Sissy (Niang Niang Qiang) - Chap 41
Chapter 41
Li Chengxiu hadn’t had a meal in such a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere for a long time.
After their food came, Li Shuo didn’t mention Shao Qun anymore, and they just had a nice chat.
Li Shuo was quick-witted, well-spoken, and also funny. Even Li Chengxiu, who was not good at words, felt like he could communicate with him comfortably. Besides, there was Adrian next to him who always had something to say.
After eating, Li Shuo asked for Li Chengxiu’s phone number.
The three chatted for a long time, and it was getting late. Adrian said that he would take Li Chengxiu home.
Li Shuo blinked and said softly but irrefutably, “No, I’ll take him home.”
Adrian gave him an ambiguous smile: “Yes, of course. You can take him.”
Li Chengxiu said with some embarrassment: “No…rather… Adrian can take me. Thank you, bo…, I mean, Li-Ge…” Under Li Shuo’s repeated reminders, he was finally forced to change the way he addressed him. But as for Li Shuo’s obvious good intentions, he still didn’t dare to accept it so easily.
Li Shuo tilted his head and thought for a while: “Okay, buuuuut…” Li Shuo deliberately lengthened the last sound, “Have dinner with me tomorrow night. This time you can’t refuse.”
Li Chengxiu was about to speak, when Li Shuo raised his hand to interrupt him: “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.” He then smiled and winked at Li Chengxiu.
Li Chengxiu was too embarrassed to refuse.
On the way home, Adrian kept talking Li Shuo up.
Li Chengxiu couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know him well?”
Adrian was silent for a while, and after a long pause he pretended to be relaxed and smiled:
“Well, he was my first man after all.”[1]
Li Chengxiu was stunned for a moment.
“Don’t worry, it was seven or eight years ago. I’ve almost forgotten about it. Li Shuo is always really popular wherever he goes. I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it. But he is a very good man, so as long as you want stability, you’d be in good hands. It’s just that I am…not someone for stability.”
Li Chengxiu quietly listened to Adrian talk.
Adrian seemed to be caught in his memories: “I have wronged him. I had something going on with another person behind his back… Not only did he not blame me, but he also helped me a lot. He was already a well-known accountant at the time. Long story short, I feel very sorry for him. I’ve known him through many years, and he’s never been very successful in his relationships. So I always hoped that one day he’ll find the one. Chengxiu, I think you two are a match made in heaven. You really should grasp the opportunity. You can’t be hung up on that one person forever.”
Li Chengxiu silently leaned back in his seat. Li Shuo’s gentle and elegant smile appeared in his mind. Yet it was replaced by Shao Qun’s domineering and arrogant face in an instant.
When can he finally stop thinking about Shao Qun? When can he get out of this hopeless abyss?
After getting off work the next day, Li Chengxiu quickly took a shower in the restaurant and changed into a set of fresh clothes.
He had so much respect and admiration for Li Shuo that he felt it would be a great rudeness to meet him with a dirty face, while smelling of burnt oil.
He hurriedly packed up his things and went out. He found that Li Shuo was already sitting at a table in the lobby, leisurely drinking tea .
Li Chengxiu hurried over: “I’m sorry for making you wait!”
Li Shuo stood up with a smile and took the plastic bag from Li Chengxiu’s hands: “It’s fine. I just arrived.”
Li Chengxiu felt embarrassed and wanted to take his bag back: “I can carry it myself…”
Li Shuo suddenly raised the bag over his head and gave Li Chengxiu a charming smile.
Li Chengxiu smiled back unconsciously.
Li Shuo embraced his shoulders in a very natural way and said: “Let’s go. I can’t park here for too long.”
Li Shuo drove him to a sea-view hotel in Dameisha[2], where the waiter led them into a large private lounge that was elegantly designed and could accommodate at least 20 people.
Unexpectedly, there was no big round table in the lounge. Instead, there was just a table for two by the window. The wood grain of the carved mahogany table was clear and smooth, and it was clear at a glance that the thick varnish could withstand a lot of damage. The wood was of an exceptionally high quality.
