Ji Dongxun’s question—Zhang Jing didn’t know how to respond. He was even more confused by why he asked such a question. Did I talk during my sleep? Maybe…
But he concealed his doubts with a nonchalant shrug, “You’re my baby? I don’t remember. Isn’t calling people ‘baby’ common? What’s so special about it?”
Another arrow seemed to pierce straight through Ji Dongxun’s heart. He turned around, exhaling, “Okay… It’s okay. Go brush your teeth. Breakfast’s almost ready.”
Zhang Jing placed his hands under the faucet and flung the water at his face. Watching the water drip from his face onto his shirt, his face in the mirror seemed blurred.
After an awkwardly silent meal, Ji Dongxun broke the ice. “What’s your plan today?”
Zhang Jing kept his eyes focused on his plate of nutritious foods. “Of course I’m going to socialize. Why would I rot at home on such a nice weekend? Aren’t you also going out?”
“For what?” Ji Dongxun asked.
“For anything. For lunch, dinner, one-night stands? How exciting.”
Ji Dongxun squinted his eyes and raised his left eyebrow, which evoked some sudden sense of guilt within Zhang Jing. He picked up his keys and hurried out the house.
Zhang Jing headed to a poolroom to find the buzz cut boy. Last time, they played on the second floor in the farthest room down the hallway. According to psychology, this behavior suggests insecurity—something that’s completely opposite of the carefree and energetic boy.
The door was open, he was playing pool against himself. As the final eight ball carefully rolled into the corner pocket, a hand suddenly covered the ball, obstructing its path to victory. His eyes followed the hand and Zhang Jing’s face slid into his view. “Oh, yo! Brother, you’re looking extra fresh today.”
“When do I not?” Zhang Jing brought out three balls from his pocket and dropped them one by one on the pool table. “Why are you here alone? Where are your friends?”
“I have you already!” The buzz cut responded while he arranged the balls into the triangle. “Wanna grab a drink tonight?”
“Of course.”
The buzz cut’s name is Xi Nan, a stereotypical rich boy born with a silver spoon. The two of them met through a racing competition. He was a pretty nice guy, the only shortcoming being his short temper. For the most part, Zhang Jing enjoyed hanging out with him.
They played seven games that day: Zhang Jing won five. After his losing streak, Xi Nan defeatedly said, “I’m inferior to you in racing, what more pool. We can’t be friends anymore.”
Zhang Jing chuckled, “You would need to cultivate for a few more years to reach my level.”
Xi Nan set his cue on the pool table. “You’re right. I still have a few more years before I reach your age. Let’s call it a day. If I continue playing, I’ll lose my entire fortune!”
Judging by the dim look in Xi Nan’s eyes, Zhang Jing figured that he was also in a foul mood. If Xi Nan asked to drink, he might as well accompany him. Without any reservations, Zhang Jing proposed to drink at Lin Zhou’s bar.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
As usual, Zhang Jing handed Lin Zhou his helmets as soon as he walked in. “Here you go.”
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Even though a thousand yuan meant nothing to Xi Nan, he was still shocked at the price for mere storage. He nudged Zhang Jing’s elbow and said, “Jing, aren’t you a regular here?”
Zhang Jing moved his arm to the right ever so slightly, just enough to avoid Xi Nan’s touch. He still hated physical touch from others, even if it’s from someone relatively close like Xi Nan. However, he continued talking as if nothing happened. “Yeah, I am. Alright, one thousand’s fine. If I lose it, that’ll cost ten thousand.”
“…” Xi Nan was speechless by his logic—but if Zhang Jing didn’t care, he shouldn’t care either.
Lin Zhou couldn’t resist the urge to dart a few more glances at the little boy. This was the first time Zhang Jing brought someone here, besides Lincoln and Doggo.
Zhang Jing said, “I can’t consume alcohol, but I can chat for a while.”
“I remember, you told me so last time. Wanna order some food instead?” Xi Nan then turned around and summoned Lin Zhou, “Open a bottle of Hennessy Luminous!”
“…” Lin Zhou sneered, “Don’t have that.”
“This is a bar!”
“We have Hennessy, but not Luminous.”
Xi Nan: “Then open a Martell L’or de Jean.”
Lin Zhou continued picking at him. “We have Martell, but not L’or de Jean.”
“How about Cordon Bleu?”
“Nope.”
“Louis XIII Magnum?”
“No.”
“What the f*ck! What type of bar is this?!” Xi Nan hit the counter with a resounding bang. “Then what imported wines do you guys have?”
Lin Zhou sneered even wider, “Whiskey.”
“……”
Lin Zhou brought out a bottle of whiskey and waved his hand to send him off. “Take this and go find a table somewhere else. Don’t bother me.”
