Chapter 95: Playing Ball
“Aowu?” Why? White Dumpling’s large, misty eyes blinked, asking in confusion.
“I’m joking.” Liu Shihuan rubbed White Dumpling’s head, his tone full of helplessness.
“Aowu!” So funny! White Dumpling was utterly confused, but he was very supportive nonetheless.
Tang Yinlang shook his head helplessly. A silly cub.
After dinner, everyone wanted to go out for a walk to digest their food. Lin Xia suggested going to the night market.
The night market was a part of ordinary life. Busy hustling for work and life during the day, people only had time to come out and stroll at night. This was the life of common people.
Jiang City’s biggest night market was the Jiang City Night Market. It had existed for over a decade. Expanding from a formerly small area to occupying the long streets around Jiangxiang Road, it took three hours to walk the whole loop without stopping.
As a public figure, Liu Shihuan still had to wear a mask at night. Some young people liked wearing masks, so seeing it often didn’t attract much attention from the crowd.
Liu Shihuan followed Lin Xia and the others through the night market, surrounded by people. They came and went, but no one discovered him. No one noticed that a big star was here, feeling lost and helpless inside.
How long had it been since he walked in a bustling market? Before, whenever he appeared in crowded places, it was either an airport or a fan meeting. He would be surrounded by a dozen bodyguards to prevent him from being hurt by fanatic crowds. After becoming famous, he rarely went out alone; if he could avoid going out, he would. Only in the dark could he wear a mask, disguise himself as an ordinary person, and go out to buy things.
Tonight was truly rare. He felt a long-lost sense of relaxation. Before entering the entertainment industry, he was still an ordinary person. Once night fell, he and his dorm mates would go out arm-in-arm to stroll the night market, then go to an internet cafe to game together after looping around. At that time, they didn’t have to shoulder anything and could live freely.
Sadly, he could never go back to that time…
Liu Shihuan looked up at the few points of starlight in the sky. Scattered, sparse specks of light, twinkling charmingly. But the stars were as far away as could be, forever untouchable…
Lin Xia walked and walked, then looked back. At some point, Liu Shihuan beside him had fallen several steps behind. He had his head down, emitting a gloomy aura.
Startled, Lin Xia quickly called out to him. Liu Shihuan snapped out of it and responded. looking up again, his mood seemed sunny, as if what happened just now was merely Lin Xia’s illusion.
Lin Xia was certain he hadn’t seen wrong; Liu Shihuan had truly fallen into some kind of low mood just now. Lin Xia didn’t understand why, so he could only silently keep Liu Shihuan’s strangeness in mind and ask Tang Yinlang when they got back.
Night fell. In the Jiang City Night Market district, vendors set up their stalls. There was everything imaginable. The barbecue stalls were ready too; the charcoal fire in the grills burned red, occasionally spitting out a few sparks.
Chicken legs, hot dogs, and saury fish were placed on top to grill slowly, not forgetting to flip them and brush them with oil. In a short while, the aroma spread wantonly, drilling into the noses of passersby, making their mouths involuntarily secrete saliva.
Some passersby couldn’t resist. They went right in, found a seat, called the boss over to order, and added a few bottles of beer. Barbecue and beer were simply the best.
When Lin Xia and the others passed the barbecue stall, White Dumpling, who was clearly already full, couldn’t resist asking Lin Xia to buy him a hot dog. Lin Xia ordered grilled fish and hot dogs. The fish looked quite big, but after a few chopstick rounds by everyone, the meat was gone. It was perfect since they had already eaten dinner; now they were just satisfying a craving.
This barbecue stall had good business, so Lin Xia and the others waited a long time for the grilled fish to hit the table. The freshly grilled fish steamed with heat, and one could still hear the sizzling sound.
“Aowu!” So fragrant! White Dumpling drooled with craving, wiggling around in Lin Xia’s arms, his eyes staring straight at the grilled fish.
“The fish meat is still very hot right now.” As Lin Xia spoke, he moved the fish meat into a small plastic bowl, picked out the bones, and blew on it until it wasn’t so hot before giving it to White Dumpling.
After eating a piece of fish, White Dumpling couldn’t help but squint his eyes into slits, his tail wagging happily. “Aowu!” So delicious!
