The Complete Guide to the Use and Care of a Personal a.s.sistant
Translator: Jury
Editor: NomNom, Cien
First Published on Chaleuria
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-eight
"No matter how much you try to convince me, I won"t agree to them!" Ling Miao"s dad yelled. "How can a man be with a man? Ling Miao, if you still acknowledge me as your father, cut off all contact with him!"
Su Yuyang steadily watched Ling Miao, who looked into Su Yuyang"s eyes. Su Yuyang"s face was calm, his eyes bright. Ling Miao held Su Yuyang"s hand and smiled coldly at his father. "These last few days, I"ve thought about it a lot. I figured you wouldn"t agree to me and Su Yuyang no matter what. Since you"ve said so yourself, then I"ll do as I"ve been thinking. Su Yuyang, let"s go."
"Ling Miao!" His father"s low voice was full of anger, but Ling Miao seemed to not have heard him. Holding Su Yuyang"s hand, he didn"t look back as he left the room.
In the car on the way back, Ling Miao leaned on Su Yuyang"s shoulder and didn"t speak. With worry written on his face, Su Yuyang kissed his lover"s hair. "I thought we could leave leisurely," Ling Miao choked out. "But, now that we"ve left, there"s a weight in my heart. I feel like I can"t breathe."
Su Yuyang"s arm circled Ling Miao"s back, and he gently rubbed at his arm. "All things have a turning point, right?" Su Yuyang comforted him.
"But…"
"Alright, alright." Su Yuyang"s mom couldn"t take it any more. "Since you"ve made your decision, just keep moving forward. What"s the point in thinking about all this now? Are you planning to go back and wait for your father"s blessing before you"ll be with Xiao Yu? To me, it looks like if you go back you"ll be driven crazy by your father or tormented to death by your stepmother."
"I"m not going back." Holding Su Yuyang"s hand, Ling Miao resolutely declared, "I believe my decision was right."
Everything seemed to become calm once again. Ling Miao and Su Yuyang pa.s.sed their days slowly, but their peace was soon broken by a phone call. When Su Yuyang took the call, Feng Ji"s curses came through the receiver, "Hey, Su Yuyang, you"re back now! Come and take a s.h.i.+ft!"
Su Yuyang switched the phone to his other ear and put a finger in his traumatized ear. "What"s the hurry? When I finish writing Ma.s.sacre, I"ll take over the work."
"f.u.c.k, you"ve gotta be joking with me! It"ll be next year by the time you finish Ma.s.sacre!" Feng Ji complained with dissatisfaction. "I"m going to take Xiao An and go on vacation right away!"
"If you really can"t wait, then close the shop," Su Yuyang suggested, ruffling his hair. He really, really didn"t want to mind the shop!
Feng Ji was furious now. He slammed the table and complained more loudly, "One whole year?! If the shop closes for a year, what will I eat? Do you think I"m a successful author like you and have income even if I don"t write?" As Feng Ji spoke, he began sobbing.
"Stop! I"ll head over, alright?" Su Yuyang was thoroughly defeated by Feng Ji. "Xiao Miao, Feng Ji wants us to come over." Su Yuyang stretched lazily and hummed.
"Just a minute; I have two hundred words left." Ling Miao"s voice was m.u.f.fled around the lollipop in his mouth.
Su Yuyang scooted over behind Ling Miao and hugged him. He kissed Ling Miao"s ear and said, "It"s been three hours. How are you still on this chapter?"
Ling Miao turned and slapped Su Yuyang"s head. He rubbed the offended spot gently and said helplessly, "Writer"s block." Ling Miao"s forehead creased. His wry and dispirited gaze inexplicably made Su Yuyang smile.
Su Yuyang pressed several keys on the keyboard, shutting down all the processes. "What are you doing?" Ling Miao asked, panicked.
Su Yuyang tenderly reasoned, "Let"s go out for a walk and change your mood. Looking at you these last few days, you"ve been either writing or playing games. You even wanted me to cook." Sigh.
Ling Miao pulled aside the curtains and looked out the window. The sky was dark, as if it would rain at any time. Above the sidewalk, the leaves on the trees swayed slightly. It seemed there was a wind blowing, as well. "It"s windy. Remember to put on a jacket." Ling Miao reminded Su Yuyang.
He was just b.u.t.toning up the last b.u.t.ton of his s.h.i.+rt. Hearing Ling Miao"s words, Su Yuyang stopped, then smiled. "The temperature"s not that low today. A little wind"s nothing."
A little wind? On the way home, Ling Miao glanced at Su Yuyang who was s.h.i.+vering uncontrollably. Ling Miao pulled at Su Yuyang"s hands and said reproachfully, "I told you to wear a jacket, but you were stubborn. Now you"re cold?" Su Yuyang smiled and didn"t say anything, but his hand tightened around Ling Miao"s.
Hand in hand, the two leisurely walked to W&S. On the road, they encountered many curious gazes but the sweetness in both their smiles didn"t falter. Feng Ji saw the couple laughing and talking as they entered. They seemed intent on displaying PDA¹ for an audience, and Feng Ji couldn"t help but tease, "When did you become conjoined twins? Even when you"re walking, you"re together."
With satisfaction, Su Yuyang replied, "We"ll be together for a lifetime."
