Death Progress Bar 144
Wanpu
Since Shi Jin’s boyfriend had come to pick him up, Liu Yong’s plan to continue hanging out in the afternoon naturally fell through.
Shi Jin expressed his apologies, but Liu Yong and Luo Donghao quickly reassured him that it was fine. Everyone had slept poorly last night, so they certainly wouldn’t have much energy this afternoon anyway— it was better to hang out next time rather than forcing it while exhausted.
Lian Jun felt very sorry for interrupting their gathering and took the initiative to invite the two of them to play at a “club opened by a friend” next week, mentioning that there was a well-equipped shooting venue inside where they could play simulated combat.
Liu Yong instantly perked up and readily accepted the invitation. Luo Donghao’s expression also softened, feeling quite pleased— he had thought Shi Jin would probably only come out to play once during the summer break, so agreeing on the next meetup so quickly was a surprisingly good outcome.
After deciding on the specific time for their next gathering, everyone bade each other farewell, and Shi Jin got into the car with Lian Jun.
Liu Yong and Luo Donghao watched them drive off, then exchanged a look and tacitly raised the business cards Lian Jun had handed them during his self-introduction earlier.
“Chairman of Wanpu Corporation… Wait, why does the name Wanpu sound a bit familiar?” Liu Yong murmured with a frown, taking out his phone to save Lian Jun’s phone number while pondering.
Luo Donghao also found the name somewhat familiar. He frowned in thought until something flashed across his mind. Stunned, he glanced in shock toward the direction where the car had departed, checked the business card again to confirm, and understood everything in an instant. Exhaling softly, he lowered the card and said, “Of course it sounds familiar… Wasn’t there a massive cooperation project in the first half of the year when the Ruixing Corporation suddenly entered the new energy industry? Our professor even mentioned it in class back then—the foreign enterprise cooperating with Ruixing was called Wanpu.”
Prompted by this, Liu Yong remembered as well and said, “Is it that supernova company rumored to have extraordinarily powerful background and resources, which was founded only two years ago yet achieved a massive scale… Wait, no way. Lian Jun is so young, he couldn’t possibly be the chairman of such a huge company, right? It must just be a company with the same name.”
Luo Donghao looked at him silently and said, “Shi Jin’s eldest brother is named Shi Weichong.”
“Ah?” Liu Yong looked utterly bewildered, unable to follow his train of thought.
Knowing that Liu Yong rarely paid attention to economic news, Luo Donghao had to be more direct: “The boss of the Ruixing Corporation is named Shi Weichong. Back when Shi Jin received his birthday gifts, didn’t you see this name on one of them? Now that Ruixing unexpectedly shocked everyone by jumping into the energy sector and collaborating with such a new company, why do you think that is?”
“I did see it back then…” Liu Yong frowned, and then belatedly realized what he meant. Raising his voice in shock, he blurted out, “You mean Shi Jin is that Rui—mmpf, mmpf!”
Luo Donghao swiftly covered his mouth, glanced around, and lowered his voice: “Keep it down. Shi Jin doesn’t seem to want others to know about his relationship with Ruixing, so don’t shout.”
Liu Yong nodded frantically, pulled Luo Donghao’s hand down, turned to look at him, and excitedly whispered, “Is Shi Jin really the young master of Ruixing? So the cooperation between the two companies happened because of Shi Jin? Hahaha, thinking about all those external analyses regarding economic climate and policy choices… Oh god, I remember tabloid news claiming Ruixing’s young master was chubby, but Shi Jin isn’t fat at all!”
So the main focus was on the “chubby” part?
Luo Donghao gave him a speechless look, then glanced at the business card in his hand with a subtle frown— he couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination, but he felt Lian Jun didn’t seem like an ordinary businessman at all; his aura was far too distinct.
Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translator’s site to get the fastest updates!
As soon as the car door closed, Shi Jin immediately sat up straight like an obedient elementary school student and honestly admitted his fault: “I’m sorry, I stayed up late last night.”
Lian Jun paused as he was about to hug him, drew back his hand, and asked as he looked at Shi Jin’s lowered head, “How late did you stay up?”
“Three in the morning… and then I chatted with Donghao and the others until past four before going to sleep.” Shi Jin peeked up at him cautiously and explained, “We won first place in the event yesterday and were too excited. It wasn’t on purpose.”
