The first Chinese Internet cafe was born in Shanghai in 1995.
Since then, Internet cafes, both large and small, have sprung up all over the place, marking the advent of the Internet era.
In February 1999, a well-known online platform came out1. Perhaps at the same time, the number of Internet users began to increase in large numbers, and people’s online lives turned more colorful.
And so, the most popular Internet celebrities were still Writer Shu and Boss Xu, who had been attracting everyone’s attention since the paper media era. And now, those two love-showing madmen have become even more rampant after entering the Internet era!
In the past, it was just passive browsing, but now… Both of them turned into real Internet masters.
While other netizens were still trying to figure things out, the couple’s personal blog was already popular all over the Internet. Any young person who knew how to surf the Internet was already “well spiced” by their photos, words, and even music related to them.
Back in the Internet days of the past, both sad and bright non-mainstream cultures were popular. So when it came to being non-mainstream, nothing was better than two rich and handsome guys falling in love, not to mention their story was also so thrilling, with multiple ups and downs… Legendary and magical, it felt like a dream that could only be found in novels!
The combination of those elements attracted a large number of young men and women. Following the pictures, text, and music that flooded their screens, they all eventually fell into the trap of worshipping CPs, with no hope of being able to get out. Every day, they refreshed that blog again and again, looked at photos, read stories, listened to music, and shed tears for other people’s beautiful love.
As for Shu Ran and Xu Shen, they started a blog just to store things and record their lives, as a journal for themselves.At the same time, it also allowed friends and those who liked them to come closer and meet the real them.
That was the original intention. Shu Ran knew that his and Xu Shen’s space would be lively, but he didn’t expect it to be that lively. Since the blog was launched, the number of everyday visitors has been staggering.
There were also a lot of messages, with most of them friendly. As for the less-than-friendly ones, they have all been deleted and blocked.
Shu Ran would regularly update photos, write diaries, and play some music created for them by netizens. That inadvertently… Also made several talented online singers famous.
In short, the two of them turned into top Internet celebrities in a daze, accumulating fans one after another, including many young girls. Shu Ran even felt like writing a piece of advice every now and then, asking people to stop being addicted to the Internet and take care of their studies…
…He knew it sounded disappointing, but it was necessary!
Xu Shen only found out after going online that there were so many people supporting two men in a relationship, and most of them were young girls.
It was both puzzling and surprising at the same time.
And so, the generous Boss Xu gave benefits to his fans whenever he was happy. His and Shu Ran’s peripherals, posters, double-cover magazines, love photo albums, etc. There were also T-shirts, pillows, and cups.
Occasionally, even stationery turned into prized possessions, which was good for the young students who followed them.
If that kind of man couldn’t become popular, there was no one else who could. Fans just loved Xu Shen with all of their hearts.
Besides fans, there was another group of people who absolutely worshipped them… The Internet cafe owners. Every time there was an update on their blog, the number of customers in the Internet cafes increased.
However, it had now been three full days since that handsome couple with an astonishing number of fans had last updated their daily routine. The message area below the last update was full of reminders.
[Ahhhh, so sweet!]
[Update! Update! Update! Update~]
[As soon as I learned how to surf the Internet, I fell into a pit and couldn’t get out. I waited for three days, and there was no update. Who knew?!]
[Wow, wow, I love it so much! I love it so much, mwah mwah mwah!]
[I can’t get out of the picture section! Both gentlemen are so handsome, TAT]
[On bitter winter days with no updates, I read your story from the beginning again and again, and laugh like a fool every time. You must always be together~~]
[Looking at your photos over and over again, reading your stories over and over again, and listening to your songs over and over again, I’m probably addicted!]
[This is my safe haven, come and take a look when you are tired~]
The reason why there was no update was simply that Shu Ran and Xu Shen went out to play, also gathering a lot of content along the way. However, they were too tired from playing every day, with no time to edit, so they chose to wait until they got home to post together.
Xu Shen rarely updated any content, feeling that Shu Ran was simply better than him at writing diaries and editing.He… Only posed for pictures, occasionally replied to messages, and sent out benefits. It was terribly simple and crude!
………………
Whenever he came back from a trip, Mr. Shu, who was not so energetic anyway, would sleep hard for a whole day before returning to normal life. Unlike Mr. Xu, who went to work seamlessly, full of endless energy.
