Chapter 20 – The Funeral of the Rose

Room 529 was still a world of pink, and as soon as Shen Fubai stepped inside, he crushed a balloon underfoot, which exploded with a bang, stunning him on the spot.

Shen Fubai silently watched the pink balloons dance around the room, packed so tightly that there was barely any space left.

He thought he had entered a children’s playground.

Shen Fubai looked at Ye Lin and said, “You… have quite a girly heart.”

Ye Lin replied, “Flattery will get you nowhere. Providing the most satisfactory service to our customers is our motto.” Of course, since it was his buddy returning with a stunning beauty, he had arranged everything from start to finish.

Jiang Heng rubbed his temples, knowing that Ye Lin had taken matters into his own hands again. “You can leave now.”

Ye Lin instantly understood. “Your humble servant takes his leave.” He wouldn’t disturb their private time.

Ye Lin quickly vanished—

Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng looked at the balloons scattered all over the floor, feeling a profound sense of loneliness.

The vast world had no place for them, no ground to stand on.

They carefully stepped forward, avoiding the balloons on the floor, but due to their high density, they ended up bursting several along the way.

The popping sounds were awkward.

After Shen Fubai struggled to sit down, he saw the gramophone placed in the center of the dining table and couldn’t help asking, “Is this a model?”

In this room, resembling a pink nursery, an item with a Republican-era retro style seemed out of place, creating a strong contrast.

It was a disaster of interior design.

Jiang Heng said, “No, it can be used to play music. It contains songs that I like.” Of course, what he liked best was listening to Shen Fubai’s voice.

The other rooms usually played love songs. Room 529, being Jiang Heng’s regular haunt, catered to his preferences, mostly playing classical music, giving it a certain sophistication.

Shen Fubai curiously examined the gramophone. Seeing this, Jiang Heng asked, “Do you want to listen?”

Shen Fubai nodded. He wanted to know what kind of songs Heng Heng liked and would make sure to memorize them to listen to on repeat when he returned.

Jiang Heng turned on the switch.

Suddenly, cool square-dance music blared from the gramophone.

“The boundless horizon is my love~”

Jiang Heng’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately switched the song.

“The horse-taming man, how heroic and strong you are~”

…Switch again.

“Listen to me, little sister!”

Jiang Heng shut off the gramophone with a complicated look on his face.

Enough bullshit, just shut up.

When he raised his eyes, he met Shen Fubai’s gaze, which held a similarly complex expression.

Shen Fubai pondered, “So you like this kind of music…”

Jiang Heng thought, Damn Ye Lin, I’ll kill you—

Ye Lin, who was lounging on the sofa, suddenly sneezed.

It must be Old Jiang thanking him for his painstaking efforts.

Ye Lin rubbed his eyes and was about to go back to sleep when he suddenly sat up straight.

Oh no, he remembered something. Last time, when his mom came to the store and wanted to try out some square-dance music CDs, all the other rooms were occupied, so he used the gramophone in Room 529.

He probably forgot to switch it back.

Ye Lin hurriedly sent a text message to Jiang Heng.

Ye Lin: Old Jiang, Old Jiang, high-risk warning! Do not open the gramophone!

Jiang Heng received the notification on his phone, opened it, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his lips, making Shen Fubai shudder.

Jiang Heng: I’ll also send you a high-risk warning; watch out for your personal safety.

When Ye Lin read the message, his heart sank.

Too late, Old Jiang must have already opened the gramophone.

Would Old Jiang be questioned by the beauty about his taste? Would his love life suffer a setback and end in a breakup? If that happened, he would be remembered throughout history for his misdeeds.

No, his conscience wouldn’t allow it. He had to make amends.

Ye Lin made a call. “Hello? Is this Wine Hotel? This is your boss. Please prepare the couple’s suite at the far end of the fifth floor. Make sure it feels like home and filled with love, ideally enabling a reconciliation.”

After hanging up, Ye Lin was satisfied. Although he had messed up a bit, he could mend their broken relationship in other ways.

He hoped Old Jiang would forgive him this time and not come after him with a knife to take his head—

In Room 529, Jiang Heng was clearing his name. “I didn’t do it, it wasn’t me, I won’t take the blame.”

Shen Fubai gave him an out. “Mm, it must be something Boss Ye listens to himself.” You say what you want.

Jiang Heng said, “Right, exactly.”

Shen Fubai said seriously, “Your friend has quite an imagination and is good at running things.” It was a miracle that the business hadn’t gone bankrupt yet.

Jiang Heng said, “Indeed.” He also had a dangerous idea right now, to go and kill Ye Lin tonight—

After their conversation, they fell silent again.

Shen Fubai spoke first. “Let’s call the waitstaff to clear these balloons… otherwise, it will be hard to serve the food later.”

There was no space to move around. They couldn’t risk spilling anything while carrying dishes.

Jiang Heng nodded and went out to call the waitstaff.

As he walked out, balloons exploded along the way, like the grand entrance of an important figure, complete with a background score.

The newly-shifted waiter outside listened to the commotion inside, wondering whether she should call the police.

She suspected someone was developing nuclear weapons inside.

Soon, Jiang Heng calmly walked out. “Excuse me, please clean up the stuff inside. Call more people.”

The waiter looked at the handsome young man, then at the long string of balloons wrapped around his ankle. “…”

She recognized the movie star, a friend of the boss and a regular customer at the store. She had always observed him from afar, and now that he was suddenly addressing her, she felt honored.

“I, I’ll go in and see the situation,” she said. The waiter thought she would just tidy up the table, but as soon as she stepped in wearing high heels, she was stunned by the sea of balloons.

