Chapter 103 – This Tragic Movie Emperor – “Adult” (08/08)
When Xie Chenyang and Yan Qing arrived, Sister Shen and her family of three had already gone to the Tao residence.
Shen’s parents had long known about Shen Yangfan’s sexual orientation. They treated Yan Qing’s arrival as merely welcoming another young relative and handed him a red envelope.
Yan Qing accompanied Xie Chenyang on several days of visiting relatives, his pockets growing full with red envelopes.
Xie Chenyang pressed him onto the bed, pulling each envelope one by one from his pockets and opening them. “Let me see how much our A-Qing got this year.”
Yan Qing smiled. “A lot.”
More than any year before. In past New Years, only his mother and Yu Zhang had given him red envelopes.
Seeing his smile, Xie Chenyang poked his cheek. “So red envelopes can make my little A-Qing smile. Here, I have one more in my pocket just for you. Want to take it?”
Yan Qing froze. “You… got one for me?”
“Is that so strange?” Xie Chenyang lowered his voice. “My dad gives me a red envelope every new year.”
Yan Qing reached into his jacket.
Xie Chenyang: “The inner pocket.”
A moment later, Xie Chenyang cleared his throat. “I said pocket. Where are you touching?”
Yan Qing’s hand paused against Xie Chenyang’s abs. “Can’t find the pocket.”
Xie Chenyang retrieved a red envelope from his inner pocket himself. “Can you find the pocket while your hand’s glued to my abs?”
Yan Qing pulled his hand out without flinching. “Uncle, your abs are really solid. Do you work out?”
“Of course I work out. Still want the red envelope?”
“Yes.”
Yan Qing sat hunched over, opening the envelope and counting the money.
Xie Chenyang kept stealing glances at him.
[This… is it intentional how he’s sitting with his back arched like that?]
You Huang: “Act decent.”
After counting the money, Yan Qing neatly stacked the bills and tucked them into his pocket. “I’m… going home tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’ll see you off.”
“Shen Yangfan…”
“Just call me Uncle.”
Yan Qing frowned. “Too formal.”
“In two months, I’ll let you change the title.”
In a few days, when Sister Shen and the others go back to work, Tao Xiaosong would be coming over again. Yan Qing wanted to spend more time with him. “I told my mom I’d go back in a few days.”
“Alright, it’s just us for now. But the fridge is almost empty. Shall we go to the supermarket?”
They changed clothes and went downstairs.
Ke Ming, somehow getting wind of his home address, had been lurking near the apartment.
Today he finally spotted Xie Chenyang and rushed forward. “Brother Fan, I know I was wrong! I had no choice back then! I’ve always loved you, Brother Fan!”
Xie Chenyang’s eyes turned cold.
“If it weren’t for loving you, I’d be shining brightly in the entertainment industry by now. I wouldn’t have sought you out at all. And if I hadn’t, how could I have ended up like this…” Ke Ming spoke rapidly, his steps quickening.
Just as he was about to close in, Xie Chenyang shifted his foot slightly.
The moment he was about to kick him, Yan Qing wrapped his arm around Xie Chenyang’s and pulled him two steps to the side, pouting. “Uncle, who’s this? Didn’t you say you only loved me?”
Xie Chenyang: “He’s nobody.”
Ke Ming: “You—”
Yan Qing exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Oh my! Isn’t he that ungrateful superstar Ke Ming?”
Passersby turned to look.
Ke Ming: “Damn it!”
Yan Qing released Xie Chenyang’s hand. “Let’s go, Uncle.”
Xie Chenyang: “Ah, okay.”
Later, Xie Chenyang visited Ke Ming’s hometown, sought out his parents, and pointed them in the right direction. After that, Ke Ming never appeared before them again.
You Huang: “You’re ruthless, aren’t you?”
[What’s that supposed to mean?]
It was ultimately Ke Ming’s own failure as a person.
He despised his family background and his parents. After becoming famous, he only used money to fend them off. Now he’d lost both his fame and his fortune.
Xie Chenyang merely gave a gentle nudge, and Ke Ming’s parents themselves realized their son’s value.
In their town, there was a woman obsessed with Ke Ming. Knowing his parents’ status, she’d often spent large sums buying Ke Ming’s old belongings and stories from them. Now, Ke Ming had been taken back to marry that woman.
After the New Year, the weather warmed. The students’ new semester began.
Not long after the first monthly exam, Yan Qing’s eighteenth birthday arrived.
Tao Xiaosong: “Huh? What? At my place… No, at my uncle’s place?” He was currently staying at his uncle’s house.
Yan Qing looked up: “Is that not okay?”
Tao Xiaosong glanced at his other friends, hesitating. “Well… I’d have to ask my uncle.”
Though his uncle was quite indulgent, bringing friends home and throwing a birthday party was…
Yan Qing remained composed. “Then call your uncle and ask.”
“Right now?”
Xie Chenyang answered the call without hesitation. “Of course! How many? What time? I’ll prepare.”
“We’ll head over after school this afternoon.”
Xie Chenyang bought a pile of groceries and drinks, happily bustling about in the kitchen.
“I’ve~ waited so long~ for this day~”
You Huang: “Shut up! You’re completely tone-deaf.”
[Can’t help it, I’m too excited!]
You Huang: “Just cook properly and stay quiet.”
The next moment, a haunting flute melody filled his ears.
A funeral march.
[Aaaaaah, Dad!]
[Spare me! I’m sorry, I won’t sing anymore!]
——- —— ——
After school, Tao Xiaosong brought four classmates home, including Yan Qing.
