Chapter 19 – Don’t Be Unhappy
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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The meal lasted until four in the afternoon, and everyone came out drunk. Qian Feng, leaning on Chen Qian’s shoulder, slurred, “Rest assured, this year’s advertising fees will still go to you guys.”
Li Yu was waiting in the car, while Liu Fan accompanied Chen Qian to politely escort this ‘lord’ to the hotel. They paid for the room and ensured full service for them.
Liu Fan was astonished, thinking; If he’s already this lethargic in the afternoon, how will he be at night?
Chen Qian, with years of experience, and now having Liu Fan to share the load, seemed fine on the surface. However, Liu Fan had reached his limit and, supported by Chen Qian, stumbled out of the hotel and vomited on the roadside. Feeling miserable, Liu Fan covered his eyes and pushed Chen Qian, who was patting his back away. He said, “Move away. Be careful, I might puke on you.”
“What are you talking about? Even if you puke on me, you don’t have to clean it,” Chen Qian said, feeling heartbroken seeing Liu Fan vomit so badly. He helped him sit down and said, “I’ll go buy you some water.”
Liu Fan weakly replied, “Don’t bother.”
But Chen Qian had already run off, and soon came back with a bottle of Nongfu Spring water.
“Nongfu Spring,” Liu Fan hiccupped drunkenly, “it’s a bit sweet.”
Chen Qian: “…”
Chen Qian snatched the bottle back, opened the cap, and fed Liu Fan a big gulp as he said, “Rinse your mouth first.”
Liu Fan spat out the water drunkenly and was carefully fed two more sips by Chen Qian. He finally felt a bit better. Chen Qian wiped Liu Fan’s mouth with his sleeve and asked, “Let’s get you home. Can you walk?”
Liu Fan nodded. But as he kept nodding, his head started to droop. Seeing this, Chen Qian understood and quickly drank the rest of the water. He then squatted down and carried Liu Fan on his back. This was a familiar position for Liu Fan. Although he was dizzy, he still knew to hold on tightly to Chen Qian, and he even nuzzled his forehead against Chen Qian’s shoulder.
As Chen Qian took a step forward, he complained, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have brought you along.”
“If you didn’t bring me, you’d be the one lying down today…” Liu Fan drawled. His mind was half-clear, half-confused, and his head started to slip off Chen Qian’s shoulder. Chen Qian quickly adjusted him higher up. “I’m used to it, what’s the big deal? Do you need me to stand up for you? Is your man so useless that he can’t handle a few drinks?”
Liu Fan bit Chen Qian’s shoulder. “You ungrateful brute.”
Then he spat, tasting only fabric.
“Biting people now?” Chen Qian teased. “Who’s the brute here?”
The parking lot wasn’t far, and they reached it in a few steps. Li Yu, seeing their state, was momentarily stunned but quickly got out to help Liu Fan into the back seat. Chen Qian followed, resting Liu Fan’s head on his lap and giving Li Yu an address. “Go straight there. Keep an eye on the office for me this afternoon.”
Li Yu felt uneasy. “You’re not going to the office this afternoon?”
“No. Liu Fan’s this drunk. I can’t leave him alone at home.” Chen Qian massaged Liu Fan’s temples with the right amount of pressure. “Where’s the hangover medicine? Give me one.”
Li Yu took out a blister pack of pills from the compartment and tossed it back to him, constantly glancing at the two in the rearview mirror as he drove.
Chen Qian took out a pill and put it in Liu Fan’s mouth. “Take this. It’ll make you feel better.”
The pill tasted a bit sweet but mostly like herbal medicine, more peculiar than a throat lozenge. Without thinking, Liu Fan spat it out. “What is this? It’s awful!”
“It’s for the hangover.” Chen Qian put the pill back into his mouth. “Be good. Just hold it in your mouth. Doesn’t your head hurt less now?”
Liu Fan unhappily pursed his lips around the pill, not knowing to chew it up and swallow it sooner. He smacked his lips and reminisced, “That roasted chicken at lunch today was pretty good. But I only had three pieces.”
“You even counted?” Chen Qian chuckled. “Next time, I’ll take you there again. We won’t go with those annoying people. You can eat as much as you want.”
