BC’s dormitory was a single-family apartment north of the Thales Building. Jian Chi came to the house number left by Shao Hang, paused for a few seconds, then rang the doorbell.
“Come in.”
It was no exaggeration to say that the room in front of him was an elaborately packaged suite. Jian Chi stood at the door and did not go in. A few minutes later, Shao Hang came out from one end of the bedroom, wearing a gray bathrobe, as if he had just washed up. After taking a shower, his cheeks had a touch of red, his hair was hanging down a little messily, and his neckline was slightly open to reveal half of his chest. He stopped by the door and raised the corners of his lips towards Jian Chi, “Didn’t I tell you to come in?”
Jian Chi didn’t step into the room, he bent down and put the gift box on the ground, leaving a thoughtful sentence: “Your stuff.”
The corners of Shao Hang’s eyes moved unpleasantly, and he hugged his arms and walked over step by step. Jian Chi didn’t dodge, he met Shao Hang’s gaze until the distance was shortened to a fist, and finally said calmly: “I have seen you already. Now, when can the video be deleted?”
“Why are you leaving so fast?” Shao Hang held the door frame with his elbows, lowered his head and approached Jian Chi, there was a hint of mint-flavored shower gel in his breath, “Didn’t you come to see me? Don’t you have any gifts of condolences?”
“Didn’t I bring it?”
Shao Hang: “This is my gift to you.”
“They’re all gifts, is there any difference?” Jian Chi’s tone was not very nice. He tried his best not to show his disgust too clearly. “Is there anything else?”
“Certainly.”
Shao Hang’s expression darkened indistinctly. He reached over Jian Chi to close the door, and took him into the room with the other arm. The moment he touched the other’s chest, Jian Chi broke free like an electric shock. Perhaps similar situations have been played out too many times. Thinking of the video, he pursed his lips to suppress his irritability and remained silent.
Shao Hang seemed very satisfied and his lips curved up, and then he pressed it down, as if he didn’t want to be discovered by Jian Chi. He resumed his half-cold half-dangerous tone: “Have I agreed to let you return your things?”
“I do not want it.”
“Why?” Shao Hang narrowed his eyes, unclear if he was upset or not, “Don’t like it? Didn’t you point to this?”
Listening to this ridiculous logic, Jian Chi replied word by word: “Pointing to it doesn’t mean I like it. If you didn’t make me choose one, I wouldn’t have pointed to this model. Take it back. Can the video be deleted?”
“You can’t speak without this sentence?”
Shao Hang seemed to be irritated. He turned around and sat on the sofa, took a sip of the water on the table, slowly shook the glass in his hand, raised his eyes and stared deeply at Jian Chi, “What are you going to do if I don’t delete it? Threaten me? Huh?”
What to do, he really can’t do anything.
Jian Chi stood still, thinking of his only options left, then an unspeakable sense of heaviness and powerlessness swept across his chest.
Shao Hang in the book was arrogant, willful and did whatever he wanted. He made fun and played with others. Such a bad person finally played himself and fell into his feelings. But Jian Chi felt that even if Shao Hang fell in love with Bai Xiyu in the end, it was just a thorn on the surface. He was still him, and he would never change from a predatory wolf to a docile domestic dog.
Of course Jian Chi didn’t think or hope to see Shao Hang’s transformation. He hated Shao Hang, who was so high above him, but he still felt a little reassured about Shao Hang. What Jian Chi was really afraid of was the reason behind that impulsive kiss. If it was just a prank, he could convince himself not to care, but other than that, he didn’t want to know of any other possibilities.
It’s better to always have him be this annoying and never to have any special change.
“You said you would delete the video as long as I came over, do you want to go back on your words now?”
Shao Hang raised his left eyebrow with the scar, hummed disdainfully from his nose, stood up from the sofa, turned his head after a few steps, and spit out two low-pitched words at Jian Chi who was standing in the same place: “Come here.”
The spacious open kitchen appeared in his field of vision. Jian Chi stopped, still not understanding what Shao Hang wanted to do, he was caught off guard by the words that were as straightforward as a notice: “I’m hungry.”
Jian Chi really wanted to answer ‘how is that related to me’, but soon realized that this was not just an announcement. He raised his head to meet Shao Hang’s natural gaze, and after a while, a slightly absurd thought filled his mind. Obviously, this was not absurd to Shao Hang.
