chapter 5 – mr.
blue whale

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Xie Ning blindly followed the man home, thinking about a problem the whole way there.

 

Why on earth did he agree to follow Mr.
Blue Whale home?

 

Ten minutes later, the two of them stopped in front of one of Lakeside Villa’s residences.

 

Zhuang Yan glanced back once while he looked for the key.

 

Mr.
Rabbit’s head was lowered so he couldn’t see his expression clearly, and could only see the two dangly fuzz balls on his hat.
It was super cute.

 

He didn’t think it would be that easy to whisk someone home.

 

This person looked pure and harmless, and was not very vigilant.
The two of them had met at most twice, yet he had no sense of danger.

 

Zhuang Yan didn’t know if he should be happy or sigh.
Finally, he asked, “You don’t even know my name, and followed me home so easily.
Are you not afraid that I would have evil intentions towards you?”

 

“Huh?” Xie Ning was taken aback for a moment.
He asked, “You have evil intentions towards me?”

 

Zhuang Yan choked.
“It was just a metaphor.”

 

But if he looked at it from a certain angle, Zhuang Yan did feel like he had some sort of evil intention.

 

At first, it was because of his looks.
Every feature of his was perfect and to his taste, and moved him whenever he looked at him.

 

Men are all visual animals.
Isn’t “love at first sight” just because the other person is exactly your type?

 

And this Mr.
Rabbit had a very interesting temper.

 

Every sentence he said at the lakeside pierced his heart.
The more he looked at him, the more he pleased he was.

 

They were absolutely a match made in heaven!

 

Xie Ning raised his head and looked at the tall door, and said, “The first time we met, the sleeve cuffs you were wearing cost 20,000RMB (~3,000USD), and are only available in France.
The watch you’re wearing, from Van Cleef and Arpels–I can’t recall the exact style, but it would cost no less than 200,000RMB (~30,000USD).
And your trench coat…”

 

Zhuang Yan looked at him, unruffled.
“What brand is my trench coat from?”

 

Xie Ning shook his head.
“It’s not which brand; looking at the fabric and design, it is probably made to order…if we’re talking about evil intentions, it should be others who have evil intentions towards you.”

 

Zhuang Yan raised his eyebrows.
“You have pretty sharp eyes.”

 

Xie Ning said, “This is Lakeside Villa.
People who are able to live here are either rich or noble, so they wouldn’t be able to do something that lowers their status.”

 

Zhuang Yan looked at him steadily for a while.
“One may know a person for a long time without understanding their true nature.
There may still be some weird people around.”

 

Xie Ning puzzled over this.
“I haven’t seen anyone who calls themselves a weirdo.”

 

Zhuang Yan: “……”

 

“Besides,” Xie Ning pointed at a residence in the back, “I coincidentally live right behind you.
The security here is excellent, and there are surveillance cameras all along the road.
If something happened to me, the police would come to your door the next day to investigate.”

 

Zhuang Yan opened the door, and smiled.
“So it turns out you’re not as foolish as I thought you were.”

 

“……” Xie Ning said softly, “I’m not foolish.”

 

Zhuang Yan laughed at him.
“In such a cold winter, you ran to the lakeside to sketch.
If you’re not foolish, then what?”

 

Xie Ning wanted to refute him, but didn’t know what to say.
Thinking about it, it did seem quite foolish.
After going out, he slightly regretted being blown by such a cold wind.

 

As to why, the reason was probably–because he was bored.

 

Zhuang Yan saw him pressing his lips together and not saying anything.
On one hand, he thought that this was quite cute.
On the other hand, he couldn’t help but tease him some more.

 

“What are you in a daze for?” Afraid of scaring Xie Ning away, he resisted his urge to tease.
With a smile in his voice, he said, “You’re not foolish now, but if you wait any longer, you might be frozen stupid.”

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Xie Ning had absolutely nothing to say.

