The Long Road Ahead: C44

Dinner

This novel was posted on cntranslations [dot] com, by anasiana. If you're not reading it there, you get what you get ￣へ￣)

Maybe it was on account of the "only pay attention to me" aura which radiated throughout Shan Haiming's body, an aura so powerful that it had caused Xiao Ning to no longer feel embarrassed at his romantic gestures, even while under the crowd's watchful gaze.

"Then..." Xiao Ning again asked him, "How about checking out C-City's nightlife? There's also a lot of things to do here—and of course, I'll take you to a bar first. So how about that?"

Xiao Ning knew the look on his face quite well, it was a sign Lu Yan was gearing up to explode. The ominous feeling welling in Xiao Ning's chest was expressively strong right then because he did indeed know that man exceedingly well. This feeling forced him to find something, anything, to change the current topic. "Aunty—"

Just by looking at his expression, it was clear for Chen Shuyun to see that Xiao Ning and his "girlfriend" were getting along very well, and the young man before her was incredibly fond of that "girl." even though he, himself, had described "her" as domineering when others said it about "her" his first instinct is to defend "her" with an explanation. Chen Shuyun sighed as she had this realisation, as she also thought: Why can't my son be like Xiao Ning and find a partner he can get along with too?

"You want to take a guess how many invitations I can pick up in just one night?" Shan Haiming cocked his head to the side while lifting a brow to give a roguish air to his handsome features. "So are you saying there's nothing you should worry about?"

He's still like this. Xiao Ning himself had no choice except just waiting to see.

When they were done preparing dinner, Xiao Ning helped Chen Shuyun set the dishes on the table, and even though Lu Yan had gotten up to help, he still didn't say a word to Xiao Ning. Though, occasionally his gaze would fall on Xiao Ning and give off a viscously condescending aura, that seemed to growl: you should make the first move to say something to me.

The gifts for the Lu's were still back at the hotel, so Xiao Ning still had to go back there first to collect them before heading to the Lu's.

Well, that's not to say he felt no sense of constriction, but that was more so due to Shan Haiming himself.

An outburst of laughter cut off his words, immediately turning the attention at the table to the laughing Lu Yan who placed his chapsticks on the table. Lu Anguo frowned at his son's actions and was just about to discipline him on account of his lack of manners. But Lu Yan again burst out in a laugh and sneered, "Girlfriend? A girlfriend, where? It's obviously a man."

Time seemed to pass by too quickly for them, as it was soon time for Xiao Ning to head to the Lu's for dinner but he was uneasy at the thought of having to leave Shan Haiming behind. So he kept mentioning places, and locations Shan Haiming could go to enjoy his time. "You could take a stroll around the commercial district. Does that sound alright?"

"It hasn't been long, just a few months." Xiao Ning concealed Shan Haiming's sex while he proceeded to answer the other questions. "We met through friends, and as for their personality... they're very frank, and a bit domineering."

"Xiao Ning, have whatever you'd like." Chen Shuyun placed a piece of the boiled pork slice on Xiao Ning's plate before turning to Lu Yan and serving him some vegetables saying, "You rarely come back here, so eat up."

"Nope, not interested." Shan Haiming had both hands stuffed in his pockets, while his gaze was pointed to the sign of a shop by the road.

"True, there is no need for you to worry. But seeing you get jealous over me is still my right, though." Shan Haiming relaxed his hand, and because of Xiao Ning's tender skinT/n: The word for tender here also means thin-skinned which means shy and bashful not oversensitive in a bad way like in English. So the author is being clever with her wording here, she used thin-skinned synonyms to describe Xiao Ning a few times, but I can't work this allusion in here so, here's a note. , the spot where his fingers held was already a bit reddened.

"Nope, not interested." Shan Haiming had both hands stuffed in his pockets, while his gaze was pointed to the sign of a shop by the road.

But to her question, Lu Yan just shrugged and sat back down, then started eating once more.

