(Intro and Chapters 1 - 10 can be found here: Sissy (娘娘腔))
(Chapters 11 - 20 can be found here: Sissy (娘娘腔) c11 - c20)
Chapter 21
Content warning: dubcon
Li Chengxiu had a long dream.
In this dream he was kissing Shao Qun. At the same time, there was a white light shining at him from above, which was so piercing that he couldn't open his eyes.
His body felt very uncomfortable. For a while, he seemed to be burned by flames, and then he was suddenly thrown into an ice cellar. The whole world was spinning around him - it felt like all the gravity had disappeared at once. Li Chengxiu had a splitting headache, and his limbs were weak.
He reluctantly opened his sore eyelids and stared at the wooden ceiling, completely stunned. For a while, he didn't know where he was.
Something heavy was weighing him down, making it hard for him to breathe. He tried to move his arm, and his body was instantly awakened. The part below his waist felt like it was run over by a car - painful and numb. Especially his secret place underneath - it seemed like it was on fire.
He slowly turned his head. Shao Qun's sleeping face and bare arms were right in front of his eyes. He could even feel his breathing directly on his face. At the same time, he realized that he wasn’t wearing anything, and Shao Qun who was lying next to him was also naked.
Li Chengxiu's head buzzed. It was actually about to explode.
With a lot of effort, he pushed Shao Qun's arm away from his chest and moved to the edge of the bed.
Shao Qun slowly opened his eyes, stared at him for two seconds, quickly propped himself up, yawned and said while rubbing his eyes, "Darling, you’re up."
Li Chengxiu covered his chest with the quilt, his face bloodless, "You...I..."
With a wicked smile Shao Qun said, "Chengxiu, you were so enthusiastic last night. Really beyond my expectations."
Li Chengxiu was stunned: "I...?"
"Yeah, don't you remember?" Shao Qun leaned his upper body towards him with his arms propped up, as he smiled charmingly, "Last night was really remarkable."
Li Chengxiu only felt a sharp headache. He shook his head and pointed at him tremblingly: "No... Maybe, I…I was drunk… drunk."
"Well, if you weren't drunk, you wouldn't be so bold, but..." Shao Qun leaned over and kissed his cheek, "In that case I really hope you get drunk every day."
Li Chengxiu shuddered and forcefully pushed him away.
Shao Qun was unprepared, and his back hit the backboard of the bed. It wasn’t painful per se, just that the “bang” sound was really loud, so it made Shao Qun angry.
He frowned and asked, "What the hell are you doing?"
Li Chengxiu glared at him angrily: "You…you… I was drunk…and you…you did..." The more anxious he was, the less clearly he could speak. He just wanted to ask Shao Qun point blank what he did to him.
But Shao Qun looked completely unperturbed, "What's the matter? When two people are together, they would naturally do this."
"But… I was drunk. I… I didn’t... agree."
Shao Qun's face changed instantly: "Chengxiu, what do you mean? Are you saying I forced you?"
Since the time the two met, Shao Qun had never shown him this kind of face. Li Chengxiu subconsciously felt very nervous when he saw this expression. Moreover, Shao Qun's righteousness made him feel like he was in the wrong, and he did not dare to accuse him anymore.
Shao Qun said coldly with a sullen face: "Chengxiu, I thought we both liked each other. Could it be that I've acted selfishly? You don't even remember what happened yesterday, yet the first thing you do after you wake up is scold me?"
Li Chengxiu was left speechless by Shao Qun's indignant reaction. He stared at the white quilt with lost eyes, and his shoulders couldn’t stop shaking.
He was now confused. Shao Qun acted in such a righteous manner that Li Chengxiu started to doubt himself. Maybe he really lost his inhibitions while he was drunk yesterday? But, even so, didn’t he still kind of take advantage of his precarious situation?
He raised his head and trembled: "I… I don't remember, but…I was drunk. You..."
Shao Qun approached him, his shadow looming over Li Chengxiu, and said softly: "Chengxiu, you were not like this yesterday. You were much more honest and lovely than now. I am a normal man, after all, and I like you. How could I resist? Chengxiu, don't you like me?"
Li Chengxiu's mind became a mess, and he tightened his body, trying to avoid Shao Qun's oppressive presence.
Shao Qun touched his face and said softly, "Chengxiu, am I not affectionate to you? You obviously like me too, right? If so, what's wrong with doing this?"
Li Chengxiu looked at him with confusion in his eyes.
Shao Qun continued to persuade him: "I know, you are nervous. Don't be afraid, relax. To become mine, you just have to accept this pain. You will enjoy it much more in the future. Really."
Li Chengxiu was flustered and aggrieved, but he didn’t say anything, even though he was full of doubts. He wasn't even sure if he had acted weirdly last night. Shao Qun looked so faultless and calm that Li Chengxiu couldn't refute his words.
He pushed against Shao Qun’s naked chest, but as soon as he touched it, he felt so hot that he immediately retracted his hand as if he had just been scalded.
He stumbled out of bed still holding the quilt and said anxiously, "I want…to go home."
Shao Qun hugged his chest and looked at him with a smile.
Li Chengxiu got up and rushed to the door. But as soon as he opened it, a gust of sea breeze with a fishy smell blew right into his face. He looked at the endless sea outside the deck and was stunned on the spot as if struck by lightning.
Shao Qun also jumped out of bed, approached him from behind and whispered into his ear: "Darling, we're at sea. I'll take you home tomorrow. There are no outsiders on the boat right now, so we’re basically on a honeymoon. All right?"
Li Chengxiu felt cold all over his body. It seemed that a frosty chill was tightly binding him from inside out, encasing him and cutting off all the escape routes, leaving him nowhere to go.
Shao Qun laughed out loud and hugged him from the side: "Let’s take a shower."
Shao Qun then silently carried Li Chengxiu into the bathroom and placed him directly into the bathtub.
Just as Li Chengxiu was about to stand up, Shao Qun pressed him back by his shoulders and turned on the faucet behind him.
Li Chengxiu’s naked body was splayed in the huge bathtub. He raised his chin slightly and looked at Shao Qun with bright eyes which were full of surprise and grievance. He looked so pitiful that Shao Qun suddenly felt a little bad for him in his heart.
He also got into the bathtub, ignoring Li Chengxiu's frantic dodging. He then took him in his arms and poured warm water onto his body.
Li Chengxiu's thin back rested on Shao Qun's chest. Shao Qun put his chin on Li Chengxiu's shoulder and said softly, "Chengxiu, are you angry with me?"
Li Chengxiu buried his head in his knees and said nothing.
Shao Qun suddenly reached down to his crotch and grabbed the soft flesh.
Li Chengxiu stiffened and struggled, "What are you doing?"
Shao Qun held him tightly with his arms across his waist, preventing him from moving away.
"I'll let you taste the joys of this experience. Who told you to forget all about it so soon?"
Shao Qun's fingers were nimble and skillful, as he wantonly rubbed his member. Li Chengxiu's body softened only after a few movements, and his struggle became quite weak, as he moaned in Shao Qun's arms. .
It's not that he had never touched himself but compared to how Shao Qun did it, it was simply like heaven and earth. Since he got into puberty, he had never been so strongly stimulated before. His body trembled as if he had received an electric shock, his moans turned into cries, and the tears flowed uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes.
Shao Qun looked at Li Chengxiu’s fascinating expression, only to feel his throat become dry and hoarse. His body had also reacted.
The bathtub gradually filled up with water. Now, together with a hot and broad chest behind him, it had made Li Chengxiu feel warm. His lower body was stimulated more and more intensely, while the side of his face was covered with hot and humid kisses. At the same time ambiguous love words flew into his ears. Li Chengxiu felt as if he was in the middle of the ocean, drifting in the waves. For a while, a gentle and warm current was carrying him forward, then he encountered turbulent waves, until his body could no longer bear the overwhelming pleasure and vented it out in one fell swoop.
Li Chengxiu slumped in Shao Qun's arms, sweating profusely and staring ahead with his dazed eyes.
Shao Qun kissed his sweaty hairline and laughed in a low voice, "Darling, do you feel good?"
Li Chengxiu didn't dare to turn around. He was blushing like crazy. His body was placed tightly against Shao Qun at this moment, so naturally he could feel something hard and ready to attack pressing against his buttocks.
Shao Qun deliberately moved his waist, and Li Chengxiu's body trembled, "You feel good, but what should I do? Huh?"
Li Chengxiu suddenly grabbed the side of the bathtub, using his last strength to escape.
How could Shao Qun let him go? He hugged his waist tightly, put him back closer to his lower body and rubbed his genitals against Li Chengxiu's ass.
Li Chengxiu begged him with a crying voice, "Let me go." His backside was still hurting, and when he thought about what had already happened to that place, his scalp felt numb.
Shao Qun bit his shoulder lightly, "Chengxiu, you have no conscience. You want to run away right after you’re done."
"I… no..." He felt that Shao Qun's breathing was becoming heavier, as he was continuously rubbing against him. That thing down there was getting harder and hotter, and it made Li Chengxiu speechless in fear.
"All right. Don't be afraid. Be good and help me please."
Li Chengxiu looked at him tearfully.
Shao Qun rubbed his face and said coquettishly, "Help me, darling. It's so uncomfortable."
Li Chengxiu turned his head, at a complete loss.
Shao Qun picked him up, pressed his upper body against the edge of the bathtub and adjusted his arms and legs into a kneeling position, "Come on, darling, just lie down. Don't be scared, I won't go in."
Li Chengxiu was very afraid - he twitched and exclaimed weakly.
Still, Shao Qun fixed his waist in place with his arms, put his legs tightly together and inserted his genitals between Li Chengxiu’s legs.
Li Chengxiu screamed in fright, "Shao Qun! Shao Qun!"
Shao Qun kissed his back and reassured him, "Don't be afraid. No need to be afraid, it's alright. I said I won't put it in, so what are you afraid of? Your backside is swollen now - how can I be willing to hurt you? Don't be scared, be good." Shao Qun just moved between his legs, rubbing himself back and forth.
Li Chengxiu didn't know how he felt when they did it last night. After waking up all he had left was pain. But now, as Shao Qun was only moving between his legs, he already felt his body getting hot, and his mind buzzing.
The hot and hard penis was also periodically rubbing the tender flesh of his genitals at the base of his thighs. And Shao Qun seemed to be doing it on purpose. He pushed himself up a few times, just enough to hit his pouch and limply hanging dick. Li Chengxiu’s legs were so weak that he slipped into the water again and again, and Shao Qun had to stabilize him.
Shao Qun's lower body was moving faster and faster. While kissing and biting Li Chengxiu's back, he wrapped his hands around his chest, kneading and pulling at the two small beads on his chest.
Li Chengxiu felt that the place where he had just vented was raising its head up again. His body was hot, and the shattered moans escaped every time Shao Qun rubbed at him.
In the end, the intercrural act was not as enjoyable as actually putting it in, so Shao Qun slammed at him only a couple more times, before shooting his semen all over Li Chengxiu's ass and thighs.
Li Chengxiu slid into the water as soon as his body had no more support.
Shao Qun hurriedly hugged him and laughed into his ear, "Well, did I lie to you?"
Li Chengxiu panted hard with panic in his eyes.
Shao Qun gently stroked his body, "Come on, let’s wash up. Then afterwards we can have something to eat." He had enjoyed the process very much, and his movements were slow and unhurried.
Li Chengxiu's neck was red from embarrassment.
After washing himself, Shao Qun put his hands on Li Chengxiu’s back hole.
Li Chengxiu jumped up as if struck by lightning.
"Don't move, keep still. This place needs to be cleaned up too." Shao Qun bit his ear and whispered.
He disregarded Li Chengxiu’s embarrassment and struggling, as he stuck his fingers inside, lubricating and cleaning the place with water.
After the bath, Li Chengxiu's eyes were red from crying. But Shao Qun was extremely satisfied, as he happily wiped his body and his hair dry.
It was the first time that Young Master Shao had served someone like that. And he actually liked it a lot. Who would have known that this simple act could be so much fun?
After Li Chengxiu was neatly dressed, Shao Qun led him downstairs. There was already a parasol and a table placed on the deck. The table was covered with snow-white tablecloth and decorated with flowers, candlesticks, and delicate tableware.
Blue sea, blue skies, bright sunshine, snow-white umbrella, swaying tablecloth, bright yellow flowers - everything seemed very romantic.
Li Chengxiu shyly lowered his head when he received Shao Qun's fiery gaze.
Shao Qun led him to the table and winked at the waiter next to him.
Li Chengxiu was suddenly a participant of all the scenes he had previously only seen on TV.
Some people were pouring wine for them, some people were serving them dishes, and some people were playing the violin right next to them.
Li Chengxiu was stunned.
Shao Qun smiled: "Do you like it?"
Li Chengxiu secretly glanced at the waiter who looked completely undisturbed and felt very embarrassed.
If they were a pair of a handsome man and a beautiful woman, the scene would naturally be very pleasing to the eye. But two men...
Shao Qun smiled, looking at Li Chengxiu's shy expression, and felt quite proud of himself.
He knew that these kinds of gimmicks would be an absolute home run with Li Chengxiu. And to think that not even all women would like this useless stuff…
Li Chengxiu had finally managed to relax a little. Or maybe he was just hungry. In any case a lot of his tenseness had dispersed. He picked up a knife and a fork, and ate silently.
After the meal, Shao Qun happily dragged him to do some fishing and preparing for a barbecue. When they were tired of that, Shao Qun pulled Li Chengxiu into the cabin, put him on his lap and taught him how to play Black Jack.
Li Chengxiu was really flattered by this kind of treatment. Shao Qun was even more warm and attentive than usual, casually saying some words or acting a certain way that made him blush and feel overwhelmed.
Shao Qun was so magnanimous, that Li Chengxiu didn’t feel it was right to question him about what happened last night, for fear that he would wrong him or hurt his feelings. After thinking about it, Li Chengxiu didn’t dare to say anything.
As the day went on, the two of them became more and more sweet with each other. It was rare for Shao Qun to be so leisurely. But now that he took this little lover on vacation, he was suddenly in such a good mood.
Li Chengxiu had never imagined that someone would ever pamper him like that. He was trembling with fear, yet he followed Shao Qun around, cooperated with Shao Qun's expressions of intimacy and enjoyed the beautiful feeling of being cared for.
In the evening, the yacht returned to Shenzhen Port. When he drove Li Chengxiu to his house, Shao Qun pressed him onto the backrest and kissed him hard, before letting him go.
He then licked his lips: "I’d really like to stay with you tonight, but I have to accompany A-wen and the others. It's rare for the four of us to get together."
Li Chengxiu had a fascinating day and had long forgotten about those three people. Now, as soon as he was reminded of them, his face instantly changed.
Shao Qun pinched his chin: "What's wrong?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head.
"You’re still holding grudges from the past? Why are you so petty, eh?"
"That’s not……"
Shao Qun pinched his face, "They are my buddies. You know the saying, that if you love me, you have to love my dog[1]?"
Li Chengxiu thought for a while and nodded meekly.
"Come on, kiss me."
Li Chengxiu shyly moved back: "Just now… no..."
"I didn't kiss you enough just now." Shao Qun raised his chin, lowered his head and kissed him again. He made Li Chengxiu completely out of breath before reluctantly letting him go.
The newly acquired sugar baby is the hottest during the first three days. Shao Qun's fire was burning brighter and brighter, as he felt that he didn’t play enough in the last two days.
Shao Qun made a phone gesture to Li Chengxiu and then drove away.
He could have still taken another holiday, but after such a long rest, Li Chengxiu felt a bit uncomfortable. After all, not working and taking money for nothing, would make everyone uneasy[2]. So the next day, Li Chengxiu went to work as usual early in the morning.
When he came to the hotel, he saw that everyone was looking at him weirdly.
He was stunned by those looks that contained scrutiny, disdain, suspicion, and envy.
He hadn’t been here in two weeks. After changing his clothes, Li Chengxiu first reported to Manager Zhang.
Manager Zhang smiled meaningfully: "Yo, Chef Li, you’ve come back. Have you been doing well all this time?"
Even someone as slow as Li Chengxiu could hear the sarcasm in his words. He stiffened his neck and didn't know how to answer.
"Well, in any case, you’ve made a lot of money."
After this reminder, Li Chengxiu remembered that he had not received any payment at all. Given his current relationship with Shao Qun, it didn’t feel right to ask for money, so he naturally forgot.
"You’ve really earned your large new apartment. The private work was really worth it, huh.”
Li Chengxiu immediately looked up at him: "What... what do you mean?"
"Oh, you don’t need to pretend in front of me. I'm the one who took you to the house, after all. I don't care about your business, don’t worry. I was just asking casually. You can go back to work."
Li Chengxiu opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything and returned to his duties.
This working day was much harder than any other day in his career before.
Dozens of pairs of eyes would stare at him from time to time. Those eyes were so aggressive that they really made Li Chengxiu terrified.
He didn't know what those glances meant, or what rumors had been circulating about him during his two weeks of absence.
He was already very uneasy because of his shady relationship with Shao Qun, and now these silent suspicions and accusations made him even more flustered.
When he dragged his tired body home at night, he opened the door with the key, only to find that the lights in the living room were actually on.
Li Chengxiu had been a very careful person his entire life, and it was not like him to forget to turn off the lights.
Also... He left for work during the daytime, so why would he even have the lights on in the first place?
He was shocked, and just as he was about to rush out the door, a person walked in from the balcony.
It was Shao Qun. He was looking at him with a cigarette in his mouth.
Inexplicable anger rose up in Li Chengxiu’s heart: "You…Why do you…have the key?”
Shao Qun be like
Me when I realized in the middle of this translation that the version of “Sissy” I read before was actually censored, and now all this smut I didn’t know even existed is coming up. And it kinda makes this novel even sadder than I thought.
Chapter 22
Shao Qun squinted his eyes, took out the cigarette from his mouth, slowly spread his hands and said with a smile, "This is my house. Why would I not have a key?"
Li Chengxiu didn't know how to argue with that, but he felt really uncomfortable about this situation, especially when he thought about what Manager Zhang said today.
Shao Qun threw the cigarette into the ashtray, walked towards him, leaned down and kissed his face: "Why was your phone off the whole day?"
"I was at work. Had to switch it off."
"You get off work so late every day?" Shao Qun looked at his watch. It was almost eleven pm.
"No, there are morning shifts and evening shifts."
"I've been waiting for you all this time."
Li Chengxiu looked at him in surprise: "You… waited for me?"
"Of course, I wanted to have dinner with you. But you came back only now."
"Did you have a meal already?"
"What do you think?" Shao Qun pointed at the empty plates.
Li Chengxiu raised the plastic bag in his hand: "I have packed some… meals."
Shao Qun frowned: "Do you want me to eat other people's leftovers?"
