When they arrived at Xie Zhixing’s house, Yu Chu unlocked the door with his fingerprint as if he’d done it a hundred times.
He turned to Xie Zhixing. “No one came to let us in today.”
“They’re off for the holiday,” Xie Zhixing explained.
“Oh.” Yu Chu pushed open the door.
The heating was on, and the temperature inside was just right—not stuffy at all.
Yu Chu changed into his own slippers, moved close to Xie Zhixing, and followed him upstairs.
Xie Zhixing’s house really was enormous.
For a while, Yu Chu had been hooked on videos showing off luxurious villas. Xie Zhixing’s place looked just like the houses in those videos.
He hooked an arm around Xie Zhixing’s. “I have a question for you.”
Xie Zhixing looked down at him. “What is it?”
Yu Chu’s eyes sparkled, and there was a note of anticipation in his voice. “How much do houses around here cost?”
Xie Zhixing had expected him to ask something else. He let out a quiet laugh. He hadn’t bought the house himself and didn’t know the exact price, so he gave Yu Chu a rough estimate.
Yu Chu knew houses in the city wouldn’t come cheap, but the figure was far higher than he’d imagined.
Forget it. I’ve stayed at Xie Zhixing’s house, so I can say I’ve had the experience. A small place would be fine, too. Cozy, even.
A house this expensive would eat up all his savings. Then he’d be left with an empty shell, with no money to decorate or buy furniture.
He wasn’t expecting to wheedle a house out of Xie Zhixing. Asking for one outright would be far too greedy. He’d rather have something that offered better value for money—like the black card of Xie Zhixing’s he’d accidentally ended up with last time.
Xie Zhixing had never asked for it back. Yu Chu didn’t think he’d forgotten the card existed; he simply didn’t care.
Yu Chu had used it a few times. Xie Zhixing had received notifications about every purchase, but he’d never said a word.
“Thinking about buying a house?” Xie Zhixing asked.
“No.” Yu Chu shook his head. “I was just curious.”
Upstairs, Yu Chu spotted Xie Zhiyuan. This time he was certain it was Xie Zhiyuan, because Xie Zhixing was standing right beside him.
Xie Zhiyuan wore a black turtleneck. Yu Chu recognized the brand: an 8,800-yuan sweater.
Seeing Xie Zhiyuan again made Yu Chu feel a little awkward.
He’d instinctively wondered why Xie Zhiyuan was always around, but quickly remembered that this was his house, too. There was nothing strange about him being here.
Xie Zhiyuan acted as if nothing had happened. “You’re here.”
Xie Zhixing nodded, then turned to Yu Chu. “Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
He’d only just woken up when Xie Zhixing messaged him. There’d been no time to eat, and now he was starting to feel hungry.
Xie Zhixing pulled out his phone. “I’ll have someone come over and cook.”
Yu Chu knew he meant the household chef.
He put himself in the chef’s shoes. It was Lunar New Year’s Day, and the chef was probably happily celebrating with family when the boss suddenly called. Who wouldn’t find that a pain?
Yu Chu stopped Xie Zhixing. When he turned around, Yu Chu said, “I can cook. I’ll make something.”
Xie Zhixing looked surprised. “You can cook?”
Xie Zhiyuan watched him with interest, too.
“A little. Just home-style dishes. Nothing too complicated.”
In the kitchen, Yu Chu checked the fridge. It was well stocked, with enough ingredients to put on a feast fit for an emperor.
He picked through the shelves and took out some eggs and tomatoes. He wasn’t going to ask what they liked. There was no guarantee he could make it, anyway. If they didn’t like what he cooked, they could make something themselves.
Yu Chu had assumed the brothers would stand around like a couple of spoiled lords and watch him cook. He hadn’t expected them to have enough manners to know they shouldn’t leave their guest to do all the work.
They were both rather clumsy, but at least they weren’t deliberately making trouble.
Yang Ji was like that at home. Ask him to do a chore and he’d botch it on purpose, so no one would ask him again. It wasn’t that Yang Ji was too stupid to do housework. If anything, he was too clever.
Yu Chu tipped the wildly uneven tomato chunks Xie Zhixing had cut into the pan. With practiced ease, he broke up the eggs with his spatula, then stir-fried them together with the tomatoes.
“I didn’t know you could cook,” Xie Zhixing said.
