(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)
(Chapters 21 - 30 can be found here:Sissy (娘娘腔) c21 - c30)
Chapter 31
"Similarities?"
Li Shuo had a pair of very beautiful eyes - not large, long and narrow, and unusually deep. After taking off his glasses, he looked a little less strict and sophisticated, and a little more suave. Under the look of those eyes, Chengxiu felt that Li Shuo was able to instantly see right through him.
Li Chengxiu was a little embarrassed to look back at him, so his own eyes began to wander.
It was lightly raining outside. There was a small fountain visible from where they were sitting. The music in the restaurant was gentle and quiet, and the sound of the rain hitting the water in the fountain was clear and pleasant. Li Shuo's thick, magnetic voice rang out with great solemnity at that time, and when Li Chengxiu thought back on it later, he felt that it was one of the most touching things he had ever heard.
"Chengxiu, when people get to my age, they tend to avoid wasting time. Because they feel that their youth is already gone, they understand that they should do everything as soon as possible, in order not to miss out on opportunities and regret it when they get old. To be honest, a few months ago, I got out of a three-year relationship. I thought that he was someone who could accompany me for the rest of my life, but...How do I put it? I gradually just can’t keep up with the minds of young people anymore. I believe that my sexuality is no secret in the office. My parents also know, they are very enlightened. I'm looking for someone who would be willing to seriously share their life with me. So I invited you out today to get to know you better. I hope it all doesn’t sound too abrupt, but I'm sure you don't like beating around the bush either, do you?"
Li Chengxiu twisted his fingers under the table. He never dreamed that Li Shuo would say something like that to him. His eyes widened in surprise.
In his mind, Li Shuo was unattainable. Although he was always humble and courteous, a person like that without any flaws could only be regarded as an idol.
How could Li Shuo step down from his altar?
This made Li Chengxiu terrified.
Li Shuo laughed out loud, and his slender fingers waved in front of Li Chengxiu’s eyes: "Look at you! Why are you scared like this?"
Li Chengxiu responded with some embarrassment: "Boss..."
"Hey, don't call me “boss”! Just call me Li-Dage."
Li Chengxiu opened his mouth several times, but he still couldn’t overcome his shame, "I… how do you know…that…I am..."
Li Shuo gave him a mysterious smile: "I have met many people in my life, and I can usually tell... In fact, the first time I took you home, I really just did it out of kindness. I didn’t expect at all to encounter someone like you. Isn’t it fate?"
"But……"
"What’s wrong? Do you already have a boyfriend?"
Li Chengxiu blushed and was about to say something when his phone suddenly rang. He looked at the screen and immediately picked it up: "Hello, Shao Qun..."
"Where the hell are you again?" Shao Qun's angry voice came from the other end of the phone. The restaurant surroundings were quiet, and Li Shuo was close enough to hear everything clearly. He couldn't help raising his eyebrows.
Li Chengxiu's face looked embarrassed. He nodded apologetically to Li Shuo, got up and walked to the corner of the room.
"Shao Qun, just hear me out."
"It's already past seven pm! Don’t you know that I’m still hungry, and there is no one here to attend to me? Didn't you say you were not going to any more of those stupid parties in the future?"
"I’m not at a party. Today… we went to a tender meeting… on the way back…we got stuck in traffic."
"If you were in a traffic jam, you would be in the car right now. It doesn’t sound like you’re in the car though"
"I'm here with..." Li Chengxiu remembered that every time he mentioned his boss, Shao Qun would seem very disdainful, and his face would immediately darken. He didn't want to have any unpleasantness with Shao Qun because of this, so he avoided the key issue and just said lightly, "...with my colleagues…to have a meal. "
Shao Qun's tone immediately became sharp: "Which colleague? Male or female?"
Li Chengxiu glanced at Li Shuo and gritted his teeth: "Colleagues... a lot of colleagues."
Shao Qun's tone softened a little, but he still insisted: "You should quit your job as soon as possible. I've been tired all day, and now I can't even have a meal when I get home. What do I need you for then?”
Li Chengxiu felt uneasy, and he thought that what Shao Qun said was too harsh.
Shao Qun probably also felt that his tone was too heavy, so he took a deep breath and said, "Where are you? I'll pick you up."
"I...I don't know where it is."
"Ask the waiter and tell me the address. Doesn’t matter what you were going to eat just now, you are not allowed to eat anymore. Wait for me to arrive, so we can eat together."
"But……"
"Chengxiu, our food is here. Come and eat it while it's still hot. My stomach is rumbling with hunger." A gentle and ambiguous voice suddenly came from behind. Li Chengxiu's back froze, and Shao Qun suddenly went silent.
"I…I'll go over right away." Li Chengxiu quickly stepped back, looking in horror at Li Shuo who was smiling at him.
"Li Chengxiu!" Shao Qun gritted his teeth and angrily hung up the phone.
Li Chengxiu stared at the phone blankly. He wanted to call Shao Qun back, but he didn't dare.
Li Shuo pulled him back to the table: "Come on, let's eat. It will be a shame if it gets cold."
Li Chengxiu was still restless, there were sweat droplets on his forehead.
Li Shuo placed some food into his bowl: "Chengxiu, you deserve a gentle partner. Or at least someone who respects you."
Li Chengxiu became defensive: "He's just… temperamental and… a little aggressive. In fact, he treats me well..."
"Oh, really?" Li Shuo chuckled, "Why does that sound a little forced? You're just having a meal with a friend, and he is yelling at you. What kind of respect are we even talking about here?"
Li Chengxiu's face gradually paled.
"Sorry, I shouldn't comment on your private affairs. I just think that if there is a lack of respect and trust in a relationship, something must be out of balance there. An imbalanced relationship is in danger of losing its footing at any time, don't you think?"
Li Chengxiu silently took a bite of his food. It felt like chewing wax.
Li Shuo's words seemed to be sort of a wake-up call for him. Before that, Li Chengxiu had never even thought about the word "respect".
He has been carefully safeguarding his relationship with Shao Qun, and it could be said that he was grateful for what he had. There was a person who liked him and wanted to spend time with him. This alone was enough for Li Chengxiu to be grateful for a lifetime. Not to mention that this person was someone as great as Shao Qun. There was no balance even possible between Li Chengxiu and him.
Shao Qun had a bad temper, he was domineering and unreasonable. Sometimes his words were very harsh and hurtful. But Shao Qun also had a gentle and caring side. He gave Li Chengxiu a place to live, he let him go back to studying, and he created a lot of good memories with him. All in all, Shao Qun was still very good to him. Li Chengxiu shouldn't be too greedy. Even if keeping this relationship required him to compromise a bit, Li Chengxiu still felt that it was well worth it. Between the two of them, Shao Qun will never be the one to yield, so Li Chengxiu was willing to tolerate all of Shao Qun's shortcomings, for the sake of this hard-won happiness right in front of his eyes.
Moreover, judging from what happened just now, there was actually something wrong with Li Chengxiu himself. He was the one who lied to Shao Qun.
When he thought about that, Li Chengxiu felt even more uneasy. He said apologetically to Li Shuo, "Boss, I'd better leave now."
Li Shuo put down his chopsticks and frowned slightly: "Why are you in such a hurry? You haven't even eaten yet."
Li Chengxiu also felt quite embarrassed. He thought that he should at least pay for the meal, in order to apologize a little for the situation. So he subconsciously glanced at the bill right next to him. It was actually unbelievable - the crab cost more than 2,000 RMB[1]. Li Chengxiu suddenly felt as if something was stuck in his throat. He used to work in a hotel, and expensive ingredients were not something he hadn’t seen before. However, when he had to pay for the meal himself, he found the price unacceptable.
He looked at the orange aromatic crab curry and felt that it would really be a great waste if he didn't finish what was in front of him. This made him feel even more guilty in front of Li Shuo.
So he had to bite the bullet and just continue eating.
Li Shuo changed the topic and talked with Li Chengxiu about the food in the restaurant. This immediately lightened the atmosphere.
Towards the end of the meal, Li Chengxiu's phone rang again. This time it was an unfamiliar number.
"Hello?"
Assistant Zhou's cold voice came from the other side: "Mr. Li, are you at a French, a Thai, a Hunan, or a Sichuan restaurant?"
"What?" Li Chengxiu was stunned by his question.
"Mr. Shao asked me to locate your mobile phone. There are four restaurants in the building where you are right now. I guess you wouldn’t be at a Pizza Hut. So which one is it? I will then inform President Shao, and he will soon be there."
Li Chengxiu suddenly felt a chill down his back. Tremblingly he said "Thai. Thai restaurant."
"Thank you." Assistant Zhou deftly hung up the phone.
Li Chengxiu looked out the window anxiously and put down his chopsticks: "Boss, I'm done eating… I… I have to go now."
"Oh?" Li Shuo wiped his mouth with the napkin, "I'm full too. Let's have dessert! All the coconut-flavored desserts here are delicious. You must really try some." He raised his hand and called for the waiter.
Li Chengxiu couldn't stop him, so he just watched as the waiter turned around and brought them exquisite desserts.
Li Chengxiu was really nervous. He frequently looked out of the window and at his phone.
Li Shuo smiled and said, "Is your boyfriend coming to pick you up?"
Li Chengxiu nodded.
"It's a good thing, isn’t it? Why are you so nervous?"
"I……"
Li Shuo sighed: "It's a pity, I like you very much, but someone else has already snatched you up. However..." Li Shuo winked at him, "You are not married. You can change your mind at any time without having to bear any legal responsibility."
Li Chengxiu waved his hands in fright: "We… we are doing fine."
Li Shuo raised his eyebrows and smiled noncommittally: "Chengxiu, although it is not very noble to steal someone's lover, but abandoning the darkness in favor of the light is a choice of a wise man. I would rather be a villain and let you be that wise man. But I don't know if you want it."
Just as Li Chengxiu was about to open his mouth to argue, Li Shuo suddenly raised his hand to interrupt him and said, "One more thing. I am a Chinese-American, so I can actually marry my lover and enjoy all the same rights as the ordinary couples. Chengxiu, have you considered your future with your impulsive young boyfriend?"
Li Chengxiu was stunned by his question. Marriage?
Li Shuo looked at him sincerely: "Chengxiu, although it's too early to say this, I really think that I'm a good fit for you. I appreciate many of your qualities - your gentle and quiet nature, your caution and your thoughtfulness. I am sincere, and I hope to deepen my understanding of you even more in the future.”
Li Chengxiu opened his mouth to speak, but Li Shuo interrupted him yet again: "Don't be in a hurry to reject me for your boyfriend. People make many choices in life. Some are right, some are wrong, and for some you have to wait and see to know, if they were right or wrong in the end. So don't be in a hurry to reject me - maybe he is really not the right person for you. And maybe I am. At least, I am more mature and gentler than he is. And I will respect you. Aren't you curious as to who it is that you can spend your life with?"
Everything Li Shuo said was well-rounded and comprehensive. There was no vitriol or harshness in his words, which left Li Chengxiu speechless.
But at the moment he could only think about escaping. He started to get dressed: "Thank you, boss. I'm leaving."
As soon as he put the scarf around his neck, a loud shout resounded throughout the restaurant.
"Li Chengxiu!"
Li Chengxiu's body trembled. In the blink of an eye, Shao Qun came over angrily, stomping his feet loudly on the wooden floor. Everyone in the restaurant was giving him sideway looks.
Li Chengxiu stood up nervously. Li Shuo raised his eyebrows, gracefully got up and looked at Shao Qun with a little scrutiny.
As soon as Shao Qun saw the tall, elegant, and handsome Li Shuo beside Li Chengxiu, the anger in his chest exploded and seemed to completely set him on fire.
While he was still a few meters away from them, Li Shuo already made a preemptive strike. He stretched out his hand and smiled politely: "My last name is Li, I’m Chengxiu's boss. And you are…?"
Shao Qun desperately suppressed his fists that were itching for a fight. He glared at Li Shuo, then turned to Li Chengxiu, grabbed his arm and said angrily, "Many colleagues? Huh? Since when have you learned to lie?"
Li Shuo took his hand away without a hint of embarrassment. Then he stepped forward and explained: "There were indeed several other colleagues with us just now. But everyone has left already. As the boss, I had to stay and pay the bill."
Shao Qun gave him a suspicious look and stared at Li Chengxiu: "Really?"
At this moment, Li Chengxiu didn't dare to say no. He quickly nodded, full of gratitude to Li Shuo.
Shao Qun narrowed his eyes and glanced at their dining table. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed as if two people were just having dinner together.
Li Chengxiu was so nervous that his hands were shaking.
Li Shuo calmly explained again: "We were originally at the big table. But after everyone left, the restaurant gave us this table."
Li Chengxiu nodded and called weakly, "Shao Qun..."
Shao Qun's heart was still full of doubts. He was unwilling to believe anything that came out of this smiling man’s mouth in front of him.
He grabbed Li Chengxiu and said coldly, "We’re leaving." Then he dragged Li Chengxiu out of the restaurant.
Li Chengxiu looked at Li Shuo apologetically, then lowered his head, avoiding the suspicious glances shot their way.
When they exited the restaurant, Li Chengxiu remembered that he wasn’t wearing his coat. He shivered from the cold.
Shao Qun didn't seem to notice this at all. He just silently pulled Li Chengxiu into the parking lot.
Li Chengxiu tried to ease the tense atmosphere: "Shao Qun, let’s have dinner together."
Shao Qun stopped suddenly and turned around. His face was gloomy, as he grabbed Li Chengxiu's chin with one hand and said fiercely: "I’ll deal with you when we get back."
Li Chengxiu's face paled.
At this moment, Li Shuo's voice came from a distance: "Chengxiu."
The two turned their heads at the same time. Li Shuo was wearing a camel-colored cashmere coat, looking dashing even in the cold wind. He held Li Chengxiu's coat in his hand.
"Chengxiu, how did you forget your clothes? Be careful not to catch a cold." Li Shuo didn't even look at the gloomy Shao Qun. He stretched out his hands to put the coat on Li Chengxiu.
Shao Qun suddenly grabbed the coat and ruthlessly threw it on the ground. Then he went up to Li Shuo and grabbed him by the collar, squinting his eyes and spitting his threat out word by word: "Stay away from him."
Li Shuo was not afraid at all. Instead he smiled smoothly: "Then you should watch him very closely."
Shao Qun's fist was already prepared. As soon as he heard those words, he immediately lifted it up. Li Chengxiu had been carefully watching Shao Qun's actions from the side. When he saw him raise his arm, he rushed up and grabbed it: "Shao Qun, Shao Qun, don't!" This was his boss, not a bad guy who trapped and molested him.
Li Shuo pushed away Shao Qun's hand that was holding his collar and leisurely smoothed his wrinkled front. He smiled at Li Chengxiu: "Chengxiu, goodbye. Keep warm." After saying that, he gracefully left.
Shao Qun harshly waved Li Chengxiu away, and he fell to the ground. Shao Qun then turned around and kicked his car. Immediately there was a massive dent in it.
Shao Qun picked the still dazed Li Chengxiu up, stuffed him into the car and sped out of the parking lot with his foot on the accelerator.
Me during this entire chapter
Chapter 32
Content warning: rape
As soon as the two of them entered the door, Shao Qun pressed Li Chengxiu to the wall. He then grabbed his arm and trapped him between the wall and his body, glaring at Li Chengxiu condescendingly.
Li Chengxiu said coyly, "Shao Qun, don't be angry..." He wanted to explain, but he still couldn't figure out whether Shao Qun was angry because he didn't come back home in time, or because he didn’t like Li Shuo. Be it as it may, Shao Qun was very angry.
"You’ve grown tough. Now you’re even having dinner with other men behind my back?"
"We are...just… colleagues."
Shao Qun roared: "A blind person could see what that old pervert is thinking!” Shao Qun’s Adam's apple kept going up and down, and he couldn't calm down.
He knew that he was overreacting. But he just couldn't stand seeing Li Chengxiu with other men. He was the one who cultivated this little pet. Without him, Li Chengxiu would still wear that dirty and unfortunate look on the daily. And now, he can suddenly seduce people? Who the fuck dares to covet him? They can all go die.
Li Chengxiu was shocked by Shao Qun’s loud roar. He looked at Shao Qun with some guilt. Li Chengxiu couldn't imagine how furious Shao Qun would be if he knew what Li Shuo said to him today.
"He's just…my boss."
"Just a boss? That old pervert is a good-looking guy. Didn't you admire him very much before?
Telling me how good he is and how capable he is… Now that he has taken a fancy to you, you are quite happy, right?" Shao Qun had always imagined that forty-year old accountant described by Li Chengxiu as some fat brainy nerd, so he had let his guard down. He didn't expect to see what he saw today - this gentlemanly style was really enough to fool Li Chengxiu who has never seen the world. When Shao Qun thought of Li Chengxiu's admiration and worship towards Li Shuo, his anger went straight to his forehead.
"No, Shao Qun. He is really just my boss."
"He drove you home, invited you out for dinner and brought you, a little intern, to the bidding meeting. He clearly has his eye on you. And you're quite cooperative. Did you have a nice dinner with him? Was it more interesting than having dinner with me?”
Li Chengxiu's face turned pale: "Shao Qun, you misunderstood."
"I misunderstood? Since you’ve started this shitty job, you haven’t come back for dinner twice already. Sometimes you get home later than me. And then look at how attentive that old perv was today! You two seemed to be well-acquainted. Who knows how long you’ve been seeing each other?" The more Shao Qun talked, the angrier he became. He knew that Li Chengxiu would never have the balls to cuckold him, yet he wanted to say all of this and hear Li Chengxiu personally refute it.
Li Chengxiu really defended himself anxiously: "Shao Qun… I don't… I like him."
"Of course, you don't dare to like him!" Shao Qun squeezed his chin, half-squinted his eyes and annunciated, "You can only like me."
Li Chengxiu's clear eyes looked at him without a hint of insincerity: "I do…only like you."
Shao Qun was stunned for a moment, a strange and very unfamiliar feeling rising up in his heart, which made him very satisfied with Li Chengxiu’s answer.
"You really like me?"
Li Chengxiu nodded seriously.
