Chapter 62: Jiang Liannan
There was a type of person in the world who lived for love. When they had love, they were bright and moving, lively and spirited, constantly radiating enthusiasm for life and madness for romance.
And they die for love. When they’re without it, they go dull and empty, like walking corpses without souls.
In his lifetime, Li Dong had met two such people. He summed up what they had in common: sensitive at heart, fragile willpower, unable to support their own inner world.
Their differences were obvious too. In Li Dong’s mind, Xi Xingling was deeply insecure. He never even felt he was enduring anything, he thought it was all how it should be.
With Uncle Lian, there was no sense of inferiority. Just extreme haughtiness and sensitivity, resentful yet depraved, very negative energy.
Jiang Lianan knew he was enduring things he shouldn’t, but he had no desire to change. There was a touch of self-admiring pride there, or put less nicely, pure fussiness.
Chen Can’s identity made things complicated. He was young and outstanding, and he was Chen Wuhou’s son.
Put Jiang Lianan in front of Chen Can and all his advantages immediately flip into weaknesses. Maybe that was why Jiang Lianan fell so easily.
If it had been a different person in that role, someone else might not have been able to get near him at all.
Thinking about all this, Li Dong just called him and said, “Uncle Lian, come pick me up early tonight. I’ll go shopping with you.”
“Huh? Shopping for what?” Jiang Lianan asked. A date should be dinner and a movie, although he didn’t exactly reject shopping either.
“To buy you clothes,” Li Dong said. “Your style looks like you’re in your mid-thirties. You could easily dress younger.”
Jiang Lianan felt a breath stick in his chest. Mid-thirties? A thousand arrows to the heart.
He didn’t mean anything by it, but Jiang Lianan took it to heart anyway.
He jumped up to wash and get ready, then rummaged through the fridge.
The housekeeper auntie was cooking dinner. “Mr. Jiang, what are you looking for?”
“Aunt Qiu, do we have cucumbers?” He looked around and didn’t see any cucumbers, but he did spot a papaya. He lifted it out with a solemn expression.
“Cucumbers?” the auntie said. “We didn’t buy any today. This papaya’s nice though, juicy and sweet. Why not slice it up and eat?”
Holding the papaya in one hand, Jiang Lianan pulled out his phone with the other to search: Can papaya be used on the face?
Answer: You can use papaya on the face. It can even enhance breasts.
The uncle couldn’t help touching his flat chest and felt his scalp tingle. “I’ll take the papaya then. Remember to buy cucumbers tomorrow.”
“Alright, alright,” she said, handing him a knife. “Here, take this to slice.”
“Thanks.” Jiang Lianan rushed upstairs with papaya and knife.
He fussed in the bathroom for ten minutes, finally slicing the half-ripe papaya into thin pieces and laying them evenly on his face.
Downstairs at mealtime, Su Ye came up to knock on Li Dong’s door. “Chen Can, it’s Su Ye. Time for dinner.”
Li Dong sat on the windowsill reading, still holding a can of cold beer. Suddenly hearing Su Ye's soft, charming voice startled him. He put the horror novel down, stood, and opened the door. “Okay, I’ll be down in a minute.”
Su Ye had to look up. At 160 centimeters, she was a full 20+ centimeters shorter than him.
“Don’t drink so much cold beer on an empty stomach.”
“Oh.” Li Dong shook the can. About half left.
After she’d been gone a bit, he headed downstairs.
Halfway through dinner, his phone in his pocket was vibrating like crazy.
Li Dong slipped it out. A WeChat from Jiang Lianan.
Uncle: “Can Can, let’s not meet tonight. You stay home and read…”
Li Dong raised a brow and typed, “Why?” Did this old fox think it over and decide to keep liking Chen Wuhou?
Uncle: [crying][crying][crying][crying][crying]
Just a string of crying emojis, nothing else.
Li Dong: “What’s going on? Say it.”
Uncle: “I had an allergic reaction. My face is covered in red bumps…”
Li Dong: “…”
Uncle: “Wuwu…”
“What are you doing?” Chen Wuhou said. “Eat properly. Check your phone after.”
Although he could joke with his son, he was strict by nature, with a dash of control.
“Okay.” Li Dong put the phone away and focused on eating.
Jiang Lianan sent another long string: “My whole face is red and itchy. It’s awful. There are bumps by my mouth too, I can’t eat. I’m going to the hospital for a shot.” He didn’t want to be seen like this, but he also kind of hoped his boyfriend would say, I’ll go with you.
However, Li Dong hadn’t replied, which then set him off.
Jiang Lianan stormed to the hospital alone, hungry and cranky, queued up for registration, and felt like he was going to break down.
