Chapter 8 – Stubborn
Novel Title: 一生之计在于春 (Spring is the Plan of Life)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 姚锦夕 (Yao Jinxi -MC), 吴洋 (Wu Yang -ML)
*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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Yao Jinxi had a refreshing sleep and only got up after noon. Even if he was feeling lazy, he had to open the shop to make a living. He brought his laptop downstairs, made a bowl of instant noodles, and managed the shop while browsing the internet. As soon as he logged in, he received a smiley face from Xia Ruonan.
Xia Ruonan: Let’s have dinner together next Saturday night. Okay?
Yao Jinxi felt somewhat strange. Ever since he started hanging out with Wu Yang, he hadn’t had time to go out with Xia Ruonan. Could it be that Xia Ruonan wanted to join them?
Xia Ruonan sent another message: Wang Peng is treating us. Wow, he landed a big deal. The customer really likes him and even introduced a few more clients to him. Come on, let’s celebrate.
Well, this was quite rare.
Yao Jinxi couldn’t help but smile at the screen. But there was a hint of disdain in his expression. He had never liked Wang Peng. He found him unreliable and always complaining about this and that, setting his expectations high while underdelivering.
But Xia Ruonan liked him. So Yao Jinxi had no other choice. He genuinely believed that Xia Ruonan deserved a better man.
Even the best cabbage can be rooted up by a pig.
Yao Jinxi didn’t want to dwell on Wang Peng’s matters any longer. Instead, he brought up Wu Yang.
Tea Seller: Hey, I finally understand how you felt back then. Wu Yang really does call you in the middle of the night. If he had a more irritable temperament, he would probably be cursing up a storm.
Xia Ruonan: Wu Yang called you?
Yao Jinxi’s fingers danced on the keyboard: It’s more than just a phone call. He even invited himself over to my place for tea. What’s the point of saying ‘going the extra mile’ anymore, right?
Xia Ruonan: Did you stay up all night?
Tea Seller: Yeah, I just finished my bowl of instant noodles.
Xia Ruonan: …Wu Yang went to work on time today.
Tea Seller: …He’s something else…
Yao Jinxi felt increasingly unable to understand Wu Yang. This guy never followed the usual rules, did he?
For instance, he had gotten used to planning his weekend outings himself. Suddenly, an invitation came from Wu Yang’s side. Yao Jinxi wasn’t quite accustomed to it.
He guessed that Wu Yang must have had a good idea or really wanted to go somewhere specific to be this proactive. So naturally, he didn’t object.
But he could never have guessed that Wu Yang’s plan was to watch a movie.
Yet another movie.
They weren’t even a couple. What were two grown men doing watching a movie together?
Standing at the ticket counter, Yao Jinxi looked utterly perplexed.
Wu Yang went to collect the tickets, only getting two cups of cola and no popcorn. “I chose a show that starts now. Surprisingly, there are quite a lot of seats available. Lucky us.”
Yao Jinxi: “…Have you ever thought that there are so many empty seats because the movie is just terrible?”
Wu Yang: “…”
He hadn’t actually considered that.
Wu Yang never went to the movies with any sense of anticipation. To him, killing time in a movie theatre was no different from sitting in a café daydreaming. He had simply chosen a showtime that wasted the least amount of time. After all, they were going to have dinner together later.
Now, with Yao Jinxi’s critique, Wu Yang thought about it seriously and then replied just as seriously, “I don’t think so?”
The clueless tone in his response left Yao Jinxi sighing silently. How did he ever think this guy was elite material? He took his cola and said, “Let’s go, let’s go. It’s hard to find a movie that’s both in our schedule and not too bad. Look, isn’t that someone popular?”
The lead actor in the movie was a well-known international superstar. Yao Jinxi and Wu Yang sat in the nearly empty movie theatre, silently watching as the movie began.
-Fifteen minutes later.-
Yao Jinxi covered his eyes, “Why didn’t you tell me this was an art film?”
An art film! No wonder there were so few people! This is ridiculous! The movie’s been playing for fifteen minutes. Ten of those minutes were just a train going back and forth! What’s it even trying to convey?
Wu Yang was also left speechless. Despite his gaze being fixed on the screen, he was zoning out for as long as the movie was on. He was like this every time he watched a movie.
Seeing how uncomfortable Yao Jinxi looked no matter how he sat, Wu Yang asked, “Should I go buy tickets for another movie instead?”
Yao Jinxi mocked, “Might as well not buy tickets and treat it as watching online. Just choose whatever you want to watch.”
Wu Yang: “…”
After a moment of thought, he asked again, “Should we just go eat now?”
Yao Jinxi’s lips twitched. It was 3 p.m. Neither lunch nor dinner made sense at this point. He turned his head back as the train sequence finally ended, transitioning to a landscape, occasionally flashing the faces of the male and female leads.
Yao Jinxi nudged Wu Yang, “Let’s go.”
“Alright.” Wu Yang stood up decisively and followed Yao Jinxi out of the movie theatre. Yao Jinxi stood at the entrance and took a quick look at Wu Yang’s casually dressed attire. He nodded, “Doesn’t look too out of place.”
Wu Yang had no clue what this cryptic remark meant, “Hmm?”
“Oh. It’s been a while for me too.” Yao Jinxi downed the rest of his small cup of cola in a few sips and then tossed the cup into the trash bin. “Let’s go.”
Wu Yang didn’t ask where they were going. But experience had shown him that every time Yao Jinxi led, it was unexpected. Maybe it was better to say that Yao Jinxi himself was an unexpected person.
