DPT chapter 69

Zuo Chi knew he could refuse Sheng Li, but he didn’t. Perhaps spending New Year’s Eve alone felt a bit miserable, or maybe he too longed for Sheng Li’s company. When the doorbell rang, he felt a bit regretful, nervous, and a little expectant.

Sheng Li couldn’t wait for him to open the door, shouting “Ah Chi, Ah Chi” from outside.

“You’re so noisy,” Zuo Chi said as he opened the door and handed him slippers, “You must have gotten scolded for rushing over here.”

Sheng Li, wearing a black wool coat, white casual pants that highlighted his long legs, and square-toed leather boots, looked both cool and stylish, like a star from a magazine.

But his expression was a bit silly.

Zuo Chi didn’t care much about fashion but couldn’t help appreciating Sheng Li’s appearance.

Sheng Li stared at Zuo Chi with bright eyes, “I’ve behaved well these past few months, Sheng Changyu couldn’t be bothered to scold me.”

Zuo Chi: “Your grandpa won’t be unhappy?”

Sheng Li bent down to change his shoes, “I’ll visit him another day and apologize.”

When Sheng Li entered, he smelled the scent of blackcurrants all over the house, unable to hide his smile, “What’s for dinner?”

Zuo Chi said, “I packed some food at noon, planning to microwave it for dinner. But it’s a single portion, it might not be enough for both of us.”

Sheng Li asked, “Why are you alone at home?”

Zuo Chi: “Should I go back to the Zuo family? Didn’t you help me vent my anger? You know I’ve completely fallen out with them.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Sheng Li said urgently, unsure if he should ask, and finally gritted his teeth, “I meant why isn’t Qin Xu spending New Year with you.”

He added sourly, “Didn’t you say he’s great? I don’t think he’s that great.”

“…Don’t speak ill of Qin Xu,” Zuo Chi paused, then confessed, “We’ve broken up.”

Sheng Li was stunned, processing the information, and after confirming he hadn’t misheard, his ears turned red with excitement, his heart pounding, “Today is really a good day. Did you break up with him or did he break up with you?”

Zuo Chi: “…We broke up because we weren’t compatible, it has nothing to do with you.”

Sheng Li lifted his chin, “How does it have nothing to do with me? Now I can openly pursue you.”

Zuo Chi glanced at him, “I don’t think you were avoiding it before.”

He took iced tea from the fridge and tossed it to Sheng Li with one hand, “Catch.”

Sheng Li reached out and caught it steadily. Sitting on the sofa, he twisted open the cap, and as the coat sleeve slid down slightly, it revealed the bracelet on his wrist.

Although it had been a long time since Zuo Chi had seen Sheng Li wear this bracelet, he recognized it at a glance as the eighteenth birthday gift he had given him.

Hadn’t Sheng Li lost the bracelet? When did he find it?

Sheng Li noticed Zuo Chi’s gaze on his hand and deliberately shook it, “I found it in another villa. It’s still a good fit.”

Zuo Chi’s heart trembled for a moment, and after regaining his composure, he deliberately contradicted, “I don’t think it matches your outfit.”

Sheng Li, speaking without thinking, said, “Your opinion doesn’t count, your taste is terrible.”

Zuo Chi glared at him, “Oh, you have a problem with my aesthetics?”

“I wouldn’t dare!” Sheng Li denied, then added, “But it just suits you.”

Zuo Chi didn’t want to continue this nonsense, “There’s not much to eat at home. How about we go out and buy some?”

“Sure.” Sheng Li agreed cheerfully, “Let’s go shop for New Year’s goods together.”

Shopping for New Year’s goods sounds warm and cozy, but since it was close to mealtime and the supermarket was about to close early, as soon as they went in, they were told that it would close in half an hour, so they needed to hurry up with their shopping.

Neither Sheng Li nor Zuo Chi had ever shopped for New Year’s goods themselves. Every year during the holidays, their families had dedicated people to handle the purchases, so they never had to worry about it. They had certainly been to supermarkets before, but always with a shopping list, buying only what was needed.

Hearing that the supermarket was closing, Sheng Li pushed the shopping cart and quickly navigated through the aisles, constantly asking, “Ah Chi, do we need this?”

“That seems okay, let’s get a pack.”

“Let’s buy some cheese.”

“There are some marinated dishes over there, what do you want?”

Seeing him like this, Zuo Chi thought that Sheng Li’s mature side could only be seen at specific times, “We don’t need so much.”

Zuo Chi picked out a few items and removed them from the cart, including a golden cudgel that was half a person’s height.

He looked at the ingredients list, “What is this?”

Sheng Li leaned over, “I don’t know, something to eat, I guess.”

Zuo Chi lifted the golden cudgel and knocked it on Sheng Li’s head, “It’s potato chips. You don’t even know what it is and just throw it into the cart, wasting money.”

Sheng Li was still happy even after being hit, “I thought it looked tasty. Don’t want it?”

Zuo Chi said, “This is something kids would buy.”

“Oh.” Sheng Li obediently put the golden cudgel back.

They went to the self-checkout lane to pay. Zuo Chi scanned the barcodes while Sheng Li packed the items into bags. They ended up with two large bags, and Sheng Li carried one in each hand.

Zuo Chi asked, “Are they heavy? Should I carry one?”

Sheng Li raised an eyebrow, “You underestimate me.”

Back at Zuo Chi’s place, Sheng Li took out the couplets they bought and went to the door to put them up, then laid out all the snacks on a full table.

Watching Sheng Li busy himself, Zuo Chi felt a warm surge in his heart, finally admitting to himself that this felt like the New Year.

During dinner, they had the TV on, watching a gala that was quite boring but created a lively atmosphere.

After dinner, they played a couple of games. When Sheng Li switched back to the WeChat interface, he realized he had missed a lot of Red envelopes.

