Cheng Zhou said he wanted to eat country-style dishes, but since they were still in the middle of recording and couldn’t just leave as they pleased, the two of them directed him straight back to the small villa.
Cheng Zhou hadn’t recognized it from the outside and still had no idea what was going on, assuming it was some sort of guesthouse. It wasn’t until he stepped inside and saw the other two couples that he remembered this was where they were staying.
Chu Minghe was counting money at the back and didn’t pay attention to the situation up front. Lin Dingshi, who was in the middle of eating dinner, looked up and, assuming this was a new guest, greeted him with a smile and shouted, “Where’s your husband? How come you came ahead of time by yourself like Minghe-ge did?”
That shout directly drew everyone else’s attention, and Cheng Zhou’s mouth twitched.
Seeing that Zhao Xingjian wouldn’t speak or explain, Chu Minghe had no choice but to introduce this “client” who had bought out the entire batch of pomegranates.
Zhao Xingjian stood by and watched, thinking back to when he first walked through the door and Chu Minghe hadn’t introduced him in such detail either. As he thought about it, his mood soured.
Could Chu Minghe be planning to dump him and look for someone else?
…
But it was none of his business; they were getting a divorce soon anyway.
Even so, the furrow between Zhao Xingjian’s brows never relaxed. When Chu Minghe finished settling Cheng Zhou in and turned back to look at him, he realized Zhao Xingjian had worn that expression the entire way back.
Wondering if it was his fault, Chu Minghe asked softly, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell, or are you upset?”
The concern on his face didn’t look fake, but he only ever treated him this way in front of the cameras, and he was getting increasingly practiced at it. Reminded of the cameras, Zhao Xingjian snapped back to his senses, softened his expression, and replied, “Nothing.”
Looking at him with half-convinced doubt, Chu Minghe asked, “Really nothing?”
“…”
Zhao Xingjian: “What do you think of Cheng Zhou?”
With the cameras rolling, this was a very cryptic way of phrasing it, but Chu Minghe understood. He had thought before that no man could bear the thought of his partner wearing a green hat, even if their marriage wasn’t entirely normal.
Sure enough, even though they were close to divorcing, Zhao Xingjian still wouldn’t allow him to harbor any fantasies about his friend.
After thinking it over, Chu Minghe replied, “All money, no brains.”
Alarm bells began ringing wildly in Zhao Xingjian’s heart.
Chu Minghe smiled. “Not as good as you.”
“…”
Originally, he had just wanted to make sure Chu Minghe didn’t harbor any such thoughts toward Cheng Zhou. Now he was certain, yet he felt like he had also received some unexpected bonus harvest.
Before he could recover his wits, Cheng Zhou who had finally managed to break away from the other two couples and hurried over, hoping to quickly get Zhao Xingjian to take him somewhere else lost his footing just in time to overhear their conversation.
So the two of them were flirting and using him as a punchline.
Zhao Xingjian had already noticed him. Giving Chu Minghe a steady, lingering look, he finally turned his attention to his poor friend.
Seeing that Zhao Xingjian was reassured, Chu Minghe breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that this guy was still so easy to coax. It had happened many times already—as long as he said a few nice things, Zhao Xingjian could be appeased. It seemed his soft spot was still his easily flattered ears.
Cheng Zhou was an easy guest to entertain. His purpose in coming was very simple: to travel around, wander, and relax. Without Zhao Xingjian around, he couldn’t even enjoy his drinks properly.
Since a single pomegranate had been sold to him for eighty yuan, when he wanted to eat local dishes, Chu Minghe cooked two extra plates for him. However, he didn’t make Zhao Xingjian peel potatoes this time; instead, he had him crack a few eggs and taught him how to beat them loose with chopsticks.
Once Zhao Xingjian got the hang of it, he found it simple this operation was no more difficult than turning on a faucet.
Watching his hands, Chu Minghe praised him, “So fast.”
“…”
Zhao Xingjian had a soft spot for praise, so he needed to be praised more often. Even when he wasn’t angry, he should be praised. Chu Minghe felt he was doing a good job, so he turned around and dropped chopped scallions into the hot oil, letting the scallion aroma burst forth instantly.
Because Cheng Zhou was there, their entire afternoon passed in absolute comfort. They brought this wealthy young master who was about the same age as Zhao Xingjian along to experience the full joy of digging up potatoes, catching chickens, and slaughtering them.
