Chapter 105 - 165 Year Old Demon
"Huh? Wives and concubines?" Yuan Ge didn't know whether to cry or laugh, "What kind of feudal dregs are you carrying in your head? I don't even have a girlfriend, let alone a wife and children! As for concubines, I'll have to rely on fantasies just like my dad."
"How can that be? Childe Yuan is handsome, from a good family and very talented, so there must be many girls who want to serve you. That Miss Jiang is quite fond of you..."
"Stop, stop, stop! Stop talking nonsense!" Yuan Ge was embarrassed by Rong Qiuchen's words, "This… this is not about how many girls are willing to serve you, times are different, you know, men and women are equal now, love and respect and all that! Anyway, it's not that simple, I can't tell you in a few words. You think we are still in ancient times? By the order of parents, by the words of matchmakers, two people can spend a lifetime together without even meeting each other, and get married at the age 14 or 15 years old!"
Rong Qiuchen looked at Yuan Ge in a profound manner, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he abided by the ancient etiquette of proportion and did not pursue the matter further, instead he sighed, "I think Childe Yuan is a prudent man when it comes to handling emotional matters."
"Do you have deep insights into emotional matters, you little brat?" Yuan Ge was feeling a little red-faced and defensive as if he had been seen through by Qiuchen's gaze.
"How come Childe Yuan has so many names for Qiuchen?" Rong Qiuchen politely expressed his displeasure at Yuan Ge calling him a brat while counting on his fingers, "Such as - brother, mate, student, little loony, little brat, little fellow, demented child, porcelain bumper, and coser or …"
"Stop it!" Yuan Ge blushed at Rong Qiuchen's counting, "You have too good a memory.. You can't hold a grudge like that!"
"I have a given name and a surname. Why is Childe Yuan unwilling to call me Rong Qiuchen in all seriousness?"
"Because Rong Qiuchen is obviously a character in the film script I made up..." Yuan Ge protested in a small voice, but Rong Qiuchen did not intend to let him off the hook and continued, "How old are you, Childe Yuan? I don't think you are much older than me."
"I am twenty-six, quite a few years older than you."
"If we're talking about my actual age, then I'm over a hundred years older than you!"
"I see, you are having me on, aren't you? Tell me, what year were you born?"
"The sixth year of Xianfeng."
With a deadpan face, Yuan Ge called out, "Vivi VIvi!"
The little robot standing at one side immediately responded, "Your humble servant is here. What is your Majesty's command?"
"What year is the sixth year of Xianfeng in the Gregorian calendar?"
"The sixth year of Xianfeng is 1856 AD."
Seeing that the robot could not only do things but also answer questions, Rong Qiuchen was very impressed and asked in amazement, "Childe Yuan, is it the foreigner's calendar that you are asking this puppet servant? May I ask which emperor is reigning today? What is the name of the year of his reign?"
"No, no, no, there is no emperor anymore! My dad's just fooling around! And now... 165 years have passed since the year you said you were born."
When Yuan Ge said that, not only did he feel reluctant, but Rong Qiuchen also had an incredulous look on his face. He sighed, "How unbelievable... one hundred and sixty-five springs and autumns have passed … I …"
"You what? You want to say that you're a 165 year old demon? Would I believe it? Would you yourself believe it? So don't make jokes like this in the future. We're not that far apart in age and it shouldn't be that much of a struggle to communicate. To be honest, you should consider yourself a great success if you're really a porcelain bumper trying to get a part in my film. Look, you've already gotten into the same bath with the director …"
After Yuan Ge had uttered these words, he suddenly felt that something felt wrong with what he had said. Across from him, Qiuchen lifted his snow-white wrist and arm from the foam as if examining his own body; his clean, handsome face and jade-like body dazzled against the dreamy glow reflected from the surface of the water.
With a wave of inexplicable panic, Yuan Ge dared not look again and closed his eyes, immersing himself in the warm water and relaxing blues music. His body was overwhelmed by the fatigue accumulated over the past few days, and in a haze of fragrant mist and soft colourful ambient lighting, he leaned back in the bath and drifted off to sleep.