translator: baumkuchenย editors: serefina, glitterypanda
061 returned to the meeting point, towards the meet-up signal sent out by 009.
The very moment 009โs figure came into view, he was like a little chick that had spotted its mother hen, throwing himself headfirst into 061โs arms and causing him to stagger back a few steps.
061 patted him on the head, โ……Whatโs wrong?โ
009 trembled, โ061-ge, Chi Xiaochi was telling me horror stories.โ
061, โ……En?โ
The time given to meet up and switch places was short, so before he could ask 009 exactly what had happened, 061 was forcibly sent back.
The sound of that gentle โenโ mixed with a slight hint of doubt entered Chi Xiaochiโs ears, making them tingle.
After dinner, Chi Xiaochi retired to his bedroom early.
He put down his cup of black tea, โYouโre back?โ
061 asked, โHow was working with 009?โ
โI donโt know about work, but we had a nice dinner together,โ Chi Xiaochi said, โI made four dishes and one soup, which he single-handedly devoured. He didnโt leave even a single drop of soup.โ
061โs tone was rather helpless, โ……En, he has a pretty good appetite. Every Chinese New Year, when we make dumplings, he can eat a hundred and sixty of them.โ
Chi Xiaochi, โ……โ
He thought, it was probably because it was 009โs and his first time meeting that he was rather shy and didnโt exhibit his full abilities.
Poor hospitality on his part, poor hospitality.
061 asked him, โI heard from 009 that you were telling him ghost stories.โ
Chi Xiaochi replied calmly, โI didnโt. I just asked him a few questions, thatโs all.โ
After mulling over it for a bit, 061 figured he was telling the truth.
Chi Xiaochi himself was clearly also scared of ghosts.
Chi Xiaochi wanted to reach for his cup of black tea, but just as his fingers brushed the cup, the entire cup dissipated into bytes of data.
His fingers closed around nothing, his expression slightly dismayed.
061 especially liked it when Chi Xiaochi, this kind of sensible, clear-headed person, would unconsciously let out some childishness. A little laughter leaked into his voice, โItโs almost time to sleep. Donโt drink this.โ
Chi Xiaochi tried to haggle with him, โI want to see whether Tang Huanโs office will release Yang Xiaoyanโs name tonight.โ
061 said, โYou are recording tomorrow, so youโll have to be at your best.โ
Chi Xiaochi remained unresigned. He was all smiles as he continued to act shamelessly, โI can nap in the car on the way.โ
061 said, โI can turn off your electricity and internet.โ
Chi Xiaochi said, โ……Fine, dormitory teacher, you win.โ
061 laughed, โThis student, please quickly wash up and get ready for bed.โ
As Chi Xiaochi prepared to get up, he asked offhandedly, โWhat story is the dorm teacher going to read tonight?โ
061 answered, โใHarry Potterใ.โ
Chi Xiaochi suddenly fell silent.
Maintaining his half-upright position, he said, โLetโs change it.โ
Chi Xiaochiโs expression gave 061 the feeling that he might have gone slightly too far this time.
However, since he knew what the problem was, he didnโt need to ask any questions.
061 nodded, simply taking it in stride, and corrected himself, โ……Then weโll continue reading ใThe Straw Houseใ.โ
After getting Chi Xiaochi to sleep, 061 flipped open ใHarry Potterใ. Searching with keywords, he looked up the storyline related to Sirius Black.
At about two in the morning, Chi Xiaochi shakily climbed out of bed.
061 thought he was just getting up to go to the bathroom, but he made a beeline to the small sofa and nestled himself in it.
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.
061 had been absorbed in reading the book and hadnโt noticed Chi Xiaochiโs condition. It was only now that he realised that Chi Xiaochiโs pajamas had been completely soaked through with sweat, sticking to his body and clearly tracing out the lines of the thin ribs of Cheng Yuanโs body.
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Jtl Wljbmtl kjamtfv atf rlitbefaaf bo atf klcv olii atf megajlcr. Zbwfcajglis vjhfv, tf rjlv rboais, โObe-uf, laโr klcvs bearlvf.โ
Just as he said that, the window slowly closed.
061โs voice sounded, โDonโt be scared. I closed them. Youโve been sweating too much, so you canโt take the cold right now.โ
Chi Xiaochi said, โI know itโs you.โ
061 asked lightly, โHad a nightmare?โ
Chi Xiaochi answered him, โIt was a good dream.โ
It was indeed a good dream.
