Tit For Tat (Beloved Enemy) - Chap 32
ZhaoYuan brought her boyfriend along.
GuQingPei had long wanted to see this person. He’s always had a particular feeling for ZhaoYuan, combined with his guilt and responsibility toward her, as long as ZhaoYuan is living well, then he could feel a bit more relieved.
His first impression of ZhaoYuan’s boyfriend is not bad. According to what ZhaoYuan told him, he works in the financial sector, a few years older than him. He is quite promising and appears to be well-matched with ZhaoYuan.
However, when they chatted, GuQingPei felt that this man’s personality is not very mature; his mind is not very sensible. The apprehension he (the boyfriend) has of him, GuQingPei could see through it at a glance. Most men usually aren’t bothered by trifling matters, but ZhaoYuan has been treated by him with such thoughtfulness and attentiveness so it’s likely that there would be a disparity when comparing the two. He planned on finding a time later to personally chat with ZhaoYuan.
The three sat and chatted for more than two hours. ZhaoYuan invited him to join them for dinner but GuQingPei pushed back. He could see that ZhaoYuan’s boyfriend appeared to be polite toward him but there was still a bit of guardedness. He wouldn’t have an appetite with this kind of meal.
After separating from them, GuQingPei stood on the street outside the café, not moving for a long time.
He is thinking of where to go now.
If he goes home, he would be faced with YuanYang’s wrath. If he doesn’t go home, he can’t continue to stay on the street like this.
Forget it, he’ll have to go back sooner or later, might as well go back for dinner. After all, he was a little interested in YuanYang’s bragging culinary skills.
He hailed a taxi to go home.
When he got home, sure enough, YuanYang was still guarding his door. He had already changed into an outfit appropriate for the season, half squatting on the floor with his back leaning on the door, smoking with his eyes closed.
GuQingPei’s first thought was that the little wolf dog is really guarding the door dutifully.
When YuanYang heard the sound of footsteps, he opened his eyes and glanced at him, then bolted up.
GuQingPei saw that his expression was really bad. Although his mind would explode thinking of the things that happened today, he didn’t intend on continuing to provoke YuanYang. A wise man should know when to submit to his circumstances. A person should have this kind of restraint.
YuanYang strode over in big steps and immediately clutched onto his scarf, pulling him closer, “You’ve got balls, dared to mess with me. If I don’t give you a lesson, I’ll….”
“I came back for dinner,” GuQingPei immediately interjected.
YuanYang stared dazedly at GuQingPei.
GuQingPei slowly pulled back the cashmere scarf that had been pulled out of shape by YuanYang, “Weren’t you going to cook? Isn’t your culinary skills great? Didn’t I come back?”
YuanYang felt his anger subsiding like the discharge of flood water and the receding of the tide with the sound of water crashing scattering all away. The hand that was gripping onto GuQingPei’s scarf and collar instead pinched GuQingPei’s face. He smiled smugly, “You came back especially for dinner?”
GuQingPei half-heartedly responded, “Yeah.”
“Then hurry up and open the door for me, braised pork needs to be marinated for a while before it’s good.”
GuQingPei can only lead him into the house reluctantly. At the moment, he can somewhat understand the mood of a person who has accidentally fed a stray dog in the street, having to be tangled with it every day and being followed home. But it is obvious that his “feeding” was under unwilling circumstances, why should he still be tangled in this?
YuanYang is definitely a rare breed. At least he’s never met one like him, catching him completely off-guard. Therefore with YuanYang, all his past experiences are utterly useless. GuQingPei has this kind of powerlessness like that of a scholar meeting a solider, trying to be reasonable to a person that can’t be reasoned with(t/n).
T/N: this is a idiom “秀才遇上兵有理說不清” which means a reasonable person cannot argue with a unreasonable person.
What exactly should he do in order to get rid of YuanYang’s kind of harassment that is so much like retaliation.
After YuanYang got into the house, he removed his jacket and put on an apron, humming a tune that GuQingPei had never heard of before and strolled into the kitchen.
GuQingPei was very surprised. YuanYang’s expression could change so fast.
Even though he (GuQingPei) had never thought about it, perhaps YuanYang is really interested in him. But this kind of thought is completely groundless. After all, his relationship with YuanYang was once so tumultuous that it was vented through unconventional means (referring to the rape). In his mind, the things that YuanYang had done to him, including the later sexual harassment and entanglement are all brought on with the intention of humiliating him.
GuQingPei acknowledged that he had met numerous people in his life, many just as young as YuanYang, lacking the experiences of the real world. With just a glance or a word, GuQingPei could see through what they are thinking. At the same time, his experience of being “liked” and “pursued” by others is not any less. It’s reasonable to say that when a person has this kind of interest (romantic feelings) toward him, he would definitely notice. With the exception of YuanYang, he really couldn’t tell because there had never been a person who would “like” and “pursue” him in this kind of way. No, it should be said that, there should not be any person, with normal emotional intelligence that would “like” and “pursue” someone in such a way. So he’s always felt that YuanYang’s behaviors toward him stem from retaliation and suppression. It’s only because the two of them has had a sexual relationship that lot of his behaviors seemed a bit ambiguous.
While YuanYang was cooking, GuQingPei was working in the office.
Forty minutes later, YuanYang appeared in the door of the study, with a smile on his face, “Go eat.”
“That fast?”
“Fast?” YuanYang glance at his watch, “Use to be faster cooking a big pot of rice but that is not something for people to eat. Hurry up and come. Stop looking. Aren’t you tired looking at the computer every day?”
GuQingPei went to wash his hands and then went to the dining room and saw a table of food that looked pretty appetizing, he was quite surprised.
