Chapter 36

Translated by boilpoil Edited by boilpoil

The next day, Liu Yu’an forced Shao Yanxi to take a rest and took him to an amusement park.

Though, clearly, Liu Yu’an has underestimated his own popularity.

It was fine when he still had his mask on, but after the rollercoaster ride when he took off his mask, wanting to breathe free, he was immediately recognised.

Recognised in waves.

At first, he was happy to oblige, but after a few times, he decides to refuse to admit he’s Liu Yu’an, and even spoke harshly to the girls just so they would believe he isn’t Liu Yu’an, “Liu Yu’an Liu Yu’an, all these ‘Liu Yu’an’s, do I look that much like that damned Liu Yu’an?! Eugh!”

He put his acting skills to use, looking exactly like someone who is irritated because he’s often harassed for looking like Liu Yu’an.

The girls quickly apologise, “we’re sorry, we didn’t mean to. It’s just that you look that much alike.”

“Yeah, just go,” Liu Yu’an says, looking defeated, “if this keeps happening I think I’ll get plastic surgery. It’s too stressful to be recognised as Liu Yu’an every single day of my damned life.”

“You really shouldn’t,” the girls laugh, “you’re handsome, and you know there’s even people getting plastic surgery just to look like other celebrities.”

“It might be fun to get mistaken for someone else once or twice, but when it happens often enough…” Liu Yu’an then sighs, and then parts ways with the girls.

Shao Yanxi who was standing next to him this whole time “…”

Looking at him, Shao Yanxi oddly recalls that Liu Yu’an once told him he had good acting skills.

It really was.

If he didn’t know any better, and solely based on his actions and speech just now, even he would not have identified him as Liu Yu’an.

And most importantly, he didn’t feel any odd feeling arising from him just now, as if he really was just someone simply annoyed for looking like Liu Yu’an.

That makes Shao Yanxi worried. If Liu Yu’an really is this good at acting, if he is intentionally deceiving someone, he’d most likely succeed.

If so, then, his attitude towards him…

Shao Yanxi isn’t someone to enjoy amusement park in the first place. Now that his thoughts are preoccupied, he would rather leave.

Liu Yu’an notices and drags him somewhere less crowded, and asks, “what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” Shao Yanxi shakes his head, avoiding Liu Yu’an’s gaze.

Liu Yu’an “?”

Is this what you call ‘fine’?

He furrows his brows and turns his face his way, saying, “didn’t I tell you to say everything that is on your mind? If you don’t say it and keep it in your chest, how do I know what you might be thinking?”

Shao Yanxi doesn’t reply. He only asks after a while, “have you always been this talented at acting?”

“My acting…” A lightbulb flashes through Liu Yu’an’s head and he feels like he’s getting it. He lets Shao Yanxi’s face go and takes his hand, saying, “are you worried I’m also acting towards you?”

“Are you?” Shao Yanxi asks him, staring at him unblinkingly.

“Do you think I’d be willing to sleep with someone just to put up a convincing act?”

“…”

Not that they’ve even gone to third base yet. Besides, aren’t there many such services for hire these days?

Silence is equivalent to a ‘yes’ here. Liu Yu’an can get what he is thinking, and sighs, “think about it this way. Are you seriously not sure about how I might feel towards you?”

It’s because he’s being too good to him. All of a sudden. So good to him that…

Shao Yanxi stares at Liu Yu’an long and hard, to the point where Liu Yu’an is having goosebumps, before finally saying, “alright.”

Though he’s actually thinking – even if you are acting, then I would ask you to keep up the act forever, for their whole lives… Otherwise, he would never let him go.

At night, Shao Yanxi has to attend some fundraiser. Liu Yu’an is too disinterested to go.

And it just so happens his mother called for them to come for dinner tonight.

Liu Yu’an thus asks Shao Yanxi, “you go to the fundraiser, and when you’re done we’ll head for mom and stay for the night. How does that sound?”

