Mistaken Canary Chapter 21
Chapter 21
That damned Ying Tongchen, how dare he try to fob him off with wholesale mooncakes from the supermarket?!
Zhuo Shu was pissed—seriously pissed. His expression darkened as he called Mi Shu. "Forget the house for now!"
"Understood." Having long grown used to her boss’s occasional fits, Mi Shu remained unfazed. "What about the car?"
"Have it sent to my apartment garage for now." Zhuo Shu decided to leave some room for negotiation—if Ying Tongchen behaved better next time, the car might still be his.
During dinner, Zhuo Zi suddenly asked, "Got any plans for National Day?"
Zhuo Shu: "Work."
Zhuo Fu: "Attending an old classmates’ reunion."
Mu Qing: "Watching the esports tournament. K.F.C has a real shot at the championship this time!"
Zhuo Zi: "I want to go on a solo vacation."
The three of them said in unison, "No."
"Why not?" Zhuo Zi was displeased. "I’m already in high school—why can’t I go on a spontaneous trip alone?"
"The outside world is dangerous," Mu Qing said. "Why don’t you come watch the tournament with me instead? Esports can show you a different kind of scenery."
"Why are you trying to get our daughter to watch video games? Don’t distract her from her studies." Zhuo Fu glanced at Zhuo Zi. "If you want to travel, you can."
"Really?!" Zhuo Zi looked at her father expectantly.
"Yeah, my old classmates’ reunion is out of town. You can come with me."
"…" Zhuo Zi turned to Zhuo Shu. "Are you thinking of taking me too? Actually, I’d rather just come with you."
Zhuo Shu had no objections—letting her come was fine, especially with employees keeping an eye on her. He was about to agree when he suddenly remembered—he had invited Liu Li’ang as a special guest. If Zhuo Zi showed up at the event, who knew what kind of trouble she’d cause?
"You’d better stick to your own trip. Just don’t go too far. Plan an itinerary and send it to me for review. Budget wisely and remember to give me a detailed breakdown."
Zhuo Zi: "..."
She sent a message in the class group chat, calling for travel companions. In no time, three girls responded, and they were in the midst of discussing destinations when their homeroom teacher suddenly popped up.
[Teacher Ying]: Stay safe during your National Day trip. If you’re going on a self-guided tour, have a representative send me a detailed itinerary, including bus and subway routes.
Zhuo Zi: "..."
Zhuo Zi: "!!!"
Was this... that legendary tacit understanding? Had she just stumbled upon this impossibly niche CP, again?
But shipping alone was a cold, lonely road. So, she messaged her deskmate privately to spill the tea on this mind-blowing find.
[A'Zi is waiting for her Mr. Qiao]: I’ve started shipping a CP. I know it’s impossible, but the more I think about it, the more delicious it gets. The worst part? I desperately want to convince others to ship it too. But the problem is... they’re people I actually know. I can’t let anyone find out. What do I do?!
[Deskmate]: I've got the perfect answer for you!
[A'Zi is waiting for her Mr. Qiao]: What is it? Spill!
[Deskmate]: Ever heard of fanfics?
[A'Zi is waiting for her Mr. Qiao]: Brilliant.
The three-day Mid-Autumn holiday was drawing to a close. On Sunday evening, after dinner, Ying Tongchen hailed a cab back to his apartment.
Once home, he checked the class group chat and saw that quite a few students had already formed teams for self-guided trips—some had even submitted detailed itineraries.
Although these kids might not stick to their plans entirely, making them research their destinations in advance at least ensured they wouldn’t be completely lost when they arrived.
Just then, a notice popped up in the faculty group chat regarding National Day holiday schedules and safety reminders. He forwarded the message to the parents’ group.
The parents began discussing their National Day plans. A lot of them were business owners, instinctively seeking potential partners, making the parents' group chat a prime networking hub. As a result, this group was often quite active.
Most parents had already disclosed their line of work, openly exchanging opportunities. Yet, there was one parent who rarely engaged in conversation—though whenever he did, he left an impression no one could forget.
Curiosity about what exactly Zhuo Zi’s family did for a living remained unanswered. More than that, many were eager for a heart-to-heart with this enigmatic parent about their life experiences...
{@[Zhuo Zi’s Parent], Father Zhuo, what are your plans for National Day? 😏}
{@[Zhuo Zi’s Parent], we’ve put together a dinner gathering for class committee parents—care to join us?}
In the past, some had tagged [Zhuo Zi’s Parent], but after his rather... unconventional appearance in the chat last time, he had chosen to remain silent. Because of this, most pinged him as a joke, never expecting a response.
Yet this time, contrary to all expectations, he actually replied.
Truly, what one retains in one's mind will eventually resonate.
[Zhuo Zi’s Parent]: Thanks for the invite, but I have something to attend to. Cheers to our friendship.jpg
[Zhuo Zi’s Parent]: By the way, did you all eat the mooncakes the school sent?
[Bu Xuexi’s Parent]: Just took a small bite, didn’t finish it.
