Mistaken Canary Chapter 73 (Part 1)
Chapter 73.1
Despite all his calculations, Zhuo Shu never expected that ultimately, it would be Ying Tongchen who proposed.
An experience that was pitiful, regretful, and yet joyful all at once.
Amid the scattered applause and cheers from their family, the two pushed rings onto each other’s fingers.
Zhuo Shu quietly asked, “You went to the mall earlier to buy these rings, didn’t you?”
“Mm,” Ying Tongchen replied, eyes fixed on their matching rings faintly shimmering in the dim light.
Zhuo Shu sighed, “So you had this planned all along?”
Ying Tongchen shook his head, “I simply guessed you’d act so, and sure enough...” It was a ceremony as expected, and a failure just as anticipated. :)
Zhuo Shu gave a sheepish smile, took his hand, their fingers interlacing. “Some worries and mistakes should be forgotten.”
The corners of Ying Tongchen’s mouth twitched. “Definitely a proposal day to remember.”
The two whispered quietly to each other, while on the other side, Mu Qing saw that the rings had been successfully put on and knew the mission was accomplished. She immediately shouted, “Ceremony complete! Cue the music!”
Zhuo Fu and Tei Cher rushed to grab the microphone, singing loudly, “For all the love persists pain~”
(TLN: Yes, it's another song reference lol. This is ‘Can’t Forgive’, sung by Li Jialu(李佳璐) and one of the original sound tracks of the melodrama, ‘Temptation of Wife’. From the title and lyrics you can tell this isn’t a congratulatory song, lmao, it’s more like a ‘how dare you marry’ song. More info in footnote[1].)
The three old rascals resumed their drunken revelry once again, while Zhuo Zi eagerly snapped photos of them to make into memes.
Ying Tongchen and Zhuo Shu stood on the balcony, gazing at the city’s nightscape in the distance. Among the tightly packed buildings, Ying Tongchen noticed the Wimbledon Hotel was faintly visible.
Who would have thought that such a chaotic start would lead to this ending?
Zhuo Shu stole a glance at him and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Ying Tongchen lifted his chin slightly. Following the direction he was gesturing at, Zhuo Shu saw the Wimbledon Hotel. He then looked back at their noisy, lively family and asked a question he hadn’t said in a long time: “Wimbledon, shall we go?”
Ying Tongchen turned to look at him and burst out laughing softly. After a moment, he nodded, “Alright.”
Zhuo Zi, still busy taking pictures, suddenly spun around and caught two figures sneaking away. “Where are you two going?”
“Shh.” Zhuo Shu made a finger-to-lips gesture, whispering, “You’re grown up now—you have to learn to take care of the elders. They’re in your hands.”
Zhuo Zi: "?"
At Wimbledon Hotel, the two waited by the west side of the first floor for the elevator. As the doors opened, a chubby man stepped out. Upon seeing them, he beamed and greeted, “Oh! It’s you two!”
Zhuo Shu hesitated, “You are…?”
“I’m the dining manager! The one who took photos from that previous event!” The manager said excitedly. “Are you staying with us again? Truly our esteemed VIPs!”
“Mm.” Zhuo Shu hummed a response and walked into the elevator with Ying Tongchen.
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Zhuo Shu suddenly held them open and asked the manager, “By the way, do you still have those photos?”
The manager nodded eagerly, “Yes, we do!”
“Give me a copy.”
…
On the 28th floor, the two walked side by side down the corridor. Just rounding a corner, they bumped into two people rushing by.
“Ow!” one exclaimed, surprised. “Ying ge, what are you doing here?”
Ying Tongchen looked at him, then at Meng Gong beside him, and asked, “What about you two?”
“Of course we’re staying here,” Zhen Mingxin said matter-of-factly, “but can you do us a favor?”
“What favor?” Ying Tongchen asked.
A few minutes later, a paparazzo spotted two figures entering a room and hurried after them, sneaking a photo. Enlarging it, the man wearing Zhen Mingxin’s jacket was seen holding a book.
Well, well. A Nightlight Script*, huh?
(TLN: In 2016, Angel Wang and Hawick Lau were caught spending hours together in a hotel, sparking affair rumors. Although Hawick issued a response, many didn’t buy it, and sarcastically jest they were just “reading a nightlight script”. The term has since become a euphemism for ‘trying to cover up an affair’.)
The paparazzo zoomed in again and again, trying to make out the title of the script—High School English Textbook?!
Are you kidding me? Two grown men booking a room late at night to study English?!
Disappointed, the paparazzo left by elevator. Only then did Zhen Mingxin sneak out from the other side with Meng Gong.
“I really am famous now — even paparazzi are on my tail. My private life’s about to be exposed,” Zhen Mingxin lamented.
“But why would Tongchen have a textbook?” Meng Gong wondered.
“You don’t get it,” Zhen Mingxin chuckled. “It’s all for the image, of course. Tonight, they’re going to have a serious ‘study session’.”