Lian Jun’s brows furrowed: “Did you all sleep in the same room last night?”
Shi Jin’s eyebrows twitched as he cursed his own stupidity in his heart. Stiffening his neck, he nodded and quickly emphasized, “We didn’t sleep in the same bed! The three of us booked a suite with three separate beds!”
Lian Jun’s expression softened slightly. Seeing Shi Jin’s slightly haggard face due to lack of sleep, he reached out to caress it and asked, “Did you have fun yesterday?”
Shi Jin wasn’t sure if Lian Jun was asking casually or speaking in anger, so he simply countered, “Lian Jun, are you angry?”
Lian Jun’s eyes flickered, and he asked, “Why do you ask that?”
“I came out to play, stayed up late, didn’t call you last night, and barely sent any texts…” As Shi Jin spoke, even he felt he had gone too far. Gauging Lian Jun’s expression, he intentionally avoided mentioning buying those harmonious items and probed carefully, “Did you come pick me up because you’re angry about this?”
Looking at Shi Jin’s cautious demeanor, the lingering stifle in Lian Jun’s heart dissipated in an instant. Wrapping his arms around Shi Jin, he softened his tone and replied, “No, I came simply because I missed you… I’m sorry for interrupting your gathering with your friends.” He didn’t like being this impatient either, but when it came to Shi Jin, he was always unable to remain calm.
Shi Jin’s eyes widened in surprise.
So gentle?
“Are you really not angry?” he asked carefully.
Lian Jun shook his head, gently caressed the back of Shi Jin’s head, and held him contentedly— ever since last night, he had been longing to hold Shi Jin like this.
The caution on Shi Jin’s face dissolved bit by bit, his eyebrows perking up with joy as he asked, “So you coming to pick me up really was just because you missed me?” Nothing to do with him staying up late or buying those items?
Lian Jun simply pulled back slightly, cupped Shi Jin’s face, and kissed him on the lips.
The tense strings in Shi Jin’s heart relaxed completely, and he quickly wrapped his arms around Lian Jun to kiss him back, feeling as sweet as if honey had been poured into his heart— so Lian Jun had simply missed him! He had only been away for one night, and Lian Jun missed him enough to come pick him up in person… How adorable! Lian Jun was so adorable like this!
The two of them kissed intimately for a while. Then Shi Jin stopped feeling intimidated, his courage growing as he happily pressed on Lian Jun’s shoulders and looked him up and down in his current attire, saying, “What made you decide to dress like this? You look so handsome!”
Lian Jun smiled, caressed his face, and said, “Appearing before your friends in this image should make it easier for them to accept… Shi Jin.” He suddenly called Shi Jin’s name very earnestly.
Shi Jin’s heart quivered at the call. Seeing Lian Jun’s serious look, the heart that had just settled suddenly shot back into his throat. He stammered dryly, “Wh-what is it?” Was the sweet reward over, and now came the harsh punishment?
“I’m sorry,” Lian Jun apologized solemnly.
Shi Jin: “…Huh?”
“I’m sorry. Because of me, you’ve sacrificed far too much.” Lian Jun held his hand, gently stroking the ring on Shi Jin’s finger. “When you weren’t here yesterday, I thought a lot. Ever since we defined our relationship, it’s always been you accommodating my pace. You sacrificed your studies, gave up a stable life, and reduced your opportunities to hang out with friends, all just to take care of me… I am deeply sorry for selfishly trapping you in a world that contains only me.”
Looking at Lian Jun’s eyes filled with tenderness and guilt, Shi Jin was stunned and said, “What nonsense are you talking about… I never felt those were sacrifices. Clearly you’ve been the one taking care of me all along, you’re not selfish at all.”
