Jiang Yu was startled by Chen Zhiyan’s sudden voice. Once he processed the words, he looked up in shock. “Marriage?”
“Is this the Old Man under the Moon?”
“Holy crap.”
Jiang Yu patted his knees and stood up. Remembering that he was the one who dragged Chen Zhiyan to the temple, and now having been caught praying to the God of Marriage, he hurriedly explained, “Do not get any ideas. I just prayed to the wrong deity.”
“What ideas?”
“Thinking that I am praying for a marriage between us, of course.”
Chen Zhiyan looked up abruptly and took a step back. “Jiang Yu, I do not like you.”
“Fuck, it is as if I like you! I told you, I prayed to the wrong one! Do you not understand human speech?” Jiang Yu pointed at himself. “In this life, the next life, and the life after that, I will never like you.”
“That is good. I am relieved. I hope you do not break your word.”
“I am speechless.”
Since he did not take a nap at noon, Jiang Yu began to feel drowsy as soon as he got back into the car. Chen Zhiyan was not wrong to call him a pig because his sleep quality was incredibly high. He was nearly impossible to wake up. Even if he did wake, he would fall back asleep within two seconds, perhaps even continuing the same dream.
Chen Zhiyan stood by the car door and pushed Jiang Yu’s shoulder. He did not hold back his strength, causing Jiang Yu to sway. Eventually, Jiang Yu slumped toward the driver’s seat, though the seatbelt kept him from hitting anything.
“Xiao Zhi, why did you just get back?” Mu Chuxia asked, seeing half a body inside the car and inquiring who it was.
Chen Zhiyan told her it was Jiang Yu.
He pressed the release button on the seatbelt and looked at the sweaty Jiang Yu with his messy hair. His germaphobia flared up, making him reluctant to touch him. Just as he was about to call a security guard, Mu Chuxia spoke. “Can you not carry Xiao Bao?”
“He is too dirty. I do not want to carry him.”
“Where is he dirty?” Mu Chuxia stepped closer and saw Jiang Yu covered in sweat, his sleeves dusty, and his body smelling of sandalwood. “Did you go to a temple?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do at the temple?”
“Shoveled manure.”
Chen Zhiyan still called for the guard. However, when the guard arrived and he smelled a strong scent of sweat, he bent down himself, picked up Jiang Yu, and bypassed the guard to leave.
The guard looked confused.
“Park the car in the garage,” Mu Chuxia said as she followed Chen Zhiyan. Seeing him toss Jiang Yu onto the bed, she lectured him with dissatisfaction. “Can you not be more gentle? What if you hurt him?”
“I will not.”
He would not hurt him; he was being careful.
Mu Chuxia noticed Jiang Yu looked uncomfortable in that position and told Chen Zhiyan, “Take off Xiao Bao’s clothes and take him to the bathroom to wash up. He will not sleep well covered in sweat.”
“Madam Mu, do I need to remind you how Jiang Yu usually treats me?”
Take care of Jiang Yu so thoroughly? Was he crazy?
“Oh, that is just small bickering between children. We are all family.”
Chen Zhiyan maintained his expressionless face and stepped aside. “You do it.”
“I should undress him?”
“Yes.”
Jiang Yu ended up sleeping in his dirty clothes after all. When he woke up, it was already past ten o’clock. Someone had tucked him in completely, and he was now covered in a layer of sticky sweat.
While Chen Zhiyan had germaphobia, Jiang Yu had also picked up some of those tendencies after twenty years of being around him. Sleeping in dirty clothes meant the entire bedding set had to be changed. Jiang Yu was too lazy for that, so tonight, he was going to sleep in Chen Zhiyan’s room again.
He would annoy him to death.
Jiang Yu took off his shirt, intending to shower, but the door was pushed open. He locked eyes with Chen Zhiyan, and the air went silent for several seconds. Chen Zhiyan spoke first. “What are you eating tonight?”
Jiang Yu clutched his shirt to his chest and used his other hand to hurl a pillow. His face was flushed with embarrassment. “What the hell are you looking at!”
Chen Zhiyan caught the pillow with one hand and tossed it back onto the bed. His gaze remained steady as he boldly and shamelessly stared at Jiang Yu’s exposed pale skin. “What do you want to eat?”
“Eat your uncle!” Jiang Yu cursed as he headed to the bathroom. Behind him, a voice drifted in.
“Your waist is so thin. Be careful when you fight others so it does not snap.”
Ten minutes later, a refreshed Jiang Yu emerged in a bathrobe. He gave his hair a quick dry, changed clothes, and went downstairs to have the chef make him two bowls of noodles. After eating, he went to knock on Chen Zhiyan’s door.
Knock, knock.
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!
“Chen Zhiyan, I have something to discuss with you!”
