Sissy (Niang Niang Qiang) - Chap 22
Chapter 22
Shao Qun squinted his eyes, took out the cigarette from his mouth, slowly spread his hands and said with a smile, “This is my house. Why would I not have a key?”
Li Chengxiu didn’t know how to argue with that, but he felt really uncomfortable about this situation, especially when he thought about what Manager Zhang said today.
Shao Qun threw the cigarette into the ashtray, walked towards him, leaned down and kissed his face: “Why was your phone off the whole day?”
“I was at work. Had to switch it off.”
“You get off work so late every day?” Shao Qun looked at his watch. It was almost eleven pm.
“No, there are morning shifts and evening shifts.”
“I’ve been waiting for you all this time.”
Li Chengxiu looked at him in surprise: “You… waited for me?”
“Of course, I wanted to have dinner with you. But you came back only now.”
“Did you have a meal already?”
“What do you think?” Shao Qun pointed at the empty plates.
Li Chengxiu raised the plastic bag in his hand: “I have packed some… meals.”
Shao Qun frowned: “Do you want me to eat other people’s leftovers?”
Li Chengxiu said, “I’ll cook for you.”
“No need.” Shao Qun went up and put his arms around his waist, “I’ve already eaten.” He sniffed Li Chengxiu’s neck and then frowned, “You smell of burnt oil again. Hurry up and take a shower.”
Li Chengxiu pushed him away with slight embarrassment, turned around and rushed to the bathroom.
Shao Qun caught his arm: “Wait. I’ll come with you.”
Li Chengxiu’s face immediately turned red: “Not… good….”
“It’s not like I haven’t washed you before.” Shao Qun dragged Li Chengxiu into the bathroom, squinted his eyes and threatened, “Stop running. Behave yourself. I’m not planning to do anything yet, but if you move around, I won’t be able to guarantee it.”
Li Chengxiu couldn’t fight him off, so in just two or three strokes he was completely stripped. Both of them got under the shower. Although Shao Qun touched everything that should have been touched and kissed around a lot, he didn’t go all the way. Li Chengxiu’s backside was still raw, so he cried out and docked Shao Qun’s advances, who was quite disappointed.
After the two of them were done with their bath, Shao Qun took out the pajamas from the closet in the bedroom and put them on. The bathroom was filled with bottles and jars that Li Chengxiu had never seen before. It seemed like this was the place where Shao Qun lived..
Stunned, Li Chengxiu stood at the edge of the bed looking at Shao Qun lying comfortably on the big bed.
Shao Qun stretched out his hand towards him: “It’s past eleven. Are you not tired? Come to bed.”
“You……”
“What’s up?”
Li Chengxiu was silent.
Shao Qun took him for granted to such an extent that he didn’t even need to ask his opinion when he decided to stay overnight.
Shao Qun acted like it was his house but didn’t he say that he rented this place out to his boss, who gave it to Li Chengxiu as a staff dormitory? In that case, how could he just come in whenever he wanted and stay over whenever he wanted?
Li Chengxiu felt a little sad, that even after he grew up, he still was used to everybody disrespecting him. Having spent all this time with Shao Qun recently, Li Chengxiu really thought that this man was different. Unexpectedly, nothing had changed.
Shao Qun got up and pulled him onto the bed, looking at his sad expression: “What’s wrong?”
Li Chengxiu shook his head, touched the pillow and lay down. He was used to being patient and didn’t want to create any unpleasantness with Shao Qun because of this.
Shao Qun put the quilt over the two of them, pulled Li Chengxiu into his arms and rubbed his cheek against his neck.
This intimate gesture made Li Chengxiu feel comforted and more relaxed. He touched Shao Qun’s hair and said softly, “It’s still a little wet.”
“It’s okay, It’ll dry in a while.”
“Blow dry again?”
“No.” Shao Qun grabbed his hand and kissed him: “Chengxiu, let me talk to you about something.”
“Um.”
“Quit your job.”
“What?”
“It’s just not a good job for you – it’s dirty and tiring. You’re with me now, so you don’t need to work. Just quit.”
Li Chengxiu broke away from his hug, propped himself up and stared at Shao Qun in disbelief with his bright eyes.
Shao Qun still continued talking: “Instead of working hard every day, it is better if you take care of me at home. If you feel uncomfortable telling this to your boss, leave it to me.”
“No.” Li Chengxiu trembled, “I will not… resign.”
Shao Qun also straightened out and frowned: “What can’t you resign? Will there be a shortage of cooks at the hotel?”
“This is my job.”
“Does it make sense for you to earn two or three thousand RMB a month? I won’t be unfair to you, since it’s me who’s asking you to quit. Will fifty thousand[3] a month be enough for you?”
“Shao Qun!” Li Chengxiu rarely raised his voice like this. His eyes were red with anger, “Shao Qun. I don’t need it. I don’t need you supporting me. I’m not… not that kind… I don’t need you to support me!” The more anxious he was, the more tongue tied he became.
Li Chengxiu felt like he had been publicly slapped – embarrassed and angry.
What does Shao Qun think of him? Isn’t he treating him like a sugar baby?
