Dreaming With My Dragon Lover - Chapter 161

Yuan Ge parked the car and led the two of them towards the Temple gate, while resuming the previous conversation. He patted Rong Qiuchen’s shoulder and said playfully, “Little Chenchen, it seems you need to further adapt to the speed and spatial sense of modern society. This is undoubtedly the closest Taoist temple to the imperial capital, and it’s just a short drive away from the city centre. And with so many skyscrapers around, how can you still expect it to stand out in the big city? To be a man in society you have to make some allowances and leave room for error in your words and actions. If you blow everything out of proportion and always present yourself as an experienced know-it-all, you’re going to get smacked in the face sooner or later.”

However the smack in the face always comes sooner than expected.

In no time at all, it is Rong Qiuchen’s turn to pat Yuan Ge’s shoulder and say to him seriously but playfully, “Gege, it seems you still need to further adapt to the speed and spatial sense of hitting the eye of the coin.”

It turned out that they all tried their hand at hitting the eye of the coin game. Yuan Ge had tried a dozen times but could not hit the bell, but he couldn’t find any excuse to accuse the game of being unfair because Rong Qiuchen, who was holding a handful of game coins, was a few metres away from the target and didn’t miss at all, hitting the target each time causing the bell in the eye of the coin ringing continuously. The visitors around him all cheered in admiration.

“How on earth do you manage to hit the bell without a single miss?”

Yuan Ge studied the wrist movements and body coordination of Rong Qiuchen when he tried again to hit the eye of the coin, but he still couldn’t get the hang of it. What appears so easy to do with that guy, looks so clumsy when he does it.

This time, Rong Qiuchen is not as honest as he usually is when asked. He winks mischievously at Yuan Ge, “Hitting the eye of the coin also requires one to learn from a young age. If you want to beat me, you’ll have to come to the temple fair every Chinese New Year to practise more often!”

“Great! Not only will you keep me guessing, but you’re actually showing off to me. You little rebel!”

However, soon Yuan Ge has nothing to be indignant about. As he watched from the sidelines, Rong Qiuchen turned his back to play pitch pot, and with a move called “Immortal’s Sword”, he pitched all three arrows into the pot in quick succession, then he turned around and fired three more arrows, one into the pot itself, and the other two into the small handles on either side of the pot at the same time, winning the big hugging bear on the stall that was taller than a man for Amélie.

“Sister Amélie, take it!”

“Sister Amélie, this is for you!”

“Gege, do me a favour!”

… …

Soon Yuan Ge and Amélie’s hands are full of huge stuffed animals. The stallholders of pitch-pots, ring-toss and archery are all in tears.

“Wow! You are so good at this!” Amélie starts to happily imagine how exactly she is going to place so many toys in her bachelor pad. She can’t help but giggle at the thought that even changing her shoes at the door could be done sitting on the lap of the giant bear. She is filled with admiration for Rong Qiuchen.

“Sister Amélie, among the strong there is always a stronger. If my skills are compared to my fifth brother’s little beggar friend, they are nothing. If he were to have a go at these games, all these stallholders at the temple fair would have to go home early.”

After the game they go to a tea stand to buy drinks. Rong Qiuchen orders a covered bowl of Eight Treasures Tea made in a large copper pot for Amélie. Looking at Yuan Ge who is sipping his Beef Bone Greased Tea next to him with his head down to hide his embarrassment, Rong Qiuchen finds the man incredibly cute when he is acting childish. He orders himself a bowl of hot almond tea to keep them company in the crowded open-air tea stand. It feels as if he has instantly savoured the old taste of the New Year in his memory, relieving himself from the frost and snow of winter and a century of loneliness.

In a trance, the scenes of his brothers laughing, linking shoulders and being spirited in the temple fair emerge before his eyes; perhaps if he turns around, this prosperous imperial capital is still the place he is familiar with, and nothing has changed …

Yuan Ge looks at Rong Qiuchen and the shifting emotions in his eyes. Although he doesn’t know exactly what is going through his mind, he presses his hand on the back of Rong Qiuchen’s hand and pats it gently to comfort him.

Feeling the warmth conveyed by Yuan Ge’s hand, meeting the tenderness in the gaze before him, for a moment, some unrealistic wish began to grow in Rong Qiuchen’s heart.

How I wish this gentle, kind man could be mine! Though such a dream is never something that a humble actor such as myself should wish for. Have I not learned my lesson in my last life, when I was punished for such extravagant hopes? But is it possible that in this life, fate may show me some mercy? If I don’t ask to be his only love, or to be loved passionately by him, if I only wish to be with him forever, is it possible that fate might show me some mercy?

However, at this moment, Rong Qiuchen, who is immersed in his own world, hasn’t noticed that their exchange of feelings through their expressions is all seen by Amélie.

“Qiuchen, let’s fight it out tonight!”

Yuan Ge hasn’t expected Amélie to still be in the mood to party after the temple fair, and suggested going to a nearby bar for a drink.

“Forget about it Amélie. Qiuchen can drink like a fish. When he went to Arthur Guan’s drinking party the other day, no one could get him drunk after countless glasses of all sorts of alcohol. Even Arthur Guan may not be able to beat him in a drinking contest!”

Amélie looks unimpressed, “Yuan Ge, have you forgotten who helped you drink all the wine in the past? So quick to doubt my abilities! I’ll stake my honour as the producer of Dragon Dreams that I’ll beat this kid in a drinking contest no matter what!”

Seeing that she couldn’t be persuaded otherwise, Yuan Ge is also a little curious – Amélie is recognized as a good drinker in Dragon Dreams, so who will win this fight? Seeing that Rong Qiuchen still looks calm and serene, not at all like he is going into battle, Yuan Ge is unsure who he should worry about.

“Say, Qiuchen, what would you like to drink? Wine, beer, whiskey, brandy, vodka, or cocktails?”

Amélie adjusts her feet in her heels and says confidently, “I’m not good at temple games, but when it comes to drinking, I haven’t lost to anyone yet. If you don’t think those are enough, then you name the drinks and I’ll drink every single one of them with you!”