Li Chengxiu had been working in a hotel for many years, so he knew that the minimum consumption for such a big lounge was astronomical. In a low voice he reminded Li Shuo: “It’s just the two of us.”
As he was taking off his coat, Li Shuo said: “I know. If anyone dares to disturb us, I won’t be happy.” He smiled and opened the thin wooden curtains, “This private lounge is the best place in the entire hotel.”
Outside the window, the sun was setting. On the sea surface one could see the reflection of the bright yellow light which turned the sea water into gold. The scenery was charming to the extreme.
Li Chengxiu was astounded for a while.
Li Shuo walked over and gently put his hand on his shoulder: “Take off your coat.The heating here is pretty good.”
Li Chengxiu came back to his senses and quickly unzipped his coat. Li Shuo helped him take it off in a gentlemanly manner and even pulled out a chair for him.
Li Chengxiu felt uncomfortable.
He didn’t expect that he would end up in a scene from a TV show. Moreover, even while acting this way in front of a man, Li Shuo didn’t seem pretentious and kept his usual unadorned elegance.
Li Shuo noticed Li Chengxiu’s awkwardness, sat down with a smile and asked, “Is my way of courting someone too old-fashioned?”
Li Chengxiu was startled for a moment, then he quickly shook his head.
“I have even more old-fashioned ideas. You know, I’ve always dreamed about lifting the red veil on my wedding day.”
Li Chengxiu couldn’t help but smile.
“When I was about seven or eight years old, I moved to the United States with my parents.
For more than ten years, our family of three was completely out of touch with the rapid developments happening in China. When I returned to China again, I found that a lot of information about Chinese traditions, folklore, and culture that I got from my parents was out of date, because it was all based on China they knew a decade or two ago. I’ve memorized everything about traditional Chinese festivals, but when I talk to young people in their twenties, nine times out of ten they don’t know what I’m talking about. I grew up envisioning a wedding with an abundance of red, but when I returned to China, I discovered that Western-style white weddings were popular now. I was a little disappointed…I think I’m still a very traditional Chinese man in my bones.” Li Shuo saw that Li Chengxiu was listening to him very attentively, and suddenly his regretful tone changed, as he joked: “I’ve said too much. All I wanted actually was to ask whether you, my little friend Li Chengxiu, would be interested in wearing red on your wedding day?”
Li Chengxiu couldn’t keep up with Li Shuo’s quips, so he just nodded in astonishment.
Li Shuo laughed heartily, half joking and half serious: “Great, now I’ve taken my precautions. If one day I am lucky enough to marry you, you must wear a red veil. When the time comes, you’re not allowed to think that I’m old-fashioned. And you can’t go back on your word!”
Li Chengxiu blushed and smiled shyly.
Li Shuo’s warm and sincere attitude made everyone who spent time with him feel like a spring breeze. How could there be such a person in this world? One couldn’t help but be attracted to him, be willing to obey him, hang on to his every word and idolize him.
They were quickly served plates of delicate dishes.
Li Shuo noticed that Li Chengxiu, who was not good with words, only talked more when they were discussing food. After all, this was his profession. So when they couldn’t find anything to say, both of them would comment on the food presented on the table.
Li Shuo didn’t care about Li Chengxiu’s stammering speech. He felt that his best ability was not necessarily speaking, but he was definitely a good listener. Li Chengxiu was very patient. He didn’t comment much, but he responded with glances or nods to what the other party was saying, which made one feel very comfortable.
The more Li Shuo got along with Li Chengxiu, the more he liked him.
Next to the view of the sunset over the sea and surrounded by soft music, the two of them had a delicious dinner.
Li Chengxiu liked spending time with Li Shuo. He thought that most people would like that. It didn’t only put him into a happy mood, but more importantly, it made him feel that he could learn a lot from Li Shuo. Whether it was about life, different experiences, or general knowledge.
What’s more, although Li Shuo’s intentions were obvious, he behaved very well, and he never did anything to make Li Chengxiu uncomfortable. Li Shuo was entering into his life very patiently, little by little.
Although Li Chengxiu was hesitant, many times he couldn’t refuse Li Shuo’s invitations, so the number of times the two of them went out gradually increased.
When he was busy, he could make himself not think about Shao Qun. If Shao Qun didn’t appear anymore, his life would slowly return to normal.
