NOSPEAK Chapter 2

 Chapter 2: The Qipao

Translator: Abo Dammen

After three years of grueling study—rising earlier than the roosters and sleeping later than the dogs—Liu Linfan finally finished his college entrance exams. The moment he stepped out of the examination hall, his three years of youth came to an end under the blazing summer sun.

With summer vacation beginning, Liu Linfan and his best friend, Lu Li, decided to celebrate their newfound freedom with a spontaneous trip. They packed their bags and set off on an adventure.

The two traveled for half a month before returning home. Lu Li, now tanned to a deep shade of brown, looked like a walking charcoal briquette, while Liu Linfan remained as fair and delicate as ever, his skin seemingly glowing.

Lu Li pointed at the sky, cursing the sun for its blatant favoritism. His dramatic antics made him look crazy.

Liu Linfan could only sigh and distance himself from Lu Li, avoiding the strange looks from passersby.

After returning home, Liu Linfan spent three days resting and recovering from the trip. One day, his brother, Ning Yixi, mentioned he was heading out to rehearse for a play at his drama club.

Having spent the last three years living at school, Liu Linfan knew his brother had joined the drama club during university and had continued working there after graduation. Curious and with nothing else to do, Liu Linfan asked if he could tag along. Ning Yixi happily agreed.

The drama club was located in a large office building in the city. The space was expansive, filled with people, most of whom were Ning Yixi’s former classmates or seniors from university.

Since Ning Yixi was playing the lead role this time, his schedule was packed. Before heading off to rehearse, he reminded Liu Linfan, "Stay in the backstage area and don’t wander off. If you need to go somewhere, let me know."

"Got it. Stop treating me like a kid," Liu Linfan replied with a grin.

The backstage area had a large, plush sofa that was incredibly comfortable. After Ning Yixi left, Liu Linfan settled into the sofa and started playing games on his phone.

Halfway through his game, a few girls walked in, struggling to carry stacks of cardboard boxes. They seemed to be unloading supplies.

Liu Linfan glanced around. The backstage area was empty except for him, and it felt wrong to just sit there while they worked. So, he got up and offered to help.

With his assistance, the girls finished quickly and thanked him profusely.

After moving all the boxes, the girls were exhausted and sat down to rest. Liu Linfan used his pocket money to order them some lemonade.

When the delivery arrived, he handed out the drinks. The girls, already grateful for his help, were even more impressed by his thoughtfulness. They quickly warmed up to him, and soon they were chatting like old friends.

The leader of the group, a curly-haired girl named Li Qing, introduced herself with a smile. "I’m Li Qing, Ning Yixi’s senior. He talks about you all the time."

"Really?" Liu Linfan asked, curious. "What does he say?"

Before Li Qing could answer, the other girls chimed in. "He says you’re thoughtful and considerate, a great little brother."

"And that you’re really handsome. Though I’d say you’re more pretty than handsome. Look at your skin—so fair and smooth!"

Liu Linfan blushed, scratching his ear awkwardly.

"How old are you? You look so young."

"I’m 18," Liu Linfan replied.

One of the girls sighed. "Ah, being young is such a blessing."

Liu Linfan cleared his throat, changing the subject. He pointed to one of the boxes they had just brought in. "What’s in these?"

"Costumes for the play. They just arrived from the factory," Li Qing explained, opening one of the boxes to check the contents.

Among the ordinary brown cardboard boxes, one stood out, wrapped in blue tape. Liu Linfan pointed to it. "What about this one?"

"That’s for the main cast," Li Qing said with a wink. "Your brother’s costume is in there."

"Can I see it?" Liu Linfan asked excitedly.

"Of course!"

Li Qing rummaged through the box and pulled out a light green qipao embroidered with delicate orchids. It was stunning.

Liu Linfan admired it silently, waiting for her to continue. But instead, Li Qing handed the qipao to him. "Here, this is the one. Isn’t it beautiful?"

"Uh…" Liu Linfan held up the qipao, inspecting it. "Isn’t this a women’s dress?"

