Scumbag: Something intimate. Like, “husband”...would be nice.
13. What kind of animal would your partner be?
Xiuxiu: ... a wolf
Scumbag: A kitten. Suits him well.
14. What kind of gift would you give to your partner?
Xiuxiu: I’d cook for him.
Scumbag: I belong to him completely. He will get whatever he wants.
15. What gift do you want to receive from your partner?
Xiuxiu: Can't think of anything.
Scumbag: If he would occasionally take the initiative to kiss me.
16. Do you have any complaints about your partner? What are you dissatisfied with?
Xiuxiu: He is unreasonable.
Scumbag: How am I unreasonable? I listen to everything you say.
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: He just doesn't like to talk. He keeps everything bottled up inside. I have to guess every day what he wants. I’m afraid that if he is unhappy, he just won’t say anything. This makes me tired.
17. What hobbies do you have?
Xiuxiu: Tidying up the house
Scumbag: Now I mostly like to stay at home with my wifey.
18. What are your partner’s hobbies?
Xiuxiu: He… he likes…that… that... (blushes)
Scumbag: He likes to play with his son, play with his dog. He can do it all day long. (dissatisfied)
19. What are some of your faults?
Xiuxiu: I talk… like this... Also… my ear. This one. I have trouble with my hearing.
Scumbag: Chengxiu, these are not your faults… Forget it, my wifey doesn’t have any faults. There is nothing wrong with him at all.
20. What do you hate about your partner?
Xiuxiu: Well…that thing… too often. If it was a little less...
Scumbag: I like whatever he does… I'm just afraid he won’t do anything.
21. What makes your partner angry?
Xiuxiu: He has a bad temper. He is often angry. And I don’t know why.
Scumbag: I often can’t tell when he is angry. Anyway, I know that he is angry when he makes me sleep on the sofa... Basically, it’s just because I want to do it, but he doesn’t.
22. What is the relationship between the two of you so far?
Xiuxiu: We… that is… are… together...
Scumbag: Husband and wife.
23. Where was your first date?
Xiuxiu: Does junior high school time count?
Scumbag: Why wouldn’t it? I was already in love during our first date in that small rental house near the school.
24. What was the atmosphere between the two of you at that time?
Xiuxiu: Very good.
Scumbag: It’s nice to think of that time.
25. How far did you go back then?
Xiuxiu: Just… lay down next to each other.
Scumbag: We hugged, I think. What are you getting at? I was only 11 at the time. Ah, I was so pure and innocent.
26. Where do you often go on dates?
Xiuxiu: We live together.
Scumbag: After having a child, we rarely go out anywhere. I occasionally take him on a vacation.
27. What do you do on each other's birthday?
Xiuxiu: I cook something really tasty for him.
Scumbag: I cook, I sweep the floor, I change Teacup’s mat. And I’m on duty when the baby cries in the middle of the night.
28. Who confessed first?
Xiuxiu: He did.
Scumbag: It was me. Fortunately, I did it quickly.
29. To what extent do you like each other?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: He's the most important person in my life.
30. So, do you love each other deeply?
Xiuxiu: ...I...
Scumbag: Chengxiu, if you don't want to say it, don't force yourself. I already told you that I will wait for you to truly accept me. As for me, you should always know that there is no one in this world who loves you more than I do.
31. What do you fear your partner saying to you?
Xiuxiu: …”one more time”...(blushes)
Scumbag: “My son is crying, I'll go take a look.”
32. If you suspect that your partner is cheating, what will you do?
Xiuxiu: If he... then I'll go.
Scumbag: Chengxiu won’t cheat. But what would I do, if I suspected…? Well, think of Li Shuo’s fate.
33. Can you forgive the other party for cheating?
Xiuxiu: ...No, not at all.
Scumbag: Chengxiu, that's all in the past. I only have you now.
34. Your partner is an hour late for a date! What do you do?
Xiuxiu: Wait.
Scumbag: Go pick him up.
35. Which part of your partner’s body do you like the most?
Xiuxiu: Shoulders. His shoulders are very broad.
Scumbag: His neck is very beautiful.
36. What’s the sexiest thing about your partner?
Xiuxiu: He's handsome...
Scumbag: He’s pure and clean. I just want to give him the best this world can offer.
37. Does your partner make your heart beat faster?
Xiuxiu: Often…many times..
Scumbag: When he gives me a serious look, it’s enough to make me nervous.
38. Do you lie to each other? Are you good at lying?
Xiuxiu: No.
Scumbag: Never again.
39. What makes you the happiest?
Xiuxiu: Right now… every day is good.
Scumbag: As long as he's by my side, I will be happy.
40. Have you ever had a fight?
Xiuxiu: Yes...
Scumbag: Very rarely. I'm afraid he will be angry with me.
41. What do you argue about?
Xiuxiu: He always does as he pleases and makes decisions by himself.
Scumbag: I do everything for your own good, but you always scold me (aggrieved)
42. How do you reconcile?
Xiuxiu: He apologizes.
Scumbag: He ignores me, and I can't stand it, so I can only apologize.
43. Do you want to be lovers in the next life?
Xiuxiu: ...I haven’t thought about it.
Scumbag: If there is a next life, we have to meet as soon as possible.
44. When do you feel like you are loved?
Xiuxiu: When he is thoughtful of me.
Scumbag: It's enough for him to just be by my side.
45. Will you be able to tell that your partner doesn't love you anymore?
Xiuxiu: ...I don't know.
Scumbag: Although he doesn't say it, I know he has feelings for me. And Chengxiu’s love is a long-term thing.
46. How do you express your love?
Xiuxiu: I take care of him.
Scumbag: I do my best to be nice to him.
47. Which flower would you compare your partner with?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Why would you compare men to flowers? Next question.
48. Are you hiding something from your partner?
Xiuxiu: No.
Scumbag: Neither do I.
49. Is your relationship public or confidential?
Xiuxiu: … public.
Scumbag: Well, even my folks know.
50. Do you think the love between two people is eternal?
Xiuxiu: As long as I have a home, I will be happy...
Scumbag: I will stay with him forever.
51. Are you a top or a bottom?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: What a bullshit question.
52. Why are the roles the way they are?
Xiuxiu: I… I don't know.
Scumbag: Another bullshit question. Next.
53. Are you satisfied with the way the roles are divided between you two?
Xiuxiu: It’s fine… fine.
Scumbag: Quite satisfied.
54. Where did you do it for the first time?
Xiuxiu: On his boat.
Scumbag: Well, it was a yacht.
55. How did you feel at the time?
Xiuxiu: I don't remember much...
Scumbag: Cough... Well, he was drunk.
56. What was your partner like at that time?
Xiuxiu: I don't know.
Scumbag: So fucking tempting.
57. What was the first thing you said to each other the next morning?
Xiuxiu: I… don't remember.
Scumbag: It was probably something like “baby, you’re awake”? What else could I have said?
58. How many times a week do you do it?
Xiuxiu: Not sure...
Scumbag: Three to five times.
59. Ideally how many times a week would you like to do it?
Xiuxiu: One time… once...
Scumbag: I want to do it every day. But he's not happy with that.
60. What kind of sex do you have?
Xiuxiu: The kind that makes me.. a bit tired.
Scumbag: It's great sex, as long as I'm with him. I can be unrestrained.
61. Where is your most sensitive place?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: I’m sensitive to his touch, so as long as he touches me…
62. Where is your partner’s most sensitive place?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Neck, waist, thighs, and…you know.
Xiuxiu: No, don't say it.
63. What do you want to say to your partner during sex?
Xiuxiu: “Too much. It hurts.”
Scumbag: “We really are a match made in heaven. Even our parts fit perfectly.”
64. Do you like sex or do you hate it?
Xiuxiu: I don’t...don't hate it
Scumbag: Nonsense. Of course I like it.
65. Under what circumstances do you usually think of sex?
Xiuxiu: When Zhengzheng…is sleeping...
Scumbag: When I come home after a busy day, I naturally think about it when I see him. Of course, when I’m in the office, I’d also like to do it, but he doesn’t want to.
66. Is there a place where you want to try having sex?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Many. Balcony, office, outdoors.
67. Do you shower before or after sex?
Xiuxiu: Both.
Scumbag: Well, same. I like to help him clean up.
68. Do you two plan for sex?
Xiuxiu: No.
Scumbag: He always tells me in advance not to take too long.
69. Have you ever had sex with someone other than your partner?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: That's all in the past.
70. How do you feel about the saying "it doesn't matter if your partner doesn’t have feelings towards you, as long as you get the other person's body"?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Fuck you. Next question.
71. What would you do if your partner was raped?
Xiuxiu: He… he won’t be raped.
Scumbag: I’d chop the asshole up into minced meat.
72. Are you embarrassed before or after sex?
Xiuxiu: Both...a little bit before and after...
Scumbag: What is there to be embarrassed about?
73. What would you do if your friend said, "Sleep with me tonight, I'm lonely" and asked for a one-night stand?
Xiuxiu: I don’t… have such friends.
Scumbag: I'm a family man now. So anybody who pulls something like this on me will just make a fool out of himself.
74. How do you feel about your skills in bed?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: I always serve my wifey well.
75. Is your partner’s technique good?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: He's embarrassed to say, but he's definitely satisfied. I don’t care about technique so much - I’m happy with even a little response.
76. When you are having sex, what do you want the other party to say?
Xiuxiu: Doesn't… matter
Scumbag: Something nice, like “I love you”, “you're awesome”, “you're amazing” and so on, but unfortunately he never says it.
77. What's your favorite expression to see when you're having sex?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Going crazy. Uncontrollable.
78. Do you think it's okay to have a relationship with someone other than your partner?
Xiuxiu: ...that's not good...
Scumbag: It didn't matter to me before. But I've changed my mind now.
79. Are you interested in SM or something like that?
Xiuxiu: What?
Scumbag: Some day I’d like to try it... Forget it, he definitely won't be up for it.
80. What would you do if the other person suddenly no longer needed your body?
Xiuxiu: That's also... fine.
Scumbag: That's not good! I’d find a way to make him need it.
81. What are your thoughts on rape?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Fuck, I told you not to ask these kinds of questions. Are you looking for a fight?
82. When you are having sex, what do you find the most tiresome?
Xiuxiu: He… when he takes too long...
Scumbag: The time it takes to coax him to do it is the most tiresome.
83. So far, where did you have the most exciting and thrilling sex?
Xiuxiu: Nowhere...
Scumbag: We haven't tried any thrilling places yet… Damn, we must try it outdoors one day.
84. Was there ever any special request from the bottom?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Never
85. What was the top’s reaction at that time?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: If this time ever comes, I'll make sure to take care of the request.
86. Has the top ever committed rape?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Fuck you! Stop asking questions with this word in them! I swear, I'll throw you out the window.
87. What was bottom’s reaction at that time?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Go away! Chengxiu, let's go back home and not waste any more time here with this idiot!
Old Qian: Yeah right! Do you still want that sex scene in the office or outdoors?
Scumbag: …
88. Do you have a specific ideal image of sexiness?
Xiuxiu: No...
Scumbag: Just my wifey.
89. Does the other party meet your ideals?
Xiuxiu: More or less...
Scumbag: I’m fully satisfied.
90. Do you use props when doing it?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Occasionally.
91. How old were you when you had your first time?
Xiuxiu: Twenty-eight
Scumbag: Fourteen...
92. Was it with your current partner?
Xiuxiu: Yes.
.
Scumbag: No.
93. Where do you like being kissed the most?
Xiuxiu: Mouth…just on the mouth.
Scumbag: Of course, down there... But he doesn't want to, so forget it.
94. Where do you like to kiss your partner the most?
Xiuxiu: I like...just normal kissing.
Scumbag: Anywhere.
95.During sex, when is your partner the happiest?
Xiuxiu: It seems, always...
Scumbag: I have to warm him up first.
96. What are you thinking about during sex?
Xiuxiu: I don’t…don’t think of anything.
Scumbag: How I want to put it in.
97. How many times do you usually have sex in one night?
Xiuxiu: …
Scumbag: Generally, two to three times. The highest record was six times.
98. During sex, do you take off your clothes or does your partner do it for you?
Xiuxiu: He… he takes off my clothes.
Scumbag: Well, I like to undress him.
99. For you, what is sex?
Xiuxiu: A good...good thing.
Scumbag: Essential.
100. Thank you for your hard work! Now tell your partner what you want to tell them the most!
Xiuxiu: Zhengzheng is crying again
Scumbag: That little brat is so annoying
SSQ shading her own character XD
1. Busy parenting life of newlywed husbands (2011)
Since the arrival of the baby Li Chengxiu and Shao Qun have been very busy.
Although they had hired two nannies, neither of them liked outsiders living in their house, so the nannies only came around during the day and left for the night. After Li Chengxiu got off work, he took over the task of feeding the baby.
Shao Qun found the little bundle quite interesting at first, but unfortunately his interest didn’t even last three days.
He couldn't understand why the baby cried so much and why it cried so loudly!
Shao Qun was very annoyed with the child, but fortunately it was Li Chengxiu's baby. Therefore, he had to display some love for the baby in the name of “love me, love my dog” principle. If it had been Shao Qun’s own child, he would have definitely handed it over to his sisters and wouldn’t have bothered with it anymore.
One day after work, Shao Qun wanted to find Li Chengxiu in the office to go home together but he soon discovered that his subordinate had left earlier than the boss.
When Shao Qun got home, he found Li Chengxiu walking around the house with the child in his arms.
In order to keep the baby from crying all night long, Li Chengxiu tried to keep him awake during the day - he moved the baby up and down, making it laugh.
Shao Qun looked around the house.
Li Chengxiu had obviously just arrived from work. Under normal circumstances Li Chengxiu would have tidied things up, then played with Teacup for a while and fed it. At this moment, most likely he would have already put on his apron and started cooking dinner. Shao Qun would normally walk over and follow him around, watching the preparations, and then they’d finally have a nice meal together.
But since the arrival of the baby, the first thing Li Chengxiu did when he entered the house was go straight to the child. His things would just be thrown on the sofa in disarray, poor Teacup fell out of favor, and the cooking only started when Li Chengxiu deemed that he had entertained the baby enough.
The most irritating thing was that Shao Qun and Li Chengxiu had been sleeping in the same bed for almost a week, and the mood was pretty good a couple of times. But every time Shao Qun was just about to make his move, the little one would start crying. So what was the end result? Nothing, nada, couldn’t do a single thing!
Even before the baby, Shao Qun had thought that he didn’t have enough alone time with Li Chengxiu but now he had to share him with this little brat who couldn't take care of himself. So Shao Qun was pretty angry.
Dissatisfied, he sat down on the sofa and shouted, "Chengxiu, I'm hungry!"
Li Chengxiu didn't even turn around, "The leftovers from yesterday are in the fridge. Heat them up."
Shao Qun was about to blow a fuse.
Now that the baby was here, half the time he had to eat leftovers. Li Chengxiu was such a talented cook but now he only used his special abilities to make sure that the baby’s milk was of the right temperature. He was so meticulous about it as if every time he was doing some scientific experiment.
Shao Qun's current position in this family was lower than a dog. At least the dog received fresh food to eat.
Li Chengxiu offered to ask the nanny to cook for him but Shao Qun was not happy with the idea and insisted on eating only Li Chengxiu’s hand-cooked meals.
Shao Qun lay down on the sofa and sulked, quietly staring at the ceiling..
Li Chengxiu had finally made sure that the baby was happy. He put him back in the crib, and let him play with the wind chimes hanging above his head. Then he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Busy parenting experience must be a universal thing, eh?
Li Chengxiu was always restless when he was at work now - he would often lose his focus and start thinking about his son.
After all, he couldn’t be at ease while his son was taken care of by somebody else. On the other hand, he also didn’t want to take the woman’s path[1] - quit his job and stay at home with the child. So he would usually rush back immediately after work, and sometimes even during lunch time, to check up on the baby and alleviate his worries.
Li Chengxiu looked at little Zhengzheng who was having a good time at the moment, and a smile appeared on his face.
Just as he was about to start cooking, he noticed Shao Qun lying on the sofa, frowning with his eyes closed and looking very tired.
Li Chengxiu quietly walked over and sat down next to him.
"Sleeping?"
Shao Qun half-opened his eyes and glanced at him, then stretched out his arms to hug Li Chengxiu’s waist and muttered, "I'm starving to death!"
"Then I'll cook now." Li Chengxiu got up.
Shao Qun hugged him, not letting him go, and whispered: "Now that you have a son, you have completely forgotten about your husband."
Li Chengxiu burst out laughing, "Zhengzheng needs someone to care of him. How old are you?"
Shao Qun arched his head into Li Chengxiu’s arms, "No matter how old I am, I still need you. You don't have to take care of me, but you can't treat me as if I don’t exist. Since the baby came, you haven't even looked at me properly."
Li Chengxiu shook his head helplessly, "How old are you?"
Shao Qun didn't respond. Instead, he suddenly turned his head and lightly bit Li Chengxiu’s waist. Then he rolled over, jumped up from the sofa and pressed Li Chengxiu close to his body. Finally, he gave him a deep kiss and looked at him, feigning anger.
Li Chengxiu laughed, "Okay, get off me. I'll cook."
Annoyed, Shao Qun let Li Chengxiu go.
Before going to bed at night, Li Chengxiu checked up on Zhengzheng three or four times, before he could finally enter the bedroom with some peace of mind.
Shao Qun had just finished taking a bath and only had a bath towel wrapped around his lower body. He was wiping his hair with the towel, as he asked casually, "Is Zhengzheng asleep?".
Li Chengxiu's eyes swept across Shao Qun’s sturdy upper body, and his heart jumped abruptly in his chest. He took out his pajamas from the closet and said, “Yes, he’s sound asleep."
Shao Qun came over and reached out to gently touch Li Chengxiu's face, "Thank you for your hard work."
Li Chengxiu chuckled: "It's not “hard work”.” He then turned around and proceeded to take a shower in the bathroom, letting the warm water wash the fatigue of the day away.
While Li Chengxiu was still under the shower, the bathroom door creaked open.
Li Chengxiu turned around and saw Shao Qun standing in the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest and with his eyes fixed on Li Chengxiu’s naked back.
Li Chengxiu became nervous all of a sudden. He wanted to cover himself up, but he felt that with the current relationship between the two of them it wouldn’t be quite right to do so.
Shao Qun's dark eyes were partly hidden behind the water vapors, which were flowing through the air.
Li Chengxiu dumbly said, "Shao… Shao Qun, you..."
Shao Qun kept leaning against the door frame, as his eyes wandered back and forth over Li Chengxiu’s body. The desire in his eyes wasn’t concealed at all.
"Chengxiu, Zhengzheng won't cry tonight, right?"
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment, "Ah...likely... not..."
When Zhengzheng first arrived, he was used to sleeping during the day and crying during the night.
Shao Qun's sexual manoeuvres had been interrupted several times by the little bundle, and he was at his limit. Li Chengxiu also felt that crying in the middle of the night every day wasn’t really conducive to good rest, so he asked the nanny’s cooperation to adjust the baby to a more “human-friendly” regiment.
The rule was that Zhengzheng was not allowed to sleep during the day, and he had to play as much as possible. Thus, he would get tired throughout the day and wouldn’t cry in the middle of the night.
Through the efforts of the past few days, the time of nightly crying had significantly reduced. Shao Qun couldn't wait to enjoy the undisturbed time between himself and Li Chengxiu.
Shao Qun walked over step by step, as his misty eyes stopped on Li Chengxiu’s face, "Then it’s just you and me tonight, right?"
Li Chengxiu swallowed and took a step back.
Shao Qun cautiously pretended to be a gentleman for over half a year. It was really hard to coax Li Chengxiu to let go of his vigilance and stop resisting in this matter. There was no way he was backing off at this time. Shao Qun stretched his arms and wrapped them around Li Chengxiu’s waist.
Li Chengxiu was completely naked, as Shao Qun pressed his lower body onto him, letting him feel his lust through the bath towel.
Li Chengxiu's face immediately turned red, "I… I… am washing… Taking a shower..."
Shao Qun lowered his head and bit his ear, then covered the side of his face with a row of shallow kisses. Caressing Li Chengxiu’s smooth back with one hand, he said, "Be honest... How long are you going to torment me? It was so hard to get that little brat to fall asleep…"
Shao Qun got rid of his bath towel and rubbed his hot cock against Li Chengxiu's thigh.
Li Chengxiu's body trembled, feeling that the skin that was in contact with Shao Qun was burning up with terrifying heat.
Shao Qun had been hungering for too long, so it took a lot of concentration to control himself. He couldn’t just start stuffing himself immediately but he was so excited that his arms around Li Chengxiu were shaking.
He pressed Li Chengxiu against the wall, leaned over and fiercely covered his mouth with his own.
Li Chengxiu was blinded by the shower water that was pouring over his head, so all his other senses were keenly aware of Shao Qun's fiery kisses and erotic strokes.
Shao Qun forcefully pried open his mouth, and his slippery tongue stirred in as deep as he could. Li Chengxiu let out a slight moan, dazed by the passionate kiss.
He could feel Shao Qun's hand on his buttocks, kneading them over and over again.
Shao Qun's kisses fell lower and lower - first on his chin, then across his chest, his belly button and all the way to…
"Ah...!" Li Chengxiu exclaimed. He tried to open his eyes, but the pour of warm water prevented him from doing that. He felt that his dick was being...
Shao Qun was squatting in front of him, and his dexterous tongue was licking Li Chengxiu’s genitals. Once he could clearly feel that Li Chengxiu’s dick slowly became hard and hot, he finally took him in his mouth.
Li Chengxiu shouted out, as his legs softened, and he almost couldn’t stand anymore. Shao Qun supported his weight by holding up his waist. While Shao Qun was stimulating Li Chengxiu's center of desire with his tongue and his mouth, his dishonest fingers were already poking at Li Chengxiu’s hole.
