Sissy (Niang Niang Qiang) - Chap 25
Chapter 25
When Li Chengxiu came back from work in the afternoon, he saw Shao Qun sitting on the sofa smoking, as he typed something on his notebook. Most of the ashes were scattered outside the ashtray.
Li Chengxiu didn’t like the smell of cigarettes, but since he was living in someone else’s house, he was too embarrassed to say anything about it.
Li Chengxiu put down his shopping bag: “You came! Are you hungry?”
Shao Qun wrinkled his nose, without raising his eyes, as he kept looking at his computer screen: “Go take a bath before you start cooking. You smell like kitchen. I feel full just from the smell already.”
Li Chengxiu nodded embarrassedly, turned around and went to the bathroom.
After ten minutes, Li Chengxiu stood in front of Shao Qun, clean and refreshed.
Shao Qun closed his notebook, put out his cigarette and stretched out his arm towards Li Chengxiu: “Come here.”
Li Chengxiu obediently came up to him, and Shao Qun wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him into his lap. Li Chengxiu was already used to this, so he huddled in Shao Qun’s arms like a kitten.
“Tell me, what did you do today?”
Li Chengxiu had finally found a job. Although he was still in his probation period, and the salary was low, it still made him very happy: “I had morning shift today.”
“Didn’t I ask you to rest for a while? Why are you running around again?”
“I rested. For more than two months.”
Shao Qun said with displeasure in his voice: “It’s not like I can’t afford to support you. Yet you have to go out and look for trouble, huh.”
Li Chengxiu blinked: “I have to work.”
“Why do you have to work? If you want more money, I’ll give it to you. I don’t want my person to be out of my reach all the time. Makes it look like you’re even busier than me.”
Li Chengxiu looked at him embarrassedly: “I don’t need your money.”
Shao Qun was a little annoyed: “Don’t be stupid. You’re earning so little with this that it makes more sense for you to work as my housekeeper. ”
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment, then slowly moved away, trying to get off Shao Qun’s lap.
Shao Qun clamped his waist and glared at him with burning eyes.
Li Chengxiu looked back at him blankly.
“Don’t go to work tomorrow. Stay home.”
“…Shao Qun, no.”
“Tsk, what’s the matter with you?”
Li Chengxiu said hesitantly, “I’m in debt.”
“In debt? Whom do you owe? Why?”
“My relatives. It’s the money for my mother’s hospital bills.”
Shao Qun nodded: “How much do you owe?I don’t actually care how much it is, I’ll pay it in full for you.”
“No.”
Shao Qun raised his voice: “What not?”
Li Chengxiu said stubbornly: “Shao Qun, no. I can pay it back myself.”
Shao Qun impatiently pushed him away, stood up and left the apartment, cursing, “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Li Chengxiu looked at the open door for a long time.
He felt uncomfortable, but he didn’t know how to explain himself to Shao Qun.
Shao Qun didn’t want him to work too hard. It was for his own good. But Li Chengxiu had to make money. He couldn’t spend Shao Qun’s money. That just wasn’t right.
Li Chengxiu looked at the empty room in despair and suddenly saw the mobile phone on the coffee table. He quickly picked it up and sent a message to Shao Qun.
“Shao Qun, thank you for your concern. But I can support myself. I can’t rely on others to live. I hope you can understand.”
Shao Qun was driving when his phone rang. For some reason, he felt that it was a message from Li Chengxiu. He looked at it while standing at the red light.
After reading the few lines three times over, Shao Qun’s mouth corners went up.
Li Chengxiu’s cheap self-esteem was extremely ridiculous to him. In all of his adult life Shao Qun had never met anyone who stood by their virtues[6] and self-proclaimed nobility. In the end, for the ones who “refused” to give in, it was always a matter of price. He speculated that Li Chengxiu probably lacked a sense of security, since he hadn’t given him anything substantial yet. Once he piled up enough luxuries, Li Chengxiu would find it difficult to resist.
He was too impatient today and forgot for a minute that it was the soft approach that worked better with Li Chengxiu. Li Chengxiu wasn’t someone who would bleed when cut – he looked weak and useless, but he was extremely stubborn. Shao Qun thought about it and decided to give Li Chengxiu a house and then coax him a little bit, hoping that then he would be more aware about the state of things.
He threw the phone on the co-pilot’s seat cushion, turned around and drove back.
When he opened the door and went in, Li Chengxiu was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, holding a book in his hand. He looked at Shao Qun in surprise, his mouth open.
Shao Qun closed the door, came over and threw himself onto Li Chengxiu. He rubbed his face against Li Chengxiu’s warm neck and said in a low voice, “I was too hasty just now.”
