STTA Ch58 – Like – Chrysanthemum Garden

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 Twin Fish [Translator]13-17 minutes

Once they returned to the villa, Madam Wei enthusiastically said to the two of them, “You guys are back! The food is ready, so you can start eating right away!”

Wei Mingzheng glanced at the bright and spacious dining room and asked, “Dad isn’t coming back today?” Jtn BV

Madam Wei’s delicate face stiffened, and her expression looked a little strange for a moment.
However, she soon returned to normal.
She smiled at Shu Ning.
Then, she said to Wei Mingzheng, “He has a dinner party to attend.”

“He’s had dinner parties for three consecutive days?” Wei Mingzheng handed his school bag to a servant with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

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Madam Wei’s face froze.

Shu Ning gently pulled on Wei Mingzheng’s sleeve. Ok5AMi

Even as a guest, he knew that Wei Yuanning doted on his mistress and neglected Madam Wei.
Why was Wei Mingzheng poking at Madam Wei’s sore spot?

“He’s always had a lot of dinner parties to attend.” Madam Wei smiled reluctantly, but her eyes darkened.
She was only smiling in order to keep up appearances.

Wei Mingzheng didn’t mention it again.
The three of them sat down in the dining room to eat.

Madam Wei put a piece of shrimp in Wei Mingzheng’s bowl.
Then, she tentatively said, “Mingzheng, the Jiang family contacted me to discuss the marriage agreement.
What do you think?”

oJRGmO

Shu Ning’s chopsticks froze.
Then, he continued eating as if nothing had happened.

“Marriage?” Wei Mingzheng raised his head in surprise.
“With Jiang Yao?”

Madam Wei nodded, her face excited.
“The Jiang family expressed that they’re still willing to go through with the marriage.
They’re also very satisfied with you.
They want you and Jiang Yao to fulfill the marriage agreement.”

“Sorry.” Wei Mingzheng shook his head.
“I don’t want to.” PUr8v0

Madam Wei was shocked.
“Why?”

Wei Mingzheng said, “I don’t like Jiang Yao.”

Madam Wei was anxious.
“You’re still young.
You can slowly build feelings with each other.
Yao Yao is very beautiful.
Although she has a bit of a temper, everything else about her is very good…”

“But I don’t like her.” Wei Mingzheng put down his chopsticks.
He stared at Madam Wei with his clear, bright eyes.
“If they really insist on going through with the marriage, maybe you can consider my older brother.” 7dPvZ8

“Wei Jifeng? Absolutely not!” Madam Wei refused without hesitation.

Wei Jifeng was the son of Wei Yuanning’s ex-wife.
He was currently living abroad.

Wei Mingzheng thought for a while.
Then, he continued, “Jiang Yao doesn’t like me either.
If we’re forced to be together, we would probably fight every single day.
That’s not good either.”

Madam Wei was very anxious now.
“Mingzheng, you’re still young.
There are some things you don’t understand.
Marrying Jiang Yao can bring you a lot of benefits.
You might not understand it now, but you’ll understand when you grow up.
If you refuse, you’ll regret it later.” l9LkyH

“Benefits?” Wei Mingzheng raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly.
“The benefits you’re referring to are just money and power.
I’m not lacking in either of those, and I don’t really care about them either.”

Madam Wei was stunned.

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“I’m not so incompetent that I would have to gain those things through marriage.” The little villain said calmly.

Madam Wei seemed to be very shocked.
She was quiet for a moment before she finally said, “Mingzheng, do you have someone that you like?” XRxmI3

Wei Mingzheng was about to say no, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind like a shooting star.
It caused him to pause for about three seconds before he said, “I don’t think so.”

Madam Wei hesitated for a moment.
Then, she continued, “If you don’t have anyone you like, you can try to get along with Yao Yao for a little bit.
What if you come to like her?”

Wei Mingzheng could tell that Madam Wei wasn’t going to let this go, so he half-heartedly said, “We’ll see.”

Shu Ning pursed his lips.
After sulking through his meal, he headed upstairs. PBeYZK

Wei Mingzheng came to Shu Ning’s room to chat.
He could tell that there was something different about Shu Ning, so he asked, “Are you unhappy? Who made you unhappy?”

Shu Ning was tidying up his desk.
Without looking up at him, he replied, “I’m not.”

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He felt that his own emotions were completely unfathomable.
He really wanted to get angry with Wei Mingzheng, but, after a little bit of thought, he felt that this anger of his had come out of nowhere.
He had no reason to be angry.

