Chapter 35 – Drunk
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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After the start of autumn, it was the dog days of summer.
Every time he went outside, Liu Fan felt like he was dying from the heat and wished he could carry an air conditioner everywhere. “Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?”
“I don’t want to be the third wheel for you and your General Manager Chen again.” Liu Mengjiao replied while applying mascara. “Besides, I have a date tonight.”
Liu Fan pretended to cry, “Alright, I’ve been abandoned. I’ll just have a bowl of beef noodles tonight.”
“Huh?” Liu Mengjiao paused applying mascara and turned to look at him. “You’re alone again tonight? Where’s your General Manager Chen?”
“He has a social event,” Liu Fan replied nonchalantly.
“Another one?” Liu Mengjiao thought for a moment and then gossiped with concern, “He has been having a lot of social events recently, hasn’t he?”
“Yeah.” Liu Fan wasn’t too worried. He knew Chen Qian had been busy lately. He had asked about it. But Chen always said it was nothing, just company matters. As long as Chen said it, Liu Fan believed him. He didn’t think much beyond that. “I’ve noticed he’s a bit tired lately. I should probably make him some soup to help him recover.”
Liu Mengjiao didn’t say more and just smiled, “Oh my, my little Fan Fan is so virtuous. You’re ready to get married.”
Liu Fan pointed to the ring on his finger, “I’m already married.”
“Every time I see you,” Liu Mengjiao said with a deadpan expression, “I get marriage envy.”
“Oh, really? So, who are you going out with tonight? Is it Zhou Chi again? How many times has it been?” Liu Fan dodged Liu Mengjiao’s playful punch and stopped teasing her. If she and Zhou Chi could actually get together, it would be a good match made by Liu Mengjiao herself.
***
Liu Fan now spent a lot of time at Chen Qian’s apartment, not just on weekends but also during weekdays. Every time Liu Fan stayed over, Chen Qian secretly rejoiced. He insisted on driving Liu Fan to work every morning despite Liu Fan’s attempts to dissuade him. Liu Fan felt it was better to stay at Chen Qian’s place, so Chen Qian wouldn’t have to wake up early and go out of his way, allowing him to sleep a bit longer.
After cooking himself a bowl of instant beef noodles, Liu Fan ate and then went back to the bedroom to watch Bilibili. He fell asleep, but was startled awake when the bedroom door suddenly opened.
“Who’s there?!”
The person at the door looked particularly awkward, standing there not knowing what to do.
“What’s wrong with him?” Liu Fan calmed down upon seeing Chen Qian. He walked over and immediately smelled alcohol. “He’s drunk?”
“Are you…are you…” The person looked at Liu Fan’s pyjamas and the master bedroom, stammering, “Are you General Manager Chen’s partner?”
“Yes, I am. Hello.” Liu Fan helped support Chen Qian. The person, looking relieved, handed over a bag he had been struggling to carry, “This is from General Manager Chen for you!”
“Thanks. Just put it aside for now,” Liu Fan said, too busy to take it. “Bro, can you help me get him to the bed?”
“Sure.” The person quickly set the bag down and helped Liu Fan move Chen Qian to the bed. “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Zhou Yang, General Manager Chen’s new assistant. You can call me Xiao Zhou. Um…-“
“-I’m Liu Fan.” Liu Fan interrupted him, focusing on Chen Qian. As he slowly placed Chen Qian on the bed, the change in position seemed too much for the drunken man, who suddenly grabbed Liu Fan’s arm to steady himself. Liu Fan tried to shield himself. But Chen ended up vomiting on half of his body.
Liu Fan had never seen Chen Qian in such a dishevelled state due to drunkenness. Zhou Yang stood helplessly beside him. Liu Fan settled Chen Qian down, patting his back to help him breathe easier. “Xiao Zhou, could you please go downstairs and get a cup of hot water for Chen Ge?”
“Sure, I’ll go right away.” Zhou Yang quickly opened the door and went downstairs. This time, Liu Fan gently and slowly laid Chen Qian down, loosened his collar, and felt his flushed face. “How much did you drink this time?”
Chen Qian kept his eyes closed, frowning in discomfort. He probably did not hear him.
Liu Fan got up, changed his clothes, and went to the bathroom to get a towel soaked in hot water. He used it to wipe Chen Qian’s face and hands. Zhou Yang returned with the hot drinking water, which Liu Fan took to help Chen Qian rinse his mouth and drink a bit. When Chen Qian looked more comfortable and fell into a deep sleep, Liu Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for your hard work.” Liu Fan placed the cup back on the bedside table and said to Zhou Yang, “I’ll walk you out.”
“No, it’s no trouble at all. It’s my duty,” Zhou Yang said hastily.
Liu Fan walked him to the bedroom door. “Has anything happened at your company recently? Chen Qian seems very busy.”
“Yes, it’s about recovering payments from clients,” Zhou Yang replied cautiously. “But most of our big clients are real estate developers, and you know how the market is right now. It’s pretty troublesome because the developers themselves don’t have money.”
