Mr. Dior - Chap 9
“It is relatively rare for this type of illness to return. This is probably related to the fact that Louis XIII’s internal settings are too high. Its internal memory is comparatively large, which means that many things could have been stored inside it…”
Que De once again ran another test for president-daren and this time, the test results were different from the previous one.
“He seems to be caught up in a new plot. This time, he doesn’t think you are his lovely little wife but a substitute for someone.” Que De generated the test report quickly as he handed over another set of data to Jiao Qi. “Here are some information that may be of help to you.”
Jiao Qi took it and browsed through the data which he thought to be a medical theory. However, the information unexpectedly turned out to be a book list with titles such as:
《 The President’s Substitute Ex-wife 》
《 The Imperial Chief’s Substitute Lover 》
《 The Slag Gong’s Lowly Shou: I Am Merely A Substitute》
《 Tyrannical Romantic Love: The Dragon Emperor’s Substitute Demon Empress》
“…” Jiao Qi crumpled the book list and threw it into the dustbin. “Mr. Que, do you still remember what your profession is?”
“Of course, I remember. The treatment plan of a top-notch doctor does not only include the medical treatment of the patient but also the psychological counseling of the patient’s family. Currently, Mr. Zhang’s illness cannot be treated directly. Therefore, I am doing a psychological counseling for you in hope that you will be mentally prepared for the rest of the day.” Que De answered with a sincere face.
Jiao Qi suddenly had a headache and massaged his temples. “I don’t need this kind of service. Please cross it out in the medical bill’s list of charges.”
Que De shrugged. “Fine, but I have another surprise.” Then, he took out another piece of data which was tightly sealed inside a powder blue folder.
It contained the latest research results that Que De’s teacher sent yesterday. It is classified as a top secret unpublished research and is very precious. If one wants to see it, then one needs to pay a fee to obtain access to it.
“I originally thought that since Mr. Zhang is already well, it is no longer necessary for you to see it. However, now that his illness has returned, I think this should be helpful to you.” Although Que De is quite a money pit, his professional ethics as a doctor is still very high, and professionals do not lie. If he says it is useful, then certainly, it will be useful.
Jiao Qi took the data and glimpsed at it.
The report was entirely written in English. It’s even a bit messy and it is obviously the first draft. The content inside is actually very simple. The teacher observed a phenomenon and eventually discovered a useful information.
【When a person with a Smart Brain Disorder Syndrome is in a state of confusion, the stored data in the smart brain is combined with his own memory. 】
“Maybe you can seize this opportunity to find out about your husband’s little secrets.” Que De winked and recaptured the data.
Indeed, he might possibly uncover a lot of his husband’s little secrets. Jiao Qi nodded his head. He looked over at his lao gong who’s sitting impatiently on the side, and his eyes dimmed. Back then, who did you mean by the phrase “does not look like him”?
Que De, seeing that the mood of the patient’s family member is queer, quickly added, “Of course, this is primarily due to the smart brain’s disordered internal memory data. The genuine and fake information cannot be distinguished easily, so you do not need to take it seriously.”
Jiao Qi is unable to bear with it anymore and can only take President Da Diao home.
Today is the weekend. When they returned to the villa, dinner was already being prepared.
Zhang Chenfei sat in the middle of the sofa in the living room and pointed at Jiao Qi, who is leisurely drinking tea. Then, he told the butler, “He will live here moving forward. Just give him some casual work like that of a gardener or a cook, or something.”
The female servant who was replenishing the black tea for Jiao Qi was flabbergasted to see this scene. Her hand trembled and the tea spilled on the snow white saucer.
On the contrary, the butler actually remained as calm and collected as before. “Yes, Mister. I remember that you bought a small apron last year. I will have somebody look for it right away.”
“Cough …” Jiao Qi immediately choked. The butler probably thought that they’re acting some strange play. For example, the energetic young gardener and the garden owner, or the delicate chef and the perverted customer, or the like.
The female servant admiringly looked up at the butler. This psychological strength and this quick reaction are indeed qualities of someone with a PhD from London’s Butler University.