Li Chengxiu said, "I'll cook for you."
"No need." Shao Qun went up and put his arms around his waist, "I've already eaten." He sniffed Li Chengxiu's neck and then frowned, "You smell of burnt oil again. Hurry up and take a shower."
Li Chengxiu pushed him away with slight embarrassment, turned around and rushed to the bathroom.
Shao Qun caught his arm: "Wait. I'll come with you."
Li Chengxiu's face immediately turned red: "Not… good...."
"It's not like I haven’t washed you before." Shao Qun dragged Li Chengxiu into the bathroom, squinted his eyes and threatened, "Stop running. Behave yourself. I’m not planning to do anything yet, but if you move around, I won’t be able to guarantee it."
Li Chengxiu couldn't fight him off, so in just two or three strokes he was completely stripped. Both of them got under the shower. Although Shao Qun touched everything that should have been touched and kissed around a lot, he didn’t go all the way. Li Chengxiu’s backside was still raw, so he cried out and docked Shao Qun’s advances, who was quite disappointed.
After the two of them were done with their bath, Shao Qun took out the pajamas from the closet in the bedroom and put them on. The bathroom was filled with bottles and jars that Li Chengxiu had never seen before. It seemed like this was the place where Shao Qun lived..
Stunned, Li Chengxiu stood at the edge of the bed looking at Shao Qun lying comfortably on the big bed.
Shao Qun stretched out his hand towards him: "It's past eleven. Are you not tired? Come to bed."
"You……"
"What's up?"
Li Chengxiu was silent.
Shao Qun took him for granted to such an extent that he didn't even need to ask his opinion when he decided to stay overnight.
Shao Qun acted like it was his house but didn't he say that he rented this place out to his boss, who gave it to Li Chengxiu as a staff dormitory? In that case, how could he just come in whenever he wanted and stay over whenever he wanted?
Li Chengxiu felt a little sad, that even after he grew up, he still was used to everybody disrespecting him. Having spent all this time with Shao Qun recently, Li Chengxiu really thought that this man was different. Unexpectedly, nothing had changed.
Shao Qun got up and pulled him onto the bed, looking at his sad expression: "What's wrong?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head, touched the pillow and lay down. He was used to being patient and didn't want to create any unpleasantness with Shao Qun because of this.
Shao Qun put the quilt over the two of them, pulled Li Chengxiu into his arms and rubbed his cheek against his neck.
This intimate gesture made Li Chengxiu feel comforted and more relaxed. He touched Shao Qun's hair and said softly, "It's still a little wet."
"It's okay, It’ll dry in a while."
"Blow dry again?"
"No." Shao Qun grabbed his hand and kissed him: "Chengxiu, let me talk to you about something."
"Um."
"Quit your job."
"What?"
"It’s just not a good job for you - it's dirty and tiring. You're with me now, so you don't need to work. Just quit."
Li Chengxiu broke away from his hug, propped himself up and stared at Shao Qun in disbelief with his bright eyes.
Shao Qun still continued talking: "Instead of working hard every day, it is better if you take care of me at home. If you feel uncomfortable telling this to your boss, leave it to me."
"No." Li Chengxiu trembled, "I will not… resign."
Shao Qun also straightened out and frowned: "What can't you resign? Will there be a shortage of cooks at the hotel?"
"This is my job."
"Does it make sense for you to earn two or three thousand RMB a month? I won’t be unfair to you, since it’s me who’s asking you to quit. Will fifty thousand[3] a month be enough for you?"
"Shao Qun!" Li Chengxiu rarely raised his voice like this. His eyes were red with anger, "Shao Qun. I don't need it. I don’t need you supporting me. I'm not… not that kind... I don't need you to support me!" The more anxious he was, the more tongue tied he became.
Li Chengxiu felt like he had been publicly slapped - embarrassed and angry.
What does Shao Qun think of him? Isn't he treating him like a sugar baby?
He knew that life wasn’t easy for some girls, and they entered into these kinds of relationships with rich men. But Li Chengxiu was a man. He could perfectly support himself. How could Shao Qun insult him like this?
What saddened him the most was that he actually thought that he and Shao Qun were in love with each other, and it wasn’t a transactional relationship.
Shao Qun saw Li Chengxiu looking like a rabbit, as his eye rims reddened. He was quite puzzled: "What's the matter with you? I can give you a good life. You won’t need to work anymore, only enjoy yourself. All right?"
Li Chengxiu was shaking with anger: "I'm not… a woman. I can support myself."
Shao Qun felt disdainful when he heard those words. In his opinion, any kind of ambition or dignity people like Li Chengxiu had was just a big joke. Shao Qun didn’t think that this kind of attitude made Li Chengxiu more of a man but rather demonstrated that he had no idea how things worked.
However, after being with him for a month, he was already familiar with Li Chengxiu's temper. Li Chengxiu was someone who ate soft, not hard[4].
Shao Qun immediately adjusted his attitude and said kindly: "Chengxiu, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t mean that. You leave early every day and come back so late. I can’t help but feel distressed, and I just want you to have a better life. I also want to see more of you during the day."
When Shao Qun said this, Li Chengxiu’s heart softened, "I…but I… want to work."
"Okay, you can work. It's fine if you don't want to resign. But I'm alone in Shenzhen, and I have no relatives or friends. I don't even have anyone to take care of me."
Li Chengxiu frowned and thought for a while: "I can…adjust my shift… try my best, to get the early shift."
"What's the difference?"
"Then I can make you breakfast and dinner."
Shao Qun smiled: "Really?"
"Um."
"Then I'll tell your boss to give you the morning shift."
"No."
"Why not?"
Li Chengxiu said hesitantly, "My colleagues… will be dissatisfied."
Shao Qun sighed impatiently. For the first time in his memory someone didn’t want to accept a pie that fell from the sky. Why was Li Chengxiu singing this tune? Playing hard to get, huh?
After turning around, Shao Qun had an idea. Since he couldn't persuade Li Chengxiu to resign, he should make him resign on his volition. He put his arms around Li Chengxiu's waist and lay down: "Okay, let's talk about it tomorrow. Now, sleep."
Shao Qun seldomly slept together with his lovers. The one whom he had in Beijing changed his mind from day to night and would ask Shao Qun for this and that. The one in Hangzhou would not let him go if he came over. It was really annoying. He was so sick of this by now that he was planning to break it off with both of them soon. In the short term, he was going to be staying in Shenzhen anyway.
Li Chengxiu was not the same as them. At least for now, it was very comfortable to stay with him - there was not so much noise and no fuss, and the atmosphere was very calm. Shao Qun had tasted all kinds of fiery temperaments and was tired of it all. Now he began to appreciate someone who was gentle and well-behaved. Sleeping with Li Chengxiu was like sleeping with a cat. He was soft and hot, and didn’t move too much.
When Shao Qun woke up the next morning, Li Chengxiu had already left at some point.
When he got up, he saw that his clothes were neatly folded at the head of the bed. The edge of the sink in the bathroom was wiped clean without a single drop of water on it. The breakfast on the table was covered with a lid, and when Shao Qun lifted it up, it was still hot. Even the tableware was set up properly.
Shao Qun felt quite refreshed, as he sneered: "Wasn’t he just born to serve men?"
After finishing his food, he took out his mobile phone and dialed a saved number: "Hey, Manager Zhang, it's me. Um, you too, you too! Yes, same old. I would actually like to trouble you privately."
Li Chengxiu began to feel that his days in the hotel were getting more and more difficult.
Since he returned after taking on Shao Qun’s sea party, everyone's attitude toward him seemed to have changed. Now he felt constant contempt and hostility every step of the way.
Needless to say, a few chefs would sneer at him when they saw him. However, now even the apprentices under him began to embarrass Li Chengxiu, which directly affected his work.
While he was in the middle of cooking, he heard a shady and cool voice behind him: "Hey, look at this small waist of his! If I had a figure like him, would the big boss come to me then?"
Everyone around him laughed.
Li Chengxiu's face instantly turned pale.
The worker who was washing vegetables next to him giggled and said, "Well, you’re not gay, so how could you attract a gay guy, no matter how thin your waist is?"
"Yeah, what's the use of having a thin waist? One also has to be thin-skinned, tender, and feminine, just like our Chef Li, right?"
A group of people laughed unscrupulously behind Li Chengxiu.
The spatula in Li Chengxiu's hand became unsteady. He turned around slowly and whispered, "You guys, don't talk nonsense."
"We’re just kidding. What did we say?"
"Chef Li, we're joking around. But if there's something you don’t like, don't hide it from us. We're all colleagues, and we've been working together for so long. Why act like strangers?"
"That's right. Society is very open nowadays. We don't discriminate against gays."
"Gays are also human beings, and they have to date. But if you can date a big boss, it really saves you a lot of effort! It's almost like you’re a female star marrying into a wealthy family.”
"How about I also try to be gay?"
"Hahaha, you’re too thick and strong. Gays won’t like you.”
Li Chengxiu barely stabilized his trembling hand, turned around and forced herself to ignore their words. He just silently kept stirring the dishes in the pot.
One workday like this seemed to last for a year.
RIght after the dinner rush hour was over, Manager Zhang called him to the office.
"Sit." Manager Zhang pointed to the chair.
Li Chengxiu sat down nervously, unconsciously twisting his fingers.
"Xiao Li, there have been some rumors circulating around the hotel recently."
Li Chengxiu nodded stiffly.
"Actually, there is nothing I need to say about you and Mr. Shao. As long as one has a brain, one can guess what’s going on. Right?"
Li Chengxiu didn't raise his eyes but still nodded.
If it wasn't for certain things he had overheard, Li Chengxiu wouldn’t have believed that people in the hotel could suspect anything just because he took on a private job. The only person who was originally suspicious about his relationship with Shao Qun was Manager Zhang who saw the apartment on that day. It was obvious who had spread the rumors, but what could Li Chengxiu say?
"Although our society is very open, this kind of thing has a bad influence on the workplace environment after all. Do you understand?"
Li Chengxiu raised his face and asked sadly, "What…do you want …to do to me?"
He wasn’t good at lying, so he couldn’t say that there was nothing going on between him and Shao Qun. If Manager Zhang was deliberately trying to antagonize him, whatever Li Chengxiu said would make him in the wrong.
Manager Zhang answered: "What can I do to you? How dare I do anything to you? You have a deep relationship with Mr. Shao now, and the boss appreciates you very much. It stands to reason that it's really not my place to even tell you any of this. But, after all, I have people who I am responsible for, and I have to pay close attention to the emotions and the enthusiasm of my employees.This incident obviously makes the male employees of our hotel very uneasy. I am afraid that these kinds of emotions might affect their work. If I do nothing, wouldn’t I be ignoring my duties? Can you understand my predicament?"
Li Chengxiu felt his tears coming up, but still nodded.
"I called you here because I hope you will try your best to be careful in the future. Don't get too close to male employees and don't rely on your relationship with Mr. Shao to act like you’re special and neglect your work. I'm a department manager, and I can't force you to resign, but I hope you will be considerate of me and try to make my work as smooth as possible, okay?"
Li Chengxiu couldn't sit still anymore, so he stood up from the chair, shaking his fists behind his back.
Manager Zhang glanced at him and waved: "Okay, you can go back to work."
Li Chengxiu turned around and walked out the door without saying a word.
"Oh, by the way." Manager Zhang said behind him, "From now on, you will work one night shift every week, and your rest days will be increased to two days. See, I can’t refuse Mr. Shao’s requests! But what do you want me to do with the discontent of other employees? Xiao Li, I am really embarrassed to have you here."
Li Chengxiu walked home that day.
The hotel was not far from where he lived, and it took him only ten or twenty minutes to get there. He didn’t know if Shao Qun was there now, and he didn’t want to turn on his mobile phone. He just wanted to think about all of this by himself.
From the way Manager Zhang talked to him, even the deaf would understand that he was driving Li Chengxiu away.
But he really didn’t want to resign. How could he resign?
He has been working in this hotel for almost six years. His five insurances and housing funds were all paid by the hotel. His salary was increasing every year. After a few more years, he was on the track of getting his own apprentice. By then, the hotel might also be willing to give him some shares. It took Li Chengxiu a long time to come this far, and he was not willing to give up all his previous achievements.
Besides, if he resigned, would he be able to find a good job in a short time? What about the debts that he owes?
Could he still hang around no matter what? Thinking of the scenes in the hotel during the day,Li Chengxiu felt the chills.
Was it so shameful for him to be together with someone?
After returning home, he found that Shao Qun had not come today.
He took a shower and dragged his tired body onto the bed before turning on his mobile phone.
A text message popped up on the display immediately.
Three simple words: ”I miss you.”
Li Chengxiu thought about the first mobile phone Shao Qun bought him when he was a child. The two often sent some boring messages to each other, but no matter how boring they were, both of them still felt that they were very sweet.
A warm current poured into his heart, and he seriously typed out four words in response: “I miss you too.”
The phone rang immediately, and Shao Qun's magnetic voice came into his ear: "Darling, are you off work?"
"Um."
"Tired?"
"Tired."
"I'm not coming over today, you can rest well."
"Okay... Shao Qun."
"Um?"
"Did…did you ask…for a shift…for me?"
"Yeah, I don't want you to be too tired. Don't you want to spend more time with me?"
Li Chengxiu said hesitantly, "I think so… but..."
"No need for any “buts”. The schedule has been adjusted, so just do as you’re told. Tomorrow you can go to work early and cook for me in the evening, okay?"
"……Okay."
After hanging up the phone, Li Chengxiu felt better.
Shao Qun's voice was really nice, he thought. After listening to it, the stone weighing on his heart seemed to become lighter by a lot.
Even if he might lose his job, it was still worth it, if he had Shao Qun to accompany him.
Self explanatory
Chapter 23
The next day, Li Chengxiu finished his morning shift and came back in the afternoon.
He went to the market to buy some fresh fish and planned for a good meal to cook for Shao Qun.
In fact, transferring to the morning shift was a good idea. Now, whenever he went to work he was frightened, so he couldn’t wait to go back as early as possible.
When he thought about how Shao Qun had complained that there was no one around to take care of him, Li Chengxiu felt very uncomfortable. He knew that people like Shao Qun were used to being pampered when they were young. It was definitely not easy to move for business completely alone. It was unhygienic and unhealthy to always eat out. Now that Li Chengxiu had more time, he wanted to take good care of Shao Qun.
When cooking the evening meal, one had to make sure it was light.
Normally, he would never cook so many dishes, as he would definitely not be able to finish eating them all. Now, even if he himself had to eat leftovers for the next two days, he hoped to make more nice food for Shao Qun..
After he finished with the cooking, Li Chengxiu began tidying up the house. On the inside and the outside he didn’t miss a single spot.
But even after seven o'clock, Shao Qun still hadn’t arrived
Li Chengxiu couldn't help but make a phone call. The phone kept ringing, but no one answered. He was a little anxious.
After waiting for another half an hour, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Li Chengxiu jumped up immediately, turned on the lights and ran to open the door.
A strange man stood at the entrance, wearing black-rimmed glasses, a straight shirt and trousers.His demeanor seemed calm and capable.
Li Chengxiu looked at him without a word.
The man nodded politely with an unsmiling look: "Hello, Mr. Li, I'm Mr. Shao's assistant. My last name is Zhou."
"Oh, hello."
Li Chengxiu let him into the room, only to find that he was holding a suitcase in his hand. There was also a person behind him who pushed in a rack full of clothes similar to what one would see in a clothing store. Li Chengxiu took a closer look at the various suits hanging there.They were mainly black and gray, with the edges ironed straight, and all of them covered in transparent bags.
"Mr. Li, Mr. Shao can't come over right now because something came up. He asked me to send some of his daily necessities and a change of clothes to your place."
Li Chengxiu stared blankly at the rack made of stainless steel and nodded.
Assistant Zhou placed the suitcase in the center of the living room: "Mr. Li, these are some things that Mr. Shao is used to having around. Please arrange them for him." Then he instructed the person pushing the rack, "Put these clothes in the closet. Make sure not to disrupt the color order - from light to dark."
Li Chengxiu stood aside, silently watching as assistant Zhou and his entourage walked around the room, leaving light gray footprints on the floor he had just washed.
When the clothes were placed where they belonged, assistant Zhou took out another folder from the briefcase and handed it to Li Chengxiu, "Mr. Li, as Mr. Shao's assistant, I have the responsibility to ensure that his life is stable and orderly, so that he can focus on his work. This document contains most of Mr. Shao's living habits and some provisions, including the foods he should not eat, the things he should avoid, as well as his working and resting habits. The time that Mr. Shao will stay here in the future will increase, so I hope that these will help you to live a more harmonious and enjoyable life."
With a wooden face Li Chengxiu took the soft leather folder. It was obviously just a few pieces of paper, but he felt like he was holding something heavy.
Assistant Zhou continued with a straight face: "Mr. Shao may or may not come tonight. Mr. Li can make a phone call to confirm whether he needs to prepare in advance."
After saying that, he left.
During the whole process, assistant Zhou was very polite and proper, but for some reason Li Chengxiu felt that he had been slapped several times.
He didn't know if he was too sensitive or was it really that this man named Zhou treated him as Shao Qun's mistress?
Trembling, he crumbled the folder in his hand into a ball, turned around and threw it into the trash can.
Exhausted, he collapsed on the sofa, looking at the suitcase standing in the center of the living room and at the table of exquisite meals he had prepared. His heart felt heavy.
He was a little confused and didn't know if he was doing the right thing. He knew that Shao Qun was not the person to live with, but he couldn't help feeling a little attracted to the idea. But this here was just the beginning which made Li Chengxiu doubtful.
Li Chengxiu didn't dare to think about it anymore. He felt that Shao Qun was now in charge. He himself couldn’t stop and think about it, even if he wanted to. He had no choice but to take this step by step and see what happens..
Li Chengxiu got up and put all the dishes on the table into the refrigerator. He didn’t eat a bite.
Then he arranged the things in Shao Qun's suitcase, distributing his stuff between the bedroom and the bathroom.
After he was done, he looked at his watch. It was past ten o'clock. He stared at the display of his mobile phone for a long time, hesitated, and then finally sent a text message to Shao Qun: “Are you still busy?”
Li Chengxiu was very disappointed after lying in bed and waiting for a long time without getting a response. Unconsciously he fell asleep.
Around midnight he suddenly felt something hot and heavy pressing against him.
Li Chengxiu slowly opened his eyes and felt a dark shadow behind him. At first he was still sleepy and confused, so he didn’t react. But then he immediately screamed and struggled to get up.
Shao Qun grabbed his waist and whispered, "It's me."
Li Chengxiu immediately calmed down and carefully curled up in his arms.
"I was so busy today. I'm exhausted."
