The year 2000 didn’t just mark the jump into a new millennium but also the year Shu Ran was supposed to be… Born.
Xu Shen held his hand while waiting to walk together into the 21st century, happy to accompany his wife through the years, but afraid at the same time. Afraid of all kinds of changes, such as Shu Ran’s departure.
When that day came near, he kept on wondering whether Shu Ran’s self would cease to exist in the world, and how it would affect his own existence.
“No. Let’s just go and have a look!” After saying that, Shu Ran was stared at by Xu Shen. After all, Xu Shen was truly afraid that Shu Ran’s birth would suck away the Shu Ran he knew, sending him far away. Wouldn’t it be so painful if that happened right in front of his eyes?!
“It’s like a knife hanging above our heads… We can’t just shrink back and hope for the best.” Seeing his worried look, Shu Ran said.
Xu Shen squeezed his lips, which was a rare reaction for him because he never lost his cool. Just thinking about it made him feel uncomfortable.
And with that uncomfortable feeling also came a lot of malice that he could not show to his wife. It was a bit surprising to realize, but he actually hoped that Shu Ran’s parents didn’t exist in their world at all. They should be banished to a completely different plane of existence, so his wife would not have to go anywhere.
“Brother Shen.” Shu Ran seemed to be able to understand Xu Shen’s feelings, so he raised his hand and touched the other party’s face: “I won’t leave. You need to trust me.” Besides, it didn’t really matter, so he felt like making a little joke: “Even if I’m reborn into my original body, you can just wait for me to grow up.”
Wait for him to grow up?!
That tricky angle immediately made Xu Shen stare at him with wide eyes.
“Eighteen years later, I’ll still sleep on the same bed as you.” Shu Ran vowed while kissing the corner of Xu Shen’s mouth. “At that time, you’ll only be in your late 50’s, still a handsome uncle. We can be together for at least 30 more years.”
It sounded truly ridiculous, but Xu Shen’s mood magically improved. He hugged his wife and smiled: “How ridiculous is that? Would you want me to become an old hooligan who eats tender grass?”
A 50-something-year-old man with an 18-year-old boy… He was afraid that God would really send hail and thunder at him!
“Well, so what? You’re telling me that if that time actually comes, you won’t eat me?” Shu Ran said. “If you don’t eat the tender grass, someone else will.”
“No!” Xu Shen kissed him domineeringly. “I’ll eat, even while I’m being struck by lightning.”
What struck by lightning?! What was his husband even thinking about?! Shu Ran couldn’t help sneering and fell on top of Xu Shen with a smile. He actually wanted to say: “That’s very common in the future, you know?”
An age difference of less than 40 years wasn’t even the worst he heard about… There were others so much more outrageous!
“Then it’s okay.” Xu Shen said with a false sense of security. “I’ll wait for you, and you’ll wait for me.”
“Sure, I’ll wait for you even in my next life.” Shu Ran smiled.
“Superstitions. People don’t have a next life.” However, Xu Shen truly hoped that there was one. At that time, he could still look for Shu Ran, pester him, and continue to be a pair of male mandarin ducks, bringing envy to everyone who saw them!
Even if one of them reincarnated as a woman, they could still be a couple, even more openly… His wife’s superstitions were actually not that bad, Xu Shen thought to himself while laughing.
“So, why don’t we go and have a look?” Shu Ran rubbed Xu Shen’s chest with his cheek. “Anyway, it’s just for peace of mind. If we know the situation early, we won’t be worried.”
“That’s good.” That time around, Xu Shen agreed.
It was indeed better to get it over with quickly and spare themselves of all the uncertainty and fear. And so, they immediately put on thick clothes and went out.
Shu Ran’s original home was also in the Capital, barely half an hour’s drive from where they were currently living. In fact, if he wanted to go back, he would have gone a long time ago, but he was still resisting.
With only a few days until New Year’s Eve, everyone was on their annual leave and the streets were full of the joy of welcoming the new millennium.
Xu Shen drove while following Shu Ran’s instructions, taking him through the large city and all the way to an ordinary residential area. Shu Ran pointed to a primary school by the roadside and said: “That’s where I went to school as a child.”