Xie Chenyang had timed the dishes perfectly. As soon as they arrived, he looked utterly exhausted and sent them off to wash their hands and serve the food.
Yan Qing paused beside him. “Thanks for all your hard work, Uncle.”
If he’d known Xie Chenyang would be this exhausted, he should’ve just met up with them for a casual meal outside before bringing Tao Xiaosong home.
Xie Chenyang took a deep breath. “It’s no trouble.”
[All the suffering I endured from Dad, I’ll pay it back tenfold!]
You Huang: “Scum.”
The classmates visiting for the first time were a bit stiff. After washing their hands in turn, they sat down at the dining table.
A feast of visually appealing, fragrant, and delicious dishes was served, and Xie Chenyang even brought out a case of flavored wine.
Tao Xiaosong: “Uncle, can we… drink?”
“Today’s an exception. Besides, this is low-alcohol flavored wine. Think of it as fruit juice. Drink in moderation. Just a little.”
“Okay!”
Each student got a small bottle of flavored wine, and they raised their glasses.
“Happy Birthday, Yan Qing!”
Xie Chenyang understood that with an adult present, they might feel uncomfortable, so he quickly returned to his room.
Yan Qing noticed a classmate was using the living room bathroom. He stood up. “Need to use the restroom. I’ll go to the master bedroom.”
Tao Xiaosong didn’t think much of it. After all, it wasn’t Yan Qing’s first time here.
Yan Qing knocked on the door. Without waiting for a response, he opened it and stepped inside, locking the door behind him.
Xie Chenyang leaned against the window, phone in one hand, cigarette loosely held in the other, glancing at him.
Yan Qing slowly walked over, wrapped his arms around Xie Chenyang’s waist, and pressed himself against his chest.
Xie Chenyang set his phone aside, guided Yan Qing toward the coffee table with one arm, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, then pushed Yan Qing onto the sofa. He gently stroked his face. “What did you come in here for?”
Yan Qing licked his lips. “I’m an adult now.”
Xie Chenyang couldn’t take it anymore. He lowered his head and captured his lips.
Adults? If you counted their true ages, they were ancient demons.
Yan Qing closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around Xie Chenyang’s neck, completely relaxed, and followed Xie Chenyang’s rhythm.
Xie Chenyang buried his face in Yan Qing’s shoulder, drawing a deep breath. “A-Qing.”
Yan Qing: “Mm?”
“You really… take my breath away.”
Xie Chenyang covered his eyes with a hand, lightly nibbling his lip.
“Uncle… Mmm…”
Tao Xiaosong opened another bottle of flavored liquor, glancing questioningly at the closed door of the master bedroom. “Is Brother Qing constipated or something?”
“Hahaha, let’s eat first.”
“Could he be drunk from drinking without ever having had alcohol before?”
“Are you guys drunk?”
“No.”
About ten minutes later, Yan Qing emerged looking perfectly normal. Everyone ate and drank, finishing up around nine o’clock.
Tao Xiaosong stood up voluntarily. “Brother Qing, you take them to my room to play. I’ll wash the dishes.”
One classmate volunteered. “I’ll help Xiaosong. You guys go ahead and play.”
Yan Qing: “Alright.”
They played games in the guest bedroom while Xie Chenyang sat alone in the master bedroom, smoking to calm his nerves.
[What a little devil—starts fires but never puts them out.]
You Huang didn’t bother responding.
Around midnight, Tao Xiaosong knocked on the master bedroom door. “Uncle, it’s time for cake!”
With Xie Chenyang present, they didn’t get out of hand. They obediently sang Happy Birthday, ate cake, and didn’t dare pull the usual cake-smashing stunt.
Xie Chenyang: “You’re staying over tonight, right? Looks like you won’t all fit. A-Qing will sleep with me in the master bedroom. You guys take the guest room. If it’s too small, just crash on the couch. A-Qing, come on.”
Yan Qing responded with a smile.
Tao Xiaosong looked utterly bewildered. “Wait, Uncle, I–”
Thud. The master bedroom door closed.
Tao Xiaosong: “…” Wasn’t he supposed to share the room with his uncle?
At that moment, Tao Xiaosong suddenly had a premonition.
His dog of an uncle had indeed made a move on Brother Qing!
Brother Qing!
——- ——- ——
When Yan Qing’s mother married her boyfriend, she moved into his family’s home. Yan Qing told her he’d be living on campus, but in reality, he moved straight into Xie Chenyang’s place.
Tao Xiaosong just couldn’t get over the fact that his uncle was now in a relationship with his classmate…
“Why?”
Xie Chenyang gave a soft sigh. “I’m only a few years older than you guys, not even ten years. Is it really that hard to accept?”
“Then I’ll stay in the dorms.”
But staying in the dorms was impossible. Tao Xiaosong needed his daily dose of relationship updates.
He kept agonizing: if their relationship didn’t last, would he side with his uncle or his friend…?
This worry lingered until college graduation, until he married and had children, but they remained as inseparable as ever. Only then did he finally stop worrying.
Xie Chenyang was older than Yan Qing, so it was only natural he’d pass away first.
“Brother Yang…”
“I know.” Xie Chenyang smiled, his eyes narrowing to slits. “I’ll be waiting for you.” Once he’s gone, his lover would surely follow soon after.
Yan Qing wanted to say, “I’ll come join you soon.” He also expected Xie Chenyang to tell him to live well
Yan Qing smiled, laid down beside him, and clasped his hand. “Even though I’m younger than you, I just feel that the moment you go, I’ll follow. Maybe. . . my heart wants to follow you, so my soul follows too.”
Those stories on TV about spouses who pass away together? They were real after all.
They closed their eyes together.
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
