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note: i’ve reverted to using [#] for TL notes so just “command f” or “control f” to find what you don’t understand ^__^
When Song Chuci arrived, it was ten minutes late.
Coming from a congested city to this quiet and peaceful hot spring resort, traffic jams are inevitable, and there will certainly be some things that will be hard to adapt to. Luckily, when Song Chuci reached his destination, he felt that this place was quieter. Compared with the bustling city, there was much less pollution and more cleanliness.
Luo Erha had been waiting in the room for a long time. When he saw Song Chuci arrive, his eyes brightened a second, but he pretended to be calm and said in disgust, “You are late. This time I will be the one to punish you, understand?”
Song Chu Ci raised an eyebrow and sat down silently.
Naturally, there must be exercise after a meal, and this time it was in the hot spring.
This hot spring resort is one of the Luo family’s assets. In order not to be discovered by the paparazzi, Luo Cheng had already booked the entire hotel before coming–waiting to welcome the playboy to come and enjoy.
In terms of spending money, Luo Cheng has always been more casual than Xi Ze and He Chaoman.
Xi Ze rarely makes random small purchases, almost every expense would be a big one; for example, buying a villa to live near his lover in few years. He Chaoman is even more economical: apart from some necessary expenses, as long as you give her a computer, she can live quite happily.
After one round, Luo Cheng lay on the cold pebbles panting gently. His face was flushed from the steam of the hot spring water and his black eyes were moist and shiny, looking like a cute puppy.
Song Chuci only glanced over a bit and didn’t pay more attention. However, he gradually discovered that this puppy’s hair was twisted up messily in to a scruffy bunch. He peeked at the disheveled youth a few more times before he finally couldn’t help but reach over and smooth out the hair.
This act of untangling hair made Luo Cheng mistakenly think that the other was stroking him, so he humphed twice and said, “Today I’m in a good mood so I’ll allow you to touch my hair.” He then half laid himself in Song Chuci’s arms and let the other continue to fiddle around.
When the youth unsuspectingly became completely motionless in his arms, Song Chuci stiffened all over and only looked down at the boy after a long while. At this time, Luo Cheng was already quite drowsy and fallen half-asleep. After noticing that the man was no longer playing with his hair, he murmured a few incoherent words in a low voice before snuggling deeper in the other’s enbrace.
Looking carefully at the boy’s exquisitely beautiful face, Song Chuci let out a low laugh. He lifted up the sleeping child from the hot spring and carried him out of the water.
The innocent Luo Cheng who had contributed nothing slept carelessly while the elated editor-in-chief Song exhibited a rare patience to help the other wash his body; at the same time, helped Erha put on some pajamas to prevent him from getting cold.
The next day, the two of them enjoyed themselves in the hotel for a bit longer before returning to the imperial capital[1].
During this period of time, Luo Cheng’s career was flourishing. With the public exposure given to the inner personnel of Muse, his popularity increased several times. This increasing exposure allowed this newcomer to gradually become a celebrity within the fashion circle and he quickly made it into the top 50 of the world’s supermodel rankings.
Though Luo Cheng didn’t notice it himself, he began to rely more and more on Song Chuci.
Even though at the beginning, Luo Erha said himself “you can’t like me” and “we are just lovers”, he started to ask Song Chuci to meet up more and more frequently.
A hot spring hotel is understandable, but what about other locations: what about a fine dining restaurant?
Song Chuci clasped the stem of his glass, elegantly swirled the red wine and asked: “I never knew that this restaurant has a guest room?”
Luo Cheng, who was cutting the steak, stiffened then smiled dryly: “This is called love play! Love play, got it? Liven up!”
From then on, the scope of play extended to watching movies, travel, shopping, and other things. Every time Luo Cheng was free, he would subconsciously call Song Chuci and ask if he had time.
Song Chuci’s rejections accounted for the vast majority at first, and it was unknown if he was touched by the child’s perseverance. Gradually, he would agree to basically every invitation from Luo Cheng and even frequently took the initiative to offer the date.
Naturally, this kind of meet up shouldn’t always end in bed, but the nature of their relationship resulted in Luo Cheng embarassedly choosing to end in bed every time.
One time after watching a movie, Song Chuci sat in the car and asked seemingly: “You’ve asked me out a lot more recently. Do you like me?”
“Cough cough cough cough cough…”
Luo Cheng, who had been in the middle of drinking juice, choked and felt his face flush, then immediately denied: “Who likes you! Stop dreaming, you not liking me is a given. There are so many beauties in the world and you’re just a crooked tree, there’s no way I’d want you.”
Song Chu meaningfully said an “oh.” That night, he let a certain youth in cry in bed while saying “I like you the most.”
However, after getting out of bed, Luo Erha turned his head and refused to recognize his acts, insisting that Song Chuci had forced him to say those words–they did not count.
