Love Delusion: Chapter 41

Before Shang Hao’s last business trip, he did bad things to Lin Anran’s little rabbit pajamas.

After he was done, the person ran away. Lin Anran didn’t have the nerve to throw it into the washing machine. Later, he had no alternative but to scrub off the hard and white stain by himself.

When he was washing the clothes for the first time in the bathroom, Shang Hao’s smell made him blush.

Shang Hao seemed to spare no effort in making his bottom line lower every day. What’s more, Lin Anran’s understanding of Vice President Shang was no longer what it used to be. Nowadays, Vice President Shang refused to go down by himself.

When Vice President Shang stood up this morning, Lin Anran took a step back…After Shang Hao went to work refreshed, Lin Anran was still at home scrubbing his pajamas by hand.

In short, everything was fine except for this small twist.

Last night, he emptied the energy he had accumulated to go out on a date. As a result, Lin Anran needed to hide at home for at least one month to recharge his energy to make up for it.

One difference between extroverts and introverts was that extroverts could recharge themselves by talking to others, while introverts could only charge when they were alone and hiding at home.

Dating was very exhausting. Nevertheless, Lin Anran drew a cartoon after returning home from the date.

Following the last dream about the little dummy gaining a mouth, the round-headed little dummy woke up, still with that eternally dull expression, and still with no mouth.

The little dummy was walking down the road, and he saw many people in pairs on the street. There was a pair of lovers with dialogue bubbles emerging from above their heads, and each pair of bubbles contained two identical hearts.

There was a flash of envy in the eyes of the little dummy.

He walked all the way down with his two match-stick legs and arrived at a huge leg in suit pants. The round-headed littly dummy stopped there, and he sat on Haohao’s huge leather shoes with his two match-stick legs raised.

The rest of Haohao’s body was outside of the screen.

Drawing his exquisite cartoon face was too tiresome, and sometimes Lin Anran didn’t really want to draw it because not doing so would reflect Haohao’s lofty and outstanding status.

Not far away, he could see the speech bubbles over the lovers’ head, displaying their mutual love. As his dull eyes looked over at them, Dummy Ranran raised his match-stick hand stupidly and touched the position of his mouth.

At this moment, a speech bubble suddenly appeared from Haohao’s direction.

It was Haohao who spoke. Because his own image was particularly tall, the bubble that popped up were dozens of times larger than others. Ranran was suddenly startled by him, and the originally small pair of pea-like eyes shrank to almost nothing in alarm.

In Haohao’s immensely huge bubbles, there was a large heart that was the same shape as others, but it was super huge…Double in size.

Because Boss Shang always told him “I love you too,” and not just “I love you,” he also said Lin Anran’s part, so it was double the love.

Now they could, like others, have two hearts on top of each other’s heads.

The little dummy Ranran still had a dull face, but now he had also received his own love—the kind that was dozens of times larger than others.

The round-headed little person took the proffered heart, so that a pair of thin match-stick hands were firmly holding up a heart that was so large, it nearly filled the entire screen. He was flattered, excited, and exuberant.

At this moment, he noticed something and looked down. He discovered that a heart shape was bulging out over his chest in the position where his heart was.

It turned out that the little dummy was not without love. His love was the same as others, but it was hidden in his body.

When he met Haohao, the love in his chest jumped and jumped, as if it was about to come out.

Drawing done.

Lin Anran put down his pen. Staring at the drawing paper in front of him in a daze, he recalled last night’s date.

Then he laughed foolishly at his drawing.

The sweetness in his heart was probably as sweet as swimming in honey. Lin Anran was immersed in his memories. He was like all the people who’d experienced love for the first time, their heart swimming in honey, swimming in butterfly stroke, backstroke, and freestyle, full of neverending sweetness.

It didn’t matter if Boss Shang only liked his body. In the end, his body was also him, so Lin Anran was very content. Rounding up, in Lin Anran’s heart, he and Shang Hao were already like a couple staying together into old age, living together in a nursing home.

It must be an advanced and luxurious nursing home. After all, if the conditions of the nursing home were too poor, the elderly Shang Hao would probably sneer.

