Chapter 56 – The perils of Jianghu (Translated and edited by Xing)
Tang Xue was in a deep sleep. Ever since she resumed training, her sleep quality has been excellent.
She only woke when Li Yubing woke her up to eat.
Tang Xue removed her eye-mask and saw an extravagant-looking lunchbox placed on the mini table in front of her. There was braised beef with potatoes, stir-fried shrimps and assorted vegetables.
She rubbed her stomach and found herself starving.
Li Yubing passed her a vacuum packed package. When Tang Xue examined it, she saw that it was a braised pig trotter.
“Thanks.” Tang Xue tore the packaging and took a bite. The taste was good and she luxuriated in the satisfying sensation of her empty stomach being filled with food. In a good mood, she saw that Li Yubing also had a lunchbox in front of him but no pig trotter. She then asked, “Why aren’t you eating too?”
“I ate earlier.” Li Yubing turned his head and avoided looking at her as he said this.
Tang Xue could only see at his attractive jawline and the slightly raised corners of his lips from the side.
She was baffled. What a lunatic. Was it necessary to show such a depraved smile at eating a pig trotter?
“Li Yubing, you rarely indulge in good food, do you?” Tang Xue asked. She felt that this was highly possible. After all, all athletes—especially outstanding ones—had strict diet requirements.
“No,” Li Yubing denied.
Tang Xue was still immersed in her speculation. “When we get back, I’ll treat you to all the good stuff—beef tendons, pig ears, fried anchovies… duck necks, duck feet, duck tongues…” She familiarly rattled off a long list of food that she felt were delicacies.
Li Yubing interrupted her, “Duck tongues?”
“Yup. You’ve never tried?”
“Tongue?”
“Yes, I’ll treat you to it.”
Li Yubing lowered his head and separated the chopsticks. “Sure.” His reply was unhurried and loaded with meaning.
Tang Xue could not shake off the feeling that there was something wrong with him.
However, it was rare for Li Yubing to be normal in the first place. Being abnormal was his default mode. After thinking things through, she felt more at ease.
——
Their train was scheduled to arrive around 1 pm. Today, the person fetching Tang Xue was Liao Zhenyu.
Principal Tang’s ex-classmate had fallen ill. He was out of the province to visit him and would only be back the next day. The hospital that Mama Tang worked at was extremely busy. The end of the year was when children asthma outbreaks peaked. In addition, there would be many unruly children stirring trouble. From secretly setting off firecrackers to breaking windows and provoking stray dogs, there were way too many bizarre reasons for a child’s injuries.
That was why only Liao Zhenyu was there to welcome her. This chapter is a labour of love that should not be found outside of teafragrance[dot]wordpress[dot]com.
Actually, there was no need for Liao Zhenyu to come. However, he was bored out of his mind at home. Having nothing better to do, he was thus out to find his boss and have some fun.
Li Yubing and Tang Xue were two extremely attractive people that stood out from the crowd. Liao Zhenyu spotted them the moment they stepped out from the station.
“Boss, over here!” Liao Zhenyu waved his hands at Tang Xue.
After the three of them gathered, Tang Xue was going to part ways with Li Yubing. She asked, “How are you heading back?”
Li Yubing swept his eyes over Liao Zhenyu. His top-down angle and imposing aura caused Liao Zhenyu a lot of pressure and made him feel both aggrieved and baffled.
Li Yubing remarked, “My parents aren’t home yet… What are the two of you planning to do?”
Tang Xue had no plans. After some thought, she said, “I’ll take all my stuff home first.”
With how Li Yubing behaved, it was apparent that he did not want to head back alone and be all by himself. Thus, Tang Xue brought him up the taxi along with her.
After discussing in the car, the three of them decided to head to a newly-opened tea house near Tang Xue’s house to play Landlord[1]. This was a relaxing activity that allowed them to have fun while requiring them to use their brains. Both Tang Xue and Li Yubing were worn out from travel and did not want to become even more exhausted.
When they got off the car, it began to snow gently. The tiny snowflakes melted immediately upon landing on a person’s body. As Tang Xue stood next to the car and watched Li Yubing pay the fare, she suddenly realized a serious problem.
Her current asset consisted entirely of 3 yuan, and this was meant for taking the train…
She would be a legend if she dared to have fun at a tea house with only 3 yuan.