“It’s supposed to be a mutually beneficial relationship. Hey, Song Chuci, don’t overdo it.”
As if to be courageous, Luo Cheng stood up straight with his small stature. Though his stature is called small, the 189 cm tall Luo Erha is actually quite sizeable. At least when standing with him, Song Chuci feels that he is only 1 cm taller–truly unbearable.
Looking at the young man’s proud look, Song Chu Ci’s lips curled slightly and said nothing.
This gave him an extra bit of confidence as Luo Cheng thought the other party had acquiesced and inexplicably panicked then said quickly: “You…If you go back on your word one day, you are a puppy[2], got it?! “
Song Chuci reached out to touch the side of Luo Cheng’s chest and asked: “Oh? I remember you have always been a puppy?”
“You’re the one that’s a puppy. Whoever breaks their word is the puppy and has to be a babysitter for the other for a day: go take care of food, laundry, sweeping and mopping, then washing and cleaning the house!”
Song Chuci awkwardly frowned: “I have quite a lot of clothes, it’ll be quite hard on you.”
At first, Luo Cheng did not react. With his IQ, it wasn’t until Song Chuci touched his bottom before he angrily said: “Who said I would like you? You are too shameless! I have been well-liked since I was a child, do you know He Chaoman? Sister Man and I have had a baby kiss[3]!”
Song Chuci sneered, “He Chaoman doesn’t like you. Even if you’ve had a baby kiss, she’s probably forgotten it by now.”
Luo Erha had been stabbed on the mark[4], but still kept yelling: “Anyways, I’ve been likable since I was a child. Just a few days ago a bunch of female models winked at me. They all looked pretty and are the type that I like mmM…”
Luo Erha’s words couldn’t be taken seriously by Song Chu Ci, but he didn’t want to continue listening to this youth brag any more.
Even if it was fake, it was still uncomfortable sounding.
Well, sooner or later he’ll get this kid to change his bad habit of boasting every time he opens his mouth.
From their first meeting to the present, the relationship between the two was relatively harmonious.
Luo Cheng was originally a very easy-going person, aside from his occasional flaws and actions that made people speechless, there was nothing wrong with him. On the other hand, Song Chu Ci was obviously a difficult person to get along with, yet after meeting Luo Cheng, he slowly became increasingly more gentle.
At first it was Luo Erha asking him out. Later, it became Song Chuci incessantly inviting the other.
For a while, all different kinds of locations became places for the two to meet. At one point, Luo Cheng had sneaked his family helicopter and flew Song Chuci from Milan to Paris, and the two spent a romantic night in Paris.
But, when they returned this time, Song Chuci’s expression was a bit off. However, Luo Cheng never noticed the other’s expression, so he still played around and continued to ask the other out. Slowly, as if nothing had happened in Paris, Song Chuci was still the same Song Chuci as before, and the dark expression that had appeared suddenly that day vanished completely.
Though this time it was not Luo Cheng, but Wen Ya who discovered some abnormalities.
Wen Ya is one of the closest people to Luo Cheng, so she had long discovered the relationship between Luo Cheng and Song Chuci. Originally, she asked Luo Cheng to leave Song Chuci and not to get involved with this complicated man.
According to Wen Ya, even though she is three years younger than Song Chuci, she knows that even if given another ten years she would still not be able to achieve Song Chuci’s current status. At least she has a photographer mother as a background, but Song Chuci has no background at all; he really climbed up from scratch and became the editor-in-chief of a top magazine within ten years as an ordinary intern.
Either ways, people who can become friends with Xi Ze are definitely not simple.
However, Luo Cheng clearly did not listen to Wen Ya, which made Wen Ya helpless and unable to interfere. After all, this is Luo Cheng’s private matter and hasn’t affected his work, so she let him go. However, after Luo Cheng returned from Paris, Wen Ya found that something in Song Chuci seemed to have changed.
In the beginning, Song Chuci was only slightly interested in Luo Cheng. Later, Wen Ya found that Song Chuci seemed to like Luo Cheng a little bit. But now, Wen Ya swears on her women’s intuition that this cold on the outside warm on the inside editor-in-chief Song has decided that he likes her family’s Erha.
As someone who is about to officially become the agent of Luo Cheng next month, Wen Ya could not ignore this issue.
So, on a certain Sunday, she invited Song Chuci to a coffee shop and asked about his opinons on Luo Cheng.
What Wen Ya didn’t expect was that Song Chuci bluntly answered her–
“He is mine.”
The elegant and handsome man looked down at the coffee in the cup, his slender fingers gently rubbing the handle. At this moment, Song Chuci looked like an refined gentleman from the Middle Ages, his aura noble, calm and composed.
“Before he noticed me I had already noticed him. My relationship with him now may only be temporary, but sooner or later, he will become my true lover. If there is ever a chance, his name will also appear in my marriage information.”