Li Chengxiu had never experienced such stimulation before. As soon as the realization that his dick was inside Shao Qun’s mouth hit him, he felt that his surging desire was about to split him apart.
He could barely keep up on his feet and could only rely on Shao Qun for support. His back was firmly pressed against the wall, but the cold tiles didn’t cool him down at all. Instead, his lust felt only hotter and hotter.
Li Chengxiu's unbearable, out of control moaning was really hot. Shao Qun’s head went up and down, swallowing Li Chengxiu’s dick over and over again and pushing him to the peak of desire. Li Chengxiu's body trembled more and more severely. As he couldn't bear anymore, he grabbed Shao Qun's hair and tried to push his head away, but Shao Qun held on to his waist and did not let go. Li Chengxiu couldn't control himself - his entire body shook, and the hot bodily fluids squirted out.
Shao Qun turned around and spat out the liquid in his mouth with a chuckle. Then he stood up and grabbed Li Chengxiu by the chin, violently robbing him of his breath.
Li Chengxiu was at that moment just hanging onto Shao Qun's body, passively accepting the excessive kisses.
Shao Qun’s direct initiative made Li Chengxiu entirely helpless, so he just went with the flow.
Shao Qun picked Li Chengxiu up by his waist and walked to the large double bed in the bedroom.
As soon as Li Chengiu lay down, he started coughing and couldn’t stop for a while.
Shao Qun pressed himself on top of Li Chengxiu and moved his hand away from his face. With a smile he asked, "How is it? Do you feel good?"
Li Chengxiu whimpered and couldn't help curling up. He didn't even dare to open his eyes to look at Shao Qun.
Shao Qun chuckled, pushed his thighs apart, squeezing himself between them, and opened his mouth to hold onto Li Chengxiu’s nipple.
Li Chengxiu's skin was generally light, and even this place on his chest was very light in color. After Shao Qun bit and licked it, the nipple became moist, red, and tender, making him want to swallow it up at once.
Shao Qun squeezed some lube onto his hands, pushed Li Chengxiu’s buttocks apart and gently rubbed the closed entrance.
Li Chengxiu tightly covered his face with his hands and bit his lips, not daring to make a sound.
While kissing and licking his pink skin, Shao Qun pushed himself between Li Chengxiu’s hips, working hard at expanding the narrow corridor.
Watching the process of the tightly closed flesh gradually softening is generally a sweetly torturous and exciting visual feast for any man. Shao Qun put one of Li Chengxiu’s legs on his shoulder, pressed down on his slender waist and finally inserted his hard dick into the crimson hole.
Li Chengxiu's body instantly tensed up. His wet eyes pleadingly looked at Shao Qun through his fingers.
Shao Qun massaged the entrance, stretching all the folds with his thumb. Softly he soothed him, "Relax, Chengxiu, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. Think about how happy we were before. Don't be afraid, just relax."
Li Chengxiu arched his neck, tightly biting on his lip, as he tried to get used to the fleshy blade squeezing into his body little by little.
His body that hadn’t endured this kind of desire for over a year obviously couldn’t adapt to the invasion so quickly.
Li Chengxiu's face flushed red, and his body twisted in pain.
Blue veins popped up on Shao Qun’s forehead. He lay on Li Chengxiu's body and rubbed his cheek against Li Chengxiu's chin, "Chengxiu, relax, don't be so tight... I want to go in, I miss you so much... Let me come in... Relax..."
Li Chengxiu whimpered in a low voice and couldn't help but respond to Shao Qun’s comfort by rubbing against his cheek, absorbing the warm breath on his face.
Shao Qun seemed to have received great encouragement. He pushed a pillow under Li Chengxiu's waist, raised his hips, and moved towards Li Chengxiu's body.
"Ah..." Li Chengxiu moaned in confusion, reaching out and tightly grabbing at the sheets.
Shao Qun resisted the urge to start pumping, instead he proceeded with slow shallow thrusts, trying to completely open Li Chengxiu’s body.
Li Chengxiu's intermittent moans kept escaping from his throat. One couldn’t quite say if these were moans of pain or pleasure, but in Shao Qun's ears, any sound at that moment seemed sweet.
Shao Qun was covered in sweat. His hand was pressed onto Li Chengxiu's buttocks, leaving five red fingerprints on it. He held onto Li Chengxiu's waist and impatiently pushed in.
The narrow passage was tight and hot, and every time he entered, he felt the thrill of being squeezed by the intestinal walls. Shao Qun almost cried out from pleasure.
He had longed for this person for many months - thus, the great physical pleasure this time was negligible when compared to the psychological satisfaction. It alone was enough to swallow Shao Qun whole.
He finally had this person in his hands again, and he was finally able to embrace him to the fullest again. Compared to all the disappointment and discouragement he had experienced, the happiness of this moment was worth everything he had gone through.
Shao Qun felt that his body was on fire. He had never been so excited before, as if his whole being was a container full of emotions. He wanted to ignite all his emotions and pass them to Li Chengxiu via sex.
He spread Li Chengxiu's legs as wide as possible and moved his waist, quickly thrusting.
Shao Qun’s hot and firm genitals were like a red-hot soldering iron, and the process of them going in and out seemingly set Li Chengxiu’s whole body on fire.
Shao Qun's movements became faster and faster, and the lubricant applied to Li Chengxiu's back entrance had turned into foam and was flowing out onto the sheets from the place where both of them were connected, forming a small pool of liquid.
Shao Qun slammed into Li Chengxiu again and again, each time accompanied by a wet slapping sound that made the whole room drown in the whirlpool of debauchery.
Li Chengxiu finally couldn't help groaning with tears in his voice.
Shao Qun's movements were too fast, pushing Li Chengxiu's body forward. But every time he was pulled back by Shao Qun, who then went even deeper. The accompanying intense “pa, pa, pa” sounds would have made anybody deaf.
Li Chengxiu's body was turned into a soft mess by the intense sex, and he didn't even have the strength to lift his arms.
Shao Qun let out a heavy gasp. His perfectly sculpted chin was raised high, and large beads of sweat were sliding down his neck all the way down to his firm chest. His whole body seemed covered in sensual eroticism.
Li Chengxiu's moans were met with only heavier thrusts, and in the end he couldn’t even complete his plea for mercy.
Shao Qun turned Li Chengxiu over, made him kneel on the bed, and then entered from behind.
Li Chengxiu couldn't tell anymore whether these were tears or drops of sweat on his face. He buried himself into the bedding and whined in a low voice. Under the impact of Shao Qun thrusts, Li Chengxiu’s lower body was rubbing against the sheets, making his dick perk up again.
Shao Qun put his arms around his waist and forced Li Chengxiu to pucker his asshole.
The back hole, that was so thoroughly fucked that it wouldn’t close up anymore, was in Shao Qun’s full view.
Li Chengxiu's throat was hoarse, and he was on the verge of fainting, so all he could do was to try to beg for mercy. However, Shao Qun's whole body was occupied by desire, so he turned a deaf ear to any pleas.
While slapping Li Chengxiu's snow-white buttocks, he continued to fiercely conquer the place that brought him the ultimate pleasure.
It was unclear how long it took, until Shao Qun finally reached the peak of his desire and came with a low growl.
All the hot bodily fluids spilled inside Li Chengxiu's hole. His fragile and sensitive inner walls were so overwhelmed by the sensation, that he screamed, feeling as if he was being burned from inside.
Shao Qun hadn't had such wild sex in a long time. After finishing once, he fell directly onto Li Chengxiu's body, gasping for breath.
He did not pull out but stayed inside, enjoying the warmth that only belonged to him. Shao Qun hugged Li Chengxiu from behind, licked his ear and touched his chest with both hands.
Li Chengxiu couldn't even utter a word - his whole body slumped softly into Shao Qun's arms as if he had just been fished out of the water.
Shao Qun was also very tired. He had stayed abstinent for too long and completely lost his self-control. Just doing it once almost exhausted his physical strength.
It was hard to get Li Chengxiu to lie under him again. So regardless of exhaustion, Shao Qun felt that he should be able to fight another 300 rounds. Being so tired only after doing it once was such a waste.
Shao Qun kissed Li Chengxiu’s neck and unwillingly backed off, leaving a string of crimson hickeys on his bare skin. His hands were also not idle - he used his fingertips to fiddle with Li Chengxiu's nipples. His soft dick was also sneakily moving inside Li Chengxiu’s backside, feeling the pleasure of his own semen flowing out.
Li Chengxiu said dumbly, "Shao Qun..."
Very content, Shao Qun responded, "Baby..."
"Pull out, pull out..." Just saying these kinds of words cost Li Chengxiu a lot of courage. He was too ashamed to face what Shao Qun had just done to him.
Shao Qun laughed softly into his ear, "Let me stay inside for a while... I want to do it again, I just need to rest a bit. Baby, you are so amazing… Without even moving, you can make me so excited. If you ever learn a trick or two, it will be the end of me."
Ashamed and angry, Li Chengxiu exclaimed, "You… You bastard! Pull out immediately! Pull… out."
Instead of pulling out, Shao Qun twisted his waist and moved his dick around inside Li Chengxiu's body. Although the soft organ was not such a lethal weapon, the hole that had just been ravaged was still very sensitive, so Li Chengxiu's waist immediately twitched in response.
Shao Qun laughed wickedly, moved his fingers towards Li Chengxiu’s lower body and fiddled with the soft flesh between Li Chengxiu's legs.
Li Chengxiu blushed with anger, "Shao Qun, you’re a bastard!"
He struggled to get out of Shao Qun's grip, but was held so tightly that he was completely helpless against Shao Qun’s shameless advances.
Shao Qun whispered lovey-dovey nonsense into his ear, while making obscene movements with his hands. Li Chengxiu wished he could just faint at that moment.
Shao Qun finally felt that he had rested enough and was ready for another vigorous round.
—--------------------------------------------------end of smut—-----------------—---------------------------------
Just as both of them were turning around, a sharp cry suddenly burst through their eardrums.
The two of them froze.
Shao Qun pressed Li Chengxiu down and wanted to continue his movements.
Li Chengxiu, who was already exhausted, had no idea where his sudden burst of strength came from - he pushed Shao Qun away, “Zhengzheng is crying.”
Shao Qun gritted his teeth, "So what can we do about it?"
Li Chengxiu glared at him, "I'll go check up on him."
Shao Qun pressed on Li Chengxiu even harder, preventing him from moving. His semi-hard-on slammed into Li Chengxiu, "Do you really want to leave right now?"
Li Chengxiu became anxious, "Don't be ridiculous! The baby is crying. Let me go…let go of me!"
As if there was a way for Shao Qun to let him go… Instead, he grabbed Li Chengxiu’s thighs and continued thrusting.
Li Chengxiu was so angry that he gave Shao Qun a hard punch, "I'll go take a look."
Shao Qun's face turned green, but when he saw Li Chengxiu's expression, he immediately realized that the man would be really angry if he didn’t let him go this time.
Shao Qun didn't have the guts to make Li Chengxiu angry. If he left without a word again, who would Shao Qun go cry to?
No matter how uncomfortable Shao Qun was, he could only pull out. Li Chengxiu covered his body with pajamas, stumbled out of bed and walked to the nursery.
Shao Qun listened to the high-pitched cries of the little brat, and it made him so angry that he rolled around the bed in frustration.
He now regretted that he didn't commit to handing the baby to his sisters. At the time, he was afraid that Li Chengxiu would miss the child. Also, the baby was an important bargaining chip for him to be able to hold on to Li Chengxiu. Now Shao Qun regretted this decision even more than giving him Teacup.
With sadness and indignation, Shao Qun couldn't help thinking that in Li Chengxiu's mind, the baby was ranked first, Teacup was second, and he was only third.
And the first two places were taken by the things he had given to Li Chengxiu himself! Shao Qun would be lying if he said that he wasn’t regretful.
Just as he was ruminating on it, Li Chengxiu called from the nursery "Shao Qun, bring the bottle!"
Shao Qun immediately bolted out of bed and servively responded, "Coming, wifey!"
2. The office is a good place full of romantic affairs (2011)
When Li Chengxiu came to work early one morning, as soon as he got out of the elevator, he was almost deafened by the sound of a quarrel that could lift a house roof,
Li Chengxiu heard a familiar voice shout: "Since he’s not in, can’t you just pour me a cup of tea and let me wait for a while? Why the fuck do I have to come back another day?"
Then he heard Assistant Chen's calm voice: "Young Master Ji, what I mean by coming back another day is that you need to make an appointment with the boss first at a suitable time. And then you can see him."
"I have to make an appointment to see him? Who does he think he is?"
"Young Master Ji, it’s just a procedure. We are just doing our jobs here to put some food on the table. Please don’t make it harder than it should be."
"Are you fucking looking for a fight?"
Li Chengxiu hurried to the front desk, and sure enough, he had heard it right. The person who was making a scene was the one he hadn’t seen in a long time - Ji Yuanqi.
He saw that Assistant Chen had been forced by Ji Yuanqi to retreat to the very back of the front desk. He was frowning, as he asked the person next to him, "If he beats me up right now, will it be considered a work injury?
Li Chengxiu sighed quietly. Why doesn't this guy’s temper show any signs of improvement?
"Xiao Ji."
Several people present turned around to look back at Li Chengxiu.
As soon as Ji Yuanqi saw him, his expression suddenly changed: "Li Chengxiu!"
He looked happy at first but then his face darkened: "Li Chengxiu, you are actually working for this Shao guy."
Li Chengxiu was slightly stunned and immediately showed some embarrassment on his face.
"Xiao Ji, let’s not inconvenience Assistant Chen any longer. Come in and let’s talk." Li Chengxiu pointed to the reception room and motioned for Ji Yuanqi to follow him.
Only then did Ji Yuanqi relax his shoulders. He turned his head, showed Assistant Chen his middle finger and then followed Li Chengxiu into the reception room.
As soon as he closed the door behind him, Ji Yuanqi began to complain: "Even the dogs raised by Shao Qun have the same rotten virtues as he does! They are an arrogant bunch of stupid asshole scum!"
Li Chengxiu sighed: "These are just regular working people, and you are here to cause trouble.."
"So what if I am?" Ji Yuanqi sat down on the sofa angrily, "I actually came here for you! I was locked up by my dad for several months. Now that he finally stopped watching me so closely, I wanted to quickly find you, because I was afraid that Shao Qun would bully you! But what do I see? You have made peace with him! Damn, it makes me so angry even to talk about it. What the fuck are you thinking? "
Li Chengxiu was a little dizzy from all this yelling, and he slowly sat down, his face a little pale.
He could only imagine how surprising and completely incomprehensible it was for Ji Yuanqi to find out that he was still with Shao Qun. But Li Chengxiu didn't know how to explain it to him.
The world of adults is just too complicated and entangled, and Li Chengxiu couldn’t expect a child to understand.
When Ji Yuanqi saw that he wasn’t speaking, he became even angrier. He pointed at Li Chengxiu’s nose and shouted, "You always do this! I know what you are thinking, you don't take me seriously at all. That’s why you don’t tell me anything. In your eyes I’m just some doofus who can’t do anything while you are being bullied to death. You don’t even think about asking me for help!"
Li Chengxiu whispered: "Xiao Ji, I don't think about you like this. I… I treat you as a friend."
"Like fart you do! Just saying some perfunctory bullshit."
Li Chengxiu twisted his fingers and looked at Ji Yuanqi with embarrassment. Ji Yuanqi resentfully scratched his neck.
Li Chengxiu then carefully asked, "How have you been recently?"
Ji Yuanqi glared at him: "Very well, not bad. I’ve even gotten myself a very beautiful girlfriend."
Li Chengxiu smiled, "Congratulations."
Ji Yuanqi said angrily: "My girlfriend is taller than you."
Li Chengxiu smiled again and said, "Very nice, she must be a good match for you."
Ji Yuanqi glanced at him with some grievance and muttered: "But she can't cook so well."
Li Chengxiu burst out laughing: "She can learn."
Ji Yuanqi waved him over: "Sit down over here."
Li Chengxiu sat beside Ji Yuanqi, looking gently at him: "Xiao Ji, since you have a girlfriend now, you should learn to speak nicely and control your temper."
Ji Yuanqi suddenly hugged Li Chengxiu’s shoulders and whispered into his ear, "I miss you."
Li Chengxiu patted him on the back: "Come and hang out with me more in the future."
Ji Yuanqi was just about to say something, when the reception door was pushed open.
Shao Qun walked in aggressively, looking very angry. Assistant Xiao Zhou followed behind with a dark face.
Ji Yuanqi got up and looked at Shao Qun with provocation.
Shao Qun walked over and pulled Li Chengxiu to his side, staring at Ji Yuanqi with disdain: "Weren’t you looking for me? What did you want?"
Ji Yuanqi raised his eyebrow: "Weren’t you unavailable? I was looking for you to find him."
Shao Qun shouted, "So you can just come see my wife because you want to? You really are a piece of work, acting so familiar!"
Li Chengxiu quickly pushed Shao Qun away, indicating that they were in the place of business right now, and his colleagues were outside.
Ji Yuanqi shouted: "Do I need your fucking consent to talk to him? Do you think he’s your dog?"
Shao Qun's face darkened: "Fuck off, this is my turf! I'm warning you, if you don't leave, I'll call your dad and tell him you came to my office to cause trouble."
Ji Yuanqi's face turned green from anger, and his hand that pointed at Shao Qun’s nose was shaking. For the longest time he was speechless.
Li Chengxiu pulled at Shao Qun's arm: "Don't do this..."
Assistant Chen came over at some point, holding Shao Qun's mobile phone: "Mr. Shao, do you need me to call a car to take Young MasterJi home? It's raining outside, and the road is slippery."
Shao Qun took the phone with a sneer: "I'll kindly call a cab for you, lest you get wet. That would really upset your mother."
Ji Yuanqi angrily exclaimed: "How dare you! "
Li Chengxiu frowned and snatched the mobile phone away from Shao Qun: "Don't bully him."
Shao Qun gave Li Chengxiu a dissatisfied look, and angrily turned his face away.
Ji Yuanqi grabbed a piece of paper that was lying on the table, quickly wrote something on it and handed it to Li Chengxiu: "Here. This is my mobile phone number, my landline number, and also my mailbox. You can always reach me, so you must come over to hang out."
Li Chengxiu accepted the note: "Sure, definitely."
"Give me your phone number."
Li Chengxiu also wrote his number on a piece of paper.
Shao Qun tried to speak several times, but always stopped at the last moment. Finally he shouted, "Xiao Zhou, hurry up and send Young Master Ji away."
Assistant Zhou gestured Ji Yuanqi over.
Ji Yuanqi reluctantly said goodbye to Li Chengxiu, glared at Shao Qun sternly, and shoved Assistant Zhou before slamming the door and leaving without turning around.
Li Chengxiu looked at his back with some pity.
When Ji Yuanqi left, Li Chengxiu walked out of the room without even looking at Shao Qun.
Shao Qun was behind him, desperately pretending to have a casual talk: "This kid is really annoying... Hey, why are you here so early today? I ran into the nanny downstairs when I was leaving, and she said that Zhengzheng was getting heavier every day."
He said some other nonsense, but Li Chengxiu kept ignoring him, so Shao Qun finally started to worry.
When they were passing by the pantry, Shao Qun took advantage of the lack of people and blocked Li Chengxiu’s path. Impatiently he asked,"What's wrong with you?"
Li Chengxiu frowned and said softly, "Can't I have friends?"
Shao Qun was stunned for a moment, obviously panicking: "It’s not what it’s about. This kid obviously has his sights set on you..."
Li Chengxiu lowered his head, bypassing Shao Qun quietly and heading back to the office.
Shao Qun looked at Li Chengxiu’s back in a daze for a long time.
At 11 am, everyone was eagerly looking forward to their lunch break.
While Li Chengxiu was stretching his muscles and bones, a person from the office told him to go report to Shao Qun.
This kind of report wasn’t usually Li Chengxiu’s responsibility, so this was probably just an excuse that Shao Qun had cooked up. But with so many people around Li Chengxiu couldn’t just openly refuse, so he sighed and took out the documents.
He arrived at Shao Qun’s office door and barely managed to knock, when the door suddenly flew open.
Looking uncomfortable, Shao Qun said: "Come in."
Li Chengxiu glanced at him and entered the office.
Shao Qun closed the door and locked it with a "click". Then he proceeded to hug Li Chengxiu from behind.
Li Chengxiu guiltily looked around.
Although the office was locked, it was his workplace after all, and Li Chengxiu was worried that others would notice something.
Irritated, Shao Qun muttered: "Why are you angry at me? Just because of some random outsider guy you stopped talking to me… And I couldn’t see you this morning, so it’s really giving me a hard time.”
Li Chengxiu had already forgotten the squabble from this morning, so he just sighed:"You are so small-minded."
"Am I small-minded or are you small-minded? When did I ever say that you can't have friends? It’s just that all your friends have a tendency to keep me on my toes. Should I remind you that you’re a family man now?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head: "Xiao Ji is only twenty years old. You shouldn’t overthink it - he’s just reliant on me, besides he has a girlfriend."
Shao Qun still wasn’t convinced. When he himself was twenty, he had so many men and women that they could fill up mahjong parlors. And that kid also didn’t look like a grass-eater.
Li Chengxiu didn't want to argue with Shao Qun about this: "Let me go. It’s all fine, I'll just head back."
Shao Qun suddenly reached his hand into Li Chengxiu’s clothes.
Li Chengxiu caught his fingers: "Don't mess around! We are at the company."
"What's wrong with being at the company? I’m the one who owns and runs it after all." Shao Qun suddenly became energized, and seemingly eager to prove to Li Chengxiu his ownership of everything around, put the other hand into his pants.
Only then did Li Chengxiu realize that he was being serious. Anxiously he said: "Shao Qun, don't be ridiculous!"