Qfl Zlcuhtfcu kjixfv bnfg ab tlr rlvf.
“Vte Rlcu…” SCMhrV

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“P’w ublcu ab ajxf j rtbkfg.
Tbe rtbeiv ifjnf obg cbk.”

Qfl Zlcuhtfcu kjixfv bnfg ab tlr batfg rlvf.
Vte Rlcu aegcfv jkjs jujlc jcv kjixfv abkjgvr atf yjatgbbw.

A strong hand grabbed his arm.

Shu Ning frowned.
He had no choice but to turn head and look at Wei Mingzheng.
“What are you doing?” fvbziO

“There’s something up with you today.” The little villain looked him up and down.

“What’s up with me?”

“You’ve been in a bad mood since this morning.
You’re standoffish whenever I try to talk to you.” Wei Mingzheng touched his chin and leaned into Shu Ning’s ear.
“What’s wrong? Did I make you angry?”

His breath suddenly brushed past Shu Ning’s ear. lkPjgG

Shu Ning was like a startled rabbit.
He quickly turned his head away.
“No.”

Wei Mingzheng continued to get closer to him.
“Did you really think you’d be able to lie to me after all these years? Just tell me.
What’s the matter?”

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Shu Ning tried his best to keep calm.
He said, “You’re thinking too much into it.
I was just wondering about when I should transfer.”

Wei Mingzheng let go of him and pursed his lips.
“You’re worrying about this?” OmTrwq

“Yeah.
What else is there to worry about?” Shu Ning took the opportunity to shake off his hand.
Then, he headed towards the bathroom.

“Do you want to leave sooner, or do you want to leave later?” A low voice came from behind him.

Shu Ning stopped and asked, “Do you want me to leave sooner, or do you want me to leave later?”

No answer. ut61ov

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Shu Ning walked into the bathroom.
A voice piped up from behind once again.
“I won’t ask for anything from you.”

If Wei Mingzheng asked for it, Shu Ning would definitely stay with him even if he didn’t want to.
Shu Ning wasn’t actually happy here.

Wei Mingzheng didn’t want that.

Shu Ning said, “Oh.” Then, he shut the door.
He took a deep sigh as he leaned against the thick, glass door. H2G1Wh

What exactly was he expecting?

Was he expecting him to say “I want you to stay”?

How could that be possible?

Wei Mingzheng was the one who had suggested that Shu Ning go back.
Wei Mingzheng was already able to take care of himself, so why would he keep Shu Ning around? Vh2sAC

Didn’t he come to accept this a long time ago?

What was he being so wishy-washy about now?

The next day, Shu Ning and Wei Mingzheng went to school.
Shu Ning spent the entire night mentally preparing himself.
He tried his best to regain the same sunny appearance that he always had.
Slowly, his mood started returning to normal.
He played around with his classmates like usual.

Just as he was about to write those strange emotions off as an illusion, he saw Wei Mingzheng and Jiang Yao talking to each other on the sports field. ilaW5B

It was noon.

Wei Mingzheng and Shu Ning had gone to the cafeteria to eat lunch.
After they finished eating, Wei Mingzheng said that he had something to do and left early.
Shu Ning bought himself a drink and took a quick sip as he left the cafeteria.

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The weather was great.
The sun was out.

Shu Ning didn’t plan on going back to the classroom.
He wanted to walk a few laps on the sports field in order to digest his meal.
He was halfway through his laps when he accidentally ran into Wei Mingzheng and Jiang Yao at the edge of the sports field. 7p1VbM

The girl was wearing a white dress.
She was lovely and noble.

The boy was wearing a dark blue school uniform.
He was tall and elegant.

She was pretty and he was handsome.
They looked like a manga panel come to life.

“Jiang Yao’s so beautiful.
She and Wei Mingzheng are a perfect match!” tqFu i

“Wei Ximing’s left the Wei family, so the marriage agreement would naturally fall to Wei Mingzheng!”

Their classmates’ comments echoed through his mind.

The sour feeling that he had suppressed suddenly started rising up again.
Shu Ning took two steps forward and stopped.
Then, he finally managed to restrain himself and left.

When he got back to the classroom, he laid down on the desk and pretended to sleep.
Three girls were having a conversation not too far away from him, and their conversation ended up drifting into his ears. nqUetd

“…Oh my god! You actually like Su Nan?”

“Yeah.
But Su Nan has a girlfriend.
His girlfriend’s super pretty.
I can’t compete with her at all.”

“This…”

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“I know I shouldn’t like him, but, when I see him with other girls, I feel really upset.
I can’t help but get jealous.” nQ1 Ve

Shu Ning’s eyelashes trembled.
He suddenly opened his eyes.

