I am a Chef in the Modern Era

Chapter 119: Shen Yan’s Side Story

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

[I’m back.] – Jiang Cheng.

Staring at his phone for five seconds, Shen Yan calmly moved his fingers up and clicked onto the WeChat icon of a person he didn’t know when he added. The icon was a blurry photo, even when he clicked into it, you couldn’t tell what it was. However, Shen Yan felt a violent stir in his heart and realized what this not-so-familiar-photo was actually about.

He was almost completely sure that it was a ring. A silver, cheap and simple size with no patterns but two letters: ‘SY’.

Shen Yan felt his hand shake, then without hesitation he blocked the person in one smooth motion.

A string of firecrackers fired off in the distance and the feeling of New Years was everywhere. Everyone sat in the living room watching TV. When Shen Yan lifted his head up, he saw Shen Fu looking at him and asking, “Something wrong?”

Shen Yan didn’t know whether to say he had good eyes or that brothers could sense things between each other so he could only smile and say, “It’s nothing.” Then put his phone away before he walked upstairs. “I’m a bit tired so I’ll go to sleep early.”

Mama Shen looked at him confusedly, “That’s early, it’s only eight.”

Shen Yan didn’t answer and continued walking up. Once he took a shower and laid on the bed, he realized that felt no sleepiness at all. He stared at the ceiling until morning when he finally fell asleep, but it wasn’t long before he got up to the knocking of Mama Shen.

“Are you up? Xiao Fu’s going to the Chen Family for greetings, you should go to the Wen Family for this years greetings.”

Suddenly, Shen Yan felt agitated, but he said yes and got up.

Once they stuck the antithetical couplets around the door, the two parties prepared to leave. (A Chinese New Years tradition that usually have some good sayings written vertically and stuck on both sides as well as the top of the door) On the one hand was Shen Fu’s family of four and on the other was Shen Yan’s lonely figure. The more brightly Shen Fu smiled, the more Shen Yan looked lonesome and so his face became darker by the moment. In actuality, he didn’t want to go to Wen Family’s place at all today, but the reason wasn’t something he could tell anyone. So with no excuse, there was no way he couldn’t go.

But only when he arrived at the Wen Family’s gate did he realize his feeling of not wanting to come was correct.

Old Wen really liked him and was happy that Shen Yan came to greet him as well. For Shen Yan, he really respected Old Wen and once he placed the New Years gift in his hand, he took a deep bow of respect. But, the moment he got up, he saw someone slowly coming up from behind Old Wen. It was the figure he kept thinking of as he tossed and turned in his sleep.

He stared at him with a deep gaze and smiled. Shen Yan’s whole body went stiff, but Jiang Cheng continued without noticing it, “Long time no see.”

Even in the presence of Old Wen, Shen Yan could not resist doing something very impolite. He turned around and went outside without saying hello.

Old Wen looked at Jiang Cheng quizzically as the smile faded from Jiang Cheng’s eyes. He said to Old Wen, “He probably didn’t think I would come back. I’ll go take a look.” And somewhere Old Wen couldn’t see, he let out a bitter smile.

Then he strode out.

Shen Yan regretted it as soon as he turned around.

He shouldn’t have caused such a big commotion, not to mention it being in front of Old Wen. He should have smiled politely, shook hands with Jiang Cheng and say ‘long time no see’. Instead he avoided him like the plague, as if he never once forgotten his appearance.

With that in mind, Shen Yan turned around and formally greeted Jiang Cheng who chased after him.b”Jiang Cheng, long time no see.”

When Jiang Cheng saw him turn around suddenly, he was somewhat surprised, however it was just for a moment. After that, his mouth could not help but curling up, and then he extended his hand to Shen Yan.

Shen Yan had one hand in his pocket, the other slightly behind him and stared at him with indifference.