Xu Hui had sent several big Red envelopes in their group chat, using Bai Fan’s image on the Red envelope covers. Xu Hui and Bai Fan had gone public with their relationship at the beginning of the year, trending number one. Now Xu Hui was practically screaming, “I have a boyfriend.”

Xu Hui: 【Red envelope】

Xu Hui: 【Red envelope】

Xu Hui: 【Red envelope】

Tai Xingyu: Damn, I only got five bucks from a thousand-yuan Red envelope?

Xiang Yiqun: It’s not about the money, it’s about the cover.

Tai Xingyu: Then I should grab more, to save for future gifts.

Sheng Li tried to grab a Red envelope but found it was already taken: Four people in the group and you send three packets? @Xu Hui, you even snatch your own Red envelopes?

Xu Hui: Grabbing Red envelopes is a competitive sport.

Tai Xingyu: @Sheng Li, what are you busy with? Aren’t you supposed to be free at your grandparents’ house?

Sheng Li: I’m not at my grandparents’ house.

Xiang Yiqun: Not returning to the old house this year?

Sheng Li glanced at Zuo Chi and started sending Red envelopes in the group.

Sheng Li: 【Red envelope】

Sheng Li: 【Red envelope】

Sheng Li: 【Red envelope】

Xiang Yiqun: Oh wow, what’s the occasion?

Sheng Li: I’m in a good mood.

Zuo Chi looked up and saw Sheng Li smiling, “What are you smiling about? Did you get a lot?”

Sheng Li curled his lips, “Not much.”

Sheng Li had many friends and was in many groups. As midnight approached, his WeChat messages exploded. After replying to a few, he stopped bothering and looked out the window, catching sight of white flakes drifting like willow catkins.

He shuffled to the window in his slippers and called back to Zuo Chi, “Ah Chi, it’s snowing.”

Winter in S City was very cold but rarely snowy. This snowfall wasn’t heavy, but it paired with the night to create a dreamlike scene. Zuo Chi stretched out his hand to catch a snowflake, which wasn’t hexagonal but a long, thin prismatic shape. It melted quickly in his palm.

The TV played New Year’s songs in the background. Watching Sheng Li, the cold in Zuo Chi’s palm and the joy of the moment made him almost forget the past year’s events.

What he had longed for was right in front of him. Why not take it? Why not grasp it?

“Happy New Year,” Sheng Li said, his beautiful peach blossom eyes filled with affection, longing, and love. Although he made no move, Zuo Chi felt he might be kissed any second.

“Happy New Year.” Zuo Chi turned away hastily, “I’ll get a quilt for the screening room.”

Sheng Li had no objection to him sleeping on the sofa bed in the screening room. He followed Zuo Chi in, tidied up the pillows and quilt, and glanced at the record player, “Let’s play a song.”

Sheng Li chose a vinyl record, and music softly filled the room—a wordless dance tune with interweaving sounds of cello, violin, and piano, melodious and touching.

Sheng Li turned around, bowed slightly, and extended his hand to him, “Ah Chi, would you like to dance with me?”

Zuo Chi placed his hand in Sheng Li’s palm, and Sheng Li’s other hand naturally rested on his back. They were very close, and Zuo Chi could feel Sheng Li’s warm breath.

The scent of amber was unmistakable. Zuo Chi dared not meet Sheng Li’s gaze; he stared at Sheng Li’s Adam’s apple, moving in sync with the music, feeling a bit restless.

After the song ended, Sheng Li not only didn’t let go of Zuo Chi’s hand, but held onto it even tighter.

Zuo Chi couldn’t help but speak up, “What’s the matter?”

Sheng Li rested his head on Zuo Chi’s shoulder and lightly rubbed his chin against it. “I don’t want to sleep. I’m afraid that if I wake up, I’ll find out this was all a dream.”

“Sheng Li,” Zuo Chi’s heart trembled, his eyes feeling hot. “You really like me, don’t you?”

“Of course I do! I know I’ve made many unforgivable mistakes, I know I was a jerk before. You can hold grudges, you can bring up the past, you can scold me, you can hit me, you can demand anything from me, just don’t push me out of your world.” Sheng Li choked up, “We’ve known each other for over twenty years, our worlds have already merged in many ways. Without you, my world is no longer complete.”

Whether sweet words or sincere feelings, Zuo Chi couldn’t resist these words: “I want to give us a chance for a fresh start, but I can’t promise you right away.”

Upon hearing this, Sheng Li suddenly raised his head.

Zuo Chi said, “Given your previous terrible behavior, I’m going to give you a probation period of six months. If, after six months, our answer is the same, then we…”

He didn’t want to repeat past mistakes, nor did he want to give up the possibility of a friend becoming an intimate lover. If Sheng Li could face this relationship seriously, learn respect, trust, and wholehearted commitment, why couldn’t he turn back? He didn’t want to see a grown-up Sheng Li, who still made his heart race, holding someone else’s hand.

Sheng Li had many relationships before, but none lasted more than six months. Six months would be enough time to see if Sheng Li was sincere or not, whether it was a momentary change or a carefully considered desire to be with him.

“Okay! I’ll do right by you this time, I promise you!” Sheng Li was so excited his chest rose and fell unevenly, he felt like crying a little.

He knew how difficult it was for Zuo Chi to make this decision, and he knew he would never disappoint him again.

He liked the person in front of him, whether that person was Alpha, Beta, or Omega, this person could be his intuitive, compatible friend, and could also be his companion.

Zuo Chi tilted his head, “Now that I think about it, half a year seems a bit short, should we change it to two years?”

“…” Sheng Li felt aggrieved.

“I’m kidding, just half a year.” Zuo Chi murmured, “But don’t disappoint me again.”