Chapter 5 – On the Way
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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When they arrived, it was not yet five o’clock. It was still a long way from dinner time. The boys brought several cases of beer, and the girls brought a lot of snacks. The private room was packed.
Liu Fan nestled in a corner, not interested in beer or singing. He started to peel salted peanuts. He noticed that Chen Qian was not in the room; perhaps he had finally reached his limit and left.
At first, everyone was still quite reserved. But as soon as the more lively ones started singing and warming up the atmosphere, everyone’s enthusiasm was ignited. They were so eager to grab the microphone that their eyes turned red. Even past dinner time, hardly anyone went to eat. They just grabbed some snacks and ate while waiting for their turn.
Liu Fan had finished peeling peanuts and eating pickled chicken feet and was now eating marinated quail eggs. In between, he had a small bowl of fried rice with eggs, which wasn’t considered a proper meal. Yan Yi initially chatted with him for a few sentences but was later dragged away to duet with someone on Zhou Huajian’s song ‘Friends’. Deeply moved, they sang until tears streamed down their faces.
Occasionally, someone would come to clink glasses with him, and he would obligingly down the drink in one gulp. He didn’t drink much or fast, so while many were getting drunk, he was still quite sober. He was only slightly tipsy. However, he was very tired from playing basketball in the afternoon. He hadn’t exercised that much in a long time. In the midst of the loud singing and yelling, he actually wanted to take a nap.
The persistent sleepiness made Liu Fan doze off for a while. The noise prevented him from falling into a deep sleep. He moved uncomfortably on the corner of the sofa, rolling over and bumping into the person next to him.
The person didn’t react. The firm body felt much warmer than the sofa. Liu Fan instinctively snuggled closer. The person remained motionless, as if they hadn’t noticed.
Liu Fan’s lazy consciousness floated above sleep. Yet he was still groggy. He heard someone singing in broken Cantonese, ‘Many things in this life can only be given to you, kept forever’.
‘The excuse for always avoiding, is not a big enmity.’
‘Why can’t old friends remain friends in the end.’
The words were not pronounced correctly, and the tune was way off. Liu Fan, stimulated by the awful singing, became more awake. He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaled a mouthful of alcohol, and sat up. His peripheral vision caught a glimpse, and he couldn’t help but be stunned.
Chen Qian, at some point, had sat beside him, letting him lean against him. Chen Qian stared coldly at the screen. His indifferent expression remained unchanged throughout the day. It suddenly made Liu Fan want to punch him.
He indeed extended his fist. But it landed a few inches lower than intended, hitting Chen Qian on the shoulder. “When did you come?”
“When you were asleep.” Chen Qian slightly turned his head. Perhaps it was the dim lighting, or maybe it was just an illusion. But Liu Fan felt that his voice sounded a bit softer than before. “You can sleep in this place? Are you a pig?”
“Playing basketball this afternoon was exhausting.” Liu Fan yawned and rubbed his face. He bent forward, resting his weight on his elbows on his knees. He looked back at Chen Qian, then reached for two cups. He filled one with beer and the other with a sports drink. “Come on, let’s have a drink.”
Without waiting for Chen Qian’s response, he downed the beer in one gulp. Chen Qian remained still, his expression mostly unreadable. Their eyes blurred together in the dim light. After a while, Chen Qian spoke, “It’s about time. I’ll take you home.”
Liu Fan raised an eyebrow. “So kind of you?”
“I’m going back anyway.” Chen Qian stood up. “It’s on the way.”
“You don’t even know where I live, how is it on the way?” Liu Fan asked offhandedly, not really meaning anything by it. But Chen Qian gave him a glare. “Then you can stay here.”
With that, Chen Qian walked out without hesitation. Liu Fan pouted, found Yu Hui Lin, and explained in a few words that he and Chen Qian were leaving first before following out. Rounding the corner, he saw Chen Qian by the elevator.
Chen Qian continued to purse his lips in silent annoyance. When the elevator doors opened, he stepped in. Seeing Liu Fan standing there, hesitating as if unsure whether to follow, Chen Qian lost his temper, “Are you coming or not?!”
Even though he was yelled at, Liu Fan found a hint of the old Chen Qian in that outburst and felt a bit amused. He bowed his head and followed him in. Chen Qian stood in front of the elevator buttons, pressing the button for the basement floor with such force it seemed he wanted to punch a hole through it.
