Ending
“So, what tattoo exactly are we going to get?” Lu Shen asked.
“…Actually, I haven’t made up my mind yet.” Bian Shengjian said frankly.
In all honesty, getting a tattoo was just on a whim, but he didn’t expect Lu Shen to become very persistent about it after hearing it. In desperation, he could only call Li Fei to ask if there was any reliable tattoo shop nearby. Li Fei, on the other side, immediately noticed something was wrong, and instantly asked him if he had brought someone back, “Third brother, isn’t your progress a little fast? How long have you two been together, that you actually brought him home?”
“Don’t…” Bian Shengjian felt a little headache, “Fuck, don’t worry about it so much, introduce me to a store first.”
“I know a good tattoo artist who opened a shop on the street near your house. I’ll send you the location later.” Li Fei clicked his tongue twice.
He then added, “You’re going together right, there should be a discount for the two of you.”
“Thank you.” Bian Shengjian finally breathed a sigh of relief, “I’ll treat you to dinner in the evening when I’m done.”
“Bring him over too by the way!” Li Fei raised his voice in an instant, and threatened, “I want to see which brat ate the cabbage that I have planted for so many years……”
“Stop it,” Bian Shengjian interrupted his indignant speech, “Li Fei, can you show some face?”
“Okay–” Li Fei said in a long tone, “For the sake of the Third brother, I will forcefully not embarrass him, but you still have to bring the person!”
“You’re making it look like I was a gangster tycoon robbing a family half way,” Bian Shengjian sighed, “I’ll bring him, let’s have dinner together tonight.”
“Okay, see you at the old place.” Li Fei was about to hang up the phone, when he suddenly added in a low voice, “Third Brother……”
“Hm, what’s the matter?” Bian Shengjian lowered his head and poked open the software to call a taxi.
“That’s right, I heard that two men…..Ah, although I don’t know if the two of you have already developed to that point…” Li Fei hesitated a bit, then Bian Shengjian frowned as he listened, “What?”
“Just….” Li Fei took a deep breath, and seemed to risk being beaten to death overnight and said, “When the two of you are doing ‘that’, you must have scored above and below! Anyway, brother, remember to be safe! I’m hanging up!”
As soon as the voice finished speaking, the phone on the other side had already been hung up. Bian Shengjian held the phone for several seconds before finally realizing it, and squeezed out a word from between his teeth, “Fuck.”
“What’s wrong?” Lu Shen asked curiously.
“…nothing.” Bian Shengjian glanced at him, and began to ponder the meaning of Li Fei’s words just now.
He must have thought that I was a bottom when it comes to this kind of thing by default!
Bian Shengjian began to think about what he had done in the past ten years to make Li Fei come to such a firm conclusion…….Was it because he had beaten too few people or was it because he had helped the old lady cross the road too many times?
“Third Brother,” Lu Shen waved at him, “The taxi is here.”
“Oh.” Bian Shengjian got into the back seat of the car with him a little depressed. The sufficient heating in the car made his eye sockets a little hot. After repeated operations, he finally suppressed those messy thoughts, “Sir, to Green Street please.”
“Got it.” The driver responded cheerfully, “Happy New Year, young man!”
“Happy New Year.” Bian Shengjian looked at the dangling little red envelope pendant hanging in front of the car, and leaned back on the car cushion with a sigh of relief, “You’ve worked hard, still coming out to pick up customers during the Chinese New Year?”
“Not really!” The driver spoke to him very happily, “Young man, don’t underestimate the few days of the New Year! The three days are worth half a month’s usual money!”
“Really,” Bian Shengjian nodded slightly, “That’s not easy.’
“Let me tell you…” The driver was still chatting enthusiastically about the performance of the past few days, when Bian Shengjian felt his fingertips being gently pulled by someone. He raised his eyes and met Lu Shen’s smiling ones, “Young Bian, I thought of what tattoo we should get.”
“Oh? So fast?” Bian Shengjian raised his eyebrows, “What have you thought of, let’s hear it.”
“Nightingale and Rose.” Lu Shen said.
Bian Shengjian was stunned for a moment, unable to react for a while, “You mean…that fairy tale?”
“Yeah,” Lu Shen, then seemingly as if letting the flow take its course, he told a sad and poignant fairy tale.
“There was a young student who failed to court someone and cried bitterly in the garden because he wanted to invite the girl he liked to dance with him, but the girl asked him to pick a red rose for herself before she agreed to dance with him until dawn. But it was a cold winter. The young student didn’t know where to look for red roses, and at this moment he met a little nightingale. Looking at his beautiful and sad face, the little nightingale couldn’t bear the weeping in the garden helplessly, and thought: Your love is so affectionate, but you are rejected by the one you love just because of a red rose, if this is the case, I can always find a red rose for you…………….”