Shao Qun has heard a lot in his life about liking, loving, and other such nonsense. It was hard to tell whether it was genuine or fake. But this was the first time that Shao Qun felt that it was, indeed, nice to hear someone say it.
Because it already sounded a little flirtatious, he asked another question: "How much do you like me?" After asking it, he felt a little regretful, suspecting that he was led astray by this little sissy here. One would only hear such a stupid question in romance dramas, right? But even so, he still was a little expectant. He looked forward to how Li Chengxiu would answer this question. Will his answer be better than in the dramas?
Li Chengxiu realized what he meant and said shyly, "I like you very much."
Shao Qun's expression softened a little: "In that case, you are not allowed to see that old pervert ever again in the future. And you are not allowed to go back to work there, not even to the school. I will re-enroll you somewhere else.."
Surprised, Li Chengxiu said, "No."
Shao Qun's face sank again: "No?"
"Shao Qun, I don't want to resign," Li Chengxiu hugged his arm and begged, "Shao Qun, I like it there. I don't want to resign from this job."
Shao Qun waved his arm away, tightly grabbed Li Chengxiu’s chin and forced him to raise his face to look at him. He then said fiercely, "You don't want to resign, because you still want to flirt with that old pervert?"
"No……"
"No my ass! Don’t you know how to fucking avoid suspicion? Or do you have to hook up with him because you're a fucking bitch? Either you stay home and serve me or get the fuck out!"
Li Chengxiu's body froze, and his eye rims gradually turned red.
Shao Qun felt irritated when he saw this teary-eyed sissy in front of him. He grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him over, making him face the wall with his back to Shao Qun. He then roughly pulled at his belt.
Li Chengxiu turned his head in surprise and wanted to beg for mercy: "Shao Qun, don't..."
Shao Qun grabbed the back of his head and turned his head away again with such force that Li Chengxiu’s forehead hit the wall with a bang: "Don't make me look at your sissy face."
—----------------------------------rape scene, skip till the next red line—---------------------------------------
Li Chengxiu felt dizzy after being hit. In a daze, he felt that his lower body suddenly felt cold, and his pants were torn off.
Shao Qun spit on his hand, and his cold fingers reached into the gap between his buttocks, opening up the tight hole without any gentleness.
Li Chengxiu began to cry, but he neither dared to resist, nor to look back. He was really afraid of Shao Qun at this time, and he hated his own cowardice.
Seeing that the required expansion was almost done, Shao Qun unzipped his trousers, took out his dick and eagerly rubbed it up and down a few times. He then stretched Li Chengxiu's snow-white buttocks open and squeezed in.
"Shao Qun, don't..." Li Chengxiu's choked voice sounded weak, yet it couldn't stop Shao Qun's violent atrocities.
It was very rough. Although Shao Qun could successfully fit his big thing inside, Li Chengxiu grinned in pain, and his fingers unconsciously dug at the snow-white wall.
Such a reckless entry without proper preparations didn’t feel good to Shao Qun either. But he didn’t hold back his strength, and even if it was uncomfortable, he continued to move hard. He just wanted to make Li Chengxiu hurt and let him remember this lesson forever.
The stretched flesh walls were completely captured by Shao Qun’s constantly moving member. The muscles gave up their resistance and slowly relaxed, making Shao Qun's thrusting easier. The thrill of friction finally took over his mind. He pressed Li Chengxiu against the wall and pushed up hard.
Li Chengxiu was still wearing clothes on his upper body, but his lower body was completely naked. His slender legs were forced wide open, his face was pressed against the cold wall, and he was panting uncomfortably, bearing the storm-like impact.
Shao Qun fixed his waist with one hand, put his hand into his clothes, then played vigorously with his nipples, maliciously pulling and kneading. Li Chengxiu arched up in discomfort, and his ass was lifted higher, which made it more convenient for Shao Qun. The constant thrusting in and out and Shao Qun’s rough play made Li Chengxiu's legs soft.
Seeing that Li Chengxiu was gradually losing his strength, Shao Qun dragged him onto the sofa and put him into a kneeling position. Li Chengxiu’s butt was now raised high towards Shao Qun like a sacrificial offering.
Shao Qun grabbed his buttocks and slammed into the dark red flesh hole, pushing his waist forward and hitting it hard. It was no longer even a hit, but rather a stab. The terrifying strength and speed tore irregular moans out of Li Chengxiu's throat. It seemed that his thin body was about to be shattered to pieces in the next second by this violent impact .
"Shao Qun, enough... Enough, Shao Qun..."
Li Chengxiu was half-up in the air at this time. With his head down,and his body bent into a twisted shape, he was suffering from Shao Qun's explosive desire.
He didn’t know how long this terrible sex went on. All he knew was that his whole body was numb, and his mind was in chaos. He was sweating profusely, and his face was full of tears. Intermittently, he begged, "Shao Qun... Please... Shao Qun..."
He really couldn't take it anymore. How long would this torture continue? Shao Qun's aggressive copulation not only hurt him but also chilled him to the bone.
Shao Qun was like an angry beast who had to tear his opponent to pieces to appease his agitation.
Li Chengxiu had no idea how much time had passed before Shao Qun finally stopped his seemingly endless plundering. He threw Li Chengxiu, who was soaked in sweat, onto the sofa, turned around and entered the bedroom, slamming the door behind him with a bang.
Li Chengxiu was already in a semi-conscious state at that time. He was lying paralyzed on the sofa, his limbs too weak to move. There were blue and red marks all over his body, which particularly stood out on his fair skin. His hips were soaked in white turbid liquid.
It was too cold in the living room, and Li Chengxiu was still naked. He wanted to take a shower, but he didn't even have the strength to even move his fingers.
Sobbing cries would intermittently come out of his mouth. Li Chengxiu didn't understand how Shao Qun could treat him like this. He didn’t know whether Shao Qun had changed recently, or Li Chengxiu just didn't see through him clearly at first. He had thought that although Shao Qun was irritable and arrogant, he still had a kind heart.
Li Chengxiu felt both wronged and helpless at this time. But he didn't know what else he could do except cry. He even looked down on himself.
After Shao Qun entered the bedroom, he collapsed on the bed, too tired to move.
He stared at the moon outside the window, waiting for Li Chengxiu to open the door and come in.
He knew that he was too impulsive just now. Shao Qun rarely regretted being impulsive, but today was an exception. Today he felt a little regret. He seemed to have really overdone it, and he didn't know if Li Chengxiu could handle it.
But he had personally slammed that door, and he couldn't get over himself to go open it again.
If Li Chengxiu came in at this time and shrank into his arms as usual, this page would have been turned over, and he could treat him the way he treated him before.
But why didn't Li Chengxiu come in?
Was he angry?
Why was he angry?
Will he make him breakfast tomorrow morning?
Shao Qun turned over and lay on the bed, spreading both his arms and legs widely.[2] He realized that the bed was so big that he couldn't reach the edges even like that.
He just stared at the ceiling and lay there, while the time quietly passed by. There was no sound in the room, and soon fatigue crept up. Unconsciously, Shao Qun fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, he was woken up by the cold. In his sleep, he was searching all over the bed for something warm, yet he couldn’t find it, so he was suddenly jolted awake. He raised his hand and looked at his watch. It was already past three am. Where was Li Chengxiu?
Shao Qun sat up on the bed, shook his head and remembered that Li Chengxiu hadn't entered the bedroom at all. Did he go to sleep in the guest room? What is this? Was he brave enough to throw a temper tantrum now?
Shao Qun got out of bed. As soon as he walked into the living room, he saw Li Chengxiu still lying naked on the sofa. His thin body was shrunk into a ball, shivering and looking so pitiful.
Shao Qun felt that his heart tightened. He quickly went up to him: "Chengxiu..."
As soon as his fingers touched Li Chengxiu’s shoulder, he realized that his body was terrifyingly hot.
Shao Qun picked him up.
"How is he?" Shao Qun was at the edge of the bed, looking at the unconscious Li Chengxiu.
The doctor pushed up his glasses: "It's not a big problem. He caught a cold and is running a fever. After the IV drip is through, you can remove the needle. Afterwards he should take this medicine according to instructions. If the fever doesn't go away tomorrow, call me again."
Shao Qun nodded and attentively looked at Li Chengxiu.
At this time, Li Chengxiu's body was tightly covered by a thick blanket, and only his small face was exposed. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and he looked more fragile than usual. It was as if “Handle with care” was written on his face.
After the doctor left, Shao Qun sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the IV drip in a daze.
The liquid leaked very slowly, dripping and dripping. Shao Qun was bored to tears at this moment, since Li Chengxiu was unresponsive.
He looked at his watch. It was the regular time for him to get up on weekdays. Normally, Li Chengxiu would wake him up softly, straighten his slippers, squeeze toothpaste for him, and prepare breakfast for him.
Now he was lying on the bed, so fragile that it seemed he was gradually becoming transparent.
Shao Qun felt very lonely. He had long been accustomed to living with Li Chengxiu. It turned out that a morning without Li Chengxiu was like this... abrupt, as if something was missing.
Shao Qun took off his shoes, got on the bed, gently lifted the quilt and hugged Li Chengxiu's hot body in his arms. He then peacefully closed his eyes.
Li Chengxiu was unconscious until later that night. After two bottles of IV fluids, his fever had slightly dropped.
He gently opened his heavy eyelids and saw a faint light in front of him.
Shao Qun was sitting next to him, lightly tapping on the keyboard of his laptop. When he saw that Li Chengxiu opened his eyes, he immediately put down his computer and said happily, "Chengxiu, you’re awake."
Li Chengxiu gave him a confused look.
"Are you thirsty? Or hungry? You have a fever, and you’ve been sleeping all day."
Li Chengxiu reluctantly squeezed a word out of his dry, sore throat: "Thirsty..."
Shao Qun quickly jumped out of the bed, poured Li Chengxiu a glass of water, held his head, and slowly let him drink.
Li Chengxiu was so thirsty that he finished two glasses of water.
Shao Qun helped him sit up and leaned him against the back of the bed.
"Chengxiu, are you hungry?"
Li Chengxiu nodded dazedly.
Shao Qun got up and went to the kitchen. He filled a bowl with porridge from the rice cooker. and brought it to Li Chengxiu.
"I asked the hotel to cook today. It's still hot. Let me feed you. Come, open your mouth."
Li Chengxiu opened his mouth mechanically and swallowed the porridge given to him by Shao Qun one spoonful after the other.
He didn't have any water or food for an entire day, so he quickly finished the whole bowl. Shao Qun asked him if he wanted some more, but he shook his head.
Shao Qun put down the bowl and touched his forehead: "How are you feeling? Are you still uncomfortable?"
Li Chengxiu opened his eyes and seemed to be distracted. It took a long time for him to focus his eyes on Shao Qun. Then he closed his eyes tiredly and shook his head.
Shao Qun laid him down again and tucked him in a quilt: "Sleep a little longer. I’ll call the doctor tomorrow to have a look. Maybe your fever will subside by tomorrow."
Li Chengxiu quietly shrank his body under the quilt.
Another horrible chapter. Another day that Shao Qun is not in jail. Honestly, I almost had a qi deviation while translating this part.
Chapter 33
After another day of sleep, Li Chengxiu’s fever finally subsided, and he gradually came to his senses the next morning.
Shao Qun was very happy to see him awake. He asked him how he was feeling and whether he was hungry.
Li Chengxiu glanced out the window and forced out a few words from his dry throat: "What day of the week is it today?"
Shao Qun replied casually: "Thursday."
Li Chengxiu frowned and said hoarsely, "My phone…call…need to ask for leave."
Shao Qun's face sank immediately: "I stayed with you at home for two days and didn't even go to my company. And as soon as you wake up, you give me a hard time and think about your shitty job."
Li Chengxiu's face was a little anxious: "I want to ask for leave..."
"You don't need to ask." Shao Qun said nonchalantly, "I have already resigned for you."
Li Chengxiu was stunned.
"In addition, you don't have to go to the tutoring school anymore. You can rest at home for a few days, and I will find a better school for you."
Li Chengxiu felt like he was thrown down from a big height. His heart was so heavy that he could hardly breathe.
He said with difficulty: "Shao Qun, have you ever considered...respecting me?"
This time it was Shao Qun's turn to be stunned. He then sneered: "Are you still burning up? What did I do to you? Oh right, I did go a bit too far the day before yesterday. But it was you who provoked me first. If you had listened, I wouldn't have been so angry. It's better for you to quit now. Or do you still want to fight with me because of that old pervert? What is so special about this job? I can find you a better one. Besides... '' Shao Qun took out something from the bedside table and threw it in front of Li Chengxiu, "I bought you a new mobile phone. You should use this one and give yours to the cultural relics museum."
Yesterday Shao Qun saw more than ten missed calls on Li Chengxiu's mobile phone, all of which were from Mr. Li. He was so angry that he threw the mobile phone directly against the wall and smashed it to pieces.
He felt that a new function should be developed for mobile phones, so that Li Chengxiu could only contact him, 110[3], and 120[4].
Li Chengxiu didn't even look at the new phone. His body trembled slightly: "I like that job, Shao Qun. You… you’ve gone too far."
This was the first time that Li Chengxiu had so solemnly accused Shao Qun of something since the two of them came together. He mustered up his courage and this way hoped to win Shao Qun's "respect" for him.
Shao Qun's voice suddenly turned cold: "Do you like that job, or do you like that person who works there? Li Chengxiu, you are still ill now, and I don't want to make any more trouble with you. Think about it yourself very carefully. Is a dispensable job more important for you than me?"
Li Chengxiu was dumbfounded.
Of course, Shao Qun was much more important to him. But did it really have to be a multiple-choice question? Doesn’t Shao Qun trust him at all?
Seeing Li Chengxiu’s shaky and weak body, in his heart Shao Qun really didn’t understand why he was causing all this trouble.
He softened his attitude and coaxed: "Okay, you see that you haven’t recovered yet. The most important thing is to take care of your illness right now. Let's talk about those other things when you get well, okay? I promise to find you a better school. You will be able to study, and then I will find a top-level company for you to do your internship. You will learn a lot of useful things there, okay?"
Shao Qun pushed Li Chengxiu back on the bed, making him lie down. Li Chengxiu looked at him with a little sadness.
Expecting Shao Qun to be at least half-apologetic for hurting him or for terminating his work contract without permission was just too much to ask, right?
Shao Qun lowered his head and pecked Li Chengxiu on the nose. He spoke as if he was calming down kittens and puppies: "Be good, be obedient, and I will treat you with more love."
After Li Chengxiu recovered from his illness, he became more and more silent.
Life hadn’t changed much. He still dutifully managed his and Shao Qun's daily life in an orderly manner. However, the appearance of happiness was ripped apart by Shao Qun again and again, and Li Chengxiu gradually saw the insurmountable gap between them.
And Li Chengxiu knew that no matter how hard he tried he wouldn’t be able to fill this gap. As long as he thought that one day in the future he might lose his footing, he was so worried that he couldn’t even sleep well.
Originally, everything was so good between him and Shao Qun. Or at least he thought that everything was good. Since when did he start to worry? Worry that in the end this all will be a wasted effort?
The more anxiety Li Chengxiu felt, the more he hoped to double his efforts in strengthening their relationship.
Shao Qun always had countless reasons to shirk his promises about finding work or school for him. Li Chengxiu ended up staying home for more than a month.
He knew that he actually had no reason to blame Shao Qun. All of these things were freely given to him by Shao Qun in the first place. Still, Li Chengxiu’s dissatisfaction grew uncontrollably.
For the past month he hadn’t been idle. He was preparing for the accounting certificate exam. He planned to find a job after passing the exam and slowly pay off the money he owed to Shao Qun.
He thought that if he didn't owe Shao Qun so much, Shao Qun might respect him more. Now that he lived under his roof and owed him a debt, naturally he was inferior in his eyes.
Today, Li Chengxiu was in his apron in the kitchen cooking soup for Shao Qun when the doorbell suddenly rang.
Li Chengxiu put down the spoon, wiped his hands and went to open the door.
As soon as he opened the door, he was stunned. He saw a woman in her thirties. She was tall and exquisitely beautiful. Whether it was her makeup or her dress, one could tell that she was a very particular person. However, although she was beautiful and elegant, her temperament seemed to be cold and serious. Her eyebrows with upturned corners were giving a strong sense of distance. Although she was a woman, she seemed to be more imposing than a man.
The woman glanced at Li Chengxiu, frowned slightly and said, "Shao Qun lives here, right?" Her tone was quite arrogant, as if she was naturally accustomed to being bossy.
Li Chengxiu nodded blankly.
The woman brushed past him, entered the room, sat down on the sofa and said as if it was a matter of course: "Pour me a glass of water."
Li Chengxiu looked at her in amazement: "Uh, may I ask, who you are?"
She didn't even look at Li Chengxiu. Instead she took out her mobile phone and made a call.
"Shao Qun, I'm at your house." After that, she immediately hung up the phone.
At a loss, Li Chengxiu looked at the door that was still open, hesitating whether he should close it or not.
The woman looked at the room casually, and finally her eyes landed on Li Chengxiu. Indifferently she said, "Water?"
Li Chengxiu has never seen a woman with such a powerful demeanor. Her gestures and movements seemed to be full of intimidation. Just one word out of her mouth could make people tremble. Li Chengxiu unconsciously moved his feet and went to pour her a glass of water.
She took a sip and nodded to Li Chengxiu: "Sit down."
Li Chengxiu did as he was told and looked at the woman suspiciously.
She raised her hand and glanced at her watch, then turned to look at Li Chengxiu: "Are you making soup?"
"Yes……"
"What kind of soup?"
"Mutton soup."
"All right, to treat the cold." She nodded, "Add more ginger, in order to eliminate the smell of mutton. Shao Qun doesn't like too much mutton."
Li Chengxiu felt extremely embarrassed: "Excuse me, you are his..."
She took a sip of water: "Sister."
Li Chengxiu was shocked and said incoherently: "Hel… hel… hello, I… I am…I..."
She glanced at him blankly: "Shao Qun will be back soon. When will the soup be ready?"
"Uh, soon, soon."
She nodded with satisfaction.
