RALP Chapter 58.2

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Shen Chen’s laptop screen goes black in the hospital.

Today his mother is finally home, so he can start dealing with his business work as usual. His mailbox is full of emails already.

With impeccable efficiency his fingers tap endlessly on the keyboard.

Some time later, when he was finished with most of the emails, the door opens.

If it were the doctor or nurse they would have knocked, so he thinks it’s secretary Dong, here with his lunch, and orders, “put it on the table. I’ll eat later.”

“You shouldn’t. You should eat while it’s still hot. It will go stale when it’s cold.”

Shen Chen pauses, and his face twitches looking up, “father, why are you here?”

The last time his mother was there to save him from his father’s poison, but it seems he has kept it in mind all this time, and picked a time when his mother was absent to come for him.

He was glad his mother went home earlier this morning, and now he’s lamenting it already.

“Since your mother’s taking a rest, it’s my turn of course,” he says, as he sits down on the chair and opens the cap to the vacuum bottle.

Shen Chen rubs between his brows, “just go home. I have a personal caretaker and the secretary can help too.”

“Oh,” his father says, “it’s nothing. I’m just cooking for you.”

Shen Chen “…”

That’s exactly the last thing he wanted him to do.

He lays out the meals one by one, and a peculiar scent starts to fill the room.

The cook himself is striking a confident pose, “I’ve looked it up and you needed calcium for fractured bones, so I’ve made a bone stew. It will help you get well soon.”

Shen Chen is certain it will have the exact opposite effect.

His father hurries him, “come on, eat while it’s hot.”

Shen Chen’s heart is dead looking at the dishes in front of him.

There is another knock on the door.

His father has left the door slightly open, so it swings open a little more.

A voice from outside says, “excuse me, can I come in?”

The monotone voice practically put a glow on Shen Chen’s face.

Both for Du You coming to see him and for helping to stop this delayed murder.

Though he does not show any of it. He says indifferently, “come in.”

Du You can smell the meal as soon as he comes in. He nods towards Shen Chen’s father in front of his bed, “chef.”

He seems quite pleased to see him, “oh, Youyou, come come, take a seat.”

Du You asks, “are you eating?”

“Ye…”

“No…”

The voices collide, and the father and son glance over at the other.

“Yes, eating,” his father says, determined.

Though he only made a single portion today, which is definitely insufficient for Du You.

So the chef rolls up his sleeves, “you haven’t eaten, have you? I’ll make some more and come back,” he says, exiting on his own, “you guys can have a chat in the meantime. See you.”

He gives his son a thumbs up from behind just before he leaves as well.

——There’s the opportunity. The rest is up to you.

What a familiar scene.

The door closes, and only two people are left in the room.

Du You takes a seat and looks over the meals in front of him. There’s rice, vegetable and soup. The chef must have poured his heart into it.

Though it sure is the first time he has seen a human capable of consuming the chef’s meals.

Du You tells Shen Chen, “it’s fine. You can start,” and puts his presents to the side.

Shen Chen was quiet for a bit before lifting the wooden chopsticks.

He didn’t want to appear too reluctant in front of Du You, like some picky kid. That would be immature.

So Shen Chen takes a bite of the rice, slowly chewing as if savouring it.

The rice is edible, at least; alas, only the rice is edible.

But it would have been strange to just eat rice alone. When he starts looking at the ‘stir-fry,’ he can’t help but start shaking, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Du You notices his discomfort, “you can’t eat it?”

The first time he went to the chef’s restaurant, that’s exactly how assistant Xiao reacted as well.

“Of course… I can,” he resolves himself and picks up a piece of meat.

But his hand is pushed back down again.

Du You tells him, “don’t force yourself.”

He really was forcing himself, but he didn’t want to show his weakness in front of others.

Especially if that ‘others’ includes Du You.

But before he can reassure himself further, Du You takes his chopsticks away.

“Can I have it?” Du You asks.

Shen Chen seems shocked, “what?”

“If you don’t like it, I can have it.”

Du You is firmly opposed to being wasteful.

Shen Chen is speechless.

True, he barely started eating, but he did use them. Even if it were his parents he wouldn’t have eaten from utensils they’d used.

“You can’t,” Shen Chen says, “I’ve used it already.”

Du You does not understand how that follows.

So he looks down at the meal before asking Shen Chen again, “I can’t?”

Shen Chen is knitting his brows, “you don’t mind eating what others has touched?”

“Why should I?”

Shen Chen chokes on his words.

And Du You looks like he’s completely fine just using the same pair of chopsticks too.

Shen Chen can feel his face burning up when he thought of it that way, and takes the chopsticks away from him, “no means no.”

Du You cannot understand.

