Mistaken Canary Chapter 31
Chapter 31
The hurried footsteps echoed in the fire escape.
The two of them raced downward, their speed increasing as they descended twenty-some floors. Zhuo Shu’s head was spinning by the time they reached the bottom.
Just as Ying Tongchen opened the door for emergency exit, his arm was suddenly yanked back, and he stumbled into Zhuo Shu’s embrace.
"Wait a minute, I’m a bit dizzy." Zhuo Shu murmured, his eyes closed.
Ying Tongchen, puzzled, asked, "But don’t you go to the gym frequently?"
"That doesn’t mean I’m immune to dizziness," Zhuo Shu stilled his head, waiting a moment until the spinning subsided. He released Ying Tongchen and said, "Let’s go."
"How do you feel now?" Ying Tongchen still looked concerned, tilting his head to examine Zhuo Shu’s complexion. It lacked the flushed glow of post-exercise and was instead unnervingly pale.
He cupped Zhuo Shu's face with his hands and immediately pressed firmly into the center, squeezing his cheeks together. "You feel a bit cold."
"Uum?" Zhuo Shu blinked, his eyes widening as he glanced down at his puffed-up lips, still trying to process what just happened. Before he could fully grasp the situation, a pair of warm lips pressed against his own.
Smooch~
Ying Tongchen: "Artificial respiration."
Ying Tongchen pulled back slightly, his fingers gently brushing against Zhuo Shu’s cheek. After a moment, he nodded in approval. "Mm, that should do it. Your temperature’s back up."
Zhuo Shu stared at him, dumbfounded, for a long while. Then he closed his eyes and puckered up his lips again.
"There’s no time, let’s go." Ying Tongchen urged, tugging him forward and out. "We can’t let your parents see us like this."
Zhuo Shu reluctantly suppressed his discontent. As they reached the pillar in the lobby, he spotted Zhuo Fu and Mu Qing standing at the hotel entrance, scanning the area, clearly searching for them.
He immediately turned around, pulling Ying Tongchen into an embrace. "Shh, they’re by the door."
"What? Then what do we do now?" Ying Tongchen asked, surprised.
Just then, a couple passed by, glancing at the two men holding each other tightly. Seeing Ying Tongchen’s white lab coat, the couple exchanged meaningful smiles with Zhuo Shu.
Zhuo Shu: "..."
Ying Tongchen: "..."
Standing at the entrance, Mu Qing suddenly spotted two figures drifting by, one of them wearing a white lab coat.
She adjusted the presbyopic glasses on her face, her eyes narrowing with sharp focus. Grabbing her husband, she pulled him toward the figures. "I think I see them. Hurry, let’s follow."
Zhuo Fu could have been quicker, but unfortunately, Mu Qing’s short legs were holding him back. The two of them made their way to the elevator, just in time to block the door from closing. They caught the suspects on the spot—
"Ah—huh?" Mu Qing stopped abruptly, staring blankly at the two people inside the elevator.
Zhuo Fu gently tapped her shoulder and whispered, "Even though you took my glasses, I can still see clearly. They’re a couple—one male, one female."
Inside the elevator, one of the people was a slender young woman, and the other was a man wearing a white lab coat.
"Hello, would you two like to come in?" the man said politely.
"No need, sorry to trouble you. Wishing you both a pleasant day. Goodbye." Mu Qing quickly closed the elevator doors and watched the numbers ascend.
"That’s strange," Mu Qing muttered, "Could it be that we’ve gotten so old that we don’t even recognize our own son anymore?"
"Seems like it." Zhuo Fu pointed to the thermos in her hand. "And weren’t you supposed to bring chicken soup to the kids in K.F.C.?"
Mu Qing slapped her forehead. "Oh, right! I completely forgot. They've been traveling these past few days, so they can only live-stream from the hotel. I need to go up and check on them."
After the elevator descended again, the two of them stepped inside and pressed the button for the 28th floor.
…
The dining manager, who was off duty, walked by and greeted the front desk staff. One of the receptionists gave a polite smile and beckoned him over discreetly.
"Are you on the night shift today?" the dining manager asked. When they nodded in confirmation, he sighed. "Ah, best of luck—Huh? What was that just now?"
The receptionist immediately blocked his view, smiling sweetly. "Nothing, you didn’t see anything."
"Clearly, two men just crawled out from under your desk!" The manager was startled, and when he shifted, he saw two tall, long-legged men suddenly stand up and dash for the door, their backs facing him.
The manager’s eyes widened in shock. He turned back to look at the receptionists, lowering his voice. "You two are too... How could you hide those men here? Can’t you book a room upstairs? Oh wait, I guess you can’t afford one."
The two receptionists: "..."
Zhuo Shu and Ying Tongchen slumped into their car seats, letting out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
They exchanged a glance and then burst into laughter.