Li Yu said, “That wasn’t roasted chicken; it was wild game. That pot cost thirty-eight thousand yuan.”
“Ah,” Liu Fan said, “no wonder it tasted different. Never mind then.”
Chen Qian reassured him, “Eat. Just eat. Just eat. What’s to worry about thirty-eight thousand yuan? We can eat it just the same.”
Li Yu took a deep breath, hearing Liu Fan softly complain about his headache in the back. Chen Qian’s voice softened as he continued to comfort him. A surge of frustration burned within Li Yu’s chest. What was this all about? He wanted to step on the brakes and have a clear conversation with Chen Qian. But now was definitely not the right time.
When they reached their destination, Chen Qian helped Liu Fan out of the car and told Li Yu, “Call me if anything comes up. But if it’s not important, just handle it for me.”
Li Yu nodded reluctantly, “Okay.”
Unfortunately, Chen Qian’s attentiveness was all focused on one person, completely missing Li Yu’s discomfort. He half-carried Liu Fan upstairs and laid him on the bed.
By this time, Liu Fan had sobered up a bit, though his head still ached. He lay on his side and said, “You should go back to the office. I’ll just take a nap.”
Chen Qian went to the bathroom, brought back a basin of hot water, and sat by the bed to unbutton Liu Fan’s collar. He dipped a towel in the hot water and carefully wiped Liu Fan’s face and neck.
“Mmm.” Liu Fan moved comfortably, feeling Chen Qian carefully wipe his hands with the warm towel. He smiled slightly, “What’s wrong? Why are you unhappy?”
Chen Qian didn’t respond. After making sure Liu Fan was clean, he wiped his own face and then made a cup of sugar water, watching Liu Fan drink it before lying down beside him on the bed. “I’m not unhappy.”
“Who are you trying to fool?” Liu Fan instinctively snuggled into his arms. They both still smelled of alcohol and were utterly exhausted. Liu Fan opened his eyes to see Chen Qian’s sullen face. “Cheer up. Didn’t the business deal go through?”
Chen Qian held his hand and stared blankly for a while before speaking in a particularly disheartened voice, “Seeing you in discomfort makes me uncomfortable too.”
How rare. Liu Fan was surprised at how candid Chen Qian was today. “I’m not uncomfortable. What’s there to be uncomfortable about?”
Then he pursed his lips, “But, thinking about how you’ve been handling everything alone all this time, it does make me feel bad.”
Neither of them spoke for a moment; they just lay there quietly.
Chen Qian sighed, “After all these years, I’m still a coward.”
“That’s not true.” Liu Fan laughed as soon as he heard this. He knew what Chen Qian meant: even though he was the boss, their small company still had to cater to the big clients. No matter what, there would always be companies richer than his and times when he had to seek their favour. “Do you really want to be a domineering CEO? Watching too many cheesy dramas? You’re doing well now; you can afford to treat me to a thirty-eight thousand yuan roasted wild game. Besides, I’m your client, General Manager Chen. If there’s anything wrong with my drafts, just say so and I’ll fix it right away.”
Chen Qian frowned but smiled a little, still looking melancholic.
Liu Fan touched his forehead, “Honestly, you don’t know how amazed I am at who you are now.”
Chen Qian raised an eyebrow, “I’ve changed a lot?”
“Yes,” Liu Fan said, “You’ve matured a lot. It makes me very happy.”
“What nonsense.” Chen Qian laughed. “You vomited everything you ate at lunch, right? Are you hungry? Should I cook some noodles for you? I just saw some in the fridge…-“
Liu Fan yawned and interrupted him, “I’ll eat your ‘noodles’ some other time. I don’t feel well right now.”
Chen Qian: “…What are you thinking about all day long? You really need a spanking!”
Seeing how uncomfortable Liu Fan looked, Chen Qian still pulled him into his arms. “Sleep for a bit first. I’ll take you out for something good to eat tonight.”
Liu Fan mumbled, “You’re not angry anymore, right?”
Chen Qian didn’t hear clearly, “What?”
“I said,” Liu Fan wriggled for a while, finding a comfortable position to settle into, “You’re not angry anymore, right, about what happened back then?”
