Sissy (Niang Niang Qiang) - Chap 67
Chapter 67
The Third Young Miss didn’t stay long – she left immediately after having dinner.
During the whole time, she was in charge of talking, Shao Qun was in charge of serving dishes to Li Chengxiu, and Li Chengxiu was in charge of being silent. Somehow, despite all of them feeling uneasy in one way or another, they managed to have a meal.
After sending his sister away, Shao Qun wanted to return to Li Chengxiu’s apartment but realized that he had been locked out. He knocked a few times, but there was no response.
Shao Qun laughed at himself and told Li Chengxiu loudly through the closed door to remember to take his medicine on time and call him if anything happens.
By the time May holidays were over, Li Chengxiu had completely recovered.
When he returned to the company, he found the boss in a good mood – apparently, he had earned enough money during the holiday season. As soon as the boss saw Li Chengxiu, he took the initiative to tell him that the company will reimburse his hospital bills. Moreover, the boss told him that they were recruiting new accountants, and just in a few days Li Chengxiu would have some helpers.
Li Chengxiu was very happy about that.
After all, this was Li Chengxiu’s first independent endeavor as an accountant. Although the company was small and had limited future prospects for development, he believed that as long as he worked hard, he could not only support himself and Teacup but also gain some merits.
The goods that couldn’t be sent out before May 1st had accumulated during the holidays, so the workload now was considerable, and Li Chengxiu immediately became busy again.
He was so occupied at work, that the time flew by very quickly without him even noticing. Two weeks had already passed when Li Chengxiu finally realized that Shao Qun had disappeared, and there had been no sound coming out of his apartment during all this time.
There was a new tenant in Xiao Ji’s apartment. And if it weren’t for more than ten daily text messages from Shao Qun, Li Chengxiu would have thought that the man had moved out too.
Li Chengxiu’s routine that day was the same as usual – he walked home, carrying vegetables and thinking about what to bring to the company tomorrow morning.
Just as he was about to cross the road, a black car suddenly stopped in front of him.
The rapid braking sound was unusually harsh, and Li Chengxiu almost fell over from the fright it gave him.
Before he could regain his senses, the car door had already opened, and two men in black suits came out. They stood next to Li Chengxiu – one to the left and one to the right of him – and gestured, “Mr. Li, please get in the car. ” Their behavior was polite, but there was an underlying irrefutability in their tone.
Li Chengxiu’s face turned pale, “What is going on?”
One of the guys said, “Mr. Li, someone wants to see you. Please get in the car and don’t waste too much time.”
Li Chengxiu wanted to run, yet his legs were a little weak. Unable to move, he was basically pushed into the car.
As he nervously sat next to one of the men, he asked, “Who are you? Who wants to see me?”
“You’ll know when you get there. Mr. Li, you don’t have to be so nervous.”
How could Li Chengxiu not be nervous? This looked very much like a kidnapping from a TV show. After giving it some thought, Li Chengxiu realized that this matter could only be related to Shao Qun. He didn’t know what new tricks Shao Qun came up with, so he felt angry and
helpless.
When he got out of the car, he was dumbfounded.
The car had taken him to the villa complex with a single door and a single courtyard. As soon as Li Chengxiu put his feet on the ground, a golden retriever excitedly jumped onto him.
The dog came up to his chest, and when it jumped, it almost pushed Li Chengxiu down on the ground. Before he could figure out what was going on, he heard a familiar laugh.
Li Chengxiu turned his head in surprise and saw that Ji Yuanqi was standing on the lawn not far from him with his hands in his pockets. There were several large nice-looking dogs beside him.
Ji Yuanqi had cut his hair by half an inch. Although it was a less fashionable haircut than before, his handsome silhouette was still very clearly outlined, and he looked energetic and mature.
Ji Yuanqi smiled and said: “I told you that Teacup was a kind of dog mostly kept by women! Men should keep dogs this size.”
Li Chengxiu said in surprise: “Xiao Ji!”
