it before…”

Before she finished speaking, Yu Shenglin snatched the phone from her hand. He shouted at Ling Zhengzhong, “Whether you’re on top or on the bottom is fine; as long as you’re happy together, that’s all that matters. Why did you have to be so stupid as to call and ask such a simple question? Goodbye!”

These two seem to be very angry. Ling Zhengzhong listened to the dial tone after the call was disconnected and smiled wryly, wondering if he had interrupted their good time.

However, Yu Shenglin’s words had a significant impact on Ling Zhengzhong. Perhaps he had overcomplicated things.

Was the little hamster really someone he could easily do without?

The moment this thought crossed Ling Zhengzhong’s mind, he immediately dismissed it. If he were truly dispensable, he wouldn’t be so bothered, nor would he have bothered to call that couple in the middle of the night and disturb their sweet dreams.

Thinking this through, Ling Zhengzhong didn’t hesitate any longer. He quickly called Xiang Tian’s phone and heard a sleepy voice on the other end. “Hello…”

He’d forgotten; it was so late, the little hamster should be asleep by now.

“Xiang Tian, ​​it’s me…”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Ling Zhengzhong hurriedly said, “I…”

“Beep beep beep…”

The call was disconnected before Ling Zhengzhong could finish speaking.

Ling Zhengzhong stared blankly at the phone for a long time before he came to his senses. That damn little hamster—how dare he hang up on him!

He angrily threw the phone aside.

“So what if he doesn’t answer? When has Ling Zhengzhong ever lacked female companions? He can only cook a few dishes and has some skills, right? He doesn’t care.”

Furious, Ling Zhengzhong immediately rolled over and lay down, pulling the blanket over his head.

“Sleep!!”