“Ignore him. He is acting willfully to deliberately create trouble. Let’s eat.” Jiao Qi stood up and walked over to the dining table for he doesn’t know if there’s still other strange people that his husband had arranged to go along with their act should his illness resurfaced.
Zhang Chenfei sat down opposite Jiao Qi. He lifted the glass of red wine and gently shook it. “In the future, I’ll provide for your food and drinks, but you have to be obedient and do things as I say.”
Jiao Qi supported his forehead with his one hand as he was really disgraced. He kicked Zhangda Diao’s foot under the dining table and said, “If there’s any thing you want to talk about, wait till we go upstairs. We are currently having a meal.”
“Oh,” President-daren’s meaning is unclear. He just bowed down and continued to dine.
After eating, the food on the table was withdrawn, and the butler quietly poured a mouthful of tea for the two men.
Zhang Chenfei wiped his mouth with a napkin and solemnly ordered the butler, “Tidy up a guest room.”
The butler was astonished and glanced at Jiao Qi. He did not see signs of anger on their Mistress’ face and so he asked the gentleman to confirm, “Mister, do you want to sleep in the guest room tonight?”
The president stared wide-eyed at the butler as he replied, “What do you mean by ‘I want to sleep in the guest room’? It’s him who will be sleeping there!”
The butler got even more astonished and turned his head to look inquiringly at Jiao Qi.
Now, Jiao Qi seemed provoked. He raised his eyebrow and lifted his chin as he ordered, “Go and tidy it up.”
Everything was arranged according to the wishes of the president and this made Mr. Dior very satisfied.
At the courtyard in the middle of the night, Mr. Dior thought about his “White Moonlight”, the person he holds deeply in his heart. Afterwards, he prepared to go to bed.
When he pushed open the master’s bedroom door, he sees the lovely little substitute wife lying on his stomach in the middle of the big bed while holding a book with gusto.
“Who allowed you to sleep in my bed?” President-daren got angry and stepped inside.
Jiao Qi shook his feet as he said, “Don’t be noisy. I am almost finished reading this chapter.”
“Man, you are indeed brazen. “Mr. Da Diao said ferociously, but his eyes unconsciously stared at those white pair of feet.
Those toes, which have never suffered hardship, are smooth and round, a bit plump, and have a faint pink color. They’re extremely adorable, making this man feel an urge to pinch those within his fingers.
This darn little substitute wants to seduce him? He won’t be fooled!
“Butler! Why is he on my bed?!”
The villa master’s angry voice that came from upstairs distinctly reverberated in the dimly lit living room.
“Uncle, shouldn’t you answer?” the little girl, a newcomer, asked the butler with a little uneasiness.
“This time, I shall pretend to be deaf. My age is old. I can’t hear it.” The butler chuckled and turned away. One must not meddle with the young couple’s fun play.
After quite a while, the butler did not respond. President-daren looked towards the bed. His prey seems to not feel any sense of crisis. He sneered and muttered to himself, “Alright, since you asked for it…” Then, he began to take off his clothes.
“Chi…” Suddenly, the big guy approached like a fleeing turtle and pushed down Jiao Qi just like a human pyramid. This action made a squeaking sound resembling that of a rubber toy being squeezed.
Three days of intimate action made Jiao Qi so tired and his overworked waist is somewhat unable to endure another night of vigorous activity, so he quickly rolled to one side.
“Wait, wait a minute,” said Jiao Qi. He held himself up, and his one hand pressed against Zhangda Diao to prevent him from moving forward. “Since I am not the person you love, will you not feel guilty if you touch me?”
Zhang Chenfei looked at him in an unclear and uncertain way. The little substitute’s fair and handsome face that stretched closely towards him, reminds him of a tensed little rabbit. At any moment, he could instantly flash his two non-lethal fangs, making him so charming and so familiar. What a clever little thing, the president thought. He slowly lifted his hand and gently stroked and caressed Jiao Qi’s smooth cheek, then said,”When you are this stubborn and angry, you really look like him.”
“I will resemble him more if I raise my hands and beat you up.” Jiao Qi rolled his eyes and tapped the hand of the confused Zhangda Diao. He lightly stroked his husband’s hand then climbed over to get inside the quilt and prepared to sleep.
