Twin Fish [Translator]13-16 minutes
Gu Qingchi lowered his head, revealing the nape of his neck. The pale blue of his veins could faintly be seen from underneath his skin. He was so pale that he almost looked sickly. This had been exacerbated over the past few days due to his insomnia. He often found himself struggling to sleep at night. His eyes lazily drooped down, a listless sort of beauty surrounding him.
He wasn’t actually supposed to be here. He’d received the invitation through the company, and it had been signed by the Gu family. Up until an hour ago, Gu Qingchi had still been hesitating about whether or not to come. However, Mrs. Gu had been gushing to him for days about what desserts to serve and what music to play at her banquet. l1nLwF
Gu Qingchi could tell just how much she was looking forward to it through her messages, and he didn’t want to let her down.
It was just like whenever he heard about trips to the amusement park as a child. He would be trembling with excitement for a week in advance. Back then, his parents would clear out their whole schedule for the day, no matter how busy they were, and spend the day with him at the amusement park.
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The family estate was still the same as he remembered.
He leaned against the banister, slowly reminiscing the childhood memories that he had been avoiding all this time. F rHdV
Gu Qingchi was a lot livelier as a child than he was now. He was held in the palm of his mother, his father, and his older brother’s hands. He had been raised innocent and sweet.
Their house had had a garden. The garden was always full of the roses that Mrs. Gu liked. Gu Qingchi also liked those roses. During the flowering season, he would spend all his time in the garden picking flowers. Most of the time, he wouldn’t even bother with scissors and gloves, often getting cuts all over his hands in his haste. Gu Qingchi would then be scolded and his hands tightly bandaged. Not only would he get scolded, but he’d feel very sorry for himself as well, weeping as he tried to explain. But the flowers were so pretty. I wanted to show Mom as soon as possible.
The piano room had a view of the deep blue sea. As a child, Gu Qingchi would sit on the piano bench and practice simple scales with Mrs. Gu. As soon as he looked up, he’d instantly be able to catch a glimpse of the sea, and, as soon as he saw the sea, his spirits would soar. His music would then become more cheerful as well. I’m playing piano for the sea.
His father and older brother were always busy, but they would always come home for dinner. When they returned in the evening, the car horn would always sound three times. By the time they entered the door, they would be able to see a small child tap, tap, tapping down the stairs. He would shoot into their arms like a little bird, after which he would be picked up by large hands and placed on wide shoulders, tickling the child into laughter.
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He had been very brave as a child. He started sleeping in his own bed at a very young age. However, the one thing he would not compromise on was his goodnight kiss. If he didn’t get a goodnight kiss, he would puff up his cheeks and make his way to his parents’ bedroom with his pillow, demanding that they kiss him goodnight.
He once had an awful toothache during the time that he was losing his baby teeth. After seeing the dentist, they were informed that the kid had cavities, so all the candy under his pillow was confiscated. All those candies were rewards that the teacher gave to good boys and girls!
He had been supremely upset, purposely ignoring everyone in a fit of anger. However, once bedtime rolled around, he still ended up dragging his pillow to his parents’ bedroom door. He demanded to know why they didn’t give him a goodnight kiss and insisted that they make it up to him. He even gave them a very huffy goodnight! You’re being very, very mean! But I still love you!
He had been so, so angry. However, once the door to his parents’ bedroom was shut, his mom and dad burst into laughter. The laughter was so loud that it could be heard from the other side of the door. As the kid stood outside their room, his ears gradually turned red. His eyes almost started dropping tears, but he was quickly scooped up by his older brother, who comforted him for quite a while, before carrying him back to bed. He insisted his older brother tuck him in and tell him a story before finally going to sleep. Ph3MUi
Gu Qingchi continued to reminisce, almost feeling as though he had traveled back in time. Occasionally, he’d reveal a small sliver of a smile, eliciting a few gasps from who knows where.
The attendant with the serving tray had passed by him countless times. There were several guests hanging around him as well. The whispers hadn’t stopped for even a second. His each and every move seemed to draw their fullest attention.
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Gu Xie was an only child, his parents were kind, and his family business was also one of the very best. Gu Xie himself was a hardworking individual. He had already entered his father’s circle of acquaintances. He wasn’t even remotely on the same level as others his age. Mr. Gu was one of the few fathers who would willingly give up their power, and Gu Xie was one of the few sons who could not only hold their own but exceed as well. cfYdq1
“Who is that?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him before. I don’t really know the details, but it doesn’t seem like he came here with someone else.”
“Let’s wait and see. It’s possible he just returned from abroad.”
In the end, they discussed among each other, but no one dared to disturb Gu Qingchi. Gu Qingchi clearly wasn’t interested in socializing. 4hbWvy
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Old Lady Gu was still upstairs. Gu Cheng was also there, and his wife was there as well.
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Old Lady Gu nitpicked the woman’s attire from top to bottom. Meanwhile, the woman simply smiled obsequiously. She dared not refute.
Once the topic of conversation landed on the kid, the woman began to cry. She tearfully complained about how difficult it was to be a stepmother. She complained about Gu Qingchi’s disobedience. She complained about how Gu Qingchi had gone behind her back. f7wC3c
“He’s got his own ideas now. He’s already dropped out of school, started a relationship, gotten married—with a man, no less—and gotten divorced. It’s like he’s just playing around. Now, he’s gone off to become a celebrity. They’ve made such a ruckus of it all. You should really see what they’ve been saying in the papers.”
