Sissy (Niang Niang Qiang) - Chap 16
Chapter 16
Li Chengxiu was used to getting up early. Although, thanks to Shao Qun, he didn’t have to go to work, he still woke up at six o’clock in the morning.
After washing up and having breakfast, he sat down at the table to study. The time passed by very quickly. When his phone rang, he realized it was almost ten o’clock already.
On the phone, Shao Qun said that he was going to be there soon and asked Li Chengxiu to meet him at the same place where he parked yesterday.
Li Chengxiu was ready, so he immediately left. In front of a row of small shops he saw a silver-white off-road vehicle parked with its back to him. The window of the driver’s seat was open, and although Li Chengxiu couldn’t see the face of the driver, he recognized Shao Qun at a glance – his slender fingers were flicking ashes, while the jet-black diamond watch was visible on his wrist.
Shao Qun saw him coming from the rearview mirror and opened the door to get out of the car.
Li Chengxiu nodded to him as a greeting.
Shao Qun threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped on it with some resentment: “Fuck, somebody scratched the car I parked here yesterday.”
“Oh? Is it serious?” Li Chengxiu remembered Shao Qun’s car that looked very high-end at first sight and wondered how much money it would cost him to repair the scratch. However, he kind of felt that the car Shao Qun drove was really flashy – a bit like the one you could see on the “Transformers” movie poster. This neighborhood had all kinds of people, so he could consider himself lucky that the car wasn’t stolen.”
“Those fuckers circled the whole car. It’s a damn shame. The paint has to be shipped from Europe now. And I’ve only had it for less than a month.”
Li Chengxiu glanced at Shao Qun’s off-roader: “In the future… don’t… stop here.”
Shao Qun pouted, stretched out his hand and squeezed Li Chengxiu’s face: “Didn’t I have to take you home?”
Li Chengxiu took a step back, ignoring Shao Qun’s naughty hands: “In the future… you don’t need to take me.”
“That won’t work. I’m afraid you’d get lost.”
Li Chengxiu blinked: “Then… just don’t park…”
Shao Qun crossed his arms on his chest and squinted at Li Chengxiu: “You mean, I have to drive you home, yet I can’t even go up to your house for a cup of tea?”
Li Chengxiu stopped saying anything.
Shao Qun shook his head: “Chengxiu, you really have no conscience.”
“… or don’t drive me home…”
“No, of course I have to drive you. I have a better solution to this problem.”
“What?”
Shao Qun nonchalantly took him by the hand and even personally opened the door for him: “Come on, get in the car. I’ll tell you in a while.”
After Li Chengxiu got inside, he asked, “What are we doing today?”
Shao Qun blinked and smiled: “Today, you are going on a date with me.”
Shao Qun led him into a fancy styling studio. Li Chengxiu was stunned as soon as he entered. The three people in front of him were holding scissors, and their movements were so rhythmical, as if they were working to the beat of the music. They were surprisingly coordinated, as they circled around a fake model, neatly cutting its hair. Li Chengxiu had never seen such a “dancing-haircut” technique before, and it really amazed him.
A particularly beautiful man approached them. He had delicate makeup on his face, and his nose was slightly highlighted, making it brighter than the rest of his face. He had a tiny waist which he was twisting around as if it was a water snake. As soon as he saw them, he revealed a soft and charming smile.
“Young Master Shao, long time no see.”
Shao Qun also greeted him with a smile: “Adrian.”
When he got closer, Shao Qun said “huh” and sneered. “You fixed your nose again? Was there something wrong with the way it looked before?”[11]
Adrian didn’t care at all about his remark. With a careless smile he responded, “I’m a perfectionist.” As he said that, his tiny arm was about to pull at Shao Qun’s sleeve.
Shao Qun coughed and frowned at him.
Adrian glanced at Li Chengxiu, who had almost zero presence next to Shao Qun, raised his eyebrows and then threw Shao Qun a questioning look. Finally, he shrugged, pursed his lips and greeted Li Chengxiu with a smile: ” Hi, my name is Adrian. You can also call me Adi.”
