While they were waiting for the takeout, dog staged another jailbreak.
The little guy had his own small pillow clamped in his mouth and “knocked” open the door to Su Yi’an’s apartment.
“Pretty smart, huh, he even knows how to close the door with his paw,” Yang Jiayang raised an eyebrow and commented.
The dog didn’t even spare him a glance. Wagging his tail, he went straight over to Su Yi’an.
Yang Jiayang was instantly annoyed. Putting on a fierce act, he said, “So you’re burning bridges once you’ve crossed the river, huh? Next time I’m not opening the door for you.”
“Woof~”
The little guy seemed to understand. He turned his head and gave Yang Jiayang a perfunctory smile.
Yang Jiayang ground his back teeth and said out of nowhere, “An’an, I think you should really stay away from that guy with the surname Bai.”
Su Yi’an was rubbing dog’s ears and looked up at him.
“Why? Weren’t you just saying earlier that older men know how to dote on people?”
“Dogs take after their owners. The dog is such a little menace, his owner must be a scheming type too.”
Su Yi’an pinched dog’s thick, sturdy front paw and said, “That’s not true. Nuomi have a really good temperament. He’s super cute and Teacher Bai is a very gentle person too. You’ll know once you meet him, he’s really, really nice.”
Seeing his friend speak up for an outsider, Yang Jiayang got even more irritated.
“Su Xiao’an, you’re siding with someone else already!”
“No, I’m just being fair.” Su Yi’an knew he wasn’t actually angry but he still lifted dog’s big paw and coaxed him with a smile. “Come on, Nuomi, let Brother Yangyang pet you. He really likes you, if he doesn’t get to touch you, he might cry.”
“Who are you saying will cry? I’m a real man,” Yang Jiayang lifted his chin, casting a sideways glance at the big white fluffball beside his friend. “If you won’t let me touch, forget it. There are plenty of puppies out there for me to… ”
That’s what he said but in reality he quietly shuffled closer. Taking advantage of dog’s inattention, he quickly reached out and gave the fluffy back a fast rub.
“Damn, that feels amazing.”
“Right? Try the ears, super chubby and really satisfying to rub.”
“I’ll switch.” Yang Jiayang gently touched them. The moment his fingers landed, his eyes lit up. “Wow, seriously!”
The dog was generous enough to let him pet for a bit. Then he grabbed a toy in his mouth and whimpered softly at Su Yi’an.
Yang Jiayang looked at his friend. “What does he want? Does he want to play with the toy?”
“No, that means he’s sleepy,” Su Yi’an gestured toward dog’s tail. “If he’s inviting you to play, he lifts his tail and wiggles his butt. If his tail is drooping and he’s spinning in place, that means he’s tired and wants to sleep.”
Yang Jiayang nodded. “Then should we send him back next door?”
No sooner had he said that than Nuomi wagged his tail and walked straight into Su Yi’an’s bedroom.
He added, “Looks like that won’t be necessary.”
Su Yi’an said, “Let him stay here for now. When Teacher Bai gets off work, we’ll take him back.”
Just then, the doorbell rang, the takeout they’d ordered had arrived.
“I’ll get it!” Yang Jiayang rushed over eagerly to open the door.
Eating spicy crayfish in the summer was pure bliss. The two of them ate until their mouths were slick with oil. When the mood hit, they even opened two bottles of ice cold beer and sipped them slowly.
“Ah, so good!” Yang Jiayang raised his glass with a satisfied sigh.
“Are you not going to deal with that?” Su Yi’an asked when he saw Yang Jiayang’s phone vibrating nonstop on the side.
“No need. We already broke up, why put on airs like some big shot?” As he spoke, he picked up the phone and cleanly deleted the other person’s contact information.
Su Yi’an paused mid peel. “You broke up with Liang Chaowei?”
“They broke up. Giving himself the same name and really thinking he’s some kind of Tony Leung, honestly, who does he think he is? Cheating on me behind my back was bad enough and then he even tried to PUA me into a threesome with him.”
Yang Jiayang raised his middle finger at the empty air.
“Pah! As if he’s worthy! I made sure he lost both the person and the money and I still haven’t even fully vented my anger!”
Su Yi’an understood immediately. “So you suddenly decided to go abroad on vacation because of this?”
“Yeah. To coax me into agreeing, he covered everything, food, accommodation, plane tickets. More than half of these souvenirs were bought with his card. I didn’t have to worry about whether my wallet could handle it at all. I just played, enjoyed myself and relaxed. It was insanely satisfying.”