“Making sure your eyes only see me—that in itself is selfishness.” Lian Jun squeezed his hand, his heart aching dully for the words he was about to speak, yet he uttered every word clearly: “This isn’t right. You’re willing to give up many things to accommodate me out of thoughtfulness, but I cannot take it for granted. You deserve to have your own life too… Shi Jin, wait a little longer. Once everything settles down, I will return the normal life that belongs to you— the time with family, close friends, and a free, easy life. Everything you lost because of me, I will work hard to return it all to—”
“Lian Jun!” Shi Jin couldn’t listen any further. Frowning, he grabbed Lian Jun’s hand back, feeling increasingly bewildered. “What ‘life lost because of you’? I don’t understand. Haven’t we walked together by supporting each other to reach where we are today? Clearly I was the one who ignored your arrangements and insisted on clinging to your side at all times. How did it suddenly sound like you were forcing me to stay by your side? I’ve never felt you trapped me in a world with only you. Whether it’s family or friends, I’ve clearly kept in touch with them all along. You even helped me take care of my family, and just now you hosted my friends and invited them to play at the venue. There is no lover in this world more thoughtful and thorough than you— why do you negate yourself like this?”
“Supporting each other, the most thoughtful and thorough…” The overthinking that had stifled Lian Jun’s heart all night was shattered cleanly by Shi Jin’s words. Seeing Shi Jin’s face filled with confusion and disagreement, Lian Jun’s heart trembled. He couldn’t resist reaching out again to pull Shi Jin into his arms, burying his face in the crook of Shi Jin’s neck.
So in Shi Jin’s heart, their relationship was viewed this way? It was always like this—every time Lian Jun felt insecure, Shi Jin would heap endless reassurance upon him, giving him no chance to wallow in pain and sorrow.
“Lian Jun,” Shi Jin grew even more worried, wrapping his arms around him in return and asking anxiously, “Did I do something wrong to cause a misunderstanding, or did someone say something ridiculous to you? Why are you suddenly thinking like this… Could it be Second Brother? Is he blaming you for keeping me by your side? Don’t listen to him! Sometimes what he says isn’t what he means at all. Even if he said harsh words, his intention definitely wasn’t like that. I’ll go talk to him properly—”
“It’s not that he said anything.” Lian Jun gathered his emotions, holding Shi Jin gently against his chest while contentedly rubbing his chin against Shi Jin’s hair. His voice softened, “I’m sorry, it was just my wild thoughts. You suddenly asked to go out yesterday, and because we had just been separated for so long and you had never done that before, I overthought it… I’m sorry. Even though I’m older than you, I was still so immature.”
Shi Jin froze again, then slowly frowned and asked, “My sudden request to go out made you sad?”
“No, I just overthought things.” Lian Jun released him slightly, leaned in to kiss his lips gently, and said softly, “Shi Jin, I love you.”
Looking at Lian Jun’s gentle features right before his eyes and noticing the faint dark circles beneath his eyes, Shi Jin recalled all his recent behavior. He couldn’t help picturing Lian Jun sitting alone last night, overthinking and feeling down after he left. Heart aching and acting on impulse, Shi Jin pushed Lian Jun back slightly, reached behind to grab his backpack, and said, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have suddenly requested to go out without giving you prior notice or a buffer period, especially after we were separated for half a month.”
Lian Jun was stunned by the push, then shook his head and said, “It’s not your fault. It’s completely normal for you to want to hang out with friends. My health has recovered, so you really don’t need to constantly—”
“That’s not it!” Shi Jin raised his voice to interrupt him, unzipping his backpack while speaking, “I didn’t go out because I thought your health was fine and you weren’t important anymore! I actually came out to buy these… I was too embarrassed to say it directly… Though I did want to hang out with Liu Yong and the others, if I weren’t in a hurry to buy these, I wouldn’t have rushed out so urgently!”
Zzzzip. As the zipper pulled open, a large pile of items with colorful packaging— and colorful implications— was exposed.
Xiao Si painfully shut off its consciousness.
Lian Jun looked down at the pile of items in Shi Jin’s backpack. The warmth and guilt on his face vanished bit by bit, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He first turned his head to confirm that the privacy partition in the back seat was indeed raised, then reached out to pick up a box of those harmonious items. Looking at Shi Jin, his lips pressed tightly together as a low sound hummed from his throat: “Hmm?”
Having the person he loved look over while holding such an item, Shi Jin— as a fully functional man— naturally lost all rationality on the spot. Clearing his throat softly to suppress his embarrassment, he said with utmost seriousness, “On the night of our date, you didn’t do it with me… so I thought maybe you wanted me to take the initiative. So I… well, why don’t we go to the resort villa to escape the summer heat? The mountain spring pool there is quite nice.” As he spoke, he gave a meaningful glance three inches below Lian Jun’s navel, acting like a serious rogue.