Li Chengxiu’s eyes felt a little warm. He put down the book and opened his arms to gently wrap them around Shao Qun’s waist.
Shao Qun lightly bit his collarbone and reached into his clothes with his cold hands, stroking Li Chengxiu’s smooth back.
Li Chengxiu obediently rested his chin on his shoulder, closing his eyes and slightly trembling.
Shao Qun touched him for a while, setting them both on fire. He then got up, carried Li Chengxiu into the bedroom and pressed him tightly onto the bed.
The two were entangled for the whole afternoon until it was already dark outside. Li Chengxiu was so exhausted that he couldn’t keep his eyes open.
Shao Qun kissed his sweaty brow: “Darling, I’m hungry.”
Li Chengxiu whispered: “I’m hungry too.” He rubbed his head against Shao Qun’s arms, nostalgic for the warmth just now and reluctantly got up. Softly he asked, “What do you want me to cook for you?”
Shao Qun’s heart felt warm. He hadn’t felt so relaxed and comfortable in a long time.
“Whatever you make, I’m sure, it will be delicious.”
Li Chengxiu smiled and headed out to cook.
While Li Chengxiu was busy at the stove, Shao Qun was smoking a cigarette and watching his back through the slowly floating smoke.
Li Chengxiu’s back was very beautiful. His neck was slender and fair, and his ears were always slightly pink. The thin shoulders looked a bit fragile, and the shoulder blades were a bit too prominent, especially when Shao Qun pulled at his arms. When Li Chengxiu had his back turned towards him, he really liked to bite at those shoulder blades. Li Chengxiu’s waist was also very thin, without even an inch of fat, so his pajamas looked very loose on his midsection. His butt was slightly tilted, and only Shao Qun knew that without the underwear those two perky buttocks were very full and felt good to the touch. Loose pajama pants wrapped around his slender and straight legs. Li Chengxiu had little body hair – if one judged only by his calves, he actually looked a bit like a woman. However his knee joints were strong and slender, giving away his male physique.
Shao Qun could have never imagined that he would see the epitome of home in one of his little lovers.
The way he treated his previous bed partners was nothing more than walking in, undressing and leaving after he was done. Occasionally, he would take them out somewhere, but mostly it was just to let them shop for stuff.
No one has ever taken care of him in a way Li Chengxiu did. At the same time, he never asked Shao Qun for anything.
Recently, Shao Qun had been getting busier and busier with work and didn’t need to have sex as often as in the previous years. Still, he came over to Li Chengxiu three or four times a week because he was sick and tired of eating out in different hotels.
He would rather have a quiet meal with Li Chengxiu. And then hold him afterwards, while watching TV or surfing on his computer. Li Chengxiu would quietly stay in his arms, watching TV, reading books, or surfing together with him. Shao Qun sometimes felt like he had a pet that could cook, do laundry, clean up, talk to him and have sex with him. At the same time Li Chengxiu was undemanding and easy to support.
How could someone be so useful?
How could there be such a perfect thing in the world?
The more Shao Qun looked at Li Chengxiu’s back, the more he wanted to laugh from the bottom of his heart.
He walked over and put his arms around Li Chengxiu’s waist from behind.
Li Chengxiu was taken aback and smiled, “What is it?”
“I want to hold you for a while.”
“I’m cooking.”
Shao Qun put his head on his shoulder and muttered, “I won’t do anything. Just continue what you were doing.”
Li Chengxiu was helpless, having to drag this big man behind him around, as he continued to skillfully prepare the ingredients to add to the pot.
Shao Qun knew that he definitely didn’t want to break up with Li Chengxiu now.
His career in the Pearl River Delta had just begun, and he really needed such a considerate person to relieve the pressure of his busy life.
After eating, Shao Qun lay on the sofa with his head resting on Li Chengxiu’s thighs, as he flipped through the accounting book that Li Chengxiu had just been reading.
Li Chengxiu’s slender fingers were going through Shao Qun’s hair, as he massaged his scalp.
Him being a chef, his hands were very strong, and the pressure was just right. Shao Qun squinted his eyes in an expression of comfort.
Shao Qun raised the book in his hand and asked casually, “How are your studies going?”
“It’s hard. It was easy at the beginning but it’s getting harder and harder now. I also have no one to ask questions.”
Shao Qun smiled and said, “You can ask me.”
Li Chengxiu responded, “You are very busy.”
Shao Qun’s heart suddenly moved: “Chengxiu, do you want to study seriously?”
Li Chengxiu nodded. How could he not want to do that? Unfortunately, he had no time, and he hadn’t saved up enough money for that yet.
Shao Qun happily got up: “The don’t go to work. I’ll sign you up for tutorial classes, so you can study.”