He knew that life wasn’t easy for some girls, and they entered into these kinds of relationships with rich men. But Li Chengxiu was a man. He could perfectly support himself. How could Shao Qun insult him like this?
What saddened him the most was that he actually thought that he and Shao Qun were in love with each other, and it wasn’t a transactional relationship.
Shao Qun saw Li Chengxiu looking like a rabbit, as his eye rims reddened. He was quite puzzled: “What’s the matter with you? I can give you a good life. You won’t need to work anymore, only enjoy yourself. All right?”
Li Chengxiu was shaking with anger: “I’m not… a woman. I can support myself.”
Shao Qun felt disdainful when he heard those words. In his opinion, any kind of ambition or dignity people like Li Chengxiu had was just a big joke. Shao Qun didn’t think that this kind of attitude made Li Chengxiu more of a man but rather demonstrated that he had no idea how things worked.
However, after being with him for a month, he was already familiar with Li Chengxiu’s temper. Li Chengxiu was someone who ate soft, not hard[4].
Shao Qun immediately adjusted his attitude and said kindly: “Chengxiu, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t mean that. You leave early every day and come back so late. I can’t help but feel distressed, and I just want you to have a better life. I also want to see more of you during the day.”
When Shao Qun said this, Li Chengxiu’s heart softened, “I…but I… want to work.”
“Okay, you can work. It’s fine if you don’t want to resign. But I’m alone in Shenzhen, and I have no relatives or friends. I don’t even have anyone to take care of me.”
Li Chengxiu frowned and thought for a while: “I can…adjust my shift… try my best, to get the early shift.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Then I can make you breakfast and dinner.”
Shao Qun smiled: “Really?”
“Um.”
“Then I’ll tell your boss to give you the morning shift.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Li Chengxiu said hesitantly, “My colleagues… will be dissatisfied.”
Shao Qun sighed impatiently. For the first time in his memory someone didn’t want to accept a pie that fell from the sky. Why was Li Chengxiu singing this tune? Playing hard to get, huh?
After turning around, Shao Qun had an idea. Since he couldn’t persuade Li Chengxiu to resign, he should make him resign on his volition. He put his arms around Li Chengxiu’s waist and lay down: “Okay, let’s talk about it tomorrow. Now, sleep.”
Shao Qun seldomly slept together with his lovers. The one whom he had in Beijing changed his mind from day to night and would ask Shao Qun for this and that. The one in Hangzhou would not let him go if he came over. It was really annoying. He was so sick of this by now that he was planning to break it off with both of them soon. In the short term, he was going to be staying in Shenzhen anyway.
Li Chengxiu was not the same as them. At least for now, it was very comfortable to stay with him – there was not so much noise and no fuss, and the atmosphere was very calm. Shao Qun had tasted all kinds of fiery temperaments and was tired of it all. Now he began to appreciate someone who was gentle and well-behaved. Sleeping with Li Chengxiu was like sleeping with a cat. He was soft and hot, and didn’t move too much.
When Shao Qun woke up the next morning, Li Chengxiu had already left at some point.
When he got up, he saw that his clothes were neatly folded at the head of the bed. The edge of the sink in the bathroom was wiped clean without a single drop of water on it. The breakfast on the table was covered with a lid, and when Shao Qun lifted it up, it was still hot. Even the tableware was set up properly.
Shao Qun felt quite refreshed, as he sneered: “Wasn’t he just born to serve men?”
After finishing his food, he took out his mobile phone and dialed a saved number: “Hey, Manager Zhang, it’s me. Um, you too, you too! Yes, same old. I would actually like to trouble you privately.”
Li Chengxiu began to feel that his days in the hotel were getting more and more difficult.
Since he returned after taking on Shao Qun’s sea party, everyone’s attitude toward him seemed to have changed. Now he felt constant contempt and hostility every step of the way.
Needless to say, a few chefs would sneer at him when they saw him. However, now even the apprentices under him began to embarrass Li Chengxiu, which directly affected his work.
While he was in the middle of cooking, he heard a shady and cool voice behind him: “Hey, look at this small waist of his! If I had a figure like him, would the big boss come to me then?”
Everyone around him laughed.
Li Chengxiu’s face instantly turned pale.
The worker who was washing vegetables next to him giggled and said, “Well, you’re not gay, so how could you attract a gay guy, no matter how thin your waist is?”
“Yeah, what’s the use of having a thin waist? One also has to be thin-skinned, tender, and feminine, just like our Chef Li, right?”
A group of people laughed unscrupulously behind Li Chengxiu.
The spatula in Li Chengxiu’s hand became unsteady. He turned around slowly and whispered, “You guys, don’t talk nonsense.”
“We’re just kidding. What did we say?”
“Chef Li, we’re joking around. But if there’s something you don’t like, don’t hide it from us. We’re all colleagues, and we’ve been working together for so long. Why act like strangers?”
“That’s right. Society is very open nowadays. We don’t discriminate against gays.”
“Gays are also human beings, and they have to date. But if you can date a big boss, it really saves you a lot of effort! It’s almost like you’re a female star marrying into a wealthy family.”
“How about I also try to be gay?”
