Dreaming With My Dragon Lover

Time flies when you are having fun.

Rong Qiuchen feels like it has only been a few days since he was brought home by Yuan Ge, and in the blink of an eye it is already the third day of the New Year. When he is with Yuan Ge, somehow time always flies by in a relaxed and happy way.

Today, Yuan Ge has put on a white shirt and a light brown suit with a camel-coloured tartan coat, transforming himself from an easy-going young man next door to a cool, aloof English gentleman like in the movies. Rong Qiuchen is dazzled by the sight, and he is about to say that his Gege is really a handsome man when he hears Yuan Ge say, "You don't have to cook for me tonight. I'm going to meet a friend, and I probably won't be back until midnight."

"Gege, today is the day of the Red Dog, so it is not advisable to go out to pay a New Year call, especially when meeting friends, which can easily lead to disputes, causing trouble and provoking anger."

"What's with all the rules, you little superstitious man? I've never even heard of a Red Dog Day. You wait for me at home, do whatever you want to amuse yourself, watch a movie or something, and ask the robot for anything you don't understand. Look at you, you've been with me for quite some time now and you are still not used to the modern way of talking."

However, when Rong Qiuchen remembers the curious events with the jade covered book a couple of days ago, he feels quite uneasy, "Then Gege please take me with you, I am afraid something will happen to you."

"It would seem odd to bring you over when I'm meeting an old university friend I haven't seen in a long time."

But no matter what, Rong Qiuchen insists on going with him. One moment he said that today was "the rat's wedding" and that it was forbidden to turn on the lights in the house; another moment he said that eating rice was forbidden on the third day of the Chinese New Year and that he had nothing to eat at home. One excuse after another, in short, he refuses to let Yuan Ge go out alone.

In the end, unable to brush off Rong Qiuchen's wishes, Yuan Ge has to relent and let him change into the ancient-style robe he has recently bought. The two of them drive out and headed straight to the centre of the imperial capital.

The car pulls up in the car park of an old courtyard house in Rongxian Hutong. Seeing that many luxury cars are hidden under car covers, Rong Qiuchen cannot help but ask, "Is this to protect these precious carriages?"

Yuan Ge laughs, "It has nothing to do with hiding the car. It's to hide the identity of the car's owner. They don't want to be recognised by their acquaintances."

The two of them arrive at the entrance. The imposing gate is tightly closed, with red walls and dark tiles, hinting at another world in the courtyard. Yuan Ge looks up at the camera on the gate and speaks the name of the person who made the reservation, and the gate creaks open a crack to let them in.

When they enter the courtyard, they are immediately greeted by a long corridor built entirely in the Qing Dynasty, transplanted from Suzhou. At the end of the corridor is a vintage Western-style building, which sits in a Chinese courtyard but doesn't look out of place, blending East and West styles quite perfectly.

The lobby of this exclusive clubhouse is decorated with considerable elegance and luxury. Aged rosewood furniture can be seen everywhere, set against the gleaming lights. Even the paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls are antique and of exceptional quality. Rong Qiuchen's eyes are drawn to these paintings and he recognises several of them as masterpieces from the Ming Dynasty, but he doesn't have time to examine them carefully to see if they are forgeries.

"Stop looking at the paintings. Come this way." Yuan Ge takes Rong Qiuchen's hand and points to the brightly lit place at the end of the hallway - a very elegant looking high-end restaurant.

The waiter leads them to a table where a man is already seated. He is dressed in a fairly formal shirt and suit, but doesn't look conspicuous, for he is not very tall and slightly hunched over. A pair of black-rimmed glasses have covered half of a pale, scholarly face, and his narrow eyes are hidden behind the frames, making it hard to see his emotions, except for that very broad, goofy smile. When he sees Yuan Ge, he gives him a firm but warm hug.

"I say, Yuan Ge, you haven't changed a bit after all these years! You're always so handsome and dashing, leaving us mortals nowhere to hide, no way to live!"

Without waiting for Yuan Ge to answer, he goes up to shake hands with Rong Qiuchen sincerely, "May I ask who this young gentleman is? Do excuse my ignorance, but you must be a movie star, right?" His eyes seem glued to Rong Qiuchen's face, obviously stunned by his beauty, so much so that he has forgotten to let go of the hand he is holding.

The man impresses Rong Qiuchen as quite a well-educated businessman. Although he is Yuan Ge's university mate, he looks clearly much more mature than Yuan Ge, and his ability to compliment people is quite extraordinary. Rong Qiuchen retracts his hand from him quietly and makes a bow to him with his hands folded in front. At the same time, Yuan Ge also introduces Rong Qiuchen to the man, "He is an actor from our company, Rong Qiuchen.. He didn't go back to his hometown and stayed behind over the New Year, so I brought him along with me here today."