Chapter 20 – Blind Date?
What happened after Dream Jade won the championship was talked about by tabloids for 3 days before being taken over by other dog blood[1] reporters. Right now, she was on hiatus[2]. The record label was choosing a new agent for her, writing new songs and preparing for a nationwide tour.
Once in a while, interviews of her could be seen. The host would also ask about ‘the man that trespa.s.sed into her heart’ and she would receive them with a smile. She also didn’t mention the Shen Family’s Bodyguard service, thus not fulfilling her end of the contract.
Even after that incident had pa.s.sed for 7 days, Shen Ming still hadn’t gotten any business whatsoever. This guy’s money had long been completely spent during “Ao Guan Hai”’s breakfast time and all the instant noodles in his house had been eaten up 3 days ago. Xiao Yi didn’t know what this guy ate later on, but whenever he spoke, she could smell foxtail gra.s.s.
Everyday, Xiao Yi would buy lunchboxes to eat by herself. So, her understanding regarding Shen Ming’s life was that it was so hardy that c.o.c.kroaches were probably not as tenacious as him.
“Youngest Aunt, is the telephone broken? Have you checked the phone lines?” Shen Ming had already asked this question no less than a hundred times during the past few days. He would keep watch in front of the telephone at the living room, and jabbered like a stereotypical mother-in-law[3].
“I’ve already checked 10 times. It isn’t because of unpaid phone bills, and no one pulled your phone line out.” Xiao Yi replied from inside the washroom while she was applying eyeshadow. Also, the one-piece dress she wore was precisely the one that Shen Ming gifted her.
“Why hasn’t even a single call come then? I already gave the phone number to Dream Jade and it’s definitely the right one. She said she’ll bring in a big fish but it’s already been over 7 days and there’s been nothing.” Shen Ming rushed to the washroom door while still acting like a stereotypical mother-in-law.
“Who knows, maybe she forgot the phone number? Don’t you have her number? Give her a call to confirm it.” Xiao Yi was too lazy to mind this fool, and only wanted him go away sooner.
“I called, but nowadays all her calls are answered by a.s.sistants who constantly say, “I’ll pa.s.s it on”, G.o.d knows what they pa.s.s on to her? Oh G.o.d! Hurry up and send me some business! If this goes on, all the gra.s.s in the yard will have been completely eaten up by me&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;.”
“So you really have started eating gra.s.s&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip; are you an ox?” Xiao Yi said with naked contempt.
“Are you dolling yourself up for a date? Looking at the photograph, that man called Ji Chen seems to be an Air Force Captain and from his military uniform he seems to be commanding a Sukhoi Su-27. His skills ought to be quite good to be able to fly a Su-27 at such a young age.
But fighter pilots are a group that entrust their lives to the guys in engineering. Even during peacetime their fatality rates are quite high, you could become a widow at any time you know&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;” Shen Ming said without any strength
“You peeked at my cell phone again?!” Xiao Yi said angrily.
“I peeped at not only your cell phone but also your email. Ji Chen just urged you to hurry up, to come to the the ‘Ao Guan Hai’ Restaurant for a meal. His allowance must be really high.” Shen Ming‘s facial skin was made like a city wall, extremely thick.
“Shen Ming, do you understand what’s called personal privacy? Have you no shame?!” Xiao Yi roared in anger.
“To someone that eats gra.s.s like me, why do I need face?” Shen Ming adopted the appearance of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, “Go. You can go have a meal with another man while wearing the dress I gifted you! After eating, you can directly pa pa pa at that seascape bay room, there’s no need to bother about my fate.”
“Pa your sister! Ji Chen is the child of my neighbour’s 2nd aunt. We’ve grown up together since our childhood and he took this rare chance for a vacation to return. My mother called me to accompany him to eat food.” Xiao Yi didn’t know why she had to explain these things to this fool Ming.
“Must a meeting between old friends take place at somewhere as formal as “Ao Guan Hai”? Why would your mom force you to go? The thick scent of a blind date is completely undiscoverable. Luckily you’re still a police academy graduate.” Shen Ming’s hit the nail on the head.
Actually, Xiao Yi had long since suspected this, but no matter how she grilled her mother, the old women wouldn’t admit it. And because it was Ji Chen, Xiao Yi felt bad about declining, after all, they were once very close friends.
“Hey, you dead yet?” Xiao Yi said softly as she looked at Shen Ming who was lying on the ground and kicked him twice with her high heeled shoes.
“Not quite. Almost, but not quite. I’ve disappointed you. Hehe.”
