Love Delusion: Chapter 23

This was by no means a trivial concept. Normal people wouldn’t be able to turn around for a while.

The stiff and awkward expression on his cousin’s face couldn’t conceal his surprise. The expression remained for a long time, as if uncomprehending.

Lin Anran had to say it again, “Tianneng Group belongs to his family.”

“Don’t be so loud, I heard it the first time.” His cousin muttered indistinctly to himself in a low voice. He glanced at Shang Hao, who was still smiling. Then he sat up straight, unsure of where to put his hands and feet.

At the same time, he wanted to use his mobile phone to search for information about the group, but he held back. It still felt a bit unreal. Wasn’t this Anran’s roommate? How could that be possible?…

Why would a CEO rent a room with others? Was this some kind of investigative study, or a way of mingling with people incognito? He didn’t know, and he didn’t dare ask. He’d never experienced this before.

This fall was a bit harsh. It wasn’t like Shang Hao was an ordinary executive or a manager. At least then, he could still say a few words. But instead, Shang Hao stood directly at a height that he could never touch in his entire life.

Shang Hao took out his business card at the right time, and said perfunctorily, “Nice to meet you.”

The cousin reached out and took it. Looking at the business card and then at Shang Hao, this was probably the first time he saw the title of “Executive Director” on a business card.

It was fine if it was a director of a small company, but who doesn’t know the icon of this group? This was a large national conglomerate.

He stopped talking. Lin Anran was also a person who couldn’t mediate. The abnormal silence lasted for a few seconds. The cousin shifted several times before finally sitting uncomfortably.

Probably because he wanted to show that he wasn’t surprised, he finally squeezed out an extremely embarrassing sentence, “…Oh, that’s great.”

Lin Anran’s toe wanted to curl into the ground at this moment.

And then, Lin Anran heard Shang Hao let his second burst of short laughter today.

The atmosphere suddenly stagnated, and his cousin didn’t seem to want to talk as much as before.

It was unclear why, perhaps because Lin Anran sat on the side and witnessed the entire process, he seemed to be a little angry, as if his fragile dignity was somehow offended.

“I’m the kind of person that doesn’t have much, but I do have scholarly knowledge. I don’t think that my own personal assets will lose to others. It’s just that it’s rare running into this kind of occasion, you know? Otherwise, it’s just fate. Without the opportunity, how can people change their circumstances for the better…”

Shang Hao leaned his head on his hand. Now that he knew this man’s routine, he wasn’t as amused anymore.

But he hadn’t said anything because this was Lin Anran’s relative, and so he just wanted to wait for the man to finish talking and leave as soon as possible.

The cousin avoided looking at Shang Hao. Now that he was no longer talking about Shang Hao, he felt an urgent need to say something, so he turned to the soft persimmon Lin Anran sitting next to Shang Hao.

“Anran, don’t blame me for being meddlesome. I just want the best for you. Tell me, you’ve kept your hair so long, how can you find the energy to take care of it all day? It’s so long that it’s not very manly. You’re already not very masculine to begin with…”

“Masculine?” Shang Hao, who hadn’t spoken all this time, suddenly said. He smiled and added, “Did cousin come from the underworld? All of us in the world of the living have masculinity¹.”

Lin Anran looked at the smile on Shang Hao’s face and had a very bad premonition in his heart.

Shang Hao’s smile wasn’t very kind and was rather insincere. In fact, his smile looked like a dagger was hidden in it, and his tone was sharper than ever.

Lin Anran suddenly realized that Shang Hao was furious. His cousin was stunned for a second, and said, “What are you talking…”

Shang Hao interrupted him, “It’s not masculine to have long hair? Why don’t you preach to me, then, what exactly is?”

His arm suddenly reached out in front of Lin Anran, grabbed his cousin by the collar and yanked him forward!

The cousin subconsciously tried to stabilize himself, but he almost fell and was very embarrassed. But before he could react, Shang Hao dragged him out like a sack.

This sudden development exceeded Lin Anran’s expectations.

“You!—” As his cousin was dragged out the door, his neck budged, his mouth opened wide, but he couldn’t muster out a complete sentence. “What are you doing?”

Shang Hao stood in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest.

The cousin looked like he was about to explode with anger. But he looked at Shang Hao’s face, and his anger blew out.

Even though he couldn’t muster out another complete sentence, and could only pant and glare at Shang Hao, he refused to lose his loftiness. Even if he was already very unsightly.

“Sending off the guest.” Shang Hao lowered his eyebrows and looked at him. Then he sneered and said, “Do you have anything else to say?”

The cousin was panting hard, but he could still keep talking. “If you think that I can’t beat you, good, you win. If you want to think that you’re so awesome, then you’re awesome. You can be as vain as you want. But us cultured people…”

Shang Hao didn’t want to hear his incompetent, angry diatribe and slammed the door shut in his face.

Lin Anran, this small logistic unit, hurriedly followed on Shang Hao’s heels and quickly threw his cousin’s shoes out before the door closed.

To be honest, he originally thought that today’s Shang Hao seemed out of character. But who knew that this person didn’t do anything at first, but then would just directly throw his cousin out?

Lin Anran had lived with Shang Hao for this long, and he’d never seen him truly angry before.

When he turned around and came back, he realized that Shang Hao was still angry. His chest was visibly moving up and down. As soon as he moved away from the door, Shang Hao caught him.

