T/N: Thank you so much to Chakri for the Kofi donation! I rise from the depths of Covid hell to bring you this double update!

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Pei Xi wiped the wet spots off the kitchen counter, deciding between going out and waiting or finding something to do in the kitchen. He suddenly heard He Chuzhou call to him in a soft voice: “Pei Xi.”

He Chuzhou rarely called him by his full name like this, just as Pei Xi rarely called He Chuzhou by his full name.

It wasn’t a polite, superficial business tone, but more relaxed and casual, more like addressing an old friend.

It was very pleasant to the ear.

But still not as pleasant as being called ‘Xinxin.’ 

Perhaps it was because he’d heard it so many times.

He turned his head and curled his fingers: “Huh?”

He Chuzhou leaned to the side of him and said: “Didn’t you say you want to learn how to cook? I happen to be free now. May I teach you a couple of things?”

Pei Xi: “……”

He Chuzhou failed to notice Pei Xi’s dark expression, which wasn’t immediately evident.

But in the long period of instruction that followed, he could easily sense that Pei Xi wasn’t very interested, and that his mood was low.

“Don’t you want to know how to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes?” he speculated.

Considering that Pei Xi’s cooking skills were a flat zero, he’d started with the simplest instructions. But it seemed that now, the skills of successful people were displayed in all aspects, but those who were simple may not be able to comprehend them.

Therefore, he took an overview of the ingredients prepared next to him and changed his strategy: “Then I’ll teach you how to make sweet and sour fish.”

Pei Xi didn’t express an opinion.

Although, perhaps it was an illusion, but he kept feeling that Pei Xi’s expression was darker.

Pei Xi really didn’t have any skill when it came to cooking.

And the cognizant Pei Xi was very self-aware. After experiencing those few times when the “right amount” of salt wasn’t actually the right amount, and where the “small amount” of cooking wine wasn’t enough, he took the initiative to put down the spatula and say: “I can’t learn.”

His natural tone left He Chuzhou both helpless and amused: “I can see that.”

Pei Xi stared at him in silence.

He Chuzhou placated him: “It’s okay, I’m just teaching you for fun. If you can’t learn it, you can’t learn it. I’ll be just fine.”

Pei Xi’s eyes shifted slightly: “You’ll be just fine?”

He Chuzhou: “…..”

Whoops, Pei-calico needed to be coaxed.

He coughed covertly: “What I mean is that in the future, you can always come to me when you’re hungry. Or I can make it and send it to you.”

He thought Pei Xi would just say no, but unexpectedly, Pei Xi said in lieu of refusal: “Wouldn’t it be too much trouble for you?”

He Chuzhou: “Of course not, it’s a convenient thing. Besides, it’s a smooth ride to your house.”

Pei Xi nodded and said no more on the matter, simply leaving the kitchen with an “I’m going to take care of work.”

Was this a tacit understanding that even when he recovered and moved back, he would continue associating with him?

Was it?

Had he understood correctly?

He Chuzhou turned around happily, ready to save Pei Xi’s failed sweet and sour fish.

It actually wasn’t bad, ah, rather pleasing to the eye.

When he had a taste, it was just a little too salty, but not inedible.

The cell phone placed to the side lit up.

He changed the chopsticks to his left hand and used the other to click on the message: 

Wu Qing: [Why are you making eyes at each other over the food? Do you have to cook hand in hand?]

Wu Qing: [Is it rice or dog food I’m eating? I’ve lost my appetite! ! !]

Wu Qing typed out two angry messages, and when he looked up, Pei Xi was back with a computer in his hands.

Although his eyes were lowered and there wasn’t much of an expression on his face, there was a faintly discernible smile on his lips.

Wu Qing: “……”

Wu Qing took a deep breath: [Old Dog He, I don’t care about your seafood dinner anymore! ! !]

Wu Qing: [Changing the ticket! It must be changed!]

Wu QIng: [I’ll change the ticket and take five, six, seven, or eight boyfriends along!]

Of course, Wu Qing didn’t have five, six, seven, or eight boyfriends, nor did he change his ticket. Even though he absolutely didn’t want to eat bulk dry dog food with He Xingxing, there was no other way. When a man stood under the eaves, he must bow his head.

But he could keep it out of sight and out of mind.

In order to not see the sticky couple washing dishes like mandarin ducks playing in the kitchen, he chose to take the initiative to be the person walking He Xingxing. He put on the dog leash, and one person and one dog bounded out of the house.

But although he was obviously overly worried about them washing dishes like two mandarin ducks playing in the water, He Chuzhou had never planned to let Pei Xi wash dishes.

He just put the bowls in the dishwasher.

Before the third wheel who’d taken the opportunity to live a better life came back, he discussed with Pei Xi rationally and objectively: “Will you sleep with me tonight? Wu Qing has a flight in the morning and needs to stay overnight.”

Pei Xi expressed his understanding and agreed to perform an entire act.

Anyway, they had fallen asleep together many times.

This was what both of them thought before nightfall.

But when it came time to actually go to bed, only then did they discover that under a different premise, the situation was completely different from what they’d thought.