Mr. Da Diao did not intend to let him off easily. He clutched his ankles and pulled the man back into his arms. He took advantage of the situation to squeeze a pinch on his slightly pink toe. Then he ordered, “Say ‘I love you’ with this expression on.”
” … ” Old man, old man, to suddenly say something like this is a little bit awkward. Jiao Qi smacked his lips, clearly unwilling to do so.
“Say it! Otherwise, we’ll just continue the matter just a moment ago.” Zhang Chenfei used his thumb to gently rub his lovely little wife’s moist lips.
“Pooh-pooh, get your dirty hand off!” Jiao Qi pinched the hand that touched his lips. Don’t think that he did not see this hand picked out his toe just a moment ago.
“Man, don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! [1]” Mr. Da Diao was a little angry.
{T/N: [1] A Chinese proverb which means to hesitate to do something until forced to do even more.}
“Hey,” said Jiao Qi. He couldn’t help but yawn. He was really sleepy. He could only coax Mr. Da Diao and said, “cough, I love you.”
“Include my name,” ordered Mr. Da Diao.
If the president is a client, he must be the most annoying kind of party. Even if the finished goods had been produced, if he has not yet finished speaking about his demands, he will still want to add this and that.
“I love you, Chenfei.” Jiao Qi touched his husband’s head, and said it quite earnestly.
“Who is Chenfei? Are you still thinking about that poor boy?” He has not yet received the finished product that he demanded, but the name of the competitor came out of his mouth first. The president’s widespread popularity seemed to be threatened. His eye socket was about to crack when he said angrily, “How many times have I told you, call me Da (Big)! Diao (Di**)!”
” … ”
Feeling restless for half of the day, Jiao Qi is really sleepy. In the end, he can only lose dignity to forfeit sovereignty and humiliate the country [2]. As requested by his lao gong, he finally said the sentence “I love Big Di**“.
{T/N: [2] A Chinese idiom which means to surrender territory under humiliating terms}
Mr. Da Diao, who was finally satisfied, took his lovely little substitute wife into his embrace and waited until he almost fell asleep before quietly whispering in his ear, “I love you too. I started to like you from the age of seventeen.”
Jiao Qi, who was supposed to have already slept, suddenly opened his eyes. His entire body froze because he knew that this sentence was not in the novel.
In the past, they mutually agreed to be honest about their romantic love history and at that time, Zhang Chenfei mentioned that he liked a person when he was still in school. They rarely talked about it before because Jiao Qi said that it was all in the past and he didn’t mind it. Who didn’t experience a period of being young?
However, never in a thousand nor in ten thousand possibilities, should this matter be brought up at this very moment.
【When a person with a Smart Brain Disorder Syndrome is in a state of confusion, the stored data in the smart brain is combined with his own memory. 】
That night, Jiao Qi can’t sleep as he mulled over it.
On Sunday morning, it was Li Yingjun company’s new product launch. Since he had received invitation, he must still go to the conference.
Along the way, Jiao Qi indirectly asked Comrade [3] Da Diao about his new smart brain’s name but after quite a while, the latter remained tight-lipped. ‘If I ask too much, he will possibly become angry. I have to set it aside for the time being.’
{T/N: [3] A Russian term that’s mostly used to replace the words Sir/Mr/Mrs.}
On the other hand, Mr. Dior was unwilling to confess that the name he thought of was “White Moonlight”.
The game Yingjun launched this time is a relatively large one, and the conference was very grand. After explaining the game through a demonstration, Li Yingjun stayed on the scene to answer questions from the reporters, while the others went to the banquet hall to enjoy a cold tea break.
Some executives in the industry are all basically familiar with one another. While drinking tea, they were also discussing and the atmosphere is harmonious. When the topic about business was brought up, Zhang Chenfei’s IQ went online and he chatted with the others clearly and logically.
Jiao Qi no longer cared about him. Rising to a height comfortably, he searched for a certain person in the crowd. Once found, he quickly locked in the guy who was hiding in the corner, busy stuffing himself with food.