Shao Qun responded, "I wanted to do it in the office for a while… At home, we are always disturbed by the little brat. I haven’t had a good time in so long…Chengxiu, baby, you promised me just one time..." In the end this grown up man actually started to pout like a spoiled child.
Li Chengxiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "No, if somebody sees... ah..."
Shao Qun was already holding Li Chengxiu's dick in his hand and stroking it skillfully. He couldn't stand this kind of stimulation. Every time Shao Qun touched him like that, his body became soft, and he couldn’t refuse his advances anymore.
"Shao Qun, you really want to do it right here...you..."
Shao Qun was really serious about doing it right here and now. He was taking off Li Chengxiu’s pants while he was still talking.
Li Chengxiu's trousers slid down his white thighs all the way down to the ground. His shirt was lifted, revealing his thin waist. Dazed, he was being caressed by Shao Qun all over.
...[2]
Afterwards Li Chengxiu was so tired that he couldn't even open his eyes.
When he came to it again, Shao Qun had already finished bathing him and had carried him over to the bed in the lounge. Shao Qun pushed him awake and offered him some food.
Li Chengxiu wearily opened his eyes and, somewhat confused, stared at the spoon that was offered to him.
Shao Qun held him in his arms and lightly patted his face: "Chengxiu, open your mouth. You should have something to eat - you haven't had lunch yet."
Li Chengxiu obediently opened his mouth, but unfortunately he could barely taste the food. With a smile, Shao Qun fed him half a bowl of rice and then gently wiped his mouth with a tissue.
Li Chengxiu asked in a hoarse voice: "What time is it?"
"Four o'clock."
Li Chengxiu sighed: "I have to head back..."
"For what? You’re soon off the clock anyway. Besides, you’re so tired. Let’s just stay here for a while longer. When everyone’s gone, I’ll take you downstairs."
Li Chengxiu patted his arm: "It's not… It was you…You can't restrain yourself..."
Shao Qun kissed his cheek: "We should do it more often while we are young, since we won’t be able to do it as often as we want to when we get old. So we must take advantage of our current happiness.”
Li Chengxiu didn't even have the strength to get angry with Shao Qun - he felt so lazy that all he wanted to do was to keep lying on the bed.
Shao Qun hugged him and lay down next to him. He then hugged Li Chengxiu’s naked body and whispered softly: "Chengxiu, if you get angry with me in the future, you should beat me or scold me. I won’t fight back. But please don’t just stonewall me."
Li Chengxiu quietly listened to the words of Shao Qun who kissed his nose and continued, "A year ago, you treated me just like that. You wouldn’t look at me or talk to me, treating me not like a person but rather like a telephone pole. Do you even know how horrible that felt?" Shao Qun’s heart ached when he thought of the indifferent Li Chengxiu at the time when Shao Qun was at his lowest point of despair.
Li Chengxiu reached out and touched Shao Qun’s face. His eyes were shining in the dim light. Then he touched Shao Qun's lips, leaned in and softly kissed him. In a low voice he said, "I won't do that anymore.”
Shao Qun froze, then suddenly hugged him with excitement, "Chengxiu..."
Li Chengxiu buried his head in Shao Qun’s broad chest.
This reassuring and warm feeling was so intoxicating, that one couldn’t help but want to stay like this forever.
Shao Qun gently stroked his back: "Go back to sleep and rest for a while. We're going home."
Li Chengxiu said "um" and closed his eyes with peace of mind.
They were going home.
3. Confession or the Bitter Extra about Scumbag Shao[3] (2011)
On a Friday night after work, Li Chengxiu got home first. When he arrived, he saw Zhengzheng crawling on the carpet, while Teacup was right next to him biting at his pants and pulling him forward. The nanny was right behind them. When Zhengzheng noticed Li Chengxiu, he giggled and crawled towards him.
Li Chengxiu’s heart was bursting from happiness. He quickly took off his shoes and sat down on the carpet, waiting for Zhengzheng to crawl towards him little by little, until his tiny hand could touch his knee.
Li Chengxiu hugged both his son and his dog in a burst of affection.
The nanny smiled and said, "Mr. Li, I'm going to head back first. The ingredients for dinner have been prepared as per your instructions."
Li Chengxiu smiled back at her, "Thank you! Be careful on the road."
After the nanny left, Li Chengxiu hugged the two little bundles of joy for a while. Finally, he put the baby into the crib and went on to prepare dinner.
Under normal circumstances, Shao Qun would come back more than an hour later than him. Naturally, the working life of a boss and an employee were on a very different scale.
So he really didn't expect that Shao Qun would come back early that day. But the door opened as soon as Li Chengxiu just managed to wash his hands.
Shao Qun entered with a concerned expression on his face.
Li Chengxiu walked over and took Shao Qun’s document bag away, "So early today?"
Shao Qun nodded sullenly, then went up to hug him. He put his head on Li Chengxiu’s shoulder and just quietly stood like that for a while.
Li Chengxiu thought that Shao Qun was tired, or maybe something went wrong at work, so he stroked his back and comforted him, "What's the matter? The project’s not going well?"
"……no."
"Then what happened?"
"...Two people are coming over tonight."
"Oh, who would that be?"
"My little brother," Shao Qun's tone was full of resentment. It sounded like he was announcing the arrival of his archnemesis.
"Your younger brother? Ah, you mean your cousin from America?"
"Right."
Li Chengxiu suddenly breathed in nervously, "Then the one coming over with him..."
He had already found out from Shao Qun that Li Shuo was now dating Zhao Jinxin, and the two of them had been together for a long time.
Although Li Chengxiu was very concerned about Li Shuo's current situation, he did not dare to ask too many questions because of the tense relationship between Shao Qun and Li Shuo. If the conversation concerned Li Shuo or Ji Yuanqi, Shao Qun had a tendency to lose his temper. Sometimes he couldn’t control himself and angered Li Chengxiu, and then was frustrated by the need to apologize. After these kinds of unpleasant experiences, Li Chengxiu wanted to avoid any disputes on these topics.
He couldn't understand why Shao Qun was so small-minded - all he wanted to know was if they were doing well. Li Chengxiu didn’t have too many friends in this world, so every single one counted, and he couldn’t help but care about them.
Shao Qun gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, the other one is Li Shuo."
Li Chengxiu blinked and asked in confusion, "If you don't want him to come, why didn’t you just say so?"
Shao Qun raised his head and said angrily, "My sister asked Jinxin to come visit me. And the Li guy comes as a package deal, since Jinxin listens to him."
"Then it means, they're getting along well."
"Yeah, all right, I guess." Shao Qun's tone was impatient, "Let's lay some ground rules first. When they come over, you can't...you can't be too welcoming."
Li Chengxiu smiled and said, "You’re thinking too much. Both me and Li-Dage have other people in our lives right now. We’re just friends. Can you be a bit more open-minded?"
"Hmph, that's what you think! Let me tell you, that old geezer Li Shuo is definitely up to no good. My brother is very handsome, so he should just be happy to follow him wherever he tells him to go. Why does he have to be so shameless and demand to see you?"
Li Chengxiu said warmly: "He just wants to make sure that I'm doing well. Same as I want to know if he’s all right. When he comes over, you have to be polite towards him."
Shao Qun's facial expression was still very ugly.
Li Chengxiu sighed. When he got home after a busy day, he had to coax two children and one dog. Life was really busy. He patted Shao Qun on the back and said, "Stay with Zhengzheng for a bit. I’ll start cooking and call you over to eat later."
Shao Qun made an “um” sound, took two steps and then suddenly turned back, "Wifey, give me a kiss."
Li Chengxiu smiled and obliged. Shao Qun hugged him for a long time before finally letting go.
After their family of four finished eating, Li Chengxiu prepared several snacks for later and even arranged a fruit platter.
Shao Qun looked unhappy and was gritting his teeth next to the baby.
Li Chengxiu pretended not to notice him.
Since he’s been together with Shao Qun for a while, he had basically gotten used to these moods. Shao Qun would barely tolerate it when Adrian came over to drag Li Chengxiu out for a special offer meal or take him to the city to play around during the weekend. At least, on the surface he would hide his discontent. But if it concerned Ji Yuanqi, even if Li Chengxiu just telephoned with him, Shao Qun would spend the whole day in a foul mood.
In fact, Shao Qun had gotten much better than he used to be before. As long as certain red lines were not crossed, he didn’t dare to show Li Chengxiu his temper.
It's just that Ji Yuanqi and Li Shuo in Shao Qun’s mind were not on the same level in regards to their threat and perceived disgust. Ji Yuanqi was just a stinky little brat who didn’t have much influence, and Li Chengxiu certainly didn’t have any feelings for him. But Li Shuo was fucking different. He was Shao Qun’s ultimate rival whom he couldn’t wait to completely get rid of. As long as he remembered Li Chengxiu’s and Li Shuo’s past, it would make him so irritable that he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
The thought of seeing this man tonight made all the bad memories resurface, and it would have been weird for Shao Qun not to feel bothered.
Fuck, how about you ask any man in the world what he thinks about his wife meeting an old friend with “common past”!
Shao Qun leaned against the wall watching Li Chengxiu rush in and out of the kitchen. Usually he would help him with chores whenever he was free, but at that moment he didn’t want to move a finger. Maliciously he said: "Wifey, did you know that your Li guy was topped by my brother?"
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a while, not knowing what he was supposed to say to that, so he just answered with some embarrassment: "I didn't know." After giving it some thought, Li Chengxiu realized how wrong the question seemed and asked Shao Qun reproachfully: "And how do you know that?" He really felt that Shao Qun was becoming more and more childish every day.
Shao Qun snorted, "I just know. Nobody in my family would lie under somebody."
Li Chengxiu frowned and glanced at him, "It means that you… you wouldn't lie under somebody either, right?" Li Chengxiu felt a little uncomfortable - he himself didn't really care who was on top and who was on the bottom, but it sounded like for Shao Qun being on the bottom was somehow really bad.
Shao Qun was stunned for a moment, and then realized that he had just shot himself in the foot. Quickly he tried to explain: "No... I don't mean it like that."
Li Chengxiu sighed softly and shook his head.
Shao Qun was a little anxious. At this moment he didn’t want to have any unpleasantness between him and Li Chengxiu, since he was planning to flaunt their affection in front of Li Shuo to annoy him out of his mind!
Shao Qun quickly tried to suck up, "Chengxiu, you aren’t angry at me, right?"
Li Chengxiu smiled shallowly, "Why would I be?"
Shao Qun breathed a sigh of relief. Li Chengxiu had always had a good temper. As long as he doesn't go too far, everything will be fine.
The next second, Li Chengxiu said in a more serious tone, "Don't embarrass Li-Dage. He is our guest tonight."
Shao Qun curled his lips in disdain, but didn’t say anything.
The two of them each had their own concerns, weighing on their minds while they were waiting for the guests to arrive. It felt like an eternity passed, when finally the doorbell rang.
Li Chengxiu got up and was about to open the door, Shao Qun quickly handed the baby to him and said, "I'll go."
Although he was holding Zhengzheng, Li Chengxiu was afraid that something would go wrong as soon as Shao Qun and Li Shuo met, so he still followed.
Shao Qun looked like he was about to face his greatest enemy, as he angrily opened the door.
Zhao Jinxin immediately popped up with an excited smile on his face:"Ge!" He hugged Shao Qun and asked, "Big brother, did you miss me?"
Shao Qun didn't grace him with a friendly expression. Instead, after seeing Li Shuo behind him, he snorted coldly.
Zhao Jinxin smiled and slapped him in the stomach, as he noted, "Ge just look at yourself. You’re so small-minded."
Shao Qun pouted: "Weren’t you going to the hotel in Hainan[4]? What are you even doing here?"
"Sanya[5] is so close to Shenzhen. If I didn’t come see you, it wouldn’t make any sense… Awwww, what a cute little baby!" Zhao Jinxin exclaimed and came inside.
Li Chengxiu was momentarily confused - suddenly his child was taken away, and he was just standing there with empty hands.
Zhao Jinxin didn't even take off his shoes. He just walked in completely carefree and hugged the baby as if it was nothing.
Li Shuo and Shao Qun stared at each other at the door.
When he saw Li Shuo, Li Chengxiu felt his heart pounding in his chest. Although he wasn’t able to deepen his feelings towards this man, he still couldn’t forget how kind he was to him. Especially now, when they met each other again after such a long time, it was impossible for his heart to stay still.
Li Shuo looked at him with a gentle and elegant smile, just like at the time when they first met,"Chengxiu, long time no see."
Li Chengxiu nodded dazedly, "Li-Dage... long time no see."
Shao Qun didn't like to see those two making eyes at each other, so he put his arms around Li Chengxiu's waist and said, "Come on in."
Zhao Jinxin was already shouting around in the living room, "Sister-in-law, can the baby have milk? Can I feed him? I have never fed a child before."
Shao Qun laughed and scolded him: "How about you feed a fart? Can you do that?"
Li Chengxiu quickly replied "He has eaten already" and then said to Li Shuo, "Li-Dage, please come in."
Li Shuo smiled lightly and closed the door behind him.
Zhao Jinxin brought the baby to Li Shuo and said with a mischievous smile: "Look, how much fun it is! Let's get one too."
Li Shuo said helplessly: "What was that saying... Never act on impulse[6].”
Li Chengxiu asked the guests to their places and brought out the refreshments and the fruit platter.
Li Shuo looked at the snacks on the table and smiled at Li Chengxiu, "You still remember what I like to eat."
Shao Qun's eyes were burning red, as he squinted at Li Shuo, "Just eat your food! What’s up with the nonsense talk!"
Li Shuo ignored him, picked up a taro crisp[7] and was about to put it in his mouth.
Zhao Jinxin brought his face close to Li Shuo and shouted "Aaaah!" at him with his mouth open.
Li Shuo glanced at him and had no choice but to give the dessert to him.
Zhao Jinxin struggled to free his hand, then grabbed Li Shuo's chin and kissed him without a bit of hesitation.
Li Shuo frowned, but did not push Zhao Jinxin away.
Zhao Jinxin really had some cheek - Shao Qun and Li Chengxiu were stuck watching from the sidelines. Li Shuo’s face had already turned red, but Zhao Jinxin still deepened the kiss, only letting him go when he was satisfied.
After the kiss, Zhao Jinxin gave Shao Qun a “you don’t need to thank me” look.
Li Shuo wiped the dim sum from the corner of his mouth and said lightly, "Next time, don’t be so naughty."
Li Chengxiu was the most embarrassed among the people present. He was even too shy to look at the two men in front of him.
Only at that point did Shao Qun’s mood improve, and he even asked about Zhao Jinxin's investment in China.
Li Chengxiu chatted a little with Li Shuo. Their conversation was mainly about work and other neutral things, like each other's recent situation. With Shao Qun present, while he was throwing glances at them from time to time, they couldn’t really talk about anything else.
Li Shuo told Li Chengxiu that he and Zhao Jinxin had invested in a hotel property in Perfume Bay[8] in Hainan. He was busy with this matter recently, and it turned out to be more interesting than dealing with numbers and accounting all day long.
Li Chengxiu was also very happy for Li Shuo when he learned that after selling his business, he became much more relaxed and had more personal time to spend with his family and friends.
Li Shuo also praised Li Chengxiu for speaking much more smoothly than before - he felt like he could hardly notice anything out of the ordinary in Li Chengxiu’s speech anymore.
Li Chengxiu smiled and said that things were different than before, and now he had an opportunity to talk every day.
Taking advantage of the fact that Shao Qun and Zhao Jinxin were distracted by their happy chat and not paying attention to them at that moment, Li Shuo suddenly came closer to Li Chengxiu. His bright eyes looked straight into Li Chengxiu's eyes, he lowered his voice and asked, "Chengxiu, tell me the truth, are you doing well?"
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment, then he lowered his head and said softly, “Li-Dage, don't worry. I have a job, friends, and a family now. I'm doing well."
Li Shuo smiled bitterly: "Is that so? I still can't figure out why you would..."
"What are you talking about sitting so closely to each other?" Shao Qun got up and squeezed himself between the two of them, looking at Li Shuo like he was facing a great enemy.
Zhao Jinxin rolled his eyes, "Ge, can you stop being so cringy?"
Li Shuo slowly sat up straight and gave Shao Qun a calm look.
But in Shao Qun’s eyes his expression was obviously hiding daggers and thus was a naked provocation.
Shao Qun actually also felt that he was being a bit petty, and this wasn’t a good look in front of his younger brother, but he really couldn't control himself.
As soon as he saw Li Shuo come so close to Li Chengxiu, he felt that all his violent tendencies had awakened, and all he wanted to do was throw Li Shuo out the window.
In fact, even if Li Shuo had done nothing and was just standing there, Shao Qun still had enough reasons to kick him. But now he was talking to Li Chengxiu right in front of his face, and he dared to come up to him so fucking close as if he was about to bite his ear. Shao Qun cursed all eighteen generations of Li Shuo's ancestors in his heart.
Li Chengxiu felt ashamed and gently tugged at the corner of Shao Qun's clothes.
Shao Qun’s face darkened. He looked at his wifey and at his younger brother and managed to hold back his anger.
Zhao Jinxin felt that the atmosphere was not good, and it was kinda lame to hang around any longer, so he said to Shao Qun, "Ge, we haven't seen each other in a long time. Why don't we go out for a drink?"
Shao Qun pointed at Li Shuo, "Is he coming?"
Li Shuo stood up and said to Zhao Jinxin, "I'll go home first."
Li Chengxiu also stood up, "You’re not gonna stay a bit longer..."
Shao Qun went up to Li Chengxiu and put his arms around him, "Don't leave. Someone must stay at home."
Li Chengxiu wasn’t actually planning to go anywhere. He had a baby at home, so how could he just leave him alone?
"I know. You can go."
Shao Qun grabbed his jacket but still thought that something wasn’t right. He turned to Li Shuo "You won't double back, will you?"
Zhao Jinxin felt a little upset at his words and frowned: "Brother! I think everyone apart from you is acting like a normal person tonight."
Shao Qun was a little embarrassed, but he was still worried, so he just stood there with his clothes, refusing to move.
Li Shuo sighed and didn't bother to even look at him, "I'm heading home. If you're still so worried, you can just call me at home."
Shao Qun finally stopped hesitating,: "Okay, you head down first. I'll have a word with Li Chengxiu and then come over right away."
Li Shuo threw another glance at Li Chengxiu, smiled and waved at him. He then followed Zhao Jinxin downstairs.
As soon as the two of them left, Shao Qun finally exploded and asked, "What did he just say to you?"
Li Chengxiu felt really helpless about Shao Qun's behavior tonight, so his tone wasn’t good when he said, "He just asked me if I was doing well."
"Don’t fucking talk to me like I’m a child! He leaned so close to you only to ask if you were doing well?" Li Chengxiu's perfunctory answer made Shao Qun completely sure in his belief that the two of them were discussing something unspeakable.
Li Chengxiu’s expression turned angry, "Can you just stop with this nonsense! Your brother and Li-Dage came to visit us once in a blue moon, and you made everyone…everyone feel awkward. Why would you do this?"
Shao Qun also responded in anger: "So it's my fault now! Ask yourself this - have you even looked at me, since the moment this Li came in? As soon as he entered, your eyes were glued to him. And everything you prepared for tonight were things that he likes to eat! Then the two of you were sitting there whispering to each other intimately the second I wasn’t paying attention. What should I think!?"
Li Chengxiu blushed when he heard what Shao Qun said. In Shao Qun's eyes, how could these little things become such a big deal? Shao Qun was the one looking for trouble the entire night, but in the end he made everything sound like Li Chengxiu’s fault.
"Shao Qun, I don't know what you are talking about. When other friends come over, I also prepare their favorite dishes. Besides, Li-Dage helped me out during the most difficult time in my life. So this little token of appreciation is literally nothing. You were so unreasonable tonight. If Li-Dage wasn’t here, I wouldn’t have even bothered with you…"
Shao Qun was so disgusted by hearing Li Chengxiu say “Li-Dage” yet again that he almost vomited. He glared at Li Chengxiu and roared, "Li-Dage this, Li-Dage that! It’s so gross! Is Li-Dage some kind of god in your eyes? I can't even compare to him in any way that matters, right? He is so tolerant and generous, but I’m the one who’s petty and small-minded, right? But then he is the one who came to my house and flirted with my wife, while I had to endure it like a fucking good boy!"
Li Chengxiu was shaking with anger, "You…you are creating trouble where there is none. You.. you… unreasonable. At least…have some decency…the most basic courtesy. We were just talking. What… what… are you even…going on about? Can’t you have…some manners…?”
Shao Qun's eyes were burning with rage: "Get fucked sideways with your manners! When this Li guy slept with you, did he give a fuck about being polite to me?"
After these words, there was a dead silence in the room.
Li Chengxiu couldn't quite come back to his senses for a long time. Back then, he didn’t want to explain himself and blurted it out on an impulse[9], and now… now he was even less inclined to explain anything to Shao Qun. In more than a year that the two of them had been back together, this was their first time arguing like this. Li Chengxiu had thought that Shao Qun's temper had somewhat improved - he didn’t expect that the man was just holding himself back all this time.
After Shao Qun said that sentence out loud, he immediately regretted it. The matter between Li Chengxiu and Li Shuo had been a ticking time bomb in his heart for a long while. He desperately told himself to forget about it, to stop caring…He also understood quite well that it was his own fuck up that pushed Li Chengxiu into that relationship, but he really couldn't let it go.
He hated Li Shuo, hated that Li Shuo had touched Li Chengxiu and tarnished the most precious person in his life. But he hated himself even more. If it wasn't for the big idiot named Shao Qun who didn't manage to tie Li Chengxiu to his side at the time, how much less would he have had to suffer and how much better things would have been today!
The relationship between Li Chengxiu and Li Shuo was a cancerous growth in his heart. The deeper he tried to hide it, the bigger it got. When it finally erupted, it was almost impossible to deal with the fallout anymore.
