Hearing that Si Jiang had gotten into trouble again, Chen Bai drove to his house, his face a mask of utter collapse.
His girlfriend—no, ex-girlfriend—had finally reached her limit and dumped him.
Well, goodbye was goodbye. They didn’t have a future anyway. Though he was a bit sad, there was nothing to be done about it. At this moment, the most urgent matter was Si Jiang. He must have committed some heinous crime in a past life to end up playing both father and mother to his childhood friend in this one.
Entering the door code, Chen Bai pushed his way inside, only to be greeted by a fragrance that had never once graced this house. He froze, took two steps back, and checked the door number in confusion. He hadn't gone to the wrong place, had he?!
Si Jiang’s kitchen was actually being used!
He had rushed over in a panic, only to find this guy eating and drinking at home?
"Old Si, get your ass out—here?"
Zong Yan stood in the open kitchen, a bowl of porridge in hand, as they stared at each other.
Chen Bai went numb. A faint sense of resignation washed over him. Why did this scene feel so absurd, yet at the same time, make him think, *Of course, it’s her*?
"What is he doing?" he asked, though he let out a sigh of relief and sat down unceremoniously at the dining table. With this woman here, what could possibly go wrong with Si Jiang?
Zong Yan set the bowl down and aligned the chopsticks. Her voice was flat. "Sleeping. He should be waking up soon."
She turned back to the counter and placed a dish of green vegetables and two boiled eggs on the table. She made no move to offer him any, nor did she engage in any polite small talk. Of course, even if she had invited him, Chen Bai would have absolutely, definitely refused. Who would want to eat that? It looked miserably bland.
The two had nothing to talk about. After all, from beginning to end, their interactions could be counted on one hand.
The first time, Chen Bai had hit her with a ball. Later, he had threatened her to let Si Jiang go. The third time was at the cinema. Aside from those instances, they had nothing to say to each other.
Chen Bai tapped his fingers on the tabletop, growing impatient. Why wasn't that guy waking up? Was he feeling unwell? He stood up, deciding to go check for himself.
He pushed open the door to the master bedroom, but it was empty, leaving only the lingering scent of candles. The room had already been cleaned; the piles of wax and the stubborn oil stains on the floor had been scraped away.
Where was he?
Chen Bai scratched his head and moved to push open the door to the guest bedroom. However, a figure blocked his path.
He looked up, annoyed. "What are you doing?"
Zong Yan didn't care about his attitude. She simply held out an arm to bar the door. "I suggest you don't go in."
"And why can't I go in? This is my brother's house. Who do you think you are?" Chen Bai didn't bother with her and tried to push her aside...
She didn't budge.
He tried to pull her arm away, but it didn't move an inch.
*Damn, how is this woman so strong?*
Since physical force failed, he switched to his tongue. "You didn't do something to Old Si, did you? Let me tell you, Zong Yan, things aren't like they were before. Don't think Si Jiang is still stupid enough to protect you. You do realize how big the gap in your statuses is now, don't you?"
Si Jiang had just told him he was starting a new life. In Chen Bai's opinion, it was about time. The world was full of wonders; it was too foolish to keep pining after one woman.
"I've known Old Si for twenty years. No one knows him better than I do. He might be a bit impulsive today, acting like he cares about you, but tomorrow he'll meet someone more interesting and toss you to the back of his mind. I suggest you show some self-awareness and stay away from him."
Chen Bai spoke with earnest concern, feeling himself to be the pinnacle of sincerity and kindness.
To his surprise, before Zong Yan could respond, the door was whipped open with a *shing*. His good brother, his childhood friend, his "living ancestor," stood there with a quilt wrapped around him like a cloak. He looked like he had just woken up, his face dark as he glared at Chen Bai.
"What are you doing here?" Si Jiang’s tone was thick with disdain.
Hearing this, Chen Bai’s temper flared. "I heard you turned a basketball game into a brawl! I came to see if you were dead yet!"
"Oh. Well, you've seen me. I'm fine. You can get lost now." Si Jiang made his lack of welcome crystal clear.
Chen Bai laughed out of pure frustration, crossing his arms. "Well, now I'm not leaving." He had really given this guy too much face. What an ungrateful wretch.
Si Jiang rolled his eyes, not even wanting to acknowledge him. But... he had heard what Chen Bai just said. Two fingers crept out from under the quilt, anxiously tugging at Zong Yan’s clothes.
It was infuriating. Could he not have one day of peace? He had only been reconciled with Zong Yan for a few minutes, and then Chen Bai shows up to spout nonsense. The world just didn't want things to go well for him! It just wanted to give Zong Yan an excuse to discard him!
At the thought, the emotions Zong Yan had finally managed to soothe plummeted to rock bottom again. His hands began to tremble.
*Would Master really listen to Chen Bai? Would she regret it? Would she think I'm a burden and then...*
No. He would rather die!
Zong Yan sensed something was wrong. She glanced at Si Jiang’s expression and immediately reached back to lock the door, leaving a bewildered Chen Bai standing outside.
The bed in the guest room was a mess from Si Jiang’s sleep. When Zong Yan had first woken up, she had actually tidied it and changed the sheets. At that time, Si Jiang had been in a daze, letting her do as she pleased. But the moment she left the room, he had bolted awake, calling for her barefoot. It took several rounds of her promising she wouldn't leave and would stay right here before he was willing to sleep for a while.
He had finally fallen asleep, and then Chen Bai arrived.
Zong Yan hadn't taken a single word Chen Bai said to heart because she simply didn't care. She hadn't expected Si Jiang to take them so seriously.
Now that the outsider was gone, the pet she had just reclaimed lowered his proud head, tears falling one by one in his grief. The quilt slipped, revealing a body covered in marks, looking like a ravaged, broken toy. His hand still gripped Zong Yan’s clothes stubbornly.
