Sissy (Niang Niang Qiang) - Chap 45
Chapter 45
Both Big Li and Li Wenxun were stunned.
Li Wenxun swallowed a mouthful of spit, then pretended to be relaxed and smiled: “Big fucking deal! So a two-timing rabbit escaped. When we just came in, I saw a pretty little darling outside with a very twisty waist. Should I call him here for you?”
Shao Qun was silent.
Li Wenxun gave Big Li an awkward look.
Big Li patted Shao Qun on the shoulder: “Hey, buddy, you can’t be serious. I know it’s frustrating, but really, so what if he ran away? It’s easy to find someone better than him, right?”
Shao Qun drank a little more, then looked at his hands and muttered, “I can’t find him now. Fuck, I really have to find him.”
“Yes, you should find him and his lover, strip them both naked and throw them out on the street to relieve your anger, okay?”
Shao Qun shook his head, then hugged it with both his hands, sitting uncomfortably and repeating over and over again, “I have to find him.”
Li Wenxun frowned. He couldn’t stand Shao Qun’s dejected appearance which made him look stupid. He quickly changed the subject and said, “New Year’s coming up. When will you return to Beijing?”
Shao Qun whispered: “I won’t.”
Big Li shouted loudly, “What the hell, Shao Qun! Do you really intend to go against your sister? Are you not afraid of being beaten to death by your old man Mr. Shao?”
When Shao Qun thought that things became like this between him and Li Chengxiu due to his sister’s “good” deeds, he didn’t want to go back to his family’s house at all. Besides, in case Xiao Zhou finds Li Chengxiu in a couple of days, Shao Qun has to go and take him home at the first opportunity.
He wanted to celebrate the New Year’s together with Li Chengxiu. Just the two of them.
This was the busiest time of the year in the office. The young accountants were so tired of looking at the mind-numbing accounts over and over again that they wanted to fall asleep right on the office floor.
Li Shuo was also so exhausted every day that he didn’t go to see Li Chengxiu for several days in a row.
But he knew that Li Chengxiu had been doing well recently. He was very motivated at work, and he seemed much more alive.
Taking advantage of some free time at noon, Li Shuo called Li Chengxiu.
“Hello, Li-Dage.”
Li Shuo felt comfortable when he heard this soft voice.
“Chengxiu, are you having lunch?”
“Yes, on my break right now.”
“I’ve been very busy recently. It’s the end of the year.”
“Yes, it’s a busy time. Everyone is very occupied now.”
“Have you adapted well?”
“Yes… I can learn… a lot…It’s very good.”
“That’s good! Since you’re planning to do this in the future, you have to get used to it. I’m just worried that your body won’t be able to take the pressure.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Did you have a good meal?”
“Yes, don’t worry.” Li Chengxiu thought a little bit and then asked, “What about you?”
“Me?” Li Shuo laughed, “I just order takeout every day now. After eating too much of your cooking, nothing can measure up anymore! Tell me, what should I do?”
Li Chengxiu chuckled: “When you’re free again, let’s have dinner.”
“All right, once I find time I’ll definitely take you up on that.” Li Shuo smiled, “By the way, Chengxiu, New Year’s Eve is coming up. Are you going back to your hometown or something like that?”
Li Chengxiu paused, and there was a hint of sadness in his voice: “No, I don’t have any relatives.”
“So you’re staying in Shenzhen for New Year’s?”
“Um.”
“Oh, all right then. I’m not planning to go back to the United States this year. Adrian is also staying here for New Year’s. How about the three of us celebrate together?”
Li Chengxiu felt slightly melancholic in his heart. He had no idea how many times he had been preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner by himself, making dumplings[12] just for himself and then watching the Spring Festival Gala[13] all alone.
It would be such a joy to have someone celebrate New Year’s with him.
He couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice: “Okay, okay! I’ll prepare the food, and you two can come over for the New Year’s Eve dinner.”
