OFBL Chapter 6

Yanjing CBD¹A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the “city center” or “downtown”. However, these concepts are not necessarily synonymous: many cities have a central business district located away from its commercial and/or cultural center and/or downtown/city center, and there may be multiple CBDs within a single urban area. The CBD will often be highly accessible and have a large variety and concentration of specialized goods and services compared to other parts of the city., the most expensive revolving restaurant on the top floor. The elegant violin movement was disrupted.

Two men sat by the window while affectionately giving each other the word… “Stupid”.

Xu Li looked at the busy sunset outside the window, and the orange light gave his facial features a particularly soft sheen. The slender fingers gently tapped the white tablecloth. With an appreciative attitude, Dr. Zhang took a second look.

Faced with such a glance, Xu Li seized the opportunity and joked: “Are you thinking how great the face in front of you is?”

“No, I just want to plaster cow dung on it.” Zhang Yuze lifted his glass of lemonade.

“You’re willing to touch that with your bare hands?” Xu Li poked his chin.

“…”

At the next table, the diners who were eating black pepper steak silently put down their knives and forks.

Zhang Yuze found that Xu Li was really boring. However, no matter how boring his retort, he could still talk to you back and forth.

The waiter put down the menu, but Xu Li didn’t even look at it. He pointed at it with his chin and said: “You choose by yourself.”

Zhang Yuze glanced at him and asked: “So generous?”

Xu Li smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m not short of money.”

Zhang Yuze thought for a moment, looked at the menu, and said: “Then buy me ten Boston lobsters and a steak. No, make it a whole cow.”

Xu Li gritted his teeth and looked at him while scolding: “How big is your stomach? Can you even finish eating all that?”

Zhang Yuze smiled slightly and continued: “If I can’t finish eating, I’ll just take it away. Maybe I’ll put them in a fish tank and raise it. Why do you care about me?”

Xu Li was so angry that he couldn’t breathe, but Zhang Yuze was in a good mood. Having said that, Dr. Zhang also knew how to be measured and would not let Xu Li pocket his wallet, missing this unexpected opportunity. And so, he only ordered a salmon aperitif and a regular-sized steak. As for Xu Li, he randomly pointed out two dishes, feeling extremely casual.

After the waiter left, the two fell into a long eye contact contest, trying to kill each other on the spot with their eyes. Zhang Yuze stared so much his head hurt, withdrawing his gaze first. Xu Li’s eyes were finally liberated, so he picked up the doll rabbit he had just received and took a closer look.

Zhang Yuze commented coldly: “The weasel is so kind to pay New Year’s greetings to the chicken… Tell me, why did you suddenly invite me to dinner?”

Xu Li put down the toy with a smile, raised his eyes, and answered: “It’s nothing, I was just interested in what you said on the stage. I want to talk to you.”

Zhang Yuze thought for a second and asked him: “That love is a stupid thing part?”

Xu Li nodded, looked at him with a smile, and asked curiously: “I wanted to know why you think so.”

“…”

Zhang Yuze was speechless for a moment, without knowing how to answer. After all, as a big man, no one would like to talk about being cheated on. It was disgraceful, to say the least.

“Anyway… That’s what I think.” Zhang Yuze quickly answered, impatient and perfunctory.

However, Xu Li saw through his expression, but since his emotional intelligence was quite high, he didn’t ask questions. He smiled and said: “So Dr. Zhang doesn’t want to say it. Then, I’ll say it first. Do you know why I didn’t want to be your boyfriend and talk about love with you?”

Before Xu Li spoke, Zhang Yuze managed to barely take a sip of lemonade. However, as soon as Assistant Xu’s words registered in his mind, a mouthful of lemonade was almost spit on the table. Zhang Yuze stared at him and grumbled: “Get out of here! Who wants you to be my boyfriend?!”

Xu Li was very innocent: “You pestered me every day just for this matter. Just let me finish what I have to say and concentrate on my words.”

Zhang Yuze felt there was no way he could explain himself clearly. It was hard to say: “Hello, I’m a time traveler! Although I’m Zhang Yuze, I’m not Zhang Yuze!” He estimated that Xu Li would sincerely reply to him that he was stupid, and then send him to the psychiatric department for treatment the next day.

“Then just talk about it. Don’t mention our past.” He said.

