Coffee Pot MTL

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

The Perfect Relationship Ch 41

🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 41: Colors

Shao Junling was hugged by Yin Chang all night. Even when he awoke, fearing he’d disturb his brother, he didn't dare move.

So whenever he opened his eyes and saw his brother's extremely close, sleeping face, he subconsciously stared in a daze. It was only after Yin Chang tousled his hair that he finally snapped out of it. His face instantly turned red. Then, like a rabbit with its tail on fire, he jumped out of bed lighting fast and fled to the bathroom without looking back.

Yin Chang awkwardly raised his hand and glanced at his own palm... What was wrong with him? Was he so scary?

...Could it be because he made Shao Junling unhappy by forcing him to sleep last night?

Yin Chang got up, put on his clothes, and went to wash his face. Shao Junling was still dawdling around the bathroom. When he saw Yin Chang, his gaze was obviously avoiding him.

Yin Chang found it amusing. He always accommodated Shao Junling at home, but it turned out that this little guy also felt shy at times?

The two brothers had breakfast at the hotel's buffet. When they came out, Yin Chang saw a copper globe on a decorative cabinet by the wall. He had an idea and called Shao Junling over.

Shao Junling: "?"

"Do you know why the sun rises every day?" Yin Chang rotated the globe clockwise. "Because the earth rotates every day." He drew a vertical line with his finger. "The time of sunrise and sunset is different for every longitude and latitude on Earth." He pointed to the locations of China and Switzerland and asked Shao Junling, "If the sun doesn't move, and the earth rotates like this, which place will be the first to see the sun rise?"

Shao Junling pointed to China.

"Correct," Yin Chang made a "seven" gesture with his hand. "Seven hours... is the time difference between us now and China. So, at this time, it's already afternoon in China."

Shao Junling was initially confused, but with Yin Chang's explanation, he suddenly understood.

He touched the globe with surprise on his face and finally figured out what he couldn't understand last night - it wasn't that his phone was broken, but the time here was actually behind.

He thought for a moment and suddenly asked Yin Chang, "Then, Pasi…dana?"

The terrible pronunciation threw Yin Chang off. It took him a moment to realize Shao Junling was referring to Pasadena, the place he went when he left Shao Junling for the first time.

Yin Chang turned the globe to find the small town near Los Angeles. He pointed to it. "It's currently winter there, 16 hours ahead of China. Only 15 hours ahead in the summer though."

Shao Junling: "Oh."

Yin Chang didn't care why he asked these questions and just reminded him, "Alright, sleep well tonight. Even if you can't sleep, just lie down. Don't toss and turn again, got it?"

Shao Junling responded sluggishly with a "Hmm."

In the morning, Svenky planned to take Yin Chang to visit their main campus and introduce him to the history of their brand development, as well as the culture surrounding the BG Young Elite watch series.

Because of Luca had especially invited him last night, Yin Chang brought Shao Junling along. Luca was considerate and realized that Shao Junling might find the history of brand development boring, so as soon as Yin Chang and the others arrived, he indicated that he’d already arranged for an employee to take Shao Junling to visit their design studio. Most children would be more interested in such things.

At first, Shao Junling was unwilling. But he’d promised Yin Chang before he left that he’d behave, so he didn't dare be stubborn.

After parting ways, Yin Chang was worried about Shao Junling. He was afraid that he’d cause trouble for others.

After the meeting was over, Yin Chang couldn't wait to go with Luca to find Shao Junling.

But the thing Yin Chang was worried about didn't happen. When they arrived at the design studio, he saw that the walls were filled with various meticulously crafted watch designs. The studio was divided into four or five areas, and each designer had their own space, with an array of sketches hanging above their respective desks. Shao Junling was currently crouched in front of one of the designer's desks, attentively watching him draw.

The designer was a foreigner who appeared to be elderly. He used a fine pen to sketch a new watch design on paper, while smiling and conversing with Shao Junling.

"Little guy, how old are you?"

"This many." Shao Junling held up his fingers.

"Who did you come with?"

"Looks good." Shao Junling replied with a smile.

🍁

If he hadn’t carefully listened to their conversation, Yin Chang would’ve assumed they were actually chatting. Who would’ve thought that the contents of their conversation were completely unrelated.

Shao Junling pointed to a box of colored pens next to the designer and then stared at him.

"Do you like this? Want me to color it?" the designer guessed from Shao Junling's expression.

"Yeah," Shao Junling replied accurately.

"Um... let's go with a light gold color," the designer winked at him and drew on the paper with a thin gold marker.

Watching him effortlessly create a three-dimensional watch with just a few strokes, Shao Junling’s mouth was wide open with amazement.

Yin Chang cleared his throat and called Shao Junling's name.

Shao Junling turned his head and saw Yin Chang. He immediately ran over.

"Are you still behaving? Not causing trouble?" Yin Chang asked.

Shao Junling wrinkled his nose, seemingly unhappy with Yin Chang's two questions.

Yin Chang asked again, "Do you like that design?"

Shao Junling said, "The pen looks good."

"..." Yin Chang was speechless.

At noon, they had a simple lunch in a restaurant on the Svenky campus. In the afternoon, they went to the watch factory.

For any OCD perfectionist, experiencing the production process of high-end watches was divine. Observing skilled craftsmen operating precision instruments with mesmerizing finesse, polishing miniscule parts the size of rice grains, fitting them into the watch dial one by one, using diamonds the size of a grain of sand to slowly engrave gorgeous patterns...

From design to finished product, every step was meticulously executed without introducing the slightest error.

The chief designer of the BG series, Mario, accompanied Yin Chang on the tour. He explained his ideas and concepts for designing this watch.

"In the past, those who could afford luxury watches were mostly royal nobles, celebrity idols, billionaires, and their family members. But we’ve noticed that there are more and more young elites who have reached a certain social status through their own efforts, and some of them are quite young. They should have a symbol that represents their own taste... This is the original intention of our BG young elite watch series. We hope these watches can represent the character, aesthetics, and demeanor of the young people who select them..."

Yin Chang said, "I’m also very honored to have your favor. After today's visit and understanding, I understand its luxury position and pricing... The time and effort invested in this watch and your intentions have exceeded my imagination."

Mario smiled, "Please don't say that. Before we launched this watch, we looked all over the world for a suitable spokesperson. I’m really glad that Luca found you, because as soon as I saw you, I also knew you’d be the perfect spokesman for this watch..."

🍁

Shao Junling followed behind, unable to understand their business discourse. He only saw that his brother was confidently and charmingly communicating with them in a foreign language... It made him feel an itch in his heart that he couldn’t scratch. The desire to be like his brother.

After visiting the watch factory, Luca invited Yin Chang and the other two to a local specialty restaurant for dinner. Yin Chang noticed a stationery store next to the restaurant and asked Lu Lingjuan to find an opportunity to help him buy something.

After dinner, back at the hotel, Shao Junling couldn't hold it in any longer and spoke up, "Brother..."

"Hmm?" Yin Chang was taking off his coat and glanced at him.

Shao Junling looked at him, distressed and helpless, "How... do you learn English?"

Yin Chang was taken aback. He chuckled. This kid was catching on.

He hung his coat in the wardrobe, wearing only a slim black cashmere sweater that accentuated his tall and lean figure.

"You need to speak more," he replied.

Shao Junling: "..."

Yin Chang took a piece of hotel notepad from the bedside table and sat down on the single sofa by the tea table. He motioned for Shao Junling to come over.

As Shao Junling approached, Yin Chang pulled him to sit between his legs. This action reminded Shao Junling of that fearful time when his nails were trimmed. He squirmed with unease until the moment Yin Chang waved around a box of colored pens he’d magically pulled out from behind him.

Shao Junling: "!"