Sure enough, in less than ten minutes, Shao Qun returned home in a hurry. As soon as he came in, he shouted, "Eldest sis, why are you here?"
The eldest Miss of the Shao family, Shao Wen, stood up from the sofa, folded her arms over her chest, looked at Shao Qun with scrutiny and said coldly, "If I didn’t come, when were you planning to go home?"
"Didn't I say that I would go back for New Year’s?" Shao Qun messed up his hair with a little irritation. He then went up to Li Chengxiu and pulled him up from the sofa, without even looking at him, "Go eat outside today."
Li Chengxiu was slightly startled, pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "I cooked for you..."
Shao Qun said impatiently, "Go quickly."
Li Chengxiu lowered his eyes sadly, nodded to Shao Wen, took off his apron, put on his coat and shoes and ran out of the door as if escaping.
Shao Qun pressed Shao Wen's shoulders back onto the sofa and said coquettishly, "Sit down, sis. I haven't seen you in a long time. Let's have a good chat."
Shao Wen's expression softened, as she glared at him: "Little bastard, you left your home just like that. How can you be so heartless?"
"Why is that? I’m busy with a project. I said that I’d go home once I’m done."
"You went to Shenzhen after arguing with Dad, and since then you haven't returned to Beijing for more than half a year. What do you want dad to think?"
Shao Qun pouted: "Is dad okay?"
"He's okay. Although he’ll never admit that he misses you, he always talks about you when I visit him at home."
"Talks about me? You mean, he scolds me? I can never measure up to anything in his eyes."
Shao Wen patted his head: "Don't talk nonsense. You’re his only son. Why wouldn’t he cherish you? Dad is just stubborn. He has spent more than 40 years in the army. How can he be any other way after that? You expect him to go soft with a little brat like you? Dream on! Besides, as a son, no matter who is right and who is wrong, how can you be angry at your elders?"
"Oh, I got it, sis. Can't I just call dad tomorrow?"
"No, call today."
"Okay, today."
Shao Wen glanced at him: "Little bastard..."
Shao Qun laughed and said, "How are the second sis and the third sis doing?"
"They’re good. Just haven’t seen even a shadow of Nuo Nuo recently. No idea where she’s playing around now. Really…"
"What about you and my brother-in-law?"
As soon as the word "brother-in-law" was mentioned, Shao Wen's face immediately fell, and she said lightly: "It's still the same. We’re both busy, and we don’t delay each other."
Shao Qun shrugged: "And Yin Yin? Did she start elementary school?"
"Yes. Getting good grades."
"Can somebody with our genes be stupid?"
Shao Wen smiled lightly: "By the way, since I'm here this time, I also want to talk to you about your personal problems."
Shao Qun gave a "hey" and then said: "Sis, why do you have the same tone as dad?"
Shao Wen glared: "Don't interrupt."
Shao Qun surrendered: "Say what you want to say."
Shao Wen said carefully: "You should get married soon."
Shao Qun frowned, feeling a little conflicted in his heart: "It's too early."
"You are turning twenty-seven next year. How is this early?"
Shao Qun muttered, "Didn't you get married at thirty-one?"
Shao Wen sternly said, "How can you compare yourself to me? I gave birth to a child with a foreign last name."
"Oh, okay, okay." Shao Qun rolled his eyes, "But I really don't want to get married so early, and I don't like anyone right now.."
"You don't have to worry about this. I will help you find someone. Dad also wants you to get married and have children quickly. I gave birth to a girl. Xiao Wu, as you know, can't give birth. Not to mention Nuo Nuo's messy relationships… You are the only man in our family. And you know what you should do for the family, don't you?"
Shao Qun nodded.
"That's it. Tell me what kind of women do you like."
Shao Qun leaned on the back of the sofa, put his legs on the coffee table and said nonchalantly: "Big tits and no brains. More authority and less responsibility."
Shao Wen glared at him angrily: "In this case, I do have a candidate."
"Forget about it. You already had someone in mind."
Shao Wen didn't care and continued: "The granddaughter of the old Qi family. Remember, you met her a few years ago? Now you can see her everywhere."
"Oh, the one who is in the entertainment industry in Hong Kong right now? Yes, she’s very beautiful."
"How do you like her?"
"Can I like someone so stupid? She is obviously a native of Shandong, but she pretends to be from Hong Kong."
Shao Wen patted his head: “Stay serious."
Shao Qun said: "It doesn't matter if I like her or not. As long as you like her, and dad is satisfied… But will dad be satisfied with her? Such a rambunctious woman who’s showing off her face all day long..."
"When all their old comrades came together, Qi Lao mentioned the possibility of marriage to dad. Dad didn't agree or refuse at that time. He came back to discuss it with me. He also felt that the girl was a little floozy, but she’s still Qi Lao's granddaughter. And the family promised that if she got married, she would stop working."
Shao Qun nodded: "As you wish then."
Shao Wen said, "It's time for you to take care of yourself. Dad hopes that after you get married, you can become more serious."
Shao Qun frowned and asked, "Am I not serious enough?"
"What was that just now?"
Shao Qun was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that she was talking about Li Chengxiu: "What can it be? It is what it is."
"And what is it?"
"Tsk, sis, aren't you getting old? Acting like mother…"
"What are you talking about!" Shao Wen glared at him, "Before you get married, you should take care of all your messy affairs."
"I know, I know."
"It's a good thing to have someone to take care of you here, since you don’t know anybody. But you can't stay here forever. Sooner or later, you’ll have to go home. Take care of all these things before your marriage. Don't let Qi Lao's granddaughter catch a whiff of this. If she feels wronged even before marriage, dad will beat you to death."
Shao Qun was really impatient: "Oh, sis, I know. I know my priorities. You don't have to be so long-winded."
"It's good that you know. This marriage will be arranged in the spring of next year. Before this time, you should cultivate a good relationship with her. This is her phone number. As it happens, you’re currently not far away from each other."
Shao Qun took the post-it and threw it on the coffee table: "Got it."
"Okay, let's go out for dinner."
"Oh, all right." Shao Qun got up and headed out.
Shao Wen remembered something: "The little one from before said that he was making soup. Go turn off the fire."
Shao Qun turned around and entered the kitchen. He saw freshly cut green peppers neatly placed on the cutting board. The green color looked very nice. The crock pot on the stove was steaming hot and fragrant.
Shao Qun remembered that Li Chengxiu seemed to want to say something to him just now, but he didn’t really care. He went up to turn off the stove, intimately hugged his eldest sister's shoulders and took her out to eat.
Chapter 34
Li Chengxiu didn't go far after he left the house. He realized that due to leaving in such a haste he forgot to bring any money, his mobile phone and even his keys.
It was an escape.
In front of his sister, Shao Qun treated him with complete indifference, like a housekeeper. Although Li Chengxiu understood that their relationship could not be revealed just like that, especially to his family, he still felt uncomfortable.
Shao Qun could have introduced him as a friend...
Li Chengxiu didn't have any money on him. He didn't dare to go far, nor to go to any restaurant. But the weather was so cold that he had no choice but to walk to the nearest supermarket to wander around inside.
After staying in the supermarket until it was about to close at 10 o'clock, Li Chengxiu reluctantly came out, clutching his arms, as he shuffled back.
When he got back, he saw that the lights in the house were on, but one of Shao Qun’s cars was missing. He knew that Shao Qun never had the awareness to turn off the lights or switch off the air conditioner when he went out.
Li Chengxiu was looking at the beautiful little villa in confusion.
It was brightly lit inside, yet he was standing on the outside, shivering from the cold, unable to get in. As if it was someone else’s house, and the owners were staying inside in the warmth and had nothing to do with Li Chengxiu.
In fact, wasn’t that the case? This was Shao Qun's house after all, and Li Chengxiu was only allowed to live here.
Shao Qun could let him in or throw him out at any time. Just like today.
At this point, Li Chengxiu didn't know where to go, so he cowered at the gate, hoping that Shao Qun would come back sooner.
He thought that he should move out after the exams.
He could rent a place with his own savings. It wasn’t an option to live in someone else’s house all the time. After finding a place to live, he could look for a job. Now, at least he doesn't have to pay off his debts every month. With the salary that Shao Qun gave him for the sea party last time, he could continue taking classes and slowly repay what he owed to Shao Qun.
If the two of them were on an equal footing, like when they first met, and didn’t owe each other anything, Li Chengxiu could talk to Shao Qun with his back straight.
He didn't know how long he waited. But his feet were already numb by the time he heard the sounds of the car coming from the driveway.
The automatic gate opened with a "beep", and the sensor lights immediately turned on. Li Chengxiu, who was standing by the gate, suddenly appeared in front of Shao Qun. He braked hard and almost grazed Li Chengxiu.
Shao Qun got out of the car and angrily shouted, "Are you insane? What are you doing standing here? Don’t you fucking know that I could have hit you right now?"
Li Chengxiu said tremblingly, "I forgot my keys."
Seeing that he was shivering from the cold, Shao Qun walked up to him and touched his face: "How long have you been standing here? Why didn’t you go somewhere?"
"I forgot to bring any money."
"And you didn't bring your phone?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head stiffly.
Shao Qun scolded: "You idiot."
He took out his key and threw it to Li Chengxiu, "Hurry up, get inside.I'll park the car."
Li Chengxiu's hands were still trembling. He failed to catch the key, and it fell to the ground.
Shao Qun picked up the key for him and pressed it into Li Chengxiu’s hand, when he realized that it felt like an ice cube. He took his coat from the car seat, wrapped Li Chengxiu inside it, picked him up and walked into the house .
He put Li Chengxiu on the bed, covered him with a quilt and then went to the bathroom to run hot water. By the time he returned after parking the car in the yard, the bath was almost ready.
He took Li Chengxiu out of the quilt again: "Come on. Take off your clothes and go take a bath. You must be really cold."
Li Chengxiu nodded and did as he was told. Shao Qun carried him to the bathroom and gently placed him in the bathtub.
The moment Li Chengxiu was surrounded by warm water, he felt as if the pores all over his body were slowly thawing. His limbs and his bones finally regained vitality, and he took a deep breath.
Shao Qun also took off his clothes and got into the huge jacuzzi. He hugged Li Chengxiu from behind and rubbed his slowly warming hands.
"Since you didn’t bring anything, why didn’t you come back to get it?"
"Your sister was here."
Shao Qun couldn't help biting the snow-white neck in front of him: "Idiot. Just look at how cold you were!"
Li Chengxiu stared absently at the surface of the water and asked, "Your sister… does she know that we..."
Li Chengxiu’s heart felt sore. He almost couldn’t hold back the words: “Since she knows, why did you have to kick me out?”
Shao Qun squeezed his cold hand, feeling somewhat uneasy.
He didn't plan to let Li Chengxiu know about his marriage. Whether he gets married or not has nothing to do with Li Chengxiu anyway. But he couldn't help thinking that if Li Chengxiu was a woman...
If he was a woman, he might have actually married him. Such a virtuous, gentle, obedient and considerate wife would truly be one of a kind.
Damn, why wasn’t he a woman?
However, Shao Qun decided to treat him well. Li Chengxiu was different from his former lovers. When they got together, Li Chengxiu was still inexperienced. Shao Qun was the one who taught him every little thing, which naturally made him treat Li Chengxiu more or less as his own private property. And Li Chengxiu’s performance was really good, so Shao Qun felt that he liked him very much. No matter how long they would be together in the future, Shao Qun was not going to treat him badly.
As he thought about it, he kissed Li Chengxiu's smooth shoulder and said, "Let’s get you a driver's license. In my free time I can teach you how to drive. You can choose any of the three cars in the yard. If you don't like any of those, I can buy you a new one, okay?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head gently: "No need, I'm not used to all of this."
"Then it’s time to get a driver for you. It's cold, and it's too inconvenient for you to go outside like that."
Li Chengxiu did not respond. Everything was up to Shao Qun anyway.
Shao Qun felt that Li Chengxiu should be happy right now. He stroked Li Chengxiu’s gradually warming body, and then they did it once in the bathtub.
The days were still passing by smoothly.
What comforted Li Chengxiu a little was that Shao Qun seemed to be a lot more enthusiastic about him than before. The frequency of him coming home for dinner at night had increased significantly, and he often brought him various valuable gifts. Since all these things came from Shao Qun’s heart, Li Chengxiu didn’t really mind receiving them. They all stayed in the house anyway. When one day Li Chengxiu moved out, he just wouldn’t take them with him.
There were still a few days left before the exam, and Li Chengxiu concentrated entirely on his preparations.
Never before in his life had his wish to make more money been so strong.
Although the previous days were a little tough, Li Chengxiu still felt content. It was going to be different from now on. He hoped to give good things to Shao Qun too, and hoped that Shao Qun might look up to him.
After Shao Qun went to work during the day, Li Chengxiu tidied up the house as usual and then flipped through the daily newspaper while resting on the sofa.
He usually didn’t watch a lot of TV. When he was bored, he just read newspapers.
When he flipped to the entertainment page, the picture on the headline made his body freeze.
The article was about a famous model with a certain background who was photographed while on a date with an unknown man in Kowloon[5]. It was rumored that the man also came from a great family, and their parents were close friends. According to the article, the two were engaged, and were going to have a bright future together.
The picture was very clear. It was not a candid shot at all.
Li Chengxiu didn't know this beautiful actress, but the man next to her seemed familiar. Although his eyes were covered by a black bar, the handsome silhouette and slender body shape could be clearly identified by anyone who knew him…
Besides, Shao Qun was wearing the clothes that Li Chengxiu had prepared for him that day by the bedside.
Li Chengxiu tremblingly looked at the date again. It was the night of the 13th.
That night, Shao Qun didn't come back home at all. He told Li Chengxiu that he went to Guangzhou[6] for business and was too tired to come back.
He was obviously in Hong Kong...
Li Chengxiu's heart throbbed, and his hands were shaking so much that he couldn't even hold the newspaper anymore.
Engaged… Shao Qun was getting married?
The matter, which Li Chengxiu had been avoiding this entire time and dared not to even think about, was finally exposed right in front of him.
Shao Qun never mentioned anything about his family to him. He only found out that he had a sister because she came over the other day.
When one gave it a serious thought, how could a rich man like Shao Qun not get married?
But what about Li Chengxiu? What did he take him for? If Shao Qun wanted to get married, shouldn't he first tell him that? Even if it meant breaking up...
Li Chengxiu saw black spots in front of his eyes, and it was so difficult for him to even breathe. He tremblingly picked up his mobile phone and dialed Shao Qun.
Shao Qun rarely answered his personal calls when he was working. Li Chengxiu knew that most likely his call would be ignored, but he was really eager to hear Shao Qun's voice now.
It would be great if Shao Qun could tell him that this was all fake.
Shao Qun didn’t pick up.
Li Chengxiu clutched the newspaper tightly, sitting on the sofa with his back stiff and staring at the wall in a daze.
Li Chengxiu spent more than an hour sitting like this, before Shao Qun came back home for lunch.
As soon as Shao Qun entered the door, he saw Li Chengxiu jump up from the sofa. His eyes were flickering, and he gave Shao Qun a sad look.
Shao Qun felt that something wasn’t right and frowned, "What's wrong?"
Li Chengxiu asked witlessly, "Are you getting married?"
Shao Qun stared at Li Chengxiu in shock, wondering how he managed to find out. Yet he quickly regained his composure, lowered his head to change his slippers and said as indifferently as possible: "Who told you that?"
Li Chengxiu put the newspaper he was holding in his hand on the coffee table.
Shao Qun walked over and picked it up. His face immediately turned gloomy.
No wonder those girls in the company were constantly looking at him weirdly when he went to work today. Naturally, they didn't dare to gossip right in front of him, and Shao Qun never read those stupid pages in the newspaper that were meant for women. So he didn't even know when an article about him came out.
Li Chengxiu's eyes were empty, as he asked, "Is it true?"
Since it had come to this point, at first Shao Qun planned to just lay all his cards on the table and let it be. But looking at Li Chengxiu’s expression as if he was about to cry at any time, Shao Qun swallowed his words.
Li Chengxiu was sad, and his heart was in pain.
He crumpled up the newspaper and threw it in the trash.
"Don't believe all the nonsense in those messy newspapers. I know her, and we are just friends."
Li Chengxiu choked and said, "On the 13th…you said you were in Guangzhou… but you were in Hong Kong."
Shao Qun casually responded: "I was indeed in Guangzhou at the beginning. But it was my friend's birthday that day, so I had to go to Hong Kong to visit him. What's the big deal? These newspapers like to write about celebrities and gossip just to increase sales. Why would you believe any of that?"
Seeing that Shao Qun was acting so righteously, Li Chengxiu really started to have some doubts. He thought for a while and then said: "But… you had your arms around her waist..."
"Li Chengxiu!" Shao Qun finally became annoyed, "Are you fucking done with this? Can't you see that we're crossing the street? It's common courtesy to protect the lady next to you, not to mention that we're actually friends. Do you have to make a scene? "
Li Chengxiu cowered and recalled the photos in the newspaper, his face pale. No matter how he looked at it, he felt that the actions on the photos were too ambiguous. They didn’t seem to be just friends.
When Shao Qun felt guilty, he tended to become more and more irritable, as he was trying to cover up his lack of confidence with anger. At this time, under Li Chengxiu's repeated questioning, he felt especially vulnerable.
Since when was he, Shao Qun, such a little bitch that he needed to explain himself to anybody? If it wasn't for the fear that Li Chengxiu would get upset and start crying again, Shao Qun would have thrown the newspaper right in his face. Was it up to him to control whom he slept with?
Li Chengxiu slowly sat back down on the sofa, hugged his chest and stared absently at the patterns on the coffee table.
Last time at the hot springs, when Li Chengxiu only started to say something about that youngster, Shao Qun was just as furious.
Did Li Chengxiu really misunderstand him, or...
He really didn't dare to think any further. He also didn't have any evidence to confirm his guess. And once Shao Qun was shouting, Li Chengxiu didn't dare to continue asking questions.
He didn't want to damage his relationship with Shao Qun because of unfounded accusations. But at this point, he really couldn’t trust Shao Qun anymore.