Of course, when Shu Ran went out to play, he also relaxed while on vacation. But thanks to his husband, he was both tired and comfortable… It was what the ancestors called going through tribulation, making him only able to stay at home and eat and drink in peace.
After sleeping until late afternoon, Xu Shen came back from work and picked him up to prepare dinner.
“Did you get up to eat at noon?” Xu Shen checked the kitchen, only to find it clean and completely intact.
“You already asked me several times…” Shu Ran rubbed his eyes speechlessly. Who wouldn’t be really irritable if they were woken up by a phone call while sleeping?
“Aren’t I afraid that you’ll lie to me?” Xu Shen ruffled his hair.
“Ate. Auntie’s Cantonese cuisine.” Shu Ran mumbled and got out of bed, washing up and taking a shower.
After having dinner with Xu Shen, he went to the study to sort out the new materials. It was a couple’s study room, with the two of them sharing a very large desktop. Shu Ran had more things in there because he also used the place to write every day. As for Xu Shen’s side, it was very clean and tidy, with only some random stuff.
Xu Shen also sat over after taking a shower, drinking the coffee he brewed himself, and leaning against Shu Ran. “You had meat for dinner,” he said, “drink some to relieve the tiredness.”
Shu Ran stopped typing, took a sip from Xu Shen’s cup, and praised him: “Brother Shen’s craftsmanship is great!” Then he continued to stare at the screen and type.
Xu Shen moved the mouse, logged in to his and Shu Ran’s blog, and took a look. After thinking about it, he picked up the camera and took a photo of Shu Ran in pajamas in front of the computer, organizing materials, and directly updated it to their website.
Xu Shen: “Don’t worry, everyone. We’ve been out to play these days.
There’s a lot of material. My baby is working hard to sort them out for everyone.”
As expected, Xu Shen’s appearance caused a stir, mainly because he rarely came out to update.
[Oh, look who’s here?! However, Brother Shen, long time no see~~]
[Ran Ran is so cute from Brother Shen’s perspective! Kiss Ran Ran’s cheek mwah, mwah, mwah, through the screen!]
[My baby… QAQ]
[Showing off again, thank you, TAT! I’m so jealous of you two…]
[Looking forward to the travel photos, hoping for swimsuits (shy!)]
[I like you guys so much~~]
[I’m finally relieved to see an update! If there’s no update for a day, I’m worried about you guys breaking up!]
Nobody knew why, but everyone had that feeling. If they didn’t see the daily love life of Writer Shu and his boyfriend for one day, everyone started to worry about the state of their relationship.
Since he was not busy and had nothing to do anyway, Xu Shen replied to that worried message: “Won’t break up, don’t worry.”
Someone immediately joined in the fun and replied: “Yes, as soon as Ran Ran glares, his brother Shen immediately kneels [funny/].”
Xu Shen: “…”
However, the person who teased him went on, refusing to let him go: “Don’t look at Brother Shen, so cold and stern! In fact, he’s a yes-man, and his wife has the final say inside and out! Does he even dare to make a mistake? No, he doesn’t2!”
After finally catching Xu Shen, the fans, friends, and everyone who was jealous of him laughed wantonly: “Brother Shen, don’t be angry! This is not what we say, but what Ran Ran wrote! If you’re not convinced, just go back and change his post.”
“How dare he?”
Xu Shen: “…”
“Yes… How dare I?!”
While Shu Ran was busy sorting out the new photos, Xu Shen chatted with everyone online, occasionally checking some information and emails. Time passed quickly.
At around nine o’clock in the evening, Shu Ran finally finished the new post, sending it out with satisfaction. The reason why it took so long was that he also wrote a travel guide, interspersing text with pictures, and wasting a lot of time on typesetting.
After all, there were too many pictures to fit in a single travel guide, so he could only upload them to a separate photo album.
Everyone immediately opened it and saw Xu Shen from the perspective of his boyfriend, the famous Writer Shu, who always liked to take close-up portraits and follow-up shots. Xu Shen cooperated and posed for every picture, with his smile as warm and bright as ever.
Being loved like that by Writer Shu, how could his smile not be brilliant?!
There were also many candid “wife shots” from the perspective of Boss Xu, making Shu Ran appear casual and relaxed under the camera, just like… The atmosphere of a literary and artistic movie that told everyone who Boss Xu was paying attention to.
After all, Shu Ran liked being surrounded by nature, so they often went abroad, visiting the world’s plants, mountains, and rivers.
[Of course, Ran Ran posing with flowers is a literary style, but when I do it, it’s a middle-aged style. Why!?]
