Transmigrated as My Best Friend's Ex

73. Han Mingxu, You Are Really A Hypocrite!

Translator: Guy Gone Bad

In the palace of the crown prince.

Princess Frise slapped Keqi hard across the face.

The sound of the slap reverberated in the study. A reddish mark began to form on his handsome face. There were only Keqi and Frise in the room. It was hard to imagine a woman having such great strength.

“What’s wrong with Li Qinghao? He almost ruined our plan.” Frise looked at the young man in front of her. She brought him up, but now she felt that he was drifting out of her grasp. Her beautiful face twisted in anger.

As usual, Keqi wore a gentle smile. He touched his swollen cheek. It was not the first time that she had slapped him. To be honest, Frise seldom hit him. She thought that it was bad manners to beat people. She loved doing things in style. It was clear that she was really angry this time. “Auntie, he was just doing what you taught him to do. You need a piece of evidence to prove that Li Qinghao and I are lovers, don’t you?” Keqi walked up to the counter, took out two wine glasses and filled them with wine. Then he handed one of them to Frise.

Wine was attractive. The aroma of wine assailed the nostrils, and her anger slowly cooled. At this moment, they were both attracted by the smell of the wine.

Frise took a sip of the wine. It tasted mellow. However, alcohol could only placate her for the time being. It did nothing to resolve her doubts. “The evidence? Don’t try to fob me off with such a lame excuse.”  Frise snorted, “He broke into the conference room like a lunatic today. I guess he was provoked. Keqi, don’t try any tricks. You are my nephew and I reared you. But if you ruined my plan, I wouldn’t let you off.” She threatened him mercilessly.

“Yes, you reared me, so I know very well how ruthless you are.” Keqi paused for a second and continued, “But Auntie, if you want to succeed to the throne, you’d better not hurt him. Auntie, you have to know one thing. I don’t care whether the evidence you want is true or false. I would be willing to cooperate only if he played the leading role.” His voice was flat, with almost no inflection. Frise narrowed her eyes.

She realized that she shouldn’t keep this man alive.

“You so resemble your father in character.” Frise smiled. “Both of you have your own infatuations. But my dear nephew, don’t try and double-cross me, or you will be destroyed.” With that, Frise put down her glass and left. Her heels clicked on every step.

“Your Highness.” A beautiful young man waited for her at the door.

“Any news about Li Qinghao?” Frise didn’t believe Keqi. She brought Keqi up, so she knew him better than anyone. On the surface he seemed to have tremendous respect for her and always obey her without question. But she knew clearly that he only played the role of a meek boy to protect himself. Actually he was like a leopard. When he was awake, he was fiercer than any animal.

“Nope, not yet,” The beautiful young man replied respectfully. “Nancheng Lie rescued him. I guess now he’s probably in a hotel owned by Nancheng family. If we broke in and took him away by force, it could cause an international dispute. So I’m waiting for your instructions.”

“I can’t set myself against Nancheng family.” Frise flatly refused his suggestion. “If I offended Nancheng family, it would have a negative impact on my political career. Even if I take the throne in the end, I can’t sleep in comfort.”

“What?” The beautiful young man was surprised. “Is Nancheng family really so powerful?”

“Famous gangs such as terrorists in South America, the Mafia in Italy and the Chinatown Organization dare not offend Nancheng family. Do you know why they have a dread of the Nancheng family?” Long before Keqi passed himself off as Han Mingxu, Frise investigated all the people related to Han Mingxu. When she knew the Nancheng family’s network, she was really shocked.

“I don’t know.”

“On the surface Nancheng family is just a wealthy family which is successful in business. But have you ever wondered why Nancheng Group can always maintain its dominance of financial markets in the world? Because it has a powerful backer.” Although Frise couldn’t find out who was behind Nancheng family, her instincts were telling her that she shouldn’t set herself against Nancheng family. So she should avoid confrontation with Nancheng Lie who was the most favored young master in Nancheng family.

“So, what should we do with Li Qinghao?”

Frise twisted her lips into a triumphant smile and said, “The virus in his body will soon take effect. Li Qinghao will have no choice but to come to me for antidote. Now we need to find out where he is and keep him under strict surveillance. Keqi’s enthronement will take place the day after tomorrow. I don’t want anything unexpected to happen during the enthronement.” The throne would soon fall into her hand.

