Additional Inheritance - Chap 27
Chapter 27
Wen Xiaohui crammed back onto the dance floor with great difficulty, and he made his way through the crowd towards the back view.
The guy waved to the bartender and said something to him. The bartender took out a bottle of wine from the display cabinet, and the guy reached out for it. His long and slender fingers appeared particularly pale and clean in this dim and chaotic bar. He really couldn’t wait to see the front of this guy who had his back facing him.
Wen Xiaohui finally managed to reach the guy after squeezing through. He originally wanted to act like he was casually ordering a drink from the bar, but someone on the dance floor was so high that he smashed his elbow into Wen Xiaohui’s back. With a cry, he fell forwards on top of that guy’s back.
Hearing only a muffled groan, it was at this time that Wen Xiaohui recalled ‘Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo1’ but it was such a shame that he only managed to kiss the back of the guy’s head.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The person who elbowed him turned around and apologised.
Wen Xiaohui was about to get up when the owner of that back view turned around to face him.
Wen Xiaohui immediately inhaled sharply.
“WTF, he’s so fucking handsome!” Wen Xiaohui roared in his head.
He was a young man in his 20s with deep set and handsome facial features, who had a refined and mature air about him. He had thick, black hair, and his casual polo shirt could barely conceal his pecs.
“…I’m sorry.” Wen Xiaohui felt his heart beating like crazy, and his face started to burn.
The guy smiled friendly. “It’s fine. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Wen Xiaohui tried his hardest to think of a response.
The guy nodded and turned around. He continued to chat with the bartender about the bottle of wine.
Wen Xiaohui felt a sense of lingering awkwardness as soon as he opened his mouth. He was a little depressed as he thought to himself that perhaps he was straight? After all, this wasn’t a gay bar, but he was reluctant to give up having had some liquid courage and a disappointing experience with his blind date. It gave rise to an inexplicable but burning desire to get to know this person.
He quietly cleared his throat, and sat down next to the guy. “I’m sorry that I bumped into you and hurt you. I’d like to buy you a glass of wine to apologise.”
The guy smiled. “It’s okay, you’re far too courteous.”
“Let’s have a drink.” Wen Xiaohui looked into his eyes. Surprisingly, he felt a little shy because the person’s expression showed that he saw through Wen Xiaohui instantly.
The guy raised his eyebrows and he said while smiling, “Sure, thank you.” He ordered a glass of wine, and Wen Xiaohui ordered one as well.
Wen Xiaohui grasped the glass and he was a little nervous because this was the first time that he met someone who closely resembled his dream man – handsome, mature, with good taste, and a great body.
The guy raised his glass and gestured to Wen Xiaohui to clink glasses with him.
Wen Xiaohui rushed to pick up his glass. They looked at each other and smiled when the glasses lightly came into contact. Wen Xiaohui had a feeling that he was going to be intoxicated2.
“Are you here by yourself?” asked the guy. His voice sounded deep and attractive, which was very pleasant to listen to.
Wen Xiaohui’s intoxicated brain felt dizzy, so he nodded and then he immediately corrected himself. “No, with a group of friends.” He regretted it as soon as he finished speaking. As an articulate person, how could he be so slow when he encountered someone handsome? At least it didn’t appear as if he was obviously chatting him up.
“This place has a great buzz. I come here sometimes when I’m tired from work.”
“Why don’t you go to a quiet pub if you’re tired from work? Why do you come to such a noisy place?”
He stared at the bartender and gestured towards him. “He’s my friend.”
The bartender smiled.
Wen Xiaohui smiled back, then he racked his brains thinking about how best to continue the conversation. Although he was extroverted, this was the first time in his life that he’d attempted to chat someone up. It wasn’t his fault he was so good-looking that other people had always taken the initiative.
He was hoping that this back view god would be more proactive, but he only said a few polite words and continued to chat with his bartender friend. Wen Xiaohui felt extremely disappointed. This guy must either be straight or he might not be into him, but then why did he feel that this guy was the same type as him?
