"I see."
Qing Bo held down his phone and looked at himself in suit in the full-length mirror for a moment, then he bowed his head to untie the sapphire cufflinks he had just tied, his wrist watch and tie.
Ten minutes later, he lay back in bed in his pajamas.
His phone vibrated in another ten minutes. It was Shi Chen who sent a text message asking if he was at home.
Bo waited for a while before texting back affirmatively.
Chen asked if it was convenient to come in and pick up something. Bo again waited for a while before texting back his consent.
Chen walked nervously back and forth outside the villa, holding his phone tightly between his fingers. He had just sent the third text to Bo, informing him that he was outside the villa.
Five minutes pa.s.sed, but Bo still did not text back.
Chen began to wonder why he replied so slowly. Was he at work? Was he not feeling well? Or had he regretted saying yes and didn"t want to let him into the house and didn"t want to see him at all. Chen squatted down and began to pull his own hair without noticing it himself - it was typical of him doing so whenever he was depressed.
Just then, his phone buzzed. It was Bo"s reply.
"Come on in, the pa.s.sword hasn"t changed."
Chen sprang to his feet, input the pa.s.sword and entered the villa. He went straight through the hall upstairs as soon as he changed his shoes.
Bo sat against the headboard in the bedroom, checking his emails with a tablet computer. Seeing Chen entering the room, he tapped his head slightly, "You come."
Chen went over to the bed, looked at Bo carefully for a moment, and frowned. "How come you"re in this shape?"
Bo took off his gla.s.ses and looked up at him. "What kind of shape?"
"You look ten years older but I only haven"t seen you for one night."
Bo, "…"
Chen realized something so he said hurriedly, "No, I didn"t mean that. Don"t get me wrong. I mean you"re so haggard."
Bo felt speechless again.
"I heard from Feng Ma that you were sick." Chen felt angry and also distressed looking at him. "How can you still be like a child to make yourself eat so much cake when you know you can"t eat it. Now there you go."
Bo, "No."
Chen, "…"
"What do you come here to get?" Bo put his tablet on the nightstand and looked up at Chen. "Clothes?"
"No, no. In fact, I … I don"t come here to get anything. I just … I …" Still, Chen didn"t speak out his true minds. He closed his eyes and tried to bluff it out, "I just come to ask you about the pa.s.sword of the card you gave me."
Bo, "There"s no pa.s.sword."
Chen, "…"
"Well, that"s a bank card. How could there be no pa.s.sword?" Chen asked anxiously, "What if I lost the card?"
"You lost it?" Bo asked him.
Chen, "No."
Bo, "Then what"s wrong with it?"
Chen, "Well, I said what if."
Bo, "It"s okay if you lose it anyway."
Chen, "How could it be ok?"
Bo, "There"s just that little money in it."
Chen, "…"
Chen didn"t know how to reply. He was just so angry!
Chen gave him the tacit smile and nodded stiffly to the rich man in front of him, "You"ve got a reason."
Bo, "Well, is there anything else?"
Chen, "Yes."
Bo, "What"s the matter?"
Chen, "Let me see."
"Ok, take your time." Bo pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes wearily.
Chen couldn"t find any legitimate reason so he blurted out with worry. "I"ll take care of you."
Bo opened his eyes, "Take care of me?"
"Right!" Chen took a deep breath and decided to take whatever it might come. "You"re only sick because you ate the cake at my birthday, so I"m half responsible for this. And you caused your arm second injuries only to save me from falling downstairs. So I totally have legitimate reason to stay and take care of you …"
"Take it easy." Bo interrupted him.
Chen gasped for a few breaths and went on to say, "Your arm"s injured and you"re sick now. It must be pretty inconvenient for you. With me being here, I could at least lend you some help. You … you"re not going to turn me down, are you?"
Bo thought carefully for a moment and nodded, "It"s really inconvenient when I think of you."
Chen, "What?"
"Come here." Bo waved his hand to beckon him to come closer.
Hardly had Chen took a step forward when he heard Bo say, "Take off your clothes." It made him take two quick steps back frightenedly. But then he realized that his reaction was a little ridiculous, so he glared at Bo flushed, "Couldn"t you be a little serious while you"ve already been reduced in such pitiful situation?"
Bo held a serious face, "I don"t want to do anything else. I just want you to sleep with me."
Chen"s face became hotter, "I"m ok with sleep. But why do you ask me to take off my clothes? You just said it on purpose so that I could misunderstand!"
"Are all you adolescent boys so easy to misunderstand?"
Chen was made speechless by him.
"Well, I told you to undress because I saw you sweating and feared you would feel uncomfortable. It"s all right not to take off the clothes." Bo lifted up the air-conditional quilt and said to him, "Come up."
Why was he sweating? It was just because the doorman wouldn"t let the taxi in. Bo"s making fun of him roundaboutly made Chen angrier, "Why should I so what you ask. I refuse!"
Bo felt funny so asked him, "Haven"t you just said you want to take care of me?"
Chen felt righteous, "But I did not say to take care of you in bed."
Bo pressed his own forehead speechlessly.
"What"s wrong?" Thinking Bo might be feeling unwell now, Chen got nervous instantly.
Bo, "I want to laugh."
Chen, "…"
In the end, Chen went to bed to "take care of" Bo all morning. At noon, Feng Ma knocked on the door and said lunch was ready. Bo held Chen"s waist and did not respond, so Chen could only call to the outside brazenly, "Got it."