"Then..." Xiao Ning again asked him, "How about checking out C-City's nightlife? There's also a lot of things to do here—and of course, I'll take you to a bar first. So how about that?"

But as Shan Haiming withdrew his hand, Xiao Ning reached up to grasp it, but after a second he released it before smiling himself and saying, "I'll come back early, I'll be back soon."

Shan Haiming now retrieved his gaze and turned it towards Xiao Ning, which made Xiao Ning feel uneasy. "Is there something wrong?"

Xiao Ning felt a nip of pain by the squeeze but he did nothing to avoid it, only standing there wearing his obvious shock. "What? I'm not. What would I be worried about?"

Shan Haiming now retrieved his gaze and turned it towards Xiao Ning, which made Xiao Ning feel uneasy. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nope, not interested." Shan Haiming had both hands stuffed in his pockets, while his gaze was pointed to the sign of a shop by the road.

Before Xiao Ning left for the Lu's, he had given Chen Shuyun a call, and apart from the specialities from the other city, he had brought along a bottle of clear liquor as well as other drinks when he arrived at their door. It was Chen Shuyun who opened the door to greet him, wearing an apron once again along with a smile on her face as tugged Xiao Ning inside while saying, "Xiao Ning is here."

◈◇◈

But Shan Haiming simply lifted his right hand and lightly pinched Xiao Ning's cheek. "Don't worry about me so much."

He's still like this. Xiao Ning himself had no choice except just waiting to see.

Xiao Ning couldn't exactly say it wasn't a girl, and he couldn't bring "her" back here to be introduced to them like that. So, in the end, he smiled and shook his head, "It was a friend I brought along with me, because... my partner had some family matters to tend to, so they couldn't come along."

The gifts for the Lu's were still back at the hotel, so Xiao Ning still had to go back there first to collect them before heading to the Lu's.

Xiao Ning felt a nip of pain by the squeeze but he did nothing to avoid it, only standing there wearing his obvious shock. "What? I'm not. What would I be worried about?"

"Nope, not interested." Shan Haiming had both hands stuffed in his pockets, while his gaze was pointed to the sign of a shop by the road.

It led to Shan Haiming extending his thumb to caress that very spot saying, "There's also no need for you to be so obedient either."

But to her question, Lu Yan just shrugged and sat back down, then started eating once more.

"Domineering, huh... Well, you are a kid who doesn't cause trouble, and you're a very honest boy too, so for you, finding someone strong like that means it won't be easy for you to suffer losses when facing the outside world." Chen Shuyun then continued, "Girls who are domineering may be a bit troublesome sometimes, so just let it go sometimes, alright? You two will be spending your lives together, so there'll be times when you have to give in to them and others when they have to give in to you. Stuff like that is pretty normal."

The chopsticks in Xiao Ning's hand tightened Never did he imagine Lu Yan would be angry enough to say this in front of his parents.

Chen Shuyun and Lu Anguo both showed no initial reaction, at all, as they were two elderly people who had never encountered such a thing. So, for them, such words gave the same shocked reaction as hearing a gospel from the heavenly book itself.

N/A

"What man?" Chen Shuyun asked doubtfully, "I was talking about Xiao Ning's girlfriend, was I not?"

Her gloom brought the knife in her hand to a stop, as she stood there lost in her thoughts for a moment, before taking up the knife to cut the vegetables yet again. "Oh right, what about you, Xiao Ning? Is there anyone you like? Have you met someone?"

It was true Shan Haiming's high level of "tall, rich, handsomeness" could be spotted by others with only one glance, and regardless if it was a gay bar or one leaning straight, he was the type to be drawn to him in a swarm. So it wasn't as though Xiao Ning had any doubts about Shan Haiming's self-confidence, leading to him thinking for a moment properly before he sincerely replied. "No, it's just that I feel that when it comes to things like that, I don't have any reason to worry because that's not the kind of person you are."

