Jiang Muping’s voice broke the long silence, “Do you know Li Sizhi?”
“She was my former teacher.”
A hint of surprise flashed in Jiang Muping’s eyes: “Teacher?”
Li Sizhi is only three years older than him. How could she have been his teacher?
Cheng Yan explained, “She was an art teacher. At that time, she had just graduated from college not long ago and started her own art tutoring class.”
Jiang Muping had some impression. Li Sizhi studied at a university in China and worked part-time throughout her university years. She never asked Jiang’s parents for a single penny. After graduation, she did indeed consider starting her own business, but within two years, she went abroad for further studies.
“I studied art with her for more than a year,” Cheng Yan said.
At first, Cheng Yan couldn’t afford the tuition fees. He worked as a model for Li Sizhi for half a year to offset the cost of his tuition fees.
Li Sizhi was young back then, and her mind was filled with wild romance. Of course, this “wildness” often overwhelmed the young Cheng Yan. Li Sizhi once recommended Cheng Yan to become a nude model, with a salary increase of tenfold, but Cheng Yan mercilessly refused.
In conclusion, Li Sizhi has been kind to Cheng Yan and is Cheng Yan’s artistic mentor.
“You,” Jiang Muping inferred about Cheng Yan’s work based on this, “were already a tattoo artist at that time?”
Based on this deduction, Cheng Yan at that time should have been only 20 years old, the same age as Jiang Muping.
Cheng Yan shook his head, took a small piece of steak with his fork and put it in his mouth, then lowered his head and said, “I was still an apprentice back then, I couldn’t draw, so I went to learn it.” He lifted his head, “Tattooing requires a foundation in fine arts.”
Jiang Muping made a muffled sound of agreement, absentmindedly looking at the wine glass filled with red wine.
He was still in his freshman year of college when Cheng Yan became a tattoo artist apprentice. In his senior year of high school, the year Jiang Muping was in, Cheng Yan disappeared without a trace.
Where did Cheng Yan go back then? What happened to him later?
Based on his current relationship with Cheng Yan, it seems that Jiang Muping is not qualified to dig into the details.
“Are you still unmarried?”
Cheng Yan realized that he asked another meaningless question.
Would a married person sit here and go on a blind date with him?
He felt a bit nervous and lifted his glass to finish the remaining red wine.
Fortunately, Jiang Muping was willing to patiently respond to his foolish question, “Hmm, I’m not married.”
Cheng Yan’s question brought the focus of the dinner back to its original theme – they both remembered that this wasn’t just a class reunion, but a blind date.
Since the relaxation of national policies a few years ago, same-sex marriage has finally become a reality. However, in this day and age, same-sex marriage is still considered a relatively trendy and progressive thing, and people still care about the opinions of others.
Cheng Yan’s sexual orientation awakening happened at a fortunate time, right around the year when the policies were opening up. Prior to that, he had always been in a vague and confused state when it came to dating. It wasn’t until same-sex marriage was allowed to exist and a wave of suitors came his way that he realized his face, which had often been compared to that of a woman since childhood, was actually highly appealing to those in the gay community.
Cheng Yan didn’t know when Jiang Muping discovered his attraction to men.
Cheng Yan raised his gaze and glanced at Jiang Muping, still curious. He wondered what kind of appearance Jiang Muping, as a person, would find attractive in men.
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.
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Cheng Yan hesitated for a moment in his mind about how to address Jiang Muping, and finally settled on what he thought was more appropriate: “Jiang lǎoshī—” He paused, perhaps not wanting Jiang Muping to feel abrupt with such a title, and explained, “Li Sizhi mentioned that you teach at school.”
Jiang Muping responded with a faint “Hmm.”
“Are you really here for a blind date today?”
Jiang Muping was puzzled and asked, “Why do you ask that?”
“There are quite a lot of people who are pressured into arranged marriages these days,” Cheng Yan explained.
Jiang Muping laughed and counter-questioned, “What about you?”
“I am,” Cheng Yan replied truthfully, “I… haven’t been in a relationship for a long time.”
He only told half of the truth. In reality, he had never been in a relationship before.
The waiter brought the dessert, temporarily interrupting their conversation.
