Apologies for the lateness and apologies for the quality. I just couldnât get myself to finish the end of the chapter. I blame it on speaker configuration. It was hard trying to figure out who was speaking, who was listening, who was doing, and who was receiving. Segments of my first draft was a confusion â always disheartening, because surely Iâve mistranslated. I negotiated with someone else to translate and edit parts for me, so you may notice some differences in tone. But if I didnât post this up now, I would just keep dragging me feet. Iâll smooth it out sometime in the future.
[Recap]: Duan Yujing [male house G.o.d] is taking Qingge [MC] for a wellness check at Huo Simingâs [his friendâs] clinic. Huo Siming is doing a little power play/interrogation of Qingge, but Qingge is too savvy to fall for it.
[Translator and Editor: otwentyfirst / GayâŠso gay⊠this is what you want my help with? Grumble.]
[Host: justreads.net]
[Dec. 30, 2018]
Qingge laughed; his expression not arrogant or fawning; his eyes were honest and clear when he spoke. âItâs not politeness. Young Master Huo is so young yet managed to achieve so much in the medical field. Iâm very curious about him.â
Huo Siming raised his eyebrows and laughed in return. âYou donât have to call me Young Master Huo. Since youâre Yujingâs man and heâs my brother, and since Iâm older than you, you can address me as elder brother.â He didnât expect the Lin family would raise someone as clever as Qingge.
Despite this Hou Siming found it hard to accept Qingge. He didnât think the young man was good enough for his friend; Duan Yujing was too talented to be stuck with a person as underwhelming as Qingge. His words were rude and clearly showed he only acknowledged Qingge out of respect for Duan Yujing.
The dissatisfaction in his voice was hard to miss. Duan Yuijing raised his eyebrows at Huo Simingâs antics. Normally he wouldnât care, but this involved Qingge.
Realizing he was being glared at Huo Siming turned his head to face Duan Yujing, his gaze completely fearless. He was rather excited in fact. [Is his pipsqueak lover going to blow up in anger? Hahaha.]
Ah⊠but Huo Siming was destined to be disappointed. Having lived through an entire lifetime already, Qinggeâs sense of perspective was different from that of an ordinary person his age.
[Please, like I care. Brother Jing is already my man.] The thought made his heart speed up when he realized how true the words were after last night. They were⊠definitely together!
âElder Brother Siming then,â Qingge responded with a big smile. He poured a cup of tea saying, âAlthough Iâm embarra.s.sed to claim such an esteemed connection, allow me to offer you a cup of tea to celebrate.â
Huo Siming looked at the tea cup in front of him and his lips quirked up in an ironic half smile. [This childâs heart is too good. But then thatâs not bad either. Well whatever. Since the relationshipâs already there why hide it?] He drank the tea with a smile. âIn the future please remember to be wifely and take good care of Yujing. Heâs been single for so long, itâs been hard for him!â
âIf youâre going to accept it, accept it properly. Give you an inch and you take a mile.â Duan Yujing glared at Huo Siming. [Arenât you just a year older than me? What a shameless loathsome person. Acting up even though you already accepted the tea from my wife already.]
âMm, of course.â Contrary to expectations, Qingge earnestly nodded his head, feeling as though he just received the approval of a parent or guardian. His happiness at being recognized was clear.
With that kind of earnestness how could Huo Siming keep teasing Qingge? It was time for a new target. He smiled in an easy-going manner and said, âThereâs nothing for it Yujing. You havenât been with anyone in so long, this brother of yours is afraid youâd become a cold fish.â
Duan Yujing, ââŠâ
Qingge burst out in laughter at this. Huo Siming and Duan Yujing both stared at him. One had a look of glee while the other looked aggrieved. Qingge waved it off and leaned into Duan Yujing. After some effort he was finally able to calm the smile on his face, however, because of the excitement his cheeks had a rosy blush to them. He raised his head to placate the man next to him, âBrother Jing, just now Brother Siming was just joking. I can testify. Youâre quite pa.s.sionate.â
Qingge⊠At the pivotal moment stood by his man, defending Duan Yujingâs honor. Huo Siming raised his eyebrows at the sight. [What a good proper bottom! He handled that really well.] Huo Siming nodded. [Hm. Hm!] Finding a good person, one who wasnât two-faced, was hard. Whenever he joked about s.e.x to any of Shen Ningyuâs girlfriends, they would put up a pretense of modesty, instead of being bold and admitting the truth. As a result, Shen Ningyu often got roasted for his lack of discernment when it came to women. [Unlike that stupid Shen Ningyu, when Yujing tries, he comes up with a most excellent bottom.]
