On Sunday afternoon, Li Teng picked up Ruan Nianchu promptly to buy an electronic keyboard. The owner of the music store was very attentive, recommending this and that, with prices all above four thousand yuan. Ruan Nianchu browsed through the options, finally choosing a regular model for teaching purposes, priced at two thousand five hundred yuan.
Of course, Li Teng paid for it in the end.
After leaving the music store, he single-handedly placed the keyboard into the trunk with a broad motion. As he did so, the black long sleeve on his left arm retracted upwards, revealing a small patch of bronze skin, strong and powerful. It was a fleeting sight, as the sleeve quickly covered it back up.
Ruan Nianchu watched him and suddenly remembered something. “Did you remove your tattoo?”
Li Teng slammed the trunk shut and turned to look at her. “What about it?”
“The dragon tattoo,” she raised her left arm and gestured, “from your shoulder to your chest, with the tail trailing onto your arm, that intimidating one.”
He replied coldly, “It’s none of your business whether I removed it or not.”
“I’m just asking casually,” she said, then glanced at his long sleeve. Despite the hot weather, she had never seen him wear short sleeves. She continued, “You probably haven’t removed it, right? Do you think it’s cool and don’t want to remove it?”
The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.
Nk Mldt tsv kdvs vbl nya yde pyke, “R alxshle kv.”
Fbl aykple yd lulcaso, psxlobyv ekpclzklhkdt. “Rp vbyv ps? Mbld aszz wr uswa pzllhl yde zlv xl pll. Fllkdt kp clzklhkdt.”
Brsd blyakdt vbkp, Nk Mldt rywple caklqzu, piwkdvle pzktbvzu, vbld alekalnvle bkp tygl vsoyaep bla. Gqvla y xsxldv, bl pyke, “Qlv kd, R’zz vyjl usw psxloblal.”
“Gdsvbla rzynl?” Swyd Lkydnbw oyp rwggzle, cwv tsv kdvs vbl nya yde qypvldle bla plyvclzv. Fbl ypjle, “Eblal yal ol tskdt?”
“Ms qkde y bsvlz.”
Fbl qasodle. “Ebu yal ol tskdt vs y bsvlz?”
Tl alrzkle nypwyzzu, “Ms tlv y assx.”
“…Ebyv?” Mbkp vkxl, Swyd Lkydnbw oyp nsxrzlvlzu vyjld ycynj, pvyakdt yv bkx kdnalewzswpzu. “Uyrvykd Nk, usw’al y bktb-aydjkdt sqqknkyz, esd’v xyjl pwnb fsjlp nypwyzzu.”
“You said seeing is believing,” Li Teng stared straight ahead, his expression calm. “I’ll take it off for you to see.”
She was stunned for a moment. “No need.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind,” he insisted.
“…Really no need.” His habit of stripping off his clothes at the slightest opportunity had almost traumatized her in Cambodia. Honestly, she used to mind it, but now she minded it even more.
“Still want to see?”
“I won’t look.”
“Do you believe me?”
“…Yes.” It was just a question of whether he removed his tattoo or not. Why did he have to take it so seriously? Men with no sense of humor. She was speechless.
After that, the rest of the journey was silent.
Ruan Nianchu focused on her Weibo, avoiding any further interaction with Li Teng. He drove expressionlessly, occasionally glancing at her when they encountered a red light. In the corner of her eye, she could see the girl frowning, pouting, looking gloomy, as if the whole world owed her money.
She had grown up.
Other than that, it seemed like nothing had changed from the past.
At that moment, the red light turned green. Li Teng’s gaze returned, and there was a faint curve at the corner of his mouth as he stepped on the gas.
Ruan Nianchu needed to prepare her lessons, so naturally, the electronic keyboard would be taken to her house first. To save time, Li Teng drove straight into the residential area and parked in front of her building.
Ruan Nianchu got out of the car and went to the back to open the trunk and grab the keyboard.
She underestimated the weight of the keyboard.
As she lifted it, she almost stumbled to the ground with the keyboard in tow.
Li Teng furrowed his brows, afraid she might fall, and strode over to hold her waist. Coincidentally, his palm landed on her waist crease. That area was sensitive and prone to tickle.