“Help me out with something, pretend to be my boyfriend. You’ll get to eat people-food.” Xiao Yi said with some embarra.s.sment.
“No way. What kind of person do you take me as? You want me to betray my conscience and con people for a single meal? I want 2 at least!”
”Consider it my debt to you from my past life, you have ten minutes, we’re leaving as soon as I’m done fixing my clothes! Remember to brush your teeth! I don’t want others to notice that smelly gra.s.sy scent when you talk, it’s disgusting as h.e.l.l!”
“Deal!” Shen Ming returned to his original lively state and rushed to his room to prepare. In just 5 minutes, not only did Shen Ming change his clothes and brush his teeth, he even had a shower, G.o.d knows how he managed to do all that!
Accompanied by the setting sun slowing sinking beneath the waves, Shen Ming drove to “Ao Guan Hai” hotel for the second time. Over there, the doorman cordially pulled open the garage door for Xiao Yi and Shen Ming. The service scored 120 points on the cordiality scale, probably because last time Shen Ming gave him 200￥ tip.
But this time, when the doorman extended his hand to signal that it was time to give him a tip, Shen Ming took out two pieces of EXTRA and placed it in his hand, “After eating, chew two pieces. It’s good for your teeth. What? I don’t even have food to eat!”
Shen Ming wasn’t lying, it was the only box of xylitol gum, and these past few days, he was only willing to take a single one per day.
The hand the doorman was holding the EXTRA with was trembling, he was probably moved by the gesture, right?
Xiao Yi went to “Ao Guan Hai’s” restaurant ahead of Shen Ming. Here, the atmosphere in the day and at night was completely different. Dim lights complemented the elegant on-site piano performance and tranquility.
“Big sis Yi!” Ji Chen greeted as he stood up. And as luck would have it, the place Ji Chen was sitting at was precisely where Xiao Yi and Shen Ming sat last time.
Ji Chen, whom Xiao Yi had not seen for many years, had already grown big and tall. His height of 180cm, strongly built body and that well-ironed dark blue air force uniform were all so dashing. The captain’s badge on his shoulder complemented his youthful looks, and suggested that he was either a second generation official or an elite with extraordinary talent.
Xiao Yi who grew up along with him knew that Ji Chen was the latter. When they were young, he who was younger than her by a mere 2 days would constantly call out “Big Sis Yi, Big Sis Yi”, but even though he was shy, his brain was very good and he was a standard straight A student.
Originally, the neighbours all believed that he was a good seedling that would go to either Peking University or Tsinghua University, but who would’ve thought that when the military was accepting applications, he would’ve volunteered for the air force academy and even successfully got in, walking the path of a soldier.
“Stop shouting, I see you.” Being stared at by everyone in the restaurant once more, Xiao Yi was embarra.s.sed.
“Big sis Yi, today you’re really pretty!” A smile as bright as the sun was plastered on Ji Chen’s face, his face was also slightly red as he praised Xiao Yi, “ I remember back in the past, you’d always dress up like a boy and out of all the neighbourhood’s bear brats[4], which one hasn’t been beaten up by you? But today you suddenly transformed into a beautiful woman!”
“We haven’t met for so many years and you’re still bad at talking and itching for a beating. Do you really have to get beat up by me before you’re satisfied?” Xiao Yi savagely brought up her puny fists[5], but the present Ji Chen was already no longer scared of her. And instead felt that the big sister in front of him was so very cute.
“Big Sis Yi, actually I&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;” Ji Chen already had several years of emotions brewing inside his heart, and he, who was no longer the snot-nosed brat that he was in the past, had had mustured up the courage to confess to Xiao Yi. But right when he was about to speak up, Shen Ming who was wiping his hands with toilet paper just happened to walk over.
“So you were over here. You really let me have a good search, and didn’t even wait for me.” Shen Ming and Xiao Yi were so familiar with each other.
“Oh come on, you went to the toilet, how do you expect me to wait? Did you want me to stand guard outside the door to the men’s room?” Xiao Yi said with resentment.
“Ah, this must be Ji Chen, h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo!” Shen Ming stretched out his hand. Said hand obviously hadn’t been dried yet and was still wet.
“Big Sis, is he your friend?” Ji Chen’s expression was complicated, but he still politely shook Shen Ming’s hand.
“Him? He’s my&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;boyfriend.” When Xiao Yi said those words, it was so unbearable it felt like she had eaten something filthy.
