Half an hour later, the sun rose, and Xiang Cheng pulled on the red rope while Chi Xiaoduo gripped Xiang Cheng's back. The two of them slowly made their way to the ground. Xiang Cheng held the bundle of yao binding rope pinched his index and middle finger together, and made a circle in the air with them. The red rope tied around the Guanyin statue's neck untied itself and fell down.
Chi Xiaoduo's legs were trembling, and he nearly collapsed. Xiang Cheng, with Chi Xiaoduo on his back, ran to the Land Rover. He backed up to pick up his things, destroyed the scene of the crime, took the stone guardians away, and left Lianhua Mountain.
"Where are we going?" Chi Xiaoduo asked, "Why aren’t we going back to the inn? I can’t go on anymore, I'm so sleepy."
Chi Xiaoduo didn't ask any questions about what had happened; his mind was in a complete muddle. Xiang Cheng said, "You sleep first, and when you get up, I'll explain it to you."
Chi Xiaoduo said, "You won’t leave, right."
"No,” Xiang Cheng replied, "Go to sleep ba."
Xiang Cheng put the hood of his sports coat on Chi Xiaoduo's face. Chi Xiaoduo was both sleepy and tired, and leaning in the front passenger seat, he suddenly thought of something——were there really yao in this world?
Grandma had said so before, and when Chi Xiaoduo had been very young, he seemed to have met a black thing.
He had bumped into it on a beach... It had a similar feel to Xiang Cheng’s monster bird, but one was a fish, while the other was a bird... Chi Xiaoduo thought to himself blearily that this world was really magical; not only was there Xiang Cheng catching yao, but also the big black fish he had met when he was a child... His mind was a mess, but he gradually fell asleep. Xiang Cheng wore a tattered singlet as he drove back to Guangzhou. He parked in front of the club, went inside to get the snuff bottle, changed his singlet, got back in the car, and closed the door.
He uncovered Chi Xiaoduo's face that was covered with the jacket.
Chi Xiaoduo was deep asleep, breathing evenly, as the sun shone down on his face.
Xiang Cheng looked at him for a while, then looked at the snuff bottle in his hand, seemingly a little hesitant.
A silver bird flew over, lighting at the window, staring at Xiang Cheng.
Xiang Cheng said to the bird, "He won’t go out and talk about it. This one time, I promise, just this once."
The bird tilted its head, its bright eyes reflecting Xiang Cheng’s handsome face.
Xiang Cheng sighed.
He reached out and rubbed Chi Xiaoduo's head.
"I'm sorry." Xiang Cheng said seriously, then opened the snuff bottle and shook it across Chi Xiaoduo's face.
Chi Xiaoduo sneezed, turned his head uncomfortably and then continued to sleep.
Xiang Cheng was silent for a long time. He put his hand on the steering wheel and wearily leaned his head against it. After a moment, he raised his head, smoked a cigarette, threw the cigarette butt out of the window, and headed back to Panyu.
On the way back, when they were in line to pass the toll station, Xiang Cheng thought of something and scrolled through Chi Xiaoduo’s phone.
"Xiaoduo, I'm sorry." Xiang Cheng said to himself, and then deleted the video of them subduing the yao last night from his cellphone. Seeing photos of himself, he carefully scrutinized them for a while before chuckling and putting it back into Chi Xiaoduo's trouser pocket.
Chi Xiaoduo was fast asleep the entire way there. When they got to the inn, Xiang Cheng first stuck his head out to look around and saw Wang Ren and the others playing mahjong in the backyard. He then picked Chi Xiaoduo up and quietly crept back to their room. He helped him take off his coat, then pulled up the quilt and covered himself and Chi Xiaoduo. He put one hand on his pillow and adjusted their positions from last night so that Chi Xiaoduo could hold him again, and then fell asleep.
Ten minutes later, Wang Ren knocked on the door.
"Chi Xiaomola!"
Chi Xiaoduo was about to die from his headache. His whole body was entangled with Xiang Cheng’s, and Xiang Cheng spread out his arm, letting him pillow his head on it. Just as he was sleeping soundly, Wang Ren knocked on the door from outside and said in a loud voice, "Get up! Don't sleep anymore! Have breakfast and then we’re going fishing!”
Xiang Cheng let out an affirmative noise, got up, and touched Chi Xiaoduo's head. Chi Xiaoduo lay face down, and Xiang Cheng brushed his teeth and washed his face as if nothing had happened.
Xiang Cheng asked, "Sleep some more?"
Chi Xiaoduo agreed; he felt that his throat really hurt and his head also hurt. Xiang Cheng touched his face, and his expression changed.
"Are you sick?" Xiang Cheng asked tensely.
"It seems that I am, a little bit." Chi Xiaoduo's throat was burning with a fiery pain.
Xiang Cheng did not expect that Chi Xiaoduo would get sick. He was a little flustered and hurriedly said, "You sleep."
Chi Xiaoduo was sick, and his voice had gone hoarse. He guessed that it was because he had been working overtime for a week that once he relaxed after being so tired, he had fallen sick. His throat felt like it was on fire, he had a cold, and his nose was stuffed up. He lamented in his heart that it was really too depressing this time; he had finally gotten a rare opportunity to have fun with Xiang Cheng, but he turned around and caused trouble for him instead.
Xiang Cheng went down to the farmstead’s landlady to borrow a thermometer and took his temperature. He really had a fever; it was 39 °. Xiang Cheng nearly dropped the thermometer at that. Chi Xiaoduo said, "I'll be fine after taking some fever-reducing medicine. Don't worry about me... Cough! Cough!”
Xiang Cheng said, "I'll take you down the mountain to see a doctor."
There just so happened to be a couple living next door, and the man was a doctor. He came to take a look at Chi Xiaoduo and said, "It’s okay, it’s not a viral cold. He just yelled too much, and his throat got inflamed. Have you been frightened and blown around in the wind recently?"
Xiang Cheng: “.....”
Chi Xiaoduo said weakly, "No ah, I never yell."
Xiang Cheng lectured, "Told you not to yell."
Wang Ren also came over and said, "How are you even hoarse, what did you two do last night? I didn’t hear the little mola fish in the pond crying out."
Everyone: “…..”
The doctor kindly said, "The weather is often cold right now, so it’s better to still wear some clothes when you go to bed at night. I'll prescribe some medicine for him to take, so just rest on the mountain and drink some porridge."
Chi Xiaoduo’s tears were pouring out with a hualala as he complained inwardly I was wearing clothes, you guys, don’t be like this okay, while also feeling like there really was true love in this world. He lay sick in bed, watching Xiang Cheng go and buy him some medicine. After taking the medicine, Xiang Cheng also brought him congee, and it was even white rice congee at that.
His boss also came to see Chi Xiaoduo. Xiang Cheng told Chi Xiaoduo’s boss that they were cousins. After waiting upon Chi Xiaoduo, he moved over a chair and sat there, reading.