Yin Chang coaxed him with a simple English sentence. "Do you like this?"

He chose a very basic sentence that Shao Junling must have heard in his English class at school. Although he might not fully understand the words yet, a familiar context could lead to comprehension.

Sure enough, after Shao Junling looked at it for a while, he hesitantly responded with a "Yes."

Yin Chang chuckled lightly and repeated, "Do you like this? Yes or No."

Shao Junling: "...Yes."

Yin Chang opened the box of pens in front of him and took out a red one, asking in English again, "What color is this?"

Shao Junling guessed, "...Red."

Yin Chang said, "See, you can understand. English is simple, right?"

Shao Junling: "..."

Yin Chang then drew three pentagrams of different colors on the paper and said, "Pick the blue one."

This was a passage Shao Junling had copied in his exam paper, but Yin Chang changed "red" to "blue" and "kite" to "star".

Shao Junling instinctively pointed at the blue one.

Then Yin Chang wrote out the sentence again and asked him, "I just said this sentence. Do you recognize it?"

Shao Junling looked at it carefully and gradually connected the sentence in front of him with the meaningless characters in his mind. His eyes widened.

Yin Chang translated the words for him, helping him understand the meaning of each word. Then, using different colored pens, he wrote down the English word for each color, and handed the paper to him, saying, "When you can recall the English word for each color...this box of pens will be yours."

Shao Junling thought to himself, "Isn't it easy to memorize these?"

But then Yin Chang added, "Oh, and you have to be able to pronounce them accurately too."

Shao Junling: "............"

Over the next two days, Yin Chang had to go to the photo studio arranged by the Svenky headquarters to take official endorsement photos and promotional videos.

Shao Junling followed along with Lu Lingjuan. He watched Yin Chang be surrounded by a crowd of makeup artists and stylists, get dressed up and strike one perfect pose after another in front of a backdrop, shining and flawless.

Because he was working, Yin Chang's demeanor was completely different from the day before. He was fully engaged and focused, and so were the studio staff.

The professional atmosphere also infected Shao Junling, who couldn't take his eyes off Yin Chang. He felt that this person was so close, yet could disappear at any moment. The feeling of surrealness was just like the first time he’d met him. When Yin Chang had flipped over the wall and had walked slowly towards him with the light shining brightly behind him...

But he...

He was merely the son of a murderer, a "little mad dog" that everyone avoided and despised.

The feeling of insecurity that he could be abandoned and hated by his brother at any moment made Shao Junling shudder. He frantically pulled out the colorful word list from his pocket and hid in a corner, murmuring the words softly.

After two days of intense shooting, it was finally time for them to relax and enjoy some free time.

Svenky arranged a special tour guide for Yin Chang and the others. They recommended the famous "Golden Pass" sightseeing route, which was a collection of the most beautiful sceneries in Switzerland, highlighting their unique charm in every season whether it was spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

The three of them followed the plan provided by the tour guide, taking a train from Zurich to the sightseeing train in Lucerne, heading to Interlaken.

As they entered the Golden Pass, they saw a continuously unfolding panorama outside the window, with misty mountains and cold lakes under the gentle sunlight. Small, golden red wooden houses peeked out amidst the glistening white snow. It felt as though they were in a fairytale world created by Hans Christian Andersen.

Shao Junling was glued to the window. Motionless. Amazed by the view.

Lu Lingjuan also couldn't stop gasping at the enchanting beauty of this wonderland. "Yin Chang, thanks to you, I finally got to visit one of the places I've always wanted to see, the Golden Pass. I originally planned to come with my own family after getting married and having children..."

Yin Chang glanced at Lu Lingjuan and Shao Junling sitting opposite him and casually said, "Isn't it like we're a family too?"

Hearing this, Lu Lingjuan and Shao Junling both turned their heads at the same time, one surprised and the other expressionless.

"We? You, you...and I..." Lu Lingjuan looked at Yin Chang, then at Shao Junling. She blushed, awkwardly gesturing with one hand, "How could I have such a big child!"

Yin Chang, seeing the situation, realized he’d gone too far with the joke. "Just kidding! I didn’t mean anything by it."

He really felt like he was father to Shao Junling. And especially since Lu Lingjuan had been taking care of the both of them this whole time, if it weren't for the age issue, they really looked like a couple taking their naughty child on a trip.

It was lunchtime once they got off the train at Interlaken.

There were several snack stalls near the station. A strong smell of sausages wafted over. Yin Chang saw Shao Junling craning his neck towards that direction and couldn't help but ask him, "Do you want to eat hot dogs?"

"Hot dogs?" Shao Junling asked with wide eyes, "Dog meat?"

Yin Chang asked Lu Lingjuan and the tour guide to wait while he personally led Shao Junling to buy it. He teasingly handed the first hot dog made by the server to Shao Junling and said, "Take a look, is it dog meat?"

Shao Junling shook his head. "It's a sausage."

Yin Chang bought one for Lu Lingjuan and the tour guide, and asked Shao Junling to give one to Lu Lingjuan. "Give this to Sister."

Shao Junling looked at him, then turned his head to look at Lu Lingjuan wasn’t far away. He obediently walked over.

Lu Lingjuan, seeing Shao Junling handing her the hot dog, had a delighted expression on her face. She was about to thank him when she heard the three words from the child, "Auntie, for you."

Lu Lingjuan: "???" Damnit! Does this brat want to die?!!!

After resting for a while in the town, led by the tour guide, they headed to Jungfrau next, a snow-capped mountain peak that was part of the Swiss Alps, and a famous local attraction.

Haicheng was a coastal city located on the southeast corner of China. It rarely snowed in the winter, and Shao Junling had never seen snow from birth until now. He had no idea what it was like.

All morning, they’d traveled here from Lucerne. Although there were many snowy scenes along the way, they only saw them through the train window. It wasn't until they took the cable car at Jungfrau that Shao Junling saw real, thickly covered snow.

He stepped onto the snow, leaving a footprint. He slowly opened his eyes wide, gathered courage, and walked forward, creating more footprints... He walked towards a short tree covered with snow, reached out and softly poked the snow on top.

He shook one of the branches, and all the snow scattered, landing on the ground with a light "plop plop plop" sound. Shao Junling, having discovered something new and fascinating, suddenly became super excited. He jumped around in the snow like a monkey, grabbing a handful of snow here and there.

"Shao Junling!" Yin Chang frowned and called him, "Come! Get in the car."

Shao Junling hurried back, grasping a ball of snow in his hand. His nose was red from the cold, but he didn't feel cold at all.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

Shao Junling: Brother, how can I learn English well?

Yin Chang: Speak more.

(Then assigns him homework): If you can memorize this, I'll give you colored pens.

Shao Junling (holding the colorful vocabulary list): I can't even speak Chinese well, and now I also have to speak English! So frustrated.

🍁 Previous | ToC | Next 🍁

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The Perfect Relationship Ch 40

🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 40: Jet Lag Shenanigans

After Yin Chang hung up the phone, he turned around and was startled to see Shao Junling standing silently behind him.

His eyes were bright, as if he’d just heard some exciting news. Yin Chang had only seen this expression on Shao Junling that time he’d received two large boxes of toys.

"Did you hear anything?" Yin Chang asked tentatively.

Shao Junling clenched his tiny fists. "Let's go together." He said with a rigid neck.

...Meaning this kid was actually eavesdropping? Yin Chang was both amused and irritated, "Do you even know where I'm going?"

Shao Junling hesitated, "Switzerland?"

Yin Chang tilted his head and asked again, "Do you know where Switzerland is?"

A hint of confusion flashed across Shao Junling's face. Indeed, he didn't even know where they were supposed to go "together".

Yin Chang was starting to really believe that Shao Junling loved sticking to him...