Ji Yuanqi went up to him and pried the over-excited golden retriever away from Li Chengxiu’s body. He then blinked and smiled, “Did you miss me? Did you?”
Li Chengxiu clapped his shoulder and said, “You went home without saying goodbye. You…you…then brought me here like this. I thought…I was being kidnapped…”
Ji Yuanqi laughed and said, “It was just a joke!” He then suddenly stretched out his arms, hugged Li Chengxiu, and whispered coquettishly, “I missed you so much! Make me a salted egg yolk pumpkin!”
Li Chengxiu laughed, “So food is what you’ve missed!”
Ji Yuanqi let go of him, looked at Li Chengxiu carefully with his bright eyes, his expression a bit disappointed, “I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. I sold the watch, and it had a serial number on it. So my dad found out about it…You were sick at that time, and I really wanted to stay and take care of you. But I was captured, and I couldn’t do anything against it!”
Li Chengxiu smiled, “It’s a good thing that you went home. You are still young. Once you grow up, you’ll realize that having a family is the best.”
Ji Yuanqi pouted and told him that he didn’t care that he was young.
He took Li Chengxiu into the house and explained to him, “I didn’t want to go home, because my parents are so bossy and annoying. So for the time being I’m living here. You can come to visit me very often! Or just move in here!”
Li Chengxiu pretended not to hear him and looked around the room.
The person outside the door knocked lightly and came in, respectfully saying to Ji Yuanqi, “Young Master, your father instructed you to go home for dinner tonight. You should get ready now.”
Ji Yuanqi stared at him, “Who said I’m going home? Don’t you see that I have a guest?”
“But Young Master…”
Ji Yuanqi waved his hand, “Don’t annoy me. I won’t go.”
Embarrassed, the man backed out of the room.
Li Chengxiu said helplessly: “Your family is acting like they are in a mob.” He thought about all these people wearing black suits on such a hot day.
Ji Yuanqi responded casually: “Yup, my family is an organized crime syndicate. And for fear that others won’t notice that, even in this day and age, they are talking and acting like they are in a movie.”
He continued to complain: “My dad who looks basically like a gang lord from TV keeps telling us to keep a low profile. But every time he himself goes out, he makes such a rowdy scene that I’m embarrassed to ride in the same car with him! I want to die of shame because people look at us like we’re a bunch of psychos.”
Li Chengxiu didn’t understand anything, but he nodded, pretending that he did.[8]
Ji Yuanqi pulled him into the kitchen, “Look, everything is ready for you! Here are all the ingredients for my favorite dishes. My appetite has been spoiled by you, so I’ve recently been craving all this stuff!”
Li Chengxiu shook his head with a smile, put on an apron and got to work.
The two of them haven’t seen each other for a long time. At the beginning they couldn’t find a common language but now they could talk easily to each other. Li Chengxiu felt that he had really made a friend.
Although Li Chengxiu was also grateful to have Adrian before, he always felt extremely ashamed and embarrassed around him, since the guy knew all about him and Shao Qun. In the end, Li Chengxiu even decided to avoid seeing Adrian at all.
Although he felt guilty for being like this towards this warm and cheerful guy, it was difficult to calmly face someone who had seen, heard and been a part of his ugly and humiliating past.
Xiao Ji was different. He had a simple mind and a straightforward personality. Although sometimes he was a bit unreliable, Li Chengxiu always felt very relaxed and happy when he was with him. Because Xiao Ji loved and praised his cooking, Li Chengxiu also felt like he was respected.
The two chatted until it was very late. Li Chengxiu looked at his watch, and it was almost ten pm, so he wanted to go back.
Although he prepared a lot of food for Teacup every day, the puppy would still get angry if he came home too late. And whenever that pup got angry, he would pee in his shoes or do some other naughty stuff, which was very annoying to deal with.