“Shh, you woke him up.” The three girls realized that Shu Ning was awake.
They quickly stopped talking and left the classroom.
They moved their conversation into the hallway.

Shu Ning sat there in a daze.
Then, he pulled out his cell phone and made an anonymous post to the forum: My heart feels sour when I see him with other girls.
I’m unhappy when I hear people say that he’s a good match with some other girl.
Why?

As soon as he made the post, Shu Ning suddenly regretted it a little bit.
He turned off his phone and laid back down on his desk. fbDW51

After about five minutes, he slowly turned his phone on and clicked on his post.

Within those five minutes, three people had already responded.

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[Because you like him.]

[Which boy does OP like?] h 8AlH

[This is love.]

Shu Ning’s face instantly turned red.
He felt like a thief stealing for the first time.
He quickly turned off his phone and threw it into his desk.

“Shu Ning.”

The voice almost made Shu Ning jump out of his chair.
He looked up and ended up locking eyes with Wei Mingzheng. YhRgbA

In that instant, he suddenly wanted to run away.

His guilt and shame made him want to disappear on the spot.

“I’m going to the bathroom.”

He suddenly stood up from his chair.
Then, he stiffly left his desk and quickly ran out of the classroom. a0hVAr

Wei Mingzheng seemed to want to say something, but Shu Ning had already run away.

After leaving the classroom, Shu Ning’s heartbeat slowly started calming down.
His head started clearing up as well.

I like Wei Mingzheng?

I’ve never liked girls before, and I’ve never liked boys. 1joBst

Now, people are saying that I like Wei Mingzheng?

Shu Ning stood there in the hallway, lost in thought.

Impossible.

Shu Ning opened up his phone again.
He clicked on the forum and found there were now five replies.
They were all saying that he liked that boy. n7MrJg

Shu Ning rubbed his thumb along the edge of his phone.
He gritted his teeth and sent a reply: [I’m also a guy.
The post is talking about my friend.]

Someone replied to him within seconds.

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Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

[Gay love?!]

Shu Ning quickly typed out a message to explain: [It’s not gay love.
It might just be a possessive friendship.] Ulk D8

[Friendship, my ass!]

[OP spoke so logically, yet he’s still asking us? He’s obviously asking because he’s not sure! In this kind of situation, it’s most likely that you’re in love.]

[Society is a lot more open now.
Homosexuality isn’t that big a deal.
Aren’t XX and XX an openly gay couple? Plus, XX is also together with XX.
OP, it’s not something you need to hide.]

Perhaps because of the announcement of male identity, more people responded to the post. EsovyZ

Shu Ning was feeling more and more desperate.

Did he really like Wei Mingzheng?

Even if he took a step back and admitted it, Wei Mingzheng had never shown any indication that he liked guys!

They had even slept in the same bed several times.
If they were going to like each other, they would’ve liked each other a long time ago. fdAeV5

Shu Ning pulled at his hair.

He liked boys, but the person he liked was Wei Mingzheng, someone he had grown up with.
He found it difficult to accept.
Furthermore, it also felt wrong.
After all, Wei Mingzheng was like his baby.

Maybe he really should leave sooner.

Shu Ning adjusted his complicated mood and returned to the classroom as if nothing had happened. VlsdUG

Wei Mingzheng asked him if he was okay two times.
He said that he was acting weird, but Shu Ning avoided answering him.
Instead, he shifted the topic of conversation.

Two days passed in this way.

When they returned from school, Madam Wei brought up the marriage agreement again.

Wei Mingzheng said, “Mom, I forgot to tell you that I talked with Jiang Yao two days ago.
Neither of us wants to continue with this marriage agreement.” AJjKM

Madam Wei abruptly stopped talking.
After a while, she asked, “Really?”

“Really.
Jiang Yao said that being with me would remind her of Wei Ximing.
It would be super awkward.”

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Madam Wei said, “Ah.” There was nothing she could say to that.

If it was just her son that refused, there was still a little hope.
However, even Jiang Yao was refusing.
There wasn’t any hope for this marriage agreement at all. C1pngY

“Alright.
I won’t mention the marriage agreement in the future.”

Madam Wei sighed deeply.
She had no choice but to let things go.

When he heard the villain mention Jiang Yao, Shu Ning couldn’t help but think of the scene that he saw on the sports fields.
Did they decide not to go through with the marriage agreement at that time?

Shu Ning quickly threw this thought aside—how’s it any of your business? EoK Yh