"Come here," Yin Chang grabbed his iPad. He opened the map, and pointed to their current location. Then he swiped to the right and pointed to a spot on the European continent. "Switzerland is here."

Shao Junling: "???"

Yin Chang continued, "We have to take a plane to get there, which will take more than ten hours. And there's a time difference of seven hours between there and here."

Shao Junling: "???"

Yin Chang: "..."

He couldn't explain anymore. This child probably hadn't left this city since birth, let alone taken a plane. He had no concept of going abroad.

Seeing Yin Chang's helpless expression, Shao Junling was afraid that his big brother wouldn't take him along if he didn't understand. He hurriedly added, "I want to go!"

"Okay, okay, I'll take you," Yin Chang put the iPad aside and said seriously. "But remember, I'm going there for work, and I might not have time to play with you. When I'm busy, you can only stay in the hotel and can't go anywhere. And on this trip, you must listen to me and not run around. It's a foreign country. If we get separated, you won't be able to come back."

He thought to himself rather than exerting a lot of effort trying to explain traveling to Shao Junling, it would leave a deeper impression to let him experience it himself.

Shao Junling rubbed his head, looking like he would listen to whatever Yin Chang said.

After confirming with Yao Manhuai it was okay, Yin Chang let her know Shao Junling was going. She went to make arrangements.

After that, there were a series of tedious tasks such as visa applications, planning, and packing. Shao Junling didn't need to worry about these things. As soon as he knew that Yin Chang would take him along, he excitedly ran around with his model toys simulating the flight of the Bumblebee.

Four days later, the rush visa was successfully obtained. Lu Lingjuan promptly bought plane tickets for the three of them and came to meet the two brothers early on the day of departure.

Yin Chang was personally helping Shao Junling with his outfit. Because they were going to meet people on this trip, appearance was important.

"Wear this," Yin Chang took out a white hoodie and a red windproof down jacket for Shao Junling to change into. He could wear just the hoodie if it got hot on the plane, and put on the down jacket if he was cold outside. Also the red was eye-catching, which would make it easier for Yin Chang to keep track of Shao Junling during the trip. Yin Chang also picked out a pair of skinny jeans with fur lining and a pair of black and red winter shoes. After changing, Shao Junling looked like a child fashion model.

After tidying up his hair, Yin Chang was finally satisfied with Shao Junling's appearance. He held his hand and bid farewell to Fiona.

The three of them took the car to the airport, and Yin Chang put on a mask and a cap to disguise himself.

His popularity had risen. Although this trip to Switzerland was a secret, news had still leaked.

Sure enough, at the security checkpoint, they saw many fans holding cameras and neon signs waiting. This was the first time Yin Chang's fans saw him taking Shao Junling on a trip in person. They excitedly took photos of Shao Junling with their phones and cameras.

Yin Chang's heart tightened. He promptly took off his cap and pressed over Shao Junling's head, pulling down the brim to cover his face. He then firmly held his hand and hurriedly passed through the crowd with the protection of airport security and Lu Lingjuan.

The sequence of taking off and putting on the cap were captured by fans in a video and turned into a gif, which was uploaded to Weibo. Weibo exploded.

"Oh my god, this move! Brotherly love at its finest!"

"Is Yin Chang protecting his little brother? He's so sweet!"

"Is little brother on break? He's being taken everywhere by Yin Chang. What a doting brother!"

"Ah, don't even mention it! These brothers are so cute!"

🍁

In the business class lounge, Shao Junling was still dazed after experiencing the crowd storm.

Yin Chang saw his silly expression and recalled a childhood memory of being surrounded by reporters and fans while going out with Yin Dong... He’d been frightened at that time. Yin Dong, not unlike him today, had pulled him behind his large figure, blocking the cameras of those reporters.

Yin Chang reached out and patted Shao Junling's back, comforting him. "It's alright."

Fortunately, the child was resilient and quickly recovered. His curious eyes looked around, fastidiously taking in his surroundings.

Lu Lingjuan, who was good at reading people's expressions, saw this and asked him with a smile, "Is this your first time at the airport, Junling? Do you want Sister to take you around?"

Shao Junling, however, looked towards Yin Chang. Yin Chang understood and waved his hand. "Go ahead, don't go too far."

Only then did Shao Junling jump off the chair and approach Lu Lingjuan, gesturing for her to lead the way.

Lu Lingjuan's mouth twitched. Was this kid only going to listen to his older brother?

"Um," Yin Chang hesitated and stopped Lu Lingjuan, giving her a word of caution, "Keep an eye on him."

"Oh, don't worry!" Lu Lingjuan responded, but didn't take it to heart.

She took Shao Junling outside to the shops and walked around, buying him a bunch of snacks like pork and beef jerky. Half an hour later, when she returned, Lu Lingjuan was panting like a dog, "Your, your little brother... he's so fast!"

Yin Chang pressed his fist to his lips to suppress his laughter, but was betrayed by his trembling shoulders.

He’d foreseen it. When he first brought Shao Junling back home, he occasionally took him downstairs to walk around, and discovered that this kid walked in a zigzag pattern, often appearing three meters away peeling tree bark in a flash. The neighborhood wasn’t busy, so Yin Chang wasn't too worried, but in a place like the airport, if one didn't keep a close eye, he could easily be lost in the blink of an eye.

On the plane, Yin Chang specially gave him the window seat.

When the plane started taxiing, Shao Junling clutched his seatbelt, clenched his jaws, and stared straight ahead. He looked as if he was preparing for frontline combat.

During take off he slowly widened his eyes as he took in the sensation of ascending. For the next half hour, he remained motionless. He leaned against the window, and gazed at the shrinking world below in amazement...

Yin Chang had initially thought that bringing him along would be troublesome, but seeing Shao Junling's numerous expressions, he felt the trip became more fun.

After take off was the in-flight meal. Business class passengers could order their own meals. Yin Chang ordered a children's meal for Shao Junling, which included carrot puree, potato chicken cubes, vegetable salad, white rice, and a Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

This would be a long and tiring twelve-hour flight. Yin Chang was used to flying and knew he’d have to adjust to the time difference later, so he closed his eyes to rest after eating. He’d also squeezed in two fashion magazine shoots that were originally scheduled for this week, so was exhausted and soon dozed off.

However, it was different for Shao Junling. It was his first time flying, and he was too excited to feel sleepy at all. After getting tired of looking at the clouds outside the window, he started fidgeting in his seat, accidentally pressing the call button for the flight attendant.

As they were flying with a foreign airline, a blonde flight attendant soon came over and asked him in a soft voice what service he needed. Shao Junling didn't know he had called her, and couldn't understand her words, so pushed Yin Chang to wake him up.

"Hmm?" Yin Chang opened his eyes drowsily and listened to the flight attendant's explanation. He asked Shao Junling, "What did you want?"

Shao Junling: "???"

Yin Chang frowned, "She's asking what you want."

Shao Junling: "...I don't want anything."

Yin Chang realized and pointed to the call button, "Did you press this?"

Shao Junling blushed slowly, "Yes..."

Yin Chang apologized and dismissed the flight attendant. He told Shao Junling, "If you need anything, just call me. Don't press that button for no reason."

Worried that Shao Junling would be bored, Yin Chang perked up and taught him how to use the TV in front of his seat and even pulled up some cartoons for him. "You can watch movies if you’re bored."

Seeing him starting to explore on his own, Yin Chang put on his eye mask and went back to sleep.

As a result, Shao Junling selected several movies, all of which were dubbed in English, making him frustrated and anxious. But other than watching movies, he couldn't find anything else to do. So he reluctantly watched two of them, which gave him a headache.

