CH 37

Translation checker: Rin

Editor: Elanor

Ever since the winter vacation had started, Chu Mian had occasional bouts of restlessness. His enthusiasm for studying and doing questions was not as strong as it had been when he was in school. He reasoned that he wasn’t acclimatized yet because he hadn’t been to the south for a long time. But after staying for a while, he discovered that he disliked the fact that time was passing too slowly. 

After all, his parents were by his side during the Chinese New Year, and he had to communicate with unfamiliar relatives, making him even more reserved. He could usually only hide in his room by himself, and he got bored after a while.

Chu Mian turned on his laptop and began browsing the internet, occasionally checking the time in the lower right corner. Recently, he had become accustomed to Yu Ran’s online schedule during the holidays. He first listened to a few songs at around 10:30 in the morning, then went to play QQ Speed. During his days in Shanghai, the only thing that made him truly happy was chatting or playing games with Yu Ran every day.

But it was almost 1:00 pm in the afternoon, and the online reminder of ‘special concern friend’ still hadn’t popped up.

Today was New Year’s Eve, so Yu Ran should be at home. 

Chu Mian’s head lay on the pillow, facing sideways. He stroked Fiona’s neck with his palm, and asked his snake in a low voice, “What do you think he’s doing?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Mian realized how abrupt those words were in the huge room, so he quickly changed his words to Fiona: “Forget it, don’t say anything.”

The feeling of desolation in the air caused by the unresponsiveness added to the awkwardness of the moment.

Chu Mian also felt awkward. He knew that his positive emotions shouldn’t rely on spending time with Yu Ran only. But at the moment, he just wasn’t interested in anything else, and his mind was fully preoccupied due to the lack of online reminder from the other party.

If he had known this earlier, he wouldn’t have listened to Yu Ran’s words that day and set him as “special concern”, but now he really felt special concern for the other party.

Chu Mian gently removed Fiona from his neck and put her aside to comfort her so that he could breathe more smoothly. The feeling of rubbing the white snake’s scales with his fingertips would make him calmer, so he clearly felt that the time was longer.

He frowned, unwilling to admit to himself that he was now purposely waiting for Yu Ran, even to the extent of becoming impatient.

After taking a deep breath, Chu Mian simply picked up his phone and removed Yu Ran from the “special concern” function, as if this would solve the problem. This made him feel a little more relaxed, and before he regretted it, he quickly closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

After falling asleep, he didn’t hear all the text messages and calls’ notifications on his mobile phone. Yu Ran had tried several times before he gave up trying to contact Chu Mian.

“Forget it, you can hook one for him too,” Cui He said with a milk tea straw in her mouth, “but only if you can hook one.”

Yu Ran put his phone away, patted the claw machine, and said confidently: “What do you mean ‘only if you can hook one’? Have you not heard of my well-known title in all corners of the world? ‘The King of Hooking’! In the whole Ronggang, there is nothing I can’t hook! I can hook even if the claw was a little looser!”

Cui He mused, “It sounds like you are describing how good you are at prostitution.” 

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Cui He had initially thought that Yu Ran was only exaggerating about his doll-clamping skills, but after throwing a few coins down, she was astounded by Yu Ran’s skillful operation: “You even know how to fucking swing the hook?”

Yu Ran had been practising hard for two months to master this skill, but now he just gave a dismissive laugh: “This is just the long-lost ‘Meteor White Wolf Claw’, it’s only a basic operation, nothing worth mentioning.”

A green snake doll was quickly knocked off the shelf by the iron hook and Cui He couldn’t wait to take it out. She looked at Yu Ran with admiration. “Awesome, grab that cheese cat again.” 

As long as the target was not too large, Yu Ran could basically succeed in one go. They spent more than 20 coins, and were rewarded with a great haul and praises from the people around them who noticed Yu Ran’s skillful operations at the claw machine.

“How will you return home? I’m going to take the subway,” Yu Ran asked her.

Cui He, who was holding a bunch of dolls, raised her chin. “I rented the express hotel across the street.”

“Ah? You’re not going home?” 

“I’ll go back the day after tomorrow.” Cui He took the initiative to explain to him before he asked any more questions. “The day my dad remarried, I told him that I would spend the Spring Festival outside. It has been like this for the past two years.”

