Mr. Dior : Chapter 9: The Wealthy Family’s Stand-in Lover (Part 2)

“Such repeated fluctuations in condition are relatively rare. It’s probably related to Louis XIII’s overly advanced internal settings. The memory is quite large, so it stores a lot of things…”

Que De ran another test on the CEO. This time the results were different from the last.

“He seems to have fallen into a new storyline. This time he doesn’t think you’re his little wife, but rather someone’s stand-in,” Que De quickly prepared an inspection report. “Here is some material that might be helpful to you.”

Jiao Qi took it and looked it over, thinking it would be some medical theory, but it turned out to be a reading list:

“The CEO’s Stand-in Ex-Wife”

“The Empire’s Chief Stand-in Lover”

“Scum Top, Cheap Bottom: I’m Just a Stand-in”

“Deeply Entwined Abuse: The Dragon Emperor’s Stand-in Demon Queen”

“…” Jiao Qi folded up the list and threw it in the trash. “Mr. Que, do you still remember what your profession is?”

“Of course I do. A top doctor’s treatment plan includes not only treatment for the patient, but also psychological counseling for the family. Currently, Mr. Zhang’s condition cannot be directly treated, so I am providing psychological counseling for you, hoping you will be mentally prepared for the days ahead.” Que De said with a sincere look.

Jiao Qi rubbed his temples with a headache. “I don’t need this service. Please remove it from the bill.”

Que De shrugged. “Alright, but there’s another new surprise.” With that, he took out another document, tucked securely inside a pink and blue folder.

This was the latest research from Que De’s mentor, sent over yesterday. It was unpublished top secret material, extremely valuable. To view it, a borrowing fee needed to be paid.

“I originally thought Mr. Zhang had recovered, so there was no need to show you. Now that he’s relapsed, I think it should be helpful.” Although Que De was somewhat of a money grabber, his professional ethics as a doctor were quite high, and he wouldn’t lie about professional matters. If he said it was useful, it definitely was.

Jiao Qi took the document and glanced at it.

It was a report entirely in English, the sentences somewhat disorganized, clearly a first draft. The content was actually quite simple. The mentor had observed a phenomenon.

“People who suffer from brain chip disorder syndrome, when they experience confusion, will combine it with their own actual memories.”

“Perhaps you can take this opportunity to learn some of your husband’s little secrets.” Que De said with a wink, putting the document away again.

Indeed, quite a few little secrets could be dug up. Jiao Qi nodded, looking at his husband sitting to one side with an impatient expression, his eyes darkening. So then, who was the “him” referred to in that “don’t look like him” comment just now?

Seeing the family member’s emotional state was off, Que De quickly added: “Of course, it’s mainly affected by the disordered memory information. It’s hard to distinguish what’s real and what’s false, so you don’t need to take it too seriously.”

Jiao Qi had no choice but to take Mr. Big Dick CEO home.

Today was the weekend, so they returned to the villa, where dinner was already being prepared.

Zhang Chenfei sat with legs spread wide in the center of the living room sofa, pointing at Jiao Qi who was slowly sipping his tea, and said to the housekeeper: “He’ll be living here from now on. Just give him some random job, gardener or cook or something.”

The maid who was refilling Jiao Qi’s tea looked over in surprise, her hand trembling, spilling red tea onto the snow white saucer.

The housekeeper remained as calm as ever: “Very well. I recall you bought a small apron last year. I’ll go find it for you right now.”

“Cough cough…” Jiao Qi immediately choked. The housekeeper probably thought they were going to play some strange roleplay, like a muscular little gardener and the estate owner, or a weak chef and a perverted customer.

The maid looked up at the housekeeper with admiration. This mental fortitude, this quick reaction, truly worthy of a PhD from the London Butler University.

“Ignore him, he’s acting up again. Let’s eat.” Jiao Qi stood up and walked toward the dining table. Who knew what strange role this guy had cast him in now.

Zhang Chenfei sat down across from Jiao Qi, picked up his wine glass and swirled it. “From now on I’ll provide your food and shelter, but you have to be obedient and do as I say.”

