Husky’s Side Chapter 33

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Life-Saving Days by the Husky’s Side
Etiquette lessons

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The corners of Ji Shaoyan’s rose in a soft curve.

In another room, the nurse filled a vase with water and placed some flowers in it before coming out from the attached bathroom, ready to put the display on his bedside table. It was at this time that the nurse’s hand abruptly shook, almost letting the vase shatter on the floor.

The young master leaned against the bed’s headboard and stared down at his phone. Although he was smiling, it did not look like a happy expression. It was an expression that made people stressed, for some unknown reason.

Ji Shaoyan saw someone walk in and raised his head, looking over.

The look he sent over was as gentle as always; the feeling it evoked being so calm it was even somewhat tranquil. The nurse felt that they must’ve been imagining things just now and suppressed their only trace of doubt, putting the vase in place before leaving the room.

Ji Shaoyan looked down at his WeChat screen again. The words “how cute?” was swiftly deleted before he finished typing out the rest of the sentence.

Just now, he had gotten so angry to the point of wanting to lock a certain someone up, but once he reflected on it, he realised something was off.

Zhou Li had a good personality with looks to back it up. He was easily liked by people. When walking on the streets, having a girl come up and ask for his WeChat was indeed something that will happen, which was why his anger flared up all of a sudden. 

But thinking about it more carefully, although Silly Fool treats people kindly and seems to be able to make friends with anyone, he has a code of conduct in his heart——because of his dual personality, he was not even willing to raise a dog, let alone consider falling in love.

So even if there was a girl who wanted to add him into her friends list, it was unlikely for him to agree. Even if Silly Fool had nothing to his name, his personal conduct was something that can be guaranteed.

So, what exactly was the meaning behind this little reply of his?

Ji Shaoyan thought back to a certain conflict that started a few weeks ago. Zhou Li had been able to look directly into Lin Ye’s heart when he was on the receiving end of just one curious look from the man. Zhou Li couldn’t possibly be sounding him out ba? They’ve never even met before in person.

But then again, it wasn’t impossible either. 

He was so popular in the game, but the only person he sent flowers to was Zhou Li himself and he also invited the boy to form a team with him, going so far as to take the initiative to talk in a private chat for hours. If Zhou Li was replaced by a more intelligent person, they may think that he was harbouring some kind of ulterior motive. But there were only pits in Silly Fool’s brain, so perhaps the boy’s guesses went in the direction of ‘he wants to pursue me’.

Ji Shaoyan felt a little helpless and replied with one word: Okay.

Zhou Li stared at this reply and couldn’t come to any conclusion. He slipped the phone back into his pocket, intending to examine it at a later time.

The tattoo parlour was located on the first floor of the shopping centre.

He found the store and made his request to the boss, then took his T-shirt off and sat down calmly.

However, he soon discovered that he had paid a wave of IQ taxes*.

[T/N: intelligence taxes: not thinking about purchases]

He had never understood this industry before or after arriving here and naively thought getting a tattoo was no big deal. As it turns out, the process hurt like hell even after applying anaesthetics. Not only did he not get the entire tattoo removed during this session, he was going to have to come several more times to get it completely erased. 

Did all these behind-the-scenes manipulation get to your head*? Could you not have just waited one more month? Why did you have to go wash it off now? After getting thrown into the world of riches, you’ve immediately forgotten your last name… After enduring this torture, he walked out of the shop and assigned two jobs to himself: keeping himself conscious and reminding himself of his stupidity. He soon received a call from Father Zhou.

[T/N: 吃饱了撑的: describes people who use their excess energy in the wrong places]

Father Zhou and Zhou Lubo had gotten off work and were about to go home for lunch, and asked him if he was still outside. If so, they could come to pick him up since their route would pass by his current location.

Zhou Li readily agreed. After less than twenty minutes of waiting, he spotted a familiar car.

As soon as he sat on the plush seating, he heard his phone ring again. Seeing that the caller was Lin Ye, he answered the call in surprise.

Lin Ye asked, “Have you eaten yet?”

Zhou Li replied, “Not yet.”

On the other end, Lin Ye went silent for two seconds. His tone was a little subtle, as if he was restraining himself from acting with the casual and one-sided superiority mentality he had with the boy before everything went down, and he tentatively said, “Are you free? How about I invite you out to a meal?”

Zhou Li: “If you have something to say, just say it ba.”

Lin Ye was forced into silence once again before he finally asked, “Is your Zhou family familiar with the Ji family?”

Zhou Li blinked. “I don’t know stuff like this. What’s the matter?”

Lin Ye let out a sigh.

They managed to injure the young master of the Ji family yesterday. Although that family hasn’t made any moves as of now, they had a itching feeling things were not looking very optimistic. In fact, it was easy to deal with this matter. It’s just a matter of finding a middleman to make peace, then to come forward and apologise. After all, it was impossible for that family to come forward and straight-up break the leg of the man who pushed their young master down the stairs. In the end, all they had to do was figure out a way to satisfy the other party.

But this problem lied with who the middleman was.