Chen Shuyun talked and talked until she finally brought up those important matters, saying, "Look, even Xiao Ning found himself a girlfriend. So when are you going to find someone and give your father and me some peace of mind, Lu Yan?"

Becoming someone's lover, completely grasping their intrapersonal relationships, infiltrating the other's online accounts, and even going as far as interfering in their activities... were all things Xiao Ning never thought about doing. Besides, with Shan Haiming's character, it also wasn't worth Xiao Ning's time to worry over such trivial things.

So Xiao Ning was very excited about making this soup and had even swapped soup-making techniques with Wu Yi before way more than a few times.

Xiao Ning's gaze lowered slightly, but then immediately lifted as he fought against his impulse to avoid returning Shan Haiming's gaze. Because, even if he had no idea what he should say at that moment, he still wished to convey to that man that he had received his intentions clearly and that those feelings were ones he had cherished immensely.

"Single, huh..." Chen Shuyun nodded, then she went on to say, "I understand that as well, but I'm just so anxious. Their kids, around the age of you boys, are already moving quickly and all having their own kids already."

"Nope, not interested." Shan Haiming had both hands stuffed in his pockets, while his gaze was pointed to the sign of a shop by the road.

After the four got seated around the table, there were nine dishes prepared on the table, not counting the chicken kelp soup and brown sugar buns. It was clear the dishes prepared on the table were all Lu Yan's favourites, except for the sweet and sour pork, and the sliced pork on crispy rice, which were both not spicy. Those two dishes were favourites of Lu Anguo, while the rest of the dishes were all red, shiny, and spicy.

"Xiao Ning's here?" Lu Anguo had always been very fond of Xiao Ning, so at that moment even he was kind and friendly. "Ah, just come over when you come. You don't need to always bring along all these things."

It led to Shan Haiming extending his thumb to caress that very spot saying, "There's also no need for you to be so obedient either."

"What man?" Chen Shuyun asked doubtfully, "I was talking about Xiao Ning's girlfriend, was I not?"

Xiao Ning smiled some more as he lowered his head to fish the vegetables from the basin to dry them. "Yes, I met a really good person."

"Oh, goodness no, I'm alright. Just go relax and watch TV with that father-son pair in there. What's there for a man to do in the kitchen." For some reason, that may or may not have been rooted in her need to spoil her son, Chen Shuyun had always held the belief that the kitchen was a place that should be kept far away from men.

He's still like this. Xiao Ning himself had no choice except just waiting to see.

Shan Haiming then teasingly poked Xiao Ning's forehead, smiling softly. "Let's head back."

The gifts for the Lu's were still back at the hotel, so Xiao Ning still had to go back there first to collect them before heading to the Lu's.

◈◇◈

"Nope, not interested." Shan Haiming had both hands stuffed in his pockets, while his gaze was pointed to the sign of a shop by the road.

But as Shan Haiming withdrew his hand, Xiao Ning reached up to grasp it, but after a second he released it before smiling himself and saying, "I'll come back early, I'll be back soon."

With Lu Yan's personality, someone with a soft and gentle character was the best choice if they wanted to live out their days in harmony. But then again, if the other person was especially domineering enough to keep him in check, wouldn't something like that also be good? "Anyhow, I think things like these depend a lot on fate. So you shouldn't worry about it too much, Aunty. Everything will work out okay."

"Understood." Shan Haiming then grabbed Xiao Ning's hand from the back and pulled forward towards the street corner so they could find a cab.

"Oh." Chen Shuyun suddenly remembered. "Is it that person you came with? Oh goodness, so that's what it is! Why didn't you bring them over for dinner, then? How could you not be worried after leaving a girl alone in a place she's not familiar with? This kid... You're such a well-mannered boy ordinarily, so how on earth could you be so careless when it comes to something like this, huh?"

"Understood." Shan Haiming then grabbed Xiao Ning's hand from the back and pulled forward towards the street corner so they could find a cab.

