Ch49.1 - Love Song on Ice (6.1)

translator: baumkuchen editor: glitterypanda

The next day, Chi Xiaochi woke up to a delicious scent.

From the direction of the kitchen, came a soft clanging of pots and pans, clinging and clanging, the homely atmosphere particularly calming.

Chi Xiaochi got up, put on some cotton slippers that were slightly too big for him, and trotted out of the bedroom.

This was the top floor of an old apartment in Binzhou’s Jiuchengqu. It spanned about 100 square meters, with two bedrooms and two living rooms. The neighbourhood wasn’t a very eye-catching high-class residential area, but it was quiet and conveniently located for transport.

As a single male, young, and owning a car and a house, Dong Feihong was absolutely the blue chip stock out of all blue chip stocks.

Just as he walked over to the entrance to the kitchen, the blue chip stock walked out.

The blue chip stock, “You’re awake? How was your sleep?”

Chi Xiaochi nodded.

“There’s a disposable toothbrush and washcloth in the bathroom sink cabinet.” Freshly stir-fried dishes in his hands, the blue chip stock gestured towards the bathroom. “I wasn’t fully prepared this time. When you come here next time, I’ll have a set of permanent living supplies ready for you.”

Chi Xiaochi let out a reserved expression. “No need to go through so much trouble.”

The blue chip stock expressed, this was what he ought to do.

As he washed up, Chi Xiaochi said to 061, “I suspect Dong Feihong is Dong Ge’s long-lost father.”

061, “......” Actually it’s me.

Chi Xiaochi continued to speculate reasonably, “Or else why is he treating Dong Ge so well.”

061, “......” Because it’s me.

Chi Xiaochi spat out the toothpaste in his mouth. “Liu-laoshi, what exactly is this person trying to do?”

“Yesterday, when you were sleeping, I went and did a check on him,” 061 said, “Dong Feihong, 27 years old, a mangaka, single, has no unhealthy addictions, his father had a big argument with Dong Ge’s father when they were younger, so they had little contact with each other. He went to Japan to study and returned about three years ago. There was an accident two years ago, and he injured his hand, it was quite serious, too. Originally, he intended to go overseas for treatment, but at that time, it just so happened that several internationally renowned neurologists came to Binzhou for a study exchange, so he didn’t go.”

Chi Xiaochi nodded.

This actually explained the discrepancies from Dong Ge’s memories.

When one’s life restarted, there would inevitably be some variations.

If Dong Feihong left the country to treat his hand, he wouldn’t be able to come back for about a year.

If he had, because of this, taken the opportunity to settle down overseas, him not appearing during Dong Ge’s most difficult time wouldn’t be strange.

He nodded. “Got it. I see now.”

061, “......” Phew, successfully brushed it over.

After Chi Xiaochi was done washing up, Dong Feihong placed a plate of julienned potatoes on the table.

The chopped onions were slightly curled from frying. Bits and pieces of chili peppers were scattered over the shiny, yellow, thickly chopped potatoes. Two bowls and two sets of chopsticks were arranged neatly on the table. The chopsticks were made of redwood, and the bowls were blue and white porcelain, filled to the brim with ricecongee, the rice grains almost mush from the boiling.

Dong Feihong said, “I started cooking the rice when you went to bed yesterday. I specially left it to cool for a while, it shouldn’t burn your mouth already.”

After Chi Xiaochi picked up the chopsticks, he then said, “When you don’t have anything to do at sports school on Saturdays and Sundays, just come to your uncle’s house. Leaving home at such a young age, even though you don’t say it, I know you must feel a little lost in your heart. Here, at your uncle’s place, there will always be a hot, home-cooked meal to eat, and a warm home to come back to. What do you think?”

Chi Xiaochi mulled over it in silence, unable to make up his mind.

With regards to this suddenly-appearing “uncle”, he still couldn’t trust him completely.

But if he was sincere, then the appearance of this uncle was absolutely beneficial to Dong Ge’s growth and education.