“You never asked.” Yu Chu pushed the question back at him. “If you had, I would’ve told you.”
He pointed to the rice cooker. “Could someone make rice? We can’t just eat the dishes by themselves.”
Xie Zhiyuan, who was closest to it, went over.
Yu Chu really did only know how to make simple home-style dishes.
There were three of them, so he made three dishes. If they wanted him to make anything else, he’d have to charge Xie Zhixing and Xie Zhiyuan. There was no such thing as a free lunch, and cooking three dishes for them was already charity.
At least, that was the jumble of thoughts running through Yu Chu’s head.
Xie Zhixing seemed very satisfied with the meal. Xie Zhiyuan barely said anything, but Yu Chu could tell he was satisfied, too. He’d better be.
By the end, all three plates were empty, with only a little sauce left behind.
After dinner, Yu Chu followed Xie Zhixing and Xie Zhiyuan to the home theater to watch a movie.
During the meal, Xie Zhixing had offered to take Yu Chu out wherever he wanted. Yu Chu had declined. He preferred staying somewhere warm and cozy to going outside.
The home theater had a long sofa and a giant screen.
The sofa was big enough for three and then some.
Yu Chu sat between Xie Zhixing and Xie Zhiyuan, feeling awkward for no particular reason.
He’d thought Xie Zhiyuan would go back to his room. Who knew he’d be in the mood to sit down and watch a movie with them?
This clearly wasn’t a place for sitting ramrod straight. After a moment’s thought, Yu Chu leaned sideways and rested lightly against Xie Zhixing.
Xie Zhixing caught the scent of him. It was lovely, but it didn’t smell like perfume.
Yu Chu had no idea who’d picked the movie. He’d gone to the bathroom before coming in, and it had already started by the time he got back.
He’d never seen it before and had no idea what it was about. Just looking at the screen, it seemed a little creepy. Maybe it was a horror movie.
Did all Americans like horror movies? Hughes did, too.
Yu Chu pressed himself against Xie Zhixing in earnest. Having a warm body beside him made him feel safer.
Xie Zhixing suddenly asked if he wanted a blanket.
Yu Chu gave a dazed little “Mm,” then remembered he’d once casually mentioned to Xie Zhixing that he liked to wrap himself up in a blanket when he watched movies at home.
He nodded, and Xie Zhixing brought one over. It was thin, just right for a room with the heat on.
Yu Chu pulled it over himself.
The blanket was big. Once he spread it out, the edge brushed against Xie Zhiyuan beside him.
The theater was dim, and Xie Zhiyuan wasn’t much of a talker, so Yu Chu didn’t notice.
As the movie went on, Yu Chu’s posture grew less and less proper. He tucked his legs together and stretched them out across the sofa, like a little mermaid.
With Xie Zhixing’s arm around him, they looked like a loving couple.
The horror movie didn’t really hit its stride until halfway through.
A monster suddenly leaping out at the camera was a basic scare tactic, but it worked incredibly well. The bloody face that appeared onscreen without warning startled Yu Chu.
He gave a full-body shudder. Xie Zhixing and Xie Zhiyuan both felt it.
Yu Chu was leaning against Xie Zhixing, so of course Xie Zhixing noticed.
As for Xie Zhiyuan, Yu Chu had accidentally brushed his foot against him. Yu Chu was still caught up in the terrifying face on the screen and hadn’t even realized.
Xie Zhixing lowered his head. “Are you scared?”
Yu Chu’s voice came out small. “No. It just showed up all of a sudden. I wasn’t ready.”
Xie Zhixing held him close. “Then let’s put on something else. What do you want to watch?”
Just then, Yu Chu felt someone grab his ankle.
He went rigid and looked over. It was Xie Zhiyuan.
The blanket covered Xie Zhiyuan’s hand completely.
Yu Chu was baffled. A few seconds later, he remembered that he might have accidentally kicked Xie Zhiyuan.
Was he really that petty?
It was an incredibly strange feeling. Xie Zhixing had an arm around his upper body, while Xie Zhiyuan had him by the foot.
But the next second, Xie Zhiyuan let go.
When Yu Chu didn’t answer, Xie Zhixing made the decision for him. “Let’s watch something else.”
Yu Chu stayed leaned against Xie Zhixing, but his gaze drifted elsewhere.
