The Complete Guide to the Use and Care of a Personal Assistant
Translator: Jury
Editor: NomNom
First Published on Chaleuria
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Chapter Seventeen
Ling Miao walked very slowly. He was not anxious.
The words from before were his true thoughts. Since he could not stay in Su Yuyang’s apartment, of course, he had to go look for an apartment elsewhere.
Ling Miao opened the door and already had one foot over the threshold when Su Yuyang yelled, “Remember to come back and cook.”
Su Yuyang’s voice was clear and cold, and held no emotion at all.
Inexplicably, Ling Miao felt sad.
Ling Miao felt that his boss was….. He didn’t even have a place to stay, and his boss didn’t even offer a hand. True, Su Yuyang had no obligation to help, but for better or for worse, Ling Miao was his assistant! Even though he often made mistakes, he still filled Su Yuyang’s stomach very well! Occasionally he quarrelled with Su Yuyang, but Su Yuyang always started it!
Ling Miao thought about the bits and pieces of his interactions with Su Yuyang, then thought about Su Yuyang saying ‘remember to come back and cook.’ His heart felt like it was about to be corroded away until not even ruins remained.
“Hey, Su Yuyang.”
Familiar words said in a familiar voice. Su Yuyang didn’t need to turn his head to know Ling Miao’s expression. He even knew the words that would follow—usually, it was a string of curses. So he did not answer. He would wait until Ling Miao ran out of breath before he opened his mouth. This was the experience Su Yuyang had gained from his time with Ling Miao.
“Su Yuyang, have you no compassion? Even if you don’t have compassion, don’t you have any concern as an employer for his employee? I can’t find a place to stay, and not only do you not help me, you still want me to come back and cook for you? Do you really have it in for me? Don’t use the reason of ‘being used to my cooking and so can’t eat takeout’ or any other excuses to make me have second thoughts. I’m not your wife, and I won’t be cooking for you all your life, so you’d better quickly learn to cook—don’t look at me, I’m not going to teach you.
Oh, that’s right, I forgot, it’s men you like, so you’ll never have a wife.
And don’t even think of using salary to intimidate me. I won’t fall for it!
And lastly, before I find a place to stay, don’t even think that I’ll do any work for you!”
Exactly as Su Yuyang expected, Ling Miao shouted the last part like a dam had burst. He glared at Su Yuyang, panting slightly for breath.
“Does your guy know you have such a hot temper? If he does, then it’s ample proof that he’s got masochistic tendencies.”
My guy?
Ling Miao was confused by Su Yuyang’s words. Since when did he have a better half?
“Single, 23 years and counting!” Ling Miao declared proudly.
Comprehension dawned on Su Yuyang’s face. He said with surprise: “You’ve lived 23 years, surely you’ve held a woman’s hand before?”
“Is my mom not a woman?” Ling Miao retorted.
Ling Miao’s words rendered Su Yuyang speechless, but he quickly recovered: “Ah, Ling Miao, you’ve never kissed anyone, have you?”
“Of course!” Ling Miao rolled his eyes at Su Yuyang. “That time at your apartment, didn’t you kiss me?”
Su Yuyang was, again, speechless. But why did he get the feeling that something in Ling Miao’s tone was off?
Grievance?
Lin Miao’s words seemed to carry an undertone of having been wronged, specifically the kind that was ‘angry, but not daring to say anything.’ Ling Miao resembled a respectable woman who had been molested by a hooligan.
At this point, Su Yuyang had begun to understand Ling Miao’s intent. Ling Miao was denouncing him.
Mm? That can’t be right. Who compares themself to a hooligan?
“Hm.” Su Yuyang pretended he hadn’t realized Ling Miao’s intent. He laughed and said: “That’s a kiss? Like I thought, you’re a little boy who’s never been kissed.”
“You….” This time, it was Ling Miao’s turn to be speechless.
Su Yuyang enjoyed the view of Ling Miao’s earlobes turning red. Ling Miao’s look of distress almost made him laugh out loud.
Maybe he wanted to see Ling Miao even more distressed, because he teased: “Do you want me to tell you what a real kiss is?”
“Su Yuyang!” Ling Miao yelled his name, and Su Yuyang felt that his eardrums were about to burst.
“Su Yuyang.” Ling Miao’s tone had abated, but Su Yuyang still felt uncomfortable. It was suffocating, like the muggy heat before rain.
“Yuyang.” Ling Miao changed his form of address. “Yuyang, you…” Ling Miao kept calling Su Yuyang’s name as if in a daze, and the sorrow and anticipation in his voice hit Su Yuyang’s heart in its softest place.
Su Yuyang sighed. He raised his hand to touch Ling Miao, but because Ling Miao was standing in the doorway there were 8-10 feet between them, sofa included.
Ling Miao walked over, dragging his suitcase, and stopped in a spot where Su Yuyang could reach him. Su Yuyang lovingly caressed Ling Miao’s hair. A crafty look shot through Ling Miao’s eyes, and this look suddenly brought Su Yuyang back to his senses.
Su Yuyang silently cursed, then retracted his hand and said coldly, “Didn’t you say you were leaving? Why are you still here?”
“You don’t want me any more?” Ling Miao’s lips trembled; his hands shook on the suitcase’s handle, and tears spilled from his eyes.
Su Yuyang was stunned: what stunt was Ling Miao trying to pull by acting like he was being abandoned?
“Su Yuyang, don’t you want me any more?” Ling Miao sat on the ground and started crying. The low sounds of sobbing were even more heart-rending to Su Yuyang than loud wails.
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