Ji Yuanqi didn’t want Li Chengxiu to leave, so he dragged the time out on purpose. In the end, he couldn’t keep it up anymore, so he finally asked someone to take Li Chengxiu home. However, he insisted that Li Chengxiu come back to his place on the weekends.
When Li Chengxiu got back and was unlocking his apartment, Shao Qun’s door suddenly slammed open.
Li Chengxiu looked at him in surprise.
Shao Qun anxiously rushed out, grabbed Li Chengxiu’s arm and said, “Where were you? Why did you come back so late? And why was your phone turned off? Do you know how anxious I was?”
Li Chengxiu pulled his arm from Shao Qun’s grip and entered his apartment without any intention of answering these questions. Shao Qun also squeezed into the door.
He seemed to realize that he was a bit too much just now, so he took a deep breath and said slowly, “I’ve been too busy recently to see you. So, where have you been today?”
Li Chengxiu put down the things that he had in his hands, held onto the doorknob, trying to close the door and whispered, “I’m going to rest now.”
Shao Qun didn’t give up and said, “Chengxiu, the weather is getting hot! Can I maybe install an air conditioner for you? Otherwise, it will be very uncomfortable.”
Li Chengxiu said lightly: “I will buy a fan.”
Shao Qun sighed: “Chengxiu, please accept my kindness! Is it really so difficult for you?”
Li Chengxiu shook his head wearily and just waited for Shao Qun to leave.
Shao Qun’s face was full of disappointment.
When Li Chengxiu woke up the next morning, he found that it was raining cats and dogs outside. He was most afraid of such weather. The bus would always come late, it would be crowded, and it would move very slowly. By the time he arrived at the company, Li Chengxiu would be all wet and sweaty.
When he was done packing his things and prepared to go out, he saw that Shao Qun was already waiting for him with an umbrella.
Seeing that Li Chengxiu came out, Shao Qun hurried to take the documents he held in his hands and said, “Since it’s raining, there will be issues with the bus. I’ll take you to work.”
Li Chengxiu hurriedly said, “No need…”
Shao Qun was still urging him. “It’s the rush hour! You should hurry up, or you will be late.”
Li Chengxiu wanted to reach out and grab his things back, but Shao Qun turned around, avoiding him and giving him a flattering smile.
It was too early, and Li Chengxiu was too sleepy to have the strength to argue with Shao Qun. So he got into his car, still kind of confused.
Shao Qun relaxed as soon as Li Chengxiu got inside. At every single red light he would eagerly look back at Li Chengxiu, his eyes almost glued to him. In such a small space, Li Chengxiu had nowhere to escape, so he could only turn his head and look at the gloomy weather outside.
After they were driving for a while already, Li Chengxiu started suspecting that he might have been fooled by Shao Qun. It was rush hour, and it was raining, so there were many cars on the road. When Shao Qun’s car drove onto the bridge, it started moving at the speed of 3 meters every 20 minutes.
Li Chengxiu had no choice but to stay in the car, since he couldn’t walk down the overpass. Seeing that he was going to be late soon, Li Chengxiu calculated that he would have his bonus deducted for being late.
Shao Qun saw that his expression was not happy, so he quickly comforted him, but the smile in Shao Qun’s eyes was obvious.
The weather outside the window was terrifyingly gloomy, and the sound of pouring rain hitting the car sounded like a messy tune. This narrow space had suddenly become the inescapable haven. Here, you could sit side by side with your loved one, and feel as if you’re in your own little world.
Shao Qun hoped that time would stop at that moment. He was willing to hold Li Chengxiu’s hand and stay like this forever.
They stayed on the bridge for more than half an hour, and only then there were some signs that the congestion was getting better. But then something happened that paralyzed the traffic yet again – it seemed that there was a rear-end collision somewhere in the front.
Li Chengxiu was already too anxious to sit still. Seeing him like this, Shao Qun chose a moment to say, “Chengxiu, ask for a leave today. You’re late anyway. Your boss will understand that this is due to the weather.”
