TCOR CH40

Chapter 40: You are special too

A Chinese-style round table, four people eating, all far away from each other. Most of the dishes are for one person, exquisite and small, and even the most ordinary ingredients can be made extraordinarily delicious by Liang’s cook.

During the meal, Liang Zai and Shen Wunian occasionally talked about art. Pei Huanchen would listen on the side, and when he came across something that interested him or that he didn’t understand, he would interrupt Liang Zai and ask questions, whether Liang Zai was still talking or not.

It’s not quite what I expected. Liang Zai may be in charge of the relationship with Pei Huanchen, but he doesn’t look down on him. In fact, he’s quite indulgent. It’s like… he’s really raising a child, patiently answering all of Pei Huanchen’s questions, and happy to answer all of the other person’s doubts.

So you really have to see for yourself. This is nothing like the master-pet relationship that people say goes on outside. It feels like there’s nothing between them, more like brothers or teacher and pupil than lovers.

I was eating the food in my bowl when I looked up carelessly. My eyes met Shen Wunian’s in the air, and our gazes locked for a moment. My mind began to replay the image of him standing among the greenery, his red tongue sticking out, licking the sticky substance between his fingers.

I quickly buried my head. I had already tried hard to control my breathing and heartbeat, but my body was still heating up rapidly.

‘Little Ai, why are you so red?’ Pei Huanchen suddenly shouted from beside me. “Mr Liang, is he allergic? It’s just like last time.”

There were four of us, and as soon as he said this, the other two looked at me, and in an instant I became the focus of the entire table.

I pressed the back of my hand to my face and hastily denied it, “No, no, I’m just… I’m just a bit hot, not allergic.

‘Hot?’ Pei Huanchen blinked his thick eyelashes, a hint of doubt in his beautiful eyes.

No wonder he was surprised. At 20 degrees Celsius, it was the most pleasant time of the year in Jiang City. It was understandable to feel cool, but to say it was hot was really unreasonable.

I … get hot easily. I felt extremely guilty and even more remorseful. But I also knew very well that if I had the choice again, I would probably still allow Shen Wunian to do what he did and enjoy it.

Sigh, men are such pathetic creatures, always paying for the urges of their lower bodies.

Get some ice,’ Liang Zai said without a second thought, raising his hand to instruct the servant at his side to get some ice.

Are you sure it’s not an allergy?’ Pei Huanchen still struggled.

Shen Wunian perhaps saw my embarrassment and deliberately spoke up to change the subject: “What is Huanchen allergic to?”

I was sitting across from Liang Zai, so I could see his face change the moment he heard Shen Wunian’s question.

‘Huan…’ He probably wanted to stop Pei Huanchen from answering, but it was too late.

‘Me? I’m allergic to other people’s sperm.

Pei Huanchen dropped a bomb with a face full of innocence. In an instant, all sounds stopped. I had never experienced such a terrifying silence in my life. For a moment I thought I was suffering from tinnitus. Of course, it could also be caused by dizziness.

In the dead silence, Liang Zai slowly exhaled a long breath from his chest. Without explanation or rebuke, he simply lifted the glass of red wine in front of him and drank it in one go.

After him, Shen Wunian also raised his glass and drained it, as if in an unspoken agreement to apologise for his careless mistake.

I wanted to drink too, I wanted to get drunk so that I could forget everything that happened today. Unfortunately, all I had in front of me was a glass of orange juice.

It seems that what you see is not necessarily what is true. Liang Zai and Pei Huanchen were really innocent.

As the saying goes, men always pay for their impulses. I did, and so did Liang Zai.

Soon after, with the help of the waiter, Liang Zai and Shen Wunian resumed their conversation. Pei Huanchen had no idea what he had said, and he acted very naturally from beginning to end. Of the four people present, I was the only one who was unnatural.

The rest of the time, I could say that I was sitting on pins and needles.

Since Shen Wunian had been drinking, Liang Zai sent someone to take us home. There were strangers in the car, so I didn’t talk much to Shen Wunian, just banged my phone against the car door.

Shen Wunian was in the passenger seat, and I don’t know if he was asleep or just looking at the road, but he was very quiet the whole time.

It was late at night when we got back to the flat. As soon as we entered the door, the porter stopped us and said that the lift was out for maintenance and we had to take the stairs.

The staircase was narrow and dark. Shen Wunian and I walked one behind the other, the only sound in our ears the sound of our footsteps as we walked.

I can see you haven’t eaten much by now. Shall I cook some noodles for you when we get home? Shen Wunian asked suddenly.

Home.

Once this word was bitter. Just saying its syllables would fill my mouth with an unbearable bitterness.

But now, when I put this word between my lips and chew it over and over again, little by little, I can taste the sweetness.

This sweet taste is like nectar and rain, flowing down my throat and into my lungs, saturating and replenishing my dry internal organs.

Especially my heart, especially my heart.

It seems to have turned into a piece of candied fruit, already pickled and seasoned.

You haven’t eaten much, aren’t you hungry?