“What if you really piss him off and he retaliates against you?” Su Yi’an frowned, clearly worried. “No, you shouldn’t go back home these next few days. Stay here with me. There’s plenty of space anyway.”
“It’s fine. He doesn’t know where I live. We met at a bar. Every time we got together, it was either a hotel or his place.”
Yang Jiayang took a gulp of beer, wiped his mouth and continued, “I’m telling you, back then I was seriously delusional. Just because he was good looking, I believed everything he said. It wasn’t until I caught him doing naked video chats with someone else that I realized, this is exactly how he sweet talked other boys too.”
Su Yi’an felt a stab of sympathy. Just as he was about to comfort him, his friend spoke again.
“When you’re looking for a boyfriend, you absolutely can’t just focus on looks. The more handsome a man is, the more unreliable he tends to be. So, An’an, I’ve got to keep a close eye on things for you. Who knows, maybe that Teacher Bai next door is just another pretty face with nothing underneath?”
Su Yi’an looked helpless. “I really have nothing going on with Teacher Bai and what I feel toward him is just admiration, not liking.”
Yang Jiayang raised a finger and gestured. “Not even a little bit of liking?”
“None.”
“All right. I’ll take your word for it.” He abruptly changed the subject. “I know a man with really good character. He’s a friend of my ex ex boyfriend. Not only is he good looking, he’s also incredibly considerate. His social circle is clean and he’s only been in two relationships so far. He’s exactly your type. I’ll introduce you to him.”
Su Yi’an instinctively refused. “No need. I’ve been pretty busy lately. I still have a bunch of drafts that haven’t been finalized.”
“Just add him first and chat when you have time.” Yang Jiayang lightly bumped Su Yi’an’s wrist. “He’s already added you. Hurry up and accept it.”
Su Yi’an froze for a moment. “That fast?”
“He never leaves his phone. Even if you message him in the dead of night, he’ll reply instantly.”
A trace of suspicion rose in Su Yi’an’s heart. “Are you sure he doesn’t already like someone?”
“I’m sure. He even told me to introduce him to a boyfriend.”
Su Yi’an nodded, telling himself he was probably overthinking it.
After accepting the friend request, the two exchanged a few simple messages and then the other party went off to get busy.
Yang Jiayang leaned over to show him the man’s photo. He did look quite good but he wasn’t as handsome as Teacher Bai and he was a little shorter too.
“Well? Handsome, right?”
“He is pretty handsome.”
“Not just handsome, his character is impeccable too. The last two times I asked him for help, he didn’t hesitate at all. When my ex ex caused trouble for me, it was also him who helped me deal with it.”
Su Yi’an looked up at him. “If he’s that good, why didn’t you keep him for yourself instead of introducing him to me?”
“You know me. I like muscular, tough guys. He’s a bit too slim and he’s kind of old fashioned too.” Yang Jiayang shot him a flirtatious wink. “I like bad men. I’m not into the overly proper type.”
Su Yi’an knew his messy tastes far too well. Hearing this, he didn’t pursue the matter further.
Neither of them was much of a drinker. After finishing four bottles of beer, they stopped.
Yang Jiayang swayed his head and collapsed onto the sofa. “I’m a little dizzy. I’m going to sleep for a bit.”
“Go sleep in the bedroom.”
“Don’t want to move.”
By the time the words fell, he was already asleep.
Knowing that he hadn’t adjusted to the time difference yet, Su Yi’an didn’t say anything more. He went into the room, took out a blanket and gently covered him with it.
When Bai Yunchi came to pick up the dog, it was already nine o’clock in the evening.
Seeing that the young man’s complexion was rosy and that there was a faint scent of alcohol lingering about him, he asked politely, “Do you have a guest at home?”
Su Yi’an nodded. “A friend of mine.”
Yang Jiayang had slept straight through for seven or eight hours and was feeling much more refreshed. Rubbing his eyes, he was about to head to the bathroom to deal with an urgent bodily need when he heard voices coming from the living room. His steps shifted and he turned into the entryway instead.
“This must be the friend you mentioned before, right?” Bai Yunchi said, looking at the young man who had suddenly appeared.
Having been a teacher for so many years, Bai Yunchi carried a natural authority without needing to show any anger. Yang Jiayang only met his gaze for a split second before immediately shrinking his neck and pretending to be a quail.
He had been far too mischievous back in his school days and had been punished more times than he could count. As a result, even as an adult, whenever he encountered someone who was a teacher, it was like a chick seeing a hawk, his calves went weak on the spot.
“H.. Hello, Teacher Bai,” he greeted, his neck still tucked in.
Bai Yunchi smiled and nodded. He handed over the bag he was carrying.
