Chapter 35

Half a minute later, Song Ruichi called again.

Xu Er still did not answer immediately. He was thinking: if Song Ruichi asked why he had not picked up just now, what should he say?

He had not heard it? He had been in the bathroom? He had fallen asleep again?

Xu Er had not figured it out at all, but he was anxious that he might miss the call a second time, so he answered first.

“Hello,” Xu Er said softly.

Song Ruichi said from the other end, “I’m done with the meeting.”

Xu Er glanced at the time. “You just finished?”

“There was a little too much rambling this time.”

Xu Er hummed twice. “True. Leaders really are long-winded during meetings.”

Song Ruichi laughed. “I was talking about myself.”

Xu Er let out an “Ah,” then an “Oh,” and only then remembered that Song Ruichi was the leader.

Xu Er said, “Well…”

“It’s all right,” Song Ruichi said.

Xu Er had not even started laughing when Song Ruichi added, “You only insulted me.”

Xu Er said, “Well…”

Song Ruichi had a particular talent for making the atmosphere between them lighthearted at any moment.

See? He had not even asked Xu Er why he had failed to answer the call.

“Then I’ll give you two extra points,” Xu Er suddenly remembered the whole matter of awarding points. “You worked hard.”

“Only two points?” Song Ruichi asked.

Xu Er laughed. “What, not enough?”

“You insulted me so badly. My heart has suffered severe trauma.”

“Then how many points do you want?”

“Ten.”

“Ten!” Xu Er raised his voice. “Why don’t you just rob me?”

“Then one point will do. That’s enough. It’s fine.”

Xu Er was rendered speechless. After thinking it over, he said, “Six points. Not one more.”

“Thank you, Mr. Xu.”

Song Ruichi’s thanks came so quickly that Xu Er was instantly struck by the miserable realization that he had failed spectacularly at bargaining.

He had been played!

But Xu Er soon found a way to fight back.

“Song Ruichi,” he said, his voice suddenly full of confidence, “you could have earned plenty of points these past two days. Since that’s the case, let’s count them all within those six points.”

There was half a second of silence on Song Ruichi’s end.

“Mr. Xu, you’ve learned some bad habits.”

“I learned them from you.”

Unexpectedly, Song Ruichi did not argue. Instead, he asked, “What did I do these past two days that could earn points?”

The first thing Xu Er thought of, naturally, was that dark purple shirt.

But then he wondered whether he had become a little too fixated on it.

Xu Er was genuinely afraid that one day he would stop to chat with any stray dog he passed about Song Ruichi in that dark purple shirt.

So after thinking it over, he changed his wording. “Being handsome earns points. Taking me out for good food earns points too. Eating raw-marinated shrimp also earns points.”

After listening, Song Ruichi said, “Teacher Xu really likes that shirt of mine.”

Xu Er froze. “Huh?”

Song Ruichi laughed. “You didn’t deny it. Looks like it’s true.”

Xu Er said, “…You tricked me.”

He had been played again.

But Xu Er quickly said, “I never said which shirt. What you’re wearing today looks handsome too.”

“I never said which shirt either.”

Xu Er fell silent.

He was finished.

What an idiot.

On the other end, Song Ruichi was thoroughly satisfied, though of course he could also sense the mood of the silent person beside the phone.

So in his next breath, he said, “I ordered you a fragrant bowl of crab rice.”

“Huh?”

Though Xu Er sounded puzzled, he immediately imagined the taste of crab in his mouth.

“It’ll arrive in ten minutes.”

Xu Er laughed. “How did you know I hadn’t eaten yet? What if I already had?”

“I just ordered it. I only placed the order a moment ago.”

Song Ruichi had successfully coaxed a laugh out of him.

That habit of tormenting someone half to death, then coming over to smooth their fur afterward, really was—

It really was—

Quite effective.

“What if I don’t want crab rice?” Xu Er rallied once more. He simply had to argue with him.

“Then don’t eat it,” Song Ruichi said, meeting the challenge effortlessly. “I’ll cancel it.”

Xu Er said, “…I’ll eat.”

A very distinct laugh came from Song Ruichi’s end.

As for whether there had been any kissing of necks or not, Xu Er naturally pretended he had never seen that video.

Besides, Song Ruichi clearly did not consider it a big deal at all.

No wonder Song Ruichi had remained so calm after Xu Er kissed him the second time. So he already knew what Xu Er was like after drinking and had grown used to it.

“What were you doing before you answered the phone?” Song Ruichi suddenly asked.

Xu Er paused. “Nothing. I’d just woken up.”

“Really?”

Xu Er felt guilty. “What’s wrong?”

“You seem a little off.”

Xu Er felt even guiltier, but he still stubbornly held his ground. “Maybe I really did just wake up.”

Song Ruichi hummed and did not continue questioning him.

At that moment, Song Ruichi was on his way to a dinner gathering. The traffic was heavy, and the distance was considerable, so he was stuck on the road.

Stuck there chatting with Xu Er about everything and nothing, stuck there until Xu Er’s meal arrived.

They had already switched to a video call, at Song Ruichi’s suggestion.

Xu Er did not understand why they needed video, but since Song Ruichi had suggested it, he went along with it.

So when the food arrived, Xu Er began his own little eating broadcast.

As he ate, he made appreciative noises on the other end. “So good. There’s so much crab. The rice is so springy.”

