PTBLSI chapter 7

 

Qi Xi’s breathing sounded like pine needles falling into snow—faint, yet Fu Yanchuan felt as if something inside his chest had been lightly scratched.

He shook off Qi Xi’s hand instinctively and said seriously, “Don’t call me that. No one has ever called me—”

Fu Yanchuan couldn’t say those two words. Hurt by being shaken off, Qi Xi rubbed his arm and glanced at him. “Why did you use so much force?”

Fu Yanchuan didn’t speak. Qi Xi suddenly understood. “You wouldn’t be embarrassed, would you? He never called you that?”

Fu Yanchuan still didn’t speak. Qi Xi took a step back. “Then I won’t call you that either. What do you like? I can do anything; I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

“No need.”

Fu Yanchuan finally spoke. “You don’t need to use those messy forms of address. I don’t need them either.”

“Why?”

Qi Xi didn’t understand. “Didn’t you hire me to imitate your white moonlight and make you happy? Or are you thinking of doing this and that kind of things that your white moonlight wouldn’t do with you?”

What kind of this and that?

Fu Yanchuan didn’t want to continue the conversation with Qi Xi. He sat back down to work and said in a businesslike tone, “There’s no this or that. Go eat.”

“All right, we’ll talk after eating.”

Qi Xi was a bit disappointed. Fu Yanchuan added, “After you eat, I’ll take you back.”

After sleeping in a hotel that gave him a rash, he still felt uncomfortable. When Fu Yanchuan said “go back,” Qi Xi immediately thought of a warm, comfortable, big bed. Fu Yanchuan’s bed must be very comfortable.

He spun off like a gust of wind, then suddenly came back to take the orange cat with him. He said to Fu Yanchuan, “You come too, Brother Yan.”

Brother Yan?

Fu Yanchuan thought that Qi Xi was quite good at choosing how to address people. He froze slightly, his gaze unconsciously shifting away from the computer screen toward Qi Xi.

Qi Xi ate his meal intently, as if writing a thesis with each bite. However, he suddenly remembered that Fu Yanchuan hadn’t eaten lunch either and immediately turned to look at him.

Fu Yanchuan instantly withdrew his gaze. Qi Xi didn’t notice and thought that he was buried in work. He immediately felt that Fu Yanchuan worked too hard—so busy that he couldn’t even eat.

There were two sets of tableware in the food boxes. Qi Xi thoughtfully served Fu Yanchuan a portion and brought it over.

Fu Yanchuan glanced at the food placed beside him and said, “Take it away.”

Qi Xi asked, “Aren’t you hungry?”

Fu Yanchuan looked at him sternly. “This is a desk, not a dining table.”

Qi Xi felt that Fu Yanchuan wasn’t answering his question. “I know. I’m asking if you’re hungry.”

Fu Yanchuan replied unhappily, “A desk is not for eating.”

“You have so many requirements! If you’re not going to eat at the desk, then stop working. Aren’t you hungry?”

Fu Yanchuan raised his head and looked at Qi Xi. Anyone else would have complied as soon as he said the first sentence.

He was a bit annoyed. But Qi Xi seemed unable to understand him, holding the food box and chattering on. “Not eating on time makes you sick. I’m your stand-in—if you get sick, I have to take care of you, so don’t get sick.”

“You don’t want to take care of me?”

The words slipped out of his mouth, surprising even himself. Qi Xi rolled his eyes and said firmly, “I don’t want you to get sick. You’d feel awful. Didn’t you order this? wasn’t it something you like?”

The food was ordered from a restaurant that Fu Yanchuan often ate at. He knew the food well. He didn’t move. Qi Xi held the food box with both hands, bent down suddenly, and lightly bumped his forehead against Fu Yanchuan’s. “Brother Yan, come on.”

Fu Yanchuan felt dizzy. Before he could react, Qi Xi took the food box back to the table, sat down, patted the empty chair, and called to him.

“Brother Yan.”

He stared at Qi Xi for a long while, then still went over. To him, eating was just a task for survival. He didn’t have many preferences regarding taste; he simply had habits and requirements formed from his childhood education.

But Qi Xi ate completely differently. It was the first time he had seen someone eat with such enjoyment. He doubted whether the food was really that good and couldn’t help but try it.

