Ch87.1 – Part-Time Job
Zhou Sheng:【What did Satan say to you? Do you find me really annoying sometimes?】
Yu Hao:【How could that be? I love you so much I can barely stand it.】
Yu Hao turned around and looked into Zhou Sheng’s eyes. Zhou Sheng kissed him gently, his expression slightly sombre. Yu Hao thought that Satan’s words might represent the other side of Zhou Sheng being forsaken. While he sometimes hated himself, he was also afraid of hurting Yu Hao. Yu Hao thought that Zhou Sheng had always felt very conflicted before his confession, but looking at it now, it seemed that Zhou Sheng had been very careful every day after they had confirmed their relationship.
He wanted to protect his love with Yu Hao and was always trying to guess his thoughts. In the past, Yu Hao seldom directly spoke his mind. After he got together with Zhou Sheng, Zhou Sheng would always ask, “Can’t you be a bit more honest and face yourself head-on?” And thus under Zhou Sheng’s influence, Yu Hao gradually became more frank about his feelings.
On the contrary, Zhou Sheng was the one who often ruminated in silence during the month following the confession. Sometimes, he couldn’t tell if Yu Hao was angry or not and would always be a little anxious.
Yu Hao:【I think you’ve become a little dumb.】
Zhou Sheng:【How am I dumb? You’re dumb.】
Yu Hao laughed:【Actually you can just treat me like how you used to in the past.】
Zhou Sheng stopped typing. Yu Hao immediately sensed that Zhou Sheng might have misunderstood him, so he quickly explained:【I didn’t mean to return to how things were before we got together. I’m saying that even if you were like how you used to be, I would still be very happy. You’re too good to me, I’m a little scared.】
Zhou Sheng:【What are you scared of?】
Yu Hao:【Scared that you would exhaust all your enthusiasm, and that you’ll gradually stop liking me. You’re so outstanding, being with you is just like winning the lottery.】
Yu Hao could feel that Zhou Sheng was laughing. He was about to clarify further when Zhou Sheng pressed his phone down, made Yu Hao turn around, and held him tightly in his arms.
“Let’s get a room ba.” Yu Hao whispered into Zhou Sheng’s ear.
Zhou Sheng said in a soft voice, “Not yet, I’m worried that you’ll feel uncomfortable because of the pain.”
Yu Hao, “It’ll hurt no matter when we get a room……would it somehow not hurt if we keep delaying it?”
Zhou Sheng laughed again and whispered, “I’m already prepared, are you that eager? Ah?”
Yu Hao was originally very embarra.s.sed about “seeking to join bodies”, but after today, he suddenly became frank. He once saw in a book that after a couple confirms their relationship and they enter a stable period, it would be easy for a kind of tug-of-war mentality to emerge. In order to compete for control of a relationship, they would seldom declare their admiration for their partner.
It was as if praising their partners too much would lead the other to become proud and complacent, and allow the other to hold the reins in the relationship. Jealousy could even arise in such an unhealthy relationship, and they could end up disparaging the other in order to feel better about themselves.
Yu Hao has always thought that Zhou Sheng was very handsome and outstanding — he was practically his male G.o.d. However, after enduring those days in conflict, he rarely expressed his admiration for Zhou Sheng. That wasn’t good. Yu Hao decided that from now on, he would speak frankly and show how smitten he was with his boyfriend, to let his boyfriend know how much he loved him.
“What do you want to eat?” Zhou Sheng said, “Food and s.e.x are men’s greatest desires; we won’t get a room, but it’ll be the same if we have good food. I’ll cook for you.”
“I want to eat too.” Fu Liqun said from the opposite bunk, “Now only good food can heal me.”
Yu Hao, “……”
Zhou Sheng, “……”
Zhou Sheng got up in resignation. He went down for a morning run and then made his way to the vegetable market in the mountains to buy groceries. Mandarin fish in the rivers were starting to grow plump as they entered autumn. After he came back, he made boiled mandarin fish porridge with the electric rice cooker; it was incredibly fresh and sweet with a side dish of sweet and sour pickled cuc.u.mbers. Fu Liqun sighed, “I feel so much better now!”
“Get lost!” Zhou Sheng said, “I haven’t gotten even with you over how your alarm woke me up!”
After breakfast, Yu Hao received news from Xiao Yujun asking if he could help out today, so Yu Hao prepared to go out. Meanwhile, Zhou Sheng accompanied Fu Liqun to search for a part-time job. Xiao Yujun planned to prepare two topics before the end of the National Day holidays, so that after the holidays, once her editors examine them, she could start publishing straight away.
Yu Hao hadn’t expected to start work so soon, and there were things about this job that felt a little strange to him as well. He had no official position, no contract, no salary that was explicitly discussed with him; but it was impossible for Xiao Yujun to cheat him because he still had Huang Ting as a backer. And thus, Yu Hao held back from asking. I’ll see how long you can hold back for.
“In a relationship?” In the cafe, Xiao Yujun was pondering about the interview and saw the hickey on Yu Hao’s neck at a glance.
Yu Hao quickly pulled his T-shirt up. Xiao Yujun said, “That’s practically torturing single dogs to death. Does your wife have any objections to you working a part-time job during the holidays?”
Yu Hao said, “They asked me to come, it’s okay. You can be in a relationship if you want ma, Huang Ting’s a pretty good guy.”
Yu Hao wanted to casually help Huang Ting even if he wasn’t very good at this.
Xiao Yujun said, “What did he say to you?”
