World Hopping: Avenge Our Love
Translator: translationraven
First Published on Chaleuria
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‘What? Is he going to sell me?’
Qi Luo was startled. His excitement from earlier disappeared immediately, and he stared pitifully at Song Yucheng with large eyes, like he was asking him why.
But Song Yucheng soon explained it, speaking slowly. “I am going to change your contract. And you’re going to have more lessons from tomorrow on. Your basic skills are good, but not developed enough. You need practice. Also, your body frame now is no issue off screen, but you need to lose five kilograms more to look good on screen. So, you’re going to start on a strict diet from tomorrow, and foods high in calories like cheese would probably not appear in your meal plan for a long time. We’re breaking the rules tonight, to make it up to you. Sort of.
“This is your last meal, so enjoy it.” Song Yucheng looked at Qi Luo, who still looked confused after hearing what he’d said, and felt that his mean streak had been satisfied.
He pinched his cheek, and pulled him into the restaurant.
“My name’s Xie Qianchen. I’ve made a reservation.” Song Yucheng gave his name with practised ease.
“Please come in.” The maître d’ led them in.
Xie Qianchen was always attentive in his work, and the table he had picked was also the best.
This restaurant could actually be considered as a higher-end family restaurant, so many customers brought their children to dine there. The atmosphere was also correspondingly lively.
And the table which Song Yucheng and Qi Luo sat at was a booth closest to the window. The pots of flowers next to the booth separated the outside world from the interior without disturbing the cheery atmosphere of the restaurant, and the streetscape was nice too. It was just right.
The cheesy aroma settled Qi Luo’s nervousness. His jumpiness from Song Yucheng’s earlier teasing gradually quieted too, as he worked out what Song Yucheng had meant from what he’d said earlier.
Added lessons, strict diet and change of contract. He wasn’t being sold off — it’s like he’s going to debut!
Qi Luo had been a trainee for a while, and he had heard his seniors in the company talk about the processes of debuting when a trainee was selected. He had a rough idea of Song Yucheng’s plans after he heard more details from him.
So why had he said those things earlier? Qi Luo was getting more confused the more he thought about it. Five full minutes passed before he realised something — Xie Qianchen teased him and treated him like a little kid!
Sure enough, he looked up, and saw Xie Qianchen’s playful face. Qi Luo was struck hard by this realisation and felt like he was a big idiot. The fear he had had of him in the beginning had disappeared completely, and his like for him grew. He felt that Xie Qianchen was different from what was said of him.
He was the devil, but he was a devil with a bit of a kind heart.
“Ah, such a pure child.” Qi Luo’s naivety made Song Yucheng sigh.
And the System, which had been silent for a while, responded listlessly. “Yeah, so pure that you can’t make a move. [My_Heart.jpg]”
But Song Yucheng did not hesitate to stab at the System again.
“Well, even if I did, you won’t be able to see it. Did you forget that you’ll get censored, hm? My underage colleague?”
What the hell! That was so mean! The System, which had been talking in Song Yucheng just a second before, had its heart shattered immediately. It decided to block Song Yucheng of its own accord.
A win for Song Yucheng! He looked at Qi Luo. “Are you scared?”
This seemed like a question which hinted at the rumours surrounding him.
“Yes, but will Brother Qianchen make me…” Qi Luo was still uneasy. Their earlier interactions had made him feel like Xie Qianchen was not the sort of person he thought he was.
Song Yucheng patted his head. “I won’t. But you need to listen to me.”
“Mm hmm.” Qi Luo nodded. He suddenly felt like there was some sort of past sadness in Xie Qianchen’s eyes, but the hand on his head was just too comforting, and he couldn’t help raising his head and rubbing against him.
Song Yucheng patted him some more, and picked up some food, placing it on the plate before Qi Luo. Qi Luo soon lost himself to the allure of good food.
Brother Qianchen was no devil — he’s actually very kind.
And Shen Yi, who was peeking in from outside, was hopping mad.
Xie Qianchen had picked an obvious spot, and Shen Yi could see him and Qi Luo’s interactions through the windows of the restaurant and the car he was hiding in on the other side of the road. He had also seen how Xie Qianchen had taken such good care of Qi Luo, and clearly saw his pampering.
So he had that side to him too. Then that coldness when he was in the company, and that humiliation he’d forced upon him in his training… was it simply because he was targeting him, and punishing him? Then what was that thing about getting him a teacher after the tension had eased between them, and that thing where he’d put that herbal plaster on him?
No! That’s not right! He got tricked!
Xie Qianchen had done all of that on purpose!
He’d seen that he had intentions of attacking him, so he had pretended to have softened. Xie Qianchen had actually not thought much of him at all.
Several details came together in Shen Yi’s mind right away. He abruptly realised that he had fallen into Xie Qianchen’s trap from the beginning. He’d thought that he was the one on the attack, but to Xie Qianchen, he’d just been dancing about in front of him like a clown. So, he had not made Xie Qianchen waver at all, but been shaken quite a bit by him instead.
He’d been f*cking played!
Shen Yi’s seduction worked ten times out of ten, even on Cao Kun, who’d seen lots of tricks. Cao Kun had not been very resistant to him. But Xie Qianchen… They had met only twice, but he’d seen right through him, and even skillfully played him.
Great humiliation hung over Shen Yi, reddening his eyes. And in the restaurant, Song Yucheng seemed to sense his presence, and he deliberately sent a smile his way. That mockery was like a slap to Shen Yi, and it hit him square across the face.
Shen Yi stepped on the accelerator in response, and fled.
“Cheh. This guy’s not very mentally tough.” Song Yucheng watched Shen Yi’s hasty departure as he sat in the restaurant, and commented on it to the System. Then, he soon went all out in indulging in the joy of teasing Qi Luo.