Shao Qun calmed down slightly, sat down next to Li Chengxiu, hugged his shoulders and said, "Chengxiu, don't look at these stupid things in the future. Our life is so good now, and I want it to continue like this. "
Li Chengxiu turned his head to look at him, his bright eyes as clear as the winter spring.
Shao Qun felt flustered under the gaze of such eyes.
After a long time, Li Chengxiu said softly, "Shao Qun. If you get married, you should tell me."
Shao Qun's eyes instantly turned cold: "Are you still not fucking done with this shit?"
Li Chengxiu's eyes were red, but he calmly continued, "I mean… if… if you get married, tell me… tell me… and I'll go."
"What the hell? I already told you I wasn’t getting married!"
Li Chengxiu choked: "My family… my mother… She was ruined by extramarital affairs. So, in the future, if you get married, please tell me."
Shao Qun could no longer look at Li Chengxiu’s eyes that seemed to stare right into the depths of his soul. He jumped up from the sofa angrily, slammed the door and left.
Li Chengxiu picked up the newspaper from the trash can, straightened it out slowly and gently rubbed the corner of Shao Qun's smiling mouth with his fingers, feeling that his heart was being gutted with a knife.
He didn’t know since when his feelings for Shao Qun had become so deep-rooted in his heart. When he moved even a little, it hurt him so much that he couldn’t bear it. Li Chengxiu couldn’t imagine a day when Shao Qun wouldn’t want him anymore. What would he do then?
With a gloomy face, Shao Qun took out his mobile phone, as he was driving: "Hey, Xiao Zhou, go find out which idiot published those photos of me and Qi Ming."
It was noon, and the roads were jampacked. Shao Qun looked at the cars that surrounded him from all sides, and felt like he was being stared at by countless pairs of eyes. Those eyes were clear and bright, with an unexpressed sadness deep inside them. Shao Qun felt that his chest was being squeezed by some unknown force, and his anger just couldn’t escape anymore. An ear-piercing car horn brought Shao Qun back to reality.
Chapter 35
Shao Qun didn't come home that night.
He was annoyed and was just driving around the city without knowing where to go. In the end, he went straight to the airport and bought a plane ticket to Shanghai.
After Xiao Sheng[7] received Shao Qun’s call in Shanghai, he personally went to the airport to pick him up. Then they went directly to the bar without eating anything first.
Xiao Sheng had booked a private lounge for himself early in the morning already, and when he opened the door, Shao Qun saw a row of colorful wines on the marble table.
Xiao Sheng smiled and invited him in: "Come, let's celebrate your engagement!"
Shao Qun pouted and sat down on the sofa: "What's there to celebrate?"
Xiao Sheng raised his eyebrows: "Then why are you here?"
"I can't come visit you just like that? You're not that far from Shenzhen[8] after all."
Xiao Sheng also sat down on the sofa and winked at the waiter, who quickly opened a drink for them.
"So, how is it?"
Shao Qun tilted his body and half-squinted his eyes: "How is what?"
"Your bride-to-be."
Shao Qun smiled sarcastically: "She’s ok. Bit pretentious."
"Does she annoy you?"
"Nah, she’s pretty good at what she does."
"Then..." Xiao Sheng pointed at Shao Qun’s gloomy face with his finger, "What does that mean?"
Shao Qun cursed: "Have you seen those fucking photos in the newspaper?”
Xiao Sheng laughed: "Yeah, it seems that Qi Ming feels good about herself, right? Despite being just a semi-popular starlet. You both look like a couple of fucking idiots wearing sunglasses at night. But I guess that woman really loves to show off?"
Shao Qun clicked his tongue: "Who asked you to say all of this bullshit? I’m talking about the photos and the fact that it was my sister who published them. What the hell is she doing? I promised her that I’d get married. And now she seems afraid that I would go back on my word. Everybody knows that I hate being pushed around like that. The more she does this kind of shit, the less I want to listen to her."
"Your sister is very capable. She knows you very well. She is just afraid that you will regret it when you wake up one day, and go on to embarrass both families. You've done a lot of shit like this before, so be prepared."
Shao Qun glared at him and opened his mouth to say something, yet he remained speechless for a while. After some time, he said unwillingly, "In any case, this makes me sick."
"Tell it to your sister. But since you intend to get married anyway, it is what it is. What do you care about her ploys?”
Shao Qun raised his voice, "I don’t care about it at all. It’s just that Li Chengxiu saw the photos and started yapping at me as soon as I came home. Fucking annoying."
"Ooooh." Xiao Sheng said slowly, "So that’s the thing that’s bothering you so much that you decided to come to Shanghai in the middle of the night."
Shao Qun shouted at him: "What's the matter with you, you big girl? Can’t I come see you in the middle of the night?”
Xiao Sheng sneered, "So you were kicked out after making trouble?"
"Bullshit. I just don't like watching him cry all the time, so I don’t feel like going back.”
Xiao Sheng blinked: "If he annoys you so much, just throw him out."
Shao Qun didn't answer that, took a sip of wine and said, "You know, this 30-year-old man is so fucked up. He doesn’t even have a decent place to live, and he only has like 10 000 RMB in his savings.”
"You’re the one who’s supporting him, and now you’ve let him get into your head and meddle into your private affairs. But instead of dealing with your mess, you decided to come here and drink with me. Shao Qun, just how lame are you?"
Xiao Sheng's words seemed to hit Shao Qun’s sore spot. After two sips of wine, Shao Qun’s blood rushed to his head, and he angrily threw the glass he was holding: "Fuck, I just don't like to bother with him. He’s such a sissy."
"So you were forced out of your own house by a sissy..."
Shao Qun said angrily: "Fuck you, Ke Yisheng. If you say something like that again, I will leave."
Xiao Sheng grinned and shrugged: "I won’t say anything, let’s just drink." He picked up a can of beer and stuffed it into Shao Qun's hand.
Shao Qun didn't even look at it, as he poured it into his mouth.
"Hey, but real talk…" Xiao Sheng pushed Shao Qun, "Aren’t you tying the knot at the beginning of spring next year? What do you plan to do with Li Chengxiu?"
"Nothing. I’m not going to break up with him."
"The girl is Qi Lao's granddaughter. You really have to respect the Qi family and not do this kind of shit when you get married."
"She’s open-minded. The other day she told me that after marriage we shouldn’t care about each other’s affairs."
"Not bad, she’s quite sensible. But what about Li Chengxiu? After the wedding you have to go back to Beijing, right? Do you plan to bring him back with you?"
"Not sure about it yet. We’ll talk about it later."
"I would advise you to get rid of him now. Once you become a married man, even if you have a handle on him, you would still have to be on guard. You know, biting dogs don’t bark."
"That’s why I didn’t fucking plan to let him know about this. If not for the stupid thing my sister did, I wouldn’t have to think about telling him.”
"If you tell him, what’s he gonna do? Turn against you?"
Shao Qun remembered Li Chengxiu's red eyes and didn't say anything.
He was really embarrassed to tell Xiao Sheng that he didn't train his little lover well enough.
Xiao Sheng said in a slightly serious tone : "Shao Qun, if you’re really trapped by your own pet, I don’t even fucking know who you are anymore.”
"That’s total bullshit." Shao Qun felt some panic in his heart. He remembered that a few years ago, a buddy in his circle was being led around by the nose by his mistress. He acted so stupid, that he really seemed to be kicked in the head by a donkey. He even wanted to get a divorce. Shao Qun couldn’t even remember how many times he laughed at him behind his back. There was nothing wrong for people like them to play around. As long as it was for fun, nobody cared. But if you took it too seriously, everyone would look at you like a fool.
This was the most despised thing to do.
"Then what's the matter with you now? I’m advising you to break up with him. Why are you hesitating?"
Shao Qun rubbed his hair impatiently: "He… he behaves very well. He serves me every step of the way, and he is comfortable to be with. Anyway, I have to stay in Shenzhen for now. It’ll be a while until my return to Beijing."
Xiaosheng glanced at him meaningfully: "Shao Qun, don't blame me later for not reminding you. This matter is serious, you have to deal with it."
Shao Qun's face changed slightly: "You’re overthinking this. Who do you take me for?"
Xiao Sheng shrugged: "Just giving you a wake up call. Let's not talk about this anymore. We haven't seen each other for more than half a year. How about we drink?"
Shao Qun didn't return for several days.
Although Li Chengxiu was used to him disappearing without a word once in a while and not answering his phone, he was still worried.
After all, Shao Qun left very angry that day.
Li Chengxiu was really tired of this. Shao Qun's temper was out of control. If Li Chengxiu as much as disagreed with him, he would get angry. Li Chengxiu wanted to communicate with him, but first of all, he would start stuttering whenever he was nervous, and second of all, Shao Qun would never have the patience to hear him out. Maybe one day, without him even knowing, Shao Qun will just leave and never come back?
In such a panicked state, Li Chengxiu couldn't sleep well at all, and often couldn’t close his eyes until dawn. Also the night before the exam, he didn't have a good rest. The next day he was sleepy when he was taking the test.
As soon as the exam was over, Li Chengxiu immediately started looking for a job. He ran around applying to various hotels and restaurants.
Li Chengxiu felt that if he stayed idle, his situation would become more and more abnormal.
This entire time he had dedicated his whole mind only to Shao Qun. His main task every day was to pay attention to Shao Qun's every move. He could spend hours obsessing about one frowning expression on Shao Qun’s face. He also cooked just for him. No wonder that Shao Qun couldn’t stand his meekness…How could things go on like this?
If he was busy, he wouldn’t have to think about Shao Qun all day long. Then Li Chengxiu could feel a bit better about himself.
After a whole day of running around, Li Chengxiu came home to take a bath. He was so tired that he crouched on the bed and couldn't get up for a long time.
He flipped through his new mobile phone he had just learned to navigate, expecting missed calls or text messages from Shao Qun.
But to his disappointment, there was nothing.
He thought that maybe he had really misunderstood Shao Qun. So much so that Shao Qun didn't even bother to explain anything anymore.
Li Chengxiu looked at the screen hesitantly and finally couldn't help sending a text message.
"Shao Qun, shall we talk?"
After sending the message, he closed his eyes and held his phone tightly, expecting it to ring.
But it wasn’t the phone that rang, it was the doorbell. Frightened, Li Chengxiu opened his eyes.
He jumped up from the bed, when he remembered that Shao Qun didn’t take his keys when he left.
Li Chengxiu opened the door with anticipation, and it really was Shao Qun.
Li Chengxiu felt that his nose was a little sore.
If you leave somebody in the dark for a long time, the moment you turn on the lights, their eyes will hurt, but at the same time they will feel like they have been saved.
"You… you are back."
Shao Qun's heart moved, and he had the urge to hug Li Chengxiu fiercely.
He had never felt that it was so exciting to have someone say "You're back" to him while looking at him with those bright eyes.
Shao Qun quietly shook the object in his hand behind his back, feeling that he wasn't such a dumbass after all.
Li Chengxiu let him in: "Wh…where did you go? It's been a few days..."
Shao Qun suddenly took his hand from behind his back and presented what he was hiding to Li Chengxiu, almost touching the tip of his nose. He then said a little uncomfortably: "It's for you."
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment, before he realized that he was looking at a big bouquet of flowers.
It wasn't simply a large bouquet of flowers.This construction was shaped like a peony, with layers of flowers on top of each other. Every other layer was filled with bright red roses. One of the layers was hiding a fluffy brown teddy. What surprised Li Chengxiu the most was that in the center of the bouquet, there was a small flannel box with a golden ribbon which contained a chocolate-colored palm-sized puppy who was blinking at him with his black bean-like eyes.
From his color and appearance, the puppy looked exactly the same as the teddy bear. If one didn't look too closely, it could be mistaken for a slightly bigger toy.
Li Chengxiu was originally very upset and barely hanging on, but even he couldn't help laughing at this silly little toy-like thing.
Seeing him smile, Shao Qun unconsciously relaxed his expression: "Take it out."
Li Chengxiu bit his lip, carefully untied the ribbon and held the puppy in his palm.
"Why…is it so small?"
Shao Qun put down the flowers and said with a smile, "It’s a teacup poodle. This species is so small that even when it grows up, it won’t be bigger than my hand."
This kind of cute little thing was really hard not to like. Li Chengxiu held it fondly close to his chest, for fear of accidentally hurting it.
Shao Qun took advantage of the situation and hugged Li Chengxiu’s waist from behind, rubbing his forehead against his neck: "I'm afraid you're bored sitting at home alone. It can accompany you."
The two of them had a disagreement just a few days ago, and now they were so close again all of a sudden. Li Chengxiu really couldn't adapt to this so quickly, so he only nodded stiffly, "Thank you, thank you."
Shao Qun greedily absorbed the warm and the refreshing smell of Li Chengxiu’s skin, feeling that the brashness of the past few days was slowly dissipating.
He couldn't help but think that it was nice to be home.
Li Chengxiu didn't dare to speak when he saw that Shao Qun had no plans to mention the day of the argument again.
It was okay to let this matter go. Shao Qun was back, and everything could be the same as before, right? Li Chengxiu desperately wished for it. He wanted nothing to change, and even if he had doubts in his heart, he didn’t want to say anything to keep the current peace and harmony.
The two of them sat on the sofa and teased the puppy together.
"What’s its name?" Li Chengxiu said to himself, touching the puppy’s furry belly.
Shao Qun thought for a while: "Let's call it Teacup[9]."
"Ah?" Li Chengxiu said with a smile, "It's so ugly."
"Haven't you heard that it’s easier to raise someone with an ugly name[10]?"
Li Chengxiu laughed and repeated the name twice: "Teacup, Teacup."
Shao Qun looked at Li Chengxiu, as he lowered his head, revealing his white neck with a tinge of pink. Because of the smiling expression, his jaw line was very vivid and beautiful. For some reason, Shao Qun was reminded of a pretentious but exquisite poetry line:
"The most gentle one bowed his head,
Like a water lotus flower that is too shy to overcome the cool breeze"[11]
Shao Qun took Teacup in his hands, put it on the coffee table and turned to stare at Li Chengxiu: "Don't just focus on the dog. I haven't seen you in a few days. Why don't you look at me?"
Li Chengxiu blushed slightly: "What are you looking at?"
"Did you miss me?" Shao Qun slowly pulled him closer and whispered into his ear seductively.
Li Chengxiu nodded shyly.
"I missed you too." Shao Qun kissed his cheek gently.
Li Chengxiu continued to nod.
"You seem to have lost weight."
Li Chengxiu touched his face subconsciously: "I don’t...think so."
Shao Qun licked his lips: "Well, I have to check then." He then put his cold hand into Li Chengxiu's shirt.
Li Chengxiu shrank away: "Cold..."
Shao Qun slowly undressed him: "Be good, and it will be hot in a while."
After a short separation, the two of them reunited like newlyweds, tossing and turning from dawn till dusk.
Afterwards, Li Chengxiu dragged his sore waist to arrange a temporary living space for the little Teacup. He then fed him and watched it soundly fall asleep. As he did that, he felt that his heart softened.
Before going to bed, Shao Qun was in a good mood, and Li Chengxiu took the opportunity to tell him that he was looking for a job again. He didn't mention moving out for the time being.
When Shao Qun heard that he was going to work at a restaurant again, he furrowed his brow. But since the two of them were so good right now, he really didn't have the strength to get angry anymore, so he just calmly said, "I see."
Li Chengxiu asked cautiously, "Are you okay with that?"
Shao Qun looked at his cautious appearance and felt uncomfortable to say that he wasn’t: "Well, if you really can't be idle at home, then you can go out to work if you want."
"Well, well, well…look who took the initiative to call! The beginning is promising."
Shao Qun's tone was not very good: "I want to talk to you about the photos."
"Oh, that." Shao Wen's voice did not waver at all, "Is something wrong?"
"Why did you post that picture in the newspaper?"
Shao Wen snorted: "Isn't that a good thing? Dad saw it and said that you two look good together, since you’re both so tall."
"Big sis!" Shao Qun said angrily, "Don't worry about my affairs. Since I already promised you, I won't go back on my word. If you keep giving me trouble, I won’t marry anyone."
Shao Wen paused and asked in a probing tone: "Shao Qun, what's the matter with you? Even if I did this behind your back, is it worth it to get so worked up about it? There must be something else going on there. Tell me."
"There’s nothing else."
"Nothing?" Shao Wen sneered, "If you don't say it, then I'll just take a guess. I think...Could it be because of that little whore you’re keeping?."
Shao Qun said impatiently, "He's not a whore."
"Really? So it’s because of him?" Shao Wen said coldly, "Shao Qun, are you angry with your own sister because of him?
"Why am I now suddenly the asshole? Originally everything was fine. It all went according to your wishes. Why would you set my backyard on fire when it doesn’t even concern you?"
"Shao Qun!" Shao Wen said angrily, "Do you know what you are doing right now? I have my own reasons for what I did, and all these reasons are for your own good. Why the attitude, huh?"
"Sister! Didn't I explain it just now? Originally, everything was fine. Then you made trouble for me, don't you understand?"
"I made trouble for you? You're about to get married. What’s so great about keeping a man older than you in your house anyway? I've been too lazy to care about your messy affairs for so many years, because I thought you also didn’t give a shit. But now you know that it’s serious. Qi Ming is different from the other men and women around you. In the future, she will be presented to the world as your wife. If you cause any trouble, or a word about your “hobbies” spreads around, you will shame the whole Shao family. How dare you?"
"What do you even know? Qi Ming understands everything better than you. We already agreed that she won't ask me about this stuff as long as it doesn’t go public. If it wasn't for the unnecessary thing that you did, everything would have been just fine. Nothing would have happened! Nothing at all!"
Shao Wen took a few deep breaths on the other end of the phone: "Shao Qun, I don't want to argue anymore, whether I did anything wrong or not. It’s already done. What I want to talk about is your current attitude."
"Don't change the subject."
"But that’s the whole point! How can you throw accusations at your own sister because of some dispensable…partner?”
"It has nothing to do with who he is..."
"Do you think I’m a fucking idiot? You've never been like this before. So what if he found out? So what if your backyard caught on fire? I think it's the right time for you to part with him now. Or, is he really worth throwing tantrums at your sister?"