The clacking noises of mahjong tiles drifted up from the first floor. Chi, Peng, Ting, the women shouted out in a sharp voices, as if doing this would make them luckier. The men enjoyed the cool breeze with their arms bare. In their mouths, were topics like oil prices and wars and how it affected their lives. They waved their palm-leaf fans and cracked open their melon seeds, each of them absorbed in their own fantasy getaways.
A floor above, Chi Xiaochi lay sprawled on the bed, him and Lou Ying each occupying one end.
A hot wind rose from outside, causing the windows to squeak.
The wind brought with it the damp smell of earth and blew over a cover of dark clouds. It was about to rain.
Chi Xiaochi said, โLou-ge, itโs windy outside.โ
Lou Ying looked up from his book and took a look outside the window, โItโs about to rain.โ
Chi Xiaochi couldnโt care less about whether it was going to rain or not, deliberately raising a leg to poke at the spine of the book in Lou Yingโs hands, impatiently demanding he continue reading, โWhat happens next? What happened to Black in the end?โ
The book was torn and tattered, but it had been carefully wrapped in a snow white book cover by Lou Ying. As Lou Yingโs long, slender, and neat fingers brushed across it, they looked incredibly well-matched.
He moved his gaze back to the book, his expression slightly complicated.
A moment later, he closed the book and sat up from the bed, โItโs too late today, I need to head back. Iโll start reading it to you again tomorrow.โ
Chi Xiaochi said, โJust leave the book with me, Iโll read it myself.โ
Lou Ying smiled. When he smiled, his eyes lit up.
โIf I leave the book with you, will you sleep at all tonight? Donโt fuss.โ
Chi Xiaochi was anxious now. He followed in getting up from the bed, โDo Harry and him get to stay together?โ
โWho?โ
โSirius.โ
โ……What do you think?โ
Chi Xiaochi furrowed his brows, โOf course they should get to stay together, they definitely have to stay together. He needs Harry, and Harry also needs him. But I somehow have the feeling that heโs going to die.โ
Lou Ying placed the book back into his bag, โDonโt worry, he wonโt die.โ
Chi Xiaochi, โReally?โ
Lou Ying said, โReally. Iโve read till the end. He doesnโt die, heโs perfectly fine.โ
In the story, Sirius indeed didnโt die.He even appeared again later on in the series, just as witty and charming as before and just as considerate as before.
Even though Lou Ying fell to his death before the next installment of ใHarry Potterใcame out, in the many years following, the Sirius in Chi Xiaochiโs mind remained the young man who, despite being battered by the many storms of life, was still bright-eyed.
He believed that up until the interview on the variety show where he was told that Black had died.
Before Harryโs very eyes, heโd fallen into the Veil and disappeared without a trace, not even leaving a corpse behind.
That companionship, where they stayed together through thick and thin, and that perfect, happy ending had been penned by Lou Ying in the style of the translator. It was a story he had written just for him.
โฆโฆโNot everyone you like can live.โ
This lesson was something Lou Ying hadnโt wanted Chi Xiaochi to learn so early on, but in the end, Chi Xiaochi had still learned.
Returning to the present.
061 didnโt say anything, leaving him sufficient time for silence.
Chi Xiaochi held a toothpick in his mouth as he mulled over something that was weighing on his mind.
As 061 watched Chi Xiaochiโs movements, his thoughts shifted slightly.
From what he knew about Chi Xiaochi, Chi Xiaochi had the habit of smoking.
Even though it couldnโt be considered an addiction, when he was thinking over things, he liked to hold a cigarette in his mouth.
Of course, the Cheng home wasnโt short of good cigarettes to entertain guests, but since Chi Xiaochi took over Cheng Yuanโs body, in order to protect his throat, he hadnโt touched a single one, other than the two times he smoked while testing Yang Baihua.
Having thought of this, 061โs heart softened considerably.
Chi Xiaochi was this patient and restrained, but when he was upset, he had no friends who could stay by his side to support him.ย
Absorbed in thought, Chi Xiaochi didnโt at all notice the slight fluctuation of data next to him.
061โs figure materialised, standing next to Chi Xiaochi.
That lonely soul curled up in Cheng Yuanโs body, quiet except for the soft, incessant sound of the toothpick being crushed between his teeth.
He extended a searching hand over to Chi Xiaochiโs shoulder, wanting to comfort him using the position of a new friend.
