Sissy (Niang Niang Qiang) - Chap 30
Chapter 30
Li Chengxiu thought that “moving in together with Shao Qun” meant that Shao Qun would move into the apartment where Li Chengxiu was living now. He didn’t expect that he was the one who had to move.
Shao Qun’s actions could only be described as vigorous and resolute. The day after they had the talk, the elite assistant Zhou arrived together with the movers.
Li Chengxiu couldn’t intervene in the entire process at all. In a matter of a single morning, Li Chengxiu was brought to a duplex villa together with his things.
The lighting in the house was very good. As soon as one entered, there was an immediate feeling of sunshine. The interior decorations were elegant and simple and mainly kept in cool tones. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows there was a garden with a large flowerbed and a small fish pond. Li Chengxiu felt that the air around here was unusually fresh.
With a blank expression, assistant Zhou instructed the workers to put all the things at their respective places. He then said to Li Chengxiu, “Mr. Li, please feel at home. However, there are some things here that you should pay special attention to. For example, Mr.Shao’s study is off limits. Please don’t go in there without his permission. Also, please don’t move the things that Mr. Shao usually uses from their places. He will be angry if he can’t find them. The plants and the fish species in the garden are very precious, so there are special people who take care of them. Please don’t water the plants and don’t feed the fish.”
Li Chengxiu nodded awkwardly, not used to assistant Zhou’s cold and very polite tone.
Assistant Zhou looked at his watch before leaving: “Mr. Li, you can start preparing lunch. Mr. Shao’s office is very close to here. He said he would come back for lunch at noon.”
“Oh……”
Li Chengxiu didn’t have time to unpack his things. He immediately got busy in the kitchen. He had just finished cooking, when Shao Qun arrived.
As soon as Shao Qun entered the door, he felt the smell of vegetables and got into a good mood.
He didn’t like outsiders coming in and out of his home at will, except for the part-timers and those who took care of the garden. In regards to his meals, Shao Qun always tried to either eat outside or go to Li Chengxiu’s place.
After eating out for a long time, he didn’t feel so good, so being able to eat home-cooked food for lunch was a great comfort to Shao Qun’s stomach. And Li Chengxiu’s food was especially delicious. Shao Qun now felt that even top hotel chefs were nothing compared to Li Chengxiu.
He sneakily hugged Li Chengxiu and said coquettishly, “Wifey, I’m home.”
Li Chengxiu blushed, and his heart felt as sweet as if it was just covered in honey. He patted Shao Qun’s back lightly and said softly, “Let’s eat.”
This was the most perfect life that Li Chengxiu could imagine. He studied, worked, and cooked warm meals for his lover. He felt very happy.
Shao Qun had always had a good habit of taking naps. This kept him clear-headed and energetic throughout the day. On the other hand, the nature of Li Chengxiu’s previous work made him have no concept of a lunch break at all.
After eating, Li Chengxiu was pulled into bed, where he slept comfortably in Shao Qun’s arms.
At first, Shao Qun hesitated letting Li Chengxiu enter his private territory, regretting that he had spoken too quickly. But after a few comfortable days, he felt that his decision was very correct.
Li Chengxiu was taking care of Shao Qun in a way one would serve people in heaven.
No matter if he had something to do or not on that day, Li Chengxiu always got up earlier than Shao Qun. By the time Shao Qun was up, the toothpaste was already squeezed out for him, the clean towels were arranged, and the bathroom was so spotless that no water stains could be found anywhere from the sink to the floor. Breakfast was also prepared in advance for him, and it was still hot under the lid. And every day it was something different.
Even if Li Chengxiu wasn’t at home during lunch time, he would prepare lunch for Shao Qun in advance. All he needed to do was heat it up in the microwave. In the evening, Li Chengxiu always came back earlier than him. No matter when Shao Qun came back, a hot meal would be served to him within two minutes. If he wanted to take a bath, the water temperature would be adjusted to his liking, the underwear and pajamas would be placed within reach of his hand, and he could change into dry slippers immediately after washing. The bedspreads, sheets, etc were changed every week, and the house was so clean that even a person as picky as Shao Qun couldn’t find anything to complain about.