Li Chengxiu couldn’t help frowning when he felt the pungent smell of alcohol and cigarettes on Shao Qun’s body.
Shao Qun's ice-cold hand reached directly into his pajamas and stroked his chest in the dark.
Li Chengxiu hunched up. He still couldn't get used to this kind of intimacy.
Shao Qun touched for a while, then his hand moved down to tug at Li Chengxiu’s baggy pajama pants.
Li Chengxiu was shocked and wanted to push him away: "Shao Qun, don't..."
Shao Qun was panting heavily, his articulation a little unclear, as he said impatiently, "How long do you want me to endure it?" He then roughly pulled Li Chengxiu’s pajamas and panties down to his knees.
Li Chengxiu felt something hot touching his buttocks, and his face turned pale with fright. He turned around and pushed Shao Qun away.
Drunk and eager, Shao Qun did not display even half of his usual thoughtfulness, which made Li Chengxiu scared.
Shao Qun rolled over and pressed Li Chengxiu under him, angrily saying, "What the hell is wrong with you? It's not like you haven't done it before."
Li Chengxiu stared at him and whispered, "You are drunk."
"I’m sober enough to fuck you." As he said that, he pulled his thighs apart.
Li Chengxiu screamed in fright, shrinking himself into a ball and resisting Shao Qun's attack with both hands and feet.
Although Shao Qun was not completely drunk, he was indeed a bit inebriated, so his hands and feet were not very strong at that time. As Li Chengxiu struggled, Shao Qun was dizzy and couldn't pin him down even after a long time. Finally, Shao Qun got out of bed with his body swaying from side to side, slammed the door and walked away.
Li Chengxiu was frightened by the loud bang and shook violently. After a long silence in the dark, he tremblingly sorted out his clothes.
He remembered that Shao Qun was still wearing a coat, and that he didn't even take off his leather shoes. He ran directly to the bed after entering the door.
So careless… Who did he take him for?
Li Chengxiu got out of bed and turned on the lights. He glanced at the wrinkled sheets with a few obvious shoe prints on them. His nose was sore, and his eyes felt a little blurry.
The next day Li Chengxiu worked the night shift, but he turned off his mobile phone early in the morning. He didn't know what to say if Shao Qun called.
Every second in the hotel was still very difficult, as his colleagues became increasingly disgusted and disdainful towards him. Male colleagues would even make a big detour when they saw him. All kinds of unpleasant rumors were spreading throughout the hotel like a wildfire.
Manager Zhang was now giving him a talk every other day, and the words were getting heavier and harsher, making Li Chengxiu feel that he was shameless for staying at the hotel.
Li Chengxiu felt exhausted physically and mentally, and the pressure was so great that he couldn't even eat, and he began to consider whether it was really time to resign.
It was past ten pm when he got off work and left through the back door.
To get to the bus stop from here, he had to go through the hotel's leisure area. This area with a broad sea-view covered over 100 acres. It had two swimming pools and several hot springs. The entire leisure area was full of lush tropical plants. At night, the visibility was not very good there. A few people were hiding out there without Li Chengxiu noticing.
While he was passing through, a couple of workers from the hotel blocked his path in the hidden corner of Building Nr. 3.
Li Chengxiu had never seen such posturing before, so he shrank his neck in fear.
He didn't expect to encounter this kind of thing at his age. Wasn’t this something that only middle school students did? Coastal cities were usually pretty open-minded, so he couldn’t understand why these people whom he didn’t even know personally would be so intolerant of him.
The one in the front looked him up and down with contempt: "Chef Li, I've been waiting to meet you for a long time."
These people were not regular employees of the hotel. They were freelancers who received fixed wages to do all kinds of chores. As long as they had their money, they could always move on to a different workplace. Li Chengxiu's heart fell. Why would Manager Zhang go so far to force him?.
"You guys, what do you want to do...?"
"Talk to you."
"I don't know you."
"It doesn't matter if you know us. Who in the hotel hasn’t heard about you yet? Chef Li, you're already close to a big money bag, yet you’re still here to hustle and bustle. Why don’t you just stay home and enjoy your blessings?"
"Don't...don't talk nonsense."
"What nonsense are we saying exactly? Who doesn't know it already? Every day you’re waiting for the bus in that area, and it’s a high-end community. I heard that one square meter costs more than 60,000 RMB[5]. If it weren't for the big boss, would you be able to live there? Could you afford it? Why are you even still pretending? There are many people in the hotel who take that bus every day and have seen you many times."
"Hey, why didn't this big boss give you a driver? Hahahaaa…."
Li Chengxiu's face was ashen. He held a plastic bag in front of his chest, preparing to escape.
The person closest to him pushed him directly on the shoulder and then slammed him against the wall.
Li Chengxiu trembled and looked at the people surrounding him in horror.
"Li Chengxiu, I won’t talk nonsense with you anymore. You are a bother for other people, understand? You already have such a good life, so don't come here anymore to take away a workplace from somebody who could actually use it, okay? The head chef will retire next year, and many people are better qualified than you. It's the right time for you to quit. Don’t be selfish, others still have to rely on this job to support their families. You should be aware of how things work, so save yourself the embarrassment and get the hell out of here."
Li Chengxiu gasped sharply and summoned up his courage: "You...on what grounds..."
"On what grounds?" The man grabbed Li Chengxiu's collar and waved his fist, "How long do you want to stay? We can do it the easy way or the hard way."
Li Chengxiu shrank his neck and looked at the fist in front of him. His face was completely bloodless.
"What the hell are you doing? Let him go." Someone said coldly from behind.
Li Chengxiu's eyes warmed when he heard the familiar voice.
Shao Qun came over and frowned, looking at Li Chengxiu who was surrounded by the guys: "What's going on?"
He had just exited the parking lot and was about to enter the hotel to pick Li Chengxiu up. Halfway through, he saw a gathering of people next to the building, and when he got closer, he saw that Li Chengxiu was right in the middle of it.
He had asked that Zhang guy to find a way to make Li Chengxiu quit, but he didn't mean for him to get a group of idiots to fight him. What kind of BS is this?.
A few men turned their heads, but they didn't recognize him. They thought he was just a guest, so one of the guys responded viciously, "Sir, it's none of your business. Don't worry about it."
Shao Qun cursed, pointed at his nose and said, "Get out of here."
The man let go of Li Chengxiu and side-eyed him: "Who the hell are you? Looking for trouble?"
These people were indeed instructed by Manager Zhang, so they were pretty daring. Ordinarily, they would never dare to casually offend hotel guests.
Li Chengxiu huddled in the corner, looking worriedly at Shao Qun who was now surrounded by a few people.
Shao Qun's eyes gleamed fiercely.
Although he was now successfully pretending to be a gentleman and a proper young elite, his ferocious and irritable temper hadn’t disappeared. The little leader of delinquents who’s been aggressive since he was a child didn’t change much. It’s just that now he vented by merging and acquiring shopping malls. These people had stimulated the hostility that hadn’t come out in a long time.
Shao Qun took off his tie, then raised his foot and fiercely kicked the person in front of him.
Before the man could even make a sound, he was kicked more than a meter away, and was retching on the ground, holding his stomach.
Everyone around was stunned for a moment, then immediately recovered and rushed towards Shao Qun all together.
Li Chengxiu was in a dizzying mess.
"Shao Qun! Shao Qun!" he shouted.
The situation quickly got out of control. Four or five people surrounded Shao Qun, ready for a fight. Shao Qun was also full of hostility, and his fists left no doubt about his intentions.
Li Chengxiu wanted to help Shao Qun, but he didn't have the courage to step into the chaotic battle circle. Just thinking about being punched with a hard fist made his legs go soft.
The commotion quickly attracted the attention of other people. Due to the loud noise, soon Manager Zhang and a few security guards appeared.
When Manager Zhang saw Shao Qun with blood in the corner of his mouth, he was so frightened that his face turned pale.
"Oh, Mr. Shao! Mr. Shao! What is this? What's going on?"
Shao Qun glared at him and snorted.
Manager Zhang was overcome with overwhelming fear and kept apologizing to Shao Qun.
Shao Qun wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and reached out to Li Chengxiu: "Come here."
Li Chengxiu was leaning against the wall and trembling. When he heard Shao Qun calling him, he quickly ran over to grab his arm. He was choked up when he asked, "Are you ok, Shao Qun…?"
Shao Qun put his arm around his shoulder: "I’m alright. Let’s go home and talk."
Li Chengxiu started crying as soon as he got into the car: "Shao Qun..."
"Why are you crying? It's okay."
"Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt. When I lived in the UK, I used to fight with foreign brats every day. Those guys were tough. How can these pussies even compare?"
Shao Qun started the car and drove directly back to Li Chengxiu’s apartment.
As soon as he entered the room, Li Chengxiu immediately went to look for the medicine box. He then wiped the corners of Shao Qun’s mouth with some cotton dipped in alcohol.
Shao Qun touched Li Chengxiu’s cheek: "Don't cry. It's fine."
It was not a bad feeling to have Li Chengxiu worry about him. His tearful look made Shao Qun less annoyed about today.
"I’m sorry."
"What do you have to be sorry for?" Shao Qun paused: "I drank too much yesterday. It’s me who has to apologize to you."
Li Chengxiu looked at Shao Qun's swollen face and felt guilty. After Shao Qun’s words, he was also moved, and tears flowed down his cheeks.
Shao Qun held his face and kissed him softly.
Li Chengxiu looked at him quietly.
"Chengxiu, I'm a normal man. I can't help it, do you understand?"
Li Chengxiu nodded.
Shao Qun leaned over to lick his tears and slowly pushed him down on the sofa.
As Shao Qun was taking off Li Chengxiu's clothes, he thought proudly that what happened today was really worth it.
Chapter 24
Content warning: noncon, dubcon
Li Chengxiu cowered and pointed to the floor-to-ceiling windows behind them: "Curtains..."
Shao Qun turned a deaf ear to his words, wrapped his hands around his waist and pulled down his remaining underwear.
Li Chengxiu was red from head to toe just like a boiled shrimp.
"Shao Qun, the window..."
Shao Qun lowered his head and covered his mouth.
Li Chengxiu's body sank into the beige leather sofa. The shame of being completely naked made him subconsciously want to curl himself into a ball. However, Shao Qun pressed his hands down and spread his legs apart with his knees. Then he kneeled between them.
Li Chengxiu was left breathless by Shao Qun’s kiss. He didn’t know how to skillfully respond to it, so he could only rigidly accept Shao Qun's plunder, while not even daring to move his neck.
When Shao Qun finally broke the kiss, Li Chengxiu was still aware that they were in the living room. He whispered, "Not here".
Shao Qun lifted one corner of his mouth in a smile: "We have to do it here, because the lighting is perfect. I want to take a good look at you, and you also have to take a good look at me."
Li Chengxiu covered his eyes with his hand and trembled: "What should I look at?"
Shao Qun smiled briskly: "At your first man."
Shao Qun removed Li Chengxiu's hand from his dodging eyes and gave him an affectionate look, capturing Li Chengxiu’s shyness and fear with great interest.
Li Chengxiu turned his neck. His eyelashes trembled quickly, as his eyes focused on the bright tiles on the floor. The snow-white neck was stretched out, and his protruding Adam's apple slid up and down.
Shao Qun lowered his head and bit his neck, half joking and half threatening: "Wait for me. Don't move. If you dare to move, I'll carry you to the balcony.”
Li Chengxiu closed his eyes tightly.
Shao Qun got up and went to the bathroom to get condoms and lubricant.
When he came back, he saw Li Chengxiu still curled up on the sofa, not daring to move.
Shao Qun patted his smooth thighs all the way up. Then he caressed his butt and said, "Darling, open your legs."
Li Chengxiu's nose twitched slightly, as he looked at Shao Qun with pleading eyes.
Shao Qun grinned, "So shy." He grabbed both of Li Chengxiu's thighs and spread them apart. Li Chengxiu screamed:"Shao Qun!"
Although the lights in the living room were warm, they were also very bright, and all the details of his body could be seen at a glance.
Shao Qun squeezed his hand full of lubricant and probed Li Chengxiu’s backside.
Although Li Chengxiu was ready, he was still shivering with fear.
Shao Qun gently caressed his waist and abdomen with one hand, as he rubbed between his buttocks with the other.
"Ah!" Li Chengxiu jumped up and twisted his waist uncomfortably. Tears burst from the corners of his eyes, and he tightly grasped Shao Qun's arms with both hands.
Shao Qun pressed on his forehead to stop him from moving, "Relax, Chengxiu. Relax your body."
Li Chengxiu was full of fear about what was about to happen and could not relax no matter what. He begged in a low voice, "Shao.. Shao Qun, it hurts..." He hoped that Shao Qun would let him go.
Shao Qun touched his face, "Darling, bear with it for now. It won't hurt once you do it a few more times. I'll make you feel good."
He tested the gradually softening hole and felt it was about time. He then unbuttoned his pants and pulled out his dick.
Li Chengxiu turned blue in the face after just one look at it. He tightly bit his lip and closed his eyes.
Shao Qun put on a condom, grabbed his big baby and rubbed it back and forth between Li Chengxiu's buttocks, evenly smearing out the lubricant.
Li Chengxiu was trembling all over and looked at Shao Qun with wet eyes.
Shao Qun pressed hard on Li Chengxiu’s thighs that tried to close up several times. He then lifted his hips, aligned them with the gaping fleshy hole and inserted himself into it.
This time, Shao Qun didn't give Li Chengxiu much chance to breathe, but instead firmly fixed his waist and squeezed himself in really hard.
Li Chengxiu cried out in pain.
The feeling of being invaded by a foreign body in an indescribable place was not only painful, but also made him feel nauseous.
He felt as if his ass was about to burst. Shao Qun's dick that was constantly invading his body felt like a sharp knife. The shameful pain made Li Chengxiu feel helpless, and he wanted to pass out.
"Shao Qun... Shao Qun..." Li Chengxiu cried out, looking at Shao Qun with blurry eyes.
Shao Qun leaned down and kissed his face, "It's fine. It'll be fine in a while."
He himself was sweating profusely. That place was really too tight. If he can fuck it lose, he won’t have to spend so much effort every time in the future. Damn, that was tight.
He ignored Li Chengxiu's cries, grabbed his round and full buttocks and pushed in hard.
Li Chengxiu cried out in pain, only to feel that his internal organs were tossed around by the intruding object, making him want to hurl.
Shao Qun gritted his teeth, slowly pulled out his penis a little and then pushed it right to the end.
After several repetitions, he felt the smoothness of entering and exiting freely, as well as the pleasure of rubbing against the tight flesh walls.
As for Li Chengxiu, his eyes were red, and his voice was hoarse from crying.
Shao Qun's former partners were all accustomed to his unrestrained style of fucking when he was especially eager. Moreover, they mostly had a lot of experience in that area and knew how to cooperate with Shao Qun to receive their pleasure. But Li Chengxiu had no idea about anything, so he could only suffer from this painful sex with his body completely limp.
Shao Qun's five slender fingers left several red marks on Li Chengxiu's thighs. He firmly fixed Li Chengxiu's constantly writhing waist, letting his scalding sharp blade fuck into the hot and humid flesh.
Part of Li Chengxiu's head was already hanging off the sofa. He tilted his neck back in pain, as his fingers tightly gripped the sofa which was swaying under Shao Qun’s violent movements.
Li Chengxiu’s fragile back hole, which was directly subjected to Shao Qun's impact, was now completely opened up, as it tightly surrounded the twitching genitals.
Shao Qun was indulged in lust without paying attention to anything else. He only cared about the hard and fast collision until the moment he finally vented.
He pulled out of Li Chengxiu's body and threw the wet condom on the ground, noticing a little blood on it.
At an unknown point Li Chengxiu had covered his eyes with his arm again, and his face was full of tears.
Shao Qun took Li Chengxiu's hand away, looked at his crying red eyes and, unable to bear it, stuck out his tongue and lightly licked the corners of his eyes.
Li Chengxiu choked, "Shao Qun, it really hurts."
"I know, it always hurts at the beginning. But it will be fine later."
Li Chengxiu sniffed hard and shook his head.
Shao Qun picked him up and took him to the bedroom, where he gently placed him on the bed.
Li Chengxiu immediately pulled up the quilt and tried to cover himself up.
Shao Qun snatched the quilt from his hand and lay down beside him before covering both of them.
He hugged Li Chengxiu from behind, and Li Chengxiu’s back was now leaning against Shao Qun's firm chest.
Shao Qun's hand went down to Li Chengxiu’s crotch and took a hold of his soft genitals.
Li Chengxiu murmured, "Don't..."
Shao Qun bit his ear, "Don't talk. Just feel it."
He gently moved his hand on Li Chengxiu's genitals, and they slowly became hard and hot.
Li Chengxiu didn't dare to move, closed his eyes and bit his lips, enjoying the thrill of his rising lower body.
The movements of Shao Qun's hands were getting faster and faster, and Li Chengxiu felt that his lust was snowballing.
Suddenly, he felt two fingers inserted into his back hole.
Li Chengxiu's attention was focused on his front, so the sense of violation of being invaded was not so strong this time.
His lower body had been completely conquered by sexual desire, as his gaping squishy back hole was tossed, fingered and probed.
Li Chengxiu felt that his body was gradually changing. His hole was tingling, and there was a strange feeling that wave after wave rushed from his tail vertebra straight into his brain and made him shudder.
Shao Qun pulled out his fingers, took out a condom from the bedside table and put it on. He then lifted one of Li Chengxiu's thighs and penetrated him again in a sideways position.
This time the invasion was going much smoother. Shao Qun continued to awaken Li Chengxiu's desire while moving his powerful waist.
Li Chengxiu felt that he was about to fall apart. His mind was blank as he was pierced again and again. In all this chaos, there was nothing but intense pleasure, as his body was tortured by this raging desire. He had lost all his strength, and even his moans turned into helpless dry hoarse cries.
The quilt covering the two of them had already fallen under the bed. Shao Qun put Li Chengxiu in a kneeling position with his buttocks raised high, which allowed Shao Qun to fiercely enter and exit his body. Li Chengxiu’s genitals that had vented a couple of times already were rubbing against sheets, which made him hard yet again.
Such a night was destined to be sleepless.
Shao Qun personally called Boss Chen the next day and helped Li Chengxiu resign.
Boss Chen kept apologizing on the phone and said that he had already fired Manager Zhang and those few troublemakers. Shao Qun noncommittally snorted a few words in response.
As he put down the phone and looked at Li Chengxiu's lost expression, Shao Qun felt very happy.
In the future, Li Chengxiu will just stay at home which will allow Shao Qun to conveniently find him whenever he needs him.
Shao Qun said with a smile: "You've been busy lately. It's rare for you to take some time off, so why don’t you relax for a while?"
Li Chengxiu nodded: "I will rest for a few days and then start looking for a new job."