"Lady Ga-what." Xiang Cheng suddenly asked, "What is that?"
"Lady Ga-what?" Chi Xiaoduo asked, confused..
Xiang Cheng waved his hand and didn't ask any more questions. Chi Xiaoduo suddenly realized what was going on, and said, “She’s a singer. Give me your cellphone, I’ll download one of her songs for you.”
Xiang Cheng said, "I can't listen to music on my cellphone. Next time ba."
Chi Xiaoduo felt that his whole body was about to fall apart. He scratched a bit and found that there were red marks on his arm, as if he had been chafed there at some point, and there were some black bruises on his legs.
"What's the matter?" Xiang Cheng asked.
Chi Xiaoduo said, "It’s nothing, I don't know where I bumped into something. Sometimes there will be some inexplicable small wounds on my body, and I don't know where they came from. "
"Does that happen often?" Xiang Cheng asked.
Chi Xiaoduo replied, "Not often at all ba."
They were silent for a moment, then:
"You go and have fun ba."
"Not going."
"Go ahead ba." Chi Xiaoduo pleaded.
Xiang Cheng's face sank, and Chi Xiaoduo had to stop talking.
Chi Xiaoduo couldn't help wailing in his heart, how could things be so disappointing? He had caused him trouble again, and while Wang Ren and the others, after coming by to see him, had gone up the mountain to enjoy the flowers without consulting anyone, Xiang Cheng, who was left behind, sat in his room, staring at him in a daze.
The door was open, and the light in the farmstead inn was very good. The window was also open, and they had a perfect view of the peach tree in the yard. A child kicked the peach tree, and petals flew around under the sun.
Chi Xiaoduo slept some more, and then he looked at Xiang Cheng, his entire body wilted, and he said, "I'm sorry."
Xiang Cheng heard this, and his expression turned into one of him not knowing what the best thing to say would be. His eyes flashed with the feeling that he was at a loss regarding what was going on.
"I'm sorry." Xiang Cheng said, "It's my fault that I didn't take good care of you."
"Are you usually very busy?" Chi Xiaoduo smiled and asked, "Let’s come again next time."
"I’m not busy." Xiang Cheng said, "Next time I'll take you to another place to have fun to make up for this. It's my fault this time; it’s all because I didn't take good care of you. Don't blame yourself."
Chi Xiaoduo was moved, sad, and embarrassed. He replied with a “yes, yes” and that he definitely wasn’t thinking like that. Xiang Cheng went out to avoid him, and answered his phone. It seemed that someone was looking for him, and his sword-like eyebrows twisted up as he said, "Stop rambling, I’m hanging up now."
Xiang Cheng didn’t seem very polite to the person on the phone, and Chi Xiaoduo couldn’t help but worry. He had thought that Xiang Cheng was very good to himself before, but he didn't expect that he was serious sometimes, and he was even more bewitching when he was serious.
"Was that one of your clients?" Chi Xiaoduo asked.
"No,” Xiang Cheng replied.
Chi Xiaoduo: "If it is, it’s okay if you go first."
Xiang Cheng: "It’s. Not. A. Client. You have a sore throat, don't talk.”
Chi Xiaoduo had no choice but to not ask any more questions. Xiang Cheng answered a few more phone calls, all of which he took after leaving the room.
Finally, he simply turned off his phone. Chi Xiaoduo suddenly discovered that Xiang Cheng seemed to have never played with his cellphone in front of him, and also seldom made calls. Only today did it feel like the phone rang incessantly.
Xiang Cheng kept him company and took care of him the whole day. Chi Xiaoduo slept until it was dark, and his dreams were a mess. In the evening, his friends came back and checked in on him again
The next day, Chi Xiaoduo got up at noon and felt better after taking some medicine. However, their spring outing was already over.
Chi Xiaoduo was sitting in Wang Ren's car. When they were going to go down the mountain, the peach blossoms had pretty much all fallen, and he really wanted to slam his head against something and die.
Xiang Cheng stood by the car and waited for them to leave before getting on. Something had come up, so he had to get back to the club.
Chi Xiaoduo waved goodbye to Xiang Cheng and kept looking at his car as they drove away. Wang Ren drove with a bored look on his face and said, "You went way too far in getting a room with him ba, you even caught a cold and your throat is hoarse. Hey, what can I even say to that?"
"It wasn’t like that!" Chi Xiaoduo said through gritted teeth . He reached into his pocket and found a round thing, and when he took it out, he saw that it was a round headed stone guardian. Chi Xiaoduo immediately turned to look behind him and saw Xiang Cheng still standing on the side of the road, looking down at their tire marks on the ground.
This must be from Xiang Cheng; Chi Xiaoduo was happy again.
Looking at the scenery at the foot of the mountain, Chi Xiaoduo thought that he might have really fallen in love with him.
But he had fallen in love with a duck, and plus, he still didn’t have any money! This was really the number one most depressing thing in his life; they had gone out to have fun this time, but pretty much hadn’t been able to have fun, and it was really deathly embarrassing. Chi Xiaoduo first reported to his bestie that Xiang Cheng had probably never topped her cousin, and there was nothing to make him suspect that they were cheating.
Of course, he didn’t mention how they had been “colleagues,” so as to not give rise to more ambiguity.
His best friend said, "You’re dumb ah, you just believe whatever he says?"
"He's very honest." Chi Xiaoduo said, "His name is even Xiang Cheng."
"You can not believe it, but isn’t it better to just believe it? People sometimes just have to be a little dumb. Don't be so inquisitive. "
His friend had no choice but to give up. The city of flowers grew warmer day by day, and with this, Chi Xiaoduo's loving heart also grew restless and eager for action.
"Do you think we will be happy if I take him in as a sugar baby?" Chi Xiaoduo used another phone to chat with his bestie while holding up his cellphone and staring at the side profile of Xiang Cheng, with ice cream on his lips, smiling ambiguously at him. The more he looked at him, the more he liked him; his tongue was even about to stretch out towards the phone screen.
"If it was me, I would just feel very moved." his bestie said blandly, "But my feelings wouldn’t be ignited by you."
"But he should be tired, too." Chi Xiaoduo said, "He told me personally that he didn't want to do this job anymore."
His friend said, "Forget it ba, the other person doesn’t even like you yet. You might as well let someone introduce you to someone and find a comrade for a blind date to be a bit more realistic."
Chi Xiaoduo said, "If he doesn't like me, I'll never fall in love with anyone else."
"You stop talking nonsense ba!" his bestie said over the phone, "Laoniang's face is about to crack, I’m not talking to you anymore!"
Chi Xiaoduo hung up and sighed helplessly.
It had already been so many days, should he ask Xiang Cheng to come over for a house-call? But Chi Xiaoduo didn't want to do something like that again, and he didn't want to define their relationship with money. Speaking of money, Chi Xiaoduo didn’t have that much. That bit of money that he had worked hard for and gave up both blood and sweat and tears to save up, wasn’t enough in Xiang Cheng’s eyes.
