If a person who used to treat you well suddenly started treating you badly, maybe you would busy yourself with looking for the reason. If a person who used to treat you badly suddenly started treating you better, maybe you would be busy with being happy.
When it came to Chen Qianqing, Lu Zhengfei was like this.
Everyone would want their loved one to treat them with gentleness, even if that gentleness was just an illusion.
Chen Qianqing’s body wasn’t in a good condition. His appetite was low, all the time. If he really tried to get a diagnosis, then the outlook wouldn’t be positive.
But Chen Qianqing didn’t plan on getting one.
At that moment, he just felt tired. He was suffering twice the pain of the original Chen Qianqing, pain that he himself had inflicted when he was young: this worsened his insomnia and loss of appetite to the point of depression.
But Chen Qianqing’s facade was good; he knew how to make himself look well-adjusted.
Therefore even Zhu Mao, who was living with Chen Qianqing,
didn’t notice anything wrong with him. The only slight difference was that the amount of time Chen Qianqing spent on his assignments decreased. He wanted to read but couldn’t process the words, so he spent a lot of time in a daze.
Every day, when Zhu Mao came home he saw Chen Qianqing sitting on the couch: not even the TV was on, just a person silently sitting there. When Xiao Hua was awake, it would play on the couch next to Chen Qianqing. When it was sleeping, it would usually lie on Chen Qianqing’s leg.
Zhu Mao would sometimes be under the illusion that Chen Qianqing was not a person, but a painting; a pretty, realistic, inhuman-looking painting.
Zhu Mao was worried, but superficially asking Chen Qianqing what was wrong would only be rewarded with a random reason that the latter made up to keep him away.
Come November, the financial crisis in Europe got worse, and Lu Zhengfei also got busier and busier. He originally wanted to live with Chen Qianqing, but Ruan Wenhong shamelessly moved into his house.
Lu Zhengfei knew that his cousin was trying to oppose him, so it was better to put this matter aside for the time being, thinking that the following year he could bring Chen Qianqing to see a psychiatrist.
Chen Qianqing knew that the financial crisis wasn’t the only thing keeping Lu Zhengfei busy. Ruan Wenhong was probably messing with Lu Zhengfei in an attempt to keep him away from Chen Qianqing for a while. Chen Qianqing didn’t mind.
Accordingly, Chen Qianqing and Lu Zhengfei only met three times in November; this kind of situation had never happened before.
In contrast, Chen Qianqing and Ruan Wenhong unexpectedly met
each other several times.
When the weather wasn’t bad, Ruan Wenhong would take Chen Qianqing out for a coffee. The two of them talked casually, seemingly like they were quickly about to become friends. But deep down, Chen Qianqing knew clearly that this cousin of his would never treat him with goodwill.
That day the weather was good, making it very nice to bask in the brightly shining sun.
Chen Qianqing dragged a chair and sat on it together with Xiao Hua. He spaced out while Xiao Hua slept; it was harmonious.
Ruan Wenhong sent him a text message asking him to go out on a walk, but Chen Qianqing didn’t feel like moving and refused. In the end, a call came shortly after.
Chen Qianqing answered the phone lazily. “Speak.”
Ruan Wenhong, “The weather is good, let’s go for a walk?”
Chen Qianqing rolled his eyes before replying, “I don't wanna move…”
Ruan Wenhong, “Let’s go out and play billiards, I’ll drive you.”
Chen Qianqing heard ‘billiards’ and felt a little bit more energetic. “Ruan Wenhong…five million, not any less…”
Ruan Wenhong was silent for a long while, long enough that Chen Qianqing thought he dropped the call; but then he said, “If I add another million, would you go out to play billiards?”
Chen Qianqing, “Okay.” Lu Zhengfei wouldn’t even give him a single million for playing several rounds of billiards. Only a fool wouldn’t go.
To sum up Ruan Wenhong and Chen Qianqing’s negotiations, Ruan Wenhong wanted to send Chen Qianqing to Country A, whereas Chen Qianqing wanted to go to a different country - while conveniently getting some cash. They still hadn't reached an agreement.
Ruan Wenhong drove his car to Chen Qianqing’s apartment and honked.
Chen Qianqing heard the horn, slowly turned, and after giving Xiao Hua cat food he took the key and left.
“Why aren’t you bringing your cat today?” Ruan Wenhong asked.
Normally, Chen Qianqing would bring Xiao Hua with him to bask in the sun. That day, however, he came empty-handed.
Chen Qianqing got in the car. His entire person seemed very pale. “Didn’t you say we’re going to play billiards? How could I still bring my cat?”
Ruan Wenhong heard this and laughed. However, he didn’t say anything and just started the car.
Once in the car, Chen Qianqing started to doze off. Even if he wanted to fall asleep when he sat down, his current predicament only allowed him to feel sleepy. If he actually lay down on the bed and intentionally tried to sleep, he couldn't.
Ruan Wenhong, “You won’t ask me where we're going?”
Chen Qianqing rolled his eyes. “I’m not worthy.”
Ruan Wenhong laughed lightly. “That can’t be. Lu Zhengfei hasn’t looked for you recently, aren’t you worried?”
Chen Qianqing, “...I’m still not happy.”
Ruan Wenhong heard this and didn’t say any more. Before he met Chen Qianqing, based on the information he gathered, he assumed that Lu Zhengfei was forcing Chen Qianqing to be with him. After meeting Chen Qianqing, he began to doubt that.
A smart person, even though they’re being forced to do things, wouldn’t go so far as to provoke their financial backer into breaking their leg.
