After dinner, perhaps inspired, Ye Shanshan hurried back to the bedroom. Before closing the door, he earnestly told Gong Yue not to disturb him midway, or else they’d have a silent treatment for three minutes. Only after Gong Yue agreed did he finally close the door with relief.
For the next couple of hours, Gong Yue found himself unable to concentrate on work, constantly glancing towards the door.
It wasn’t until over two hours later that Ye Shanshan, with his hair now completely white, appeared at the door. He wore a white silk robe that exposed a large portion of his chest and delicate collarbones. His bare feet were gracefully shaped. Upon entering and standing in front of Gong Yue with an indifferent expression, he greeted him with a slight bow, exuding a certain elegance.
“Greetings, fellow daoist. I am the White-Haired Immortal.”
Just as Gong Yue thought the dialogue wasn’t finished, he saw Ye Shanshan’s aloof demeanor barely lasting a minute before he slowly approached him.
“Bro, do you want to dye your hair white with me? You still have plenty of that special dye you made for me last time, and I’ve gotten pretty good at dyeing hair. It’ll only take a bit over an hour.”
After saying this, he immediately contradicted himself, “But no, if you dyed your hair white, tomorrow’s headline in the Wall Street Journal might be ‘Gong Faces Bankruptcy, Gong Yue Turns White Overnight.'”
He poked Gong Yue’s cheek with his finger, sighing with some regret.
Unable to bear seeing him disappointed, Gong Yue held back from making any promises. “I’ll dye it with you in the future.”
“Alright, alright!” Ye Shanshan nodded vigorously, as if afraid Gong Yue might change his mind. He stared at Gong Yue’s neatly groomed hair, already envisioning the powerful duo of the White-Haired Immortals making their grand entrance.
The next morning, Ye Shanshan and Gong Yue left together. Julia’s private studio was in Manhattan, and it took less than half an hour for Ye Shanshan to reach the door.
The studio was decorated with a highly personal style, featuring favorite decorations, flowers, crystal chandeliers, walnut furniture, priceless oil paintings, various luxurious fabrics piled everywhere, and a mishmash of sheet music and photos hanging on the walls.
Ye Shanshan knocked on the door, catching Julia in the midst of adjusting clothes with her assistant. Julia looked up and then froze.
“Is it the hair color? It’s temporary, I can wash it off,” Ye Shanshan scratched his white hair, puzzled by Julia’s expression. He had thought it looked rather good when he checked himself in the mirror before leaving today.
Julia put down her measuring tape and stared at Ye Shanshan for a while, shaking her head. Her golden curls swayed slightly with the motion. “No, it’s beautiful,” she said, unable to suppress a smile.
Her eyes focused on Ye Shanshan with the zeal of a designer, “When you stood at the door and looked at me just now, I knew my Ice Prince had been found.” Turning around, she continued, “Shanshan, let me show you.”
Ye Shanshan followed Julia into a smaller room, evidently Julia’s own office and studio. It was neatly arranged with no one inside, featuring a violin case placed on a stool and a glass case in the corner covered with silk cloth.
Approaching it, Julia grasped one corner of the cloth, “Shanshan, this is the outfit you’re going to wear.” With a swift motion, she pulled the cloth down, revealing a complete glass case and a set of clothes hanging inside.
Ye Shanshan couldn’t take his eyes off it.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Julia stood beside Ye Shanshan, both admiring the outfit together. “When I was young, listening to stories, I always wondered what the Ice Prince of the Snow Kingdom would wear. One day, when I reopened my childhood fairy tale book, I suddenly knew it was time to create this outfit.”
Her voice was gentle, “This is my most successful piece. Perhaps nothing in my lifetime will surpass it, but I could never find anyone worthy of wearing it. I was even ready to give up, to let it lie dormant forever in its glass case. Until you told me you were coming to New York, and I had a wonderful idea.”
“To have me wear it?”
“Yes, although male models are usually too striking in appearance, you two are the perfect match,” Julia’s gaze shifted from the clothes to Ye Shanshan. “Shanshan, you have a captivating power.”
After returning home, Gong Yue hadn’t come back yet.
He collapsed directly onto the sofa. Throughout the day, Ye Shanshan had been trying on various accessories and tweaking the details of the clothes. It dawned on him that Teacher Julia had an unparalleled obsession with details, scrutinizing every proportion and detail relentlessly.
Even though he didn’t have to do anything but stand still, he was still exhausted.
Later, when Julia was agonizing over color matching, Ye Shanshan kindly offered a few suggestions, only to receive a strong and thorough scorn from her.
“Did Gong Yue pick out your own clothes, or did you?”
Ye Shanshan nodded, listening as Julia continued, “Your daily attire suits you very well. Subconsciously, it gives people the impression that you have good taste in clothing, and your coordination and colors are all on point. However, reality is a disaster.”
