(M) Chapter 29 – Found Out
Novel Title: 我们已经分手了 (We Have Broken Up)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 刘帆 (Liu Fan -MC), 陈谦 (Chen Qian -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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“Are you Li Yu’s friend?” Li Yu’s father, Li Xin, thanked Chen Qian outside the ward. “Thank you for notifying us.”
His expression was somewhat awkward, possibly due to the affectionate gestures Chen Qian and Liu Fan had made earlier. Chen Qian waved his hand, “No need to thank me. Li Yu is my colleague. We get along well. It’s what I should do.”
Li Yu’s mother, Luo Xi, stayed by her son’s bedside. Chen Qian noticed that Li Xin also wanted to check on his son, so he offered a few words of comfort and then left with Liu Fan.
“Let’s go to your place.” Seeing Chen Qian unusually quiet, Liu Fan initiated the conversation, “I haven’t seen it yet.”
Chen Qian just nodded, not speaking. He sat in the driver’s seat in a brief daze.
“What’s wrong?” Liu Fan touched his forehead, “Thinking about your own parents?”
Chen Qian turned his face away, leaning his elbow on the car window. “No.”
Liu Fan didn’t know how to comfort him in such a situation. “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen your parents in a long time either. Do you know anything about what’s going on with them?”
Chen Qian turned his face further away, “What’s there to know?”
“Chen Qian.” Liu Fan knew Chen Qian too well. Sometimes he was amazed at how well he understood another person outside of himself. “You don’t have to hold back with me. Missing them is nothing to be ashamed of.”
Chen Qian kept his face turned away without responding.
Liu Fan continued, “I know how your father is. But your mother is very gentle. You…-“
“-Stop it.” Chen Qian cut him off stiffly, starting the car. “You don’t understand. My family’s situation is difficult compared to yours.”
“I know it’s difficult.” Liu Fan didn’t care if Chen Qian was angry and continued, “But just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean you should give up. That doesn’t make sense, General Manager Chen.”
He asked seriously, “Are you really going to cut ties with your parents forever?”
Chen Qian said uncomfortably, “Shut up.”
Liu Fan snorted, looking at the quiet night scene outside the window. He suddenly asked, “Do you regret it?”
“I told you to shut up. Don’t you understand human language?” Chen Qian stopped at a red light and, after a long pause, said calmly, “What’s there to regret? It was bound to happen sooner or later. The result is the same.”
“But have you ever thought that after all these years, they might be able to accept it?” Even if Liu Fan didn’t say it, both he and Chen Qian understood that Chen Qian had always been preoccupied with this matter. “How about I go back with you? We don’t have to meet them directly.”
Chen Qian stepped on the gas pedal, “…I’ll think about it.”
His tone indicated he genuinely didn’t want to discuss it any further. Liu Fan knew this wasn’t something that could be resolved quickly, and pressing the issue wouldn’t help.
Chen Qian’s place was in the city centre, in a well-known old residential area with excellent landscaping. The gardens were divided into different styles, and the building distances were well-designed, making the space feel less cramped compared to new developments in the city.
Liu Fan realised Chen Qian was doing quite well.
“I asked you to move here. But you don’t want to.” Chen Qian led him upstairs. Liu Fan marvelled at the place. The floors were duplex, spanning nearly two hundred square metres, making it a luxurious space for a single person. Seeing Liu Fan looking around with interest, Chen Qian mocked, “What’s so good about your little den?”
“Even if it’s a little den, as long as it’s comfortable, it’s fine.” Liu Fan wandered around. The first-floor bedroom had been opened up into a large space, connected to an open kitchen, making the living room appear particularly spacious.
The decor was surprisingly old-fashioned and cosy, with minimal furniture, giving the place an inevitably empty feel.
Chen Qian went to the kitchen to rinse the thermos and grab some drinks. Liu Fan, not feeling like a guest, trotted upstairs. The upper bedroom had been converted into a gym, and there was a makeshift study. However, compared to the fully equipped gym, the study seemed neglected. The redwood bookshelves were impressive, filling two walls, but they were mostly empty, holding just a row of large, extravagant books.
Liu Fan took down a copy of Zizhi Tongjian, feeling how light it was. Curiously, he opened it and found it was empty. It was just a shell.
Liu Fan: “…”
Damn, it’s a prop?
Hearing Chen Qian’s footsteps, Liu Fan hastily put the fake book back. “Your bookshelf is quite nice.”
Chen Qian twisted open a bottle of Coke and tossed it to him, glancing uninterestedly at the shelf. “I bought this place second-hand. The previous owner left it as it is. I’m too lazy to redecorate, so I just left it as it is.”
Liu Fan suddenly understood. “No wonder. I was wondering why it didn’t fit your style.”
“You’re annoying.” Chen Qian said impatiently, “If you don’t like it, go buy something to decorate yourself.”
“Right.” Liu Fan suddenly remembered, “You still owe me a coffee table.”
Chen Qian: “…”
“Fine, fine. We’ll buy it tomorrow.” Chen Qian thought for a moment, “We should get more furniture for my place too.”