Now she understood why the movie star said to call more people.

How could one person clean it all up?

No! That wasn’t the point!

Pink balloons, pink curtains, pink chairs, those weren’t the point at all! The point was the gorgeous pink youth propping his chin on his hands, sitting at the table!!!

Shen Fubai ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!

Her idol!!!

She wanted to scream, run, and make frantic calls for Fubai!

Li Ruowei suppressed her excitement, maintained her professionalism, and immediately turned to call her colleagues.

As she left, she was too elated, and her high heel caught on the string of balloons wrapped around Jiang Heng’s ankle, triggering a chain reaction of explosions. Li Ruowei jumped in fright, dodged, and her high heel got stuck in Jiang Heng’s shoe.

Jiang Heng: “…”

He felt he refrained from hopping on one foot only because he wanted to preserve some dignity in front of Fubai.

“Oh, sorry, sorry,” Li Ruowei apologized hastily. Her excitement hadn’t faded, and her mouth was still curled up in a smile.

Jiang Heng looked at the student-like girl who was probably working part-time after school and calmly told himself not to get angry.

“It’s okay, go call someone over,” Jiang Heng said gently—

Li Ruowei was efficient. She quickly brought a few sisters to clean up the balloons in the room and also brought a pen and paper.

“F-Fubai,” Li Ruowei said nervously, “can you sign for me? I, I’m your fan.” Her voice trembled.

Shen Fubai’s eyes curved slightly. “Sure.”

His slender fingers picked up the pen and drew graceful lines on the paper. Shen Fubai’s handwriting was beautiful, free-flowing, sharp, and bold, like the writing of a drunk person expressing seven parts madness and three parts spirit. His writing reflected his personality, matching his name.

Li Ruowei looked like she was about to cry with excitement. “Fubai, Fubai, can you sign again and write a word of encouragement? I have a classmate who has always admired you, but she is currently sick and bedridden. I want to give her your handwriting…”

Shen Fubai blinked his beautiful eyes. “What’s your classmate’s name?”

“She is called Wang Xiaoran,” Li Ruowei hurriedly explained, fearing Shen Fubai might think she was lying. “She has a serious heart condition, and her lifelong dream was to attend one of your concerts. But her health isn’t good, and I think if she could receive your personal encouragement, she would be so happy!”

Shen Fubai was taken aback. He flipped the page and wrote a line on the paper, then signed again.

To dear Xiaoran:

Hello, Xiaoran. This is Fubai. I wish you a speedy recovery and happiness every day. Cheers!

Li Ruowei covered her mouth with her hand.

After finishing, Li Ruowei took back the notebook, bowed, thanked him, and left without further disturbance. Shen Fubai stopped her. “If I just do this, your friend might not believe I wrote it and think you wrote it to comfort her. Here, give me your phone, and we’ll take a photo together.”

Li Ruowei turned around, her eyes wide in disbelief—

Finally, after taking a photo with Shen Fubai, Li Ruowei left dazedly, holding a pile of balloons. The balloons weren’t filled with hydrogen, but she felt like she would be carried away by them.

Jiang Heng said, “You’re great.”

Shen Fubai smiled. “It’s nothing, just a small effort. Actually, I wanted to record a video for that child, but with her heart condition… I was afraid it might upset her.”

Jiang Heng looked at him with gentle eyes.

Shen Fubai became embarrassed under his gaze. “Isn’t that the role of an idol? To bring a little light to others.”

Jiang Heng chuckled softly. “Mm.”

So, Fubai, do you want to be my light—

The meal finally arrived.

The couples’ set menu was actually just a regular two-person set, except it was heart-shaped and named things like “Eternal Love” and “Three Lives of Happiness.” Shen Fubai didn’t overthink it and calmly finished the meal, planning to return to the hotel booked by the film crew after eating.

After they finished eating, they went to settle the bill. Ye Lin was leaning on the bar counter, cowering under Jiang Heng’s murderous glare.

“Hey, bro, want to check out our free couples’ suite? Plus, we’re giving away 999 roses as a gift.” Ye Lin was only thinking of saving his own skin.

Jiang Heng said, “No, thank you.”

He did want to share a room with Fubai, but the question was whether Fubai would agree. He didn’t dare ask.

Shen Fubai stood tall and elegant.

He also wanted to share a room with Heng Heng! But he was scared!

Ye Lin narrowed his phoenix eyes.

Based on his years of experience as a ladies’ man, he sensed the scent of love.

This smell was called mutual infatuation.

He decided to stoke the flames. “My hotel has a rule. Couples who stay 99 times or more can receive a lifetime free card for Wine Hotel, as long as they don’t change partners. For the sake of brotherhood, if you stay here once, I’ll give you a lifetime free card. This time is on the house, meaning you don’t have to pay a cent!”

Shen Fubai said, “Okay.”

Jiang Heng said, “Okay.”

Ye Lin: “…” They agreed so readily?

Suddenly, he felt heartache—

The couples’ suite was, thankfully, not pink.

…But damn, it was red.

Red sheets, red pillowcases, all that was missing was a big red double happiness symbol on the wall. If it wasn’t for the fact that he knew he and Heng Heng were innocent, Shen Fubai would have thought he was about to enter the bridal chamber with Jiang Heng.

Why were there rose petals scattered all over the bed? Was this going to be a rose funeral?

The 999 roses appeared in this form?

Jiang Heng seemed immune to Ye Lin’s eccentricities and calmly walked over, sitting on the bed covered in rose petals. He looked at Shen Fubai and said, “Friend, ready for a joint burial?”