He shouldn’t have brought Cassia here, that woman only got in the way! Then he could have had a long, frank, enjoyable chat with the gentleman Earl without being disturbed.
It was good to talk about anything. Even if it was nothing more than “I say your name, you say mine”, it was a lot of fun.
Being with the gentleman Earl felt like lying on a soft, comfortable bed with countless feathers falling down, touching his brow, lips, eyelids, all the most vulnerable and sensitive parts. The feeling of being gently soothed was deeply intoxicating.
But at the moment there was a third person lying on the bed. She disturbed the tranquil atmosphere, blew away the feathers, and made the environment extraordinarily noisy. Was she trying on purpose to frustrate him?
Because Rege was very frustrated.
He wanted to end the conversation, so he put the handkerchief and perfume into the box.
“Wait, let me spray a little more.” Jian Qiao held out his hand. Rege immediately gave him the perfume bottle.
Cassia, who’d just asked for the perfume but was scolded: “…” Smelly men, smelly men, smelly men! All men in the world are bloody rotten eggs!
Jian Qiao sprayed some perfume on his wrists and neck and sighed softly. “I love your scent. When it surrounds me, my mind is extraordinarily peaceful. That’s why I developed it, I need your scent.”
Rege was a person with exceptional strength of mind, and this trait deeply attracted Jian Qiao.
Rege: “…”
Shit! Sooner or later he was going to drown in the gentleman Earl’s whirlpool of honey!
“I’m right by your side, why do you need a perfume?” Rege patted Jian Qiao’s shoulder and said seriously, “As long as you need me I’ll be with you.”
“Thank you, you’re so kind.” Jian Qiao tilted his head to look up at him, and his eyes were full of starlight.
As Rege gazed down at him, the smile on his face slowly became deep and gentle.
Cassia: I can’t bloody stand it anymore! Even if my persona collapses I have to disrupt the situation, otherwise these two dog men will go off without me to have fun!
“Ray, won’t you accompany me? I need you right now.” It was the first time Cassia had spoken such weak words to a suitor. She pointed to the counter not far away and begged, “Let’s go. Help me decide what suits me better. The jewelry here is so exquisite I really can’t make up my mind.”
The muscles on the side of Rege’s cheeks tensed for a moment and then loosened, a facial expression that revealed he was secretly gnashing his teeth.
“Let’s go,” he said with extreme patience.
So Cassia unobtrusively hooked her lips and walked alongside him to the counter where the diamond jewelry was displayed.
Jian Qiao, with his hands clasped behind his back, followed in their steps.
“Beautiful miss, would you like to see the brooch you noticed before?” the shop clerk bowed and asked.
“Take it out and show it to me,” Cassia raised her chin and said lightly.
So the clerk immediately removed the brooch from the display and rambled on about its unique properties.
Rege stood to the side, bored, waiting for the two to finish negotiating. He took out a goose feather quill to sign the receipt.
Just then, Jian Qiao gently pulled his sleeve and said in a low voice, “Come take a look at these cufflinks. They’re perfect for you.”
“Hmm?” Rege responded in a low voice. All his attention was immediately stolen by the gentleman Earl.
He looked sideways at the other man, his eyes overflowing with tenderness. Yet a second ago, when he looked at Cassia, his face was cold and impatient.
Jian Qiao went behind the counter and took out a pair of cufflinks made of sapphires and a circle of small diamonds. He said slowly, “This is the new model that just arrived today. When the craftsman sent them over, guess what came to mind?”
He held up the cufflinks in his white palm and offered them to Rege.
Rege stared with downcast eyes, asking with a smile, “What did you think about?”
Jian Qiao held up one of the cufflinks and looked at it carefully in the light from the window, then sighed slowly. “I thought about your blue eyes. Even when there isn’t a cloud in the sky, the color isn’t as pure as your eyes. It’s not as deep as your eyes, which are like a frozen ocean.”
Jian Qiao handed the sapphire cufflinks to Rege, his voice full of pleasure, “I love everything related to you.”
This was how he really felt. Everything that reminded him of Rege was extremely lovely.
Rege: “… I’m begging you, don’t talk like that in front of anyone but me.”
He ducked and held his forehead, seeming very distressed, but when he raised his head he couldn’t restrain a smile.
He was very happy.
And his joy radiated to Jian Qiao without any fading or any barriers at all.
So Jian Qiao’s eyes also lit up.
“You like it.” He said confidently, “I knew you would. Let me put them on for you.”
He tugged at Rege’s wrist, removed the original cufflinks and put on the two sapphire cufflinks. He was serious and focused, and his movements were very gentle and soothing. After fastening them he helped Rege straighten every fold of his cuffs, caressing and tugging.
The feeling of feathers falling on his brow, lips, and eyelids returned. Rege almost felt himself dozing off.
The feeling of extreme comfort can make people sleepy. It’s the natural reaction of the soul when it finds a place to rest.
Rege had to shake his head to keep himself awake.
