Zhou Xiang hadnât been drunk for a long time. When he woke up, he turned over, but his body met air and he fell onto the ground with a thud. He opened his drowsy eyes and saw that he was in the living room, and just before he had been sleeping on the sofa with only a blanket over him.
Zhou Xiang couldnât remember how he got back, but since he got home safety, it didnât matter.
"Awake now?"
Zhou Xiang jumped with a start. He turned his head and saw Yan Mingxiu sitting in front of the dining table, coldly staring at him.
Zhou Xiangâs body ached terribly all over. Someone his height had squeezed in a sofa for one night so it wasnât surprising. "My waist really hurts, ow." Zhou Xiang complained resentfully, "You let me sleep on the sofa?"
Yan Mingxiuâs anger hadnât dispelled. He snorted, "Donât tell me I should have let someone as stinky as you sleep on the bed?"
Zhou Xiang thought to himself, âThatâs my bedâ, but it was true that a drunken person was pretty troublesome, and it ended up fine anyway; now he didnât have to change his sheets.
He absentmindely closed his eyes again. His head was very heavy. He didnât want to move.
Yan Mingxiu slammed a cup down on the glass dining table, and raised his voice. "Why donât you ask yourself how you got back?"
"Ah? How did I come back? Who sent me home?" He felt that it should be Cai Wei.
"It was a young handsome guy." Yan Mingxiu sat down on a sofa next to his one, and said in bad-temperedly, "Your attractiveness level is pretty high, if I wasnât at home yesterday, today you two would have probably woken up in the same bed."
Zhou Xiang worked hard to recall his memories. Donât tell me it was Lan Xirong who sent him back home? Besides him and Cai Wei, no one else knew where he lived. He replied, "Oh, I know who it is now. A colleague, right?" He cracked a grin, "Are you jealous?"
Yan Mingxiu burst into anger. "Donât think so highly of yourself." He then stood up, grabbed his keys, slammed the door and left.
Zhou Xiang stared blankly at the door. Unfortunately, he had a serious hangover right now. He really didnât have the energy to think any further. He wobbled into the bedroom, fell head first into the bed, and fell asleep right away.
When he woke up again, the sun had already set. Zhou Xiang got up and had a very thorough shower. He changed his sheets, and fed himself some food.
When he turned his cell phone on, he saw that there was pile of unread messages and missed calls from Lan Xirong.
Zhou Xiang called him back. After the call connected, Lan Xirongâs slightly deep voice sounded from the other side, "Xiangâge, why did you only turn on your phone now?"
"Slept too much." Zhou Xiang kneaded his temples. "Did you send me back home yesterday? Sorry for the trouble."
"Why are you being so polite?" Lan Xirong let out a sigh, and asked quietly, "Is that person your boyfriend?"
"Hm", Zhou Xiang answered vaguely. "You saw him?" Yan Mingxiu couldnât be considered his boyfriend, after all, they hadnât ever made any sort of commitment or anything. Right now, they could only be considered bed partners.
"Xiangâge, do you..."
Zhou Xiang could tell that Lan Xirong had something to say but had stopped for some reason. He pressed, "What is it?"
"Do you like him?" After Lan Xirong spoke, he wanted to take back those stupid words, but it was too late.
Zhou Xiang honesty confessed, "I like him. Things are going pretty well between us."
Lan Xirong was silent for a moment. "Didnât you say that you were going to invite me out for a meal? When?"
"How about the weekend? I have work the next few days."
"Okay, but you canât take your boyfriend with you, is that okay?"
"Whatâs up with you?"
"Youâre inviting me out to eat, why do you have to bring him with you?"
As Zhou Xiang and Yan Mingxiu didnât poke their noses into each otherâs lives, Zhou Xiang didnât think much before replying with a laugh, "Fine, I wonât bring him."
Lan Xirong let out a breath of relief. "Iâll be waiting for your call."
After Zhou Xiang hung up the phone, he finally remembered that Yan Mingxiu had slammed the door and left this morning. Had he misinterpreted his and Lan Xirongâs relationship?
Although it was a real mystery to Zhou Xiang why Yan Mingxiu got mad, the possibility that Yan Mingxiu was throwing a jealous fit over him still made Zhou Xiang secretly elated. He immediately dialled Yan Mingxiuâs number.
The phone rang a few times, and then hung up.
Aiya, such a big temper.
Zhou Xiang thought for a moment, and dialled again a few more times. In the end, Yan Mingxiu finally answered, saying impatiently, "What?"
Zhou Xiang laughed, "I just woke up, and really missed you. Where are you?"
"The company."
"Are you coming home for dinner?"
"No."
"Are you still angry?"
Yan Mingxiu didnât answer.
"That person yesterday was a little brother of mine in the past. He sent me back home out of kindness. You canât just see a hot guy and think that Iâm cheating with him, weâre just friends."
"It didnât look that way to me. That man looked at me like heâd seen an enemy."
"Why would he? He had drunk a lot too, people act differently when theyâre drunk, youâre being oversensitive. Darling, are you jealous?" Zhou Xiang let out a deep laugh.
