V1C1

Translator: Anne Noh

Proofreader: Elle, Rachel

Shu Nian always remembered the scene when he first met Xie Yan.

The weather was pretty good that day; he was crouching down at the corner of the courtyard, skimming through an old storybook. Shu Nian had already read it so many times, he could outline the pictures and stories on each page in his mind whenever he closed his eyes. Moreover the pictures in his mind had a more realistic three-dimensional effect. However, he still read it with great interest, perhaps because it was the only thing he owned.

He and most of the little girls in the orphanage really adored the prince who would ride a superior white horse; he had a handsome face and wore splendid attire. Using a majestic sword, the prince would defeat the huge dragon and then head to the castle to rescue the princess.

Shu Nian kept reading that page over and over again with envy.

He also wanted to be like the princess, to have an ending like "And they lived happily ever after" just like in the story book.

Shu Nian was twelve years old at that time but he looked like a malnourished ten year old who hasn't grown up yet. He was also so frail that he couldn't even stand up properly. The place that he grew up in was called "Happy Orphanage."

No orphanages in the world would name their institution solely as "orphanage". Instead, they would add a completely unbefitting adjective like "Happiness", "Loyal Heart", "Angel", "Benevolence"...This orphanage was no different.

Unfortunately, Shu Nian still did not comprehend the meaning of the word "happiness". But of course it's not like there wasn't any happiness at all. For instance, they would temporarily put new clothes on the children when reporters come over for a news coverage, and during Christmas Eve dinner they would give an extra slice of pork to everyone and also...nothing else.

The children's biggest dream was to be adopted. As long as they could have a pair of unbiological but lovable parents, it didn't matter whether or not they are came from a rich household. Shu Nian however, did not dare to dream, as he was neither appealing nor clever, moreover he was extremely dull and slow in front of strangers. No one had ever picked him before .

That's why it took him longer time than usual to respond when the Sister called his name.

"You. Yes, you. Come here"

He took his precious storybook and hid it behind him. He was a little scared to look at the kid dressed in luxurious clothing that was beckoning him over.

He had a very neat and exquisite appearance with a dazzling smile that showed off his bright white teeth. Shu Nian felt like his face glowed like a glistering crystal in the evening sun, the smooth radiance reflecting off it.

The boy who resembled the prince in the book, rudely placed one hand on Shu Nian's shoulder and pinched his face with the other as if his face was a toy: "Aiya, so cute!" He swiftly grabbed a handful of hair: "Mommy, his hair is softer than Iris's fur!"

Shu Nian's face was in pain, but he did not dare cry, and could only tightly clench his fist.

"[1] Xiao Yan, how could you compare a human to a dog? Don't be rude!" Whispered a scolding voice.

[T/N: [1] 小 'xiao' (small) is added to name for an endearment name just like 大 'da' (big).]

"Are you a girl?"

Shu Nian shook his head: "I'm a boy..."

"Tsk, you are a boy." The boy was disappointed and let go of his hand, looked into Shu Nian's eyes and pinched his face, "What is this?! Your face is that of a girl's so how can you possibly be a boy? Are you joking? Come one, explain yourself! "

Shu Nian's tears almost fell, as the pinch was too hard.

"Hey, don't you want to cry?"

Shu Nian bit his lip tightly. The Sister had reminded him not to cry in front of a guest, as it was an act of an uneducated person, and those who did would receive no dinner as punishment.

"Hey, are you crying? Let me see you cry." The pinched on his face was getting stronger as his fingers dug in maliciously, "I will stop pinching you only if you cry."

Shu Nian eyes were brimming with tears, but he still endured it nonetheless.

"How annoying. You are really [2] not obedient. Cry!! Quickly cry now!"

[T/N: [2] Antonym for 'obedient' is 'disobedient' but I chose to use 'not obedient' to imply that Xie Yan wanted someone who is obedient and it can be expressed as 'you really don't listen to me'.]

"Xiao Yan, stop bothering him already. You can find someone else if he is not obedient. Don't be hard on him."