“Shiqing, how can you not say hello to me?” asked Jiao Qi while pulling the man out from hiding.
“Aiyo, elder brother Jiao!” Gao Shiqing swallowed the little cake in his mouth and with a smile, he went along with Jiao Qi’s movement and came out of hiding.
This person was a college classmate of Zhang Chenfei and an early partner of Shi Fei Technology. However, he was not interested in the direction of Shi Fei’s development. Thus, a few years ago, he had taken the initiative to put up his own business which is a take-away food platform. At present, he still maintains his shares with Shi Fei, but he does not participate in the operation of the business anymore. He only receives dividends.
“Haven’t seen you for days. What are you busy with?” Jiao Qi asked as he examined Gao Shiqing from top to bottom. This guy seems to have gained some weight. Although he is of the same age as Mr. Zhang, this Mr. Gao, who has a penchant for food, actually had grown fat.
“Hey, don’t say any more!” Gao Shiqing said with a laugh and waved. “What about big brother Fei?”
Jiao Qi looked at the direction of Zhang Chenfei and lifted his chin. Then, he pulled Gao Shiqing closer as he was about to say a word, “Shiqing, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“Ah-huh?” Gao Shiqing turned his look back to Jiao Qi.
“During the period when Chenfei went to school, he likes a certain person. What was the name of that person?” Jiao Qi asked in a low voice. This Gao Shiqing lived together with Zhang Chenfei in the dormitory. Definitely, he knows who that person is.
“I actually don’t know that person’s name.” Gao Shiqing took a glass of champagne in passing from the waiter’s tray and took a sip. He looked at Jiao Qi’s suspicious eye and hurriedly showed his loyalty to him as he said honestly, “I really don’t know! That person was his high school classmate. That person never appeared while we were in college. I heard big brother Fei say back then that, that person was talented and took the entrance exam at Q university. As a result, big brother Fei also took the exam but he found out later that ‘that person’ didn’t go to Q university to study. He suffered for a long time due to this.”
High school classmates…
Seventeen years old…
An exact match.
Jiao Qi’s heart tightened and the fingers holding the goblet gradually turned pale as he asked, “And then? There was no more contact during college?”
“None at all. Big brother Fei didn’t seem to have enough time to confess to that person. Haha, you don’t know. But this guy wasn’t good at literature and art. Even if that was the case, he still made a confession using his self-made computer program. He was as foolish as that. To play that stupid little game, one has to touch the mechanism and then, the music will play and fireworks will be released. However, in the end, it was still useless.” Gao Shiqing recalled the old times, and can’t help but laugh louder as his body rocks back and forth.
Jiao Qi did not smile. Rather, he felt that his body had been drained of all blood. He was so cold that his body involuntarily shivered.
That stupid little game was a fireworks display. This was originally used by Zhang Chenfei to confess to him.
…
“I have made a new little game. Take a look at it if it’s fun or not.” With glowing spirits, Zhang Chenfei, passed a cell phone over to him.
It is a small game similar to a push box with a crude picture and its operation is clearly a trash. When the small ball was pushed into the hole, the cell phone suddenly let out a very loud music, and at the same time, there were fireworks on the public square not far away.
“Jiao Qi, I like you. Would you be my boyfriend?”
Such was the rustic romantic display of a programmer.
{T/N: I think this stupid little game is somewhat similar to pachinko or pinball game.}
…
After so many years, he finally knew the truth. That stupid computer program confession was not meant for him.
No wonder. Zhang, who can already make high-definition and cutting-edge games, had come up with such a simple computer program. It was because this thing was not done after he won the international gold medal, but when he just entered college and his heart was full of love for his high school male god. He knocked himself out inside the dormitory just to code this program.
At that time, Jiao Qi knows nothing at all.
The beautiful memories he had preserved, unexpectedly, was like a leftover food that was not delivered. Just the mere thought of it makes Jiao Qi feel extremely sick.
“Elder brother Jiao, are you okay?” Gao Shiqing saw that his complexion is not good and he scolded himself heavily. He shouldn’t have said anything that should not be said. He shouldn’t have, ah! These people have been married for seven years. Zhang Chenfei didn’t actually mention about this matter to his wife?
