Date: March 10th
The weather was so windy today that I felt like a leaf being blown around by the universe, and guess where I landed? In the middle of nowhere!
So, Wu Yunfei suddenly decided he needed something from home, and I, being the kind and generous friend that I am, suggested driving him. But oh no, he pulls a classic move and says, “Oh, the weather is bad, just wait for me at home.” I was polite and all, didn’t push it.
He planned to leave around 10 AM, but by 5 PM, he was still MIA. I called him and asked if he was planning to eat at home, but no response. Is he trying out this new technique of ghosting in person?
I’m starting to think he left his phone somewhere. Should I go over to his place and investigate? But then I thought, what if he’s having this grand reunion with his family after years, and me barging in would be like crashing a surprise party?
Back and forth, back and forth, I finally decided to hang my coat back and stay put in the living room.
Then, in a moment of genius, I pull out my phone and text him, asking when he’s planning to grace me with his presence. After what felt like an eternity, still no reply.
Now, I’m getting restless. Couldn’t focus on anything, not even my epic gaming skills. Even my in-game pet, “Elemental Kitty,” gave me a judgmental look, probably thinking, “Dude, is he arguing with his family again?”
No response from the Elemental Kitty either. Cats, live the good life, oblivious to family drama.
I was getting hungry but stubbornly held on to the idea of waiting for him to come back for dinner. Maybe he’ll stroll in any minute now? Time seemed to slow down like it was on vacation, and every glance at the clock revealed I’d only suffered through five minutes of waiting.
Feeling a bit tired, I lay down on the sofa, absentmindedly petting the Elemental Kitty.
When I woke up, the room was pitch black, and the sun had called it a day. Wu Yunfei was still nowhere to be found.
I check my phone for the time and, right on cue, a call comes in. It’s from Wu Yunfei’s number.
I pick up, and it’s his mom on the other end. Brace yourself, plot twist ahead.
“Is Yunfei with you?” she asks. My internal alarm bells go berserk.
“No… what’s going on?” I reply.
She lets out a sigh and proceeds to spill the tea. Turns out, Yunfei’s little home visit was just a ruse; he was actually going to meet a potential match arranged by his parents. Long story short, Yunfei spilled the beans about being gay, parents freaked out, and a full-blown family drama unfolded.
“Current status?” I inquire.
Mom reveals that Yunfei made a dramatic exit, declaring he won’t marry anyone and bolted. There was even a physical altercation. Now, she’s worried he has no friends to turn to, hence the call to me.
Great, just great. I promise to find him and bring him back. I hang up, feeling like I’ve been drafted into some sitcom plot.
“Elemental Kitty, I need to go out,” I mutter to the uninterested cat.
It gives me a disdainful look as if to say, “Humans and their drama, I’m just here for the nap.”
So, here I am, embarking on the quest to find Wu Yunfei, armed with the determination of a hero in a soap opera. Will I succeed? Stay tuned for the next episode of “The Unplanned Adventures of the Reluctant Sidekick.”
Anyway, this place is good for accommodation. If he gets really drunk, we can just leave him here.
To prevent him from forcing me to drink, I had the bartender fill two bottles of Sprite for me.
As a dedicated and responsible guy, deep down I still yearn for the perfect attendance award.
When I checked back on the private room, this guy had poured himself quite a bit more alcohol.
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.
Suddenly, I felt lucky that he had some sense and didn’t choose to drink outside in a booth. Who knows what embarrassing situation might have happened?
Zs fuu-oglfv glmf jgglnfv, jcv atf rajoo fnfc atbeutaoeiis lcmievfv j uijrr bo bgjcuf pelmf.
Ktlr ues, rfflcu atf mbwylcjalbc, yegra lcab ijeutafg, mijlwlcu atja P’w vfralcfv ab tjnf atf fafgcji mtjgw bo j xlvr’ wfji.
“Ycis xlvr ecvfg afc mbwf ab j yjg ab vglcx bgjcuf pelmf,” tf mtemxifv.
“Well, kids under ten wouldn’t be at a bar in the first place,” I remarked.
“You never know… I went to a bar when I was seven or eight,” he grinned. “Back then, you were just a tiny thing, like a wrinkled little monkey.”
He went on to describe the first time he saw me, a few days after I was born, questioning my parentage because my uncle and aunt weren’t bad-looking. He even prayed that I’d grow up to be less ugly.
Rolling my eyes at his storytelling skills, I sarcastically thanked him.
His response? “You have a lot more to thank me for.”
“Oh really? How so?” I inquired.
He shared how he, thinking I was mute, took it upon himself to cure my presumed congenital autism. He described the struggles of bringing me out of my shell, how everyone thought I was a tough case, and how he practically became a clown to make me laugh.
Fast forward to our conversation about his unexpected revelation, and he mentioned being gay.
He cryptically refused to disclose when he discovered his sexuality, playfully placing a finger near his lips and tilting his head, leaving me guessing.
Asking about his romantic interests, expecting a clear answer, he immediately tensed up and vehemently denied having anyone he liked.
I reassured him that he could confide in me, even offering to be his wingman. But he remained hesitant, silently shaking his head.
In an attempt to ease the tension, I picked up the phone when his uncle called about setting him up with someone. What followed was a comical exchange of him loudly protesting, claiming he did nothing wrong, and me pretending to mediate.
The call ended with me fabricating a low-battery excuse. He, now teary-eyed, declared his grievances about me supposedly stealing his thunder and how he had been the one who turned my life around.
