Comrade: Almost a Cat-astrophic Love Story

Panda Novel

The night that Pei Zhen received the Best Actor Award, he and Fu Sichen headed straight home to the serviced apartment.

Fu Sichen had ordered room service, and fine cuisine was quickly served up. The serviced apartment was a luxurious one, and naturally, a candlelight dinner was the way to go.

Pei Zhen had already seated himself at the table, resting his chin on one hand and looking at Fu Sichen lazily.

Fu Sichen presented a red wine from his collection.

Romanee-Conti.

Pei Zhen had only a vague knowledge of wines, but he could tell that Fu Sichen was holding a bottle that was a product of the Romanee-Conti winery that would have cost at least a hundred thousand dollars.

“Are… are we really drinking this?” Seeing how Fu Sichen was holding the precious bottle, Pei Zhen could feel its value. “It’s not an important occasion…”

Of course, it was a joyous occasion to have received the Best Male Lead award, but the only meaning that it held for Pei Zhen was the opportunity to prove that he was on par with Fu Sichen.

And really, there was no need to prove it. No matter if the rest of the world perceived that he was the eternal loser, he had never undervalued himself. He always had the confidence that he was an excellent human being.

The only reason that the excellent human being cared whether he clinched the Best Actor position or not, was because of the spontaneous bet.

“It’s important.” The full-bodied aroma of the wine drifted out of the opened bottle, as intoxicating as Fu Sichen’s voice. “After all, from today onwards, I’m Pei Zhen’s favorite person.”

Pei Zhen stared blankly for a while and realized Fu Sichen was talking about the Awards ceremony. Overflowing with emotions, he smiled. In the shadows cast by the dim candlelight, that smile was bewitching.

Fu Sichen was stunned just looking at Pei Zhen.

He felt a burning desire in his body, and it dried his throat.

He coughed lightly, and quickly put on an air of nonchalance as he took a sip of wine.

In his hurry to down the sip of wine, he choked and started to cough quite violently, losing all control. “Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough.”

“What’s the matter?” Pei Zhen sprang up from his seat and patted Fu Sichen on his back. He accidentally knocked over the wine glass, spraying red wine all over.

That was it, the wine that cost ten thousand dollars a sip was gone, just like that.

“Cough, cough. I’m okay.” Fu Sichen didn’t care much about the spilled wine and reached out for Pei Zhen’s hand subconsciously. “Don’t worry about me.”

Pei Zhen rolled his eyes.

It would have been quite embarrassing to say aloud that he was more worried about the wine!

Apart from the little incident at the beginning, the candlelight dinner went on smoothly. Swirling the wine in his wine glass, Pei Zhen was meditating on his own objectives.

He didn’t drink much.

After he got drunk the last time, the arrogant and egoistic Daddy Pei developed some shame, and no matter what, he wouldn’t allow himself to get drunk into a stupor.

It was too damaging to his image!

“Pei Pei…” Once again, their eyes met. Pei Zhen was smiling, and Fu Sichen’s attention started to sway. He put down his cutlery and in a graceful motion dabbed at his mouth with the napkin. “What are you looking at?”

Pei Zhen blinked and put his wine glass down, reaching out to Fu Sichen with his other hand. “I’m looking at the man I’m going to top tonight.”

Fu Sichen laughed gently.

And then he almost started another coughing fit.

That’s right.

Before the Film Awards, they had indeed placed a bet. Fu Sichen didn’t think that Pei Zhen would really follow up with his request to be the top party.

“Cough cough.” Fu Sichen cleared his throat, quickly suppressing his surprise. With a flip of his hand, he held Pei Zhen’s arm lightly and smiled. “Therefore, you’re seducing me?”

Pei Zhen unbuttoned his jacket with one hand, and with the other, he grabbed Fu Sichen’s collar and drew the man close.

“That’s right, I’m seducing you. Are you falling for it?”

A relationship between two men wasn’t exactly the most perplexing and complicated thing. Pei Zhen had no wish to be too argumentative. He wanted what he wanted and forget about holding back anymore.

Their lips met, with Pei Zhen biting and gnawing with little technique. But it was exactly his inexperienced and raw kissing that drove Fu Sichen out of control, pushing him to the brink of sanity.

