Thanks ‘Reneal’ for the Kofi!
Chapter 58: YouYu CP article
Before going to bed, Yu Nian received a reply from Shi Rou.
“Shi Rou: Just got off the phone with Brother Meng. Okay, I’ll buy everything when I come over tomorrow morning. I won’t forget the perch fish either, don’t worry.”
After two minutes, she sent another string of exclamation marks. “Oh, by the way, Nian Nian! The question! The 40 million words of the Twenty-Four Histories!”
Yu Nian replied, “I’ve already answered the question, and it’s written on paper. However, my teacher said he gets annoyed when he sees me, so I didn’t personally deliver the answers. I sent them through a local courier service, and they should reach tomorrow.”
As expected, the next day at noon, Zeng Hongying’s Weibo updated with a 3×3 grid of pictures.
The center picture showed a complete page of calligraphy with clear and neat brushstrokes, while the other eight pictures were close-ups.
A short caption accompanied the post, “Excavating Sand and Soil Zeng Hongying: The characters are barely pleasing to the eye. @YuNian.”
[Not interested in copying books Ling Qinghe: Come on, let me translate this. What the teacher means is that the writing is really good! I have to post on Weibo to show off; otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep tonight!”
[Rejecting socialization Zheng Shaomeng: Free translation as follows: Skillfully calm and composed, with a sense of assurance between the characters. The entire piece is refined, serene, and unhurried. Horizontal strokes are like wheat stalks, moving like floating silk in the clear sky.]
[Addicted to sewing Xu Lianyan: Junior brother, your writing is getting more and more beautiful! Your answers were great too. It seems there’s no chance to copy books anymore! And Senior Zheng, you’re truly outstanding! (dog head emoji)!]
[No signal Qiu Chuyue: I can already foresee that the teacher will show off this answer sheet eight hundred times and make several copies to send to us one by one. (Sigh.jpg)]
[Aaaaaahh, why is Yu Nian’s handwriting so beautiful? It’s like that of a deity! I wonder who this handsome brother that I’m a fan of really is! Also, the teacher is so cute!]
[Jumping and raising hand! Teacher Zeng, can I have a copy of the answer sheet? I’ll pay for the express delivery!]
[I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Nian Nian doesn’t have to copy the Twenty-Four Histories. You don’t know how worried I was. Last night, I even dreamt that Nian Nian was crying and saying that the copied pages were torn and couldn’t be pieced together!]
Yu Nian was organizing the refrigerator when he heard Shi Rou’s laughter. He turned his head and asked, “Why are you so happy?”
Shi Rou covered her mouth and said, “Nian Nian, your seniors are so interesting!”
Yu Nian also laughed and said, “Yeah, there are many teachers and students, but there are only five of us who have officially become brothers. They’re all much older than me and incredibly talented. They’re usually busy with their own affairs all over the place, but they’re all good people.” He closed the refrigerator door and handed Shi Rou an orange. “It’s almost time, let’s tidy up. The production crew will come to film soon, and we should be ready to leave.”
At noon, as scheduled, Ri Yao Mobile announced their new brand ambassador. Meng Yuan even joked that Ri Yao1日曜 Literally means sun brightest Mobile had to match their brand name and chose the moment when the sun was brightest at noon for the announcement. Soon, the major Ri Yao Mobile counters and stores were adorned with new posters and billboards.
In the visuals, Yu Nian stood sideways facing the camera, wearing a white shirt, holding the latest model of the mobile phone. He slightly tilted his head, eyes half-closed, with a subtle smile. His slender neck, prominent Adam’s apple, and delicate features were like the most perfect sculpture. The white earphone wire disappeared into his collar along the jawline, clean and eye-catching.
The brand also purchased the splash screen advertisement on Weibo, so every time Yu Nian opened the app, he would see himself winking at him on the screen.
After the brand event concluded and the filming went smoothly, Yu Nian politely bid farewell to the crew and hurried back home. He prepared the soup, handled the fresh perch fish, and then washed his hands before entering the study. He tidied up the promotional song he wrote for Xia Mingxi’s movie and sent it to the production team.
After marking it on his schedule, Rong Yue sent a message asking if it was convenient to talk on the phone.
Yu Nian thought it might be something important and replied, “Convenient.” Within a few seconds, Rong Yue called.
“Nian Nian, it’s about ‘Drunken Horse Roaming in Spring.'”
Yu Nian stood by the edge of the table, holding a pencil and asked with confusion, “Drunken Horse Roaming in Spring? What happened?”
Rong Yue spoke frankly, “A few days ago, I met a client, a wealthy businessman from Canada. I’ve seen him a few times at auctions. He found me through a referral and revealed that he’s interested in ‘Drunken Horse Roaming in Spring.’ I was noncommittal. But today, he came back and said his grandmother was from China and that he has always liked Chinese paintings. When he heard the painting was leaked and bought by a mysterious buyer, he wanted my help to buy it at a high price.”
Yu Nian twirled the pencil and smiled, “I’m sure he made a very high offer. Uncle Rong, you hesitated for a reason.”
“It’s indeed a high offer. He said as long as he can buy it, he has no problem offering a figure close to nine digits. So I thought I should ask you.”
Yu Nian drew faint lines on the paper with the broken pencil in his hand and smiled, looking down. “Uncle Rong, you know that when I buy these things, it’s never for the purpose of reselling, let alone selling them abroad.”
Rong Yue responded, “Alright, then I’ll reply.” He confirmed once again, “You really won’t sell it?”
