Xiao Can originally intended to buy some barbecue or similar food suitable for late-night snacks, but considering that it would cool down if packed and wouldn’t taste good later, he changed it to spicy cold skewers.
Even if this was just an excuse to see He Xingzhou, he wanted to arrange it as well as possible.
Since there were skewers, there had to be some drinks to go with them.
The two bags Xiao Can brought contained one bag filled with two large cups of skewers and another bag filled with half a dozen canned beers.
As He Xingzhou watched Xiao Can stack the beer cans one by one on the table, he quickly showed a surprised expression.
“Feeling enthusiastic?” he asked.
“Not really,” Xiao Can replied, placing the last can of beer on the table and then pushing it towards He Xingzhou. “It’s not much. There are six cans in total, and I’ll share one with you.”
He Xingzhou looked at the beer cans pushed in front of him but didn’t reach out, his expression conflicted.
“…You’re not thinking of anything bad, are you?” Xiao Can said.
The implication and teasing tone in his words were evident, especially considering He Xingzhou’s previous incident of not being able to get it up due to alcohol.
He Xingzhou shook his head seriously. “You didn’t rest well yesterday; you should sleep earlier tonight.”
“At my age, missing a day of sleep occasionally is no big deal,” Xiao Can said. “So, are you worried you won’t handle it?”
He Xingzhou picked up a beer can. “I’m not that much older than you.”
Xiao Can chuckled to himself.
He was twenty-three this year, while He Xingzhou was thirty-two, a nine-year age difference, not too much or too little.
If it were ten years ago, Xiao Can, at thirteen years old, might have called the twenty-two-year-old He Xingzhou “uncle” if they crossed paths on the street.
What was He Xingzhou like at twenty-two?
By then, he should have already gained some fame, but Xiao Can couldn’t recall any impressions at the moment.
The earliest memory he could recall about He Xingzhou was during the high school reunion when their class rehearsed a choir performance. The homeroom teacher allowed everyone to vote for their favorite songs, and the selected one happened to be a popular hit song that swept various awards that year.
After the initial rehearsals were submitted to the school, they sadly discovered that three other classes had also chosen the same song, with one class even adding a dance performance to it. Consequently, including Xiao Can’s class, all competitors were brushed aside.
The teacher in charge of the program audit complained during Friday’s school meeting broadcast, urging everyone to broaden their horizons and not just pick the same thing over and over again, mentioning that kid He Xingzhou. Seven out of thirty programs submitted by various classes were his songs, which was quite unbearable.
That seemed to be He Xingzhou’s peak popularity.
Back then, he was eager to appear in front of the audience, diligently creating many songs, most of which he performed himself, becoming a frequent guest at various evening parties.
Unlike now, always hiding backstage and being lazy. Fans eagerly awaited new works, but had to endure his laziness, which was quite exhausting.
“Why are you laughing?” He Xingzhou’s puzzled voice came from beside him.
Xiao Can snapped out of his thoughts, shaking his head. “Nothing.”
He finished speaking and sat down, picked up a beer can, took a big gulp after opening it, and sighed contentedly.
He Xingzhou hesitated to speak.
“What’s wrong with you?” Xiao Can frowned. “What are you doing standing there? Aren’t you going to give me face?”
Originally standing on the other side of the table, He Xingzhou shook his head helplessly at Xiao Can’s words, circled around halfway, and sat next to him, casually picking up a seaweed knot to eat.
Xiao Can took the initiative to open a beer can for him, indicating that he shouldn’t just focus on eating.
He Xingzhou picked up the beer, symbolically touched it with his lips, and then put it down.
“Don’t you like drinking?” Xiao Can asked.
“I don’t understand why you like it,” He Xingzhou said, putting down the chopsticks.
“Do you never indulge?” Xiao Can asked.
“I used to, a long time ago,” He Xingzhou said. “Later, I found out it wasn’t a big deal if I didn’t, so I stopped forcing myself.”
Xiao Can smiled. “You must have been cuter back then.”
At that age, He Xingzhou was relatively honest, not as arrogant, still bound by societal norms, unlike now, when he was unruly.
Flattery, flattery, and smoothness were all things that ordinary people had to consider, but geniuses didn’t care.
When he emerged, stunning everyone with his talent and winning applause from the audience, people, willing or not, had to show tolerance towards him.
Even if some people didn’t like him, so what?
No one would clash with money. If your show didn’t invite him, there were others competing for the spotlight. If awards deliberately snubbed him, people would only question the fairness of the selection.
Sales figures on the charts explained everything.
When a work was good enough to please the world, he didn’t need to please anyone else.
He Xingzhou gradually grew into his current self, likely spoiled by this overly tolerant world.
“Cute?” He Xingzhou also smiled. “I can’t relate to that word at any age.”
Xiao Can paused for a moment, pondering why he subconsciously chose that word.
Before he could come to a conclusion, he suddenly realized a huge mistake in his words just now.
Compared to the He Xingzhou who once had some social common sense, it was actually the current him who was cuter.
Independent, causing headaches and anger but still cared about, stubborn yet innocent – how cute.
His expression of worry over the beer can in front of him was adorable.
“I really don’t like this,” He Xingzhou told him.
Xiao Can knew, but there was a strange thought in his mind, wanting to force He Xingzhou a little, forcing him to do something unwilling, just to see his reaction.
Not drinking wasn’t a big deal, and He Xingzhou had no reason to force himself, right?
“I love watching you drink,” Xiao Can said.
He Xingzhou furrowed his brow even deeper. “You’re really strange.”
Xiao Can took a skewer and then his eyes lit up. “This is duck feet, isn’t it!”