Sensing her low spirits, Yu Ran consciously stopped asking more questions, and then said calmly: “What a coincidence. My parents themselves don’t know when they will leave each other, and they are both looking for a new one.”

Cui He was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t hold back her surprise and said, “I thought you came from a happy family…”

Judging from his usual state, she felt that Yu Ran had grown up in a loving family from a young age. 

“Huh? I think my family is pretty happy now.” Yu Ran didn’t care about the broken relationship between his parents. “If they don’t meet, they don’t have to quarrel, so both will be relaxed. Anyway, my dad is still my dad and my mom is still my mom.”

He said it as if it was no big deal. He smiled at Cui He, and suggested, “Why don’t you come over to my place for dinner right now? I’ve bought a lot of fireworks. We can go out after dark and set them off together!”

Cui He hesitated, not wanting to cause him any trouble. But Yu Ran had already pushed her towards the subway station without waiting for a confirmation, and even bought the tickets.

When Yu Jin opened the door, he noticed a girl standing next to his brother. His eyes immediately widened in shock, he covered his mouth in astonishment, and deliberately took several steps back before sitting on the ground. 

“That’s my younger brother.” Yu Ran introduced Yu Jin to Cui He before entering the door. Then he kicked the boy, and said, “Go to the kitchen and ask Mom to cook more dumplings.”

Li Guirong was not surprised at Cui He’s arrival. After all, she had the experience of getting invited to school because of Yu Jin’s puppy love. Hence she had given up on the idea that her eldest son, who was already in senior high school, was still single. However, Yu Ran quickly explained to her that Cui He was just an ordinary friend, and briefly mentioned her family situation. Li Guirong was then relieved and warmly entertained the girl after that.

The dinner was sumptuous, and Cui He, who was not reserved in front of the elders, actively engaged Li Guirong in chitchat.

After dinner, it was already dark, and Cui He, Yu Jin, and Yu Ran went outside to set off fireworks. 

Yu Ran asked casually, “Did you celebrate the Chinese New Year at a hotel last year?”

Cui He shook her head. “Chu Mian had invited me to his grandparents’ house last year. He said that his family was full of people during the New Year, and they didn’t lack a room and a bowl of rice for me. At that time, I thought to myself that since Chu Mian’s house is very big, I wouldn’t cause them any trouble, so I agreed.”

She paused before continuing, “Fuck, when I reached his courtyard, I realized that not only would I not cause his family any trouble, but I don’t think anyone in his family even found that there was one extra person in their house.”

Yu Jin couldn’t help but marvel, and hurriedly asked Yu Ran, “Is that the brother who sent you back last time?” 

Cui He shook the sparkler in her hand, and added, “Chu Mian also wanted to take me to get a red envelope, but I didn’t have the courage to ask for it. God knows how much money his family would give. Later I found out that in Chu Mian’s family, New Year’s money is not money…”

She sighed: “It’s actually gold bars.”

Cui He could understand these things, but it was something else that really shook her values: “His family held a private Spring Festival Gala in their backyard hall at night, and there was everything one could think of such as folk art, acrobatics, and stand-up comedy. When I turned my head, I actually noticed several popular celebrities sitting next to me, fuck!”

After Yu Jin heard this, he immediately felt deep veneration for his brother. Unexpectedly, his brother was actually friends with a tycoon! 

Yu Ran didn’t have any special reaction to what Cui He had said. He only remembered Chu Mian unintentionally complaining about not liking family gatherings two days ago while the two of them were playing games and talking on the microphone. Perhaps Chu Mian was now at home, forcing a smile to please his elders.

After the bundle of sparklers was finished, Cui He took out her mobile phone and planned to leave: “It’s too late, I have to go back. I will stop by the supermarket to buy something to eat in passing.”

Yu Ran said “I’ll send you”, and Yu Jin also followed suit, “I’ll also send you!”

“What are you joining for?” 

Yu Jin said righteously, “I want to be the beautiful sister’s escort.”

Cui He couldn’t help laughing and returned to the hotel accompanied by the two brothers. Halfway there, they passed by the news-stand, and she stopped to pick up a few magazines to pass the time tomorrow.