“I wonder how much longer someone will be stuck in traffic before he gets to eat,” Xu Er said.

Afterward, he scooped up a large spoonful, brought it to his mouth, and leaned toward the screen to eat it.

Song Ruichi rested one hand against the rear window and smiled as he watched Xu Er. He looked as though the food had left him unable to say a word, though who could really know?

The navigation display in the front showed a road glowing red from end to end.

All right. That meant they could still video-chat for another half hour.

Xu Er had a small bad habit when eating: before long, he would drift off.

For instance, right now, he was chewing while the spoon in his hand waited to be raised to his mouth. His eyes were fixed on some unknown spot, unfocused and utterly still.

“Is it good?” Song Ruichi asked.

Xu Er’s mind snapped back to Earth. He instantly brightened and said smugly, “It’s amazing!”

Then he put the spoonful that had been waiting in line into his mouth.

Honestly.

He really was utterly carefree.

“I’ll probably finish dinner very late,” Song Ruichi said.

“Will you be drinking?”

“A little.”

“Don’t drink too much. Don’t get so drunk you can’t make it back.”

“Will you come pick me up?”

“How am I supposed to pick you up?” Xu Er said, but then quickly asked, “Where are you?”

Song Ruichi shook his head. “No need. I have another appointment after dinner.”

This was something Song Ruichi had never mentioned before, so Xu Er was naturally curious. “What are you doing?”

“Meeting someone.”

Xu Er’s spoon paused in his mouth.

The next scene should have been Xu Er grinning and teasing him: Oh? Could it be the person you like?

But that scene never came to pass. For some reason, Xu Er could not make a sound.

Instead, Song Ruichi spoke first. “Aren’t you going to ask who I’m meeting?” Then he added, “Little assistant.”

Those words nudged Xu Er into feeling that Song Ruichi was still under his authority at this moment.

“Who are you meeting?” Xu Er asked lightly.

“A friend.”

Xu Er fell silent.

That was the same as saying nothing.

“Oh.”

When Song Ruichi received no sign of curiosity from Xu Er, he could only explain himself. “A neighbor from when I was a child. He’s going abroad tomorrow. He arrived in City A today and is staying one night.”

Xu Er nodded, his mind filled with one thought: It isn’t him. It isn’t him.

“Does he know about me?” Xu Er suddenly remembered that many of Song Ruichi’s friends knew about him.

“He doesn’t.”

“…Oh.”

He had been overthinking it.

“He can know,” Song Ruichi said. “Are you coming? You could meet my friend.”

“I’d rather not.”

The traffic on Song Ruichi’s side eased considerably after the traffic police arrived. The flow moved again, and before long the road was clear.

Xu Er happened to finish his meal around the same time. After hanging up, he gathered the trash and took it downstairs to throw away.

On his way back, Xu Er ran into that cat again. This time, however, the cat recognized him, so the ridiculous chase from their last encounter did not happen.

Xu Er simply went into the convenience store and bought some food for the cat.

While he was at it, he also filmed the cat and sent the video to Song Ruichi.

Xu Er: This is the cat I mentioned last time.

Xu Er: I heard that if a cat’s owner pets another cat outside, the one at home will throw a fit.

Xu Er: Is that true?

Song Ruichi: It is.

Xu Er: Really?

Song Ruichi: Soso is especially jealous.

Song Ruichi: When I get home, he can’t smell any other animal on me. Otherwise, he gets upset.

Xu Er: Cats can get jealous too?

Song Ruichi: Maybe he takes after his father.

Xu Er: You’ve met his father?

Song Ruichi: Could I perhaps be the father I’m talking about?

Xu Er was amused by the message.

So Song Ruichi was talking about himself.

Xu Er: I didn’t know you were the jealous type.

Song Ruichi: Depends on the situation.

Song Ruichi: If you tease this little cat and then go looking for Soso, Soso will get angry too.

Xu Er laughed. “Soso is so attached to me.”

Song Ruichi: Depends whose cat he is.

Xu Er had already said goodbye to the little cat and was now in the elevator.

There were other people in the elevator, and the signal disappeared as well. Xu Er put away his phone and pressed the button for his floor.

An advertisement was playing on the elevator wall: a wedding photography commercial Xu Er had seen countless times.

But this time, he watched it with his thoughts elsewhere. For no apparent reason, he thought of Song Ruichi.

The man in the advertisement gazed tenderly at the woman. Xu Er wondered whether, if Song Ruichi ever took photos with that person, he would look at them with the same tenderness.

Song Ruichi was even the jealous type.

Although Song Ruichi had only ever mentioned having an unrequited love, Xu Er felt certain that sooner or later, Song Ruichi would win that person over.

Perhaps he had not succeeded yet because he was enjoying the process, enjoying the ambiguity between them.

“He’s so foolish.”

Just listen to that tone—so indulgent.

Song Ruichi really had no reason to be sad. Perhaps he was enjoying every moment of it.

Perhaps they were caught in some game of one running away while the other gave chase.

When Xu Er stepped out of the elevator, the signal returned. He glanced at Song Ruichi’s chat, which was still open on his screen, and tapped open the stickers.

But he immediately closed them again. Without sending anything, he exited the messaging app.

When he got home, Xu Er invited the four-person group to play a game. But his hands felt terribly off today, and he could not keep up with many of the plays.

They finished three rounds.

They lost all three.