Bian Shengjian frowned slightly, but did not interrupt him, and just listened to Lu Shen continue the fairy tale in a calm and gentle tone, “Little Nightingale has been looking for it, but she only encountered a white as white as snow rose, a yellow rose that was as yellow as the sun, and couldn’t find the red rose that the young man wanted. Finally, she came to a withered red rose. The little nightingale stared at the dried petals of the rose, and listened quietly to the red rose tell her the way to let it bloom, but the method was terrible: Unless it is soaked in blood, the rose will not turn red.”
“Little Nightingale finally agreed to the rose’s request, pressed her chest on the thorn and began to sing desperately all night. As the rose’s thorn penetrated deeper and deeper, the blood in her body began to flow continuously, it eventually pierced through her whole chest, and a fiery red rose was born.”
“Enough.” Bian Shengjian finally couldn’t help interrupting him, feeling that Lu Shen’s state today was a bit strange, “Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?”
“We’re here, young man, just pay the starting price.” The driver didn’t pay attention to their conversation, and just parked the car at the intersection of the street.
After paying the fare, Bian Shengjian pulled Lu Shen out of the car, frowning slightly and still asked the question just now, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Do you know what the ending of the story is?” Lu Shen asked.
Bian Shengjian looked into his serious eyes, feeling a bit stuck in his throat for a while, and then said bluntly, “That’s something children read, how can I remember?”
“The crying young student finally stopped crying, and took the rose with a pleasant expression,” Lu Shen continued unhurriedly, “He took that rose and was about to give it to his beloved girl, but the girl merely said, “you only had a rose, how can it compare to the many treasures I received today?” The young student then threw the red rose that little nightingale had exchanged with her life on the ground in shame, and the last carriage happened to pass by, and ran over that red rose.”
Bian Shengjian didn’t speak for a long time, just stood with him on the cold spring street and looked at each other.
“You must think that nightingale must be a stupid bird?” Lu Shen said softly.
Bian Shengjian’s expression gradually became dignified. Although he had never been able to figure out Lu Shen’s thoughts, at this moment he understood, “You mean, I am that bird?”
“No.” Lu Shen said, and suddenly said in a very pious and elusive tone, “Bian Shengjian, I love you so much that I could die for you.”
Bian Shengjian was stunned for a moment, and looked at him with a confused expression.
“So even if I know that my sweetheart will throw the red rose on the ground in the end, I will still choose to let the rose’s thorn pierce into my heart again.” Lu Shen looked at him deeply, “So, I am that stupid bird, but no matter what, I hope that the red rose I exchanged with my life will bloom forever in the morning sun.”
Bian Shengjian’s lips began to tremble.
“So I want a tattoo of a nightingale on my shoulder and a rose on your heart, is that okay?” Lu Shen asked, almost with a pleading tone.
“…Are you sick?” Bian Shengjian quickly raised his hand and wiped his eyes, “Don’t you fucking know that this is a story told to deceive children?”
“I know,” Lu Shen laughed, and gently took his hand, “It’s just that I like this story very much…… If we both must leave something on us, I think this is the most suitable.”
“I don’t want it.” Bian Shengjian took a deep breath, let it out and looked at Lu Shen with a very complicated gaze, “I don’t like this story.’ “
“I think that young man is a fucking idiot. Not to mention chasing girls, even if he chases homeless men on the street, no one will give him a second look.” Bian Shengjian said, “He should be widowed to death alone.”
Lu Shen couldn’t help laughing, stretched out his hand and rubbed his hair, “All right, it’s all up to you.”
“However,” Bian Shengjian paused, “In fact, what you want to say is that you can give everything for me, right?”
“Yes.” Lu Shen said.
“But what the Nightingale loves is not the rose, but that idiot young man.” Bian Shengjian looked at him and inadvertently sniffed, “Do you always think this meaning is appropriate?”
“Then how do you think this story should end?” Lu Shen looked at him and smiled.
Bian Shengjian didn’t speak, just grabbed his arm a little rough and dragged him forward.
“Don’t talk nonsense, let’s talk when we get to the place.”
Although he pretended to be calm on the surface, Bian Shengjian’s trembling hand hanging by his side still betrayed him: Nightingale and Rose.
No matter what the nightingale and rose had experienced, after all, this was just a fairy tale that ended in tragedy.
No, this is not the end.
Bian Shengjian pushed open the door of the shop, startling the tattoo artist who was about to stand up, “……Hi, are you the customer who made an appointment earlier?”
“Yes.” Bian Shengjian glanced at him and let go of Lu Shen’s wrist.
“So, what tattoos do you two want to get?” asked the tattoo artist.
Bian Shengjian fell silent.
Seeing Bian Shengjian’s hesitation, the tattoo artist immediately began to introduce enthusiastically, “We can provide many kinds of patterns for reference…… By the way, are both of you already eighteen years old?”