But though their reactions were slow, the meaning of their son's words became clearer, and the old couple just needed a bit more time before they gradually understood their son's words.

Shan Haiming then teasingly poked Xiao Ning's forehead, smiling softly. "Let's head back."

◈◇◈

But Xiao Ning was thinking of how his cooking was eaten clean by a certain someone, and was feeling quite proud of himself right then. Despite Shan Haiming never saying it, the soup he made him was a clear example. Because even though that man never sang it any praises, he would finish every drop each time it was cooked. So on those occasions, they got together in the kitchen, one thing that was indispensable, was Xiao Ning's soup.

"Hi, Aunty." Xiao Ning stepped inside with full hands, avoiding Chen Shuyun's intention to give him a hand, as he took the things he had brought to rest on the table for her sake instead. "Hi, Uncle"

At her words, the chopsticks picking at the vegetables in Lu Yan's hands stopped. His face was plastered with a conflicted expression, as his head shot up and his stare locked onto Xiao Ning.

N/A

"Understood." Shan Haiming then grabbed Xiao Ning's hand from the back and pulled forward towards the street corner so they could find a cab.

Xiao Ning nodded with a smile. "I understand. But even though he's domineering, he's still always incredibly considerate of me."

The gifts for the Lu's were still back at the hotel, so Xiao Ning still had to go back there first to collect them before heading to the Lu's.

To this, Xiao Ning smiled. "They're not expensive or anything. I just want to give you and Aunty new things to taste."

N/A

"Nope, not interested." Shan Haiming had both hands stuffed in his pockets, while his gaze was pointed to the sign of a shop by the road.

But Shan Haiming simply lifted his right hand and lightly pinched Xiao Ning's cheek. "Don't worry about me so much."

To this, Xiao Ning smiled. "They're not expensive or anything. I just want to give you and Aunty new things to taste."

While they spoke, Lu Yan was sitting beside his father on the sofa, staring at the television with such serious intensity, that one would swear he was watching some important document and not just an advertisement on the TV.

"Understood." Shan Haiming then grabbed Xiao Ning's hand from the back and pulled forward towards the street corner so they could find a cab.

He also paid no attention to Xiao Ning, who took a glance at him and figured the young master's temper had yet to subside. At such a moment, Xiao Ning thought it best for him to not go looking for trouble, so instead of interacting with Lu Yan, he followed Chen Shuyun into the kitchen. "Can I give you a hand with something?"

The gifts for the Lu's were still back at the hotel, so Xiao Ning still had to go back there first to collect them before heading to the Lu's.

But to her question, Lu Yan just shrugged and sat back down, then started eating once more.

iana: sometimes, I feel bad for Lu Yan. Like, he's been trying to find Xiao Ning replacements in his partners or finding traits in others he wishes Xiao Ning had and subconsciously judging those that fail (Xia Li), including Xiao Ning himself. Which is honestly pretty sad, he's always right on the brink, but terrified to tug on that string that could rip everything to shreds. But——then he goes and does stuff like this! Stuff that makes my brain say fk all that, he's just an abominable twat! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ ...But even as "frustrating" as he is—even now—without him, Xiao Ning's life would've been much worse. The Lu's aren't perfect, the abominable twat included, but they still did more for him, a stranger, than Xiao Ning's own family did. I am enjoying the abominable twat's suffering, nonetheless. He's like Zhang Dong (from Unmarried Dad) but not as bad, maybe. But he's not Yu Jiang bad so... yeah. [] The next chapter is kinda long, btw.

The chopsticks in Xiao Ning's hand tightened Never did he imagine Lu Yan would be angry enough to say this in front of his parents.

Nonetheless, when it came to doing household chores, it did make a person much happier to do them with company. Chen Shuyun no longer insisted though she didn't let Xiao Ning lift a finger, but she did allow him to stay and look on from beside while they went on to have a chat.