The smile on Shao Qun's face froze: "Let's talk about this again. It's not that easy to find a job, you know."
"Yeah." Li Chengxiu sighed, "I'll go around other hotels and see what they have."
Shao Qun nodded perfunctorily, thinking that he’ll never let any place hire him.
He took out a large envelope from his briefcase and handed it to Li Chengxiu.
Li Chengxiu took the heavy envelope and looked at him suspiciously.
Shao Qun raised his chin: "Your payment."
Li Chengxiu looked at the envelope in surprise. It was really thick.
"Too much." Li Chengxiu muttered.
Shao Qun sneered: "You deserve it. Take it."
Li Chengxiu hesitated for a while, then smiled shyly as he took the money: "Thank you."
This little humble expression made Shao Qun's heart full of anticipation yet again. He hugged Li Chengxiu and together with him rolled directly onto the bed.
Their cohabitation had officially begun.
Li Chengxiu had to stay at home, as there was no response to any resumes he had submitted.
He had no friends and couldn’t surf the Internet. When he had nothing to do, he could only stare at the TV in a daze without actually watching.
Although he wasn’t used to talking a lot, Shao Qun had become the only person he could talk to freely, so he anticipated seeing him every day.
But Shao Qun didn't live in the apartment most of the time. He showed up only three or four times a week. Li Chengxiu didn't know where Shao Qun was during all the other days and he felt that it was inconvenient for him to ask. After all, Shao Qun had to work and it was impossible for him to accompany Li Chengxiu at home every day.
Shao Qun was always very busy. He often said that he wanted to come back for dinner, but he didn’t keep his appointments. And he wouldn’t even make a phone call to let Li Chengxiu know that he wasn’t coming. So very often the whole table of meals that he cooked for him were completely wasted. But what could Li Chengxiu do, besides having to eat leftovers every day?
Similarly, Shao Qun rarely notified Li Chengxiu before coming over. He came when he came, sometimes he stayed for a longer time, sometimes not. But each time he would want to have sex.
In his heart, Li Chengxiu was actually kind of averse to their physical intimacy, but Shao Qun was very enthusiastic about it, so he could only cooperate.
He vaguely felt that his relationship with Shao Qun was a little strange, but he couldn't say what exactly was wrong.
Li Chengxiu felt that Shao Qun treated him very well. He often praised the delicious dishes he cooked for him. He also commended Li Chengxiu for keeping the apartment very clean. When the two of them slept together, Shao Qun would say a lot of things that made him blush. Li Chengxiu thought that Shao Qun liked him very much.
Considering that he was the way he was, and Shao Qun was such an excellent person, Li Chengxiu couldn’t help but feel flattered.
After he quit his job, Shao Qun still allowed him to stay in the apartment and was still treating him very kindly. Li Chengxiu wanted to repay his kindness in full, so when Shao Qun came over he took care of him in every possible way. He couldn't speak so well, and he didn't dare to take the initiative to express his love. So he found his own way to express his feelings for Shao Qun.
It's just that this kind of life couldn’t go on for long, so even though Li Chengxiu was willing to give his all to take care of Shao Qun, he still couldn’t live without a job.
In order to make up for living in Shao Qun’s apartment, Li Chengxiu had been paying for living expenses out of his own pocket for more than two months. He hadn’t touched any of the money that Shao Qun left in the house.
His savings were meager, yet he had to repay his debts every month, and he had to eat. If he didn’t find work, he wouldn’t be able to stay afloat for long.
But Li Chengxiu hadn’t anticipated that getting a job would turn out so difficult. He had submitted dozens of resumes, but only few of the places even responded. However, these occasional responses also didn’t work out in the end.
Finally, Li Chengxiu really couldn't be idle anymore, so he decided to give up the big hotel restaurants and possibly find something at a small restaurant. Although the salary and conditions there were not as good as in the big hotels, it was still better than sitting around and eating through his savings.
So he started to get busy again, going to the city every day to look for a job.
This, however, caused Shao Qun’s dissatisfaction.
He physically couldn't forbid every single restaurant in the city to hire Li Chengxiu. So in the end Li Chengxiu managed to get a job and started getting busy again.
Shao Qun was really bothered by the fact that Li Chengxiu came back home every day smelling of burnt oil. While his hands were clean, there was also a lingering stench of garlic in the crevices of his nails. Shao Qun wanted to hold him after a long tiring day, but the smell was really disappointing.
In Shao Qun's life, his career was there for self-realization and increasing his self-worth, money was there to enjoy earthly pleasures, and lovers were there to adjust to his needs and entertain him in his spare time.
He considered himself to be a good lover - generous and affectionate. He was also never too cruel to his partners.
Shao Qun decided to talk to Li Chengxiu first, as he was still quite interested in him. Li Chengxiu was a rare and considerate person. He was so gentle and obedient that even women couldn’t compare. It was just idiotic that he had to go out and sell cheap labor. Other than that, Li Chengxiu was his most satisfactory kept lover so far. Shao Qun really didn’t want to break it off for the time being.
If Li Chengxiu could just stay at home obediently, everything would be perfect. Shao Qun felt that he could keep him for a long time, considering that changing lovers around too often was troublesome and, most importantly, unhygienic.
Chapter 25
When Li Chengxiu came back from work in the afternoon, he saw Shao Qun sitting on the sofa smoking, as he typed something on his notebook. Most of the ashes were scattered outside the ashtray.
Li Chengxiu didn't like the smell of cigarettes, but since he was living in someone else's house, he was too embarrassed to say anything about it.
Li Chengxiu put down his shopping bag: "You came! Are you hungry?"
Shao Qun wrinkled his nose, without raising his eyes, as he kept looking at his computer screen: "Go take a bath before you start cooking. You smell like kitchen. I feel full just from the smell already."
Li Chengxiu nodded embarrassedly, turned around and went to the bathroom.
After ten minutes, Li Chengxiu stood in front of Shao Qun, clean and refreshed.
Shao Qun closed his notebook, put out his cigarette and stretched out his arm towards Li Chengxiu: "Come here."
Li Chengxiu obediently came up to him, and Shao Qun wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him into his lap. Li Chengxiu was already used to this, so he huddled in Shao Qun’s arms like a kitten.
"Tell me, what did you do today?"
Li Chengxiu had finally found a job. Although he was still in his probation period, and the salary was low, it still made him very happy: "I had morning shift today."
"Didn't I ask you to rest for a while? Why are you running around again?"
"I rested. For more than two months."
Shao Qun said with displeasure in his voice: "It's not like I can't afford to support you. Yet you have to go out and look for trouble, huh."
Li Chengxiu blinked: "I have to work."
"Why do you have to work? If you want more money, I'll give it to you. I don’t want my person to be out of my reach all the time. Makes it look like you’re even busier than me.”
Li Chengxiu looked at him embarrassedly: "I don’t need your money."
Shao Qun was a little annoyed: "Don’t be stupid. You’re earning so little with this that it makes more sense for you to work as my housekeeper. "
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment, then slowly moved away, trying to get off Shao Qun’s lap.
Shao Qun clamped his waist and glared at him with burning eyes.
Li Chengxiu looked back at him blankly.
"Don't go to work tomorrow. Stay home."
"...Shao Qun, no."
"Tsk, what's the matter with you?"
Li Chengxiu said hesitantly, "I’m in debt."
"In debt? Whom do you owe? Why?"
"My relatives. It’s the money for my mother’s hospital bills."
Shao Qun nodded: "How much do you owe?I don’t actually care how much it is, I’ll pay it in full for you."
"No."
Shao Qun raised his voice: "What not?"
Li Chengxiu said stubbornly: "Shao Qun, no. I can pay it back myself."
Shao Qun impatiently pushed him away, stood up and left the apartment, cursing, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Li Chengxiu looked at the open door for a long time.
He felt uncomfortable, but he didn't know how to explain himself to Shao Qun.
Shao Qun didn't want him to work too hard. It was for his own good. But Li Chengxiu had to make money. He couldn’t spend Shao Qun's money. That just wasn’t right.
Li Chengxiu looked at the empty room in despair and suddenly saw the mobile phone on the coffee table. He quickly picked it up and sent a message to Shao Qun.
"Shao Qun, thank you for your concern. But I can support myself. I can't rely on others to live. I hope you can understand."
Shao Qun was driving when his phone rang. For some reason, he felt that it was a message from Li Chengxiu. He looked at it while standing at the red light.
After reading the few lines three times over, Shao Qun’s mouth corners went up.
Li Chengxiu's cheap self-esteem was extremely ridiculous to him. In all of his adult life Shao Qun had never met anyone who stood by their virtues[6] and self-proclaimed nobility. In the end, for the ones who “refused” to give in, it was always a matter of price. He speculated that Li Chengxiu probably lacked a sense of security, since he hadn’t given him anything substantial yet. Once he piled up enough luxuries, Li Chengxiu would find it difficult to resist.
He was too impatient today and forgot for a minute that it was the soft approach that worked better with Li Chengxiu. Li Chengxiu wasn’t someone who would bleed when cut - he looked weak and useless, but he was extremely stubborn. Shao Qun thought about it and decided to give Li Chengxiu a house and then coax him a little bit, hoping that then he would be more aware about the state of things.
He threw the phone on the co-pilot's seat cushion, turned around and drove back.
When he opened the door and went in, Li Chengxiu was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, holding a book in his hand. He looked at Shao Qun in surprise, his mouth open.
Shao Qun closed the door, came over and threw himself onto Li Chengxiu. He rubbed his face against Li Chengxiu’s warm neck and said in a low voice, "I was too hasty just now."
Li Chengxiu’s eyes felt a little warm. He put down the book and opened his arms to gently wrap them around Shao Qun’s waist.
Shao Qun lightly bit his collarbone and reached into his clothes with his cold hands, stroking Li Chengxiu’s smooth back.
Li Chengxiu obediently rested his chin on his shoulder, closing his eyes and slightly trembling.
Shao Qun touched him for a while, setting them both on fire. He then got up, carried Li Chengxiu into the bedroom and pressed him tightly onto the bed.
The two were entangled for the whole afternoon until it was already dark outside. Li Chengxiu was so exhausted that he couldn’t keep his eyes open.
Shao Qun kissed his sweaty brow: "Darling, I'm hungry."
Li Chengxiu whispered: "I'm hungry too." He rubbed his head against Shao Qun's arms, nostalgic for the warmth just now and reluctantly got up. Softly he asked, "What do you want me to cook for you?"
Shao Qun’s heart felt warm. He hadn't felt so relaxed and comfortable in a long time.
"Whatever you make, I’m sure, it will be delicious."
Li Chengxiu smiled and headed out to cook.
While Li Chengxiu was busy at the stove, Shao Qun was smoking a cigarette and watching his back through the slowly floating smoke.
Li Chengxiu's back was very beautiful. His neck was slender and fair, and his ears were always slightly pink. The thin shoulders looked a bit fragile, and the shoulder blades were a bit too prominent, especially when Shao Qun pulled at his arms. When Li Chengxiu had his back turned towards him, he really liked to bite at those shoulder blades. Li Chengxiu’s waist was also very thin, without even an inch of fat, so his pajamas looked very loose on his midsection. His butt was slightly tilted, and only Shao Qun knew that without the underwear those two perky buttocks were very full and felt good to the touch. Loose pajama pants wrapped around his slender and straight legs. Li Chengxiu had little body hair - if one judged only by his calves, he actually looked a bit like a woman. However his knee joints were strong and slender, giving away his male physique.
Shao Qun could have never imagined that he would see the epitome of home in one of his little lovers.
The way he treated his previous bed partners was nothing more than walking in, undressing and leaving after he was done. Occasionally, he would take them out somewhere, but mostly it was just to let them shop for stuff.
No one has ever taken care of him in a way Li Chengxiu did. At the same time, he never asked Shao Qun for anything.
Recently, Shao Qun had been getting busier and busier with work and didn’t need to have sex as often as in the previous years. Still, he came over to Li Chengxiu three or four times a week because he was sick and tired of eating out in different hotels.
He would rather have a quiet meal with Li Chengxiu. And then hold him afterwards, while watching TV or surfing on his computer. Li Chengxiu would quietly stay in his arms, watching TV, reading books, or surfing together with him. Shao Qun sometimes felt like he had a pet that could cook, do laundry, clean up, talk to him and have sex with him. At the same time Li Chengxiu was undemanding and easy to support.
How could someone be so useful?
How could there be such a perfect thing in the world?
The more Shao Qun looked at Li Chengxiu’s back, the more he wanted to laugh from the bottom of his heart.
He walked over and put his arms around Li Chengxiu’s waist from behind.
Li Chengxiu was taken aback and smiled, "What is it?"
"I want to hold you for a while."
"I’m cooking."
Shao Qun put his head on his shoulder and muttered, "I won’t do anything. Just continue what you were doing."
Li Chengxiu was helpless, having to drag this big man behind him around, as he continued to skillfully prepare the ingredients to add to the pot.
Shao Qun knew that he definitely didn’t want to break up with Li Chengxiu now.
His career in the Pearl River Delta had just begun, and he really needed such a considerate person to relieve the pressure of his busy life.
After eating, Shao Qun lay on the sofa with his head resting on Li Chengxiu's thighs, as he flipped through the accounting book that Li Chengxiu had just been reading.
Li Chengxiu's slender fingers were going through Shao Qun's hair, as he massaged his scalp.
Him being a chef, his hands were very strong, and the pressure was just right. Shao Qun squinted his eyes in an expression of comfort.
Shao Qun raised the book in his hand and asked casually, "How are your studies going?"
"It's hard. It was easy at the beginning but it's getting harder and harder now. I also have no one to ask questions."
Shao Qun smiled and said, "You can ask me."
Li Chengxiu responded, "You are very busy."
Shao Qun's heart suddenly moved: "Chengxiu, do you want to study seriously?"
Li Chengxiu nodded. How could he not want to do that? Unfortunately, he had no time, and he hadn’t saved up enough money for that yet.
Shao Qun happily got up: "The don't go to work. I'll sign you up for tutorial classes, so you can study."
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment, bright light flashing in his eyes. But it quickly dimmed, and shook his head.
"Do you want to be a chef for the rest of your life? Accounting is a good career option. You are meticulous and careful, and you can endure hard work. This is suitable for you."
Li Chengxiu absently looked at the book in Shao Qun's hand.
It was his dream to study again.
His grades have always been good when he was a child. It wasn’t because he was extraordinarily smart but rather because he worked several times harder than all the others.
If he had enough time, he felt that he could excel at his studies. Shao Qun's words really moved his heart.
Shao Qun continued to urge him: "Accounting is a discipline that requires profound knowledge. It is not going to be enough if you just learn it by yourself. You must be guided by a professional. I will enroll you in a tutorial class first to lay the foundations. Once you’re that far, I can find an accountant to guide you further. If you study well..." Shao Qun squeezed his cheek and smiled at Li Chengxiu, "...you can come work for my company."
Li Chengxiu's eyes shined. Shao Qun could see that he was really excited.
If he could really complete his studies, it would be great. And if he went to work for Shao Qun’s company… It would mean that he could see him every day and have the opportunity to understand what kind of life Shao Qun was living. Something that he never even dared to think about.
But money...
Li Chengxiu pursed his lips and looked aside hesitantly.
Shao Qun had already planted the idea into his heart, so he was not in a hurry to force Li Chengxiu to agree now. Just like Li Chengxiu’s successful resignation from the hotel, Shao Qun wanted to put him in a situation where he had no more room for rejection.
Shao Qun put his arms around Li Chengxiu and reassured him: "Don't worry. I respect your wishes, so you can think about it carefully. After all, this is extremely beneficial to you… For me, not so much. After all, if you spend so much time with the outsiders, when will you have time to see me?”
Li Chengxiu refuted: "That’s not..."
Shao Qun interrupted him: "You don't need to explain, I understand. So I won't force you. Just think about it. You can still go to work these days, but you should also spend more time studying. I know that you have perseverance, and you don’t do things halfway."
Li Chengxiu nodded and looked at Shao Qun gratefully.
Although he sometimes had a bad temper and was at times self-centered, Shao Qun had a good heart and treated Li Chengxiu really well.
No one in the world is perfect. Since Li Chengxiu accepted Shao Qun's good sides, he must also accept his bad sides. He can't only accept Shao Qun's care and then be intolerant at the times when Shao Qun makes him sad. Li Chengxiu had already received so many good things from him, and he felt very satisfied.
In the next few days, Li Chengxiu still went to work. Although he was seriously considering Shao Qun's suggestion, he still planned to work for at least one month before quitting, in order to get his salary.
Shao Qun came to Li Chengxiu occasionally, reminding him every time to think carefully and weigh all the pros and cons.
One day, as soon as Li Chengxiu came in through the door, Shao Qun said that he wanted to give him a gift.
Li Chengxiu didn't know what the occasion was, so he just waited with a smile.
Shao Qun took out a document bag from behind his back and opened it in a way that it faced down. Like snowflakes, dozens of paper notes were immediately scattered onto the coffee table.
Li Chengxiu stared blankly at the notes.
Shao Qun threw the bag away and quietly looked at him.
As soon as Li Chengxiu realized what these pieces of paper were, his eyes became wet, and it felt as if he was struck by lightning.
He could never forget them.
When his mother was sick, he had no choice but to go back to his hometown in the countryside and go from house to house borrowing money. He knelt all the way from the beginning of the village to the end of the village - the blood on his knees even seeped through his pants at that time. He would borrow a few hundred from one family, write an IOU and then get to the next house. He visited more than hundred households in the village, and the pain and suffering of that time couldn’t be described in words.
These IOUs were his burdens - not only financially, but also psychologically. Now that Shao Qun just handed them to him like this, he felt as if a heavy mountain was lifted off his chest in an instant. Even breathing became much easier.
At this moment, he had no time to consider how much he now owed Shao Qun. He only felt that Shao Qun had saved him.
For the first time during their time together, Li Chengxiu took the initiative to hug Shao Qun, choking and trembling, as he kept thanking him non-stop.
Shao Qun silently stroked his back. His eyes flickered, and his mind filled with thoughts.
If his assistant hadn’t reported all of these things to him, he really could have never imagined how difficult Li Chengxiu's life was when he was a child.
Li Chengxiu was only thirteen or fourteen years old when he had to take care of his paralyzed mother and also humble himself going house to house to borrow money. Shao Qun couldn't imagine how such a young child managed to endure all this.
He had to admit that for the first time, this thin and withdrawn man in his arms made him feel pity and admiration.
Chapter 26
Li Chengxiu finally resigned.
The moment he threw those IOUs into the trash can, he felt as if he had been given a new lease on life.
He could say goodbye to the past. Now he had new goals, and most importantly, a lover.
Li Chengxiu’s heart was full of gratitude and admiration for Shao Qun.