But his hand only made it halfway there before retracting it, only leaving some remnant traces of data that quietly flowed into Chi Xiaochiโs shoulder and disappeared.
โฆโฆFortunately, he remembered Chi Xiaochiโs intense aversion to touch in time and avoided some possible trouble.
Chi Xiaochi felt as if heโd sensed something and turned his head to look around, but was only met with an empty room shrouded in darkness.
Before he turned back around, the toothpick in his mouth unexpectedly disappeared and was replaced with a hint of strawberry-flavoured sweetness.
Chi Xiaochi let out a โwuโ, and spat out the thing in his mouth.
A lollipop.
Chi Xiaochi didnโt even need to think to know whose trick this was. He couldnโt help but laugh, โIโm not a child.โ
061 said, โIsnโt it all the same no matter what youโre holding in your mouth?โ
Thinking about it, Chi Xiaochi found it reasonable.He shoved the lollipop back into his mouth and started to slowly lick it.
He asked, โWhere did this candy come from?โ
061 said, โI got it in exchange for some of Yang Baihuaโs goodwill points.โ
Chi Xiaochi licked the lollipop as he criticised 061, โLiu-laoshi is setting an example in breaking rules. Where are your ethics as a teacher?โ
061 coughed lightly, and went along with his little drama, saying, โMy teacherly ethics are for when Iโm dealing with students. Only you are my student, so I donโt care about others.โ
Chi Xiaochi was extremely moved. Just as he was about to express his feelings, he heard his respected Liu-laoshi say, โAfter you finish that lollipop, go brush your teeth and take the opportunity to get some more sleep.โ
Chi Xiaochi didnโt really feel like sleeping. He continued to slowly lick at his lollipop.
As 061 watched him eat the lollipop, unexpectedly, his face slowly heated up.
It seemed like Chi Xiaochi actually didnโt know how to eat lollipops properly. He held the lollipop up as he licked and bit at it. Especially with those eyes of his, which had once again been set on the โindifferentโ setting. Paired with his movements, he let off an indescribably sensual aura.ย
In Chi Xiaochiโs hands, this proper lollipop could be said to have suffered all kinds of humiliation.
061 felt a little as if he couldnโt watch any longer, โ……Eat properly.โ
But Chi Xiaochi was rather unaware of how his actions seemed. He pulled the lollipop, its surface now glistening with saliva, out of his mouth, โEn?โ
061, โ……โ
Ah nevermind, nevermind. As long as he remembered to brush his teeth, it was fine.
Only when Chi Xiaochi got up the next morning, all refreshed, did he turn on his phone to realise that heโd missed out on some big drama last night.
โฆโฆThe plagiaristโs identity had been dug out.ย
As for why she had been exposed so quickly, Yang Xiaoyan was the one to blame.
On the internet, Yang Xiaoyan could also be considered a slightly famous composer, and adding on her vanity, the news about her songs being bought by Yundu was enough for her to brag about for an entire year.
โThe new songs have been sold. This time, I finally have the money to buy the skirt Iโve wanted for so long [heart][heart][heart].โ
โโThis post had been made on the same date shown in the contract provided by Yundu.
โStill creating~ I donโt know when Iโll finally be able to hear the finished product, await-ing.โย
โโOn that same day, Tang Huan had sent out a Weibo, posting a photo of her in the recording studio.
Other than these, she forwarded Tang Huanโs giveaway as a celebration for her fifth anniversary and even added a comment under Tang Huanโs post about the release of her new songs, โHahaha, finally heard it!โ
Even though she hadnโt named whom sheโd sold her new songs to, with the given timeline, all the clues pointed towards her.
There was no lack of idle people in this world. Furthermore, Tang Huanโs fans were frantically searching for the culprit who had made their idol carry the bad reputation of being a plagiarist, and were on the crusade, let alone Tang Huanโs employer, Yundu, who naturally wanted to shift the peopleโs attention onto another subject.
Just like this, Yang Xiaoyan was dragged out into the spotlight.
Since her full name had already been exposed, Tang Huanโs office simply struck the iron while it was still hot and updated their post on Weibo, releasing the letter of demand that had been drawn up by their lawyers that very night.
The defendantโs name was, astonishingly, Yang Xiaoyan.