He could now regret what he had said till the cows came home, but he couldn’t take his words back.
He looked at Li Chengxiu standing there with his head down and didn't know what he was thinking. Feeling a sting in his heart, he said,
"Chengxiu...I..."
Li Chengxiu said softly, "Go downstairs. They are still waiting for you."
"Chengxiu, I just..."
"Go downstairs." Li Chengxiu turned around, and Shao Qun couldn't see his expression anymore, "Go downstairs, don't make them wait too long." He then went back to the room.
Shao Qun watched as the door gently closed behind him and felt his breath tighten. Irritated, he pulled at his hair, grabbed his jacket and rushed out the door.
Hearing the sound of Shao Qun slamming the door, Li Chengxiu let out an uncomfortable sigh.
In fact, if Shao Qun hadn’t mentioned it, he would have completely forgotten about that little detail. Shao Qun had been very good to him all this time, so intentionally or unintentionally, he tried not to think about the past. He just wanted to enjoy a good life here and now.
Come to think of it, it was indeed typical of Shao Qun to brood about such things.
Li Chengxiu was sitting next to the baby crib, looking at his sleeping child, and was deep in his thoughts for a long time.
He decided that when Shao Qun came back tonight, he was finally going to clear the air.
Back then, he didn’t deny sleeping with Li Shuo, deliberately angering Shao Qun. But now that the two of them had started a new life together, he didn't want to make Shao Qun suffer due to this matter.
He hoped that their family would always stay peaceful and happy. The two of them had come this far, and they had no idea what kind of suffering each of them had made through. Li Chengxiu didn’t want to make Shao Qun sad, so he had to explain everything once and for all.
After making up his mind, Li Chengxiu felt relieved.
He got up and went to boil some hangover soup for Shao Qun, he then poured it into a health pot made of purple sand[10] and prepared to go to bed.
He took a shower and was just about to lie down under the quilt when his phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number but Li Chengxiu still picked it up by carefully pressing the “accept” button.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Chengxiu."
Li Chengxiu was taken aback, “Li-Dage? How do you have my phone number?"
Li Shuo chuckled: "Where there’s a will, there is always a way."
Li Chengxiu took a deep breath and tried to calm down, "Li-Dage, you… you are at home?"
"Well, I just got home. The two of them went out for a drink."
"Oh……"
"Chengxiu, sorry for calling so late. Did I disturb your rest?" Li Shuo's voice was as gentle as usual, and it could make one really feel comfortable. Li Chengxiu felt that Li Shuo's voice was the best sound he had ever heard in his life.
"No, no worries."
"Chengxiu, if you're not in a hurry to get to sleep, let's talk."
Li Chengxiu gently grabbed the sheets, struggling a little bit in his heart.
"I originally wanted to ask you out, but after thinking about it for a while, I realized that it was not appropriate. After all, we... and you have always been a very decent person, so you wouldn’t have agreed anyway, would you?"
Li Chengxiu didn’t say anything, silently agreeing.
"I haven't finished asking my question today."
"You… you said…"
"I wanted to say that I still can't figure out why you would rather choose Shao Qun than me. Am I in any way worse than him?"
"No... Li-Dage, you are fine." Li Chengxiu didn't know how to answer such a question, and he felt that Li Shuo might not really expect him to answer.
Li Shuo sighed softly on the other end of the phone, "Sometimes I think that fate has tricked me. I still think that you are the most suitable person for me from everyone that I have ever met, but you have already been claimed by another. In fact, Jinxin has told me some things, and judging from that I think that Shao Qun is really treating you well now. It’s probably just me not being able to cope."
Li Chengxiu said softly, "Li-Dage, aren't you and Zhao Jinxin doing well too?"
"Oh, him." Li Shuo smiled bitterly: "It's okay. He's a good lover, and it's very pleasant to be together with him. But that's all there is to it. Jinxin is just too young. How long could this thing between us last? We’re just… keeping each other company."
Li Chengxiu listened silently.
The desolation in Li Shuo's voice made him uncomfortable.
He knew that what Li Shuo had been looking for was someone with whom he could live a peaceful life. And the flirty Zhao Jinxin was definitely not the kind that Li Shuo wanted for himself.
Li Chengxiu couldn't help feeling sorry for Li Shuo. Why couldn’t such a good person get his heart’s desire?
It seemed that Li Shuo hadn't talked to anyone for a long time. After a while, the two of them started chatting like old friends.
Li Shuo said: "A few days ago, a friend introduced me to a middle school teacher. He is very quiet and honest, and he has dimples when he smiles. I think that he is very cute, and I plan to try it out with him."
Li Chengxiu asked: "Then…What about Zhao Jinxin?"
"Oh, he doesn't care. He himself is fooling around on the side. We’re like that, Little Chengxiu. You know, things between men aren’t usually as innocent as you think. Only someone like you would be worthy of being completely dedicated to."
Li Chengxiu sighed lightly: "Li-Dage, no matter what, just don't waste your feelings."
Li Shuo was silent for a while, then he said with a smile: "Don't underestimate me. When I was younger, I was quite a seducer myself."
After that sentence, both of them chuckled.
The two of them chatted for a long time without even realizing it. That night they probably talked more than during the entire time of them being together.
Li Chengxiu felt that he was finally able to face Li Shuo calmly and treat him as a friend he hadn't seen in a long time or as a respectable senior. The heavy guilt he was carrying before had been reduced by a lot.
The two of them talked for another half an hour, when suddenly another call came in. Li Chengxiu saw that it was Shao Qun and quickly said to Li Shuo, "Li-Dage, I need to take a call. Wait a minute, please." After that, he nervously switched over to Shao Qun.
Shao Qun solemnly asked, "Aren’t you sleeping yet?"
"Well, I was going to."
"With whom were you on the phone right now?"
Li Chengxiu didn't know whether he should even answer that, so he could only keep quiet.
Shao Qun took a deep breath, tightened his hand around his phone and asked, "Is it that Ji kid?"
Li Chengxiu hesitated for a moment. Would it be wrong to just go along with what Shao Qun was saying? After all, Shao Qun was more tolerant of Xiao Ji than he was of Li Shuo.
On the other hand, Li Chengxiu felt that he had done nothing wrong, so why should he lie?
Realizing his hesitance, Shao Qun pressed with some urgency, "So is it him or someone else?"
Li Chengxiu responded indifferently, "No, it's Li-Dage."
Shao Qun fell silent.
With some mixed feelings in his heart, he raised his head and glanced at Ji Yuanqi, who was sitting in the booth not far away from him and giving him provocative looks from time to time.
It was some weird masochistic tendency in him that made Shao Qun test whether Li Chengxiu would lie to him.
When Zhao Jinxin called Li Shuo earlier and realized that the line was busy, Shao Qun immediately had a bad premonition. He called Li Chengxiu, and indeed his line was also busy.
Li Chengxiu was really talking to Li Shuo, but at least Li Chengxiu didn't lie to him. Whether it made him more sad, or somewhat comforted, even he himself couldn't tell.
Shao Qun was actually quite a carefree character. If it wasn’t for him liking Li Chengxiu too much, he wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble and would have just respected Li Chengxiu’s freedom in making friends. But Shao Qun didn’t expect that this would turn out to be so unbearable.
Li Chengxiu immediately tried to explain: "Shao Qun, don't think too much, we're just talking."
"Talking about what? What do you even have to talk about?"
"...Just… just idle chat."
"What are you discussing? Regretting that you didn’t end up with him? Or complaining about me shamelessly tying you to myself?"
Li Chengxiu took a deep breath. The grievance in Shao Qun's voice made him feel distressed.
Many times Li Chengxiu clearly felt that Shao Qun was overreacting and being unreasonable, but in order to keep the peace, he had to compromise again and again. Because compromising for Shao Qun, especially when it concerned Li Chengxiu, was more difficult than cutting himself open with two knives.
Li Chengxiu closed his eyes wearily and sighed, "I’ll stop talking to him now, okay?"
Shao Qun felt that his mouth seemed to be completely out of his control, as the next thing that came out of it was "So are you done talking already? Reunited after such a long time, you should be bursting with things to tell each other! So fucking sorry to disturb you."
Li Chengxiu said in a trembling voice, "Shao Qun, do you have to be like this? You know well what kind of person I am."
Shao Qun gritted his teeth and didn't say anything. Finally, he hung up the phone.
Zhao Jinxin next to him shook his head and filled up his glass with more alcohol: "Ge, I know what kind of person Li Shuo is. He is one of the decent ones. What's wrong with them having a phone call? Can you not create all this drama? Do you know how annoying that is?"
Shao Qun took a sip from his glass with a gloomy expression.
Zhao Jinxin felt really uncomfortable seeing Shao Qun like this and couldn't help but say, "Ge, you're acting like a total bitch now. Are you still my brother?"
Shao Qun glared at him fiercely, "Get the fuck out of here. How dare you say that to your older brother? Are you looking for a fight?"
Zhao Jinxin snorted disdainfully, "It's too embarrassing to see you acting like a hysterical nag in your relationship."
Shao Qun slammed his glass on the table, flying into rage, "You've come all this way here to bring me bad luck. If you hadn't brought that idiot with you, I'd have nothing to do with him right now, and my relationship would have stayed harmonious. Everything is because of you, so if you dare to scold me, I'm gonna fucking warn you once - if you talk to me like that again, I’ll beat you up."
Zhao Jinxin pouted, but in the end he didn't continue getting on Shao Qun’s nerves. He waved at the young waiter pouring the wine, gave him a tip and then whispered a few words into his ear, "Go find us two decent ones."
Shao Qun was pouring one glass of liquor after another and kept staring at Ji Yuanqi who was still in the vicinity.
After a while, the waiter came over with two delicate-looking boys.
Unusually, both of them were quite understated. They were dressed like your regular college students and looked very clean.
They immediately took their places next to Zhao Jinxin and Shao Qun.
Shao Qun narrowed his eyes and looked at the guys, he then threw a glance at Zhao Jinxin.
Zhao Jinxin said: "It's boring to drink with you. So either I'll take you back home, or you can play around with the guy next to you. In any case, I can’t be bothered to talk to you anymore." He then hugged the boy next to him and focused all his attention away from Shao Qun.
Shao Qun didn’t want to go home now. He really didn’t know how to face Li Chengxiu when he came back. He didn’t bother with Zhao Jinxin either and just continued drinking on his own.
The boy next to him felt a little embarrassed, so he just quietly sat beside him for a while. Finally, he said "Handsome guy, is it your first time here? I haven't seen you before." His intonation was just right. Although it sounded a bit coquettish, it still didn’t make one weary.
Shao Qun glanced at him, then pushed the glass in front of the boy and said casually, "Drink up."
Since settling into the family life, Shao Qun hadn’t chased any wild tail outside.
It's not that he didn't feel anything when looking at this handsome boy - he wasn’t a eunuch after all. But when he thought about doing something like this to Li Chengxiu and him finding out, he just couldn’t risk it. So even when he went out for business talks in informal settings at those “special” places, he would at most do something for show but would never actually go through with it when it came to doing the deed.
Even though he had been angered by Li Shuo for the whole evening today, and his heart was full of grievances, and despite this belle de jour in front of him, Shao Qun still couldn’t step over that hurdle in his heart.
The boy, however, wasn’t happy with him just sulking and drinking.
It was hard to come across such a top-quality guest, so he wanted to try and stick to the money.
The boy was intimately whispering little nothings into Shao Qun’s ear, coming closer and closer to him, as his dishonest hands were caressing Shao Qun’s back and waist.
Shao Qun was a little dizzy after drinking, so he gave the boy a harmless look, "You’re fucking obsessed with touching me all over, but..ah… why haven’t you poured me another glass?"
The boy giggled and poured him some liquor, "Handsome guy, you're in such good shape. What is your secret?"
Shao Qun was too lazy to pay attention to him. He just stretched his hand to get a hold of the glass.
The boy dodged slightly and then smiled, "How about I give it to you directly?" He tilted his neck, took a sip of the liquor and then brought his mouth up to him.
Shao Qun swayed away from him, avoiding the boy’s lips at first but then he simply didn’t bother to move anymore. To Shao Qun, a kiss was not a big deal after all.
Just as the boy's lips were about to touch him, Shao Qun's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a dazzling light - like a flash.
Shao Qun was shocked, and his mind cleared up. He suddenly remembered that the little Ji brat was still staring at him from the booth nearby.
He hurriedly pushed the money boy away, then turned his head, and sure enough he saw Ji Yuanqi holding the phone in his hand. The camera was facing in Shao Qun’s direction, and the brat was smiling provocatively at him.
Shao Qun let out a "fuck" and got up, taking a step forward.
It's just that he was already top-heavy from all the drinking, and he couldn’t keep his balance after getting on his feet, so if the boy hadn’t quickly hugged him, he would have fallen nose first.
Shao Qun shook his head vigorously, feeling a strong sense of crisis in his heart.
If Li Chengxiu saw this photo, how would he be able to explain it?
Shao Qun was so angry that he gathered up the remnants of his strength to push the money boy away, "Scram, get the fuck away from me!"
Zhao Jinxin heard the ruckus and quickly came over to support Shao Qun’s unsteady body, "What happened?"
Shao Qun raised his arm and pointed in Ji Yuanqi's direction, "Quickly grab that kid… that kid's phone…. Bring it to me."
Zhao Jinxin was at a loss when he looked in the direction Shao Qun was pointing at.
What he saw was a bunch of men and women dancing around frantically. Behind them there were some sofas, all of which were full of people. He really couldn’t tell who Shao Qun was referring to.
Meanwhile, Shao Qun pushed him, "Move."
Zhao Jinxin asked, "Who are you talking about? That person?"
Shao Qun was so angry that he wanted to smack him over the head. He wobbled forward but when he looked up again, Ji Yuanqi was already gone.
Shao Qun’s heart filled with cold dread.
He tightly clutched at Zhao Jinxin's clothes, "Hurry up and take me back home."
"Okay, I’ll do that right now,." Zhao Jinxin quickly helped Shao Qun out of the bar, feeling helpless.
Shao Qun was seeing double, and he couldn’t walk steadily, so he basically wobbled into the parking lot. At that point, he couldn’t even remember why he was in such a haste. After Zhao Jinxin threw him into the car, he immediately fell asleep.
Poor Zhao Jinxin then had to carry the 160-pound[11] heavy Shao Qun all by himself.
Zhao Jinxin was out of breath by the time he managed to deliver Shao Qun to his doorstep, and he regretted his decision of ever coming to Shenzhen.
After hearing the doorbell ring, Li Chengxiu quickly put on his clothes and opened the door. He sighed when he saw two drunk men outside.
Zhao Jinxin grimaced at him, "Sister-in-law, I’ve delivered him back to you. Now you can deal with him yourself."
Li Chengxiu hurriedly said, "Help me get him to the bedroom! I can't carry him alone."
Zhao Jinxin had no choice but to drag the unconscious Shao Qun onto the bed. Then he refused to stay even a minute longer and ran out without saying another word.
With great effort Li Chengxiu took off Shao Qun's clothes and then wiped his face and neck with a towel. Looking at his sleeping face, Li Chengxiu couldn't master any resentment for the man.
It was what it was - all according to the expectations when one lives with a person like Shao Qun who is not very easy to get along with.
While Shao Qun's heart was still at home for one more day, Li Chengxiu was willing to do his best to guard their family life.
Li Chengxiu settled Shao Qun into the bed and also lay down himself. He decided to explain the matter between him and Li Shuo when Shao Qun sobered up tomorrow. When living under the same roof and seeing each other every day, as long as Shao Qun was happy, Li Chengxiu would also be able to live a good life.
When Shao Qun was drunk, he slept like a log. He didn’t even roll around, snore, or move his hands and feet as usual. Li Chengxiu normally had a very shallow sleep, so he would always wake up due to Shao Qun’s movements. Thus, it was nice to be able to sleep unbothered once in a while.
The next day Li Chengxiu got up very early.
He warmed up the soup, ate some breakfast, fed Zhengzheng and Teacup, and then started reading, waiting for Shao Qun to wake up.
After a while, his phone rang and he quickly picked it up. It was someone from the company who wanted to remind him of a few business matters.
After hanging up, Li Chengxiu realized that he had an unread text message.
Last night in a daze, he seemed to hear the sound of an SMS, but he was so sleepy that he didn't manage to read it. And then he forgot all about it when he woke up.
Li Chengxiu opened the text message and froze immediately. He felt a rush of coldness run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his heart trembled.
It was an MMS[12], that contained a photo that was a little blurry. The lighting was dim, and it looked like it was taken in a bar or some place like that. Still, Li Chengxiu could easily tell that the person in the photo was Shao Qun, and the person in his arms was a handsome-looking boy whom he was seemingly kissing.
Li Chengxiu felt as if his body was being pressed down by something huge and heavy, making it difficult for him to breathe.
He looked at the sender - it was Xiao Ji. Then those two must have met at the bar last night. Hence the photo.
From the time Li Chengxiu moved in with Shao Qun again, he knew that this day would come. Li Chengxiu had a lot of hands-on experience with Shao Qun and his ways, so he harbored no illusions about the nature of this man. He didn’t even dare hope that Shao Qun’s obsession with him was a long-term thing.
He had been telling himself not to expect too much and just take it one day at a time. If there were no expectations, there was also no place for disappointment. Once Shao Qun got tired of playing house, Li Chengxiu could just go on his merry way.
He just didn't expect that it would barely last a year…
Li Chengxiu held the phone with trembling hands, and there was severe pain in his heart - so much so that he couldn’t even straighten out his waist.
He shouldn't be sad, he shouldn't be surprised. This was all according to his expectations from day one. From the very beginning, he had given himself an inoculation against this kind of thing - it was inevitable, so he shouldn’t feel sad.
Li Chengxiu’s eyes itched. His vision blurry, he still managed to touch the screen of his phone and press the delete button.
Zhengzheng cried out just at the right time.
Li Chengxiu took a deep breath and hurried to the nursery to coax the little bundle who was not even as big as his arm yet.
No matter what Shao Qun was doing outside, at least inside the house things still remained harmonious. Li Chengxiu’s greatest hope was for his son to grow up happily. As for himself...
Li Chengxiu buried his face in the baby's little chest, which smelled sweetly of milk. Although his heart ached, she couldn't shed a single tear.
Shao Qun didn't wake up until noon. Because of the severe headache, it took him several minutes just to open his eyes.
It took a long time for him to come to his senses, only to find that he was lying on his bed, but there was no one beside him.
Judging from the sky, it was already noon. For someone like Li Chengxiu who usually got up around 6am every day, it was enough time to go to the mall and come back.
Shao Qun got out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He then looked at himself in the mirror and touched his stubble. A quick thought flashed through his mind, his eyes widened, and he suddenly remembered something very important.
He didn't even bother to wipe his face, as he quickly ran out of the bedroom. When he opened the door, he saw Li Chengxiu sitting quietly on the sofa and reading a newspaper. Seeing Shao Qun come out, he slowly raised his head and glanced at him, "Up already?."
Shao Qun suddenly became nervous, and his mouth felt full of cotton, "Ah… what time… what time is it?"
"It's half past twelve. You're probably hungry."
"Ah… um."
"Then eat. It’s all still hot." Li Chengxiu got up and went to the kitchen. He then put the dishes on the table one by one, inviting Shao Qun to have a meal.
Shao Qun’s heartstrings were very tense, but seeing Li Chengxiu acting as usual, he was also quite puzzled. Didn’t Ji Yuanqi take that photo? Or did he take it but then he didn’t send it to Li Chengxiu?
But he clearly saw Ji Yuanqi taking the photo. Also, knowing his enthusiasm for Li Chengxiu, how could Ji Yuanqi not take this opportunity to destroy them?
Shao Qun was full of doubts, as he stiffly sat down.
Li Chengxiu also sat down and started eating, without paying Shao Qun much attention.
Although he looked calm, Shao Qun still felt that something was wrong.
The two of them didn’t leave it off on good terms last night, so normally Li Chengxiu would either be giving him aggrieved looks or would stop talking to him out of anger. On the other hand, Li Chengxiu’s acting skills were not as good as to pretend that nothing happened. So however Shao Qun looked at it, something wasn’t right.
How could Li Chengxiu be acting so calmly now? Yesterday, even Shao Qun himself felt that he was out of line and couldn't control his temper. He really regretted it now and was thinking about making amends but Li Chengxiu seemed completely unfazed.
Shao Qun frowned and looked at him, feeling even more uneasy.
Li Chengxiu watched Shao Qun stare at him and not move his chopsticks for a long time. Finally, he couldn't help it and softly urged, "Eat."
Shao Qun was dragged out of his thoughts and asked bluntly, "Why are you not even looking at me?"
Li Chengxiu paused, "What do you mean? Why are you not eating?"
Shao Qun's Adam's apple went up and down, "You got mad yesterday. I’m apologizing to you, so don't be angry with me."
Li Chengxiu let out an “um” and said, "It's okay. It's all over. Just eat your food."
"You… are you really not angry?"
"I'm not."
"Listen…about yesterday... If you have something weighing on your heart, I can give you an explanation. So don't hold anything back."
Li Chengxiu didn't understand what he meant and shook his head, "There’s nothing..."
Shao Qun was even more puzzled. Did Ji Yuanqi really just let it go?
Li Chengxiu took a few more bites of food and suddenly said, "Shao Qun, there is indeed something I want to tell you."
Shao Qun's heart jumped, "Say it."
Li Chengxiu raised his face and glanced at him, "We have discussed it before. You told me that there’s still time and that you were afraid that I’ll be overwhelmed with another child around. In fact, I don’t feel overwhelmed at all. I enjoy raising children a lot. So you should have another baby. Your own baby."
Shao Qun never expected that Li Chengxiu would mention something like this at this time.
"That's what you wanted to tell me?"
"Yes. I want another child. Zhengzheng also needs some company."