When Pei Xi was out of his mind before, he’d slept with him simply because he regarded him as his closest person, and He Chuzhou was simply indulging him. All in all, pureness ran throughout.

As a result, the two of them now had clear ideas and could have a business strategy exchange on the spot. Lying together was not so innocent anymore.

He Chuzhou had long been accustomed to sleeping with Pei-calico in his arms. It was fine when he was alone, but now that this person was in front of him, he could look at him but not hug him.

He lay on his side facing Pei Xi, staring at the silhouette of the man’s head on the pillow next to him in the dimness. Melancholy welled up in his heart. He didn’t dare sigh, anxious and uncomfortable. His back molars were sore.

Little did he know that the person in front of him, who seemed to have fallen peacefully asleep, was still staring at the window in a daze with his eyes wide open.

He wasn’t used to this.

The distance between them at his back made him feel unsteady and empty.

But he couldn’t say it out loud.

Unsure if He Chuzhou was asleep or not, he was incredibly stiff and didn’t dare turn over. He felt that if it was revealed that he wasn’t asleep, the scene would become even more embarrassing than it was now.

Why was there no thunder or rain outside now?

Why did he have to be in his right mind today?

If he said he couldn’t sleep right now, would He Chuzhou open his eyes and get up to watch a movie with him?

His imagination was running wild. He thought he might have difficulty falling asleep tonight, but in fact, he quickly began to sink into unconsciousness amidst the familiar scent surrounding him.

In a half-asleep, half awake state, his body wasn’t controlled by his brain, but driven by instinct. Turning over, he moved closer to the heat source behind him.

When he hazily noticed his behavior, he didn’t have time to break away from the pull of sleep and correct it. A hand hooked around his waist, pulling him into a hug with great familiarity.

The comfortable environment wore down his consciousness too much. He wasn’t able to resist as he sank deeper and deeper into the warmth constantly passing over to him.

The hustle and bustle outside the window was ruthlessly cut off by the glass pane. Only the neon colors of the city penetrated through, making it possible to just barely see within the otherwise dark room.

Two figures embraced each other intimately in bed. Under the guidance of their subconscious minds, they at last found the most comfortable position to get close and fell peacefully asleep.

*

*

Habits were always formed subconsciously.

As time went by, the two became increasingly accustomed to each other’s presence in their lives.

After Wu Qing left that day, neither of them brought up sleeping separately, and settled naturally in the master bedroom.

They took separate sides when awake, but sleeping in each others arms at night became the norm.

It seemed nobody was going to try to rectify this.

During the time Pei Xi was taking a break from work, He Chuzhou would almost always stay home whether Pei Xi was in his right mind or confused.

And Pei Xi also began walking the dog with He Chuzhou, mostly after dinner.

The weather was growing increasingly cold, and it was really hard to get up in the morning.

He met He Xingxing’s three free-range friends in the neighborhood, all of them cats. There was a tabby, an orange cat, and a little cow-spotted cat.

The tabby was very fierce, the lives of countless mice always contained within its eyes. And the orange cat was so stupid that it had been fed into a fat ball by the community residents.

The little cow cat was the smartest and livliest one, and was He Xingxing’s favorite.

He Xingxing always chased the cow cat and licked its tail, then got beaten. Then he caught up with it and got beaten again, never tiring of it.

He Chuzhou came up with several new dishes. First, he cooked them for him when he was confused and received Pei-calico’s compliments.

Then he cooked them for him when he was in his right mind. There was a faint expectation of praise in his eyes, and Pei Xi, who was well aware of his propensity for showing off, saw this clearly. He could only praise him again due to the pressure, avoiding the words Pei-calico had used in order to avoid suspicion.

How can there be such a childish man? He thought speechlessly. Then he finished the small plate of fried fish He Chuzhou had just made.

There was still one left for the chef to eat.

Eating for free all the time was a something that tested one’s ideological and moral character. Pei Xi considered himself to be a decent person, so his embarrassment piled up day by day. Finally, after dinner, he very firmly offered to do the dishes.

As expected, He Chuzhou disagreed and refused to show him how to operate the dishwasher.

Then he changed his strategy after discovering that Pei Xi had already watched him do it, and assigned him a job that was presumably more responsible and difficult than washing dishes — going with him to the supermarket to buy groceries.

Pei Xi: “……”

Okay, as long as you’re happy.

The auntie who previously came to clean and restock the refrigerator lost her job, and they also became familiar with the enthusiastic supermarket auntie during their frequent shopping.

Pei Xi was very considerate and went outside when He Chuzhou checked out so as not to expose him. When meeting the auntie alone, he would calmly reply: “En, I’m with my husband.”

Of course, living such a calm and peaceful life for so long would cause the gods dissatisfaction and lead to misfortune.

He Chuzhou had a three-day business trip. He would leave the next morning and return two days later in the afternoon.

How could this work?

Could he leave Pei Xi alone at home?

Uneasy, he turned to ask Pei Xi if he wanted to go with him.

It was getting late, and it was dark outside. Pei Xi was sitting on the side of the bed, holding a tablet and reading project evaluation materials.