“Make me a meal,” Shao Hang said, “I’ll delete the video when you’re done.”
“What?”
Jian Chi suspected that he had heard it wrong.
“I said, I’m hungry,” Shao Hang raised the corner of his lips, flashing a fleeting deep meaning, casually picking up the hair on Jian Chi’s ear, and brushing the mole under his left eye with his fingertips. His voice was hoarse, “If you don’t cook, what do you think would be better?”
Jian Chi turned his face away, grinded his uneven back molars, took a deep breath and asked, “What do you want to eat?”
The smile on Shao Hang’s mouth slowly expanded, it was not gloomy, just pure and somewhat childishly happy. He stretched out his hand to open the refrigerator, rubbed a handful of wet red hair, and clicked his tongue, “I forgot to ask someone to buy things. You can make whichever is fresh, just don’t add onions.”
In fact, Jian Chi really wanted to add something like laxatives to the dishes, but this idea was not realistic. After doing that, he might not be able to leave this apartment safe and sound. There were only half a box of eggs in the refrigerator, a cabbage, a few eggplants, and frozen meat that he didn’t know how long it had been in there for. When Jian Chi sliced open the washed cabbage on the cutting board, it felt absurd and self-deprecating. What was he doing now? Cooking for Shao Hang in his dormitory?
Rather than cutting vegetables, Jian Chi now wanted to cut open Shao Hang’s head to see what’s inside.
“Looks good.”
Shao Hang changed into a gray home outfit and appeared behind Jian Chi at some point. Looking at the eggplant with minced meat in the pot, he made a serious comment, with a sly smile, “So you really can cook. I just said it casually and thought you would fool me with instant noodles.”
Jian Chi paused for a while, then felt a trace of regret, “Do you have instant noodles here?”
Shao Hang raised his hand to open the cabinet above, as if he was wrapping around Jian Chi from behind. He opened the cabinet with the instant noodles inside, his chest trembling with a low laugh, “Why, can’t I eat instant noodles?”
The overly intimate gesture made Jian Chi want to avoid it, but holding the pot in his hand, he had to freeze in place. Shao Hang didn’t seem to notice the rejection from Jian Chi’s body. He stood behind with his hands in his pockets, and occasionally commented lazily.
One dish and one soup were brought to the table. Jian Chi had never cooked such an exhausting meal. Usually Jian Chengchao worked until late at night, and he cooked his own dinner. Occasionally, if he cooked too much, he would leave a little bit for Jian Chengchao. The level can’t be said to be very good. Now he hoped that his cooking skills were not good enough, and it was best to see Shao Hang’s disgusted expression with his own eyes.
It was a pity that this hope was doomed to fail. Shao Hang took another sip of egg soup after tasting the dish. He half-drooped his eyes and he couldn’t read his emotions inside. After a while, he slowly commented: “It can be swallowed.”
Jian Chi didn’t know whether it was a compliment or a complaint, but it didn’t matter. He reminded: “Video.”
Shao Hang took out his mobile phone, threw it directly into Jian Chi’s arms, and reported a string of passwords without raising his head, “Delete it yourself.”
For a while, Jian Chi didn’t know if Shao Hang trusted him too much, or if there was nothing important in his phone, he just clicked on the album. The first one was the surveillance video, he confirmed the deletion, and asked again: “Do you have any backup?”
“No,” Shao Hang said, “do you just distrust me this much?”
Yes.
This answer Jian Chi said silently in the bottom of his heart.
When the video was deleted, the bowl of soup was almost bottomed out. Shao Hang, who had just barely said ‘it can be swallowed’ just now, glanced at Jian Chi. He put down the spoon, and said deliberately: “I didn’t eat anything in the morning, who made you come so late.”
Jian Chi, who was thinking about when he could leave, noticed Shao Hang’s strange expression, and asked suspiciously, “What did you say?”
These words seemed to have some strange magic power, Shao Hang flattened the corners of his mouth, his eyes darkened a lot, and he stopped talking with the chopstick. The atmosphere was inexplicably heavy, and Jian Chi vaguely felt that Shao Hang seemed to be angry.
Why?
Why can someone be so unreasonable even when they are angry?
Little Shao is actually a big dog who likes to be touched by the fur. When he revels, he bares his teeth but when he is being obedient, he will obediently rub against one’s legs.