DMPSA CH 20

Chapter 20: Do You Want to Know Me?

Yue Qi was getting annoyed. The girls at table one were chattering non-stop, and they had cranked the volume up on the live broadcast so loud that he couldn’t avoid hearing it, even if he wanted to.

After a long time, the game was finally nearing its end, and Yue Qi heard the girls’ exclamations again.

“Someone passed out? Who was that person standing at the farthest side just now? I didn’t see clearly, but they collapsed.”

“It’s Yang Yang. What happened to Yang Yang?”

“Pin Ge is so manly! He picked up Yang Yang! Where are they going?”

The group was all talking at once, anxiety and concern clearly showing in their voices. Yue Qi heard someone from the show come on to explain that Qin Yang had already been feeling unwell that day. Despite having a fever of 39°C, he still insisted on participating in the game, which led to him fainting.

“No wonder Yang Yang almost fell when he first appeared, and his face was so red. So, he was already unwell at that time. I feel so sorry for him. What kind of lousy show is this? Not letting Yang Yang rest.”

“Hey, it looks like they’re going to be recording the next elimination match the day after tomorrow. This won’t affect Qin Yang, right?”

The two girls who were most fond of Qin Yang were on the verge of tears as they spoke. Yue Qi, expressionless, recalled what Su Qing had mentioned earlier: Qin Yang planned to withdraw from the competition after entering the top eight.

Sure enough, Qin Yang fainted during the live broadcast. He’d first gained sympathy for his professionalism, and later would likely use his still-unrecovered health as an excuse to withdraw. The strategy his team had was so well thought out, but it was a shame for the naive girls who shed a few tears for him.

Yue Qi had been sitting at the bar for a while. Finally, the girls at table one, tired of scolding and feeling sorry, agreed to leave. Su Qing still hadn’t returned to the bar, and Yue Qi started to feel a little worried. He waited for him.

After midnight, the other customers gradually left, and both Xiao Qiao and Da Qiao were preparing to close up. Before they left, they helped Yue Qi settle his bill, even giving him a discount: “Boss’s orders. This is the single dog’s special discount for the Valentine’s Day set meal,” they said.

What a terrible discount. Su Qing was about to be really angry. Yue Qi would rather not have it. Yue Qi huffed like an upset horse, and both Xiao Qiao and Da Qiao were about to die from laughing at these two childish fools.

After Xiao Qiao and Da Qiao left, Da Wang came out from the kitchen, holding little Taxue, and sat down at the usual spot where Su Qing sat. He placed Taxue on the bar counter, telling it to behave, then smoothly began brewing tea.

“I grew up with Su Qing; we lived next door. We went to the same kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school—until I got into a university down south. That’s when we parted ways.” Da Wang lowered his head and started talking on his own: “That area where we lived is an old neighborhood. The year I was in my third year of university, my dad bought a house in a new community next door, so we moved there. We rented out the old house, and we rented it to Qin Yang’s family. Qin Yang was only five or six years old when he came, a little boy, with delicate features, so cute. His parents were busy with work and couldn’t be with him, so sometimes Su Qing would play with him. During summer and winter breaks, I would also go with Su Qing to take Qin Yang out to play.”

Yue Qi quietly listened to Da Wang speak: “Later, after Su Qing graduated from university, he started working, and Qin Yang had no one to care for him. Gradually, he started hanging out with some troublemakers from school, skipping class and running away from home.”

“One day, Qin Yang came home late at night. When he got home, he found his parents collapsed on the floor. He was so scared he didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, Su Qing came home from work and saw the door open. Inside, Qin Yang was crying and shouting in chaos. He rushed in, and the air felt thick, suffocating. He quickly realized it was carbon monoxide poisoning, opened the windows to ventilate, and called an ambulance. But it was too late. Qin Yang’s parents couldn’t be saved.”

“They had sealed off the balcony because it was cold in winter. As a result, the water heater wasn’t burning properly, and carbon monoxide couldn’t escape. If Su Qing hadn’t come back in time, Qin Yang, that idiot, might’ve fainted in the house too.”

“My parents were both angry and sad, two lives lost. My dad had warned them when he went to collect the rent, telling them not to seal off the balcony, but they wouldn’t listen. In the end, this happened. A death happened in our house, and now we couldn’t rent it out anymore. My parents felt sorry for Qin Yang, a child who couldn’t handle things, so they helped him take care of everything, from the losses to even handling the funeral arrangements.”

“At that time, Su Qing’s mother had just passed away six months earlier. Sigh, he had a terrible relationship with his mom. That woman was something else; Su Qing was tormented terribly by her.”

“Honestly, it’s better that she’s dead. But Su Qing not only has a saint complex, he’s also a masochist. While she was alive, she tortured him horribly. After she died, he couldn’t even adapt to it, feeling hopeless, not knowing what to strive for. He nearly went with his mom. Really messed up.”