Not long after the 108th tier star and his boyfriend left, some suggestive sounds could be heard from Room 2808. If a voyeur were to listen closely—
“Teacher Ying, how do you think I performed?” Zhuo Shu asked.
“Hmm, barely passable,” Ying Tongchen replied, cheeks flushed.
“Barely passable?” Zhuo Shu pressed, “Teacher, when can I finally sit down?”
“Sit down what? Stay up.”
Zhuo Shu: (*^▽^*)
…
The day before Chinese New Year's Eve, the Zhuo household was especially lively. Mu Qing was cheerfully directing the housekeeper to decorate the house with festive ornaments, her face bright with joy.
“Aiya, this year we have one more person celebrating with us, so we all better tidy up well,” Mu Qing said happily, then called out to Zhuo Fu in the living room, “Honey, give Tei ge a call and ask him to come over—I want to team up with him irl for some gaming.”
“On it, on it,” Zhuo Fu replied, holding his phone.
Zhuo Zi came out of her room wearing headphones and asked, “When is Mr. Ying coming back? Will he make it in time for the New Year's Eve dinner?”
“He should make it,” Mu Qing answered.
About a week ago, Ying Tongchen suddenly had to travel abroad on short notice for a business trip. He happened to attend a meeting with Lu Zongcai and her husband, Gao Da, and after the conference, was invited to extend his stay. The three discussed company developments at length, keeping him busy without time to spare, and his return flight was still uncertain.
…
As the Chinese New Year approached, the three had dinner beneath the hotel where Ying Tongchen was staying, and Lu Zongcai invited him to celebrate the holiday at their home. “Since you're already here and not in a rush to return, why not stay? There's always room for another pair of chopsticks at our place.”
She knew Ying Tongchen was used to being alone. In past Spring Festivals, he usually went to his teacher’s place for a meal, paid respects for the New Year, then returned straight to the studio to work—he was the only one in the entire company who worked overtime without extra pay during the holiday.
Ying Tongchen opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Gao Da on the other side, who urged, “Exactly, being alone is so boring. You’ve been here a few days but haven’t really gone out to explore. Just treat this like a little vacation.”
Ying Tongchen: "I—"
“That’s settled then,” Lu Zongcai declared decisively. “Gao Da, call your parents and tell them to prepare another seat for the New Year’s.”
“Thanks for the offer, but really, no need,” Ying Tongchen said with a wry smile, quickly stopping Gao Da from dialing. “We’ve all been so busy lately, and I didn’t get a chance to say—I have a boyfriend now.”
Lu Zongcai and Gao Da’s eyes went wide in unison. Lu Zongcai half-doubted, “You’re not just pulling our legs, are you?”
“It’s true.”
Lu Zongcai’s mouth opened wide in shock, and Gao Da shoved a whole egg into her mouth.
“Cut it out.” Lu Zongcai spat the egg out of her mouth and lightly slapped Gao Da, then asked incredulously, “Is this for real? When did this happen? Weren’t you always against getting into a relationship?”
Ever since she learned about Ying Tongchen’s orientation long ago, she had occasionally kept an eye out for potential matches. But no matter who she introduced, nothing ever came of it, so she stopped pushing.
She thought the old tree would never bloom—but it ended up blossoming into a massive chrysanthemum.
Ying Tongchen: “It’s a long story, but it was a friend who got us together.”
He wasn’t sure how to go about explaining their initial scenario, so he gave a vague reply.
Lu Zongcai: “? Were the people I introduced no good?”
Ying Tongchen laughed.
“I remember you didn’t really like blind dates,” Lu Zongcai continued, still finding it hard to believe—this relationship came out of nowhere.
Seeing their skepticism, Ying Tongchen reached into his collar and pulled out a necklace. He took the ring off the necklace, slipped it onto his finger, and showed it to them.
The couple stared in shock for a while before Gao Da leaned into his wife’s ears to quietly whisper, “Don’t you think his face is just begging for a punch?”
Lu Zongcai shared his sentiments. Could it be that everyone in love was this annoyingly cheesy? Even Ying Tongchen wasn’t exempt?
Then a waiter approached their table, saying, “We have a guest looking for Mr. Ying.”
The three of them followed the waiter’s pointing hand and saw a tall, well-built man standing by the rostrum, giving them a slight smile.
“Who’s that?” Lu Zongcai asked.
“Oh, my boyfriend’s come,” Ying Tongchen said, then with his lips firmly pressed into a line, he stood up and left.
Gao Da quietly asked his wife again, “You saw that too, right? He was totally trying to hide a laugh.”
“Yes! He’s so f*cking begging for a punch,” Lu Zongcai sighed.
.
.
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Footnote:
[1] ‘Can’t Forgive’, sung by Li Jialu (李佳璐) - One of the original sound tracks of the melodrama, ‘Temptation of Wife’. But this is the Chinese version, the original was Korean. It’s a story of a woman named Goo-Eun Jae who was hurt by her husband, Gyo-Bin and best friend Shin-Aeri, Goo-Eun Jae finally took revenge on the two people who had destroyed her life and family.