35

Zhou Chaosheng ate with exquisite manners, small bites, slow chewing, and no slurping at all during the entire process.

It had to be said, as a young master raised in an affluent family, his dining etiquette was truly pleasing to watch.

In contrast, Jiang Yuanye’s habit of either rolling or scooping up large portions of noodles, shoveling them into his mouth, and chewing noisily with his cheeks puffed out seemed a bit unsophisticated in front of Zhou Chaosheng.

Tsk, does this mean he’ll have to act more refined in front of Zhou Chaosheng from now on?

While he was lost in thought, Zhou Chaosheng had already put down his chopsticks.

Jiang Yuanye glanced over and noticed the noodles were all gone, and the soup, which had been close to the rim of the bowl, was nearly empty.

Did he really cook that well?

Zhou Chaosheng looked up at him. "Could you pass me a napkin?"

Jiang Yuanye turned his head, spotted the tissue box on his left, pulled out two sheets, and handed them to Zhou Chaosheng.

"Is this enough?"

"Mm, thank you."

Zhou Chaosheng took the napkins, wiped the oil from his lips with one, used the other to clean his fingers, then folded both napkins into a neat triangle and tossed them into the trash can beneath the table.

Jiang Yuanye watched the entire process, astonished.

When Zhou Chaosheng looked up again, he noticed Jiang Yuanye staring at him with a mix of curiosity and complexity in his gaze—like a scientist observing a rare species trapped in a temperature-controlled glass chamber.

And that species happened to be Zhou Chaosheng himself.

Zhou Chaosheng: "…"

"What are you looking at?"

Jiang Yuanye: "I’m trying to figure out the difference between your genes and mine."

Zhou Chaosheng: "And? Have you figured it out?"

Jiang Yuanye: "I have."

Zhou Chaosheng: "What is it?"

Jiang Yuanye: "Your genes have secretly evolved beyond humanity."

Zhou Chaosheng: "…"

What a joke.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you're one of a kind."

"Or maybe it’s just that you haven’t met many people?"

"Could be," Jiang Yuanye admitted with a chuckle before standing up and saying, "Alright, that’s it for today."

There was a sense of relief in his tone as he reached for Zhou Chaosheng’s empty bowl, took it to the kitchen, cleaned out the leftovers under running water, and placed it into the dishwasher. After everything was done, he washed his hands.

"I put the bowl in the dishwasher. Once it’s done, you can take it out yourself."

Jiang Yuanye grabbed a napkin and, imitating Zhou Chaosheng, meticulously wiped his fingers. On his way past the trash can, he casually tossed the crumpled napkin in.

As he turned to leave, Zhou Chaosheng called out to him.

"Wait, I have a question."

Jiang Yuanye stopped in his tracks and let out a resigned sigh. His intuition told him Zhou Chaosheng was about to stir up trouble again.

"What is it?"

"You said earlier that if I liked the noodles, you could make them for me in the future. Does that mean we’ve been together for so long, and you’ve never cooked for me?"

Jiang Yuanye had a feeling this was coming but remained calm as he explained, "Well, having money lets you delegate tasks. With our busy work lives, if we can pay someone or use technology to handle cooking, why do it ourselves? Besides, you weren’t in a car accident before."

Jiang Yuanye’s ability to lie convincingly was unmatched.

"So you’re saying you only take care of me because of the car accident?" Zhou Chaosheng asked.

"Well… yeah."

Zhou Chaosheng raised an eyebrow slightly. "How did we manage to date?"

Jiang Yuanye: "…"

"Just… like that."

"And what exactly does 'like that' mean?"

Jiang Yuanye took a deep breath, realizing that if he didn’t give a satisfying answer, Zhou Chaosheng would keep probing.

Zhou Chaosheng was just that kind of person.

When he found a loophole or an issue, he would devote all his energy and time to investigating it until the problem was resolved.

Such persistence made him truly relentless.

Thus, Jiang Yuanye softened his tone, patiently patching up his earlier web of lies.

"Think about it. Back in high school, my family situation was complicated. I couldn’t just bring you home to cook for you, could I? Plus, you’ve been used to luxurious meals since childhood. How could I be sure you’d like what I made? What if I cooked something you didn’t enjoy and you looked down on me? What would I do then?"

Zhou Chaosheng had to admit, Jiang Yuanye had a knack for spinning tales.

"You don’t need to be so self-conscious. The noodles were pretty good."

"I wasn’t—"

Before Jiang Yuanye could finish, he realized he had slipped up.

Damn, he had spoken too quickly.

"If you weren’t self-conscious, why didn’t you cook for me?" Zhou Chaosheng asked, his smile faint but mischievous, steering the conversation back to the original question.

Jiang Yuanye was stunned, he hadn’t expected Zhou Chaosheng to take the bait and trap him in his own words.

His eyes darted around for a moment before a sudden idea struck him. He tossed the question back: “But you never cooked for me either. Whether in high school or college, you never even touched a pot or pan... Baby, I think sometimes, instead of questioning me, you should reflect on yourself first, why demand something from me that you haven’t done for me?”

Zhou Chaosheng: “…”

One day, he was going to sew Jiang Yuanye’s mouth shut.

“Fine, I apologize for my preconceived notions,” Zhou Chaosheng said.

“It’s okay, you’ve lost your memory, after all,” Jiang Yuanye replied with a wave of his hand.

“… You can leave now,” Zhou Chaosheng dismissed him.

“Alrighty,” Jiang Yuanye agreed cheerfully.

Just as he was about to leave, Jiang Yuanye suddenly stopped, turned around, and walked back. With a sly grin, he asked, “Aren’t you showering tonight?”