With a pull, he hauled Pei Zhen into his own embrace. Tightening his grip around the young boyfriend, he felt a powerful urge to draw Pei Zhen into him until they were one.

As the kissing got more passionate and intense, Fu Sichen began to move his lips downwards. He parted his mouth over his young boyfriend’s Adam’s apple and with one hand started to undo Pei Zhen’s suit. “You look… exceptionally stunning today…”

Pei Zhen’s face was burning. His breathing irregular and heavy, he spoke in interrupted sentences, “I dressed up especially for you, do you like it?”

“Yes, I do.” His lips left Pei Zhen’s Adam’s apple and worked their way up to find Pei Zhen’s ear, biting down on it. “I’ve wanted you since the Awards ceremony started.”

He was obviously a gentleman, but the way he spoke was dirty in bed! But even then, it was unbelievably seductive and provocative. It made one’s heart pound and caused them to turn red in the face, leaving them utterly defeated and unable to retaliate.

“Damn it!” Pei Zhen’s handsome face was red. There was a hint of shyness, but most of all, he didn’t want to be outdone. “We agreed, I’m the top party tonight.”

“Fine, fine, fine,” Pushing Pei Zhen onto the sofa, Fu Sichen started to remove his tie with one hand, “I admit defeat, I’ll be the bottom party tonight.”

Pei Zhen was a little nervous, but also excited. “Don’t worry, I’ve done my research on what to do.”

“Pei Pei, you’re clever,” Fu Sichen said.

Having praised his young boyfriend for being clever, Fu Sichen eventually still topped Pei Zhen!

If the young boyfriend wanted to be on top, then fine, he would be on top. Without even changing position all night, he made his young boyfriend curse and swear.

“Fu Sichen! You bastard!”

“Fu Sichen! You said you’d admit defeat!”

“Fu Sichen! You son of a… I… I can’t take this anymore…”

The shameless Fu Sichen! He had managed to ‘top’ Pei Zhen from the bottom position!

True to what Xiao Nian had predicted, the stunningly dressed Pei Zhen had driven the Big Boss Fu to unleash his raw instinct. From the sofa to the ground, and then to the bedroom, even the bathroom wasn’t spared.

By the time they finished, it was morning, and the skies were gradually lightening up.

“You’re too tired.” Fu Sichen, who was well-fed the night before, was full of mettle as he cleaned Pei Zhen’s hand with a hot towel. “Go to sleep. I’ll get Xiao Nian to cancel today’s assignments.”

Pei Zhen was completely exhausted, and could only stare angrily at Fu Sichen with widened eyes. Looking on as Fu Sichen was about to kiss his hand, he used whatever energy he had left to curl four of his fingers, leaving his middle one up.

Fu Sichen laughed gently.

Alright, alright, the little deity was throwing a tantrum again. God knew how many times he came that night.

Pei Zhen was totally knocked out and slept till the afternoon of the following day.

He awoke to find that his whole body was in pain as though his entire frame had fallen apart.

The result of an over-indulgence in debauchery was naturally an extremely painful rear. Pei Zhen was so furious that he grabbed his mobile phone to type out an angry message to send to Fu Sichen.

[You stinker! F*** you, old man!]

The stinker replied almost immediately: [F***, f***, f***, the old man is thirsting for it right now.]

Pei Zhen rolled his eyes.

Damn it!

Communicating with Fu Sichen had become impossible. The man was shameless and associated every word with his dirty thoughts.

Although Pei Zhen cursed and swore at Fu Sichen, he sent the text: [Where are you?! Ran off after licking the plate clean? Your Daddy is hungry!]

Right after receiving this message, Fu Sichen immediately called his young boyfriend. The latter must have gone to the mall. Pei Zhen could hear announcements of promotions and discounts in the background. “Are you missing me? I’m just buying a few things. I’ll be back very soon.”

Pei Zhen sniffed, still feeling a little grieved. “I want seafood.”

“Pei Pei, you can’t be eating heavy meat dishes now…”

“Not only do I want seafood, but I want it extra spicey!”

“Darling…” Fu Sichen was almost pleading with him now.

“It’s useless even if you were to call me little deity!”