"I said it has nothing to do with him. I just didn't like what you did."
"Shao Qun, now you are changing the subject.."
Shao Qun was so angry that he kicked the trash can next to the table: "I don't want to tell you anything more. Anyway, in the future, don’t meddle in the affairs between me and Qi Ming or me and that man. Leave it alone. As long as you keep your paws away, everything will go according to your wishes."
Shao Wen said coldly: "Is that right? Now I’m really starting to wonder…"
Shao Qun hung up the phone and threw it to the ground in a fit of rage.He then irritably tugged at his hair.
Shao Qun felt very uncomfortable. He was brought up by his eldest sister. She could easily guess what was on his mind. He really hoped that she could be reasonable from now on. Shao Qun didn’t want to get married and felt like he was being forced. And most of all, he didn’t want Li Chengxiu to know anything about this matter.
There was a light knock on the door. Shao Qun fixed his hair and opened the door of the study.
Li Chengxiu smiled and looked at him, holding a bowl of steaming soup in his hands.
"Still working? How about a bowl of chicken soup?"
Shao Qun nodded: "Put it on the table."
Li Chengxiu carefully placed the bowl on the table and then picked up a shattered mobile from the ground with a surprised "huh?”[12]
"Did something happen?"
"It's nothing." Shao Qun sat on the sofa and patted his thigh, "Come here."
Li Chengxiu obediently sat down in his lap and couldn't help straightening Shao Qun’s messy hair.
Shao Qun put his arms around him gently and asked casually, "How's your job search going?"
Li Chengxiu was surprised that Shao Qun would take the initiative to ask him about it. He said happily: "Tomorrow…I have two interviews. I’m hopeful for both of them."
Shao Qun nodded: "I'll find a decent job for you when you pass your accounting exam. You won't have to work in the kitchen in the future, okay?"
Li Chengxiu's eyes lit up: "Okay! Thank you!"
Shao Qun smiled wearily, tightened his arms, put his nose against Li Chengxiu’s shoulder and smelled the fragrance of his fresh and clean body.
Li Chengxiu saw that his attitude was very good today, so he felt that the timing was good to finally say something: "Shao Qun, after I find a job… I think, I’ll move out."
Shao Qun raised his head suddenly, narrowed his eyes, and his voice immediately dropped an octave: "What did you just say?"
Li Chengxiu's back froze. He realized that he had said something that he really shouldn't have said. At this moment, it was difficult to drop the subject anymore, so he had to ride the tiger till the end.
"I can't… always live in your house," he stammered.
Shao Qun frowned and said, "What's the difference between my house and your house? You are mine. If you don't live with me, where do you plan to live then? You want to go back to your kennel? Do you enjoy abusing yourself or something? Even if you’re willing to live there, I’m not willing to visit you there.”
Li Chengxiu was dumbfounded. Even if he had thousands of good reasons, he could only keep silent when faced with Shao Qun's displeasure. And now it wasn’t because Li Chengxiu cared so much about Shao Qun but rather because he was afraid of him.
Afraid that he would be unhappy, afraid that he would be dissatisfied, afraid that he would be disgusted and sarcastic, afraid that he would call him a "sissy", afraid that he would slam the door and leave.
Li Chengxiu kept backing off step by step, giving up his territories one by one, hoping that it would reduce the tension between them and help preserve the relationship.
His character was originally very weak. And he became even weaker in front of powerful people.
Li Chengxiu sighed softly and whispered, "Just saying…whatever…"
Shao Qun rolled his eyes and said, "I really don't have any energy to chat with you today...let's just go to sleep. And I won't be discussing such trivial things in the future."
Li Chengxiu lowered his eyelids and nodded lightly.
Early next morning, after sending Shao Qun off to work, Li Chengxiu got ready and went for the job interview.
After all the applications he had sent, he received an answer from the largest hotel he had applied to. Li Chengxiu had really high hopes for it.
He arrived at the front desk and explained the purpose of his visit. Right afterwards he was taken to an office, where they asked him to wait for the manager.
Li Chengxiu sat quietly in his chair and waited.
After about ten minutes, the door of the office opened with a "click". Li Chengxiu hurriedly stood up and turned to look at the person who came in.
He was stunned after he saw who that was.
The person who came in turned out to be manager Zhang from the hotel where he used to work before.
Manager Zhang didn't seem at all surprised to see Li CHengxiu here. He sat down on the chair and said: "Xiao Li, please take a seat."
Li Chengxiu looked at him blankly, not knowing whether to sit down or to walk out.
"Just sit down." Manager Zhang raised his voice.
Li Chengxiu hesitated for a while, but still complied in the end: "Manager Zhang..."
"Long time no see, Xiao Li. I was quite surprised when I saw your resume. It's quite a coincidence."
"You… how did you..."
"How did I end up here? Yes, this hotel is indeed not as good as the one I worked in before. And the treatment is worse. Why do you think I came here? Is it not because of your Young Master Shao?"
Li Chengxiu stood up uncomfortably: "I'm leaving."
"Hey! Come on. Don't go, don't go! Sit down. I have something to tell you. Don't worry, I’m not blaming you for anything."
"Tell me what?"
"Something you might be interested in. For example, what Shao Qun did in order to capture you and what he did to make you stay at home to serve him all day long."
Li Chengxiu's face turned pale: "Wha... what did you say?"
Manager Zhang pointed to the chair: "Sit."
Li Chengxiu sat down tremblingly, staring at Manager Zhang without blinking.
Manager Zhang said, "Let me ask you first, are you still together with Shao Qun?"
Li Chengxiu nodded with some uncertainty
Manager Zhang sighed: "Xiao Li, in fact, I've always been quite satisfied with you. And I’ve never had any grudges against you. I’m very sorry to see such an honest person like you being fooled by Shao Qun."
"What’s your purpose here?"
"I just want to tell you what kind of person Shao Qun is. But you have to promise me that no matter what you hear today, you can't let Shao Qun know that I was the one who told you. This job was not easy to come by. But I really can’t keep swallowing this anymore. So please, promise me."
Li Chengxiu nodded stiffly: "I promise."
"Good. I know that you are an honest person, and your word means something. I’ll be honest, this thing with you and Shao Qun is really unfortunate."
"Wha... what is wrong with him?"
"He has done a lot of wicked things. So where do I even start? Right, at the very beginning, Shao Qun and President Chen discussed lending you out to work for him for two weeks. I happened to be right next to them when they were talking. At the time, Mr. Chen didn't really understand why he needed to borrow you for such a long time. I mean, does one really need two weeks to prepare a meal on one particular day? Do you know what Shao Qun told him? He was very direct. He said outright that he fancied you, and he needed some time to get you in his hands. Mr. Chen didn’t believe that only two weeks would be enough for that. Shao Qun said that, if he didn’t believe it, he could bet a 600-year-old tortoiseshell specimen in his office. If Shao Qun managed to get what he wanted, Mr.Chen would have to send him that specimen. Well…you know the result of that bet."
Li Chengxiu's face was bloodless. He thought of the tortoiseshell specimen in Shao Qun's study. Every time Li Chengxiu saw it, he would sigh, thinking that if it was alive, it would be a living fossil.
He didn’t know that it came from President Chen's office.
Li Chengxiu saw black spots in front of his eyes…
Manager Zhang gave him a sympathetic look: "This is just one of many. Remember the time I helped you move into that apartment? It was Shao Qun who asked me to do it. Xiao Li, you probably thought that he felt bad for you and thus found you a good place to live, right? Actually, he just thought that your living conditions were too poor for him to visit you at your place. Do you think I would be willing to help you move on my day off? That was not an order from President Chen."
Li Chengxiu looked at him blankly.
Manager Zhang shook his head: "Also, do you remember that time when Shao Qun had a fight with those guys in the hotel? I actually ended up here because of that fucking thing. Did you ever wonder why I was pestering you day after day as if I had nothing better to do, even though my only wish was that people would work peacefully under my management? It’s all because Shao Qun asked me to do it. "
Li Chengxiu finally got really agitated and said in a trembling voice, "I…I don't believe it… you… you..."
"You still don't believe it? You are so stupid. He asked me to find a way to make you quit. Why? Because, if you go to work, you can't serve him at home every day. He’s keeping you as his sugar baby, don’t you get it?”
Li Chengxiu abruptly got up from his chair. The heavy solid wooden chair made a loud "bang" due to his movements. Li Chengxiu’s expression was somewhere between anger, panic, agitation, and helplessness against the enemy who was about to invade.
Manager Zhang's eyes did not flicker at all. He kept looking directly at Li Chengxiu.
Li Chengxiu took a few deep breaths before sitting down again. He then said witlessly, "Go ahead."
Manager Zhang lit up a cigarette and said while puffing out clouds of mist: "I really didn't expect you to be able to bear all of that harassment at the time and still continue to go to work every day. So Shao Qun was unhappy, and he called me several times to urge me to hurry up. But I still wasn’t allowed to fire you. You had to resign voluntarily. I had no other choice but to ask Xiao Liu to trap you somewhere and scare you. Who would have thought that Shao Qun would come by and start a fight? President Chen fired me in order to make amends to him. Fucking shit."
Manager Zhang said angrily, "I still have to support my wife and children. Rich people are fucking assholes."
Li Chengxiu was speechless. He felt that his heart was just split in two, and it hurt to even move his fingers.
Why did everything Manager Zhang say sound so true? And if it was true, what should Li Chengxiu do then?
Basically, he really liked somebody and thought that they were in love with each other. But then he found out that that person only regarded him as a lover who can be bought by money. How could there be such a horrible thing in the world?
Li Chengxiu felt dizzy, and everything blurred in front of his eyes when he looked at the floor. Very slowly he bent down and hugged his head.
Manager Zhang sighed and shook his head: "Xiao Li, in this matter I have also wronged you.
But I had no other choice. Tell me, how can I refuse when people like Shao Qun ask me for something? I didn't want to help him with those wicked things. And it also didn’t end well for me. I guess, this is my retribution. To be honest, if you had already broken up with him, I wouldn’t be telling you this. But since you’re still together, I want to warn you, because I feel very guilty towards you. Besides, you are an honest person with your heart on your sleeve. It’s easy for you to be hurt. After all, for two men to be together is never a long-term thing. So don’t be too sad. You might as well take advantage of the fact that you're with him now to get some more money.
I know that you’re not well off, so since this is not a permanent arrangement, create some options for yourself. I’m telling you, you don't owe him anything. Shao Qun is really a bastard."
Li Chengxiu raised his head, his eyes were red. He stood up, while holding onto the armrests, and nodded to Manager Zhang: "I'm leaving now."
Manager Zhang got up, grabbed him and took out a business card from his pocket: "I'm sorry, Xiao Li, this hotel can't hire you. If Shao Qun finds out, I won't be able to keep my job here either. This is my friend's business card. There is a shortage of chefs at his place. You can go there to ask for a job. I told him about you beforehand."
Li Chengxiu didn't even look at the business card. He closed his eyes, shook his head, turned around and staggered away.
He didn't know how far he walked along the road. He was like a wandering lost soul. Finally he sat down on a park bench.
As soon as he did, he started crying.
At this time, he realized how sad it was to not have any friends or relatives. He didn’t have anyone he could talk to, so when he was sad, all he could do was hold it in.
Was that true what Manager Zhang said? Was that the truth?
Is it possible that he just wanted revenge on Shao Qun for losing his job?
That tortoiseshell was probably just gifted to Shao Qun by President Chen.
The apartment…the apartment was arranged by Shao Qun for his own good.
And about the fight… Wasn’t it just a random colleague who didn’t like him?
Was Manager Zhang lying to him? Was he twisting the facts in such a way that it would seem true what he was saying when in fact he was lying?
At such a time, shouldn't he trust his lover instead of a stranger who is trying to sow discord?
However, why was there a tiny voice in Li Chengxiu’s heart whispering that every word that Manager Zhang said was true.
Should he go back and ask Shao Qun? But what will happen after he asks? No matter what the answer was, Li Chengxiu didn’t want to see the fallout. What should he do?
During this early spring morning in the park only a couple of elderly people were exercising and chatting with each other. Li Chengxiu sat alone on the cold stone bench, feeling the cold air all over his body, which made his hands and his feet freeze. The unstoppable tears kept running down his cold red face. The boundless darkness of this world made Li Chengxiu feel even more insignificant and hopeless.
Thank all the gods and SQC for Adrian who made this bleak chapter much more bearable by his presence! (Official Adrian art from 188 Group on Weibo: https://m.weibo.cn/u/6457705652)
Chapter 37
Li Chengxiu wandered outside for the whole day and only came back when the sun was about to set.
Seeing the villa in front of him gave him an urge to flee.
He didn't know how to face Shao Qun. After thinking and struggling for the entire day, he still decided not to ask Shao Qun about anything. The thought of what he might have to endure after asking such a question made him terrified.
How can one know someone’s true heart without the risk of losing everything?
Li Chengxiu rubbed his puffy eyelids and walked into the house one step after the other.
When he opened the door and entered the house, Shao Qun was leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window with his back turned to him. He was looking at the fish pond outside.
As soon as he heard the movement, Shao Qun immediately turned his head. He was holding his mobile phone. He slowly lowered his hand and frowned slightly: "Did the interview take so long? I was about to call you."
Li Chengxiu nodded tiredly and couldn't even summon the courage to look up.
Seeing his lost look, Shao Qun walked over to stand in front of him. He then gently lifted his chin: "What's the matter? So dispirited… No success?"
Li Chengxiu turned his head away and hummed softly.
Shao Qun couldn't deal with that kind of arrogant posturing. He grabbed his chin tightly and forced Li Chengxiu to turn his face towards himself: "So if you can’t find a job, you give me attitude. You’re really something, huh.”
Li Chengxiu's nostrils puffed up and suddenly he raised his hand with some agitation.
The loud "pop" sound made both of them freeze.
Li Chengxiu looked at Shao Qun at a complete loss. Shao Qun was also stunned for half a second. His eyes gradually widened, and he looked at Li Chengxiu in disbelief.
He seemed to be too accustomed to Li Chengxiu's total obedience. When had he ever resisted him in the slightest? What was going on today?
Li Chengxiu moved his lips. There was a little panic in his eyes.
Shao Qun pulled his arm fiercely and pressed Li Chengxiu against the wall.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you on your period?" he gritted his teeth
Li Chengxiu's eyes were slightly red. He carefully observed Shao Qun inch by inch, trying to read the answer he wanted off this perfect face that he adored.
What exactly was he thinking? How serious was this relationship for him? Could Li Chengxiu trust him? Was he the Shao Qun that he had envisioned in his mind?
He had too many questions to ask, and his heart roared desperately. But his throat was being tightly strangled by an invisible hand, so he couldn’t make a sound.
Shao Qun noticed his red and swollen eyes and couldn't help touching his upper eyelids: "What is this? Did you cry?"
His anger suddenly disappeared under Li Chengxiu's obviously aggrieved look.
He didn't know what happened at Li Chengxiu's interview today. But it must have been quite unpleasant. An honest and weak person like Li Chengxiu, when he was bullied, could only swallow the insults. When he returned home, he showed a little emotion. Shao Qun decided that he should be tolerant of that. This just shows that he doesn’t treat Shao Qun as an outsider.
Shao Qun felt a little more pity in his heart. He let go of Li Chengxiu’s arm, touched his face lightly and said softly, "Why do you feel wronged? What made you so angry?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head gently.
Shao Qun felt that it was fine if he didn't say anything. He didn't plan to help him vent his anger anyway. After all, if Li Chengxiu couldn't find a job, it was only better for Shao Qun. He hugged him and coaxed softly: "It's alright. Don't be angry. Isn't this just some trivial thing? You’re a grown-up. Be strong."
Li Chengxiu lowered his eyes and fell silent in his arms.
Shao Qun thought that actually such a small Li Chengxiu with his little temper tantrum was kind of cute and occasionally could be fun.
Shao Qun put his arms around Li Chengxiu’s waist and dragged him to the porch: "Come on, put on your shoes. I'll take you out to dinner. I haven't eaten yet, I've been waiting for you."
Li Chengxiu shook his head: "I don't want to go out."
Shao Qun didn’t argue: "Okay, if you don't want to go, we don’t have to go." Shao Qun lowered his head and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I’ll listen to my wifey. Then let's order some takeout."
Li Chengxiu whispered, "No, I'll cook."
"Okay." Shao Qun released his hand, "Do it. Just make something light, it’s already late."
Li Chengxiu let out an "um" and entered the kitchen with his head down. He turned around and leaned against the kitchen table in an entirely collapsed state. Supporting his body with his hands, he quickly took a couple of breaths in this space that didn’t have Shao Qun’s presence.
How could he finally gather his courage? He either should say something or forget what happened today entirely. He had to choose one of those options, or he wouldn’t be able to face Shao Qun anymore. What should he do?
He quickly prepared some noodles, and the two of them sat face to face, having the most silent dinner ever.
Although Shao Qun kept trying to talk to him, Li Chengxiu dodged any kind of conversation, which made Shao Qun disappointed.
After dinner, Shao Qun leaned against the kitchen door with his hands folded over his chest and said to Li Chengxiu who was washing the dishes: "When you're done, pack a suitcase for me. I'm going abroad for about a week. I'll need summer clothes."
Li Chengxiu paused: "Okay."
Shao Qun shook his head impatiently, returned to the bedroom and leaned against the bedside to read.
Tomorrow he was going to Tahiti with Qi Ming for a vacation. After their return, they planned to officially get engaged in Beijing.
Everything was proceeding according to plan, and on the surface life seemed to be peaceful. However, Shao Qun felt a little uneasy in his heart, but he didn't know where this uneasiness came from. This was something that disturbed him the most.
Buying a restaurant for Li Chengxiu.
Shao Qun didn't know what happened, but as he abruptly moved his body around, this idea suddenly came to him. When he thought about it some more, he came to the conclusion that it was a great idea.
Didn't Li Chengxiu love to cook? He could get him a restaurant and let him run it in any way he wanted.
The restaurant needed to be close to here, so Li Chengxiu could go home at any time. He would have flexible work hours…Yes, that was a great idea. Why didn't he think of it before?
