The car had long been ready at the door. Before leaving, they met Mrs. Song who was also about to go out. Mrs. Song deliberately waited until Song Yuanyan came over and gathered his coat for him. Seeing that his collar was empty, she glanced at Xu Qichen behind him and understood. She then called out to Zhang-mama, “Go and get another scarf for the young master.”
“Mother, I’m not cold.”
Mrs. Song glared at him, “Just yesterday you were coughing so badly, and today you want to freeze your throat?”
Song Yuanyan smiled guiltily and stood still for Mrs. Song to wrap a scarf around his neck.
Xu Qichen watched from the side without much emotional fluctuation. Song Yuanyan opened the door and stepped into the car. Just as he was about to follow, he was grabbed by Mrs. Song’s bejeweled hand. He immediately straightened up and turned around.
“Ah Lin,” she adjusted his scarf for him and even retied it, “Please remind the young master later that each of these ladies were handpicked by me, especially Miss He. So please act favourably in front of her ah.”
The word ‘handpicked’ made Xu Qichen very uncomfortable, but he understood that she truly loved her son, so he smiled, “Yes, milady.”
There was a layer of fog on the window. Xu Qichen reached out and wiped it. Through the small clear spot, he stared at the scenery outside. This was the first time he was actually seeing the scenery from the Republican era.
Hawkers screaming on the street, girls selling flowers, a team of boatmen in lined jackets going to the dock, and men, women and children gathering around a stage.
How lively!
“What are you looking at?”
Xu Qichen turned his head and looked forward, “Nothing.” He sneaked a glance at Song Yuanyan who seemed to be busy doing something. He was holding a delicate small box with a portrait of a female star of this era printed on it. He smelled a fragrance even across the distance between them.
He wanted to ask, but it seemed inappropriate, so he kept silent.
Perhaps it was a gift for one of the ladies?
Now that he thought about it, there was such an event in the novel too, and he even ended up getting engaged to Miss He in the end.
Xu Qichen glanced at Song Yuanyan again.
The other party was not holding the small box anymore. Instead, he was folding a handkerchief which he then stuffed it into his front coat pocket, and then smiled at him.
How blinding!
Xu Qichen looked away.
When the car drove into the French Concession, many European style buildings came into view. The car slowly drove into a French style courtyard and stopped in front of a circular fountain.
Song Yuanyan opened the door and got down. Xu Qichen was about to head out too when he saw a pair of leather gloved hands stretched out in front of him.
He was not a lady, so Xu Qichen ignored the hands and got down himself. “Young master, you should save your chivalrous acts for the ladies later.”
Then he started to walk. He was still not used to his lame foot, so he almost lost his balance. Only then did he realise Song Yuanyan’s intention.
Song Yuanyan smiled and withdrew his hands, “Why does it sound like your words are coated in vinegar?”
Xu Qichen gave him a sideways glance, “Young master is imagining things.”
The two men walked into the hotel side by side. The manager saw Song Yuanyan from a distance and immediately greeted him with a smiling face, “Yo, fourth young master, what brings you here today?”
Song Yuanyan nodded with a faint smile, “My mother made a reservation, please take me there.”
The manager immediately called for someone, “You, the new one, bring the reservation list here.”
A boy in the hotel uniform trotted over with a book and handed it to the manager. He opened it and said, “I found it. It’s a private room on the second floor.” Then he slammed the book shut, “This way, please.”
Xu Qichen followed behind Song Yuanyan.
The young guy tugged at the manager’s sleeve and asked in a low voice, “The one following the fourth young master is…?”
The manager knocked him on the head, “Less idle chatting! Get the tea!”
The boy touched his head and was about to leave when he was dragged back by the manager. “When you pour tea later, be respectful to that one too.”
“Isn’t that a servant?”
The manager glared at him, “Yes… and no. Anyway, just be respectful and greet him when pouring tea.”
The new guy looked baffled, “And, what do I call him?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Olc Xf’fg.”
Vbcu Tejcsjc ofia j ilaaif tba joafg fcafglcu atf qglnjaf gbbw. Lf kjr rkfjalcu abb, rb tf abbx boo tlr mbja. Ktf ulgi kjlalcu bc atf rlvf kjr jybea ab mbwf obgkjgv jcv tjcu eq tlr mbja, yea Vbcu Tejcsjc rabqqfv tfg, “Rb, ifjnf la bc atf rboj.”
Xu Qichen, who was watching him, felt like something was off.
Probably because he was too clear about this person’s temperament, so he could easily tell when something was wrong.
It was long past lunch time, and the ladies who are coming are not coming here for dinner, so Song Yuanyan only ordered a pot of Longjing, crossed his legs and looked at Xu Qichen,
“Sit ah.”
Xu Qichen shook his head, “I’m fine standing.”
“What’s up with you?” Song Yuanyan dragged him down onto the sofa, “All of Jiangqu know about our relationship, so why are you being so proper?”
Xu Qichen was left with no choice. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Xu Qichen quickly stood up and looked at it.
At the door stood a young lady in a mink cloak, with triangular bangs on her forehead and a pure appearance. The maid following her helpled her take off the cloak, revealing the sophisticated and lovely aristocratic clothes beneath.