In short, Li Chengxiu could pay attention to the tiniest details of his life. Shao Qun really felt like he had married an almighty wife, so that he had nothing left to worry about except work. While Shao Qun was growing up, there were four nannies in their house. Even they didn’t manage to make Shao Qun feel so comfortable and have such a convenient life. When he first hooked up with Li Chengxiu, he really didn’t expect that there would be so many benefits.
He felt that as long as he needed to stay in Shenzhen for even one day, he would not be willing to break up with Li Chengxiu.
On Thursday, a colleague at work told Li Chengxiu that the boss was inviting everyone to dinner that evening.
Because it was a group activity, Li Chengxiu felt it would be awkward not to participate, so he called Shao Qun during his lunch break. Although Shao Qun was really unwilling, he didn’t insist on him not attending.
They all got off work an hour earlier that day. Li Shuo brought all the staff to a high-end Japanese restaurant, and dozens of people stormed the place like a hurricane.
During the meal, someone kept toasting Li Shuo, and Li Chengxiu was shocked to see it.
After a few glasses of wine, the usual high-level white-collar workers were really letting loose. Several people grabbed the microphone and started wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves.
Such a scene really scared Li Chengxiu. He retreated to the corner of the restaurant by himself. Since there was a large root carving in front of him now, it made him feel more at ease.
Sitting there alone in a daze, he was watching his lively colleagues, when Li Shuo quietly sat down next to him.
Li Chengxiu exclaimed in panic, “Boss!”
Li Shuo’s face turned slightly red, and he raised the wine glass in his hand: “Why don’t you drink?”
“I can’t drink.”
Li Shuo said with a smile: “This is not good. How can a man say that he can’t drink?”
Li Chengxiu was a little embarrassed: “I’m bad at drinking.”
Li Shuo didn’t push him anymore. He put down his glass and said, “I just saw that you didn’t eat much. Why? Was it not up to your liking?”
“No. I’m just not used to eating raw.”
Li Shuo said with a smile: “They also serve many cooked dishes here. How about asking the kitchen to make you a ramen?”
“No, I’m full.”
Li Shuo shook his head, smiling. Before Li Chengxiu could dissuade him, he got up and walked to the kitchen. After a while, he returned with a bowl of noodles, “It’s ready-made fried udon. Eat some, while it’s hot.”
Li Chengxiu glanced at him gratefully and carefully started eating the noodles with his chopsticks.
Li Shuo smiled: “Xiao Li, where are you from?”
“Beijing.”
“Oh, how did you get here?”
“I came for work.”
“What did you do before?”
“I was a cook.”
Li Shuo said in surprise: “A chef? Why did you suddenly decide to study accounting?”
Li Chengxiu said shyly: “It wasn’t a sudden decision. I thought about it for a long time ago, but I had no money.”
“Then you can finally realize your dream now. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, boss.”
Li Shuo said: “I really love food. When will I have the opportunity to try your craftsmanship?”
“Ah…” Li Chengxiu didn’t know how to answer that.
“I mean it. In my spare time, I also like to cook things by myself. My kitchen has everything. It’s absolutely equipped for any chef to use. When you have time after work, we can invite a few friends to my house to cook, chat, and drink tea.”
Li Chengxiu said hesitantly, “Okay.” He had never been invited anywhere by any classmates or colleagues, and he was really reluctant to refuse such a kind invitation.
Li Shuo happily took out his mobile phone and pressed a few keys.
Li Chengxiu’s cell phone suddenly rang. He looked down and saw that it was an unfamiliar number.
“This is my number. Call me when you are free.”
Li Chengxiu stared blankly at the screen, wondering when Li Shuo had managed to save his number.
Li Shuo put down his mobile phone and said, “I’ll take you home in a while. Since I already know where you live…”
“I…I moved.”
“Oh? It doesn’t matter. There won’t be any traffic jams now anyway.”
Li Chengxiu remembered what Shao Qun said about not being allowed to ride in someone else’s car, so he declined: “Thank you, boss. I’ll go back by myself.”