So when Ruan Nianchu exclaimed, her elbow reflexively swung backward, hitting Li Teng’s chin squarely.
He took the hit solidly.
“…,” he squinted, his face half black.
Ruan Nianchu felt extremely embarrassed and awkward. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… Sorry.” Setting down the keyboard, she approached him, staring at his chin, reaching out to touch it. “Are you okay? Is it serious?”
Her soft fingers brushed against his chin.
Delicate and rough, smooth and hard, the contrast in texture was stark to the extreme. A warm and faint fragrance wafted over.
“…,” Li Teng’s eyes subtly changed, and he grabbed her delicate wrist fiercely, squeezing tightly.
Feeling startled, she winced in pain. “I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to. Don’t be angry.”
After a while, Li Teng released her hand, his expression returning to indifference. Only a hint of the fierceness from earlier remained in his eyes.
Ruan Nianchu still felt uneasy and hesitated before saying, “I already apologized. Why did you suddenly get so aggressive?” The way he had acted just now was no different from when she had seen him in Cambodia seven years ago.
Li Teng turned his head away, and after a moment, he spoke in a low voice, “I don’t like people touching me.”
“I can tell,” Ruan Nianchu replied, frowning. Back then, when they were trapped in the jungle and he had a high fever, she had tried to cool him down with cold water, but he had almost mistaken her for an enemy and killed her.
After a few seconds of silence, Li Teng felt annoyed. He walked to the side, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, then flicked the cigarette butt away and lifted the electronic keyboard. “Which floor do you live on?”
“Third floor,” she replied.
He didn’t say anything else, just turned around and carried the keyboard inside.
Watching his back, Ruan Nianchu rubbed her slightly reddened wrist and frowned. What a strange person.
And so the weekend passed.
This Wednesday was Qiao Yufei’s twenty-sixth birthday. She loved lively atmospheres, so she had booked a private room at a high-end KTV for her birthday party. There were many invited guests, including Ruan Nianchu, her best friend.
Incidentally, she also tried to invite her best friend’s current boyfriend.
“Bring that Li Teng too,” Qiao Yufei’s tone over the phone was full of interest and curiosity. “His name is Li Teng, right? It’ll be more fun with more people. Besides, it’s a good opportunity for me to meet him.”
Ruan Nianchu was applying a face mask and watching a video when she heard this. She replied coolly, “He won’t come.”
“Have you asked him?”
“No.” Knowing Li Teng as she did, he preferred peace and quiet. Why would he join her friend’s birthday party? There was no need to ask.
“You haven’t even asked, how do you know he won’t come?” Qiao Yufei said. “Anyway, I’ve invited him. Just ask him, if he doesn’t come, then forget it.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Ruan Nianchu opened WeChat. She hadn’t bothered to change Li Teng’s nickname in her contacts. His name was just a series of numbers, easy to find at the bottom of her contacts list.
She opened the chat window and sent a message: “My friend’s birthday party the day after tomorrow, inviting you to join. What do you think, Captain Li?”
Five minutes later, the reply came: “What time?”
Ruan Nianchu: “7:30 in the evening.”
Li Teng: “Okay.”
“…” Ruan Nianchu was stunned. She stared at the word “Okay” with wide eyes, staring at it for two minutes before finally responding: “You’re actually going?”
Li Teng: “Can’t I go?”
“…,” Ruan Nianchu fell silent. She thought to herself that Qiao Yufei was right again. A man’s heart is like the bottom of the sea, constantly changing. Then she replied: “There’s no reason he can’t come. See you at the door on Wednesday night.”
Li Teng replied: “I’ll be there.”
The friendship between Ruan Nianchu and Qiao Yufei originated from their freshman year. At that time, Qiao Yufei, the campus beauty of the finance department, had set her sights on a campus idol in Ruan Nianchu’s class. With spring in her heart, she pursued him relentlessly, and it was thanks to Ruan Nianchu’s help that she was able to establish a relationship with him.
Now, with the passage of time, that campus idol was already Qiao Yufei’s ex-boyfriend.