Lin Anran thought very far ahead. He was a veritable ideological giant, and was very skilled at fantasizing.

He spent the early morning drawing until he remembered the one-piece pajamas that was still soaked in water. So he rolled up his sleeves and went into the bathroom to put the pajamas into the washing machine. When he finished his work, the doorbell outside rang.

Lin Anran ran to open the door.

It was a person from the laundry shop downstairs, coming to deliver Shang Hao’s washed suits. Lin Anran took the expensive suits wrapped in protective jackets, and the clerk thanked him, turned, and left.

It was at this precise moment that the elevator door opened. As he held the suits, Lin Anran saw his aunt, who came to see him.

“Xiao Ran.” Lin Huiyan let the departing clerk enter the elevator before smiling and walking forward. “How perfect. I don’t even need to ring the doorbell.”

Lin Anran greeted her obediently and opened the door to let her go in.

Lin Huiyan’s school was closed, and since she had more free time now, she had time to bring over boiled soup.

Lin Anran followed his aunt inside and closed the door. He heard her ask, “Child, why are your hands still wet?”

Lin Anran explained that he was washing clothes just now.

Lin Huiyan looked at the suit he was holding carefully in his hand, and then looked at his sleeves that were rolled up to wash clothes. After a pause, she tentatively asked, “Are you washing your own clothes?”

Lin Anran nodded, turned around, and went to hang President Shang’s clothes up in the bedroom.

Meanwhile, Lin Huiyan put the soup down and sat in the living room. After Lin Anran came out, she opened the good things she’d brought.

“Look, Xiao Ran, this is the baby chrysanthemum I brought you. You usually face the computer screen all day. Steeping this and drinking it is great for clearing your liver and improving your eyesight. And there’s also this! And this and this! These are absolutely good things. Black goji berries, simply absolutely healthy, even better when compared to red goji berries!”

As his aunt introduced its effects, fearing that Lin Anran would not be able to recognize the charm of black goji berries, the “simply” and the “absolutely healthy” were stretched out in long tones.

She suggested that Lin Anran try it right now so that he could taste the charm of the black goji berries. It could be said that she really wanted to put this promoted product into Lin Anran’s mouth.

Lin Anran found a teapot, boiled water, and steeped the black goji berries on the spot. The color of the steeped water was very deep. It tasted slightly sweet, and the deep, purple color gave people a healthy feeling and taste.

Lin Anran had just taken a sip when his aunt’s voice appeared, “How is it?”

Lin Anran nodded and said it was good. Lin Huiyan smiled and said, “You must keep drinking. You always look down at the computer and at your phone all day, so drinking more of this will be good for your health.”

Lin Anran tasted this cup of high-quality black goji berries bit by bit. While looking at the iron pot of steeped black goji berries, he took the initiative to reach out and tighten its lid so as to save the liquid inside.

Lin Huiyan thought he liked it and smiled with gratification. She asked, “What’s the matter? Are these not enough? Auntie still has more.”

“It’s enough, aunt.” Lin Anran’s voice was somewhat embarrassed. “I…just wanted to save it so that Shang Hao can drink too.”

Shang Hao usually faced the computer all day and was usually very tired after work. Moreover, advanced people should have advanced goji berries.

“So that’s it…” Lin Huiyan was surprised that Xiao Ran was so good to that Mr. Shang. He seemed to really like him.

“Auntie will bring more next time. Xiao Ran, you have to drink it yourself.” After thinking about it, Lin Huiyan was worried about Lin Anran’s relationship, fearing that he was the only one putting the most effort into it.

She hesitated to speak. As they were tasting the pot of black goji berry tea, she asked Lin Anran slowly, “Xiao Ran, who usually does the housework at home?”

When she came just now, she saw that Mr. Shang’s clothes were sent to be specially washed, while Lin Anran was washing his own clothes with his own hands. It wasn’t that she was partial to Lin Anran, but she just thought that it was a little strange.

Lin Huiyan recently discovered that Xiao Ran was now different from how he was before. Being in love had changed him, so that he would always think of the other person, and if there was anything good to be had, he would save it for the other person first.

