Frivolous - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Standing in the courtyard, Chen Ran looked up to see a plane gliding silently through the night sky, its lights flashing high above.

A strange sensation rose in her chest; she wondered if the scene she was witnessing had anything to do with her having mentioned before that she “liked planes.”

The spiral staircase leading up into the villa had twenty-two steps. Chen Ran gripped the handrail, counting them one by one as she ascended.

Step by step, she arrived.

She knocked on the door of the room where the lights were on, and from inside came Yu Lanzhou’s voice, smooth as polished jade: “Come in.”

Chen Ran wiped her sweaty palms on her clothes and pushed the door open.

She entered a spacious bedroom dominated by tones of light white and deep black. The bed was covered in light gray, minimalist bedding similar in color to Chen Ran’s previous room. A piano stood on the enclosed balcony, and Yu Lanzhou was sitting on a sofa beside it, holding what looked like a legal document. The moonlight from outside the floor-to-ceiling windows floated around her, shadows shifting in the dim light.

Chen Ran walked over, hearing Yu Lanzhou say, “Sit.”

Chen Ran sat across from her.

Yu Lanzhou stared at Chen Ran’s beautiful face and asked, “Regarding the answer you’re waiting for, I need to ask first what exactly are the thoughts in your heart?”

Chen Ran’s throat tightened, and her voice trembled as she spoke. “It’s just like I said before: as long as I can be by your side, it’s enough. I want you to… tether me.”

“Regardless of whether there is someone else by your side or in your heart, I only want to be yours. You can do anything to me…”

Her intent was as clear as it could possibly be.

Yu Lanzhou cut her off. “I understand.”

She placed the contract on the table and tapped it with her fingertip. “Look it over first. You have one day to decide whether to sign or not.”

“I’ll sign.” Without even looking at the pages, Chen Ran pulled the contract to her chest, pressing it against her heart.

The pages felt as though they had just been printed, still carrying a faint warmth.

“You haven’t even read the contents,” Yu Lanzhou said, her gaze holding a hint of a smile, yet it was soft. “What if it’s a contract requiring you to stay away from me?”

Chen Ran’s mind flashed back to the car parked outside her apartment complex that night. Because of the long wait and hesitation, the roof of the car had been covered in a thin layer of small yellow flowers from the rain-tree.

She understood then: Yu Lanzhou’s heart had been moved.

I need to be proactive. I only need to be proactive.

Chen Ran flipped open the contract and saw detailed but non-standard requirements listed under broad headings. Rather than a formal contract, it looked more like a set of agreements:

1. A one-month trial period, with a total term of one year.

2. Do not stay overnight in my room.

3. No throwing tantrums or acting out.

4. Be available on call whenever possible.

5. Do not let Yu Zhou find out about the relationship—at least not on the surface.

6. A cold war lasting more than 72 hours results in an automatic termination of the contract.

7. Whether to renew after the contract expires is entirely up to me. …

It wasn’t that Yu Lanzhou couldn’t afford a professional to draft a strict contract.

Chen Ran’s expression remained calm as she suppressed her inner ecstasy and racing heart. She skimmed the contract at lightning speed and reached for the fountain pen on the table.

“Chen Ran,” Yu Lanzhou called out to her.

Chen Ran looked up, seeing Yu Lanzhou’s subtle expression blurred in the moonlight. She heard her say in a slow, solemn tone, “Read every single clause carefully.”

“Oh, okay.” Chen Ran used her index finger to trace the lines, committing each rule to memory.

The contract was a bit disorganized; Clause 11, detailing what Chen Ran would receive, was placed at the break between pages as if someone were afraid of it being discovered.

The moment Chen Ran saw this clause, the shock in her heart was impossible to settle:

This villa in the wealthy district would be hers. All of Yu Lan’s resources would be at her disposal to choose from. The amount of money she would receive was a nine-figure sum.

This was likely more than Chen Ran could ever earn in a lifetime of singing her heart out.

Yu Lanzhou was, perhaps, far too soft-hearted toward her.

Thinking of how she once traveled back and forth across Beijing over a dozen times for a mere two thousand yuan, Chen Ran suddenly felt a strange wave of bitterness. Just a bit of overflow from between Yu Lanzhou’s fingers was enough for several hundred lifetimes of wealth.

