“You’re really not human, Chen Shu. I’ve already retired and you’re still trying to mess with me…” Jiang Xun cursed him with a laugh. “Luckily, I didn’t give you the chance. Better to get flamed than to be a dead man.”
“Four years of zero communication. How much better is that than being dead?” Chen Shu suddenly questioned him. “Jiang Xun… more than anyone else, I want to know why you set my name as a banned word in your stream.”
【Whoa, so it was Jiang Xun who started the banned words thing?】
【Everyone knew that, but the way Chen Shu asked is really strange. It sounds like Jiang Xun was the one who unilaterally broke things off?】
【I’m curious too!! Jiang Xun, stop holding it in!! Answer him!!】
“Wh-what else could it be for…” Jiang Xun’s face turned red, but he truly didn’t know how to play dumb and dodge it, so he had to speak honestly: “Those people don’t care about my gaming skills; all they care about is where you went and why you weren’t with me. It was annoying to see.”
After saying that, he added: “I’m not saying you’re annoying.”
“I see.” Chen Shu nodded thoughtfully. “So, you hated being tied to me.”
Jiang Xun’s brain started to glitch again.
“But now we’re tied together again, and if nothing goes wrong, we’ll continue to be tied together in the future.” Chen Shu flashed a wicked smile. “Are you annoyed to death? Jiang Xun?”
Jiang Xun felt gloomy: “…What’s that supposed to mean?”
Chen Shu: “Seeing you annoyed makes me happy.”
“…?” Jiang Xun crumpled the foxtail grass in his hand and threw it away. “You’re specifically here to piss me off.”
He was annoyed. But he wasn’t annoyed that they were being tied together; he was annoyed because… why was it that after four years, he still wanted to kiss Chen Shu’s mouth?
Even if that mouth only loved to say things he didn’t want to hear…
Could it be that the kiss he didn’t get four years ago had become a lingering, unforgettable obsession, just like the toy car model he couldn’t buy in his childhood?
“Pissing you off is just a bonus; I’m mainly here to make money.” Chen Shu stood up and stretched.
Jiang Xun crossed his arms and fell into a state of self-isolation. “Oh.”
On the other side, Chu Xingyun waited obediently with his finger out for ten minutes before Cen Jing returned, out of breath.
“I checked earlier; there’s no foreign object in the wound.” He knelt in front of Chu Xingyun, unscrewed the saline solution, and held the injured hand. “Let me wash it for you first.”
“I told you it’s fine,” Chu Xingyun countered softly, making a joke. “If you’d come any later, the wound would have healed on its own.”
“The staff forgot where the supplies were kept, so it took a bit of time.” Cen Jing kept his eyes down, his expression serious as he used the saline to clean around the wound.
“Oh.”
…What’s there to explain?
Chu Xingyun’s gaze slowly drifted along Cen Jing’s lowered eyelashes. It moved to the bridge of his nose and then slid down, resting on those slightly pursed lips.
Suddenly, he understood Jiang Xun a little. A person really could suddenly get lost in a certain atmosphere and want to kiss the person in front of them.
But he was much better off than Jiang Xun. At least he knew exactly what those lips felt like when actually kissed. They were cool, soft, and captivating.
The first time he’d kissed him under the influence of alcohol, Chu Xingyun hadn’t mastered any technique; he just knew how to messily gnaw away. Cen Jing couldn’t escape, so he could only accept the kiss while stroking the back of Chu Xingyun’s neck to soothe him.
The second time was in a dressing room with only the two of them. Without warning, Chu Xingyun had tilted Cen Jing’s chin and kissed him. Cen Jing’s hand, which had intended to push him away, changed direction and instead pulled him tightly into his arms. In a state of total sobriety, the two had made a tacit choice to sink into the moment.
The third time, the fourth time and the countless times after that happened so naturally that Chu Xingyun could no longer keep track of the order. Kissing Cen Jing was truly an addictive thing.
Chu Xingyun’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and he looked away somewhat awkwardly.
Visible, but unreachable. It was torture.
Aware of nothing, Cen Jing finished cleaning the wound, dipped a cotton swab in iodine, and began disinfecting in outward circles from the small cut.
“There’s no gauze here, so we’ll have to use a band-aid.” Cen Jing tore open the bandage and applied it gently, then instructed: “Don’t let it touch water for now.”
“Oh,” Chu Xingyun responded dryly.
“Be more careful when you’re skewering things.” Cen Jing packed the items back into the first-aid kit. “I’m going to return this.”
“…Got it.” Chu Xingyun puffed his cheeks slightly. “Come back soon.”
【Baby, do you have separation anxiety? Can’t leave your husband for a single second, can you?】
【Cen Jing really knows how to raise a ‘wife’..】
【Damn, if I didn’t know better, I’d think I was watching a dating show.】
【Fun fact: It’s only the second day of the show.】
【I’m genuinely curious. Can any viewers who have gotten back with an ex tell me how long it took for the fire to reignite?】
【Do you even need to ask? Come on, repeat after me: FIRE! FIRE! As long as there’s love, it’s like f**king gunpowder. One spark and it blows, understand?】
【Usually, the two flames burn together.】
【Crap, these CP shippers are at it again.】
Cen Jing was back in less than two minutes. He washed his hands thoroughly and began helping Chu Xingyun skewer the food. “What you didn’t finish saying earlier, you can say it now.”
“…Where did we leave off?” Chu Xingyun was a bit dazed. The images of kissing Cen Jing were stuck in his head; how could he remember anything else?