Zong Yan touched his swollen eyes with her fingertips. "If you keep crying, you'll go blind." Had he even drunk as much water today as the tears he was shedding? It didn't feel like it.
"If I go blind... will you... despise me?"
The corners of the pet's eyes were as red as smeared rouge, and his jade-like skin was stained with tear tracks. He grabbed Zong Yan’s hand, holding it against his eye, and muttered miserably to himself, "But you said... you like things that are broken and flawed. If I'm blind, you should like me even more, right?"
Those tears were like mountain springs, flowing endlessly.
"Then I'll just cry until I'm blind. If you don't watch me, if you don't care for me, something will happen to me. I can't live without you."
*That way, there's no way you could ever want to abandon me, right?*
"Heh."
Zong Yan let out a tender, lingering smile. She covered his eyes, her voice low. "You've grown more cunning." He understood her dark thoughts even better than before.
Si Jiang fell silent, wondering how long it would take to cry himself blind. But the hand over his eyes acted like a feather, brushing away his tears.
"Alright, stop overthinking. These eyes look better as they are." They were filled with such blatant care and dependence; if he really went blind, where would she find such a view? "Now that you're awake, get dressed and come out to eat. Don't starve to death."
She picked up the quilt and tossed it onto the bed. Seeing the passionate red marks all over Si Jiang, she paused and added, "Wear something long."
Si Jiang drew out his response. "I know—"
As expected, even after all this time, he shouldn't expect her to become someone who coaxed others. Her way of speaking was still so unromantic.
At the dining table, Si Jiang kept his head down, quietly sipping his millet porridge and occasionally picking up some greens, eating with great relish. Zong Yan sat beside him, her face resting on her hand as she looked at her phone.
Opposite them sat Chen Bai, who suddenly felt his presence was entirely superfluous.
"Old Si, can that stuff actually taste good?" He was eating so heartily, as if it were more delicious than the delicacies they usually had.
"What the hell do you know?" Si Jiang snapped.
The moment the words left his mouth, he saw Zong Yan cast a lazy glance his way. He pursed his lips and corrected himself. "You have no taste."
He poked the bottom of his bowl hard with his chopsticks. There it was again—that familiar look. In the past, whenever he swore, Zong Yan would look at him like that. Now that their relationship was restored, she was naturally going to start controlling his behavior again.
Si Jiang instinctively touched his hair, momentarily dazed. It was indeed very short. But he had done that on purpose.
He had kept the hair color as a humble lingering thought, as if as long as the color didn't change, he hadn't been completely abandoned; he could still be Zong Yan’s pet. But he hated it. He hated it so much. He hated himself even more—hated that he was fighting the whole world for a woman who had hurt and abandoned him.
So, before returning to the country, he had cut his long hair short. He hadn't known if he would meet Zong Yan again, but he had thought mournfully that if he did, this image might allow him to keep a bit more of his dignity.
*I don't want you anymore either. I don't care about you.*
Just like his short, dyed hair, it was a lie that would be exposed with a single poke. But it had taken so, so long.
"Focus on your food," Zong Yan reminded him. He hadn't eaten in so long, yet he was daydreaming during his meal. She wondered how he had even built those muscles.
Chen Bai frowned at the sound of it. *She's even controlling how he eats? Who does she think she is?*
"Oh." His stubborn childhood friend, who didn't even like listening to his own parents, submissively and obediently picked up his bowl again.
"Don't be a picky eater. Eat the eggs too."
Si Jiang silently picked up the boiled egg he hated most and reluctantly began to peel it.
Chen Bai hadn't given up. "Is this all you prepared for him? This isn't even enough to fill a grown man's tooth. This is abuse." He just found the atmosphere between the two of them unbearable and had to get a few jabs in.
Zong Yan put down her phone and looked at Si Jiang. "Are you full?"
"No..." Si Jiang answered honestly.
"Mhm. Line your stomach first. You can't eat too much after starving for so long. You can eat more later."
"Okay!" Si Jiang grinned and nodded emphatically.
*Bang!*
Chen Bai slammed the table and stood up. "Old Si, have you been hexed by her?" Seeing him act so obediently gave Chen Bai goosebumps!
Si Jiang’s face fell. "Don't you have anything better to do? Go find your girlfriend or something."
"I'm single again just so I could look after you!" Chen Bai condemned him.
"Then find another one." Why was he lingering at his house? Didn't he know how to read the room?
"Who's to blame for me being like this? You ungrateful wretch. Being brothers with you is the worst luck I've had in eight lifetimes." When there was trouble, he called him to play games; when there wasn't, he told him to get lost.
"Fine, fine, fine. I'll help you find a new one next time, alright?" Si Jiang couldn't stand him anymore. He stood up and started pushing Chen Bai toward the door. "You've seen me now. I'm perfectly fine. Your mission is accomplished, so go be busy with your own things. Be a good boy."
Chen Bai was shoved and hustled all the way outside the front door. He looked at Si Jiang through gritted teeth.
Si Jiang gripped the doorframe and waved at him. "Bye-bye. See you tomorrow." Then, he slammed the door shut without hesitation.
*One of these days, I'm going to kill this shameless scoundrel couple who keep slamming doors in my face!* Chen Bai swore fiercely at the heartlessly closed door.
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 狗男女 | Scoundrel couple / Shameless pair | Lit. "dog man and woman," a derogatory term for a couple acting shamelessly or improperly. |
| 活祖宗 | Living ancestor | A term for someone who is difficult to serve or requires constant pampering. |
| 白眼狼 | Ungrateful wretch / White-eyed wolf | A metaphor for someone who is cold-hearted and ungrateful. |
| 缱绻 | Tender / Lingering | Describes deep, lingering affection or attachment. |