“En.” Bian Shengjian nodded.
“That’s good,” the tattooist smiled, and looked the two of them up and down again. “But it seems that you are still in school, so I would advise you to be cautious when choosing tattoos. Customized tattoo stickers can also be provided, if necessary……”
“No.” Bian Shengjian interrupted him, “No tattoo stickers.”
“Okay, what pattern do you two want to get?” the tattoo artist continued to ask very patiently.
Bian Shengjian was silent again, and the atmosphere was a little awkward for a while.
“Two, uh……” The tattoo artist was a strong man who was almost 1.9 meters tall. At this moment, he had already started to suspect whether the two of them were just looking for trouble. “Why don’t you take a look at the reference patterns we provide here?”
“No need.” Bian Shengjian interrupted him again, and finally provided an accurate answer before the tattoo artist started to curse, “Nightingale and Rose, can you get us that?”
The tattoo artist was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized, “Nightingale and rose? Of course. But I still need to draw the design here, and if there are any unsatisfactory follow-up patterns, I can modify them beforehand.”
“Okay.” Bian Shengjian nodded. Instead of watching the momentary change of expression on Lu Shen’s face standing next to him, he walked to a small sofa on the side and sat down. “How long does it take to draw a design?”
“Soon, but do you need to hurry?” the tattoo artist asked as he walked towards the inner room.
“As soon as possible.” As Bian Shengjian spoke, he felt someone sitting down beside him, and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Third brother…..…”
Bian Shengjian brushed that hand away, and sat aside for a while without expression.
Lu Shen insisted on moving towards him, but when he moved, Shengjian followed suit, and the small sofa was quickly crowded by the two of them, “Third….”
“Shut up.” Bian Shengjian couldn’t bear it anymore and said, “Go away.”
Lu Shen obediently sat back on the other side of the sofa, placing his hands neatly on his knees, like a child who has done something wrong and was willing to be scolded.
Bian Shengjian didn’t look at him, and waited patiently for the design finally being shown by the tattoo artist, “You two, is this okay?”
He leaned over and took a closer look at the two patterns.
To be honest, the tattoo artist Li Fei introduced was really good. The pattern of the nightingale was not just a bird, and the rose was also not painted in a single pattern, but some new ones were added based on the tattoo artist’s observation of the two people. Some elements were added, such as vines with thorns wrapped around the petals.
“Yes.” Bian Shengjian nodded.
“Okay, where do you want to get tattooed?” The tattoo artist rubbed his hands and stood up.
“I have a scar on my shoulder, can it be tattooed on it?” Lu Shen asked, pointing to the pattern of the nightingale.
“Okay, but I want to see your scar,” said the tattoo artist.
Lu Shen responded and began to take off his clothes until there was only one single piece of clothing left, he then lifted up a corner of it, “It’s here.”
The tattoo artist leaned over to take a closer look at the scar, compared the patterns before nodding, “Yes.”
“Then the two of you can take a rest, I’ll prepare the tools and start……Who will be first?” the tattoo artist asked.
“Me.” Bian Shengjian said lightly.
“Okay.” The tattooist said and retreated to the backdoor to start preparing the tools.
Bian Shengjian turned around and walked to the sofa, but when he raised his head, he met Lu Shen’s eyes looking at him, focused and careful, with a hint of worry, “How about I go first.”
“No need.” Bian Shengjian looked at him, and there seemed to be something burning in his eyes at the moment, “I am not afraid of pain.”
****
Bian Shengjian pursed his lips tightly, but there was still an inconspicuous drop of sweat slipping down from the corner of his forehead.
How should I put it, although the pain everytime the needle poke on the skin is subtle, but I can’t bear it when it pokes at the same place every time, and after repeated many times, it becomes a somewhat unbearable pain.
Thus when Bian Shengjian came out from the inner room, the clothes on his back were already wet with sweat.
“How is it?” the tattooist asked as he packed up his tools.
Bian Shengjian didn’t speak, and fixedly looked at the delicate, enchanting and wild black rose in the mirror that was occupying his chest, making the surrounding fair skin more transparent.
Originally, it was a bit strange to have a rose tattooed on a man’s body, but it was different on Bian Shengjian’s body, and even he himself thought it was quite appropriate, as if this rose was born to follow him as a birthmark that came out of the womb together with him—
“It’s beautiful.” Lu Shen unconsciously put his arms around his waist from behind as he spoke, startling Bian Shengjian who hadn’t had time to put on his clothes, and subconsciously turned to look at the tattoo artist. The uncle just smiled and said for them to take a rest first, and then walked into the inner room with the box.
“Don’t…hey!” Before Lu Shen’s lips were about to touch the still sensitive skin, Bian Shengjian stretched out his hand and pushed him away, “I said not to touch it.”