Xu Shen immediately looked over and answered: “Let’s go and visit it when we come back.”
After passing the school’s gate, they stopped in front of Shu Ran’s parent’s house. Before the divorce, they all lived happily there. However, later, the house was sold and his parents also moved out and settled down with their new families.
“Here is good.” Shu Ran opened the window and pointed to the third floor of the building: “Look, there’s a clump of daffodils by the window.”
“I see it.” Xu Shen nodded. “Now what? Do you want to go up… And have a look?”
“No, let’s just wait in the car.” Shu Ran shook his head and said.
“That’s okay.” Xu Shen looked at his expression and said: “What else can we do?”
The two of them waited in the car, chatting while paying attention to the people who went in and out of the gate.
“Do they live with your grandparents?” Xu Shen asked.
“It’s a wedding house. We lived here after they got married. My grandfather’s house is much bigger than this one, it has a yard and an alley.” Shu Ran recalled with a smile: “They sold this house for cheap and my father regretted it later.”
Xu Shen smiled and said: “Then, do you want to advise him?”
“No way.” Shu Ran hummed. “Sometimes we must fail in life. Let’s not force it.”
“Let him remember the grudge.” Xu Shen raised his hand to scratch Shu Ran’s nose.
“Remember it.” Shu Ran tilted his head and bit Xu Shen’s finger. Xu Shen could have avoided it quickly, but he chose not to. He not only didn’t hide but also deliberately let his wife bite him, even hooking the tip of his slippery tongue.
Shu Ran quickly loosened his teeth and stared at him: “You said that I’m lustful. Obviously, you’re the most lustful one.”
“Yes, I am.” Xu Shen admitted with a smile.
However, they were both in public and under the blue sky, so Shu Ran turned his head away bashfully, looking at the peddler who sold sugar-fried chestnuts. Glancing back at Xu Shen, he ordered: “I want to eat, go buy it.”
“Stir-fried chestnuts with sugar?” Xu Shen also saw it.
“That’s right.” Shu Ran said.
“Wait for me.” Xu Shen immediately untied his seatbelt and got out of the car.
The ground was covered with snow, but Xu Shen was a fast-acting man. As soon as his wife acted coquettishly and said he wanted to eat sugar-fried chestnuts, he immediately stepped on the snow to buy them.
He saw that there were also people selling baked sweet potatoes, so he went to buy some as well…
Shu Ran looked at him from the car, watching his man run through several stalls, and returning with his hands full.
“Roasted sugar cane, I’ll peel it for you.” Xu Shen took out a piece of roasted sugar cane that still gashed hot air. He picked at it with his teeth, and soon bit off the outer skin, handing over the remaining hot pulp.
“You’re so kind.” Shu Ran took it with both hands and got closer to Xu Shen, enjoying the uniquely roasted sugar cane.
It was hot and delicious.
“Spit the rest here.” Xu Shen was busy arranging an improvised garbage bag.
“Okay.” Shu Ran smiled.
After a while, Xu Shen peeled a chestnut and sent it to his wife’s mouth: “Eat one.”
Shu Ran opened his mouth and bit into it. The chestnut pulp tasted powdery and glutinous.
“Is it good?”
“Good!”
Xu Shen smiled with a satisfied face. Next, he fed his wife several chestnuts, only keeping one for himself: “It’s quite delicious.”
“I want to eat roasted sweet potatoes.” Shu Ran said.
“Right away!” Xu Shen clapped his hands and began to peel the sweet potatoes. However, one juicy and soft baked sweet potato was very big. Shu Ran could only eat until he was three points full, leaving the rest to be cleaned up by Xu Shen again.
As he was eating, Shu Ran suddenly shouted: “Ah, I forgot to look at the door!”
“Don’t worry.” Xu Shen said slowly. “I looked at it. Nobody went in.”
Shu Ran felt relieved for a moment, but he immediately opened his eyes wide and shouted: “They’re coming!”
“Where?” Xu Shen also looked along the end of the road, barely seeing a shadow in the long-distance… He was afraid that only the most familiar person could still recognize them from so far away. “I see.”
A couple of young people wearing cotton-padded jackets. The husband was upright and the wife truly exquisite looking. Walking side by side, everyone could see that they still had good feelings for each other at that time.