Tang Xue was someone extremely conscious of her face. She felt that having “kidnapped” Li Yubing and Liao Zhenyu to her territory, it was her duty to treat them. Trying to cover up how her good intentions were limited by her circumstances, she contemplated deeply for a while and said, “Let’s go to my place since there’s no one home.”
Just like this, their initial plan changed.
……
This was still the first time that Li Yubing entered Tang Xue’s house. The square-shaped house was large with a spacious living room. It was decorated in a clean and natural style filled with warmth, with tiny details showing the quirks of life. The balcony could be seen through the window. Numerous plants and flowers were placed next to the wall and in the centre was a small coffee table and deck chairs.
Tang Xue rummaged for some snacks and fruits and served them up. She let Li Yubing and Liao Zhenyu sit on the sofa while she sat on the carpet at the other end of the coffee table and shuffled the cards.
Playing cards was meaningless without some stakes. With how broke Tang Xue was, betting money was out of the question. After thinking for a while, she got up and ran to her room to find an eyeliner.
“The winner can draw one stroke on the loser’s face every round.”
For the first round, the “landlord” of the game was determined by drawing cards and Tang Xue got the role. Liao Zhenyu had heard rumours of Li Yubing’s high IQ in school. As a result, he felt that the chances of winning for this round were high by simply being teammates with Li Yubing.
As things played out, he was too naïve. Though Li Yubing had a good hand of cards, he tossed them out blindly and was powerless against all attacks. Liao Zhenyu was on the verge of believing that he was being controlled by a robot.
Due to the burden of a terrible teammate, Liao Zhenyu gave away the chance of victory on a silver platter.
Tang Xue smirked as she held up the eyeliner and stood up. “Hehehe… Who’s first?”
Liao Zhenyu looked at Li Yubing and complained, “Do you really know how to play?”
“Yes,” Li Yubing replied with absolute confidence.
Tang Xue walked over to Li Yubing. She knelt against the sofa on one knee and giggled. “Close your eyes.”
Li Yubing closed his eyes obediently, as docile as a lamb.
Tang Xue gripped the eyeliner and slowly drew it closer to his eyelid. Seeing him show signs of moving, she quickly stopped him. “Don’t move.” As she spoke, she could not help using her hand to steady his face.
Feeling the soft and warm fingertips on his cheeks, Li Yubing’s heart quivered lightly from both nerves and happiness.
He purposely slowed his breathing and pretended that everything was fine.
However, he was not able to prevent his eyelashes from trembling fiercely. The heavy fluttering of his long and thick eyelashes was like shivering wings of a small black butterfly in the biting wind, emitting a sense of fragile beauty.
Tang Xue treated his trembling eyelashes as a normal reaction to being touched by a foreign object. She comforted him. “It’s just an eye line, don’t be nervous.”
Liao Zhenyu looked over disdainfully from the side. He felt that Li Yubing’s expression looked more like enjoyment than nervousness, heh.
Tang Xue helped Li Yubing to draw an eye line. When she leaned back, her gaze swept past his lips unintentionally. This was the first time she looked at his lips at such a close distance and she felt that the shape of his lips was really good looking. The fullness of his lips was just right and his lip outline was clear and soft. The colour of cherry blossoms, his lips were healthy and moist like a piece of peach jelly.
She really felt like touching it.
Tang Xue realized how dangerous her thought was. Feeling a little awkward, she released him quickly and waved Liao Zhenyu over. “Come here, you.”
Li Yubing was sitting between the two of them. When he saw Liao Zhenyu leaned over, he lightly plucked the eyeliner from Tang Xue’s hand and said, “I’ll help you. Where do you want to draw?”
“Uh, draw an eye line too.”
Li Yubing followed as told. After he finished drawing, the second round began.
During the second round, Tang Xue felt that her cards were not ideal and did not call for the position of Landlord. When it was Liao Zhenyu’s turn, he called for this position without hesitation as he was determined to not be on the same team as Li Yubing.
“Boss, I really pity you.” Liao Zhenyu delighted in her misfortune.
Soon enough, Liao Zhenyu discovered that he was once again too naïve; the person that he should pity was himself.
—It was as if Li Yubing that fellow had turned off robot-mode; his IQ was suddenly online and through excellent coordination with Tang Xue, he mercilessly crushed Liao Zhenyu into dust.
Liao Zhenyu: … QAQ
He finally understood the so-called “perils of Jianghu” and “being worse than a beast”.
