YA Ch84: Like a Dog

In the sparsely populated community during winter, the resonant words echoed through the empty space, startling a flock of sparrows perched on the branches into flight.

Ming Yan hurriedly retrieved the package, handed it to the old lady, and dragged Lu Yu away. Lu Yu, being pulled along, still bent down to pick up the cane and handed it back to the old lady.

The old lady, holding the package in one hand and the cane in the other, had her white hair blown into disarray by the wind.

The two hurried back home. Ming Yan finally set aside his hand, which had been covering his face, and, holding onto Lu Yu who was about to pack, said helplessly, “It’s fine; they can’t get in.”

This high-end apartment building has one unit per floor, and without proper identification, they can’t come up.

“But what if? The Lu family has a talent for infiltrating everywhere,” Lu Yu paced around the living room, exasperated. “When Lu Tingze was four years old, he could break into my room and set off fireworks. Those people at the door are in their forties and fifties; they could easily crawl through the pipes and come in through the windows, setting off firecrackers worth tens of thousands right in our home!”

Ming Yan frowned, walked over, and hugged the frantic Lu Yu, calming him down: “Calm down, calm down, shh—”

Lu Yu, gasping, buried his face in Ming Yan’s shoulder and said plaintively, “Why do they always have to cause trouble at the important moments in my life?”

Seeing that he was fine, Ming Yan sighed in relief and then, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh with irritation.

Is getting into bed really an important moment in life?

Well, it might be for Lu Yu, who has never experienced anything like it.

Ming Yan didn’t bother arguing and simply reminded him, “If we go to the hotel, the route map you planned won’t be useful.”

“That’s not important,” Lu Yu waved his hand dismissively. “Our home mainly needs bed sheets changed; I planned the route map to make sure you wouldn’t freeze midway. The hotel arrangements are easy.”

Ming Yan raised an eyebrow: “You seem quite knowledgeable, but not learning the right things at a young age, huh?”

Lu Yu was mesmerized by the tone of that last word. He had been about to leave, but now, dazedly turning back, he hugged Ming Yan’s waist and rubbed his face against him: “I’ve also checked the hotel strategy, so I definitely can’t prepare just one thing.”

Without further ado, after Ming Yan’s consent, Lu Yu quickly rushed to the changing room and busily packed a large bag. In just ten minutes, he was ready and dragged Ming Yan downstairs.

Shen Bai Shui was very unhappy, waving his arms and shouting, “My package hasn’t been unpacked yet!”

However, no one paid him any attention, and they forcibly removed the package and reattached it to the watch chain.

Lu Yu covered his face with a scarf and, like a sneaky dog, made a round of reconnaissance before pressing the elevator button and saying, “No danger ahead, go!”

Ming Yan felt like he was losing his mind, actually following Lu Yu’s ridiculous behavior. They dashed toward the elevator like thieves, reaching the underground garage, and sped off.

As they passed the gate, they saw the Lu family had somehow persuaded the security guard and were now entering the community with the gate slowly opening. Lu Yu couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he acted decisively and ran quickly.

On one side, the Lu family swaggered into the community, while on the other, their car sped out of the community, leaving them far behind.

Lu Yu looked back and gave the Lu family’s retreating figures the middle finger, gritting his teeth and saying, “Wait until I level up, then I’ll deal with you all!”

Ming Yan’s mouth twitched: “What level are you talking about?”

Lu Yu seriously patted his abs: “Breaking free from being a virgin!”

Ming Yan: “…”

The two went to the best hotel in the city.

The hotel had been renovated for ten years. The one Lu Yu knew from his school days was already quite outdated and no longer in the top ten. This new hotel, opened only two years ago, was now the most popular.

The towering building occupied the best vantage point in the city.

Lu Yu was very satisfied with the hotel’s environment. The check-in process was completely private, and no unrelated people disturbed them. His original worry about being recognized and surrounded in the lobby did not materialize.

Everything went smoothly, reaching the second-to-top floor.