As if he could skip it. Though this thought crossed his mind, Zhou Chaosheng said, “Not tonight.”

Jiang Yuanye crossed his arms, chuckling. “Don’t kid yourself. With your cleanliness obsession, skipping a shower would probably kill you.”

Zhou Chaosheng: “… You knows me that well??”

“Someone will help me. Don’t worry about it,” Zhou Chaosheng said, dismissive.

Jiang Yuanye wasn’t worried at all. He just wanted to leave Zhou Chaosheng with a memory that would annoy him for days.

“Outsiders aren’t as reliable as your own people,” Jiang Yuanye said casually, stepping closer with a mischievous smile. “Baby, why don’t I help you shower?”

Zhou Chaosheng: “…”

As if Jiang Yuanye wasn’t an outsider himself.

After a long pause, Zhou Chaosheng finally refused, “No need to trouble yourself. You should head back early.”

“It’s no trouble! Why are you being so polite with me? Don’t tell me… you’re shy?” Jiang Yuanye raised an eyebrow, his tone playful, as if he were teasing a lover.

But Zhou Chaosheng wasn’t his lover, and he knew, given Jiang Yuanye’s penchant for mischief, that this was definitely mockery. Beneath those words lurked a sly jab: What, are you afraid I’ll see how… underwhelming you are?

Even if Jiang Yuanye hadn’t meant it, Zhou Chaosheng felt as though his dignity as a man had been challenged.

“No,” Zhou Chaosheng said calmly, lowering his gaze. “I just think I’ve troubled you enough today. It wouldn’t feel right to ask more of you.”

Jiang Yuanye was briefly taken aback. He hadn’t expected Zhou Chaosheng to say something so considerate.

He chuckled. “Don’t think like that. You’re my baby; taking care of you is what I’m supposed to do.”

Zhou Chaosheng looked at Jiang Yuanye’s eyes gleaming under the warm light. He thought, Since Jiang Yuanye is so eager to offer his services, how can I turn down free labor?

“In that case, I’ll trouble you,” Zhou Chaosheng said.

—

The bathroom was filled with steam, and a thin layer of mist had settled on the glass mirror.

Zhou Chaosheng sat in the wheelchair, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. His eyes were lowered as Jiang Yuanye crouched by his legs, carefully wiping his injured one.

At Jiang Yuanye's feet was a basin of hot water. Every so often, he would wet the towel, asking Zhou Chaosheng to extend an arm or lift a hand, meticulously cleaning him.

Zhou Chaosheng followed each of Jiang Yuanye’s instructions obediently. The two were in the same space, yet besides words like “raise your arm” or “lift your foot,” nothing extra was said.

During the process, Jiang Yuanye didn’t glance around as Zhou Chaosheng imagined he might, focusing on wiping him down instead.

The only thing that puzzled Zhou Chaosheng was the basin of water at Jiang Yuanye's feet.

Judging by the towel’s scalding heat, the water’s temperature must be extremely high, and Jiang Yuanye’s red, scalded hands further confirmed this.

Zhou Chaosheng reached out to grab Jiang Yuanye’s wrist, stopping him from dipping his hand back into the water. Frowning, he asked, “Why not add some cold water to even it out?”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it,” Jiang Yuanye pulled his hand away, his tone light.

It seemed Jiang Yuanye had no clear perception of temperature. Dipping his hand into scalding water was no different than warm water to him, his expression didn’t even change.

“…Used to what?” Zhou Chaosheng pressed.

“…”

Jiang Yuanye went silent, his movements also pausing. This time, unlike his usual responses on the overpass, he didn’t answer Zhou Chaosheng's question immediately.

Zhou Chaosheng murmured an apology.

Hearing that, Jiang Yuanye straightened up and moved behind the wheelchair to wipe Zhou Chaosheng’s back.

“It’s nothing. I just don’t want to talk about that part of the past,” Jiang Yuanye said. Then, suddenly, he chuckled. Breaking the silence, he lightly pressed his fingertip on Zhou Chaosheng’s back, teasing, “I realized your body’s actually paler than your face.”

The touch of his fingertip felt almost like static electricity. Zhou Chaosheng’s lashes trembled as his fingers resting on his knees instinctively curled inward.

Zhou Chaosheng: “…”

Jiang Yuanye, this shameless scoundrel.

“And your skin’s so smooth,” Jiang Yuanye continued, his tone taking on an almost evaluative air.

Zhou Chaosheng: “…”

“Tsk tsk, no wonder you’re from a rich family. Your skin’s maintained better than a child’s,” Jiang Yuanye said with a tone of admiration.

Zhou Chaosheng: “…Are you done yet?”

Jiang Yuanye laughed even louder. “Almost, almost. Don’t be so impatient…”

He paused, then added, “Baby, tell the truth. Are you feeling shy?”

Zhou Chaosheng remained silent, utterly unwilling to engage.

Sensing that he had found something amusing, Jiang Yuanye gave up on wiping him altogether. Instead, he draped the towel over Zhou Chaosheng’s shoulder, leaned against the wheelchair’s handles, and brought his head close to Zhou Chaosheng’s ear, chuckling softly. “What should’ve been seen and what shouldn’t, I’ve already seen it all. You’re only feeling shy now? Don’t you think it’s a bit too late for that?”

Zhou Chaosheng’s patience finally snapped.

He turned his head, meeting Jiang Yuanye’s teasing gaze. With a blank expression, he said, “Now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen yours.”

“For fairness’ sake, why don’t you take yours off too?”

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