After lunch, they rested on the sofa. Feng Ma poured a cup of warm water on the coffee table and then found out the medicine box.
Bo stared at the medicine box, while Feng Ma stared at him.
Chen looked at them blankly without knowing what was going on there.
No one spoke for about five minutes, and it was Feng Ma who finally opened her mouth, "Sir, it"s time to take your medicine."
Bo frowned.
Chen froze for a few seconds, and soon understood. The old men dislike to take medicine.
As if just proving Chen"s conjecture, Bo withdrew his sight and went upstairs straightforwardly. Feng Ma winked at Chen, who was restraining his laughing. He went forward to take the medicine box, gave Feng Ma an "OK" gesture, and then picked up the water cup upstairs.
Chen went to the master bedroom but did not see Bo. He turned and went to the study. As soon as he entered in he saw Bo standing with his back to him in front of the full-length window and smoking.
Chen hurried forward, s.n.a.t.c.hed the cigarette from his hand, and went to the desk with frowns to snuff it out in the ashtray.
"Why are you smoking?" Chen turned over to stuff the water cup into Bo"s hand, and bowed his head to open the medicine box. "You should take the medicine."
As soon as he looked up, Chen found the water was drunk up.
Chen, "…"
Bo handed him back the empty water cup and said, "Pour me another cup of water."
Chen did as he asked, with Bo taking over the cup of water and drinking it up again in one breath. He drank so fast that Chen wasn"t even able to stop it.
"One more." Bo asked again.
"No! Take your medicine first!"
"I can"t take it without water."
Bo must be doing it on purpose. Chen rolled his eyes angrily, "You"re in thirties. Could you be more childish?"
Bo just laughed, "Give me a kiss."
Chen was agitated, "No kiss!"
"Then forget it." Bo began to cough, and began coughing more and more fiercely, with his face red. Chen hurried to ma.s.sage on his back, "How come you suddenly cough so hard. Are you all right?"
Bo asked as he coughed, "Kiss or not?"
Chen gave him a kiss quickly, "Don"t talk. I"ll go get you some water."
Bo remained silent, and there was also no more coughing. He might have stopped coughing too weirdly soon that Chen was made a little confused. Chen stared at him for a few seconds before he understood and then gave him a glare, "You old …"
He bowed his head and gagged Chen"s mouth by kissing on it.
It was strangely quiet in the room. A slight sound of stirring saliva could be heard a moment later.
After a while, Chen was out of breath and began to struggle. Bo squeezed Chen"s wrist with one hand, clasped him tightly with another hand around his waist, and bowed his head to kiss him harder.
Chen satisfied Bo"s kissing and touching with full effort to persuade him to take his medicine. With the mission finished, Chen turned around and was about to leave, only to be pulled back into Bo"s arms again, "Where are you going?"
Chen raised his hand to rub on his a bit numb lips, "I"m not going anywhere."
"Then go to the bedroom with me."
Chen looked up alertly, "Why going to the bedroom?"
Bo, "To sleep."
"No!"
"Why?"
"There"s no reason. I"m not sleepy now. You can go to sleep if you want."
"Are you scared?"
Chen laughed and asked in reply, "What should I be afraid of?"
Bo squinted his eyes, "You were up just now."
Chen turned his head and ran away immediately. Bo did not chase him; instead he strolled to the bedroom smilingly, with his hands deep in his pockets.
After another sleep, Bo woke up feeling a lot more comfortable. He went into the bathroom, stood in front of the washbasin for a moment, and then went out, and texted Chen to come up.
Chen had played games all afternoon. Now he was lying on his back tiredly in the big sofa of the audio room, and was video-chatting with Yunsheng Liang. When his phone buzzed for having received a message from Bo, Chen sat up instantly. At the other end of the phone, Liang asked with curiosity about Chen"s sudden panicky face, "What"s wrong?"
"Nothing …"
"Go lying to the ghost. Something has obviously happened. Tell me."
"I saw Cheng Yu just now. And he"s naked." Chen did see Cheng Yu just now when the camera turned. Then Chen saw Liang go into the bathroom and heard its door was locked. With Cheng Yu not being aside, Chen made a clean breast of everything.
"I"ll ask you first. Did you two have s.e.x last night?"
They had actually done it at the clubhouse. Liang scratched his head, knowing that Chen tended to forget things and very thoroughly when he drank, so he did not mention of the clubhouse again. Instead, he only vaguely answered, "Hm-hmm."
"Oh s.h.i.t. You really slept."
"Slept."
"You"re so bold." Thinking of the message Bo had just texted him, Chen went a little absent-minded. "Then what are you going to do in the future?"
"Be in the relationship."
"But he"s a friend of your uncle."
"What"s wrong with his being my uncle"s friend? Your boyfriend is even the brother of my mother."
"…" Chen flushed in an instant. "What are you talking about? When am I …?"
"Last night." Liang interrupted him. "You told me in person last night that you wanted to be my aunt."
"Really?" Chen"s face was hotter. "Even if I did say it, it was because I was drunk. It shouldn"t be taken seriously. Are you really hoping so much that I"m your aunt?"
Liang was silent for a moment and then suddenly he ended the video-chatting. Two minutes later, he sent a WeChat message.
"My uncle may like you."
As soon as Chen finished reading it, he saw Liang withdraw the message, and then came another one, which was only one word less than the previous.
"My uncle likes you."
Chen looked at the screen of his phone in a trance.
Then came the third message.
"He has seen you before you become Ke Zhen."