Upon opening the door, they were greeted by brilliant sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the living room covered with a warm, fluffy carpet. Through the nearly seamless large windows, one could see the entire bustling cityscape, stretching out to the distant river and sea.

Ming Yan was pleased with the environment, especially fond of the curved pink sofa, which had a great design.

Lu Yu put down his things and ran to the bedroom to take a look, lamenting as he gazed at the two floor-to-ceiling windows, “What a pity about these windows.”

Ming Yan didn’t understand his point: “What’s a pity?”

Lu Yu pressed his hands against the glass: “It would be so beautiful to enjoy the night view while, you know, doing things on these windows. Too bad, as a young man having his first experience, this challenging position is a bit difficult for me.”

He initially wanted to stay in the presidential suite on the top floor but was stopped by Ming Yan. Now, he was glad he didn’t stay there; otherwise, the 360-degree unbeatable night view would have been even more regrettable. Once he became skilled, he would definitely stay there for a night, haha.

Ming Yan shook his head speechlessly, took a shower, changed into pajamas, and went to the living room to draw. This was his first time staying at this hotel, and the view was indeed worth capturing in a drawing.

Lu Yu also took a shower, wearing the hotel’s oversized bathrobe, parading around: “What’s so good about drawing cityscapes? Draw me instead.” He said, opening the unfastened bathrobe to reveal his well-developed abs.

The firm skin still glistened with droplets of water that hadn’t dried off, shining in the sunlight. Ming Yan couldn’t help but stare for a moment before blushing and looking away: “In broad daylight, I don’t draw nudes.”

“Wow, Master Yan, you…” Lu Yu, as if being teased, quickly covered his bathrobe and said, “You only draw nudes at night? What a naughty artist you are.”

Ming Yan raised one eyebrow: “Now that you know, it’s still not too late to run.”

Lu Yu let go of his bathrobe and sat confidently on the sofa: “I’m not leaving. I’ve been deceived because of my age, so you can do whatever you want.”

Ming Yan smiled slightly and continued drawing, ignoring him.

Since it was still early, Lu Yu, after observing Ming Yan’s serious profile, didn’t disturb him further. Instead, he fiddled with the TV and decided to watch a movie to pass the time.

After some consideration, he chose A Chinese Odyssey Part 2.

Before the fusion of body and soul, he wanted to understand what the desktop background of Lu Dayu meant. That was a scene from the final act of A Chinese Odyssey Part 2. Lu Yu had only seen clips of this movie and had never watched it in full, so he didn’t know its deeper meaning.

Lu Yu piled up snacks and drinks in front of the sofa and happily enjoyed movie time.

Ming Yan sketched and, as he drew, the cityscape gradually turned into a Q-version cartoon of Lu Yu, lifting his bathrobe.

The Q-version characters were chubby, with short, fat little hands lifting the bathrobe to reveal a round belly. Given that Lu Yu had worked hard to develop abs, Ming Yan drew two lines across the small belly, which looked less like abs and more like a grilled steak.

Entertained by his own drawing, Ming Yan couldn’t continue and took a sip of the lemon water Lu Yu had left beside him. He stood up and glanced at the TV: “This is an old movie, why are you watching this?”

The movie was from the 1990s, and Ming Yan had never seen it either.

Lu Yu said, “This is Lu Dayu’s computer desktop background. I want to know what he was thinking.”

Ming Yan was silent for a moment before sitting down to watch the movie with Lu Yu. Lu Yu immediately moved closer and leaned against Ming Yan.

The movie was a parody of Journey to the West. The main character was the incarnation of Sun Wukong, named Jocker.

Joker used the magical Moonlight Treasure Box to travel back 500 years and fell in love with the fairy Zixia. However, he never admitted it. It wasn’t until he had to wear the golden hoop to regain his powers to save someone that he confessed in front of Buddha:

[Once, a sincere love was placed before me, but I did not cherish it. When it was lost, I deeply regretted it. The greatest pain in the world is this. If Heaven could give me another chance, I would say three words to that girl: “I love you.”]

Wearing the golden hoop meant breaking off all emotions, and Zixia eventually died in front of him.