Just when Chi Xiaoduo was calculating how much money he could spend, trouble came to him.
The landlord wanted to sell the house. Chi Xiaoduo was stunned, and at least hundreds of mola fish died in his heart.
"No way ba!" Chi Xiaoduo said, "Why are you selling the house?"
The landlord said, "It's none of your business whether I want to sell the house ah. There’s already someone coming who wants to see the house, so you move out quickly ba. Pack up and take some pictures for me, and I’ll give them to the intermediary. Thank you."
Chi Xiaoduo immediately had a terrible headache. He had already moved N times since graduation. Not having his own house really wasn’t good. It was such a precarious feeling; as soon as the landlord opened his mouth, he had to move. Fortunately, he wasn’t busy recently, so Chi Xiaoduo just worked half the day before spending the rest of the day apartment hunting.
All apartments were expensive, and the ones near the design institute cost three to four thousand a month. Chi Xiaoduo's annual salary was about two hundred thousand, but he was very economical in spending money. After all, he didn’t have a car or a house, and it was only proper to save money to buy a house early on, so he couldn’t spend it carelessly.
In the end, he took a fancy to a garden community. It would only take fifteen minutes to get to work by bike, and the environment was quiet, but the price was very expensive. For a fully furnished two bedroom and one living room apartment, the rent every month was three thousand six hundred, and he would have to pay rent for one year in advance.
Like that, more than forty thousand would just be gone. Chi Xiaoduo’s money was all wrapped up with financial managers, and he only had a few tens of thousands in spare change for meals. If he paid out the entire rent and then suddenly needed money, it would be very troublesome. He could only go ask his friends if any of them wanted to share the rent as roommates, or if he could borrow some money from them. Chi Xiaoduo remembered a university classmate named Wang Yong, who had come to work as a local urban rail supervisor and lived in a shed built on the construction site. He had been talking before the entire time about getting together and getting something to eat, so he could ask him at the same time if he wanted to rent a house in the city.
Both sides were very familiar with each other, and they were also friends who had copied each other's homework in fluid mechanics, so Chi Xiaoduo wasn’t so polite when he spoke.
[Are you there? I'm going to die of poverty la! I'm looking for a roommate to rent a two bedroom and one living room apartment with, are you interested? Please do me a favor, come and save me, this Mola fish is going to be maltreated to death by my landlord, okay! I have no money la!] Then Chi Xiaoduo didn't even think about it before pressing send and posting it to the groupchat.
Once he realized what was going on, Chi Xiaoduo let out a crack, and thunder rolled.
"AHHHHHHHH--!" Chi Xiaoduo howled in the spring breeze.
I actually sent such a stupid message to the groupchat! Oh my god! Chi Xiaoduo was about to slam his head against something to kill himself.
Following that, Chi Xiaoduo received countless messages.
[You still haven't bought a house yet huh, Chi Xiaomola.]
[What renting a house, come live at my house. Your sister-in-law is talking about you.]
[I'm sorry oh, hehehe. This little girl’s mortgage will last for another 35 years. Worker Chi, go find yourself another mate ba.]
[Hello, I'm Manager Huang, a real estate agent. The apartment you visited last time...]
Chi Xiaoduo: “....”
Among the numerous messages, there was one from "Xiang Cheng,” flashing again and again.
[Who is this?]
Chi Xiaoduo immediately replied to him, saying: [I was careless and sent it to the wrong people. I'm Chi Xiaoduo.]
[Are you feeling better?]
[I’m already feeling much better.] Chi Xiaoduo's heart was pounding. He knew that Xiang Cheng was just being polite and didn't mean anything else by it, but he was still very happy after receiving this text message.
[Are you looking for someone to rent a place with you?]
Since Chi Xiaoduo didn't answer, Xiang Cheng actually called. Chi Xiaoduo trembled and picked up the call. It was quite quiet on the other end, and Xiang Cheng's voice was a little low. He asked, "Are you looking for someone to share rent with?"
Chi Xiaoduo: "Ah... Yes, I sent the message to the wrong place just now, I'm sorry to disturb you."
Xiang Cheng asked, "I’ll share the rent. When is the move?"
Happiness had come too soon, just like a tornado. Chi Xiaoduo was immediately beside himself with joy and said, "You, you... Do you want to see the place first? I'm free tomorrow afternoon. I'll clock out early and call you then? "
Xiang Cheng let out an “en” and hung up. Chi Xiaoduo immediately cheered and plopped on his bed to roll around. At this time, his cellphone rang with another call.
"Hello, Xiaoduo? I'm Wang Yong!” The other party said, "Are you looking for someone to share a place with? Perfect, I don't want to live in a shed anymore. During the summer, it’s... "
Chi Xiaoduo immediately and reflexively said, "Hey, what sharing a place? Everything is just your delusion. I'll invite you to dinner next week, okay, I’m hanging up first. "
Wang Yong: “.....”
The next afternoon, Xiang Cheng came by bus to pick up Chi Xiaoduo, and they took the subway to the neighborhood to have a look around. Xiang Cheng was obviously very satisfied with the unit.
"Where do you live now?" Chi Xiaoduo asked.
"The company dormitory." Xiang Cheng replied, "It’s annoying, there are always people asking about this and that, and they also look through my things. I don’t want to continue living there anymore."
Chi Xiaoduo said, "That’s true, I also don’t like my privacy being violated."
Xiang Cheng's expression changed a little, and he seemed to be thinking about something. He asked, "Then will I disturb you by living with you?"
The unit faced south, and the light was very good. There were two bedrooms and two living rooms, and there was even a small study on one side of the living room, as well as some half-dead flowers planted around. Xiang Cheng put his hand on Chi Xiaoduo's shoulder, and they looked out together. On the 12th floor, the spring sunshine was brilliant. Chi Xiaoduo felt like he was planning his future life with his boyfriend, and he couldn’t ask for any more.
"The underground garage here..." Chi Xiaoduo asked the agent again.
Xiang Cheng waved his hand and said, "I don't have a car. The ones I drove before were all borrowed from friends."
The agent said, "The owner of this unit is a scholar who works in Australia and only comes back once every several years. It shouldn’t get sold in the near future."
Chi Xiaoduo nodded, and Xiang Cheng said, "It’s a good apartment, should we move in tomorrow? Is that too much trouble for you?"
Chi Xiaoduo hurried to say, "It’s no trouble, no trouble... I'm going to sign the contract right now, and I'll move here when I get the key."
Chi Xiaoduo went to pay for the deposit, and Xiang Cheng was a little embarrassed. After thinking about it, he said, "Wait..."
Xiang Cheng wanted to pay and said, "I have four hundred in cash."
Chi Xiaoduo was eager to fully pay for it himself and hurried to say, "Don't worry about it."