As a naturally active child, after the novelty wore off, keeping him seated in one place felt like torture. Finally, when the plane landed, Shao Junling jumped out like a monkey escaping from a cage.

After arriving at the airport in Zurich, Shao Junling was dumbfounded - all he could see were English letters. And every passerby was speaking a foreign language.

Svenky sent someone to pick them up at the airport. After they met with Yin Chang, they greeted each other warmly in English. Yin Chang introduced his younger brother in English as well. Yin Chang was originally worried that Shao Junling would run around, but when he turned his head, he saw the little guy following closely behind him like an obedient quail.

The receptionist led them to a five-star hotel in Zurich where they checked in and rested. At seven o'clock they would pick them up to go to a special banquet for them.

At this time, it was already late evening in China, but Shao Junling had no concept of jet lag. He only knew that he’d been on the plane for a very long time and it was still daylight outside now that he was in a foreign country.

At Yin Chang's request, the hosts booked a double room for the two brothers. After Yin Chang finished unpacking, he took a hot shower. When he came out, he saw Shao Junling sleeping soundly on the bed.

He knew it wasn’t good to sleep now, because then the little guy would be wide awake at night. They were staying here for a week, and jet lag was definitely something they had to deal with.

So Yin Chang went over and shook him awake. "Don't sleep now."

Shao Junling blinked his dry eyes, looking listless.

Yin Chang sighed and called over Lu Lingjuan. "Why don't you take Shao Junling to eat something in the hotel? I'll go to the banquet alone at seven o'clock."

"Are you sure you'll be okay alone?" Lu Lingjuan asked.

"I'll be fine, I can handle it." The dinner was a formal occasion, and Shao Junling's mental state was too poor. Leaving early would leave a bad impression on others.

Lu Lingjuan thought about how Yin Chang's English was even more fluent than hers, and nodded in relief, "Alright."

Yin Chang continued, "After dinner, accompany him for a walk nearby, and try to have him hold out on sleeping until at least eight."

Lu Lingjuan hesitated. He suspected it might be harder to take care of Shao Junling than to accompany Yin Chang to the banquet.

That evening, representatives from Svenky, BG brand series designer, and Luca all arrived. The banquet was at a Michelin-star restaurant next to the hotel.

Yin Chang attended in formal attire. As soon as he appeared, everyone's eyes lit up. Luca introduced him to the representatives of the parent company with pride and confidence, "I told you, I wouldn't be mistaken about people."

A few people invited Yin Chang to take a seat, and Luca asked, "I remember you brought your brother with you, where is he?"

Yin Chang explained, "It's his first time abroad, and he hasn't adjusted to the time difference yet, so I’m letting him rest for now."

Luca winked at Yin Chang, "When he's rested tomorrow, let’s visit the watch factory. Make sure to bring him along too! Although this invitation is for work, I actually already consider you a friend. I warmly welcome both of you."

Yin Chang smiled and thanked him.

During the meal, the middle-aged men discussed the cooperation in English. Yin Chang was glad that he hadn’t brought Shao Junling, otherwise that guy would definitely not be able to sit still.

When Yin Chang finished dinner and returned to the hotel, Shao Junling was already passed out on one of the beds, exhausted and fast asleep after washing his face in a hurry.

At one o'clock in the morning, Shao Junling, who was accustomed to waking up early, was awoken by his biological clock.

Children are naturally full of energy. He didn't realize he’d only slept four or five hours, but after seeing that it was still dark outside, he tried to go back to sleep. But the more he tried, the more awake he felt. Suddenly curious, he searched his bag for his phone. His phone didn't have data nor international roaming, so it hadn't automatically adjusted the time. He was shocked. It was already past eight o'clock, why was it still dark outside?

Shao Junling anxiously looked at Yin Chang on the adjacent bed. Then looked back at his phone for a while. Then went to the window and pulled back the curtains to look outside. Then turned back to look at Yin Chang again….

Feeling that something was really off and fearing the unknown, Shao Junling couldn't help but climb onto Yin Chang's bed. He checked Yin Chang's breathing, and nervously called out, "Brother..."

Yin Chang was still adjusting to the time difference and was already sleeping lightly. He heard the little guy crawling up and down like a mouse in the middle of the night, but was too tired to care.

Now hearing Shao Junling's call, he opened his eyes halfway. He saw the little guy lying next to him, and recalled what happened the previous night. He couldn't help but want to simultaneously laugh and cry.

The little guy was wide awake and staring at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"Did you... sleep well?" Yin Chang rubbed his head and sat up from the bed.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

🍁 Vignette

After Shao Junling pressed the flight attendant button, and the stewardess appeared….

He was scolded by Yin Chang.

He silently vowed to himself: No matter what, I absolutely cannot press this! It’s a dangerous button that’ll summon a woman who speaks ABC!

Yin Chang tried to find cartoons for him, but all he found were cartoons in ABC.

After getting off the plane, everything he saw and heard was still in ABC.

Shao Junling shivered: this is a terrifying place with too many challenges!!! Σ(°△°)︴

He quickly relied on his older brother...

When they arrived at the hotel and wanted to sleep, Yin Chang said, "Don't sleep, let's have some fun!"

Shao Junling: "Blue thin mushroom^[1](Q︿Q)"

🍁 Author’s Note: For now, the two brothers don’t have romantic feelings towards each other. Only growing dependency and reliance, as well as a sense of responsibility and burden...

🍁 Translator’s Note:

1: Blue thin mushroom is an internet meme which means feeling very sad. 蓝瘦香菇(lánshòu xiānggū) sounds like 难受想哭 (nán shòu xiǎng kū)

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🍁🍁🍁 will love you 5 ever 🍁🍁🍁

The Perfect Relationship Ch 39

🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 39: English Tutoring

Yin Chang was loath to go back on his original promise to Shao Junling. So after clarifying with teacher Lin about the process for transitioning from boarding to day school, he went straight to Shao Junling's dorm to pack up his things and return home with them.

Back at home, Yin Chang asked Fiona to help Shao Junling arrange his personal belongings one by one.

Because Shao Junling lived in the study, naturally the room became his place for daily reading and studying.

After dinner, Yin Chang saw Shao Junling walking in and out of the living room, master bedroom, and study, as if he owned the place. The little guy was moving the model toys that were originally in the living room to the study. Thinking that from now on, he would see Shao Junling day in and day out, Yin Chang felt it was surreal.

"You keep this." Yin Chang found the transcript given to him by teacher Lin and returned it to Shao Junling. When he entered the study, he clarified with him, "There's no door between your room and my room. Is that okay?"

Shao Junling glanced at him without looking away. He made a sound of agreement. He had already set up a row of model parts on his desk, ready to assemble.

Seeing him agree so readily, Yin Chang didn't feel comfortable pushing the issue further.

Thinking of teacher Lin’s warning, Yin Chang cleared his throat, "Are all your final exam papers here?"

Shao Junling looked up, puzzled. "?"

Yin Chang put on a serious look, like a parent checking their child's homework, and said earnestly, "Take out your English paper and let me have a look."

Shao Junling hesitated. He then reluctantly took out a bundle of crumpled pages from his bag. He flipped through them at an agonizing pace, before finally locating the paper with a bright red "C-" marked on it. He handed it to Yin Chang.

Yin Chang took it and glanced at it, his brow furrowing.

On the top right corner of the paper, there was a table for individual scores. Shao Junling got an "A" in "Vocabulary" and "Text Transcription", but an "F" (Fail) in both "Oral" and "Listening".

In other words, Shao Junling barely managed to pull up his final grade up to a C- with the scores from vocabulary and text transcription.

Yin Chang remembered that when he was a child, he learned English by listening and speaking first, and then learned vocabulary, phrases, and composition. How did Shao Junling completely reverse it?

