I’ll Bet on Ruin—and Win

While thinking, he wrote. Ye Zhiqiu patiently sorted through the tangled emotions and chaotic thoughts in his heart.
By the time everything became clear, it was already past two in the morning.

The sheet of paper that had just been completely covered in writing was torn up again. Ye Zhiqiu stood up and lit a cigarette for himself.

This time…
Qi Xin should be passionately expressing his feelings to Jiang Nan right now, chatting fervently, shouldn’t he?

The sky outside the window was vast and distant, cold stars flickering far away. Through the thin veil of smoke, Ye Zhiqiu’s eyes looked even colder than the stars beyond the glass.

What he once cared about so deeply—thinking that he might never escape that prison in his entire lifetime—now felt as though it existed on the opposite side of the world, far away, merely facing him from a distance.
That pain could no longer hurt him in the slightest.

Leaning against the window, Ye Zhiqiu lowered his gaze and watched the cigarette burn down bit by bit, exhaustion and excitement flowing silently through his body at the same time.
After a moment of quiet, he ultimately chose to open his laptop and clicked into his email.

His inbox was piled full of unprocessed invitations and offers from various brands.
Ye Zhiqiu scrolled through them one by one, pausing only when he reached the email from Q.L.

At the same time, Qi Xin was carefully, word by word, crafting replies to Jiang Nan’s messages.

When he received Jiang Nan’s message, he had been reviewing Ye Zhiqiu’s information. His mood fluctuated wildly, bouncing back and forth between the joy of Ye Zhiqiu giving him a chance and the other party’s casual indifference and faint humiliation.
At the same time, based on Ye Zhiqiu’s preferences, several decent date plans had already vaguely taken shape in his mind.

Unfortunately, the moment Jiang Nan’s message came in, those plans instantly turned into blank nothingness.

Qi Xin had liked Jiang Nan for many, many years.

Since he was eighteen—when he first went abroad and saw that clean, delicate-looking youth on a foreign campus at first sight—he had been moved.
Sadly, their family backgrounds were vastly different, and Jiang Nan, from beginning to end, had only ever regarded him as the most ordinary of classmates. Qi Xin never dared to confess.

That was also why he had been so desperate to build “Qi Yun.”

Only by desperately shortening the gap between them would he dare to stand on tiptoe and reach for that wisp of moonlight that was forever out of reach.

In the years since graduation, although they stayed in touch, almost every time it was Qi Xin who initiated contact.
Today was the first time Jiang Nan had主动 sent him messages.
And he sent several at once.

How could Qi Xin not be thrilled, not excited?

That intense joy instantly overwhelmed the frustration and embarrassment Ye Zhiqiu had given him at the club earlier that night.

But the moment he impatiently opened the chat app and clearly saw the other party’s messages, he froze as if turned to stone once again.

Jiang Nan sent three photos. One of them was precisely the scene of Qi Xin holding roses, making a reverent confession to Ye Zhiqiu.

[I was there too.] Jiang Nan said.

Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, Qi Xin’s hand holding the phone instantly turned icy.
He never imagined it would be such a coincidence—rarely encountering Jiang Nan, and it happening under these circumstances.

With stiff fingers, Qi Xin typed urgently, writing and deleting repeatedly, taking a long time before finally sending a message.

[Qi Xin: It’s not what you think. Let’s have a meal together later. I’ll explain face-to-face.]
[Baby: Not what I think? Then what is it?]
[Baby: It’s good to have someone you like. Congratulations.]

Jiang Nan had always known about Qi Xin’s feelings for him.
He enjoyed the sensation of being surrounded and adored like the center of the stars. When it came to such matters, he always adhered to the principle of not rejecting, not initiating, and not taking responsibility.

However, the dog that usually obediently lay at his feet suddenly going to kneel and flatter someone else made him extremely uncomfortable.

Not to mention that the other party was Ye Zhiqiu.

Why should that Ye Zhiqiu be so favored by fate?
Why should he become the center of everyone’s attention?

Intense jealousy and unwillingness made Jiang Nan unable to calm down even after returning from the club.

Only now—when Qi Xin, who had been standing beside that “favored-by-the-wind Ye Zhiqiu,” was once again as cautious and servile as ever toward him—did the malicious emotions in Jiang Nan’s heart finally fade a little, allowing him to experience a subtle sense of superiority.

This sense of superiority pleased him.
For the first time, he had a bit more patience for Qi Xin.

[Qi Xin: I really don’t like him.]

Jiang Nan glanced at it and didn’t reply.

Sure enough, Qi Xin quickly couldn’t restrain himself and sent another message.