Chi Xiaoduo turned his head to glance at Xiang Cheng and laughed happily. He felt that the Xiang Cheng today was different from all the times he had met him before; he seemed to have something on his mind. It must be the problem of where he would stay, and to Chi Xiaoduo, nothing could be better than being able to help Xiang Cheng. After seeing the apartment, they put down the deposit, made an appointment to sign the contract the day after tomorrow, and then had dinner together. Xiang Cheng treated Chi Xiaoduo to stir-fry at a restaurant.
"In a bad mood?" Chi Xiaoduo asked.
"No,” Xiang Cheng said, "I'm in a good mood, a very good one. Thank you, should I give you an oil massage tonight?"
Chi Xiaoduo was a little worried. He had originally thought he could let it go, but when he saw Xiang Cheng, he couldn't help but think that he might as well rent the house and keep Xiang Cheng. Forget everything else, he could just let Xiang Cheng be his boyfriend and give him 10,000 or 20,000 yuan a month; Chi Xiaoduo could still afford that.
However, with Xiang Cheng's expenses, 20,000 yuan may still not be enough. People in public relations all seemed to spend a lot.
Chi Xiaoduo had inquired many friends curiously, which made all the tall, rich, and handsome people around him think that he was looking for a MB. They even enthusiastically introduced some to him, causing him to be in a mess for a long time. But according to this understanding, Xiang Cheng shouldn’t be posting naked photos online to draw in business. Wang Ren mentioning “fast food night packages” was just him joking around.
Xiang Cheng’s type at most accompanied clients and did oil massages, and besides, they wouldn’t appear at the men's health club every day. Some more sociable young masters could even find a rich person who could take care of them for a long time. Of course, the novelty of a rich person wouldn’t last long, and more young masters would have fun on occasion. When their time was almost up, they would make friends with the next one.
Now, it seemed that Xiang Cheng was going to say goodbye to his last client? And prepare for a new life. Chi Xiaoduo felt that the distance between them had grown shorter by a step. The next day, he was so happy that he didn't even know his own name, and he carried a spring in his step as he swept around his unit.
On the day of the move, the things Chi Xiaoduo had most of were books. Wang Ren drove his car to help Chi Xiaoduo move, and they specifically chose an auspicious day to make the move.
"Hello, little mola." Wang Ren said.
Wang Ren and his friends had formed a partnership to set up a structural design studio. He was affiliated with a design institute, and his family had tens of millions in wealth. He was the one who had done best among their classmates, and he had the style of a boss, but he still bared his arms and helped Chi Xiaoduo move things, running up and down.
"What." Chi Xiaoduo couldn’t control his happiness.
"You're nearly about to become a brainless sap." Wang Ren said, "You like Xiang Cheng? Right?"
Chi Xiaoduo: “…..”
"No, no, what are you saying?" Chi Xiaoduo reflexively turned to leave, but Wang Ren grabbed him back and said in apparent earnestness, "I heard from David that Xiang Cheng is going to resign. I think, looking at him, maybe he likes you."
Chi Xiaoduo was so surprised by that, and he asked, "Really? Really? Did he tell you?"
"Those ducks," Wang Ren said, "do you think they will accompany clients when they’re not making money? Last month, he went to Lianhua Mountain, took care of you for a full two days, and didn't charge you a cent. I think he probably wanted to obtain your affections "
Chi Xiaoduo's happiness was completely beyond description.
"Okay, okay, I see." Chi Xiaoduo said, his words not matching what was in his heart, "Aiya, in fact, besides falling in love, there are many other important things in life. Based on what you said, it would seem like my whole brain is just filled with finding a boyfriend... I'm going now."
"You..." every time Wang Ren tried to teach Chi Xiaoduo a lesson. It was as if he had run into some strange building design where the centroid and the center of mass were so far apart that he couldn't find the load-bearing points. Wang Ren said, "You come back right now! Let’s be clear, you can play around, but you can’t be too serious about it!"
"Understood." Chi Xiaoduo said perfunctorily.
Wang Ren said, "You have to make that point clear to yourself..."
The floor was blanketed by cardboard boxes, and the elevator sounded. Xiang Cheng got stuck in the door, and Wang Ren and Chi Xiaoduo immediately stopped talking.
Xiang Cheng, Wang Ren, and Chi Xiaoduo were all silent. Xiang Cheng seemed to have no idea that Wang Ren would come and instinctively kind of wanted to step back.
Chi Xiaoduo: “....”
Wang Ren: “.....”
Xiang Cheng: “.....”
Chi Xiaoduo almost thought that someone had come to the wrong door. The Xiang Cheng today was completely outside his expectations; he was wearing migrant worker's clothing, camouflage trousers, and Huili shoes. He had on a yellow polyester vest on top, and he carried a huge woven bag on his back.
Chi Xiaoduo's chin dropped to the ground; his first instinct was to grab his cellphone to take a picture.
"You..."
"Hello." Xiang Cheng said.
Wang Ren: "Wow, did you just come back from moving bricks around?"
Xiang Cheng put down his woven bag and stood outside the door. Chi Xiaoduo was completely stunned; he thought of the photo that his bestie had showed him, and it was actually real!!!!
Wang Ren: "You-you-you..."
Wang Ren’s thoughts had already been blown into complete disarray , and he covered his heart with one hand, waving his other hand and saying, "I'm going to rest a bit..."
Xiang Cheng stood in front of Chi Xiaoduo and asked, "Should I take off my shoes?"
"No, no, no!" Chi Xiaoduo reacted and asked hurriedly, "Have you finished moving?"
Chi Xiaoduo helped Xiang Cheng push and wiggle around, working hard and pushing his woven bag through the door. Xiang Cheng glanced at the cardboard boxes on the ground. "So many, are they all yours? Are there any more?"
Chi Xiaoduo said, "I’m done, where's your stuff? I’ll help you move it? "
Xiang Cheng: "This is it."
Xiang Cheng dragged the woven bag in and took a look around. Chi Xiaoduo hurriedly said, "The one on the left is yours."
"You stay in the master bedroom, the light is good there." Xiang Cheng said before dragging his woven bag into the second bedroom.
"What's the matter?" Wang Ren asked in a low voice.
"I understand now!" Chi Xiaoduo said, "He thought that we’d have to clean after moving into a new house, so he changed into such old clothes. In fact, he has good taste; it's Chinese punk style!”
Wang Ren: "Oh? Then why didn’t he switch the Huili shoes with liberation shoes? And he’s even carrying around a woven bag? Is the woven bag LV brand? "
"You leave it alone la." Chi Xiaoduo gritted his teeth and said, "Even if he wears big baggy pants and carries around a sack, he’s still my male god!"
"Wait a minute." Wang Ren said, "I’m taking back my words. This person needs to be investigated before you can consider whether or not to be his boyfriend.”
"Weren’t you the one who introduced him to me." Chi Xiaoduo gritted his teeth and pointed out.
"Us bros were just letting you play around, we didn’t think this far." Wang Ren threatened, "Definitely don’t fall for it ah, this duck may have a lot of schemes in his heart. I'll go back and ask David what's going on."