Liu Fan took out his phone to check the time. It was already 11 o’clock. “Did you bring your car around?”
Chen Qian didn’t bother to reply. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he strode out. Liu Fan heard the electronic sound of a car door opening not far away, recognizing it as Chen Qian’s black Audi.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Liu Fan first gave the address and then asked, “Are you sure it’s not out of the way?”
“Why are you so talkative, huh?” Chen Qian held the steering wheel with one hand, sounding quite annoyed. “Why do you care if it’s out of the way or not? Are you paying for gas? I live downtown. So nowhere is out of the way.”
“Did you buy the place yourself?” Liu Fan ignored the previous sarcastic remark and asked with interest, “You’re doing pretty well, Mr. Chen.”
As the car pulled out of the parking space, Chen Qian glanced at Liu Fan several times. He finally was unable to hold back any longer, “Seatbelt! What’s your problem? Are you trying to get me fined?!”
“Sorry, sorry. I forgot.” Liu Fan, not used to riding in cars, quickly buckled his seatbelt. As he turned, he noticed a hard paper bag on the back seat, not sure what it contained.
“All these years, you haven’t improved at all?” Chen Qian continued, dissatisfied and sarcastic, “It’s a miracle you haven’t lost an arm or a leg by now.”
Liu Fan found it hard to argue. Despite Chen Qian’s irritable and quick-tempered nature, he was surprisingly meticulous. Liu Fan, despite his delicate appearance, was careless and often lost things. It was always Chen Qian, veins bulging with frustration, who would help him find them while scolding him.
Even the two turtles they had before were taken care of by Chen Qian. They were fed and healthy. Liu Fan, on the other hand, who insisted on buying them, only remembered to feed them occasionally.
“You mentioned you moved out from your parents’ place?” With the radio off, Liu Fan found the silence between him and Chen Qian unbearable. The tension was palpable. Chen Qian seemed to radiate negative energy, creating immense pressure. Liu Fan, pushed by a bit of drunkenness, brought up something that had been on his mind all afternoon, “What happened?”
“Nothing.” Chen Qian didn’t blame him for being too inquisitive. He tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully, “I told my family about my sexual orientation. They didn’t accept it. So I moved out.”
Liu Fan: “…”
“You ran away from home, Da Ge?!”
This was truly shocking. Chen Qian’s father was a retired soldier, with a temper and skills that were even more intense than Chen Qian’s. The scene must have been terrifying. Liu Fan stammered, “You…- When did this happen?”
Chen Qian calmly replied, “After graduating from high school.”
Came out right after high school? Liu Fan pressed on, “Then what about college?”
“I didn’t go to college. I was 18 when I graduated anyway.” Chen Qian said it so calmly, as if it was no big deal. Liu Fan’s expression changed from ‘How could this happen?!’ to ‘Are you out of your mind?’
Chen Qian raised an eyebrow handsomely, “What? Different people have different situations. You didn’t have the guts to tell your family, I understand.”
“It’s not that…” Not sure how the topic had turned to him, Liu Fan hesitated, “I told my family too…”
“You did?” This answer was too unexpected. Chen Qian was visibly surprised. His attention was fully on Liu Fan. “How did your family react?”
“Watch the road, watch the road!” Liu Fan slapped Chen Qian’s face back towards the road and quickly said, “My mom…- Anyway, my parents accepted it.”
Chen Qian almost drove the car into a ditch. His face was full of disbelief, “They accepted it?”
“…Yeah.”
It was more than just acceptance.
Liu Fan wiped his face. He looked out the window, half of his face reflected on the car window.
Regarding this matter, it’s a long story.
After breaking up with Chen Qian, Liu Fan was finally certain of his sexual orientation. He had grown up pampered, not exactly spoiled but very understanding. However, people who grow up loved often have a certain fearless stubbornness. He didn’t struggle with whether to hide it or not. After being moody for a semester in his freshman year, he came out to his parents in his sophomore year.
Sun Yiyi and Liu Xing were naturally struck as if by lightning and then erupted in fury. This was no joke, it was about ending the family line!
No matter how heartbroken Liu Xing was or how much Sun Yiyi scolded and tried to educate him, Liu Fan stubbornly refused to back down. He was very clear about it—how could such a thing be changed?
But even though he was determined, thinking about how much his parents had loved him over the years and giving him everything he wanted and more… And now he was doing this to them, potentially severing their relationship, Liu Fan felt an overwhelming sadness. With a choked up voice, he said, “Mom, Dad, I’m sorry. Just pretend you don’t have a son like me.”
