Translator: Lynn
Cheng Ke blurted out the question without much thought.
Jiang Yuduo had never entertained such thoughts about Xu Ding before. Even when it came to Lin Xu, Jiang Yuduo had been suspicious of him at first, almost taking drastic action.
Now, Jiang Yuduo’s intentions were obvious, and Cheng Ke suddenly found himself making a guess about Xu Ding that he had never considered before…
He regretted asking the question hastily; Jiang Yuduo’s thinking could be straightforward at times, while at other times, it could be elusive and elegant. If his guess wasn’t accurate, he’d feel embarrassed.
Jiang Yuduo, without really pondering the notion of liking someone, impatiently asked if he was jealous… “I don’t know, I’ve never been jealous,” Jiang Yuduo hesitated for a moment, “I just think he treats you very well. Does he like you too?”
“Who knows,” Cheng Ke replied, relieved that the answer was acceptable and didn’t put him on the spot. He headed towards the bathroom, saying, “Quite a lot of people like me, and any one of them might confess their feelings suddenly.”
“Is Xu Ding gay?” Jiang Yuduo followed him and stood at the bathroom door.
Cheng Ke was about to pull down his trousers when he turned around and saw Jiang Yuduo. He sighed, “Hey, I’m going to the bathroom, can you give me some privacy?”
Jiang Yuduo closed the bathroom door and continued talking from outside, “If he’s not gay, why did you suggest he might like you?”
“I didn’t say that,” Cheng Ke clarified.
“Then is he?” Jiang Yuduo persisted.
Cheng Ke felt a little exasperated. Having someone question you through the door while you’re trying to use the toilet was too distracting. He turned his head to the door, “Can you ask me later? I want to concentrate on urinating.”
Jiang Yuduo fell silent, and Cheng Ke finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As soon as Cheng Ke flushed the toilet, Jiang Yuduo pushed the bathroom door open, poking his head in, and asked again, “Is he?”
“For goodness sake,” Cheng Ke, who had just pulled up his trousers, almost startled himself and bumped into the sink, “No, no, no! Xu Ding has been dating his girlfriend for several years!”
“…Oh,” Jiang Yuduo replied, not saying anything further, just leaning against the bathroom door, gazing at him.
Cheng Ke placed the toothbrush that Jiang Yuduo had prepared for him on the countertop, then grabbed the toothpaste and attempted to open the cap with his teeth. Jiang Yuduo made a move to help, but after struggling for a while, Cheng Ke managed to squeeze out the toothpaste and began brushing his teeth. Jiang Yuduo, however, didn’t make any further attempts to assist; he simply leaned against the door and observed Cheng Ke.
Damn, not at all considerate.
Cheng Ke couldn’t help but feel annoyed. First, Jiang Yuduo didn’t know how to provide toothpaste when he had already set up the toothbrush. Then, after their passionate kiss, he just retreated without offering any help.
Cheng Ke tried to focus on brushing his teeth, but his left hand’s awkwardness and Jiang Yuduo’s constant gaze only made things worse, leading him to accidentally poke his face several times.
Jiang Yuduo remained silent throughout, simply observing Cheng Ke’s struggle with the toothpaste, the teeth brushing, the mouth rinsing, the face washing with one hand, and finally, the attempt to twist the towel with one hand. When Cheng Ke hung the dripping towel back on the shelf, he turned his head to look at Jiang Yuduo.
Just as he was about to ask if Jiang Yuduo was awake, Jiang Yuduo suddenly stood up straight and declared, “I’m jealous.”
“What…” Cheng Ke was taken aback.
“I said I’m jealous,” Jiang Yuduo clarified, “After thinking about it for a while, I realized I should be jealous.”
Cheng Ke was still in a daze, not knowing what to say.
“Don’t you use a facial cleanser?” Jiang Yuduo pointed to the shelf, “I bought the same one as the one you threw in the toilet trash before, and I wanted to buy it for you.”
“Do you know what ‘I’m jealous’ means?” Cheng Ke finally snapped back to reality.
“It means that I like you and you like me,” Jiang Yuduo said, “Isn’t that what it means?”
Cheng Ke remained silent, his emotions fluctuating.
“Yes,” Jiang Yuduo nodded, “That’s what it means.”
Before Cheng Ke could say anything, Jiang Yuduo turned and went back to the living room.
Cheng Ke had finished washing up, but he didn’t immediately leave the bathroom; instead, he stood there lost in thought, staring at his reflection in the mirror.
When Jiang Yuduo confessed, Cheng Ke wasn’t entirely surprised. He knew that Jiang Yuduo might not fully understand his own feelings, but there was a certain level of intimacy between them that couldn’t be ignored.
However, after hearing Jiang Yuduo’s sudden confession, Cheng Ke felt a pang of uncertainty. Jiang Yuduo’s troubled upbringing had been filled with pain and fear, and when it came to matters of the heart, he always seemed uncertain, struggling to define their relationship. Cheng Ke was even willing to accept the label of “boyfriend” because he wanted something special and unique between them.
But now, with this unexpected confession, Cheng Ke began to question the true nature of Jiang Yuduo’s feelings. Was it truly genuine, or was it a response to the fear of losing Cheng Ke after the humiliation he endured in front of Cheng Yi and others? Perhaps Jiang Yuduo said “like” to hold on to something, fearing that he might lose it if he didn’t act quickly.
Despite Jiang Yuduo being an adult, Cheng Ke couldn’t help but hesitate in the face of such a significant development, even if he genuinely cared for Jiang Yuduo. He pondered over the situation, and even if they had taken a step further in their intimacy, he couldn’t make a hasty judgment now.
Because with the phrase “like” uttered by Jiang Yuduo, their relationship had transformed beyond a mere physical connection. It signified something more significant, something deeper.