“Finally full! Thank you, Brother Yan, for treating me to a meal. When I have money in the future, I’ll treat you to a big feast.”

Qi Xi finally put down his utensils, leaned back in his chair, rubbed his full stomach, and smiled at Fu Yanchuan. “Don’t you think it’s really good, too?”

Fu Yanchuan had finished eating long ago. He stood up and said, “Let’s go.”

“Oh.” Qi Xi responded, standing up to tidy the food boxes on the table.

Fu Yanchuan asked, “What are you doing?”

“Throwing out the trash!”

“There will be cleaners.”

Qi Xi said “Oh” again but still neatly packed the food boxes and placed them on the table. “This way, it’s easier to take them out! Let’s go, Brother Yan.”

To Fu Yanchuan, this was a waste of time on meaningless things. Qi Xi was wasting his own time and Fu Yanchuan’s time.

He pushed Qi Xi’s suitcase and strode out the door.

Qi Xi hugged the orange cat and jogged after him. “Brother Yan, wait for me.”

Everyone in the president’s office finally saw Fu Yanchuan and Qi Xi come out. They all stole glances, trying to figure out if this was that kind of transaction. If the price was 3,000 per month, it was too low—such a young, handsome former college student must have been tricked.

In reality, though, Qi Xi felt he had gotten a fantastic deal, especially after visiting Fu Yanchuan’s house—a luxury residence in the city center with a private elevator and one unit per floor. It wasn’t quite a large penthouse, but it was exactly the kind of big house he wanted.

Qi Xi swept his gaze around as he entered. An elderly man emerged, sized him up, and looked at Fu Yanchuan. He said, “Sir, everything has already been tidied up.”

Fu Yanchuan handed Qi Xi’s suitcase to Uncle Quan. “Take him to his room.”

Uncle Quan took the suitcase and said to Qi Xi, “Please follow me.”

Qi Xi glanced at Fu Yanchuan first, then followed Uncle Quan inside. “Do I need to change my shoes?”

“Your slippers are in the shoe cabinet. If you want to, you can change first.”

“Oh.”

Qi Xi was still very polite. When visiting someone else’s home, he knew he had to change his shoes. Seeing him go to the cabinet, Uncle Quan immediately let go of the suitcase and got the slippers for him.

“Thank you.”

After changing his shoes, Qi Xi finally followed Uncle Quan inside. “My name is Qi Xi. Uncle, what should I call you?”

“You can just call me Uncle Quan.”

Qi Xi grabbed the orange cat’s paw and said, “Hello, Uncle Quan! This is Qi Tian Dasheng!”

Uncle Quan looked at Qi Xi strangely, then said to the cat, “Hello, Qi Tian Dasheng.”

The apartment had four rooms in total. One was Fu Yanchuan’s bedroom, one was a study, and the remaining two were empty most of the time. Qi Xi’s room and Fu Yanchuan’s were on opposite sides of the living room.

Uncle Quan led Qi Xi to the very end of the hallway. “This is your room. Everything has been prepared. Sir’s room is opposite. He’s usually quite busy, so if you—”

Before he could finish, he noticed that Qi Xi’s attention had already been drawn to the room. He simply said, “Go in and take a look. If you need anything, just ask me.”

“Thank you, Uncle Quan!”

After thanking him, Qi Xi dashed inside, flopped onto the bed, rolled around once, and then got up to look around.

This room was much bigger than any he had ever lived in before. The bed was at least two meters wide. There was also a luxurious cat villa by the window, complete with a bathroom and walk-in closet, yet it didn’t feel cramped.

He placed the orange cat on the cat tree. “Dasheng, this is your new home. Do you like it?”

In an unfamiliar place, the orange cat was wary. Instead of running around like Qi Xi did, he immediately jumped back into Qi Xi’s arms.

Uncle Quan told Qi Xi, “The cat litter and food are outside.”

Qi Xi looked over in surprise. “Did you buy them for Dasheng?”

“Sir instructed me to prepare them.”

Qi Xi suddenly understood and felt extremely grateful. “Brother Yan is really a good person!”

“You call Sir ‘Brother Yan’?”

