Qingge Chapter 9

Apologies for the lateness and apologies for the quality. I just couldn’t get myself to finish the end of the chapter. I blame it on speaker configuration. It was hard trying to figure out who was speaking, who was listening, who was doing, and who was receiving. Segments of my first draft was a confusion – always disheartening, because surely I’ve mistranslated. I negotiated with someone else to translate and edit parts for me, so you may notice some differences in tone. But if I didn’t post this up now, I would just keep dragging me feet. I’ll smooth it out sometime in the future. 

[Recap]: Duan Yujing [male house G.o.d] is taking Qingge [MC] for a wellness check at Huo Siming’s [his friend’s] clinic. Huo Siming is doing a little power play/interrogation of Qingge, but Qingge is too savvy to fall for it.

[Translator and Editor: otwentyfirst / Gay…so gay… this is what you want my help with? Grumble.]

[Host: justreads.net]

[Dec. 30, 2018]

Qingge laughed; his expression not arrogant or fawning; his eyes were honest and clear when he spoke. “It’s not politeness. Young Master Huo is so young yet managed to achieve so much in the medical field. I’m very curious about him.”

Huo Siming raised his eyebrows and laughed in return. “You don’t have to call me Young Master Huo. Since you’re Yujing’s man and he’s my brother, and since I’m older than you, you can address me as elder brother.” He didn’t expect the Lin family would raise someone as clever as Qingge.

Despite this Hou Siming found it hard to accept Qingge. He didn’t think the young man was good enough for his friend; Duan Yujing was too talented to be stuck with a person as underwhelming as Qingge. His words were rude and clearly showed he only acknowledged Qingge out of respect for Duan Yujing.

The dissatisfaction in his voice was hard to miss. Duan Yuijing raised his eyebrows at Huo Siming’s antics. Normally he wouldn’t care, but this involved Qingge.

Realizing he was being glared at Huo Siming turned his head to face Duan Yujing, his gaze completely fearless. He was rather excited in fact. [Is his pipsqueak lover going to blow up in anger? Hahaha.]

Ah… but Huo Siming was destined to be disappointed. Having lived through an entire lifetime already, Qingge’s sense of perspective was different from that of an ordinary person his age.

[Please, like I care. Brother Jing is already my man.] The thought made his heart speed up when he realized how true the words were after last night. They were… definitely together!

“Elder Brother Siming then,” Qingge responded with a big smile. He poured a cup of tea saying, “Although I’m embarra.s.sed to claim such an esteemed connection, allow me to offer you a cup of tea to celebrate.”

Huo Siming looked at the tea cup in front of him and his lips quirked up in an ironic half smile. [This child’s heart is too good. But then that’s not bad either. Well whatever. Since the relations.h.i.+p’s already there why hide it?] He drank the tea with a smile. “In the future please remember to be wifely and take good care of Yujing. He’s been single for so long, it’s been hard for him!”

“If you’re going to accept it, accept it properly. Give you an inch and you take a mile.” Duan Yujing glared at Huo Siming. [Aren’t you just a year older than me? What a shameless loathsome person. Acting up even though you already accepted the tea from my wife already.]

“Mm, of course.” Contrary to expectations, Qingge earnestly nodded his head, feeling as though he just received the approval of a parent or guardian. His happiness at being recognized was clear.

With that kind of earnestness how could Huo Siming keep teasing Qingge? It was time for a new target. He smiled in an easy-going manner and said, “There’s nothing for it Yujing. You haven’t been with anyone in so long, this brother of yours is afraid you’d become a cold fish.”

Duan Yujing, “…”

Qingge burst out in laughter at this. Huo Siming and Duan Yujing both stared at him. One had a look of glee while the other looked aggrieved. Qingge waved it off and leaned into Duan Yujing. After some effort he was finally able to calm the smile on his face, however, because of the excitement his cheeks had a rosy blush to them. He raised his head to placate the man next to him, “Brother Jing, just now Brother Siming was just joking. I can testify. You’re quite pa.s.sionate.”