“A friend gave me some dates. They taste quite good.”
Su Yi’an took the bag and thanked him. “Thank you, Teacher Bai.”
“No need to be so polite. Actually, I should be the one thanking you for helping me take care of Nuomi” Bai Yunchi said as he rubbed Nuomi’s head, his voice gentle. “Some time ago I had to go on a business trip, so I asked a friend to help look after it but it refused to eat at all and even managed to injure itself, ending up staying at the pet hospital for a while.”
As soon as Su Yi’an heard that, he grew anxious. “Nuomi got hurt? Where was the injury? Was it serious? I didn’t even know and I took it everywhere with me. Did that affect the wound at all?”
Bai Yunchi reassured him. “Don’t worry. It was just a minor injury and it’s already healed but after it came back, its appetite was never very good. Thanks to you taking care of it, the dog has been in a much better mood these past couple of days and its food intake has finally returned to normal.”
Only then did Su Yi’an let out a breath of relief. “That’s good, then.”
He bent down and lifted the fur under the little one’s chin.
“You have to eat properly, you know. If you get sick, you’ll have to get injections. Does Nuomi want injections?”
The little fellow was very smart. Coupled with the fact that it had received quite a few nutritional injections recently, the moment it heard Su Yi’an mention “injections,” it immediately tucked its tail, flattened its ears into airplane ears and let out a small, pitiful whimper.
“Good boy.” Su Yi’an patted Nuomi’s head and soothed it softly. “As long as you eat well, Teacher Bai won’t take you to get injections anymore.”
Yang Jiayang watched the two people and one dog standing at the doorway and the look in his eyes was exactly like someone gazing at a picture perfect family of three.
After Bai Yunchi left with Nuomi, Yang Jiayang pinched his throat and mimicked Su Yi’an’s voice: “You have to eat properly, okay? If you get sick, you’ll need injections. Injections hurt a lot, you know. Nuomi doesn’t want injections, right?”
Su Yi’an looked at him, completely baffled. “What are you doing?”
Yang Jiayang shrugged. “Nothing much. Some people keep saying they don’t like him but just now their eyes were glued to him the entire time. You could pry them off.”
Su Yi’an refused to admit it. “Looking someone in the eye when you’re talking to them is the most basic social etiquette.”
Yang Jiayang grabbed his waistband and bared his teeth. “Fine, fine, etiquette it is. I can’t take it anymore, I need to go to the bathroom.”
“It really is,” Su Yi’an muttered softly as he lifted the bag of dates.
The dates Bai Yunchi had brought over really were delicious, large, sweet and satisfying. After finishing an entire bag, Su Yi’an found himself craving more. Wanting to buy some himself, he sent a WeChat message to ask Bai Yunchi what variety they were.
Bai Yunchi replied: [They’re grown by a friend’s family. I’ll bring you some more another day.]
Su Yi’an sprang upright from the sofa and replied: [There’s no need to trouble you, Teacher Bai. I don’t want them that badly right now.]
Bai Yunchi: [It’s no trouble. We can’t finish them every year anyway. The leftovers just end up being thrown away.]
Su Yi’an thought for a moment, then sent him a voice message. “It would be such a waste to throw away dates that taste this good. Jiayang and I have a friend who runs an online fruit shop. If your friend is willing, they could consign them there.”
“If they’re consigned, would you get a share of the profits?”
The man sent back a voice message. Through the speaker, his voice sounded even deeper and more magnetic than it did in person.
Su Yi’an wasn’t just a plushie enthusiast, he was also a severe voice addict. Pressing his lips together, he replayed the message once more before replying, “Yes, I would.”
“Then let’s do it as a consignment. They have quite a lot of dates. I’m actually going over there tomorrow afternoon anyway. When the time comes, I’ll take you both along to have a look.”
“Thank you, Teacher Bai.”
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
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← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · New neighborsChapter 2 · Let’s just wash it.Chapter 3 · Pretty little girlChapter 4 · It’s impossible for us.Chapter 5 · Not as handsome as Teacher BaiChapter 6 · Happy cooperationChapter 7 · Making breakfastChapter 8 · LostChapter 9 · He’s hopelessly in love.Chapter 10 · Three CloudChapter 11 · Am I Old?Chapter 12 · Victory celebration banquetChapter 13 · Power outrageChapter 14 · Online dating meetupChapter 15 · Am I really that bad?Chapter 16 · Boyfriend?Chapter 17 · ConcertChapter 18 · Use Privileges.Chapter 19 · A night AloneChapter 20 · Do You Like me?Chapter 21 · The End