Feng Ji glared sourly at Su Yuyang. Grinning as he pulled out the ap.r.o.ns he had prepared beforehand, Feng Ji handed them to the couple. "Xiao An and I are leaving next week. This week, you two can get used to the place."
Su Yuyang took an ap.r.o.n and pa.s.sed it to Ling Miao.
"What about you?" Ling Miao asked.
"I"m the boss, so I just have to sit to one side and watch," responded Su Yuyang matter-of-factly.
"f.u.c.k." Ling Miao took the other ap.r.o.n and put it on Su Yuyang before he could react. Seeing that Ling Miao and Su Yuyang had familiarized themselves with the shop, Feng Ji and An Yan prepared to go on their vacation.
Afterward, the following scene repeated at W&S every day: A young and handsome man leisurely stood at the cash register. Although his handsome brow was gently creased, his whole appearance was very likeable. Whenever someone started staring at him, an angry voice would say, "Xiao Miao, what are you daydreaming about?" Then, the owner of said voice would possessively embrace the man and gently kiss his cheek. In response, Ling Miao would indicate his head hurt.
And sometimes, the scene would go like this: "Su Yuyang, take these things to the customers at table five… Su Yuyang, clear table three… Su Yuyang… Su Yuyang…" The man called "Su Yuyang" bustled about nonstop like a spinning top. The man who was making him work was the youth behind the counter. In time, everyone was able to guess the relations.h.i.+p between the two. Some curious people would go up to the register and ask Ling Miao many questions, which were all fielded by Su Yuyang.
After a day of hard work, Ling Miao collapsed on the bed the moment he got home. Su Yuyang tapped Ling Miao and told him to shower. Ling Miao turned over and whined, "I"m so tired. I"ll take a nap first."
"You"re all sweaty," Su Yuyang said disdainfully. "If you don"t go, I"ll carry you there."
"I"ll go, alright?" Ling Miao picked up his pajamas and dragged his tired body to the bathroom. Su Yuyang opened his laptop and continued writing the chapter he had not finished during the day. When Ling Miao returned after his shower, he saw that Su Yuyang was still writing. "You"ve had a tiring day, don"t write any more. Why don"t you rest early?" Ling Miao suggested with concern.
"I feel fine." Su Yuyang"s face was carefree and not a hint of tiredness could be seen. "Besides, I"m about to write the ending. I want to write it all in one go."
"Then, I"ll sleep first." His voice thick with sleep, Ling Miao couldn"t take it anymore. He nestled into the blankets and quickly fell asleep.
It was 2 a.m. when Su Yuyang finished writing the ending. The man on the bed was sleeping like a baby, his pouted lips a faint pink. Drawn in by the scene before him, Su Yuyang bent down and pressed his lips gently to Ling Miao"s own. The other man seemed to notice. He gave a whine and twisted his head. Su Yuyang frantically raised his head. Seeing that Ling Miao hadn"t woken up, he let out a breath. He hugged his lover from behind so that Ling Miao"s back was flush against Su Yuyang"s chest. Feeling the warmth from Ling Miao"s body, Su Yuyang"s lips lifted in a contented smile.
—Divider—
Su Yuyang and Ling Miao"s daily life was filled with squabbling. Su Yuyang would wear a dark expression because other people were staring at Ling Miao and wouldn"t look away. Then, Ling Miao would give instructions to Su Yuyang with an even darker expression, leaving Su Yuyang so busy he had no time to watch Ling Miao.
At home, Su Yuyang prepared his new book while Ling Miao wrote. This was the quietest and happiest time for them. The pair sat back to back on the bed, busy with their own things. When they got tired, one would rest for a while against the other"s shoulder. Ling Miao often fell asleep as he rested. When this happened, Su Yuyang would help Ling Miao edit his chapters and upload them on time.
Every so often, Su Yuyang and Ling Miao would receive photographs and postcards from Feng Ji. Heh, Feng Ji had even met up with Yan Li! Feng Ji and An Yan"s vacation was still ongoing but it had to be cut short for one thing: Yan Li and Ji Linxi were getting married! Cough, cough, according to Yan Li, she was pregnant.
"f.u.c.k! Linxi"s moving too fast, isn"t he?" Reading Yan Li"s letter, Ling Miao gained some respect for Ji Linxi.
Su Yuyang only said, "I don"t think Ji Linxi started it."
"Neither do I." Feng Ji grinned. "Yan Li has such a strong personality, and Ji Linxi is awkward. I don"t think he would initiate it."
"You"re back!" Su Yuyang turned to see Feng Ji and An Yan standing at the shop entrance.
Yan Li and Ji Linxi"s wedding took place in her hometown. Yan Li couldn"t do everything herself, so the preparations were basically handed over to Su Yuyang and Ling Miao. Now that Feng Ji was back, Su Yuyang could hand off a lot of things. "Xiao An, let"s get married too!" Feng Ji suddenly suggested. An Yan took hold of Feng Ji"s hands and shyly nodded.
Su Yuyang watched Ling Miao"s back and concluded, Marriage is a pretty good idea. Ling Miao felt a chill at his back. He shuddered and turned to see Su Yuyang"s dangerous smile.
Translation notes:
[1] PDA: public display(s) of affection