“It doesn’t need to be this much.” In fact, she would be fine with nothing at all. She would even be willing to hand over her fees from every performance to Yu Lanzhou. She would even borrow money if it meant she had to pay Yu Lanzhou a million a month.

Yu Lanzhou said impassively, “There will naturally be moments when you feel these are things you deserve to take.”

Chen Ran’s heart hammered with anxiety. She couldn’t imagine what could possibly happen that would make her feel she “deserved” such lavish gifts.

She looked down and read Clause 16: Go to the hospital for a physical examination. In the future, undergo regular check-ups and submit the medical reports.

Chen Ran’s hand paused. Her racing heart was struck by this line of text it felt like a minor car accident.

Yu Lanzhou watched her expression closely. Seeing the change in her face, she said, “If you’re unwilling, don’t force yourself.”

“Teacher Yu, do you… find me distasteful?” Chen Ran looked up at her, forcing a smile. “I am clean, you don’t have to worry. But I will comply.”

At this moment, calling her “Yu Lanzhou” felt like overstepping a boundary, while “Auntie Yu” served as a constant reminder of the gap between them. So, Chen Ran called her “Teacher Yu.”

Yu Lanzhou opened her mouth to say something, but before the words could form, Chen Ran had already signed the document with a flourish. She lifted her face and gave a radiant smile. “I’ve read it carefully, and I will definitely follow it. Like I said as long as you let me stay by your side, anything is fine.”

She only needed a single moment of Yu Lanzhou’s affection, and she could die without regrets.

The date was set: July 16, 2024.

On the paper, their names stood side by side the “Boat” (Zhou) and the “Fire” (Ran). Their names seemed to clash, yet the characters looked like a match made in heaven.

“Tonight you can choose to sleep here or go back first. Move in within a week.”

Chen Ran wished she could move in that very day that very night.

“What about you?” Chen Ran couldn’t help but think of Yu Lanzhou’s dazed eyes. She stared at her and asked.

As if seeing through her thoughts, Yu Lanzhou said softly, “I’m going home.”

Oh. Going home.

Where is home if not here? Chen Ran’s gaze swept over the furnishings. It did feel a bit cold and lonely, not like a place meant for permanent residence.

“Okay, then please be careful on the road,” Chen Ran said instinctively.

Yu Lanzhou tilted her head slightly.

Chen Ran knew this was a sign of a question. Did she… not mean that?

If not, what she just said sounded like she was kicking her out! No, no, no! That’s not what I meant!

Chen Ran stood up, leaning over to tentatively kiss Yu Lanzhou, when those two lines of text flashed before her eyes: Clause 16—Regular check-ups and medical reports. And Xu Wan’s helpless reminder: Don’t kiss her after you’ve been drinking.

So, she froze there.

Yu Lanzhou, still sitting, tilted her chin up and watched Chen Ran’s movements and her gradually reddening face. Her voice, like crumpled sandpaper, asked with practiced ease, “What do you want to do?”

Chen Ran’s heart was screaming: Do what lovers do.

But her legs went weak at Yu Lanzhou’s words. Supporting herself with one hand on the armrest of the gray sofa, she murmured, “Sorry, it’s nothing.”

Yu Lanzhou raised her hand, the back of it brushing against Chen Ran’s arm as she moved her aside. Rising from the soft sofa, her shoulder lightly grazed Chen Ran’s as she said, “Get some rest.”

“Okay,” Chen Ran turned to look at her. “You too.”

“Right, one more thing.” Yu Lanzhou turned back and asked, “I want to know the name of the first song you played that night.”

“Which night?” Chen Ran asked, her heart fluttering. There were two nights she had played music, and they were the two happiest nights of her life. Which one was it?

Bowing her head, Chen Ran quickly opened her music player, frantically searching through her favorites and playlists.

“The first night.”

“Do you remember the lyrics?”

“In Chinese, it should be ‘Dancing all night’ (Zheng ye tiao wu).”

“Dancing through the night?”

When Chen Ran spoke English, her tone was lower than usual, making her wine-like voice even more intoxicating. It instantly transported Yu Lanzhou back to the hazy, swaying scene of that night.