For a long time, Chen Qian didn’t say anything. Liu Fan was already asleep when he seemed to hear someone mumbling by his ear, “I was never angry with you. I just missed you too much…”
He wasn’t sure if he was dreaming.
***
They slept until seven in the evening. Liu Fan was woken up by Chen Qian. He curled up, trying to burrow under the pillow. But Chen Qian pulled him out, “Enough, you’ve been sleeping for two hours. Are you planning to stay up all night?”
Liu Fan clung to the pillow, “My head hurts!”
Chen Qian looked down at him, “Grilled fish or skewers?”
Liu Fan stopped struggling and thought seriously, finally making a difficult choice, “Skewers…”
Since they were going to eat skewers, they didn’t bother changing clothes. They looked wrinkled and dishevelled. Chen Qian’s nonchalant, rogue demeanour at the front of the shop made him look like he came to collect protection fees.
Liu Fan was following behind him like a little henchman. He had his phone buzzing nonstop in his pocket. Chen Qian casually reminded him, “Your phone.”
Liu Fan then noticed his phone was ringing and answered it. It was Liu Mengjiao, “Are you done with your manicure? Haven’t eaten yet? I’m with Chen Qian, and we’re about to have skewers. Sure, come over. I’ll send you the address.”
After hanging up, he saw Chen Qian giving him a hard-to-describe look. Liu Fan asked, “What’s wrong?”
Chen Qian: “Heh.”
Liu Mengjiao and Zhou Xiang arrived quickly. The two girls were beautifully dressed. Standing next to Chen Qian and Liu Fan, the contrast was stark.
Seeing Liu Fan’s dishevelled state, Liu Mengjiao asked in surprise, “What happened to you two? Did you get into another fight?”
“What do you mean ‘another fight’? We were handling serious business this afternoon,” Liu Fan said, greeting Zhou Xiang, “Long time no see. Isn’t Zheng Nian with you?”
Zhou Xiang smiled shyly, “No. He had something to do.”
Liu Mengjiao nudged Liu Fan with her elbow and winked, “Hello, General Manager Chen, this is my friend Zhou Xiang.”
The girl was even more introverted around strangers and fell silent after saying hello. However, Chen Qian didn’t pay much attention to her and walked ahead with Liu Fan.
The bustling night market was full of vendors, many targeting young couples. They hadn’t walked far when a group of children selling roses surrounded them, repeatedly saying, “Brother, buy a flower!”
Annoyed by the kids but not wanting to be too harsh, Chen Qian asked impatiently, “How much?”
In unison, they chirped, “Ten yuan each.”
While they paused, the two girls caught up, making the children even more enthusiastic. Chen Qian randomly picked a less-wilted flower, paid for it, and the child sweetly said, “You two look so perfect together.”
Liu Fan took the flower and smiled at the child, “Thank you.”
The child was puzzled, “…?”
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*Author’s Note:
Nongfu Spring water didn’t pay me for advertising, hahaha.
They skipped work in the afternoon and went home to sleep, hahaha.
Chen Qian [very conflicted]: I was never angry with you. I just… missed you too much…
Liu Fan: zzzzzzzzzZ [snoring]
Chen Qian: ………
-Yu Xiaofan
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*Translator’s Note: That child will be traumatised for life… or turned into a Danmei fan. Hahaha! They used ‘下面’ (xià miàn) when they talk about ‘noodles’ earlier. In Chinese gay slang, xià miàn can also be a euphemism with sexual connotations. The term literally means ‘below’ or ‘downstairs’, but in this context, it’s often used to refer to someone’s genitals, particularly the penis. So, depending on the context, it can also imply sexual acts, especially those involving the ‘bottom’ or passive partner. Don’t worry… LF will definitely eat CQ’s ‘noodles’ soon. -K
*GLOSSARY:
- Wild game means an animal that is used for food, that is not domesticated and that is harvested in the wild, including but not limited to wild deer, elk, moose, rabbits, squirrels and raccoons, and wild birds such as ducks, pheasants, quail and turkeys.
☝🏻Nongfu Spring water
Next update: 2024.09.24
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