Shao Qun smiled smugly, threw his book away and lay down on the bed, relaxed. He planned to let Xiao Zhou find a suitable place nearby, and then he could quickly arrange everything when he came back from vacation.
After Shao Qun left early in the morning, Li Chengxiu felt relieved.
He started going out every day in order to find a job as soon as possible.
On the third day after Shao Qun left, Li Chengxiu came out of a restaurant where he just had his job interview and ran into an unexpected person.
"Li Chengxiu?"
"Adrian?" Li Chengxiu looked at the delicate little gay boy in surprise.
Li Chengxiu had met him three times in total before. It was always when Shao Qun took him to cut his hair. The place where he interviewed today happened to be on the same street as Adrian's studio.
Adrian's face was puffed from the cold. While rubbing his hands, he went up to grab Li Chengxiu’s arm and dragged him into a nearby restaurant just like that: "Come on. Let’s not stand outside talking in the cold. Have lunch with me!"
Adrian had a cheerful and straightforward personality. Although he was sometimes mean, he was never malicious. In Li Chengxiu's eyes, he was the kind of person who dared to say and do anything.
"Oh, what a coincidence! You haven't been in the studio for a long time, and your bangs have grown out. After dinner, let’s go to my shop, and I'll fix it for you."
"Ah… no… no… thank you."
"You're very welcome. I managed to fix your hairstyle really nicely… Tsk,tsk, my craftsmanship is really good.” After saying that, he giggled.
Li Chengxiu smiled lightly, not knowing what to say.
Adrian was dazzling, brilliant, and Li Chengxiu felt so small in front of him. If it had been Adrian in his situation, he would have dared to act decisively when faced with a problem, instead of being a coward like him, hesitating to even ask a single question and torturing himself with sleepless nights.
"Hey, by the way, what about Shao Qun? Why are you here on your own?" Adrian asked inarticulately, as he was sticking a chopstick into his mouth.
"He’s on a business trip."
"Oh. How have you two been recently? Having a good time?"
Li Chengxiu's expression darkened.
"What's wrong?" Adrian put down his chopsticks and blinked to observe Li Chengxiu's face, "Did you argue?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head.
Adrian suddenly shouted: "Ah! Have you broken up?" There was an obvious excitement in his voice.
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a while, then quickly shook his head: "No."
"Then tell me what’s wrong." Adrian's eyes flashed in an anticipation of gossip.
Li Chengxiu stared blankly at the orange pumpkin pie in front of him. He was really overwhelmed by his heavy thoughts, and he wished for someone to listen to him. But he didn’t know how to say all these things. Adrian was not his friend after all. He was Shao Qun's friend.
Adrian grabbed his arm that was lying on top of the table and said coquettishly, "Well, let's see what the problem is. Maybe I can help you."
Li Chengxiu lowered his head sadly and shook it: "It's okay."
Adrian sighed: "Don't think that I'm being nosy. I'm just worried about you."
Whether what he said was true or not, Li Chengxiu felt a little warmth in his heart. He forced out a smile: "Thank you."
"At first sight it’s clear that people like you can be bullied easily. So I’m worried about you, since I hate it the most when honest people are being bullied. You have to be tough, so that you don't suffer. Do you understand?"
Li Chengxiu nodded. Who would argue with the truth?
"To put it bluntly, you're so weak, that it was clear that sooner or later Shao Qun would eat you up without spitting out the bones." Adrian wiped the corner of his mouth lightly with a tissue and suddenly gave Li Chengxiu a wink, "However, if you’ve actually broken up with Shao Qun, why don’t you get together with me?"
Li Chengxiu was taken aback.
"Hahahaha." Adrian laughed, "Just kidding. I’m only into guys with six pack abs. Not into skinny ones like you."
Li Chengxiu smiled awkwardly.
"But..." Adrian lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "If your thing is longer than fifteen centimeters, I might still consider it."
Li Chengxiu's face turned red, and he subconsciously leaned back in his chair .
Adrian said quite seriously: "You know, a lot of good-looking thin guys have unexpectedly big dicks."
Li Chengxiu looked around awkwardly, not knowing how to keep up with Adrian's unrestrained nature.
"But you look like you don’t have any experience in topping…I mean it, Li Chengxiu. Although you and I are not very compatible, if you’re not together with Shao Qun anymore, I could introduce you to a good man. I have plenty of resources. There will be a line of people waiting to snatch up someone like you - a kind, gentle, virtuous type that is a must-have for any traveler.”
"Uh, I..."
"There is someone! There is someone! I immediately thought of a suitable, really really handsome gentleman for you. He’s rich, and the main thing is that his techniques are good. Perfect fit for you."
Li Chengxiu smiled bitterly.
"Hey, leave me your digits!" Adrian picked up Li Chengxiu's cell phone, then dialed a number on it and smiled, "If you have any difficulties, you can call me. No need to be polite, we’re fellows from the same boat. And once you're single, I'll definitely introduce you to a boyfriend. I like being a matchmaker."
Li Chengxiu nodded helplessly.
After the meal, Adrian took Li Chengxiu to his studio and fixed his hair before he happily sent him out the door.
Adrian was very enthusiastic and straightforward, which made Li Chengxiu feel as if he had made an instant friend. He never thought that meeting him would be so delightful.
When he got off the bus and was on his way home, his phone suddenly rang. Li Chengxiu looked at the screen and saw that it was Shao Qun.
Li Chengxiu hesitated for a long time, but finally accepted the call: "Hello."
Shao Qun's magnetic voice came from the other side: "Hello, darling. Miss me?"
"Um."
"What’s with the “um”? Do you miss me or not?"
Li Chengxiu said hesitantly, "I miss you."
"That’s more like it. What have you been doing these past two days?"
"Looking for a job. And you? Are you busy?"
"Of course I'm busy." Shao Qun didn't seem to want to continue this topic and added, "I really want to go home soon. It's so boring here. I miss you."
Li Chengxiu unconsciously smiled : "Work is important."
"By the way, I bought a lot of gifts for you. And some very special clothes..." Shao Qun chuckled ambiguously, "When I come back, you’ll put them on for me, okay?"
Li Chengxiu didn't understand what he meant, so he replied casually, "Okay."
"This place is quite fun. I'll take you here to play around some other time."
"Where are you?"
"Even if I tell you, you wouldn’t know…"
There was a sudden knock coming from the other side, and Li Chengxiu faintly heard a delicate female voice: "Hubby, it's me."
Li Chengxiu paused.
Shao Qun reacted quickly and said to Li Chengxiu, "Oh, it’s Xiao Zhou's girlfriend. We were just discussing some things with him, and he went to the bathroom. I’ll hang up to open the door. See you at home then." Without waiting for Li Chengxiu to respond, Shao Qun decisively hung up the phone.
Li Chengxiu listened to the busy tone, as he recalled the female voice just now. Suddenly, he froze right in the middle of the road.
He was just a little slow, but not stupid.
Shao Qun was free enough to call him. So why would he use his break to also talk about work with assistant Zhou? And Shao Qun's rush just now was really abnormal.
Li Chengxiu felt exhausted physically and mentally.
Since when did he need to doubt everything about Shao Qun? How did the two of them get to this point?
He felt that he really couldn't hold it in anymore. He made up his mind that when Shao Qun came back, he would ask him about everything. Otherwise these doubts would overwhelm him sooner or later.
He wanted to ask Shao Qun whether what Manager Zhang said was true or not. He also wanted to know who the woman in the newspaper was. And also who the woman on the other side of the phone was.
If he doesn't ask, he'll only have sleepless nights from now on. No matter the outcome, it won't hurt him more than this current torture.
He walked back home slowly, and as he approached the gate, he saw a black car parked there. At first glance it was clear that the visitor was aiming for Shao Qun’s house. The car blocked the entire driveway, and the car lights were still on.
It was a little dark, and when Li Chengxiu looked inside the car, he could only see a middle-aged man sitting in the driver's seat.
He quickly walked over, and the driver got out of the car, nodding politely at him: "Mr. Li, hello. Please open the gate. The Third Young Miss is waiting in the car."
Third Young Miss? What Third Young Miss? Li Chengxiu looked at the driver suspiciously.
The driver explained: "It's the Young Master's sister."
Li Chengxiu was stunned. But he remembered that the last time Shao Qun's sister came around, he clearly called her "eldest sister[13]".
He didn't have time to think much, so he hurried to open the gate.
The driver saw that Li Chengxiu was doing as he was told and got back into the car.
Since Li Chengxiu didn't drive, he didn’t have the remote key to open the gate automatically like Shao Qun did. He could only use his usual key to open the lock first. Then he had to laboriously push the two large carved iron gates to both sides by hand.
The weather was so cold that touching the iron gate felt like touching ice. The temperatures had dropped a couple days ago, when Shao Qun was already on his business trip. The iron gate hadn’t been opened for several days, so it had frozen a little and became a bit sluggish. Usually, Li Chengxiu just opened the small door in the gate to go in directly. This time, he had to rely on his manpower to manually push the automatic gate open, only to realize that it was pretty damn hard.
Li Chengxiu’s forehead was already covered in sweat when he was done with one side of the gate. He turned his head and glanced back at the car. The people there didn't have the slightest intention to help. Li Chengxiu sighed and proceeded to push the other side of the gate open with great effort.
The car pulled through the gate and parked in the yard.
Li Chengxiu put in another great effort to push the two gate doors closed again.
It wasn't until he had locked the gate and opened the door to the villa that the driver got out of the driver's seat and graciously opened the doors for the Third Young Miss.
An extremely delicate and beautiful woman, wrapped in thick and luxurious fur, got out of the car.
She looked a bit like Shao Qun's eldest sister, but she was obviously younger and had a completely different temperament. Shao Qun's eldest sister looked majestic and wise, and this person in front of Li Chengxiu, looked a bit savage, with her eyebrows also slightly upturned.
She gave Li Chengxiu an arrogant glance and walked into the house with her high heels.
Chapter 38
She was the third young miss of the Shao family - Shao Nuo.
After entering the room, she sat down on the sofa, raised her eyebrows at Li Chengxiu who was taking off his coat, and asked with disdain, "Are you Li Chengxiu?"
Li Chengxiu nodded: "Do you want to drink water? Or tea?"
Shao Nuo raised her chin proudly : "No need. I'm here for a very simple purpose. Then I'll leave immediately. My brother is getting married. Take this check and be gone." She took out a piece of paper from her bag and put it on the coffee table.
Li Chengxiu put his shoes into the shoe cabinet with a stiff hand. Then he slowly took out his house shoes.
For some reason, he was not surprised - neither by this woman’s intentions, nor by what she said.
He lingered, before he finally sat down on the sofa on the other end from Shao Nuo. He lowered his head slightly and then whispered, "He said… he’s not getting married."
"Marriage naturally takes some time to arrange. But when they come back from vacation, they will get engaged."
Li Chengxiu raised his eyes up and looked at Shao Nuo with a little confusion: "Vacation?"
"Yes, they're vacationing in the South Pacific right now."
Li Chengxiu shook his head absentmindedly: "No… he said…he’s on a business trip."
Shao Nuo was also stunned for a moment. She pursed his lips, took out her mobile phone from her bag and showed Li Chengxiu her screen: "This is the photo my brother sent me yesterday."
Li Chengxiu stared blankly at the photo.
It was indeed Shao Qun. And the woman next to him who was wearing a swimsuit and hugging him intimately was the supermodel he had seen in the newspaper before. The two of them were smiling happily.
Li Chengxiu's eyes twitched and he said with a trembling voice, "I…may… maybe it's a friend of his."
Shao Nuo stared at him with a hint of doubt in her eyes.
She frowned and pressed the call button, "Be quiet for a while. I'll make you give up on him completely."
She turned on the loudspeaker, and soon a lazy voice came from the other end of the phone, familiar to the both people present in the room.
"Hey, third sis."
"Shao Qun, what are you doing?"
"Nothing. I'm lying in bed."
"Are you having a good time?"
"It's okay. Hey, Qi Ming, it’s my third sister. Say hello to her."
A soft voice immediately chimed in: "Hello, sister."
"Well, hello there. Are you enjoying yourself?"
"I'm very happy. It's so beautiful! You should also come spend some time here when you’re free."
"Good. Is Shao Qun treating you well?"
"Very well. Shao Qun is the best, haha." Her voice was vaguely playful.
Shao Nuo smiled dryly and said perfunctorily: "That's good. Call Shao Qun to the phone for a moment. I need to tell him something."
Shao Qun's voice was back: "Sis, what's the matter?"
"Oh, I just wanted to ask if you had any special requirements for the engagement banquet?"
"No. You can arrange what you want."
Shao Nuo said a few more words and then hung up the phone. When she turned her head, she saw Li Chengxiu covering his mouth, as tears streamed down his face.
A trace of panic flashed in Shao Nuo's eyes: "You… Why are you crying? What is an adult man crying for?"
What was he crying for? Where does he even begin?
Was it because Shao Qun lied to him? Or because Shao Qun was getting married? Or because he had just now completely woken up from his dream?
Shao Qun's every word, like a knife, fiercely stabbed into his heart. Li Chengxiu’s heart was bleeding, so what was so weird about shedding some tears?
No matter how much he deceived himself and tried to silence all his doubts, he was helpless in the face of naked truth.
It was like a nightmare...everything was like a nightmare.
Shao Nuo didn't seem to know how to deal with such a scene, so she was completely stunned.
She stiffened her back and for a long time looked awkwardly at Li Chengxiu crying with his head down, before she angrily stood up. Her lady-like demeanor was completely gone, as she cursed casually, “Shit, it looks like I’m the bully.”
She pushed the cheque in front of Li Chengxiu: "Hey, just take it. Then quickly move out of here. My brother is not suitable for you. He is also… no… not as good as you think. Long story short, just break up with him as soon as possible, okay? It’s in everybody’s best interest."
Li Chengxiu looked up at her blankly, and spoke, while choking and sobbing: "You go… you go… The key is there. On the shoe cabinet... You go. I will go too. I will definitely go. "
Shao Nuo's face turned blue, and she walked out in her high heels.
It was not until the door was closed that Li Chengxiu dared to make a sound and cry with his head in his arms.
His heart hurt too much. He had never experienced such a feeling of despair. The existence he was accustomed to had collapsed in an instant. Where should he go now?
Shao Qun's deception. Shao Qun's betrayal. Shao Qun's tenderness. Shao Qun's affection. Did he even know him?
How can there be somebody who carves bits and pieces of himself into the soul of another person?
Shao Qun's laughter, his angry and emotional expressions - all of it appeared clearly and vividly in front of Li Chengxiu, repeatedly smashing his heart into pieces.
He vaguely remembered that more than ten years ago, he was also saddened by Shao Qun's indifference. Back then, he was alone in the cold hospital, holding his mother’s diagnosis sheet in his hands and crying. At that time it was just like now. He had no one. No one could help him. No one could save him.
If he could save himself the first time around, could he save himself the second time?
Li Chengxiu didn't know how long he had been crying in the dark and cold room. When he staggered up to his feet, it was completely dark outside.
He walked into the utility room, dug out his suitcase, dragged it back to the bedroom and started packing.
He couldn’t stay in this place even a second longer.
Shao Qun was everywhere in this house. In every corner there were some happy memories. So he must leave immediately.
It took Li Chengxiu just over half an hour to pack all his things.
After moving here, Shao Qun bought most of the stuff for him. Part of his old clothes ended up in the garbage anyway, so there was not a lot to pack.
As he dragged his big suitcase outside, he felt as if he was leaving a hotel. Once he left, he couldn’t take anything with him. Because if he did, he’d have to pay a price for it, and those costs were too high for him to afford.
He only took two things that Shao Qun gave him - Teacup who couldn’t survive without him and a sim card.
After Shao Qun came back, Li Chengxiu still had to settle some things with him in person. There were also certain issues that had to be dealt with, like the money he owed Shao Qun.
Several restaurants with whom he interviewed today were likely to call him back. Li Chengxiu was in urgent need of a job now.
He wrapped his coat tightly around himself, took his suitcase and, while crying, left the place where he had lived for the past half a year and had made some of the best memories in his life.
He took the bus to the train station, bought a second-hand mobile phone for more than 200 RMB on the side of the road. He then found a small hotel which charged only 50 RMB for a room. He planned to stay there for just one night and then look for a house as soon as possible tomorrow.
Li Chengxiu gave Teacup some food, put it into a warm blanket and watched it fall asleep, before lying down with his clothes still on. He didn't dare to cover his body with the mottled quilt which was stained with who knows what. So he had to wrap himself in his own clothes, as he lay on the damp and cold bed that gave off an unpleasant smell.
His body and mind were exhausted, but he couldn’t sleep no matter what.
As soon as he closed his eyes, he saw images of Shao Qun and his beautiful fiancee embracing intimately. He couldn’t control it, and it would make him cry every time.
He didn't know what else he could do besides crying. Grieving alone was the safest way. He neither had the guts to hurt anybody, nor did he have any power to make things go his way. What could he do except vent with his tears?
Li Chengxiu kept his eyes open until dawn.
He stayed up all night, and his eyes were swollen like walnuts. In the morning, he got up, washed his face, deposited his suitcase and Teacup with the proprietress of the hotel and went out to look for a house.
During his many years in Shenzhen, he had looked for houses and moved countless times. He had more experience than anyone in finding a cheap place to live. However, he also hoped that one day he would no longer have to look for another house.
Li Chengxiu had always dreamed of having a house of his own. Where no one could kick him out. Where he doesn't have to pack his suitcases because of a job change or rising rent.
He originally planned to leave Shenzhen after paying off his debts and saving up 150,000 RMB[14]. He wanted to go to a small county town with a low cost of living, so he could afford to buy a house. If he had money left, he would open a small restaurant. Then he’d live a happy and peaceful life.
The appearance of Shao Qun completely disrupted his pace, allowing him to see and experience more. And also to expect more.
When one expects something that is not a part of their own world, they are bound to fall hard and hurt themselves.
When Li Chengxiu was young, he was stupid, but then he could still say that he was ignorant because of his youth. But what about now? If he hadn't learned his lesson yet, he deserved to repeat it.
His penance now was to drag his tired body and mind around this lonely city and look for a suitable place to live.