After the waiter left, Jiang Muping continued from where Cheng Yan left off, “I am here for a blind date, but I didn’t expect to meet you.”
“I’m thirty-five years old this year, so we should be around the same age. I work as a teacher, and my hobbies include reading,” Jiang Muping shared.
Cheng Yan was stunned for a moment.
“Is it okay to introduce myself like that?” he asked.
Cheng Yan couldn’t discern whether Jiang Muping was being serious or joking with him for a moment.
“It sounds a bit cheesy,” Cheng Yan said.
Jiang Muping took a sip of water from his cup and replied, “I agree.”
“I’m thirty-five, a tattoo artist, and I don’t have many interests or hobbies,” Cheng Yan said.
Jiang Muping set down his cup, feeling curious. “Don’t you enjoy tattoos?” he asked.
“Tattooing is not my hobby, i earn money from it,” Cheng Yan replied.
Cheng Yan’s frankness brought a sense of inexplicable coolness to Jiang Muping. He watched as Cheng Yan scooped a spoonful of dessert with a small metal spoon and saw Cheng Yan’s eyes soften and the coolness dissipate as he enjoyed the dessert.
This blind date ended early, and it didn’t seem like there would be any follow-up. It was unfortunate that the timing and the match weren’t right. They were former high school classmates, but the reunion through this blind date made it difficult for them to have meaningful conversations, whether about the past or the present.
Moreover, back in those days, they were far apart in their own worlds, barely acquaintances, let alone having common topics to discuss.
The sky had already darkened, and Jiang Muping and Cheng Yan stood at the entrance of the restaurant. A faint scent of alcohol emanated from Cheng Yan.
“Did you come by car?” Jiang Muping asked.
“No, I took a taxi,” Cheng Yan replied, taking out his phone to call for a ride.
“I’ll drive you home,” Jiang Muping offered.
“No need, I’ll take a taxi,” Cheng Yan declined.
With his head down, the light from the phone screen illuminated Cheng Yan’s face as he blinked slowly.
Jiang Muping looked at his slightly flushed cheeks and raised his hand to block the phone screen, saying, “I’ll drive you home.”
Cheng Yan lifted his head and glanced at Jiang Muping with clear eyes, not appearing intoxicated. Jiang Muping guessed that he might have a flush from drinking, as there were two distinct blushes on his cheeks.
After a moment of silence, Cheng Yan finally spoke up, “Thank you for the trouble.”
Once inside the car, Jiang Muping fastened his seatbelt and asked Cheng Yan, “What’s your home address?”
“I’m not going home, i’m heading to my studio,” Cheng Yan said.
Jiang Muping glanced at him and Cheng Yan lazily half-closed his eyes, saying, “34 La Liga Road, thank you for the trouble.”
Cheng Yan dozed off in the car for a while and when he opened his eyes, they were already on a familiar street. Jiang Muping’s car came to a slow stop in front of the studio. It wasn’t too late, and the studio was still brightly lit.
“Thank you,” Cheng Yan said as he unfastened his seatbelt.
Jiang Muping glanced outside the window and asked, “Is this your workplace?”
“Yeah,” Cheng Yan got out of the car and walked to the window, preparing to bid farewell to Jiang Muping.
Jiang Muping sat in the car and looked up at him. “Do you still have to work so late?” he asked.
“I can’t work, I’ve been drinking,” Cheng Yan’s voice was really hoarse, even more so after drinking. His head was slightly lowered, looking at Jiang Muping, and the strands of hair that hung over his ears slipped down to his forehead.
Jiang Muping asked him, “Then why did you come back here?”
“I’ve been staying at the studio these days,” Cheng Yan lightly placed his index finger of his left hand on the door handle, “Take care on the way.”
“Lǎoshī ?” A voice came from behind, and Cheng Yan turned his head.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on a blind date? Why…” Zhu Yu trailed off as he walked over, suddenly stopping and tilting his upper body to the side. He caught sight of the person in the car.
Jiang Muping nodded towards Zhu Yu, who looked momentarily stunned before smiling and waving his hand. “Hello there,” he greeted.