Half an hour later, the sun rose, and Xiang Cheng pulled on the red rope while Chi Xiaoduo gripped Xiang Cheng's back. The two of them slowly made their way to the ground. Xiang Cheng held the bundle of yao binding rope pinched his index and middle finger together, and made a circle in the air with them. The red rope tied around the Guanyin statue's neck untied itself and fell down.
Chi Xiaoduo's legs were trembling, and he nearly collapsed. Xiang Cheng, with Chi Xiaoduo on his back, ran to the Land Rover. He backed up to pick up his things, destroyed the scene of the crime, took the stone guardians away, and left Lianhua Mountain.
"Where are we going?" Chi Xiaoduo asked, "Why aren’t we going back to the inn? I can’t go on anymore, I'm so sleepy."
Chi Xiaoduo didn't ask any questions about what had happened; his mind was in a complete muddle. Xiang Cheng said, "You sleep first, and when you get up, I'll explain it to you."
Chi Xiaoduo said, "You won’t leave, right."
"No,” Xiang Cheng replied, "Go to sleep ba."
Xiang Cheng put the hood of his sports coat on Chi Xiaoduo's face. Chi Xiaoduo was both sleepy and tired, and leaning in the front passenger seat, he suddenly thought of something——were there really yao in this world?
Grandma had said so before, and when Chi Xiaoduo had been very young, he seemed to have met a black thing.
He had bumped into it on a beach... It had a similar feel to Xiang Cheng’s monster bird, but one was a fish, while the other was a bird... Chi Xiaoduo thought to himself blearily that this world was really magical; not only was there Xiang Cheng catching yao, but also the big black fish he had met when he was a child... His mind was a mess, but he gradually fell asleep. Xiang Cheng wore a tattered singlet as he drove back to Guangzhou. He parked in front of the club, went inside to get the snuff bottle, changed his singlet, got back in the car, and closed the door.
He uncovered Chi Xiaoduo's face that was covered with the jacket.
Chi Xiaoduo was deep asleep, breathing evenly, as the sun shone down on his face.
Xiang Cheng looked at him for a while, then looked at the snuff bottle in his hand, seemingly a little hesitant.
A silver bird flew over, lighting at the window, staring at Xiang Cheng.
Xiang Cheng said to the bird, "He won’t go out and talk about it. This one time, I promise, just this once."
The bird tilted its head, its bright eyes reflecting Xiang Cheng’s handsome face.
Xiang Cheng sighed.
He reached out and rubbed Chi Xiaoduo's head.
"I'm sorry." Xiang Cheng said seriously, then opened the snuff bottle and shook it across Chi Xiaoduo's face.
Chi Xiaoduo sneezed, turned his head uncomfortably and then continued to sleep.
Xiang Cheng was silent for a long time. He put his hand on the steering wheel and wearily leaned his head against it. After a moment, he raised his head, smoked a cigarette, threw the cigarette butt out of the window, and headed back to Panyu.
On the way back, when they were in line to pass the toll station, Xiang Cheng thought of something and scrolled through Chi Xiaoduo’s phone.
"Xiaoduo, I'm sorry." Xiang Cheng said to himself, and then deleted the video of them subduing the yao last night from his cellphone. Seeing photos of himself, he carefully scrutinized them for a while before chuckling and putting it back into Chi Xiaoduo's trouser pocket.
Chi Xiaoduo was fast asleep the entire way there. When they got to the inn, Xiang Cheng first stuck his head out to look around and saw Wang Ren and the others playing mahjong in the backyard. He then picked Chi Xiaoduo up and quietly crept back to their room. He helped him take off his coat, then pulled up the quilt and covered himself and Chi Xiaoduo. He put one hand on his pillow and adjusted their positions from last night so that Chi Xiaoduo could hold him again, and then fell asleep.
Ten minutes later, Wang Ren knocked on the door.
"Chi Xiaomola!"
Chi Xiaoduo was about to die from his headache. His whole body was entangled with Xiang Cheng’s, and Xiang Cheng spread out his arm, letting him pillow his head on it. Just as he was sleeping soundly, Wang Ren knocked on the door from outside and said in a loud voice, "Get up! Don't sleep anymore! Have breakfast and then we’re going fishing!”
Xiang Cheng let out an affirmative noise, got up, and touched Chi Xiaoduo's head. Chi Xiaoduo lay face down, and Xiang Cheng brushed his teeth and washed his face as if nothing had happened.
Xiang Cheng asked, "Sleep some more?"
Chi Xiaoduo agreed; he felt that his throat really hurt and his head also hurt. Xiang Cheng touched his face, and his expression changed.
"Are you sick?" Xiang Cheng asked tensely.
"It seems that I am, a little bit." Chi Xiaoduo's throat was burning with a fiery pain.
Xiang Cheng did not expect that Chi Xiaoduo would get sick. He was a little flustered and hurriedly said, "You sleep."
Chi Xiaoduo was sick, and his voice had gone hoarse. He guessed that it was because he had been working overtime for a week that once he relaxed after being so tired, he had fallen sick. His throat felt like it was on fire, he had a cold, and his nose was stuffed up. He lamented in his heart that it was really too depressing this time; he had finally gotten a rare opportunity to have fun with Xiang Cheng, but he turned around and caused trouble for him instead.
Xiang Cheng went down to the farmstead’s landlady to borrow a thermometer and took his temperature. He really had a fever; it was 39 °. Xiang Cheng nearly dropped the thermometer at that. Chi Xiaoduo said, "I'll be fine after taking some fever-reducing medicine. Don't worry about me... Cough! Cough!”
Xiang Cheng said, "I'll take you down the mountain to see a doctor."
There just so happened to be a couple living next door, and the man was a doctor. He came to take a look at Chi Xiaoduo and said, "It’s okay, it’s not a viral cold. He just yelled too much, and his throat got inflamed. Have you been frightened and blown around in the wind recently?"
Xiang Cheng: “.....”
Chi Xiaoduo said weakly, "No ah, I never yell."
Xiang Cheng lectured, "Told you not to yell."
Wang Ren also came over and said, "How are you even hoarse, what did you two do last night? I didn’t hear the little mola fish in the pond crying out."
Everyone: “…..”
The doctor kindly said, "The weather is often cold right now, so it’s better to still wear some clothes when you go to bed at night. I'll prescribe some medicine for him to take, so just rest on the mountain and drink some porridge."
Chi Xiaoduo’s tears were pouring out with a hualala as he complained inwardly I was wearing clothes, you guys, don’t be like this okay, while also feeling like there really was true love in this world. He lay sick in bed, watching Xiang Cheng go and buy him some medicine. After taking the medicine, Xiang Cheng also brought him congee, and it was even white rice congee at that.
His boss also came to see Chi Xiaoduo. Xiang Cheng told Chi Xiaoduo’s boss that they were cousins. After waiting upon Chi Xiaoduo, he moved over a chair and sat there, reading.