Li Chengxiu said “oh” and nodded properly: “Hello, my name is Li Chengxiu.”
Adrian blinked, as he looked him up and down, frowning at his loose old T-shirt, washed-out jeans and sneakers with broken shoelaces.
Li Chengxiu awkwardly lowered his head.
Shao Qun patted Adrian on the shoulder: “What are you staring at? Give him a more refreshing hairstyle.”
Adrian rolled his eyes at Shao Qun and smiled at Li Chengxiu, “Come with me, please.”
Li Chengxiu looked at Shao Qun in surprise: “We came here… You took me to cut my hair?”
Shao Qun nodded.
“My hair isn’t long.”
Adrian pouted and shook his head: “Your hair isn’t long, but it has no shape at all.”
Li Chengxiu was unconvinced: “I can cut it myself. Why did you take me to cut my hair?”
Adrian chuckled: “Oh, so you cut it yourself. No wonder it’s so ugly.”
Li Chengxiu’s face turned red: “Today…it’s not work… I’m going home.”
Shao Qun glared at Adrian and quickly grabbed Li Chengxiu by the hand: “Cutting your hair is also part of your job. You are my Chinese food chef, and your image also represents my image.”
“I’m only in the kitchen.”
“That doesn’t matter. Chengxiu, you are working for me now, and you have to meet your employer’s requirements, right?”
Li Chengxiu thought about it, and realized it was not a big deal to have a haircut. But he just felt so out of place here. Adrian was obviously even less manly than him but at the same time he was so dazzling. It seemed, the people here respected him very much, and he walked around like a proud and confident peacock without flinching. In fact, Li Chengxiu was very envious of him. This kind of confidence was something he could never achieve in his life.
A young girl approached Li Chengxiu and was about to take him to wash his hair.
Adrian waved her away, “I’ll wash him.”
The little girl looked surprised: “Master, you want to wash his hair?”
“Yes. You go get my things ready.”
Li Chengxiu lay down on the reclining chair, and Adrian gently massaged his scalp while rinsing him. Li Chengxiu had never been treated like this before, so he nervously straightened out his neck, for fear that his head was too heavy and would press too much against this person’s hands.
Adrian smiled and said, “Don’t be nervous. Relax your neck, yes, relax. It’s alright. Put the weight of your head on my hands. It’s alright.”
Adrian’s voice was soft like water, and it made Li Chengxiu feel warm in his heart, so he couldn’t help but slowly relax.
Adrian whispered over his head, “Your hair is so soft and nice to the touch.”
Li Chengxiu didn’t know how to answer that, so he just said “um”.
“Can I call you Chengxiu?”
“Okay……”
“Chengxiu, how do you and Young Master Shao know each other?”
“He hired me. To cook.”
Adrian laughed and said, “I don’t think it’s that simple.”
Li Chengxiu thought about it and added, “We went to the same…junior high school.”
“Oh, you’re old classmates.” Adrian paused, “Chengxiu, there are some things I shouldn’t say, but I think you’re an honest person, so… ah, I just can’t keep quiet. I don’t want you to panic, I just want to warn you. Shao Qun is quite a bastard, so you have to be careful.”
“Huh……?”
“Just keep it in mind. I don’t know, maybe I’m thinking too much. And it’s really not my place to say more. If he finds out that I even said anything, I’ll be in serious trouble. You don’t seem to be in the circle, so you have to be careful with him. Take everything he says with a grain of salt, don’t trust him too much. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Li Chengxiu nodded and glanced at Adrian gratefully: “Thank you.”
In fact, without being reminded, Li Chengxiu also felt that Shao Qun was too arrogant and unreliable. Although he was fine when they were one-on-one, he felt inexplicably nervous and scared after hearing what Adrian had to say. Subconsciously he wanted to distance himself from Shao Qun as much as possible.
Adrian squinted his eyes and gave him a charming smile: “Okay, you can get up. I’m going to give you a makeover.”
