Note: Everything above this is an announcement by Creative Novels. It"s not written by me (Reika). So if you read something like "I"ve been sick" that isn"t me. That"s the owner of Creative Novels.
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Chapter 40 - Never Marry A Man With Two Tintins
Cheng Nuo didn"t have time to think of a plan. He quickly smiled and was startled when he looked up. Liu Guang looked quite different today.
Liu Guang was wearing a dark blue dress made of excellent cloth with no pattern. The wide belt on his waist and the plain robe made him seem taller and more manly. His straight red hair that was normally loose and unruly was gathered up in a ponytail. His chin was raised and his large eyes that were slightly tilted up at the corners gave him a sharp and arrogant look.
This person was still a little boy in Cheng Nuo"s heart but, apparently, the reality was that he has matured a lot. This thought made Cheng Nuo feel a little overwhelmed with emotion. When his eye fell on the ornament at Liu Guang"s waist, Cheng Nuo suddenly felt a little guilty.
"Oh, I forgot to call you." Cheng Nuo wisely chose to act silly. He stood up and smiled, saying, "You and Bai Rui haven’t seen each other for a long time. We haven’t ordered yet. What would you like to eat?"
Liu Guang glanced at the two people next to him and the look in his eyes became even colder. He sat down next to Cheng Nuo and tilted his head: "You order. I prefer the food that you cook. I"m still not used to eating the food outside."
The expression on Cheng Nuo"s face became stiff. Why were these two people pretending not to see each other? He winked Liu Guang, signaling him not to mess around, but Liu Guang"s only reaction was a cold snort.
"Then let"s order since it"s already noon." Cheng Nuo smiled at Bai Rui then called for the waiter.
Ever since Liu Guang showed up, Bai Rui"s frosty air had plummeted several degrees more. Now his lips were tightly compressed and he hadn"t spoken a single word. Though Liu Guang had a sneering expression on his face, he never looked at Bai Rui directly. Instead, he was giving Bai Rui provocative sideways looks.
Cheng Nuo saw all of this from the corner of his eyes. His head was starting to hurt more and more.
One person was someone who didn"t need to pay for air conditioning while the other was like a volcano about to erupt… ****!
The waiter soon brought the menu up but saw that two customers didn"t intend to order. Cheng Nuo picked the dishes that he knew that the two of them would like, deliberately ordering a large bowl of noodles for Liu Guang.
Just as the waiter was about to leave, Liu Guang suddenly stopped him and said, "Since it’s a reunion of old friends, it’s better to drink something good, right, Bai Rui? Waiter, two jars of your best drink."
Bai Rui did not object and replied indifferently: "The best."
Cheng Nuo"s mouth twitched when he heard this exchange. What kind of drink do minors drink? It"s not beer, right? He quickly smiled and said to the waiter: "No drinks, please add a fish soup." Then he secretly patted Liu Guang"s hand.
Bai Rui noticed that secretive little pat and the expression on his face became colder and colder.
After the waiter left Cheng Nuo tried to make some small talk but no matter what he said, Liu Guang was always able to twist it to make sarcastic remarks directed towards Bai Rui. Cheng Nuo hadn"t realized how clever and eloquent Liu Guang could be. In contrast, the expression on Bai Rui"s face was extremely cold and one look from his eyes was enough to freeze a person solid. Cheng Nuo"s smiling cheeks were already hurting.
It looks like the next time Cheng Nuo went to see Bai Rui, it would be better not to tell Liu Guang. Both of them acted very mature in front of others but when they were together, they acted like two little kindergarten kids. Their relationship hadn"t progressed at all!
The food soon arrived. Cheng Nuo welcomed the waiter"s interruption and put the vegetable dishes on Bai Rui"s side and the meat dishes on Liu Guang"s side. He was used to serving food to Liu Guang so he was all smiles as he motioned for him to start eating.
Liu Guang was instantly happy. Looking at Cheng Nuo, he took a big bite of the food then added some food to Cheng Nuo"s bowl.
Cheng Nuo was afraid that Bai Rui would feel left out but he knew that Liu Guang would erupt with anger if he served food to Bai Rui directly. Thus, all he could do was urge Bai Rui to eat more from time to time.
Though Bai Rui originally had a cold expression on his face, he didn"t quite understand why so his frosty air gradually dissipated. Cheng Nuo noticed this change and secretly sighed.
They got through the meal without further incident. Cheng Nuo took care of the bill and the three of them went downstairs. Cheng Nuo went to fetch his magical beast, leaving Bai Rui and Liu Guang alone together.
Liu Guang stared at Bai Rui and sneered: "I wasn’t your opponent before but that was then. Cheng Nuo is mine. If you dare to come any closer to him, I"ll kill you."
Bai Rui calmly replied: "You said that before."
"But I"m not the same as before." Liu Guang saw that Cheng Nuo was about to come over to them. The expression on his face was very relaxed but the words that came from his mouth weren"t polite at all. "Now I can kill you."
Bai Rui said lightly, "I"m not the same as before either."
Liu Guang smiled and said: "Better try later."
Bai Rui paused for a moment then replied: "Boring."
Liu Guang secretly gnashed his teeth.
Cheng Nuo was stunned when he saw the two people on the roadside. They were now almost the same height and when they stood together they looked really eye-catching. Cheng Nuo was speechless. He saw Liu Guang every day but now that he saw him standing beside Bai Rui he realized that Liu Guang had really grown up…
He smiled at them and said, "I’m leaving Du Yue Lin so I’m going to buy some gifts for my seniors. What about you two?"
Liu Guang quickly said: "I"m going with you."
Bai Rui looked at Cheng Nuo and said: "I’m going back first. I’ll contact you later."