He took a bite and nodded after savoring it for a moment. “It’s quite delicious. Do you want to try?”
He Xingzhou leaned over and searched in the paper tube for a while before saying, “All gone.”
After saying that, he turned his head and looked at the half skewer left in Xiao Can’s hand.
Xiao Can’s heartbeat secretly changed its rhythm.
He pretended to be helpless and handed the skewer over. “No choice, I’ll share this one with you.”
“No need,” He Xingzhou said, “I’m quite indifferent to duck feet, not that fond of them.”
Xiao Can wished he could turn the skewer around and poke He Xingzhou’s throat with it.
Seeing Xiao Can not backing down, He Xingzhou’s gaze gradually sharpened. Suddenly realizing something, he reached out and took the half skewer of duck feet.
Xiao Can was still not satisfied. If it were him, he would have definitely used his mouth to take it.
He Xingzhou was truly clueless.
Was it because he was slow on the uptake, or because he simply wasn’t interested in him at all?
Xiao Can felt a bit annoyed. Seeing He Xingzhou silently finish the duck feet, he asked grumpily, “Are they good?”
“Average,” He Xingzhou said.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Can kicked him.
“What’s wrong?” He Xingzhou was puzzled. “You’re not the one being criticized.”
“After being forcibly marked by a stupid Alpha, my pheromones are in chaos and my hormones are imbalanced,” Xiao Can said, taking a sip of beer, “My emotions are out of control, and I could go crazy anytime, anywhere.”
He Xingzhou suddenly lost his temper but explained pitifully, “What I meant was, it’s not as good as the last formula I made. I’ll let you try it next time.”
“I don’t want to,” Xiao Can pointed to the beer can in front of him, “Unless you drink it right now.”
He Xingzhou reluctantly pursed his lips, picked up the beer, took a shallow sip, and then put it down. Seeing Xiao Can’s menacing look, he quickly said, “Don’t worry, I’ll drink it slowly.”
Xiao Can’s mood improved slightly.
“Aren’t you feeling aggrieved?” he asked He Xingzhou.
He Xingzhou looked puzzled.
“Forget it,” Xiao Can stopped looking at him, continuing to eat the skewers, “Alright, let’s make a deal. You have to finish it tonight.”
He Xingzhou tapped the beer can with his finger, asking, “Are you still feeling unwell now?”
He seemed to take Xiao Can’s words seriously.
“What, you want to mark me as treatment again?” Xiao Can asked.
He had drunk quite a bit, his mind clear but a bit excited, speaking more boldly and straightforwardly than usual.
“I’m worried you’ll overwork yourself and your body won’t be able to handle it,” He Xingzhou was serious, unmoved by Xiao Can’s condition, “What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“Get up at seven in the morning,” Xiao Can said.
He Xingzhou was very dissatisfied. “Too rushed, is it necessary to schedule it so tightly?”
“It’s usually fine, but these days are special,” Xiao Can explained, “There’s a child actor in the crew, with an important role, but… he hasn’t been feeling well lately, wasting a lot of time. We were supposed to finish around eight today.”
He Xingzhou glanced at the time. “It’s already twelve thirty.”
His meaning was obvious.
It was already very late, and there wasn’t much time left for Xiao Can to rest. He was basically being rushed out.
Xiao Can felt even more unhappy. “You haven’t finished drinking yet.”
“After I finish drinking, will you go to bed?” He Xingzhou asked.
Xiao Can nodded. “Hmm.”
He Xingzhou took a deep breath, picked up the beer can, tilted his head back, and drank it down, gulp by gulp.
Xiao Can sat beside him, watching his Adam’s apple move, some liquid sliding down from the corner of his lips along his skin, suddenly feeling thirsty, wanting to lean over and use his lips to catch it.
He struggled to restrain this impulse and also picked up the beer, taking a couple of sips.
The can in his hand was already empty.
He Xingzhou continued to drink for a while, finally let out a long breath, crushed the empty beer can, and gestured towards Xiao Can.
Xiao Can had already opened another can of beer and was sipping it.
He pushed the can back a bit and grumbled, “You just want to drive me away? Well, I’m not leaving.”
He Xingzhou was a bit dazed, and it took him a while to come to his senses. “You’re not keeping your word?”
“Yeah, I’m not keeping my word, I’m going back on my word,” Xiao Can retorted, “What about it?”
“…,” He Xingzhou seemed uncomfortable, furrowing his brow and holding his head, unable to speak.
“I’ve changed the conditions!” Xiao Can said, “You… you kiss me, and I’ll go back to bed.”
He was extremely nervous, and as soon as the words fell, he felt dizzy, his heart pounding as if it was about to explode.
He Xingzhou squinted his eyes, remained silent for a while, not knowing what he was thinking.
Anxiously, Xiao Can kicked him. “Hey! Can you hear me?”
“I can,” He Xingzhou said, “…but I don’t quite understand.”
Xiao Can put down the beer, moved his chair closer to him, leaned over, and faced him.
“Kiss me,” he said to He Xingzhou.
Their faces were less than ten centimeters apart. He Xingzhou lowered his eyelids, silently gazing at him for a while, then leaned in and gently kissed him on the lips.
Xiao Can licked his lips and said, “Not like that.”
This time, He Xingzhou didn’t take too long to think.
What Xiao Can received was a passionate, lingering kiss that they had exchanged countless times last night.
The whole room fell silent, and all they could hear was each other’s breathing and the ambiguous sound of moisture.
He Xingzhou seemed to have passed half of his drunkenness to Xiao Can along with their exchanged saliva.
Xiao Can’s dizziness became even stronger, and he felt like he was about to faint.
He thought, maybe he really needed to rest.
But he didn’t want to leave this room at all.