Wen Xiaohui stewed for a little while, and then turned around and discretely took out a mirror to check out his face. He wiped at the slightly smudged eyeliner and applied some lipstick before turning back around. He showed his most beautiful smile which he’d practised many times in front of the mirror. “Hello Gorgeous, my name is Adi. What should I call you?”
“My name is Li Shuo. The character Li used in ‘li ming’3 and Shuo from ‘shuo yue’4.” He continued to smile politely.
“Your accent sounds interesting. Are you from Hong Kong?”
“No, I’m an American citizen of Chinese heritage.” Li Shuo laughed, “I was eight years old when I emigrated to the US. I think my Mandarin’s pretty standard?”
“Haha. It’s very standard, but your accent doesn’t sound quite the same.”
The bartender’s expression showed that he got the hint, and he tactfully moved to the other side of the circular bar counter, which left room for them to be alone.
Li Shuo glanced at his back view, but he couldn’t do anything but smile.
They made small talk, but because it was very noisy inside the bar, Wen Xiaohui deliberately got closer to Li Shuo to speak to him. His quick-witted and large eyes winked so much that he felt like his eyes were about to spasm. Li Shuo continued to be polite to him, and he began to feel increasingly depressed. His self-confidence had been shaken and nearly reached rock-bottom.
It was then that Luo Rui came to find Wen Xiaohui after his trip to the toilet. His eyes lit up when he saw Li Shuo. Wen Xiaohui couldn’t stay any longer, but he felt dissatisfied and he gathered up the courage to ask for Li Shuo’s mobile number.
Li Shuo exchanged numbers with him like a gentleman, but he was the sort of gentleman who was clearly trying to keep people at arm’s length, which made others feel particularly dispirited.
After they left the bar counter, they didn’t go back to the booth and instead went outside to get some fresh air. As soon as they left the busy and noisy bar, Luo Rui wanted to know all the gossip and was itching to ask, “How did it go? How did it go? How did it go?!”
Wen Xiaohui pouted. ” He’s either straight or he’s not interested in me.”
“Seriously? I can forgive him for being straight, but if he’s gay then he must be blind. My Baby is so beautiful.”
“Forget it. He’s likely to be a pure top if he is gay. Some pure tops don’t like our sort.”
Luo Rui snorted, but afterwards he felt a bit disappointed. “He’s so handsome and he’s so charming when he smiles. Whatever. It’s best if he’s straight. At least then I can just about let him off.”
Wen Xiaohui shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve got his number, should I get in touch?”
“It’s up to you. It’s not like you’ll get pimples from contacting him.”
“That makes sense.”
They chatted for a while, but it was cold outside and they headed back in. They planned to stay for a bit before going back home.
Once they got back to the booth, a young gay guy said, “Adi, did you just chat up a handsome guy at the bar? I saw you.”
“Haha, yep. I accidentally bumped into him, so I treated him to a drink.
Haozi raised his eyebrows, and acting a bit jealous, he asked, “Who?” He stood up as he spoke to try and look for him.
The young gay said, “I know who he is.”
“You know him?”
“I don’t know him personally, but I have a friend who does. I met him at a bar. He’s Chinese-American, right?”
“Yep. Is he gay?”
“Yes, he is.” The young gay said excitedly, “He’s really handsome. He’s an accountant, and he owns a firm in Beijing. His family is very wealthy. Most importantly, he has an honest personality – he’s mature, gentlemanly and generous. It’s almost like he isn’t a real person.”
Wen Xiaohui became excited after hearing this. “So he really is gay. Just now I… He was too embarrassed to say that he went to chat someone up, but that person wasn’t interested in him. He could only say, “I felt an aura coming off him that told me he was the same type. Does he have a boyfriend yet?”
“I’m not sure. Are you interested in him?” The young gay laughed loudly, “Darling, although you’re quite pretty, you’re not his cup of tea.”
Wen Xiaohui’s mood worsened, but there wasn’t anything he could say to refute, since he’d already realised the truth. He asked gloomily, “What kind of guy does he like?”
“Quite simply, a wholesome5 man.”