Shao Qun for him was like the warm sun in the winter, like charcoal heating in the cold snow. He treated Li Chengxiu so well, that it made him feel as if he had value and deserved to be cared for. For the first time ever, he felt that God treated him so kindly by sending Shao Qun to him.
So Li Chengxiu was now relying on Shao Qun in almost everything. Before the month was out he quit his restaurant job.
He also seriously wrote an IOU to Shao Qun, including the debt that Shao Qun helped him repay and the money he paid for his schooling.
Although it was also an IOU, this one didn’t make Li Chengxiu feel like it was a burden, rather it was a motivation for him to study hard and work hard in order to treat Shao Qun kindly and repay him for everything he had done for Li Chengxiu.
Shao Qun gave the IOU a perfunctory glance, shoved it into the drawer, turned around and pressed Li Chengxiu onto the big mahogany table in the study, intending to ask for something he was really interested in in return.
The class that Shao Qun registered him for only happened on Mondays and Wednesdays, however it ran from nine o’clock in the morning until four in the afternoon, with one-and-a-half-hour break at noon.
On the first day, he heard many people complaining that such a long condensed class was too tiring. However, Li Chengxiu enjoyed every minute and every second of sitting in the classroom and studying instead of working in a smoky kitchen. He didn't feel tired at all, but rather regretted not being able to attend classes every day. There were only two classes a week, so what was he going to do on the other five days? That seemed to be a waste.
Li Chengxiu scribbled on his scratch paper, calculating his recent expenses and trying to figure out how long his existing savings of tens of thousands of RMB would last.
"Hi."
A brisk voice startled him, and his hand shook. The tip of Li Chengxiu’s pencil scratched the table, and the lead immediately broke.
"Hahaha, I scared you."
The girl talking was his deskmate. They were always the ones who arrived in class first. After seeing each other a few times, the two of them often sat together.
The girl was outgoing and talkative and didn’t care at all that Li Chengxiu was very reserved.
She took a bite from the bun she was holding: "Do you know who was invited as a guest lecturer this afternoon?"
"No."
"He’s actually someone incredible. I heard that he is the shareholder of this school[7], and he is also the boss of an amazing accounting firm. You have definitely heard of it. If you get good grades, you can intern at this firm."
Li Chengxiu nodded: "I have heard of it." When he just came to school, he heard that if he got the best exam results for three consecutive months, he would have the opportunity to go to the top accounting firm in China for an internship. This was a great opportunity for every newbie.
The girl suddenly leaned over to Li Chengxiu's side and whispered, "I’ve also heard..."
Li Chengxiu looked at her with a smile, wondering why she heard so much about this person.
There was an obvious excitement in her voice: "I’ve heard that this guy is handsome."
Li Chengxiu smiled and nodded: "That’s good."
For as long as he could remember, his deskmate was the only woman he had ever come into contact with other than his mother. Before that, he felt that women lived in a different world than him. Now, he felt that women were very cute.
"I heard that he’s only in his thirties. And that he’s really rich. I really really want to see him soon!"
Classes continued as usual in the morning. At noon, Li Chengxiu took out the lunchbox he had prepared and gave it to his deskmate. Considering that last time when she saw his lunch, she couldn’t stop talking about it, he brought an extra one with him every time he cooked. It wasn’t much of a hassle after all.
"So good! Li Chengxiu, you’re such a talented cook! Any woman would be lucky to marry you!"
Li Chengxiu smiled shyly and lowered his head to eat.
The girl slanted her eyes to sneak a peek at Li Chengxiu.
Since Li Chengxiu and Shao Qun were together, Shao Qun no longer allowed him to go out in his store-bought clothes. All Li Chengxiu’s attires were now purchased by Shao Qun. Although Li Chengxiu didn't realize it himself, but from head to toe he was wearing famous brands. The clothes were well-matched, and the tailoring was exquisite. Coupled with his fresh hairstyle and an already fair and beautiful face, he looked warm and handsome.
Also, his “girliness” stayed well hidden because he hardly talked to anyone. Since the classes started, many girls have been secretly thinking about him. At the same time they couldn’t wait to look at his collar to see if he was wearing Versace or Armani on any given day.
His deskmate was however a bit confused, as she pondered on Li Chengxiu - he was rich, gentle, and good-looking. One would think he was a perfect man… Unfortunately, his personality and behavior were really very girly...
After the lunch break, the head of the school and several teachers entered the classroom together with an unknown man.
As soon as the man came in, Li Chengxiu could hear excited low-pitched screams of his female classmates.
The man was pretty attractive. He looked like he was in his early thirties, tall and straight, with wide shoulders and narrow waist. His white shirt and gray trousers were ironed with precision, and his facial features revealed a mature and intellectual temperament. There was a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his tall nose. His gait was firm and confident, and he swayed lightly as he walked. The kind of charm that this man had transcended even his appearance, making ordinary people feel ashamed around him.
The man walked to the front of the podium where he stopped with his arms outstretched and a gentle smile on his face: "Dear students, it's a pleasure to meet you. Honestly, this is the most anticipated day of the year, because it is my only chance to see so many great people in front of me at the same time."
All the students in the class laughed, and the tense atmosphere disappeared at once.
"All right, let me introduce myself. My name is Li Shuo. It’s the same “Li” (黎)[8] as in the word “daybreak” (黎明) and the same “Shuo” (朔) as in the word “new moon” (朔月). I will be replacing your teacher Chen today to give you this afternoon's class and also share with you some details about my personal career as an accountant. I hope it will be helpful to the future accountants in this classroom..."
After the class was over, everyone was in awe of Li Shuo.
He was wise, funny, and approachable. He could turn boring numbers into sheet music. He could make everyone laugh at any time, and he didn’t mind putting himself down, which made everyone admire him even more for his humility and open-mindedness.
The girls around Li Chengxiu were so excited that they were tugging on Li Chengxiu's sleeves throughout the class: "Wow, how can he be so handsome! How can such an attractive man exist! God, I'm losing my mind."
"Look at him! His legs are so long, and his body looks so good! OMG, OMG, I wonder if he is married! It’s definitely over, if he is. Maybe he is divorced?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head helplessly, while intently taking notes.
He could understand why these girls were so obsessed. This man was indeed charming, and it made him envious.
Li Shuo asked a question and was going to pick someone from the class to give an answer.
He looked at the register in his hand and called out a name. By chance, it was the name of Li Chengxiu’s deskmate.
When the girl next to him heard her name out of Li Shuo’s mouth, she was stunned. She was obsessing over Li Shuo during the whole session and didn't actually listen to him at all. How would she know what Li Shuo was even talking about right now?
She stiffly raised her hand.
Li Shuo looked at her with a smile: "Oh, it's a lovely young lady. I'm very lucky." He then blinked and asked, "Can you answer my question just now?"
The girl stared at the whiteboard and smiled awkwardly.
Li Chengxiu tried to whisper the answer to her. But as the classroom was too quiet, he didn’t dare to speak too loud, so in the end she couldn't hear what he was trying to tell her at all.
Li Shuo smiled at her again: "Don't be nervous. How about we let the gentleman next to you answer the question? He has been trying to help you, so I have to give him this chance."
Everyone laughed again and looked at Li Chengxiu.
Li Chengxiu's face turned red, as he unconsciously got up from his seat.
He still felt like he was in junior high, so when the teacher asked a question, he felt like he had to stand up. When he realized that he didn't need to do that, he didn't know how to sit down in front of everyone without it being awkward.
He heard everything that Li Shuo said just now. He also knew the answer but he just couldn’t speak.
What he was most afraid of was being humiliated in public. Those eyes of other students that kept looking at him were cutting at Li Chengxiu’s sanity like a knife. Every second was a torment for him. All he could do was tremble with anxiety - speaking was out of the question.
The person next to Li Chengxiu nudged him but saw that he was unresponsive, so he said loudly, "Mr. Li, this student is shy, and he can't speak in front of so many people. But he certainly knows the answer.
Li Shuo looked at Li Chengxiu, who was blushing like a tomato, with some interest. He then tapped the whiteboard with his fingers: "In this case, this gentleman can come up and write the answer on the board. Just give a demonstration of this arithmetic to your classmates."
Li Chengxiu was unable to refuse, so he stiffly walked over and tremblingly took the pen from Li Shuo's hand.
Li Shuo leaned in to admire his rosy and delicate face. Then he patted his shoulder with a smile: "Don't be nervous. Even if you make a mistake, I’m not allowed to punish you." After that, he turned towards the classroom and helplessly said to everyone, "This is the bad thing about commercial training institutions.
Everyone laughed.
The thick voice that strangely echoed in Li Chengxiu’s ears calmed his beating heart a little, and he felt less nervous.
With his back turned to dozens of pairs of eyes behind him, he quickly wrote his calculations on the whiteboard.
Li Shuo clapped his hands in admiration: "Very good, thank you... Your name?"
"……Li."
"Thank you, Mr. Li. You are the hero that saved the beauty."
There was another burst of laughter in the classroom.
Li Chengxiu hurriedly lowered his head and returned to his seat, feeling that he was sweating profusely.
The girl next to him exclaimed, "I really envy you for getting so close to him."
Li Chengxiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
In the afternoon after school, it suddenly started to rain.
Most of Li Chengxiu’s classmates took a taxi back. Some guys who came in their own cars diligently took the initiative to take their female classmates home.
Li Chengxiu usually walked home. It was only half an hour to forty minutes' walk to where he lived, so he could save 4 RMB a day and have some exercise at the same time.
Now that it was raining, he had no choice but to stay on the first floor and wait for the rain to stop. But even when all his classmates were gone, the rain still didn’t show any signs of being over soon. Li Chengxiu looked at the time and realized that Shao Qun was about to come by the apartment, and he needed to go back to cook. He gritted his teeth - he had to run to the nearest bus stop in the rain.
Not long after he ran out of the building, a car horn sounded behind him, signaling non-stop.
Li Chengxiu turned around to see a black sedan driving slowly behind him.
He didn't understand what he did wrong. He thought he might have been blocking the driveway, but when he looked back he realized it wasn’t the case.
Li Chengxiu turned around and continued running, when the car window rolled down:
"Mr. Li."
Li Chengxiu looked back again, and saw Li Shuo sitting in the car, smiling and waving at him: "Get in."
Li Chengxiu looked at him blankly.
"Get in quickly. It's inconvenient to run in the rain. I'll send you off."
Li Chengxiu pointed to his clothes: "Wet...wet."
Li Shuo smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. I have to wash my car after the rain anyway. Come on, get in."
Li Chengxiu couldn’t resist Li Shuo's goodwill and friendliness, so opened the car door and got into the seat.
Li Shuo rolled the car window up, took out a tissue and handed it to Li Chengxiu: "Here, wipe yourself."
"Thank you." Li Chengxiu took the tissue and wiped his face dry.
As he was driving, Li Shuo said: "What a coincidence. I chatted with the school teacher for a while and I happened to see you when I came out."
Li Chengxiu bowed slightly to him: "Thank you."
"You're welcome, it’s no problem. Oh, by the way, where do you live?"
Li Chengxiu gave him his address.
Li Shuo smiled and said, “That’s a good place."
Li Chengxiu said with some embarrassment, "It's a friend's… house."
Li Shuo smiled without saying a word. Li Chengxiu also sat upright, staring straight ahead.
"Where are you currently employed, Mr.Li?"
"I don’t have a job right now."
"Oh, then you have more time to study, which is good too."
Li Chengxiu said "Um".
The two fell silent again.
Li Shuo felt a little embarrassed. He had rarely met such a withdrawn person. Even though usually money and power helped him deal with any kinds of situations, he really wasn’t good at communicating with very aloof strangers.
But even if communication was out of the question, this Mr. Li looked just like his type of guy. In such gloomy and dark weather, just having a pleasant person to accompany him for a drive was a nice treat after a tiring day.
By the time Li Shuo took him home, the rain was almost over. Li Chengxiu stood in front of the car window and repeatedly thanked him.
Li Shuo said that he was welcome. The two shook hands and said goodbye. Before leaving, Li Shuo left his business card.
Li Chengxiu now had even more respect for Li Shuo in his heart. This man was not only capable at what he did, but he was also kind and enthusiastic. Li Shuo was such a role model, and it was an honor to be helped by him.
When Li Chengxiu returned home in a very good mood, he found that Shao Qun had already returned to the apartment long ago. He was sitting on the sofa with his arms folded over his chest, his face as gloomy as the weather outside.
Illustration of Li Shuo (from 188 Group weibo account, also see the watermark)
At the first glance he seems to be your typical 2nd ML but he is much deeper than that. And I’m saying it as someone who dislikes him for a lot of reasons that were articulated in “Additional Inheritance” where he plays a big part and in “Winner takes All” where he is the main character.
Chapter 27
Content warning:dubcon
Li Chengxiu looked at the clock on the wall in surprise: "You’re back so early?"
Shao Qun heavily put the pair of his long legs on the coffee table: "I would have been even earlier, if your phone hadn't been turned off."
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment. He took out his mobile phone from his pocket and looked at it. It seemed that without him knowing it had automatically turned off. Li Chengxiu explained, "Ran out of battery."
Shao Qun stood up, with displeasure written on his face: "I thought since it was raining today, I would get off work earlier to come pick you up. But your phone was turned off, so it caused me to run around in vain."
Li Chengxiu apologized: "I'm sorry. I didn’t know..."
Shao Qun raised his hand to interrupt him: "Enough about this. Tell me who was that who just took you home?"
Shao Qun was not in the mood for work today. By chance it was also raining, so he wanted to pick Li Chengxiu up for a meal, soak in a hot spring, some romance, and a bit of leisure. But it turned out to be for nothing. When Shao Qun got to the apartment, he saw that Li Chengxiu still hadn't come back. It was raining so hard outside that Shao Qun couldn't sit still. After a while he went to the balcony to check on the rain situation, only to see Li Chengxiu get out of an S8[9] and say goodbye to the driver with a smile on his face. Shao Qun couldn’t see who was in the driver’s seat. But from the look of his hand which Shao Qun noticed during his handshake with Li Chengxiu, he could tell that it was a young man.
Were it just an ordinary car, Shao Qun would have thought that Li Chengxiu had hitched a ride with one of his classmates. But who would drive an S8 to a basic accounting class?
Li Chengxiu answered honestly, "It was the teacher."
Shao Qun frowned and said, "Teacher?" That still didn’t make sense. How could some college student who had just graduated from an accounting major and was teaching introductory courses afford an S8?
Shao Qun raised his voice: "Be honest. How can he be your teacher?"
"Yes, he is a teacher. He’s also a shareholder of our school, and he is a co-founder of an accounting company. Today he was our guest lecturer."
This did make sense, indeed. However, why would he suddenly drive Li Chengxiu home? There were many other students. He didn’t drive all of them.
"Why did he give you a ride?"
Li Chengxiu was confused by Shao Qun's stern tone: "Because it was raining..."
Shao Qun said impatiently: "Of course, I know it was raining! But there are dozens of people in your class. He didn’t give all of them a ride. Why did he drive you specifically?"
Li Chengxiu explained with some difficulty: "I was waiting for the rain to stop.He was talking to the teacher at the time. When he came out, the other classmates were already gone. It was just me who was left."
Shao Qun's expression softened. This polished Li Chengxiu looked more and more delicious, as well as more tempting. Since he seemed like an unsuspecting rabbit, Shao Qun had to keep an eye out to prevent other beasts from coveting him.
Although he didn’t mind the past affairs of his lovers, once they were with him they had to keep themselves clean. Shao Qun didn’t want to catch any diseases.
Maybe it was time to take Li Chengxiu to a full-body examination? All Shao Qun’s regular bed partners normally had to do a checkup. Since Li Chengxiu had no previous experience, Shao Qun forgot about it for a while. But thinking about Li Chengxiu's former living environment, it was probably for the best not to skip this step just in case.
Shao Qun leaned over and, like a beast confirming his territory, sniffed at Li Chengxiu. He smelled of Clive Christian 1872[10]. Shao Qun frowned and said angrily, "This upstart has a bad taste. Go take a shower. You stink!"
Embarrassed, Li Chengxiu put down the things in his hands. He didn't understand why Shao Qun thought that he smelled bad. He wasn’t working in the restaurant anymore…Unconsciously Li Chengxiu raised his sleeve to smell himself.
Shao Qun knocked his arm down: "Hurry up!"
Li Chengxiu lowered his eyes aggrievedly, silently turned around and headed to the bathroom.
Just as he was about to close the bathroom door, Shao Qun suddenly propped it up. A loud "bang" startled Li Chengxiu. He stared blankly as Shao Qun took a delicate crown bottle with golden liquid off the shelf and loudly threw it into the trash can[11].
When Li Chengxiu came out of the bathroom, he saw Shao Qun smoking and pressing buttons on the remote control, constantly changing channels and looking very irritable.
Carefully, Li Chengxiu sat next to him and put his hand on his arm. He then asked softly, "Why are you angry?"
Shao Qun muttered, "I'm hungry."
"I'm going to cook." Li Chengxiu quickly got up, went to the kitchen and got busy.
When he was taking lettuce out of the pot, Shao Qun came in and stood behind him.
Li Chengxiu said: "It will be ready soon."
Shao Qun suddenly leaned over, almost touching Li Chengxiu’s body. Li Chengxiu twisted his neck in surprise. Shao Qun suddenly exerted his strength, put his hand under Li Chengxiu’s apron and rudely pulled down his pajama pants together with his underwear .
Li Chengxiu screamed, threw away the spatula in his hand and was about to pull his pants back up. At that moment Shao Qun grabbed his waist from behind and said: "Don't move. Just continue cooking your dishes."
Li Chengxiu exclaimed, "Shao Qun, what are you doing…?"
Shao Qun smiled evilly: "Finish cooking this dish. Once you’re done, I will also be done."
Li Chengxiu turned his head and looked at him with condemnation and some tears. Shao Qun gave him a long kiss on the lips and pushed up hard: "Hurry up!"
Shao Qun spread his thighs apart, adjusted his position and squeezed in without a care in the world.
"Ah!" Li Chengxiu screamed. His body trembled, gasping for breath and trying to adapt to this sudden invasion.
As Shao Qun aggressively tossed him, Li Chengxiu almost lost his balance and could barely stand with his hands tightly clinging to Shao Qun’s arms.
Shao Qun gnawed at his ear, as his hand also reached under Li Chengxiu’s clothes to do whatever it wanted. During the conquest he said with glee, "Keep cooking. No need to stop."
How could Li Chengxiu even hold on to a spatula like this? He leaned back, and his neck was resting entirely on Shao Qun’s shoulders. His eyes were tightly closed, and he was panting as his body convulsed.
