Chapter 27: Clothes
Translator: Xena
“I’m a bit embarrassed.” Cheng Yinian thought it over and over, and could only come up with this reason. Chen Xiangsui, however, wore a look of utter bewilderment. “Is it that embarrassing to address someone that way? The two people I passed by at the hospital used that endearment.”
“They might be brothers, which is perfectly normal.”
“Does that mean we’re not normal?” Chen Xiangsui looked like an innocent little animal as he propped his head up with one hand and asked. “We’re very familiar with each other and we’re also good brothers who get along really well.”
“That’s different…”
“My friends who play basketball also call each other ‘Ge’ all the time. What’s so different about that?” Chen Xiangsui seemed genuinely eager to learn, his eyes fixed on Cheng Yinian.
Cheng Yinian couldn’t help but take a deep breath. “Our relationship is different from theirs.”
Chen Xiangsui appeared deep in thought. During this silent interval, he processed the information conveyed in Cheng Yinian’s words. After a long moment, he finally voiced his understanding. “Am I still your boyfriend somewhat?”
“…It’s not because of that.”
“You called me that when we were dating too.” Chen Xiangsui once again fell into serious logical reasoning. “So I still can’t understand what exactly makes you feel embarrassed. Could it be because I’m younger than you?”
Cheng Yinian simply couldn’t fathom Chen Xiangsui’s habit of prying into every little detail. To escape the topic, he made an excuse to go downstairs. “I’m going to buy some drinks. What would you like?”
“I haven’t decided yet.” Chen Xiangsui finished speaking and stood up. “I’ll go with you.”
……
Cheng Yinian’s rental apartment was right above a small supermarket. He and Chen Xiangsui quickly picked out their drinks, then the other said he had something to attend to and needed to step aside to make a phone call. “I’ll wait for you right here,” Cheng Yinian said.
Before Cheng Yinian could stand there for long, his ears inadvertently picked up some unusual commotion. Beside the supermarket, an inconspicuous, shadowy entrance led into a dimly lit alley.
He was certain the noise was coming from inside, so he crept closer to it and peered inside. To his shock, he saw two boys bullying a girl who probably couldn’t even truss a chicken.
Cheng Yinian instinctively scolded them. Hearing his voice, the two boys turned around and couldn’t help bursting into laughter. “Where did this little girl come from? Acting all high and mighty, trying to stick your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”
Hearing such words, Cheng Yinian couldn’t help but clench his fist and raise his hand to struck one of the boys squarely across the face.The boy across from him let out a hiss of pain, his face twisted with rage that seemed ready to erupt. “Shit, I’m gonna teach you a lesson.”
Cheng Yinian couldn’t dodge many blows and soon found himself at a disadvantage. Just as the two boys were about to push him to the ground, a fist appeared out of nowhere and sent both of them flying backward one after the other.
Before the other party could utter any threats, Cheng Yinian saw Chen Xiangsui snap two fingers almost simultaneously. “Is bullying the weak with numbers something to be proud of? Don’t let me see you again.”
The boys’ faces contorted in agony. After Chen Xiangsui let them go, they hurriedly fled the alley. The rescued girl thanked them and left, leaving only Cheng Yinian and Chen Xiangsui in the alley.
“You’ve done well, but I’m still worried.” Chen Xiangsui pulled Cheng Yinian into his arms, then began nervously checking the other’s body. “Are you hurt?”
“…I’m fine.” Cheng Yinian looked down and found that everything was normal except for a corner of his sweater that had somehow snagged and torn.
He looked at Chen Xiangsui before him and felt as if he had been transported back to their first meeting during freshman year. Even now, in this dim alleyway, it seemed as though an unobstructed beam of light was falling upon the person before him.
Chen Xiangsui ran his fingers over the frayed hem of Cheng Yinian’s tattered sweater. “Let me treat you to some new clothes.”
“There’s no need to…”
“This is a gift from a brother so you can’t refuse it. You promised me.”
……
Chen Xiangsui had parked his car in the parking lot of the community where Cheng Yinian’s rented apartment was located. He then drove to an entrance of the shopping plaza and took Cheng Yinian to a clothing store he frequented. He accompanied Cheng Yinian through the men’s clothing section several times, but the other person couldn’t make up his mind. In the end, it was Chen Xiangsui who made the choice for him.
Cheng Yinian stepped into the fitting room and changed into the outfit Chen Xiangsui had picked out for him. Judging by his usual attire, Chen Xiangsui had fairly decent taste in clothes. He pushed open the dressing room door. “How is it?”
Chen Xiangsui gazed at Cheng Yinian as if admiring a doll he had dressed herself, taking him in from head to toe. “Very handsome.”
This was the first time Cheng Yinian had heard Chen Xiangsui describe himself as handsome. “You never complimented me like that before.”
“But you give me that feeling when you wear this outfit. Your face is absolutely flawless, you look stunning in anything. Whether I compliment you on being cute or handsome, it feels equally fitting.” Chen Xiangsui spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. He wasn’t deliberately trying to curry favor with the other person, but simply stating his feelings.
Cheng Yinian turned his face away sheepishly. “Nobody’s perfect.”
“But I just wanted to say it.” Chen Xiangsui spoke calmly, as if what he said was perfectly natural and ordinary. “You deserve that word.”
