15. Girlfriend

So, Xiaobao was extremely curious about this highly paid translator, but after meeting her in person, he was relieved. As a rough-looking man, he naturally couldn’t compare to a delicate beauty.

"Hello, my name is Fei Xiaobao, I’m He Mian’s agent." Xiaobao greeted her affably. "Don’t let my looks fool you—I may look like a villain, but I’m an honest, upright man."

His self-awareness was impressive; since he knew he didn’t look like a good person, she felt justified for having mistaken him for a thief. Su Yun excused herself in her own mind.

Su Yun smiled and nodded, "Hello, Bao...brother."

Xiaobao was momentarily taken aback by the streetwise form of address, a bit embarrassed, and waved it off. "Just call me Xiaobao." Still, he was secretly pleased by the nickname "Brother Bao."

"Alright, Xiaobao...brother." Su Yun couldn’t help it—looking at his face, she just wanted to call him "brother," like a lackey from a Hong Kong crime film. The scar on the back of Xiaobao’s hand caught her eye; she guessed he’d been in a few scrapes.

"Hey, how old are you, little sister?" Xiaobao was full of brotherly bravado. He’d run with a rough crowd for a while before straightening out and joining He Mian, but the boldness was still in his bones—he loved this feeling of brotherhood. Now that Su Yun had unwittingly hit the right note, he felt closer to her.

"Twenty-four," Su Yun replied.

"Really? You don’t look it. I thought you were He Mian’s age, or just barely an adult."

Su Yun was secretly delighted—Brother Bao was just her type.

There were three things Su Yun loved most in life: finding money, admiring handsome men, and being told she looked young.

Brother Bao’s heartfelt compliment about her youth pleased her immensely; she felt utterly at ease.

"Is that so?" Su Yun laughed.

"Yeah, that means I’m three years older than you, and He Mian’s actually a year younger than you. He’s a real handful. Here, let’s add each other on WeChat—I’ll fill you in on all the important details," Xiaobao said, taking out his phone.

But Su Yun was distracted by the first part—He Mian was a year younger than her?

Suddenly she remembered being forced to call He Mian "older brother" before and wanted to bang her head against the wall.

"You two go ahead and talk," He Mian said, seeing he was no longer needed and heading to his room to catch up on sleep.

"Eat breakfast before you sleep," Xiaobao called after him, pausing in his movements.

He Mian didn’t even look back, just waved a hand and disappeared into his room.

"Hey, skipping breakfast is bad for your health."

The only response was the cold sound of the door closing.

—

When He Mian woke up, he found Xiaobao sitting in the living room, fiddling with his phone, grinning from ear to ear at something on the screen.

"A-Mian, you’re up? Want something to eat?" Xiaobao asked, eager to please.

"Where is she?"

"Who? Xiao Su? She said she went to campus to work on her thesis."

Xiao Su? In just two hours while he slept, their relationship had progressed that far?

He Mian poured himself a glass of water. "Why are you still here?"

Xiaobao: "..."

"Isn’t today your birthday? I cleared my whole schedule just to spend it with you. Aren’t you touched?"

He Mian sat down in the armchair beside him. "No need, go home and get some rest."

Xiaobao was actually touched—after all his running around for He Mian, it was nice to know He Mian cared.

"Come on, we’re brothers, no need to be so polite. Birthdays should be lively. We’re both far from home, who else can keep you company and have a real heart-to-heart?" Xiaobao sighed.

"I have company. You can disappear now," He Mian replied, unmoved and eager to get rid of him.

Xiaobao was puzzled. He and He Mian—weren’t they both single as could be? "Who? You’re just as single as I am—"

Wait, could it be Su Yun?

Seeing Xiaobao’s confused expression, He Mian checked the time and decided to clarify: "Yeah, I’ve been off the market for ten hours. I forgot to introduce her this morning—Su Yun isn’t just my translator, she’s also my girlfriend."

Girlfriend!

As a thoroughly single man, Xiaobao felt like he’d just been punched a thousand times. In the end, the joke was on him.

—

Su Yun spent the whole day in the library, engrossed in her studies, inspiration flowing endlessly.

As the hour for the "wolf dog" drew near, Su Yun packed her bag and headed out.

Checking her phone, she saw that He Mian had called her more than a dozen times.

Just as she was about to call him back, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Su, did you come to the library to study?" Leno was smiling brightly at her, looking as if he’d just come from the library himself.

"Yes, and you?" Su Yun struck up a conversation, seizing the opportunity to practice her spoken French.

Leno was a local, his French impeccable.

"Want to have dinner together at the dining hall?" As they reached the door, Leno asked.

"Sure—"

"Su Yun." He Mian approached from not far away.

Su Yun was surprised—what was he doing here? Wasn’t he supposed to be out celebrating with Brother Bao?

"Why didn’t you answer your phone?"

"My phone was on silent. Is something wrong?"

"What do you think? You left your post without permission to go on a date with another man. That’s a salary deduction." He Mian had been waiting for ten minutes, watching people stream in and out of the library. He’d decided that if she didn’t come out in five more minutes, he’d go in and drag her out himself. Just then, he saw Su Yun walking out, chatting and laughing with a male classmate.

Su Yun felt thunderstruck. To avoid a pay cut, she hastened to explain, "I was studying, alright? This is my classmate. Besides, Brother Bao gave me the day off—he said he was celebrating your birthday and told me not to bother you two."

Leno, who had been ignored, spoke up at just the right moment: "Um, Su, who is this?"

"Oh, this is my friend. He needs to talk to me, so I won’t be able to have dinner with you today. Sorry about that," Su Yun explained gently.

Only now did He Mian really look at Leno, and with a possessive air, he slid his arm around Su Yun’s shoulders.

Seeing this, Leno said goodbye to Su Yun and hurried off.

He Mian watched Leno’s retreating figure. "He likes you?"

"...No."

"Let go," Su Yun said, shrugging her shoulder.

He Mian tightened his hold. "What, is it a problem for me to hold my own girlfriend?"

He’d certainly gotten used to the role quickly.