[Qi Xin: Actually, you know very well—I only like you.]
[Qi Xin: Since the first time I saw you, I’ve never liked anyone else.]
[Qi Xin: …]

The words on the screen were clear and urgent. Jiang Nan lowered his eyes to look at them. The face that had been cold all night finally revealed a trace of smug satisfaction.

[Baby: It’s more appropriate for us to just be good friends.]

Qi Xin replied almost instantly.

[I know. The current me isn’t worthy yet to say I like you. Please wait for me. One day, I’ll occupy the most important place in your heart.]

Pfft. Jiang Nan laughed out loud.

Occupy the most important place in his heart?
With those capabilities?

Qi Xin couldn’t even compare to one of Qin Jianhe’s toes. What gave him the right?

Jiang Nan turned off the screen and didn’t reply again.

Just like painting, conversation also needs blank space.
Appropriate blank space makes people imagine endlessly and gives rise to infinite hope.

But likewise, he would not be responsible for that hope.
After all, he had never explicitly flirted with the other person in any of his words.

His mood finally improved a little.

Jiang Nan turned off the lights and was just about to lie down when his phone suddenly rang.

Seeing that Jiang Nan hadn’t replied for a long time, Qi Xin had probably sent a voice call invitation.

Jiang Nan pondered for a moment, then accepted.

After the voice call came messages.
Once the floodgates opened, it seemed impossible to stop. Qi Xin’s confessions flew in like snowflakes.

“Because the color of his eyes is somewhat similar to yours.”
“You know I only love you.”
“Give me a little time. Wait for me a bit longer.”
“…”

Jiang Nan didn’t reply anymore.

He turned off his phone and tilted his head to look outside. Through the not-so-tight gap in the curtains, thin morning light had already filtered in.

And his confidence, which had dipped the night before, also surged back once more.

* * * *

When the pale white of dawn appeared on the horizon, Ye Zhiqiu had already processed most of his emails.
Only two remained unreplied, pinned at the very top of his inbox.

Due to his studies and many follow-up matters that needed to be handled domestically, Ye Zhiqiu completely ruled out offers from foreign brands.
Those were the easiest to deal with—a single rejection email was enough.

The difficulty lay in the two pinned emails.
One from Q.L., and one from VIA.

From an ordinary person’s perspective, this wasn’t even a question. Q.L. was a giant of the fashion industry, while VIA was rapidly declining.
Anyone with common sense knew which one to choose.

But in the early morning light, Ye Zhiqiu held the mouse and thought for a long time.

First, although Tao Ruoqing would cooperate with Ye Hongxian in holding a celebratory banquet for him, she definitely would not support him entering a platform as high-profile as Q.L.
It might seem like he could choose freely now, but once he truly made a choice, who knew what complications would follow?

Second, he was still a newcomer. Even though he had stood out through layers of competition in an international contest, he still had no advantage when negotiating terms with a top-tier brand like Q.L.

But times were different now.
He had to grasp more initiative in his own hands.

In that case, the cooperation model and the superiority or inferiority of the conditions between him and Q.L. became especially important.

His slender fingers lightly tapped the desktop.
Ye Zhiqiu’s gaze finally settled on the three bold black letters:

VIA.

VIA was a domestic emerging streetwear brand that had rapidly broken into the mid-to-low-end market a few years ago with bold and novel designs.

Unfortunately, good times didn’t last long.

Due to internal management failing to keep up with its early momentum, combined with unfair internal profit distribution, both its influence and prominence had gradually weakened in recent years.

Everyone knew VIA was a brand that was “dying.”

Such niche brands—who knew how many emerged and disappeared every year domestically?

They bloomed like summer flowers—brilliant but brief—and faded away without a sound.

But Ye Zhiqiu had to gamble.

Not only that—if he wanted to seize more initiative in future confrontations with Q.L., and render the obstacles imposed by Tao Ruoqing completely ineffective, then he also had to win.

Having made up his mind, Ye Zhiqiu focused and began replying.
First VIA, then Q.L.

After that, he shut down the computer, flipped the “Do Not Disturb” sign hanging outside his door outward, and finally lay back on the bed in the faint morning glow, entering sleep with peace of mind.

* * * *

When he woke again, the sky outside was still half-lit, half-dark.
Ye Zhiqiu took quite a while to react before finally realizing where he was.

He turned on his phone and discovered that this sleep had lasted a full twelve hours. It was already evening.

Messages and missed calls flooded in crazily. Ye Zhiqiu temporarily set them aside and only pulled up Lan Hua’s number.

Speaking with his uncle again after so many years, Ye Zhiqiu still felt guilty and remorseful. He took a deep breath and waited for the other side to answer.