“Nothing.” Yu Hao’s combat ability was obviously lacking, “I just think that the two of you seem to have a pretty good relationship.”
“If you want to be a matchmaker, why not matchmake me with male G.o.d?” Xiao Yujun smiled, “There must be something fishy about this.”
Yu Hao thought, every single one of you are human spirits, but Xiao Yujun said with a stern expression, “Bei Xiaozhou promised us only ten minutes. When the time comes, I’ll ask her the questions. Don’t interject, and I’ll tell you what to do once we’re finished.”
Yu Hao nodded and looked at his watch — it was still five minutes to nine o’clock. Bei Xiaozhou arrived. Xiao Yujun quickly rose to shake hands with her. It seemed Bei Xiaozhou was a little unwilling from her expression; she sat down and opened her compact mirror to draw her eyebrows and said coldly, “Ask ba.”
Xiao Yujun flipped through her printed materials. Bei Xiaozhou suddenly looked up from her compact mirror and looked at Yu Hao. She frowned, “It’s you?”
Yu Hao quickly smiled and nodded.
Yu Hao didn’t expect that Bei Xiaozhou would remember him after just seeing him once from afar.
“The two of you know each other?” Xiao Yujun smiled, “Why didn’t you say so?” As she spoke, she nudged Yu Hao.
Yu Hao, “You remember me?”
Bei Xiaozhou closed her compact and laughed. Xiao Yujun keenly became aware of something and said, “Yu Hao’s an intern accompanying me.”
“Aren’t you just a soph.o.m.ore?” Bei Xiaozhou scrutinised Yu Hao.
Yu Hao answered, “We’re friends, I’m here to help.”
“Is that so……” Bei Xiaozhou briefly thought about it, then said, “Un, Xiao Laoshi, do your interview first ba.”
Xiao Yujun observed Bei Xiaozhou’s expression. She has more than two million fans and was definitely someone she couldn’t afford to provoke. If she was angered, her fans could blow it up, and she might even get scolded.
Xiao Yujun’s questions were very pointed, but she always smiled as she asked them — they included questions about the branded bags Xiaozhou used online, her usual holidays, advertising fees, and so on. When Yu Hao heard the questions, even he thought they seemed too offensive, but Xiao Yujun’s smile as she asked the questions could effectively alleviate the displeasure of the interview.
After they spoke for about ten minutes, the person-in-charge from Bei Xiaozhou’s agency came. He didn’t look very happy, but when he saw that Xiaozhou’s att.i.tude seemed good, he didn’t put a stop to things and only occasionally interjected from the side. Xiao Yujun would ask a question, then Bei Xiaozhou would answer it. Yu Hao looked at his watch; they had chatted for a full 50 minutes.
Finally, Xiao Yujun said, “Do you have anything you want to say to your fans?”
Bei Xiaozhou said, “Is this a feature article? You’re asking so many questions.”
Xiao Yujun smiled and didn’t answer. Bei Xiaozhou pondered over it for awhile before answering, “Live your own lives well ba, no matter how brilliant this life may seem, it still belongs to someone else in the end.”
Her manager suddenly turned pale, but Bei Xiaozhou still looked indifferent. Xiao Yujun said, “Thank you.”
“Yu Hao.” Bei Xiaozhou said to Yu Hao, “Let’s talk.”
Yu Hao thought, what’s there for us to talk about? Don’t tell me you want me to help you ask Zhou Sheng out ba? I’m sorry! He already belongs to someone else now!
The manager and Xiao Yujun left. Yu Hao said, “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Bei Xiaozhou said, “Oh? About how I’m a kept woman and such?”
Yu Hao smiled, “Of course not. They all say that you’re the G.o.ddess of my cla.s.smates in the opposite and adjacent dorms.”
Bei Xiaozhou kept silent. Yu Hao said, “As for Jingya and Zhou Sheng, I can’t help much……”
Bei Xiaozhou suddenly said, “Thank you, Yu Hao. Thank you both.” As she spoke, she smiled.
Yu Hao, “???”
“You’ve done me a huge favour.” Bei Xiaozhou’s eyebrows raised slightly, “I had no other choice but to accompany Xiao Ya the other day. At that time, I was even ready to give up.”
Yu Hao, “!!!”
“The two of you……you……” Yu Hao comprehended the ‘you understand’ gaze that Bei Xiaozhou gave him, and instantly felt a mutual tacit understanding with her. He couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Bei Xiaozhou sighed again helplessly.
“Then her?” Yu Hao asked Bei Xiaozhou tentatively.
Bei Xiaozhou revealed a slightly melancholic smile. When he connected it to when Zhou Sheng said ‘it’s hard for me to say’, Yu Hao immediately had a hunch that Bei Xiaozhou and Huang Jingya must have sunk into a muddy state in their relationship too. Perhaps they had dated once, but before the sky turned bright for them, Huang Jingya had to get in touch with Zhou Sheng because of the pressure from her father. Moreover, she had even very vaguely liked Zhou Sheng a little.
“What are you laughing at?” Bei Xiaozhou said, “Is it that funny?”
Yu Hao said, “I feel like you’re the female version of Zhou Sheng.”
Bei Xiaozhou flicked her long hair and said with a solemn countenance, “That’s practically the worst way I’ve ever been blackened so far. Jiejie is a very gentle person, okay? How am I in any way like that ruffian at all?!” Then her hair happened to fall weirdly on her face, which made Yu Hao laugh even harder as he laid on the table.
“Are you done laughing?!” Bei Xiaozhou said angrily.