Liu Fan frowned slightly.
Not wanting to cause more worry, Zhou Yang quickly added, “But it’s okay. General Manager Chen negotiated to exchange the debts for ready-to-sell properties at a 30% discount. So we actually gained from the deal.”
However, real estate properties are not as liquid as cash and converting them into cash quickly can be problematic and may result in a loss. Liu Fan asked, “Is your boss planning to sell them soon?”
“I’m not too sure.” Zhou Yang, hesitant and worried, reached the door and gathered the courage to say to Liu Fan, “Liu Ge, everyone left in the company really trusts General Manager Chen. The company is just going through a rough patch. We just…hope that General Manager Chen won’t keep telling us that everything is being handled whenever we ask. It makes us a bit anxious.”
Liu Fan smiled at this. “Your boss comes from a sales background and sometimes can’t cover all aspects of management. He’s used to handling things on his own and doesn’t like talking about his feelings. As his assistant, it might be tough. But try to communicate more with the staff. And don’t worry, Chen Qian knows what he’s doing. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to get Fanyu to where it is.”
“Yes, that’s true.” Zhou Yang nodded, feeling somewhat reassured by the support from someone close to their boss. He smiled and bid Liu Fan farewell.
After closing the door, Liu Fan rubbed his temples, wondering what trouble Chen Qian had gotten into this time.
He turned back to the bedroom. Chen Qian was lying on his side on the bed, and it was unclear if he was asleep or awake. Regardless of whether he had any questions, Liu Fan didn’t intend to disturb his rest. He then noticed the bag Chen Qian had specially brought back and finally had the time to take a closer look at it.
The logo on the bag was very familiar—Xuanhe Ju.
Without much thought, Liu Fan knew what would be inside. He took the bag out, placed the banana dessert in the refrigerator, and then returned to the bedroom. He stood by the bed and looked at Chen Qian for a long time before turning off the bedside lamp and carefully lying down.
In the middle of the night, Liu Fan woke up.
He lay in bed pondering why he woke up. His bladder wasn’t pressuring him, he hadn’t had a nightmare, and it wasn’t time to wake up. So why did he wake up? He turned and saw Chen Qian looking at him with wide open eyes.
Liu Fan was almost scared to death and screamed out loud.
Chen Qian was equally startled and screamed back, “What are you yelling about?!”
Liu Fan, still frightened, asked, “What are you looking at me for?!”
“Nothing,” Chen Qian pinched the bridge of his nose. He exhaled a breath, got out of bed to wash up, and then lay back down. He coaxed Liu Fan, “It’s late. Go back to sleep.”
Waking up in the middle of the night for no reason, Liu Fan couldn’t fall back asleep right away. So he asked, “Is everything resolved? I mean, your company’s issues.”
Chen Qian frowned, “What did Zhou Yang tell you?”
“Oh,” Liu Fan said indifferently, “he told me everything. So, is it resolved now?”
“Almost. Don’t worry, I can still support you. Stop asking and go to sleep.” Chen Qian pulled him closer and said, “Let’s not talk about this. I have to go home again this week. You’re coming with me.”
If this was Chen Qian’s way of diverting the conversation, it was quite effective. Liu Fan’s attention was successfully diverted, “Did you manage to talk to your dad?”
“I’m done trying to persuade him. I’ll go and talk to him first. If it works, I’ll take you to meet my parents. If it doesn’t, we’ll leave and find somewhere to eat.” Chen Qian’s slightly sombre tone in the dark room carried a hint of weariness, “My mom’s way of keeping the peace is basically just going along with him. In reality, nothing has changed.”
He repeated to himself, “Nothing has changed.”
“How can you say nothing has changed?” Liu Fan smiled, “This time, you’re brave enough to take me home. Even if your family doesn’t agree, we won’t just argue and go our separate ways like before.”
Time has either worn things down or allowed growth. Their feelings for each other had not diminished in the slightest but had grown even more certain.
Liu Fan thought to himself; I trust you more now than I did then. And I trust myself more too.
Chen Qian’s lips touched his forehead lightly, with a hint of a smile in his voice, “You always know what to say.”
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*Translator’s Note: They’re so sweet…Aahhh… No toxicity… How nice. -K
*GLOSSARY:
- The “dog days of summer” refers to the hottest and most sultry period of the summer, typically occurring in July and August in the Northern Hemisphere. The phrase originates from ancient times, specifically from the Romans, who associated this period with the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, which is part of the constellation Canis Major. They believed this star’s appearance in the sky contributed to the extreme heat during this time of year. In modern usage, “dog days” can also imply a time when people feel lethargic or uncomfortable due to the intense heat.
- Bilibili is a popular Chinese video-sharing platform, similar to YouTube, that started as a site for anime, comics, and games (ACG) content but has since expanded to include a wide variety of content, including music, lifestyle, education, and more. It’s particularly known for its interactive features, like real-time “bullet comments” (弹幕, danmu) that scroll across the screen while videos are playing, allowing viewers to comment and see others’ comments simultaneously.
Next update: 2024.10.10
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