This child was just too cute. He was obedient and a little silly but did not have a temper. He was easily coaxed out of a bad mood when jokes went too far, and he also matched Song Yucheng’s definition of a beautiful young man quite well.
Song Yucheng brought him home after a delicious dinner. On their way back, they had come upon a shop which sold bedroom items, and Song Yucheng had specially got out of the car to buy Qi Luo the robot cat which he liked.
Song Yucheng was a master at making children happy. A pure child like Qi Luo would see Song Yucheng as a kind and gentle big brother in just a few minutes, and like him to bits.
But he soon regretted thinking that Song Yucheng was a kind big brother.
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After returning to Xie Qianchen’s home, Qi Luo had just a short break before he was brought to the study to have a supplementary lesson.
This took Qi Luo by surprise. He’d thought that Xie Qianchen was just a manager, but he did not expect that he would be able to instruct him in acting too. He was even stricter than the teachers at the company.
And Song Yucheng had very high expectations of Qi Luo.
The teacher would scold Qi Luo in the practice room if he did not do well, and scold him harshly too. Qi Luo was quite resilient to this pressure, but up against Song Yucheng, his resilience crumbled. Song Yucheng did not even have to reprimand him — just giving him a look was enough to scare him.
S, So scary! Brother Qianchen really is a devil! (QAQ)
Qi Luo trembled with fear as he made notes. He felt like he was going to lose his wits from all this fear. However, his schedule did not allow for him to have time to complain, because Song Yucheng’s lesson was so fast-paced. Qi Luo was completely stupefied when the lesson was over.
But what Song Yucheng said next made him want to cry.
“Have an early night after you shower. Don’t play mobile games.” He put a mug of warm milk in Qi Luo’s hands, and was the kind and mean-eyed big brother from dinnertime again. It was just that what he said was not kind at all. “From tomorrow on, your schedule will be even tighter. And you have to come over to my home twice a week. We don’t have much time, so you’ll have to work very hard till then, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll do whatever you say, Brother Qianchen.” Xie Qianchen’s deep voice folded Qi Luo quite involuntarily in its hold, and that gentle smile on his lips made his mind go blank. Qi Luo was naive, but he was not unable to differentiate good from bad.
It would be tiring, but he understood that the additional lessons were for his own good, and it was because Xie Qianchen saw the potential in him. Though Xie Qianchen was super strict in his instruction, this sternness was a necessity to lay the foundation for his future transformation.
“Thank you, Brother Qianchen.” Qi Luo finished the milk and returned the mug to Song Yucheng like a good boy. He gave him a deep bow of gratitude before going to bed. This sincerity towards Song Yucheng, which came from the heart, was evident in his movements. His actions were sincere and free of hypocrisy.
System: Hey! I know why you like dealing with kids now! [Touched_Expression.jpg]
But Song Yucheng smiled and replied: Yes, because 16 and 17 is when they are cute.
The System was confused by his response again, and felt that Milord was criticising it a lot recently. He could hardly make it any sadder.
Song Yucheng, on the other hand, had no thought of giving it any more attention. He started up the computer again when he returned to his bedroom, and wrote the second episode of the suspense drama he had submitted for the competition. He posted it on the website.
He then went to shower, and sleep.
The night passed quickly. It was already 7:30 in the morning when Song Yucheng opened his eyes the next day. He hurriedly got up to get ready for work, and found that Qi Luo was still hugging the blanket, all bleary.
“Qi Luo! Time to get up!” Song Yucheng called, but got no response.
The intensity of yesterday’s lesson had been a bit too much for Qi Luo. He had showered and fallen asleep as soon as his head had touched the pillow, and he was still so sleepy he could not open his eyes. He washed up somehow, and ate a breakfast he didn’t taste at all, got into Xie Qianchen’s car, and fell asleep.
Just how sleepy was he?
Song Yucheng shook his head at Qi Luo’s drowsiness, but he still covered him up with his own jacket before starting up the car engine.
Xie Qianchen’s home was a bit of a distance from the company, so Qi Luo was fast asleep when they arrived; it was the sort of deep sleep where a person couldn’t be awakened.
“How is he so dead to the world?” Song Yucheng had yelled at him several times but not got any response. He had no other choice in the end but to get out of the car and go over to the passenger side.
“Wake up.” Song Yucheng patted Qi Luo’s face and tried waking him again.
“Mmh…” Qi Luo sleepily tried to dodge it, and finally opened his eyes to discover that he had, at some unknown time, arrived in the carpark of the company. And he had Xie Qianchen’s jacket in his arms.
“S, Sorry, Brother Qianchen. I’ll get up right now.” Qi Luo was fairly embarrassed, and he hurriedly tried to alight. He stumbled in his haste.
“No panic. Slow down.” Song Yucheng quickly grabbed hold of him.
Qi Luo was not short, but he was of a size his age, and Song Yucheng very easily enveloped him in his embrace.
Xie Qianchen’s clothing had a faint smell of washing detergent, clean and nice. And Xie Qianchen’s embrace was so warm — just his waist was too thin.
Wait, how did he know that his waist was too thin? Qi Luo finally realised that he’d fallen right into Xie Qianchen’s arms. Any drowsiness he had was instantly cleared from his head.
“I…” Qi Luo wanted to explain himself, but he didn’t know what to say.
Song Yucheng wanted to tease him too, but time in the morning was tight, and he regretfully gave up on that idea. He helped Qi Luo regain his balance, straightened his clothing and tidied his hair, nagged him for a bit, and called his assistant to take Qi Luo up.
But this scene of intimacy had been witnessed in full by another pair of eyes. Eyes which held a load of complicated feelings.
It was Shen Yi.
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