“You sure?”

“If you don’t want to then we’ll come back here.”

“I’m fine either way.”

“Then let’s stay the night there.”

Shao Yanxi leaves the fundraiser soon enough, and it’s just past seven when they’re already home, even though the fundraiser began at six.

Liu Yu’an is surprised to see him so early. Shao Yanxi says, “didn’t you say to visit mom and dad for dinner?” The point of a fundraiser is to spend money to raise funds, so he left immediately after buying a painting for some tens of millions.

Liu Yu’an ‘mm’s and then they leave. They reach the family house soon enough.

Seeing Liu Yu’an, his mother quickly looks behind him to see Shao Yanxi and him holding hands.

“Mom, dad,” they greet the parents. Then, Shao Yanxi hands the painting over, “I bought this at the fundraiser tonight, a genuine work by Yuan Jiangming.”

Yuan Jiangming is a famous artist from the last century, though not many of his works remain. They all sell for astronomical prices. This is one of his earlier works, and ended up costing him over 70 million RMB .

“Oh, I see, I see! Great!” The father is happy, as he is a collector of these. This is a great present, though it’s certainly expensive.

He can’t even gift him something back, really, since Shao Yanxi is richer than their entire family’s net worth. And most importantly, Shao Yanxi doesn’t have any known hobbies. He’s a bit flummoxed.

Meanwhile, the mother is able to smile without restraint, as Shao Yanxi gifted her a jade Buddha, that is about a few hundred thousand RMB , not much, but the sculpting is detailed and the smile on the Buddha is soothing.

Liu Yu’an didn’t know he’d prepared such expensive gifts either. He only knew how expensive these were when his dad dragged him aside to tell him, “don’t make Yanxi bring so much when you’re here the next time, we’d be too scared to tell you to come eat together.”

Then he heads back to the living room to see his mother chatting happily with Shao Yanxi with the Buddha by her side. She calls out to him, “son, look, isn’t this Buddha Yanxi bought for me beautiful?” She seems really happy.

“It is.”

Then he quickly kidnaps Shao Yanxi and drags him to his own room while his mother is telling his older brother to hurry up coming home. Speaking of which, the last time he came home he already told his mother to change the leopard-striped bedsheets and whatever to the sky blue colour he liked.

He also stowed away all the odd trinkets and stuff, and the room now looks simple and open, soothing.

Inside, Liu Yu’an drags Shao Yanxi to the sofa, and says, “baby, there’s something we have to talk about.” Liu Yu’an continues as Shao Yanxi looks at him attentively, “when we bring gifts the next time we come home, don’t take anything too expensive. A few tens of millions here and there really is too much. Won’t you go bankrupt like this?”

“I can make money,” Shao Yanxi says. He wants to have a good relationship with Shao Yanxi’s parents, but he can’t think of anything else other than spending money for them, “and I’m not bringing things this expensive all the time.”

The last time he only spent just over a million RMB.

“I know you can make money, but mom and dad will be too scared to call us home, you know.”

Shao Yanxi looks at him, seemingly not understanding well.

“You know the saying ‘gift and receive,’ if you’re giving them such expensive stuff my parents have a hard time coming up with something that’s worth more…” Since they’re the older generation in this case.

Shao Yanxi interrupts, “I’m not asking for a gift in return.”

“No, you’re not,” jeez, does he have to spell out everything? “But can they really not? Imagine if I gave you something today, wouldn’t you then again think about what to give me in return?”

Shao Yanxi “…”

Seeing him finally budge, Liu Yu’an sighs in relief, “next time, at least discuss what you want to give with me?”

They can just bring something simple.

“Alright,” Shao Yanxi says, and hugs Liu Yu’an, burying his head into Liu Yu’an’s embrace, “I’m just worried they won’t like me.”

He has never really had parental affection in his life, nor does he know how to interact with family.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, the mother is talking with the father after finishing the phone call, “the two kids look like they’re happy together.”