"Mrs. Xie, Shu Nian is still young and naive," The Sister smiled and tried to coax Xie Yan, "Both of you can take a look at the other children. Some of them are more well-behaved..."

"I don't want to, I want this boy," Xie Yan stubbornly continued to pinch Shu Nian's face until it began to bruise, "Hurry up and cry! I will only let go if you cry!"

Shu Nian completely forgot about dinner as he looked at the boy in disdain and desperately clenched his teeth to avoid crying.

"Stop it, Xiao Yan."

"Young master Xie..."

Refusing to budge, Shu Nian remained silent, yet his overflowing tears trickled down his face.

"Finally!" Xie Yan sighed happily and clapped his hands, "Wouldn't it have been better if you had cried sooner. Mommy, I want this boy. Let's take him, I want to play with him!"

Shu Nian's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Hey, what's your name? I want to adopt you, I will be your master from now on." Xie Yan acted like a grown up and patted Shu Nian's head. He then turned around to look at his young mother, "Mommy is that correct?"

"Aren't I the person who'll be doing the adoption here?" The young mother smiled wryly, "He will be your playmate and will accompany you in your studies. He is not like Iris so you can't act unreasonable."

"Whatever, as long as he is mine." Xie Yan looked like an angel when he pouted, but the words that came out were the total opposite, "He'll obediently listen to me and fulfill everything I ask of him otherwise I'll punish him!"

Shu Nian instinctively took a few steps back, trying to hide behind the Sister.

"Hey, come over here. I will bring you to your new home." Xie Yan gestured, "You won't live here anymore. We will live in a very massive house with a garden~"

Shu Nian bit his lip and shook his head in fear.

"Why won't you listen to me?!" Xie Yan [3] ferociously grabbed Shu Nian once more and pinched his small pointed face with both of his hands; "Remember, I'm going to be your master from here on. I'll only be good to you if you obey my orders and listen to me obediently~"

[T/N: [3] Lanlin used idiom 张牙舞爪 which I translate to ferocious. Direct trans is 'baring fangs and claws' which means to threaten or do something / trying to look ferocious.]

"I will treat you well."

That was probably the most touching and fascinating promise Shu Nian had ever heard.

In the end, Shu Nian carried a simple small bag, which contained the storybook that had been crumpled and followed Xie Yan into the car. A sharp shrilling voice could be heard from behind Shu Nian in spite of coming out of a small and thin body: "Shu Nian, you might trip if you run!"

He took a huge stride towards Xie Yan's luxurious door and it surpassed his pitiful brain's limited capacity as his vocabulary was far from sufficient to accurately describe the house at that time, hence he could only repeat again and again in his mind: "So big, so beautiful..."

They sat in the living room on a spacious low sofa. There were sparkling clear crystal plates with Washington apples and Californian grapes in front of the sofa. Shu Nian looked on with curiosity; unable to believe these strangely beautiful things were actually food.

Xie Yan placed an apple into Shu Nian's hand and he panicked when Xie Yan gestured him to eat it.

"Is there no need to cut it?"

"Huh?"

"It doesn't need...to be cut into eight?"

He looked hesitatingly at Xie Yan and said shyly: "the whole thing...is for me?"

Xie Yan was stunned for a while but spoke after a few minutes: "Yes, of course it's yours." He thought for a while, and then pushed the platter and placed it on Shu Nian's knees: "Everything is yours. You can eat everything, I will tell someone to buy it again when you finish it."

"Really?" Shu Nian flinched his shoulder, and he completely forgot about the large bruise forming on his face. He looked like a small animal when he stared at Xie Yan with black eyes that were filled with gratitude, "You're really nice."

"Huh? Ha...of course." Xie Yan was elated. He did not know why, but he felt especially contented when he was complimented by Shu Nian.

The frail playmate looked like he would be an easy target to bully, but unexpectedly he felt the boy was delicate and lovely.

"Is it good?"

"Delicious." Shu Nian took a small bite and anxiously nodded.