When Adrian started cutting Li Chengxiu’s hair, Shao Qun sat next to them for a while, but then his phone rang and he went out to answer it.
When he came back, Li Chengxiu was already standing in front of him with clean and refreshing haircut
His facial features were delicate, his skin was fair, and his hair was straight and soft which made him look a little shy. There was a gentle glow in his eyes, and he looked just like a young naive college student. Nobody would be able to tell that he was nearly thirty years old.
Li Chengxiu was not traditionally handsome, but he was really good-looking. Whether it was his appearance or temperament, he was exuding purity. One couldn’t help but give him a second glance, and one couldn’t help but feel that his look was neat and nice.
Shao Qun put his hands in his trouser pockets, tilted his head and looked at him for a while, smiling ambiguously: “Chengxiu, you’re so beautiful.”
Li Chengxiu shyly touched his hair.
Adrian clapped his hands beside him and giggled, “Just as I thought, I’m a genius. Shao Qun, now it’s time to change his outfit.”
Shao Qun nodded: “Yes, I have to get him a new wardrobe.”
Adrian blinked: “Do you want me to recommend a brand that suits him?”
Shao Qun waved his hand: “You gotta be kidding me. Considering you’re from the post-1990 generation[12], how would you be able to pick anything that actually suits him?”
Adrian pouted and stretched out his thin hand: “Pay and fuck off.”
Shao Qun pulled Li Chengxiu over to his side and said: “Contact Xiao Zhou. We’re leaving.”
Li Chengxiu quickly took his hand out of Shao Qun’s grip and looked back at Adrian.
Adrian gave him a gentle smile and waved at him.
Li Chengxiu also smiled and gave Adrian an envious look before turning his head.
Adrian watched them leave and sighed heavily.
“I’m not going to buy clothes,” Li Chengxiu said seriously to Shao Qun, as they left.
Shao Qun was stunned for a moment.
“I don’t need to change… my clothes.”
Shao Qun frowned and looked at what he was wearing. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Li Chengxiu interrupted him first and said firmly, “I’m just in the kitchen.”
Li Chengxiu was not an idiot. He knew that the reason Shao Qun wanted to improve his look was because he considered Li Chengxiu’s appearance lacking and was unwilling to stand next to him, if he didn’t look a certain way. If Li Chengxiu could speak properly, he would tell Shao Qun that he was not willing to stand next to him at all. Besides, his clothes were not stolen, and even if they didn’t look good, Li Chengxiu was not ashamed to wear them.
He didn’t need Shao Qun to give him anything.
Shao Qun patiently coaxed him: “Xiao Chengxiu, if you look more attractive, won’t you feel better?”
Li Chengxiu was a little annoyed: “I’m not… A decoration.”
A hint of anger flashed across Shao Qun’s face.
He originally had a bad temper, and his current patience with Li Chengxiu was unprecedented. If someone else would unhappily talk back to him like this over and over again, he would have already flipped the table a long time ago.
Shao Qun tried his best to suppress his anger and invited Li Chengxiu to get inside the car: “Okay, if you don’t want to buy clothes, then we won’t buy any.”
Li Chengxiu hesitantly held onto the car door hesitantly and asked, “Today… no work?”
“I told you, you are going on a date with me today.”
Li Chengxiu was about to open his mouth to say something, but Shao Qun quickly interrupted him: “Hey, don’t say that you want to go home! I won’t let you go home. You are mine for the next two weeks.”
Li Chengxiu remembered how fawningly President Chen was treating Shao Qun, and felt like his boss basically sold him. He had no choice but to get in the car.
Shao Qun drove him to a property with a sea view. Li Chengxiu knew this place. He passed by it on the bus every day on his way to work. It was not far from the hotel – only ten minutes of walking distance.
After they drove into the courtyard of the property, Shao Qun looked a little excited.
Li Chengxiu doubtfully looked at the new high-rise building in front of him through the car window.