Yu Ran asked curiously, “What is it, is it interesting?”

“Not bad, since I think my life resonates with the story quite a bit.” Cui He shook the “Fireworks” in her hand at him, and couldn’t help sighing. “Well, I think I’m the same as the protagonist in it.” 

Yu Ran didn’t know about those novels, but Yu Jin was very interested in them. After sending Cui He off, he bought several books on the way back, carrying back a thick pile home.

After watching the Spring Festival Gala for a while, they felt bored, so they went into their room. They opened the novels, held them in their hands, and struggled to read the full name: “‘The fragrant room blooming in the years… the lavender waiting for love’ ‘You are looking at the scenery of loneliness’ ‘The night in my palm can’t describe your stars’…”

Yu Ran’s tongue almost knotted after reading the titles, but he remembered Cui He saying that she was very similar to the protagonists in these novels, so in order to learn more about his friend, he and Yu Jin read the novels with gusto.

At the beginning, they were talking and laughing about the story, but after reaching the middle part, they were already sucked into the story. They felt sorry for the protagonist who had suffered misfortune, and they also sympathized with Cui He, who had similarities with the protagonist, and wept for her. 

The stories were about two girls who were great friends who fell in love with the same boy and that lead to falling out with each other, or about a girl whose crush died in a car accident right in front of her, or about a girl whose face was disfigured because the other party threw sulfuric acid on her face out of jealousy… These painful episodes pierced the softest place in the two brothers’ hearts like being pierced by the tip of a knife. They were lying in bed, unable to turn the pages, and their tears soaked the pillowcase.

Emotionally driven, the two brothers wept together disconsolately.

Yu Jin clenched his fists and scolded loudly: “Who is willing to let such a good girl have an abortion, I won’t spare him!”

Yu Ran’s arms gave out and he collapsed on the bed, clutching the book “The Smiling Angel on Earth” tightly in his arms. 

In this story, everyone had their own guardian angel, who helped mankind resolve all kinds of diseases. If a person suffered from an incurable disease, it meant that their guardian angel had abandoned them. The female lead was such a person forgotten by God. She was without the protection of an angel, born with bad luck.

Yu Ran had yet to see the male protagonist make an appearance, and he was already sobbing. He remembered Chu Mian saying that narcolepsy could not be cured, and his heart suddenly tightened, and he felt a burst of bitterness.

He immediately grabbed his phone and called Chu Mian.

Chu Mian had been waiting for his call for the whole day. After seeing the caller ID, he answered without thinking twice, only to hear a severe nasally sound when the other party said his name. 

“Got a cold?” Chu Mian asked.

Yu Ran shook his head at the air before saying while choking with sobs, “Each of us has our own guardian angel… who stands by us every day.”

Chu Mian was silent on the other end of the phone.

“But your angel’s wings are broken!” Halfway through speaking, Yu Ran felt his chest ache in sadness. “Chu Mian, from now on, I will guard and protect you in place of the angel…” 

Chu Mian shrunk into the quilt, his body felt much warmer, and he laughed in spite of himself. “Did you call me to specifically say this?”

“No.” Yu Ran raised his hand to wipe away his tears. “You didn’t answer the phone this afternoon and I miss you now.”

The straightforward words caused Chu Mian’s heart to tremble in emotions. He held up his phone wanting to say something but hesitated.

The surrounding air seemed to have cooled, and only his body was still warm. He repeatedly opened his mouth several times, but he couldn’t just casually repeat Yu Ran’s words; he always found them difficult to say. 

Suddenly, Chu Mian clearly heard Yu Ran’s brother’s howl over the phone: “You’ve lost your heart losing me, I’ve lost my life losing you!”

Yu Jin cried loudly, and the last sound turned into a pig’s snort.

Only then did Chu Mian come back to his senses and then he responded to Yu Ran, “Today, I kinda missed…”

When the word “you too” came to his lips, Chu Mian felt uncomfortable, and he immediately changed his words: “Ronggang, so I want to return there as soon as possible.” 

After saying that, Chu Mian breathed a sigh of relief, and realized that he was inexplicably nervous just now.