Wen Ya did not tell Luo Cheng about this conversation, but she told Song Chuci that she hoped that he could tell Luo Cheng what is on his mind as soon as possible. After all, don’t look at the child’s heartlessness on the surface–he is also an emotional creature. If he can settle down earlier, he should settle down earlier; in case something unexpected happens.
In regards to the things Wen Ya mentioned, of course Song Chuci had already considered it.
So half a month later, on Luo Cheng’s birthday, he sent a text message quite early asking Luo Cheng to come to his apartment after coming back from a business trip and celebrate his birthday. He even prepared a big gift.
After receiving the text message, Luo Cheng immediately responded with excitement. Before boarding the plane back home, he kept showing off to Wen Ya on the side. He didn’t know that Wen Ya had already learned about the relationship between him and Song Chuci, and kept saying “There’s a fan who admires me that prepared a big gift, waiting for me to celebrate my birthday.”
Luo Cheng’s plane would arrive at the imperial capital at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. That afternoon, Song Chuci asked for a rare leave. Amidst the surprised eyes of everyone in Muse, he quickly left the magazine company.
He first went out to buy plenty of groceries, then spent the afternoon tidying up the house. Song Chuci was born in to a poor household, so he was very handy in cleaning and such. He quickly organized his things at home neatly then cooked a whole table of dishes.
Song Chuci has never cooked food for Luo Cheng. Though his craftsmanship can’t be said to be as good as Xi Ze, it was still pretty good. Today, he made a lot of home cooked food and bought a big cake.
It is naturally impossible for him to be able to cook French and Japanese dishes like Xi Ze, and his Chinese food is not very high-end, but this table of ordinary looking home-cooked dishes can be considered quite nice.
When it was five o’clock in the afternoon, Song Chuci sent a text message to Luo Cheng and received a reply: 【I’m here I’m here, hehe, what big gift did you prepare for me? One of my friends sent me a piece of Garcia’s haute couture[5]. Don’t follow his example, it’s boring.】
Song Chuci flatly responded: 【You’ll know when you get here.】
The next step is to wait.
He waited from five o’clock to six o’clock and thought it was a bit strange that the traffic in the capital was so bad today.
From six o’clock to seven o’clock, he was a bit puzzled.
From seven o’clock to eight o’clock, the countless text messages he sent were not replied to and the phone calls he made were never answered.
He waited from eight o’clock to nine o’clock, ten, to eleven, until there were only ten minutes left before twelve o’clock.
Song Chuci looked at the wall clock on the wall with a gloomy expression, and planned to wait for just after twelve o’clock before he went downstairs to his car to look for this bastard who dared to stand him up.
However, it was at this moment that he suddenly heard his doorbell ring.
Song Chuci opened the door, thinking that today was the child’s birthday, so he tried to tone down his bad expression. Right as he said, “It’s so late, why didn’t you open the door with the key by yourself,” he suddenly noticed the boy in front of him looking on with an indifferent expression.
Song Chuci had seen this look many times in the past few years.
Even in the coming year, it had become his nightmare, often causing him to wake up in cold sweat in the middle of the night.
Luo Cheng threw the key in his hand on the floor in disgust, causing a clink from the sound of the metal hitting the floor.
His eyes were a little red, as if he had just cried. He looked at the man in front of him coldly, his voice seemed to freeze into ice. With a cold smile, he said: “Mr. Song, I think our relationship should be ended. How can a person like you qualify to be my lover… Ah no, be my bed partner? Mr. Song, pretend that I was simply bit by a dog before. My sister was right, you and I were never in the same world. In the future, we will never be together.”
“How high the sky is, how low the earth. Mr. Song, how far is the gap between you and me.”
lolimelon: aaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! i have to leave this on a cliffhanger cause it’s really late right now and i kinda need sleep after going to sleep at 3am for 2 consecutive days >___< also cause i already read the story so im not as panicked but we don’t talk about that anyways, short spoilers ahead for those who are sad and need comforting vvv
spoilers:
bad news – the next chapter is pretty dark too and can be considered the climax of angst ;v;
good news – the story lightens up towards the end of chapter 5
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[1] – Writers in China often have to refer to Beijing, aka the capital, as the imperial capital(帝都) to avoid censorship. This is common in many novels so if you see “imperial capital” used in the future, just keep this in mind.
[2] – Similar to the idea of calling someone a rotten egg ie. “last one there is a rotten egg” morphing into “you’re a dog if you break your word”
[3] – an innocent kiss that kids have when their babies; basically a harmless kiss resulting from unsuspecting children ╮(╯_╰)╭
[4] – original term used: 被戳中心事; aka that meme where people are stabbed with an arrow; look below vvv
[5] – expensive, fashionable clothes produced by leading fashion houses; previously written as “high-set” by Rainbow Turtle
lolimelon mtl 