He didn’t hurry to answer, picking up some potatoes with his chopsticks and bringing it to his mouth.

Then, he froze. He looked up at Dong Feihong.

Practically simultaneously, 061 and Dong Feihong asked, “What’s wrong?”

Dong Feihong picked up his chopsticks and tasted the potatoes. “......Still tastes okay.”

Chi Xiaochi swallowed the food in his mouth. “I ate a chili pepper.”

Dong Feihong laughed. He got up to go to the water dispenser and retrieved a cup of warm water. “Eat slowly, there’s no rush.”

Chi Xiaochi silently nodded, but quickened his movements, finishing all the food on the table without saying a word.

Only when Dong Feihong and Chi Xiaochi went downstairs together and got into the car, did he continue the question he had been going to ask before being interrupted, “When your afternoon training on Friday ends, should I come pick you up?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Chi Xiaochi fastened his seatbelt, then replied in the tone Dong Ge would have used, “......I need to train.”

“Some relaxation is always necessary,” Dong Feihong said, “There’s a skating rink near my home. The owner was my junior high classmate.”

He’d already built a house, building another skating rink wasn’t a problem.

Chi Xiaochi thought for a moment, then nodded slightly, finally agreeing to Dong Feihong’s suggestion.

With a smile, Dong Feihong leaned over and tightened Chi Xiaochi’s scarf. “The car is a little old, it doesn’t have good heating, don’t catch a chill.”

Chi Xiaochi lowered his eyelashes, the long, soft and curly strands covering the faint melancholy in his eyes.

After sending Chi Xiaochi to the sports school, Dong Feihong got into the car and wiped off the condensation on the car windows, preparing to find a place without any people or cameras to once again perform a vanishing act.

Inadvertently, he noticed several high-school aged Smarts in the distance, poking their heads out of a little alley across the road, staring at Dong Ge’s back and pointing.

Then they retracted their tortoise heads back into the alley.

“It’s him, that brat. Yesterday, he beat up my younger brother.”

“Just that sissy boy? One against four?”

“How scaryyy.”

“Isn’t it? Really fucking scary. That younger brother of mine was terrified, even told me to not cause him any trouble cuz he has someone backing him. Bah! What a worthless person. Am I scared of him? He didn’t give my younger brother face, that’s like embarrassing me. How could I just let this go?”

“Then let’s beat him to death?”

“Beat him. But not to death, fortunately this thing is also an athlete. We can just disable him. Us bros don’t need to get into much trouble, we can just cut him up a little.”

“This school is pretty well-managed, I don’t think they’ll let us in.”

“What kid of this age doesn’t play hooky?”

“Right, make your little brother watch him for us. There is bound to come a time when he’s alone. ......Who’s there?!”

As the group of people were chatting it up, they heard one of them, a tall and strong silver-haired fatty, call out.

He pointed at the entrance to the alleyway and said, “Just now, there was a figure standing there for a while.”

The others looked over at the direction he was pointing in. There was nothing there.

Xue Yibo’s brother curled his lip. “You have a fucking problem with your eyes.”

The silver-haired fatty had constantly been facing the entrance to the alleyway. About two to three minutes ago, he’d noticed a group of abnormally shaped shadows by the entrance of the alleyway, but he hadn’t thought that it would be a “person”.

But just now, the shadows had moved.

In order to confirm his statement, he hurried to the entrance of the alleyway, stuck out his head and looked out——

There were several styrofoam boxes stacked by the entrance.

As the fatty was being mocked by the rest of his group, Dong Feihong appeared in the driver’s seat of his car.

——The Dong Ge from before had been bullied sufficiently by Xue Yibo, giving his brother no room to butt in, so this scene had never occurred.

As he watched the fatty scratch the back of his head with a face full of befuddlement, Dong Feihong started the car, and started driving in a random direction.

baum: ahh the food T T I’m hungry now

also, this is the last 5k chapter out of the long, long string of 5k chaps orz we’ll be done with half-chapter releases and be back to our usual full chapters soon~