Chapter 502: Tattoo or Branding?
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!! What the fuck! Dan! Shit..... Dan, get the fuck in here!" were Wen Qinxi's screams echoing in the bathroom after waking up.
Bang! Bang!
"Hey! Shut the hell up. Some of us are trying to sleep," were the faint sounds coming from the apartment that shared a wall with his. Because the walls were thin they had heard all the vulgarities coming from Wen Qinxi's mouth.
"Shit, shit, shit..... fuck," swore Wen Qinxi looking at the tattoo on his shoulder. It was clearly written Qie Ranzhe in Chinese characters and it hurt so much just looking at it.
The pain from the tattoo completely overshadowed the pain from the ear piercing that he hadn't taken notice of as yet. Mainly because the clip-on stud earring was the same as the one the tattoo parlour gave to him when they pierced his ear.
Wen Danzhe had been fast asleep but when he heard Wen Qinxi bellowing from the bathroom, he fell off the bed as he woke up with a jolt. In his half-sleep, he thought someone had broken into the apartment so he ran over grabbing anything he could find to fend off the intruder.
He entered the bathroom while holding the umbrella in an offensive stance ready to kick someone's ass. Wen Qinxi turned his cold gaze towards him and ignored the umbrella that was being held like a spear. He pointed at the tattoo and said, "And then?"
Wen Danzhe finally remembered and felt a bit regretful. He should have been awake to see his brother's initial reaction. He leaned against the doorframe casually placing the umbrella over his shoulder. "You staged a one-man protest to get that..... seriously, I admire your tenacity," he said as the other two finally reached the bathroom door.
Tiao Ru rubbed his eyes and said, "Qi-ge, he is right. You even played the I am older card and wouldn't leave until you get that tattoo."
Pai Dui's messy bird's nest head peeked from the side and said, "Even with the ear-piercing you were like a toddler throwing a fit so how could Dan-ge stop you? Look, I also got one and the guy really did a great job," partially pulling down his boxer shorts to reveal the tiny pit bull.
Wen Qinxi panickingly leaned closer to the mirror with his head turned to the side slightly. His ear was a little red and when he bent his ear he almost cried out. "Tsk..... argh! This is fucked up," he murmured as the other two left offering some encouragement.
"Qi-ge, it looks nice. No regrets there," said Taio Ru before going back to sleep on the couch.
"At least you didn't have it on your thigh or waist like you wanted," said Pai Dui before darting away.
Wen Qinxi's jaw dropped hearing that and felt like slapping himself but of course, they would be light slaps because he was still afraid of pain. "Yep, you wanted to brand your inner thigh with Qie Ranzhe's name. I suddenly understand what you meant when you said you would do anything for him," said Wen Danzhe with a throaty chuckle.
"Oh god..... Get me some strong meds otherwise I am going to fuckin faint from the pain," said Wen Qinxi feeling rather upset. This is why he and strong liquor shouldn't mix. Next time he might wake up in a slutty cat outfit in Qie Ranzhe's bedroom after breaking in. Just imagining himself in a sleazy outfit climbing through Qie Ranzhe's bedroom window gave him a headache.
"Mn," replied Wen Danzhe before walking away with the umbrella in his hand. He took out painkillers from the kitchen drawer while contemplating whether to tell Wen Qinxi about the kiss last night.
He filled a glass with warm water and walked over to the bathroom. "Do you want me to order breakfast? You must have a pretty bad hangover and I can't let you cook," he suggested handing him the pills.
"Mn," replied Wen Qinxi after taking the pills, "I need something stronger than aspirin."
Wen Danzhe nodded his head and said, "Sorted.... oh and I will order the cream the tattoo artist recommended. Don't forget to wash it gently at least three times today," taking out medical gauze from the sink base cabinet.
Wen Qinxi thanked him with his eyes still studying the tattoo. "People really do a lot of dumb shit when they are drunk," said Wen Qinxi feeling very stupid.
He had just branded himself with Qie Ranzhe's name and if they don't end up together then wouldn't that mean he would be single for the rest of his life. Who would want a man with another person's name tattooed on their body? Talk about setting oneself for a life of loneliness.
Wen Danzhe chuckled before he left the bathroom. "Just don't let mum see it," he said in a mocking tone.
This regret weighed down on Wen Qinxi's shoulders till he had to go back to work on Monday. He wrapped himself up like a dumpling stepping into the chilly weather. Everything apart from his eyes were covered. Maybe it was because of the cold or he just didn't want anyone to recognize him as he walked into the office building. Because Taio Ru had accidentally stepped on his contact lens he was compelled to wear his thick-framed glasses making him look cute.
He managed to slip into his office without anyone noticing him. The trials for Flagship were about to start with famous game anchors scheduled to come and give the gaming capsules a go. Wen Qinxi busied himself polishing the software.
Two hours later his office phone rang and he answered it without taking his eyes off the monitor. The familiar sweet voice caused his friendly attitude to change drastically. Who else could it be other than Li Menxie?
"What?" he asked still typing random numbers and symbols that weren't random in the slightest.
Li Menxie's lip twitched in anger but she held back and said, "CEO Qie said you should come up to his office in the next ten minutes."
Wen Qinxi's typing action paused nervously biting the inner lining of his mouth. He knew he had to go see him but he just wasn't ready. If he only knew he had kissed Qie Ranzhe at the night club he would have played the I am sick card to stall for time.
"I.... um, I am working on something important so can we reschedule for tomorrow morning, no no tomorrow afternoon," he said trying to calm himself down.
A look of disdain appeared on Li Menxie's face as she put him on hold before knocking on Qie Ranzhe's door. Having gotten permission to enter she opened the door and her expression abruptly changed to a radiant glow as she conveyed Wen Qinxi's response. "Sir, Mr Wen said he is busy so should I reschedule the meeting for tomorrow afternoon?"
Qie Ranzhe who had his head lowered suddenly grinned like a malicious spirit and said, "Tell him that if he is not up here in ten minutes I am going to come down there and get him."
"Yes," she replied as a sour feeling rose to her throat. She closed the door and conveyed the message.