Shao Qun thought for a while, "As long as it’s what you want, I have no objections." Shao Qun held Li Chengxiu's hand and said softly, "But you have to remember that Zhengzheng will always be our son, and I will give him the best of everything."
Li Chengxiu forced a smile, but didn't know what to say to that.
It was indeed typical of Shao Qun to throw such affectionate words around even though he was already out there sleeping with others. But that was fine - Li Chengxiu saw through it very clearly now, so he was not going to be hurt again in the future. At this point, he didn't need to waste his time on constant suspicions and ruminations of whether Shao Qun is cheating or not and how long their relationship would last.
There was no need to think about any of these questions anymore. Their relationship will end when Shao Qun says that it’s over. And on that day, Li Chengxiu was going to leave together with Zhengzheng. With some meticulous preparations, he would definitely be able to survive.
At least he won't be alone in the future - this thought comforted Li Chengxiu and gave him courage.
Shao Qun's palm was pressed against the back of his hand, and he felt a familiar scorching heat. Li Chengxiu used to be grateful for all the strength and support he received from these hands but now all he could think of was how these hands were touching someone else yesterday.
Li Chengxiu gently pulled his hand away and picked up his bowl, "I'm done eating. I’ll go wash the dishes, so you can eat in peace."
Shao Qun was stunned for a moment, he really couldn't figure out what was going on with Li Chengxiu's reaction.
Shao Qun's eyes drifted aimlessly over the living room, and finally Li Chengxiu's mobile phone fell into his line of sight. A strange thought occurred to him, so he went and picked up the phone.
He flipped through the call records. There was a call from an unfamiliar number last night - this was probably from Li Shuo. Last call from Ji Yuanqi was a week ago. Shao Qun looked at the text messages, but there were no new ones.
Li Chengxiu's cell phone wasn’t some sacred ground for Shao Qun - he would often flip through it while Li Chengxiu was in the bathroom. Shao Qun didn’t think that there was anything wrong with it, but he felt a little guilty. As for whether Li Chengxiu knew about him snooping, he wasn’t very clear on that.[13]
After going through the inbox, Shao Qun gave it some thought and opened the deleted messages.
Li Chengxiu’s mobile phone was the latest model on the market. However, except for making calls and texting, Li Chengxiu wasn’t familiar with most of its other functions. He didn’t seem to know that when one deleted a message on a modern phone, it wouldn’t just disappear but be moved to the trash folder instead.
The latest text message in the folder made Shao Qun's heart sink.
It was an MMS from "Xiao Ji".
Shao Qun still had some resistance in his heart. He just stared at the message, hesitating to open it for a long time. He wasn’t quite sure what he was afraid of.
As he expected, the MMS contained a photo of him and the boy from last night. The angle of the picture was so ambiguous that it looked like they were really kissing. Only the people involved would know that their lips hadn’t touched.
The message was sent in the middle of the night. Shao Qun didn't remember when he got home, so he didn't know if Li Chengxiu had seen it before he came back.
But one way or another, he must have seen it.
Although he saw it, he acted as if nothing had happened and took care of Shao Qun as usual last night. Then, this morning he prepared food and cleaned up, without mentioning anything about the MMS.
Well, if Li Chengxiu pretended that he hadn’t seen the picture, Shao Qun wouldn’t have to rack his brains to come up with an explanation. So, according to reason, he should be happy. However instead, Shao Qun’s heart was surging with anger and sadness.
Why would Li Chengxiu just delete the message without even asking him anything? It was highly doubtful that Li Chengxiu trusted him to this extent.
Although the two of them were formally back together, and Li Chengxiu treated him with meticulous care and attention almost like before the split, Shao Qun still felt that Li Chengxiu’s niceness was just something innate to his nature. If it was Adrian living in Li Chengxiu’s house, then he would wash Adrian’s socks.
In the past, Shao Qun could still proudly think that Li Chengxiu’s care for him was because he loved him. But later he found out that it was just Li Chengxiu’s character. Whatever Shao Qun did for Li Chengxiu was because he was full of love but all the things that Li Chengxiu did for Shao Qun were just part of his living habits.
This made Shao Qun extremely depressed, especially at this stage of their relationship. Although everything seemed fine, he constantly had a sense of crisis, as if he was walking on a very thin ice.
He could feel Li Chengxiu's defenses against him.
Although Li Chengxiu treated him kindly, he was not the way he used to be before - there was no undisguised admiration in his eyes, no feeling of wholeheartedness or unreserved love.
That Li Chengxiu, who truly loved Shao Qun, really wasn’t coming back anymore
And whose fucking fault was that?
Shao Qun squeezed the thin phone so hard that his knuckles cracked.
"What are you looking at?" Li Chengxiu's clear voice came from the direction of the kitchen.
Shao Qun looked up and saw that Li Chengxiu was looking at him with a very complicated expression.
Shao Qun shivered and pointed at the phone, "Did you see that message?"
Shao Qun was different from Li Chengxiu. He couldn't just hide his thoughts. He was even more reluctant to hide things related to his feelings. On many occasions Shao Qun himself knew that he was too direct and too impatient, which was often counterproductive, but he couldn’t control himself.
Li Chengxiu wiped his hands with the towel and uttered a low "um".
Shao Qun took a deep breath, "I… there was nothing between me and him..."
Li Chengxiu just said "um" again and lowered his head without looking at Shao Qun, "It's fine... I'm going to the supermarket to buy some vegetables. You look after Zhengzheng."
Shao Qun said anxiously: "You don’t believe me? I drank too much yesterday, but I still remember what happened. The guy leaned over on his own initiative, and I really didn't touch him."
Li Chengxiu felt that even his breathing became unsteady. He silently turned around, as his mind filled with a bunch of messy pictures, many of which were just him imagining Shao Qun and that handsome boy in various poses together. Li Chengxiu didn’t even want to waste a single word on Shao Qun right now.
He just wanted to shout at him to finally stop lying. What’s the point of it anyway? It was not like Li Chengxiu cared. He didn’t care anymore! Never ever will he entertain any delusions about Shao Qun again. Li Chengxiu had been ready for a long time. And no matter what Shao Qun did next, Li Chengxiu was ready to face it.
He grabbed the house keys on the table and turned around to leave.
Shao Qun shouted, "Why don't you ask me?" This is what he desperately wanted to know.
Li Chengxiu paused, with his back to him and his fists clenched, "Ask what?"
"Why don't you ask me about the photo? I can explain!"
Li Chengxiu noted softly, "What is there to ask?"
Shao Qun walked over to Li Chengxiu, turned him around and said coldly: "What do you mean - what is there to ask?"
Li Chengxiu's clear eyes were covered with a layer of a certain emotion that shocked Shao Qun.
The two looked at each other for a few seconds. Li Chengxiu's eyes dimmed, and he slowly pushed Shao Qun's hand away, "I'll go shopping."
How could Shao Qun let him go at this time? He dragged Li Chengxiu back and said angrily, "Please explain it clearly to me. Why is there nothing to ask?"
"I have nothing to say. I believe you. Whatever you say, I believe it."
This sentence pushed Shao Qun's anger up to a whole new level. Li Chengxiu's attitude was as if he didn’t give a shit what Shao Qun did and with whom last night. He didn’t even care enough to ask him directly.
This realization set Shao Qun’s heart on fire, which made him even more helpless and scared than if Li Chengxiu had interrogated him about the photo.
There's nothing more chilling than complete indifference.
Shao Qun raised his voice, "What do you mean by that? It doesn’t fucking seem like you believe me. Why don’t you just ask? Why don’t you let me explain? Or you just don’t give a flying fuck about what I do outside? You couldn’t care less if I was dead or alive or if I was fucking someone else, right?"
Li Chengxiu turned his head away and whispered, "Stop it. That’s enough."
"Li Chengxiu, just tell me clearly what do you take me for! I, Shao Qun, would dig my heart out for you, I would sacrifice anything to the Heavens for you. Do you understand what you are for me? Huh? Do you get it? I see you as my lawfully wedded wife. But what am I to you? If you actually took me seriously, you wouldn’t have this flippant attitude when seeing shit like this! You would have slapped me twice already and forbidden me from going out at night in the future! So what the fuck do you mean by this indifferent attitude? Tell me clearly!" At the end of his last sentence Shao Qun choked up.
He racked his brains about all the ways he could treat Li Chengxiu better. He obsessed about making him let go of all the grievances and go back to the time when the two of them were doing so well. But Li Chengxiu kept his heart completely closed off and seemed to be ready to leave him at any moment. Shao Qun was not a fool. Compared to the good old times they had in the past, he could clearly see that Li Chengxiu wasn’t treating him wholeheartedly. He was hiding his true feelings and wasn’t letting go of his reservations. How could Shao Qun not feel it?
If it wasn't for this matter that made it impossible for him to bear it any longer, Shao Qun could still continue pretending that he didn’t notice all these subtle clues. After all, it took him a lot of effort to even get to this point, so he should just be satisfied with what he managed to get. The problem is that human beings are greedy creatures. If they have a bucket of water, they want a tank. If they have a tank, they can’t wait to have an entire lake. Shao Qun’s biggest hope was that Li Chengxiu’s every hair, every cell, every molecule belonged to him alone.
Nervous and agitated, Li Chengxiu started stuttering again "Wh… Why are you questioning me? I… I don't care… I can't control what you do."
"What do you mean you can't control it? You just don't want to control it! You see this photo and pretend that everything’s fine. Do you care about me even a little? Is it possible that if I one day bring someone else home, you’ll just act as if it doesn’t concern you?"
The phrase "bring someone else home" seemed to have hit a nerve. Li Chengxiu didn't want to quarrel with Shao Qun at first, but once he heard that, he couldn’t help shouting out what he had long thought in his heart:"It’s only a matter of time anyway!"
The expression on Shao Qun's face instantly froze, and he looked at Li Chengxiu in disbelief.
Li Chengxiu was frightened by his expression and slightly shrank his shoulders, but didn’t step back. A huge sadness suddenly enveloped him, and he felt that his life was getting more and more ridiculous by the day.
Originally, he had made up his mind to explain to Shao Qun what exactly happened between him and Li Shuo, but after seeing that photo, he changed his mind. Although he pretended not to care, his heart was bleeding out. With certain vengefulness he now wanted Shao Qun to continue suffering from that misunderstanding.
It turned out that no matter how he controlled himself, he couldn't control his love for Shao Qun. Whether it was when he was young or when he grew up, he didn't make much progress. He knew that it was impossible between the two of them, but he couldn't help but try. It's just that the more he cared, the more scared he became. And the more scared he became, the more he wanted to protect himself. He didn't dare to even think about that day in the future when Shao Qun really "brought someone else home". What was he to do? Would he be able to leave as gracefully as he imagined? In his heart he was afraid that this shadow would hang over him for the rest of his life - living in a constant state of terror, lest one day he will be pushed into the abyss yet again and experience excruciating pain.
Secretly, he even blamed Xiao Ji. Why did he tell him? Why did he send him this kind of photo? How much better would it have been, if he just didn’t know…
Shao Qun said in a trembling voice: "A matter of time? Li Chengxiu, what are you saying? In your eyes... In your eyes, am I this kind of person? It’s only a matter of time, till I do something like that? This is how you fucking see me?"
Shao Qun was so sad that he wanted to cry. In Li Chengxiu's eyes, his hard work all this time amounted to nothing. No matter how well he behaved, no matter how stupidly loyal he was to Li Chengxiu in his heart, Li Chengxiu had never believed that or never even intended to believe that.
No matter what effort he put in, it was all in vain. Such a realization could really break a person.
Li Chengxiu looked at Shao Qun's expression, and his body trembled slightly. It was hard not to be moved by such a display of undisguised misery.
Shao Qun sniffed and swore at him: "Li Chengxiu, you fucking son of a bitch! Isn't your heart made of stone?"
Li Chengxiu grabbed the mobile phone from Shao Qun's hand and pushed the screen so close to his face that it almost touched the tip of Shao Qun’s nose. With flames in his eyes he yelled, "How dare you swear at me! This…. this is on you! You did this. Why are you scolding me?"
"I told you it was a misunderstanding. This guy was just someone my younger brother invited to join. He sat beside me drinking, and we did nothing else. After we got back together, I was more virtuous and chaste than a woman in fucking ancient times! Why wouldn’t you believe it? Don’t you know your own temper? You have a tendency to disappear without a word. Do you think I would dare to provoke you like that? How can you still see me like this? If this is not good enough for you, what else do you want me to do?” Shao Qun said, getting more and more aggrieved. He finally put his ass down on the sofa and panted heavily with his head lowered.
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a while. Shao Qun's aggrieved and uncomfortable appearance made him wonder whether he had really misunderstood.
Shao Qun lit up a cigarette and said hoarsely: "I’m fucking warning you. You’re not allowed to leave the house right now. If you dare leave…I will…I will… you will regret it.”
Li Chengxiu looked at him silently for a while, then sat down beside him, "I'm not going anywhere."
Shao Qun glanced at him, his eye rims red.
Li Chengxiu put the phone on the table and sighed, "Tell me what happened last night."
Shao Qun whispered: "Do you care?"
Li Chengxiu looked at him, then pursed his lips and whispered back, "I care."
"Do you really care?"
Li Chengxiu felt dumbfounded for a while, "...it’s just that I’m scared."
Shao Qun sat up straight and looked into his eyes, "What are you scared of?"
"I’m scared that..." Li Chengxiu's body trembled slightly, "You are so kind to me right now. But in case one day, it’s all gone..." This was the first time Li Chengxiu had addressed these concerns out loud, so after finally voicing it, he suddenly felt more relieved.
It's not that he couldn't speak about such things… he was just afraid to hear all kinds of sweet promises by Shao Qun as a response. Trying to figure out whether he believed them or not, only made him more miserable, so it was better not hear any of that.
But at this moment he felt like he needed to hear Shao Qun coax him. Even if he wasn’t sincere, it would still be consoling to Li Chengxiu right now, when he was feeling so paranoid and frightened.
Shao Qun turned around and slowly hugged him, "Chengxiu, believe it or not, I am even more scared than you. I am scared that my life is too good right now, and if one day you don't want me anymore, what will I do? You act like you are ready to bolt at any moment. Maybe you can live a good life without me, but I can’t live without you… I really can’t."
Li Chengxiu gently put his hand on the back of Shao Qun’s hand, feeling the slight tremor run through the body of this seemingly tough man.
The two hearts were separated by the skin, so neither of them could guess what the other was thinking. Therefore, they both were constantly suspicious and paranoid. How long could a life like this without any mutual trust last?
Li Chengxiu also longed to go back to the past. At least back then, he didn’t have to think whether Shao Qun was sincere or not. He could just simply treat Shao Qun the way he felt about him..
The two of them had gone through so much, and, whether fortunately or unfortunately, they were still deeply entangled with each other.
Shao Qun slowly tightened his arms around Li Chengxiu and sighed: "I have gone through hell and back to keep you in my life. I wouldn’t dare ruin all this for an affair. You never have to worry that I will give up on you. At the bottom of my heart, I am more worried than you are. For over a year, the thing that I'm most afraid of is to wake up one day and realize that it was all a dream, that you are still somewhere out there, and I can’t find you no matter how much I try. You have no idea how terrible it feels. I will never ever let you leave me."
Li Chengxiu silently hugged Shao Qun's back. Only at that moment, did he finally understand that the feeling of wanting to freeze a certain moment in time that was often expressed in novels was a real thing. He was ashamed to put it in words, but in his heart Li Chengxiu knew that Shao Qun was the most expensive luxury item he had ever owned in his life. He wanted to hold him close and cherish him.
After all this trouble, the two of them returned to their peaceful life. In fact, both of them knew very well that their story had just begun, and most likely there will be many cases of suspicions and conflicts of similar nature in their future. After all, Shao Qun did face many temptations on the daily, and who could guarantee that after a certain time his feelings will not disappear? The two of them could only take it one step at a time, trying their best to make it through another day.
A few days later, Shao Qun called Ji Yuanqi.
Xiao Ji was frustrated because Li Chengxiu hadn’t responded to his message. When he received a call from Shao Qun, he was just about to mock him, but what Shao Qun said made Ji Yuanqi swallow his words in shock.
Shao Qun calmly noted: "Ji, I will say this once and for all, so remember my words well. For you, Li Chengxiu is just a toy that you yearn for because you can't get him. But for me, Li Chengxiu is my life. If you try to ruin our relationship with these kinds of dirty tricks again, I swear by my own name that I will make you regret it."
After hanging up the phone, Shao Qun's cold expression contorted in anger.He stared at the innocent phone, while cursing Ji Yuanqi and his ancestors with all the swear words he had learned in his more than 20 years on Earth.
Li Chengxiu had finally gathered his will to call out to him, "Shao Qun."
"Yes."
"Come inside."
Shao Qun said "oh", turned around and entered the bedroom.
Li Chengxiu sat on the bed with a nervous and embarrassed expression, "Shao Qun, I want to tell you something."
"Oh? What?"
"About me and Li-Dage."
Shao Qun's face immediately turned ugly, and he pouted: "What?"
Li Chengxiu smiled reluctantly with some embarrassment, "Listen..at that time, in fact, Li-Dage and I…."
This is the last extra that came out in 2011. And then there was nothing for 4 years. Imagine finishing “Sissy” on this bitter note? If this was actually the last extra, I would have been 100% sure that “Sissy” is a BE. However, we are lucky to live in this day and age when many other extras are already available. All the ones that follow are actually so sweet and fluffy they might give you diabetes. To everyone who withstood the angst - here is your well-earned reward!
4. The happy married life of Shao Qun and Li Chengxiu (2015)
In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.
Shao Qun’s and Li Chengxiu's married daily life became even more loving and sweet. Together with Zhengzheng they really were a complete family.
The two-and-a-half-year-old Zhengzheng could already run around and make trouble, and that’s what he did for most of the day. In order to make Li Chengxiu’s life easier, Shao Qun hired three babysitters to watch him at the same time, but Li Chengxiu was still the one who stuck to the child the most.
When Li Chengxiu got home from work, Zhengzheng shouted "Papa!" at the top of his lungs and ran downstairs with loud footsteps.
Li Chengxiu scolded him: "Don't run in the house, Zhengzheng! I've told you many times already, that you can't run like this! What happens if you fall down?"
Zhengzheng turned a deaf ear to his complaints, smiled and rushed into Li Chengxiu's arms: "Papa hug!"
Li Chengxiu had already squatted down and stretched out his hand, when Shao Qun suddenly scooped Zhengzheng up from the floor with one hand: "Stop bothering him! He’s been so busy all day long. Chengxiu, go take a bath."
Dissatisfied, Zhengzheng pouted: "I want Papa hug, not Daddy hug."
Shao Qun lightly patted his butt: "What's the difference, Zhengzheng?"
"No, I want Papa hug." He was desperately twisting his little body in Shao Qun's arms.
Li Chengxiu put down his briefcase and took the child from Shao Qun's arms: "It's okay, I'll take him."
Shao Qun kissed him on the face: "Don't overwork yourself. I'll go make a call."
Li Chengxiu smiled at him and nodded. He then carried the child to the sofa and played with him for a while.
The babysitter had already prepared some food and invited everyone to eat. Zhengzheng was immediately distracted by the dining table, so Li Chengxiu was free to go back to the bedroom and finally change out of his suit.
After finishing his call, Shao Qun walked in from the balcony and happened to see Li Chengxiu changing his clothes with his back turned to him. Even after two years of eating and drinking to his heart’s content, Li Chengxiu still didn’t manage to gain any weight. The slightly convex spine, his slender and thin body, the sparse body hair, and a very fair skin made this man in his 30s look like a student.
Shao Qun’s heart moved, he walked over and hugged Li Chengxiu from behind.
Li Chengxiu was startled: "Shao Qun? Why are you walking around so quietly?"
"Obviously, it’s not me who’s walking around quietly, it’s you who didn’t hear me. What were you thinking about?” Shao Qun lowered his head and kissed Li Chengxiu's cheeks with his fiery hot lips.
Li Chengxiu relaxed into Shao Qun’s embrace and let out a long sight. He seemed really worried about something.
Shao Qun asked: "What's the matter with you? Is there something really on your mind?"
Li Chengxiu nodded and anxiously said: "When we visited your family last week, your dad and your eldest sister said that Zhengzheng doesn't look like you."
"Oh, don’t mind them. Just don’t listen to their talk."
Li Chengxiu grabbed at Shao Qun’s clothes and paused.
Shao Qun's kisses moved from his cheek to his neck. Finally, he said with a mischievous smile: "Would you like to exercise before dinner?"
Li Chengxiu solemnly said: "Shao Qun, I'm really worried that they will notice."
Shao Qun sighed in disappointment, took the clothes Li Chengxiu was holding and helped him put them on: "What are you afraid of? If the skies really fall, then I will take care of it. You just have to keep living happily and leave the rest to me."
Li Chengxiu turned around: "Shao Qun, it's not just about you. It's about our family. How can I not worry?"
Shao Qun grabbed Li Chengxiu by his chin and carefully studied his face which was not particularly handsome but which never made Shao Qun tired from looking at it. Softly, he said: "Chengxiu, I don't want you to be troubled by anything. I'll take care of all the issues, okay?"
Li Chengxiu nodded hesitantly, but then immediately shook his head: "Shao Qun, they will find out sooner or later that Zhengzheng is not of your bloodline..."
Shao Qun frowned. He really didn't want to talk about this.
Li Chengxiu looked into Shao Qun's eyes: "In the past two years, I have mentioned more than once that I want another child who is truly your flesh and blood. But you have been avoiding this topic. Shao Qun, why? Don't you feel... guilty in front of your father?
Shao Qun was silent for a while, and then said a little bluntly: "I'm more afraid of feeling guilty in front of you."
Li Chengxiu was stunned: "Are you afraid that I will get ideas, and that is why you don't want any more children?"