“Okay, I got it.”

After Frise left, Keqi emptied his glass in one draught. In the past, he always sampled wine gracefully, but this time he lost control of himself.

In his mind Keqi kept reliving the moment with Li Qinghao in the conference room, and saw again and again his angry eyes and the love bites on his neck, and heard his contemptuous words, “In order to take the throne, you can kill anyone who gets in your way. Even if he’s your brother, right?” He couldn’t forget Li Qinghao’s disappointed look. At that time, Keqi didn’t understand what Li Qinghao meant. But now he realized that Qinghao seemed to have known something.

‘Can I kill anyone who gets in my way to the throne?’

He gave a cruel smile. “Yes, I can. I even killed my twin brother Han Mingxu.’ There was a trace of bitterness in his eyes.

Suddenly there came a knock at the door and then Jimmy’s voice, “Your Highness.”

Keqi came to himself and asked in a calm voice, “What’s the matter?”

“This morning when I cleaned Mr. Li’s bedroom, I found traces of someone sneaking in.” Just as the words fell from Jimmy’s lips, the door opened. Keqi walked out and said, “Take me to his room.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

They came to Li Qinghao’s room. Keqi stood near the bed and stared at the stained sheet. The turbid white liquid had solidified. As a man, he knew clearly that it was semen. Keqi’s face paled, as he recalled the love bites on Li Qinghao’s neck. ‘What the hell happened to Qinghao? Did someone break into the room and rape him? No! If someone tried to ravish him, the guards would rush in as long as he cried for help,’ Keqi thought to himself.

“Did you hear any noise last night?”

“No,” Jimmy answered. “I’ve checked the room and come to a conclusion that someone climbed onto the balcony and slipped into the room. The balcony still bore the mud imprints.”

The balcony? Although his palace was not a heavily guarded place, it was hard to sneak in. Keqi couldn’t imagine who could slip into his palace without being noticed.

“Any other news?” Keqi’s face clouded. He would find out who violated Li Qinghao, tear him up and throw his rotting corpse to the rabid dogs. His eyes flashed cruelly. He was not a kind man. He would stop at nothing to achieve his aims. Li Qinghao’s appearance was an exception. He seemed aloof and detached, and often wore a faint smile. Loneliness sometimes showed in his eyes. All in all, Li Qinghao had a unique charm which Keqi found irresistibly attractive.

“Yes.” Jimmy thought for a moment and decided to be loyal to Keqi. “I secretly followed Mr. Li this morning when he rushed out of the palace… Later, Princess Frise’s man took Mr. Li out. When he was about to capture Mr. Li, Nancheng Lie appeared and saved Mr. Li. Now they are in the hotel owned by Nancheng Group.”

Keqi was surprised. “Haven’t you told my aunt the news?”

‘Frise uses Jimmy to spy on me. She must be more anxious than me to find Qinghao. Why did Jimmy tell me the news first?’ Keqi thought to himself.

“Your Highness, I remember what you said to me. You are my present master.” Jimmy was a wise man. Although Frise was now very influence in Leiluo Kingdom, Jimmy believed in Keqi’s ability.

“Haha…” Keqi burst into self-mocking laughter. “I can’t give you anything.”

“I want nothing from you, Your Highness,” Jimmy said earnestly. Keqi looked at Jimmy in silence for a while. Then he looked away and said, “Get the car ready. I want to go to his hotel.”

‘Why did Nancheng Lie come to Leiluo Kingdom? Why didn’t he tell me? Nancheng Lie rescued Qinghao. Is all this merely a coincidence?’ Keqi thought to himself. He got a bad feeling. Although he couldn’t tell why he felt that way, he knew that if his presentiment came true, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

It never entered his mind that he could spend his life with someone, but now he wanted to embrace the opportunity.

In the hotel.

Nancheng Lie stood by the window. The presidential suite he lived was on the 32nd floor. From his position he had a good view of the streets and lanes below. The sunset glow tinted the sky red. Li Qinghao didn’t sleep well last night, so he took a nap in the afternoon. When he was awake, the first sight that met his eyes was Nancheng Lie who was bathed in soft red light.

The late afternoon sun shone on his handsome face, setting off his features. He looked like a child of the light. He used to have an air of impudence and publicity, but at this moment, his face was overcast with sadness. The sorrow in Nancheng’s eyes needled Li Qinghao’s heart. He never knew that he meant so much to Nancheng.

