So before we start this chapter, I'd like to talk about something.
I recieved this very interesting email from someone called 'Chinese Novel Lover' who has asked me to stop publishing my translations because I don't know Chinese. Now, much of what he/ she says is exaggerated – For example, that by publishing my translations, I am ' preventing true translators from translating' (not sure how I am doing that since I am not some major corporation ) ; that there are so many gross inaccuracies that people would 'faint on the spot' (if i had the power to get people to faint using my words , I would be the next Dr Evil, not writing meagre translations….) ; that I'm 'basking in the glory' because of ignorant fans ( oh, you mean when I was mobbed in the airport by my fans holding up placards saying " Miumiu, we love you"? Aww.. that was nothing !)
But I do appreciate the fact that since I don't know Chinese it is very possible that there are huge inaccuracies in my translation.
So for example, in the last chapter, YZ may have asked BB to just read the newspaper to him in the original novel and her neck was aching later because she was craning her neck to read the small print.
I truly understand that this is a HUGE difference from what I translated. If Wang Kai or Aaron Yan asked me to the read the newspaper in their room, to save my imprisoned fiancé, I would feel very insulted and probably hit them. On the other hand, if they asked me to do what I thought YZ did… umm..ok let's not let my imagination run wild.
So readers , you have been warned. In case you haven't figured out what the byline in my blog means, I am Chinese illiterate and use google translate. In case you will only and only read accurate translations, there are a lot of excellent translations out there by people who actually read the language ( or you could wait for Chinese Novel lover to start translating ). All I can promise is that, hand on heart, I am true to the machine translation. So in " Rolling Love" , much as I was tempted, many , many , many times, to have JYN say to YL , " Baby, I really love you. I made a mistake earlier and I may die , but let's try to fight this together", I didnt !!😂
As for you , dear Chinese Novel Lover, I choose to leave the decision with the readers.
So readers, If you're just looking for a good story, and don't mind such inaccuracies, let's move on to Chapter 4, shall we?
Chapter 4
As I answered innocently, Ye Zhengchen was surprised for a moment. With a confused expression, he watched as I went into the supermarket.
I bought eggs and ramen at the fastest possible speed and was out in three minutes. He was waiting for me
This time, his eyes looked different; it seemed he was thinking something
"Come on!"
He started the car. Within ten minutes, our apartment could be seen up ahead. Clearly, a luxury car had its uses, it wasn't just the looks.
He got off. His well tailored black suit perfectly showcased his tall slender body and his upright posture.
The last rays of the sun reflected on him. The rays were dull, but his face was so bright!
Looking at him, I almost fell into a trance. As we walked upstairs, I had forgotten to speak to him until we reached the door of his apartment. At this point, Ye Zhengchen looked back at me , somewhat uncertain, as if wanting to say something to me
I laughed sweetly at him and stretched out my hand to point at his door, towards the neatly written handnotes in Chinese pasted on the door.
" Hello, my name is Bo Bing and I live next door. It will take me some time to apply for an internet connection. Till then, can I share your connection? Thank you!"
My contact information: ********
Inscribed below, a cute smiley.
…… …
Ye Zhengchen read the note, then looked at me and started laughing.
I had to admit, he looked very charming when he laughed. The corners of his mouth curled up, his eyes squinted and there was a hint of mischievousness on his face.
" Did you move in recently?" he asked
" Yes. Just a week back."
He nodded and took out his key.
" Which department are you from?"
" Medical"
"Medical?" His face turned more amiable, " I am also in the medical department."
"Really?" I truthfully did not see him as a doctor.
" Which lab are you in ?"
"Tanaka Research"
" Tanaka Research.." I recalled the name." I am in Fuji Research, just downstairs from your laboratory."
When I said Fuji research, he looked at me closely, " Yes, it is."
He must be a very good student.
I bowed to him and said, " Brother, please help me out from time to time."
" No problem."
He opened the door like a gentleman, " Please come in."
As soon as I entered the room, something bright caught my eyes
He has floor length light green curtains over the window. As the sunlight filtered through the curtains, the room was brightly lit with a fresh green color.
The bedsheets were also light green. The quilt was laid flat on the bed, not a trace of a wrinkle or stain on it.
On his desk, except for a Macbook and medical books, there was nothing else. I casually glanced at the bathroom. All his stuff was neatly placed next to the wash basin.
I knew that doctors ,though a bit older, were rarely this organised .. unless..
My heart started beating rapidly. It was entirely possible he graduated from the military medical university
He was a military doctor!
He had both the traits of a domineering and introverted personality like a soldier, and the doctor's refined and elegant demeanour. He was the one in a million classic man! I was floored…
He took off his jacket and hung it in the cupboard. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and folded the sleeves to his elbow. Immediately, he looked much more casual and free.
It was soldiers who were prevented from having relationships, but it was they who women were most attracted to.
I looked at him as he quickly took out a notepad from his drawer and wrote a series of account names and passwords.
" This is the Wi-Fi account name and password, you don't need to apply for a separate connection.." Then suddenly he realised something, " Do you know how to set up the wi-fi?"
I thought it would be fairly simple, was even the initial set up so complicated? " What?"
Hearing this , he knew I was technologically challenged. " I will help you."
"Then, I will trouble you", just as I turned to go outside, I saw Qin Xue.
" I’m not in a hurry, if you are busy now.." I turned to see Ye Zhengchen thinking , then he said, " Ok let me know when you are free."