He carefully took a second look and found Shao Junling’s English scribbles barely decipherable, with the spaces all in the wrong places. He didn’t understand how the teacher had managed to grade the paper.

Yin Chang glanced over and saw that the little guy looked like he was caught by the scruff of his neck. His neck was stiff and his eyes nervously darted around.

Wait...

Yin Chang looked back at the exam paper and was struck with an absurd suspicion. Could it be that Shao Junling merely memorized the sequence of the letters to transcribe the required text?

He directed a puzzled gaze at Shao Junling and asked in English, "Do you know what these mean?"

Afraid that Shao Junling wouldn't understand, Yin Chang deliberately slowed down his speech.

Sure enough, Shao Junling stood there dumbfounded, not understanding what was said at all.

Yin Chang couldn't believe it and deliberately pointed to the beginning of one of the sentences, "Pick out the red kite," which Shao Junling had written as "Pickou tther," and asked him, "Can you read this?"

Shao Junling opened his mouth. He mumbled for a while, but couldn't even pronounce a single "P".

Yin Chang: "............"

Confirming his suspicion, Yin Chang was amazed.

Teacher Lin said Shao Junling had a good memory, but it couldn't be to this extreme, right!?

Everyone knew that it was much easier to remember a sentence with meaning over a meaningless sequence of symbols. What kind of brain did this kid have?

"You..." Yin Chang rubbed his forehead with a headache and made up his mind, "I have to find you a tutor."

Shao Junling: "......"

In this situation, Yin Chang couldn't have an English conversation practice with Shao Junling at all. Probably even teacher Lin hadn’t imagined that Shao Junling managed to get a "C-" without any knowledge of English.

That night, Yin Chang laid in bed and sent the report card from earlier to Yao Manhuai.

Yao Manhuai: "Shao Junling's?"

Yin Chang: "Yeah, his final grades for the semester."

Although Yin Chang was surprised by Shao Junling's progress, he was still proud of his younger brother's achievements.

Yao Manhuai also said, "Impressive."

Yin Chang got to the main point: "He still needs to improve his English. His homeroom teacher asked me to find a way for him to catch up on English during winter break. Do you still have the contact infor for the training institute you found for Shao Junling before?"

Yao Manhuai: "Yes, but it seems that tutor only focuses on preschool education."

Yin Chang: "Well, preschool level should be enough."

Yin Chang estimated that Shao Junling probably didn't even recognize all of the alphabet – he really didn't know how he had managed to pass all his exams at De International.

Besides, a preschool English teacher definitely had beyond preschool level expertise, and this teacher had interacted with Shao Junling before, so understood his situation. Yin Chang believed she could tailor a reasonable teaching plan for Shao Junling.

Yao Manhuai: "Okay, I'll contact them."

Yin Chang paused for a moment, "By the way, Shao Junling will be a day student next semester. I want to find a dedicated driver to drive him to and from school."

Yao Manhuai: "He's going to be a day student?"

Yin Chang: "Yeah, I promised him that once he wasn’t behind academically, I'd allow him to be a day student." Of course his English was still a problem…

Yao Manhuai: "Did he request this himself?"

Yin Chang: "Yeah."

Yao Manhuai: "He seems quite attached to you."

Yin Chang paused when he saw this message. When he looked up, he saw Shao Junling's figure bending over his desk, assembling a model.

The study was lit with warm light, and the teenager's profile was tinged with a golden yellow hue... The sensation was novel and heartwarming.

...Maybe because he's still young. He's so smart, he'll be eager to spread his wings and fly off when he grows older.

Yao Manhuai sent another message: "I'll have Xiaolu arrange the driver matter for you. And I'll contact the training institute tomorrow."

Yin Chang: "There's no need to rush, he just finished his exams. Let him rest for a couple of days."

Yao Manhuai: "Okay. By the way, I have something important to tell you."

Yin Chang: "?"

Perhaps text was too slow. Yao Manhuai directly initiated a video call: "Svenky contacted us. They’ll be launching a new series of BG watches during the Spring Festival. They want to invite you to Switzerland to take endorsement photos."

Yin Chang was stunned for a moment: "Can't we take the photos in China?"

As the two rooms had no separating walls, Shao Junling, who overheard, whipped his head around.

Yin Chang thought he was bothering him, so he got out of bed, and headed to the living room with his phone.

Yao Manhuai smiled, "It's not just about taking photos. I heard that Luca wants to take you to visit the Svenky headquarters and the watch making studio, so that you can experience the entire process. You can also have some fun in Switzerland if you have time, and also “conveniently” take some endorsement photos."

Yin Chang asked, "How many days?"

Yao Manhuai replied, "One week. You can come back before the Spring Festival. To be honest, if it were any other celebrity receiving this invitation, I would directly suggest arranging for them to shoot in China. Because celebrities with the same popularity as you won't have so much time available. Moreover, it's the end of the year now, with many invitations from various events, including the Weibo Night and the Youku Annual Gala, both of which have invited you, which conflicts with Luca's invitation for you to go to Switzerland."

Yin Chang: "What’s Weibo Night and Youku Annual Gala?"

Yao Manhuai explained, "They’re large-scale award ceremonies and social gatherings, usually only inviting popular celebrities in the industry, and selecting the most influential figures of the year for awards. Being invited is also a proof of strength. I heard that Youku also plans to award you the New Idol of the Year."

As soon as Yin Chang heard this, he frowned. "Should I be attending?"

Yao Manhuai said, "You have to make the decision yourself. If you want to win the award, I won't object, after all, your popularity is real. Youku won't give you this award for no reason, but you may face more controversies..."

As soon as Yao Manhuai said this, Yin Chang understood.

Recalling the criticisms he faced online during the broadcast of "Idol Face-to-Face," Yin Chang felt uncomfortable all over.

Yin Dongnian had just passed away in the middle of the year. Him attending a grand event and receiving such an award at the end of the year would definitely be inappropriate.

"Forget it," Yin Chang shook his head. "I won't attend."

Moreover, he didn't like those social occasions where he had to put on a "professional smile" and deal with lots of people. He’d rather go to Switzerland and be with Luca's sincerity and enthusiasm.

Yao Manhuai wasn’t sure what she preferred. She just said, "Sure. Awards can wait. What's meant to be yours will be yours sooner or later... So should I accept Svenky's invitation on your behalf?"

Yin Chang asked, "Am I going alone?"

Yao Manhuai said, "They said you can bring one or two assistants as you like, and they’ll provide them with the same treatment. If you don't have any other requirements, just let Xiaolu accompany you."

Yin Chang replied, "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Yin Chang turned around and saw that Shao Junling had followed him out at some point and was standing behind him.

"You..." Yin Chang examined his expression, "What’s the matter?"

Shao Junling looked at him intently, and asked fluidly, "Are you leaving again?"

Yin Chang was stunned. "Huh?" When did this kid become so articulate? And what does he mean by "again”?

Yin Chang explained, "I have to go abroad for a business trip." Shao Junling may be on vacation, but that didn’t mean he also was.

Shao Junling watched him blankly for a while, then turned and went back to his room.

Although he didn’t ask this, Yin Chang wondered how long the little guy had been eavesdropping.

That night, Yin Chang had the rare dream about Yin Dong.

In the dream, Yin Dong was wearing a black coat, with a black suitcase beside him. They were at the villa in Pasadena. Yin Dong put on his shoes at the door, then stood to grab the wool felt hat on the wall.

Yin Chang was very young. He looked up at his father: "Are you leaving again?"

Yin Dong turned around. His slightly younger face filled with reluctance: "Yes, son, daddy has to go to work."

"When will you come back then?" His voice had a hint of tears.