Jiao Qi propped his forehead with one hand. This was truly mortifying. Under the table he kicked Zhang Da Dick. “If there’s anything to discuss we can talk upstairs later. We’re eating right now.”

“Hmph.” The CEO gave an ambiguous hum and lowered his head to eat.

After the meal, the food was cleared from the table, and the housekeeper poured them both palate-cleansing tea.

Zhang Chenfei wiped his mouth with a napkin and solemnly instructed the housekeeper: “Prepare a guest room.”

The housekeeper looked at Jiao Qi in surprise, saw no signs of anger, and confirmed with the sir: “You will be sleeping in the guest room tonight?”

The CEO’s eyes widened. “What do you mean me sleeping in the guest room? It’s him who will sleep there!”

The housekeeper was even more surprised, turning to look at Jiao Qi inquiringly.

Jiao Qi raised one eyebrow and lifted his chin. “Go prepare it.”

Everything arranged according to the CEO’s wishes, Mr. Dior was quite satisfied. He spent the evening in the courtyard reminiscing about the white moonlight in his heart, then poetically prepared for sleep. Pushing open the master bedroom door, he saw the stand-in little wife lying in the middle of the big bed, engrossed in a book.

“Who gave you permission to sleep in my bed?” The CEO was furious beyond measure.

Jiao Qi wiggled his feet. “Don’t make noise, I’m finishing this chapter.”

“Man, you really are bold.” Mr. Big Dick said fiercely, but his eyes couldn’t help staring at those fair little feet. Toes that had never suffered hardship, round and plump, with a faint pink tint, utterly adorable, stirring the impulse to pinch and play with them.

This damned little stand-in, was he trying to seduce him? He wouldn’t fall for it!

“Butler! Why is he in my bed!”

The villa owner’s angry voice came from upstairs, echoing clearly through the dimly lit living room.

“Uncle, shouldn’t you respond?” The new young girl asked somewhat uneasily.

“At times like this you must play deaf. Getting old, can’t hear anything.” The housekeeper turned around with a smile and left. A young couple’s private fun, best not to get involved.

After calling for a while with no response from the butler, the CEO looked at the prey on the bed showing no sense of danger and sneered. “Fine, since you asked for it.” With that, he began undressing.

“Squeak…”

The large fellow suddenly pouncing up like turtles stacked in a pyramid pressed a squeaking sound out of Jiao Qi like a squeezed rubber toy. His waist, tired from three days of exertion, couldn’t take it, and he quickly rolled to one side.

“Wait, wait a moment,” Jiao Qi propped himself up, using one hand to hold back Zhang Da Dick who was leaning in, “Since I’m not the one you love, won’t you feel guilty touching me like this?”

Zhang Chenfei looked at him with an unpredictable expression. The little stand-in’s fair handsome face was taut like a nervous little rabbit, ready to bare those two fangs that had no real killing power at any moment, so enchanting, so familiar. Truly a clever little thing, the CEO thought, slowly raising his hand to gently caress that smooth cheek. “When you’re stubborn and angry, you really look like him.”

“I look even more like him when I raise my hand to hit you.” Jiao Qi rolled his eyes, slapped away Zhang Da Dick’s wandering hand, and burrowed into the covers to sleep.

But Mr. Big Dick didn’t plan to let him off easily. Grabbing his ankle, he dragged him back into his arms, taking the opportunity to pinch those pink toes. “With that expression, say ‘I love you’ to me.”

“…” After being an old married couple for so long, suddenly saying this was a bit awkward. Jiao Qi smacked his lips, somewhat unwilling.

“Say it! Or we’ll continue what we just started.” Zhang Chenfei used his thumb to rub his little wife’s moist lips.

“Ptooey ptooey, get your dirty hands off me.” Jiao Qi pinched that wandering hand. Don’t think he didn’t see that this hand had just been picking at feet.

“Man, don’t refuse the toast only to drink the penalty wine!” Mr. Big Dick was getting somewhat angry.