Because it was too urgent, Li Chengxiu didn’t care if the house he chose was good or bad. In the end, he rented a small attic of 12 square meters. With his height, he could walk upright there, but he could barely take five steps before running into the wall. The kitchen and bathroom were located downstairs. The room was very inconvenient, but it was also very cheap. And it could be rented month by month, which was also convenient for Li Chengxiu, if he had to move for a job and make other arrangements in the future.
He went back to the train station to get his luggage and Teacup. He cleaned his new room, put on clean sheets and bedding and then sat on the bed panting from exhaustion. From last night until now, he hasn’t been able to drink even a drop of water. He had been busy for an entire day, and was so tired that he didn’t want to move.
But once he stopped moving, he felt more and more lonely.
Unfamiliar room, unfamiliar darkness, unfamiliar coldness. Where did everything he knew go? Where was Shao Qun? Where was this person who used to accompany him?
Li Chengxiu felt that his eye sockets were starting to itch again. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself fiercely.
"Can't cry. It's useless... useless, so useless... sissy... so useless..."
Slap.
"Don't cry..."
Slap! Slap!
In the end, there was only the sound of desperate cries on the verge of collapse in this dark room.
Li Chengxiu received a call the next day from the restaurant across Adrian’s studio with a notice to report within two days.
He took advantage of the daytime to buy some daily necessities and then began looking for rentals again.
The location of the new job was a little far away from where he lived now. Next month he had to move somewhere closer, otherwise he’d have to commute three hours every day.
In the afternoon, he got a call from Adrian.
Adrian, who seemed to be perpetually energetic, started making a fuss as soon as he opened his mouth: "Hello? Why is your voice so hoarse? Do you have a cold?"
"No...yes, I have a cold."
"You’re ok, right? Do you want me to visit you? Has Shao Qun returned from his business trip? Is anyone taking care of you now?"
"It's okay. I’m just a little hoarse. It's okay.."
"Oh, it's a change of seasons, you know. Many people get colds around this time. You should pay attention to your health."
"All right. Thank you."
"By the way, weren’t you looking for a job near my place last time? Did you find something?"
"Yes."
"On my street?"
"Correct."
"Wow, that's great! Is it that Sichuan restaurant? I usually go to the same few restaurants all the time. But now that you’re working there, I’ll definitely come by. Shao Qun mentioned that your cooking is delicious."
When Li Chengxiu heard Shao Qun’s name, he felt a dull pain in his heart and reluctantly said, "Yes, that’s the one."
Adrian seemed to sense that something was wrong: "Chengxiu, are you really all right? Your voice doesn’t sound right…"
Li Chengxiu hesitated for a while, but still avoided to say anything: "It's really okay."
Adrian muttered some nonsense again and asked Li Chengxiu to call him after work, so they could go hang out together or something. Adrian was like a child who could chat by himself for hours.
At this time, anyone's concern was touching for Li Chengxiu. He wanted to say something to Adrian several times, but in the end, he still hesitated.
Now, he really didn’t dare to trust anyone easily.
He originally planned to report to the restaurant the next day, but in the morning, he received a call from Shao Qun.
Looking at the name on the caller ID, he felt that his vision went blurry, and his heart was jumping out of his throat. The phone rang seven or eight times in a row until it was disconnected, and all this time Li Chengxiu didn't have the courage to answer the call.
After a while, the phone rang again.
Li Chengxiu endured the fear and heartache and finally gently pressed the “accept” button.
"Hey, Li Chengxiu? Why aren't you at home? I just got off the plane, and you were not there at such an early hour! Did you find a job? Didn’t you know that I was coming back today? Why didn’t you make me breakfast before leaving?" Shao Qun sounded displeased.
Li Chengxiu moved his lips, but his throat couldn’t physically make a sound for a long time.
"Hello? Hello? Did you hear what I said?"
"I...I am...in transit."
"What?"
"On my way."
"You’re coming back now? Then come back quickly. I want to eat your food. Forget it, where are you? I'll pick you up."
"No, it’s fine."
"Okay, hurry up."
After hanging up the phone, Shao Qun couldn't help but smile. He looked at the pile of bags on the floor and wondered how Li Chengxiu would react when he received these gifts.
He didn't know what was going on with him this time. He didn't just buy a few things. As soon as he saw something nice, he felt like that would be suitable for Li Chengxiu. And that one too… And that one to… In the end, he just bought everything.
Tahiti was a good place to relax. But next time he should take Li Chengxiu with him, so it wouldn’t be so boring.
Chapter 39
An hour later, the doorbell rang, and Shao Qun opened the gate door for Li Chengxiu from the inside, and then went on to open the villa door too: "Why didn’t you take the key with you when you left?"
Li Chengxiu's face was as white as a piece of paper. When he saw Shao Qun in front of him, his whole body started shaking.
Shao Qun dragged him inside the house, surprised: "What's wrong with you? I've been gone only for a few days. How did you manage to lose so much weight?"
Li Chengxiu anxiously glanced at him and gently pushed away the hand that was holding his arm.
Shao Qun frowned: "What's wrong?"
Li Chengxiu looked at him.
This was still the same Shao Qun. Except for a little tan, nothing had changed. But to Li Chengxiu, he looked like a stranger. They were apart for a week, but it felt like a lifetime had passed.
Shao Qun felt that something was wrong with Li Chengxiu. It seemed as if he had lost his soul. He had never seen such Li Chengxiu before.
"Chengxiu, what's wrong with you?" Shao Qun pulled him into the room, "Come in first."
Li Chengxiu was basically dragged into the house by him.
Shao Qun looked at him with worry: "What happened? Tell me."
Li Chengxiu took out something from his pocket: "Here is 40,000 RMB[15]. I’ll return the rest in the next two years."
Shao Qun looked at the dark red bank book. He was stunned: "What do you mean?"
"I've already moved out. I’ll return the rest of the money to you."
Shao Qun gritted his teeth and asked again, "What do you mean?"
Li Chengxiu's eyes were red. As if he was in great pain, he said witlessly, "Shao Qun, let's break up."
Shao Qun showed an expression of disbelief. He widened his eyes and raised his voice: "What did you just say?"
Li Chengxiu used all his strength to repeat: "Let's break up."
Shao Qun grabbed Li Chengxiu’s neck. His eyes were bloodshot, as he ruthlessly said, "Do you dare to repeat what you just said?"
Li Chengxiu's nose slightly twitched, and his clear eyes slowly became misty. He choked and said, "Shao Qun, you’re getting married. Let's break up."
"Who the fuck told you that?"
"Your third sister." Li Chengxiu pushed Shao Qun’s arm hard and looked at him sadly, "When you guys telephoned, I was by her side."
Shao Qun's heart trembled, and he dropped his arms. He tore at his hair and exhaled heavily: "Chengxiu, sit down and let's talk."
Li Chengxiu shook his head, wiped his eyes and put the bankbook on the table: "I'm leaving."
With his long legs, Shao Qun was faster than Li Chengxiu and was already blocking his path. Angrily he said, "Can't you at least talk to me? How can you just leave like that?"
Li Chengxiu sniffed and said in a trembling voice, "I said…if you get married, you should tell me… why didn't you tell me?"
Shao Qun became angry: "Why the hell would I need to tell you? It's none of your business whether I get married or not!"
There was a hint of despair on Li Chengxiu's face, and he turned again to leave.
Shao Qun tugged at his arm and said sternly, "Is it such a bad thing for us? I’ll treat you the same way when I’m married. Why the fuck are you so braindead? If I don't marry a woman, can I marry you instead, huh? We can still be together. It doesn't change anything if I get married or not. I can fucking treat you even better. What the fuck are you making a fuss about?"
Li Chengxiu raised his head and looked at him with pain on his face: "Shao Qun, what do you think of me?"
"I..." Shao Qun was about to speak, but he was suddenly too stunned. What did he think of Li Chengxiu? He regarded him as a little pet that he had trained. Albeit a pet that Shao Qun was much more interested in than the others he had trained before.
Tears gradually fell from his eyes, and Li Chengxiu choked up: "Shao Qun, tell me, was the tortoiseshell in your study given to you by President Chen because of me?”
Shao Qun was startled.
"I was forced to resign from the hotel. Did you do it?"
Shao Qun's eyes glistened, and his Adam's apple moved up and down.
His expression was basically a tacit agreement.
Li Chengxiu’s vision blurred. He didn’t know this person in front of him.
"Shao Qun, I thought that we… liked each other…but you…you were just…keeping me.."
Shao Qun lowered his eyes and cursed angrily. His third sister was a happy-go-lucky person, who never cared much about his affairs. She had absolutely no reason to come here, so this was definitely on behest of his eldest sister.
Li Chengxiu rubbed his eyes hard and tried to push Shao Qun away.
Shao Qun grabbed his hand. His cheeks were puffed up, and he seemed to be holding back something. He lowered his voice and coaxed: "Chengxiu, stop making trouble. I already told you that my marriage will not affect us in the slightest. You can continue living here, and I will come to accompany you very often. When I go back to Beijing in the future, I promise, I will take you with me..."
Li Chengxiu closed his eyes in pain.
Every word that Shao Qun said was like a knife, slashing at his heart.
This person…this person… He was wrong. He was so wrong.
Shao Qun eagerly held Li Chengxiu’s face and lowered his head to kiss him, but Li Chengxiu suddenly pushed him away.
Shao Qun was unprepared at that moment, so his waist hit the dining table. The impact was not painful, but it still made him angry.
"Have you had enough of this shit already? What the hell do you want? How much do you think you are worth? Do you really think I can't do without you?"
Shaking, Li Chengxiu turned around and staggered outside.
Shao Qun’s breathing paused.Instantly, an inexplicable fear emerged in his chest.
Something hit Li Chengxiu's back. He grunted and stumbled. If he hadn't been holding on to the wall, he would have fallen to the ground.
Shao Qun seemed to have just regained his senses. He looked at the iron ashtray on the ground. Although it was not heavy, the hit was definitely painful.
Shao Qun’s hands were shaking a little, as he went up to check on him: "Chengxiu..."
Li Chengxiu suddenly turned his face towards him. His tearful eyes showed sorrow, and he whispered, "Don't come closer… don't come closer."
Blue veins bulged up on Shao Qun’s forehead. He raised his foot and kicked the delicate glass- reinforced plastic dining table to the ground, roaring: "Li Chengxiu, if you have the fucking guts to leave right now, don't ever come back! I can snatch a younger, prettier, and smarter one off the street just like that! I treat you nice for a little, and you think you’re the shit? You really take yourself so seriously? Are you worthy of breaking up with me? Are you worthy at all? Who are you? Who the fuck do you think you are? Get out! Get the fuck out of here! Don't ever let me see you again!"
Li Chengxiu rushed out the door without looking back.
Shao Qun was so furious that he lifted his chair and used it to smash a row of glass cabinets on the wall. When he turned around and saw the gifts he bought for Li Chengxiu, his eyes turned red with anger. He roughly opened the floor-to-ceiling window and threw all the things he had so carefully selected into the fish pond.
Shao Qun felt that the anger and anxiety in his chest couldn’t be quelled until he got so tired that he was out of breath. He smoked one cigarette after the other, but he couldn't get the image of Li Chengxiu leaving without even turning his head out of his mind. Shao Qun wanted to burn the house down, so that Li Chengxiu, that ungrateful fool, would completely disappear from his life.
Successfully escaping from that house was like being baptized in pain and despair yet again. Li Chengxiu swore that he would never step foot into that place again. Let his memories and feelings be buried here - he just wanted to forget everything.
Just forget it… forget it, and it won't hurt anymore. He won't be sad, and he won't be hurt again and again.
Li Chengxiu dragged his numb body back to his tiny newly-rented attic. As soon as he entered the door, Teacup jumped out of its nest bed and ran up to rub against Li Chengxiu’s trousers.
Li Chengxiu picked up the little thing, put it on the bed, and fed the dog one piece after the other.
At this time, there was at least someone to accompany Li Chengxiu through this, which was already much better than when he was a child. Back then, he couldn't even support himself. At least now, he could afford to keep Teacup, and he could even afford the most expensive dog food. Teacup relied on him - it would never lie to him, hurt him, or betray him.
He rubbed Teacup’s soft little body against his cheek again and again: "Teacup…tomorrow I'll buy you…something delicious."
Li Chengxiu went to the restaurant to report the next day. The restaurant wasn’t big, but the owner was very nice and friendly. Although he had to go through two months of trial period, if he could become a regular employee, the salary would be quite good. Knowing that his situation was difficult, the owner also promised to subsidize his accommodation after he became a regular.
Li Chengxiu had one day off a week, three morning shifts, and three night shifts. The setup was very reasonable. Li Chengxiu could easily get used to this kind of workload.
Adrian called him on his first day at work.
Small restaurants were not as strict as big hotels, so nobody minded that he had his phone on during work hours.
Li Chengxiu happened to be idle at the time, so he picked up the phone.
"Hey, Chengxiu, are you at work?"
"Yes, right now."
"I'll go to your place for lunch at noon. Can you join me to eat?"
"No, I have to work."
"Then what time do you get off work?"
"Four p.m."
"Ah, that's great! Then after work I'll take you to a Yunnan cuisine restaurant. It's really delicious, and it’s not far from here."
"But…” Li Chengxiu needed to go home to feed the dog.
"Ok, that's all! I'll call you at four and pick you up."
Adrian happily hung up the phone, and Li Chengxiu stared at his screen in a daze.
After Li Chengxiu got off work, Adrian really came to pick him up.
Before Adrian could honk his horn, Li Chengxiu already knew it was him as soon as he saw the big red sports car.
Adrian opened the car door for him with a smile: "It seems to be getting warmer outside."
Li Chengxiu nodded: "It seems so."
Just as Adrian was about to drive off, he suddenly turned to look at Li Chengxiu: "Huh? I haven't seen you for a few days - how did you manage to lose so much weight so quickly? How did you do it? Come on, teach me your secret!"
Li Chengxiu lowered his head in embarrassment.
Adrian moved closer to him, so close in fact that his small white face almost touched Li Chengxiu's face. He then blinked at him, "Chengxiu, what's the matter with you? It looks like you’re in a bad state."
Li Chengxiu shook his head.
"Ah… Did you have a fight with Shao Qun?"
Hearing that name made Li Chengxiu freeze.
Adrian was very attentive, so he immediately caught that reaction. Suddenly he exclaimed: "You broke up with him!"
Li Chengxiu raised his eyes slightly and nodded numbly.
Adrian shouted: "It's a good thing! It’s such a good thing! Uh..." Adrian suddenly fell silent and asked cautiously, "Chengxiu, are you sad?"
Li Chengxiu's nose was slightly sour, and he whispered, "I want… to go home…to feed the dog. I don't want to go… to dinner." He opened the door to get out of the car.
Adrian hurriedly pressed the car lock and jumped up to hug Li Chengxiu, startling him.
Adrian patted his head lightly: "Baby, don’t be sad. I’ll be honest with you, it's a good thing that you broke up with him. I knew it would happen sooner or later... Shao Qun is not worthy of you. I will find you a better one. Don't be sad, okay?"
Adrian smelled good. Although his shoulders were not very broad, they were warm, and Li Chengxiu's stiff body gradually relaxed.
Adrian took Li Chengxiu to dinner. The entire time he kept talking about Shao Qun's various bad deeds, recounting some of the absurd things he did in Beijing before[16]. Only then was Li Chengxiu fully convinced that the Shao Qun he knew was miles away from the real Shao Qun.
After eating, Adrian wanted to take Li Chengxiu out for drinks, but Li Chengxiu insisted on going back to feed the dog. Adrian became curious and said that he definitely must meet the dog.
Li Chengxiu said helplessly: "I don't have a place to sit."
"Huh? What do you mean you don’t have a place to sit?"
Li Chengxiu explained: "My house is very small."
Adrian exclaimed in surprise, "You broke up with Shao Qun and didn't even get a decent house?"
Amongst this crowd, it was a common rule to bestow a break-up gift. Otherwise, why would all these rich people, no matter how shitty they were, have dozens of beauties rushing to be at their side and treat them nicely?
Li Chengxiu shook his head. He didn't understand how he could still live in someone else's house after breaking up.
"You idiot!" Adrian poked his forehead with his finger. "You've been sleeping with him for over a year for nothing! So now he says he doesn’t want to be with you anymore, and you get nothing out of it? What do you figure?"
Li Chengxiu turned his head away silently.
Adrian shook his head and sighed again. He picked up the phone and said, "Just you wait! I’ll make him cough something up for you. Shit, how can he bully people like that?"
Li Chengxiu was shocked and quickly held Adrian’s hand: "No… no need…we’re not in contact anymore..."
"Even if you’re not in contact with him, I’m in contact with him. You can’t miss out on the house, the car, etc... Don't worry, you can get at least a few million out of this. Shao Qun is good for it.”
Li Chengxiu was about to cry. He tightly grabbed Adrian’s hand: "No, please don’t." Li Chengxiu currently had enough for food and clothing, and he still owed money to Shao Qun. He couldn’t let him look down on him even more.
Adrian was getting angry: "What the hell are you thinking? Are you really that stupid or are you pretending?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head: "I don't need it… now…it's all fine."
Adrian lowered his hand and looked at Li Chengxiu with pity. After a long while, he finally put away his phone and said helplessly: "How about we try it? You and me? I’ve had a bit of a dry spell lately, and I’ve never been with a pure bottom before. Let’s give it a go!”
Li Chengxiu looked at him awkwardly. He really couldn’t tell when Adrian was joking and when he was serious.
Adrian blinked: "Come on, give me a kiss first to see what it tastes like!" Then he got closer and puckered his lips.
Li Chengxiu was startled and quickly moved away.
Adrian pouted: "Hmph, so you don’t like me..."
"No, that’s not it……"
"Don't say anything anymore! I'll find a masculine guy for you."
"No… no need… thank you..."
Seeing that Adrian was about to dial somebody again, Li Chengxiu quickly held his hand and pleaded, "Adrian..."
Adrian gave him a hateful glare: "Were you born this cheap? You don’t even think about yourself.Is there a problem with your brain?”