Chapter 56 – The perils of Jianghu (Translated and edited by Xing)
Tang Xue was in a deep sleep. Ever since she resumed training, her sleep quality has been excellent.
She only woke when Li Yubing woke her up to eat.
Tang Xue removed her eye-mask and saw an extravagant-looking lunchbox placed on the mini table in front of her. There was braised beef with potatoes, stir-fried shrimps and assorted vegetables.
She rubbed her stomach and found herself starving.
Li Yubing passed her a vacuum packed package. When Tang Xue examined it, she saw that it was a braised pig trotter.
“Thanks.” Tang Xue tore the packaging and took a bite. The taste was good and she luxuriated in the satisfying sensation of her empty stomach being filled with food. In a good mood, she saw that Li Yubing also had a lunchbox in front of him but no pig trotter. She then asked, “Why aren’t you eating too?”
“I ate earlier.” Li Yubing turned his head and avoided looking at her as he said this.
Tang Xue could only see at his attractive jawline and the slightly raised corners of his lips from the side.
She was baffled. What a lunatic. Was it necessary to show such a depraved smile at eating a pig trotter?
“Li Yubing, you rarely indulge in good food, do you?” Tang Xue asked. She felt that this was highly possible. After all, all athletes—especially outstanding ones—had strict diet requirements.
“No,” Li Yubing denied.
Tang Xue was still immersed in her speculation. “When we get back, I’ll treat you to all the good stuff—beef tendons, pig ears, fried anchovies… duck necks, duck feet, duck tongues…” She familiarly rattled off a long list of food that she felt were delicacies.
Li Yubing interrupted her, “Duck tongues?”
“Yup. You’ve never tried?”
“Tongue?”
“Yes, I’ll treat you to it.”
Li Yubing lowered his head and separated the chopsticks. “Sure.” His reply was unhurried and loaded with meaning.
Tang Xue could not shake off the feeling that there was something wrong with him.
However, it was rare for Li Yubing to be normal in the first place. Being abnormal was his default mode. After thinking things through, she felt more at ease.
——
Their train was scheduled to arrive around 1 pm. Today, the person fetching Tang Xue was Liao Zhenyu.
Principal Tang’s ex-classmate had fallen ill. He was out of the province to visit him and would only be back the next day. The hospital that Mama Tang worked at was extremely busy. The end of the year was when children asthma outbreaks peaked. In addition, there would be many unruly children stirring trouble. From secretly setting off firecrackers to breaking windows and provoking stray dogs, there were way too many bizarre reasons for a child’s injuries.
That was why only Liao Zhenyu was there to welcome her. This chapter is a labour of love that should not be found outside of teafragrance[dot]wordpress[dot]com.
Actually, there was no need for Liao Zhenyu to come. However, he was bored out of his mind at home. Having nothing better to do, he was thus out to find his boss and have some fun.
Li Yubing and Tang Xue were two extremely attractive people that stood out from the crowd. Liao Zhenyu spotted them the moment they stepped out from the station.
“Boss, over here!” Liao Zhenyu waved his hands at Tang Xue.
After the three of them gathered, Tang Xue was going to part ways with Li Yubing. She asked, “How are you heading back?”
Li Yubing swept his eyes over Liao Zhenyu. His top-down angle and imposing aura caused Liao Zhenyu a lot of pressure and made him feel both aggrieved and baffled.
Li Yubing remarked, “My parents aren’t home yet… What are the two of you planning to do?”
Tang Xue had no plans. After some thought, she said, “I’ll take all my stuff home first.”
With how Li Yubing behaved, it was apparent that he did not want to head back alone and be all by himself. Thus, Tang Xue brought him up the taxi along with her.
After discussing in the car, the three of them decided to head to a newly-opened tea house near Tang Xue’s house to play Landlord[1]. This was a relaxing activity that allowed them to have fun while requiring them to use their brains. Both Tang Xue and Li Yubing were worn out from travel and did not want to become even more exhausted.
When they got off the car, it began to snow gently. The tiny snowflakes melted immediately upon landing on a person’s body. As Tang Xue stood next to the car and watched Li Yubing pay the fare, she suddenly realized a serious problem.
Her current asset consisted entirely of 3 yuan, and this was meant for taking the train…
She would be a legend if she dared to have fun at a tea house with only 3 yuan.