Seeing the screenshots of the โhammer of truthโ flying about everywhere, Chi Xiaochi expressed, without even a hint of sincerity, โCongratulations, youโve become an instant hit, a center stage debut.โ
He knew all too well that amongst the critics, those who were truly outraged by the plagiarism were very few.
What the netizens wanted was the drama, and what the company wanted were benefits, so Yang Xiaoyan needed to be sacrificed.
Of course, sheโd brought it all on herself and couldnโt blame other people.
Chi Xiaochiโs plan had actually left her a way out.
โโAs long as she didnโt reach out a hand to steal, she wouldnโt have fallen into his trap no matter how elaborate Chi Xiaochiโs plans were.
Early in the morning, Yang Xiaoyanโs phone rang.
Last night, she had been tossing about in turmoil late into the night before she finally managed to fall asleep, and had yet to find out about how sheโd already been stripped of a layer of skin on the internet.
Still in a groggy stupor, she picked up the phone, โ……Hello?โ
From the other end of the line came a courteous male voice, โMay I ask if this is Miss Yang, Yang Xiaoyan?โ
Yang Xiaoyan took a look at her phone, and finding that it was an unfamiliar number, thought it was the express delivery package sheโd ordered the other day, muttered to herself why was it sent so early.
โLeave it at the door.โ
โMiss Yang, this is the Dingshan Peopleโs Court of Yunjing City,โ the caller said, โI have here a civil case involving you that will be held on January 10th. Please come to the Dingshan Peopleโs Court without delay to receive your summons for the hearingโฆโฆโ
Without waiting for him to finish, Yang Xiaoyan immediately hung up.
A moment later, the phone began to ring once more.
She hung up again and frantically blocked the number.
Summons? What summons?
Yunduโs summons? They were really suing her?
Her hands shook. She opened up Weibo, wanting to check out Yunduโs stance, but who would have thought that the moment she entered Weibo, a tidal wave of messages and comments directly crashed her phone.
โHello plagiarising dog, have you gotten up yet? Have you suffered from a guilty conscience at all?โ
โMusic thief! Rat dung like yours is what stinks in this industry!โ
After just seeing two messages, Yang Xiaoyan just exited Weibo, panicked to the point of trembling.
How did they find out it was her?
And that summonsโฆโฆ
No, she wouldnโt accept it! She couldnโt accept it!
As long as she didnโt accept it, wouldnโt it be fine!? If she didnโt go, they wouldnโt be able to start the hearing and she could just get away with this situationโฆโฆ
It had been like that since she was young. When she went to someone elseโs house to play and broke someone elseโs things, she just needed to sneakily take it away or simply hide it and there wouldnโt be any problemsโฆโฆ
Yang Xiaoyan didnโt dare to disturb her roommates who were still in bed, asleep. Tears ran down her face as she slid out of bed, squatted down in the bathroom, and dialed Yang Baihuaโs number.
The moment she opened her mouth, she started sobbing bitter tears.
โGe, what did Xiao Cheng-ge sayโฆโฆ Have you found him yet? Has he agreed to help me? Quickly come save meโโโ
sere: i love angst but i hate idiots. Also thanks everyone for the birthday wishes~~
baum: some advice lol, if you fail to show up to your hearing, i’m pretty sure theyโll just pass a judgement in your absence
That Sirius Black bit pierced straight through this fragile heart….
Thank you for the translation.
+1
It broke my heart. When i read his death he first time i cried my eyes out..mthst he author used his stroke me harshly
I thought Liuliu was innocent, but it seems even he isn’t immune (obviously) to his family’s CXC! And the interactions between these two are so harmonious and sweet! I can’t imagine how CXC will feel when he finds out who Liuliu really is!
And ugh, seems like Scum Yang is gonna appear soon -_-
In any case, every time I read a new chapter I just feel, this novel really is different from the normal counterattack / quick wear novels! It’s a pretty good change.
Thanks for the chapter! ๐
Thank you for the chapter!!!
Mwhahahaha! That thieving liar and scum man are finally gonna get what they deserve!!! (/โใฎโ)/
Thanks for the update
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^
It seemed as not a big detail when it came to Sirius Black, but now my heart aches. It’s actually so well-thought. Author leaves me pained.
And the court will route the case not in your favor, missy, dare you not show up. Dares to steal, but can’t handle the consequences. How often we hear stuff like – they’re still 19 she’s still a child. Sorry but that’s a legal age, if it wasn’t her being enabled all the things she wanted, she wouldn’t have met such a sorry end.