"Yes," Li Qing said, realization dawning on her face. "Didn’t you know? Your brother is playing a female role this time. He didn’t tell you?"

"No…" Liu Linfan’s mind went blank. He couldn’t even begin to imagine his brother in a qipao.

"The tailor’s waiting for feedback. If it doesn’t fit, we’ll need to make adjustments. Let’s get everyone to try them on quickly," Li Qing said, calling the cast members down from the stage.

The backstage area quickly became crowded. Liu Linfan, squeezed into a corner, searched for his brother but couldn’t find him. Where did he go?

The costumes that didn’t fit were set aside in a separate box, presumably to be altered. Liu Linfan was amused watching a muscular guy struggle to squeeze into a dress, smiling so hard his eyes disappeared into crescents.

Just then, Li Qing approached him, holding a qipao and looking slightly flustered. "Have you seen your brother?"

Liu Linfan shook his head. "No."

She was holding Ning Yixi’s qipao.

"Ugh, where did he go? He’s not answering his phone, and the delivery guy is waiting."

Liu Linfan hesitated, then offered, "I can try it on for him. My brother and I are about the same size."

"Really? Would you?" Li Qing’s eyes lit up.

"Sure, why not?" Liu Linfan thought. If a muscular guy could wear a dress, why couldn’t he? Besides, he was proud to help his brother, even if it meant wearing a qipao.

Liu Linfan slipped into the light green qipao, and immediately the girls surrounded him, snapping photos. Li Qing even styled him with a curly wig, giggling as she worked.

Liu Linfan raised an eyebrow. "I thought this was urgent?"

"Oh, right, right! Does it fit okay?" Li Qing asked, though she couldn’t stop smiling.

"It’s a bit tight around the waist," Liu Linfan admitted, smoothing the fabric over his sides. Thankfully, he didn’t have much of a belly, or he wouldn’t have been able to fit into it.

"That’s how it’s supposed to be. It accentuates your figure," Li Qing said.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Li Qing glanced at the phone of the girl next to her, their heads leaning together, nearly laughing their eyes shut.

The wig was too voluminous, and a few strands of hair kept getting into his mouth. Liu Linfan leaned closer to the dimly lit mirror to fix it, his hands resting on the table. The posture arched his back, and the tight qipao highlighted the curve of his hips.

Unaware of the commotion around him, Liu Linfan focused on removing the stray hairs from his mouth. Just as he finally managed to pull one out with his fingers, he noticed a dark figure standing to his right.

He glanced over and froze, his tongue still sticking out slightly.

Jiang Sen was leaning casually against the doorframe, his eyes sweeping over Liu Linfan from head to toe. He let out a low, amused whistle. "Wow."

Ning Yixi walked in behind Jiang Sen, startled to see Liu Linfan in the qipao. "Xiao Fan, why are you dressed like that?"

Liu Linfan’s face burned as if he’d been set on fire. He yanked off the wig, avoiding Jiang Sen’s piercing gaze. "I was trying on the costume… Qing-jie couldn’t find you, and I didn’t want to delay things, so I offered to help."

"I went to pick up Jiang Sen. He happened to be in the area and wanted to visit, but he didn’t know the way," Ning Yixi explained, helping Liu Linfan out of the qipao. "I’m so sorry. You didn’t have to do this."

"Mm...mhm…" Liu Linfan mumbled, his embarrassment reaching its peak.

Great. Now Jiang Sen’s seen me like this. He’s never going to let me live it down.

Sure enough, Jiang Sen’s teasing voice came from behind him. "Why take it off? It looked good on you. Let me take a picture."

Liu Linfan spun around, only to see Jiang Sen holding up his phone. Click!

Jiang Sen looked at the photo and chuckled. "Perfect."

"Delete that!" Liu Linfan demanded, lunging for the phone.

"No way. It’s my phone, and I’ll take whatever photos I want. What are you going to do about it?"

"You! Jiang Sen!"

"Still not gonna call me ‘gege’? You were much cuter when you were younger." Jiang Sen said with a teasing smile.