Chapter 38 – Daily Life
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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⚠️*TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains depictions of animal cruelty. Proceed with caution.
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Chen Qian entered the hospital room, carrying a fruit basket and flowers.
“You’re here?” Zhao Rou greeted him and motioned for him to sit. Her gaze briefly swept over the items in his hands. Her smile faded a little. But she didn’t question the origin of the gifts. “Your dad just peeled an apple. Have some.”
Chen Qian put the items down. “How are you feeling? Still dizzy?”
“I’m much better. Your dad has been with me all day.” Zhao Rou tried hard to steer the conversation towards Chen Chong, hoping the father and son would start talking. Unfortunately, neither of them showed any inclination to cooperate.
Chen Qian glanced at Chen Chong from the corner of his eye and then picked up the flowers to show Zhao Rou. “These are from Liu Fan. He still remembers you like having lilies at home.”
Actually, Liu Fan didn’t remember at all. He had simply asked the shopkeeper what flowers would be suitable and was recommended lilies. Chen Qian was just making things up to help his partner earn some favour with Zhao Rou.
Before Zhao Rou could say anything, Chen Chong spoke up, “You should cut ties with him.”
“Should?” Chen Qian asked. “What if I refuse?”
Chen Chong silently looked at him, twirling the small knife in his hand.
“What’s this about?” Zhao Rou intervened. “We’re all family. Can’t we talk nicely?”
She coughed a couple of times, looking weary.
Chen Qian shut his mouth and lowered his gaze.
After taking a sip of water handed to her by Chen Chong, Zhao Rou started to chat about family matters. Chen Qian listened quietly, occasionally nodding but not responding much otherwise. Zhao Rou, seeing that he wasn’t engaged, gradually fell silent too.
Chen Qian stood up. “I’ll be going now. Liu Fan is still waiting for me. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”
“Alright…” Zhao Rou forced an awkward smile. “Be careful on your way.”
Chen Qian left the hospital room and stopped at the elevator. He took a cigarette out of his pocket. But after just sniffing it, he put it back.
“Wait a minute.”
Chen Chong’s voice made him pause. Chen Qian frowned and turned around, seeing Chen Chong approaching. Sensing his hostility, Chen Qian was extremely cautious. Chen Chong came up to him, grabbed his collar, and tried to slap him.
Chen Qian instinctively dodged back and blocked with his hand, narrowly avoiding the slap. “What the hell do you want now?”
“I’m warning you.” Chen Chong grabbed him with one hand and pointed at him with the other. “If you talk about those things in front of your mother again, you’ll get beaten!”
Chen Qian, still held by him, smiled defiantly. “Haven’t I been beaten enough?”
He forcefully pried Chen Chong’s hand off and straightened his collar. “In your eyes, everything about me is a mess. There’s no need to say more. Whether you agree or not, nothing between Liu Fan and me will change.”
Chen Chong seemed ready to hit him again. But the presence of a young nurse, alerted by the commotion, made him restrain himself slightly. He said coldly, “Get yourself a girlfriend, settle down, get married, and let your mom worry less. She’s worried herself sick over you.”
Chen Qian closed his eyes and then looked at him, saying, “Liu Fan and I are living our lives properly. And let me tell you straight. Without him, my life isn’t worth living! No matter how many times I say this, it’s the same! If you don’t want to hear it, go ahead and beat me to death right now.”
“You!” Chen Chong took a step forward, ready to strike. But the elevator doors opened, and a few patients’ family members looked curiously at the tense scene at the entrance. Chen Chong withdrew his hand and spat out, “Suit yourself,” before turning and walking away.
The elevator doors closed and opened again behind him. Chen Qian took a moment to steady his breathing. He forced a smile and went downstairs to meet Liu Fan.
***
Liu Fan had been feeling a bit worn out lately, mainly because he had to go to the hospital every day to wait for Chen Qian. Zhao Rou would be discharged in two weeks. But after such a long period of stress and chronic depression, she had developed many minor health issues. Chen Chong’s plan was to use the hospital stay as an opportunity for a thorough check-up and recuperation, treating the hospital like a health resort.
However, Chen Qian was even more exhausted than Liu Fan.
During this period, Chen Qian was busy securing loans during the day, visiting the hospital at night, and occasionally travelling to inspect a few pre-arranged city media outlets. With everything piling up, it showed a bit on his face.
Hearing that turtle soup was very nutritious, Liu Fan specially bought a large turtle and kept it in the bathroom. On the first day, it startled Chen Qian, who exclaimed, “What the hell is this?!”
Upon realising what it was, he stormed into the bedroom, “Why did you buy a turtle to keep as a pet again?!”
Liu Fan was lying on the bed, looking at his computer. “It’s not a pet. It’s for eating.”
Chen Qian thought it was absurd. “Only you would eat something so strange.”
Liu Fan ignored him, searching for recipes to find the most nutritious way to prepare for a turtle dish.