“Hey,” Jiao Qi couldn’t help yawning. He was truly tired, so he could only coax Mr. Big Dick. “Ahem, I love you.”

“Say my name with it.” If the CEO were a client, he would definitely be the most annoying type of client, never stating all requirements at once, and after the product was delivered, asking for additions and changes.

“I love you, Chenfei.” Jiao Qi patted his head, saying it quite seriously.

“Chenfei who? Are you still thinking about that poor boy?” Not getting the requested product, and being given a rival’s name instead, the CEO trembled with anger, his eyes bulging as he said, “How many times have I told you, call me Big! Dick!”

“…”

After fussing for quite a while, Jiao Qi, who was finally too sleepy to keep going, could only humiliatingly comply with the demand and say “I love Big Dick.”

Finally satisfied, Mr. Big Dick pulled the stand-in little wife into his arms, and when he was almost asleep, whispered in his ear: “I love you too. I’ve liked you since I was seventeen.”

Jiao Qi, who should have been asleep, suddenly opened his eyes, his entire body going stiff. Because he knew, this sentence wasn’t from a novel. When they had shared their romantic histories, Zhang Chenfei had mentioned that there was someone he liked during school. He rarely talked about it before, saying it was all in the past, and Jiao Qi hadn’t minded. Who didn’t have a youthful past?

But this was the worst possible time to bring it up.

“People who suffer from brain chip disorder syndrome, when they experience confusion, will combine it with their own actual memories.”

Jiao Qi couldn’t sleep.

Sunday morning was Li Yingjun’s company’s new product launch. Since they had received an invitation, they should still attend.

Along the way he tried to fish for information for quite a while, but Comrade Big Dick wouldn’t take the bait, keeping his mouth shut tight, unwilling to reveal the white moonlight’s name. Asking too much would make him angry, so he had to temporarily set it aside.

Handsome Games was launching a fairly large-scale game this time, and the launch event was quite grand. After the presentation and demo, Li Yingjun stayed on site to take questions from reporters, while the others went to the banquet hall to enjoy the cold buffet and tea break.

Various industry executives were present, basically all acquaintances, chatting business over tea in a harmonious atmosphere. Zhang Chenfei’s business intelligence came online as soon as he entered the business arena, talking with others with great expertise. Jiao Qi didn’t bother with him, searching through the crowd on his own, quickly locking onto a guy hiding in the corner stuffing his face.

“Shi Qing, why didn’t you come say hello to me.” Jiao Qi pulled the guy out.

“Whoa, Jiao Ge!” Gao Shiqing swallowed the little cake in his mouth and bumped fists with Jiao Qi with a smile.

This person was Zhang Chenfei’s university classmate and also an early partner in Stone Door Technology. However, he wasn’t interested in the direction Stone Door was developing, and a few years ago struck out on his own to build a food delivery platform. Stone Door still had his shares, but he didn’t participate in management, just collecting dividends.

“Haven’t seen you in a while, what have you been up to?” Jiao Qi looked Gao Shiqing up and down. This guy seemed to have gained more weight. Though the same age as Zhang Chenfei, this Mr. Gao who loved food had already gone soft around the middle.

“Ah, don’t even ask,” Gao Shiqing waved with a smile, “Where’s Da Fei?”

Jiao Qi lifted his chin in Zhang Chenfei’s direction, holding back Gao Shiqing who was about to go greet him. “Shiqing, I want to ask you something.”

“Hm?” Gao Shiqing turned back.

“That person Chenfei liked during school, what’s their name?” Jiao Qi asked in a low voice. This Gao Shiqing had been in the same dorm as Zhang Chenfei back then, he definitely knew who that person was.

“The name, I really don’t know,” Gao Shiqing casually took a glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray, took a sip, and seeing Jiao Qi’s suspicious look, quickly pledged his loyalty, “I really don’t know. That person was his high school classmate, never showed up during university. I heard from Da Fei that he got into Q University just for that person, but the other person didn’t go to Q University, and he was miserable for a long time.”

High school classmate…

Seventeen years old…

It matched up.