Li Shuo smiled gently: “You’re welcome. Taking care of employees is also the duty of a good boss. This place is relatively remote, and it’s not easy to take the bus here.”
Li Chengxiu insisted: “Thank you, boss. I’ll go back…by myself.”
Li Shuo’s expression showed a little disappointment, and he spread his hands: “Well, then be careful. If you need anything, just call me. I’ll be happy to help you at any time.”
Li Chengxiu nodded and said sincerely, “Thank you, boss.”
That night, Li Chengxiu didn’t return home until after nine o’clock. Shao Qun was very unhappy and told him to avoid such useless gatherings in the future. Or, if it was impossible to do so, to resign.
Li Chengxiu was most afraid of resigning, so he quickly promised Shao Qun that he would try not to participate in the future.
A few days later, Li Shuo called Li Chengxiu to the office and said that he was going to take him to a bidding meeting of a state-owned enterprise. He brought the most important staff members from the two offices, and Li Chengxiu was the only intern among them.
Li Chengxiu was naturally excited to have such an opportunity and thanked Li Shuo again and again.
After leaving the office, he noticed that his colleagues were looking at him weirdly. But there was no malice in those glances, rather some curiosity and ambiguity.
After the lunch break, the driver took the four of them across the city to the bidding meeting.
Li Shuo was confident and calm at the meeting. He had a lot of witty words to say, and his limelight overshadowed everyone else in the room. This made Li Chengxiu and several other people admire him even more.
Li Chengxiu originally thought that this meeting would be over before the end of the work day. What he didn’t expect was that it ended right at the beginning of rush hour. The city roads were jammed, and it took them half an hour to drive 200 meters.
Li Chengxiu looked at his watch and felt anxious.
His two colleagues finally couldn’t sit still anymore. They got out of the car and planned to take the subway back.
Li Chengxiu didn’t have such an option. The place where Shao Qun lived was not accessible by the subway. People in that residential area used their cars to go in and out. Even the closest bus station was 10 minutes away.
Li Shuo looked at his watch, pursed his lips and smiled: “At this speed, it will take us two hours to return to the company. It’s dinner time now. I’m so hungry that my stomach is touching my back already. I know a restaurant nearby. It only takes ten minutes to walk there. Let’s go have a meal.”
Li Chengxiu hesitantly looked at the long traffic jam dragon with no head and no tail and felt that it was impossible to come home earlier than Shao Qun today.
Li Shuo got out of the car without saying anything, went around to the opposite side and opened the car door for Li Chengxiu. He then made an inviting gesture: “Come on! Instead of wasting our time here, why don’t we enjoy some food? And when we’re done eating, the rush hour should already be over.”
Li Chengxiu had no other choice but to get out of the car. Li Shuo said a few words to the driver and closed the door. Supporting Li Chengxiu on his back, Li Shuo led him to the sidewalk: “Be careful! Watch out for the cars.”
Li Chengxiu wrapped himself tightly in his clothes and followed Li Shuo. After getting onto the sidewalk, he took out his mobile phone: “Boss, I have to make a call.”
Li Shuo smiled and nodded.
Li Chengxiu turned his back to him and called Shao Qun. But even after two calls there was no answer.
Li Shuo joked: “What’s wrong? Is your girlfriend waiting for you?”
Li Chengxiu shook his head: “No.” He was a bit worried and afraid that Shao Qun would get angry again, if he came home and saw that he was not there.
Li Shuo made an inviting gesture again: “No matter who is waiting for you, there is no way to go back right now. How about you spend some time with me?”
Li Chengxiu bowed politely: “Thank you, boss.”
Li Shuo walked right beside him, and Li Chengxiu could see that many women’s eyes lit up when they saw Li Shuo.
Li Shuo took him to a Thai restaurant and told him with a wink: “The curry crab here is really unique. And it’s not raw this time. You’ll have to eat a bit more later.”
Li Chengxiu smiled and nodded.
This Thai restaurant had a name that was hard to pronounce. The layout and the atmosphere of the restaurant seemed to be couple-oriented. There were only a few large tables inside, while all the tables by the windows were meant for two people.