“My mother,” Xu Li talked about the topic for a long time. “She is very stupid. She met my father when she was 20 years old. After half a year of love, she got married and continued to live in love. That man later beat her and scolded her, and even found a woman to cheat on her outside. She would deceive herself, saying that they were in love and that one day he would come back to her.”

Speaking of that, Zhang Yuze and Xu Li sneered and rolled their eyes at the same time, as if they tacitly understood each other.

“Later, in my sophomore year of high school, he decisively divorced her and married another woman. But my mother had no job. When he left, our family was cut off, so I had to work while going to school.” Xu Li said it very lightly as if it had nothing to do with him.

“Then what?” Zhang Yuze took another sip of his lemonade.

“Originally, my grades could get me into a B-grade Clinical Medicine degree, but that year was delayed, so my score was only enough for Nursing.” Xu Li finished speaking, looked at him, and smiled. “In fact, I really envy you. Such a big fool, but you can still hold a knife and do the surgery yourself.”

“I don’t envy you.” Zhang Yuze rolled his eyes again. “Being a surgical assistant is both stupid and quite tiring.”

Xu Li laughed and trembled a little bit.

“So you decide to say goodbye to love and turn into a stallion?” Zhang Yuze asked.

“After all, I can’t change the world…” Xu Li replied to him and continued: “So yes, don’t talk about love with me. I don’t believe in that thing. Why would you want to tie your whole life to a person? Isn’t it great to just date whoever you want like me?”

Zhang Yuze looked at him for a while, but the Immortal Doctor Soul in his body still forced him to say: “I want to remind you that engaging in same-sex relationships is more likely to get you infected with sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and syphilis. Please try your best to protect yourself and reduce improper sexual behavior. You don’t want your buttocks to turn into cauliflower.”

Xu Li looked at him with difficulty. The diners next to them looked at the cream-burned cauliflower on their plates, falling into meditation.

“I just invited you to dinner in order to apologize. After all, you used to believe in love so much that you took me as your boyfriend. Although you don’t seem to believe in that now, it’s more or less because of me…” Xu Li changed the topic stiffly.

“STOP!” Zhang Yuzel said. “It has nothing to do with you. Don’t get sentimental. Also, don’t mention the past, or I’ll beat you up again.”

At the end of the topic, there was nothing else to say between the two, so they ate in silence. During the meal, Zhang Yuze kept thinking. Xu Li, the big scumbag, didn’t seem to be as unforgiving as the original book portrayed him. At the very least, he was able to feel remorseful for his behavior. Speaking of which, most of the time, Zhang Yuze thought that the Little Bottom from the original book exaggerated his problems. After all, from the very beginning when he met Xu Li in the bar, he clearly said that he was not looking for love, just casual dating. However, Little Bottom, while aware of the unspoken “laws of the gay community”, still thought that he could rely on his own charms and change Xu Li. He voluntarily paid him a lot of attention, making the whole world aware of it…

…Not to mention the daily harassment.

In that way, it was both cheap and annoying. For the first time, Zhang Yuze actually thought that his transmigration was a good thing. At least, he was able to free Xu Li.

At the end of dinner, Xu Li suddenly said: “There will be a fireworks show on the top floor later. Do you want to go and have a look?”

Zhang Yuze answered, full of emotion: “It seems that we’re not close enough to watch fireworks together.”

“Then you can also leave now.” Xu Li curled the corners of his lips and reached out to knock on the glass window. “I’d like to remind you that it’s the evening rush hour now. There’s a double taxi fare before the holiday and there’s still a traffic jam. Are you sure you don’t need me to take you home on my motorcycle?”

Zhang Yuze raised his eyes and changed his tune: “How did you know that I like watching fireworks the most?”

Xu Li scolded him: “Can you be more snobbish?”

Zhang Yuze said sincerely: “Yes.”

“…”

After dinner, the two walked to the rooftop of the hotel together, hugging a bottle of unfinished champagne. There was a helicopter landing spot. In order to facilitate clients to celebrate the New Year, the hotel even provided a row of snow-white sofas and chairs. However, there were not many people. Xu Li pulled Zhang Yuze to sit in the first row of chairs, with the best view.

“To be honest, this is the first time someone accompanies me to celebrate the New Year.” Xu Li said.

“It turns out that the little boys from the nightclub have a day off on New Year’s Day.” Zhang Yuze’s tone was sarcastic.

Xu Li crooked his mouth and turned his face to look at him: “Is it that uncomfortable for you not to fight me?”

