Chapter 97 Open and Upright
As the queue narrowed to the very end, Yu Jingchen sat down opposite Fu Yanle.
Tang Wanbai excitedly poked An Shigou's arm. An Shigou glanced at it and cursed inwardly: "You two are such a pair of scumbags!"
The fan sitting in front of Tang Wanbai covered her mouth in surprise and couldn't help but take out her phone to secretly take a picture of the two next to her.
Tang Wanbai: "..." Please take your idol seriously!
By this time, most of the fans in the venue had already had close contact with their idols and were taking photos and videos from their seats. The queues in front of the guest tables were sparse, so when Yu Jingchen approached, the others couldn't help but turn their gazes towards him.
Seeing Gu Jiming staring intently in the direction of Fu Yanle and Yu Jingchen, An Shigou coughed affectedly and said, "They're showing off their affection right here, aren't they?!"
“This isn’t called showing off affection. How can something so natural be called showing off?” Tang Wanbai’s eyes were full of pink bubbles. “They’re just that loving and intimate. Even if they just look at each other, it looks like sparks are flying to outsiders!”
"Oh dear!" An Shigou clicked his tongue and shook his head. "This is so mushy, even a dog would feel a pang of jealousy!"
Gu Jiming, who heard it clearly, thought: So he thinks I'm a dog?
Meng Xinqiu, who heard it vaguely but clearly felt that she was being subtly insulted, said: "It's more than just a couple of sour notes."
Lin Qingtong, who hadn't heard anything but felt a dull ache in her heart from this scene: "..."
Fu Yanle looked at Yu Jingchen, her eyes crinkling, "Little fan, what do you want to sign?"
“I’m not a little fan,” Yu Jingchen corrected earnestly.
Fu Yanle said "Oh," and then added, "Okay, you're a huge fan! The kind who could make three pots of sauerkraut soup!"
Yu Jingchen smiled, placed the photo in front of Fu Yanle, and said, "I request an autograph."
"You're even using technical jargon, looks like you're very serious!" Fu Yanle said with a smile, "To whom?"
Yu Jingchen rested his chin on his hand and said, "To Fu Yanle's boyfriend."
Fu Yanle obediently wrote down the words with a purple pen, then took out a blue pen and drew two little figures on either side of the signature: the little figure on the left wore a puffy, fluffy coat and a dark pink knitted hat on its head. The little figure on the right wore a long coat and had a faint smile on its face.
"It's finished!"
Yu Jingchen turned the photo around, took the pen from Fu Yanle, and added arms to the two little figures, drawing them in a sending-off pose. Then he took the red pen and drew a full-colored heart in front of each of the little figures' hands.
"That's right."
Fu Yanle was full of praise and leaned closer, saying, "Let's add another one—"
Yu Jingchen suddenly pulled off his mask and leaned in to kiss Fu Yanle's face, which was very close to his.
"Wow!"
"Holy crap!"
Screams erupted from other fans around them. Fu Yanle touched his ear and lightly drew a small flower on Yu Jingchen's mask with a pen.
"This is the reward for stealing a kiss."
After the meeting ended, Fu Yanle and Yu Jingchen walked hand in hand through the crowd. The various glances coming from all directions didn't affect him in the slightest; he was happy because of Yu Jingchen, not because of the blessings and envy of others, and the whispers didn't cause him any unpleasant feelings.
"Brother Chen, what time is it now?"
Yu Jingchen glanced at his watch. "It's 6:13. What do you want to eat tonight?"
Fu Yanle stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Shall we go get some snacks? Crab roe soup dumplings, pork rib rice cakes?"
“Okay.” Yu Jingchen nodded. “Your aunt called earlier and said that your grandmother sent you some pastries to satisfy your cravings. The pastries were all made by your grandmother herself; she’s very good at it.”
Fu Yanle scratched his head, "Please thank Grandma for me! I'm so sorry to have troubled the old lady."
Yu Jingchen said, "I've already thanked you for you. Grandma doesn't have anything important to do at home. Reading, appreciating flowers, cooking, and drinking tea are all her pleasures. Her happiness far outweighs her hardship."
“I’ve noticed that everyone in your family has a bit of a scholarly air about them,” Fu Yanle said. “Like you, although your appearance and temperament don’t exactly scream ‘refined and cultured,’ when you’re quiet, you radiate a calm and gentle light, and you have a certain elegance, though it’s a gentleness with a sharp edge.”
“Otherwise, how could such stories have been passed down from ancient times to the present?” Yu Jingchen tilted his head and said with a smile, “Beauties have a particular fondness for scholars.”
Fu Yanle curled his lip, "I think these stories were all written by scholars themselves, right? Because they wanted beautiful women, but ended up betraying them."
“Then I take back what I just said.” Yu Jingchen quickly changed the subject. “I’m not a scholar, I’m a vulgar rich man.”
Fu Yanle: "Goose!"
Tang Wanbai and An Shigou followed behind.
"They're such a perfect match! No matter how many times I look at them, no matter what angle I look at them from, they're such a perfect couple!" Tang Wanbai's eyes were full of hearts. "You can see the intimacy in any little gesture, it's so natural, it's like they do it subconsciously."
“There’s no way around it, real couples are just the coolest.” An Shigou raised an eyebrow. “Every time they make eye contact or get together, it’s like there’s a transparent light surrounding them, and outsiders can’t get in.”
Tang Wanbai clapped her hands and said, "This is called a couple's umbrella!"
As the two were talking, Fu Yanle suddenly moved behind Yu Jingchen, took a few steps back, and then jumped onto Yu Jingchen's back. Yu Jingchen skillfully wrapped his arms around Fu Yanle's legs.