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment, bright light flashing in his eyes. But it quickly dimmed, and shook his head.
“Do you want to be a chef for the rest of your life? Accounting is a good career option. You are meticulous and careful, and you can endure hard work. This is suitable for you.”
Li Chengxiu absently looked at the book in Shao Qun’s hand.
It was his dream to study again.
His grades have always been good when he was a child. It wasn’t because he was extraordinarily smart but rather because he worked several times harder than all the others.
If he had enough time, he felt that he could excel at his studies. Shao Qun’s words really moved his heart.
Shao Qun continued to urge him: “Accounting is a discipline that requires profound knowledge. It is not going to be enough if you just learn it by yourself. You must be guided by a professional. I will enroll you in a tutorial class first to lay the foundations. Once you’re that far, I can find an accountant to guide you further. If you study well…” Shao Qun squeezed his cheek and smiled at Li Chengxiu, “…you can come work for my company.”
Li Chengxiu’s eyes shined. Shao Qun could see that he was really excited.
If he could really complete his studies, it would be great. And if he went to work for Shao Qun’s company… It would mean that he could see him every day and have the opportunity to understand what kind of life Shao Qun was living. Something that he never even dared to think about.
But money…
Li Chengxiu pursed his lips and looked aside hesitantly.
Shao Qun had already planted the idea into his heart, so he was not in a hurry to force Li Chengxiu to agree now. Just like Li Chengxiu’s successful resignation from the hotel, Shao Qun wanted to put him in a situation where he had no more room for rejection.
Shao Qun put his arms around Li Chengxiu and reassured him: “Don’t worry. I respect your wishes, so you can think about it carefully. After all, this is extremely beneficial to you… For me, not so much. After all, if you spend so much time with the outsiders, when will you have time to see me?”
Li Chengxiu refuted: “That’s not…”
Shao Qun interrupted him: “You don’t need to explain, I understand. So I won’t force you. Just think about it. You can still go to work these days, but you should also spend more time studying. I know that you have perseverance, and you don’t do things halfway.”
Li Chengxiu nodded and looked at Shao Qun gratefully.
Although he sometimes had a bad temper and was at times self-centered, Shao Qun had a good heart and treated Li Chengxiu really well.
No one in the world is perfect. Since Li Chengxiu accepted Shao Qun’s good sides, he must also accept his bad sides. He can’t only accept Shao Qun’s care and then be intolerant at the times when Shao Qun makes him sad. Li Chengxiu had already received so many good things from him, and he felt very satisfied.
In the next few days, Li Chengxiu still went to work. Although he was seriously considering Shao Qun’s suggestion, he still planned to work for at least one month before quitting, in order to get his salary.
Shao Qun came to Li Chengxiu occasionally, reminding him every time to think carefully and weigh all the pros and cons.
One day, as soon as Li Chengxiu came in through the door, Shao Qun said that he wanted to give him a gift.
Li Chengxiu didn’t know what the occasion was, so he just waited with a smile.
Shao Qun took out a document bag from behind his back and opened it in a way that it faced down. Like snowflakes, dozens of paper notes were immediately scattered onto the coffee table.
Li Chengxiu stared blankly at the notes.
Shao Qun threw the bag away and quietly looked at him.
As soon as Li Chengxiu realized what these pieces of paper were, his eyes became wet, and it felt as if he was struck by lightning.
He could never forget them.
When his mother was sick, he had no choice but to go back to his hometown in the countryside and go from house to house borrowing money. He knelt all the way from the beginning of the village to the end of the village – the blood on his knees even seeped through his pants at that time. He would borrow a few hundred from one family, write an IOU and then get to the next house. He visited more than hundred households in the village, and the pain and suffering of that time couldn’t be described in words.
These IOUs were his burdens – not only financially, but also psychologically. Now that Shao Qun just handed them to him like this, he felt as if a heavy mountain was lifted off his chest in an instant. Even breathing became much easier.
At this moment, he had no time to consider how much he now owed Shao Qun. He only felt that Shao Qun had saved him.
For the first time during their time together, Li Chengxiu took the initiative to hug Shao Qun, choking and trembling, as he kept thanking him non-stop.
Shao Qun silently stroked his back. His eyes flickered, and his mind filled with thoughts.
If his assistant hadn’t reported all of these things to him, he really could have never imagined how difficult Li Chengxiu’s life was when he was a child.
Li Chengxiu was only thirteen or fourteen years old when he had to take care of his paralyzed mother and also humble himself going house to house to borrow money. Shao Qun couldn’t imagine how such a young child managed to endure all this.
He had to admit that for the first time, this thin and withdrawn man in his arms made him feel pity and admiration.