“What’s wrong with that, Brother Yan? Can’t I call him that?”

“It’s not that.” From the moment Qi Xi entered, Uncle Quan had been observing him. He had seen Qiao Ye once before, when Fu Yanchuan brought the runaway Qiao Ye home before the two of them went abroad as exchange students.

Back then, Qiao Ye also called Fu Yanchuan “Brother Yan.” Not only did Qi Xi look like Qiao Ye, he used the same form of address.

“Qi Xi, see if you need anything else first, then tell me.”

After saying that, Uncle Quan returned to the living room.

Fu Yanchuan stood motionless on the balcony outside the living room, staring absentmindedly at the road below.

Uncle Quan went over and asked tentatively, “Sir, why did you bring that child back?”

Fu Yanchuan was silent. Uncle Quan advised, “If the chairman finds out, he’ll definitely be angry. Don’t bring trouble upon yourself.”

“Uncle Quan, I can’t be happy even if I don’t upset him.”

“But—”

Fu Yanchuan interrupted him. “He has nowhere else to go right now. I’m just letting him stay for a while.”

Uncle Quan wanted to say more, but he didn’t know how. He was sure that Fu Yanchuan understood things much better than he did. But what good did that do? Fu Yanchuan wasn’t a robot.

Suddenly, Fu Yanchuan’s phone rang. He took it out, glanced at it, and hung up. Then he said to Uncle Quan, “I’m going to the sanatorium. Take good care of Qi Xi here.”

By the time Qi Xi came out of the room, Fu Yanchuan had already left. Uncle Quan told him, “He probably won’t be back tonight. If you want anything for dinner, just let me know. I’ll have someone prepare it.”

“So that’s how it is!” Qi Xi was disappointed for a moment. Before he even figured out what he was disappointed about, he immediately asked expectantly, “Can I eat whatever I want? Do I need to pay? I don’t have much money.”

Uncle Quan replied, “No need. You can eat whatever you want.”

“Can I have oden, too?” I bought some today, but I left without eating it. Brother Yan doesn’t like it. Since he’s not here, can I eat it?”

“Yes.”

Qi Xi immediately rushed over and hugged Uncle Quan. “You’re too nice. Thank you, Uncle Quan! Don’t tell Brother Yan, or he’ll get angry again. This is our secret.”

The corner of Uncle Quan’s mouth twitched, but he maintained his professional composure and replied, “Alright.”

Just as expected, Fu Yanchuan didn’t come back that night. Qi Xi finally got to eat oden by himself, as he had wished, but it tasted much better than the version from the convenience store. He praised the chef throughout the whole meal, not knowing if it was simply because the ingredients were more authentic.

After dinner, Uncle Quan and the chef left. Only he and Qi Tian Dasheng remained.

Qi Xi acted like a monkey claiming the mountain as his own, exploring every room in the house. He secretly rolled around twice on Fu Yanchuan’s bed, then carefully smoothed out the wrinkled sheets.

With nothing else to do, he returned to his room out of boredom and forced the orange cat to live in its new villa. After the cat put up desperate resistance, he finally stopped. He picked up his phone and happened to receive a reply from the netizen who introduced him to commission work.

[It’s not like I always have commissions, and you can’t take just any commission either. Every time, I have to use all my persuasion just to secure one for you.]

[Are you short on money again? I’ll try my best to help you find one. With your level, commissions like this are hard to come by. If there are any, I’ll help you fight for them.]

Ever since he was young, people have said that he isn’t smart. He barely got into college and never learned other skills. The only way he could make money was by drawing.

However, he had never taken professional art classes—he was self-taught. He couldn’t get formal commissions. Fortunately, he met a netizen who helped him secure low-paying commissions. Though there weren’t many, he could earn money, and he cherished this opportunity.

Qi Xi hurriedly replied,

[Thank you! Sorry to trouble you; you’re the only one who can help me.]

After quite a while, the other party finally replied.

[It’s good that you know. For someone who is self-taught, being able to get commissions at all is decent. Don’t expect too much. I’ll see if I can get any first.]

[If it weren’t for my help, you probably wouldn’t receive a single commission in your lifetime. You should reflect on yourself and think about how to improve.]