 

This man looks like a popular, handsome idol, yet how come, whenever he opened his mouth, Xie Ning wanted to give him a couple punches?

 

After getting inside, it was definitely a lot warmer, and their frozen-cold bodies slowly regained feeling.

 

A middle-aged woman walked out from the kitchen, wearing average clothes.
She probably worked in this household.

 

“You’re back, Mister?” The middle-aged woman stopped for a moment when she saw that there was someone behind Zhuang Yan.
“There’s a guest? It’s windy outside, come in quickly.”

 

Zhuang Yan changed his shoes and bent over to find a pair of cotton slippers from the shoe cabinet, tossing them to Xie Ning.
He turned to the middle-aged woman and said, “Auntie Chen, is there ginger soup?”

 

Auntie Chen hurriedly replied, “There is! I prepared it especially for you.
I’ll go bring two cups of it.”

 

Xie Ning finished changing his shoes.
The quality of the cotton slippers were quite good, and kept him warm.

 

The cold wind followed him when he entered the room.
He thought for a second, then took off his fuzzy hat and gloves, and put them in the cabinet of the mysterious door.

 

It seems a bit impolite to enter the room with a hat and gloves on.

 

Zhuang Yan brought Xie Ning to the sofa, handed him the cup of ginger soup, and glanced at his ear tips.
Seeing a hint of redness, he was satisfied.
“Drink some more, don’t catch a cold.”

 

Xie Ning was a little confused.
But the ginger soup in his hands was steaming, and holding the cup with both hands, he felt like he had a heat pack with him.

 

Even without drinking it, it was quite warm.

 

Zhuang Yan got up and headed upstairs.
“Wait a moment.
I’m going to change my clothes first.”

 

Xie Ning carefully observed the downstairs living room.

 

The interior modeling was completely different from his own residence, but everything was refined and stylish.
Near the kitchen wall, there was a bar-style table with a couple of chalices.

 

The other side was open space, stacked with some boxes.
The things next to it looked like shooting equipment.

 

Xie Ning wasn’t very well-versed in cameras, but he could still differentiate between professional cameras and ordinary cameras.

 

He thought, So, Mr.
Blue Whale is a professional photographer?

 

No wonder he paid attention to .

 

The lenses, angles, and composition of were all very good for referencing.

 

Auntie Chen was afraid that he would be uncomfortable by himself in the living room, noticed where he was looking, and explained, “Mister brought these back from overseas, and he hasn’t had time to put them away.
He’s afraid of us accidentally breaking them, so he won’t let us move it, so it’s just piled up there.”

 

“So it’s like that.” Xie Ning obediently nodded his head.

 

Auntie Chen asked, “Are you Mister’s friend?”

 

This question made Xie Ning stop for a moment, and start to think.

 

Were they considered friends?

 

According to the number of times they’ve met, which was only twice, they wouldn’t be considered “friends”.

 

But he was already sitting in Zhuang Yan’s house, so looking at the degree of friendship, they could be considered friends.

 

Seeing that he hesitated for a few seconds, Auntie Chen hurriedly said, “I’m not asking to be nosy, but since Mister has returned to China, this is the first time I’ve seen him bring someone home.”

 

Xie Ning nodded his head with difficulty.
“We…we’re friends, I think.”

 

He said this strangely, without self-confidence.
Afraid that Auntie Chen would ask more, he quickly changed the topic.
“Your Mister just returned to China?”

 

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“Yes,” Auntie Chen nodded, “He hasn’t been back for long.”

 

No wonder he had all of Zhuang Yan’s movies.
Some of them weren’t available to purchase in China, and were only accessible overseas.

 

Xie Ning took a sip of the ginger soup.
He didn’t know how Auntie Chen made it, but it didn’t taste as strong as he expected.
“It’s good.”

 

Auntie Chen laughed when she heard his praise.
“This house’s Mister is picky.
If it’s too strong, he won’t drink it.
I researched for several days before I was able to satisfy him.”