Looking at his young parents, it was certain that Shu Ran had mixed feelings in his heart. However, he soon found something strange. Frankly speaking, he was just about to be born at that time, but… His mother didn’t look like a soon-to-be giving birth woman at all!
Xu Shen also looked straight at Shu Ran’s mother’s belly. It was not visible at all, and no one could guess that she was about to become a mother…
One couldn’t even be sure whether she was pregnant at all or not!
Xu Shen suddenly held his breath and looked at Shu Ran, the two of them filled with shock. Shu Ran also turned his face for a moment and looked at his husband… Looking at each other like that, both of them felt a little dull. What kind of development was this?!
His parents existed but he… Didn’t?!
Xu Shen’s throat was tight, and he swallowed while asking in a low voice: “Wife… Are you sure you were born this year?”
Shu Ran: “Am I stupid or what?! I don’t even know my own birthday?”
“That…” Xu Shen looked back at the two young people walking down the sidewalk. He couldn’t even see if Shu Ran’s mother was really pregnant.
After being silent for a moment, Shu Ran grabbed his face and explained: “In fact, this is reasonable. There can only be one me in this world. Since I already exist, it’s impossible to give birth to another me, right? Otherwise, wouldn’t it all be a mess?”
“Yes…” In fact, Xu Shen was secretly happy in his heart, but also worried about spoiling the mood, so he didn’t dare to laugh. He could only continue to pretend to be deep: “Parallel worlds, this world is not your original one. However, what should have happened has already happened and cannot be changed.”
“Uh-huh.” Maybe he really didn’t travel back in time but jumped to another world that just had a different timeline.
Maybe… It could barely be explained like that.
Shu Ran sighed and said: “In fact, it’s good to not have me. My mother got pregnant as soon as they got married. Maybe now, they might have enough energy to slowly navigate their married life.”
However, while Xu Shen patiently listened to his story, there was still something that he didn’t know whether to say or not. If he dared to say it, he was afraid that Shu Ran might get sad or even angry with him…
“Since you want to say something, why let it rot in your stomach?” How could Shu Ran not know him? “Say it, let me listen to your high sting.”
“Then I’ll say it.” Xu Shen didn’t feel like a coward at all, even quite willing to get hit by his wife: “I think the right person will not be scared away by some external factors. If they split because of that, I can only think there was not enough love to keep living together.”
It was indeed painful to hear, but Shu Ran couldn’t find anything to refute him.
“I love you, I’m your husband, so I’ll try my best not to let our marriage come to an end.” Xu Shen said. “That’s the awareness of loving someone.”
Shu Ran’s heart was sweet. After all, his man always took every single opportunity to show his love.
“Well.” Shu Ran looked at him. “What you mean is, my mother loved the wrong man?”
“That’s right, your father is a coward.” Xu Shen said rudely.
Indeed he is, Shu Ran thought in his heart. How his father treated his mother and how Xu Shen treated him… There was no need to even attempt to compare the two!
The young couple finally entered the door. Not long after, the two of them appeared lovingly on the balcony, collecting their clothes together.
However, Xu Shen thought it would be best if they broke up right away. Shu Ran’s nominal father was really not good enough.
“Shall we go back?” Xu Shen watched with Shu Ran for a long time, all the way until the young couple went back inside.
“Oh…” Shu Ran came back to his senses. “Let’s go back.”
“If you can’t bear it, we can come to see them often in the future.” Xu Shen stretched out his arm, touched his head, and said.
“I’m not reluctant to give them up.” Shu Ran smiled at Xu Shen: “I just sighed after listening to your words. According to you, would they still not end up together in the end?”
“That’s what I think, and I’m always reasonable.” Xu Shen held the steering wheel and said.
At the moment when he fell in love with Shu Ran, Xu Shen had one thought in his heart: Only as a widow would he be willing to let go. What kind of pathetic excuse was to claim there was not enough love?!
And so he said his thoughts out loud, even with the risk of sounding extreme: “I love you. Only death can take you away.”
“What if I don’t love you back?” Shu Ran tilted his head and smiled, challenging Xu Shen’s bottom line badly: “If I want to be free, will you let me go then?”
