Ye Shanshan woke up from a nap and realized he was still on the plane, with one-third of the journey left to go.
He rubbed his face and sat up, hugging the blanket. He stared blankly at the clouds passing by outside the window, his mind still not fully awake. Suddenly, he wondered if, as a little celestial being, he was on his way back to heaven or descending to the mortal world.
No, he thought, little celestial being—Ye Shanshan pinched his own face, thinking his fans were really something else! He shouldn’t have read the comments on Weibo. Now his head was full of thoughts like, “The little celestial being got stuck halfway on his descent.”
Ye Shanshan rubbed the Pikachu plushie he was holding while sleeping. With a head of messy hair, he spaced out for a moment, then pushed up his light green eye mask and forced himself to create a “scallion-shaped” hairstyle. He got out of bed, slipped on his big white rabbit slippers, and walked out, rubbing his eyes and calling out,
“Boyfriend? Husband? Your Majesty? Dark Lord—”
He pushed open the door to the lounge and saw a video playing on Gong Yue’s computer screen. The word “Lord” was about to leave his mouth when he quickly covered his mouth with his hand in shock—mentally scarred.
After blinking a couple of times, Ye Shanshan looked carefully and realized Gong Yue wasn’t in a meeting but was actually watching a video. The person in the video was very familiar to him.
A black little yellow duck mask—that was clearly him!
Ye Shanshan threw himself onto Gong Yue’s back, feeling very pleased. “Haha, caught you! You’re secretly admiring my stunning beauty!”
Two seconds after saying this, Ye Shanshan desperately wanted to take back his words—fans’ comments were really toxic! When did the term “stunning beauty” even enter his vocabulary?
Gong Yue nodded earnestly, “Yes, stunning beauty,” as he continued watching the video of Ye Shanshan holding a chess piece with his right hand.
After a while, Ye Shanshan noticed that Gong Yue was still watching the video and got annoyed. He reached out and rubbed Gong Yue’s face, whining, “Isn’t the real me right next to you? Why are you watching that fake one?”
Gong Yue patted the back of Ye Shanshan’s hand and softened his tone, “I want to see what my precious darling is doing when I’m not around.”
Even though he felt very happy hearing this, Ye Shanshan’s expression remained proud. “Ah, this hobby of yours is a bit unhealthy, such a strong desire for control!”
After saying this, he nuzzled Gong Yue’s neck, unable to stop smiling brightly. “Well, actually, it could be even stronger! It’d be best if you took me with you everywhere!”
As if he had thought of something, Ye Shanshan puckered his lips and then leaned close to Gong Yue’s ear, blowing several breaths into it before lowering his voice to say, “Little sweetie, I’m calling for you.”
It was a pun meaning “I care about you.”
After saying this, the domineering Ye Shanshan looked expectantly at Gong Yue, wondering how he would react. Would he be so happy that he’d hug him, or be moved enough to kiss him? Just thinking about it made him excited!
However, he heard Gong Yue say, “Hmm, but why are you calling for me?”
“…” At that moment, Ye Shanshan suddenly found Gong Yue’s broken Mandarin particularly annoying.
※※※
Four hours later, the plane landed at New York Airport. Ye Shanshan put down his game controller, stretched, and holding Gong Yue’s hand, got off the plane.
A car was already waiting on the tarmac. The two of them first went back to the big apartment in Manhattan. Ye Shanshan was just about to pull Gong Yue for a hot bath together to have some fun, but then the phone rang, and there was an important meeting that Gong Yue needed to attend.
Every year-end, Gong Yue’s schedule becomes even more packed, with a long list of pending tasks and endless year-end meetings and daunting financial reports.
Ye Shanshan helped Gong Yue change his clothes and tied his tie for him. Finally, looking up, he kissed the corner of Gong Yue’s mouth, “Your Majesty, you are mighty and majestic!”
Meeting Ye Shanshan’s bright eyes, Gong Yue embraced him and kissed his forehead, “I’m off to get some good sleep.”
Ye Shanshan blurted out, “This way, when I open my eyes again, I’ll see you, and I can pretend you never left.”
Though he said this, once Gong Yue left, Ye Shanshan felt the room suddenly empty. After tossing and turning in bed for an hour, feeling that sleeping alone was boring, the large bed felt as wide as twenty meters, terribly empty.
Eventually, unable to sleep, Ye Shanshan got out of bed, paced around the room, grabbed a towel, hummed a tune, and cleaned the bedroom floor thoroughly. Afterward, he felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Wiping off his sweat, Ye Shanshan suddenly heard his phone ring with a video call invitation. He picked up the phone from the bed and saw a blonde, blue-eyed woman on the screen.
Ye Shanshan was somewhat surprised, “Teacher Julia, how come you’re becoming more beautiful?”
His expression was sincere, and his tone exaggerated.
Julia clearly enjoyed the compliment, “Little Ye, it looks like you remember everything I taught you very well.”
Julia was Ye Shanshan’s violin teacher. Initially, Ye Shanshan wasn’t good at socializing with others and didn’t know how to greet her every time they met. Julia advised him that if he didn’t know what to say, he could start by complimenting her, like saying she looks radiant.
Glancing at Ye Shanshan, who was covered in sweat, Julia joked, “What are you up to? Working out?”
Ye Shanshan waved the towel in his hand proudly, “I’m cleaning the floor.”
“Did Gong Yue go bankrupt?”
“…”
Seeing Ye Shanshan’s expression, Julia burst into laughter and then waved her hand, “Alright, alright. So, why did you decide to clean the floor? A new hobby?”
“Not really, Gong Yue went to work and isn’t home, so I’m quite bored alone. Just keeping myself busy,” he added in a low voice, “and saving money, you know. His Majesty works very hard.”