The young lady came in slowly, and Song Yuanyan stood up very gentlemanly to welcome her..
“Miss Zhang, please take a seat.”
She looked at Song Yuanyan, then looked down shyly and said in a soft voice, “I must have kept Young Master Song waiting.”
“Not at all,” Song Yuanyan also took a seat. His spoke in a gentle, low voice, “I heard that Miss Zhang’s ancestral home is Jiangzuo, so I thought you would like to drink Longjing. I took the initiative to order a pot of tea. I wonder if the tea here would suit your tastes?”
A pair of shy dimples appeared at the corners of Miss Zhang’s mouth, and her gaze would not leave Song Yuanyan’s face.
Xu Qichen glanced at Song Yuanyan and thought to himself, I don’t know if the tea suits her tastes, but the person definitely does.
She was a quiet girl, but Song Yuanyan was pretty good at talking. With only a few words he made the girl smile widely. But the more he did that, the more Xu Qichen felt that something was wrong.
Why was he being so cooperative?
Could it be that he likes this lady? But that would not do.
“I head Young Master Song fell sick recently. I hope you are feeling better now.”
Song Yuanyan was stunned, with a disguised look on his face and a deliberate smile. “I have recovered long ago. It was just a little bit of a cold. The rumors outside are exaggerated. Don’t believe them, miss.”
Miss Zhang hid her face and said with a smile, “I knew they were nonsense.”
“Yes, I may be no martial arts master, but at least I’m a seven foot man. My body is…” Song Yuanyan suddenly began to cough. The more he coughed, the worse he coughed. He clenched Xu Qichen’s long shirt with one hand.
“Young Master Song, have a sip of the tea,” Miss Zhang leant forward with a face of concern.
It had finally begun.
Song Yuanyan waved his hand, still coughing without pause, his face turning red. He was about to pick up the tea in front of him, but because his hands were shaking, the tea cup overturned, and the tea flowed all over the table. With his one hand clutching Xu Qichen’s long shirt, the other hand fumbled in his coat, took out his handkerchief and covered his coughing mouth.
“Young Master Song…?”
Miss Zhang did not know what to say and looked at Xu Qichen.
What choice did Xu Qichen have? In order to not make Miss Zhang think that the Song family’s servants were also strange, he patted Song Yuanyan’s back perfunctorily and said emotionlessly, “There there, young master.”
Song Yuanyan coughed particularly violently, and when he removed the handkerchief, it was stained with bright red. The corners of his mouth were also red.
This scene frightened Miss Zhang, who paled and covered her mouth, “Is, is that blood? Young Master Song…!”
Song Yuanyan’s eyes also showed a trace of panic, and then he quickly hid his handkerchief under the table, “It’s okay, it’s not blood, miss, don’t worry.”
Act, keep acting.
Xu Qichen felt nothing. In fact, he even wanted to laugh.
Meanwhile, Miss Zhang was thoroughly caught in the trap. Looking at the red blood on Song Yuanyan’s lips, she was really frightened. After drinking all the tea in her cup, she whispered, “Y-young Master Song, I just remembered that I had to accompany my mother to order clothes before returning home in the afternoon. I’m really sorry…”
Song Yuanyan said, “Ah, is Miss Zhang leaving now?”
Miss Zhang got up and nodded slightly, “My apologies. Thank you for the tea.” Then she left the room. However, she turned back after two steps and said with a worried expression, “Please take care.”
Song Yuanyan watched Miss Zhang leave with a reluctant expression. When the other party was out of sight, he sat down again, looked at Xu Qichen and began to laugh.
He could still laugh. Xu Qichen sighed internally.
“Sit ah,” Song Yuanyan pulled Xu Qichen onto the sofa again. To be honest, Xu Qichen was also tired of standing, so he simply sat down, treating the break as an intermission.
“Aren’t you worried about me at all?” Song Yuanyan moved his face very close to Xu Qichen’s. But Xu Qichen simply pulled out the handkerchief from under the table and waved it around.
A flowery fragrance floated in the air.
Song Yuanyan laughed, “I knew it wouldn’t get past you.”
Xu Qichen’s fingers were now stained with red, which he got rid off using his fingernails.
“Well done, thinking of using osmanthus oil as a base for dye.”
Song Yuanyan proudly raised his eyebrows, and the touch of red on his lips made Xu Qichen think of the last world.
“You’re staring again.”
Xu Qichen kept the handkerchief. “Don’t scare anyone else.” Then he glanced at the table. There was no paper towel or anything similar.
So he pulled his sleeve, held Song Yuanyan’s chin with one hand, and wiped the red off his mouth with the other hand. “Someone might think you have tuberculosis, and the rumours will get even more out of control.”
Song Yuanyan suddenly grabbed Xu Qichen’s hand, “So what?”
Xu Qichen froze.
They were too close.
“It’s never good to be misunderstood.” Xu Qichen let go of Song Yuanyan’s chin.
“I’m not afraid of being misunderstood.”