“I really don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve got no choice but to come to you.”
Old Lady Gu was painfully old-fashioned and feudalistic. All the things the woman just said had crossed her bottom line. It was absolutely unacceptable for her grandchild to drop out of school and make public family affairs. She was alright with his getting married, but it was a different matter if the other party was a man. Gay marriage may be common nowadays, but she still couldn’t bring herself to accept it.
Her walking stick fell on the ground several times. 4E10uR
Gu Cheng was still messing around with his cell phone, chatting away with someone. He didn’t really think much of this stuff. He’d done way worse himself than what was described.
“If he wants to drop out, then drop out. If he wants to get married, then get married. If he wants to divorce, then divorce. It’s not like our family doesn’t have the money.”
He’d never bothered to worry about these things, and he didn’t care if he couldn’t have kids. His mother made the decision. She brought him a child. He simply handed it off for someone else to raise. It was fine as long as he had one. His responsibility to carry on the family line could be considered complete. He was so thoughtless it was almost disgraceful.
After hearing what he’d said, the woman had to restrain herself from stomping on him. If there was no Gu Qingchi, the money in the old lady’s hands would all belong to her and Gu Cheng. If there was an extra Gu Qingchi, it would be hard to say. y2OX5K
Especially now that Gu Qingchi was divorced.
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Mrs. Gu watched from below. She couldn’t help but feel that this scene was very familiar to her. However, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. He should be standing before the piano on stage, happily performing for all to see. He should be surrounded by people in expensive suits and beautiful dresses, champagne in their hands. They should be quietly listening to him perform, gathered here all for the sake of his coming-of-age ceremony.
Mrs. Gu’s initial joy upon seeing Gu Qingchi had completely disappeared. Her face began to pale, and her head began to ache. 2J8p3y
Before she could determine whether these memories were just her imagination or whether they were actually real, the sound of breaking glass interrupted her thoughts.
Gu Qingchi’s champagne flute was knocked out of his hands, falling from the second floor and knocking over several other glasses on the table below. Fortunately, there weren’t any people standing there, but, even so, there were still a few people who screamed.
Gu Qingchi had yet to react to this new turn of events. He had just raised his head when he was suddenly met with a slap to the face.
His head tilted to the side. He stood there with his face turned sideways, and a red mark soon appeared upon his cheek. He didn’t have any reaction, seemingly a little puzzled. yFa16A
Suddenly, everyone was in an uproar. Mr. Gu and Gu Xie looked over as well. It appeared that they were trying to figure out what had happened.
Mrs. Gu’s eyes were fixed on the woman that had suddenly appeared in front of Gu Qingchi. Her nails were deeply embedded in her palms. She was like a furious female beast.
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Gu Cheng was still upstairs with Old Lady Gu. His wife had come down early.
She didn’t like Gu Qingchi. When he was a child, she could simply hand him off to a nanny and pretend that he didn’t exist. She’d never even so much as thought about this child. It was only once he’d shown up on television and gotten divorced that she’d realized the seriousness of the matter. I0wXZb
When she saw Gu Qingchi, she recalled all the times she’d been left in the cold. Gu Qingchi’s face gave her a great sense of crisis. She was determined to make him lose face in front of everyone that was here. She was going to push everything onto Gu Qingchi.
Gu Qingchi had been brought to her place not long after he was born. At that time, she’d done as the old lady said and announced to the world that she was pregnant. In everyone else’s eyes, Gu Qingchi was still her child, and it was only natural for a mother to discipline her child. No one knew that Gu Qingchi had been brought to her by Old Lady Gu. Everyone would simply believe that it was Gu Qingchi who had done something to anger her.
However, she had just finished giving him a slap, and the numbness in her hands had yet to completely dissipate.
Suddenly, another crash sounded from the first floor hall. Someone had knocked over one of the tables and rushed up the stairs like a gust of wind. Mrs. Gu staggered a bit on the stairs and lost one of her heels, but she was still moving incredibly fast. 6LXGVZ
Gu Xie and Mr. Gu’s expressions changed upon seeing this, the two of them immediately following after her.
Gu Qingchi’s head was still turned to the side. He hadn’t moved at all. He seemed a little slow to react.
Mrs. Gu soon arrived by Gu Qingchi’s side. Her earrings were swinging wildly.
She forcefully shoved aside the woman in front of Gu Qingchi, who was wearing high heels. Having been shoved, she stumbled back a few steps and fell to the ground. JMvkRI
Mrs. Gu then took Gu Qingchi into her arms. She rubbed his back and murmured into his ear like a mother reassuring a child.
“Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid. Mom is here. Mom is here.”
She was much shorter than Gu Qingchi. Her head only reached his chest when she hugged him. One foot was bare, and the other was clad in a beautiful high-heeled shoe. Despite the tears streaming down her face, she clearly wore a mother’s smile.
Gu Qingchi let her hug him. He lowered his head, his hair swooping down. One side of his face was red and swollen. zEDLc1
It wasn’t until Mr. Gu and Gu Xie arrived that he finally looked up. His eyes were like those of a little animal in mourning.
Mr. Gu stepped forward, trying to pull his wife away, but Mrs. Gu began shrieking upon being touched, agonizing, heart-rending shrieks.
Mr. Gu had no choice but to let go.
Translator’s Note: koUIT0
Happy April Fools! I don’t have a joke chapter prepared (too much work), but I hope everyone has a lovely day!
Chrysanthemum Garden.
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