Nancheng Lie was conscious of Li Qinghao watching him. He gave Li Qinghao a backward glance and then looked out of the window again. To be exact, he was looking up at the heavens.

His eyes were as cold and grey as the slush on the pavements in winter. Li Qinghao felt dazed because his heart was aching.

Driven by his impulse, Nancheng Lie said in a low, muffled voice, “Xu liked sleeping on the lawn, especially in the evening sunshine. His serene sleeping face glowed like an angel.” His voice was full of affection. It was really an enviable love.

In the past, whenever Nancheng Lie had mentioned Han Mingxu, his voice had been full of mere happiness. But now, his happiness mingled with sorrow.

For some unknown reason, Li Qinghao suddenly spoke, “You are more of an angel than him.”

Hearing this, Nancheng Lie turned around and looked meaningfully at Li Qinghao. After a while, he said in a cold voice, “Don’t fall in love with me because I’ve slept with you, and don’t fall in love with me because I’m protecting you now. Even if you fall for me, I won’t love you back.” He picked up a cigarette from the closet near him and lit it. He was particularly handsome when he was smoking. His fine features behind the pale smoke were like an artistic painting which was almost perfect without defects.

‘Even if you fall for me, I won’t love you back.’

Nancheng Lie’s words kept ringing in Li Qinghao’s mind. This was the real Nancheng Lie. He was rational and arrogant.

“Don’t worry. Li Qinghao will never fall in love with Nancheng Lie.”

Nancheng Lie chuckled and said in a teasing tone, “Do you mean that Li Qinghao will never fall in love with Nancheng Lie, or you will never fall in love with Nancheng Lie?”

“Is there a difference?”

“Yes, of course.” Nancheng Lie walked to the bedside step by step, stretched out his arms and trapped Li Qinghao between his broad chest and the mattress.Then he lowered his head. Li Qinghao passively inhaled cigarette smoke. It smelt good. Nancheng Lie looked at Li Qinghao with smiling eyes, which gave Li Qinghao a strong feeling of familiarity because Nancheng had often look at his exes like that before. Nancheng Lie slowly bowed his head. When his lips were about to touch Li Qinghao’s, he stopped. It was only a centimeter between them. “Everyone who has ever slept with me would look at me with adoration, just like you are doing now,” said Nancheng Lie.

Time seemed to stop flowing. They two were so close that they could even see each other’s pores clearly. So when Nancheng Lie said this sentence, he saw Li Qinghao’s eyelashes trembling slightly like butterfly wings. Li Qinghao was shocked. Only now did he realize his eyes betrayed his adoration for Nancheng Lie.

He recalled that one of Nancheng Lie’s exes had pointed at him and shouted, “Han Mingxu, you are really a hypocrite!”

‘Am I a hypocrite?’ Li Qinghao suddenly realized something. ‘Maybe Lie’s ex noticed the admiration in my eyes when I gazed at Lie. That’s the only possible explanation for why he called me a hypocrite.”

Li Qinghao could never get the answer.

At that time, Nancheng Lie hadn’t dared look straight into Li Qinghao’s eyes at a distance of one centimeter. Otherwise, he would have known why his ex called Li Qinghao a hypocrite.

Yes, a long time ago, maybe earlier than when Nancheng Lie found that he liked Han Mingxu, Li Qinghao realized the bond that he formed with Nancheng Lie was more than friendship. He thought the world of him.

Aware of this fact, he looked up at Nancheng Lie, his eyes shining with affection. Nancheng Lie felt self-conscious under Li Qinghao’s intense gaze. This man was so strange.

Suddenly there came a rat-a-tat on the door. They came back to their senses and found that their lips had stuck together and even their tongues were entwined. Nancheng let go of Li Qinghao. Their lips were moist from the kiss and shining with an erotic sheen.

“Here comes our old friend.” Nancheng Lie got up. Neither of them intended to offer an explanation. Their hearts were pounding nervously.

Old Friend? Li Qinghao ran his tongue languidly around his lips with a slow, pulsing rhythm. Nancheng Lie’s heart skipped a beat. He remembered that Xu had an endearing habit of licking his lips when he was eating an ice lolly.

Shit!

Nancheng cursed in his heart. He ran to open the door. If things went on like this, he would send Li Qinghao to a hospital for a plastic surgery and then ask him if he was Xu.