Xie Zhiyuan was looking at him.
Yu Chu immediately turned away. Had he offended Xie Zhiyuan last time? How was that his fault? Xu Chen was the problem.
The second movie was an action film.
Halfway through, the heroine celebrated her birthday. Watching someone else have a birthday reminded Yu Chu that his own was tomorrow.
That evening, Xie Zhixing still called the household chef over.
Yu Chu watched the chef arrive in a flurry to make them dinner and sighed to himself.
He tugged at Xie Zhixing. “I can cook, you know. Why did you call the chef?”
“I didn’t invite you over to cook for me.”
The chef made them a Western-style meal.
Xie Zhixing brought out a bottle of red wine.
Yu Chu wasn’t much of a red-wine drinker. It tasted sour to him and didn’t have much going for it. Still, he had two glasses to humor Xie Zhixing.
The wine Xie Zhixing had brought out was surely expensive, something good. Yu Chu just didn’t think it tasted good. A cocktail was much better.
Holding his wineglass, Yu Chu sneaked a glance at Xie Zhiyuan.
Xie Zhiyuan remained silent, like a statue carved from silence.
Yu Chu wondered if he’d been the kind of baby who didn’t cry when he was born, too.
Perhaps Xie Zhiyuan had somehow sensed the ridiculous thought. He gave a low cough.
After dinner, Yu Chu went to Xie Zhixing’s room to bathe.
He’d already flushed red from the wine. After soaking in the tub, he was pink from head to toe.
Yu Chu changed into his pajamas and had barely stepped out of the bathroom when Xie Zhixing opened the door and came in.
He watched Xie Zhixing walk over to him.
Xie Zhixing lowered his head and kissed him gently. “Finished bathing?”
“Mm,” Yu Chu murmured.
Xie Zhixing put an arm around his waist, and the two of them sat down on the bed.
Yu Chu looked at him and finally asked the question he’d been curious about for a long time. “Don’t you go home to celebrate the New Year with your parents?”
Yu Chu had left halfway through the holiday himself, but Xie Zhixing and Xie Zhiyuan didn’t seem to have any intention of going home. The first day of the New Year was almost over.
Xie Zhixing said they’d spent most of their childhood abroad and were used to celebrating Western holidays. They generally didn’t celebrate Lunar New Year.
The first time Yu Chu went abroad had been for a music festival in the United States. He’d always wondered what it was like to grow up overseas. His fingers curled into Xie Zhixing’s shirt as he mused, Their surname is Xie. So what would their English names be? Sheldon? [T/N: In Chinese, “Sheldon” is transliterated as Xie Er Dun, sharing the same character as their surname Xie (谢).]
He had a feeling they didn’t know that Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory and Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants shared the same first name.
He was still thinking when Xie Zhixing lowered his head and kissed him.
Yu Chu remembered his first kiss. It had been in Xie Zhixing’s car.
Xie Zhixing had kissed him rather roughly, and Yu Chu hadn’t known what he was doing. He kept running out of breath.
After a long, messy kiss, Xie Zhixing pressed him down onto the bed.
Xie Zhixing’s hand slipped beneath the hem of Yu Chu’s pajamas and came to rest on his smooth, flat stomach.
Yu Chu’s head felt foggy. Maybe it was the two glasses of wine—his tolerance was terrible—or maybe it was what Xie Zhixing was doing to him.
Xie Zhixing lifted him up. Yu Chu went limp, straddling Xie Zhixing’s thigh. He slowly raised his body, then sank back down, unable to take it.
Yu Chu wasn’t usually short on stamina. He trained regularly. It was just that, at a time like this…
He leaned against Xie Zhixing, trying to steady his breathing.
When Xie Zhixing saw that Yu Chu couldn’t take any more, he had him lie back on the bed and bent over him.
Too embarrassed to look at him, Yu Chu shut his eyes and bit his lip.
Xie Zhixing had a mean streak. He pressed himself against Yu Chu, one hand on his stomach, pushing down lightly. “Right here.”
Yu Chu frowned, tears clinging to his lashes. He reached for Xie Zhixing, his fingers finding the raised veins on Xie Zhixing’s hand.
While Yu Chu’s thoughts were in a complete muddle, Xie Zhixing lowered his head and wished him a happy birthday.