He had no concept of housing prices, because with his salary, if he ever wanted to buy a house in Shenzhen, he would have to stop eating and drinking for the rest of his life. So he never paid any attention to the housing market. However, even he knew that the house near the sea must be exceedingly expensive. Li Chengxiu looked enviously at the snow-white stone walls, the balconies with exquisitely fashioned iron decorations, and the bright floor-to-ceiling windows.
Shao Qun parked the car in the underground parking lot and took Li Chengxiu to the 23rd floor in an elevator.
Li Chengxiu looked at the shiny metallic elevator doors and asked, “What are we doing here?”
Shao Qun smiled mysteriously: “You’ll find out in a while.”
Shao Qun opened an apartment door in front of him, and Li Chengxiu immediately felt a cool breeze coming his way, which was really refreshing on this hot summer day.
Li Chengxiu looked inside and saw an empty room. It was large, and the floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite side of the wall were wide open. At a glance, one could see the unobstructed view at the vast sea. The scenery was intoxicating.
Shao Qun pulled Li Chengxiu inside and took him around the premises: “How is it? Do you like it?”
Li Chengxiu gave him a suspicious look.
Shao Qun smiled: “In the future, you can live here. Within three days, I will have people complete all the necessary preparations.”
“What?” Li Chengxiu said in surprise.
“How can you continue living in that place of yours? It’s just a matter of time till you die of heatstroke! You shouldn’t stay there anymore. It will also be more convenient for me to come visit you here.” The more Shao Qun talked, the darker Li Chengxiu’s face got.
“Why would I want to live here? I already have a home.”
Shao Qun frowned and then said softly: “I care about you. Living in that apartment is not good for your health. I can’t help but feel bad.”
Li Chengxiu was someone who was easily swayed by kindness[13], so when he heard Shao Qun say that, he softened: “Thank you. I don’t think it’s too hot. I can’t… live. In your house.”
Shao Qun sighed, grabbed Li Chengxiu’s shoulder and pressed him against the wall, pushing himself against him.
Now that there was no one around them, if Shao Qun didn’t try at least something, he would really feel sorry for himself.
Li Chengxiu nervously widened his eyes: “You…”
Shao Qun pressed his struggling arms and whispered into his ear, “Chengxiu, why do you always reject my kindness? I just want to be nice to you. Can’t you give me a chance to be nice to you?”
“First, let me go.”
“I won’t let you go, Chengxiu.” Shao Qun slightly bent down, pressing his nose against his face, as he squinted : “I want to kiss you.”
Li Chengxiu was shocked. He was just about to open his mouth to say something, when Shao Qun suddenly blocked his lips.
Shao Qun was an expert in flirting and seduction, and he knew exactly what to do. He pressed Li Chengxiu’s waist tightly against his abdomen, gently rubbing it, while the other hand was firmly placed on the back of Li Chengxiu’s head, as he sucked on his soft lips. .
Li Chengxiu was completely immobilized. He opened his eyes in horror, and even his neck turned red in an instant.
Shao Qun took advantage of his state to stick his tongue into his mouth, churning it around there and entangling the tip of Li Chengxiu’s tongue.
Li Chengxiu couldn’t avoid it. His legs went weak, and his mind went blank from the kiss. He had to rely on Shao Qun to avoid collapsing to the ground.
Shao Qun kissed him until he was almost deprived of oxygen before finally letting go.
Li Chengxiu’s whole body was soft in his arms, and his fingers trembled as he grabbed the front of Shao Qun’s shirt.
Shao Qun exhaled softly into his ear: “Chengxiu, how was that? You also have feelings for me, don’t you?”
Li Chengxiu trembled, “Let go…”
Shao Qun didn’t hear clearly: “What?”
“Let go.” Li Chengxiu suddenly opened his mouth and fiercely bit Shao Qun’s arm.
Shao Qun hissed in pain and retracted his hand.
Li Chengxiu took advantage of the situation, pushed Shao Qun away and rushed out the door without looking back.