“Anyway, when Su Qing’s life was all over the place and he had no focus, Qin Yang’s family tragedy happened. At that time, Qin Yang was just a freshman in high school, only about fifteen years old. With his parents suddenly gone, and no other relatives, Su Qing ended up taking him in and raising him.”

“Su Qing was strict with him. Maybe losing his parents affected Qin Yang too, but he gradually became better. At least he started going to school and stopped skipping class. And so, Su Qing took care of him all the way until university graduation.”

“In our old neighborhood, people were talkative. Su Qing, an Omega, was living with a Beta, and there was a lot of gossip. Some said he was raising a little wolfdog for selfish reasons, while others said Qin Yang was trying to climb higher by being with an Omega. Su Qing didn’t want Qin Yang to be affected, so when a real estate developer wanted to buy the area, my parents were the first to agree to sell, and Su Qing also sold his place. Then he moved with Qin Yang to a new environment.”

“That’s how it was between them,” Da Wang concluded simply.

As he spoke, Da Wang had already finished brewing the tea — it was Jin Xuan oolong tea.

The familiar fragrance filled the air, and Yue Qi momentarily spaced out. With a complicated expression, he looked at Da Wang. “So, you don’t have social anxiety after all.”

“…?” Da Wang finally lifted his head to meet Yue Qi’s gaze and replied irritably, “Who has social anxiety? I just can’t be bothered with things.”

“Then why are you telling me all this?” Yue Qi asked.

“Who said I was talking to you? I’m talking to little Taxue.” Da Wang glanced at Yue Qi sideways. “Eavesdropping on others, no shame.”

“…”

Yue Qi was left speechless.

“Seems like you’re not surprised he’s an Omega,” Da Wang suddenly asked, his tone playful and carrying a hint of gossip, as if he had caught something.

Before Yue Qi could respond, he heard Su Qing’s voice.

“You’re still here?” Su Qing suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs.

“No, he’s been waiting for you all night. Hurry up and get over here, I’m leaving now.” Da Wang picked up Taxue and headed out, not even drinking a single sip of the tea he had just brewed, as if running away from a disaster.

Su Qing was holding two empty beer cans. He had come downstairs to throw them in the recycling bin and also to check if there were any customers in the store. If not, he planned to close early today. He didn’t expect Da Wang to be sitting there with Yue Qi, brewing tea.

Why couldn’t he escape this person?

When Su Qing went upstairs earlier, it wasn’t just because he had overheard the conversation about Qin Yang. A large part of the reason was that on Valentine’s Day evening, Yue Qi had dragged him into eating the special Valentine’s meal. When he heard people say they were on a date, Su Qing felt a bit dizzy.

He seemed to be developing feelings. He wasn’t sure if that was how he should describe it.

During the dinner just now, his heart had raced. Even though he had designed the Valentine’s meal to prank Yue Qi, when Yue Qi pulled him in and insisted he was responsible, his heart couldn’t stop pounding.

And for some reason, even though he had seen the patch on the back of Yue Qi’s neck, he still felt a faint trace of osmanthus fragrance.

So, he ran away.

He went back to his room, took a dose of suppressants, slowly drank two cans of beer, and finally gathered the courage to go downstairs again.

In the end, this person was still here. Please spare me.

Da Wang had run off, and Yue Qi was still sitting there, staring at him. Su Qing sighed, resigned, and sat down at the bar. “Da Wang ran off so quickly, something’s fishy. What did he say to you?”

“He told me… hmm, no, he was talking to Taxue. I shamelessly eavesdropped, so don’t blame him,” Yue Qi said, acting all righteous as he spoke on Da Wang’s behalf.

“He’s not afraid I’ll blame him,” Su Qing frowned. “Tell me, quickly.”

“Actually, he didn’t say much. He just said you two have been friends since kindergarten, and that Qin Yang’s family rented his house. After his parents died unexpectedly, you took him in and raised him until he graduated from university. That’s it,” Yue Qi summarized.

“That’s it?” Su Qing said, not quite believing it.

“Really,” Yue Qi assured him sincerely.

Su Qing looked down and noticed the tea Da Wang had made. The tea had gone cold, but from the scent, he could tell it was Jin Xuan. Feeling a bit awkward, he said, “About this tea, sorry, Da Wang didn’t know.” Da Wang didn’t know about what happened that day, and naturally, he didn’t know his scent.

Su Qing poured out the tea. “Let’s not drink this. Come have a drink with me instead.”

Su Qing ushered a few cats back to their beds and went to the kitchen to grab some beer. He gestured for Yue Qi to sit on the sofa.

The two of them clinked their beer bottles and each took a big gulp.

“Ask me anything. You can ask whatever you want,” Su Qing said, noticing the hesitant and evasive look in Yue Qi’s eyes. He decided to be open about it.

“You want to know something? I can tell you everything.”

“Do you want to know me?”

(To Be Continued…)

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