Wow, so cute!

Xie Yan could not resist touching the soft brown hair. Just like Iris. Ah, no, even cuter than any of the puppies we used to raise. Oh, I really want to embrace him right now.

Without thinking, Xie Yan immediately headed towards Shu Nian who was now clean and fresh, as he just took a bath. Xie Yan leaned over the small body, hugged him and contently kissed his face: "As long as you are well-behaved, just like I told you, I will give you anything you want."

"Oh..." Shu Nian remembered what the Sister had told them. We must thank the people who have given us food and we must show some gratitude towards them. Hence, he nodded earnestly.

From that day onwards, he became part of the Xie household. Outsiders recognized him as the adopted son of Mr. and Mrs. Xie, when in actuality he was the equivalent of a [4] study-mate for the wealthy family like the ancient times, or a pageboy. His true identity was that of a child servant, and if he was lucky, when he got older, he might become their butler.

[T/N: [4] 陪读 is someone who accompany a child to study, reading or practice together.]

Of course, it was much simpler for Xie Yan ─ he merely hit a bad patch and Shu Nian became a substitute for the precious pet, Iris. His main duty was to accompany [5] the eldest young master Xie and play, the safest way to kill boredom when he's bored or discontented. The eldest young master Xie would pat his head and hug him as a reward when he was happy, but would spank his buttock with a pillow when he was discontent, or even pin him to the floor and pinch his face ferociously, only letting go when Shu Nian wailed loudly.

[T/N: [5] 大少爷 (dà shàoyé) is eldest son of a rich family / eldest young master and 少爷 (shàoyé) is young master.]

Shu Nian wished for a prince, but ended up with a cantankerous owner.

Fortunately, even though the owner had a very bad temper, and was cunning and domineering at times, quick to freak out, and even becoming aggressive frequently; he never did anything violent other than pinch Shu Nian's face.

As they got older, Xie Yan felt that it was insufficient to just pinch his face...

The alarm clock was blaring, Shu Nian drowsily reached out his hand to turn it off, and then instinctively touched his face.

Fortunately, it was not swollen.

As expected, it was just a dream.

Xie Yan's various ways of pinching his face during their childhood had become an ingrained nightmare. He was almost 30 years old, yet he was disgraced with a fear of Xie Yan's fingers.

He had reflexively dreamt of their childhood at the thought of that guy coming back from England today.

"I wonder what he'll look like having not seen each other for years." He murmured and rose from the bed. The Master and Madame were personally picking the young master up at the airport, and all Shu Nian could do was to go to work at the company like usual. The hierarchy in Xie household is very distinct.

The house that he currently resided in was connected, but it was slightly separated from the Xie Feng's couple house.

He changed his clothes after washing his face. He was quite confused when he heard a commotion as he walked halfway down the stairs.

Why is there a commotion going on in the lobby downstairs so early in the morning?

"Young master Shu, young master has come back!"

"Huh?"

His brain hadn't processed that unexpected information, when suddenly an unknown person pounced him on. He was sent backwards four or five steps and fell flat and rigidly on the floor.

"Xiao Nian ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've missed you so much~ ~"

Shu Nian's back turned cold all of a sudden. He tried to look at the unknown person with his huge eyes. Ah, no, the person stuck his face closer and he could see him clearly: "Are you Xie Yan?"

"How emotionless. Of course it's me ~ ~"

Very, very disgusting...

He smiled wryly at the 'octopus' that was clung onto him: "Shouldn't you be meeting Master and Madame at the airport right now?"

"I wanted to see you first, but I was unable to hire a taxi, so I rode a fully packed bus~ I forgot to tell you guys that I changed to an earlier flight to come back. I just couldn't wait, I've missed you...Xiao Nian did you miss me? Come on, tell me!"

Shu Nian began to sweat profusely.

Now, Xie Yan was already a full head and a half taller than him, tall, handsome and confident. Even though he will turn 25 years old in a few months, he still acted like a spoilt brat.