“All right.” Although Lu Shen replied, his eyes were still fixed on that place, making Shengjian feel awkward all over, “It’s really beautiful, and it suits you very well.”
“I know.” Bian Shengjian sighed, grabbed the clothes on the back of the chair with one hand and put them on. Although the friction between the fabric and the tattooed skin was uncomfortable, Bian Shengjian always felt that Lu Shen’s eyes that were watching him were too hot. If he wouldn’t cover them now, he didn’t know what would happen later, “Don’t talk nonsense, it’s your turn.”
“Okay.” Lu Shen smiled, showing his teeth at him.
But to Bian Shengjian’s surprise, Lu Shen remained very calm during the whole process. Even though his pattern looked more complex and larger than Bian Shengjian’s, his expression was basically unchanged throughout the operation. He even raised his head and smiled at him, as if he didn’t feel any pain and as if the tattoo needle didn’t pierce his skin–
So when he got down from the chair, the tattoo artist felt a little bit emotional, “Young man, you can bear it?”
Lu Shen shrugged his shoulders irrefutably, and nodded apologetically to the tattoo artist, “Is there a dressing room here? I want to change.”
“Just go inside.” The tattoo artist said with an expression of ‘You don’t have to say it, I understand’, and said, “Try not to get water in the place with the pattern these two days, and try to eat light foods as possible.”
“Okay.”
Lu Shen responded and dragged Bian Shengjian by the hand all the way to the small room that was used as a dressing room. After the door was shut, he pressed him against the wall, he went straight up, blocked all of Bian Shengjian’s dissatisfaction and turned it into a sweet kiss, “You…”
After more than ten seconds, Shengjian finally pushed him away, and panted in a low voice, “What are you being crazy about?”
Lu Shen lowered his eyes, looked through Bian Shengjian’s neckline, and was blocked by a hand again. “Are you satisfied now?”
“What?” Lu Shen raised his head.
While Bian Shengjian was speaking, his gaze also drifted to Lu Shen’s shoulder, where the scar that was originally a rash had been well covered by the tattoo. Unexpectedly, it also suited him very well.
“Does it look good?” Lu Shen noticed his gaze, and slightly hooked the corners of his mouth.
Bian Shengjian didn’t speak, and cautiously reached out to touch the skin that was still red and swollen, its temperature on the surface was also still a little hot, “Does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt.” Lu Shen shook his head.
“Liar.” Bian Shengjian frowned, looked into his eyes in a very calm tone and said, “Do you know why I agreed to get this tattoo with you?”
“Because you like me.” Lu Shen blinked slightly.
“No.” Bian Shengjian said, “Because I love you.”
Lu Shen was stunned for a long time before opening his mouth in disbelief, “I……”
“Didn’t you say you loved me so much that you could die for me?” Bian Shengjian narrowed his eyes, took a step forward, almost pressed Lu Shen against the wall and stared at the tip of his nose and said, “I can too, who is afraid of whom?”
Later, Bian Shengjian recalled many times what kind of mood he was in when he said that sentence, but he still couldn’t remember it. After all, once such a thing as love was spoken, the whole person would become blank in an instant, except there was this only strong emotion left, wishing to simply pour it all on that other person.
Then, Lu Shen, what did you go through during the days when I was yet not there and become what we are now? How many secrets are you hiding from me?
I fucking want to crack your brain and see what’s inside.
Bian Shengjian felt that his throat became a little bitter, therefore he simply leaned towards Lu Shen and bit his lips hard. “What dog sh*t.”
“Don’t scold yourself like that?” Lu Shen smiled vaguely, reached out and put his arms around his neck and also leaned forward. When the two people were already panting heavily, he stretched his hand along the edge of Bian Shengjian’s waistline and slid down.
Bian Shengjian snorted lightly.
“Actually, I’ve already thought about the ending of that story.” Bian Shengjian cleared his throat and said.
“Really, let’s hear it?” Lu Shen placed his arms around him and kissed his neck.
“There is no foolish young man and no shitty girl,” Bian Shengjian looked at him, “There is only one nightingale and one rose from the beginning to the end, and the little nightingale will sing to the rose every day until the sun rises and the moon sets. Morning dew will roll down on the petals of the rose, and even if the rose eventually wither, the nightingale will use his last strength to sing him a last song, and then fall down in the soil mixed with the dried petals and die together.”
“Ah, what a good story.” Lu Shen bent his eyes, “It’s really great. None of them will be left alone.”
“Yeah, so…” Bian Shengjian’s tone suddenly dropped, “You have to stay with me all the time, okay?”
It was no longer the domineering declarative sentence that only belonged to the Third brother, but this time Bian Shengjian used a questioning tone, which made Lu Shen’s heart ache a little.
He gently kissed the top of Shengjian’s hair, and said, “Okay, I promise you.”
