44 A Dreamless Night

"Wow! You … You're really something! Such an attainment! What a hidden talent!"

Qiuchen's singing leaves Yuan Ge wanting more, but he knows that his praise is not enough to concretely express how good his singing really is. Perhaps the boy's singing skills could indeed rival those of famous artists. He really should seek expert opinions at some point. Suddenly, he remembers the piece that he heard Rong Qing sing in his dream, 'Lord Longyang Weeps for the Fish to Secure the King's Favour', and on a whim, he asks Rong Qiuchen to sing it.

However, when Rong Qiuchen hears this request, his expression instantly changes, gone is his proud look, almost in tears again, he says, "Childe Yuan has treated Qiuchen very well, and I respect you and thank you for all your kindness, but why are you making such an insulting request all of a sudden?"

Yuan Ge carefully recalls how the Third Lord behaved in the dream, and his words and actions are indeed frivolous. In the eyes of a professional actor, the lyrics of this opera piece must have been something that showed inappropriate intimacy to men, but just now he had thoughtlessly asked Qiuchen to sing it …

Thinking of this, he regrets his words and apologizes sincerely, "My apologies. I was too presumptuous. It's just that I remembered an unfinished scene from my dream, a scene that seemed very realistic to me, yet unreal, so I wanted to hear Master Rong sing the piece to verify some doubts I had. I did not mean to offend you. I hope you will forgive me."

He stands up and makes a deep bow.

When Rong Qiuchen sees how sincere Yuan Ge is, and that he has specifically used ancient terms in his apology, he changes his tone and says with a smile, "Childe Yuan, please do not condescend to yourself. Qiuchen is no longer a well-known singer in this world, having nowhere to go and no one to turn to. It is entirely thanks to your kindness that I have a place to stay. I wish to do anything to show my gratitude."

Yuan Ge also smiles and says, "I have not been a good host, and I may have aggravated you. It's pretty late already. I have a tough battle to face tomorrow, so let's say good night now."

He takes the boy to the bedroom and let him have the bed, while he takes a spare pillow and blanket and settles himself on the sofa in the living room.

In the middle of the night, feeling a chill coming from his wrist, Yuan Ge wakes up in a trance and immediately sees a pair of big bright eyes staring at his face, while his left hand is being held by a pair of cold palms. He jumps up in panic and turns on the floor lamp, then he realises it is Rong Qiuchen. He is kneeling by the sofa and seems to have been there all along.

"Why aren't you sleeping in bed in the middle of the night? What are you doing here?"

"I'm not tired, Childe Yuan. It's only when I am with you that I feel at peace."

"What kind of crappy habit is this... you're not a child, why are you afraid of sleeping alone?" Yuan Ge looks at his hand that is being held by Qiuchen, "Is the room temperature too low? Why are your hands so cold?"

The boy looks depressed. After a long silence he says, "I don't know why, but I can only feel any warmth when I come in contact with your body. If I am away from you for a long time, I start to lose my senses and my body becomes stiff, as if I were dead."

Yuan Ge thinks about the state he had been in since he first met him and sighed, "I'm afraid I must take you to the hospital as soon as possible; I'll have to make an appointment with a psychiatrist to take a good look at you. So you're delusional and see yourself as a Qing dynasty person, but why am I your charging station? And a contact charger, pretty advanced, eh? Well, I really have important things to do tomorrow. Please go to bed, I don't have time to humour you."

"As you please, Childe Yuan. Qiuchen shall be here at your service."

"Alright. Suit yourself."

Yuan Ge turns off the light and lies back down under the blankets on the sofa, feeling in the darkness that Rong Qiuchen is still there. Then he seems to sense that he begins to massage his thighs and calves. Yuan Ge wants to ask him to stop, but Qiuchen's superb technique and just the right amount of kneading pressure make his tired body feel so relaxed and comfortable that he actually drifts off to sleep. The second before he falls asleep, he was thinking to himself, "It sure is nice to have a servant to wait on you, even though it's not so politically correct to have such feudal ideas!"

It's not until his phone alarm rings loudly that Yuan Ge wakes up from his sleep. Strangely enough, it was the best night's sleep he has had in days, no interruptions and dreamless. Just as he is about to get up, he realises that Rong Qiuchen is still kneeling next to the sofa giving him a massage.

"You've been doing this all night?!"

"Childe Yuan said that there is an important battle to be fought today, and Qiuchen only wishes that you are well rested and have speedy success."

"Uh … I'm not really going to war... how can I enjoy your service with a clear conscience."

Yuan Ge sits up and stretches. The massage has worked wonders. The fatigue accumulated over the past few days has all but gone, and he is feeling quite refreshed.

"Childe Yuan, you have taken me in, provided me with food and shelter, and I would like to return the favour."

There is no sign of tiredness on Rong Qiuchen's face, his gaze is gentle and sincere, and he answers as a matter of course.

Yuan Ge, however, can not accept it with ease, wondering if his own actions would be perceived as taking advantage of a homeless child.

"You are a stubborn silly boy. Do catch up on some sleep while I'm gone!"

Then he gets up quickly and rushes into the kitchen to make breakfast for the two of them.

Today is the big day of auditions for King Guan Entertainment. Remembering Fat Chow's great expectations and the eager faces of the young actors, Yuan Ge knows he has a daunting task ahead of him. He only hopes that Dragon Dreams would make it through today's audition.

Yuan Ge quickly finishes his breakfast, then he sees that the coffee and toast in front of Rong Qiuchen hasn't been touched. He takes out a few hundred yuan from his wallet and hands the notes to him.

"I don't have time to explain to you in detail. If you don't like the food, take this money and the spare house key and buy yourself something to eat whenever you want. You know how bustling this street is, with countless shops selling all kinds of food, you can get whatever you want, just remember to lock the door when you leave. If you're still afraid to go out, you can drop a basket from the window and someone from the shop below might bring you food."

Yuan Ge showered, dressed and put on his overcoat, and instantly becomes the distant and aloof director again. Rong Qiuchen looks at him and seems reluctant to let him go.

"Today is a big day for us at Dragon Dreams and I don't know when I'll be back. Tell you what, I'll teach you how to use the TV and you can watch films or TV if you're bored. Like that rubbish drama 'Cixi and Her Old Lover' …"

Yuan Ge goes on to teach Qiuchen in detail how to use the "Magic Box", then adds, "I don't always stay in this flat, so I don't have my favourite movies in my collection here. You will have to make do with these TV soaps. They're mostly quite old-fashioned and more popular in my mum's generation. Be a good boy. I'll take you to the police station when I get back tonight and try to get you home soon!"

Rong Qiuchen did not respond, just stands sadly at the door to watch Yuan Ge leave.