Li Shuo expertly ordered a few dishes. While waiting for their food to come, he decided to chat. His eyes were gentle and sincere when he said: “Xiao Li, I want to know more about you.”
Li Chengxiu didn’t know why, so he carefully asked: “Know… what?”
Li Shuo took off his glasses and rubbed his eyebrows: “I’m really tired today, as you can see. Everyone is similar to a starving beast when there’s a competition to acquire a business. But now that we’re off work, you don’t have to treat me as your boss. I don’t plan to treat you as my employee either. I hope we can just be friends. What do you think about that, Chengxiu?”
Friends… Li Chengxiu was not familiar with the world, but he knew that employees couldn’t be friends with the boss.
“Can I call you Chengxiu?”
Li Chengxiu quickly nodded.
“Then when we’re not at work, I don’t want you to call me “boss”. You can call me Li-Dage[20].”
Li Chengxiu was not very happy about his boss’s initiative to get closer, but rather felt terrified. He stared at the lemonade in front of him, not daring to look up.
Li Shuo’s warm voice and soft music were flowing into Li Chengxiu’s ears: “Chengxiu, please do it.”
Li Chengxiu hesitated for a long time, then whispered, “Li-Dage.”
Li Shuo smiled with satisfaction: “And now that we’re friends, isn’t it reasonable to get to know each other?”
Li Chengxiu agreed: “Okay.”
Li Shuo crossed his hands, put his thumbs against his chin, and looked into Li Chengxiu’s eyes without hesitation: “Chengxiu, in fact, from the first time we met, I could see some similarities between us.”
[1] In the original the saying is “If you love somebody, you will also love the crow on their house”, meaning that one should accept their loved one with everything that they bring with them.
[2]Speak for yourself XD
[3] Around 8000 USD
[4] As explained previously, it means he “was more easily convinced by a soft approach rather than brute force”.
[5] A little more than 9000 USD.
[6] In the original it says, “three chastities and nine virtues”, which refers to the ideal attributes of a perfect wife.
[7] In the original it says that he is “a shareholder of this class”. Since only companies have shareholders, I assume that here she means the school. This, of course, would mean that this is a for-profit school.
[8] Just a note that “Li” from Li Chengxiu is a different character, namely this one: 李
[9] An Audi model – full-size luxury car
[10] An extraordinarily expensive perfume for men (like, 400$ for 100ml). The smell is a mix of fresh citrus and spicy notes. Sounds like one of those typical male aroma profiles.
[11] So Shao Qun actually had that perfume himself XD Man, the pettiness of it all.
[12] Food metaphors are always fun
[13] Peach blossom eyes is a description for long and slender eye shape with tails slightly tilted upwards. It resembles a peach flower petal and typically looks lovely. It is also sometimes known as the “bedroom eye” because it gives people an impression that this person has not fully woken up from sleep yet.
[14] As a personal opinion side note: if you read “Additional Inheritance”, you’ll see that that’s not quite the case. Shao Qun is not attracted to “girliness” per se, but rather to low self-esteem.
[15] Citizens of China have the right to contest administrative penalties and compulsory enforcement actions, either by seeking administrative review through the administration reconsideration process or court review through the administrative litigation process. (according to Yale Law School.edu)
[16] Funnily enough he is not that wrong. According to a study by New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, men who had group sex were more likely diagnosed as having gonorrhea compared with men with dyadic sex. At the same time, they were less likely to get HIV due to condom usage being more prevalent during group sex than during dyadic sex.
[17] Cantonese is the most spoken language in Hong Kong, with only 48% speaking Mandarin. In Shenzhen the official language is Mandarin, however locally a lot of Cantonese is spoken.
[18] Central Business District (not cannabidiol XD)
[19] The original uses the expression 个人崇拜 (“cult of personality”). Since I only associate this term with Mao, Stalin, and Kim Jong-Un, I decided to avoid using it in the translation. Then again, when I read the next paragraph with all the Li Shuo praise, I thought maybe I should have left it in.
[20] Literally, “big brother Li”.
