Chapter 86:
Ji Ran’s least favorite thing in the world was dealing with elders.
Without hesitation, he refused outright.
“I just want you to accompany me to pick them up, it’s not like I’m asking you to come out with me,” Qin Man persisted, even in the middle of the night, disregarding whether he was asleep or not, propping himself up and whispering in his ear, “I won’t tell them about our relationship.”
“Junior, stop pretending to sleep.”
“They know I stayed at your place and want to thank you in person. If you don’t go tomorrow, they might have to come to your house.”
Ji Ran really couldn’t sleep – he didn’t even feel a bit drowsy.
He suddenly opened his eyes wide. “So why do you have to tell them that you stayed at my place?!”
“I can’t let you be an anonymous Lei Feng,” Qin Man chuckled.
Note: Lei Feng is the historical famous model soldier and citizen in China (1963)
He just liked being a Lei Feng! He just wanted to do good deeds without leaving his name! Ji Ran fumed inwardly.
Late into the night, Ji Ran was tossing and turning from annoyance, reluctantly nodding his head.
He thought about it – he couldn’t let Qin Man’s parents come knocking at his door. There was only one bedroom in his house being used, and their clothes and toiletries were all mixed together. Anyone with eyes could see that something wasn’t right.
The next day, Ji Ran left early in the morning, vaguely saying there was an issue with the driver’s side and he had to go for a meeting.
Once he left, Qin Man had Liu Chen call the old employees who had stayed after the company went bankrupt to a private room in a local diner, intending to discuss the cooperation projects that had been initiated during this time.
The old employees arrived punctually, and seeing the waiter dressed in red and green, they were momentarily speechless.
In the past, they often dined out with the boss, with each arrangement being at high-end upscale restaurants. The portions were small and expensive, and they always had work to discuss. By the time they finished the discussion, they didn’t have the mood to order more food, so they often ended up spending three hours in the private room without getting full.
They had all worked under Qin Man before. Despite the boss being young, he had been involved in projects early on, and they had followed suit since Qin Man took over. Their relationship was very close, but of course, they still had some awe towards Qin Man. Now that Qin Man wasn’t present, the conversation was more relaxed.
One of them joked, “We can finally eat our fill tonight. Did you see those fresh seafood outside? Those crabs are bigger than my fist.”
“Liu Chen, did you book this place? Does the boss know you booked this place? Be careful not to get scolded.”
“He gave me the phone number directly,” Liu Chen paused for a moment. “He even reminded me… said this place is busy on weekends, so I should call ahead to make a reservation.”
At first, Liu Chen thought it was a popular Western restaurant. But when he called, there was a rustic tone in the voice on the other end: “What’s up? This is Siwangqiao Seafood here.”
He even hung up the phone, double-checking the number several times.
The group fell silent. Liu Chen, feeling idle, picked up some side dishes and took a few bites, surprised: “… These pickles are quite tasty.”
Qin Man arrived soon after.
The employees had forgotten what it was like to see the boss dressed casually.
Until the handsome man in a white hoodie and black sneakers walked in, they vaguely remembered – Qin Man had just turned 26 this year.
Younger than everyone present.
“Have you ordered?” Qin Man took his seat, scanning the table with a casual tone.
“We did, as per your instructions, we just haven’t asked them to serve yet,” Liu Chen replied.
“If I’m late for the meeting next time, you can start eating without waiting for me,” Qin Man nodded, “Go ahead and let them serve.”
The employees had been on paid leave for half a year.
They thought this meeting would be more tense and anxious than before – after all, they were now in a “start from scratch” situation.
To their surprise, Qin Man only briefly mentioned the progress of the company registration and casually mentioned the upcoming projects.
“Next month, you should be able to start working again, but the initial workload won’t be as heavy as before,” Qin Man peeled a crab, “Liu Chen, print out the documents and distribute them. Take this time to get back into the groove.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, their eyes falling on the crab in Qin Man’s hand.
The boss was indeed a boss, even peeling a crab with such elegance, as if using a knife and fork.