Growing up, the number of times Ye Zhiqiu had taken the initiative to call Lan Hua could be counted on one hand. But almost every time, Lan Hua answered quickly.

This time was no exception.

“Uncle,” Ye Zhiqiu spoke first before Lan Hua could say anything. His voice carried a slight hoarseness from just waking up and from emotional turbulence.

“Why did you take the initiative to call today?” Lan Hua asked.

Probably noticing the oddness in his voice, Lan Hua’s tone wasn’t as disappointed or angry as Ye Zhiqiu had imagined. On the contrary, it was very gentle.

“Uncle,” Ye Zhiqiu called again, forcefully holding back the choking sensation in his throat. “Let’s meet in the next couple of days.”

“…”

The call wasn’t long—only about two minutes.

After hanging up, Ye Zhiqiu got up, washed up, changed clothes, and went downstairs.

Dinner was already being set in the dining room. Except for Ye Hongxian, everyone else was there.

Ye Zheng was on the phone. Ye Zhixia was resting his head on Tao Ruoqing’s lap while playing games. Tao Ruoqing smiled as she watched him, one hand idly smoothing his hair.

“My young master, you finally came down,” Auntie Zhao saw Ye Zhiqiu first. “The madam was just saying that if you didn’t come down soon, she’d have the eldest young master go upstairs and drag you down.”

“Lunch is still saved for you,” Tao Ruoqing also looked over with a smile. “Come quickly. Why did you sleep so long today?”

“Isn’t he always like that?” Ye Zhixia wrinkled his nose, mostly teasing, with no real malice.

If not for those brutal experiences having truly happened to him, Ye Zhiqiu might have believed forever that their brotherhood was exceptionally close—the most textbook example of harmony between siblings.

Unfortunately, those axe- and chisel-carved wounds had long been deeply engraved into his soul. Who knew when they might flare up without warning, bringing suffocating pain?

And what roles his two “brothers” played in all of that—he knew it perfectly clearly.

Ye Zhiqiu said nothing, sitting down beside Ye Zheng as usual.

“Big brother,” seeing Ye Zheng hang up, he leaned slightly closer. “I want to buy a race car recently. Can you support me a bit?”

The youth had just showered; the tips of his hair still carried a faint trace of moisture.
As he leaned closer, a light, peach-sweet fragrance subtly drifted over.

Mixed with the fresh, sunlit scent unique to this age, it was especially pleasant.

Ye Zheng put down his phone and glanced at Ye Zhiqiu.

The youth’s light brown eyes were clear and bright, focused on him now, carrying a faint hint of coquettishness.

Usually, although Ye Zhiqiu respected Ye Zheng, because Ye Zheng was older and had long followed Ye Hongxian, that respect outweighed affection. It was far from the natural closeness he had with Ye Zhixia.
He even occasionally felt some wariness toward him.

An expression like this—Ye Zheng hadn’t seen it in a very, very long time.

To be precise, this was the first time since Ye Zhiqiu turned sixteen.

“What car are you buying again?” Before Ye Zheng could speak, Tao Ruoqing asked first. “Your father was already in a bad mood over the wine at the club yesterday. If he didn’t have business today, you’d be in trouble.”

“Mom~” Ye Zhiqiu said coquettishly. “You weren’t like this before.”

At sixteen or seventeen, Ye Zhiqiu had been obsessed with racing cars for a while.
Back then, he was audacious beyond measure. Not yet an adult, yet relying on Tao Ruoqing’s protection, he played recklessly everywhere.

Later, after witnessing a serious accident and getting frightened, he gradually reined himself in.

Now that the old matter was brought up again, even Tao Ruoqing was somewhat surprised.

The dining table fell silent for a moment.
But Ye Zhiqiu knew very clearly that Tao Ruoqing and Ye Zheng would definitely agree.

Racing was a high-risk sport. Tao Ruoqing would love nothing more than for him to disappear from their world. If something really happened, she would finally have peace of mind.

“How much do you want?” Tao Ruoqing asked, as expected.

“Eight hundred thousand,” Ye Zhiqiu was genuinely hungry now, already having shoveled down half a bowl of rice. Hearing this, he lifted his face from the bowl, eyes curved.

“No way,” Tao Ruoqing rejected outright. “Do you really have no idea what our family’s situation is?”

Over the years, the new energy industry had developed rapidly. But because the Ye family failed to master core technologies and remained stuck producing peripheral components and doing OEM work, they hadn’t truly benefited much.
It only looked glorious on the surface. In front of real elite families, it wasn’t even worth mentioning.