Qingge… At the pivotal moment stood by his man, defending Duan Yujing’s honor. Huo Siming raised his eyebrows at the sight. [What a good proper bottom! He handled that really well.] Huo Siming nodded. [Hm. Hm!] Finding a good person, one who wasn’t two-faced, was hard. Whenever he joked about s.e.x to any of Shen Ningyu’s girlfriends, they would put up a pretense of modesty, instead of being bold and admitting the truth. As a result, Shen Ningyu often got roasted for his lack of discernment when it came to women. [Unlike that stupid Shen Ningyu, when Yujing tries, he comes up with a most excellent bottom.]

The most excellent quality bottom Qingge: [ω]

Duan Yujing wasn’t the only one with a significant other; Huo Siming also had a special someone in his life. Huo Siming and this person had been good friends since their university days. Somewhere along the way their platonic friends.h.i.+p became a romantic one. Huo Siming’s boyfriend wasn’t a doctor, but a professor at a nearby university. Their families knew about the relations.h.i.+p and had no objections. As long as the two were sincere and serious about each other, then it was fine. As for children, that was no problem either. It would be easy to find a surrogate match with modern technology.

With both Duan Yujing and Huo Siming in committed relations.h.i.+ps, the only one still single was the playboy Shen Ningyu.

“Qingge’s body isn’t very good. I brought him here specifically because of this. Can you have a look at him?” Duan Yujing looked directly at Qingge as he spoke. It was clear how fond he was of the other man.

“OK.” Huo Siming smiled as he replied, taking Qingge’s hand and seriously reading the pulse there.

As soon as Huo Siming finished taking Qingge’s pulse, Duan Yujing asked, “So? Are there any problems?”

Huo Siming gave his a.s.sessment without beating around the bush. “There aren’t any major issues, but there are a bunch of minor ones, mostly due to Qingge’s poor physical fitness, resulting in a weakened immune system.” Huo Siming addressed the last part to Qingge. “I’m guessing you get a cold whenever the seasons change. You tend to get sick when you’re worked up or overly emotional too, right?”

Qingge nodded. “Yes.”

“You have a weak const.i.tution, but if you take care of yourself you should be fine. Make sure to have a well-balanced diet and pay attention to your body. I’ll write out a prescription for you, but you have to make sure you take it regularly.” Qingge’s condition wasn’t anything worrisome, in fact traditional medicine was perfect for his condition. As long as he stayed on track and healed himself carefully and deliberately, he would be fine.

…

Huo Siming’s examination of Qingge didn’t take long, so it was still early morning when they finished. Since this was the case Duan Yujing took Qingge out for a stroll around the area. Neither had a destination in mind; they were just interested in being in each other’s company, walking around as if on a date.

As they walked Duan Yujing remembered Qingge’s lacking wardrobe. He had been surprised at the meager amount Qingge had when he went through his lover’s suitcase to organize everything. Just remembering it made him annoyed. It was obvious the Lin House treated Qingge poorly. Otherwise how could the House’s Young Master have so few belongings? He led Qingge to a shopping center nearby, intent on getting his love some new clothes. He patiently accompanied Qingge as the young man tried on one garment after another. If it fit and was appropriate, it didn’t matter the price, it was purchased!

Qingge was confused about Duan Yijing’s motives for having him try on so many so suddenly. But since it was what his man wanted, he didn’t mind going along with it. It was a thoughtful gesture that touched Qingge. The only other person to bring him shopping had been his mother.

Qingge would have been surprised if he knew the motive behind the shopping spree, after all his lack of material things wasn’t his father’s fault; he had been too lazy to go shopping for clothes. Being sick constantly made him dislike going out. Plus it was boring to shop by himself. The clothes he already had were enough for his needs.

Aside from shopping for clothes they also bought a bunch of books for Qingge. They made a complete circuit of the shopping center and even bought a few household things.

[I really am like a kept mistress, a complete gigolo!] thought Qingge amusedly. It was clear his only responsibility was to find things he liked and buy them with Duan Yujing’s money. This was not bad. Qingge quite enjoyed the perks of having a sugar daddy. He successfully swiped Duan Yujing’s card to pay for several things.

Since they were living together, did it matter who used whose? It would probably hurt his husband’s feelings if he made a fuss over it. Besides, at this point in his life Qingge didn’t have a job. Why stress over nonsense?

