Chapter 19 – Lovers’ Restaurant

Jiang Heng drove Shen Fubai around the city until they arrived at a restaurant called ‘Everlasting Love, Happily Ever After.’

“Isn’t this a lovers’ restaurant?” Shen Fubai asked, taken aback by its explicit name.

Jiang Heng replied smoothly, “Isn’t it also a place to eat?”

Laozi had nothing to counter the flawless logic.

Putting on a pair of pink-tinted sunglasses and pulling down his pink cap low over his eyes, Shen Fubai prepared to exit the car without being recognized. Suddenly, he glanced over at Jiang Heng, who had made no attempts to conceal his identity. “Are you not going to disguise yourself?”

“I’m a friend of the restaurant owner, we can take the…”

VIP channel? Shen Fubai thought. Capitalism’s special privilege.

“The employee entrance,” Jiang Heng said.

Shen Fubai replied, “Oh.”

Even though it didn’t sound posh, his darling Jiang Heng was walking the socialist road after all.

The employee entrance was pitch dark.

Wasn’t that ridiculous? A gloomy, narrow corridor so long and winding, and it didn’t even have a light? You’d have to grope your way through the darkness?

What sort of anti-human design was this?

Shen Fubai climbed up the stairs warily, gripping tightly onto the railing, “When the boss designed this restaurant, did he consider employees to be night vision superheroes?”

Jiang Heng responded, “There used to be lights before. The employees could see all the couples showing off their affection every day. They felt like they were neon light bulbs in the romances. So, they turned off the lights.”

“This means the boss actually removed the electrical bulbs?” Shen Fubai asked.

Jiang Heng nodded, “Indeed.”

Shen Fubai was at a loss for words. “What kind of inhumane boss is that?”

Jiang Heng held back a laugh. He enjoyed his joke and all its implications.

What he didn’t say was that the boss had planned to change all the yellow bulbs into a pink hue to give the workers the feeling of love. However, the old bulbs had been replaced, the new ones hadn’t been installed, so the corridor was utterly dark now.

In fact, there was no indication of color anywhere.

The employees hadn’t felt the sensation of love. They were more in tune with the sensation of fintech.

Shen Fubai felt petrified, immobilized with fear.

He disliked the dark! Especially confined spaces that were dark and narrow like this, he could easily imagine any horror movie’s scenario playing out.

“Jiang Heng,” Shen Fubai disregarded his pride and spoke up. He felt the bravery to dare to not start bawling. “I can’t see the path.”

To this, Jiang Heng had already started up the steps. Upon hearing the young man’s voice, wavering in enforced calmness, Jiang Heng felt a jolt in his heart. He turned around, catching sight of a person clinging onto the railings like an octopus. Instantly, he hurried back and stretched out his hand, “Let me hold your hand.”

Shen Fubai immediately reached out his hand to Jiang Heng. He cautiously lifted his feet and tested the step beneath.

“It’s fine, be careful.” Jiang Heng’s gentle voice penetrated the darkness, passed through Shen Fubai’s eardrums, coupled with the warmth of his hand, providing solace in the quiet.

Jiang Heng’s words did comfort Shen Fubai. He clung tightly onto Jiang Heng’s arm, following him step by step. Their bodies were almost touching, and their breaths were within a breath’s reach.

They moved like a turtle up the stairs.

The air was a little stuffy.

As the owner of the restaurant proposed that this corridor should exude a romantic atmosphere, Jiang Heng didn’t hold back his words, “I don’t know if it can be romantic or not, but at this moment, it definitely gives me the scent of mental retardation.”

Now, however… Jiang Heng suddenly believed that the boss was correct.

He truly felt a romantic aura.

Indeed, it felt wonderful.

Jiang Heng’s earlobes flushed red. He tightened his grip on Shen Fubai’s hand, murmuring gently as he sensed the latter’s unease, “Follow me, you won’t fall.”

Reality proved that one mustn’t make assumptions.

As soon as he spoke those words, Shen Fubai tripped and staggered, toppling forward.