“Here.” Liu Shihuan also fed White Dumpling fish meat with the bones picked out. After White Dumpling ate Liu Shihuan’s, Lin Xia’s came again. His mouth never stopped.
“Aowu!” Papa, Brother Shihuan, Daddy, you eat too! White Dumpling pushed the chopsticks back to Lin Xia, yielding the fish meat to him.
“Mmhmm.” Lin Xia’s heart felt warm; his little tiger was very sensible.
“Aowu!” When An An grows up, I will pick out fish bones for you too! Seeing the fish bones the adults had picked out for him on the table, White Dumpling made up his mind that when he grew up, he would help Papa, Daddy, and Brother Shihuan pick out fish bones.
“I’ll wait for you to grow up.” Lin Xia smiled gratifyingly.
“Okay!” Liu Shihuan felt warm inside too. The cub was really so cute; it made him want to have a cub of his own.
“Aowu!” By then An An will buy lots and lots of fish for you! White Dumpling stood up and said with full confidence.
After growing up, An An will earn money properly and buy lots of fish for Papa and everyone…
At this, Lin Xia couldn’t hold back and kissed White Dumpling’s cheek, getting a mouthful of fur. Liu Shihuan watched enviously. He wanted to kiss White Dumpling too, but White Dumpling had already covered his face shyly.
If he had a cub, would it be as cute as White Dumpling? But his life was already like this. His cub might not be able to live a relaxed life like White Dumpling. In that case, why make him suffer?
He regretted it a little. If he hadn’t entered that circle back then, would things be better…?
After eating the grilled fish, Lin Xia and the others wandered around. As they strolled, they reached the area selling clothes.
Clothes at the night market were very cheap; there were t-shirts and pants for ten yuan a piece. Sellers relied on small profits and quick turnover. The foot traffic here was heavy, so they could sell many pieces in a night. Of course, there were expensive ones here too, with better quality.
In a while, Jiang City would get hot, and then the streets would be full of short sleeves. Selling short sleeves now was fitting for the season.
Lin Xia and Tang Yinlang didn’t need clothes, so they didn’t look much. But Liu Shihuan started looking with great interest. He only brought two sets of clothes this time, one of which he was wearing. He wanted to buy some clothes.
“You want to buy clothes?” Tang Yinlang asked indifferently.
“Can’t I? I’ll pay for it myself.” Liu Shihuan found Tang Yinlang’s question baffling.
“No, if you want to buy clothes, I’ll take you to a store tomorrow.” Tang Yinlang was just afraid he wouldn’t be comfortable wearing these clothes. Who in their family didn’t wear designer brands?
“I just want to buy these.” Liu Shihuan huffed coldly and started picking clothes. Men bought clothes quickly; as long as the style and size fit, they bought it.
Liu Shihuan bought two or three sets. The quality was acceptable. Although they couldn’t compare to the set he was wearing, they were wearable outside. Because of White Dumpling, Liu Shihuan planned to stay in Jiang City for a while longer.
After buying clothes, the group continued strolling the night market. Further down, there were some sellers of daily necessities. There was a two-yuan shop here. Before they even got close, they heard the loudspeaker: “Walk past, pass by, don’t miss out. Everything in this store is two yuan…”
“Go in and look?” Tang Yinlang raised an eyebrow seeing Lin Xia stop. Lin Xia couldn’t resist seeing cheap things; he had to look even if he didn’t buy.
“Okay.” The corners of Lin Xia’s mouth curved up, and he took White Dumpling into the store. Liu Shihuan had never entered this kind of two-yuan shop and followed in out of curiosity. Tang Yinlang helplessly followed as well.
When they came out, Tang Yinlang was carrying two bags of things. Lin Xia bought a few notebooks, White Dumpling bought a few toys—including a large toy rubber ball—and Liu Shihuan bought sunglasses.
Liu Shihuan wanted to compare his designer sunglasses with the sunglasses he just bought for five yuan, to know the difference between five thousand yuan sunglasses and five yuan ones.
Further down were some entertainment venues, like bars and KTVs. Reaching here, Lin Xia and the others decided to head back.