Xi Nan, glaring at Lin Zhou, exclaimed, “Watch your attitude! You don’t have anything I ask for! How can this even be considered a bar?”
With a stoic expression, Lin Zhou retorted, “Does your family sell coal?”
“Huh?” Xi Nan didn’t understand it at first, but a few seconds later, he promptly understood the implications. Short tempered as he is, he nearly exploded from frustration. “You’re the one that sells coal!! Your entire family does!”
Zhang Jing pulled at the hem of his shirt as Xi Nan continued complaining, “Jing, who is this person? He’s so rude.”
Zhang Jing asked for a complementary plate of fruits and absentmindedly comforted, “Just ignore him.”
“I didn’t trigger him at all! He’s the one who didn’t have any of the wines I requested!”
Zhang Jing patiently said, “Then remember to bring them yourself next time.”
He could easily tell that Xi Nan was feeling upset this entire day, so Lin Zhou’s intentions of making his time difficult definitely worsened his mood. When Xi Nan went to use the bathroom, Zhang Jing pulled Lin Zhou over and coaxed, “Don’t mind him. He’s just a kid who’s always had it his way.”
Lin Zhou asked with a scornful laugh, “Who is he?”
“One of my friends.”
Lin Zhou said forbiddingly, “There’s no need for you to explain to me. He’s your friend after all.”
Zhang Jing didn’t know how to respond to that distant tone.
Lin Zhou glanced at his table and asked, “You’re not drinking?”
“Nah, I’ve been abstaining from alcohol for a while.”
“Okay, then I’ll head home soon. Thank god you’re abstinent from alcohol—I don’t have to worry about you.” Since Zhang Jing was seated, he was able to pat Zhang Jing’s head without difficulty. Before Zhang Jing had the chance to distance from the physical touch, Lin Zhou walked away from the scene.
Without anyone noticing, Zhang Jing dusted his hair.
Though he didn’t drink a single sip, he still stayed in the bar the entire night. Half past midnight, Zhang Jing returned home, pervaded with the aroma of alcohol.
One part of Zhang Jing wished for Ji Dongxun to stay overnight but realistically, he probably left ages ago. However, when he opened the door, he was stunned.
Ji Dongxun sat on the sofa, poker-faced.
His immediate reaction was to bite down his tongue until he felt a thrill of pain—nothing changed.
Ji Dongxun coldly asked, “You drank?”
“Uh…” He felt guilty for some odd reason, so he tried to deflect the sudden interrogation. “You didn’t go out?”
“Who do you want me to go out with?”
“I already said that anyone’s fine.” Zhang Jing slipped into his fluffy slippers and closed the door behind him. “Don’t tell me you’re awake at midnight just to wait for me? That’s way too pure of you. Just to make it clear, I wasn’t planning to return tonight. It’s just that something unexpected happened. If I didn’t return, would you have sat on the sofa, waiting for my return?”
Zhang Jing himself was surprised at the last sentence slipping out. He awkwardly ran into the bathroom, seeking forage within the cold walls. Deep inside he was terrified of hearing his answer. While he showered, he wanted to slap himself for pushing him away and being so daring with the person he adored the most.
Seeing his vague outline in the foggy mirror, he chuckled sorrowfully. In what way am I worthy of Ji Dongxun?
Thirty minutes later, Ji Dongxun remained in the same position, with the same expression. Seeing him in such a manner made Zhang Jing want to spark a conversation and break the heavy atmosphere. But he decided against doing so, heading straight to the bedroom.
After about ten minutes, Ji Dongxun walked with heavy strides towards the bedroom. Zhang Jing’s eyes were closed, but his eyes could be seen moving through the thin eyelids.
Instead of lying down on the other side of the bed, Ji Dongxun directly pinned Zhang Jing to the headboard. Surprised by the sudden weight on his body, Zhang Jing opened his eyes.
“What are you doing?”
Ji Dongxun let out a deep, regretful sigh. “Jing, why can’t you be a good boy?”
Zhang Jing felt as if his heart was being whipped, yet he replied with an insincere smile. “What do you mean? I go for a drink and I’m not ‘good’ anymore? Well, if you stay a few more nights, you’ll see even more of the true me. Just get used to it.”
“Do you really have to say stuff like that…?” Ji Dongxun’s voice began to fall into a whimper, his eyes watering for the first time since forever.
After a short sniff, he said in a shaky tone, “Today, I’ll teach you how to decide who to hang out with.
“From now on, remember who I am.
“I’m your one and only man.”
This is so sad 😔 why do they hurt each other like this 😭💔
Is this dropped?