T/N: This is a Korean song called, “ye beo,” according to the author. As I don’t have the NetEase Cloud app, I can’t access the playlist. And so, I have no clue what exact song this chapter is referring to. But if anyone else can access the playlist or knows the song, do let me know in either the comments or in Discord!
I can’t sleep.
When I came back, the ‘permanently raised condition’ seemed to have activated on the corners of my lips, and my brain kept playing back all the details. I realized that I had forgotten an important part. How come I didn’t think of using mouthwash before leaving to meet Lu Chengze? But who could have predicted that he would come up and kiss me just like that, like a sudden rainstorm in midsummer, pouring down my face and leaving me immersed and drenched.
When I am missing him, he must also be missing me.
Because when it was approaching three o’clock, he sent me a message: Are you asleep?
I said: I’m asleep.
He was not put off by my childish joke, and he made a straightforward proposal: Is it okay if we video call for a minute?
I was startled: Now?
Him: Well, in thirty seconds is fine too.
Everything that happened today was a little crazy, so his sudden request made me think. I couldn’t help but make fun of him: You seem to be going a little fast.
I was certain he was smiling: I just wanted to confirm one thing.
I asked: What?
Lu Chengze said: That I really met you and it wasn’t all a dream.
I smiled: But I have removed my makeup. You will probably see a stranger and hope this is just a nightmare.
Lu Chengze said: It’s all right if it is inconvenient.
I was not embarrassed, and shortly after, I sent out the video call invitation. It was not that I desired to be first. I was confident in myself without makeup, but I just thought that face painting was for my own pleasure, but if I really planned to associate with someone, removing the mask was also a show of sincerity.
The Lu Chengze in the video was a bit different from usual. His hair was in an unmanaged state. It was fluffy and slightly unruly. He also wore a pair of thin-framed glasses which made his face appear smaller and like a college or high school student. To be specific, the kind who was easily bullied.
I was surprised: “So, you are near-sighted?”
I began to suspect, did he usually wear contacts? Were my eyes so poor? I couldn’t tell in the slightest.
Lu Cheng seemed to be unable to react for a moment: “Huh? Oh, a little bit, but the prescription is not high.”
I asked: “Is it just to wear in front of your computer at work?”
Him: “Yeah.” He nodded at the same time, as if I was his online class professor and he was letting me know that he was listening attentively.
I cleared my throat and deliberately raised my face: “It turns out that this video call with me is work.” As to what the frame of mind for work was equivalent to, there wasn’t a need for me to continue explaining this as it was self-explanatory.
“No.” He took it off immediately, and he threw it far away. The sound was so loud, I could even hear it through the phone.
I broke my act and smiled. What did the glasses do wrong?
“That’s not it, I swear.” He was still explaining. The smile hidden in the tip of his eyebrows was no longer behind the glass lenses. It was a smile with the ability to infect the other person seeing it so that they couldn’t help but smile along with him.
In the past few days of knowing him, my apple muscles[1] had been trained by the devil… No, it was trained by an angel.
We looked at each other and were silent for a while.
I reminded him: “It looks like it has been more than a minute.”
Lu Cheng said, “Let me look at you for a little longer.”
He looked intensely at me while staying silent, seeming to be able to light me on fire through the screen.
“I’ll say,” feeling uncomfortable, I tucked my hair behind my ear: “the time you need to confirm is kind of long. Do you still want to go to bed?”
Lu Cheng suddenly said, “I’ll go grab something.” The source of this chapter is g.com.
“Wait a second.”
He probably leaned his phone against somewhere before leaving his seat, and the background that had previously been blocked by his body was all revealed. Behind him, was his bed. The bedding was light gray and the wall behind it was black. In my experience, black wasn’t a common wall paint color. There was a table lamp at his bedside and a bird-shaped decoration suspended from his ceiling. The bird looked like it was in flight, its wings were spread out.
I wasn’t able to make a thorough examination of it all because very soon, Lu Chengze returned and sat back down.
He showed me what he was holding in his hand. It was all white, not too big, and with a stylish design. It looked like an enlarged tape, but it was more compact, with glass covering both sides: “This is a new bluetooth speaker that I recently bought in the last two days. I haven’t used it yet.”
I didn’t speak and just kept a smile on my face.
……IT Guy Lu——He wasn’t planning to introduce his new digital products to me in the middle of the night, was he?