“One should always let go in that situation.” Xu Shen was full of confidence: “But that doesn’t apply to me. You must love me all my life.”
“Well, that’s one way to answer my question.” Shu Ran laughed but also knew that scenario would never come true so there was no need to continue to interrogate his man.
After all, it was impossible not to love Xu Shen.
After seeing Shu Ran’s parents, both of them were relieved. As Xu Shen said, now only death could separate them.
…………
The New Year’s Eve of the new millennium was very lively. Shu Ran and his group of people gathered for the countdown in Chen Sen’s mansion. After all, he had the biggest family, full of grown children.
Shu Ran wore a white sweater and a colorful knitted hat on his head, still looking like a young man. And since all the other things in the courtyard were also children’s toys, he had no issue with lighting fairy sticks with his nephews and nieces.
“How old are you?” Xu Shen pointed to the square fireworks at his feet: “If you want to play, then play with this.”
“What’s the matter? Are fireworks divided by age?” He asked comfortably.
“Okay, okay, then you can do whatever you want.” Xu Shen saw that the fairy stick in his hand was about to burn out, so he quickly replaced it with another one. “Play and have fun.”
“Uncle, come play too!” Several children surrounded Xu Shen as he set off fireworks. However, Xu Shen was patient with his wife but had no patience for children. He quickly pointed to Chen Sen and said: “Go to your father. Or go and anger your other uncle.”
Chen Kai heard him from afar, giving him a blank stare and completely unable to catch a break: “Yeah, come and anger your uncle!!!”
Seeing that, Shu Ran put his arms around Xu Shen’s neck and smiled: “Are you angry?”
“I’m just messing with them.” Xu Shen kissed him.
Jiang Fan held up his camera to capture everyone and just happened to record that dreamy scene of love. The fairy stick in Shuran’s hand glowed near Xu Shen’s face, and the moment the two kissed was indeed beautiful.
“Tut-tut!” It had a special sense of atmosphere that couldn’t be staged even if the photographer deliberately tried, so Jiang Fan always liked to take their pictures. Every single one of them gave off a good feeling: “Your fans are blessed!”
So far, nobody understood how two men could still be in love after such a long time. Speaking of which, Jiang Fan believed it had a lot to do with the fact that they were both still so infuriatingly handsome!
Midnight was coming. The huge table in the hall was full of exquisite food, with both staple meals and snacks. Everyone ate and drank in the room, waiting for the countdown together.
“Do you want some fudge?” Xu Shen picked something he could feed his wife from the dazzling table.
“I want the peach one.” Shu Ran pointed at it.
And so, Xu Shen poked at a pink fudge covered with frosting, feeding it to Shu Ran’s mouth.
As soon as they finished, the countdown began. Everyone present counted down in unison: “Ten, nine, eight… three, two, one! Happy New Year!”
Shu Ran and Xu Shen looked at each other and said: “Happy New Year, love you!”
After embracing the new year and receiving lots of red envelopes, everyone went home, including Chen Kai with his wife and children… Indeed, even Chen Kai was now a proper, family man!
Back home, Shu Ran said: “Brother Shen, shall I make a cup of coffee?”
“So late? Don’t want to go to bed yet?” Xu Shen hugged him from behind in a sticky manner.
Shu Ran also turned around and gave him a kiss. “Let’s go to bed later. Brother Fan sent the pictures. I guess everyone is waiting for the New Year’s update.” He couldn’t bear to let their fans down.
“All right.” The blessing must indeed be seen by everyone. Xu Shen answered and went to make coffee obediently.
In the good days of the new millennium, young people were night owls. Shu Ran logged in and found that the number of people online was amazing, and the message board was also blessed. The entire situation was indeed very shocking.
Therefore, when Xu Shen came over, Shu Ran took him to record a New Year’s blessing video, sending it with the pictures accumulated in the evening.
It could only be said that the number of people online soared like a rocket…
[Ah, ah, finally! Waiting for you~~]
[I knew there was a surprise waiting for this little night owl!]
[Happy New Year! O(∩_∩)O~]
[Ran Ran and Brother Shen crossing into the new century together! Wishing you love for the next century (*^. ^*)]
After watching the New Year’s greetings and the beautiful picture of them kissing under the fireworks, everyone looked satisfied and felt warm in their hearts.
