Chapter 56
Chapter 56 – The perils of Jianghu (Translated and edited by Xing)
Tang Xue was in a deep sleep . Ever since she resumed training, her sleep quality has been excellent .
She only woke when Li Yubing woke her up to eat .
Tang Xue removed her eye-mask and saw an extravagant-looking lunchbox placed on the mini table in front of her . There was braised beef with potatoes, stir-fried shrimps and assorted vegetables .
She rubbed her stomach and found herself starving .
Li Yubing passed her a vacuum packed package . When Tang Xue examined it, she saw that it was a braised pig trotter .
“Thanks . ” Tang Xue tore the packaging and took a bite . The taste was good and she luxuriated in the satisfying sensation of her empty stomach being filled with food . In a good mood, she saw that Li Yubing also had a lunchbox in front of him but no pig trotter . She then asked, “Why aren’t you eating too?”
“I ate earlier . ” Li Yubing turned his head and avoided looking at her as he said this .
Tang Xue could only see at his attractive jawline and the slightly raised corners of his lips from the side .
She was baffled . What a lunatic . Was it necessary to show such a depraved smile at eating a pig trotter?
“Li Yubing, you rarely indulge in good food, do you?” Tang Xue asked . She felt that this was highly possible . After all, all athletes—especially outstanding ones—had strict diet requirements .
“No,” Li Yubing denied .
Tang Xue was still immersed in her speculation . “When we get back, I’ll treat you to all the good stuff—beef tendons, pig ears, fried anchovies… duck necks, duck feet, duck tongues…” She familiarly rattled off a long list of food that she felt were delicacies .
Li Yubing interrupted her, “Duck tongues?”
“Yup . You’ve never tried?”
“Tongue?”
“Yes, I’ll treat you to it . ”
Li Yubing lowered his head and separated the chopsticks . “Sure . ” His reply was unhurried and loaded with meaning .
Tang Xue could not shake off the feeling that there was something wrong with him .
However, it was rare for Li Yubing to be normal in the first place . Being abnormal was his default mode . After thinking things through, she felt more at ease .
——
Their train was scheduled to arrive around 1 pm . Today, the person fetching Tang Xue was Liao Zhenyu .
Principal Tang’s ex-classmate had fallen ill . He was out of the province to visit him and would only be back the next day . The hospital that Mama Tang worked at was extremely busy . The end of the year was when children asthma outbreaks peaked . In addition, there would be many unruly children stirring trouble . From secretly setting off firecrackers to breaking windows and provoking stray dogs, there were way too many bizarre reasons for a child’s injuries .
That was why only Liao Zhenyu was there to welcome her . This chapter is a labour of love that should not be found outside of teafragrance[dot]wordpress[dot]com .
Actually, there was no need for Liao Zhenyu to come . However, he was bored out of his mind at home . Having nothing better to do, he was thus out to find his boss and have some fun .
Li Yubing and Tang Xue were two extremely attractive people that stood out from the crowd . Liao Zhenyu spotted them the moment they stepped out from the station .
“Boss, over here!” Liao Zhenyu waved his hands at Tang Xue .
After the three of them gathered, Tang Xue was going to part ways with Li Yubing . She asked, “How are you heading back?”
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Li Yubing swept his eyes over Liao Zhenyu . His top-down angle and imposing aura caused Liao Zhenyu a lot of pressure and made him feel both aggrieved and baffled .
Li Yubing remarked, “My parents aren’t home yet… What are the two of you planning to do?”
Tang Xue had no plans . After some thought, she said, “I’ll take all my stuff home first . ”
With how Li Yubing behaved, it was apparent that he did not want to head back alone and be all by himself . Thus, Tang Xue brought him up the taxi along with her .
After discussing in the car, the three of them decided to head to a newly-opened tea house near Tang Xue’s house to play Landlord[1] . This was a relaxing activity that allowed them to have fun while requiring them to use their brains . Both Tang Xue and Li Yubing were worn out from travel and did not want to become even more exhausted .
When they got off the car, it began to snow gently . The tiny snowflakes melted immediately upon landing on a person’s body . As Tang Xue stood next to the car and watched Li Yubing pay the fare, she suddenly realized a serious problem .
Her current asset consisted entirely of 3 yuan, and this was meant for taking the train…
She would be a legend if she dared to have fun at a tea house with only 3 yuan .