Irritated, Shao Qun ruffled his hair: "Let's stop talking about this, okay? Zhengzheng is my son. One is enough for me. Why do you want more children? They’re annoying."
Li Chengxiu grabbed Shao Qun's arm and looked at him without blinking: "Shao Qun, I'm living a good life now. It’s really good. But the better it is, the more I'm afraid that your family will find out... Shao Qun, I don't want anything to affect our current life. So before they have figured it out, I want you to have your own child."
Shao Qun put his back against the wardrobe, stroked Li Chengxiu's face with his big hands, and stared at him with his deep eyes: "Chengxiu, the reason why I don't want my own child anymore is that I want you to be completely sure that everything in my Shao family belongs to you. And I want you to never have to worry about this matter for the rest of your life. I also don't want you and Zhengzheng to have any qualms about the property division one day."
Li Chengxiu sighed "Shao Qun, do you really think I care about this?"
Shao Qun wrapped his arms around Li Chengxiu’s waist and said nervously, "I didn't mean to say it like that. Of course I know that you don't care. But I want to prove my sincerity to you, I ..."
"Shao Qun." Li Chengxiu softly interrupted him and showed a gentle smile, "I have lived happily these past few years, and you have proven your sincerity to me."
Shao Qun's eyes flashed, and his lips slightly trembled.
Li Chengxiu touched Shao Qun's face: "I know for a fact that you are more worried than me that your family will find out. Every time your father mentions that Zhengzheng doesn't look like you but rather looks like me, you start refuting it louder than anyone else in the room. How long do you think the excuse 'he takes after his primary caregiver' is going to work? I also know that you feel guilty in front of your family because your father’s greatest expectation was for you to have an heir. But you ended up lying to him. Your father and your sisters have finally accepted me, so I don't want them to start hating me and Zhengzheng. I also don't want you to feel uncomfortable, and I hope that you can be as happy with this family of ours as I am."
Shao Qun's eyes turned slightly red. He suddenly hugged Li Chengxiu and said in a trembling voice, "I…. Of course, I am happy. I have a good wifey like you, and I am jolly as a fool every day."
The growing doubts he faced at his parent’s home did put a lot of pressure on Shao Qun but all this time he had been holding on to the principle that "real men can't bring their troubles home and let their wives and children worry about them". Thus, he never said anything in front of Li Chengxiu. However, not saying anything didn’t mean that there was no issue. Li Chengxiu's careful consideration for him made Shao Qun feel so moved that his nose tingled. How did he manage to obtain a person like Li Chengxiu?
Li Chengxiu smiled and smoothed Shao Qun's thick black hair: "I'm ready for another child. I like children. And your child is going to be as precious to me as Zhengzheng."
Shao Qun sniffed: "Chengxiu, thank you. Meeting you was really the greatest blessing of my life."
Li Chengxiu put his chin on Shao Qun's shoulder and rubbed it lightly. With a satisfied smile he said: "Same."
"I'll take you to the surrogate agency in a couple of days, so you can be the one who chooses the mother." Shao Qun said with a smile, "My old man will be very happy to hear this news. I want to tell him that it was you who persuaded me."
Li Chengxiu nodded with a smile.
Shao Qun cupped his face, then forcefully kissed and hugged him.
Li Chengxiu was startled: "Let me go. It's time to eat."
Shao Qun licked his lips: "Are you really not in the mood for some exercise before the meal?"
Li Chengxiu flicked his forehead: “Let’s go eat."
Shao Qun was as always very efficient. Very soon he took Li Chengxiu to the top surrogate agency in Beijing, and they chose a surrogate mother with excellent education and appearance.
After finishing all the formalities, the two of them stayed in the reception room. Shao Qun called his father immediately and praised Li Chengxiu on the phone. Old Mr.Shao also seemed overjoyed.
Li Chengxiu listened to their conversation with a warm smile on his face.
After hanging up the phone, Shao Qun let out a long sigh, as if in an instant he had gotten rid of a very heavy burden. He looked very relieved.
Li Chengxiu looked at him, thinking about all the pressure Shao Qun had endured in the past two years and how heavy his heart must have felt. Li Chengxiu couldn’t help feeling a bit distressed for him. He rubbed Shao Qun's shoulders,and joked: "Zhengzheng’s father has worked hard.”
These words made Shao Qun’s heart soften to cotton. He tightly hugged Li Chengxiu's waist
and rubbed his head against his chest: "With you by my side, nothing is hard."
Li Chengxiu gently looked at Shao Qun’s hair in front of him.
"We will have a second child next year. And children are so much work. You already have your hands full with Zhengzheng, and you’re still working…"
"It's okay, I feel very fulfilled when I am busy. I also like children a lot,” Li Chengxiu sighed. "This surrogate woman is really outstanding. It’s a pity that she was born under unfortunate circumstances."
Shao Qun didn't like Li Chengxiu praising some woman, so he rubbed his belly with his big hands and said with a smile, "If you were a woman, you would have given birth to countless of my children."
Li Chengxiu pretended to be angry: "Talking nonsense again."
"What do you mean nonsense?" Shao Qun stretched the last syllable and raised the corners of his mouth. His fingers slipped between the opening of Li Chengxiu’s shirt buttons and slightly scratched his navel.
Li Chengxiu grabbed Shao Qun’s hand: "Don't make trouble. We are in a public place... ahh..." Before he could finish the sentence, Shao Qun had already harshly blocked his lips.
Shao Qun seemed very excited. While roughly and enthusiastically sucking on Li Chengxiu's lips, he unbuttoned his shirt and caressed the warm skin with his big hands[14].
Li Chengxiu had always been powerless to resist Shao Qun’s advances. Still, he remembered that they were in a public building. They were kissing so heavily that there was a real danger of suffocating. This was when Shao Qun shortly let go of him, and then Li Chengxiu anxiously panted: "Shao Qun, let’s leave. Let's do this at home."
Shao Qun smiled and kissed him again. He then got up and opened the door of the reception room. Leaning on the door frame, he called out to the lady at the front desk.
"Sir, do you need anything else?"
Shao Qun took out his wallet, threw it to her, and winked: "Take how much you want from here and don't disturb me and my wife having sex." After that, he slammed the door shut and locked it.
Li Chengxiu anxiously jolted up: "We’re in broad daylight."
Shao Qun crossed his arms on his chest and looked at Li Chengxiu’s disheveled appearance, lightly licking his lips: "What are you afraid of? We are legally wedded husband and wife, after all."
"The marriage certificate from the United States is not recognized by Chinese authorities... Shao Qun..."
Step by step, Shao Qun walked over towards him. His tall body towered over Li Chengxiu who was sitting on the sofa: "Who cares whether they recognize it or not." He slowly unbuttoned Li Chengxiu’s shirt, letting the white chest appear in front of his eyes. His kisses then went all the way down his neck.
......[15]
Satisfied, Shao Qun licked his lips and let out a comfortable sigh.
Looking at Li Chengxiu, who was lazily splayed on the sofa, Shao Qun’s heart felt unbearably soft. He hugged Li Chengxiu, gently kissed away his tears and joked, "Baby, you could really keep up this time. Your endurance has improved. Previously, you would always pass out long before I ejaculated."
Li Chengxiu touched his wet face, his expression tired and erotic at the same time: "You are always pulling stunts like this... What if anybody walked in?"
"So what if they did? We’re not breaking the law." Shao Qun kissed his face again, "We should try more new places in the future. This was very exciting."
Li Chengxiu gave him a dirty look: "You’re father now, yet you’re still messing around like that."
Shao Qun pinched his buttocks: "You are also a father, yet your ass is quite naughty.”
Li Chengxiu couldn't stand this shamelessness and pushed Shao Qun away: "Let's quickly go home." He didn't even know if he really had the courage to walk out of this room minutes after having sex with Shao Qun right there. How could he do such a bold thing?”
Shao Qun laughed and took out a piece of tissue to clean up the mess on Li Chengxiu’s body, taking advantage of this opportunity to make Li Chengxiu blush and finally letting him go with a smile.
After Li Chengxiu tidied up his clothes, he carefully cleaned the sofa and wiped the floor, making sure they didn’t leave any stains behind. Only then could he breathe a sigh of relief.
Shao Qun put his arms around his waist: "Wifey, let’s go home. I’ll make you bitter melon rib soup which I learned to cook recently. It helps one cool down in the summer."
Li Chengxiu looked at the door and shrank back.
Shao Qun asked: "What's the matter? Are your legs still weak? It's okay. I can help you walk."
Li Chengxiu nervously said, "I don't dare to come out yet. The people outside must have heard everything." At this point, he just wanted to find a hole to burrow himself in.
Shao Qun laughed, "What are you afraid of?" He pulled Li Chengxiu up, opened the door and forcibly dragged him out.
There were not many people in the office, but the ones that were there definitely heard everything that went on between them. When they came out, they noticed people suddenly running to their offices and pretending to be busy.
Li Chengxiu blushed to the point of almost bleeding. He didn't dare to look up at all - he only looked at the carpet under his feet.
When Shao Qun was leading him through the front desk area, the receptionist handed the wallet back to Shao Qun with a blushing face: "Sir, please don’t forget your belongings."
In a good mood, Shao Qun took his wallet and said "thank you". While whistling, he then took Li Chengxiu downstairs with him.
Li Chengxiu finally could relax only when they entered the elevator. Angrily he stomped on Shao Qun’s foot as hard as he could. But then he immediately felt bad about the custom-made leather shoes and wanted to squat down and wipe them for him.
Shao Qun pulled him up and kissed him fiercely: "Let's go home."
When passing by the cake shop, Li Chengxiu got out of the car and bought an ice cream cake that looked like a bear. He carefully held it and said with a smile: "I always wanted a younger brother for Zhengzheng. I don't know, of course, if you will have a boy… But actually, I hope it will be a girl. A very well-behaved girl."
“Well, I hope it’s a girl, too. It’s easier with girls. Much less fuss.”
"However, I think your father would prefer a boy."
"Yeah, my dad prefers boys to girls. But this is not something that is up to us. So you don't need to think about it."
Li Chengxiu smiled and nodded, thinking about the upcoming events. He felt a little excited about this new little life that was Shao Qun’s flesh and blood. What kind of child would that be? Just imagining it filled Li Chengxiu with anticipation.”
When they returned home, Zhengzheng ran over to them as usual. Suddenly, his little nose smelled cake, and he started clamoring for it.
A family of three sat down at the table. Li Chengxiu divided the cake into four pieces - one for himself, one for Shao Qun, and two for Zhengzheng.
Shao Qun looked at the cake that Li Chengxiu handed over and pouted: "It's too sweet, I won't eat it."
"Eat, it’s just one piece. We are celebrating."
Shao Qun laughed: "What are we celebrating?"
"Isn’t this worth a celebration?" Li Chengxiu asked back, "You having your own child."
Shao Qun touched his ear: "Of course it's worth celebrating. Every day of my life is worth celebrating because you're right here in front of me."
Li Chengxiu grabbed Shao Qun’s wrist and lightly kissed his palm with a gentle smile in his eyes.
Zhengzheng pushed the spoon at Li Chengxiu's mouth: "Papa eat."
Li Chengxiu opened his mouth and took a mouthful of ice cream, which was sweet and delicious and cooled him from the tip of his tongue to the bottom of his heart.
Shao Qun rubbed Zhengzheng's head: "Bunny, what about some cake for me?"
Zhengzheng pouted: "Not for Daddy."
Shao Qun snorted.
Zhengzheng suddenly laughed, dug out a large piece of ice cream and brought it to Shao Qun's mouth: "I lied! Daddy eat too."
Shao Qun smiled and opened his mouth to take a big mouthful.
The family of three laughed. Then they excitedly ran around the house with cake in their hands, playing and eating at the same time.
Li Chengxiu looked at Zhengzheng jumping up and down and said softly: "Shao Qun, although a lot of things happened between us before… I still thank you for bringing Zhengzheng into my life. No matter... No matter what your motives were in the first place."
Shao Qun's expression became tense: "Wifey, I didn't make you angry today, right? So let's not talk about the past. Let's just pretend that that old bastard Shao Qun died."
Li Chengxiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Stop talking nonsense. What do you mean died? Also, what do you mean you didn’t make me angry today? At the agency you…"
Shao Qun said with a smile, "Didn’t you enjoy it?"
Li Chengxiu gave him a slap on the head and stood up: "I'm going to cook."
Shao Qun followed him into the kitchen, hugged him from behind, and sweetly said, "It’s my turn today. I was going to make you a bitter melon pork rib soup."
Li Chengxiu smiled, "Okay, then you cook."
Shao Qun kissed him, put on the apron and got busy. Li Chengxiu stayed on the sidelines to give him a hand if needed.
Watching Shao Qun, who from a spoiled and pampered young master had turned into a good family man with decent cooking skills who carefully hid his beast-like nature and sharp claws at home, Li Chengxiu still wasn’t sure if the old bastard Shao Qun was really “dead”.
However, he knew that a person could maybe pretend for a day or two without revealing his true nature, but certainly not for a year or two. Li Chengxiu had received plenty of Shao Qun’s love and respect by now, which made him confident and satisfied, and also gave him courage to face any possible future life changes.
Shao Qun smiled and stretched out his hand to him: "Wifey, peel the potatoes for me."
Li Chengxiu took over the potatoes, moved himself closer to Shao Qun, got on his tiptoes and softly kissed him, "You’ve worked hard."
Shao Qun smiled and kissed him back: "My wifey has worked hard too.”
5. Shao Qun's Social Events (2016)
Shao Qun quietly pushed open the door, took off his shoes in the dark and tiptoed through the entrance. He gently put down his shoes and then reached out for the shoe cabinet, intending to put his keys on it.
With a bang, the bright lights in the living room suddenly came on, and Shao Qun was caught off guard. His keys fell to the ground with a loud sound. He tightly closed his eyes, unable to adapt to the light for a while.
"You’re back." A soft voice came from the living room.
Shao Qun sighed, half-squinted his eyes and said with some chagrin, "I woke you up."
"No, I was waiting for you."
Shao Qun felt even more guilty: "Why were you waiting for me? It's so late!" He looked at Li Chengxiu, whose thin body was leaning on the sofa. His slender neck and protruding collarbone were exposed by his pajama collar. Combined with his soft facial features, the man looked fragile and harmless.It was a bit worrisome that however well he ate, he never seemed to gain any weight.
Li Chengxiu looked up at Shao Qun's red face and noticed his shaky footsteps. He sighed in his heart and walked over to support the man: “You’ve been drinking again. I'll make some sugar water for you to dilute the alcohol."
"It's not that I don’t want you to wait but you have to get up early for work tomorrow.”
Li Chengxiu didn't say anything, took off Shao Qun’s coat and hung it up for him. He then pushed Shao Qun onto the sofa and went to the kitchen to bring him a bowl of sugar water.
Shao Qun's heart felt warm. Was there anyone in this world who was more gentle and virtuous than his wifey?
Li Chengxiu silently watched him finish drinking the water, and then got up to wash the bowl.
Shao Qun grabbed his hand and said, "Don't worry about it! Let the house staff clean it up tomorrow. You just quickly go to bed."
"Go to sleep. I'll clean up." Li Chengxiu lowered his head, picked up the tableware and went to the kitchen.
Shao Qun sat on the sofa for a while. He didn't actually drink that much today, so his mind was still clear. After a little pondering, he realized that Li Chengxiu's mood didn't seem quite right.
He scratched his head, got up and went to the kitchen: "Baby, are you angry with me? I know I've been coming home a little late recently. But it’s the end of the year, so there are a lot of entertainment events I have to attend."
"Yes, I know." Li Chengxiu was in the middle of washing the bowl.
"There's just no way around drinking. I don't want to drink so much either."
"Yes, I know."
Shao Qun frowned, hugged Li Chengxiu’s waist from behind and said coquettishly, "If you're not happy, then just say so. Don't bottle it up, okay?"
Li Chengxiu looked back at him with a shallow smile: "I'm not unhappy."
Shao Qun kissed him on the cheek: "I really can't do anything about work. I'll hang around with you more after the New Year’s."
"..." Li Chengxiu nodded and continued to wash the dishes.
Seeing that Li Chengxiu was still gloomy, Shao Qun felt that something was really bothering him.
He turned Li Chengxiu around and seriously looked into his clean and docile eyes: "Chengxiu, is there anything else? I won’t be able to sleep well if I don’t know."
Li Chengxiu blinked, pursed her lips slightly, and whispered, "Do you think...it's a little boring at home?"
"Why would you say that?" Shao Qun was a little nervous, "Am I doing something wrong? You just tell me, and I’ll fix it immediately."
"You are obviously hanging out with friends. Why do you always say that you’re out for work events?"
Shao Qun was a little dumbfounded: "How do you know... Who…who told you?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head: "I can always tell whether you’re going out to play or going out for a work event. The liquor you drink is different, the smell on your body is different, the car you drive is different, the clothes you wear are different, and the time you come home is also different."
He gave Shao Qun a calm look, "Today you went out to meet your friends, right?"
"I..." Shao Qun really didn't expect Li Chengxiu to be so observant, "I didn’t say anything because I was afraid that you might think too much into it. Going out with friends is just another form of forced socializing. The Beijing community has many underwater currents, so one has to honor acquaintances and connections. I really don’t want to waste my time with them. I would much rather stay at home with you and the kids, but sometimes there's no way around it."
Li Chengxiu whispered, "Whatever you say you need to do, I believe you. But don’t lie to me… or if you’re going to lie, make sure that I don’t find out."
"What are you talking about!" Shao Qun became anxious, "In all these years we’ve been together, have I been untruthful with you even once? We’re not just randomly living together, we’re a couple. So I don’t want your so-called “understanding” but rather, if you’re unsatisfied with me in any way, you should just come to me and scold me and let me fix things. Don’t just bear it quietly until you can’t bear it anymore and shoot me dead without giving me a chance to make amends!"
Li Chengxiu twisted his fingers: "Then the reason...why you never take me with you… is because you’re ashamed?"
"Of course not!" Shao Qun couldn’t control the volume of his voice anymore. "Whenever I took you out before, you would get sleepy around 11 pm. And you also don’t drink or smoke. I know that crowded places are not really your scene, so I didn’t want to make you suffer through it."
Li Chengxiu looked up at Shao Qun and finally showed a relieved expression.
Shao Qun also breathed a sigh of relief and pinched Li Chengxiu's face: "Besides, my wifey is so good that I don't want to show you to anybody."
Li Chengxiu felt a lot better and couldn't help but smile: "You’re saying nonsense again. If we go on like this, we’ll scare off the normal folks."
"What do you mean by normal folks? Was it not normal for me to marry you?"
Li Chengxiu nodded with a smile.
Shao Qun held his face and said softly, "Chengxiu, we have been together for so many years. Zhengzheng is even already running around. You should have enough confidence in yourself and me. In between the two of us if someone is not worthy, that’s me. I’m the one who is not good enough for you. You are the best person in the whole world. My Shao family has accumulated a lot of virtues[16], so that I can be with you. Believe me, I am afraid of losing you much more than you are afraid of losing me. Because I’ve already tasted what it feels like. I didn’t purposefully try to hide going out with friends from you. I just didn’t want you to worry. From now on, when I go out, I’ll give you a detailed report about whom I’ve met and what I did."
Li Chengxiu burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that even the rims of his eyes got red: "No need, I'm not that small-minded."
"No, you better keep tabs on me." Shao Qun smiled and bit his neck, "Do you know how popular your husband is? You should be a bit stricter."
"What if I don’t monitor you closely?"
"Well, then I just have to be stricter with myself."
There was a smile in Li Chengxiu's eyes.
Shao Qun took him in his arms, lightly kissed his cheek and his neck, and finally landed a kiss on his soft lips: "I know you don't like the smell of alcohol. I'll go wash up."
Blushing, Li Chengxiu suddenly wrapped his arms around Shao Qun’s neck and whispered, "I like...your smell."
A wolfish glow appeared in Shao Qun’s eyes.
6. On the Eve of the First Day in Kindergarten (2016)
The night before the kindergarten officially began, Zhengzheng was so excited that he couldn't sleep and jumped around in his bed. But as soon as he heard that Li Chengxiu was not going to go with him tomorrow, he cried a lot.
Shao Qun was annoyed by his crying, so he carried him out to the balcony penalty station and then gently pounded his small chest with his big fist, asking, "We have already discussed it. Tell me again, why are you going to kindergarten?"
Zhengzheng said, "To meet new friends."
"Very well, so you're going to make new friends, and stop pestering Papa all day long. Papa belongs to Daddy..."
Li Chengxiu smacked Shao Qun from behind and laughed, "What nonsense are you saying!"
Shao Qun pinched Zhengzheng's shoulder, "In short, we have already agreed that when you grow up, you won’t be around Papa all the time, so you need to make new friends. So go to the kindergarten and if children are nice to you, treat them well. And if they bully you, you bully them back."
Li Chengxiu interjected in a loud voice, "The more you talk, the more I don't like it!" ”
Shao Qun frowned at him, "I'm educating Zhengzheng."
Li Chengxiu pushed Shao Qun away, squatted down and wiped Zhengzheng's small face from tears, “Only big kids go to the kindergarten, and big kids are too ashamed to cry for their Papa. Zhengzheng, tomorrow you have to make friends and listen to the teacher, do you understand?”
Zhengzheng nodded, thought about it for a while and said, "Isn't Daddy a big kid? Why does he always want Papa?" ”
Embarrassed, Li Chengxiu blinked at him.
Shao Qun picked Zhengzheng up with one hand and walked with him to the children's room, "Daddy is not a big kid. Daddy is an adult. When you become an adult, you will understand. Now go to sleep."
"Then I want to become an adult, I want Papa..." Shao Qun covered his mouth, threw him on the bed and wrapped him up in a quilt. Zhengzheng rolled around on the bed laughing, having completely forgotten why he was crying just now.