On one side was an influential and powerful family, on the other was a gang who could only mess around in the faraway suburbs. The difference between them was like the clouds in the sky and the mud on the ground. They didn’t even know how many of these giant families were in the city, nor what the relationship between each family was like. Just exactly where can they find this middleman?

Fortunately, the heavens never bar one’s way*. The second master went digging for some news and noticed Father Zhou’s name when they visited the patient earlier that day so when they came up with this plan, Er Ye thought this Zhou family could be their middleman. He just didn’t know if they will be able to successfully obtain the family’s aid.

[T/N: don’t despair and you will find a way through]

He also didn’t intent to conceal anything from this kid, and so he began his recount of yesterday’s events. 

Zhou Li was rendered speechless.

On the second day after waking up, he ran over and broke his own leg. Was Young Master Ji ruthless or what ah!

Lin Ye muttered, “I know I was an asshole in the past but during our time together, I never did anything to you, did I? Help me out, just this one time, okay?”

Zhou Li didn’t think it was ‘okay’.

He still knew what kind of character profile Ji Shaoyan had. If he wanted to kill this group of bastards, he absolutely had the ability to torture them slowly. To be so hesitant in making a move, this must be because he was afraid Er Ye and the others will come find him and Song Yingshi for trouble. This person injured his ankle for him. He can’t just turn his head and say, “You should stop causing trouble, let everyone hold hands and make peace ba.” He can’t.

Besides, although Lin Ye indeed never laid hands on him, it was only because he never met the deadline. He cannot be grateful for the mercy of the abuser. With Lin Ye’s behaviour and interests, there was no telling just how many little boys he had played with in the past. These men deserved to be taught a lesson.

With this in mind, he allowed the ghost of an actor to possess him and sighed faintly. “But how can I help you? You should have already checked my background. Poor at studies, fighting all day, do you really think these group of rich people are happy to have a son like me? “

Father Zhou’s heart jumped. His and Zhou Lubo’s eyes fell on him in an instant.

The driver’s hand also trembled and he hurriedly retracted his ears, for fear that the car will turn into the Shura Field* in the next second.

[T/N: a tragic battlefield]

Catching sight of their abrupt movements, Zhou Li raised a finger to his lips, motioning them to stop speaking before continuing his act into the microphone. “These people, they all pay attention to image. I have been brought back, but if they want me to become the family lead in the future, I need to be trained. They’ve enrolled me for a training class that I’m ordered to attend the moment I leave the hospital. As for when I am deemed ‘qualified’ enough to return home, do you know what these courses consist of?”

Without waiting for the other man to answer, he confessed in audible pain, “First lesson is on wine, I have to report which brand and what year based on smell alone. Second lesson is to recognise name brands, I am forbidden to leave unless I can list every single brand of someone’s outfit. The third lesson is to learn English, the type that’s good enough to casually talk with foreigners. I’ve never even passed my English classes, I can only say hello and sorry, this course is going to kill me ah!”

Father Zhou: “……”

Zhou Lubo: “……”

Zhou Li: “And let me tell you, this isn’t even the end of it. I have to practise my walking and smiling. Every person in this this circle is a blood-sucking parasite, I have to be able to maintain a perfect smile in front of everyone and to appreciate all these types of art to the most minuscule level. I can’t even be off by the most teensy bit!” 

Father Zhou: “……”

Zhou Lubo: “……”

Zhou Li: “I even have to learn archery. You did not hear it wrong, archery. Maybe this talent is something that can turn a person elegant and noble ba.” 

He paused for a moment, choked up. “But do you know how much time they have given me? Just one month. Just one month ah, Ge, I…I can’t handle this ah!”

Father Zhou: “……”

Zhou Lubo: “……”

Zhou Li: “You said I can help you with your problem but right now, I’m not even qualified to look into their eyes.” 

On the other end, Lin Ye opened his mouth, closed it, then opened his mouth again, not knowing what to say for a long while.

Zhou Li cried out, “Wei?”

Lin Ye said, “I’m listening.”

Zhou Li sniffed. “How about this ba, I’ll call my dad in a few minutes and whatever he chooses to do in the end is up to him. Anyway, I’ll try my best. Is this okay for you?”

Master Lin naturally couldn’t say no and he agreed quickly.

Zhou Li cried and complained a few more words of his suffering before hanging up. The pained expression on his face instantly cleared up. He finally looked up at the two people next to him and briefly explained his reasons.

Father Zhou looked over his youngest son twice, then puffed out a laugh. It seemed that this son of his was a bit interesting.

But though he was laughing outwardly, his heart faintly felt sorrowful. He thought to himself how much better it would’ve been if this boy had grown up under their family’s eyes. He patted his son on the shoulder, suppressing this uncomfortable feeling.

Zhou Li didn’t pay attention to the change in his expression and instead checked the caller ID’s of missed calls. During this short period, there were at least two calls made to him just then and he didn’t know if there was an emergency of some sort. However, when he saw the name on the screen clearly, he didn’t want to bother with it.