On the way to Li Chengxiu’s house, Adrian was providing him with valuable education.
You should make money, while you’re still young. When you get old and decrepit, there will be no one rushing in to provide for you anymore. No matter who you fall in love with, you should always prepare escape routes for yourself. The ones who don’t do it, will run into very bad luck sooner or later. The more honest you are, the more people will want to take advantage of you. Being upright and honest is the same thing as writing “I am easy to bully. Bully me!” on your forehead.
Although Li Chengxiu disagreed with many of Adrian’s theories, he was still very grateful that someone cared so much about him.
Adrian dropped him off at his place, but didn't go in. When he just looked at the appearance of that house, it made him shake his head. He immediately volunteered to help Li Chengxiu find another place to live.
Li Chengxiu politely refused.
Although the house was small, it was still his own territory.
He didn’t dare to owe others favors any more. Who knew what the price would be?
Little sunshine Adrian to the rescue :)
(from the official 188 Group: https://m.weibo.cn/u/6457705652)
Chapter 40
After washing up, Li Chengxiu lay on the bed together with Teacup and glanced at the calendar over and over again.
In a few days, the results of the accounting exam were to be published. Like all the candidates waiting for the results, Li Chengxiu was feeling uneasy. He kept recalling the questions he answered and was second-guessing himself.
The little Teacup was whimpering in his arms. After a while, it patted the cheap calendar with his little paw. Seeing that Li Chengxiu didn't respond, he bit it.
Only after that, Li Chengxiu came to his senses. He quickly took the paper out of the dog’s mouth.
He turned his body, held his little Teacup up, pointed its warm belly towards himself, and rubbed it with his fingers: "Hungry?"
The puppy wobbled its little chocolate-colored fluffy body and whimpered.
Li Chengxiu took out a couple of dog treats from under his bed and brought them to Teacup’s mouth: "You can't eat too much! I have already fed you."
He couldn't figure out how this creature with such a tiny stomach could eat so much.
When Li Chengxiu was still living at Shao Qun's house, Shao Qun had looked up the feeding guides for teacup poodles on the Internet. Such a small dog couldn’t eat heavy foods, or it would die. Li Chengxiu was very anxious about it. When he fed Teacup, he counted out the dog food for him kibble by kibble. As a result, he had now trained the little guy to only accept food, if it was brought up to his mouth. Li Chengxiu had to personally feed him. When sleeping, Li Chengxiu had to hug Teacup - only then, it would keep quiet.
Li Chengxiu was probably a naturally-born caregiver. When he took care of the ones around him, he always did his very best. Even if it was just a palm-sized dog.
After feeding the little guy, he put him in his dog nest and covered him with a thick quilt. He then turned off the lights to go to sleep.
Just as he closed his eyes, a harsh sound suddenly rang out in the quiet little room.
Li Chengxiu was startled. He quickly sat up, picked up the mobile phone from the bedside table and, without even looking at the caller ID, put it directly to his ear.
"Hello……"
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
Li Chengxiu looked doubtfully at the display, and suddenly his heart throbbed.
It was Shao Qun.
Li Chengxiu also fell silent. Then he thought about it and quietly hung up.
Unexpectedly, just as he dropped the call, the phone impatiently rang again.
Even Teacup whimpered in protest. Li Chengxiu had no choice but to press the “accept” button again.
Shao Qun's irritable voice entered his ear: "You really have the guts to hang up on me."
Li Chengxiu worked hard to adjust his breathing, trying to get through the pain in his heart. He took several deep breaths in a row before he could finally calm down.
"Shao Qun, what's the matter?"
Shao Qun's voice was a little hoarse, and his tone was really bad: "You still have some things at my place. Come and pick your shit up. Did you leave it here, so it can grow maggots?"
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment, then he whispered, "I don’t think…I left anything."
"I’m telling you that you did. If this rubbish isn’t yours, is it mine then?"
Li Chengxiu pursed his lips: "Then… throw it away."
There was first a pause on the other side of the phone, and then Li Chengxiu could only hear cursing: "So now I have to take care of throwing out your fucking things? I don’t have time for this shit. Come over quickly and pack everything up!"
Li Chengxiu was resolutely unwilling to step into that villa again: "Get rid of it…I don’t want it."
Shao Qun was so angry that his veins burst out. He gritted his teeth and said, "Where do you live? I'll send it to you!"
Li Chengxiu repeated again: "I really…don’t need it." He couldn’t remember leaving anything important behind.
"Tell me where you live! You left without saying a word. In case your phone doesn’t answer one day, who the hell am I going to call for the money you owe me? You want to renege on your debt?"
Li Chengxiu quickly said, "No… I will pay everything back… In the span of two years."
"No way! How am I going to find you if you run away one day? I need to know where you are. Or you have to pay everything back to me now with interest."
Li Chengxiu's face paled. The arm that was outside the quilt was shaking from the cold.
He never thought that Shao Qun could be such a jerk. After the break up, Shao Qun's vile nature was gradually exposed to Li Chengxiu. As if Shao Qun wasn’t controlling it at all anymore. The more Li Chengxiu understood him, the more it chilled him to the bone.
He said hoarsely: "In that case…you can find me at the place where I work."
Shao Qun paused: "Address."
The next day, Li Chengxiu was sweating profusely while cooking. The waitress came into the kitchen from the restaurant floor: "Chef Li, there’s a friend looking for you."
Li Chengxiu thought that it might be Shao Qun, and his legs got a little weak. He hesitated and said, "I'm busy now. Ask him to wait."
The young girl hummed in acknowledgement. Before she left, she couldn't help asking with some anticipation: "Chef Li, how do you know such a handsome man? Are you close with him?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head awkwardly: "I'm not at all close with him."
A few people working nearby made fun of the young waitress.
Li Chengxiu was restless, thinking that Shao Qun was just a few meters away. He felt his calves twitching.
The colleagues around him were all very nice, and Li Chengxiu was welcomed as a newcomer. After he finished cooking the dish, someone next to him took over, saying that since his friend was waiting for him, he should go on his break earlier.
This was the lunch rush - the busiest time at the restaurant. Everyone was supposed to be at their places, and everybody was very busy. Li Chengxiu felt embarrassed to leave, so he promised to return as soon as possible.
When he entered the lobby, he saw Shao Qun sitting at the table in the corner, holding the menu in his hand, looking bored with his chin propped up.
As soon as he noticed Li Chengxiu, his back straightened immediately, his cheeks were puffed up, and he sharply stared at him.
In order not to attract attention, Li Chengxiu pulled out the chair and sat down. With some difficulty he said, "What did I leave behind?"
Since the moment Li Chengxiu appeared, Shao Qun's eyes never left his face. Casually he said, "I tossed it."
"Huh? Didn’t you want to send it to me?"
Shao Qun said with confidence: "You said you didn’t want the stuff anymore."
Li Chengxiu was speechless, but then he said in a low voice, "Then it's fine..." He got up and planned to leave.
Shao Qun grabbed his hand.
Li Chengxiu was startled and looked around nervously.
They were sitting in the corner, and if someone didn’t deliberately look this way, they wouldn’t notice them at all, but even so, Li Chengxiu was still uncomfortable.
Shao Qun frowned: "Your hands are so dry! Can’t you put something on them?"
Li Chengxiu tried to pull his hand back and said in a trembling voice, "Let go. What are you doing?"
"Can’t I come see you?" Shao Qun still held Li Chengxiu’s hand tightly. He then exhaled and said, "Chengxiu, haven’t you come back to your senses after so many days? Are you still planning to continue fighting with me?"
In Shao Qun’s view, Li Chengxiu seemed reluctant to leave him.
He could see that this softie really liked him. So it was easy to understand why he was so mad when he found out about the marriage.
After calming down, Shao Qun thought about it carefully and felt that Li Chengxiu was just jealous. He most likely ran away from home, trying to attract his attention.
Although he felt that this kind of pointless back-and-forth with tears and all the girly melodrama was very annoying, he couldn't help but secretly rejoice that Li Chengxiu liked him so much.
From the bottom of his heart Shao Qun believed that this matter could be resolved.
It was impossible for him not to get married, and now it was impossible for him to hide it from Li Chengxiu. So all he needed to do was offer him more benefits and find a way to make him accept the situation.
Li Chengxiu was so kind-hearted, that as long as Shao Qun coaxed him a little more, softened his attitude a little, and gave him a way out of this embarrassing situation, he wouldn’t be too rigid.
Compared with the love and obedience he could buy for money, Li Chengxiu's undisguised, sincere and true love made Shao Qun feel both excited and happy.
So he needed to lure him back.
Besides, these couple of days that Li Chengxiu was away, Shao Qun felt really uncomfortable.
The house suddenly became empty, and it felt like nothing was in its place anymore. Shao Qun slept alone at night, and there was no one next to him to hold or talk to. He couldn't help feeling this void. He couldn’t eat the food made even by the top level chefs anymore - all he could think about were Li Chengxiu’s home-cooked meals. Without Li Chengxiu, he felt a sense of crisis, as if his life had been derailed. Shao Qun suddenly found that everything was inconvenient, and he was upset by every little thing.
Li Chengxiu ended up occupying such a large part of his life. It's not that Shao Qun didn’t understand that he was veering into dangerous territory, but his urgent nostalgia for the peaceful and stable life with Li Chengxiu had surpassed his vigilance. He hesitated but in the end, he still took the initiative to make a call.
It was no exaggeration to say that recently he had been thinking about Li Chengxiu every single day. But now that they met, Li Chengxiu seemed to be anxious to avoid him, and it looked like he was sitting in a frying pan every second of their interaction. Shao Qun couldn’t help but get angry.
Li Chengxiu clenched his fists tightly and enunciated word by word, "Shao Qun, we broke up."
The muscles on Shao Qun's face tightened. He was barely controlling himself, so as not to lose his temper right here and now.
With a gloomy face, he gritted his teeth and said, "Li Chengxiu, don't be shameless."
Li Chengxiu's eyes felt hot, and he was trying really hard to remove his hand from Shao Qun’s grip.
Shao Qun held onto it, and didn't let him move. He then said eagerly: "Just fucking say what you want!"
Li Chengxiu said urgently, "Let go."
Shao Qun took a deep breath and said as calmly as possible: "Chengxiu, I'm going to buy a restaurant for you. You can choose any good location in Shenzhen, and you can manage it any way you like, okay? In the future, you can work, if you want. Or you can enjoy yourself at home, if you don’t feel like it. If you want to work at a company, I will find a position for you immediately. So stop all of this, okay?"
Li Chengxiu was about to cry: "Shao Qun, stop… insulting me."
Shao Qun stiffened when he heard that, and unconsciously he weakened his grip. Li Chengxiu took the opportunity to pull out his hand. He pushed away his chair and ran back to the kitchen.
Shao Qun slammed the table and then slammed the door on his way out under the side glances of people around him.
Still panicked, Li Chengxiu got off work at four o'clock. Adrian called him right on time.
Now that he had memorized Li Chengxiu's shift schedule, he would often drag Li Chengxiu to hang out with him, when he had nothing to do.
Li Chengxiu was not good at rejecting people. He was especially bad at rejecting people like Adrian who were enthusiastic and heartful, and didn’t understand or didn’t care about other people's rejections. After helplessly getting into his car, Li Chengxiu couldn't help but ask him, "Don't you need to work?"
Adrian smiled nonchalantly: "There are other people in the store. If I need to be there every day, what's the point of being the boss? Might as well let people support me."
Li Chengxiu was critical of some of Adrian’s views. He thought that everyone needed to work. Even if they didn’t want to, they had to support themselves.
Adrian glanced at him with a smile: "I know what you're thinking. But in fact, it's also a valuable skill to get someone to support you. My biggest wish in the past was to find someone to support me. I wanted to be idle and happy every day. Later, I got kicked, and then I had to reconsider certain things. I don’t think that this plan will work out for me in the long-term, since I’m going to get older sooner or later. Fortunately, I’m talented, and I’m still alive and well, but…” Adrian smiled smugly, “I’m not as foolish as you. Look at my shop, and look at my car - all of it was pried out of my ex’s hands.[17] But I guess, if everyone was as stupid as you, the world would be in harmony.”
Li Chengxiu's face was pale.
Adrian glanced at him with a sigh: "I know what I'm saying sounds ugly. But it’s just the way I am. You can think about it for yourself. And even though I probably don’t have the right to say it, I'm still going to say it - if somebody doesn’t take care of themselves first, they deserve to be unlucky."
These days, Adrian would often take Li Chengxiu out to eat delicious food in different restaurants. Today he took him to a Thai restaurant.
Li Chengxiu was a little surprised when they arrived at the place. Wasn’t this the same Thai restaurant that Li Shuo took him to before?
After Adrian pushed him through the door, he winked and said, "I’m going to introduce you to a good man."
Li Chengxiu was startled, but it was too late to leave. Adrian's so-called “good” man had already lifted his eyes up from the menu and was looking directly at them.
That handsome and elegant man was no one other than Li Shuo whom Li Chengxiu hadn't seen in a long time.
The two of them looked at each other with surprised expressions.
After coming to his senses, Li Shuo stood up excitedly, took a few steps towards them and exclaimed in disbelief, "Chengxiu!"
Li Chengxiu was also very surprised: "Boss?"
Li Shuo's face was full of joy, and he couldn't help hugging him.
Although the action was a bit sudden, he still didn’t cross any lines and just lightly hugged his shoulders.
Right next to him, Adrian exclaimed: "You two know each other? How could you have met behind my back? How about my sense of accomplishment as a matchmaker? What about my sense of accomplishment, huh? I demand compensation!"
Li Chengxiu was also very happy. He felt really guilty that he left without saying goodbye to Li Shuo.
Li Shuo asked eagerly: "Chengxiu, I’m so sorry that last time I provoked your boyfriend in a moment of anger! I don't know how much trouble it caused you. Later, after you disappeared so abruptly, I felt guilty for a long time. Are you OK?"
Li Chengxiu smiled reluctantly: "I’m okay."
Li Shuo led him to his seat: "Come on, sit down. Let's have a good chat."
Adrian pouted and sat down too. "I'm going to order the most expensive thing on the menu."
Li Shuo smiled and patted his head: "Good boy, order whatever you want. You did an unprecedentedly good job at matchmaking this time.”
Adrian showed a rare gentle smile, half-joking and half-seriously he said: "I can’t sleep, if I don’t find you a good wife."
Li Chengxiu vaguely felt that the atmosphere between those two was a little unusual, but he didn’t say anything.
Li Shuo already had his eyes on Li Chengxiu, as he raised the glass of readied wine: "To meeting old acquaintances at old places! I'm going to drink this glass. You can join me if you want," said Li Shuo and drank his red wine in one go, as if there was no tomorrow.
Li Chengxiu took a symbolic sip.
While waiting for their food, Li Shuo carefully chatted with Li Chengxiu.
"When I went back home that night, I felt that I had done something wrong. I called you many times but I couldn't get through. After that, you didn't come to work, or even to class. I tried to find you in many ways, but I just couldn't. At that time, I really regretted my actions, and I was so afraid that he did something bad to you.”
Li Chengxiu recalled that chaotic and crazy night, and unconsciously got goosebumps.
Li Shuo asked again: "Chengxiu, tell me honestly, was everything okay?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head stiffly: "Yeah. He just resigned for me."
Li Shuo was a little relieved, but still very apologetic: "I'm so sorry. To be honest, at my age, I rarely am driven by impulses. But when I saw that you had to succumb to someone who clearly didn’t deserve you, I felt really upset from the bottom of my heart."
Then Li Shuo smiled lightly: "However, now that you’ve broken up with him, I feel you’ve made the right decision. Although it will inevitably be painful, at least you are free now. I am very happy."
Li Chengxiu's face turned pale.
Li Shuo observed his expression and laid it on a little thicker: "When Xiaohui told me all about it, I didn’t know he was talking about you, but I already could sympathize with you."
Li Chengxiu's face was almost bloodless. He opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
Adrian was meanwhile shouting right next to him: "What did you call me? What did you call me again? How many times have I told you not to call me that! Do you think that a name that sounds that corny is worthy of me? Does it fit me?[18]"
Li Shuo blinked at Adrian: "Adi, Adi… okay?" He looked at Li Chengxiu again and smiled gently, "Did I say too much?"
Li Chengxiu shook his head slightly.
"But what I said was the truth." Li Shuo looked into his eyes, "I'm indeed very happy that you are single now."
Under his hot and sincere gaze, Li Chengxiu felt his face become slightly hot, and he slowly lowered his head.
[1] 315$
[2] In the original it says that he lay in the shape of this character: 大. I mean, if you even care to know at this point.
[3] Police
[4] Emergency Center
[5] Kowloon encompasses the northern part of Hong Kong, on the mainland across Victoria Harbour. It’s a shopping, arts, and entertainment district.
[6] It’s 130 km away from Kowloon…
[7] The school bully friend that I constantly forget even exists XD
[8] 2 hours and 30 minutes by plane.
[9] Chabei
[10] This superstition comes from the belief that ghosts and bad spirits would not pursue and trouble someone with an ugly, unlucky name. So children in the rural areas are often given derogatory nicknames to protect them from evil.
[11] From a short poem by Xu Zhimo (1897 - 1931) called “Shayanara” (“To Japanese Girls”). Full poem:
The most gentle one bowed his head,
Like a water lotus flower that is too shy to overcome the cool breeze,
The Tao is cherished, the Tao is cherished,
There is sweet sorrow in that precious voice-
Shayanara! (translation by Yu Xinying)
[12] The count of phones destroyed by Shao Qun in a fit of anger this far: 2
[13] “Third Young Miss” means that she is the third among the sisters, so she can’t be the eldest sister.
[14] Around 24,000$
[15] 6300$
[16] Read “Additional Inheritance” to know more about Shao Qun’s bad deeds in Beijing
[17] For heartbreaking details read “Additional Inheritance”, and then this passage will make you cry.
[18] “Xiaohui” (小辉) is Adrian’s real given name. “Xiao”(小) means “small” and “Hui”(辉) means “glow” or “light”, or “radiance”. So his name basically means “little ray of light”. Call me corny, but I think it’s beautiful.