Do you believe in the seven-year itch?
Psychologists say that love is the strongest and highest form of interpersonal attraction. Would that love still exist after a long time together?
For example, a very loving couple, after years of polis.h.i.+ng their relations.h.i.+p. Would their love gradually die?
Chen Zetao believed that in this case, their love would certainly die out. As the saying went: There were no marriages that couldn"t be broken, only mistresses that didn"t work hard.
Chen Meimei was a fatty ever since she was a child. Even though her face was plump and her body was round, she was still very fond of eating. Moreover, Old Chen pampered her to no end. Every time Chen Zetao entered her room, he would have to first clear up all the snacks piled up like a mountain before he could find Chen Meimei.
However, Chen Zetao didn"t often go to Old Chen"s place. He only occasionally went there when his parents visited Old Chen.
The six year old Chen Meimei had already become plump like a round ball. She"d started school late, so she went with other children younger than her. In the huge cla.s.sroom, Chen Meimei was placed in the last row. She now had a desk for herself because her cla.s.smates always went to the teacher and complained about her, saying that her round body always squeezed them when they sat next to each other.
Unlike Chen Meimei, when Chen Zetao was five years old, he was already the Prince Charming of their cla.s.s. His seat was a seat away from Chen Meimei"s. Chen Meimei always nibbled snacks when she was in cla.s.s. She would also secretly put a mouthful into his mouth when the teacher wasn"t paying attention. When that happened, Chen Zetao"s cheeks would always swell up and attract the teachers" supercilious looks.
Chen Zetao actually quite disliked this little fat girl, Chen Meimei, because she liked to copy his homework and feed him snacks in cla.s.s. She also liked to plant the blame on him after doing something bad or wrong, and every time, he was the one that was punished. When that happened, and he wrinkled his face in pain, Chen Meimei would hide in a corner and laugh at him, or make a face at him.
He was a man, so he couldn"t argue with girls.
At the age of ten, the children, who couldn"t read many words yet, learned of a new game, which was to write love letters.
Chen Zetao had a beautiful face, even prettier than a girl"s, so he naturally received the most love letters. Every time he went home, he"d always carry a big bag of letters back. At that time, Chen Meimei liked to follow him and pestered him to read those love letters.
He had no choice but to open them one by one and read them to Chen Meimei. When Chen Meimei didn"t understand a word, she"d persistently ask him what it meant.
When she was ten years old, Chen Meimei"s world revolved around snacks and games, unlike other children who liked to read manhua or watch TV series, so she didn"t know what the words "like" and "love" meant.
He kept reading until he became irritable and didn"t want to read anymore. The domineering Chen Meimei not only liked to stay in his room, but also occupied his time, leaving him no time to play with the girl he liked.
One time, when they were playing games during a cla.s.s, the girl that Chen Zetao liked blushed at him and wanted to form a group with him for the game. However, as the girl"s hand was about to hold onto Chen Zetao"s hand, Chen Meimei rushed over and swung the little girl"s hand away, roaring angrily at her, "Chen Zetao is my friend, so he must be in the same group as me!"
He was furious, but he couldn"t lose his temper with Chen Meimei, because his father had told him that Chen Meimei was very pitiful. She was too fat, so no children liked to play with her. Therefore, as a gentleman, he must take care of her, so he couldn"t leave her alone.
However, it was a different story. Later, he realised that Chen Meimei wasn"t a pitiful girl. She could have a lot of friends if she wanted, it was just that Chen Meimei didn"t like them very much.
So, when Chen Meimei reached out him, he pushed her away. After her round body had rolled on the ground twice, Chen Meimei stared at him in shock.
It was after that time that Chen Meimei never spoke to him again. Every time he spoke to others, Chen Meimei just stared at him in silence.
Chen Zetao spent most of his childhood under Chen Meimei"s dejected gaze.
Later, Chen Meimei"s gaze no longer followed him, because she"d found a new target.
When she was in high school, Chen Meimei suddenly grew taller. She was as tall as he was, but she was still very plump. From behind, she looked very tall and st.u.r.dy, just like a boy.
Chen Meimei"s friends were few and far between. However, she didn"t care that much; she only cared about one boy named Fu Bainian. It was the boy that Chen Meimei had taken a fancy to.
Now, every time that Chen Zetao went home from school, no one followed him, and every day in cla.s.s, no one would put anything in his mouth any more. Chen Meimei changed to another cla.s.s, and although her grades were still very poor, she was in the same cla.s.s as the top students.
In October, he was about to leave the city to go to another country. Among the people who came to see him off, there was no sight of a round figure. Chen Meimei didn"t come. She went chasing after Fu Bainian.
At this moment, Chen Zetao felt livid that Chen Meimei didn"t come to see him off. She"d unexpectedly ignored him. He would become a better man than that boy, and then he would bring a beautiful girlfriend back to infuriate her.
The fourteen year old boy vowed as he stood at the airport.
However, at that time, he was too young and not mature enough to know why he felt angry and sour. If he"d understood it back then, then maybe he wouldn"t have missed it.
When he returned to his home country, he heard that Chen Meimei had become a actress, but she wasn"t very famous to the point that people would recognise her on the streets and say, "Omg, I"ve just seen the actress Chen Meimei!"
Chen Meimei was an artist under the banner of Blue Hall Entertainment. He"d heard that it was the company owned by Fu Bainian.
When he got off the plane, he was thinking that if Chen Meimei still liked him, he wouldn"t mind accepting her. After all, he"d had a lot of girlfriends when he was abroad, but none of them was like Chen Meimei, who could make him smile just by thinking about her.
When he stepped into Blue Hall Entertainment, he didn"t think like that anymore. What he thought at that moment was: Chen Meimei would certainly become his woman. He wouldn"t allow her to marry another man, because he"d finally realised that he liked her when he was abroad. The only person on his mind every day was her.
Unfortunately, he seemed to be a step too late.
Not only did Chen Meimei grow into a fatty, but her heart had become so small that she could only accommodate one person. She unexpectedly announced to the world that she would only love Fu Bainian in this lifetime.
As he stared at Chen Meimei, who"d given up her self-esteem for love, he thought: In the end, I was too late and lost you.
As such, he could only hope that Chen Meimei would no longer love that man one day.
--THE END--
TL Note:
Hi Starlets! This is it for ROAS. Thanks a bunch for all your support, we have now finally reached the end! Also a big thank you to Purpledragon, our wonderful editor! Although there were many loopholes in the story, at least the side stories were cute and revealed some more background story e.g. regarding Lan Xin"s ident.i.ty and Fu Bainian"s love at first sight. How did you like the book and the side stories?
This is my first completed translation project, and I hope you liked it! After this, I"ll take a short break and then continue with a novel set in ancient times. Are you willing to dive into the ancient era with me? If so, please stay tuned! ^^
Laterszz,
Yuna