Jiao Qi’s heart tightened, his fingers gripping the wine glass gradually turning white. “And then? No further contact during university?”

“No, it seems he never even got the chance to confess. Haha, you don’t know, this guy was so artsy back then, he even made a confession program himself, as silly as can be. You had to play a stupid little game, then trigger a mechanism to play music and set off fireworks, but it never got used.” Gao Shiqing recalled those youthful years, laughing back and forth.

But Jiao Qi couldn’t laugh. He only felt like all the blood had been drained from his body, so cold he was shaking.

Stupid little game with fireworks, that was what Zhang Chenfei had used to confess to him.

…

“I made a new little game, see if it’s fun.” The energetic Zhang Chenfei handed him a phone.

It was a game similar to Sokoban, with crude graphics and terrible controls. When the little steel ball was pushed into the hole, the phone suddenly blared music at maximum volume, and at the same time, fireworks went off in the nearby plaza.

“Jiao Qi, I like you. Be my boyfriend.”

A programmer’s down-to-earth romance.

…

After so many years, he finally knew the truth. That silly confession program hadn’t been made for him. No wonder President Zhang, who could already make high definition cutting edge games, had produced such a crude program. It was because this thing wasn’t made after he won international awards, but was typed out line by line in the dormitory by a young man just entering university, filled with love for his high school crush.

At that time, they didn’t know each other at all.

The beautiful memories preserved in his mind turned out to be leftover food that was never delivered, making Jiao Qi feel utterly nauseous.

“Jiao Ge, are you okay?” Gao Shiqing saw his complexion was bad and inwardly cursed. He hadn’t said something he shouldn’t have, had he? But that couldn’t be right, these two had been married seven years, how could Zhang Chenfei not have told his wife about this?

“It’s nothing, I drank the wine too fast. I’m going to the restroom.” Jiao Qi smiled at him and turned toward the restroom.

Gao Shiqing’s heart was pounding. He quickly ran to Zhang Chenfei’s side, threw his arm around his shoulder and pulled him to a secluded spot. “Da Fei, did you mention your first love crush to Jiao Ge?”

“He’s known for a long time.” Zhang Chenfei didn’t think it was a big deal.

“Hey, no, did you say something you shouldn’t have? About the confession program, did you tell him or not?” Gao Shiqing was so anxious sweat beaded on his forehead.

“What’s there to tell,” Zhang Chenfei leisurely took a sip of wine, “He’s just a stand-in.”

“What what what?” Gao Shiqing felt like a bolt of lightning had struck from above the hall, charring his layers of fat into barbecue, sizzling with oil. “No way, you’re treating Young Master Jiao as a stand-in? You, how could you do that!”

“Hmph, he knows it himself.” Zhang Chenfei sneered and clinked glasses with Gao Shiqing.

He knows it himself? Crack crack crack boom—

An even bigger lightning bolt struck, reducing CEO Gao to ashes.

After the cold buffet, Zhang Chenfei accepted an invitation from an acquaintance to go to a club to play squash. Jiao Qi refused to go along and drove home alone.

The villa was empty. Afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows but brought no warmth. The housekeeper had people repairing the fence, the clanging of hammers the only sound.

Jiao Qi sat on a single sofa in the basement, staring at a tightly shut door before him. This was a storage room he had never opened, Zhang Chenfei’s private space, hiding the secrets of that person’s youth.

He knew Zhang Chenfei hadn’t grown up in a very good environment and had some things he didn’t want others to know about.

Jiao Qi had always respected him. In seven years of marriage, he had never entered this room even once. But now, he desperately wanted to go in and look.

He hadn’t eaten at noon, and his stomach was throbbing with pain now. Jiao Qi curled up on the sofa with a deathly pale face, unable to help shedding two tears. If all these years of gentle treatment had just been a scam, then how would it all end?

The money and time spent could be calculated, but how do you take back love?

His fingertips trembled as they reached for the combination lock on the door. The small storage room was like a Pandora’s box, the consequences of opening it unpredictable. Jiao Qi took a deep breath, wiped his face, and gritted his teeth as he entered the code.