Later for lunch, they went to a well-known traditional restaurant in Qing city that served medicinal cuisine. It was a good meal. Once done, Qingge called the waiter over and asked him to pack several of their signature dishes to go; then he asked for the check. He had a huge smile on his face the whole time.

Duan Yujing laughed at the sight. “Why ask for so much to go? If you like it that much, we can just come back again.”

“We didn’t see Little Yuchen yesterday, and today we’ve been out all day. I want to bring some back for him to try,” said Qingge with a smile.

This surprised Duan Yujing. He normally didn’t have to worry about his little brother. If he was busy and didn’t have time to make anything, he knew Duan Yuchen would take care of his own meals.

Qingge’s thoughtful gesture warmed his heart. There was a saying that went along the lines of: you can gauge how much someone loves you from the way they treat you and those important to you. It was obvious that Qingge cared and was serious about them living together.

“Well, we should hurry then. Day cla.s.ses lets out soon, at about five. And his evening cla.s.ses start at seven.” Duan Yujing looked at the time. “It’s not five yet. We should be fine if we leave soon.“

“That’s good.” Qingge nodded as he got up. Even if it was only a trivial matter, it was important to him, his way of being a good and virtuous wife.

When Duan Yuchen returned home later that afternoon, he walked in to find Qingge sitting on the couch tapping away on the laptop. His brother was nowhere to be found, surprising him quite a bit. An onslaught of thoughts came to him. [How could Big Brother leave Brother Qingge alone?! He should have taken Brother Qingge out to play. What a shame! There are so many fun attractions in the city. Big Brother is too serious about work all the time. What if Brother Qingge feels neglected? What if Brother Qingge runs away? No! No! No!] Duan Yuchen shook his head. [I must do my duty as a good little brother and remind Big Brother!]

When Duan Yuchen walked in, dressed in his school uniform with a schoolbag slung over his shoulder, Qingge had just finished posting a dark fantasy novel ent.i.tled “The Immortal Liu” on Jinjiang **(online writing platform) using the t.i.tular pen name Qingge Liu. It was a story of a man on a journey to increase his cultivation. This kind of plot, with vague innuendos, were the most popular - especially with those rotten women. So there’s like a male protagonist and he’s on a journey or something to become like an immortal and cultivate. Along the way there’s like brotherhood and finding good times, bros before hoes you know. Nerdy topics with OP characters were popular.

“You’re Brother Qingge right? I’m Duan Yuchen,” said the younger Duan brother. He quickly smiled, albeit a bit awkwardly at Qingge on the sofa.

Qingge looked at him. The two brothers had a strong resemblance to each other, inheriting the same delicate yet stubborn features of their handsome father.

“Oh! Back from school? Can I call you Little Chen?” Qingge gestured at the sofa he sat on. “You don’t have to be so formal with me. Come, sit down. I’m your older brother’s….” Qingge trailed off unsure how to approach it. [Lover? Will Little Chen be put off by it? But Little Chen from the previous life wasn’t prejudiced against this kind of relations.h.i.+p.]

“Lover,” supplied Duan Yuchen. He spoke earnestly enunciating his words clearly. “Big Brother says, the one he’s been waiting for, the one most important to him, is you Brother Qingge.”

Qingge unconsciously stroked the tip of his own nose. Such praise from someone so young made him very bashful. That he could take it… his skin had definitely grown thicker.

“Little Chen, go eat first. There are some delicious dishes in the kitchen. Go on, before it gets cold OK?” Qingge spoke through a smile.

“Isn’t Brother Qingge going to eat too? Is it alright if I eat here? I won’t disturb you.”

“No. I already had some with your brother. You go on ahead and eat.” [Ugh! This child is too adorable! I can’t take it!] Qingge couldn’t resist reaching over and ruffling Duan Yuchen’s hair. Understanding and thoughtful children, he liked these kinds of children the most!

He thought about his past life’s Duan d.u.c.h.en. He [Chingge] did not have a younger brother himself, his fraternal ties to the Lin house were essentially nothing. He quite liked this thoughtful and considerate child, particularly because he was Jingge’s only