“Hey,” one of the employees seemed to notice something and casually asked, “Boss, this ring… did you get married?”
There was a moment of silence at the table.
Everyone had eyes, and although the style of the ring was simple, it had a noticeable presence. Some had noticed it early on, but didn’t dare to ask – their boss hated discussing personal matters during work.
The woman next to him coughed, trying to defuse the situation, “Married? Look at where he’s wearing it. Okay, eat your crab.”
Qin Man remained composed, “I’m not married.”
“Oh,” the person realized and felt embarrassed, “I was just asking casually…”
“Right,” Qin Man said, “We’re still discussing about it, not so fast.”
“…”
No one expected him to answer, and everyone was stunned.
They exchanged looks, unsure whether to continue the conversation.
Only the bold guy, oblivious to the tension, chuckled, “You’re already wearing the ring, looks like we’ll have a new lady boss within the next two years?”
Qin Man paused, then smiled, “He… probably wouldn’t like you guys calling him ‘lady boss’.”
Seeing Qin Man in a good mood, others couldn’t help but ask, “Then what should we call her?”
Perhaps… he would like to be called ‘dad’ by you guys?
Thinking about this, Qin Man’s smile widened, and he didn’t say anything else.
After finishing the crab, he wiped his hands clean and sent a message to his junior brother.
Q: Are you done talking? Shall we have dinner together?
Dad Ji: Not yet… I’ll try my best, don’t know when it will be finished.
Q: Is it troublesome?
Dad Ji: Not troublesome.
Dad Ji: Just too long, too tedious, my butt is sore from sitting.
Qin Man raised an eyebrow and replied: Are you sure it’s from sitting?
Dad Ji: [Sends you a head-knock-off.jpg]
Qin Man looked at the emoji and couldn’t help but chuckle.
The employees immediately stared at him as if they were watching a rare animal.
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone dispersed. Qin Man had two drinks during the meal, and after it was over, Liu Chen naturally took on the role of the driver.
Passing by a convenience store, the person in the back suddenly said, “Stop the car.”
Liu Chen quickly stopped by the roadside. Qin Man got out of the car, turned, and went into the adjacent convenience store.
The store was small, with only a transparent glass separating it from the street, allowing Liu Chen to see everything inside clearly.
After his boss went in, he didn’t go far but just browsed the shelves, then took several boxes of items and handed them to the cashier for checkout.
Liu Chen: “…”
As adults, everyone knows what’s displayed next to the supermarket checkout counter. With just a quick glance, he could tell that his boss had taken at least three boxes.
Liu Chen, in his thirties, had encountered many big bosses, and Qin Man was the most contented one he had met.
Finally being able to indulge a bit after such a long time is normal.
It’s understandable, perfectly understandable.
He just didn’t know who his boss’s love interest was. During this time, although he hadn’t been working, he had helped with many things… and hadn’t seen his boss getting close to any woman?
Qin Man returned home, finding it empty, with Ji Ran still not back.
He placed the items he had just bought one by one at the bedside, in the bathroom, and in the drawer under the TV in the living room.
Then he sat in the living room and casually started a movie.
At four o’clock in the afternoon, his junior brother still hadn’t returned. Qin Man picked up his phone and sent him another message.
Q: Shall I come find you?
Dad Ji: No need, I’m getting ready to head back.
Q: [Miss you miss you miss me jpg]
Dad Ji: …Stop chatting with Yue Wenwen. Stop saving these silly emoticons.
Dad Ji: [Picture]
The screenshot showed Qin Man’s WeChat profile, with Ji Ran’s note for him being “Once in a millennium clingy bug.”
Qin Man chuckled, opened Ji Ran’s profile, and changed the note accordingly, then sent a screenshot.
After this message, he didn’t receive a reply for half a day.
He waited for a while, then sent two more emoticons, but still received no response.
Qin Man lowered his eyes, looking at the note “Dear beloved Little Junior Brother,” thinking that the other person might not like it very much.
At nine o’clock in the evening, after watching the third episode of the series, Qin Man finally couldn’t help but get up from the sofa and call Ji Ran.