But he knew that when Shao Qun's temper came up, Li Chengxiu had to do exactly what he said, otherwise it would mean trouble. So even though he couldn't stand the torture, he still tremblingly picked up the spatula and feebly stir-fried the vegetables in the pot.
Shao Qun was very satisfied with his obedience, enjoying this perfect body to the fullest. After the wanton conquest, Shao Qun’s mood improved a lot.
In the end, the dishes ended up burnt anyway. Li Chengxiu poured out all the ruined ones and quickly prepared some more, for fear that a hungry Shao Qun would come up with other tricks to toss him around.
During the meal, Shao Qun’s facial expression finally improved and he said: "No matter if it rains or hails, you should call me. Even if I can't pick you up myself, I will ask my driver to get you. You are not allowed to get into other people's cars. Do you understand?"
Li Chengxiu nodded.
"There are so many bad people out there. This is for your own good."
Li Chengxiu smiled: "Okay."
Shao Qun's expression softened, "I'll take you to the hot springs this weekend."
Li Chengxiu said happily: "All right."
Shao Qun was usually too busy. Li Chengxiu basically couldn’t see him during the day. At night, he either didn’t come at all or, if he came, he just wanted to do that one thing. Since the sea party, Shao Qun had never taken him out for a “date” again. Li Chengxiu missed those former days a lot.
Shao Qun looked at Li Chengxiu’s bright and innocent eyes and couldn't help but smile.
On Friday afternoon, the driver dropped them off at a spa hotel in Hong Kong.
Shao Qun first took Li Chengxiu out for dinner at the hotel. After the two of them returned to their room, Li Chengxiu noticed the place had a distinct Japanese-style design. There were tatami mats on the ground, and when he opened the door, he could see that there was a steaming spring right outside. It was a private spring for the guests of this room only, and it was separated from other springs by a screen.
Shao Qun stepped barefoot on the stone outside the door: "Nice, it's really warm."
Li Chengxiu also took off his slippers with some curiosity. Sure enough, the pebbles on the ground were hot and very comfortable to walk on.
Shao Qunxie smiled and patted his butt, "Quick, take off your clothes. We haven’t done it in the water yet, right?"
Li Chengxiu blushed: "We have just finished eating. Let’s take a break first?"
"No, I want to do it now. Hurry up, or are you waiting for me to strip you?"
Li Chengxiu grasped his collar and looked at him shyly.
Shao Qun jumped at him and grabbed Li Chengxiu’s clothes: "Ok, I’ll take it off for you."
Shao Qun hugged Li Chengxiu, and while he shouted and laughed in his arms, he stripped off his clothes piece by piece.
Shao Qun first put the dumplings with white skin and fresh filling into the pot, then stripped and boiled them thoroughly.[12]
The two played in the water for a long time, and Li Chengxiu was so tired afterwards that he lay on the edge of the pool and panted.
Shao Qun went around behind him, lifted one of his thighs and directly inserted two fingers into his back hole, using the moisture of water as lubricant.
Li Chengxiu buried his face in his arms and whimpered.
Shao Qun massaged his hole in circles for a few times, then simulated the copulation movements by twitching his fingers quickly in and out. Li Chengxiu twisted his waist tightly, and his genitals looked up.
Shao Qun touched Li Chengxiu’s dick and smiled, "Just by having my fingers in? Once my baby is inside, won’t you have to ejaculate immediately?"
Li Chengxiu felt that his face was hot and he complained in a low voice, "Don't… Don't say these things."
Shao Qun pulled out his fingers and patted his ass under the water, "Come on. Lift your ass up."
Li Chengxiu bent down slightly and raised his lower body.
Shao Qun took a hold of his own dick and then remembered that the condoms were still in the room. At this moment he was too tense and too lazy to go get them, even though it was his own strict rule to use condoms at all times. He had never made an exception for anyone before.
The firm head stabbed into the soft hole at once, but even after a long time, Shao Qun didn’t move. Li Chengxiu turned around and looked at him silently. His confused eyes and slightly opened lips clearly marked an invitation.
Shao Qun felt his blood rushing up. He held Li Chengxiu’s buttocks and shoved his penis inside.
The invasion also brought in a steam of heat, and Li Chengxiu moaned weakly like a cat. His eyelashes were stained with water vapor.
Shao Qun didn't expect that the direct contact with the flesh without the layer of rubber would feel so good.
The way his penis was enveloped by the inner walls felt hot and tight. Li Chengxiu was squeezing him and wrapping him so tightly that he could barely move.
Shao Qun grabbed Li Chengxiu's waist tightly and thrust in hard.
Li Chengxiu clung to the pebbles under his hands, gritted his teeth and resisted the moan that was about to escape.
After all, this place was separated from others only by a thin screen. Although soft music was playing all around, if there was someone in the room next to them, they’d be able to hear everything clearly. Li Chengxiu didn’t dare to make a sound.
Shao Qun didn't care about this at all. He moved his powerful waist, slamming into the depths of the flesh hole again and again. This was the first time that he did it bareback since he grew up. The novelty and excitement made him feel that the act was extraordinarily erotic today. It was really cool.
He slammed himself in a dozen more times from the back. He then adjusted Li Chengxiu's position, so that he was facing him and said, "Put your legs up around my waist."
Li Chengxiu's legs were weak, and as soon as his support was gone, he slipped into the water .
Shao Qun picked him up, grabbed his thighs and put them around his waist. He inserted himself in again and pushed his hips up.
Li Chengxiu hugged Shao Qun’s neck with both his hands, as his legs crossed over Shao Qun’s waist. Li Chengxiu’s whole body was now hanging off Shao Qun. The dick inside him kept being buried in deeper and deeper, almost to an unbelievable extent. Li Chengxiu felt that his internal organs were being turned upside down.
He buried his face in Shao Qun's neck, and his whimper was interrupted by Shao Qun's rough movements.
Suddenly, a burst of erotic coquettish screams poured into both of their ears.
Li Chengxiu and Shao Qun were stunned for a moment, only to realize that the voice next door belonged to a man...
The screams from next door were really unrestrained. A series of dirty words kept coming out from behind the screen, making Li Chengxiu want to close his ears.
Shao Qun also felt quite awkward. He lowered his head and kissed Li Chengxiu's mouth, as he continued to move his lower body.
Their high spirits were slightly dimmed by the rambunctious actions next door.
Shao Qun pushed in hard a few more times, and hot liquid flowed out of Li Chengxiu's body.
When Shao Qun put him down, Li Chengxiu felt embarrassed as the streaks of warm sperm ran down his legs.
Shao Qun smiled and squeezed his fingers between Li Chengxiu’s hips, touching the sticky body fluids, "What’s wrong? Do you need me to wash it for you?"
Li Chengxiu pushed his hand away, blushing, "No, no."
After the two left the springs, they went to take a shower. In the bathroom, the sounds from the other room couldn’t reach them anymore. Shao Qun wanted to have sex again, so he pressed Li Chengxiu down one more time. Afterwards they both collapsed on the bed, hugging each other and watching TV.
They then spent the entire day either eating or making love. They indulged so heavily, that by the time the night came, Li Chengxiu was so tired that his eyes were closing, and he fell asleep holding the pillow.
However, Shao Qun was still in high spirits and decided to go to the pool room to play for a while.
When he was passing through the baths, someone behind him yelled, "Hey, handsome guy! Handsome guy!"
Shao Qun paused and turned around.
A rather beautiful young man in his twenties was chasing after him. His eyes were charming, and his lips were really red, which was very attractive.
Shao Qun habitually frowned: "Do we know each other?"
The young man looked at Shao Qun with his peach blossom eyes[13] full of naked provocation: "I live next door to you."
"Ooooh..." Shao Qun deliberately lengthened his voice, "It was you who screamed around until dusk."
Instead of being embarrassed, the guy smiled sweetly: "It was you who started it first. If we didn’t go at it harder to suppress the sounds from your side, it would have spoiled the fun for us."
Shao Qun raised his eyebrows, "And what do you want now?"
The youngster licked his lips: "Come here."
Shao Qun had already guessed what was going on. After thinking about it, he followed the guy into the bushes in the far hidden corner.
The youngster pulled his bathrobe open and rubbed his thigh against Shao Qun’s leg: "I saw you at the check-in in the lobby just now. You’re just my type."
Shao Qun smiled with a corner of his mouth: "I’m everybody’s type."
The guy boldly put his hand inside Shao Qun’s bathrobe and stroked his prominent chest muscles: "Wow, this feels…just wow."
Shao Qun grabbed his hand, lowered his head and whispered into his ear, "Aren't you afraid that your boyfriend will be jealous?"
The young man giggled: "It’s a rare opportunity to come out and play once in a while. The most important thing is to have fun. Besides, how would he know?"
Shao Qun wrapped his arms around the guy’s waist and stretched out his hand. He got into his bathrobe, touched his butt and asked, "Do you have a condom?"
"Of course." The guy took out the condom, put it on Shao Qun and then directly put his mouth around Shao Qun’s dick.
Shao Qun groaned comfortably, "Yes… Your technique is good."
When he was completely hard, he patted the boy's face, "Turn around and lie down."
The boy quickly took off his clothes, raised up his snow-white buttocks and spread his thighs. He then begged in a promiscuous voice, "Come here... Come and fuck me."
Shao Qun was very turned-on by this little slut. In fact, since he heard those screams behind the screen, he has been slightly tingling.
There was nothing wrong with Li Chengxiu, but he was too conservative. When Shao Qun wanted to do something outside the usual, he didn’t know how to explain it to Li Chengxiu. Men are like that - when they get tired of the spicy ones, they want to change to the tamer ones. Once they’ve tasted enough of the tame ones, the spicy ones become a bit more exciting again. This little slut in front of Shao Qun managed to light up a small fire in his heart.
The two of them were busy in the bushes for a long time. Shao Qun didn't touch him much - just listening to his provocative, yet deliberately suppressed screams was already an interesting experience. He hasn't been so indulgent for a long time. Since Li Chengxiu came into existence, he’d only done it with others a handful of times, not to mention having sex in public.This excitement couldn’t be tasted with Li Chengxiu.
After the two of them pulled their pants and were ready to leave, the young man licked his lips: "Handsome guy, leave me your number."
Shao Qun thought about it for a while and felt that the experience was acceptable. Maybe one day he would be interested again, so he said, "You give me yours."
Some people said that Shao Qun wasn’t actually gay, since he only liked those boys who looked like girls[14]. He scoffed at that. Sex is an essential part of life. As long as it is enjoyable, is there any difference between a male or a female partner? And what did it matter, if he was a true homosexual or not? He could be with both men and women, and he even preferred men. Eventually, he will, of course, marry a woman. Just because men didn’t have wombs. But in his day-to-day life, it was just more convenient for him to hook up with men, since they couldn’t get pregnant. .
The young man was interested, so he gave Shao Qun his number.
When Shao Qun returned to the room, Li Chengxiu was already deep asleep. He was curled up like a cat in the snow-white bedding, his sleeping face was demure and innocent, and he seemed completely defenseless. Shao Qun had already knelt on the bed on one knee. Yet he got up again and went to take a shower. Only after washing his body thoroughly did he get on the bed again and hug Li Chengxiu.
Li Chengxiu woke up from Shao Qun’s gentle pressure behind him. Softly he asked, “Finished playing?”
"Um."
"You’re tired, sleep a bit."
"Yes," Shao Qun held Li Chengxiu tightly in his arms and kissed his hairline: "Darling, go to sleep."
When he cares about “cleanliness”, yet proceeds to fuck some strange in the bushes.
Some eye shapes for reference. There are many more actually.
Chapter 28
Content warning: attempted rape, violence
After waking up the next morning, Li Chengxiu felt really refreshed. He looked at Shao Qun, who was sleeping soundly, with a hint of sweetness in his heart. He had never felt so overwhelmed by happiness. He was so satisfied with the whole world right now that he wanted the time to stop.
He continued to lie on his side. Although he had woken up, he didn't make a sound. He leaned against Shao Qun's arms and quietly looked at his handsome and pure face.
He carefully traced Shao Qun’s face outlines with his fingers - from the smooth forehead to the eye sockets and then to the high and straight bridge of his nose. Finally his fingers moved on to the thin lips and perfectly shaped chin.
How could this nose be so high? How could someone be so good-looking? And how could such a good-looking person actually lie beside him…?
Li Chengxiu's face was slightly blushing. He buried it in Shao Qun's warm and thick chest, and then quietly put his hand on Shao Qun’s waist, hugging it carefully.
Shao Qun didn't wake up, and Li Chengxiu didn't dare to move, afraid of disturbing him. So he just quietly huddled in his arms, smelling the warm and refreshing smell of his skin.
It was already noon when Shao Qun finally woke up. He called for room service, and after a while, the hotel waiter came in with a tray.
Both of them sat next to a low table on the tatami mat and enjoyed their meal.
Right after they were done, Shao Qun's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, left the room and pressed the accept button.
"Hey, big sis."
"Um."
"It's going to take me a while. I've been busy recently."
"I just called my dad the day before yesterday. We're fine."
"I have found the original copy of the administrative reconsideration[15] you asked me to look for. I will deliver it to you when I go back to work on Monday."
"Well, very good. Don't worry. Are you and my brother-in-law okay?"
"I'll go back to Beijing to see you in a while. It's time for Yin Yin to go to school, right?"
"Well then, that's it."
Shao Qun hung up the phone, leaned against the wall and sighed. He was about to go back when the door of the next room suddenly opened. A somewhat sullen-looking man was now blocking Shao Qun’s way, his stance full of provocation.
Shao Qun raised his eyebrows, intending to spare the guy and just go back to his room.
The man sneered: "Hey, aren’t you the one who topped my guy? Do you have anything to say to me?"
Shao Qun snorted coldly: "Say what exactly? That it felt good?"
"Fuck, you really have the nerve!"
Shao Qun shrugged: "What the hell do you want?"
"I say, since we have this kind of relationship now, how about we all play together?"
Shao Qun's face sank: "What do you mean?"
"Your little lover is not bad..."
"Get the fuck out of here!" Shao Qun cursed. The only way Shao Qun would spare him was if he returned to his room now.
The man stepped in front of him with a gloomy expression: "You want to take advantage of me without paying the price?"
Although Shao Qun went on some crazy benders for a while when he was younger, he had always avoided things like group sex and gang rapes. It's not that he was so moral, but rather that he considered it really dirty. It was disgusting to even imagine a bunch of men and women having sex in groups like animals. This is how STDs are transmitted, isn’t it?[16]
Thinking that this man dared to covet Li Chengxiu made Shao Qun sick. It was like seeing a pile of rubbish that insisted on getting close to a piece of clean, pure and white cake. If it weren't for the fact that this was a hotel where there were people around, Shao Qun would have punched the man right onto the ground.
Shao Qun raised his chin arrogantly and said maliciously, "Then what do you want?"
Just as the man was about to speak, he saw cleaning staff walking towards the end of the corridor. He glared at Shao Qun, went back to his room and closed the door with a bang.
Only then did Shao Qun's clenched fist relax. When he entered the room, he saw Li Chengxiu hugging his knees and watching TV. He gently smiled when he saw Shao Qun come in.
Shao Qun's irritable mood instantly calmed down. He leaned over, lay onto Li Chengxiu’s lap and proceeded to quietly watch TV.
In the afternoon, the two of them just lay on the bed, chatting, watching TV, eating fruit, and doing nothing else. Shao Qun had never experienced such a peaceful and relaxing time with anyone before. Just staying together with Li Chengxiu quietly made him feel very comfortable. His body and mind after being tired for such a long time also managed to relax. He felt that Li Chengxiu was not only very calm himself, but that he also had the ability to make others calm down.
After eating another meal and soaking in the hot spring for a while, the two of them were bored just staying in the room all the time. Shao Qun took Li Chengxiu to play billiards.
It was the first time that Li Chengxiu played this game, so Shao Qun patiently showed him the ropes.
"Lower your body. Lower your body a little more. Yes, hold the cue stick tightly between your thumb and forefinger. Don't shake your hands,"
The two were having fun when a cold voice interjected: "Wow, so sweet."
Both of them looked up at the same time and saw that there were actually two people standing right next to them.
Shao Qun's face darkened immediately. He didn't even look at the youngster who kept smiling at him. He just glared at the man next to him, lowered his head and continued to guide Li Chengxiu.
Li Chengxiu asked, "Do you know them?"
Shao Qun answered without changing his expression, "No."
The couple picked the table farthest from Shao Qun and Li Chengxiu and started playing too.
Li Chengxiu felt that the way the man was looking at them was very unfriendly. He felt a little strange, but he didn't particularly care.
The two of them gradually forgot about the whole thing. Before leaving, Shao Qun went to the bathroom. As soon as he left, Li Chengxiu saw the beautiful youngster leave his place at the billiard table and follow Shao Qun. At the same time, his male companion walked towards Li Chengxiu.
Li Chengxiu stared blankly at the man who came up to him.
The man looked very decent, but there were a few hints of maliciousness hidden between his eyebrows. When he looked at Li Chengxiu, he seemed to be staring right through his flesh, which was very uncomfortable.
"Hi." The man greeted.
Li Chengxiu put down the cue stick and straightened out. He nodded and asked, "Who are you?"
"I live next door to you."
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment and suddenly remembered the high-pitched cries from yesterday. He immediately blushed.
The man laughed and quietly came closer: "You’re getting shy so easily. Very cute."
Li Chengxiu looked back awkwardly, hoping that Shao Qun would come back soon. He didn't know how to deal with the stranger in front of him.
"Actually, I have something to tell you."
"To me?" Li Chengxiu asked in confusion.
"To you."
"……why?"
"It’s about your boyfriend."
Li Chengxiu looked at him alertly: "He said that he doesn’t know you."
The man pursed his lips and smiled, then shook his finger, lowered his head and said into Li Chengxiu’s ear, "He lied."
Li Chengxiu took a step back nervously.
The man smiled and said, "He spent the last evening together with my guy. Did you know that?"
Li Chengxiu realized what he meant and said angrily, "Nonsense."
"Then what do you think the two of them are doing right now?"
Li Chengxiu turned to look in the direction of the bathroom again and wondered why Shao Qun had not come out for so long.
And... he remembered that when they just came in now, Shao Qun asked the waiter, "Where is the billiard room?" Although Shao Qun spoke Cantonese, Li Chengxiu had lived in Shenzhen for many years, so he could understand simple sentences[17]. Why didn’t Shao Qun know where the billiard room was…?
The man looked at Li Chengxiu's suspicious expression and made an inviting gesture: "Come over and let's talk. Obviously we both have the same issue, don't we?"
Li Chengxiu hesitated for a while, but followed the man.
The man led him through the lush foliage of the public spa.
Li Chengxiu walked behind him for a while, feeling a little uneasy and thinking that he shouldn’t have left just like that. What if Shao Qun came back and couldn't find him?