When his aunt asked this, Lin Anran thought about it. Washing and drying clothes, tidying up, mopping the floor, cooking…it seemed that it was only himself who did these things.

But no way would Lin Anran allow Shang Hao to bother with these trivial housework.

Besides, he would still have to do these things even if he was living by himself. He spent more time at home when compared to Shang Hao, and usually Shang Hao would come home tired from work. He was also the one who insisted that they live in his house. Otherwise, if Shang Hao had gone back to live in his own place, he still wouldn’t even need to do houseworks at all.

Meanwhile, in Lin Huiyan’s estimation, there was a difference in family status. Lin Anran was also the younger of the two, and coupled with his inability to refuse others, maybe he didn’t even know that he was being bullied.

As someone who could see more clearly than those involved, Lin Huiyan was afraid that Lin Anran’s first romantic relationship would unknowingly devolve into one where one party was being mistreated by the other.

Lin Huiyan said sincerely and earnestly, “Xiao Ran, did you meet a PUA¹?”

Lin Anran was surprised. “Aunt, you even know what a PUA is?”

“I didn’t know but your cousin told me.” Lin Huiyan took a drank and followed her display of special knowledge with a modest smile

But she was still very serious about this issue. “It’s not written on the news, but there was a young man who had a PUA girlfriend, who swindled him into using all his net worth to buy her bags…Auntie believe you wouldn’t end up like this, right?”

Lin Anran waved his hands again and again. No no no, it wasn’t the same thing at all. How could they be the same? He and Boss Shang had the pure relationship of an elder brother and a younger brother. Wasn’t it right for him to use all his wealth to invite his elder brother to dinner?

What he did was voluntary, not because of a PUA.

Lin Huiyan said, “The old saying is still relevant. Good people are often easily deceived and ridden by others. Nowadays, there are people who like to PUA people like you who don’t have much worldly experience.”

Lin Anran sat in an upright posture, listening to his aunt’s preaching, and nodding in agreement. To be fair, his aunt was worrying too much. How could he have met a PUA?

“When two people live together, it is right for both parties to accommodate each other. One person can’t only have the right to speak. For example, if he does anything that makes you uncomfortable, you have to say it.”

In fact, he wasn’t incapable of understanding his aunt’s worries. His aunt was afraid that he would wrong himself, and she was also afraid that he would be wronged, to the point that he would be smothered.

His aunt misunderstood. In fact, this wasn’t the case at all. If he was unwilling to do something, of course he would refuse Boss Shang.

Not only that, if he was unsatisfied in any way, he would even beat Boss Shang up severely. No, at that time, the person he was beating up was his split self, Fenran.

Lin Anran thought this and was secretly startled in his heart.

After thinking about it like this, there seemed to be some truth in what his aunt was saying. After he got together with Shang Hao, Lin Anran’s attitude toward him was always respectful and obedient…When was the last time he said “no” to Boss Shang?

No, stop. Why was he also being turned crooked by his aunt?

In short, Boss Shang wasn’t PUAing him. Lin Anran took another sip of the black goji berry tea with a guilty conscience.

Because he drew in the morning, he sat with his aunt for a while in the afternoon, and then he became addicted to searching about the effects of black goji berries on the internet. Of course, if Lin Anran didn’t complete his projects today, he would have to rush urgently the next day.

He took a lot of orders and didn’t draw all day yesterday. All of his energies were spent brainstorming on a dating book between himself and Boss Shang.

Lin Anran: Wuwuwu, I can’t finish these illustrations.

He finally knew what panicking was. He was still drawing when Shang Hao returned home. He was still drawing when Shang Hao took a shower, and he was still working hard while Shang Hao was sitting next to him, watching him.

During this time, it seemed that Boss Shang had something to say to him, but Lin Anran didn’t realize it. Shang Hao walked over and kissed him. After the kiss, Lin Anran’s eyes returned back to the screen and focused with intensity on the male body he was drawing.

What he was drawing today was a private request, and it was already prepaid. Lin Anran always felt that today’s lines were drawn in a weird way. He couldn’t tell if the rectus abdominis muscles were normally drawn like this? As a whole, the pectoral muscles seemed to be a bit small…

Lin Anran repeatedly erased and redrew, and the more he redrew, the more unsatisfactory the result was.