Yin Dong squatted down and ruffled his head, with a trace of sadness in his tone: "Be a good boy, stay at home with Fiona and wait for daddy to come back and bring you gifts, okay?"

Yin Chang felt aggrieved, but didn't know how to make his father stay.

Yin Dong sighed when he saw his silent son. He stood and dragged his suitcase away.

The next instant, Yin Chang envisioned countless breaking news reporting plane crashes and the scene of his father’s death...

He was scared. He chased after him, crying, overflowing with words he wanted to say to Yin Dong.

Dad, don't leave!

Planes can crash!

Dad, don't abandon me...

But in the dream, his voice choked up. No matter how hysterical he was, he was unable to make a sound.

He could only watch helplessly as Yin Dong walked further and further away, until he disappeared from view.

Yin Chang suddenly woke up, gasping for air with his mouth wide open, like a dying fish.

"Brother..." someone called him softly by his bedside.

It was Shao Junling. He was lying on his stomach, looking at him nervously.

"Mm?" Yin Chang wiped his teary eyes and feigned calmness, "Why are you up?"

For some reason, Yin Chang felt particularly embarrassed that Shao Junling had caught him crying from a nightmare. Not too long ago, he had also witnessed Shao Junling whimpering in his sleep from a nightmare. But after all, he was the older one and didn't want to be seen as vulnerable by a younger child.

Yin Chang calmed down and realized that Shao Junling was only wearing a thin tank, and standing barefoot on the carpet.

“You... quickly go back to sleep," Yin Chang frowned, "You’re gonna catch a cold."

Shao Junling stared at him for another two seconds. When Yin Chang repeated his warning, he slowly retreated, looking back thrice before returning to the study.

Yin Chang lay back down weakly, recalling everything that had happened in the dream. He still felt the suffocating sensation of helplessness.

... How could he have had such a dream?

Clearly, those two events hadn’t happened in sequence.

Yin Chang closed his eyes and the sentence that Shao Junling asked him before going to bed appeared again in his mind.

"Are you leaving again?"

The same sentence, but with a different tone.

Could it be that Shao Junling's words triggered his memories of the past?

Yin Chang couldn't help but think of what Yao Manhuai said in WeChat: "He seems to be quite attached to you."

Similar words were said by Lu Lingjuan when he first left Shao Junling to return to Pasadena.

But that child... usually looked carefree. Not only did he seldom speak, but he also rarely showed emotion. Yin Chang couldn't figure out what he was thinking and couldn't tell if he felt dependence towards himself.

Yin Chang thought hazily and fell asleep again.

The next day, he received a call from Yao Manhuai.

"I contacted the training group that previously taught Shao Junling, but the teacher who taught him is busy with classes recently and won't have time to tutor Shao Junling before the Lunar New Year. Should I help you find another one? However, it's already close to the Lunar New Year, and good teachers probably won't have time."

Yin Chang: "I see."

De International’s winter vacation was only forty days in total, excluding the ten days before the holiday, plus the Spring Festival holiday. There weren’t many days remaining for Shao Junling to receive tutoring before the start of the semester. But since he would be a day student in the future, he could also receive off-campus tutoring after the semester started... Thinking of this, Yin Chang realized he need not rush.

"Let's talk about it after the Spring Festival then."

While chatting with Yao Manhuai, Yin Chang saw Shao Junling coming out of the room, looking up at him expectantly.

That look reminded Yin Chang of how Shao Junling had sat on the bed waiting for him when he was drunk that one night.

"Auntie Yao..." Yin Chang's mind was ablaze. He turned around and asked in a low voice over the phone, "Can I bring Shao Junling with me to Switzerland?"

Yao Manhuai was clearly hesitant

Yin Chang: "As for the expenses of him traveling with me, I can cover it."

"Well..." Yao Manhuai thought for a moment and hesitated, "It's not impossible. Originally, they invited you to go there as a friendly gesture, and the invitation letter also said that you can bring one or two people. But wouldn’t it be troublesome for you to bring a child? Also, he’s never been abroad before, can he adapt?"

Yin Chang hadn't considered this: "Uh, I haven't asked him yet. Also I don't know if he’d wanna go..."

🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁

🍁 Vignette
Before the exam, Xuezi asked Shao Junling, "Which subject are you most worried about?"

Shao Junling replied, "English."

Xuezi couldn't understand, "English? Is it harder than math?"

Shao Junling: "Much harder!"

He tensely wrote meaningless symbols over and over again.

After the exam, he finally got all the points he could get and breathed a sigh of relief.

The subject he reviewed the longest had the worst score.

And his brother figured out his secret.

At long last winter break has arrived, but he still has to continue learning ABC.

Shao Junling: Despair.jpg

🍁 Vignette 2

Shao Junling: Yes! I can finally see my brother every day!

Yin Chang: I'm going to Switzerland for a week.

Shao Junling: ???

Yin Chang: I'll take you with me, I'll take you with me.

Shao Junling: !!! (☆_☆)

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Tuesday, April 11, 2023

The Perfect Relationship Ch 38

🍁 The Perfect Relationship 🍁 by Xi He Qing Ling

Ch 38: The Final Exams

Yin Chang finished his song, and the third segment of the program, "Confession Battle", began.

This part was interactive. The host would select five fans of the idols based on the information filled in by the audience, and then shuffle the order to let the five idols confess to the girl in front of them.

If the idol happened to face their own fan, not only could they smoothly pass the challenge, but they could also fulfill the fan's fantasy, killing two birds with one stone.

But if the idol faced another idol's fan, they would have to go through a challenge.

The host kindly reminded the lucky chosen fans that if they remained loyal to their idol, they would receive a hug, autograph, and other benefits from the idol after the game ended. But if they changed their mind during the game and accepted another idol's confession, they might end up with nothing.

Therefore, as long as they were die-hard fans, it was unlikely that they would deliberately let the idol in front of them save face by sabotaging the game.

Another highlight of the segment was that the host happened to select a male fan that day.

Since all five idols were male, 99% of the audience on site were females. When the male fan stood up from the audience, everyone started cheering. Regardless of which idol he would randomly end up with, he would cause excitement and curiosity.

Unfortunately, the "same-sex fan" happened to be randomly paired with Wang Chen.

The program crew gave Wang Chen a close-up shot with his bewildered expression enlarged. They added a line of slowly appearing monologue above his head: "Why is it me again?"

The barrage was full of "hahaha," anticipating how Wang Chen would confess.

People felt that if he turned out to be his own fan, it would be even more hilarious.

The five fans stood in front of the five idols in random order. During the live recording, they didn't know who was a fan of whom, but in the final broadcast, labels had been added behind each person - Jia Siqi faced Yin Chang's fan, Bai Xiaozhi faced Jia Siqi's fan, Yin Chang faced Wang Chen's fan, and Yu Ruizhe luckily ended up with his own fan.

And the unlucky Wang Chen did not receive the mercy of fate. The male fan he faced was actually a fan of Bai Xiaozhi!

This directly turned his challenge difficulty from "hard" mode to "hard+++" mode.

After the live recording, several of them later found out that this male fan was not a fan of anyone. He wrote Bai Xiaozhi's name on the survey, but he actually came to get an autograph for his girlfriend. Because Bai Xiaozhi and Jia Siqi were not very popular, the program crew gathered their die-hard fans by giving away celebrity autograph cards.

Therefore, even though Wang Chen put his heart and soul into the confession, he couldn't get through to the “fan” at all. The stoic boy just maintained his smile and then ruthlessly rejected him in the end.

Later on, Wang Chen used this failed challenge to create an exaggerated gif of a frozen man crumbling to pieces which made the netizens wild with laughter.

Although he failed his task, Wang Chen found solace in the hope that his own fan would stay loyal and make it difficult for the another idol to pass.