And he was more than happy to embrace these kinds of surprises.
However, Yao Jinxi didn’t lead Wu Yang out of the shopping centre. Instead, they took the elevator to the sixth floor. Even before reaching the elevator, they could hear the commotion and various music from above. The entire floor was an arcade.
Yao Jinxi asked, “Do you have a discount card for this place?”
This was actually the first time Wu Yang had been to a place like this in his eventful life. He shook his head, “No.”
With a couple of hums, Yao Jinxi bought a hundred game tokens from the front desk and handed the token basket to Wu Yang. He grabbed a handful for himself and dashed towards the various game machines.
It was clear that Yao Jinxi had been here frequently before, as he quickly got the hang of various games after a long absence. He seemed to relish taking the role of the teacher, directly rolling up his sleeves and demonstrating to Wu Yang, who seemed clueless. Yao Jinxi posed with the gun like a pro, raising an eyebrow and looking at Wu, “Look, look. This is how the pros do it.”
He hadn’t finished showing off when his character was killed by an enemy.
Wu Yang: “…”
Yao Jinxi: “…”
Wu Yang carefully suggested, “Let’s not count this round. Start over?”
Yao Jinxi calmly hung up the gun, “Let’s go play some racing games instead.”
So, two adults found themselves racing cars among a group of students. They each won a fair share. The situations were laughable and Yao Jinxi was laughing so hard he couldn’t catch his breath. “You crashed again.”
Wu Yang pushed up his glasses and chuckled, “And you’re about to end up in a ditch.”
Their interaction was quite childlike. Yet they found it simple and enjoyable. They didn’t feel embarrassed under the stares of the youngsters around them, who were clearly curious. After all, who cared what strangers thought?
After their exhilarating gaming session, they left the arcade, realising it was time for dinner. Since Yao Jinxi had bought several hundred tokens himself, he generously let Wu Yang cover the bill for dinner.
As per usual, they headed to Yao Jinxi’s tea shop for a cup of tea. Yao Jinxi joked as he opened the door, “Now people around here say I run my business just like a regular job. Even the weekends are not off.”
It was all thanks to Wu Yang’s efforts. But Yao Jinxi didn’t find anything wrong with it. Wu Yang was definitely a great companion—easygoing, cooperative, and flawless. Even now, Yao Jinxi couldn’t quite tell who was accompanying whom.
However, this wasn’t just a joke in Wu Yang’s eyes. “Has business been slow lately?”
“Ah? Not really,” Yao Jinxi denied. But the topic didn’t end there.
“About the thing from last time, how have you been considering it?” Wu Yang knew Yao Jinxi relatively well. He understood that Yao Jinxi had probably been brushing him off earlier so he wanted to remind him, “Labor Day is coming up. Many companies are preparing employee benefits.”
Yao Jinxi: “…”
He had never encountered anything like this, where someone was eager to give him business. Yao Jinxi didn’t doubt Wu Yang’s abilities. He could probably make some money if he followed his advice. This guy had a convincing aura about him.
He felt a bit exasperated, “Although I’ve had a bit of that feeling before, you really are a stubborn person.”
Wu Yang seemed somewhat surprised, “No one has ever said that about me.”
Yao Jinxi quirked an eyebrow, “No one has ever said that about you?”
Wu Yang’s expression turned thoughtful, “No… Do you think I’m stubborn?”
Yao Jinxi said, “Well, your way of being stubborn is rather clever.”
Implicitly, he was still saying he was being stubborn.
“Oh…” Wu Yang furrowed his eyebrows, pondering it over repeatedly. He snapped out of his thoughts when he caught the scent of tea, looking at Yao Jinxi who was steeping the tea. Yao Jinxi’s graceful and composed movements coupled with his handsome face were pleasing to the eye.
Wu Yang usually didn’t pay much attention to others’ appearances. But now he found Yao Jinxi rather good-looking.
Why would a man think another man is good-looking? Wu Yang didn’t delve into that thought for now and shifted his approach, bringing up the old topic, “I feel like I disturbed your business and caused you a loss. So I should compensate you somehow.”
Yao Jinxi understood what he was getting at. This guy really wouldn’t give up until he achieved his goal. Yao Jinxi decided to play around a bit, crossing his arms and asking, “What if I refuse?”
Wu Yang asked, “Why?”
Yao Jinxi looked up at the ceiling, “Can’t a person want to do something without a reason?”
Wu Yang: “…”
Seeing that his attempt to be serious had failed, Yao Jinxi couldn’t hold back, “Sorry, sorry. It’s just that you’re always so serious. Forget about that. Here’s the deal. If you really want to help, ask your friend what kind of tea they need and how much. I’ll see if I can prepare for it.”
Wu Yang caught on. He felt relieved and replied cheerfully, “Sure thing.”
Yao Jinxi looked at him with interest, “You help me make money, why are you so happy about it? Just so you know, I won’t be giving you a commission.”
Wu Yang laughed merrily, “No need.”
This time, Yao Jinxi was genuinely surprised, “Well, you’re quite a friend then.”
Wu Yang was taken aback, “Does that mean you think it’s not bad having me as a friend?”
“What’s with you? You’re not just stubborn but also naturally dense,” Yao Jinxi laughed, “But this is pretty nice. It’s much better than the first time I met you. The first time, I found you rather uncomfortable to be around.”
Wu Yang turned his head to the side, thinking for a while before replying, “I also think this is pretty nice.”
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*Translator’s Note: Yup. WY never gives up once he sets his mind on something. -K
Next update: 2023.09.27
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