[Brother Ran and Brother Shen are so beautiful, woo-woo]
[Another year, this one is the 17th one, right? I hope time will slow down.]
[Hahaha, playing with fairy sticks, why do I feel like Ran Ran is becoming more and more childish? Is Brother Shen spoiling him too much?]
[In front of others, Ran Ran is a boss, in front of Brother Shen, Ran Ran is a baby.]
…………
After entering the year 2000, the country’s development changed with each passing day, and all walks of life started to bloom. Naturally, the Internet also evolved day by day, and popular things changed quickly.
Some talents who could seize business opportunities saw that Shu Ran and Xu Shen had a lot of traffic, so they thought about imitating their model and becoming popular.
And so, on the Internet, one could suddenly see many CPs, both of the same sex and the opposite sex, all of whom look very good.
Some of them also became popular, but it was far from the popularity others brought back from the days of paper media… It was traffic indeed, but those ancestors… They weren’t easy to surpass.
And they also could never be surpassed. After all, time created heroes, and one could never find such legendary romantic figures in the future, ones that could bring awe to anyone.
Shu Ran also knew that there seemed to be another male CP who became popular alongside them on the Internet. Despite all of that, he didn’t mind that others copied their website and even the way they showed love. Real feelings deserved to be famous, and it was okay to steal fans in the name of love.
However, thousands of their fans were angry, hoping that they could defend their rights.
Shu Ran knew that if he let it go, his fans would start creating trouble, so he sent a post to comfort everyone and ask them not to go to other people’s territory and mess around.
However, his fans immediately responded: “Let’s not talk about it. Let’s go and take a look first and speak later!”
And so, the message area turned into pandemonium.
[Give me back my eyes! This is not sweet at all!!]
[Sister, how can others compare to our National CP!]
[What do you want to see to save your eyes? We have so much food here! In addition to what they officially post, our sisters can find new gems every day! Go to the altar and praise the archaeologist sisters who dig out new sugar!]
With newspapers and magazines readily available, one could find surprises everywhere. How to put it, everything was truly sweet, making people giggle.
For example, while attending someone else’s birthday banquet, Xu Shen’s eyes never lingered on the birthday star. Instead, he was photographed by reporters picking up vegetables for his “business partner”, filling his bowl and even directly feeding him. And at that time, one must know they weren’t even public yet!
And there was a follow-up as well.
About half a year later, Writer Shu said in an interview that his partner liked to feed him, asking if he was hungry every now and then.
The candy found by the archeologist sisters with their own strength was so sweet!
[I’m new here, where can I collect some old newspapers and magazines? Is the legendary love album still on sale?!]
[Ask your sisters, the album sold like crazy! Now that some of them have it, you can post a message on the Internet and see who’s willing to sell it.]
[As an old aunt of the same age as Ran Ran, I have full access to the resources of the entire department! Ha ha ha!]
[Stop bragging!]
It was quite difficult to find old newspapers and forgotten magazine interviews. Most of the people who bragged about having access to all the resources were Shu Ran’s old book fans. They have paid attention to him from the beginning and they were also no longer that young.
[Reporting! Sister Xipi from next door is selling old article clippings!]
[So jealous! I can also sell some peripherals from Brother Shen.]
It was such a pity that Boss Xu only gifted things to his fans and never sold them for profit!
[Open call to Brother Shen! What are you doing?! Do you still love your wife?!]
[The limelight is about to be robbed by other families! Come out and protect your wife!]
There were too many messages, all of them calling out to Xu Shen to come and prove his love. Poor Big Brother Shen who didn’t know the situation on the Internet: “!?”
[We want to talk about you and your wife’s situation! We are angry!]
“Why is everyone so angry?” The situation continued to be unclear.
[Go read the previous messages ~~]
And so, Xu Shen obediently went to read thousands of messages. After a while, he finally understood. Boss Xu, the one who was both rich and generous, said: “Wait for half a month and you’ll have your gift bag.”
[Wow, you’re the best! ~~]
“You still have the time to be kind to me.” Xu Shen felt helpless.
