SBHA Chapter 29

Chapter 29. There’s One Thing I Have To Do

Song Qi didn’t show much of a reaction to his younger brother’s words. Even if he’d been stabbed right where it hurts the most, he would still be able to keep his calm.

Because from what he’d seen, Song Yan’s current satisfaction in himself wasn’t very sincere. He himself wouldn’t feel jealous just ‘cause others had a “harmonious life” – what was there to be jealous about? Anyone can take an Alpha or an Omega drowning in the grasp of pheromones to and fro the brink of oblivion to their own heart’s content – everything was the effect of the pheromones.

He was not at all jealous; it was at most only unsightly on the eyes.

Song Qi didn’t continue the topic, he instead asked Song Yan about the theater.

“You’ve been really incredible lately; without ignoring the matters of the company, you’d even dabbled out a theater and arranged a stage play. Learned the art of splitting yourself, have you?” Song Qi teased.

He’d heard the matter of his younger brother’s stage play being extremely successful, but he didn’t at all believe that Song Yan’s acting skills were really at the point of turning the fire on the stove green*. But being able to get the matter done was already enough.

* 爐火純青 – idiom; literally “the stove fire has turned bright green”; it’s an allusion to Daoist alchemy; means “bring to the point of perfection” (left it in b/c interesting idiom XD)

Song Yan couldn’t help but laugh. This situation of his was really not much different from splitting himself. He and Yu Ze had been somewhat flustered at the beginning, but their rapport had been getting better and better towards the end – these matters hadn’t been done by him alone, they had been done by the two of them together!

This was the effect of one plus one being greater than two!

Song Yan held back from showing off and said, “Of course it’s not splitting the body; I just tried especially hard, is all.”

Song Qi laughed; he felt that this younger brother of his wasn’t telling the truth. But that didn’t matter at all.

When the banquet ended, a large group of relatives and friends left. Song Qi had Lu Qiu Yi go back first.

Lu Qiu Yi immediately nodded, but he still asked, “Will you be coming over today?”

“It’s too late tonight,” Song Qi said indifferently, “perhaps in two days.”

A trace of disappointment flashed across Lu QIu Yi’s face, but he still nodded before falling silent.

Song Yan was also in the hall going through the social niceties and sending off the guests.

The uncle and auntie from the Zhou Family especially made their way over to speak a few words with Song Yan. Zhou Meng Ye also came over.

He had been looking for Song Yan throughout the entire day, but Song Yan had obviously been avoiding him. Song Yan had even disappeared for a period of time in the afternoon; Zhou Meng Ye had a vague suspicion, but the mere thought made him uncomfortable.

He stood in front of Song Yan, and while his face was slightly flushed from the wine, his gaze was yet very steady as he smiled and said, “I’ve arranged to go with Sis Su Xia and the others on a vacation to an island in Oceania; we’ll be using my Dad’s plane. Will you be coming with us?”

Song Yan could see the feelings in Zhou Meng Ye’s eyes. If it was the past, perhaps he’d feel proud of himself. But when he remembered that Zhou Meng Ye had used this same gaze to look at Yu Ze and had used this same tone to talk to Yu Ze, and that this was what Yu Ze had experienced when he himself wasn’t in his own body – Song Yan indescribably felt somewhat unhappy.

“I don’t have time next week,” Song Yan’s reply was brisk and to the point.

“I’m going to be very busy these days, so I won’t be going on a vacation in the summer,” he added by way of an explanation.

Zhou Meng Ye felt that the “Older Bro Song Yan” today seemed particularly impatient. In the past, even if Song Yan had hesitated to speak his mind, his attitude had always been very gentle; not at all as unyielding he was today.

However, what Zhou Meng Ye had was patience. He himself knew that his timing hadn’t been good this time around; after all, he had arrived later than Yu Ze. But he was extremely clear as to where his own advantage was, and so he thus wasn’t the least bit discouraged.

“Then, you can only wait for me to come back before getting in touch. I’m going to dive and play to my heart’s content.”

