[Translation] Chapter 1(4) of Sealed with a Kiss Novel

香秀牵着可爱来了，可爱是条萨摩耶，今年已经两岁，雪白的毛一尘不染，笑起来可比我高贵。香秀是专门负责它的菲佣，为人非常耐心踏实，一心一意侍候可爱，对可爱跟对自己孩子似的，教会了可爱很多东西，比如握手啊，坐下啊……每次莫绍谦来了，香秀总要把可爱带出来让他看看。

Xiangxiu came with Loveable on a leash. Loveable is a two year old Samoyed dog with a full body of dense fluffy coat purer than white snow. When he smiles, he looks even nobler than me. As for Xiangxiu, she's the domestic worker of Filipino descent purposely hired to take care of Loveable.  Extremely patient and dependable, she put her heart and soul in caring for him. She treats him as if he’s her child, teaching him to perform countless tricks such as handshake, sit, etc. Whenever Mo Shaoqian comes back, Xiangxiu would always take Loveable to see him. 

我一点儿也不喜欢狗，可爱也不怎么喜欢我，我一次也没遛过它，香秀偶尔带着它进来，它还冲我汪汪乱叫，气得我几次想偷偷把这狗送人。但这事上头我压根没发言权，可爱是莫绍谦买的，香秀是莫绍谦请的，这房子是莫绍谦的，连我也是莫绍谦养的。

I don’t like dogs at all. Loveable doesn’t like me either. 

I never walked him once. When Xiangxiu occasionally brought him in [the house], he would rush toward me and bark loudly at me. He pissed me off so much that there were a few times I just wanted to secretly give him away.

But I have absolutely no say in this matter.  Mo Shaoqian bought Loveable. Mo Shaoqian also hired Xiangxiu. Mo Shaoqian bought this house as well. Even I am financially supported by Mo Shoaqian too.

莫绍谦拍了拍可爱的头，可爱就乖乖蹲下来跟他握手，雪白的爪子肉乎乎的，搁在莫绍谦的掌心里。他掌心的智慧线极长，几乎划过整条生命线，充分证明了丫就是个老奸巨猾。我愤愤往嘴里塞了片面包，突然看到报纸上登的醒目标题——“苏珊珊爆出神秘男友”。

When Mo Shaoqian petted Loveable on the head, he obediently sat down to shake hand with him, putting his meaty white paw onto Mo Shaoqian’s palm. I can see on his palm the extremely long wisdom line (or line of the head), almost surpassing his entire life line. It clearly proves this ass is shrewd and crafty as a wily old fox. 

As I stuffed grouchily another slice of bread in my mouth, I suddenly got attracted to the eye-catching title of a news article — “Su Shanshan’s Mysterious Boyfriend Revealed.”

苏珊珊去年才出道，本来名不见经传，竟然在国外著名电影节上大爆冷门拿回个影后。苏珊珊的名字顿时变得炙手可热，传说她又被某新锐导演看中，要拍一个大片。热炒了这么久，突然又爆出男友，身为资深八卦爱好者的我都知道肯定是为了给新片造势。不过狗仔队们也真不敬业，偷拍到的照片没一张是正面的，最清晰的一张也只能看见那男人的背影与苏珊珊手牵着手，十指相扣的画面被画了个红圈，然后特别局部放大。咦！那男人的腕表怎么看上去眼熟？这背影也有点眼熟。这块表造型非常独特，我盯着报纸看了半天，终于确认它就是那块F.P.Journe大师手制的陀飞轮，目前全亚洲，哦不，全球也就这么一块。做一块得花人家大师好几年工夫，能量产吗？

Su Shanshan only debuted last year, and was previously very obscure in the entertainment circle.  Without warning, she shook the movie industry by storm when she won best actress at a well-known international award ceremony. Ever since, the name “Su Shanshan” became a much sought-after label.  Rumors said she caught the eye of a mysterious avant-garde director and was contracted to film a blockbuster movie.

After being so hotly publicized for a long period of time, it's now Su Shanshan’s mysterious boyfriend who unexpectedly catches the public limelight. As a fervent follower and fan of juicy gossips, I’m definitely certain this latest tabloid sensation is just another tactic to garner attention for her new movie. But I must say. These paparazzi are a little too unprofessional. Out of all the photos they secretly managed to snap, there is not a single shot that aimed at the man’s front profile. Even in the clearest photo, you can only see the man’s back and his fingers tightly intertwined with Su Shanshan’s.  In a zoom-in picture, it just shows a big red circle drawn around their interlocking fingers.

Oh! Why does the watch on the man's wrist look so familiar? His back looks a little familiar too. The design of the watch seems extremely unique. I meticulously gaze at the newspaper for the longest time and finally realize that the watch is the tourbillon, a masterpiece of the great watchmaker, F.P. Journe. As of this moment, there is only one watch of this caliber in Asia. No, I mean probably only one exists in this world. Just to construct this watch alone probably takes the great watch master several years. How is mass production even possible? 