“It’s nothing. I just had a good drink a moment ago. I’ll just go to the washroom.” Jiao Qi smiled at him and walked over to the washroom.
Gao Shiqing’s heart is currently beating loudly like a drum and quickly trotted towards Zhang Chenfei’s side. He fastened Zhang’s shoulders with his hands and pulled him away to a remote place. “Big brother Fei, did you tell elder brother Jiao about your high school male god, your first love?”
Zhang Chenfei disagreed as he answered, “He knew about that since long ago.”
“Hey, did you say something that you shouldn’t have? Did you tell others about the computer program confession?” Gao Shiqing was so anxious that his forehead was now full of sweat.
“There is nothing to say,” said Zhang Chenfei as he leisurely drinks alcohol. “He’s just a substitute.”
“Wha, what, what?!?” Gao Shiqing only felt like a thunder came from the sky passing through the hall, splitting it in half, and turning him into a barbecued lump of oily meat. “You, you made the young master of the Jiao household as a substitute? You, how can you do this!”
“Oh, he is very clear about it in his heart.” Zhang Chenfei sneered and toast glasses with Gao Shiqing.
Elder brother Jiao knows about it? Tick. Tick. Tick. Boom!!!
Even bigger lightning flashes struck President Gao, turning him into scattered ashes and dispersed smoke.
{T/N: scattered ashes and dispersed smoke – A Chinese idiom which figuratively means to be annihilated or to vanish in a puff of smoke.}
After the buffet reception concluded, Zhang Chenfei accepted the invitation of his acquaintance to play squash [1] at the club. Jiao Qi refused to go with him and drove himself home alone.
{T/N: [1] Squash is a ball sport played by two (singles) or four players (doubles squash) in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. The players must alternate in striking the ball with their racket and hit the ball onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court. Source}
Inside the villa, it was absolutely empty. The afternoon sunshine came in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but did not bring in a trace of warmth. The butler was accompanying people to repair the fence, and the pounding became the only sound of activity.
Jiao Qi sat on the single-seater sofa in the basement and stared at the tightly shut door in front of him. This is the storage room that he never opened. It is Zhang Chenfei’s private space, a depository where he hid all the secrets of his youth.
He knows that Zhang Chenfei’s environment while growing up was not very good, and there were some things that he didn’t want others to know.
Jiao Qi has always respected him. They’ve been married for seven years and not even once did he enter this room. But now, he very much like to go in and have a look at what’s inside.
He did not eat at noon today. As such, his stomach was now hurting. Jiao Qi’s face turned deathly pale and he curled up on the sofa. He could not help but cry as two teardrops fell and rolled down his cheeks.
If the tenderness Zhang Chenfei showed him these years is just a scam, then how will things end up for them?
Money can be paid back and time can be calculated, but how about the love he received? Can it be taken back?
Jiao Qi’s fingertips trembled as he traced over the combination lock on the door. The small storage room was like a Pandora’s Box. The consequences after opening it are unpredictable. Jiao Qi took a deep breath, wiped his face, and clenched his teeth before keying in the password.
He honestly does not know the four-digit password to unlock the door. He tried a few of the commonly used four-digit passwords in their family but they’re all incorrect. However, when ‘0826’ was entered, “click” … and the door opened.
“…” The room, where the secret of “White Moonlight” is hidden, has his birthday as the current password of the locked door. This fact gave him an odd feeling.
Jiao Qi drew out the corner of his mouth to put off this matter for now and pushed the door to go in.
It was somewhat messy inside the room, and it is full of clutter. There are obsolete old computers, a bicycle without handles, a fruit knife without a notch, and also, a bail slip of Zhang from a detention facility.
On the only neat table, there’s a photo of Zhang Chenfei as a child with his mother, and a Rimowa aluminum magnesium alloy suitcase. The suitcase is custom-made, and a line in German was engraved outside which says – “My Love”.
{T/N: “My Love” in German is “meine Geliebte”. This German phrase may also mean my lover, my sweetheart, my beloved, my loved one, and so on depending on its usage. To my German-speaking readers, please correct me if I’m mistaken. Danke!}
The suitcase has no lock and can be easily opened.