Him putting it like so, Song Yan was also unable to say, “No, we won’t be getting in touch after you come back either.” He could only nod politely: “Have a great trip.”

Song Yan’s thoughts had already flown back to Yu Ze.

But he still couldn’t immediately go back after the banquet had ended. While the guests had all left, the members of the Song Family were still there. Song Yan’s three uncles, two aunts, along with a large gaggle of cousins; everyone was still chattering away in twos and threes.

The marital status of the grandfather of the Song Family, Song Zheng Ping, was also on the more complicated side. He had married twice and had a total of four sons and two daughters. Song Ruo Zuo, being the eldest son, was now in charge of the Song Family. But perhaps due to them having the same father but different mothers, the conflicting viewpoints between them had all along never been really resolved before. And this held true to this very day.

Song Yan was right then chatting with a younger female cousin when he suddenly heard a burst of a commotion – Song Ruo Zuo and Song Yan’s third uncle had begun to argue; the voices of the two were getting louder and louder.

Fortunately, Shen Xi Jia stepped forward to separate them. Song Yan also hurriedly made his way over.

Song Ruo Zuo looked at the younger family members that surrounded them and forcibly made his expression go indifferent, “Third Bro*, you and I will go say it in front of Father.”

* informal; literally “Old Third” as in third in the family in order of birth (marking this in case I decide to change this to “Lao San” in the future)

Third uncle sarcastically said, “Father’s galloping towards ninety and you still want him to come out to force me down?”

Song Ruo Zuo dragged him away.

The others were finally less nervous upon watching them leave.

“Will you be sleeping here tonight?” Song Yan lowered his voice to ask Shen Xi Jia.

Shen Xi Jia shook her head, “Won’t. I’ll be heading back once things are all over.”

Song Yan glanced in the direction his father and third uncle had left in. Shen Xi Jia said, “No need to worry. It’s not the first time they’ve argued like this. I also don’t have the energy to worry about him – really, it wasn’t for him that I came here today.”

“I know,” Song Yan replied.

Shen Xi Jia looked at him, “You look tired as well. Go back earlier.”

Song Yan was, at this time, completely in no mood to stay with the members of the Song Family nor worry about the nervous atmosphere in the Song Family. He only wanted to immediately return to Yu Ze’s side.

He wanted to know what Yu Ze was doing, whether or not he felt unwell – he had so many things he wanted to tell Yu Ze.

It was one in the morning when Song Yan arrived at Yu Ze’s villa – well, his villa, to be more exact, as he had been decorating the place to his own liking over the past few months. But now that they’d swapped back, it could only be Yu Ze who could live in it.

But Song Yan still couldn’t bear to part with this place.

Yu Ze hadn’t slept yet. After he came back from Song Yan’s Family’s banquet, he originally wanted to go back to the place he’d lived in for a few months, but that was “Song Yan’s” villa now and so he could only go to the villa “Yu Ze” lived in.

Fortunately, he and Song Yan both had the other’s keys and passcode.

Yu Ze had been tidying up since he had come back. As there was an auntie who especially came to do the cleaning, the house was actually very neat and clean; what he’d been tidying up was the various odds and ends that Song Yan had added to the room, along with his own scripts and DVDs.

Perhaps it was the excitement still left on his body that made it so that he didn’t feel sleepy at all. Along with his every move, the scene earlier that afternoon in the Song Family’s old study would every now and then flit across his mind. At that time, he’d felt himself too disoriented; there were even a few seconds where he’d lost awareness. But now, he realized that he really did remember all the details. The fragments were already embedded in there and they’d drop down every now and then, making his mind wander for a split second. Song Yan’s voice, his movements, along with all the passionate murmurs – he remembered all of them.

Yu Ze laid on the sofa to read a script, but it was the first time it was this hard for him to process the words on the script.

Don’t know how much time had passed when a pair of hands gently touched his face. Yu Ze startled awake. Song Yan’s face was right in front of him.

“You fell asleep on the sofa,” Song Yan said in a low voice as he sat down on the edge of the sofa, “Were you waiting for me?”

