Chapter 51 (1/2)

Chapter 51: Salmon Salad Deviled Eggs

Translated by Yan of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Lin ShuYi didn’t know how to use a knife or fork, nor did he know the proper etiquette for eating with them.

After the waiter pressed the doorbell for 106 and pushed the dining cart in the room, placing dishes covered by round lids onto the dining table that was underneath the enormous crystal chandelier, Lin ShuYi finally noticed that it was a fork and knife that was on the table, not the chopsticks he was familiar with.

The knife wasn’t like a paring knife either; there were fine ridges along the edge, and there were quite a few knives. There was also a soup spoon placed to his right, beside the knives.

The front part of the knife was fairly sharp, and it wasn’t the typical fork either. There were also quite a few of them, placed on his left.

There was a round silver lid between the forks and knives, covering the object underneath. There was a smaller plate to the upper left corner, and there was another fork and knife set on the large plate that was noticeably a few dimensions smaller, along with a tiny soup spoon. Above that were a few cups of varying sizes.

Lin ShuYi felt dizzy just looking at it, but he still couldn’t find his familiar chopsticks.

Could he even eat anymore?!

Shen Fu had already finished his hurried shower and come out, wearing a casual sweater. His slippers flopped as he rubbed his hair while walking over. When he saw Lin ShuYi standing dazed next to the table, he laughed. “Why aren’t you sitting down?”

Lin ShuYi turned to ask him seriously, “Did you really invite me to dinner because you had something to tell me?”

Shen Fu nodded, puzzled. Why was he asking this?

Lin ShuYi’s mouth twitched. “I feel like I must have offended you somehow, so that’s why you invited me to eat.”

Shen Fu: …

Shen Fu circled around Lin ShuYi and walked behind him, glancing at the tableware on the table. He muttered to himself, “It is a little much.”

He originally wanted to take Lin ShuYi to eat a traditional French banquet, and this place’s French dishes were known for being the most authentic. However, the French dishes were troublesome because of the eating etiquette, as well as the tableware; it was all too much.

But it was just him and Lin ShuYi here. They didn’t really have to follow too many rules, but Lin ShuYi didn’t understand anything. Shen Fu was more than happy to teach from the beginning.

“These are all dinner knives. Even though there’s a lot, they’re all used to cut appetizers or the main course. The forks over here are to be paired with the dinner knives. The small fork and knife above are used for dessert. These cups are used either for water or red wine or champagne, very troublesome. However, it’s just the two of us here, so we don’t need to comply with all this.” Shen Fu crooked the corner of his mouth, pointing to each one by one as he stood behind Lin ShuYi, explaining.

Lin ShuYi felt stunned as he listened. He hadn’t expected there to be so many details for just eating a meal. He thought that eating a meal at Da Yan’s imperial palace was already very detailed and particular.

As one of them spoke and the other listened, neither noticed that the distance between them had already decreased to the point that it was ambiguous.

It was only when a drop of water fell from Shen Fu’s dripping wet hair into Lin ShuYi’s collar that he recovered from his daze from the icy shock.

“I get it now.” Lin ShuYi pulled a long face and solemnly nodded.

Shen Fu didn’t know what happened, and he found Lin ShuYi’s serious expression a little amusing. “What do you get?”

“I know what these are used for, so… hurry and sit over there.”

Only then did Shen Fu realize he was just a tiny bit away from Lin ShuYi, to the point that if he lowered his head just a bit he would be able to see Lin ShuYi’s fair and delicate collar bone from inside his slightly opened collar.

Shen Fu’s pupils dilated for a moment, and he acted before he could think, reaching out and pressing Lin ShuYi against the table.

Lin ShuYi: …

“Tell me, the one you like is Chen Fang, correct?” Lin ShuYi’s back was to Shen Fu, his voice a bit cold.

Shen Fu’s face screamed ‘holy shit’.

The situation was already like this, yet he was still thinking about how thin Lin ShuYi’s waist was! There wasn’t any bit of extra fat!

Finally he realized afterwards: did Lin ShuYi’s awareness actually increase to a certain extent?

Lin ShuYi turned his head slowly, fuming between gritted teeth, “You were tricking me when you said you liked Chen Fang, right?!!”

Shen Fu was intending to say it from the start. Even though it wasn’t a good time now, if he had to do it all over again he probably still wouldn’t have been able to control himself, so he didn’t move aside. Instead, he used this position to laugh quietly next to Lin ShuYi’s ear. “Not bad, you aren’t too slow.”

Lin ShuYi got angry, and he finally realized the truth behind all those areas that he thought weren’t quite right.