A four digit code. He didn’t know what it was. He tried several commonly used four digit codes for the house, none were correct. In a last ditch effort he entered “0826,” and with beeping sounds the door opened.

“…” A room hiding white moonlight secrets, using the current partner’s birthday as the key. Something felt off about that.

Jiao Qi twitched the corner of his mouth and pushed the door open.

The room was somewhat messy, filled with many random things. An obsolete old computer, a bicycle missing its handle, a chipped fruit knife, and a bail receipt from a detention center. On the only relatively tidy desk sat a childhood photo of Zhang Chenfei with his mother, and a Rimowa aluminum magnesium alloy suitcase. The suitcase was custom made, with a line of German engraved on the outside: “My Love.”

The suitcase wasn’t locked and could be easily opened.

Jiao Qi pressed on the lid, not lifting his hand for a long while. He didn’t know what was inside, but it was definitely something he didn’t want to see. Those things were the truth.

Perhaps hundreds of love letters that were never sent, perhaps photos of that white moonlight, perhaps something even more unspeakable. The originally beautiful life suddenly seemed to have turned into a suspense horror film, birdsong and fragrant flowers collapsing into a quagmire at any moment.

“Click,” the suitcase opened.

There was nothing eye searingly incriminating, just some random bits and pieces of no consequence. A broken fountain pen, an eraser missing a chunk, an old photo album with cartoon covers…

The pen and eraser looked somewhat familiar. Jiao Qi opened the album and saw a photo of himself from high school.

This photo was clearly cropped from a promotional picture on the school’s official website, with a piece missing from the side. Jiao Qi remembered that back then the high school needed to make a website and required one male and one female student to take promotional photos. He had somehow been selected to stand back to back with a girl he didn’t know, supposedly the school beauty.

That silly photo was still hanging on the school’s official website. The portion cut out of the album was that girl.

A nearly absurd sense of unreality welled up. Jiao Qi continued flipping through. The entire album was full of his photos.

Some were cropped from the school’s honor roll, some were enlarged from graduation photos, and some were secretly taken at sports meets, basketball courts, and other places.

Jiao Qi finally remembered what was going on with that fountain pen. It was one he had used in his second year of high school. Because it was so pretty, girls in the class had fought over wanting to see it, and it had accidentally fallen from upstairs, the barrel bent. A fountain pen meant nothing to him, but the girls in the class had felt guilty and gone down together to retrieve it, yet it had mysteriously vanished without a trace.

“Huh? Hahahaha…” Jiao Qi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So it turned out this Zhang Da Dick guy had known him since high school. That so-called first love crush was himself back when he was still called Jiao Yan.

All these years, this guy had kept it completely secret without breathing a word. That was quite something.

Jiao Qi stood up and walked around the room, discovering even more interesting things. Homework notebooks he had written in, a school uniform discarded because it got muddy, and a high jump bar…

Picking up that red and white high jump bar, Jiao Qi’s face immediately darkened. He remembered this slightly bent pole very clearly. Back then at the school sports meet, he had been forced to participate in the high jump. A handsome leap didn’t clear it, and he straddled the bar. The pole hit him squarely in the crotch, hurting so much he fell onto the mat and couldn’t get up for a long time.

This Zhang Da Dick guy had actually collected this thing too, and had used a marker to draw two crying face balls in the middle of the pole.

Alright then, Zhang Da Dick. Just you wait until you wake up.

That evening, the CEO who had been drinking returned to the villa swaying, and saw his little wife sitting on the sofa sulking.

“Baby, I’m back.” Zhang Chenfei leaned in, stuffed his big head into Jiao Qi’s lap, and caressed his face infatuatedly.

Jiao Qi grasped his husband’s wrist and said meaningfully: “I know who the white moonlight in your heart is.”

The CEO’s face changed abruptly.

“He, is he called Jiao Yan?” Jiao Qi said with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

“Shut up!” Mr. Big Dick instantly jumped up like a wounded trapped beast, “You are not allowed to speak his name! Only I may speak that name!”