Yu Ze let out a sigh of relief. He rubbed at the corners of his eyes, “I cleaned up a bit, took a bath, and wanted to look at the script for a bit.”

He had been wearing pajamas and had gradually drifted off into sleep after he’d laid down on the sofa.

Song Yan was now in front of him and pulled away the script that’d been at his side.

“You should rest on the bed.”

As Song Yan spoke, he scooped Yu Ze up in his arms and carried him into the bedroom.

Ever since Yu Ze had become an adult, never had he ever been carried like this before. He was surprised to the point that he didn’t struggle at all, all the way until Song Yan placed him down on the bed. Only then did he begin to laugh.

“What’s the matter?” Song Yan asked in a soft voice as he propped himself on top of him with his arms.

“I feel sort of like I’m dreaming. Very surreal.”

“Is it a terrifying dream or is it a beautiful dream?”

“Like the sort of dream painted by Dali*.”

* Salvador Dalí – (1901-1989) a Spanish artist known for his striking paintings; one of his best known works is “The Persistence of Memory”

Song Yan gave a chuckle; he lowered his head and touched his nose to Yu Ze’s. The tips of their noses touched; he could feel Yu Ze’s skin – just that one small dot of a nose-tip was enough to arouse him.

Their arms went around the other at the same time and then another long and deep kiss.

On this night, they again enjoyed two more spells of ecstasy. While Yu Ze was enjoying it, there was a vague of sense of unease and even guilt in his heart. Because there were still too many things he’d yet to figure out; too many things he’d yet to make clear with Song Yan.

Would they swap again? What kind of risks were they taking? The Song Family’s treatment towards him, and his attitude towards the Song Family. Were they going to live together? Or were they only going to meet up during the estrus period? There was already no need for them to be tied together anymore – had Song Yan thought about that yet? And, most importantly, what exactly was their relationship?

There wasn’t even a single answer that Yu Ze could be sure of. But pleasure with a hint of guilt was the most irresistible. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d shrugged aside his misgivings to wallow in the midst of pure ecstasy.

Never….he’d never before…….

Together, they sank into a sweet and sound sleep.

On the next morning, Yu Ze woke up very early. He carefully got up. Song Yan was still sleeping on the bed; supine, limbs ungracefully akimbo – a sleeping posture that was very domineering but also very much like that of a young, wild beast; as in oddly docile in the throes of slumber.

Yu Ze washed up, then sat on the balcony and ate breakfast as he browsed through the most recent news and gossip on his cell phone.

After some time, Song Yan sat up on the bed.

“Good morning,” he said as he looked at Yu Ze’s back.

Yu Ze turned to look back at him, “I’d rather not rush you, but now that we have changed back, there’s a great number of things to do.”

Song Yan began to laugh. He felt that Yu Ze was too embarrassed to bring up what happened last night and so he thus got right to the business matters as soon as he opened his mouth, not leaving him a chance for idle chatter.

But he still followed along with Yu Ze’s words, “What great number of things?”

“First,” Yu Ze replied, “is the matter of the villa. Everything here is yours. Which means that we have to move houses again; there’s a lot of things to be exchanged.”

“You’ve reminded me,” Song Yan said, “Yu Xin’s also leaving in two days, we’ve also to send her off.”

“I want to prepare some things for her,” Yu Ze immediately replied.

Song Yan stood up and padded over barefoot to Yu Ze’s side. Yu Ze poured him a cup of coffee. He didn’t take it but instead said, “There’s one thing I have to do before all those great number of things.”

“What?” Yu Ze asked.

Song Yan didn’t reply; he only kissed him.

Don’t know whose cell phone it was that rang very untimely. For a moment, Yu Ze couldn’t tell if it was his cell phone or was it Song Yan’s and so he reached out to touch. But Song Yan caught his hand; he didn’t want this kiss to be interrupted at all.

On the other side of the phone, Du Xin Ran waited for a long time, but no one picked up his call.  

Translator has something to say: One more chapter coming up after edits. Sorry for the wait.

Chapter 28

Chapter 30