But who would have thought that his female fan was also a die-hard fan of Yin Chang. When she stood in front of Yin Chang, she didn't say anything. She just stared at him with a gentle gaze. Within ten seconds, the girl surrendered.

Special effects were added to depict the fan’s psychological changes within those ten seconds.

1st second: I'm Wang Chen's fan, I must hold back for him!

4th second: But Yin Chang is so handsome, what should I do? I'm a little tempted...

7th second: Stop looking at me, I can't take it anymore!

During this time, Yin Chang's deep and profound eyes were even given the effect of "electric eyes," twinkling and sparkling.

During those ten seconds, romantic background music played. The girl shyly covered her face in slow motion. She turned away, highlighted by pink filters. The scene then turned gray and froze, with a loud clang and a "betrayal" stamp was plastered on her.

After betraying Wang Chen, the female fan complained to Yin Chang, "Why didn't you say anything just now?"

Yin Chang felt a bit embarrassed, "Um...I was actually still thinking...sorry." He smiled and opened his arms, giving the girl a hug - this scene was also slowed down, accompanied by the same romantic song, resembling a confession scene from an idol drama.

The girl was a whole head shorter than Yin Chang. When she snuggled against his chest, she blushed so much that she didn't know where to put her hands.

The height difference, Yin Chang's boyfriend aura... in an instant, the whole audience fell in love, and the barrage was full of "ahhhhhh" screams like prairie dogs.

Even in the WeChat group, there was a commotion.

Jia Siqi: "I'm about to fall in love with Brother Yin Chang myself! How can he be so handsome!"

Yu Ruize: "Even I, a grown man, feel my heart pounding..."

Bai Xiaozhi: "This post-production is really amazing! I didn't feel much when we were recording. But seeing it on air, it's so romantic that I have goosebumps all over."

After Yin Chang learned that the girl was Wang Chen's fan, he went out of his way to comfort Wang Chen.

The way boys comforted was simple. Mostly it was just patting each other's shoulders and exchanging glances. Since this was just a game, unexpected outcomes only increased the variety show effect for the audience.

On the day of the recording, when Yin Chang went to comfort Wang Chen, Wang Chen smiled slightly and showed a generous attitude. But on the show, the devilish post-production team had added a green hat on top of his head, with two lines of tears and the text: "Why am I always the one getting hurt..."

When the wind machine moved in front of him to punish him for failing the challenge, the "green hat" even swayed a bit but didn't fall off.

The barrage was filled with sympathy for Wang Chen.

"Hahaha, it's you again, who made you so cute!"

"Hug hug our little Chen Chen!"

"Don't cry, Wang Chen, I'm your loyal fan hahaha."

🍁

The last segment of the program was a Q&A game called "Guess Who".

The host described the traits of a person and the five guests at the scene guessed by raising their hands. The guest who guessed correctly earned points, while the one who guessed wrong lost points. After the game, the guest with the lowest score received a punishment.

The host described a total of ten people, all of whom were celebrities in the entertainment industry. Five of them were guests at the scene that day, while the other five were guests invited for the next episode. It was almost like a freebie round, just to see who would react the fastest.

For example, when the host mentioned the keywords "Call me" and "curly hair", everyone easily guessed it was Jia Siqi, because Jia Siqi and Bao Xiaozhi had just sung this song, and only Jia Siqi had curly hair among them.

But even in such a simple and relaxed entertainment segment, Wang Chen still ended up at the bottom, and continued to be tormented by the wind.

The audience thought he was being played and laughed while feeling sorry for him. But actually, Wang Chen didn't attend the tea party that day, so he knew less about the other five people at the scene than the other four, which caused him to react slower to some questions.

Thus, this episode of "Idols Face to Face" came to an end.

After the program ended, the group chat continued discussing it with lingering excitement.

Yu Ruizhe: "To be honest, looking back now, Wang Chen’s really quite pitiful."

Bao Xiaozhi: "You should check Wang Chen's Weibo, the comments are filled with his 'haha fans' comforting him."

Jia Siqi: "Hahaha, what are 'haha fans'?"

Bao Xiaozhi: "They’re fans who want to laugh AND sympathize with him."

Yin Chang remembered the night when Wang Chen had honey poured into his shoes by Shao Junling, and felt a bit sorry for him.

Fortunately, the next day, the pair of leather shoes that Yin Chang bought for Wang Chen from abroad arrived. He promptly asked Lu Lingjuan to find a way to deliver them.

Meanwhile, Wang Chen was venting at his agent. "What happened to pushing me towards the 'likable' direction? I was so angry yesterday I couldn't sleep all night!"

His agent coaxed him like a child, "Look at the numbers! The TV station gave me data last night, and the real-time ratings of this episode exceeded the previous episodes. Among the five guests during the show, your fans increased the most!"

Wang Chen: "But they made me a laughingstock!"

The agent: "It's all for the sake of the show's effect. You have high popularity. As long as you play the victim, it’ll increase your fans' loyalty."

Wang Chen: "Nonsense! If my fans were loyal, would they betray me on the show? It's all that damn Yin Chang... How many new fans did he gain?"

The agent didn't dare to say that Yin Chang gained more fans than him, so he secretly bought a lot of fake fans to create the illusion that Wang Chen gained the most fans: "Listen to me, he's also a popular idol. Don't always try to oppose him. You should learn to use him. For example, although he made your fans turn against you... Oh no, although he made one of your fans betray you, you also gained many new fans from Yin Chang's side on Weibo last night."

Wang Chen: "..."

The agent: "Oh, I almost forgot. Yin Chang's agent asked me to give you these pair of shoes."

Wang Chen took the box and opened it. "Why did he send me shoes?"

The agent: "Maybe it's an apology to you. After all, he made you a laughingstock... He snatched one of your fans. The day after we finished recording the show, his agent asked me about your shoe size."

This explanation made Wang Chen feel much better. He took out the pair of beautiful leather shoes, put them on and walked a few steps, but took them off angrily after less than two minutes.

The agent asked, "What's wrong now?"

Wang Chen said, "These shoes don't have height increasing insoles. I look short wearing them!"

The agent said, "..."

However, after this incident, Wang Chen finally swallowed his pride and added Yin Chang on WeChat.

He didn't mention the shoes, and naturally assumed that they were an apology from Yin Chang. However, after watching the show last night, he was puzzled that he’d scored the lowest in the final Q&A segment. He asked Yin Chang via WeChat: "Do you know the other three?"

Yin Chang said, "Hmm?"

Wang Chen said, "In the final Q&A, all three of you had quick responses."

For example, in one question, the host only mentioned "calligraphy", and Yin Chang immediately answered "Yu Ruizhe" and got one point for the correct answer.

Later, through the conversation between the host and Yu Ruizhe, Wang Chen learned that Yu Ruizhe had been practicing calligraphy every day in the dormitory for a new historical drama he was filming.

Perhaps Yu Ruizhe had posted related updates on Weibo, and Wang Chen didn't notice, which was normal. But to immediately guess it was him based on just one keyword, Yin Chang was indeed too sharp.

Yin Chang didn't hide from Wang Chen's suspicion. "Mhmm, we knew each other beforehand."

Wang Chen said, "What do you mean by 'knew each other beforehand'?" Could it be that these people were secretly colluding behind his back???

Yin Chang: "On the afternoon of the 26th last month, I invited them for tea and invited you too, but you didn't come."

Wang Chen: "............"

Yin Chang: "Next time, you should come to these activities, otherwise you'll be at a disadvantage on the show."

Wang Chen: "............" Can he just strangle this person!?

On the side of Nova Entertainment, the broadcast of the program brought varying degrees of popularity growth for Bai Xiaozhi and Jia Siqi, and they also received several new endorsement offers.