“No need for politeness (business talk, useless talk). Tell Old Wen I’m sorry and that I’m feeling a bit unwell. I’ll apologize to him in person some other day.” Then he bowed politely and making it clear he was distancing himself.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes darkened again. Before Shen Yan turned around, Jiang Cheng said, “We haven’t seen each other for so long, don’t you want to have a chat?”

Shen Yan paused, then smiled, “No need. What is there to even talk about?”

After that, he never stopped and turned to his car, but Jiang Cheng’s eyes followed him and his hands quickly grabbed his wrist.

Shen Yan, like he had been scalded, threw his hand to one side, but was gripped by Jiang Cheng. Shen Yan was furious, but his voice became colder. “Jiang Cheng, I don’t want to pull with you like a woman here. We have nothing to say. I thought you knew it long ago.”

Jiang Cheng, however, seemed to have caught Shen Yan. He had no intention to let go at all. He laughed. “I’m going to pull and pull and never let go. I’ll never let go even after my death.”

There was no deep meaning in the words, but Shen Yan didn’t hear it. Maybe even if he heard it, he pretended not to. He stared at the other man and felt that it was totally unexpected that Jiang Cheng would become so…. so cruel.

Who knew that Jiang Cheng still had a dead face? He approached Shen Yan. While Shen Yan was stunned, Jiang Cheng touched the others face gently as if he were holding some treasure. He whispered, “A-Yan, it’s been seven years, but you have not changed at all.”

Shen Yan was suddenly ignited by this sentence, perhaps because of the “A-Yan” that no one else had ever used.

“Jiang Cheng, is it interesting?” he said coldly. Shen Yan was normally very reasonable, but for the first time he felt so angry. “I thought you knew it very well. Why did you even come back? Jiang Cheng, you’re so boring.”

Jiang Cheng’s expression faded rapidly. Shen Yan thought what he said was clear enough. He broke away from the grip holding his wrist. This time, Jiang Cheng did not hold him back. Shen Yan turned to his car and his lips were clenched tightly.

Then, at the moment when he opened the door, he was hugged violently from behind before being picked up. Shen Yan was frightened and subconsciously hit out towards the other person. Then he looked up and saw Jiang Cheng’s fat lip.

Brother Shen was furious. “Are you sick?!”

Regardless of Jiang Cheng’s recklessness of holding people from behind, it seemed strange that brother Shen, who was 1.83 meters tall, was embraced in Jiang Cheng’s arms like his princess. Jiang Cheng embraced Shen Yan’s shoulder with one hand and his waist with the other. Shen Yan was not wearing formal clothes, but a thin woolen sweater.Jiang Cheng saw his red upright collar beneath his down jacket and it was as if he had returned to seven years ago. This man did not look at all like a man approaching thirty years old. His big hand stretched out under the down jacket and felt the warm body temperature under the thin woolen sweater, as if he had grasped all the warmth of his life.

“Yes, I’m sick, and there’s no cure for it.” Jiang Cheng looked down at Shen Yan’s face and said, “What else do you want to scold me for? Throw all your curses at me at once.”

Shen Yan: …

He never thought that one day Jiang Cheng would become so shameless and he had no idea what else he could do to deal with a shameless person. He did not want Jiang Cheng to hold him like this, but he could not break away. Jiang Cheng’s hand was like a pig iron. He had some pain and could not break away completely. He searched all the words in his mind, but the swearing words he could think of were just the same one.

But Jiang Cheng had admitted that he was ill. Shen Yan felt that he had nothing to say.

“You were the one to let me go. You never even asked me if I wanted to accompany you. You let me down first.” Shen Yan tried to reason with Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Cheng didn’t get any oil or salt.

“Well, I won’t let go now. I won’t let go. I won’t let go even after death and I’m sure you’ll run again as soon as you let go.”

Shen Yan: …

He had nothing to say, so he closed his eyes and did not look at Jiang Cheng’s face.