But the call was hung up after just a couple of rings.
Just as he frowned, considering whether to call the police, a slightly dazzling car light passed through the iron gate, shining directly on the French window.
The camera recognized the owner’s license plate, and the iron gate slowly opened.
Qin Man put down his phone, exhaling softly.
After a while, he heard movement at the garage door. Qin Man turned his head and raised an eyebrow with a smile, “Even if you don’t like that note, you shouldn’t ignore me…”
Seeing the person in front of him clearly, he swallowed the rest of his words.
Ji Ran looked a bit tired, meeting Qin Man’s gaze, he felt a bit uncomfortable and stopped in his tracks.
After a moment of silence, Ji Ran couldn’t help but ask, “…What are you looking at?”
He was still dressed the same as when he left, just with a much neater hairstyle.
Ji Ran had his hair cut, not too short, but trimmed neatly, making him look exceptionally clean and handsome.
The most crucial thing was… the green hair he had been dyeing for months was gone.
In its place was a perfectly fitting black, not too deep, as if deliberately adjusted, almost indistinguishable from his natural hair color.
Qin Man had seen Ji Ran with black hair before, in fact, he had seen this appearance the most. Every day during school, he could see Ji Ran in his school uniform squatting in the boys’ restroom, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
Their classrooms were not on the same floor. The reason Qin Man could see was that he liked to stand in the corridor near the stairs after class, pretending to hold a textbook. From that angle, he could see the boys’ restroom downstairs and Ji Ran’s easily recognizable black hair.
Occasionally, Ji Ran would casually glance up, and they would briefly make eye contact.
In the end, it was either Ji Ran rolling his eyes at him, or him turning a deaf ear and walking away with a cold gaze.
The smell in the restroom wasn’t pleasant, but he enjoyed it.
Qin Man raised his hand and touched Ji Ran’s hair, knowingly asking, “Why did you dye it back?”
He paused, then asked again, “Are you afraid they wouldn’t like your previous hair color?”
“No,” Ji Ran quickly denied, “Just got tired of it. It’s easy to be recognized, and I had to touch up the color every day. Annoying.”
Qin Man raised an eyebrow and smiled, “I didn’t even clarify, how did you know who I was talking about?”
“…”
Qin Man picked out a strand of his hair and lightly rubbed it between his fingertips.
The soft touch was just like the owner.
“Actually, the green was good too, easy to recognize, less likely to get lost,” he said as he lifted those strands of hair with his fingers, lowering his head to give it a kiss, “But black looks better.”
Who the hell would get lost anyway?
Ji Ran’s face flushed, the retort on the tip of his tongue swallowed back. Feeling Qin Man’s gentle touch, he suddenly felt that the time spent waiting in the barber shop queue wasn’t a waste after all.
The next day, Ji Ran woke up earlier than Qin Man.
Qin Man heard a few faint sounds and quietly squinted to see Ji Ran standing in front of the wardrobe, holding two sets of clothes and comparing them on himself.
He watched with interest, not wanting to disturb him, even pretending not to hear the alarm.
After about ten minutes, Ji Ran placed the selected clothes on the top shelf of the wardrobe, then suddenly turned around and walked towards him.
Qin Man instinctively closed his eyes.
“Hey.” His arm was touched, “Wake up.”
After a few moments, Qin Man slowly opened his eyes, pretending to be sleepy, “Hmm?”
Ji Ran lowered his eyes, finally squeezing out a sentence after a long pause, “Are you… going for a morning run?”
Qin Man blinked, “Wasn’t today the day to pick up my parents from the airport?”
“Oh?” Ji Ran pretended to just remember, looking lazy and indifferent, his tone disdainful, “Was it? I forgot. Tsk, forget it then… Let’s run tomorrow.”
“…”
Ji Ran: “…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…Nothing.” Qin Man pulled the blanket up, trying to cover his amusement.
But in the end, he couldn’t hold it back, laughing until the entire duvet trembled.
Damn, he’s too cute.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
Damn, he’s too cute 🥰