Li Shuo said with a smile: “Good. Then on the day of the holiday, we should go shopping together for the New Year’s goods[14]. And we must go early, otherwise it’ll get really crowded.”
Li Chengxiu nodded quickly: “Right, right. New Year’s goods.”
As the Chinese New Year was approaching, it gradually got warmer outside, and there were more and more people out on the streets. The atmosphere was cheerful all around, as everyone was crowding the shopping malls to purchase New Year’s goods.
Li Shuo was pushing a cart that was so full of stuff that it looked like a little mountain. Li Chengxiu followed him, looking helplessly at the long checkout line in front of them.
Li Shuo sighed: “This line will take at least half an hour or even more.”
Li Chengxiu nodded. He would rarely come to supermarkets, since he could buy things for cheaper at small markets. So he really had no idea that there’ll be so many people here during the Chinese New Year’s rush.
Li Shuo leaned his elbows on the cart and looked at Li Chengxiu with his head sideways and with a smile on the corner of his mouth.
Li Chengxiu noticed his gaze and said a little bashfully, “What…”
“Are you happy today?”
Li Chengxiu smiled lightly: “Yes.” Then he immediately frowned, “However, now we have too many things to eat…
“I can finish all of it. Since I’m going to have a lot of days off, I can go to your place every day and mooch off some food, okay?”
Li Chengxiu nodded and smiled shyly at him.
Li Shuo stood up straight, trapped Li Chengxiu between himself and the cart, then reached out and shook his palm.
The two of them looked at each other and smiled softly.
Every time they met, their feelings would slowly warm up. Li Shuo had excellent self-discipline, and he never crossed the line with Li Chengxiu or put pressure on him.With this gradual approach, they became closer without Li Chengxiu even noticing.
Li Chengxiu didn’t know if he could fall in love with someone again, but Li Shuo was so kind to him, that he couldn’t bear to refuse Li Shuo’s goodwill. If somebody treated him well, Li Chengxiu couldn’t help but want to return their favor tenfold. Besides, staying by Li Shuo’s side made him feel safe and at ease.
With Li Shuo around, he didn’t have to face the past all alone. Perhaps, he wouldn’t have to face the future alone either.
No matter how long Li Shuo could actually stay in his life, at least for now, Li Chengxiu was really reluctant to let go of this warmth.
By the time they paid, their legs were already really sore from standing. Li Shuo pushed the cart to the underground parking lot, loaded all the stuff up into the trunk and then took Li Chengxiu out for dinner.
The two of them happily enjoyed their meal, then leisurely strolled around the mall buying a lot of useful and useless things along the way, like any other ordinary couple.
Li Chengxiu really disagreed with Li Shuo’s purchasing policies and couldn’t help reminding him not to buy things that were unnecessary.
Li Shuo was a person who paid great attention to the quality of life. He would even take a long time to choose socks made from the right material and towels of the perfect thickness. Thus, he patiently and with some sense of humor tried to instill his life philosophy into Li Chengxiu.
More than two hours of shopping was basically their after-dinner exercise, and by the time they came out from the mall, it was already dark outside.
Li Shuo didn’t give it a rest until he physically couldn’t carry anything in his hands anymore. The two of them walked to the parking lot with their large and small bags. They loaded their things into the car with a smile and finally got into the front seats. Li Shuo looked at the vehicles lining up in front of them and sighed.
After waiting for several minutes, the car successfully pulled out of the parking lot. Lined up behind a long queue, they moved towards the toll gate little by little.
Bored, Li Shuo turned on the radio. The radio host happened to be telling a joke about traffic jams right at that moment, and Li Chengxiu giggled.
Li Shuo couldn’t help stretching out to hold Li Chengxiu’s hand. Softly he said, “Your hands are so cold. Didn’t we just come out of the mall?”
Li Chengxiu glanced at Li Shuo’s hand that was wrapped around his own and responded, “My hands get cold easily.”
Li Shuo smiled and said, “My blood runs hot. As long as it’s not freezing, my hands and feet will always be hot. Just enough to keep you warm.”