Cheng Yinian grew increasingly embarrassed as he listened. Back when they were online, Age’s vocabulary had been quite limited. Yet somehow, after switching up his style of dressing, he suddenly had an epiphany. He even looked like he was merely giving a presentation.
“What’s wrong? You seem a bit strange. Don’t you like it?” Chen Xiangsui noticed his shy demeanor and quickly asked.
‘You really don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Cheng Yinian silently berated Chen Xiangsui in his mind.
Before Cheng Yinian could recover from the lingering warmth of the moment, Chen Xiangsui pointed toward the women’s clothing section at the other end. “Shall we go over there and take a look?”
Cheng Yinian suddenly felt like he’d been hit in the head by a car.
He had no choice but to follow Chen Xiangsui around the women’s clothing section for a while, though he couldn’t care less about it. Seeing him seeming indecisive, Chen Xiangsui was about to try recommending a few items when Cheng Yinian quickly waved his hands to decline. “I don’t think any of them are quite right for me.”
“Is that so? But I think this one is really cute, it’s totally your style.” Chen Xiangsui picked up a white lace-trimmed winter dress from the rack and held it up against Cheng Yinian. “Want to try it on?”
“……” Thankfully, the shop wasn’t crowded, otherwise the two grown men would have been far too conspicuous here. Cheng Yinian felt it was unwise to linger here any longer and decided to give up on getting entangled with Chen Xiangsui. “There’s no need to try it on. It should fit. I’ll take this one.”
“It’s better to give it a try just to be safe.”
“……If we don’t hurry back, the food will turn cold.”
……
Cheng Yinian skillfully steered the conversation away. After leaving the restaurant, Chen Xiangsui drove back to their rented apartment. The food had mostly gone cold, so he reheated it briefly in the wok until steam rose again from it.
“Yinian.” Chen Xiangsui’s bowl was empty. He set down his chopsticks and suddenly fixed his gaze on Cheng Yinian. “It really can’t be said?”
Cheng Yinian nearly choked on his rice. Chen Xiangsui was still dwelling on this matter. He swallowed the last mouthful and let out an almost inaudible sigh. “Why are you so fixated on this?”
“Because that’s how you’ve always addressed me.” Chen Xiangsui looked like an innocent Chen Xiangsui that had been unjustly punished.
Seeing that Cheng Yinian seemed unmoved, Chen Xiangsui continued, “Consider this my reward for assisting you today and buying you clothes, is that okay?”
Cheng Yinian and Chen Xiangsui’s eyes met. He sensed an unusual emotion in the other’s gaze, like a child yearning for recognition and making request with such a pure purpose. He was astonished to find a flicker of emotion in the eyes of someone who was usually so emotionally detached.
He gave a dry, helpless smile. Did Chen Xiangsui even realize how much he looked like he was being coquettish with him? He wondered.
Cheng Yinian looked utterly helpless, like he couldn’t do anything about the little troublemaker in his own home. He sheepishly uttered the endearment, “…Gege.”
Chen Xiangsui paused in his seat, reaching across the narrow dining table to grasp Cheng Yinian’s slender wrist. “It sounds great—much better than through a voice changer. Can I hear it again?”
After saying that, he opened the voice recording function on his phone. “I want to record it.”
“…Don’t push your luck.” Cheng Yinian absentmindedly continued shoveling rice into his mouth, as if that small bowl could hide his flushed face.
“I just want to preserve the adorable things about you so I can revisit them anytime.” Chen Xiangsui spoke earnestly while showing Cheng Yinian his densely packed photo album. “I’ve kept all your pictures safe.”
“…Do you even realize how much of a pervert you are?”
……
Early Monday morning, Cheng Yinian hopped into the passenger seat of Chen Xiangsui’s car to head back to school. He packed all the clothes Chen Xiangsui had bought for him, along with numerous other items, which filled several large and small bags.
On the way, Cheng Yinian chatted idly with Chen Xiangsui while casually scrolling through his Moments feed. He noticed that Chen Xiangsui had snapped a photo of the dishes on the dining table at some point. The angle and lighting were as poor as ever, with one of his own hands in the frame and no caption above it.
Lu Yan commented below: [Looks so delicious, it’s making me drool. Who did you sneak out with? Watch out, I might come over to pig out.]
Chen Xiangsui replied: [This is for Yinian. You can’t eat it.]
Lu Yan: [Tsk Tsk Tsk To win a man’s heart, you must first win his stomach. I see right through your little scheme. Yinian will be tied down by you sooner or later, and we younger brothers will soon be out of the game.]
Chen Xiangsui: [Is this really possible?]
Although Cheng Yinian truly loved Chen Xiangsui’s cooking—which tasted every bit as good as what they served in restaurants—he couldn’t let Lu Yan pass on unscientific ideas to the youngsters in the relationship world. [Lu Yan just likes to spout nonsense. Don’t listen to him.]
“Where’d you guys go? Did you two come back from a date?” As soon as the two reached the dormitory entrance, they saw Lu Yan sitting nearby. Noticing Chen Xiangsui’s hands full of bags, Lu Yan instinctively helped carry a few down. One of which was the new skirt Chen Xiangsui had bought for Cheng Yinian.
Lu Yan immediately noticed the bow inside and couldn’t help but take a few extra glances. “This is for…”