Julia was intrigued by the word “bored,” and in the video call, she gestured towards Ye Shanshan, “Little Ye, do you know what your beautiful teacher has been up to lately?”
“Yeah, not doing what she’s supposed to,” Ye Shanshan replied.
Julia gave Ye Shanshan a stern look but couldn’t help smiling, “I’ll give you another chance to speak!”
Quickly correcting himself, Ye Shanshan said, “Contributing to the cause of human beauty!”
Seeing Julia satisfied, she continued, “I heard from Professor Hess that you’ve been neglecting the violin for quite some time.”
Julia’s family managed a renowned luxury brand, but she developed a strong passion for classical music during her childhood and ventured into the classical music world with dedication. By the age of thirty, having achieved great success, she felt that the violin no longer posed a challenge. She then shifted her focus to the family business, delving into fashion design and once again rising to fame.
Clearly unwilling to dwell on the unpleasant Professor Hess, Julia rolled her eyes and picked up an elegant invitation to a design conference nearby. She waved it in front of the camera, “Little Ye, I’m hosting a solo fashion show. Would you like to walk the runway?”
During the time Julia taught him violin, Ye Shanshan was addicted to sweets, and Gong Yue was restricting his daily intake. Julia couldn’t bear it and sneaked in some sweets every day to satisfy his cravings.
During that period, Julia’s violin case always carried the aroma of various cakes and pastries—this was their little secret.
Recalling those times, Ye Shanshan made a gesture and smiled brightly, “Yes, yes, yes!”
—
In Gong Yue’s office.
The marble floor gleamed, and Chris handed over a document, “We’ve investigated the research lab where Madam joined at the age of twenty. The head was Professor Durant George, her mentor. After the lab disbanded due to financial reasons, the professor continued his genetic research. Later, he personally went to investigate a special genetic condition in a primitive tribe in Africa and contracted a serious illness there, leading to his death, after which his body was cremated and brought back to New York.”
“Go on.”
“The professor’s parents passed away early, and he had no wife or children. However, as per your instructions, we managed to locate a small segment of his finger bone that was removed during a surgery before he left the United States for Africa. He kept this bone fragment as a specimen in a glass container. After his death, it was treated as a relic and taken over by one of his students. DNA analysis confirms, as you suspected, that the person who died in the primitive tribe in Africa was not the professor himself.”
Chris looked at Gong Yue and said, “It should be said that this professor has ‘died,’ but in reality, he is still alive.”
Gong Yue stared at the photo of the person named Durant George on the document for a long time. Finally, he closed the file with an unchanged expression, making it difficult to discern what he was thinking.
“Keep investigating. I want to know what research this person has conducted, overtly or covertly,” Gong Yue ordered. “As for the person himself, it’s going to be difficult to find him if he doesn’t show up voluntarily.”
At this moment, the phone that had been sitting on the desk suddenly chimed with a message alert. Gong Yue opened it, and the ice-like glare in his eyes quickly softened.
He held the phone in his hand and looked at Chris. “Thank you for your hard work.”
“Encountering an interesting opponent is always exciting,” Chris nodded to Gong Yue before leaving the office.
—
By 6 PM, Ye Shanshan had changed into a shirt and put on a scarf, preparing to pick up his boyfriend after work.
The car parked outside the Gong family building, the sky completely darkened, thick clouds hinting at imminent snowfall.
Ye Shanshan sent a message to Gong Yue, looking through the bulletproof glass of the car window, gazing up at the splendid golden building. Thoughts of Gong Yue diligently working in his office made him feel a pang of tenderness – I need to be even better to him.
Stepping crisply out of the car, he stood by the door. He recalled his conversation with Julia when they hung up on the video call.
“Little Ye, whether it’s Hess or Boren, they’re all saying you’re different from before. I could feel it today too. You’ve become braver and more willing to experience and try different things in this world. You’re growing stronger.”
Ye Shanshan looked at his shadow under the streetlight, tapping his foot. He knew deep down it wasn’t because he’d become braver than before. It was because there was someone behind him, constantly giving him energy, making him no longer afraid of facing anything.
When Gong Yue emerged from the building, he saw Ye Shanshan in a light brown overcoat, hands casually tucked into pockets, head slightly bowed. His feet were clad in dark boots, accentuating the graceful lines of his calves.
He was meticulously stepping on his own shadow, so absorbed that he didn’t notice Gong Yue approaching until he was right in front of him.
“Shanshan.”
Ye Shanshan initially thought he was imagining things, but then he realized there was an extra shadow next to him and instinctively stepped on it. It wasn’t until he finished that he looked up, staring at Gong Yue standing in front of him, dumbfounded for three seconds. “You’re here?”
“Yeah.” Gong Yue nodded, and suddenly Ye Shanshan took a step closer, removing the scarf around his neck. With utmost seriousness, he wrapped it around him in circles, then took off his coat and draped it over his shoulders. “It’s so cold. You’re dressed too lightly; you might catch a cold.”
After stepping back to admire Gong Yue, he felt he was truly maxing out his boyfriend potential!
Without waiting for Gong Yue to say anything, Ye Shanshan clenched his fists, coughed lightly into them, and focused on Gong Yue. “Mr. Gong, would you like a chance to hug me first?”
Gong Yue didn’t say anything, just took a step forward, enveloped Ye Shanshan in his coat, and pulled him into his arms.
The sky, heavy and silent for most of the day, finally began to snow heavily.
As the warmth belonging to each other slowly seeped into their bodies, Ye Shanshan couldn’t help but smile uncontrollably, lips curved. He reached out and gently brushed the snowflakes off Gong Yue’s hair. “We’ll grow old together.”
Gong Yue tenderly kissed Ye Shanshan’s forehead. “Yes, we’ll grow old together.”
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️”