Li Chengxiu leaned against the door and looked at them with a smile.
After putting Zhengzheng to sleep, Shao Qun closed the door and hugged Li Chengxiu, "I want my wifey, my wifey should accompany me to work tomorrow, and accompany me to dinner, and accompany me to all the meetings."
"You still dare to call yourself an adult." Li Chengxiu said with a smile.
"Huh? Am I not?”
“...”
7. Li Chengxiu’s and Shao Qun's story before the Qixi[17] Festival Cosplay show (2017)
"Xiaohui asked us to come to the Qixi Festival to hang out, but he also wrote something about..." Li Chengxiu frowned at the WeChat sent by Wen Xiaohui, "Putting on a costume?"
"Costume? What kind of costume?" Shao Qun yawned, still wrapped in the quilt, as he put his arms around Li Chengxiu's waist and coquettishly rubbed his head on him, "Who wants to spend the Qixi Festival with those two? How about we do something together? Just the two of us? We can even send the little brat off to my sister."
"Recently I've been too busy to meet Xiaohui, so I haven’t seen him in a long time." Li Chengxiu said with embarrassment, "It's not good to always postpone meeting friends, don't you think?
"Whatever…" Shao Qun pouted, “Since he wrote to you, he must have also written to that Li guy. I really regret knowing him."
"You could also meet your cousin..." Li Chengxiu whispered.
Dissatisfied, Shao Qun said, "You just want to see them that much?"
"I..." Li Chengxiu hesitated, "I don't have that many friends, so..."
When Shao Qun went out to socialize, Li Chengxiu went home from work and then to the supermarket. When Shao Qun went to a party, Li Chengxiu went to the supermarket from work and then home. It wasn't because Shao Qun didn't want to bring him along, rather Li Chengxiu couldn't quite adapt to those kinds of occasions. He could only feel relaxed when he was around his couple of friends.
Shao Qun immediately saw through his thoughts: "Okay, then let's go."
"How are we going to dress up?"
“We’ll just buy a few sets of clothes. Something that the boy can play with later." Shao Qun opened the shopping tab on his mobile phone. Suddenly he had a perverted thought and typed in certain keywords. He then showed what he found to Li Chengxiu,"Baby, what do you think of these?" His expression was teasing, as he was smiling like a gangster. In his lazy sleepy eyes one could see unadorned sexy charm.
Curious, Li Chengxiu leaned over and saw that all the clothes on the screen were “indecent” and strange. He pushed Shao Qun’s hand away and said, "I'm going to cook."
Shao Qun laughed and said: "You don't like these? There are others that you can take a look at."
Li Chengxiu angrily exclaimed: "I won't wear something like that outside!"
"Who told you to wear it outside? You can just wear it here. Not for the others." Shao Qun gave him a kiss, "Just for me to see."
"I won't wear it!" Li Chengxiu blushed.
Shao Qun laughed and said, "Just kidding! I'm just playing a joke on my wifey. Well, you can put on any costume you want. Should we match?"
Li Chengxiu pursed his lips, feeling like he was always being teased by Shao Qun. Suddenly he decided to get him back for all those times and after a little thought offered, "How about you wear my clothes and I wear yours?"
Shao Qun was stunned for a while, but then smiled: "Okay, this could be fun."
"You wear a chef's outfit, and I will wear a suit. And we pretend…to be each other." Once Li Chengxiu said that, an inexplicable sweetness rose in his heart.
Shao Qun's eyes were full of warmth. He smiled and said, "Okay, I like it. We were originally born as a couple - there is no distinction between us anyway."
The two of them looked at each other and smiled, gentle affection palpable between them.
8. Feeding the chickens (2017)
On Friday, all the workers had to leave the office building early because of a fire drill.
Li Chengxiu was very happy. Although the financial decisions of the entire company were in his hands, he still didn’t see himself as the boss, so like all the other employees, he felt happy to get half a day off.
He went to the supermarket to buy some fresh vegetables, planning to cook a good meal at home. For a while now, he had been working overtime every day, so he hadn’t cooked by himself in a long time.
When he arrived home, it was only two o'clock. As soon as he approached the yard, he saw the nanny carrying two large black plastic bags. When she saw Li Chengxiu, she was stunned.
Li Chengxiu smiled: "Sister Gao, I left work early today. I will cook dinner, so you can head back to rest. ”
Sister Gao looked overwhelmed, and her hands carrying the two garbage bags seemed very stiff.
"What's wrong?" Li Chengxiu asked, "Have you cleaned out so much garbage?"
The two nannies in their family were cleaning every day, and Li Chengxiu himself also paid attention to the cleanliness of their living environment, so it was generally impossible to find so much garbage in the house at once.
Sister Gao smiled awkwardly and kept quiet.
Li Chengxiu became suspicious, took the garbage bag out of her hand, opened it and saw that it was full of clothes that looked almost brand new, including suits, casual clothes, accessories, and some children's things.
Li Chengxiu suddenly became so angry that his brain hurt. He looked upstairs, and, sure enough, he saw that the curtain that had originally been opened was suddenly closed in a bout of bad conscience.
Li Chengxiu took both bags in his hands and walked into the house, "Shao Qun! ”
After a long time, a pair of long legs finally appeared on the stairs, and then Shao Qun slowly came down. He was wearing a navy blue velvet housecoat, his hair was lying softly on his forehead, and his whole demeanor was lazy and casual. He let out a laugh: "Why did my baby leave work so early?"
"If I hadn’t come back early, you would have left this house completely empty." Li Chengxiu took out the clothes from the garbage bag, "Didn't you just buy this last year?" What's so wrong with it that you're throwing it away now?”
"It's from the last season." Shao Qun muttered quietly.
"Has it been worn out during the last season? Can’t you wear it this season again?" Li Chengxiu continued to take out the stuff, getting angrier and angrier, "This, this, and this one haven’t even been washed yet. They’re just like new! Also these are my clothes. Why are you throwing my clothes away? And this piece is actually very good, I bought it last year, and I can wear it this year! ”
Shao Qun smiled, "The way you talk is so much smoother now."
Li Chengxiu pursed his lips and glared angrily at Shao Qun.
Shao Qun walked over and hugged Li Chengxiu, shaking him: "Why are you angry? You came back from work early, and I canceled my afternoon trip. No, I actually canceled all the plans for the weekend. So let’s hand Zhengzheng over to my sister and go on a date!"
Li Chengxiu pushed him away and gloomily said, "Shao Qun, you can't be so wasteful… many people... There are many people who haven’t worn new clothes in their entire life. And I don’t want Zhengzheng to grow up internalizing this kind of attitude.”
"Okay, I know it's wrong. I won't throw anything away in the future." Shao Qun didn’t really care about this. For nearly 30 years, he had been accustomed to this kind of lifestyle. But he also didn’t want to argue with Li Chengxiu over such a small matter.
Li Chengxiu didn’t respond. In fact, both of them had a lot of differences when it came to their living habits. And every time Shao Qun would just wave off Li Chengxiu’s concerns and then continued doing things his way. Li Chengxiu had a gentle personality and was obedient in many things, but when it came to certain principled issues, he was extremely stubborn. He really couldn’t accept Shao Qun being so wasteful, moreover he didn’t want Zhengzheng growing up in this kind of environment.
Shao Qun pinched Li Chengxiu's face and coaxed him, "Oh, how did I find such a good wifey who is so diligent and frugal with our family budget?” He then leaned down and kissed Li Chengxiu's white delicate cheek, "You’re really awesome."
Li Chengxiu suddenly had an idea. He looked up at Shao Qun: "So you want to go out and do something together over the weekend?"
"Yes, but without the little one. Just the two of us."
"Adi told me about an interesting place. A farm. I’d like to go there."
"Why the hell would you want to go to a farm..." Shao Qun noticed Li Chengxiu's expression and immediately corrected his course, "Very well, then farm it is. We’ll do as you say." To himself he thought that that Adrian guy should have told Li Chengxiu about a decent place, not something lame like this.
Li Chengxiu said, "Then I'll go pack up my things. We'll leave immediately." ”
"Baby isn't angry with me, is he?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head: "If I hypothetically did something that made you angry, you still wouldn't be angry with me, right?"
"Of course not, I love you too much."
Li Chengxiu smiled and said, "That's good then."
When Li Chengxiu returned to his room, he called Wen Xiaohui: "Adi, remember last time you told me that your friend was doing that show. I’d like to..."
When they finally arrived at the so-called farm, Shao Qun's eyes widened.
It was located in a small rural area, and the residents here still lived in old-fashioned brick bungalows. Each household seemed to have chicken, ducks, geese and other poultry in the yard. One could smell the excrement “aroma” from afar.
Although Shao Qun wasn’t a big fan of farms, his general impression of them was very different from what he saw. He imagined there would be small clean buildings and manors around, some restaurants, a fish pond and an orchard - all to let the guests from the city experience the leisure of the countryside.
What the hell was wrong with this place?
Shao Qun’s face darkened: "This is the place Wen Xiaohui told you about?"
If Wen Xiaohui had been present and heard that Shao Qun called him by his full name, he would have run for the hills.
Li Chengxiu nodded: "Yes. This village offers an experience activity tour, so let’s go."
"Go where exactly?" Shao Qun called out to the driver, "Old Wu, take us out of here. We’re not gonna waste a good weekend in this shithole."
Li Chengxiu stubbornly said: "We drove for three hours. Let’s stay here. I want to try out the activity."
"As if they can have decent activities in a place like this," Shao Qun frowned and looked around, "Fortunately, we didn't bring Zhengzheng along."
"I've never tried something like this, so I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun." Li Chengxiu took Shao Qun by the hand, "Let’s go."
Shao Qun looked at Li Chengxiu’s excited expression and sighed, "Okay, but we’re not staying here overnight. We will go to a hotel."
"Let's go look around first."
Once they drove through the gates, a young man jumped up and ran towards them. Immediately he started talking at the speed of a firing machine gun: "Oh, it's Mr.Shao and Mr. Li! Wow, Mr. Shao is even more handsome than Adi described him! And I thought he was exaggerating. You’re exactly what we need. Our guide told me to pick the two of you up. You can just call me Xiao Ben. The road to the village is pretty bad, so this good car of yours won’t do. We’ll take my car.”
"A guide? Why do we need a guide? ”
Li Chengxiu got out of the car, took his luggage and urged: "Shao Qun, get out!"
Shao Qun looked puzzled: "What the hell is this all about?"
Xiao Ben smiled and said, "So you don't know yet?”
"What don’t I know?" Li Chengxiu was pulling Shao Qun out of the car, and Shao Qun was pulling Li Chengxiu back inside, "What the fuck is going on here?"
Li Chengxiu soothingly patted his arm: "Let's go first. I'll explain later, okay?"
Shao Qun saw that Li Chengxiu’s expression was quite serious. So although he was full of doubts, he sucked it up and followed him to the car.
Xiao Ben took them into the village and told them a bit about the place on the way. Basically, the villagers here lived off planting fruits and vegetables. This year they had an excessive grape harvest, thus not all grapes could be sold. The local TV station hosted a variety show with very high ratings, and they were all hoping that they could remedy the situation through this program.
Shao Qun thought he understood what the guy meant: "So you need me to donate?" Why not just get straight to the point? Why did he even have to come over? He couldn’t help them eat all those fucking grapes, after all!
Xiao Ben smiled: "No, no, we don't need your donation. We just need you to help us with the show by reflecting the difficulties that the villagers have to face in their daily lives, and also show off the virtues of hard work. Thus it would be a sort of message to the society to help the villagers solve their difficulties."
"What kind of show is this exactly?"
While they were still talking, they had already arrived at their destination. They parked outside the row of interconnected village houses. At a glance, one could notice a production and filming team all around.
Xiao Ben said: "Mr.Shao, do you see the man in the car over there? It’s an Olympic shooting champion. A famous supermodel is parked right next to him. Next to her you can see the car of a well-known actor. And the car that’s farthest away from here belongs to a writer. So with you, an entrepreneur, we have a full set of all kinds of celebrities."
When the two of them got out of the car, Shao Qun said unhappily: "Chengxiu, can you tell me now what exactly is going on?"
Li Chengxiu pulled him aside and did not beat around the bush anymore:"In this show you will work together with the villagers and experience their daily lives."
Shao Qun was pissed to no end: "These kinds of shows are made for a bunch of idle people who have nothing better to do with their lives. What's the point of making me participate in this kind of show? So I can jump around like a monkey on reality TV?"
"I think there is a point for you to take part." Li Chengxiu looked at Shao Qun seriously, "Since childhood, you have never known what hardship is. Do you even understand what kind of life low-income people are living? One piece of clothing that you threw away today may be their family's income for an entire year. So I hope that you will be able to experience the difficulty of struggling with money on your own skin. ”
"Of course I know that it is not easy to make money! Is the money I earn blown to me by the wind?" There was clear anger in Shao Qun's eyes.
"No, but it's a much more difficult process for them than for you." Li Chengxiu grabbed Shao Qun's arm and said softly, "We are always having arguments in this regard. And the main issue here stems from our different backgrounds. I am doing my best to adapt to your lifestyle. Could you try to experience a little bit of my perspective on life? This would also set an example for Zhengzheng.”
Shao Qun narrowed his eyes, his face tensed. When he wasn’t smiling or speaking, he couldn't hide his innate coldness and arrogance.
"And the show is for a good cause. The grape problem might be solved through this, which would be a great help for the villagers. Also, we have so many weekends when we can do something else. Why not do something different just this once?" The longer Li Chengxiu was talking, the quieter his voice became: "Are you angry with me?"
Shao Qun glanced at Li Chengxiu who looked like a deer in the headlights and smiled helplessly: "Only you dare to do something like this to me." He suddenly lifted the hem of his trench coat, draped it over Li Chengxiu's head and then leaned in for a quick kiss on the lips, whispering, "I’ll punish you when we come back."
Li Chengxiu's face instantly turned red, and he quickly pushed Shao Qun away, afraid to be seen like this in public.
Shao Qun took the luggage and said: "Let's go."
Xiao Ben then led them to the show director.
The man was very happy to see Shao Qun: "Adi’s recommendation is really top notch! Mr.Shao is more handsome than an idol, so our ratings are going to explode."
Shao Qun gave him a fake smile, took out his mobile phone and sent a WeChat message: “Wen Xiaohui, are you tired of living?”
The other side immediately responded with dozens of kneeling emojis that called out “daddy”.
The director gathered all the guests who were participating in the show for a meeting to explain the filming process. During the entire time, the supermodel intentionally or unintentionally was throwing glances at Shao Qun, giving him a very charming smile. Shao Qun was upset, so he couldn’t even be arsed to be polite. He just pretended he didn’t notice anything.
The show began with each of the participants getting an assigned home where they would live and work together with the host.They started rolling immediately, in order to show the guest’s raw unfaked reaction to their new accommodations.
Li Chengxiu didn’t trust Shao Qun to be diligent, so he naturally followed him around during the entire process, standing where the cameras couldn’t film him. He watched Shao Qun feed the chickens under the guidance of the hostess.
When Shao Qun walked out with a pot of feed, a group of roosters, hens, and chicks surrounded him in a hoop, and some even used their beaks to peck at Shao Qun's shoelaces.
"Holy fuck!" Shao Qun wanted to dodge the birds but he literally had nowhere to go. His feet and arm movements became chaotic.
Li Chengxiu burst out laughing.
"Just walk! They will make way - you won’t step on them!” The hostess shouted.
With an angry face, Shao Qun took a step forward, and the chickens really freed his path. He walked to the center of the yard and then looked at the pot full of various rice bran cereals and diced vegetables stirred into it. Shao Qun asked: "What about the spoon?"
"What do you need a spoon for?" The hostess laughed, "Just grab it with your hand and throw it on the ground.”
Shao Qun really didn’t want to touch the stuff with his hands, so he tried to sprinkle the food on the ground directly from the pot. As a result, he accidentally poured half of the stuff out and almost buried two small chicks under it.
A big group of chickens immediately spread their wings and used their claws to grab the food. Shao Qun’s pants ended up soiled with the grain, and the whole scene was quite comical.
Shao Qun furiously dropped the entire pot on the ground.
Li Chengxiu was enjoying himself to the maximum.
After feeding the chickens, the next task was cooking. The village had gas, yet the stove still was dinky and so low that one had to bend over to cook. Shao Qun had learned a trick or two about cooking from Li Chengxiu but in front of this large black pot that was so big one could fry a whole sheep on it he was completely helpless. He spilled some oil, then he spilled some vinegar - the whole meal was cooked in a wild frenzy. In the end, Shao Qun resolutely refused to eat what he had made, suspecting that the edges of the bowl he had cooked in were not very clean from the get go.
Shao Qun VS the stove
Nothing could be done about that, so once the cameras stopped rolling, Li Chengxiu called Shao Qun into the car and secretly gave him some bread and some mineral water.
Shao Qun’s face was dark, as he ate and complained: "When can I go home?"
Li Chengxiu reassured him: "Sunday afternoon. It’s the day after tomorrow, so very soon."
"Does it really make sense for me to do this?"
Li Chengxiu touched his face: "If you still feel that this is meaningless, then you haven’t understood what it’s all about."
Shao Qun pulled a face: "I won’t stay in that house at night. I’ll sleep in the car."
"No, the filming team won’t allow it. Also, you’re being very rude. You didn’t eat dinner with your hosts, and now you don’t want to stay in their house. What will they think?"
"I don't care what they think."
"The crew has prepared a completely new bedding for you. I'll help you with making the bed in a moment, so be nice, okay?"
Shao Qun was silent for a moment, then turned around and hugged Li Chengxiu, like a child who was abandoned by his parents.
Li Chengxiu stroked his back: "It's okay. I'll be next to you all the way."
Although Shao Qun was very particular about his living arrangements, he finally spent the night in the village house.
In the morning, even before dawn, Shao Qun was woken up, and had to feed the chickens, boil the water and cook. He wasn’t very happy about that, but he saw that the other show participants were not complaining. Also, Li Chengxiu was watching him from the sidelines, so Shao Qun felt embarrassed to say anything. When the host told him to do something, he patiently did what he was told. He even overcame his psychological barrier and ate breakfast, since he knew that he would have to work in the field for a while and wouldn’t be able to survive on an empty stomach.
As soon as the sun came up, all the participants were taken to the greenhouse to pick grapes. Looking at the endless large bunches of tightly clustered emerald green fruit on the grapevines, even Shao Qun who was pretty indifferent to such things before experienced a certain joy of harvest - the most primitive and instinctive joy human beings could feel for nature and vitality.
The filming crew announced that they were going to hold a competition between the host families to see who was going to pick the most grapes. The family who won would be able to eat a whole roasted lamb at noon.
The number of participants had to be the same for each family - the host couple themselves with their children and the show guests. It was also possible to ask someone from the side for help.
Since childhood Shao Qun had been very competitive. This personality trait of his was reflected in his business dealings, as well as in his love life. Even in such a small competition, Shao Qun didn’t want to lose. He pulled Li Chengxiu closer to himself and asked with an excited light in his eyes: "Do you like picking grapes?"
Li Chengxiu smiled and answered, "Yes, I do."
"This is more like a farmhouse activity." Shao Qun pressed his lips against Li Chengxiu's ear, "Your hubby must win."
Li Chengxiu said joyfully, "We will definitely be able to eat the roasted lamb today!"
Shao Qun immediately organized his team and set up the rules - everybody was supposed to only pick the grapes from the vines that matched their height. No reaching, no bending. Thus, each person in their team was responsible for exactly one row of grapes, and they couldn’t get into each other’s way.
The game began. Already wearing gloves, they rushed into the greenhouse with large baskets on their backs and started cutting down the grapes according to Shao Qun’s instructions. They only picked the easy ones, so the five of them were really quick.
Shao Qun and Li Chengxiu looked at each other across the grapevine and exchanged smiles. The sweetness between them was even sweeter than the smell of grapes that permeated the air around them.
Among the five guests, Shao Qun and the Olympic champion were in the best physical form. So the two teams were not going to give in to each other, and for a long while the whole greenhouse was filled with quick sounds of shears clicking.
Half an hour later, the competition was over. The crew weighed the harvest, and it turned out that Shao Qun’s team won with an 8 kg advantage over the Olympic champion.
Shao Qun was so happy that he put his arm around Li Chengxiu and kept winking at him, feeling very smug.
The people around them threw ambiguous looks at them. No one was blind, so everyone had noticed that there was something going on between Shao Qun and Li Chengxiu.
As if there was no one around them, Shao Qun smiled only at Li Chengxiu and asked: "Ain’t I strong?"
Li Chengxiu pushed him away and said with a soft laugh: "I’ll praise you later."
As spoils of victory their team received the roasted lamb. Shao Qun called over all the participants to share the meal together. He even cut the best piece of leg meat and gave it to his host family’s twelve-year-old daughter, who was very nimble when picking grapes and didn’t lose to the boys in any way.
The girl was originally a little afraid of Shao Qun, so she just shyly accepted the plate that Shao Qun personally brought over.
Xiao Ben looked at her and teased: "Wei Wei, isn’t Uncle Shao handsome?"
"He is." said Wei Wei blushing.
"When you grow up, you have to find a boyfriend as handsome as Uncle Shao, okay?"
The little girl was too embarrassed to answer, so she just ran away with her plate.
The crowd burst into laughter.
Shao Qun bumped Li Chengxiu with his elbow and raised his eyebrow at him, asking for the promised reward.
Li Chengxiu glanced at him with a smile. The man was so charming that it made Li Chengxiu’s heart beat harder.
By the time he had to cook the evening meal, Shao Qun had already managed to figure out the trick to operating the stove and controlling the heat. He took the lamb bones left over from their lunch and used them to stew a pot of soup for Li Chengxiu and himself to eat later.
