Shiye changed his mind; he decided not to move. As the saying goes, "the early bird catches the worm." Now he had both the tower and the moon, yet he felt utterly bored, making himself suffer.
He expressed his apologies to the classmates who had come and treated them to a cup of coffee. After a few casual chats, they left, but Shiye didn’t leave. He sat at another table, peering through the gap between the leaves of a hanging plant, glancing at his phone distractedly while waiting.
Before long, a couple sitting nearby stood up. The beta looked at the two of them with a strange expression, while the omega's face looked unwell as he tugged his partner away, hurriedly leaving. After a while, another group of gossiping beta girls also departed, casting glances at the two.
Shiye was puzzled about what was happening and was about to get up to check when the waiter approached.
It was too far away for him to hear clearly, but he saw the waiter leave and noticed Jiang Chi Cheng grasping his phone on the table, his toe pointing outward, indicating he was about to leave.
Shiye stood up and just passed the corner when he caught a whiff of a mixed faint fragrance. The closer he got, the thicker the scent became.
He saw Jiang Chi Cheng and the girl by the window, both with their faces turned away, seemingly not wanting to acknowledge each other. After hesitating for a moment, he approached and patted Jiang Chi Cheng on the shoulder. "When are we heading back together?"
His shoulder which had been slightly hunched, tensed for a moment before relaxing. The pervasive scent unconsciously receded.
"I was just about to head back," Jiang Chi Cheng replied as he stood up, slightly taller than Shiye. He adjusted his hat and asked, "Are we riding or taking the bus? The wind outside is a bit strong; it keeps messing up my hair."
Jiang Chi Zao scoffed lightly. "Heh."
Shiye rubbed his hands together, fingers intertwined. "Miss Jiang, aren't you going to come by my place for a bit?"
Jiang Chi Cheng responded, "She can't come over. Her boss called and said there’s an emergency, so we can’t eat together tonight either."
"Ah?"
Shiye felt confused and disappointed, as if he had found a promising apple only to discover it was rotten after taking a bite.
He kept looking at Jiang Chi Zao, trying to find some answer on her face, but she remained absorbed in fiddling with a plush charm on her phone.
Not giving up, he asked, "Really?"
Just then, Jiang Chi Zao's phone rang, and after hanging up, she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door, tossing over her shoulder, "See you next time."
Once Jiang Chi Zao left, Shiye instantly lost interest. After some time outside in the wind, he boarded the bus.
They sat side by side at the back of the bus. Without air conditioning, it was a bit stuffy. Shiye was by the window, partially opened it, feeling the wind cool the sweat on his forehead, which eased his frustration. He glanced over at Jiang Chi Cheng who seemed quite entertained, immersed in a game on his phone.
Feeling agitated, Shiye questioned him, "Did you just have a fight with your sister?"
Jiang Chi Cheng’s thumbs were swift on the joystick as he eliminated an opponent. "She’s the one being dishonest."
"You're an alpha. You shouldn’t bully an omega, especially not your sister."
"What omega? She—"
Jiang Chi Cheng frowned, instinctively wanting to correct him, but suddenly remembered something, straightened his back, then slumped back down, pouting, "You don't know anything, and you say I'm bullying her? Do you have any bias?"
He seemed to vent her frustrations, pressing the attack keys rapidly.
Shiye sighed, "What grievance do you have? I could smell it from a distance."
"What scent?"
"Your pheromone scent."
Jiang Chi Cheng paused his game, looking up. "What does my pheromone smell like?"
Shiye leaned his elbow on the window frame, having completely forgotten what Jiang Chi Cheng had said during their argument last night about not discussing pheromone scents with alphas. He thought hard for a moment.
He sifted through the few words in his head but couldn't find the right description. Defeated, he shrugged. "I’m not good with words. It’s... sweet but also a bit pungent."
Jiang Chi Cheng was displeased. "You make it sound like I've entered some low-grade counterfeit perfume shop."
"I'm not an omega, so what if it's pleasant or not?" Shiye waved his hand dismissively. "It’s about the same, just a bit pungent, anyway."
Jiang Chi Cheng was so amused by his remark that he shook his head, then resumed his game, his long legs crossed casually, his toes tapping against the aisle.
When they got off the bus, they walked home one in front of the other. As they turned right after exiting the elevator, Shiye suddenly stopped in his tracks, seeing two men in black suits standing like pillars at his front door. He had no doubt they could easily lift him away like a chick.
Shiye asked warily, "Who are you?"
The men in black suits looked past him. "Mr. Jiang."
Jiang Chi Cheng was still engrossed in his game, completely oblivious, fingers sliding rapidly across the screen without lifting his head.