Nancheng Lie’s childish behavior amused Li Qinghao. He gave a faint smile and watched Nancheng’s back with soft eyes.

Nancheng Lie took a deep breath before he opened the door. He had to pretend to be ignorant of Keqi’s real identity for the time being, because he wanted more hard evidence. With an evil smile, Nancheng pulled open the door, stretched out his arms and stopped Keqi. “Don’t tell me you are here for Li Qinghao.” He fixed his eye on Keqi and acted as if he was jealous and possessive about Keqi.

Keqi was stunned for a second. Then he smile and asked, “Are you jealous of him?” He gently pushed Nancheng Lie aside and walked gracefully into the room.

Nancheng didn’t go after Keqi at once. He stood with his back to Keqi, as a glint of malice flashed through his eyes. But soon he turned around and ran up to Keqi. “Hey, Xu, don’t give me a cold reception. I came here specially to see you. I want to give you a surprise.”

With a teasing tone, Keqi replied, “I always put love before friendship.”

“Xu.” Nanchenglie caught up with Keqi and stopped him again. “You don’t care if I’ve slept with him?” he asked earnestly.

Keqi knew that Nancheng Lie liked Han Mingxu. He thought that Nancheng was jealous. He didn’t notice Nancheng looked a bit odd. “I remembered we discussed this topic in China.”

Nancheng Lie had asked Keqi this question at the clothing store.

“Are you in love with him?” Nancheng Lie squinted at Keqi. His eyes shone dangerously.

Keqi thought Nancheng Lie was jealous. Only Nancheng Lie himself knew how much he wanted a negative answer from Kei’s mouth. It was so weird. It didn’t matter to him whether Keqi was in love with Li Qinghao. But in fact, he cared much for that.

Keqi darted a look at Nancheng, and then fixed his black eyes on Li Qinghao. After a silence, he said in a low voice, “Yes, I’m in love with him.” His voice was low, but his every word was fashioned like pipe bombs exploding inside Nancheng Lie and Li Qinghao’s brains.

Li Qinghao gawked at Keqi. If he were ignorant of what Keqi had done, he would believe what Keqi said. Nancheng Lie followed Keqi’s gaze and found that Li Qinghao was staring fixedly at Keqi. Nancheng was burning with anger in his heart. “Are you sure you’ve fallen in love with him, Xu? Do you know he slept with me last night?” There was an element of ostentation in his voice.

“Last night?” Keqi finally understood what Nancheng meant. His eyes darkened and his face dropped to the floor. With the suddenness of thunder bolt, he punched Nancheng Lie in the stomach. “You bastard!” He gave up his usual elegance and gave Nancheng another punch.

Keqi’s first punch struck home and Nancheng Lie stepped back a few paces involuntarily, but he soon came to himself and dodged Keqi’s second punch. Meanwhile, he aimed a kick at Keqi’s waist. Keqi’s sudden attack broke the peace. Nancheng Lie decided to give vent to his anger and nervousness by fighting with Keqi.

They were engaged in a fistfight.

Keqi and Nancheng Lie had different fighting skills. Keqi fought like a madman. But Nancheng Lie’s movements gave a sense of gorgeous beauty. He had received special fighting training. Although his movements seemed showy and useless, his opponent Keqi knew the power of his fists.

When Nancheng Lie was very young, he said he wanted to grow up quickly. His family asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up. He didn’t answer. He just looked at Han Mingxu. What did he want to do when he grew up? He wanted to protect Xu. With such a determination, he was keen on exercise.

Nancheng Lie even beat everyone in Nancheng Martial Arts Training Centre, which was unknown to Han Mingxu. Sometimes Han Mingxu saw bruises strung together like beads on Nancheng’s body. He didn’t ask Nanceng what had happened. He just looked fixedly at him. Nancheng Lie knew Xu got angry, so he automatically explained, “The bruises are a badge of growing up.”

Nancheng Lie hadn’t bruised himself since he was 15 years old. Except for his family, no one knew that he had won the title of the world’s martial champion.

Keqi and Nancheng Lie wrestled with each other. They lost their heads and gradually forgot what they were fighting over. They didn’t stop until an ashtray brushed went by them and broke with a crash. They gasped for air and looked in the direction the ashtray came from. Li Qinghao sat on the bed and looked at them with a smile. “I’m sorry. I wanted to hit your head with the ashtray, but I missed because it’s been a long time since I practised throwing balls.”