Over the years, although Ye Zhiqiu was spoiled and willful, he had still been young. Even when he made a fuss, the actual expenses weren’t large.
Even the cars he played with before had been bought secondhand by Tao Ruoqing at a low price and repainted to placate him.

Eight hundred thousand? Forget Tao Ruoqing disagreeing—if Ye Hongxian found out, he’d break his legs.

Ye Zhiqiu knew this very well.

But if you want pearls, you ask for diamonds first.

“Then how much can it be?” Ye Zhiqiu asked, his beautiful eyes looking at Tao Ruoqing with an innocent, clueless expression.

“Two million,” Ye Zheng said after a moment’s thought. “You’ve grown up. You should be more sensible now. You should also learn some restraint with money.”

“With two million, I might as well drive a junk car,” Ye Zhiqiu pouted unhappily. “Do you know what cars others are driving, brother? If I go out in a two-million car, won’t it just embarrass the Ye family?”

Does the Ye family really have that much face?
Ye Zheng sighed silently in his heart.

“I’ll add another five hundred thousand. Take it or leave it,” Ye Zheng said.

“Fine, fine, fine. I’ll take it,” Ye Zhiqiu said reluctantly, holding his bowl.

Two and a half million, then.
Better than nothing.
And it roughly met his expectations.

“Two and a half million, huh?” Ye Zhixia said. “Brother and Mom never gave me that much money. Why are you unhappy?”

Ye Zhiqiu ignored him, turned his head, grabbed Ye Zheng’s wrist, and shook it lightly.

“Thanks, brother,” he said sweetly. “You’re still the best to me.”

Ye Zheng didn’t look at him, but his eating motion paused briefly. Then he pulled his wrist free and scolded softly, “Eat properly.”

Ye Zhiqiu laughed lightly, unconcerned, leaning back in his chair with terrible posture.

“Heard someone gave you flowers again yesterday?” Ye Zhixia asked.

He was about to enter a drama crew soon—and would even be collaborating with his idol—so he was in a good mood.

“Mm,” Ye Zhiqiu responded casually.

“How’s this one?” Ye Zhixia asked. “Do you like him?”

“Just so-so,” Ye Zhiqiu’s smile was faint. “About the same as your idol.”

Both scum.

“Tsk…” Ye Zhixia didn’t know Ye Zhiqiu’s true thoughts. Hearing this, he curled his lips disdainfully.

Ye Zhiqiu bent his eyes indifferently, his gaze sweeping over Tao Ruoqing, who was quietly paying attention to their conversation.

Among the three Ye brothers, Ye Zhiqiu had the most outstanding looks—far surpassing even Ye Zhixia, who was developing in the entertainment industry.

This made Tao Ruoqing especially wary.

When her children married and sought partners in the future, they would naturally aim high.
But Ye Zhiqiu’s brilliance was too dazzling. Even if prestigious families didn’t care about background, with him around, who would even notice Ye Zhixia?

Because of this, Tao Ruoqing had to put in effort within the circle of wealthy wives.

And within that circle, there were no secrets.

She only needed to pretend indulgence and casually make a few ambiguous remarks.
Rumors about Ye Zhiqiu being spoiled, selfish, and self-centered would spread everywhere, enough to make those elite families keep their distance—preventing him from becoming an obstacle on Ye Zhixia’s path to marriage.

Unfortunately, despite all Tao Ruoqing’s efforts, things turned out contrary to her wishes.

Before Ye Zhixia could connect with a true elite family, he fell in love during this collaboration and ultimately ended up with the impoverished Best Actor, Gao Wenye.

Whether to curry favor with Tao Ruoqing or because he shared hostility toward Ye Zhixia, in his past life, Gao Wenye used his connections in the industry to introduce many young male stars to Qi Xin.

Especially after he and Ye Zhixia’s entertainment company was established, this behavior became even more frequent.

How vicious were they?

Watching Ye Zhiqiu jump into the fire pit wasn’t enough—they even maliciously wanted his mind to completely collapse so they could feel at ease.

Ye Zhiqiu had never known before that his existence could make some people so restless day and night.

“Then do you like him?” Ye Zhixia asked again.

“What?” Ye Zhiqiu glanced at him with a half-smile. “So interested in this one? Want me to give him to you?”

“I’m also interested in your two-and-a-half million,” Ye Zhixia curled his lips.

Ye Zhiqiu had been a playboy before, but he never thought about inheriting the family business.
From childhood to adulthood, his environment determined that he wasn’t someone who could endure hardship easily.

Compared to inheriting the family business, he preferred a carefree life.

But now, things were different.

Since they were so afraid and wary, he would make them even more afraid—more wary.

“That won’t do,” he smiled meaningfully. “Men can be given away. Money can’t.”