When Li Chengxiu went to work that night, a spark flew onto the sweater worn by a colleague next to him, and it suddenly caught on fire. One of the young workers was terrified and poured a ladle of water all over the guy. Actually, it wasn’t a big deal, as the man was wearing a shirt underneath, and he was not burned at all. But his good sweater now had several burned holes in it and couldn’t be worn anymore.
The colleague took it off with a sad face and said, “This sweater was really good. It’s pure cashmere. My aunt brought it to me from Inner Mongolia last year. Now it’s all ruined.”
The people around him comforted him, someone handed him a towel, and someone helped him with his wet clothes.
Seeing that the guy was about to throw the sweater into the trash can, Li Chengxiu couldn’t help himself: “Hey…don’t toss it.”
The man gave him a strange look: “Why not? I can’t wear it anymore.”
Li Chengxiu whispered: “Give it to me, okay? I’ll use it… to knit some clothes… for my dog.”
Everyone laughed and commented that it was, indeed, the best use for it now.
The man readily handed his wet sweater to Li Chengxiu: “Remember to dry it before taking it apart. It needs to be dried on a flat surface, or it will lose its shape. Don’t forget to show us what you end up making out of it!”
“Aiya, chef Li is really virtuous and ingenious. He can do anything!”
“Yes, that’s true. Chef Li is very capable. If he was a woman, I would be pursuing him for sure!”
Li Chengxiu’s face was a little red, as he held on to the sweater with both of his hands.
The cashmere, when soaked in water, was really heavy, and Li Chengxiu didn’t know where to put it now.
As he was shaking his head from side to side, trying to figure out what to do, the kitchen door opened, and the young waitress from the front hall excitedly said to Li Chengxiu, “Chef Li, the handsome friend from last time came to visit you again. And he brought another handsome guy with him. They are having dinner in the private lounge No. 4! You should hurry up.” Her voice was filled with excitement that couldn’t be concealed.
Li Chengxiu thought that she was talking about Li Shuo and Adrian.
Lately, Li Shuo would often visit him here. All the girls and boys from the front hall, who talked to him, would treat him like a god and worship him to no end.
Li Chengxiu was preoccupied. He couldn’t think what to do with this thing in his hands, and at the same time he was afraid to make Li Shuo wait for a long time. His brain went into an overdrive, so he just left the kitchen, while still holding the wet cashmere sweater. As he gradually got to know Li Shuo better, he realized that he never reacted weirdly to any of Li Chengxiu’s blunders. So Li Chengxiu wasn’t that scared to expose his awkward side to him. Adrian would make fun of him at times, but it was never malicious. It was also almost eleven p.m. now, so there were not so many guests outside anyway, and Li Chengxiu wasn’t afraid to be seen.
Thus, Li Chengxiu was currently wearing his chef’s uniform with dirty spots on his chest and carrying a wet gray-black sweater in his hands. He sneakily made his way to the private lounge, planning to find a plastic bag there to pack up the sweater.
As soon as he entered the room, he was completely dumbfounded.
Shao Qun was sitting in a chair with his legs stretched out. Next to him was a particularly showy and beautiful young man who was intimately whispering something into Shao Qun’s ear.
Li Chengxiu’s brain buzzed, and he froze on the spot.
As soon as the young man looked up and saw Li Chengxiu’s appearance, he laughed out loud with a “pffft”.
Shao Qun also raised his head, and the moment he saw Li Chengxiu, there was a particularly complicated expression in his eyes. Instead of laughing, his face sank.
He sarcastically said, “Did this restaurant hire you to cook or to do laundry?”
Li Chengxiu’s face turned red and then pale again.
He silently squatted next to the TV cabinet, pulled out one of the plastic bags that were usually used to pack meals for the guests, put the sweater inside it and then turned around to leave.
Shao Qun shouted loudly, “Stand still!”
Shao Qun stood up angrily, irritated by Li Chengxiu’s indifferent attitude.
It took him a lot of resolve to swallow his pride and come look for Li Chengxiu again. So what the fuck was up with this reaction?
