“I’ve never concealed anything,” He Xingzhou emphasized.
“But you also didn’t say anything, I’m not a mind reader, why should you think I knew?” Xiao Can disagreed, “You were also very good to Tan Zhen at the beginning.”
“How could that be the same,” He Xingzhou shook his head, “No amount of responsibility can compare to genuine affection.”
Xiao Can was almost overwhelmed by sweetness, but he still couldn’t help but argue with him: “If I didn’t say it, would you know that I like you?”
“That’s even less comparable,” He Xingzhou said, “I’m actively pursuing you, and you keep saying you hate me, cursing at me every day.”
“Sometimes I do find you quite annoying,” Xiao Can muttered, “You bring it upon yourself.”
“Then go ahead and curse me,” He Xingzhou said, “But you should also say it when you like me.”
He liked him a lot now, but Xiao Can felt too embarrassed to say it.
“It’s all full marks now, there must be a lot when you like someone,” He Xingzhou asserted.
Xiao Can thought, where did the full marks come from?
But arguing over these things was too childish and unproductive.
Suddenly, He Xingzhou thought of something. “That pendant, I should have one too to be fair.”
“Oh, okay,” Xiao Can said, “Consider it giving an official title to my Alpha.”
For those deeply in love, wearing each other’s pheromones around their necks was just imagining happiness and satisfaction. No wonder this pendant was so popular.
“Thank you,” He Xingzhou was very happy, “When?”
“Why so eager?” Xiao Can, helpless, but still took out his phone, searching for the link while asking, “By the way… what did you originally guess as to why I would wear your pheromone pendant?”
“I thought you were still uncomfortable and didn’t want to tell me,” He Xingzhou said, “Afraid I would blame myself.”
Xiao Can knew his thought process wasn’t that reliable.
If he hadn’t said it himself, he wouldn’t have revealed it at all.
Xiao Can couldn’t help but feel lucky for his impulse.
“Who’s afraid you’ll blame yourself, am I such a considerate person?” he asked.
“Who knows? You’re quite stubborn but soft-hearted,” He Xingzhou said, “Every time I show a little regret, you get all flustered, looking fierce but actually just comforting me. You’re too kind.”
Xiao Can blushed, “W-What nonsense! You called me a villain before!”
“Did I?” He Xingzhou looked like he’d forgotten, “I don’t remember.”
“But not just that,” Xiao Can said, “I’m quite narrow-minded and hold grudges, I won’t easily forget.”
“I’ve already forgotten,” He Xingzhou said, “And I can’t remember why I would say such things in the first place.”
Xiao Can huffed, “Acting dumb.”
“Maybe I really am dumb,” He Xingzhou sighed lightly, “Whenever I see you, I become a bit confused, not very clear-headed.”
“What, are you blaming me?” Xiao Can asked.
“Yeah,” He Xingzhou said, “I was supposed to be a genius.”
“…”
Seeing Xiao Can’s subtle expression, he added, “That’s how everyone refers to me.”
Xiao Can smiled and looked away, muttering softly, “Idiot.”
Hardly had he finished speaking when an echo came from the other corner of the sofa: “Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!”
Both turned their heads, only to see Charlie shouting excitedly while vigorously shaking his head, looking very ecstatic.
“Doesn’t learn anything good,” He Xingzhou sighed.
“That’s because of your education,” Xiao Can said, “You should reflect on yourself.”
“All these words he learned from you,” He Xingzhou reminded him.
“What, are you blaming me?” Xiao Can pretended to get up, “Should I leave?”
He Xingzhou hurriedly hugged him, “No, we haven’t eaten yet.”
After saying that, both remained silent for a few seconds.
He Xingzhou suddenly jumped up, “Oh no, I forgot!”
Watching his rapidly departing figure, Xiao Can thought, oh right, wasn’t he supposed to be cooking?
Charlie continued excitedly shouting: “Idiot! Idiot!”
Being alone was boring anyway, Xiao Can took the little bird to the kitchen to enjoy the sight of his boyfriend cooking.
“Why are there so many knives?” he looked at the open knife rack, looking curious, “What a weirdo!”
He Xingzhou frowned, “I’m not used to being watched when I cook.”
“Then you should change that habit in the future,” Xiao Can said, “I love watching you.”
He Xingzhou didn’t say a word, and they remained silent for a while.
Xiao Can almost frowned, suddenly remembering the earnest teachings of Mu Nianwen a while back. With a slight change of heart, he said, “I miss you when I’m alone in the living room. I want to be with you.”
The effect was astonishing, He Xingzhou quickly softened, “Oh, alright.”
He turned back to continue cooking, and Xiao Can leaned over to watch for a while, asking, “Do you know how to cook this fish?”
“I just checked, let’s give it a try,” He Xingzhou said, “If it’s not tasty, it might be the fault of the recipe I found, or maybe the fish.”
Anyway, it definitely wasn’t his fault.
“What if it’s delicious?” Xiao Can asked.
“No one taught me, but it turns out delicious on the first try, then I must be a genius,” He Xingzhou said.
Xiao Can turned his head, saying to the bird on his shoulder, “Charlie, repeat after me, thick-skinned.”