However, the young master remarked that if there were a next time, he hoped someone could prepare a pair of shoe covers and gloves for him.
If he had arrived two days earlier, he wouldn’t have had it so miserable. But today, right after Lin Dingshi finished watering the vegetable plot, Cheng Zhou had stepped right into it and scooped a shoe-bottom full of mud, and slaughtering two chickens had even splattered blood all over his sleeves.
The others were in a similar state. It was a rare, disheveled moment for Chu Minghe, and Zhao Xingjian couldn’t bear to watch any longer until he found a tattered piece of cloth and tied it around Chu Minghe’s waist as an apron.
This kind of sudden sneak-attack movement reminded Chu Minghe of some rather unpleasant memories. He instinctively dodged forward, knocking over the bucket filled with chicken blood and feathers, spilling its contents all over the ground.
Zhao Xingjian hadn’t expected his action to trigger such a strong reaction from Chu Minghe. Pausing for just a second, he exerted strength in his hands and hauled him back, pulling him a safe distance away from the pool of bloody water.
Taking a step back, he spoke up, “It’s just me.”
Chu Minghe froze for a split second before snapping out of it. He watched as Zhao Xingjian handed him the tattered piece of cloth.
“Tie it on.”
He still had several more pieces in his hand. Chu Minghe accepted one, noticing that Zhao Xingjian didn’t ask any questions and simply walked off to distribute the rest to others.
Left holding a chicken neck, Chu Minghe set it down and tied the cloth around his waist.
When Zhao Xingjian returned, Chu Minghe lowered his voice to explain, “I thought you were someone else.”
That “someone else” undoubtedly included other people as well. It’s good that you understand, Zhao Xingjian thought, giving a faint “Mn” as he said, “My fault.”
Chu Minghe glanced at him. Seeing his calm expression, he didn’t continue the topic, though his mood didn’t improve either.
How long ago was that? Just thinking about it still made him feel utterly unbearable.
…
Cheng Zhou left after having dinner here. Zhao Xingjian walked him out for a stretch, temporarily stepping out of the camera’s range, and Cheng Zhou finally seized the opportunity to trap him with questions.
He asked way too many things; Zhao Xingjian listened with one ear and digested it with the other, stubbornly refusing to answer a single one.
“What’s wrong? Don’t want to divorce anymore?” Cheng Zhou pulled out a box of cigarettes and offered one toward him, but Zhao Xingjian didn’t take it.
Neither of them smoked, so the pack remained full. With no one taking one, Cheng Zhou tossed it back and heard Zhao Xingjian say, “Want to.”
“If you want a divorce, why do you look like you’re in mourning?”
Zhao Xingjian glanced sideways at him. “Attention to your words and actions.”
“…”
Since Cheng Zhou couldn’t get any answers out of him, he switched topics entirely. “Didn’t you say you’re getting a divorce? A few days ago, a younger guy asked me about your situation. I thought he seemed pretty decent, so I dropped a hint that the two of you were having a bad relationship and that when you finally got divorced, I’d introduce him so he could make preparations early, telling him to go make contact…”
Hearing this, Zhao Xingjian finally reacted, furrowing his brows to interrupt him. “Even if I get a divorce, I never said I’m jumping right back into marriage.”
“I didn’t say you had to jump right in, and I don’t care about your marriage matters anyway. It’s just that I owe this kid a personal favor and need to pay it back. Go meet him; if it actually works out, he’ll be the one paying back my favor instead.”
With a darkening expression, Zhao Xingjian stared at him. “Do it yourself, pay it back yourself.”
“The kid has his eyes on you, not…”
“I’m married,” Zhao Xingjian emphasized. “I am married.”
Cheng Zhou paused for a second, let out a “hah” of laughter, and said, “I know, isn’t that why I said you’re getting a divorce in a few days anyway, what’s the pro…”
“Scram.”
Zhao Xingjian’s patience had worn thin. As Cheng Zhou walked away and looked back through the rearview mirror at Zhao Xingjian standing right where he was, he gave a casual shake of his head.
Catching sight of it, Zhao Xingjian paused before taking two quick steps forward, but Cheng Zhou had already sped away in a flash of speed.
That guy definitely had malicious intentions.