Tang Xue was someone extremely conscious of her face . She felt that having “kidnapped” Li Yubing and Liao Zhenyu to her territory, it was her duty to treat them . Trying to cover up how her good intentions were limited by her circumstances, she contemplated deeply for a while and said, “Let’s go to my place since there’s no one home . ”
Just like this, their initial plan changed .
……
This was still the first time that Li Yubing entered Tang Xue’s house . The square-shaped house was large with a spacious living room . It was decorated in a clean and natural style filled with warmth, with tiny details showing the quirks of life . The balcony could be seen through the window . Numerous plants and flowers were placed next to the wall and in the centre was a small coffee table and deck chairs .
Tang Xue rummaged for some snacks and fruits and served them up . She let Li Yubing and Liao Zhenyu sit on the sofa while she sat on the carpet at the other end of the coffee table and shuffled the cards .
Playing cards was meaningless without some stakes . With how broke Tang Xue was, betting money was out of the question . After thinking for a while, she got up and ran to her room to find an eyeliner .
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“The winner can draw one stroke on the loser’s face every round . ”
For the first round, the “landlord” of the game was determined by drawing cards and Tang Xue got the role . Liao Zhenyu had heard rumours of Li Yubing’s high IQ in school . As a result, he felt that the chances of winning for this round were high by simply being teammates with Li Yubing .
As things played out, he was too naïve . Though Li Yubing had a good hand of cards, he tossed them out blindly and was powerless against all attacks . Liao Zhenyu was on the verge of believing that he was being controlled by a robot .
Due to the burden of a terrible teammate, Liao Zhenyu gave away the chance of victory on a silver platter .
Tang Xue smirked as she held up the eyeliner and stood up . “Hehehe… Who’s first?”
Liao Zhenyu looked at Li Yubing and complained, “Do you really know how to play?”
“Yes,” Li Yubing replied with absolute confidence .
Tang Xue walked over to Li Yubing . She knelt against the sofa on one knee and giggled . “Close your eyes . ”
Li Yubing closed his eyes obediently, as docile as a lamb .
Tang Xue gripped the eyeliner and slowly drew it closer to his eyelid . Seeing him show signs of moving, she quickly stopped him . “Don’t move . ” As she spoke, she could not help using her hand to steady his face .
Feeling the soft and warm fingertips on his cheeks, Li Yubing’s heart quivered lightly from both nerves and happiness .
He purposely slowed his breathing and pretended that everything was fine .
However, he was not able to prevent his eyelashes from trembling fiercely . The heavy fluttering of his long and thick eyelashes was like shivering wings of a small black butterfly in the biting wind, emitting a sense of fragile beauty .
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Tang Xue treated his trembling eyelashes as a normal reaction to being touched by a foreign object . She comforted him . “It’s just an eye line, don’t be nervous . ”
Liao Zhenyu looked over disdainfully from the side . He felt that Li Yubing’s expression looked more like enjoyment than nervousness, heh .
Tang Xue helped Li Yubing to draw an eye line . When she leaned back, her gaze swept past his lips unintentionally . This was the first time she looked at his lips at such a close distance and she felt that the shape of his lips was really good looking . The fullness of his lips was just right and his lip outline was clear and soft . The colour of cherry blossoms, his lips were healthy and moist like a piece of peach jelly .
She really felt like touching it .
Tang Xue realized how dangerous her thought was . Feeling a little awkward, she released him quickly and waved Liao Zhenyu over . “Come here, you . ”
Li Yubing was sitting between the two of them . When he saw Liao Zhenyu leaned over, he lightly plucked the eyeliner from Tang Xue’s hand and said, “I’ll help you . Where do you want to draw?”
“Uh, draw an eye line too . ”
Li Yubing followed as told . After he finished drawing, the second round began .
During the second round, Tang Xue felt that her cards were not ideal and did not call for the position of Landlord . When it was Liao Zhenyu’s turn, he called for this position without hesitation as he was determined to not be on the same team as Li Yubing .
“Boss, I really pity you . ” Liao Zhenyu delighted in her misfortune .
Soon enough, Liao Zhenyu discovered that he was once again too naïve; the person that he should pity was himself .
—It was as if Li Yubing that fellow had turned off robot-mode; his IQ was suddenly online and through excellent coordination with Tang Xue, he mercilessly crushed Liao Zhenyu into dust .
Liao Zhenyu: … QAQ
He finally understood the so-called “perils of Jianghu” and “being worse than a beast” .