13 - The Thirteenth Flavor

Translator: tarararawr

Xian Bei recognized this voice.

Obviously, it was her new landlord……

But, what was he doing here…….

So……just now……the one holding her was him?!

Xian Bei no longer needed to turn her head to identify who it was. But, the space around her seemed to have changed into a steam room.

Xian Bei could only stare at the ground to alleviate her restless little heart.

The billboards outside the window were flickering by as the subway was moving.

Chen Zhuo didn’t sense any movement around his arms, so he looked closely at her and he happened to see the little girl’s ear.

When she wore a hat, she liked to put her hair behind her ears.

The small earlobes were exposed like a bead from a shiny red agate bracelet.

Chen Zhuo’s Adam’s apple moved slightly and he moved his eyes away.

The subway came to a stop. Xian Bei’s hands were extremely sweaty.

Chen Zhuo shot a glance at the subway map on the door, and asked, “How many stops until you get off?

Xian Bei’s shoulders rose and she put up four fingers.

Chen Zhuo continued to look at the map. “Xingyue 1 Park?”

Xian Bei nodded.

It was silent for a while.

Chen Zhuo asked, “Why didn’t you let me send you off?”

It was a fatal question and Xian Bei’s whole body went stiff. She did not know how to reply.

Someone was getting on the subway from behind them and pushed them while trying to squeeze in. To the extent that……

The man’s lean body was forced to stick close to her back several times……

Xian Bei felt that her head and ears were smoking like a volcano about to erupt.

Chen Zhuo looked at the little girl whose neck was turning pink while they waited for the subway to move forward again.

With a touch of teasing, he lowered his upper body a little bit.

A slightly hot breath brushed her ear…….

From the back of her ear……

Xian Bei’s entire body got goosebumps.

Then, the breathing stopped and the temperature rose when he asked, “Do you like being squeezed like this?”

Boom. Her blood rushed. Xian Bei’s head was going to explode.

Re-really…….

She’s about to die……

Feeling soft all over, Xian Bei unconsciously moved forward. This increased the distance between them.

She vigorously shook her head back and forth to deny it. To desperately deny it. To deny all of it.

Upon seeing this, Chen Zhuo lowered his head and went on to say, “If you don’t like it, then let me send you off in the future. You look like a child. Who can feel relieved when you go out alone?”

Xian Bei felt so burned by his breath that her consciousness was very hazy. She kept thinking carefully about his proposal……and could only nod.

Chen Zhuo got what he wanted. He chuckled and straightened up.

In a flash, he looked like a man who didn’t do anything.

——

The man let her go when the gentle female voice announced “Xingyue Park Station”.

Xian Bei quickly put her beating heart away and fled from the subway without stopping.

Chen Zhuo relied on his long legs to calmly follow behind her.

He glanced at the small girl’s nervous little steps like she was about to quickly twist and turn. He couldn’t help but smile.

She didn’t look up. It was as if she was relying on her intuition to identify the path to follow and avoid the crowd.

Chen Zhuo watched her walk with familiarity of the roads. It was refreshing for him to watch her, but he raised his eyebrow in confusion——

How did this little unsociable thing survive for all these years?

Yuan Yuan was already waiting at the door for Xian Bei to arrive at Yuan Guang She 2 .

She saw the girl walking in while tightly squeezing her bag. Yuan Yuan looked at the person behind Xian Bei and couldn’t help but pause. Who is this extremely tasteful man…….

Is it possible that he’s…….

“[Zhong Yi]’s boss? The milk tea uncle?”

Yuan Yuan quietly asked when she met with Xian Bei.

Xian Bei licked her lower lip and nodded to respond.

On her way over, she had a dry mouth for no reason and wanted to drink water.

“Oh my god……” Yuan Yuan proceeded to sigh. “Did he accompany you here? Wow, it’s a special relationship, right? You’re a tenant that seems to be acting like a little princess…….”

Don’t talk nonsense……Xian Bei’s face was hot. She begged Yuan Yuan to stop gossiping because the atmosphere scared her.

Yuan Yuan was not afraid to be left in the cold. She stepped forward and naturally introduced herself. “Hello. I’m Xian Bei’s editor. I’m also Jiang Zihao’s girlfriend.”

Chen Zhuo nodded when he heard the familiar name and said hello to her.

Yuan Yuan was about to lead them to the office building, but Chen Zhuo refused. “No, I’ll wait in the hallway.”

Yuan Yuan raised her eyebrow. “She might be signing until this afternoon. Why don’t you go up and sit there?”