If you’re seeing this notice, you’re reading this chapter on pirate site – the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations.
Lian Jun crossed his legs, silently suppressing his emotions as he turned the small box in his hand. He asked to confirm: “You left me to go out just to buy this?”
Shi Jin was actually too embarrassed to continue talking about this with Lian Jun, but since the topic had opened up, he swallowed his shame and chose honesty to keep Lian Jun from overthinking. He nodded and replied, “Yes, I bought several varieties— definitely enough to handle our first time.”
He actually dared to nod.
Very well—to buy this kind of thing, he actually ignored potential dangers outside and even tried not to bring security guards, leaving him behind to head out alone.
Lian Jun placed the exquisitely packaged small box back into Shi Jin’s backpack, zipped it up, pulled the bag over to his side, and said in a completely flat voice, “I don’t like using this.”
Shi Jin was completely oblivious to the impending crisis and said with absolute honesty, “No, this was bought for me to use; yours are those bottled ones.”
Bottled—
Lian Jun snapped his head around to look at him. Sweeping his gaze across Shi Jin’s face— which didn’t look like he was joking at all— the final string of rationality in his mind snapped completely. He raised his hand and tapped the partition. When it lowered, he instructed Gua One, who looked over: “Head to Wanpu Garden.”
Gua One responded in the affirmative and began adjusting the navigation route.
Lian Jun looked at him, the corners of his lips curving up slightly as he replied, “Our future home.”
Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translator’s site to get the fastest updates!
Lian Jun had many residences and footholds—the club, the island, the sanatorium… His status ensured he would never lack a place to stay in this lifetime, yet not a single one of those places was a home.
He seemingly possessed countless estates, yet in reality, he was without a fixed dwelling. Naturally, Shi Jin had also been living a life without a settled place alongside him. Although Shi Jin always called every place they stayed “home” without any reservation, and had expressed countless times in conversation that the club was their home, it wasn’t. A real home wasn’t like that. A true home wouldn’t make Shi Jin hesitate in awkwardness when friends asked about his home address over the phone, before resorting to laughing it off to gloss over the question.
Nightlight Club— how could a place like that be anyone’s home? It was clearly just a venue where crooks and government officials negotiated business, a dim location that could never be publicly announced.
Seeing Shi Jin let out a relieved breath after glossing over his friends’ inquiries, Lian Jun realized things could not continue like this. Shi Jin was just an ordinary person; he deserved an ordinary background he could freely talk about, an ordinary lover he could bring out and introduce to friends without hiding their career, an ordinary living environment free from constant vigilance against danger, and an ordinary home he could openly tell others about. Shi Jin shouldn’t have to sacrifice and fracture his life to such an extent for his sake.
Therefore, he had secretly prepared Wanpu Garden.
Wanpu— one among tens of thousands of ordinary people (Wan = myriads, Pu = common). This was the new life he prepared for himself, as well as the most important gift he was giving to Shi Jin— the starting point and destination he built for their brand-new future.
The car glided at a steady speed into a villa complex that was still under construction and temporarily closed to the public. Driving along the main road that had only recently been paved, passing through lawns and gardens yet to be fully landscaped, and skirting an artificial pond waiting to be filled with water, it finally stopped in front of a beautiful villa.
Lian Jun grabbed Shi Jin’s backpack and stepped out of the car first. Walking around to Shi Jin’s side, he opened the door, took his hand to guide him out, and led him to the main entrance of the villa. After operating the lock for a moment, he placed Shi Jin’s hand on the fingerprint smart lock.
“Welcome home.”
Click. The fingerprint authentication completed, and the front door opened with the sound.
Shi Jin stared blankly at the cozy interior decor of the villa— completely different from the semi-finished state of the outside area. Turning his head toward Lian Jun, he said in a daze, “Here… home? Ours? We’re going to live here from now on?”
He had previously thought Lian Jun’s words were just a joke…
“Mhm. The landscaping outside isn’t finished yet. I originally planned to bring you over after everything was done,” Lian Jun replied, leading him inside and closing the door. Bending down to fetch a pair of slippers for him from the shoe cabinet, he added, “The interior was only finished recently, so many things aren’t ready yet.”