Li Chengxiu asked, "Where are you taking me?"
"Looking for a quiet place to have a good chat."
"I… when he comes back… I will ask him…You can also ask him."
"I don't need to ask him."
Li Chengxiu thought for a while: "I still want…to ask him." After saying that, he turned around and headed back.
The man suddenly grabbed his arm with one hand, covered his mouth with the other and pulled him into the corner, which was hidden by an array of plants.
Li Chengxiu was horrified. The scene in the dark alley more than ten years ago seemed to be repeating itself. He violently struggled.
"Fuck, stop moving. It’s all because of that idiot. He promised I could use you as a payment for what he owes me."
Li Chengxiu paused but then continued to struggle. He didn't believe this person. Why would he believe the words of bad people?
The man's thick and hard penis directly pressed against Li Chengxiu’s thighs, and his cold hands reached into his bathrobe. Li Chengxiu felt nauseated and wished he could kill the guy.
Who could save him now? Who could come and save him now…
The disgusting hand roughly rubbed his buttocks, and the heavy breathing echoed in his ears. He closed his eyes and wept.
"Chengxiu! Chengxiu!"
A loud cry suddenly echoed throughout the open-air baths. Since the baths were on the ground floor and were surrounded by guest rooms, the call “Li Chengxiu” turned into a repeating echo.
Li Chengxiu's sluggish limbs suddenly came back to life. He pushed hard against the person trapping him, and finally the hand covering his mouth loosened a little. Li Chengxiu trembled and shouted, "Shao Qun!"
He thought he was shouting loudly, but his voice was actually very weak. Before he could gather enough strength to shout for a second time, a heavy slap landed on his face, and burning hot tears streamed down his cheeks.
The sound of that slap was louder than his cries, and finally Li Chengxiu heard approaching footsteps.
"Fuck—-ing—--shit!"
Li Chengxiu only heard an angry shout, then the hands that bound him suddenly disappeared. With a loud "bang", his captor was thrown into the wall.
Even from the back, Shao Qun looked violent. He lifted the man who had not yet recovered from the first blow, and his hard fists continued to greet him like raindrops.
Not to be outdone, the man finally managed to hit back. The two of them fought, destroying all the plants around them.
The man was obviously not Shao Qun's opponent. After a few rounds, he was defeated. Shao Qun kept hitting the man in the face like crazy, and his fists were covered with blood.
The screams of pain were unending. They sounded especially horrifying in the dark of the night. Soon, one could hear a clutter of footsteps, and several young and strong security guards from the hotel went up to grab Shao Qun. At first even they couldn't hold him down. But in the end, the five guards finally managed to subdue Shao Qun.
Li Chengxiu and the beautiful youngster were both terrified, as they shivered with their backs against the wall.
Shao Qun was like a furious lion, roaring and cursing for a long time. He only slowly calmed down when the man was finally carried away.
Li Chengxiu looked at Shao Qun, trembling all over. He stood as if stupefied, not daring to move.
He had never seen Shao Qun like this before. It turned out that Shao Qun had such a terrible side - it seemed he was capable of killing somebody. This made Li Chengxiu shudder.
Shao Qun pulled himself away from the grip of the security guards and turned to stare at Li Chengxiu.
Li Chengxiu looked back at him in horror.
Shao Qun shouted at him: "Are you a fucking idiot? Why did you go with him?"
Li Chengxiu burst into tears and looked at Shao Qun at a loss.
When Shao Qun saw him crying, his anger became even more intense: "Stop fucking crying! Like a fucking sissy, all you know is how to cry all day long! He would have raped you and thrown out the body, and nobody would have even found out how you died!”
Li Chengxiu didn't dare to cry anymore, but his tears just wouldn’t stop rolling. Now Shao Qun was so scary that it seemed he might rush up and kill him at any moment.
Shao Qun felt a little pity when he saw that Li Chengxiu was shaking so badly. It's just been a long time since anything could provoke him like this. When he saw that man pressing against Li Chengxiu and touching him all over, he really wanted to kill the guy. Shao Qun only regretted that instead of kicking the guy directly, he just punched him in the face.
Shao Qun walked up and touched Li Chengxiu's face. Li Chengxiu shook and looked at him aggrieved.
"Does it hurt?" He gently tapped his swollen cheek. That damn bastard! If no one had stopped Shao Qun, he would have fucking killed him.
Shao Chun took Li Chengxiu back to their room, took out an ice cola from the refrigerator and applied it against his cheek.
Li Chengxiu sniffed and said, "I'm sorry."
Shao Qun had calmed down a lot by now. He picked Li Chengxiu up and sat him on his lap: "In the future, you are not allowed to go anywhere with strangers. You are almost thirty now, you’re not a child. Do you really need to be reminded?"
"I didn't expect..." Li Chengxiu suddenly remembered why he went somewhere with that person in the first place. He looked at Shao Qun's still arrogant face, hesitated for a long time and finally said, "He told me…that you and his..."
Shao Qun glanced at him: "What about me and him?"
"You and his… boyfriend..."
Shao Qun preemptively asked, "Are you suspecting me of something?"
Li Chengxiu hurriedly said, "No, it's just..."
Shao Qun raised his voice: "Why are you suspecting me? You’re the one who just went somewhere with some guy."
Li Chengxiu hurriedly explained: "No, I didn't suspect you. Really."
Shao Qun looked at his anxious face and was satisfied. He didn’t feel guilty about anything. It was obviously that little slut’s fault who seduced him. And Li Chengxiu was also to blame for being fooled by a couple of words and following that man which made Shao Qun lose his temper.
And now Li Chengxiu is even questioning him!
The two of them originally planned to stay until tomorrow. But considering the situation, the mood wasn’t right anymore, and they returned to Shenzhen that night.
On the way back, Shao Qun didn't say a word. He was thinking about his relationship with Li Chengxiu.
Why did Li Chengxiu suddenly dare to question him? Whom he did and what he did should not be supervised by his own pet.
Maybe it was because he didn't show his actual feelings at first, which made Li Chengxiu misunderstand? Who asked him to be so stubborn and old-fashioned? Shao Qun repeatedly hinted to him that he could give him all kinds of rewards. Yet, he didn’t want that. So Shao Qun had no other choice but to play with his feelings. And now he has had enough of that.
Shao Qun has been playing this game for far too long, and even he himself has fallen into it a bit. Does Li Chengxiu really think that they’re in love?
He began to think about a way to make Li Chengxiu understand that there was a deal between them and at the same time make Li Chengxiu accept it willingly.
He took out his mobile phone and made a call: "Hey, Xiao Zhou, have you already completed the procedures for that real estate certificate?"
Chapter 29
The weather was getting colder, and Li Chengxiu was afraid of the cold, so he had already started wearing a sweater. Since he didn’t like turning on the air conditioner, he kept the window closed all day.
Since the time they had come back from the hot springs, Shao Qun very rarely came over. Li Chengxiu wasn’t sure if he was being too sensitive but he felt that Shao Qun’s attitude now was a little cold. He would occasionally be very picky. For instance, at that moment:
"Why don't you open the window? There’s an unpleasant smell in the house. Can't you smell it yourself?"
Li Chengxiu quickly opened the floor-to-ceiling windows, and a cold wind came in. He shivered and put on his coat.
Shao Qun looked at him like he was a freak and turned on the air conditioner: "Can't you turn on the AC?"
Li Chengxiu responded: "Electricity is expensive."
When he used to work in the hotel, he heard that the most electricity-consuming thing was the air conditioner.
Shao Qun said loudly, "If you catch a cold by freezing yourself, it will be more expensive to treat your illness. Since you can’t even make this easy calculation, you probably need to study some more accounting."
Li Chengxiu thought that something unpleasant might have happened to Shao Qun again. He was very angry today, and Li Chengxiu didn't want to annoy him even more, so he silently went into the kitchen to cook.
The Shao Qun now was completely different from the kind and courteous gentleman that Shao Qun used to be when the two of them had just met again. The longer they stayed together, the more Li Chengxiu realized that this person was domineering, arrogant, short-tempered, and sometimes even unreasonable.
His living habits were also not very good. As soon as he entered the house, he would just throw his clothes and keys around. And then he’d get angry when he couldn’t find them before leaving.
Li Chengxiu could tolerate all of this, and he was also willing to take care of Shao Qun, if it could make the two of them get along more harmoniously. But recently, Shao Qun's attitude made him feel more and more that Shao Qun only came around to have sex.
Even though Li Chengxiu had prepared a whole table of dishes for him, Shao Qun didn’t even take a couple bites before forcefully dragging Li Chengxiu into the bedroom and venting all the desires on him that had been pent up for days.
Li Chengxiu was a little hurt by his rough actions, so he lay in bed for a long time, unwilling to move.
Shao Qun got up and left the bedroom. After a while he came in again and threw a document in front of Li Chengxiu.
Li Chengxiu picked up the document and looked at it, but he didn't understand what it was: "What is this?"
Shao Qun sat on the bedside, lit a cigarette, and said slowly, "A present for you."
"……What?"
Shao Qun turned over some pages and pointed to the one with the signature: "Sign here, and then this house is yours."
Li Chengxiu was startled. He dropped the document in his hands, as if it was a hot potato: "Why...why?"
"You deserve it. You've been with me for more than half a year. You've done a great job."
Li Chengxiu felt that his tone was a little strange. Was it somehow not a given thing to be nice to each other when in a relationship?
"I… I can't…accept"
Shao Qun pulled out a pen from the bedside table and threw it to him: "Sign it. You’ve been taking care of me during all this time. This house is just a symbol of my kind feelings. I don't like to be indebted to others."
Li Chengxiu's face was pale, and he felt a little pain in his heart: "You don't owe me anything. I take care of you… not because…of this."
Shao Qun exhaled a smoke ring: "Chengxiu, we are both adults. Can you be more pragmatic? You have stayed in this city for so many years. You are thirty years old now, and you don't even have a place to live in. Aren’t you thinking about your future? Someone is giving you a house for free. That doesn’t just happen every day. Do you understand what I mean?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head. He didn't understand.
He understood every word separately but he couldn’t understand exactly what Shao Qun was getting at.
Shao Qun impatiently picked up the pen again and put it in Li Chengxiu’s hand: "It’s a good thing for you to sign. You will thank me in the future."
Li Chengxiu threw away the pen. His body was shaking. Eloquently he said: "Shao Qun, I am together with you not for any of this."
Shao Qun almost blurted out: “Why the fuck then? Do you really want to play “feelings” with someone like me? Are you worthy?”
However, looking at Li Chengxiu's obviously hurt expression, he swallowed his words.
He knew that Li Chengxiu undeniably really liked him now. Although this made him very happy, he also hoped that Li Chengxiu would be just like everyone else. When they broke up in the future, he would rather they go their own merry ways. Li Chengxiu mustn’t become like one of those annoying people who first cried, then screamed, then threatened to kill themselves.
Shao Qun didn’t like to owe anybody anything, but Li Chengxiu had to be stupid and refuse to accept this pie in the sky. Oh, so he wanted to talk about feelings? Okay then, that saved Shao Qun a house.
Shao Qun threw the document on the ground, rolled over and got out of bed. Then he put on his clothes and left.
Li Chengxiu shrank under the covers, feeling that his eyes were a little sore. The longer they were together, the more obvious was the difference between him and Shao Qun. The anxiety caused by these differences made Li Chengxiu’s inner unease gradually grow stronger.
Shao Qun hadn’t appeared again for more than ten consecutive days.
Li Chengxiu called him, but Shao Qun just perfunctorily said that he was too busy and quickly hung up. He felt uncomfortable, but he didn't want to offend Shao Qun, so he sent a text message every few days to just say hello. He didn't dare to make another phone call.
Shao Qun still came over occasionally, but did nothing more than eat, have sex, and sleep. He seldom hugged him while reading or chatting like he did previously, and the sweetness between the two of them had obviously disappeared.
Li Chengxiu remembered that he once had read in one book that it was normal for partners to reach this stage. Everyone was always very enthusiastic at the beginning, and then gradually things would become more ordinary. But Shao Qun's enthusiasm lasted much too short.
Winter was approaching. Although Li Chengxiu had a lot on his mind, he didn’t delay his studies at all. He got the top ranking in all of the three exams and finally received the opportunity to start an internship at Li Shuo’s accounting firm.
Since then, he had classes every Monday and Wednesday and went to work every Tuesday and Thursday. Such a busy and fulfilling life made him feel relieved. He didn't have to stay alone in a cold house and wonder if Shao Qun was going to come over today. That feeling was more difficult to endure than the cold winter.
When Li Chengxiu went to work on the first day, he was wrapped like a dumpling. When he and the two other interns reported to Li Shuo's office, Li Shuo didn't recognize Li Chengxiu at first sight.
The office was located in a high-end office building in the CBD[18], and the rent was staggeringly expensive.
Li Shuo was a very charismatic leader. Although he practiced centralized management, his subordinates basically worshiped him[19].
Li Shuo was extremely handsome. Li Shuo was witty and humorous. Li Shuo was generous, and Li Shuo had clear rewards and punishments. Li Shuo could make any employee feel valued. Li Shuo was a perfect boss and a perfect man.
These were the conclusions that Li Chengxiu made after listening to the talks in the office only after one week at work..
But Li Shuo also had a secret that was not actually a secret. Perhaps the only flaw that this man had was that he was gay.
He didn't deliberately hide it, but he also never took the initiative to publicize it. Even though he was very attractive to women, Li Shuo, a thirty-six-year-old diamond bachelor, avoided the trouble of being entangled with any of them by just using these rumors.
Li Chengxiu, like all the employees of the firm, was also brainwashed into worshiping his boss. He dreamed that one day he could also become such an excellent accountant like Li Shuo.
Although it was officially an internship, the nature of Li Chengxiu’s work was basically doing chores.
Because Li Shuo was a shareholder of the tutoring school, the three internship places were actually only offered as a marketing tool for the school. In fact, there was no need for so many interns at all.
Li Chengxiu was older than even most of the regular employees, so he really wanted to learn as much as possible. Basically, he was doing the work of the other two interns too. But it made him happy. Checking the data over and over again was much more enjoyable than frying the oil in the pan over and over again.
"Xiao Li."
Li Chengxiu was stapling documents in front of the copier. When he heard Li Shuo's voice, he immediately turned his head and greeted, "Mr. Li."
Li Shuo handed him the documents in his hand, glanced at the papers that Li Chengxiu was already holding and said with a smile, "This looks quite tedious. Make sure not to mix them all up.”
Li Chengxiu quickly nodded.
"Make a copy of this for me. Then fax it to this number."
Li Chengxiu had just learned to use the copier. But after a few days he knew the big machine in and out already. He carefully took the documents from Li Shuo and said, "Okay."
Li Shuo glanced at him with admiration: "You work very hard. Diligence is a rare quality, and you must continue to maintain it."
"Um."
When Li Chengxiu was done with his work, he knocked on Li Shuo's office to hand in the printed materials.
"Come in."
Li Chengxiu entered right when Li Shuo was bending over to find something on the bookshelf.
Li Chengxiu put the documents on the table: "Mr. Li, the papers are here."
Li Shuo finally found the book he was looking for and turned around happily: "Come, Xiao Li, I’d like to give you a book."
Li Chengxiu looked at the book. It was a treatise on accounting, and the author's name was Li Shuo.
Li Shuo said with a smile: "I wrote it three years ago. I gained a lot of experience when I was an actuary in my early years, so I compiled a book about it. I think it's easy to understand, and I hope it can help you."
Li Chengxiu was flattered and thanked him again and again.
"You're welcome, Xiao Li. I think you have great potential. You are careful and hardworking. If you do well, you can continue to work with me after you graduate."
Li Chengxiu's eyes widened in surprise: "Thank you, thank you, Mr. Li!"
Li Shuo looked at him with a smile: "You're welcome."
When Li Chengxiu returned to the desk to continue checking the data, his phone suddenly rang.
He was so embarrassed that he quickly dropped the call. He remembered that he had forgotten to switch off the sound. No one would call him on the weekdays besides Shao Qun anyway, and Shao Qun hadn't called him in a long time.
While Li Chengxiu was walking across the office to the hall, his phone rang yet again. He had to drop the call once more.
When he was finally in the hall, Li Chengxiu pressed the call button and said with confidence: "Hello."
"You dare to hang up on me!" Shao Qun's angry voice came from the opposite side.
Li Chengxiu explained: "I'm at work."
"Work? Are you going to work again?" Shao Qun raised his voice. He got even angrier hearing the word “work”.
Shao Qun hadn't contacted him for so long that even though it was already Li Chengxiu’s second week at the firm, he had no chance to tell about it to Shao Qun. He didn’t think it was a big deal, since he couldn’t just sit at home the whole time.
Li Chengxiu answered with a little excitement: "I'm doing an internship at an accounting firm."
"Accounting firm? Which firm?"
"The one that collaborates with my tutoring school..."
Shao Qun paused for a while and suddenly said sharply, "Is it the firm of that shareholder who took you home that time?"
Li Chengxiu was stunned by his tone, yet he nodded in response. Then he remembered that Shao Qun couldn't see him, so he said, "Yes."
Shao Qun went silent, and it took a long time before he gritted his teeth and said, "Address. Now. I'll pick you up."
Li Chengxiu hesitantly said, "I'm at work."
"Address!"
Li Chengxiu quickly told him the address, hung up the phone and waited anxiously for Shao Qun to come.
He didn’t know why Shao Qun was angry. Actually, he never knew why Shao Qun was angry. Shao Qun's temper was just too bad. Anything could make him angry.
Li Chengxiu looked at his watch. Fortunately, it was almost time for lunch break.
When Shao Qun called him again, he was already on his break. Li Chengxiu answered the phone and took the elevator directly to the underground parking lot.
This office building had three floors in the parking lot. It looked pretty gloomy there. Li Chengxiu was looking around for Shao Qun, when the sound of a horn suddenly startled him.
He turned his head and saw that Shao Qun was driving a commercial car he had never seen before. He was sitting in the driver's seat in a suit and leather shoes with an unhappy expression on his face.
Li Chengxiu hurried over. Shao Qun got out of the car, opened the door of the back seat, and the two of them got inside the car together.
Shao Qun's face was full of anger: "Why did you come to work here without telling me? Why are you even able to work here? Did the shareholder hire you?"
Li Chengxiu explained earnestly: "You were too busy, so I didn't say anything. There are three exams hosted by the school. If one gets good grades on them, then one can come work here."
Shao Qun looked at him suspiciously: "Did you really get in due to the exam results?"
Li Chengxiu nodded: "Really."
Shao Qun tugged at his clothes uneasily: "How old is that shareholder?"
"He’s almost forty."