Shang Hao was initially mindful that the guy was Lin Anran’s cousin and he was also too lazy to say anything.

If nothing else, there was disparity in the time and energy people were willing to give. Moreover, even an interview with Shang Hao would have to be paid for, and this person wasn’t worth him wasting his energy.

But if the man wanted to pick on a soft persimmon, he picked on the wrong one. Whenever Shang Hao thought about it, he got angry all over again.

Ranran didn’t need anyone’s criticism; he could do whatever he wanted.

Lin Anran was afraid of disturbing and troubling other people. He just kept to himself in his own safe little house, quietly drawing his own drawings. He’d worked hard to maintain his own living space.

Shang didn’t believe that Lin Anran was born like this. The Ranran in the past must have been like any other kids, who could laugh and cry as he pleased. But later, people began reprimanding him, telling him that he won’t do, that he couldn’t do.

Constantly saying this was wrong, that was wrong. And so Lin Anran slowly began to feel that it was a mistake to speak out, and that it was better to keep his silence. And as he grew up, these blunt shackles merged with his flesh and blood, turning him into an adult who was too scared to verbally express himself.

But he was still a normal person, and it was normal to feel happy and to feel sad. It was just that the commandment of not speaking was wrapped around him like dense thorns, tightly bounding and entangling him for the rest of his life.

He was the most beautiful person with long hair that Shang Hao had ever seen in his life, and no one could interfere with him.

Shang Hao held Lin Anran’s face with both hands. Rather than say that he was cupping face, it was more apt to say that he held his face, so that he couldn’t turn his head and could only look at Shang Hao. Shang Hao ordered, “Don’t listen to the bullshit that man said.”

Lin Anran blinked and looked at him.

“You are fine! Perfect! The world’s most perfect person! The cutest! Do you hear?”

He spoke loudly, as if trying to force his voice into Lin Anran’s mind, forcing him to admit that he was the bestest and loveliest person in the world.

Lin Anran wanted to nod, but his head was held in place, and so he had to move his mouth and said, “…I heard it.”

Shang Hao looked at his face and stopped talking. He was still angry, and as he held Lin Anran’s face in his hands, who was looking back at him with a pair of clear, simple eyes, he leaned over and kissed him.

“Say it.”

Lin Anran: “???”

Shang Hao said, “Repeat what I said before.”

His arrogant aura was innate, as if he was just waiting to criticize people. Lin Anran recalled the fear of being questioned by a teacher, and he hesitantly began to recite.

Lin Anran said, “I am perfect. I am cute. I…”

His voice sounded like he was reciting from a text.

Shang Hao asked, “Do you have it memorized?”

Lin Anran nodded like a little chick. “Memorized.”

Only those who regarded themselves as troublesome could feel that they were being troublesome to others.

Shang Hao wanted to tell Lin Anran over and over again that he wasn’t troublesome; he was his best treasure.

He hugged Lin Anran again. Now that he’d calmed down, he asked in an unapologetic voice, “I drove him away, is it okay?”

Lin Anran said, “…No, it doesn’t matter.”

He dared not say anything else at this time.

He thought of his aunt, and he had a headache again. Although today’s goal was achieved, what was to be done later? Aunt couldn’t deduct points for the impression Shang Hao made this time, right?

Shang Hao asked him again, “Are you angry?”

Lin Anran thought for a moment. He wasn’t angry, and so he shook his head in Shang Hao’s embrace.

Shang Hao stepped back and stared at his face for a few seconds. Ranran’s expression really didn’t look like he was angry, but was instead rather calm.

He’d gained a tacit understanding of Lin Anran after getting along with him all this time, making him was very conscious of Lin Anran’s feelings.

Lin Anran was the kind of person who used to secretly bite his clothes because he liked him, and who would secretly scold him while he was asleep if he had opinions about him.

This resulted in Shang Hao developing a keen ability in observing his words and facial expressions.

As he looked at Lin Anran’s face, the atmosphere became quiet for a few seconds. Then he asked Lin Anran, “Just now, was that refreshing?”

Lin Anran hesitated for a few seconds. His gaze dropped, and finally he lowered his head and nodded.

Refreshing. Lin Anran had never felt so invigorated in his 20 plus years of life. After closing the door, his body felt refreshed all over.

What Shang Hao did in front of him made him very happy. It turned out to be so invigorating, so comfortable from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, making his whole body relaxed and full of vitality.

But Lin Anran felt that this wasn’t too good, and so after he nodded, he smiled shyly.

He was so happy. He was more and more certain that Boss Shang was really a big treasure that he picked up by himself, and he liked everything about him.

He was born deficient, so that he could only follow along with other people’s words, unable to object. In the first half of his life, he didn’t realize that he was such a doormat, until Shang Hao came into his life.

The Heavens sent Shang Hao to his home, and now the two of them were together. Shang Hao was strong and formidable, and his existence made up for Lin Anran’s natural defects.

Lin Anran felt that he was now complete.

Truly very good, his Shang Hao.

—————–
Translation Notes:
(1) Masculine — I’m guessing this is a bit of a play on words. Masculine/Manly is 阳刚 (yáng gāng), and so Shang Hao might be referring to Yang and Yin energy, where Yang is masculine and positive, usually in connection with the vitality of life, while Yin is feminine and negative, and usually linked with the dead. So that’s probably why he was talking about the underworld and the world of the living.

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