By the time Li Dong looked at his messages, he’d already been blacklisted.
Seeing the red exclamation point, Li Dong just about cursed out loud.
He called. “Are you out of your mind?” His tone went cold. This wasn’t an 8-month-old baby. This was an 8-day-old embryo. No wonder he couldn’t find a boyfriend.
“…,” Jiang Lianan pouted.
“Share your location. Now,” Li Dong said.
Two minutes later, the location pinged in.
Li Dong risked getting his license checked and drove straight to the hospital.
It was Tuesday, and the place was packed.
He pushed in, calling as he walked, “Where are you? Still in the main hall or at the clinic door?”
With his mask pulled down, Jiang Lianan answered in a muffled voice, “At the clinic door.”
Li Dong kept asking nurses and doctors as he went. Finally, he saw an idiot in a cap and mask standing in front of a consulting room. There were chairs behind him, but he’d rather stand than sit.
Li Dong came up beside him. “Uncle Lian, there are chairs. Why not sit? Aren’t you tired?”
Jiang Lianan turned and quickly pressed a hand over his mask. “The chairs are dirty. I’ll stand.”
“Tsk.” Li Dong said, “What are you covering for? Let me see.” He plucked down the mask, cupped his face, and tilted it under the light. “Hideous.”
Big patches of red bumps. A pretty serious reaction.
“Get lost.” Jiang Lianan shook him off, eyes brimming of anger. He hadn’t finished being mad about the texts, and now this kid was clearly not taking him seriously.
“Don’t be so petty. I was eating and my dad was watching me,” Li Dong said firmly, keeping a hand on his shoulder. “Aren’t you the one who said we need to know what’s appropriate?”
Jiang Lianan didn’t argue. He just made a collapsing face.
He felt like he was dying.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop.” Li Dong planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “Ugly, but kind of cute.” Then he pulled him into a rough hug and rubbed him a bit.
“…,” Jiang Lianan kept quiet, but his mood lifted.
“What number did you take?” Li Dong glanced up. The sign over the door flashed 0335.
“I think that’s me?” Jiang Lianan wriggled out of his arms and dug around in his pockets. He finally found a crumpled slip. 0335.
“Let’s go.” Li Dong whisked the slip from his hand. “I’m going in with you.”
They sat in front of a middle-aged female doctor. She pushed up her glasses. “Take off the mask. Let me see.”
Jiang Lianan took it off. “Papaya juice allergy.”
With gloved hands, the doctor tipped his chin and looked left and right. “You drank papaya juice and had an allergic reaction?”
The thirty-something uncle turned scarlet. “It got on me,” he muttered.
“So you didn’t drink it,” the doctor said. “That doesn’t quite add up though. From your forehead down your neck…,” such a big area. Did someone splash a whole cup of papaya juice on him?
That much hatred?
“Pfft,” Li Dong couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing.
Having lived among gay men for over a hundred years, he immediately got what kind of “allergy treatment” this was.
“…,” Jiang Lianan stared at his lap like he had no will to live. “I used papaya slices as a facial.”
The doctor paused. “Papaya-based mask?” That wouldn’t prove papaya was the allergen. Masks had other ingredients too.
“Raw papaya. Sliced.” He clenched his fingers on his knees and refused to meet her eyes.
“Oh, raw papaya,” the doctor said. “That’s a common allergen. Be careful next time. It’s not serious.”
“Will pills fix it?” He glanced at her computer, a bit nervous.
“An injection plus medication will be faster,” she said.
“Then I’ll just take the pills,” he said.
“No. Ask clearly before you decide,” Li Dong cut in. “Doctor, how long with pills?”
“Fastest five days, slowest about a week.”
“And a shot?”
“Much faster. Two to three days.” She typed, pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “So, injection or no injection?”
“Shot,” Li Dong said, while Jiang Lianan said, “No shot.” They spoke in unison, but gave opposite answers.
They looked at each other. One pair of eyes stubborn. The other incredulous.
The stubborn eyes were Jiang Lianan’s. The incredulous were Li Dong’s.
“You’re scared of injections?” He hadn’t expected that.
“Yeah.” Jiang Lianan said.
“Then let’s do the shot. You’ll get better faster.” Li Dong squeezed his shoulder, kneading twice in encouragement.
“It hurts,” Jiang Lianan whispered through his mask. “I’d rather take two bottles of pills than one shot.” He leaned his shoulder into Li Dong’s, inching closer. “Two bottles at once.”
“Impressive,” Li Dong said.
His mind flashed to the original novel. Later, Jiang Lianan got beaten by Chen Wuhou more than once.
Once he got addicted to drugs, needles became commonplace.