Thank you for the new chapter :3
Jeeee a well-deserved suffering bitch.
Thanks for the chapter!
That Sirius Black bit was a hanging knife, and we didn’t even know it. Aaa I can’t wait for CXC to figure out who 061 is!
And for YXY… You reap what you sow. I, for one, am SO excited to see her actually face consequences for her actions. The thought that she didn’t and they ruined someone else entirely in the original storyline is always going to bother me. Like, sure, they got revenge in this one…..but really it’s just her getting what she originally should have. There should be something even worse to act as punishment for the first timeline.
The beginning: my feels have feels!
The end: Ha. Ha. Ha.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK !!!
If u dont show up to a hearing, its the same as accepting all they do and say lol
Thank you such a good chapter yay! ^^
Aiya, not showing up at a hearing is just sitting at home waiting to be charged! The point of the trial is to dispute, you know? Dispute the charges!! Good lord, this girl. This author used Sirius Black as a really effective and sharp knife. “Just because you love someone doesn’t mean they get to live” is a harsh lesson that Harry and Chi Xiaochi both learned too early in their already hard lives. I hope that CXC will find out soon that Lou-ge didn’t leave him and is also working hard to return to him. Thanks for the chapter!
Oh…the Sirius Black feels…
This dumb sister…if you don’t go to court, they automatically find you guilty, lol. And she has the gall to ask for help from the person she stole from. Scum family!
Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapter! ๐
It seems 61 has been corrupted, now he’s buying lollipops with the goodwill points!
Wow, the Yang pair makes me speechless with their thick skins. D< As the author slowly trickles out details about CXC and LY’s past, I get more and more interested and \o/ supportive lol. But LY is dead (has a grave!), kinda hard to come back from that…
Thank you so much for your hard work!
Thanks for the chapter!
Ah, another missed moment. If only CXC is not too engrossed with his thoughts, he would’ve seen LY. In HP, I always think Harry is a stupid because Sirius gave him mirror to talk with each other, and he left him waiting for a whole year before dying. I wonder if CXC also made the same mistake and now feel the guilt…
YXY really needs to get punished. She is the prime example on why parents must encourage their children to admit their mistakes & asking forgiveness. She’s been left too long denying responsibility, now look at what she’s got.
Thanks for the translation.
so satisfying to see Xiaoyan get her just desserts!
thanks for translating!
It was both so cute and sad that Lou Ying knew Xiaochi liked Sirius so much he went and made up an alternate ending where Sirius lived..T_T
Thank you for the chapter โค
the author is sure a big harry potter fan
Ugh that’s the mentality of a 19 years old? I cannot believe this..
Ahhhhhhh
I wish the ending of Sirius Black was just like Lou Ying said it was.๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ
So many years were shed on THAT scene… I hardly recall reading it through all my tears.
Well, now I know why CXC thought the ending for Sirius was a wholesome one. It wasn’t a fan fiction that I now know, hehe~.
I wonder how old Lou ge was when he died… Chi is 26 y.o this year and it’s been 12 years, so I’m kinda curious..
Thanks for the chapter!๐
Haha if you donโt want to be caught, donโt commit the crime.
Thank you for the chapter!
I have too many feelings about Harry Potter for this but damn Lou Ying and Chi Xiaochi just added to it and I’m: devastated.
Not me crying for Xiaochi-
I’m not sure of this but doesn’t a bounty hunter come and take them to the police station to make a new date court if they didn’t come or buy for their crime? I’m not hundred percent sure of this though, I just remember watching a guy in VR talk about his job as bounty hunter and it popped in my head when she mentioned not wanting to go to the summon or whatever. Anyways correct me if I’m wrong is what I’m failing to say- or type
Lou Yingโs loss and Harryโs hope for family that then wasnโtโฆ. Lonely souls indeed
Deserved. ๐
“Hello plagiarizing dog, have you gotten up yet? Have you suffered from guilty conscience at all?”
Replying on behalf of Yang Xiaoyan: Unfortunately, she didn’t. The armor of her stupidity is as strong as metal, even a direct hit couldn’t do damage.
Cried thinking his only friend never got to finish reading their book, and that his fave character died. (And how he found out) And then his bestie died? I’m not sure about the order of these things, but it sucked for him ๐
Everyone is talking about the court and Serius Black, but all I can think about with my corrupted mind is the bloody lollipop and Luo Yings reaction ๐ญ