"Lady Ga-what." Xiang Cheng suddenly asked, "What is that?"
"Lady Ga-what?" Chi Xiaoduo asked, confused..
Xiang Cheng waved his hand and didn't ask any more questions. Chi Xiaoduo suddenly realized what was going on, and said, “She’s a singer. Give me your cellphone, I’ll download one of her songs for you.”
Xiang Cheng said, "I can't listen to music on my cellphone. Next time ba."
Chi Xiaoduo felt that his whole body was about to fall apart. He scratched a bit and found that there were red marks on his arm, as if he had been chafed there at some point, and there were some black bruises on his legs.
"What's the matter?" Xiang Cheng asked.
Chi Xiaoduo said, "It’s nothing, I don't know where I bumped into something. Sometimes there will be some inexplicable small wounds on my body, and I don't know where they came from. "
"Does that happen often?" Xiang Cheng asked.
Chi Xiaoduo replied, "Not often at all ba."
They were silent for a moment, then:
"You go and have fun ba."
"Not going."
"Go ahead ba." Chi Xiaoduo pleaded.
Xiang Cheng's face sank, and Chi Xiaoduo had to stop talking.
Chi Xiaoduo couldn't help wailing in his heart, how could things be so disappointing? He had caused him trouble again, and while Wang Ren and the others, after coming by to see him, had gone up the mountain to enjoy the flowers without consulting anyone, Xiang Cheng, who was left behind, sat in his room, staring at him in a daze.
The door was open, and the light in the farmstead inn was very good. The window was also open, and they had a perfect view of the peach tree in the yard. A child kicked the peach tree, and petals flew around under the sun.
Chi Xiaoduo slept some more, and then he looked at Xiang Cheng, his entire body wilted, and he said, "I'm sorry."
Xiang Cheng heard this, and his expression turned into one of him not knowing what the best thing to say would be. His eyes flashed with the feeling that he was at a loss regarding what was going on.
"I'm sorry." Xiang Cheng said, "It's my fault that I didn't take good care of you."
"Are you usually very busy?" Chi Xiaoduo smiled and asked, "Let’s come again next time."
"I’m not busy." Xiang Cheng said, "Next time I'll take you to another place to have fun to make up for this. It's my fault this time; it’s all because I didn't take good care of you. Don't blame yourself."
Chi Xiaoduo was moved, sad, and embarrassed. He replied with a “yes, yes” and that he definitely wasn’t thinking like that. Xiang Cheng went out to avoid him, and answered his phone. It seemed that someone was looking for him, and his sword-like eyebrows twisted up as he said, "Stop rambling, I’m hanging up now."
Xiang Cheng didn’t seem very polite to the person on the phone, and Chi Xiaoduo couldn’t help but worry. He had thought that Xiang Cheng was very good to himself before, but he didn't expect that he was serious sometimes, and he was even more bewitching when he was serious.
"Was that one of your clients?" Chi Xiaoduo asked.
"No,” Xiang Cheng replied.
Chi Xiaoduo: "If it is, it’s okay if you go first."
Xiang Cheng: "It’s. Not. A. Client. You have a sore throat, don't talk.”
Chi Xiaoduo had no choice but to not ask any more questions. Xiang Cheng answered a few more phone calls, all of which he took after leaving the room.
Finally, he simply turned off his phone. Chi Xiaoduo suddenly discovered that Xiang Cheng seemed to have never played with his cellphone in front of him, and also seldom made calls. Only today did it feel like the phone rang incessantly.
Xiang Cheng kept him company and took care of him the whole day. Chi Xiaoduo slept until it was dark, and his dreams were a mess. In the evening, his friends came back and checked in on him again
The next day, Chi Xiaoduo got up at noon and felt better after taking some medicine. However, their spring outing was already over.
Chi Xiaoduo was sitting in Wang Ren's car. When they were going to go down the mountain, the peach blossoms had pretty much all fallen, and he really wanted to slam his head against something and die.
Xiang Cheng stood by the car and waited for them to leave before getting on. Something had come up, so he had to get back to the club.
Chi Xiaoduo waved goodbye to Xiang Cheng and kept looking at his car as they drove away. Wang Ren drove with a bored look on his face and said, "You went way too far in getting a room with him ba, you even caught a cold and your throat is hoarse. Hey, what can I even say to that?"
"It wasn’t like that!" Chi Xiaoduo said through gritted teeth . He reached into his pocket and found a round thing, and when he took it out, he saw that it was a round headed stone guardian. Chi Xiaoduo immediately turned to look behind him and saw Xiang Cheng still standing on the side of the road, looking down at their tire marks on the ground.
This must be from Xiang Cheng; Chi Xiaoduo was happy again.
Looking at the scenery at the foot of the mountain, Chi Xiaoduo thought that he might have really fallen in love with him.
But he had fallen in love with a duck, and plus, he still didn’t have any money! This was really the number one most depressing thing in his life; they had gone out to have fun this time, but pretty much hadn’t been able to have fun, and it was really deathly embarrassing. Chi Xiaoduo first reported to his bestie that Xiang Cheng had probably never topped her cousin, and there was nothing to make him suspect that they were cheating.
Of course, he didn’t mention how they had been “colleagues,” so as to not give rise to more ambiguity.
His best friend said, "You’re dumb ah, you just believe whatever he says?"
"He's very honest." Chi Xiaoduo said, "His name is even Xiang Cheng."
"You can not believe it, but isn’t it better to just believe it? People sometimes just have to be a little dumb. Don't be so inquisitive. "
His friend had no choice but to give up. The city of flowers grew warmer day by day, and with this, Chi Xiaoduo's loving heart also grew restless and eager for action.
"Do you think we will be happy if I take him in as a sugar baby?" Chi Xiaoduo used another phone to chat with his bestie while holding up his cellphone and staring at the side profile of Xiang Cheng, with ice cream on his lips, smiling ambiguously at him. The more he looked at him, the more he liked him; his tongue was even about to stretch out towards the phone screen.
"If it was me, I would just feel very moved." his bestie said blandly, "But my feelings wouldn’t be ignited by you."
"But he should be tired, too." Chi Xiaoduo said, "He told me personally that he didn't want to do this job anymore."
His friend said, "Forget it ba, the other person doesn’t even like you yet. You might as well let someone introduce you to someone and find a comrade for a blind date to be a bit more realistic."
Chi Xiaoduo said, "If he doesn't like me, I'll never fall in love with anyone else."
"You stop talking nonsense ba!" his bestie said over the phone, "Laoniang's face is about to crack, I’m not talking to you anymore!"
Chi Xiaoduo hung up and sighed helplessly.
It had already been so many days, should he ask Xiang Cheng to come over for a house-call? But Chi Xiaoduo didn't want to do something like that again, and he didn't want to define their relationship with money. Speaking of money, Chi Xiaoduo didn’t have that much. That bit of money that he had worked hard for and gave up both blood and sweat and tears to save up, wasn’t enough in Xiang Cheng’s eyes.