Cheng Nuo didn’t have time to speak to him more.
"Let"s go!" Seeing that Cheng Nuo was still staring at Bai Rui’s back, Liu Guang took his hand and walked forward a few steps.
Cheng Nuo looked at Liu Guang"s profile with great interest. His face looked mature but why was it that as soon as Bai Rui left, he puffed his cheeks out like a steamed bun?
Cheng Nuo laughed and said, "Why are you still so hostile towards Bai Rui?"
Liu Guang felt anxious. Why was Cheng Nuo always so unguarded? Although that Bai person doesn"t know that Cheng Nuo is female, Liu Guang still felt worried. He didn"t want to look too childish and narrow-minded but he couldn"t control his anger and followed Cheng Nuo when he left the sect. He wanted to warn Cheng Nuo again but he was afraid that Cheng Nuo would resent him for being angry so he forced himself to hold back.
As they slowly walked together side by side Liu Guang"s heart gradually became calm. Casting sideways glances at Cheng Nuo from time to time, his heart became full of joy.
As they pa.s.sed by a place with many people, Cheng Nuo stopped and smiled: "Is this a puppet show?"
The puppet shows in this world are not about heroes and beauties but all about sword fights.
Liu Guang looked up indifferently, frowned, then said, "Let’s go around it."
At the climax of the puppet show, one puppet cut another puppet"s head off with a sword. The puppet was extremely lifelike and spurted blood, making the audience scream. Cheng Nuo felt uncomfortable watching this so he did as Liu Guang suggested and walked further away from the show.
Behind the stage, a teenager with long, seaweed-like long hair was sitting down lazily eating grapes as he manipulated the puppets. As his eyes pa.s.s through a gap in the curtains around the stage, he caught sight of a familiar face. The pupils of his purple eyes suddenly constricted.
After a long pause, the corners of his mouth turned up in a vicious smile.
Even four years later, those eyes that he has lost still retained their light. Good…
Cheng Nuo bought some gifts then went back with Liu Guang just as night was falling. In order to get there faster, the two of them rode the ox-headed magical beast together. Cheng Nuo wanted to sit at the back but Liu Guang quickly jumped up and that position. Cheng Nuo smiled as he mounted. Liu Guang seemed eager to prove that he was an adult… Cheng Nuo inwardly smiled.
Liu Guang, sitting behind Cheng Nuo, wrapped his arms around Cheng Nuo"s waist and smelled his hair. Liu Guang"s face flushed and he felt dizzy.
Cheng Nuo didn"t notice anything as he took the magical beast"s reins. As he watched the setting sun, he couldn"t help but sing a sweet love song. His voice was soft and gentle in the twilight.
Liu Guang listened quietly and whispered, "You sing so well."
Cheng Nuo suddenly smiled. He used to be well-known as the "off-key king." Back in the day when he went to the karaoke with his friends, he used to sit quietly in the corner and eat. He turned around with a smile and said, "Is it really nice…?"
The two of them were so close that when Cheng Nuo turned his head, his lips brushed across Liu Guang"s cheek. He unconsciously drew back and laughed. "I don’t think I"ve heard you sing. Can you sing…?"
Liu Guang didn"t hear what Cheng Nuo was saying. His mind was blank as his entire attention had been drawn to Cheng Nuo"s soft lips. His thoughts and emotions were running out of control. Suddenly, he was unable to bear it anymore and he caught the back of Cheng Nuo"s head, pressing it forward. He used too much force and their noses collided painfully, making Liu Guang come back to his senses.
Cheng Nuo didn"t have time to react. His nose hurt and tears welled up in his eyes from the pain. He rubbed his nose and complained: "What are you up to, Liu Guang?" He looked up. Transparent tears glistened on his eyelashes that framed his bright black eyes that were even more beautiful than normal.
Liu Guang"s heart jumped. He took Cheng Nuo in his arms, holding on to him tightly for a long time before he spoke: "Cheng Nuo, let"s get married next year, okay?"
"…" Cheng Nuo was stunned and mechanically repeated, "Get married?"
Smoke was almost about to come out of Liu Guang"s ears. He lowered his eyes and said: "Well, next year I’ll be fifteen years old and I’ll be able to marry."
Cheng Nuo’s mouth had fallen wide open and his whole body was as stiff as a board.
Fifteen years old = old enough to marry = he will marry Liu Guang?!
Was this an auditory hallucination?
Seeing that Cheng Nuo had been silent for a long time, Liu Guang blushed and held on to Cheng Nuo"s waist, saying: "I"ve said it before that you"re my future wife. I said that I wouldn"t let you suffer again and I will get a big house for you to live in…"
Cheng Nuo"s brain functions that had halted because of shock now resumed its normal activity. In the beginning, that little brat had always called him "my future wife" but he hadn"t said that in recent years so Cheng Nuo had forgotten about it. **** it! Liu Guang can"t really think of Cheng Nuo as a female, right?!
Quickly snapping his mouth closed, Cheng Nuo jumped down from the magical beast as though he had been burned. He was completely at a loss about what to do.
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Reika"s Notes:
- This chapter is by Reika of Creative Novels and BC Novels.
- "…made him seem taller and more manly." – The raw 腰板挺直 which is literally something like straight and upright but I think this is the correct English translation.
- "…his large eyes that were slightly tilted up at the corners." 吊梢眼 diào shāo yǎn (literally "hanging branch eyes") also known as 狐狸眼 hú li yǎn ("fox eyes").
- "Back in the day when he went to the karaoke with his friends…" – Uh, I"m not sure but I think "K" in the raws (原来和朋友K歌) means karaoke.
- Please let me know if there are any errors. Thanks for reading!