Li Chengxiu paused when his hand was already touching the doorknob. Without turning around, he asked in a low voice, “Shao Qun, what more do you want?”
To flaunt his beautiful lover in front of him? Shao Qun, what are your intentions?
Shao Qun took a deep breath, raised his hand and knocked over a plate of food off the table. The soup splashed onto Li Chengxiu’s pants. Shao Qun then yelled in a vicious voice: “Is this stuff even for human consumption? What if my darling gets food poisoning? Can you fucking afford to pay for it?”
Li Chengxiu’s eyes became red, and he slowly turned his face: “Then… don’t eat here.”
“Is it up to you to tell me where I should eat? Who do you think you are?” Shao Qun felt that his heart and lungs were about to explode. If Li Chengxiu had shown just a little bit of weakness, would he fucking need to do such a stupid thing? Why couldn’t he be a bit more flexible? He didn’t want to live in a fancy villa. He didn’t want to have a life of leisure. Yet he had to ruin himself in a place like this! What the hell did he want?
What the fuck was Shao Qun even doing here? He spent hours tossing and turning, thinking about whether to come to Li Chengxiu or not to come to Li Chengxiu. He then finally made a decision, only to start rethinking it over and over again. Shao Qun’s brain was hurting from all of this.
Li Chengxiu trembled and said, “Shao Qun, you… don’t go overboard.”
Shao Qun said angrily: “Is this how your restaurant treats its guests? By talking to people with their backs? Turn around and face me.”
Li Chengxiu took a deep breath: “I’m off duty…you should go.”
“Go? Why would we go, if we are still hungry? This stuff here is for pigs. Go and make everything from scratch again!”
The guy who came here with Shao Qun was a little shocked by this argument.
Just now, this Young Master Shao had tasted all the dishes that were served to them. He then muttered,”He made it”, and gobbled up almost everything in such a hurry, as if he hadn’t eaten for the last three days.
He could see that the Young Master Shao and this cook were both very angry.
Li Chengxiu looked at his watch, and it was almost time for him to get off work. However, there was a rule at the restaurant that the personnel couldn’t leave if the guests were still there.
Li Chengxiu turned around slowly and lowered his head: “What do you want? I’ll make it now.”
Shao Qun’s eyes swept across Li Chengxiu’s face and body several times. Only then did he feel that he had looked enough. He deliberately embraced the person beside him and said softly: “Darling, tell him what you want to eat.”
The young man was insightful, so he cooperated and casually named a few dishes.
Shao Qun squinted and stared at Li Chengxiu: “Did you write it down?”
Li Chengxiu held back his tears and nodded.
“Darling, any special requests?”
The man shook his head awkwardly: “No, just don’t make it too spicy.”
Shao Qun asked maliciously, “Did you hear that?”
Li Chengxiu nodded slightly.
Shao Qun continued making things difficult for Li Chengxiu again and again, and he refused to let him go. Li Chengxiu couldn’t take it anymore. He felt that his vision blurred, so he simply slammed the door and left.
As he walked across the corridor, he rubbed his eyes as hard as possible to keep his tears back.
He didn’t understand why Shao Qun was hurting him again and again when they had already separated.
Couldn’t he give him some space? Why was he pushing him so hard?
Most of the kitchen workers had left already, only a few were still around.
Li Chengxiu quickly turned on the fire, poured the oil on the pan and made the dishes that Shao Qun ordered one by one.
He looked at the fire several times, his eyes filled with tears, and he finally just wiped them off. After Li Chengxiu had already been busy with the dishes for a long time, the waitress came in and told him that Shao Qun and the other guy had left.
Li Chengxiu paused and then fiercely threw his spatula away.
Li Chengxiu’s shoulders trembled slightly, as he stood with his back turned to the waitress.
But the young girl still noticed that something wasn’t right and asked cautiously, “Chef Li, are you alright?”
Li Chengxiu shook his head: “It’s okay… you… go home.”
Li Chengxiu helped the other worker to clean up the kitchen and then dragged his tired body to the bus station.
Just as he was about to cross the road, a black sports car aggressively swerved right in front of him.
The window of the driver’s seat slowly rolled down, and Shao Qun’s face appeared.
“Get in the car,” he ordered.