Why is he insisting on this when he is clearly put off by the food.

Or was he reading the situation wrong?

Du You, never that confident in his ability to ‘read the atmosphere,’ does not push the issue.

Shen Chen continues to eat with robotic movements.

As he was now paying zero attention to the food, he actually manages to bypass his taste buds and finish all of it.

Then, Du You takes the profiteroles out, “here, dessert.”

Shen Chen is looking at it like a person lost in desert would water.

He takes it, and tries to suppress himself from immediately ripping the packaging to shreds, “did you come just to visit today?”

Du You recalls his purpose, “I’m here to report as well.”

“Report?”

“I tried following the advice you gave before.”

Shen Chen recalls that a few days ago, Du You told him he was confessed to and so he advised him to avoid the person for a period of time.

He didn’t expect him to actually follow on his advice as is, and asks hesitantly, “how did it go?”

Du You reports on the direct consequence, “I’ve agreed to go out with him.”

Suddenly, the box containing the profiteroles gets crunched up.

Midday, the sun is shining brightly on the crowded street. The spring sun is neither as pale as the winter sun nor as hot as the summer sun.

Under the warm rays of the sun, the silver hair of a young man is glittering from the light.

Ryan’s nose twitches.

He still remembers his lover’s order, that he must not show his tail or ears, so he has them concealed.

He is quick, reaching the CBD in just over ten minutes after leaving the house. He followed the scent of his lover here where it’s the strongest.

But there’s also too much foot traffic in this area now. The great amount of scents in this small area is severely affecting his judgment now.

Then a spike of cheap, irritating eau de toilette makes him sneeze hard.

Meanwhile, the man is also garnering a lot of attention.

His shoulder length silver hair is unkempt. He is chiselled in the northern European kind of form. He has a tall nose and his dark green pupils look as if they will suck one’s soul in.

He is naked save for his pair of pants.

But the people were not mystified for long due to his attractive appearance. They conclude it must be some activity or something some brand is hosting and they’ve hired this foreigner as a model.

Since this is where most of the city’s foot traffic occurs, there’s a lot of business plazas nearby.

There’s for example jeweller’s that hire handsome men and beautiful women in formal wear decked out with their jewellery walking about the CBD to attract customers.

There are also models striking poses by cars hired by car dealerships.

The location is also where many modern, or beautiful buildings are in the city, so it is also where many livestreamers choose as background for their videos.

Therefore, while the man is eye-catching at the moment, none of them question why he’s here doing nothing.

Normally Ryan would not have stayed somewhere for a long time.

But he stood there when he noticed his lover’s scent suddenly heading off far away to another location.

He is sniffing to try to make out the direction. When he does, he happens to lock eyes with many of the people with black hair and black eyes.

They would all look away when their gazes met.

And Ryan is not conscious of it himself.

When he was ready to leave in the direction he determined, someone stops him.

“He-, hello,” the girl in student uniform with her face flushed and a phone in hand continues, “are you a model? Can I take a photo with you?”

Then, she repeats herself in broken English.

Model? Take a photo?

Ryan does not understand, and instead, he leans over slightly, taking a sniff of her hair.

She is obviously not expecting such a bold move and her heart skips a beat. She is both nervous and frightened, frozen on the spot.

Ryan smiles, showing his canines, “can I help you?”

Uuu, he can speak Chinese, and his voice is ear-melting too.

She gathers her courage and stand beside him seeing his friendly demeanour. Then, as she makes a ‘V’ with her hand, her friend standing a bit away quickly takes a photo for her.

“Thanks!” She blurts out before quickly leaving with her friend.

Ryan “?”

He has no idea what just happened.

But he was never one to question things he doesn’t understand. He is going to leave now.

That is when someone grabs his arm.

Ryan looks around to see a young man with black hair and black eyes.

He asks with an exasperated tone, “Ryan, why are you here?”

He is about one head shorter than Ryan, about the height of the girl just now. Ryan can only see the top of his head right now.

Who was it again?

There’s too many people with black eyes and hair here. Besides his lover almost all of them look the same to him.

The boy tries to drag him away, “come with me.”

Ryan follows, asking, “who are you?”

The boy goes stiff, then looks back around in disbelief.

What in the world was he asking?

This werewolf that was so hell-bent on taking him back to his tribe and for him to be his wife has forgotten him?! Forgotten Xiao Tiantian?!

How dare he?!

His black hair is gently resting over his face. His petite teeth biting into his cute red lips, “have you forgotten about me?”

Ryan tilts his head, and asks again, “who are you?”

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TL’s notes: We’ll be getting an update on how Xiao Tiantian has fared since Qin Ge sliced his home to smithereens in the next few chapters I think. Hehe. I know I shouldn’t laugh but…