Shiye elbowed him but there was no response. He poked him again, still no reaction, so he snatched the phone from him, swiped it and turned off the game.
Jiang Chi Cheng protested, "Hey! What are you doing?!"
The two men in black visibly tensed, their hands clasped, exchanging glances and lowering their heads as if to minimize their presence.
"They're here for you," Shiye pointed toward the men, lowering his voice. "Did you offend someone outside?"
Jiang Chi Cheng followed his gaze and saw the distinctive logo on the suits. "Oh, they’re here to deliver a package."
Shiye was skeptical. "Deliver a package?"
Can a delivery person really look like this?
The two men in black nodded in unison. "We are indeed here to deliver a package."
Shiye finally relaxed a little but remained cautious. "Aren't you out of money? What are you buying again?"
It wasn't surprising that Shiye was overly concerned. Jiang Chi Cheng behaved like a pampered young master, spending his hard-earned money on bizarre things.
He once bought a pile of bland wooden items as decorations, and another time he splurged tens of thousands on a gold toilet paper holder, which led to Shiye mocking him for having golden poop instead of something normal. After reining it in for a couple of days, he watched a boxing movie and then bought an LV punching bag for several tens of thousands. It turned out to be made of lambskin, which couldn't be scratched or bumped; it had to be regularly sun-dried to prevent moisture, as if it were a treasured ancestor.
The man on the right replied, "It’s from Miss Jiang. There’s quite a lot, and we’ll bring it up shortly."
"Miss Jiang?!"
As soon as Shiye heard this, his droopy eyes sparkled again. He hurried forward to open the door, inviting them inside. Jiang Chi Cheng lingered at the entrance, just standing there, his gaze making the two men uneasy, and they didn’t dare enter, hurriedly going downstairs to fetch the items.
Before long, the delivery men brought everything up, one of them hugging five boxes. Shiye was in the bathroom, while Jiang Chi Cheng was sitting on the sofa with a cat, watching TV. He gestured towards the cat house, and it took three trips to finish moving everything.
Once Shiye emerged from the bathroom, he was stunned to see the cat house packed to the brim with supplies.
At first, he thought the boxes looked familiar, and when he opened one, he exclaimed, "Isn’t this from last night…?" He looked toward the door. "Miss Jiang spent three thousand on cat food and treats, and it's all for you!"
On the surface, it seemed like Jiang Chi Zao was sending this to Jiang Chi Cheng but in reality, it was Jiang Chi Cheng sending it to Shiye.
He was afraid Shiye would really get angry and leave. Knowing how much he cared for those few cats, he wanted to let him know that living with him meant not only someone to clean the litter and bathe the cats but also a generous benefactor sending food for the cats from afar.
The downsides were minor, while the benefits were significant!
However, since their meeting that afternoon, Shiye had turned one hundred eighty degrees in attitude and hadn’t mentioned last night at all. Although Jiang Chi Cheng could see that he didn’t seem angry, he couldn't grasp the situation.
He recited his original plan: "When visiting someone’s house, it’s only polite to bring something. If you ask me to bring something, I wouldn’t know what to get, so I just said to her I had cats at home."
Shiye sighed. Just as Jiang Chi Cheng thought Shiye was about to express gratitude for living together and how wonderful it was…
Shiye blurted out, "She’s so kind!"
Jiang Chi Qing was startled. "Huh???"
Shiye added, "Just a bit too much. If they can’t finish it, it’ll go to waste when it expires."
Jiang Chi Cheng worried he was feeling burdened: “It’s fine; she has money.”
Shiye sighed again. Jiang Chi Cheng held his breath, thinking this time he should express how happy it was to live with him, right?
Shiye: “She’s not only wealthy but also kind-hearted.”
Jiang Chi Cheng: “...”
Shiye reflected on his chance encounter with Miss Jiang, recalling how it all started last night after dinner, working at the pet shop, being a hero saving the beauty, arguing with Jiang Chi Cheng, deciding to move, and meeting classmates at the Aier Café… If he had made one wrong step, he and Miss Jiang wouldn’t have crossed paths again.
The more he thought about it, the more he sensed a hint of destiny.
After opening five cans of cat food and tapping the bowl to call the cats over for dinner, Shiye walked out and saw Jiang Chi Cheng sitting on the sofa, munching on potato chips. He turned back into the kitchen and noticed the noodles in the pot were barely touched. “Did you not eat lunch?”
“My sister called, and I didn’t have time to eat.”
After Jiang Chi Cheng spoke, he caught a glimpse of the clothes swaying on the balcony and found it hard to believe: he had time to wash clothes and socks but no time to eat?