“You don’t like it?” Jian Qiao, however, misunderstood this action.
“No, I like them very much. I’ll take this pair of cufflinks. I’ll wear them right now.” Rege hurriedly showed a flattering smile.
Jian Qiao held his wrist, repeatedly looking at the cufflinks, and sighed, “They really do suit you. But they don’t match your blue eyes after all, those are the most beautiful gems in the world.”
Rege held forehead and said, “… Jian, you’re too much! If I listen to you talk for two more minutes my teeth are going to decay.”
Today the gentleman Earl’s sweetness was well beyond the limit.
Jian Qiao asked in confusion, “Why would your teeth decay when you listen to me? Those seem like two completely unrelated things.”
Rege fiercely rubbed his overly cute little head and grinned. “You don’t need to understand.”
Meanwhile, Cassia put on the brooch and looked in the mirror again and again, but didn’t get the attention of the two men despite waiting to be complimented. How was she supposed to continue playing? She couldn’t keep the brooch unless the payer said something, right?
She walked towards Rege, intending to turn around twice in front of him to prompt him to make a few comments.
As long as he said “Yes, buy it,” Cassia’s goal for the day was achieved.
However, without waiting for her to arrive, Jian Qiao pulled Rege away to one of the most remote counters. All the unpopular, cheap, and not greatly liked jewelry was placed there.
“Do you need a rosary?” Jian Qiao touched the glass counter with his fingertips. He had to make up a reason for his abnormal behavior.
“A rosary?” Rege raised his eyebrows.
Such a thing was only worn by priests and devout believers in the church. People like Rege who’d gone to war, waded through blood, and whose mind had long been hard as iron, and lacked the slightest reverence for a merciful God, had no need of one.
In his opinion the cross was only an ornament.
If anyone else had asked this question, he would have scoffed and said, “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
However, the person who asked him was Jian Qiao, so he smiled and nodded his head. “Go ahead, take it out and let me have a look.”
Jian Qiao quickly found the most special and most suitable one for Rege among dozens of cross necklaces. Even if it was just a random excuse to keep Rege away from trouble, he wouldn’t recommend something bad to him.
It was a necklace made of dozens of pure black, round beads of an unknown mineral. The cross pendant at the bottom was the same material. There was no carving of the Savior on the cross, no twisted thorns or anything else. It was just a cross with straight lines and simple, clean, round beads. Any unnecessary details were left out.
As soon as the light outside shone on it, the rosary reflected an oil-soaked luster. Compared to a pile of rosaries made of gold, silver, coral, onyx, rutile, and various other colors and materials, it appeared unusually deep and cold and hard.
Just from its appearance, it did have some commonality with Rege.
Jian Qiao stood on tiptoe, put the necklace around Rege’s neck, then adjusted the position of the cross on his chest. He said slowly, “You like to wear pure white shirts, so this pure black necklace is especially suitable for you. White and black are always the most classic combination.”
Rege looked down at his hand gently stroking the cross and felt his heart being stroked as well.
Countless feathers were falling in his heart, one after another, bringing indescribable comfort and warmth.
Rege said in a hoarse voice, “I love it.”
Jian Qiao raised his eyes to look at him, and a faint light radiated in them. “It has another special feature, do you want to know what it is?”
“What makes it special?” Rege smoothly asked.
To be honest he wasn’t interested in this necklace at all. He just wanted to stay here quietly with Jian Qiao, talking with each other lazily, occasionally touching each other gently. This made him very happy.
“It’s made of jet, known as meiyu in the Far East.” Jian Qiao covered the cross with both palms, an action that forced him to press closer to Rege’s body.
Rege opened his arms to embrace him. The corners of his mouth couldn’t stop rising.
Well, he’s starting to like this necklace.
Jian Qiao, who had no idea of this, continued, “When you warm it with your body heat, it gives off the smell of burning coal. That’s what I like about it most. When we hold this rosary and fall deep into introspection and repentance, when we’re completely overwhelmed and unable to break free, this hint of burning coal can bring our minds back to the world.”
Jian Qiao handed the slightly warm cross to Rege and let him sniff it, saying with a soft voice, “I call this the scent of fireworks. Every person who tries to escape needs this smoky smell. Heaven may be beautiful, but the world is better.”
However, when he said this, no one knew how much effort it took for Jian Qiao to live.
The world was very good, but it had nothing to do with him.
No… there was a trace of a connection now.
He concentrated his attention on Rege and said with the utmost sincerity, “You know what? You’re my fireworks. You make me feel the joy of being alive.”
Rege abruptly tightened his arm to embrace the gentleman Earl.
Well, he loves this necklace so much now! Because that hint of smoke had made it precious.
TL Notes:
Shit! – Rege continues to swear in English in the raw text
known as meiyu in the Far East – ç…¤ç‚的煤，玉石的玉 – “the coal from coal, the jade from jade”. QiaoQiao explained to Rege how the word meiyu is written in Chinese, which doesn’t really work in English.