[We’re all gentle beings so it’s only natural!]
Half a month later, Boss Xu’s gift bags were sent out, with umbrellas and notepads, making fans all over the country cry.
[What a beautiful umbrella, how can I be willing to take it out and get it wet in the rain?!]
[I can’t bear it, all right!]
[Beautiful things, all of them free of charge, T_T. Our family is the only one who plays like this on the Internet, right?]
[They’re both already rich, how could they compare with others?]
But in fact, it was easy to compare. Some played on the Internet for the sake of money, while others just wanted to share their love.
Shu Ran estimated that when he and Xu Shen turned old, sooner or later, a younger and more beautiful CP would come to the top and steal their popularity. However, fans agreed that it was impossible.
They represented a mountain that couldn’t be crossed, a place that could never accommodate other people. They were truly different, and bits and pieces of their love could still make people giggle even decades later.
After all, it was them who made others believe that the world could still hold such beautiful feelings.
“Will anyone remember us in a few decades?” Xu Shen asked.
“They will.” Shu Ran said. “The Internet never forgets.”
And with so many things thrown on the Internet, it was truly hard to forget them!
Xu Shen hugged Shu Ran and rubbed him: “Wife, do you think we can still meet in other worlds?”
For example, in the last life that Shu Ran experienced, he read about him in books, so it could also count as an intersection.
It was possible that in other parallel worlds, the two of them could still find their way to each other.
“Who knows?” Shu Ran thought. “The universe is so big, so there should be, right? Maybe in another parallel world, I’m older than you.” He then pinched Xu Shen’s face and continued: “Maybe I’m the old cow that eats tender grass.”
“Yes, that’s fine.” Xu Shen smiled. “If it’s you, then you can eat it.”
“What you said, I’ll be sure to remember.” Shu Ran said.
“I said it for you to remember.” Xu Shen nodded.
For a moment, they both expected to meet in their next life.
As an old cow that ate tender grass, or as two stones in a river. Maybe as two trees growing next to each other, with merged branches. The key was not to turn into stone together but to always be together.
It was romantic to think about it.
~ THE END ~
T.N: That’s it, lovely people. This novel is completed. I haven’t chosen a new project yet, maybe I’ll take a little break because I need to look for an internship 🙁 So not enough time to translate another beautiful work. I hope you have enjoyed this ride as much as I did, and if so, please head up to NU and give it a big and beautiful rating! Hope to see you soon, bye bye! :*
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T.N: I have chosen my next project! Will start posting on Friday, 9th of August. The schedule remains the same, with updates on Wednesday and Friday. Hope you’ll like it as well, it’s short, but I find it quite comedic in tone and it’s a mutual attack story!
Only fools believe in love
Zhang Yuze fell asleep only to find out that he had crossed over into a random book… Becoming a scum gong’s pitiful but cheap ex-boyfriend, someone who even turned into a love-obsessed stalker after being rejected.
As for Xu Li, the original scum gong, he was simply disappointed with love and marriage after witnessing his father’s domestic violence and the breakdown of his parent’s marriage.
On top of that, he was also a firm believer in a famous saying: Only fools believe in love.
*
One would think that Zhang Yuze would be happy to hold the script, eager to stage a cool drama about tearing up a scumbag, hitting him with a counterattack, and forcing him to chase his wife through a crematorium, right?
Unfortunately, no. Because he himself also didn’t believe in love.
Zhang Yuze, the one who once experienced the betrayal of his first love, being played with and forced to wear a green hat, actually agreed with the scumbag…
Only fools believe in love.
*
He thought that there would be no more intersections between his and Xu Li’s life. But who knew that one day, Xu Li, who had a high fever, suddenly stretched out his hand to him, looking provocative and frivolous.
He swallowed an antipyretic and suddenly said: “You don’t believe in love, and neither do I. However, medicine says that practice comes from true knowledge. How about we fall in love and see if there’s such a thing?”
*
“Do you believe in love?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then why are we getting married?”
“I don’t need love, but I need you.”
The one with the most poisonous tongue in the world, Zhang Yuze vs. The drama dog with a coquettish mouth, Xu Li.
Reversible couple! Mutual attack story!
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