"What the heck was that?" Ying Tongchen chuckled helplessly.
"It seems even the hotel isn’t safe anymore," Zhuo Shu sighed. "Once the villa paperwork is done, we should head straight there."
Ying Tongchen asked, "So, what now?"
"Continue?" Zhuo Shu asked uncertainly.
"Forget it, we’ve already given the costume away," Ying Tongchen yawned. "Let's just go our separate ways for now."
Zhuo Shu remained silent.
Ying Tongchen opened the car door, then, as if struck by a thought, withdrew his foot and turned to ask, "By the way, how did you explain the marks on your neck to your parents?"
Zhuo Shu hesitated, his lips twitching as he struggled for an answer. After a long pause, he mumbled, "Oh, I just kind of... brushed it off. They’re easy to fool."
"Really?" Ying Tongchen pointed upwards. "If they’re so easy to fool, why did they show up at the entrance of the hotel waiting for you?"
"That’s exactly what I want to know," Zhuo Shu said, perplexed. Before leaving, Zhuo Fu had specifically reminded him to bring the necessities. How had it gone from that to them showing up at the hotel, bringing chicken soup no less?
"Maybe they were worried you were weak in health and wanted to bring you some soup to make up for it?" Zhuo Shu speculated.
"..." Ying Tongchen ruffled his hair, a look of exasperation crossing his face. "Who’s the weak one here? You almost passed out after running a few flights of stairs."
"How is that just a few flights? It’s almost thirty stories, that’s incredibly high!" Zhuo Shu clutched his chest with a dramatic gasp. "Ugh, just thinking about it gives me shortness of breath... I desperately need some artificial respiration to recover."
Ying Tongchen faintly smiled, clearly enjoying the show.
"Help, save me," Zhuang Shu leaned forward, puckering his lips, and then he ended up kissing the phone screen.
Click.
Zhuo Shu was startled back to his senses.
Ying Tongchen took back his phone, glanced at the photo, and laughed. He held the screen up for Zhuo Shu to see. "Look, doesn’t it look like a hungry pig?"
Zhuo Shu’s expression tightened. "Delete it."
"Not gonna happen."
"Name your price. How much to delete it?" Zhuo Shu adopted a negotiation stance, determined.
"Since you’re asking so earnestly, then I won’t be polite," Ying Tongchen said, nodding in agreement.
Zhuang Shu shot him a glance. "Alright, spit it out. What’s the price?"
"In the afternoon, Auntie Lin called me. She said her pipes broke and asked if you could help fix them," Ying Tongchen said innocently, looking at him.
Zhuang Shu fell silent for a moment, veins twitching as he let out a furious snort. "I'm not going! No way! If someone’s going, it’s you!"
"Alright then, no need to delete the photo either." Ying Tongchen smirked, nudging the car door open with his foot. "I'll head home on my own. Drive safely."
…
Ying Tongchen spent the day resting at home, called a plumber for Auntie Lin, and then returned to work at the studio.
The holiday was officially over.
The next day, everyone had to return to their posts.
Though the students’ minds hadn’t fully adjusted back to school mode, the sight of test papers and textbooks left them with no choice but to buckle down and study.
"Reporting," Zhuo Zi called out.
Ying Tongchen sat in his office preparing lesson plans, not even looking up as he responded, "Come in."
Zhuo Zi placed collected homework on his desk and couldn't help but sigh as she watched him write with such focus.
How did I end up shipping my brother and my teacher?
Such a great teacher—was that old dog Zhuo even worthy of him?
Absolutely not!
When Ying Tongchen looked up, he saw this teenage girl wearing the weary expression of someone deep in a midlife crisis. "What's wrong? Something on your mind?"
"Sigh." Zhuo Zi let out a long, heavy sigh. "Teacher, take care of yourself."
Ying Tongchen: "?"
"Oh, right. Wait a moment," Ying Tongchen said, opening a drawer and retrieving a necklace devoid of packaging, placing it on the desk. "You did well on the last monthly exam, so consider this your reward. I’m not sure if this is a good style—I bought a few for my relatives and ended up with extras by accident."
Zhuo Zi's eyes lit up in delight when she saw it—it was a necklace from a well-known luxury brand. She hesitated before pushing it back. "This is a bit too expensive, I can't accept it."
"If you don’t take it, it'll just sit here unused. And isn’t your birthday coming up? Think of it as an early gift. Keep up the good work for the next exam," Ying Tongchen said.
"Hehe, then I won’t stand on ceremony," Zhuo Zi grinned, accepting the necklace. She was about to say something when Ying Tongchen cut her off.
"No need to get me anything in return. And next time, don’t give me such expensive gifts for Teacher’s Day, understood?"
"Got it! Thank you, Mr. Ying!"