Just when Chi Xiaoduo was calculating how much money he could spend, trouble came to him.
The landlord wanted to sell the house. Chi Xiaoduo was stunned, and at least hundreds of mola fish died in his heart.
"No way ba!" Chi Xiaoduo said, "Why are you selling the house?"
The landlord said, "It's none of your business whether I want to sell the house ah. There’s already someone coming who wants to see the house, so you move out quickly ba. Pack up and take some pictures for me, and I’ll give them to the intermediary. Thank you."
Chi Xiaoduo immediately had a terrible headache. He had already moved N times since graduation. Not having his own house really wasn’t good. It was such a precarious feeling; as soon as the landlord opened his mouth, he had to move. Fortunately, he wasn’t busy recently, so Chi Xiaoduo just worked half the day before spending the rest of the day apartment hunting.
All apartments were expensive, and the ones near the design institute cost three to four thousand a month. Chi Xiaoduo's annual salary was about two hundred thousand, but he was very economical in spending money. After all, he didn’t have a car or a house, and it was only proper to save money to buy a house early on, so he couldn’t spend it carelessly.
In the end, he took a fancy to a garden community. It would only take fifteen minutes to get to work by bike, and the environment was quiet, but the price was very expensive. For a fully furnished two bedroom and one living room apartment, the rent every month was three thousand six hundred, and he would have to pay rent for one year in advance.
Like that, more than forty thousand would just be gone. Chi Xiaoduo’s money was all wrapped up with financial managers, and he only had a few tens of thousands in spare change for meals. If he paid out the entire rent and then suddenly needed money, it would be very troublesome. He could only go ask his friends if any of them wanted to share the rent as roommates, or if he could borrow some money from them. Chi Xiaoduo remembered a university classmate named Wang Yong, who had come to work as a local urban rail supervisor and lived in a shed built on the construction site. He had been talking before the entire time about getting together and getting something to eat, so he could ask him at the same time if he wanted to rent a house in the city.
Both sides were very familiar with each other, and they were also friends who had copied each other's homework in fluid mechanics, so Chi Xiaoduo wasn’t so polite when he spoke.
[Are you there? I'm going to die of poverty la! I'm looking for a roommate to rent a two bedroom and one living room apartment with, are you interested? Please do me a favor, come and save me, this Mola fish is going to be maltreated to death by my landlord, okay! I have no money la!] Then Chi Xiaoduo didn't even think about it before pressing send and posting it to the groupchat.
Once he realized what was going on, Chi Xiaoduo let out a crack, and thunder rolled.
"AHHHHHHHH--!" Chi Xiaoduo howled in the spring breeze.
I actually sent such a stupid message to the groupchat! Oh my god! Chi Xiaoduo was about to slam his head against something to kill himself.
Following that, Chi Xiaoduo received countless messages.
[You still haven't bought a house yet huh, Chi Xiaomola.]
[What renting a house, come live at my house. Your sister-in-law is talking about you.]
[I'm sorry oh, hehehe. This little girl’s mortgage will last for another 35 years. Worker Chi, go find yourself another mate ba.]
[Hello, I'm Manager Huang, a real estate agent. The apartment you visited last time...]
Chi Xiaoduo: “....”
Among the numerous messages, there was one from "Xiang Cheng,” flashing again and again.
[Who is this?]
Chi Xiaoduo immediately replied to him, saying: [I was careless and sent it to the wrong people. I'm Chi Xiaoduo.]
[Are you feeling better?]
[I’m already feeling much better.] Chi Xiaoduo's heart was pounding. He knew that Xiang Cheng was just being polite and didn't mean anything else by it, but he was still very happy after receiving this text message.
[Are you looking for someone to rent a place with you?]
Since Chi Xiaoduo didn't answer, Xiang Cheng actually called. Chi Xiaoduo trembled and picked up the call. It was quite quiet on the other end, and Xiang Cheng's voice was a little low. He asked, "Are you looking for someone to share rent with?"
Chi Xiaoduo: "Ah... Yes, I sent the message to the wrong place just now, I'm sorry to disturb you."
Xiang Cheng asked, "I’ll share the rent. When is the move?"
Happiness had come too soon, just like a tornado. Chi Xiaoduo was immediately beside himself with joy and said, "You, you... Do you want to see the place first? I'm free tomorrow afternoon. I'll clock out early and call you then? "
Xiang Cheng let out an “en” and hung up. Chi Xiaoduo immediately cheered and plopped on his bed to roll around. At this time, his cellphone rang with another call.
"Hello, Xiaoduo? I'm Wang Yong!” The other party said, "Are you looking for someone to share a place with? Perfect, I don't want to live in a shed anymore. During the summer, it’s... "
Chi Xiaoduo immediately and reflexively said, "Hey, what sharing a place? Everything is just your delusion. I'll invite you to dinner next week, okay, I’m hanging up first. "
Wang Yong: “.....”
The next afternoon, Xiang Cheng came by bus to pick up Chi Xiaoduo, and they took the subway to the neighborhood to have a look around. Xiang Cheng was obviously very satisfied with the unit.
"Where do you live now?" Chi Xiaoduo asked.
"The company dormitory." Xiang Cheng replied, "It’s annoying, there are always people asking about this and that, and they also look through my things. I don’t want to continue living there anymore."
Chi Xiaoduo said, "That’s true, I also don’t like my privacy being violated."
Xiang Cheng's expression changed a little, and he seemed to be thinking about something. He asked, "Then will I disturb you by living with you?"
The unit faced south, and the light was very good. There were two bedrooms and two living rooms, and there was even a small study on one side of the living room, as well as some half-dead flowers planted around. Xiang Cheng put his hand on Chi Xiaoduo's shoulder, and they looked out together. On the 12th floor, the spring sunshine was brilliant. Chi Xiaoduo felt like he was planning his future life with his boyfriend, and he couldn’t ask for any more.
"The underground garage here..." Chi Xiaoduo asked the agent again.
Xiang Cheng waved his hand and said, "I don't have a car. The ones I drove before were all borrowed from friends."
The agent said, "The owner of this unit is a scholar who works in Australia and only comes back once every several years. It shouldn’t get sold in the near future."
Chi Xiaoduo nodded, and Xiang Cheng said, "It’s a good apartment, should we move in tomorrow? Is that too much trouble for you?"
Chi Xiaoduo hurried to say, "It’s no trouble, no trouble... I'm going to sign the contract right now, and I'll move here when I get the key."
Chi Xiaoduo went to pay for the deposit, and Xiang Cheng was a little embarrassed. After thinking about it, he said, "Wait..."
Xiang Cheng wanted to pay and said, "I have four hundred in cash."
Chi Xiaoduo was eager to fully pay for it himself and hurried to say, "Don't worry about it."