But the author never mentioned that this lead shou was afraid of pain. He only wrote that the man was proud, blind, a perfectionist, eyes fixed on a utopian love of his own making.
Even when he finally got together with Chen Wuhou peacefully, it wasn’t the love he had imagined.
It made you think. The author hadn’t written a sadistic romance. He had written satire.
People without firm will, who build their lives on someone else, rarely get what they truly want.
Are there many people like that in real life?
Probably a lot. Plenty of young people who feel the time has come to marry or have children. You can’t tell if they’re gladly doing it or forcing themselves to.
Maybe many of life’s decisions aren’t really theirs, but the hands behind them.
“Okay, your orders are in,” the doctor said. “Go get the injection. If you don’t know the way, ask the nurse.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Li Dong said.
“You’re welcome.” She nodded.
They stepped out. “…” Jiang Lianan froze when Li Dong laced their fingers together. “Can-can…” There were so many people. He was scared.
“No one will recognize you wrapped up like this.” Li Dong strode on. He spotted a nurse and leaned over. “Nurse, could you tell me how to get to Injection Room 3?”
“The injection room?” She gave him a once-over. “I’m heading there now. Follow me.” Her eyes dropped, and she saw two men holding hands.
“Thanks,” Li Dong smiled at her and didn’t let go.
The nurse probably felt she was making a fuss and sheepishly looked away. “You’re welcome. This way.”
“Can-can,” Jiang Lianan murmured, “how did you get here?”
“Huh?” Li Dong checked the form and glanced up now and then. “Drove.” Then he bared his teeth in a grin. “Uncle Lian, it’s two shots in the butt.”
“Ah.” Jiang Lianan’s brows furrowed, his cheeks puffing like a frog. “Terrifying.”
“Hahaha.” Li Dong chuckled. “Don’t be scared. I’ll rub it for you after.”
“Hey…” he said.
“Okay, okay.” Li Dong shut up.
They followed the nurse to Room 3. A patient walked out, and no one else was waiting.
Not even leaving a bit of buffer time for Jiang Liannan, he was directly pushed in by Li Dong.
Normally, adults didn’t need someone with them.
As the doctor prepared the syringe, her eyes kept sliding between the two of them.
“Ahem. Doctor, he’s afraid of shots. Could you be gentle?” Li Dong said. He felt so sorry for this man acting like he was going to the execution platform.
“So that’s it,” she said. “But can I be gentle? If I’m too gentle, the needle won’t go in.”
This retort was sharp. Li Dong touched his nose and said nothing.
From the moment he stepped in, Jiang Lianan had been fisting Li Dong’s clothes, losing the ability to speak or coordinate. He only just stopped short of shaking.
“It’s alright,” Li Dong said, patting his shoulder to distract him.
“Mm.” With his forehead against Li Dong’s arm, Jiang Lianan blinked dazedly and thought, I haven’t had a shot in one, two, three, four, five… twenty-five years.
“All done.” By the time he reached twenty-five, the needle was out.
“Thank you, doctor.” Li Dong tugged up his pants for him, taking the opportunity to quietly fulfill his promise from earlier. “Can you stand?”
He knew that people afraid of injections usually weren’t afraid of pain itself, but afraid because their mind told them it would hurt.
“My butt’s numb,” Jiang Lianan said, clutching Li Dong’s arm. He took two steps and sighed. “I survived.”
Li Dong wanted to laugh, but kept it in. He tugged this embarrassing thing out past the doctor’s odd look.
“I just got a shot. Why are you walking so fast?” Jiang Lianan tiptoed carefully. His backside didn’t feel like his own.
“Because you’re a bit embarrassing. You’re a grown man. You’re afraid of pain? Aren’t you ashamed?” He thought, but you weren’t afraid of pain when rolling in the sheets.
“…,” Jiang Lianan opened his mouth, then closed it. He tucked the story of his fear into his heart.
When he was ten, in primary school, he spiked a fever late at night. His mom took him to a small clinic.
The nurse who gave him the shot must have been a trainee. Her technique was horrifying. She snapped the needle, leaving half of it in his butt.
Since then, he’d been afraid of injections.
At the exit, they hit a snag. They’d each driven their own car. Whose would they take back?
Or should they just go their separate ways?
If he suggested that now, Li Dong feared Jiang Lianan would hate him.
He knew exactly how the shou felt after a “disfigurement-level” incident like this.
So he asked, like a straightforward man, “It’s early to head home and sleep. What can I do to keep you company?”
“Food?” Jiang Lianan perked up. “A friend in the circle just opened a new restaurant. He gave me a 2000 yuan credit. Let’s eat through it tonight.”
“Great.” Free dinner was great. Li Dong went for the car.