But the friendship between these two women remained as strong as ever.
So, many times, friends are really more steadfast than lovers.
For Qiao Yufei’s twenty-sixth birthday, Ruan Nianchu had prepared a gift for her months in advance – a handmade phone case. She bought sewing tools, followed the original design, and spent two whole months making it.
For Nianchu, if her mother was the first woman she loved in the world, then Qiao Yufei was undoubtedly the second.
At exactly seven o’clock on Wednesday evening, after the study session was over, Li Teng changed into casual clothes and picked up Ruan Nianchu. Together, they went to the designated KTV.
When they arrived, the private room was already bustling with noise. In the two-story space, young men and women sang, played drinking games, surrounding the birthday girl in the center.
Qiao Yufei wore a birthday hat on her head. When she saw Ruan Nianchu, her eyes lit up. “Nianchu!”
“Making such a big fuss, one would think you’re celebrating your thirtieth birthday,” Ruan Nianchu said with a smile as she teased her, handing over the gift box. “Happy birthday.”
Qiao Yufei thanked her with a coquettish tone, then turned her head and saw Li Teng coming in behind them.
His temperament was cold and imposing, standing out starkly from the surroundings.
Qiao Yufei couldn’t help but glance at him a few more times and lowered her voice. “Is this your boyfriend?”
“Yeah,” Ruan Nianchu nodded, introducing them, “This is Li Teng, and this is Qiao Yufei.”
Qiao Yufei greeted him with a smile.
Li Teng nodded faintly, “Hello.”
Afterwards, Qiao Yufei couldn’t help but lean in close to Ruan Nianchu’s ear and whispered in a low voice, “Your boyfriend doesn’t quite fit our style. You should consider finding someone else. You can’t even have fun together.”
Ruan Nianchu replied, “I think he’s fine.”
They weren’t even remotely similar types of people, so what was there to like about him? Qiao Yufei found it hard to understand. Then, in the blink of an eye, that peculiar person turned slightly and spoke to Ruan Nianchu. His profile was enveloped in dark shadows, his features were picturesque, with a mix of arrogance and sharpness.
Qiao Yufei coughed dryly and withdrew her gaze.
Well, okay, his appearance was indeed quite nice.
Very nice indeed.
Li Teng’s lips were close to Ruan Nianchu’s ear, his tone was very soft and low, “Is this how you guys usually hang out?” Men and women mingling together, like a chaotic dance.
“Not really,” Ruan Nianchu replied honestly. “I’m more of a homebody. I only do this kind of thing on special occasions.”
“…”
Then he ignored her. Sitting on the couch, he bowed his head and looked at his phone, expressionless.
Meanwhile, Ruan Nianchu was dragged away by Qiao Yufei to sing.
After a while, someone suggested playing Truth or Dare, and the group of young people enthusiastically agreed. They formed a circle and began playing, deciding winners and losers with rock-paper-scissors.
After a few rounds, Ruan Nianchu ran out of “truth” opportunities and had to choose a dare. The rules were that she had to either drink three cups in a row or kiss any opposite-sex person present.
Ruan Nianchu chose the former.
Just as she lifted the cup, Qiao Yufei grabbed her hand suspiciously and said, “With your crappy alcohol tolerance, and your boyfriend here, why drink three cups?” She sat up and enthusiastically shouted to the couch next to them, “Li Teng, your wife lost the game. She wants to kiss you.”
“…” Ruan Nianchu hurriedly whispered to her, “Stop making things up.”
Qiao Yufei was confused. “You’re a couple, so what’s wrong with a kiss?”
“We…” She frowned, feeling a bit flustered. With so many people around, she didn’t know how to explain it to her friend. But then, the person next to her made a move.
Ruan Nianchu froze for a moment and turned her head.
Li Teng stood up and walked towards her. His face was calm, but his eyes were fixed on her, dark and deep, filled with a mixture of desire and detachment, contradictory and unsettling.
Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)
You can also check out my other translations Here
I feel like Sebastian in the little mermaid, saying kiss the girl, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, KKKKIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSS!
A steamy kiss. Li Teng is a manly man but this is not the right occasion for their first kiss. Hahaha!