“This dress is really awkward to wear. I can barely walk fast in it.” Qi You muttered under his breath, and something caught the corner of his eye. He suddenly froze.
“What are you looking at?” Chi Anyu noticed Qi You staring at his neck and could not help asking.
Qi You fixed a meaningful gaze on his face, trying to figure something out. “Why do you have a hickey on your neck?”
Now it was Chi Anyu’s turn to panic. He reached up and touched his throat.
“You must be mistaken. It’s just a mosquito bite from summer. I don’t even have a girlfriend. How could I possibly have a hickey?”
Qi You knew perfectly well that he could not be wrong. After all, he had been through it himself and knew exactly what it was. But looking at Chi Anyu’s expression, he did not seem to be lying, so Qi You narrowed his eyes.
Chi Anyu ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. That mark was indeed obvious.
“What the hell? What is going on?”
System 07 also caught the scent of gossip and teased, “Hey, have you been fooling around outside?”
Chi Anyu said gloomily, “Am I not with you every day? Do you even know everything I do?”
Qi You also got up from the sofa and walked straight to the bathroom door, leaning against the threshold, amusement in his brows. “Anyu, could it be that someone has a crush on you?”
Chi Anyu thought Qi You was only teasing and did not take it to heart.
“I don’t know what happened. Lately I’ve felt like something’s been off about me. The sleep paralysis is one thing, and last time I even had to go to the hospital because of it.”
Qi You laughed and drained the rest of his cola in one gulp. “You’re good-looking. It’s normal for someone to like you.”
Chi Anyu washed his face in the bathroom and came out. He had just sat down on the sofa.
Click. The door opened.
Xie Junyi walked in holding a glass of orange juice, his face cool and unreadable. He sat down beside Chi Anyu and completely ignored Qi You. “I squeezed you some orange juice. Try it.”
Chi Anyu held the cup and took a few small sips.
As soon as Xie Junyi came in, Qi You’s gaze landed on him. He kept feeling that this person looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
“Anyu, who is this?” he asked tentatively.
Xie Junyi lifted his eyes. The look he gave was like the freezing ice of the twelfth lunar month, cold down to the bone. Qi You only met his eyes for a split second before he got goosebumps.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce him. His name is Xie Junyi, and he’s currently staying at my place.” Chi Anyu introduced him, then said to Xie Junyi, “This is Qi Ya, the eldest miss of the Qi family.”
So his surname was Xie.
Qi You’s eyes flickered. He wondered whether this was the same Xie from the Xie family.
Xie Junyi gave a perfunctory response and then took a tissue to wipe the corner of Chi Anyu’s mouth.
Qi You could clearly feel that Xie Junyi seemed to have a lot of hostility toward him, but they were apparently meeting for the first time. Where was that hostility coming from?
Xie Junyi completely ignored Qi You. He lifted Chi Anyu’s legs and rested them across his own. “Drink less alcohol lately, or your stomach will feel uncomfortable. Be good.”
Chi Anyu pushed Xie Junyi’s face away and said in a low voice, “I didn’t drink today. I drank cola!”
“Mm. I’ll make something mild for lunch. You’ve been eating too much spicy food lately. Your stomach has been burning.”
As he spoke, Xie Junyi quickly fastened the buttons on Chi Anyu’s chest again, making sure nothing inside could be seen, and then let go. “At home, don’t leave your collar open like that. You’ll catch a chill.”
Chi Anyu: “…”
Qi You let his meaningful gaze linger on Xie Junyi. His cunning eyes seemed to see something, and he deliberately drew out the last syllable. “Anyu, I want orange juice too.”
Chi Anyu did not think much of it and casually handed over the cup.
“No!” Xie Junyi grabbed Chi Anyu’s wrist. The veins on the back of his hand bulged, and his tone rose sharply.
Chi Anyu looked at the suddenly emotional Xie Junyi in confusion.
Xie Junyi steadied himself, forcibly suppressing the agitation inside, and lowered his voice. “You already drank from it. Men and women are different.”
Qi You had been through all sorts of storms in matters of the heart. His eyes lit up at once, and a faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. In that instant, he seemed to have confirmed something.
Chi Anyu was only so casual because he knew Qi You was a boy, but Xie Junyi had not seen that, and he even looked at Qi You with piercing coldness.
Qi You deliberately acted coy and blinked innocently. “It’s fine, Anyu. I just want a taste. Pour me a little from your cup.”
Xie Junyi’s eyelids twitched, apparently afraid that Chi Anyu might really hand the cup over. He directly took Chi Anyu’s hand, pressed his lips to the rim of the cup, and drank the remaining orange juice in one gulp.
Chi Anyu: “…”
Qi You’s smile widened even more.
“Why did you do that?” Chi Anyu glared at him.
Xie Junyi did not even blink. “I happen to be thirsty too.”
Chi Anyu pouted and changed the topic. “Qi Ya, let me tell you, his cooking is really delicious. You can try it at lunch too.”
Xie Junyi said coldly, “I only cook for you. Have Aunt Liu make lunch. I’m going to the restroom.”
With that, Xie Junyi stood up and left.
Even Chi Anyu, as slow as he was, could feel that Xie Junyi had an issue with Qi You, as if he were deliberately targeting him.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him today. He’s not usually like this. I don’t even like Aunt Liu’s cooking anymore.” Chi Anyu muttered a few words.
Qi You asked, “So your family has two people taking turns cooking?”
“I can’t stand that Bai guy. Every lunch and dinner at home has to be made separately. Xie Junyi cooks for me, and Aunt Liu cooks for the Bai guy. Unless it’s a special situation, I don’t see him. Just seeing him is bad luck.”
Qi You caught the key point. “You mean all three of your meals are specially made by Xie Junyi?”
Chi Anyu nodded.
Qi You looked at Chi Anyu’s clear eyes and asked tentatively, “Have you ever thought about why he’s so good to you?”
“Since he’s living at my place, of course he should treat me, the young master, well, right?”
System 07 also strongly agreed. After all, its host was still arrogant and overbearing at home, always having the final say.
Qi You immediately looked complicated. So he really had not figured it out yet. No wonder he hadn’t even noticed the hickey on his own neck.
“Anyu, if you fall in love in the future, would it be with a boy or a girl?”
Chi Anyu widened his eyes, thinking Qi You was being absurd. “I’m straight, of course I like girls!”
As soon as he said that, Qi You immediately began to sympathize with Xie Junyi.
After all, a person’s sexual orientation is still very hard to change.