To his surprise, as soon as Liu Fan started crying, Sun Yiyi and Liu Xing instantly softened.
Oh my God, our baby is crying!
Sun Yiyi’s legs went weak and she knelt beside Liu Fan. She hugged her son and cried bitterly. “We won’t abandon you, son. Don’t do anything foolish, please. Please don’t take a drastic step!”
Liu Fan, his mind clouded by tears, couldn’t react and just held Sun Yiyi and cried. Seeing the mother and son crying together, Liu Xing couldn’t take it anymore either. A man doesn’t easily shed tears. But his eyes were red. At this moment, the fact that their son was gay was irrelevant—they only had this one child.
For a while, the room was filled with an atmosphere of transcendent sadness. Liu Fan, crying and confused, started to feel that something was off.
…What exactly is going on here?
Sun Yiyi cried so hard she almost fainted. After a long time, she touched his head and said, “Fine, I won’t control you. As long as you’re okay, as long as our family is okay, that’s enough.”
Liu Xing, eyes filled with tears, nodded heavily.
Liu Fan: “…”
Though he was touched and relieved, he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly had happened.
In any case, Liu Fan’s sexual orientation was accepted by his family in a way that left him utterly bewildered. Whenever he thought about it, his feelings were complex. He preferred not to talk about it.
Chen Qian’s gaze turned a bit strange. Just then, his phone rang. He reached for his Bluetooth earpiece and put it on. “Hello? Mm, I know. Thank you.”
His eyes glanced over Liu Fan’s face as he said into the phone, “What? Don’t want it? Why are you being so difficult?”
The car was so quiet that Liu Fan could clearly hear the casual, almost intimate tone Chen Qian used. It made him curious about the person on the other end of the line and their relationship with Chen Qian.
“Alright.” Chen Qian hung up the phone. “Where do I turn up ahead?”
Liu Fan snapped out of his thoughts and pointed forward. “Turn right, at the street just past the overpass.”
It was very close. Within two minutes, Chen Qian had parked the car. Liu Fan unbuckled his seatbelt. “Thanks, sorry for the trouble.”
“Take this with you.” Chen Qian reached over and grabbed the paper bag from the back seat, frowning. “It was originally for someone else. But they don’t want it. It’s yours now.”
The lighting had been poor earlier, so Liu Fan hadn’t noticed the design on the bag. Now, seeing it up close, he realised it had the traditional logo of Xuanhe Ju. It was the restaurant they had eaten at for lunch.
“What is it? You take it back yourself.” Liu Fan didn’t take the bag and got out of the car directly. What was this about? Just because someone else didn’t want it, he had to take it?
“It’s the dessert we had at lunch, the one that looked like a big white rabbit.” Chen Qian almost threw it at him. “If you don’t want it, just throw it away for me.”
Liu Fan opened his mouth, finally feeling a bit aggrieved as he looked at him. “Can’t you throw it away yourself?!”
“Am I crazy to keep a bag of trash in my car?!” Chen Qian snapped. “Close the door!”
Unbelievable… Liu Fan, with the bag in one hand, slammed the car door shut. “Be careful on the road. Don’t get hit by a car, okay?”
Chen Qian gave him a cold glance through the rolled-down window. He then hit the gas and sped away.
Standing by the roadside in the middle of the night, Liu Fan looked into the bag. Xuanhe Ju’s packaging was quite thorough, with the exterior wrapped in what seemed like aluminium foil. Hearing Chen Qian’s description, he had a vague idea of what was inside.
Despite not liking it himself, he had specially gone to the restaurant to get it to-go. Then, a phone call came in the evening saying it was no longer needed. Even after being ordered around like this, Chen Qian didn’t get angry. Who was that person, anyway?
Holding the paper bag, Liu Fan’s heart was filled with mixed emotions.
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*Translator’s Note: Did you guys believe it was originally for someone else? Heh. You bought it especially for LF, didn’t you, CQ? -K
*GLOSSARY:
- Gege/Ge/Da Ge = (Big) Brother
- Shushu/Shu = Uncle
- Ayi = Auntie
- Didi = (Little) Brother
- Jiejie = (Big) Sister
- Meimei = (Little) Sister
☝🏻I’ll be using these throughout my translation. I won’t be using English words for most titles that are being called out.
☝🏻Sports drink
Next update: 2024.09.06
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