In the end, the other side appeared to have an extreme persevering attitude as a third call was made to his phone. He looked at the word “Aunt” and reluctantly answered.

Aunt Qian equipped a cordial tone, asking with an obvious smile in her voice, “Wei, Liye ah, how are you living over there, are you used to it yet?”

Zhou Li answered, “It’s fine.”

Aunt Qian: “If it’s fine, then that’s good. You have just returned home and there will always be a period of adapting, no need to rush yourself.”  

Zhou Li: “En. Are you looking for me for something?”

Aunt Qian retorted, “Child, am I not worrying about you? Can I not call you simply because I want to?” 

Zhou Li: “Oh, then let me think about it for a moment, I’ll try to remember the last time you called me simply because you wanted to.” 

Aunt Qian choked a bit and immediately stopped with her aimless pleasantries. She switched to her main point, which was her invitation to him and Xiao-Wen to come back to their house for dinner and to stay overnight along the way. Zhou Li guessed this was the case before the conversation started and directly asked her if Qian Duoshu knew about this set-up. Aunt Qian let out a “hai”, saying, “Of course he knows ah.”

Zhou Li didn’t believe her. “Then have him call me directly.”

Aunt Qian said, “He’s working right now.”

“Doesn’t matter, I’ll only listen to him. If he doesn’t call me, I won’t go,” Zhou Li said. Without leaving any time for the other party to start yelling, he quickly interjected, “Okay, I still have something to do on my side, I’m hanging up ba.”

He followed through with his promise and hung up, the swift movement as neat and tidy as a bow on a present.

Perhaps the other side was angered into a state of shock, or perhaps she finally figured out that his attitude was tougher than before, but his aunt didn’t make another call until he got home. Happy with this outcome, he dilly-dallied into the living room. When he raised his head, he saw Zhou Luwen staring at him, as if hesitating to say something. Instead, Zhou Li opened his mouth first. “Auntie also called you?”

Zhou Luwen nodded. “Do you want to go?”

Zhou Li said, “If she calls you again, say that I can’t be persuaded.”

Zhou Luwen naturally listened to his advice. Before he could answer, a certain someone seemed to be too anxious to wait and another call was made to his phone, as expected. Zhou Li knew who the caller was the moment he glanced at the boy’s expression. He simply walked over to pick up the other’s phone and answered for him, “Wei, Auntie ah, it’s me… Oh, he just went out. When he comes back, I’ll tell him ba. Alright, I still have to do something, hanging up now.”

He unceremoniously hung up on their aunt and returned the phone to its owner before sitting down beside the other boy. 

Zhou Luwen was suddenly a little nervous.

Throughout this one day and one night timespan, they’ve said no more than five sentences total to each other. At first, it was because he wasn’t entirely sure about this ‘dual personality’ situation. He was afraid that the other party would dislike him, so he didn’t dare to talk casually. Although all of them now understood what this second personality was like, he still couldn’t think of what to say. But right now, he has received the opportunity to sit so close to Zhou Li. He didn’t want to waste this chance.

Racking his brain* for a topic, any topic, he finally decided to try his luck on one of the most common and least conflicting subjects for the opening: “I’m going to pour myself some lemonade. Do you like it? Want me to bring you a glass?”

[T/N: literally, searching his guts and belly]

Zhou Li: “En.“

Zhou Luwen got up to pour themselves a glass of lemonade, his legs preoccupied with walking and his mind preoccupied with how to keep the conversation afloat.

As a result, when he came back and handed over a glass of lemonade, just as he had finally formed and finalised the draft essay, he heard Zhou Li say, “You’re Zhou Er in the game ba?”

He was simply caught off guard. “——Ah?”

Zhou Li raised his phone and grinned. “The little broken mobile game.”

Zhou Luwen reacted abruptly. “You’re Li?”

Zhou Li nodded. “I even sent you flowers before.”

Deep down, Zhou Luwen felt that all of this was a little too inconceivable, but he still sat down beside the other and began chatting. Seeing that Zhou Li was going to enter the game, he logged online too.

Zhou Li offhandedly remembered how Ji Shaoyan had texted him earlier and went to say hello on WeChat.

Ji Shaoyan was currently preparing to eat lunch.

However, a large fraction of his attention was always on his phone. Seeing this little greeting, he replied “good” and switched back to the game’s title-screen. Entering the server, he saw a few messages float “swish swish swish” up the screen. He scrolled up to see the contents…

[System] Player [Zhou Er] presents to player [Li] a rose, I don’t need a reason to like you [Heart][Heart][Heart]

[System] Player [Zhou Er] presents to player [Li]…

……

In a tidy row, there were five roses in total.

Ji Shaoyan: “……”

Deliberate. Silly Fool, this must be deliberate.

Telling me to come online, just to show me this.

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The author has something to say:

Ji Shaoyan: En, another account has been written into the ledger. 

Zhou Li: I’m not, I didn’t, there is no other meaning!

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Poor Zhou Luwen. Already on the hit-list before his brother-in-law even met him.