The most excellent quality bottom Qingge: [Ï]
Duan Yujing wasnât the only one with a significant other; Huo Siming also had a special someone in his life. Huo Siming and this person had been good friends since their university days. Somewhere along the way their platonic friendship became a romantic one. Huo Simingâs boyfriend wasnât a doctor, but a professor at a nearby university. Their families knew about the relationship and had no objections. As long as the two were sincere and serious about each other, then it was fine. As for children, that was no problem either. It would be easy to find a surrogate match with modern technology.
With both Duan Yujing and Huo Siming in committed relationships, the only one still single was the playboy Shen Ningyu.
âQinggeâs body isnât very good. I brought him here specifically because of this. Can you have a look at him?â Duan Yujing looked directly at Qingge as he spoke. It was clear how fond he was of the other man.
âOK.â Huo Siming smiled as he replied, taking Qinggeâs hand and seriously reading the pulse there.
As soon as Huo Siming finished taking Qinggeâs pulse, Duan Yujing asked, âSo? Are there any problems?â
Huo Siming gave his a.s.sessment without beating around the bush. âThere arenât any major issues, but there are a bunch of minor ones, mostly due to Qinggeâs poor physical fitness, resulting in a weakened immune system.â Huo Siming addressed the last part to Qingge. âIâm guessing you get a cold whenever the seasons change. You tend to get sick when youâre worked up or overly emotional too, right?â
Qingge nodded. âYes.â
âYou have a weak const.i.tution, but if you take care of yourself you should be fine. Make sure to have a well-balanced diet and pay attention to your body. Iâll write out a prescription for you, but you have to make sure you take it regularly.â Qinggeâs condition wasnât anything worrisome, in fact traditional medicine was perfect for his condition. As long as he stayed on track and healed himself carefully and deliberately, he would be fine.
âŠ
Huo Simingâs examination of Qingge didnât take long, so it was still early morning when they finished. Since this was the case Duan Yujing took Qingge out for a stroll around the area. Neither had a destination in mind; they were just interested in being in each otherâs company, walking around as if on a date.
As they walked Duan Yujing remembered Qinggeâs lacking wardrobe. He had been surprised at the meager amount Qingge had when he went through his loverâs suitcase to organize everything. Just remembering it made him annoyed. It was obvious the Lin House treated Qingge poorly. Otherwise how could the Houseâs Young Master have so few belongings? He led Qingge to a shopping center nearby, intent on getting his love some new clothes. He patiently accompanied Qingge as the young man tried on one garment after another. If it fit and was appropriate, it didnât matter the price, it was purchased!
Qingge was confused about Duan Yijingâs motives for having him try on so many so suddenly. But since it was what his man wanted, he didnât mind going along with it. It was a thoughtful gesture that touched Qingge. The only other person to bring him shopping had been his mother.
Qingge would have been surprised if he knew the motive behind the shopping spree, after all his lack of material things wasnât his fatherâs fault; he had been too lazy to go shopping for clothes. Being sick constantly made him dislike going out. Plus it was boring to shop by himself. The clothes he already had were enough for his needs.
Aside from shopping for clothes they also bought a bunch of books for Qingge. They made a complete circuit of the shopping center and even bought a few household things.
[I really am like a kept mistress, a complete gigolo!] thought Qingge amusedly. It was clear his only responsibility was to find things he liked and buy them with Duan Yujingâs money. This was not bad. Qingge quite enjoyed the perks of having a sugar daddy. He successfully swiped Duan Yujingâs card to pay for several things.
Since they were living together, did it matter who used whose? It would probably hurt his husbandâs feelings if he made a fuss over it. Besides, at this point in his life Qingge didnât have a job. Why stress over nonsense?