But didn’t he always draw it like this before? What went wrong? Or, maybe he was affected by a certain universal law, whereby the more important something was, the easier it was to make a mistake?

Lin Anran sat in front of the computer all night, drawing and completely forgetting himself. Finally, when he was near reaching a satisfactory result, a black shadow appeared from behind him. Like a tangible terror, it silently and slowly enveloped his whole body.

Lin Anran: Huh?

He looked back suspiciously and saw Shang Hao, who had been ignored by him the entire night.

Shang Hao’s expression was calm, which, in turn, increased his vigilance. It felt like having a large crocodile lurking concealed in a reflective lake. When he spoke, he spoke softly, and his tone could even be considered gentle. While he made eye contact with Lin Anran, his other hand was also gently (violently), softly (forcefully), incomparably tenderly (unyieldingly), carefully (effectively) moving him away from the computer.

“Ranran, it’s time to rest.”

Lin Anra swallowed his saliva, looked at Shang Hao’s eyes, and silently and tactfully put down the pen in his hand.

“Good child.”

He said to Lin Anran. Then he picked Lin Anran up very gently and walked away.

Lin Anran: !?

For the first time, Lin Anran was being carried. Except for his belly, which was a bit uncomfortable, his vision and experience was wonderful in every aspect.

Shang Hao didn’t turn off the computer. He just turned off the screen so that Lin Anran’s work was well preserved.

The other thing was that Lin Anran finally knew why he was having such troubles drawing chest muscles.

He was used to drawing muscline lines that were thin and youthful, but now he could only say that muscles that were big and strong felt very good by hand.

A certain person said that it was time to rest, but once they entered their bedroom, it was him who wouldn’t let Lin Anran rest.

Shang Hao lay on him, feeling nostalgic for the touch of Lin Anran’s skin. The tofu that wasn’t eaten must be eaten double tonight.

In the past, Shang Hao would take his time so as not to alarm Lin Anran, but the end result was that Lin Anran got too used to it. This made him relax his vigilance, so that he didn’t realize the danger when Vice President Shang greeted him.

After all, it was only just letting someone stand up before going down.

“It’s very hot.” Shang Hao, who was pressing down on him, said concisely, “Take it off.”

His mouth said it was very hot, but his eyes were only fixed on Lin Anran’s obstructive clothes, as if he had a hatred against them. He opened the front zipper of Lin Anran’s pajamas all the way down to the bottom, and both hands kept moving, directly lifting Lin Anran’s upper body out of the little sheep pajama suit.

Lin Anran wore underclothes underneath. He thought that it would be over once Shang Hao took off the outer pajamas, but Shang Hao continued and took off his shirt.

As he was removing the last article, Lin Anran stopped him with a hand that wasn’t at all forceful. Lin Anran laid under his body and, red-eared with embarrassment, weakly pulled down his last article of clothing.

Shang Hao lowered his body and kissed him, calling his name.

“Ranran, Ranran.”

“I won’t do anything.”

Apart from these, he didn’t say anything else. The usage of language to communicate was no longer needed at this point. Neither of them had the strength to continue talking nonsense, and the gradually heating mood added fuel to the fire, making them cling closer to each other.

——-

When it ended, Lin Anran was sweating profusely. He was lying on the bed, eyes spent, his entire body not wanting to move at all.

He only remembered that in the chaos just now, Shang Hao had coaxed him, saying, okay, let me use your hand.

Lin Anran: How on earth can it be like this*making a mess of him.jpg

It was only now that he regretted not listening to his aunt’s words earlier. She was right. In the situation just now, even though he was so anxious that his little carrot wouldn’t stand up, when Shang Hao asked, he seemed to be completely possessed and couldn’t refuse at all.

It was hard to believe that he hadn’t met a PUA.

Lin Anran: Just as aunt had said, good people were easy to ride.

————-
Translation Notes:
(1) PUA – Acronym for Pickup Artist, I’m guessing. This slang basically means someone who is mentally and emotionally abusive and who manipulates, gaslights, and takes advantage of their partner(s) for their own selfish and egotistical end. In short, a scum.

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