Yan Mingxiu was a bit embarrassed and angry. He said coldly, "Youâre the one being oversensitive. Iâm only hoping that you remember our agreement, to not get involved with other people, or else, donât come to find me again."
Zhou Xiang wanted to laugh imagining Yan Mingxiu baring his fangs on the other end, "Donât worry, right now, my heart canât fit in anyone but you. Donât be angry anymore, and come back home for dinner. Iâll make you whatever you want to eat."
Yan Mingxiuâs heart finally felt a bit more comfortable, and reluctantly said, "Make whatever."
Yan Mingxiu came home past six. Zhou Xiang was cooking while watching TV. When he saw him, he smiled, "Youâre back," and then went over, embraced Yan Mingxiu and gave him a big kiss. He looked at him, eyes crinkling. "You look so handsome even when youâre being jealous."
Yan Mingxiu knitted his brows, pushed Zhou Xiang away, and went to change.
When he came out all the dishes were already on the table. Zhou Xiang helped Yan Mingxiu ladle soup as he hummed a note. "Come over, drink it while itâs still hot."
Yan Mingxiu glanced at Zhou Xiangâs apron-wearing homely figure, which looked surprisingly elegant and unrestrained. His slender and powerful fingers, which were moving around the bone porcelain tableware, gave off yet another flavour.
The TV happened to start broadcasting an entertainment variety show. The female presenter excitedly announced todayâs guestââLan Xirong.
Zhou Xiang couldnât resist lifting his head to look at the TV. Lan Xirong appeared on the TV screen with a smile, dressed in a casual suit.
Yan Mingxiu followed the line of his gaze and looked over. His face instantly darkened.
Zhou Xiang realised that Yan Mingxiu had become unhappy because of the person on the screen. He promptly withdrew his eyes, and grabbed the remote control, wanting to change the channel.
Yan Mingxiu snatched away the remote control, fiercely glared at him, and then turned his head to look at the TV.
The presently started happily and excitedly announcing Lan Xirongâs overseas box office performance, and the new single that he was about to release. When Lan Xirong talked about his experiences of rising to fame over the past year, as per format, he started expressing his thanks to multiple people. At the very the end, he said, with a smile on his face, that he especially wanted to express his gratitude to a big brother who took care of him when he was still a lowly-ranked unpopular model.
Zhou Xiangâs eyebrows jumped. He lowered his head and raked a mouthful of rice into his mouth.
Yan Mingxiu asked him, "Is he talking about you?"
"Probably not, how can a stuntman like me help him with anything."
However, when the presenter was asking in-depth questions about his experiences and struggles, it was unknown whether it was intentional or accidental, but Lan Xirong said out âXiangâgeâ. He said it really quickly. Almost no one noticed, but two people outside the television set did.
Zhou Xiang glanced at Yan Mingxiu.
Yan Mingxiu coldly snorted. "You two seem to have a really good relationship."
Zhou Xiang finally started feeling a bit upset. Yan Mingxiu was really cute when he was jealous, but it was always so surly and weird, and kind of annoying.
It wasnât like he had been caught red handed committing adultery. It was only a series of interlinked trivial matters. What was the point of Yan Mingxiu being so mocking and sarcastic? It was like he was purposely picking a fight.
Zhou Xiang sighed. "It very wasnât easy for him at that time. Weâre from the same company, I helped him out a little. It was nothing, really. Mingxiu, whatâre you trying to do? Is such a small matter worth making such a big fuss over?"
Yan Mingxiu slammed his chopsticks onto the table. Zhou Xiang was talking as if he was a resentful woman making trouble for no reason. However he simply couldnât contain his anger. His intuition told him that Lan Xirongâs feelings for Zhou Xiang werenât normal, and it definitely wasnât as simple as feelings towards a normal friend.
Yan Mingxiu wanted to blow up, but as Zhou Xiang had already said his part, if Yan Mingxiu did get angry, itâll seem like Zhou Xiangâs words had hit the mark. He firmly clenched his fist, and then released it. He switched off the TV, holding down his anger as he turned around. "Letâs eat."
Zhou Xiang ladled him some soup and said softly, "Mingxiu, cheer up. I, Zhou Xiang, am a man of my word. I definitely wonât make advances at someone else when Iâm with you."
Yan Mingxiu raised his head and gazed steadily at him. "I hate that person. I donât want you to ever see him again, will you agree?"
Zhou Xiang expressed a troubled expression. "Mingxiu, we work at the same company."
"No meeting in private."
Zhou Xiang gave a strained smile, "Mingxiu... Didnât we say that we wonât interfere in each otherâs lives?"
An enraged expression appeared on Yan Mingxiuâs face.
Zhou Xiang got a fright, not daring to believe that Yan Mingxiu would reveal such a vicious expression.
Yan Mingxiu narrowed his eyes. "Youâre right. I have no right to interfere." He lowered his head and silently continued to eat.
Zhou Xiang also continued eating. However, he felt deeply worried and sick at heart during the meal. He couldnât shake of the feeling that something had changed in their relationship.