" Ok."
As he accompanied me to the door, I saw Qin Xue standing by the doorbell, She looked at me , then at Ye Zhengchen.
I saw her mouth raise faintly in a sneer, but that may have been my illusion.
So as not to delay the reunion of these two, I simply greeted Qin Xue and walked away.
I came back to my apartment and started preparing dinner. Suddenly, from next door, I heard Qin Xue's voice, " Ye Zhengchen, what do you mean?"
She wasn't very loud, but her voice had a sharp penetrating power.
In order to prevent too many casualties from an earthquake, the walls of the buildings were designed with thin materials and the soundproofing was quite poor,
" You are clearly avoiding me !" Qin Xue's voice had risen by one or two decibels.
I could not hear Ye Zhengchen's answer, clearly he was handling this calmly.
" You don't meet me, your calls never connect.."
" Dont you think I know that you came back last night with Tanaka Yuko?"
Hearing this, I almost forgot to breathe. This man went out with another girl while trying to fool his girlfriend !
Raise a glass to my friend!
Riddled with curiosity, I slipped into the bathroom to hear them more clearly.
" Yes", I finally heard Ye Zhengchen's answer, in a low but definite voice. " I stayed with her last night, we shared the same bed in Tokyo. Are you satisfied now?"
" You, you…"
" If you want to be with me, you can move in with me tonight. I don't care!"
" You're shameless!" Qin Xue's had started sobbing now.
" You know its too late now."
Qin Xue cried and ran out, and soon disappeared down the corridor.
Her tears were like droplets of thousand year amber, dripping down with sadness.
When sadness turns into amber, what can you pray for?
———–
This was the first day that I understood Ye Zhengchen
He was a typical playboy!
Yesterday he was caring to you, today he may have been in another woman's bed.
You could not complain, you could not hate him, because he had never concealed his own despicable character. In fact, from the beginning , he would tell you that he could give you only today, there was no commitment of a future..
If you chose him, you should know what would be the outcome!
But I still didn't understand why Qin Xue would still love him, be unable to forget him just because of that short moment of romance!
After feeling sad about Qin Xue's romance for a while, I realised that I was feeling hungry.
I took the leftovers from the refrigerator and cooked a bowl of spicy chicken noodles.
Just as I sat down to eat, the doorbell rang. It rang only once, showing that the person on the other side was patient and well mannered.
I opened the door and saw Ye Zhengchen standing outside, holding an elegant pack of chocolates.
" Hi, did I disturb you ?"
" No",I hurriedly rubbed my hand against my mouth and cheek. In fact, I had already wiped once before opening the door, but I couldn't resist repeating the action.
He gave me the box and said that he had brought it from Tokyo.
I was glad to accept it. I knew that this was kind of a local etiquette. Whenever someone came back from a visit, they would bring a little something, a well known food item that everybody could taste.
But I wasn't sure which woman the gift was originally intended for.
At the door, he looked at the table and saw my spicy chicken noodles. " Are you Sichuanese?"
"Sichuan Nanzhou. Have you had dinner? Do you want to join me?"
As he saw me offer him a pair of chopsticks, he didn't decline my offer.
He said he loved Sichuanese, but unfortunately, he could not find authentic Sichuan cuisine in Japan.
So every time he went home, he had to indulge in Sichuanese cuisine for a few days before he could convince himself to come back.
I said, " My friend told me as much. So I brought a full suitcase of seasonings and authentic hotpot ingredients. Someday, I will invite you to a spicy hot pot meal."
He immediately looked up, " I am free this weekend!"
Seeing his childlike gleeful expression, I couldn't help laugh. " I'm not free this weekend. I have to go to the laboratory to culture cells.."
I deliberately paused here, and as I saw the glee extinguish from his eyes I said, " When will you come back tomorrow night?"
" Seven o clock. I will pick up the ingredients"
I wanted to ask him, he had so many girlfriends , was no one willing to cook for him ? Then I let it go. The atmosphere was quite harmonious now,
I didn't want to tease him.
After dinner, I cleaned up the table. He helped me connect to the wi-fi network and test the stability.
" Thank you for dinner", he said as he left.
"You're welcome"
" Can I tell you something?"
" What?" I said humbly, waiting for his opinion
" Cook a little bit more next time."
" Oh", my mouth curled up, "this is the most sincere praise I have ever heard!"
This is the most sincere praise I have ever given anyone."
" Thank you !"
After he left, I sat in front of the computer and chatted with my mother on skype while nibbling at the Leonidas chocolates
The soft buttery chocolate melted in my mouth. It was sweet but not too sweet.
Mom asked, " Why are you smiling so happily?" Was I smiling? Maybe . " My friend gave me some chocolates and they are delicious!"
"Friend? Man or a woman? " my mom wanted to know.
" Don't think so much. My neighbour."
" Aunt Lee said that in foreign countries, the open society impacts a lot of students. You don't know anything; people live together and then break up at the drop of a hat. There are no moral values or a sense of responsibility! Some people even have wives at home but still have relationships , don't let someone cheat you!"
" Dont worry, its good enough if I don't deceive anybody instead"
" This girl! Zhong Tian…"
My mind automatically switched off and focussed on the delicious chocolates.
As I finished the last piece, I was still craving for more..
So some things are like this, when you have had a little taste, you will be craving for more..