No matter how much Lin ShuYi didn’t understand what ‘like’ was, that didn’t mean he didn’t know what Shen Fu being propped up against him meant! If it wasn’t that Shen Fu was such a slag that he went into heat whenever he saw anybody, then that could only mean that he had guessed wrong from the very start. The one Shen Fu liked wasn’t Chen Fang at all, but rather…

Lin ShuYi flew into a rage from the humiliation.

Shen Fu was still recklessly fanning the flames. “Say, how exactly should I let him know that I like him? When that person is so slow…”

These were all the things he told Shen Fu the other day! Lin ShuYi was so mad that he just wanted to toss this person out right here.

“And you know, right, the day my grandpa came? He actually came to see you. I told him that I didn’t want anybody besides you.” Shen Fu’s deep voice, concealing a smile, and his heat that was pouring directly into Lin ShuYi’s ear made Lin ShuYi’s entire body shake.

Was this person confessing to him?!! Earnestly confessing to him?!!

His anger and all the words he wanted to fling at Shen Fu were swallowed again. It had to be said that in Lin ShuYi’s two lifetimes, this was his first time being confessed to, even if it was a man.

Back in Da Yan, there were people who liked that young and promising, handsome and charming Ministry of Appointments government official, but at the time the nation was in peril, and Lin ShuYi was wholeheartedly dedicated to the imperial palace. Quite a few officials who wanted to entice him used the excuse of wanting to marry him, resulting in him never having much interest towards this kind of thing. What’s more, there were no maidens in Da Yan like Shen Fu who would say such things, and even if they liked him, they would just secretly like him. At the most, they would just go to the government official quarters and take a stroll, to catch a few more glimpses. For someone as slow as Lin ShuYi concerning emotions, he didn’t notice at all.

So he was rendered a little dumb now. Even though he thought of that, by the time those words came out of Shen Fu’s mouth, Lin ShuYi was still in disbelief.

Shen Fu liked him? Shen Fu liked him! Shen Fu actually liked him!!!

Shen Fu was still saying something softly next to his ear, but Lin ShuYi didn’t hear any of it. His brain was now repeating the same simple line over and over, automatically disconnecting him from any noise from outside.

He looked a little endearingly silly in Shen Fu’s eyes.

But… his reaction didn’t seem to be quite right, ah?

To Shen Fu’s understanding, either Lin ShuYi would push him roughly away, allowing him to unrelentingly pester him, or else Lin ShuYi would coldly mock and ridicule him in a rage, allowing him to softly whisper in his ear and dissect his feelings.

But Shen Fu hadn’t expected this ending.

Sure enough, Shen Fu couldn’t easily guess what Lin ShuYi was thinking.

Shen Fu tilted his head and asked, “Why do I feel like you aren’t surprised at all?!!”

So what if he prepared for this moment for so long, Lin ShuYi didn’t seem pleasantly surprised in the slightest!

After a long pause, Lin ShuYi looked back. “Didn’t you say that you liked Chen Fang?”

Great, this incredibly long reaction time.

Shen Fu could only explain again. “I’m friends with Chen Fang. He knew that I liked you long before you came here. The reason I didn’t make it clear when you misunderstood was because I wanted to see your reaction…” But, inevitably, there hadn’t been a reaction, and instead Lin ShuYi had earnestly cheered for him.

Shen Fu was quite defeated. It seemed like back then, not only was there not a reaction, there wasn’t much of a reaction now either. Shen Fu finally let both of his arms relax from encircling Lin ShuYi, allowing him to turn around. “Then, do you believe me now?”

Lin ShuYi’s eyes remained vacant, before he finally nodded.

Shen Fu laughed before he reached past Lin ShuYi and flicked the light switch. The lighting then dimmed, and the ulterior motive for using this dining room was revealed. The candle holder with uneven heights, the slightly warm candle light. Originally, he just wanted to explain and eat a candlelit dinner, but who would’ve expected Lin ShuYi’s typically dense consciousness to suddenly become sensitive today. He hadn’t been able to stop himself from being lured in, and he could only reveal everything. As for what the result was, Shen Fu was also still waiting for the final verdict.

Shen Fu could tell that Lin ShuYi didn’t detest him, nor did he detest homosexuality. But that didn’t mean Lin ShuYi would like him, that Shen Fu also knew. But knowing was one thing; Shen Fu didn’t actually care if Lin ShuYi rejected him, since he would still devote the rest of his life’s efforts to turning Lin ShuYi gay. What was the difference? In any case, he was just this shameless.

Shen Fu blinked and said, “Then, do you accept?”

“Accept?” Lin ShuYi was bewildered, and it was as if he only reacted after a long pause. “No!”

Shen Fu was a man, and he was also a man. He wasn’t against male-male relationships, but that didn’t mean he wanted to get into one, so how could he accept?!