“Fuck,” Cheng Ke cursed under his breath, still gazing at his reflection in the mirror.
This was the first time he had such complex feelings for someone, and it was the first time he found himself entangled because of emotions that were far beyond mere impulses.
The conflicting voices in Cheng Ke’s mind were battling fiercely. One part of him urged to act impulsively, ignoring everything else. However, another part wanted to address something important before proceeding.
“But I have something to tell you first,” Jiang Yuduo suddenly returned to the bathroom door and knocked twice on the frame.
Cheng Ke’s heart was in turmoil, the “screw it” faction and the “can’t ignore it” faction in a fierce struggle. The unexpected voice of Jiang Yuduo, accompanied by the sound of knocking, startled him, and he yelled in fright, “Ah!”
“That’s it,” Jiang Yuduo said, looking at him. “I like everything else, but I can’t seem to accept that kind of thing.”
“What do you mean?” Cheng Ke asked, looking puzzled. “What else do you like?”
“I like it when you kiss me,” Jiang Yuduo replied, then cleared his throat, “and touch me.”
“Right now?” Cheng Ke was taken aback.
“Are you not awake?” Jiang Yuduo furrowed his brow, looking unimpressed. “Don’t act like a fool. You’re turning 28 today, 29 next year, and two years after that…”
“What a fool!” Cheng Ke snapped out of his daze, realizing what he had said. “Okay, I get it. You like it when I kiss and touch you, but you can’t accept anything beyond that, right?”
“Going to bed,” Jiang Yuduo said matter-of-factly.
Cheng Ke was again startled by the straightforwardness of his words.
“Did you hear me?” Jiang Yuduo asked.
“…Yes, I heard you,” Cheng Ke replied.
Jiang Yuduo smiled, leaning over to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Come on, let’s go eat something.”
With that smile, that voice, that tone, and that gentle touch on the corner of his mouth, Cheng Ke felt like he couldn’t stand still, wanting to kneel down and take off Jiang Yuduo’s pants right then and there…
“Let’s go!” Jiang Yuduo turned his head and shouted.
Forget it, let’s not overthink it.
They woke up late today, so instead of having lunch, they were going to have breakfast, and Jiang Yuduo was adamant about eating breakfast early.
Even though Cheng Ke wanted to have a hot pot, he agreed to join Jiang Yuduo at the bun shop.
“Do you want to call Xu Ding?” Jiang Yuduo pushed a tray of buns in front of him.
“I’ll call him after eating,” Cheng Ke replied, picking up a bun.
Mid-bite, his phone interrupted Cheng Ke. He insisted on swallowing the bun before checking the caller ID, and his expression froze for a moment.
“Who’s calling?” Jiang Yuduo asked.
“My dad,” Cheng Ke replied with a mouth full.
“Go ahead,” Jiang Yuduo said.
“Yeah,” Cheng Ke sighed, finished the bun, and answered the phone, “Dad.”
“How’s your hand?” his father’s voice came from the other end.
“It’s better now, it’s been fixed again,” Cheng Ke replied.
“It’s impressive how you can still fight with your brother even with an injury,” his dad commented.
Cheng Ke remained silent.
Even though he had made up his mind to cut ties with his family and not give in to his father and Cheng Yi, hearing his father’s familiar voice still made him want to stay quiet out of habit.
“Cheng Yi’s ankle was fractured openly,” his dad continued, “Your boyfriend’s kick was quite powerful, a good match.”
“Thank you,” Cheng Ke said.
He hadn’t expected Jiang Yuduo’s kick to be so forceful.
“Don’t you have anything to explain? Or ask your boyfriend to explain to me,” his dad urged.
Cheng Ke hesitated. ‘No.’
It was the answer he would typically blurt out, the one he had grown accustomed to over the years.
When explanations were just meaningless words, not offering any explanation at all became the most liberating way to end an agonizing conversation.
But this time, Cheng Ke chose not to respond like before.
“I’ve been very busy these two days. I’ll explain everything to you when I have time,” Cheng Ke said.
Dad sneered, “Busy? What could you be busy with?”
“Checking the accounts,” Cheng Ke replied.
His dad seemed momentarily stunned, then asked, “What accounts?”
“The store Cheng Yi handed over to me. I’m going to sort them out,” Cheng Ke explained.
“What accounts? He gave you a gift?” Dad inquired, “When did that happen?”
“It seems you’re out of the loop as well,” Cheng Ke chuckled, “I thought everyone knew, but apparently not.”
Dad fell silent.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up,” Cheng Ke said.
“How do you plan to resolve the matter between you and Cheng Yi?” Dad asked.
“I have nothing to settle with him,” Cheng Ke stated firmly. “If he wants to buy the store, I’ll contact him a couple of times. If he doesn’t buy it, it’s over. But if he dares to interfere in my life again, my boyfriend will break his other leg next time.”
Cheng Ke hung up before his father could say anything else, tossed the phone onto the table, and let out a sigh.
“Cheng Yi broke his leg?” Jiang Yuduo looked surprised.
“Yes,” Cheng Ke nodded, “it was an open fracture.”
“Did I push him that hard?” Jiang Yuduo seemed taken aback.
Cheng Ke smiled, recalling the moment Jiang Yuduo rushed over, roaring, and stepping on Cheng Yi’s feet.
“Why is he so fragile?” Jiang Yuduo furrowed his brow.
Cheng Ke burst into laughter, leaning back in his chair, finding the situation amusing.
“What’s so funny?” Jiang Yuduo sighed, “Have you lost your mind in the last two days?”
“It’s my birthday,” Cheng Ke said with a smile, “I’m happy.”
“Happy birthday,” Jiang Yuduo said.
“Happy birthday,” Cheng Ke replied.
Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.
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