Later for lunch, they went to a well-known traditional restaurant in Qing city that served medicinal cuisine. It was a good meal. Once done, Qingge called the waiter over and asked him to pack several of their signature dishes to go; then he asked for the check. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time.
Duan Yujing laughed at the sight. âWhy ask for so much to go? If you like it that much, we can just come back again.â
âWe didnât see Little Yuchen yesterday, and today weâve been out all day. I want to bring some back for him to try,â said Qingge with a smile.
This surprised Duan Yujing. He normally didnât have to worry about his little brother. If he was busy and didnât have time to make anything, he knew Duan Yuchen would take care of his own meals.
Qinggeâs thoughtful gesture warmed his heart. There was a saying that went along the lines of: you can gauge how much someone loves you from the way they treat you and those important to you. It was obvious that Qingge cared and was serious about them living together.
âWell, we should hurry then. Day cla.s.ses lets out soon, at about five. And his evening cla.s.ses start at seven.â Duan Yujing looked at the time. âItâs not five yet. We should be fine if we leave soon.â
âThatâs good.â Qingge nodded as he got up. Even if it was only a trivial matter, it was important to him, his way of being a good and virtuous wife.
When Duan Yuchen returned home later that afternoon, he walked in to find Qingge sitting on the couch tapping away on the laptop. His brother was nowhere to be found, surprising him quite a bit. An onslaught of thoughts came to him. [How could Big Brother leave Brother Qingge alone?! He should have taken Brother Qingge out to play. What a shame! There are so many fun attractions in the city. Big Brother is too serious about work all the time. What if Brother Qingge feels neglected? What if Brother Qingge runs away? No! No! No!] Duan Yuchen shook his head. [I must do my duty as a good little brother and remind Big Brother!]
When Duan Yuchen walked in, dressed in his school uniform with a schoolbag slung over his shoulder, Qingge had just finished posting a dark fantasy novel ent.i.tled âThe Immortal Liuâ on Jinjiang **(online writing platform) using the t.i.tular pen name Qingge Liu. It was a story of a man on a journey to increase his cultivation. This kind of plot, with vague innuendos, were the most popular - especially with those rotten women. So thereâs like a male protagonist and heâs on a journey or something to become like an immortal and cultivate. Along the way thereâs like brotherhood and finding good times, bros before hoes you know. Nerdy topics with OP characters were popular.
âYouâre Brother Qingge right? Iâm Duan Yuchen,â said the younger Duan brother. He quickly smiled, albeit a bit awkwardly at Qingge on the sofa.
Qingge looked at him. The two brothers had a strong resemblance to each other, inheriting the same delicate yet stubborn features of their handsome father.
âOh! Back from school? Can I call you Little Chen?â Qingge gestured at the sofa he sat on. âYou donât have to be so formal with me. Come, sit down. Iâm your older brotherâsâŠ.â Qingge trailed off unsure how to approach it. [Lover? Will Little Chen be put off by it? But Little Chen from the previous life wasnât prejudiced against this kind of relationship.]
âLover,â supplied Duan Yuchen. He spoke earnestly enunciating his words clearly. âBig Brother says, the one heâs been waiting for, the one most important to him, is you Brother Qingge.â
Qingge unconsciously stroked the tip of his own nose. Such praise from someone so young made him very bashful. That he could take it⊠his skin had definitely grown thicker.
âLittle Chen, go eat first. There are some delicious dishes in the kitchen. Go on, before it gets cold OK?â Qingge spoke through a smile.
âIsnât Brother Qingge going to eat too? Is it alright if I eat here? I wonât disturb you.â
âNo. I already had some with your brother. You go on ahead and eat.â [Ugh! This child is too adorable! I canât take it!] Qingge couldnât resist reaching over and ruffling Duan Yuchenâs hair. Understanding and thoughtful children, he liked these kinds of children the most!
He thought about his past lifeâs Duan d.u.c.h.en. He [Chingge] did not have a younger brother himself, his fraternal ties to the Lin house were essentially nothing. He quite liked this thoughtful and considerate child, particularly because he was Jinggeâs only