Pei Zhen was not bothered by people seeing him as an arrogant, spoiled brat. He treated that as playing coquetry. After spilling the angry words, Pei Zhen hung up the phone. He just had to let it out, and after he did, he felt much better. Especially when the next moment Fu Sichen’s apology message came in, making the Little Brat Pei very pleased with himself.

Serves you right for going back on your word!

Pei Zhen couldn’t go back to sleep after waking up, despite feeling a little under the weather. By the time Fu Sichen returned home, he was playing on the mobile phone, looking very bored.

The hot search headlines on Weibo were mostly focused on the Awards ceremony the night before. Pei Zhen initially forwarded the Weibo from the organizer, and that slowly picked up momentum for viewership.

The headline, as expected, was news about him getting the Best Actor Award.

Pei Zhen raised an eyebrow. He was, in a way quite proud of himself and basked in the memory of that glory for a moment. However, when he clicked on the headline and read the content, he got angry!

[Having lost out for three years, Pei Zhen finally has his wish fulfilled. Even though chic and elegant as always, Daddy Pei shed tears all the same!]

To show that Pei Zhen really did cry tears of joy, the report even carried a series of pictures, all of which showed Pei Zhen in tears.

Crap! Pei Zhen thought, his crying had nothing to do with getting the Award!!!

The pictures and article were too misleading, and as expected, most of the netizens posted comforting and supportive comments.

“Reality has proven, perseverance will bring about success!”

“Pei Zhen worked really hard, and it’s not easy! Finally, he’s Best Actor!”

“It’s completely understandable that Pei Zhen was crying. If it were me, having lost out for three years, I wouldn’t even have the courage to turn up at the event.”

Pei Zhen was livid.

His heart felt constant pain. He even suspected whether Fu Sichen had hidden intentions, purposefully making those touching declarations so that he’d cry.

Tsk.

Pei Zhen wondered if he should post a clarification on Weibo, but decided not to in the end.

Forget it. Fu Sichen’s confession was for his own eyes only, and he didn’t want to share it with the rest of the world.

Pei Zhen didn’t want to feel like reading Weibo anymore. He switched to another App and clicked into a video.

Unlike in the past when he’d watch himself in movies, now he’d watch Fu Sichen.

His boyfriend was truly breathtaking.

His effortless presence and natural loftiness made people sit up and notice him.

“Bring your Residence Permit along; we’re going to the Municipal Government Bureau.”

“I’m willing to buy the rings as a token of our love for each other.”

“We’re getting married. Of course, I hope that you’ll enter into my Household Register.”

It was a movie about an overbearing CEO, and the script was lame to the point of embarrassing. However Fu Sichen’s superb acting and delivery of the lame script saved the movie.

Pei Zhen totally ignored the female lead in the movie. His eyes were on Fu Sichen only, and the storyline wasn’t even apparent to him. Not that it mattered, the most important thing was that he had an inspiration watching the overbearing CEO!

Rings!

That’s right. The boyfriend’s birthday was just around the corner, and he could get a ring for Fu Sichen as a love token!

Fu Sichen’s birthday was on the 1st of January.

Even his birthdate was in line with his dominant nature of being the top party.

Birthdays were never really special occasions to Fu Sichen, but that year was different since he had a boyfriend.

His young boyfriend was more excited than him and behaved in a most secretive manner. Fu Sichen wondered what Pei Zhen was up to.

“You don’t have to give me a present,” Fu Sichen said very sincerely, “Just wrap yourself up and gift yourself to me.”

“I’ll certainly give a present! And I’m an additional one!”

Fu Sichen said nothing.

He was, in fact, a little worried.

Mainly because Fu Sichen had experienced Aunty Pei’s sense of aesthetics, and it was a concern to him that the trait of hers was hereditary.

Hence, when he found out that the young boyfriend had reserved the whole restaurant for the occasion, Fu Sichen secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

It was good. Even if he did anything embarrassing, only Fu Sichen would be there to see it.

On New Year’s Day, all of Dong Hai City was in a celebration mood. Booking a whole restaurant on a day like that was no easy task.

Fu Sichen would naturally not disappoint Pei Zhen’s great efforts.

He had worked long hours in advance to finish up early so that he could keep the date. Pei Zhen was already waiting at the restaurant by the time Fu Sichen arrived.