Both Keqi and Nancheng Lie drew a deep breath in shock. Li Qinghao was so heartless. They came back to their senses and looked at each other. For a while, they didn’t know what to say.

Driven by anger, Keqi had fought with Nancheng Lie. He was angry that Nancheng had insulted Li Qinghao. But now he recalled the way Nancheng Lie had looked at him. ‘Just now Nancheng Lie seemed angry and showed no mercy to me in the fight. There must be something wrong,’ Keqi thought.

Only Nancheng Lie himself knew that for a moment he really wished to beat Keqi to death, but he couldn’t do that because he hadn’t yet found Xu and things hadn’t yet come to an end. He desperately fought down the desire to kill Keqi. He was in a fret. If not for his great willpower, he would have already lost control of himself.

Nancheng Lie had loved Han Mingxu for more than ten years, but never confessed his love for him. Thus it could be seen that his self-control was beyond comparison.

“It seems that you two have calmed down,” Li Qinghao said. “Keqi, your grandpa just passed away. You must have a lot on your plate. Why did you come to me?”

Keqi looked at Li Qinghao. He wanted to drive Nancheng Lie out, but considering the relationship between Han Mingxu and Nancheng Lie, he couldn’t do so. “I’m worried about you. What happened to you? Why did you ask me those questions this morning? What’s your relationship with Lie? Last night… Did something happen to you last night?” He put forward a series of questions. A faint sneer of sarcasm crossed Li Qinghao’s face. However, he had to play up to Keqi for the time being. “Last night when I was sleeping soundly, this guy burst in and held me tightly in his arms without saying anything. You know… men are sometimes impulsive. Besides, you guys said that I was his ex. So, I gave in to my lust and made love to him.”

Keqi raised an eyebrow and watched Li Qinghao quietly. “I don’t know who was in the top when Li Qinghao and Nanchang Lie made love before, but… don’t try to conquer me.” Li Qinghao’s words rang in Keqi’s mind. Li Qinghao had been very serious when he had said these words. But now, Keqi doubted the truth of Li Qinghao’s remarks.

“Are you jealous?” Li Qinghao looked at Keqi with a faint smile on his face. He was trying where Keqi’s bottom line was.

Keqi laughed. It was because of the wound on the lips that he felt a pain. He went to the bed and sat down. “Yes, I’m jealous.” No one knew whether he was telling the truth or not. ”

“I have been worried about you for a day, but you seem to have a good time with Lie. How should I punish you? Huh?”

Sitting on the sofa, Nancheng Lie looked quietly at Li Qinghao and Keqi who were chatting and flirting with each other. He was observing Keqi’s behavior. Human beings were really strange animals. In the past, Nancheng Lie had thought that Keqi was a perfect man who had good looks and impeccable manners. However, he revised his opinion of Keqi after he knew that Keqi was not Xu. Now he saw Keqi as an extremely hypocritical man.

“Punishment?” Li Qinghao leaned against the headboard and blinked. “I’m… I’m afraid of the punishment.”

Nancheng Lie couldn’t help but admire Li Qinghao. This guy attained perfection in acting.

“Are you afraid? I thought you feared nothing and no one. Why did you barge into the conference room so recklessly this morning, Qinghao? Did Lie scare you?” He came back to the topic again.

“No, it was because of the dream I had last night.” Li Qinghao picked up the quilt and tried to wrap himself up. “In my dream, I saw you and some people. I couldn’t see their faces clearly. I was in a car with you, and many people were hunting us with guns. Then we jumped out of the car and rolled down the hillside…” Speaking of which, Li Qinghao found that Keqi’s eyes darkened and his smile disappeared. Not only Keqi, but also Nancheng Lie looked at Li Qinghao with cold eyes.

“What happened next?” Keqi asked. He reached out and brushed a lock of hair off Li Qinghao’s forehead. “You need a haircut, Qinghao.” There was no relation between his two remarks. Li Qinghao knew that Keqi was trying to read his mind through his eyes.

“Then a man came up and killed you,” Li Qinghao replied in a trembling voice. He burrowed into his covers and continued, “He wore a mask and sunglasses, so I couldn’t see his face. But later… he took off his mask and sunglasses. He… He looked the same as you.”