The possibility of this speculation being correct was even more probable due to his outstanding looks, and coupled with that clear pleasant timbre, he really looked like one of those handsome male KOL[2] in VLOG product reviews.
He lowered his eyes to focus on adjusting the setting. Partway through, he raised his eyelids halfway, glanced at me, and then revealed a row of white teeth: “Don’t look at me like that.”
Me: “How am I looking at you?”
He freed up a hand and drew a circle around his face in the air: “Your entire face is saying, “I’m bored,” please hurry up.”
I tugged the corners of my eyes with both hands, making a mournful face: “It’s good that you know.”
“Okay. I’ll be done soon.” He was still smiling. He raised his head, carefully put the thing aside, and finally stretched out his left hand. By his actions, it seemed he was using the touchpad of a laptop.
After a moment, there was music playing, it came through from the other side of the screen, and the male singer’s voice was gentle and clear.
I calmed down, listened carefully, and asked, “Is it a Korean song?”
Lu Cheng smiled faintly: “Yes.”
I said: “You also listen to Korean songs?”
Lu Cheng nodded, “I listen to a relatively wide variety.”
I tilted my head and listened to it a little more: “It’s not bad. What is this song called?”
Lu Cheng looked at me and uttered two syllables lightly: “ye beo.”
Being someone who had watched a few Korean dramas, it was impossible for me to not know the meaning of these pronounced syllables, and impossible for me to not know the meaning of this song: “Really?”
Lu Cheng said, “Really.”
I was making a play with the words but I believed he would be able to understand it.
On the other hand, Lu Chengze cut the video camera to the rear camera, pointed it at his computer, and verified the fact that what was on the screen was indeed a Korean song.
I put my hands on my cheeks: “I can’t read Korean anyway.”
He shrugged slightly: “There’s also English in the lyrics.”
I pretended to just realize this: “Really? I didn’t notice.”
After disconnecting from the video call, I quickly turned on my phone camera to check the state of my appearance while video calling just now. I should have taken a look before I started the video call. I was too capricious today and it didn’t help that I was always slow on keeping key matters in mind.
Help! This ugly woman with a wretched smile on her red face was me? Was Lu Chengze blind as he said the words “ye beo?” How else would those words come out of his mouth as he saw me in this state?
I looked through his playlist to find this song and it was at the very top. Fine, I had to accept this meant he had never played or shared it for any other woman. He had found it for me, for the video call which might have only been one minute, for his beautiful new bluetooth speaker’s first-played-song privilege, and all just to deliver one line of praise about me.
I opened it happily, and while listening, I read the Chinese translation of the lyrics:
“Why are you so beautiful?
When we look at each other, my heart oh~
Why are you so pretty
When I look at you, my heart oh~
Even if my eyesight is good, I’ll still wear glasses
Because I want to see you even more clearly
……”
It’s all routine.
I snorted, put my phone aside, then picked it up again, and reviewed every message that had been exchanged between me and Lu Chengze in the past few days.
Finally, I put my phone on my face, covering it and admitting defeat. Ah, mom, your daughter has sunk into the river of love. What should I do——
Before going to bed, we made an appointment for breakfast. It was at a well-known morning tea shop in our business district. It was packed all year round and busy from Monday to Sunday. Lu Chengze said that he and his colleagues had just barely managed to get ahold of a reservation ticket.
At eight o’clock, both of us had a serious sleep deficit, and we still had to go to eat breakfast while acting bright.
Lu Cheng drove over to pick me up. After getting in the passenger seat, I was surprised by what I saw. Then I gave him a knowing look and couldn’t help but smile: “Why did you put on your glasses again?”
He looked at me, with two curved smiling eyes gleaming behind the lenses: “Because I need to use my eyes.”
The author has something to say:
I can’t type Korean in JJWXC, so…the name and lyrics of the song were all replaced with Chinese. You can listen to it in the playlist. This song is also very sweet.
The “ye beo” said by the male protagonist is Korean, meaning “beautiful.”
Index:
[1] The apple muscle is the muscle which causes the muscles on your cheekbones to rise up when you smile.
[2] KOL stands for Key Opinion Leader, which is also known as an “influencer” in the Western countries. Key opinion leaders are a spokesperson, a brand ambassador, or a thought leader. They are seen as having more importance and relevance than mass media because they are able to connect and relate to their audience. – Source