“No, I won’t sell it, not even for a hundred million.”
“Okay, by the way, there’s news about the ‘Insomniac Scroll.'”
Yu Nian unconsciously exerted force with the pencil in his hand, and it snapped with a “crack” sound. He stopped his hand movements and straightened up. “Really?”
“It’s true. I heard about it while chatting with a client. They said that the scroll hasn’t appeared in nearly a century. It’s always been heard of but never seen. Now that it has surfaced, I don’t know how many people will be vying for it.”
“A treasure has value, so it will attract competition.” Yu Nian recalled carefully, “I remember the last news about the ‘Insomniac Scroll’ was that it was bought by someone surnamed Zhen for five hundred taels of gold, right?”
“Yes, that’s the information I received as well. Recently, the last elder of the Zhen family in Shouzhou passed away, and the younger generation of the family has all emigrated abroad. They are planning to sell all the waste paper and ink stored in their library. So many people speculate that the buyer of the ‘Insomniac Scroll’ back then was also surnamed Zhen. It’s highly likely that the scroll has been in the Zhen family’s library for over a century.”
He added, “However, it is said that the younger generation of the Zhen family has connections with collectors both domestically and internationally, so it’s still uncertain how things will unfold.”
“No problem. Speaking of which, ever since I was a child, there have been various rumors about the ‘Insomniac Scroll,’ but none of them were true.” Yu Nian smiled. “But regardless of its authenticity, having news is a good thing.”
“Indeed,” Rong Yue smiled again. “Nian Nian, it’s time to start earning money.”
“Yes, the number one scroll, and it’s the first time in over a hundred years that it has appeared. I wonder how high the price will rise.” Yu Nian tossed the broken pencil in his hand and felt very good. “In that case, Uncle Rong, please continue to keep an eye on it for me. I still have soup simmering in the kitchen, so I need to check on it.”
He transferred the pork rib soup and steamed perch fish into separate insulated containers and carried them to the hospital.
Only Xie You lived on the entire floor, quietly. The bodyguard at the door of the ward didn’t stop him, so when Yu Nian pushed open the door and walked in, he met the gaze of more than a dozen men in suits inside.
Xie You sat on the sofa chair, with an upright posture and a handsome profile. When he heard the sound, he looked over.
Yu Nian stopped in his tracks, realizing that Xie You and the others were having a meeting. He was about to close the door and leave to avoid suspicion when Xie You said, “It’s cold outside. Do you want to come in first? The meeting will be over in ten minutes.”
Facing Yu Nian, Xie You’s tone was unusually gentle, and the two secretaries sitting next to him exchanged glances, each hiding the shock in their eyes.
Yu Nian didn’t refuse. He turned back and closed the door, then walked into the room gracefully. He nodded at the people observing him and said to Xie You, “I’ll wait for you inside. Let me know when you’re done.” His gaze fell on the white shirt Xie You was wearing, and he instinctively reminded him, “Put on your coat, don’t catch a cold.”
Once the door to the suite closed softly, the executives in the room withdrew their gazes and focused on their work.
Xie You put down the documents in his hand, looked at the secretary beside him, and ordered, “Pass me the coat.”
The secretary was taken aback, quickly stood up, took the coat hanging nearby, and handed it to Xie You.
After putting on the coat, Xie You scanned the people in the room and spoke again, his tone reverting to its usual coldness. “Continue. We have ten minutes to reach a conclusion.”
Hearing the sound and the closing of the door, confirming that everyone had left, Yu Nian opened the door and walked out.
Xie You explained, “There was urgent work, so we held an impromptu meeting.”
“Ah, I came early.” Yu Nian turned around and placed the things he brought on the table. Then Xie You asked, “Nian Nian, you seem to be in a good mood today?”
“Is it that obvious?” Yu Nian took off his thick coat, only wearing a light-colored sweater and jeans. He arranged the insulated containers while smiling. “Well, I heard news about something I’ve been searching for a long time. Although I don’t know if it’s true or not yet, I’m very happy.”
He ladled the pork rib soup into a small bowl and blew on it before handing it over. “Are you hungry? Taste it first and see how it is.”
Xie You accepted the small bowl with one hand and took a sip. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”
“That’s good.” Yu Nian thought of something. “You’ll be discharged tomorrow morning, right?”
“Yes, I’ll be discharged tomorrow morning.”
“I have work in the morning and can’t postpone it, so I won’t be able to come to see you off. Please be careful, especially with your right hand. If the wound reopens, it won’t be good.” Yu Nian noticed that Xie You’s phone, which was placed next to him, was about to fall to the ground. He reached out and picked it up, then noticed a hint of nervousness on Xie You’s face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Xie You averted his gaze, no longer looking at his phone, and continued eating the perch fish.
After Yu Nian left, the hospital room fell back into silence. Xie You hesitated for a long time before picking up his phone and opening the previous page.
“…Yu Nian was draped in Xie You’s black suit jacket, reaching out to embrace Xie You’s narrow waist, burying himself in the warmth of the other’s arms. Touched, he said, ‘I knew it, you love me.’
Xie You held the person tightly in his arms, kissed the top of his head, and smiled devilishly, ‘Of course, you’re mine. Who else would I love if not you?'”
Xie You looked at the Yu You and Xie You ship fanfiction he found in the comments section, his face slightly red, and his ears seemed to be burning.
He read this paragraph again, and he could understand taking off his jacket to keep Nian Nian warm when he was cold, hugging him tightly, and kissing him.
But that devilish smile… How did it look?