If the information was indeed correct, Ruan Wenhong was really curious about that incident with the broken leg. What exactly could’ve happened to cause such a big change in Chen Qianqing?
They rode the car for twenty minutes or so, then reached a place Lu Zhengfei frequently spent his free time in.
Ruan Wenhong stopped the car, then both of them got out and entered the building.
Ruan Wenhong, “I heard Lu Zhengfei has been really busy recently. Which means, you haven’t seen each other in a while?”
Chen Qianqing sensed a different meaning behind Ruan Wenhong’s words. He glanced at him. “What is it?”
Ruan Wenhong laughed a little. “Nothing.”
Chen Qianqing slightly narrowed his eyes, but didn’t ask any more.
Ruan Wenhong had already prepared a private room. Upon entering the building, they got on the elevator and pressed the third floor button.
Since he was Ruan Wenhong’s didi in his previous life, Chen
Qianqing felt that whatever Ruan Wenhong was planning was very easy to predict. Even more so when you considered that this Ruan Wenhong was still young and didn't have complete control over his own expressions.
After getting out of the elevator, Chen Qianqing’s premonition came true: in front of them, Lu Zhengfei and a girl with long hair were walking in the corridor.
Ruan Wenhong showed an expression of surprise and turned his head to look at a contrastingly expressionless Chen Qianqing.
Chen Qianqing was extremely calm and Ruan Wenhong could see that calmness wasn’t fake. He looked at Lu Zhengfei as if he was a stranger.
Ruan Wenhong, “You’re not afraid of him cheating?”
Chen Qianqing confusedly looked at Ruan Wenhong. “Would you worry if your rapist doesn’t rape you for a day?”
Ruan Wenhong, “...”
He suddenly had nothing to say.
Chen Qianqing saw the defeat in Ruan Wenhong’s eyes and could only sigh. “Mr. Ruan, you made a mistake from the very beginning. I really don’t like Lu Zhengfei. If he were to dump me, I couldn’t be happier.”
Moreover in this world, no one understood Lu Zhengfei better than him. Originally, Chen Qianqing didn’t think of seeking comfort from other people. It goes beyond saying that their relationship right now wasn’t so bad.
Ruan Wenhong, “It looks like I really was mistaken.” If Chen Qianqing had a liking for Lu Zhengfei, then he absolutely wouldn’t be this calm.
Chen Qianqing, “Are we still playing?”
Ruan Wenhong, “Playing, why, aren’t we playing?” As he spoke, he brought Chen Qianqing to a billiards hall next door to Lu
Zhengfei.
Chen Qianqing had not played in a long time. “I’ll start.”
Bending forward, he aimed the cue at the white ball.
Ruan Wenhong watched from the side. “Lu Zhengfei taught you how to play?”
Chen Qianqing, “Why do you ask?” he probed while sending a red ball into a hole.
Ruan Wenhong, “Your motions are similar.” Everyone, when playing billiards, has their own small gestures. Chen Qianqing and Lu Zhengfei’s were exceedingly similar.
Chen Qianqing laughed. “I was the one who taught your brother.”
Ruan Wenhong raised an eyebrow. “Are you joking?”
Lu Zhengfei had been playing billiards since he was ten; although he wasn’t the one who taught him, how could he not beat Chen Qianqing?
Chen Qianqing, “Of course.”
Ruan Wenhong felt that if Lu Zhengfei’s age had supported this, he really would’ve thought that Chen Qianqing wasn’t joking.
Chen Qianqing sent the black ball into a hole and aimed again at a red ball; however, the angle was a bit off and he missed. Chen Qianqing stood straight and shook his head. As expected, it had been too long and he was out of practice.
Chen Qianqing prepared to turn around and go sit on the side; however, he was pushed by Ruan Wenhong.
Ruan Wenhong put his lips to Chen Qianqing’s ears and whispered, “Chen Qianqing, if Lu Zhengfei won’t do, what about me?”
Chen Qianqing instantly froze up. His first reaction was — how
(2.)
could he not know Ruan Wenhong was also bent(2.)?
Ruan Wenhong saw Chen Qianqing’s dumbfounded look and laughed lightly. “I promise not to rape you.”
Chen Qianqing expressionessly rejected Ruan Wenhong. His tone
(3.)
was cold. “Ruan Wenhong, do you want to dig your didi into a corner(3.)?”
Ruan Wenhong was slightly taller than Chen Qianqing. When he saw Chen Qianqing’s cold reaction, he wasn’t upset and even continued laughing. “Am I not rescuing you from a rapist?”
Chen Qianqing looked at Ruan Wenhong, suddenly pulling Ruan Wenhong’s collar closer to his face. He said coldly, “If you let me be the top, I might think about it.”
Ruan Wenhong’s face instantly turned a different color.
Chen Qianqing, “When it comes to this, your didi is a lot stronger than you.”
Ruan Wenhong didn’t dare believe it. “You’re the top?”
Chen Qianqing rested the cue on the table and laughed. “What's wrong? He didn’t tell you?”
Footnotes:
‘I just need to work hard’ - this seems to be one half of a saying. The full saying is something along the lines of ‘I just need to work hard, then I can easily get anyone's partner.’ The second half can be seen in the chapter summary on JJWXC: ‘锄头挥得好，墙角挖不倒’ for those who are curious
'Bent' - Gay, used as an umbrella term.
‘Dig your didi into a corner’ - this is related to the second half of the saying in the title. It just means “get your didi’s partner”.