[There are so many photos, I can enjoy them for a while and also drool over them for a while ~~]
[Not even thirty photos! You can’t do that, brother bodyguard! I beg you to take more next time~~]
[Brother Shen is watching the fun, carrying Ran Ran on his back. Is that because you can’t lift him high enough?]
Xu Shen: “Don’t say that, he’ll hit me if he gets angry.”
Well, that statement attracted the laughter of a thousand more people.
They obviously became very familiar faces, but each time new pictures were updated, everyone still had a different feeling… The feeling of recording the passage of time together, making others feel like they were right next to them, was super addictive.
[Wow, comparing today’s photos with those from ten years ago, it seems that Brother Shen’s figure has not changed at all! He is still so good!]
Shu Ran saw that comment, smiled, and typed back: “Yes, Brother Shen has such a good figure, suck it~~!”
Unlike Xu Shen, who was always laughed at by everyone for being afraid of his wife, Shu Ran’s comments were always treated lightly by everyone. The bottom line of that particular sentence was: “As he should, otherwise, how could he keep his wife!?”
Fans and friends clearly had double standards, but Xu Shen didn’t mind it at all. He also liked to see everyone pampering Shu Ran and protecting him from suffering any grievances.
[Brother Shen, are you still there? Remember to exercise diligently! Be careful, or your wife might abandon you when you’re old and out of shape!]
Since Xu Shen was willing to interact with their comments, everyone became excited and particularly chatty.
“Brother Shen,” Shu Ran shouted from the other side of the desk, “don’t listen to them! I won’t abandon you even if you get truly old and out of shape.”
Xu Shen picked up the back of his wife’s head, kissed him hard without any explanation, then licked his lips and said, “You should post one of my working out pictures.”
Shu Ran’s latest update contained only pictures where he wore loose clothes, with his figure hidden. Just by looking at his age, it was normal for people to be worried.
“No, that’s my private stash! Mine!” Shu Ran wrinkled his nose and said.
“I’m wearing a tracksuit, not showing my arms or legs.” Xu Shen said in a funny tone.
“The lines are still exposed!” Shu Ran thought of Xu Shen’s overly strong muscles and couldn’t help but lick his lips.
“I’ll just post one so that everyone can experience your happiness,” Xu Shen said as he opened the picture folder.
“No!” Shu Ran rushed over and pressed Xu Shen’s hand that was holding the mouse with his upper body. “Don’t let them see, then it’s my exclusive happiness!”
“Just one…” Xu Shen smiled, picked his wife up and restrained him, operating with one hand. “I’ll choose a conservative one. Otherwise, what will happen if they say your husband can no longer satisfy you?”
Xu Shen couldn’t listen to anyone saying that he wasn’t good enough for Shu Ran. Who did they think they were?! Were they good enough?!
He didn’t think so.
“They know I’m yours,” Shu Ran muttered. “I won’t leave you, and you’re not allowed to post it.”
“So you’re happy to see me being bullied, right?” Xu Shen lowered his head and bit his wife’s cheek. “Bad guy.”
“Not as bad as you!” Shu Ran hissed. The dog really knew how to bite!
“You bully me every day. I want to speak up for myself.” Xu Shen still updated the photo while Shu Ran wasn’t paying attention.
“Hmph!” Shu Ran immediately looked up, thinking he’d delete it immediately if it was too sexy.
“Look, wrapped from head to toe. Very conservative, right?” Xu Shen held Shu Ran’s hands to prevent the other party from acting like a little, spoiled monster.
“…”
It was very conservative all right, but everyone could still see at a glance the full contour of Writer Shu’s happiness!!!
Xu Shen was thirty-eight that year, but time seemed to have never left a single trace on him. His body and face were still so young and energetic. No one who looked at his focused, working-out state would still think that he couldn’t satisfy a little boy. Instead, four years younger Writer Shu should be worried about whether his slightly thin body could bear it…
[QAQ Sorry! My voice was too loud just now! You’re in great shape!]
[Oh my god, I’m dumbfounded.]
[Ran Ran is so blessed, hahaha, dumbfounded +1]
[Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey]
[One more, one more~~]
[Both of them went offline. Hey hey hey, are you off to make love?!]
