Dreaming With My Dragon Lover

As they sat down at the table, Yuan Ge served the spaghetti bolognese and salad on a plate and placed it in front of Rong Qiuchen. He wanted to remind him that he should eat the pasta with a fork, but when he saw the way he played with the cutlery like he had never seen a knife and fork before, he gave up again and handed him the chopsticks instead.

However, looking at his plate of deliciously smelling pasta, he suddenly lost his appetite - it was the first time in his life he had used a toilet brush - and he felt that not only his hands but his whole body stank!

Rong Qiuchen peeked at Yuan Ge's face, trying to read his mood, and naturally he didn't have much of an appetite either, his head hung low, his face ashen, and even though he wasn't blushing, his expression was still one of obvious embarrassment. Perhaps he felt it was inappropriate to remain silent, so he tried to make small talk to get out of this awkwardness.

"Childe Yuan, do you usually stay in this house? Do people in the imperial city no longer live in courtyard houses?"

"The courtyard house? Yes, people still live in them. It costs several hundred million RMB to buy, not something the average person can afford." Seeing Rong Qiuchen's puzzled look, he had to add, "What, you want me to help you change the currency unit to the Guangxu period? Well, I've done my research anyway when I was preparing to shoot the film Qingqing, so if you're good at maths, happy to continue your game. One tael of silver in the Guangxu period was about 200 yuan in today's currency, so 100 million yuan would be 500,000 taels, which most people could not afford at all, even in your day. This small flat of mine, although it is only 60 square metres, is worth about nine million yuan, or roughly 45,000 taels of silver, just because it is in this prime location."

Rong Qiuchen said in surprise, "For such a small residence ...." and then immediately stopped and covered his mouth, as if realising that he had said something rude.

Yuan Ge said with a smile, "No problem. You are right. It is very small. If you think about it, Beijing has a huge population now, 23 times more than in the Qing Dynasty. Many immigrants can't afford to buy a house, so the living space is definitely not as spacious as it was in the Qing Dynasty. I've only recently come to live in this flat because it's closer to the film set and more convenient for me. When I'm not filming, I usually go back to my parents' house in the Western Hills."

"I see. The Second Lord of the House of Rong also has a dozen private residences in the imperial capital."

"Ha! You mean Ronglu? How can I compare with him! He was a first-grade minister, a real powerful figure, the equivalent of someone from the Guan family of today. I'm just a film director. I don't have that kind of financial power."

Rong Qiuchen's face relaxed a little and said with a smile, "I know who you are. I stayed in the Rong Mansion for the past few days and I saw that Childe Yuan and Qiuchen are actually in the same profession. You are also a performer in the theatrical circle."

Yuan Ge tilted his head and blinked, "Uh, the acting world is much broader now than the theatre world used to be. I, as a director, would have been the person in charge of choreographing plays in an opera troupe in the Qing Dynasty. You said I was a performer … Hmmm … I guess it can be justified." After saying this, he suddenly glared at the boy, "Why do I have to convert everything to the Qing Dynasty for you? Haven't you had enough of cosplaying as Rong Qiuchen?"

Rong Qiuchen seemed to be accustomed to this kind of questioning from Yuan Ge, and after taking a few bites of the pasta on his plate, he asked another question, "Childe Yuan, what kind of spell are you using? How can you make fire out of thin air?" As he asked, he pointed to the gas stove in the kitchen.

Yuan Ge deliberately made an evil face, ''I can do demon spells! It's the gas produced by the decaying bodies of various creatures that died billions of years ago. I use it for cooking - are you scared?"

However, Rong Qiuchen could tell that he was teasing. He laughed and continued to ask, "Why don't you have any maids in your house? Do you have to do such trivial things as washing and cooking yourself?"

"Where did you get this feudal thought in your head? What maidservants or boy servants, I'm not blessed with that! You little decadent, have you remembered your real name or not? I see you are quite familiar with the area, so your family must live nearby, right?"

Rong Qiuchen's dark eyes looked seriously at Yuan Ge and said, "I am indeed Rong Qiuchen, a servant of the Rong Mansion. I am not deceiving you, Childe Yuan. Now that I've been saved by you, I am willing to be a servant in your mansion and take care of your daily needs."

"Fine, fine, my servant boy, finish your dinner and go take a shower when you're done. Take care of me? If you can take care of yourself, I'll be thanking the Buddha for that! Don't forget, I'm still waiting in line for the shower, so hurry up. If it wasn't for the pasta getting cold, I wouldn't want to eat with this toilet 'aroma'."

Seeing Yuan Ge's disdain, and hearing him bring up the previous topic, Rong Qiuchen dared not dawdle any longer. After finishing the meal in front of him in a few bites, he wanted to get up and clear the dishes, but was afraid of continuing to annoy him, so he went into the bathroom as he was told.

However, a long time passed and he did not come out. Nor was there any sound or movement in the bathroom.