Once we were out of the main gate, Jiang Chen called for a taxi and forced me into the car. He came squeezing in even before I had the chance to sit properly, he almost made me bang into the window.
The taxi drove for about 5 minutes, I finally asked the question that I was dying not to ask for the entire night, "Just what happened to you today?"
"Nothing, I'm just tired." His eyes were closed.
I wanted to add on, but my phone rang, "Hello, Big Senior?"
"Are you guys alright? I'm sorry I went a bit far just now, don't tell me Jiang Chen is angry?"
I really dislike the way he phrased his sentence, what do you mean by 'don't tell me?' It sounds like the underlying message of this question is that, if Jiang Chen is angry, then he is too petty. And as a loyal guardian of someone who protects family and not reasoning, I feel that no matter how unreasonable can become, it's not up to outsiders to talk about it to me. But, I still answered him very politely, "No, he is really busy recently, so he's a little tired."
Look, this is called maturing. Sometimes you just have to pretend.
He said, "That's good, I'll treat you two a meal someday."
"Okay." I hung up the phone but couldn't remember what I wanted to tell Jiang Chen, hence, I could only mimic him and fake being in deep thoughts while crossing my arms.
"Don't get too close to Big Senior," he suddenly opened his eyes and said.
I didn't make a noise, but retorted in my heart that isn't it a bit too much to be jealous till like this?
Seeing that I didn't answer him, he reached over to poke my arm, "Do you hear me?"
I turned to look out of the window, I decided to use my silence as a reply to his unreasonable request.
However, I didn't expect my silence to sustain the entire journey. Till the taxi was under my apartment, Jiang Chen also didn't say a thing. He didn't even look like he was planning to leave the car. Hence, I left the car and slammed the door. The taxi driver cursed and I dashed up to my unit.
The more I think of it the angrier I get. I outrageously gave Jiang Chen a call to pick a fight, the moment the call was engaged, I bellowed my heartfelt words, "Jiang Chen, you can't use this kind of attitude towards me, I am your girlfriend, you have to surround me with care and love."
The other side of the phone was silent. After a long time, "What attitude did I use?"
I realized I was unable to correctly pinpoint his attitude, I could only be firm, "Your attitude is not good."
"Because I told you not to be in touch with Big Senior?"
"Not really…"
"Then what?"
My fingers coiled up the telephone coil. I wanted to throw some rude words but I didn't dare to. I was contemplating and contemplating till I was out of mind and ended the call. Only after hanging the call did I realise that my guts are really getting fat. Alcohol strengthens the guts ah, alcohol strengthens the guts. Although under Jiang Chen's obstruction I only sipped two three times.
The phone rang quickly, I stared at the screen that was showing 'Jiang Chen'. I swallowed my saliva and decided not to pick it up.
After about 10 minutes, the screen lighted up Jiang Chen's name again. I feel that this is the right time to revive a woman's self-esteem. Hence, the moment I picked up the phone I spoke from my diaphragm, "The line was cut off because I accidentally pressed it! I didn't pick up your call because I was in the toilet!"
To escape before the battle is my spare-time hobby.
Jiang Chen gave a cold snort twice and said, "Open the door."
"Ah?" My reflexes made me turn towards the door, "Don't you have keys?"
He was standing outside the door, he glared at me and said, "I forgotten to bring."
He walked pass me and lied on the sofa, "Bring me clothes to change."
I "oh" and walked into the room, I walked two steps and felt that something was not right, so I turned on my heels and walked back in front of him, "Didn't you go home?"
He pushed me aside and took the remote control, "None of your business."* (T/N: in this scenario it is actually leaning towards more of a "why do you care?/who are you to care?" kind of feel.)
I stood akimbo, "Alright! I won't care about you! You can't care about me too!"
"Oh?" He threw me a look, he suddenly extended his legs and struck behind my knees, I couldn't find my balance and fell onto the sofa, his legs holding me in place, and entire body weight pressing on mine, till I couldn't breathe.
"What did you say about who not caring about who?" He buried his head into my neck and blinked his eyes slowly against my neck. His long eyelashes brushing against my skin, it's numb and itchy.
I couldn't hide from this numb and itchy feeling, I could only squirm and beg for forgiveness, "The next door Old Wang said he is not caring about the next door Old Lee's wife anymore…"
He laughed deeply while still buried in my neck, hot breath against my entire neck, "Chen Xiaoxi, it's unlucky to stay next to you.."
My neck is shrinking till its like a tortoise. I said moodily, "It's really itchy, get up quick."
He used the stubble on his chin to rub on my neck and face. Then he lifted up to head to look at me in provocation. His eyes were filled with smiling expression and glistening.
For a moment I was shocked by his boyish gestures that my spirits were gone. I blankly used a tone of discussion to say, "Uh, we are in a fight, can you get up first?"
He speedily got up from me, with a look as though nothing had happened, "I'm going to shower, you look for my clothes and pass it to me later.
I lied on the sofa in that position of being squashed on. It was only until I heard the water sound did I slowly get up to look for his clothes.