Based on their performance on the show and the impression of the fans, Yuan Qian formulated a new development direction for them.

Yuan Qian: "You two should still promote the CP image, fans have a deep impression of it. First get popular, then feel free to go your separate ways."

Jia Siqi: "Yeah!"

Bai Xiaozhi: "......Yeah my ass!"

🍁

De International Elementary School

The day after "Idol Face-to-Face" aired, Xue Ziwen secretly brought his phone into the classroom. He quietly watched the program he had downloaded in advance with Shao Junling, hiding it from the teacher.

Having been classmates for almost half a year, Xue Ziwen was gradually drawn to this quiet, cool boy. He’d long let go of past grievances to become good friends.

Now, whenever there was something delicious or fun, Xue Ziwen would always remember to invite Shao Junling.

"Haha! Did you hear that? Your brother is telling you to 'study hard'!" Xue Ziwen now knew that Yin Chang was Shao Junling's brother, and didn't speak ill of him anymore.

Shao Junling blushed and subconsciously clenched his fist as he stared at his brother on the screen.

When they saw Wang Chen being punished, Xue Ziwen didn't hold back. "Ah... my uncle is being punished! So sad! His head is about to be blown off!"

Children were always unreservedly straightforward when around close friends.

During Wang Chen's performance of "The King," Xue Ziwen's eyes lit up and he praised without hesitation, "My uncle is so handsome! He's too handsome!"

After class, the two of them huddled together, each wearing one headphone. Their sneaky behavior was discovered by their classmates and reported to the teacher.

Yin Chang had just started singing when they felt a shadow cast over them.

"Xue Ziwen, Shao Junling..." Teacher Lin appeared in front of them with a smiling but murderous face. "You're not supposed to bring phones into the classroom, remember?"

Teacher Lin confiscated Xue Ziwen's phone, then smiled, "You two will stay in the classroom after school and copy the school rules. Xue Ziwen, you can't go home until you finish copying, and Shao Junling, your makeup classes will be postponed."

Xue Ziwen: "..."

Shao Junling: "..."

That day, the two little ones stayed behind in the classroom. They copied the school rules while chatting.

Xue Ziwen curiously asked, "Why do you and your brother have different last names? Are you using your mother's last name?"

Shao Junling replied, "No... it's because me and my brother have different dads."

Xue Ziwen looked slightly awkward, "Huh? But Mom said the other day that you are your brother's father's son."

Shao Junling understood what Xue Ziwen meant. He continued to write in a huff. He clearly and decisively said, "No, I'm not."

Xue Ziwen asked, "Then who’s your dad?"

Shao Junling remained silent.

Xue Ziwen knew that his little partner would never speak if there was something he didn't want to say, so he stopped dwelling on the issue.

After a while, he asked again, "One day my mom told me that your brother seems to want to share half of his dad's money with you."

Shao Junling remained silent for two seconds. "I don't want it."

Xuezi asked, "Why not?"

Shao Junling expressionlessly replied, "I just don't."

Xuezi remained silent.

After copying the school rules and finishing the classes, it was already nine o'clock in the evening when Shao Junling returned to the dorm.

He took out his phone, followed the method Xuezi taught him to download a video app, and found the latest episode of "Idols Face-to-Face". He hid under the covers and watched with relish.

At midnight that day, Yin Chang received a text message.

"Reminder: As of January 17th, the mobile sub-card package of your phone with the last four digits as 1709 has used 998.12MB of data, with 25.88MB remaining. Excess usage will be charged at 0.3 yuan/MB. Please log in to the UnionLink online business hall at www..."

Yin Chang: "???"

He opened WeChat and sent a message to Shao Junling, "Why are you still awake and on your phone?"

At that moment, Shao Junling who was at De International student dormitory, had just finished downloading and buffering the high-definition version of Yin Chang's latest program, intending to watch it from time to time. When he saw the message, he was startled and looked around to see if anyone was monitoring him. He was also afraid that his brother had installed some kind of surveillance on his phone and could see his status at any time. He nervously held his phone and pretended to be asleep, but his mind was filled with images of his brother singing on the show, smiling while hugging female fans... His emotions fluctuated. At times happy and at times conflicted, until he fell asleep.

A week later, Shao Junling took his first final exam ever. Three days after the exam, he would start his winter vacation.

That day, Yin Chang went to the school and received Shao Junling's report card from Teacher Lin. When he saw the final grade, he couldn't believe his eyes.

Shao Junling, 11 years old, male, Class A of Grade One

Chinese Literature: B+

Mathematics and Logic: A+

Natural Science: A+

Foreign Language: C-

Physical Education: A+

Art: B+

Extra Project: A+

Note: Elementary Olympiad Math (Intermediate)

Overall Grade: A-

Rank: Excellent

De International's grading system was similar to that of foreign countries: no precise scores, only giving general grade placement.

Teacher Lin explained, "Shao Junling is very good at STEM. A+ is a score of 95 or above. Shao Junling always gets full marks. His math teacher said that he rarely follows the teacher's pace in class and always reads ahead. The math teacher arranged for him to attend the elementary school Olympiad math class, which is aimed at students grades one to three. He only joined half a year ago and got first place in the final assessment of the math class. If possible, we want to send him to participate in the competition next year."

Yin Chang looked at Shao Junling in amazement...

Teacher Lin continued, "In addition to English, his performance in other subjects has also improved. Especially in Chinese, his memory is good. Reading the text for an hour in the mornings and evenings has greatly improved his performance. I suggest that if Shao Junling has time during the winter break, he can supplement his English outside of school... Oh right, you recently returned from abroad right? If convenient, maybe you could communicate with him in English more."

Yin Chang recalled when Shao Junling called "Fiona" "Yang Na" and blankly said, "Oh."

"With his English grades improving, he can start taking Information Technology Innovation classes next semester. He has good logical thinking skills. If he’s trained in this direction, he has a lot of potential." Teacher Lin explained with a smile, and then said to Yin Chang, "Also, with Shao Junling's current grades and rank, starting next semester, he doesn’t need after-school tutoring. Shao Junling requested to be a day student, do you know about this?"

Yin Chang: "???"

Shao Junling, who was sitting beside them, looked up with anticipation.

Yin Chang knew that Shao Junling's grades would improve sooner or later, but he didn't expect this day to come so quickly...

🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁 🍁

🍁 Vignette

Wang Chen found out that his shoes were filled with honey and called his sister angrily when he got home.

"Sis! You need to do something about Xue Ziwen! That little bastard ruined my shoes!"

Wang Xuan solemnly called her son over, "Ziwen, what did you do to your uncle's shoes?"

Xue Ziwen: "???"

🍁 Vignette 2

After the broadcast of "Idol Face-to-Face", Wang Chen's management team upgraded his character model from 2.0 to 3.0 based on fans' suggestions, adding settings such as "silly" and "natural fool". The marketing team collected a large number of Wang Chen's reaction memes, emphasizing "Wang Chen-style dumbfounded".

Wang Chen: "???

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Monday, April 10, 2023

The Perfect Relationship Table of Contents

The Perfect Relationship by Xi He Qing Ling

The famous actor, Yin Dong, died suddenly in an accident. When Yin Chang rushed back to China to deal with his father’s aftermath, a scandal shocked the entertainment industry.

Before his death, Yin Dong was going to adopt a child named Shao Junling. Although his origin was unknown, he looked surprisingly like Yin Dong.

Even though he felt conflicted, in order to fulfill his father’s wish, Yin Chang began his 18-year-old cub raising life.

Original text: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3297034

This novel was translated up to ch 35 by SnowyNotes. Thank you for your hard work! I have picked it up starting ch 36.

I will publish one chapter every Sunday and will provide an extra chapter for every $5 in Ko-fi 🍵