“Hahaha, you’re too thick and strong. Gays won’t like you.”
Li Chengxiu barely stabilized his trembling hand, turned around and forced herself to ignore their words. He just silently kept stirring the dishes in the pot.
One workday like this seemed to last for a year.
RIght after the dinner rush hour was over, Manager Zhang called him to the office.
“Sit.” Manager Zhang pointed to the chair.
Li Chengxiu sat down nervously, unconsciously twisting his fingers.
“Xiao Li, there have been some rumors circulating around the hotel recently.”
Li Chengxiu nodded stiffly.
“Actually, there is nothing I need to say about you and Mr. Shao. As long as one has a brain, one can guess what’s going on. Right?”
Li Chengxiu didn’t raise his eyes but still nodded.
If it wasn’t for certain things he had overheard, Li Chengxiu wouldn’t have believed that people in the hotel could suspect anything just because he took on a private job. The only person who was originally suspicious about his relationship with Shao Qun was Manager Zhang who saw the apartment on that day. It was obvious who had spread the rumors, but what could Li Chengxiu say?
“Although our society is very open, this kind of thing has a bad influence on the workplace environment after all. Do you understand?”
Li Chengxiu raised his face and asked sadly, “What…do you want …to do to me?”
He wasn’t good at lying, so he couldn’t say that there was nothing going on between him and Shao Qun. If Manager Zhang was deliberately trying to antagonize him, whatever Li Chengxiu said would make him in the wrong.
Manager Zhang answered: “What can I do to you? How dare I do anything to you? You have a deep relationship with Mr. Shao now, and the boss appreciates you very much. It stands to reason that it’s really not my place to even tell you any of this. But, after all, I have people who I am responsible for, and I have to pay close attention to the emotions and the enthusiasm of my employees.This incident obviously makes the male employees of our hotel very uneasy. I am afraid that these kinds of emotions might affect their work. If I do nothing, wouldn’t I be ignoring my duties? Can you understand my predicament?”
Li Chengxiu felt his tears coming up, but still nodded.
“I called you here because I hope you will try your best to be careful in the future. Don’t get too close to male employees and don’t rely on your relationship with Mr. Shao to act like you’re special and neglect your work. I’m a department manager, and I can’t force you to resign, but I hope you will be considerate of me and try to make my work as smooth as possible, okay?”
Li Chengxiu couldn’t sit still anymore, so he stood up from the chair, shaking his fists behind his back.
Manager Zhang glanced at him and waved: “Okay, you can go back to work.”
Li Chengxiu turned around and walked out the door without saying a word.
“Oh, by the way.” Manager Zhang said behind him, “From now on, you will work one night shift every week, and your rest days will be increased to two days. See, I can’t refuse Mr. Shao’s requests! But what do you want me to do with the discontent of other employees? Xiao Li, I am really embarrassed to have you here.”
Li Chengxiu walked home that day.
The hotel was not far from where he lived, and it took him only ten or twenty minutes to get there. He didn’t know if Shao Qun was there now, and he didn’t want to turn on his mobile phone. He just wanted to think about all of this by himself.
From the way Manager Zhang talked to him, even the deaf would understand that he was driving Li Chengxiu away.
But he really didn’t want to resign. How could he resign?
He has been working in this hotel for almost six years. His five insurances and housing funds were all paid by the hotel. His salary was increasing every year. After a few more years, he was on the track of getting his own apprentice. By then, the hotel might also be willing to give him some shares. It took Li Chengxiu a long time to come this far, and he was not willing to give up all his previous achievements.
Besides, if he resigned, would he be able to find a good job in a short time? What about the debts that he owes?
Could he still hang around no matter what? Thinking of the scenes in the hotel during the day,Li Chengxiu felt the chills.
Was it so shameful for him to be together with someone?
After returning home, he found that Shao Qun had not come today.
He took a shower and dragged his tired body onto the bed before turning on his mobile phone.
A text message popped up on the display immediately.
Three simple words: ”I miss you.”
Li Chengxiu thought about the first mobile phone Shao Qun bought him when he was a child. The two often sent some boring messages to each other, but no matter how boring they were, both of them still felt that they were very sweet.
A warm current poured into his heart, and he seriously typed out four words in response: “I miss you too.”
The phone rang immediately, and Shao Qun’s magnetic voice came into his ear: “Darling, are you off work?”
“Um.”
“Tired?”
“Tired.”
“I’m not coming over today, you can rest well.”
“Okay… Shao Qun.”
“Um?”
“Did…did you ask…for a shift…for me?”
“Yeah, I don’t want you to be too tired. Don’t you want to spend more time with me?”
Li Chengxiu said hesitantly, “I think so… but…”
“No need for any “buts”. The schedule has been adjusted, so just do as you’re told. Tomorrow you can go to work early and cook for me in the evening, okay?”
“……Okay.”
After hanging up the phone, Li Chengxiu felt better.
Shao Qun’s voice was really nice, he thought. After listening to it, the stone weighing on his heart seemed to become lighter by a lot.
Even if he might lose his job, it was still worth it, if he had Shao Qun to accompany him.
Self explanatory