When he lived alone, he didn’t feel the emptiness since he was only there to eat and sleep. Now, it suddenly felt vacant.
Liu Fan looked at the luxurious but understated bookshelf. “Buy some books to fill it up. It looks pitiful.”
Chen Qian walked behind him and put an arm around him as he looked up. “You have a lot of random books at home. Just bring some over.”
He then reached out to touch Liu Fan’s head. “Did you check out the bedroom?”
Chen Qian naturally lived in the master bedroom. The large bed gave a feeling that no matter how much one rolled around, they wouldn’t fall off. As soon as they entered, they embraced and kissed, and as their lips touched, a deeper sense of closeness surged within them. Chen Qian pulled Liu Fan down onto the big bed, surrounded by his scent, making Liu Fan feel slightly dizzy.
Chen Qian took out a half-used tube of KY lubricant.
***
***
Liu Fan was left in a daze, not even sure when he fell unconscious. When he woke up, it wasn’t too late in the day. He rubbed his messy hair, wanting to go back to sleep but remembered they might have some shopping to do today. He groggily climbed out of bed and almost dozed off again while washing up in the bathroom.
Downstairs, Chen Qian seemed to have done some workout. He was shirtless, wearing only sports shorts, a cigarette dangling unlit from his lips, cooking something in a pan. A small plush dragon hung around his neck, gently swaying with his movements.
Liu Fan shuffled up behind Chen Qian and sighed, “I’m so sleepy… what are you making?”
“Scrambled eggs,” Chen Qian, covered in sweat, dodged a bit but didn’t escape. He freed a hand to ruffle Liu Fan’s hair, “Milk’s in the microwave, go get it yourself.”
“Okay…” Liu Fan responded lazily but didn’t move. He hung onto Chen Qian’s back like a pendant, swaying with his movements. Chen Qian laughed, holding a spatula, and transferred the garlic scrambled eggs onto a plate. He carried the plate in one hand and a piece of toast in the other, nudging Liu Fan back to the living room.
Liu Fan sipped hot milk and savoured the perfectly toasted bread with well-cooked garlic scrambled eggs, feeling utterly content. He looked at Chen Qian with adoration, “Your cooking is amazing… You could open a restaurant…”
Chen Qian, disinterested, sat on the other side, eating breakfast while scrolling through news on his phone, “We should go to the hospital to check on Li Yu, he should be awake by now.”
“His parents must have had a rough night,” Liu Fan said while eating his third piece of toast. He was amazed that garlic could be used in scrambled eggs and taste this good, almost wanting to lick the plate clean. “This would taste great with rice too. Seriously, why are you such a good cook?”
Chen Qian glanced at him as he placed his empty cup on the table. He coldly replied, “Because I have to feed a pig.”
Liu Fan: “…”
Chen Qian took a shower and then brought Liu Fan to the hospital. Li Yu’s parents were sitting by the bedside, having bought some congee but not yet eaten it. Li Yu, unable to eat anything at the moment, looked particularly fragile lying in bed.
Luo Xi’s eyes were still red, either from lack of sleep or from crying.
Handing over the supplements they bought at the door to Li Xin, Chen Qian stood by the bedside, offering some words of comfort, “Don’t worry about work. Consider this paid leave; take your time to recover.”
Li Yu just stared at him, his mouth moving for a long time but unable to speak.
Luo Xi wiped her eyes, “You must be… Li Yu’s boss, right? Li Xin told me yesterday. We didn’t get a chance to thank you last night… haa…”
“No need to be polite. I’ll be going now so Li Yu can focus on getting better.” Chen Qian said his polite goodbyes. But as he turned to leave, Li Yu made a sound.
Everyone in the room looked over at Li Yu, who had a sad and aggrieved expression.
“Xiao Yu, what’s wrong?” Luo Xi hurried over, fussing over him. But Li Yu ignored her, only looking intently at Chen Qian.
Even someone as dense as Chen Qian finally realised what was going on at this moment.
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*Translator’s Note: Ha! CQ finally knew that LY had feelings for him! This is the last mature chapter, I think? After this, there are just some family issues to settle and we’re on our way to a happy ending! -K
*GLOSSARY:
- ‘Zizhi Tongjian’ (资治通鉴), often translated as the ‘Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government’, is a monumental Chinese historical text, written by the scholar Sima Guang and his team in the 11th century during the Northern Song dynasty. It covers a vast period of Chinese history, from 403 BCE to 959 CE, spanning over 1,300 years.
The work is a chronological history, organised as a year-by-year account of major events, political affairs, and significant figures. It was compiled with the intent to serve as a guide for rulers in governance, offering lessons from the past to inform present and future decisions. Sima Guang focused on presenting a clear and factual narrative, avoiding myth and legend, making it one of the most respected historical records in Chinese historiography.
The text consists of 294 volumes (or juan) and includes detailed accounts of the rise and fall of dynasties, wars, political reforms, and the lives of key historical figures. The ‘Zizhi Tongjian’ has been highly influential in Chinese history, not only as a historical reference but also as a source of moral and political lessons.
☝🏻KY lube
Next update: 2024.10.04
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