 

She also said, “If you like it, drink some more.
There’s more in the kitchen.”

 

Xie Ning nodded, feeling as if the cold had dissipated after drinking this cup of ginger soup.

 

He felt like he was alive again!

 

He chatted with Auntie Chen about trivial matters, and Zhuang Yan came back downstairs in different clothes.

 

He’d taken off his coat, and changed into a set of home clothes.
It looked very casual, but the collocation of his outfit was extremely original, and Xie Ning’s eyes brightened.

 

Even for home clothes, this person’s taste in clothes was excellent, and was someone who was knowledgeable in aesthetics.

 

Since he took off the coat, he seemed much less dominating to Xie Ning, although the way he seemed to laugh but not laugh still made Xie Ning’s hair rise on end.

 

But at least he wouldn’t be easily shocked until his legs were weak.

 

Xie Ning quietly let out a sigh of relief in his heart.

 

Zhuang Yan waited until Xie Ning was finished drinking the ginger soup before bringing him along to leave.
“Let’s go.
To the home theater.”

 

Xie Ning’s residence also had a separate home theater, but compared with the one in Zhuang Yan’s residence, the difference was clear.

 

Zhuang Yan’s home theater had top-notch projection equipment, and the audio and picture quality were a grade above Xie Ning’s home theater.

 

Xie Ning lamented, As expected of a professional.

 

Zhuang Yan took out a disc, and asked, “Have you seen ?”

 

Xie Ning said, “I’ve seen it.”

 

Zhuang Yan paused, and took out another disc.
“?”

 

Xie Ning hesitated for a moment, and decided to tell the truth.
“I’ve seen that one too.”

 

Zhuang Yan smiled and raised his eyebrows looking at Xie Ning.
“You’ve seen a good amount.”

 

Xie Ning pursed his lips.

 

Zhuang Yan lowered his head and flipped through discs for a little.
“You probably haven’t seen , then.”

 

“Yeah, I haven’t seen it.”

 

Xie Ning hadn’t seen before, but he had heard of it.

 

It’s probably Zhuang Yan’s most well-known movie, and the general public’s review of this movie was quite high–that is, compared to Zhuang Yan’s other movies.

 

Xie Ning was always curious about , but he couldn’t buy it in China.

 

Based on the name, it should be a story mainly about love.

 

Perhaps a romance movie?

 

Xie Ning glanced in Zhuang Yan’s direction.

 

Two men watching a romance movie…it was a little weird.

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Zhuang Yan leaned on the sofa, with a natural posture and relaxed hands, exuding a carefree aura.

 

He saw Xie Ning glance over, but didn’t understand the meaning behind it.
He thought for a second, and threw a pillow over.

 

Xie Ning: “?”

 

Zhuang Yan lifted his eyebrows a little.
“For you to hold.”

 

Xie Ning: “…Thank you.”

 

The pillow was a simple square, and it was very soft.
Xie Ning hugged it to his chest, but it felt weird no matter how he held it.

 

He was already wearing a lot, and adding the pillow made his chest feel like it was constricted and couldn’t breathe properly.

 

He couldn’t help moving his legs a little, wanting to change positions.

 

He was sitting close to Zhuang Yan.
It was fine if he didn’t move, but if his movements were larger, he would accidentally brush against Zhuang Yan’s leg.

 

The heat rose like fireworks.

 

Xie Ning stiffened for a moment, and quickly sat properly.

 

The home theater was originally dimly lit, as the only source of light was the light the screen emitted.
It shone over the two of them, and a thin layer of light and shadow emerged.

 

Xie Ning is a gay man, so watching a romantic movie with a man under these circumstances, and having physical contact with only pants between them…

 

He felt very uncomfortable.

 

Fortunately, the movie started soon after, and the awkwardness in his heart was dispelled.

 

is a slightly suspenseful romance movie.