Perhaps the word was too mild and not stimulating enough, as Charlie showed disdain and didn’t bother to learn.
After a while, He Xingzhou spoke up, “Leaning on me like that makes it hard for me to move.”
Only then did Xiao Can come to his senses, realizing he was leaning on He Xingzhou as if he had no bones, almost half of his body leaning on him.
He quickly stood up straight, hastily explaining, “I just wanted to see your movements up close!”
“Oh really,” He Xingzhou said, “I thought you were just being clingy.”
Xiao Can felt very uncomfortable with his clingy appearance, took a step back, blushing, and said, “No way.”
“I didn’t say it was bad,” He Xingzhou said with his head down, his hands still moving swiftly, “Just leaning in a different direction won’t affect anything.”
Xiao Can hesitated for two seconds, then silently moved to a new position and leaned against He Xingzhou’s back with a “smack.”
He Xingzhou’s body shook slightly, perhaps in laughter.
Xiao Can’s face felt hot with embarrassment, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
He realized he was such a clingy person, which was terrifying. It felt like he was being controlled by strange hormones, making him a bit jittery.
If his self from a year ago suddenly saw this scene, he would probably be scared to death.
“I was distracted just now, almost forgot something important,” He Xingzhou said, “You said you’d tell me later.”
Xiao Can was still lost in his thoughts and didn’t understand for a moment, “What?”
“Why did they say someone bullied you?” He Xingzhou asked.
“Uh…” Xiao Can didn’t want to talk about unpleasant things in the current atmosphere, but he also knew that if he evaded it casually, He Xingzhou would be even more insistent. So he explained, choosing his words carefully, “When they first contacted me, they didn’t offer me the role I’m playing now. It was changed at the last minute for some reason.”
“What reason?” He Xingzhou asked.
Xiao Can hesitated for a moment, “…I’m not sure.”
“Then I’ll go find out for you,” He Xingzhou said.
“Don’t!” Xiao Can nervously grabbed his waist from behind, “I’ve finished filming already, what’s the point of investigating now?”
“There must be a reason,” He Xingzhou said, “Who were you originally supposed to play?”
“You wouldn’t know even if I told you,” Xiao Can said.
“I will,” He Xingzhou said, “I’ve read both the script and the original work.”
“Oh, right, you were supposed to write songs…”
“Wasn’t it Xiang Xiang?” He Xingzhou stopped his actions, “I felt like that character was a good match for you when I read it.”
“Um.”
He Xingzhou fell silent for a moment, then said, “No, I have to go ask.”
“No, you can’t!” Xiao Can tightened his grip on his waist from behind, “If you dare to go, I won’t tell you anything in the future!”
“I’ll just ask, it won’t have any impact, right?” He Xingzhou said, “There has to be a reason.”
“It’s none of your business, if you ask, they’ll definitely overthink it,” Xiao Can said, “Don’t cause trouble for me.”
“How is it not my business,” He Xingzhou was displeased, “I’m your boyfriend, isn’t it natural for me to care about your affairs?”
“But they don’t know!” Xiao Can reminded him.
“If I say it, they’ll know,” He Xingzhou said.
Xiao Can realized the blind spot in their conversation and quickly stood up straight, moving to He Xingzhou’s side, “Do you think our relationship is suitable for public disclosure?”
“Huh?” He Xingzhou was completely clueless, “What’s the suitability of disclosure… We haven’t done anything wrong, there’s no need to deliberately hide it, right?”
“It’s necessary, very necessary,” Xiao Can said nervously, “Okay, I’ll tell you, the reason for the change is very simple, it was forced by the investors, and the director had no choice. Don’t go ask.”
He Xingzhou tilted his head, looking at him with a serious expression.
“Dating is our private matter… you can share it with Teacher Xia and the others if you want, I don’t mind. I haven’t minded even though you’ve been sharing first for so long, have I?” Xiao Can tried to appease him, “But this kind of thing doesn’t need outsiders to get involved.”
“I don’t have to actively share, but if someone asks me, can’t I say it?” He Xingzhou said, “I don’t want to lie about this kind of thing.”
“Are you the kind of person who always honestly answers whatever others ask?” Xiao Can said, “Just ignore it.”
He Xingzhou remained silent, lowering his head to quickly stir the sauce.
After a moment, he muttered softly, “Alright, I’ve become a wild man again.”
Xiao Can hugged him, “That’s not what I meant!”
“I don’t want to embarrass you,” He Xingzhou muttered softly, “Will it make people think I’m not good enough? Is it shameful to be with me?”
Xiao Can felt helpless. He wanted to tell He Xingzhou that if he said it out loud, he would definitely be scolded to death. But he was afraid that if He Xingzhou heard it, he would harbor more resentment towards Tan Zhen, or even go public and say something absurd that would bring endless trouble.
“I want to wait until our relationship is more stable before going public,” he struggled to come up with an excuse, “I-I’m very serious about being with you, and I want to take every step seriously.”
He Xingzhou pondered for a moment, seeming to accept this reason.
“How stable is stable?” he asked.
“Uh…” Xiao Can thought for a moment, “At least a year of dating?”