So, early Sunday morning, he went out to buy half a free-range chicken to make a stew. Then he returned to the bathroom, carried the plastic bucket to the kitchen, and prepared to slay the turtle.
He rarely used a knife throughout the year, let alone killed anything. Faced with such a high-level challenge, he had no idea where to start.
The turtle was huddled in the basin. Liu Fan spent a long time measuring with the knife and poked its head with chopsticks. But the turtle indifferently retracted its head, ignoring him.
Decapitating it seemed very difficult. So Liu Fan was at a loss. He turned to Baidu and found an article titled ‘How Housewives Can Easily Kill a Turtle’.
Liu Fan: “…”
Ignoring the title, the method seemed more straightforward, though it meant a more gruesome death for the turtle. Liu Fan timidly found a pair of scissors and caught the turtle by the tail, preparing to cut it open.
“What are you doing?” Chen Qian asked, dressed in his pyjamas, sounding a bit irritated. “Trying to kill a turtle?”
“You’re up?” Liu Fan’s grip slipped, and the turtle fell to the floor. “Why so early? You have to go out this afternoon, don’t you?”
“You were making such a racket early in the morning, I got curious.” Chen Qian yawned, clearly still half-asleep. He walked over. “How do you kill this thing?”
“Oh, this.” Liu Fan handed his phone to Chen Qian. Chen Qian flipped through it for a few moments, then grabbed a kitchen knife. Stepping on the turtle, it stretched its head out. Without fearing getting bitten, Chen Qian grabbed the turtle’s head. And with a swift motion, finished the job.
Liu Fan: “…Bravo?”
After applauding, there wasn’t much left for Liu Fan to do. Chen Qian quickly and efficiently cleaned the turtle according to the instructions. Once the turtle was in the pot, meeting the long-waiting chicken, Chen Qian yawned again. “I’m going back to sleep for a bit.”
Liu Fan handled the rest, watching over the soup as it simmered. When the timing seemed right, he went to the bedroom to call Chen Qian down for soup and a meal.
Chen Qian hadn’t gotten up yet. He didn’t seem to be asleep but lay with his eyes closed. He was frowning slightly. It was unclear if he was resting or deep in thought.
Liu Fan bent over to check on him closely. “Are you feeling unwell?”
“No.” Chen Qian wiped his face, looking slightly tired. It was as if he hadn’t slept well. “What time is it?”
“Almost 12 o’clock,” Liu Fan replied.
Chen Qian made a sound of acknowledgment, opened his eyes, and stared into space for a few seconds before trying to get up. But Liu Fan pressed him back down.
“What are you doing?”
Liu Fan said, “Stay with me for a while longer.”
“If you want to sleep, sleep by yourself. If I stay with you, neither of us will sleep anymore.” Despite his words, Chen Qian didn’t seem too serious. He lazily brushed Liu Fan’s hair. “What are you looking at?”
Liu Fan gazed at him. “You don’t seem as handsome lately. Are you getting uglier?”
Chen Qian: “…”
It was somewhat true. When they first reunited, Chen Qian had been meticulously groomed himself, glowing with the memories of the past. But lately, with so much on his plate, he’d been working himself to exhaustion. He could keep up appearances outside. But at home, he let his guard down. Now, under the covers, with his chin a bit stubbly and his face unwashed, he didn’t look his best.
Chen Qian kicked his leg, trying to push the annoying guy off the bed. But Liu Fan touched his face, looking puzzled. “But for some reason, I feel like I like you more and more. Hmm? What’s going on? Maybe when you’re seventy or eighty, old and ugly, I’ll still love you to death.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Fan lightly patted Chen Qian’s face. He then quickly jumped off the bed and dashed out of the bedroom, calling out, “If you don’t want to sleep, come down and have some soup—”
Chen Qian remained there, half-leaning on the pillow, in a daze for a long moment. Suddenly, he shouted, “Liu Xiaofan! You did that on purpose, didn’t you?!”
After yelling, he wore a blank expression, slowly lying down flat and pulling the nearby blanket over himself. He lay quietly for a moment, then suddenly began to roll around frantically. He tossed and turned until the bed was a complete mess. Finally, he threw the blanket off, sat up, and stared into space again.
After a while, Chen Qian, with his messy hair sticking up, grumbled as he walked to the bathroom to wash up, muttering, “Hmph… even if I turn into an old man, I’ll still be a handsome old man… hmph… no. Wait! Liu Xiaofan! Do you not love me to death right now?!”
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*Author’s Note:
Liu Fan: Come chase me, hahahaha!
Chen Qian: You little troublemaker, wait until I catch you and—
Liu Fan’s daily routine= Teasing his husky boyfriend XD
-Yu Xiaofan
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*Translator’s Note: Okay. Maybe it’s normal for some cultures to have turtles as part of their meal. But not me. I’d rather see them as pets. I mean, I can’t even eat rabbits. So I put up the warning up there for other people like me. It’s unsettling for me. *sighs* -K
*GLOSSARY:
- Baidu = Chinese google
Next update: 2024.10.13
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