"Master will be very happy to see you."

"Strangely, you aren't that happy."

"I, of course I'm happy!"

"Can't really tell..." He even pouted unexpectedly.

Of course Shu Nian was happy, so happy that he didn't know what kind of expression was appropriate to use, and he couldn't find the right words to say.

It was just because, he was the kind of a person that was bad with words and had been since he was young. He would just laugh heartily or cry when there's something that he couldn't do. There's only a calm smile on his face even though he was firmly hugging and holding Xie Yan's hands, but in his mind he was jumping around happily.

"Xiao Nian, I have something to tell you," It had probably been a long time since Xie Yan last spoke Chinese, and he must have been waiting for an opportunity like today. They sat down as the maid served tea and refreshments, and then went to inform the Xie Feng couple. Xie Yan pounced on Shu Nian and kept on yakking nonstop. He inexplicably sat too close and Shu Nian thought that his face was almost covered by saliva.

"What is it?"

"I took a bus to come home and broke someone's fingers..."

"Huh?!" Displaying violent tendencies even though he just came back. No longer just pinching people's faces? Now it had evolved to breaking fingers? Shu Nian had a lingering sense of fear and withdrew his hand that was holding onto Xie Yan's, "Why? Did someone steal your wallet?"

"No," Xie Yan furrowed his sleek eyebrows and clenched his teeth as he thought of something disgusting, "I was groped! Tsk, perverted sicko..."

"Groped..." Shu Nian was a little puzzled.

"Yes, taking advantage of the crowded place to secretly grope my ass, I caught his fingers and gave them a firm wrench until the bones snapped...he didn't even dare to cry in pain."

This guy's innate temper hasn't change at all. Shu Nian smiled wryly: "Still you didn't have to be so rough, although [6] she overstepped the boundary, she's still a woman..."

[T/N: [6] He 他 and she 她 have the same pronunciation (tā) hence Shu Nian mistaken 'he' as 'she'.]

"The hell, he was a perverted bald old man. Xiao Nian, do you know what a homophile is?"

"Ah, gay..." Shu Nian jolted, and then smiled reluctantly, "I know. It's not that unusual nowadays."

"Perverted as hell, I really loath homosexuals," Xie Yan's frown deepened, "A man with another man? That's sick! Wouldn't you feel repulsive when you had sex? ...Disgusting...I do not feel like eating anymore..."

"...Anyhow, just eat a little. It was specially made for you. Plus the preparation time for pickling took about a month to be ready." Shu Nian carefully pushed the [7] porcelain bowl in front of him, "You eat first, I'm going upstairs to get something for you."

[T/N: [7] 瓷碟 is a beautiful China porcelain bowl. Refer to the picture below.]

Although he had long realized the truth, but tohear him say it directly, no matter what, that spark of hope he once had seemedrather ridiculous and pathetic now.

Anne's Rant:

I must admit that this is not my best translation. Lanlin's Chinese is simpler and easier than Jidan but she loves to use reversed sentence hence it's quite difficult as it can be quite handful to translate. Anyway I decided to translate this novel because I love the story. Fell in love right after the first chapter and finished the whole novel (2 volumes) in 1 night lol of course there are also some fans that asked me if I can translate this novel due to the movie that was released recently. Although this novel is shorter than Countterattack, each chapter is relatively long but don't worry as I'm pretty sure this novel will finish first XDD

For those that already knew Lanlin will know that her novels and characters are connected but fret not as characters from Uncontrolled Love aren't connected with any novels except for Love Late which kinda sequel-ish for one of the character in Uncontrolled Love.

I let ShaoYeloveBL read the first chapter days ago and she was shocked with the length. Uncontrolled Love is short but each chapters are longer than any of Lanlin's novels. One chapter of Uncontrolled Love equals to 2 and a half chapter of A Round Trip To Love.

[7] China porcelain bowl

Please note that some part might be incorrect as I don't know how to translate it to English. Mistakes are bound to happen and corrections are very welcome.