He coughed twice, thinking about how to explain, when Shiye had already washed his hands, put on an apron, and peeked his head out from the kitchen. “Perfect timing! Let’s eat at home tonight; I’ll cook.”
Jiang Chi Cheng furrowed his brows, feeling that things weren’t that simple.
Shiye usually trained hard and was too lazy to move when he got home. He would eat in the cafeteria if he could; if not, he’d order takeout. After living together for over a month, he hadn’t cooked at all and had barely set foot in the kitchen.
He hurriedly took his legs off the table, wiped his hands with a wet wipe, brushed off the crumbs from his clothes, cleaned the table, threw away the trash, and slipped on his slippers to stand up. “I’ll help you.”
“Hey! No need!”
As Shiye left the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator and piled fruits, chips, seeds, and chocolate onto the table, handing him a carton of AD calcium milk with the straw inserted. He then grabbed the remote and turned on the AB drama he hadn’t finished watching last night.
In the confused gaze of Jiang Chi Cheng, he sat back down on the sofa, smiling, “If you’re hungry, eat something first. You should relax and do your own thing; I can handle the kitchen alone.”
“Really don’t need my help?”
“Really don’t!”
“Then I’ll really play around?”
“I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”
Jiang Chi Cheng was half convinced. In front of Shiye, he opened the last bag of his favorite tomato-flavored chips and, despite being told otherwise, put his legs back on the table, watching for his reaction.
To his surprise, Shiye didn’t even frown.
Jiang Chi Cheng found it strange and speculated it was a reward for the cat food, so he couldn’t help but push his luck: “Then can you turn off the living room light for me?”
As Shiye returned to the kitchen, he actually turned off the light for him.
Jiang Chi Cheng was thrilled. He took out his phone to snap a picture, capturing the TV, snacks, and his feet, and posted on social media: “No matter where I go, I’m always pampered! [sticking out tongue] [cheers]”
After posting, he tossed his phone aside, called over the fluffy cat with the best touch, and hugged it as a pillow, blissfully watching the movie.
By the time the movie ended, it was completely dark outside. Just then, Shiye called him to eat, and as he turned on the light, Jiang Chi Cheng followed the delicious aroma to the dining table. He saw a dazzling spread of dishes: lion's head meatballs, Kung Pao chicken, chopped chili fish head, and water-boiled meat slices… There were a total of eight dishes on the table, all of which he loved.
Jiang Chi Cheng was more shocked than happy, frozen in place, staring at the table.
Shiye took out two bottles of beer from the fridge, urged him to sit down, and filled their glasses. “When was the last time we ate together?”
“About half a month ago,” Jiang Chi Cheng guessed what he meant, cautiously sipping his beer. Before he could say anything else, he added, “Xiao Ye, today has been the happiest day of 2024 for me. I didn’t even eat this well on my birthday.”
Shiye smiled and handed him a pair of chopsticks, encouraging him to eat.
After reminiscing and drinking three rounds, both of them were a bit tipsy. Shiye wrapped his arm around Jiang Chi Cheng’s neck and patted his shoulder, saying, “Jiang Chi Cheng, you have such a wonderful sister. Why have you never told me? Don’t you see me as a brother?”
Jiang Chi Cheng leaned his head against Shiye’s shoulder and pouted at the comment: “She’s full of tricks!”
Shiye thought he was still quarreling with his sister. “Hey, what’s your sister’s name?”
“Jiang Chizao.”
“Which Chizao?”
Jiang Chi Cheng leaned closer to his ear, his warm breath brushing against him, making him feel a bit ticklish and hot. Shiye instinctively moved back, but Jiang Chi Cheng shifted closer. When he saw Shiye try to pull away again, he raised a hand to press against his other cheek.
Their lips, which were already slightly flushed, nearly brushed against each other’s ear.
Perhaps the alcohol dulled his senses, Shiye didn’t move away again. He heard Jiang Chi Cheng whispering in his ear, “It means premature ejaculation.”
After finishing, he smirked and lightly punched him before taking another sip of his drink.
Shiye joined him for another drink and asked, “Does your sister have a partner now?”
“Her?” Jiang Chi Cheng didn’t understand why he kept bringing up his sister and frowned, not wanting to answer. After a while, he finally replied, “She never dates anyone.” She just plays around with everyone, at most considering them friends with benefits.
To Shiye’s ears, it meant she had never dated anyone, which meant that if they were together, he would be her first love.
The temptation was simply too great.
Shiye touched the edge of his cup, his heart racing, unable to help but ask, “So what do you think of me?”
Comments