Xu Qichen was about to say something when suddenly he heard something fall. On turning his head he saw a young lady with beautiful curly hair in a beige woolen suit squatting on the ground by the door and picking up a wine red leather bag. The expression on her face was very embarrassed.
Xu Qichen immediately stood up from the sofa.
Speak of the misunderstanding and the misunderstanding will come.
But, this lady was too early…
On the other hand, Song Yuanyan smiled very widely, “You must be Miss Lin.”
Miss Lin’s face was red, but she was not like the previous lady, “Yes.”
Xu Qichen looked at the red tip of the young lady’s ears and thought about how their positions looked from the angle of the door.
It must have been really ambiguous.
“Please come in.”
“No,” Miss Lin took half a step back, looking disdainful. “I had some interest in Young Master Song, so I came early, but now I think we’re not very compatible. I will explain it to my mother.”
She was a little proud, but at least she was direct.
Song Yuanyan raised his eyebrows and smiled. He leant back on the sofa and watched Miss Lin leave.
Xu Qichen sighed. He accidentally became his accomplice.
In no time at all, two of the girls were chased away.
Only the two of them were left in the private room. Song Yuanyan lazily took out a pocket watch from his breast pocket. “Oh, it’s only ten after four. The next lady’s appointment is at five-thirty.” Then he called the waitress, “Get me some of your best snacks.”
The waitress was put on a spot, “Young master, we have a lot of snacks here. What would you like?”
Song Yuanyan gave it some thought, “Something sweet. I like sweet food.”
Xu Qichen glanced at him and happened to meet his eyes. He smiled at him with curved eyebrows, “Sit down, let’s eat and wait.”
Xu Qichen sat opposite him this time. He did not eat much at noon, so he was really hungry at the moment. The waitress quickly brought some exquisite cakes. Song Yuanyan piled them all in front of Xu Qichen, “Eat this, this plum blossom cake was made by the pastry master of Suzhou specially invited by this hotel. It’s fragrant and waxy, and this, this Longjing crisp…”
Xu Qichen looked at the man in front of him from across the table and could not say what he wanted to say.
“Do you not want to eat these?” Song Yuanyan clapped again, and the waiter who came this time was the new guy they met earlier.
“Do you have any special menu today?”
The new guy scratched his head, “Today… today is winter solstice.”
When Xu Qichen heard this, he suddenly smiled and waved to him. When the boy saw it, he immediately went over and smiled flatteringly, “Lin Ge’er, what would you like to order?”
Xu Qichen made him lean over and whispered in his ear.
He nodded, “I understand, it will be here shortly.”
He turned back and saw that Song Yuanyan, for some reason, seemed to be rather upset.
“What is it?”
Song Yuanyan replied in a sullen voice, “Nothing, just uncomfortable.”
“Where?”
Song Yuanyan flopped on the table and said nothing.
So he was faking illness again, Xu Qichen thought. He picked up a piece of Longjing crisp and put it in his mouth. Not bad.
“Is it good?”
Xu Qichen nodded, “It’s fine.”
Song yuanyan was still lying on the table. He just tilted his head and put his chin on the back of his hand. “Give me a piece.”
Xu Qichen was about to ask him to do it by himself, but when he saw his eyes, he felt a familiar feeling, and decided against it.
He then picked up a piece with his fingers, leant forward, and brought it to Song Yuanyan’s mouth.
The corner of the other party’s mouth lifted. He opened his mouth contentedly and ate the cake from his hand, his lips intentionally or unintentionally touching his index finger for a fraction of a second.
Xu Qichen was stunned and withdrew his hand.
His fingertip was a little moist.
After a while, the new guy came in with a smile and put two exquisite small porcelain bowls on the table. “I’ve kept you waiting.”
Xu Qichen smiled at him, “Thank you, you may go.”
The bowls were steaming. Song Yuanyan sat up and looked at the five round, white tangyuans.
“Why are we eating this?”
“Because it’s winter solstice.” Xu Qichen picked up the spoon, “Give it a try.”
Song Yuanyan did as he said, scooping up a tangyuan and biting into it.
Black sesame paste flowed out of the white tangyuan skin.
Song Yuanyan did not like this flavour. He dropped the remaining half of the tangyuan back into the bowl and drank some tea to get rid of the taste.
Seeing Xu Qichen eat his share happily, he asked, “Do you like this paste?”
“Yes,” Xu Qichen could barely stop his smile. He poked a white tangyuan with his spoon, and the fragrant black paste flowed out.
“This is my favourite flavour of tangyuan.”
Song Yuanyan was stunned. He took another sip of the tea in silence.
After so many rounds of jibes, it was hard to say who won and who lost.
I love themmmmm. The tension is perfect ❤️❤️❤️😘
Love their dynamic, thanks for the update XD
MC: “Because they’re like you.”
thanks for the chapter <3
Oh? Hehehehe I think this arc might be interesting more so than the others 👀
thanks for the chapter!
Ok, I’m pretty sure I’m going to sound silly here but what’s the significance of the black paste?
White/innocent exterior, black/black-bellied interior. He is comparing the ML who likes to pretend to be a sick little flower to essentially a wolf in sheep’s clothing 🤣🤣