YuanYang looked at him, trying to get praised, “So… how’s that?”
“Haven’t even tried it yet.”
“Then hurry up and eat.”
GuQingPei tasted a bit of the braised pork and slightly creased his brows, “A bit salty.”
YuanYang tasted a piece of the meat, “Salty? I think it is just right. You actually like blander tastes.”
“Yeah, I like to eat light (not greasy or strongly flavored/taste).”
YuanYang curled his lips, “Should have said so earlier.”
GuQingPei glanced at him, “You didn’t ask.”
“Why didn’t I ask? Isn’t it because you left first?”
“I’ve already said that I’m not going to take you. Who told you to insist on tagging along?”
YuanYang snorted, “Who told you meet people privately. I’m telling you, there better not be a next time.”
GuQingPei coldly smiled, “Who do you think you are?”
YuanYang took a napkin and wipe his mouth; his chin slightly raised, somewhat arrogantly responded, “Your man.”
GuQingPei snorted heavily in contempt.
GuQingPei shot him a glance, “You want me to acquiesce, then complete the task I gave you. I only respect those who are more capable than me, not those who are physically stronger than me.”
YuanYang slammed the chopsticks down on the table, “What do you mean?”
“You don’t even understand my meaning, yet still want me to give in to you,” GuQingPei used his chopsticks to knock on his empty soup bowl, “YuanYang, you are just like this bowl… completely empty, what is there for me to accept?”
YuanYang’s face sank. He had never measured his own gains and losses or his ability by how much money he makes or what big undertaking he has accomplished. His mind had never concentrated on this so naturally he didn’t care that people criticized him for being useless. Money… just having enough to spend is sufficient. Why should he waste his time accumulating wealth and reputation? Just to make other people happy?
He’s always felt that this is a stupid idea.
However, he had never thought that there would be a time when he would feel so ashamed at being looked down by a person. Gritting his teeth, “I don’t want to waste my time on making money, things like cars and houses have no meaning to me.”
GuQingPei sneered, “Of course, for Young Master Yuan, these things that are at your fingertips(t/n) are naturally meaningless. You’re born into a family of wealth. You have too much. How could you be tempted by such mundane things as money and success? Unfortunately, I, GuQingPei is just a practical person. I don’t have a father like Chairman Yuan. In order for my family and I to live a good life, I have to pave my own road every step of the way. So the people that I admire are those that are down to earth and work hard to strive for success. Not your kind, a young master, who doesn’t understand the ways of the world and can effortlessly get anything within your grasp.”
T/N: 唾手可得: at your fingertips, things that are extremely easy to get with little to no effort. Easily obtained.
YuanYang’s face is livid, but for a moment he didn’t know how to refute.
GuQingPei continued to eat, smirking, “It’s not that you don’t have anything positive about you, at least you’re not lazy and your culinary skills aren’t bad. Just keep being like this. To put this badly, as long as Chairman Yuan is in good health or even if he’s not here, as long as that unhealthy brother of yours is still here, the Yuan family should have no use for you. You could continue to go on about in your own unrestrained ways.”
YuanYang’s anger flared, “GuQingPei, stop trying to ridicule me. My family’s business is not for you to butt in.”
GuQingPei shook his head, “Really not mature.”
YuanYang fiercely slammed his hand on the table, his expression extremely unsightly.
GuQingPei raised his head to look up at him, “That vice president, I don’t think you need to contact. You don’t really care to begin with.”
“The things I said, I will definitely get it done. Stop fucking provoking me.”
GuQingPei nodded, “Fine, if you can get in touch with him and reverse the current situation, I’ll follow the company’s rewards policy and give you a one-time bonus … of 200,000 yuan.”
YuanYang raised his eyebrows, “Such big case with profits in several hundred millions, you’re only giving me 200,000?”
GuQingPei smiled, “Just 200,000.”
“Fine, 200,000 it is. I earned this money myself. You can’t have my dad take this back?” YuanYang’s eyes were tinged with provocation.
“I won’t. This is yours, it belongs to you. I admit that.” GuQingPei put his chopsticks down and gently supported his chin, “YuanYang, let me see that you are a man, fulfill the work that you promised.”
YuanYang scorned, “Piece of cake.”
GuQingPei lightly smiled and shook his head, “You leave for a business trip Monday, go to XX City and personally try to get in touch,” GuQingPei pondered for a bit and added, “Go by yourself. If you mess things up, I don’t think you would have the face to come back and see me. I also don’t want to see you.”
YuanYang reached his hand out to grip his chin, “What if I’m able to do this? I want more than the mere 200,000.”
GuQingPei move his face away and stood up, “Stop being greedy(T/N).”
T/N: The idiom here is “得寸進尺,” which literally means get an inch, want a foot. Or not satisfied with small gains, the more one gets, the more ones wants.
YuanYang also stood up and immediately hug GuQingPei from behind, one hand holding onto his waist, the other hand firmly on his chest, while whispering in his ear, “If I’m able to get this done, when I come back I will fuck you, fuck you all night, no matter how you cry or beg for mercy, I won’t stop. This is the price you have to pay for daring to provoke me.”
GuQingPei’s lips were slightly trembling. He didn’t turn his head; his hands clenched into fists.
YuanYang lowered his head and gently bite his neck, in a low voice, “You’ve offended me so many times, I’ve only fucked you once. I’ve really been kind to you, today….. I’ll just let you off.”
GuQingPei gloomily responded, “If you can’t get this done, get the fuck out of my sight and don’t come back to bother me again.”
YuanYang tightened his arms and gritted his teeth, “You just wait and see.”