Li Chengxiu shook his head – that was not a reason his boss would accept.
Shao Qun felt a little sad when he saw how much Li Chengxiu wanted to leave the car. He thought about it for a while, then took out his umbrella from the back seat, turned off the engine, and opened the door.
Before Li Chengxiu could react, Shao Qun had already opened the car door on his side and shouted, “Get out, Chengxiu. I’ll find a way to take you to the company.”
Li Chengxiu was stunned, “We’re on the bridge.”
Shao Qun responded: “Don’t worry about it so much. The traffic police are dealing with the accident at the front, so let’s just go quickly.”
Li Chengxiu gritted his teeth, took his things and got out of the car. Shao Qun raised the umbrella over his head, hugged his shoulders and unsteadily made his way forward.
Li Chengxiu looked back at the car and couldn’t help saying, “What about your car?”
Shao Qun grinned and said, “It’s not a big deal if it gets towed away. It’s much more important that my darling[9] gets to work.”
Li Chengxiu glanced at him and noticed that Shao Qun’s shoulders were wet. He turned his face away and immediately saw someone in the car beside him watching them. Li Chengxiu felt too embarrassed to look up anymore.
The two got off the bridge and went straight to the subway station. There was no subway station near Li Chengxiu’s house. So he didn’t usually take it, but in fact, the subway was the fastest way to get to the company.
It was likely Shao Qun’s first time on a subway. He looked at the people that were packed tightly like sardines in a can and kept repeating, “So many people here…So many people…” He protected Li Chengxiu while they squeezed onto the subway, and the two of them ended up leaning against the door, almost chest to chest.
Shao Qun didn’t complain this time, but was quite happy with the situation. He held Li Chengxiu’s waist against his chest, lowered his body slightly and put his head on Li Chengxiu’s shoulder with a smile.
There were many people on the subway, so even such an intimate action wasn’t very noticeable. Li Chengxiu was embarrassed, but there were people in the front and in the back, left and right, so it was hard for him to move away.
He slightly raised his hand and pushed against Shao Qun. Shao Qun immediately grabbed Li Chengxiu’s hand, stuffed it into his pocket, held it tightly, and then, breathing into his ear, said softly, “Don’t move. There are so many people here.”
Li Chengxiu blushed and whispered, “No, you’re too close.”
Shao Qun smiled and said, “I heard that there are a lot of perverts on the subway. I have to protect you.”
Li Chengxiu anxiously wanted to step back, but Shao Qun exerted his strength, so when he moved, Shao Qun was still holding on to his waist, and the two only got closer to each other.
Li Chengxiu was annoyed and glared at Shao Qun.
Shao Qun smiled softly and whispered into his ear: “Chengxiu, let me hug you for a while. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Just a little bit.”
Li Chengxiu paused and turned his head.
The two were leaning against the door. Since Shao Qun was so tall, he almost completely covered Li Chengxiu with his body, so his figure couldn’t be seen from behind.
There was unbearable longing in Shao Qun’s heart, and he couldn’t help but carefully touch Li Chengxiu’s neck with his lips.
Li Chengxiu thought at first that it happened by accident, since the action was so light. But when Shao Qun’s lips touched him for the second time, Li Chengxiu felt that something wasn’t right. He moved his neck away and turned his head to angrily glare at Shao Qun.
Shao Qun smiled with some embarrassment, raised his head and couldn’t hide the disappointment and loneliness in his eyes.
Somehow, Li Chengxiu noticed the look in these eyes that was extremely eager but at the same time not daring to approach. Li Chengxiu felt his heart twitch, and he suddenly didn’t dare to look at Shao Qun who had such an expression on his face.
When Li Chengxiu arrived at the company, he was more than 20 minutes late. That made him quite upset. But when he went upstairs, he saw a tired Shao Qun with a cigarette in his mouth waving at him with a smile. He thought that if it wasn’t for Shao Qun, he would have only arrived at noon, so he suddenly felt slightly relieved.