Zhang Yuze said earnestly: “Actually, I really want to beat you, so it’s hard to endure.”

Xu Li raised his hand and said: “Let’s fight after watching the fireworks. I don’t want to fight during New Year’s Eve. It’s not romantic.”

Zhang Yuze shrugged his shoulders, raised the champagne glass, and drank slowly. There were still ten minutes before midnight. Xu Li drank until he felt hot enough to take off his coat.

Zhang Yuze took a look at it and said: “If you don’t wear it, then give it to me.”

Xu Li stared at Zhang Yuze, who was wearing more layers than an onion, saying with surprise: “Damn, do you need this as well?”

“I was born to be afraid of the cold.” Zhang Yuze said very honestly.

Xu Li handed his coat to Zhang Yuze and suddenly remembered something, asking him: “Where’s the jacket you took from my house before? Return it to me?”

“…In the garbage.”

After all, Zhang Yuze thought at that time that everything was a nightmare. Who would think of returning borrowed items while dreaming?!

Xu Li hated his answer so much that he said: “Such a big loss of money, you know. It was from a famous brand.”

Zhang Yuze took the lead and nodded while saying: “Yes, send me the invoice.”

“Why do you need the invoice?”

“What if it’s a fake but you make me pay for a real one?”

“Fuck you.”

“…”

After another fight, Xu Li waited with boredom, finally asking: “Dr. Zhang must have a lot of stories. Why don’t you tell me about it?”

Zhang Yuze glanced at him. It was not impossible to say, but there was nothing to say about the nonsense between him and Shen Mo. It was like chocolate-flavored shit, both disgusting and unforgettable.

He took another sip of champagne, said a little blessing in his heart, and began to talk to Xu Li slowly.

He and Shen Mo met in college. He was a junior and Shen Mo was a sophomore. At that time, Shen Mo was cute, just like a little deer, with a big pair of wet eyes that looked at him and always followed him around. Every sentence was “senior this, senior that”, sweet and soft.

Although Shen Mo confessed first, Zhang Yuze admitted that he also liked him very much, so the two soon got together, quickly becoming the Immortal Couple of the Clinical Medicine Department. At that time, Zhang Yuze gave his whole heart to his little boyfriend. No matter how busy he was with his studies, he would always have spare time to help Shen Mo with his thesis and homework. In winter, he would even skip the early class to buy hot milk tea, waiting for him to finish class. When Shen Mo didn’t want to spend his own living expenses, he would work and raise money to buy some useless limited edition sneakers…

In school, Shen Mo would always be completely unable to find the blood vessels, always getting scolded by the teacher and running around with tears in his big eyes. And so, Zhang Yuze rolled up his sleeves and asked him to practice on his body. The whole back of his hand was blue and purple.

At that time, he felt sweet. No matter how much he gave, Zhang Yuze had always been willing. After two years of dating, his five-year academic degree was over. However, soon after graduation, Shen Mo’s attitude towards him suddenly changed.

He wouldn’t reply to his messages, nor would he come to see him.

Later, he found out that Shen Mo hooked up with another doctor from a large hospital during his internship, and the other party promised to solve his problems as well. Therefore, Shen Mo naturally didn’t need Zhang Yuze anymore, so he turned around and ran away.

His two years of dedication turned into a joke.

“That’s it.” Zhang Yuze finished speaking and punched Xu Li, who was laughing wildly. “If you laugh again, I’ll kill you!”

However, Xu Li would rather get beaten than give up the opportunity to laugh at him. While talking, midnight came unconsciously, but neither of them noticed it. It was the first golden fireworks in the sky lighting up their faces that made them realize the New Year was here.

If two months ago someone came over and told Zhang Yuze that he would cross into the new year while bantering with some scumbag from a novel, he would definitely call the police on the spot to arrest the psychopath.

But the truth was… It really was like that.

Xu Li looked up at the sky and the light of the fireworks reflected in his eyes. He raised his champagne glass and gestured to Zhang Yuze.

The two glasses were held high, and the liquid inside shook and collided.

Xu Li: “Fuck love!”

Zhang Yuze: “Love is shit!”

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  A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the “city center” or “downtown”. However, these concepts are not necessarily synonymous: many cities have a central business district located away from its commercial and/or cultural center and/or downtown/city center, and there may be multiple CBDs within a single urban area. The CBD will often be highly accessible and have a large variety and concentration of specialized goods and services compared to other parts of the city.