Zhu Yu walked up to the side of Cheng Yan and caught a faint scent of alcohol. “Lǎoshī, you’ve been drinking?”
“I have,” Cheng Yan replied.
Zhu Yu glanced at Jiang Muping and then at Cheng Yan. He wondered how Cheng Yan could have finished his drink so quickly and returned already.
Cheng Yan turned to Jiang Muping and said, “Then I’ll go in first.”
“Alright.”
Cheng Yan wanted to say goodbye, but he felt like they might not see each other again, so he didn’t say anything and simply left.
He turned and walked towards the studio, casually throwing the note with Jiang Muping’s name and his phone number into the trash bin by the door as he entered.
The studio had a total of six people: three apprentices, two assistants, and the owner, Cheng Yan. Among them, Zhu Yu was the latest to join the studio, but he had a closer relationship with Cheng Yan. This was mainly because Zhu Yu had a lively and likable personality.
Cheng Yan was aware of the fact that he went on a blind date today.
“Lǎoshī, was that person just now the one you went on a blind date with?” Zhu Yu asked.
Cheng Yan entered the lounge, took off his coat, and leaned back on the sofa with his eyes closed. He said, “Xiao Yu, pour me a glass of water.”
“Okay.” Zhu Yu hurriedly poured a glass of water for Cheng Yan and pulled up a small stool to sit next to the sofa. “He looks quite handsome.”
Cheng Yan opened his eyes and glanced at him.
“The one who drove you back, I feel like he’s the most handsome among all the people who pursued you. He looks quite stylish. What does he do?”
“He didn’t pursue me.”
Zhu Yu chuckled, “Oops, slip of the tongue. What does he do?”
Cheng Yan stood up and took a sip of water. “He’s a teacher.”
“Oh wow, a cultured person,” Zhu Yu exclaimed.
After graduating from high school, Zhu Yu didn’t continue his studies. His family had poor financial conditions, and his parents passed away early. He had a sick grandmother at home, and the medical expenses made the family impoverished, preventing him from pursuing higher education. His aspirations for college created an innate reverence for intellectuals and knowledgeable individuals.
In Cheng Yan’s studio, there is no shortage of apprentices with academic qualifications. There is even a child who graduated from a renowned art academy, with much stronger artistic skills than Zhu Yu. However, it is Zhu Yu who manages to win Cheng Yan’s favor the most.
“Why did you come back so early, lǎoshī? Don’t you want to go watch a movie or something?”
“We didn’t even exchange phone numbers, so how can we watch a movie?”
“What do you mean, you… didn’t work out?”
“It’s not meant to be.”
“Why not?”
Cheng Yan spoke his mind, saying, “I’m not worthy of him.”
Zhu Yu was taken aback, his expression suddenly changed. He asked, “What are you talking about?”
Cheng Yan found his expression quite amusing.
“You have money, you have good looks, how can you not be a match?”
“Status, background, education, mentality… I fall short in many aspects.”
Zhu Yu seemed unable to accept Cheng Yan’s self-deprecation, furrowing his eyebrows. “You’ve only met him once, isn’t it too early to draw such a conclusion?”
Cheng Yan lowered his head, gently rubbing the calluses on his fingers, and said, “I’ve known him for a long time, seen him many times.”
Cheng Yan remembered Jiang Muping, remembered his name, remembered his appearance, remembered that he was a good person.
Thanks for the chapter 💐
Thank You for the new chapter ♡(ღ˘⌣˘ღ)
It hurts to see him evaluates himself like that. A person’s self-worth and morale isn’t based solely on ones educational attainment.
Thanks for the chapter! I love the characters already ☺️
Aww this is sad 😭 education background, social status are always a touchy subject to touch upon. But I believe Jiang Muping isn’t the sort to find a spouse based on their status only. Have more confidence in yourself, cheng yan bubu! 💙
I love him already. You deserve the best Cheng Yan!
Oh no((( I can understand him and his arguments, but I think the most important thing is love and love to yourself in the first place
Thank you for your translation 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
Thank you for the chapter. 😘
Noooo don’t think that way qwq
Thanks for the chapter <3
educational qualifications ≠ self worth 😔☝🏻
Thanks for the chapter 💜