Li Chengxiu and the host family's husband and wife were meanwhile casually chatting about the weather, the price of vegetables, the way to hatch eggs, the recipes to make delicious meat dishes… They also talked about how their Wei Wei had improved in math recently and how the wine they made here was really delicious. These topics were as simple and common as the meal in front of them but it was exactly these kinds of mundane, non-glamorous things that were the cornerstone of a real pure life.
For the first time in his life, Shao Qun was so close to this kind of completely raw and unpretentious atmosphere. This also allowed him to see a different side to Li Chengxiu - more real, more dynamic, more natural.
It’s not that Shao Qun hadn’t seen the real Li Chengxiu before, but rather that he had suddenly realized how many compromises Li Chengxiu had made in order to match his pace and adapt to his style of life and communication.
When he found out that the grapes they had worked so hard to pick today could only be sold for a dozen RMB, he suddenly understood the purpose of Li Chengxiu bringing him here. There were some principles that were deeply rooted in Li Chengxiu’s heart, and those could not be compromised or changed.
At night, the two of them slept together on the host’s kang bed[18]. In order to welcome the guests, the hostess especially bought incense wax from the supermarket. It smelled like a toilet air freshener, but Shao Qun didn’t complain. He just quietly hugged Li Chengxiu, who was giving him an enjoyably gentle scalp massage with his delicate fingers.
"Tomorrow we'll go home." Li Chengxiu said.
"Good, just now during the video call Zhengzheng was already visibly missing us."
Li Chengxiu smiled: "I should have brought him along with us but I was afraid that..."
"Afraid of what?"
"I was afraid that you, his father, won’t be able to deal with the challenges, and he would end up making fun of you."
"Hmph, you’ve underestimated me." Shao Qun pinched Li Chengxiu’s waist.
"Wasn’t it you yesterday who wanted to go back while pulling faces?"
"Didn't I adapt?" Shao Qun pressed his forehead to Li Chengxiu's shoulder, "You're right. There are many people for whom making money is much harder than for me. Rest assured, I won't be so wasteful in the future."
"Really?" Li Chengxiu said with a smile, "You’ve already promised me that before. Again and again."
"Not this time." Shao Qun forcefully took him into his arms, "I know now how uncomfortable it is for you to watch me be wasteful with money. I will not make you feel bad again."
Li Chengxiu hugged him back: "I’m used to hardship since childhood - I tasted it for the first time when I started working in the back of the restaurant kitchen. I washed the dishes in the winter until my hands cracked but I only earned like 10 RMB a day. I don’t want you or Zhengzheng to go through anything like that, but I also hope that you have the sense of appreciating what you have. As long as our family is living a nice peaceful life, the material things are not important.”
Shao Qun buried his face into Li Chengxiu’s chest. When he thought about how he had exacerbated Li Chengxiu’s suffering, he felt heartbroken and ashamed.
"I love you so much. What am I gonna do?" he muffled.
Li Chengxiu snickered, "Ah, me too..."
After the show finished filming, they returned home and picked up Zhengzheng. Li Chengxiu started cooking dinner.
Shao Qun was holding a huge glass jar filled with pickled grapes and was explaining to Zhengzheng the process of fermenting wine. Zhengzheng was listening with his face pressed to the glass, while snacking on the grapes.
Li Chengxiu brought the food out and scolded:”Zhengzheng, stop filling your stomach with grapes! You won’t be able to eat dinner."
Shao Qun snatched the grapes from Zhengzheng's hand, picked him up and put him into the kid’s chair.
When Li Chengxiu sat down, Shao Qun stuffed the grape he was holding into his mouth: "I picked these grapes myself. Are they sweet or what?"
Li Chengxiu smiled, "Very sweet."
"Papa, I want one too!"
"No, eat your dinner."
Shao Qun and Li Chengxiu looked at each other and smiled, as the silky sweetness enveloped their souls.
9. Bankruptcy (2018)
A project that Shao Qun had invested into the previous year had brought him a loss of over 100 million RMB[19] due to a sudden policy change. Since he got a whiff of the situation early enough, he managed to withdraw in a timely manner and stop any further damages. However, many companies in the industry lost a lot of blood.
Their company also experienced some pressure. Even Li Chengxiu was very anxious about the situation and had a couple of sleepless nights. Only Shao Qun himself seemed completely unbothered - he boosted the morale in the company, coaxed Li Chengxiu at home and played golf on the weekends as if nothing had happened.
Li Chengxiu was not only worried about the money issues, but also about the workload that fell on the shoulders of Shao Qun and other company employees. Still, Li Chengxiu acted carefree in front of Shao Qun and didn’t show his concerns in order not to affect Shao Qun’s mood.
One day after work, Shao Qun wanted to hold another meeting and so he asked the driver to send Li Chengxiu home by himself. Secretly, Li Chengxiu pulled Shao Qun aside and asked: "Are you coming back for dinner?"
"Yes, I'll come home right after the meeting."
"Then I'll wait for you here."
Shao Qun smiled, "No, just go home."
"Then..." Li Chengxiu hesitated, "what do you want to eat for dinner? I haven't cooked in a long time, so how about you choose something you like?”
"I don't have to ask you for anything specific - you already know what I like to eat." Shao Qun stroked his hair, "Be careful on the road."
On the way back, Li Chengxiu called the nanny and asked her to pick Zhengzheng up from kindergarten and prepare all the ingredients for dinner. The road conditions were pretty good that day and there were no traffic jams, so when Li Chengxiu arrived back home, the nanny was already playing with Zhengzheng.
"Papa." Zhengzheng ran over and hugged Li Chengxiu's leg. Then he looked behind him, "What about Daddy? ”
"He'll be back later." Li Chengxiu picked him up, "Did you have fun in the kindergarten today?"
"Yes! The teacher chose me to be a storyteller next week." Zhengzheng showed him three fingers and proudly said, "The teacher only chose three children."
"That’s really great. Papa will teach you some stories before bed." Li Chengxiu put Zhengzheng down and asked the nanny to stay with the kid for a while, so he was able to start cooking.
He had asked the nanny earlier to prepare Shao Qun’s favorite ingredients. For the longest time, while dealing with the failed investment fallout, they had been too busy to eat properly.
While Li Chengxiu was cooking, Zhengzheng came in from time to time to stick to him. Later, he played with Zhengzheng when they were setting the table.
At eight pm, when it was pitch dark outside, the nanny had already left. Only then did Shao Qun finally come back. As soon as he had his foot in the door, he shouted:”Wifey, did you cook the tofu crucian carp soup? It smells so great!”
Zhengzheng ran over to hug Shao Qun's leg.
Li Chengxiu smiled and said, "Didn't you say that any of your favorite dishes was fine?"
Shao Qun's face was tired, and his eyes were a little dim, but he still smiled back, put his arms around Li chengxiu and kissed him:”Thank you for your hard work!”
"It wasn’t that hard, I just cooked a few dishes." Li Chengxiu helped Shao Qun hang up his coat and put away his briefcase, "When I used to work at the hotel, I had to make hundreds of dishes in one day. ”
"You'll only cook for us in the future." Shao Qun took his hand and then picked up Zhengzheng with his other hand, "Let’s eat."
The family of three had a harmonious dinner, and both of them tacitly didn’t mention the company's affairs. They proceeded to seriously discuss with Zhengzheng which stories he could tell in the kindergarten.
It was already late when they were done with food. Li Chengxiu put Zhengzheng to sleep, then washed himself, and finally dragged his tired body to bed.
After a while, Shao Qun, emanating a light fragrance and still wet from the shower, slipped under the covers, affectionately hugged Li Chengxiu and softly asked: "Tired?”
"Not tired, just a little sleepy." Li Chengxiu's bright eyes looked particularly gentle in the dim light, "What about you? Tired after a whole day full of meetings?”
Shao Qun smiled, "Not really. I’m used to it."
Li Chengxiu gently stroked the hair on Shao Qun's forehead and studied his handsome face with a sharp jawline, "You didn’t blow dry your hair?"
"I did." Shao Qun grabbed Li Chengxiu’s hand, put it to his mouth and bit it, then said with a quiet laugh: "I’m warning you, don't look at me like this! Otherwise you won't be able to sleep tonight."
"You’re such a rascal." Li Chengxiu laughed and scolded him, "It's so late already, sleep. You have to go to work tomorrow."
Shao Qun leaned over and kissed Li Chengxiu: "Good night."
Li Chengxiu hesitantly looked at Shao Qun. Actually, he wanted to talk to Shao Qun about the project, wanted to comfort him somehow… But it seemed that Shao Qun didn’t care, so there was no opening for him to say anything and he decided to just let it go: "... Good night.”
In the middle of the night, Li Chengxiu woke up again. He wasn’t sleeping very well during this period of time and often woke up at night. But he didn’t want to bring that up to Shao Qun, so he just turned over, intending to go back to sleep, but then he realized that there was no one in the bed with him.
His heart thumped. Perhaps still not fully conscious, he was instantly overwhelmed by the fear that “Shao Qun was gone”. Even though the feeling passed quickly, it still made him break out in cold sweat.
He quietly laughed at himself. What was that about?
But after waiting for a few minutes, Shao Qun still didn’t come back. Li Chengxiu finally couldn't help but get out of bed. Seeing that Shao Qun was not in the bathroom, Li Chengxiu quietly left the bedroom and went to the living room.
In the otherwise dark living room, the bright moonlight made a silvery path, shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Shao Qun's tall body was sunk deeply into the sofa. Barefoot, looking almost too thin, he was flickering the lights off the cigarette butt between his fingers.
Li Chengxiu couldn't see Shao Qun's face clearly, but Shao Qun's loneliness and frustration were clearly visible. Li Chengxiu’s heart suddenly ached for him.
Shao Qun heard the movement behind him and turned around, looking a little uncomfortable for a moment: "Why are you up?"
"Aren't you also up?"
"I got up to go to the bathroom, and then I really wanted to smoke." Shao Qun threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray, "Go back to sleep..."
Li Chengxiu walked over, held Shao Qun's face in his hands and softly said, "If you are struggling with something, just tell me, okay?"
Shao Qun laughed, "What are you talking about?"
Li Chengxiu caressed his smooth skin and dark eyebrows with his fingers: "Do you not trust me, or do you think that I won’t be able to help you?"
"What nonsense!" Shao Qun put his arm around Li Chengxiu's waist, "Let's go back to sleep."
Li Chengxiu sighed: "I know that that project weighs on you. Why are you pretending not to care in front of me?"
Shao Qun was embarrassed and showed a helpless smile: “I just don’t want you to worry. One more person worrying about it won’t solve anything."
"But I don't want you to go through it alone." Li Chengxiu sat down and said softly, "After losing so much money, you didn’t lose your temper and stayed so calm… It made me really worry about you. Home is the place where you can relax and unload all your burdens, okay?"
Shao Qun gently rubbed Li Chengxiu's warm cheeks, and felt his heart warm up: "Why would I have lost my temper in front of you? The entire situation is not your fault. Only pathetic men would take out their frustrations on their wives and children. I don’t want to be like that. I just need some time to digest the situation."
Li Chengxiu tightly hugged Shao Qun's waist: "But I hope that you can at least share your worries with me. Even if the only thing I can do is listen to you. As long as it makes you feel better…"
Shao Qun snorted and laughed, "It's not so serious. After so many years of doing business, I've encountered many more fucked up things. It doesn’t matter how much money I lose, I can always double my earnings."
"It doesn't matter if you can get the money back or not." Li Chengxiu breathed in the familiar and warm fragrance of Shao Qun's body, and his mind was suddenly at peace, "The only thing that’s important is that our family of three stays safe and healthy."
"Then what if I go bankrupt and become poor?" Shao Qun quipped.
"I can support my family." Li Chengxiu raised his head and said seriously, "I can provide for us."
Shao Qun stared at this beautiful and gentle face in front of him, and his heart felt indescribably soft. Quietly he asked, "And what if I stay poor for the rest of my life?."
"Whatever happens to you, I will never leave you." Li Chengxiu looked very determined, "I swear.”
Shao Qun couldn't help but smile. He pinched Li Chengxiu’s chin, roughly kissed him and sighed: "How could you be so perfect? You are the best in the whole world."
Li Chengxiu cautiously asked: "Is the company really going bankrupt?"
Shao Qun laughed: "Please…what bankruptcy? You have no idea how much money the company really has. We’re on the way to becoming a public trading company."
Li Chengxiu showed a relieved smile: "I am afraid that you will still hide things from me in the future. If you ever have something weighing on your heart, you should tell me. Don’t hold it all in."
"Just listen to yourself!" Shao Qun brought his forehead towards Li Chengxiu's forehead, "There is always something big going on with business. But as long as I can come home to see you and Zhengzheng, I feel that nothing else matters. While you are next to me, I’m going to be fine."
Li Chengxiu was close to tears. He buried himself into Shao Qun's broad chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat. This person gave him an immense sense of security.
That night, they talked a lot. Shao Qun finally revealed all his pent-up frustration and anger. Li Chengxiu gently comforted him. Then they fell asleep in each other's arms. Li Chengxiu finally managed to have a sweet good-night’s sleep that he hadn’t had in ages. He felt that he could even be calm in the face of an apocalypse, as long as he stayed in this person's arms.
Like this, he could face every single day in the future.
10. Summer vacation (2020)
It was the first time in Osaka, Japan, that Li Chengxiu wore a yukata at the summer festival.
Li Chengxiu felt a little awkward. His waist seemed to be tied too tightly, and the clogs were hard to get used to. When he walked, he felt unsteady, and he lowered his head several times to adjust his obi-belt.
"What's wrong?" Shao Qun’s voice came from above. He was unhappy with Li Chengxiu letting go of his hand twice already.
"I feel that it’s a bit tight for my waist," Li Chengxiu said with some embarrassment. "Maybe I ate too much at night."
Shao Qun wrapped one of his arms around Li Chengxiu's waist, letting him lean into his embrace, and then lowered his head to help him loosen the belt. He used his hands to measure Li Chengxiu’s waist, and only one word came to his mind: temptation. Shao Qun’s head was suddenly filled with a lot of pictures, not suitable for children, that involved a slender waist, a round belly button on a pale, smooth concave stomach...
The erotic fantasy was interrupted by Li Chengxiu saying: "It’s fine now." Shao Qun raised his head, just in time to meet Li Chengxiu's face and smiled: "You’re eating more than usual, since I’m around."
Shao Qun had just finished a big project. After working like a dog for half a year, he just wanted some rest. So he dispatched Zhengzheng to his second sister, and headed to Japan for a vacation together with Li Chengxiu. Although he did miss the child, it was indeed easier to enjoy a proper vacation without him around.
Li Chengxiu whispered coquettishly: "I won't eat so much in the future."
"No, I want you to eat more at every meal. It took so much effort to grow even this tiny amount of extra meat!" Shao Qun's eyes caught Li Chengxiu's slightly raised ruddy lips and gave them a quick peck.
Li Chengxiu quickly pushed him away. During the summer festival party, the streets were full of people, and having Shao Qun’s arm around his waist was already embarrassing enough. He looked around, fearing that somebody had noticed the kiss.
He heard a low laughter next to the top of his head - the voice was pure and magnetic, a little ambiguous and a little playful. Li Chengxiu felt his scalp go numb just from hearing it. He raised his head and glanced at Shao Qun. However, the handsome and compelling face was hidden by lights and shadows. With a trembling heart, Li Chengxiu lowered his head again: "Let's go, the lady said that the best place to watch the fireworks is right there in the front."
Shao Qun took Li Chengxiu’s hand again and intertwined their fingers: "Why are you so bashful? Nobody knows us here."
"Ok." Li Chengxiu also secretly tightened his grip on Shao Qun's hand.
The two of them strolled around the garden party, looking at the weird gadgets, funny games, and exciting performances.
"This apple candy looks so beautiful." Li Chengxiu said with a smile, "It's actually very much like our tanghulu."
Tanghulu - candied fruit skewers Japanese candied apples
"Indeed," Shao Qun bought one immediately and brought it to Li Chengxiu's mouth, "Xiuxiu, try it!"
"I don't want to eat, I'm still full."
Shao Qun took a bite himself and almost vomited in disgust: "Bah, it's so sweet!"
He was about to throw it away when Li Chengxiu quickly grabbed it from him: "Hey! Don't waste food. I'll eat it."
"Don't force yourself! They are really not that good."
Li Chengxiu looked at the teeth marks left in the apple, thinking that Shao Qun’s bite was very cute: "I like sweets. I'll take it back to the hotel for a late-night snack."
“Want to try something else?”
“Forget it! You are such a picky eater. No need to be wasteful.”
The two of them chatted and laughed all the way, until they reached a small hillside where the crowd had gathered to watch the fireworks. They found a place that was less crowded and sat down on the lawn.
“Hey, the grass is wet here.” Shao Qun picked Li Chengxiu up and put him on his lap.
Li Chengxiu felt awkward but since he was held down by Shao Qun, he couldn’t move.
“Don’t move. Your robe is very thin, it’s uncomfortable to sit on the grass with it.”
“It’s okay, I don’t feel uncomfortable.” Li Chengxiu whispered. “It’s not so nice to be stared at by everyone around.”
“I think it’s good.” Shao Qun took Li Chengxiu’s hand and put it around his own neck, looking at him with a smile. “Don’t mind the others. Just look at me.”
Li Chengxiu lowered his head and did not dare to look at anybody else.
White and tender swan-like neck was brought to Shao Qun’s mouth, and he had always been somebody who followed his instincts. He lowered his head and took a bite, breathing in the fragrance of tea-flavored shower gel, which smelled tender and sweet.
Li Chengxiu shivered and softly rebuked him, “Don’t make trouble! If you’re going to be like this, we should just go back to the hotel.”
“Okay, let’s go back to the hotel,” There was no need to ask Shao Qun twice.
Li Chengxiu immediately realized what his words had implied and hurriedly grabbed Shao Qun by the leg: “I want to watch fireworks and make a video to send to Zhengzheng, so we can then rewatch it together.”
Shao Qun hugged and kissed him repeatedly: “Then let’s just stay here and not go to the hotel for now. We’ll watch the fireworks but you are not allowed to make a video.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to share this moment with anyone, not even with our son.”
Li Chengxiu laughed and scolded him: “So childish.”
“Children are childish.”
There was a sudden loud bang, and both of them looked up at the same time, only to see a cluster of fireworks rushing up into the sky, blooming up, as a beam of light turned into the stars and shone in the night sky, illuminating the happiness on both of their faces.
“So beautiful!” Li Chengxiu exclaimed with excitement.
Li Chengxiu looked at the fireworks, and Shao Qun looked at Li Chengxiu with a smile on his face and affection in his eyes.
“Would you like to make a wish?”
“Wishing on fireworks? Are you stupid?”
“Children are stupid,” Shao Qun let out a hearty laugh.
“Make a wish, say it out loud!”
“I wish for our family to be happy forever.” Li Chengxiu hugged Shao Qun’s neck and snuggled into his arms, looking at him with sparkling eyes, where one could see the reflection of the fireworks, the stars and the warmth of the midsummer season.
Shao Qun lightly pecked him on the lips, saying: ”And I wish for all your wishes to come true.”
From my private collection :)
There is still one extra left to be translated (Ten Year Anniversary Extra from 2020). It’s sweet and steamy and just a bit sad, and it gives the story a nice conclusion. Unfortunately, it’s also pretty long, a bit complicated in certain places, and I also keep mysteriously losing my Haitang password and have to re-register there every time I sit down to continue with the translation 🙁
I’m now around 15% done, and planning to work on it some more during the upcoming winter holidays.
[1] Literal translation would be “let himself be like a woman”. It does sound a bit sexist, to be honest, but I think this thought stems from Li Chengxiu’s issues with being perceived as “girly” and not so much from misogyny per se.
[2] I’m not sure if the scene is censored or if the author just didn’t write it. I found a lot of discussions online looking specifically for this scene but so far I couldn’t locate it anywhere. It’s not on Haitang (your usual go-to for the “meat”), and I also found nothing on the author’s Weibo. If someone happens to know something about this, please be a dear and share the joy :) Your contribution to questionable smut will be honored for generations.
[3] The author actually called this extra “The bitter extra about Scumbag Shao which I don’t know what to call” but later it was renamed to “Confession”.
[4] An island in China.
[5] A city on the southern end of Hainan island. It’s actually like a 1.5 hour flight between Sanya and Shenzhen.
[6] The saying in Chinese is 想一出是一出 (literal translation would be along the lines: “think it out, then it’s out”, meaning “acting on impulse, without thinking”)
[7] Taro Crisp is a Taiwanese shortbread dessert with a spherical shape and sweet filling with betel nut taro (veggie similar to yam). It first appeared in Taichung City around the late 1980s, when it was made with surplus taro, but it has since become a local dim sum.
[8] Perfume Bay is famous for its fine sandy beaches and stretches of coconut groves. It has been developed as a tourist attraction in Hainan. There are a lot of hotels and resorts there.
[9] As far as I understand, he means the time when he told Shao Qun that he had slept with Li Shuo.
[10] It’s a special cooking pot that is made of several chemical components that are considered good for your health. There are electric versions of it that can also warm up the food. The traditional pot just looks like your regular clay pot.
[11] So I guess, he’s actually more lean than muscular as some fanarts might suggest XD
[12] A type of SMS that supports picture and video formats. Keep in mind, this is a historical novel about olden times back in 2010 when cave people didn’t have Whatsapp :)
[13] This guy is just unbelievable…
[14] The “big hands” keep coming up in this extra, and all I can think of are the monstrous “yaoi hands” from 80’s manga.
[15] Same as in the office extra, it’s not quite clear if the scene is censored or skipped by the author.
[16] Or “good karma”
[17] Chinese Valentine’s Day. It's based on a romantic legend about a weaver girl and an ox herd. It falls on the 7th day of the 7th Chinese lunar month.
[18] A kang bed is a heated sleeping platform widely used in villages in northern China.