“…”
Ye Shanshan felt brutally attacked. After some thought, he decided to fill the bathtub with hot water to warm his little heart.
So when Gong Yue returned, he didn’t find Ye Shanshan but heard strange humming coming from the bathroom.
Pushing open the door, he saw Ye Shanshan lying flat in the clear water, rhythmically floating and submerging. When he surfaced, he took a deep breath, and when he submerged, his whole face disappeared under the water, making “glug glug” bubble sounds, thoroughly engrossed in his play.
His hair had returned to black, his skin fair. The extreme contrast between the two colors made him look like an enchanting sea nymph when submerged below the water’s surface.
Gong Yue paused for a few seconds at the doorway before walking into the bathroom, half kneeling beside the bathtub. When Ye Shanshan surfaced again, surprised by his gaze, Gong Yue gently kissed his lips. They sank together beneath the water’s surface, where all sounds seemed muted.
Ye Shanshan gazed at Gong Yue with focused eyes. Their lips continued to intertwine in kisses underwater. Suddenly, Ye Shanshan felt as if the entire world had quieted down, leaving only the illusion of himself and Gong Yue.
It wasn’t until his brain started to feel dizzy from lack of oxygen that Gong Yue released him. Ye Shanshan sat up, leaned against the edge, and took several deep breaths. Suddenly, he reached out his hand towards the man still half kneeling beside the bathtub, lifting his chin slightly. “Your boyfriend is waiting for you to shower together.”
Like a prince commanding his knight.
Gong Yue complied perfectly, taking Ye Shanshan’s hand and kissing each fingertip attentively before releasing it and standing up.
Ye Shanshan watched as Gong Yue casually loosened his tie with one hand, then discarded his jacket to the side. Next came the suit vest, followed slowly by unbuttoning his white shirt one button at a time, revealing his gradually exposed body. As he watched Gong Yue become increasingly uncovered, Ye Shanshan found himself tongue-tied. He remembered the compliments he had heard during the day and thought that Gong Yue was truly mesmerizing.
The bathtub was very large, and Gong Yue embraced Ye Shanshan from behind.
“Did you have a good day today?” Gong Yue kissed Ye Shanshan’s shoulder and the back of his neck, his voice low and deep.
“Yes,” Ye Shanshan’s voice was steady but with a trembling undertone. His whole back felt as if it were heating up. After a moment, Ye Shanshan organized his thoughts, “Teacher made me walk the opening and finale tonight, both outfits are stunning.”
“And then?” Gong Yue’s hand deftly started massaging his small sugar grains.
“And then…” Ye Shanshan tried to remember, “Teacher’s studio is beautiful, filled with all kinds of fabrics… and many shiny decorations on the table… there are also many drawings on the table…” Feeling Gong Yue’s movements, Ye Shanshan became distracted and was pinched hard by Gong Yue. “Shanshan, focus a little, continue.”
How could he possibly focus?
The voice sounded a bit plaintive, “After trying on the clothes… I had afternoon tea in the studio. The desserts were delicious… but the coffee was too bitter, didn’t like it…” Feeling the familiar swell behind him, Ye Shanshan paused to take a breath. He noticed Gong Yue also stopped, so he quickly continued, “I also had a small piece of cheesecake, very delicious… and homemade rose sugar, very fragrant…”
Towards the end, Ye Shanshan had completely lost track of what he was saying. Both hands tightly gripped the edge of the bathtub, slowly being enveloped in Gong Yue’s palms.
Seeing Ye Shanshan turning his head, eyes watery and pitifully looking at him, Gong Yue lowered his head to kiss his lips and asked, “Shanshan, do you like it?”
“I do,” Ye Shanshan’s voice trembled completely, whimpering, still worried, “Will water get in?”
Gong Yue shook his head, reassuring him, “It won’t, it’s sealed.” After saying that, he exerted pressure with his waist and abdomen, going too deep, causing Ye Shanshan to involuntarily make a sound.
They spent nearly two hours in the bath. When Gong Yue finally carried Ye Shanshan out of the bathtub, he was completely exhausted. Lying down on the bed, he was about to fall asleep. Suddenly, Ye Shanshan spoke with a muffled voice,
“Brother, the little biscuits were delicious. I brought three pieces back for you in a small tin box. Remember to try them.” After saying that, he couldn’t resist the drowsiness any longer and drifted off to sleep.
Gong Yue tucked in Ye Shanshan’s bedsheets neatly, then found the small tin box on the table. Opening it, he found three neatly arranged pieces of biscuits inside, perfectly preserved. Gong Yue wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, but he still picked up one piece and put it in his mouth.
Indeed, it was as delicious as Ye Shanshan had described.
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! ❤️”