Shao Qun's expression softened a little: "I told you a long time ago, you don’t need to work. But now not only did you start working, but you also didn’t tell me about it. What’s the deal with that?"
"Shao Qun, I have to work. Being alone at home is boring."
"You can find other things to do. You can go shopping or go to a beauty salon. In short, I hope I can see you at home when I come by."
Li Chengxiu was stunned: "I… I don't go shopping… I work, so I can gain knowledge…. Besides, you rarely come by..."
Shao Qun frowned: "You think I don’t spend enough time with you?"
Li Chengxiu said hurriedly: "No, you are busy… I thought…If I am also busy…I won't be bored."
Shao Qun said in a vicious tone, "Then how about you move in with me?"
As soon as these words came out, Shao Qun regretted it.
He had never lived with a lover before, as he had to get rid of these people at some point in the future, which in that case would be troublesome. But looking at Li Chengxiu's surprised expression, he didn't want to take his words back.
Shao Qun felt that his eating preferences had been spoiled by Li Chengxiu. It always seemed to him that the food outside was not as delicious as Li Chengxiu's cooking. He also thought that the part time workers at home were not as good as Li Chengxiu. Even the boys who were younger and prettier than Li Chengxiu and knew how to serve him well were worse than Li Chengxiu. There was something unpolished that only Li Chengxiu had.
Shao Qun didn't know what was wrong with him. He got tired of Li Chengxiu, so he played outside like crazy for a month. But now he was fed up with all of that again, and he felt that it was better with Li Chengxiu.
Li Chengxiu looked at him with uncertainty: "Really?"
Shao Qun kissed him: "Really. So just quit your job. Then you can see me every day."
Li Chengxiu's surprised expression instantly darkened: "Shao Qun, I can't quit. I like this job, and I am very happy here."
Shao Qun lowered his face again: "Now you’re going to school and also working. How can you still have the time to take care of me?"
Embarrassed, Li Chengxiu looked at him, "Shao Qun, I really don't want to resign. This is my opportunity… Shao Qun."
Shao Qun looked at his pleading expression, and he couldn't say any harsh words.
He had mentioned before that Li Chengxiu could go work at his company, but he just said that casually. In reality, it was impossible for Shao Qun to mix his private life with work. If Li Chengxiu caused him any trouble, it wouldn’t be worth all the loss. So he couldn't make Li Chengxiu resign at this point in time. After all, Shao Qun had left him in the cold for a while and had to coax him again. It was a bit inappropriate to talk about it just yet.
Shao Qun decided to put this aside for later: "Okay, let's talk about it some other time."
Li Chengxiu was smiling again.
Shao Qun pulled him closer and touched his waist: "Darling, I’ve missed you. Did you miss me too?"
Li Chengxiu whispered, "I did."
Shao Qun smiled with satisfaction and put his hand into Li Chengxiu’s pants.
Li Chengxiu was shocked, as they were still inside the car.
Shao Qun didn’t care about any of this. Regardless of his struggles, Li Chengxiu had nowhere to hide in this small space. Shao Qun hugged him and put him on his lap. He then entered him right in this position.
Li Chengxiu hugged his neck, feeling confused as Shao Qun kissed him with abandon and rampaged his body.
After a while, the car was violently shaking.
Li Chengxiu gritted his teeth and let out a cat-like moan.
Li Shuo’s wise words. Mhm.
Chapter 30
Li Chengxiu thought that “moving in together with Shao Qun” meant that Shao Qun would move into the apartment where Li Chengxiu was living now. He didn’t expect that he was the one who had to move.
Shao Qun's actions could only be described as vigorous and resolute. The day after they had the talk, the elite assistant Zhou arrived together with the movers.
Li Chengxiu couldn’t intervene in the entire process at all. In a matter of a single morning, Li Chengxiu was brought to a duplex villa together with his things.
The lighting in the house was very good. As soon as one entered, there was an immediate feeling of sunshine. The interior decorations were elegant and simple and mainly kept in cool tones. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows there was a garden with a large flowerbed and a small fish pond. Li Chengxiu felt that the air around here was unusually fresh.
With a blank expression, assistant Zhou instructed the workers to put all the things at their respective places. He then said to Li Chengxiu, "Mr. Li, please feel at home. However, there are some things here that you should pay special attention to. For example, Mr.Shao’s study is off limits. Please don't go in there without his permission. Also, please don't move the things that Mr. Shao usually uses from their places. He will be angry if he can't find them. The plants and the fish species in the garden are very precious, so there are special people who take care of them. Please don't water the plants and don’t feed the fish."
Li Chengxiu nodded awkwardly, not used to assistant Zhou's cold and very polite tone.
Assistant Zhou looked at his watch before leaving: "Mr. Li, you can start preparing lunch. Mr. Shao's office is very close to here. He said he would come back for lunch at noon."
"Oh……"
Li Chengxiu didn't have time to unpack his things. He immediately got busy in the kitchen. He had just finished cooking, when Shao Qun arrived.
As soon as Shao Qun entered the door, he felt the smell of vegetables and got into a good mood.
He didn’t like outsiders coming in and out of his home at will, except for the part-timers and those who took care of the garden. In regards to his meals, Shao Qun always tried to either eat outside or go to Li Chengxiu's place.
After eating out for a long time, he didn’t feel so good, so being able to eat home-cooked food for lunch was a great comfort to Shao Qun’s stomach. And Li Chengxiu’s food was especially delicious. Shao Qun now felt that even top hotel chefs were nothing compared to Li Chengxiu.
He sneakily hugged Li Chengxiu and said coquettishly, "Wifey, I'm home."
Li Chengxiu blushed, and his heart felt as sweet as if it was just covered in honey. He patted Shao Qun’s back lightly and said softly, "Let's eat."
This was the most perfect life that Li Chengxiu could imagine. He studied, worked, and cooked warm meals for his lover. He felt very happy.
Shao Qun had always had a good habit of taking naps. This kept him clear-headed and energetic throughout the day. On the other hand, the nature of Li Chengxiu's previous work made him have no concept of a lunch break at all.
After eating, Li Chengxiu was pulled into bed, where he slept comfortably in Shao Qun’s arms.
At first, Shao Qun hesitated letting Li Chengxiu enter his private territory, regretting that he had spoken too quickly. But after a few comfortable days, he felt that his decision was very correct.
Li Chengxiu was taking care of Shao Qun in a way one would serve people in heaven.
No matter if he had something to do or not on that day, Li Chengxiu always got up earlier than Shao Qun. By the time Shao Qun was up, the toothpaste was already squeezed out for him, the clean towels were arranged, and the bathroom was so spotless that no water stains could be found anywhere from the sink to the floor. Breakfast was also prepared in advance for him, and it was still hot under the lid. And every day it was something different.
Even if Li Chengxiu wasn’t at home during lunch time, he would prepare lunch for Shao Qun in advance. All he needed to do was heat it up in the microwave. In the evening, Li Chengxiu always came back earlier than him. No matter when Shao Qun came back, a hot meal would be served to him within two minutes. If he wanted to take a bath, the water temperature would be adjusted to his liking, the underwear and pajamas would be placed within reach of his hand, and he could change into dry slippers immediately after washing. The bedspreads, sheets, etc were changed every week, and the house was so clean that even a person as picky as Shao Qun couldn’t find anything to complain about.
In short, Li Chengxiu could pay attention to the tiniest details of his life. Shao Qun really felt like he had married an almighty wife, so that he had nothing left to worry about except work. While Shao Qun was growing up, there were four nannies in their house. Even they didn't manage to make Shao Qun feel so comfortable and have such a convenient life. When he first hooked up with Li Chengxiu, he really didn't expect that there would be so many benefits.
He felt that as long as he needed to stay in Shenzhen for even one day, he would not be willing to break up with Li Chengxiu.
On Thursday, a colleague at work told Li Chengxiu that the boss was inviting everyone to dinner that evening.
Because it was a group activity, Li Chengxiu felt it would be awkward not to participate, so he called Shao Qun during his lunch break. Although Shao Qun was really unwilling, he didn’t insist on him not attending.
They all got off work an hour earlier that day. Li Shuo brought all the staff to a high-end Japanese restaurant, and dozens of people stormed the place like a hurricane.
During the meal, someone kept toasting Li Shuo, and Li Chengxiu was shocked to see it.
After a few glasses of wine, the usual high-level white-collar workers were really letting loose. Several people grabbed the microphone and started wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves.
Such a scene really scared Li Chengxiu. He retreated to the corner of the restaurant by himself. Since there was a large root carving in front of him now, it made him feel more at ease.
Sitting there alone in a daze, he was watching his lively colleagues, when Li Shuo quietly sat down next to him.
Li Chengxiu exclaimed in panic, "Boss!"
Li Shuo's face turned slightly red, and he raised the wine glass in his hand: "Why don't you drink?"
"I can’t drink."
Li Shuo said with a smile: "This is not good. How can a man say that he can't drink?"
Li Chengxiu was a little embarrassed: "I'm bad at drinking."
Li Shuo didn't push him anymore. He put down his glass and said, "I just saw that you didn't eat much. Why? Was it not up to your liking?"
"No. I'm just not used to eating raw."
Li Shuo said with a smile: "They also serve many cooked dishes here. How about asking the kitchen to make you a ramen?"
"No, I'm full."
Li Shuo shook his head, smiling. Before Li Chengxiu could dissuade him, he got up and walked to the kitchen. After a while, he returned with a bowl of noodles, "It’s ready-made fried udon. Eat some, while it’s hot."
Li Chengxiu glanced at him gratefully and carefully started eating the noodles with his chopsticks.
Li Shuo smiled: "Xiao Li, where are you from?"
"Beijing."
"Oh, how did you get here?"
"I came for work."
"What did you do before?"
"I was a cook."
Li Shuo said in surprise: "A chef? Why did you suddenly decide to study accounting?"
Li Chengxiu said shyly: “It wasn’t a sudden decision. I thought about it for a long time ago, but I had no money."
"Then you can finally realize your dream now. Congratulations."
"Thank you, boss."
Li Shuo said: "I really love food. When will I have the opportunity to try your craftsmanship?"
"Ah..." Li Chengxiu didn't know how to answer that.
"I mean it. In my spare time, I also like to cook things by myself. My kitchen has everything. It’s absolutely equipped for any chef to use. When you have time after work, we can invite a few friends to my house to cook, chat, and drink tea."
Li Chengxiu said hesitantly, "Okay." He had never been invited anywhere by any classmates or colleagues, and he was really reluctant to refuse such a kind invitation.
Li Shuo happily took out his mobile phone and pressed a few keys.
Li Chengxiu's cell phone suddenly rang. He looked down and saw that it was an unfamiliar number.
"This is my number. Call me when you are free."
Li Chengxiu stared blankly at the screen, wondering when Li Shuo had managed to save his number.
Li Shuo put down his mobile phone and said, "I'll take you home in a while. Since I already know where you live…"
"I…I moved."
"Oh? It doesn't matter. There won’t be any traffic jams now anyway."
Li Chengxiu remembered what Shao Qun said about not being allowed to ride in someone else's car, so he declined: "Thank you, boss. I'll go back by myself."
Li Shuo smiled gently: "You're welcome. Taking care of employees is also the duty of a good boss. This place is relatively remote, and it’s not easy to take the bus here."
Li Chengxiu insisted: "Thank you, boss. I’ll go back…by myself."
Li Shuo's expression showed a little disappointment, and he spread his hands: "Well, then be careful. If you need anything, just call me. I'll be happy to help you at any time."
Li Chengxiu nodded and said sincerely, "Thank you, boss."
That night, Li Chengxiu didn't return home until after nine o'clock. Shao Qun was very unhappy and told him to avoid such useless gatherings in the future. Or, if it was impossible to do so, to resign.
Li Chengxiu was most afraid of resigning, so he quickly promised Shao Qun that he would try not to participate in the future.
A few days later, Li Shuo called Li Chengxiu to the office and said that he was going to take him to a bidding meeting of a state-owned enterprise. He brought the most important staff members from the two offices, and Li Chengxiu was the only intern among them.
Li Chengxiu was naturally excited to have such an opportunity and thanked Li Shuo again and again.
After leaving the office, he noticed that his colleagues were looking at him weirdly. But there was no malice in those glances, rather some curiosity and ambiguity.
After the lunch break, the driver took the four of them across the city to the bidding meeting.
Li Shuo was confident and calm at the meeting. He had a lot of witty words to say, and his limelight overshadowed everyone else in the room. This made Li Chengxiu and several other people admire him even more.
Li Chengxiu originally thought that this meeting would be over before the end of the work day. What he didn’t expect was that it ended right at the beginning of rush hour. The city roads were jammed, and it took them half an hour to drive 200 meters.
Li Chengxiu looked at his watch and felt anxious.
His two colleagues finally couldn't sit still anymore. They got out of the car and planned to take the subway back.
Li Chengxiu didn’t have such an option. The place where Shao Qun lived was not accessible by the subway. People in that residential area used their cars to go in and out. Even the closest bus station was 10 minutes away.
Li Shuo looked at his watch, pursed his lips and smiled: "At this speed, it will take us two hours to return to the company. It's dinner time now. I'm so hungry that my stomach is touching my back already. I know a restaurant nearby. It only takes ten minutes to walk there. Let's go have a meal."
Li Chengxiu hesitantly looked at the long traffic jam dragon with no head and no tail and felt that it was impossible to come home earlier than Shao Qun today.
Li Shuo got out of the car without saying anything, went around to the opposite side and opened the car door for Li Chengxiu. He then made an inviting gesture: "Come on! Instead of wasting our time here, why don't we enjoy some food? And when we're done eating, the rush hour should already be over."
Li Chengxiu had no other choice but to get out of the car. Li Shuo said a few words to the driver and closed the door. Supporting Li Chengxiu on his back, Li Shuo led him to the sidewalk: "Be careful! Watch out for the cars."
Li Chengxiu wrapped himself tightly in his clothes and followed Li Shuo. After getting onto the sidewalk, he took out his mobile phone: "Boss, I have to make a call."
Li Shuo smiled and nodded.
Li Chengxiu turned his back to him and called Shao Qun. But even after two calls there was no answer.
Li Shuo joked: "What’s wrong? Is your girlfriend waiting for you?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head: "No." He was a bit worried and afraid that Shao Qun would get angry again, if he came home and saw that he was not there.
Li Shuo made an inviting gesture again: "No matter who is waiting for you, there is no way to go back right now. How about you spend some time with me?"
Li Chengxiu bowed politely: "Thank you, boss."
Li Shuo walked right beside him, and Li Chengxiu could see that many women's eyes lit up when they saw Li Shuo.
Li Shuo took him to a Thai restaurant and told him with a wink: "The curry crab here is really unique. And it's not raw this time. You’ll have to eat a bit more later."
Li Chengxiu smiled and nodded.
This Thai restaurant had a name that was hard to pronounce. The layout and the atmosphere of the restaurant seemed to be couple-oriented. There were only a few large tables inside, while all the tables by the windows were meant for two people.
Li Shuo expertly ordered a few dishes. While waiting for their food to come, he decided to chat. His eyes were gentle and sincere when he said: "Xiao Li, I want to know more about you."
Li Chengxiu didn't know why, so he carefully asked: "Know... what?"
Li Shuo took off his glasses and rubbed his eyebrows: "I'm really tired today, as you can see. Everyone is similar to a starving beast when there’s a competition to acquire a business. But now that we're off work, you don't have to treat me as your boss. I don't plan to treat you as my employee either. I hope we can just be friends. What do you think about that, Chengxiu?"
Friends... Li Chengxiu was not familiar with the world, but he knew that employees couldn’t be friends with the boss.
"Can I call you Chengxiu?"
Li Chengxiu quickly nodded.
"Then when we’re not at work, I don't want you to call me “boss”. You can call me Li-Dage[20]."
Li Chengxiu was not very happy about his boss's initiative to get closer, but rather felt terrified. He stared at the lemonade in front of him, not daring to look up.
Li Shuo's warm voice and soft music were flowing into Li Chengxiu's ears: "Chengxiu, please do it."
Li Chengxiu hesitated for a long time, then whispered, "Li-Dage."
Li Shuo smiled with satisfaction: "And now that we’re friends, isn’t it reasonable to get to know each other?"
Li Chengxiu agreed: "Okay."
Li Shuo crossed his hands, put his thumbs against his chin, and looked into Li Chengxiu's eyes without hesitation: "Chengxiu, in fact, from the first time we met, I could see some similarities between us."
[1] In the original the saying is “If you love somebody, you will also love the crow on their house”, meaning that one should accept their loved one with everything that they bring with them.
[2]Speak for yourself XD
[3] Around 8000 USD
[4] As explained previously, it means he “was more easily convinced by a soft approach rather than brute force”.
[5] A little more than 9000 USD.
[6] In the original it says, “three chastities and nine virtues”, which refers to the ideal attributes of a perfect wife.
[7] In the original it says that he is “a shareholder of this class”. Since only companies have shareholders, I assume that here she means the school. This, of course, would mean that this is a for-profit school.
[8] Just a note that “Li” from Li Chengxiu is a different character, namely this one: 李
[9] An Audi model - full-size luxury car
[10] An extraordinarily expensive perfume for men (like, 400$ for 100ml). The smell is a mix of fresh citrus and spicy notes. Sounds like one of those typical male aroma profiles.
[11] So Shao Qun actually had that perfume himself XD Man, the pettiness of it all.
[12] Food metaphors are always fun
[13] Peach blossom eyes is a description for long and slender eye shape with tails slightly tilted upwards. It resembles a peach flower petal and typically looks lovely. It is also sometimes known as the “bedroom eye” because it gives people an impression that this person has not fully woken up from sleep yet.
[14] As a personal opinion side note: if you read “Additional Inheritance”, you’ll see that that’s not quite the case. Shao Qun is not attracted to “girliness” per se, but rather to low self-esteem.
[15] Citizens of China have the right to contest administrative penalties and compulsory enforcement actions, either by seeking administrative review through the administration reconsideration process or court review through the administrative litigation process. (according to Yale Law School.edu)
[16] Funnily enough he is not that wrong. According to a study by New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, men who had group sex were more likely diagnosed as having gonorrhea compared with men with dyadic sex. At the same time, they were less likely to get HIV due to condom usage being more prevalent during group sex than during dyadic sex.
[17] Cantonese is the most spoken language in Hong Kong, with only 48% speaking Mandarin. In Shenzhen the official language is Mandarin, however locally a lot of Cantonese is spoken.
[18] Central Business District (not cannabidiol XD)
[19] The original uses the expression 个人崇拜 (“cult of personality”). Since I only associate this term with Mao, Stalin, and Kim Jong-Un, I decided to avoid using it in the translation. Then again, when I read the next paragraph with all the Li Shuo praise, I thought maybe I should have left it in.