Jiang Lianan automatically climbed into Li Dong’s car. He had assumed Li Dong would go home and not keep him company. Since Li Dong asked, he jumped on it.
Sitting in Li Dong’s car, he felt sweet all over.
Watching him smile in the side-window reflection, Li Dong said, “Uncle Lian, tell me your story?” Driving was boring, and the car’s music was all club beats.
“My story?” Jiang Lianan tugged at his mask. “Me? I was a total badass as a kid.”
Li Dong smiled and sighed. “And now?”
“Still a badass.” He laughed too, covering his mouth and peeking at Li Dong. “I graduated from XX University. You’re just some Z University history-department slacker.” He’d heard Z University’s history department was a poor little thing.
“Impressive, my uncle,” Li Dong said.
“That’s right.” Jiang Lianan nodded and simply pulled the mask down. “When I was twenty, I came out to your dad. I told him I’m gay, that I liked him a lot, that I wanted to be with him.”
“He turned you down, and you went abroad,” Li Dong said. “Then what? With that fancy degree, how come you came back and did basically nothing?”
“Sigh… fate.” He scratched his cap.
Li Dong gave him a look that said, try again.
“Fine. For various reasons,” he said, “I had no intention of going into business.”
“What reasons?”
“Money,” he said. “You might not believe it, but I’ve got enough to last me a lifetime.” As a gay man with no plans to marry or have kids, he had zero motivation to make more.
“Oh.” Li Dong nodded. “Rich and willful.”
With his looks, money, family, and talent, Jiang Lianan could have been a life winner any time he wanted.
If he’d chosen someone who suited him at the start, he would have been the kind of man everyone envied.
But in the original, this man perched at the top of the pyramid somehow played a perfect hand into the dirt. That was a skill too.
They reached the restaurant at 9:20 p.m.
At this hour, the uncle had to be starving.
After they sat down, Li Dong took charge and ordered dishes that could come out fast. He asked the server to hurry.
His uncle needed feeding.
“Can-can.” Under the table, Jiang Lianan’s foot brushed his. “I want to sit by you.”
“Okay,” Li Dong said. “Come here.” He pulled a chair out for him.
“Thanks.” Jiang Lianan stood and scooted over.
“Want to say hi to your friend?” Li Dong glanced across the floor. The place was big, in a prime location. Whoever could open here wasn’t ordinary.
“No need,” Jiang Lianan said, leaning close. “We’re just acquaintances. Not close.” The guy had stopped by the bar a few times. They nodded at each other, that was all.
2000 yuan credit was nothing to someone who could open a place like this. Probably something he handed out to half the city.
He hadn’t planned on eating out. He was single and didn’t have the conditions for restaurants.
Who knew change would come so fast. In just a blink, Chen Wuhou had flash-married a young model, and he himself was with Chen Wuhou’s son.
“Can-can,” Jiang Lianan said, “even though your dad married and there’s a baby on the way, you don’t need to worry. The Chen family’s business will be yours. I’ll fight to the death for you.”
“But I don’t plan on going into business,” Li Dong said calmly. “I’ll be like you. Open a small shop one day.”
Jiang Lianan blinked. “That’s good too.” He blushed. “If you don’t want your dad’s assets, then you can have mine when I’m gone.” He added in a mumble, “It’s not that much.”
Li Dong laughed. “Didn’t you say enough for a lifetime?”
He laughed too. “What I’ve got left after spending. So not much.” But in his heart, he suddenly decided he would start saving from today, ditch his free-spending habits, and put money aside for his Can-can.
“You could try saving,” Li Dong teased. “I’m just a history-department slacker. I won’t be making big money. You can treat me like a son and support me in my old age.”
“Pah.” Jiang Lianan spat playfully. “Since when does a son ride his old man?”
“I said it, not that I meant it.” Li Dong pinched his chin and kissed him on the lips.
“Again.” With his face tipped up, Jiang Lianan curled into him.
“People are walking by,” Li Dong turned his face aside a little. “Behave.”
“Don’t be stingy,” Jiang Lianan leaned closer. “You said you’d support me in my old age. And you won’t even give me a kiss?”
Li Dong pointed to his cheek. “Then you kiss me.”
No hesitation at all. Jiang Lianan leaned in and planted a loud one. “Can-can.”
Even though Li Dong’s hand shielded them and the touch was quick, the person standing nearby saw everything.
Hearing the name “Can-can,” Fu Changyin rubbed his face. This was definitely Chen Can and Old Si. And they were… well…
Author’s Note:
Yin-shu: You’re putting Old Yin in a tough spot here, aren’t you?
【Thanks for the sweet sweet “nutrient solution,” I’m fully satisfied!】
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