Shi Jin put on the slippers and walked around the living room. Sharp-eyed, he spotted a mahjong table in the side hall that hadn’t even been unpacked from its cover. With glowing eyes, he turned to Lian Jun and asked, “You even bought a mahjong table?”
Lian Jun nodded, infected by his happiness as his own lips curled up.
“Awesome!” Shi Jin couldn’t help praising. After exploring the first floor carefully, he ran upstairs to the second floor, checking room by room until he finally pushed open the door to the master bedroom.
A spacious room revealed itself— featuring a floor-to-ceiling window, a soft carpet, complete furniture, and a simple yet cozy decor style. Shi Jin froze, stepped forward, and pressed down on the bed that was already made with sheets and a duvet, saying, “Even the bed is made… Was this place just set up? None of the other rooms even have furniture yet.”
As he spoke, he noticed a small star-badge-shaped throw pillow sitting in the middle of the bed. He couldn’t help smiling as he reached out to pick it up: “There’s even a throw pillow.” Remembering he had once given Lian Jun a badge with a similar design, a wave of warmth washed over his heart. Turning to Lian Jun behind him, he asked, “Did you have this custom-made?”
Entering the room a step behind him, Lian Jun reached back to close the door and replied, “Mhm, I had Gua Six find someone to make it.”
Shi Jin squinted his eyes with a smile: “Thank you, I really love it.”
“As long as you like it.”
Shi Jin turned back, completely failing to notice the detail of Lian Jun closing the door. Setting down the pillow, he checked out the rest of the room.
While Shi Jin was looking around, Lian Jun placed the backpack on the nightstand, walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, and drew the curtains.
With the light source blocked, the room darkened immediately, turning ambiguous and hazy.
Shi Jin paused, turning his head to look at Lian Jun.
“Shi Jin,” Lian Jun called out, motioning to him, “Come take a look. Do you like the pattern on these curtains? If not, I’ll have someone replace them.”
Ah, so drawing the curtains was for that reason.
Without suspicion, Shi Jin walked over, grabbed the curtains to inspect them closely, and said, “No need to change them. The pattern is nice, and the color is great too— I like this color.”
Lian Jun caught the hand Shi Jin was holding the curtain with, pulled gently to bring him into his embrace, wrapped an arm around his waist, pressed his forehead against Shi Jin’s, and softly called, “Shi Jin.”
That tone… Shi Jin’s heart trembled as he raised his eyes to look at him.
“I’ve always thought that our first time shouldn’t be casually settled in places that are merely residences— or places that don’t even qualify as residences,” Lian Jun said, letting go of his wrist to gently cup his face instead, his voice deep and gentle. “Because you are so important, I don’t want to slight you.”
Shi Jin unconsciously held his breath, finally realizing something. His gaze fell onto Lian Jun’s pale lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
“But I didn’t expect my behavior would make you misunderstand.” Lian Jun released his face, moving his hand down Shi Jin’s back, sliding lower bit by bit until it rested on the small of his lower back, gently kneading it. “Then again, you’re so young and healthy, so it’s completely normal to be a bit impatient… It was my fault, I apologize.”
Your tone doesn’t sound like an apology at all!
The kneading sent goosebumps straight up Shi Jin’s back, yet his traitorous body was stirring. His instinct for sensing danger warned him that the current Lian Jun was unsafe to be near, so he quickly shuffled backward cautiously, saying, “N-No need to apologize, I… mmpf.”
Lian Jun pressed Shi Jin back against a small table near the window, bending his head to lightly nip at his Adam’s apple as he said, “It’s not even two in the afternoon yet, still several hours before dark… Don’t worry, you’ll sleep soundly tonight.”
Several hours?!
Shi Jin’s body shuddered. He quickly protested, “Wait, I’m exhausted after staying up late last night, and I only took a quick— mmpf.”
Lian Jun sealed off his protest with a kiss, his hand slipping inside Shi Jin’s clothes to knead his sensitive spots, kissing him until his body went completely limp, before pulling back slightly and saying in a low, deep voice: “Don’t worry, those things you bought— I will make good use of them on you.”
If you’re seeing this notice, you’re reading this chapter on pirate site – the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations.
Translator: GoldBerry
GoldBerry:
The translator from beyond the grave: “Shi Jin please… your shamelessness is too much” ╥﹏╥
Even Xiao Si couldn’t handle it.