Chen Zhuo thought about it and agreed.

Yuan Yuan gave a meaningful smile. Tsk. People with money and free time are different.

A man that was a crane among a flock of chickens 3 appeared out of thin air in the editing department, which was filled with the smell of “house rot 4 ”. The female editors raised their eyebrows one after another.

Yuan Yuan arranged a quiet office space for Xian Bei to work.

In addition, an extra chair was brought for Boss Chen to sit with Xian Bei.

On the long table were two boxes of manga and five markers.

Xian Bei already felt exhausted, and she had a long way to go.

But……

The heavens gave her a great responsibility……

Xian Bei sat down and quietly exhaled a long breath. She unscrewed the marker top and opened the manga book to the title page. Then, she quickly signed…….

She was lucky…….

‘Xian Bei’ did not have a lot of characters…….

After signing the first book, she set it aside and it was picked up by the man.

Huh?!

At the moment she reached out to stop him, the other person already frowned and opened the book.

It’s……shameful to let real world people see her autograph……

Her personal autograph was a rough scribble because the manga agency requested that it should be consistent with her artwork.

Xian Bei involuntarily tried to cover up her face.

Suddenly, she distinctly felt something chilly brush against her lower jaw.

Xian Bei moved her hand away and discovered that she still had a marker in her hand.

She froze for two seconds.

AAAaaaahhhhhhh. Did she just accidentally draw on herself with the marker?

She didn’t have a mirror to confirm the specific place.

Xian Bei could only rely on her memory. She continuously used her fingertips and palms to wipe the area that she suspected had the mark.

Chen Zhuo noticed her movements and suspiciously looked over.

Then, the man put down the manga that he flipped two pages of and asked, ”What’s the matter?”

Xian Bei’s cheeks turned slightly red and shrunk her neck. She said quietly, “N……nothing……”

The man didn’t look away because of this. Instead, he lowered his head and examined her.

Xian Bei’s head moved lower. She felt very uncomfortable and her chin quickly moved to touch her shoulder.

Chen Zhuo suddenly gave a low laugh, “Don’t move.”

Those two words made Xian Bei really stop moving like her pressure points were hit.

The man stretched his hand out and Xian Bei pulled back on reflex. Yet, his slender fingers still didn’t retreat and touched her lower jaw. He held his hand there and took control over the situation.

It felt like lightning and Xian Bei’s heart violently trembled.

Her breathing instantly became unstable as if she was at the top of a mountain.

His touch was warm and his thumb was a little rough. He used a little bit of his strength to rub the mark away.

The man slightly narrowed his eyes as he steadily concentrated. He steadily gazed at her.

He didn’t see the girl’s curled up fingers on top of the table.

Her toes were also curled up. However, they couldn’t be seen hidden inside the canvas sneakers.

Chen Zhuo gave up after trying several times. He released his hand and said, “I can’t wipe it off.”

He picked up an unopened marker and muttered to himself, “Quick dry……no wonder.”

When he turned to look out of the office, he seemed to have found a solution. He stood up and walked out. He turned into the nearby break room.

Xian Bei was sitting there for a long time——petrified and dumbstruck.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Thirty seconds. One minute……

Her entire body was numb. She could only feel the part of the skin where the man touched her.

When Chen Zhuo returned, he was holding a few wet towels.

Instead of sitting down again, he crouched down in front of her. He raised his hand to the same place and wiped. Just like before, he was concentrating.

The cold and wet feeling made Xian Bei shiver.

But in the next second, the heat rose to her face and she couldn’t control it from spreading.

But she was afraid……

To make the slightest sound……

Her eyelashes slightly trembled……

She could only let her shyness, discomfort, and many unspeakable feelings wreck havoc on her cheeks…….

Even after it was completely wiped off, the man didn’t get up.

He stayed crouching while looking at her. The light in his eyes slightly sunk before they returned to show its brightness.

His lips turned into a smile. “Don’t practice signing autographs with your face.”

Xian Bei was aware that he was teasing, but she still wanted to rub her head with guilt.

After realizing the man was still looking at her, she quickly put away her hand that was rising in the air.

Very quickly, the big rough hand caressed her cheek. And accompanied by a gentle and deep voice, “If you want to practice, then just sign me. I am also a fan of you.”

From bilibili:

Footnotes

星月(xīng yuè) – moons and stars 原光社 (yuán guāng shè) – Original Light Agency 鹤立鸡群 (hèlìjīqún) – idiom for a person’s appearance or talent is superior than the surrounding people 宅腐 (zhái fǔ) – term for women who like boy’s love