Tang Xue was someone extremely conscious of her face. She felt that having “kidnapped” Li Yubing and Liao Zhenyu to her territory, it was her duty to treat them. Trying to cover up how her good intentions were limited by her circumstances, she contemplated deeply for a while and said, “Let’s go to my place since there’s no one home.”
Just like this, their initial plan changed.
……
This was still the first time that Li Yubing entered Tang Xue’s house. The square-shaped house was large with a spacious living room. It was decorated in a clean and natural style filled with warmth, with tiny details showing the quirks of life. The balcony could be seen through the window. Numerous plants and flowers were placed next to the wall and in the centre was a small coffee table and deck chairs.
Tang Xue rummaged for some snacks and fruits and served them up. She let Li Yubing and Liao Zhenyu sit on the sofa while she sat on the carpet at the other end of the coffee table and shuffled the cards.
Playing cards was meaningless without some stakes. With how broke Tang Xue was, betting money was out of the question. After thinking for a while, she got up and ran to her room to find an eyeliner.
“The winner can draw one stroke on the loser’s face every round.”
For the first round, the “landlord” of the game was determined by drawing cards and Tang Xue got the role. Liao Zhenyu had heard rumours of Li Yubing’s high IQ in school. As a result, he felt that the chances of winning for this round were high by simply being teammates with Li Yubing.
As things played out, he was too naïve. Though Li Yubing had a good hand of cards, he tossed them out blindly and was powerless against all attacks. Liao Zhenyu was on the verge of believing that he was being controlled by a robot.
Due to the burden of a terrible teammate, Liao Zhenyu gave away the chance of victory on a silver platter.
Tang Xue smirked as she held up the eyeliner and stood up. “Hehehe… Who’s first?”
Liao Zhenyu looked at Li Yubing and complained, “Do you really know how to play?”
“Yes,” Li Yubing replied with absolute confidence.
Tang Xue walked over to Li Yubing. She knelt against the sofa on one knee and giggled. “Close your eyes.”
Li Yubing closed his eyes obediently, as docile as a lamb.
Tang Xue gripped the eyeliner and slowly drew it closer to his eyelid. Seeing him show signs of moving, she quickly stopped him. “Don’t move.” As she spoke, she could not help using her hand to steady his face.
Feeling the soft and warm fingertips on his cheeks, Li Yubing’s heart quivered lightly from both nerves and happiness.
He purposely slowed his breathing and pretended that everything was fine.
However, he was not able to prevent his eyelashes from trembling fiercely. The heavy fluttering of his long and thick eyelashes was like shivering wings of a small black butterfly in the biting wind, emitting a sense of fragile beauty.
Tang Xue treated his trembling eyelashes as a normal reaction to being touched by a foreign object. She comforted him. “It’s just an eye line, don’t be nervous.”
Liao Zhenyu looked over disdainfully from the side. He felt that Li Yubing’s expression looked more like enjoyment than nervousness, heh.
Tang Xue helped Li Yubing to draw an eye line. When she leaned back, her gaze swept past his lips unintentionally. This was the first time she looked at his lips at such a close distance and she felt that the shape of his lips was really good looking. The fullness of his lips was just right and his lip outline was clear and soft. The colour of cherry blossoms, his lips were healthy and moist like a piece of peach jelly.
She really felt like touching it.
Tang Xue realized how dangerous her thought was. Feeling a little awkward, she released him quickly and waved Liao Zhenyu over. “Come here, you.”
Li Yubing was sitting between the two of them. When he saw Liao Zhenyu leaned over, he lightly plucked the eyeliner from Tang Xue’s hand and said, “I’ll help you. Where do you want to draw?”
“Uh, draw an eye line too.”
Li Yubing followed as told. After he finished drawing, the second round began.
During the second round, Tang Xue felt that her cards were not ideal and did not call for the position of Landlord. When it was Liao Zhenyu’s turn, he called for this position without hesitation as he was determined to not be on the same team as Li Yubing.
“Boss, I really pity you.” Liao Zhenyu delighted in her misfortune.
Soon enough, Liao Zhenyu discovered that he was once again too naïve; the person that he should pity was himself.
—It was as if Li Yubing that fellow had turned off robot-mode; his IQ was suddenly online and through excellent coordination with Tang Xue, he mercilessly crushed Liao Zhenyu into dust.
Liao Zhenyu: … QAQ
He finally understood the so-called “perils of Jianghu” and “being worse than a beast”.