Instinctively, Jiang Heng sought to be his flesh cushion. He instantly switched to Shen Fubai’s front to catch him. However, due to inertia, Shen Fubai tumbled onto him. The both of them collapsed on the stairs.

In fact, Jiang Heng was sitting on the stairs while Shen Fubai fell onto him.

Shen Fubai’s hand rested upon the man’s broad chest, while he sat on his lap. Shen Fubai was stunned, colliding with Jiang Heng’s dark expression, his panic flaring up immediately.

The hard step produced a sound as the thud echoed in the room. Shen Fubai was late to react, clumsily scrambling up to his feet, “Are you hurt?”

Fall onto Jiang Heng twice within a day. One morning, one evening, no one could say there’s anyone. It was truly an accident!

“…No,” Jiang Heng stood up, suppressing the impulse to hold onto his waist.

“Sorry, sorry…” If it was any other time, Shen Fubai would be fussing all over Jiang Heng, concerned for him. However, Shen Fubai was in a frenzied state right now and couldn’t think about other matters.

Shen Fubai’s breath quickened. Had there been sufficient light, it would’ve been obvious that he was feeling quite pale.

Jiang Heng’s light-heartedness drifted away, replaced with a concerned look, “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” Shen Fubai suddenly quickened his pace, bolting up the stairs, “We need to rush up, let’s go.”

Jiang Heng watched as his left leg accidentally twisted his right. “Wait, so you’re not a night vision…”

There was another thud as Shen Fubai tripped again.

Jiang Heng, “…human.”

He began to realize why Shen Fubai wasn’t that great at dancing. His four limbs were quite uncoordinated, and he needed some practice.

With three strides, Jiang Heng went forward to grab Shen Fubai from the floor, his voice hinting of exasperation, “Are you hurt anywhere? Maybe I should carry you up.”

Now sitting on the step, Shen Fubai’s expression was unfocused.

Jiang Heng asked again, his tone shifting, “Fubai? Fubai!”

Shen Fubai suddenly came back to reality, he said seriously, “No need for that. If I were to fall again while you’re carrying me, we would truly be perishing together.”

Jiang Heng observed him for a few seconds, giving a sigh, “It’s fine. I have night vision, I can see the path clearly.”

As he crouched, he continued, “Get on my back. I’ll carry you.”

Slightly hesitating, Shen Fubai wasn’t coy. He got on Jiang Heng’s back and lightly draped himself around his shoulders with restraint and decorum.

Jiang Heng laughed, “Aren’t you scared of falling? If you fall, I’d fall too. In order to prevent both of us from perishing, you should hold on tighter.”

Shen Fubai immediately tightened his grip around his neck, strangling Jiang Heng.

Jiang Heng, “…you really want us to die together.”

Jiang Heng really did have night vision, prowling through the darkness carrying a person, seemingly bouncing with a breeze on their back.

Jiang Heng: You don’t understand what it feels like to carry an idol on your back. It’s called a loving burden.

Learning about Shen Fubai’s fear of the dark, Jiang Heng moved out of his way, taking swift action. He strode at the fastest pace he could, so swift it was like a dash of a hundred meters. In no time, beams of light colored pink came into sight.

The lights were pink. The balloons were pink. The carpet was pink. The wallpaper was pink.

Shen Fubai was perfectly pink as well, absolutely blushing amid all the pink. He was now the adorable dainty princess.

Indeed, sweet love was in the air.

They went directly to the third floor private room. The restaurant had a horse track-shaped hallway so there were views of the hall from the upper floors, couples could be seen in pairs. Each one of them emanated the scent of love. Since they were all on the same wavelength, no one was going to be out of place. This table flirted with each other, while the next table toasted with shared wine glasses, who was scared of whom.

Both men ascending the stairs in this situation was rather rare.

Fortunately, on the third floor there weren’t many customers. Only one man in a purple suit lounging on the sofa behind the counter sat up in surprise, taking off his blindfold to look at the two, “Jiang, are you… bringing your young lover in here?”