Back home, White Dumpling couldn’t wait to take out the rubber ball and pat it with his paws. Standing up, White Dumpling wasn’t even as tall as three of the balls stacked. Once he patted the ball, it bounced up, much higher than him.
“Aowu!” Ball jumps so high! White Dumpling looked up as the ball bounced high and then fell down. Not paying attention, the ball smacked right into White Dumpling’s upturned face.
“Aowu!” The impact wasn’t great. This wasn’t a real leather ball; it was softer than a soft volleyball. White Dumpling wasn’t smashed until he saw stars. Shaking his body, he climbed up, once again a lively little tiger.
“Who told you to catch the ball with your face?” Lin Xia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had never seen anyone catch a falling ball with their face—only his silly little tiger.
“Aowu!” An An doesn’t hurt! White Dumpling wiggled his butt, retrieved the ball, and started patting it again.
“How about this, I’ll play catch with you.” Lin Xia caught the ball White Dumpling patted up. He walked about one and a half meters away from White Dumpling. After White Dumpling got ready, he tossed the ball for him to catch.
The ball was a bit big; White Dumpling might not be able to catch it. So the rule was: if White Dumpling touched the ball, it counted as a catch.
“Aowu!” An An caught it! White Dumpling jumped up excitedly in place.
“Baby is so awesome!” Lin Xia praised him with a smile. Children need encouragement and praise.
“Aowu!” Papa, get ready to catch the ball! White Dumpling told Lin Xia to prepare. Once Lin Xia was ready, he kicked the ball to Lin Xia.
White Dumpling hadn’t eaten all that meat for nothing; his legs were very strong. With one kick, he sent the ball flying far away.
White Dumpling used too much force. Not only did he kick the ball far, but he also kicked it in the wrong direction.
Thump! Tang Yinlang came out of the bathroom and was “attacked” by a yellow object. The yellow object hit a certain part of his body, then fell from that part to the ground. In the process of hitting the floor completely, it bounced a few more times.
White Dumpling and Lin Xia simultaneously stared wide-eyed as the ball hit a certain unspeakable part between Tang Yinlang’s thighs, their mouths hanging open in surprise.
“Are you okay?” Lin Xia secretly admired White Dumpling in his heart; that kick was really accurate.
“Aowu!” Daddy, sorry! White Dumpling ran in front of Tang Yinlang to apologize.
“It’s fine.” Tang Yinlang bent down to pick up the ball and put it away. Lin Xia didn’t see that Tang Yinlang revealed a playful smile, seeming to have some kind of plan.
“Go shower quickly.” Tang Yinlang acted as if nothing happened, his attitude the same as usual.
“Okay.” Lin Xia and White Dumpling entered the bathroom with guilty consciences. For some reason, Lin Xia felt Tang Yinlang was acting strange.
After showering and returning to the bedroom, Tang Yinlang told White Dumpling a story while Lin Xia sat at the desk doing accounts. After White Dumpling fell asleep, Tang Yinlang came to Lin Xia’s side, watching him write.
“Hmm?” Lin Xia was puzzled. Why was Tang Yinlang watching him do accounts?
“Finished calculating.” Lin Xia closed the notebook and put it in the drawer.
“Dr. Lin, I suspect that part of mine was smashed broken. You have to help me check if there’s any problem,” Tang Yinlang said solemnly, but to Lin Xia’s ears, the words were full of eroticism.
“Huh?” Dr. Lin, what is this now? Don’t tell me Tang Yinlang wants to roleplay?!
Thinking of this, Lin Xia felt his face start to burn. He didn’t dare look at Tang Yinlang, afraid of being swallowed whole. Tang Yinlang’s gaze was too scorching, clearly saying I want you.
“Dr. Lin?” But Tang Yinlang didn’t give him a chance to refuse, licking Lin Xia’s sensitive earlobe.
“Nngh…” Lin Xia’s desire was aroused by him, and he nodded in a daze of passion.
Tang Yinlang’s eyes darkened. Enduring his potent desire, he picked Lin Xia up in a princess carry and took him to another room…
Author’s Note: Liu Shihuan hasn’t suffered emotional trauma from a relationship and doesn’t have a cub yet… Thanks to Passerby A for the landmine, mwah ＾3＾ Goodnight~
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