She has always been worried about the celebrity on Liu Yu’an’s mind and that he might end up betraying Shao Yanxi.

They didn’t know before they were engaged, and it was too late when they did know.

And, if they really were married when Liu Yu’an acted rashly, it might…

They know that Shao Yanxi can be really good to someone, as evidenced by how he is treating their family as a whole.

But when he dislikes someone. Oh, the horror. Just look at his father and his siblings. That’s why they’ve been really worried Liu Yu’an might anger Shao Yanxi.

Now that they can see them clinging to each other, looking even closer together than last time, the two are finally relieved.

Then they start discussing the problem of gifting something in return, but after a while, they realise they don’t know what Shao Yanxi likes nor does Shao Yanxi need anything they already have. They’re troubled, and they decide to ask Liu Yu’an about it later.

That is when Liu Yuxi is back. And thus the mother tells the servant to start serving the dishes and call Liu Yu’an downstairs to eat.

Liu Yuxi sits opposite his father and starts talking about how he saw Yuan Jiangming’s painting tonight at the fundraiser but someone kept fighting with it for him, pushing the price sky-high and he couldn’t afford it anymore.

Hearing that, while maintaining a stern expression, the father is laughing inside, and says, “come with me.”

He takes Liu Yuxi to his study with bragging in mind, and sees the painting he mulled over tonight on his father’s desk.

“!!” Liu Yuxi immediately realises what’s happened, “Yanxi bought it?”

So the person he was fighting with was… He can’t help but hold his forehead and laugh.

That is when they hear the mother calling out, “it’s dinner time, where are you!”

“Coming, coming,” and when they’re downstairs Liu Yu’an and Shao Yanxi are both already seated.

Shao Yanxi is sitting all prim and proper, while Liu Yu’an is all sprawling about and still teasing him.

The older brother can’t help but feel how good-tempered Shao Yanxi is to his younger brother. How touching. If it were him, he’d be beating his younger brother up right about now.

Sigh, why can’t he find such love. Isn’t he a better target than Liu Yu’an, really?

Liu Yuxi feels unloved and sad.

After the meal, Shao Yanxi is again taken away by the father and the older brother to talk about investments, leaving the poor Liu Yu’an and his mother to stare down at each other.

Liu Yu’an tells her that they’re staying for the night. She’s quite happy to hear that. Then they chat for a while, the topic switching to how Liu Yu’an caught a snake bare-handed, and he gets his second scolding in a row after Shao Yanxi’s scolding from yesterday.

Liu Yu’an has to promise that he won’t do it again, but on and on she goes until half past ten when her mother is sleepy before he is let off the hook.

After she’s gone to sleep, Liu Yu’an walks over to his father’s study, to see the three still engaged in enthusiastic chatter.

Since Shao Yanxi travelled all over today, Liu Yu’an thinks that he’s probably getting tired soon. So he very rebelliously stands up and interrupts, “dad, bro, leave anything else to tomorrow, alright? We were out all day and Yanxi is probably tired.”

Shao Yanxi really is tired. Since he doesn’t exercise much, and today he went on the swinging hammer and the rollercoaster… Though he didn’t exactly want to douse the father and Liu Yuxi’s budding enthusiasm, since they are Liu Yu’an’s father and older brother.

Liu Yuxi then says, “Yanxi, you’ve come here a few times now, I think you can also feel that we don’t really have many rules or customs or whatever. So if you’re tired, or sleepy, just say it, we’re not strangers.”

“Yeah,” Shao Yanxi looks at Liu Yu’an before turning back to Liu Yuxi.

Finally, they go back to Liu Yu’an’s room and then have a quick shower before sinking away into their dreams. It really was tiring.

Author’s notes: On the subject of the painting——

Normally, fundraisers would never have such expensive things come out.

Just assume it’s because it’s a poorly written world in a poorly written novel or a plot device.

Read only at Travis Translations