"Hi, Aunty." Xiao Ning stepped inside with full hands, avoiding Chen Shuyun's intention to give him a hand, as he took the things he had brought to rest on the table for her sake instead. "Hi, Uncle"

◈◇◈

"What man?" Chen Shuyun asked doubtfully, "I was talking about Xiao Ning's girlfriend, was I not?"

But Shan Haiming simply lifted his right hand and lightly pinched Xiao Ning's cheek. "Don't worry about me so much."

Xiao Ning felt a nip of pain by the squeeze but he did nothing to avoid it, only standing there wearing his obvious shock. "What? I'm not. What would I be worried about?"

"Lu Yan is still single right now." Xiao Ning, who was now helping her was the vegetables, thought over her second question carefully before playing it safe with his answer, "I think he'd like a gentle kind of girl best."

So Xiao Ning was very excited about making this soup and had even swapped soup-making techniques with Wu Yi before way more than a few times.

To this, Xiao Ning smiled. "They're not expensive or anything. I just want to give you and Aunty new things to taste."

He had hoped this dish he had made earnestly would also be eaten in its entirety by everyone and further add to their joy. So for something like this, whether one was a man or woman shouldn't matter since the feelings behind them should both be the same.

Dinner

But it was useless to insist on these things with an elder, so Xiao Ning smiled at her kindly, then went to get a pot to put the vegetables into.

Well, that's not to say he felt no sense of constriction, but that was more so due to Shan Haiming himself.

"Then..." Xiao Ning again asked him, "How about checking out C-City's nightlife? There's also a lot of things to do here—and of course, I'll take you to a bar first. So how about that?"

"Oh, so it's like that, what a pity. Well, if you ever get the chance to bring her to C-City, don't forget to stop by so we can meet, alright?" As was the case, women of Chen Shuyun's age were all the most enthusiastic when it came to the marriage prospects of the young. And while her own son showed no interest in it, she still had this ready-made oneT/n: She's referring to Xiao Ning as a ready-made 'son,' because instead of making him at home, she got him from outside... like something you get from a store. It sounds better in Chinese (。_。). Xiao Ning could be considered as one too, after all, she had watched the boy grow up, so this gave her the confidence to ask a few more questions. "How did you guys meet? What are they like? How long have you two been dating?"

"Xiao Ning, are there any girls Lu Yan seems to be interested in A-City?" With her son approaching his thirties, the most pressing matter for Chen Shuyun was her son settling the biggest event in his life: him being wed. "When you were living with him, what kind of girls did he seem to like?"

Xiao Ning nodded with a smile. "I understand. But even though he's domineering, he's still always incredibly considerate of me."

But though their reactions were slow, the meaning of their son's words became clearer, and the old couple just needed a bit more time before they gradually understood their son's words.

But to her question, Lu Yan just shrugged and sat back down, then started eating once more.

N/A

So Xiao Ning was very excited about making this soup and had even swapped soup-making techniques with Wu Yi before way more than a few times.

At her words, the chopsticks picking at the vegetables in Lu Yan's hands stopped. His face was plastered with a conflicted expression, as his head shot up and his stare locked onto Xiao Ning.

Lu Yan still said nothing, hanging his head as he ate. Lu Anguo had also been one who was not fond of talking during dinner, so the only conversation coming from the table was between Chen Shuyun and Xiao Ning. Thus, the atmosphere around the table wasn't exactly what one would call brimming with excitement, but it still wasn't a bad one as it could rightly be called harmonious instead.

Dinner

At her words, the chopsticks picking at the vegetables in Lu Yan's hands stopped. His face was plastered with a conflicted expression, as his head shot up and his stare locked onto Xiao Ning.

"I uh..." Xia Ning couldn't help the image of Shan Haiming's face flashing in his mind at that instant, nor could he prevent the unconscious upward curling of the corners of his lips. Chen Shuyun, who had only asked in passing, was now rather shocked to see the silent and smiling expression now exposed by Xiao Ning. "Is there really someone you like?"