Jiao Qi pressed the lid of the suitcase and did not lift his hand for quite a while. He doesn’t know what was inside, but it must be something he doesn’t want to see. And that’s the truth.
Perhaps, it’s over a hundred love letters that weren’t mailed. Maybe, it’s a photo of that “White Moonlight” or perhaps, it’s something that’s even more unbearable. The originally beautiful life, seemed to suddenly transform into a suspense horror movie, and the birdsong and fragrant flowers [2] could collapse anytime and anywhere into a piece of mire.
{T/N: [2] A Chinese idiom which figuratively means the intoxication of a beautiful spring day. Spring is usually associated as the happiest, most beautiful, or most vibrant moment in one’s life.}
“Click.” And the suitcase was opened.
Inside the suitcase, there’s no “evidence” of crime that’s spicy in the eyes, but some irrelevant stuff. For example, a broken fountain pen, an eraser with a missing part, an old photo album with a cartoon cover…
The fountain pen and the eraser are a bit familiar. Jiao Qi opened the photo album and saw his own picture inside that were taken during his high school days.
This picture is obviously a cut out from the poster in the school’s official website. There is also a missing piece next to it.
Jiao Qi then recalled. There was a time in high school when the school needed two students, a boy and a girl, to take publicity photographs for the school’s official website. He was mysteriously selected and took a photo side-by-side with a female student he did not know and was said to be the school’s prettiest girl.
That silly picture is still posted on the school’s official website. The part that was missing in the picture was the girl on his side.
A nearly absurd and unreal feeling rushed up inside Jiao Qi. He continued to turn the pages. Surprisingly, the entire photo album only contained his pictures.
Some were pulled down from the school’s honor roll, some were magnified graduation photos, and in addition, there were sneak shots taken during sports competition, at the basketball courts, and so on.
Jiao Qi finally called to mind on what happened to the fountain pen. It was used by him during his sophomore year. Because it was extremely pretty, the girls in his class fought over to see it. As they were not careful, it accidentally fell down from upstairs and the pen’s shaft broke. A fountain pen is nothing to him, but the girls in his class were very embarrassed and felt guilty so they went down together to pick it up. But strangely enough, it went missing.
“Ha? Hahahaha!” Jiao Qi doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry [3]. In other words, Zhangda Diao, this guy, already knew him since high school. His so-called first love, his high school male god was called Jiao Yan at that time. That person was none other than him, Jiao Qi.
{T/N: [3] A Chinese idiom which means both funny and extremely embarrassing; or between laughter and tears.}
After all these years, this guy has been so watertight that he never mentioned about it. He is quite formidable.
Jiao Qi stood up and walked about inside the room. While doing so, he discovered more interesting things such as the homework he wrote, the school uniform he had thrown away because it was stained with muddy water, and a high jump pole…
Picking up the red and white high jump crossbar, Jiao Qi’s face suddenly blackened. This slightly bent pole, he remembers very clearly. A school sports competition was held and during that time, he was compelled to participate in the high jump sports event. He made a dashing leap but he was not able to pass over. Riding on the crossbar, the pole hit his crotch, making him unable to get up on the sponge high jump mat for a long time.
Zhangda Diao, this guy, even collected this thing. He even used a marker to draw two crying eggs in the middle of the pole!
“All right, Zhangda Diao, I’ll wait for you to wake up.’
In the evening, the president-daren, who drank wine, staggered back to the villa. He saw his lovely little wife sitting on the sofa and sulking.
“Baby, I am back.” Zhang Chenfei exploited an opportunity and drove his big head towards Jiao Qi’s bosom.
Jiao Qi tightly gripped his lao gong’s wrist and said meaningfully, “I know who is the White Moonlight in your heart.”
Hearing this, the president’s facial expression changed abruptly.
“That person, isn’t he called Jiao Yan?” Jiao Qi said with a smile yet not a smile.
“Shut up!” Mr. Da Diao jumped up in an instant, as if he was a wounded beast. “Don’t mention his name! This name, only I can speak!”