Li Chengxiu smiled shyly and whispered, “Thank you.”
Li Shuo’s heart was moved.
He had always thought that Li Chengxiu looked his best when his head was slightly lowered, and he had this shy expression on his face. He was so good-looking that Li Shuo just couldn’t help himself.
Li Shuo squeezed Li Chengxiu’s palm.
Li Chengxiu raised his head and looked at him suspiciously with his bright eyes.
Li Shuo leaned over, approached him slowly, and said gently, with some expectation, “Chengxiu, can I kiss you?”
Li Chengxiu’s face instantly turned red, and he stared blankly at Li Shuo.
Li Shuo burst out laughing: “Chengxiu, if you look like this, I’ll take it as your tacit approval.”
“I…” Li Chengxiu became nervous.
He asked himself over and over again, whether it was possible between him and Li Shuo.
Li Chengxiu lowered his head and said hesitantly, “Li-Dage, what if…”
Li Shuo turned his head to the side and slowly came closer.
Li Chengxiu was so anxious that he immediately stopped breathing.
Li Shuo half-closed his eyes and gently gave him a peck on the lips, saying tenderly but firmly, “Chengxiu, I want to kiss you.”
Li Chengxiu timidly clenched his fists and looked at Li Shuo without blinking. There was panic and hesitation in his eyes. He looked like a little kitten that had just been weaned and was fearfully facing the world.
Li Shuo’s heart was full of tenderness, as he stretched out his hand, gently cupped the back of Li Chengxiu’s head, covered his lips and tenderly sucked on them.
Li Chengxiu trembled as he accepted the kiss.
He felt that there was a chaotic stream of contradictory thoughts flowing through his mind. It seemed, this chaos was about to break the barriers of his physical body and violently erupt. As if right the next second he would…
Boom! ! !
The loud noise scared Li Chengxiu, and he screamed “Ah!” under the illusion that it was his own chest that had just exploded.
Li Shuo was also startled. Subconsciously he protected Li Chengxiu with his arm.
Both of them turned their heads in horror to look where the sound came from and found that the windshield now had a spider crack on it – tiny cracks were spreading in all directions from the center of the impact. If this hadn’t been hard tempered glass, the windshield would have been shattered at once.
Li Shuo and Li Chengxiu turned to look at the perpetrator, and their expressions suddenly changed.
Outside the window they saw a furious Shao Qun, who was holding up a steering wheel lock bar, aiming yet another blow.
Suddenly two people quickly ran towards him and grabbed Shao Qun by his arms from both sides.
Li Chengxiu’s face was bloodless, as he looked at Li Wenxun and Zhou Li desperately trying to stop the crazy-acting Shao Qun.
Li Shuo’s face was ashen. He soothingly patted Li Chengxiu’s shoulder: “Don’t be afraid. And don’t get out of the car.” He then opened the door and gave Shao Qun a cold look.
Shao Qun’s roar became louder: “Let go of me! Li, you son of a bitch! How dare you touch him! Are you worthy?”
Li Shuo showed a cruel smile: “Li Chengxiu is mine, so why can’t I touch him? Mr. Shao, I can forgive you for breaking my car but can you afford to pay for ruining my date?”
“Fuck you!” Shao Qun felt his heart was about to explode, his brain was buzzing, and he had a splitting headache.
After waiting for so many days, Shao Qun finally got news from the person who was tailing Li Shuo. Like an idiot, he rushed here just to witness Li Chengxiu and Li Shuo chatting and laughing inside the shop and then affectionately kissing in the car. At this moment, Shao Qun wanted nothing more than to shoot this bastard Li Shuo right in the head.
The commotion soon attracted the security guards who rushed towards them from all sides of the square in twos and threes. The people stuck in the traffic jam were also leaning out of their cars and curiously watching the free show.
Li Wenxun’s and Big Li’s faces were getting red from anger. They had never been so humiliated in all their lives.