Chi Xiaoduo turned his head to glance at Xiang Cheng and laughed happily. He felt that the Xiang Cheng today was different from all the times he had met him before; he seemed to have something on his mind. It must be the problem of where he would stay, and to Chi Xiaoduo, nothing could be better than being able to help Xiang Cheng. After seeing the apartment, they put down the deposit, made an appointment to sign the contract the day after tomorrow, and then had dinner together. Xiang Cheng treated Chi Xiaoduo to stir-fry at a restaurant.
"In a bad mood?" Chi Xiaoduo asked.
"No,” Xiang Cheng said, "I'm in a good mood, a very good one. Thank you, should I give you an oil massage tonight?"
Chi Xiaoduo was a little worried. He had originally thought he could let it go, but when he saw Xiang Cheng, he couldn't help but think that he might as well rent the house and keep Xiang Cheng. Forget everything else, he could just let Xiang Cheng be his boyfriend and give him 10,000 or 20,000 yuan a month; Chi Xiaoduo could still afford that.
However, with Xiang Cheng's expenses, 20,000 yuan may still not be enough. People in public relations all seemed to spend a lot.
Chi Xiaoduo had inquired many friends curiously, which made all the tall, rich, and handsome people around him think that he was looking for a MB. They even enthusiastically introduced some to him, causing him to be in a mess for a long time. But according to this understanding, Xiang Cheng shouldn’t be posting naked photos online to draw in business. Wang Ren mentioning “fast food night packages” was just him joking around.
Xiang Cheng’s type at most accompanied clients and did oil massages, and besides, they wouldn’t appear at the men's health club every day. Some more sociable young masters could even find a rich person who could take care of them for a long time. Of course, the novelty of a rich person wouldn’t last long, and more young masters would have fun on occasion. When their time was almost up, they would make friends with the next one.
Now, it seemed that Xiang Cheng was going to say goodbye to his last client? And prepare for a new life. Chi Xiaoduo felt that the distance between them had grown shorter by a step. The next day, he was so happy that he didn't even know his own name, and he carried a spring in his step as he swept around his unit.
On the day of the move, the things Chi Xiaoduo had most of were books. Wang Ren drove his car to help Chi Xiaoduo move, and they specifically chose an auspicious day to make the move.
"Hello, little mola." Wang Ren said.
Wang Ren and his friends had formed a partnership to set up a structural design studio. He was affiliated with a design institute, and his family had tens of millions in wealth. He was the one who had done best among their classmates, and he had the style of a boss, but he still bared his arms and helped Chi Xiaoduo move things, running up and down.
"What." Chi Xiaoduo couldn’t control his happiness.
"You're nearly about to become a brainless sap." Wang Ren said, "You like Xiang Cheng? Right?"
Chi Xiaoduo: “…..”
"No, no, what are you saying?" Chi Xiaoduo reflexively turned to leave, but Wang Ren grabbed him back and said in apparent earnestness, "I heard from David that Xiang Cheng is going to resign. I think, looking at him, maybe he likes you."
Chi Xiaoduo was so surprised by that, and he asked, "Really? Really? Did he tell you?"
"Those ducks," Wang Ren said, "do you think they will accompany clients when they’re not making money? Last month, he went to Lianhua Mountain, took care of you for a full two days, and didn't charge you a cent. I think he probably wanted to obtain your affections "
Chi Xiaoduo's happiness was completely beyond description.
"Okay, okay, I see." Chi Xiaoduo said, his words not matching what was in his heart, "Aiya, in fact, besides falling in love, there are many other important things in life. Based on what you said, it would seem like my whole brain is just filled with finding a boyfriend... I'm going now."
"You..." every time Wang Ren tried to teach Chi Xiaoduo a lesson. It was as if he had run into some strange building design where the centroid and the center of mass were so far apart that he couldn't find the load-bearing points. Wang Ren said, "You come back right now! Let’s be clear, you can play around, but you can’t be too serious about it!"
"Understood." Chi Xiaoduo said perfunctorily.
Wang Ren said, "You have to make that point clear to yourself..."
The floor was blanketed by cardboard boxes, and the elevator sounded. Xiang Cheng got stuck in the door, and Wang Ren and Chi Xiaoduo immediately stopped talking.
Xiang Cheng, Wang Ren, and Chi Xiaoduo were all silent. Xiang Cheng seemed to have no idea that Wang Ren would come and instinctively kind of wanted to step back.
Chi Xiaoduo: “....”
Wang Ren: “.....”
Xiang Cheng: “.....”
Chi Xiaoduo almost thought that someone had come to the wrong door. The Xiang Cheng today was completely outside his expectations; he was wearing migrant worker's clothing, camouflage trousers, and Huili shoes. He had on a yellow polyester vest on top, and he carried a huge woven bag on his back.
Chi Xiaoduo's chin dropped to the ground; his first instinct was to grab his cellphone to take a picture.
"You..."
"Hello." Xiang Cheng said.
Wang Ren: "Wow, did you just come back from moving bricks around?"
Xiang Cheng put down his woven bag and stood outside the door. Chi Xiaoduo was completely stunned; he thought of the photo that his bestie had showed him, and it was actually real!!!!
Wang Ren: "You-you-you..."
Wang Ren’s thoughts had already been blown into complete disarray , and he covered his heart with one hand, waving his other hand and saying, "I'm going to rest a bit..."
Xiang Cheng stood in front of Chi Xiaoduo and asked, "Should I take off my shoes?"
"No, no, no!" Chi Xiaoduo reacted and asked hurriedly, "Have you finished moving?"
Chi Xiaoduo helped Xiang Cheng push and wiggle around, working hard and pushing his woven bag through the door. Xiang Cheng glanced at the cardboard boxes on the ground. "So many, are they all yours? Are there any more?"
Chi Xiaoduo said, "I’m done, where's your stuff? I’ll help you move it? "
Xiang Cheng: "This is it."
Xiang Cheng dragged the woven bag in and took a look around. Chi Xiaoduo hurriedly said, "The one on the left is yours."
"You stay in the master bedroom, the light is good there." Xiang Cheng said before dragging his woven bag into the second bedroom.
"What's the matter?" Wang Ren asked in a low voice.
"I understand now!" Chi Xiaoduo said, "He thought that we’d have to clean after moving into a new house, so he changed into such old clothes. In fact, he has good taste; it's Chinese punk style!”
Wang Ren: "Oh? Then why didn’t he switch the Huili shoes with liberation shoes? And he’s even carrying around a woven bag? Is the woven bag LV brand? "
"You leave it alone la." Chi Xiaoduo gritted his teeth and said, "Even if he wears big baggy pants and carries around a sack, he’s still my male god!"
"Wait a minute." Wang Ren said, "I’m taking back my words. This person needs to be investigated before you can consider whether or not to be his boyfriend.”
"Weren’t you the one who introduced him to me." Chi Xiaoduo gritted his teeth and pointed out.
"Us bros were just letting you play around, we didn’t think this far." Wang Ren threatened, "Definitely don’t fall for it ah, this duck may have a lot of schemes in his heart. I'll go back and ask David what's going on."
