In the next few days, Xu Li was much more honest than usual. Zhang Yuze went to work during the day, and he obediently stayed at home to do housework. Sometimes, he occasionally went out to solve Little Rainbow’s problems.
As for Zhang Yuze, he received a message on his mobile phone before he even managed to arrive at work.
Xu Li: “Reporting to my boyfriend, I’m going to the kiosk downstairs to buy some water. [ Picture]”
The picture was a selfie he took with the owner of the shop.
Zhang Yuze: “…”
Zhang Yuze: “You don’t have to report to me like this.”
Xu Li replied very quickly. “That’s not good. I have to reassure my boyfriend.” He said.
At that time it was already noon, just around the lunch break. Zhang Yuze was alone on the floor, so he simply leaned on a chair and chatted with his “boyfriend”.
Zhang Yuze: “Why do you insist on falling in love with me?”
After waiting for a while, Xu Li directly replied with a voice message: “Like I said, I really like you.”
… So virtuous.
Zhang Yuze rolled his eyes in his heart but failed to notice the lifted corners of his mouth.
…………
When he arrived home at night, Xu Li had brought in a small part of his daily luggage, already comfortably sitting cross-legged on the sofa, dressed in a light camel-colored knitted sweater and waiting for him. Hearing the sound of the door opening, he stood up with a smile and greeted: “Thank you for your hard work, boyfriend!”
Zhang Yuze glanced at him. “So attentive… Have you finished all the housework?”
“I did. I even wiped the floors and added disinfectant water for you.” Xu Li stood up and walked towards the kitchen. “I’ve also already ordered takeaway, just waiting for you to eat together.”
Zhang Yuze looked at his busy back and suddenly felt that having more people in his family was good. At least his house was clean and there was a warm meal waiting for him after work…
… just regard him as an expensive, live-in maid.
After washing his hands and changing into home clothes, Zhang Yuze and Xu Li sat face to face at the table for dinner.
“What did you do today? Have you finished your affairs over there?” Zhang Yuze asked.
Xu Li took a bite of rice and answered: “Little Rainbow has taken his mother to the hospital. They don’t have any other bad intentions. They really only want to find a place to live in Yanjing, so it’s okay. They don’t want anything else.”
Zhang Yuze thought for a moment, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said: “I’ll give you a piece of advice. It’s up to you whether you listen or not. I always feel that that boy is not so simple and won’t let you go easily.”
“Don’t worry.” Xu Li smiled at him, “I know.”
After dinner, given Xu Li’s only one usable arm, Zhang Yuze stood by the sink and washed the dishes. As for Xu Li, he leaned on his back like a rheumatism plaster securely stuck to him, claiming to want to spend “quality time together”.
Zhang Yuze squeezed out the detergent and threw away the kitchen waste. Every time he turned back, he always bumped into Xu Li. Finally, he could no longer bear it, saying: “Can’t you just let go?”
“I can’t.” Xu Li jumped obediently to the corner of the kitchen but still didn’t leave. He smiled and continued: “I haven’t seen you for a day. I want to stay with you.”
“… Aren’t you disgusting?”
“I’m disgusting but still want to be with you.”
“…”
Zhang Yuze found that since his book transmigration, he could always spend a lot of time just talking with Xu Li about absolute nonsense every day. When he was about to finish washing the dishes, Xu Li’s phone rang. He glanced at it and said: “It’s Ah Huo.”
“You can just pick it up.” Zhang Yuze squatted down and put a bowl into the disinfection cabinet1The fact that he has a disinfection cabinet in his home… just how bad is this guy’s OCD?. “There’s no need to tell me what you’re doing.”
Having said that, Xu Li still picked up the call and turned on the hands-free so that Zhang Yuze could also hear it.
“Hello?”
On the other side, Ah Huo went straight to the point: “Old Bi will host a party tonight, saying he has a new darling. He invited everyone to drink. Do you want to go?”
“I won’t go.” Xu Li didn’t even think about it. He sneered and continued: “Old Bi is ugly-hearted and fickle. When have I ever been to one of his parties?”
However, Ah Huo said: “Don’t worry about that. Haven’t you been entangled with a scammer these days? I think Old Bi has a wide network and knows those people. Maybe he can help you inquire.”
Xu Li didn’t answer right away, as if he was thinking. After a while, he looked up at Zhang Yuze.
“I’ll discuss it with my boyfriend and get back to you later.” He hung up the phone as soon as those words left his mouth.
Ah Huo held his mobile phone, looked at the hung-up call, and fell into meditation.
The person next to him asked: “What did Brother Xu say? He must come! He hasn’t come out to play for several days. It’s not like he can hold back for so long.”
Ah Huo choked for a moment: “He said he’ll ask for his boyfriend’s permission.”
???
“What do you say, do you want to go?” Xu Li asked.
Zhang Yuze wiped his hands clean and walked out of the kitchen. He didn’t care too much, just saying: “I don’t know your circle. If this Old Bi-something can really help you solve the problem, you should go. Take the keys when you go out and open the door by yourself when you come back.”
“Come with me.” Xu Li came up, his eyes bright and full of expectation.
Zhang Yuze raised his eyebrows, not knowing why: “Why should I come with you?”
“Please~” Xu Li followed him like a puppy wagging his tail. “If you don’t come, it will be very troublesome. I have to spend time dealing with those demons and monsters. I’m afraid my problem won’t be solved, instead, they will force me to pour an entire belly full of wine first!”
In the end, Zhang Yuze, who couldn’t stand Xu Li’s soft approach, finally decided to go out with him. While Xu Li was looking for clothes, Zhang Yuze commented: “Just wear this sweater on your body. Forget about those coquettish clothes of yours.”