Five hundred years later, Zixia and Joker were reincarnated and once again became a pair of lovesick souls confronting each other on the city wall. The reincarnated Joker still refused to let go of his pride, claiming he was a warrior who should wander the world, not be tied down by love.

In a dreamlike moment, Wukong possessed him, kissed the reincarnated Zixia, and loudly declared, “I love you.”

In the end, Joker, after shedding his possession, realized he had already embraced his beloved and no longer cared about his pride. He held his beloved tightly, never letting go, while Sun Wukong, carrying his staff, left alone in solitude.

Joker looked at his furry back and said, “He seems like a dog.”

Lu Yu stared at the final scene for a long time, unable to speak. When the ending credits rolled, he finally came back to his senses and said hoarsely, “Lu Dayu meant that he didn’t cherish that sincere love and now regrets it?”

Or was he always in the state of ‘being a dog’?

Ming Yan sighed slowly, looking a bit sad: “Young love always starts suddenly and ends easily.” Just like what happened between him and Lu Yu back then.

Lu Yu held Ming Yan’s hand firmly and said, “We won’t end, Lu Dayu summoned me here. He turned into a dog and left sorrowfully; I will cherish this.”

The moisture that had just formed in Ming Yan’s eyes was immediately erased by a smile: “If you’re going to say sweet nothings, just say them; there’s no need to insult Lu Dayu.”

Lu Yu cupped Ming Yan’s face, kissed his tearful, smiling eyes, and then slowly moved down to kiss his pale lips: “Alright, we won’t mention him. Let’s go to the bed and talk about something else.”

The two, like magnets attracted to each other, found it difficult to separate once they were together, stumbling into the bedroom.

Ming Yan lay on the snow-white bed sheets, dazed from the kisses. When Lu Yu’s hand reached under his pajamas, he suddenly regained a bit of clarity: “Wait a moment, call room service to bring that…”

They rushed out, and the pile of things Lu Yu had bought earlier was wasted.

Lu Yu kissed him forcefully: “I’ve already prepared it.”

Then, as if showing off, Lu Yu pulled out a large bag and emptied its contents onto the bed. He picked out a large handful, fanned them out like playing cards, and held them up in front of Ming Yan.

“There are various flavors. Which one do you want?” Lu Yu was like a popsicle vendor enthusiastically promoting his different flavors.

Ming Yan bit his lip, trying not to laugh: “Strawberry or cherry.”

Lu Yu’s radiant smile suddenly froze.

Strawberry, cherry…

These matched the scene from his dream.

“Dear Yan-ge, I beg you, I just started eating meat, and I’m so craving it. I bought both cherry and strawberry flavors, which you like.”

Lu Yu’s breathing became rapid, and it felt like there was a sharp noise ringing in his head.

Seeing him not moving for a while, Ming Yan asked, puzzled: “What’s wrong?”

Lu Yu repeated to himself in his mind, like a tongue twister: It might just be a coincidence, just a coincidence! It must be a coincidence! Yan-ge likes strawberries, and that night he also had cherries, so it’s normal for me to dream about it.

He mentally prepared himself, sealing any unpleasant thoughts in a jar with a plunger.

Lu Yu came back to his senses and grinned: “Then I’ll choose cherry and strawberry.” He said, picking out those two flavors.

Ming Yan widened his eyes. Isn’t this a choice? Why is he taking both?

After a hard week’s work, Lu Yu the donkey finally enjoyed a sumptuous carrot feast. Strawberry-flavored, cherry-flavored…

Thanks to the gifts of nature.

___

Author’s Note:

The movie content and dialogue in this chapter are from Stephen Chow’s film A Chinese Odyssey Part 2: Cinderella, released in 1995.

A little theatre:

In the movie:

Fairy Zixia: My destined one will come to take me on a rainbow-colored cloud.

Lu Yu: I have this, but Lu Dayu doesn’t, so the wife is mine.

Ming Yan: What do you have?

Lu Yu pulls out his seven-colored skateboard and attaches a president ball in front: Shen Baishui, courtesy name Xiangyun.