我瞥了一眼餐桌对面的资本家，他正喝咖啡，袖口露出那块独一无二的腕表，晶莹的表面在阳光下熠熠生辉。一瞬间我脑子里转了很多念头：第一个念头是我终于熬出头等到了脱离魔掌的这一天；第二个念头就是这男人品味也太差了，苏珊珊长得都还没他老婆好看；第三个念头是这男人品味一向做不得准，我也没他老婆漂亮；第四个念头是这事太诡异了，就算是泡苏珊珊不小心被狗仔队撞见，以资本家手下公关部跟媒体良好的关系，照片肯定也不会被登出来；第五个念头是苏珊珊炒作也没胆子拿他炒作，资本家的便宜不是一般人能占的……

I take a quick glance at the capitalist across the table. He’s drinking coffee right now, and under his cuff, his uniquely constructed wristwatch exposes itself. The glistening crystal surface shines radiantly under the sunlight. 

Within moments, numerous notions flash through my head. First notion, I can finally see light at the end of the dark tunnel. I've waited too long for this day to come and escape his evil grasp.  Second notion, this man certainly has bad taste. Su Shanshan's looks definitely pale in comparison to his gorgeous wife. Third notion, it’s actually quite difficult to gauge his taste. I’m not even as beautiful as his wife.  Fourth notion, this incident seems too suspiciously strange.  Even if he accidentally got caught by the paparazzi while he dawdled with Su Shanshan, as a prominent capitalist with powerful a PR machine behind his back, and his good relations with the press, these photos should not have been published. Fifth notion, Su Shanshan wouldn’t dare to use him in her publicity stunt. Not everyone has the audacity to use the capitalist to his/her advantage.  

没等我转到第六个念头，资本家已经发话了：“看什么呢，脸都快埋到报纸里去了。”

Before my sixth notion can flash through my head, the capitalist has already made his voice heard, “What are you reading? Your face is almost buried under the newspaper.”

我镇定自如地冲他笑了笑，放下报纸继续啃我的面包。忽然听到他说：“拍成那样，难得你还能认出来。”

I smile at him in a calm casual manner, put the newspaper down, and continue to munch on my bread. Then out of the blue, I just hear him abruptly say, “They’re taken at such an odd angle. I’m surprised that you can even tell."

我差点没把嘴里的牛奶全喷出来。大爷，吓人也不带这样吓的。

I almost didn't spurt milk out of my mouth. My Lord, you shouldn’t scare people like that!

我没敢说我不是认出他的人，而是认出他的表。

I didn’t even dare to admit that I recognized him. I just recognized his watch. 

大概是我脸上心虚的红白不定，他索性问我：“怎么？你不高兴了？”

Perhaps it’s the look of guilt plastered all over my face since my skin just fluctuated between pale white and rosy pink color.  He just bluntly asks, “What’s wrong? You’re not happy?”

怎么也轮不到我来不高兴啊！

It’s shouldn’t even be my turn to be unhappy no matter what!

我是什么？我是二奶，我是小三，我花他的钱，被他养。我跟有妇之夫莫绍谦非法同居，破坏他和原配的合法婚姻，搁天涯我就是被唾骂被鄙视被公愤被人肉的坏蛋。

What am I? I’m just his mistress, the cursed third-wheel in his marriage. I spend his money, and he supports my living. I’m illicitly cohabiting with a married man, destroying his legal marriage with his wife. If I get posted on the Tianya forum (China's biggest public forum), I’m going to get bitterly berated by the public as a malicious evil and total disgrace to society.

我哪有资格不高兴，那是原配的戏，我不抢。

I don’t even have the right to be unhappy. The right should be reserved to his legal wife. I’m not going to steal the spotlight away from her. 

我说：“苏珊珊演技挺好的，我挺喜欢看她的电影，下次有机会帮我要签名。”

I replied, “Su Shanshan has pretty good acting chops and I’m quite fond of watching her movies. If you have a chance next time, can you get her autograph for me?”

莫绍谦哼了一声，我知道他不高兴，男人都希望女人们为了自己争得死去活来出尽八宝，勾心斗角自相残杀金枝欲孽，只为盼得他偶一回顾的怜惜。我不配合，他就不高兴。

Mo Shaoqun made a single “hum” sound (an interjection of contempt in Chinese). I know he’s not happy. Every man wants the rivaling women to fight to the life and death over him, in mutual slaughter. These women should use all means and measures to scheme and plot in their power, as shown in War and Beauty [7], just to hope that one day he would turn around to take a brief glimpse at her with compassion in his eyes.

I didn’t comply, so he’s not happy. 

[7] A hugely successful TVB drama series about the Qing Dynasty’s royal harem where the women schemed mercilessly for imperial favors. The Chinese title of this series is used as a phase by Tong Xue. 

From wiki:

Phonetically, at least in Cantonese, the title sounds exactly like the Chinese phrase "金枝玉葉" (literally translates to "[A tree with] golden branches and jade leaves"). This is a classical Chinese proverb used to describe aristocratic but unmarried women in feudal Chinese society. The proverb is also used to describe a lady from a privileged or aristocratic background.

The title itself is effectively a pun on the original phrase, with the third and fourth ideogram being replaced by two other characters which described the main themes of the entire series. The characters "玉" (jade) and "葉" (leaf) were replaced by the phonetically equivalent "慾" (lust / desire) and "孽" (evilness, nemesis). Thus, the title itself describes the entire plot, which roughly translates to "women from prestigious backgrounds with lusts / desire for power and evilness".

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