Pei Zhen was dressed rather formally, in a perfectly-pressed luxurious suit. He had even styled his hair, making his features stand out all the more.

“Here, here.” Pei Zhen’s face was lit by a gentle and good looking smile the moment he saw Fu Sichen.

Fu Sichen wavered after seeing his love and walked over briskly.

The two men kissed as their bodies met, oblivious to the waiter present.

It was a sweet sight.

Pei Zhen carefully organized the meal. The classy restaurant sat on the river, which had frozen over in deep winter. The rays of sunlight fell onto the icy surface, making it glisten.

The two always had a lot of talk about, which befuddled Fu Sichen, who had never been one to say much. However, when he was with Pei Zhen, he never seemed to be short of things to say.

Only, Pei Zhen seemed a little odd that night.

He appeared to be nervous, as though he was pondering over something. The nearer they were to the end of the meal, the more his eyes darted about.

Fu Sichen paused for a moment, and put down his chopsticks looking worried. “What’s wrong, Pei Pei?”

Pei Zhen blinked. “I’m thinking of something.”

“What?”

“I’m thinking if you’d agree to marry me.” Pei Zhen was certainly far from being subtle, and then with a swoosh like a magician, he whipped out a delicate little box. “South African diamond, completely befitting of your status.”

Pei Zhen removed the lid of the container to reveal a huge diamond ring, the emphasis being a huge diamond about the size of a quail’s egg.

The luxury was ostentatious to the point of… a newly-monied person trying to show-off wealth.

Fu Sichen was completely stumped. “Pei Pei, you…”

“Are you touched? To be honest, even I’m touched .” He reflected on how excellent a boyfriend he was, taking the initiative to propose and saving Fu Sichen all the trouble. Pei Zhen reached out for Fu Sichen’s hand. “Come, darling, let me put this on for you.”

The huge South African diamond ring slipped onto Fu Sichen’s finger. Halfway through, it… Wouldn’t… Go… Any… Further!

No matter how Pei Zhen tried to coax it, it wouldn’t move!

“Fu Sichen,” said Pei Zhen, “You’ve put on weight!”

Pei Zhen bought things on instinct. In that case, he was so confident that he hadn’t even tried the ring size on his own finger!

Who cared about measuring, of course it’d fit Fu Sichen!

Although confidence wasn’t lacking, the outcome left much to be desired.

Fu Sichen laughed coldly and withdrew his hand mercilessly. “It shows that you’re not good at proposing.”

What? Pei Zhen fumed. What was that?!

Not knowing what Fu Sichen had in mind, Pei Zhen banged the table angrily. “What do you mean I’m not good at it. Fu Sichen, you have no desire to marry me?”

“Of course I will not marry you.” Fu Sichen gave a hand signal, and immediately, the waiter in tuxedo brought something over.

“Mr. Fu.”

It was two air tickets, respectfully handed over to Fu Sichen. Fu Sichen took them and slid one of the tickets across the tabletop to Pei Zhen.

“Tomorrow in The Netherlands. An official wedding ceremony. I’m lacking a groom. Would you do the honors?”

Pei Zhen was flabbergasted. “You…”

Pei Zhen felt his throat tighten, and his heart was pounding. He felt all his blood rush upwards into his head.

“I’m not going. The engagement ring doesn’t even fit.”

Fu Sichen had a pair of rings too, in his coat pocket, only, they were far more tasteful than the one Pei Zhen picked.

Platinum rings designed by Fu Sichen himself, embodying his love for the man before him.

It came as a shock to Pei Zhen, and he was stammering, “Y-you rascal… I-I don’t care. I was the one who proposed. You… this… this is an act of rebellion on your part. A conspiracy!

“Be quiet. Give me your hand.”

There was no way Pei Zhen could stop Fu Sichen when the latter decided to be overbearing. The moment his boyfriend looked stern and his voice turned icy, Pei Zhen relented, as if possessed.

And the ring slipped in.

It fit like a glove.

That’s the end, Pei Zhen thought. Now he was trapped.

True enough, his childhood buddy boyfriend broke into a resplendent but firm smile.

“Pei Zhen, don’t you even think of running away from me this lifetime,” Fu Sichen said.