But even if he closed his eyes, he could still smell Jiang Cheng. The smell of his cologne was mixed with a hint of tobacco. Jiang Cheng would have never smoked before. Shen Yan closed his eyes and finally realized that they were not twenty-two and twenty-five years old any longer. They were seven years apart, and in these seven years, Jiang Cheng had learned to smoke, and he learned to be mature.

By the time Jiang Cheng put him in his car, Shen Yan had completely calmed down. He had not been so moody for many years. He was so out of control because of this person that Shen Yan felt uncomfortable.

Shen Yan crossed his hands over his legs and made a habitual gesture he did when he was negotiating with others. This gesture made him look like a stranger. Even the expression on his face was far away. Shen Yan’s face held a little mockery and arrogance. “What do you want to say to me? Say it.”

Jiang Cheng frowned, but unfolded in a flash. “Don’t you want to know why I came back?”

Shen Yan was stunned and then laughed. “I think you made a mistake. I don’t want to know why you came back. I just think you shouldn’t have come back.”

Jiang Cheng’s expression became stiff.

“But now think about it, after all, there are your parents and my parents in this city. It’s your business that you came back. It doesn’t seem to have much to do with me. So I take back that sentence and say sorry to you.” Even after saying sorry, Shen Yan’s tone of voice did not have a trace of apology.

Jiang Cheng was not irritated by these words. He sighed softly and wanted to touch Shen Yan again. He held himself from touching his face and reluctantly took back his hand before he looked into Shen Yan’s eyes. “Do you have to talk to me like that?”

Shen Yan chuckled. “That’s how I talk to everybody.”

Jiang Cheng ignored the sarcasm in his words and whispered, “I came back for a person, a person I will not let go of in my life. For seven years, I have been thinking about him every day. There is no cure for the disease I have.”

Shen Yan: … “You’ve watched too many TV shows.”

“When I came back, I wanted to tell him…” Jiang Cheng looked into Shen Yan’s eyes, and his pupils were dark and frightening in the dark space of the vehicle.

“I don’t want to listen, Jiang Cheng. I don’t want to listen at all.” Shen Yan avoided his sight and looked aside.

“I never gave up loving him.”

Shen Yan snapped his head back and looked at Jiang Cheng fiercely. He had no idea that Jiang Cheng really had the face to say that. “Jiang Cheng, you are sick!”

Forgive him for his lack of words. It was the same thing that could be scolded over and over again. Shen Yan finally realized that it was a mistake to choose to follow Jiang Cheng at his will. He didn’t want to play with him at all. No matter what kind of dog-blood tricks he played, he was not interested.

“If you want to play something, please go on, I don’t want to be in your view…” Shen Yan looked at him coldly, pulled down his wrinkled clothes and opened the door with his hand.

Jiang Cheng pulled him back, then pressed him down on the seat, kissing him forcefully, before he pried opened his teeth with his tongue, and sucked the other greedily.

Shen Yan was stunned.

Reaction came after a fierce punch landed on Jiang Cheng’s face. He couldn’t swear, but that didn’t mean he had no temper. He’d been played by this man long enough.

The fist hit Jiang Cheng firmly on the face, making a muffled sound. He turned his face. Jiang Cheng grunted and turned his head away. His cheek was blue and purple. “I can still breathe a little. Try throwing out two more punches, I promise not to hide.”

Shen Yan did not expect that he would not shy away at all. He was very angry, but he could not do it anyway. Without saying a word, he pushed Jiang Cheng away and dove for the door. The door buckled back and forth without any trace of opening.

Shen Yan: …

“Drive.” Jiang Cheng said softly.

Shen Yan suddenly turned around and found a driver sitting in front and didn’t know when they had gotten in the car. After hearing Jiang Cheng’s instructions, the driver inserted the key and started the car. The car slowly drove past Shen Yan’s car and headed for a completely unfamiliar place.

Shen Yan: …

Jiang Cheng took out his mobile phone and called, “Uncle. Yes, we went out for dinner. You can eat yours. His car is there. Yes, that’s it.”

Shen Yan: … “Jiangcheng, you are sick!”