They desperately dragged Shao Qun back: “Shao Qun! Shao Qun, calm down! What are you fucking nuts?”
Big Li grabbed the steering wheel lock bar from Shao Qun’s hand, turned towards Li Shuo and raised his chin: “Hey, you better fucking take this little sissy away as quickly as possible! Or you know, it might be fun to smash your head in with this thing.”
The onlookers could notice at first glance that this was a scene of two men fighting each other due to jealousy. However, one could clearly tell that these men were not ordinary people. Both of them were rich and handsome. Not to mention that their cars were also eye-catching and of high quality. So everybody was intensely curious about what kind of impressive beauty was sitting in that car.
But since it was dark, one couldn’t see the beauty very clearly from the outside. It was only possible to decipher a very good-looking white face with red lips that was turning left and right in fright.
The security guards quickly rushed over and were already surrounding Shao Qun and his “murder” weapon.
Li Shuo gave Shao Qun a sarcastic look and got back into the car.
Shao Qun called out: “Li Chengxiu, Li Chengxiu! Get out of the car now! Get out of the car!”
Li Shuo looked at the windshield with some distress, thinking that it won’t be easy to drive back safely under the conditions that affected his vision so much.
Li Shuo reluctantly took Li Chengxiu’s coat from the back seat: “Chengxiu, let’s take a taxi. It’s not safe to drive like this.” He then took out his mobile phone and called his assistant, asking him to take care of the car.
After he was done with the call, Li Shuo noticed that Li Chengxiu was looking at him helplessly, his face as white as paper. He wasn’t even wearing his coat.
Li Shuo draped his coat on him and gently reassured him: “Don’t be afraid. I told you I’m here, so don’t be afraid. Trust me, okay?”
Only then did Li Chengxiu stretch out his arms and put on his coat properly. He held onto the handle for a very long time before finally pushing the car door open.
As soon as Shao Qun saw him come out, he forcefully pushed away the guards that were holding him back, “Li Chengxiu, Li Chengxiu!” His voice was not only furious, but also had a hint of imperceptible grievance.
He had too many things to say, too many things to do. He wanted to snatch Li Chengxiu home, so that no one could find him and no one could compete with Shao Qun for his attention.
Li Chengxiu, however, did not even look at him. He lowered his head, while Li Shuo shielded him.
Shao Qun felt as if he had been punched in the chest, and the pain was unbearable. Li Chengxiu’s gesture of seeking protection from him was like a stab.
Li Shuo put his arms around Li Chengxiu’s waist and comforted him in a low voice: “I’m here, Cheng Xiu. Don’t worry.”
Only then did the onlookers see that the person who caused so much jealousy was actually a man. Such an unexpected culmination of the drama had the crowd abuzz, as they eyed them with bemusement.
Li Shuo explained the situation to the staff, left the car and called a taxi.
When Shao Qun saw that they were about to leave, he struggled, elbowing Big Li in the stomach.
“Ouch, fuck!” Even though Big Li was wrongfully beaten, he still didn’t dare to let go of Shao Qun and only grabbed him tighter.
Shao Qun shouted at Li Chengxiu’s back: “Li Chengxiu, how dare you leave! You are not allowed to go! You come back to me, Li Chengxiu! Come back!”
Li Chengxiu didn’t look at him and just hid in the taxi as soon as possible. Li Shuo got in with him, smiling provocatively at Shao Qun.
“Li Chengxiu! Don’t go! Come back to me. Don’t go!” Shao Qun’s roaring voice was filled with tears. He had never expected that anyone could hurt him so much in his life, leaving him powerless to fight back.
Li Chengxiu really just left. Without even looking at Shao Qun from beginning till the end, he left with another man.
Didn’t Li Chengxiu like him? How could he be together with someone else so quickly? What the heck? How could he not even look at him? How could he be so cruel?
How could he do this? How could he be like this?
Shao Qun’s heart felt tight, and he felt like he was about to cry, when he thought of Li Chengxiu’s back.