I knocked twice on the glass door and Jiang Chen opened a gap to reach his hand out. The steam escaped through the gap onto my face. I was still wiping the moisture off my face when my phone rang. At the same time, Jiang Chen's voice came from the shower, saying that the shampoo is about to be empty, remember to buy it.
I negligently answered him and went to the sofa to find my phone. I found out that the phone that was ringing was Jiang Chen's phone. I looked at the screen and it was Big Senior. I hesitated but still answered it.
"Jiang Chen, the thing we talked about that time, how is it?" he asked immediately.
I said, "I am Xiaoxi, Jiang Chen is taking a shower, I'll get him to call you back later?"
"En, okay." He hung up without saying anything, a bit unusual.
Just as I was about to put the phone back onto the sofa, the phone rang again. It was still Big Senior. "Why?"
I mumbled a while before saying, "Xiaoxi, are you staying with Jiang Chen?"
"Mmm, considered so." I replied.
He was silent for a while, and said, "I have a favor to ask from Jiang Chen, it's as easy as lifting one's hand, and there's remuneration. You know Jiang Chen, this person isn't that keen on earning such money, but I think if you guys are getting married, money is still very important. So, can you help to see if you can help to persuade Jiang Chen into helping me?"
"What is it?" I couldn't hide my curiosity.
"I just want him to give a few hospital's certified medical certificates for me."
"A few medical certificates can allow us to buy a big house?" I rolled my eyes, "Forget it, no matter what you want him to help you with, as long as he is not agreeable, I won't help you to persuade him. We are not lacking in money, using Shenyang's words would be that we are not lacking in money*, and the main point is, I don't want to stay in a big house, are you going to do the chores for me?" (T/N: Shenyang is the province they come from. She just used 2 different ways to express that they are not lacking in money."
From the silence of the other line, I started to feel guilty that my words were a little too strong, Big Senior suddenly said, "Chen Xiaoxi, are you looking down on me right now? Are you thinking that I am not as pure and high class as you guys? Have you ever experienced your girlfriend leaving you because you were unable to buy her branded goods? You have never experienced having not enough money, don't you?"
I sighed, but I stopped myself from saying "I really didn't have the experience of my girlfriend leaving me, because I'm a girl, wahaha…". I said, "Only eating 2 cup noodles in 3 days, in order to hide from the landlord rushing for rent I had to return back home late every night. I'll walk as long as the journey is less than 3 bus stops. The nights are so cold till I had to pile up all my shirts on myself, is it considered lacking in money? It's not only your difficulty that is considered a difficulty."
After finishing I hung up the call. Not daring enough to hang up on Jiang Chen but hanging up on others is considered a cheap thrill.
"When were you in need of money? Why didn't you find me?"
I turned around, Jiang Chen was wearing a white long sleeve t-shirt, and blue checkered lounge pants, his towel was draped over his neck, he was frowning at me.
I said, "No, I was just talking nonsense. I don't like to see this kind of people who act like they are the most miserable in the world, as though the entire world owes him."
Jiang Chen looked up at the ceiling, "Chen Xiaoxi….. Can you go to the hospital with me tomorrow, let me take a scan to research on the structure of your brain?"
I kneeled and leaned over the arm rest of the sofa and replied him, "Can can, as long as you pay me."
He removed the towel and threw it at me, "Who was the one who told Big Senior that she is not lacking money?"
The towel smashed on my face, I took it off and waved Jiang Chen over to wipe his hair, "The one who is not lacking money is you, you swiped 4,000 RMB just now."
"You are brooding over that 4,000 aren't you," he said while walking towards me.
I shrugged, "Not really, after all, it's your money, you can do whatever you want with it. I just hate the rich."
Jiang Chen sat lateral on the sofa, and I kneeled behind him to towel dry his hair, "Oh right, Big Senior really only asked you to issue a few medical certificates for him?"
"He asked me to give him a booklet of it, not a few. Moreover, even if it's just a few, I wouldn't do it."
I spread my fingers, running them through his hair to determine how wet they are, "Why?"
He rocked his head to my side and said, "It's not dry, continue."
"Oh," I put the towel over his head and rubbed a few times.
"This time he asked to issue medical certificates, who knows what he will ask for the next time? Maybe he might ask me to use the name of the hospital to purchase expensive medicines, and during that time, because I already had such dealings with him previously, I would have no choice but to deal with him again. As long as you step into muddy water, you will never be clean again." He paused then continued, "I actually didn't want to let you know all these, you just have to live your life feeble-mindedly, read your comics."
3 black lines came down from the back of my head, I used my fingers to jab on his scalp, "You then live your life feeble-mindedly."
"Wei, I'll leave my credit card with you?" He suddenly turned his head to say.
"Ah?" that was unexpected, "Why?"
"You decide how much to swipe next time." He pulled down the towel, "It's dry."
He walked to the room right after.
I stared blankly at his fleeing back view, why is this child so awkward…. Didn't your mother teach you that you have to proclaim your love loudly…
Alright, the fleeing back view was from my own imagination, I feel that it fits his current image more.
Translator’s Corner:
WAHHHH SO SORRY I forgot to upload yesterday…. TTTTTT