He proceeded to lament about the potential gold-digger girl that his uncle wanted him to date and how unfair it was. I comforted him, promising that he wouldn’t lose his shelter to some wild man.
Finally calming down, he suddenly straightened up and gave me a sly look.
“Five-star hotel, presidential suite?”
“Once or twice, I can afford that.”
“Nights filled with revelry?”
Hearing him suggestively, I took his shoulders, looking serious.
“You’re not getting any younger, take care of yourself!”
Date: March 11th
Weather: Clear
After a night of tossing and turning, I envy Wu Yunfei. He slept comfortably, waking up naturally, while I had to face the world with dark circles and force myself to work.
😭 The tragedy of the working class!
But now, I have a family to support. There’s my childhood friend and a cat at home. If I don’t work, will they have to face the harsh winds alone?
Thinking about this, a sense of responsibility as the pillar of the family suddenly overwhelms me, and I am motivated to work with full energy.
According to my assistant, I seem to be as energetic as if I’ve had a shot of chicken blood today. My enthusiasm is a bit scary.
“Mr. Feng, how about you leave work early today?” My assistant rarely advises me to go home early. “You look particularly terrible now.”
“Really?” I glanced at myself in the reflection of the glass, feeling no different from usual.
“Yes… Your face is unusually pale, and your eyes are full of bloodshot veins like you’ve been pulling all-nighters for several days,” he said.
Honestly, my eyes do feel a bit dry, but I didn’t expect them to be bloodshot.
“It’s almost time to get off, right?” I asked.
“Not quite… still an hour and a half,” he replied.
“Well, I’ll wait a bit then,” I said.
I am a man aiming for perfect attendance! How can I leave work early?
If I can’t achieve perfect attendance, I might as well take the day off today!
After hearing me say this, my assistant gave me a deep look and silently retreated.
After a while, I received a transfer message on my phone.
Grandpa suddenly transferred fifty thousand to my account for no reason?!
I was a bit confused, feeling like this had something to do with my assistant, so I called Grandpa’s direct line.
“Did you receive the money?”
“I did… but why did you suddenly transfer money to me?”
“A young man should have some pocket money. Otherwise, how can you afford to buy gifts for your sweetheart without living frugally?”
I feel like Grandpa misunderstood something. I was about to explain, but he interrupted me.
“You, this child, rarely likes to go out. Now that you’re abroad, you should seize the opportunity. Even if you’re just a temporary shopper, what if a girl needs your help to buy a bag or perfume?”
“But…”
“Don’t ‘but.’ Young people should enjoy life. Once you have a sweetheart, pursue her boldly! But don’t spend too much money at the beginning. It’s not because we’re stingy, but in the early stages of a relationship, it’s better to give lighter gifts. Too expensive gifts may scare the girl away.”
“I don’t have a sweetheart right now.”
I don’t know what rumors Grandpa heard, but he firmly believed that I already had a crush, just one step away from a relationship.
“The most important thing for young people is to be sincere. Don’t ruin the relationship halfway because of some trivial matters. Be cautious in the beginning,” Grandpa continued with his rambling advice.
Grandpa kept on talking about random things, and I mostly let it go in one ear and out the other.
Instead of thinking about those elusive girls, I should plan the coming days well and let Wu Yunfei relax.
They say European men are romantic. Maybe that guy will meet his prince charming in Europe?
Finally, after enduring until the end of the workday, I returned home to find Wu Yunfei lying on the sofa, playing with the cat and the pet toy.
When did they become such good friends?
“Now we are like brothers, both picked up by you,” he said. “You really like picking up things, be it a stray cat or a stray man. Were you a junk collector in your past life?”
“If you can’t speak properly, just shut up. No one treats you as mute,” I said.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but since this guy revealed his gay side, he seems a bit different, and subtly sarcastic in almost every sentence. I can’t put my finger on what exactly has changed.
“By the way, our first business trip funds are ready,” I said.
“How much?”
“Fifty thousand.”
“Only fifty thousand… You’re not planning to take me on a budget tour of Fashion Week, are you?” He scoffed. “Fifty thousand can only buy a bag.”
His tone, as a pampered son, is really annoying (￣皿￣)
I told him that we are now working-class laborers and an unemployed vagabond, with not much spare money. The total cost of the items he can buy should not exceed fifty thousand yuan.
“Of course, anything you really like doesn’t count in the total,” I added.
“What if I like everything?” he asked with a smile.
“I’ll leave you there alone, and I’ll go travel myself,” I said.
Suddenly, I felt a headache. He used to spend his own money, and I could pretend not to see. Now that his dad has frozen his bank account, my meager income can’t support his daily expenses.
I subtly mentioned my thoughts to him, and he said he would earn money himself.
“I find your meager income pitiful. How can I spend your money?” He laughed. “Keep that money for yourself to buy potato chips.”
“Do you have a way to make money?” I was surprised because, in my eyes, this guy, despite claiming to be a designer, used to be a complete spoiled brat.
“In this era of the economy of attention, making money as long as you have attention is not difficult,” he said.
I understand what he’s saying, but I still can’t figure out what he wants to do.
“Anyway, I won’t do anything illegal that would trouble you,” he said.
Lying in bed at night, I tossed and turned, finally realizing what was different about Wu Yunfei.
It seems that since he revealed his gay identity, he has become particularly quirky, subtly teasing me in almost every sentence. 😭 Did I provoke him? Why is he like this?
Aren’t we buddies?