Placing Shen Fubai down, the latter had already regained his composure. He looked nothing like what he had felt like previously.

“This pink outfit is really suitable for the tone in here,” the purple-dressed man walked out from behind the counter, staring at Shen Fubai with the eyes of a curio collector, “You’re a beauty. Jiang really has changed, you finally wouldn’t have to come here alone to order a full table of dishes.”

Shen Fubai took off his sunglasses, “What?”

Did his little darling, Jiang Heng frequently eat at this restaurant? Time to note this down in his notebook.

The purple man’s expression changed, “Holy shit? So you aren’t —” —the one Jiang Heng so infatuated that he couldn’t bother with food?

Jiang Heng warned, “Ye Lin.”

Abruptly, Ye Lin changed his words to, “—a mega-star?”

Shen Fubai smiled politely. The young man dressed in florid revitalizing pink, dazzled by the glowing light, caught Ye Lin’s eye for a second.

This good-looking man around the mid-twenties stared silently at Ye Lin. He wondered, how did this man turn into an antisocial being?

Ye Lin felt the beauty’s gaze on him was somewhat strange. Maybe he thought Ye Lin was dashing. And what? You were saying that Jiang Heng’s appearance was ten times better than his? Ye Lin didn’t hear that.

“Alright, the usual place, room number 529.” Jiang Heng blocked Ye Lin’s line of vision. Before continuing, “Food…” he turned to ask Shen Fubai, “What would you like to eat?”

Shen Fubai was unfamiliar with the menu. He blurted out, “That lovers’ set meal sounds good.”

Ye Lin was awed by his response.

Impressive, bro. You fascinated the beauty quickly.

After Shen Fubai said his piece, he felt it was inappropriate. He immediately changed his mind and turned to ask Jiang Heng, “Is that alright?”

Before Jiang Heng could reply, Ye Lin chimed in, “Sure! Of course sure! Our special offer. If you choose the luxurious lovers’ set meal, you’ll get 999 red roses and a one night at the lovers’ suite… Was that a slip tongue? Let’s start over. It’s for you to spend the night together. Congratulations to you two~”

Although it was a lover’s restaurant, the next-door hotel was still run by him.

“…I didn’t know when we started having this offering,” Jiang Heng muttered.

Ye Lin flirtatiously interrupted Jiang Heng’s sentence, winking at him: Bro, I gave you the best circumstances to seduce your paramour. Take hold of this opportunity.

Jiang Heng, “He is my friend.” Don’t misunderstand.

Ye Lin chuckled, “Okay, got it, got it,” boyfriend indeed. Pink clothing worn, lovers’ set meal ordered, carried and brought into the restaurant, what was there that you were embarrassed about?

Jiang Heng made fun of Ye Lin’s decoration, “Why do you like pink so much? Every time I come here, I feel like I’ve entered a children’s park.”

Ye Lin replied, “This is the reason why you choose the children’s special meal every time?”

Jiang Heng refused to reply to that question. Wasn’t it for losing weight?

Ye Lin added, “Moreover, think about it, this is a lovers’ restaurant. Shouldn’t it resemble love encapsulated in bubbles? Bro, listen to me, when you have the person you care about, you’re going to want to give them a pink fairy tale world. Revolving around them, and spoiling them like a little princess.”

“Jiang, you will come here with your princess one day.”

Look, wasn’t it happening now?

Ye Lin felt like he knew everything. It gratified him to see that his bro had finally got to eat the lovers’ set meal. Each time Jiang Heng came, he’d only dare to order a children’s set meal. As someone who’d witnessed Jiang Heng’s appetite in high school, he’d always felt sorry for his friend, who was enduring such deeds for the sake of popularity in showbiz.

Being an idol was really challenging. At all moments, they must manage their physique.

Indeed, he and Jiang Heng were high school buddies. He knew all of Jiang Heng’s misdeeds. He knew how obsessed Jiang Heng had been with Shen Fubai beyond rescue.

Shen Fubai to him, he wasn’t a princess, he was downright his king.