Wen Xiaohui nearly spewed out his drink. “You mean our Xiao Ma?”
Luo Rui’s eyes lit up with an expectant ‘You mean me?’ look.
“Erm.” The young gay wagged his finger, and said in a fluent and coy Taiwanese accent, “Wholesome men don’t wear make-up or use hair clips to pin their hair back.”
Luo Rui touched his black hair clip that he was using to pin back his curly fringe to show his small, smooth forehead. It looked especially cute. Feeling wronged, he replied, “This is the plainest clip. My fringe was sticking up when I was leaving the house.”
Wen Xiaohui pouted. “I get it. It’s the type of guy who doesn’t look gay – the homely, wholesome sort of man.”
“Bingo.” The young gay snapped his fingers. “Do you want to know how I found out?”
“I don’t want to know, get to the point.”
“Are you bothered?” The young gay gave him a light punch. “Li Shuo sometimes goes to gay bars. He’s quite well-known so if he sleeps with someone, that person would definitely flaunt it. But he has very high standards, and he doesn’t sleep around. I’ve heard that it happened twice, and both times it was with this particular type.” The young gay began to sulk. “I hear his technique’s great.”
Wen Xiaohui sighed, “It’s rare to meet such a great guy… However, I can’t change myself for anybody. Forget it.”
Luo Rui nodded and said with a smile, “Baby, you’re the most amazing.”
Wen Xiaohui cast him a sidelong glance. “Why did you suddenly praise me? Do you feel guilty about something?”
Luo Rui shook his head. “I love your confidence and your self awareness the most. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have turned out like this.”
Luo Rui matured late, and he also looked feminine. Since childhood, he was often mocked and bullied by other school boys. He felt extremely depressed when he learned about the difference between girls and boys, because he felt that he wasn’t masculine enough. Everyone made fun of him and mocked him, which gradually led to the forming of this soft personality until he met Wen Xiaohui.
Wen Xiaohui’s mum was as tough as nails. When he first entered secondary school, the teacher publicly called Wen Xiaohui a sissy so his mum rushed to school and chased the 1.8m male teacher around half of the sports ground to beat him up. As a result, Wen Xiaohui never felt depressed about his sexual orientation or his physical appearance. At the time, his views were akin to ‘I’m going to be myself, who will get in my way’ and he often repeated these words, and energetically did things his own way. Unexpectedly, he got on well with others which made Luo Rui both envy and admire him. Wen Xiaohui had always protected Luo Rui since they became friends. He taught him how to be confident, and he taught him how to love and respect everything about himself. If it wasn’t for Wen Xiaohui, the mild depression that he once had would have driven him to a dead end.
Wen Xiaohui smiled after hearing these words, and he pouted his lips. “A kiss from Baby.”
Luo Rui moved closer to him and smacked Wen Xiaohui’s lips. Both of them started to laugh happily.
The group laughed noisily. In a flash, Wen Xiaohui had already cast the slight unhappiness from his failed attempt to hit on someone to the back of his mind.
In the end, they still left early because Wen Xiaohui wanted to go to Luo Yi’s house. He had to bother Luo Yi again today because of Luo Rui, and he planned to pick up some supper to reward him.
Footnotes:
Japanese soap opera about a girl with average looks and grades who falls in love with the most handsome and intelligent guy at school (hmm, is this Luo Yi?). A friend confirmed that the manga has the cliched accidental kiss that WXH is referring to, but poor WXH only managed to kiss the back of Li Shuo’s head (T-T).
The word for intoxicated has a dual meaning in Chinese which can be interpreted as infatuated. For example, one of this author’s novels is called Years of Intoxication.
黎明/li ming means daybreak. Chinese characters often have the same sounds so Li Shuo is clarifying how his name is written.
朔月/Shuo yue is the first day of the lunar month.
良家妇男, this phrase is a play on the original whereby a man seeks a wholesome woman as a wife.
Translator notes:
The chapters up to Chapter 35 (I haven’t checked the word count beyond that) have double the word count of a normal chapter, so I’m planning to split them into two parts where they have a natural breaking point.