“Boyfriend? Auntie said that big sis had always been single though?” Ji Chen felt like he saw lightning on a clear day. It couldn’t be true! Big sis had a boyfriend, and that boyfriend was currently eating the sugar cubes on the table that were used in preparing coffee&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;
“We only just got together, it can be considered a doomed love.” Xiao Yi helplessly sighed and kicked Shen Ming who was currently eyeing the chilli sauce with glowing eyes.
“Let’s stop talking about these things. Brother Ji Chen, have you ordered yet?”
“Not yet.” Ji Chen himself didn’t know how he got another big brother.
“Then let me help you order, waiter!(said in English) Menu!” Shen Ming snapped his fingers as he called for a waiter. This p.r.i.c.k was clearly here to eat Ji Chen bankrupt. For the starter course, he selected a huge lobster weighing 1.5kg, and just for himself, two portions of kobe beef. Xiao Yi, feeling embarra.s.sed, she kicked Shen Ming continuously, hinting him to act modestly.
However, Ji Chen on the other hand, urged his Big Sis not to mind it. Since this was a meeting between friends, it was fine for this ‘Big Brother’ to order as he wished!
But, when the waiter came over with the bill, Ji Chen’s heart ached as he put on a fake smile. 8900￥ was no trivial amount, this p.r.i.c.k really didn’t have the least bit of modesty.
“Let me foot the bill.” Xiao Yi really felt very apologetic.
“There’s no need for such things between us siblings, since it was I who invited you, how can I let Big Sis spend money?” Ji Chen took a card out to pay the bill as he spoke. Luckily, meals within the army were free and he received a high allowance as a high-ranking pilot, so 8900￥ was still something he could afford.
When the piano started playing, the waiter began to bring over the dishes one after the other. Shen Ming simply disregarded the presence of the brother in front of him and gobbled up the food like a reincarnated hungry ghost, giving Ji Chen and Xiao Yi an opportunity to reminiscence.
“Big Sis, it’s been 4 years since we’ve seen each other, I heard from Auntie that you’re working for the City Counci’s Police Force? Isn’t it dangerous?” Ji Chen held the gla.s.s filled with red wine, asking with a worried gaze.
“It’s ok, you know how formidable I am. Actually, I haven’t seen enough of those villains. Right! Let’s talk about you, didn’t you say that you were going to take the entrance exams for either Peking or Tsinghua? Why did you suddenly run off to study at the military academy?” Xiao Yi asked curiously.
“Because Uncle said that Big Sis won’t marry a scholar, and only an officer or a policeman will be capable of becoming his family’s son-in-law.” Ji Chen’s frank answer made Xiao Yi choke on the water she was drinking, almost spraying it out.
Because of that one sentence, the mood became somewhat awkward. So, Xiao Yi fiercely kicked Shen Ming under the table, hinting him to say something. Thinking about it, the other person was so blatantly showing desire for his girlfriend. As a boyfriend, he definitely had to say something, right?
“I think what your Uncle said is right!” Shen Ming held the steak in his mouth like a dog, and said while laughing, “a tigress like youngest aunt, how could a frail scholar handle her?”
“Which Academy has Big Brother graduated from?” Ji Chen asked frankly.
“Me? Well, I first learnt exquisite chinese cooking at New Oriental, then I heard that Shandong Lanxiang Vocational School was extremely formidable when it came to Mining Technology, so I transferred over there and learnt the quintessence of Mining Machinery. Now, I can already use excavators to fry vegetables!” Shen Ming laughed like an idiot, whereas Xiao Yi could only turn away and look at the pitch-black ocean outside the window while pretending not to know this fool.
[1] Ancient Chinese people thought that if you poured dog blood on the head of a demon disguised as a human, it would show its true form, hence the term 狗血臨頭(literally dog blood poured on head) basically, it’s an insult
[2] 沉浸期 lit. would be period of immersion. Refers to the period in which a singer/actor goes on break to handle a bunch of other
[3] 怨妇 alright, the actual word here means a woman that likes to complain. I couldn’t think of a term so I went with what you see in standard K-dramas
[4] Bear brat/ Bear child is what the raws say 熊小子 Apparently means little brats that are playful and ignorant/innocent
[5] 粉拳 literally powder fists. Alright the explanation here is going to be s.e.xist. Blame China’s culture. Basically only women’s fists are called “powder fists” because women lack physical strength(力气) and their fists only have loads of cosmetics. Cosmetics is 脂粉气(lit. cosmetic strength/power) and 粉 means powder. So using 粉拳 is pretty much saying that women are weak delicate frail etc etc.
Translators: Immortal Dreamer & H0RR1BL3CPU
Proofreader: Kerrigan