‘I’m full from drinking.

I couldn’t help myself and burst out laughing. Then, as if something had been triggered, Shen Wunian laughed too.

Blame me for being so curious,’ he said.

I knew exactly what he was talking about, and I was shaking with laughter: “It feels like Huanchen still has a long way to go before he can advance in society.”

My relationship with Shen Wunian also needs to progress.

Courting someone requires boldness, care, not being afraid of difficulties and seizing every opportunity. This is what they teach you online. After a day of physical interaction, I felt I was one step closer to turning Shen Wunian’s head. That night I decided to have a spiritual communication with him.

I held a pillow in my arms as I knocked on the door. When Shen Wunian opened the door, he raised an eyebrow in surprise: ‘Another nightmare?

I was embarrassed and covered my face with the pillow: ‘No, I just want to chat with you.

‘Chat? What do you want to talk about? Shen Wunian said, letting me enter the room from the side.

I put down my pillow as best I could, lay down under the blanket and thought for a moment before saying, ‘Let’s talk about me. I want you to get to know me better.

With a ‘bang’ Shen Wunian switched off the light and walked over to the bed.

Tell me about when you were a child, when your parents were still alive.

The year after my parents died, I was completely unwilling to talk about them with anyone. Just the thought of them not being here overwhelmed me with grief. The people around me sensed this and all quietly avoided the subject. Over time, even though I had long since emerged from the shadow of the loss of my closest family members, it seemed that no one wanted to listen to my heart.

It was the first time since I was thirteen that anyone had asked me to share these stories from the past.

My parents ran a breakfast restaurant. They got up at four or five every morning and didn’t go to bed until ten at night. It was really hard work. I used to tell my aunt that her buns were delicious, but I was just trying to be nice. My parents made the best buns I’ve ever tasted. Unfortunately, my father didn’t pass on the recipe to me, otherwise I could make them for you…’.

My mother was very beautiful when she was young, the most beautiful woman in her village. I have my mother’s eyes and my father’s nose, so they say I have the best of both worlds. I always suspected that Du Jingchuan, my cousin, resented me because he obviously inherited the worst traits from both sides…’.

When I was little, I was almost kidnapped once. The man offered me a piece of candy, said there was more at home, and asked me to go with him. I even took his hand, but luckily a neighbour of my family noticed in time and took me back. My mother was so angry that I could be lured away with just a piece of candy that she beat me up. But the candy was really sweet…’

‘So you were gullible even as a child. Hearing this, Shen Wunian interrupted me for the first time in the dark.

What do you mean, ‘even as a child’? I was deceived only once. I was unhappy with his choice of words.

After a few seconds of silence, he let me continue.

I went on and on, telling him everything, without reservation or concealment, even the story of the little monster, which I told him without fear of ridicule. I talked until the first glimmers of dawn appeared in the sky, and then I grew tired and fell asleep.

I must have slept for four or five hours, and then I awoke with difficulty in a room full of sunlight. When I opened my eyes, I saw Shen Wunian standing in front of the window with his back to me.

He was topless, wearing only a pair of home trousers, and his whole body was bathed in the bright morning light. I didn’t get a good look at him last time, but now that I’m looking at him up close, the bullet wound on his hip looks even more hideous, and the muscle lines on his back are even more pronounced.

The sunlight shining on him seems to be a new experience, and he spreads his arms and raises his face, savouring the sensation.

Finally…’ he sighed, but didn’t say what finally was.

Suddenly, and without warning, he began to tremble, from a slight trembling to a great shaking of the muscles in his shoulders and back. The look on his face was so strange, as if he was in great pain. Suddenly I regained my senses and got up from the bed, and as soon as my feet touched the cold floor I heard Shen Wunian laughing.

He seemed to be so overjoyed that he couldn’t stop himself, and the louder he laughed, the louder he laughed, until he simply couldn’t control himself and burst out laughing.

Knowing that he wasn’t in pain, I felt a little relieved, but not completely at ease. What on earth could have made him laugh so early in the morning?

Shen Wunian?’ I called timidly.

Hearing my voice, he stopped laughing and turned to look at me.

‘Zhong Ai…’

Across his lower back, Shen Wunian also had a circular scar above his pubic bone. Otherwise, his body was flawless.

As if he didn’t know what to do with his joy, he took a few big steps forward, opened his arms and hugged me. Then he spun around three times on the spot, exaggerating the movement.

I’m so happy!

I exclaimed, wrapping my neck around his and laughing with him, not really knowing what he was happy about.

“What good thing happened?

Shen Wunian gasped for breath, looked at me for a moment and then brought his forehead close to mine: “The weather is especially beautiful today.

I looked out the window. It was nice, but it wasn’t that nice.

“Is that all?

He rubbed his forehead against mine: ‘And you.’

I got nervous: ‘What about me?’

‘You’re very special too.’

If it was that good, it must be a permanent position.

I was full of hope that after all my hard work yesterday, my honesty had finally paid off. But who would have thought that from that day on, Shen Wunian would keep his distance from me.