Xu Li smiled and replied to him: “Okay, it’s all up to you.”
And so, he ended up still wearing the light camel-colored cashmere sweater, put on a milky white down jacket, and followed Zhang Yuze out of the house.
Zhang Yuze glanced at him, and praise flashed in his eyes. He really liked the way Xu Li dressed lately. He had fair skin and was suitable for light-coloured clothes, making him look friendly and approachable, but still clean and refreshing.
In other words, he got rid of the hustle and dust of the nightclubs, finally becoming a human.
It was already eight o’clock in the evening when they arrived at the bar, which was the time when the night was just about to start. Xu Li took Zhang Yuze across the dance floor and turned to a quieter place.
Ah Huo waved to them: “Brother Xu, here!”
Xu Li stood in the distance and looked his way. Only then did everyone notice that Brother Xu’s wardrobe improved in quality. He no longer wore his old-fashioned motorcycle outfit, and he didn’t even bother to style his hair. His whole body was wrapped in a white jacket, and his bangs hung in front of his forehead, like a pure young rabbit who accidentally entered an entertainment venue.
And right next to him… There was a male model with broad shoulders and long legs, the embodiment of the elite image commonly used in urban dramas. He was wearing a dark gray knee-length coat, with his hands in his pockets and glancing over indifferently.
Ah Huo: Today’s drinking game was destined to not be simple…
Xu Li pulled Zhang Yuze to sit over and Ah Huo hurriedly gave way. Xu Li introduced: “Zhang Yuze, the youngest chief physician of the Artillery Hospital. My boyfriend.”
“I’ve heard of it, I’ve heard of it.” Ah Huo greeted them politely. “I’ve approached you in the bar before. Dr. Zhang’s charm has not diminished.”
Zhang Yuze smiled politely. After saying hello, he got up and went to the bathroom. As soon as Dr. Zhang left, Ah Huo poked Xu Li with his elbow and said with a smile: “Brother Xu, you’re dressed like this to play pure love with him? Why do I feel you look even more coquettish than before?”
Xu Li took a glass of pure fruit juice, leaned on the chair, curled his lips, and said: “My boyfriend likes it. Do you have any comments?”
Ah Huo shook his head and continued: “I dare not have any… I have known you for almost five or six years, but I never believed that a mere doctor could charm you into this.”
Xu Li pursed his lips and smiled but said nothing.
Ah Huo asked again: “How long would you stay tonight?”
“When Old Bi comes, I’ll ask him about Little Rainbow and leave. Won’t stay long.”
Ah Huo looked at him with a damned expression.
On the dance floor, a group of charming men and sexy women were entangled with the music. Most of the people in the club had their eyes on the various exquisite faces, not hiding the desire in their eyes at all.
But Xu Li lowered his eyes and concentrated on drinking his fruit juice, occasionally looking up in the direction of the bathroom. After observing for a while, Ah Huo came up and whispered: “Brother Xu, be honest, did Zhang Yuze kidnap you?”
Xu Li: “…”
Ah Huo didn’t say much more. He stood up and went to toast his other brothers. As for Xu Li, he sat alone and waited for Zhang Yuze to come back. In fact, Xu Li had been thinking about that before, now that he had some spare time to reconsider his feelings. At the start of his relationship with Zhang Yuze, he did have an experimental mentality of just “trying it”, thinking that he didn’t believe in love anyway. After dating for a while, if it didn’t work, at worst he would just pat his ass and leave.
But the more they got along, the more he found that Zhang Yuze possessed a magical attraction to him. Anyway, staying with him was never boring, even if it meant squatting at home and talking all day.
And now it came to this. The Xu Li who didn’t go to a bar for two consecutive days, suddenly felt empty inside, feeling that the environment was noisy and there was no meaning in coming here anyway. It really wasn’t as interesting as staying home with his boyfriend. His man was easy to tease and he loved to listen to Dr. Zhang who had a hard mouth but soft feelings.
To put it simply, Xu Li didn’t know what kind of charm Zhang Yuze had, but he was willing to be controlled by him. As long as everything went well, it really didn’t matter.
……….
When Zhang Yuze came out of the bathroom, two people were standing in the narrow corridor behind the door. The tall one had a wild beard, round cheeks, and a belly wrapped in flesh, while the petite one in his arms… As long as he didn’t speak, Zhang Yuze might have taken him for a girl.
The little man struggled for a while and cried: “Brother Bi, I really don’t want to go.”
“Damn, don’t talk back to me!” The tall man seemed to be angry and roared. “Every time he comes out to party, he spends a lot of money. He has to come today, my friends already confirmed it. He’ll give you a lot of things as long as you entice him2the plot thickens, y’all.”
After saying that, he slapped the little boy and pushed him to stagger.
Zhang Yuze didn’t want to cause trouble. It was not until he heard them walking away that he pushed the door open and came out again. Just now, they were far apart, their voices were a little fluttering, and their appearance was not clear. Judging from the back, he could only see that the little man seemed a little familiar.
Zhang Yuze didn’t think much about it, walking all the way back to his seat. As soon as he sat down, he heard Ah Huo shout: “Come on, come, our protagonist is here!”
Dr. Zhang looked up and was stunned. He saw two people, one tall and the other one short, standing right in front of him… The two he bumped into next to the bathroom.
However, this time around, the short man’s face was clear. A pair of big deer-like eyes that seemed to contain tears, and a pair of tightly squeezed lips, looking as if he was about to burst into tears. Zhang Yuze could never forget that appearance, even in his most damned nightmares.
Shen Mo. The first love that tortured him for years.