 

The female protagonist, a writer, met a travel enthusiast named Fancy on the Internet.
The two of them had similar interests, and enjoyed chatting with one another.

 

Fancy often takes photos of other places and sends them to the female protagonist, and in turn, the female protagonist will tell him various interesting stories.

 

The two of them gradually fell in love.

 

One day, the female protagonist received a love letter from Fancy, and attached was a picture of Fancy in front of his home.

 

The female protagonist discovered that Fancy lived in the same city as she does!

 

She was so excited at this discovery that she couldn’t wait to meet Fancy.

 

However, when she followed the mailbox numbers accordingly to find the address, there was nothing but a wasteland that nobody inhabited.

 

Someone told her: This place was dismantled 6 months ago, and is no such person as Fancy.

 

……

 

The movie was in English, and there were no Chinese subtitles.
Xie Ning watched it with intense concentration.

 

But as he continued to watch, he couldn’t focus anymore.

 

The darker it was, the more he could feel it.
There was a gaze next to him that unscrupulously wandered over, and landed on his face.

 

Why wasn’t he watching the movie properly! Why’s he looking over here!

 

Xie Ning tightened his grip on the pillow.

 

Zhuang Yan looked at Xie Ning, illuminated by the soft light coming from the screen.

 

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From his angle, he could see Xie Ning’s side profile clearly.
His facial bone structure was excellent, and the smooth lines looked like a painting.
Half of his face was smaller than a single palm.

 

His eyebrows weren’t thick, and the ends were covered by his hair, enticing people to pull away that strand of hair.
His eyelashes were longer than normal, blinking and giving off an elfish impression.
His eyes were large and bright, like the moon and spring after a new rain, clear and sweet.

 

As the movie plot progressed, the light on his face changed colors and tone, casting thousands of expressions on him.

 

Zhuang Yan found a small dimple on Xie Ning’s face.

 

Without looking at him closely, it would be hard to find, since it was very shallow.

 

Very cute.

 

Xie Ning’s every angle made him feel as if he was perfect.

 

It was as if God had specially created his appearance to Zhuang Yan’s preferences.

 

Xie Ning couldn’t take it anymore, and turned to look at him.
“What are you staring at me for?”

 

His tone sounded a bit irritated.

 

Zhuang Yan lifted the corners of his lips.
“I’ve already seen this movie.
I have no interest in watching it again, so I can only watch you.”

 

Xie Ning bit his lip.
“It’s not like you haven’t seen me before.”

 

This action makes him seem even more like a rabbit, Zhuang Yan thought.

 

“I haven’t seen enough yet.
You were born so good-looking, it’s normal for me to want to look at you some more.”

 

Xie Ning: “…Thank you for the compliment?”

 

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, “No need for thanks.”

 

Xie Ning: “…” I wasn’t actually thanking you, okay?

 

Xie Ning didn’t want to bother with talking to him, and turned to pay attention to the screen again.

 

In the movie, the two leads finally met each other, and they hugged and kissed passionately.

 

Thinking of the plot that happens next, Zhuang Yan laughed once.

 

The scenes transitioned one after another, the main couple stumbled into the room, kissing and falling onto the bed.

 

Xie Ning: “!!!”

 

Then, it suddenly went dark.

 

A pair of large, wide hands covered his eyes, followed by a breath that came closer.
A deep voice came from above his head: “Minors are not allowed to watch.”

 

Xie Ning: “…”

 

Zhuang Yan was leaning in too close, and that sensation of pressure made his body soften, then stiffen.

 

His expression suddenly became strange.

 

What’s he mean by minor? I’ve been an adult for a long time!

 

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Translator's Notes:

 

weirdo – the word used in chinese can mean either abnormal or perverted, so i opted for a more general meaning

 

Translator Corner:

 

i just wanted to take a quick second to thank everyone for reading! this is my first shot at translating a novel (i've only translated manhua before this), and i'm super happy to see that people are enjoying it!