After Zhuo Zi left in high spirits, Fu Lu slid her chair over with a teasing smirk. "Mr. Ying, aren’t you afraid that the young lady might develop a crush on you?"
"She won’t," Ying Tongchen replied with certainty.
"Why not?"
Ying Tongchen looked up, reminiscing for a moment before saying, "The way she looks at me—it’s full of maternal love, like a doting mother."
Fu Lu: "…" Never heard that one before!
…
Once back home in the evening, Ying Tongchen followed his usual routine of working late into the night. After putting the documents away, he massaged his neck and scrolled absentmindedly through his phone.
For some reason, he found himself opening Zhuo Shu’s social Moments. That was when he noticed that Zhuo Shu had gone on a business trip that afternoon.
Forget it. Might as well just wash up and go to sleep.
That Saturday afternoon, Ying Tongchen suddenly received a call from Meng Gong, saying that Zhen Mingxin was about to start filming a variety show and wanted to treat them to a meal.
After tidying up at home, he headed to the venue.
When he pushed open the private room door, Meng Gong and Zhen Mingxin were kissing.
Ying Tongchen: "......."
The three of them: "..." Whatever, they were used to it.
Meng Gong reluctantly let go of his partner and poured Ying Tongchen a glass of wine. "Xiōngdì, this one's for you."
"For me?" Ying Tongchen asked.
"That's right." Meng Gong glanced at Zhen Mingxin. "If you hadn't opened our eyes, we would have really just treated each other as xiōngdì. But as it turns out, we CAN fall in love with a xiōngdì, we CAN cross boundaries with a xiōngdì, and we CAN feel the warmth of a xiōngdì’s rectum."
"......"
His words sounded a bit strange, but Ying Tongchen couldn't come up with a reason to counter them, so he just clinked his glass and drank the toast.
Zhen Mingxin's little face turned red, and he raised his glass as well. "Ying ge, I toast you too. Thank you for your righteous act back then, and for introducing me to Meng Meng."
The food hadn't even fully arrived, and Ying Tongchen had already drunk two toasts in thanks for being a matchmaker. Throughout the meal, the two across the table behaved as if no one else was around, constantly displaying their affection.
Ying Tongchen turned a blind eye, focused on eating, and endured to the end of this "dog food*" treat.
(TLN: eating dog food is when you’re being forced to watch other’s PDA.)
Afterward, Zhen Mingxin suggested finding another place to continue to hangout, but Ying Tongchen directly refused. "I won't bother you guys. You focus on filming the variety show, and stay safe outdoors."
"No problem!" Zhen Mingxin pumped his fist. "I'll make sure to get famous this time, surpassing Liu Li'ang!"
Ying Tongchen was taken aback. "Why bring him up all of a sudden?"
"Huh?" Zhen Mingxin scratched his head and gave a silly grin. "I just feel like you're not very fond of him, Ying ge, and since I don't like him either, I must surpass him."
Ying Tongchen instinctively wanted to rebut, but when he opened his mouth, the words slipped out uncontrollably. "I don't like him, so yes, do your best."
"Got it!"
With a final farewell to the enthusiastic couple, Ying Tongchen, feeling the effects of the drinks, opted for a leisurely walk to aid digestion instead of driving.
Just as he started down the sidewalk, his phone buzzed with an unexpected call. He glanced at the caller's name, raised an eyebrow, and swiped to answer. "What's up?"
"Why are you calling again?" The man's voice was languid, though some background noise was audible. "Didn't I say not to contact me unless it's something important? Why are you being so disobedient?"
"?" Ying Tongchen asked, "Did a donkey kick your head?"
"I've warned you so many times, stop saying such cheesy things," Zhuo Shu said with a faint chuckle. "I don’t have much patience for clingy people."
Ying Tongchen rolled his eyes. "What exactly do you want?"
"What? You’re going for a sexy style today?" Zhuo Shu shook his head helplessly. "Fine, seeing how hard you're trying, I'll let you come out and have some fun."
"If there's nothing else, hang up." Ying Tongchen couldn't be bothered to entertain this drama queen.
"You know Opulen Club, no? Come over," Zhuo Shu said with a scoff. "Remember your place—don’t cling to me too much, got it?"
Without giving Ying Tongchen a chance to refuse, he hung up the phone. On the other end, Zhuo Shu turned to the other men around him, flashing a helpless smile. "Ugh, this person is just too clingy, always following me wherever I go. It’s such a hassle."
Ying Tongchen looked at the freshly received message on WeChat.
[Zhuo Shu]: Come on, come on, come on [beckoning finger]
‘Opulen,’ huh? ‘Have some fun’, huh?
Ying Tongchen's gaze sharpened, his eyes narrowing with a dark glimmer.
He looked up, and right across from him was the entrance to the city's largest playground for the elite—Opulen.