[Wipe your nosebleed! With his figure, Brother Shen should be worried about Ran Ran’s waist~~]
In fact, they guessed correctly. After Xu Shen proved his innocence online, he picked up Shu Ran and went back to their bedroom to make out. After all, Xu Shen’s psychological quality was top-notch. No matter what comments he saw on the Internet, he didn’t care. However, there was only one thing that rubbed him wrong…
…He didn’t like to see others saying that he was too old and could not satisfy his wife! That was a big taboo, and his only breaking point.
And being criticized online had dire consequences. For example, poor Writer Shu could only accept being tossed for a while and behave honestly for a while, as a result, without joining in online bullying with everyone else.
The next day, Shu Ran got up weakly and logged into his online love nest as usual. He was depressed to find that the wind direction had indeed changed. Everyone looked at Xu Shen’s workout photos and started discussing whether he was now too tired to leave the bed…
That was exactly why Shu Ran stopped Xu Shen from posting those kinds of photos! He even stared at it for a while, considering whether to delete it or not. Xu Shen, who was far away at the company, seemed to have developed clairvoyant powers, sending him a message using chat software.
“Don’t delete the photo.”
Shu Ran gritted his teeth. That bastard must also be online!
“Are you proud?”
“A little bit, [smile/]”
“Laugh your head off!”
“Writer Shu, are you really tired?”
“Don’t come back this afternoon!”
To calm his wife down, Xu Shen sent him a video call invitation, saying, “Look, a handsome guy.”
“Tsk…” Shu Ran laughed angrily but still accepted the call in a funny and good-humored way, only to see Mr. Xu leaning on his chair proudly, spinning a pen in his hand. Shu Ran laughed and cursed: “Hurry up and come home, if not, stay there and work!”
“Then what are you doing?” Xu Shen asked.
“Spending your money.” Shu Ran said while opening the stock trading website and buying some shares online. “I’m responsible for spending money, and you’re responsible for making it. Brother Shen, do you have anything to say?”
“No objection, just spend more.” Xu Shen smiled and went back to work, but continued the video call, occasionally looking up at his wife. That was his favorite working mode. Unfortunately, Writer Shu was often too lazy to get up and turn on the computer…
And that day was the same. He only managed to accompany his wife for one hour before Shu Ran went back to bed. It really wasn’t good, Xu Shen thought. He worried about Shu Ran’s limbs, but he could only go back in the afternoon and take him out for a stroll.
He heard there was a delicious new restaurant nearby, so they should stop by.
………………
“Everyone’s worried about your health. You should exercise more.” Xu Shen circled Shu Ran’s waist with his arm, leading him towards the restaurant. As usual, two bodyguards opened the way in front of them, followed by two more behind.
After all, Xu Shen was known to be a cautious person who always worried about Shu Ran’s safety, so he took people with them wherever they went.
“I exercise quite a lot.” Shu Ran glared at him.
Xu Shen coughed lightly, whispering, “Don’t talk about that outside.”
“Are you being serious… Why don’t you carry me all the way, then?” Shu Ran sneered.
“I’ve always been like this,” Xu Shen said. “If I don’t carry you every time we go out, everyone will explode.”
Well, it was true. Xu Shen had always been like that. After all, if one day some reporter photographed him going out without Shu Ran, news of the fallout of their relationship would come one after another, causing people to panic left and right.
Even passers-by thought it was outrageous. If they went out and walked side by side without holding someone in their arms, did that mean their relationship was over?!
If that’s how it was, all other couples were unqualified, so just forget it!
Well, this and that… Others were others, but Xu Shen was Xu Shen, so no other couple could use him as a criterion for judgment. After all, Xu Shen was a man who had to sit very close to his wife even when eating. If one day he was not clingy, it could only mean that his feelings had changed, or that Writer Shu was actively trying to make him look bad!
But everyone knew that Shu Ran had a really good temper, and he loved his Brother Shen very much. He rarely got angry, so there was no need to even talk about that…
…According to Boss Xu himself, his wife not only doted on him but also liked to tease him, making him blush. The loving life the two of them described could only make people sleepless, full of wonder…
When will God reward such a suitable lover to me?!
- Tencent QQ (Chinese: 腾讯QQ), also known as QQ, is an instant messaging software service and web portal developed by the Chinese technology company Tencent. Tencent QQ was first released in China in February 1999 under the name of OICQ (“Open ICQ”, a reference to the early IM service ICQ). QQ offers services that provide online social games, music, shopping, microblogging, movies, and group and voice chat software. ↩︎
- I truly suspect this is Chen Kai :))) ↩︎
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