Hearing He Chuzhou’s words, he adjusted his glasses and looked up: “If I go with you, can you spend the whole day with me on your business trip and bring my addled self to meet clients?”

He Chuzhou was speechless.

“If I have to stay in the hotel room morning and night, it’s no different from me being at home.”

He wasn’t as worried as He Chuzhou, and lowered his head to continue reading his materials: “Just tell ‘me’ before you leave tomorrow morning. Even if I’m confused, I’m still an adult man with normal thinking and logic, so being alone for two days won’t be a problem.”

Time moved forward very quickly when asleep. He Chuzhou got up early the next day. While he was packing up, he received a call from Yun Ji, saying that he and the driver were waiting outside the community.

He Chuzhou looked at the time and crouched beside the bed, half asleep and waiting for Pei Xi to wake up as he turned on his phone.

“I’m going on a business trip, and I’ll be home the day after tomorrow.”

“I’ve saved my driver’s phone number on your phone, and you can tell him to pick you up and drop you off wherever you want, okay?”

“You don’t have to think about me when you’re home alone. En, you can think about me a little bit, but not too much.”

“If you need anything, please send me a message at any time. I’ll reply the moment I see it. If you can’t sleep after 9 pm, call me.”

“Tell me what gifts you want, including food. I’ll bring them back for you after the business trip.”

Pei Xi, who wasn’t sleepy at all, was stunned by this nagging: “Can’t you bring me there?”

Why did He Chuzhou sometimes feel that Pei-calico’s brain circuits were synchronized with his own?

“I can’t.”

Out of nowhere, he felt like he was being coaxed. He said in a pretty good frame of mind: “I can’t accompany you during the day there, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone in a strange environment.”

Pei Xi wasn’t too disappointed: “You’ve been nagging me for so long, can you still catch your plane?”

He Chuzhou: “…..”

He Chuzhou laughed angrily and gritted his teeth, pinching the other’s face: “Who can I worry about, you white-eyed wolf!”

“Never mind.”

He gave a sigh, standing up to set off: “Remember to send a message right away if anything happens. If it’s important, call me. You don’t have to worry about delaying my work. Those foreigners aren’t particular about such things.”

“I’m off.” He rubbed Pei Xi’s head one last time and turned to leave.

Once He Chuzhou left, the house fell silent.

Pei Xi sat on the bed and felt the emptiness of the room. Looking at He Xingxing lying on the carpet with his chin on the floor, he couldn’t adapt.

It seemed that for a long while, he hadn’t been separated from He Chuzhou.

He got up, walked the dog, hadn breakfast, and was in a daze for a while. Suddenly alone, he didn’t know what to do. He took out his phone and played with it for a while, then got up and went to the kitchen.

The steps for baking cookies looked simple. Heat the butter to soften it, add powdered sugar, then beat it with a whisk—

Ding.

The phone rang. He unlocked it with his relatively clean ring finger and clicked on the message:

Chuzhou: [I’m at the airport. Have you had breakfast? The milk may be cold, please heat it up again.]

Pei Xi typed back at an inconvenient time: “I’m eating,” and then continued to whip the butter.

The egg yolks needed to be cooked first.

He boiled water and put two eggs in. It felt a little short, so he added another five, six, seven, or eight, and closed the lid to cook it regularly.

Ding.

The phone rang again.

He Chuzhou: [The plane has taken off, and it’s switched to autopilot mode. The altitude now is 10,000 meters]

Pei Xi: “…..”

Why was he telling him this?

He didn’t quite understand, so he replied: [So high.]

Finally, he divided the large dough ball into small pieces about 10 grams each and pressed them one by one with his thumb, then put them in the oven. The baking time was…..was……

Ding.

He Chuzhou: [/picture]

He Chuzhou: [The clouds are quite thin. I just checked the weather forecast. It’ll be sunny for the next two days, without rain.]

Pei Xi’s hands were covered in flour, and he really couldn’t type.

After a moment’s thought, he used a slightly clean finger to click on the voice input, submitted a message, and pushed send.

On the other side, aboard a plane at an altitude of 10,000 meters.

Yun Ji glanced at the person next to him and finally couldn’t help it anymore: “What are you doing? Someone who doesn’t know might think you’re reporting your itinerary to your wife!”

He Chuzhou glanced at him, his lips rising carelessly: “Managing your boss’s cell phone usage?”

Yun Ji scoffed: “Who wants to manage you? I just want to remind you that we’re on a two-day business trip and we’ll be back the day after tomorrow. There’s no need to be so eager to go back home. You’re in a hurry to meet your lover, ah.”

“How did you know my heart is speeding home?”

A voice message popped up on He Chuzhou’s phone after he finished speaking. The tips of his eyebrows rose slightly, and a delighted smile crept into his eyes.

He turned down the volume and pressed the phone against his ear, gazing contentedly at the thin clouds outside the window and the unobstructed view of the bustling city below.

Then he heard a cold, gentle, and somewhat helpless voice come through the receiver, and the smile on his lips gradually froze.

“Chuzhou, I’m busy learning how to bake cookies. If you have nothing to do, don’t keep sending me messages. You’re disturbing me.”

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Chapter 37 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 39