Chen Zhiyan would not open the door. Jiang Yu went to Mu Chuxia to ask for the key, pretending he was bringing a plate of fruit. Just as the key slid into the lock, an indescribable and very familiar sensation made his waist go soft. His ears turned bright red, and his movements to unlock the door became increasingly frantic, as if he wanted to ram through the lock. He cursed Chen Zhiyan under his breath without repeating a single phrase.
Finally getting the door open, Jiang Yu rushed in and locked it behind him. He tossed the key aside, placed the plate on the table, and pounded on the bathroom door. “What are you doing in there!”
Chen Zhiyan’s hair was damp with sweat at the forehead, pushed back by his fingers. Due to his movements, a few strands fell down near his eyes, looking casual and effortless. His usually calm eyes were tinged with a slight flush. His neck was tilted back, and his thin lips were pressed together. Startled by Jiang Yu’s sudden voice, his brow furrowed, and his fingers suddenly clenched. Jiang Yu dropped directly to his knees. “Holy fuck.”
“Is something wrong?” Chen Zhiyan’s voice was raspy, deep and heavy from the steam in the bathroom, mixed with a hint of displeasure. He was clearly unhappy with Jiang Yu intruding into his room.
Jiang Yu was fuming. “Of course there is!”
“What is it?”
“You, you come out first. I will tell you a secret.”
“I do not want to hear it.”
“This secret is something no one else knows.” Jiang Yu’s fingertips dug into the floor mat.
Was Chen Zhiyan sick? He was still right here and he was doing it again. He really was a closeted pervert.
Jiang Yu took a deep breath, but he could not say anything. His face was as red as a sunset. He forced himself up and slammed the door as he left.
When Chen Zhiyan came out, there was no one in sight. He picked up the fruit, washed it again, and began to eat. After finishing his nighttime routine and coming out, there was a lump on the bed. He approached with a cold face, only to find that Jiang Yu’s expression was even colder than his.
“I am sleeping in this bed.”
Chen Zhiyan pulled back the quilt. “Get out.”
Jiang Yu said, “You are so thick-skinned, shameless, and a total closet pervert.”
Chen Zhiyan grabbed one of Jiang Yu’s ankles, and Jiang Yu did not resist. He simply pulled the quilt over his waist and continued, “You are a dog. I hate you.”
“You hate me yet you are lying in my bed. Is there a single word of truth in your mouth?”
“This is the truth. I hate you the most.”
“Then get out.”
Chen Zhiyan carried Jiang Yu and tossed him outside the door. After locking it, he replaced the entire bedding set, disinfected it, and sterilized it. After thirty minutes of fussing, it was finally time to sleep. Just as the lights went out, he heard the door open.
Jiang Yu was back. He stood by the bedside with his back turned and fell backward, landing right on top of Chen Zhiyan like a heavy weight. He said, “Shameless.”
Chen Zhiyan let out a muffled groan and pushed Jiang Yu away. He sat up and turned on the bedside lamp, his brow furrowed with impatience. “What exactly do you want?”
“Shameless.”
Chen Zhiyan almost laughed in anger. “You dragged me to pray to the God of Marriage, so who is the shameless one?”
“I told you I prayed to the wrong one. Chen Zhiyan, are you suffering from early-onset dementia? Can you not remember that sentence?” Jiang Yu’s tone was explosive. “You are the one who is shameless!”
“You usually sleep like a dead pig. I did not know you were awake then. Who would want to look at your scrawny body anyway?”
Stung by the word “scrawny,” Jiang Yu jumped up and lunged at Chen Zhiyan, grabbing his hair and shouting fiercely, “If you did not want to look, why did you look for so long? You freak!”
Chen Zhiyan’s expression changed instantly. He grabbed Jiang Yu’s wrist. “Let go.”
“I will not! Fight me if you have the guts!” Jiang Yu pulled provocatively, completely forgetting about their shared sensations until he felt a sharp pain in his own scalp. He quickly let go and grabbed Chen Zhiyan’s collar instead.
He was straddling Chen Zhiyan’s lap but had not sat down. From this angle, he could see everything if he looked down. Chest muscles, abdominal muscles: his body was indeed better than his own.
Chen Zhiyan placed both hands on Jiang Yu’s waist to push him away. Not to be outdone, Jiang Yu pulled hard on the collar until it was deformed, even leaving a few red scratches on Chen Zhiyan’s collarbone.
Hiss. It really hurt.
Jiang Yu thought that in the future, if he hit himself, it would hurt, and if he hit Chen Zhiyan, it would also hurt. Why could it not be a one-sided connection for Chen Zhiyan? It was completely unfair. Even those big Buddha statues today did not solve his problem.
While his mind was wandering, he suddenly felt the world spin. He was pinned into the soft mattress. Both of his wrists were held above his head by one of Chen Zhiyan’s hands. He could not move; he was completely overpowered.
Jiang Yu struggled twice without success. He asked, “Do you want to know the secret from before?”