[You Diansha’s Parent]: We have way too many mooncakes at home, it’s impossible to finish them all.
[Xiang Fangjia’s Parent]: Didn’t eat them.
Zhuo Shu: "..." So I’m the only one who ate those bargain-bin mooncakes? Even Zhuo Zi didn’t bother with them.
That damn Ying Tongchen!
At this moment, the homeroom teacher joined the group chat.
[Homeroom Teacher]: I had some and thought they were quite good.
Zhuo Shu froze for a moment, his gaze shifting back to the several mooncakes on the table. He had just eaten one but the taste was rather mediocre. Instinctively, he opened another one and took a bite. The taste was odd.
Ugh, it’s really awful.
He would make this sinner pay!
Zhuo Shu switched to his private account and sent a WeChat message to Ying Tongchen: {Wimbledon.}
The reply came back instantly: {Okay.}
Coat in hand, Zhuo Shu headed out. As he passed Zhuo Zi's room, he was met with the sound of her loud, raucous laughter as she stared at her computer screen. Clearing his throat, he called out, "Minors shouldn’t be looking at strange things."
Zhuo Zi jumped, quickly covering her computer screen, and shouted back, "Mind your own business!"
Zhuo Shu simply left without looking back, heading towards Wimbledon. Ying Tongchen hadn’t arrived yet, so he decided to take a shower first.
After he was done, and Ying Tongchen still hadn't shown up, Zhuo Shu called him on his phone.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"At the door, open up."
Zhuo Shu walked to the door, all light and happy, fixed his bathrobe collar, casually adjusted his hair, and opened the door with a look of disdain.
When he saw Ying Tongchen, his expression softened, and the corners of his eyes lifted slightly. "Nice glasses."
"You picked them," Ying Tongchen replied, adjusting his glasses frame, inadvertently brushing against the chain and causing it to swing lightly. "Aren’t you going to let me in?"
Zhuo Shu stepped aside, closed the door, and followed him in, asking, "Have you eaten?"
"I have," Ying Tongchen said, walking in while unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it onto the couch. "I showered before coming here. Ready to go?"
Zhuo Shu: "…" No matter how many times I’ve seen it, every time he takes off his clothes in front of me, my ‘junior’ and I can’t help but stand up and cheer!
Zhuo Shu stepped forward, took off his glasses, and leaned in for a kiss. Ying Tongchen's hands gently went up to his shoulders, his eyes drifting closed.
The atmosphere quickly intensified. Zhuo Shu wrapped his arms around him, backing toward the edge of the bed, his hand reaching for his belt. Then, without warning, a wave of nausea washed over him, and he shoved the man away in a panic.
Ying Tongchen opened his eyes, confused, as he watched Zhuo Shu rush toward the bathroom.
Zhuo Shu: "Ugh."
Ying Tongchen: "…"
He actually threw up while kissing him... he... threw... up...
Ying Tongchen stood by the bathroom door, watching him with a cold stare.
Zhuo Shu struggled to turn around. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It definitely wasn't the kiss that caused this! Ugh..."
Ying Tongchen turned and walked away.
Zhuo Shu wore a pained expression. "It’s really not your–ugh, I swear! Don’t go... the room’s already booked..."
A moment later, Ying Tongchen reappeared at the door, handing him a bottle of mineral water.
After quickly rinsing his mouth, Zhuo Shu, determined to prove the kiss wasn't the cause, quickly stood up and pulled Ying Tongchen into a hug. "Let me kiss you again."
Ying Tongchen firmly placed his hand over Zhuo Shu's mouth.
Zhuo Shu: QAQ
Zhuo Shu wanted to explain, but his body wasn’t cooperating as he ran back to hug the toilet.
Ying Tongchen observed for a while, then walked over, lifted Zhuo Shu's bathrobe, and examined his chest. His skin was flushed and irritated, with small red bumps forming.
"This looks like an allergic reaction. What did you eat tonight?"
"Just regular stuff," Zhuo Shu recalled for a moment. "Oh, and I ate the mooncakes you gave me."
Ying Tongchen opened the faculty group chat, scrolled through the messages, found the picture of the mooncake, and zoomed in on the ingredients. "The mooncake hasn't expired... Five nuts, salted egg yolk and lotus seed paste... oh no," he said, "there's also a lobster flavored one…"
Zhuo Shu: "..."
Zhuo Shu: "Arghh! Ugh!!!"
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TL Note: Ying Tongchen is Zhuo Shu’s doomstar lolol
Oh and to allow y’alls to get a clearer image, the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture; its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year. It’s on the 15th of the 8th lunar month.
The most common tradition of Mid-Autumn Festival is consuming and gifting mooncakes. They are usually given in sets, each one can be a varying flavor. Usually it's bean paste, salted egg yolk and lotus seed paste, and mixed-nut…. This is the first time I’ve heard of a lobster filling though—I’ve seen ice cream and durian stuff and thought the latter was weird enough lol.
For those who have read my other translation, Chang’an Small Restaurant, yes, I’m recycling the same explanation, images, and video lol - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbDlwM98FA4