"Wow!"
"..."
All around, like elephant feet crushing over the screaming chicken, the screams continued. It seemed that no one expected that Fu Yanle's boyfriend would not only come to the book signing without any scruples, but that the two of them would be so affectionate. Did they not think about leaving any room for the future?
Oh no, oh no, I've fallen in love!
The car was parked right at the door. Yu Jingchen carried Fu Yanle to the car, helped Fu Yanle into the car, and finally fastened Fu Yanle's seat belt. He provided a one-stop service and was very attentive.
Soon, the car moved like a shadow, disappearing into the traffic and leaving the stares and sighs behind.
"Wow, what an understated yet luxurious Bentley! It matches my boyfriend's style perfectly!"
"Forgive me, I only saw the license plate, but the numbers are the same!"
"A symbol of wealth!"
"My boyfriend really spoils me. He treats me like a little kid. It's another day of envying other people's love."
"..."
*
Fu Yanle took Yu Jingchen to eat street food, and on the way back, they also packed a cup of Oreo ice cream.
"Wow!" Fu Yanle stuck out his tongue, scooped up a spoonful, and put it to Yu Jingchen's lips. "Try a bite!"
"It's too cold." As soon as Yu Jingchen finished speaking, he saw Fu Yanle's face fall, with two big words written on his forehead: Noob. He smiled, suddenly reached out and covered the back of Fu Yanle's neck, buried his head and bit Fu Yanle's mouth, swallowing the surprised "Wow!" into his mouth as well.
The Oreo melted in his mouth, blending into his breath along with the cool, sweet and sour ice cream, and slid down his throat. Fu Yanle's eyelids reddened from the kiss, and he felt a hot and numb sensation on the tip of his tongue. He clutched Yu Jingchen's collar and whispered, "Then won't it be cold when you kiss me?"
"Your mouth is warm." Yu Jingchen gently pinched the back of his neck to comfort him.
Fu Yanle whispered reproachfully, "But getting sick from being too hot or too cold will give you diarrhea!"
Yu Jingchen feigned surprise, "That serious?"
"Yes!" Fu Yanle said, hands on her hips. "I'm very precious!"
Yu Jingchen chuckled and couldn't help but pull Fu Yanle into his arms, nuzzling her affectionately several times. "Lele, you're so cute."
"...Alright, then I won't blame you." Fu Yanle ruffled his hair and said magnanimously, "My love for you has overcome my delicate body!"
Yu Jingchen responded softly, hugged him for a while before letting go, "Alright, let's go back."
The two got into the car hand in hand.
Yu Jingchen drove away, and Fu Yanle finished showing off his ice cream and took out his phone to browse Weibo. The hashtag #3 was trending a lot.
#Fu Yanle's Boyfriend#
Fu Yanle clicked on the trending topic, looked through several couple photos several times, and selected two to save to his album. He scrolled to the comments section, where the top comments were filled with enthusiastic discussions from fans and CP (couple) supporters, while two less pleasant comments were buried at the bottom.
Is this really a boyfriend or a sugar daddy?
Fu Yanle rolled his eyes, never expecting that biodiversity could be this diverse.
The replies under this comment also make a lot of sense.
"Have you never seen a rich person in your life?"
Have you ever dated a super handsome guy who's over 185cm tall, rich, charismatic, and good-looking? Yes, you haven't. Who would want to do charity by dating an idiot?
[He's a sugar daddy! He lets our little Fu ride on his head, spoils him rotten, and even gives him matching rings and watches, hehe.]
[...]
"Sigh!" Fu Yanle felt that he had recently become a saint, even abandoning his ruthlessness to argue with the trolls. Perhaps it was the nourishment of love; he had become kinder. After all, idiots were a minority in this world, so why bother arguing with them?
Fu Yanle smiled slightly and continued scrolling down.
Is this just a publicity stunt? After Kobayashi Aohito's character was ruined, is she trying to create a new romantic storyline?
"wqnmlgb!" Fu Yanle typed: [Do you think everyone is like you, born a clown on a stage? Everything you see is a show? Did you eat lunch so you could put on a shit-poop show at your father's grave tonight to thank him for teaching you?]
"Damn it!" Fu Yanle put down his phone, instantly losing all interest in surfing the internet. It was ironic, really. He'd encountered countless idiots far more stupid than this before, but he'd never gotten angry; he'd only fought back fiercely, chipping away at their spirits. But now, just because of a single, zero-powerful remark, he was actually angry!
"What's wrong?" Yu Jingchen glanced at her, then turned back to look at the route. "Who upset Lele?"
"What a piece of trash!" Fu Yanle rubbed his face. "He actually said we were putting on a show! Don't let me see him, or we'll French kiss right in front of him!"
“…There’s no need for that.” Yu Jingchen really enjoyed kissing Fu Yanle, but when he imagined it: him and Fu Yanle standing in front of someone, kissing passionately and intensely… he felt it wasn’t quite right.
“I’ve thought about it, and I also think it won’t work. He’s not good enough for me!” Fu Yanle rolled down the car window and let the wind blow in for a few seconds before saying thoughtfully, “How about we record a heartfelt audio message and have the housekeeper play it for him?”
Yu Jingchen's hand on the steering wheel trembled slightly. "What emotional audio?"
"It's that one," Fu Yanle said shyly, "Mmm, ahh, uh, haha, aha—"
"Alright." Yu Jingchen took a breath, expressionless. "I no longer have any worldly desires."
Author's Note:
Xiao Fu: Oh? Really?
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