Cen Jing thought for a moment, his eyes blinking slowly. “I forgot too.”
“Oh, then let’s talk about something else.” Chu Xingyun still didn’t dare look at Cen Jing, staring down at the little pink heart on the band-aid instead.
Cen Jing: “What do you want to talk about?”
Chu Xingyun’s mind was a complete blank: “I don’t know.”
Cen Jing: “…”
Did something happen just now? Why is this guy acting so strangely?
Cen Jing: “Then I’ll teach you how to make fried food later.”
Chu Xingyun nodded mechanically: “Okay, okay.”
By the time they brought two portions of fried food to the fishing spot, not only had Chu Xingyun returned to normal, but even Lin Shen and Ye Hancheng had broken their initial awkwardness and were chatting casually while holding their rods.
“Seniors.” Chu Xingyun spoke cheerfully, placing one portion on the small table. “Here is your afternoon tea, please enjoy.”
“This is the first time I’ve enjoyed such a unique afternoon tea.” Ye Hancheng used a toothpick to pop a piece of fried oyster mushroom into his mouth. “Whoa! Little Cen’s skills are great; he could open a shop.”
“Indeed.” Chu Xingyun accepted the compliment on Cen Jing’s behalf and poked his head to look into the bucket. “Hey, there are actually fish! Three of them!”
“Hmph, I suggested this activity. If we couldn’t catch any…” Lin Shen grabbed a piece of fried fish. “Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”
“He’s hogging three rods by himself. If he still couldn’t catch anything, he’d probably force me to jump in and act as the fish,” Ye Hancheng teased.
“Haha.” Chu Xingyun was amused. “Should we take these fish back to fry them now?”
“No rush.” Lin Shen covered the top of the bucket with his hand. “Wait until I catch a few more so I can show them off all at once.”
Ye Hancheng tutted: “You are truly a vain man.”
“It’s only human.” Chu Xingyun expressed understanding. “I’ll come back to check later then. I’m going to deliver food to Jiang Xun and the others first.”
“Go ahead.” Lin Shen looked at Chu Xingyun with eyes full of fatherly affection.
A few quick steps and Chu Xingyun reached Jiang Xun and Chen Shu. There was no small table set up here, so he simply thrust the food into Jiang Xun’s arms. “Your bro brought you guys some food.”
Jiang Xun’s eyes were full of resentment. “So, you finally remembered to come back.”
“Stop right there.” Chu Xingyun took half a step back and immediately waved his fingers in clarification. “We are not in a relationship where we can say things like that.”
“…Piss off.” In a fit of embarrassed rage, Jiang Xun stuffed a fried potato into his mouth. “Heartless fellow.”
“Hey, don’t hog it all.” Chu Xingyun tilted his chin. “Feed some to Chen Shu.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Shu actually cooperated and opened his mouth, waiting to be fed.
Jiang Xun: “…”
The pressure was immense.
The number of fish caught far exceeded expectations. Since there weren’t many dishes they could prepare outdoors, the six decided to head back to the villa early to make an all-fish feast.
The head chefs were still Ye Hancheng and Cen Jing. Because of his injured finger, Chu Xingyun was forbidden from helping; Chen Shu took over as the assistant.
“Bro, why do you keep staring at your injured finger?” Jiang Xun couldn’t ignore Chu Xingyun’s small movements. As soon as he finished his game, he asked impatiently: “Are you afraid it’s going to mutate?”
“Don’t you think it’s a coincidence?” Chu Xingyun held up his index finger. “The heart on this band-aid is perfectly covering my wound.”
“SO?” Jiang Xun spread his hands, his confusion deepening. “Are you a primary schooler? Caring about such boring things.”
Chu Xingyun lowered his hand but took another peek. He gently stroked the tiny heart with his thumb, as if stroking someone’s soft heart.
…It’s not boring at all.
【Mommy, you’re so ‘pure love’ (pure love). [Resting chin on hands]】
【Not only did the guests get full today, but we ‘Gao Shan Jing Xing’ fans are stuffed to the brim. [Rubbing belly]】
【We ‘Golden Road Twin Stars’ fans are eating well too! Who understands the weight of being unable to unbind in this lifetime? (Chewing)】
【We ‘Old People’ fans are having a full-on banquet. Just a glance and they know what the other means—that’s a tacit understanding that never disappeared even after 8 years of separation! [Crying]】
【Hey, I can tolerate ‘Golden Road Twin Stars,’ but what kind of weird CP name is ‘Old People’?! Don’t bully the elderly!】
“Hey…” Jiang Xun saw that Chu Xingyun was ignoring him and got annoyed again. “Say something.”
“Say what?” Chu Xingyun replied casually, grabbing the remote to turn on the TV and finding a show to put on.
“Bro, can I ask you a favor?” Jiang Xun covered his mouth and lowered his voice.
Without even thinking, Chu Xingyun refused flatly. “No.”
Jiang Xun grew anxious: “I haven’t even said what it is!”
“Do you think I don’t know?” Chu Xingyun looked at him with disdain. It was undoubtedly about wanting to crash in their room again. “We made an exception yesterday. Today, absolutely not.”
“…” Jiang Xun immediately wilted. He was prepared to endure Chu Xingyun’s kicking and punching, yet he was cruelly rejected. Was there no justice?
“Let me give you an idea.” Chu Xingyun really couldn’t stand his cowardly look.
“What idea?” Jiang Xun leaned his ear in.
“Tonight, you just do this…” Chu Xingyun whispered slowly into his ear.