[I understand. Thank you, Brother Zha. If there are any, you must help me fight for them. I really don’t have any money left.]

After replying, Qi Xi waited a long time, but the other person didn’t respond anymore. Feeling a bit down, he put down his phone and lay on the bed.

The soft mattress perfectly supported his body, providing comfort without sinking. He instantly forgot about his unhappiness and rolled over to hug the orange cat sleeping above his head.

“Dasheng, we won’t have to wander the streets anymore.”

“Meow!”

Qi Xi immediately flipped over. “Yesterday’s bed was uncomfortable, and I didn’t sleep well. Today Brother Yan isn’t here; let’s go to bed early!”

As he spoke, he took off his clothes and went into the bathroom. After showering, he opened his suitcase and immediately froze.

Inside were his paintings from many years ago, paint, new drawing paper, and brushes. There was also a 20-kilogram bag of cat litter. He hadn’t packed a single pair of underwear.

Qi Xi blinked. What was he supposed to wear?

The private sanatorium halfway up the mountain was quiet and secluded. Fu Yanchuan was pushing a woman in a wheelchair for a walk in a courtyard.

The woman was Fu Yanchuan’s mother, Lin Xianjing. She had attempted suicide when Fu Yanchuan was eighteen and lost her sanity.

“Wait a moment, Yanyan.”

Fu Yanchuan stopped. Lin Xianjing suddenly stood up from the wheelchair. The blanket covering her legs fell to the ground as she tiptoed forward as if dancing, leaping toward the pond beneath the streetlight.

He hurried forward and pulled her back. Lin Xianjing screamed hysterically, “Do you want to kill me too? You hate me, too. You despise me! I’m useless. I’m worthless. I don’t deserve to be your mother. I can’t do anything! Why don’t you just kill me?”

“That’s not a stage. That’s a pond.”

Fu Yanchuan stirred the surface of the water. Seeing the ripples, Lin Xianjing finally calmed down. She became gentle and considerate. Looking at him tenderly, she softly reminded him, “Yanyan, you must listen to your father. Don’t go against him. Only then will he be a good father. Do you understand?”

“It’s getting late. I’ll take you back to your room.”

Fu Yanchuan helped Lin Xianjing back into her wheelchair and pushed her back to her room. After she took her medicine, she quickly fell asleep. He stood by the bed for a while before leaving.

On the way back, he received a call from Qi Xi.

“Brother Yan, I forgot to bring clothes. Can I borrow some of yours?”

Fu Yanchuan paused for two seconds before replying, “Do you know where they are?”

“I’ve been to your walk-in closet. Why are all your clothes the same? Does that mean you wear the same thing every day? You—”

Fu Yanchuan cut him off. “If you know, then take them yourself.”

“Oh.” Qi Xi hesitated again and asked, “You’re really not coming back? Isn’t this your home? If you don’t come back, where will you stay? You alone—”

Fu Yanchuan hung up the phone immediately. He took a chocolate candy out of the storage box, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth. After finishing it, he suddenly told the driver, “Go back to Fuxi Road.”

Qi Xi spent a long time picking through Fu Yanchuan’s closet, but he couldn’t find anything to wear. In the end, he found a silk shirt and wore it as pajamas. It barely covered the tops of his thighs.

After putting it on, he went to wash his clothes so he could wear them the next day. Then, he planned to go back to his dad’s place and bring the rest of his clothes.

Just as Qi Xi was putting the washed clothes into the dryer, Fu Yanchuan—who had said he wouldn’t come back—returned. Hearing the sound, Qi Xi ran to the living room and was startled to see him.

“Brother Yan, why did you come back?”

Fu Yanchuan frowned deeply and stared at Qi Xi. He was wearing only a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing two long, smooth legs.

His breathed heavily as he walked toward Qi Xi.

Qi Xi was a little scared by Fu Yanchuan’s intense gaze and subconsciously took a step back. Fu Yanchuan moved right up in front of him and grabbed his wrist.

Qi Xi stammered, “Brother Yan, you—what are you doing?”

Staring straight at Qi Xi’s face, Fu Yanchuan said in a low voice, “You’re dressed like this, and you’re asking me what I’m doing?”

 

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