She met Chen Ran’s burning gaze and nodded. “Yes.”

Chen Ran was the first to look away, unable to withstand such a gaze. She looked back at her phone and said, “It’s a Korean song by the singer Horan. I’ll share the link with you.” She tapped play.

Yu Lanzhou suddenly leaned in to look at the screen with her. “There are only nineteen comments.”

Help me, help me, help me.

Chen Ran felt she was losing control of herself. Yu Lanzhou smelled so good—her clothes, her body. Chen Ran’s eyes traced down her shirt collar, her mouth going dry.

Sometimes Yu Lanzhou really didn’t dress “properly”—the top two buttons of her shirt were undone. It made Chen Ran want to button them up, yet also want to unfasten them further, pulling the shirt down to her elbows, perhaps even using the white silk to bind her arms.

Her eyes were also so bewitching. Just like now, a flick of her long lashes felt like a butterfly landing on the tip of Chen Ran’s heart.

There was something in her gaze that Chen Ran couldn’t quite read—a hint of a smile, a sense of distance, or perhaps… seduction?

No. No. I must have misread it.

Chen Ran looked away and said, “I’ll send you the link right away. If I hear any good songs in the future, I’ll send them to you first, okay?” She won’t find me annoying, will she?

“Okay.” Yu Lanzhou nodded. “I’m leaving.”

“Mhm.” Even though it was the first night of their confirmed relationship, they had to part. Chen Ran felt a bit reluctant, her hand gripping her phone tightly.

She followed Yu Lanzhou to the elevator. Yu Lanzhou asked, “What day is tomorrow?”

Chen Ran blinked. “Monday.”

“What do you need to do the day after?”

Chen Ran answered obediently, “Go to Teacher Chen Xi’s house for lessons by 6:00 PM.”

Yu Lanzhou nodded, then held out her right hand toward Xu Wan.

Xu Wan handed her the keys to another car. Yu Lanzhou pressed a button, and the headlights of a brand-new black Maybach lit up in the garage. She handed the keys to Chen Ran. “Yours. You don’t have to drive it yourself; a lifestyle assistant will contact you tomorrow.”

Chen Ran’s heart began to thud again. Her whole life hadn’t been as thrilling as these past few days. The car was one she liked, and Yu Lanzhou had even remembered her fear of driving.

Chen Ran took the keys with an expression that said “Do I deserve this?” Yu Lanzhou got into the Rolls-Royce and lowered the window.

With a happy but slightly pained pout, Chen Ran’s dimples peeked out. She leaned over and said, “Thank you, Teacher Yu. See you later!”

She didn’t ask when they would meet again, because the contract stated: Whenever Party A requires it.

Yu Lanzhou nodded slightly.

Chen Ran walked to the driver’s side and instructed Xu Wan, “Drive safely.”

“Will do, Miss Chen,” Xu Wan replied to Chen Ran’s “lady of the house” style instructions.

The taillights of the Rolls-Royce disappeared after turning onto the main road. Chen Ran stood in the night, looking at the moon. Then, she began to cry uncontrollably.

It was like a dream. Effortless, happy, magical, and surreal.

That night, Chen Ran slept in the villa, in that gray-toned room. She planned to go to the hospital for a check-up the next morning, then move in, practice the guitar, and write songs. It felt like she could do eight hundred things in a single day.

As she tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, she did what she always did: she pulled up fan-edited videos of Yu Lanzhou to admire her face.

We just parted, so why do I miss her already?

She sniffed the quilt deeply, but it didn’t smell like her. Chen Ran felt a bit disappointed and sighed. Just as she was thinking about how to fill this place with Yu Lanzhou’s scent, her phone buzzed.

It was a message from Chou Fang: Look at the trending searches.

Chen Ran opened Weibo. The tag “Lei Xinyi Exposed for Tax Issues” was marked as “Explosive.”

Chen Ran didn’t know if this had anything to do with her or Yu Lanzhou, just as she no longer knew the whereabouts of Li Nan after he left Beijing.

She only needed to throw herself into the sea. Whether dangerous or calm, it was the sea she loved.

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